#yeah hold on she's gonna be a half-orc and i love her

[vera-king-hrfl]

Heat of the Night part 7

Collab with @crowwolf ily bby!

The rugby game was supposed to be in this part, but we took a minute to research because I know fckall about that sport, so I waffled for about 2500 words. Next time! 😅

CW: homophobic slurs, mild violence, attempted assault.

A few nights later, Cal is at Creature Comforts, a bar designed to cater to those with alternative ancestry, with some friends, playing darts, drinking beer and chatting. Cal is currently tossing against Max, a half-orc who plays rugby as well, for a team in the Outer City. The young tiefling is losing. Badly. 

"What are you doing, Cal? I'm gonna take your whole week's pay if you keep throwing like that." Max goes to pluck the darts from the target, none of which had struck anywhere near the center. 

Cal forks over a few coins, shaking his head with a sheepish grin. "Sorry, Max. I'm a little distracted this week. Besides, it's not like I could beat you anyway. I'll just sit the next few out."

The huge green man, who towers over everyone in the place except for Cal and Dammon, is surprisingly soft-spoken for his rather fearsome appearance, his deep, gruff voice a pleasant rumble that cuts through the raucous din. "That’s alright, kid. I'll let you off the hook. Is there anything you want to talk about?"

Cal walks to the bar with Max to get another drink, then leans against it, sipping from the bottle, and shrugs. "Nothing dire, really. I just met someone."

The big man grins, showing teeth that put Cal's fangs to shame. "So. Too late for us, then?" 

The tiefling chokes, then wipes his chin. "Us? I... um... I didn’t know you felt that way..."

Max laughs with a hearty gusto that makes Cal relax a little and shake his head. "Just messing with you Cal; you're not my type. Besides, we'd just break the bed. You've gotten bigger in the past few years."

"Yeah, sideways, maybe." The tiefling snorts and pats his own belly, looking pointedly at Max's rock hard chest and stomach. 

Max chuckles again. "You could always come work out with us at the yard; I'll get you into shape in no time. But I don't think you need it. I bet your boyfriend loves the fluff."

Cal grins, blushing a little. "Yeah he seems to. But he's not my boyfriend yet; we've only been on two dates."

"Dates? Wow, I haven't been on one of those in decades. I just find a nice lady with a fat ass and ask if she wants me to jiggle it for her. Works more often than you'd think, as long as she doesn't run screaming when I walk in the room." He nods at someone across the room and slaps Cal on the shoulder, making him grunt and stagger a bit. "Talk to you later, Cal. Looks like Darys wants to be humiliated. Take it easy, kid."

"Yeah you too, Max." Cal stays where he is for a few more minutes, then approaches a table where Dammon and some other men are trading bawdy stories. "Hey Dammon, can I talk to you for a second?"

The handsome blond tiefling nods and rises, following Cal to a marginally quieter corner. "Sure, Cal. What's up?"

"Do you think... would it be weird if I invited the guy I'm seeing to our game this weekend?"

Dammon raises an eyebrow, his blue eyes sparkling with interest. "I didn't know you were dating anyone, but yeah, you can invite him. We're playing the Rivington Roeths; Max's team. Those guys are all pretty cool. What's he look like, so I can make sure he gets a good seat?"

Cal blushes a bit. "Oh, well... he has black skin and white hair, about yea high." Cal holds his hand at the level of his chin. 

"I see..." Dammon’s grin makes Cal blush a bit deeper red, but he's smiling too. "What’s his name?"

"Ryldinn."

"Hmmm dabbling in the dark, are we? Not that I blame you; most of those drow are kinda kinky." The paler tiefling winks conspiratorially. "Ask me how I know." Dammon’s attitude is infectious, and Cal ends up laughing with him.

"Yeah, yeah, I've heard that you like to visit the Caress."

Dammon chuckles, then sighs dreamily, closing his eyes for a second. "Mmm yeah, you haven't lived until you've been tied up by the twins. But anyway, sure, that's no problem. I'll have them comp two seats so you can sit with him during breaks if you want. Just have him say that Dammon has it covered. Can't wait to meet him. You hanging around for a while? Shop's closed tomorrow."

"Nah, been a long day. Besides, I lost all my beer money to Max already. It’s nice out so I'm just going to walk home."

"Alright, Cal. Get some rest. The Roeths go hard."

Cal grins. "I know. But I need to win back some money. I bet Max I could stop a drive."

Dammon whistles softly. "Bold. Well, lemme know if you need a loan later, alright?" They hug, briefly, and Cal lets himself out onto the street, pulling out his comm and staring at it for a second. He doesn’t want to bother Ryldinn if the drow is busy, so he settles for a written message. 

Thinking about you. 

He grins, cursing himself for a fool with a crush, and slips the device back into his pocket before beginning his walk home. It's shortly after ninth bell and the streets are sparsely populated in this neighborhood, with only a few people out walking dogs, strolling, coming home from work. It's quiet. Peaceful. 

Right up until it's not. 

"Hey there, cutie, what's up?" The loud, intoxicated sounding voice is coming from an alley to Cal's left as he walks past, and at first, he just ignores it, concentrating on his own thoughts. 

"Hey, I'm talking to you! Guys, come look what I found."

The note of hostility gives Cal pause, and he backs up a little to look down the alley. The voices seem to be coming from one street over, the speaker out of sight for the moment. The tiefling hesitates, then another babble of voices joins the first and he starts moving down through the darkness between the buildings. 

"Awww what have we here? Look at this pretty little faggot!"

"Hey, stick around, beautiful. Whatcha got in the bag?"

A pause, the response inaudible to Cal at this distance. 

"What if I don’t wanna let go of you? You gonna do something to me?"

"I think he wants to suck your dick, Barret."

"That right? You wanna suck my dick, fairy? Come over here. Maybe if you do it good I'll let you go."

Suddenly, three human men appear, dragging someone smaller into the alley, and Cal speeds up in time to see a petite man with white hair being shoved against the wall and pinned by the biggest of his attackers. Thick fingers grip the smooth dark face, and the man lowers his head. "Come on, princess. Gimme a little kiss."

"Hey!" The men turn at the shout, the big one releasing Ryldinn for a moment as Cal draws near. The drow tries to extricate himself but his ponytail is snatched by one of the others and he's pulled back as the leader addresses first his captive, then Cal. 

"I didn't say you could go." He lifts his chin and squares his shoulders. "This isn't your business, buddy. Move along."

"I'm making it my business. The fuck are you doing? Let him go."

The guy, a big man with overly processed blond hair and acne scars, who Cal assumes is Barret, steps closer. "Hold him, guys," he says, glancing back before crossing his arms and sneering at Cal. "What’s it to you, foulblood? You sweet on this little piece?"

One of his companions, a skinny guy with a prominent nose, snickers. "Maybe he's a queer too. You a queer, hellspawn?"

Cal smiles, baring his fangs. "Yeah I am. Got a problem with that?"

Barret steps closer, but the skinny one seems to have second thoughts and catches at his arm. He's whispering, but Cal's big ears catch it. "Hey man, you sure about this? He's a tiefling."

Barret snorts. "He's a fag, how tough could he be? Just keep that one here and I'll deal with him. You looking for a fight, cocksucker?"

Cal tilts his head until his neck cracks rather loudly. "Unless you want to let him go, then yeah. One for one. You can have the first punch. But I promise you don't want it."

Barett chuckles and glances back at his friends, briefly. There's a brief glimmer of hesitation in his eyes, but he obviously doesn't want to lose face in front of his minions, so he steps to Cal and raises his fists. "You got this coming, devil." The tiefling doesn’t bother trying to dodge. Barret is strong for a human, and his hit connects smack on Cal's jaw, but his heavy facial bones absorb the impact and he's barely moved. He lifts his hand, rubbing at his jaw and grinning. "My turn."

The "oh shit" is visible in Barret's expression now, but to his credit, he doesn't try to escape. Cal doesn't even bother hitting the guy, just lashes out, taking hold of the guy's head and shoving. The big human goes flying, careening across the alley and colliding into the brick wall with a loud smack, then tumbling onto his back, lying there groaning and holding his head. 

Cal turns to the others. "Next?"

"Uh..." The other two, Skinny and a chunky shorter man, look at each other for a moment, then Ryldinn is released and walks quickly to Cal, standing somewhat behind the bigger man. "Yeah, alright, you can have him. We're going. Come on, Barret, let's get you some ice." They help the man to his feet and the three of them stagger down the alley in the direction from which the tiefling had come. Cal watches them until they're out of sight, then turns to the drow, who seems to be a little shaky.

Cal reaches out and gently takes his arms, looking him over. The smaller man is dressed professionally tonight, tailored slacks and a snug waistcoat over a crisp blue linen shirt, his hair escaping from a neat tail at the back of his neck. There's a bulky messenger bag depending from one shoulder. "You alright, Ryldinn?"

The drow smiles a little, then steps forward into Cal’s arms and nods. "I am fine, Cal, just a little shaken. Thank the gods you showed up. What are you doing here?" He pulls back, and Cal cups his cheek with a smile. 

"I'm on my way home. Wanted to walk. Come on, let's get back to the street. How about you? This isn't really a safe neighborhood."

They emerge back onto the sidewalk on Ryldinn’s side of the street, and the drow starts fixing his hair and smoothing his clothes while he answers. "I am here for work. A few books I needed were being offered by a widow selling off her late husband's things. I suppose she is lonely; I spent longer than I intended having tea and talking with her. I live not far from here; I wasn’t expecting trouble." He reaches up to touch Cal's jaw, gently. "I'm sorry that man struck you. Does it hurt?"

Cal chuckles. "Not really. I'm tougher than I look. Dense bones. Don't worry about me; I asked for it. Can I walk you home? It would make me feel better."

Ryldinn smiles brightly, his little kitten teeth sparkling in the street lights. "I think it would make me feel better too. Thank you, Cal."

The tiefling smiles back and takes the slender dark fingers, kissing them briefly before resuming in the direction Ryldinn indicates. "I don't know if you got my message earlier, but I wanted to tell you. We have a night game tomorrow against Rivington, and you said you were interested... so if you're not busy..."

The drow squeezes his hand. "I would love to. This is my final task this week, so I should be free for a couple of days." He sounds a little nervous for a moment. "What kind of people go to games like that?"

"Oh, all kinds. But don’t worry about anything, alright? Most of them know about me; they won't give you any trouble. Just mention Dammon at the gate and they'll have seats for you."

"He is a member of your team?"

"Yep. He's the captain. He's also my boss; owns the shop I work at. He's a tiefling too. Really nice guy, known him since I was a kid. I think you'll like him."

"I'm sure I will, if he's anything like you. Turn here."

They cross another street and are suddenly in a much more gentrified, but far from wealthy neighborhood, with cute little shuttered shops and cafes. "This is nice," Cal says, looking around. "How long have you lived here?"

"Oh, around ten years now. I stayed with a friend until my Common was good enough to be on my own. The people here are nice and tend to keep out the intolerant."

"So you live alone now?"

"Mhm. I enjoy my privacy. The friend was Astarion, if you can imagine. It was a little chaotic. He still drops in now and again to irritate me, but I spend much time alone."

Cal grins. "I guess that guy could be an annoying roommate. I live with my sister. She's a pain sometimes too, but it's not bad. We're both out a lot." Ryldinn slows before a charming three-storey building and turns down the walkway. It's a little darker here; the dense landscaping blocking some of the light from the street and the windows. "This it?" Ryldinn nods. "Alright. I guess I'll get going, if you're sure you're alright."

"I'm fine." Cal nods and turns to go, but Ryldinn tightens his grip, and he pauses. "My hero." He moves closer with that precious little grin, and Cal's breath catches at the invitation there. "Will the knight in shining armor kiss his princess goodnight?"

Cal swallows, "Oh, absolutely," then wraps Ryldinn in his arms and presses his lips to the tender mouth. The kiss is chaste at first, but then Ryldinn moans softly and parts his lips, and Cal can't help himself. He pulls the drow closer, up against him, and probes with his tongue. Ryldinn meets him, sealing his mouth to Cal's and letting their tongues slide together. The drow inhales sharply at the feeling, sliding his hands up Cal's chest and around his neck, pressing his tight little body to Cal and bringing one leg up to curl around one of Cal’s. It feels incredible, and Cal risks wrapping his tail around the firm thigh, drawing another little whimper from the trembling drow. A small hand drifts down his chest and stomach, slides over the covered crest on his hip, then wraps gently around his tail where it rests against his leg, and this time it's the tiefling who groans quietly. Ryldinn’s mouth is sweet, soft and a little shy, his kiss unpracticed, almost clumsy against Cal’s lips, as if this is something he hasn’t done frequently or recently, but he's certainly enjoying it as well, from what Cal can detect. He kisses the lovely man for a few minutes, but then has to pull away before embarrassing himself. He blows out a breath, chuckles, and kisses Ryldinn on the forehead before pulling him in for a hug.

"That was amazing, sweetheart. Thank you."

Ryldinn giggles softly into his chest. "You’re telling me? I've never kissed anyone with a forked tongue before." He looks up, still breathing a bit rapidly. "You'd better go before I drag you upstairs. Are you going to be alright? Your face..."

Cal smiles and cups his cheek again. "I'm fine. Like I said, I'm pretty tough." He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly, trying to calm himself, then chuckles. "And yeah, I'll go, before I'm tempted to let you drag me. I'll see you tomorrow, alright?"

Ryldinn nods. "Tomorrow. Goodnight, Cal."

[lonesomedreamer]

The Rings of Power Liveblog: “The Great Wave” and “Partings” (Episodes 4 & 5)

“The Great Wave”

As always, I appreciate this show’s commitment to being gorgeous!

The foreshadowing of Tar-Míriel’s dream is fine as a narrative device, but it feels…deceptive? Númenor was destroyed because they deliberately broke the Valar’s Ban by sailing to Valinor, not because one Elf showed up. (To be fair, they did so due to the influence of [redacted], so…)

Yeah, the whole “the Elves are gonna come take our jobs!” thing is, um…it’s too much.

Love that Al-Pharazôn is using their descent from Elros, the son of two half-Elves who both chose to live as Elves, to pump these people up…bc the Númenóreans had come to resent “the choice of their ancestor” by this time! They don’t fear the Elves. They envy them—resent them. They enjoy life and want to keep on living it. They want to be immortal. That really shouldn’t be a difficult idea to get across on screen!

I initially appreciated the obvious Mediterranean influences in this design, but now it seems over-the-top and doesn’t fit in well with the aesthetics of the rest of the universe.

It’s really dumb—and rude—that the queen keeps calling Galadriel “Elf”

It’s a shame they’ve stripped her of all her wisdom.

Unsure if it’s the fault of the writing or the acting, but Tar-Míriel is not doing it for me at all. Alternating between widening your eyes and smirking does not a compelling performance make.

Cheap comic relief from Elendil—thanks for nothing, writers!

“Isildur” continues to provide this show with unnecessary, meaningless teen angst/drama. No thanks.

More grimdark Orc stuff. At least Arondir’s finally getting out.

Oh, the horror movie nonsense, bad CG, and bad costumes that make up the Southlands subplot…I didn’t miss it.

The actor playing Celebrimbor looks more like someone you’d cast as a Hobbit than an Elf. I’m getting way more “old Bilbo” vibes from him than “master smith of the Noldor”…

WHAT is going on with the timeline? Most of Episode 3 took place over a few days in Númenor. In that time, Bronwyn’s village has run out of food at their watchtower refuge—believable enough—and the Dwarves of Khazad-dûm a) decided to help build forges in Eregion after all and b) already partially completed said forges! Make it make sense.

“Are you suggesting Durin’s got himself a wee girlfriend?” “These wee’uns are turning my mind to much.” I did Shakespeare in high school, and once, after our director asked us to project for the umpteenth time, she shouted, “You do not mic the Bard!” That’s how I feel about these line. I’m so sorry, Professor.

Elrond just wandering around in the mines of Khazad-dûm, alone, like it ain’t no thing, lmao.

Mithril!

Not them making me care about this made-up friendship between Durin and Elrond a tiny bit.

Huh, a Palant��r. I didn’t see that coming.

“Palantíri show many visions. Some that will never come to pass.” Cribbing directly from Galadriel’s actual canon dialogue!

“I will not second-guess the gods.” This is so funny to me, bc like…Galadriel lived among the Valar! It’s giving “do not cite the Deep Magic to me…I was there when it was written.”

Arondir saving Theo and then holding his own against like a bazillion Orcs while also trying to defend him…as if!

We just saw the Orcs running around a village in broad daylight, but suddenly they can’t keep chasing Theo and Arondir because the sun’s coming up??

The power of music…now that’s very Tolkien. ♥ This scene also gives the Dwarves, with their exaggerated Scottish accents and bad dialogue, a few all-too-rare moments of dignity.

Which is quickly destroyed by Durin angrily screaming about his “old goat” of a father.

I’m grudgingly going to admit that I kind of like Elrond. Though I still think the actor is wrong for the part, he does have a certain gravitas when a scene calls for it.

“For ever am I with you, my son.” Oh…oh, it’s a good scene. And King Durin also has dignity and gravitas! I didn’t think these writers had it in them.

As surprisingly compelling as the Khazad-dûm stuff is, the Southlands subplot is dull. I’m not interested in Theo at all, and I’m barely interested in Bronwyn—and since they’re not going to bother to develop her character properly (there are just too many characters at this point), it doesn’t matter.

Also: the exchange between Theo and the guy in whose barn he found the Sauron sword about the return of their “king” is really heavy-handed foreshadowing.

Númenor is lowkey a narrative disaster. Aesthetically pleasing, though!

Wait, how did Halbrand get out of prison…? Did I miss that??

“I’ve decided to personally escort the Elf back to Middle-earth to aid our mortal brethren who are now besieged in the Southlands.” Again “the Elf” instead of her name…also, how is Tar-Míriel accompanying her going to make a difference? Sending troops, sure—but having the reigning monarch leave Númenor???

“Brave sons and daughters.” Do we think there were Númenórean shield-maidens? Genuinely asking. Yes or no, an absurd number of women volunteer to serve. I’m genuinely all for gender parity/equality, even in fantasy. However… a) it seems unrealistic in this setting/the style of combat they’d be training for, and b) women can be valuable and valued beyond being soldiers (Tolkien knew this—just look at Éowyn)!

Okay, this one was a doozy!

The Good:

Visually stunning, as anyone who’s gotten this far should now expect. I’m going to say that every time. (Tbh it’s why I’m even still watching.)

It’s nice to return to an Elven location (with the promise of more next time!) They gave a magical, ethereal atmosphere to the first episode that’s been missing ever since, and they feel a lot more escapist than Númenor and the Southlands.

Elendil continues to be hot

Some really touching, well-acted moments in Khazad-dûm*…I even thought Elrond was solid. And mithril!

The stuff with the Palantír was kind of cool.

Tar-Míriel is almost a real character rather than a Cersei Lannister knockoff. The acting’s still meh, but an improvement from the previous episode. And her headpieces/crowns are to die for.

Numerous references to Eärendil, most of them cheesy, but still…the little things.

The Bad:

Everything else.

The entire Southlands plot is spiraling into absurdity. I’m not invested in any of the characters involved, and since this is the halfway point of Season 1, I don’t expect that to change. It’s ridiculous that Theo and Arondir are even still alive after that forest chase scene.

Most of the dialogue is mediocre to Bad. *I think the Dwarves might be the worst offenders…poor Disa, the actress and the character both deserve to do more than spouting stereotypical “Scottish” sounding lines!

Even if the Númenóreans were less sympathetic if they openly yearned for immortality, their perspective and hostility towards Elves would make a lot more sense than “the Elves are gonna take our jobs” or whatever…

Isildur, his OC sister and her OC maybe-love interest are all wasting my time with their personal drama and angst. @ the writers: please stop wasting screentime on this!!!

Time passes differently depending on where you are in Arda, I guess? That, or the Dwarvish craftsmen in Eregion have superpowers.

No Nori at all. :(

I know it’s nitpicky af, but as a history lover, there’s something too historical/not fantastical enough about this Númenor. The design borrows heavily from classical Greece with a helping of Byzantine aesthetics and, confusingly, some generic “medieval” elements thrown in as well…overall, it just doesn’t mesh convincingly with the rest of show. It’s beautiful but imo it feels too grounded real-world motifs.

“Partings”

“I’m peril.” Sadface! Nori and I love you, not-Gandalf.

Listen, I understand exactly why people don’t like the Harfoots. I just do like them, contradictions, clumsy dialogue and all.

Poppy’s song is a real treat! It feels like something Bilbo might have written. No Tolkien adaptation other than the Rankin-Bass films has ever featured enough singing. As anyone who’s read LOTR knows, songs are ubiquitous and inescapable in Middle-earth.

Maps!

Why in the world do the Harfoots migrate THIS far every year? No wonder so many of them keep dying! And the Brandyfoots have definitely become separated from the rest of their village by now…

Overall, a delightful opening five minutes.

Weird “witch” (?) characters, Orc subplot… I’m using the fast-forward option liberally.

Who nominated Bronwyn to be in charge of the Southlanders?

Nitpick alert: We see some other women wearing the same spaghetti-strap style dress that Bronwyn has—good consistency—but why is hers the only one with any color? Some are black, and it’s not like black dye is easier/less expensive to get than blue…

The conniving tavernkeep guy instantly wins over half of the people who were willing to “stand and fight” with Bronwyn thirty seconds earlier. Lol.

I just like to look at him.

Oh no! Mean Daddy Elendil is Disappointed in poor Isildur. It’s a good thing Elendil’s easy on the eyes, because this is dismal. (Maybe it’s supposed to echo Denethor and Faramir, but to me it’s just giving teen drama.)

I don’t buy Halbrand’s Jon Snow “I don’t want it” routine, and neither should Galadriel.

It makes no sense that the Harfoots are willing to leave five or six of their own to die to avoid “making a widow or an orphan” of someone else. Sure, the needs of the many—but there’s no real evidence that the Brandyfoots are endangering anyone.

Not-Gandalf coming to Nori’s rescue…my heart…

Galadriel’s definitely into Elendil. (And who can blame her?)

The swordfighting scene was a little silly. That’s okay, though. I don’t hate fun, and it’s not unreasonable that a millennia-old Elf would be able to show up some overconfident human teenagers.

“When all this is over, the Elves will take orders from us.” How does Al-Pharazôn figure that? Yes, he will eventually take power and lead Númenor to ruin, but someone needs to tell the writers that this is not Game of Thrones.

Too bad the dialogue is leaving something to be desired.

People who haven’t read the Silmarillion are still wondering who tf Aulë is (and now Manwë, too).

How does Durin, a future king, expect to find out what the Elves are “up to” if he can’t be a little more tactful/diplomatic than accusing them of thievery?

“The ore containing the light of the lost Silmaril.” lmfao, WHAT. That’s…ridiculous.

Why and how would mithril—even if it did contain the light of a Silmaril—help heal the blighted tree in Lindon?! Be serious, writers…

More teen drama and hijinks with Isildur…you can go to the bathroom or get a snack without pausing any of this and miss almost nothing.

“This mithril is our only salvation?” It sure fucking isn’t! Why would the Elves even think so? The thing about the Elven-warrior-and-the-Balrog story is that most of these Elves would’ve been alive when it supposedly happened and should therefore know whether or not it’s just mythical nonsense (which it is lol)!

“We believe that if we can secure vast quantities of it quickly, enough to saturate every last Elf in the light of the Valar once more—” Except that doesn’t make any sense. What are they even talking about!!!

I’ve been coming around to this Elrond, but he’s leaning way too hard on the whole “sad puppy eyes brimming with tears” shtick this episode.

Me, currently rereading the Silmarillion: actually, Galadriel had more than one brother (sorry, Orodreth, Angrod, and Aegnor…none of you matter ig).

“They could not longer distinguish me from the evil I was fighting.” ??? ? ? ????? What?

Whether it’s the lighting, the direction, the writing, or Morfydd herself (most likely, a combination of all of them), the delivery and facial acting in this scene…ain’t doing it for me.

“We’re bowing down to the evil bloodthirsty orcs we just fled from because we’re scared and it’s obviously the only way to save ourselves” is a cop out and lazy writing! So is the idea that the Southlanders might somehow be more susceptible to evil by nature.

“Without [mithril], my kind must either abandon these shores by next spring or perish.” This is such utter, arbitrary bullshit. By next spring?!? Five episodes in, I’m coming to a full understanding of why this show pissed people off at last. To me, this is almost worse than the Halbrand subplot.

“Our immortal souls will dwindle into nothing.” And they believe this why? Based on what???

So pretty, and for what?

oh my GOD, they really did everything in their power to make him look like Viggo Mortensen!Aragorn here and I SCREAMED (not in a good way).

Don’t worry, Isildur’s OC sister: your dad and insufferable brother both have impenetrable plot armor.

Speaking of armor, this is truly hideous.

It’s great that the opening five minutes of this episode were so enjoyable, because the rest of it was a HOT MESS.

The Good:

Visuals: some gorgeous landscapes + the beauty of the Lindon set design is still breathtaking. A couple of really good costumes, though fewer standouts than in previous episodes.

Poppy’s walking song ♥

I admit it: the banter between Durin and Elrond is charming.

Not-Gandalf and Nori’s scenes (until the last one) are very sweet. I love that, for her, he’s the hero she sees in him.

I like Elendil and Galadriel’s faces.

The Bad:

Everything else!!!

Al-Pharazôn’s political scheming/machinations and Tar-Míriel second-guessing herself are just pointless filler, as is almost everything that we see in Númenor (though the teen angst plotlines of Elendil’s children are still the worst).

The Southlands subplot(s) are almost unwatchable. They’re boring and depressing—so, the opposite of why I love Tolkien. Frankly, I don’t give a shit what happens to Brownyn, her kid, Arondir, or any of them at this point.

Halbrand. I wish they’d reveal the twist already instead of trying to make him seem like this dangerous but sympathetic dude with amnesia who just wants to start over in Númenor or whatever.

The unexplained three witches/priestesses/whatever they were supposed to be

What the HELL is going on with the Lindon/Khazad-dûm subplot?! Mithril contains the light of a Silmaril and therefore of the Trees and therefore of the Valar? And that residual light will then heal all the Elves, all of whom are suddenly sick/fading??? WHAT were they thinking?! This is not based in any kind of lore or even any internal logic informed by the lore. It’s awful nonsense inspired by the fact that the Elves were indeed fading—at the end of the Third Age, i.e., thousands of years after the events of this series! TROP features not only legacy characters, but also legacy character dynamics (i.e., an odd couple Elf/Dwarf friendship, not-Gandalf and the Harfoots, a disapproving father and the son trying to impress him) and now legacy subplots, because why not?

More bad dialogue, and the acting is leaving a lot to be desired. Good-to-great acting can elevate mediocre writing; the combination of mediocre acting and mediocre writing is a lot less enjoyable.

This was the worst episode so far by a significant margin and the first one to make me actually upset with the changes they’ve made. Unfortunately, I don’t expect it to be the last.

[starlling-writes]

Steel My Heart fanfic WIP

So basically this fanfic is gonna be my take on the story Ginny Di's OC Temper "wrote" under the same title, Steel My Heart. After watching Ginny's vid with Edith & Augury, I got motivated to really work on this again (after my initial kick to after this tweet exchange (yes that's my main twitter, which I barely use))

—so I've decided to share what I have so far. If you haven't heard Ginny's ad with Temper (I cannot for the life of me find the vid with the world anvil ad she was in T^T), basically she's a blacksmith that moonlights as a writer; her current story is about an "adventurer who falls in love with [his] sword, but they can’t be together because the sword is so sharp, their love is dangerous."

I don't know how long it's going to take me to finish this fic, or if I'll actually write beyond the beginning/meet cute between the MC & the sword (in which case I'll release my brainstorming notes that have a lot of fun details). Once it IS done, I'll be posting it in a new post here, and on AO3. Links will be shared on Ginny's patreon discord too.

Anyway, enjoy the WIP as I update; or wait until I properly post the fic and enjoy the anticipation :)

—

UPDATES

March 5

[As this is a WIP, everything is subject to change. Also, it's not edited at all, so dont be surprised by mistakes/inconsistencies/etc.]

CH 1 - Woe to Weal

“How much can I get with—” Anneal paused as he dumped his coin purse on the bar and counted, meekly continuing, “three silver?” He was down to his last coins. He didn’t enjoy relying on the sympathy of others, but he had no choice but to bank on it.

The barkeep gave him a pitying look before going back into the kitchen. Hopefully that was good. There hadn’t been much in the way to scavenger or hunt on his way into this village, so any food would be good. On cue, his stomach growled like an owlbear. Not that it could be heard over the boisterous group that stumbled in, making everyone turn and look. A hallow pang turned Anneal’s head back to his measly fortune.

A fortune that was swiftly swiped up by the barkeep. In its place, a plate of food and a stein of mead were set. And the key for a room.  He was about to thank the barkeep but one of the new, rowdy patrons all but slammed into the bar beside him. “Good friend, some drinks and food, if you please!” the halfling lilted. “And later some rooms so we may rest at ease.”

They eyed the gold she offered, then the group of hers who were all lost in their own conversation. “You’re adventures.”

“That we are, indeed. And we’re open for hire, should you so need,” she honeyed on.

“Yeah, actually.” They reached under the bar and pulled out a small flier. “Go see the mayor. She’ll give you the details. If you can manage to handle this tonight, you can imbibe and stay for free.”

“Well well, what a deal—”

“Sorry,” Anneal cut in, “but is this request open to all adventurers?”

They both looked at him. The barkeep raised their brow as they looked him over again. “You’re an adventurer?”

“I am.” Anneal cleared his throat, then straightened up and adjusted himself. “I admit, I’m… a bit down on my luck at the moment, but I can hold my own.”

A strong hand clamped on his shoulder. It seemed that the halfing’s group had been listening in and were all now circled behind me. The orc woman leaned in close. “Trying to be competition, little man?”

She could easily snap him in half—he had mixed feelings about that. “No, no!” he quickly defended. “I—I’m clearly no competition for the four of you.”

“Correct,” she said.

“I merely meant more of a… partnership? If you will—if the job is even something that would benefit from more fighters?” He glanced to the barkeep, hoping his desperation wasn’t noticeable to everyone.

It was.

The barkeep shrugged. “Hell if I know. Mayor knows more,” they deflected, then promptly removed themself from the situation developing between all of the adventurers.

Anneal slowly turned and faced the group he callously interjected himself into for this job they knew nothing about. Their expressions ranged between friendly, curious, reluctant, and unimpressed.

The orc spoke up again. “So, how do you fight? You look like fragile magic wielder.”

“Uhh…” He didn’t enjoy being called fragile, but compared to her, it was fitting. Especially with how scruffed up he was at the moment. “Well, I guess it’s sorta like magic.” He flicked his hand and in it appeared a spectral dagger. “Right now, these are all I got. But I know how to fight with other weapons, too. I’m best at being sneaky and such. You know—rogue shit.”

She nodded acceptingly. “Not bad. Maybe we work on more fighting skills for you.”

“Wait, so… you’re all fine working together?”

“We all fall on hard times at least once. It’s always good to help others when you can.” The elf with pastel hair held out her hand. “I’m Cerromet.”

“Anneal. Nice to meet—ahh!” When he went to shake her hand, a small creature jumped over Cerromet’s shoulder and tried to bite his hand. Luckily, he withdrew in time.

Acting fast, Cerromet turned her hand and grabbed the little psudo-dragon by the belly. She held the fang-bearing creature to her chest and pet it sweetly below its chin. “Sorry about Bloom. She’s just hungry.”

“She’s not the only one!” piped up the gnome. She hopped up on the stool beside him and leaned over for a better look at the plate the barkeep left him. “It’ll be nice to have some actual food instead of goodberries.”

“I’m sorry the ones I make are so sour,” Cerromet pouted with a little attitude. “That’s just how my magic is, Pen.”

The halfling leaned on the bar and stole his stein of mead. She took a swig then said, “I’m Burr, by the way; and Bi’Kern is our burly friend. She’s tough, for sure, but kind in the end.”

“I don’t mean this as a criticism, but just an honest question. Do you always speak in rhyme?” Anneal asked.

“It’s more fun to speak in song. Try it sometime and tell me I’m wrong.”

“Do you ever not speak in rhyme?”

“You’ll sooner see ancient dragons fill the sky, than you’ll hear a lilt fail from I.”

“Okay, okay… what’s a rhyme for orange?”

Bi’kern smacked the back of his head. “Stop being ass. Just drink already.” Burr made a point to start chugging the drink she stole from him while conspicuously returning to the table they had claimed.

— — —

Fun Notes: Most main characters are blatantly based off Ginny’s other OCs, and renamed after smithing terms (in case it doesn't come up later in the story, Pen is short for Pennyweld). Also, going to be adding various quests Ginny has made too (can you guess what this first one is gonna be?)

[calamitouscynic]

hm

[ashasmonsters]

The Skateboarder

Female reader x Female orc (Morn)

Citrus rating: Lemon

Content: brief alcohol, stupid memes

Words: 9k

Morn reached between the legs of some intertwined partygoers, retrieved a beer from the strategically placed cooler, then opened it on the strike plate of the living room door. Some of it foamed out and fell on the carpet with the bottle cap but she didn't seem to care. The owners of the sorority house didn't care either.

"...so yeah, she said I stank and got up and left." Morn finished her tale of an attempted one-night stand.

"She didn't even touch you yet?" You asked, leaning in close so she could hear you over the thumping music. As was usual for parties like these, you and Morn had carved out a corner where you could be ignored by everyone else and gossip.

"Well, yeah, but not below the belt. That's what pissed me off. She was all over me all night and as soon as I say I want her to go down on me, she insults me and leaves."

"I mean..." you grinned, unable to resist, "did you stink down there, though?"

Morn punched your shoulder and chuckled.

"Fuck off, it's not like roses and daffodils are the norm. You know, it's like I always say..." It was Morn's turn to grin mischievously.

"Don't fucking say it. I swear to God, Morn. I'm going to laugh really hard and everyone's going to look at me weird. " You pleaded. You knew what would come next; Morn's favorite turn of phrase that she managed to use more often than one would think.

"—like I always say, good pussy smells like the heat coming out of the PS4."

You were true to your word. As you caught your breath between peals of laughter, a few partygoers did in fact stare at you. Despite your prior protests, the stares didn't bother you that much. Here in Morn's gossip corner, all that mattered was whiling the time away until the other half of your group was ready to leave. Dera's whereabouts were unknown but Lash was visible in the corner of the room.

"Looks like Lash's plan is all coming together." You noted. Morn turned to look as well; she was aggressively making out with an Elf boy. He licked her tusks. You grimaced.

"Goddamn. When Lash wants something she gets it."

"She mentioned that guy... what, like, yesterday?" You asked. "From staring at him across the classroom to heavy petting in less than twenty-four hours. That's a new record."

"Makes me feel like I'm not even the same species," Morn complained, finally turning away from Lash's public display of affection. "I know Orc boldness is a stereotype but it's not one I'd mind living up to."

"That's not Orc boldness, that's Lash boldness," you chortled. "Don't be down on yourself for not having it. Besides, she's not looking for a one-night deal; if that Elf doesn't call her back tomorrow she's gonna have her week ruined."

"I guess that's true..." Morn sighed.

"Morn." You firmly squeezed her shoulder and stared at her. "I love Lash to death, but you've never called me at three in the morning crying over the end of a week-and-a-half-long relationship. It's okay to not be dating a new person all the time."

"Yeah, I know." She finished her beer and smiled a bit.

"Besides, if you were hunting down an object of desire every time we were at a party, I'd have no one to chill with. Morn's Gossip Corner is the only thing getting me out of the dorm on Friday nights."

"I'm glad to be of service." She dramatically saluted. "You're right, though. I guess it's just the party atmosphere that makes me forget sleeping around and dating have drawbacks."

"Definitely the party vibe getting to you," you affirmed. "Speaking of sleeping around, though... where's Dera?"

"If I had to guess, upstairs. Text her." Morn suggested.

You pulled out your phone and opened the group chat, aptly titled "THA HOOLIGANZ 👩‍💻👩‍✈️👩‍⚕️🕵️‍♀️" and sent a message:

You: dera where tf are u, its almost been an hour

Almost immediately the indicator that Dera was typing popped up, followed by her reply:

Dera: upstairs. firbolg football player. huge 🍆

"Oh, god." You gagged. Morn pulled out her phone in response to see the cause, then had a similar reaction. She started tapping away at her phone's keyboard.

Morn: damn, dera, chill. we just wanted to make sure you were ok.

The typing indicator preceded yet another reply from Dera.

Dera: lol ok mom

"She's got an attitude tonight, sheesh." Morn shook her head and put her phone away.

"I think tonight an early exit might be a good idea. Dera and Lash seem pretty occupied," you said. You couldn't find Lash or her Elven paramour in the room anymore.

"I think you're right. Text the group and tell 'em we're leaving."

You nodded and did so, receiving 👍 responses from both Dera and Lash after a short pause.

"Let's go." You got up from your place on the sunken-in couch and helped Morn up. The two of you navigated through the fire code-violating sorority house to the front door, where you met the cool night air and the odor of cigarettes. Morn's skateboard was next to yours, propped against the thick trunk of a long-dead tree.

"I don't wanna go back to the dorms yet. It's not that late," Morn said, checking her watch.

"Pizza?" You suggested.

"Pizza."

Before long you were both skating into the night. The entire university town was built into the side of a mountain with the greek life houses at the top, making it a breeze to fashionably exit parties like this one. There were a few drunken revelers to dodge on the way down, but once you cleared the sororities and fraternities it was smooth skating. The incandescent streetlights flew past as century-old houses gave way to newer corner stores and parks. Before long, you and Morn were skating through the thick of the city on a course set for Main Street.

The pleasant sound of plastic wheels on stamped concrete was soon married with the aroma of cheap, indulgent pizza. You wouldn't have needed any senses other than smell to know you arrived at your destination: "Get Stuffed," the type of place where a slice was a dollar and you could write on the walls. As was usual for the time when Friday became Saturday, it was packed with the university crowd; too packed to even sit inside.

You and Morn shimmied to the counter and ordered your usuals. Fortunately, Get Stuffed had nailed speedy service and it was only a few short moments before you were on your way out with greasy pizza on flimsy paper plates. You set your skateboards on the curb and sat on them, side-by-side.

"Thanks for fleeing with me," Morn said, folding her slice of pizza and tucking her loose black curls behind her ear.

"Anytime, Morn." You mimicked her pizza fold before noticing something about the beanie she wore. It was oddly familiar, so you delayed your first bite. "Hey, where's that beanie from?" Morn looked at you, chewing.

"This thing?" She tugged at the chunky burgundy yarn. "You should know."

"I should know?" You mused, finally chewing on your first bite of pizza. It was just as greasy and gratifying as you expected it to be. Then, as realization dawned on you, it almost fell out of your mouth. "You kept that thing for this long?!"

"Of course. It's a good beanie. It's lasted... what, since second grade?" She smirked. "It's one of the best birthday gifts I've gotten. Thanks, by the way."

"Thank you for holding onto it," you countered. "The memories... wow."

"That was the birthday party where we had a sleepover afterward. We played tag, and—"

"Oh, no," you moaned, remembering.

"...you ran so hard that you threw up." Morn giggled. Your cheeks still burned at the vivid memory. You almost forgot crocheting Morn's beanie, but you never forget throwing up at someone's birthday party.

"It's crazy we've been friends for so long." You gracefully changed the subject and started working on your pizza slice in earnest.

"It's not that crazy. You've always been there for me."

"I mean... I try..." you were hiding your blush, feeling warm as Morn readied to shower you with compliments.

"Like the time Chrissie Becker rejected my invitation to prom. You started crying when I started crying, and I hadn't even told you what happened yet." Morn giggled warmly. "Or when our families went camping together and you let me share your sleeping bag when I forgot mine."

"I couldn't just let you sleep on the ground!" you sheepishly defended yourself against the flattery.

"Even though you knew I kicked in my sleep." Morn looked up from her plate and smiled at you, her tusks glinting under the streetlights.

"You're more important to me than my shins," you said quietly.

"Hah!" Morn laughed heartily, bumping her skateboard into yours and wrapping an arm around you. "You're more important to me than my shins."

In Morn's embrace there on the sidewalk, you melted. She had such a way of effortlessly making you feel safe and loved. She had been there for you as well several times and was damn good at it. You enjoyed the feeling so much that you just sat there quietly until she got a little worried.

"Hey, did I tease you too much?" Her wry grin had been replaced with a slight frown and sympathetic brow.

"No, no..." you reassured her, savoring the dreamy feeling. "It's all good. I'm glad you're here with me. I'm glad we're... friends," you stumbled a bit over the last word.

"Me too," she gave your shoulder a little squeeze.

You both finished your pizza in silence, enjoying each others' side and the ambiance of the city street. After a moment you both tossed the greasy plates into a trash can and skateboarded back to the dorms. The courtyard was where your paths diverged, and after bidding one another goodnight and farewell, you parted. You shared your bed that night with a familiar feeling. Embarrassment, shame, and maybe even guilt. All for the way your heart skipped a beat when she put an arm around you, or the unstoppable smile when she recounted her memories of you. You weren't super familiar with love, at least not in the way Lash and Dera were, but the way Morn made you feel in recent months was more than simple friendship. You agonized over the thought that she wouldn't return those feelings. It was a miracle you managed to sleep at all.

Saturday morning arrived, and with it, a text. You groggily pulled your phone into bed with you to read it after rubbing the sleep from your eyes. It was from THA HOOLIGANZ.

Dera: hey sorry about my sass last nite. i figured y'all left early and that's cool, i was kinda doing my own thing anyway

Lash: LOL sameeee. anyway, does anyone want to meet up for coffee or something? i’d rather be hungover around you guys than my parents 😭

You considered the offer; it would be nice to actually see Lash and Dera after missing them last night. Your moment on the curb with Morn still bothered you, and a distraction from that would be nice.

You: im down, where u wanna go

Dera: u know that cute little cafe on that corner? main street i think?? the one thats literally 100% pink???

Morn: you're thinking of tokidoki cafe! i'm down to go, that’s my spot!

You sighed. This outing wouldn't be very good for distracting you from Morn if Morn was seated across from you.

Dera: thats the one. lets gooooooo

Lash: yes. literally right now. start running

Morn: thanks, but I think I'll skate there. see y'all in a bit

You: same

The morning air was crisp and cool in the way spring mornings always were. It was a shame Lash and Dera were too busy downing aspirin and chugging water to truly enjoy it. Your skateboard served you well as a means of transport on mornings like this; you and your friends were the rare few students who didn't usually sleep in on Saturdays, so you enjoyed the empty sidewalks. The soft plastic wheels gripped the concrete well enough to accommodate any street corners.

The cafe was 100% pink, as promised. The sweet, pillowy smell of crepes mingled with the robust aroma of coffee and met you as you hopped off your skateboard. The tiny size of the place made it easy to tell you were the first to arrive. You ordered the latte-crepe combo that took up the most space on the menu and sat while you waited. You were idly scrolling through your phone when you heard the rhythmic thumping of a skateboard wheels on slabs of sidewalk.

She looked painfully good as she stepped through the cafe's front door. The morning sun made her long black hair golden around the edges and she still wore that damn beanie. Her tusks poked out from her smiling lips when her eyes met yours. Illuminated by sunbeams, her well-toned arm showed every muscle and vein as she gripped her skateboard by the trucks to carry it in.

"Good morning!" she beamed at you. The employee behind the counter smiled at her knowingly.

"The usual, Morn?" he asked.

"Yep!" She quickly answered before sitting across from you, the pins on her denim jacket jingling. "You got here quickly."

"Yeah..." you answered weakly, your conversational skills still recovering from the way Morn held you last night.

"You weren't drinking last night, were you? You alright?" Of course, Morn immediately picked up that something was the matter. It would be stranger if she didn't.

"I'm fine. Where are Lash and Dera?" You deflected. As if on cue, your phone buzzed. THA HOOLIGANZ chimed in.

Lash: lol srry, throwing up. cant make it

Dera: yeah same.

"Unbelievable. Those girls can't seem to show up anywhere lately." Morn had a slightly disapproving tone. She tapped away on her phone.

Morn: this is going on your attendance sheet

Lash: see u in detention, dera

Dera: enjoy your crepes you two!

You chuckled at the exchange.

"That's more like it. I like when you smile." Morn chimed in. "Do more of that."

The waiter saved you from needing to respond by stopping at your table with your orders. A steaming, folded crepe landed before you covered in a sauce just as pink as the rest of the cafe. A warm latte arrived with it and you wrapped your hands around the warm mug. It soothed you a little.

"Morn..." you began, not quite sure what you were going to say. Was this it? Were you going to lay your feelings on the table right here, right now?

"What is it? You can tell me anything." Morn leaned in over the table. "I can tell something's been bothering you lately."

You opened your mouth to speak, but nothing came out. You didn't even know how to begin; should you preface it with an apology? Some sort of explanation or disclaimer?

"I don't even know if I can tell you. Like, if I can get the words out," you said before sipping your latte. You savored the taste, hoping the espresso would ground you somehow. At the very least you wouldn't be expected to talk with your mouth full.

"There's no rush. I just... I want to help. I've known you long enough that I'm sure there's something I can do." Morn hadn't even touched her crepe yet.

"Let's just, um, eat." You answered.

"Good idea. I'm sure you'll feel like yourself once you've eaten and the coffee starts kicking in." Morn nodded to herself, cutting open her fruit-filled crepe. You similarly started to work on yours. The two of you ate in silence and, for a moment, you did feel better. Fully focusing on the aromas, flavors, and textures of your breakfast stilled your trembling hands. The slightest bit of confidence grew within you halfway through the meal.

"I... um..." the words slowly formed in your mouth. Morn paused, setting down her fork and knife and looking at you intently. "I fell in love. With someone I don't think I should be in love with."

Morn listened but said nothing. She was thinking.

"How do you know it's love?"

"What?" you asked.

"How do you know it's not just a crush? Or, you know, lust?" Morn inquired. You considered the question carefully. Memories of platonic cuddles, impromptu sleepovers, and late-night conversations with Morn came to mind.

"It's love because it's lasted way longer than any crush. I trust this person, and they trust me. I'm not like Lash, pining for the new guy from across the classroom; I know this person really well."

"I see." She paused again. "Why would it be bad to love them? Wouldn't a good history make a romantic relationship easier?"

"Only if they felt the same way..." you sighed and nestled your head in your elbows.

"Ah, right..." Morn looked sheepish. "Well, personally—and I do mean personally, so it might not apply to them—if I had a long-time friend that I had feelings for, I would just tell them."

"Really?" Your eyes widened.

"I mean, yeah. If I and this person had such a long history of trust, then I would trust them to still be friends with me afterward if they didn't feel the same way. I'm sure it would be awkward for a while, but I really don't think it would be, you know... destructive or anything."

More memories came to you. More times where you felt completely open and vulnerable with Morn, and when she did with you. Times when you comforted each other and shared secrets under blanket forts and playground swings and gymnasium bleachers. Words formed inside your mouth, desperate to make themselves known to the world. Perhaps now would become another one of these memories. You'd look back on it in the future and remember the smell of pink crepes in the pink cafe.

"Morn... I have these feelings for you. I'm talking about you."

You fought the urge to cover your mouth, and you didn't stutter or stammer in the slightest. Though working up the courage was difficult, letting the words go was one of the easiest things you had ever done. Morn didn't react much; an eyebrow rose slowly as she finished chewing. The silence was agonizing.

"I'm happy you trust me enough to share that with me," Morn said calmly. You wanted to shout that's all?! but held your tongue. She took a sip of her latte, clearly in no rush to say more.

"So..." you began, well and truly lost. All your effort had gone into mustering courage and now you had nothing left. Even your anxiety and worry had gone, and you were strangely content, though eager, to hear Morn speak.

"So..." Morn parroted, "does that mean you want to... you know, date me? Like, romantic dates, not besties dates. Kissing dates."

Again, your impulses screamed duh!

"Um, yeah..." you said sheepishly, rubbing the back of your neck. "I'd like that, but... only if you'd like that too."

She sipped her latte again, still calm.

"You know, over the years, I've imagined what we would be like if we were romantic with each other. Like, girlfriend-girlfriends. How could I not? We've known each other for so long."

You nodded, bidding her speak more.

"I never knew you wanted that. I can't imagine how you felt; I could tell something was wrong but I couldn't figure out what." Morn set the mug and her cutlery down, intentionally and warmly looking you in the eye. "I think...

You didn't even breathe.

"I think we should give it a shot." Morn smiled widely. "Does that sound good to you?"

"Yes, yes it does," you finally drew breath. If Morn was feeling a similar tumult of emotions that you were, she was hiding it considerably well. Morn wiped her lips and tusks with a napkin and got up from the table.

"Well, I've got to visit mom and pops tonight, but we've still got Sunday tomorrow. How about we have our first real date then?"

"Uh, sure!" You sat there, dumbfounded. Was it really going to be this easy?

"Cool. I'll let you pick where we go, just like most of our... non-date hangouts," she said, turning to the cashier. She gestured widely to the table. "Put it all on my tab."

"You have a crepe tab?"

Morn chuckled. Making her way to the door, the sunlight caught her hair and skin deliciously.

"I'm a regular. Anyway," she grabbed her skateboard, "see you tomorrow?"

"See you tomorrow." You answered. She gave you one last toothy grin and stepped out before gliding out of sight, disappearing past the edge of the window. You rested your chin in your hands and sighed like a lovestruck teenager in a coming-of-age movie. Before long, your window-gazing session was interrupted by an employee.

"All done, ma'am?" he asked politely.

"Uh, yes. Sorry, I was spacing out."

"No, it's all good. Thanks for coming by, and if you don't mind me saying..." he looked somewhat pensive.

"What?"

"Don't tell Morn I said this since she's proven that she could snap me in half like a twig, but... speaking as the crepe guy she visits several times a week, I think she's a good match for you."

"But you've never met me before. Maybe once or twice, but—"

"She's told me all about you. All good things, don't worry. It's less about you and more about how Morn talks about you. She gushes when she mentions you, seriously." He paused awkwardly then started to clean up the table. "I've said too much."

"No, thank you," you said. "It's good to know."

"Glad I could help. Anyway... um, thanks for coming in." He waved at you as you got up and left. You nodded and made your exit.

Back at your dorm, you couldn't decide if you wanted to pace or lay in bed and kick your legs. You had so much energy inside you, trapped. It was equally nervous and thrilling. You wondered how Morn kept herself so well composed; something in the back of your mind nagged at you, wondering if it was because she didn't really feel that strongly for you. Enough, you thought to yourself. Morn was your best friend for almost as long as you could remember. She wouldn't toy with you like that. Hell, she explained her entire thought process on the topic before you even confessed to her.

You decided to pace to distract yourself. Those thoughts weren't helpful. Right now you had to choose a place for your first officially non-platonic date. It was never this hard to pick a place to hang out with Morn before...

Then, an idea. It sprung into your mind out of nowhere, and it just felt right. You made sure that the place was open on Sunday, checked the ticket prices... it was perfect. You readied your phone to text Morn the details... but Lash had already sent you a private message. You opened the notification.

Lash: yo how did crepes go?? sorry i no-showed

Your brow furrowed a bit. Lash's random interest was a bit strange, even more so since she was hungover. A dehydrated, vomiting Lash was bedridden for a good half-day in your experience.

You: the cafe was cool! the crepes were good

Unsure if you should be forthcoming about your new development with Morn, you figured they could find out tomorrow once your first "real date" was underway. A change like that would likely be a big deal in your friend group, so a text message wouldn't do the announcement justice anyway.

Lash: how's Morn?

You: shes fine? did something happen??

Lash: no lol, just wondering lol

Two "lol" in one text? You wanted to indulge your suspicions and investigate further, but you decided to leave it at that. You had a date to arrange.

You: still at your parents' place?

Morn: yeah, I'll be back in town tomorrow though

You: k, cool. does meeting at the aviary at 2pm work?

Morn: yeah definitely! what made you pick the aviary?

You: idk if you remember, it was so long ago, but it was the first school field trip we went on as friends

There was a pause as Morn's typing bubble hovered on your screen.

Morn: 😭OMG YOURE SO CUTE IM GONNA CRY😭

Morn: i cant wait to see you tomorrow!!!

You: me too 💕

Your phone landed on your bed with a thump and that nervous energy returned with a vengeance. More pacing, more leg-kicking, even some giggles. This situation felt both extremely real and like a scene from a movie; you never imagined this sort of thing happened in real life, especially in yours. Against all previous expectations, things were going fine. It was thrilling, scary, and made your heart race, but it was going fine. The homework you had to do took a back seat to your excited daydreaming and scheming about tomorrow. You thought about how you would greet her, how you would hug, if and how you would go for a kiss, walking while holding her hand... predictably, sleeping that night was incredibly difficult.

In the morning, you finally executed the plans you fantasized about prior. You decided to err on the side of being overdressed, picking an outfit that wasn't formal but still a little more special than what you would usually wear. You showered, brushed your teeth, swished some mouthwash, and even flossed! Breath mints, a small assortment of Morn's favorite snacks, and an extra water bottle found their way into your bag. If you were going to overthink, then you would take advantage and be overprepared as well. Squeaky clean, dressed to impress, and with a heftier bag than usual, you skateboarded down to the aviary intent on arriving ten minutes early.

The journey was uneventful save for your steadily increasing heart rate. By the time you were waiting for her by the entrance gate, you were fully flustered. You stood still with a kind smile on your face, but anything more complex would have been asking too much of you. The mental rehearsal in your mind's eye ran over and over again: smile, say hi, hug. Smile, say hi, hug. These were all things you had done with Morn before, but with platonic intent instead of this newfound "why not?" intimacy. With how calm and composed Morn had appeared throughout this whole process, you felt as if you were at a disadvantage somehow. You worried in a juvenile sort of way that she was too cool for you.

The way she pulled up to the aviary in her car didn't help that worry at all. Her ride, an old, angular, black thing that roared like a beast, was her pride and joy. She had practically built the thing herself with the number of parts she swapped out of it. It was fully manual and she had the skills to maneuver it gracefully into the parking space. Out from it stepped your actual, honest-to-god, bonafide date.

She smiled at you and your brain melted. You held up a hand in a sort of mellow wave, offering a faint grin. By the time she closed the distance, your simple three-step plan was gone with the wind. Luckily she also decided that greeting with a hug was the correct choice and you were in her embrace quickly. You paused before realizing you should probably return the gesture and wrap your arms around her as well.

"It's so good to see you! You look great," she said, pulling away and looking you over.

"You too..." you breathed, taking your own chance to get a proper look. Her outfit was just as sleek and dark as her car: a pair of black jeans with accompanying boots, a matching leather jacket, and of course, that classic burgundy beanie to top it off.

"Shall we?" She extended a green, competent hand to you. She wasn't wearing her driving gloves today, which was good for your composure; otherwise, you would have well and truly swooned. You accepted her grasp and she gave your hand a firm squeeze before strolling with you to the ticket booth. Thanks to your student IDs, you got in with discounted admission.

The aviary itself was fairly large, and on this particular Sunday, you and Morn practically had the place to yourselves. Other than the idle chatter of a few other scattered visitors, there was only the sound of wind in the leaves and bird calls. The two of you meandered between the exhibits, chatting but not about much in particular. Instead, you were simply content to enjoy each other's company and look at the birds. The birds liked looking at you, too; at one point a pair of free-roaming peacocks followed you and Morn around the aviary.

"Looks like it's a double date," Morn quipped, gesturing to the two plumy birds. They were both mostly brown and lacking the massive, fan-shaped tails.

"They're a pair of girls too. Male peacocks are the ones with the crazy feathers," you noted.

"It's almost like having Lash and Dera tagging along." Morn chuckled. "In fact, if they keep failing to show up these birds would make good replacements."

You looked at the two peacocks, who had started preening each other's feathers.

"Do you think they're besties or girlfriends?" You playfully asked. "That's some pretty intense preening."

"Maybe they're both, like us." Morn wrapped an arm around you and offered you her shoulder. You melted again. "If you had feathers, I'd be preening you right now."

"If I knew how to return that compliment, I would." You said, deliciously rattled by her closeness and warmth.

"I have an idea... if you're cool with it." Morn kept holding you close, turning to make eye contact with you. You faced her and realized how close you were. Trapped in her gaze, you couldn't speak. You gave a faint nod.

The first thing you felt was her tusks on your cheeks. They met the corners of your mouth, pressing gently just before her lips met yours. In reality, the kiss was a quick peck. In your mind, time froze. You could no longer hear the birds calling or wind blowing, only the sound of your heart beating like a drum and a feeling like fire in your chest. Morn pulled away from the kiss with a sheepish smile.

"Sorry if my tusks poked you. I'm still getting the hang of that."

"Hey, practice makes perfect, right?" you let slip with a suaveness that surprised even you. Morn's eyes widened in surprise before she let out a hearty laugh.

"That's the spirit!" She cheered, squeezing you hard. "I'm gonna hold you to it, so be aware: I'm gonna kiss you a bunch more before we're out of here."

"That's fine by me." You couldn't do anything else but giggle. Morn gave you another peck immediately after, angling her head a bit so her tusks didn't have such a lead on her lips. Your first kiss with Morn was perfect as far as you were concerned, but this second one was a bit more graceful.

"Better?" she asked.

"Better."

Your stroll through the aviary continued in this fashion: chatting about this and that, generally gushing about each other and punctuated by more quick kisses. It was strange to have a first date with someone that you knew so well, but you weren't complaining in the slightest. Each kiss felt natural and fun, not nerve-wracking and awkward as in the dates of your past. Before all this, you scoffed at yourself for wishing that there was a switch you could toggle to go from best friends to girlfriends, but so far it seemed to work precisely like that.

To the sound of your giggling, the sun was poised to set soon. The aviary closed early because it was Sunday, and you found yourself with Morn leaning against the gleaming hood of her car. You saw your reflection in it, the two of you framed by the orange sky. She came to your side, attaching to you like a magnet.

"It's probably time we headed home, huh?" she suggested.

"Yeah, probably," you replied reluctantly. "I almost don't want it to end."

"It doesn't have to." Morn smiled. "Did you really think I'd kiss you goodnight and leave you on the curb?"

You giggled. That would certainly be the plan for a first date with a stranger, but this was Morn.

"You could come by and hang out with me in my dorm for a bit?" she asked.

"I'd love to." You answered. Her dorm building and yours were right next to each other, after all. She stood up from the hood of her car and opened the passenger side door, offering the seat to you. Not long after stowing your skateboard in the trunk, you were cruising through the city streets bound for the university. Morn's focus made the ride a smooth one, her hands expertly gripping the steering wheel and gear shifter. She wore a focused but pleased expression as she deftly maneuvered the growling vehicle.

"Oh!" Her concentration broke. "We should get food! We haven't eaten at all."

Tires squealed as she veered right, making a turn she wasn't expecting to make. You gripped your armrest and giggled. The engine roared and, within moments, delivered you to a drive-through whose location Morn seemed to know by heart. She was so familiar with it that she blew past the lit-up menu and instead went directly to order.

"Don't worry, I'll get you something you'll like." She reassured you before making it out of the drive-through, takeout bag in hand, in record time. The bag landed in your lap and delicious smells wafted from it. You were tempted to peek inside and sample its contents, but even while entranced with Morn's driving skills you knew eating in her car was a no-no. Untoasted Pop-Tarts during a late-night study session on her bed were okay but her car was like a temple. You folded the top of the bag to make it easier to resist the temptation.

After she had parked and gotten out of the car, you followed her with takeout bag in one hand and skateboard in the other. This late on a Sunday night, the sky was a deep navy. Stark white light from the lamp posts illuminated the web of pathways that connected the dorms, parking lots, student union, and myriad other places you'd typically skateboard solo to.

A few beeping locks later, you made it to Morn's dorm room. Like yours, it was spartan and tiny, but it belonged to her and her alone. You set the bag down on the solitary table and determined to chow down, but Morn caught your attention. She sat on the twin-sized bed that you had shared with her many times before; platonically, of course. She had an expression that you couldn't quite decipher.

"You okay?" You asked, not sure where to begin.

"I'm great, actually," she said, brushing her hair out of the way so she could look at you. "Sorry if I overdid it with the kisses earlier—"

"You didn't," you interjected.

"I just... It felt great to kiss you. I don't know if it's just my nerves, or the newness of it all, or something else, but... I'm kicking myself for not making the first move on you sooner." She looked away, blushing a forest green on her cheeks. You sat next to her on the bed before she could say anything more.

"Hey, don't feel bad just because I was moping for a bit. The fact I was so worried is proof that you can't really know how someone feels about you until you ask. Even if you were friends since forever ago." You reversed the usual arrangement by wrapping your arm around her. She chuckled softly.

"I can't believe I was stressing myself out over random sorority chicks at parties rejecting me. Being with you just feels so much better than the dating apps and the parties and shit like that," Morn sighed. "I know it's technically only our first date but I really think we're something special."

"We are special," you held her tighter, "we went on our first date after... what, a decade and a half of knowing each other? That kind of history sure beats cheesy Tinder pick-up lines."

"Sure does," Morn punctuated her sentence with a kiss. Instead of giving you a quick peck, she pressed her lips into yours even harder. Within the privacy of her dorm room, your heart fluttered at the notion of Morn being able to do whatever she wanted to you. You felt the beginnings of her tongue at your lips, then she pulled away and took a deep breath. Her face was inches from yours as you caught your breath.

"I really like kissing you," Morn uttered. "Now that we're alone... are you okay if I really kiss you?"

"Really kiss me?" you teased. She got even closer.

"Please?" She played along with her best begging tone.

"Go ham." She kissed you again, giggling at your choice of words with her lips pressed against yours once more. She immediately cradled your head in her strong hands, gently placing you into a reclining position. There wasn't much room, but she managed to fit alongside you in the twin-sized bed all without breaking the kiss. You opened your eyes after pulling away to breathe, and all you could see were her dandelion-colored irises.

"I'm gonna go again," She said, smiling. "I just had to get a good look at you first."

"You can do whatever you want, Morn." You grabbed her arm and placed her hand on you. "Just don't keep me waiting."

Morn kissed you hard for the third time, the hand you held now caressing your body ravenously. As her tongue gently played at your lips, her hand found its way to your chest and played with your breasts. She hardly gave you time to gasp, coming back to your mouth with fervor. Her tongue met yours in earnest now, both of you closing the space on the bed between you. Her body flush with yours, you could feel every muscle as she held you close.

You felt one of her legs settle in between your thighs, and you whined into her mouth as she teasingly rubbed you against it. Even fully clothed the sensation was electric, no doubt due to the person giving it to you. Many nights alone had involved fantasies just like this. Now they were coming true.

Desperately, you began grinding yourself against her leg. You chased the sensation as far as you could, moaning into Morn's kiss. Just as you felt yourself approaching the edge, she removed herself from you. Her leg pulled away and the kiss stopped. You opened your eyes, bewildered. Morn had gotten off the bed and kneeled just next to it, her eyes level with your aching need. She grabbed the waistband of your bottoms before looking you in the eyes again.

"You said you didn't want me to keep you waiting," she grinned, tusks glistening. "This okay?"

"It's more than okay... stop teasing me!" You whined. She nodded, pulling your bottoms off entirely before hovering in between your legs. You could feel her breathe on you through your underwear. God, she was so close; you twitched with each puff of warm breath. Her tusks brushed against the inside of your thighs. With a tentative finger she eased your underwear out of the way, gently planting kisses all around your bare mound. She held your legs in place as they twitched and reacted to her electric touch. She deliberately avoided your tender nub with her warm lips. She was playing with you.

"Morn, please," you begged. She paused to look up at you and give a toothy grin.

"You're so cute when you're frustrated," she teased, quickly going back for more. She felt unimaginably warm against your already hot entrance. It wasn't unlike all those other times you melted at Morn's touch, only now it was so intense you couldn't help but let out gasps and squeaks. She held nothing back this time. Hungrily, she lapped at your slit, each lick finishing with a flourish on your sensitive little nub. You mewled in time with her curling tongue.

"Oh! That's— ah! So good!" You moaned, your back beginning to arch as you squirmed around on the mattress.

"You flatter me," Morn uttered between licks, looking proud. You saw something in her eye before she let go of one of your thighs and brought her hand to your entrance. Her tongue didn't let up at all as she slowly introduced one of her substantial fingers. It fit comfortably inside you at first, but you gasped hard when it started moving. Morn added another soon after, stretching you deliciously.

"I'm gonna come if you keep that up," you panted, your face burning red and lungs desperate for air.

"My pleasure," Morn said before redoubling her efforts. Her fingers curled inside you, making a "come hither" motion that made your hips rock. By this point, Morn's tongue had trouble staying on you as you writhed. You gasped with every finger curl, well and truly lost in the heat of the moment.

"Ah! Morn!" You cried, rocking yourself against her fingers desperate for more. She gave up on trying to lick your nub, instead palming one of your breasts with her other hand and pinning you to the bed. With the new leverage, she worked your insides with her fingers, pumping them in and out of you with her muscular arm. You could see sweat beading on her taut green skin.

"Come for me. I wanna see you come," Morn urged. You could do little else but cry out and oblige her. Your body spasmed hard as you cried out gibberish interspersed with her lovely name. Her fingers didn't stop rubbing against your inner walls, leaving you breathless and faint and tightly wound around her. The coiling pleasure within you finally snapped. Your back arched, completely leaving the bed as Morn pressed her lips into yours. She kissed you hungrily as you wailed into her mouth. There was nothing in your mind but the feeling of her fingers coaxing you through the height of your bliss and holding you there for as long as possible. When the pleasure finally started to subside and your breath returned to you, Morn finally withdrew her fingers and lips and wiped her forehead. She smiled at you wordlessly.

"I love you, Morn," you said, panting. There was nothing else to say, nothing else on your mind. If you had given yourself that sort of bliss on a lonely night, you would be drowsy and lethargic. Instead, with Morn turning her love for you into pleasure that made you cry out and curl, you had never felt more alive. She gave you a moment to catch your breath. Leaving your lips unkissed, she sat by your side and stroked your hair.

"I love you too," she planted a quick kiss on your forehead. "Are you tired?"

You shook your head enthusiastically. Sure, you would likely be sore in a few hours, but you wouldn't dream of denying Morn more of you.

"Good, because I wanna get off too." She chuckled and pecked your lips. Undressing herself completely, she helped you out of what clothes remained until you were both completely bare. You were completely flush against her on the bed once more, your skin perfectly complimenting her green form. Her body was toned and full, muscled yet smooth. Even after all you had just been through, the sight of her still made your heart skip.

"I've always wanted to try this. Spread your legs," she commanded, gently grasping your ankles. You complied and she lifted one of your legs aloft just in front of her as if about to hug it. Still holding your leg pointed toward the ceiling, she straddled your dripping warmth with her own. She eased herself onto you and those lovely electric feelings returned. She moaned for the first time, her pleasured sounds like music to your ears.

The position was a little awkward and bent your back in a strange way, but the feeling of her slick sex pressed against yours was delicious.

"I'm gonna start moving," Morn said. She initiated a gentle rocking motion that made you both gasp. The friction between the two of you felt gorgeous and you soon found yourself reciprocating with your hips. Interlocked and sharing the same squeaks and mewls, you wanted desperately to kiss her but couldn't. You had to lay there at her mercy as Morn clung to your leg and ground herself into you. She doubled up on her pace.

"Oh, shit," Morn groaned, both with pleasure and with effort. She had the same expression as when she was driving; when her head wasn't thrown back with a sigh, she was looking at you with love but also intent. Her grinding made you moan and her glare made you shiver delightfully. You had never felt anything like this before, nor had you even fantasized about Morn pressed up against you like this.

"This feels amazing... ah! Morn..." you sighed between yelps when the friction between you peaked.

"I—I..." Morn gasped, her entire face contorted and flushed. She had brought you to your peak once already, and now you wanted nothing more than to see her reach her own ecstasy.

"Please, Morn, come," you pleaded, mirroring her own urgency when she had brought you to orgasm earlier.

"No, I... Shit, I've got a cramp." She sighed, this time tinged with disappointment as she stopped her grinding. "Ouch." She gently disentangled herself from you, rubbing her thigh. The realization that her creased brow had come from pain and not pleasure embarrassed you a bit, an emotion that Morn echoed.

"Hey, it's okay." You sat up and held her shoulder. Her eyes were downcast as she massaged the cramp out of her muscled thigh. "Just so you know, I'm having a great time."

"You were having a great time." She winced as she shifted her kneeling weight on the bed. "Serves me right for thinking I could fuck like a pornstar on the first date, huh?"

"I already came once, Morn," you reminded her. Sitting alongside her, equally naked and sweaty, there was a clarity in the air that made it effortless to speak your mind. You felt bold, yet comfortable. You felt like you wanted more of Morn's body. "Let me take care of you. I think I can make this work."

"Take the lead, babe," Morn relented. The way she said babe made you giddy inside, but you were focused on her now. "Just mind the leg, it still freakin' hurts."

"Morn, when I say I'm gonna take care of you, I mean it. Just lie down," you said, easing her onto her back. With the positions reversed, you had a moment to look her up and down. Laid bare before you and anticipating your next move, the sight of her awoke something within you. Something that told you not to hold back.

You practically pounced atop her, squarely laying yourself on her body. She met you with a kiss that you eagerly returned. You channeled all your built-up desire to please her into that kiss, at the same time aligning your mound with hers. It took a few tries, but eventually, you found the angle where your clit could meet hers without requiring pornstar-style flexibility. Pleasure jolted through both of you and she broke the kiss to gasp.

"Told you I could make it work," you grinned, focusing now on the movement of your hips. You started slowly at first as to not tire yourself out but quickly increased the pace as the coiling warmth inside you grew. Instead of kissing her, you buried your face in her shoulder so you could hear her sing. With every roll of your hips she moaned, louder and louder as you humped her harder and harder.

"Oh, god, babe," Morn panted. You could feel her frenzied breath on your neck as she cried out. You could feel your own orgasm building but all you cared about was her.

"Tell me how you feel," you commanded, maintaining your hips' pace. "I want you to come so bad."

"Keep going," Morn grunted. "I'm close, I'm so fucking close!"

You furthered your efforts, grinding your desperate nub into hers with vigor. You panted as you began to feel tingles in your extremities and your breath became impossibly tight. Morn matched your desperation, her hips weakly pushing upwards so that her mound would meet yours sooner. Just a little more! More! You shouted to yourself mentally as Morn's hands squeezed your waist to signal her impending orgasm.

You frantically let go of her body with one hand, giving up precious leverage in order to make sure Morn couldn't escape the pleasure you were giving her. There was nothing you wanted more than to reach the peak together. You gently caught her pearl between your fingers and rolled it as you ground into her, drawing out deep moans from her. She spasmed in your grasp, gasping in time with your own pleased sighs.

"Oh god!" She cried out, throwing her head back into the piled-up blankets. Her whole body tensed and you could feel each of her rippling muscles press against you in a desperate bid to ride out her orgasm. You followed soon after, the air forced from your lungs as an explosion of tingling warmth knocked the wind out of you. All you could do was cry out with her and press your nub into hers where your hand was still at work. You rubbed and rolled, trying your best to prolong the mutual climax before finally catching your breath and collapsing into Morn's tired embrace.

With your body limp and your face buried in her neck, you could feel her breasts rise and fall with each breath. You held each other loosely for a moment, just listening to her breathe. After only a few heartbeats, she started giggling.

"What's so funny?" you asked, lifting your heavy head to look at her.

"Nothing," she stifled her giggles, a tear rolling down her cheek. "That was just really, really good."

"Are you crying?" You asked, concerned but secretly proud of your handiwork.

"No, I'm not crying. I'm tearing up, there's a difference," she chuckled. "Thank you."

"Thank you. You're the one that started it," you cooed, stroking her hair. "plus, you ate me out first so I think I owe you."

"It's on the house," Morn sighed contently. "But you're still on me... could you roll over, please?"

"Oh, sorry!" you quickly shifted your weight off of her and onto the mattress.

"Don't worry about it, I just figured the bed was softer than me." She chuckled again.

You said nothing, instead opting to resume your embrace with her from the side. She reciprocated, rolling over so she could be the big spoon. She wrapped her arms around you snugly.

"Ah, shit," Morn cursed under her breath.

"What? What's wrong?" You craned your neck a bit to see her golden eyes in your periphery.

"Our food is definitely cold by now," she grumbled, "and I don't have a microwave."

“I’ve got snacks in my bag.” You replied.

Morn readied a compliment, but delayed when both your phones buzzed. THA HOOLIGANZ had something to say.

“What is it now?” Morn rolled over and grabbed her phone, reading the messages as they rolled in. You did the same.

“What the…?”

Lash: did you two kiss yet???

Dera: they did more than that 😳😳😳

Morn shot you a look of disbelief before tapping away frantically.

Morn: wtf are you guys talking about?

You: ^

Lash: the crepe date! u two are dating now right?

You: what do u mean crepe date? the breakfast u failed to show up to u mean??

Lash: lol, relax. we just thought you two needed some time alone. for the record, i was actually hung over. me and dera just agreed you two needed to talk it out

Dera: seriously, u look at Morn the way she looks at crepes, and she looks at u the way Lash looks at literally anyone

Lash: or the way u look at dudes bulges

Dera: shut up

“I…” Morn began, jaw agape. “I don’t know if I should be mad or amazed. I’m both.”

“They set us up like lonely freshmen.” You shook your head, chuckling.

Lash: u two are dating now right???

Morn: yes dumbass

You: can confirm

Lash: CUTEEEEE

Dera: morn fucks on the first date. respect.

You: wait how- what?

Dera: ur in Morn’s dorm right

Your texting was interrupted by three solid thumps coming through the wall.

Dera: i’m right next door and these dorms are made of fucking paper

Morn: hey, i’ve dealt with hearing every single time you slept with some guy. fair is fair

Dera: no judgment from me!

Lash: suddenly i’m glad i still live with my parents…

You put your phone down as you really didn’t have much to say. Morn gave up on it as well, your phones resting together on the floor. She resumed spooning you and a moment later, you felt her chest start to heave with laughter; a hearty laugh loud enough for Dera to hear through the walls. You joined her, laughing until your diaphragm ached. The whole situation, the realization that Dera and Lash knew before either of you did and that they had a master plan… utterly ridiculous. It was like something out of a movie, yet with your arms wrapped around one of Morn’s, completely real. You feared this was all a dream, and as soon as you succumbed to sleep in Morn’s cozy twin bed, it would dissolve.

Morn could tell sleep started to take you.

“I love you,” she whispered into your ear. She squeezed you tight. You had never been more sure of anything in your life that Morn would still be cuddling you when you woke up.

[starr-fall-knight-rise]

Humans are Space Orcs, “Man’s Best Friend.”

Try not to bee too mad at me guys :) Sorry about the angst. 

It is a more than well known anomaly that humans will social bond with any species. This is not barring their danger levels, or factors of perceived cuteness; no matter the cost, humans will pack bond with any animal. They have even been known to bond with inanimate objects and houseplants. However, one of the greatest bonds man has ever created, is their bond with dogs. Thousands of years ago a man shared his food and his fire with a wolf: another social pack species. After years and years of careful breeding selection manipulated by humans, they ‘created’ an animal that protects loyally, forgives quickly, and loves unconditionally.

In my study of humans, I have found that the emotional bond with a dog can run deeper than an emotional bond with humans.  I am not entirely sure why a human would find it more displeasing to watch a movie where a dog dies than to watch a movie where a human dies, but I have some suspicion that it has to do with the innocence and unconditional friendship that dog has given man, a quality that man has never given himself.

***

Waffles: a 75lb 34kilo german shepherd shoved her head into an alien bush nose working furiously as she pawed through the strange purple plant. She came back up a moment later and sneezed violently sending up a cloud of delicate yellow polin.

Admiral Vir laughed and whistled, and turning on her heel she bounded back to him over open ground her ears straight up, her tail wagging furiously. She ran up to him and touched her nose to his hand as if tagging base before bounding off again to sniff the path before them.

Krill and Sunny walked with him, Krill staring at the brightly colored alien landscape with buzzing antenna.

Waffles leaped through another patch of wild blue grass sending up more white spores into the air, stopping only to sneeze again before continuing.

Sunny went up to walk beside the Admiral, “She looks happy.”

Adam nodded, “Yeah, I like bringing her down on occasion to get some fresh air. I know she does pretty well on the ship, but I feel bad keeping her cooped up so much.”

With another bound Waffles plowed through a shallow stream sending up droplets of water.

This planet was one the GA had been studying for some time, and, as it seemed, it was a relatively nice, habitable planet that they were readying for colonization for the Finnari, or perhaps, humans, or even both permitting everything went well.

Krill watched the dog as she plowed through the grass, rolling in the  weeds like she was having the time of her life.

Predators used to scare him, but the dog had proven herself to be docile at the Admiral’s command, and he could at least tolerate her if not like her…. Just a little.

Adam Grinned at his dog’s antics and charged into the grass after her.

The dog dropped her front paws, but and tail sticking up in the air, a nonverbal invitation for her master to play with her. He didn’t reject her offer and raced forward to play chasing her around the field, their legs swishing over the grass. She barked happily as they did.

Adam had now ran far ahead of the others towards another nearby forest path. Waffles was behind him just a little ways as he pulled to a halt panting.

It was then that he heard it, a sudden rustling of foliage turning into a swirling thunder of air.

He turned on the spot eyes wide in shock and surprise.

Surprise at the ravening beast charging directly towards him, its purple fur and white tusks glittering in the sun. he leapt out of the way, but the beast was quick, about waist height and angry. He was so startled he couldn't even scream his only reaction to try to kick at the creature and keep it back.

It squared off against him, and he tried backing away, but it charged again.

There was a sudden snarling noise, and waffles charged into the fight snarling and snapping.

She bit the creature hard on it’s back leg.

“WAFFLES!” Adam shouted 

The creature turned violently and whipped it’s tusks at waffles, who didn’t heed them as she charged in again, snapping at its face and throat forcing herself between Adam and his attacker.

It thrashed and she yelped in pain, but charged forward again, grabbing it by the leg and holding on for dear life as  it trampled into the bush dragging her along with it.

Another yelp came from the forest, high pitched and painful.

“WAFFLES!” It didn’t take a moment before Adam was chagrin into the bush after them pulling his sidearm as he did. He followed the sound just in time to see the creature whip it’s head around and catch waffles hard in the side picking her up and tossing her to the ground. Blood drenched her fur, while green icor drenched her muzzle.

He screamed in anger instead of fear this time as he leveled his sidearm and emptied his magazine at the creature. He wasn’t sure how many hit, but the creature was tough enough that it staggered off itne bush yowling. He ignored it for the time and ran, throwing himself to his knees at the side of waffles, who was lying on the ground breathing shallowly.

Sunny roared into the clearing just behind them, her spear raised, but the creature was already gone.

Adam reached out his hands which were trembling so badly he could barely function, “Waffles, waffles no no no no.”

He rested a hand on her side and she whimpered in pain, her muzzle resting on the ground her eyes half hooded.

A choked sob broke from his throat, “No. no…. You’re g-gonna be o-ok.” 

His hands fluttered uselessly over her body, covered in blood.

“KRILL! PLEASE Someone… h-help.”

Sunny stood back in shock and fear as Adam clawed at his hair, tears rolling down his face in uncontrolled streams.

Krill scuttled in not far after.

Adam turned to look at him his face twisted into a snarl, “Help her!” His voice cracked on demand and he turned back hands still shaking not knowing what to do. Being a doctor krill was well aware that the human’s anger was displaced and did not take it personally as he moved forward and took a look at the injured animal.

He lifted her front paw, and she whimpered piteously.

Off to the side Adam was still inconsolable, his hands in his hair threatening to rip out fistfulls with his clutching fingers. His agitations was actually getting in the way of Krill working.

“Adam, Adam just hold her head ok, help her stay calm.”

He nodded following orders stiffly, crawling over the ground to sit her head in his lap and tell her she was such a good girl and that she was going to be ok. Streams of continual tears rolled down his cheeks and onto her fur. Waffles licked his hand lethargically.

Sunny knelt next to him, hand on his shaking shoulder powerless as for what to do.

She had never seen him like this, ever.

Not that Adam was one to conceal his emotions completely, but he generally subscribed to silent tears if there were any at all. This, this was different, no holds barred uncontrollably sobbing, the kind where the human loses all functioning, eyes, nose, mouth and racking sobs that shook the body in aggressive, violent spasms.

Krill rolled waffles a little further onto her side spotting a deep gash from her chest and abdomen. He couldn't tell how deep it was, and didn’t want to look in this sort of environment.

“Sunny, call the shuttle!”

The urgency in his voice only served to secure Adam’s worst fears, “No… no, ou’re going to be o.”

“Adam, give me your jacket.”

He did without hesitation, ripping it off his body and offering it to krill as if it was the thing that was going to save her life.

Krill got Adam to help lift her onto the jacket and wrap her up, while he used some thing from his medical kit to staunch the bleeding. Waffles was still conscious, through her eyes were half lidded.

“Please be ok.” Adam begged, and despite all her injuries, her tail thudded against the ground at the sound of his voice and the touch of his hand. This only started his tears flowing even harder.

Overhead the sound of engines whirred, and touched down on the grass not far away.

“Ok, lift her gently.”

He did as ordered hugging her to his chest and practically racing towards the shuttle as it descended.

When the doors opened he practically bowled past the waiting marine who looked on in shock.

He gently lay Waffles on one of the seats all but yellin at one of the marines to make sure she stayed there before racing to the ront of the craft.

“Admiral are you sure…” The copilot began.

“Get out o my fucking way!” he snarled, and the ire in his voice was so that the man quickly leaped from his seat as Adam slid into the pilot’s seat. Krill was worried that the human was going to kill them all trying to pilot in that state, but what he witnessed next was a feat of pure talent and skill as he maneuvered them up through the clouds faster and steadier than krill would have thought possible.

Waffles whimpered softly in the background, held tight in Sunny’s arms now.

Their copilot sent out a medial call as soon as was feasible and very prudent.

By the time they made it inside, a crew was waiting with a stretcher.

Didn’t matter that it was waffles, but they treated her as they might any human with krill tagging long beside.

Adam ran after them until the doors to the med bay shut in his face and he was told to stay outside.

***

Sunny made her way quietly down the hall footsteps no more than a whisper over the metal floor. It was dark on the ship, the lights having been dimmed for the night. Up ahead she could see light filtering out into the hallway, and the rim lighting of a figure sitting in the dark.

She moved forward, and the mass of shadow coalesced from the darkness. Adam sat on the floor, knees pulled to his chest, head in his hands. Three pairs of bright yellow eyes looked up at her from the darkness. And Sunny tilted her head in surprise to see three Finnari curled up around Adam. One leaned against his left side, one leaned against his right side, and one rested against his legs.

The others raised their heads, though Adam remained curled up with his head in his hands.

Sunny nodded to them, “I can take it from here.” She said quietly

The Finnari looked between each other and then waddled to their feet. One of them patted Adam’s hair before joining the group and waddling off down the hall. Sunny knelt and then slowly sat next to Adam resting a hand on his back.They sat in the dark in silence for a long while before he looked up at her.

His cheeks were still wet, and she had no idea how he was still producing any, sure he would have dehydrated hours ago.

In response, she pulled the human closer using all four of her arms until he was curled up against her head resting against her chest.

“I….I can’t l-lose her s-sunny…. I I don’t know what I-I’d do.”

She rubbed his back gently with one of her lower hands, feeling as his body continued to spasm rhythmically with the beat of his grief. He covered his eyes with his right hand turning into her chest as if trying to hide his face. His teeth were gritted against quiet sobs.

But despite his attempts to stay quiet, he couldn’t.

It killed Sunny to watch.

He was completely debilitated. She had seen a human like this maybe once before under different circumstances. Neither war, nor kidnapping, or injury in the time she had known him had ever brought this man to his knees, and if it had it had been silently and alone where he dealt with it himself.

This was different.

He had snapped, broken right in half.

It surprised her almost how fragile humans were, after everything he could have gone through, and after everything he did, this is what hurt him.

His grief came in waves, one moment she thought he had finally calmed down, and then the next moment he was escalating again just as bad as before. It was exhausting to watch, and she had no idea what to do other than keep him company in the dimness of the hallway.

They were there for hours.

And then the door hissed open.

Adam shot to his feet as krill stepped out into the hall.

His hair was disheveled -- even more so than usual-- his face was red and puffy, his eyes were ringed in bright red. The collar of his shirt was damp. 

Sunny rose to her feat as well.

“Is she-” he couldn't finish, choking up again.

“She’s alright, we were just waiting for her to wake up to make sure. But she’s going to be ok.”

This time the sound he made was a sob of relief rather than grief, “Can I see her?”

Krill paused but then nodded, motioning him back. He hurried after into the med bay.

At the end of the room, waffles lay curled up on one of the beds.

She was wrapped in bandages and an IV was held into her right front leg with pink gauze. Someone had managed to fashion a makeshift cone out of plastic shielding.

Adam rushed over.

Waffles blinked slowly at him, too tired to lift her head, but her tail began to whap happily against the covers of the bed. He smiled rubbing his hands through the soft fur of her face and ears, “Good girl…. You’re such a good girl.” tears were leaking down his face again, but he was smiling.

With great effort, waffles lifted her head, licking at his face with her long pink tongue, whipping the tears from his face the only way she knew how.

Krill walked over and paused by them, “She should be up and about by tomorrow, but she definitely needs to rest and recover.”

Adam looked up at Krill, “Can I stay here…. With her?”

Krill looked at him unsure, but the look on the human’s face was one the little alien certainly couldn't say no to , and he sighed, “Alright, you can stay.”

When Sunny left the room Adam was curled up on the bed with the dog resting with her back to his chest, the two of them fast asleep.

Thank the spirits Waffles was ok.

***

Ask a human, the vast majority of them find the sadness of grief or pain of a dog to be more poignant than that of a human -- unless the human is one they know--. This is why movies often employ dogs for emotional factors. Perhaps you cannot get an audience to cry for the pain of a human, but if you get a dog to wait at its owner's owners grave than you can have an entire audience in tears. As I said earlier. It's hard to watch the pain of someone who doesn't deserve that pain and never will.

Dogs are a reflection of the best parts of man 

[athena-is-a-chaotic-lil-shit]

Of Ice and Blood

Part 3

Hey there! Thank you for taking the time to read this

There are so many left out details here that I did on purpose for future explanation within the fic for the element of mystery I'm trying to brew . Hope you don't mind! Enjoy reading❤

Part 1

Part 2

Part 4 Part 5 Part 6

1.7k words.

Pairing: Tai'chi Kashharzol (Orc) x Pearl Blackbell (Human OC/Reader)

Warnings: cursing, violence, injury and fighting.

*

Without thinking, I drove my fist towards the voice, regretting it the instant I recognized who it was.

Tai'chi.

I shouldn’t have been surprised when I found my fist encased in his hand. He seems unfazed by my reaction, seemingly expecting it.

“Oh shi— I’m so sorry!”

How the hell did he sneak up on me without making a sound??

“Feisty- I mean, I should be the one sorry, for startling you...And for following you. I just wanted to, make sure you were alright.”

I blinked. He was concerned?

He spoke up when I didn’t respond.

“So, are you okay?”

“Y-Yeah. I’m fine. Just, disappointed.” I breathed in and sighed as he gently let go of my fist.

Oh, and his scent helps right now. He smells so...wonderful I don’t know why. It’s not like I’ve been surrounded by disgusting odors my entire life. I swear I’ve inhaled appealing scents like lilac, sandalwood, cinnamon, even rain has its particular smell! But Tai'chi, he—he’s something else entirely.

“Shouldn’t you be somewhere else like, I don’t know, maybe getting lunch with some of your friends or in a classroom?” I asked. I wonder why he would even bother to be in my presence. Anyone should be creeped out by the way I spoke up earlier. I mean, who does that? Plus, I did throw a stranger down to the floor. But part of me knows he deserved that.

Definitely.

“Want to talk about it?” He ignored my question. Tai'chi was now sitting cross-legged beside me, the oak’s root in between us. His deep azure eyes studying, watching me carefully.

“What?”

“What you did back there, wasn’t something a plain, timid college girl would do.”

Wait. He knew I was pretending to be one?

“Yes, I knew.”

“You can read minds?!” I stammered out. He can read my mind this whole time?! Shit.

He held up for a second before a boisterous laugh broke out of him and echoed through the circling trees, scaring away some birds perched above. I don’t know if I should be offended or flustered by his guffaw. It was so, so deep and rich and —

What the hell Pearl? What if he's reading your mind??

Tai'chi faced me again, sighing once he calmed down.

“To answer your question, no, I can’t read minds. But like I stated before, your face gives it away. Or your brows since you’re wearing a mask, but I can imagine your expression.”

I let out an incomprehensible noise.

“How did you find out I was pretending to be…you know,” waving my hands around.

“The moment we made eye contact this morning when you entered. And the way you shifted your body at the last second to prevent yourself from plunging into the trash bin, I knew you were something more. Your eyes and your actions show your experience in combat. A skilled warrior would notice these little things right away.”

My jaw fell open, and I’m sure he knows. He left me speechless.

Should I tell him I am a trained martial artist and a weapon wielder?

But we just met like 5 hours ago!

He seems trustworthy. And he’s an orc, didn’t they have a code of honor or something?

My thoughts ran wild I swear Tai'chi could hear my mind, screaming.

“Hey, it’s okay if you don’t wish to. And I must’ve sounded, creepy when I admitted I’ve been observing you. But before anything else, will you allow me to introduce myself, for real this time?”

“You mean your name isn’t Tai'chi?”

Letting out a chuckle, he replied, “I swear to you, my name is Tai'chi. What I mean is, I want you to know my full name. Do you understand what this implies, Pearl?”

I racked my brain for a moment, trying to recall what my parents said about orc traditions when my uncle, papa’s brother, married the orcess he fell in love with. Something about an orc’s real name being reserved only to those they’re close to?

“I guess so? But what exactly?”

“I want to become your friend.”

I couldn’t help the slight warmth creeping into my cheeks behind my mask. He can’t see it, can he? A friend, he says. A friend!

“Oh,” was all that came out. A pause and;

“Uh, I mean, I’d love to be your friend! I never had an actual friend before. I mean, have cousins, but we aren’t acquainted enough to consider myself their friend— I mean— uh, what should I do?” I blurted out a little rapidly.

He smiled. He actually smiled! Oh, damn, it was adorable!

Tai'chi was about to say something, but he snapped his mouth shut and grimaced. I was confused by his sudden change of mood, along with his scent.

Then it struck me.

The two of us shot up when multiple smells filled the air, making my stomach clench.

We were followed, not just one but six individuals. One of them was the pretentious human from earlier.

My day can’t get any better. And is that a baseball bat? Great. Fucking great.

I swear. I’m cursed to find trouble anywhere I go.

“Hello, freaks.” The guy in the middle began. “Whatcha doin’ out here in the forest?”

The others began spreading out and surrounded us.

“Planning something nasty I bet.” A human to my right spat.

“You will pay for what you did to me, you bitch. Just so you know, my father is the dean of this university. No one will ever hear a word of what I did here and what we will do to you.

'Dean’s son, David Silverstone, assaulted by an insane student in the woods within campus grounds. His friends graciously helping him fight off the lunatic until she passed out and was carried to an isolation chamber for monitoring, later finding out about her severe psychological disorder.’ Now wouldn’t that be a hit in the papers!” The bastard and his companions cackled and snickered, some of them stealing glances between my legs and I felt my skin crawl.

Tai'chi growled lowly, silencing them for a brief moment. He was getting mad but held his ground.

“And you,” the human pointed, “you beast. It won’t be hard antagonizing you, people will no doubt believe you were the one who violated the schoolgirl and left her in the woods to die.”

This fucking—

I felt a hand on my shoulder just as I was about to start, gently gripping, in hopes of trying to calm me down. He knows they were baiting us on making the first move. He shook his head, and an idea popped up.

Taking a deep breath, I attempted to make my voice as girly as possible, sounding so hilarious, like those overdressed, flashy high school girls with flowery perfume so strong I wrenched every time I get a whiff of it.

Provoking them would do.

“Oh, I’m so scared! Should I get on my knees and beg for mercy? Oh please, great and noble one, have mercy on my poor soul.” My voice laced with mockery and sadness, with my legs fake trembling and my arms flailing.

And did Tai'chi just snort?

“If you beg nicely, I will perhaps give you a chance to— ”

My sudden wheezing interrupted him and I laughed. Hard. I can’t believe he bought my terrible acting! I expected him to straight-up be offended rather than actually bite the false bait. He is dumber than I thought.

I was holding my middle by the time I was done. Tai'chi’s shoulders were moving slightly, probably chuckling and trying to hold back his amusement.

“Did you honestly take it seriously??? I can't— oh my God!” I choked out once more before I went on.

“There’s no chance in hell I’m gonna bow to you, not even one degree of an angle, you foolish, idiotic, spoiled, bastardized son of a bitch.”

His face was turning red out of rage and oh! Wasn’t that a sight to behold?

“You brat!” Turning his head to the others, he yelled, “What are guys standing there for?! Get them!”

Good.

Perhaps they didn’t catch my hands slipping on my beloved crimson knuckle dusters out of the bag when I was laughing then, tugging down my hoodie’s sleeve to hide it.

“Don’t move.” I told the orc, whose eyebrows shot up in surprise.

“But—”

“Just don’t.” I said with my voice firm. I will take them on my own. I can’t have him getting in trouble and people blaming him for being an orc. Imagine that. The ones who attacked him will be viewed as victims because they were up against him, an orc. Numerous humans will jump at the chance to throw dirt at their race, a single act of self-defense treated as a one-sided assault to humans, the thought of it being enough to somehow remove all of them from the city, but everyone knows it's not that simple. Dimwits.

I strode forward without earning his response, waiting for the first person to come at me.

I took my stance, although it was more of preparing half of my body since I was still hiding both of my hands.

They all seemed confused and hesitant, which was what I was going for. To me, and those with experience in hand-to-hand combat, this is one of the most basic stances, but fundamental, nonetheless. A simple form that can determine the outcome of a fight. With my right foot forward, left foot back, both firmly planted to the ground, and my dominant hand wearing my dusters. In their eyes, it was…wrong, foreign. Some may even say it’s an open vulnerability, showing how inexperienced the opponent is, but oh, it is the exact opposite.

I didn’t see Tai'chi’s expression, though. I was on alert and getting into my zone to peer at him, one motion that can put me in a compromising position. Did he notice my brass knuckles? Likely.

“Scared to hurt a little girl like me?” I enticed.

Finally, the one beside their alleged leader charged at me.

A typical amateur approach.

The guy, about two inches taller than me, threw a right punch, which was a huge mistake.

Predictable.

I smirked under my mask and dodged it not a second before it connected. Making him falter as I grabbed his arm and brought it down to my knee, dislodging his joints.

A high-pitched scream of pain broke out of him as he dropped down on the forest ground, gripping his bent-off arm, cursing, but refused to rise and fight me again.

I gave him one last glance before I looked back at the others.

“Who’s next?”

****************************************

Those human shits just can't leave them alone! Interrupting their supposed-to-be official introduction! There's more to the orc that meets the eye *wink* Who is he exactly? Why was he so... observant?

Part 4 is actually on its third revising— and I'm still trying to come up on HOW to phrase my next words to lead to part 5. I let me brain take a break from spewing senseless words for now so I'll probably post the next part of this later or tomorrow

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed! And I'd appreciate it if you have some advice for me, or just point out some mistakes I made! Thank you

Ps. This is really not perfect formal writing if you're wondering. I just type away whatever comes into my mind, and then proofread it to the best I can. And I hope you don't mind me using a lot of spaces. It... sort of makes my mind clear and continue moving forward, and it helps me when I'm reading it again, mentally taking note that with every line between spaces there's a slight pause and again, read it clearly like you were the one thinking it. I don't know how to explain how my own brain works but I guess that's that?

Tags: @kokokatsworld @crackinanutshell

[saphirered]

Really live your fic on Cabel. Think you can do a M9 one shot with Artificer reader? With a flashback of their war and lost their group.

I hope it’s to your liking. I’ve been caught up in work so sorry for the wait 😅.

You were sitting with the rest of the Nein in a tavern. Tensions had somewhat lowered for now but you’d be off on your next adventure soon. For now you would relax even if for a short while. The band was playing a lively tune and you could feel your foot tapping on the ground along with the beat while sipping your drink making happy conversation with Caduceus. A hand grabbed your shoulder and pulled you to your feet turning you around. Slightly caught off guard you stumbled but the laugh from Caduceus confirmed it was safe.

“Come oooon y/n!” Jester exclaimed while pulling you to a makeshift dance floor. 

“Okay. Okay.” You laughed taking your place as Jester did hers, waiting for the right beat to hit and starting your dance. Jumping, bouncing twirling and twisting arm in arm along to the beat. Eventually Beau joined in too and she somehow managed to drag Fjord and Caleb with too. How she managed you didn’t know but possibly under the threat of exposing all their secrets. Before you knew it all of the Nein had joined the dance laughing along. How far you’d all come. 

——————————————————————————

You’d been captured at the Garrison. The back and forth between sides taking control of the Ashguard Garrison had been maddening. You and your unit had been sent in to defend the garrison once it fell into your hands and now the enemy had gotten it back from you. You had been taken prisoner along with the rest of your group. You were escorted through the mountain passes back to the other side to be interrogated but you and your friends weren’t much looking forward to the ‘gracious’ offer of food and shelter and especially not the prospect of spending your final moments in chains at the mercy of those who would see you dead after you’d outlived your usefulness. 

They made a mistake not searching thoroughly and letting you keep your armour. Blessed be the gods for your ability to integrate your tools into your armour. You devised a plan with your friends. Every time you rested they would try and steal some materials. Not enough to notice but just what you needed. The time of your escape came around. While most were asleep one of your friends picked the lock on your cuffs freeing your hands. Another distracted the soldiers in charge of keeping an eye on you, shouting profanities, cursing them and complaining about anything and everything to be as much of a nuisance as possible. It worked.

First up you freed your tools and began the construction of an Eldritch Cannon, small enough to hide it behind your shapes and not draw the attention of your captors. You were successful. 

Your friend acting as the distraction got a pretty good beating after refusing to shut up that would certainly result in bruises and might actually be a broken nose but it’s worth getting out. You gave a nod to your friend who’d been picking the locks on the others’ manacles one by one. 

Okay you had one chance. They started getting fed up with your talkative friend began losing their interest but he kept trying. It was time for him to get out too so you threw a pebble as far as you could in the opposite direction. The sound gained their attention but the light you made it admit scared them even more. They shouted waking the others, save for a few all going in the direction of the light. Taking this as your cue you set off the cannon blasting the soldiers close to you away. Second another of your group tossed a fireball right at the cluttered mess igniting their supplies and blasting away those within range. 

You got up and began running. All of your able-bodied enemies now awake began giving chase but you had the advantage here. You kept running, jumping over rocks, sliding down ledges dodging arrows. You saw one of your friends had managed to sneak your firearm and some ammunition from their stash before it was set on fire. They toss it over and you begin loading a shot while running. 

——————————————————————————

You’re hidden behind a fallen decaying tree as Beauregard begins walking over the hunched figure in the swamp. You don’t trust the situation for a second but she insisted in taking the ‘right approach’ as whatever this creature was it might be friendly. You take aim waiting for whatever happens next, ready to take the shot if you need to. 

Of course it went south pretty quickly and you took the shot as you expected. The fight began. You really had gotten so used to this that your nerves had gone away entirely and instead were replaced with a calmness every time you took aim. It wasn’t always like that.

——————————————————————————

The enemy was still giving chase and you’d eventually have to stop. Some of your fellow soldiers had fallen and you were forced to leave them behind praying that whatever deity they worshiped would shelter them. You couldn’t afford to slow down but you had to rest at one point. A few of your group had already begun to lose pace. You had noticed a ledge a ways ahead. You were a quick climber and an especially good shot from the distance. Someone had to hold them off because there was no way you could out run them especially not if they had called for reinforcements. Someone had to create a window for them to get away. 

“You have to keep going.” You spoke out of breath. “I can hold them off for a while.”

“We’re not leaving you behind.” Your friend spoke.

“We’ve already left behind enough. Someone’s gotta make it out alive. I’ll come find you when I’m done. See you on the other side, old friend.” You clasp your friend’s hand before you let go and begin running to the ledge and jump to the other side beginning to climb up before they can stop you. They try to call after you but don’t want to risk anyone hearing them or exposing you. 

You climb up the mountain to the spot you had seen and lay down using the natural rock to stabilise the barrel. You calm your breath but the nerves make you shake a little. And a little is a lot on a long range. You breathe and count. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5…. Breathe. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Breathe. The tremor subsides in the next minute and the first target enters your range. You take aim. And fire. First one down. Reload. Take aim. Fire. Reload. Take aim. Fire. Reload. 

——————————————————————————

“Are we there yet?” Jester asked Fjord as you were trudging through the snow, the Kiln far behind you.

“No not yet.” 

“Are we there yet?” This time it was Beau asking. 

“No.”

“Are we there now?” Beau and Jester asked in unison. You could practically hear the half-orc grind his teeth trying to keep his cool. You knew he loved every single one of the Nein to hell and back but even you had to admit they could be quite something to deal with.

“Maybe it’s best to stop asking so we can focus on directions instead of getting lost? Besides if you’re not constantly reminded of the time it may look like we’ll be there faster and the faster we can get some pastries.” This seemed to quiet Jester down but Beau was about to counter that statement so you instead indulged her in a conversation about her latest workout routine. Fjord shot you a thankful glance. 

You continued on your path for many more hours until the sun set. Caleb put the dome up keeping you all warm. You sat around a fire provided by both you and Caleb just engaging in happy conversations. 

“Ooh, ooh, ooh! Y/n can you tell the story of how you found us again! I love it when you tell stories!” Jester exclaimed practically begging you.

“Yeah y/n, tell me more about how you use that weapon of yours so I can shoot Beau in the ass with this!” Nott cackled holding up the pistol she had been holding on for a while now. 

“Okay, okay. If you want to hear the story I’ll tell you but Nott, you have to promise you won’t shoot anyone on purpose. These are no toys and they’re only to be used responsibly in self defence.” 

“I will make no such promises!” Nott screeched but puts the pistol away. 

“I-uh think you should. If not for your sake, for mine besides I’d like to hear the tale too.” Caleb argued which seemed to convince the goblin although begrudgingly so.

“Okay. I promise I won’t shoot anyone I don’t intend to and will use it only in defence.” You were pretty sure you could see Nott cross her fingers behind her back but it was the best you were gonna get and you weren’t gonna derive the others of a story just for that. 

“Once upon a time…” You began as you tinker up a quick little trick drawing up pictures using one of your abilities to display some of the scenes like a children’s storybook. Beau lied down stretching her legs across your lap and Jester sat right next to you pointing out little details as you brought the pictures into existence. Nott studied every single one that portrays any kind of firearm while Caleb covered her eyes jokingly every once in a while preventing her from inspecting it closer. Fjord sat back hanging onto your every word as Caduceus poured everyone some tea. 

——————————————————————————

You were running out of ammunition but you managed to sent quite a few of them tumbling into the crevices between the rocks and off the steep ledges. You weren’t equipped well enough to take them all out but you certainly got their attention as seemingly they lost the tracks of your group and were only chasing you but you had no intention of getting caught. Covered in scrapes and cuts and arrow wounds you treated on the fly. You were no healer but you managed to patch them up enough to be able to keep moving until you could get proper treatment. 

They were gaining on you to the point where you could see them and they could see you. You’d be in open range if you were to stop now and take down as many as you could so your only hope was running. A piercing pain reached the side of your lower back. You suck up the pain and keep going taking a quick glance around for any way to gain an advantage on the terrain. A tunnel not that much further, or climbing up a mountain side again… You’d take your chances with the tunnel. The tunnel drew closer so you turn around and stop for a second casting Wind Wall between you and the soldiers chasing you. That should hold them off for a little bit or at least long enough for you to disappear. 

You enter the tunnel… shit…. dead end… You should have gone for the mountain! You slam against the stone wall up ahead and when you do the ground beneath your feet sinks away sending you tumbling and sliding down bouncing between rocks until you reach the ground. You just lay there for a bit. Oh how the fates loved messing with you. You looked up into the shoot you fell down into the darkness up above. At least you got rid of them and no way they were gonna find you now. 

You laughed feeling heavy and tired. Closing your eyes you felt the exhaustion go the past days come over you and you embrace the darkness of sleep and your surroundings. 

——————————————————————————

“I thought I was dead for sure but then when I woke up I looked into the bright yellow eyes of this goblin woman standing over me aiming a crossbow at my face scaring the living daylights at me. My wounds were cared for and the bad ones were covered by this lovely pink green moss. Then of course in the first moments of consciousness I was questioned by a daring woman in blue inquiring with such expertise any word may give away just exactly what information she needed. I had to prove myself friendly and told them what happened and told them what I wanted to do because you see, I only wanted to end a war, bring peace and protect my people. I wanted to leave this world better than I found it and turned out so did these people. 

They told me they were on their way to save someone but couldn’t share who. So in return for helping me I would help them in any way I could. We braved the wilds of Xhoras together…” You continued the epic tale and slowly one by one they started to fall asleep exhausted from the day. 

“The story doesn’t end there. There’s still much more to be told as the final chapter is yet to come but that’s for another time.” You catch a smile from Caleb as he lays down and closes his eyes. 

“Tell it again please.” An already half asleep Jester mumbles leaning on your shoulder. 

“Tomorrow. Time to sleep now.” You carefully lower her to her sleeping bag and make sure she’s tucked in properly as to not grow cold in the night. 

“Thanks for the story.” Fjord said, still awake for the first watch. You join him sitting next to him looking over the snowy wilds with a smile.

“You’re the ones bringing the story. I’m just the one telling them. There’ll be plenty more in the future I’m sure.” You glanced over the rest of the sleeping Nein with a smile. To many more stories to come.

[idjitlili]

Hey my names korg (2)

Part one hereee

Thorin x reader.

SUmmary:The man with rocks for heart ,and the Baggin's ,Bilbo isn't happy when he see's his sister sending heart eyes to the dwarven king of erebor.

Wordcount:1779

Previously on lost-uh what ever this is.

"how was Benedicts buns last week,I bet the were nicely clenched for yo-" Plus another ,you had lent down to the hobbit so you were face to face,blood shot ,fuming the steam coming out your ears.

"oh like I dont hear you at night to those fiction-""ENOUGH" Thorin had shouted ,like a lion defending its young,pulling you away from BIlbo gently.

"OI,don't touch my sister!"

So that was like a week ago ,and to much as your displeasure you had to share a pony;with Bilbo. That did not last long you had another argument ,in which he started! You had been shuffling around a lot due to the pony not being very comfortable down there, accidentally kicking Bilbo ,after half an hour he had enough.

"THis isn't a rocking horse,Y/N!" he had moaned out in frustration sitting in front on the pony,it didn't help that the luggage was digging into your back.

"Well,I'm so sorry,but I have a wedgie,don't you say oh well tough,becuase you don't have two pair of lips. Plus-" again the dwarves had became silent while riding to hear ,your petty sibling bickering,chuckling quietly,at you free speach,however bilbo had interrupted you.  

"STOp talking about that, just stop kicking me in the back!"

"I am not ,you squirrel!"

"Bitch."

"Jerk"

"you smell funny."

"that my mash p-" "but yet again you were interrupted by Thorin once again,you like getting his attention,so that he would remember you,or maybe one day doubt it though,like you.

"Y/n,come sit on the back of my pony." his voice surprisingly calm ,with that you hoped of ,almost skipping to Thorin's pony,in which he held a hand out for you. You had gripped his rough hand,smiling up at him,as he gripped back securing your soft hand in his,before you launched yourself up behind him. It was weird to see Thorin smile even a small one,he always wore a scowl,but when you had sent him that smiling he couldn't stop it.

Soon as you were on properly ,not going to fall,you had turned around to look at your brother,smirking. "I get a ride with a king,dildo." you spoke knowing exactly how that sounded raising your eyebrows suggestively at your bored face brother ,quickly doing a rude hand gesture ,you know,before turning back around. Kili and Fili and giggled to themselves like school girls. You had wrapped one arm around Thorin's waist not even think about it ,his eyes had went wide ,as his bestfriend had looked at him grinning at him eagerly,Thorin had sent him a scowl. However soon as he turned to face the path again , a tiny smile had tweeked up his lips.

Then from there out Thorin insisted you to ride with him ,to prevent bickering as he heard enough from his nephews. In which you did still bicker just less often,and you did ride with Thorin until the the ponies ran off.

Thorin wouldn't admit it but when you all were trying to get away from those orcs ,he made sure to stay near you,even putting himself infront of you when a warg had attack close up. Therefore after Gandalf had made you run down a secret path which led you to Rivendell,as Elrond arrived you had been pushed behind THorin by himself.

Soon you were all seated,eating the dinner the elves had served you all,if there was some mayonnaise,the salad would be much better ,but it was just plain. You could understand the dwarves distaste in the food ,you definitely wanted some chips,Ori had the right idea. You had put two slices of carrots on your mouth ,as if you were a vampire,and just stared at Thorin waiting for a reaction. However he was busy talking Elrond and Gandalf ,of course the dwarves had seen ,as well as your brother ,even Lindir.

"what are you doin-oh I see you are 'flirting'  with Thorin again." you had ignored his remark ,keeping your eyes on the king,intensely ,almost brooding.

{"well lads ,it seems its to be true ,she didn't even tell him to give an elf a blowjob ,because thats only as far as he could reach."}[was gonna put that in but decided against it]

It only took Thorin five minutes to look over to you,as the company pretended to be eating their supper,he had almost choked on his wine ,realising you had been staring for a while. His face wasn't in shock ;but amusement as he mouthed 'what are you doing?' ,Bilbo knew what was coming , he was embarrassed that you were about to do this infront of the elves.

You were never a bold one ,you were shy,but this move was going to be indeed bold ,but how else were you doing to win over Thorin.

You had stood up ,abrutely,walking close to the table where Thorin was , with your cloak on ready. The carrots still acting as flangs,everyones eyes were on you as you turned away from the king, using the cloak to cover the lower part of your face ,turning back to Thorin swiftly ,making the cloak spin in the air.  Now dropping the cloak from your face ,before pulling your elbows to your sides ,doing grabby motions with your hands ,screwing up your face slightly. "I vant to suck you blood. AhAhAh" Thorin had looked up at you confusedly.

You had sighed in defeat. "vhat t'was my vampyre impression," Thorin face showed confusion ,but you didn't know that was an act too. You had turned to Elrond ,still with the carrots ,sighing again. "may I be excused? Lord Elrond." you had spoken politely to the elf , he nodded at you ,"Lindir ,please can you accompany miss Baggins ,to her chambers?" he spoken looking up at his marchwaden. "Of course,my Lord." he had bowed his head slightly ,before holding out an arm for you to take ,in which you did.

You were more embarrassed than you could ever imagine,in honesty ,after thanking Lindir who walked you to your room ,stating he had liked your act . You had just jumped into the bath to cry a bit ,well until your door knocked ,throwing a robe on to answer the door ,to reveal your older brother. Who had comforted you ,as you had weeped into his lap,he was sat on your bed ,you laying on your side on his lap while he stroked your hair.

Bilbo was furious was Thorin,and that was an understatement. After he had tucked you into bed he had rushed to Thorin to give him a piece of his mind,not very friendly words were spoken,as he told the king to stay away his sister. Bilbo knew your feelings for the king were getting deep ,he didnt want you to suffer heart break ,he also knew that you rarely opened up to do impressions ,unless your intentions were meaningful. Bilbo had sucker punched Thorin,did Thorin react? no he didn't ,he had nodded before walking away.

BIlbo had kept you away from Thorin ,well that was until Mirkwood when he couldn't,magic ring,you did know about it,but were forced to keep it a secret.

Anyways you were attacked by spiders ,then taken prisoner by a blond elf,led to the greenwood realm,to King Thranduil. All of the company except you and Thorin were put in cells,but you two were brought to the elven king ,who had eyed you pair like prey.

He had taken it out on Thorin heavily before turning to you,literally like a head of a monster in a horror movie ,when they hear the person. "what is your name?" damn you were epecting him to be like why are you travelling with a bunch of hobos. "Y/n Baggins ,of the shire ," you had stated simply ,he had hummed in response. "Hobbiton,but you are not a hobbit?"he had questioned you,you had scoffed. "No,I am bloody moose,do I look three feet tall?no. Do I have huge hairy feet ? No ,I bloody do not,get a load of this guy,I am very much human."

Thranduil,was not happy ,circling you like roundabout. "I know that. Why such a pretty little thing would be travelling with pigs ,is unknown to me." you could almost hear the smirk in his voice. "I bet you are a joy,,you need a man that will be able to sa-""get lock ,I don't want to shag your skeleton ass."

"I never meant me,a women shouldn't be out with dwarves,they should stay home safe."Gandalf had told you tales when you were young about THranduil, and Gundabad ,about his wife,you did feel sorry for him ,but he was a pisshead.

"She can do as she pleases,not what a blumming fairy whats her to do. You should treat her with some respect, I vant you to do that ,hm?" Thorin had spoken up ,you had looked at him in surprise as he smiled lightly at you,he did the dracula thang.

That was that until,you all had made it to shore ,out of the barrels into the barge. After that last bit you both had angered him and he had stripped you of you cloak which you kept imitating dracula with it, so yeah you were freezing.  "yeah Bilbo gets to keep his stuff ,but noooo I have to freeze" you had mumbled yo yourself,only for Thorin walking of to you wrapping his arm around you ,as soon as you had felt the fire warmth from the dwarf ,you had turned fully head in his shoulder,due to his height,wrapping your arms around his waist to pull you close to him. He had now wrapped his other arm around you ,rubbing your back to arm you up.

That was it,you were fully into the dwarf ,not like that yet ,plus it would be him in you.

Part three?or no, If yes any ideas? or do you just want me to try force ideas out. I really love your support guys. If this is the last part then I would love some more Thorin or Eomer requests.

[thelastspeecher]

D&D AU - Elf Kid Adventures, Finale

I’m calling this “Elf Kid Adventures�� even tho the only person who is a kid for any amount of time in it is Stan, and it’s for like five minutes, because that’s what I called the previous installments of this story arc, here and here.

Do you want some D&D-themed angst?  Here’s some D&D-themed angst!  Plus more McGuckets trying to set up the good ship Stangie.  Enjoy.

——————————————————————————————

              Stan stood in front of Mrs. McGucket, nervously watching as she set out various spellcasting ingredients.  The McGucket parents had finally come up with a way to remove the curse, and Lute had suggested Stan go first.  Thankfully, the McGucket parents insisted that the spell be done without Angie or Lute observing, as they might cause distractions. As such, the siblings were inside the house while the spellcasting happened outside.  Mr. McGucket squeezed Stan’s shoulder.

              “Don’t worry, son.  Sally’s the best sorceress you’ll ever meet.  Even if the curse don’t get removed right, the sit’ation won’t get worse.”  Stan nodded.

              Dunno how much I believe that.  He had never informed the McGucket parents of his orcish heritage, so they were in for a surprise.  If the curse reversal worked properly.

              “All right, Mearl, get over here,” Mrs. McGucket said.  Mr. McGucket smiled reassuringly at Stan, then joined his wife.  “Ready, Stanaximus?”

              “As I’ll ever be,” Stan said weakly, excitement and dread warring within him.  Mrs. McGucket raised her hands.  Stan closed his eyes.  He let out a gasp at the sensation of being splashed with a bucket of cold water. This was quickly followed by all the growing pains he’d had in puberty, occurring at the same time.  He barely subdued the cry of pain at his tusks tearing through his gums.

              “Oh, no,” Mrs. McGucket whispered.  Stan opened his eyes.  The McGucket parents stared at him in horror.  Mrs. McGucket covered her mouth, tears sparkling in her silver eyes.  “Oh, no!”

              “Now, calm down, dear,” Mr. McGucket said quickly. “Stan actually told me not long ago he was the subject of an additional curse, passed down from his father.  This is prob’ly the result of that.”

              “I don’t-” Stan started.  He paused.  The distinctive rasp to his voice was back, as was its lower pitch.  Wordlessly, Mr. McGucket handed Stan a small mirror. Stan looked at his reflection.  A male orc with golden eyes, pale skin, and pointed ears looked back.  Weight he hadn’t realized he was carrying lifted from his shoulders.

              I’m me again.  Stan prodded his tusks, fighting back a smile.  Damn, I was dumb to think staying a kid was preferable to this.

              “Is Mearl right?” Mrs. McGucket asked.  Stan looked up.

              “About what?”

              “That yer appearance is from the curse ya got from yer father.”

              “No,” Stan said.  Mrs. McGucket let out a soft gasp.

              “I messed up!”

              “Should we try to put the curse back on him?” Mr. McGucket asked his wife.

              “No, don’t,” Stan said quickly.

              “Son, ya look like an orc,” Mr. McGucket said gently. Stan took a deep breath.

              It’s okay to tell them the truth.  They love you.  They even gave permission to court Angie.  Not that you needed it.

              “That’s because I am,” he confessed.  The McGuckets stared at him blankly.  “I’m half-elf and half-orc.  When I was a kid, I looked like my mom, but when I got older, I looked like my pops.”  The confusion on Mr. McGucket’s face warped into rage.  He grabbed his nearby staff and pointed it at Stan, the end of the weapon mere inches from Stan’s throat.

              “Leave,” he snarled.  Stan felt like he was being doused with cold water again.

              “What?”

              “Get off my property, boy!” Mr. McGucket roared. Stan looked to Mrs. McGucket for help, but she merely continued to stare at him in shock.

              “I’m-” Stan tried.  Mr. McGucket made a gesture.  Thorny vines burst out of the ground, lashing Stan’s ankles.  “Ow!”

              “You lied to us!”  The fatherly twinkle in Mr. McGucket’s eyes was gone.  “This whole time, you claimed to be an elf, but you were orc.  You pretended to be somethin’ you weren’t.”  At the harsh words from the previously gentle and warm Mr. McGucket, something snapped in Stan.

              “Fine!” he growled, baring his tusks.  Mr. McGucket blanched.  Stan felt a twisted satisfaction in causing the man to be visibly unnerved.  “You want me to go?  I’ll go! After everything you told me, that you never turn down people to help for their race, I expected better from you. But you’re just as bad as all the other elves I’ve met!”  Before he could see the effect of his words on the McGuckets, Stan turned on his heel, fleeing into the woods.

-----

              Stan slumped against the trunk of a large oak tree, staring up at the small bits of blue sky he could see through the forest’s thick canopy.  Desperately, he tried to hold back the tears prickling the corners of his eyes.

              You’re not gonna cry.  You’re not gonna cry.  Sure, the first person who acted like a halfway decent dad to you just chased you away from his home, but-  There was a faint rustling.  Stan reached for his dagger, only to find nothing there.  Shit.  I left my weapons at the farm.

              “Stan?” a voice said softly.  Stan looked over.  Angie melted out of the woods; like her father, she blended in with the trees almost perfectly.

              “I see you’re back to normal,” Stan grunted. Returned to her proper young adult age, Angie sat next to him.  The sunlight trickling through the leaves dappled her hair.  “How much of the shitshow did you hear?”

              “Not much.  But we were watchin’ from a window, so we saw it all,” Angie said.

              “We?”

              “Lute ‘n I.”

              “Great,” Stan muttered.  “The guy who hates me most saw your parents kick me off their property.”

              “Now, I highly doubt I hate ya more than anyone else in the world might,” Lute said, emerging from the woods to join his sister. He was also back to being a young adult. “What about all the people you’ve robbed?”  Stan rolled his eyes.  “Anyways, if I hated you, I wouldn’t have stuck up fer ya.”  Stan’s head whipped up.  “I’m surprised, too.”

              “The second we saw things goin’ south, we raced outside, but we were too late,” Angie said.  Lute sat next to her.  “You were already gone.  And Ma ‘n Pa were fit to fry.”

              “I shouldn’t have been surprised that they were racist.  Elves never treat orcs well,” Stan said.  Angie raised an eyebrow.  Stan sighed. “Present company excluded.”

              “They weren’t upset you were an orc, though they definitely don’t exactly have a good opinion of ‘em,” Angie said.  “They were upset you lied to ‘em.  Tellin’ the truth is important to ‘em.”

              “Then why didn’t you tell them I was an orc the second I started lying?”

              “It weren’t my truth to tell,” Angie said with a shrug.  “And…” She sighed.  “I was worried that yer concern was well-founded, that my folks wouldn’t respond well to the truth.”

              “Thanks for the heads-up.”

              “I’m sorry things went down the way they did.”

              “You should be,” Stan said shortly.  One of Lute’s eyes twitched.

              “Maybe in the future, you should also not try to hide somethin’ this big from allies,” he retorted.  Stan opened his mouth to argue, but couldn’t find fault in what Lute had said.

              “…Fair,” he muttered.  Angie put a hand on his shoulder.

              “Are ya ready to come back to the farm?” she asked. Stan shook his head.  “All right.”  Angie leaned against him.  Stan’s heart began to race.  “I’ll wait with ya until you are.”

-----

              Stan pulled the drawstrings of his pack tight. The bag was fit to burst, filled with enough provisions to last them the trip back three times over.  Angie and Lute had already left the kitchen, apparently because they knew the trick to packing all the food their parents insisted they take. Mrs. McGucket, hovering nearby, swooped in.

              “I do want to apologize again for our reaction to your adult form,” she said softly, resting a hand on Stan’s shoulder. Stan shrugged his pack on.

              “C’mon, Mrs. McGucket.  You’ve apologized a million times.  Where’s that sun elf dignity?” he teased.  Mrs. McGucket smiled.  After Stan had come back with Angie and Lute, the McGucket parents practically fell over themselves in apologizing.  Stan didn’t feel as positively about them as he had before the curse was removed, but he also didn’t feel as negatively as he had when they chased him off the farmstead. He could hear his mom’s voice in the back of his head.

              “There will be a lot of people who have a negative reaction when they first meet you.  If they don’t move on from it, by all means, hold it against them.  But if they try to grow as people, if they work to know you as the wonderful young man you are, let them.  Learning to be a better person is, I think, more important than being born one.”

              “I was never one to follow the sun elf ideals,” Mrs. McGucket said.  Stan nodded.

              “You’d get along with my mom,” he said.  Mrs. McGucket’s smile broadened.

              “From what you have told me, I agree,” she replied. Stan picked an apple off the kitchen table.  “Maybe I’ll have a chance to meet her at the wedding.”  The apple slipped out of Stan’s hand.

              “What?” he asked.  Mrs. McGucket sighed.

              “Mearl said he passed along that you have our blessing to court Angie.”

              “Well, yeah, but that was before you guys found out I was half-orc.”  Stan stared at her.  “You don’t have a problem with that?”  Mrs. McGucket shook her head.  “Really? No concerns about potential future grandchildren having orcish blood?”

              “Look, once Lute stood up for you, Mearl and I knew we had made a horrible mistake,” Mrs. McGucket said softly.  “For him to tell us we were wrong, after what he went through during ranger training…”  Mrs. McGucket trailed off.  Stan didn’t know the details, but apparently, Lute had some sort of traumatic experience involving orcs while training to be a ranger.  Angie claimed that was the reason Lute had hated Stan on sight.

              “Yeah, I was pretty surprised by that, too.”

              “You’re a good man, Stanaximus, half-orc or not. We’d be honored to have you join our family.”  Mrs. McGucket took a hold of his hand.  “Don’t be afraid to try.”

              Why do they keep pushing this?  I mean, yeah, I’d be an idiot to not make a move.  But they won’t stop telling me that!

              “Why won’t you and Mr. McGucket let this drop?”

              “Because I almost didn’t act on my feelings for Mearl.”

              “You didn’t?  With how you and Mearl talk about it, you abandoned your whole life on a whim.”

              “It felt like that, yes,” Mrs. McGucket said with a sigh.  “But in reality, I nearly lost my nerve.  It’s a big decision, leaving your family and everything you know.”

              “Yeah…” Stan said quietly, thinking of the day he left home.  Mrs. McGucket smiled ruefully.

              “Yes, I thought you would understand.”  Stan nodded.  “But I did leave my home for Mearl, and I’ve never felt that was a mistake, not even for a moment.  Don’t allow yourself to have regrets in love, Stanaximus.”  To Stan’s shock, Mrs. McGucket embraced him.  “Best of luck on your journey,” she said in Elvish.  Recognizing the traditional farewell, Stan completed it.

              “And best of joy while you stay,” he replied in Elvish.  Mrs. McGucket squeezed him as tightly as she could, which wasn’t much, given her sylph-like figure and how bulky Stan was.  She let him go.  Stan picked up the apple he’d dropped and exited the farmhouse.

              “It’s ‘bout time!” a voice said.  Stan turned.  Angie stood up from the stump she’d been sitting on.  “Ya took so long that Lute went ahead.”

              “Really?” Stan asked, pocketing his apple.

              “Yeah.”  Angie cocked her head, a ghost of a grin on her lips.  “But I knew you’d be hopelessly lost without a guide, so I stuck ‘round.”

              “I’d figure it out eventually,” Stan said dismissively.  “I definitely have enough food to last me for however long it’d take to find my way back.” Angie laughed.  Stan’s heart melted at the sound.

              “Yeah, Ma ‘n Pa go a bit nuts makin’ sure we’ve got supplies.  Now, c’mon, we can make it back ‘fore night falls, but only if we get goin’ now.”

              “All right, all right.”  Stan walked over.  The two headed into the forest.  “So, Lute’s really not gonna be going back with us?”

              “Nope!  Like I said, he went ahead.  My guess? He’s been so nice to you lately that he wants some time apart.  Can’t lose that important tough-guy image or whatever,” Angie said.  Stan snorted.  “It’s just us.”

              “Good,” Stan said.  Angie eyed him.

              “Why?” she asked warily.  Stan noticed, to his disgust, that his palms were sweaty.

              Really?  Still? I thought I left that behind when I stopped being a kid.  Well, whatever.  At least I’m not a mess of anxiety and hormones anymore.  Stan grinned at Angie.

              “I’ve got a question to ask you.”

[fangirlingincamouflage]

Blind Hope Chapter Six

Title: Blind Hope Author: Rosie Dayze Word Count: ??? (I can’t remember) Pairing: Nick Jakoby x Reader Chapter Rating: PG-13 Themes: Angst, Plot, affectionate frustration Disclaimer:  I do not own Nick Jakoby, he is the intellectual property of Netflix Originals. I make no money from this fanfiction. TW/CW: Descriptions of pain, long term hospital stay Previous Chapters:

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

You Are Here

Chapter 7

Looking back, it was easy to ignore his messages for the first two weeks. You had work to get lost in and pain meds to dull everything. Between your cracked ribs, the stitches in your head, and fielding calls from people who meant well but took up too much energy to talk to, it was pretty easy to act like you had every intention of responding to Nick, without ever actually getting around to doing it.

"I'm awake," his first message said. "They said you already were released. What happened? Are you okay?"

It hurt. It hurt to read. It hurt even more not to respond. But you did it. You told yourself it was for the best. Being with you is what got him hurt in the first place. Sure, you could blame bigotry, and you'd be right, but that doesn't erase what happened, and that you were at the core.

"I know what happened was scary. Please, just talk to me." Another message says. "I just want to know you are safe."

You don't respond to that one either. You know what you'll say. You will tell him that you are perfectly okay. That it's fine. Just a scratch. Sure, your head got busted open and you are on some impressive pain killers. And yeah, you have to change the bandage twice a day because stitches are no joke, especially those on the head. And sure a chunk of hair is missing from where they shaved it to put said stitches in place. But does any of that really compare to what he went through?

"I'm okay if that's what you're worried about. It looked worse than it was."

You know exactly how bad it was. It wasn't like you just gathered your stuff and left after Nick's mother stopped in and delivered her bomb of truth. In fact, once the shock of her words had worn off you'd gotten yourself pretty riled up with a lot of thoughts that centered on how-dare-she. You'd gathered up[ all of your things, and stormed up to the Intensive Care Unit, you'd argued with a nurse, you'd begged and pleaded until they let you in to see him. And, if you are being honest, compared to Nick all you had was a scratch. Tubes were shoved up his nose, forcing him to keep breathing while needles fed him medication and hydration. The natural blue splotches on his skin did their best to hide the bruising, but it was too easy to see that the damage had been done. Gone was the coppery vest, all he wore was an ugly hospital gown and medical tape. One eye was swollen shut, one hand looked like it had seen the wrong side of a hammer. Or, more likely, a boot. He'd whimpered when you'd touched him, in pain despite being pumped full of who knew what.

That's when you had decided that Elizabeth Jakoby had been right. Being with Nick would have been selfish. Yes, he made you happy. Yes, his kisses made you light up. But was any of that worth the pain it put him through? No. Of course not. You needed to leave. And you needed to cut the relationship off. He'd get over you. He'd find a nice orc woman to settle down with. He'd be happy with his garden and his badge. He didn't need you. And he certainly didn't need another trip to the hospital.

So you called June and let her mother you into bed, and promised yourself that no matter what messages Nick Jakoby sent, you'd just ignore them. Sure, you knew it was bad form to ghost him. But you also knew that if you tried to actually break it off, it would kill something inside of you. Some tiny glimmer of hope that there were still good people in the world.

Those first two weeks were easy. They came before the new flower delivery, and the card that only had "I'm sorry," written in his hasty, blocky script. And then came the uber eats driver delivering from the Indian place you'd had your very first date. And then came the movie tickets and a little notecard saying "I'll be here, at seven this Friday. I hope you will be too."

You made yourself sick throwing the ticket in the garbage. You'd even poured week-old leftovers on top of it to keep yourself from digging it out. That night you invited June and her wife over and the three of you watched cheesy movies until dawn, if only to keep you from dwelling on where you rather would have been.

You got your stitches out. You were given a clean bill of health. Your hair grew back. Two weeks turned into two months, and then into half a year.

You went on dates. Some weren't too bad. Somewhere horrible. But no matter how nice the date was, or where you went, all you could think about was sharing a loaded waffle with a guy who saw the greatness in the universe. All you could do was reach up and feel that scar on your forehead and wonder 'what if?'.

"This is ridiculous." June flopped herself down on the couch. She was wearing her favorite orange and yellow pajama set. She had a plate of chocolate cake in one hand, and a fork in the other. She was eating her feeling since the love of her life was out to sea again. It made for a good excuse to buy a cake and have a sleepover. You are pretty glad that you have a best friend who still likes sleepovers. "You should call him."

"Listen, June, I know you thought we were perfect for each other but-"

June's demielf eyes narrow to cat-like slits. "Oh please."

"June, it was just two dates."

"And?"

"How much can you really know about a person in two dates?"

"You know when I decided I was gonna marry Em?" she asks.

"Well, you proposed on-"

"Date one."

You pause. "What?"

"I knew before the end of date one that she was the person I wanted to be with for the rest of my life. I knew it like I know the sky is blue and Versace does bold prints." She waves her hand through the air.

"That's not possible."

"Oh, it is. I realized I was doing everything I could to make her laugh because the sound of it was the best music I'd ever heard."

You can't help but remember Nick's laugh, and the way it came out too loud and honest. Your heart sinks into your stomach.

"And I wanted to keep ordering food, just so we could stay there longer," June continues.

After your first date, you and Nick just walked, walked until the only place you could go was home. You'd never wanted the night to end.

"But what really sealed the deal was how bad I wanted to see her again, even when we'd just said goodnight."

"But," you say, trying to ignore the feeling in your chest. "Couldn't it have just been an infatuation? Wasn't it just potential? Time and effort are what made it love, not your first date."

June shrugs. "Sounds to me like you are trying to convince someone in this room, and I'm pretty sure it's not me."

You lapse into silence as the words ring in your ears. Who are you trying to convince? You know that you had an amazing time with Nick. You know exactly what it felt like to laugh with him, run your hands across his shoulders, kiss him. You know that it was the exact mix of easy and heart tingling. You know that if ever there had been potential for something great, it existed in those two nights with Nick Jakoby.

"It doesn't matter," you say. "I wont get him hurt again."

June sets her plate aside and takes your hand in hers. "Sweetie, I get that. I do. But..." She takes a deep breath. "Listen, I don't know if you are ready to hear this but I'm going to go ahead and say it anyway."

She shifts her place on the couch until she is facing you, your hands cupped gently in her own. The look she gives you is one of kindness, but no-nonsense. It's a mother's look.

"I feel like you are about to ground me for doing something dumb," you say, trying to be light-hearted.

"Kind of. I mean, I do think you did something stupid."

You start to pull away. "June-"

She takes your hands again, more firmly. "You did. You did do something dumb. I love you, hun. I really do but this time? This time I think you screwed up."

"How? By protecting him? By making sure he never has to be in that hospital bed again? June, you didn't see him it was...it was-" You can't even bring yourself to say how bad it was.

June's hands tighten ever so slightly. "I know, sweetie. I know. It sucked. I know how seeing you hurt made me feel, and I can only imagine that it was worse seeing Nick like that. And I can only imagine how guilty it made you feel. But honestly? None of that matters."

"Why not?"

She blows out a soft breath. You can see a hard line of tension in her shoulders. She closes her eyes and when she opens them they are filled with a steady resolve. "Because you didn't even give him a choice. And hun, that was shitty." Since you rarely ever hear June curse, you know exactly how much she must mean this. "I know why you did it. I get it, but I don't really agree with it. You hurt yourself, which was your choice. But you hurt him too. You didn't give him an explanation, and you didn't give him closure." She holds up a hand before you can interrupt. "I'm not saying every person you go on a date with deserves a point by point explanation for why you don't want to see them again. But we both know that Nick wasn't just some date."

"I knew he'd try to talk me out of it."

June shrugs. "Maybe. Probably. But after getting hurt the way that he did, don't you think that he deserved the chance to try?"

Guilt drags at your stomach. You shake your head and pull your hands out of her grip. She lets you.

"I don't know that I'd have been strong enough to tell him no."

June shrugs. "Maybe because you shouldn't have."

You make a sound in the back of your throat and reach for the remote. "Come on, the show is-"

The words you were going to say die in your throat. The screen is filled with a news broadcast. A pretty woman you barely notice is talking about a fire downtown. The words Bright, officers down, possible magical terrorism hang like an ugly miasma in your ears. A picture of Nick superimposes itself over the fire.

You don't even remember getting up. You don't remember grabbing your coat. All you hear is the jingle of keys as you head to the hospital you ought never to have left him at.

[legolaslovely]

My Heart

A/N: Here’s me rewriting the barrel scene lol to add some Protective!Fili, everyone’s fine, Kili doesn’t get shot with the arrow, just HAPPINESS AND LOVE CONFESSIONS YAY HAPPY FILI FRIDAY FRIENDS

Pairing: Love of my fucking life x me JUST KIDDING it’s Fili x Reader

Word Count: 3,342

Warnings: Fluff, angst, violence against orcs

Summary: When barrel riding doesn’t go well for (Y/N), a human member of Thorin’s company, Fili saves her

You plopped down on the hard ground of the elven cell and tried to ignore the weird stench and horrific music that was falling from the halls above. You sighed and let your head fall back against the wall.

“(Y/N)?” You heard Fili’s voice. He must have been on the other side of the wall, in the cell just next to yours.

“Yeah?” You asked.

“You okay?”

“Pissed that we’re stuck in here, but yeah, I’m okay. You?”

“I’m fine. We’ll get out of here,” he said. You gave no answer but the tension in the air between you lifted. It was nice having one of the company right there even though you couldn’t see him.

“Get some rest!” Thorin called. “We’ll have to be sharp if we want to figure out a way out of here.”

You ignored the grumbling that continued and actually tried to obey his orders. After the past few days of excitement, you didn’t find it too difficult to nod off, but soon, the sound of cheers and soft clinking woke you up.

“Bilbo!” “It’s Bilbo!” “He’s got the keys!”

“Hush!” Bilbo said. “There are guards near!”

You rushed to your feet, grabbing hold of the bars of your cell and trying to crane your neck out to see if it was true. Bilbo was running down the slope, quickly freeing every one of the dwarfs. He was almost to you.

“Told ya we’d get out,” Fili said.

You looked to your left and saw him grinning at you through the bars of his own cell. The hobbit unlocked his door and Fili followed him closely to yours. Once the door was open, Fili’s hand was on your arm, pulling you out and guiding you down the slope.

“No thanks to you,” you joked to him.

You heard him huff.

The company followed Bilbo through the undermost corridors of Mirkwood. As usual, you were wedged between Fili and Kili. The younger of the two led the way and Fili was behind you as you stepped into a new room. This was the cellar of Mirkwood where the guards gathered and apparently blacked out from drinking too much imported wine. You smirked at the two guards bent over a table, sleeping deeply. Kili turned to you with a smile. This was perfect! These idiot elves were practically begging us to escape!

Then one snored and Fili grabbed you, pulling your back to his chest. He’d startled you and sent your heart into overdrive, beating ferociously. You turned to him with wide eyes. He almost woke them! you thought. You unwrapped his arm but kept a grip on his wrist as you toed right past the sleeping elves.

One by one, the company followed and soon all were standing in a huddle on the other side of the large room. Everyone looked to Bilbo for direction. Then Dwalin sputtered, throwing his hand out like he was about to strangle the hobbit.

“Where’ve you taken us! We’re worse off than before!”

Bilbo motioned to the barrels. “Get in.”

Your eyes blew wide. He wants us to what?

“We’ll be bruised and battered to pieces!” Balin whispered.

“And surely drowned,” Ori said, shaking.

And frozen, you thought, but you didn’t dare speak it.

Bilbo was exasperated. After all his hard work and planning, he couldn’t allow the dwarfs to ruin his plans by waking the guards that dozed just feet away. “You just have to trust me.”

All heads turned to Thorin at the back of the group. “Do as he says,” he growled.

You squatted on the ground and backed your legs into the large barrel. You fit entirely, with room to spare, but you didn’t think this was the best hiding spot in all of Mirkwood. The barrels didn’t even have tops. The elves would see the company immediately and then they’d be right back in the cells where they started. Or worse.

You popped your head out of the barrel and looked to Fili above you. “Are we really just gonna hide in here and hope they don’t see us?”

Before he could answer, Bilbo said, “No, (Y/N). Not exactly.”

He pulled some kind of lever and then you were rolling. It took all your self-control not to scream in fright when the floor tilted backwards and you saw the rushing water of the river below you. You shut your eyes tight and held onto the edge of the barrel as you rolled and started to free fall. When you landed, the freezing water took your breath and stabbed at your limbs. Then you were bobbing and floating and you wiped your eyes. You groaned at the cold.

The dwarfs around you cheered. In your spinning barrel, you could hardly see the floor of the cellar return to its rightful place. You heard Thorin cry out with laughter and victory. Then your barrel stopped spinning, thanks to Fili’s strong hand.

“We did it, (Y/N). We beat the elves at their own game.”

You finally allowed yourself to feel relief. You grinned, looking forward to the river ahead. It seemed rather steady and the fear of falling out of the barrel fizzled out of your mind. “Maybe we can just ride to the mountain?” you said, listening to Fili laugh at you.

“No! No, the damn gate!” You heard Thorin yell at the front of the pack. His barrel careened into a checkered, unmovable metal fence that blocked the dwarfs from their freedom of the Mirkwood kingdom. The rushing river pushed all the barrels together and you heard the shouts of orders from the elven guards. They’d found you.

A dozen elven guards floated down the banks of the river, quickly gaining ground. It would only be a few moments before they had the company surrounded. You followed their beady eyes up and over your head, and you found what you hoped to be the lever to open the gate.

“That can’t be what I think it is,” you mumbled to yourself.

“What?” Fili asked.

“Up there. They wouldn’t be stupid enough to put the gate lever in plain sight, would they?”

“Well, they are elves,” Kili said.

Fili’s hand landed on your shoulder. “(Y/N) you’re a genius. Those keen eyes of yours have saved us again. Kili, get up there. Quick, before the elves are upon us.”

You helped Fili pull his brother up and out of his barrel. He stood on its wobbly mouth and leapt to the next and the next until his feet landed on the solid rock of the river bank. You craned your neck to watch him run above your head and saw a black arrow fly through the air, narrowly missing his leg. You whipped around to see that the incoming elves were a small inconvenience compared to the pack of orcs emerging from the wood.

“Kili! Orcs!” you cried. You watched helplessly as another arrow headed straight for him, but was shot out of the air by a crossing one. The red haired she-elf from the dungeons had saved Kili from a poisoned orc arrow, but she was too far away to help him fend off the group of orcs that had descended on him.

You hopped out of your barrel, standing on the edge of yours and Fili’s. He yanked on your hand, almost sending you overboard.

“What are you doing? Get down here, now.”

You ripped your hand from his grasp, but bent to him. “You’re the only one strong enough to keep these barrels in place when the gate opens. I’ll be right back.” You had to get that gate open while Kili fought off the orcs. He couldn’t do both.

“You’ll do no such thing,” Fili said.

Your frustration snapped as you swatted his hands from you. “Stop babying me!”

“You are a baby! You’re twenty years old!”

“And you’re eighty-two. Are we really going to have this conversation right now? Kili needs help. Let me go.” You didn’t wait for his answer, but leapt to the bank, slipping on the wet rock and catching yourself but scraping your hands.

You ran up to where Kili was fending for himself, picking up an axe from a slain orc on the way. You squeezed, and ducked, and swung your stolen weapon, decapitating an enemy on your way to the gate. It took a jolt of all your body weight to move the lever, but finally, you felt it release and heard cries from the dwarfs of your success. “Kili!” you cried. “Fall back! Into the barrels!” You tossed the axe to Dwalin as he floated by so someone in the front of the group would have a weapon. It wasn’t your smartest move.

With Kili falling into his barrel and a dozen orcs turning on you, you now had no weapon to protect yourself. It was impossible to speed back down the slope of the bank the way you’d come- you’d be attacked for sure. You had to jump down to your barrel from far above and you winced at the thought. It was a long way down and suddenly the mouth of the barrel seemed very tiny.

“You have to jump, (Y/N)!” Fili yelled to you. “I’ve got you!”

Orcs were closing in on you from every side. You cursed yourself, took a step to the left to line yourself up with your barrel, and leapt from the height. You crashed down, half in Fili’s arms and half into the barrel, slamming your elbow on the lip of it.

“You’re an idiot,” Fili said.

“I know.”

Then the current swept the barrels downstream. On either side of you, orcs were growling, snapping, and hurling weapons at you. Luckily, they were also falling to their deaths thanks to the elves. Are they actually helping us?

“(Y/N)! Get down!” you heard Fili call and you instantly obeyed. You disappeared deep into your barrel, hearing the thump of an axe digging into the wood beside your head. The gravity of your avoidance forced your barrel bowling into a sharp jetty in the river, leaving you to tumble out of your safe, 360 degree shield. Again the freezing winter water washed over you and pulled you down into the tide. You were an open target to the orcs, the elves and the waves themselves.

After what felt like minutes underwater, you finally pulled your head above the waves, gasping for air and coughing. Your lungs felt like they were on fire and in the back of your mind, you knew you should be watching out for flying arrows but you could barely open your eyes as you bobbed up and mostly down in the water. Then, strong hands lifted you up.

“Come, kurduwê. You’re all right.”

You grabbed onto the lip of Fili’s barrel, opening your eyes to see his worried face. You’d never been so happy to him and you coughed on him to thank him. When your eyes finally freed themselves of water and focused, you saw an arrow flying toward Fili from over his shoulder. You yanked on him, pulling him down to you and listened to the arrow wiz by and splash into the current.

Fili spun and you both watched as the offending orc was taken down by an elf. You were safe for the moment. He lifted you above him and set you next to him in his barrel. “In here, now. You’re all right? Not hit?”

You steadied yourself on his arms, gripping his soaked tunic. “I’m okay, I’m okay.”

“Good because we have more fighting to do and no weapons to do it with,” he said with a hint of a smile on his lips.

You shook your head, knowing he secretly loved challenges like these. Then a poisoned dagger dug itself into the side of the barrel you shared. You tugged it out and held it up. “You just have to know where to find them,” you said with a wink. You turned and launched it, hitting a tall ugly orc straight in the eye.

Ahead, you heard the dwarfs calling each other’s names and tossing an axe down the line, all taking turns hitting an arching tree to split it.

“Fili!” Dwalin yelled, sending it back to him.

Fili reached back and swung it over his head, sending the final blow to the tree and sending half a dozen orcs to drown in the rough waters. The current had only grown stronger as the company flowed downstream. It was recklessly spinning the barrels and sending them speeding into the banks and wharfs. Though the orc pack thinned and eventually disappeared completely, there was new danger in the rapids. You flew into a tall rock and heard the wood of the barrel crack. You held onto Fili with fresh fear.

He pushed you in front of him, holding onto your waist tight and you were thankful for the grounding feeling. If you hadn’t fallen out of your barrel at the beginning of the ride, you were sure you would have by now if it weren’t for Fili’s strong grip. You careened and spun down the white waves until it finally evened out and the company was able to beach themselves on the bank.

You crawled out of your barrel, throwing your sopping hair over your shoulder and pulling your tunic away from your skin. Your limbs were heavy and impossibly tired, but you knew you’d have to keep moving to keep the distance between the group and the orcs. While you had the chance, you rung out your clothes and sat on the stiff ground as you listened to Thorin, Dwalin and Balin argue about the next course of action.

“You’re shivering.”

Your heavy eyelids lifted to Fili and you smiled. “I know I’m shivering Fili, I’m the one doing it. I don’t usually go for swims in the middle of winter.” You chuckled dryly.

“Stand up. I know you’re tired but you have to keep your blood flowing or you’ll freeze.”

“That’s hopeful,” you said, not moving.

“Come, now,” he said reaching for your hands.

You swatted him away. “Fine. I’m fine, just-just let me be.” You stood, closing your arms around yourself and feeling your freezing skin.

“And your hands are bleeding. Is this from when you fell?” He turned your palm up and rolled his finger over your cuts.

“Yes, but I’m fine. It’s nothing.”

“It’s not nothing-”

“Fili!” You side stepped away from him and wrapped your hand with a cloth you ripped from your tunic. Your argument started to draw attention from the company. “Will you please stop babying me! I don’t need it. I was chosen to go on this quest, same as you. I can handle myself and if I can’t I will ask you for help.” You stopped him from speaking. “Don’t even start with the age thing! Twenty years of human life is practically equal to eighty years of a dwarf’s. We’re the same. I don’t need your constant attention.”

“Well, you have it.” He laughed.

“I don’t want it! You don’t have to take care of me all the time.”

“(Y/N), I have to protect you.”

“Why?”

“We-we protect each other. We’re a company.”

“You don’t treat me like the rest of the company! You treat me like I’m less. Like I can’t handle myself or I’m in over my head or something.”

“That’s not true,” he said.

“It is! You almost didn’t allow me to help your brother today! Why is that? You don’t trust me?”

“Yes, I do-”

“Then why?”

“Because I love you!” he said.

You froze.

“Stop,” Thorin said, coming between you. “Stop this arguing right now.” Then he turned to the company. “We need to keep moving or the orcs will catch up with us. Balin, speak to that human. Say whatever you need to. Get us on that boat.”

You started to speak, but Thorin’s glare stopped you. Fili didn’t move from your side as you listened to Balin speak to the other human, but he wouldn’t look at you. He didn’t even twitch. It was like he was the one who was frozen. You replayed the events of the day in your head and remembered something. What had he said to you in the river? What did that word mean?

You hadn’t paid attention to the conversation going on, but after a few minutes, the company was ushered onto the boat. You whispered Fili’s name, but he either didn’t hear you or ignored you. You hoped it was the former. Balin was busy counting coins and asking for your share.

“Take it, I don’t care,” you said, tossing your small purse on the table near him. Fili was alone at the bow of the boat and you moved to meet him there, when your arm was pulled back.

“(Y/N),” Thorin said lowly, leading you away from the company. “Do not go over there unless you have a firm answer for him. Do not give him hope where there is none.”

At length you nodded. Thorin stepped from you, but you caught him. “Thorin? What does kur-kurduwê mean?”

Thorin sighed and allowed his countenance to soften. “My heart.”

He left you alone by the mast as the boat shoved off and headed downstream. Fili had only been from your side for a handful of minutes, but you already missed him- his warmth, his comfort, and his sense of calm. You missed his smile and his hands and his soft laugh. Things made more sense now that he had told you of his feelings. Every drop of anger dissipated from your chest and was replaced by heavy guilt. You needed him.

You padded over to the bow of the boat, catching yourself on the edge when it had turned without warning. You stood next to him, but he didn’t look to you. “Fi?”

He hummed softly.

“I want to apologize to you. For snapping at you. You’ve been nothing but good to me, you saved my life today and I yelled at you for it. I’m sorry.”

His jaw clenched. “I’m sorry I made you feel inadequate. That was not my intention.”

“I know.” The boat was expertly winding through trees and islands in the quiet water. It turned quickly and you stumbled into Fili’s side. He caught you and placed you safely on your feet. “I didn’t mean what I said, Fili. About…”

“I know you didn’t.”

“Did you mean what you said?” you asked.

He finally looked at you. “Yes,” he breathed, like he couldn’t believe you’d asked the question.

You reached for his freezing tunic around his waist. “I don’t want you to treat me like a child.” You paused as he scoffed. “And I never want you to put yourself in danger because of me- to protect me from something. I can handle myself.” You looked up at him and couldn’t help but smile when you saw his eyes already studying you. “But I do want your attention. And your care. Your friendship and-and your love. I treasure those things.”

His fingers took your chin and his thumb ran over your skin. He bent to kiss you gently. When he drew away, you smiled, reveling in his shining blue eyes.

“How did you say that word?” you asked.

“Which one?”

“Kur-kurduwê.”

He chuckled at your attempt and corrected you, rolling the back of his fingers down your cheek. “Kurduwê.”

You rested your head on his shoulder. “My heart.”

He hummed, running his fingers through your wet hair, gently untangling the ends. “Look, (Y/N).”

You followed his gaze and saw a strong peak thrusting up into the clouded sky. “Is that it?”

“The Lonely Mountain.”

“We’re almost there, Prince.”

He chuckled and hummed, kissing your head and listening to the excited cries of the company. He’d reclaim the mountain for his family and learn to lead it for his people with you by his side.

Taglist and those who may enjoy! @emrfangirl @misslongcep @raindancer2004 @ladybugg1235 @xxbyimm @burningcoffeetimetravel @fizzyxcustard @fire-flv  @nerdbirdsworld @deepestfirefun @teagarages @luna-xial​ 

[blazerina]

Hundreds of Tomorrows - (Mal x MC) - Blades of Light & Shadows

Hundreds of Tomorrows

Word Count: 3053

A/N: This is a little thing that I picture starting and happening before Nia, Tyril and MC (Raine) go behind the glass wall where only those with magic can pass. This was from chapter 11 (I think?) when they’re in the catacombs. I’m not very good at remembering details from the chapters. 

I took a few liberties to change up what exactly happened behind the wall so it’s not exactly in line with the rest of BOLAS (please don’t hate me or send me messages about how wrong I am). Also, I freaking LOVE Threep and his banter/relationship with Mal.  

This story comes at the request of @choicesobsessed  who sent a prompt for “Is that blood? ...No?” from a prompt list I posted a while ago. It fit perfectly with this idea I already had so ta-da!

Hope everyone reading this is doing well and staying safe! Please enjoy!

xoxo

--

“Kit, a word please?” Mal said inquisitively, his eyebrow raised in mock curiosity.  He motioned for Raine to follow him to a more secluded area.

“Keep your voice down.” He instructed as Raine followed him.

“Keep my voice down?” She questioned.

“You do realize the rest of the group is right over there…”

Mal sighed in agitation.

“Okay then, m’lady, let’s talk behind this here rock. Is that better?”

The two of them circled around a rather large boulder that was still not much further from the group.

“Oh much. Much better.” She smirked. “What’s your deal? We don’t have a lot of time and we need to check out what’s behind that magic wall.”

“Are you sure about this?” Mal asked, searching her eyes for the truth. “I mean like, really, totally, 100% sure?”

“Sure about what?” Raine asked, confused.

“Going behind the magic wall with only elf-boy to protect you? I don’t think it’s safe.”  Mal cut right to the point.

“Ooohhh….” Raine teased. “I see what this is about…”

She folded her arms in front of her chest and leaned back against the rock that was supposedly concealing their conversation.

“Nothing. It’s not about anything.” Mal squinted his eyes in frustration, stumbling a little bit and working very hard to make his point. He didn’t want to be obvious, but apparently he was failing miserably.

“Mmhmm.” Raine scoffed.  “Listen, I don’t only have Tyril to protect me. Nia is coming and so is Threep.”

“Raine.”

Mal looked down his nose at her, wishing she would realize this was actually not a time to joke. For him to be serious meant it really indeed was…serious.

“You cannot be serious. You think that cat-bat is going to be able to save you?”

“He is a nesper, Mal, not a cat-bat. You really need to stop calling him that. And I don’t know why you’re wasting my time right now.”

She stood up straighter, ready to confront him.

“We will be safe. Everything is fine. You’re acting this way mainly because you don’t want to be left here with Imtura AND you’re afraid of missing out on adventure. You’re upset that you’re not being included.”

Mal’s mouth hung open ready to protest, but Raine quickly closed the space between them kissed him on the cheek. She lingered a little bit and whispered in his ear.

“But I do think it’s awfully cute you’re so protective of me.”

She pulled away, looking him in the eye and giving him a quick wink, before walking away.

“Raine!”

Mal called out.

“Wait!”

She turned around, shoulders slumped, groaning in frustration. “What is it now?!”

“Just, be careful. Please. I…I don’t like not going in there with you…if anything happened – I – I –“

Raine stopped joking around, once she realized the serious tone Mal was using.                                                                                                                                        

“Don’t worry – I’ll come back to you.” She nodded, confirming what she just said.

Raine then jogged towards Nia and Tyril who were waiting at the entrance to the wall.

--

“Look lover boy, I know that you’re smitten with our very own land rat, but you have got to calm down.”

Imtura was perched on top of a large black rock while Mal paced nervously back and forth in front of her, tossing a small pebble up and down.

“If you don’t stop tossing that ridiculous little rock, I’m going to smash you one more time into that magic wall and leave you for dead.”

Mal ignored her, continued pacing, but did at least stop tossing the rock.  

“See here – there’s one thing that us sneaky humans have over your orc tribe. We have this sixth sense. This gut feeling about things. And I’m telling you something’s not right about all this. Any of this…it’s just really, really messed up…”

Mal was suddenly distracted looking deep into the eyes of a half-charred statue looking rock that had grabbed his attention.

“I mean, what the hell is that? This is not normal.” He said as he gestured to the piece of art he found.

“Nothing about this is normal. Pull your head out of your arse, boy. Look around you – has anything we’ve experienced the past few weeks been normal?

If you’re looking for normal you best leave now because it’s only going to get weirder if you ask me…” Imtura spat, picking something out of her jowls.

Mal mad a face, clearly disgusted by her behavior. “You’re one of a kind, you know that, Im?”

He wiped his hands along the front of his vest, suddenly feeling dirty. He huffed loudly as he plopped down on the ground.

“When are they going to be baaaack?!” He whined, keeping his eyes closed. “This is the worst!”

“That’s them. Mal!” Imtura was laughing, happy to see the rest of their crew. “They’re alive. They made it. Here they come!”

Threep was leading the crew, actually using his wings to fly, and hovering a little bit in front of everyone.

“Mal before you see her you need to know that…”

“I am fine!” Raine called from the back of the group leaning on Tyril and limping a bit. She was holding her side and trying her best not to grimace.

“Raine? What happened? Is she okay? Are you okay?”

Tyril gingerly helped Raine to sit down, Nia followed and tried to console Mal.

“She really is fine, Mal. I can heal her, don’t worry.  I just need a moment…”

“Is that blood?!” Mal asked, pointing to Raine’s side where a dark spot had begun to form beneath her hands.

“…No?” Raine lied, not wanting to upset him.

“Why is everyone more worried about Mal than the actual person who is injured?!” Threep squawked still flying above everyone else.

“Fix her. Fix her now.” Mal ordered, looking at Nia. “Do it. Let’s go – why are we waiting around?”

“I don’t want her to.” Raine’s voice was raised slightly and forceful.

“We do need to make a decision. We got what we came for, it’s time we head back. The longer we are here the longer we are in danger.” Tyril explained, adding pressure to the current situation.

“Mal – calm down.” Raine hissed, through gritted teeth, obviously in pain. “We need to get out of here. I don’t want Nia wasting life on me and I know I can make it. Let’s go.”

Mal tried to protest but Raine shot him down immediately with a cold and hard stare.

He resigned himself to the fact that Raine was not changing her mind.

“Let me help…” he tried to loop her arm around his shoulder, but Raine was stubborn.

“Raine – are you sure?” Tyril asked one final time.

Nia was nervously biting her lip, Imtura was staying quiet and Threep was nosing through Raine’s bag while the rest of them looked to one another to make a decision.

“Too bad jerky doesn’t make you feel better like it does me.” He chuckled, his head popping up out of the bag with a mouthful.

The entire group swiveled their heads to scowl at him.

Threep began to nervously laugh as he lowered himself back into the bag. “Wrong time to joke?” He asked, retreating quickly.

“Why does everyone keep asking if I’m sure?” Raine growled.  “First Mal, now you, Tyril. Have I ever not known my own mind?”

“Don’t answer that.” Threep instructed from inside Raine’s bag. Imtura had taken ownership of the satchel so that Raine wouldn’t be saddled with it.

--

The group walked in silence most of the way back to the Starfury house. Everyone was exhausted from the information they had found out about Kaya and the news they’d now be looking for a shard at the masquerade the next day. It seemed as though this troupe would never know a moment of rest – they continued on from one adventure to another in their quest against the Shadow Court.

Once they arrived at the manor, it was without question that each one of them would retire to their quarters in order to sleep well and rest before the ball. Without saying a word, all of them with the exception of Raine, communicated with each other, proving their trust and reliance on their teammates.

Imtura checked on Threep once more before handing the bag to Mal and telling everyone goodnight. Tyril nodded as he passed Raine over to him as well.

“She’s all yours.” He muttered under his breath.

“Raine, be well. I’m just down the hall if you need anything.” Nia cooed, almost prancing along the way to her room.

“I’ll take it from here.” Mal nodded, standing behind Raine.

She turned to look at him and arched an eyebrow. “What exactly are you taking where?”

“Lead the way, kit. I’m just gonna make sure you’re all tucked in, then you’ll be rid of me.”

--

Once to her room, Mal helped Threep out of the bag, accepting his content purring as thanks.

“Yeah yeah, calm down you crossbreed.” Mal stood up and waited by the door for Raine to get settled.

She was sitting on the edge of the bed, still holding her side.

“I’m not going to ask about it because I quite like my head being attached to my body…” Mal began.

Raine tried not to smile but she couldn’t help it. Being alone with Mal always made her feel better.

“I’ll be leaving you alone now if you’re all right. Did the bleeding actually stop?” He questioned, opening the door, about to leave.

“I’m not sure.” Raine said softly, suddenly preoccupied with the hem of her shirt. “I think…I think I need your help.”

“I’m sorry. What was that? Not sure I heard you correctly. Did you say you…you need my help?” Mal teased, closing the door and moving closer to her on the bed.

“Mal. Now isn’t the time. This is hard for me.” Raine answered, truthfully.

“Ah. Forgive me – it’s a real bucket of rainbows and sunshine for me right now too.” He tried to joke, sitting down next to her on the bed.

Silence hung in the air heavy and weighted as they stared stoically at one another. She looked at him and cursed herself for making him feel bad when all he was trying to do earlier was show he cared. He looked at her hoping she would one day understand just what she meant to him.

Clearing his throat, his voice weak and coming out more like a hoarse whisper, Mal asked, “What, um…what can I help you with? What do you need?”

“I need you to look at the wound and see if the bleeding has stopped.” Rain responded, snapping out of her silent reverie.

Her mind had suddenly travelled to the memory of Mal’s lips on hers and their skin touching together, the fire it created. This fire was not like the magic she was learning to make; it was different. Hotter. Deeper. Less fleeting. More substantial and real.

Mal nodded as Raine pulled her shirt up slightly, to reveal a small gash about an inch and a half long. The bleeding had stopped, and it didn’t appear to be deep but Mal could not know for sure.

“It’s no longer bleeding but that is the only thing I’m certain of.” He held her hand now, trying his best to be soft and caring.

“Do you have medicine?” He asked, suddenly standing up. “In your bag, the salve you’ve made before. Do you have any of it left?”

Raine was struggling to stay awake, so tired and fatigued from the day’s events and now weak due to her injury. She mumbled something as her eyes started to close.

“Raine! Raine.  Stay with me for just a little bit longer.” Mal was pulling item after item out of Raine’s bag.

“A stinger? You saved this from the Drakna?” He asked, completely dumbfounded as he pulled more and more random things from her satchel.

“Good gods you can hold a lot of stuff in here!” Mal smiled, looking at her now laying down on the bed.

“Huzzah! I found it!” He shouted triumphantly and held the small bottle up above his head as though it was the most sought-after treasure in the land.

Proud of himself, he sat down next to her on the bed as she was still fighting sleep.

“C’mere girl. Just hold still. That’s it.”

He softly applied the cream to her injury, rubbing around the edges as tenderly as his calloused fingers would allow.

“I’m sorry if it hurts.” He whispered, watching her face for any reaction. Her eyes were closed, and her breathing was steady.

Finding an old piece of cloth in her bag, Mal poured more of the salve on the rag and was able to tie it off around Raine’s small waist. She was quiet and compliant.

“I don’t know that I’ve ever seen you stay completely silent before, kit.  It’s kind of nice.” He mocked, drawing a big smile from the girl.

“Mal. That’s enough. Thank you. I’m quite settled now.”

He was now going through some drawers in a large armoir found in the corner of Raine’s room. Finding what he was looking for he tossed a long white nightgown on the bed.

“This’ll do. You need to change – I won’t look.”

“Yes, you will.” Raine challenged. “I wasn’t born yesterday, you know.”

“You’re probably right…” He scratched his chin, deep in thought about what he might see if he kept his eyes open.

Snapping himself out of it, he continued.

“…but here, I’ll help and then when you need me too I’ll look away. I promise.” He said those last two words with a sincerity Raine wasn’t sure existed in him.

“As I’ve said before, you do continue to surprise me, Mal the Rogue.”

Raine chuckled lightly, pulling the shirt she was wearing over her head. She winced a bit and Mal assisted as best he could, closing his eyes and turning his head away when she disrobed completely.

Mal helped her back into bed having turned down the covers, letting her head settle on two pillows, getting her under the blankets and stuffing her in tight.

Threep was out like a light in the corner, snoring loudly. Mal made note of it but decided against a comment, trying instead to focus all his attention on Raine.

“Thank you.” She whispered, looking up at him before her eyes closed for the night. “For all of this. I don’t deserve it after the way I treated you, today.  Really.”

“Now, now. I’m sure I’ll find a way for you to make it up to me sometime soon.”

She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. “Will you stay with me, please?” She mumbled, falling into a rhythmic sleep almost immediately.

“Yes!” Mal fist pumped instinctively, getting what he had hoped for.

He said a silent prayer of thanks to the gods and walked around the bed to the other side. He laid down his weapons but as he took off his boots, realized again just how loud Threep was snoring. He threw one of his boots at him, waking the nesper up with a hiss.

“What was that for?!” Threep was more than agitated.

“You’re snoring!” Mal whispered harshly. “I’m staying the night and I need to get some shuteye.”

“You’re staying the night?” Threep’s eyes grew wide. “I should have gone with Imtura.”

“Yeah, you should have.” Mal quipped, “She’s the only one of the group who snores louder than you and wouldn’t be bothered.”

Threep stood up, made three circles and laid back down again, nestling against the wall and falling asleep again with a loud and dramatic huff.

Mal worked to get into bed but was careful not to disturb Raine. He stayed on top of the covers that Raine was underneath. He quickly realized in his effort to prop her up on the pillows, that meant there weren’t any left on the bed. So he got out of bed once again and grabbed the satchel to rest his head upon.

He sighed to himself with his hands resting on his stomach, content to be settled next to Raine, knowing she was okay, and most of all, that she wanted him to be with her, at least for tonight.

Realizing the adrenaline of this moment was keeping him awake, he rolled over onto his side to stare at the sleeping woman next to him.

“Will I stay?” Mal said quietly as his eyes took in her features.

He loved the light freckles that danced over her face, beneath her eyes and over the bridge of her nose. The way her lips were a soft shade of pink and her cheeks a natural rose; her golden hair in a tight braid that always rested on one side of her head, exposing the area of her neck that he knew he’d love to kiss over and over again.

Mal could not believe himself. He had never felt anything like these intense feelings. He was in shock that he already felt so strongly for someone he didn’t really know all that well.

He was completely certain that he loved the feeling of her hand in his. And he knew something was real if he was truthfully scared to think of anything happening to her when he wasn’t around to protect her.

He reached across her and took her hand once again, then softly and sweetly laced his fingers in between hers, his thumb rubbing small smoothing circles across her knuckles.

“What are you doing to me, kit? You may be making an honest man out of me…and I have never, ever, wanted to be one of those until now…”

He brought her hand to his lips and let them linger there for a while. He didn’t want to take his gaze off her for fear something would happen to change the moment, to change the way she felt about him, to change their relationship, if that’s indeed what it was.

He silently brushed a single tendril of hair off her face and leaned forward to kiss her forehead.

“Will I stay, Raine?” He whispered, smiling to himself.

“That’s not even a question. I will stay tonight and hundreds of tomorrows if you’ll have me, sweet girl.”

[tigerkirby215]

5e Seraphine, the Starry-Eyed Songstress build (League of Legends)

(Artwork by Jennifer Wuestling. Made for Riot Games.)

I mean I’m going to have to build her eventually, right? Honestly Tasha’s Cauldron comes out tomorrow so I may as well take a bit of a cheat day and make a build for the new champ. I mean I still have to and pick out a bunch of spells so at least I’m doing that?

Samira build is going to come out sometime in the year 3587 lol.

GOALS

Lookin' for a song in everything I meet! - Seraphine is a stage performer, rallying the whole crowd into song to make it loud and proud!

You're all breathtaking! - Seraphine can unite everyone around her with shields and heals. COUGH SONA COUGH.

Sing it with me! - When the time comes Seraphine can bring the whole world closer together! Good thing she isn’t mute.

RACE

I would really love to do a funny joke and say that Seraphine is a Tiefling or an Orc or something but no: she’s a Human. I can’t even justify any of the Eberron races so we’ll just be going for good ol’ Variant Human.

As a human you can increase two ability scores of your choice: pump up your Charisma and Dexterity to keep fit and beautiful. You can also learn a skill of your choice and for hearing so strong you can hear the voices of a dying nation inside your special necklace take Perception proficiency. You can also take any language of your choice so I’d suggest one that fits with your group, or whichever one you think is Korean. Actually I think Seraphine sung in Chinese which also made people mad? Man Riot can’t stop making her controversial, huhn?

But of course the main appeal of Variant Human is the free feat at level 1. I think Alert is pretty good for mimicking super sensitive hearing. Along with a +5 bonus to initiative you can’t be surprised nor can you be snuck up on. Being able to hear everyone has its perks, huhn?

ABILITY SCORES

15; CHARISMA - If you’re gonna get the crowd to adore you you’ve gotta look the part.

14; CONSTITUTION - I don’t care if Seraphine is a squishy midlane mage we simply don’t need anything else more. Feel free to swap this out with a different stat if you want better roleplay but worse health.

13; DEXTERITY - You need to be able to keep your balance on a moving platform as well as be able to dance along with the K/DA crew.

12; WISDOM - Seraphine’s big thing is being able to hear the emotions of everyone. Knowing what makes people tick is Insight, which is a Wisdom skill.

10; INTELLIGENCE - Seraphine is just your average, everyday girl. Ditzy and a little clueless.

8; STRENGTH - Seraphine can best be described as “petite.” Muscles in the chest hurt your nice soprano.

BACKGROUND

Now you may not know this but Seraphine is a singer, which is a type of Entertainer. As an Entertainer you get proficiency in Performance (obviously) and Acrobatics as well as a music instrument of your choice (Indie Seraphine plays guitar so grab a Lute) and a Disguise Kit, so maybe you can disguise the fact that you’re a copy of So...

Being the premier superstar of Piltover means that you get to tour around a lot By Popular Demand. You can perform in exchange for a place to stay, and doing so will get people to notice you! "Music helps you keep your head up."

(Artist unknown. Blame LoL Wiki. Artwork made for Riot Games.)

THE BUILD

LEVEL 1 - BARD 1

YOU MAY BE SURPRISED TO HEAR THAT SERAPHINE IS A BARD. As a Bard you get proficiency in three skills as well as three instruments! Choose whatever instruments you want (you mostly sing, and the majority of magical instruments are Lutes anyways which you’re already proficient in) (my secret advice? Pan Flutes and Horns have a few magic instruments) but for your skills take Insight to hear the crowd, Persuasion to rally the crowd, and Arcana to learn why your magic crystal is screaming.

You also get Bardic Inspiration! Seraphine talks about being inspired so she can inspire others, and you can inspire your allies with a d6 to add to Attack Rolls, Saving Throws, and Skill Checks!

But of course Bards are spellcasters with Spellcasting too! You can learn two cantrips from the Bard list: Prestidigitation will let you get some special effects on stage and Vicious Mockery doesn’t have to be mockery... It would just be a lot cooler if it was.

You also learn four spells from the Bard list: Comprehend Languages will let you understand everyone’s song, and Faerie Fire will let you light up their life. On the more unnerving end Dissonant Whispers will let folk listen to your crystal, and Detect Magic will let you tell exactly what kind of magic you’re hearing. That’s weird: why is the Hextech crystal radiating Necromancy?

LEVEL 2 - BARD 2

Second level Bards are Jack of All Trades, being able to add half their proficiency bonus to any skill check. Because you see the rhythm in everything! Additionally you get Song of Rest, helping your friends take a break and recover more health during short rests.

But most importantly you get another spell! Another way to cheer someone up is to give them a good laugh, and Tasha’s Hideous Laughter will make them do just that! Maybe they’re laughing about the fact that Riot keeps insisting your not a copy of Sona? Oh don’t worry the jabs at Seraphine as a character are just gonna keep coming.

LEVEL 3 - BARD 3

Third level Bards get Expertise in two skills: choose Insight to hear the souls of both cities, and Performance because... yeah duh. You don’t become famous in a day.

But much more importantly you get your choice of Bard College, and for the rich and fabulous the College of Glamour will make sure everyone loves you! You can now officially captivate the whole audience (up to your Charisma modifier) with your Enthralling Performance, charming them and making them idolize you and defend you on Twitter. To both shield your allies and speed them up with Surround Sound Mantle of Inspiration takes a Bonus Action to give them Temporary Hitpoints and let them take a reaction to move out of danger. Yeah this was pretty much on a silver platter for me so I figured I’d take it.

You can also learn another spell and for an effective Beat Drop take Hold Person, rooting them in place for long enough that your ADC can do their magic.

LEVEL 4 - BARD 4

4th level comes with your first Ability Score Improvement. Charisma is pretty much everything for us now so pumping that up would be helpful!

You can also learn another spell and another cantrip! For your cantrip Dancing Lights will let you light up your stage and also pulls double duty by letting your dumb human eyes see in the dark. As for leveled spells Suggestion is a more direct form of emotional manipulation, suggesting actions for the other person to take. These actions can’t be directly harmful or against what the character would normally do, but “you should buy my $30 release skin” is a fairly ordinary request, right?

(Picture from Seraphine’s Twitter. Yup Seraphine is definitely real.)

LEVEL 5 - BARD 5

5th level Bards get Font of Inspiration, allowing their Bardic Inspiration to come back on a Short rest instead of a Long rest. This is great because your Bardic Inspiration die also increases to a d8, increasing your Mantle of Inspiration Temp HP too!

You can also learn third level spells but the keyword here is can because I’m actually going to stick at second to take spells like Calm Emotions. Man you’ll never guess what this spell does.

While Calm Emotions is a nice spell feel free to deviate from my builds as you see fit. Like seriously a temporary ceasefire is nice but so is a huge Fear cone.

LEVEL 6 - BARD 6

6th level Glamour Bards can make people dance like they have a magical instrument from Ionia. Mantle of Majesty lets you Concentrate on a not-spell once per Long Rest and get the ability to cast the Command actual-spell as a Bonus Action for one minute. Command lets you make one word commands at your enemy as long as they can understand you and you aren’t asking them to do something harmful to themselves. So commands like “Dance!” “Sing!” and “Cheer!” are all viable (though perhaps not effective in a teamfight.)

You can also add another spell to your spell list but again the third level Bard spells aren’t too enticing to me, so take Enthrall to make sure they concentrate on you and you alone.

Oh and you get Countercharm, letting you use an action to give allies against Frightening and Charming effects. Or they could buy some Tenacity. Or you could get a Paladin.

LEVEL 7 - BARD 7

7th level Bards get 4th level spells and Confusion will get the crowd mixed up in the noise, resulting in a cacophony that would sound like unbearable noise to most. Because it is unbearable noise. But at least your friends can fight them in the madness.

LEVEL 8 - BARD 8

8th level Bards get another Ability Score Improvement. Do you know what’s helpful for a class based entirely on Charisma? Maxed out Charisma!

You know what else is helpful? Charm Monster, so you can talk to any crystal scorpions that might be looking for their family. I mean, assuming the Brackern speak human.

(Picture from Seraphine’s Twitter. Yup Seraphine is definitely real.)

LEVEL 9 - BARD 9

9th level sees your Song of Rest increase to a d8. Does this ability scale really poorly? Yeah kinda.

At least you get 5th level spells now. If you want some high notes that’ll dance around you Animate Objects will let you make a bunch of tiny objects to hit your foes! Honestly at this point all the Enchantment spells become uhhh... evil? So we have to go for a different school if we want “good” spells.

LEVEL 10 - BARD 10

10th level Bards get Expertise in two more skills: Persuasion will help you shift the hearts of a nation. Take whatever skill you want as your secondary one since it honestly doesn’t matter too much. (I personally opted for Perception.)

But more importantly it’s Magical Secrets time! This will let you get any spell from any class’ spell list and add it to your own! Most of the time when you get this feature you want to grab some stuff at the max level you can cast but I’m actually going to go down to third level for some support and buffs! For a healing aura around you take Aura of Vitality from the Paladin spell list. To quickly charm a crowd Incite Greed will force everyone to be charmed by you as they want to see your 50 dollar Brackern Corpse... I mean Hextech crystal.

Along with your two Magical Secrets you also get another cantrip. Message is always good to keep plans in team chat.

LEVEL 11 - BARD 11

11th level Bards get 6th level spells like Otto's Irresistible Dance, which forces everyone to get into the rhythm! It’s much harder to fight when you’re dancing: it’s like being stunned! Good thing only you can force a stunning dance on enemies.

LEVEL 12 - BARD 12

12th level Bards get an Ability Score Improvement but now that your Charisma is maxed you can grab Inspiring Leader to rally everyone together for an awesome performance!

(Artist unknown. Blame LoL Wiki. Artwork made for Riot Games.)

LEVEL 13 - BARD 13

13th level Bards see their Song of Rest increase to a d10, and this is the point where I make a joke about Song of Rest scaling poorly.

You at least get 7th level spells, and because none of these really fit Seraphine I’m going to suggest Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion for a K/DA stage. But again I need to remind people that I’m picking options for RP and you’re welcome to build the character however you want. Take what you think will be useful and make your own song!

LEVEL 14 - BARD 14

14th level Eloquence Bards have Unbreakable Majesty! As a Bonus Action you can put on your Ultimate Skin to force enemies to make Charisma saves if they try to attack you. If they fail, they’ll target someone else! This is a great way to keep the damage off you since you don’t exactly have great HP or AC. Do remember that it only lasts for a minute though, but you can get it back at the end of a Short or Long rest.

Additionally you get two more Magical Secrets! If you want to sing to enemies far and long (but maybe not Wide) Gravity Fissure is a Dunamancy spell that forces everyone in a line to take a massive amount of damage and be pulled to the center of the spell.

Now that you got your ultimate the world is honestly your oyster. My recommendation to get a crowd to put their hands up would be Chain Lightning, but that’s more because the spell is good than because it fits Sera.

LEVEL 15 - BARD 15

15th levels get their maximum Bardic Inspiration die of a d12! This also means that your Mantle of Inspiration will now give everyone 15 temporary hitpoints! "Harmonize!"

LoL Wiki doesn’t let me link to voice lines anymore and that’s a true crime.

And hey; 8th level spells! If you want to make some Gamers™ mad about your “cash grab” Twitter account just inflict them with Feeblemind so they can spam pictures of Skarner like the marketing department gets to choose what the champion designers make. Because remember: even if Seraphine isn’t real the people pretending to be her are, so don’t be an ass please!

LEVEL 16 - BARD 16

Who likes ASIs? We haven’t used our hyper-sensitive hearing enough so take the Observant feat for a +1 to Wisdom and a +5 to passive Perception and Investigation. And the ability to pick up on lyrics by reading people’s lips!

Are there more useful feats? Yeah, but we build for character here. If you want a powerbuild check out Reddit.

(Picture from Seraphine’s Twitter. Yup Seraphine is definitely real.)

LEVEL 17 - BARD 17

17th level Bards get to pretend that Song of Rest is a good ability! It’s a d12 now so I’m sure it’s useful now that your party all have around 100 HP!

But you finally get access to your mythical 9th level spells! Honestly all the options are great for a girl who has everything, but I’m going to go for the fun Music Video option of True Polymorph. Turn Akali into a dragon! Turn Evelynn into a demon! Turn Skarner into a battery! The possibilities are endless! (Unlike the #BrackernRights memes.)

LEVEL 18 - BARD 18

18th level Bards get their last two Magical Secrets. This is also the last two spells you’ll be getting so better make them count! Of course the best way to make a spell count is to Wish for anything. With this you can finally unite Piltover and Zaun, as long as you believe enough! Or you can bring back Skarner’s family...

For something a little more in-character and a lot more immediately practical: Mass Heal is the perfect Catch-22 to negate any burst. A burst of 700 HP to everyone is never not useful for a bit of Redemption.

LEVEL 19 - BARD 19

19th level Bards get their last Ability Score Improvement: we have an uneven Wisdom score thanks to our last Feat so eh. May as well take Resilient Wisdom for better saving throws and even scores.

LEVEL 20 - BARD 20

20th level Bards have Superior Inspiration! When you roll initiative and have no uses of Bardic Inspiration left, you regain one use. That is literally how the ability is worded. I mean, okaaaaay? At least you can spam Mantle of Inspiration a little more?

FINAL BUILD

PROS

Whole world hears me now! - You’re a full caster with no multiclassing! 9th level spells: no strings attached! You’ve even got a nice spread between Concentration spells and Non-Concentration spells, as well as both utility and combat spells.

Everyone fights to be heard; I'll fight to listen - Being a Bard means you’re good at just about everything, and particularly good at a select few things. 29 Passive Perception? +17 to Persuasion?

We've only just met and I'm already inspired - Who would’ve guessed that a Support class built to support well would be a good support? You’ve got charms, heals, and CC a plenty along with Inspiring Leader to bolster everyone before a battle and Mantle of Inspiration to keep everyone moving with the music!

CONS

Stage fright? Never heard of it - A lot of your BADDEST™ toys are locked behind big spell slots. You’ve only got two 6th level slots, and just one 9th level slot despite having three different 9th level spells to choose from. Again feel free to build your spell list however you want as I just picked what fit in character.

Pretend it's a big rehearsal - Your DEX is meh, your CON is meh. 140 HP isn’t godawful but it isn’t great when you’ll likely have 14 AC at best with Studded Leather. You know what’s really hot right now? Tattoos. See if your DM’s a cool dude who’ll pass you a Rare Barrier Tattoo from Tasha’s to essentially get Medium Armor! Elven Chain is also nice and pretty.

Joy's too quiet without sorrow on the downbeat - I don’t want to make two points related to your stats but they’re the only thing that’s really hurting in this build. Your only good stat is Charisma: and everything else ranges from meh (+2 in DEX / WIS / CON) to bad (0 in INT, -1 in STR.) While you’ll still be able to roleplay with Jack of All Trades skills your Saving Throws hurt. Your concentration is bad and anything heavy will break your petite spine in two. Luckily INT saves aren’t common but anything Strength or Constitution based will quickly put an end to your performance.

Uniting the world in song isn’t easy, but if anyone can do it it’s you. Harmonize, move with the rhythm, and unite everyone through song. There’s nothing you can’t do, and no one can bring you down down down down down down. Well, except perhaps an angry crystal scorpion monster and his army of Twitter followers.

(Artist unknown. Blame LoL Wiki. Artwork made for Riot Games.)

[starr-fall-knight-rise]

Humans are Space Orcs, “Reunited.”

Just tying up some loose ends, also see the post I made right before this about a stupid story that happened to me while writing this. It is kind of funny :) 

The day was hot, very hot, and the sun beat down on fort harmony with merciless intent. Over the tarmac, the sweltering heat caused little mirrages, as puddles of water to appear and then vanish down the runway. 

The heat was oppressive enough that no birds sang, and even the roaring of the engines had been dulled by a day that none of the en were willing to venture out of the air cooled airplane hangers.

Only one figure remained outside staring up at the blue sky and the oppressive sun beaming down upon her.

Waffles limped over the hot pavement, the tarmac burning the delicate pads of her feet, but if she stopped walking it would only hurt even more.

Her tail drooped towards the ground,

It was so hot.

She made it across the tarmac and down to the little shaded area where someone had set up a discarded cardboard box and a bowl of water.

Her feet continued to ache, and she licked at them with her long, pink, tongue though that only brought momentary relief from the burns.

Across the tarmac two men watched her form the open hanger door. It wasn’t that they hadn’t tried to get her to come inside, they had, it was just that she wouldn't, and no amount of cajoling or bribing her had worked. THey felt bad of course, but there was nothing much else they could do.

One of the men felt bad enough to brave the heat and bring over a bag of ice which he pressed onto her paws for a time before having to return to his work.

Waffles laid her head down and closed her eyes ears drooping.

So hot 

Overhead an engine sounded. It was a familiar noise by now,and only one of her eyes cracked open to watch the shuttle descend from the sky and come to land on the scouring earth. She closed her eyes again, listening to the distant sounds as the shuttle doors open, and human voices swelled up around her.

It was then that she was hit with the smell.

IThe heat washed over her face and straight up into her nose with a smell she had been waiting for for months now. 

She shot to her feet ears up nose lifted.

Her tail began to wag 

And despite the heat of the burning tarmac, she raced across the open space yipping and barking and whining for all she was worth

***

Adam stepped out of the shuttle into a sheer wall of heat. It was like being punched in the face by the sun. The borrowed flight suit he now wore was immediately sweltering and he fanned himself with one hand already beginning to pant.

Behind him Sunny and the other stepped down onto the tarmac.

Sunny Immediately yelped and sprung back into the shuttle

Adam couldn’t help but laugh, but that was when a high pitched whining noise reached his ears. A whining barking, yipping noise that immediately had him turning towards the sound eyes wide.

It started out as a small shape barely distinguishable from the sand and grass to the side of the tarmac, and then, as it raced towards him it coalesced into a furry bullet.

“Watffles!” He shouted, taking a few steps down from the ramp as she raced up, and leaped into the air.

He caught her mid arc staggering back a few steps as she attacked his face was the kind of love that could only be bestowed by man's best friend. She whined and whimpered and her tail wagged and her body wriggled so hard he had a tough time holding onto her. 

“Hey pretty girl!”

Wavvles whimpered and barked some more licking his face and the side of his head repeatedly to the point where his hair was damp.

He laughed and held her to his chest, her tail thudding against his side and back.

She didn’t seem very inclined to get down, and the Tarmac was so hot he worried about her paws burning. So instead he held her like a large baby in his arms, and once she was finally done licking his face, she rested her head against his neck and chest nuzzling every now and against at his chin just to remind him she was there.

Not that he could forget an 80 lb German Shepherd.

Behind him the others were laughing and awing.

Ramirez had videoed the whole thing, and continued to video as they made their way across the tarmac and too one of the hangers. Waffles didn’t seem to have any intention of getting down.

Finally they stepped into the hanger, and reluctantly he set her back on the floor, though she insisted on sitting on his feet every time he came to a stop.

Across the room there was a clamouring of voices, and A group of at least five people came charging across the room.

His family hugged him so hard, he thought he was going to crack a rib, and he laughed right along with them as they stammered out nar incoherent sentences.

Eventually his mother pulled back wiping her eyes on hand resting on his cheek the other on his shoulder, “Boy, you need a shave.”

He smiled, “Yeah, can't say there are many razors in a wormhole.”

“I knew it, I knew it. Our baby brother is invincible.” David announced, slapping him on the back so hard he nearly stumbled forward.

Waffles looked up at him her tial thudding against the floor, her tongue lolling form her mouth

“Where were you!”

“Not sure if I am allowed to say just yet, but i'll tell you when I know what I am allowed to say. Let's just start by saying that it wasn’t pleasant, but it’s a great story, ad it involves  miraculous escape planned and executed by yours truly in a fantastic manor.”

HIs mother sighed, “At least you came back wit hall your body parts in tact this time.”

She turned her head to look down and smiled, “Dr. Krill we are so glad you made it back too. We were devastated to hear that you had gone missing as well.”

The doctors saved a polite hand, “No matter.”

She gave him a very light hug anyway, careful to avoid crushing him or something, which he seemed to enjoy despite himself.

Thomas crossed his arms, “Hey, is anyone gonna thank me for bringing him back in one piece?”

Martha sighed and grabbed him up in a hug, “Thank you for bringing yourself home in one piece.” She pulled back, “ How was the war.”

HE grinned, “It was awesome, we mounted a revolution.”

She shook her head, “I can’t take you anywhere because you're either discovering extraterrestrial life or overthrowing corrupt governments.”

Thomas grinned, “Plus I think this has finally made me realize what I want to do with my life.”

Adam smiled as he watched his brother, this was arguably the happiest he had ever seen thomas: who was known for his sullen nature and moodiness. Life hadn’t been easy on him, and he had jumped and bounced from one thing to another in between relapses.

“Oh, and what is that?”

He motioned back to where the rest of the group was standing, “Well I was talking to Ramirez and Maverick and I…. I think joining the marines would be good for me.” He got a slap on the back from their father, who seemed more than pleased with the idea.

Martha assigned, “Of course I should  have seen that coming.” She smile, “I am proud of you. Just try not to overthrown anymore empires while you’re at it.”

He grinned, “No promises.

Adam got hugged a few more times after that seeing as no one was really willing to believe that he was alive.

Even the men he didn’t know from around base stopped by to shake his hand and tell him how glad they were that he was back.

The UNSC sorely missed him.

At some point Krill insisted on doctoring him, and dragged him back into the medical bay where he did all he docterly things, blood pressure temperature pulse. Sunny stood in the corner with both sets of arms crossed over her chest.

He might have asked her to wait in the hall, but he had a feeling that that request wouldn’t go down so well, so he let it go.

Krill examined the three large gashes on his chest and where they had healed over into large, livid puckered red scars.

“Hmm, I could probably fix this. WIth a consultation from a plastic surgeon.” He muttered 

Adam waved him off, ‘It’s alright Krill, I think they look kind of badass, sort of a tarzan king of the jungle sort of vibe.”

Krill glowered at him, “Well one of these days you are just going to have to pick ONE vibe, because space cyborg pirate Tarzan is getting to be a bit of a mouthful.”

Adam laughed.

Sunny harumphed glowering angrily at the new scars.

Krill turned to look down at the ones on his upper forearms, which hadn’t scarred up yet, but where still in the process of being scabbed over, “And what are these.”

“Er…. I had to get the attention of the keepers, and that was the only way to do it without them heightening security on me.”

Sunny’s fists clenched even further.

Krill flipped over his hand, which was still raw and red, “Let me guess”

Adam shrugged sheepishly, “Well you know how it is.”

He turned his head to look at Sunny and quickly looked away as her stare bored a hole in his forehead.

At the end of the medical bay, the door slid open and a soldier stepped inside hurrying over to offer him a set of ACUs and a pair of boots, “These should fit sir, the brass will be here in half and hour, and will meet with you in the war room… I… mean the conference room !A.” He turned on his heels and walked out, big boots clomping on the tile as he went.

Adam changed quickly and managed to hunt down a razor in enough time to get a quick shave in before meeting with his superiors. He didn’t understand why other men wanted a beard so much, it was really nothing to be happy about, and it made his face itch. Felt so much better when the thing was finally gone and he was free.

Sunny was a little miffed when she had to wait out in the hall as he and waffles stepped into the conference room, which he could immediately see why they called the warm room. It was less like a conference room and more like mission control. The room was large, lined on all sides with massive monitors which cast pale blue light down onto the large, elongated table with its holographic touch screen.

As soon as he walked in an entire room of officers stood from their seats.

“Commander!”

“Its good to see you, son.”

“We thought you were dead.”

“Earth is going to be happy to hear you’re alive.” He smiled and greeted the others with a firm handshake despite how tired he was, “It takes more than a wormhole to take a human out.” He said taking the seat offered to him near the head of the table.

Admiral Kelly had broken from her usual serious demeanor into a smile, “We are glad to have you back, Commandr. A lot has happened since you left.”

“Can I get a quick summary?”

“Well we learned that the balck hole, or I suppose wormhole now that we know, was created in part by the burg working with the voiceless kree. The voiceless have long been in conflict with the voiced and allied with the burg to turn our ire against the voiced. However, they pose no significant threat without burg technology and so we focused mostly on the burg. Your ship was of course, in pieces, but nearly all you crew survived as they were picked up by other ships in the near vicinity. You were pronounced MIA as was Dr. Krill. ONly three on your ship didn’t make it, and one of our ships was permanently crippled with over 50 casualties and 100 additional injuries.”

HE grimaced, but held back on the guilt for a moment.

“After that battle, the GA came to council, and war was declared on the burg. We sent in the GA armada and over 1000 shock troopers on to the face of the planet. While there a small team comprised mostly of your old crew discovered that the burg king was being imprisoned in a cavern below the throne room and allied with him to replace the queen with a successor.”

He had heard that part of the story , but it didn’t cease to amaze him.”

“Beyond that it was actually quite simple.”

“And my ship?”

“We will get to that in a moment, commander, but now its your turn.”

He nodded and sighed hand to his head, “Where to begin. Of course you know I initiated the shatter protocol when it seemed there was no possible escape for my crew. I stayed behind to initiate assuming, like you, it was a black hole. However, when I didn’t die and was shot out to some unknown location, it appeared as if it was a wormhole instead. I managed to crashland the command deck on the planet below, which was habitable. It was an alien world, but seemed rather…. Jurassic…. In nature. I managed to salvage the emergency kits from under one of the crew seats and survived for a week or two on the beach well fed and warm, however,while I was out in an attempt to boost a radio signal, I ran into some sort of alien creature which attacked me. The wounds I received were pretty bad, but I managed to kill it. I was losing blood fast and probably wouldnt have survived if the Omnidroids-”

“Wait, I’m sorry, the WHAT!”

“Sorry, sir, The omnidroids are what I nicknamed them because they look like something form an old movie. Think large ball with five big stumpy legs and a tiny head on toop.”

They nodded and he continued.

“Anyway, I ran into a group of them, and they helped with my sounds. I couldn’t understand them, and I am pretty sure their speech is in a much lower register because it was like listening to whales talk. Anyway, they brought me aboard one of their ships, and kept me there for a day or two. When we landed I was let out into an enclosure of some sort, turned out to be some kind of alien zoo.”

They stared at him.

He stared back.

“Your kidding?”

“No time for joking, commander.”

He shook his head, “I am not joking. I am serious, the enclosure that I was in had perfect temperature plenty of water and lots of food, but I could see other alien creatures outside the window and above me, just looking at me. Drones came in every now and again to feed me or clean the pen.”

They staired in silent awe.

“Anyway, from there I concluded it was likely they didn’t know I was sentient, so I determined that escape was possible if I let them think that. I started trying to figure out if I was being watched, and their response time if i was. Once tht was done I picked an appropriate time to escape, and used the iron eye armor I still had one from meeting with the Kree and pried open the bars before setting all of the other creatures loose. I found Dr. Krill on my way out, and we hijacked a shuttle.”

“How did you know how to get back?”

He shook his head, “I didn’t. But that was when the space dragon showed up.”

They stared at him again.

He held up his hands, “ I swear I am not making any of this up. That is exactly what happened It created some sort of wormhole and I ended up in the middle of a burg battle in space.”

“So there is an entire alien society separate from the one we already have.”

“It seems so?”

“And the shuttle?”

“It was handed over to GA scientists for examination and potentially reverse engineering.”

They nodded.

He waited for them to say anything else before.

“So…. my crew is safe but my ship?”

They shook their heads, “Is gone,” THey held up a hand to cut him off, “However it was actually a  stroke of good fortune as we have been building new ships for the fleet over the past few years, and one of them was close to completion. So, using the scraps leftover from your ship we were able to finish the job.” They leaned forward, “Commander, despite any issues we have had with your commanding in the past, we have determined that to judge you by the standards of the old military was a faux pax on our part. Space is new, and requires something from men that it hasn’t required before.”

He waited to see where this was going.

“The new armada will be nearly five times the size of the old. The captains as they are now will be promoted to fleet commanders and will be over their own unit of ships. The ship that the harbinger was recycled to make, is twice as big as your old ship with room for over 1000 crew members. It has the latest in alien and human technology and is the most advanced space vessel humanity has ever seen.”

It was an important reminder at this point not to pee himself out of excitement, so he kept his face stony, though he wanted nothing more than to jump around like a little girl squealing.

“However, since the captains would be promoted to fleet commander, that means that you will have to be promoted against as well.”

He paused.

“I… but I haven't been commander for all that long.”

“The UNSC fleet is growing at a rapid rate, and to keep up with it, we are going to have to adapt rapidly as well.”

“So, commander, do you accept?”

He paused and looked down at his hands, “I’m not moving to a desk job, sir.”

“No, no you won't. But you will be commanding a larger ship and thousands more people. Do you think you can handle that? He paused again looking down at his hands thoughtfully.

“Yes, I think I can.” 

[sheyshen]

Fictober Day 25

Prompt: “Sometimes you can even see.” Fandom: Wow (World of Warcraft) Rating: T Pairing: Night Elf Priestess/Blood Elf Hunter (Aulara/Kieran) (mentioned are Sen, an Orc hunter, and Koren, a Human Paladin)

-

There was fire everywhere. Kieran ran through the streets of Darnassus, a hood drawn tight over his head to hide as much of his features as possible. There was too much chaos that it was unlikely anyone would notice a blood elf amongst those trying desperately to escape but he didn't want to risk it.

People were shouting to be heard, pulling injured free of destroyed buildings, dumping water on any fire they could reach. Heroes who were willing to risk their lives if it meant that they could save at least one person. He was sure the one he was looking for was somewhere among them. He couldn't let himself even think that she might be amongst the dead that already littered the streets.

He had known she was in Darnassus when Sylvanas had made the push into Darkshore, just as she knew he had been with the Horde forces. Neither were happy with it, but as the Champion of the Horde, he wasn't in a position to say no. He went along, thinking this was just a land grab, a chance to gain ground and fortify their hold on Kalimdor.

He was wrong.

Kieran had a bad feeling when the trebuchets were set up, but he assumed they were for defense from naval reinforcements. He realized his mistake too late as the first shot was launched hitting the branches of Teldrassil and setting it alight. He had heard Sen curse as he sprinted away, charging to where some remaining night elves and alliance forces were mounting up to retreat to the city to save those who would be caught in the destruction.

He had stolen a hooded cloak as he rushed to them, pulling the hood up to hide his features and did his best to pretend to be a human. An injured sentinel helped him onto her hippogryph and he was brought along without question.

From there he was launched into chaos.

There was still no sign of Aulara. He bumped into a human in heavy armor, his hood slipping back and showing his face just as the soldier turned to look at him. The human's eyes went wide for a moment before they started looking around quickly.

"Kieran, what are you…" he was grasping for words, "what… I…"

The blood elf pulled his hood back up thanking his luck that he ran into someone he knew. "Koren, where's Lara?"

"I-i don't know, I've been searching everywhere. We were separated as soon as the fires started and-"

"Where did you see her last?"

"By the druid… area. I don't know the districts here." He gestured across the lake, "I thought she'd go to the temple but-" he shook his head.

"Can you show me?"

"Y-yeah. Yeah, follow me."

The paladin sounded so rattled, and Kieran couldn't blame him. Koren and Aulara grew up together, so for him to lose the closest thing to family… the hunter refused to continue that thought. His wife was fine, she was alive somewhere in the city, she was likely helping with rescuing others, she would be in one piece.

They ran through the streets past the destroyed buildings of the artisans who trained there. A woman shouted for help, and while both were desperate to find their priestess, they couldn't just ignore the cry. Both turned and headed to where they heard the shouting. A woman was crying, screaming, next to a destroyed building, quiet sobbing could be heard from beneath it.

"My daughter. She's-"

"We'll get her out." Koren turned and wedged his shield under the edge of the roof. "Kieran, I'm gonna need you to pull them out. I won't be able to hold this up long."

The elf nodded, debated for half a second, and pulled off the cloak, tossing it to the side. The crying woman's eyes widened but she didn't say anything, instead watched them guardedly.

Koren shifted the shield, using it as a wedge and slowly the roof lifted. He braced himself on it, straining to get it up as much as he could as Kieran lay on his stomach and slid himself under the debris. He found the child and grabbed her.

The little elf screamed in alarm but stilled as the roof above her groaned as the weight shifted.

"It's alright, I'm a friend," Kieran spoke gently in Darnassian, letting her know she was safe as he crawled back, bringing her with him till both were out from under the building. "She's out, drop it."

Koren dropped the part of the roof he had been holding onto, kicking his shield out of the way and then collapsing on the wood, trying to catch his breath. The little girl scrambled away from Kieran to the waiting arms of her mother.

"Thank you." She said as she stood, holding her child close.

"Head to the temple." Koren was still trying to catch his breath so the words were spaced between exhalations. "They have portals."

"Before you go," Kieran spoke up. The mother looked distrustful, but she didn't run at least. "I'm looking for someone. My wife. She’s a priestess that should've been here. White hair about this long wears a white dress with a black and red cloak."

The woman looked like she was about to bolt, but she pointed to a pair of buildings that were falling onto each other. "She saved me there before I rushed home."

"Thank you." Kieran smiled at her, and grabbed Koren's shield as the paladin pushed himself to his feet, "ready?"

He nodded, thanking the woman too as she ran to the temple for safety. "Tired, but I'll be fine."

"Let's go." The hunter strapped the shield onto his back as best he could with his bow and quiver still there. He didn't bother putting the cloak back on. Koren went to say something but decided not to as they hurried towards where the woman indicated.

"Sometimes…" the human started, "you can see how much you love her."

Kieran glanced at his friend and raised an eyebrow.

"I mean I've never doubted you, but a member of the horde and alliance marrying, there has to be an ulterior motive in there. But you never have. You've risked so much to be with her."

"Not much left to risk now." They turned a corner, fire spreading quickly above them, "I doubt ill be welcome in the horde now, there's no way Sylvanas didn't notice me leaving."

"True…" frantic shouts made them pick up their pace as they ran toward them.

A pair of druids tended to burns on three injured night elves. Though all were covered in blood and dirt one of the injured was immediately recognizable.

"Lara!" Kieran rushed to her side, Koren right behind him. She turned her head slowly to look at him, groaning in pain as she did so. As soon as she saw the blood elf's face she smiled and reached up. He took her hand mumbling apologies as he held it tight.

"What happened?" Koren looked over the battered team.

"Tree collapsed, if it weren't for the priestess we would've been stuck in there." One druid said.

The other spoke up, "she took a branch to the legs trying to protect us, one of them is broken and we cant carry her out of here without.."

"I understand." Kieran glanced at them. He turned his attention back to his wife, "this might hurt, but I'll try to keep you steady." He put an arm under her legs and the other around her back. She winced as he got a good grip on her and lifted, standing as he did so. "We need to get her out of here."

"Agreed." Koren bent down and helped one of the other injured elves to their feet, bracing them as he led them forward, the druids helping the last and the team of survivors made their way towards the temple of the moon.

"I knew you'd come." Aulara grinned.

"I'd never leave you behind. You know that." Kieran huffed a laugh.

"Mhm." She smiled. She was exhausted and in pain, but she had done the best she could. "I'm healing it, but it's slow. I've been healing so many and-"

"You did everything you could. You saved a lot of lives. So get some rest, you can finish healing your legs after you get some sleep."

"But."

"No buts, rest."

She grumbled in reply, but snuggled in as best she could and closed her eyes.

The group hurried into the temple. They were met with looks of surprise but no one even tried to stop him as he stepped through the portal to Stormwind. Getting his bearings he prepared himself for the worst as Koren appeared behind him and they escorted the injured to the cathedral.

He received looks of surprise and anger but none stopped him. He wasn't ready to face the consequences of his choice, but in the end, being in the horde or the alliance didn't matter to him as long as she was safe. If he was exiled, imprisoned… he wasn't sure what they did to prisoners, but in the end, it would be worth it. Aulara was safe.