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[lettersthenwords]

[lettersthenwords]

Cullen has an affair of sorts with Solona Amell in Kinloch Hold. It does not end well.

Twelve years later, one of Solona’s older sisters and a child who looks just like she did go searching for their family amid the chaos of the mage rebellion.

So I’m not really on tumblr much anymore, but this was a pretty big project of mine and I want to share it as widely as I can. Mind the rating and warnings.

[lettersthenwords]

Idle Thoughts

Series: Kingdom Hearts Characters: Roxas, Xion Words: 665 Summary: Roxas takes a moment to think about his conflicted feelings of the future atop the clocktower, and a friend who can relate joins him.

All right. What now?

That question hung in Roxas’s head days after the final fight. Even now as he sat on the clocktower, the question burned in his mind. Since the first day his life began, he was given a task, told what to do. Now he was free, a sensation so unfamiliar he found himself lost. It wasn’t unlike his days in the organization. He hadn’t known what to do with free time back then either.

Roxas kicked his legs idly, watching them dangle over the edge of the clock tower. This place, Twilight Town, and the sunset always felt right. It was comfortable, a place he could belong. Here, he could think—he could worry without feeling crushed by confusion.

But even now, even with the sunset Roxas still didn’t know what came next. He turned up to watch the sun set lower and lower in the sky, as he’d done hundred of times before. Its rays shimmered in the summer heat of Twilight Town, and Roxas had to shield his eyes from its light.

“Everything seems brighter now, doesn’t it?”

Roxas turned, and greeted his friend with a smile that she returned as she took her place beside him on the ledge. She looked so much freer without the weight of the organization cloaks on their backs. They all did.

“Do you think,” her voice trailed off in a mumble, a sign that she was thinking over her words. She took long enough to continue that Roxas had to bite back a teasing comment. “I spoke with Ienzo in Radiant Garden. He said all of us who were brought back had bright futures. Do you think that’s why everything feels brighter?”

They both fell silent for a moment, and Roxas’s face pulled into a frown. That didn’t sound quite right. If the future was bright, then it was so bright it hurt to see.

“I don’t think that’s it, Xion.” He finally spoke. “I wish Ax-Lea was here. He’d know the answer.”

She nodded, and looked back over at the sky like it would have answers. Lea was visiting Isa, so they were on their own today. No Lea to answer questions for them.

A comfortable silence fell between them, the kind that spoke without their input, broken only when Xion turns to Roxas, a worried expression painted on her face.

“Roxas, is something wrong?”

“No” is his immediate answer, but that wasn’t exactly right. Things weren’t wrong, but they weren’t quite right either. He was happy that things were “over”, but that didn’t change the uncertainty he felt.

“I’ve been thinking about what comes next. What’s going to happen now? The organization is gone and so is Xehanort. There’s always been something, but now there’s nothing,” he muses aloud. “I guess... I’m feeling lost.”

Like a puppet cut from its strings.

Ironic. Right before Roxas left the organization, he wondered if he was a replica like Xion. Now here he was with a replica body.

Xion must have noticed a change in his face. She placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a sympathetic smile. Solidarity. She understood how he felt.

“I feel lost, too. For now, I’m just glad I can be back with you two. Whatever comes next, I feel like I can handle it this time.

“We have to figure out what to do, but I think it can wait... it can wait until all of us are here.”

The rush of a train punctuated the end of her thoughts. Without asking Roxas knew Xion wasn’t just talking about Axel. Saïx, no, Isa would be joining them here too. He made them both uneasy, but Isa was a different person, nothing like who Saix was.

He was a new start, just like them.

“Right. We can figure it out when we’re all here.”

They both turned back to the sky to enjoy the last of the sunset, and this time its light wasn’t quite as blinding.

[lettersthenwords]

Icewind Valley

Series: Dragon Nest Characters: Some random kid, and an unnamed sorceress Word count: 1195     A background story for how Icewind Valley got its name, written for an event in the NA forums forever ago. 

The air is cold, and the morning is too bright. Today’s not the definition of a perfect day, but you’re used to this by now. After all, you live in Mana Ridge. The only things colder than the weather here are the sorceresses. At least the members of the Holy Order pretend to care about what you’re saying. “Don’t forget to feed the fluffalo!” you hear your mother call from deep inside the house. “I won’t!” You slide on your boots, and take extra care not to forget your coat. That Cynthia woman might be able to shrug off the cold in just her hooded dress, but you sure can’t. It’s frustrating, honestly, having to share the town with so many members of the Astral Coven, but it’s their town as much as it is yours. Besides, didn’t Angelica become a sorceress? If someone as sweet as her became one, then they can’t all be bad. That’s what your mother tells you, at least. A dry, icy gust of wind hits your face the second you step outside, and immediately, you can tell today is not going to be your day. You can tell, because you can already hear Cynthia verbally tearing apart her students. That means you’re going to have to avoid them this morning. You’d feel bad for the pupils if it weren’t for their tendency to test their insults on you. Luckily, you make it to the fluffalo pen without incident… only to find half of the herd missing and a charred fence. It must have been magic from a misfired spell; there’s no doubt about it. At least you can still see remnants of their hoofprints in the snow. They haven’t been gone for long. Your first impulse is stomp towards the sorceresses and tell them off, but if you don’t chase down the missing fluffalo now, there’d be no chance of finding them once their tracks are covered by the snow. You have to go after them. There will be more time to curse out those jerks later. A few of the trainee sorceresses turn their heads as you frantically dash out of town, towards the road that leads to Snowmelt Forest. It’s obvious enough where the fluffalo went. Snowmelt leads directly to Crystal Stream, and you’re sure the fluffalo went directly there. The sunny riverside filled with lush grassland, is perfect for grazing. Except, the missing fluffalo are nowhere near Crystal Stream. The tracks just lead in the opposite direction, deeper into the snow-filled landscape, towards where the monsters and feral bullpups reside. It’s the last place you want to be, but you need to find the rest of your herd. Hills rise around you as you track them down, and you can’t help but to begin worrying. Those air-headed fluffalo wandered right into a valley, a perfect place to be ambushed by those wild frost bullpups that lunged at your ankles on the way in. You don’t spot any blood along the way, though, thank the Goddess. Another ten minutes in, and you need to stop. A shiver runs down your spine, and you’re not sure if it’s the skull-wearing goblins in the distance that caused it or if it was the weather. An icy wind that bites through your clothing tells you that it’s probably both. There’s not much you can do about how numb your hands are, but you sneak past the goblins as quietly as you can. Finally, after what felt like hours of trudging through snow with frozen feet, you see the familiar wooly figures of your fluffalo, and the sight alone is almost enough to make you cry. They’re right in front of you now, only a few steps away. You feel someone’s hot breath on your neck, and then the world goes dark. The first thing you feel when you wake up is dazed as you lift your face from the ground. It takes you a while to realize that you don’t feel much else. Your arms are numb, and all you want to do is stay on the floor and close your eyes. You know that you can’t fall asleep, though. If you do, you’ll never wake up. Suddenly, you’re glad for the unforgiving wind. As frigid as it may be, it’s the only thing keeping you awake, well, that and fear. There’s a blue orc stomping around not too far from your position in the snow, and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out what happened. That brute was the one that knocked you out. He’s not paying you any mind for now, but what if he turns around? You can’t fight; you’d be dead in a heartbeat. You hear a voice in the distance, and the orc leaves to investigate. This is your chance to get away, but you only manage to move a few feet at most. Your legs are too weak to carry you at this point. “I’m going to die,” you think as you lay face-down in the snow. Your thoughts and feelings of self pity are cut short, because now you feel a heeled boot digging into your back. “Just what do you think you’re doing?” The voice isn’t one you recognize, but haughty tone of voice tells you it’s a sorceress. The grip of magic wraps around your torso, beginning to lift you up, but it falters, dropping you back into the snow. There’s a beat of silence. The sorceress grabs you by the collar to hoist you up now. “Wh-what about the orc?” “I don’t get a ‘thank you’ for saving your life? I already took care of it. Now, answer my question: Why are you out here, and where are we?” One look at her singed clothes tells you she wasn’t lying about the orc. She’s stronger than she looks. “I… I was looking for my fluffalo.” “I need more than just that to report back to Cynthia if I don’t want her to give me hell for running off to help you. Where are we?” “I don’t really…” She narrows her eyes at you, and you begin to feel the strings of panic tightening in your chest. “We’re… in.... Icewind Valley?” There’s another beat of silence before the sorceress speaks. “You just made that up, didn’t you?” You shrink away from her gaze. It’s not the most creative name, but it’s fitting, at the very least. She narrows her eyes at you for a moment before sighing. “Fine, whatever. Let’s get you somewhere warm for now. Then, we can get you and your fluffalo back to Mana Ridge once you can walk.” The sorceress lowers you back onto your feet and pulls one of your arms over her shoulders, supporting your weight. “And… um... I’m sorry for ruining your fence.” You’re too stunned to attempt walking for a moment, and the sorceress ends up having to nearly drag you beside the fluffalo where you’d be safe from the wind. She was the one that got you into this mess, and… she apologized? You never thought a sorceress would ever apologize to you. Maybe they’re not as bad as you thought.

[lettersthenwords]

Series: Disgaea Characters: Emizel, Fuka Words: 178

Something short from one of my rp blogs. 

Everyone in the Hades Party knew Fuka could be annoying. Stupid comments and a headstrong personality were expected of her, and after knowing her for so long, no one really minded.

Today was different though. This time, Fuka went to far.

Emizel  just walked through the ever-spinning, dimensional gate when Fenrich supposedly threw Fuka into one of the prison cells specially designed to keep its captive in. There was no way she’d be able to leave until Val or Fenrich released the seal on the room.

He didn’t know what happened. Valvatorez refused to comment, Artina said it didn’t matter, Desco’s view was unreliable, and he knew better than to ask Fenrich.

That left only one option: ask her himself.

It was easy to get inside the room holding Fuka in, just because she couldn’t get out didn’t mean other people couldn’t get in. In fact, Desco was already inside, keeping her sister company. Emizel took a seat beside the two, setting down the tray he grabbed from the kitchen beside her leg.

“Hey, I brought you dinner.”

[lettersthenwords]

I’ll See You Later

Series: Disgaea Characters: Fuka, etc Words: 700+ Summary: Fuka’s friends are worried about her.

Inspired by this.

The air is cool and the sun is bright. It’s the definition of a perfect day. Perfect, partly because today is the day you convinced Fuka to visit her dad. Even if he’s too busy working to go home, there’s nothing stopping her from visiting him at work.

It’s frustrating, honestly, how strained their relationship is. All they need is better communication.

“Later, Fuka!”

You give Fuka a quick wave goodbye before you part ways. Mr. Kazamatsuri’s office isn’t too far from Saint Golyat, so you won’t be walking home together today. It’s fine, though. You have another friend with you, and she’s good company even if Fuka’s loud mouth isn’t there to balance out her silence. Besides, the three of you walk home every day anyway.

There’s no a looming sense of dread or a passing of ominous crows as the two of you continue home, farther and farther away from where you left Fuka at the crosswalk, just the sound of leaves rustling in the spring breeze. It’s just another Tuesday afternoon.

- - -

Fuka’s absent today, and you can’t help but worry.

She’s never been a model student, but at the very least she always tells you when she’s about to skip class. Fuka hasn’t called or texted since yesterday, either, and that can only mean she’s sick at home. Hopefully, she doesn’t have a fever.

Your friend gives you a reassuring nudge with her shoulder. Her arms are too occupied carrying the books Fuka needs to make up for the schoolwork she missed to give that playful shove she’s so fond of. For a moment, you’re torn about whether you should offer to help carry the books, but a shake of her head tells you she doesn’t need any help.

- - -

No one answers the door.

“Did she pick up?”

“This is the third time we called.”

The two of you wait half an hour before leaving Fuka’s things in front of her door with a note attached. Your parents would worry if the two of you took any longer to get home.

- - -

The two of you come again the next day to drop off her homework. You’re carrying the books this time, but the load is lighter.

When you arrive, the books from yesterday are still outside, untouched.

- - -

It’s been three days since anyone’s seen Fuka at all, and classroom 3-B has never felt emptier.

You try to tell yourself that you’re being paranoid, but something must have happened to Fuka. There is no other explanation. Her phone went straight to voice mail last time you tried calling her.

- - -

After a weekend of worry, it’s finally Monday, and the first thing that greets you as you walk into the classroom is the sweet scent of flowers. It’s hard to breathe for a moment, and there isn’t anything to say, because your best friend is sobbing in front of Fuka’s desk.

All your other classmates crowding the desk could have been invisible for all you care. She hasn’t sobbed like this since the first grade—and the thought reminds you of how you all first met—but now isn’t the time for that, because she is sobbing in front of Fuka’s desk.

“What happened?”

It’s the only thing you manage to say, even though you already know the answer. The source of the flowery scent is right in front of you, right on top of the desk, and it’s enough of an answer.

But you need to hear it. You need to hear what happened to Fuka from your best friend.

She tells you what happened with difficultly, and you probably should have waited some before demanding to know what happened because you could hardly understand her through her tears.

There was an accident at her father’s workplace, a freak accident that no one could have prevented, she said.

But you know that’s not true because you were the one that told Fuka to visit her father. You could have prevented it, and it’s your fault that Fuka’s gone. Your friend was there when you convinced Fuka to walk to her father’s office. Did she blame you, too?

Your glasses are beginning to fog over now, and before you even try to wipe away your tears your friend pulls you into a tight hug. Everything hurts, and you know it’s not going to get better.

[lettersthenwords]

Des X the closet Axel fangirl.

She has everything: all his CD’s, all his posters, copies of every advertisement he had ever appeared in, merchandise adorned with his signature and even Axel-themed energy drinks.

The only thing Des X was missing was the real thing.

[lettersthenwords]

Compassion

Series: Disgaea Characters: Artina, Fuka Words: 500+ Summary: Fuka misses her friends.

Artina finds her fiddling with her phone near the dimensional gate. It’s strange—Fuka only uses her cell phone to occasionally call her father. She looks to the gatekeeper and then back to the phone. There’s an unsent text message on the screen. Her brow is furrowed and she looks deep in thought.

It’s odd seeing Fuka so indecisive.

“Hello, Miss Fuka.”

“Oh hey, Artina!” She looks up from her phone with a smile. It’s not exactly fake, but it’s not exactly genuine either.

“Who are you talking to?” Part of her doesn’t want to pry, but her curiosity gets the better of her. Few demons carry phones, and most prefer to use prinnies to deliver messages.

Fuka looks away from the angel’s gaze, and Artina finds it hard to tell whether it’s out of guilt or something else.

“Dad brought me a few of my things from the house to help makes things in Hades more comfortable. I managed to find some of my friends’ phone numbers while looking through all of it. It’s been a while since I last saw them…”

“Were you thinking about visiting them in the human world?” Artina asks for the sake of asking—she already knows the answer. From the way she was staring at the gate earlier, it isn’t hard to guess what she’s thinking. She must be missing her friends from earth, from before she died.

“Yeah, why?”

“You know,” she gives the girl a small, empathetic smile, “I’m sure your friends miss you, but I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to visit them.”

Fuka falls silent.

“Don’t you think that making everyone you love say goodbye once is enough? You can’t stay in the human world forever. I wanted to do the same thing when I first became an angel. I wanted to tell my family and all my friends that I was safe. I wanted to properly say goodbye... But I couldn’t. I’d have to go back to Celestia eventually, and I’d just be making everyone I love go through the pain of losing me a second time.”

Artina half-expects Fuka to respond with her usual “I’m not dead��, but instead she doesn’t respond at all. Her head is tilted down in what Artina hopes is contemplation. She can’t quite read her expression; the bill of Fuka’s hat obscures her face.

There’s a beat of silence before Fuka finally speaks.

“Geez, Artina. Are you really going to miss me that much? I’m only going to be visiting.” Fuka speaks with a grin, and despite her joking tone, there’s a glint of understanding in her eyes.

“I won’t be the only one missing you, of course.” Her words are lighthearted, but she speaks earnestly. Fuka’s avoiding the question, but if she understands her message then that’s good enough for now. “Anyway, I’d better get going. Time is money, Fuka!”

Fuka watches the angel until the white of her wings and the pink of her hair are indistinguishable in the heat of Hades, only then does she shut her phone and walk away.