#Just finished slash and bash

[idk-ig-7]

idc if it's 2:48 in the morning, I've decided I WILL finish an absurd amount of the playlists on escaped audios page

but I'm still kinda sleepy.....

[slytherin-pen]

Heartbreak Anniversary

pairing: Bodhi Durran x Reader

word count 1.8k

warnings: canon typical violence, injury, cursing

tags: no use of y/n, gn!reader, marked one!reader, set during FW, angst then hurt/comfort, hea

summary: It’s you and Bodhi’s anniversary but unfortunately the upcoming rebellion takes precedent over such trivial things. You’re heartbroken and furious…until Bodhi comes back injured.

a/n: written for day 1 of Bodhi Week @empyreanevents

Bodhi Masterlist

You’d been counting down the days. Not because you needed the reminder—it had practically been carved into your heart—but because you were so excited. One year. One full year of surviving war and everything else life throws at the two of you side by side.

Today was your anniversary, and you had plans to make today extra special. Starting with breakfast in bed, courtesy of Violet using her breakfast duties to sneak you two trays of food before other cadets rummaged through it all.

Next would be a picnic for lunch, accompanied by your dragons. Then finishing the evening with a candlelit dinner on the roof where’d you give him the gift you bought. It wasn’t perfect. Ideally, the two of you would be able to take the day off and spend the whole day together, but when attending a war college you had to take what you could get.

You were adjusting the stray hairs that fell out of your braid when there was a light knock on your door, and it opened to reveal Bodhi. You smiled at him through your reflection in the mirror, but it quickly fell when you noticed his somber expression.

You turned around. “What’s wrong?”

“I have to go,” he said, his face tight with urgency.

You felt your heart sink. “But it’s our anniversary.”

“I know, baby,” he said, approaching you and grabbing your hands. “But Xaden needs me. Garrick can’t sneak away today and Xaden needs backup when he meets with the fliers.”

“What about Imogen? Or Heaton, or Emery? Anyone but you.”

Bodhi grimaced. “They went last night and the night before. They need a break, and it would be suspicious if the same three riders—marked ones—are gone at the same time two days in a row.”

“But, Bodhi.” You want to throttle yourself for the whiny tone of your voice, but you can’t help it. You’re desperate. You’re watching all of your plans burn to ash in front of your eyes. “Why can’t it be rescheduled? It’s our anniversary. We somehow survived one whole year, not just our relationship but us.”

“I’m so sorry, my love,” he sighed. “You know how impatient fliers can be. We can’t wait. I’ll try to come home as soon as possible, okay?”

“Okay,” you mumbled, and let him give you a quick kiss before he’s out the door chasing after his cousin.

You sat on your bed staring at the cracks in the paint, the emptiness of the room feeling like a wide open chasm now that he’s gone.

The sadness slowly turned to rage. With each passing hour, every moment that your eyes darted to the door only to find it empty, it built.

You snapped at a cadet who bumped into you as you walked into the dining hall, causing Violet to side-eye you from her spot next to you. Later, when another cadet in Battle Brief made a joke about you missing your boyfriend, Ridoc of all people shot him a deadly look and slashed his hand across his neck. A silent warning. Shut up. Not today.

You left the lecture hall, your chair nearly falling over as you shot out of it, boots echoing down the corridor. It was better this way. Your friends didn’t deserve your second-hand anger. You’d do what was expected of you and keep interactions to a minimum, and hopefully, Bodhi would be back before you lashed out at someone else.

The rest of the day was a blur of classes and sparring matches. Every little grievance acted as kindling to your fury. During a challenge, your opponent had tapped out, but in your adrenaline-induced haze, he looked a little like Xaden. You didn’t get off of him. Instead, you pushed down on him harder, fighting the urge to bash his skull into the mat.

It wasn’t until Garrick walked onto the mat and started pulling you up by your armpits that you finally let the cadet go.

You stormed out of the gym, Garrick on your heels.

He called your name. “Would you—just wait up!”

“What?” you snapped, turning around to face him. You were breathing heavily, not just from exertion but from the rage in your chest, consuming your every thought and breath.

“You’re upset, I get it. But you can’t do shit like that. You know better than to draw attention to yourself, especially when two of our own are trying to get away with something that’s considered treason,” he said, pointedly looking at the rebellion relic peeking out from under your long sleeve.

He was right. Damn it, you knew he was right. But the ugly beast inside you did not care. It wanted to curse him out, curse this whole rebellion, and everything else that takes Bodhi away from you.

You swallowed it down as best you could. “I’m sorry, Gare. It won’t happen again,” you said, your voice coming out a little harsher than intended, but Garrick took it in stride, dipping his chin in acceptance before turning around and walking back toward the gym.

By the time you reached your room that night, you were vibrating with the need to break something. You scrubbed your face, ripped off your jacket, and pulled on your softest nightgown. You were debating whether or not to scream into your pillow when the knock came—hard and frantic.

You wrenched the door open to find a breathless Garrick. “Come with me. Now.”

Your stomach dropped.

“Is it—?” you whispered, heart already sprinting ahead.

“Infirmary. It’s bad.”

You threw on a robe and your slippers before bolting out the door behind Garrick.

You didn’t feel your feet hit the ground as you ran.

Down stairwells, around corridors, past startled cadets and confused officers.

Your eyes found him as soon as you breached the doorway. He was stretched across a cot, unmoving, pale, and though you couldn’t see the color of the blood seeping out him, his leathers were shining with it.

An anguished cry escaped your throat.

You surged forward.

“No—wait!” Garrick caught you around the waist just in time. “You’ll be in the way—let the healers work—let them save him!”

You’d barely noticed them hovering and flitting around Bodhi. You still fought Garrick. Kicked and clawed and thrashed, desperate to be close to your boyfriend. But the healers were hunched over his torso, their hands moving rapidly with gauze to staunch the bleeding, sweat pouring down their faces.

Your blood thundered in your ears, your body trembling with helplessness. And then your gaze landed on him.

Xaden.

Standing silent in the corner, arms crossed, jaw like stone. No blood on him. Not a scratch.

You snapped.

You crossed the room in a blur, grabbing fistfuls of his flight leathers and shoving him against the stone wall so hard his head thunked against it.

“What the fuck happened!” you screamed, teeth bared. “You dragged him out on our anniversary and now he’s dying—what the hell did you do?!”

Xaden didn’t flinch. He didn’t shove you off, though you both know he could if he wanted to. He didn’t defend himself verbally either. He let you shove him again. Let his head smack the wall twice more, as if he welcomed the pain. His face was cold, unreadable, but his silence only fueled your rage.

“I hope it was fucking worth it,” you hissed. “I knew this would happen. He fucking worships you while you treat him like some spare dagger in your belt, you piece of—”

You barely hear your name being croaked from across the room, but your ears are attuned to the sound of his voice, no matter how weak it may be.

You spun around so fast your neck cracked.

“Bodhi?” you gasped.

The healers had moved aside, packing up their supplies. He was blessedly stitched up and bandaged now. He was so pale, with cracked lips and bloodshot eyes that you could tell were taking tremendous effort to keep open.

“Hi,” he rasped, “mo ghràdh.”

You stumbled toward him and fell to your knees beside the cot, grabbing his hand with both of yours.

“I hate you,” you whispered, tears spilling freely now. “I hate you and Xaden and every god who let this happen.”

He smiled. The bastard smiled. “You’re so dramatic,” he said, his voice gravely with dryness.

You cursed him in rapid Tyrrish, words that made the nearest healer blink in shock. Then you squeezed his hand hard enough to make him wince before you accepted the cup of water from Garrick and brought it to Bodhi’s lips.

“Don’t stress yourself out, sweetheart. I’m okay.”

“You’re not okay,” you said fiercely. “But when you are, you better run for the fucking hills because I’m kicking your ass for scaring me like this.”

“Looking forward to it,” he murmured, the corner of his mouth twitching.

You stayed there for what felt like hours, your head resting on the edge of the cot, your hand tangled in his. The room slowly emptied around you until it was just the two of you in the quiet.

“Come here,” he said softly.

You blinked. “Bodhi, no—”

“Please,” he whispered. “Just… please.”

With a sigh of surrender, you climbed up beside him, moving slowly. He hissed at the movement but pulled you closer, his arm weakly slung around your waist.

You both exhaled at the same time, your bodies finally in sync again.

“What happened?” you murmured.

He grunted. “Met with some fliers. Wasn’t expecting trouble. They brought friends. Not the friendly kind.”

You stiffened. “Fucking hell,” you growled. “How dare they? I get things are stressful for them but have they never heard the phrase ‘don’t bite the hand that feeds you’? I swear to the gods, I’m going on the next run and I’ll teach them a lesson about hurting my boyfriend.”

“Hey,” he said, brushing a finger along your cheek.

You weren’t done. “I mean seriously, I’ll ask Dìon to char them to dust or—”

“Love.”

You blinked.

“Let’s save the revenge plot for tomorrow,” he said gently. “I know you’re angry. You have every right to be, for many reasons. But right now, I just want to lay here with you while the pain tonics kick in.”

You bit your lip, your fury dimming.

“…Fine,” you muttered. “But tomorrow I want names.”

He chuckled—then winced. “Deal. I’ll even have Garrick get you a lineup of cadets to pummel to quench your thirst for blood.”

You sighed dreamily, resting your head carefully against his chest. “You know me so well.”

“Of course I do. You’re the love of my life.”

“Don’t think sweet talking and bribing me is going to help you get away with this. You still have a reckoning coming once you heal,” you admonished.

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” he teased.

He kissed your temple, slow and tired, and you felt like you could finally breathe again.

You could feel the beat of his heart beneath your cheek—uneven, slow, but there. And that was enough. For now.

[broidobe]

𝔠𝔥𝔞𝔬𝔰

requested! i love writing for izzy!

⁎⁺˳✧༚guns and roses masterlist

the night was chaos, as always. guns n’ roses had just wrapped up a blistering set in a packed stadium, and the backstage party was in full swing. slash was challenging roadies to drinking contests, duff was teaching a sound tech how to shotgun a beer, and axl was arguing with someone—again. somewhere in the corner, steven was laughing so loudly it echoed through the cavernous backstage hall.

you were perched on a worn-out couch in the corner, nursing a drink and watching the madness unfold. it was like stepping into another world, one you’d never quite get used to. it wasn’t your scene, not really, but you stayed for one reason: izzy.

he walked in a little later than the others, quieter, more subdued. his dark eyes scanned the room until they landed on you, and a small, almost bashful smile spread across his face. he made his way over, weaving through the crowd like a ghost in the pandemonium. in his hands, he held a small black notebook with frayed edges.

“hey,” he said, standing awkwardly in front of you, his voice soft and slightly hoarse.

“hey yourself,” you replied, setting your drink down. “what’s that?”

he hesitated, looking down at the notebook. “uh… i’ve been writing some stuff. for, uh… you.”

your eyebrows shot up. “oh yeah? let me see.”

he handed it over like it weighed a ton, his hands stuffed into his jacket pockets as you flipped through the pages. inside were lyrics, scribbled down in his messy handwriting. some lines were crossed out, others rewritten several times, but the words were unmistakably about you.

you glanced up, your chest tightening at how vulnerable this was for him. “izzy… this is amazing.”

he ducked his head, his hair falling into his face. “it’s nothin’ fancy. just… stuff i’ve been thinking about.”

you stood and threw your arms around him, pulling him into a tight hug. “you’re incredible, you know that?”

“yeah, well… you bring it out of me, i guess,” he mumbled, his ears turning pink.

backstage, the antics continued—steven was now dancing on top of a table, and axl’s shouting had reached an impressive new volume. you leaned back to look at izzy, still holding the notebook in one hand. “come on. let’s get out of here for a bit.”

the two of you slipped out of the backstage area unnoticed, finding your way to the venue’s parking lot. it was quieter out here, the distant hum of city noise replacing the chaos inside. you climbed onto the hood of a beat-up car, patting the space beside you for izzy to join.

he lit a cigarette for himself, offering one to you as well. the two of you sat in comfortable silence for a while, the smoke curling up into the cool night air.

“you’re the only thing that makes all this feel real,” he admitted suddenly, his voice barely above a whisper.

you turned to look at him, your heart clenching at the vulnerability in his expression. “izzy…”

“i mean it,” he said, his dark eyes locking with yours. “without you, i don’t know if i’d still… i don’t know if i’d be me anymore. this life, it’s—” he gestured vaguely toward the venue, his words trailing off.

“this life is crazy,” you finished for him, setting a hand on his arm. “but you’re still you, izzy. and i’m not going anywhere.”

he smiled, a soft, almost shy curve of his lips. “thanks,” he murmured, his hand covering yours.

the moment was interrupted by a loud crash from inside the venue, followed by what sounded like axl shouting something unintelligible. izzy sighed, shaking his head. “i should probably check on them before someone ends up in the hospital.”

“you’re too good for them,” you joked, hopping off the car.

he laughed, pulling you into a quick hug before heading back toward the chaos. you followed him inside, weaving through the mess of beer cans, cigarette smoke, and shouting. when you finally made it back to the tour bus, the rest of the band was already sprawled out in various states of exhaustion.

izzy tugged you toward his bunk, pulling you in beside him. he wrapped an arm around you, his face buried in your hair as he let out a tired sigh. “thanks for sticking around,” he murmured, his voice muffled.

“always,” you replied, snuggling closer.

[save-a-forest-ride-a-bear]

🗒꒰⸝⸝₊ Masochism Tango ❛ ✧

Featuring: Gortash x Durge! Reader

Not proofread!

# Notes: cw for descriptions of violence and gortash being a freak. also as usual with my drabbles, no use of "y/n" and I try to describe the reader's dialogue and actions as little as possible

He'd be lying if he said he didn't decide to throw a ball only for the slim possibility of them showing up.

They hated him. That much was obvious. He could see it in their eyes during the coronation — that burning wrath and bloodlust that always made him weak in the knees. He couldn't help but wonder what they were thinking of. Maybe slashing his throat open, only to lap up the blood with their tongue. He hoped so. He revels in their aggression, even when it's directed towards him. Especially when it is.

The first hour of the ball was excruciating — having to pretend he cared about whatever the rest of Baldur's Gate's bourgeoisie were yapping about while apprehensively looking around, searching for the only thing in the world that mattered to him at that moment.

Just when he was starting to lose hope, he spotted them in a corner. The sight alone almost made him groan. Gods, how could they look even more beautiful, all dolled up just to see him. Or so he hoped, at least. He had to fight back the urge to just shove everyone out of his way, to go over to them and...

The band began to play before he could finish his thoughts, and he took that as the perfect opportunity. He sauntered over with confidence and elegance, ignoring the other guests with his eyes focused solely on them. Their little friends were nowhere to be seen, either. Even better.

They seemed uncomfortable, restless even, their fingers twitching slightly. Probably aching for their blade, he thought, and a grin formed on his lips. It's been so long, but they haven't changed a bit. He reached out, gently wrapping his fingers around their wrist and pulling them towards him before they even noticed his presence to slim the chances of being rejected.

"Good evening, my dear. I was starting to think you wouldn't come. Care for a dance?" It was supposed to be a question, but he didn't make it sound like one. He knew they'd say no, so he had to make it clear they didn't have a choice — just the way they were looking at him right now made it clear they were currently fantasizing about bashing his head into his neck. He smirked at that, dragging them firmly but not forcefully with him towards the dance floor. He wanted them angry — wanted them to want to hurt him.

He placed a hand on their waist, the other intertwined with theirs as he waltzed with them to the soft ballad playing in the background. "I rather missed this, you know. You used to be a most splendid dance partner, my treasure." He whispered, gazing deeply into those beautiful, livid eyes of theirs that seemed to bewitch him all the same as they did in the past. He didn't tell them the exact nature of their old relationship, but it was very much implied. He knew they could put two and two together.

Losing them hadn't been as easy as he desperately tried to pretend it was. He tried to pretend it didn't bother him, that it was just business as usual, that his heart didn't ache at the thought of never seeing them again — but whatever happened between the two flourished into something much deeper than he'd care to admit. And then, just when things were going well, they vanished. Just like that. They vanished and left him behind, alone, with Orin of all bloody people supposed to replace them. As if she could even hold a candle to them.

He tried his best to lie to himself — it was a good thing they were gone. They were making him soft, weak. He couldn't afford any distractions. And he actually believed those lies for a while. You can convince your mind of almost anything if you repeat it enough times.

But no amount of self-inflicted dishonesty could help ignore the flutter in his chest when they walked into the coronation room. He was almost giddy — even while trying his best to act professional, anyone could see that if he had a tail, it would be wagging at that moment. But after confirming they had lost their memories, a rush of conflicting emotions washed over him. On one hand, they didn't remember him. Didn't remember what they shared together, didn't remember his touch. On the other, this was his chance to finally try again — to make things right. World domination be dammed, it's not worth ruling over without them to share the throne with him, and it took losing them to realize that. They left the coronation without giving him a clear answer to his proposition to kill Orin, and that was that.

But now they were here — in his arms once again. Well, technically not yet, not entirely at least, but it was just the beginning. And he wouldn't stop until they were his again, body, mind and soul.

A small cackle escaped him as they purposefully stepped harshly on his foot, clearly trying to confront him without causing a scene. "You look awfully tense, my dearest. Almost as if you want to dismember me. You'd rather like that, I wager." He mused, spinning them to the rhythm of the song before pulling them back against him. "If you managed to, I imagine it would be quite the spectacle. A thrill, really. But you can't live without your tyrant, can you?" He taunted, the smirk on his face never fading.

"You still have that fire in you. I missed it." He admitted, leaning in to whisper so that his words were for their ears alone. "But we both know I'm not afraid of you, dearest. If anything, you're the one that should be concerned." He motioned around vaguely, eyes never leaving theirs. "I control this city. One wrong move, and I'll have my Steel Watch take care of you. That would truly be a shame, would it not?"

The threat was empty, of course. He had no plans of harming them, no matter what they said or did, but he always quite enjoyed pushing their buttons, seeing what makes them tick, how much it takes for them to break.

He pulled them closer, pressing them flush against his chest, lips grazing their ear. "So why don't you try that again? Threaten me. Hurt me. Say you'll kill me if I don't do as you say. I promise I won't run away." He breathed out, his hand reaching up to caress their cheek gently, pulling their face towards his. "I'll beg for it. Crave it. Just as I always did. Show me how much you hate me, my treasure. Remind me of our history."

There was an unmistakable twinge of desperation in his voice. He needed this in ways he never needed anything else in his life — needed them to crave him, to hurt him all over again, to make him bleed. It was a yearning so strong he was sure it would swallow him whole. Which is why he pressed his lips against theirs despite his better judgement to keep teasing, keep pushing. He couldn't wait any longer.

What he wasn't expecting was the reciprocation and much less the harsh bite on his lower lip, strong enough he could taste his blood on their tongue. He moaned into their mouth, hands settling on their hips to pull them even closer. He did miss this.

It was hungry, sloppy, open-mouthed, but he still found it perfect. One hand rose to cup their cheek, and when they finally parted, gasping softly for air, he brushed it against their lower lip, smearing the remains of blood before slipping it inside their mouth. "That's better." He whispered, his voice husky. He felt their tongue against his digit before their teeth once again sank down on his flesh, and he groaned with a grin.

"Let's find somewhere more private, my pet. I believe we have some catching up to do."

[zorosangell]

⛥ﾟ・。 protector: chapter seven

synopsis: " you were supposed to stay a crewate, just another back to watch, " he tightened his hold, " i didn't even notice the change until i woke up one day and realized i'd take a bullet for you "

cw: violence, gore, fighting, mature themes, profanity, MAJOR/MINOR ANIME SPOILERS, follows the plot of the anime, slowww burn.

a/n: reposting from another account

You were woken up by the sounds of battle cries and snapped your eyes open to see Usopp trembling behind you.

"Usopp! Why didn't you wake me up?!" you exclaimed, unfurling your wings and drawing your mace.

"I tried to! You sleep like a rock!" he sniveled.

You flew straight up in the air and gripped the handle tight.

"Heaven's Gate!" you shouted, dive bombing for the group of pirates and swinging the mace back and forth, bashing them in the chest. 

"Heavenward Stomp!" you shouted again, flying up and doing a front flip and slamming your mace on the ground, causing an earthquake.

"GO (Y/N)!" Usopp and Nami cheered.

Suddenly, they all jumped on top of you, but you managed to throw them all off.

But you accidentally threw them towards Nami and Usopp.

"NOT OVER HERE!" they shouted in unison.

Just then, Luffy and Zoro came out of nowhere and sent the pirates flying back over to Jango.

"It's about time," you panted, landing next to them, "I took out half of 'em while you two were out doing God knows what."

"Wow! That was great! You guys are really that strong?" Usopp asked in awe.

"Could you have been any slower? What took you so long?" Nami spat. 

"You're the one who pushed me down that oil slick so you could get out!" Zoro exclaimed, glaring at the red-headed girl.

"It was an accident. I slipped, you fell, at least one of us made it out of there. That's better than both of us being stuck at the bottom," she rolled her eyes.

"It shoulda just been you!"

"Run straight north he says! How am I supposed to know which way north even is out here, huh?!" Luffy scolded Usopp.

"Shut up! You're the one who ran away so sure of yourself, ready to take on anyone," Usopp scoffed.

"CAN WE STOP ARGUING?! We got bigger fish to fry," you groaned, shutting everyone up.

You all turned back to the pirates to see them running straight for you, more riled up than before.

"You guys need to get out the way. Me and Luffy'll take it from here," Zoro ordered.

"Alright then, I'm taking a nap. Wake me up when you need help," you sighed, walking a few feet away before dropping to take a quick tiger snooze. 

You were woken up, yet again, by the sound of battle cries, and snapped your eyes open to see these two, creepy-looking at guys charging at Zoro, and Kuro watching from the top of the slope.

Zoro only had one sword and the other two were all the way over with Jango. 

Your eyes went wide and you quickly took off, scooping up the swords before Jango could notice and then flying into the air.

"Zoro!" you called, and he quickly turned around to see you in the sky, dropping him his swords.

Looking up at you, Zoro could already feel his heart rate speed up impossibly fast.

With the sun behind you, and your wings unfurled and wide, you looked like an honest to goodness angel, giving him the divine delivery of his swords.

But he had to push these new feelings to the back of his head for a moment.

"Thanks, (y/n)," he smirked, jumping in the air and grabbing them before getting into position

"Tiger Trap!"

He slashed the creepy cat guys just as they passed and they landed with a hard thump, knocking them out.

While Zoro said a few words to Kuro, you saw Jango hypnotizing the fat cat guy.

You pulled out your pistols and shot Jango in both his arms, which stopped him for a moment, but Fat Cat was already finished growing muscle.

While he was heading for Zoro, you saw Nami running for where Luffy was still asleep. 

Jango noticed and began swirling his ring around before throwing it at her.

"NAMI! LOOK OUT! DODGE IT! QUICK!" you and Zoro shouted.

She turned around and looked wide eyed at the ring before Luffy grabbed her ankle, pulling her down and standing up instead.

"NAMI! YOU CAN'T JUST STEP ON PEOPLES' EYES LIKE THAT!" he shouted.

But was quickly silenced by the ring landing in his mouth.

Everyone froze for a moment before Luffy snapped his head up, crushing the ring with his teeth. 

"Luffy!" you and Nami cheered.

"OWWWWWWWWWWWW!" Luffy shouted as he held the sides of his mouth. 

'That guy's gonna give me a heart attack one of these days.'

The sound of unsheathing swords made everyone turn to Kuro, who had his sword-length claws around Usopp's head. 

Your eyes went wide but you quickly relaxed when Luffy socked Kuro square in the face.

The captain went flying and landed on the ground where he stayed for a moment, craning his neck slightly to glare at Luffy. 

Just then, Pepper, Carrot, and Onion came out of nowhere and jumped on top of Kuro, smacking him in the face with their shovels and wooden swords.

"The Usopp Pirates have arrived!" they exclaimed. 

"NO! DON'T" Usopp shouted in unison.

"Stay away!" Kaya cried. 

"Take this you lousy, no good, pirate!" Carrot shouted, landing an extra hard smack with his shovel.

"Those rugrats have a death wish," Zoro winced as they continued to beat on the pirate.

"No kidding," you cringed.

"You don't know what you're doing! Stop!" Usopp shouted again.

After a few more moments, they stopped to take a breath, and Kuro was eerily still. 

"Alright. This time, we'll let you off without anymore brutality! This time," Pepper panted before the group ran over to Usopp and Kaya.

They looked like they were talking for a moment before Kuro got up and started walking towards them.

The boys screamed but Kuro walked right past them and right up to Usopp, kicking him halfway down the slope.

'I gotta get the kids and Kaya out of here now.' 

You flew over to the kids as fast as you could and scooped them up under your arm, throwing Kaya over your shoulder as well before darting into the forest.

"Hey, is that hypnotist still behind us?" You asked as you weaved through the trees, trying to get as far away from the fight as possible.

"I don't know. I can't see him anymore. Let's make sure we lose him for good!" Onion exclaimed. 

"There's no way that nut job could catch up to us in our own forest!" Carrot smirked.

"Don't you worry, Miss Kaya! The Usopp pirates are gonna keep you safe and sound!" Pepper assured.

"Not if you three keep shouting your not. Shut up!" you whisper-yelled at the boys, squeezing them a little tighter to get the message across.

Suddenly, metal rings began zipping past you, cutting some of the surrounding trees clean in half.

"Fools! I'm coming to get you! Do you really think you could run from me?!" Jango shouted.

"We could do this the easy way, or I could just level this entire forest!"

"Whoa, that guy is really mad," Carrot uneasily stated as the five of you ducked behind a downed tree.

"Listen very carefully, you three. I've taken you all a good ways away from the fight, but you still have to get Kaya somewhere safe. You guys know these woods better than I do so find somewhere for her to hide until this blows over. I'm gonna buy you some time. Got it, Usopp Pirates?" you explained, whipping out your mace.

"Got it!" they cheered, jumping in the air.

Your eyes went wide.

"Found you!" Jango exclaimed, throwing more rings your way.

"RUN!" you shouted, batting away the rings as the kids and Kaya ran off. 

You flew straight for him and tackled him to the ground, switching your position so you were behind him and wrapping your arm around his neck, choking him.

Jango gurgled and gasped as he scratched at your arms, but you just pulled tighter.

Suddenly, he grabbed one of his rings and threw it straight at your eye, slicing it.

You let out a blood-curdling scream of pain as you threw him away from you, your hands covering your eye.

"Goddamnit!" you spat as you tried to breath yourself through the pain, using your free hand to claw at the ground.

Just then, you heard the rustling of a bush. 

"There you are," Jango stated. 

You could practically hear his smirk.

'Crap! Someone's here! I gotta heal quick!'

"No! Miss Kaya! Run for your life!" Pepper, Carrot, and Onion shouted in unison, somewhat far away.

You couldn't see out of your left eye. It felt like your socket and the area around it was on fire.

You used your hands to cover your face, muffling the glow as your eye finished healing.

"There's no need for that. Please, leave the children be. I'll write the will," Kaya said in a low voice.

"Damn it! Don't do it!" you growled, shakily standing up as you turned to where the voices were coming from.

Your sight was slowly returning, but it wasn't completely back.

"Silly girl. Don't you know you can't bargain with me? Captain Kuro specifically instructed me to get rid of everyone," Jango smirked. 

 You growled, grabbing your mace and throwing it in the direction you sensed him, landing a direct hit. 

"You damn brat!" he shouted, grabbing you by the neck and hoisting you up.

'Damn it!'

"Angel lady!" the kids exclaimed. 

"You've been a thorn in my side for far too long. I'll enjoy ending you," Jango glared.

You began to hear footsteps, and they were rapidly getting closer.

"Ha! It looks like you're one step too late, Swordsman!" 

"Zoro!" you exclaimed.

You heard him slice something and a light chucked followed.

"Excellent. That branch was getting in the way of my shot," Usopp stated.

"Usopp?!" you exclaimed.

You quickly understood what was happening and gripped your mace tight, smashing it in Jango's face as one of Usopp's exploding stars hit him.

Jango let go of your neck and you dropped to the ground.

You got up and kicked him in the face a few times before taking a deep breath, turning around to see Zoro behind you.

"You alright?" he quickly asked, catching his breath.

"Why does your chest look like a checkerboard?" you asked, your eyes going wide at the criss-crossed slashes on his chest.

"Whatever. Let's get off this island," he sighed, scooping you up and walking away.

"Hey! I-I can walk on my own!" you shouted, flustered.

"Just shut up," he groaned, rolling his eyes.

"You're probably gonna get us lost," you grumbled under your breath, crossing your arms.

"What was that!?" he exclaimed.

Luckily, your power prevented you from losing your eye, but it was a close call. 

Kaya and those kids almost saw.

 But after the others got patched up and got something to eat, Kaya brought everyone to the beach for a surprise.

And when you all got there, a pretty big caravel was waiting for you. 

"Are you actually giving this to us?!" Luffy happily exclaimed, throwing his fists in the air. 

"Mhm. As a token of my appreciation," Kaya nodded, smiling.

"It's a slightly older model but I personally designed it and she sails like a dream. She has a carvel-make caravel with lateen sails. She's a fine ship, and he name is the Going Merry," Kaya's other butler, Merry, explained.

"This definitely shows up our fishing boat," you exhaled, impressed.

"What a cool ship! Have you guys seen the front? It's totally awesome!" Luffy smiled, gawking at the sheep head.

"We've packed all the provisions you might need on a long voyage," Kaya added.

"Thanks! It leaves nothing to beat tired," Luffy cheesed. 

"That's leaves nothing to be desired, idiot," Zoro scoffed, rolling his eyes. 

Just then, Usopp came barreling down the slope, rolling along with his gigantic backpack.

"Somebody stop this thing!" he exclaimed.

"That dumbass is on a collision course with our boat," Nami stated.

Luffy and Zoro put their foot up and stopped Usopp from rolling, but planted their feet on his face while doing so.

"Thanks, guys," Usopp winced.

"Anytime," Luffy shrugged.

Once the four of you got onto the Merry, you watched Usopp bid his farewell to Kaya, then turn to you.

"You guys take care! I hope we meet again sometime!" Usopp called.

"How come?" Luffy asked.

"Uh... Well... Because I... Are you antisocial or something? I'm taking off for life on the high seas, and I hope that we'll eventually meet again, that's all," he explained, cocking his brow.

"What're you talkin' about? Get on, already," Zoro rolled his eyes, pointing to the ship.

"Huh?" Usopp asked.

"We're friends, right? So get on," you stated, leaning against the taffrail.

Usopp looked taken aback before he broke out in a stupid grin.

"I'm really a pirate captain now!" he cheered, jumping in the air.

"Don't be stupid, Usopp! I'm the captain!" Luffy shouted.

[vampirevatican]

just finished slash fic... so now i have to wait til next saturday and set aside 200$... or keep logging in til i have 16k shards. for now let me just ramble and rant

SPOILERS FOR SLASH FIC BELOW (DORIAN VN)

EP 1-5:

so we're with our bestie, a theatre gay, an alt boy and a white, blue-eyed, blonde cancelled tiktok star... yeah this is a modern day horror.

riley really pissed me off... every time she was on screen she irritated me

she reads the incantation? "dumbass... WAIT WHY TF YOU PULLING ME INTO THIS?"

she calls me frumpy? "bitch i'm the only thing keeping you alive, you better bow tf down."

damien? god i love him. it's the aesthetic and his blush and as the game goes on i continue to love him.

the slashers?

mike saying "mine." hard. leather lifting me like a sack of potatoes? hard.

jay being adorable? "who's a sweet boy!!" ghost... was annoying to me he did not have me in the first half

actually no. ghost continued to piss me off... til the projector room. and it wasn't the smut. it was him taking down bitchy sorority girls hazing their latest member

that was the begining of the shift to lovers in enemies to lovers

leather... i... the way he relies on us and getting to spend time in his farm? no yeah i definitely fell in love. that's my husband.

oh jay. i just wanted to hold him and tell him he deserves so much more and so much better

damien can get hurt!? nooooo!!! i went back and saved him tho and... there's a small moment you share abt him crushing around here in the next batch of episodes and i... bb pls i love you

mike. he scares me. he... horraouses me. being and eldritch's plaything is... idk.

EP 6-10

I FUCKIN KNEW IT!!!

as soon as the talk of subverting tropes entered the chat i just knew it was that basic ass popular bitch

be damned if she's got a witch bloodline. her ass doesn't deserve that title!! and hell i don't think her mother (or jay's... different story, later) deserve witch status either!!

this section is also where my brain connected dots and started to like ghost more

ghost is stu macher... i like stu... so now, i like ghost.

protection, belonging, bashful, control... it's how i knew which of these belonged to which, yet what i mixed up was ghost and jay but after seeing it... yeah no i started to pity ghost and like him even more

EP 11-15

RIIIIILEEEEEEY!!!!

can i say a bad word?? CAN I SAY A BAD WORD!!!? YOU MOTHERFUCKING BITCH @ RILEY

i hate her. and there's NOTHING this story can do to make me want her or pity her

"you witches play with darkness then act surprised when it plays back" uh huh papa, that's exactly what this dumb bitch does

love the team work boys, really... but not now

"am i just a protector? just muscle to stand between you and a blade?" no!! you're so much more...

FREDDIE KRUGER?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE??

ngl the halloween special with jay walking out the fire... is where my concept of a mc counselor that loves fire comes from... and the darkness taking over

darkness taking over?! getting to do wild shit? being mean, nasty, murderous??? sign me up tht shit is just brewing beneath the surface. oh... mc isn't, damn.

"this isn't you" jokes on you! it kinda is. ngl if the darkness hit me and i was fighting it off id have my ways on my own but i guarantee it'd be the catalyst to me becoming a killer

i got a glitch and got to see mike... do things and just gotta say cnc, knife play smut fic will happen.

EP 16-20

more ghost! and oh... oh he can get mad and it's hot...

and oh no... he's sad... he's cute when he's sad

the hearts start to piss me off from here on out. i could handle missing out on smut. but comforting my boys?? missing out on lore??? fuck you (i say, becoming the fuck you girl)

i was able to get everyone's unmasking (reluctantly getting mike's with a spend of hearts that i was trying to glitch) but ghosts and then i get it later but can't even go back and watch it w/o fucking up my progress... fuck you (i am the fuck you girl)

ANYWAY on to leather

i love you bubba, i love you papa, leather is so important to me after this one

his family is shit and he shouldn't have been lied to by his bs siblings

there's a spice scene w/ ofc heart option but it leads like free spice til you get the option ("fuck you", im telling you guys i hate the pay walls)

anyhow the lead up spice actually varies the way you say you wanna get down with the guys!! and turns out leather and jay get along rly good

fuck pilgrims btw.

EP 21-25

jay... oh jay... (losing dogs by miski plays while i start crying)

fuck jay's mom, fuck the dunlaps (prt 1), fuck cultists

jay deserves better and im glad that we get to help him in the end but FOR FUCKS SAKE IM MISSING OUT ON MOMENTS!!!

i wanted to comfort him, hell i wanted to comfort leather and ghost in the previous chapters too and yet PAYWALL

anyway speaking of my second irritation with the paywall, i accept smut pay wall but you can't no- shouldn't have the story read like we about to get freaky and it's in his hands and then strip it away!!! especially not jay!! give the option before hand!!!

anyway... the way he's like “i want you to run. run as fast as you can, and im gonna catch you. and when i do... your cookie is mine.”

the way i folded?? rock hard. down horrendous. i want him. no i need him.

anyway then he protects you and you stand up for him (reverse order) and if you get points you see his face and... i...

my baby. my baby...

he's so damn cute!!! he's such a sweetheart. he didn't deserve none of what happened to him!!!

okay now mike.... (loosing dogs starts playing again, specifically the 'oooooo')

i... he didn't deserve what happened with him either and im so glad he can actually really speak more after this.

turns out he wasn't an eldritch evil, but rather possessed by it, forced to do its bidding, born alongside it

FINALLY WE'RE FREE OF RILEY, THANK GOD DAMIEN IS OKAY

wait a minute... DAMIEN IS THAT YOU?? if so... i uh... you can join the harem w/o playing slasher pookie.

and who tf is this counselor?!

EP 26 and 27

so turns out the dilf/milf counselor got possessed to be krampus...

yeah no shit is getting hilarious levels of ridiculous but if this is what it takes for a special sure.

honestly the halloween and christmas could've been separated, like side stories?? spin offs?? ah well.

the guys fuck each other... I REPEAT

damien getting jelly? oh bb all you gotta do is say the word, i promise ilu. you're in the harem too!! if i had 1❤️ option or a freebie id take it every time.

“they hate each other. but they also f🐬CK each other!!”

apparently mike will watch jay, and ghost and leather get freaky sometimes... it may be bc unbearable darkness horny but idc, they fuck each other in the void!!!

[therealslimshakespeare]

omg!! is the new twc update really coming soon?! i’m so excited ahhhh

sneak peak? 🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹

Of course you can have a sneak peak baby, still rough draft in many ways, including the tenses, I’m terrible about keeping them straight ☺️🥰

-TWC sneak peak

“You been playin’ poker with Smith again?�� Ida turns her face to her, hair grown out just long enough to cut across her forehead and temples in ink-like slashes, “You’re getting awful good at bluffing.”

Maureen grins back, “Always was sir, just lost it for a bit.”

Ida regards her for a minute with a half endeared look Maureen realizes with a jolt she has not seen since Thorpe Abbots, not directed at her at least.

“Sorry about your cheeks.” Ida muttered, almost bashful.

Maureen’s hands flew up to her cheekbones out of instinct, the bruises from the book long gone and the incident left behind over a month ago. It was like Ida to let things bother her months later; when Maureen tried imitating her in that exercise she found herself utterly exhausted. “Even, like that,” she nodded to Ida’s swollen belly, “you hit harder than the gestapo.”

Seemed like a good thing to say, the way the remorse left Ida’s face and a wry look of pride warped her lips briefly. She looks painfully like her brother with her swan neck strained in the cold and the chopped length of her hair flopping into her eyes.

“You should let me trim up your hair before you go.” Maureen realized, her hand gingerly darting out to rake the hacked off locks back from her eyes, only to hesitate at the last minute in unsurety if the familiarity was welcome anymore.

Ida simply leans her forehead into Maureen’s palm and the world settles alright and forgiven in her chest: trust.

“Make it one of those chic little cuts?” Ida suggested.

“Chicest farmer’s wife this side of the rhine.” Maureen agreed, “You’ll have everyone wondering why you settled for that oaf, Egan.”

There was the saddest flash of mirth on her face for a brief instant. “Tell me straight then-“ Ida began with a crease to her brow that promised a talk about logistics, but just then a commotion outside drew their attention.

It was not uncommon for whoever was guarding the door to have a spirited bit of chirping with any hapless passersby, sometimes an argument over shower times with some batch of men who didn’t care about giving the women privacy, or worse, a full on altercation over the same. There were no locks on the inside of the drafty room, making the boys’ guarding presence essential, and so far, always effective. It was Crank and Demarco on duty today, and Maureen strained to hear their words as their voices rose outside, more than typical.

“You finish, I'll go look.” Maureen muttered, patting Ida’s arm and going to dress as her paltry shower was in fact complete.

She was shrugging on her sweater, great coat in hand, when she pressed her eye to the slat, a gust of northwestern wind and the sight of guards on the steps giving her a shock. Benny wasn’t letting them by, and that was the only reason they weren’t in here already, and that reason could be put aside with a shove or a bullet. She sees one of the krout officers reach for his sidearm as he goes up the first step, toe to toe with Crank on the second, and that was all Kendeigh needed to swivel round and yell at her girls to dress. She can see their miffed and startled faces, too morosely caught up in their cleanliness to even notice the impending danger. Most of them are stark naked, except for the few who are trying to use the few flight suits left as towels. Ida doesn’t even turn off her tap, she charges towards the hooks on the opposite wall and Maureen realizes the farce is quite over, every single girl here has seen that belly now.

She puts her eye back to the gap in the slats. Crank is closer than last time, his sleeve almost by her eye on the other side of the wall, she guesses he’s trying to hold onto the door handle. Benny is in an officer’s face, baiting death. It’s not a situation that will last peaceably for many more seconds. There’s side arms out, a dog straining at the leash.

Maureen feels a rustling by her side and she could have guessed who it was before an accented voice mutters beside her, “How’re we going to secure this.” Sanchez is shrugging on a coat while keenly eyeing the wooden loops this side of the door, loops usually capable of holding a board as a lock, one on each door, sliding a beam through makes it impressively strong. But like all things in this place, security is absent, there’s no beam, no pole, no nothing, the wooden rings are empty and without the presence of their securing beam they look mockingly like handles.

[skyloftian-nutcase]

Blood of the Hero Ch 18 (Link's Parents Play BotW)

Summary: The Soul of the Hero will always be there to save Hyrule. But when Calamity Ganon is nearly victorious in killing him, it's those that bear the Blood of the Hero who will prevail. Ten years after the Great Calamity, the Shrine of Resurrection is damaged and Link's parents fight to save their son and Hyrule along with him.

(AO3 link)

The Mighty Gerudo – The Call

Abel shoved her back, drawing his blade. “Get Link out of here!”

“But—”

“Now Tilieth!” He yelled, not bothering to check if she’d listened. It was an automatic reaction, being in command of soldiers, and he didn’t have time to consider the fact that Tilieth was not trained to obey without question.

The bokoblins moved faster, scrambling up the hillside towards Abel, but he had the advantage of the high ground, so he—

He watched as a bomb flew by his face and down the hill. It took him a second to register what had just happened, and he scrambled back as it exploded, knocking the beasts back down the hill. He turned sharply, snarling, “Til, I gave you an order!”

“I’m getting him, but you need help too!” Tilieth protested.

“Link’s more important!” Abel snapped. He did not need to be worrying about them while dealing with twenty monsters!

Tilieth hesitated another moment before finally listening, running towards Link. Abel whirled around as he heard the bokoblins making their way up the cliff once more. He grabbed a soldier’s bow and some fire arrows from the supply bag Tilieth had left. There was a bomb arrow in there too, but he’d save it.

The fire arrows successfully helped slow the beasts down, especially accommodating for missed shots as even a graze impacted them a lot. Eventually, though, he couldn’t keep all of them back at once, and he drew his sword and shield, falling back to the familiarity of battling with his most signature weapons.

He bashed a bokoblin away, finishing it off, just in time to whirl around and eviscerate another. By then, the four moblins of the horde arrived. Abel dove out of the way as one of them brought a massive club down with enough force to crush his skull, shaking the earth with the impact. He reoriented faster than the moblin could, giving him time to rush it and slash at its arm. The beast cried out in pain, releasing its club just in time for Abel to duck under its injured arm and jab into its gut. Unfortunately, these beasts had tougher skin than others, but it still successfully knocked it down, giving Abel an opening to slash away at it before he had to parry an attack from a boko.

The days of rest had helped. His body didn’t falter easily with each blow to his shield, with each cut from his blade.

Nevertheless, despite taking down six or seven already, that still left over ten beasts.

Abel gritted his teeth as he finally received his first hit, a boko bat smashing into his right shoulder. His arm seized up a second, nearly dropping his sword, and he used the momentum from the hit to pivot onto his other foot and give a large horizontal slash to create some distance. He managed to at least hit one of the monsters with it as well.

And then he heard giggling.

Bokos didn’t giggle. Moblins didn’t either.

Eyes widening, he turned, feeling the hairs on the back of his neck rise as a fire blast came his way.

A damn wizzrobe?! On top of everything else? Of course this would happen!

Thankfully, he had an idea. Tilieth’s adventure pouch was still strapped securely to his belt, and he dug into it, finding the item in question. When the arrow made contact with his hand, he instantly felt its cooling effect.

He only had three, so he had to aim true. And not get hit by the others.

Something rolled by him, a glowing blue orb, and—

And Abel quickly realized what it was and yelped, jumping away as it exploded. A couple bokoblins went flying, but the wizzrobe simply disappeared. Abel immediately looked back at the shrine to see Tilieth standing at its entrance with the slate in her hands.

“What are you doing?!” He yelled.

“Helping!” Tilieth shouted back. “We fought beasts outside the Great Plateau our first day down here, I can help, you know that! I just—”

“Less talking, more listening!” Abel interrupted as he blocked an attack with his shield. “I don’t need you blowing me up! The more you fight the more they’ll go to you, so use bombs to keep them away from the shrine! If it gets overwhelming, retreat!”

He turned to face the wizzrobe fully now, ignoring whatever response his wife had. Yes, he’d fought alongside her before, but those were surprise attacks with nowhere to go and only a handful of beasts. This was different.

Abel drew his bow back, trying to keep alert of his immediate surroundings as he walked to parallel the wizzrobe’s movements, and he released the ice arrow.

The wizzrobe hissed as the arrow impacted it directly in the chest, and it disappeared in a mist of magic, the air waving briefly with the steam it left behind. Abel felt a thrill of adrenaline and satisfaction mix, making him bare his teeth in a feral grin as he gave a battle cry and bashed a bokoblin away. He heard another bomb explode and assessed the situation quickly.

Ten down, ten to go, including three moblins.

Now this was more reasonable.

“Abel, look out!”

Abel whirled, eyes searching hastily for whatever Tilieth was trying to point out as he dodged blindly. A giant blast of wind smacked him in the side, sending him reeling off the cliff alongside two bokoblins and a moblin.

What was that?!

Abel scrambled to his feet, hastily killing the two bokoblins. The moblin swung horizontally at him, and he leapt backwards to dodge. The moblin was ready with a counterstrike, and Abel hastily braced himself with both arms behind his shield as he was pushed back several feet without moving his posture. The beast roared in protest at his stubbornness.

He heard another bomb explode up above, and he took a breath, rushing ahead to finish off the moblin so he could get back to Tilieth.

His sword, however, sheared as he hit a finishing blow, falling apart into three pieces, the rust having finally reached its breaking point. Abel quickly switched weapons, grabbing whatever he could reach next. His right hand wrapped around a hilt, and he yanked it out, surprised at how long the blasted thing was as he kept pulling while he was rushing up the cliff, hopping around debris from the destroyed stable.

When he reached the top, Tilieth was gone. Panic seized his heart, but he knew better than to freeze in battle. The blade in his hands, a Sheikah blade, was surprisingly light given its size, but he held with two hands nonetheless, and one sweep took out the remaining bokoblins, leaving a moblin, which he dispatched quickly.

Tilieth reappeared at the shrine entrance, eyes fierce, hair disheveled, a wild sort of tenacity and terror pushing her forward as she sloppily readied herself to swing the feathered edge sword that she’d retrieved from the shrine.

Her eyes widened as she caught sight of Abel and realized the fight was over. Dropping the sword, she ran to him. “Abel! Abel, honey I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to knock you off the cliff, are you okay—”

Abel met her halfway, pulling her into a tight hug. She was fine. Tilieth and Link were fine. “I’m okay.”

He did wince a little as Tilieth tightened the hug, though. His wife immediately picked up on it. “You’re hurt—”

“It’s okay,” Abel assured her.

“No, it’s not,” Tilieth insisted. “It’s dusk, don’t try to push beyond this, you can rest. We can go back in the shrine, and I can see if there’s anything salvageable in the monster camp.”

Abel opened his mouth to argue but found that he couldn’t. It was a rational plan. So instead he sighed and complied, letting his wife guide him into the shrine. Link was waiting for him down below, resting with his head on a makeshift pillow.

Abel did reject Tilieth’s offer for an elixir, though, stating that they needed to save those for real emergencies. He would feel better with some rest. Laying down beside Link, he closed his eyes, letting the adrenaline drain out of his system and ignoring the throbbing in his arm.

XXX

The moon was nearly full as it shone on the land below. Speckles of snow reflected its bright splendor back to the sky along the highlands, nearly matching the twinkling stars. A voice carried along the wind, a whisper that could have been rustling in the leaves. It passed between twigs and brambles, amidst ruins and beasts, bouncing along lapping waters as it warmed in the night air.

Brightness illuminated Hyrule. The sky seemed to sparkle. The voice grew quiet, and the moon grew dim.

But one ear twitched in response. One face scrunched, one heart beat a little faster.

And then there was silence.

XXX

The morning certainly started eventfully.

As the family rode towards the canyon that fed into the desert, it didn’t take long for the Sheikah Slate to start chirping excitedly over a nearby shrine, encouraging Tilieth to urge Epona into a gallop as she and Abel ran across the bridge. Abel moved ahead of her to eliminate some moblins blocking their path, and they hurried along.

Until they reached the center area that linked the bridges together.

Abel pulled back harshly on Ama’s reins, making Tilieth and Epona nearly crash into them. Epona whinnied in protest, and Tilieth was jostled in her saddled as she yelped.

“Abel, what’s wrong?”

Abel was stiff and silent, watching intently ahead. “You’ll have to take Link. There’s a Hinox up ahead.”

Tilieth drew in a sharp breath. She knew her husband could handle such a beast, but there were so many more factors now than the last time he’d—

Goddess, the last time he’d fought one was what had started this all. Tilieth didn’t know how to feel about that, but she watched Abel worriedly.

Her husband turned Ama carefully to get her lined up with Epona, and he started to move Link towards her. Tilieth quickly reached out to take him, hushing Link as his eyes opened from the jostling. Before she could say a word, Abel was dashing ahead on his steed, leaving her clutching their son tightly.

Abel and Ama reached the Hinox quickly, and his large Sheikah blade immediately dug into the beast’s legs. It awoke with a rumbling roar, shaking the earth as it moved, and Tilieth watched her husband outmaneuver it, slashing again and again. It went down to its knees quickly, but it raised a fist large enough to smash both Abel and his horse, and Tilieth felt her entire body seize.

The beast’s fist came down, but Ama moved far too quickly for it to land a hit. Abel swung his blade so harshly it shattered, and the Hinox collapsed, motionless.

Tilieth let out the breath she’d been holding, relieved, and she guided Epona ahead to meet up with her husband. Abel was grumbling by the time she got within earshot, looking at the remains of the sword he’d used.

“With no blacksmiths, this is going to be ridiculous,” he grumbled, tossing the hilt aside.

Tilieth was going to comment when the signal from the Sheikah slate suddenly went silent. The couple glanced at each other quickly, and then at the slate. Tilieth stepped away, and it chirped again. Then she moved forward, and it was silent.

Abel looked around. “Where the hell is it?”

Tilieth also surveyed the area, seeing the edge of the Great Plateau, the Gerudo Highlands, and… a bunch of water.

There was nothing. Unless…

“Well… we had to climb last time,” she noted. “Perhaps climbing is involved here too?”

Abel swallowed, eyebrows coming together in a sort of tired acceptance, and he hesitantly moved towards the edge of the plateau. Then he sighed heavily. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Tilieth dismounted, carefully settling Link on the ground as she moved to where her husband was. Then she saw it – the shrine was far below, tucked away in the rocky base of one of the plateaus they’d just crossed.

“We’ll have to glide down there,” Abel noted.

“You and Link weigh too much together,” Tilieth said worriedly.

“Til, all three of us got down from the plateau.”

“Barely,” Tilieth argued. “That was a rough landing.”

“You said it wasn’t too bad.”

“Well, yes, it was less horrible than I thought it would be, but still, we just went straight down! We’d have to maneuver a little to get there from here.”

“You’re not going alone in there with Link,” Abel argued.

Tilieth sighed heavily. “We really need another paraglider.”

“It’s directly below the bridge,” Abel observed. “We can jump from there. If we land in the water we’ll be right beside it.”

And so the couple left their horses on the plateau, carrying Link back midway across the bridge. Abel turned a shade paler as he looked down, and he took a shaky breath. Tilieth nudged him with her elbow and smiled, trying to reassure him, but honestly, it made her anxious too. Still, the jump from the Great Plateau had been far higher and more terrifying. They could do this.

Abel stood behind Tilieth, Link strapped to him as she faced forward. Just like on the Great Plateau, the family hesitated, but Tilieth took the initiative, tipping over the edge. She felt Abel inhale sharply as the ground lurched from beneath them, and while it was terrifying it was also pretty invigorating.

Tilieth quite liked paragliding. She just wished they could do it properly.

The paraglider shook a little with the wind, and Tilieth feared for a moment that the little thing might actually finally just fall apart, but they made a fairly smooth and somewhat rapid descent. Tilieth could almost reach the ground, but her feet slid down the mossy soil, mud soaking her worn thin boots as she squealed and sank into the chilly water. It was less of an actual problem and more of a startling change in temperature as she shivered and felt Abel reach under her arms and pull her back onto the grass.

“W-we made it,” she said through chattering teeth, smiling.

Abel huffed, giving her a soft half smile in return. “Yes, we did. Let’s get inside so you can dry off a bit.”

As they activated the shrine and moved to the lift, Tilieth paused a moment. “Wait… how are we going to get back up there?”

“The slate,” Abel answered dully. “Til. Did you forget we can use its magic to teleport?”

Tilieth blinked. “No. I did not forget.”

“You forgot.”

“Oh, be quiet!”

Abel laughed, the brightness and cheer on his face vanishing in the shadows as the lift took them into the shrine.

Light emerged, bluish and dull, descending from the high glowing ceiling as they exited, and a voice spoke out, “To you who sets foot in this shrine… I am Dah Kaso. In the name of the Goddess Hylia, I offer this combat trial.”

“Another combat trial?” Abel asked quietly, perking up. Tilieth immediately stepped aside, reaching for Link and letting her husband handle the situation. The way his chest puffed a little denoted his excitement anyway, a relief born from what was assuredly going to be a quick task in his mind.

Abel handed Link over to his wife, determined, and said, “I’ll only be a moment.”

Tilieth smiled, watching him enter a large arena. She carefully put Link down, leaning him against the wall as the doors slammed shut to the fighting room. She had been more anxious about the Hinox than this, knowing these trials were fairly simple, but the mere sight of the miniature guardian that rose from a chasm in the floor still made her heart skip a beat.

She knew she had to get over that. She knew she did. Abel did too – the little ones didn’t seem to bother him that much, but it was very painfully clear that the larger ones did, based on what had happened a few days ago.

She was still rattled about that matter, still unsure how to address it. But at the moment, everything was improving.

Abel drew a guardian blade, having snatched it from another shrine, and a silver shield. Tilieth had to admit, she enjoyed watching her husband fight when she knew the stakes were low. He was excellent at what he did, and certainly quite handsome as well when he was in combat.

The little guardian scurried around, but Abel dodged its attacks easily. Tilieth was almost convinced she could dodge them – it truly was just a minor test of strength. While Tilieth was merely a hunter and could barely call herself a fighter, she was fairly certain this thing was designed so simplistically that she could probably have beaten it herself.

If she could bear to stand in the same room as it.

But then the little guardian did something different. While it had been fighting with a spear, it started to use beam attacks instead, and this was when Tilieth physically recoiled. The larger guardians didn’t use silly little spears, after all, so it was differentiable enough. But the lasers…

She could still hear them firing in the distance of the village, could still see the one rogue flying guardian that had managed to reach them and was tearing the village apart, could still see the larger legged ones in the distance destroying the nearby garrison. She knew the majority of them had been stopped at Fort Hateno, but the damage that had been wrought by only two to three of them had been…

Abel yelped as the laser traveled in circles, slapping across his shin. Tilieth bolted to her feet, panicked, calling out to him, hands on the wall in an instant.

“I’m okay!” he reassured her before leaping over the next attack and finishing the little mechanical demon off.

The doors opened, and Tilieth ran to him, slamming into him and wrapping her arms around him, shaking.

“It’s okay, Til,” he said gently, holding her carefully and rubbing her back. “It’s fine, it wasn’t that bad.”

Tilieth tried to say she understood that, but she couldn’t speak anymore, hating herself for being so terrified but unable to stop it.

After a few moments, Abel managed to calm her enough that the two slowly walked back to Link and carried him to the monk’s chamber. Abel tossed aside the sparking guardian sword, collecting the spear that had been dropped instead, and let Tilieth open the treasure chest in an effort to cheer her up.

Although she was still rattled, her intrigue at the item she found did help her snap out of her silence a little. She examined the yellow ball in her hand, watching as it gave off a faint glow. Its design looked similar to the room around them, and she figured it had to be some kind of Sheikah technology.

“Looks like one of the cores that powers those things,” Abel observed, leaning over her shoulder. “I suppose it could come in handy for something.”

Now she knew he was humoring her. Abel would find such a thing absolutely useless under normal circumstances. Tilieth sighed, pocketing the item, and the family retrieved the spirit orb, exiting the shrine.

As they set foot into the cooler air, Tilieth shivered again, clothes still soaked. Abel brushed his fingers against her back, a questioning look in his eye. She smiled and nodded. She would be fine.

“Go on, then,” he said, handing her the slate. “Get us back to the shrine that was near the Outskirt Stable. We can catch up to our horses from there.”

Tilieth nodded, and by the time they had transported back to the other shrine (heavens that still felt so odd, it would take a while to get used to), she finally managed to swallow her fear down and asked, “How far to the desert from here?”

“Once we get back to our horses, it’s probably about a day’s ride to the entrance,” Abel answered. “I’ve only ever been to the Gerudo Desert once, though, so I’m not too sure of the timing.”

“But Link went a fair amount, right?”

“Only a few more than me, I believe. Obviously, with the princess and the Gerudo Champion he had more privilege to it, but he still wasn’t allowed in their city.”

Oh? Oh! She had forgotten about that rule, the strange tradition of the Gerudo that forbade men within their town. She couldn’t imagine why such a rule would exist – men weren’t that awful. Perhaps the Gerudo were scared of them or something. Or they just didn’t want a Hylian in their territory. But that wasn’t right, because women from any race could go there.

What a strange thing. She hoped they wouldn’t be cruel to Abel or Link. Whether the city was safe or not, she wouldn’t tolerate that.

The pair moved as quickly as they could to recover the ground they’d lost. Tilieth promised herself to feed Link lunch after they reunited with their horses. She and Abel could eat on the road. But as she looked at her husband, examining his new weapon, she asked, “Do you feel comfortable fighting with a spear?”

“I can fight with any weapon.”

Tilieth smiled a little, recalling the Hinox fight. “Such as a stick?”

Abel blinked, looking at her in confusion. Tilieth nudged him with the back of her hand. “Remember? On the Plateau? You didn’t have your sword when that Hinox first appeared. You fought it off with a stick. That’s why I wasn’t too worried earlier.”

Abel watched her a moment longer and then chuckled. “Yes, well, one does have to adapt.”

“Link definitely would’ve done that.”

“Link has done that before. Child deflected a guardian blast with a damn pot lid.”

Tilieth’s smile faded a little, and she looked away. Abel faltered in his cadence a little, and he said, “It shouldn’t be too far. I imagine we can make camp with the desert in view, assuming we don’t find a shrine to settle somewhere.”

Tilieth stopped walking entirely, biting her tongue, trying to fight through the tightness in her throat. She couldn’t keep avoiding matters pertaining to the Calamity. She couldn’t. It forced Abel to try to help her, it made him avoid the past, and that was the wrong path for him to take.

“Til?” her dear husband questioned quietly.

She opened her mouth, chest tight, but she still managed to squeeze out, “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?” Abel repeated, facing her fully. “Sorry for what? What’s wrong?”

She couldn’t elaborate. She just shook her head. She tried to pick up where he’d left off, forcing her to return to the subject. “A… a pot lid?”

Abel sighed, cupping his hands over his mouth and letting out a loud, shrill whistle. Tilieth sighed too, knowing she’d lost the chance to try and force herself to address the issue.

Their horses came quickly as they approached the start of the bridges across the River of the Dead. Tilieth glanced up at the Plateau once more, heart heavy, once again wondering and mourning at the name. Abel pulled himself and Link back onto Ama, and waited for her to follow suit with Epona.

The pair crossed the bridges quickly, and Tilieth pushed the heaviness away in lieu of excitement over something new. She swallowed, letting her curiosity lead as she glanced around, and Abel halted the group so he could feed Link. Tilieth took in the sights, the brightness of it all, the different shades of brown and gold, blending together like freshly baked bread.

“Is the grass dead?” she asked as she watched it wave. It seemed far dryer here, and it certainly was warming up.

“Hm?” Abel looked up from taking care of Link, who was eagerly downing the entire bottle of stew. Tilieth glanced at her son as Abel looked at the surroundings, and she had to wonder if Link actually realized he was hungry.

She smiled sadly, remembering how her boy had always been hungry. He’d loved food, and he’d loved cooking with Tilieth.

“I don’t think it’s dead,” Abel finally answered, snapping her out of her musings. He glanced at Link, seeing the emptied bottle, and put it away, nudging Ama with his feet. Tilieth moved ahead as well, and both paused when the Sheikah Slate chimed again.

Hope and cheer sparked between the two as they followed the slate’s chirps to their next destination. It led them to the cliffside, and the two climbed over a small wall to find a new shrine, and a new adventure.

They also found a new face.

Abel was quick to react, guardian spear at the ready as Tilieth gasped, caught off guard. The black haired man, who had been examining the shrine, scrambled back a few paces, hands raised in surrender.

“Easy,” the man said in a tenor voice. “I don’t mean you any trouble.”

“Then go away,” Abel ordered, eyes firm.

The man glanced between the couple and the shrine, taking a slow step away. “Look, if you’re seeking shelter, this place isn’t the one. There’s a stable not far from here, you can get water there.”

“There’s a stable that’s intact?” Tilieth asked, placing her hand gently on Abel’s arm to get him to lower his weapon. Her husband didn’t budge, but his expression did relax a little.

“Uh, yeah,” the man replied, stuttering a bit at her response. “We don’t see many people through here, but there’s a group. And they have supplies. But we’ve—we’ve had a visitor or two in the last year or so and we’ve been making certain rules. No weapons is one of them.”

“Then you’d best head back to the stable,” Abel said, voice still heavy, though he finally settled the end of the spear into the dry ground. “Seeing as you’re unarmed in this encounter.”

The stranger’s brown eyes flicked back to the shrine one last time and then he nodded. “Right. I’ll do that.”

“Please,” Tilieth said hastily, stepping forward, making both men jump. “We—I’m sorry, he’s just—we’ve encountered people who are a bit reactive sometimes, it makes him jumpy. We aren’t here to hurt anyone.”

“Right,” the guy said uncertainly.

Abel looked between Tilieth and the stranger, and he frowned, putting his spear away.

“My name’s Tilieth,” she said welcomingly. “What’s yours?”

“Niamos,” the man replied easily, relaxing a little.

“Wonderful, a pleasure, now go away,” Abel snapped, crossing his arms. Tilieth glanced back at her husband exasperatedly.

Niamos watched them a moment longer and then nodded, sliding down the cliffside to get back to the main road.

Tilieth huffed, turning to her husband. “You have to be friendlier, you’re going to get us in trouble! What if they don’t let us into that stable now?”

“You really want to trust strangers at a time like this?” Abel argued, gesturing irritably. “And you want to try to enter the shrine while strangers are around? How would you explain that?”

Tilieth sighed, rubbing her face in annoyance. He had a point, but so did she – they couldn’t be making enemies everywhere they went! They had yet to even find a stable that was intact, this place could have travelers and information!

“Let’s just get inside,” Abel grumbled, the fire quickly leaving him as he moved towards the shrine. Tilieth followed slowly, dragging her feet and trying to push the frustration away.

This new shrine was not a combat trial, but more puzzles. Tilieth quickly spotted a receptacle for one of the energy balls to enter, but there was no way to reach the ball or get it to the receptacle. It moved along on a ground that pushed it from one side of the room to the other, a chasm between them and their target. Abel looked around, trying to find a way to climb over, but Tilieth glanced at the slate.

I wonder… they hadn’t used this particular rune too much, but it seemed an appropriate time to do so.

Raising the Sheikah Slate, Tilieth waited until the ball was in the right position and froze it with the stasis rune. She yelled in cheerful victory as it worked, and then she looked at her husband, eyes bright. “We have to push it into the hole, Abel! Using the frozen energy, remember?”

Abel watched the captured item uncertainly, and then he held his hand out for her to put a spare bow in his palm. The couple fired on the ball several times, watching with the slate as the energy built up, ready to propel it in the right direction.

The stasis spell snapped, sending the ball flying with enough energy to overshoot the receptacle, bounce against the wall, and smack the platform the couple stood on before disappearing into the chasm below.

Abel and Tilieth stared a moment, and then they looked at each other.

“A bit too many arrows, I suppose,” Tilieth noted with a sheepish laugh.

“Fine. I’ll freeze it, you shoot it,” Abel ordered, taking the slate from her.

The pair tried again, and thankfully one arrow was all it took for the wall beside them to reveal a door, which promptly opened.

The next room had yet another quasi bridge with a moving floor, except this time the ball was flanked by two miniature guardians. Tilieth stopped midway into the room, and Abel quickly pushed her back into the passage between the two areas.

“Watch Link,” he whispered, lowering the teenager to the ground and entering slowly.

Tilieth crouched down with their son, huddling close to him as Abel moved ahead, taking Tilieth’s pouch with him. He sifted through it briefly before pulling out a bomb arrow, nocking it and waiting. As soon as the first guardian appeared, he let it loose, and the ensuing explosion destroyed both miniature guardians easily. Tilieth breathed a sigh of relief, smiling and joining her husband to help him deal with the power orb.

“I hope we can find more arrows after this,” Abel lamented.

“Maybe the stable will have such supplies,” Tilieth wondered hopefully. “It sounds promising. I didn’t think we’d find any kind of civilization between Kakariko and Gerudo Town.”

“We’ll see how civilized it is,” Abel remarked, pushing onward as Tilieth fell back to retrieve Link.

”Honey, are you even going to trust the Gerudo?” Tilieth asked, genuinely curious and worried.

Abel sighed. “We were told they kept the area safe by trusted sources. That’s different.”

She supposed that was reasonable logic to him, dropping the point for now. At least it implied that he’d finally accepted the Sheikah were safe and trustworthy, considering his initial reaction to them.

The next room proved to be a bit more challenging. While there were no enemies, there were new moving bridges that were now accessible, though lasers would intermittently cut across the path, stopping them from carrying the next orb to its receptacle. Tilieth also spotted a treasure chest on a moving bridge parallel and just out of their reach.

She could get to it with the magnesis rune, though.

Smiling, she snatched the chest while Abel picked up the orb, ready to maneuver around the lasers.

“Wait, honey, there might be another way,” Tilieth suggested, growing worried as she dropped the chest in front of them.

Abel smiled a little, stubbornness set in his jaw, and he moved ahead. Tilieth knew better than to argue, just sighing instead.

It was like talking to a wall sometimes. Honestly.

Abel paused a moment, and then said, “The blocks. They’re cutting off the lasers. Til, I’ll need your help coordinating this.”

Ah, she saw it too! The blocks that slid along the bridges needed to be manipulated to help Abel get across. She grabbed the slate back from her husband, ready and eager to assist. With her efforts, Abel made it across safely, opening the next door. Doing so deactivated the lasers, allowing Tilieth to carry Link to the final room.

As the monk started to speak, Abel partly looked at Tilieth, murmuring, “Look, I know you’re inclined to trust everyone, but yesterday’s encounter on the road has to be something to bear in mind – perhaps I’m… a bit reactive, but we can’t just trust people on sight.”

Tilieth looked between the monk and Abel, wondering if it was rude to be speaking while he gave his speech that all the others had done, but she felt compelled to respond to Abel. The spirit orb brushed by her as it was absorbed by Link, and she hissed quietly, “You might be correct, but we can’t just attack on sight, either!”

“I didn’t attack—”

The family was teleported out of the shrine, and both spouses huffed, glaring mildly at each other. Then Tilieth looked back at the shrine, a little guilty at not honoring the monk’s final moments.

Abel watched her for a moment and then held his arms out. “Give me Link. We need to keep moving.”

Tilieth felt like she was losing control of the situation, losing the leadership he’d allotted her, but she didn’t fight about handing their son over. Instead, she said, “We’re still going to at least investigate the stable. We stayed at the Dueling Peaks Stable, after all, this isn’t new. It’s probably safer than camping on our own.”

“It’s not safer than camping inside a shrine.”

“There may not even be a shrine that close!” Tilieth argued, growing frustrated, and she shook her head. She understood Abel’s concerns, but still, if the man had said there was help up ahead they couldn’t just smack that chance away.

She led Epona quietly, sweat starting to soak her clothes as the intense heat of the desert crept ever closer. She’d never experienced such sweltering air, feeling it suffocate her the farther they moved along. Both Tilieth and Abel slowed their pace to give their horses a break, and they began to silently worry that their steeds would get too dehydrated to keep carrying them.

“Maybe we should travel on foot for a while?” Tilieth suggested.

Abel shook his head. “No. It’s best to utilize what water we have on the horses so we can cover more ground efficiently. It’ll be less water usage to just let them drink while carrying us than all of us drink and walk. Besides, the sun will be setting soon, and it’ll cool off.”

The sun would be setting soon? Tilieth felt like the day had just started.

A sparkle caught her attention, and Tilieth turned her head quickly, eyes searching intently for any sign of korok magic. Strangely enough, though, she didn’t see anything.

How odd. But, well, now that she thought about it, it looked darker than usual, so perhaps it was something else anyway.

The family continued their long trek, and Abel peeled off a layer or two of the tunic Tilieth had made him, stripping Link down to trousers and nothing else as the boy started to sweat. Tilieth wished she could strip her shirt off, but she supposed if there was an occupied stable nearby she probably shouldn’t.

“How much longer, love?” she asked desperately as the sun dipped behind the cliffside.

Abel sighed. “I… I’m not sure. Let’s stop and take a break.”

Tilieth looked helplessly at the Sheikah Slate as they halted, but all she saw was a blank screen and grid patterns.

Uncharted territory for her and the slate. She suddenly felt a little anxious and overwhelmed, but she tried to shake it off. This was an adventure, after all – she’d always wanted to see this part of Hyrule, and there were clearly plenty of shrines to help Link. Nothing was going wrong. She had no reason to be so frightened by their predicament.

Wind started to pick up, funneled through the narrowing pathways of the gorge they were traveling through, and Tilieth basked in the blessed relief it brought, even if the air was still dry and hot. It was better than nothing. Abel settled on the ground, letting Link rest on his lap, and Tilieth walked over to them, watching Link stare off into the distance.

Abel hadn’t bothered giving him dinner. He just stared at him.

“What’s wrong?” Tilieth asked, crouching down to be at eye level.

Abel watched Link for a while longer and then pulled the boy close. “Nothing. Just thinking about matters.”

Tilieth waited to see if he would elaborate, pulling out their water skins, and then when he stayed silent, she prompted, “What matters? The stable?”

“Silly things,” Abel assured her with a tired smile before drinking his water.

Tilieth watched him uncertainly. Was he lying? Was he reassuring her just to reassure her?

Ama and Epona both huffed as they watched their riders drink, and Tilieth hastily said, “Oh! Sorry girls, here, let me help you.”

As Tilieth let the horses drink, Abel spoke up. “Til, I don’t think it’s prudent for us to make camp out in the open in this place. We should just push ahead until we find somewhere safe.”

“I thought we were just taking a break anyway?” Tilieth shot back confusedly.

“I mean we shouldn’t stop at all unless it’s in a shrine or a cave or something,” Abel elaborated. “We might have to ride through the night.”

Oh. “Will the horses be all right?”

“They’ll manage far easier in the cooler night than during the day,” Abel noted.

Well, yes, she supposed that was true. Tilieth wished she could enjoy this a bit more, but she admittedly was starting to grow a little tired of baking in a canyon that looked the same everywhere they went. She’d seen no fauna and very little variation in the flora, though some of the flowers had been pretty, but there hadn’t really been much to collect or harvest.

Abel gave Link some water before wetting the boy’s hair a little, pulling it into a higher ponytail to keep him cooler. They rested in silence for a while as Tilieth squinted around her, trying to parse out what she could of the terrain, to find minute details that might differ. It seemed a little less daunting without the sun beating down on them, but as nighttime encroached it made it a bit more ominous.

After all, there would be monsters out at night.

Trying to revisit some issues rather than worry over what was to come, Tilieth took a hold of her courage. “I’m sorry about earlier.”

“Hm?” her husband hummed absentmindedly as he took care of their boy.

“The—you were talking about Link,” she tried to explain. “And—and you mentioned—and it’s—”

“Til, we don’t have to talk about it.”

“But we do,” she insisted. “We do because I can’t keep avoiding what happened, I—”

I can’t keep putting it on you. It’s crushing you.

She bit her tongue, tried to fight through the tightness of her throat, and she ground out with a wobbly tone, “We can’t keep running from it.”

The wind was deafening, filling the void between the pair.

And then Link sneezed loudly, making both of them jump.

The tension broke, and Abel chuckled. “Yes, you’re right. But we’ll deal with it later. Link is saying we should go.”

Tilieth found she couldn’t keep voicing her fears and worries any longer either, love bubbling in her chest at seeing Abel smile, at seeing Link as awake and alive as he was, and she nodded in agreement.

They moved at a faster pace now, rejuvenated with some water and the shade. Ama and Epona trotted happily, and Tilieth felt her heart soar at the sight of architecture built into the canyon walls. That had to be a good sign.

And then the Sheikah Slate beeped again.

The couple’s heat exhaustion vanished in their excitement and haste, and they pushed their horses to a full gallop to trace the signal. Tilieth was practically flying off the saddle, smiling from ear to ear. Three shrines in a day, and making ground!

Of course, the slate led them directly into a canyon wall. But Tilieth could hear movement, people up ahead. Abel held a hand out to stop her from continuing.

“Shrine first,” he whispered. “That way we have somewhere safe.”

It was a compromise. Tilieth recognized that. And she would take it. Abel climbed first with the slate to investigate, leaving Link with Tilieth as the two rested on the ground, giving their horses a break as well. This cliff in particular was quite tall, and Tilieth worried a little about how they would get Link up there.

Then again, they climbed a mountain in their first few days off the Plateau, so she figured they’d make it work. Today was just a bit tiring.

Today was very tiring, honestly. It didn’t seem like it should have been. Leaning her head back against the wall, Tilieth closed her eyes, letting Link’s head rest against her chest as she held him.

But then she heard… a giggle?

Opening her eyes, Tilieth looked around and saw a girl in the distance, probably around Link’s age. Her golden hair was kept out of her face with a white headband, the tied ends of it blowing in the wind with the rest of her free flowing hair, tanned skin glowing in the dusk light. She was looking elsewhere, thankfully not having noticed Tilieth or Link yet as she sat in the grass, watching it wave. A bird fluttered nearby, and the girl giggled again, her own feathered earrings blowing in the wind as if they wished to fly away as well.

Tilieth pressed back against the cliffside a little, not really intimidated by a teenager but still wanting to avoid detection. She was curious, though, about where this girl had come from – the stable had to be ahead, based on all the noise from others and this girl’s presence.

She was so curious, so hopeful, she just wanted the relief of seeing a stable intact for the first time in ten years.

Tilieth glanced up at the cliffside. Abel was just finally making it over the edge from what she could make out. She looked back at the girl, and she jumped when she realized the teenager was staring directly at her, amber eyes cheerful.

Tilieth swallowed, holding Link closer and smiling. “Hello there.”

The teenager tilted her head to the side, walking over and sitting across from them. “Hello.”

This girl was completely innocent. Abel’s paranoid was just rubbing off on her. Tilieth shook herself subtly to get the jitters off, and she said, “My name’s Tilieth. What’s yours?”

“Is he okay?” the girl asked quietly, eyes gentle as she watched Link.

“Oh, he’s sick,” Tilieth explained easily, growing accustomed to using that excuse. Then she looked the girl over, taking in the pink overshirt, white undershirt, brown trousers, green sash, how they were slightly torn and patched up, and she had to ask, “Are you from the stable?”

“He needs offerings,” the girl said, eyes never leaving Link.

Tilieth blinked. “He—offerings?”

The girl’s eyes finally met Tilieth’s own, and she shivered a little as a breeze tore through the area. The teenager’s smile softened, and she nodded. “Offerings.”

“Tilieth!”

Abel’s whispered hiss to get her attention made her nearly jump out of her skin. She prayed he wasn’t going to panic over the teenager, but when she looked up at her husband he seemed perfectly calm.

Thank Hylia. Looking back, she was going to tell the child she had to go.

No one was there.

Tilieth stared, looking around, starting to grow nervous. Did the girl go back to the stable? What—

“Tilieth, the shrine overlooks the stable, it’s a good staging point,” Abel reported as he slid back down. “I think I can carry Link up there. Are you okay to climb on your own?”

“I—y-yes,” she hastily replied, trying to reorient. Well, it wasn’t like she could help it if the girl went back and reported finding her. It wasn’t like the man from earlier, Niamos, wouldn’t anyway. So far she hadn’t seen anyone who was hostile.

Abel smiled a little, giving her a quick pat on the shoulder before strapping Link to his back and starting to climb once more. She worried a little for him, having run around and fought as much as he had today, and then they’d both gotten some heat exhaustion. “Are you sure you’re not too tired, love?”

“I’m fine, Til.”

“Seriously, Abel,” Tilieth insisted. “We can just camp down here if we need to.”

Abel kept moving, easily throwing back, “We’re losing what daylight we have left, Til. I’m fine. Let’s go.”

Sighing, she followed him up the cliffside, feeling her own muscles shake. She nearly lost her grip at one point, gasping a little, and Abel immediately looked down.

“I’m okay, I’m okay!” she insisted hastily so he wouldn’t tire. “Let’s keep moving.”

Honestly, if she stopped at this point, she would fall. It was starting to make her a little nervous. When they finally reached the top, both of them had to catch their breath. Tilieth looked down at how far they’d climbed, and then she saw it.

The stable.

Tilieth nearly cried, glancing down at something that used to be so familiar and normal and safe, a respite amidst a long journey. After not seeing one for so long, and only stumbling upon ruins of the rest, catching sight of a fully intact stable, its horse head high in the sky, made her almost fall to her knees.

“Goddess, it’s there, it’s really there,” she said shakily, eyes stinging.

Abel moved slowly to come up beside her, still panting a little, face conflicted.

“Please, Abel, we have to go down there,” she insisted.

“Tomorrow,” Abel replied. “We’ll go tomorrow. When we’re both well rested. I… please. I can’t fight them like this if something goes wrong.”

Her heart ached, but she nodded. Abel was trying. She would too. The couple entered the shrine once they felt ready, and Tilieth was relieved to find that these puzzles were quite straightforward. Abel moved ahead to eliminate any little guardians, and Tilieth found herself almost too tired to be as terrified as she usually was.

Almost.

They reached the monk in record time, and once they were teleported outside, Tilieth found herself sitting on the ground peering over the edge. The sun had long since set, cooler air bringing immense relief from the blazing heat of earlier in the day. Tilieth stared longingly at the stable, wondering if there were actually beds in there like in Kakariko, wondering how many people were there, what stories they had.

She wondered what stories the two people she’d encountered today had. But she turned back to Abel, who was heading towards the shrine already.

He wanted to address the matter in the morning. They would address it in the morning. Slowly, Tilieth reentered the shrine with her family, and they both collapsed in exhaustion, barely unpacking anything to rest.

And as the moon rose higher and higher, a voice carried on the wind, one lone ear twitched, and a dark sparkle shone in the air.

“—nk. –k. –p’n—s.”

“—p’n—”

“Link. Open your eyes."

[synnthamonsugar]

DESTINYTOBER: Day 7 - Prismatic

Read it on AO3

. . .

In the unspoiled wildflower fields of the Pale Heart, Lilith unfurls wings of flame and draws forth a burning sword from her breast. Carving the blade through the air, she sends an arc of fire hurtling into a swarm of scorn ravagers, exploding them in wafts of smoke and dark ether. 

A wraith breaks free from the pack and attempts to bash her with a scorching club. She parries the attack and thrusts her sword through the soft rot of its chest, ending it instantly. It falls into a heap of meat and metal, the ground shuddering under its weight.

While its corpse smolders away into nothingness, a pack of screebs flank her; in a heartbeat, wings and sword both extinguish and crystallize. Driving the blade into the ground, a cone of stasis spreads out, freezing the creatures in place instantly. Before they can thaw, she slashes through them, frozen fragments glinting in the sun as they blast out and detonate the next wave before they can reach her. 

The remaining raiders are smart enough to keep their distance, hurling deadly shrapnel from their launchers. She deflects a few with her sword, but it's too much to keep up with. Calling on the void, she blinks out of reality before a volley lands where she just stood, then reappears within grenade range. She tosses a gravitational vortex at the center-mass of the group; as they struggle to free themselves, she summons a brood of threadlings, the spectral worms swarming and finishing their undead prey. 

Enemies dealt with — and this section of the Pale Heart cleared of its corruption — she allows both void and strand to dissipate. As she does, she catches her reflection in a mirror-polish face of deep blue crystal, and notices that the iris of one eye is gold, while the other is black. She blinks, and they're back to their usual deep brown. 

The Darkness hadn't been hers to seek, rather a gift she accepted when all was seemingly lost. Since then, Lilith has tried to wrench it from herself, begged Savathûn to cleanse her of it, even merged consciousnesses with Eris in an attempt to accept it. She had come to terms with it for the most part, but she would be lying if she said she didn't have a small pearl of hope that killing the Witness would break her link to the Dark, too. Instead, it brought a sense of balance . . . 

She thinks about that black-eyed entity in the Garden, the one who was and wasn't her. She knows its identity now, but imagines for a moment that it really was herself in negative, as she first thought. Would she allow herself to be backed into the corner, or take her hand and say that she doesn't fear her, that she even loves her?

Lilith thinks she finally understands the meaning of symmetry.

[theendisneat]

Ladyhawke

Pairing: Xiao x gn!reader Warnings: Slight body horror (animal transformations), angst, injury Word Count: 5713

The traveler only ever called for Xiao when it was absolutely necessary, not wanting to impede on his work or step on his toes. Considering he has enough visible stress to be worrisome, Aether refused to regulate the man to backup by his side ‘just in case’ something went wrong, no matter how safe that would make him feel.

It is currently an emergency.

Aether had been peacefully collecting ingredients for the monstrous amount of food he had to make, mainly for Paimon’s never ending stomach, when he had been ambushed by multiple geovishaps. Normally this wouldn’t be a problem, however, in the middle of dodging the rolling boulders, a swarm of hilichurls and mitachurls had come to join them, swinging their little clubs, firing those annoying elemental arrows, and attempting to bash him with their heavy shields. 

If Aether still had his natural abilities, the ones that had been locked away from the moment he woke on this planet, this situation would’ve been close to nothing for him. Unfortunately, such was not the case.

The combination of attacks from all sides left him dizzy as he tried to defend himself from everyone, but it was far too overwhelming. The clubs beat at his stomach and legs, the arrows constantly nicked his arms, and at one point even his neck, leaving him with traces of cryo and electro uncomfortably scattered all over. It took more concentration than he’d like from him to dodge each rolling vishap and swing from the mitachurls’ rock shields.

It was a slam to the side from one of the vishaps, sharp spikes of rocks cutting into his side alongside the brute force that had him gasping for breath, when he finally groaned out Xiao’s name, clutching his bleeding skin desperately. 

Arriving in a flash of green light, Xiao slashed at the closest monster, his polearm carving a deep cut in the creature’s abdomen that had it crumbling to dust. Flashing from spot to spot, expression unchanged from its stoney glare, Xiao mercilessly destroyed each creature. 

When he was finally finished his eyes flicked to Aether with something akin to concern. Grabbing onto the traveler’s upper arms, he helped the man sit on the bumpy ground. 

“Do not move.” Xiao ordered. “Your injuries are serious.”

“I figured.” Aether groaned again, his breath hitching with every twinge of pain. “I’m too far from the harbor. How am I going to get a doctor?”

Xiao’s brows pinched. “Do you not carry medical supplies on your person?”

“Not enough to help me right now.”

The bleeding was getting worse, dripping down his side and sinking into the whites of his clothes, turning them a stark, ugly red. The patches of cryo and electro that stuck to Aether’s skin, growing from the little cuts made by the arrow tips, were spreading, making it difficult to move his neck.

“I could bring you to a doctor through the wind though I am unsure on whether or not your body will be able to handle the strain-”

A lilting chirp broke both from their conversation. From the sky came an ethereal, glittering bird. With a slim yet round body, like that of a pheasant and long, colorful plumage of bright oranges, blues, pinks, and greens, creating a strangely contrasting yet appealing sight. Its form was graceful, gliding through the wind as if it was floating, merely being carried along by a current. Light bounced off the creature’s feathers, reflecting the rays of the sun in a way that made it look as if it was covered in gemstones.

The bird lowered until its dainty claws were resting on Xiao’s shoulder. Though fairly large, it seemed to bear no weight onto the adeptus, simply nuzzling the man’s cheek with a startlingly gold colored beak. Its eyes were a flaming red and focused only on the one it landed on.

The bird clicked its beak, somehow giving off an air of disappointment as its feathers ruffled before smoothing over.

“I apologize.” Xiao spoke, in the most sincere voice Aether had ever heard from him. “A friend called for my aid.”

The bird clicked disapprovingly and turned its shining eyes on Aether instead. Floating down, it hopped around Aether’s tired body, inspecting it from top to bottom, looking closely at his wounds. 

“May you go get us a doctor?” Xiao asks.

The bird chirps once more, and with a nip to Xiao’s cheek, flies off, its long tail plumage brushing against Aether’s cheek.

“What was that?” He asked breathlessly, the wound on his sides having him gasp for air.

“A long time companion of mine. Don’t worry, they’re very fast and they’ll get a doctor on time.” 

“How long have you known them?” Aether looks over to see Xiao’s face, a mix of complicated emotions flashing across his features.

“For as long as I can remember.”

-

Sneaking through the foliage, Alatus tried to keep his steps as quiet as possible. He winced with every brush of his hair against the leaves or every crack of a twig under his foot. Finally making it to a break in the trees, he let out a breath of relief and stepped into the clearing.

Surrounded by looming trees of dark wood was a little field of Qingxin flowers, the air almost cloying with a light scent. It calmed his mind to be here, waiting silently.

Arms slid around his waist, strong and sure. A chin hooked over his shoulder and a warm breath tickled his ear. A kiss was pressed to his temple.

“Hello Alatus.”

He shuddered in their hold, leaning back against their chest. His face was turned away from them to hide the bright redness that riddled his cheeks. “[Y/n], it’s entirely unnecessary to announce yourself to me like this.”

“Oh come on, love. I cannot tease you? Not even when we are alone?” Hands traveled down his sides, petting his waist and squeezing his hips.

“[Y/n]!” He shook out of their hold, whipping around to face them. An infuriating smirk was on their lips, one that had his stomach rolling, and their eyes were glimmering playfully. 

They chuckled, deep and amused. “I’m sorry, love. Won’t you forgive me?” 

Alatus scoffed at the sight of [Y/n]s eyes twisted into that of a puppy dog, begging and shining. “No, I do not forgive.”

“Alatus! Please!” They whined, stepping forward as if about to hug him. 

He stepped back and they continued until [Y/n] was chasing him around the clearing. Round and round in a circle they went, careful not to trample on the swaying Qingxins, but hands grabbed his waist once more and lifted him in the air. He yelped as he was manhandled, instinctively wrapping his legs around [Y/n]’s waist as they wrapped their arms around his own waist. His hands rested on their shoulders, fingers scrunching the coarse fabric of a working robe. 

Alatus glares down at his lover, pinching their cheek in a way so soft it couldn’t even count as a reprimand. “You are too shameless! Lifting me like this! Do you think I am a toy to be played with?”

They hummed. “Well, you are certainly small enough to be one.” They chuckled as Alatus flailed, attempting to kick the back of their knees.

“You- ridiculous-” Alatus was too flustered to function, brain shorting out and face as red as a tomato.

He plopped his head on the other’s shoulder, the fight finally leaving him when all his kicking and annoyance did nothing to shake their hold. He felt that breath next to his ear again, warm, sending shivers down his spine.

“I’m so happy to see you, my love. How many months has it been since I’ve gotten to see you face to face?” Their voice was tender, full of longing despite the fact that Alatus was in their arms, practically snuggling into them.

He understood their distress, he felt it too. Their affair could never be public, a servant of the cruel god that ravished the land and a pathetic human that tilled the earth for a modicum of grain to feed themselves and the little ones of the run down village at the bottom of the mountain. No, it could never be exposed. 

Alatus could only imagine the harshness that would rain upon his lover if their union was ever to be discovered. Cruelty of the most disgusting kind from his God- no, his owner- in the form of torture, perhaps whips and chains, branding irons and starvation. Alatus could think of a number of ways his owner would destroy the soul of the one holding him in their arms.

Truly, he should let them go. He should have never lowered his spear when he first encountered them, robes worn and dirty, a slowly breaking wicker basket in the crook of their arm. ‘They’re for the children’ they had said, ‘the little ones of my village hardly get any happiness and I couldn’t help myself when I discovered this little patch of flowers. They’d make such great flower crowns, you know?’

His traitorous, romantic heart thudded. His grip slackened and his spear fell to his side. ‘Do not make a habit of coming.’ He had scolded. At the time, this had been the spot he would run off to whenever his owner got upset, frustrated, with any situation. It was not difficult to trigger his temper, and with his temper came his venomous words and harsh hands. He had not wanted anyone else to frequent the one place he could get away. ‘Stay in your village, or I will use more forceful measures to keep you away.’

Oh, what a fool he was. He should’ve known that he had presented a challenge when that, now familiar, smirk appeared on their face. ‘We’ll see about that.’

But now, though he knew- he knew- he should have never started this relationship, he could not regret it. The times they had met in the clearing after that, the teasing and playing, the dozing and stargazing. How could he come to regret those times? How could he come to regret the conversations under the blanket of a warm sunset, where the days had been too much and he spoke about not only the cruelty he was under, but the cruelty he engaged in?

He could not begin to regret the times that they had held him, wrapped him in their comforting scent and simply listened. Listened to him cry about how much he hated himself, hated his owner, hated the world and the gods and the very ground he walked upon. They stroked his hair and pressed kisses to his forehead, never letting him go or pulling back in disgust. His prickly temper never put them off and he was always so grateful for their patience.

Similarly, there were bad days for them too. Days where taking care of their little village had been too much. Being one of the only able-bodied adults in a community of the elderly and children orphaned by other feats of destruction done by the gods, much responsibility fell on them to farm, to care for the children when other could not, to learn to sew and cook when the elderly’s joint could not handle the fine motions. 

They felt helpless on those days, helpless and guilty. The pressure of having to take care of everyone and still have the kids who died of infection or starvation, the old men and women who laid dead in their homes for a few days before anybody noticed because they could not check up on everyone all the time.

Their broken voice when they admitted to hating themselves for bothering Alatus with their problems when he had much more going on. He put a stop to that line of thought very quickly.

Then the years passed. Their meetings had never been consistent, but they had been frequent, and Alatus began to feel the urge to love them differently. To have his hands roam across their body, pressing into sensitive places. To cover them in kisses and bites. To cherish them and hold them in their darkest hours and brightest days. 

He could recognize it as more than friendship and was relieved [Y/n] could too, accepting his affection and giving back their own tenfold.

They were not shy with their affection. Alatus showed his love for them in more subtle ways that helped him keep his face from bursting, and he was content knowing they appreciated the gestures, but there was nothing Alatus could initiate that was quite like what they were doing now.

Concealed in his lover’s arms, his legs around their waist, squeezing them together. Little kisses being littered on his reddened cheeks, their voice so full of concern and love it made his heart burst.

“Too long.” He replied back. “Four months since we last saw each other in person.”

They hummed contemplatively, knocking their forehead lightly against his. “Any recent injuries? Lasting pain?” 

He was about to shake his head no when the little cramps in his back and stomach decided to act up, irritating the already sore muscles. “Cramps.”

[Y/n] lowered them to the forest floor, spinning him around so he was still sitting in their lap but his back was pressing against their chest.

“In your back, as usual?” Their lithe fingers began to swiftly press along the plains of his back forcing small grunts of pain past his lips.

“And stomach.” He couldn’t see them nod but he knew they heard. 

He sat there silently, as silently as he could be, as they kneaded into his back, working out the several knots and pains. Their gentle hands slid to his front, working out the pain much more delicately than they had the back, something Alatus appreciated when he realized just how much more painful his stomach was than his back.

One particular knot had him curling over, whining. A kiss was pressed to the back of his neck, the fingers eased from the sore spot. 

“Bad one?”

“Yes…” His voice was breathy. He sighed and uncurled himself, leaning back into their embrace. “Thank you. I feel better.”

“I’m so delighted that you feel better, Alatus.” 

Alatus felt [Y/n] tense around him, holding him even closer to their chest in an instinctive act to protect him. He shuffled in their hold to look over their shoulder. His veins turned to ice when he saw the shadowy figure creeping along the edge of his safe haven.

Licks of dark shadows followed the pale, bare feet of the cruel god. Robes as dark as the night swished around thin ankles. The draping fabric clung to a tall, lanky body. Pin straight black hair fell to the being’s waist, cut strands framing an angular face in a strange contortment of amusement and anger.

Alatus felt himself shaking, felt his arms going around [Y/n]’s head in a useless attempt to cover their face, as if he could shield them from the tyrant standing only a few steps away.

“My Lord, I-”

“Now isn’t it strange that I find my most diligent, incredible warrior cooped up in this little meadow with a peasant when he told me he was going to check over the prisoners he had helped me capture and torture just last night?” Alatus flinched at the wide smile, thin lips pulled back to reveal sharp, monstrous teeth.

“Lord, please-”

“Truly amusing, I’d say.” The god’s voice was lilted, almost joyous. “I never thought my little fledgling would dare lie to me so brazenly.”

He was frozen in fear and from the feel of it, so was [Y/n]. Their arms were stiff around his body. They weren’t shaking but they were so still that Alatus could think of them as a statue. 

“Come here, Alatus.” Hand held out as if a cocky noble woman ready to receive a kiss from a bumbling fool, the god was patient, waiting, expecting. 

Shakily, he tried to stand, but firm arms pulled him back down. A whisper so quiet he nearly missed it. “Don’t go, you’ll be hurt.”

“We will both be hurt if I do not. Let me try to save you.” Alaus murmured back. Quickly breaking out of his lover’s hold, despite the desperately grappling hands and hissed ‘no’, he walked forward to stand before his owner.

Swallowing his pride, Alatus kneeled down and bowed further than he would to anyone else, kowtowing before the god. “Please My Lord, I have made a mistake in lying and not informing you of my true whereabouts.”

He made sure to sidestep saying that he simply made a mistake, implying his lover as part of the mistake. He could never do that and it seems his owner noticed it too.

“Is that true, my fledgling?” A hand was in his hair, cold and indifferent, just nearly tugging on little knots. It moved from his hair down his back, petting his spine in a way that had him shivering with disgust. “You made a mistake? Are you willing to correct it?”

“...Yes, Lord.” He could hear the hesitancy in his own voice.

“Really?” The hand finally stopped, resting on two vertical lines that stretched through the middle of his back. “Alatus.” The fake teasing was gone, voice flat. “Bring out your wings.”

His breath hitched. He felt like he couldn’t breathe. “Lord?”

“Bring out. Your wings. Alatus.”

Alatus let his wings unfurl from the scars that hid them. Bright and golden and beautiful, they stretched far longer than they might’ve needed to, almost engulfing Alatus in their glory. The feathers trembled, his hands clenched so hard, if not for his gloves, his palms would be indented and bleeding.

“So glorious. It’s such a shame you no longer deserve them.”

Alatus could not see what his owner was about to do, though he could guess, but he did feel the sudden weight on his back. [Y/n]’s long hair falling around his head like a curtain, their arms going around his waist and their forehead pressed to his nape. 

“Please… please… don’t hurt him.” Their voice shook, whispering. Their hold was uncomfortably tight and no matter how much Alatus squirmed, he would not be able to break out of their arms without hurting them.

“What a passionate display of love.” His owner’s voice was littered with jealousy. 

Alatus was suddenly free of the weight on his back and twisted around to see his owner holding his love by their hair. Beautiful strands tangled in needle fingers. Their eyes were screwed shut, hands grasping the god’s wrist.

Alatus felt frozen, limbs locked into place, eyes widened with terror. “Lord, please…”

“Please, please, please!” The god groaned. “That is all I have been hearing! Please what, Alatus? Certainly you are not going to beg for this pathetic creature’s life?” 

His lover winced with every gesticulation, hair pulled left and right with every wave of the god’s hand. Their eyes were open now, tears falling down their cheeks, their irises looking crystalized. 

“No,” the tone was thoughtful, a hand going to cup a chin. “Maybe I shouldn’t kill them. No, that wouldn’t be very fun, too simple.”

His lover was dropped and his chin was grabbed instead. Harsh nails dug into the skin of his cheeks and his head was tilted back uncomfortably.

“No, I think I have a perfectly suitable idea for punishment.” A fingertip was pressed to his forehead and he immediately felt a searing pain across his skin, burrowing deep into his mind. It dripped down the back of his neck, along his arms and torso and leg, lighting up each nerve in his body like fire.

Alatus collapsed, his body cradled by the soft grass as his fingers twitched and muscles spasmed. He resented his inability to move, that he was forced to watch his owner glade across the meadow to his fearful, shaking lover. 

They too had a finger pressed to their forehead, but unlike Alatus their bones began to shift. They cracked and snapped and poked through their skin, the skin itself shrinking and tightening over the broken bones. Growths began to appear and elongate, blooming into bright, colorful feathers.

Their screams haunted Alatus's ears as their body compacted into the shape of a pheasant, sleek and undoubtedly beautiful. Their feathers glimmered from the sun spots that dappled through the trees. 

The bird, the Fenghuang, that was once his lover lay limp in the grass, wings spread out like exhausted limbs. Alatus crawled to them, arms trembling so hard it was a wonder how he hadn't collapsed. He cradled their body in his roughed gloves. Eyes wet with tears that couldn't fall from sheer shock alone.

“What… what have you done to them?” His voice scratched, defeated and broken.

“Oh I just gave them a fun little curse. I gave it to you as well.” The god chuckled at the vicious glare Alatus sent. “Don't worry, the curse won't prevent you from doing your duties.”

Alatus curled his body over his lover protectively, wrapping his wings around himself to completely conceal them from view. He heard his owner huff with amusement, heard the hem of a robe brush against the grass.

“Perhaps this will encourage you to use your common sense, Alatus. I consider myself a forgiving person, so take this punishment as a learning experience.” Eyes narrowed into a glare, lips pulled back into a snarl. “You are lucky I did not kill you both.”

And soon, Alatus was alone in the clearing once more, his rough hands and gloves doing their best to delicately hold his lover, now trapped in the body of a Fenghuang.

-

Alatus stayed in that clearing for the rest of the day.

Once the shock had worn off, the tears finally fell. Crystalline droplets slid down his face, staining the Fenghuang in his arms with little spots, dampening the vividness of their feathers. It crushed his soul to hold them close to his chest but feel so completely disconnected from them in a way that had never happened before.

Alatus barely noticed their eyes fluttering open, their feathers rustling as they woke. It isn’t until he hears a quiet caw that he notices their movements. He looks down, watching them squirm in his hold, shaking.

“I’m so sorry.” He whispers, bending over them. “I did this to you.”

He feels their beak against his face, nipping at the skin of his cheeks. From how they lay on their back, their claws reach up to pull at his clothes as if in protest to his statements. He can only curl around them further in a vain attempt to protect them from what has already been done.

-

When the sun begins to set, the clearing fills with shadows and Alatus feels strange. He had been holding his Fenghuang for how long he had no idea. But now his chest constricted, his skin feeling too tight over his bones. He gasped, choking on his words as he tried to speak.

He staggered away from the Fenghuang, watching with bleary eyes as they fell to the ground, fluttering their wings to balance themselves. They look at him with something he thinks might be concern before a loud screech leaves their beak.

Far faster than the first time it happened, their body constricts, transforming into a human form. Their eyes were wild and fearful, hands scrambling to push themselves to their feet. They stumbled over to Alatus as he hunched over in pain, their legs working like that of a newborn fawn. They collapsed at his side, hands going to his shoulders.

“Alatus?” They whispered. “What’s wrong, are you hurt?”

He chuckled lowly, his face pinching when a wave of pain traveled from his chest to his limbs. “How can you be so concerned for me after what just happened to you?”

“I had a little time to come to terms with it over the past hours.” 

He laughed again, leaning into their touch, gazing at them with loving eyes. The pain flared again and he fell onto his side. He pressed his forehead to the dirt, gritting his teeth and squeezing his eyes shut.

His bones break, one by one. He feels them snap out of place and reform. His wings spasm, curling and flaring and twitching violently as they shrink alongside his body. His skin prickles, an itch that erupts into pain when feathers peek out from his skin. He cries out, but he vaguely realizes it sounds more like the call of a bird.

His vision whites out, but when he comes too, he realizes how strange his body feels. He’s off kilter, the weight of his wings are wrong, the stretch of his legs is wrong. He tries to reach out to his lover, to calm their wide eyes, but he finds a golden wing stretching out instead.

‘A bird.’ He thinks. ‘I am in the form of a bird.’ A beautiful, golden bird with slim, shining feathers and the body of a phoenix. Long feathers sprouted from his head and tail, making him look particularly regal and expensive, like a prize one could only dream of finding. His talons were sharp, digging into the dirt.

“Alatus…” His lover whispered, their voice almost reverent. “I know this is a poor time to say this, but you are very lovely.”

His feathers fluffed up and he screeched. His claws shuffled and his wings ruffled. He hated how obvious his fluster was, even in this form.

His lover only stares at him with sad amusement, a small smile on their face. They held their hands out and Alatus waddled over, sitting in their palms. They lift him up and place him in their lap, their hands gentle.

“So this is the curse.” They mutter. “Once one of us turns human, the other will turn into a creature. We may never be human at the same time again.” Their brows furrowed and they began to gently get his back. “But what do you suppose causes the change? Is it when we are a creature for a certain amount of time?”

Alatus looks to the sky, his beak nipping at the air. [Y/n] follows his gaze seeing the moon now resting comfortably in the dark sky surrounded by stars. “We began to change at dusk. You think I’ll change again at dawn?”

Alatus chirps, nuzzling his beak into the crook of their neck, the only form of comfort he manages at the moment.

They sigh, their eyes lowered. “I guess we’ll figure it out.”

-

Figure it out, they did.

When dawn had come the next morning and the shift had happened again, they lamented the few precious minutes they got to spend with each other as humans. Minutes spent kissing, apologizing, hugging, and forgiving, until [Y/n]’s form crumpled and they became a Fenghuang once more.

The years ahead were not kind to the poor lovers. Alatus, still under his god’s control, struggled to continue following commands, hurt and anger and hatred weighing in his eyes every time he was in the same room as the god. The one mercy given was that [Y/n] was not killed, and would not be killed. Instead, they were allowed to accompany Alatus as a companion, even on the battlefield.

The two worked as a team. During the day, the sparkling Fenghuang was used to transport messages, spy, and claw out the eyes of any opponent that dared attack Alatus from the back. During the night Alatus joined them as they took care of their village and occasionally bent to the desires of his master, no matter what those orders may be.

The worst nights were when his master would have him called into the throne room and perch on the arm of the disgustingly gaudy throne. Cruel hands would pet him oh so softly before plucking out his feather, forcing him to cry out in pain, and cruel eyes would gaze at him mockingly, a lust set deep within every time a feather was pulled.

Their savior and downfall came in the form of Rex Lapis.

The archon war had truly come to their doorstep when their half-wit of a master chose to challenge Rex Lapis. They had no illusions over their god’s power. There was enough power to keep the lovers suppressed, to lord over others and enough to develop a healthy arrogance, but there was not enough to challenge the one they had heard so much about. An intelligent, diligent war god, with ruthless, true technique. By this time in the war, thousands had fallen by his hand and thousand more were sure to come.

Alatus stood in a field of dry, dead grass, the sun beating down on his back and [Y/n]’s nervous talons clenching on his shoulder. His spear was in his hand, his knuckles, white and his master’s cold and cruel laugh rang through his ears as he was forced to face off against the god alone.

Alatus looked to his lover. Over the years, their silent communication has grown, always having to communicate when the other was an animal. Alatus could see the nervousness, could feel the tension and fear. He nodded his head, a signal that he would start the fight.

His lover nodded back, and with a quick nip to his ear, they took off into the sky. He took merely a second to admire their beauty as they glided on the air currents, the sun speckling off their feathers.

He rushed forward, his spear clashing against Rex Lapis’s own. They fought, dancing around each other as weapons sparked from the intensity of every collision. Bruises showed up quickly, though not on the god’s body. Alatus only got more battered as the fight went on, no match for the imposing figure knocking his spear away with precision.

When his tired arms went lax, his fingers almost losing their grip, a strong thrust from his opponent’s spear nearly met his heart if it wasn’t for [Y/n]. With a loud screech they dove from the sky, landing on the spear and pushing the metal into the dirt. They pushed off the handle, their talons outstretched, and aimed right for the god’s throat.

Unfortunately, in the body of a simple creature, they were not fast enough for their talons to reach their intended target. A swift backhand from Rex Lapis had them tumbling through the air, landing roughly against the course dirt.

Alatus dropped his spear and ran to them, the orders from his master and the fight against Rex lapis fleeing his mind the moment he saw them hurt. Though it was not the first time [Y/n] had been injured in battle, it was the first time they had been up against an opponent so powerful. There was no telling how much force Rex Lapis had hit them with.

Alatus fell to his knees beside the still body of his lover. Eyes frantic, he looked over every part of their body, only relaxing a bit when he noticed the shallow, but steady rise and fall of their chest. He cradled them, pulling them to his chest.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Rex Lapis approaching, a distant fear settling in the cavern of his chest. His form was so similar now to when he first held [Y/n] as a Fenghuang, curled over their body, his back left defenseless.

He heard his owner scream at him, telling him to stand, to fight, but with each step closer Rex Lapis became, he relaxed. He supposes he should be horrified by the thought of dying, that his instincts should be kicking in and he would pick up his spear and fight until his last breath. Alatus couldn’t muster the strength. Perhaps it would be nice to die, for [Y/n] to die, and their souls could be reunited in the afterlife and they could once again hold each other, kiss and speak to each other. 

He bends over further, almost like a rabbit bearing its neck to a ravenous wolf, but Rex Lapis did not look ravenous, more confused. 

The god held the tip of his blade to Alatus’s neck. “You surrender?”

“Yes.” He rasped. “Just make sure it's painless, for them.” His gaze abandons the god and is once again captured by the form of his lover. Since he was going to die, he would rather do it while looking at them, the most beautiful being in the world.

When Alatus didn’t feel the sting of metal, he jerked his head up only to see Rex Lapis stalking towards his master. The fear in his master’s eyes as the god, the truly formidable god, slashed, and then it was over. The pathetic squirming and pleading stopped, body hitting the floor, and eyes marbling.

Alatus could only stare in shock, body still. His god, his master, his owner, lying in a pool of his own blood, red as ruby, dead. The one to give him and [Y/n] their curse, and the only one who could break it, dead.

In that moment, when Rex Lapis offered asylum, safety, in return for loyalty, Alatus couldn’t help but despise him.

-

The years blurred after that.

The end of the archon war, gaining his anemo vision, Khaenri’ah, the deaths of his brothers and sisters, the present. He flowed through it, [Y/n] by his side, the only thing still keeping him sane, tied to Teyvat.

Now, he sat next to the traveler, pressing onto his wound, making him stay awake as [Y/n] got a doctor.

The traveler, Aether, was a kind one, a friend. One of the only people he felt he could be somewhat vulnerable around besides his lover or Rex Lapis. It was a terrifying feeling, opening up even after all he’s lost, but the traveler felt right, a good one.

He could only hope that Aether only brings light into his and [Y/n]’s lives, instead of the morose air of their lives now.

And perhaps, he secretly hopes that Aether holds an ability that can break their curse.

[spangel-fanwork-marathon]

2025 Marathon Posting Guidelines

Since sign-ups will be opening soon, it's time to release revised and updated posting guidelines for the 2025 marathon. We will also be opening the Ao3 collection soon, as well.

First and foremost, we are a Spangel event. That means that all fanworks need to focus on the Spike/Angel pairing. It should be the primary pairing and be the focus of the fanwork.

All fanworks must feature Spike and Angel in a romantic and/or sexual relationship (heavy subtext/flirtation, implied relationship, or pre-slash are all fine).

Angelus/Spike, Angelus/William, etc, are all allowed!

Threesomes/polyamory are allowed, so long as the work is focused on the Spike/Angel relationship (for example, a smutty fic where Spike and Angel are in an established relationship and invite Willow over for a threesome one night, or a historical fic with background fanged four polyamory that focuses on Angelus and Spike's relationship).

No bashing of Spike or Angel or of the Spangel relationship. We're here because we love the characters and the ship.

Any and all types of fanworks are allowed: fanfiction, fanart, podfic, fanvids, comics, graphics, moodboards, meta, whatever you'd like to create!

Minimums are 100 words for fanfiction, and a clean finished sketch on unlined paper for fanart, and equivilencies for other types of fanworks (mods will happily help figure out what is fair).

There is no max wordcount. Multichaptered works are allowed.

Works must be completed.

Works must stand on their own (for example, a work can't be part 3 of a series that requires the first two parts to be read for essential context)

No AI generated work (using an AI tool to check your grammar is fine; having an AI tool write your entire fic is not).

Background pairings can be whatever you want, as long as the Spangel remains the main focus of the work!

All ratings and content are allowed. We just ask that you rate, warn, and tag appropriately (of course, you're welcome to choose not to warn and/or mark your fic unrated).

Works need to be new works (remixes and podfics are allowed, as long as they themselves are new).

Have fun! We can't wait to see what you create!

[muralikesgames]

What are weapons you want to see return in DD2?

I have my share of requests, but I also want them to come back with unique effects instead of being another regular\enchanted weapons, preferably as a quest reward. I'll start.

Dwells-In-Light An immaculate greatsword said to have formed in a flash of sacred light. Its holy strikes have a small chance to heal the user each time they land a blow.

The healing will be akin to a lesser Anodyne only on the wielder, so it's a short steady health regen. This is inspired by Holy enchantments from DD1 having innate chance to heal when attacking\killing enemies. It also fits warrior's gameplay of tanking damage as an immovable object.

Malignance A saw-like greatsword infused with cold such that it freezes as it eviscerates. Performing a follow-up attack unleashes Frigor around the wielder.

Follow-up attacks are the "finishers" performed with heavy attacks on a downed\staggered enemy. Since the attack's really slow, this will add an additional layer of AoE if the warrior's getting attacked by other enemies during the animation. It will also be extra brutal against drakes. The ice spikes will be smaller and concentrated around the user's attack, similar in size to enemy's Frigor (bandit mages and Wights).

Ascalon A sword wrought of an unknown metal imbued with holy light, giving its blade an otherworldly glow. Slashes against the undead have a small chance to unleash a stunning light blast. Killing an undead has a higher chance for it to occur.

Inspired by Skyrim's Dawnbreaker, the idea's to have a really strong holy sword with minor AoE. The light blast will be similar to mage's Empyrean spell, but much smaller in scale and without lingering light. Just like that spell, it has a huge stagger chance against the undead, and can make skeletons "faint."

Bezel Crown A bow like something out of a clockwork contraption. Each shots that finds its mark has a chance to ricochet, while arrows from bow skills have a chance to hit twice.

Since its original effect has been given to Medusan Spellbow, I thought a new unique effect inspired by its "clockwork contraption" tech could be used. The idea's to make this more of a crowd control weapon, but when using skills, the ricochet will bounce "on itself," allowing it to hit the same target a second time. If you shoot an ogre's hand, the arrow may bounce towards its head. Unlike MA's Ricochet, it does not bounce on surfaces.

Thunder Kite Shield A result of an unknown smithy's fatal experiment with magick, this shield is forever enchanted with thunder. Bashes and deflects have a chance to send a roaring shockwave. Perfect Deflects will guarantee its thunderous might.

Instead of casting Levin, I took the "thunder" part of its original description as inspiration. The conal shockwave deals lightning damage of course, but it also has really high knockdown power. Perfect Deflect against smaller enemies with low knockdown resistance will send them flying rather than staggering them, similar to a Shield Pummel.

[broidobe]

babes, we need more izzy stradlin!! ilove and live for your headcanons and fics

𝔟𝔯𝔞𝔦𝔡𝔦𝔫𝔤

looked at this message, almost cried. i literally love you all so much.

lucky for you, i've had this coming lol.

⁎⁺˳✧༚guns and roses masterlist

backstage at a guns n’ roses concert was a world of its own—one you’d slowly gotten used to but never fully understood. you sat perched on the arm of a beat-up couch, watching the madness unfold around you. duff was chugging a bottle of whiskey like it was water, axl was pacing while shouting about a delay, and slash had somehow misplaced his top hat again.

izzy, your boyfriend, was leaning against a wall, guitar in hand, quietly tuning it. he looked like the calm eye of a hurricane amidst the chaos. that is, until he glanced up and saw you looking at him. his cheeks flushed instantly, and his fingers stumbled over the strings, producing an awkward twang.

you smirked. “everything okay, lover boy?”

“uh, yeah. fine. totally fine,” he mumbled, looking down at his guitar as if it had personally betrayed him.

izzy wasn’t great with words—he never had been. but every day since you’d started dating, he’d found ways to remind you how much you meant to him, even if speaking wasn’t his strong suit. like the bouquet of roses he brought home after every single band practice—no exceptions.

“babe, you’re going to make florists rich at this rate,” you’d teased once.

“i don’t care,” he’d said, ducking his head. “you like roses, so…”

backstage, the antics continued. slash finally found his hat—on top of the amp he’d used five minutes ago—and promptly lit a cigarette. axl was still yelling, this time at the sound guy, and duff had started an arm-wrestling match with one of the roadies. you glanced at izzy again, and your heart softened at the sight of him watching you like you were the only person in the room.

“c’mere,” you said, crooking a finger at him.

he obeyed immediately, setting his guitar down and crossing the room in a few long strides. “what’s up?” he asked, trying to sound casual but failing miserably.

“sit,” you commanded, patting the couch cushion in front of you.

izzy sat without protest, his tall frame folding awkwardly onto the seat. you slid off the armrest and settled behind him, gently running your fingers through his dark hair. he melted under your touch, letting out a soft, almost inaudible sigh.

“you know,” you teased, “if you let me braid this, you’d look even better on stage.”

he chuckled nervously. “yeah, uh…maybe. if you want.”

you started weaving a simple braid, your fingers working methodically as you spoke. “you okay? you’ve been quiet.”

“i’m fine,” he said quickly. too quickly.

“uh-huh.”

he hesitated, then turned his head slightly to look at you. “i’m just…nervous, i guess. about the show. and about you being here with all this craziness.”

“izzy,” you said softly, “i’ve seen worse. remember that time duff tried to teach me how to play bass and ended up falling over into a drum kit?”

he cracked a smile at the memory. “yeah, that was…something.”

you finished the braid and rested your chin on his shoulder. “i’m here because i want to be. chaos and all. and you’re going to kill it out there, like you always do.”

he turned his head just enough to kiss your cheek, his lips lingering for a moment. “thanks. you always know what to say.”

“unlike you,” you teased, grinning.

he laughed, a quiet, bashful sound. “yeah. but i’m trying.”

“you’re doing just fine, lover boy.”

his laughter grew louder, and for a moment, the madness around you faded away. it was just you and izzy, the calm in each other’s storm.

axl’s voice cut through the moment, loud and impatient. “izzy! get your ass over here! we’re on in five!”

izzy groaned but stood, offering you his hand. “you coming?”

“wouldn’t miss it for the world,” you said, lacing your fingers with his.

as the two of you headed for the stage, hand in hand, you couldn’t help but feel grateful for every crazy, chaotic moment. because no matter how wild things got, izzy always found a way to remind you how much he loved you—awkward words, roses, and all.

[black-is-iconic]

Daughter of the damned

"Poor little girl, biting off more than you can chew has cost you greatly today hasn't it?"

You cooed in a sickly sweet tone as you finished absorbing the more annoying kamado sibling [E/C] eyes darting to the next who was barely picking himself off the ground, "oh you're still alive?"

You tutted in dismay, "poor thing," you muttered flicking your luscious [H/C] hair over your shoulder dramatically and sauntering closer, "why don't I fix that" you sneered as one of your flesh whips protrudes from your shoulder slashing at nothing in particular only the air for dramatic effect.

The boy's feeble fingers gripped the hilt of his nichirn blade, he huffed and wheezed like a dying animal fighting just to get his arms up. Your tongue flickers between your fangs licking away the stray specks of blood from his sister.

Your teeth stained crimson with her life force. A low chuckle bubbles inside your throat, his brows are are set in a deep grimace as blood fills his sclera as his eyes glaze over with an almost murderous look that sends shivers down your spine.

"So you're the sun breather that's got my fathers feathers all ruffled?" You ask with a snort, "color me unimpressed, I was expecting" you falter looking him up and down "a little something more?"

The last Kamado ignored your jest "enough talk you sicken me you smell horrible and you'll pay for killing Nezuko" He shouted dashing towards you with his blade tightly grasped and tears spilling down his cheeks, you sighed slapping him to the side effortlessly and into a tree "isn't this fun?"

You breath hugging yourself as you lash at him with your whips, try as he might you tossed him around like a rag doll throwing him into tree after tree, branch to branch, and then into the water.

He tried to swim to the surface but your wrapped your tendrils around his shoulders forcing him deeper into the water, a flurry of bubbles rose to the surface as he kicked and screamed filling you with a sense of pure amusement Before you turned to glare at Gyutaro who was picking up his sickles.

"You're lucky I showed up when I did… as Kizuki you should be ashamed of yourself for losing to this riffraf,f" you said looking at the water that had mostly stopped bubbling, Gyutaro glared back at you scratching his chin and neck vigorously

"cut me some slack that annoying little prick had a hahsira in tow" Gyutaro hissed through clenched teeth while holding Daki's head on her neck so she could fix herself you rolled your eyes at his lame excuse.

You contemplated killing him but hesitated sense he was one you're only friends, "you mean this hashira?"

You Asked hosting up the severed head of the sound hashira still leaking blood before you tossed it into the pile with his headless body and the sliced up hunk of meat that was the woman he was trying so desperately to protect, you examined the battlefield the boarish slayer staggering to his feet.

Standing protectively over the sleepy one whose head you nearly bashed in if it wasn't for the pesky sun breathe- "Oow" you hiss turning towards the water as the sun breather burst from the water charging at you like a mad bull, you simply laughed at him.

Quite literally dancing around him as he swiped at you in a aimless frenzy, you twirl out of his way gracefully "you know you won't hit me while you're all angry and shit right?"

You laughed elegantly ducking under one of his attacks and then kicked your foot straight up into his chin before bringing it in a swift arc knocking him off his feet once again, as he fell he dropped his nichirn blade but you tossed it back at him "come now, pick it up….I'm having fun"

you hummed tauntingly, the Kamado jumped to his feet scrambling for his nichirn blade he then went to lunge at you but hesitated. He instead took a deep breath and steadied himself "that's right" you said licking the blood from your wrist and dropping into a fighting stance "good boy".

You hummed watching his muscles tense preparing to swing. He leapt for you once again. "Too slow" you corrected ducking under his blade and striking him in the ribs with your elbow he turned to strike at you again but you caught him by his arm "predictable" you said with a sigh kicking his elbow and smiling as his arm snapped like a twig.

He screamed dropping his nichirn blade and you rolled your eyes tossing him like a doll, "you really gotta stop dropping this" you tutted tossing the blade between his legs, your sense of smell picked up on another person approaching quickly and you smiled but then the sun began to rise.

"Ugh," you groaned turning to Daki with Gyutaro no where in sight (probably already fused again) "let's go Daki I'll let you tell my father you killed the hashira and the other two nimrods but next time i expect better" you mused softly Daki simply nodded and with a pluck of a biwa you were greeted by the warm and well let ever expanding halls. You hesitantly made your way to your fathers study kicking open the door, "hello father" your greeted Muzan who sat in his chair scribbling away at his notebook "hi" he responded dryly.

You took a deep breath inching closer "so i killed a hashira today" you boasted running your fingers through his bookcase Muzan simply licked his finger and flipped the page in his notepad.

Taking a test tube full of strange crimson liquid and giving it a shake, "that's nice sweetie" he responded nonchalantly setting aside his writing pen to pick up a book. "I also ate a Kamado" which seemed to give him pause. His maroon eyes shifted to you, "which one?" He asked and you coughed into your fist, "t-the female one, I-I was going to kill the other one but the su-" you tried to explain but he already lost interest.

Walking past you, "I suppose that's more than my upper moons have donewell-donee sweeite" he said giving your head a stiff pat before vanishing with the pluck of biwa. Leaving you alone.....again

[xtekker]

Devlog 01: The sun shines on a new beginning

Back in January, our world was absolutely rocked to its foundations by the loss of our father, we took some time away to deal with real life, and now its time to hop back in the pilots seat and so, we bring you our first Offical Devlog, the first in what will be a series of Devlogs that will tagged with #doomscrollerdevlog.

Okay, let's dive right in, shall we? We have a lot to get through:

Characters and Non-playable characters

Many of you may have met our Archer character and seen him around in some clips, but you may not know that he isn't alone! We have the Wizard and Swordsman, which you may have seen in some snippets, both have been set up with movement and attack capabilities, the Wizard now has 3 basic attacks/spells "Fireball, Ice Spear and Block", and the Swordsman has 2 "shield bash" and "Dash slash". I think the names of these attacks should be pretty obvious as to their function

we'll show some video clips a little later when we actually draw the animations for these attacks!

We also now have 4 total npc characters, 2 are friendly, and reside in the home level and 2 are hostile Mobs!

We've also finished creation of the Vitals system, which includes stats like Health, Stamina, Mana for the Wizard, Focus for the Archer, and Willpower for the Swordsman and more. Tied into this system is the "Player assignable stat points", this is a rough draft of this system as a proof of concept. "Is how I want to do this a viable method to achieve it?" And I'm glad to say that it does, a few minor bugs that occurred because I was 5 redbulls deep at 5am when I was coding it, but nothing a little rubber duck programing can't fix

Map & The Envrioment

This is an interesting update because while not much has taken place visually, a lot has been done in the background, for example, our last update showed you guys our day n night cycle and we've just got done with procedural map generation, which has fair amounts of jank to it at the moment, super rough draft of the generation, along with setting up pathfinding for Mobs. We're currently looking to refine and sharpen this section or maybe implement a new system all together.

Items, Weapons, and Armor

We've made significant progress in this category, with a "replace animation" system that will replace the animation based on what the player has equipped. It's pretty cool shit, if I do say so myself.

We've also created a database that will hold all the information associated with each piece of equipment, which allows for no noticeable delay or glitching when using the replace animation system.

Astoundingly, this system worked perfectly on its first test and has had no discoverable bugs...yet.

Miscellaneous

Other changes include refactoring the code base to improve performance and looking into ways to prevent cheating.

Drawing up plans for achievements and fleshing out the story of the game a little more.

We've also been looking into server hosting so we can get an idea of cost, what we can get for the pricing and so on.

We're currently on the lookout for a Pixel artist. This will be a paid gig, paid per image completed to specifications. We would prefer someone who can commit to this long term but we're also open to offers.

Ohhhhh it is goooooooood to be back baby!!

[ace-does-stuff]

can't deal with that feeling (without my body reelin')

Summary: Casey and Rafaela meet, things escalate very fast

Warnings: swearing, mentions of hockey related injuries, April can be read as straight or aroace

Authors Note: they are so fucking yuri. i need to be put down. hope ya'll enjoy

Casey Jones is nothing but trouble.

April O'neil doesn't do much in ways to tame the vigilante either, taking deep enjoyment in the chaos that the ravenette sows.

"Oi! Toss me down a puck!" Her voice held a shockingly low timbre too it, April tossed a puck down to her best friend. The ravenette caught it on the blade of her stick and tossed it back and forth before slapping it across the ice, "Woohoo! Score!"

"Hey hockey girl! When do you plan on finishing up so we can do that tutoring of yours?" April shouted down to Casey who was meandering across artificial ice comfortably.

She shrugged, "Dunno, how much work do we have left?" She gives this caved in grin, having lost a tooth or two to a terribly misplaced puck in her teeth when she decided she didn't need protective gear. Still she makes her way to the bleachers, shooting stray pucks to the back net as she goes.

"How much math did you skip?" April countered with.

Casey gives this wounded sound, "I really hope you're a good tutor, you better be worth the twenty bucks I paid."

"So we have a lot of work then?" April asked smugly as the hockey player dropped down beside her and unstrapped her skates, quick to replace them with battle boots.

Casey slid her skates into the base of her sports bag, baseball bats, hockey sticks, a golf club, she was set for everything but academics. She leaned back, "Any ideas on where we could study, babe?" It's mostly in jest, and April laughs so Casey'll have to to play it off as a joke.

"You know I don't like chicks," April answered with, "But I know a few places, Jones."

She hoists the bag onto her shoulder and barely aches despite the weight of it all. Again, with the caved in grin, "Worth a shot trying," She takes the lead, "Show me the way."

-/-/-/-

It happens faster than she can pull out her hockey stick to fight.

Slammed against the ground by a figure dressed in all black while some green assholes fought them off with April. All she could do was try to stand up and rush over with a baseball bat in hand, ready to bash open a head.

"Casey! Just stay put!" It's April, Casey ignores her.

Slashing the wide end of the bat against a rib cage she hears a shatter unbecoming of anything organic. Then there are sparks and she rears back, an elbow finds itself firmly planted in her humerus before something spiked is jamming into a throat and popping off a head. Then they turn around and she's face to face with something beautiful but not human in the slightest.

"If you're gonna get in my way then make yourself useful!" The words are spat sharply with a certain resonance of femininity despite the muscle, it makes Casey feel like vomiting with how many butterflies are present in her stomach. She nods dumbly, grip on her bat tightening before she launches herself at a different enemy.

The same mutant follows her, hacking and slashing with pronged weapons while she lays out heavy hits. There's grace to each motion the mutant lays out, every kick and every punch and every stab. Casey is pretty sure she's infatuated with it, infatuated with something about it.

By they time they're in a pile of shattered gears and further mushed brains Casey's heart is pounding in her skull. Her back is pressed against a shell, hands grasping the baseball tightly. Something is tickling the back of her neck and it isn't her own hair, something rough and torn and fabric.

"What's your name?" Casey asked, breathless, tired, worn.

"Rafaela," She answered with, voice just as rough as Casey's.

"Cool," The ravenette answered with, "You're one of April's freak friends aren't you?"

There's a nod, the fabric against Casey's neck shifts and that's the only way she can it's a nod, "That's me, and my sisters."

"Sisters?" Casey asked.

Rafaela laughed, "Don't get your hopes up, Miley's straight as an arrow, Leona is the chastity queen and Donatella has her sights set on April."

"And you?" Casey asked, pushing her luck until it shoved away Rafaela if she was unlucky.

"Single, girl kisser," Rafaela answered with bluntly, "You?"

"In a similar predicament to your own, Raf," She gave a hum as she spoke.

"I take it you play ball?"

"Prefer hockey,"

"You could teach me, we'll call it a date,"

"You're awfully fast to trust a human,"

"April was with you, she's safe enough to trust, and if you aren't," she gives just enough pause for a couple rapid heartbeats to pass, "Your head will look lovely on my wall."

Casey can't help but shiver at the threat, "That's hot."

Rafaela laughs, "Come with me to the lair girl, we'll work out a skate date later."

-/-/-/-

Her knees shake as Casey glides her across the ice, hand in hand. It's laughable really, a warrior like Rafaela reduced to nothing with a pair of skates designed by her big sister and a sheet of ice below her. Casey doesn't laugh though, she just holds on extra tight so her date doesn't fall.

"And you like this?" Rafaela asked.

Casey shrugged, "It's a lot more fun with a hot girl other than me on the ice, sadly April said no, because she doesn't like girls."

"Aw, how sad," Rafaela mocked, "I'm right here, Case."

She leaned in to press a kiss to the tip of Rafaela's beak, her nose, above her mouth but below her eyes, "I know, I'm just bitching."

"You must have a masters degree in it,"

"I'll let go of you,"

"I take it back! Just, please don't leave me out here,"

"No one's gonna see us, I locked the doors,"