#your friendly merchant... that never sells you anything

[kastillia]

[thebisexualwreckoning]

Armand's backstory and how I, your local bengali vampire fucker and armand's 24/7 defence lawyer, am going to make him bengali and muslim while still keeping it showcannon accurate

(Note: this is not meant to be taken seriously and is very much just written because I was bored and had time on my hands and if i have gotten anything wrong please correct me)

One thing that always annoyed me about IWTV showcannon is the fact that armand pre-marius days were either left majorly unexplored or made absolutely no sense to the time period. Which, I find pretty surprising considering the care and sensitivity Louis' new backstory was handled with by the same creators and show writers.

We know 3 things about Armand and who he is as a character in regards to his ethnicity:

His birth is Arun

He is Muslim

And that he was taken from Delhi somewhere around the early 15th century

For the purposes of this essay, we are going to assume all of this is true and not something Armand made up to get sympathy from both Louis and the audience.

Armand's birth name being Arun, while incredibly lazy, does make his identity as a bengali man much easier to confirm. My own full blooded formerly bangladeshi grandfather has the name Arun and Arun continues to be an incredibly popular bengali name for boys to this day. The problem arises when it comes to his religion.

The thing about the name Arun is that it's an incredibly *Hindu* first name, given that it is quite literally one of the names for the Hindu god of the sun (Source: I'm Hindu and confirmed with my mom who is sitting beside me scrolling on facebook). While muslim people can have the name Arun, given that Bengal was still an independent kingdom around the time which Armand would have been born in, his parents being hindu would have been likely.

However, around a similar time, the Mughals were setting up shop in, you guessed it, delhi and the surrounding region. Now, my proposal is as such: During the same time period, many parents sold their children to zamindars (land owners) for money or food or land. Young Arun's parents did the same thing. Now, this zamindar either sells armand to someone else immediately after who takes him delhi or takes young arun to delhi himself where he either sets up shop with him or once again sells arun to someone else.

Seperated from his parents and newly immigrated indenture (because yes, mughal era punjab and bengal were different kingdoms and as such this would count as immigration) to a kingdom which had just gone through a major political upheaval and had a new ruler forcibly converting people to islam, arun, who has no ties to hinduism given that a. he is a child and b. his hindu parents very much just sold him into slavery, converts to islam as well as a safety tactic.

Thus child arun grows into teen arun and he has never known anything of his life before delhi but those first few years that he spent in bengal and has definitely had no contact with hinduism and has been a devout muslim for the vast majority of his life. Here is where things get a bit iffy. There are two ways how the rest of this can now go.

Route no. 1, armand's indenture is sold to the portuguese, the portuguese take him to europe, marius buys him, everything proceeds as it must.

Route no. 2, the overly complicated, book and show canon accurate version which requires some significant suspension of disbelief and handwaving to accomplish but i like it so i'm still writing down this crack theory. Also we're doing this in dot points now because i'm getting tired:

We know armand speaks crimean because daniel mentions it after he catches fake rashid praying

crimea was part of the ottoman empire during this time period.

the ottoman empire had relatively friendly relations with the mughals because they were afraid of babur.

crimean ottoman merchants buy armand's indenture

armand ends up in crimea

crimea and kievan rus, book armand's original homeland's complex relation means armand ends up in kievan rus.

Things proceed as they did in the books for how armand goes from kievan rus to under marius's hold

and that's all i have, this has been your local crack theorist on tonight's armand show. see you next time.

[beanieboosstuff]

Miso Soup - Mizu x Reader

Pairing: Mizu x Fem!Reader

Quote: Hello :) . First time posting something like this here on Tumblr, I apologize for any mistake and please be kind to me. 😭

————————————-^_^————————————

POV: Mizu doesn't admit her jealousy and you decide to share your Miso soup to improve her mood.

Mizu doesn't get jealous that easily. Why would she? She has never had a reason to.

She's on a path of revenge, seeking vengeance against the white men that made her this way, impure— But the way her lungs ache every time she sees you and Taigen laughing about something stupid or him blabbing his mouth off near you, just because you're friendly enough to entertain his hundredth story about a duel that he won. Is he really that entertaining to you, that he manages to make your mouth quirk up in that sickly, saccharine smile?

Can you blame her? How is Mizu supposed to not be jealous when Taigen, Taigen of all people gets to make you laugh and grin in such a sweet way? She hated it. She despised it.

Which is why—Mizu's eyebrow twitches in irritation, blue eyes that are hidden by her tinted shows following every movement and action in front of her with narrowed eyes. Watching you, again, raising your eyebrow playfully at whatever idiotic thing Taigen said to you, huffing to herself from resentment.

Her eyes were trained on you, not even noticing Ringo sending her a subtle look, before dragging off Taigen, both of them having a small, smug understanding of the situation. You don't seem to notice this, as you stop by a nearby stall to look at the intricate trinkets the merchant was selling. Before long, you feel a small, almost faint touch on your waist.

"Is he really that funny?" Mizu asks— no grumbles lowly, tilting her head as she looks into your eyes from under her kasa. She stands close to your back, her calloused hand having found it's way securely on your waist as she furrows her eyebrows. Was she... pouting?

You looked slightly at her lips when the pout was still apparent. Adorable. Turning your gaze to her eyes, a confused expression forms on your face.

“Who?” You asked as tilted your head slightly to the side, trying to decipher the question.

"Taigen." Mizu stated, almost sounding... irritated by the subject. "Is he really…that funny? He only babbles on about himself and his duels.." Mizu paused as a small frown appeared on her sharp lips.

"I do not see how you find him entertaining. He doesn't ever say anything funny, just brags. Yet you look at him and smile like that..." She stated quietly as she glared into your eyes.

“Taigen?” You asked digesting everything that the woman with the blue eyes told you. Little by little, you understood why she asked that.

“I find funny how pretentious he could be, he's definitely like every other man.” Replying by rolling your eyes smiling as you remembered how self-centered man can be.

Mizu huffed quietly to herself at the small response. She hated it, she really did. She had sworn herself to this revenge, and yet— the way you laughed when you and Taigen joked together... the way you smiled softly when he complimented you.

There was not a single moment in which you and Taigen weren't having fun or laughing and smiling, and she hated it. She hated that those pretty lips of yours were always smiling. "Is that it?" She asked, sounding almost disappointed with your answer.

Still confused by the topic of the conversation, you take a trinket from the tent and begin to observe the object as you prepare to formulate an answer.

“He's not funny, his egocentrism is.” You concluded by raising your gaze to face the tallest one next to you.

"You find his ego funny?" Mizu asked with an inquisitive tone. She had barely let go of your waist when she leaned more towards you, watching you closely and narrowing her eyebrows as if sizing your up.

She wanted to know the truth, not some sugar coated lie— but there was no need. You actually did find his ego funny, but that's not the point. "He never says anything funny, just brags and makes an ass of himself. But that makes you laugh?" She asked with a slight scowl.

Stop touching the object, for a moment you are silent digesting Mizu's persistent question. Putting the object again on the tent table you turn to Mizu, watching her face.

“It makes me laugh because all I could think about is if someone would be able to love someone like Taigen. He is definitely not interesting in a female gaze, at least not in my gaze.” You responds calmly, shrugging in the last part.

“Is this answer enough and enlightening for you?” You ask by raising your eyebrows.

"Does it not bother you that he is always trying to flirt with you?" She asked quickly, her voice sounding low and quiet. She tilted her head and continued questioning you relentlessly.

"That he's always touching you... trying to hug you or grab your hand." Mizu asked quietly as her jaw clenched from irritation, the muscles on her arm tensing up as she tried to hold herself back.

Frown your eyebrows with Mizu's question, now making sense of why they are having this conversation. You approach her slightly, noticing her irritation on her face.

“You jealous, Mizu?” Murmurs low just so she could hear. You tilt your head to the side in an attempt to see her face.

"Jealous?" She asked quietly, sounding both amused and irritated. Her blue eyes twinkled with a faint smile as she raised an eyebrow and scoffed quietly.

"No." She tried to push away the subtle flush that graced her cheeks. "I'm not jealous." Mizu paused, leaning back from you lightly as she sighed quietly.

"Taigen and his stupid flirting doesn't bother me." She stated quickly, sounding slightly irritated still.

Surprised by Mizu's stubbornness in not admitting that she felt jealous, you look to the side seeing Taigen in a Misô tent along with Ringo. Looking back at Mizu, you smiled with a false air of innocence.

“If that had bothered you, I would be willing to ask him to stop...” You started, staring at her to know her reaction. “But you say you don't mind, so neither do I.” You shrug a smile.

Mizu huffer quietly to herself as her cheeks flushed even more brightly. Her jaw was tensed, wanting to argue the point with all of her will but couldn't.

Why couldn't she just admit it? It was a stupid question, anyways. She was just a little envious that someone as handsome as Taigen liked you that much, was what she was going to tell herself.

"It doesn't bother me!" She repeated slightly louder, though it sounded more like a half-truth than anything.

You face her once again waiting for another answer, but as she was too stubborn to admit it, you just accepted that the answer Mizu gave you would be just that.

“If you say so.” Shrug deep sighing, moving away from the samurai and heading towards Ringo and Taigen, craving to eat Miso.

She watched as you walked off to Taigen and Ringo, and she wanted to follow, to argue some more about whether she was actually jealous or not. But she didn't. Instead, she just huffed quietly to herself as she looked down at the ground and closed her eyes with a small sigh.

Why was it so hard to admit that Taigen's flirting bothered her? Why did she care so much?

Still walking towards the food stall, you turn your face back in an attempt to find Mizu's eyes, but all you could see was her looking at the floor. In a heavy sigh turning forward again.

“Hey guys, already chosen the food?” You ask smiling excited as soon as you get closer to Taigen and Ringo, receiving a kind smile from both of them.

Taigen nodded briefly at you as his grin widened and he put an arm around Ringo gently. "We got the pork miso." He commented, sounding more than a little flirty. He even smiled more widely which was enough for you to catch onto the fact that he was trying to get your attention.

“You coming with us?” He asked— but this time his words were focused solely on you, as though he ignored Mizu's presence completely approaching.

You face them both and smile, agreeing. “That's sounds good. I think I want one.” You speak approaching the bowls, bending slightly to smell the soup while closing your eyes.

Taigen smirked as his eyes wandered to your exposed back, and before you could even do anything about it, he came up behind you and grabbed you by the hip, wrapping his hand around your waist like some sort of jealous boyfriend— and he held you close. He even leaned down, placing his hand in the small of your back which made the two of you even closer.

Opening your eyes widely surprised by the sudden touch on your back. You look back and see Taigen next to you smiling, frown your eyebrow confused by his act. Through your peripheral vision, you see Mizu behind him observing this whole situation.

Keeping eye contact with Mizu for a few seconds, you quickly take Taigen's hand out of your body, getting up completely. Looking at the man inside the stall and smile politely while placing your order.

Taigen looked at you in surprise as you ripped yourself away from his grasp, and he watched as you ordered politely from the person running the miso stall. He smirked awkwardly and glanced over at Ringo, probably expecting him to say something witty, but the big one just hummed in disagreement.

Mizu continued to watch the whole scene quietly, not making any reaction. She did, however, observe the fact that you refused to let Taigen touch you, as if his flirtations actually bothered you.

Taking your bowl and bowing in thanks to the man, you turn towards the three who were waiting for you. Ringo and Taigen already had their bowls in their hands, only Mizu who didn't ask for anything.

You approach Mizu, while putting a portion to your mouth, letting out a moan of satisfaction. “This tastes amazing. Here, try it.” You say rolling some noodles in the chopsticks and raising it to the height of Mizu's mouth.

Mizu hesitated when you raised the bowl above her, her eyes narrowing. She was about to brush it off and simply turn away but then suddenly her curiosity got the better of her. Mizu slowly lifted her head and cautiously opened her mouth, ready to bite into your offering. She took a small piece of the meal that you offered to her and bit into it, chewing slowly.

Seeing Mizu leaning so close to your hand made you feel a growing heat on your cheeks. Cleaning your throat by putting the chopsticks inside the bowl.

“Good right?” You whisper afraid of your voice getting weak if raise a tone.

Mizu swallowed the piece of noodles in her mouth, nodding quietly as a small smile appears on her lips.

"It is, very good..." She stated quietly— though there was no trace of any awkwardness or embarrassment from her tone of voice. Mizu's eyes glanced to the side, not willing to meet your gaze for long. There was a slight blush spreading across her cheeks, but she tried to force the color out of her.

Also looking to the side, you realize that Taigen and Ringo were already out of your field of vision, getting lost in the middle of the stall.

Turning your attention to the bowl, mixing the soup a little more. “If you want to, I can share with you my meal.” You say shrugging while still staring at the food.

Mizu didn't want to admit that she was liking the attention you were giving her, that she felt her heart completely warm. She wanted to be close to someone, but at the same time she was hesitant, scared of getting close because it always ended in pain. So in the end, she would just do the opposite, distance herself from people.

She paused for a second as she noticed the two of you were now alone by the miso stall. "I would like that..." She said quietly, her tone of voice showing a small amount of vulnerability.

“Right.” You whisper smiling, as you took her hand and guided her to a bench further away.

Without realizing it, your action implied a new direction for the relationship of the two of you. Making Mizu felt seen, felt important in some type of way.

[dutiful-wildcraft]

Life's Sweet Bells

A COD Farm Sim AU with some omegeverse splashed in!

Meet the Town!

John Soap Mactavish - Clean and green, with a scent like shortbread and rose,  you can see how the wiley alpha Soap got his nickname. Soap runs the neighboring livestock farm. Soap specializes in critters big and small, from velvety eared rabbits to towering horses. He prides himself in his work, and his animals usually run best in show for the town's yearly festivals. When not at the farm, Soap can be seen chatting it up at the blacksmith's or having an evening pint at the inn. With a friendly smile and sunkissed skin, could Soap be your first friend??

John Price. Or rather Captain, formerly. John is an alpha that once ran the town's mines with a tight efficiency. Slaying the monsters therein and emerging with jewels and ores a plenty. Since the town's devastating earthquake the mines have since been closed. John stubbornly remains, clearing the mines on his own. Though his ink and coffee scent permeates the artifacts wing of the local museum, a responsibility he shares  with Alex. John is considered an expert in monsters and hidden treasures. During down time John is down at the docks with Farah and Nik.

Simon Ghost Riley. Formerly Price's right hand in the mines, and now the town's blacksmith, Ghost stands tall and aloof. Pale arms lined with scars, and soot stained fingertips. Some say his room is lined with awards for his craft. Ghost can make anything, and is responsible for a lot of specialty items for the whole village, special swords and crossbows for Price. Stronger tools and equipment for Gaz. He doesn't say much to you when you show up, and you assume the mask is to protect his face, though he never takes it off.  What's more odd is the syrupy sweet scent buried under all the brimstone. 

Kyle Gaz Garrick. Kyle is a master of his craft and does the bulk of the repairs and renovations around the village. (As well as some of its more charming cosmetics) With the help of Ghost and Price, Gaz is slowly but surely piecing the town back together after the earthquake. Kyle is renown in town for his delicate work and eye for detail. Despite popular beliefs Kyle is a calm and laid back Alpha, with a fresh and citrusy scent that's almost hypnotic. Kyle is one of the first to come to the new farm, providing a few extra tools he had laying around to help you get started. He's ecstatic to have a new face around town!

Nikolai? Nobody seems to know his last name, but he seems to be well liked in town. Nikolai was once a traveling merchant, never staying in one place for too long. He made his way by selling rare and unique wares. Since the earthquake the alpha has settled in town on a more permanent basis. Nik now runs a beautifully crafted bathhouse so those hard workers of the village can rest their weary bones, while still having a handful of new and rare items to sell each week. There seems to be more to the alpha that meets the eye. 

Kate Laswell. Kate is the town physician. A no nonsense beta who is chronically scraping townsfolk off the ground when they fail to take care of themselves properly. She's lovely, but so very tired. When Kate isn't at the clinic she assists her wife with running the inn. 

Farah is a fisherman extraordinaire, and has been a godsend with getting supplies in and out of the village while the bridges were out. While Farah doesn't brag, tales of her adventures are written on the scars on her toned tanned arms. While goods and services aren't her day to day now, Farah still heads out on her boat each day with Alex in tow.

Alex is responsible for a bulk of the collections at the museum, and when he's not there, he helps Farah out on the docks. In his downtime Alex writes stories down on the well worn pages of his journal. Harrowing tales of a strong and fearless pirate who saves the day again and again. So what if the long braided heroin resembles someone familiar?

(Not sure how deep in the weeds i'll go with this, but I'm having fun, I would love to make it a little series)

[tokkishouse]

from one bestie to another

could you gimme the most hair twirling, leg kicking, downright teeth rotting tighnari fluff with a sprinkle of mutual pining a girlie could ask for? pretty please and thank you 😗👉👈💕

I GOTCHU BESTIE!! Im getting a truck of sugar rn among other ingredients

(Sfw) Buy Your Time

Characters: Tighnari x GN!Reader

Warnings: fluffluffluff, mutual pining, Tighnari gets jealous

WC: ~1.4k words

"Alright I've got bandages, medicinal herbs, slime concentrate-- anything else I can get for you 'nari?" you ask, glancing up from the pile of supplies on your counter. Tighnari shakes his head, offering you a small smile. Hearing your nickname for him made his chest bloom with warmth and he could feel his tail curl up, mirroring the joy he was feeling.

"That's it this week. Thanks again." You smile and start calculating the price.

"Let me get that total for you and I'll send you off!"

This was Tighnari's weekly routine. He'd travel to Sumeru City weekly for supplies and stop by your shop. You had popped up not too long ago and were much smaller than the other stalls selling medicinal supplies. He had approached yours in curiosity. He was your first customer for the week, and you were practically vomiting up words in an attempt to convince him to buy from you.

He appreciated your honesty and integrity, only selling your supplies just above their raw value. The surprise on your face and tears bubbling in your eyes at the large first order left the fox with a warm feeling in his chest.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Your joy was immeasurable, and you sent him home with extra products he didn't even pay for. Thus began your relationship as merchant and buyer. You knew that at 10am sharp, Tighnari would appear ready to restock his stash, and maybe tell you about some new species he found or the latest expedition.

"Being a forest ranger sure sounds dangerous, 'Nari. You don't get very hurt, do you?" The man wants to curl up under his tail in pure guilt when he sees your concerned expression. He doesn't have the heart to tell you that he's had quite a few close calls in his life, including the time he was struck by lightning. Instead, he chooses to assuage your fears, assuring you that he's quite careful, which isn't a lie necessarily.

He doesn't know when he started falling for you-- was it when you took time out of your day to visit Gandharva Ville and check on Colleii's recovery? Or the other day you came and visited to help him tend to injured rangers? Maybe it was the way your whole body physically seemed to come alive every time he visited your shop. Sure, you were friendly with all your customers, radiating joy like a ball of sunshine. But he wasn't blind-- he notices the way your eyes light up and how your speech speeds up when talking to him. The attention you gave to him was special. He lived to see it.

The growing fondness was not isolated to just Tighnari-- you would never admit this aloud, but you had also grown fond of the forest ranger. He had shot up on your list of favored people months ago when he approached your stall with genuine interest. Every time he'd visit, he'd bring something more valuable than mora-- his time.

No matter how busy he seemed, or irrelevant the topic was, Tighnari always hung around your stall, sharing his stories or even just his feelings at the time. His attention was only on you, ears pointed towards you and eyes piercing, begging for you to go on for longer about whatever mundane daily happenings you experienced.

It was sickening. Maybe it was because he interacted with all sorts of flowers (you could always spot the softest dusting of pollen on his clothes), but Tighnari was intoxicating. You found yourself drawn to him and counting down the days to his next visit. You wanted to be near him constantly.

Any outsider who looked at you two for more than two seconds could tell that you both were head over heels for each other. You both were like school children, shifting and dancing around the reality of your feelings. Onlookers could only hope you two would realize the truth quickly and confess.

✦✧✦✧

"Hey, Tighnari, what kind of flowers does y/n like?"

Tighnari nearly snaps his pencil in half, ears perking up at attention. He feels his blood run cold, a barely audible growl rumbling through his chest.

"What was that?" he just barely manages to hiss out, slowly turning his gaze towards Amir, his fellow forest watcher. The man has a sheepish smile on his face, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck.

"It's a bit cliche to fall for a healer, but I can't help it-- y/n is just beautiful! And they're so caring," he continues, then lets out an embarrassed laugh. "I want to take them out on a date! Or at least get to know them."

Tighnari's expression is unreadable as he stares at Amir. His mind races as he tries to process what he's just heard. Of course, I wouldn't be the only one to fall for them. But Amir? Does he really think he has a chance? Tighnari sneers mentally, and he can feel his tail straighten out in agitation, tugging at his lower back.

"You hang out with them a lot! Help me out Tighnari!" Amir pleads, clasping his hands together. The fox raises an eyebrow, unimpressed by his fellow ranger's desperation. Perhaps, a white lie wouldn't hurt. If it keeps Amir from acting stupid.

"I can't help you," Tighnari answers, and Amir looks up flabbergasted at his superior's denial of his request.

"If you want to court someone, you have to do the work yourself. It won't mean as much if I just tell you what y/n likes. Why not get to know them yourself?" The dog trainer stands there dumbfounded, but he takes Tighnari's words into consideration. There was some merit to it after all. And a person like you deserves to have full efforts made towards romancing you.

"I suppose you're right. Well, tha-" Amir begins, but he's cut off by a bone-chilling glare from Tighnari.

"Besides, I'm already courting y/n. Choose someone else."

✦✧✦✧

The next time Tighnari visits your shop, he's not greeted with a warm smile or a cheery "Welcome back 'nari!" Instead, he receives an unimpressed stare and crossed arms from you. He offers a weird smile, taking in your body language.

"What's got your roots tangled up, y/n? Did I not return on time?" He jokes, standing in front of your stall. You snort and lean forward, resting your hands on the counter, careful not to knock down the supplies you prepared.

"Did you tell Amir that we were dating?" you ask cooly, and Tighnari can feel his nerves burn like a wildfire. That blabbermouth. I should've known he'd run off and confirm that information himself. Tighnari clears his through and fixes his smile.

"Technically, I said I was courting you. He came up with dating on his own!" You roll your eyes and turn away to dig through your other supplies, not giving him an answer.

Tighnari swallows thickly, watching your figure, desperately trying to pick apart your body language. Did I overstep my boundaries? Are they pissed off? They didn't blow up in my face but they didn't seem too pleased either. Why are they-

"You know, if you wanted to take me out on a date, you could've just asked me out," you muse, slamming down a giant pouch of mistflower stamens. The archer blinks at you owlishly, and you can see the cogs in his brain turning as he processes what you say. When it clicks, his cheeks turn a dusty rose, and he suddenly can't make eye contact with you. His tail was a dead giveaway though, curling and twisting in excitement.

"I take it you like me back then?"

"You sure know a ton about plant life but not about reading obvious signs, huh?" He turns to look at you in shock, opening his mouth to counter your statement. You cut him off with a quick peck to his cheek, pressing the supplies into his hands.

"I'll be ready in 3 nights, 6 o'clock sharp." You poke his nose gently, and he sneezes instinctively. "Don't be late, or I'll make the hunter the hunted~"

@cosmi1k Tighnari content ❤️

Requests (both sfw and nsfw) are open~!

[oxymorayuri]

❞𝐍𝐨 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬❝

Part eight

storys masterlist. ♡♡♡

✦ Pairing: Portgas D. Ace x Reader ✦ Warnings: none ✦ Spoiler: none

wordcount: 4187

tagging: @lazyninjatheorist - @sassyyassi - @cottoncandyloverrrr - @littleleelee

! ᴍᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴇɴᴛ !

ᴍɪɴᴏʀꜱ ᴅᴏ ɴᴏᴛ ɪɴᴛᴇʀᴀᴄᴛ

Near the harbor where you arrived on the first day, you sit at a small café. The streets are busy as ever and at the market next door, the stall owners are haggling hard with tourists.

The typical tricks of the street merchants are being pulled… Everyone claims to have the 'finest' goods and if someone is stupid enough to approach the seller, they are lulled into compliments or promises being made.

Those earrings which match her ~beautiful~ eyes... The cure that makes their hair grow... The usual nonsense.

The remarkable thing is their charm. Maybe you see a parallel here, or catch yourself learning something, but their talent is noteworthy. If anyone knows how to sell something, it's the street merchants.

They immediately recognize their potential customers, simply by watching people walk through the streets. They speak to people in a systematic way, have prepared phrases for various types and are in most cases successful.

Sipping your coffee, you observe a rather interesting scene. Near you is a jewelry stall with probably fake goods, you just can't imagine that this sleazy guy who sells the goods is legitimate. You doubt it but you listen intently as he tries to sell the 'latest' fashions to a young couple.

However, the young woman who is his prime target doesn't seem to be very sure herself. But she seems rather shy and admits that she can't afford something so fancy.

The grin on the salesman's lips is visibly nasty, which would set off all your alarm bells, but the man plays it off by reaching for the lady's hands in a friendly manner and announcing that he would give her a discount. You can literally feel that he almost has her.

He puts the necklace on her, complimented her and when he realized that she still wasn't budging, he turned to her boyfriend. “Don't you think she looks beautiful wearing that?” He mentioned more, forcing him to agree, and eventually the poor guy caved in and bought the necklace from him; for an exorbitant price.

You shake your head. Those damn tricksters, but you can't help grinning as you bring your coffee to your mouth. You are the same, no, worse but you see more class in yourself. Besides, there's a big difference between you and the mediocre street hustlers.

While you, as a trickster, recognize that he is a scammer, he would never in a million years realize that you are also a trickster. You're a fucking professional.

You can only survive in this world if you are like this world. A criminal.

Thoughtfully and without realizing it, you stare at Ace, who is devouring his slice of cake without a care in the world. He notices that you are absently staring at him and tries to convince you to try a spoon.

His grin is wide as he holds the spoon out to you. His refreshing manner is exactly what has caught your attention since day one. He is always very playful. You literally admire him for his carefree spirit, while inside your head there's never silence.

You open your mouth while your chin rests in one hand and Ace puts the spoon in your mouth.

Ace looks satisfied while you savour the sweetness on your tongue. Are you really letting Ace feed you right now? You smirk to yourself. Who cares. You're bored because you've been watching a certain building for a while now...

The building in question doesn't exactly look like a apartment building or like it's abandoned, but it still looks like it's not accessible to everyone...

It looks like an upscale place. The facade is neat, plant pots to the left and right of the polished glass door, but it's all dark and you can't see anything through the black windows.

It looks like a store but it's closed, yet it's late in the afternoon. You've been here since morning and you're on your fifth cup of coffee and not once has it been open. There are no displayed opening hours, no proper advertising, no outside signs, nothing. It's just a well kept building? You don't think so.

Ace follows your blank stare and looks at the building. He has to turn a little because the building is behind him and continues to chomp on his dessert.

With his mouth full, he turns to you and speaks without shame.

“Do you think it's that house?” Over the last few days you've walked every street, looking for the brothel the gangsters on the ship were talking about.

The Moulin Rouge. In bars and other public places, nobody knew the name. It seemed a bit strange to you, as some people seemed to want to change the subject, or were quick to recommend other places. However, it would be foolish to push for answers. So you apologized kindly and said you must have mixed things up.

Jackpot, you thought immediately.

So, the Moulin Rouge is one of the places Doflamingo wants to hide. You know that it exists and you are pretty sure that the brothel you are looking for is behind the walls of this building.

But why does no one go in and out there? That's the only entrance in front of you. You've already walked around the house a couple of times. There's no cellar door, no back entrance, nothing.

“What do you think?” You are audibly bored, judging by your voice. This building is your only clue to the brothel. He shrugs his shoulders.

“I don't know, I just wonder how this is supposed to help us get to the palace.” You briefly consider how to explain your thoughts to him. His mind doesn't seem to be as entangled as yours, but that's exactly why Whitebeard sends you on missions like this. Like a profiler or master detective, you understand your targets and get information without anyone getting suspicious.

“You know Ace, to figure out what the bad guys are doing, you have to think like a bad guy.” - “Aren't we classified as evil and dangerous? I mean, we're pirates.” He looks a little thoughtful. You are wanted and shunned people after all.

You even made him wear a shirt all the time, so no one would see his jolly roger tattoo. You've disguised yourselves, and Ace isn't even wearing his hat. After all, people might recognize you otherwise. Well, they'd probably recognize Ace, because Ace is known as a pirate, while your face remains unknown.

When you're out in the streets as a Whitebeard pirate, you cover your head with a scarf to hide your face, leaving only your eyes exposed. You frown briefly. Sometimes you're a bit stupid yourself and you laugh a little, which causes confusion for Ace.

“Sure, we're pirates. But we're only a threat to those who feel threatened, not because we do evil…”

You are also the bad guys. Well, according to the World Government… But in your eyes, you're not. Anyone who messes with you usually deserves to fall, and that's not meant to sound arrogant. You don't really know... you never wanted to follow Whitebeard because you were offered wealth, power or possessions. You follow him because you trust and admire him as a human being.

He gave you personal freedom. From an early age, you have witnessed the darker side of humanity and can confirm that there is shadow on every side.

He snorts at your smug remark and sways his drink with a toothy grin. He leans back and looks at the strolling passersby. His grin remained for the moment while he was lost in thought, but you watch it fade.

His typical facial expression now looked rather serious? Very unusual and you suddenly find yourself wanting to know more. More about the Ace, who is usually so easygoing.

You watch him attentively as his pupils follow someone until that person disappears behind his back and reappears in your field of vision.

Now your eyes are following a pretty big man walking in the direction of the building. He's casually dressed in dark, but fine looking clothes, and his stride gives off a confident air, yet he looks like danger. His hair is slicked back and you can almost smell his perfume. Compared to the building, he matches the picture perfectly.

“Ohoho Ace, now it's getting interesting.” You can tell that he wants to turn around, but you grab his hand and shake your head. You pay attention to the man as he reaches into his trouser pocket to take out a key. He unlocks the door and before he steps inside, two young and attractively dressed ladies call out to him.

He greets the ladies with a naughty grin and has a quick chat with them. You have to concentrate a bit to make out their words, but luckily they are not far away.

“Hey girls, ready for your first shift?” They chuckle and while he puts an arm around each of their shoulders, he disappears into the building with them.

With your eyes still on the closed glass door, you forget that you are still holding Ace's hand. He clears his throat, bringing you out of your thoughts and you tilt your head questioningly as you look him in the face.

His face cracks into a smirk. You seem to have no idea what he's hinting at which he finds really cute. Only after he gives your hand a little squeeze you finally realize that you're still holding hands. You automatically want to pull your hand away, but he refuses to let go and his grip tightens.

Even with red cheeks, you try to maintain a calm posture in front of him. Let him eye you with his mischievous smile and hold your hand… You don't mind, you tell yourself.

Ace can tell that your mind is wandering around. He looks longingly into your eyes as he rests his chin on his hand.

His warm fingers stroke the palm of your hand, skillfully and barely touching your skin, and yet your heart is racing like crazy. You feel goose bumps spreading and the gentle touch makes you want to scratch your hand, but you just stare at him, a little disturbed.

It tickles but it's still pleasant...

For a moment, you completely forget your surroundings. You are careless, as you will later curse yourself. You have no time to get involved with Ace, now that something is moving in the house, but why is it so hard to look away?

It's almost impossible to maintain control when Ace is touching you like this. You'd have to scratch your eyes out, if you didn't want to see his freckled kissed face.

He's just flirting with you. He doesn't even talk to you, he just looks at you with those intense, amorous eyes.

Damn that's annoying. You grit your teeth. You already knew Ace wasn't going to back down, but who knew you'd react like this?

Why do your knees go weak when he looks you in the eyes? Why does everything fall silent while you run your eyes over his lips? How come, he has you under his spell?

You don't understand... you don't understand yourself.

Looking irritated, you stand up and Ace lets easily go of your hand. He seems somewhat unimpressed as he looks up at you, as if he knows about your conflicting thoughts.

“I'll get us something new to drink…” You make a short and curt excuse and disappear into the café.

After some time of waiting, the man who unlocked the door came out again and guarded the entrance as a bouncer.

You didn't want to waste any more time and went straight there with Ace, throwing a bag of money on the table as you went. The waitress almost fainted when she saw the amount.

That money was more than enough to cover your expenses. That's a whole month's salary for all the staff at the cafe! You're an eternal heroine in the waitress's heart, but you'll never know it...

But before you could speak to the bouncer, he raised his huge hand in front of your faces and you stopped in your tracks. You and Ace look at each other in surprise, but your confusion is quickly cleared up after the man explains himself.

“This is no place for lovers and certainly not for women.” Not a place for women? You're surprised, but you quickly put on your mask. You sigh a little sadly and play dumb.

“Aww, I thought this was a classy restaurant…” - “A restaurant? Do you see a menu around here? It's a burlesque, the Moulin Rouge! If you want your man to get horny over our girls, then go ahead, get in.” Visibly annoyed, he made it clear that you should leave.

You and Ace make an offended and appalled face, but a triumphant sound rings in your head. Bingo!

“You big meanie, we're leaving already.” You don't waste time arguing and turn around, tossing your hair over your shoulder. If women aren't wanted in there, you'd probably attract a lot of attention, so you'll have to make plans again… Maybe keep an eye on what kind of people come in and visit…?

Just as you walk into the luxurious hotel lobby, a familiar figure appears in the corner of your eye. You reach for Ace and quickly sit down on a sofa in front of the reception desk.

You reach for a huge newspaper and hide behind it. Caught by surprise, Ace looks at you and he understands from your attentive gaze that you are actively watching someone. He looks around like an idiot and can't quite make out who exactly you're watching.

You roll your eyes and wave him towards you, indicating that he should come behind your newspaper.

“See that guy in the back?” Your and Ace's eyes peer cautiously over the edge of the newspaper. A few meters away from you, a group of expensively dressed gentlemen are sitting in a small lounge in front of the casino.

Ace's eyes move to yours and you form a hook with your hand, like a pirate's hook. Ace's eyebrows go up a little.

“Do you mean Crocodile?” he whispers to you.

“Exactly.” You look over again. Another man joined the group and after a short while they made their way into the casino.

You think about it.

What is Sir Crocodile doing here?

You think back to your time in Alabasta. You know he was doing business with Doflamingo. But it was mostly about trading weapons and prostitutes…

“Maybe he's a guest?” Ace's words startle you. You pull down the newspaper, now that Crocodile is gone you don't have to hide.

“Ace, you're a genius!” You don't quite want to admit it, but with that idea he's given you the missing piece of the puzzle. You grab him excitedly by one shoulder and give him a kiss on the cheek.

"Huh a genius…?"

His face is slightly flushed and there is a greasy grin on his lips, which makes you want to smack him on the back of the head, but you pull him up because you have to get after Crocodile quickly.

You get the feeling that he's your golden ticket. But you're not quite sure how to go about it. After all, he knows you and unfortunately you two parted quite dramatically…

He shouldn't see you for now... who knows why he's here. You decide that you shouldn't get involved with him unnecessarily.

You lead Ace to the bar with quick steps when you saw where Crocodile is seated. Once again he has settled down with his group in a small seating area and a lovely lady is now at his side.

At the bar you are turned with your back to the people, from this small distance he would immediately recognize you, thus you keep your back to him.

“Why Crocodile?” Ace asks you, turning his head slightly towards you. Your eyes go up to him. You wonder how much you should tell him about yourself and Crocodile. He should know that you used to work under him, shouldn't he? Who knows, maybe he's forgotten.

But you're sure he'll still have questions about why Crocodile shouldn't see you. But that's a problem if it comes to that, so you spare him a few details.

“He did business with Doflamingo and who knows, maybe he's not just a hotel guest but a guest at Doflamingo's party, right?” Your lips form into a small, confident smile and Ace smirks, glancing down.

Your eyes linger on Ace's side profile and you wonder what's going on in that pretty little head of his. His gaze meets your eyes again and without realizing it you grin at him. Ace shakes his head at you, but the smile doesn't leave his face for a second.

How can you be so cute? In his eyes, you're probably the most interesting woman he's ever met. His life has always been an adventure, but being with you makes him feel like he's in a classic movie. The sparkle in your eyes as you look at him so confidently is another picture he has saved in his mind.

“Oh sweet y/n, you're so pretty when you're all confident.” You gasp unexpectedly, startled by the sound that came from your lips. Excuse me, what the hell did he say?!

He needs to stop catching you off guard like that, damn Ace.

You are still unable to form proper words in your head and this only makes Ace laugh more. A little angry, you kick him in the side with your elbow.

“You better make yourself useful and tell me if that woman is still sitting next to Sir Crocodile.” He salutes you and turns his upper body sideways into the room to get an view.

“Yup, she's still sitting next to him and it looks like they're having a lovely time…” - “Hmmm I see… I think I have a funny idea!"

Ace puts his head questioningly to one side and you make a beckoning movement with your index finger. He comes closer to you and you whisper something quietly to him.

As you make some space between you again, you nod approvingly to each other. Now is the time to shine!

You suddenly burst into tears and whimper a few words while Ace comforts you. He strokes your back and encourages you with his words.

"I know this doesn't look good... Although I hate to hold it against you... but I told you so.” Ace's well spoken words unfortunately and intentionally cause you to burst into more tears.

Your crying attracts attention at the bar and a bartender arrives with a worried expression and interferes in your conversation.

“Hey, are you all right?” she spoke directly to you, but with whimpering lips you pretended you could hardly speak a word… that's how 'upset' you are…

“Not really, unfortunately.” Ace looks around briefly and then leans over to the bartender.

“My sister and I are here to catch her cheating husband…” The lady looks shocked and puts on a sympathetic face. Nodding, you wipe the tears from your cheeks with a handkerchief. Your puffy puppy eyes look up at the woman and Ace strokes your back to encourage you while you try not to burst out crying again.

“Could you perhaps do me a favor?” The woman nods hastily. Man or woman, you quickly have them in your hands.

“Of course I'll help, we women have to stick together!” she grabs your hand and looks determined.

Easy peasy. You hide your mischievous smile behind your handkerchief. It's always so easy…

you sniffle again in a whiny voice before you speak.

“You know, my husband is sitting over there with a young woman, they seem very familiar and I've been afraid for a long time that he might be cheating on me, but I honestly couldn't face it…” - “Oh no, that man over there? Sir Crocodile?” you gulp and nod.

"Yes, exactly. He seems to be well known here? Does he often come with a female companion?” Your fake tears well up in your eyes again.

“Hey sis, please calm down…” Ace plays the worried brother perfectly. The woman bites her lip and looks to the side, a little troubled.

“Sir Crocodile is a valued guest in this casino… and the lady at his side is one of his employees.” - “Oh my God an employee?!” You bury your face in your hands and start to cry ugly. Ace puts an arm around your shoulder and smoothly takes over the conversation.

"My sister used to be his employee, just like this woman. He promised her the world and asked her to marry him…" - “Oh no you poor woman… let me pour you a drink, it's on the house.”

She turns for a moment to fetch two glasses from the shelf. At that moment, you and Ace share a coy grin. Oh yeah, now you get a free drink! Awesome!

She pushed the drinks towards you and propped her arms on the counter to lean towards you.

"Okay girl, what do you want to know. There's a lot of information going around here in the casino and maybe I can help you." - “Thank you so much, really!” You feign joy and gratitude. Although it's not quite an act. You're really grateful to her, for buying your act.

“Back home, Crocodile told me that he had to travel to Dressrosa for some business. Normally I don't ask questions, but I became a bit suspicious.” You blush a little and pretend to be a silly girl.

“I was reading the newspaper that the King Donquixote Doflamingo was throwing a fancy gala party and I immediately knew that's why Croco was here.” Your bleary eyes glance briefly at Ace, who has to pull himself together not to blow his cover, because he is so impressed by your acting.

You look a little sheepishly at the woman.

“I wonder if he didn't tell me on purpose, because he might be going there with that woman; or if he's really just here for work…” The woman taps her chin thoughtfully.

“Luckily, I know the woman at his side. She used to work here in the casino before she started working for him. I could ask her, but he's definitely invited to the gala. After all, Donquixote Doflamingo is a VIP at the Moulin Rouge…" Ace's eyebrows go up by reflex at the mention of the burlesque.

You step lightly on his foot, telling him to control his face, but luckily she hasn't noticed.

“Would it be possible for you to let me know?” You write a number on a small piece of paper and pass it to her.

"That's my room number. If you could tell me if she's his plus one, it would help me a lot.” - “Sure!”

You talk to the woman for a bit, while you enjoy your free drink and before you say goodbye, you pull her aside.

"You know, I think it would be better if you didn't tell her about me. Croco is an influential man, I don't want her to get into trouble. If she's his date, I'll part with him quietly while he's still here.” She nods her head attentively as if she's soaking up every word for this mission.

“Just ask her out of pure interest, since you were able to watch her with Croco today, you know...” - “Understood!" she's eager.

You give her a little friendly kiss on the cheek, making her blush, and you say goodbye to each other.

On the way to your room, when no one sees you on the corridor, you burst out laughing.

“Ace you were amazing!” - “Me and amazing?! Excuse me, but you're the real champ here!”

You banter pleasantly with each other about your success. You have discovered a lot of useful things and one thing is certain…

“Ace, now you just have to make friends with Sir Crocodile” Ace promptly stops and looks at you in horror.

"Huh? ME?!" With big no signs in his eyes, he waves his hands in front of him in dismay.

Masterlist

If you liked it, let me know hehe ♡

➽ Next chapter

[localplaguenurse]

Considering how many of us wants to headpat the reader from Gold as The Gingko Trees, how do you think Morax would react to his wife having secret admirers and do you think it’ll affect his mood if the reader chooses to keep the flowers around

I uh. I got carried away with this but to answer the question: I think he would be a little competitive for his wife's attention if he were to find out they have admirers. He'd also know that his wife is more than likely unaware of said admirers. They would confuse flirting with kindness and it wouldn't be until they were given a bouquet or something obviously romantic that they're like "oh no."

As for his wife keeping flowers, chances are they probably took them because they felt too awkward about giving the flowers back than anything, so in that case I don't think it would bother Morax. He knows what his wife is like and trusts them.

Anyways, I got carried away under the cut so enjoy~

Shopping alone was never ideal to you, especially after that run in with the thieves. It is why you only entered the harbour to grab necessities and why you would only stay on the main streets. You're not taking another chance down an alley again, not without your husband nearby.

Your favourite spot to shop is near the docks, where merchants sell their wares from foreign lands. You're particularly fond of the spices that come in from Sumeru, and the ciders from Mondstadt. By this point, you're on friendly terms with the merchants from each stand.

The Mondstadt merchant already has apple cider set aside just for you, and when you open your bag to pay, he stops you. "This one's on me today." You're surprised, and a little unsure of the gesture. After all, these are imported goods, surely this man cannot give product away just like that? You do not push it, though, and simply thank the man for the bottle.

After this, you pay the stall a visit each time you enter the harbour. He gives you discounts on his wares, or he throws in something small on the house, usually an ornament of sorts. You keep them in your room on your windowsill with some of your things from the monastery. When Li Lei finally arrives, the two of you go shopping, and out of habit, you visit the merchant you can almost say is your new friend. He offers you his discounts, cracking a few jokes that actually make you laugh.

Li Lei speaks up as you two are walking home. "Little one, I think he likes you."

The preposterous idea makes your face burn. The merchant? Having a crush on you? Not only is it odd he would be crushing on you of all people - a stammering, anxious pushover - but that would be unprofessional, would it not? He is merely providing customer service to one of his regulars. Of course he would be kind to them.

It's naturally one of the first amusing stories you tell Morax after his return home. You awkwardly laugh as you recount the tale. He chuckles as well, but something about the way he smiles through your story is... odd. You cannot pinpoint what it is, but he is oddly invested, asking you to tell him more about this merchant. What does he give you discounts on? How often does he do it? Oh, he sometimes gives you free gifts with each purchase? Please, why don't you show them to your husband?

When you show him the little collection of trinkets you have acquired, he doesn't really know what to say. He knows the significance of some of these items, as told by that disgraced drunk of an Archon next door, but he doesn't know if he should explain the romanti connotations of some of these gifts. You clearly have not picked up on the merchant's intentions, as seen by your openness about the subject and your wholesome demeanor.

Morax accompanies you into town one day, and he is the first to suggest heading to the docks.

The merchant is already looking your way when you make your way over, saying something about checking out another stall first. He's only a short distance away, so it's of no concern.

The banter is the same as it is any other day, though you are unaware of the way Morax watches you. As he suspected; you are completely oblivious to the man's attempts at flirting as he adds more and more to your bag for a ridiculously cheap price. You simply laugh along, and you ask if it is really okay to give out so much product.

"Of course, a lovely young woman like you deserves all of the pleasantries she is offered."

You open your mouth to respond, and are stunned into silence when presented with a fresh bouquet of flowers.

Oh.

Oh.

Oh no.

Your face burns at the realization that this man is flirting with you, and looking back, you realize he's been doing that the whole time. Your stomach sinks when you recall that you husband is only a few stalls away, and when you realize you have to explain to this man that oh, no, you're not into him this way, you're married. All of those free samples, those discounts... You're horrified at the idea that this man has possibly lost money because you were too stupid to clue in on the fact HE HAS BEEN FLIRTING WITH YOU THE WHOLE TIME.

"Oh, what a lovely bouquet," a familiar deep voice remarks from behind you, "say, how much?"

The merchant looks up and sees Morax, or rather Zhongli, placing his hand on your shoulder. He looks at you, then at him, then back at you, and at the hand holding your coin purse. His eyes land on your ring, and you see it click together in his head.

"U-Uh..."

Morax produces his coin purse and pulls out a heft pile of mora. "Here, this should cover everything, including the flowers for my darling wife."

The merchant's heartbreak is muted by the shock. He doesn't say anything, and he hardly moves, only accepting the money and letting go of the flowers. Morax thanks him, and he hands you the flowers as the two of you make your way home.

"..."

"If you are worried I am upset," Morax states, "I am not. Not with you, at the very least."

"B-But..."

He sighs. "Really, I am surprised he did not notice your ring early on, or bother to ask if you were available to begin with."

You feel tears of embarrassment welling in your eyes. "I... I didn't know..."

Morax smiles, and he plucks a flower from the bouquet to tuck it behind your ear. "It is an unfortunate situation, but there is only so much you can do about these things."

It is of little comfort to you, but it is true. You just hope the merchant is not too heartbroken, and you hope he knows that while you do not return those feelings, you are at least grateful for the gestures.

At the very least, the flowers are very pretty.

[mirasmirages]

Market

Based on this prompt by @secretwhumplair

Taran had never liked the slave market. With all the human misery on display, it was impossible to convince himself the regime he worked for was the good guys. It was a reminder of where he would be if he hadn’t made the choices he had. Of where he could still end up, if someone discovered who he was.

He made himself go at least once a month.

In the decade since. Taran had never found anyone from his village. They were dead. Burned alive, if they weren’t lucky enough to be killed before then. A quick slash with a sword would have been a mercy.

The ghosts of his friends and family looked at him through the eyes of strangers. Old men with hardened faces. Children who weren’t even born when his village burned.

A woman sat hunched on the floor, nothing but her dark hair to hide naked skin. She looked darker than him, but he wondered how different they would look if she had a bath. She could have been one of the village girls. She could have been—

Taran swallowed. He was used to lock away the longing, the desperate hope that sometimes threatened to overtake him. This was just some girl. She had to be.

“How’re the sales going?” he grinned at the merchant. They had spoken a few times before. Not quite friends, but friendly.

“Slow day,” the merchant replied. “No sales so far.”

Taran nodded, made a show of looking at the five people lined up. “What are you hoping to get for them?” He grabbed the girl’s arm and lifted, just to be sure - and froze. There, on the side of her rib cage, was a birthmark he would never forget. He had wanted to make sure she was a stranger, but she was not.

“For that one? Fifteen hundred.”

Fifteen hundred. That was enough to bring Taran back to reality. Fifteen hundred was more than Taran made in three months.

"Fifteen hundred for this?" he heard himself say.

Please don't let the merchant notice anything off about his behavior. Please.

"No wonder you're not getting any sales."

"Hey! She's not that bad!"

Taran grabbed the girl - his Nida - his baby sister - and made her stand.

"She's skin and bone," he said, pointing to the waves of her ribs. "With those bruises, she must be useless or disobedient. Who wants to buy a freshly punished slave? And does she even have teeth?" He forced open her mouth to reveal that most of the teeth she still had were broken and rotting.

"Some people would find the lack of teeth to be a good thing," the merchant tried to joke, but it didn't land. "It doesn't matter what you think. You never buy."

"Not at your prices," Taran shrugged, releasing the girl. "I got a week off, so I thought I would have some fun, but fifteen hundred? I can think of better ways to spend a month's wages."

"If you don't need one that'll last, the weakly kids go for cheap at the auction."

Taran gritted his teeth. The auction had been too much for him to stomach, the one time he went.

"Do I look like I'm interested in children?" he spat. "You offend me. Besides, this one looks like she won't last the week. No one will pay that much for her, so why not let me take her off your hands for fifty?"

"Fifty?" the merchant sputtered. "She is worth at least a thousand!"

"A thousand? A good salesman would be able to sell her for a hundred. A smart salesman would take what he can get and save the money of feeding her."

"I paid almost five hundred for her. I won't sell her at a loss."

Taran tutted. "That was a very good salesman. Or she was in better shape before entering your care."

"Four fifty. You can have her for that. That way I won't lose too much on this."

Four fifty was a lot, but it was manageable. He should take the deal.

"Three hundred. That's as high as I'll go."

"Three fifty."

"Three twenty."

"Three thirty."

"Deal."

[princejackal]

The RO List

This is a long time coming.

This is a list of confirmed ROs in the game. So far I’ve focused on love interests who your MC will meet early on in the game. Love interests from other kingdoms like Assyria, Babylon and one of the Aramean states have yet to be included.

In the game, marriage is about political gain. So your MC is suppose to marry for an alliance and not because they simply love the other person. While most love interests can be romanced by both male and female MCs, a marriage will only be recognised between heterosexual couples. But gay couples can have a private ceremony to affirm their relationship.

DISCLAIMER! Your MC can choose not to marry and be single. They can choose to monogamous to one person. Or they can decide to have numerous nameless concubines to bear children for them. It’s really up to you.

Now on to the list.

The Companions:

The first group of ROs are your three companions you’ll meet shortly after getting out of prison.

Name: Najim/Najima [M/F]

Race: Ghoul

Magic Type: Blood Manipulation, Shapeshifting

Description: Your friendly neighbourhood ghoul. N is the one who helps you out after you escape from prison. He/She sees your potential and is willing to go the extra mile for you. N doesn’t mind cracking a few skulls or eggs in order to secure back your throne. But don’t expect them to open up to you in the beginning. N has a past that they’d like to keep hidden.

Political Power: N doesn’t have a family to help you. In fact, N would be reluctant to marry your MC because it would cause a scandal. Even though N is a jinn, they are a wrong type of jinn. Ghouls are not seen in the best of light in the kingdom. Their shapeshifting ability has given them a bad reputation because shapeshifting is mostly used for espionage and assassination jobs.

Name: Leila [F]

Race: Qarin

Magic: Earth Manipulation

Description: Leila comes from a merchant family. But times have been hard for her family as trade routes have been monopolised in the kingdom and only those politically connected to the elites get good trade routes.

Leila is an excellent negotiator and can sell anything to anyone. Like any good merchant she has detractors who accuse her of being a charlatan and swindler who sells fake jewelry at highly inflated prices. But she never let’s criticism get in her way of securing the bag.

Political Power: Leila has contacts around the kingdom. Even though her family isn’t super rich, their wealthy enough and well-connected enough to assist you in reclaiming your throne. They won’t help you out for free but they expect the MC to pay them back.

Name: Zaki [M]

Race: Marid

Magic: Water Manipulation

Description: Zaki is currently a fisherman. He comes from a family of mercenaries. He spent years fighting for others in foreign lands. But he got sick and tired of the bloodshed. After the death of his younger brother, he decided to return to Jinnestan and live a simple life. But his simple life will become complicated when he helps the MC out and gets embroiled in the conflict between the MC and the vizier.

Political Power: Zaki comes from a good family. His family knows how to fight and can help the MC out in a war situation. The tribe Zaki comes from is known for their bravery. That’s why in the kingdom they’re hired to protect caravan routes from bandits.

The Betrothed:

You’ll first meet these two ROs during your twelfth birthday party. Your father wants to solidify your right to the throne. And has decided a good betrothal will put you in a good position.

The player is not forced to marry the person they’re betrothed to. After the incident that occurred in MC’s birthday party, the player is free to choose whoever they feel will secure them the throne.

Name: Raita [F]

Race: [Depends on MC’s Race Choice]

Magic: [Depends on MC’s First Elemental Power]

Description: Raita is your cousin from your father’s side. She’s known to be reserved and mostly keeps to herself. Raita is an excellent gardener and spends her free time tending to the plants in the palace. Surprisingly, your uncle finds Raita to be so non-threatening that she can go in and out of the royal palace without first seeking permission . But even though she’s quiet, she’s aware of her precarious position in court and tries hard to not arouse attention to herself. Raita however makes sure to keep notes on what goes on in the palace.

Political Power: Raita comes from the MC’s family tribe but is from a different clan than the MC. She’s your second cousin to be specific. A marriage with her would solidify your family’s support of you and de-legitimise the vizier.

Name: Qaus [M] (*NB: I’ve yet to change his name currently in demo)

Race: Half-Jinn, Half-Nephilim

Magic: Levitation

Description: Qaus is the second eldest son of the king of Edom. He believes he’s better than his brother and therefore should rule Edom. But his father has other plans. So most of the time his bored and spends reading scrolls from scholars. He longs for adventure and a chance to prove himself to his father.

Political Power: Qaus is a prince. A marriage with him would create an alliance between two kingdoms. Such an alliance would be beneficial for the MC. But it also poses a risk as Edom frequently comes into conflict with Israel and could drag Jinnestan into it if the MC is not careful.

High Risk, High Reward:

So this marriage would be very controversial and has many pitfalls for the MC. But if MC plays their cards right, you can end up on top. So here are two siblings from the second powerful tribe in the kingdom.

Name: Suhail [M]

Race: Hinn

Magic: Wind Manipulation

Description: Suhail is known to be carefree. He loves going out and partying hard. Coming from a very rich and powerful family, he organises a party every week in his house. Most people don’t take him seriously. He’s seen as a goofball, a guy who likes cracking jokes at inappropriate times. And Suhail prefers having people think he’s not a serious threat.

Political Power: Suhail belongs to the second most powerful tribe in the kingdom. During the war of unification, Suhail’s tribe opposed MC’s father and allied themselves with other tribes who didn’t want Arabia to be united. But at the final battle against your father, Suhail’s tribe switched sides in the middle of fighting. They betrayed their allies and launched a surprise attack from the rear against their former allies.

This would hand a total victory to your father. And MC’s father decided to reward Suhail’s tribe for switching sides. Over time, the tribe became more powerful and richer. They’re pretty much distrusted by most people in the kingdom for their dishonorable act. But a marriage with them will give you a powerful ally. So powerful that they could consume the MC in their web if the player is not careful.

Name: Samar [F]

Race: Hinn

Magic: Wind Manipulation

Description: Unlike her brother, Suhail, who enjoys partying all the time, Samar tries to get people to take her seriously. She spends her free time writing and publishing poems and stories. She organises poetry competitions at her home and provides financial support for young artists in the capital. Samar uses most of her income for charitable ventures like building orphanages and giving aid to poor widows.

She’s trying hard to repair her family reputation the best she can. But she can be vindictive. She’ll use her power and influence to crush anyone who mocks or speaks ill of her family.

Political Power: Again just like her brother, she belongs to a powerful tribe. A tribe that could help MC instead of supporting the vizier.

And that's it for now. The re-write is chugging along well

[mizumiii]

A perfect plan - I

Table of contents - Next part

Balthazar x Fem!Tav

Good evening! Here is my part in Balthazar's growing fandom! It's not much, as usual, it's mainly self-indulging but I hope you would find something to like about it ! :)

Btw I made a mistake on my last post, it's not a reader pov sorry ^^ Also I'm just enjoying myself so Balth is maybe OCC, and it's probably not coherent with the main plot of the video game, but I don't care \o/.

A strange shadow left the Moonrise tower without a soul to notice it. It merged easily in the darkness outside as if it were a part of the curse, except for the little light dangling in front of it. Soon enough, it stopped in front of a big inn where the shadows seemed to be unable to enter. 

"Who's there?" Only a diffuse glimmer could be seen through the darkness. 

Jean was standing guard in front of the bridge leading to the Last Light Inn when he noticed this strange phenomenon growing closer to the Harpers QG. 

“Don’t come closer!” He shouted, his hand rushing to his sword.

“My, my, such a rash reaction toward a perfect stranger”, a honeyed voice reprimanded. 

“You don’t get to tell me how to react”, Jean shouted back while unsheathing his weapon. 

“Your stupidity could lead you to doom without you even knowing it”, the honey was hardly hiding the growing annoyance.

“As if someone as suspicious as you could be our last hope! How did you get this lamp? Why do you hide your face? What’s your name? There’s too much unknown to let me risk the safety of my companions!”

“Why are we blocked here?” A loud and bossy voice shouted from behind the stranger.

Jean was startled by the sudden apparition of the group of four coming from the dark lands; dressed with heavy armour and blood everywhere, their serious faces and brave demeanour could spell only one company! 

“Karlach, stop that, you’re going to make the poor boy die from a heart attack”, jocked a tiefling with red skin and nice horns to another one with the same complexion but far more muscles and centimetres. 

As the group easily let her pass through, it was obvious that she was the leader. The stranger did not let her out of his glare as he was studying her. 

“So what’s the hassle?” She asked Jean before casting her two-colour eyes on him. “Who’s this guy?”

She did not seem to be wary of him, as she was confident in her strength, but he could feel that her friendly talk could easily switch to a more violent answer depending on how well he could sell his speech. 

“I’m a merchant”, he introduced himself, “the name is Bal.”

“A merchant, here? I’m more used to seeing dead ones than breathing ones”, she pointed doubtfully. 

“I’m no ordinary merchant”, he boasted with a rictus, “and a genius like me knows that people are ready to give more when cornered .”

“He's got a point there”, a slender young woman with dark hair nodded. 

“Hm, I know Shadowheart. I hope your merchandise is really interesting then.”

“Your small intelligence could not even comprehend half of it”, he stroked back.

“Haha! Well, I’ll take you at your word and will see what you have as soon as I have gotten rid of that blood”, she laughed. “Jean, let him through. If he tries anything funny, I will kill him myself.”

“Jaheira will not be happy with this.”

“I’ll talk to her later”, the tiefling shrugged while walking past them with her companions. “We need all the help we can get. She knows it as well as me.”

Bal did not stop to look at her with a satisfied grin on his face. 

☠️

“Damn that felt good”, the tiefling sang happily after drinking a whole tankard of alcohol in one go. 

“Impressive”, Karlach praised you in front of your two other companions with amused smiles. 

Everyone had taken a nice shower, and cleaned the blood away from their clothes and armour; they felt as relaxed as possible in this ominous land. 

The people around were chatting almost lightly, even if the danger was never far. But at least for a couple of hours, they would be able to drink and eat as if they could not die in the next second.

“You're special, someone is still there”, Halsin pointed with his drink and a playful smirk. 

The leader scoffed at hearing his choice of words, but he was true. The strange merchant was indeed sitting in a corner of the Inn's main room. His hood covered half his face, while his cloak hardly concealed his large frame. It was odd, if he was a merchant he should have been loudly selling his goods. Still, he had caught her interest, and after grabbing a refill and another tankard, she joined him at his table.

“So how's business going?” She taunted him. 

“Since I can still smell blood on you, I will say better than your shower”, he countered with a sneer. 

Still, he accepted the drink she was handing him, and they both drank. 

“I did not catch your name.”

“It's Tav.”

“So want to see what I have in store Tav?” He offered, using her name at the same time she answered.

She blinked, storing the strange occurrence in her memory before smiling at him with enthusiasm. Her enthusiasm quickly turned into deep concentration as she discovered trinkets full of powerful magic, rare books with knowledge beyond hers, and even some pieces of equipment that could easily change a fight in her favour. She discussed with him all that caught her eye, sharing drinks without moderation to the point where the both of them were talking without any restriction. 

“Next time I’ll bring you a book about the druids, you’ll see how they are just a group of powerless hippies”, Bal ended their battle of arguments as the moon had risen a long time over the horizon. 

“Yes do that, maybe I’ll reconsider my opinion then”, Tav playfully scoffed. 

The man nodded while managing to still look smug, and satisfied before taking his leave for good. Meanwhile, Tav stared at him as he disappeared from her view. He was a really strange man, despite having met a lot of different and odd people since the beginning of her journey, that one was rushing to the top without much effort. However, it was far from discouraging her, as she had already understood that victory was often coming from an unexpected direction, so she was ready to try anything.

Next

[a-certain-type-of-frog]

The market smelled of cut apples and freshly turned dirt. Caelum strolled through it, a woven bag hanging from her arm, already holding cucumbers and honey. She had a few things left on her list - chamomile tea, salt, and the bread with rosemary baked into it that Blossom Bakery made, if they had any left. Still, she wasn’t in any hurry. She stopped frequently, catching up on gossip with local vendors as it was offered. New booths popped up here and there as travelers moved through the town selling wares, exotic spices or embroidered blouses. 

The market, and the rest of the Threlkeld, grew crowded in the warmer months when the seas were friendly and merchants sought to earn their fortunes. Now they were at the end of the busy season, with the last few adventurers making their way through in one direction or another. Caelum loved those months. There was a certain thrill to meeting new and interesting people, if only for a few minutes at a time. If she was lucky, she could hear about other cities and countries, get recommendations for restaurants or inns she had no intention of visiting, learning which roads were lined with shops and which had the best views. 

Finally, she began heading toward the bakery’s stand. She might even make it in time to get her rosemary bread. Someone caught her glance as she passed. He wore a dark capelet with a beaded trim and tall boots. His dark hair was half tied up, the rest brushing over his shoulders. She guessed he was from somewhere to the north, although she couldn’t be sure. His eyes flicked over her, but she looked ahead again. The bakery was in her sights.

“Hey!” he said just as she stepped past him. She turned, skirt fluttering at her ankles at the sudden change in motion. His voice sounded angry, but his eyes looked more confused than enraged. He stepped towards her, reaching out to the pendant she wore around her neck. Her hand flew to it on instinct. He simply pointed.

“Where did you get that?” She didn’t recognize his accent, but it was thick. It rolled over the R and had a deep melodic quality. A step between the words belied his unfamiliarity with them. Caelum often got questions about her necklace, but they were rarely spoken with such intensity. Still, she offered him the same script. 

“It’s a family heirloom, it’s been passed down for generations.”

“Your family,” he continued, falteringly, “where did they find it?”

“I’m not sure. Why do you ask?”

He reached somewhat frantically into his vest and pulled out a pocket watch, holding it out for her to see. She bent down to peer at it. It was a beautiful piece, but her attention was drawn to the silver chain hanging from it. It had a pendant; a multicolored stone set delicately in a metal frame. She hurriedly unclasped her necklace, holding it out in the light. The stones matched precisely. It looked as if both had been poured from the same molten glass, maroon and gold and cobalt hues flowing in and out of view between the two of them. 

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” he said, voice hushed and reverent.

“Neither have I,” she confided. 

Her pendant swung forward on its chain, its weight increasing incrementally. His eyes widened as his pendant flew up, the two drawn together like magnets. The pull grew stronger. 

Caelum stepped back, holding the necklace near her chest. It dropped back down, reclaimed by gravity. The man returned his to his pocket.

“Perhaps you should come to my house,” she said, clasping it around her neck and tucking the pendant under her shirt and glancing around them. A few people had stopped in their path to see what they were doing, a small crowd beginning to form. “We can discuss it in private.”

He nodded. “That is wise.”

---

She led him back to her house and put water on the stove for the chamomile tea. The man, whose name was Dima, sat on an armchair near the fireplace, looking again at his pocket watch. His foot tapped along with the second hand. Caelum set two cups on the coffee table, followed by her favorite blue teapot and bowls of sugar and cream. She sat across from him. Her pendant was beginning to make an indent in her shirt as it strained to meet its twin. 

“Do you know what it is?” he asked, not pulling his eyes from the watch chain. His pendant had begun to swing as well. 

“We’ve always called it the doilea,” she said, smiling at fond memories. “I don’t know if that’s it’s true name.”

He burst out laughing. The sound was husky, but pleasant. “In my language, doilea means second. Your family must have meant it literally.” 

Caelum choked on her tea. 

“Mine was passed on the same way,” he said once she had recovered. “I don’t know how long it has been in my family. Many, many years.”

She nodded, distracted. The watch chain had pulled nearly parallel to the floor. 

“I think we should let them touch. Let’s see what happens.”

“Why not?” he shrugged. 

She reached once more behind her head, unclasping the necklace. It almost slipped from her fingers, but she managed to grab it in time. Dima unhooked the chain from his pocket. She let the stone pull her hand forward, slowly, until the two were mere millimeters apart, forming a straight line between the two chains.

“Ready?” she asked. He nodded. Together, they allowed the pendants to touch.

A ping sounded. Like the ring of a bell, it reverberated out from where the two had touched, growing louder and louder. Her fingertips vibrated. The cups rattled on the table, concentric circles forming in their tea. It became almost unbearable. Just before she dropped the necklace to cover her ears, the sound began to recede. It dimmed until it was barely audible, and then she couldn’t hear it at all. The stones dropped, having satisfied their desire to reach one another. 

“Huh,” she said.

Dima held his pendant up to his ear, chasing the sound. “Try it,” he urged.

She did. When she focused, very very faintly, the ringing was still there. “Wow.”

“What do you think it does?”

“I’ve no idea,” she admitted. “Maybe just that?”

He frowned. “That would be disappointing.”

“What were you expecting? A light show, too?”

“Well, it would be nice.”

She laughed good-naturedly at his disgruntled expression. “Why don’t you stay for lunch, and we’ll try to figure it out? I have fresh bread.”

---

(part 2 here)

You wear a stone pendant that has been passed down to the eldest child for hundreds of years. It is a beautiful, multicoloured heirloom that is precious to your family. A traveller from a distant land stops you, demanding to know where you got your pendant from.

[autoversemobility]

Tips to Buy Car Spares Online India

Having an automobile gives you some mobility, but maintaining it will keep it in good working order. It is inevitable that car parts will eventually need to be changed due to wear and tear. In the future, you'll have to purchase new auto parts to fix issues like a malfunctioning radiator, worn brakes, or dead batteries. But it could be difficult to get new parts for your car if you don't know anything about cars. As a result, this essay will serve as a thorough manual to buy car spares online India.

Where can you get the Correct New Auto Parts?

New auto parts are available from many places, so you can quickly have your car operating again. The following are typical locations to purchase new auto parts:

Auto Parts Shops

These auto parts specialists might be able to meet all of your needs to buy car spares online India in one place. They have easy access to a wide variety of parts, both essential and unnecessary. These stores not only provide a large assortment, but their friendly staff is available to assist you with any queries you may have while you're shopping.

Licensed retailers

If you only need original equipment manufacturer (OEM) parts and can't trust a local business, you can get replacement parts for your car from an authorized dealer for your brand. They offer authentic, premium parts that are made especially for your vehicle, guaranteeing a good fit and operation. Seek out a good reputation. A well-established firm that has been around for a while is more likely to have gained the trust of its clients over time and be able to provide high-quality products at fair prices without breaking any rules!

Online merchants

The ability to purchase car parts online has grown in popularity. Because online purchasing is so easy and convenient, you won't even need to leave your house to purchase the new car parts you need. But exercise caution—only make purchases from reputable retailers with excellent online reviews.

Automobile forums and classifieds

Internet forums and advertisements could be a great place to start if you're seeking for specialty or unique components. You might find other collectors of auto components on these websites that are eager to trade or sell to you.

Priorities must be set aside for safety. Tires and brakes are two automotive parts that are essential to your safety when driving. Cost savings should never come at the expense of quality when it comes to components that are vital to safety.

In summary

Choosing the correct auto parts to buy car spares online India may be a beneficial investment in your car's performance and safety, even though it could take some effort and research. You can be sure that your car will continue to function well and remain in good shape for a long time if you heed these advices and make wise choices. Seek advice from professionals and reliable auto parts suppliers when you're unsure what to do with your vehicle.

[alissaming]

Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town

So a bit of a tangent, but I at one point thought this was the first Story of Seasons games that allows you to marry same gender marriage candidates. As I'm currently playing through Pioneers of Olive Town, I think I was wrong, as Pioneers of Olive Town seems to allow that as well, and I think it came out before FoMT. Anway, let's do this.

So this game is a recreation of Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town and More Friends of Mineral Town, and a pretty faithful one at that. All the characters you'd recognize from those games are here, as well as a couple extra. There's some renaming, but nothing serious. There's a lot of options for how your character looks, with two male models and two female models, and several skin colors. Otherwise, there's no character creation to speak of. There are several outfits to choose from as well.

Like it's predecessors, there's not a lot to this game, but I do enjoy how you got the farm in this game far more than you getting scammed in More Friends of Mineral Town. In this version of the game, it was your grandfather's farm, and you inherit it from him after he passes. But the main game is just building up your farm, the house, coop, barn, upgrading the field, getting married, and having a kid. Pretty simple. The fully upgraded barn can hold a total of 16 animals. I use it as a chance to have 2 of each cow, 4 sheep and 4 alpacas. The fully upgraded coop can hold 8 animals. As chickens produce daily and rabbits produce wool every 5 days, I usually have 4 of each, so there's a day of no rabbit fur. The field has plenty of room. I usually just let the grass grow, except for the small segment area I use to farm. Even at your lowest heart level (no stamina fruit found, or only one found as you can find one in your field) you should be able to manage the 4 starter crops (3 from the store and 1 from Won the merchant) in 2 9x9 squares each. You can even have them all together as they never block anything ever, not even each other.

There are some added things. In HM: FoMT and MFoMT, there is one tree that you cannot cut that produces honey all year and, depending on the season, peaches, grapes, or apples. In this game, you can have up to 5 trees, with three trees to choose from, each producing only one fruit, plus they all occasionally produce honey. This means while you can be guaranteed to have 1 of each tree type, you can only have an extra of 2 trees. (So for example 1 grape tree, 2 apple trees, 2 orange trees.) Or you can have one of every tree and 3 of 1 tree (3 grape trees, 1 orange tree, 1 apple tree for example.) Grape trees produce their fruit in Spring and Summer, apple trees in Summer and Autumn, and orange trees in Autumn and Winter.

When having kids, you can choose the gender or choose to be surprised. If you marry someone of the opposite gender, the female half of the pair will get pregnant. If you marry someone of the same gender, roughly when the female half of a male/female couple would have a baby, the Harvest Goddess will pop up with two children, and allow you to adopt one. She'll do...something...with the other, I think leave them with another home? As to how she got the kids? I'm assuming she made them with her Harvest Goddess powers, they were orphans she took into her care, or maybe she kidnapped them. I think the funniest thing is that your partner will not question where the child came from. They're just like "Oh, we need to take care of this kid now? OK"

This game is immense amounts of fun and I'll say the team that makes the Story of Seasons game did a very good job recreating FOMT. Yes there were changes, such as Won only sells his special apples if you become friendly enough with him, Ann being named Ran instead, and the addition of Brandon and Jennifer for eligible marriage candidates. Oh, and they removed the ability for rivals to marry each other, so adding other candidates so you can avoid getting inbetween a rivalry is pointless. But most of the changes are actually good, not bad. And it looks amazing. The songs are so well recreated. I'd say a solid 4/5, maybe even a rare 5/5, considering it's a recreation and a dang good one in my opinion.

[xkseii]

⎮The wind steals everything⎮

⏤ Characters: Xiao⎮reader

⏤ Including: nsfw (-17)

⏤ Warnings → sub/bottom virgin! Xiao, dom/top male reader, mention of voyeurism, blowjob (reader receiving), dacryphilia, obsession/yandere behaviour, minor mind-breaking, mention of killing, urophilia, degradation, size kink, marking

⏤ 7.000 words

Xiao was perched in a tree, looking in your direction, suspicious. As you are still heading to the Wangshu Inn with this unknown merchant, he decides to follow. Not because he was interested in you, but because he was wary. You had the scent of Zhongli on you, his mark and the colour of your veins turned to gold. He was sure that he never heard about you or seen you before, and it was even odder if you were this close to Zhongli already.

As he sees you disappear, trees hiding you from his view, he dashes forward, following you without being noticed. He was analysing any movements you made, and was listening to your conversation with the merchant, while you were praising Liyue Harbor and its citizen. Your kindness and friendly behaviour took him by surprise, foreigners were rarely this appreciative of the scenery and people. Perhaps you were like the Traveller? It was the only plausible explanation.

As the horse you're sitting on came to a stop, you imitate the merchant and get down, looking up to admire the gigantisms tree. You have never seen something this big in your life, the golden leaves falling around you as if they were dancing with the wind. You were mesmerized by the beauty of everything, as a cat nuzzle against your leg, trying to grab your attention. Gently, you lift it up, placing it on your shoulder as it purrs near your ear, making you chuckle at the cuteness. Oblivious to the fact it was one of the cats who would keep company to Xiao at night, they were well-known for not being friendly with humans.

The said male was looking at you from the top of the inn, eyebrows furrowed at the scene, you managed to get Zhongli and now, you wanted to steal the cats? That was a childish reaction, but he could not help it. As a shadow, he followed you everywhere, even more curious about you. After you rented a room and placed your belongings down, you started to roam around, walking outside by yourself, if he was not acknowledging the cats following you around, just like him. They were sometimes meowing to get your attention and be able to sit on your shoulder, or they would just run around you. He refused to admit it, but the scene was wholesome.

Surprisingly, nothing attacked you and as you come back to the inn, you were met with merchants selling some goods. Before you could take a look and buy anything, they proposed to go drink some tea with them, and so, you spend your afternoon talking about businesses and travels. The atmosphere was calm and relaxing, so different from the constant movements and energy in the city.

Xiao never left his position, learning from you how to interact with others, he was admiring, not like he will admit it, how good you were at sympathizing with people. Every time you would smile sincerely, he could feel his cheeks heat up. With a hand over his heart, he would listen to your voice soothing him but scowl anytime someone would interrupt you. He needed to learn more about you.

Even after so many hours of sneaking behind you, he was not feeling tired or bored, it was as if you had always something interesting to do or say. But soon enough, you got tired of human interaction and left back to your room, changing into more comfortable clothes before taking a quick nap, the merchants offered to pay for dinner tonight, and you could already feel how tiresome it will be. As for Xiao, he never looked away once, whatever you were doing, even as you changed. Something in his head was telling him to watch closely and keep this in his memory forever.

He was not far away when you got out of your room and started to talk with Verr Goldet, it seemed like she took a liking to you quite quickly. Her husband showed up not so long after, and he told you that you could stay as long as you wanted. Xiao was glad to hear this, he would have more time to observe and learn things about you. He already knew some things about you, what was your favourite food and drink, what were your hobbies, the languages you speak or your favourite place even if it was something he knew nothing about. Your talk with the merchant from earlier left him the time to write down every information, you will be not a mystery anymore at the end of this day, he promised himself to understand you.

The moon made the golden leaves shine, and the wind picked up a little, but it was still pleasant. You noticed one of the kindest merchants that you met earlier sitting at one of the tables, he was a really gentle man, that you could nearly describe as shy. When you sat down beside him, his smile widened, and with excitement, he introduced his son to you. And in no time, the said son managed to drag you away and started flirting with you, making you feel a bit confused about the situation.

Xiao was bewildered, this man just got introduced to you, but he was acting as if you were really close. Something irked him in this man's behaviour, and you, doing nothing to push him away was annoying him even more. His hands were clenched tightly, feeling a sudden wave of hatred for no reason. And before he could comprehend what was happening, he was following you again, but this time you were with this man, his body pressed against your arm. Xiao could not believe his eyes when he entered your room with you as if it was normal, how dare he.

This night, he witnessed something he only heard vaguely about and read once in a book. This scene was engraved into his memory, unable to disappear. A strange feeling bloomed into his heart.

He left only when you were asleep, the urge to kill this man so strong that he had to leave immediately. He wanted to go back to the forest, so he could chase some monsters to calm down, but he was unable to forget what he saw. His body was burning up at the thought, mind hazy as he has to sit down. And for one of the rare times in his life, he was actually hard, so hard it hurts him. Hands shaking as he panics, every time he was thinking about you, it was twitching without his consent. He closed his eyes, trying to ignore it, but it became even worse.

He tried to erase the memory, but your face and body kept flashing into his mind, he thought he was becoming crazy for a second. And before he knew it, he decides to just let the scene from earlier play into his mind, hoping it would calm him down. And every instant started to flash before his eyes. As he was sitting at the top of the Wangshu Inn, he yanks his pants down, body quivering, unable to stay still.

With shaky breaths, he struggles to find a good position and just sat down, legs spread as he covers his mouth with his hand. He thinks about how you did it and without waiting, he inserts one of his fingers into him, dry. The pain was insufferable, but he kept going, wanting to know so badly why it looked so good and tempting. He wanted, needed to know what the man under you felt like at this moment. He refused to take off his gloves, as he wished it was your hand instead of his.

He was so hard, but he disregarded it, since he has never seen you touch this man that way, he did not want to do something wrong. Suddenly, he remembered how you covered your hand in some fluids and immediately, he spat on his covered fingers. As he tries once again, the way it slid inside without resistance made his back arch, everything back so pleasurable.

He was laying on the roof, eyes shut tightly, mouth wide open as he let out some whimpers, his mind replaying your face over and over. As you penetrated this man, when you kissed his ugly tears away, when you came so deep into this horrible and disgusting mortal, when you cleaned him off with your tongue. How someone as sweet and beautiful as you could let your tongue and hands touch this man's body, and he could only enrage at the thought that he was still in your bed.

He needed to calm down, he knew it was wrong, lusting over someone that was not his, hating the thought of him being with someone else. He exhaled and inhaled slowly, his murderous aura vanishing into the air, suddenly, a thought crossed his mind. And as he closes his eyes tightly, he imagines himself being in the position of this man, being the one under you, taking his place.

Did you do the same to Zhongli, is it why you had his mark? And so… also with another person who has a hydro vision. He could feel his heart breaking at the thought, of imagining you with another two people. Unknowingly jealous but certainly curious, he was so lost.

As you escape the man's arms, you just noticed how you still don't remember the name of this guy, but he was not that important anyway, he's leaving tomorrow. You get out of the room without making a sound, wanting to get some fresh air. Since the top of the inn seemed like the most relaxing place, you get up slowly, admiring the view. From the ground it was beautiful but at this height, it was truly magnificent.

As you got lost while watching far away from here, you heard a strange coming from beside you. You freeze, dubious if you should check it out in case it is someone injured, or if it's a trap or something similar. You ponder a bit before climbing up there, suddenly, the noise seems much louder than some seconds ago. You were going to dash forward when you stop dead in your tracks, in front of you was the Adeptus, Xiao fingering himself in the middle of the night, outside.

His head was thrown back as he gasped for air, his fingers disappearing into his hole over and over, legs spread letting you see everything. From how his hole was clenching around his fingers, the quivering of his legs, the shakiness of his fingers and the moans pouring out of his mouth.

Your cheeks were burning as you leave as quickly and quietly as you came here, ears burning as you saw something you surely should not have. You cover the gasp you nearly let out when he whimpered your name loudly, the sounds sending chills up your spine. Body reacting to the sound immediately, equally as turned on as confused. You never met him, so it had no reason to happen. You shake your head, running back inside, not wanting to invade his privacy more.

Sadly, you forgot a detail while escaping, how sharp was Xiao's hearing. At first, he heard something approaching but it was so quiet he thought it was one of the cats, but when he heard someone run away, his eyes widened. Someone saw him. He shot up from his position, ready to kill that person until he saw you. As he observes you leaving, your scent was still lingering in the air and your back revived his imagination, his body reacted on his own and with his fingers finding their place in him again, he cums suddenly, choking on a moan as he's taken by surprise. Cum landed on the roof, as he came down from his high, and he just teleports away, embarrassed.

He still could not help but stop in front of your window, and he was surprised to see you laying on the couch instead of the bed. Heart warming up as he makes sure you're asleep and enter the room silently, crouching to kiss you before stopping beside the man in the bed, placing his hand over his forehead to grant him some marvellous nightmares. He left as quickly as he came in, a discreet smile on his face.

The next day, you wake up feeling strangely fine, as if your dream of this night was unusual. Your body feels light and your torso felt hot as if something stayed on top of you the whole night. You bid your partner of the night goodbye, not looking back, ignoring him as he complains. You could still hear him whine about how he thought you would spend some time with him but no. You chuckle at his useless ramble while changing.

Thankfully not every clothing Childe bought you were that revealing, even if you liked them, you did not know if it was really accepted to be this lightly clothed. And you remember Verr Goldet and her husband looked at you a bit too insistently yesterday, so maybe it was not the best idea, afraid you made them feel uncomfortable.

As you get down the stairs, greeting her politely, she frowns, looking at you up and down.

“You changed clothes?”

The question seemed a bit strange, after all, you tried your best to stay as proper as possible in any way.

“How sad… It was a blessing for my and my husband's eyes.

And I guess for any other passers-by.”

You feel your cheeks heat up, covering your face a bit ashamed. With a sigh, you got back to your room, the owner of the inn looking at you confused. But when you came back down with the same type of clothes from the previous day, she claps with a big smile, blushing a bit, but she seemed satisfied. With a loud laugh, you promise her to 'bless her eyes' again the next day, since you planned to at least stay two more days, to relax and be fully rested.

As you walk away, you hear Verr Goldet murmur something under her breath, giggling.

“He should be satisfied.

But at this rate, it's not following. It's stalking.”

You planned to eat breakfast with the merchants before they leave, but the atmosphere was strange. The man, who introduced his son to you the day before, was glaring at the said male. When he saw you head their way, he apologized for the behaviour of his son, using a sickly sweet voice as he tries to stand closer to you. You shoo him away with a single hand gesture as you leave to sit at another table, these two were too suspicious.

The atmosphere between the merchants was terrible, and you decide to leave as quickly as you could, you wished them a good journey and hoped to see them another time before going back inside. The top of the inn seemed like the safest and most relaxing place of all for now, and Xiao should be out doing whatever he was supposed to. So there was little to no chance to see him there, and he doesn't reveal himself most of the time anyway. A bit flustered at the thought of possibly seeing him as the scene from the previous night was still in your mind.

As you expected, it was desert, nobody around and a perfect peaceful view. You step closer to the barrier, and rest your forearms on it as you admire the scenery. You only have been doing that lately, admiring things, but who were you to not make the most out of your stay here. It's not like you were going to see this every day, even if you knew there will always be a room for you here.

You're taken by surprise when a strong wind came out of nowhere, no clouds on the horizon and suddenly, a second blast of air hits you. You gasp as it pushes you over the barrier, you move as quickly as you could to grab something, but to no avail. You were ready to endure the pain, but a hand grab your arm, a grip strong enough to almost break it as the person helps you come back onto the ground.

One second after, and you would have been laying down unmovingly on another ground, a few meters below. This person saved your life.

When you looked up, still sitting on the ground in shock, golden eyes met yours, they were observing you, the hand previously gripping your arm placed on the top of your head. Swiftly, it slid down to your cheek, rubbing it tenderly. You went to open your mouth, wanting to thank him when he freezes in his movement. Teal hair falls in front of his face, covering his eyes as his gaze still does not waver. Sudden, he stands up straight as if he just realized something. His hand covering the bottom of his face, ears turning red, unable to look at you anymore. Xiao was cute like this.

As you look down, trying to not embarrass him more, you notice how he was crossing his legs awkwardly, body turning suddenly in another direction, so you could not see him properly. One of his hands goes down to cover his crotch before he vanishes into thin air. The words you wanted to say died on your tongue, and you were sitting there, still processing what just happened. Something was really not right today.

It's not every day that you practically fall from the top of an inn, meet an Adeptus and get saved by him. As you inspect your wrist, you notice the change of colour, his grip left a strong red mark that will surely turn into a bruise. Something seemed fishy, why would the wind get this strong suddenly, and with perfect timing, coincidentally he, out of everyone, appears to save you. A small light bulb lit up over your head.

He planned it. This guy purposely made the wind pushes you over the barrier, he put you in a deadly situation. So he could save you… He was worse than Zhongli.

On Xiao's side, he was lying on his bed, his face hidden in his pillow. He just realized what he did, it was done impulsively, without thinking. He never wanted to put you in danger, but his greedy mind forced him to, he needed to become important to you. Wasn't saving your life the perfect plan? He promised himself to stay away from you but when this morning, he saw all those people standing around you, being so friendly and close, when this man was talking to you with that disgusting tone, he became so angry. He hated how you gave them your attention. As if they deserved it.

He came back to his sense after some minutes, hands gripping the pillow as even in his rage, he was still hard from earlier. You did nothing, you did not even speak, he just grabbed your arm, but this single touch send his mind spiralling. Your warmth, when you looked up at him with those eyes. Even when you were sitting on the ground like this, still shocked about what happened, you were intimidating, without wanting to. It made his legs quiver and his body shook as he left as quickly as he could, before he could let out an embarrassing noise in front of you.

He was glad you did not talk because if you did, he would have came on the spot, staining his underwear and pants without a care in the world. Your voice alone could bless his ears, your face and body blessed his eyes, your scent filled his nose and he dreamed of being able to taste you.

He needed to calm down, it was getting out of hand. As he nods to himself, getting ready to go outside, doing his duties and not coming back before the next day, determined to not let his thoughts about you distract him. But unfortunately, he saw you as he jumped out of the window. He saw you with an unknown man, who was talking to you with a big smile as he tried to flirt with you, you shoved him away, looking down at this guy in disgust. But when he tried to touch your arm and you pushed it off immediately, when he tried again to place his hand on your torso again some second after, with a lustful expression on his face, Xiao lost it.

The next second, he was next to you, an animalistic look in his eyes, baring his fangs at the man. His spear materialized in his hands, moving it toward the man's neck instantly. Before Xiao could kill him, you grab his arm, tugging him away. His face hit your torso as you hold him, making him unable to move from your point of view, trying to protect the man.

But for him, it was as if you were trying to hug him. He pressed his face into your body, sniffing your scent as he could not help but take a bite. You would not be mad at him, right?

Sharp fangs pierced through your skin, your eyes widening as the pain paralyse your neck and shoulders, thankfully the man from earlier had already run away, scared for his life. Something vibrated against you, as you looked down, your eyes meeting Xiao's ones. Body trembling as he was moaning against your skin, tasting hungrily your blood and flesh, his head was spinning. When you tried to pry him away, he leaned forward, refusing to retract his teeth and suddenly, he lost his footing, falling against you, crotch rubbing against your thigh. And it was enough.

Something wet got through the fabric of your pants, the wet stain getting bigger and bigger as Xiao sobbed into your arms, eyes rolled back.

He just came, but he was still rutting against your thigh, body tensing as he felt his second high come. He was losing his mind, everything was fading around him as he baths in your warmth. His hips jerked up as you tensed your muscles, helping him grind down harshly. You catch him as he almost falls, knees giving up, pleasure and tension too intense he passed out.

And you stand there, in the middle of the entrance of the Wangshu Inn, with an Adeptus in your arms, pants stained and a bleeding bite mark near your collarbone, you notice how exposed you are. You weren't particularly shy, but you knew that Xiao would not be that comfortable. As gently as you could, you lift him up, carrying him inside. His words muffled into your neck, but you could still discern some whimpers of your name. You head to his room, knowing nobody would dare come here and disturb you. On your way up, you saw Verr Goldet giggle at you as if she knew it was going to happen.

You didn't pass by anybody else on your way, thankfully, because the man in your arms was trying so hard to undress you the moment he woke up, and it would have been a situation difficult to explain. When you finally managed to open the door of his room, your top was almost off and his hands were attempting to take off your pants. When you put him down on his bed, he scrambled to grip your shirt, begging you to not leave him alone. Teary pleading eyes looking up at you, as his face moves closer to your body, he nuzzles against your crotch, tongue darting out, licking the front of your pants as he keeps eye contact.

You could feel your body temperature rise up, covering your face, keeping your eyes away from his dazzling face, if you weren't hard before, now you certainly were. You could feel his tongue move against you through the fabric, drool covering your pants, his nose pressed onto your clothes, sniffling you. He looked like a cat in heat, lapping at you, eyes glowing as his brain shut off.

He was embarrassed, and Xiao felt pathetic. First, you caught him fingering himself to the thought of you, second, he came on you just by rutting against your thigh and third, he was now acting like a desperate whore. He thought about stopping, stepping away from you, but it felt too good. Having you this close was exhilarating, as if he had a chance with you, as if you wanted him too. His thoughts spiralled, he needed to go away before he really loses his mind but at the same time, you were still there. If you wanted him to go away, you would not stay here with him.

As he looks up at you, searching for the answer in your eyes, he noticed how flustered you were. He swells up with pride, he wanted more, he craved your praises. With shaky hands, he moves them to your pants, asking you if he could take them off. He could hear your shaky breaths as you give him the green light. His mouth waters at the thought, and as he pulls your pants and underwear down. He presses his nose at the base of your cock, unable to keep his moans in, your scent was perfect, filling his nose and clouding his head.

With all the adoration he could mutter, he kissed the base, moving up to the tip, licking at the underside vein, moaning at the taste. He finally was able to taste you. He wanted to take you in his mouth completely, but it was his first time, and he was afraid to mess up and not satisfy you. As he starts to panic, a gentle hand is placed on top of his head, ruffling his hair. He gasps at the feeling, your gentle eyes met his, and he blushed violently, heart skipping a beat at the tenderness you were giving.

“Don't force yourself, Xiao. It's all right if you can't do it.”

Your voice blessed his ears, calming him down immediately. The way you said his name, as it rolled off your tongue with so much love… Xiao closed his legs in shock, how such a trivial thing could make him react that way. He needed to focus, he wasn't here to let his thoughts wander, he wanted to make you adore him. If Morax and two other men could have you, he should be able to make you fall for him. It was the first time in such a long time, that he wanted to possess something or someone.

But instead, he did not want you to be his, he needed you to consider him as yours. He had this urge to mark you but, the idea of you marking him was so much better to him. And now that he thought about it, it has been such a long time since he had seen Morax, he should pay him a visit after this.

You were a patient man but with Xiao staying in front of your cock without doing anything, as he was lost in his thoughts, was a bit too much. You could feel your cock twitch as you waited for him to come back to reality. Some minutes passed, and you could see this lovesick expression forming on his face, but he was still not coming back. Since he was so desperate before, he would not mind you taking the lead, right?

With a tight grip on his hair, you moved his head, placing his mouth in front of you. You slowly press the tip against his lips, which opened unconsciously and instantly, you rut into his mouth. The tip enters his throat as you fuck his face. The sudden intrusion made him snap back, and the only thing he could do was grip your thighs, trying to follow your pace.

Xiao gagged around you, he was trying his best to move his tongue to pleasure you, but you were just drilling into him. You were just chasing after your release, using him for your own pleasure, and it made his hips jerk up. He hesitated a bit before moving closer, sitting on your foot as he grinds onto it, he had already come once, and he could feel a strange feeling building up.

He felt you slow down, stopping moving but staying into his mouth. He could see you smirk, waiting for him to do something. With quivering lips, he lapped the drool covering your cock, licking a long strip all the way to the tip before dipping down. He was gagging around you but refused to slow down, swallowing you and tasting your precum with hearts in his eyes. He whimpers as he managed to fit everything into his mouth, he felt like he was suffocating, but he could bear it, as long as you were happy.

You let yourself groan and moan freely, giving him an indication of what you liked. For a virgin, he was really good, his warm mouth was doing wonders, and you were keeping yourself from cumming down his throat. He was moving all the way up and down, worshipping you, licking, sucking, and moaning as each drop of precum would fall into his mouth. His pace was already quick, but he still managed to go faster, your tip hitting the back of his throat every time now, he was constantly swallowing, giving you an overwhelming sensation of tightness, and the urge to cum down his throat but also cover his face was getting stronger.

Suddenly his tongue hit a particularly sensitive spot, and you lost control, emptying yourself into his mouth. As you pulled out, Xiao was whining, your cum still in his mouth, but he refused to swallow immediately. He wished to keep this taste forever. Your hand left his hair, letting him the time to cool down as he was realizing what he did. The drops that landed on his face were wiped away by your finger, before presenting it in front of him. He knew where it was going, and he felt so turned on but also nervous.

He looked at you with lustful eyes as he was licking your finger clean, sucking on it before taking two others in his mouth, kissing and biting lightly till he sucked them as far as he could inside his mouth, a sweet but flustered smile forming on his face. And you snapped. Your cock twitched, becoming hard against. His teasing was too much and as revenge, you mocked him about the mess he made on your shoes. With your pants left pooling at your ankles, they were covered in cum along with your shoes, as if he was obsessed with shooting it on you.

“Clean it off.”

He flushed red, embarrassment and shame coursing through his body, as he gets up to grab a tissue, you repeat yourself.

“With your tongue.”

His facial expression was priceless, you were sure he was going to refuse, but he kneeled, and leaned forward, tongue lolling out before lapping at the mess he left on you. Despite his tensed posture, you could see how hard he was and each word that left your mouth was leaving his cock throbbing in excitement. His eyes were filled with such adoration, he even decided to kneel for someone else than his god. It was impressive and it took you by surprise.

As your shoes were clean, he stayed on the floor, waiting for you to order him around. You wondered how far you could go before he could break. With an amused smile, you ask him to undress completely, before asking him to sit on the bed. His body was shaking slightly as he sat on the bed, legs spreading indecently, his hand pumping his own dick. If he was already like this for his first time, the next time will be quite exceptional.

You kneeled on the bed, his legs on each side of you as you lean forward, kissing, licking and biting his jaw, leaving marks that will stay for days. Your fingers covered in his saliva snaked their way to Xiao's ass, you placed them against his rim, listening to him sucking in a breath as he tries to calm down and relax. You could not go too quickly, afraid to hurt him, you did not mind degrading him a bit, but it was still his first time and destroying him that way was not an option.

The first finger made him whine in pain as he fights the urge to close his legs. It took you some long minutes to make his body relax completely. The second was even worse, he started to cry, trashing around but when you tried to pull away, he hugged you closer, asking for more time to adapt. The third one was both your favourite as it made him whimper beautifully, legs spreading further, with his hands digging into your back and his face buried into your neck. In this position, he was moaning directly into your ear, making it difficult to focus on his reaction as the only thing you wanted is to fuck him so good that he would cry, and only remember your name.

As you thrust your fingers inside one last time, making sure he was ready, a loud moan filled the room. You accidentally hit dead-on one of his most sensitive spots, and he came all over his stomach instantly, eyes losing their focus.

It took him some long minutes to come back to reality, but when he did, he grabbed your neck suddenly, kissing you fervently as he urges you to continue. Cheeks flushed red in both embarrassment and pleasure, his small hand guiding your dick to his hole as he begs you to take him. His hips twitched down in the hope it would make you enter him immediately, he was so damn sensitive, body twitching as he could not process how many times he came, he could not control his reactions anymore. Any self-control just flew out the window, living only a whiny and lustful man on the bed, begging to be filled up, to feel good.

You sink into him slowly, the tip already making him whimper at the pleasure, if only he looked down, he would see how little he took in. His legs wrapped around you, searching for any support before he loses his mind, it seems like you weren't stopping, just how big were you? Or maybe he was just the small one. Your name leaves his lips repeatedly, each whimper cut off by your name, as he chants it like a prayer. You weren't a monster, as you decide to wait, letting him enough time to adjust to your size, his small body adapting to you. You thought he was moulded just for you.

Finally, he asked you to move and immediately, you pushed all the way into him, hitting as deep as you could, your tip kissing his prostate. You were too far turned on to keep the slow pace for so long and quickened it, tears sliding down his cheeks as you thrust up, each strike going so deep in him, he thought he was going to break. His inside moulding to your length, and at this point, he was sure nobody could fuck him after you.

Your pace was punishing, pushing him to the edge without letting him breathe. It has your eyes rolling to the back of your head, the way his walls were pulsing around you, clenching so tightly you could cum on the spot. His mouth took away all your endurance and the nights before tired you out, you just needed to make him cum. Your mind forgetting everything else, you were just focused on making him lose it. Just imagining how hard he could fall for you and your cock, unable to think about anything else, his duties becoming nothing compared to a good night with you, even if it was only one hour… An Adeptus being yours, was driving you crazy.

You leaned forward, forearms placed on the bed, on each side of his head as you speed up, skin clapping loudly, the sound reverberating off the walls. You were fucking him just the way he wanted it, fulfilling his most lustful wishes. His legs started to quiver with each thrust into him, eyes rolling back, useless whimpers being the only thing that told you he still hasn't passed out. He was panting, chasing after his breaths. His nails breaking the skin, ruining your arms as the blood pooled on the sheets, he keeps repeating one word over and over, 'god'.

His fucked-out face forcing you to be rougher, bringing him to tears and incomprehensible pleads, imploring you to let him finish and stay with him forever. He was about to break, he was just on the edge and what made him cum was not one hard thrust, but when you kissed him on the top of his head. The sound coming from him almost made you cum, he bit you, fangs piercing through the skin of your shoulder as ropes of cum covered his stomach. He loses all control of himself.

But as you were going to pull out without being able to orgasm, as you knew how tired and out of it he was, you did not expect him to tug you forward. With his last strength, he urges you to continue, begging you to cum in him. There was no hesitation in his voice, just desperation and lust. Immediately, you rut into him, as fast as you could to finish quickly, he was almost screaming as the pleasure was too strong, overstimulated to the point he could pass out. His mind became blank, but before he could start to go lax, you came.

A sudden warmth spread into his stomach, as you empty your load into him. This sensation was the last straw, as he came one more time, but he was too tired and his body could not produce anything more. So, only some pitiful drop of cum came out, before he pissed a little over himself. And thankfully, he was too high to process what he has just done, saving him from this embarrassment.

He was ruined, covered in cum and piss, drool everywhere and the sheets had some stain from your blood, his nails really destroyed you. In between Zhongli ruining your stomach by digging his claws in hit and Xiao ruining your arms, you looked like you just came back from a war.

Even in his fucked-out state, Xiao looked cute, his lips as kissable as ever and his body tempting you to kiss and mark it even more. But for now, you needed to take care of him, because there was no way he would wake up soon. Gently, you picked him up, watching as the cum spilt onto the floor, his loose hole not keeping anything inside, you made a mental note that you need to clean the floor and change the bedsheets.

As you sit in the bathtub with him, delicately cleaning him off, scrubbing and even exfoliating his skin for him, you nearly fall asleep on the spot. His warm body resting against you lulling you to sleep, but sleeping there was not the best idea. As you placed him on the bed, searching for clothes to change him into, you're surprised by the little to nothing he had. With a frown, you quickly made a run to your room, grabbing comfortable clothes without being seen before coming back, changing him. The clothes were clearly too big, but at least he was cosy and warm in them.

You tuck him into bed, joining him as you hold him close, hiding his body under yours, creating a shield. Your warmth engulfed him and gave him a feeling of safety as if you would protect him from everything. He subconsciously curls up against you, seeking more of your affectionate embrace.

You spend the night with him, keeping him close to you as you rest, feeling at peace, eyes closed shut and your brain turn off. Xiao was surprisingly still sleeping, he did not need to, but his subconscious let him enjoy it a bit longer. His night was without a nightmare, for the first time. Only you were appearing in his dream, your charming face close to his as you tell him that you love him, confessing. He felt like he was floating, heart-swelling up with love and endless adoration, he wanted to stay by your side. But suddenly, the man from last night appeared beside you, body pressing against you as he tiptoed to kiss you, just in front of him. Even in his dream, rage consumed his mind and he woke up, your relaxed face was the first thing he saw.

But it did not calm him down, this man was in the way. He needed to stay away from you, and as you were oblivious, he left the room in a hurry. He came back not so long after, taking back his place in your arms. Shyly, he moved a bit, so your faces were aligned, and he kissed you, before sinking his teeth in the mark he left earlier. A light blinded him for a second, before the mark emerged, as he was satisfied to have marked you.

But something strange happened, something was burning him as he whimpers in pain. He looks down at his stomach, the same mark as you appeared, leaving him speechless. A single tear escaped his eyes at the thought that you were now linked, his heart beating loudly into his ribcage. Unbeknown to him, he was not the only one. The two other men that you spend a night with and managed to leave a mark on you, also received the same, with three little stars on the side. But Xiao was too euphoric to notice it.

The next day, you woke up with Xiao, enjoying your morning together as you were oblivious to the chaos happening some kilometres away, the corpse of a familiar man was found in a river. He was unrecognizable as his face got torn apart, and his body was destroyed, or more like what remains of the body.

At the same time, our dear Traveller was heading to the Wangshu Inn, admiring the impressive structure again before entering, greeting Verr Goldet on the way as she was used to seeing him. It has been such a long time since he has not seen Xiao, and he wanted to take some news and make sure he was taking care of himself. As he walked up the stairs leading to the top of the inn, he was surprised by the usual friendly cats hissing at him.

Finally, after he managed to shoo them away, he was going to say Xiao's name when he sees an unknown man sitting on the ground. He was reading a book peacefully, with the Adeptus sleeping, his head resting on his lap. The man would occasionally run his hand through Xiao's hair gently as if he was reassuring him that he could stay asleep. The bright smile that the man offered him, confused the traveller, but a blush still creep up onto his cheeks, the top of his ears and neck burning under the curious gaze. The attractive man in front of him not breaking the eye contact as he keeps ruffling the Adeptus' hair. As the traveller looks down, he freezes suddenly at the view of the anemo mark on the man's shoulder. Eyes darting from the mark to the sleeping Adeptus as he finally looks back up at the stranger's face.

He needed to know who he was. The power that was leaking from his body sent shivers up his spine as the thought of kneeling in front of him crossed his mind. Was he important enough that Xiao was able to peacefully sleep beside him, with his guard down?

“Who… are you?”

⏤ Thank you for reading! I wish you a great day.

⏤ here is my masterlist & ko-fi ⏤

[thedawntreaders]

I'd like to think there is a pen pal system for anyone who so wishes to participate in Narnia. It's true that for many, adventure comes in the form of riding into a mysterious forest or sailing off in uncharted seas. However, at its core, adventure is about journeying into the unknown. And really anyone can do that with just parchment, quill, and ink. So that's exactly what Queen Susan the Gentle sets off to do.

You see, despite being in the good company of her siblings, Mr. Tumnus, and the Beavers, Susan often feels isolated and bored within the castle walls. There's a bit of guilt added to these emotions too, because boredom is a byproduct of safety, and Susan truly does not intend to wish for anything more eventful after the war with the White Witch. It's just, there is something so irritating about the formalities that separate her from her people. She knows they mean well, but she wishes she had the friendly charm that graces Lucy or the open wit and jestlike nature that Edmund is starting to sport. And Peter... well, she wonders momentarily if this is something akin to what he feels as High King. How odd, to have so much power in the palm of your hand, yet lack the power to make a simple friend, based on status alone.

Well, that's why she finds hope in this system; for the first time in a long while, she might just be able to make a friend, a genuine one that would see past her role as Queen. If it works out, she'll tell Peter. God knows he could use a friend of his own, not the pompous excuses that butter him up for their own interests. She hadn't expected it to work so seamlessly.

Her partner conversed with her as if she were an old friend to begin with. The envelopes were bursting with pages upon pages of narratives; in fact, the seal was almost threatening to tear. If Susan didn't read the letters, she would think her pen pal was lonely and in desperate need of someone to talk to. Fortunately, that isn't the case.

Rather Susan's partner in writing was a merchant at the core of her city's activities, a centaur always coming and going with things to sell. She's quite the talker to anyone who will hear her and in her letters she claims that she can hook the attention of any child at the market. Susan can see why. There's eagerness in the centaur's words, a vibrancy that makes the pages come alive with scenes of the town she lives in. It's intriguing. She considers telling her to become an author; considers being her patron. Over the course of time, Susan loves her pen pal so much that it scares her. She wishes she could write with as much detail, wishes that they could meet to talk more, but her identity would be given away, and she'll lose her friend. So the letters will have to do. At some point, they begin to send each other small gifts. The centaur starts the tradition during the winter for Christmas season, but Susan continues it. It never quite stops. At some point, Susan becomes careless, excitedly gifting quite remarkable trinkets because it's what her friend, best friend, deserves, objects that the centaur knows she can sell a great deal for, but never does because something tells her she shouldn't. At some point, in the late, late night, it dawns upon the centaur what the crest on the crimson seal signifies and she drops the envelope. It can't be.

It is.

When asked about her identity, Susan spawns a grand total of forty three drafts for a letter she never thought she would have to write. She's built so much trust with this friend of hers, and she doesn't want to lose it.

"Dearest friend of mine, there's so many things I wish to say but I don't have the talent to find the right words like you do. All I can say is that what you assume is true. But please, I beg you, treat me no differently from those you would cherish close to you."

Susan anxiously waits for a response and cries when she doesn't receive her letter at its usual two weeks. She's absolutely positive that she ruined it. Her siblings are alarmed at the sudden loss of her composure lately, never having seen their sister so withdrawn and morose. Edmund is the first among them to figure out what the root of the problem is; once he does, Lucy and Peter struggle greatly to stop him from sending out a search party to track the one who broke his sister's heart. He eventually backs off, but he'd be damned if he didn't find a way to make things right again. In the meantime, Lucy and Peter try to snap the Gentle out of it, but nothing really works.

On Thursday on the fourth week after Susan sent that letter, one of the staff alerts the three monarchs (Susan hasn't come out of her room in so long) that a citizen requests an audience with them. Specifically with Susan if possible. Peter raises an eyebrow. He meets the gaze of the other two. Under normal circumstances they wouldn't so easily entertain a request, but anything potentially concerning Susan is an exception.

"Bring them in."

The centaur is out of breath, but she looks around.

"Your Highnesses," she huffs out, bowing, "Forgive me, but where is-"

"Susan?" Edmund interrupts with a quirked lip. There's something alight in his eyes, the centaur discerns, something along a simmering anger or blazing mischief. She's a good reader at people, which is how she could recognize the letter coming from Susan out of all the four monarchs, but when it came to the Just King she couldn't tell which of the two emotions presented itself more. Then again, she could barely look him in the eye to begin with, so maybe that had something to do with it. If it weren't for his ranking, the centaur would have squinted in suspicion. She knows better than to risk her head for that.

"I couldn't send the last letter as the mail deliverer's wife had a baby and I knew Her Majesty would think something was wrong and I came all the way over here to assure her I haven't thought ill of her or our friendship."

Lucy and Edmund look at each other. The centaur reads the look in their eyes as distrust.

"I'm the one she sends letters to, I promise. Here! I even have some of them as evidence. Just please, let me talk to her. I fear I must have put her in a sour mood, judging by her absence."

She shows them the letters, and sure enough it's Susan's handwriting, a calligraphy that's known across the land to be impossible to forge. Edmund steps off his throne, and so does Lucy.

"We'll take you to her," Lucy says with a smile.

If the castle corridors rang with the teasing words, "We found your girlfriend Su!" and the Gentle became the Rapid with how she came out running to greet her best friend with open arms, well, that's between the four of them, isn't it?

[lazypeachsoul]

you promise?

Request: by anon “Could you write an Osferth drabble. About anything you'd like. Please and thank you.”

Warnings: Nothing.

Word count: 1,8k

A/N: Here's the first fic for The Last Kingdom Week! Hope you enjoy some sweet baby monk. I might have gone overboard with this story, but I can't help it when it comes to osferth. Enjoy 🌼

The streets of Cookham were bustling with workers returning home from the fields that surrounded the village. Thanks to Lord Uhtred and his fame the once forgotten town had become a stop for every merchant that traveled through Wessex and the workload had increased. And you were no different than any of those other people.

The sun was now setting and it was your time to return the children you minded back to their homes, where their overworked parents would take care of them. It wasn’t normal for common workers to have child minders, normally leaving the kids at home with their mothers, but Cookham was busier than ever and women were working the fields too. And that left you to take care of the little rascals that lived in town.

You had tried to work as a seamstress and at the alehouse, but nothing seemed to really suit you. Well, at least until you started taking care of the kids. You didn’t get much pay since the people you worked for were underpaid to begin with, but the little you got you saved for a new fabric, or a sweet treat or for those times you would meet Osferth at the alehouse and you wanted to prove him that you were a hard working woman.

And how you loved those times. Osferth seemed to always be busy either training or meeting with the rest of what had now been named the “Cookham squad”. Lord Uhtred and his loyal warriors were the talk of all Wessex and a great source of gossip for the entire town. Lord Uhtred and his beautiful wife Gisela took care of the people that lived inside their walls. Then there was Finan, the loud irishman who seemed to bring joy and fun to any occasion celebrated, always close to him was Sihtric, the mysterious dane who didn’t speak much but said a lot with just a look. And the last one was the monk who is not really a monk Osferth.

When you first met him you were trying to learn to become a barmaid and accidentally tripped on his foot, sending a pitcher of ale flying everywhere and leaving you both embarrassed and asking for mutual forgiveness. Since that moment, you had started to meet together at the alehouse every few days, providing you with a nice friendship but keeping all the rules a respectable young unmarried woman should follow.

And that’s exactly where you were headed after dropping your last child at home with his grateful mother. Your heart skipped a beat when you saw the familiar blonde mop of hair sitting on one of the outside benches, and you had to admit to yourself that maybe it was more than just casual meetings at the alehouse. At that moment Osferth turned around and waved in your direction and with a small wave you made your way to the bench, sitting in front of him.

“I thought you didn’t see me, you looked distracted.” Osferth's sweet voice spoke and you had to admit he was right, you almost missed it because of your constant daydreaming about the man. But you couldn’t admit that.

“Excuse me, the children were wild and I’m extremely tired. Must be because of the nice weather.”

“Maybe we should meet another day, I wouldn’t want to tire you more Lady-” “No!”

You hadn’t been able to stop the agitated answer from coming out when you heard his dismissal. You were tired but never too tired to stop meeting Osferth. You could feel your cheeks hot with embarrassment and you tried to clear your throat to diffuse the tension.

“I mean, I would rather stay here with you and relax with a friend.”

Osferth’s face seemed to harden at your words but as soon as the barmaid brought you two cups of ale everything seemed to go back to normal, except for a small curious voice at the back of your head wanting to know why the expression changed.

“A friend. Of course. I enjoy the time we spend together too.” He nodded his head, his blonde hair falling in front of his eyes before taking a sip from his cup. “The weather is really nice so I wouldn’t blame the children. Lord Uhtred told us that the weather would turn nicer before we leave.”

You felt the ale you had been drinking get stuck in your throat but you tried to conceal it with a soft cough so as to not cause a scene in the packed alehouse. Leave? They were leaving?

“Are you leaving soon? You didn’t say anything before.”

“Lord Uhtred just confirmed it this morning. The King has requested the Lord’s help in some negotiations with the danes. He thought it best for us to accompany him since his history with the king is not the most amicable.”

You nodded along as he spoke but your brain was overworking itself trying to comprehend the situation. They were leaving to assist the King of Wessex and they would leave Cookham unattended for God knows how long. Of course the real reason you were worried was not the village, Lady Gisela could take care of it and more without a problem, you were worried about Osferth and you. Was there even an 'Osferth and you' to worry about?

“That’s...great that the King and our Lord are speaking again. Maybe it might help us get resources from the crown.” You tried to excuse your previous silence but it must have been obvious you were deep in thought because Osferth looked at you with a curious face. “And when are you leaving?”

“We’re expected to depart tomorrow morning. Apparently those matters are very important and require us to be there as soon as possible.” He shrugged in a move to downplay the entire situation.

Silence was the only thing that could be heard from your side of the bench, a deep contrast from the rest of the groups happily chatting and drinking. The table was silent but your mind was not, still overthinking every word your companion had said. You were overthinking so much that you almost missed his quiet voice.

“I am going to miss you.” Osferth spoke and as soon as you looked at him again he seemed to flush. “And our conversations. Or friendly conversations as...friends.”

You wanted to laugh at the poor man in front of you. In the many months you had known Osferth you had never seen him that flustered in his life, cheeks and ears bright red and a stuttering mess.

“I’m going to miss you too Osferth. And our friendly meetings.” You placed your hand next to his on the table next to his, not wanting to overstep and make the poor man more uncomfortable.

He moved his hand carefully almost imperceptibly until his fingers touched yours and a warm feeling ran down your entire arm from your hand. He seemed to be the one deep in thought at the moment and you almost wished you could pick at his brain to see what was going on. Is that how he felt every time you zoned out?

“Maybe you could remember me-” “Of course I’m going to remember you Osferth, don’t be silly. You are not going to war, only a mission for the king.”

A nervous chuckle was the only thing he could let out now and his reactions were starting to worry you a bit. If it was only a small trip he shouldn't have been that nervous.

“Let me finish. Maybe if I gave you something that you could remember me by, it would be easier.”

“You don’t have to do that, Osferth. I will remember you anyways.” You tried to reason with him but you couldn’t stop him from moving to look for something in the pockets of his robes.

After a bit of fussing with the robes he placed his closed fist on top of your hand, opening it just enough for something small and metallic to fall into your hand. Moving your hand closer you found a small fragile chain that seemed to have been at least as old as you.

“It’s not much, just a scrap of metal if you try to sell it. But it was my mother’s, the only thing I have from her. I hid it from the monks when I was growing up so they wouldn’t take it away. Carried it into battle with me every time I’ve fought too.”

Every single word of the explanation seemed to make your throat close a bit more and your eyes glossier. You knew Osferth had no real memories with his mother and you could imagine how important that bracelet must have been for him.

“I can’t accept it, it’s so important to you. Why would you give it to me?” You debated with your head shaking and trying to push the chain into his hand again. “Don’t be silly, Osferth. It’s your mother’s bracelet.”

“You must keep it. Please.” He kept his fist tightly closed to avoid you giving him back the piece of jewelry. “I want you to have it.”

“But I don’t have anything to give you in return.”

You kept trying to pry his fist open, all in vain because he wouldn’t even budge. You wanted to get up and hug him for such a meaningful gesture and hit him at the same time for wanting to part with such a meaningful piece.

“You have.” He spoke, grabbing your hand and halting your movements. “Maybe you can give me your promise.”

You looked at him curiously at what his proposal might be. Maybe he just wanted you to take care of Lady Gisela, you knew how he saw her as the mother he never had. Or maybe he wanted you to care for Lord Uhtred’s children.

“You can promise me that once I’m back from Wincester you will allow me to properly court you.” He explained and you felt your heart stop. “I-If you want, of course.”

Courting Osferth was not something you had thought about, mainly because you had nothing to offer. Your parents didn’t have fields or many resources they could offer a prospective husband. And Osferth was a warrior, so you thought settling down seemed to be out of the picture for him. But you had to admit the idea made your stomach turn in the best way possible.

You realized you had been thinking for a long time and still hadn’t given an answer when you felt him squeezing your hand. Could you promise him something like that?

“I promise.” Of course you could, the idea of a lifetime with Osferth only made you more excited about life. “Only you have to promise me to come back soon.”

He nodded with enthusiasm, moving his hands to take the small chain from your delicate hand and clasp it around your wrist. This mission hadn’t even started and you already wanted it to end.

Taglist: @webreathfandoms @thebohemianpenguin @emilyhufflepufftlk @solinarimoon