#(she is improving but she's not sure when she'll be ready to come home)

[kirby-the-gorb]

[uglyducklingofthe2000s]

Hi, babes I wanted to ask you if could please write something with Charles and best friends!reader who got cheated on by her boyfriend and tried to comfort her like friends to lovers kinda thing, and thank you 🫶🏻

Numb - Charles Leclerc

Y/n breathes out, counting to ten. Has the world just slowed down around her? It feels like it's completely still.

All she can hear is her blood thudding through her ears and her body feels heavy.

Her body seems to work on a homing instinct. If she can call it that? After all her home is now an unsafe place of devastation where her heart just got broken.

By the time she sits down in the airport lounge, waiting for the flight that she just paid for, and checks her phone. There's nearly a hundred phone calls, so many texts that she's still receiving and her phone is still buzzing as more arrive. All of them from the person she should probably block.

But eventually a text comes in from the person she'd messaged earlier, not mentioning her life-altering life even which still feels like it's left her choking on air.

When was the last time she had something to drink? She doesn't even remember.

Apparently she takes too long to reply because Charles takes his usual no nonsense approach with y/n.

"You are coming to the race?" Charles asks sounding so excited since either of them are even sure of the last time she went to a race. Definitely not within the time of her relationship which has been near a year and a half now.

"Yeah, I figured it's pretty overdue." She laughs but her voice is audibly changed from the amount of crying and emotion she's been enduring. When was she even crying? How hard was she crying? It felt more like she's been suffocating.

"Y/n?" Charles questions making her try to swallow the dry lump that feels like she can't breathe. Clearly he doesn't recognise her changed voice. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah. Sorry. I'm just-I need a drink, but I'm in the airport." Y/n murmurs clearing her throat a little. "I still need to book a hotel room actually."

"I will sort that out. Don't worry, you just get here and everything will be ready."

Y/n doesn't even have any clothes beyond the ones on her back and they're not exactly up to the usual F1 standard. She'll have to buy something in the airport when she lands.

"I've gotta go, but I'll see you soon." Y/n states trying to stop her voice from wobbling despite it still sounding so foreign to her and undoubtedly it sounding so different to Charles too.

-

Walking into the paddock with her expensive outfit and pathetic touch up of trying to improve the obvious bad emotional state.

"Y/n!" Charles exclaims as he spots her, not wavering as he rushes towards her and for a moment it looks like she's about to be picked up. But instead, he just stops short of her. An effect from her cheating bastard of a boyfriend who is still spamming her phone trying to find out where she is and if she's alive. But the man in front of her is painted with concern, along with the people passing by who can see she's clearly not well in herself. "Mon ami, what is wrong?"

Him calling her mon ami instead of mon amour like he used to stings, but she's beyond even feeling the horrible ache in her chest. Although her emotions might be cut, but her body isn't void of it and she flinches when Charles hand comes up touching her face to wipe tears she didn't even realise were there.

"Y/n?" Charles sighs softly since he knew something had to be wrong but this is...this is not a state he's ever seen his best friend in. Even if they had somewhat lost the closeness in recent months due to her relationship.

"Can we go somewhere less...out in the open?" Y/n asks making Charles nod, immediately linking their hands and guiding her to his driver's room.

"What has happened?" Charles asks softly and in the privacy of no audience with only Charles, y/n feels the pain of her reality rip through her like a knife.

"He cheated on me...in our bed, he-he came home with her thinking I was out on a girls night but I wasn't feeling well so I came home early and he wasn't there-and-and he brought some girl home." Y/n hiccups practically collapsing on the driver who has turned to stone with an expression that almost looks like he's ready to find her ex and hit him with the F1 car in the garage.

"When? When did this happen?"

"About 2 hours before I got on the flight over here...I didn't know where else to go. I just wanted to see you." Y/n murmurs before she swallows back some more emotion that's clawing it's way up her throat.

Charles sighs pulling her closer and kissing her forehead, in a way he would've before she'd told him she had a boyfriend, before they were divided. Something that was entirely her fault and her doing. All for a man who didn't even care enough to keep his hands to himself.

"He doesn't know how good he had things with you." Charles states then smiling at her. "I am going to give you the best experience ever. The exclusive Ferrari experience."

"I'm not dressed for anything special, Charles."

"Mon amour, you look beautiful in everything you wear, but...if you think you are underdressed. I can get you some Ferrari clothes to make sure you are fully committed to the experience?" Charles offers making her sigh but nod.

Charles will put in the effort to make her feel better, maybe that's why she ended up coming to him. Because even just seeing Charles makes her feel safe. Having him hold her hand as he moves toward someone in the team and asks if there have some spare clothes that y/n can borrow. Then he gets her in the shower and just waits for her.

"Y/n?" Carlos greets in shock of seeing her there since Charles didn't mention anything of his best friend who hasn't made an appearance since maybe midway through 2021.

"Carlos." Y/n smiles, her hand still tightly held in Charles' as she gives Carlos a one armed hug.

"You are dressed for the occasion. Very nice, red suits you." Carlos laughs mainly laughing at Charles practically glaring at him. Presumably because he doesn't want Carlos to say something unintentionally to upset y/n.

-

Y/n really did get the full experience and when Charles really had to leave, her left her in the trusted hands of Joris. Which maybe was not his most finest choice but he has limited options of people who know her well enough for him to trust her.

But after the race and the celebrations that naturally follow along with the debrief. Y/n is in Charles' company again.

"I did arrange for a hotel room, but I want you to stay with me." Charles declares as they head out of the paddock.

"Ok." Y/n nods as Charles keeps her hand still latched tightly in his own.

They get to the hotel where Charles gives her some less red clothes to borrow and wear, mainly just a knitted sweater and some boxers to sleep in.

"You know, I should've ended things when he started getting in the way of our friendship." Y/n murmurs while Charles looks at her for a moment. "I was a bad friend."

"Mon amour, you could never be a bad friend. I could've made more of an effort but I always thought to myself that I was too busy."

Y/n looks at Charles for a moment before sighing as she thinks back to their teen years where she was not good at hiding her crush on Charles in the slightest. She was convinced they were soulmates till he got into a relationship and then she got hurt but they were still close so she never said anything. But when she forced herself into a relationship. Maybe she should've known it wouldn't work out in her favour, but she never expected it to catch her like this.

"I always thought there was someone better out there for you." Charles states making her look at him for a moment. "My mum always jokes the we would end up together."

"I think both of our parents might've wanted to set up an arranged marriage between us." Y/n smiles sadly feeling her chest ache for a different reason.

"Maybe it's time we finally make them happy." Charles mumbles then frowning. "But you have just ended a relationship so if you didn't want-"

"I want. Yes." Y/n nods shuffling closer before she realises how pathetically eager she sounds. "Sorry."

"No. I am happy that you do not feel pushed into it. I thought...well it doesn't matter." Charles dismisses clearly not wanting to remind her of her ex who cheated on her and is the whole reason she's here giving him the opportunity to finally shoot his shot.

He always felt like the missed each other and the chance to date was never there. Maybe he badly judged it every time and some people might say his timing on this occasion was not the finest. But he doesn't want to chance it.

Y/n bounces a little on her feet before doing something she'd never had the courage to do before but now she can't contain herself and she needs to know what it feels like to kiss Charles.

The feeling can be officially confirmed as the perfect, she even shivers a little feeling the energy ripple through her.

"That might've just been the best kiss of my life."

"I think I would have agree."

[hellcat8908]

A Solstice To Heal Azriel x Reader

This is Part Two to A Solstice To Forget

Warnings: slight previous trauma in the form of a nightmare

The snow crunched under Rhys's boots as he ran towards your body. You were cold to the touch, and he couldn't tell if you were breathing. He pressed his ear to your chest, feeling relieved to hear your heartbeat. It was barely audible and fairly weak, but it was still there. That was all the hope he needed before picking you up and winnowing you back to Velaris. Azriel took in the sight of you as Rhys ran towards your room.

Madja quickly set about trying to bring you back. The first thing she did was remove your wet clothes, taking note of the scars on your back as she checked you for injuries. The only condition she was able to treat you for was hypothermia from the cold. She wasn't able to determine what had caused you to collapse in the snow. The fire was going strong in the fireplace, and you were buried under blankets to bring your body temperature up. She stepped out once your heart beat became stronger and continued to improve. "She is resting, which is what she needs most. Her heartbeat is improving, which is a good sign." She says, updating Rhys and Azriel as they were waiting outside the room.

"Do you know how long before she'll regain consciousness?" Azriel asked. "I'm not sure. There is more to her condition besides hypothermia, and without knowing what it is, I can't give you accurate diagnoses of recovery time." Madja tells him sympathetically. "Do you know when she lost her wings?" Madja asks. Azriel and Rhys share a confused look. "Her wings? " Rhys says. "She never said anything about her wings." Rhys says as he goes over every conversation with you in his mind. Azriel doing the same and coming up empty with you, never mentioning them.

"The healer's who tended to her did an impressive job, but she still has the scars. They don't seem like an old injury if i had to guess, I'd say, the last few years." Madja said. "I've done everything I can for now. If her condition worsens, don't hesitate to send for me. "Try to keep her stress to a minimum once she's awake as we don't know what caused her initial collapse." Rhys and Azriel assure her they'll take care of you and call if they need her. Madja takes her leave. "How come she never told us?" Azriel asks. "Maybe she isn't ready to talk about it. Especially if it only happened within the last few years." Rhys said.

"Go home to Feyre and get some rest. I'll keep watching her and let you know if she wakes up." Azriel says. "Be sure to reach out if you need anything." Rhys says, giving Azriel's shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "I will." Azriel says before gently opening your and shutting it once he's inside. He pulls a chair from the corner of the room and sits beside the bed. He takes in your face, noticing the soft smile on your lips. He starts wondering what you're thinking about. He pulls an extra blanket over himself as he settles in to keep watch over you.

You were lost in the darkness before finding your way back into the light. You were standing beside the lake, feeling soft grass under your bare feet and the warmth of the sun on your face. Suddenly, you realized the warmth not just on your face but on your wings as well. You spread them wide, taking in the beauty of them as the sun shone on them. You quickly took off into the sky, soaring across it with the birds. You swooped down and dragged your fingers along the top of the water. You cherished the feeling of it.

Suddenly, storm clouds moved in with loud crashing of thunder and lightning. In an instant, you were crashing into the ground, your hands bloody as you held your wings. Your beautiful dream had quickly turned into a cruel nightmare. The thunder became your ex's laugh as he watched from the sky as your wings turned to ash in your hands. You fought to wake up, but the weight of your mind kept you under.

Azriel watched your face contort to pain and fear. He gently held your face as his thumbs brushed away your tears. "You're safe with me, I'll never let anyone hurt you again. Please come back to me, to us. We need you." He said softly, watching as you slowly relaxed into his touch. He continued to keep an eye on you, holding your hand. Eventually, the tiredness caught up with him, so his shadows watched over you while he slept.

You were sitting along the shoreline skipping stones like when you were a child. Your thoughts had turned to your found family and the look of hurt and fear on Azriel's face as you had run from the house of wind. You wish you could find him and apologize. You were thinking about how he went out of his way to try to include you but never forced you to feel obligated. He was patient with you, especially when you first started working with him. Suddenly, you felt a pull in your chest. Grasping at it, you find a golden thread leading off into the distance.

You stand and gently trail your fingers along the thread as you begin to follow it. The thread feels comforting and warm, driving you to find out where it leads. You pick up the pace, practically running towards what's on the other end of the thread. "Where are you taking me?" You ask out loud. It almost seems to answer "home." You stop and linger. "Home is not somewhere I wish to be ever again." You state. The thread seems to call you to keep going. You hesitate. A wave of comfort and longing glides along the thread, causing your feet to move again.

You come to the edge of the darkness and see a hazy image. You struggle to make it out. Your eyes squint, trying to bring it into focus. The thread leads to someone sleeping in a chair. Your eyes widen, not just someone, Azriel. Your heart pounds loudly in your ears as tears fall from your eyes. You firmly grasp the golden thread and tug on it. You watch as Azriel wakes up grasping his chest before his attention turns to you. You watch as he brushes the stray hairs from your sleeping face.

"I'm here, Angel. Just keep tugging on that bond. Let it lead you back to me. I have so many things I didn't get to tell you and so many memories I want to make with you." He continues to gently stroke your cheek with his thumb. "Everyone is worried about you and can't wait to see you." He continues. You feel a rush of love coming over at his words. You take the leap and hope Azriel is ready to catch you. Your eyes slowly flutter open as you blink from the bright sunlight coming through your window. Azriel's shadows quickly close the curtain for you. "Welcome back," Azriel says. "You gave us quite the scare."

"How long was I out?" You ask, your throat dry. "Overnight and most of the day." He answers as he hands you a glass of tea the house made for you. "What happened?" You ask as everything seems fuzzy. "You left, and Rhys found you unconcious at some burnt down village in the mountains." Your eyes flash with panic before you feel Azriel's hand on yours. "Angel, you need to try to remain calm." He says softly. "I'm sorry for pushing you to say goodbye to everyone, I didn't realize how you were feeling." He apologizes. "It wasn't saying goodbye to everyone that triggered this." You say motioning towards yourself.you notice you're practically naked under the blankets.

"Azriel, where are my clothes?" You ask, trying not to freak out. "Madja undressed you to get the soaked clothes off of you. "I'll step out so you can dress, I'm sorry I wasn't thinking." Azriel says. "Can you stay and maybe help me? Just pass me my undergarments first. He hands them to you after grabbing them from your dresser. You put them on under the blankets before stepping out of bed. "I just want a pair of leggings and a loose shirt." You tell him before he helps you step into the leggings. Then he helps you into a basic black shirt. "I need to tell everyone something. Do you think you can get them for me? Maybe we can gather in the dining room?"  You ask. "You need to rest. Resting is more important than anything else."

You let out a sigh, "a compromise, I'll rest for 30 minutes, then we gather everyone." You tell him confidently. "Two hours of rest." He counters. "One hour." You respond. "Deal," He says, "by the way, I would've gone 45 minutes." He says with a smirk. You glare at him, only causing his smile to widen. "Anyone ever tell you you're cute when you're mad?" He asks as you settle back under the blankets. "Aww, the spymaster thinks I'm cute." You tease. "Are we going to talk about this?" Azriel asks. "About you thinking I'm cute or that I'm your mate?" You ask nervously. "That we're mates."

"We'll have to eventually." You admit. "It didn't snap for me until today, before I woke up." He looks at you curiously. "It snapped while I was asleep or inconcious. It actually helped lead me back to here." You say feeling a bit embarrassed. "How long have you known about the bond?" You quickly change topic. "Since the day at the river house." He says, "I've always felt a pull towards you. I just couldn't explain it." He smiles as his thumb gently strokes the back of your hand. "Would you accept the bond?" He asks. "Yes." You answer without hesitation. "I want to wait til after you hear what I have to tell everyone before you make a decision, though." You continue.

"Nothing you say will change how I feel about you." He says confidently as he pulls your hand to his lips, pressing a kiss to the back of it. Your heart melts at the gesture. "I hope you're right." You say with a smile. "Alright, times up, start gathering everyone." You announce. He laughs. "You still have 10 more minutes of rest. Don't make me add more time to it." He says with a gentle laugh. "By the time everyone gets here, the 10 minutes will be up." You respond. "Angel, everyone is already here. They've been waiting since Rhys brought you home. Last night." He says as he brushes the stray strands of hair from your face.

"Azriel, please." You almost plead. "Am I such bad company you can't wait to see the others?" He asks, feigning fake offense. "You know I didn't mean it like that." You say as you squeeze his hand. "Alright, Rhys is moving everyone to the dining room for you." He says before offering a hand to help you out of bed. He keeps a hand hovering around you in case you need help as he walks with you towards the dining room. "Are you sure about this?" He asks as you hear the voices from the dining room. "Yes, I'm sure. I figured this was easier than telling everyone individually." You answer with some nervousness in your voice. "I'm right here if you need me." Azriel says, giving you a reassuring smile.

~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~

@kalulakunundrum

@sh4nn

@lees-chaotic-brain

[merakiui]

MERA MERA OK BUT LIKE THE PLOT OF LOVE CAT WITH FLOYD FROM BOYFRIEND 😍😍😍. Reader gets sick of Floyd's cheating and starts training him by giving him a chastity belt that only comes off when he's been a good boy 🤤🤤. Floyd goes from being an unattendive bf that brings home side chicks every other day to being a good boy who worships you. And also imagine if after the training reader takes off the chastity belt and leaves him, how devastated he'd be. Wasn't he being good? Whatever he did wrong he promises to be better just please don't leave him.

:O omg training him to be obedient and loyal, only to leave him in the end....... aaaaa that would be so devastating for Floyd!!!! But you must leave him for Riddle because she will treat you so much better than Floyd ever has! Riddle would never cheat on you. <3 her arms are wide open and ready to receive you when you come to her, crying about how you're not sure if you did the right thing and you feel so bad and you're considering giving him a second chance. Riddle tells you he had plenty of second chances with every person he decided to fuck on the side. There aren't any more chances to give. She tells you all of this while taking your phone and making you watch as she blocks Floyd's number. You don't need him in your life anymore. Now you have her, and she'll make you very happy.

Ex-boyfriend Floyd who quickly becomes your stalker ex because he can't move on after all of that. >_< he loves his Shrimpy too much to just let you go. He's willing to change and do whatever it takes to make it up to you. You deserve so much better, so he'll strive to become that better. That way you can stop clinging to Goldfishie and instead come back to him so he can show you just how much he's improved.

[unhingedselfships]

One Very Sad Girl Opens Up About Loss to Hospitalized Friend

CW : grief, discussion of reaction to death

It had gotten dark, visiting hours long past. Daigo has pressed a soft kiss to her lips, as he’d packed up the kids and left. 

She’d call when she was ready to come home.

The chair had gotten uncomfortable hours ago, but she still wouldn’t leave. Shifting about the room, and waving off the nurses’ pity. Sitting half on the bed, she gently brushed the hair out of his face, humming the tune she reserved just for him.

“Stop that,” a mumbled sleepy protest, tired eyes fluttering open. 

“Did I wake you? Sorry,” she shifted away from him.

A noise of disagreement, and he caught her hand, his gaze out of focus still, but slowly coming to.

He’d been in and out all day. Improving, by large measure, but still prone to falling asleep suddenly.

While by no means energetic, it seemed Kadokura was going to be awake for a bit this time. He eyed her with something somewhere between uncertainty and irritation and longing.

She could only imagine the things he'd say, ask, were he up to it. 

"Why are you even here?"

It didn't need to be spoken aloud for her to hear it.

She met his troubled, conflicted gaze, with her own quiet sorrow. A deep sigh wracked her body, the sort one takes to brace themselves. And she began.

"It was evening. Not too late, but after dinner. I had spent the day with my friends and they were driving me back home. I had work in the morning.

I remember, as we went down the highway, fields empty for winter, way off down one of the country roads, you could see lights. Red and blues, flashing away. 

I remember wondering what had happened. 

If everyone was ok.

But I dismissed it. Anything exciting, we'd surely hear about it within the week. New travels fast in those lil rural communities.

I got home, showered, crawled into bed. It was an early night for me. Tenish. But I had to be up early to help open the store.

I crashed easy and hard.

I woke up, to the most… fuck it was terrible. The wailing. I can remember it, so clearly, even now.

It scared the shit out of me when my door slammed open, and there was mama, hollerin for me. She just stared before stumbling back off, the wailing back.

I don't think I've moved that fast in my life.

I met her where the dining room and kitchen met, she'd collapsed there. I was so scared. I kept looking her over, trying to figure out what was wrong. I mean. She was in pain. She had to be hurt right?

And she choked out my sister's name and I thought "oh she's been hurt, we'll go to the hospital and wait" but. 

There would be no hospitals.

There would be no waiting for news. 

It wasn't long before the town sheriff, a family friend, showed up. He wanted to tell us himself.

And just like that, she was gone.

I didn't get to say goodbye. 

She'd been visiting earlier. To talk to mama. They'd had a falling out but they were trying to fix it. She brought the kids. They made muffins. It was a good day. They were bad muffins.

I hadn’t spoken to her since New Years. And even then it was. Just a silly little text.

I drove right past her. And no. They weren't alright.

I blamed myself. Still do. If I'd just called her, like I'd thought to. Maybe she never would have turned that road. Maybe he never would have hit them. 

I'll never forgive him for taking her from us.

And for getting away with it.

Probation. Can you believe that shit? Kill two people and two and a half years of fucking probation. 

I lost a lot of faith that day.

I miss her. Everyday. I think of everything we lost. Her, and us. All the things she'll miss. All the moments she won't be here for.

I think about my niece and my nephew and how as much as I lost that night, it doesn’t even come close to what they lost.

I think about how she wasn’t at my wedding. She never got to have hers. That she’ll never see her daughter or son’s graduations or weddings or kids or.

I think about how much future was lost with her.

And it hurts. It fucking hurts."

She trailed off, eyes tired and distant. She settled back into her own skin, and met his eyes once more, something terribly pained and desperate there.

"I can't do it again Kenshi. Please, I- I can't lose you too. I can't do it. I need you."

[akashkannaujiya]

Who is the best Vastu consultant in Dubai?

Introduction

Vastu is an ancient practice that is said to bring balance and harmony to the home. Are you curious about the benefits of Vastu and whether or not it could be right for you?

In this article, we'll explore some of the key reasons why you might want to consider incorporating Vastu into your life. We'll take a look at what Vastu is, the benefits it can offer, and some tips for how to get started. If you're ready to bring more balance and harmony into your life, read on!

What Is Vastu?

You may have heard of Vastu before, but you're not quite sure what it is. Vastu is an ancient practice that's all about creating harmony and balance in your life.

It's based on the belief that our surroundings have a huge impact on our well-being, and that by aligning our homes and workplaces with natural laws, we can achieve greater success and happiness.

There are a few basic principles of Vastu that you can incorporate into your life to start seeing results. For example, making sure your front door faces east is said to bring good luck, and having a lot of plants in your home is thought to promote health and vitality.

The Benefits of Vastu

According to Vastu for Business in Dubai, the ancient science of architecture, there are eight cardinal points in any given space that have a profound impact on the inhabitants. When these points are in balance, the energy in that space is harmonious and conducive to positive flow.

But when they're out of balance, it can lead to problems such as health issues, financial instability, and even marital discord. That's where a Vastu consultant comes in. They can help you identify and correct any imbalances in your home or office so that you can enjoy the benefits of this time-tested practice.

Some of the benefits of Vastu include improved health, wealth, and relationships; increased creativity and productivity; and a more positive outlook on life. So if you're looking for a way to create more harmony and balance in your life, consider incorporating Vastu into your routine.

How to Incorporate Vastu Into Your Life

So now that you know all about the benefits of Vastu, how do you go about incorporating it into your life?

Well, the first step is to get a Vastu consultant in Dubai. That's where Vedasrivastu comes in. She can help you to understand how Vastu works and how you can use it to improve your life.

After that, it's all about making small changes. Maybe you want to adjust the layout of your home or office, or maybe you want to start using certain colors or crystals in your space. Vedasrivastu can help with all of that, and she'll be with you every step of the way to make sure you get the most out of this ancient practice.

Vastu Tips for the Home

There are a few basic things you can do to get started with Vastu in your home. For example, you should always make sure the front door of your house is facing east or north. This is called the "prima facie" rule in Vastu, and it's one of the most important principles.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the main entrance should never be at the center of your house. It's best to have it offset to one side or the other. And finally, make sure there's plenty of natural light and fresh air coming into your home. You can do this by using open spaces and landscaping features like ponds and trees.

Vastu Tips for the Workplace

If you're looking for some tips on how to Vastu your workplace, here are a few things to keep in mind.

First, always make sure the entrance to your office is facing east or north. If that's not possible, try to create an imaginary line that leads to the entrance and make sure it's pointing in the right direction.

Secondly, make sure your desk is facing the right way. The ideal placement is with your back to the wall and your feet pointing toward the door. This will help you feel more secure and in control.

And lastly, try to keep your office as clutter-free as possible. The goal is to create positive energy and a calm environment where you can focus on your work.

FAQs on Vastu

So you're interested in Vastu, but you're not sure where to start?

 Let's take a look at some of the most common questions people ask about this ancient practice.

First of all, what is Vastu? 

Vastu is an ancient Dubai practice that uses architecture and design to create harmonious surroundings that are in alignment with the natural forces of the universe.

Vastu is based on the idea that our environment has a direct impact on our well-being, both physically and emotionally. When our surroundings are in balance, it can help us achieve greater clarity, peace, and happiness in our lives.

If you're ready to incorporate Vastu into your life, read on for more information about how to get started.

Note

There are many benefits to be had when you incorporate Vastu into your life. From finding more peace and harmony in your home to improving your finances, this ancient practice can help you live a better life.

If you're unsure about how to get started with Vastu, Vedasrivastu can help. With over ten years of experience in the field, she can help you harmonize your home and improve every aspect of your life. Contact her today to get started!

Heartly thanks for reading this blog I hope this helpful for you

[wrestlingisfake]

Slammiversary preview

Alex Shelley vs. Nick Aldis - Aldis won a match on June 9 to earn this shot at the Impact men's world title. It had been looking like they were setting up a feud between Aldis and Steve Maclin, but then Shelley captured the title from Maclin (also on June 9), so I'm not sure what's going on. Regardless, Aldis turned heel by attacking Shelley on June 15.

Aldis originally came to Imapct (then known as TNA) in 2008 as "Brutus Magnus," and quickly got lost in the shuffle until the company remembered to push him to a world title run in 2013-2014. Magnus might have become a fixture in Impact, but the company was facing hard times and he left for (seemingly) greener pastures in Global Force Wrestling, where he held their world title as Nick Aldis. When GFW was absorbed into Impacft, he returned just long enough to drop the belt, and this time left to work for Billy Corgan as the NWA men's world champion. After that relationship soured, Aldis has finally come home, sort of. So he's spent most of his career excelling in relative obscurity--he's probably best known to casual fans for losing the NWA title to Cody Rhodes at All In in 2018. But Impact's fortunes have improved, and it might finally be a proper stage for him to be the top star.

I still don't know what to make of Shelley as champion. It's cool in a "you deserve it" kind of way, in that he's been with Impact for most of the last 20 years and they finally put the top belt on him. But I was really expecting 2023 to be the year of Steve Maclin. Is Shelley meant to be a long-term champion? Or is he just here to put over Aldis, so they can save Aldis vs. Maclin for later? I suppose it'll be interesting to find out.

Impact could plausibly go with either guy on top for the next six months. But my money is on Aldis. I can't picture him fitting into AEW/ROH, and nobody's going to WWE right now, so the best place for him is playing Harley Race in the #3 US promotion. You put your world title on Aldis and he makes it mean something, simple as that.

Deonna Purrazzo vs. Trinity - Purrazzo is defending the Impact women's world title. Trinity is of course Trinity Fatu, formerly known as Naomi in WWE until she left in 2022 and finally debuted with Impact in April. I'm surprised this is where she landed, but it's a big get for Impact. I don't know if she passed on AEW and NJPW, or if they weren't interested in her, but either way I'd like to see her prove she can excel wherever she is.

The natural storyline here is a longrunning champ like Purrazzo resenting the arrival of a much bigger star from the big leagues. Impact has done that story so many times they've got it down to a science. It's promotional malpractice not to book Trinity as champion, but Purrazzo was already in the middle of dominating the division and trying to prove Mickie James isn't its top star. Trinity has to either disrupt all that, or get knocked down a peg and find her way back to the top. My guess is she'll just win the belt straight away. And if it was up to me, I'd keep it on her until Mickie James is ready to return.

Bully Ray & Cody Deaner vs. Scott D'Amore & ??? - D'Amore is the on-screen president of Impact Wrestling. On May 26, Bully Ray and Steve Maclin threw him through a table they set on fire. D'Amore, who used to be an indie wrestler years ago, took a leave of absence from his duties to feud with Ray and Maclin, which was kind of one-sided until PCO improbably showed up to help. So Ray & Maclin vs. D'Amore & PCO was signed for this show...but the heels set PCO on fire on July 6, and then Maclin was sidelined with a legit injury. Deaner stepped up to replace Maclin, and we don't know who D'Amore has in mind for his partner. Is Petey Williams available?

I assume this will be the usual clusterfuck whenever Bully Ray does a big blowoff match with somebody he's been picking on for months. I assume the mystery partner pins Ray to end the feud, but the whole buildup to this match has been chaotic so I don't think you can predict anything going forward.

Chris Sabin vs. Lio Rush - Sabin is defending the Impact X division title. Rush has mainly been in New Japan this year, including some great babyface moments in the Best of the Super Jr. tournament, but he's a heel in Impact after aligning with Nick Aldis against Sabin and Alex Shelley. I don't care, I remember that couple in Japan that let Lio hold their newborn baby, and I want him to win all the belts, starting with this one.

Ace Austin & Chris Bey vs. Moose & Brian Myers vs. Rich Swann & Sami Callihan vs. Mark Andrews & Flash Morgan Webster - Austin and Bey (ABC) are defending the Impact men's tag team title in a four-way match, so whoever scores the first fall on any opponent wins the match and the title for his team. Moose and Myers formed an alliance recently because neither of them have anything better to do. I think Swann and Callihan joined forces against The Design, which seems to be done, but they're still teaming, I guess. The real story here is Subculture (Andrews and Webster, along with Dani Luna) coming in from the downfall of NXT UK. If anybody's going to beat ABC for the tag titles, I'd like to see them do it, just to shake up the tag division.

Eddie Edwards vs. Frankie Kazarian - I don't know, it's two aging wrestlers who've been around forever and now they're fighting again and I guess their wives are involved. I guess Kaz wins.

KiLynn King & Taylor Wilde vs. Killer Kelly & Masha Slamovich - The Coven (King & Wilde) are defending the Impact women's tag team title. Last I looked Slamovich and Kelly were two scary mean ladies who hated each other but now they're scary mean ladies working together, which sounds like bad news for the Coven. I'm cool with witches vs. ass-kickers as a long-term program, so whoever wins I hope they keep doing this.

Jonathan Gresham vs. KUSHIDA vs. Mike Bailey vs. Kevin Knight vs. Alan Angels - This is an Ultimate X match but I think the show starts in about fifteen minutes so I'm not going to spend any time explaining how that works. The winner gets to challenge for the X division title. Angels seems to be getting repackaged for a push so I'll pick him to win.

Jody Threat & Courtney Rush & Jessicka vs. Gisele Shaw & Savannah Evans & Jai Vidal - This is scheduled for the pre-show. Rush and Jessicka used to be Rosemary and Havok, but I guess a bunch of spooky storyline shit turned them into regular people. Vidal is Shaw's male valet, and in wrestling if you're a guy who acts like a lady wrestler's assistant, that makes it okay for you to regularly team with her against women. I don't pay enough attention to Impact to know what Evans or Threat has to do with anything. I'm guessing Threat, Rush, and Jessicka win.

Joe Hendry vs. Kenny King - This is set for the pre-show, and Hendry is defending the digital media championship, which might as well be the PPV pre-show title. I guess Hendry wrote an amusing song making fun of his opponent again, ha ha, lather rinse repeat. Hendry probably retains.

[moonstrider9904]

Chapter 1 - Landfall

Chapter Summary: After receiving a message from Rex, Sarah returns to the GAR in hopes of finding Echo, but first she'll have to meet a new squad of clones.

Word count: 4.7k

Warnings/tags: mentions of death and mourning, canon-typical violence, language. Nothing way too intense this chapter but the angst makes its way in there.

A/N: I've been so excited to post this! This is a rewrite of my very first TBB fanfic which I've improved in that the writing is better now, the chapters are no longer just retellings of the episodes the way they are, and I just like this a lot more and I really hope you all will too. Thank you for reading!

Series Masterlist | Next Chapter | AO3 link |Wattpad link |

Sarah

“Stars, I hope you’re doing alright. I hope you receive this message. Sarah… it’s Echo. I think and could almost swear he’s alive, I can’t stop thinking about it. But if I’m to figure this out, I need you here. I need you to come back. The generals don’t know all of it and they won’t know any of it until I’m sure it’s him. I… I need you, Sarah, and if he’s alive, Echo will need you too. We ship out in three standard rotations’ time. Hope to see you there.”

She’d repeated Rex’s holo message for one last time before the gunship touched down on the base on Anaxes. It was weird to her how one could become so familiar with a certain place, that even if she’d spent a long time without being in it, the next time she did felt completely normal, like it hadn't been ages since she was last there.

The sound of the dropship's engines revving, the feeling of its movement as it glided through the air, were so oddly familiar that it gave Sarah a strange sense of home, but barely. It was still different than the old days; for starters, she was inside the deck of that gunship alone. The only other person was the pilot flying it, when in the old days, she would have been surrounded by troopers, men she called her friends and fought alongside. The lonely silence of that ship only got her thinking, making her pinch her bottom lip the way she always did when she was anxious.

Rex thinks Echo’s alive.

She still felt odd returning to the army. The possibility of Echo being alive and the fact that Captain Rex himself had solicited her presence were reason enough for her to reappear, but a part of her feared she wouldn’t be welcome. And with everything that had happened, the last thing she needed was to feel rejected, much less alone all over again.

Stop thinking that, Sarah cut her anxious thoughts. She tried convincing herself that if she’d accepted to go back into the battlefield, it was because she was ready. Her intuition had been there–dull in comparison to other times, but it hadn’t left her. It was reason enough.

The pilot spoke over the comms, telling her to brace for landing. Her heart squeezed at the sound of his voice. Before realizing it was the pilot, Sarah could have sworn it was him.

Him.

Fives.

If it wasn’t for Rex’s sake she’d find Echo alive, it would be for that of Fives. And that thought, that very small thorn in her mind, was what decisively pushed her out of that gunship when it finally landed at the base of anaxes and opened its doors for her. The sun was lowering over the horizon, its light illuminating the exotically-colored irises of her eyes, nearly making them flash when she looked up from the ground and was met with the eyes of the captain.

The feeling of never having left returned to her. His armor was unchanged; his helmet still donned the blue jaig eyes. Rex looked at her with the same pained expression he had when he gave her the news of Fives’ demise. They hadn’t spoken much after that, and even if it felt like ages since that, they knew their pain was still shared.

Sarah paced toward Rex, and he watched her. He smiled ever so slightly when he noticed she walked with the same confident sway she always had, the one that made her hair bounce over her shoulders, framing her face, enhancing the marks on her shoulders and arms in the bits of skin her sleeves left visible. She smiled as softly as she could upon reaching him, hesitant to talk, opting to offer him her hand and grasping his forearm in a gesture of respect.

Rex looked at her and, overcome by her return, pulled her in for a hug. In return, Sarah no longer hesitated to hug him back.

“I’ve missed you, kid,” Rex whispered, his voice breaking slightly.

“I’m glad to see you, Rex,” Sarah spoke, her voice soft and soothing.

They parted their embrace and looked at each other with heavy hearts.

“Where have you been, Sarah?” He asked her.

She chuckled, shaking her head slightly. “You wouldn’t like it.”

“So it’s true?” Rex raised a brow, more in amusement than in disappointment. “You were running with pirates?”

“Hondo took good care of me,” Sarah replied. “And someone had to take care of him too.”

Rex chuckled, remembering all the anecdotes he’d heard of the pirate. He looked upon Sarah with sympathy, not once intending to reprimand her. “But it helped you, right?”

She nodded. “Yeah. No atrocities were committed, and it took my mind off things. I’m much better now, I promise. It just…”

“Hey,” Rex kept her from talking more with a hand on her shoulder, his eyes conveying understanding. “I know.”

Sarah sighed with a smile. She knew she could always count on Rex, and with another deep breath, she adopted the posture of a soldier ready to listen to her captain.

“So why am I here, cap?”

Rex smiled at her spirit, and he too straightened. “Well, you received my message.”

“What made you think he’s alive?”

“Every tactic and battle plan we’ve been using has been perfectly countered,” Rex explained. “Nobody could know a plan that well unless they were one of the minds behind it, of which could only be you, me, or Echo.”

Sarah sighed. “Rex, I want to believe Echo’s alive as much as you do.”

“I know,” Rex replied. “I-I know. It’s why I haven’t told the generals, I know it’s far-fetched.”

“Wait, Anakin doesn’t know?”

“No, but I do think he suspects something’s up with me,” Rex replied.

Sarah nodded. “I wouldn’t put it past him to figure it out. But, putting him aside for now, how do we proceed?”

“We’re going behind enemy lines,” Rex said. “You, me, Jesse, Kix, Cody, and an elite squad.”

Sarah raised a brow. “Elite?”

“Cody’s words,” Rex answered. “I haven’t met them yet, but if they work with Cody, they have to be good men.”

"Hey, you!"

Sarah jerked over to the direction of the voice that had interrupted her conversation with Rex, and the sight made her grin with a nostalgic happiness as her eyes filled with tears.

"Jesse!" Sarah then noticed the armor he donned, which was much different than the one he wore when she last saw him. "You're an ARC trooper now?!"

Proudly, Jesse smirked and opened his arms. "Sure am, baby! You like the armor?"

“I love it!” Sarah leapt into Jesse’s arms and hugged him tightly, letting just a couple of tears fall as she was swarmed with memories of Umbara, of his bravery, his brotherhood to Fives and to the 501st. If anyone deserved to be an ARC trooper, it was Jesse.

"I'm so proud of you,” Sarah said as she parted the hug and turned to see another familiar face, that of the clone medic Kix. He’d let his hair grow out, but in his eyes was the same kindness and spark he always had. Sarah whent to hug Kix too, mindful of all the times he’d saved lives. Force knew he’d saved her more than a couple times–she could be just as reckless as Fives.

“Rex didn’t tell us you’d be here,” Jesse commented.

“It was last minute, to be honest,” Sarah replied. “I’m just glad you’re all happy to see me.”

“We are, which is more than we can say about this so-called elite squad,” Jesse side-eyed Rex.

“So I’ve heard,” Sarah said. “What have you got against them?”

“They’re insane, even for 501st standards,” Kix replied.

“Come now, vode, you said you’d be nice to our deviant brothers.”

Sarah looked over Jesse’s shoulder to see Cody joining the scene with the grace he always carried himself with. He walked up to Sarah and crossed his fist over his heart, bowing at her in respect as was a gesture common back in Jedha. Sarah smiled and reciprocated the gesture only to hug him too afterwards.

“I’m glad to see you, Cody,” she said. “Now, could you tell me more about this elite squad? The curiosity’s making my marks burn.”

Cody chuckled, happy to see even the recent tragedy hadn’t taken away her spark. “Perhaps you could meet them yourself. They’re due to arrive soon.”

As he said that, Sarah did feel something. It was a feeling similar to when the Force was trying to tell her something, but her own intuition let her know the message was different. It was as if her heart was warming and leaping, and it only calmed down when she saw a peculiar ship emerging from the horizon.

The Omicron-class shuttle with more than a few modifications relentlessly approached the landing bay, startling more than one trooper on it. It then landed, its engines hissing with steam as it powered down, only raising Sarah’s curiosity.

“Who are they?” She asked Cody.

Cody smirked lightly. “Clone Force 99.”

The shuttle’s door opened and revealed its crew. Their armor was dark gray with red highlights, instantly contrasting with the other troopers, with the exception of the second man to leave the ship, whose armor was white. Sarah tried to take them all in at once, noticing the differences in the models of their helmets, all adapted to what she could only assume were their proficiencies.

It was obvious to her that they owned every room they walked into. As they walked toward them, each removed their helmets one by one, further shocking Sarah by how distinct they all looked. They all had the same bronze skin, they had features that were clearly alike, but each one was different, as if they were actual brothers rather than clones of each other.

The one at the back, the biggest and tallest one, was the one who first caught Sarah’s eye. Strength emanated from him, but also fun and kindness. The left side of his face was covered by a large scar, and his left eye had gone white. Next to him was a tall and thin trooper with round goggles and armor loaded with compartments and gadgets. As soon as he’d taken his helmet off, he’d given the crowd a confident little smile, one that won Sarah’s trust and heart immediately. Her intuition told her she could learn endless things from him.

As her eyes drifted to the other two troopers, the feeling she’d received previously grew. They’d taken their helmets off nearly at the same time, but they could not appear more different. One was shorter, with half of his face decorated with a skull tattoo. His curls were thick, pitch-black, and flowing down to his neck, secured with a red bandana with a little skull on it. Next to him stood the taller trooper, the most eye-catching. He was slender, thin, and his curls were silver rather than the usual black or even dark-brown. A tattoo of a crosshair framed his right eye, signifying him as the marksman of the group. He looked unkind, but Sarah knew better than to judge him as that straight away. And as the sharpshooter’s eyes met hers, they lingered on her gaze, popping a toothpick in his mouth as he took in the odd appearance of her irises before looking away without another regard.

She wanted his eyes back on her the moment he looked away; she felt her marks burning at his presence and she didn’t know why.

Cody walked up to them and grasped the leader’s hand, the one with the skull tattoo. “This is Sergeant Hunter, the one in charge of Clone Force 99.”

The sergeant had a confident look to him as greeted Rex and the others with his gaze, a gaze that Sarah could have sworn lingered on her for fractions of a second before he turned back to Rex.

“Pardon the delay, we were trying not to get eaten on Yalbec Prime,” said Hunter.

The goggled clone cleared his throat to correct, “Mated with.”

“Somehow, Tech, no matter how many times you say that, you never make it sound better,” Hunter chuckled.

“I am not attempting to make it sound better, facts are facts,” Tech replied matter-of-factly, drawing a soft laugh from Sarah and an exchange of looks from Jesse and Kix.

As the conversation drew on, Tech proved he had a million words to say. The remaining introductions were made: the charismatic giant with an undying love for explosions and excitement was Wrecker, and the opposedly quiet, serious trooper who was a walking mystery was appropriately named Crosshair, the sniper of the team.

With that, they all took to their assigned gunship and left the base and flew in the direction of the cyber center. Cody briefed the mission on the way there and had everyone’s unconditional attention. After he finished and everyone was at ease for the remainder of the flight, Sarah was once more filled with the sensation of nostalgia of flying into a mission surrounded by troopers, maybe with Ahsoka or Anakin in the same ship as her. Before the image of Fives’ confident smile before battle could invade her mind, Sarah looked up and saw a pair of eyes already looking at her.

The sergeant smiled at her softly. “And who are you?”

She smiled in return. “I’m a soldier, like you.”

“Are you a Jedi?”

“No,” she answered. “I do wield the Force, but I’m not a Jedi. You can just call me Sarah.”

Hunter raised a brow. “No rank, huh?”

“I’m not in it for the rank,” Sarah continued to smile kindly at him. She took in the deeper, smokier quality of his voice, making it stand out from the others. Deep inside her, Sarah appreciated that–at the very least, hearing him speak wouldn’t constantly remind her of Fives for the time being.

The light-hearted introduction was cut short when Sarah picked up a note of tension in the air, but by that time, Jesse was already glaring at the sniper, who had a sly smirk on his face as he chewed on a toothpick.

“What’s his problem?” Sarah whispered at Hunter.

Hunter couldn’t help but laugh at her question. “Everything. Do you want the long answer or the short one?”

“I heard that,” Crosshair spoke, his voice sliding into Sarah’s ears like a snake, making them ring. His timbre was different than that of the other troopers, much quieter and lower-pitched. It took her mind off her previous question and left her only thinking of him, lingering on the very effect his voice had on her.

“Is it not true?” Hunter chuckled, turning to Sarah. “You see, my youngest brother is a bit of a prick to everyone; just don’t take it personally and you’ll be fine.”

Crosshair rolled his eyes at Hunter’s remark and glared at Jesse once more, only making the ARC trooper angrier.

“Will you stop staring at me?” Jesse growled.

Crosshair sneered and took the toothpick between his fingers. “That’s some nice, shiny armor you got there. Might want to get a few battle scars on it or no one’s going to believe you’re an ARC.” With a smug grin, he flicked the toothpick at Jesse’s chest where a blue stripe was painted, the tip lightly scratching the blue and leaving a thin white mark in its place.

Crosshair’s arrogance grew. “Gave you a head start.”

“You little shit–” Jesse was ready to throw hands at the sniper, and he’d have done it had it not been for Sarah’s hand on his wrist, stopping him.

“Jesse, you’re better than him,” she said softly, but loud enough for Crosshair to hear. She could feel his gaze dropping, even though he’d lost the grin immediately. She was just starting to think about how, despite him acting like a bully, he didn’t seem proud or satisfied with what he was doing. He looked pained, as if Jesse had somehow hurt him before, or been responsible for something that did.

But the ship was hit by a loud crash! and everyone tumbled as the gunship began to go down. Between the mayhem, Sarah made out few details, such as Wrecker’s laughter of excitement and the three pairs of hands that reached out to ensure her safety. Within seconds, the ship had crashed onto the ground of Anaxes.

Her ears were ringing. It would still take her a few seconds to gain her consciousness again, and in her haziness, she thought she saw Crosshair reaching for her only for him to be shoved aside by Jesse, who picked her up and took her out of the crash-landed gunship.

Sarah dropped on her hands and knees and coughed once she was out of the ship with a worried Jesse next to her. She clawed her fingertips onto the ground and drew whatever energy she could–Jesse had almost forgotten she could do that–and slowly she began to feel better, almost normal. Sarah managed to stand up with Jesse’s help and they looked at the gunship as the remaining troopers got out only for them to realize one of them was missing.

“Cody,” Sarah said with worry. Her heart sank. She could normally levitate objects with ease, but powerful as she was, big ships were always difficult for her, more so in her current state.

Rex was about to run into the ship, but he was stopped by Hunter while Wrecker walked towards it cracking his knuckles and stretching his neck. With great effort, but still unimaginable strength, Wrecker lifted the gunship off of Cody and shoved it back, retrieving Cody’s unconscious body right before the ship exploded.

Wrecker carefully dropped Cody in front of Rex and Sarah. The sight of him so hurt made Sarah’s chest heave in agitation, his face suddenly looking too much like Fives. Kix performed a quick scan of Cody in an effort to calm the situation if only a little.

“He has internal bleeding, there’s not much I can do except cut the pain,” he said. Kix then noticed Sarah’s state, and he reached a hand out to her shoulder. “He’ll live.”

Sarah then took a deep breath and managed to calm down slightly, deciding to trust in Kix’s word and knowing he’d never lie to her, not even for the sake of telling her what she wanted to hear.

New matters began to arise when, with her hands on the ground again, Sarah felt the vibration of an army of droids heading to their position. It wasn’t the biggest army she’d known of, but there were too many for them to deal with especially with one man down. She looked up at Rex with dismay.

“Droids are coming here, and we’re outnumbered,” she said.

“Then we hold this position, clear them out by waves and hold out as much as we can,” Rex ordered, taking on the role of commanding officer now that Cody was down.

“Come on, captain, you have us,” Hunter said as he put his helmet on. “You’re going to have to do a few things our way, and our way is rushing head on.” He then looked over at his men. “You know what to do. Make it nice for our guests.”

“Ho ho oh, yeah,” Wrecker cracked his knuckles once more and looked at Sarah through his visor. “Watch and be amazed, pretty girl.”

Using a fragment of the gunship's door to use it as a shield, the four of them charged together. They made a stop a few hundred meters out there and Wrecker set the door down, standing still until Hunter threw a grenade at the droids which Crosshair shot mid-air, making the blast wider so it would take down more droids.

Against her will, Sarah’s jaw dropped at such accurate shooting, which Jesse didn’t find amusing. As the battle drew on, it seemed more like they’d remain standing there while the squad of clearly enhanced clones took care of the rest, so Sarah figured she’d do as Wrecker requested and allowed herself to feel amazed by their tactics. In little time, the army had been cleared out thanks to the combined efforts, leaving the path cleared for the squadron to move forward. Everyone regrouped almost as quickly as they had scattered and looked to Rex, awaiting the next course of action.

“We’ll have to continue on foot towards the cyber center; the sooner we move out of here, we’ll make better time,” Rex said.

“What about Cody?” Sarah asked.

“I’ll carry him,” Wrecker walked up to Kix, who held Cody protectively. “Trust me.”

Reluctant, Kix nodded and let Wrecker carry Cody, who proved to be careful with his wounded body. Wrecker then turned to Rex. “Where do we head, cap?”

“West,” Rex replied. “Hiding among plant life is our best option. We need be out of sight when the Separatists come and scout the area. Alright everyone, let’s move.”

The sun began to set on its course down the sky as Rex began to lead the way into the crystal-like forests of Anaxes. Sarah took one final look at the barren plains where the battle had just taken place before getting behind Jesse, who moved her in front of him to keep watch over her.

After a couple hours, they’d advanced so much they began to feel soreness on their feet. The sun had gone down and Rex felt it was best to stop and rest; they set up camp and all went to mind their own business, though no one could really sleep.

The enhanced clones mostly kept to themselves. Kix and Jesse shared some rations over a nice chat while Rex looked after Cody, whose condition seemed to be getting more delicate. Sarah stepped to the edge of the campsite and looked up at the sky, relishing in the sight of the green auroras she so seldom saw. Thoughts swarmed her mind, making her heart ache, until she felt compelled to look back at ground level to see Hunter kneeling on the ground with his hand on the soil not unlike she would do.

Sarah’s curiosity once again got the better of her and she walked over to Hunter, kneeling down next to him. Immediately, she felt his gaze shift onto her, his eyes softening at the sight of her.

"What are you doing?" She asked him.

"Getting a lookout of our surroundings," replied Hunter as he focused on the soil once more. “Wildlife roams a lot around these areas, but I have no reason to believe they’re hostile. It also doesn’t seem any separatists have followed us.”

Sarah then dug her fingers into the soil and felt the vibrations for herself. “A small herd of Fyrnocks is passing through the area, but they won’t be a problem. They like this environment and won’t see us as a threat. Three of them are nearby out campsite, but they’re merely curious.”

Hunter raised his brows at her. "Yeah, that's what I found, excluding the detail of their curiosity."

Sarah looked at him and found that he was still somewhat staring at her.

"It's my eyes, isn't it?" She asked.

"Yeah," he said, stuttering slightly. "Forgive me for staring."

Sarah chuckled in understanding. “They've been described as little windows into space, my eyes, as if you could see nebulae when gazing into them.” She smiled lightly in response and got her hand off the soil, lightly brushing the dirt off it.

"What did you just do?" He asked Sarah.

"Same as you," I say. "I tracked our surroundings."

"But how?"

I hold out my hand. "Not being a Jedi means I can master different ways of using the Force. That and I’m a bit of a freak of nature."

"Well," Hunter smiled. "Then you and I aren’t that different."

“That’s never sounded as appealing as it does now,” she answered. “The whole not being a Jedi thing, I mean.”

"So long as you're sure that's the right path for you," he told her.

"Oh, I'm certain," Sarah gestured at her arms and face. "These marks appeared the day I decided not to become one."

"I thought those were just tattoos," Hunter looked at them.

"Nope," she said. "It's a long story. The Force sometimes does things to let me know I'm on the right track. Sometimes it's this through marks, other times, merely intuition. That's how I knew I had to play a role in the war."

Just then, the Fyrnock that had been watching over us walked up in front of Hunter and Sarah. It bowed its head down as it approached Sarah, and she stroked its nuzzle and looked at its glowing yellow eyes, silently thanking it for looking out for them.

"Is that part of what you can do?" Hunter asked her.

"Yes and no," Sarah replied, her voice harmonizing with the Fyrnock’s purr. "I can bond easily with most animals, but this is the first time I can ever bond with a Fyrnock."

"And how does that work?"

"Same as everything else," said Sarah. "The Force is just energy surrounding everything. Knowing how to wield it you can know many things. I can bond with animals, feel their intentions as they can mine, I know what every plant is good for as soon as I lay eyes on it. I can track anything using vibrations, not unlike you. I can also do the good old levitating objects and mind tricks like the Jedi do."

"That's amazing," Hunter smiled at her, visibly impressed.

"Yeah," she averted her gaze as she felt her cheeks heat up. "It took years of practice though."

The Fyrnock decided to walk off once it had had its share of cuddles, leaving Sarah and Hunter alone together in the silence.

"Okay, I'm just going to say it," Sarah said after the words nagged at her tongue. "That was impressive back there."

Hunter chuckled. "Yeah, we get that a lot."

"And with reason," she agreed.

"Well," Hunter shifted to face her, speaking with a smooth voice. "If you ever want to get a different scope of things, you can always tag along with us."

Sarah felt her body still. "Are you asking me to join you?"

Before Hunter could answer her, a yelp coming up from behind them drew their attention to the campsite. Wrecker and Jesse were arguing, with the former picking up the latter up off the ground in a choke hold. Meanwhile, Crosshair and Kix shoved each other and wrestled, and it was obvious it was no friendly banter between siblings. Sarah and Hunter rushed to the scene; she broke the quarrel between Kix and Crosshair while Hunter ordered Wrecker to put Jesse down, and they both had to struggle to quiet them all down in the series of insults that were leaving them mutually.

When it seemed like Crosshair still wanted to throw hands, Hunter was forced to grab him.

“We’re not cadets anymore, I shouldn’t have to tell you to behave,” Hunter growled, his voice sounding different than it had when he and Sarah were talking.

Crosshair glared at Hunter, but he knew he was right. He then looked over at Sarah, who rested a hand on Jesse’s shoulder trying to calm him down. She didn’t have to speak for him to know she was disappointed, and only then did he fully stand down.

With the fighting being done, Sarah let out a heavy sigh before approaching Rex. “What are your orders?”

“We gear up and move out,” Rex replied. “Cody and Kix stay behind, but we need to make it our priority to reach that Cyber Center.”

The two exchanged a solemn look, as though they were both remembering why they were there, and they nodded at each other discreetly.

Echo, Sarah thought to herself. We’re here for Echo.

Rex put his helmet on and gave a final nod to Kix before leading the troop out again. “Let’s move.”

Jesse lightly brushed Sarah’s shoulder as he walked by her and she took to following him, looking sideways slightly to catch a look of Crosshair, who observed her from afar.

The feeling she’d gotten when she first met him had not ceased even a little.

[arcane-temp-fandomblog]

Viktor & Jayce - science partnership and being sane together

I was supposed to write more substantial analysis but I haven't slept more than 2 hours so I can't do anything serious.

I'm just going to note how insane their storyline sounds when taken apart: First, Jayce is a random student that went on a gap year to a dessert to look for magical crystals. To prove everyone wrong and make his mom proud.

Entry #2 I can't afford to be wrong again. The Kirammans are counting on me. My mother thinks this is a fool's errand. But she understands that power of magic, even if she's not willing to admit it. She'll be proud of me. It won't be long now.

Magic crystals. That's his plan.

Without seeing Jayce's flashback, he sounds... unhinged.

He even sounds unhinged to the one person that was there with him in the flashback. He's the force of change but mostly he's a hazard to other people and his surroundings.

Then when he's caught being a hazard to his surroundings and is supposed to get slap on the hand or worse, another student appears - Viktor - who heard Jayce's ramblings and decided to put his whole hard earned university career on this theory, breaking out the research papers and all.

This is what Viktor read btw. in this most scientific of journals:

Entry #2 I was walking my - failed - experiment to the scrapyard and ran into Dmitri.

TRY TO BE MORE CAREFUL NEXT TIME! CAN'T RISK BEING FOUND OUT!

The Academy's best and brightest...

He wouldn't know true progress if it hit him in the face.Say that next time you see him!

Think of something better to say... You will make an excellent teacher. Will he get that this is an insult? Maybe he wants to be a teacher? Maybe I should just stick to science...

Encouraging, Right? And all for science of course.

He hasn't even considered what happens if they're wrong. Well we're either right, or [error 404]

Since Viktor is only hazard to himself with his own self preservation.

That is all pep talk Jayce get's from him.

> But out of all character's that enable Jayce's tendencies to do what he wants, Viktor is for sure the one with results most positive for society. 'Coz Jayce is very insecure in his assumptions, he always comes from the place 'what if I'm wrong'.

May I remind you, this is still about some uni student that has a theory about life saving magic stones.

But their scientific method:

Well I guess we're as ready as we'll ever be.

.Anyway, the originator of the magic stone theory is not really sure, but go big or go home... or rather go dead. Same difference for Viktor.

Post time skip, they actually did not achieve most of their plans to change the world but more importantly they get separated for most of two arcs and just a jist of it: Jayce lives his Piltover highlife:

1. Gets upgraded to parliament.

2. Sells for free first rights access to their gate project to all corrupt politicians - just so they're not mad that he tried to root out corruption and preferential treatment.

3. By nearly an accident becomes the "president" of Piltover.

4. He is also asked to build weapons by two most powerful women, at that time in Piltover, to protect it from big bad scary undercity. And this is what he comes up with:

Which I'm sure Ambesssa Medarda had in mind when she wanted him to make weapons. You know how a 5y/o could propose a superhero weapon that could be both a giant hammer and a cannon because the child can't decide what's cooler. Yep, this is Piltover not-president's idea.

5. But his little excursion with Vi to the undercity proves that yes, in fact Jayce is still a hazard to his surroundings when left unsupervised.

In contrast, the reasonable workaholic Viktor toils on his own theory in seclusion of their lab. In quick succession, well under duress of illness but he's less concerned with own life than with how his life's science contribution improved the world (and imo. it's a deliberate writing choice, loosing own life is low stakes in stories):

1. He has a vision and decides to pursue it, this imo. is not less unhinged than Jayce's magic stones btw. It's not even tangible experience, it's something whispering to him from different plane.

2. When they can't work out how to make it work, he reaches out to his mentor with practices PETA wouldn't approve / future-current war criminal

3. Decides to smuggle illegal 'magic strength opium', which will allow him to test his magic cube (maybe? that is unconfirmed since no one has a magic cube aside from him), into Piltover.

Please remember the magic cube idea comes from a vision he has.

4. Decides to test magic vision cube plus magic strength opium by inscribing runes onto his body with a scalpel... "unsurprisingly" it works.

5. Runs out of magic strength opium...

6. Better be right then.

Viktor is only hazard to himself... eh, no, sadly. But that's what he thinks.

Anyway, they kill respectively one person per person, and U turn hard on their idea of how to do science and scale their plans of change to more human scale. Plus one purple hand and leg.

I'm not sure when and I fear when these two will become separated again (if we follow OR Lore). Because idk, they don't do that well when apart on taking sane actions.

As for hexcore, the poor new lab pet that shivers when Viktor wants to boink it:

imo there's some incling in Jayce's journals:

Entry #3 I have collected several theories I've discovered on my journeys on how the power of the Arcane might be harnessed: Crystals form bonds with a sole user - their power is channeled though it Can a device be created to manufacture such a connection? What determines the bond?

Entry #4 The interaction with the crystal is generated by power from ANY user. Does the power react with the crystal externally or internally Could this power be recreated successfully and repeated?

Entry #5 Do you need an object to house the power? Some type of staff Too on the nose.'

Entry #6 Best practices: wind and/or water turbine? A current channeled through lightning?

Entry #7 My own theory: the Arcane is a field around us, invisible to the naked eye but ever-present with careful use of a particular source of energy (still unknown) we can crack into this field, and merge it with our own reality

My only request for season 2 is that the way to fix the Hexcore is to 'blitz' it.

Ps. I'm going to laugh very hard if these two are based somewhere deep down on Engels and Marx partnership. Is the time skip between act 1 and 2 seven years? That'd be a bit too funny overlap of historical figures.

[ive-tumbled-down-a-rabbit-hole]

Claiming Ones Own

Ok so, sorry for such a slow update on this. I had an attack of brain worm ideas which distracted/refused to let me focus on the chapter for a while. Have destroyed/dealt with most of the new ideas and have finally finished the chapter 🎉

Masterlist

[Chapter 1] [Previous]

...................................................................................

Chapter 5 - Playtime Chaos

Cass was going to kill Jason. That is, if Marie didn’t do it first by accident. He needed to go back to Gotham ASAP and get out of her hair! He may have been helpful to begin with, but now he was a menace and needed to go!

Jason had created a ‘new game’, well he said it was one he and Alfred used to play when he first moved into the manor, but it was still new to Cass. Only Jason had not really thought through the consequences of said game. He hadn’t thought that this game was with Cass and him rather than with Alfred who had obviously thought the game through properly.

The game, of which Jason thought was an amazing idea, was to redirect Marie's pickpocketing habit. If she pickpocketed strangers chocolate rights were reduced. Marie figured this rule out quickly which resulted in one horrific drama due reduced chocolate for the day. It was painful with lots of tears for all involved. Then there was a chocolate reward/increase rule when she pickpocketed Cass or Jason.

Cass might have agreed with his logic. It was a good game to bond with her, ensure she felt her skills remained and reduce the thieving, but this… THIS… result should have been expected!

What they hadn't considered is that the pair often carried weapons on them ALL the time. In and out the house. The pair were paranoid. Marie had observed the pair and quickly worked out what and where they stored these weapons.

Marie was also good at being light fingered to begin with. They knew that. THEY HAD EXPERIENCED IT. This wasn't new territory for her.

Training Marie further was a bad idea.

Cass so wanted to kill Jason for this game.

Cass’s heart couldn’t cope with it anymore. When the knives were taken it was anxiety inducing. Watching her daughter dance around with a knife, playing with it and watching it slice through the air caused so much panic in Cass.

The positive of that event was that Cass had started to train her daughter in basic swordplay. She observed, much like Damian, that going through basic positions and movements grounded and calmed her daughters chaotic energy. Marie was picking the skill up quickly so official 'safe fencing lessons' will be added to the girls learning activities.

Jason though, Jason her ‘delightful brother’ (if he survived her wrath), carried guns. He had ‘hidden’ guns around her apartment. So coming home from shopping to find her precious, innocent, sticky fingered Marie, inspecting and playing a gun was petrifying.

And Jason who was meant to be watching her daughter was missing! It was the last straw for Cass.

…………………………………………..

Jason admits that this may have been a mistake. Thinking back with a more analytical perspective than fond memories. Alfred had set it up that Jason would nearly always win the game. Alfred knew where weapons were but didn’t carry them around on his person.

Marie was a natural. Jason was super proud of his niece, she was getting swifter and lighter at each attempt. Her playing with the finds aka knives was maybe a little oversight. Cass’s reaction to it all was even less fun. Her subtle disgruntledness was made known to him unpleasantly. Swapping the sugar for salt in his morning coffee was revolting! But it at least was just basic pranks Cass was retaliating with… not Wayne Manor declarations of war…. He hoped...

He had popped out the room briefly (ok maybe not briefly but not for a really long time) as Roy had rang and wanted his assistance for a mission. Coming back into the room he found Pixie with his latest new toy *cough* gun and an irrate Cass looking like she would murder with the batglare she throw at him.

"Hi Cass.... Pixie… Roy just called asking for my assistance. I'll," he gulped as his sister levelled him with a laser beam stare and his niece turned to him, pointing the gun in a way he was showing her earlier, with curiosity showing on her face. "I'll be leaving in a few days… umm Pixie could you be a sweetheart and aim the gun downwards please?"

His niece frowned at him looking at it and him "Chocolate?" Jason quickly glanced at Cass and could feel the icy waves wafting off her. "Errr... Yeah sure thing sweetie. But to get it you will need to put the gun down first please."

Marie broke into a grin and put the gun in the coffee table skipping over to Jason to grab his hand leading him to her treasure. "Your stance then was much better, Pixie, and I didn't even feel you take the gun this time. You've improved loads this week."

He felt Cass's anger pour off her. Maybe he should have asked if he could teach Pixie about guns....

When the pair returned to the living room, Cass handed Jason his suitcase. "Go! Be Roy's issue now"

…………………………………………..

With Jason gone Cass found that the apartment was much quieter with just the pair of them, especially as sign language seemed to be both of their preferred communication method. Cass turned to playing music in the background to remind her of her siblings back in Gotham (not Jason though), this caused her to dance absentmindedly. Marie was often caught trying to mimicking her dance moves with light footwork, her grace and form yet to be perfected.

Cass saw this as another class to sign her daughter up to along with fencing to burn the chaotic energy up. Especially now Jason wasn't around playing rough and tumble with her.

................................................................

It was one afternoon about a month after Jason had left that Cass had a break through. While Marie was setting up a tea ceremony (a post swordplay practice ritual she'd got into), Cass had stumbled on her first actual clue in finding out about Marie's past. Her search had finally unearthed similar symbols, used centuries ago by some Tibetan monks, to the ones that were on her back. What this meant Cass was unsure. To progress further she probably needed to talk to Babs or Tim, but if she did that she'd have to tell them why. Which everyone finding about Marie and she wasn't ready for that.

She still fretted over what Marie must have gone though and to unleash the Wayne's on her seemed daunting.

Cass was about to look further into what she had gathered when her phone went off. It Alfred calling which was unusual.

"Alfred"

"Hello Miss Cassandra. I hope you are well and have settled into motherhood comfortably."

Cass paled. Alfred knew!! Damn it Jason!!! He was dead meat when she saw him next.

"Adapting. Marie, your great granddaughter, is sweet. Both learning about being together"

"I see. I am assuming that that is going well. Master Jason has mentioned that you found her on the streets in a similar manner to how he was found."

Jason guns were going to go missing and be replaced with water pistols.

"Yes. Much better now. Learning sign to talk to each other. Eating better too."

"That is good news to hear Miss Cassandra."

It was a set up. Jason had triggered in and Alfred was waiting to pounce. There was no way to escape but to make it easier for her self.

"We visit you soon. Wanted Marie settled first."

"I'll arrange a flight for you in a fortnight's time. Is there anything young Miss Marie will require."

Completely trapped now she'd taken the bait. Alfred knew it, she knew it. And everyone will know about Marie in no time. Maybe she would be able to get Babs and Tims help after all.

"Thank you Alfred. Bunk bed, milk chocolate and chocolate spread please." Cass paused for a second as Marie looked over to her signing 'tea time Mama'

"Loose green tea leaves too, for tea ceremony, please."

Cass finally could hear a smile in Alfred's voice and relaxed slightly. She may have escaped some of Alfred's disappointment.

"I will ensure I meet those requirements Miss Cassandra. I will send you your flight details when I have finished arranging them. I look forward to seeing you again Miss Cassandra, and to meeting Miss Marie. I will now take my leave for you to spend time with you daughter."

Looks like she will be needing to prepare Maire for a flight and meeting the family. She would have to up her parenting game to ensure she completely beat Bruce.

Moments after she had hung up Alfred had sent flight details across. Complete evidence that the whole call as a ruse and he got what he wanted. Well played Alfred well played. Cass responded to Alfred, thanking him for his efficiency and to arrange some face time calls to occur in the next fortnight. Alfred deserved to get to know her precious Marie first so at least she had an ally in the Manor when they visited. Someone other than Jason. That reminded Cass to shoot a text to Jason

*You.are.dead.betrayer.*

He replied quickly to her message

*Adventure with Roy went sideways. Alfred wasn't happy. I needed something to soften the blow!!! I'm sorry!!! Don't kill me!!*

Pah! He sold her out that's what. He was in Alfred's book of disappointment and didn't want to be there alone so dragged her to hell too. Jokes on him, she'll work her and Marie magic to make it work for them. Her phone buzzed again as Jason messaged her again. Ignoring it she went to join Marie for tea and tell her the 'fun news'.

In her head she had a fortnight to prepare her revenge.

Tag List:

@boldlyanxious @laurcad123 @toodaloo-kangaroo

@too0bsessedformyowngood @lady-bee-fechin @solangelo252 @mysteriouslyswimmingfan-blo-blog @arty-shadow-morningstar @macncheesemonster @purplegeekypanda @corporeal-terrestrial @maribat-shenanigans

[jonnyparable]

Cottage Hills : The Vanishing of Basil Reed, Part VII

The Pentadora

Winter is finally ending, and the town is getting ready for the Winter's End Prayers, where the townsfolk will hold a vigil around the Winter Flame, and listen to Rev Carter tell the story of how the founders and the Goddess overcame the eternal winter. After the ceremony, villagers usually gather in each other's homes, exchange gifts and stay up until the first sunrise of spring.

A few days have passed since the wedding and while some of the villagers go to the square to help with setting up the ceremony, Gray and Saibara are busy working at the forge when Saibara notices they have a visitor.

Saibara:

"Yes, good form, Gray! Your metalworking has improved tremendously. Soon you- hmm... Good morning. We're not open yet Oak, are you looking for something...?"

Oak looks up with a fretful look on his face. He waves weakly and nods. Gesturing slightly to Gray.

Oak:

"I'm sorry for the intrusion... I was hoping young Mr Gray here would be able to help me with something. Gray?"

Gray:

"Of course, Mr Oak sir. What can I do for you?"

Oak:

"Actually, it's.... It's about Mary. I... I might have said something at the wedding that... Upset her. And I'd like to apologise but she's not at her bookshop. Or if she is, she hasn't been open... I know the two of you are close... Could you help me find her?"

Gray:

"Sounds like she doesn't want to be found, sir...but alright, if I know Mary, there's only one place she'll go. Come on. I'll take you there. Be right back, Master!"

Gray takes Oak to the pier at Mineral Beach. They walk there in stony silence. Gray isn't really sure what to say, or if he's doing the right thing, and Oak, deep in thought, doesn't say anything. When they get there, Gray points to the end of the pier.

Gray:

"Alright Mr Oak. Mary's there. I can see her.... Look, I don't know what you did to upset her, but I'll be waiting right here on this bench. If I get the sense that she doesn't want to see you... I'll have to ask you to leave, alright?"

Oak looks at Gray for a minute, then nods solemnly. He walks over to the edge of the pier. Mary is sitting there on the ledge, just looking out at the lake. Its winter so the lake is pretty quiet. The ferry isn't operating today and most of the fishing boats are docked. He walks up to her gingerly. The boards beneath him creak to let Mary know he's here. She turns her head away, wiping her eyes.

Oak:

"H-hello, Mary."

She doesn't say anything. Oak stands there for a while before moving forward to sit down next to her. She doesn't move. She just looks away. They sit like this on the pier for a bit in silence. Just the sound of the water lapping against the pier and the gravely shore. Suddenly, Mary breaks the silence.

Mary :

"....... How did you know I was here?"

Oak:

"Oh! Well, Gray helped me... He... He knows you very well it seems. And he cares for you a great deal...are the two of you -"

Mary:

"Please don't. Don't... Don't act like my father... You're...."

Oak:

"Mary...I came here today to apologise... And to tell you the truth about what happened. I just hope you'll at least listen, and.... After that, I'll leave."

Mary looks down quietly at the water. Oak sighs heavily and takes a deep breath.

Oak:

"So... Twenty years ago... I became obsessed with finding the Tree of Life...I brought our family here to find it, and soon, it led me down a path of madness. I guess you already know this much... But the truth is I just wanted to be the first to prove that its not a myth, and that it is all real. I had catalogued and studied every plant, but a mythical tree? I wanted glory and fame and I lost myself completely...The search plagued me and I spiralled into a dark place."

Oak:

"When I ventured into the woods that fateful day... I was but a shadow of myself. My mind had been warped by greed... And this insatiable desire to find the tree. A desire that haunted my every waking moment and gnawed away at my mind...but... The Goddess... The Goddess found me in the woods and... she saved me. From myself, really."

Mary had wanted to just not speak, but she can't help but let the unanswered questions and the pain and emptiness of not knowing, come pouring out. Before she knows it, her face feels hot, and tears are streaming dien her face as the weight of all the years suddenly comes crashing down like a glass tower.

Mary:

"Well how nice for you! She just showed up in the woods and saved you! If she saved you, why didn't you come back out of the woods? What happened? Didn't you want to come back to us? We thought you died!"

Oak:

"Mary, I never got to apologise, and I am sorry for putting you and your mother through all that. There's not a moment that passed since that day where I didn't think of you, I longed always to go back. Mary, pl-"

Mary:

"So why didn't you? And why now all of a sudden? It's been twenty years! What was so important that made you leave, without a word? We were so lost without you... You abandoned mother! She... Do you know? She...never gave up on you...she always said you'd return. Everyone said she was so heartbroken, she lost her mind! She mumbled everyday that you came to see her in her dreams. Even dying in her hospital bed, she held my hand and told me not to give up on you... But holding on has just been too painful! I wish I could have forgotten you! I wanted to! To grow up as the daughter of the famous Basil Reed, who drove his wife mad with grief! You have no idea what it's been like all these years! You know what, enough of this. I'm leaving!"

Oak:

"Mary. I know you're upset... You need to listen to me. Please, sit down! When the Goddess found me, I had to first be purged of the madness within me. Only when I was healed, and had proven myself, could I return to my family. The Goddess gave me a task, a new mission in life, a second chance and I had to leave with her... Your mother, she knew everything... The Goddess let me say goodbye to your mother in a dream, Mary. I told her everything. I told her to care for you, and that I'll see her again one day. She knew why I had to go. And she always believed in me that I'd come back to her. She wasn't mad. She also knew why she had to keep what had happened to me a secret."

Mary:

"What? Keep what a secret?"

Oak:

"Speak to no one of this, Mary, But the tree is but just one gift that the Goddess gave to mankind throughout the centuries. There are four others, scattered around the world and they are all known as the Pentadora, or the Five Gifts. For twenty years, the task she set for me was to travel with her to these hidden locations around the world. Taking the name of Oak, I stayed by the Goddess' side. Together, we travelled around the world to protect the gifts...from... From people like me."

Mary:

"What do you mean people like you?"

Oak:

" People driven mad by their desire to find the gifts. Like I was. The Goddess gave all these gifts to mankind long ago to help us all, but over time, people became corrupted by greed and selfishness. Wanting to keep the gifts only for themselves. They forsook the Goddess, and soon, she hid them all, sealed away by forests, mountains, mist and water. And anyone who goes searching for them becomes filled with a dark hunger and a madness.... A madness that only the Goddess can heal. Being with the Goddess renewed me, opened my eyes, and extended my life, but I was, at the end of it all, too late. I never got to see your mother before she died. But that is the price I have paid, Mary, for I lost sight of what was truly important to me, and I tore us all apart. I wish I could turn back time, but I can't change the past. I'm sorry, Mary for everything, I know you're angry, and that none of this changes what happened. But... That's the truth."

Oak gets up suddenly and starts to walk away. He feels a little relieved. But also, perhaps wanting to leave before hearing what Mary has to say, his departure feels a little abrupt. He turns back one last time to say goodbye.

Oak:

"..... I thought I should say though that I'm glad I've at least been able to see you now, Mary. These last few months spent with you in Cottage Hills have been... The happiest in my life. You've grown to become a beautiful, kind and brave young woman, despite all I've put you all through. I only wish I had the courage to tell you the truth sooner. I know I haven't the right to want to be a part of your life now, after all this time, so I'll be leaving town soon. I'm not sure where I'll go but I hope to see you again soon, Mary. Goodbye."

Mary:

"Wait! Stop. That's it? You're just going to leave? ... I can't let you just walk out of my life like that again....

Oak:

"I.... I don't want to go... But I don't know if I belong in your life anymore, Mary, after all I've done. I don't want to hurt you by staying."

Mary:

"All my life, I thought that all I ever wanted was to know what happened to you and why you left, that I'll be happy if I just knew where you went... If I just had answers! But... Seeing you now, in front of me, I realise... I don't care about any of that! I'm just happy to see you again... And to know you're alive.... I'm not angry. I was never angry. Just... Lost. I don't want to lose you again. I want you to stay. Please don't go!"

Oak:

"Mary... I never once stopped loving you, I hope you know that. You and your mother were the only reasons I kept going, and the only reasons why I was able to overcome the madness in the end. Because of how desperately I wished to see you both again, and to make things right. I'll stay, Mary, of course I will. I love you Mary, so much."

Mary:

"I love you too....father."

They embrace, and in that moment, it's as if the last twenty years never happened, and everything is right in the world.

Mary:

"Now, how bout you tell me all about your adventures with the Goddess! I want to know everything about the Pentadora! "

[zodiactalks]

Love Life with Pisces Woman & 5 Brutal Truths

Pisces women are some of the most nurturing, sexy, creative, and empathetic signs of the Zodiac; their water nature gives them a natural fluidity that allows them to adapt to different situations and pushes them to heal and breathe new life into all kinds of relationships.

Though they're very loving and unbelievably charming, they're not necessarily an easy sign to love.

Oh, you'll fall in love with her without a doubt, but along the way, you'll find many different characteristics that seem cute at first but can be annoying when you have to deal with them day after day.

Their loving, sensitive, and emotional personalities can be downright adorable in small doses, but when they're part of your day-to-day life, you might start perceiving things a little differently.

Here are five brutal truths about loving a Pisces woman that you should keep in mind if you plan to dive right into their world.

#1. She lets her emotions guide her.

Everyone knows Pisces women are emotional. It is, after all, one of their most distinctive traits; What you may not know, though, is the extent to which Pisces women let their emotions guide them in life.

Some call it intuition; others call it fickleness. What is true is that Pisces women often make choices or change their mind not based on cold hard logic but rather on how they feel in a specific moment, which can be amusing, or endlessly irritating.

Even when no important choice is at stake, you might find yourself walking on eggshells trying to avoid hurting Pisces' feelings, particularly if you have a rather blunt sense of humor.

They cry easy, they get angry even easier, and in a blink, they're back to their sunny, happy selves, leaving a path of destruction behind them and a very confused partner who just wanted to know what she wanted for dinner.

Loving a Pisces woman involves a lot of improvising, so you want to make sure you're ready to face whatever she throws at you. Her anger can turn to happiness at the drop of a hat, only to turn into sadness, and if you're unable to roll with the punches, her emotional tsunami might just sweep you with it.

#2. They're lazy.

Let's make something perfectly clear: A Pisces with a goal in mind is a woman who won't be stopped.

When a Pisces woman wants something, they'll move heaven and earth to achieve it, pulling endless reserves of energy and patience from who knows where until they reach their goals.

Pisces aren't lazy when it comes to the things that matter to them.

Everything else, though? They'll take it as easily as possible, even if it can lead to negative consequences in the long run.

They love to sleep in and spend an entire day in their pajamas reading a good book or marathoning a series; they're not wild about exercising, but if they do, it's usually low-impact activities like swimming, yoga or Pilates.

Their bed is their favorite place in their entire home, and once they lay down, you'll have genuine problems getting her out unless you bribe her.

While this isn't a deal-breaker to many signs, for others, it will be a nightmare. The zodiac go-getters might take a look at Pisces laid-back attitude and groan at their laziness, while the more relaxed signs might just join her in bed to watch TV.

If you want to laze around, then a Pisces woman is perfect for you.

If you'd rather go for a hike, then dating a Pisces woman might just work for you, as long as you don't mind hiking on your own.

#3. She thinks herself a savior.

There's nothing wrong with wanting to help people. In fact, if we could all help people a little more, the world would, undeniably, be a better place.

The problem is that Pisces women tend to help people a little too much, even if it's inconvenient to her...or to others.

Pisces women will go out of their way to help as many causes that motivate her, and will happily drag you along even if you've repeatedly asked her to leave you out of it.

She'll convince you to tag along to make food for the homeless, guilt trip you for bringing meat instead of a cruelty-free alternative, get angry at you for daring to bring straws, and, if that wasn't enough, she might scream at the homeless for daring to litter.

Pisces women will adopt a million little causes in her quest to save the world, and while wanting to improve the world we live in is commendable, their attempts to motivate you into joining her crusade can be incredibly annoying.

What's more, she often doesn't think things through or plans accordingly, which means that, if you two share a bank account, it won't be uncommon to see your joint savings being used to pay for her goodwill.

Don't get us wrong, we love Pisces women for wanting to help everything under the sun, but at some point, after the sixth disabled dog she's adopted, you start to realize that there's such a thing as "helping too much."

#4. Auto-sabotage is her second name.

When we love someone, we want what's best for them, which is why it can be so frustrating to see a Pisces woman be her own worst enemy.

Pisces women are smart, and they're self-aware enough to understand that they're the ones holding themselves back, but that doesn't mean they know what to do to prevent this.

Part of the problem is their emotional personalities. More often than not, their emotions get the best of them, even when they're consciously trying to prevent this; They can arrive at a situation with a plan, and throw it out of the window when things get too intense.

There's very little one can do about this as a partner, so the best you can do is offer your support and be there for them if things get hard.

Don't criticize them. Chances are they're well aware of their actions.

#5. She gets lost in her head.

Pisces women tend to fantasize and daydream a lot, which isn't necessarily a problem on its own but can lead to completely unrealistic expectations of the world and the people who surround her.

Because they like to fantasize about the best possible scenario, it is not uncommon for Pisces women to be dissatisfied with the things they're living, and with the things you do for them.

It's not that they don't appreciate your sacrifices or your help, but instead that, somewhere along the line, she started thinking about how nice it would be if you did more, and suddenly, what you're doing doesn't seem like enough.

While this may seem annoying and unfair, bear in mind that it goes both ways. Just like she expects more of you based on her daydreaming, she'll expect a lot more of herself that's realistically possible, which means she might end up frustrated with you and with herself.

It's a strange and frustrating little quirk that nonetheless can be easily sidestepped by reminding your Pisces lover of all the great things she does do, and while you're at it, to bring her attention to the things you bring to the relationship.

[littlemspeachy]

This Conversation is Getting Older and Older

Part Two of You Keep Me Waiting 

Warnings: Cursing, Mentions of Murder, A character is racist 

Word Count: 3.8K (Yup y’all are getting more to read)

Draco stares at where Hermione was once stood and sighed before muttering a repairing spell that fixes the broken picture frame, then came organizing his notes for Yazmeen while he was out.

"Hey, Draco, it's Yazmeen. I came for your notes on the death eater case," Yazmeen announced, peeking into his office.

Draco shot the younger girl a smile. "Yeah, I was getting them cleaned up for you. I know how much you hate having to work with illegible writing."

She laughs and shakes her head. "It's fine, you're fine. It's other people on this floor I have to worry about. But um.."

Draco looks up at her, an eyebrow raised.

"Nevermind, I'll talk to you when you get back."

Draco nods and hands over his revised notes. "Take good care of them. They're the only kind."

"I'm pretty sure that I can read your actual notes. But thank you anyway."

Draco smiles at her and watches her leave before grabbing his things and following after her.

"You know, for such a smart wizard, I came in here easily." She says coldly.

Draco pauses in his living room, unsure how to start the conversation.

"Daphne, I made it sure you could come in."

"You need to sign them," Daphne says, pulling a pen from her purse and setting it down on the divorce papers laid out before her.

"Not before my father dies," He responded, voice tight.

"I don't really care about your feelings about your father, and he's practically a shell of a human anyway. Why do you think he's back at the manor?" She shot back, staring pointedly at Draco.

Draco stays quiet because she's right: His father doesn't do anything but look outside to the garden, and he isn't improving his mother's health either in fact, she's gotten worse because of his father being back/ He was thinking of killing him, but after working in law enforcement he wasn't sure how that was going to work.

"Just sign the papers. This isn't for you; it's for me, so get over yourself." Her voice annoyed at how long this situation was taking her.

He sighs because she was right: He was being selfish. Making them stay married even though they haven't been in the same room for longer than 10 minutes in the past 8 years unless it was an event that was centered around his mother. So he walks over to sign the papers.

"Your mother misses you, you know, and she wants an explanation."

Draco pauses the signing of his last mane to look at the woman in front of him before he goes back to signing his last name.

"I don't know why you continue to visit her."

"Because at least one of us to maintain the image of a proper person. We all can't go running around like children on the playground."

Draco rolls his eyes equally as annoyed at his now ex-wife. "Listen, here're the documents, just send me an owl with a court date, and I'll make sure to be there."

Daphne just sighed and slipped the papers into her purse, and leaves through the front door. "You need to talk to her. Also, I poured out the tea. It was getting old.

Draco simply stares at her leaving, leaving his house and his life.

Maybe it was better this way.

He steps out of Hermione's fireplace and into a living room. A room that he knew way too well for simply being fuckbuddies with her roommate.

"I thought you had better wards up 'mione." A familiar voice commented from the other room.

"I did. It was Yazmeen who let him in." Hermione said, watching Draco step out of her fireplace. Fred followed her gaze and watched as Draco got reacquainted with the apartment. Draco noticing their gaze on him.

"Are you two just going to stare at me? If so, I could've met you at the train station," Draco commented, annoyed.

Fred laughs. "Some people never change. I'll see you when you get back," Fred said, smiling at the brown-skinned woman. He pauses at the door. "Keep her safe, Malfoy."

That, for some reason, catches him off guard, but he manages to get out a quick, yeah.

Hermione watched Fred leave before turning back to the blond-haired man who has moved out of her living room.

"You ready to go? I need to call a cab." Hermione asked.

"Yeah, I'm good. Don't know about you, though... Seemed a bit preoccupied." He shrugs, back turned away, looking at some artwork on the wall.

Hermione doesn't validate the statement and instead goes to call a cab. "One is in the area, and it'll be here in about 3 minutes."

Draco doesn't respond, so they exist in silence before Hermione asks, "You've been here plenty of times.. You don't stay over like you used to?"

Draco turns quickly to face the curly-haired woman. "Yeah, unlike like some of us, we have work to do."

"Now, what the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"It's obvious half your stuff isn't here, and with Fred being over, I'm going to assume it's at his place?"

All Hermione does is glare before going to look outside to her window. She notices the yellow cab outside, and instead of telling him of the new development, she simply grabs her bag and leaves but unfortunately for her, Draco is a smart man, and he quickly follows after her.

The ride to the train station is filled with tension and silence. Draco likes to think that he wondered if he overstepped a boundary, but then he remembered that he could care less about how he picked at her sex life. If she wanted to do that to him, he could do the same to her. But due to that pettiness, nobody spoke until they were on the train and even then, there wasn't much talking done.

"How are you?"

Hermione glares at him from her seat before rolling her eyes, annoyed at the question "You left me Draco,"

"You left me too; this wasn't a one-person thing,"

"So when were you going to tell me you were married?"

"I wasn't then, and I'm not now."

"Tell that to the gossip magazines."

"Tell that to the gossip magazines that wrote back to back articles about you and Krum? Since when did you listen to them? Also, when did you start caring for me outside of the bedroom?"

"I don't know but stop asking like you weren't the one knocking on my door at first."

The silence informs them both that neither of them have been good. Not that they were ever good, especially not back in college. Running to each other to find something familiar only to go back to hating each other the next day. That's what made the sex good, they both think. Too much passion made anything feel good during the moment, but it's in the morning that you have to wonder whether it was really worth it.

"So are you with him now? You hop from one ginger dick to another?

"Oh, I didn't know you were ginger, and it seems like we're both following patterns."

That one shuts him up because he realizes that he hasn't changed and only moved on to her intern, whose skin looks like the woman's sitting in front of them when the sun hits it just right.

"Also, I don't mind you having sex with Yazmeen, but having sex with every black woman in our office is.... A bit suspicious."

Draco doesn't know how to respond to the claim, so he simply changes the topic "Are you going to Harry's wedding?"

Hermione's eyes snap from the blond man to the window across from him. "Of course, I'm the maid of honor."

Draco isn't really surprised by the admission, "What an Honor. But you know it's surprising that she gave birth before being married."

"Not really.. Might have been going at it for a while, but unlike you, he can stay committed."

"What are you so mad at me for?"

"I don't know?  How about we start with the fact that you left Daphne right after getting married, only to start sleeping with me 3 months later. And then lying to her about it. She thought you loved her; I mean, sure, we all knew it wasn't going to last. But she wanted to at least make it work. But there we were fucking in the backseat while she was in the store."

"Listen, it takes two, don't pretend like you're innocent." He shot back-way too quickly for a man who wanted to seem unaffected from the claims.

"That would be a good claim, but there you were in my bed way past time for you to go, talking to me about the future and how uncertain you were and all that other bullcrap only for you to be in a dedicated marriage. It'd be a bit different if you both didn't give a damn."

Draco sat in silence because she was right. Always right.. Never wrong. Never wrong in the classes they were and certainly never wrong about the life they lived

"Well, we're getting a Divorce... to legalize the situation."

Hermione glares at him. "So that's what makes this better? A divorce after what? 5 years?"

Draco wants to say yes, but after knowing the woman sitting next to him for the past 18 years, he knows a warning sign he sees one, so he drops the subject.

They both know that they'll need to talk about this again, and they didn't need to read tea leaves for that. But just like tea, it can only steep for so long before becoming bitter, or maybe they were past that stage, and it just needed to be poured out.

The train comes to their stop, and they go to a cab that was already waiting for them; they both think that even though Sanchez is annoying and strict, he still knows how to be hospitable if hospitable meant a very homely looking hotel.

"Is this it? The place we're supposed to be staying?" Draco asked, voice full of disgust.

"Yea, this was the address given to me by Sanchez."

Hermione and Draco stared at the small white and brown homely inn that looked like its been around since the dark ages.

"Let's go. It's only a night." Hermione whispered, giving a nudge to Draco.

They climb out of the car and were preparing to go in before the driver rolled down the window. "I'm going to be here by 6 tomorrow evening to take you back to the train station and if need to floor just tell the lady at the desk and she'll help you. Good Luck."

They nod before walking in and realizing that the inside looks exactly like the outside. Homely and cold-one of the great perks of being in a city next to the water.

"Check-in for Sanchez," Hermione said, smiling at the hostess.

Draco stayed in the back and looked around, hoping to see something that would indicate the age of this inn, but unfortunately, nothing stood out but a pattern in one of the supporting beams.

"Hey, got the key," Hermione says, jingling the key in his face before walking down the hallway where the supposed hotel room was.

"15, 25, 35, and 45 is the lucky number."

"Why are the doors numbered like that?"

"I don't know you're the pureblood you tell me,"

Draco rolls her eyes at her response. "Why the hell would I know that?"

"The wizarding world is a weird place, and rich kids are supposed to be cultured," Hermione joked before seeing their bedding situation. "Of fucking course, how brilliant."

Draco was confused by her sudden change of tone until he saw what she was talking about: One bed.

One medium-sized bed in a room that was freezing cold.

As Draco starts to say something, Hermione cuts him off. "Listen, we can talk about this later," Hermione sighs before setting down her bag. "I'll go down and call us a cab to the station."

Draco watches her walk away with only her purse, confused as to why she never lets him talk. But he dismissed the thought when he casted a quick charm to keep their bags safe.

They get to the station and head over to sign in at the front desk "Officer Granger and Officer Malfoy is here to talk to... Your head officer, officer Pearce I believe, is the name, about the recent killings." Hermione says confidently while leaning slightly on the wooden desk.

"Why does he look so confused?" an officer asks while coming up behind the secretary that was checking her computer for confirmation.

"Listen, he doesn't do fieldwork; he does office stuff. This is his first time. Give him a break," Hermione confides, laughing slightly at the Blond man's facial expression.

The officer laughs and checks the computer that shows the confirmation. "Alright, let me check your IDs, and I'll get you guys back there." Draco and Hermione gave their IDs to the officer, and he nods that suggests they follow him to the back.

"Have you seen any pictures of the body? or any of the bodies?" Draco asks. He hasn't seen a dead body since the war, and even though it's been 10 years, the sight of them still can keep him up for days. He wonders how Harry moved on. He thinks he should ask him.

"No, we were only asked to get the statement from the old lady, and even then, it's a bit spotty."

"Well, can you fax a copy to our office so that we have a hard version in London? We're not going to take long." Hermione says, her voice more determined than usual.

"Yeah, I can do that for you. Alright, here's his office, by the way, he doesn't like this kind of stuff, so... You gotta be smart." The officer they were following says before knocking on a door that had the name of Anthony Pearce.

"Come in." A baritone voice commands from behind the door.

"Alright, good luck."

Hermione and Draco give the optimistic officer a nod before heading into the office.

"Hello Officer Pearce, we are investigators sent from London to talk to you about the report that was given to you after a recent murder against a young woman," Draco says, looking around the office before landing on the officer's face.

Hermione thinks that the officer looks like one of the men from Mama Mia.

"So when did they start sending in young ones with fancy outfits to deal with murder cases?" He inquired before lighting a cigarette.

"We aren't dealing with the murder it's self we're just trying to find out about the... uh.. designs being left on the bodies of the victims. I'm officer Malfoy, and this is my partner Granger." Draco shoots back at the man. He knew they were young for their field; there was no denying that, but they were good at their jobs, and there will be no one that questions that, muggle or not.

Officer Pearce raises a brow before tapping his cigarette into the ashtray. "Is that so? If you're only dealing with the designs, why do you want the lady's statements?"

"We want her statements because she was the last one to talk to the lady that was most recently killed, and she could possibly tell us some information that could help us understand what's going on," Draco responds with a slight huff.

Hermione rolled her eyes at Dracos body language 'how immature. You don't hold any power out here, pretty boy.'

"If that's the case, I could've just sent the report to your office. Why come all the way here for something we could've faxed you?" The older man responds, a demeaning edge to his voice.

"Because we're going to interview the woman tomorrow, and since we were in the city, we decided to question you directly. But if you don't want to comply, I can and will have you arrested for obstruction of justice." Hermione responds, a clear tone of annoyance in her voice.

Pearce stares at Hermione and then looks at Draco. "You should keep her around; she gets stuff done. And I'll get you the interview report, and I can't tell you anything because I didn't conduct it and what was said was nothing out of the usual... But I have received some pictures of the, uh, drawings." He says before going through a drawer and bringing out a manila folder.

"Can we look at them?" Hermione asked softly.

"I can make you a copy," He says, putting out his cigarette before heading over to the printer. "Now, why'd you come here? These murders have been happening for a while."

"It's because our office thought these were stand-alone cases. It's London.. And unfortunately, people get killed all the time." Hermione says slowly, making her seem sadder than she actually was.

"Understandable, but Liverpool does have its crime.. Luckily we're not in the city, so it's a bit easier for us." Pearce says before handing Draco the first page.

"If you don't mind me asking... Why were you so resistant to us knowing the information?" Draco asked, passing the page to Hermione.

"Because whoever is doing this is getting off scot-free. And they're sick cunts too. Imagine, instead of just killing the bloke, you carve patterns into their skin. I tell ya it's some of them, refugees."  Pearce says, handing them the next two copied pages.

Hermione looks up from the pictures. "Sir, this is obviously not Arabic. And it's interesting that a cop that is supposed to serve his community has those kinds of feelings for the people he's supposed to be protecting."

"Nah, none of them live around here, and a good thing too. Don't want them to be committing crimes and stuff." Pearce says, walking back to his desk and lighting another cigarette.

Draco noticed the fist tightly wrapped around the paper before speaking up. "Thank you for your time here, sir... If we hear anything thing new, we'll make sure to let you know."

Pearce simply nods before going off into his own world as they left.

"What a fucking bigot." Hermione angrily whispered. Draco stayed silent shocked at the bluntness of the officers' rudeness, but then he realized that his father was the same towards muggles.

They walked to the front and thanked the secretary, and then went to an empty-looking coffee shop across the street.

"My father was like that, wasn't he?" Draco asks while they were sitting down in their chosen seats.

Hermione looks up from the small menu provided at their table. "You think?"

Draco drops the subject before reaching over and grabbing the files.

"How may I help yous?" A bubbly waitress asked Hermione, almost completely ignoring Draco.

"I would like a cup of coffee, straight please." Hermione says with a smile that makes the younger girl blush.

"And I would like a cup of earl grey and some of the strongest stuff you have." Draco says dryly.

The waitress doesn't respond but jots the items down. "That'll be right out."

Draco watches the waitress retreat to behind the bar. "What the hell was that about?"

"Aww, are you mad that you didn't get attention?" Hermione teasingly giggled while picking up her well used legal pad.

Draco didn't respond.

"Hey, Malfoy, do you work with still work with ruins, or are your college years being wasted on artifacts?" Hermione asks, laying out the pictures in front of her.

"Mainly artifacts and studying the charms people put on them," He responds before the waitress came over.

"Here is your drink and alcohol, and your drink, ma'am, is still being made." The waitress says in a light, bubbly tone.

Hermione nods in recognition, but her brows stay furrowed in concentration.

The waitress leaves before Draco speaks up again, clear liquid in hand.

"Don't drink that right now," Hermione says, quickly looking up and snatching the glass of clear liquid. She sniffs if before confirming. "It's moonshine.. That's some powerful stuff, and if you want to coherent while researching, then I suggest you leave that for later." Hermione informs before pulling out an empty flask.

Draco looks at her curiously before pouring the clear liquid into the flask.

"Look, they didn't die graphically. There's no blood if that what you're worried about." Hermione says, looking up at the blond across from her.

"No..That's- I just.. If something big happens when we're on this case, we're going to become much more than researchers, and I just- I left the field for a reason, and I really don't care to be put back in. I was perfectly fine at my desk and perfectly capable of what I was doing."

Hermione looks at him deeply at him before looking back down at the ruins. "That's wonderful to know, and I understand I really do, but we've been working under Sanchez since our internships. And I know that he's smart enough not to let his head researchers go into the field blindly just to get killed. He knows we can handle ourselves out here. Meaning you gotta start trusting yourself. Plus, after this, we'll probably get a nice vacation offering once we're done, so suck it up and let's figure this out before more people die."

Draco sips on his tea, considering the words of the intelligent woman in front of him.

"Here's your coffee, ma'am... Buy the way it's on the house." The waitress interrupts, setting down the requested coffee.

Draco rolls his eyes at the "sincere" action before grabbing his wallet and handing the young woman 100 pounds. "Keep the change."

Hermione gawks at the exchange but doesn't voice her comment until the woman goes away.

"Do you know how much money that is?"

Draco sends her a confused look before replacing his wallet with his glasses. "All right, what are we looking at."

"Well, firstly, you're starting to look like Harry for one. I get you both are basically office mates but geez. And secondly, I think it's Egyptian. Like something found in tombs, but then there's more stuff that I can't really think of... Maybe Mayans?"

Draco grabs a pictured and stares before shaking his head. "Possibly, but there seems to be a mix of several curses among the charms. Those are most certainly from Egypt, and that's probably how the doctors died," He says before grabbing another picture. "Yeah, because they look like hieroglyphics, and so they decoded them and then cursed themselves. But how he got them on the body is what's' really confusing."

Hermione nods before asking, "Don't you have tea with you?"

"Yeah, but I know it's cold, and so I got a new cup."

A new cup indeed.

[cullen-collective]

Based on this ^^^^ prompt that I stole out of @cullenheaux 's tags:

***

Edward had successfully avoided Jessica Stanley for over a month. This kind of thing was easy for him, because any time her thoughts were close enough to hear, he just went in the opposite direction. The ability to read minds, quite often a plague, had proven to be a blessing in this case. The girl had far too many graphic thoughts to endure.

Endure it, he had, however. He had the misfortune of sharing the lunch room, homeroom, and sophomore English with her and her overactive imagination. The amount of times he'd seen his face in her daydreams was disturbing. It appeared much more often than Emmett's, more often than Rosalie's, and certainly more often than the round face of the boy called Mike Newton. It was disturbing, and he was disturbed.

She had never been close enough to him to be properly frightened. He was starting to think that maybe that was the problem. As he sat in homeroom, sitting too still for comfort, listening to her grotesque musings on whether or not his lips were soft (Hah!), he could see that she didn't have the appropriate amount of fear. His image, in her mind, was not nearly unsettling enough for his taste.

Well, he'd just have to fix that.

For the rest of the day, Edward acted less human than was advisable. He answered questions in their shared classes before the teacher finished asking them. He sat entirely still. He moved just a little too fast, and threw his locker door open too hard when she was watching.

Nothing.

No effect.

Sure, the rest of the student body was sufficiently freaked out by him, but Jessica Stanley remained immune. There was a dance coming up, and she'd deluded herself that he was acting strangely because he was nervous to ask someone. She hoped that she was that someone.

What an imbecile.

There was no way around it: he was going to have to confront her.

As lunchtime neared, he formulated his plan. When he'd decided on a course of action, he heard Alice's thoughts across campus.

Don't be an ass, Edward. She has feelings too.

Edward let out a barely audible snort, and revised his plan a bit.

Okay, fine, that one I'll help you with.

The bell rang, and Alice met Edward at the entrance to the cafeteria.

"Edward," she asked, loud enough for human ears as they neared the Stanley girl's table, "please come to the dance with us, we would miss you so if you stayed home."

"Alice, I don't have a date," he replied, matching her volume. They were close enough to the table that he could hear Jessica's thoughts, though he could probably have heard them a mile away for the sheer volume.

Ohmigod, ohmigod, ohmigod, me, pick me, take me, take me, please! And then just take me.

Mercy, this girl had no shame.

"You could easily find a date, Edward." Alice was kind of laying it on thick, but there was nothing he could do about it. "There are plenty of girls here."

Girls like me! Ready and waiting and willing and down for anything!

Okay, he had to give Jessica this, she knew what she wanted and stuck to it. There was probably a reason she was class president.

"Absolutely not. I'm not dating anyone from Forks. The place is named after cutlery, for God's sake, it isn't exactly a culture hub."

Oh. My. God. What a dick! He doesn't even know anyone! How dare he assume we're uncultured! I have seen like, every Scorsese movie! I have opinions! He should want me!

Why doesn't he want me?

They passed the table, and whispers broke out among their ranks.

"Wow, Cullen's a jerk."

"What an ass."

"Can you believe he-"

"Why doesn't he just-"

"We don't even want him anyway."

"Whew, guess no one's good enough for Mr. Big Shot."

The last was Jess, and Edward knew his plan had been successful. Despite the fact that he knew Forks wasn't entirely uncultured, he did think it odd that no one realized he and Alice had just pulled a Pride and Prejudice on the entire lunch room.

He just hoped that would be the end of Jessica's unhealthy obsession. It wasn't just mentally unhealthy, but physically. He could lure her in too easily, and end her with even less effort.

It was better this way.

Let them think he was a monster. Let them look at him with derision.

He deserved their scorn.

He was a monster.

Well that went well. She's decided to go home and read, so at the very least you've encouraged her to study.

Edward scowled back at Alice.

Don't be so morbid. It wasn't like you were going to date her. She'll get over it.

"Yes, Rose, but that doesn't mean I relish in hurting her, or any of them."

Rosalie scoffed. You could hurt them worse if you got close to them. You did her a favor.

Edward shrugged and went about his day, ignoring the terse, hate-filled thoughts of several of his classmates.

As he and his siblings were headed to the parking lot, ready to go home, a small frame with curly brown hair barrelled past them, muttering angrily under her breath.

I'll show him. I'll show all of them. They're not better than us. They're not better than me.

From that day forward, Edward noticed a change. Small things. Jessica carrying a new book each week. Jessica in the library, asking for recommendations. Jessica running for student council re-election. Jessica running for Winter Formal Queen. Jessica vying for the captain spot on volleyball and track. Jessica answering more and more questions in class.

He was thrilled. She still had negative thoughts about him, but they were fewer. She still didn't like him, but she wasn't hateful. She knew she had started improving herself because of his remark, but she genuinely enjoyed the books, and studying, and sports, and her friends. She liked picking up new hobbies. She liked being the best Jessica Stanley that she could be.

So when she was the one to describe him to the new girl, he wasn't shocked when her thoughts were tinged with bitterness. He also wasn't shocked when they smacked of defiance either.

It's a shame he's got his head so far up his own ass. He's cute, of course she can see that. He's just too ignorant to see a good thing. Newbie's a good thing too, he's just too much of a prick to notice.

And he had to smile.

What're you smiling about? Rosalie was scowling from the lunch table.

Too low for human ears, Edward responded.

"Jessica Stanley is going to rule the world someday."

[katmckool-blog]

PLEASE READ THIS!

This was an email sent to my husband following an unsuccessful interaction with Amherst Funeral and Cremation Services. I've got to say, I love how badly they treat grieving parents, especially moms.

Amherst writes

Thank you for your email. I just arrived back in the office from services yesterday when I left you a voicemail. I was out all last week for family emergency. I was going to reach out to you specifically in regards to this matter.

Amherst writes

Fionn's cremated remains and death certificates have been ready to be shipped out via Canada Post since last week, while I was away (Again, my staff Carla simply called your wife to confirm address and delivered our standard procedure to ask payment prior to sending as per contract signed, payments are due at the time of arrangement).

My response

Okay, let me stop you there, she wasn’t calling me she was calling someone else; because, once again, one more person on your staff couldn’t get my/our name right. YOU were supposed to handle this yourself.

Amherst writes

So I don't appreciate your wife accusing my staff of taking Fionn's ashes hostage. That wasn't what happened. We dealt with hundreds of families with same procedure and all of them never made such negative interpretations.

My response

SUCH HYPERBOLE! Bull shit. What about the time you sent a customer their loved one’s ashes and the delivery person wanted a tip and wasn’t going to leave until he got one?

That’s exactly how I FELT! We had a prior agreement to have them shipped directly. After your staff member got my name wrong and I had to correct her several times, she was asking for payment!

We can’t ship them unless you pay…her words, NOT MINE! In addition, you and your staff have the WORST COMMUNICATION! I thought you gave them a stern talking to? Sure you did, you’re full of shite!

That’s not what we’d agreed upon. YOU were supposed to handle EVERYTHING Scott. How would you feel if you were treated this way,?? I’ve read the reviews of families for whom you provided a service for and they were mistreated in pretty much the same way.

Your low ratings are proof of that. If you want to skate by on ratings, accolades and cards, Go nuts, however; for the people who are treated in the manner in which WE were treated, I say, get off you high horse!

You don’t appreciate that? Okay, you and your staff started this nonsense your staff obviously doesn’t give a shit about our name and our son’s name. Is this the best you can do Scott, really? You’re quite the mean girl!

Amherst writes

We will ship Fionn's ashes today (November 20, 2019). Once we have completed the shipment, we will email you the Canada Post tracking number. The package will have an original invoice. Please call our main number extension 105 for Kisha and she'll take your credit card information and process accordingly.

My response

The interactions were DEFINITELY DISRESPECTFUL. When the above noted staff member called to ask for clothes on October 30 for our son for the viewing on. October 31, she called him by the wrong name and then proceeded to TALK OVER ME! No ownership and no apology at that point. You think that’s ok? Then, to add insult to injury, you yourself said “I gave her strict talking to” Apparently that means NOTHING to you and your staff. When she called about the remains, I was shocked. You told us they would ship and we would’ve received them on November 4, no call was necessary and yes, it came across as holding on to them. The term held hostage comes from how both Nick and I felt.

Learn how to pronounce people’s names and improve your communication.

So now, once again you’re back-pedalling. First you apologize backhandedly, and then you pile on with lies!

All the while presenting youself as an upstanding business man who truly cares about people and their departed loved ones. BULLSHIT!

Amherst writes

kindly ask if you could do this yourself (and no longer involve your wife in this process) as there has been 2 interactions with different staff members that were unfortunate, but with no intentions of disrespect were ever meant by them. Again, these are the same staff whose other families rave about how caring and left warm notes about. There were clearly misinterpretations of their well-meaning intents. To add, both Carla and Juanita had lost family members themselves quite recently.

My response

Have you ever been married? Partnered in a long term relationship?

Did you honestly think that my husband wasn’t going to share this email with me? Kudos, you’re the meanest passive aggressive mean girl EVER!

You’ve obviously never had children nor had to lay a child to rest. Your business tactics are appalling. Wait, what business are you in again? Oh yeah, well, kind of hard know that because, you think your clients are responsible for your staff’s bereavement.

I don’t really care about your staff members’ losses. Healing your staff is not OUR JOB Scott, Quite frankly; OUR SON DIED and we were paying you for a service.

Not my monkeys, not my circus.

We wanted to pay you when we were in Vancouver, but, nooooo, you said I’ll ship the death certificates along with the invoice and cremated remains. Wow

I’m so glad we didn’t entrust you with our son’s obituary. You probably would’ve messed that up too.

I am SO thankful for Ethical Death Care in Winnipeg. Had I known your company would be such a disrespectful shit show, I would’ve had our son flown to Winnipeg for EVERYTHING!

I’m so glad your staff members’ have received lots of nice notes and letters

I have two letters to leave for you and your staff; they’re F and U.

Rest on your laurels because you do that so well!

APOLIGIZE AND MOVE ON SCOTT!

Amherst writes

I understand that this is a very difficult time for the family and I hope that sending Fionn home to you will start the healing process.

My response

No you don’t because you wouldn’t have sent this snot-filled drivel to my husband. If you have a problem with me and what I said to your staff, then address it with me…I don’t’ trust business people who are incapable of confronting a difficult situation and customer. You probably have a stronger word for me and that makes me very happy!

Please, save your condescending crap for another family who buys into your shit

Amherst writes

I thank you in advance for your understanding and cooperation. Should you have any questions or concerns, please kindly contact me directly.

Kind regards,( don’t say it if you don’t ‘mean it)

And finally, you have the audacity to leave my name off of the shipment of my baby’s ashes. You really are a hateful little, troll Scott.

Scott

R. Scott McFarlane

Owner, Licensed Funeral Director & Embalmer

Amherst Funeral & Cremation Services Inc.

The Dominion Building

1209-207 West Hastings Street

Vancouver, BC V6B 1H7

[askkrisachan]

Hello, Krisachan dear~! Hm, hm, hm. Let's see here... ❤️ - Hug my muse from behind, annnnnd 💋 - Kiss my muse on the cheek. Thank you and best of luck to your darling Krisalia. God knows she'll need it. Cheers, sweetheart! Signed, Barista. ☕

The sensation wasn’t new to her. It was Mariko who persisted, even well past their school days, in greeting her kohai by circling her arms around Krisalia’s waist and pecking her cheek with a quick, innocent kiss; and if teachers or co-workers happened to be around and gave them funny looks for being this intimate for a mere greeting, Mariko’s ready-at-hand and well practiced answer was I’m half French, and I like to stick to my heritage when it comes to show my friends how much I care for them!

[Yet, Krisalia didn’t know if Mariko’s claims about being half European were true. When you’re stuck in your twenties for roughly less than hundred years, one does have an awful lot of time to learn and improve their knowledge of foreign languages and cultures.]

However, in the here and now, the arms that were holding the detective in place were strong, slightly muscular and lean; male, in all regards.And male was the chest she was leaning against to, and so were the lips that were brushing her right cheek in such an affectionate fashion.

“Treasure.”

Only one man could call Krisalia like that.

“My beloved Treasure.”

Akira Kurusu, one of the three barista helpers at the Huggamug Café.Also known as Joker, the daring thief who stole her heart many years ago. [Who would have thought that they would actually meet in person and slowly fall for each other, once in their adulthood?]The devil in disguise who, in his own way, was helping Krisalia to understand her true nature.

“Come home with me tonight. Your apartment is a little too cold for you in this time of the year, isn’t it?”

The lump in her throat was hard and painful to swallow down. Aside from the codewords they used for when Eira or other customers were within earshot, Akira never bothered to hide his intentions. It was an easy guess to how he intended to keep the purple-haired detective warm, and picturing the scene in her head made Krisalia’s legs quiver.

Breathe in, breathe out. Stay calm, Krisalia, stay calm. There’s still a long way to home before you can give in to the passion, so, please, keep a straight face! And, for God’s sake, don’t rut your butt against Akira’s lap! It feels good, I get that, but it’s still a bad idea to do it while you two are on the streets! Wait until you’re at his place, then you can act slutty to your heart’s content!

“…it is, but I still need to go and grab a change for tomorrow morning” she stated, struggling to keep her voice as neutral as possible. “I still have a job to go to, you know.” A soft chuckle danced on her ear, followed shortly by a pair of warm lips.

“I know, I know. You won’t be late tomorrow, I promise.” Krisalia wasn’t sure at all of the sincerity of his words, but she didn’t question it. “Still, I’ll treat you so nicely that I bet you won’t want to leave my bed ever again, my angel.”

She chuckled, taking hold of his hand before it sneaked past her skirt.

“I know that you will, master.”