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auntie-venom · 1 year

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Will of Fate

Chapter Five

Fandom: Star Wars: The Mandalorian

Story Rating: Explicit

Chapter Rating: Mature

Characters: Din Djarin x Original Female Character

Summary: There hasn’t been an unidentified spacecraft in the stratosphere of Arkadia in over two decades, let alone three in one day. Those skilled or mad enough to venture into the Chaos unguided were few and far between. That means no one has ever made it to Arkadia who wasn’t intending to be here.

Until today.

Din Djarin finds an unmapped planet filled with beings who have the same powers as the Child, but know nothing of the force or the Jedi.

Chapter Summary: Din, Eziriel, and The Child continue to make their way towards civilization and Eziriel reflects on her new companions.

Word Count - 3,602

Chapter Warnings: None

Will of Fate Masterlist

Read on Ao3

A/N: It is a shorter chapter, but I like having whimsical moments. I am probably going to have to only post every other week from now on due to real life stuff picking up. I believe 2/5ths of the first arc is complete, I haven’t decided if this is going to be broken down by series or all into this fic, I guess we will see.

Feedback and critique is welcome, I am trying to get better. Reminder this is unbeta-ed. I hope you enjoy it!

Chapter five

The Mandalorian is already up and wiping down his blaster by the time Eziriel blinks awake. That brisk morning air makes her throat ache and nose run and it reminds her of being young and camping here with Amarian. While Azure Falls is her favorite place to camp when she is in this part of the woods, the cave makes for a very uncomfortable place to sleep when all you have is a singular bedroll to separate you from the cold stone ground. She brought two bedrolls to cushion nights in the wild on this trip, but she gave her spare one to Mando.

She stretches underneath her cloak wincing at the aches in her back. Mando doesn’t acknowledge her from where he sits near the mouth of the cave. Across the cave’s opening she had put up a particle shield she had modified to have a programmable shape between five nodes. It was a prototype but has been doing a great job of keeping out unwanted things.

Mando had tested it the night before with rocks, his body, and then his blaster which made her jump at the unexpected shot. He then nodded at it like it was a worthy opponent. Eziriel made notes about the spontaneous quality testing of the prototype in her HolOmni with excitement.

“Maker, I could use a caf,” Eziriel mumbles out with a hoarse voice. She sits up and wraps her cloak tighter around her as she watches the outside world grow brighter through the semi-transparent shield.

“It was very disappointing not having breakfast to wake up to again this morning,” he says dryly. “You are slacking at your hosting duties.”

It takes her a second to catch that he is teasing. That dry deadpan delivery hitting that much harder with the expressionless helmet. It makes her chest swell with joy at the show of his sense of humor.

“I beg your forgiveness, Lord Lori, that I did not wake with the cresting sun to deliver you the ever delectable morning ration packet,” she mocks with a hand flourished partial bow.

He gives a quick exhale with what she assumes is his version of laughter before he stands up to hand her a ration packet and her canteen. She had shown him the bag where she stored them and gave him permission to get whatever he needed whenever he needed from it. She offered it mostly because she was worried the little green toddler would wake up hungry in the middle of the night, but feeding himself when he felt secure was just as well. He leans against the wall across from her as she eats from her bedroll.

“Breakfast in bed? Mando, you sure know how to treat a lady,” she quips up at him with a smirk.

“Hmmm,” he responds.

The whooshing sound of the pram opening cuts off whatever he was about to say and a childlike voice rings out, “Ehhh?”

Hungry. Happy. Hungry.

Eziriel smiles at the younglings' projected feelings as Mando goes to take care of the child. He had so much joy when she was able to share her feelings with him yesterday evening. It must have been a long time since he was around someone with a Will. Or the Force, she reminds herself of the foreign word the Mandalorian used.

She wishes she is able to communicate more clearly with the child, maybe even share memories, but she isn't as disciplined in the psyche part of her Will. She is only able to do the deep mind sharing with people she is very familiar with. She often used her close relationship with her brother to torment him while in important, but boring, meetings. Projecting silly thoughts and rude images all in an effort to see if his facade cracked. He would always scold her but never hid his amusement that she caused.

She knows some people on Arkadia have immense Will of the mind; completely able to pull any thought from anyone who isn’t shielding themselves. Sometimes they even have the ability to influence another’s mind into bending to their will. Those who are naturally gifted in that way are often encouraged to join the Infiltrator Division. Those talented with the Will of mind excel at the espionage and investigative focused career.

The child catches her eye and grins at her with a mouthful of food that Mando had just given him. She feels an inquisitive pulse from him. She wonders if this is his way of asking how she is, so she returns the smile and projects a content aura of happiness towards him. He giggles, closes his eyes, and holds his hand out at her and she feels her cloak being lifted towards him.

She chuckles and makes her way toward him while Mando shakes his head at the kid’s antics. “He certainly lets you know what he wants, huh?”

“He’s never been shy about his demands,” Mando says with a level of affection in his raspy voice.

“So the use of our Will’s abilities are rare in Galactic Space?” She questions once she settles a hand on the child’s head, making him giggle when she bobs his head back and forth gently with it.

“I’ve never seen anything like it before I met him,” Mando says, shaking his head.

“It is bizarre that something so second nature to Arkadians is nonexistent anywhere else. Our Will is just another limb to us, an extension of one’s own body,” she says, focusing her Will to roll up her vacated bedroll.

“And seeing it is nothing short of magic to me,” he states, giving the last of the meal to the child.

They pack up their stuff onto the speeder bike while the kid hops from rock to rock, burning the built up energy he restored from his sleep. Everyone seemed to be in high spirits regardless of the uncomfortable night sleep. Mando even allowed a moment of trust by leaving Eziriel to watch the child as he stepped away to relieve himself instead of taking the child with him like he did yesterday.

“Eziriel?” The gruff modulated voice rings out from the direction he disappeared to.

“Lori?” She answers with cheek, turning to see his shiny armor glint in the tree line.

“There are fresh tracks over here.” He tips his head in indication to where he is referring to. She picks up the kid and walks over to him. “I figured since I was blessed to have an experienced guide I’d let her take care of it.”

His callback to her teasing brag from yesterday made her snort as she made her way towards him. After the first night in the beacon station of feeling each other’s intentions out, Eziriel just assumed this man was just gonna be another boring serious person for her to wind up. He originally came across as the type a person who she could fluster and frustrate for her enjoyment; and from her playful prodding yesterday he still is someone she can wind up, but she did not expect him to start bantering back and it’s made her morning. She is really enjoying the dry snark of this man.

She hands him the kid and looks down at the tracks he found. There were plenty of them, indicating to her that it’s possibly a small pack. She finds one of the clearer imprints and squats down to investigate. The print, longer than the length of his forearm and definitely canine in shape. She knew these tracks, every Arkadian kid raised on myths knew these tracks.

“Looks like a pack of Will-striders. Wolves,” she clarifies at his questioning head tilt. “They were probably curious about us. They are very smart creatures and are usually shy if they are alone, but can be vicious if they become desperate.”

“Those are wolf prints?” He points to the markings. “How big are your wolves?”

“I’ve seen some taller than you,” she says with a shrug. “Legend has it that Arkadians would ride Will-striders into battle, but now they roam the wilds of Arkadia hunting little beasts and sometimes escorting lost travelers. There are some gorgeous pure white ones in the southern hemisphere.”

“Your people domesticated them?”

“Not really, more of an understanding of trust through each other’s Will. With the advancement of technology, not many people practice the art of animal handling with their Will anymore,” she explains while she leads them back to the speeder.

“You can do more than move stuff with your…Will?” He hesitates with the word.

“Yeah,” she says with a nod. “Like with any skill, it’s all about what you develop. Most people can read emotions off of other beings and project their own to others.”

“That’s how you knew he was hungry,” he comments and she smiles and nods in confirmation. He is far more insightful than she originally thought.

“Some people can focus their Will enough to hear surface level thoughts too. I can only do that to people I intimately know since their minds are less guarded when they are around someone familiar.

“We have those who can heal with it, some who can persuade with it, and a few of our fiercest Enforcers throughout history could summon lightning. There is plenty more you can do with it if you have the patience and discipline,” she finishes with a shrug.

He looks down at the toddler in his arms. “He can do that,” he says softly. “The healing, I mean.”

Her eyebrows raise in shock. “That is remarkable. I’ve never heard of someone that young wielding that skill.”

He doesn’t respond as he tries to put the toddler into his pram, but the child is fussing up a storm. He keeps crying and putting his body on the lip of the pram so Mando can’t close it. She feels the frustration coming off them both in waves. Mando heaves a heavy sigh at the child’s antics.

“Come on kid, we have to go,” Mando says exasperated but still full of paternal patience.

Eziriel takes the two front panels of her cloak, crosses them in front of her body, and ties them against her lower back. She reaches for the kid, checking with Mando to make sure she isn’t overstepping. He gives her a nod and she plucks him from the pram and places him in the cross section of the cloak. The tension of the fabric holding him snuggly to the front of her body as his head looks out from the v of the cross section. The child looks up at Mando with a pleased grin.

“Are you okay with him riding like this?” She asks. “I used to do this with my niece all the time when she was smaller, but I’d understand if you feel uncomfortable. He just doesn’t want to be in his pram anymore.”

“Or he has discovered that you will dote on him if he plays his cards right,” he says, reaching out to run a finger along one of the kid’s giant ears causing the child’s smile to grow.

“Well, that’s the joy of not being a parent. I can spoil all the kids I want and get away with it,” she says up at him with a grin. “You’re lucky I don’t stuff him full of sugar and scary stories then send him home with you. That’s my usual modus operandi.”

He shakes his head at her and mounts the packed speeder. She follows suit and makes sure the kid is snugly in her cloak before taking off in the last stretch to home.

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The green kid loves the speeder bike. He spends the ride giggling and pointing at things. Joy and excitement radiates off of him as his ears flapped in the wind while she maneuvers them through the forest.

Mando, however, was anxious. He sat much closer than he did the day before and kept looking over her shoulder to check on the child. She knows it wasn’t necessarily anxiety that he was feeling, but protectiveness; the anxiety manifesting from his acute form of alertness. She completely understood why he was doing this. She totally empathizes…

But it was distracting.

He was a large man and having his form pressing against her body, surrounding her, feeling the heat of his thighs around hers, made her stomach flutter in a way that she hasn’t put much attention towards in a while. This was definitely not the time to entertain that sort of thought. She has the potential planet-endangering saboteur and the passage sponsorship of the Mandalorian and his little green son to focus on, she couldn’t have the soft fickle thoughts of carnality right now.

She can’t help but to admit she has enjoyed the unplanned presence of the two offworlders, so she isn’t too bothered about the prospect of sponsoring them. The stoic Mandalorian was fun to tease and dry wit continues to be delightful whenever he rose to her barbs. His child is nothing short of adorable with his big dark eyes framed by even larger ears and inquisitive nature. They made an odd pairing, but the juxtaposition was quite charming.

Eziriel is very curious about this child’s origins and the Mandalorian’s noble journey to reunite him with his people. The more she thinks about the word “Jedi” the more she feels like she has heard the word, but she can’t place where. She wonders how long the child has been separated from them and how Mando found him. She has a lot of questions but she could tell that the Mandalorian would clam up if she prodded too much, but she kept all her mental focus on him when he spoke to her in order to glean anything from him. So far he has been honest in all of their discussions and she appreciates it.

The toddler was a special enigma. Eziriel has never seen a person quite like the child before. His use of his Will to manipulate the objects around him were on track for someone his age, but if what Mando said was true about his ability to heal then that means this child is a tremendously powerful being. She knew some species were naturally more attuned to their Will and this might be the case with this child.

Keeping her emotions in a state of projection so the kid can feel her was wearing her out quicker than usual. It was natural for her to have mental walls up since she has to deal with more political figures than she liked with her job and keeping them down took some concentration, but feeling the happiness that she caused the kid by just sharing feelings was worth the additional focus and slight headache. He must have been so lonely with no one to communicate with on this level.

With the way Fate’s Will surrounds all living things Eziriel uses it to be hyper-aware when traveling in the wilds and right when they are cresting a hill she feels a shift in the woods. She is jarred when Mando taps the outside of her thigh twice and says something she can’t hear but can feel rumble across her back. She pulls over at the tree line before the dip into the valley and cuts the engine. Something was off and it seems they both felt it.

“I missed what you said,” she says as she dismounts and looks at him.

“I said ‘those trees are moving,’” he repeats, getting off the speeder and pointing over to the other side of the valley from where they stood.

Over the tree line she notices the gentle rise and fall of treetops. Branches and leaves bobbing above the tree line like a cork in a slow moving stream.

“Oh!” She exclaims, grabbing Mando’a hand and dragging him to duck behind a boulder for cover. He follows suit with a wave of concern reaching her from him. She peaks over the top of the boulder to keep an eye on the procession.

“It’s the pilgrimage of the treefolk,” she whispers as the first of a dozen gargantuan tree creatures steps through the tree line to make their way into the valley. All similar in their bark covered bodies but different in sizes, leaves, limbs, and knots. They were very odd creatures for sure, and it was usually best to leave them be when they were awake.

“Every handful of years the treefolk gather to create fertile spores to raise where they plant themselves for the following couple of years,” she continues, lifting herself so the cooing kid up to see the creatures. “So long as we don’t—“

She feels the Mandalorian firmly grab her, interrupting her warning, and push her behind him with her back against the rock. One hand had the blaster up while the other hovered outstretched behind him to keep her covered as a creaking treefolk stretched awake in front of them. Mando backed up further, eliminating any distance between her and his body. Her heart pumps with adrenaline at the prospect of a possible altercation and she knows she has to try to keep the peace.

She reaches out and places her hand on the bicep of the arm holding the blaster and whispers gently, “They aren’t aggressive so long as they aren’t threatened. Don’t attack or cut down any of their kin.”

He lowers the blaster but does not put it away or move from the protective stance he has placed himself in. The treefolk stretches their rooted legs out of their current home and stands to their full height. A rough groan is pulled from their body as they raise their knotted limbs high in the air. The creature turns around to face them huddled against the rock and she watches Mando bend his knees to shift his balance to his toes in preparation for an attack. The gnarled bark face of the treefolk looks down at them and says something in a guttural language that neither of them understand.

Curiosity.

Ezirial steadies her breathing as she catches the emotion rather easily. She knows the treefolk were Willful creatures and some level of communication could be done with them, but she has never seen one awake like this before. The ones she has come across have always been asleep, indistinguishable from normal trees until you reached your will out.

She steps around Mando’s arm and he grabs her forearm to try and keep her in his vicinity. She lets him keep her close as she looks at the treefolk and sends a peaceful aura towards the being. The treefolk’s head tilts as he leans down to get a better look at them and she feels Mando’s grip tighten on her arm. The child in her cloak lets out a hum and Eziriel feels the burst of joy from him.

“Easy,” she whispers to the spike of anxiety Mando lets out as the creature leans closer to the child. She hears the Mandalorian’s modulated breath quicken the closer the treefolk gets.

The toddler holds out his hand towards the treefolk and a giant hand with an extended finger slowly closes the distance. With a level of unexpected gentleness the being allows the child to grasp its finger causing the child to coo and chatter up at the creature. The treefolk lets out a truly unnerving staccato noise that could only be a laugh based on the delight coming off of them.

“It’s fine, we’re fine. We’re just sharing our emotions,” she explains with a stiff whisper to the man still gripping her. She hopes her nervousness isn’t notable in her voice but she has gathered that the Mandalorian is very perceptive.

“Oh, great,” he dryly whispers back.

The treefolk pulls their hand away from the curious child and the twining branches that make up the appendage bloom dozens of purple blossoms. Eziriel holds her breath as the being holds his hand above the group and gently shakes the blossoms free to rain upon them.

“Ooooooh,” the toddler says at the spectacle, catching some in his hands. The treefolk then stands to their full height and slowly makes their way towards the procession of their kin.

The Mandalorian releases a sigh of relief and holsters his blaster once the being is out of sight. She glances at him with a small look of amusement when she notices the blue flowers stuck to his cape.

“If you wanted to hold my hand, my lovely Lori, all you had to do was ask.” She shakes her arm that he still grasps and he drops it immediately. Her hand tingles as the blood flow returns, no longer held back by the tight grip.

“You had my ward attached to you and you seem the type to get into trouble,” he says with a sigh.

“Ha!” She exclaims dramatically as she sets the kid down to play in the flowers. “Astute assessment. Look at you getting to know me!”

She scoops some of the flowers and gently snows it down on the smiling kid. When Mando tries to walk back to the speeder she grabs his arm and he turns to face her.

“Another thing you should know about me, I’d never knowingly endanger any child. Children are precious and must be protected,” she says with a voice filled with sincerity. He stares at her before nodding and she goes back to playing in the flowers with the kid while he gathers rations for lunch, all the while keeping a sharp eye on the pair.

<< Chapter Four

Chapter Six >>

#star wars #star wars fanfiction #star wars au #din djarin #din djarin x ofc #Din Djarin x Original Female Character #din djarin x original character #din djarin fic #the mandolarian #the mandalorian x reader #the mandalorian fanfiction #the mandalorian x original character #fanfiction #fanfic #fanfic community #third person pov #third person perspective

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wafflesetc · 1 year

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To be honest I have five to six theories of what could have happened to jay. first one, He's dying in bolivia. Second one, he's coming back from bolivia and they are both leaving for good. Third theory, He's coming back and they are married off screen. Fourth theory, Hailey is kidnapped and that's why he's coming back. Fiveth theory, He's coming back and they are getting a divorce. Sixth theory, he was kidnapped and he didn't call back because of it.

All plausible theories. I don’t think they are going to kill him. If they haven’t already done that, I don’t think they are going to do it now. As for the rest of it, he’s eventually going to have to come back home. Hopefully we see it. Or at least hear about it happening on our screens. We’ll know in a few weeks!

#ask waffs #I don’t even really need the end of the season just give me hiatus

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alexbkrieger13 · 1 year

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Yeah. The french league has two top teams. Lyon and PSG. The WSL compete with four. Chelsea, Arsenal, City and United and a little far away Spurs as fiveth team. This is of course more exhausting for the players, but also more interesting to play.

Oh definitely makes it more exciting

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transformativeworks · 8 months

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Five Things Alex Johnson Said

In FiveThings Alex Johnson discusses synthesizing their knowledge of what’s happening in every OTW committee to draft and implement our strategic plans. Read more at: https://otw.news/9lj

#otw #organization for transformative works #five things #strategic planning #volunteering

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dailyaudiobiblechronological · 1 year

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1/25/2023 DAB Chronological Transciption

Genesis 38 - 40

Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible Chronological, I'm China. Today is the 25 day. Wow, the 20 fiveTH day. That is our new metric of time, welcome. We are starting today. I don't know what that was that came out of my mouth, but today is the 25th day of January, welcome. It is so great to be here with you today. So glad that you are here reading the word of the Lord together and that there are so many of us all around the globe that are reading God's word together and that he is listening and the Holy Spirit is breathing and coming alive to us in the scriptures. And yeah, so maybe if you are listening alone or by yourself, may you just rest in the comfort of knowing that there are so many others around the global campfire who are listening with you today. So whether you have a cold weather day where you're at and you really do need a campfire, or the weather is not so chilly and you could do a campfire setting on YouTube and just have one of those running, those are pretty cool. But regardless, there's a global campfire here and we are coming around and reading and listening to the word of the Lord together. So let's jump in. Today we are continuing our story. We are in the book of Genesis with chapters 38 through 40, and we are in the Common English Bible for this week.

Commentary

So two crazy stories happen today. The first one is is so bizarre to me. It's like two different sexual affairs try to happen. One does happen, and then one tries to happen and is accused of being happening. Of happening. So she gets married and the first husband is immoral. So the Lord puts him to death, and then the second husband is being deceitful and he gets put to death. And so basically what's happening is they're waiting for a Shaila to grow up, which means there's a substantial age gap. And so they're just waiting for him to get older, for them to get married is my best guess here. And so while they're waiting for that time to come, she's realizing, okay, well, he's already grown up, but he hasn't been given to me to be my husband yet. So when Judah sees her, he assumes that she's a prostitute, which I'm like, okay, Judah like, time out. Both your sons were just killed by God because of their immorality, and yet here you are thinking that this woman's a prostitute. And so you're like, sure, why not? So I'm like, buddy, what's happening here? But he sleeps with her, she becomes pregnant, and that we don't see in the scripture. But I wonder if she okay. Pause. Sorry. My brains kind of go in a couple of different directions. One, how do you not know what your daughter in law looks like? How do you not know what your father in law looks like? It seems that she knows who he is and like, did she keep her face covered the whole time? Which is strange to me. Whatever. So my best guess here, and I'm not trying to make a theological statement, I'm just trying to understand the text a little bit better, I think my best guess, she knows who he is. He doesn't know who she is. She's like, let me set myself up here. One, I'll have a child, and two, I also won't get burned or killed because I'm going to have this statement that you slept with me. This was your idea. And so that happens. And then not only is she pregnant with a baby, she's pregnant with twins. And this part was really fascinating to me. Now that I've had a baby, I'm very aware of, like, birth stories, and I'm like, oh my goodness. If a baby came out with their hand out first, the labor for that is, whoa, intense. So I have heard. But okay, so then he puts his hand back. I'm curious how that would go. Once a baby is coming out, how does it hand go back? I'm not saying this is wrong or that I don't believe it. I'm just saying, wow, this is something that I'm picturing. And I'm like, okay, this is crazy. And so then for him to be retracted under the pubic bone, which is where you have to push your baby out of, and in the birth canal for him to go back, and then another baby come out, I'm like, okay, very interesting. That labor must have really sucked. Anyway, so that's like all the story that's, like, all the contexts that we have, they're named. And then we go back into the story of Joseph. Now, this is a very common, very popular story that we know, or maybe you don't know it. I'll break it down for those who don't know it, but we just read it, so there's not much that I need to break down. But what is very interesting to me is Joseph's heart posture. It always gets me. You know, he is towards the end of the scripture. He's he's talking about, look, I've done nothing to be down here. I've actually done nothing to even be sold into human trafficking, but he doesn't call it that to slavery. And then to be down here in this dungeon, I've done nothing wrong. But for him to maintain his heart posture, like, we don't see any Lord. Are you kidding me? Or any of, like, anger towards God or frustration towards man. We don't see that in the text. Maybe he struggled with that. I'm not sure that would kind of make sense. Wouldn't blame him. But really, he continues to be who God made him to be and who what God gave him the gift of is to interpret dreams. And he even says dreams are from God, and so interpretations are from God. And so he is again, this is now his. Sorry, I think this is his second time revealing a dream, there'll be a third that we'll read about. But what's the one thing that he asks in return is, please don't forget me. Don't forget me down here. And the the wine steward, the cup barer, he forgets Joseph. And so Joseph is is forgotten. There's not a phone line. He don't get a call. There's no, like, I'll scream loud enough, you can hear me through your floor, but there's none of that. I don't even know that the dungeon would be under the king's house or anything like that. I think it's separate. I don't know. But there's no way that he gets out of this in his own might, you know, and it doesn't even seem like he again, through what scripture reveals to us, I don't know how you could be content in a dungeon in prison. I don't know that he was or that he wasn't, but I do know that he continues to be faithful to the Lord and continues to be a good steward of what the Lord has given him, which is his dream interpretations and to wait on the Lord. And so I think this story really just shows me that when we are in less than ideal situations and we are doing everything quote right and doing everything, that we're just living our lives and then things have happened to us that we're like, time out, what is this? What's happening? Some pointers. One, I think the Lord isn't always behind those things. I think that he's in them and that he guides and directs us and nothing takes him by surprise because I don't think that God motive, it like, I don't think it was God who was behind just his brother selling him into slavery and then that he would be bought into Potipher's house and then Potipher's wife trying to sleep with him and then accusing him of rape and then him getting put in prison. I don't know that that was like, this is my plan for you, Joseph. It's going to be great. Could have been, I don't know for sure. But what I do know is that the word is sovereign. And he's like, okay, I'm going to use this all for my glory, and then you're going to be a mouthpiece. And through all of this, the Lord gets the glory and the honor. Maybe you have some things going on in your life that you're like, I didn't do anything. I was just living my life and XYZ is happening to me and gosh, dang, I can't catch a break. And I'm just trying to be a good steward, trying to be a good believer, a good person, and these things are happening to me and I just don't even know what to do anymore. We don't see that Joseph asks those questions. But like I said, it would make sense that he would it makes sense that we would have those questions kind of like Job, but then to also just kind of rest on the fact that the Lord is sovereign. And to trust that we again, like in this text, we don't see that the Lord is saying joseph, it's going to be this much longer, buddy. Hang in there. Things will look up, keep fighting a good fight. There's no indicator that the Lord is speaking to Joseph through this. Again, he could have, could not have. I don't know, I'm just going by what the scripture says, but I see that Joseph continues to be faithful to the Lord and to be faithful to what he has been given, which is his own dreams and interpretation of dreams, and we'll see how that really propels him. But yeah, some things that I think that are helpful to apply to our own story is sometimes things happen and we can't control them. We cannot control the outcome, no matter how much we are trying to. And then something happens and we're like, okay, don't forget me. Or maybe we're saying that to the Lord, lord, don't forget me. And then we feel forgotten. I can promise you, like, we're in the thick of this story right now, so I won't bring the outcome to make this a feel good message, especially if you're in the thick of your story. But what I can say for sure is that you're not forgotten. You may be in this place of a dungeon where you didn't do anything to deserve this or to get here. Is it not by your faultings? And you're here and you're being a faithful steward of what God has given you. You're doing what he's asked you and yet you feel forgotten. I can promise you the Lord sees you and I can promise you that you are not forgotten.

Prayer

So Father, I thank you for your word. I thank you for the guidance and the direction that it gives us, even when we can't see it, even when we can't feel it, even maybe if we don't really want it. We just want to feel the pain and the intensity of our questions. And God, I just thank you that when we have those questions and we have our pain, you meet us in them. And so I pray that we would be a people who can learn to be uncomfortable in our own questions and doubts and big feelings, but I pray that we would remember the truth, that you meet us there and that we would be sensitive to Your Holy Spirit. And God, I thank you that you always come to rescue us. You are always coming after us. And just like we are going to read soon in this story, we're not going to stay in this dungeon, we're not going to stay in this place, we're not going to stay in the thought or the wonder that you might have forgotten us. I think that the sweet truth is that there's nowhere we could go that you wouldn't be and there's nowhere that you would be that we couldn't be? And so I just thank you for your word today and it's in your name we pray, amen.

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twisted-tales-of-all · 2 years

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Jumping Universes

Chapter Five

The fifth installment of the story uses 2.7k words to recount the events that occur to the other two characters (Sage and Wooyoung) after they learned that their friends jumped. Deciding to follow them, they jump into a world where the roles of Sage’s world feel reversed. Sage has to work around suddenly being a famous idol, but they find another member among the chaos - who claims he’s a fan of Sage’s! Be aware of both a forced death (suicide via monoxide poisoning) and unplanned death (via plane crash) in this installment, as well as language warnings, and discussion of deeper topics (homophobia, bullying, family issues, etc.).

“ You’re my fan? But I’m yours! ”

Masterlist

"Now what? We have to follow them, right?" Wooyoung asks as they stand in front of their comatose friends.

"Yeah, we do. At least we know it isn't always death for our bodies in the worlds we jump from. That's helpful info." Sage responds, her eyes stuck on Chantel's body, trying desperately to force her mind to accept that the person she knows is no longer contained within.

"Got a plan? We should do it as soon as possible. Who knows how time translates across worlds."

Snapping back to reality thanks to his words, Sage nods and begins walking to the exit. Wooyoung follows just a step behind, humming to himself due to his nerves. Once they make it outside of the hospital, Sage explains the plan, carefully choosing her words so strangers don't catch wind of a suicide plan. The duo splits to buy different items to help prevent questioning, meeting up with their supplies at Wooyoung's small apartment. As Sage inspects the rooms, she deems the bathroom their best bet.

Sage closes the window tight and seals the door shut with duct tape. During that time, Wooyoung sets up the portable stove, filling it with charcoal. Once everything is in place, they light the stove and wait.

For the first hour, they sit in silence. However, tired of waiting, Sage starts asking Wooyoung questions about his original world.

"It wasn't anything special." He claims, scoffing as he adds, "I was quite happy after finding myself in another world, actually."

Debating with herself over asking her burning question, Sage stays silent longer than planned. Wooyoung sees the internal struggle painted in bold font on her face and answers her unasked question.

"I killed myself. I was sick of the bullying - wanted an escape. Fate gave it to me. I woke up in a much better place."

"Bullying? Can I ask why?"

"A year prior, someone outed me to the school. Heterosexuality is the norm in my world. Homophobia came quickly, and even some people who were close friends turned against me. After a few months, they realized I could plug in my earbuds and tune them out, so the meanest of the bullies turned physical." He speaks nonchalantly as if describing a movie plot rather than his own life. "It was still pretty tolerable up until my parents found out. Good parents would've been concerned for their kid's injuries, but mine cared more about my 'disgusting habits' and added to the bullying. My mother was crying every day, praying to something - anything, really - that her son would come to his senses. My step-father hurled insults relentlessly, cursing me and my dead father. He never stopped blaming my dad's bloodline for my sexuality. I couldn't take it anymore."

Sage doesn't dare ask for the method. She has learned enough to make her stomach turn, and the carbon monoxide in the air only makes her feel worse. She softly apologizes for his terrifying past, offering a hug that he declines.

"It feels fake at this point - like a bad dream. When I woke up as a butler with a baker as a boyfriend, I immediately accepted my new truth. When you and Chantel came, I knew that truth would shatter again. And here I am again, fading out of another reality." His voice softens at the end, joined by his eyes closing.

Sage follows his lead and closes her eyes, too. She feels the brain haze deepen as she does so. The two remain silent from that point, too sick to speak or move. Slowly, they both fade away, feeling as if they're falling asleep after a long, tiring day.

Wooyoung awakens and smiles to himself. Telling someone about his past life feels freeing, so he sits up with a feeling of being lighter. Quickly, he messages Sage with a screen capture of his current location. She responds a few minutes later with a similar picture, pointing out that they live in the same community. She sends another message explaining that her text to Chantel won't deliver.

"Fuck, they're somewhere else," Wooyoung concludes, voicing his thoughts aloud to the empty room.

He replies to the messages with a false claim that he's already on his way to her home. This forces him to get up, get dressed, and leave. However, he only makes it to her street before seeing a group of people sitting on the sidewalks and in the street. With a little inspection, he realizes that some of them hold signs with Sage's name or face on them, so he calls her.

"What's up? You here?"

"Kinda. Have you looked outside? There's a bit of a roadblock in between me and your house."

Wooyoung hears the movement from Sage's end, catching an uproar of screams from the group at the same time as she opens her curtains to look out from the second-floor bedroom.

"What on earth?!" She yells into the speaker, paired with rustling in the background to return the curtain to its original state.

Wooyoung flinches away from the phone due to the volume but laughs as he explains, "Looks like you're an idol now. And here you thought I was."

"I'm gonna try jumping through the backyard. Go to the next street over. I'll meet you there." Sage abruptly hangs up, not even acknowledging the ironic joke Wooyoung made.

Realizing that she'll have to hide if she's famous enough to have a mob outside of her home, she decks herself out in a baggy black outfit, paired with a matching hat, mask, and sunglasses. She curses under her breath as she sees the fence she has to jump to escape through her neighbor's yard but finds a pile of junk in the corner to assist her. Walking outside, she hears a dog past the fence, making matters worse. Due to her fear of the creature, she jumps into the yard diagonally behind hers, running quickly to avoid being caught in a stranger's backyard. As she reaches the sidewalk, she stops to catch her breath.

Wooyoung casually strolls up to her, joking, "The fantastic life of being famous. You must love it."

"Shut up." She barks back, standing upright again to glare at his smiling face.

"Where are we hiding? I'm sure you have fans everywhere."

"Normally, I'd suggest your house, but I'm hungry. Let's find somewhere to eat, yeah?"

Wooyoung searches the internet for food, using his location to narrow the search to nearby restaurants. Finding one that sounds good, he tilts the screen to Sage, who agrees. They follow the GPS to their selection, finding it during one of their slow hours. Only waiting ten minutes to be seated, their luck feels short-lived when Sage hears the servers whispering about her. She had removed her sunglasses once inside but didn't expect to be recognized so easily.

She lowers her head as their server approaches, asking for drink orders. They both order a glass of iced green tea, and they have their food order ready as he returns. Wooyoung orders for both of them, per Sage's request. She explains herself once the server walks away again, but he commends the server on his professionalism if he is her fan. Despite his comment, Sage continues the rest of their time in the restaurant with her head down.

When Sage checks the bill, she finds the server's number scribbled across the top. She scoffs at his confidence but stares at the number for longer than usual. For some reason, she recognizes it, but she can't figure out why. She keeps the receipt out of curiosity, and the duo leaves. They make their way to Wooyoung's house, but the number keeps pricking at Sage's mind. After settling down in the living room, she informs Wooyoung.

"Did you check the list? Maybe it's a number on there." He offers casually, thinking nothing of it.

As she opens her contact list, she finds the number shining at her on the top of the page, "What was our server's name again? I gotta add him to the list."

"Wait, really? I was half-joking. It was Yunho; his name is Yunho."

Sage faceplants into the phone, "Of course it is."

At this point, Sage thinks the universe - or universes, or whatever - is playing with her. First, Wooyoung. Now, Mingi and Yunho too? It's as if she's in some twisted game for TV, a collect-the-members skit to trick the ATEEZ fans. Although she knows that it can't be true, she looks for hidden cameras in the room, just in case. When Wooyoung questions her, she jokes that it feels like she's collecting the members, but he reminds her that nobody had heard of the band outside of her universe.

They wait until the next morning to send Yunho a message, asking whether he'd like to meet up as thanks for him being respectful and letting them eat in peace despite being Sage's fan. Sage sends him an address to a private airport strip, where the idol has a private jet. He graciously accepts and meets the duo at the entrance. Wooyoung can't help but laugh, seeing Yunho dressed up - clearly as an attempt to whoo his idol. Sage doesn't notice the attempt, however, assuming that it's his usual attire.

"Sorry for avoiding talking to you last night. I had overheard you telling a coworker that you're a fan, so I was worried you'd freak out. There are quite a few people who go overboard in the fandom."

Yunho scratches an invisible itch on the back of his head as he nervously answers, "Yeah, I have friends who stake out your house. I can't believe them for it; if you like someone, why would you inconvenience them like that? Plus, I think that celebrities are still normal people, so I don't get the obsession with them. People put these complete strangers on a pedestal for no reason."

"I like the way you think, bud. Heck, Sage isn't even really an idol." Wooyoung chimes in, hinting at their reality to see how he reacts.

Confused and slightly peeved, Yunho asks what he means. Sage insists that they'll explain on the plane. She begins rushing them in as she spots a small group approaching with cameras. As she falls into one of the seats, she sighs deeply, adding that she's glad she wasn't born into this life, which further confuses Yunho. He sits there, mouth open, but the words get jumbled and lost in his mind before he can ask anything.

"We've been jumping dimensions." Wooyoung declares after noticing the lost boy, "It may be hard to believe or comprehend, but this world isn't ours. Sage isn't an idol. In fact, in her world, you and I are, apparently."

Yunho, proving to be the most accepting person either of them has met, unloads a stream of questioning, "How does it happen? How many dimensions have you been through? Is there anyone else who can do it? Is there something to know whether someone else has the ability?"

Sage laughs at his curiosity, enjoying it more than the flat-out denial, like with Mingi, so she answers, "So, we'll save that first question for later, but I'll answer the rest to the best of my abilities. Counting my original world, this is my fifth jump."

"It's my fourth!" Wooyoung jumps in, interrupting her.

After a slight eye roll, she continues, "As far as people, we suspect that there will be ten in total, but we only know of five right now: me, Wooyoung, my best friend Chantel, this guy named Mingi, and you. We figure out when we gather everyone's numbers. You see, our phones automatically change to only nine saved numbers, and there aren't any names. So, we only barely found out that you have the ability as well." Yunho just waits as Sage continues, "Which brings us to your original question. While it all may seem super fun, the way to use the power makes it all questionable. It'd be nice to be able to choose when we switch worlds, but the reality is that we have to face death in order to do so. We can use self-inflicted methods - as Wooyoung and I have used on multiple occasions - or accidental instances, and it seems that those who die together travel to the same world. Mingi and Chantel were hit by a car in the last life, but we didn't find them here when we followed on our own."

Strangely enough, Yunho's excitement doesn't dim after finding that out. In fact, the news may have made him more interested.

"So, we're immortal, too? That sounds so cool! I'm like a superhero! Or- I'm like a low-level god! Not very powerful, but I can't really die."

"Woah, woah. We don't know how long the power lasts. We have no clue if we have a set amount of jumps or if it stops when all the contacts have names or what. Don't just go around dying without thinking about it." Wooyoung warns, calming the boy slightly.

"Yeah, makes sense. Sorry, it's just exciting."

"You have a strange mind." Sage points out, baffled by his overwhelmingly positive reaction.

Yunho just laughs, hearing similar comments throughout his life and growing accustomed to confusing people for simply existing a certain way. Deep down, he knows that people don't mean anything by the comments, but they always sting for a few seconds. Frankly, people confuse him as much as he confuses them, but telling them won't feel the same when they're usually considered normal.

After a few minutes of mindless chatter, the plane starts shaking. A flight attendant announces the turbulence over the intercom and instructs everyone to stay seated with their seatbelts securely fastened. The turbulence lessens after a bit, only to come back even stronger moments later. Sage curses, claiming that she hasn't experienced turbulence this badly before.

Suddenly, the intercom turns on again, with the pilot speaking, "Please, remain calm. We are experiencing issues due to passing through the storm. Brace yourselves for anything that can occur. We're desperately trying to save the aircraft from crash landing, but you're in for a very bumpy ride at best."

Sage worries about the workers, hoping that their jump doesn't also mean the deaths of those around them. Wooyoung works on calming her down, but Yunho's continuous positivity throws him for a loop as well.

"How are you not even nervous?!" He screams at the taller boy in frustration.

"Oh, I am, but I'm not angry. If this is meant to happen, there's no use in freaking out, right? It's the same thing as me serving my idol. Clearly, it was meant to happen, as you needed to find me somehow. Now, we have to face death and switch worlds eventually, right? If it's now, so be it."

Yunho's unusual response calms Sage drastically. Her tensed shoulders droop again, and the fear disappears from her eyes.

"Y'know, you're right. It's not our fault if it happens; we didn't rig the plane or bring forth a storm. If this happens, that means it was already meant to happen anyway. That's such a good way to look at things, Yunho." She smiles at him as she thanks him, both of them looking past a very confused Wooyoung next to them.

After muttering something about the situation under his breath, Wooyoung tries to relax. As he closes his eyes, Yunho points out the ground quickly rising in the window's view. After a few more minutes of rough, lurching air time, a loud screech rumbles under them as the plane's underside scrapes against the concrete, sending a trail of sparks in their wake. The intercom sounds again, but the pilot can't get a word out before the plane catches fire, bits of metal exploding from all around the group. Wooyoung and Yunho both have their eyes closed at this point, with a line of blood streaming down Yunho's face from where something cut him in the chaos. Sage keeps her eyes open until they're forced closed by the smoke, but she's pelted in the stomach by a cold, solid object shortly after, and the noise quiets suddenly once again.

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