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wheremytwinwatches · 4 years

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[Where My Twin Watches]: Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood Episode 9

Hey, no narrator explaining the Alchemy basics this time, just straight into the intro song? Last time, the Elrics broke into the Fifth Lab, encountered two Soul Armors, and Pudgy the Jerk made Al wonder about his free will. Here’s hoping that we fix these worries this episode.

Episode 09 - “Created Feelings” Annoyed Ed is Annoyed, scowling in his hospital bed. Ross and Brosh try to stay positive, but have to admit to Ed that the Lab’s kinda gone the same way as the library. And Ed can’t even get properly mad about that, he’s so beat up. So close to finding out the truth… Wait, what are you two apologizing for? If anything Ed’s the one who should be apologizing for running- OH! Ed done just got slapped by Ross, who’s calling him a selfish child, who doesn’t have to do everything by himself. Thanks for knocking some sense into the boy, Ross! Ross and Brosh maintain their professional demeanor (did they rehearse this earlier, their performance is spot on), right up until Ed admits he had it coming and they collapse in relief. Oh hey, explanation that SA’s are equivalent to major, like you guys said. Ed lets them know they don’t have to act so professional around him. Um, but maybe a bit more professional than that? Where’s Al in all this? He got his lecture earlier (and Brosh was the attempted slapper). And speaking of lectures… Uh oh. Ed’s gotta call Winry, tell her that his arm’s busted already. Immediately she remembers that loose screw. Whoops! Still ticked off that Ed got in another fight, but she recovers quickly and makes plans to head for Central. [Brosh]: “Aw, was that your girlfriend?” [Ed]: “My girlfriend? No way!” Yeah, just keep telling yourself that, buddy. Brosh wheels Ed back to the room since Ed’s busted up his stomach injury again, idly trying to talk girls with Annoyed Ed. Oh hey, there’s Al! Whatcha doing in the dark, buddy? Ugh, Al’s still brooding over what Pudgy said. And in a moment of cosmic irony, some kid’s robot toy walks right into him. Seeing an example of what we know he used to be, and what Pudgy said that he is… Damn it. I don’t wanna consider it. But do we know for sure that Pudgy’s wrong? I mean, we saw kid-Alphonse up until he was consumed in the Human Transmutation. And we’ve seen other examples of Soul Armor with Pompous and Pudgy. But do we know for sure that there was continuation of consciousness? You have to admit, it’s possible that Soul Armors create an impression of a person, formulate an identity based on the thoughts of the binder. Al’s thinking of his little brother when he does the binding, and the resulting suit of armor acts like his brother used to. The executioners think about the murderers that they are hanging, and that carries over to the new guards. We haven’t even had a non-Armor perspective of Al, even. I just can’t discount the possibility. At the train station, Winry’s complaining about the seats, wondering how Ed and Al can take so many trips. Looking around the West Exit, she should see someone she recogni- oh hey Armstrong! That was easy enough. But she’s still looking around? Uh oh. She doesn’t understand why the Elric Brothers aren’t there as well. Now Winry’s freaking out at the hospital, staring at the heavily-bandaged Ed even as he snarks that she’ll probably charge him an express service fee. To which she says she won’t charge anything, she didn’t do a good enough job last time? Woof. While she mopes, the others look pointedly at Ed, who starts frantically insisting it’s not her fault. Winry realizes that Ed never noticed the missing screw, really thinks that it’s all his fault. So she’s off the hook! What a relief, now she can treat him like normal! Cue her setting out express fee, chiding him for not drinking his milk, Ed whining that he doesn’t wanna, The Mighty Armstrong being VERY DISPLEASED with Ed’s attitude - yay, we’re back to happy times! But Al was looking through the door, just closed it and walked away. Boo, give me back my happy times! As Winry works on the arm, Ed talks about how Al’s been acting odd lately (Winry takes the opportunity to sneak the missing screw into the repairs). Al’s back in the Shadowed Hallway, looking into a mirror, shattering a mirror with barely any effort.

Repairs are done, Ed’s thanking Winry for the work- Sudden Civilian-dress!Hughes! [Hughes]: “Yo, Ed, my boy! Is it true that you brought a pretty blonde girl into your room to service you?” [Ed]: “*faceplant* She’s my automail mechanic that’s all! Nothing more!” [Hughes]: “Oh… I see. You’ve seduced your mechanic, have you?” Oh jeez. Hope you’re good at dodging, Hughes. I’m pretty sure Winry has a wrench with your name on it. Or rather he’ll just enthusiastically shake her hand. And Ed can’t just tell him to go do his work, he pushed it all off to poor Sheska. But good news, Ed and Al shouldn’t have to be under guard too much longer!... Winry is not to pleased to hear about this “bodyguard” business. Did you seriously not explain how your arm got obliterated before? Nope, he didn’t tell her then, and his stubborn attitude means all he’ll say now is that it “doesn’t concern her”. Jeez, Ed. You don’t make it easy to be your friend. Winry packs up and says that she’ll see him tomorrow, she’s got to find someplace to stay for the night. Oh hey, a new houseguest for Hughes! Brace yourself for photo-albums, Winry. Actually, forget photo albums! How about a whole birthday party for Elicia! (Dang, should have seen this episode yesterday). Congrats on three years! Oh my Leto, the whole “I’m two….. No, I’m three!” is stupidly adorable. NO WAIT even the Narrator just chuckled when doing the halfway “Fullmetal Alchemist” cards! Hurk!

Later that night, Winry’s talking about how she’s known the Elric Brothers for a long time, they’re like her brothers (well, maybe Al. NO I WILL NOT LET THIS SHIP GO). But they don’t talk to her, even when it’s clear things are bothering them. Hughes talks about how guys try to talk through actions rather than words, try not to burden others with their pain. But when a time comes that they do ask for help, Hughes knows that Winry will be there for them. As they finish talking, we get a sweet scene of some little boys asking to play with Elicia… and then arguing about who she wants to play with. Aw, quite the heartbreaker alre- Hughes put the gun down! Quieter actions Hughes, quieter actions! Next morning, Winry’s saying her goodbyes even as the family extend their hospitality. Elicia even huuuuuuurk nope nope too cute, clutching Winry’s sleeve. Hughes remarks that they could be sisters- [Elicia]: “Sissy! Be safe, ok? And come back and visit me real soon!”

At the hospital, Ed is shocked... to encounter milk with his food again. Al tries getting him to drink it, saying that he has “a living body that needs nourishment” (still thinking about Pudgy). Ed just offhandedly remarks that he won’t do it if he doesn’t want to, that he has grown some even if others, like Hughes and Winry who are arriving, keep calling him pipsqueak. [Ed]: “I wish I was like you, Al. You’ve got such a big body now.” [Al]: ”It’s not like I asked for this body, brother!” Oh jeez. It’s coming to a head. Ed starts apologizing, saying that he’ll get Al back in his real body soon. But Al’s not having any of it, yelling that Ed always says that, that he can’t believe anything when he’s stuck in this body, that memories are just scraps of information that can be made up as easily as anything else. Al thinks he knows now what Ed was afraid to tell him. That Al’s soul and memories are artificial constructions that Ed created. Ed slams his hands on the table. Then asks if Al’s finished talking. Then quietly gets up and walks out of the room. Al… Ed… WINRY! Hoo boy, Winry is pissed, smacking Al around with her wrench. I mean, Al did just accuse her, Granny, and Ed of lying to him. Oh. But she’s not upset about that. She’s upset because she knows what Ed was going to say: That he wanted to ask Al if he blames him for what happened to his body. Flashback to injured Ed at the Rockbell’s crying that Al lost his body, it’s all his fault. Al can’t eat, sleep, feel… how could he forgive the one who was supposed to protect him? Granny insists that Al doesn’t feel that way, that if Ed just asks he’ll know the truth. But Ed’s too afraid. Winry keeps striking Al, crying that even as Ed harbored those doubts, Al came and accused him of creating a fake brother just to control. And Winry ask who could do something like that, risk their life to create a fake brother. … That depends, Winry. To create a puppet? No one. To try and bring back what was lost, even if was ‘fake’? … moving on. For now, Winry orders Al to go after his brother. Up on the roof, Ed’s leaning on the railing, Al standing in the doorway. He goes to speak, but Ed cuts him off. [Ed]: “You know somethin', Al… We haven’t had a good fight in a while. I’m starting to get flabby.” The slippers come off. Ed charges, kicking and punching even as Al tells him to stop, that his wounds aren’t healed enough for a spar. Then, sheet to the face! While Al’s blinded, Ed knocks him down, declaring that he’s won. Hey, this would be the first match he’s ever beaten Al in, right? Even though Al argues that it wasn’t a fair fight. Heh. Ed reminisces on how they’ve fought since they were little, over some very stupid things. Like who got the top and bottom bunks? Um excuse you, who gets the top bunk is not stupid thank you very much. And don’t get me started on candy or toys. I’ve had to defend my stuff against a twin and a little brother, that is srus bizness!

[Al]: “We even fought over which one of us would marry Winry someday.” [Ed, panicked]: “What?! I don’t remember that one!” [Al]: “I won the fight… but she shot me down.” [Ed, nonchalant]: “Oh… did she?” Ed challenges Al to discount all those memories as lies, or his determination to regain his body. They’re in this together, remember? They’ll make themselves stronger, faster and better until they get their bodies back. Even if it means they have to drink the dreaded milk. *shudder* As the brothers fist-bump, Hughes and Winry look on from the doorway. (Please, please tell me she heard about their previous fights). Winry remarks that one doesn’t have to always hear something out loud, but it is helpful sometimes. Now, to put Ed back to bed and get some proper rest! [Strong Winds]? Heat-wave desert with a white flag? Oh hey, it’s Scar! [Scar]: “My brother…” Wait. What? Scar has a brother? Oh good grief. First we get the Slicer brothers, now we learn that Scar has/had a brother too?! I swear, and I thought RWBY was bad with sisters. Well anyways, not just his brother, Scar mentions his Master too, saying they’re all gone. Aftermath of the genocide? Sudden intruder! Hey, it’s Smiley/Kimblee, that guy who’s in jail now. He identifies himself as a State Alchemist send to exterminate the sector. He Transmutes from circles drawn on his hands- Scar wakes up, bandaged and under a blanket. A small red-eyed boy cheerfully notes he’s awake, and an older white-haired man tells Scar that he’s in a slum outside East City. Guessing they’re all Ishvalan? Little Kid says that Scar shouldn’t move, they found him floating in the sewers badly injured. Remembering his fight with the Goths, Scar asks if he still has his right arm and oh my gosh are you serious? We’ve already got the brother parallels, you really gonna make him lose an arm to be a more blatant counterpart to Ed? Oh, nevermind, he’s still got it. Lots of tattoos… gift from his family? Post-credits! [Narrator]: “A good friend became a comrade in arms, and over time his presence was taken for granted.” ...wait, what? “Although the future they once dreamed of became bleaker than they had ever imagined, this good friend was always there by his side, where he belonged.” Show. Show, no. NO. Stop implying what I think you’re implying! “Next time, on Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood-” OH SWEET LETO NO NO NO THAT WAS LUST’S SILHOUETTE NO NO NO Episode 10 - “Separate Destinations” “A friend whose presence comes as naturally as breathing can never be replaced.” NNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

#wmtw #where my twin watches #ranubis #full metal alchemist #full metal alchemist brotherhood #fmab #fmab 9

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imjustthemechanic · 6 years

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Natalie Jones and the Golden Ship

Part 1/? - A Meeting at the Palace Part 2/? - Curry Talk Part 3/? - Princess Sitamun Part 4/? - Not At Rest Part 5/? - Dead Men Tell no Tales Part 6/? - Sitamun Rises Again Part 7/? - The Curse of Madame Desrosiers Part 8/? - Sabotage at Guedelon Part 9/? - A Miracle Part 10/? - Desrosiers’ Elixir Part 11/? - Athens in October Part 12/? - The Man in Black Part 13/? - Mr. Neustadt Part 14/? - The Other Side of the Story Part 15/? - A Favour Part 16/? - A Knock on the Window Part 17/? - Sir Stephen and Buckeye Part 18/? - Books of Alchemy

Our heroes get an invitation they can’t refuse. They aren’t very gracious houseguests.

The passed the books around and began to study them, looking for anything that might be relevant to the situation they had encountered. While the others were understandably more interested in the Newtonian and Hermetic writings that could actually be read, Natasha found herself drawn to the Voynich Manuscript. The alphabet looked a bit like Sanskrit and a bit like Thai, but was nothing she could read. Far more interesting were the illustrations that accompanied it.

Nat remembered hearing that the prevailing theory was that the manuscript was a book of medicine or botany, possibly both. She could see where the idea had come from – many of the pages bore drawings of plants with exaggerated flowers and roots. Most of them were unidentifiable, although she thought she recognized a water lily leaf in one illustration, and something that might have been rosemary in another. This could certainly be some kind of medieval pharmacopeia.

Another section was decorated not with plants but with drawings of naked women bathing. Some of them were possibly supposed to be pregnant, others were sliding down tubes and climbing in and out of tubs. Maybe, Nat thought, they represented Madame Desrosiers’ healing elixir, made of tiny organisms that entered the boy and patched it so it could repair itself. Or maybe they were Neustadt’s homunculi, artificially produced humans who lived and died in a few days.

A third chapter seemed to be astronomical, full of circular drawings and diagrams, some of them spread over multiple pages, labeled with the signs of the zodiac. Some were fairly straightforward, others seemed abstract, still more were rings within rights of heaven knew what… but in the light of what Neustadt had said yesterday, Nat found herself wondering if they were encoded technical diagrams. The Philosopher’s Stone was supposed to be some kind of nuclear reactor. Fusion reactors, as science was currently exploring them, were made of rings and spheres. Could this be a plan of such a thing, disguised to keep the secrets from those who weren’t initiated. Those without the key?

“Who knew Newton was such a kook?” asked Sam, pushing a book aside. “This stuff is crazy.”

“What’s it say?” asked Sharon.

“The balance of Libra allows the stone to come to its full perfection,” Sam read aloud, “but the venom of Scorpio destroys it. This guy discovered gravity?”

“Does that mean anything to you?” Sir Stephen asked Jim.

Jim shook his head. “If you’re gonna make the Philosopher’s Stone, do it in October?” he guessed. “I dunno.” He turned a page in the book he’d been reading. “Here he’s talking about seeking God through chemistry, which I would have figured involved more cannabis than mercury but then, I’m not an alchemist.”

“How did you know that Libra is October?” asked Nat.

“Huh?” asked Jim. “Libra is… it’s September twenty-third to October twenty-third, right?”

“That’s right,” she said, “but how did you know that? Did Neustadt tell you?”

“I don’t know. Doesn’t everybody know that?” asked Jim.

“I’m sure a lot of people do,” she said. “But Neustadt said you only know what he tells you to know, so did he tell you the dates of the zodiac, or do you just… know it?”

Jim shrugged again, uncomfortable.

“Relax,” said Allen, and put a hand on his back – Jim flinched at the touch as if he’d been bitten. “Relax,” Allen repeated. “You’re not being tested. I don’t know how I know half the things I know, either. I don’t think anybody does.”

“Yeah, but you’re a… a normal person,” said Jim.

“Actually, no, I’m not,” said Allen. “Natasha made me up, because her father abandoned her. It was just an accident that I was brought to life. I’m… still coming to terms with that, I guess.”

Jim looked at Nat for confirmation or denial, and she nodded.

“I told you we were weird,” she said.

“Fear not, Jim,” said Sir Stephen. “You are my friend whether you remember me or not. I will not abandon you.”

“Yeah, we’ll look after you,” Allen agreed, and Nat felt something twinge inside her. Why was Allen promising to take care of Jim? Allen Jones was supposed to take care of Nat. He’d said he wanted to make up for the real parents who hadn’t loved her enough to raise her. Was it because she didn’t want to tell him about her past that he was taking Jim under his wing? Or was it because what she’d told him about it so far had scared him, while Jim safely had no past at all?

That emotion probably deserved some analysis, but for the moment she didn’t get the opportunity. One of the hotel employees approached the table and said, “excuse me, are you Dr. Jones?”

“Yes,” said Nat, quickly settling her features back into neutrality. “What do you need?”

“You have a message,” he said, and gave her a postcard.

It had a picture of Guedelon Castle on it, and an address – Nat recognized the latter. It was Neustadt’s empty apartment in Neapoli. The handwriting was unfamiliar, but the picture of the castle told her what she needed to know. Her first reaction was annoyance, since it meant that if they’d stayed at the apartment just a few minutes longer they probably would have met Desrosiers when she arrived. That led to her second thought, which was that having missed the woman once, they could not afford to miss her again.

“What is it?” asked Sam.

“Madame Desrosiers is waiting for us,” said Nat.

Taking the Metro across Athens again was excruciating – not just because of the heat and the crowds, but because they had no idea what they would find when they got there. Maybe Desrosiers really did want to talk to them… but given her behaviour last time they’d met, that didn’t seem likely. More likely this was some kind of trap, like Neustadt’s proposed trip to Kotor.

Of course, Nat wasn’t the only one worried about it. The others were quiet and thoughtful during the train ride – and then there was Jim. He was standing, hanging on to one of the poles to stay upright, and he looked like he would have needed to do so even if the train hadn’t been moving. He was visibly shaking. Allen and Sir Stephen kept close to him, ready to catch him if he passed out.

Back at the apartment building, they climbed the stairs to the third floor again, and knocked on the door. What if they’d taken too long getting here? What if she’d changed her mind and left?

The door opened.

Neustadt had been dressed in shorts and a t-shirt like a tourist. Helene Desrosiers had her hair up and was wearing an elegant blue and white printed dress with elbow-length sleeves. She looked at her guests, and breathed an obvious sigh of relief.

It didn’t last long. Although nobody gave any sort of command, somehow by mutual agreement the entire group pounced at once. Sir Stephen and Sam grabbed Desrosiers by the arms and marched her into the bedroom, where the empty chair was waiting for her. Sharon pulled out a set of handcuffs to chain her to the chair, and the rest of them stood around, on their guard in case Desrosiers had something up her sleeve to help her escape.

“What are you doing?” the woman asked. Their behaviour clearly shocked her.

“We’re tying you up so we can talk to you and you can’t run away this time,” Natasha said calmly. “How did you know we were in the city?”

“I have friends here!” Desrosiers told them. “They know where I am, and they told me he had a homunculus watching you!” She looked at Jim. “Did you warn him I was here?”

Nat remembered the café owner’s phone call, apparently to his mother… had that been talking in code? “He seemed to already know,” she said. “Why do you want to talk to us now, after you didn’t want to say anything earlier?”

“I need to know what he told you,” Desrosiers said. “Neustadt. What did he say?”

“Why?” asked Nat. Neustadt had said Desrosiers was secretive. Was she intending to kill them if they’d learned too much? If so, she was going to find out how hard some of them were to kill.

“Because I need to know what he’s doing and now I’ve missed him!” she said. “What did he say?”

So the note had been for Desrosiers. “He told us he stole the mummy, and then you stole it from him in turn,” said Nat.

“I did not!” said Desrosiers.

“He said you were the one who murdered the various previous owners,” Nat added, “as well as your own husband.”

“Lies,” Desrosiers insisted. “I have only ever tried to retrieve the mummy by pointing out that it belongs to me, and nobody’s ever listened to me!”

“And he said you were going to destroy the Key to decoding the Voynich Manuscript,” Nat finished.

Desrosiers paused for a moment before answering. “Now… that, I would do if I could,” she admitted. “But only because it needs doing. You don’t understand how dangerous the Philosopher’s Stone is.”

“No, we don’t,” Nat agreed. She sat down on the floor at Desrosiers’ feet, just out of kicking range, and looked up at her. “You had a chance to tell us, but you didn’t. Tell us now. Tell us what the hell is going on because our job is to know what’s going on and you’re making it really hard to do it.”

“I don’t have to tell you anything,” Desrosiers said stiffly. “As I understand you people, your job is to keep the world safe from ancient magic and cursed tombs and whatnot, and the easiest way you can do that is to keep out of my way and let me do my job.”

“What is your job?” asked Sam. “Besides annoying museum directors.”

Desrosiers said nothing.

“What about me?” Jim wanted to know. “Don’t I deserve to know what’s going on?”

She looked up at him, and Natasha saw, for a brief moment, a change in her expression. Her anger and resentment subsided, and in their place was… pity, perhaps. Interesting.

“I don’t know that there’s much you can do about it in the time you have,” said Desrosiers.

“Have you ever made something like him?” Nat asked.

“A long time ago,” Desrosiers admitted. “Only once or twice. I couldn’t bring myself to do it again, not knowing how the poor creatures wouldn’t last. Paracelsus himself condemned the creation of homunculi, and he was the only who first invented them. He said it was an evil act to create a creature with a mind but no soul, one who could live only a short while and never know God. I may not believe in God,” she added, “but I know that creating things like you is cruel.”

“Can you help him?” asked Sir Stephen.

“Help him with what?” Desrosiers frowned.

“Help him to live longer,” Sir Stephen said, in the evident belief this should have been obvious.

“I don’t want to die,” Jim agreed.

Desrosiers looked up at Jim again. “If I do, will you let me go?”

“We’re far more likely to,” said Sir Stephen.

“But you’ve also got to answer our questions,” Nat agreed. “We can’t let you run off a second time.”

“What are your questions?” Desrosiers asked, with a sigh of defeat.

#fanfic #steve rogers #natasha romanov #bucky barnes #sam wilson #sharon carter #clint barton

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heartslogos · 6 years

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newfragile yellows [368]

“I think you're being a prat,” Mahanon says apropos of nothing and Ellana blinks at her brother before looking around to see if maybe he’s talking to a kneazle that escaped from its play pen or perhaps even a free roaming nug.

“I’m talking to you, sister,” Mahanon says.

“Oh, well, that’s not new. You always think I’m being annoying,” Ellana says, “Is there anything in particular I was doing right now? Aside from breathing?”

“You’re in a mood,” Mahanon scowls, “Because I told the Iron Bull that you have feelings for him and that everyone knows it except him. You would think that a former Unmentionable for the Qun would be able to tell such a thing, but apparently not. What a copcchia.”

Ellana rolls her eyes, “Before we get in on calling people dullards and clay-brained oafs, I’d like to first point out that I am not sulking. Perhaps for the first time in like, a year, I’m not sulking about this. I am coping with it and I am getting over it like a fully grown, mature, adult.”

“I think I preferred you sulking then, because this is ridiculous.”

“I was immature,” Ellana says, turning just in time to catch one of their three eyed ravens - newly hatched, still black around the edges and not yet fully white - trying to steal one of the cookies Ellana just brought out of the oven. Ellana points her wand at it and raps the table next to its talons. The raven caws in protest but hops away and then flaps onto Ellana’s arm, hopping and clinging its way up to her shoulder before fluffing up and settling in for a nap. “Now I am getting over it. I am forgiving, I am forgetting, and I am going to make sure I put this all behind me.”

“You were cross with Maxwell for months. You had him groveling at your feet.”

“In hindsight it was very mean of me. But he did lie.”

“One, he didn’t lie. He obscured the truth, a very Slytherin thing to do that you’d be proud of it he didn’t do it to you. Two, you were understandably irritated because he did end up bringing the Iron Bull to your house for a few weeks and you had to just live with he man you’ve had a crush on since you were a teenager being obtuse in the same place as you for twenty four hour periods.”

Mahanon pauses, wrinkles his nose and sneers, “Forgive and forget? How very Hufflepuff of you, sister. Were you addled in a duel? Maybe one of the Hawkes hit you on the head recently?”

“You say it like it’s a bad thing.”

“It isn’t. It’s just not a you thing. You’re still holding onto that time that one dracolisc decided it liked me better than you when you were four.”

Ellana glares at him, “I had nursed that dracolisc since it was a little egg and you just happened to be in the direction it was facing when it hatched and you weren’t even there, there. You were walking by and it just happened to put its eyes on you first.”

“See?”

Ellana reaches up and lightly brushes her fingertips against the raven’s breast, it nips at her finger and tucks itself in.

“It’s unlike you to just ignore something like this,” Mahanon says. “Have you considered talking to the Iron Bull about it?”

“I told him that I’m not expecting anything from him.”

“Why not?”

“Well why should I?” Ellana asks, “Just because someone likes a you doesn’t mean you’re obligated to like them back.”

“Well he hasn’t gotten a chance to figure out if he could like you back or not,” Mahanon says, “The entire time you’ve been working together you’ve been in a snit about him being a snail-paced block head. The only you he knows is you as a teenager in the middle of a fight to the death and you as a slighted adult. He’s never learned about you the witch who’s figured out legilimency, become an animagus, and dabbled in alchemy on the side for fun.”

“Kaaras, listen, I know you kind of just like to chill around as a giant tiger and that’s cool. That’s great. That’s wonderful, darling, but listen,” Maxwell holds the tiger’s giant head in his hands, “We’ve got an auror in the house that’s not me and he might not be so cool with it. We need to pretend like the three of us haven’t broken a few dozen wizarding rules on the regular, okay?”

Kaaras look very disappointed and very sad.

“Yes, yes, I know. This helps you calm down when you’re overwhelmed and understandably this is the perfect situation for being overwhelmed. But maybe, maybe, maybe hold it in for a few days?”

“We can just have this room be blocked off,” Ellana says from the doorway, “Kaaras, I’ve put your rabbits in their pen. The Iron Bull is watching them, they like his hands apparently.”

Maxwell and Kaaras share mutual looks, universal looks that go beyond species.

You like his hands you mean.

“I’ll stay with Kaaras. If he comes in I’ll just say I was practicing my transfiguration,” Ellana says, “You can entertain your houseguest.”

Ellana gives Maxwell a very sharp look as she closes the door behind her, going to sit down on the lounge chair by the window, patting her legs.

Kaaras pulls his head from Maxwell’s hands and goes to lay his head on her lap, eyes closing and purring as Ellana starts scratching his ears.

“You can’t leave me to this by myself. Besides, you’re the one who’s a professional beast caretaker. You have to tell me and the Iron Bull what to do.”

“Perhaps you should have thought about that before bringing a dracoslic home.” Ellana smiles very prettily and very meanly. “I’ll write a letter home for you but don’t expect any more help from me on this one, Max. You are well and truly on your own for this.”

#heartsfic #gather your party and venture forth

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