#23 and finally found my coven

[goth-tof]

Wishing I could just lay in some soft grass in the shade for a couple days and listen to the world ~

Finished the last day of a 4-day stretch of being out of my apartment and social. Now while I did very much enjoy spending time with friends and adventuring I am so glad to have a few days to recoup at home and just calm my brain. ~very exhausted but happy! Being more considerate of my needs and social battery has been both helpful and frustrating. The upside, I now know why I feel so tired and burnt out all the time, especially when out and about. The downside, is I now know it comes from something I can't exactly just fix. I am thankful now that I finally have a supportive and understanding group of friends who understand my limits and are considerate of my needs. It's not always easy telling friends that you need a stay-in day to regulate, but the lovely people I have now been able to surround myself with remind me daily it's okay. I just adore them and am so appreciative of them. <3

[bad-fucking-omens]

The Witch Twin (Alec V. x OC) - Chapter 23 - Confrontation

Summary: When I thought about my future, I was sure that I had the rest of my life vaguely planned out.

Then, my older sister moved up from Arizona to stay with us — and turned my entire life upside down.

I had no idea just how bad it had gotten until I was standing in a castle in Italy, convinced that I was about to die.

Length: 2.3K words (Complete fic 71.8K words)

Fic warnings: Graphic depictions of violence, death, explicit smut (M/F), referenced/implied past child abuse, emotional manipulation by sibling

Chapter warnings: None

Read on AO3 or read below

23. CONFRONTATION

The full force of the Volturi — the kings, their wives, the high guard, and the low guard — had gathered just outside of the large field where we would meet the Cullens. We were arranged in a single line, with the low guard flanking the ends of our formation and the high guard in the middle and the kings and their wives at the heart of the formation. We were all wearing our long cloaks, the hoods drawn up so that it was slightly harder to recognize where each of us were standing. The color of our cloaks formed a gradient, with the darkest in the middle and the lightest on the very edges.

I was standing between Marcus and Alec. On Aro’s order, I had linked the minds of all of the guards and the kings. We had practiced the link over and over again for the last week. I had never linked the whole guard together before, but, thankfully, it wasn’t much harder than linking the entire high guard.

Finally, Aro said through the mind link, “Forward.”

We drifted forward as a single unit, moving from the treeline into the snow-dusted field. We glided across the snow elegantly, looking as if we were simply floating over the ground.

I could hear our fifty witnesses gathering behind us, and the informer, Irina. She lingered between the group of witnesses and the guard.

Led by Demetri, half of our guard had spent the last week gathering as many witnesses as possible. The kings wanted as many of our kind as possible to watch the trial and spread the truth about what would happen here to other covens as a warning.

A moment later, an image flashed through one mind and then echoed in a dozen others a millisecond later. We all froze in place with shock, staring at the large wolves that were moving to flank the Cullens.

After I looked away from the wolves, my eyes found the one at the heart of this problem. It was clear that she was a young child — with an inhumanly pretty face. It was clear that she was an immortal. The evidence of their crime, plain for anyone to see, was standing between Bella and Edward.

One of the Cullens stepped forward. It took me a moment to place him from my murky memories, but his name echoed through my mind in Aro’s voice.

Carlisle.

“Aro, my old friend,” the Cullen patriarch called, spreading his arms wide. “It’s been centuries.”

There was a long pause as Aro contemplated Carlisle’s words. I was careful to keep his thoughts contained to just himself. It wasn’t necessary for any of us to know exactly what he was thinking right now.

Then, Aro stepped forward. Renata, Aro’s bodyguard that had the ability to repel opponents, moved with him with her fingers pressed firmly against his back. A few of the guards growled and leaned forward into defensive crouches as one of our leaders stepped out of line.

Aro held up one hand and said softly, “Peace.”

The guards calmed slightly as Aro took a few more steps forward. He said, “Fair words, Carlisle. They seem out of place, considering the army you’ve assembled to kill me, and to kill my dear ones.”

Carlisle shook his head. He extended his hand. “You have but to touch my hand to know that was never my intent.”

“But how can your intent possibly matter, dear Carlisle, in the face of what you have done?”

“I have not committed the crime you are here to punish me for.”

“Then step aside and let us punish those responsible. Truly, Carlisle, nothing would please me more than to preserve your life today.”

“No one has broken the law, Aro. Let me explain.”

Carlisle offered his hand again, but before Aro could respond, Caius moved to his brother’s side.

“So many pointless rules, so many unnecessary laws you create for yourself, Carlisle,” Caius hissed. “How is it possible that you defend the breaking of one that truly matters?”

“The law is not broken. If you would listen–”

“We see the child, Carlisle,” Caius snarled. “Do not treat us as fools.”

She is not an immortal. She is not a vampire. I can easily prove this with just a few moments–”

Caius interrupted him again to say, “If she is not one of the forbidden, then why have you massed a battalion to protect her?”

“Witnesses, Caius, just as you have brought. Any one of these friends can tell you the truth about the child. Or you could just look at her, Caius. See the flush of human blood in her cheeks.”

“Artifice!” the blond king snapped. “Where is the informer? Let her come forward!”

When she didn’t move on her own, one of the guards pushed her towards Caius and Aro. She stepped forward slowly, her eyes locked on her sisters, who were standing with the Cullens.

Caius crossed the distance between them and slapped her across the face. She looked at him and he pointed a finger at the child.

“This is the child you saw?” he demanded. “The one that was obviously more than human?”

Irina’s eyes flickered to the child. Her head tilted to the side as she gazed at her, confusion crossing her features.

“I . . . I’m not sure.”

“What do you mean?” Caius asked, his voice a deadly whisper.

I heard confusion spread across everyone’s thoughts through the mindlink. None of us understood how she didn’t know if this child was the same one she had come to inform us about — our memories were absolutely perfect.

“She’s not the same, but I think it’s the same child,” Irina said nervously. “What I mean is, she’s changed. This child is bigger than the one I saw, but–”

Caius gasped furiously and Irina quickly stopped talking. Aro swiftly moved to Caius’s side, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“Be composed, brother,” Aro advised calmly. “We have time to sort this out. No need to be hasty.”

Caius turned away from Irina with a small huff while Aro extended his hand to her. “Now, sweetling, show me what you’re trying to say.”

She took his hand and her thoughts flashed through Aro’s mind, then my own. I allowed them to filter through to the other kings and the guard. I tilted my head when the memory ended and looked back at the child curiously.

“You see, Caius? It is a simple matter to get what we need. . . . And so we have a mystery on our hands, it seems,” Aro said, releasing Irina’s hand. “It would appear the child has grown. Yet Irina’s first memory was clearly that of an immortal child. Curious.”

“That’s exactly what I’m trying to explain,” Carlisle said, clearly relieved. He held out his hand again, clearly offering it to Aro.

“I would rather have the explanation from someone more central to the story, my friend. Am I wrong to assume that this breach was not of your making?”

“There was no breach.”

“Be that as it may, I will have every facet of the truth. And the best way to get that is to have evidence directly from your talented son.” Aro inclined his head towards Edward. “As the child clings to his newborn mate, I’m assuming Edward is involved.”

Edward turned to press kisses to Bella and the child’s foreheads. Then, he moved across the field, touching Carlisle’s shoulder as he passed the man. He stopped a few yards away from Aro. He held his hand out.

Aro eagerly moved towards him. The guard grew more anxious as he moved farther from us, their thoughts all focused on preparing themselves to act at a moment’s notice. Aro took Edward’s hand and bowed his head in concentration.

I saw every memory and thought that Edward had ever had flash through Aro’s mind, but I kept it from everyone else, even the kings. It was dizzying, and disgusting. I watched as my sister wasted away to carry the child in her stomach until she was little more than sallow skin stretched over bones and a large baby bump. I saw the child when she was ‘born’, literally torn out of Bella’s stomach by Edward, who used his razor sharp teeth. I saw the child grow and grow rapidly, learning to walk and talk within mere days. She was no immortal child, not in the way all of us knew and expected. But she was certainly not purely human either.

Low murmurs rumbled through the guard’s mindlink as Aro remained frozen for longer than they expected. I attempted to calm them by letting them know that Aro was simply taking his time, probing for any and all information he could gather from Edward. They settled marginally.

Finally, Aro straightened, but he didn’t release Edward’s hand.

“You see?” Edward said.

“Yes, I see, indeed,” Aro agreed, amazed. “I doubt whether any two among gods or mortals have ever seen quite so clearly. You have given me much to ponder, my young friend. Much more than I expected. . . . May I meet her? I never dreamed of the existence of such a thing in all my centuries. What an addition to our histories!”

“What is this about, Aro?” Caius snapped.

“Something you’ve never dreamed of, my practical friend. Take a moment to ponder, for the justice we intended to deliver no longer applies.”

Caius hissed and Aro cautioned, “Peace, brother.”

The guard’s mindlink was alight with confusion and anger at Aro’s words. I hastened to calm them once again, insisting that Aro did not mean for us to give up and leave the Cullens unpunished. ‘Trust him.’

“Will you introduce me to your daughter?” Aro asked Edward.

Edward nodded reluctantly. He was still holding Aro’s hand, and Aro answered the question that passed through my sister’s husband’s mind.

“I think a compromise on this one point is certainly acceptable, under the circumstance. We will meet in the middle.”

Aro released Edward’s hand but, as soon as Edward turned, he threw his arm around the younger man’s shoulders. As they began to move towards the Cullens, the rest of us followed them. Aro raised his hand.

“Hold, my dear ones. Truly, they mean us no harm if we are peaceable.”

Many of those within the guard hissed and snarled in protest. We didn’t trust the Cullens.

“Perhaps you should bring a few members of your guard with us,” Edward suggested. “It will make them more comfortable.”

Aro nodded, then snapped his fingers twice. “Felix, Demetri.”

The mated bodyguards moved to his side instantly. Renata was still trailing behind Aro, her fingers never moving from their firm position against his back.

“Bella,” Edward called when they finally stopped in the center of the snowy field. “Bring Renesmee . . . and a few friends.”

My eyes moved to look at my sister for the first time today. She still had the red eyes of a newborn, though they seemed to be slightly duller, likely from the animal blood she was consuming. She was certainly aesthetically gorgeous, yet the sight of her filled my body with fury. She had tried to keep me from my mate. I would never be able to forgive her for causing me that pain.

Alec brushed his fingers lightly against my hand, drawing me back from my rage. I relaxed at his gentle touch and I shot him a quick, thankful glance before I focused back on the trial.

Bella was walking forward with the child and two protectors. One was a wolf and the other was Emmett, the bulky Cullen vampire. The guard rumbled uneasily at the sight of the wolf moving closer. Aro held his hand up and they fell silent again, though they continued to complain in the mindlink. I let them keep their thoughts to themselves. The last thing we needed right now was for them to whip themselves into a fury.

“Interesting company you keep,” Demetri commented. Edward ignored him and joined Bella once they reached the middle of the field, taking her hand in his.

Aro tilted his head to the side as he stared at the child, Renesmee. “I hear her strange heart. I smell her strange scent.” Aro looked up at Bella. “In truth, young Bella, immortality does become you most extraordinarily. It is as if you were designed for this life. . . . May I greet your daughter, lovely Bella?”

Bella moved forward with Renesmee. Aro grinned.

“But she’s exquisite. So like you and Edward. Hello, Renesmee.”

“Hello, Aro,” she answered. Her voice was high and musical, but it was strange to hear a young child with such a voice.

“What is it?” Caius hissed.

“Half mortal, half immortal,” Aro announced. “Conceived so, and carried by this newborn while she was still human.”

“Impossible,” the other king scoffed.

“Do you think they’ve fooled me, brother?” Aro asked icily. Caius shifted uncertainly, but remained silent. “Is the heartbeat you hear a trickery as well? Calmly and carefully, brother. I know well how you love your justice, but there is no justice in acting against this unique little one for her parentage. And so much to learn, so much to learn! I know you don’t have my enthusiasm for collecting histories, but be tolerant with me, brother, as I add a chapter that stuns me with its improbability. We came expecting only justice and the sadness of false friends, but look what we have gained instead! A new, bright knowledge of ourselves, our possibilities.”

Aro reached his hand out to Renesmee. Instead of taking his hand, however, she leaned closer and pressed her palm to his cheek.

I watched the steady stream of her thoughts. She was showing him — and by extension me — every memory of her life. It was clear that everyone around her doted on her and cherished her. She had apparently even been told about me — that I had been kidnapped by the Volturi and forced to be Alec’s mate.

I scoffed in disbelief. Several pairs of eyes glanced towards me, both from the guard and the Cullens.

‘I heard it as well,’ Aro said in our personal mindlink. ‘Come, young Eve. Why don’t you tell little Renesmee what actually happened?’

[sergeantsporks]

Gilded Family

Rating: Teen and Up, Gen

Ch 277/?: New Mission

Ch 1, Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 4, Ch 5, Ch 6 , Ch 7, Ch 8, Ch 9, Ch 10, Ch 11, Ch 12, Ch 13, Ch 14, Ch 15, Ch 16, Ch 17,  Ch 18, Ch 19, Ch 20, Ch 21, Ch 22, Ch 23, Ch 24, Ch 25, Ch 26

In which none of the previous golden guards or wittebro died, actually, they're all fine and living happily together as one big dysfunctional family

Ao3

Phoenix stared at the ceiling of Cherry’s bedroom, barely able to make out wooden planks in the darkness. “I never checked back.”

“Mrgh?”

“On the orphanage. After I joined the coven. I knew it burned down, but I never checked to see what happened to the people there.”

Cherry grunted. “Why would you? From what I saw, it didn’t seem like anyone there really cared about you. Even the adults who were supposed to watch out for you didn’t notice you were gone.”

Even away from Petro, that sick, rotting feeling hadn’t left Phoenix’s stomach. “I just… I didn’t even think about them, not once. Not even Victoria. Even though she…”

“You didn’t know. You didn’t remember. She wasn’t that nice to you, either, not until the end. Of course you didn't think about her.”

“Still.” Phoenix scratched at the infected wounds on his arms, his heart thudding in his chest. “They died, for what? Because they knew me? Because I lived there? It’s not like they cared about me, it’s not like they would have gone looking for me, but… but they died because of me.”

“Phoenix, that’s not—”

“And I didn’t even check on them. They all died, and it was my fault, and I couldn’t even bother to—”

“Phoenix. It’s not your fault. You didn’t ask for Belos to take you away, and you certainly didn’t ask for Petro to burn down your orphanage. You didn’t do anything to cause their deaths, and there was nothing you could have done to save them.”

“Still.” Phoenix turned to lie on his side, facing away from Cherry’s bed. “I was happy it burned down. Even knowing people might have gotten hurt or killed, I was glad to see it go.” It had seemed right at the time, but thinking about how gleeful he’d been to know that there was no way he’d ever go back made Phoenix feel sick to his stomach now. He hadn’t become the golden guard yet; it had just been him that felt that way, just Phoenix. He curled up in a ball, closing his eyes. “I wish I’d found out the cost sooner.”

“Don’t lie about the scar that’ll leave.”

Phoenix stared down at Petro as he slowly turned to stone. His eyes burned through the slits in his mask, glaring at Phoenix.

“Tell him family gave it to him. Let him know that your family isn’t your friend, and they’ll cut you deeper than any enemy.”

The stone made it past Petro’s face, and the guard finally went silent, frozen in an angry half-lunge. Phoenix tried to reach out towards him, to see if he would pass right through, but his arm wouldn’t move.

The eyes of the statue glowed magenta, and Phoenix dangled a golden guard over the edge of a bridge. The guard clawed at his hands, their feet desperately kicking to find the edge of the bridge with no success.

“Don’t—”

“You want to know what happened to our family so badly?” Belos’ voice snarled from somewhere around Phoenix, “Why don’t you pay them a visit?”

Phoenix tried to stop himself, tried to hold on, or pull the guard back to safety, but one by one, his fingers uncurled from the golden guard’s cloak, and they fell. Phoenix fell, too, the world rushing past him in a blur of darkness until he stepped delicately over the broken form of the previous guard. Just a little further, and he’d be at the garden. With the betrayal of this golden guard, he needed to seed a new batch and start their growing process.

A bloody, broken hand swiped at his cloak as he passed. “Hahhhh,” the golden guard croaked, “Haaaaaaaaahhhhh…”

Phoenix kicked at their hand.

“Disgusting,” a voice hissed. Somehow, it belonged to both Belos and Phoenix, stitching the two together inseparably.

And Phoenix stared at the darkness of Cherry’s ceiling again, his body still numb from sleep and one arm under his head. He blinked, once, twice, trying to shake off the twisting, disoriented feeling of being someone else, like he’d stepped into another’s body and then been yanked back to his. His skin felt too small, and his body felt too strong, despite the aches and pains.

Slowly, carefully, he managed to drag one hand up to his face, rubbing one eye. “Mrgh,” he mumbled, stretching his other arm out. Stabbing pins and needles shot up his arm, half-asleep from being trapped under his head. “Cherry?”

No answer.

Phoenix sat up, gingerly touching his arms.

They came away wet.

“Sh—” Phoenix rolled out of bed, fumbling for a light. “Cherry, something’s—are you okay, are you—” His hand brushed a paper on the counter, and a light flared up, blinding him. Phoenix stumbled away, tripping over his own feet and landing on his back.

His heart pounded in his chest, and something viscous oozed down his arm at each throb.

“Ack—” Phoenix pulled his sleeve up. The bandages around his arms were stained green, and cursed mud burbled out between the cracks, sliming down his arms. “Ngh—stop it, stop it—”

He looked to see if he’d woken Cherry up, but his bed sat empty, the blankets folded neatly back.

“Cherry…”

For a moment, Phoenix stared at his own hands, and the empty bed. Did I…

He shook himself. No. No, right? Right. Cherry had just stepped out. He was fine. He was fine. Phoenix hauled himself up, half-stumbling into the hallway. A light glowed down the way in Sam’s lab, and Phoenix headed towards it, pressing his hands against his bubbling wounds.

“You don’t actually know where the lab is, do you? You just want us to think you do.”

Phoenix flattened himself against the wall outside of the lab, holding his breath.

“What makes you say that?”

“You knew we wouldn’t let you go, even for that location. You set them an unreasonable demand so that you weren’t in any danger of actually having to give that information.”

Petro chuckled. “And why would I pretend to have information only to demand things I can’t get? Why would I pretend to hold information that could land me in hot water if you found out I didn’t have it? It’s not like you bleeding hearts need an incentive to keep me alive. I don’t need to trick you.”

“Because you like to see people sweat,” Cherry answered evenly and immediately, “Because you want to see us go crazy wondering if it’s worth the risk. Because unstable, sweating people make mistakes when they handle prisoners. Moments of weakness result in looser bonds and distracted guards.”

“Aw, you’ve been thinking of me, Cherry Bomb! Am I in your head? It’s only fair, you got into mine.”

“I just don’t understand. All you have to do is promise not to kill Phoenix, and they’d let you go. You wouldn’t even have to stay here, you could go anywhere! Why are you trading your freedom for the illusion of revenge that you can’t get?”

“Okay, I promise I won’t kill Phoenix. Now let me out.”

“No. I don’t trust you.”

“Awwwwwwwwww, but I’m going to change! I’m going to be different! I’m gonna give him a big old hug and apologize for that time I tried to kill him! What, don’t you believe all of the painfully earnest things you said about becoming a better person and starting over?”

“I do. I just don’t think you’ve taken it to heart.”

“I don’t think you have either. You know people can’t change. Not really.”

“I have.”

Petro laughed. “No, you haven’t, Cherry Bomb!”

“Quit calling me that.”

“Or what? Gonna shove an explosive potion down my throat? Do it. I dare you. I know you want to. That’d shut me up, right? That would save your precious little Phoenix from me forever.”

“No. That’s not something I want. That’s not who I am.”

“Awwwwwwwwww, come on, Cherry Bomb, you’re a fighter. I could tell in the mindscape when you threw me into my own memories. You’re not like Phoenix, he fights like someone who wants the battle to end in a knockout. You’re a killer. You’re a direwolf pretending to be a lapdog, but you can’t hide your teeth. You’re just like me, and you don’t want anyone to know it.”

Phoenix heard the creak of wood, like Cherry had pushed on Petro’s chair. “I’m nothing like you,” Cherry snarled, “I changed. I got better.”

“Did you? ‘Coz you look awfully close to ripping my throat out right about now.”

The thud of chair legs hitting the floor echoed out of the room. “You’re just trying to rile me up so that I’ll do something stupid. You don’t know anything about me.”

“I know everything about you. Your whole life, summed up in ten pages of loopy handwriting. I read it. I read that whole journal. I know what you’ve done.”

Phoenix winced as Cherry made a sound like a squeaky toy. Don’t listen to him.

“The journal—”

“That your lab rat has. How long do you think before his curiosity gets the better of him and he reads your entry? How long before he knows? Before he tells everyone? Before your whole family knows that you’re just like me? Do you think they’ll still trust you? Irredeemable monsters, am I right?”

“I’ve changed.” Cherry’s voice cracked.

“Doesn’t matter.”

“Yes, it does! They know who I am now, they know—it won’t matter. It doesn’t matter. I’ve changed, everyone here has changed, they know what it’s like. It’s fine. It’s fine. It’s fine.”

“Are you willing to risk that? I can help you out, Cherry. I can tell you where it is. You just have to do one thing for me.”

“I’m not letting you out. And I’m not killing Phoenix for you.”

“For this information? I wouldn’t demand such a high price. Nah, just a little information trade. I’ll tell you where the book is if you tell me how Belos died.”

“How does that help you?”

“Ehhhhhh, call it closure. Call it denial until I have more information. Some kind of sentiment. Whatever makes you more likely to tell me. It doesn’t cost you anything.”

“That I know of.”

“Careful, your cynical cutthroat soldier is showing.”

“I’ll find out. Tell me where the book is.”

“After you tell me what happened to Belos.”

“No. I’ll keep my word. I don’t know if you’ll keep yours.”

“Yeah, actually, I believe that. Anyway, Sam took it with him. He’s probably sleeping with it like a teddy bear. Hey, if you let me out, I could—”

“No.”

“I’ll behave.”

“No you won’t. But you could. You can change, Petro. I promise you, you can change. For real.”

“Quit wasting your breath. Or do you want everyone to find out what you’ve done, Cherry Bomb?”

Cherry inhaled sharply, then stormed out, closing the door with a quiet click. He blinked at Phoenix.

“Um—” Phoenix started, but Cherry put a finger to his lips, gesturing at the door behind him. He stalked back to his room, and started to pace. “Don’t know how far Petro can hear,” he mumbled, “Phoenix, how much of that did you—”

“Belos died because the Collector flicked him into a wall so hard he fell apart,” Phoenix interrupted, rubbing his arms, “You can keep your end of the deal.”

“Oh.” Cherry twisted his shirt in his hands, somehow seeming much smaller and younger than usual, like a kid caught sneaking out. “Thanks. I…”

“Do you really think Petro can change?”

“I have to think it. If he can’t change, then…” Cherry kept twisting his shirt. “Phoenix, about what happened in there—about the book—”

“You’re going to steal it?”

“I… yeah. I’ll put it back, I really will, I just… need to rip my pages out, first.”

“That’s not less sneaky.”

“I know. I just…” Cherry buried his face in his hands with a groan. “I don’t know what else to do.” He started pacing again, his shoulders heaving. “I mean, of course Mom and Dad know what happened, and I’m pretty sure Mole does, too, and none of them will tell anyone if I don’t want them to, but anyone could pick up that book and just read it! And I don’t want it around by the time Jason gets back, titan knows that he’ll just pick it up and read it because he reads everything, and then Jason will know, and Jason can’t know, so I’ve got to get it now and just pull those pages out. Please, please, please, please, Phoenix, don’t tell Sam, please don’t—”

Phoenix grabbed Cherry’s shoulders. His arms had stopped oozing at least, thank titan. One problem at a time. “Cherry. Take a deep breath.”

Cherry inhaled sharply.

“You’re going to be okay. They love you, and that’s not going to change.”

“They don’t know everything.”

“They don’t have to. And they know that they don’t know everything. And they love you anyway.”

Cherry just shook his head. “They’re going to hate me,” he whispered, “They’re going to hate me if they find out what I’ve done. Who I used to be.”

Okay. The practical approach wasn’t going to work here. “I’ll help you steal it.”

“What?”

“I will help you steal it,” Phoenix repeated, “I won’t read it. I’ll just help you get the book, and you can pull your pages out.”

“Why? You don’t like the idea.”

“Hey, don’t look a gift ratworm in the mouth. You thought going into Petro’s mind was dangerous, but you did it anyway to help me. Let me help you back.”

Cherry eyed him up and down. “That’s all it is?” His eyes caught on Phoenix’s arms, still stained by his outburst. “Titan, Phoenix—”

“Don’t tell Evelyn.”

“No. No, Mom told me you promised. No heroics. It comes out, right now.”

“No—” Phoenix moved between Cherry and the door. “It’s not just getting worse, Cherry, I think I’m seeing his memories in my dreams!”

“Not better. Definitely not better. That’s concerning, Phoenix. Weird dreams are the number one symptom of a magical problem.”

“It was already happening, I just didn’t realize it. It’s not new, it’s not worse.” Phoenix held his hands up. “What if it can help me find the last Grimwalker?!”

Cherry froze.

“I think you’re right. Petro doesn’t know where the garden is. So the only person that does is in a puddle of goop at the head. If I’m seeing his memories, then maybe… just for a little bit, Cherry. I’ll help you get the book. Just don’t tell Evelyn, she’ll cut it out immediately, and we’ll lose this chance.”

Cherry considered that for a long moment, then held up one finger. “One week. And if I think it’s getting even worse, I’m telling her immediately.”

“Deal,” Phoenix replied swiftly. He wouldn’t get a better offer from Cherry. If he was being honest, he was a little shocked he’d gotten this long.

Muted orange light glowed dully in the window. The house would wake up soon.

“Do you think Petro will tell? Tell Sam, I mean.”

“Beans.” Cherry tugged on his own ponytail with a groan. “I didn’t think of that. Do you think we can keep him out of the lab? No, okay, stupid thought, there is no force on the isles that will separate Sam from his lab, right, he will definitely go into the lab.”

“Don’t panic. Sam mentioned wanting to gag Petro. Maybe he will?”

“Yeah. Maybe he will.” Cherry took a deep breath, smoothing his hair down. “Okay. Okay, I’ve got this. Normal post-apocalyptic day. Normal post-apocalyptic chores. Everything is fine.” He headed for the door.

“Cherry?”

“Yeah?”

“I think maybe you shouldn’t talk to Petro anymore.”

“I know what he’s going through right now; I can help him. I’m going to get through to him.”

“Maybe, but I’m worried he’s going to get to you first. He knows how to push your buttons, and he will push them again and again until you slip up.”

It had only taken Petro one conversation to send him spiraling and start trading information. What would happen if Cherry kept talking to him?

“And what about you? He’s pretty good at getting under your skin, too.”

Phoenix rubbed his arms. “I don’t want to be around him, either. And if I can help it, I won’t be.”

“We can’t tie him up forever. We’re going to have to deal with him eventually.”

“And we will. But right now, you have enough to deal with. You don’t need ‘fixing Petro’ on your plate, too.”

Cherry rubbed his face. “Yeah. Maybe you’re right. I’ll try to stay away from him for now.”

Phoenix waited for Cherry to go, then headed down the hallway to Mole’s room. He knocked on the door, but Mole didn’t come to the door. “Mole?” he called, “It’s Phoenix. I just want to talk.”

He heard a scuffling noise, and when he opened the door, Mole was out the window and headed towards the garden.

“Okay,” Phoenix said out loud, “Still mad at me. Got it.” He climbed out the window himself, jogging lightly after the smaller grimwalker. “Mole, I’m sorry—” the garden gate wouldn’t open. The door stuck to the frame, welded shut by a fire glyph. Phoenix had never realized that he used the glyphs. “…How are you planning on getting out?”

Mole didn’t even turn to look at him, just aggressively ripped weeds out of the earth and tossed them in a big pile.

“I’m sorry, Mole. I know you miss him. I do, too.”

A weed still clinging to a dirt clod smacked into the fence right in front of where Phoenix’s face was, showering him with soil.

“That’s not fair.”

Mole sniffed, scrubbing at his face with dirt-stained hands. Phoenix sighed, sitting on the ground outside of the garden, back against the fence.

“I know Jason was the only one who really understood you. And I bet it’s been difficult for you now that he’s gone.” Phoenix twisted blades of grass between his fingers. “I had to send him away. To keep him safe. And maybe there was another way I could have done that, but at the time, I didn’t know what else to do. If I hadn’t, he’d have been captured by the Collector, too, and he would have gotten hurt.” Phoenix braided and unbraided the strands in his hands. “Or maybe he would have been able to talk the Collector down.” He chuckled. “He probably would have been able to talk the Collector down.”

Phoenix’s heart started to ache in his chest, and his hands shredded the blades of grass between his fingers, separating the leaf from the stem. “And then we wouldn’t have had to run. And I wouldn’t have left King behind.” He tied the stem into knots. “Or maybe I didn’t have to run whether Jason was there or not. Maybe I could have just stayed.” Phoenix pinched the bridge of his nose. “What am I saying? Mole, the point is, I’m sorry. If there was something I could have done to bring him back with me, I would have. And I know it’s harder for you than it is for me, so I just… if you need something, let me know somehow? I know I’m not Jason, but… I can try to understand.”

Mole heaved a shuddering breath. But when Phoenix twisted around to check on him, he was calm, pulling up weeds with careful precision instead of tearing them out wildly.

“Okay. Thanks for listening.” Phoenix stood up, gingerly touching the lumps of bandages on his arms. They were dripping again, leaving cursed mud behind on the garden fence. Phoenix retreated to the safety of the house before Mole could see, ducking into the kitchen. Outside, Mole examined the fence with a frown, rubbing his fingers together.

“Ah. Great.”

“What’s great?”

Phoenix jumped, whirling around in a panicked spin and pointing a nonexistent staff at the Grimwalker standing by the stove. The grimwalker watched him completely unphased, scrambling eggs with his left hand. His other arm was missing from the elbow down, and burn scars covered his face and remaining arm, even burning away a chunk of his hair.

“Uh. Hi.”

“Frank.”

“What?”

“My name. It’s Frankenstein, Frank for short.”

“Oh. Phoenix.”

“Nah, these are griffin eggs. Cooking phoenix eggs? Total nightmare.” Frank gestured to himself. “What do you think happened to my arm and face? You’re a couple of degrees off on the stovetop and WHOOSH, up in flames. Nearly burned the house down last week.”

“Should you… be cooking?”

Frank shook his head sadly. “No one else is brave enough after what happened to me. Tragic, really, but I am an excellent cook, so maybe it’s for the best.”

Phoenix eyed him and the stove. That did not sound like normal stove behavior. And where on the isles had they gotten phoenix eggs at a time like this?!

Frank glanced at him, and his serious face split into a wide grin. “I’m messing with you, my arm’s been gone for years.”

“Oh. And…” Phoenix gestured to his face.

“Who do you think gave me those?” Frank grabbed the handle of the pan, shaking it vigorously and tossing the eggs up in the air. “Makes cookie pan burns feel like nothing, I will give him that. Hey, if you’re going to lurk around, could you make some toast? I’d do both, but…” he waved his stump arm. “Lost it to the toaster.”

Phoenix raised one eyebrow at him. “Did you, now? Was this back at the emperor’s coven, then?”

“Haha. Sorry, I have one joke. Would you mind, though?”

Phoenix retrieved bread from its box in the pantry and the toaster, two metal grilles hinged together and attached to a metal disc.  “How does this…?”

“Fire glyphs. Mom usually uses a spell, but you can use glyphs to power it, too. Here, let me show you. Take this for a second. If you let them burn, my legacy will be forever tarnished and I must sacrifice my other arm to the cooking gods in atonement. No pressure.”

Frank handed Phoenix his spatula and pushed him to the stove. He grabbed a notepad and a pencil and sketched a fire glyph, tearing the sheet off. “Like this.” He tucked a piece of bread in-between the grilles and slapped the fire glyph down on the metal disc. Frank jumped backwards to avoid the column of fire that rose up, superheating the disc and the grill. Once the flames died down, he gingerly flipped the top grille off with a pair of tongs and removed the toasted bread.

“Ta-da!” Frank tossed the bread on a plate. “Spatula, please.”

Phoenix handed it to him, eying the toaster. “That seems… safe.”

“I am not supposed to use it without supervision.” Frank pointed up.

Phoenix looked at the ceiling to see a black mark burned in the paint over where the toaster sat. “…Ah. Not a joke?”

“Not a joke, that’s been there for a yearish and my toaster privileges have been revoked the same amount of time. Don’t draw your fire glyphs too big and you’ll do fine.”

Phoenix nodded. He traced the imprint of the fire glyph Frank had left on the next page of the notepad, pressing his own pen down hard enough to leave a dent on the next page.

“Sooooo… Frank…” Phoenix slapped the glyph on the disk and jumped back, wrinkling his nose at the wave of heat. “I’m trying to find a grimwalker.”

Frank gestured at himself.

“I don’t think so. But maybe you can help me? I’m looking for someone that…”

Slowly uncurling his fingers, watching the fear in the guard’s eyes as they fell

A broken, trembling hand reaching towards him

“Phoenix?”

“Um…” Phoenix slowly reached up to his arms, covering the bandages with his hands to hide the bubbling mud oozing out from the bandages. “Never mind, I… I’ve got to go.”

Phoenix bolted from the kitchen before Frank could say anything else, leaning against the wall outside. “Hah. Okay. Okay, you’re okay.” He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “You’re okay.” He tugged on his sleeves to make sure they covered the stained bandages, squared his shoulders, and headed to Sam’s lab.

Get the journal

Maybe find out which Grimwalker that was in the dream

Figure out where Belos’ “garden” is

Get this infection out of my arm.

Another deep breath.

This is all going to work out.

It has to.

[whimsicaldragonette]

ARC Review: The Summer Queen by Rochelle Hassan

Order:

Add to Goodreads:

Publication Date: January 23, 2024

Synopsis:

This captivating sequel to The Buried and the Bound draws readers into the twisted and irresistible world of the Fair Folk—perfect for fans of The Cruel Prince and The Hazel Wood . As a new coven, Aziza, Leo, and Tristan faced evil and triumphed. All that’s left is to put their lives back together, a process complicated by the fallout from painful secrets, the emotional and physical scars they now carry, and the mysteries that still haunt them. But with the approach of the solstice comes the arrival of strange new visitors to Blackthorn: the Summer Court, a nomadic community of Fair Folk from deep in Elphame. They’ve journeyed to the border between the human world and fairyland, far from their usual caravan route, to take back something that belongs to them—something Leo’s not willing to lose. Refusing to give up without a fight, he makes a risky deal with the Summer Court’s princess and regent. The challenge she proposes sends Coven Blackthorn into the farthest, wildest reaches of Elphame. But when you play games with the Fair Folk, even winning has a cost.

My Rating: ★★★★★

*My Review and Favorite Quotes Below the cut.

My Review:

If I were sorting this (and the previous book) based on vibes - which, honestly, is a large part how I sort books - then I would put it with the Cruel Prince trilogy. It's dark and creepy, but just exactly the right amount. It's also heartwarming and adventurous and full of brute force human magic borne of desperation and tricky, insidious, charming, treacherous fae magic.

It's a story of love lost and love found and hubris and naievety and political treachery. It's a story of bargains and tricks and alliances. I flew through it in a little over a day and absolutely hated every time I was forced to put it down. If I hadn't had to stop to make dinner for my kid, I would have finished it that first day, my own dinner be damned.

I was instantly transported back to the world and characters of the previous book as soon as I started, as if I'd never left. There was no struggling to get into it or remember what had happened - it was all fresh and immediate and vital. Now that I've finished, I want nothing more than to jump into the final book. Unfortunately, It's not out yet. Barring that, I want to jump back into this one and get caught up in the frenzied rush of it again. And I desperately, desperately want Leo and Tristan and Aziza to succeed and find happiness.

I want more of the characters and their bonds, more of the world and its traps, more of the tentative allies that were never clearly on one side or the other, more of the shifting sands of never clearly knowing what the sides even were because they kept changing.

An instant favorite and one I will definitely go back to. I instantly purchased the audio so I could experience it again in a new format.

*Thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, and Roaring Book Press for providing an early copy for review.

Favorite Quotes:

Of all the things that kept him up at night, Leo had always been his favorite

“You do get attached to your librarians.”

Tristan had his doubts that a crowdsourced spell would be sufficient defense against Beor, but he didn’t have any better ideas.

“Forget the pep talk. We need a game plan. Someone tried to kill you.” “And Beor. I don’t think it was personal,” he said brightly, as if being collateral damage to someone else’s assassination was somehow better than being personally murdered.

[swanoopdev]

DEDICATION OF THE LATERAN BASILICA (Feast) John 2:13-22

Feast of the Dedication of the St. John Lateran Basilica in Rome is a universal feast for the Roman Catholic Church, because it is the Pope’s cathedral, and his church is the spiritual home of the people who are the Church. The first basilica on the site was built in the fourth century when Constantine donated land, he had received from the wealthy Lateran family. That structure and its successors suffered fire, earthquake, and the ravages of war, but the Lateran remained the church where popes were consecrated. In the 14th century when the papacy returned to Rome from Avignon, the church and the adjoining palace were found to be in ruins. Pope Innocent X commissioned the present structure in 1646. One of Rome’s most imposing churches, the Lateran’s towering facade is crowned with 15 colossal statues of Christ, John the Baptist, John the Evangelist, and 12 doctors of the Church. Beneath its high altar rest the remains of the small wooden table on which tradition holds Saint Peter himself celebrated.

We find in the Old Testament as well as in the New Testament, that Temple is always considered a House of God. For the first time God encountered Human beings in the Garden of Eden, but when they profaned that Holy Ground, God chased them out. Since then, human beings always longed to have a House of God. The Ark of the Covenant was considered a mobile temple of God till Solomon completed the Temple of Jerusalem, where the Ark of the Covenant was kept, considering the Holy presence of Yahweh. This was destroyed during Babylonian invasion in 597 BC. And finally, it was completely wrecked by Romans in 70 AD, as Jesus predicted in Mark 13:1,2.

The Gospel reading of today is an incident, where, we find Jesus’ expression of anger, when he finds the temple as market place and a place of exploitation of the poor. However, Jesus becomes the New Temple and we all are called to be the body of the church (Romans 12:5, 1 Corinthians 12:12-27, Ephesians 3:6, 5:23, Colossians 1:18 and 1: 24) “Jesus Christ is seen as the head of the body, which is the church, while the members of the body are seen as members of the Church.” Every baptized person is inducted as member of this CHURCH. “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). Do you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit…. (1Cor. 6:19). It is my responsibility to keep this temple holy and pure. The husk of impurity must be removed before the seed of holiness is generated.

What sort of business do I do and profane my body?

How many years did I take to build this temple without God?

Can I destroy this temple and allow Jesus to rebuild a new temple in me?

PRAYER:

Jesus my Lord, the corner stone of God’s temple, forgive me for turning this temple into market place, where I engage myself trading with anger, revenge, ego, lust, gluttony, greed, laziness, wrath, envy and pride etc. and profane my body. Chase away the darkness of my being and help me to rebuild it with love, compassion, forgiveness, generosity, purity of mind and body. Create in me the zeal for your house till I devour myself in you and enter into new Jerusalem.

[qwerty-the-duck]

Last set for for OC-tober 2022! Thanks to @oc-tober2022​ for the prompt list! Under the cut is a brief explanation of each picture and how they related to the prompts.  (Just like week one, which can be found here!)

Day 22: Grace (Minimal) for Memory. Grace is a rare Witch in her story that has the skills to manipulate and store memories. She often does this to patients in her care she feels may need to be stripped of their traumas until they are rehabilitated enough to be able to handle them. She never peeks on the patients memories, but sometimes take a moment to look back at her own.

Day 23: Vessithyr (DND NPC) for Bound. A dnd NPC and Coven Master for one sect of Vampires in my DND setting. Being the creator of several different vampires, they are bound to her and her will whether through devotion, debt, or sheer controlling power.

Day 24: Kori no Yousei [”The Ice Fairy”] Aka Kory (Fireball and Chain) for Victory and Forgotten. In Fireball and Chain, when a Legend is removed from the care of their Anchor, their Ego is destroyed, causing all memories of that time to be either sealed or destroyed (depending on circumstance). Kory, wanting to learn to grow on her own, chooses to leave her Anchor.

Day 25: Vada (DND Character) for Weakness. This character’s biggest weakness, at least when I was making him, is like his “dissociation” from circumstance and feeling, almost like “If Ignore the problem, its not there” to an extreme degree. This includes both his emotions and feelings, as well as his physical relationship with pain and spatial coordination.

Day 26: Buckets (DnD Character) for Temptation. Though I didn’t play him long, Buckets quickly developed a soft spot for sweets and I was a little burnt out from life and stuff as I was doing this one in the last so I just went pretty straight forward from there haha.

Day 27: Fencer (Fireball and Change) for Strange. Fencer has a fondness for fashion and in particular loves food inspired or food themed clothes, and his entire wardrobe is handmade. So got a random food generator and designed and outfit based off the food rolled (egg). His outfits, combined with his more aloof yet cowardly attitude get him labeled as “quite strange” around school. Day 28: Ric (Long Story Short) for Disease.

Ric was born without a mutation Gene, and, In LSS, those without a mutation Gene are bound to waste away into what we would considered Pop Culture zombies, basically. In an attempt to prevent that, his father did many different types of experiments to keep him from “dying” from “Hyper-radiation Poisoning,” but that doesn’t mean Ric avoided the symptoms of it, which persents itself as a progressive deteriorative disease.

Day 29: Bee (Long Story Short) for Change.

Bee has quite a “happening” backstory to say the least, and though he attempt to remain as bright and hopeful as he was as a child, both his appearance and his personality have been twisted and hammered into almost an entirely different person. Day 30: Prince Amarai (DnD NPC) for FREE CHOICE! I chose to challenge myself for day 20 and made myself draw a fursona for a character of mine. I’m not practices, at all, in drawing furry-anything so not only figuring out the proportions and anatomy, and then also the designs and the colors was fun but a bit frustrated. I ultimately don’t hate the end result haha.

Day 31 FINALE!: Fireball and Change Miscellaneous Characters. I know there wasn’t a prompt for the last day but I decided to just draw over some fun memes/images I had been kinda saving for just an occasion. I loved recoloring the maid outfits and censoring the cigarettes as candy for the kiddos. This month flew by and I loved this challenge so much! 

[poetandwolf]

How we met-

It was weird, well not weird. I dunno how to put it into words because it was 23 years ago. It was the summer of 1999- and my bff @deathsembrace662 had gotten me into the game, W1ld AR\Ms. I played it a bit but she was at the part of Court S3im, and the Epitaph Sea. Boomerang and Luc3id (not my dog, the guardian) were giving her some trouble and I was attempting to help her defeat them.

Then came the rest of the events that happened in that part of the game. I always looked at movies, stories, and games from a neutral point of view. The scene where Jane and Rudy talked all night reminded me of how I would spend the nights talking to spirits. Alh@zad’s fight came on screen, and at this point we were playing the game at each other’s house and sharing the files back and forth- in hopes to beat the game together. The battle with him was struggling and I was all “ Do I will kiss you three times if you let us win”. And... lol. it worked. My friend and I laughed and looked at one another. And the game continued. I was kind of enchanted by his politeness and silver tongue. Even if his methods were a bit.. questionable.

It am *pretty* sure the Ocean City trip happened after the fact, at least I think...?  It was all around the same time.

I was at Ocean City and a spirit was lonely, and I told him to follow us home. That me and my friends would welcome into our coven. I was 15, and overly friendly and wanted to help everyone. Once I got home I told my friend all about how I found someone else to join our group. And he was kind, sweet, very polite, old school knightly and just.. very well mannered. I didn’t put “ water is wet” kind of moment until later. When I tried to see him with my third eye I saw a blur of brown, with black hair, and intense eyes. I assumed he was a anthro cat- because I drew everyone as a anthro cat back then. I remember welcoming him into my life, even to go as far as to make him a sandwich and soda, and giving him a space to sleep on my top bunk.

He was my best friend, we did everything together. I had struggled with love and relationships and thought dating was stupid, and cried over him a number of times. I didn’t know I could feel this close to someone else. The bond and friendship was so intense. We shared and did everything together. He aided me in Algebra and Biology. He helped me in Spanish 2 when I couldn’t wrap my head around it. My grades went up. There was no scientific explanation for all of this. He was intelligent, almost to the point it was kind of scary (in a hot way) how some spirit this smart was helping my goofy ass.

My friend, and her f/o Garrett (yes same one, he’s clueless. He didn’t know Aub was *him*). Laughed and pushed us to date. So we did, and a lot of stuff happened over Nov of 1999 through Nov of 2000 when we handfasted. Now.. 2000 that’s a story for another day, but we definitely went through hell together in a very F\FSevenh0use kind of way. Those events absolutely strengthened our bond. I don’t think I would have survived any of that with out him. I knew he was Alh@zad the entire time. So when I finally told him that I already knew, when he was nervous about being honest with me. He admittedly broke down in my arms...

We were a match made in Heaven. Nothing could stop us.

And of fucking course was this was known to everyone in our circle. Some kids in our group started messing around with Simon’s version of the Necr\onomic0n. There’s a reason why they were. I was taken a long for the ride. Al was *pissed* he got very lectury with my friends saying this was dangerous. I had a hunch why, but the spelling was different. The names were slightly off. I didn’t really know if they were the same person- but I had a hunch (that hunch was later clarified in 2005).

He was so protective, kind, and his wit was unmatched by anyone else I knew. People would come and go- but nothing had the connection that we had. Nothing was even close. I felt safe around him, safer than I had ever felt around anyone else. Which is kind of questionable I suppose to people who know who he really is and *love* to judge him. They don’t know him like I know him. And I am lucky to have this sweet, kind, gentle, intelligent man. Who I am proud to call my husband.

He had been by my side the whole time- and a lot happened between late 2000 and 2023- I could write stories for days about that.

[drmaqazi]

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN

PSALMS OF DAVID (PEACE BE UPON HIM)

WARNING, FROM GOD ALMIGHTY OF PROPHET DAWOOD (‘ALAIH-IS-SALAM) and PROPHET SULAIMAN (‘ALAIH-IS-SALAM), A UNIQUE COMBINATION OF A FATHER AND A SON, THE RICHEST AND THE WISEST PROPHETS ON THIS EARTH SENT BY ALLAH (SUBHANAHU WA TA’ALA).

PSALM CHAPTER 50

But to the wicked Almighty God says: ”What right have you to recite my statutes or take my covenant on your lips?” Verse 17

For you hate discipline, and you cast My words behind you. Verse 18

If you see a thief, you are pleased with him, and you keep company with adulterers. Verse 19

You give your mouth free rein for evil, and your tongue frames deceit. Verse 20

You sit and speak against your brother; you slander your own mother's son. Verse 21

These things you have done, and I have been silent; you thought that I was one like yourself. But now I rebuke you and lay the charge before you. Verse 22

Mark this, then, you who forget Almighty God, lest I tear you apart, and there be none to deliver! Verse 23

Attached above is a WARNING from Almighty God of Prophet Dawood and Sulaiman (‘Alaihim-us-Salam), the two most famous father and son, the richest and the wisest Prophets of Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) sent to this earth to rule as Kings.

I am working as a Muslim Chaplain (Imam) for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. After I retired, I have been preaching to non-Muslims, including but not limited to Jews and Christians since July 1993.

While studying the Holy Bible (New Testament and Holy Torah (Old Testament)), I read Psalms of David (Peace be upon him) and found Psalm Chapter 50 Verse 16-23 very interesting.

It seems quite clear that Almighty God of Dawood and Sulaiman (‘Alaihim-us-Salam) was not happy with Bani Israel and was warning them for dire consequences in case they don’t obey Him, but also with the corrupt politicians of so-called Islamic Republic of Pakistan and warning them, also.

"Mark this, then, you who forget Almighty God, lest I tear you apart, and there be none to deliver.” Psalm Chapter 50, Verse 23.

As a Muslim, I tried to shake up and wake up the sleeping poor and rich people of Pakistan from their deep slumber under the order of Amr bil Ma’roof and Nahi ‘an-il-Munkar.

I used the Messages of Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) from the Holy Qur’an, Sayings of Prophet Muhammad (SallAllahu ‘alaihi wa Sallam), from Hadith, laws from Islamic Jurisprudence (Shari’ah), and quotes from the Kalam-e-Iqbal (Poetry) of the Poet Phiolosopher of the East, Allamah Sir Dr. Muhammad Iqbal Rahmatullahi ‘alaih, with due apologies.

اٹھو میری دنیا کے سوئے ہوئے غریبوں اور امیروں کو جگا دو

I admit that I could not achieve what I wanted to do in more than thirty (30) years, what all of the above have been unable to do, to change the mindset of these so-called Muslims for more than fourteen hundred years ago.

خدا نے آج تک اس قوم کی حالت نہیں بدلی ، نہ ہو جس کو خیال خود اپنی حالت کے بدلنے کا

As a final resort, I decided to use Psalm Chapter 50, Verses 17-23, hoping and praying that the warning from Almighty God of David and Solomon (Peace be upon them) will tear them apart if they forget Almighty God, may help to shake them up and wake them up from their deep slumber, In shaa Allah!

[noeticprayer]

SCRIPTURE READINGS for Sunday December 10th, 2023

Ephesians 6:10-17 (Epistle)

Finally, my brothers and sisters, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Hebrews 13:17-21 (Epistle, Saint)

Brothers and Sisters, obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you. Pray for us; for we are confident that we have a good conscience, in all things desiring to live honorably. But I especially urge you to do this, that I may be restored to you the sooner. Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Luke 17:12-19 (Gospel)

At that time, as the Lord entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner? And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.”

Luke 6:17-23 (Gospel, Saint)

At that time, the Lord came down with them and stood on a level place with a crowd of His disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases, as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits. And they were healed. And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all. Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said: “Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you, and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man’s sake. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven, for in like manner their fathers did to the prophets.

+

“The giver of every good and perfect gift has called upon us to mimic

His giving, by grace, through faith, and this is not of ourselves.”

― St. Nicholas of Myra

+

[the-hem]

What is the Remission of Sin?

Matthew 26:27-28

"Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”

= 10221, א‎אֶפֶסבבא‎, apesbaba. "Freedom from the gallows of guilt is found in the Counsel of God."

ap=

The root cluster עוף ('wp), עיף ('yp), and יעף (y'p) appears to reflect a general sense of elevation, and from that come words that have to do with flight, or with being eminent, or with overshadowing and hence covering or protecting.

This cluster is arguably one of those Scriptural phenomena that reflect the vast complexity and simultaneous simplicity, intelligence and efficiency of the Hebrew language. In translations this verbal unity must sadly be fractured, and a large majority of Bible enthusiasts will never know what treasures lie within.

es=

The common Semitic masculine noun עץ ('es), primarily meaning tree. Our noun is used to denote a single standing tree (Genesis 2:9), or a group of trees (Genesis 2:16). It is used to denote wood for kindling (Joshua 9:23), wood as a building material (Genesis 6:14, 2 Kings 12:13), and items made of wood (Exodus 7:19, Deuteronomy 19:5). And hence it may be used to denote (wooden) idols (Deuteronomy 4:28) or gallows, stake or similar means of execution (Genesis 40:19, Deuteronomy 21:22).

The theological meaning of the Biblical tree (from the two trees in Paradise related to the fall of man, to the cross of Christ, to the restored Tree of Life as witnessed by John the Revelator - REVELATION 22:2) seem to promote a relationship with the verb עוץ ('us) meaning to counsel or regard.

ba=

The two verbs חבא (haba') and חבה (haba) are most probably the same verb in two different spellings; they both mean to hide. The verb חוב (hub), meaning to be guilty, is not related, but its form is quite similar. And although these three verbs are not related, the narrative or poetic relationship between these three verbs is obvious as guilt causes fear (Psalm 38:18), and sin causes death (ROMANS 5:12):.

Jesus was born in year 5 BCE. By then, the Torah was almost a thousand years old. The first conversations between men about a new way of life that might spring from the old took place first in the Book of Amos, circa 800 BCE just after Solomon's legacy finally ebbed and died. Jesus, as a result was confronted by an ultra-civilization called Rome an enemy the likes of which the former Kingdom of Israel never conceived of.

Certainly He did not descend from the Chair of Heaven to hang on a cross. He came to reinstate what was lost when the Kings of Israel lost the war with human nature and left us all hanging in the wind.

We don't evidence of God's Nature held secret within the Body of the Christ, we need evidence His Testimony is sufficient to rescue the world from the wages of its guilt, of its continued and accumulated defiance of the Will of God.

[nightfall-by-jacqui-natla]

23. THE WEDDING

TWO MONTHS HAD PASSED WITHOUT ANY clashes with the Ursa Clan. I continued to meet Ingram in secret, always choosing different locations. I hadn't mentioned anything to Joseph about my visits with his brother, wondering if he had already sensed it with his telepathic abilities. Ingram and I often explored various parts of the forest and even ventured into abandoned buildings, such as an old chapel.

Despite the danger of being caught by the Ursa Clan or my coven or even humans, I couldn't resist the thrill of sneaking around with Ingram. Our adventures together brought a sense of excitement and freedom that I had never experienced before. The abandoned chapel was particularly eerie, with its crumbling walls and broken stained glass windows. But with Ingram by my side, I felt safe and fearless.

As we delved deeper into the forest, we discovered hidden caves and secret pathways that seemed to lead to another world. Ingram's knowledge of the land and its history fascinated me, and I found myself drawn to him more and more with each passing day.

But as much as I enjoyed our clandestine meetings, a part of me couldn't shake the guilt of keeping secrets from Joseph. I knew that he would never approve of my friendship with his brother, especially considering that they possible had never seen each other in centuries. But I couldn't bring myself to end things with Ingram, not when our bond felt so strong and undeniable.

But then, the long-awaited day had finally arrived. Bella Swan was on the verge of getting married, and my heart was filled with an overwhelming sense of joy. I did inform Ingram about it and that I would be absent for a brief period. He promised that he would send his raven out to keep an eye on me.

To ensure a smooth journey, the coven had arrived at the airport a staggering twelve hours early. Thankfully, the sky was adorned with a blanket of clouds, shielding us from the scorching sun. Although a part of me yearned for the warmth of sunshine, Gabriel had thoughtfully arranged for us to stay at a hotel where we could freshen up before the wedding. Gratitude washed over me, especially considering the fact that I was donning a pair of heels.

As we settled comfortably into our luxurious first-class seats, Rhona initiated a conversation. "You grew up in Forks, didn't you?" she inquired, and I nodded in affirmation. "So, for you, this must feel like a trip back home."

A wistful smile graced my lips. "Yeah, it does. Home..."

Yet, my thoughts were already racing ahead, consumed by my upcoming plan. Once the wedding festivities concluded, I had made a promise to retrieve Ayla. She had been constantly on my mind, and the anticipation of reuniting with her was almost unbearable.

But I couldn't help but question the wisdom of my decision. After all, I had penned a heartfelt letter to her, urging her to find happiness and lead a fulfilling life.

The thought of seeing her again filled me with a mix of excitement and trepidation. Would she remember me? Would she be happy to see me? Had I made the right decision in leaving her behind? Would she forgive me for being away for so long?

As the plane took off, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to push aside my doubts and fears. This was a day of celebration, a day of new beginnings. And as we soared through the clouds towards our destination, I knew that whatever challenges lay ahead, I would face them with courage and determination.

When we touched down in Forks, it felt like a long-awaited return. The gentle August breeze brought a sense of familiarity that warmed my heart. It was odd to realize that I had only been gone for three months, yet it seemed like an eternity. Despite my love for my hometown, I couldn't shake the longing for London.

Upon reaching the Cullens' residence, the scent of human blood lingered in the air, testing my restraint. I was thankful for my control, knowing the risks of a misstep. Gabriel knocked on the door, revealing Carlisle in a sharp black suit and white shirt.

"Welcome back," Carlisle greeted with a smile, enveloping Gabriel in a hug. "It's been a while."

"Only a couple of months," Gabriel replied casually.

Carlisle's attention then turned to Rhona, who beamed with delight and rushed to embrace him.

"It's wonderful to see you after all this time!" Rhona exclaimed, her happiness evident as Carlisle returned her hug. "It's been too long!"

"I know," Carlisle responded, his golden eyes flickering towards me. "Hello, Violet. I see your eyes have turned amber."

"I've finally grown accustomed to the new diet," I replied, recalling his words of encouragement. "I'm doing well, thank you."

After exchanging greetings with the rest of the coven, Carlisle guided us into his home, informing us that the wedding was taking place in the backyard. As we stepped outside, the sound of classical music filled the air, and my nerves began to fray at the sight of so many humans. Anxiety coursed through me, and I struggled to steady my breathing.

"Are you alright, Violet?" Simon's voice cut through the noise, and I turned to face him, attempting to maintain my composure.

I nodded, but my mind raced with worry. What if he could see the fear in my eyes? What if everyone could see it? Just then, four vampires materialized out of thin air, and a wave of relief washed over me: Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper, and Alice.

"Hi, all!" Alice greeted us with her usual cheerfulness, and I couldn't help but smile at her infectious energy.

But as she hugged me tightly, I felt my anxiety spike again. I tried to hide it, but I knew the others could sense it.

"I'm glad you all made it in time," Alice said, beaming with joy.

"We wouldn't miss it for the world," Gabriel replied, and the others nodded in agreement.

As they chatted and caught up, I tried to blend into the background, hoping no one would notice me. But Emmett's voice cut through the noise.

"Wow, Violet. You've got amber eyes now," he said, grinning from ear to ear.

"That's what happens when you drink animal blood, sweetie," Rosalie teased him, and the others chuckled.

"Just a few steps closer to having gold eyes," Ethan added, and I couldn't help but smile at their banter.

Out of nowhere, Esme, with her dark brown caramel hair and topaz eyes, approached me first, her expression filled with concern. "Violet, you seem tense," she observed, his voice soothing and melodic. "Is there anything we can do to help?"

I forced a smile, grateful for their understanding. "I'm just a little overwhelmed, that's all. It's been a while since I've been around so many humans."

Emmett, the burly and jovial brother, chuckled. "Don't worry, Violet. We've got your back. Just remember to breathe and take it one step at a time."

Alice, the petite and fashion-forward sister, chimed in, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "And don't forget, we've seen the future. Everything will go smoothly, I promise."

Rosalie, the stunning and enigmatic sibling, remained silent but gave me a reassuring nod. Her presence alone was enough to make me feel protected.

For a moment, I saw a black raven resting on the Cullens' rooftop and forgot about my anxiety and just enjoyed being around these amazing creatures. They made me feel alive, and I knew that as long as I had them by my side, I could face anything.

As my family socialized with the Cullens and the other coven, I found myself engulfed in a field of white roses, their fragile petals dancing in the wind. My nerves were taut, my thoughts racing with the fear of someone uncovering my true nature. What would be my ultimate fate? I couldn't allow my apprehension to overshadow Bella's special occasion. I settled beside my family, anticipating the commencement of the ceremony.

Suddenly, I caught the sound of familiar voices in the distance. My heart plummeted as I recognized Eric Yorkie, Mike Newton, Angela Webber, and Jessica Stanley. They were present as well. What if they spotted me? Would they discern that I was no longer human? My eyes were no longer brown, but a profound amber. My complexion was paler than ever.

I needed to act swiftly. Then, I recalled my ability. I concentrated on the groom standing at the altar, willing myself to be imperceptible to those around me.

"I wish Violet was here," Jessica murmured.

"You know she's missing, not dead," Eric responded.

"But wouldn't it be easier if she were gone?" Jessica's words pierced through me.

"Why would you say that?" Angela gasped.

"I mean, considering all her family had to go through," Jessica added.

My mind whirled with bewilderment. What were they discussing? Gavin and Dina appeared indifferent to my absence. Unless Ayla was involved. She was the sole individual who genuinely cared about me.

Come to think of it, did Bella ever worry about my disappearance? I knew that she went through a lot but didn't she even had one second to be worry about my whereabouts. Did she theorised that I might have been kidnapped by Victoria and joined her army to kill her? Did she even know I was gone?

As these thoughts raced through my mind, I couldn't help but feel a pang of hurt. I had always been there for Bella, supporting her through every obstacle she faced. And now, on her special day, I was invisible, both literally and figuratively.

But I couldn't let my emotions consume me. This was Bella's moment, and I needed to put on a brave face for her. I took a deep breath, reminding myself that my absence was necessary to protect her. If anyone discovered my true identity, it could put her in danger.

As the wedding began, I sat in silence, my mind consumed with worry. Would I be discovered? Would my family be in danger? Only time would tell.

As I sat among the guests, the air was thick with anticipation. Suddenly, a familiar tune filled the room, signalling the start of the long-awaited wedding. I rose to my feet, eager to catch a glimpse of the bride.

As the ceremony began, I watched as Bella walked down the aisle, a vision of beauty in her white gown. The love and adoration in Edward's eyes were undeniable, and I couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy. I longed for a love like theirs, but my circumstances made it impossible. As we settled into our seats, the minister began to speak. His words were solemn and measured, a reminder of the gravity of the occasion. We repeated after him, our voices ringing out in unison.

Throughout the ceremony, I kept my focus on Bella and Edward, trying to drown out the voices of my former friends. I couldn't let their words affect me. I had made a choice, and I had to stand by it, no matter how difficult it was.

And then, the moment we had all been waiting for. The minister turned to the groom and asked him to repeat the sacred vows. Edward spoke to them with conviction, his eyes locked on Bella's.

She, in turn, repeated the same words, her voice trembling with emotion. And then, the moment of truth. The minister asked the all-important question, and both bride and groom answered with a resounding "I do."

As the vows were exchanged and the couple sealed their love with a kiss, a sense of bittersweet happiness washed over me. I was happy for Bella and Edward, but a part of me couldn't help but feel a sense of loss.

With those words, the couple was pronounced husband and wife. They sealed their union with a kiss, and the room erupted in applause. I joined in, my heart filled with joy for the newlyweds.

As the wedding almost came to a close, the once vibrant blue sky was replaced by a dark canvas, adorned with twinkling stars. The humans around me chanted and celebrated, but my attention was fixated on the towering wedding cake. It was a masterpiece, with four layers of pristine white icing and an abundance of delicate flowers. At the very top sat a miniature bride and groom, a symbol of the love that had just been celebrated. My mouth watered at the thought of sinking my teeth into the delectable dessert.

Suddenly, a youthful voice broke through my reverie, pulling me back to the present moment. I turned to face a tall teenage boy, his russet complexion glowing in the moonlight. A mischievous grin adorned his face, his dark hair cropped short, and his warm brown eyes met mine. Clad in a crisp white shirt, complemented by a light brown blazer and denim jeans, he exuded an air of casual charm.

"Hello," he greeted, his voice carrying a hint of curiosity.

Startled by the interruption, I composed myself and met his gaze. "I'm Seth Clearwater," he introduced himself, his words laced with a touch of familiarity. "You might not recognize me in this form, but we've crossed paths before."

I arched an eyebrow in curiosity, trying to recall where I had encountered him before.

"Maybe this will jog your memory," Seth continued. "Remember the newborn vampire army and the battle against Riley?"

Recognition dawned on me as I remembered the fierce battle that had taken place not too long ago. Seth Clearwater was one of the members of the Quileute wolf pack, a group of shape-shifting werewolves who had allied themselves with the Cullens to protect their land and loved ones from the threat of the newborn vampires.

"I remember now," I replied, a smile tugging at the corners of my lips. "You were quite impressive in the battle."

Seth chuckled modestly, his eyes shining with pride. "Thanks. It was a team effort, really. But enough about that. Are you enjoying the wedding?"

I nodded, my gaze drifting back to the towering wedding cake. "It's a beautiful celebration. It's a pleasure to see you again."

His grin widened. "Likewise," he replied. "I must say, you clean up nicely for a vampire. No offence."

"Why would I take offense?" I chuckled, amused by his audacity.

His expression faltered. "No, I meant..."

I couldn't help but laugh at his attempt to backtrack. "Don't worry, Seth. I understand what you meant."

His shoulders relaxed, and he joined in my laughter. "Good, good. I always seem to put my foot in my mouth."

As the music swelled and the guests began to move towards the dance floor, Seth glanced back at the crowd. "Well, I better get going. It was great catching up."

With a final nod, he turned and walked away, blending into the sea of guests. I watched him disappear into the night, feeling a sense of closure. The wedding resumed its jubilant rhythm, and I returned my attention to the towering cake.

Suddenly, a familiar voice called out my name, jolting me back to reality. I turned to see Jessica Stanley and a group of my former classmates standing before me, their faces a mixture of shock and confusion.

"Violet Baxter?" Jessica exclaimed, disbelief etched on her face.

I tried to remain calm, to act as if nothing was out of the ordinary. "Yes?" I replied, feigning confusion. "Is something wrong?"

Mike spoke up, his expression still incredulous. "Where have you been? We thought you were...gone."

I knew I had to come up with a convincing lie, and fast. "I was in London," I began, my mind racing. "Studying at Oxford."

I could see the scepticism in their eyes, so I added, "I'm studying literature. It's been a dream of mine for years."

Angela's eyes widened in awe. "Oxford? That sounds so fancy."

Eric, however, was more practical. "How did you afford to go?" he asked, his tone accusatory.

I knew I had to think on my feet. "Scholarships," I replied confidently. "I worked hard and earned them."

As they continued to question me, I felt a sense of dread wash over me. My lies were flimsy at best, and I knew it was only a matter of time before they uncovered the truth. I was doomed.

As I stood there, feeling the weight of the lies I had spun, I heard Joseph's voice behind me. It was a relief to have him there, his presence a comfort in the midst of my deception. He introduced himself as my uncle, and I couldn't help but think that his lie was better than my own.

Mike's gulp was audible, and I knew that I had to keep up the act. "On my mum's side," I managed to say, my words coming out in a rush.

When Jessica mentioned my step mother's name, I gritted my teeth. I wasn't going to let her ruin the wedding, not today. "My birth mother's maiden name was Khotler," I said quickly, hoping to move on from the topic.

Angela seemed intrigued by the name, and I could feel the weight of Joseph's arm as he stood beside me. "We are an old family," he said with a smile, his head tilted to the side.

I couldn't help but feel a sense of awe as I looked at him. He was my saviour in this moment, the one who had come to my rescue when I needed it most. "Uncle Joe, can I talk to you in private?" I asked, trying to sound casual as I pulled him away from the group.

As we walked away, I felt a sense of relief wash over me. "Thank you," I whispered, my amber eyes meeting his gold orbs.

"No problem," he said, tapping my shoulder. "Great job on not killing them."

I couldn't help but laugh at his words, the tension of the moment dissipating.

As Joseph's embrace released me, my eyes scanned the crowd until they landed on Bella and Edward. They were deep in conversation with her father and his companions. I sauntered over, my steps slow and deliberate, and tapped Bella on the shoulder. She jumped, a shiver running through her body, and I couldn't help but scoff.

"I thought you'd be used to the cold by now, being with Edward and all," I chuckled as the newlyweds turned to face me.

"Violet!" Bella exclaimed, her face lighting up as she threw her arms around me. "I'm so glad you came!"

"Why wouldn't I?" I replied, returning her embrace. "It's a wedding invitation from a friend.”

Edward, with a small smile playing at the corners of his lips, said. "Are you doing okay?"

"Of course," I confirmed and then chuckled. "There's no bloodbath."

As we spoke, a woman with brown hair approached the bride and groom, enveloping them in a warm embrace. Behind her stood three others: a man and two women. A dark-haired man stood beside her, and two blonde women joined them.

"Congratulations, Edward," the words flowed from the woman's lips like honey, as she wrapped her arms around the groom. Her brown locks cascaded down her back, framing her face in a soft glow.

Edward's response was simple, yet sincere. "Thank you."

As the woman pulled away, a dark-haired man stepped forward. "Bella," he addressed her, his voice smooth like velvet.

"Eleazar and Carmen, right?" Bella inquired, her eyes scanning the couple before her. Carmen nodded in confirmation, her lips curving into a warm smile.

"Mmm-hmm," Carmen hummed, her head bobbing in agreement. "Hola."

Edward took the opportunity to introduce his family, gesturing towards the group of individuals standing behind him. "These are our cousins from Alaska," he explained. "Tanya, Kate, Eleazar, and Carmen."

Recognition dawned on my face as I realised who they were. "So they were the Denali Coven my family talked about," I thought to myself.

"We've heard so much about you," Kate spoke up, her voice laced with curiosity.

"Welcome to the family, Bienvenida," Eleazar greeted Bella, pulling her into a warm embrace.

"Thank you," Bella replied, feeling a sense of belonging wash over her.

Kate's attention then turned to me, a mischievous glint in her eye. "And who's your friend?" she asked, smirking in my direction.

"I'm Violet," I introduced myself, feeling a bit nervous under her gaze. "I'm with the Khotlers."

"Of course," Eleazar chimed in, shaking my hand. "Gabriel told us about you. You have invisibility, am I correct?"

I hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to respond. "Yes?" I answered, my voice trailing off uncertainty. "Among other things."

Edward let out a small chuckle, breaking the tension. "C'mon, Eleazar," he teased. "Don't freak her out. She's still a newborn after all."

Tanya then stepped forward, a warm smile gracing her pale features. "And you're doing so well with lots of humans around," she complimented me.

"Thanks," I replied, feeling a sense of pride swell within me.

"Irina," said Carmen, turning around, and I observed another blonde woman with melancholic golden eyes. "Please come and meet Bella."

Irina appeared to be gazing beyond us but approached Carmen. She clung to her arm as if her life depended on it. Perhaps she was experiencing anxiety?

"I cannot do this," I overheard Irina whisper.

She seemed to be distressed about something.

"You made a promise," Tanya told her.

"They invited one," Irina responded, sounding both upset and angry.

I turned around and saw Billy Black, Jacob's father, and a young boy whom I recognised as Seth Clearwater. What was the issue? She had better not be prejudicing them.

"Irina, he is our friend," Edward defended.

"Yes," I interjected, and Irina glared at me. "He can be friends with whomever he chooses, even Native Americans.”

Irina scoffed and shook her head. "I meant wolves," she gritted her teeth at me. "Werewolves, you fool."

That comment hurt me, and Tanya snapped her head in Irina's direction.

"Irina! She is still new!" Tanya growled and turned to me. "I apologise for her. She is upset."

"It is alright," I replied, and my eyes narrowed at Irina. "And I am aware of what shapeshifters are. I have seen them. What is the big deal?"

"They killed Laurent," she responded tearfully.

"Who?" I inquired.

"A nomadic vampire and a friend of James and Victoria," Edward answered.

I growled, loud enough for Irina to hear. Edward looked down at me, and I swallowed nervously.

"Violet, stop," Bella whispered to me.

"He attempted to kill Bella," he continued, causing me to growl even more.

"I do not believe that," Irina spat out. "He wanted to be like us. To live in harmony with humans. With me."

"He disregarded our dietary guidelines and admitted to cheating," Edward stated.

"I DO NOT CARE!" she exclaimed loudly to him.

Edward apologised, and Irina stormed away.

"Irina!" Carmen called out to her as she and Kate followed her, leaving Tanya and the two men behind.

"Well, let us not monopolise the bride," Eleazar spoke before departing. "Congratulations."

"Thank you," Bella replied.

"I apologise," Tanya said one last time before she and Eleazar departed.

I bid farewell to Edward and Bella and took my seat at the table reserved for the Khotlers. The speeches began, but they were nothing more than a blur to me.

The guests were lively, dancing to the upbeat music that filled the air. Alice and Jasper stole the show with their dance moves, transporting us all back to the roaring twenties. I sat at the table, observing the festivities and admiring my family as they twirled around the dance floor with their partners. Gabriel with Helena, Joseph with Rhona, and Simon with Alana. They were all so happy, so in love.

I couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy. It would be nice to have someone to love, someone to share eternity with. Someone who was alive, undead, or a bit of both.

As I pondered my thoughts, I noticed Bella and Edward making their way through the crowd. My heart raced as I wondered where they were headed. Please don't let it be the Volturi, I thought to myself.

Without hesitation, I jumped from my seat and followed the newlyweds. And then, I caught a whiff of something. It was a scent I knew all too well. A human or a vampire? No, it couldn't be. It was a wolf, similarly to Seth, the same one that had killed the newborn army I was once a part of.

My curiosity piqued, I continued to follow Bella and Edward, eager to uncover the truth behind their mysterious departure.

[wolint]

FRESH MANNA

COVENANT KEEPER

Genesis 17:2

God is a covenant keeper and the divine covenants of God are those that God makes with us. Covenants are promises of God as revealed in the Scriptures, conditioned on certain terms on the part of humans, such as obedience, repentance, faith, and righteousness.

These covenants provide a unifying principle for understanding the Scriptures and define the relationship between God and man. The heart of that relationship is found in the phrase, “I will be their God and they shall be My people” in Genesis 17:7.

God will keep His promise forever to His everlasting possession and will hold inviolate that covenant forever!

A covenant is a bond in blood sovereignly administered only by the Lord.

Hebrews 6:13 says when God made a promise to Abraham because He couldn’t swear by anyone greater, so He swore by Himself, saying, “Surely in blessing, I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply you” after Abraham had patiently endured, to obtain God’s promise. God was determined to show us the abundant promises of His immutability and counsel, confirmed by an oath.

Do you feel the gravity of the covenant? God swearing against His own character? Hebrews is an affirmation of Genesis 17:7 because all through the scriptures, we see God’s trustworthiness and faithfulness shine through.

To believe that God is a covenant keeper, we must first believe Numbers 23:19 and Hebrews 6:18, that God never lies, it does not matter how long it takes for the covenant to be effective, it certainly will come to pass otherwise Isaiah 55:11 will be a false claim on God’s side and a slur on His character.

God recorded His covenant in the Bible to show us that His word is final. Just as He did with:

Noah in Genesis 9:11.

Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3.

Moses in Exodus 19:5-6.

David in 2 Samuel 7:12-17.

The New Covenant in Jeremiah 31:31-34

When I looked at God’s covenant testimonials, I decided to cut my own covenant with God based on His word of healing and health. I operate on divine health based on Isaiah 53:5 and 3 John 1:2 and maintain it by the blood of Jesus.

The Lord used the word “covenant” 13 times in this chapter alone, the covenant of God is unconditional, an everlasting covenant and it is important to note that every covenant is essentially unilateral; It is God who covenants. No covenant is left in the hands of the creature to guarantee success- from the very beginning, God affixed His signature on every covenant, you didn’t sign anything with Him and so because He swears by His name, He will keep any and every covenant He makes with us. He says in Jeremiah 33:20-22 that if we can’t break His covenant of day and night, then He can’t break His covenant of a king on David’s throne, He kept it, Jesus, the King of kings is the last of David’s line and the permanent king on the throne of David. God is faithful where men aren’t. Get your covenant card out, the Lord is ready, willing, and faithful to make a covenant with you.

PRAYER: Father, thank you for being the covenant keeper who keeps all the promises and covenants you’ve made to and for me in Jesus’s name. Amen.

Shalom

Women of light international prayer ministries.

[73ironath]

SEEKING THE SPIRIT As I read comments from the social media and listening to the radio, some who have found themselves in fix sought for advice from the public. As solutions are proffered, I hardly hear solutions tangled with; "Go to the FATHER, He has the final say of his or her life." Rather, ones personal or others experiences are prescribed. There's nothing wrong with that. But what one need do right first is to go to His FATHER to obtain solutions. Secondly, the road mapped for Mr A is different from Mr B. A wise counsel is what Moses Father in-law counseled Moses. Saying: "I give thee counsel...if thou shall do this thing, and God command thee so, ..." Exodus 18:14-23. Consider the words: "And God command so." It is becoming rampant in our everyday life that we mostly sought for ease and comfort from anybody and anywhere but choose not to break the barricades that prevents us from receiving light and truth from the FATHER directly. The teachings of men and men not wanting to grow spiritually by searching the scriptures can make one not to understand himself and the plan FATHER has for him. True disciples of Christ who strive to keep the laws, covenants and seek the spirit will come to realize oneself as a sister, Michelle D. Craig expressed: "I am learning that heavenly Father is more interested in my growth as a disciple of Jesus Christ than He is with my comfort." This "growth" can only come when we make some mistakes -satan coming inform of light, as we seek the spirit. Because the spirit speaks in varieties of ways, as we seek him, he may lead us to some person to receive counsel from. For he himself will speak through the person. Such counsels, when held, confirm what the spirit has impressed upon the heart of the individual. Many voices are in the air and Satan's voice is much. The failure to keep the laws and seeking the spirit will lead one to accept solutions contrary to the plan of FATHER for ones life. Actually, it is a great work to do. Nevertheless, we must pay the price to personally hear from FATHER. https://www.instagram.com/p/CldtFfiNOyT/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[a23n7l19y79]

🌿🌺❤️Ancient Truth of ELOHIM❤️🌺🌿 taught by the END TIME MESSENGER of ELOHIM - Seraphim Samuel. 🌾🌿🔑🔐:

The Greater Judgement & Wrath of ELOHIM is here.⚡⚡⚡

📢📣 Exodus 23:23 - "Behold I (YAHUWAH) send an Angel (Archangel Samuel) before thee, to keep thee in THE WAY, and to bring thee into the place, which I (YAHUWAH) have prepared. Beware of him and obey his voice, provoke him not, for he will not pardon your transgressions; for My Holy Name (YAHUWAH) is in him."

📢📣 Malachi 3:1-3 - "I (YAHUWAH) will send My Messenger (Archangel Samuel), who will prepare THE WAY before Me. Then suddenly YAHUWAH whom you are seeking will come to His temple; The Messenger (Archangel Samuel - The 5th Angel of the Apocalypse 🌾 of the covenant, whom you desire will come," says YAHUWAH ALMIGHTY. "But who can endure the day of his comming ? Who can stand when he appears ? For he will be like a refiner's fire or a launderer's soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the levites and refine them like goldand silver. Then YAHUWAH will have men who will bring offerings in Righteousness".

📢📣 Revelation 9:1- "And the 5th Angel sounded his trumpet and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth; and to him (Archangel Samuel 🌾- The 5th Angel of the Apocalypse) was given the key of the bottomless pit."

📢📣 Revelation 20:1 - And I saw an Angel 🌾coming down out of heaven, having the key 🔑🔐 to the Abyss (bottomless pit) and holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.

📢📣1 Thessalonions 4:16 - "For YAHUSHUA Himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel (Seraphim Samuel🌾) and with the Trump of YAH; and the dead in YAHUSHUA shall rise first".

📢📣Daniel 12 : 1 - 4 "And at that time shall MIKHAEL stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever. But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end (which is now): many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased."

📢📣Jeremiah 6: 17. "Also I (YAHUWAH) set a watchmen 🌻over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken."

🔑🔐Note : --The 5th Angel is also mentioned in the Book of Enoch as the Angel of Mercy & Judgement.🌾Thats another reason why vatican removed the Book of Enoch from the bible.

🎺Archangel Samuel🌾 is a High Ranked Angel / Seraphim send by 👑ALMIGHTY ELOHIM to be born here on earth in the flesh. He is one of the Commander & Chief of the 7th Dimension. He was send by ALMIGHTY ELOHIM with a huge responsibility & a special assignment to awaken the human race to THE ANCIENT TRUTH OF ELOHIM - THE TRUE MESSAGE OF ETERNAL LOVE & RIGHTEOUSNESS & HOLINESS & REPENTANCE🌷🌿 - THE OIL OF SALVATION for our souls. He was send to bring us back to our HOLY TRIUNE ETERNAL CREATORS - THE ANCIENT OF DAYS - THE THREE WHO AGREE AS ONE - ELOHIM : 🌷🌿

👑 ABBA YAHUWAH EL ELYON (YAH THE FATHER - OUR TRUE HEAVENLY FATHER & UNIVERSAL ROCK OF AGES ).🌹🌿

👑 IMAYAH RUACH HAKADOSHAH (YAH THE MOTHER - THE TRUE HOLY SPIRIT - SHEKHINYAH GLORY OF ABBA YAHUWAH EL ELYON - WIFE OF ABBA YAHUWAH & MOTHER OF LORD YAHUSHUA. ALMIGHTY WIND & MOTHER WISDOM).🌹🌿

👑 YAHUSHUA HAMASHIACH ( YAH THE SON - OUR TRUE MESSIYAH - THE LION OF THE TRIBE OF YAHUDAH / KING OF KINGS & LORD OF LORDS - OUR TRUE PASSOVER LAMB WHO WAS SLAINED & SACRIFICED HIS PRECIOUS DIVINE HOLY BLOOD FOR THE SALVATION OF THE HUMAN RACE, THE PRINCE OF PEACE ).🌷🌿

Archangel Samuel 🌾 is the Trumpet of Truth🎺🎺🎺, the one & only True watchman on the wall, the 5th Angel, the Messenger, send by 👑ELOHIM to bring us back to Their Ancient Path. To him alone has been given the 🔑🔐Wisdom, the Understanding & Knowledge of the Divine Words of ELOHIM given to Prophet Daniel, which was sealed🌿📜up, but now opened to be revealed to us all in these end days, through ELOHIM'S Holy End Time Anointed & Appointed Messenger.🌾

📜🌿📜🌿📜🌿📜🌿📜🌿📜🌿📜🌿📜🌿

Out of 7.8 billion people on earth, 77,777 + 144000 souls were chosen by ABBA YAHUWAH to be caught up in the CATCHING AWAY / Ascension of the Ecclessia. This is the First Fruit Harvest of WHEAT. 🌾🌾🌾

There is a Second Fruit Harvest called the RAPTURE, which comes after the 1000 days Greater Tribulation period / Total Darkness on earth, which lasts for 2 years & 3 months (23 Days of Darkness). 🌚

This RAPTURE is for those who have been LEFT BEHIND. This is the FINAL & LAST Harvest (Second Fruit Harvest of BARLEY ), 🌱🌱🌱which will happen after 1000 days of Great Depression / Greater Tribulation Period.

🌷🌿🌷🌿🌷🌿🌷🌿🌷🌿🌷🌿🌷🌿🌷🌿

Please visit Seraphim Samuel page on fb.🎆

[volterran-wine]

Born: June 19th, around 1000 AD in Nicopolis, Byzantine Greece

Turned: Around 1000 AD at the age of 23 by Amun

Gift: Tracking Sense

Joined The Volturi: 1200 AD

Guard placement: Higher Guard

Height: 177cm/5'8

Demetri’s Fancast

-

Zodiac: Gemini (Adaptable, Nervous, Eloquent)

MBTI: ISTP-A: The Virtuoso (Spontaneous, Pragmatic, Confident)

Enneagram: 3w2: The Charmer (Sociable, Adaptable, Driven)

Sexuality: Queer - he does not like labels.

Pronouns: He/Him

𝐅𝐮𝐧 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐬;

Demetri has many anxieties about love, many.

The Volturi’s resident fashionista

Demetri is afraid of not being enough, and will flaunt the persona he thinks people want to see instead of being genuine.

He has a love for motorcycles, 

Demetri’s favourite place to travel to is the beach, 

He is known for always keeping his cool, but he wasn’t always like that.

Demetri loves dancing and will drag someone into whatever dance he fancies if he is in the mood.

He appreciates style over fashion, not necessarily following trends and instead buys pieces he finds interesting.

His favourite hobby is reading, though he also takes care of a lot of plants in his cluttered quarters.

Demetri speaks Greek, Latin, Italian and English fluently and has a decent grip on the other romance languages. 

Saw Halley’s Comet appear in the sky over The Scottish Highlands in 1835 while chasing a vampire.

Actually has a Goodreads account.

Demetri has a cat named Elizabeth. Whom he stole.

His voice is quite smooth and playful

Loves Vance Joy & Fleetwood Mac

Demetri’s favourite song is ‘Crystal’ by Fleetwood Mac

Spent some time in the court of Henry VIII and met Anne Boleyn 

Cut his hair not too long ago to keep up with the times.

Demetri’s favourite author is Jane Austen.

He is in fact, quite dramatic.

Demetri is Left-Handed

His favourite book is ‘Mansfield Park’ by Jane Austen

𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬;

Demetri and Felix are like brothers In fact, Felix saved him once.

Afton and Demetri actually get along

𝐀𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐝𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬;

Demetri can rarely catch a break when it comes to his love life.

Corin contemplates Boba, Demetri has an idea and The Secretary is absolutely horrified.

𝐅𝐚𝐧𝐅𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬:

And the earth stood still - Demetri has lived a long second life as an immortal. A multitude of dalliances and seductions followed wherever he went. What he did not expect is to run into someone who could mean so much more. With a cacophony of thoughts swirling in his head, what will he do?

Let it Snow! - Demetri is out on a mission with his mate, Christmas is closing in and the tracker finds himself in the mood for some romantic holiday cheer. Whilst heavy snowfall is enough to keep the humans locked up in their houses, it is the perfect guise for vampires to have a bit of fun.

A Very Volturi Christmas Party - In true Volturi fashion the coven is gathered to celebrate Christmas Eve, blood-wine is flowing, music is playing and there is even snow falling from the sky. Follow along as we get a glimpse of the entire coven’s holiday cheer in 8 parts.

Always Forever - Demetri has finally found his mate and accepted them into his heart. Now begins a long journey of healing and unlearning bad coping mechanisms and habits; luckily his mate will be there every step of the way. A story told in 5 parts, showing the deep love and devotion Demetri would develop for a mate. (Coming soon)

𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐬;

A Writers Heart

Academia

NSFW Headcanons

Relationship Headcanons

Safe & Sound

Check out all my Demetri Headcanons here.

𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐬;

Moodboards

Demetri’s Playlist

Check out my Demetri Tag if you want all posts containing Demetri (Last Update; 03.05.22)

[ariespellz]

ask: hi! could i get a romantic matchup? my pronouns are she/her, i identify as a girl and im straight, and im 23. i like drawing, ice skating and dressing up! i have anger and trust issues, i am quite forgetful, im confident but shy, im an entp if that helps, and i am VERY stubborn. and also im an aries! i'd like it to be a canon universe, and i think i would have a pyro vision. my giving AND recieving love language is physical touch! my favorite trope is probably work friends, if that counts? and if it doesnt its enemies to lovers. ₍ᐢ‥ᐢ₎ ♡ i'd like a romantic matchup, and only 1 person if its fine. my favorite color is red! my music taste is indie-jazz rock, and alternative rock! my favorite series are american horror story, espicially 3rd season(coven)! thats it i think!! thank you in advance!!!

hello, hello!! thank you for your request.

after careful consideration, you've been paired up with...

... THOMA !!

he's kind, calm and patient.

a match made in heaven, really.

he has a great memory and will remind you things if you forget about them.

he knows exactly how to calm you down if you have an outburst, and knows when to give you space.

he never pushes your boundaries and is a great listener. you can open up to him whenever you feel like it. but if you don't want to, it's okay, too.

he would never judge you and he's loyal to a fault.

also!! he balances the five love languages pretty well, but his preferred ones are probably physical touch and quality time (giving) and words of affirmation and, again, physical touch (receiving).

overall, he loves you and respects you no matter what <3.

FIRST STEPS: meeting.

ogura mio had hired you as a designer in her shop. your love for fashion and desire for success in the field had been the ambition that granted you your pyro vision.

so you were elated when your designs gained popularity throughout inazuma.

your boss was the one doing most of the sewing and standing behind the counter, while you sketched in the back room.

you two had a very good relationship, as she gave you a lot of freedom and a great salary, and was also great company.

"(y/n)?" she called one morning. you lifted your gaze from the sketchbook. "there's someone looking for you."

"oh? i'll be right there."

ogura nodded and left, leaving the door to the shop open.

and there he stood. soft expression and kind eyes gleamed in recognition upon seeing you.

"here she is!" the pink haired girl smiled. "(y/n), this is thoma. i'm sure you've already seen him around the city."

he smiles sweetly, waving his hand as a greeting.

"it's nice to finally meet you, (y/n). i've heard a lot of things about you."

turns out, none other than kamisato ayaka wanted to hire you as her personal stylist.

thoma said you had around a week to consider accepting the offer, and mentioned that there was no pressure.

after a lot of encouraging from your friend (and stylist) you decided to accept

this could be the best business opportunity you'd ever have!

so, exactly three days later, you were standing in the entrance of the kamisato state

miss kamisato turned out to be really nice and sweet, and asked you to design a kimono for an upcoming event

under her request, thoma arrived soon after to show you the place

"we're happy to have you here" he said with a cheery smile. "if you ever need help, don't hesitate to ask me."

FRIENDSHIP: getting to know each other.

the duties as a worker for the tri-commission were demanding.

even more when your boss is the sister of the head of the clan, who is provably just as powerful.

the stress was catching up to you, and it was making you sick. on top of it all, you were currently on an artist's block

no matter what you did, you found no inspiration. no more original ideas.

and that was a big problem.

as nice as she was, ayaka was constantly attending to events. which meant you had to create a new pattern per week.

(you couldn't help but feel a bit bad for her, with a forever flooded agenda and barely any time for herself.)

you had been working constantly with no rest. as much as you presented yourself in a formal and composed way, full of confidence and passion, you didn't dare to ask for some free days.

what if she said no? would you lose your job? would your beloved career be over?

with a sigh, you looked at your lunch. suddenly, you weren't hungry anymore.

with a huff, you pulled out your sketchbook and fumbled through the pages.

looking for something. anything. with a groan, you threw the object somewhere in the floor when, once again, you couldn't squeeze a single drop of creativity out of your sleep-deprived brain.

you had an hour left of lunchtime before a reunion with the tailors, and your hands were empty.

you were fucked. for real this time.

you honestly felt like crying, but settled for a sigh instead. you couldn't give up now.

suddenly, you heard a knock on the door. no one really came to this room, so you used to eat lunch peacefully and sometimes draw a bit.

"...come in" you called after a beat of silence.

there stood thoma, smiling at you in a somehow shy way.

"hello! sorry to bother you" he greeted a bit nervously. "my lady said you seemed a bit... out of it today. is something the matter?"

you hesitated.

he couldn't know about the issue. if he were to know that you couldn't finish the job, you would get fired for sure.

"ah, thoma, it's nothing." you smile at him. he was a nice guy. although you didn't talk to him much, you enjoyed his presence. "just a bit tired, nothing to worry about."

his eyebrows furrowed slightly as he scanned the room briefly. and then, his eyes locked with the sketchbook, which was laying not too far from him.

you made up some excuse about how it must have slipped from your pocket. he seemed to believe it and sat across from you

"is it okay if we have lunch together?" he asked "we haven't gotten the chance to chat. these past few weeks have been busy."

turns out, he was great company.

he didn't mind your quietness and made sure to fill the silences when they were starting to get awkward.

but soon enough, there were around ten minutes left of lunch break. he got up and excused himself briefly. the smile he sent you was almost sly.

preparing for the worst, you had some minutes to calm yourself down. while heading towards the assigned room, you thought about a hundred different apologies.

however, when you arrived, they were leaving.

"the meeting has been postponed around two days." one of them sighs when you question it. "lady kamisato's orders."

after that, you somehow got some maids as subordinates. they helped a lot with work and were in charge of your schedule (something you were grateful for, because there was no way you wanted to accidentally miss a meeting again.)

something that also changed?

thoma's behaviour around you.

he now ate lunch with you everyday.

he accompanied you to the city in search for textiles you liked and helped you carry the boxes back.

he always compliments your drawings and clothes.

he knows your agenda better than you, and more often than not he'll go out of his way to help you out.

and little by little, he started to get close to you.

but your growing confusion cleared up one afternoon at the market.

you were buying groceries with him (something that had become the usual between you two) when you noticed a small group of people staring at you.

you paid them no mind, more focused on which lavender melons were better-looking.

but then you heard them.

"how can she work for the kamisatos? she has no class!" "oh, and poor thoma, i bet she's all over him. didn't you see him the other day? he had his hands full of her stuff!" "right! doesn't she have maids or something?"

'don't listen to them' you repeated yourself. thoma was in another stall and he'd be here soon.

they're just jealous.

...

well shit, they're still going.

once you paid for the fruit, you briefly thanked the vendor and grabbed the bag.

your blood was starting to boil, and holding back your tongue was even harder.

"he really must pity her if he still hasn't ran away" and they laughed. hard. in a mean, mocking way.

"hey, you! how about you go fuck yourself?" she turns to you, clearly nervous. she really didn't think she'd get caught.

"i- uhm..." she stammers, avoiding your gaze.

"oh, so you're acting shy now?" you scoffed. "keep your mouth shut next time, then."

a hand gripped your shoulder firmly. not exactly tight, but still supporting.

thoma was emitting some sort of dark aura that even guuji yae would be impressed of. his words were curt and his tone was cold in a way.

"i will not be tolerating any disrespectful comments towards (y/n). she is a very competent woman and she no doubt deserves her position in the kamisato state." he looks more serious than you'd ever seen him, emerald eyes clouded with anger. "also, none of you are to speculate about how or why we spend time together. it is none of your business. that being said, we'll be leaving now. have a nice day."

they didn't have time to react. thoma was dragging you away.

he sighed when you two gout out of the market.

"are you okay?" he asks, concerned. "i'm really sorry that you had to hear that. just so you know, i do enjoy helping you out. my lady has nothing to do with it."

"no, i'm sorry." you were calmer now. you had yelled at them in a pretty aggressive tone, not caring about who was around. the last thing you wanted was to damage the clan's reputation. "i kind of blew up back there. i should've just ignored them, but..."

"are you kidding me? you have nothing to blame yourself for!" he stated, brows furrowed. "you put them in their place. that's not something to be embarrassed about."

oh.

oh.

ADVANCES: feelings and confession.

thoma was a bit worried, to be honest.

had he overstepped his boundaries? made you uncomfortable? is that the reason why you were avoiding him? were you really avoiding him in the first place?

maybe he went overboard with the flirting! (oh god no you're gonna think he's a creep now)

truth is, you were way to shy to face him.

because now, every time you see him, the thought of his hand on your shoulder has your head spinning with fleeting thoughts and fake scenarios.

he was always so precious. so pretty. and so, so kind to everyone.

when the winter arrived, it was a tradition to open an ice rink to ice skate in

and thoma saw his chance there.

you had mentioned your love for the sport once in casual conversation, and he remembered.

(of course he remembers. he likes you.)

so the next time he saw you, he asked you directly so you wouldn't run away with some half-baked excuse.

if you rejected him, he'd just deal with it.

but at least he wouldn't have any doubts about your feelings about him. just co-workers who sometimes help each other. and that was it.

while you stammered to find an answer, he was buzzing with nervousness.

he was closing and opening his hands, which were sweating, and he was grinning at you like 😁

the maids who saw you found it funny, to be honest.

i would've laughed ngl

let's be real here

who would ever say no to thoma?? like- (/j)

"so..." you clear your throat "is it a date or...?"

"oh! ah... it could be one" he averts his gaze, smile straining. "if you wanted to, of course! no pressure or anything! haha..."

"i'd love to, actually."

R.I.P.

you killed him

he was as red as a tomato the entire day, and even redder when he picked you up

(the ice melted behind you because of your visions so you had to leave them with your shoes LMAOO)

you had a great time!! giggling the entire evening, holding him so he wouldn't fall (he caught the gist of it fairly quickly, actually), and having a small dinner afterwards (just some miso soup. none of you were very hungry).

"so, uh..." he started while accompanying you back home. "i like you. a lot. and i had a lot of fun with you today." he stops in his tracks, moonlight caressing his features in all the right ways as he looks at you, with an obvious blush in his face. "and i was wondering if you'd like to do it again? like, date?"

ah, he's so sweet<3

you found out his hugs were as warm as his words that day.

DATING LIFE: a relationship with him.

dating thoma is heavenly

he's pure husband material

you like PDA?? you better, because he WILL show you off

and the way he talks about you; with starry eyes and sugar-coated words

kazuha says it sounds like a beautiful poem. ayato says it's cheesy.

two sides of the same coin. pick your side.

he kisses you everywhere. in your forehead, in your temple, in your hands, in your nose,

and in his favourite: your lips<3

he prepares the BEST dates for you two.

itto insisted on 'helping a bro out' once.

NEVER AGAIN.

(it was kinda funny to see the gang trying to perform 'careless whisper' tho)

shinobu was so embarrassed to pick them up from the restaurant, and even tried to pay you two some mora in compensation.

oh and lady ayaka's eyes look full of amusement every time you speak to her

so do ayato's whenever you see him. which luckily isn't often.

realistically speaking, he's probably one of the best partners to have in genshin.

he's sweet, he knows you, he's patient, he'll make you his priority, etc

he's always very busy, though, so if you help him out every once in a while he'll be super grateful

overall, he loves you. give the guy a chance <3