#Darlain

[lorellaishc]

The Next Generation

(( DWC November 2023, Day 6, Expectation/Selfish, CW: none; @daily-writing-challenge ))

The dust of battle had cleared, and for the moment, the forces of Azeroth had taken the field, but the enemy was yet unbeaten. Fyrakk had broken his way into the temple with his own powers, and he and his followers had retreated within.

Lorellai could hear the aspects making plans to pursue, talking about taking a team of their most able champions to aid the pursuit, while the rest remained without to handle any further attempts by the remaining flame druids, primalists, or djaradin to interfere. She saw her parents, as well as her many aunts and uncles, Henii, Dolraan, and Hlin among them, engaging in the conversation as well. That made sense. She and the rest of the team had handled the primalists in the vault, and down in Aberrus, but those had been fairly localized trouble, and happened fast enough to preclude calling for backup. But now Fyrakk and the Firelands were threatening the world tree and the emerald dream, and that surely meant bringing in the big guns, and well, what bigger guns were there than the heroes who'd saved the world time and time again?

She'd already started preparing herself to be okay with that when Drogar broke off from the group, followed by Darlain and Dolraan, heading her way. They looked every bit the legendary dwarven heroes they were. Her father in his mechanized armor suit, her mother in her angelic war-priest vestments, and though uncle Dolraan would argue that he was a poor dwarf indeed, a fine figure nonetheless in his shining silver and gold armor and argent tabard. Before they could say a word, she smiled and greeted them. "I guess we should wish you all luck in there! I'm sure Fyrakk and his cronies won't know what hit them." Lorellai was pleased with herself, she'd managed to tamp down her own disappointment, and show them the love and support they'd always showed her. But the way they looked at each other and smiled seemed odd.

"Er, lass, that's what we were coming over t' say to yeh. Th' Aspects are calling on your team to join them inside, we'll be holdin' th' line out here." Drogar said, clapping his daughter on the shoulder.

Lorellai gawped as Dolraan followed up. "You've got far more experience with these particular villains than we do, having just arrived. And you've all proven yourselves to Alexstrasza and her fellow aspects time and time again. This is your mission."

"Make sure you teach them a lesson about messing with th' peace of Azeroth, my little sparkler!" Darlain said, pulling Lorellai into a hug. "Make sure they know why every other villain fears going up against th' Meddlers!"

Out the corner of her eye, Lorellai caught Shansii hugging her mom as well, and a few others receiving well wishes from the older heroes. Hlin in particular seemed to be giving some last minute punching advice to Edmund, who was listening thoughtfully. "Are… are you sure?"

Drogar beamed back at her. "Oh hell no, but I trust you, and I believe in you, and I know that Alexstrasza wouldn't be askin' for yeh if yeh didn't have what it takes. But I won't be sendin' yeh empty handed! I cannae help but notice that spear of yers 'as seen better days. Maybe a bit more of a distant approach will suit yeh better in there, and I've got just th' thing, designed and built based on those lovely elemental ore samples yeh sent home." Drogar whistled, and Balinore lumbered over, dragging a long crate. Unlocking it, Drogar pried it open, and removed a beautiful looking rifle from the hay within, handing it reverently to his daughter. "I call it th' Firefighter, on account of it usin' elemental fire to enhance th' shots with which you might fight then fight fire with fire!" Drogar declared, inordinately pleased with his wordplay.

Lorellai gingerly took the weapon from her father's hands, running her fingers along the barrel. "It's.. it's beautiful."

"Wield it with pride lass, and give that' fire dragon a shot to th' eye he'll ne'er forget."

Lorellai pulled her dad into a hug, but already she could hear Rokishan calling her name, as everyone got ready to head inside with the Kaldorei and the Aspects. Loading a magazine, she nodded at her father, and turned to face the temple. It was time to meddle.

[sirdolraan]

Understanding

(Daily writing challenge August 2022, Day 3, Sentimental/Feral. CW: None.)

@daily-writing-challenge

Ironforge Guard House 16 was very much like the various others stationed at various points in the great mountain city. Plenty of traffic in and out as guards came and went from patrols, various citizens came to pay fines or make reports, and occasionally a bit of drama as a suspect was brought in conscious and still with some fight in them. Hlin knew these guard houses well, and walked up to one of the desks with confidence, dropping a purse on it with a clatter. "Evenin' Bertha, I'm here for the Truthhammer girl."

Lorelai sat motionless, as small as she could on the bench, as Hlin laboriously went through the paperwork to secure her release. It didn't help that Hlin felt the need to comment on the proceedings.

"Come on Bertha, we've done this enough times that y'all know that ah know how it works, can we just hurry it along?!" the red haired dwarf admonished, clearly frustrated by the bureaucracy.

The woman on the other side of the table in full guard regalia remained impassive. "Once again, do you pay this fine of your own volition, with no demand of recompense from the accused minor?"

"Ugh, YES, ah'm not being coerced, nor do I intend to coerce my own dang god-daughter." Hlin snarled.

"You aren't her Godmother, you don't actually appear on any of her paperwork." Bertha retorted, her tone flat and unimpressed.

"Details, I love her like she was mine, can we go now? Y'all got all th' money for yer fine and th' repairs." Hlin's tone shifted now to a more diplomatic one, eager to be free of this place.

Bertha flipped through the paperwork one more time, before sighing, having found nothing else needing to be confirmed or signed for. "Thank you for paying the fine, stay out of trouble. Or next time we WILL be informing your father no matter whom shows up." the guards-woman declared, eyes fixed on the mortified young dwarven lady.

"Yeah yeah, you're big and tough when yer pickin' on kids, we're all super intimidated, come on Lorelai, let's leave these desk jockeys to their papers," Hlin scoffed, all but scooping the younger dwarf off her feet and ushering her out into the streets of Ironforge. They climbed on Hlin's yak and rode in silence for several minutes before Hlin realized that the girl was holding her extra tight and shaking.

Hlin gave the reins a gentle tug, guiding Yak out of the thoroughfare, and came to a stop before gently patting Lorelai's arms that encircled her waist. "Come on now, you're alright, you just got arrested for having too much fun, ain't no shame in that." The only response was a sob, so Hlin continued. "Hell, yer ma and pa have both been in the clink fer worse, especially that Pa of yers, man, the trouble he's gotten int'. And as for yer auntie Hlin, well, there's a reason ah know ol' Bertha by first name, and it ain't just because ah take the occasional contract from the guard. I must have been on the sucky side of those bars two nights out of ten in th' last year alone, and ah'm just fine. So don't you sweat it."

The sobbing slowed, and Hlin heard the girl ask quietly "what did my Dad get arrested for?"

Hlin chortled. "Ah hell, all sorts of stuff, but ah think th' funniest was th' time he was tryin' t' tame a wild crocolisk and the dang thing slipped the harness he had on it and had itself a walk through th' forge, scarin' all them smiths half t' death. You'd think they weren't a bunch of big muscly folk with a bunch of hammers and picks, th' way they jumped out of its way! And then there was all the explosions before he moved his lab outta Ironforge, and of course that one time with th' treason..." Hlin grinned as she looked back, Lorelai's eyes were red from crying but her expression was now one of awe, confusion, and curiosity. Much better, Hlin thought. "But that's a story y'all need t' get out of him yerself, that's th' rule with treason stories, you get 'em from the horses' mouth. Now, as fer yer ma an' me.." Hlin continued the stories as she nudged Yak back to a trundle, heading towards the Truthhammer estate to get Lorelai Truthhammer safely home after her very first arrest.

[dabideku-tododeku-bakudeku-2023]

Here we go, ladies and gentlemen! One of my few Het Ships!

My I Introduce:

Kira Yamato and Lacus Clyne

From Mobile Suit Gundam SEED and Mobile Suit Gundam SEED: Destiny

This is my favorite Gundam Ships, period. Don't get me wrong, I like Heero Yuy and Relena Peacecraft, but these two are just...better!

Kira comes out as more human. He didn't start out as a warrior nor was he trained from a young age to be one. He was just a college student living in Heliopolis. He simply wanted a peaceful life. He was thrust into the war mainly to protect his friends. He lost his home and at one point, questioned his own identity. He is soft-hearted and gentle but is dedicated to protecting his loved ones and, despite the war, he maintains his gentle and loving nature. He does know that although he hates war, sometimes it is necessary to fight for what you believe in.

Now Lacus is like Relena in certain ways. Both have a father in a political role and have had a cushy upbringing, with Relena going to a high-class private school, and Lacus becoming a pop-princess. The main difference between them is the idea of sacrifice and how much they are willing to give up for their cause. Relena doesn't seem to sacrifice much, whereas Lacus in the end, is willing to give up the lifestyle she grew up in, her popularity/status of being a symbol of the PLANTS, her home, and ultimately her own freedom. She literally committed a crime by stealing the ZGMF-X10A Freedom Gundam and giving it to Kira so he could continue to protect his loved ones and try to end the war.

Kira and Lacus' relationship, from friends to romantic partners, is more consensual throughout their story than Relena and Heero's relationship. Relena's affection and care for Heero were initially one-sided, as Heero originally wanted to kill her in order to keep his identity a secret, whereas Kira and Lacus quickly became friends during their first meeting, with Kira willing to threaten his freedom aboard the Archangel to keep her from being used as a bargaining chip for Earth.

Anyway, sorry for the long post, but I just love them SO much! Lacus is also my favorite woman in all of the Gundam series! (NOTE: I hate the color pink with a passion! However, I overlook that particular trait with Lacus because I love her as a character!)

[tinyozlion]

If you see me spelling Merquise/Marquise differently in the same post no you didn't

[crossoverheaven]

[driftward]

Title: The Disappearance of Apple Silverberg Characters: Zoissette Vauban, Ryssthota Sundstyrwyn, Apple Silverberg Rating: Teen Summary: Apple's gone missing and there's a killer loose in the Twelveswood. Can Gage Acquisition's very own agent of inquiry crack this case before something horrible happens? Notes: Part of an ongoing series being written by my friend Darlain, base master post here

Ryss frowned. She'd greeted Zoissette when arriving at the workshop before settling down to focus on her latest set of equations, leaving the other woman to her own devices. But then Zoissette had made a beeline for Apple's area in the workshop, which while not against any formal rule, was, at least, kind of rude. She watched her for a few moments as Zoissette ducked down over Apple's desk, beginning to rifle through drawers and picking through various tools.

"What are you doing, Zo?" she asked at last.

"Have you seen Apple?" asked Zoissette.

"No."

"Weird, right?"

Ryss paused, and thought about it for a moment.

"Not really?" she said, finally. "We're adventurers, Zoissette, and Apple likes to go on those long sojourns into secured Allagan territory looking for materials for her work."

"Of course, of course," said Zoissette. She had found some kind of notebook, and was flipping through it quickly.

"...that's Apple's stuff," said Ryss, keeping her tone even. Working in the Assessor's Guild had taught her patience with the queerest of arcanists, and her friend was queerer than most.

"Ignore the last couple of sennights. Where has she been spending most of her time before then?"

"...well, she was helping out taking care of you," said Ryss. Zoissette had been in a bad way after a misadventure in the rift between realms and had needed to be nursed back to health. "And when she was not in the infirmary, she was in here, working on something that'd help you."

"Right. Right! She has been reliably in the same place, for several sennights, up until very suddenly she was not. Did not sign out, did not check with anyone, did not say goodbye to anyone near as I have found out. Wait. Did she say goodbye to you?"

"No..."

"No," echoed Zoissette.

"Zoissette," said Ryss.

"Right. Not to you, not to me, not to anyone else on the science team. Maybe to Y'zel, but he has vanished as well. Though Y'shtola has assured me to not worry about him. Still though. Just suddenly gone. Unusual break in pattern."

Zoissette frowned as she traced her fingers along a few lines in the notebook she had found.

"Have you tried linking to her?" asked Ryss.

"Naturally. You try. Maybe mine got fried during the time in - well. Maybe it got scrambled on some links without me knowing."

Ryss held a hand up to her linkpearl and tried to contact Apple through it, watching as Zoissette began to examine some device Apple had been working on.

The door to the workshop opened, and Yesuntei walked in, followed closely by a Wood Wailer. The linkpearl was making the noise that indicated it could not establish a connection, so Ryss gave up on it and turned to greet the newcomer.

"Visitor for Zoissette," said Yesuntei politely.

Zoissette looked the Wood Wailer over. So did Ryss. Elezen gentleman of some sort, wearing the typical green leather armor of one of their lancers. The very image of a typical member of the forest force.

"Foreseer Vauban?" he asked.

Ryss glanced over and saw Zoissette's forehead crinkle and her eyes flutter as she tried to affect some kind of specific facial expression, what, Ryss did not know. Zoissette gave up and wiped her face with a hand after a moment as she stood up and walked over.

"Not in some time, no."

"But... you are, or were, her, yes?"

Zoissette nodded, and he continued. "Ah, blessings of the elementals upon us all today. We've heard about your prowess for investigation, and you come highly recommended. Now, I know Gridania is a different sort of place, but I rather suspect we're dealing with a different sort of problem that's beyond my people just now. We think we may have a killer on the loose. I was hoping that we'd be able to hire your services as an adventurer to come take a look."

Zoissette looked over at Ryss, who shrugged in response, then back to the Wood Wailer.

"Begging your pardon, but I have no idea how I would have gathered such a reputation. Having said that, Gage Acquisitions does offer several adventurer hiring packages, and... uhm..."

She looked over at Ryss.

"...and, uhm, you will need to work through Ryss for them."

Ryss grinned at the man.

"Ah, but I was rather hoping for your attention, Foreseer Vauban."

"And you will have it," said Zoissette. Ryss watched as she tucked several things of Apple's away, from notebooks to tools to a device that she did not recognize. "However, contracts will need to go through her, as I am currently, uhm-"

"She's currently working on a project under me!" said Ryss, covering for her awkward friend.

The Wood Wailer did not look very certain at that, but he nodded.

"Yesuntei, kindly make the arrangements, if you would, I'm sure we can both spare the Wailers some of our time." Ryssthota continued.

"Certainly," the Au Ra said, gesturing at the Wood Wailer. He held his arms parallel to each other in front of him in the salute that was particular to Gridania, and then followed Yesuntei out.

"The game's afoot?" said Ryss.

"What game?" asked Zoissette, blinking at her. Ryss just laughed as she closed up her book, and went to grab her hat.

It was many bells and a couple of corpses later. The Wood Wailers had signed them on to the job officially, and had escorted them, first to look at the body of a man found in town, then to the body of a ziz whose injuries bore a striking resemblance to those of the man. Both sites were grisly, telling similar tales. Both bodies had been maimed, each looking as though they had been attacked with some kind of large bladed weapon or weapons.

As they had travelled, the Wood Wailers had shared the stories of similar incidents throughout the Twelveswood. Other bodies had been found over the intervening moons before hand. Many but not all of them were Spoken, and the Wood Wailers had found the bodies of both man and beastkin that had shown similar signs of mutilation, and brought these stories to the attention of the investigation as well.

Zoissette had not spoken much, and so Ryss had been left to ask questions. Where the bodies had been found, who had last seen them, anyone who might have talked to the victims before they died, things of that nature. Zoissette had mostly walked around and looked and taken notes, every once in a while reaching up to try to tap the rim of her glasses, which she of course did not have, and often winding up just thwapping herself in the nose instead.

It might have been funny if not for the circumstances.

Ryss wandered up to her as she was crouched, sprinkling some arcane powder over the site, and watching as its color shifted. Ryss crossed her arms and frowned, looking out into the forest. Nearby, Meya was looking up into the forest canopy, her eyes half-lidded. Zoissette had asked for her to help. As a Hearer, her ability to commune with the elementals might provide information they otherwise would not be privy to. As Zoissette examined the drifts of the arcane powder, Meya lowered her staff, apparently having finished communing with the spirits.

"The elementals are cautiously calm, and are not very upset on the matter," she declared. "Whatever it is, it is not unduly balancing the wood. They are unable to tell us who or what is behind these attacks, but they do know it is the same entity for both. Given some time to visit the other sites, they may be able to tell me more about the other similar scenes that the Wood Wailers report have occurred elsewhere in the Twelveswood. They say we are dealing with a creature of significant depth - I think maybe they are talking about its aether? - but not one they see as a threat to the woods as a whole."

Ryss nodded thoughtfully while Zoissette scribbled some notes.

"Almost want to say we have some kind of vengeful vigilante sort out here. None of the victims were well liked. Hells, other than the one drunkard actually found in town, none of them are even part of what I would call civilization," said Ryss.

"If so, it is an outsider of some sort pursuing what they see as justice," said Zoissette thoughtfully. "Gridanians are insular. In many ways worse than my own people. Think about it. They have a poaching and bandit problem, sure, but everyone knows everyone else here, usually with pretty small degrees of separation. This is not Limsa Lominsa, where a lone killer might have it out for a rival pirate crew, or Ul'dah where they're spread out and family lines are weaker. No, if you kill a bandit in Gridania, you are very likely killing someone's brother or sister."

"Oh. And that could mean bad blood between neighbors."

Zoissette looked thoughtful. "Right! But I do not think this is that. If vigilantism or some gesture at misguided justice, why bother with the beastkin, then?"

"I was wonderin' that. Killer got hungry, perhaps?"

"Too much meat left behind for that, and the Wailers pointed out that no body found yet has been even so little as field stripped. Consider the patterns we do have. The fact that the bodies are completely undressed leaves out poachers or hunters. They would want to harvest at least some of the material from the beastkin, leather, meat, useful bones and organs. I think we can also rule out a vigilante. A vigilante would not bother with killing beastkin. And further I think they would leave the bodies somewhere more conspicuous if they wanted to send a message."

"More conspicuous? The bodies are plenty obvious."

"Obvious, to be certain! No effort was made to display them, but also, no effort was made to hide them, either. The killer did not care if they were found. A vigilante, I would think, would either want to hide their tracks, so that they could get away with their grisly task for as long as they possibly could, or so as not to tip their hand as to what they are up to. Or, or! Or they would display the bodies prominently, so as to send a message."

Ryss looked thoughtful for a moment. "...but our killer has done neither. I noticed that myself. The bodies weren't moved at all. No drag marks. Just left to drop where they were killed."

Zoissette nodded.

Ryss returned the gesture. "That rules out the easy options, and explains why the Wailers are hiring outside help."

"It does. We have a few more left, however. Our killer left behind meat, but that does not mean they did not feed."

Zoissette gestured at the thin coloring of the arcanist powder she had spread as it drifted through the air. Ryss looked at it thoughtfully.

"Aetherical signatures?"

Zoissette nodded. "I used this powder in some investigations in Mor Dhona, and have made some adjustments to its capabilities. Like you say, normally it is useful for seeing someone's aetheric signature. I wanted to see if perhaps we could get a read on any spell work that had been used - if nothing else, we might be able to match it to a known spell caster, should we ever get any potential suspects. But, look - I will want to go back to the workshop and get a set of goggles from Sharlayan to confirm it, but there is more to aether than just its signature. There is also its density."

Ryss crossed her arms, and frowned.

Zoissette reached up for her glasses rim again, and again wound up just thwapping her nose. She did not seem to notice, however, and Ryss thought she caught a glint of purple in Zoissette's otherwise brown eyes.

"And each of our victims has an unusually low aetheric density."

"Uhm. Are... you sure about that, Zo?"

"Like I said. I would like to confirm that with equipment from the workshop. Or perhaps Meya's invisible friends can weigh in?"

"I can ask," said Meya, who had patiently been listening the entire time.

"Please do so. And check in with the other sites. Say, do the elementals have a concept of time?"

"Sort of," said Meya. "Or at least, enough for us to get impressions. They do experience time, just a little different from us, but similar enough. Why do you ask?"

"Hmn," said Zoissette. "See if you can get a sense of when each of the attacks occurred. Little interested in time of day. Very interested in calendar dates. Approximations will be fine, I do not expect them to know what a calendar is, but surely they can approximate the number of times the sun has gone past since an event happened?"

Meya nodded slowly. "I... think I can manage that. I will need some time. This is neither fast nor simple."

Ryss just looked at Zoissette oddly as the other woman stood up and stretched her back.

"I believe you have it. Thank you, Meya. Meet us back at the workshop?"

Meya nodded, and moved off. Ryss walked over to look over Zoissette's shoulder, to see that she was tracing a finger over dates she'd written down, of when each of the bodies had been found. Ryss frowned lightly.

"I don't see a pattern," she said.

"Of course not," murmured Zoissette. She tapped the dates each. They were the days on which the Wood Wailers had found one of the grisly scenes, including the most recent one. "How long do you think a body lasts out in the Twelveswood before scavengers get to it? Three days at most, you think?"

"Sure?"

Zoissette nodded, and flipped over to a calendar, in which she made marks on each of the dates, along with little red marks three days behind each of them.

"So that means it is entirely possible that a body would be gone before a Wailer patrol could find it and identify it. Consider also - they have told us of the bodies they found matching the pattern we see here with these two, the ziz and the man. But they will not always be able to identify a body as matching that pattern if the scavengers do get to it first. Lot of death in nature."

Zoissette thoughtfully made some more marks.

"I suspect Meya may be able to confirm this... but look. There is no pattern, but if you put a few additional data points in - one emerges. I think Meya is like to confirm this."

Zoissette handed the notes to Ryss, and Ryss looked. With Zoissette's additional marks, a pattern did emerge.

A semi-regular schedule. About once a month, an attack occurred, rarely more than a few days off in either direction.

Ryss quirked an eyebrow, and looked at Zoissette, but Zoissette just shook her head.

"Probably nothing for now. Just keep it in mind as we gather more evidence."

Ryss looked at the body. "So what are you thinking, then? A voidsent?"

Zoissette frowned lightly. "I am not sure. It would fit, except that voidsent, while common in the Great Wood, are generally not so messy. This speaks to a powerful voidsent, if it is."

"Right," said Ryss, thinking back to what they had already found. "Yeah, most of the places where it looked to be a fight, wasn't much of a one. Doesn't look like anybody even had much of a chance to run."

"Which is unusual. Consider. How could a voidsent get that powerful and go unnoticed? And most voidsent that are that powerful will want to continue to go unnoticed, lest people like us get called in to deal with them. Or if it is not that smart, why is the last site from over a sennight ago, then? Did it suddenly get shy?"

"A period of terror, then a sudden stop," said Ryss, thoughtfully. "Maybe somebody dealt with it already. Or maybe the conditions were good for it to be here, then suddenly they weren't."

"Maybe," said Zoissette, sounding doubtful. "Well, there is little more for us to learn out here, I think. Can I ask you to verify that aetheric density theory of mine?"

"Sure thing," said Ryss. "What are you going to do in the meantime?"

Zoissette tucked her equipment away. "I am going to go visit Apple. Last I was aware, her houseboat had an aetheryte on it."

Ryss fixed Zoi with a long look. "This isn't the first time she's dashed off to chase some Allagan ruin rumor without notice. But you're fixating. Why?"

Zoissette looked away, worry clearly written on her face. Ryss rested a hand on her shoulder.

"...I want to give her my thanks for looking over me," said Zoissette, quietly. "And I am worried about her. Is this not just like what happened to me? Everyone just assumed I was fine until suddenly I was gone and it was obvious I was not. And maybe this is better than sitting on my own thoughts too long and too much. Again."

Ryss took in a deep breath, and nodded. "...yeah. Okay. You're right. Wait up and let me take those readings first and I'll go with you. Maybe it's all these bodies making me nervous, but I'm starting to get worried too."

Zoissette looked up at her and smiled. "Thanks, Ryss."

"Don't mention it. Or do. Preferably when someone asks about it for my next performance review."

Zoissette gave as short laugh, and Ryss grinned at her.

It did not take Ryss long to confirm Zoissette's theory. She was not sure how Zoissette knew, but examining each of the bodies with the Sharlayan aetheric goggles had confirmed what she had said. The aether of each of the bodies was far thinner than it should have been, even beyond the usual veil of death. They had been drained, and for what, she did not know. And despite what Zoissette had said, she still rather suspected a voidsent.

Something large, with claws like blades.

She met Meya back at Headquarters. The woman was all smiles, despite the grimness of her task.

"The elementals were cooperative. I was only able to get vague impressions from them, but the same thing has been in the Twelveswood before, and is responsible for the bodies found. And a few others aside. They cannot describe it to me, but it is distinct to them. They're a little worried about it, but not very, not yet - not enough to take action. I hope we're catching it before it becomes a problem."

Ryss nodded as Meya handed her a sheet of paper. "And here's the dates of the other attacks, as near as I could manage. The way they describe time is different than how we experience it, but it's like we like to say amongst the Hearers - the land has a long memory."

Ryss nodded, and checked over the dates.

"Huh," she said. "She was right. There was a pattern."

Meya nodded thoughtfully. And then tilted her head up at Ryss. "How is she holding up? After the breakup?"

Ryss blinked.

"She hasn't said anything about that."

"Oh. Oh! Uhm. She kind of just blurted it out when we were speaking earlier, but if she hasn't brought it up with you, then maybe nevermind then."

Ryss just groaned, and Meya patted her on the shoulder.

"Well, look after her, will you?" said Meya.

"Of course," said Ryss, rubbing at her head.

Well, at least Zoissette had found an arguably healthy outlet for her anxieties this time, she supposed.

She and Zoissette arrived at the houseboat in the same teleportation spell, Ryss taking the lead so as not to tax Zoissette's anima. The teleportation energies dissipated around them both and the world faded in rapidly as they arrived on Apple's houseboat.

Odd. This was not where Apple usually docked it.

Zoissette was off, quickly. Ryss kept a careful eye on her as she and Ryss took several moments to wordlessly walk around the top deck. The houseboat was moored, but had been abandoned for some time. The hatches were all battened down, and the windows and front door had all been warded and secured quite firmly.

"Guess she's not here," said Ryss.

"And did not expect to return," said Zoissette. "Examine the wards again."

Ryss looked at them carefully, this time paying more attention to the arcanima techniques that had been used to make them.

"...huh," she said. "No, I see what you mean. Static, shouldn't need maintenance for a while, and with a secondary arcanima array makin' sure they keep aether stable without needing more crystals than were used to bring them up in the first place."

"And the rest of the ship - you worked in the Maelstrom, same as me. Look at how the mooring lines have been done, the hatches, and the bilge overflow lineup."

Ryss checked again. Everything had been set to stay, rather than a more convenient setup that would make more sense for docking if the owner had, in fact, intended to come back.

"...this is more than just a gone-for-holiday setup," said Ryss.

"Indeed. I suspect you have rarely seen this setup; I know I have only seen it once or twice. This boat has been abandoned in place. Getting it properly seaworthy again would take bells, but with this setup, it will float for moons, possibly even summers, assuming a storm does not smash it."

Ryss put her hands on her hips and scanned the water, frowning as she thought. "Why the hells would she do such a thing?"

Zoissette just made a noncommittal noise, and Ryss turned to see the woman crouched down, fiddling with the front door.

"We can't break in just because we're worried," Ryss protested.

"No?" said Zoissette.

"Zoissette."

Zoissette sighed, and stopped what she was doing.

"Come on. Even if we're worried, there are other things we can do before we break into her house. Ask one of the spies to look into it. Ioh, Iyna, Nyx, they're all good at tracking people down."

Zoissette was quiet for a moment. Ryss decided now was as good a time as ever to bring it up.

"Dumped Mathye, eh?"

"This is not about that," Zoissette protested. Then she sighed. "...but yes," she admitted, letting her shoulders sag a bit as she leaned against the door.

"Better than stringing him along when you know it ain't happening. Chase your bliss, girl!" said Ryss.

Zoissette let out a breath. "Okay. Yes. I know it was the right thing to do. But it hurts. And he is hurting. And everything hurts. And I did not want to hurt him but I did and right now I would rather stay focused on Apple and hope she is okay."

Ryss nodded, and patted Zoissette on the shoulder. "It was a clean break. Nothing wrong with that. Clean wounds heal properly."

Zoissette blinked a few times at that, and a quizzical kind of frown crossed her face, as her eyes darted back and forth as she thought before she looked up at Ryssthota.

"...that is not a perspective I had considered," she said. "You are right."

Zoissette turned her attention back to the door, took a deep breath in, and let it out slow, her stance strengthening once more.

She was going to be alright.

"Atta girl. Now let's see-"

Ryss stopped suddenly. Zoissette was no longer fiddling with the door, but had been leaning against it, apparently resting her hand rather heavily on its latch. Apparently, because it was hard to say what she had thought she saw happened.

She was fair certain Zoissette's arm had faded and gone through the door for a moment.

She was not sure though, because in the next instant, the door had suddenly opened, and Zoissette had fallen into the houseboat.

"Zo!"

"I'm alright! I am alright! Sorry, just - startled."

Ryss rushed over and looked in to see Zoissette sprawled out on the floor, looking around the place and blinking owlishly.

"What the hells just happened? Zo, what'd you do?"

"I did not do anything! The door must have opened from the inside."

Ryss leaned over and looked around inside carefully, her mind starting to reach for Glitterdust to summon the fairy. If there was anyone inside, and they were not Apple, she intended to meet them with axe and magic.

But as she looked, there was no movement, no noise, no nothing. Just Zoissette starting to pick herself up off the floor, and Ryss herself.

"Well, since we are in here anyroad," said Zoissette.

"...right," said Ryss.

They took a bell to search the houseboat. It did not particularly need to take that long, as the houseboat was not all that large, as houseboats often were not, but they were thorough, checking under things, in the overhead, behind every stick of furniture and in every drawer. Zoissette found some notes of Apple's quickly and had split her attention between reading them and helping search.

Zoissette's focus was different, now. Less frenetic, now. Ryss was pleased at the change, as she went to confirm what they had already learned from the outside.

Namely, that the houseboat had been set to be abandoned in place. None of its equipment was set up for sailing, ceruleum had been drained, pipe systems had valve lineups set up for abandonment, wards set, everything locked, tied down, or otherwise secured.

"Nobody's here," said Ryss at last.

"And has not been in some time," agreed Zoissette. She was fiddling with one of Apple's drawers, using the arcane powder again. Whatever she saw caused her to frown.

"Find something?"

"...nothing that I want to say is conclusive," said Zoissette. "The bottom of this drawer has an arcane seal though. Fiendishly complicated.

"...wish I had Lavender," she murmured softly.

"I have Glitterdust," offered Ryss.

"Glitterdust is more frontline combat oriented. Lavender and I had advanced cryptographic arithmetics, since we delved deep into Nym research data. Wait. Hang on."

Zoissette pulled out the familiar arcanist's quill and inks, reaching into the drawer, beginning to draw geometries. Her eyes had that odd purple glow to them again, this time Ryss was certain of it.

"I might remember enough to do this without her," Zoissette was murmering quietly. Ryss wanted to ask her about the glow, but also did not want to break her concentration.

"There!" said Zoissette, doing something Ryss could not see, but a moment later she came up with journals. She flipped one open to read it.

"Zoi?" asked Ryss.

"Diaries," said Zoissette. "Here. I do not want to pry into her personal life overmuch, but..."

Zoissette gestured for Ryss to get closer, and then waved a hand at the little arcane powder that was left in the drawer.

"...no," said Ryss.

Zoissette nodded. "It is not identical, but there are too many similarities to discount, between the patterns and colors. Here. Let me try again. Go test some on her wards."

Zoissette handed a small pouch of the arcane powder to Ryss. Ryss nodded, and quickly began testing it on various wards around Apple's home. Questions about Zoissette's oddness could wait.

The results were quick and obvious. Ryss returned to Zoissette, who had begun reading through the diaries.

"Signature is close to the one we found in the Twelveswood," said Ryss.

"Aspects are slightly different, but the baseline is the same," agreed Zoissette. "Did you know she was working on a method of restoring my aetheric density?"

"I knew she was working on something to help you. I wasn't able to keep up with what. I was trying to tend to and repair the laboratory."

"And her diary entries talk about a condition she has," said Zoissette, softly. "The need to hunt animals. About once a month. She shifted to Azys Lla at some point to handle it."

Zoissette handed the journals to Ryss, who took them and looked through them cautiously. Zoissette had a haunted expression on her face.

"She has a research lab in Azys Lla," said Ryss. "We helped her set it up. Maybe she's just working on something else to help?"

Zoissette frowned, then shook her head, slowly.

"I think something has gone very wrong."

"Do we go after her, then?"

"Absolutely," said Zoissette. Then a moment later, more forcefully, "Yes. Yes, absolutely. Contact Erick or Dark. Whoever answers, let them know we might need a full team. Mix of heavy assault, assault picket, and support, two squads worth. While he works on that, we need to find her. I am going to contact Nyx and Klynt. We will go in as a light search and rescue party to begin with, see if we can find her."

"What do you think has happened?" asked Ryss, as her hand went to her linkpearl.

"I dare not speculate without more evidence," said Zoissette. She opened her mouth as if to say more, then shook her head, and she began placing her own linkpearl calls.

~*~

It was scarcely a bell later, and they were walking across the unusual landscape of Azys Lla, heading towards Apple's laboratory. Ryss was careful as she walked along, keeping an eye out, axe in her hands. She had not summoned Glitterdust - not yet - but the stone that held the little fairy was tucked into a pocket. Klynt was with her, with her long and deadly naginata on her back. Zoissette had her gunblade and was leading the way with Nyx, who had elected to serve as their spellcaster.

She saw Zoissette headtilt just a little at the same time one of Nyx's ears twitched and rotated, and both of them snapped to turn their gaze to the same place at the same time. Ryss and Klynt stopped and settled into a fighting stance, Klynt watching the other direction while Ryss tried to see whatever it was the other two had seen.

"Unknown contact, rank four aetheric signature, indeterminate nature, one hundred and fifty yalms at two hundred and eighty five by minus fourteen," said Nyx in their characteristic monotone. "Line of sight broken. Contact lost."

Ryss murmured to Zoissette, "Did you see it?"

Zoissette shook her head. "I - I am not sure what I saw. Nothing, possibly. Quickly, let us get to the lab - I want to use the arcane powder there, and see if Nyx can determine anything from the signature."

"Right," said Ryss. The party was quick to hurry on to Apple's lab. Periodically Zoissette would look around, as though she had caught sight of something, Nyx's ear twitching often at the same time, but Zoissette would only shake her head and ignore whatever it was as they continued on.

At Apple's lab, Klynt and Zoissette took to watching the perimeter while Ryss sprinkled the arcane powder on some of Apple's experiments. She watched as the colours and patterns fell out of the swirling dust.

"Same as we saw on the houseboat and in the Twelveswood," she called over to Zoissette.

"Nyx, compare and cross reference to the contact, and report," called back Zoissette.

Nyx stared for a few moments before responding.

"Signature patterns recognized. Match with limited data from unknown contact at thirty-two percent confidence," said Nyx.

"Is that high or low?" asked Ryss.

"Hard to say," said Zoissette, coming closer. "Nyx has senses neither you nor I possess, but Azys Lla interferes with them."

"I will be able to use this data to assist in locating the entity using the Azys Lla facility sensors once I am able to interface with a command and control station," said Nyx.

"I don't like this," mumbled Klynt. "Bad feeling on the wind."

Ryss frowned and looked out over the landscape.

"Alright. Let us move quickly, then. Nyx, lead us to the nearest station. I want to try to avoid contact with the entity until we have secured that station. And avoid the local life forms for now - they are additional trouble we can do without," said Zoissette.

The group all nodded, and moved efficiently as one. Azys Lla was a dim place, some aspect of the facility always generating a thick cloud that obscured it from the outside and gave it a dark foreboding haze. Strange plants grew from the ground and stranger creatures wandered its spaces, and yet, despite that, the place somehow felt lifeless. Or worse, faintly malevolent, as though it would snuff any life that fell short of its unreasonably lethal expectations.

The command and control station was a simple dome like structure, one of many that could be found scattered sparsely across Azys Lla. Inside was the usual array of floating spherical or egg-shaped drones and computing systems with their odd array of perfectly straight lines and sharp angles, walls made of unknown alloys, and an atmosphere that was dry and slightly uncomfortably warm.

Klynt stood near the entrance, watching the outside with a baleful eye. Ryss crossed her arms and leaned against a wall to wait while Zoissette slowly paced and looked around the space. Nyx walked to one of the consoles with its half sphere control interface and placed her hands upon it. It came to life with glowing lights and a gentle hum, and Nyx picked at several of the holographic displays.

"Acquiring access privileges. Taking local control. Subsuming protocols. Entering direct mode," said Nyx, who then suddenly locked up and went stiff while standing at the console.

"Uhm," said Ryss.

"Control established," said Nyx, only their voice did not come from their body, but rather, from the facility itself. "Scanning."

"That is passing weird," said Ryss, and Klynt barked a laugh.

"You get used to them," said Zoissette.

"Vauban. I am activating a map on one of the monitors. I believe I have located the entity, as well as secondary evidence to suggest what areas they have been frequenting."

Zoissette walked over to the monitor to look, tapping a finger to her lips. Ryss hovered behind them.

"Nyx. That building. It has multiple entrances. Can you secure them?"

"Yes."

"Okay. I have a plan," said Zoissette, turning to Ryss. "Klynt, you will stay here, protect the control room and protect Nyx. Her control of the security systems in this sector is paramount. Nyx, secure the two entrances I am about to highlight, leave these other two open. We go in, and confirm that the entity is there. Once confirmed, we close the entrance we came in, and make for the other one - have Dark bring the airship to a landing nearby and meet us there, but have her stay onboard, ready to bug out should this go poorly. I suspect that whatever it is may be intelligent - let it think it has trapped us. We stall it until the team arrives to give us backup, then mount a counter offensive."

Ryss looked at Zoissette. "...risky." She did not bother to point out that Zoissette was, arguably, still in recovery.

Zoissette shook her head. "We got lucky to catch up to her here. We cannot risk letting her get loose and run elsewhere. We may not be able to predict her future movements."

Ryss frowned, but after a moment, nodded.

"Good luck," said Klynt.

Dark was raised on the comms, and Ryss and Zoissette made their way carefully to one of the large abandoned specimen rooms where Nyx had thought the entity to be. Now, Ryss had Glitterdust summoned, and the little fairy flitted along with them. All of them kept an eye out as they approached the entrance to the underground Allagan facility. Ryss noted that Zoissette was no longer glancing off at things she could not see.

If the entity had been keeping an eye on them, it may have retreated and was no longer watching them closely, she surmised.

The inside of the specimen facility was dark and quiet. Large tubes made of transparent green glass, none of them intact, were scattered throughout the place. Many of them still had some kind of bioluminescent liquid in the bottom that glowed faintly in a way that somehow made it harder to see, the light casting confusing shadows and being too dim to provide guidance but also too bright for the eye to adapt to a natural night vision. Ryss and Zoissette swept their gazes about, as they slowly made their way in between gutted consoles and the detritus of a fallen civilization.

"How certain are we about Nyx's analysis?" asked Ryss quietly.

"Reasonably," responded Zoissette. "Even if you ignore their expanded repertoire of senses, did you see the highlights on the map? The system has been tracking unusual activity. Something has been acting as a predator. A newer one than the - hmn?"

Zoissette suddenly spun in place, and Ryss glanced over at her.

"...I think I see it too," said Zoissette.

Ryss felt a sudden pulse of alarm from Glitterdust. Before she could say anything, though, Zoissette had shoved her to one side, and a blade whipped through the darkness, neatly through the area they had once been. It retracted just as fast, with a whip-snap motion that was hard to track.

She felt resolve from Glitterdust. That would not be allowed to happen again. But they were still in the dark, still just the two of them, and this was the part of the plan where they ran. She quickly looked around to try to find Zoissette, and was surprised to see her friend already a good distance away, gunblade up, facing where the blade had come from, and waiting for Ryss.

"Come on! Time to go!" said Zoissette.

Ryss was not at all sure how Zoissette had crossed the distance so fast, but the time for questions could come later. She quickly ran to catch up to her, a hand going to her linkpearl as she moved.

"Nyx, lock the place down," said Ryss. "Where's the other team?"

Nyx's voice came back, flat and calm as doldrums on the sea. "They have landed and are making their entrance now. Locking area down."

Zoissette waited for Ryss, waiting for another attack. Another blade whipped out, and she was quick to deflect it with her gunblade, away from them, grunting with the exertion of doing so. Ryss ran past her, and she turned and followed quickly.

There was an unsettling sound behind them, like a dozen dozen blades all being run across a dozen dozen whetstones, sharpening, honing their edges to fine lethality.

Ryss decided she would prefer to not find out exactly how sharp without catching up to the group first and making sure they would be safe. She felt a heat in her chest, as Glitterdust began to pour aether into her, quicking her heart and strengthening her arm.

She was a Nymian Marine, and when they met the group, she would be ready to make her stand.

The team Erick and Dark had assembled was waiting. Ryss knew them well. Meya, a relief, an experienced healer she trusted. Riven, master of elements, who would be able to bring significant power to bear. Minti in a dancer's outfit, sure to be fast and nimble, welcome supporting fire and flamboyant distractions to hopefully dazzle the entity with. Violet, well, Violet was a bit of a wild card, but reliable in her own way.

Ryss turned, axe out. Glitterdust hovered nearby.

"Okay, stick to the plan, but be careful, do not go in full hard" said Zoissette. "I have a hunch-"

There was that sound again. Ryss found it to be uncomfortably close.

"Maybe we can save full explanations for later," said Ryss.

"Right," said Zoissette. "Heavies, to the front, keep the entity pinned down, but be prepared to fade back quickly to protect support. Picket, go for targets of opportunity and soft spots, but most importantly, keep yourselves safe, hit and fade. Support, stand back and keep us alive."

Zoissette snapped two cartridges into her gunblade and readied it as Violet came to stand on one side of Ryss and Zoissette stood on the other.

"Prepare for contact."

[darbiebot]

DWC August 2022 day 3- Sentimental

@daily-writing-challenge

Holden grunted in exertion as they crested the hill, his feet more accustomed to paved roads, he'd never really taken to the outdoors like his father, much to his chagrin. Unfortunately, his mother was far more used to travel as well, and there she was, waiting down the path on the other side, waiting for him. "Mom... slow down..." he complained catching his breath, the tone a bit more whiny than he'd intended, his mother's smirk was a bit embarrassing, made him feel like a child.

"Oh, i'm sorry, just exited! Peaks just down the way from 'ere, look!" she pointed eastward, and the young dwarf looked upon the large Gryphon statue overlooking the vast valley below. Hill dwarves were an apt descriptor, there were rolling roads going up and down hills all over, and little smokestacks and windows signifying several hundred homes within them.

"Why are you so excited, anyway?" he asked, again. "I dont think you mentioned any relatives that still lived here?"

Darlain sighed as she turned and headed down the path once more, "Now now, this was my 'ome, and this is me clan, and yer part o' that. Tradition's important lad, and you 'ave a choice tae make, just like all my children."

That peaked his curiosity. "You took Lorelei 'ere?"

His mother nodded. "Aye... though uhh... she made a surprisin' choice." His eyebrow raised at that, and he hurried to match her pace.

His answer would come as they met with clan elders, had a hearty meal at the inn, and finally met with the local shaman, dressing him up in simple robes adorned with gryphon downs.

He was led up the pathways carved into the mountains to the north, and he saw them, perched within carved out holes in the mountain, at least fifty large gryphons, some watchful, some enjoying naps, some messily tearing into prey they had brought back to their roosts.

An elderly man, his beard long and grey, adorned in a feathered headband, his face and arms painted in elaborate blue tattoos. His mother bowed before him, and Holden mirrored his movements. "Come, boy, we'll let her take a look at you." Holden eyed his mother curiously as he was lead into the main Aerie, and his mother simply smiled and encouraged him onward.

"We wild'ammer," the man spoke as they walked. "'ave an understandin' with these majestic creatures, lad. And though you 'ave nae been raised in the 'interlands, yer blood still speaks our covenant with them."

"What do y'mean?" Holden inquired, nervously.

"Gryphons require a lot o' food tae keep goin, mothers kin wear themselves out feeding themselves, much less their children. Used tae be a time where entire clutches would be lost, even in prosperous times. They used tae 'unt us, though meager was out meat compared to larger game.... so tae save ourselves, far and long ago, we lived under 'ills, and shared our kills, till they learned we were better alive."

The two stopped at a large nest, a proud, gold and brown feathered Gryphon looked up in anticipation eying three eggs still nestled in what was a much larger nest, her head cocked curiously seemingly sizing up Holden with an unnerving intelligence behind her eyes.

"Over time, we were permitted in their spaces, just as they joined us in ours. They 'unted the wyverns that plagued the skies and still 'unted us, we made spaces, aeries, for them to roost. And when the mothers were forced tae abandon some of their clutch... we took them. And we raised 'em tae bear our warriors. This 'as been the way of things fer thousands o' years. Tae the point where... that is what is done."

He held out a shaky hand to the gryphon's beak, petting her affectionately. "This'll be the last egg of 'er clutch she'll be giving to us tae care fer. And as a child o' one of our clan, you'll be 'aving a choice. Which o' the eggs will yeh be taking... if ya be taking on the charge at all?"

Holden smiled to himself, now knowing why his mother had brought him here. How she had once been given this choice, how much finding Patience alive had affected her, he remembered seeing her cry when she'd taken him on his first flight with the old Gryphon. How exhilarating it had been for him to soar above the clouds.

As he approached the mother, she lowered her head, and instinctually, he raised his hand to press against her forehead. She pressed towards him affectionately, but with enough force to catch him offguard, sending him off his feet, eliciting a worried coo from her. laughing a bit at his lack of constitution, Holden got to his feet... and chose his egg. He picked the smallest of the three. walking out to show his mother.

Her smile was infectious, he couldn't help but share in her joy.

[kathleencorbett]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: VintageLot of 2 SkeinsDarlaineMade in BrazilDarlaine Yarn Company in Jam

[jubaunetwork]

2023-09-30 19:30:02 GOD'S WONDERS feat. Aniel Fils - OU TOUJOU LA POU MWEN (Official Video) God's wonders ft Aniel Fils - ou toujou la pou mwen -1- lè lavi mwen pa gen sans , Ou la lèm rele m pa jwenn repons , Ou la lè pwoblèm vle pote m ale , Ou la lè m santi m abandone , Ou la Refren Ou la lèm bezwen w Ou la lèm san fòs Ou la lèm rele ou tande -2- lè fènwa vle kouvri mwen , Ou la lè mond lan vle mennen m lwen w, Ou la lè peche vle chavire m , Ou la lè m bezwen w men ki pou guide m , Ou la Refren Ou la lèm bezwen w Ou la lèm san fòs Ou la lèm tonbe ou leve m Ou la lèm bezwen w Ou la lèm san fòs Ou la lèm rele ou tande Ou la , ou toujou la yeaah ou la, Ou toujou la pou mwen Lèm rele w ou tande m. 👉 Lien vers : YouTube 👉 Lien vers : Facebook Credits: Writer and composer: Darlain Molin. Musical Arrangement: Darlain Molin. Vocal Arrangement: Darlain Molin. Producer : Darlain Molin Past Ismael Pierre. Video Company: Life in Pictures Entertainment. Musicians: Dye Jn Johanson / Darlain Molin (Piano) Robenson Desius ( Solo guitar) Roubens Desilier (Drums) Sylvio Raymond (Bass) OU TOUJOU LA POU MWEN #gospel #music #worship #praise #news #musique #évangélique #actualités #bgospelmagazine #bgospel

[sammys-stuffs]

The beautiful city of Darlain! It's a portside town full of exports. There's the eastenders and westenders. Eastenders are typically your posh sorts, just look at all those mansions! Vs the crowded westend which is mostly factory workers and the factories they work in. There's also the courts on the west end. The Darlain courts of national law manage to be even more wild than the crowded musty cobbled streets. There are three primary political parties. And each party has an anonymous group of members in the balcony overlooking the main hall. Each party has a cannon, ensuring that no law is extreme enough to so severely anger any single party. In reality this just leads to a very slow court full of laws with padded words.

[noonmutter]

‘☠’ to hear what my muse would say to yours if they were completely drunk off their head.- Dar and Pin!

Leon to Dar: “...jus’ once, kin I motorboat ‘em? Would Drogar crush my ‘ead fer tha’? ... ‘e’d prolly crush my ‘ead fer tha’... nevermind.”

Terry to Pin: “I...am done. I’m done I’m so very done gods I am done I kin not put int’ words just ‘ow done I am with...with ev’rythin’. Gods alive, it’s bloody... fuckin’... if I kin get outta all th’ shit I keep gettin’ stuck in, I’m quittin’. Flat out. I’ma do somethin’ else. You watch. Terry Ambroce, moose farmer.”

[lorellaishc]

Fast Friends

( Daily Writing Challenge August 2023, Day 1, Beginnings/Endings, CW: none, @daily-writing-challenge )

"Oh aye Henii, just set her in here, I'm sure they'll get along fine while we finish making lunch."

Lorellai looked up from the colorful stuffed bear she'd been squeezing and chewing on, and locked eyes with the new girl that had been sat in her playpen. She was blue, her eyes were glowy, and her feet were different, but she was a fellow toddler, and she also had a colorful stuffed bear. Well, not a bear, something else. "Gah!" she exclaimed, welcoming her new friend, but already her friend was looking around.

Grabbing the side of the pen and pulling herself up, Shansii rocked back and forth, getting the enclosure's measure. Stubby blue fingers wrapped around the wooden poles, and she rocked with all her tiny might, causing the pen to shift. It moved, ever so little, but she'd need more. She looked over to the pink skinned girl who'd been stuck in here already, and waved. "Gah buh!" she declared, calling on the girl to help her seek freedom!

Lorellai wasn't sure what was going on, but her new friend looked like she had a new game! She crawled over, and climbed up next to her, mimicking her grip on the poles. "Bah!"

Shansii nodded. Soon they would be free, and with her new partner, she would be unstoppable. She started to rock, and Lorellai rocked with her, in as close to a rhythym as a pair of toddlers could get, but it was enough to shift the old playpen. Soon enough, it had toppled over, spilling out the little ones and their stuffed animals! Shansii shrieked with joy! Now only the door stood between them and freedom! She stood up on shaky legs, motioning for her new partner to join her! Together they giggled and stumbled towards the door, and it flew open, to disaster!

"Well well, already colluding are we, hm?" Henii said, smiling down at her daughter and Lorellai, who looked up at her in tiny shock. Kneeling down, she scooped up both the girls, kissing them on the head. "There will be plenty of time for mischief later, but right now it's lunch. And then we will see about play, hm?"

Shansii groaned, bonking her head on her mom's chest. Defeated again. But then her eyes met Lorellai's, glistening with joy. She had a partner now. Together, they would be free, and explore all the world had to offer.

But for now, there was honeyed oatmeal to eat, so the world would have to wait.

[fableworld]

all of the Time dragons of the Fableworld universe. the closest thing you can come to a God

Kantas; King of Mercy and son of the Solar

Darkna; King of Juctice and son of the Luna

  Kitas; Queen of Magic and daughter of the Stella

Darlain the monarch of Trickery and the forgotten One

  Adnima; the God of Wild magic

[tinyozlion]

“Little Prince” / “Prince of the Stars” - Literature References in GW

I am so delighted to report that the phrase Relena uses in episode 2-- "Does that mean Heero is a... Little Prince?" (or "Star Prince" in Japanese)-- is exactly what it seems to be:

It’s a reference to "The Little Prince", by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.

More specifically, it’s from one of the backstories in “Episode Zero”– giving you yet another reason to read this important supplementary manga! It’s also featured in the new manga adaptation of GW, “Glory Of Losers”, which is excellent.

--Saint-Exupéry was himself an aristocrat by birth, and a notable pilot. He flew both as a pioneer of international postal flights, and as a fighter for the liberation of occupied France in WWII. He was shot down on a reconnaissance mission, flying his P-38 Lightning over the Mediterranean, and disappeared without confirmation of a wreck or his death. He was presumed missing in action until in the final years of the 20th century, when a silver bracelet with his identifiers was discovered off the coast of Marseilles . 

Fun fact: if you read “The Little Prince” with Gundam Wing in mind, you will experience Several emotions!

--Once upon a time, Relena Darlain encountered a lovely, somber young man who came from the sky and rescued her from danger. She did not trust him, because he had come in a Mobile Suit, a machine of war and death. He called her “princess”, almost without thinking, as if it were the natural thing to call her– this was terribly confusing, for she was certain she was not a princess of any kind. Thinking the young man was simply being whimsical, she asked whether that made him a knight, or a dragon? He looked distant for a moment, as if conflicted by something weighing heavily upon him, but then gave a response suiting the theme of the moment, saying “I’m a prince from the stars”.   The somber young man was indeed a little prince, who you might imagine came from a very small kingdom– home to a beautiful rose that was as fearless as she was helpless, with only little thorns to protect her that would not even deter a hungry sheep. He had run away from the responsibilities of this kingdom, and now could not return. When he’d first come to earth, he met a fox, who told him the only way to truly understand things was to tame them, and that one was responsible forever for the things that one tamed. The fox had said only that which was intangible really mattered. This had made him appreciate and love his rose even more, though she was far beyond his reach now, and the intangible goals he sought would only take him farther away. Years later, the girl Relena Darlain met another somber young man who had fallen from the sky as a shooting star– he was fierce and wild and not at all like the little prince she had met when she was a child. But he had come from the stars all the same, and something about him reminded her of that first encounter, and of the children's book of the same name. They were both hurt, and lost, and very alone. She said this thought aloud to herself dreamily, because at that moment she was still a child, though she wouldn’t be for very much longer. 

  —

–The title of the Japanese translation of Le Petit Prince is “Hoshi no ouji sama”-- the subtitles for this in the anime read “Star Prince”, which is correct for Japan, and in the dub it is “Little Prince”, which is correct for the English title. This is a lovely bit of translation synchrony that doesn’t help one single bit in understanding what Relena means when she says this! But that is why we have Episode Zero, and if you really need proof that this is indeed a reference to the childrens’ book, I believe Sumisawa brings it up explicitly in Frozen Teardrop.

Gundam Wing is chock FULL of references to western lit and film– Wizard of OZ, White Fang, Lawrence of Arabia, Roman Holiday; “Darlain” is close enough to “Darling” that I suspect it’s a Peter Pan reference, and even Lady Une’s name is likely a reference to My Fair Lady, due to a very early scrapped idea for her character where she was a sort of clumsy, provincial girl that Treize was teaching to be “elegant”-- an element that stayed on in the series, albeit in a MUCH different context from Henry Higgins / Eliza Doolittle, thank god.

“Come on Gundam, move your bloomin’ arse!”

[crossoverheaven]

[sirdolraan]

We got 'er!