#threads; with cass; fade to black

[letsbenditlikebennett]

TIMING: Current PARTIES: @ironcladrhett @magmahearts & @letsbenditlikebennett SUMMARY: Rhett can sense there's a fae nearby and ends up following Cass towards the Magmacave where she's meeting Alex for date night. Having met Rhett before, Cass is friendly... Rhett? Not so much. CONTENT: Eye trauma, unsanitary (blood)

Date night was something Cass took pretty seriously now that she had a designated date night partner. There were so many things Alex hadn’t experienced throughout her life — an unfortunate side effect of her upbringing and her parents, the oread knew. It made her angry to think about, sometimes, made her upset to know that her girlfriend had suffered so much under the ‘care’ of people who made an active effort not to understand her… but it also meant she got to be the one to help rectify that. And that wasn’t all bad. She could show Alex the best movies, introduce her to the coolest comics. She got to be there to see the way the other girl’s face lit up when she experienced all of that for the first time, and that was a good thing.

It also meant that Cass was bound and determined to make everything as special as she could. She knew what Alex liked now, and she always made an effort to make sure she had as much of it as possible. Everything in the Magmacave was ready for a new kind of movie night. A projector she’d ‘acquired’ from Walmart that worked with her phone, a bunch of snacks she’d stored away just for this moment, blankets and pillows of every shape and size… It was bound to be one for the history books, she thought. She was just finishing up her very last snack run before Alex’s arrival, grocery bags slung over her arms as she made her way back to the cave with the less ‘nonperishable’ of movie night snacks. It was perfect. It was going to be perfect. 

She walked towards the cave with a spring in her step, pausing momentarily at the sound of something rustling behind her. If this was a monster that was going to ruin movie night — or worse, try to steal her carefully acquired snacks — she was going to be mad. Cass turned around, putting a hand to her hip as she prepared to scare off whatever animal was there, only to come face to face with a man instead. He looked familiar, though it took her a moment to place him. “Hey, I know you. You were at Alan’s that one time, right? With the pool!” She offered him a bright smile. “You probably shouldn’t be out here at night time. There’s animals and stuff in the woods, you know? You don’t wanna get eaten!”

—

It had been happenstance, really, that he saw the fae girl at the store. He’d not even been inside, but walking past outside when he felt that familiar, horrible feeling that accompanied the presence of fae. Diverting his path and forgoing whatever plans he’d had in mind, Rhett followed the sensation until the girl was in his sights, then tailed her at a respectable distance. She seemed distracted, which was good, or she might’ve noticed sooner that she had a shadow that was following her out of town and towards the Flat. He dropped back even further as their location became more and more remote, careful to just use his senses to keep track of her, even when he couldn’t see her. Not like his eyes were much fucking good, anyway.

She stopped, he stopped. Must have reached her destination, then. Or—oh. No. She’d spotted him. But she wasn’t scared, she was smiling. She recognized him. 

He managed to mirror the emotion, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “Aye, with the pool,” he confirmed, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “That so? Well, don’t worry, I think I can handle any ol’ animal what wants to tango with me,” the warden chuckled. He glanced past her at the cave, brow raised. “You live in there?” he asked. “No judgment… live out the van, myself. Cool cave.”

—

What was he doing out here, she wondered? Had he seen her and grown concerned? It wasn’t entirely unheard of for people to worry when they saw someone Cass’s age walking alone into the woods at night, and he had met her at Alan’s, so maybe he felt some… silly sense of responsibility. It might have been exciting if she didn’t know it would likely be a temporary thing. Most adults only cared about a kid until it stopped being convenient for them to do so, and she doubted Alan’s boyfriend was any different in that regard. 

She glanced back to the cave with a shrug, opting not to answer the question verbally. He said he wouldn’t judge, but… Wait. He lived in a van? Cass squinted at him. Hadn’t Aria said the man who’d put her in his van had long gray hair, too? Uneasiness crept down the oread’s spine, but she was quick to shove it away. Alan trusted this guy, and Alex trusted Alan. It was probably just a coincidence, wasn’t it? “What are you doing out here, anyway? Just walking around? It’s kind of late for a hike, moke.” She let her tone take on a teasing lilt in spite of her uneasiness. It wasn’t fair to be suspicious of him, not really. Driving a van and having long hair wasn’t a crime or anything.

—

“Oh, night time walks are pretty much the only thing keepin' me sane these days,” Rhett laughed, though the gesture of friendliness didn't quite meet his eyes. It never seemed to, these days. He thought about how he needed to get in closer without spooking her off, and decided to lean into the misinterpretation she and Alex had had regarding his relationship with Alan. Or lack thereof, if you were the type that cared about semantics. Rhett was not one of those people. 

“Anyway, Alan says it's good fer me, so here I am. Walkin' out all the ol' troubles.” He was doing a pretty good job of being convincing, or so he thought. “Spotted you not far back... sorry I didn't call out sooner. Didn't wanna scare you. Guess followin' you ain't a much better choice, eh? Whoops.” He shrugged. “Say, Alex ain't around, is she? Been meanin' to ask her for a wee favor in regards to the grumpy ol' man back home, but ah... if she's here, could just get it outta the way now. You know how it is, I ain't great with the technology.” Now he was just lying, but it didn't really matter if this fae was going to die in the next ten minutes, did it? Besides, he felt this was a pretty decent way of making sure she was alone before moving in for the kill. Or... kidnapping. Again? Couldn't rightly kill her here, what if someone else did show up? What then? No, there'd have to be a secondary location. Didn't matter much where, just not here.

—

Old people did like night time walks, actually. Cass was pretty sure she’d seen commercials featuring old people walking at night while a disembodied voice read off a list of potential side effects, so it made sense that Rhett would rely on them. They probably kept him feeling young, or whatever. 

The oread softened a little at the mention of Alan, too, thinking of the two of them at Alex’s mentor’s house the night with the pink pool. Most of it was a little hazy — in retrospect, she so should have recognized the whole ‘high on mushrooms’ thing way before she had — but she remembered thinking they seemed good together. Balanced each other out, in a way, with Alan’s seriousness and Rhett’s willingness to join in on her and Alex’s little game.

“Yeeeaaah,” she said with a small laugh, “following a girl alone in the woods at night isn’t the best way to avoid scaring her, dude. But that’s okay.” At the mention of her girlfriend, she perked up a little. “Oh, she’s not here right now, but we’re meeting up later. I could pass along the message for you? No offense, but I don’t really want you crashing date night with my girl.” She wrinkled her nose at him, a teasing glint in her eye. 

—

“Ah! Of course, totally get that, no problem. Here, ah…” He patted his pockets for a second before fishing out a scrap of paper and a pen. “I’ll write it down just in case, howzat?” Not giving her much time to respond, the warden scribbled… well, nothing. It was just scribbles. Clicking the pen shut, he pocketed it again before folding the paper and closing the distance to hand it to Cass. “‘Preciate it, kid.” 

As he held out his hand, waiting for her to accept the paper, his heartbeat quickened. And when she mirrored the motion to take it, he struck out like a viper. The paper was dropped as that hand came to circle her wrist instead, the other jumping to her throat. He wasted no time with words, simply twisting them both around until he stood behind her, pinning her arms to her own torso while the other jumped to cover her mouth and stop her screaming. Alex was coming, and there was no telling when she’d arrive. Couldn’t stay here. Rhett began to back away from the cave entrance, dragging the nymph into the brush with some difficulty but not too much, thanks to his superior strength.

—

“Oh, that’s a really good idea!” If he wrote it down, they wouldn’t have to play the telephone game and whatever it was he needed to say wouldn’t have to go through Cass before getting to Alex. She’d probably have a hard time remembering it; when Alex was around, most of Cass’s thoughts were reduced to the gay kind. Rhett writing his thing down was a relief, and she waited patiently as he scribbled. It looked like it was probably going to be messy — she hoped Alex would be able to read it.

When he held out the page, she flashed him a quick grin and reached for it. But before her fingers could close against the paper, he grabbed her. His hand around her wrist was like a vice grip, too tight and bruising. The way he twisted her arm behind her hurt, too; she felt something snap under the pressure, but the resulting scream was muffled by the sudden presence of a second hand covering her mouth. The pain was momentarily blinding, and she checked out for half a second. When she was back to herself, she was already moving. Already being moved. He was dragging her away from the cave, and that was bad. She needed to be in the cave. She didn’t understand what he was doing or why, but she knew she didn’t want it, so she fought back. She kicked at his knees as best she could, tried to bite the hand over her mouth. Her glamour dropped, and she kept screaming throughout even though it was muffled. What was this? Why was he doing this? She didn’t understand.

—

Nearly the whole trek to the magmacave, Alex found herself wishing that she could convince Cass to stay at the cabin with her. She wasn't under some illusion that anywhere in Wicked's Rest was safe, but she at least knew there was no goo at the cabin for the time being. Every time she saw one of the faces around town, entrapped in the sludge that hardened around them, Alex couldn't help but see Cass. The pure black of the sludge was different from the obsidian and magma that made up her girlfriend. Light didn't catch the abnormality or the sludge in quite the same way. It was like there was only darkness there and it scared the hell out of her. She supposed that was part of the problem now. Her heart was too full. There were too many who's single misstep into the goo could break her. She didn't want to keep being a broken thing, not when she was only starting to piece together what she looked like as whole. 

Still, Alex wasn't going to let her own worries ruin date night. She was dating a superhero, a little bit of danger came with the territory. If she stopped Cass from protecting her cave, she'd be asking for her to give up some fundamental to who she was. It was part of her. That bravery and dedication to protecting her little piece of nature was something Alex loved about Cass. She found her cheeks grew flush at the thought and she held the little pouch of rocks she'd collected close to her chest. 

Her feet followed the familiar path to the cave and Alex smiled at the way she knew the way like the back of her own hand now. It was a pretty thought that was rudely interrupted as she heard what sounded like a whisper of a scream, as if it had been stamped or drowned out, and she felt something shift in her. All of her senses went into overdrive and she followed the sound of footsteps and dragging ahead past the cave. 

Part of her wanted to call out, but Alex didn't dare alert anyone to her presence. She could hear sounds and while there was no scream that followed, something heavy was dragging against the forest floor along with the footsteps and she had to follow it. She could smell Cass and something else vaguely familiar. 

She ran past the cave with careful steps. Alex moved as quickly as she could, avoiding patches of dead leaves that would crumble under her steps and alert someone to her presence. It had been a good move because when she rounded a tree, she was taken aback by what she saw. Cass's glamour was off and she could see a charred mark around her wrist. 

Then there was Rhett, holding her by the throat with hand over her mouth and Alex felt sick. What was this? She knew. Part of her knew right away, but it couldn't be right. Cass wasn't a monster to be hunted. It didn't compute in her mind despite what her eyes were showing her. Her eyes had to be betraying her. 

“Cass,” she called, “Rhett.” She looked between the two, begging for the picture to adjust and show her anything else, but it never did. Her fists clenched at her side and her features hardened as she found herself glaring at the warden. “Let go of her,” she demanded coldly, “Now.“ 

—

Rhett paid the screams no mind, determined to get Cass away from the cave mouth before someone came along. Someone like Alex. But, as was typical of late, the universe had other ideas, and those ideas consisted of throwing as massive a wrench in his plans as possible. 

Goddamnit.

“Doin’ you a favor, kid.” There was no surprise in Alex’s voice to see the nymph looking the way it did now, glamour dropped. That didn’t make things easier. She was a fae sympathizer. Fuck. Well, there was no point in trying to haul it off somewhere else before killing it, now. The thought that it might traumatize Alex to see her friend be killed crossed his mind but he didn’t care—just like he didn’t care about the fact that this would certainly… complicate things. He’d be alienating himself again. From Alex, which was no great loss, but then also probably from Alan, who he had a feeling she’d tattle on him to. That one hurt a little, but there was nothing to be done about it. The fae had to go. He’d wanted to see if it knew of anyone in the area named Ophelia, but that wasn’t gonna happen now. No, all he could do was draw his iron dagger and press it to Cass’ temple, his battle-hardened gaze fixed on Alex.

“Go on, nymph. Tell yer girl here how you’ve definitely never ever hurt someone. Definitely never killed anyone with yer promise binds.” It was literally a shot in the dark, but honestly, Rhett had met more fae that had killed with their words than he’d met ones that hadn’t. Not that it mattered, not that it’d stop him from burying that blade in the creature’s skull. But maybe, just maybe, it’d give Alex some clarity on the situation.

—

She was afraid, and she hated that. She hated the way her heart was pounding, the fact that she couldn’t think straight. She was a superhero. She was supposed to be a superhero. And what good was a superhero if she was trembling? What was a terrified hero worth? 

(About as much as a dead one, she thought, and if the hand around her throat was any indication, she’d be that soon, too.)

She kicked and struggled and screamed against the hand still pressed over her mouth, but Rhett was strong. It was like he didn’t notice her struggles at all, like she was a fly pounding against a glass someone had trapped her in. Her arm hurt where he’d twisted it; she thought she could feel bones grinding together in a way they really shouldn’t have been, like maybe something had broken. And the only thought her half-hysterical mind could come up with was that she’d never had an x-ray before. She’d only ever seen them on TV.

There was a quiet vibration of approaching footsteps, muted by her panic. She screamed against Rhett’s hand again, as loud as she could, and it was shameful. She wasn’t someone who needed saving. She was supposed to be the one who did the saving, supposed to be brave and fearless and invincible. But she saw a flash of red hair cutting through the brush, and all she could feel was a crushing relief because Alex was here. Alex was here, and Cass would be safe because Alex wouldn’t let anything happen to her.

The hand covering her mouth vanished, but Cass had only a moment to bask in the relief of it before something cold pressed against her temple. Even without the sharpness actually being driven in, the mere presence of the metal against her skin hurt. She didn’t understand it for a moment. Not until she remembered what Alex and Teagan had told her about fae and iron, about how there were metals made to kill her. Cass froze all at once, terrified that any continued struggle might make that blade find its home in her skull.

Rhett spoke; she felt the vibration of his voice rise up from his chest, like a dragon growling into the darkness. Her heart stuttered, because how had he known about that? How did he know about Kuma? Her eyes darted to Alex, fear suffocating her just as much as the hand gripping her throat. If Alex knew, would she leave Cass here? Would she walk away the same way everyone always had? 

“How many people have you killed?” She ground out, her voice distorted by the lack of glamour and strained by the hand around her throat. “You want to — want to talk about hurting people? You’re the one with the knife.”

Avoidance. It was a good way to lie without lying. Cass had always been so good at that.

—

There was a breath of a second where Alex found herself unable to move. She didn't trust herself to move. Every muscle in her body was already tensed as she watched the pained, contorted expression on Cass's face and the way Rhett seemed almost amused by it. Her arrival seemed to be more an annoyance than anything else and she wasn't sure she had ever felt so much anger coursing through her. It took everything in her to not snarl and pounce the moment she saw him, but maybe he didn't know. 

How could Rhett know that Cass was a superhero? How could he know that she spent her nights looking for people to help? She was good, maybe if he knew that, it'd make a difference. She wanted so badly for it to make a difference.

It was naive. Alex knew as much. Without the beard, there was no hiding the determined look on his face. There was a stubbornness in the tightness of his jaw that she recognized too well and even his touch was hurting Cass. “You're not doing anyone any favors here,” she spat, “Cass is good. She saves people and picks up litter... Doesn't look like you bothered to ask that though.” 

Because Alex knew that when he happened upon her, Cass hadn't been doing anything out of the ordinary. She was at the cave, probably about to get it all set up for their date night. She wasn't hurting anybody and here he was, holding her tightly in his grip like she was a thing that needed to be put down. He wouldn't even say her name. Her fists curled into balls at her side. “I don't need a man to tell me anything about my girl,” she barked out, “I know everything I need to know about Cass and she's good.” 

'Unlike you,' she thought bitterly. 

But then the iron blade was pressing into Cass's temple and Alex knew this was useless. That look in Rhett's eyes reminded her too much of her father's. There was no reasoning with that look and suddenly all the anger she had finally allowed herself to feel towards her parents had a convenient outlet. 

Alex let the green backpack slide off her shoulder and into the mess of fallen leaves on the ground. She thought of warning the warden this was his last chance to get away unscathed, but a warning was more kindness than Rhett deserved. Even with her true face, stony as it was, Alex could see the fear in her glowing eyes and her voice was so strained. He did that. 

She didn't let her eyes leave Rhett as she focused on the shift. Alex had been practicing and even had some success when it came to tracking down Gael with Ren, but she always closed her eyes when she pictured her own shift. She found she couldn't do that now and her glare remained trained on Rhett as she focused on the feelings in her body. She felt the ground beneath her boots and concentrated on how it felt when it was the forest floor beneath her paws. She imagined Rhett as the moose, muscles and sinew pulling apart beneath her claws and teeth. She remembered that feeling of connection that came with being part of a pack and how she felt more connected to Cass than any of the werewolves she knew. 

Alex tuned into how the werewolf in her felt when it was protecting Alan and she felt the claws emerging from her fingers. It stung lightly in the way they ripped from her skin, but it felt almost natural now, like slipping out of her sports bra at the end of a long day. Her bones creaked under her and red tufts of fur emerged from her skin, but icy blue eyes stayed trained on the warden, as if she could pounce mid shift if he so much as moved another inch to hurt Cass. 

She stood taller once her bones all shifted into place and drool was already hanging from angry jowls as she snarled at the warden. One last chance, the wolf thought. If her mark moved a muscle, she would tear out his gut and leave him there on the forest floor. 

—

“I don’t kill people, I kill abominations. I kill killers. S’what I was made for.” Rhett’s expression was callous, his heart unsympathetic to the claims that the nymph in his grasp had done good things in its life. That didn’t matter, that didn’t make up for the bad. Hell, it didn’t even make up for the potential bad, as far as he was concerned. That was what he’d been taught. They’d all do bad, given enough time. It wasn't their fault, not entirely. It was just in their nature. But that didn’t mean he had to sit by and let it happen. And he wouldn’t, not if he could help it. Not ever. 

There was something about Alex’s body language that felt threatening, and soon enough, the warden was made to see why. Ah. Well… that was… a surprise. His eyes narrowed, his grip on the fae tightening. He didn’t have a lot of experience fighting werewolves, or at least… not shifted ones. He knew a bite from one would be his undoing, if it didn’t kill him. Which it seemed like Alex kind of wanted to do. Couldn’t blame her. Didn’t change anything, except that he’d have to try and kill her as well. 

Hey, at least then maybe the news wouldn’t make it back to Alan. Silver linings. 

The werewolf was staring him down like he’d be an easy meal, and he couldn’t help but wonder if that’s what he looked like to the supernatural things he killed. Hm. Wasn’t really food for thought. To the matter at hand—Rhett wrenched his arm up beneath the oread’s chin to hold its head in place so he could drive the blade into its temple, but he’d barely pierced the soft, thin space between rocky plates when the werewolf adjacent to him leaped forward, claws reaching out and slashing across his face, massive digits hooking around his head and ripping him away from the nymph. His blade did find purchase, but it was in the top of the fae’s shoulder, digging deep before his grip on it yanked it back out as he was thrown to the forest floor. He screamed, not out of fear but out of anger, feeling the adrenaline dump in his system as he wrestled with the beast atop him, trying to avoid a bite from those slobbering jaws.

—

Abominations. Killers. The words were hurled out in a way that was so matter of fact, not even spoken to Cass. Like she wasn’t worth speaking to at all, like she was nothing. She thought of the nymphs back on the island who’d never seen her as anything more than an inconvenience, of the kids she’d met throughout her ‘adventures’ as a homeless teen who were lost and traumatized just like she was and didn’t know how to get away from that without using someone else as a stepping stone. She thought of Kuma, of the look on her face when she’d finally seen Cass in her true form, of the fear in her eyes when she spat out the word monster instead of her name and told her never to come back. 

So many people, throughout her life, had treated her like she was nothing at all. She’d been a problem in the making in Hawai’i, a ticking timebomb whose eruption no one had wanted to be in the blast zone of. After, when she’d found herself alone on the mainland, she’d been largely ignored. Homeless kids were hard to look at, after all. They made people feel ways they didn’t like feeling, and it was so much easier for someone to avert their gaze than it was to do anything to help. Kuma hadn’t been a bad person, either, not really. She’d been afraid, but not malicious. Cass had just been a little too much for her, the same way she was a little too much for everyone. 

But she wasn’t too much for Alex. 

Alex didn’t look at her like she was nothing, didn’t avert her eyes. In fact, Alex looked at her like she was everything. She looked angry right now, but not at Cass. Never at Cass. Instead, she was angry for Cass. She was furious on the oread’s behalf, and how many people had ever been that? How many people would have stood up for her against a man with a knife and a terrible certainty that what he was doing was right? 

It didn’t remove the blade from where it rested against her skull. It didn’t ease the grip holding her in place. But if that knife found its home in her head, if she died on the forest floor just feet away from the cave where she would have been safe, at least she’d die seen. She’d never thought she’d have that before.

“I’m sorry,” she squeaked out. Not to Rhett. She wasn’t sorry to him at all. But to Alex. That she was here, that she had to see this even if Cass was grateful for it. There was more she wanted to say, too, but it seemed cruel, almost. To say the only other thing in her head and die right after would be terrible. Alex would never be the same.

But… hope sprung up in her chest as Alex’s skin began to ripple. Cass knew she’d been working with Alan, training to shift without the moon, but she hadn’t known how far she’d come with it. She never would have blamed Alex if the shift hadn’t come, of course, never would have held it against her. But her bones were cracking and her body was changing and maybe things would be all right after all.

Or maybe they wouldn’t.

One hand moved under her chin, holding her in place. Cass struggled anyway, letting out a scream as she kicked and swung her elbows and did anything she could to make the target harder to hit. She felt the knife pierce her head, and she closed her eyes and waited for it to go the rest of the way through, but it didn’t. Alex was there. 

There was only a heartbeat of relief before the pain hit. For a moment, she hadn’t even realized that the knife landed someplace else. She was so happy to be alive that it took her a moment to process the knife in her shoulder, buried to the hilt. The moment her mind caught up, the pain hit. With the hands holding her in place gone, there was nothing holding her upright, either, and Cass staggered forward, falling down to her knees. 

The knife had been yanked messily from her shoulder when Rhett fell backwards, leaving nothing to staunch the bleeding. The blood had followed the knife like a fountain when it was removed, and was gushing pretty heavily now. Cass moved to put a hand on top of it, because wasn’t that what they always did in the movies? But her arm hurt from where it had been wrenched, and any pressure applied made it so much worse. The blood seeped through her rocky fingers, staining stone. 

She felt cold. And that was funny, wasn’t it? She didn’t think she’d ever been cold before. How could she? There was magma running through her veins, lava pumping through her. Volcanoes didn’t get cold, and neither did Cass. So why was she shivering now?

“Alex,” she gasped out, looking for the wolf. There was blood on the ground. Not all of it was hers. Fear gripped her by the throat. “Alex. I — Alex, are you hurt?”

—

The furious gaze of icy blue eyes never left the warden. They couldn't—- not while Cass was so firmly in his grip. Alex felt a low growl rumble through her. He regarded Cass like she was nothing and it all clicked into place. Nothing was ever black and white and men like Rhett, like her father, were too stubborn to see anything else. It was its own form of evil and she knew he wouldn't let Cass go. As the warden's arm began to move, the werewolf sprung forward claws first toward him. 

Alex dug her claws firmly into the side of his head and dragged down his face, clinging onto him as her momentum sent them tumbling to the ground. Too much of the blood she smelled in the air wasn't his and it sent a guttural snarl through the wolf as jowls hung over the warden's face. Some part of her wanted to let go of control and tear into his throat. It'd be so easy even as Rhett wrestled beneath her. Both the wolf and person in her understood one thing, this man threatened the pack— her family. 

The warden wrestled beneath her and Alex rustled atop of him keeping sharp claws at the ready. Several blows were delivered to her sides before the warden managed a shove that sent her stumbling back with her claws dragging as he pushed her away from his head, leaving shallow claw marks down his chest. It ignited more of a fighting instinct in her, more feral than anything trained, and the pulsing in his throat was something of a temptation. The coppery scent of his blood already coated the air and he was beginning to look like more of a meal. And some instinct in her knew that he deserved it. 

But then the sound of her name came out as a gasp and Alex was pulled back to what was important. Cass. The werewolf bellowed and put all her strength into a swipe at the warden's upper leg. More blood splattered onto the werewolf's coat and she knew the warden wouldn't be moving for a while. Some bitter part of her hoped he bled out there. 

The werewolf dashed towards Cass and stood in front of her protectively. Alex grabbed the fallen iron knife with her still clawed hand and waited a beat, panting heavily as she watched the warden to make sure they were safe to run. 

As her breathing slowed, Alex relaxed back into feeling like herself. She needed to help Cass now, she was bleeding and it was pooling all around her. The sight made her sick but her bones shifted back into place and her form turned back into something more human. The air was chilly against her skin, but she still felt like she was on fire. 

“Cass,” she murmured, “I'm fine— I'm...“ Alex looked over Cass and there was so much blood. Fuck. She needed to get help. “He hurt you,” she said solemnly, grabbing for the bag that had fallen to the ground and throwing on an oversized t-shirt. They needed to get far away from Rhett.

She knelt down beside Cass eyes still watching the fallen warden. Alex extended her arm and braced herself to take on Cass's weight. ”Come on,“ she said, “We have to get out of here— I'll take care of you, ok? You're going to be ok.“ She had to be ok. 

—

For the briefest of moments, there was a flash of fear in the warden’s eyes. For a moment, terror gripped him, plunging him into an proverbial ice bath and delivering a shock to his system that woke parts of him that’d been dormant for decades. He didn’t beg, though, no—he only grit his teeth, set his jaw, and closed those useless eyes as he hiked his legs up to his chest and delivered a two-footed kick that knocked the werewolf away from him. The claws that raked across his chest and stomach pulled a groan from him, but he quickly tensed again as he waited for the beast to return. He couldn’t muster the strength to rise from the forest floor, and just as quickly as that instinctual drive to stay alive had descended upon him, it fled and left him empty once more. He coughed, blood staining the backs of his teeth, and then he felt the thing tearing into his leg. It ripped through denim, muscle, and bone with ease, and the pain was blinding. Truly blinding. What little sight remained in his right eye flashed with white and all he could do was inhale sharply, feeling that he might die. Was this it? At the mercy of a werewolf? Motherfucker. 

But then the monster was gone, retreating to aid the fae he’d stabbed, and Rhett let out a low, miserable moan. He tried to pick himself up, but his leg was ripped apart and the wounds on his face were bleeding into his eyes and everything hurt. All he could do was lay there, listening to them speak, promising to take care of one another. It made him sick to his stomach, but there was nothing he could do about it now. He was down, and unless someone came to get him like the werewolf was there to aid the fae, he’d probably bleed out. 

He waited until their uneven footsteps retreated before he dared move again, lifting his ass off the dirt with a pained grunt and digging his phone out of his back pocket. Holding the device between his teeth, the warden summoned the last of his strength to drag himself over to the nearest tree and prop his back against it, spitting out the phone and retching from the pain along the way. Once he was as settled as he was going to get, he reached for the phone and unlocked it, staring at the screen with exceptionally blurry, reddened vision. His thoughts were disjointed and growing more so by the minute—the clock was ticking, he knew. He thought about contacting Emilio, but… no.

His thumb found Parker’s name instead, and he pressed the call button. There was only a brief wait before the other warden picked up, and Rhett wasted no time with pleasantries. 

“Werewolf got me. Probably got ‘bout twenty minutes afore I bleed out. Bring supplies. It’s safe now. Send you the coordinates in a sec. Somewhere near the edge of the Flat.” He didn’t even wait for the other man to respond before hanging up, looking up his longitude and latitude and sending the number his friend’s way. If he made it out of this alive, he was definitely going to have to spring for that eyepatch. He was pretty sure lefty was toast based on feeling alone, but didn’t have the stomach to reach up and touch it. The phone slipped from his hand then, head leaning back against the trunk of the skinny tree, eyes closing again as he focused on keeping his heart rate down. 

Hellfire, that hadn’t gone to plan.

—

Black spots danced around the edge of her vision, and wasn’t it strange how everything hurt when she’d only been stabbed in one place? There was just that — bleeding more than she’d thought it would — and the broken arm, but wasn’t it silly for those two things to knock her down this hard? She thought of the comics she’d read, the movies she’d seen. In media, this kind of thing would have never been enough to keep someone down. People on TV got stabbed and finished the fight before they realized it had happened at all. People in comics lost limbs and stayed on their feet. It was misleading, she thought; none of it ever told you how much things hurt.

Alex’s face was blurry in front of her, those black spots trying as hard as they could to blot it out entirely. Cass squinted around them, letting out a small sigh when she came into focus. Alex didn’t look hurt. There was blood on her, but Cass couldn’t trace it back to any injuries. More likely, the blood wasn’t hers. She wondered how much of it was Rhett and how much of it had come from her. If she weren’t so out of it, she might have asked, might have said something about how it was almost romantic to see so much of her on her girlfriend’s skin. “You’re so beautiful,” she said instead, the words a quiet breath of air.

“I’m okay,” she murmured softly, reaching up to twist a strand of Alex’s hair around her finger absently. It hurt, but it was worth it, anyway. Alex’s hair was always so pretty, and Cass hadn’t touched it enough. She should have always had it twisted around her finger like this, should have kept it there. “I’m just kind of tired.” She knew you weren’t really supposed to sleep at a time like this, because that was always a dramatic point in every show, too. Someone was bleeding, someone closed their eyes. The episode faded to black, the words to be continued flashed across the screen. The audience waited weeks or months to find out if those eyes would open again, or the show was canceled and they never found out at all. Either way, it was simpler to experience it from your sofa than it was to live it. When this screen faded to black, Cass thought, she might never even see the words.

Alex reached down and helped her up, and it hurt, but Alex wanted her to walk so she walked. Or… maybe walked was a generous term. She was dragged, she was half-carried, she was draped over Alex and guilty for making her girlfriend do the majority of the work here when she’d done so much already. She stared at her feet, tried to get them to move. One foot in front of the other. One foot. The other. God, had her feet always been so heavy? Had it always been so cold here?

She faltered, tripped, would have fallen long ago if not for Alex holding her up. The black spots were bigger now, the world felt darker than it ought to. One foot stopped in front of the other, and she couldn’t lift it again. Her knees buckled. 

The screen faded to black, and she was right — she couldn’t read the words there.

[mash-masha2011]

Chapter 3: Next stop, anywhere!

Hey, I'm back!

You really motivated me back on previous post, 'cause I really doubted should I continue!

Also I'll try being faster! I just need to fight laziness and 'good' concentration!

Anyway, hope you like this chapter!

By the time Raps, Eugene and Cassandra brought Varian to the castle and led him to his room he was sick of glares, staring people terrified faces and parents holding or hiding their children close. it also didn't help that there were two guards standing at his door who seemed to listen to every sound he made. 

Since he didn't remember much useful on a trip information, once woke up he immediately decided to go in the library and spend there, like, at lest half of week. Of course guards were pretty annoying but he soon got used to their quiet chatter and to the feeling of eyes watching him. His plans were interrupted when Raps barged into the library startling him with Eugene walking in behind her and said that they were going shopping. Varian wasn't too happy about it at first but when he looked at his clothes he agreed that he needs new.

When they walked on the shopping street first thing Varian bought was a black cloak with bright blue treads and a big hood. Rapunzel was against it at first but Varian told her about all those looks people were giving him and she - reluctantly - agreed. Then she bought him a few pairs of dark blue jeans, black and white t-shirts, black really comfy boots and after Eugene asked her a leather vest matching his but brown. Raps also bought him a brown pretty big satchel and said she will paint it when she has time. 

When they returned to the castle and lunched he went straight to the library and the next day woke up sitting in the armchair with the book on his lap in the same Royal library and after a minute of confusion continued studying. At midday Cass walked into his room, led him to stables, gave him horse, walked with Varian to the training grounds and for a few hours was teaching him riding a horse. After that he returned to the library and read some more. He found some interesting information about the sundrop and following the thread learned about Demanitus and got fascinated by him and his work!

Next two days went the same. He read, in the midday Cass taught him riding horse, he ate, went back to library and fell asleep it the armchair. Fifth day though was different. Raps came into his room/library - since no one was ever in library at that week it practically became his room - and handed him journal. His journal. She told him it's where he kept all his alchemy records and formulas, and when she saw how fascinated he was she managed him a lab, which became his new room. 

After that and 'till the end of that week he didn't leave his lab except when needed and made dozens of 'clean' bombs, 'goo' bombs, 'smoke' bombs, 'stink' bombs and a few small drops of acid and Ruddiger transformers - just in case. 

He also discovered that since he lost his memories he could think more out of the box, so he invented a 'smink' bomb, which is a mix of 'stink' and 'smoke' bomb,  'fire' bomb, which in contact with air inflames, 'anti-fire' bomb - compound that stops the fire from fire bomb, 'ice' bomb, which is basically a water bomb but in contact with same air becomes ice and 'anti-ice' bomb which melts the 'ice-bomb''s effect in seconds.

In a few hours before starting their trip Varian packed all solutions he made and put a few in his new satchel - which he really liked - put all his alchemical stuff in caravan - with Eugene's help, he could hardly lift any of them - and finally the journey began!

So naw he was sitting in the end of the caravan and watched the kingdom he barely knew fading in the distance. It was strange. He felt like he should miss this place - he knew he should, it's his home after all - but... he couldn't honestly say he did.

"Hey!" soft voice said behind him and he recognised Raps's "How're you doing?"

"I'm fine!" He didn't fully lie, he didn't know how he felt "And you? You must be so excited about the journey!"

"Yes!" she squealed "It's my first time seeing the real world outside Corona! I can't wait to see what people we'll meet out there!"

"Yeah!" Varian was glad for this distraction from his thoughts. His mind never helped him lighten his mood "What if we meet some alchemists on the road! We could exchange useful formulas!"

"Yeah!" Raps said dreamily "Oh, look!" She added suddenly "That cloud is just like a cat!"

"Wow! And look! That one's a flower!"

"And that looks like a horse!" said voice behind their back. Varian jumped and turned his head so fast his neck hurt. To his relief it was only Eugene, standing there, hands on hips and smirking.

"Hey! You did it on purpose!" Varian couldn't keep smile from his face. He was glad his friends were here.

"Did what?" innocently asked Eugene 

"Startled us!" 

"I did?" Varian glared at him playfully and Eugene exclaimed in fake fear "Okay, okay, sorry! Stop looking at me like that!"

They all started laughing, and laughed for a few minutes before stopping and falling in comfortable silence

"I'm gonna check how Cass is doing!" Rapunzel said finally and climbed on the roof

"I'm gonna go look after her! She's just like a child, needs supervision all the time!" With that Eugene climbed after Raps

Varian looked out of the window again and smiled when saw a cloud that looked like a girl with unnaturally long hair. He was still stressed and guilty for probably terrible stuff he did, - he couldn't been put in chains only because of taking some ancient flower, and people shouldn't look at him the way they do if stealing Sunflower was the only thing he did - but right now he felt better. 

"Hey!" Varian turned and saw Lance. He didn't know much about him. He met him a few times, but they never talked much. So he was surprised when he sat next to him and smiled.

"Hi...?"

"How's the mood?" Lance looked at clouds

"Good, actually!" Varian also looked at the sky

"Me too. I'm kinda excited! We will visit so many new places! So many people to steal from!" He said dreamily, and then added quickly with a tiny dramatically offended note to his voice "Not that I ever would do such thing, of course!"

"Yeah" Varian saddened a bit remembering his worries and fears.

They sat watching clouds for a bit. It wasn't like with Rapunzel, a fun time spent together, more like an excuse not to try finding topic for conversation. It wasn't a comfortable silence though. At least for Varian. He didn't know how to act around Lance since they hadn't spent much time together before now, so...

Their cloud-watching was interrupted by Cass angry yelling "Lance! Did you eat all the berries again?!" 

"I better go!" with these words Lance ran on the rooftop.

In the next second caravan stopped and Cass barged through the door "Where's Lance?" she barked at Varian who shrank into himself a little 

"I-I don't know!" He answered quickly. Varian didn't want to give away Lance, because he himself wouldn't want to be found by angry at him Cass under any circumstances ...except if he got kidnapped. Or injured and bleeding. Or lost without anything. Or- Stop!  His mind never helped him calm down.

Meanwhile Cassandra rolled her eyes and walked out of boy's section into girl's. After a minute - in which she probably checked every place Lance could possibly be hiding - caravan started moving again and Lance climbed down from the roof.

"Thanks, Goggles!"  he said and ruffled Varian's hair. Varian stiffened a little at that but Lance didn't notice and sat nearby. 

"What do you think Raps is doing?" Varian asked the first question that he could think of to fill the uncomfortable silence.

"As far as I know her, probably runs around, sings songs, and having Eugene chase her!" Lance smiled at something he imagined "I can totally see Raps taking him in a mud puddle and dirtying his hair!"

"Yeah... Imagine how angry Eugene would be!" Varian shuddered a little at the memory of Eugene looking at him with mix or anger, fear and protectiveness toward Raps when he woke up.

"Nah, he would forgive anything to Raps!" Lance chuckled "He changed so much since he was Flynn Rider! He was so much more... fun? I guess I can say that!" 

"Tell me more about his days being Flynn?" Varian said. He wanted to know Eugene better than he does now since he already knew Raps's and Cassandras's stories.

"Well... there is a story when we were both fifteen" Lance chuckled again "There was a Baron. He was, how to say it... 'king' in crime. He was really powerful, so powerful that if he said something to his people it will happen no matter what. And he had his most loyal 'friend', Anthony the Weasel"

"'The Weasel'?! Why 'Weasel'?" Varian said holding the laugh

"Well, we gave him this nickname!" Lance said proudly "We called him that and then it just stuck with him. And why? Hmm, probably because of his long nose and how sneaky he is! Anyway! We were young, reckless, sassy, master-thieves teenagers. And we were broke. Were searched for a solution, trying to rob popular bakeries and shops, but none of it ended well! We or ended up caught - and escaped after an hour - or stole a small amount of money which last us for a few days. And we started to lose hope and even thinking about trying taking a job - can you imagine it! - when Eugene had an idea! He offered to rob The Baron! I was really against it, but he convinced me, and so we did it! At night we broke into his manor, stalked down to the basement where we knew he kept all his values, lockpicked the lock, opened the door and walked straight to the meeting! Turned out we came into wrong door ! They captured Flynn, - I ran away - took all his lockpicks and I needed to rescue him! I still remind him of that sometimes! How famous Flynn Rider needed rescue! Also that's when he met his ex-girlfriend Stalyan"

"What a strange name!" Varian laughed a bit. He felt a little closer to Lance and felt like they could become pretty good friends with time.

Suddenly they heard Cass talking to Raps from outside "You've got to exercise at least some caution out here. Trust me, Raps, the real world isn't all fun and games!" Varian could almost see Cassandra's eyeroll and Raps sitting there and smiling like nothing happened

"That's my line!" Lance said quietly to Varian and in the blink of an eye he was on the roof saying "Next stop, Vardaros! City of fun and games!" 

Both laughed when Cassandra mumbled just loud enough for them to hear "I am so glad we decided to bring those two along!" 

"Oh, come on, Cass! Vardaros is an amazing city! You're gonna have fun... which I guess is a new thing for you!" Eugene added from the rooftop where he apparently climbed after washing the mud from his precious hair

"Come on, Pascal! It's our first big city outside of Corona!" Rapunzel spoke excitedly "You heard them, Cass, this is gonna be fun!"

They rode for a few more hours and to Varian's surprise he had a pretty fun talk with Lance! Man told him few more stories about Eugene, and promised to buy him few 'Flynnigan Rider' books, and Varian told him about his alchemy and 'hard-not-sticky-goo' he wants to make. Also he discovered that Lance is very interested in alchemy, and decided to teach him a bit. 

Hey! I know it was long, I'm sorry again! I don't really have excuses.

BUT I wrote you a scene for Warriors fan! No one asked for it buuuuuuut here you go!

I'm a Warriors fan myself, and I saw a potential in V/Raps cloud scene, so... well, here you go!

Anyway, see you next time, love you all!

ALSO!!! If you didn't read The Prophesies Begin (first series) 'till the end there are SPOILERS!!!

"Yeah!" Raps said dreamily "Oh, look! That cloud is just like a cat! And it's almost like he's on fire! And that's just like a star on his head!"

"Wow! Clouds can be almost magical sometimes!" Varian looked at the sky again "And look! That one's a tabby cat! And wow! That looks like a tiger behind him!"

"And that's just like a star on his head too! Just like the Fire one's! And wow! There is another cat! He's darker! And look, he has a cute white paw!"

"That's beautiful! An- oh my god! Did White-paw just killed Tiger?"

"I think so!" Raps placed a hand on her mouth in shock

They watched as White-paw killed the Fire-star, and how the star on Fire's head became a bit smaller before he shuddered, stood up and killed the white pawed one and how much more cats appeared and seemingly praised the Fire one.

"Those are the strangest clouds I ever saw" said Varian quietly still in deep deep shock

"Yeah" Said a voice behind them

Anyway again, see you next time, love you all!

[deathtutored]

rules:

independent  and  mutually  exclusive  yalena 'dutch' yardeen of syfy's killjoys.  this blog is 18+.

02.  general rules apply, no godmodding, no drama, dont pressure for replies or shipping, no vague blogging. don’t follow if you don’t plan on interacting with me. do not follow if you are a zionist. racists, homophobes, transphobes, antisemites, islamophobes etc are not welcome here. i am very block friendly & will do so in these circumstances. i will also block those who write canon lesbian characters as something else. i have no issues writing darker themes, however, i will not write or interact with those who write rape, incest, pedophilia.

03. i prefer at least one paragraph threads, but it's not necessary. the best way to write with me is by sending memes or plotting. this blog will be somewhat low activity. i’m sometimes not in the right headspace to plot but i’m trying to be better at it. you can reblog from me but don't use me as a resource.

04.  i would love to ship but it may require interaction or plotting beforehand. the likeliness of writing smut is low but not completely impossible. i am open to fade-to black & plots with kissing. dutch is bisexual, so any genders are free to ship or send romantic/sexual memes.

04.  dark themes may be present as they relate to my muses: death, violence, trauma, war, loss of agency, depictions of ptsd, grief, please be advised. 

06.  i will not interact with johnny depp, bob morley, ian somerhalder or cass anver faceclaims. i also have no interest in interacting with harry potter blogs.

07.  psd credit: a combination of venuscommissions, phantomsources & calisources. icon template credit: ariapsds. edits/promos are made by me unless credited otherwise.

[relayepinned]

rules:

independent  and  mutually  exclusive  sci-fi heist inspired multimuse with canon & original characters,  this blog is 20+

02.  general rules apply, no godmodding, no drama, dont pressure for replies or shipping, no vague blogging. don’t follow if you don’t plan on interacting with me. racists, homophobes, transphobes, antisemites, islamophobes etc are not welcome here. i am very block friendly & will do so in these circumstances. i will also block those who write canon lesbian characters as something else. i have no issues writing darker themes, however, i will not write or interact with those who write rape, incest, pedophilia.

03. i prefer at least one paragraph threads, but it's not necessary. the best way to write with me is by sending memes or plotting. this blog will be somewhat low activity. i’m sometimes not in the right headspace to plot but i’m trying to be better at it. you can reblog from me but don't use me as a resource.

04.  i would love to ship but it may require interaction or plotting beforehand. the likeliness of writing smut is low but not completely impossible. i am open to fade-to black & plots with kissing. some muses here are lesbians, please use common sense when sending shippy / smutty memes.

04.  dark themes may be present as they relate to my muses: death, violence, trauma, war, loss of agency, depictions of ptsd, grief, survivor’s guilt, please be advised. 

06.  i will not interact with johnny depp, bob morley, ian somerhalder or cass anver faceclaims. i also have no interest in interacting with harry potter blogs.

07.  psd credit: a combination of venuscommissions, phantomsources & goodvibesrph. edits/promo templates are made by me unless credited otherwise.

[emilia3546]

Secrets Part Two - Nessian

Written for Nessian month using prompt: Nessian on a date

*****

The terrace was empty. Nesta leaned against the railing and sighed, staring out over Velaris, the lights of homes and businesses glittering like stars in the night sky. She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, reminding herself why she so often kept it braided out of the way, even now with only half down and the rest twisted up onto her head she knew it would end up annoying her later. But, for all it's annoyance, it gave her the opportunity to use Feyre's mating present to the best of its ability. She grinned to herself, imagining Cassian's reaction when he saw her, her usually golden brown hair glimmering with the stardust she'd brushed through it, shining with a light of its own in the absence of the sun. It had taken longer than she'd expected but it matched the glimmering thread woven into her black dress. Sleeveless, backless, cut just above her knees, it was daring enough to make sure Cassian would notice nothing else all evening, whilst remaining within her comfort. She glanced over her shoulder, and smiled again at the sight of her reflection in the House's windows, her new mating tattoo of Illyrian wings across her shoulders and back totally exposed by the cut of her dress.

She sighed again, this time a slight huff of annoyance, she'd rushed to finish her hair, and Cassian had the nerve to be late after leaving her alone all day. She was still thinking of how to get back at him when a pair of arms wrapped around her waist. Nesta started but relaxed into Cassian's hold a moment later, murmuring a greeting as he pressed his lips to her temple,

"Sorry I left you waiting, Sweetheart, I wanted it to be perfect,"

"What? What did you do?" She questioned, suddenly worried that her planned some annoying practical joke, but her suspicions faded when he tugged her back against his chest,

"It's a secret," he whispered, and she spun round to face him, her eyes widening at the sight of him. With a new, ironed, shirt tucked into a pair a black pants, and his proper coat, Nesta had never been so attracted to him, half of her was tempted to drag him back to their bedroom at once, but she wanted to know the secret so she'd play along. "You look beautiful, Nes," he murmured, and she wrapped her arms around his neck as he carefully lifted her into his arms, a glowing red shield appearing around them as he moved to take off. At her questioning glance her grinned, "I wouldn't want to mess up your hair," he chuckled, winking before leaping into the sky, leaving Nesta with no doubts as to what he wanted to do later.

They flew over all of Nesta's favorite restaurants and continued along the Sidra, waving to Feyre when they passed over the River House. She knew something, Nesta could tell, her sister had been scheming with Cassian, and she couldn't figure out why, it was infuriating. Still, she kept her features carefully neutral, if a little entranced by the beauty of the city, at least until Cassian set her down on the far bank of the river, in Elain's garden, night blooming flowers surrounding them.

Cassian reached out to pluck a rose from the nearest bush and tucked it behind her ear, grinning to himself as he led her through the multitude of blooming flowers, clearly noting her reactions to them all, she'd hardly be surprised to find a pot of the moonstone dahlias waiting on the windowsill when they got home. She matched his grin when her eyes landed on the little table by the water's edge, set for two with a little Illyrian slow cooker set a little away from it.

"Did you do all this?" She breathed, "It's beautiful, Cass," he just grinned again and pulled out a chair for her,

"I figured it was time I returned the favor and cooked for you,"

"Perhaps yours will be better than a stale biscuit," she laughed, knowing full well how good he was at cooking. Still, he snorted with laughter,

"Not setting the bar very high, are we?"

"Oi! That biscuit sealed the mating bond so you can shut up," she huffed, trying to sound annoyed, but her soft giggle gave it away, and Cassian brushed a wing against her collarbone as he moved to the cooker.

Nesta's mouth watered at the scent of the delicately spiced slow cooked lamb that he set down on the table, the delicate scent of Adriatan saffron from the accompanying Summer Court inspired rice dish. All her lingering annoyance that he'd left her all day faded at the first mouthful, the lamb practically melting in her mouth. Not that Cassian needed an ego boost, but she had to admit, there was one thing he'd always be better at, cooking, she could admit now that no matter how much she practiced, she didn't have the instinctive knowledge of which spices to use, how best to cook something. She could always learn, but she's never match the instinct to just know. She must have said as much as Cassian laughed and compared their dancing abilities, likening himself to an elephant. Nesta had never seen an elephant, having never traveled to the continent, but she knew what one was from her early education. She snorted in laugher and made Cassian promise that they could go to the continent just as soon as tensions died down and they could be spared from the Night Court.

There was no other way to describe it, the evening was perfect, the stars glimmering off the Sidra's glassy surface, the flowers swaying softly in the wind, and Cassian. No one had ever done something like this for her, there had  never been anyone she had wanted this with, but she couldn't imagine anything more perfect. Once they'd finished eating, Cassian spent an hour or so pointing out every constellation until Nesta could see them, she could see Enalius' belt, see the shape the stars made of the ancient warrior. She grinned when Cassian pointed out the brightest star in the sky,

"That one, Nes, that's ours, whenever you look up at that star when we're not together, I'll be looking too, that's our reminder, our way home." And it was their way home, for the star glimmered right above Velaris, their star, she would never forget that one, not in a thousand years, the other ones maybe, but their star, never.

The table was gone when they turned back, everything cleared up, but Feyre's scent was unmistakable, and Nesta had no doubt that she'd also supplied the rarer spices for the meal. With the space empty, she could just lean back into Cassian's arms, the sounds of the garden and the city surrounding them, the light of their star shining down. They might have stood there for a minute, an hour, but time really stopped when Cassian spun her round in his arms, kissing her with all passion and love they'd both been holding back for so long. Nesta wound her hands into his hair, coming up breathless when he finally pulled back, their star reflected in his eyes as he whispered her three favorite words,

"I love you ."

[srose-foxfire]

Damirae Week 2021 - Day 6

“Towards Home” Day 6: Pets / Animals  

Raven was very much exhausted as she reached a clearing in the woods. She leaned against a pine tree to catch her breath and steady her over-beating heart. Part of her was just tired from running non-stop but the other part had been scared. Raven had stood there in Damian’s study, he had brought her there to show her the enchanted rose that somehow regained its magical glow. She had thought some good had just happen instead Damian’s character completely reverted back to when they first met. The moon had passed over most of the night sky, dawn would be nearing. They needed to find shelter, rest, and continue on with their journey-

Raven had noticed Sombra had perched on a nearby branch and was staying rather very silently as it looked to the right where the forest was denser. The young girl managed to keep her breathing steady and moved around the tree she was leaning against. From the shadows of the forest, there it emerges very carefully. The creature she once saw, the first time she had fled from the castle, the one that had softened her fall, months ago. Scared Raven hid behind the tree, she heard Sombra squawk angrily towards the unusual invader.

The strange creature then lowered its head and whimpered. Raven peeked from around the tree and gaze at the creature, as it lay down, keeping its large head between it thick paws. Sombra from the top of the trees continue to squawk and swoop down, trying to scare off and protect its mistress.

“Sombra stop.” Raven said sternly as she carefully walked around the tree. “You are not trying to hurt me…” She stops just a foot away from it. “That day we met, when I fell, you saved me didn’t you?”

Whatever this strange creature was, raised it head to her height, perking up it ears. It looked almost like an overlarge dog but transformed into a terrifying creature to be feared by anyone who dared gaze at it. The large dog’s head was long and square-like, with black pointed ears, it had very short fine black fur, and its eyes were dark. It was definitely bigger than Damian’s beastly form.

Very carefully, Raven reached out a hand and stroked behind its ear. She gasped when the large dog started licking her hand and wag it large tail. Raven couldn’t help but giggle, Sombra then landed next to them and looked up at the creature with curious eyes. It hopped near it, before long the large dog, sniffed him and licked him. Sombra squawk and flew up on top of the creature’s head.

“I don’t suppose you know someplace we could stay. We happen to be homeless at the moment.” The large dog, only grunted turn it back and lay down. Raven knitted her eyebrows together but cautiously got on the large creature. She wasn’t sure if she was seated properly, she never once ridden  a horse or any other rideable animal. It took her through the thick forest but avoided any loose branches so she wouldn’t get scraped. The black large dog walked on top of a hill and in the distance could make out the point of the towers of Wayne Castle. Turning her head, Raven looked back to the path as she noticed they were nearing a cave.

-- -- --  

Morning came and Raven woke up to the smell of wet moss and dew drops. In the distance she could hear some playful barking, curious she walked outside the small cave which she came to conclude was the large dog’s home. Exiting the cave Raven found Sombra flapping and jumping as he played with their unusual friend. She gave out a laugh as it looked like the two were old friends despite their forms and size. How could this creature be evil, she wonder? Dick had mentioned that a large black monster, probably this large dog, guarded the castle.  Yet she didn’t see no monster, Raven just saw an oversized playful dog that only wanted to protect and play.

The large dog-like creature barked happily and zoomed past Raven, going back inside its cave. Sombra flew onto Raven’s shoulder as they both waited for the creature to emerge from its home. It return outside, holding some sort of round band in it mouth, walking gracefully towards Raven, it handed her the round band.

“What do you have here?” Raven asked ash she took the band in her hands and inspected it. A dog collar. Raven lifted a brow and examined the black band. It was a knitted black collar, with many threads out of place, probably due to being worked out. She noticed a silver rusty-round tag, both sides engraved. It took Raven a while to decipher the text since some words had been scratched from years of being out in harsh weather, or scraped against rocks; Raven could only assume. She was able to decipher one side and her eyes widen when she read, what was the address to the tag:

If found, please return to

Prince Damian Al Ghul-Wayne,

~ Wayne Castle ~

Raven looked from the tag to the large dog, she flipped the tag around and read the name engraved: Titus. This creature was Damian’s dog, she had seen an old portrait of a small black Dane puppy sitting in a meadow of dandelions. Raven would sometimes find Damian looking at that portrait in the parlor.

Raven’s chest suddenly starting aching remembering what Damian had told her last night. “When the witch cast the curse and she transformed me, she said she would take everything I held dear would be gone.” 

The witch, she took everything that Damian ever cherished. Then a sudden thought crossed her mind, Damian mentioned that the rose had become a symbol of good fortune, but even it’s light faded. Though last night it regained the light he had mentioned, after Raven touched it. Some good has come from the curse, them meeting was proof of that. Could Damian believed she would had been fated some terrible fate if she continued to stay with him? Could that be the reason why he ordered and scared her off from his castle? Raven only prayed that it was true, that he had acted the way he did to only protect her. No one had ever done that for her.

Raven had never felt like she belonged anywhere, she never had friends, or ever shared a holiday meal with anyone but herself. She always looked out for herself back in Trigon’s lands. Raven had always been alone till she befriended a lone raven during her travels, then she came upon Wayne castle. Where she met the most unusual cursed family who immediately welcomed her into their home, except their youngest member. Though over time even he opened up and they became friends.

Raven felt her chest ache as she thought of the Wayne’s, imagined what they were doing this late morning. She gasped when she realized she had started crying as Sombra and Titus watched her. It occurred to her Raven never once thought of leaving or asking Damian to leave the castle. Not after she learned so much from everyone, not after spending some ‘girl time’ with Kori, Cass, and Stephanie. Raven wanted to do more holiday meals and celebrations. She had so much fun when they all danced and laughed together. How could she think of leaving when each day, Raven wanted to read to Damian another book she discovered in the castle’s library.

Raven slumped down to her knees and continue to cry. Titus and Sombra came next to her, her pet raven perched on her knees while Titus whimpered and nudge Raven’s shoulder with his nose. Raven petted them both as her tears started to dry up, “let’s go home.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Damian hadn’t slept resulting him being very much tired. His siblings had tried to get him to eat but he was rather dead inside. He paid no one any attention. The places in his castle where he once found solace were no longer bearable, he couldn’t stand it. Everywhere he looked, he was reminded of her.

Damian needed to find a way to move on and forget all about the girl that came to his castle months ago. He should had made her leave that day she first walked into his home, then he wouldn’t be feeling like this. Damian felt his heart turned over inside of him, he left weak and vulnerable. At any moment he could break out into tears again. He had fallen madly in love with Raven, and now she was gone.

Damian laid in a corner of the parlor, the same parlor where they had all celebrated the end of the year’s celebration together. Where Raven had made Damian dance with her to the off-beat music his siblings were playing. How could he just erase those precious memories? How could he just forget the moments they had spent together where he wanted them to last a lifetime? When Raven would read to him, when they cooked together, when they take a stroll through the castle together and answer any question she had. He was a fool.

Damian sighed heavily, his face was between in the corner, but Damian knew too well that his nosy siblings were in the room with him, they were just – which was strange – keeping extremely quiet. Everyone was scattered in the room, Jason and Cass were playing a game of chess, Dick lay across an old sofa with his head propped on top of Kori’s lap. Stephanie was dusting an old tapestry that depicted the castle’s first annual masquerade ball. Tim was floating near the window, looking outside and the day dreaded on.

“Guys… you won’t believe who is riding towards the castle on a… what the heck is that?” Tim added rather out loud as he was able to gain everyone’s attention. At his statement everyone floated towards the window looking out to what caught Tim’s attention, they all gasped.

“It’s Raven?!” Kori added very delighted.

The mentioned of her name brought Damian out of his trance. He wanted to believe he was in some dream, where Raven turned back and returned to his arms asking for permission to stay. Could it really be her? Damian slowly walked towards another window and gaze outside, there up the main walkway of the castle’s entrance was Raven, she came in fast on top of the creature Damian had only once ever catch a glimpse of. It was the monster that guarded their castle to ensure no one came in or out. Beside them, Sombra was flying matching the creature’s speed.

Without even realizing what he was doing, Damian dashed out of the parlor and ran through corridors until he reaches the main doorways to exit. His mind was running all over the place, some were if he had gone to sleep and this was all just a dream his unconscious mind had created for him. Other thoughts were that Raven only returned to stock on supplies for her long quest to finding her mother’s homeland. Just one thought, one Damian was holding tightly to his aching heart was that she came back for him.To be with him.

Damian pried open the doors, he use his whole body to open them and stopped just above the doorsteps as Raven and the creature she was riding stopped right at the foot of his castle. Damian went down the steps slowly, with his brows narrowed, “you came back? I told you to leave and yet, you came back.” Damian didn’t mean to almost whisper his statement, but he couldn’t believe he would find Raven, standing right before him after last night’s incident.

“I had to… I know the curse took so much away from you and I wanted to return to you an old friend of yours.” Raven added softly before dismounting her strange steed. “Damian, meet Titus.”

“Titus?” The creature both bark and whimpered as it took three steps and give Damian a lick across his face. “Titus! It is you! I missed you so much friend.” The cursed prince wrapped his massive fur arms around the Titus’s neck. Damian had thought that his dog had died many years ago, he wasn’t able to find him when they all fell under the curse. To think his beloved dog, his great Dane had just been outside the castle walls all these years. Damian was both filled with happiness and sadness, realizing that Titus had been alone for such a long time. After petting Titus, Damian turned his attention to the raven-hair maiden that seemed to bring in light to his world. “You found him for me… thank you.”

“He actually found me.” Raven added timidly, she then folded her arms behind her back, almost as if she was embarrassed to speak to him. “Damian, I came back because I want to-”

Raven didn’t finish her sentence, out of thin hair a creature with blueish skin and arms covered in feathers swooped down and grabbed Raven. It screeched harshly and it ascended to the skies with the girl Damian loved. He was able to recognize the winged creature to be a harpy from the many books on mythical and enchanted creatures.

“Damian!” Raven screamed as she tried to land a hit on her captor.

“Raven! Release her!” Damian called out. Raven’s pet raven, Sombra flew up towards the harpy. He tried to peck the harpy, but the harpy managed to evade Sombra attacks and then slashed him with her claws. Injured, Sombra was falling down, Damian ran on all fours and then jumped to catch the bird in his paws. Titus ran and stood next to its former master, barking at the harpy. Damian grunted and ran towards back to the castle; there his siblings were waiting at the door. Their eyes were filled with anger and desperation wanting to help, but the curse did not allow them; their souls were forever bound to the castle. Damian handed Dick the injured raven.

“Damian what are you going to do?” His older brother questioned.

“I am going to go and save the woman I love.” Damian said through clenched teeth. Titus barked and turned his body, so his back faced Damian and his head was pointed at the harpy who was looking to be farther away into the skies, heading to some mountains in the distance. Damian leapt and mounted Titus, commanding his old friend to chase after the harpy. As Titus ran, Damian looked up, he could barely make out Raven anymore, she was disappearing between thick dark gray clouds.

Raven wait for me, I am coming for you.

[nekojitachan]

OK, so it took a while, but I got something written (I should say something completed). Let’s hope this continues.

That something is the next part of the raven!Andrew soulmate story. There’s a bit of a time jump here. But hopefully you’ll catch on to what’s happening.

Here’s a link to the first part.

*******

Andrew pulled the Maserati Quattroporte Ribelle into the only gas station at the exit; they were two hours from Abby Winfield’s house, timed to get there around 7am. That meant they’d drove through the night after leaving West Virginia, creeping out of the Nest past midnight like a pair of thieves – or escapees. However, Ichirou had granted them their (limited) freedom at last, even bestowed upon them the car which rumbled to a stop at the gas pump of some no-name town.

Nathaniel slumped lower in the passenger seat and tugged the hood of his black long-sleeved t-shirt further over his face while Andrew grabbed his wallet, despite the fact that they were the only one at the gas station/mini-mart. “Do you want anything?” Andrew asked his soulmate before he stepped out of the car.

“Uhm, something to drink?”

“One super-size atomic sludge freeze slushie, coming right up, sweetpea.”

The left corner of Andrew’s mouth twitched upward as Nathaniel called him an asshole and more, the insults cut off when the car door slammed shut; that was the most reaction he’d gotten out of his boyfriend since they’d left Edgar Allan. He couldn’t blame him, really, not when one had considered everything that had happened in the last couple weeks.

They’d succeeded in taking down Riko; the mentally unstable prick had finally snapped during the pregame session when the Ravens and Foxes were supposed to face off at the division championship. Considering that his little ‘tantrum’ had led to several players on both teams being injured, it was decided that the final game would be cancelled and the championship awarded to the team with the most points accumulated during the season, which of course were the Ravens. A lot of people weren’t happy about that since they’d looked forward to the face-off between the Foxes (Kevin Day) and the Ravens (Riko), but there was little that could be done in the end.

Especially when Tetsuji announced that he was stepping down due to ‘guilt’ from failing his nephew. Oh, there was a bit of an outcry about what was going on at the Nest to make Riko ‘snap’ like that, but it was mostly overridden by the news of ‘the Master’ retiring and the search for a new coach (as if Ichirou didn’t have one lined up already).

Mostly.

All that mattered was that Riko was shuffled off to some psychiatric center (never to return, not that Andrew would put money down on the prick lasting out the rest of the year), and that Tetsuji was gone, too (he’d give him maybe another year, just so it didn’t look too suspicious, both of them dying close together). Since Ichirou had taken over after his father had passed away in the spring, he’d made it clear that he intended to rid himself of the side branch for once and all; he broke no exploitable weaknesses.

Andrew had been more than willing to exorcise those weaknesses if it meant buying Nathaniel’s freedom.

(Or at least as much freedom as he could manage at the moment.)

With their ‘king’ and ‘master’ gone, some of the Ravens had flown far, far away from their Nest. A couple had been… strongly urged to leave (kicked out). A few had complained about the stress of the program and not wanting to end up like Riko, and been let out of their contracts (a good example of PR). And then there had been Jean, Nathaniel and Andrew.

Jean took the opportunity during one of the many ‘what are your thoughts on Riko’ interviews to announce that Jeremy Knox was his soulmate, so it didn’t come as a surprise to anyone that he accepted an offer to transfer to SCU. Since Aaron blew up all of his (pathetic) social media channels with how he’d found his own soulmate at last and that she was a PSU cheerleader, and Nathaniel always defended Kevin after he transferred to the Foxes, it didn’t shock too many people when Nathaniel and Andrew allowed PSU to release a press release a few days later (finally) that they were leaving Edgar Allan to join their former teammate in South Carolina.

It’s what Andrew had strived for all these months, yet… yet here he was at 5am in a random minimart, shoving energy and granola bars, bottles of green tea, cans of energy drinks, and whatever decent chocolate snacks he could find into the basket hung from his left arm, to be paid for (along with a tank of premium gasoline) by a fancy black credit card courtesy of one Ichirou Moriyama. Dressed in a black hoodie, his stare hostile as he dared the half-asleep attendant to say something as the teenager rung him up, he was half-tempted to demand a pack of cigarettes before he left to return to the car.

Nathaniel would be upset if he resumed the habit, so he didn’t do anything.

(Nathaniel was already stressed out enough with all the changes.)

Andrew grabbed the credit card and bag of goods then left the store to return to the car, and noticed that Nathaniel had locked it during his absence. His soulmate gave him an anxious smile as he fell into the driver’s seat (hmm, very comfortable) and handed over the bag before he returned the card to his wallet then fastened his seatbelt.

“Really? Most of this stuff is junk,” Nathaniel complained as he grabbed a green tea and granola bar for himself.

“Guess I don’t have to share,” Andrew said as he fetched an energy drink and chocolate bar for himself; he felt something settle inside of himself when Nathaniel smiled at the joke.

“You’re gonna have to put up with Kevin soon enough,” his soulmate warned as he unwrapped the granola bar.

“And who do you think is gonna win?”

Nathaniel’s smile softened as he reached over to tug back Andrew’s hood. “Try not to beat him down too much.” Then his smile faded into a guilty expression. “You okay driving the last bit? We can stop somewhere.”

Andrew held up the energy drink. “This will see me through.” He popped it open and took a sip. “Once we get settled in, we’ll work on your driving lessons.”

“Yeah.” Nathaniel nibbled on the granola bar for a moment. “I… this is… I don’t….”

Andrew reached out to slide his hand into the voluminous black hood, to cup the back of his boyfriend’s nape. “We’ve got time now,” he assured Nathaniel. “No one’s going to drag you back to the Nest,” or Baltimore, “and you’ll figure this stuff out.”

Andrew would make sure he did, that Nathaniel got a chance to learn all the things he’d been deprived of, between being locked up in the mansion (death house) in Baltimore then caged in the Nest.

It was quiet while he returned to the interstate (save for the purr of the Maserati’s engine), then Nathaniel let out a loud sigh. “I just… I’ve never done anything like this before.”

No, he hadn’t, and despite that fact, he’d agreed to follow Andrew out of the Nest, to leave behind Jean (his pillar of support for years) to face the unknown. Maybe someone wouldn’t consider it such a big deal, switching campuses and teams, but Nathaniel’s life had been strictly controlled by Nathan and Tetsuji, had been restricted to school and his ‘house’ (the mansion in Baltimore, then the Nest). He’d never once gone anyplace without it being approved first, had never roamed freely, had never been free.

Andrew might have been abused and passed around, but he had been able (mostly) to go wherever he wanted (except while in juvie). Hell, some foster parents hadn’t given a damn where he went, as long as they could collect a check while he was their ‘responsibility’. So Nathaniel out in the big wide world was a shock to the redhead, one that Andrew was trying his best to cushion.

(He was there for his soulmate, someone to ground him, and even after all this time was amazed how Nathaniel’s anxiety settled at his mere presence.)

The last two hours passed mostly in silence, with Nathaniel reaching for Andrew’s right hand after he finished the granola bar and two green teas. Andrew threaded their fingers together while he followed the GPS to Winfield’s house, pleased to grant his soulmate that bit of comfort, especially as the interstate gave way to city roads and then to neighborhood streets.

“It’ll be okay,” he assured Nathaniel. “Kevin said we could trust her.” If not, then Kevin would be eating his own pickled liver.

“I know.” Nathaniel shivered as he glanced at the ranch-style houses that lined the road they drove along. “It’s just… this is so new to me.”

Andrew was quiet a moment before he stroked his thumb along his soulmate’s left hand. “If she’s not an addict of some sort, she’ll be new to me, too.” He refused to think about Cass just then.

Nathaniel gave him a horrified before he shook his head, a slight smile tugging at his lips. “Don’t, okay? Now’s not the time for our ‘who had it worse’ game.”

“Which I won,” Andrew insisted, even though that wasn’t quite true; it was basically a tie on different fronts.

“Whatever,” Nathaniel snorted, yet the tension left his body and he gave Andrew’s hand a gentle squeeze. “You’ll just go on about sleeping on the floor all the time so you can hog the bed, I bet.”

“Sleeping on the dirty floor, which is why I get to hog the blankets,” Andrew stated in a bland manner.

“As if you’re not gonna hog all the blankets anyway.”

Andrew hummed in a noncommittal manner (yes, he was going to hog all the blankets, thank you) as he pulled into Abby Winfield’s driveway; it was a nondescript split-level ranch, similar to the others on the street, with several Foxes’ flags planted in the marigold and daisy flowerbed.

For a moment, he debated his decision to have him and Nathaniel play for the Foxes, before he decided that it would be even more painful to join the Trojans.

(Dammit.)

He turned off the Maserati’s engine then reached for his cell phone so he could text Winfield that they’d arrived while Nathaniel stared at the house while nibbling on his full bottom lip (not a distraction at all). To his mild surprise, it only took a minute after his message had been sent before the front door of the house opened to reveal a woman in her early thirties, dressed in a light blue robe, her shoulder-length blonde hair tousled and a gentle smile on her face as she motioned for them to come inside.

“Uhm, she looks nice,” Nathaniel said in a quiet voice as he fiddled with his seat belt. From the doubtful tone to his voice, it was clear how well he knew that ‘looks nice’ didn’t mean that the person was nice.

“Stay behind me,” Andrew ordered; his boyfriend gave him a cool look for a moment before he nodded once.

Nathaniel may be the Butcher’s son, may be a Hatford, but they’d worked out over the past year or so (with a bit of trial and error) that Andrew faced the dangers first. Nathaniel was the one who knew Ichirou’s deepest secrets, who the Moriyama heir (and now lord) favored the most, so Andrew took the hits (and took them well, if at all), because if Nathaniel was hurt… well, it wasn’t good for either of them, if that happened.

Andrew protected Nathaniel, because Nathaniel was the one Ichirou needed the most. Nathaniel wasn’t happy about that, but Andrew didn’t know everything that his soulmate did, nor could he step in to Nathaniel’s spot if something happened to the polyglot idiot.

(He didn’t mind taking the blows when he knew his boyfriend was upset with each one that landed, when Nathaniel would gladly take them in his place. Nathaniel – Nat – never took him for granted. Never.)

(Nat was the only one who never did.)

They left the car and approached the small porch, Andrew in front, while Winfield’s smile brightened the closer they got. “You’re a bit early! I’d just put on a pot of coffee when I got your text.”

“No traffic,” Andrew said as he followed the woman into the house; Kevin swore that she was trustworthy, that they’d be fine staying with the team’s nurse until the dorms opened up in June. He wasn’t pleased to live with a stranger for several weeks, but it would attract less attention than if they rented a hotel room.

“I hope it wasn’t too bad of a drive,” Winfield said as she led them to a kitchen painted a bright yellow with yellow and white checkered curtains on the window and a table with six chairs; the aroma of brewing coffee filled the air, and a carton of eggs was set out on the counter. “Coffee will be ready soon, and I’ll make breakfast in a minute. Sit down, I’ll be right back,” she excused herself as she left the room, her left hand clutched on the front of her robe.

Considering that they’d been in a car for the last few hours, Andrew and Nathaniel remained standing; Nathaniel shuffled around the kitchen as he checked out the unfamiliar space, his movements jittery with anxiety. Andrew left him alone for a minute, then grabbed the hood of his shirt as he walked past to reel in him. “It’ll be okay,” he murmured in German as his soulmate slumped against him.

Nathaniel nibbled on his bottom lip while he nodded. “It’s just… this is all so… so weird.” He shivered a little before he rested his chin on Andrew’s left shoulder.

While Nathaniel was ecstatic to be rid of Riko and Tetsuji, he’d spent almost half his life in the Nest, and the other half had lived in constant fear while in the Butcher’s house. He was used to following rules (his small rebellions aside), to contained (twisted, stressful, dangerous) environments, to an existence that was anything but ordinary. He knew several languages, he knew how to take apart and put together a gun while blindfolded (and to shoot it), he knew dozens of ways to kill a person and how to maneuver through a good bit of the crime syndicates in North America (knew enough to bring down a good bit of the crime syndicates in North America), but he gazed in confusion at several appliances in Winfield’s kitchen, couldn’t drive and was floundering without Jean’s presence (even though he had told his partner to go join his soulmate).

Adjusting to the ‘real’ world was going to be quite the adventure for Nathaniel Wesninski.

(Andrew found it ironic as hell that he was the ‘well-adjusted’ one in that regard out of the two of them.)

Andrew had taken to massaging the small of his boyfriend’s back, which had prompted an appreciative murmur, right before Winfield returned to the kitchen, her cellphone in hand and dressed in pink sweatpants and a white t-shirt. “I’ve never heard David so cheerful this early on a Saturday morning, he-oh!” She smiled yet again to see them so close together, the expression tender; Nathaniel only pulled away a little so he could watch her movements. “He said he’ll be here with Kevin soon, so I guess I better make a lot to eat!”

“Uhm, thank you,” Nathaniel said in a quiet voice. “And thank you for letting us stay here.”

“It’s nothing, I have Foxes in and out of here all the time!” Winfield motioned around with an egg in her right hand before she cracked it into a large bowl. “Let me get this started then I’ll show you your room and you can bring your stuff in.” She gave them a wink while she continued to crack the eggs. “Kevin said you’ll be sharing a room, right? That means Aaron won’t be sleeping on a couch when he arrives.”

“Yes,” Andrew agreed as he gave Nathaniel’s right hip a quick squeeze then let go so he could pour himself a cup of coffee; there were mugs set out by the coffee machine, along with a small pint of cream and a bowl of sugar. He held up the pot before pouring a second cup, which he did after Nathaniel nodded.

He’d just prepared his drink to his satisfaction (with Nathaniel wrinkling his nose over the amount of sugar and cream dumped into the mug) when Winfield stepped away from the stove. “Okay, now for a quick tour.”

They’d already seen the living and dining room from the kitchen, so she took them down the long hallway to their bedroom for the next several weeks, pointing out the linen closet and bathroom along the way. The room had a queen-sized bed, a nightstand and a small dresser that would easily hold all of their belongings during their stay, decorated in pale cream and blues. Nathaniel blinked a couple times after entering the room, probably never having witnessed something so… ‘homey’ in his life, while Andrew could put up with the lace curtains and flowers on the bedspread since the space was clean and not painted black.

Winfield next showed them the lower level as they went to the car for their belongings, which housed the washer and dryer, along with a den with a television and gaming console (which would make Aaron happy when he returned from visiting Nicky in Germany), and a treadmill (which would make Nathaniel happy) along with some other exercise equipment. While she returned to the kitchen to resume making their breakfast, Andrew and Nathaniel fetched the few bags they’d brought with them from Edgar Allan.

Most of the belongings were Andrew’s, were what he’d taken to the university back when he’d been a freshman and what he’d collected over the last two years (mostly books). Nathaniel owned very little in the way of personal items, and they’d both agreed to leave behind as much as they could that was tied to the Ravens and Edgar Allan, so he didn’t have anything other than a few changes of clothes, a suit gifted to him from Ichirou (necessary for when he was called on for ‘business’), things he required for school and those rare personal items.

Shopping was at the top of their agenda.

It didn’t take them long to unpack; they returned to the kitchen to refill their coffee mugs and help Winfield (well, Nathaniel offered) set the table. Shortly after that was done, the front door of the house opened and a loud voice called out. “Abby! Get your sutures ready, there’s a mouth I need you to sew shut!”

“But it would be so much better if we-“

“For the last time, we’re not completely revamping the practice schedule! Another word out of you and not only will I sew your lips shut, but I’ll take away your keys to the court!”

Nathaniel shuffled closer to Andrew as David Wymack, coach of the PSU Foxes, stomped into the kitchen, a large box of what appeared to be donuts held in his left hand; he was dressed in dark blue sweatpants and a faded orange and white t-shirt with the team’s logo on front. Right behind him was Kevin, dressed in his usual black jeans and a black t-shirt, who smiled when he caught sight of the two of them then rushed over to give Nathaniel a hug.

“You look good, both of you do,” he told Andrew’s soulmate, who allowed the embrace for a couple seconds, while in the background Winfield chided Wymack about the whole ‘sew mouth shut’ thing. “Glad to be here?” Once he let go of Nathaniel, he gave Andrew a polite nod in greeting.

“It’s much better than the Nest,” Nathaniel hedged, which really wasn’t much of an answer since juvie had been better than the Nest, in Andrew’s opinion. Still, Kevin didn’t seem to pick up on it, especially since his father decided to join the conversation right then.

“I have never seen this one,” he gave Kevin’s dark hair an affectionate tousle, “so wide awake this early when practice isn’t involved. I thought I’d have to drag him out of bed, but all it took was hearing that the two of you were here and he got up right away.”

Kevin frowned as he attempted to restore order to his hair then gave a gentle shove to his father’s side. “We’ve been waiting for them to join the team for how many months now,” he complained; Andrew ignored the father-son bonding (or whatever it was) so he could investigate the box of donuts, with Nathaniel right behind him despite the fact that he disliked sweets. Wymack noticed Nathaniel’s ‘clinginess’, especially when redhead didn’t grab a donut for himself.

Then again, Nathaniel had been cagey around the man whenever they’d met (when the Ravens had played against the Foxes or at the district banquets), under the premises of Nathaniel talking to Kevin (supposedly to come back to Edgar Allan). He’d made sure to stay out of Wymack’s reach the entire time they’d given an update about how things were going with Riko, wary of any adult male who reminded him of Nathan Wesninski.

“The board will be happy to know you’re finally here, considering the fits they threw over me holding open two spots on the team so late.” Wymack slowly backed away and leaned against the counter, his tattooed arms folded across his broad chest. “Though they feel it’s worth the aggravation in the end, considering we signed two more Ravens.”

“Ex-Ravens,” Nathaniel murmured as he gave Andrew a queasy glance for the large bearclaw he picked from the box for his second donut, the cream-filled one already devoured.

Wymack huffed in approval while Kevin glared at Andrew (and was blithely ignored). “Yes, exactly. You two are officially Foxes now, your gear’s in your lockers and your numbers locked in.” He gave them an amused look while Kevin appeared smug. “You’re lucky your numbers were available, though part of that is nobody wanting to touch #3 and Renee being willing to change her number for her last season.”

Andrew narrowed his eyes while he swallowed a bite of pastry. “Why did she do that?” Players tended to be attached to their numbers for some reason, not that he gave a damn about his own, even if it was tattooed on his left cheek.

Wymack glanced at Kevin before he spoke. “Because she’s not planning on joining to the pros once she graduates; she enjoys playing Exy, but she accepted the scholarship so she could get a college degree and she believes what we’re doing here with the Foxes. She feels that you’re more invested in the sport than she is, so she’s fine with changing on her number.”

Didn’t that sound like everything he knew about one Renee Walker (at least officially)? Andrew didn’t give a damn about Exy, it was just something that had allowed him to get out of a bunch of boring therapy sessions, to keep an eye on Aaron, to give Aaron a chance of a university degree, to allow him near his soulmate, to protect said soulmate….

It gave him Nathaniel.

So what if he ended up playing it for the next decade or so? Nathaniel would be by his side (except for the year where he went to the pros and Nathaniel remained behind for his last year in university) while he ‘suffered’ through it all; it didn’t matter what number he wore on his uniform or what team he played for as long as his soulmate was there beside him.

“It’s just a number,” he muttered before he tossed another piece of pastry into his mouth.

“You know it’s more than that,” Kevin argued as he rubbed the ‘2’ on his left cheek. “There might not be a Perfect Court anymore, but we’re still considered among the best players in Exy. There are… certain expectations for us.” Judging from the way he glanced at Nathaniel then back at Andrew and Wymack’s expression hardened while he talked, he didn’t mean their fans.

Kevin might not know where all the bodies were buried or had played a major part in taking down the side branch, but he still answered to Ichirou in the end.

“We’re well aware of what’s expected of us,” Nathaniel said as he stared Kevin down.

It was quiet in the kitchen after that, until Winfield cleared her throat a couple minutes later. “Breakfast is ready so why doesn’t everyone sit down?” She gave them a nervous smile as she motioned to the table; once they shuffled toward the chairs, she brought over a large pan filled with scrambled eggs, cheese and hashbrowns, followed by a plate of sausage.

Nathaniel eyed the meal with trepidation, but at least helped himself to the egg mix, probably thinking with longing of his usual oatmeal and fruit, while Andrew would have been fine with the donuts. He noticed that Winfield and Wymack bore the same soulmate marks on their forearms (what looked to be a daisy-like flower and tower), which might explain why Katelyn Day had kept Kevin a secret from the man. Winfield told them that they could help themselves to whatever was in the kitchen or make their own meals, and that she was willing to cook around any dietary requirements.

“Ah, we don’t want to bother you,” Nathaniel said as he picked at his food (at least until Andrew gave a light kick to his right ankle). “We don’t eat anything too complicated, just….”

“I’m familiar with Kevin’s diet,” she told them as she gave their friend an affectionate look. “And he told me that you like fruit. “We’ll work something out that’ll fit in with what you’re used to but won’t be as strict.”

“Or flavorless.” When Nathaniel gave Andrew a narrow look for the complaint, he rolled his eyes. “Try to tell me that you weren’t bored with steamed fish and rice.”

The left corner of Nathaniel’s mouth quirked upward as he flicked aside another piece of hashbrown from his eggs. “I think all that chocolate you eat ruined your tastebuds.”

And who was it that gave him said chocolate, often smuggled into the Nest? Andrew huffed as he scooped up the potatoes to eat himself.

“So, your uniforms and gear’s ready, it arrived the other day,” Kevin said as he pushed his empty plate aside. “We can start practicing tomorrow, I’ve some ideas that-“

“No.”

Kevin gaped at Andrew for that flat denial, while Wymack held his mug between his hands and leaned back in his chair, Winfield got up to clear the empty plates from the table and Nathaniel stilled. “What do you mean, ‘no’? You came here early to-“

“We came here to get out of the Nest, since it’s crawling with reporters and we’re no longer Ravens,” Andrew reminded Kevin and Wymack. “And to give us,” more Nathaniel, “time to adjust. Which means Exy’s going to wait a bit.”

“But-“ Kevin, the Exy addict that he was, turned to Nathaniel, the other Exy junkie at the table. “Don’t you want to get back out on court as soon as possible?”

Nathaniel let out a slow breath and scooted his chair away from the table until he could bring his right knee up and hug his bent leg against his chest; he looked so small and uncertain while hunched over like that, looked so helpless, but Andrew knew that it placed his hands near the knife holstered around his right ankle. “You forget that Jean and I had next to nothing that wasn’t given to us by the Moriyamas,” he reminded Kevin. “Andrew and I need to go shopping tomorrow.”

“You can-“

Wymack cut off his son with a stern look before he nodded at Andrew and his soulmate. “The court’s not going anywhere, get settled in first. I can give you the team’s p-card if you’re low on funds.”

“Did you see the car outside?” Kevin muttered, appearing upset over having his Exy playtime denied, only to wince when Winfield get a slight smack to the back of his head before she rejoined them at the table. “Ow!”

“We’re fine,” Nathaniel answered while Andrew shook his head; while he wasn’t a big fan of accepting handouts from anyone, especially a Moriyama, he figured that Nathaniel was owed for all the work he’d done over the years so Ichirou could pay for a few new wardrobes (at the least).

“Right, how many times have I-“

“Dad, the car!”

“Leave them be, David, I’m sure they’ll ask for help if they need it.”

Wymack scoffed at that remark but dropped the subject after giving Andrew and Nathaniel a dubious look; the rest of the meal passed in relative silence. Before Wymack and Kevin left, Wymack handed over a set of keys to them, which apparently would let them into the Palmetto Court (so would the lock picks in their possession, but there were some things their new coach didn’t need to know). “Call me when you’re ready to practice so I can show you around and give you the code to get in.”

“It’s going to be great to be on the same team again,” Kevin said in passing. “I’ve got all these ideas for us.”

“Don’t scare them away, you moron,” his father chided as he shoved Kevin toward the front door. “It’s not too late for them to run for the hills.”

Kevin mumbled something about it being all right, his voice cut off by the door closing behind him.

Nathaniel stared after the two men, a slight smile on his face, only to twitch when Winfield stood up from the table. “It’s so nice to see Kevin excited again. He’s been a bit depressed about the championship game, but you coming here has cheered him up.”

“Oh.” Nathaniel shared a look with Andrew; they knew that Kevin, for some strange reason, had been upset over the whole ‘Riko locked up’ thing (what had he thought would happen to the psychotic prick?), but they let Winfield think whatever she wanted about the matter. “Uhm, we can help,” he offered when she started to clear off the table.

“No, it’s all right, why don’t you two go rest or something?” she told them. “You look tired. I’m going to let the dishes soak then run some errands.”

Andrew didn’t need to be told twice (not that he wanted to do chores in the first place); he grabbed his soulmate’s left hand and pulled him away from the table before Nathaniel got them stuck washing the dishes or something equally lame.

The bedroom door had a lock on it, but it was the basic type found in most houses and could easily be broken with a bit of effort; Andrew resolved to get a better one while they were out shopping tomorrow. For the time being, he piled their bags in front of the door, so at least they’d have some warning if anyone tried to enter the room while they slept.

Nathaniel sat on the bed and watched him ‘barricade’ the door, a slight smile on his face. “Suspecting Kevin to burst in here to drag us off to court?”

“Would you even put up a fight if he did?”

“Hmm, maybe not if it’s after our nap.” Nathaniel tilted his head back as Andrew approached the bed, his smile growing as Andrew combed his fingers through his soulmate’s unruly hair.

“Why do I put up with a junkie like you?” Andrew murmured as he rubbed his thumbs along Nathaniel’s elegant cheekbones.

“Because I’m your sweetpea,” Nathaniel reminded him, amusement and affection bright in his pale blue eyes.

Andrew made a gagging sound as he pushed his soulmate down onto the bed. “The lack of sleep has made you delirious. Take off your clothes.”

“That doesn’t sound like we’ll be sleeping then.” Nathaniel laughed for the first time since Jean had left for California, the sound short but teasing, when Andrew threw his own shirt at the idiot’s face.

“I’m about to smother you with a pillow,” he threatened as he shoved down his jeans (and refused to be unaffected by the sight of Nathaniel shimmying out of his own pair, those long legs bared and pert ass- not now).

“I thought we were supposed to talk about new kinks beforehand.”

Andrew sighed as he slid between the sheets (baby blue, but soft so he’d bear with them). “Nat… shut up and sleep.” His boyfriend got like this sometimes when he was stressed, would be one flippant comment after the other in a show of false bravado. Nathaniel’s wry smile faltered for a moment, then he curled up close to Andrew while giving him an almost pleading look.

Clicking his tongue over the idiot’s concern, Andrew pulled Nathaniel against him. “I’m going to gut Kevin if he does break in here,” he said while he removed his armbands (to tuck beneath the pillow), once his soulmate was settled against his left side.

“Hmm, okay. He should know better, though, after I threw a knife at him the one time.”

Huh, Andrew hadn’t heard that story yet. He made a mental note to ask about it after they woke up, then pushed all thoughts out of his mind (everything they had to do, Ichirou, Kevin, the Foxes, checking up on Jean…) so he could fall asleep, Nathaniel’s breath and slow even against his shoulder.

*******

Yeah, I just couldn’t see writing yet again the whole ‘we’re gonna take down Riko’ storyline, so I skipped it. Now to show Andrew and Nathaniel joining the Foxes (and obviously, the impact that has on them, especially Nathaniel). Aaron will be joining shortly, and Jean will show up long-distance-wise for now (can’t pull him away from Jeremy now that he’s finally with his soulmate).

Oh, and Kevin obviously has a really good relationship with Wymack here. Confessing the truth earlier helped a lot in that regard (something Jean and Nathaniel got on Kevin to do).

I guess I gotta come up with a title for this? *sighs*

[feralrosie]

Something in the Shadows

Fandom: Dragon Age Relationships: Fenris/M!Hawke/Anders, Isabela/F!Hawke Rating: General Audiences Read on AO3 This is my Fic or Treat gift for @cruelangelstheses ❤

“Have you ever thought of getting an undercut?” Cassidy Hawke was caressing the elf’s white hair, unable to sleep “I think you would look very cute”

Fenris opened up his eyes slowly, just enough to look at the man laying by his side on the bed, and smiled in the corner of his lips. It was already late at night and both were still a little tipsy from the several glasses of wine they had earlier in that evening, so the elf felt like he could allow himself to be a little vulnerable. He felt weirdly safe around the mage, but was not willing to give it much thought at that moment.

“It is already cold enough here, I don’t need to expose my neck to the wind” he replied while getting out of the bed and looking for his clothes on the floor.

“If you come back here I can warm you up a little bit more” Cassidy watched with a silly smile on his face as his lover got dressed.

Fenris chuckled, turning around on his feet to throw some cotton pants on the other’s face, ordering him to put it on.

“No? Are you sure?” laughed the man while sitting up on the bed.

“Just do it before I leave you in this old ass mansion all by yourself"

“You say as if I was scared of this place or something” Cassidy rolled his eyes, tying his long hair on a traditional bun and putting his pants and socks on, but before he could reach for his shirt, a sudden loud noise came from outside the room, making the mage shiver “What was that?”

Fenris was already staring at the door, frowning and reaching blindly for his sword by the bed “I don’t know. It came from downstairs, sounded like a door slamming”.

“I’m sure it was just the wind... Right?”

“I wouldn’t be so sure” he sounded cold and angry “Not in this mansion. Not with Danarius out there”

“Do you wanna go check it out?” whispered the mage after approaching his companion’s back.

“Yes” he replied in the same low voice, eyes still fixed on the wooden door “Just put on your shirt first, for the Maker’s love”

**

Fenris was holding firmly the door knob in one hand while the other squeezed the grip of his sword “Are you ready?” he whispered. Cassidy was right behind him - way too close, in fact, but not willing to admit his fear - and just nodded. The elf opened up the door slowly, trying to not make much noise from the old hinges. They stepped out of the main suite, paying attention to all corners and noises, Fenris leading the way towards the double staircases on the main hall of the mansion, dark and still. There was not a single soul around.

Another loud sound was heard from the first floor, this time like iron sticks falling down to the stone flooring. Startled, Fenris hid his body against the hallway wall and pushed Cassidy back to do the same. He waited for the sound to vanish and listened to the darkness around them. When everything was safely quiet again, he moved his head to the side in order to look at the stairs and to the main hall. The fireplace was lit and the iron pokers were scattered on the floor. Fenris frowned, still hiding and holding Cassidy’s chest against the wall.

“What is it?” whispered Cass in a trembling voice “Can you see anything?”

“Quiet” hissed the elf. He stepped away from the wall and held his sword with both hands, moving like a shadow towards the hall. Cassidy followed him carefully, looking around at every corner. He could feel his heart beating faster as he walked down the stairs, holding his staff firmly in his hands in a grip that would otherwise hurt his palms if it was not for his fear of the unknown. “Can you feel anything different? Like magic?”

Cassidy tried not to sound scared, but his trembling voice gave him away. “No, I-” he was interrupted by a thin, sharp sound coming from the other side of the main hall. A door was being slowly opened in the way for the kitchen and dining room, producing the most horrifying sound a hinge could ever do. There was nothing touching the door, not even the wind. The mage felt the hairs on his nape rising as he was struck by a sudden feeling of panic. “We should go, Fenris”

“Yes. We should” the elf’s voice was deadly serious and his eyes were feral. He moved towards the door to the dining room, ignoring the whispered protests of his companion. At first inspection, the door seemed fine, just like every other on the mansion. It was just a huge wooden door, wide and heavy, but going through it did not feel that normal. The dining room was pitch black and the air felt dense to walk in, as if the atmosphere was thicker. “Can you give me some light?” he whispered.

The mage nodded quietly and produced a small flame on his hand, just enough to let them see the dining table in the center of the room, as well as broken furniture spread all over it. White sheets were covering the wooden pieces from the dust, emanating a creepy aura to the old mansion. Cassidy leaned down to the elf from behind, approaching his face to the other’s ears “Can you see anything?” he asked in a low voice, making Fenris shiver.

“No, just a bunch of junk” he whispered back, still scanning the room like a hunting lynx. “There’s no one here. We must have-” he stopped talking at once when he saw something moving in the right corner of the room, under a chair. Fenris held Cassidy’s wrist and pushed it just slightly to the side, directing the flame to where he was staring. Cass followed his movements with his eyes, looking for what could have caught the other’s attention. They stood still in that position, silent as they could be. The chair was positioned beside a slatted window with purple curtains that fell on its arms, dusty and dirty. Something seemed to move again, almost imperceptible in the dim light. Both men doubted they saw anything, thinking it was probably the moving light of the mage’s flame tricking their minds. Cassidy’s heart was racing in fear and his mouth seemed very dry, but he could not look elsewhere. He wondered if Fenris was feeling the same.

The fabric on the chair moved again. The men squint their eyes to try to focus better on that, Fenris raising an eyebrow in suspicion, and just before they could hold their breaths, a white small figure popped out of the fabrics on the chair in a hush, making its way to the the kitchen doors on the other side of the room. Cassidy let out a single long scream, putting out the fire in his hand by instinct and holding on to the elven body in front of him. Although he did not scream, Fenris compressed his body against Cassidy’s, leaning on his shoulders with one arm and pointing his sword towards the kitchen doors with the other, a little shaky.

"What was that!?" asked the mage.

"How am I supposed to know?" Fenris snapped back, only realizing a moment later that he was still pressing his body against the man. He cleared his throat and let go of him before continuing "It seemed like fog, but it is hard to see anything in here"

"We should go back to the Hanged Man and find the others. Perhaps Varric will let us stay the night" he lit up the flame on his hand again.

"Or we could go on, kill whatever is it and then go back to bed" the elf said as if it was just so simple, already heading to the direction the creature went, sword in both hands. Cassidy had little choice but to follow, always right behind him.

The sudden cold air hushed through their bodies once they stepped into the kitchen, not as dark as the dining room. Once again, nothing seemed to move and Fenris was getting angry. "Ok, enough!" he snapped, screaming into the shadows "Who is it? Danarius, I will murder you with my bare hands!"

"I don't think it is him, Fenris" there was caution in the mage's voice. He spoke in a low tone, looking for anything in the room.

"Who, then? Your other mage friend?" the word sounded sharp between the clenched teeth, refering to the Warden healer.

"I don't think it is a mage at all" his voice did not change to the provoking "not even a demon or the fade"

Fenris complexion translated confusion more than anger. He wouldn't rest until he was safe, but he couldn't make sure of it if he doesn't knew what he was after. Then, another sound. This time it was a high pitched laughter coming from the gardens behind the mansion, a door stood open on the other side of the room showing the way out and leaking moonlight into the kitchen.

"Let's get this over with at once" he sounded certain, but looked at Cassidy with unusual worry "But Cass... Stay close. And aware."

Hawke tried to contain a silly smile. He called me Cass, he thought and only nodded twice. Both headed to the gardens.

Right in front of the tall bushes, stood a chest that otherwise should not be there, but that night had already a lot of unexpected situations. It was made of cheap wood, painted in a clumsy fashion of blacks, grays and reds, and did not seem very heavy, much less locked. Something moved inside it and Cassidy felt his blood pumping faster in his veins.

"Should I make the honors?" his voice cracked despite his efforts to sound chill.

Fenris almost chuckled. "No, you keep guard behind me". He approached the box and kneeled to the ground, placing his long fingers on top of it, about to open the lid. Slowly, more for caution than fear, he moved it and looked inside the box. "What the-"

Behind him, Cassidy screamed as something heavy jumped on top of him. Every thread of hair in Fenris body rose up to the sound of despair coming from the mage, but as he turned around on his feet, ready to help his lover, the scream had turn into… laughter?

It took a moment for Fenris to realize what was  going on. On top of Cassidy, laid his sister, tickling the soul out of the mage's body. He laughed in panic, trying to push her off him, but Devon had always been stronger than him. Wide eyed, Fenris did not know what to do. His only instinct would be to fight the attacking figure, but even that was held up in his confusion.

"Devon! Devon please!" begged Cassidy against the grass "You maniac, stop!"

A second set of laughter creeped out of the shadows of the garden and a pirate captain came out of it. Isabela was almost out of air, red cheeked from the several pints of all kinds of alcohol she had earlier. Devon's face was just the same. "I can't believe it worked out so well!" she said. From the box behind the elf, a small figure popped out, covered in white sheets with holes cut on it. "You did great, Ser Pounce-a-lot the Second"

A cat? thought the elf Was it him in the dining room? Fenris wanted to punch Isabela on the face, but before he could move, Cassidy was already free from his twin's torture session.

"That was not funny!" cried the mage, catching his breath again "I should have murdered you in the womb!". He couldn't help but to laugh a little, too.

"Fenris? Are you all right?" asked Isabela, wiping a tear off her face.

"I am going to kill you second" echoed his voice, already not so dead serious as before "and I will have her head first" he pointed his chin to Devon, who was curling in the grass, trying to contain her laughter.

"What are you even doing here?" Cassidy took off the grass from his clothes.

"Well" smiled Isabela "We were having a few drinks and felt the urge to mess with you guys. Also we found this cat, so maybe you'll do the honors to give it to Anders, Cass?"

The black cat was trying to take off the piece of sheet that covered his whole body except by his eyes, ears and tail. "That was so mean of you, Devon" Cassidy said as he helped the cat. He pet the fur between the tiny ears.

"The cat is fine" replied his twin, finally getting to her feet. She approached Isabela and rested an arm around her shoulders, but tried to not look too drunk.

"You had your fun, now get out" said the elf.

"Don't be so mad, Fenris" returned Isabela "I brought you wine"

Fenris' eyes squinted, considering the offer and eventually grabbing the bottle from the rogue's hands.

"Also," started Devon. Cassidy had already made friends with the cat and picked him up. "We're going to crash here for the night. I'm so very tired to walk home. Thanks for the hospitality. Goodnight, boys!" She laughed, going back to the mansion and leading Isabela to follow before Fenris could make any proper objections.

Cassidy was by his side, talking to the cat in his arms with a silly, high pitched voice. The elf rolled his eyes at the scene, but smiled in the corner of his lips. "We can hand him to Anders tomorrow. But he will not sleep on the bed with us. Come on, let's go inside"

[thesunlounge]

Reviews 306: Cass. & Gianni Brezzo

I am a touch behind when it comes to covering Growing Bin Record’s 2019 output and throughout December I’ll be playing catch-up by publishing my long gestating reviews of Bartosz Kruczyński’s Baltic Beat II and Eleventeen Eston’s Delta Horizon (as well as taking a look at what’s been going on over at Glowing Pin). But in the meantime, I’d like to put down some reflections on one of the newest Growing Bin releases: Masala Kiss by Cass. & Gianni Brezzo. I bought the record without much thought, trusting that Basso, Brezzo, and Cass. would take me to exactly where I needed to be, but even still, I am completely taken aback by the LP’s immersive ambient universes. It’s an album I lose myself completely to while listening and one that I daydream about when not, as almost every moment is stunningly gorgeous and overflowing with emotional creativity. Cass. & Brezzo touch on so many of the sounds I love most, including these spectacular detours into sky-seeking post-rock, and throughout the eleven tracks, we see aquatic arpeggiations swimming through cymbal taps and rainfall; electronic textures imported from the fourth world flowing over hushed breaths and subdued tribal rhythms; e-pianos falling like a soft tropical storm and pads sighing like the wind; kosmische sequences percolating amidst industrial sound blasts; drumkits pounding against fuzz guitars, swooning pads, and gaseous idiophonics; chill out breaks vibing beneath synthesized dolphin songs and liquid bass guitar narcotics; and balearic paradises awash in hues of some impossible sunset. 

Cass. & Gianni Brezzo - Masala Kiss (Growing Bin Records, 2019) “Jaybo” opens with manic percussion beating through cosmic caverns…a minimalist world drum groove wherein echoing rimshots splatter into sea-spray. Trance inducing vibrato waves hover in the air as acoustic guitars descend onto the mix, working between subdued delay tapestries and bursts of emotional violence, with steel strings buzzing and smearing into fractal webs while kosmische leads melt through they sky. During a moment where the guitars fade, angels sing through deep sea hazes while bubble clouds flutter ear-to-ear and later, the drums wash out as bleary-eyed wavefronts smolder in the background, with single note leads howling and acoustic guitars generating crystalline gas clusters. Then in “Umberella,” e-pianos quiver, morph, and occasionally glitch out, with lush tremolo clouds trailing every chord. Interstellar sequences are bathed in reverberation as they flutter in the distance and voices speak expressive incantations amidst studio clatter. And later, pianos execute a jazzwise climb towards the stars, with the sounds of pounding keystrokes rendered louder than the notes themselves. Electric guitars weave galactic desert mesmerism in “Imence Sense” as synths pool like liquid light…the glowing currents suffused by laser approximations of birdsong, string machines from celestial oceans, and synthetic organs that glow like the sun. Dopamine guitar arps float, bass notes disperse like clouds of smoke, and hammer on leads scrape and squiggle as anthemic majesty is subverted into an ambient dream drift, one that pairs nicely with Gigi Masin’s & Jonny Nash’s recent Postcards from Nowhere. And sometimes, amidst the fragile space music mutations, streaks of polychrome synthesis break free…like dazzling currents of color seen just below the surface of some infinite ocean.

Arps flowing from the fourth world oscillate through dreamspace echoes in “Instabubu” while e-pianos evoke melting gemstones. Cymbals phase and chime strands sparkle like oceanic crystal while bulbous bass pads swell the heart. And later, cinematic melodic ascents smear into feedback synthesis and wailing strings generating tropical mirages as the mix continues to sparkle with seaside jazz spirituality. “Autoscooter Lover” follows with tribalist percussion effecting into a panorama of bubble mutations while piano chords lilt back and forth. Fragile synthesis wavers through the sky…these aqueous streaks of mermaid beauty progressively ring modulating into liquid abstraction…and vocal breaths push hot air across the mix as further pad layers scat on reversing jazz currents. Gaseous orchestrations diffuse in before dispersing and after a hushed pause, the mix explodes back to life, now with cymbal taps decaying across the spectrum and swooning melodies of paradise balearica transforming into alien psychedelia. And at some point, the mix reduces to sparse percussion and scraping guitar chords while indie basslines dance high on the fretboard…an enticing moment of daydream nostalgia. “Out of Mind” closes the A-side with layered Berlin school sequencing bouncing through a neon cosmos, with bending fluids and seabird mutations wiggling through the vacuum. Spiritual choirs sing out from the center of the universe, with voices smearing into static as polysynths waver through crystalline clouds. Psychosonic energy blasts whoosh across the spectrum and laser lights mutate into insect screams as black hole radiation bathes the spirit…all while the prog electronic sequences filter, flange, and phase into indistinction, moving from cosmic hypnosis to splattered sequential psychosis.

The extended intro of “Koli” portends some moment of cathartic power, with synth hazes swelling, e-bowed guitars refracting spectral light, and noa bells ringing in a gentle breeze. And eventually, a massive post-rock drum beat drops, with cymbals, snare, and backwards sucking kicks decaying into a void of heartache and kissed by a touch of slapback. The guitars wail into emotional bluescapes of whalesong psychedelia and golden waves of orchestral warmth evolve into a synthesized blur…all while arpeggiations flutter far in the distance. Then in “Helge,” sea vents spew out strange bubble formations and synthesizers ascend through anthem rave riffs while IDM cymbals crawl across the mix like some crazed insect. Slap bass robotics and pastoral guitars solo into jazz ethereality and the rhythms eventually filter into whispering shadows, with everything fading to nothingness as a demonic voice speaks unknowable incantations. Then comes “Der Däne,” wherein lounge jazz guitar chords bend like liquid over ultra-chill trip hop rhythmics, with electro-kicks vibing out and infectious clap patterns cracking on the soulful bounce. The background is woven through by psychedelic noise hazes and dolphin-generated sonar tracers as glacial streaks of orchestral majesty hover just out of reach. The drums pull away for a momentary breath and when they rush back in, they are joined by bass guitar threads recalling Douglas McCombs, with spindly slides and emotive hammer-ons moving through soft jazzfunk sensuality. And as the rhythms progressively filter and crunch, my mind drifts further towards Tortoise, as well as towards Mogwai…just pure post-rock perfection…though growing ever more balearic, with new age ocean atmospherics flowing into the stereo field and stoking visages of some gorgeous sunset panorama.

The first part of “Interlude” is alive with shouting street vendors, feet running on cobblestones, and secrets spoken in earnest as seagulls fly through the sky. Then, drone clouds wash the mix clean, bringing with them bursts of industrial static and swirls of spectral distortion run through by detuning orchestrations. A bell-tower rings in the distance, feedback lasers transmute into blinding fire, and towards the end, piano arps flutter on a seaside breeze, with everything smearing out beneath layers of insectoid noise. Whereas “Der Däne” celebrated the post-rock soundscapes of the mid-90s, closer “Paterson” revels in that style’s early 2000s rebirth, with mathy guitars singing together…their multitudinous layers bathed in cavernous verbs, dreamspace delays, and recalling for me Explosions in the Sky, especially their work on Friday Night Lights. Then it all breaks down, with cold guitars radiating through interstellar expanses and electronic beats dancing through hyperspace corridors while energy waves crash against the mix. Eventually, the swooning guitar majesties return and break free from the murk…singing towards a rural sunrise as the heart soars higher and higher. Rhythms of jazz electronica underly the layers of melodic majesty, with shuffling cymbals guiding the body through immersive e-bow environments. And entire orchestras of the sky are evoked by a few guitars and a bank of fx as synthesized fusion leads solo in support, bringing LSD visions of an exploding sunrise. Nearing the end, the mix devolves yet again, with decaying orchestrations surrounding strange synthetic arps. But rather than end here, a lone guitar ascends once more through the detritus and traces out further melodies of paradise magic before eventually fading away, leaving us afloat within avant-garde sonic environments recalling “Interlude.”

(images from my personal copy)

[dcarhcarts]

What’s your OTP for your Muse(s)

Call it a copout but I don’t want to list cause it will.......be v v long but in general any canon ships, also Muse x Happiness

What are you willing to RP when it comes to shipping?

Pretty much everything up to explicit NSFW. I will take fade to blacks.  The caveat being that EVERYTHING IS COMMUNICATED. Please don’t spring a fade to black/random pregnancy/a massive breakup/idk whatever else on me without talking to me first?? I don’t mind horribly if the relationship is a little toxic....but like, intentionally. Like we both know that it’s toxic and we’re actively wriitng it toxically in an interesting...way? 

How large does the age gap have to be to make it uncomfortable?

I think....more than 8? My grandparents are 8 years apart so personally for me this is the largest age gap I know a couple to have. Obviously, that age gap being not uncomfortable is always dependent on the fact that both muses are of age. Shipping an underage character with an adult is just....no thnx.

Are you selective when shipping?

Yes and no. This is a trick answer. On the one hand I’m not and on the other hand I am? I get the ship feels very fast if our interaction/plotting sparks the Chemistry Feel, but also the Chemistry Feel is very specific and if I don’t feel it, I don’t feel it. IDK if that’s selectivity or just......normal shipping. 

And then there’s also the fact that in general if our muses have a canon relationship, odds are that I probably ship them and want to write shippy stuff. B u t the kicker with all of that is that I don’t like shipping with someone just based off a canon connection bc there is every possibility that I will figure out later on that our portrayals don’t mesh very well or that I don’t actually have the Chemistry Feel from between our muses during the interaction, and I like...I never want to ship for the sake of having the ship? So like.....always talk to me first. Some plotting or interaction would be Best before we decide if shipping can happen.

How far do steamy moments have to go before they’re considered NSFW?

When clothes start coming off or when That Kind of Touching (tm) starts happening. That’s where I’d like a fade to black thnx haha no sexual NSFW on this blog pls thnx.

Who are other muses you ship your muse with?

Hi is this where I LOVE ALL MY SHIP PARTNERS cause here i come. if i missed anyone it’s honestly cause i just got off a 4 hour shift of nothing but leaving answering machine messages and my brain is mush.

@personnages I’m only tagging one blog so I don’t spam the hell out of you but bUDDY PAL WE PLAY SHIP ROULETTE SO MUCH. There are so many that if I put all of them I’ll probably lose my place and cry but my favorites include: Pierre/Marya, Sonya/Andrei, Cass/Anya, plus you be the OG mr. darcy to my lizzie / OG andrei to my pierretasha so like!!!! legendary!!

@gcneralvaganov my partner in crime re: Glenya, Glima, and Glimya. You’re?? actually the 8th wonder in the world??? and I love you??? 

@skylarkmuses IN THIS HOUSE WE STAN SUSAN/TARAN. SURAN???? TASAN???? ANYWAY WE STAN. Just. I love them. They temper each other perfectly. ALso Im yelling about the mcfreaking Anya/Death Angel and we haven’t even really gotten shippy in thread

@outofthelight / @slackerphilosopher The Evan to my Zoe, the Henry to my Natalie <3 love ya Callie. love that we agree that our kids deserve i n f i n t e softness.

@starblcssd a sAINT AND MY SAVING GRACE WHO ADDED DIMA AFTER FIVE YEARS OF ME CRYING ON THE TAG. Like everyone else you write, your Dima?? may as well have just walked off the stage and straight into these posts.

@moretreasurewithin aNOTHER SAINT WHO PLAYS DIMA AND S O WELL I LOVE YOU and all our threads. I love how our Dimya ship has a bit more taste of the animated movie to it!!

@anastcsie what would dima be w/o *john mulaney voice* HIS WIFE??????? look dima is basically ned from the try guys with how much he talks/thinks about his wife probably. 

@spareisms  Dima adores???? the squishiest princess. Anna’s his sunshine, that’s it, thank you.

@tsvxtok while we’re on the topic of people dima adores.....Dima would literally die for Senya ok??? it’s established c a n o n facts. not that you’re going to let him die, but I can try, can’t I? lololol

@soulcrossed tHE SOPHIE TO MY HOWL. THE MICHAEL TO MY MARTHA. AND HOPEFULLY, IF I HECKLE YOU ENOUGH, THE BEN TO MY LETTIE. in any case, you’re brilliant, I love that we’re literally the entire hmc rpc, and i’m so soft for all our kids???

Does one have to ask to ship with you?

Yes. Please. Even if it’s a canon ship that you know explicitly I ship, honestly.  Please always ask. If you’re too shy to ask, send me an ask with “<3?” or smth, and I ‘ l l take it upon myself to hop into your IMs and guess which ship we might want to talk about until I get it right. 99% of the time I’ll say yes, but it’s just 1) good manners 2) good to let me know? because sometimes we’re writing something vaguely shippy but I would just like the verbal confirmation? it’s almost like my muse poking yours and being like “so are we dating now” except it’s me poking you and being like “are we shipping now??” 

And also sometimes our muses have clear chemistry but I have Hard Lines on how I ship with that muse (i.e.....Anatole). Or sometimes I don’t really want to ship, and your muse might just have to have unrequited feelings.

How often do you like to ship?

I am a l w a y s onboard when there’s chemistry. If my muse is making heart eyes obviously I can’t stop them lmao. Likewise if they’re really not feeling it....sorry nah.

Are you multiship?

Y e p. Multimuse, Multifandom, h e l l a multiship. 

Are you ship obsessed or ship more-or-less?

I’m not ship-obsessed but I think ships are fun, and I would like ships for my muses. I spent a long time doing rp like...avoiding ships, bc they were generally not a part of the rp experience that I really enjoyed, based on past experience? But now I’ve got the Most Wonderful Ship Partners and while I don’t n e e d ships, I know that I want them! 

What is your favorite ship in your current fandom?

"Current fandom” lmao who is that????? How do I pick out of my 1701 fandoms?? I mean........I’ve been looking at a l o t of Kastle edits lately....sooooo that? I’m also catching up on my Punisher sooooo.

Finally, how does one ship with you?

COMMUNICATION!! Plotting! You can skip the initial interaction thread and hop straight into my IMs/Discord if you want, but plotting is the most important element I can think of when it comes to shipping with me. Always let me know what’s going on. Always build on our character relationships. And like..........tell me outright if you wanna ship!!  

tagged by: @skylarkmuses

tagging: .....uhhh whoever wants to I guess, this thing got v long and i don’t wanna accidentally put pressure on anyone jfaskl;jflsadf

[modernbookfae]

ILLYRIAN BAT PT.3

After weeks since Nesta brought Cass home life has been surprisingly brighter for Nesta. Sure Cass can get on her nerves, but she has learned to love his antics. But things are about to change when a surprise enters through her balcony door.

Part 1 Here     Part 2     Part 3 Here     Part 4 Here

Nesta awaked by a rustle of movement and something barely grazing her arm. She groaned into her pillow knowing exactly who had woken her before the sunset.

“Cass it’s not time to get up,” Nesta mumbled into her pillow. Sleep still trying to tug her back into bliss. For sometime now her nightmares of being turned into a vampire by Hybern were diminishing with each passing day. It had started not long after Cass arrived two weeks ago. Perhaps having another living being close by that offered comfort instead of loneliness made sleep easier to bear.

Fluttering of wings sounded over Nesta’s head. Cass was ready to get the night started. He was eager to be let out on the balcony to stretch his wings and fly around the building before returning to Nesta for whatever tasks she had in store today.

Nesta rolled onto her side and tugged the covers tighter over her head. Only the top of her head with wild dark golden strands peeked out from the thick fabric. She felt Cass’s body land at her feet on the bed. This was a sort of game he always seemed to play. Nesta was determined not to lose this round so she tried to ignore him.

Slowly he began crawling up the length of her body. She could feel the tips of his claws through the covers as he moved up. His wings would flap occasionally to warn Nesta that he was getting closer to his intended destination.

“Flap around like a pigeon all you want,” Nesta grumbled darkly as she closed her eyes. “I’m not getting up.”

Cass released a noise of disagreement. He inched over her hip and kept moving until he stopped at her shoulder. Still Nesta did not move from the comfort of bed.

At this point Cass resorted to his next plan of attack. He sniffed around the top of her head and top of her ears that were ticklish. Nesta fidgeted and burrowed into her covers for safety.

“Cass,” Nesta whined when he still wouldn’t stop sniffing around her head. She could feel his weight shift as he huffed out a breath that Nesta could only assume was his form of a laugh.

Finally Cass did the only thing that always guaranteed to make Nesta get out of bed. He tucked his furry head under the covers and gave the tip of her ear a lick.

Nesta jolted from the wet sensation and burst from the covers. Cass quickly took flight to get out of dodge of the flying fabric and settled on the small dresser beside the bed.

“Why do you always feel the need to do that,” Nesta rubbed the saliva off her ear and shot Cass a scathing glare. He merely shrugged to the best of his ability with the look of innocence draping his features.

“One of these days you are going to regret not letting me sleep in,” Nesta moved to her dresser and pulled out a pair of black leggings before grabbing an oversized sweater. The dark azure color of the threads had begun to fade from years of use. It was Nesta’s favorite sweater and she couldn’t find the heart to leave it behind with the rest of her meager belongings back in the Night Court.

She changed quickly in her bedroom. Cass was silent behind her as Nesta removed her pajamas and shimmied her leggings on over her simple black underwear. Next she put on her bra and reached for the sweater hanging in her closet.

“Well shoot,” Nesta realized she had forgotten to grab socks. She turned around and saw Cass jolt his head away from her direction. She had caught the bat curiously watching her in the narrow mirror in her room lately. At first he always looked elsewhere when she was changing, but recently it seemed he was intrigued to watch her evening routine.

Now Cass acted bashful as Nesta strode back to the dresser and bent down to reach for socks in a drawer. His bright eyes would flicker to her and then somewhere else in the room.

It was adorable to see how flustered he became.

After taking a moment to put on her socks and sweater Nesta silently strode into the living room. Cass followed her using his wings to glide between the space of her room and onto the back of the sofa.

“Want to go outside?” Nesta stood beside him already knowing what is answer would be.

Cass gave an affirmative squeak and climbed into Nesta’s outstretched arms. He was practically an overgrown puppy with large wings. He clung to her tight enough for a good grip, yet not too hard for his claws to leave marks on her skin.

It was a guilty pleasure of Nesta’s to hold him like this. She loved how he looked up at her with an expression of happiness. Like she was not a monster or a sister who had let her younger siblings down.

The weight of him in her arms felt right. Or maybe it was just his presence that made her feel safe and warm. Nesta got the feeling of belonging when Cass was curled up next to her either on the sofa or when she carried. Sometimes she would even allow him on the bed when she was reading a book. He would cuddle against her hip and rest his head near her heart during those times when she read. A few times he slept against her. Falling asleep to the sound of her heartbeat. Nesta would indulge in the moment and give him a few extra minutes of peace before nudging him awake.

During the day though she made sure he had time to himself to stretch his wings and get fresh air outside. That is what Nesta planned on doing right now. She held him a bit tighter to her body before unlocking the balcony door and bringing them outside to greet the recently darkened night sky.

“Be safe and come home soon,” Nesta said. It had become a habit to say those words. That parting sentiment was always spoken when Cass would take off into the night for a couple of hours. He always returned though. Many times he was gone for two or three hours. On occasion he may return within an hour or four. Yet he still came back. Much to Nesta’s relief.

Cass gently rubbed his head against her cheek. Another thing that had become a norm during this brief goodbyes. His hazel eyes held the promise of return.

Slowly Nesta outstretched her arms and Cass took flight. His wings beat into the night as he flew higher and farther across the city.

Nesta went back inside and shut the balcony door. She would hear Cass outside when he made it back so she made sure to keep the door closed until then.

Today was dedicated toward cleaning the apartment. Although there was not much to clean considering how bare the place looked. Nesta didn’t see the need in having so many items. Even her own personal possessions she brought were very few. And most of the time those possessions brought back a mix of painful and happy memories of a life she had been forced to leave behind.

Having a routine kept Nesta distracted from worries. She adjusted her routine to include Cass and thankfully the nights went by faster with him around. When she went out shopping he would fly nearby within eyesight. If Nesta was fixing a meal Cass would be watching and huffing in disapproval at the dismal ways she prepared a meal. Nesta imagined that her bat wondered how she had lived this long without food poisoning.

The best times of the day were when Nesta curled up on the sofa or bed. Cass would snuggle with her for hours. Nesta would run her fingers across his dark fur that was slightly longer than usual for an Illyrian bat. Cass would make little noises that were a mixture between a purr and a moan.

It was during these moments that Nesta let down her walls. Last night she talked to Cass about her family and how she missed them. Nesta swallowed down pain as she told him the words she wished she had told her sisters.

“I’m sorry. For not protecting you. For not being the person you could rely on or even wanted as an older sister.”

Nesta released her bottled emotions. Cass had gone silent listening to her.

“I said such horrible things when I just wanted to keep them safe. I hurt them and I hurt the only male in my life who ever really saw the real me.”

Cass looked up in astonishment, but Nesta couldn’t see for her eyes had begun to water with unshed tears.

“He hates me now I bet. The way I called him names and acted like he was beneath when really I was the one who didn’t deserve him,” Nesta curled in on herself, but was mindful of not crushing Cass. She attempted to hold herself together as pieces were falling apart.

“I miss him,” Nesta hiccupped and hated how pitiful she sounded though no one else, but a bat witnessed her breaking. “His stupid cocky smile, his idiotic attempts to flirt and –” Nesta’s throat clenched. She bit her lip to hold back a sob and used a hand to cover her crying eyes.

Cass leaned up and made a consoling noise. He nudged Nesta’s hand that was shielding her eyes from him. Or perhaps she was trying to shield herself from the world.

“Cassian,” Nesta breathed his name shakily as her emotions began to drown her. She spoke the Illyrian Army Commander’s name like a plea. But Nesta knew it was impossible for him to answer as he was surely either in the Illyrian mountains with his warriors or at the House of Wind with the Night Court’s Inner Circle.

“Cassian,” Nesta whispered brokenly again. Feeling her heart finally beginning to shatter under the stress these past months have created.

Another firm nudge and squeak captured Nesta’s attention. She felt warm fur push against her hand until she finally lowered it. Her breath escaping in tiny gasping bursts as she tried to reign in her emotions.

Cass watched her. Sadness and pain filling those eyes that were almost always mirthful.

“I’m sorry,” Nesta wiped her eyes and sniffled. “It’s been so long since I cried and it just gets out of control when it happens.”

Hazel eyes never wavered in their gaze. Cass moved forward slowly in an effort to not startle Nesta. He paused when he was only a few inches from her face.

“What’s are you –” Nesta’s expression morphed into confusion and then shock in the next instant as Cass closed the space between them.

His tongue licked a long tear trail that went down Nesta’s cheek. He steadily worked up until almost reached Nesta’s eyelash. During this Nesta sat frozen wondering what to do. There were not guidelines for reacting to a large Illyrian bat and his tongue ridding fallen tears from her cheeks.

After two more long gentle licks Cass shifted backward to watch Nesta’s reaction. She was motionless, but her eyes were trained on the bat wondering if this was the moment he would try something else out of the blue. Or maybe at this point Nesta had become delusional and this was a figment of her emotionally charged imagination.

A few simple squeaks from Cass snapped Nesta out of her state.

“That…you just…” Nesta searched for words to say. “Were you…trying to comfort me?” Disbelief seeped into her voice.

Cass gave a soft squeak in affirmation and rested his head in the crook of her neck. Wings wrapped around Nesta’s shoulder in a hug.

Nesta blinked. She calmly raised both her hands up. One cradled Cass closer and the other repeatedly brushed down his neck and back.

“I guess this is the part where I thank you,” Nesta smiled and received another snuggling movement from the bat. A tiny chuckle came from Nesta and she rose to walk into the bedroom. The sun was rising and it was time to retire for the day.

She placed Cass on his usual hanging spot before swapping her clothes out for sleep. After Nesta pulled the covers over her body she turned to watch Cass adjusting himself for sleep as well. He paused and looked at her as if he could sense her eyes on him.

Hazel meeting blue-grey.

“Thank you Cass,” Nesta said.

A calm silence settled over Nesta that lulled her into a deep sleep. Faintly she thought she could hear a deep voice whispering her name. It was all in her head, but Nesta could have sworn that the voice called to her down a bond she had felt tugging at her and offering warmth for months. It was one of the few things that had brought comfort in her new life.

“Nesta.”

With a start Nesta jolted out of last night’s memory. The empty apartment served as a reminder that no one was here. Alone. But a warm faint presence lingered in her mind.

Nesta smiled briefly at the comfort of that warmth. She then began cleaning her apartment. She scrubbed the kitchen down and brushed by the shopping list stuck on the refrigerator. A trip to the grocery store was needed either tonight or tomorrow. Food had been running low and Nesta had to get more fruit for Cass with how fast he was devouring them.

“I should probably do laundry while I clean so tomorrow can be a solely an outside errand day,” Nesta thought aloud. She went to the bathroom and started sorting clothes from the hamper.

She had just started separating her jeans from the pile when she heard a slight noise from outside. Her ears barely caught the noise.

Nesta checked her phone and saw that Cass had been out for a little over an hour. This must have been one of his early days that he returned from his little excursions around the city.

“Hang on a second Cass!” Nesta shoved jeans out of the way when the click of the back door opening stopped her dead in her tracks. Cass couldn’t open the door.

Instincts washed over Nesta as she prepared herself against the intruder. Weapons were in short supply in the bathroom. Perhaps she should risk shattering the mirror for something sharp, but then that would give her enemy plenty of time to find her.

Footsteps began to tread inside.

Nesta’s heart began to pound as she was trapped in the bathroom with the door opened wide for anyone to easily spot her. The male scent smelled slightly familiar, but unease settled deep within Nesta. Something dangerous waited for her.

With quick speed Nesta dove out of the bathroom and faced the intruder with fangs bared.

Seething brown eyes shone with morbid glee as the vampire bared his fangs in return.

“There you are little girl.” The male said and prowled closer as he finally found his prey within reach. “You’ve been quite bothersome to track down.”

“Who the hell are you?” Nesta growled and positioned herself at a better angle to defend herself.

“Do you not remember me?” The male laughed and the sound churned Nesta’s stomach. Recognition of this male slipped through her fingers as she tried to recall who he was.

“You must not have left that much of an impression,” Nesta masked the nervousness that was rising swiftly.

“Or perhaps the trauma of being turned into a vampire made you forget that day,” the male matched her steps as they began to circle each other.

Nesta’s steps faltered. His face and that sneer spurned a memory forth.

“You’re Jurian, Hybern’s lackey.”

“And you’re going to be dead soon if you don’t comply,” Jurian knuckles crackled as he flexed his hands.

“I think you must be the one whose memory is failing them,” Nesta shifted. Inching closer to the backdoor. “I helped the Night Court defeat Hybern and his army. You’ve got another thing coming if you think I’ll go with you bastard.”

“I was hoping you would say that,” Jurian said.

Three loud thuds on the balcony distracted Nesta. She glanced and saw three males enter her apartment through the open door.

One of the males was her nightmare come to life. He licked his lips and glowing green eyes looked Nesta’s body up and down in appraisal.

“Thomas…” Nesta whispered in disbelief.

“It’s been too long Nesta dear,” Thomas smiled showing his elongated canines. He had been turned into a vampire.

“How?” Nesta tried to shake off the initial shock, but her emotions were rushing forth. Fear and anger swirled at a dizzying speed. Nesta battled with herself to stay calm.

This can’t be real. This can’t be happening. He shouldn’t be here.

Nesta’s thoughts echoed and bounced off each other.

“Mr. Mandray here as offered his services,” Jurian said. “In exchange for immortality.”

“You fool,” Nesta spat at the man she had once known from her town. He had always been a monstrous human with the way he treated others. Even Nesta had almost fallen too far into his clutches, but luckily she was able to break free with a ripped dress and bruises to serve as a reminder of how easily it was for someone to use Nesta’s weakness against her. Her wounded pride and nightmares served as scars of when Thomas had tried to force himself onto her.

“Don’t be like that Nesta,” Thomas moved in a flash and Nesta leapt out of the way. “We didn’t get to finish what was started that one evening.”

“Touch me again and I swear you’ll get more than a few scratches this time,” Nesta threatened.

“You’re no match against the four of us,” Thomas said. “But I get you first and then the others can have their turn.”

The males approached with deadly intent. Nesta was trapped, but she wasn’t going down without a fight.

One of the unknown males moved to face her and Nesta was quick to retaliate. Fists and kicks met in the air as Nesta threw her weight into her assailant. He was clumsy and reckless. Nesta smashed him into the wall and snapped his neck before the others converged. She felt their punches and a blade graze her skin.

Nesta armed herself with two small sharp knives from the kitchen.  She had barely grasped the second handle when the second male almost cut her down with his own wicked blade.

Too bad for him that he had no idea that he was facing one of the strongest female vampires that had served in the Illyrian Army and had been personally trained by it’s commander.

Let them underestimate you Nesta. Then use surprise and agility to complete a swift kill.

Nesta ducked and the male’s blade swung above her head. With lightening fast speed she twirled her body and sliced through the male’s neck before he had the chance to pull his blade back. Death instantly took him.

A hand blindingly backhanded Nesta across the room and into a large landscape painting that was protected by glass. Nesta arm shattered the glass and red blood dripped onto the painted green trees. Dimly Nesta thought it was a shame to ruin the picture considering it reminded her of Feyre and her paintings.

Another hand flew toward her armed with a blade, but Nesta deflected it kicked Jurian away from her body.

Nesta fought off the three vampires to the best of her ability. They were strong. And Nesta was not in her best condition considering her diet didn’t consist of human blood, which provided more strength and stamina.

She cut Jurian across his face with her knife. The gash ran over one of his eyes and he howled in pain.

“You bitch!” Jurian gripped her wrist and twisted it with a quick snap.

The flash of pain distracted Nesta long enough that Thomas saw his chance and pulled out a blade with ashwood inlaid in the center of shining steel. He jammed the blade into Nesta’s chest and it burned with a deep wound just below her right breast.

Nesta couldn’t scream because the pain was so terrible that oxygen escaped her lungs.

But her mind cried out in agony. Constant pain rippled through her body as the wound poured blood.

Keep fighting. Cassian’s voice filtered in through the pain. Don’t give up sweetheart. Nesta was too occupied to realize that the words didn’t come from her memory. They traveled down a bond she had never considered could be a possibility.

Nesta’s body was pushed to the ground and she felt Thomas’s heavy weight on top of her.

“You don’t get to die until I get a taste of you first,” Thomas’s tongue ran over his fangs. Nesta would have heaved at the look he gave her, but she grit her teeth.

“I’ll be the one killing the bitch for what she did to my eye,” Jurian stalked to them grabbed Nesta’s hair in a jarring jerk. “Have your fun and then she’s mine.”

Thomas laughed and Nesta truly thought she was going to be sick. She tried to throw his body off of hers, but it was useless.

Nesta glared at Thomas in hatred. Her unbroken hand crackled with lightning that danced underneath her skin. It would be a weak attempt with the ashwood buried in her chest, but Nesta was willing to give it a shot.

Her hand rose and Thomas was quick to snatch it. His grip tightened to the point of almost breaking.

“I wouldn’t do that,” Thomas said with a laugh. “Only my hands get to play now. And I plan on a little bit more pain in the near future.”

“Then you’ll love this,” Nesta’s lightning shot out and struck Thomas and Jurian both. The attack was weak, but it bought Nesta precious seconds. She lurched to the door, but was knocked backward as Jurian recovered and gave her a kick sending her into a wall.

Blood seeped out of the wound that still had the ashwood blade. Nesta reached to pull it out, but Thomas jumped on her.

“You’re not escaping this time,” Thomas leaned forward with fangs bared to rip her apart.

No. No. No. Nesta thought frantically as she struggled to keep fighting. Silently she pleaded as she continued to rage against the attack.

Somebody please hel-!

Thomas pushed the ashwood blade deeper and Nesta couldn’t stop the scream that broke through her lips.

A hollow boom of wings and a growl was the only warning Jurian had before he turned around to an unexpected sight. A sword cleaved across his chest as Jurian tried to block the attack. Blood sprayed high onto the ceiling and the sound of Jurian’s body hitting the floor startled Thomas to look up.

Before him stood a large vampire that radiated power and anger. Seven red stones shone against the black fighting leathers fit for a battlefield. He held a long sword still dripping with Jurian’s blood.

But his eyes were what caused Thomas to quake in fear.

Hazel eyes burned like wildfire. That gaze seethed as it took in the scene. The male focused on Nesta as she weakly tried to prevent Thomas from pushing the blade clean to the floor she was sprawled on.

Nesta hissed and a small pained sound escaped her.

The sight before him and that tiny noise of pain sent him into a murderous calm.

“Get away from her,” the guttural voice was barely understandable, but the promise of death spoke clearly in his eyes.

“Who do you think you-” Thomas began, but was cut off when a large hand gripped his throat and pushed him into the wooden floor. It happened so fast that Thomas barely registered the male squeezing his windpipe tighter. The boards cracked underneath the pressure and Thomas attempted to fight back. Another hard smash into the boards had him reeling.

“You dare hurt her? My mate?” The male growled and tightened his hand to suffocate the vampire. “You deserve more pain and suffering. But I have a more important priority than filth like you.” He released Thomas who wheezed with each intake of breath.

“I wasn’t really going to kill her,” Thomas lied. “Just give her a scare since we had unfinished business when we were humans.”

The male paused at the words. Foreboding silence filled the air.  “You were the male who tried to rape Nesta.” It wasn’t a question. It was a death sentence.

Thomas faltered as the male put his sword back into the sheath strapped to his back. Thomas had no time to react when the red siphons on the male began to glow. He punched Thomas and his jaw cracked under the force. Then blazing heat raced through Thomas as an inferno of flames engulfed him.

Screams filled the air as Thomas tried to claw and escape the fire that covered his body.

The other male ignored him as siphons dimmed from the use of his power and he approached Nesta. He quickly examined her and the expanding bloodstain that darkened her sweater. The ashwood blade needed to be pulled out before they left leave the city.

“Nesta,” the male ran his fingers across her cheeks. Her blue grey eyes focused on the form hovering protectively over her.

His scent hit her and she almost cried in relief.

“Cassian,” Nesta croaked out with wince.

“I need to remove the blade and then we are flying out of here,” Cassian said still stroking her cheeks. “It will hurt, but I promise it’ll be quick.”

Nesta nodded and Cassian gripped the blade protruding from his mate’s body. It made him sick to see her in this condition. He had to get them to safety in case Jurian had backup.

“Ok Nesta deep breath,” Cassian warned before pulling out the blade in one quick motion.

Nesta groaned in pain and the sound was a twisted dagger to Cassian’s heart.

“Alright sweetheart it’s time to go,” Cassian made quick work to wrap the small table runner off the living room coffee table. Nesta didn’t fidget under his touch as he tied the cloth around her body and tied a knot to keep it in place to prevent more blood loss.

Cassian gently scooped her into his arms. Nesta cradled into his chest where she could hear his heartbeat pounding under her ear. Her fingers found his fighting leathers and she latched on tightly.

The exhaustion of the fight along with feelings of safety and protection coaxed Nesta to rest against the warmth of Cassian’s body. Cassian watched her closely as she succumbed to sleep. He walked to the balcony leaving the morbid scene as Thomas became a pile of ash. The flames burned out the moment Cassian stretched out his wings and leapt from the balcony.

Wind rushed up and soon Cassian was flying north into the night with Nesta clutched preciously in his arms.

He needed to find secure location so he could attend to Nesta’s injuries. Cassian wasn’t going to lose her. Not again.