#HOWEVER i also hate the stupid board ones that are rare to find (but even fucking worse)

[glowingbadger]

Guys I basically hate everything I'm making right now, drawing, writing, etc. and it's all taking a million years to make just to be disappointed with the results SO I'm taking an indulgent and stupid break to spit out my thoughts about the FE3H lads' vices of choice (in terms of what they may imbibe to take the edge off). Also I'm tired and doing this super off-the-cuff, so if I forget someone or my takes are shit or w/e... i dunno, mea culpa I guess.

big ol' TW for drug & alcohol use so skip this one if you don't vibe with booze and/or smoking of various types (nothing too hard tho lmao no one's shooting up or anything on this post). As a disclaimer since this whole post might make me seem super pro-drugs lmao: I am into having your vices and letting them help get you through the day to a healthy and controlled extent.

Also, I guess this is sort of modern au?? FE3H's setting is wildly anachronistic, but I'm pretty sure they wouldn't have things like modern cigarettes, or edibles as we know them. Just. Roll with it ig.

Honestly this was inspired by a guy I used to hook up with before I met my husband who smoked and because of him I briefly developed a pavlovian response where I'd become aroused by the scent of cigarettes so shout-out to you, Dan- hope you're doing good somewhere you dumb, handsome bastard

Vices:

Linhardt- he's open to a lot, as a naturally curious type, but he's particularly fond of hookah. He finds the experience meditative and calming, and it's honestly best if someone keeps an eye out and makes sure he doesn't fall asleep with the coals still burning. But having a pipe in hand while reading on a quiet evening is just unmatched.

Hubert- obviously his canon vice is coffee, which he naturally takes black (at most, perhaps a splash of milk). That said, while he doesn't have an addictive streak, he will have a cigarette here and there when the stress is getting to him and he needs to stay focused. Other than that, he of course will partake in wine when it's expected of him at events, but he doesn't overly enjoy it.

Ferdinand- he enjoys wine both as a social experience, and as a true connoisseur; he's constantly scouting out which sellers have gotten ahold of something rare and exotic, and has no compunctions about paying a good deal of money for a valuable bottle. However, he dramatically overestimates his own alcohol tolerance.

Caspar- pretty much lives completely clean, unless food and over-exercise can be considered vices (which many would say they could). He tried Lin's hookah once and he coughed so much that he wrote off smoking across the board. Totally doesn't get things like "acquired tastes" when it comes to drinks, either- why bother with something you don't like right off the bat?

Dimitri- as a function of growing up at the height of society, he's of course expected to drink socially and know just enough about fine wines and liquors to serve appropriately high-quality drink to guests and dignitaries. However, he's a very dramatic and sad drunk, on the rare occasions he lets himself get that far. Frankly, he should probably just try weed.

Felix- he keeps his vices pretty under control, as lack of control makes him feel on-edge. Similar to Caspar, his 'vice' is more about drowning his anxieties in training and exercise. That said, he'll sometimes nurse a cigarette for a while, mostly to keep his mouth and hands busy- it's a fidgeting habit more than anything.

Sylvain- he's made a conscious effort to familiarize himself with and build a tolerance to just about anything that's consumed socially. Passing a joint, pouring a drink, taking shots, anything that adds to that socially-acceptable party vibes, he's ready to jump on-board. Left to his own preferences though, he likes a good whiskey, but like, the softer, smoother ones that go down easy.

Ashe- he doesn't look it, but having grown up in a rough situation and having to rub elbows with some unsavory types, he does have a respectable tolerance for most of your standard substances- though he's mostly only ever taken them to be "polite." But he knows his body and knows to keep alert.

Dedue- can appreciate coffee, but is potently aware of the disadvantages of caffeine addiction, so he keeps it moderate. He can also appreciate hookah, and similarly to Linhardt, finds it to be a soothing and calm activity that doesn't impair his judgement or cognition significantly.

Claude- pretty open minded overall, and is in support of indulging in moderate hedonism as long as it never puts you at a disadvantage. His preferred indulgence is weed, and in particular, he can really enjoy a well made edible. He's very picky about who he imbibes with, however- he doesn't trust just anyone while he may be in a slightly compromised state and more likely to say something he otherwise wouldn't.

Lorenz- he's as much a wine aficionado as any true noble would be, of course, and has memorized all the usual talking-points thereof. He considers it distasteful to become visibly inebriated, however. He also definitely owns a collection of elaborate and expensive tobacco pipes that have almost never been used.

Ignatz- he's fairly clean, and will nurse a single drink throughout an evening in social settings. He's heard that many famous artists have found inspiration in "broadening their minds," but he finds the loss of control intimidating. To be honest though, he also should probably try weed, this is a man with an anxiety disorder if I ever saw one.

Raphael- probably hasn't had many opportunities to get extremely experimental, but he does absolutely love a good beer or ale (or several beers or ales), preferably alongside a hearty meal or vast array of snacks. He considers it just part of enjoying a feast, a perfect accent to the food.

Jeralt- his love of booze is canon, of course, but he is generally open minded about such things and is willing to partake in whatever takes the edge off after a big job. He has decent tolerance, but has a habit of ignoring when he might be pushing a little too far, basically willfully ignoring his own limits.

Seteth- canonically, Nabateans have high alcohol tolerance (if Seteth's mention of it to Manuela is anything to go off of), so I imagine this extends to most foreign substances. That said, he does enjoy the earthy flavor of a well-worn tobacco pipe, and will sometimes unwind with it after a long work day.

Also on a personal note, modern au Seteth in a business suit smoking a cigarette makes horny brain go brrrrrrrrrr

Jeritza- he stays totally clean, as he deeply dislikes the sensation of losing control. He lives with the constant shadow of the thought that any lapse will trigger the Death Knight, and knows he can't risk such a thing outside of the battlefield.

[pontevoix]

headcanons from @pridewon : okay i’m like a week late but i wanted to send you things for the headcanons meme: 1. when they’re bored and there’s nothing to watch on tv in the evenings, shirabu and goshiki play those board games that are basically truth or dare (with drinks if shirabu drinks alcohol too) and they always find out really wild or stupid details about each other, 2. yamaguchi’s parents have been on the brink of divorce for years, and one time when tsukishima was over at their house, the boys heard them arguing. yamaguchi rarely invited tsukishima again after that, and invited himself over at the tsukishima’s instead. after highschool, he tries making up for it by constantly reminding tsukishima he can come over to his place instead whenever he wants (and may try baiting him with his favourite fods or movies) 3. kuroo has the (very) annoying habit of sending tsukishima jokes, puns, and various anecdotes at the most random times (usually when he’s bored between flights or at the office or a work function). tsukishima will be minding his own business, or sleeping, when suddenly *ding* “hey tsukishima, did you know that slugs have four noses?”. he has yet to determine which ones prompt a reaction and which ones get him blocked. (i wanted to send more for other dynamics but my brain fried forgive me)

tihdfgsdfgdf i’m basically a year late responding to this but let me absolutely say that these are here to make my day i feel very passionately about all of these things

absolutely yes sdfg shirabu has differing levels of appreciation for those games. in groups, he hates them & still plays & sometimes lies. one on one, he grumbles. he says, ‘ to hell with it, we can do checkers or cards. ‘ shirabu turns it into a drinking game or a personal challenge. from there he gets caught into game mode & is down with the truth or dare-esque games & somehow ??? he never expects to be startled by goshiki but you never know. on a similar note, as much as shirabu is not a huge fan of phone games, he goes through a phase about . . . once every three months where he just really wants to play word games on the phone. in which case, congratulations goshiki: you’ve been roped into words with friends. & no, goshiki, you will not win. however, shirabu did play against his kid brother once & his brother won mysteriously with a word that . . . neither of them knew . . . & shirabu almost deleted the app.

yamaguchi we love you ssdfg. tsukishima’s father doesn’t live at home; his parents are still married, they have waning affection for one another (??) but — his father works in the city. when tsukishima was at yamaguchi’s house & heard yamaguchi’s parents fighting, he wasn’t judgmental but he was a little startled because it’s just… different sounds than his own home. even with that, he could tell it made yamaguchi uncomfortable. because tsukishima was… himself & because he was younger there, he didn’t really know what to do about it, so they didn’t talk about it. he pretended not to notice how they always wound up at tsukishima’s house & he genuinely didn’t notice yamaguchi trying to make up for it. every time yamaguchi started to try baiting him to come over, tsukishima just ??? wow guess he’s in a good mood today ???  & part of this confusion really comes from the fact that tsukishima never felt unwelcome at yamaguchi’s house; it just hadn’t been the better pick for the two of them at that point.

kuroo is the reason tsukishima has his phone on do not disturb after 10pm lmao that’s all i got. but . . . to be fair, kuroo is also the reason ( one of the reasons ) that tsukishima leaves his read receipts on.  just so kuroo really sees that tsukishima isn’t amused. the fun facts he usually tucks away in the corner of his brain to fact check later,  & he does read the anecdotes, & he regrets seeing the jokes. & though he has learned not to trust anything when kuroo’s name pops up in his notifications list, he only blocks him sometimes & if he responds . . . it’ll be three hours late with a link to a whole ass article about slugs or a political analysis. here’s something you can do with your time, tsukishima says in this way & clucks his tongue in dramatic reprimand.

[the-king-andthe-lionheart]

A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes - Arya Stark and her Cinderella Motifs

In A Song of Ice and Fire, GRRM often uses fairy tale motifs to help tell a character’s story.  Sometimes this motif spans all throughout the characters arc while other times it will only be used for one or two scenes, or anywhere in between.  And often one character can have several fairy tale motifs at different times in their arcs or even running concurrently.  For Arya, she has quite a few fairy tale motifs in her arc, but for now I’m going to focus on her Cinderella motifs that are mainly prevalent in A Clash of Kings but do show up at other times all throughout her arc as well. I’m going to focus primarily on Arya’s A Clash of Kings arc, but we will be stopping by A Storm of Swords and A Feast for Crows a few times too.  And I am going to use several versions of the retellings of Cinderella, including the Disney version, but only the 1950 original and none of its sequels.  I also want to note that not all the parallels are obvious due to things being more metaphorical or symbolic, while other times being whatever subversion that tickled GRRM’s fancy at the time.

There are many common aspects across the board when it comes to Cinderella retellings.  Often it entails the heroine losing one or both of her parents, being oppressed by her abusive stepmother and stepsisters and being forced into menial, backbreaking labor that leaves the heroine dirty and often covered in ashes.  It usually entails a magical guardian who helps the heroine, magical transformations, ballgowns and a ball where she falls in love with either a Prince or a King. An identifying item is also involved, usually a slipper made of gold or glass, where one of the pair is lost when the heroine is running from her beloved.  And the Prince/King almost always searches the realm for the woman that identifying item belongs to, and when he finds the heroine they usually marry.

Written out like that it’s hard to believe that this is a motif used for Arya.  After all she’s not in the position to be going to balls and she’s just a child so it seems unlikely at the time she’s at Harrenhal she’s going to fall in love.  However, this motif appears all throughout her arc in various and creative and subversive and repetitive ways, and motifs don’t have to be all or none and they don’t have to be in the order the original stories were laid out.  A lot of people also don’t like the idea that Arya has an actual Disney Princess motif in her story because she’s a “tomboy”, but the fact is that Arya is a Princess at the time she’s at Harrenhal, it’s even explicitly stated in Arya X ACOK, whether people acknowledge it or not, where a lot of these motifs take place.  I know some people will be dismissive of this and think I’m reaching, but I hope upon reading this I’ll have convinced you of this motif being present. :)

Step-Mother and Step-Sisters

Some of the two most common features in any variant of Cinderella is the “Persecuted Heroine” and the “Female Persecutor”.  Often this manifests as the wicked stepmother and the evil step-sisters, but in some versions a stepmother does not appear, and it’s the heroine’s older sisters who confine her to the kitchens instead.  In the opera, La Cenerentola, Gioachino Rossini inverted the gender roles where the heroine Cenerentola is oppressed by her stepfather.  And in some retellings at least one of the step siblings is somewhat kind to the heroine even.  We symbolically see these archetypes many times in Arya’s narrative with various types of inversions.

When we enter ACOK, we find a dirty and disguised Arya traveling with Yoren and the Night’s Watch recruits, having just lost her father (a subversion of the prevalent theme of Cinderella losing her mother very young).  She is also being bullied by two older boys, Lommy and Hot Pie:

At Winterfell they [Sansa and Jeyne] had called her “Arya Horseface” and she’d thought nothing could be worse, but that was before the orphan boy Lommy Greenhands had named her “Lumpyhead.” - Arya I ACOK

That wasn’t the hardest part at all; Lommy Greenhands and Hot Pie were the hardest part. - Arya I ACOK

“Look at that sword Lumpyhead’s got there,” Lommy said one morning […] “Where’s a gutter rat like Lumpyhead get him a sword?”

[. . .]

“Maybe he’s a little squire,” Hot Pie put in. […] “Some lordy lord’s little squire boy, that’s it.”

“He ain’t no squire, look at him.  I bet that’s not even a real sword.  I bet it’s just some play sword made of tin.”

Arya hated them making fun of Needle.  “It’s castle-forged steel, you stupid,” she snapped, turning in the saddle to glare at them, “and you better shut your mouth.”

The orphan boys hooted.  “Where’d you get a blade like that, Lumpyface?” Hot Pie wanted to know.

“Lumpyhead,” corrected Lommy.  He prob’ly stole it.”

“I did not!” she shouted.  Jon Snow had given her Needle.  Maybe she had to let them call her Lumpyhead, but she wasn’t going to let them call Jon a thief.

“If he stole it, we could take it off him,” said Hot Pie.  “It’s not his anyhow.  I could use me a sword like that.”

Lommy egged him on.  “Go on, take it off him, I dare you.”

Hot Pie kicked his donkey, riding closer.  “Hey, Lumpyface, you gimme that sword.” […] “You don’t know how to use it.”

[. . .]

“Look at him,” brayed Lommy Greenhands.  “I bet he’s going to cry now.  You want to cry, Lumpyhead?” – Arya I ACOK

In the first two quotes we have Arya likening the behavior of Hot Pie and Lommy to that of Jeyne Poole and Sansa. In AGOT, Sansa and Jeyne took on the “evil step-sister” archetype (and before anybody attacks me, I don’t think these two are actually “evil”, just children who think it’s okay to bully someone who is different from them), but now we are shown that this archetype has temporarily shifted onto Lommy and Hot Pie, with some subversions.  These two are now male and they aren’t related to Arya in any way.  Some variants of the Cinderella story do portray male siblings mistreating the younger “Cinderella” sibling though.  One of the stories in One Thousand and One Nights depict a story called “Judar and his Brethren”, in which the main character is poisoned by his biological brothers in the end, depicting a rare tragic ending for this retelling. However, these subversions are completely fine because either way, they took on the role of the “bully” to Arya’s Cinderella archetype currently in the narrative.  

Furthermore, while Septa Mordane was the obvious “wicked stepmother” archetype to Arya’s Cinderella archetype in AGOT, I think arguably this has fallen to Cersei now (and the Lannister’s as a whole).  Cersei may not be present, but she is the reason why Arya is in the situation she is in right now.  After all, Cersei takes on the role of “Evil Queen” for Sansa and Jon (they both share Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs motifs) so I do think she is the metaphorical “wicked stepmother” in this equation regardless of the fact that Cersei isn’t anything remotely close to a stepmother to Arya in the narrative, but she fits the general archetype of “female persecutor” the most in the current situation.  For the case about Septa Mordane being a “wicked stepmother” archetype, I want to point to Cenerentola by Basile, in which the “wicked stepmother” started out as being the heroine’s governess, and Septa’s are the closest substitute to a governess in the universe of ASOIAF.

This isn’t the end to these archetypes being in play.  As the early chapters of ACOK go on we see the animosity between Lommy, Hot Pie, and Arya disappear to the point where they become allies and then friends. With this shift in dynamic we see the archetypes disappearing with some of these same characters taking on entirely new Cinderella archetypes, while the “wicked stepmother” and “evil step-sibling” archetypes move onto other characters as well.

At Harrenhal we are introduced to two wicked women who next take on the “evil step-sibling” archetype, Goodwife Harra and Goodwife Amabel.  These two even comment on Arya’s feet:

When Arya's turn came round, Goodwife Amabel clucked in dismay at the sight of her feet, while Goodwife Harra felt the callus on her fingers that long hours of practice with Needle had earned her. "Got those churning butter, I'll wager," she said. "Some farmer's whelp, are you? Well, never you mind, girl, you have a chance to win a higher place in this world if you work hard. If you won't work hard, you'll be beaten. And what do they call you?"

Arya dared not say her true name, but Arry was no good either, it was a boy’s name and they could see she was no boy.  “Weasel,” she said, naming the first girl she could think of.  “Lommy called me Weasel.”

“I can see why,” sniffed Goodwife Amabel.  “That hair is a fright and a nest for lice as well. We’ll have it off, and then you’re for the kitchens.”

“I’d sooner tend the horses.”  Arya liked horses, and maybe if she was in the stables she’d be able to steal one and escape.

Goodwife Harra slapped her so hard that her swollen lip broke open all over again.  “And keep that tongue to yourself or you’ll get worse.  No one asked your views.”

The blood in her mouth had a salty metal tang to it. Arya dropped her gaze and said nothing. If I still had Needle, she wouldn’t dare hit me, she thought sullenly.

“Lord Tywin and his knights have grooms and squires to tend their horses, they don’t need the likes of you,” Goodwife Amabel said. “The kitchens are snug and clean, and there’s always a warm fire to sleep by and plenty to eat.  You might have done well there, but I can see you’re not a clever girl.  Harra, I believe we should give this one to Weese.”

“If you think so, Amabel.”  They gave her a shift of grey roughspun wool and a pair of ill-fitting shoes and sent her off. – Arya VI ACOK

Later Goodwife Amabel even threatens to rape Arya:

Three Frey men-at-arms were using them that morning as Arya went to the well. She tried not to look, but she could hear the men laughing. The pail was very heavy once full. She was turning to bring it back to Kingspyre when Goodwife Amabel seized her arm. The water went sloshing over the side onto Amabel's legs. "You did that on purpose," the woman screeched.

"What do you want?" Arya squirmed in her grasp. Amabel had been half-crazed since they'd cut Harra's head off.

"See there?" Amabel pointed across the yard at Pia. "When this northman falls you'll be where she is."

"Let me go." She tried to wrench free, but Amabel only tightened her fingers.

"He will fall too, Harrenhal pulls them all down in the end. Lord Tywin's won now, he'll be marching back with all his power, and then it will be his turn to punish the disloyal. And don't think he won't know what you did!" The old woman laughed. "I may have a turn at you myself. Harra had an old broom, I'll save it for you. The handle's cracked and splintery—" - Arya X ACOK

Menial, Backbreaking Labor

When Arya is enslaved and forced into the oppressive walls of Harrenhal, she is forced to scrub floors and do other menial, backbreaking work from sunrise to sunset, just like Cinderella:

Weese used Arya to run messages, draw water, and fetch food, and sometimes to serve at table in the Barracks Hall above the armory, where the men-at-arms took their meals. But most of her work was cleaning. The ground floor of the Wailing Tower was given over to storerooms and granaries, and two floors above housed part of the garrison, but the upper stories had not been occupied for eighty years. Now Lord Tywin had commanded that they be made fit for habitation again. There were floors to be scrubbed, grime to be washed off windows, broken chairs and rotted beds to be carried off. The topmost story was infested with nests of the huge black bats that House Whent had used for its sigil, and there were rats in the cellars as well . . . and ghosts, some said, the spirits of Harren the Black and his sons. – Arya VII ACOK

She spent the rest of that day scrubbing steps inside the Wailing Tower. By evenfall her hands were raw and bleeding and her arms so sore they trembled when she lugged the pail back to the cellar. Too tired even for food, Arya begged Weese's pardons and crawled into her straw to sleep. – Arya VII ACOK

Magical Transformations and Mice

In Disney’s Cinderella, the fairy godmother transforms mice into different creatures.  On the road to Harrenhal, Arya not only likens herself to a sheep, but a mouse and continues her time at Harrenhal referring to herself as a “mouse”.  This is also a subversion, while Cinderella in the Disney incarnation befriends mice, in our story Arya becomes the meek mouse:

On the road Arya had felt like a sheep, but Harrenhal turned her into a mouse.  She was grey as a mouse in her scratchy wool shift, and like a mouse she kept to the crannies and crevices and dark holes of the castle, scurrying out of the way of the mighty. – Arya VII ACOK

He does not know me, she thought.  Arry was a fierce little boy with a sword, and I’m just a grey mouse girl with a pail. – Arya VII ACOK

She was very small and Harrenhal was very large, full of places where a mouse could hide. – Arya VII ACOK

Even Jaqen calls Arya a mouse:

She crept up quiet as a shadow, but he opened his eyes all the same.  “She steals in on little mice feet, but a man hears,” he said.  How could he hear me? She wondered, and it seemed as if he heard that as well.  “The scuff of leather on stone sings loud as warhorns to a man with open ears.  Clever girls go barefoot.” – Arya VIII ACOK

However, through Jaqen, Arya begins to feel more in control of her situation, stronger and is transformed, if only for a short time.

“…Some are saying it was Harren’s ghost flung him down.” He snorted to show what he thought of such notions.

It wasn’t Harren, Arya wanted to say, it was me. She has killed Chiswyck with a whisper, and she would kill two more before she was through.  I’m the ghost in Harrenhal, she thought.  And that night, there was one less name to hate. – Arya VII ACOK

I was a sheep, and then I was a mouse, I couldn’t do anything but hide.  Arya chewed her lip and tried to think when her courage had come back.  Jaqen made me brave again.  He made me a ghost instead of a mouse. – Arya IX ACOK

Lucifer the Cat

In Disney’s Cinderella, Lucifer is Lady Tremaine’s cat who is described as being a sly, wicked, and manipulative mouse consumer.  He spends the whole film trying to torment and catch the mice.  I feel that Weese takes on aspects of this feline character, and I think this because of certain descriptors that are given to Weese to make him appear almost catlike:

“Weasel,” Weese purred, “next time I see that mouth droop open, I’ll pull out your tongue and feed it to my bitch.” – Arya VII ACOK

In his own small strutting way, Weese was nearly as scary as Ser Gregor.  The Mountain swatted men like flies, but most of the time he did not even seem to know the fly was there.  Weese always knew you were there, and what you were doing, and sometimes what you were thinking.  He would hit at the slightest provocation, and he had a dog who was near as bad as he was, an ugly spotted bitch that smelled worse than any dog Arya had ever known. Once she saw him set the dog on a latrine boy who’d annoyed him.  She tore a big chunk out of the boy’s calf while Weese laughed. – Arya VII ACOK

So here we have Weese purring, strutting, being compared to the Mountain who swats at peoples, and being watchful and observant, very much like a cat.  And like in the movie, a dog attacks him.  Now Weese didn’t fall from a tower window, but Chiswyck fell/was pushed. Considering these two are the two people Arya had Jaqen kill, I wouldn’t be surprised if they are meant to make up two halves of a whole in this regard.  After all, they are both wicked creatures who prey upon the weak, just like Lucifer and they both got their just desserts for it.

Jaq the Mouse

In Disney’s Cinderella, Cinderella rescues mice from traps, as well as from Lucifer, and dresses and feeds them.  They perform favors in return.  At the beginning of the film, a mouse named Gus is trapped in a cage, and the leader of the mice finds him and retrieves Cinderella to free him.  The leader of the mice is a mouse named Jaq, and he was also a mouse that was saved by Cinderella from a cage.  This sounds awfully familiar…

Rushing through the barn doors was like running into a furnace.  The air was swirling with smoke, the back wall a sheet of fire ground to roof. Their horses and donkeys were kicking and rearing and screaming.  The poor animals, Arya thought.  Then she saw the wagon, and the three men manacled to its bed.  Biter was flinging himself against the chains, blood running down his arms from where the iron clasped his wrists.  Rorge screamed curses, kicking at the wood.  “Boy!” called Jaqen H’ghar.  “Sweet boy!”

[. . .]

“Good boys, kind boys,” called Jaqen H’ghar, coughing.

“Get these fucking chains off!” Rorge screamed.

[. . .]

Going back into that barn was the hardest thing she ever did.  Smoke was pouring out the open door like a writhing black snake, and she could hear the screams of the poor animals inside, donkeys and horses and men.  She chewed her lip, and darted through the doors, crouched low where the smoke wasn’t quite so thick.

A donkey was caught in a ring of fire, shrieking in terror and pain.  She could smell the stench of burning hair.  The roof was gone up too, and things were falling down, pieces of flaming wood and bits of straw and hay.  Arya put a hand over her mouth and nose.  She couldn’t see the wagon for the smoke, but she could still hear Biter screaming.  She crawled toward the sound.

And then a wheel was looming over her.  The wagon jumped and moved a half foot when Biter threw himself against his chains again.  Jaqen saw her, but it was too hard to breathe, let alone talk.  She threw the axe into the wagon.  Rorge caught it and lifted it over his head, rivers of sooty sweat pouring down his noseless face.  Arya was running, coughing.  She heard the steel crash through the old wood, and again, again. An instant later came a crack as loud as thunder, and the bottom of the wagon came ripping loose in an explosion of splinters. – Arya IV ACOK

So here we have Jaq who is leader of the mice, who also helps Cinderella by doing her favors.  Then we have Jaqen H’ghar who is the leader of Rorge and Biter (this name seems even more fitting now) and who is performing favors for Arya, which leads me to Jaqen’s dual Cinderella archetype: Fairy Godmother.

Magical Helpers

Some versions of Magical Helpers come from fairy godmothers or talking animals or genies.  In other versions this help comes to the heroine through her dead mother, often manifesting through animal aid.  In One Thousand and One Nights, in the story of “Judar and his Brethren” Judar is our Cinderella figure, whose own brothers betray and poison him, but before that he was gifted a genie named Al-Ra’ad al-Kasif who granted Judar’s wishes.  In the passage below Jaqen grants Arya three “wishes” which is typical for genies to grant in our popular consciousness:

She remembered that she hated him.  “You scared me.  You’re one of them now, I should have let you burn.  What are you doing here?  Go away or I’ll yell for Weese.”

“A man pays his debts.  A man owes three.”

“Three?”

“The Red God has his due, sweet girl, and only death may pay for life.  This girl took three that were his.  This girl must give three in their places.  Speak the names, and a man will do the rest.”

He wants to help me, Arya realized with a rush of hope that made her dizzy.  “Take me to Riverrun, it’s not far, if we stole some horses we could—”

He laid a finger on her lips.  “Three lives you shall have of me.  No more, no less.  Three and we are done.  So a girl must ponder.”  He kissed her hair softly.  “But not too long.” – Arya VII ACOK

Later, we also see that “wishes” have consequences, which is also prevalent when genies are concerned.  GRRM himself is a big fan of consequences and unintended side effects.  

Jaqen is not Arya’s only form of Magical Help at Harrenhal however.  Jaqen may take on the role of Fairy Godmother/Genie, but we also see Arya experiencing the help of not only an animal aid, but from a dead parent.  For instance, the heroine in Aschenputtel, by the Brother’s Grimm, is given a hazel twig by her father that she plants over her mother’s grave.  She waters it with tears and over the years it grows into a glowing hazel tree.  The girl prays under it three times a day, chanting, and a bird emerges from it that grants her wishes.  There are two instances of something similar happening in the books:

In the godswood she found her broomstick sword where she had left it, and carried it to the heart tree.  There she knelt.  Red leaves rustled.  Red eyes peered inside her.  The eyes of the gods.  “Tell me what to do, you gods,” she prayed.

For a long moment there was no sound but the wind and the water and the creak of leaf and limb.  And then, far far off, beyond the godswood and the haunted towers and the immense stone walls of Harrenhal, from somewhere out in the world, came the long lonely howl of a wolf.  Gooseprickles rose on Arya’s skin, and for an instant she felt dizzy.  Then, so faintly, it seemed as if she heard her father’s voice.  “When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives,” he said.

“But there is no pack,” she whispered to the weirwood.  Bran and Rickon were dead, the Lannisters had Sansa, Jon had gone to the Wall.  “I’m not even me now, I’m Nan.”

“You are Arya of Winterfell, daughter of the north. You told me you could be strong.  You have the wolf blood in you.”

“The wolf blood.”  Arya remembered now.  “I’ll be as strong as Robb.  I said I would.”  She took a deep breath, then lifted the broomstick in both hands and brought it down across her knee.  It broke with a loud crack, and she threw the pieces aside.  I am a direwolf, and done with wooden teeth. – Arya X ACOK

Here we see an inversion. Arya’s mother isn’t dead at this time, but her father, Ned is.  He is who we hear through the heart tree giving Arya this empowering “Mufasa” moment that gives way to Arya’s true transformation in this arc, she reclaims her identity.  And as soon as Arya asks the old gods for aid, a wolf howls in the distance as if in answer.  It’s not confirmed but I do truly believe that this howl came from Nymeria, by way of the Old Gods/Greenseers, who somehow helped strengthen their bond.  It is after this moment that Arya starts having full on wolf dreams in earnest and it’s through her first wolf dream that we see that Nymeria may have become Arya’s animal aid:

Her dreams were red and savage.  The Mummers were in them, four at least, a pale Lyseni and a dark brutal axeman from Ib, the scarred Dothraki horse lord called Iggo and a Dornishman whose name she never knew.  On and on they came, riding through the rain in rusting mail and wet leather, swords and axe clanking against their saddles.  They thought they were hunting her, she knew with all the strange sharp certainty of dreams, but they were wrong.  She was hunting them.

She was no little girl in the dream; she was a wolf, huge and powerful, and when she emerged from beneath the trees in front of them and bared her teeth in a low rumbling growl, she could small the rank stench of fear from horse and man alike.  The Lyseni’s mount reared and screamed in terror, and the others shouted at one another in mantalk, but before they could act the other wolves came hurtling from the darkness and the rain, a great pack of them, gaunt and wet and silent.

The fight was short but bloody.  The hairy man went down as he unslung his axe, the dark one died stringing an arrow, and the pale man from Lys tried to bolt.  Her brothers and sisters ran him down, turning him again and again, coming at him from all sides, snapping at the legs of his horse and tearing the throat from the rider when he came crashing to the earth. – Arya I ASOS

We see here that Nymeria and her pack protected Arya, Gendry, and Hot Pie against their pursuers after their escape from Harrenhal.

Here is another instance of Arya praying under the heart tree:

Arya went to her knees.  She wasn’t sure how she should begin.  She clasped her hands together.  Help me, you old gods, she prayed silently.  Help me get those men out of the dungeon so we can kill Ser Amory, and bring me home to Winterfell.  Make me a water dancer and a wolf and not afraid again, ever.

Was that enough?  Maybe she should pray aloud if she wanted the old gods to hear.  Maybe she should pray longer.  Sometimes her father had prayed a long time, she remembered. But the old gods had never helped him. Remembering that made her angry. “You should have saved him,” she scolded the tree.  “He prayed to you all the time.  I don’t care if you help me or not.  I don’t think you could even if you wanted to.”

“Gods are not mocked, girl.”

The voice startled her.  She leapt to her feet and drew her wooden sword.  Jaqen H’ghar stood so still in the darkness that he seemed one of the trees.  “A man comes to hear a name.  One and two and then comes three.  A man would have done.”

Arya lowered the splintery point toward the ground. “How did you know I was here?”

“A man sees.  A mean hears.  A man knows.”

She regarded him suspiciously.  Had the gods sent him?  “How’d you make the dog kill Weese?  Did you call Rorge and Biter up from hell?  Is Jaqen H’ghar your true name?

“Some men have many names.  Weasel.  Arry. Arya.”

She backed away from him, until she was pressed against the heart tree.  “Did Gendry tell?”

“A man knows,” he said again.  “My lady of Stark.”

Maybe the gods had sent him in answer to her prayers. – Arya IX ACOK

In Cenerentola, the heroine’s (Zezolla) father is given a date seedling by a fairy and he gives it to his daughter.  Zezolla cultivates the tree in which a fairy lives.  This fairy gives Zezolla magical aid.  When Arya prayed beneath the heart tree in the above quote it almost seems like Jaqen appeared from the trees, leaving Arya to question if the old gods sent him.

And like in Aschenputtel and Disney’s Cinderella, Arya spends time at Harrenhal singing/chanting to herself as well:

Barefoot surefoot lightfoot, she sang under her breath. I am the ghost in Harrenhal. – Arya IX ACOK

This is very strange for a couple of reasons.  When we first meet Arya she claims not to like songs and doesn’t sing.  She continues this up until she goes to Braavos. There she discovers that she likes the bawdy songs when she is using the name, Cat of the Canals.  The only exception to this is when Arya is at Harrenhal. Another reason this is odd is because of where Arya is at physically and mentally.  So either Arya was always lying about not liking songs, or Arya singing here is supposed to tell us something.

And while this might not mean anything, I found it interesting that Arya spends a lot of her time in ACOK barefoot.  Now Cinderella isn’t really said to be barefoot in the stories, but she did usually lose a shoe when running away from the Prince/King, hence making her barefoot. When Arya decides to escape Harrenhal, she does don a pair of shoes again and from then on out she mostly wears them.  This also leads to a fun bit of subversion.  In the originals tales it’s always the Prince/King saving Cinderella from further oppression.  But in Arya X ACOK, not only did she (a princess) plan the escape, but she saves Gendry, a lost (albeit bastard) prince, along with Hot Pie, from further oppression (and torture and death) by their slavers in their prison camp.  (Hot Pie definitely reminds me of Gus Gus as well by the way :D)

From Rags to Riches

In many versions of Cinderella, we also see the heroine become physically transformed.  The heroine is usually dirty, covered in ashes, and wearing “rags” before they are made over.  In the most popular version, Disney’s Cinderella, the Fairy Godmother magically turns her from dirty household servant to highborn lady, adorning her in a silver ballgown and glass slippers.  In Ye Xian, magical fish bones, help the heroine dress appropriately for a local Festival, including a light, golden shoe.  And in Aschenputtel, the doves that emerge from her hazel tree, that grant the heroine wishes, drop a gold and silver gown and silk shoes down to her to wear to the ball.  Also, noticeably, this is the time the Prince/King notices Cinderella and finally “sees” her.

While we didn’t get anything like that in ACOK, we don’t have to look much farther than ASOS, when Arya goes to Acorn Hall and meets Lady Smallwood, who puts her in two different dresses:

And afterward, they insisted she dress herself in girl’s things, brown woolen stockings and a light linen shift, and over that a light green gown with acorns embroidered all over the bodice in brown thread, and more acorns bordering the hem. – Arya IV ASOS

It was even worse than before; Lady Smallwood insisted that Arya take another bath, and cut and comb her hair besides; the dress she put her in this time was sort of lilac-colored, and decorated with little baby pearls.  The only good thing about it was that it was so delicate that no one could expect her to ride in it. – Arya IV ASOS

And while there is no ball, Arya and Gendry spend their time in the forge together.  This is the very first time Gendry has seen Arya look like a proper lady.  Cinderella and Arya are no longer dirty and in rags and they are now in gowns looking their place in society, despite Arya’s dress not being nearly as grand.  However, it’s enough of a change for Gendry to finally realize just who Arya truly is when it comes to her place in the world.  And judging by his behavior after this event, he also begins to acknowledge that if he continues to stay by her side he could potentially love her romantically in the future as well:  

Gendry reached out with the tongs as if to pinch her face, but Arya swatted them away.

[. . .]

Gendry put the hammer down and looked at her.  “You look different now.  Like a proper little girl.”

“I look like an oak tree, with all these stupid acorns.”

“Nice, though.  A nice oak tree.”  He stepped closer, and sniffed at her.  “You even smell nice for a change.” – Arya IV ASOS

Runaway Princess

Now we may not have had a ball, but while taking shelter in a stone stable with the Brotherhood Without Banners, Arya does run outside, trying to get away from everyone:

His words beat at her ears like the pounding of a drum, and suddenly it was more than Arya could stand.  She wanted Riverrun, not Acorn Hall; she wanted her mother and her brother Robb, not Lady Smallwood or some uncle she never knew.  Whirling, she broke for the door, and when Harwin tried to grab her arm she spun away from him quick as a snake.

Outside the stables the rain was still falling, and distant lightning flashed in the west.  Arya ran as fast as she could.  She did not know where she was going, only that she wanted to be alone, away from all the voices, away from their hollow words and broken promises.  All I wanted was to go to Riverrun.  It was her own fault, for taking Gendry and Hot Pie with her when she left Harrenhal.  She would have been better alone.  If she had been alone, the outlaws would never have caught her, and she’d be with Robb and her mother by now.  They were never my pack.  If they had been, they wouldn’t leave me.  She splashed through a puddle of muddy water.  Someone was shouting her name, Harwin probably, or Gendry, but the thunder drowned them out as it rolled across the hills half a heartbeat behind the lightning.  The lightning lord, she thought angrily.  Maybe he couldn’t die, but he could lie. – Arya VIII ASOS

Now it’s not explicitly clear that it was Gendry who ran after Arya, calling her name, but due to the possible symbolism in the scene, and also his behavior in AFFC, it makes me think it was him.  But whether he was or not I believe just Arya believing it might be him makes this applicable enough as a loose parallel for the Prince chasing after Cinderella, only for Cinderella to disappear like in many of the Cinderella retellings.  

Searching the Realm

At the end of ASOS in the epilogue we learn that Lady Stoneheart and the Brotherhood Without Banners, who Gendry is a part of is actively searching for Arya:

The outlaw gave him (Merrett Frey) an encouraging smile. “Well, as it happens, we’re looking for a dog that ran away.”

“A dog?” Merrett was lost.  “What kind of dog?”

“He answers to the name Sandor Clegane […] Did you see him at the wedding, perchance?”

[. . .]

“He would have had a child with him,” said the singer.  “A skinny girl, about ten.  Or perhaps a boy the same age.”

“I don’t think so,” said Merrett.  “Not that I knew.” – Epilogue ASOS

In many retellings of the Cinderella story, the Prince/King searches the realm looking for the heroine with an identifying item, and typically that item is a shoe of some sort.  Once the shoe is placed on the heroine’s foot it symbolically means the heroine is reclaiming her identity.  Arya, however, didn’t lose a shoe, and I’d argue that when Ned/the Old Gods/the Greenseers spoke to Arya through the heart tree, empowering Arya, that’s when Arya reclaimed her identity, at least for that time as Arya must reclaim her identity multiple times in her arc.  I’d argue that Arya’s connection to the North and her family is her overall identifying item. But I fully believe Gendry himself might be another “identifying item,” along with him still taking on the archetypal role of “prince”.

Why do I say this? Because in AFFC Gendry is stationed at one of the last known places Arya was sighted at with the Hound, the Crossroads Inn, where he is blacksmithing while also helping to look after orphans. He was likely stationed there by Lady Stoneheart and the Brotherhood Without Banners because he knew Arya the best out of everyone (remember LSH would probably have a hard time recognizing Arya after two plus years and a resurrection).  So if she returned, he would not only have a better chance at recognizing her, but also possibly a better chance at keeping her there compared to anyone else.  If people are doubting that this is Gendry’s role, just remember that the BWB is actively looking for Arya, and also note Gendry’s personality shift post-ASOS. Gendry has always been rude and moody, but in AFFC it has been taken to the extreme.  He is absolutely furious and instead of being just plain rude, he’s actually become mean and more violent.  He also seems to have something against the Hound now, someone who he previously had nothing against during the Hound’s trial by combat earlier in ASOS:

…The boy came and stood beside her, his hammer in his hand.

Lightning cracked to the south as the riders swung down off their horses.  For half a heartbeat darkness turned to day.  An axe gleamed silvery blue, light shimmered off mail and plate, and beneath the dark hood of the lead rider Brienne glimpsed an iron snout and rows of steel teeth, snarling.

Gendry saw it too.  “Him.”

“Not him.  His helm.” Brienne tried to keep the fear from her voice, but her mouth was dry as dust. – Brienne VII AFFC

That “him” was very pointed and because of the symbolism in the scene surrounding that “him” and the overall change in Gendry’s behavior I definitely take it to mean Gendry does have a problem with the Hound now.  So what changed?  The Hound kidnapped Arya.  I think it’s safe to say that Gendry is just as invested as the rest of the BWB, if not more so, to finding Arya again, hence making him the “prince” searching the realm for his lost Cinderella.

A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes

In Disney’s Cinderella, songs like “Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo”, “So This Is Love”, “Cinderella”, “A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes”, “Oh, Sing Sweet Nightingale”, and “The Work Song” are included into the film.  This isn’t the first time we’ve seen something like this in the previous retellings however.  Like I mentioned earlier the Brother’s Grimm, Aschenputtel, features this as well to some extant.  In Aschenputtel, the heroine would “sing a chant” to call upon the white doves that came from her glowing hazel tree.  These birds would help her grant wishes and help her complete tasks, and it was most likely the inspiration for why birds were included in the Disney version, although birds have featured in more than just Aschenputtel.  I mention this because GRRM wrote Arya a song in the novels:

“My featherbed is deep and soft,

and there I'll lay you down,

I'll dress you all in yellow silk,

and on your head a crown.

For you shall be my lady love,

and I shall be your lord.

I'll always keep you warm and safe,

and guard you with my sword.

 “And how she smiled and how she laughed,

the maiden of the tree.

She spun away and said to him,

no featherbed for me.

I'll wear a gown of golden leaves,

and bind my hair with grass,

But you can be my forest love,

and me your forest lass.”

This is very clearly a love song also and we know it’s most likely about Arya and her foreshadowing a possible future relationship with Gendry.  And it’s very clearly about them as Gendry is a bastard Baratheon “prince”, hence the mentions of “yellow silk” and a “crown”, and also because Arya quite literally is dressed as an oak tree at this time and almost a maiden and will be a maiden when they reunite later in the series.  We also know the song is meant to foreshadow them because of the context.  Tom O’Seven’s specifically winked at Arya as he sang this song, and after the song was sung Lady Smallwood, when taking Arya to get changed into a different dress, said to Arya, “I have no gowns of leaves,” which further tells the readers that this song is Arya’s song, her future love song.

A Mother’s Legacy

In the Magical Helpers section above I mentioned that a dead parent may be the one to help the heroine instead of the typical fairy godmother, by either sending an animal to aid the heroine and/or granting wishes, or by the heroine’s mother transforming into an animal.  In some Greek versions, in “the Balkan-Slavonic tradition of the tale”, and in some Central Asian variants, the heroine’s mother comes back as a cow who is then killed by the heroine’s sisters.  The heroine eventually gathers the bones and from her mother’s grave the heroine is gifted wonderful dresses.  In other variants, the heroine’s dead mother comes back as a fish or a female dog. These animals represent the heroine’s mother’s legacy.

Jon chuckled. “Perhaps you should do the same thing, little sister.  Wed Tully to Stark in your arms.”

“A wolf with a fish in its mouth?” It made her laugh.  “That would look silly…” – Arya I AGOT

That night she went to sleep thinking of her mother, and wondering if she should kill the Hound in his sleep and rescue Lady Catelyn herself.  When she closed her eyes she saw her mother’s face against the back of her eyelids.  She’s so close I could almost smell her…

…and then she could smell her.  The scent was faint beneath the other smells, beneath moss and mud and water, and the stench of rotting reeds and rotting men.  She padded slowly through the soft ground to the river’s edge, lapped up a drink, then lifted her head to sniff.  The sky was grey and thick with cloud, the river green and full of floating things.  Dead men clogged the shallows, some still moving as the water pushed them, others washed up on the banks.  Her brothers and sisters swarmed around them, tearing at the rich ripe flesh.

[. . .]

The scent was stronger now [. . .] Only the scent mattered.  She sniffed the air again.  There it was, and now she saw it too, something pale and white drifting down the river, turning where it brushed against a snag.  The reeds bowed down before it.

She splashed noisily through the shallows and threw herself into the deeper water, her legs churning.  The current was strong but she was stronger.  She swam, following her nose.  The river smells were rich and wet, but those were not the smells that pulled her.  She paddled after the sharp red whisper of cold blood, the sweet cloying stench of death.  She chased them as she had often chased a red deer through the trees, and in the end she ran them down, and her jaw closed around a pale white arm.  She shook it to make it move, but there was only death and blood in her mouth.  By now she was tiring, and it was all she could do to pull the body back to shore. As she dragged it up the muddy bank, one of her little brothers came prowling, his tongue lolling from his mouth. She had to snarl to drive him off, or else he would have fed.  Only then did she stop to shake the water from her fur.  The white thing lay facedown in the mud, her dead flesh wrinkled and pale, cold blood trickling from her throat.  Rise, she thought.  Rise and eat and run with us. – Arya XII ASOS

“So you sewed his head on Robb Stark’s neck after both o’ them were dead,” said yellow cloak.

“My [Merrett Frey] father did that [. . .] I only drank some wine…you have no witness.”

“As it happens, you’re wrong there.”  The singer turned to the hooded woman.  “Milady?”

The outlaws parted as she came forward, saying no word.  When she lowered her hood, something tightened inside Merrett’s chest, and for a moment he could not breathe.  No.  No, I saw her die.  She was dead for a day and night before they stripped her naked and threw her body in the river.  Raymund opened her throat from ear to ear.  She was dead.

Her cloak and collar hid the gash his brother’s blade had made, but her face was even worse than he remembered.  The flesh had gone pudding soft in the water and turned the color of curdled milk. Half her hair was gone and the rest had turned as white and brittle as a crone’s.  Beneath her ravaged scalp, her face was shredded skin and black blood where she had raked herself with her nails.  But her eyes were the most terrible thing.  Her eyes saw him, and they hated.

“She don’t speak,” said the big man in the yellow cloak.  “You bloody bastards cut her throat too deep for that.  But she remembers.”  He turned to the dead woman and said, “What do you say, m’lady?  Was he part of it?”

Lady Catelyn’s eyes never left him.  She nodded. – Epilogue ASOS

In the Chinese retelling of Cinderella, Ye Xian, the heroine befriends a fish, which is the reincarnation of her deceased mother.  In The Story of Tam and Cam, a Vietnamese version, the heroine Tam also had a fish which was killed by the stepmother and the half-sister, and its bones also give her clothes.  And a typical scene in Kapmalaien tales is the mother becoming a fish, being eaten in fish form, the daughter burying her bones and a tree sprouting from her grave.

So not only is Lady Catelyn a symbolic fish, a daughter of House Tully, but she’s also been resurrected (reincarnated), and is looking specifically for our heroine, Arya, who I believe will be gifted several various things (both good and bad) by this incarnation of her mother, but we shall see if the parallel continues when TWOW and ADOS come out.

Conclusion

I really hope that after you read this monster you were as convinced as I am that Arya indeed has Cinderella motifs, and an extensive amount of them as well. Whatever it may mean I don’t rightly know, but what I do know is that at the end of the day, the many stories of Cinderella are an analogy.  An analogy about someone “who unexpectedly achieves recognition or success after a period of obscurity and neglect”.  Of someone whose attributes were unrecognized in their society, only for them to be recognized.  And I don’t know about you, but that sounds pretty hand in hand with one of her other biggest fairy tale motifs as well that runs concurrently with the Cinderella motif, and that is the story of “The Ugly Duckling���, who after years of neglect, finds acceptance within society, as well as self-acceptance within themselves. :)

[nah-she-didnt]

JILY AUGUST CHALLENGE | @nah-she-didnt vs @floreatcastellumposts

summer + ok so I almost drowned in the sea whilst body boarding and yeah you saved me but hEY don’t laugh

Read here or on AO3

Lily Of The Sea

Absolutely mental. He must have been absolutely mental to agree to any part of this.

First, there was the fact that he had chosen to spend a week in Wales with Remus when he should have been training for football season. That decision alone would surely ruin his life when he showed up back at school completely out of shape and got booted from the team.

Second, while James liked spending time with one of his best mates, Wales was bloody boring. Remus lived in a charming little cottage with his charming parents in a charming town that had absolutely nothing for a couple of teenage boys to do. There wasn’t even a damn cinema for them to waste away in for the summer. Really, how did people live like this? It was only out of sheer boredom that he’d agreed to spend the day at the beach in the first place. He usually made it a point to avoid the beach at all costs, but these were desperate times indeed.

Herein lay James’ third, and stupidest, decision. He must have been absolutely bloody mental to agree to wade out into the frigid mass of water before him that was the sea.

He turned to throw Remus another reproachful look. “Do I have to do this?”

“Yes!” Remus called over from his spot on the shore. He looked perfectly content, and dry, as he watched James’ slow march to his certain death. “Your fear of open water is, frankly, embarrassing. It’s high time you nipped it in the bud.”

James winced as the water lapped at his shins, blistering his sun-warmed skin with icy cold. “I thought you said you were right behind me?”

Remus grinned. “Oh, you don’t need me. You’re doing brilliantly.” James couldn’t help but notice the mirth in his friend’s voice.

It was true, he did harbor an embarrassing fear of the sea. And why shouldn’t he? The water was so dark you could barely see three inches below the surface. Surely some unknown horror came closer with every step.

James swore loudly. “Rem, I hate this. It’s bloody freezing!”

“It’s the Irish Sea, what do you expect?”

“Damn the Irish then!”

“Mate, you’re English, I don’t think you’re allowed to say that.”

And so, James plowed onward, cursing Remus under his breath. The water was now up to his knees. He could feel the hair on his legs standing at attention as goosebumps emerged from his skin.

However, as he became more and more submerged, something in James began to change. The water was so cold it nearly took his breath away but it also filled him with a new resolve. It wasn’t so bad, really. He could do this.

With that thought, he plunged forward, brought his hands together above his head, and dove straight into an oncoming wave.

He hadn’t been prepared for how quiet underwater was. He was vaguely aware of the wave crashing above his head, but the force of it merely rocked him backward gently. He tried his best to open his eyes but the saltwater stung so fiercely that he shut them tight again. After a few moments of floating beneath the waves, James found his feet below him again and pushed up toward the surface.

He heard Remus’ triumphant whoop as his head broke the surface. He straightened up, embarrassed to find that the water was only about three feet deep, and shook his hair out of his eyes like a dog. “There,” he shouted in Remus’ direction, “I’ve done it. Now, will you come out here with me, please? I don’t need a bloody babysitter.”

Remus sighed loudly. “Yeah alright. Plus, if you drown, I’m sure you’d rather be saved by a fit lifeguard than by me.”

“Too true.”

They spent the next half hour lounging in the water. It was still freezing cold, but James found that it did not bother him so much now. The sun, in a rare moment of favor, had decided to shine bright and warm on the beach today. Remus showed James how to lie back and float so that his top half could be drenched in warmth while his back half rocked with the waves. The effect was actually quite lovely. Perhaps he wasn’t so mental after all.

It was at this very moment that he heard the muffled sound of a whistle.

“Wha-?” James said stupidly as he sat up from his float, pulling his head and ears out of the water so that he could hear properly, “what was that? Remus?”

But Remus was gone. It was only then that James realized how far he had floated from the safety of the beach. He was at least twenty yards away from the shore now, and Remus was not only a few feet away as he previously thought. James whipped his head around frantically. “Remus!”

“Riptide!” Remus’ voice called from somewhere behind him. He turned to see his friend scrambling up the beach through the surf. “Swim parallel to the beach! Now!”

Shit.

This was why he avoided the ocean. What the hell was a riptide? It certainly didn’t sound good.

James flapped his arms wildly as he swam, trying his best to stay parallel to the shore. Now he could feel the pull of the water on his body, coaxing him further and further out into the vast sea. He had to keep swimming. He had to, otherwise how on earth would he be able to murder Remus?

“You’re a bloody bastard, you know that?” James screamed to his friend as he fought against the sea, “You made me come out here!” He was closer to the shore now, almost at the wave breakpoint, only ten yards from where Remus stood.

“I know, I know, keep going!” Remus called, “You’re almost there.”

James fought with all his might to keep swimming. He really was out of shape after all, but he forced the thought from his mind as he struggled. Nearly there.

Finally, he made it back to the shallows. He stood with a great effort and began to stagger drunkenly toward Remus. “I can’t believe you left me out there alone! You smug toss-”

WHAM.

The wave hit James squarely in the back, knocking him hard into the rough, rocky beach.

His cheek caught the edge of a sharp rock. He felt his skin rip and sting fiercely, but he had bigger problems before him. The strength of the retreating wave was dragging him, helplessly, back into the deep. He tried to stand but he had no idea which way was up. The fall had knocked the wind out of him, and for a moment he truly wondered if he was about to drown.

Then, suddenly, there was warmth. Hands - yes, small, warm hands - wrapped protectively around his chest. Then there were arms, a torso pressed against his back. The last thing he felt before everything went dark was the mysterious body pulling him up, up, up.

...

“Is he dead?”

“Don’t be daft.”

“I’m not. Look at him. He looks dead.”

“He’s not dead, you idiot. He’s breathing just fine. What did you leave him out there for? He can barely swim.”

“We were floating! I didn’t know how far he’d drifted.”

The first thing James noticed was the warmth. His whole body tingled with a warm glow in sharp contrast to the freezing water. The water. Where was the water?

James snapped his eyes open. Two blurry faces swam above him. Remus, who looked concerned, but James only had eyes for the other face that hovered above him. A girl’s face. A very pretty girl’s face.

James blinked. “Am I dead?”

“Apparently not,” Remus sighed, “Christ, James, you really know how to make a scene.”

James barely heard this comment. The girl continued to stare at him, her brow furrowed. She didn’t look all that excited to find that he was alive. The more she looked at him, the more James felt that he’d seen this girl somewhere before.

“Who are you?” He whispered up to her. He hadn’t meant to say it, but he still wasn’t sure that she was not a dream.

“Hold still.” She spoke with a practiced, authoritative voice as she turned away from him to rummage through a red bag at her side. She withdrew a white package that she tore open with her teeth, pulled out a wet cloth, and brought it to his face.

James gasped as the cut on his cheek seared with pain. “Ouch! Blimey, what is that?”

“Rubbing alcohol,” she said, again with that focused voice, “don’t want it getting infected. What month is it?”

“Uh-”

“Evans, let him rest,” Remus protested, “he’s just had a shock.”

The girl shook her head. “We’ve got to make sure he���s not concussed. The month, Potter, what month is it?”

“August,” he said stupidly, “it’s August.”

“Who’s the Prime Minister?”

“Wilson.”

“What’s your name?”

“James Potter, what’s yours?”

This seemed to surprise her. The look of concentration slid from her face as she regarded him cautiously. “Lily.”

James squinted up at her with curiosity. “Of the valley?”

Get it together, you prat said a voice in his head, what a stupid thing to-

To his surprise, she smiled, and his heart did a backflip. “Yeah, sure.” Then she shook her head as if to rid herself of the distraction. “You’re going to be fine. Can you stand?”

James nodded and allowed Remus to pull him roughly to his feet. He steadied himself and reached instinctively up to his throbbing cheek. Lily smacked his hand away.

“What did I just say about infection? Blimey, maybe you are concussed.”

James wracked his throbbing brain. Everything was still a bit fuzzy, but now he was sure that he’d seen this girl before. “How did you know my name?”

Lily shot Remus a knowing look. “We go to school together. In Scotland. Remember?”

James felt his cheeks grow hot. That’s how he knew her, he’d seen Remus hanging around with a cute redhead before. “Ah - yeah, ‘course. Sorry I didn’t recognize you.”

She shrugged as she bent down to pack up her first aid kit. “Why would you? I’m not a footballer, not a posh kid, no big deal.”

James frowned. “I have plenty of friends who aren’t footballers or ‘posh kids,’” he said as he made quotation marks with his fingers. It was hard to keep the defensive edge out of his voice. She made him sound quite shallow. He motioned earnestly toward his friend. “Take Remus over here.”

“Thanks, mate.”

“Anytime.”

“Look,” Lily straightened back up, a look of annoyance on her face, “I’m sure you’ve got lots of friends and all, I just meant that we don’t exactly run in the same crowd.”

“But you know Remus. I heard you call him an idiot before.” James glanced at Remus, who looked like he wasn’t sure if he should stay for this tense conversation or disappear back into the safety of the water. “He only lets his very best friends call him that.”

Lily raised her eyebrows. “Really? His friends sound swell.”

Remus, still looking uncomfortable, finally cut in. “We knew each other before school,” he said quickly, looking from James to Lily, “from when we were kids.”

Lily nodded. She was starting to look downright testy now, but James could not for the life of him figure out why. “I used to spend the summers here with my aunt, and we met as kids. We used to go swimming on this beach all the time.” Her face softened at the memory. “It was lovely, actually. I used to love to swim. Haven’t had much time for it lately, until today.”

“Why not?” James persisted. It seemed that every question he asked did nothing more than to elevate her already defensive mood. He couldn’t help it, he had to keep talking to her. Had to keep making her cheeks flush like that.

Lily jerked her head back toward the lifeguard stand. “Don’t have much time, I spent most of my days working here ‘till sunset.”

“Ah,” James pulled what he hoped looked like a sympathetic face, “I see. Not a fun way to spend a holiday, I can imagine.”

Very unfortunately this seemed to be the worst thing he could have possibly said.

“Yeah, well. Some of us have to work to live.” She caught Remus’ eye and said with purpose, “Right. I’ll see you at school, Remus.” And with that, she turned and stalked away, leaving a very stunned James in her wake.

...

“You really cocked that up, huh?.”

“Cheers.”

“No, I mean it. Now she probably thinks you’re some stuck-up, rich brat. Really excellent job on that one.”

“I’m leaving.”

Remus laughed as he grabbed James’ elbow and pulled him back down to sit on the beach. “Christ, you’re touchy today. I’m sorry I almost let you drown, alright?”

James stared out over the glowing pink water. The sea was no less ominous even in the light of the early sunset. He could still feel the waves lapping at his shins, the force of the water smacking his bare back, the pull of the water as he struggled beneath the waves…

He shook his head at the memory. He was safe now, anyway. Thanks to Lily.

“Do you think I’m a stuck up, rich brat?” He refused to look at Remus as he asked the question. Instead, he picked up a large, rough stone and chucked it into the water.

Remus put a hand on his shoulder. “No James, I don’t think that. I think you’re a kind, loyal, and caring rich brat.”

James laughed. “Cheers, mate.”

“Anytime.”

“Give her some time and Lily will see it too. Speaking of...” Remus nodded in the direction behind James.

He turned to see Lily Evans walking toward them. She had pulled a pair of denim shorts over her red lifeguard’s bathing suit, slung a large blue tote bag over her shoulder, and held a half-melted vanilla ice cream cone in each hand.

“Hiya,” she offered as she took a seat next to Remus. James couldn’t tell if it was nerves or embarrassment that kept her from meeting his eyes. “These are for you two. I’m sorry I was a bit harsh before. I mean, you did almost drown, after all.”

James smiled as he accepted the ice cream. “Thanks. And thanks for this, too.”

Remus, however, waved her away as she offered him the cone. “No thanks, I don’t eat dairy.”

James frowned. “You love dairy. I’ve seen you put away an entire wheel of brie in under ten minutes.”

Remus shook his head and stood up, stretching. “No, really. Can’t stand the stuff. I better go find something else more digestible, leave you two alone to talk.”

Lily shot him a dirty look. Remus could not be more transparent if he tried. “I don’t think that’s necessary.”

But Remus was already walking back up the beach. “Too late, see you in a bit!”

“Rem!” James called to his friend, but he merely waved his arm wildly over his head in farewell.

They sat in silence for a few moments with only the crashing of the waves to break the tension. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. James watched her fidget as he finished his cone. He wondered if it were uncomfortable to sit in those shorts with the back of her legs pressed against the small, jagged rocks that made up the beach. But he couldn’t let himself think for too long about her legs.

“So,” she broke the silence with what sounded like a great effort, “why can’t you swim?”

James sighed. “Oh, let’s just say it’s none of your concern,” he couldn’t bring himself to admit something so embarrassing, “why don’t you like posh kids?”

Lily, to his surprise, laughed. “None of your concern.”

“Are you sure about that? Since I’m apparently an insufferable rich kid maybe I can provide an inside scoop.”

Lily did not laugh this time. Instead, she stared out over the ocean, her vivid green eyes suddenly orange, reflecting the sunset’s light in the choppy water. “I’ve got a friend from school. Well, a friend from home, really. He’s like me, doesn’t have a lot of - of money, and stuff.” She was starting to shift even more now, clearly uncomfortable. James opened his mouth to stop her, but she plowed on. “He made some not-so-nice friends at school. They care a lot about status and all that, so he doesn’t want them to know anything about his home life. Doesn’t want them to know about me.”

James blinked. He’d known this girl only two hours, and he’d seen her in about fourteen different emotional states. He was quite sure he liked them all and wanted to see even more.

“That bullshit,” he said emphatically, “if he doesn’t value you then he’s an idiot. What a prat, giving up a true friend just to social climb.”

Lily smiled sadly. “You’re right, of course. Still hurts, but you’re right.” She shrugged, trying but failing to seem unphased. “Anyway, I think that’s why I was a bit, uh, prickly earlier. Forgive me?”

James just waved his hand dismissively. “Don’t worry about it. I’d be prickly too if it were me. He sounds like a disappointment.” He smiled at shyly, glad that they were approaching something like a friendly conversation, “plus, Remus assured me it wasn’t my finest moment either.”

She smiled again, and another shockwave shot through James’ body. “I forgive you. Friends?”

“Friends with the girl who saved my life? Absolutely.”

Silence fell between them again, but this time the air around them seemed more relaxed. Lily seemed to have found a comfortable position at last. She sat with her legs crossed and her hands placed on the ground behind her, propping her up toward the sea. She had her eyes closed and her head leaned back like she was savoring every roaring crash of waves or whiff of sea air.

“How can you not just love the sea,” she sighed, leaning her head back even further as she sunk into her surroundings, “I don’t know what I’d do without it.”

A few seconds passed before James realized that, at some point, he would have to stop staring at her to answer. “I guess it’s just not for me. You make it look pretty good, though. The sea, I mean.” he said quickly. Very smooth.

Lily, thankfully, ignored his comment. “Tell me the truth,” she turned her head to fix him with an intense look, “why don’t you like the ocean? I shared my trauma, now it’s your turn.”

James sighed. “Alright, I suppose I owe you. I’ve got to warn you, it’s pretty embarrassing.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Try me.”

James paused, trying to decide at the last moment if there was any possible way to tell her the truth and still be respectable in her eyes. There wasn’t.

Finally, he looked at her. “Have you ever seen a movie called ‘Jaws’?”

She pursed her lips, obviously trying not to smile. “Uh, yeah James. I think everyone’s seen that one.”

“Well,” he closed his eyes, preparing for her worst, “I had nightmares for weeks. I don’t know why, but it really got me. I could barely walk through campus puddles on a rainy day. Kept thinking some bloody shark or something was gonna come up, grab my ankle, and pull me in.” He opened one eye to cautiously scan her reaction. “Well? I’m mad, aren’t I?”

He was shocked to find that she was not laughing. Not much, anyway.

“It’s a completely rational fear,” she said thoughtfully, staring out across the blazing water. The sun was almost entirely set now, and soon they’d be engulfed in night. “It’s the fear of the unknown, innit? The anxiety that there’s something unseen lurking around the corner. It’s why people are afraid of spiders and centipedes. All the hidden things that might be there to hurt you. It’s why we wish we could see the future, to be sure that everything is going to turn out alright.”

He knew she was right. He followed her gaze out over the waves. It wasn’t the water that scared him. Wasn’t the searing cold, the slippery rocks underfoot as he plunged further and further into the deep. It was the unknowing, the darkness below him that scared him shitless. “Lily Evans, you are very wise.”

“I know.”

They were silent again, but not uncomfortably so. A strange sense of serenity washed over him. He wasn’t the only one who didn’t know what was out there.

“I could help, you know,” Lily said without looking at him. Instead, she seemed very interested in picking at a hangnail on her thumb.

James raised his eyebrows. “Help me? With swimming?”

“Swimming, the sea, all of it,” she chanced a glance up at him. She really did have the most staggering green eyes he’d ever seen. “I’m pretty good out there, and you clearly need help.”

James laughed. “That bad, am I?”

She grimaced. “Yes, that bad.”

He sighed and glanced back toward the sea. The sun had fully started to set now, and the pink and orange waves looked as menacing as ever. “I dunno… I’m not keen to repeat my near-drowning.”

“Oh, come on,” she winked at him, “a strapping lad like yourself should have no problem swimming in there.”

Strapping? She thought he was strapping?

James forced himself to focus. “The sun’s almost set. What if it gets too dark to see?”

“So?” She pushed herself to her feet, then offered his hand to pull him up. “You can’t see through the water anyway. What’s a little more unknown going to hurt?”

She helped pull him to his feet then began unbuttoning her shorts. James had the self-control to look away, though his hands shook just a bit as he removed his own t-shirt. Together, fully outfitted in their swimsuits, they marched toward the now-purple water.

“Don’t worry, we’ll go slow,” she murmured as they reached the shoreline, “I’ll hold your hand through the whole thing.”

James smirked, “Figuratively, of course.”

As if to spite him, she grabbed his hand and squeezed hard. With a jolt, James remembered that very hand on his chest not two hours ago, pulling him up and out of the same water they charged into now.

“The trick,” Lily said decisively as she stared out at the breaking waves, “is to choose the right moment. You have to wade in past the break line between waves. If you time it wrong, you get creamed. That was your problem last time.”

“Thanks for the reminder.”

“No problem. Ready?”

“Actually,” James hastened, suddenly feeling sick. He wanted to drop her hand and run back, but he found that his skin felt glued to hers. “I think not. Thanks for the offer, but I’m fine being a coward for the rest of my life.”

“Not a chance!” She cried, gesturing out over the water, “Look how far you’ve come! You can’t go back now. I’m not going to let you drown.”

James tried to shoot her with a mischievous grin, but he knew it more closely resembled a grimace. “Promise?”

“Promise. Go!”

And so, Lily pulling at his hand, they sprinted out into the shallows together. The remains of the previous wave rushed merrily alongside their feet and legs as they sprinted into the water. James did not stop running until he could feel the water at his collar bones, his feet skimming the bottom of the seafloor. He felt around with his toes. No sharks or monsters as far as he could feel.

“See?” Lily laughed and splashed him a bit with water, “it’s not so bad. Jump!”

He turned to look just in time. A wave was coming at them fast. He barely had time to push off the ground to sail over it. The two of them soared through the water, over the wave, and back down again as it crashed onto the shore behind them. He laughed with glee and disbelief. His lungs felt icy cold as he gulped down air to keep himself from panicking. It felt like flying, and James suspected he’d been meant to fly all his life. This was easy. This was wonderful.

Suddenly, a wave larger than the rest descended upon them. “Alright, James,” came Lily’s confident voice as she squeezed his hand tighter, “we have to go under this one, alright?”

“What?” He just managed to yell before she pulled him under the wave. Again, there was that eerie stillness, only this time James wasn’t alone in the silence. Lily’s hand was still warm and sure in his own.

And so they flew through the water, dodging and riding and floating over the waves. It was exhausting work which was not made any easier by their fits of laughter every time the other received a faceful of icy water. Finally, when the sky had turned a deep navy, they dragged each other back out of the surf and onto the shore.

Brilliantly illuminated stars scattered across the night sky as they threw themselves back down on the beach. Lily reached into her large tote and produced a beach towel that they shared, taking turns to wipe the saltwater from their eyes and faces. They had barely talked the whole time they swam, just laughed, and gasped for air.

“See?” Lily sighed as she flopped back onto the beach towel, “I told you it’s lovely out there.”

“I stand corrected,” James said as he laid down next to her. He could see her chest and stomach rise and fall with the effort of breathing. “You were an excellent teacher. You’re not Lily of the valley, you’re Lily of the sea.”

She looked at him with a look that he’d come to learn meant she was about to make fun of him. “Have you been thinking of that line the whole time?”

“No!” James said with mock indignation, “No, it’s true. You made me see what all the fuss is about. Thank you.”

Lily grinned at him. She turned onto her side to face him, her head resting on her outstretched arm. He could see her freckles even in the dim light from the stars. He hardly stopped to think before he leaned in, his mouth inches from her own. He could feel her breath, still coming in sharp gasps, against his lips. “Do you think it would be alright if I kissed you?”

She smiled, and his whole body lit on fire. “I’m going to insist that you do, Potter.”

Her lips tasted like the sea. Her hair, when he took the back of her neck into his hand, was coarse and tangled from their swim. The shock of her warm hands on his cold, bare chest nearly caused him to cry out, and she smiled into him. God, she knew exactly what she was doing to him.

It was impossible to know how long they stayed entwined in one another. James had lost all sense of time and space. All he knew was Lily. He knew he could stay like this forever and be just fine.

Unfortunately, Remus had other plans.

“OI!” Came the shout from the darkness. Lily and James jumped apart in alarm. Remus stood a ways up the beach with his arms crossed. It was hard to tell in the dark, but James would bet anything that he was smirking. “You’re not snogging my best mate down there, are you?”

“No!” cried James and Lily in unison.

“That’s what I thought. I hate to break up the party, but James, we’ve got to move. Mum will flip if we get the car back late.”

James nodded. It was a horrible thought, leaving Lily, but he’d seen Remus’ sweet-tempered mum angry only once before. He didn’t wish to repeat the experience.

“I’ve got to run,” he whispered apologetically to Lily. He grabbed her hand in the darkness, and for a moment they could have been back in the water, soaring over waves together. “I’ve got a few more days in town, then back to school. Can I meet you here again tomorrow?”

Lily beamed at him. “That sounds lovely. Maybe at school I’ll even allow you to be seen with me.”

He laughed, then kissed her once more. Remus’ exaggerated cough told him that it was, really, now time to go. “Do you need a ride home?”

She shook her head. “I’ve got my bike. See you tomorrow, then.”

His chest felt like it was fit to burst. They could do this all again tomorrow.

“See you then, Lily of the sea.”

He turned before he could see her roll her eyes again and made his way up the beach toward Remus. He put his hands in his pockets and tried his hardest to stifle the grin that was permanently etched upon his face.

Perhaps he wasn’t so mental after all.

[nuttyrabbit]

Giovanni Conti Bio

“Nutty, are you only going to show up to post about Archie Sonic and your OCs?” Yes, yes I am

Anyways, I decided to throw together a quick bio for Gambit’s dad because hey I figured his stuff out and I’m doing shit with him now.

Shoutouts to @pidgeonspen​ for doing his design for me.

Anyways, as always, everything’s under the readmore

Name: Giovanni Conti (Real name Brando Romilla)

Age: Approximately 50 years old

Height: 3'4"

Occupation: Auto mechanic/Conman

Location: Unknown, last confirmed sighting in Westopolis. Originally born in Lugaio, Spagonia.

Sexuality: Bisexual, though greatly prefers women to the point of denying any male attraction

Personality: Giovanni's personality is what one would expect from a seasoned conman: charismatic, self-serving, and conniving, the weasel finds success in his trade thanks to his natural talent in dealing with others. To his victims, Giovanni appears to be a charming, compassionate, smooth-talking individual who seems to go out of his way to help others in their time of need. But of course it's all a farce, a way to con unsuspecting victims out of their hard-earned cash. In reality, the man formerly known as Brando Romilla is the exact opposite. A selfish, grumpy, and temperamental weasel "behind the scenes", Giovanni finds himself unwilling to engage with the world around him outside of whatever con he's cooked up or to get out of whatever mess he's gotten himself into this time.

Giovanni's most defining personality trait however, isn't his sardonic attitude or his smoothtalking ways, but instead his paranoia.  Giovanni has spent the majority of his life on the run and it shows.  He often finds himself looking over his shoulder both figuratively and quite literally, hoping that his latest victim hasn't found out about him or that the law or the mafia or whoever he's crossed hasn't tracked him down to enact their revenge.  As such, Giovanni is extremely hesitant to give out his name unless absolutely necessary for the con, even going so far as to make up fake names in emergency situations, though the truth eventually comes out.  In addition, he trusts absolutely nobody and almost always looks for a way to backstab/escape any sort of partnership he's found himself on the receiving end of, willing or otherwise.

All of this being said, it isn't *all* bad for Giovanni personality-wise, for when the weasel finds something he actually likes, one can see a softer, more eager side of him come out. Despite his professed hatred of his previous job, Giovanni has a rather deep appreciation for the intricacies of vehicles and vehicle repairs, even going so far as to sneak into antique car shows to gawk at the new vehicles and reminisce about the "good old days" before it "got so complicated" in terms of technology. Oddly enough, he also loves vinyl.

Skills: Giovanni is of course, an incredibly skilled con-man, imploying a variety of cons and scams to trick people out of their money, ranging from simple "tourist trap" tricks such as "no change", "toll booth", and "free gift", to more complicated ones such as "flat tire" schemes and even reselling stolen/counterfeit items at a significantly marked up price.  His variety in terms of cons is helped by his ability to sell them thanks to his smooth-talking charismatic persona that he puts on during them.  As a result of his occupation he's also extremely adept at pointing out other cons/knowing when he's being duped.  Not only that, but he's even picked up some basic lockpicking/hotwiring and ID forging skills, though they aren't quite as honed as his other talents in the area.

Surprisingly enough, again despite his professed dislike of his childhood job, Giovanni is an incredibly skilled mechanic, being able to assess the issues with (mostly older) vehicles just from a few minutes of observation and testing alone and fixing it in record times. OF course he'll complain about how he's "too fuckin' old" for it, but he'll do a damn good job...and even enjoy himself somewhat.   He claims he would be unable to work on "new-fangled" vehicles such as Extreme Gear but if he were to get the chance, would find that he'd be a natural at it.

Likes: Antique vehicles, wine, the feeling when he pulls of a con, vinyl records, fresh pressed suits, rare steak, expensive cigars, older women, working on antique vehicles.

Dislikes: The law, organized crime outfits, his ex-wife, his kid, getting caught, prison, cheap beer, "new" technology, people who talk too much, his grandfather, working on vehicles (his relationship with auto repair is..complicated), staying in one place for too long.

Backstory: Brando Rombilla was born into anything but normalcy:  born to a pair of younger Spagonian lovers, the result of a tryst gone wrong, he was abandoned on the steps of his paternal grandfather, the widowed mechanic Angelo Rombilla, who would raise the weasel as his own.

Angelo was an old, stubborn, hardworking man who had spent his entire life toiling away as a mechanic, even coming to own his own shop...yet despite it all, he never quite had a lot to show for it, and Brando grew up in not quite poverty, but in...less than modest means

Despite this...unusual situation, Brando would, at least for a time, grow up as any other child would, going to school, making friends, and living as a normal Spagonian child would--at least until he hit the age of 12-13, where his father suddenly and inexplicably ground his childhood to a halt, pulling him out of school and telling him that he was going to be a "working man" from now on, that he'd have to help out at the shop and help put food at the table--and that is indeed what happened.

From then on, Brando found himself working at the modest repair shop, working the front desk, doing oil changes, and learning the ins and outs of auto repair--and he fucking hated it.

Not just because he'd been robbed of the experiences his peers were getting, but it served as a constant reminder of the (at least to him) pathetic conditions in which they lived and worked. In addition, it only served to exacerbate his sheer irritation at his father's stubbornness and near-perfectionist standards.

But over time, as he aged and saw his peers move on to bigger and better things, he realized something else: all this work, all this "good, honest, hard" work he'd been doing, that his grandfather had been doing, that he wanted him to inherit, it was getting them nowhere

The both of them spent years and years doing the same shit over and over, and they were no better off than when they'd started. They still lived like shit, ate like shit, and worked like dogs, and the idea of doing this his entire life revolted him.  Yet when he'd bring this up, he'd just get shouted down, beaten down, and told to get back to work. He loathed it all.

Then one day, around the time Giovanni hit 19--it all changed. In a moment of what his grandfather would call laziness and what Brando would later call ingenuity, he accidentally charged a customer for something they hadn't done--and with it, more money than he should've had.  It suddenly hit him, his way out, his way to actually do something about all of this. It started off slow, an overcharge here, a useless job done there, a job not done this way or that, even some front product sold off of lies.  Before Brando knew it, the shop was actually making money for once, and more than that, he was making money.  And the best part was, that for once, Angelo seemed like he didn't have a stick up his ass. He seemed...happy, over the moon really that things had begun to look up.  Things seemed to finally be getting better!

....until Angelo caught Brando in the act, after which the mother of all shouting matches ensued, of the grandson and grandfather screaming at each other about this and that, about everything--and saw Brando being thrown out of the shop, out of his grandfather's home--and out of his life

Out on his ass with only the money he'd pocketed and the clothes on his back to his name, Brando  by all rights should have been terrified about his future, livid about what had happened, but instead he found himself excited. Now that his grandpappy or his stupid shop wasn't a problem anymore, he could finally do something with himself, and he knew exactly what that'd be--putting to use the same bullshittery that'd gotten him here to begin with.

And so the young weasel found himself hopping all over Spagonia, honing his craft. Whether it be through  pinching wares from stores and selling them nearby at an outrageously hiked price,  snatching and selling bootleg items, or even using his mechanic skills to craft "wonder items" that were quite literally just old scrapyard junk,  Brando soon became quite adept at the art of the con.  However, with that adeptness came attention, and with that attention came the watchful eye of the law, which attempted to crack down on the weasel multiple times as he traveled about Spagonia.

Soon enough, his face and name were plastered on wanted signs, in local papers, and in time, he couldn't run any longer, finally being booked on fraud charges and placed in prison for ~ 3 years at the age of 22.   Upon getting out,  Brando realized that he couldn't exactly do his work here anymore, lest he get thrown back in for good.

But Soleanna wasn't exactly appealing either, especially since the SPD were notorious for cracking down on fraudsters.  He was at a loss at what to do, until he managed to catch a TV broadcast talking about Empire City and it hit him- EC would be the perfect place to disappear and get a fresh start.  It was big, it was far away, and it was full of suckers just waiting to be parted with their money Forging himself a new identity (quite literally) as "Giovanni Conti" , he smuggled himself on board a ship and soon found himself in Empire City, where he almost immediately got to work--and found the results to be not what he expected

While the toursts were complete suckers as expected, the residents were anything but, and he found himself on the run from the law once more--and in addition, the various criminal orgs that made their homes there and had no tolerance for being scammed.   Needless to say, the whole thing frustrated him, and with no other way to vent his frustrations, he turned to drinking, and with it, found himself at a small bar in downtown EC, drinking away his frustrations...and chatting up an equally frustrated, and rather attractive young woman. He didn't catch her last name, but certainly caught her first- Artemis

What should have just been a simple one night tryst suddenly got a lot more complicated once the young woman had tracked him down almost a week  later with some soul-crushing news: She was pregnant, and it was almost certainly by him.  To make matters worse, Artemis was an up and coming politician, someone in the running for the EC City Council, and she would be DAMNED if it came out that she got knocked up in a one night stand, that would ruin her career! Despite Giovanni's attempts at arguing otherwise, she also insisted on keeping the child, claiming that if word got out she got rid of it, it would ruin her career. Threatening to hand him over to authorities, she blackmailed him into sticking by her side for the following 9 months, appearing in front of the cameras as a pictureesque pair of parents-to-be, Artemis embracing the newfound attention and Giovanni absolutely loathing all the eyes on him, and not only that, but also moving in together to her (admittedly) lavish apartment.

This continued up on through the end of the pregnancy and into the birth of their son, who Artemis named "Tai", a (perhaps ironic) homage to an old Apotosian patron of Luck.  From then, things continued normally, well as least as normal as could be for the unwitting parents-to-be, up until the child was around a year old, when Artemis went on a sudden vacation.  Left alone with the child and feeling helplessly trapped, Giovanni contemplated making a break for it, perhaps faking his own death and figuring out the details later, when a hooded figure burst into the home and attempted to shoot both him and the child dead.  Through a near-miraculous stroke of luck though, the intruder's gun jammed, giving Giovanni the chance to brandish a knife and stab them in the jugular.  His heart pounding, his mind racing, Giovanni quickly put two and two together: someway, somehow, Artemis had tried to get the two of them whacked.  Quickly disposing of the body and without really thinking about it, Giovanni grabbed the child and made a break for it, bolting from the apartment and leaving Empire City under cover of darkness, trying to make sure he left no trace that he had left--or was even still alive.

Soon arriving in Westopolis, Giovanni and Tai found a small apartment to squat in for the time being. Quickly settling in, Giovanni quickly fell back into his old ways, and found the people of Westopolis far more vulnerable to his schemes than in EC. Still, the weasel wasn't happy. His "new start" that he'd hoped for had fallen apart before it'd even gotten the chance to get off the ground because of *her*, Artemis. Giovanni's frustration gnawed away at him--not helped by the tiny weasel at home, his little boy--the *mistake* that'd gotten him into this mess.   He often found himself verbally and physically taking out his frustrations on young Tai, even more so when it turned out the little brat wasn't even good enough to help him on cons.  He wished he could get rid of the little bastard once and for all, but for some reason, he just couldn't bring himself to kill him despite his best efforts.

Years went by, but nothing truly changed for the pair, until young Tai was 8 years old and Giovanni found himself on the bad end of a con gone wrong, having inadvertently found himself attempting to swindle an undercover cop.  Rushing back to the apartment he and Tai shared, he quickly grabbed whatever tools he could and attempted to disappear, leaving the young Tai behind for good.

Throwing himself out of the frying pan and into the proverbial fire, Giovanni had managed to disappear and evade the cops---and run right into one of his "victims": "Downtown" Ebony Hare--a "made man" in the Carnades, one of the major local outfits--and someone who he'd given a shoddy brake job.  Ebony recognized the weasel almost immediately and motioned to off him for messing up his car, but after Giovanni pleaded for his life, Ebony spared him-- on the condition that he work off his "debts" to him and the Carnades.

Faced with either paying his dues or paying with his life, Giovanni made the obvious choice and ended up doing quite a few small jobs for Ebony over the course of the next decade and change (approx  13 years) not only fixing his car but also fixing the other vehicles in the outfit--and giving a disgustingly large portio nof the proceeds from his other "work" directly to Ebony.  Once again, Giovanni was trapped doing the very thing he'd been stuck doing since childhood and not only that, but also indebted to a mobster who had no intention of letting him go.  He desperately tried to find a way out, but it was to no avail--until a near miraculous stroke of "luck".

The Black Arms invasion decimated a significant portion of Mobius, especially Northamer, and no place found itself worse off than Westopolis. For most living there, it seemed like the end times as  the city burned around them. But for Giovanni, it was an opportunity to finally disappear--and never come back.

The invasion soon ended, the repairs soon begun, and the Carnades began to operate once more--but Giovanni was nowhere to be found. Despite a thorough search of the city, the weasel had just...vanished, presumably killed by the aliens or escaping to parts unknown after.  

Giovanni's current location is unknown and those who know of him believe him to be dead, but there have been some apparent sightings of the aged con-man.  Some say they've seen him on the outskirts of Sand Blast City, others say they've seen him working his trade with another individual down in the Southern Baronies, and some even say that he's still in Westopolis, working his craft, and sticking close to the headquarters of the East Side Pack, a noted rival of the Carnades.

[haec-est-fides]

✨ Imperial Household Saturnalia Headcanons ✨

Welp, it’s the last day of Saturnalia today so I figured now or never on my hcs. Enjoy, and happy holidays -- whatever you celebrate!

Nero’s birthday is two days before Saturnalia starts, so his Household just kicks off the holiday early with a massive party.

The business-side of Triumvirate Holdings closes for the holidays the week Saturnalia starts and stays closed until after New Year’s, so the oblivious mortal employees just think that the company is really nice to give them so much (paid) time off.

Saturnalia is basically the one time every year that Nero will invite the other triumvirs and their Households to his tower in New York no strings attached.

Okay, one string attached: bring gifts!

Gifts are exchanged among the Households on the 23rd.

Regarding gifts, Nero gives his kids credit cards the week before Saturnalia and lets them go nuts. That said, they generally buy each other really dumb stuff -- lots of gag gifts and inside jokes.

All of the private / non-business floors of Nero’s tower are decked out beyond belief. There are fresh garlands and wreaths everywhere, with real gold and silver decorations. The entire place is lit with strands of white, gold, and purple lights.

Indoor trees are not a Roman tradition, they’re a Germanic one. Since the Germani definitely help decorate, that means they get a tree!

Saturnalia is one of the only times you’ll ever see the Germani genuinely smile or laugh btw.

Everyone wears garishly bright and colorful clothes and pileus hats are the norm. (Even Marcus dresses for the occasion. His siblings make him.)

Gambling is a traditional part of the festivities, but now this ranges from old Roman dice games to betting on modern board games and even video games. Everyone “gambles” candies, coins, and whatever else they happen to have in their pockets.

Still, this petty gaming can and has resulted in fights.

There’s a bit of rivalry between the Households, but all of the kids get along way better than the emperors do.

Many of the kids really look forward to celebrating Saturnalia in NYC because they rarely get to travel and see their “cousins”.

Some of the kids in Commodus’ and Caligula’s Households absolutely love Nero’s tower, but Nero’s Household are like “This is normal? That’s just an elevator?? Would you like to see the massive kitchen where we keep all of the snacks???”

All serious schemes and rivalries are converted into elaborate pranks during the week of Saturnalia. Nero’s kids have home field advantage, but the other Households adapt quickly.

As soon as everyone arrives in NYC and gets somewhat settled, the Households pick who gets to be the Saturnalicius princeps for the holiday (sort of like a Lord of Misrule).

The kids all bribe each other for “votes”, even though the winner is chosen by pulling a name from a hat. It still gets rigged because the kids will write other people’s names rather than their own. (Lucius hates being Saturnalicius princeps, so he’s easy to bribe.) The winner’s job is Chaos.

They used to choose by putting a coin in a cake, but the cakes got too elaborate and one of Nero’s kids (Livia, a daughter of Fortuna) kept finding the coin every year.

There’s a ridiculously extravagant dinner every night of Saturnalia, set out in the biggest ballroom in the tower to accommodate everyone. Dessert is served first.

A big part of Saturnalia is temporary “role reversals” -- which, in the ancient world, meant things like servants being served dinner by their masters. Surprisingly, Nero is pretty insistent on this dynamic shift, or at least on everyone being “equal” for the holiday. He thinks it’s funny. He’ll even “take orders” from some of the younger kids if it’s something small. (Don’t push it, though.)

All of the dryads and other servants in the Household(s) are, like the Imperial children, put on a level playing field with the emperor(s) for the week. While said dryads / servants are understandably more hesitant about it, a few of the kids (like Meg, Cassius, and Sabina) make the effort to be extra nice to them and include them in the festivities.

The week is taken off from all kinds of work, but there’s also no “justice” met out. This means that everyone can get away with a lot, but it doesn’t mean that the emperors (or even some of the kids) will forget. Everyone knows to watch their backs after Saturnalia if they did something really stupid.

Hm, some more character-specific holiday hcs…

Meg is a formidable pranking opponent and you do not want to get on her bad side. She and Luguselwa are masters of illusion and they use their secret alliance to their advantage. Meg also helps the dryads decorate their trees / plants, along with her younger siblings!

Cassius sticks by Meg a lot because he’s worried about getting pranked by the older kids. He’s also too sweet to want to prank anyone, so Meg tries to show him the ropes. Sabina and Livia have his back too, and they will hold grudges if anyone tries to cheat Cassius at any games.

Marcus gifts everyone cards with original mean / tacky poetry every year. He secretly loves Saturnalia, but he has to keep up his reputation as the edgy kid. He absolutely almost tears up when Aemillia gets him a new dagger and writes her own bad poem back at him. Vergil and the twins, Julius and Julia, also make sure to include Marcus in their various “poetry competitions” over the week, and he loves it.

Lucius tries really hard to relax, but he still ends up parenting everyone. If any of the kids have a problem, they know that Lucius will take it the most seriously and know how to fix it. Gnaeus, the Household’s “tech support” kid, can completely relate. The two spend a lot of time hanging out in one of their rooms, away from the chaos -- though they do come out of hiding to beat everyone at board games and win candy.

Aemillia tries to get all of her siblings (and most of her “cousins”) thoughtful gifts, so she definitely spends the most time gift shopping. She’s also the Dance Dance Revolution undefeated champion of the Household and will take on any physical challenge thrown at her even if she doesn’t care about the prize. Lucia and Marius are similar in that respect, and the three of them are known to have a serious (but fun) sibling rivalry.

As for the emperors…

Nero is generally content to step back and let chaos happen for a week. (Trust me, he needs the break.) However, he does carry a lyre / some other instrument with him at all times. He will jump at any chance to perform. He takes requests. (Everyone else either loves this or hates it. Some of the kids, like Sabina and Vergil, make genuine requests and that earns them major brownie points with Nero. Other kids will make joke requests just to annoy everyone else.)

Commodus doesn’t like being cooped up indoors, or the cold, so he spends a lot of time engaging in competitive activities to keep himself busy. He denies losing to any of the kids, but sometimes does. He organizes (non-lethal) war games and gladiator matches (because of course the tower has a floor for that). He thinks paintballing and laser tag are festive.

Caligula is extremely enthusiastic about Saturnalia, but he still manages to be terrifying. He goes all out with his outfits every single day. He also helps the kids set up pranks, basically playing all sides of the prank war -- and making said pranks at least 3 times more dangerous than they should be. Caligula is the most difficult triumvir to prank, because he’s so paranoid and knows every trick in the book, but some brave souls still make the attempt.

Now, almost all of the kids in Caligula’s Household are too scared to prank their emperor. Likewise, almost all of Nero’s kids are too scared to prank Nero. Commodus’ kids aren’t scared to prank anyone, but they’ve picked up on Commodus’ animosity with Nero. This means that A) if anyone pranks Caligula, it’s probably Nero’s kids, B) if anyone pranks Nero, it’s probably Commodus’ kids, and C) everyone pranks Commodus. (Sorry, Commodus.)

Io, Saturnalia, all! <3

[mst3kproject]

Atlas in the Land of the Cyclops

Here we have a movie with a big, brawny hero in a very short skirt, whose hobbies include drinking potions, napping, and bending prison bars!  He stars in a film that is poorly-made, mythologically questionable, and deliciously ripe for heckling.  What more could a MSTie possibly want?

Long ago, Ulysses blinded the cyclops and outsmarted the witch Circe, and they’re still pissed about it.  As the movie begins, they’re on the verge of completing their revenge by murdering Ulysses’ last descendants.  The last king of Ithaca is killed in a raid, but his young son is smuggled away and left in the care of an old shepherd.  Upon hearing of the slaughter, Maciste goes to the land of Sadok to save Queen Penope and the other women of Ithaca, who have been taken captive by Circe’s descendant, Queen Capys.  On the way he saves Capys from a rockslide and they fall in love, each not knowing who the other is… which goes on to make things very awkward later.  Nobody in the movie is called ‘Atlas’.

Nobody Named Atlas Goes Anywhere Near the Land of the Cyclops is a bit oddly put-together.  Theoretically the plot – the need to protect baby Prince MacGuffin from Queen Capys’ soldiers – is established quickly, but then it seems to take a while before anybody makes any progress.  This is because a lot of the early plot developments happen by complete accident.

After making sure the baby is safe, Maciste sets out for Sadok.  He quickly finds out where Capys is keeping the Ithacan prisoners, but this isn’t clever detective work – it’s just a coincidence, when some soldiers ask him to help them carry a giant amphora into the palace.  Meanwhile, Capys has been told that somebody named Maciste knows where Baby MacGuffin is, and orders her soldiers to find this man and bring him in alive.  Her Vizier, Ephetus, does so – but again, it’s an accident!  He arrests Maciste for wandering into ‘The Forest of the Vestals’ and sentences him to death for that before ever learning his name!

Once Maciste is in Capys’ custody the movie finally seems to figure out where it’s going, but this over-reliance on coincidence makes the first half of Nobody Named Atlas Goes Anywhere Near the Land of the Cyclops feel very muddled.  The only thing that really needs to be an accident to make the plot work is Maciste and Capys meeting in Circe’s cavern without knowing they’ve already sworn to destroy each other.  Following that with more coincidences feels like filling time.

The bit where Maciste is arrested is really weird, actually.  The Vestals appear to be playing Blind Man’s Bluff, and Maciste just wanders into the middle of it.  The blindfolded woman bumps into him and feels up his pecs for a moment while he stands there grinning awkwardly, then she pulls her blindfold off, screams, and faints.  Soldiers then run out of the bushes and arrest Maciste.

So that was odd… then there’s the way Ephetus decides to have Maciste executed for harassing the Vestals. They put him on a board over a lion pit (every ancient kingdom has a lion pit) and tie a long rope to each of his wrists.  Then six white guys in green skirts pull on one rope, and six black guys in white skirts pull on the other.  Eventually, of course, Maciste overpowers both teams and everybody but him gets to be Fancy Feast.  Only once that’s all over does Ephetus realize that this is the guy the queen wants delivered to her alive.

There’s other weird shit that goes on, too.  In another sequence, Maciste is getting his ass beat by Ephetus’ flunky Mumba (Paul Wynter from Mole Men Against the Son of Hercules, still buffer and oilier than the guy playing Maciste) and, having recently been drugged, is barely able to fight back.  He gets a second wind when Mumba throws him against another giant amphora, which breaks, dousing him in wine.  Maciste blinks a few times, and then suddenly becomes unstoppable.  Was it the alcohol, or the blow to the head?  There’s a truth serum that is administered by pouring it into an enormous wine goblet… and this isn’t just a thing for Maciste, either, everybody in this movie drinks booze from glasses the size of their own head. Nor can we forget the guy who gets thrown overboard from a ship, and out of nowhere a shark just appears and eats him immediately.

None of these are a full-on WTF Moment but all of them are kind of bizarre and many of them got a laugh out of me.  A lot of them also tie in to the movie’s main obsession, which is Maciste’s Feats of Strength.

We are treated to many of these, all of which go on a little too long.  They are filmed in loving detail, particularly focusing on the muscles in Maciste’s back, which are so well delineated that they almost comprise an anatomy lesson. We get the obligatory lion-wrestling scene (totally separate from the later lion pit scene), in which we are relieved to learn that yes, Maciste does have underwear beneath that miniskirt.  We get him holding up a stone roof that’s threatening to collapse, there’s the giant amphora and the inevitable prison bars, all while Maciste makes some very constipated faces.

My favourite bit is when Maciste rolls a giant boulder into the middle of a road so the soldiers can’t follow him.  What makes it funny is that this is clearly not the first take: the boulder has been rolled repeatedly, and there are places where the paint has come off to show the white Styrofoam underneath.

All this emphasis on Maciste’s rippling trapezius muscles makes the movie feel just a tad homoerotic.  One shot where the camera pans slowly around Maciste’s body while Capys walks a circle around him could be an attempt to depict the female gaze – a very rare thing in movies.  But I don’t know what to tell you about the Maciste-vs-Mumba fight scene, which is either trying very hard to be sexy or else I’m just looking through tumblr-coloured glasses again.

The climactic battle with the cyclops is pretty great.  The cyclops is played by a normal-sized stuntman made to look like a giant through camera angles, which means that Maciste can never be in the same shot with him. There are ways to do this well but Nobody Named Atlas Goes Anywhere Near the Land of the Cyclops does not use those – instead we just get some really funny jump cuts.

According to the movie, the reason Queen Capys wants to carry out her ancestress’ revenge on Ulysses is because until it is complete, she is under a curse.  Capys herself describes this as being ‘forced to live in hatred’, but it is very unclear what this means.  Early on, Ephetus confesses his love for Capys and she replies that she doesn’t know what the word means – this made me think perhaps her curse was an inability to fall in love.  A few minutes later, however, she has laid eyes on Maciste and his sheer manliness thaws her icy loins in a matter of seconds.  So… is her curse supposed to be that her subjects hate her?  They hate her because she keeps feeding them to a cyclops!  She could stop that at any time!  Her curse can’t be that nobody can love her, because Ephetus and Maciste both do!

I mentioned that Nobody Named Atlas Goes Anywhere Near the Land of the Cyclops shares an actor – Paul Wynter – with Mole Men Against the Son of Hercules.  It also shares a director, Antonio Leonviola (he also made Thor and the Amazon Women, the movie that runs over the opening credits of Cave Dwellers).  Maybe that’s why both movies have an evil queen who is supposed to be redeemed by her love for Maciste.  You may recall that I didn’t think Mole Men did this very well – Halismuya continued torturing people even after her supposed change of heart.  Land of the Cyclops does a bit better.

We don’t actually get an impression of Capys’ journey, but we do see the beginning and end of it.  As the movie begins, she’s callously throwing victims to the cyclops and looking forward to breaking her curse by killing Ulysses’ last two descendants.  At the end she sacrifices her life trying to save Baby MacGuffin despite knowing that it means she will never be free.  Her motivations for switching sides are unclear – she says that knowing Maciste has ‘changed her nature’ but we don’t ever see him trying to convince her that this child deserves to live.  She does remark that when she’s with Maciste she’s ‘only a woman’ rather than a queen… so maybe he brought out her maternal instincts?

I also don’t know what Ephetus’ determination to kill Queen Penope along with her son is all about.  She’s not a descendant of Ulysses, but he actually puts off killing Baby MacGuffin – the thing he believes his queen wants him to do – until he has identified the child’s mother.  The movie also never explains why this kid, whose father was the king of somewhere else entirely, apparently has the right to succeed Capys as ruler of Sadok.

Nobody Named Atlas Goes Anywhere Near the Land of the Cyclops is a pretty lousy movie, but it’s a fun lousy movie. It’s kinda racist and kinda sexist, but no more so than a thousand other movies of its vintage.  The only complaint I might have about its entertainment value is that it needed more crappy monsters.  The cyclops is pretty bad, but he doesn’t show up until the very end. Fortunately, the rest of the movie has plenty of other stupid shit to fill it out.

[cloviaglade]

THE CRIMSON FLOWER ROUTE CORPORATE UNION AU

Yeah it came to me in a dream shared it with a friend and she said I should inflict it on the world so here we go

Warning: It's super long but I broke it up into chunks

(note not all members of the house fall into the categories listed also I'm not the best with corporate terms and positions. Also this was made for fun and isn't that serious)

The houses

The Black eagles generally were in accounting or sales. They dealt with a lot of the customers firsthand and were considered expendable

Blue lions where mostly in HR or IT

Golden deer mostly worked in maintenance and public relations.

Staff and church members are members of the board. Flayn has her position on the board despite her age because nepotism

The Seiros Co:

It's a large company that provide a large array of services and products that promote physical and emotional well-being. The company started out with good intentions but soon became a corporate monster

The company provides a host of benefits to its employees including on site housing, on site restraunts, on site pools gyms ect. They even have the best insurance on the planet. They even have horse therapy.

However they have to pay premiums on the health insurance, their rent is docted from their pay, they have to pay for on-site facilities, and those living on site are heavily encouraged to work overtime.

a lot of this is justified by cover every single health expense and days of for minor colds. Many employees seek mental health care more often than they seek physical care.

The on site living conditions vary heavily. Most are just a small white room with a single bed and a dresser. No visitors after certain hours and forget about outside visitors. However rumors are spreading that the board members have spacious luxury apartments.

The pay without all the benefits is not a wage you could live off of. But with the rent for these rooms doct from your pay you couldn't reasonably save up for different arrangements.

The strike begins:

Edelguard was finally fed up watching her team struggling. She hears constantly about how her workers are not making enough. How they have to scrape because they needed new clothes or shoes. Or worse how Petra wasn't able to support her sick grandfather

She hired a lawyer Hubert to look into information about their contracts and compare everything to labor laws. She needed to know how much of this was legal and if there was anything to be done about it.

Huberts lawfirm dealt with several lawsuits in the past. They are considered ruthless in court however media painted them out to be money hungry and demented

As expected, it was legal (mostly due to lack of regulation for these types of benefits) but really unfair, So Hubert suggested a strike. His firm would handle all the legal matters as they prepared a lawsuit and to unionize.

Edelguard was careful to organize it in private. Nothing was emailed. Nothing to tract them. Flyers were handwritten and posted in the dorms inviting members to secret meeting on slow hours.

Roles

What everyone did on the day of the strike/position they were in the office.

Black eagles

Edalguard: head of sales- she got everyone in her department and many others in different departments to simply stop working for the day when she commanded everyone to stop working via megaphone. She suck in hubert and went to a private meeting room to set up a list of demands.

Hubert: head of Vestra lawfirm- he snuck past security with the help of Edelguard. He brought a laptop and a phone with Hotspot so he could video call the rest of his attorneys from inside the conference room. Once the strike was in full swing he toured the place with Edelguard gathering evidence.

Ferdinand: senior sale manager has the highest customer satisfaction - when the strike was well underway he sent a mass email to everyone in every department including the CEO and founder herself in a very professional tone about how there is a strike. Lornez replied immediately and they when to the breakroom to enjoy tea while on the clock.

Lindhart: IT software specialist - first thing he did was turn off all the bans on websites. Everyone could go on whatever website they wanted to. He left the download blocker up and other safety precautions in place. Others could looks at memes and scroll through social media ect. He then returns to his dorm and takes a paid nap.

Caspar: manager in accounting slow but very accurate and a real team player - he hated the no pets policy with a burning passion so he let all the stray and feral cats that hang around the building in through one of the side doors. They stayed mostly on the ground floor and a few made a mess under the desks. He played with the strays with a few of his co-workers.

Bernadette: customer service rep. - she hated the calls filled with angry people. She clocked out, disconnected he phone, ran into her dorm and screamed into her pillow until calm. Once she calmed down enough she did some embroidery.

Dorothea: sales representative- has the highest upsale rate - she gets into her car and just leaves. She is still clocked in. Nobody knows where she went. Some say she met with a lover, others say she went on a binge. Nobody really knows.

Petra: bilingual sales rep. - she signed her phone off and immediately called up her family overseas. She proceeded to catch up and talk with her family for hours. She rarely got to speak with them due to the difference in timezones.

Blue lions

Dimitri: head of IT - he doesn't actually know much about IT and has little intrest in it. He got the job because his dad recommended him. With the outside website ban lifted and the lost of control of his department he frantically tried to get everything under control

Dedue: cyber security and protocol educator - although the bans are lifted he is still concerned about a cyber attack. He is frantically try to restore the ban but it seems like lindhart deleted the code.

Felix: hardware specialists - he was the one who should've been promoted into Dimitri's position and is a bit smug about how everything is falling apart in front of his boss. He bypasses the download blocker and plays minecraft on the company computer. Dimitri is too busy to notice that felix isn't helping.

Sylvain: HR rep. - he knew from the start that working conditions were shit. He was tired of trying to raise moral by doing everything but paying the employees more, giving them time off, and reasonable working hours. He went to the break room where Ferdinand and Lornez were having tea and ate a bunch of the snacks the company was reselling at super high prices then faxed a picture of his ass and balls to rhea herself as a letter of resignation.

Ashe: new hire in IT - was called down to the first floor to replace a keyboard a cat peed on. Found caspar was the reason the cats were let in. Caspar then persuaded him to play with the cats instead of shooing them out. 3 hours later he completely forgot about the strike and clocked out per usual. He completely forgot about the strike

Mercedes: head of HR - she meets with the board and discussed what to do about the strikers. They can't force them to go home since everyone striking lives on site and has every right to be there. No significant damages is being done to property. The only loss is from those not working (and a keyboard covered in cat piss and $35 worth of snacks) Mercedes is forced to find a way to get them to stop but in a way that doesn't really change anything. She leaves the meeting when it is over clocks out and returns to her modest house she calls out sick for the next couple of months.

Annette: HR rep - she tries to stop the chaos on the floor and to convince everyone to return to work. She is ignored. She wanted to ask for a megaphone to help gain attention but edelguard took the one from HR and the person with the key to one in the event closet is striking as well. She runs around in a paint trying to answer emails and settle everyone down.

Ingrid: IT helpline rep - helping Dimitri reset the ban on outside websites is above her pay grade. She at least know some of the terminology and the basics. She manages to set up a very basic blocker but it didn't block whole domains just the homepage of every website she could think of that's wasn't appropriate for work. Logging into the site allowed you to bypass the block. Ingrid feels like she will be fired for not being able to do more

Golden deer:

Claude: event planner - noticing that there was no work happening he finally decided it was time to actually do his job. He dipped into those sweet event funds and ordered as many pizza's as he could from every pizza join that could deliver. He busted out the sport balls and got employees to clear some room for flag football on the 3rd floor. He got Hilda to organize games of hide and go seek in floors 4 and 5. All games and activities were not officially approved but followed all guidelines.

Hilda: claudes assistant - organized games on the 4th and 5th floors. The cubicle although uniform made excellent hiding spaces and the food plaza just got rid of the old tables and chairs awaiting delivery of new ones so there was a ton of space to run around. Hidia had to jump between floors pretty often which was a workout all on its own but it was worth it to see everyone smile at work for once.

Lornez: head of advertising - he was tired of writing jingles and stupid commercials for the company. He wasn't aware of the strike until he got the email from Ferdinand. He offered to treat him to some tea he brought from home. They had a lovely talk and watched Sylvain stress eat. He tried to talk Sylvain out of resigning but failed.

Raphael: pizza delivery guy - he thought it was a joke at first since they never delivered pizza to the Serios Co but was persuaded by Claude. He got stopped at the front by the front desk clerk who was ordered not to allow any deliveries. Soon more pizza guys showed up and some of them where not as nice as Raphael. He eventually got in and successfully delivered his pizza.

Ignatz: accountant - he wanted no part of this and tried to work despite being on the 3rd floor. He doesn't have any PTO and is frantically trying to get his absence approved because he cannot work under these conditions. He got walled in with desks and chairs and hand to crawl his way out to try to find someone in HR to help him but found their office empty. Worst day of work ever.

Lysithia: Intern- hopes to join the advertising department - She needs this job for school credits so finding out that her boss told her to take the day off because of strike she immediately thought of her record. Lorenz assured her that she would get credit as long as he had any say in it. She played a round of hide and go seek before studying in Lornez's office

Marianne: customer service rep.- she heard the rumors and on the day of the strike she freaked out and when to have a panic attack in her car. She was on lunch technically but she took a 3 hour lunch. She came back in clocked out and decided to try that horse therapy.

Leonnie: pizza delivery guy (not nice) - she knows the customer didn't care that the order took so long to complete and was very understanding that the 30mins or less delivery time but seriously! 50 PIZZAS!! She had to stretch and press dough at top speed for like 45 mins then she burnt her hand while boxing some of the pizza's and she had to deliver all of it to this company just outside of town and now the person at the front door is insisting that the pizza was ordered by mistake oh no! Not today! You will take the pizza and you will pay for it and tip 25%.

Church

Rhea: CEO and founder - she honestly believes her practices are helping the community. She doesn't realize that she doesn't give her employees much choice. She thinks her employees are ungrateful.

Seteth: president - also believes the company is doing the best they can. He knows the dorms are small and brand but they house 78.364% of their employees and they all see a doctor at least 3 times a month. He hates that he has difficulty finding a balance between competitive prices, compensating workers, and turning a profit.

Flayn: secretary - she saw the fun going on in the 5th floor while on her lunch and thought it was organized by staff and didn't connect it as part of the strike.

Catherine: front desk - tried to turn away all the delivery drivers but more kept coming. She kept getting calls from upper management about the social media platforms and tried frantically to get in to make a statement but had little luck. She gave up when Leonnie demanded payment and let all the delivery people in.

Shamir: social media manager- she originally attended the meetings as a mole but soon learned that her fellow employees hardships. She drafted huge posts on every platform exposing the truth, changed all the passwords then took a vacation during the strike.

Hanneman: chief operational officer - he is calling and emailing the IT department about the bans every moment he can. He organized the meeting as soon as the strikers got rowdy.

Manuela: chief financial officer - although she is worried about the finances she has also been pressing about where to cut the budget first. Horse therapy is ridiculous! They own the whole ranch and are responsible for the upkeep of every horse. And all the horses are carefully hand selected and trained too. It's too much nobody uses the horse therapy because nobody has the time off to go to horse therapy!

Alois: Chairman - his title is mostly empty. He joined the strikers in a game of flag football scored a touchdown. Then went back to work as usual. Didn't check his emails about the strike since he only checks them in the morning when he first comes into work.

Gilbert: treasurer - he puts business first. Doesn't know his daughter works for the same company. Was friends with Dimitri's father. He is stressing about how the company will recover financially. He is the reason for the pay cuts so they can fund most of the benefits.

Cyrill: gopher - he gets paid minimum wage and lives on site. He considers himself lucky that he can drive the company car to go pick up office supplies from the store. He was homeless before he got a job at Seiros and feels like he is important.

Results

Since several members of the board were caught participating in strike activities the hubert and his firm counted them at strikers and used this in court.

The dorms were not considered responsible accommodations saying that prisoners in jail cells at least have their own toilet.

The news when crazy with the posts on social media. The account never replied to any dms or comments. When called they said a rogue employee posted them falsely because she was being fired.

Rhea was forced to pay a lawsuit that gave all dormitory workers an allowance of $1000 for rent for life. Even if they choose to leave the company.

Dimitri was fired for not actually having any training. Felix was promoted to the head of IT and everyone respects him.

Rhea looses her company. And most of her assets. She kept the therapy horse ranch and manages that for a living.

With the entire company now belonging to her since everyone above her resigned she made a ton of changes making the company more normal. She pays a fair livable wage to every employee. She repurposed the dorms into offices or solitary break rooms.

Huberts firm gets rebranded as a honest firm that wants to help the little guys. He later goes on to help other corporations unionize.

[darlingsdevil]

Of The Valley (Joel x Reader)

Chapter 7: Favors II

Summary: Life in Jackson is never easy. Consoling angsty teenagers, wading through the mysterious waters of Joel’s romance language and with a child of your own on the way? Life is about to get a lot harder

Masterlist

RDR2 Masterlist

Tag list (comment to be added or removed) @sidepuff @joelsheartache @fangirl-inthe-us @cowboyfrazer @scarletpines @mikah-writes @sleepylunarwolf @mr-robot-x @shybookdragon @heughan @writer-jamie @nelliecraine

A/N: It has come to my attention I confused a lot of you last chapter.. that was my intention lol. Romance will be coming soon, ish I guess. Finally some background knowledge on Mark though hahah.

Also, damnit tumblr, add a read more tab on mobile please. I hate flooding feeds X(

Comments and reblogs are really appreciated! Seriously, reading comments make my day!

•••

Ellie was royally fucked. Her first reaction was panic, a fleeting feeling that made her want to run, because if you were at the tail end of Maria’s wrath there was no flight or fight — it was just flight.

She wanted to get away from town for one night. One night is all she asked. So she could have a good time with her girlfriend, get drunk and act like a stupid teenager. One night.

“Ellie! Get your ass down here right now!” Maria shouted from the floor below. There was no way Maria wouldn’t smell the pot on her.. she was done for.

Ellie took the walk of shame to the floor below, every step feeling like one closer to her casket. Dina and you followed behind her, wondering if you would both be in trouble.

“You’re in big trouble,” Maria began, her fury practically radiating off of her. You and Dina took a step back from the two, Maria was so focused on Ellie, you and Dina managed to avert her anger towards you two for a moment.

The last thing you wanted was for Ellie to get caught, you would have reminded her how stupid it was to leave and let Dina handle the rest, but it seemed Maria beat you to it.

“What’s our one rule in town, Ellie?” Maria questioned with a tight lipped sentence, her face stern and cold.

“Don’t leave unless you’re allowed to,” Ellie repeated, her eyes looking down.

“And what did you do tonight?”

“I broke that rule.”

Maria nodded. “Yes, you did. You’re getting taken off patrol for two months. Nine o’clock curfew from now until then,” She said sternly.

“What?! No! That’s bullshit! You can’t do that to me!” Ellie said in protest. You and Dina shifted uncomfortably behind her, wondering if you were on Maria’s next hit list.

“Yes, I can. You knew the rules and you broke them, end of discussion,” Maria reminded her. There was no winning against her.

“That’s such bullshit! You can’t take me off of patrol for two months!” Ellie continued.

“End of discussion. We’re going back to town,” Maria’s voice was deliberate, she began walking to the door, ignoring both you and Dina.

You were surprised she found Ellie, though she did mention she was waiting for Ellie to come home last night. Was it possible she was waiting that entire time for her? It was something Maria would do. Two months seemed like a harsh punishment, but Ellie did break the main rule of Jackson.

Seeing Maria reminded you of your little secret that would become not so little in a few months. When was the right time to tell her? It seemed like never, like the pregnancy was a premonition, like it hadn’t even happened yet. You couldn’t think about that now.

Ellie reluctantly began following the three of you after a few moments of shock. Maria was waiting by the door for you, when Ellie and Dina made it through the door, Maria stopped you.

“You two stay out here for a second. Don’t run off either,” She looked at the two of them standing in the doorway, they took a step back and she closed the door on them, leaving you in the lake house with Maria.

Maria pinched the bridge of her nose and looked down at the ground before sighing.

“Any explanation as to why you’re out here?” She asked, looking up at you.

“Dina couldn’t find Ellie so we snuck out to find her,” You shrugged, it was the truth.

“You told me you weren’t going outside of Jackson anymore.”

“I did it yesterday, I figured I could do it once more today. I didn’t want Dina going out here alone,” You explained.

“So if I were to assign you to patrols, you would be fine again?”

Your eyes widened, “No. I don’t want to patrol ever again. I’m fine with being outside of Jackson, I just don’t want to have the job of killing things outside of it anymore.” You put your hands up in defense.

“We’ll talk more about this in town, we need to get Ellie home first.”

•••

Maria rounded up all the teenagers after that, they all got put under curfew too, Cat included. Cat stayed cautiously away from both Dina and Ellie.

The walk home was brutally silent, and uncomfortable. You knew all the drunken teenagers were terrified of the rest of their punishment, getting yelled at by their parents and being the laughing stock of town for a few days. Rarely anyone got caught sneaking out.

The night guards at top of the watchtowers let the group in. Maria stopped them all and told them they needed to see her first thing in the morning at the Courthouse so they could be dealt with. The group dispersed after that. You could still seem them shaking in fear as they walked away.

“Dina, you can go home now. Ellie, I’m taking you home. I’ll swing by your house after, Y/N,” Maria said sternly. Ellie stood next to her awkwardly. Dina nodded and left, slipping you Mark’s gun as she left. Ellie was upset and more worried about Joel finding out. Everything that could have gone wrong tonight did go wrong, Cat was mad at her, Dina probably too, and Maria found out she snuck out. Tonight was a mess.

Maria took Ellie home, the air was tense and uncomfortable. Ellie could only focus on the leaves crunching under her feet as she passed through the town with Maria. Halloween was right around the corner, it was apparent too. Houses were decorated, some even had pumpkins outside, none carved however. No one was up it seemed, Joel went to bed early most nights, Ellie didn’t have to worry about being caught by him just yet. Even with the lights out in most houses, Jackson had a homely feel to it, it felt lived in, which it was.

“I’m disappointed in you, Ellie,” Maria said to her quietly as they passed through a neighborhood to Joel’s home.

Ellie remained silent, her brow furrowed as Maria continued.

“You should have never gone out there, you know the risks firsthand, and maybe some of those other kids don’t understand it quite well but I know for a fact you do.”

“Infected aren’t even spotted this close to town ever,” Ellie replied with defiance in her voice.

“A lake and drunk teenagers do not mix. There are wild animals out there too, many things could have happened, you’re lucky none of you got hurt,” Maria said to the teenager.

“No one got hurt.”

“You’re right no one did. Doesn’t mean because it didn’t happen this time doesn’t mean it won’t happen the next.”

“No one has gotten hurt outside of Jackson in a long time.”

Maria knew that wasn’t true, Mark was killed only a few months ago.

Maria scoffed, they reached the outside of Joel’s house, just as Ellie suspected, the lights were off. She was relieved to avert Joel’s disappointment towards her for at least a few hours. Ellie opened the gate to the backyard.

“We’re talking in the morning when you’re sober. And change your clothes, take a shower, you smell like a skunk.”

Ellie shut the gate, thudding as it closed.

•••

You managed to make it into your house quietly, it looked like no one was awake on your street. Your house was silent as usual. You clicked on the porch light as you hung your coat up, putting yours and Mark’s gun on the coffee table, you were glad you didn’t have to use it. You never wanted to use a gun again.

It was nice being home, you hoped no one would come looking for you for anymore favors tonight. Maria was still going to swing by but you figured she would give Ellie an earful first.

You took Mark’s dog tags off and fiddled them in your hand. He never took them off, you figured he would have been buried with them, yet you were glad Maria managed to save them for you. It was a reminder of who he was, a part of him that would always be with you.

Lane

Mark O.

Denver QZ

A Positive

Mark stood at the scene of the explosion. A ringing in his ears he had never heard before. It wasn’t chaotic anymore, there was no screaming, no wails of anguish, just soldiers barking orders at dazed civilians. The soldiers in Denver were used to this sort of resistance, it was not uncommon for an attack at a checkpoint. There was only two squads sent in for backup. Two squads. Three soldiers dead and two civilians.

Mark could barely even comprehend what he was seeing, like he was looking at a scene from a movie. But the air was too thick with smoke, the air stunk of gunpowder and carnage. This was no movie.

He sat on a curb, watching as the group in front of him did damage control. He watched as the bodies were taken away. He watched and did nothing. There was nothing he could do. The rest of the FEDRA soldiers had pulled him away from the checkpoint and sat him down on the curb like some child.

He couldn’t even find his older brother, only his little sister, choking out his name. He held her as she died, her eyes clouding and a gaping wound coming out of the back of her head. Mark had never felt such shock in his life, one second he was walking down the street to meet her and his brother and the next it was all in flames. He couldn’t see his brother, he couldn’t find whatever remained of him even as he frantically searched through the debris. The smoke was hurting his lungs, it was hard to breathe.

“Don’t you dare fucking die on me, Emily,” Mark shouted at her, clutching the dying girl in his arms. She was young, barely out of boarding school. There was so much blood.. blood that would stain his hands forever, his first glimpse into the true pain of this world. Her blood was slippery and warm, it got all over her clothes. She was wearing the purple shirt with a smiley face Mark worked so hard to find..

“Emmy? Emmy? No, no you’re not dying!” He repeated, shaking her. The blood kept pooling, her eyes were becoming shrouded in fog as she danced on the thin line of life and death.“Wake up, Emily.. you have to wake up,” He trailed off, a realization hitting him. His sister was dead. He could see her laughing and waving to her moments before, her braids bouncing behind her. Mark’s older brother standing next to her.

“No, no, no,” He trembled, grasping her purple shirt.. it was bloodied and dirty now. It was completely ruined.

“Luke!” He shouted, getting up quickly to find his brother. He could barely see through the smoke.. groups of people pushing to get away from the crowded checkpoint. He split through the crowd, shouting his brother's name the entire time. People shoved and pushed as his world crumbled to pieces.

There was no shout of his name in return. Only frantic people pushing him out of their way, their faces going by in blurs as he scanned the crowd for Luke. The smoke was beginning to clear at least.

Luke was standing next to Emily.. Luke was standing next to her… Luke was closer to where the explosion went off.

Mark immediately turned around, running towards where Emily was.

“Luke!” He shouted louder now, desperation in his voice. His heart thrumming so loudly in his chest he felt like it would burst.

There was no response. Only the distant rumble of trucks racing towards the checkpoint, the sound of debris settling and fires cracking. The flames danced around him, concrete and steel covering the ground, dust in the air.

“Fuck!” He mumbled breathlessly, gasping for air as his body trembled, being unable to find his older brother. The silence was disheartening, he knew the truth. Luke was closer to the blast.. and even Emily hadn’t made it. His world had unraveled so quickly, he was going to the checkpoint to meet up with his brother and sister on his arrival back home from outer wall duty, his first day off in months, he was looking forward to it, they all were. They were inviting friends over for a small party, Emily had even made a cake.

But now Luke was dead. Emily was dead. His respected, quiet older brother, his fun and innocent little sister. He knew exactly what group did this. They were going to wish he had been killed in that blast too.

•••

You opened the door for Maria, she did not look happy.

“I appreciate you looking for Ellie, but you should have told me first,” She said as you let her in, leading her to the couch.

“I didn’t want her getting in trouble with you or Joel.. I figured she could have a little time off for now,” You replied. Ellie needed it.

Maria nodded, “I’m letting Joel know in the morning. He is not going to be happy with her. But what if she had gotten into trouble out there? Could you have handled that again?”

You weren’t sure of that answer, but you would have defended yourself. “I had Dina with me.”

“You and Dina alone could not have taken on a group of hunters or infected.”

“I know,” You said softly.

“So why did you agree to go with her?” Maria asked. You knew she would have had questions, probably grilling you on going back to patrol again.

“I couldn’t let Dina go by herself, like I said. I didn’t want either of them getting caught, clearly it didn’t work,” You sighed, leaning back into the couch.

“Ellie should never have gone out there,” Maria remarked with disappointment.

“Teenagers do it all the time.. you need to be less harsh on her.” You owed Ellie a favor or two.

“She needs to be reminded of our rules in town and be more respectful,” Maria replied.

“But two months is a lot.. and in truth she was drunk.. probably high too, you shouldn’t punish her for that long. I think Ellie learned her lesson tonight, she’s just upset right now,” You negotiated. Regardless of whether Ellie had learned her lesson or not, she didn’t deserve that long of a punishment. She deserved a long scolding and a good reminder of what her actions could cause — punishment like that was only going to cause more rebellion.

“I’ll rethink. For your sake. Maybe I’ll let Joel handle her and give her the punishment the rest of the teenagers are getting.”

Telling Joel was a given. You couldn’t negotiate that. It wasn’t the best for her but Joel deserved to know. At least now that Ellie had been caught.

“Could you go back outside Jackson again?” She said after a few seconds of silence, her eyes filled with curiosity.

“I am. I’m going with Joel to the lake in a few days. But I’m not doing patrols again.” Though Joel owed you a trip back to the lake, it would be hypocritical of you to return.

“We need you back on patrols,” Maria confessed.

“I’m not going on patrols anymore,” You replied firmly.

“You know why,” You reminded her.

“Jackson needs you, we need you,” She repeated, taking your hands and placing hers on top of yours.

“You have been doing fine without me,” You said.

“We really need you.”

“Why?”

“I didn’t mean to tell you this now.. but I didn’t mean to keep this from you either,” She began with a sigh, looking away from you. You shifted in your spot, wondering what she was going to tell you.

“There's a horde of infected coming our way, they’re due to hit us in December. Jackson needs you for the fight, to lead the sniping group,” She said determinedly, trying her damndest to convince you.

A horde? There was no way you could deal with fighting a horde, you could barely take out a pack of infected these days without panicking, let alone lead others on how to shoot. You couldn’t risk danger anymore, you weren’t only protecting yourself, but the life of the child growing inside of you. A horde seemed terrifying, most of Jackson hadn’t been outside the walls in years, let alone seen infected. But people would bear arms and fight, they would protect the town if it was the last thing they could do. People would die, people would get hurt, but the town would be safe. The children would be safe. Large groups of hunters occasionally tried to wreak havoc to the town, those who could fight always would, and Jackson won every single time. They had yet to be beaten.

“I can’t.”

Maria expected that response, “I know you don’t want to. I know it reminds you of what happened to Mark, but you have to move on. You’re Jackson’s best shot, we need you the most. I don’t trust anyone on this job more than you.”

“Look, I went on your little crusade yesterday, I did what I had to do and I told you I’m done,” You said harshly, getting up from the couch and going to the kitchen.

Maria followed you, “Mark would have wanted you to help us. To protect the town,” She pressed.

You groaned and began filling up a kettle with water from your water purifier next to the sink.

“Well Mark isn’t here,” You snapped back, placing the kettle on the stove and turning it on.

“I know you don’t want to do this. I know you have your reasons, but I promise you if you do this I’ll never put you on another patrol again. All of Jackson will be indebted to you.”

You couldn’t let Maria try to coax you into returning.. there was a reason you couldn’t do this anymore, a reason that didn’t relate to Mark’s death.

“I’m pregnant.” You stopped and looked at your friend.

Her eyes widened, she was silent, thinking of what there was possibly to say.

“I can’t do patrols anymore because I’m pregnant,” You repeated, your voice solemn.

“How long have you known?” She took a step closer to you. She would have to figure out a Plan B for the horde situation now, discuss with Tommy in the morning, talk to the council.

“Hours. Only a couple of hours.” You leaned against the counter, listening to the stove hum with heat. Maria was relieved to hear that, but you had still took a risk when you looked for Ellie.

“Are you going to keep it?” She asked, her face serious.

You nodded, biting your lip. You had already decided that, had it been a few weeks earlier your choice may have been different.. but you had already made up your mind now.

“Is it-” She began, you quickly cut her off.

“Mark’s,” You replied softly,, staring at the kettle.

“Well that’s a relief, I was afraid I was going to be an aunt,” She laughed dryly.

“I just.. I don’t know what I’m going to do. I’m not ready to raise a child, especially not without Mark around.. he would be better at this than I would,” You confessed, trying to blink away tears that snuck up on you.

Maria quickly pulled you into a hug. “I know, honey. I think parenting sneaks up on a lot of people,” She said soothingly. You let your tears fall onto her shoulder.

It was all terrifying.. the thought of a child being born into a world as cruel as this one. The thought you being a mother alone, without Mark there to guide you. He would have been thrilled to hear the news.. having a son or daughter.

“I don’t think I can do this alone,” You sobbed gently into her shoulder, your words getting caught in your throat.

“You won’t be alone, I promise you there are people here who will help you.” She rubbed your back gently. There were people there to help you, there was a doctor’s office with trained midwives, other single parents who would understand you, a daycare with teacher’s who would give your child an education, and most of all a family who would support you no matter what. You were foolish to think Maria would be anything less than supportive.

“This is starting to sound less and less daunting,” You laughed through the tears, pulling away from Maria.

“Well, we’ll discuss more in the morning then. It’s getting late and I know you start work early,” She said. You looked over at the window, if you fell asleep within the hour you would at least get some decent rest before work.

“You’re right. It is late. I hope you get the situation figured out with the teenagers.”

“I will. I’ll make sure to get it all sorted out.” She nodded, you followed her to the door, opening it for her.

“And, could you please not tell anyone about me being pregnant? I think I’d like to keep it as quiet as possible for awhile,” You asked, your voice wavering with a hint of nervousness in it. You already had enough to talk about with enough people, you didn’t need anything else on your plate for awhile.

“I won’t.”

“Thank you for saving Mark’s dog tags for me by the way,” You mentioned.

“I’m glad you found them,” She smiled.

•••

Ellie was beyond angry, disappointed and embarrassed. Not only had she been caught in bed with her girlfriend by her best friend, now they were both mad at her and at eachother. Maria had caught the group which was even more humiliating, being found by the head of Jackson half drunk and half high. Tonight was a wreck.

All she asked for was one night, one night where she could party and do dumb teenager things and worry about her actions later. She wanted to get away from Jackson and most importantly Joel.

She didn’t want to worry about Joel lying to her, beating around the bush around what truly happened in Salt Lake all those years ago. She needed to know the truth, and Joel would never give it to her. She needed to find it out for herself. Whether that be in a month or a year, or even ten. Ellie would find out the truth, and she knew whatever she found she would not like.

Joel would yell at her in the morning, he would tell her how stupid she was for doing that and give her, his most disappointed face he could muster. Joel needed to stay in his own lane now, Ellie wasn’t a little girl anymore who needed protecting.

But Maria or you would tell him regardless, in the morning she would be officially off of patrol for two months and on a curfew. She would have to apologize to both Dina and Cat and get them to stop arguing. She would have to listen to Joel be the disappointed father figure. She would have to eventually listen to you give her some half assed explanation of why you dodged her for three months.

Ellie Williams was tired of apologies and scoldings. Something she was awfully getting used to.

•••

[weshallc]

Bonfire Night

If anyone has ever wondered why I don’t do prompts, this is it. I thought I will just write a wee Paddy and Bernie thing for November 5th. It is now November 11th and there are so many stories left to tell. In writing the closing chapter, I realized I would like to tell each regular’s 2020 story from their point of view (now there’s a novelty for me, pov) they might not be long chapters, consider them selfies.

Thanks to @roguesnitch who keeps me authentic and @lovetheturners who reminds me what a pov is and how to write proper.

CHAPTER THREE: THE HAPPY LIGHT

And all the words are brighter. In the happy light of closing time. Cover from the Skys by Deacon Blue

She took a moment to look around while pumping the pedal with her right foot until the newly filled container dripped gel on demand. Absentmindedly Valerie Dyer rubbed the sanitizer into her hands. Fingers, palms, backs, nails and don't forget the thumbs. 

It was still the Crown, but it looked like the Crown playing dress-up. The plastic dividers, the bottles of gel on the tables, the boxes of masks behind the bar. The awful visors Tom the Vicar had made, the ones Paddy made her wear if it got busy. As much as she hated all the new restrictions, she had loved being back at work. 

It had been odd at first; they had all been nervous, desperate to get things right. Wanting to protect themselves, their customers and each other. Thankfully, she hadn’t been stuck at home the whole 100 days of Lockdown. Paddy and Fred had made door-step brewery deliveries and Vi had prepared take-away meals. She had wanted to help out more, but Paddy had put her and Jack on furlough, so legally they weren’t allowed to work. When Mount Busby, the Crown and St Presurvus, the Holy Trinity of Poplar-on-Tweaven started making up and distributing food and essentials parcels she was first to volunteer. 

Paddy had wanted to furlough Vi, but she had refused when she realized she wouldn’t be able to work. Everyone knew Vi wasn’t short of a bob or two. Her husband had made a good living in the chemical industry, like a lot of the men on Tweavenside and like a lot of the men on Tweavenside he ended that good life with Tweavenside Lung. Asbestosis or mesothelioma was what the doctors put on the death certificates. The companies had eventually accepted responsibility after a long, weary fight. Why is there always a long, weary fight? There was now a generation of women on Tweavenside that would never want again apart from a pair of familiar arms around them at night.

When hospitality opened back up in the summer she had felt ridiculously excited. If she poured herself a shot every time a well meaning busy body had told her she should get a proper job, she would never find her way home. The truth was she loved her job, she would never admit it to anyone, especially not Paddy. She was good at it and everyone knew it; it didn’t pay a lot, but she got by. Maybe that was the problem; if she really needed the money, she may have been motivated to find something else.

The money she earned at the Crown was her own, apart from what she gave to her gran for her board and lodge. Which eventually would find its way back to Val, by some devious means. It had always been just her and her gran, for almost as long as she could remember. Her grandmother had been a mother to her and now they were more like mates, to be honest. Until 2020. Until this stupid virus. Until this year from Hell. Now she was the one most like a mother. 

Gran was told she needed to shield because of her age and a complexity of medical conditions. There was no way in the two-bed semi Elsie and Val shared they could achieve this, with only one bathroom and living room. 

That night in March, the Crown hierarchy had been sitting for a while at the bar mulling over the news. Just Val, Paddy and Bernie. Trying to decipher the implications of this new vocabulary; lockdown, furlough, shielding. 

Even after all this time, Paddy still possessed the ability to surprise her. Amid his own confusion following being presented with probably the worst news to threaten his world since receiving Marianne’s diagnosis, he had thought of her.

“You can move into the Crown, Val.” He said it without looking at her, it was so nonchalant she nearly missed it. ”Bernie can add your gran to her rounds, keep an eye on her.” He was not looking at Bernie either, who however, did look at Val.

Val was very rarely stuck for words, especially in response to her boss, but this was a first. Fortunately Bernie had a clear head more used to the single malt they were nursing than her companions.

“I could add your gran to the list of vulnerable we are starting to accumulate,” Bernie answered in her I will talk to Paddy later voice. ”No charge of course and you could come with me.”

Val’s head was spinning. She loved her gran and needed to protect her, but this was all happening so fast. She also loved the Crown, but do I want to live here, with the Turners?

“Obviously, you will need time to think about this and talk it over with Elsie.” Bloody Hell, Bernie was good at this, Phyllis had trained her well. 

Paddy who had started the confusion had drifted off somewhat and was doing that thing Val always noticed in her punters. She noticed the stood-up, the ones not wanting to go home, and the ones who had no-one to go home to. They picked up a beer mat, put it on its side and rhythmically turned it over and over one edge at a time. Val was starting to uncharacteristically panic, as Paddy characteristically brooded. 

Then everything changed, everything became clear, there was a path, a purpose, things started to make some kind of sense. Bernie spoke.

“Of course, we don’t really expect you to move into the Crown,” Bernie said, emphasizing the we. “You can have my cottage, because obviously I will be moving into the Crown, to be with Paddy and Tim.”

Val didn’t know if it was herself or Paddy who chocked first on their dram.

[tsarisfanfiction]

Toffee: Chapter 4

Fandom: Thunderbirds Rating: Gen Genre: Family Characters: Scott, Gordon, John, Grandma, Tracy Family

It’s 5am and I just remembered I promised a fic update last weekend that never happened, so it’s happening this weekend instead.  Whoops.  So here we have the next instalment of this #irrelief fic for @gumnut-logic‘s prompt “toffee on the couch”.

The tale of woe continues for Scott, because this is far from over and the Gordon&John&Grandma tag team is brutal.  What did he ever do to deserve all this?  Oh yeah, drop some toffee on the couch.  Whoops.

<<<Chapter 3

It was the second night in a row that Gordon had gone to bed early.  Begging off from Grandma’s dinners was hardly unusual – Scott himself was guilty of that, as were all of his brothers – but getting himself sent to bed when the sun had yet to touch the ocean was something Gordon usually evaded. Despite Grandma’s assurances that he would be fine after a good night’s sleep, Scott was disturbed enough by the uncharacteristic behaviour to check in on his younger brother.

When Gordon did uncharacteristic things, that meant one of two things: he was ill, or a prank was brewing. Scott didn’t particularly care for either of those, especially for as long as he was on laundry duty and the fallout of a prank would get added to his workload.

“Gordon?” he called, knocking on the aquanaut’s door.  A muffled groan was his response, and he took that to mean ‘come in’, despite the fact his younger brother probably meant something more along the lines of ‘go away’.  The door opened easily and he stepped inside to find his brother bundled up under his blanket.  He was lying on his side, curled around his stomach, and Scott crossed the room in several, quick, strides to crouch down beside him.

“You shouldn’t lay like that,” he reminded him, touching Gordon’s shoulder gently.  Amber eyes opened and regarded him balefully.

“I’ll lay however I want,” the younger Tracy grumbled.  “What did she even do to dinner today?”  Scott supressed his own feelings of nausea at the recollection and offered him a commiserating smile.

“I have no idea,” he admitted.  “But stomach ache or not, you’ll make your back worse if you sleep like that.”

Gordon let out a groan of protest, but Scott would not be deterred, gently poking and prodding him until he unfurled from his foetal position and straightened his spine.

“You’ll thank me when you get up,” he reminded him, and Gordon let out disgruntled mutterings that consisted of a flippant yeah, yeah, and something that sounded suspiciously like smother hen.  Scott shook his head fondly, before lightly mussing blond hair.  It was crisp from too much chlorine, as per usual.  Not quite so usual for Gordon not to wash it out before bed, though.  “And don’t forget to wash your hair in the morning.”  He got another round of yeah, yeahs and smother hen, and chuckled. “Sleep well.”

A simple case of stomach upset didn’t require a constant vigil – it had, once upon a time, but then Grandma had become head chef and minor stomach aches became commonplace. None of his brothers permitted him to fuss over that, so long as it remained minor, and with the frequency Scott would never have time for anything else if he did.  Therefore, it was with a fond smile and barely any reluctance that Scott left Gordon to his misery.  If he was still bad in the morning, then Scott would worry; Grandma’s cooking rarely left anyone incapacitated for long – a small mercy.

Seeing Gordon all snuggled up in bed put him in longing mind for his own.  What with the washing machine packing in, all the handwashing required, and the mudslide rescue – with more handwashing required afterwards – Scott was quite tempted to give up on the day and hide under his own covers until morning.  Unfortunately, duty called and he reluctantly traipsed back down to the desk to face the paperwork.  John might have done the rescue report, saving him one hell of a battle to recall everything that had happened in that mud-covered nightmare, but Tracy Industries had their own paperwork to be completed.

With the chair cover still hanging up to dry, the desk was an unattractive place to sit, however, and Scott allowed himself the small vice of picking up the laptop and collapsing into Alan’s pilot seat to get the work done.  Loading up the metaphorical pile, Scott was pleasantly surprised to find there was less there than he remembered.  Oh, that approval should still have been sent out the previous day – and that one, too – but there was less outstanding work to do than he’d thought.

He might actually get to sleep in his poor, neglected bed tonight.  That was a motivating thought, and he tackled the first in the stack with vigour, startling Alan who entered the room with his virtual headset.

“Uhh… Scott?”

He waved him over.

“Go ahead; I don’t have much work to do.”

Alan’s look of uncertainty morphed into one of glee, and he air punched.  “Hell yeah!  Cavern Quest Final Chamber here I come!  Again.”

Scott chuckled at his enthusiasm, fondly remembering when he had the free time to play video games as a teenager.  It was always good to see that being a part of International Rescue hadn’t stifled that freedom for Alan.  Unfortunately, his freedom for that sort of thing was long gone, and wouldn’t come back as long as he had a backlog of paperwork to do, so with a final fond look at his brother swinging an imaginary weapon and declaring challenges to Blagworts – whatever those were – he returned to the laptop and work.

Despite being less than he thought, it still took him the better part of three hours to clear all the ones he was supposed to have returned by then; he glowered at one merrily telling him it was due in 8 hours – stupid timezones – before dismissing it for later.  The moon was high in the sky, the villa taking on the reddish hue it often did in the late evening.  Alan had retreated to his bedroom at some point, maybe an hour ago although Scott hadn’t checked the time, and it was with great delight that Scott realised it was before midnight.

He could make a start on that next group of paperwork and maybe even get some of it done on time – a momentous occasion that would probably give the secretary and board of directors a heart attack – or he could go to bed.

Memories of Gordon comfortably snuggled under a blanket several hours earlier won.  He’d save his employees the heart attack and get some sleep. Barring paperwork taking less time than usual, the day had been pretty awful and actually getting to relax in his sorely neglected bed sounded nothing short of heavenly.

He sent a suspicious eye to John’s portrait, half-expecting a midnight emergency (midnight here, probably a perfectly respectable mid-afternoon in the danger zone), but his brother didn’t appear and he unceremoniously shoved the laptop back in the desk before dimming the lights and making a beeline for his room.

It was, predictably, just as he’d left it.  He toyed with the idea of a shower before bed, but decided against it.  A shower was likely to wake him up, and that was the last thing he needed right then.  He made do with kicking off his shoes and tucking them in their little corner of the room before vanishing into the bathroom to perform the required evening ablutions and shrugging on some sleepwear.

From there, it was a perfectly simple matter to send a sleepy call to John letting him know he was turning in for the night, worm his way under the blanket, and let the sandman visit.

A shrill ringing jerked him awake, and with a groan he rolled over to swipe at the alarm clock controls on his bedside table, only to freeze.  All noisy alarms were immediately forgotten at the sensation of something sticky against his leg, and with a hopeless prayer that it was not what he thought it was, a tentative peeling back of the blankets revealed melted toffee gluing him to his bedsheet.

How the hell had that got there?

A pounding on his door jerked him back to the present.

“Shut that thing up before it wakes the bear!”  Clearly Gordon was recovered from last night’s dinner and back to his usual habits, as Scott had thought he would be.  “Scott!”

With a groan he reached out for the controls once again and swiped the off command.  The shrill ringing was replaced by a phantom one in his ears and he shook his head to clear it before regarding the brown mess on his leg and sheet with something that might have resembled despair, although he’d deny it if anyone came in and saw it.  Certainly the moisture in his eyes was typical morning yawn-induced liquid and nothing to do with tears of frustration.

More laundry, and he hated bed linen anyway.  With his promise to Virgil about no more toffee in the washing machine, he was also going to have to wash it by hand until all traces of toffee were gone before he could bundle it in the machine to finish the job.  There went any free time that morning.

The toffee on his leg was at least easier to deal with, and he was glad he hadn’t taken an evening shower as he threw himself under the warm water with vigour, scrubbing at the sticky patch on his leg forcefully and wincing as a few hairs parted company when the sticky stuff peeled away.  Cleaning himself, however, was the easy bit.  Somehow he had to get his sheet down to the laundry room without getting collared by anyone else.

There was a morning growth of stubble on his face but he ignored it for the moment, throwing on his clothes and stripping the sheet from his bed.  Once the fabric was bundled up into a ball – toffee-smeared section carefully away from the rest of the fabric so it didn’t spread – it was the not so simple case of getting to the laundry room.

He was well aware what taking bed linen down to the laundry room first thing in the morning looked like.

The first hallway was cleared, Gordon splashing away down in the pool below and Grandma making threatening noises in the kitchen.  Neither of his other brothers had left their rooms, and barring an emergency call, wouldn’t for some time.  As long as John didn’t pick the wrong moment to check in, he’d be fine.

“Oh, m-morning, Scott!”

He’d forgotten about Brains. How had he forgotten about Brains? Behind the engineer, MAX watched him curiously for a moment before letting out a sound far too reminiscent of a wolf whistle for Scott’s liking.

“Uh, morning, Brains,” he greeted, hoping his cheeks weren’t flushing as the older man took in the sight of the bundled up sheet with a raised eyebrow.  “Toffee, again,” he admitted, hoping the engineer was removed enough from usual social conventions to not start drawing the same assumptions his brothers would.

“O-oh, I see.  C-carry on, then.”  With a little wave, Brains continued towards the den – why was he heading there, why was he out of his lab?  Scott returned the wave and continued his advance to the laundry room, only to be caught up short as he overheard Brains mutter “I-is that what they’re c-calling it n-now, MAX?”

Determined not to flush, Scott barrelled through the laundry room door and shut it behind him firmly.

“Everything alright there, Scott?”

John was floating in front of him, arms crossed and one eyebrow lifted in amusement as he glanced at the fabric in Scott’s arms.  Scott groaned.

“This is not what it looks like,” he protested, and John smirked.

“Clearly, because it looks like melted toffee but you wouldn’t be bright red if it was really toffee, would you?”

The bundled sheet sailed through the hologram as Scott hurled it at his infuriating, know-it-all younger brother’s projection.

“Shut up, John,” he muttered, retrieving the fabric and dumping it in the sink.  “I’m not bright red.”

“Hmm, must be a problem with the colour filters on the hologram, then,” John mused.  “Because you look it to me.”

“Then go fix your holoprojector and leave me in peace,” Scott snapped.

“F.A.B.”  And he was gone, leaving Scott with a sticky sheet and a sinking feeling that today was also not going to be a good day.

With a sigh he scrubbed at the toffee, determined to get the sheet de-toffee’d so he could put it in the machine before the rest of his brothers found out.  Or Grandma, who might at least not jump to immature conclusions but would give him another tongue-lashing about leaving toffee lying around.

An hour later, Gordon was wolfing down something Scott suspected Grandma didn’t know about for breakfast – it looked suspiciously celery-crunch-bar-green – as he entered the kitchen, laptop in hand.  That paperwork with a time limit of eight hours to go before he went to bed was now due, and he should probably get it done while he had some downtime.

“No work at the breakfast table,” Grandma scolded, appearing from nowhere and shutting the device before Scott could properly register what it said.  “And Gordon, snacks are not breakfast.  Have a pancake.”

Scott didn’t hear Gordon’s response, too busy staring at his now closed laptop.

The paperwork due this morning hadn’t been there.

tbc...

[dumbchickwrites]

office affairs -- part 4

Pairings: CEO!Sam Wilson x Reader

Summary: Sam is the CEO of the Red Wing PR agency where Reader has been working for the past two years. Problem is, they both think one hates the other. However, when their friends set them up on a blind date, they’ll realise it was all a big misunderstanding.

Words: 2.1k

Warnings: language, Reader is still thirsty, fluff, Mimi wants to gossip.

A/N: This series is part of @marvelmaree​‘s birthday challenge. You can find the masterlist on my blog and hers! Enjoy!

Brunch with your friends and your sister is always a good time. You can’t complain. You have drinks, food and some of the people you love the most. And on this particular Sunday, you still feel the euphoria of your date with Sam.

All weekend you tried to let it go already, telling yourself that you were acting like a middle school girl. But at the same time, who cares, right? Once again, you reminded yourself to let yourself be for a moment, without your self-consciousness stopping you from simply feeling.

“Is she daydreaming again?”

“I bet she’s thinking about Sam.”

“Who’s Sam?”

“No one, baby. Eat your food.”

Someone snaps their fingers in front of your face. You blink a couple of times before frowning at the owner of said hand. Maria doesn’t flinch under your glare.

“Where did you go?” Noelle asked.

You take a sip of your mimosa before you answer.

“Back at L’Orage.”

“Annnnd…?” Natasha pushes.

“We—” you begin, but your gaze meets Michelle’s. 

She’s looking at you like she also wants all the tea. Your eyes lower to her empty plate, hers follow your gaze. You know what she’s thinking, and she knows what you’re thinking. 

“Mimi, you’re done eating right? Why don’t you go watch some TV inside?” you say before her little hand reaches the basket of pastries on the table.

“But—”

“Auntie Henny is right,” Noelle cuts her and you roll your eyes at the nickname. “We don’t want you to get sick, right?” she says, rubbing her belly.

“Okay, Mommy. Can I get more juice from the fridge, please?”

“Yes.”

“Thank you!”

Just like that, she’s back inside the house.

“I thought the use of that nickname was forbidden in this house,” you say.

“We’re in the backyard,” your sister gives you an innocent smile.

You throw your napkin at her but she easily catches it.

“Anyways. We kissed.”

“Huh,” Natasha crosses her arms over her chest and lays back on her chair. “But?”

“What?”

“There’s a but. There’s always a but with you,” Maria says.

“There’s no but. We kissed, that’s it. It was a very nice kiss. Then he took me home—Back here!” you add quickly when you see how big Maria and Natasha’s eyes got. “He said he’s down for a second date.”

“So how do you feel about him?” Maria asks.

“Do you want me to tell you you were right? Because that’s not gonna happen.”

Maria gives you a look. You sigh.

“It turns out he doesn’t hate me at all. He was actually kind of shocked when I talked to him about that. He thought I didn’t like him,” you take another sip of your drink. “I like him a lot. He’s nice, funny, he listens to me when I talk.”

“Annnnnd…?” this time it comes from Noelle.

“And I kinda want him to bend me over a desk some time.”

The four of you burst out laughing like madwomen.

“More seriously, I guess I should thank you guys. I had a really nice time.”

“Aw, you’re welcome, sweetie,” Natasha rubs your arm. “Personally, I think you guys are a match made in heaven. Literally.”

“Don’t jinx it, Nat!” Maria exclaims.

Natasha makes a zipping motion over her lips with a little smirk.

As Noelle refills your champagne flutes and you move on to another topic – here Noelle and Laetitia, the mother of the new kid in Mimi’s class --, you can’t help but feel grateful for this moment.

You were lucky to find people you can rely on other than your sister after so many years. After everything that happened. Sure your sister is your best friend and vice versa, but sometimes you can’t help but feel guilty about all the stuff you dump on her.

It’s not easy for you to interact with people and maintain healthy relationship. You try your best to find a nice balance between over communicating and totally isolating yourself. You’re still a work in progress though.

That’s why all this dating business was pushed aside for a few years.

Maria and Natasha end up spending the rest of the day at your house. You order takeout, drink some more – responsibly though, all while binge-watching Disney movies and playing board games with Michelle. It’s the nicest day you’ve had in a hot minute.

When the girls leave and it’s finally time for bed, you go to sleep with the ghost of today’s smiles still dancing on your lips.

*

In your opinion, Mondays are overrated. You never understood this whole thing anyway. Sure it’s the beginning of a new week, but it’s still a day like the others.

This particular Monday though, is a bit special. You’re excited to see whether or not Sam had the flowers delivered in your office. So excited that you’re walking around with a huge grin, your face beaming as you step into the elevator.

“Well good morning m’lady,” Scott from HR greets you when you step off the elevator. He’s at the front desk, talking to Rumlow.

“Morning Scott,” you say, still smiling.

“You got a secret admirer, huh?” Scott asks.

“Excuse me?”

“Your office is filled with flowers. And I mean filled. Janet walked by ten minutes ago and she hasn’t stopped sneezing since. Y’know, allergies.”

“Oh, um… I—” you stutter, not really knowing what to say.

“I’m just messing with you, kiddo. Just—If it’s a dude from around here, just make sure you stop by my office some time, ‘kay?”

Okay… You need to end this conversation now. You can feel your cheeks heat up with embarrassment. Honestly, it’s not that you don’t like Scott, everybody likes Scott. It’s just that he can be a bit too much sometimes.

“Sure thing, Scottie. You have a good day, okay?”

You don’t wait for his answer before you keep walking towards your office, climbing the stairs leading to the first floor with ease.

A woman you don’t recognize is standing in front of your office, staring at the glass wall. The cleaning crew must have left the blinds open again despite your multiple notes.

“Hello,” you greet her before you reach your office. “Can I help you?”

You can’t see the inside yet but Scott was right, the scent is strong. Just how many flowers did Sam send?

Her gaze meets yours as she whips her head towards you, her long burgundy hair following the movement. She’s wearing a green suit, a bold but beautiful contrast with her skin tone.

“Hi!” she smiles. “I’m sorry, is this your office?”

“Yes. You’re new here, right?”

“Yes, yes. My name is Gamora, I’m the new Digital Manager,” she offers her hand for you to shake.

You introduce yourself as you shake her hand. “… I take care of—”

“Events, yes. It’s written on your door. Anyways, I was just looking at the flowers in your office. Must be nice. My boyfriend… He’s not really that kind of guy.”

“Um…”

Once again, you don’t know how to talk to people.

“Sorry if I’m being weird.”

“Oh, no, it’s… Don’t worry about it. So where are you from?” you ask.

You figure you should at least try to make small talk with her. She seems nice, she has a very kind face. There’s something about her eyes though… She’s clearly been through a lot.

“I’m from New Asgard, in Norway.”

“Wow, how did you end up here?”

“My boyfriend, Peter. He lives in the US and he asked me to move in with him. I couldn’t say no.”

The name makes you flinch, but you wipe the discomfort away as soon as it appears. Peter is a common name. In this city alone there are hundreds of them. You need to get used to it, it’s been years already.

“Well, on behalf of the entire Red Wing team, I’d like to say welcome,” you give her a genuine smile.

“Thank you so much. That means a lot.” With a sigh, she throws one last glance towards your office before she starts walking away. “I better find Scott, we’re not done with the tour yet. I’ll see you around, I guess?”

“Sure. Have a good day!”

Once she turns around the corner, you take the last few steps that lead you to your office.

“Oh my God,” you whisper.

Your office is filled with flowers all right. It’s not just fifty like Sam said. At least a dozen of bouquets of red roses, tulips and peonies are scattered around your office. On your coffee table, the empty spaces on your bookshelf, the floor… everywhere but on your desk. Thank God, the scent isn’t disturbing to you.

“Oh my God,” you whisper again.

You can’t believe your eyes. You set your bag on your desk and draw the blinds over the glass walls to keep the prying eyes out of your business. Walking around a bit, you take the time to inhale and admire every single bouquet.

“Wow, he really wasn’t joking.”

You turn around to find Natasha and Maria standing in your doorway, holding huge mugs.

That’s right the morning coffee. Morning coffee is always in your office on Monday and Wednesday.

“Aw sweetie, don’t cry!” Natasha grabs a tissues from the box on your coffee table and hands it to you.

You didn’t even realize you were crying. Damn, he really had you in the palm of his hand, huh?

“It’s just, no one has ever done something like this for me before, and I feel stupid now because I’m crying for fucking flowers.”

“Hey, it’s not stupid, okay?” Maria chips in. “From what you told us, you’re not used to this kind of treatment, so it’s perfectly normal to feel overwhelmed right now. Here,” she hands you one of the mugs she’s holding. “Mantis told us you just got in so we figured you didn’t have time to make your cup of tea yet.”

“Thank you.”

You take a sip of the beverage, the hot liquid helping with the lump in your throat.

“Is… Is he here?” you ask.

Their offices are located on the floor above yours along with Sam’s, so you rarely see him during the day.

“Not yet,” Natasha replies. “He’s late. Something about getting Falcon a new cone.”

Oh yeah. He mentioned his dog’s surgery Friday night.

“Good morning, ladies. You talking about me?”

There he is.

Sam is standing in the doorway, a smirk on his lips, always handsome. A warm feeling spreads in your chest at the sight of him, and this morning’s grin is back in an instant.

“Samuel,” Maria greets him. “You’re late.”

“Ah shit. The boss wouldn’t like that, would he?”

“Whatever,” Maria rolls her eyes at him.

“Maria, come to the kitchen with me, I want to see if the pastries have been delivered already,” Natasha says, grabbing Maria’s arm.

“But shouldn’t we go with—” her sentence is cut short by Natasha’s pointed look. “Ohhh. Right.”

The girls shut the door behind them as they exit your office, you and Sam left alone.

“Morning,” he says, slowly approaching you. “Do you like the flowers?”

“I do, very much. What happened to the fifty flowers, though?”

Sam shrugs. “They were supposed to represent the number of times I wanted to kiss you. But as the weekend went by, I lost count, so…”

Goddammit.

“Come here,” you mumble.

You grab his hand and pull him closer to you, your free hand finding its place at the back of his neck. The kiss you give him is slow and sweet as you do your best to express your gratitude. You’ve been on one date, yet he has managed to make you feel more special than you’ve ever felt. He really is something. Sam kisses you back, and you can feel him smile as he does.

“Thank you,” you say when you break the kiss. “This is… wow.”

Sam keeps your body close to his, not wanting to let you go just yet.

“You’re welcome. So… about that second date. How do you feel about roller skating?”

Your eyebrows shoot up in surprise.

“I kind of like it. I haven’t skated since I was a kid, though.”

Sam nods. “Dinner and roller skating. Let’s say… Wednesday?”

“Wednesday sounds good,” you smile.

“Okay.”

Sam peppers small kisses on your lips and the corner of your mouth before letting you go. You instantly feel colder.

As he walks to the door, you seat at your desk and power up your computer, ready to start the work day.

“Wait, I need one more,” Sam says.

He rounds your desk and spins your chair so you’ll face him, before giving you another kiss. Once again, he peppers small kisses on your lips and cheeks and this time, you can’t help but giggle.

“It’s not even noon yet and I’m having the best day I’ve had in a while,” he whispers.

“Stop it. You’re gonna make me blush,” you joke.

“Now that would be my greatest achievement.”

Sam leaves shortly after that, leaving you to start working with the same dumb smile from earlier on your lips.

***

Tags: @marvelmaree​ @ljstraightnochaser @blackmissfrizzle​ @youdonotghostnickfury​ @minillamakeup-blog​

[fieryfantasybooklover]

First Date - A Prinxiety fluff fic

---------------------------------------------------

“This was a mistake. A huge mistake. A terrible terrible mistake”, groaned Virgil as he flopped backward onto his bed. “Why did I have to be so stupid? There is no possible way this can go well. I mean, I’m ANXIETY. I’m not meant for romance. I don’t deserve romance, especially not with him. I’m an antisocial, insecure mess, and he’s, well, HIM! A smooth, passionate, cute… Oh god, this was a mistake.”

“Come now Virgil. Stop that talk! I don’t happen to see the problem.” reasoned Logan as he firmly did his best to calm the anxious younger side. “You like him, right? I have to assume so, otherwise you wouldn’t have asked him out on a date. And I know that he likes you very much, so what’s the worry for? There is more empirical evidence to suggest that you do, even if the thousands of times I’ve caught you staring aren’t enough-oh stop it!”

Upon hearing this, Virgil had turned an impossibly bright shade of red, buried his head under his pillows, and muttered “well if he does like me I don’t deserve it”.

“You do deserve this! You both do! You two have been dancing around each other, dropping hints and such for too long! Both me and Patton have seen enough of this, and frankly I think Patton might die if you don’t make a move soon. So, if you value our existence, GET READY FOR THE DATE!!”

Virgil, stunned at the outburst from the normally calm and rational side, gave in at last and shoved Logan out the door to get ready, along with the statement “Fine walking encyclopedia, be quiet leave me alone then. And close the door on your way out!” When the door quietly clicked shut, Virgil locked it and turned to survey the chaos that was his room to find something suitable enough for a date.

Sadly, this simple action was made much harder by the state of Virgil’s closet. After looking at it for merely a split second, he gave up and pitched backward onto his bed. He would have stayed there, to hell with the consequences, had Patton and Logan not teamed up and threatened to break down his door.

Doing his best to keep an open mind, Virgil examined his closet again. After scouring it thoroughly, he spotted an item in the back that he had yet to wear. After seeing it, an idea hit Virgil with the force of an out of control freight train and he grinned. “Maybe this situation isn’t so hopeless after all” Virgil thought to himself as he started putting together his outfit.

Finally, after an hour’s worth of angst and worry, several passing stages of impending doom, multiple broken objects that had been hurled against the wall in frustration, and several complaints from various sides about blasting Evanescence music, Virgil was as ready for the date as he thought he’d ever be. Doing his best to reign in his anxious nature, he surveyed the outfit in his mirror.

“If only I could call Roman to tell me how it looks” Virgil thought woefully to himself. Pointedly ignoring the massive butterflies that erupted in his stomach at the mere thought of the golden boy, Virgil decided the outfit was suitable enough for his first ever date. Now the only challenge left was to gain victory over his thoughts in the time that remained before the to-far-away yet much-to-close date with the boy Virgil had been pining over for months.

Meanwhile, in another room there was a very similar situation…

Roman had been trying outfit after outfit for hours, determined to find one worthy of the glorious boy he was wearing it for. Roman still couldn’t believe it, even after everything that had transpired between the two. He still couldn’t believe that his feelings were reciprocated by this dark, beautiful deity who had haunted his dreams for so long. Roman found himself repeatedly pinching himself every day to make sure this wasn’t all some gorgeous dream.

Finally, after managing to give Thomas a terrible migraine asking for fashion advice over and over, Roman settled on an outfit that he hoped would make for a memorable first date. Glancing at the clock on his wall, he realized he had to leave for the date now or risk being late. Praying to every single god and goddess he knew that this would go well, Roman departed.

Virgil arrived at the lake first. Surveying everything Roman had done to prepare for this, a mixture of amusement and affection bubbled up within Virgil, causing the return of the butterflies in full force. Of course, the butterflies came accompanied with a sensation of giddiness and lightheadedness. Thankfully, he didn’t have to wait long with his thoughts for Roman to arrive, as Virgil barely had time to prepare himself before Roman shimmered into being.

In Virgil’s opinion, Roman was looking… he had no words to describe it. Stunned and unable to form words, Virgil could only gaze upon the stunning man and remind himself that this was in fact real. Roman had styled his beautiful dark brown hair in waves, and chose an outfit sent straight from hell to be the downfall of Virgil.

Roman had chosen a blinding white semi formal suit with bright scarlet and shimmering gold worked in. Snugly cut, the suit clung to Roman’s form, accenting his broad shoulders and muscles. The outfit was finished off with white dress shoes. Realizing he was gaping, Virgil shook off the haze he was in, stood, and offered a shy smile and a “hello” to Roman. Of course, Virgil was unaware of the turmoil behind those beautiful eyes.

When Roman arrived to find Virgil already there, he began to freak out, but when he took in the other boy’s outfit, all thought was banished from his mind in an instant. It wasn’t until this moment that Roman realized how far gone he was, and strangely he didn’t even care.

Virgil had shown up in a shining obsidian suit. However, after a few moments Roman realized that there were subtle hints of deep purple and blue worked into the suit, and that Virgil must have spent at least an hour working those shades of color into the suit. His outfit was also snug, showing off Virgil’s slim form. The final pieces of the outfit were the bright black boots Virgil was wearing, and the slight hints of gold eyeshadow that caused his already breathtaking eyes to shine.

With Herculean effort, Roman dragged his eyes to Virgil’s face and was in an instant trapped in that rare, shy smile on the other boy’s face. As he offered a smile of his own to Virgil, their first date commenced. Both of them, dizzy with happiness and wonder, were completely unaware of the effect they had on the other.

“Hey there Princey” smirked Virgil, who was completely unprepared for the blinding smile that followed his statement. “Hey there emo nightmare” came the reply. “Shall we?” asked Roman as he gestured to the meal he had set out beside the lake. “Unless you have any better ideas” replied Virgil with another smirk as he headed for the food. Shaking his head, Roman followed.

The goal of the dinner was for them to get to know each other better, and it was a smashing success. Roman learned that Virgil despised the color orange, hated action films, and adored sugary cereal. Virgil learned that Roman loved country and pop music, hated lettuce, and found the idea of skateboards ridiculous. Both sides were amazed with the other, reveling in the happy dialogue, and thus treated the conversation as if it were a beautiful, breakable thing made of spun sugar and glass.

The second part of the date was to canoe out to the center of the lake and enjoy the stars. As both boarded the boat, they were overcome with dizzy excitement and nervousness. Virgil remarked to himself that the feeling was like boarding a roller coaster, only multiplied many times over. Roman compared it to the feeling a person got right before they auditioned for a part in a show or play. Both however, acknowledged that whatever this feeling was, it couldn’t be compared to anything else.

The boat was quiet as it silently, smoothly rushed over the water toward the center of the lake. Both sides were equally scared and had no idea what to do, afraid of ruining the new, precious thing between them. As the boat halted at the center of the lake, their eyes met and an electric shock seemed to zapp through the air between them, seeming to herald things to come.

“Well the sky is beautiful tonight” remarked Roman after a minute of loaded silence. “However, there are still a few things more beautiful than it.” “Well, I could name one right now” Virgil cautiously ventured. “Pray tell, my dark souled friend. What is this creature so beautiful it outshines the stars?” asked Roman, while ordering his heart to shut up and calm down. Their eyes met again as Virgil whispered “you”. At that moment, Roman was filled with the most intoxicating mix of emotions he had ever felt - wonder, happiness, disbelief, joy… and love. Gathering his remaining will, Roman brought his eyes back to Virgil’s and hesitantly whispered “I have to disagree. I see only one person so beautiful he outshines the stars. And he doesn’t do just that. He provides me with all the light I need to live.” With that, their lips met for the first time.

In that moment, both boys felt like they were living in a dream, because there was no way real life was this good. Nothing could ever feel so right. There was no way that people were this perfect. There was no way someone could hold so much love for another.

The kiss was fragile, yet strong. It hinted at something new, yet something that endured. It was as tempestuous as a storm, but as calm as a starry sky. There were no words in this world worthy of describing it.

After a minute, the two broke apart and shared a wide smile that was, for both of them, shielding a heart bursting with joy. Virgil’s heart was pounding a million beat’s a second, and Roman’s was soaring to impossible heights. With that moment echoing through both sides’ mind and soul, Virgil and Roman moved closer to each other and snuggled up together. As both boys wrapped their arms around the other and raised their eyes to the heavens, both made a silent, unbreakable oath. Not just an oath, it was a promise and a statement resounding with the truths they dared not speak aloud, not yet.

You are my everything. I will follow you to the ends of the Earth and beyond that. Without you, I am nothing. Without you, my life is bleak, empty and dark.

I will NEVER leave you.

My first attempt at a Prinxiety fanfic. Hope you enjoyed reading!

[stevenuniversetanzanite]

Ally x Cordelia x Reader part 5

I should give a warning this story will mention some tough topics for people. I hope you never have to experience anything that happens in these stories but if you have I offer my condolences for your loss.

My 'reader' is rarely meant to be relatable, I like the idea of it being a form of escapism or being someone else. Also I decided that out of Ally's hyphenated last name hers is the first out of the two.

Warnings: mentions a car crash and the death of a woman and child.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 , Part 5 , Part 6

Ally was working away at her job when an assistant (named Simon) knocked on her door. "I'm busy right now."

"Ms Mayfair, you're going to want to hear this. It's about your son." Ally looked up at the man immediately, stopping all work.

There had been a car accident, a T-bone collision on the intersection. They had tried to call Ally but her personal phone was on mute. She wasn't sure about exactly the man found out, whether they found out what Ally did, asked her son for any other contacts, etc. She grabbed her phone, there were a couple miss calls from an unknown number as well as Cordelia. She thanked Simon and told him to right down the hospital and any other details on a piece of paper as she got ready. She thanked him once more as she dashed to her car.

As soon as she was in the car, she connected her phone to her car to voice call Cordelia.

"Ally, thank God, I was trying to reach you-"

"You heard?"

"I'm in the waiting room. One of the students had a vision but we couldn't get into contact with Y/N before the crash." Shit Y/N. She had completely skipped Ally's mind. It made sense why she would have tried to contact her, she was the one driving. "When I tried to call you, I couldn't get through. I had no clue if you knew, so I called your office."

"My phone was on mute; I missed the calls from the hospital. I wouldn't have known if you hadn't called. Thank God the hospital called you."

"They didn't call me, I had to call them to confirm the news."

"Aren't you Y/N emergency contact?"

"I thought you were."

"I thought it was you, you've known her a lot longer."

"Who is it then?"

"It's not really important right now." They would find out when they find out. Even if they ran into the person at the hospital. "Have you heard anything about them?"

"There are running tests currently on Oz to make sure he doesn't experience any internal damage, otherwise they say he seems perfectly fine." Ally was confused but grateful for what she had heard. "The Doctors and nurses are astonished; he was on the side of impact."

"But you think Y/N did something?"

"I can guarantee it. Sometimes I think she prefers your son to us."

Ally chuckled. With the way the two had been treading at the moment, it was probably true, not that they wanted to think about that now. Cordelia was overwhelmed with guilt after pointing all the blame on you, instead of thinking through everything rationally. Cordelia being on the other end was calming her down.

"I'll be there in fifteen, if anything changes, update me." When Ally reached the hospital, she spotted Cordelia chatting to a man. She heard the last bit of the conversation.

"Oz is one lucky boy. I don't know how he came out unharmed," the Doctor said to Cordelia. She had told the boy that she was the headmistress of boarding school he attended in order to get the information without having to be related or use her powers to bypass the family only rule. "If he does show any signs of a concussion or experiences any pain, bring him in immediately." Oz parted form Cordelia when spotting his mother, he hugged her babbling as he tried to explain what happened. The doctor gave a side eyes glace, unhappy at the senator's presence, but he focused on the woman before him.

"Is there any news about Y/N? The other person in the crash" Cordelia asked.

He said he wasn't sure, but he can get someone to inform them as soon as she gets a room. The mention of a room made the others concerned. A nurse came out a couple hours later when they heard you finally got a room.

"Y/N!" You winced. Ally told Oz to keep his voice down. He apologised immediately.

"Hey buddy." You slowly moved your hand to rustle his hair but stopped finding the world too shaky at the moment. The women were happy your words were not slurred.

"I'm glad you're alright," Oz said.

"I'm always alright kiddo."

"Y/N, do you remember anything about what happened?" Ally asked.

"They said I was in a car crash." You answered the question by not answering it. "How long are they going to keep me here for? I hate hospitals."

"You are a doctor," Cordelia pointed out.

"I like helping people. Don't have to like the place I do it in." There was too much death in hospitals to make you like it. Too many shattered dreams, ruined lives, tears of sadness.

"It shouldn't be too long; you heal 10 times the speed of a normal person." That was an exaggeration, but you did heal fast. Cordelia used to tell you how you had some of the best powers you could get as a witch, you could heal both yourself and others at rapid speeds. This was long before she got The Sight, which she still hadn't decided if it was a blessing or a curse.

"We should let you rest. We got told to make sure you relax and don't socialise too much at the moment. Plus, someone should also go home and update the girls on what's happened," Cordelia said. "Ally, you should take Oz home, it's been a long day for him, he's probably tired."

"I'm not tired," Oz said.

Ally knew what Cordelia was trying to do. The boy didn't need to see any of this, and she completely agreed. She knew she was going to have to do a lot of reassuring that you was fine. Her son was not stupid, he knew just as well as your girlfriends when you were lying.

Ally didn't want to leave you side seeing how weak you were in the hospital bed but her son was the main priority and even though the hospital passed him, she was sceptical and wanted to make sure he was okay.

"I might stay for a bit longer in case she needs anything," Cordelia said. Or just to keep you company. She also needed to mention to one of the doctors about your sleepwalking habit in case it happened when she was gone.

The two visited you over the next few days telling you messages the girls asked for them to tell you or stupid stories that happened. Your blood work was crazy, making the doctors want to keep you a few extra days to figure out what's going one and to make sure you're alright. Your blood work was always off, it was a side effect of your power.

A sudden thump awoke you from your slumber. "Ally?" you called. She was there last time you remembered. You must have dozed off you thought as your eyes scanned around the hospital room. The lights were off and all you had was the orange glow from the corridor. Your hospital room was always opened for easy access to your room. You gathered it had something to do with your crazy bloodwork making you seem like a high-risk patient and not in any way related to your girlfriends mentioning your occasional 'sleepwalking' episodes.

"Y/n," a voice called. Your eyes darted to the bleak white curtain that was drain shut for privacy. There was no shadow casted to convey someone was behind there which there would have been due to the hallway light. However, you mind did not process this in your dream like state.

You tore away the sheet covering your body and wiggled your way to the edge of the bed. You slowly lower your feet to the ground, freezing slightly as your sock covered feet touched the ground. Even with the fabric covering you, you could still feel the cold flooring.

Punching yourself upright, you relied heavily on the bed for stability as you shuffled to the curtains. In the process, you yanked yourself free of the vital signals monitor you were attached to.

You drew the curtains back to see a lover from long ago. Amber.

"You're not here, you can't be here-" You were cut off by the other woman.

"It's fine, love," she consoled you. What? She couldn't be here she's dead.

"No, everything is wrong your-" The room interior shifted, your mind slipping back into the past. You hunched over and squeezed your eyes shut as you tried not to focus on the movement around you. The nauseating feeling it created subsided as you heard a voice from behind you.

You turned around to see the woman in your head. Nothing stricken you as odd as you relived a memory of years prior.

"The car crash wasn't your fault, love. How many times do I have to tell you that?"

"I -I-" you stuttered out. You shuffled back to the bed and tightened your grip for stability. The woman moved her feet allowing some room for you to sit. You smiled, thankful and take up the small space.

"It's not your fault-" Amber urged but you didn't believe her. You had distracted her on the call, if she had her full attention on the road then she wouldn't be in this bed.

"I can save you." You could. You swore to help all those in need and if your powers weren't acting up you'd help her. The stress was getting to you. You were working long hours you shouldn't be doing, stressed about your wife and everything else your tiny head could fuss about for the upcoming couple weeks.

"It's fine, the Doctor said I'm fine, I'll be out of the hospital by tomorrow. The only thing you should be worried about is the children." Lia had been at her sister's place for a week now. She had come and seen her mother from time to time, but it concerned the both of you having the girl in the hospital, especially with her underlying heath issues. Sadly, she didn't get your amazing health, but from what you heard from your parents before you parted ways, you were similar as a child, so she could be following your path. "The little one's been keeping you up again?"

"Stressing about you is keeping me up. I can barely sleep, and my magic's been all over the place the last couple months. Everything I've tired hasn't worked."

"Have you tried something more natural. Magical even?"

"I told you my magic isn't working-"

"I was thinking about something more along the lines of green magic. You used to be a wiz in the greenhouse. Maybe call up the teacher there, she would still be there, what's her name again?"

"Cordelia Goode- I mean Foxx, I think it's Foxx now." You were right the first time, not that you had spoken to her at this point. In your head, you had no idea she was with Ally or who Ally even was.

"She'd be more than willing to help, hell she might even make it for you." You were one of her favourite students or at least from Amber used to joke.

"Why are we talking about me? you're the one in hospital."

"Babe, it's fine."

"Ms L/N, you need to head back to bed." A nurse said. Out of bed? What was she on about?

"Huh?" You spun around to face the nurse. Everything was as it was before.

"You're not supposed to be out of bed," The nurse on night routine said.

"Sorry." You allowed the woman to help you back into bed, your mind confused about what had happened. This time, unlike the others you remembered what had happened. Where was Amber? You want her back. You needed to finish talking to her. Come on-

"It's fine, your wife told us everything." Amber?

"W-wife?"

"Cordelia Goode, I believe." Cordelia Goode? The teacher? You furrowed your brows. You took a second to think about it as the nurse hooked you back up.

"Oh, yeah." She was right, kind of. You're not married.

"Do you want us to tell her what happened?"

"Nah, you'll only worry her. How long until I get out?"

"Sorry Ma'am but you'll have to ask your doctor."

"Okay, thanks anyway." This time, the nurse put the rails on the bed to make it more difficult for you get out on your own. As the woman was about to leave you felt compelled to ask, "What date is it?"

"24th of July."

You had sunken further into the bed and watched the woman leave.

Happy Anniversary.

The next morning you were woken up by Cordelia's voice talking one of the nurses.

"Delia?" you croaked. Earning her attention immediately, she rushed over to you and brought you your glass of water. Once your throat was less hoarse and voice less gravely you thanked her.

"How are you sweetheart?"

"Good." She hummed. You caught something in her eye that screamed she didn't believe you. "They told you about last night, didn't they?"

"Yes. They did."

"That's against my privacy, I could sue them."

"They have the right to tell family."

"But you're not my- oh~ they think you're my wife." you realised. Even still they shouldn't without permission.

"We needed some sort of contact and it was easier if they thought we were related."

"Hmm."

"You were found disconnected from the machines, talking to your bed," Cordelia inched closer. "Do you remember anything?"

"No."

"Well, besides for the incident yesterday, they said you seem well enough to go home," she told you. She expected you to be excited but your lack of emotion through her for a loop. "Isn't that exciting?" She cooed.

"Hmm," you groaned.

She scanned you to try and see if this resentment was towards her. Did Ally told you about her doubts? She questioned you further with some that might be more interesting.

"I sent your car to the depo. They said they might be able to salvage your car. It will need some replacements and a new shell, but they said they could find one of the same models and paint it to match yours. Even fix the jammed lights."

"I like the jammed lights," you blurted out.

"They're impractical."

"I like them."

"Okay, I'll ask them to keep the lights jammed."

You took a moment to speak again, "Thanks, for fixing my car."

"It's alright. It seems to mean a lot to you." She could see it now, why you would want to keep it as long as you did, even with how damaged it got. "It's the least I could do."

Cordelia was worried about having you in a car so soon after your crash. Ally stayed at the academy to make sure she could help you settle in as well as to stop Cordelia from smothering you to death- that was her job.

"Easy baby, we don't want you getting any more hurt," Ally said as she ran over to lend Cordelia a helping hand in moving you out of the car.

"I'm fine~" Contact against your ribs caused you to whine out the 'e' in pain. The medication you were on wore off on the ride home. You whimpered every time there was a gravely road or a speed bump. Cordelia apologised profusely the whole way. Ally readjusted where she placed her hand. It did not help, your body aches everywhere. So much for Cordelia thinking you would heal quickly, you're in agony. "I don't think I can make it upstairs." They considered picking you up but that would only cause you more pain.

"The medic bay has a bed," Ally said. "It's not the most pleasant place but it's better than lugging you upstairs."

"I suppose that will do," Cordelia said. "But you aren't allowed to work until you're healed," she said directly to you.

"I know."

"Are you going to listen?"

"Yeah?"

"We'll take turns looking after you," Ally said. They both already knew you would try to work as soon as the first person gets injured, but for now you were the patient. You were in no shape to be both.

Upon being placed in the medical cot, you had medicine shoved in your face. You tried to shoo them away. They enticed you with leaving you alone to sleep if you took the medication. Seeming like a reasonable idea, you accepted, downing the pain meds before being allowing to slumber.

"Baby, I need to wake up," one of your loves cooed you awake. You looked over at the figure, your eyes not having adjusted to the light. You whined, shutting your eyes, hoping you fall back asleep. "I'm sorry I had to wake you, but I need to check your concussion hasn't gotten any worse." Though your body was healing quickly, you brain was over exhorting itself and worsening the damage it already had.

You recognised it to be Ally's voice. She sat you up and asked you to follow her finger with your eyes. It took you a moment to force your eyes open. As you tracked the finger, you noticed a shadowy figure in the doorway. You watched on as the figure approached. Your breathing hitched; Ally's presence slipped your mind as well as the task you were meant to be completing.

Just as your eyes were about to focus on the woman, your name was called by the woman in front of you, "Y/N."

"Huh? Oh, sorry. I thought I saw something." Ally wasn't impressed.

"I know you don't want to talk about it and now probably isn't the best time, but we need to talk about your sleepwalking about overall aloofness as of late."

"Ally~" You whined.

"Shh~ Not now." She shut you up so she could continue. "I wanted to thank you earlier for saving my son." You went to talk but she cut you off. "It means a lot to me that you saved my son, I can't even begin to comprehend what you did and how."

Magic was involved, that was the most she understood. It would have been a split-second design to protect her son in an already rushed instant. Cordelia, who had tried to explain it to her, told her how long it should have taken as well as how long the chant was. It was a miracle it succeeded, and he came out unscratched. You on the other hand took the damage for the both of them- in a manner of speaking. Anyone who would save her son over themselves was a god in her books.

"No one wants to watch a kid in pain knowing they could have done something." Now it was her time to try and interrupt, but you didn't let her. "Few have died on my watch since I have been a doctor. I wasn't going to let one be your boy." Without thinking, she pulled you into a hug. You cried out in pain causing her to pull away immediately. She apologized profusely. "I'm fine, I'm fine, I've felt worse."

"Like what?"

"Uh~" you didn't want to say the answer you were thinking. "The car crash."

"Yeah, that would be worse."

"I am I allowed to go back to sleep or-"

"Yeah, sorry for keeping you up."

"Wanna join?"

"There's no room on that bed."

"I don't take up that much room and I thought you would like the closeness."

"Fine, I'll fit myself behind you."

"I'll try not to crush you."

"Shut up."

The two of you were cuddled up loosely on the bed, her body under yours, your head on her chest. You listened to her heartbeat as you tried to drift back to sleep. Ally thought over your words, you had spoken about people dying due to the staff members and implied that you had killed someone yourself. If few died on your watch then who? Patients? Because that isn't your fault in that cause, you tried your best to save them, doesn't that overwrite the problem. You didn't cause the pain to begin with... unless you were connected in the accident to begin with.

"When you said only a few have died on your watch, is that what you meant when you said you've all killed someone."

"Ally~"

"Because if that's the case, then you've killed no one. You tried to save them-"

"It's more complicated than that Al. I don't want to talk about it." You cuddled closer to Ally without hurting yourself.

The night of your first stay at the hospital, Cordelia and Ally were getting ready for bed. Ally was still dressed in her work attire, she had been with her son since they got home, allowing him to do whatever he wanted which entailed watching whatever cartoons were on television. Cordelia got home after visiting hours were over, she headed straight to the kitchen to have some dinner. Ally snuck away from Oz to join her girlfriend at the table.

"That was a convincing performance back there," Ally said. Cordelia furrowed her brows. What was she on about? "Do you still believe she's working with the witch hunters?"

"Wha- no, no I don't believe that, why would you ask me that right after-"

"Yes, I am. After you accused her of being a witch hunter, I don't know your intentions."

"I was wrong. We've all made mistakes this week that could have jeopardised this relationship. I was foulness to think she was anything like my ex, but I got scared and tried to justify by accusations to protect myself. Are you happy?"

"No. It's not my place to forgive you."

"Don't make me apologise now, after everything-"

"I won't but you better make it up to her."

"I will. I have some ideas."

"They are?"

"Her car. I just learned some... interesting information about that vehicle and in turn her." Ally asked Cordelia to explain. "It's how I found out she wasn't guilty. I was snooping-"

"Cordelia!"

"The wardrobe a mess by the way." Ally huffed but allowed Cordelia to continue. "I was moving Y/n's shoe boxes when I found a box to a pair of shoes she never stored away. I was coming to the conclusion that she wasn't at fault, due to another one of my finds but I thought there was still a chance she was out for us, so I checked it out." Cordelia chocked her last word as she thought of what she was going to have to explain next.

She pushed away her dinner as she thought about her vision. She remembered the break in your voice as you called out your lover's name. The jarringness of watching a car crash into her and being unable to help the situation at all. A girl she knew and watched grew into a confident witch die in a car crash was horrific and for her name to only send shivers down your spine nowadays. Cordelia felt atrocious for being her up but thankful for not pushing your further. Though is she did, she may have known the truth sooner.

"She-She-" Cordelia couldn't get the words out. She stood abruptly, abandoning her food and heading towards their bedroom. Ally followed after her, calling out her name, to stop and explain. Cordelia was faster than her and reached the bedroom first only to head straight to the wardrobe to gather the shoe box and belongings that were still discarded on the floor. She laid out the contents on the bed for Ally.

As Ally moved closer to investigate the contents, Cordelia moved away.

"You remember that friend of Y/n's, Amber?" She had never mentioned her by name but Ally got the rough idea who.

"Her cooking partner?"

"Yes. I gather there's a reason she never spoke of her."

Ally noticed the two matching wedding rings; she brushed her hand over them before casting her eyes to the blanket. She picked it up and ran it through her hands similar to how Cordelia did when she first saw it.

"It's new?" Ally asked.

"I don't believe so. Well-kept perhaps?" Ally caught sight of the embroidery and turned to the blonde immediately. "I could have put the pieces together incorrectly but what I saw supported it-"

"You had a vision?"

"Amber's dead-"

"SHE KILLED HER?"

"NO! Where did you get that from? She isn't you."

"She mentioned that she killed someone, I jumped to a conclusion."

"Her friend-wife died in a car crash. In my vision Amber mentioned a daughter Lia, that's short for-"

"Odelia," Ally answered. "That means the car crash might not be consequential." It was only a theory but the idea that someone planned this was sick. If that was the case, why now? What was so significant with the crash happening that day? Was there significance more than a sick way of trying to remove one member of the trio. "The daughter wasn't in the car? Then, where is she? Why haven't we met her?"

"She could have sent her off to get looked after by Amber's family. We don't know what state Y/n was in at the time. Maybe she couldn't have taken care of Lia."

"Seems odd. Especially now since she helps take care of my boy." You spoiled the boy rotten. If you had access to your daughter, the two would have no problem having her around. Hell, a cute child of yours running around would be a nice change. They both loved the thought. "You don't think she's also-"

"I hope not."

It explained away why you were so close to Oz and protective of him. Neither could bare the thought of you losing a child.

Back to the warm embrace you were in, the door creeped open as your blonde girlfriend came to check in on the both of you. The two of you had been asleep for some time. Cordelia took a spot on the chair Ally was on before joining you on the bed. She smiled to herself enamoured, wondering what she did to deserve the two beautiful women. It hadn't been an easy path for any of them to get where they were and as the days go on it only grew more complicated.

Some day they were going to have to question you, she would have to tell you about her doubts, all in the process of moving forwards. Open communication is important in a relationship, even more so in a polyamorous one. It wasn't as difficult as people made it out to be, as long as you are open. They only started having problems when people started hiding things. The murder of Ivy being one. Murder isn't something Cordelia condoned but in protection of something sacred like family, what else do you do?

You tried your best to hide any pain you were in during your recovery to not scare the girls which only made some of the worry more. Cordelia was keeping content tabs on you.

Ally had to deal with the press along with government officials over the accusations surrounding her. She was searching for a good lawyer in case she had to go to caught. You spent the good part of a week flipping through contact lists looking for someone who seemed competent. Cordelia was sure one of the girls you went to school with now a big shot lawyer, unfortunately Cordelia's records from those days weren't well organised as Myrtle was the one who knew and organised these sorts of things and that woman knew all off this like the back of her hand. She would be able to name the student in a couple seconds flat, instead they had you and her trying to recall if the girls name started with r or z.

After google law firms, you found a law firm called 'Collins Law Firm' an once family owned law form situated in Kenner, Louisiana. Clicking on their website you recognised you found the person you'd been looking for, Zariah Collins. She was a couple years senior but the two of you always got alone fine. She was your biggest competition in the back off, the woman was good at everything she set her mind to, no wonder she passed law school.

You dialled up the number on the website and said you'd like to make a consultation with Zariah and gave the address and left your contact number. You didn't inform Cordelia about your findings as she was taking your class for you at the time.

As Ally was busier, you had more time to spend with Oz. You were now leaving in the top layer of the Academy, hobbling about from point a to b. Oz was patient with you, offering to help you whenever he could. Ally still hadn't sent him back to school and with you injured he wasn't getting taught either. There was talk about hiring a teacher for him while your healing.

"Almost there," he said as you rested against the wall near the entrance of the wardrobe.

"This is fair enough," you breathed out. "Move the shoe boxes and you'll find your surprise."

He followed your instructions, moving the boxed with little regard, a couple of boxes spilled open in the process. You inhaled sharply at one of the boxes opening. Your attention shifting at the boy's squeal.

"You bought it!" The boy tore the box open and started setting the device up. He thanked you repeatedly, bouncing about, he hugged you causing you to wince. "I'm sorry," he apologised. You told him it was fine.

"It's alright, now how about you pester Cordelia for the wifi password to set that up so we can try out some of the games."

"Okay. I'll be right back."

He sped out of the room, leaving you to clean up the mess. You eased yourself down using the wall. The process took you longer than you thought it would that or Oz was quick because he was back within three minutes joined by Cordelia.

Worry shot through her as she noticed you trying to sit down on the ground. She rushed to you stopping the process. You whined and soon after you were settled on a chair Cordelia must have used her magic to move. The woman fussed over you, telling you that you should have asked for her or one of the older girls to help you.

"I'm fine, Delia. I don't need your help."

"You survived a car crash a week ago, you need to heal. You shouldn't out of bed, if Ally finds out, I'm dead."

"I like to be useful-"

"-and we appreciate it, but you need to rest."

"Oz, can you go set up on the bed? Take the games with you," you asked.

"She'll be out with you in a second."

Oz grabbed the games and left, looking back to check if everything was alright.

"I called up a lawyer," you whispered.

"When?"

"When you had my class. I asked for a consultation to be here, didn't give a date or time but I'm hoping it's when Ally's out, at least for the initial meeting."

"If she's not, I'll cover for you."

"You don't have to-"

"No, it was my idea to get you to help me search. It was better than getting to work in the medic bay, I can at least keep an eye on you in my office." Cordelia pulled away from you and started placing back the shoe boxes.

"You don't have to do that."

"And leave it a mess?" She picked up the all too familiar box. The blanket spilled over the side of the box. You watched her like a hawk as she tucked it back in. She knew it was better no to comment on the contents, she made a quick mention of how soft the fabric was before placing the box was closed and placed amongst the others.

You exhaled and allowed her to move you back to the bed. You spent the rest of the day in bed taking turned on playing videogames. By the time it was dinner, the two of you were passed out on the bed. Cordelia asked the students preparing dinner that night to put aside leftovers for you, Oz and Ally (for when she got home). She removed the handheld console from the boy's grip and placed it on the nightstand. Cordelia took her usual place on the right hand side of the bed, next to you. The bed was completely taken up by the three of you. The child splayed out taking most of the space.

None of you saw Ally the next morning. You weren't to sure that she came home last night. Your sleep was interrupted by a knock on the door. You croaked out, "Open" before turning over and trying to fall back to sleep.

"Ms Y/n, there's a woman here to see you," the young student asked. Isn't there always, you thought. Everyone in this school was female. "I sent her to Misses office."

"Is Delia in there?" You mumbled.

"No, Ms."

"Okay." You opened your eyes sensing she was still in the room. "Are you still here?"

"I was told to help you." You opened your eyes to find the girl in front of you with a foldable wheelchair.

"Where did you get that?"

"Ms found it in your office behind a framed movie poster."

"In the cupboard?"

"Yeah. She also laughed at your pride flag hung on the door of the inside."

"She wasn't meant to see that." The girl helped you into the chair.

"It's not like she doesn't already know."

"But-"

"Here take this." She shoved one of Ally sweaters into your hands. You pulled it over your clothes from yesterday and quickly styled your hair. Once you met the girls approve, she wheeled you into the Supreme's office.

You were greeted by a tall, tanned woman with jet black hair slicked back into a ponytail. She wore a tight fitted suit that complemented her body in all the right places. The woman stood up on your arrival and adjusted her blazer.

"I thought it was too good to be true but here you are." Zariah Collins approached and shook your hand with a tough grip. "As soon as I heard Y/n L/n and saw the address, I knew I needed to work your case."

"You haven't heard it yet."

"Didn't need to. I'm helping for old times sake." She took the wheelchair from the girl to take her exit.

"How caught up are you with the news?"

"Not very. I finished a large case yesterday. You caught me at the right time." She settled the chair across from hers and took her own place, giving you her full attention.

"I need you to be prepared to fight for Senator Mayfair in case the circumstance arises."

"That, yes, I have heard whispers about that, but why are you involved? Last I heard she was with Goode. Did Cordelia set you up to this? I'll still do it, if that's the case but I would have liked to know I was helping the supreme before I came over."

"You'll be helping her in turn, and it was her idea to call you. However, I found your contacts."

"But what's your interest in this? You have to have one or am I only talking to you because the supreme is too busy."

"I have another case for you, and it affects all of us."

"Keep talking."

[bytheanchor]

huntbastian headcanons

Who cooks:

Hunter. Hunter has always had to learn all the basics to be able to get around life on his own. He does not depend on people and he hates having to, so cooking is a part of it. He also enjoys it secretly because the kitchen is like a small realm he can reign over and command, and things get done exactly how he wants them to - because he has a good hand for it, so it’s relaxing for him. Plus he likes knowing exactly what he’s eating and what’s in it, because he’s a control freak.

Sebastian has very little notion of how a kitchen works. He likes to eat the food not see how it gets done. He likes it when it’s ready and into his belly, thank you very much. In time, though, he’s forced to learn a thing or two from Hunter, because Hunter is not always in the mood to cook, or not always around the house, and because he’ll certainly not wake up at 3 am to make him waffles, and so, Sebastian gets extremely proud of even his smallest achievements. He pretends it’s no big deal, and Hunter doesn’t point it out, but he smiles and eats it all to make him happy.

Who does the laundry and other chores:

Hunter does the laundry, because although Seb might learn not to screw it up, he has zero patience to do it the way Hunter likes it: everything folded a certain way and in a certain order. However, Sebastian might learn to enjoy to do cleaning, because he’d be sweeping around with his headphones on, and could be when he comes up with a lot of his dance routines, as he goes around the house sliding in his socks. Things might not turn out Hunter level perfect, but good enough. Hunter also takes Clarence with him to the bedroom, in such occasions, because he’s learned that leaving his cat in Sebastian’s way, whilst he’s cleaning, is not wise. Hunter also washes the dishes most of the times, and takes the trash out.

How many children do they have:

One. They have enough trouble figuring out how to raise one child. Plus, they are pretty content with giving all of their time to one kid, instead of pulling their hair out trying to take care of more than that. They both like perfection and dedication, and wouldn’t forgive themselves for doing a half assed job with their kids, like what their parents did to them. That would be the most important person in their lives. Not to mention, they need some time for themselves separately and together in order to keep peace inside the house and stay sane.

Who’s more dominant:

Hunter. Sebastian might play around sometimes, but he’s more coy about it, even when he’s taking control over. It’s more about sexy and controlling the pleasure, and the way he likes to torture Hunter for his right to orgasm. Hunter is a lot more intense about these things. With him it has more to do with the act of domination itself, rather than with sexual activities per se. He can enjoy when Sebastian takes over, it’s very nice to be able to just let go and know that Sebastian will catch him, and he doesn’t have to keep his walls up. However, he feels completely in place when he’s dominating, and takes his head into a space where all his doubts are non-existing and it’s a feeling that can’t be replaced. Sebastian can’t complain either, because when Hunter is in that mood, he’s so fucking hot, and Sebastian can be more submissive than he usually is in life in general, and trust it - so it feels nice as well. He’s always fighting everyone and everything because he’s stubborn and rarely ever trusts people’s intentions, so it’s nice to let go with the one person he learns to put trust in.

Now, if we’re talking outside the bedroom, they are both stupid thick-heads and will push to get what they want, in the way they want it. They have learned after fighting over the most stupid things when to back down a little, and compromise. Hunter can see when Sebastian won’t back down and when it’s not really about the thing that he’s pushing for, and more that something else happened, so lets him do it the way he wants to keep his peace of mind. Sebastian also knows when Hunter just needs something to go his way, as stupid as the thing can seem to him, like what movie they are going to watch, or what is the exact volume he wants the tv to be on, because everything else is a mess, so he tones down and goes along with it. It’s his nature most of the time, to be chill, so despite Hunter driving him crazy more easily than anyone else, it’s also easier for him to let things go.

Favorite nonsexual activity:

Hmm. I think they have a lot of things in common, and would enjoy doing a lot of them together. I think that their favorite thing to do would be to try new things together. Go skydiving, go to that new paintball place, try a new restaurant out, take a trip to that park Hunter keeps talking about, go out at a random night to that crazy nightclub Sebastian heard about, go sing in that bar that has night competitions because why not? they could use the free booze price, go visit houses pretending they’re just curious, but knowing they actually want to move into one, together, one day, even if they don’t talk about it, because they were both raised in big houses, try diving, try surfing, go eat in that new little place Sebastian saw on his way to work… Etc. I think they’d try a new thing at least once a week, and it wouldn’t be the same if they weren’t together, it’s fun because they are together, and it creates their favorite memories.

Their favorite place to be together:

Bed. I know, I know. But really, they spend so much time out, at work, or doing things, or socializing, because they can be both very social people, or on trips, or eating out, or just walking around, that it’s pretty amazing to just be in bed all day in their underwear. Whether that be fucking or not, just reading books, or the news, or eating treats that were grabbed by the loser of rock-paper-scissors that morning. It’s their favorite place to be together because when they’re in bed they don’t have to share each other with a single other person, or worry about anyone else. 

Of course they eventually need to get up and do other things, but it’s a quiet moment they don’t get a lot, and they appreciate every minute of it. Those are also the days they usually have very lazy fucking, and lose count of how many times, because between their third shower, and that lame ass movie they laughed their asses off watching, and their fourth fuck of the day, it doesn’t really matter. I also reckon that once they have children, their bed is the only place they are truly alone, and they need those moments, as much as they love their kid to death.

Any traditions:

Christmas. They always decorate the place together, and even if they go to some kind of celebration or get-together the night prior, they always spend the Christmas day together, and they always surprise each other with their gift, that can never be given before Christmas day. They also have finally agreed that Sunday mornings are for staying in, so Hunter cuts his work out plan short for just a jog and wakes Sebastian up when he gets back to bed after his shower, so they can spend it together. I’m also pretty sure they have some kind of game they always play together. Not sure if it’d be video game, board game, or cards, or pool, but they keep tabs on it, on a board on their living room wall and write little notes besides each game result exulting themselves or calling the other a cheater, or whatever it is.

Their “song”:

Not sure they have a specific one. I’m pretty sure both of them would find that extremely cheesy. They do however sing for each other, or together, now and then. But it’s normally more about having fun or in a sexual like situation than anything else. I think Hunter would be the one to sing him a real “serenade” song instead of just something silly. I have a gazillion songs for them. So it’d be hard to list the best one. But the first one that came to my mind for some reason was Find Yourself from Brad Paisley, because they are both in their low places when they meet each other, or pretty “lost in life” and meeting each other changes everything, no matter the AU setting.

What they do for each other on holidays:

They don’t care much about holidays aside from Christmas. And even Christmas is not in a religious way as much as it is a way to keep a tradition and a sense of home, when they both have their bumps on the road with their families and this is a way to keep something sacred between them. And, later, it is a day when no matter what issues they might have, they put it aside for Christmas’s day with their child. I think that in other times they just have a good time. Go out in New Year’s and drink and fuck a lot, and alternate between their families on thanksgiving, or if they don’t, they just stay home and cook and eat together, or go somewhere warm and spend their day in the pool or something of the like.

Where did they go for their honeymoon:

Somewhere where there’s a beach in a huge ass fancy hotel. Sebastian loves summer, and Hunter really likes being able to be in shorts and swim trunks and tank tops 99% of the times instead of in suits or uniforms so he has no complaints. I think they’d choose somewhere foreign so they could really feel completely free and explore new things, which they enjoy. They did it all, a whole day drinking by the pool, sneaky make outs by the sauna, and walks by the beach to “explore” though it was just an excuse for them to talk and enjoy each other. In their honeymoon, they had absolutely no timing or schedules, they did whatever they wanted, when they wanted, and Sebastian even managed to have Hunter oversleep every day, so he would be rested when back home. They also clearly pranked each other a lot. Not to mention they often skipped meals to stay in and nap or have a whole day in bed, which happened specially the day after, which meant they just started to get to know the place a day after they arrived. There was also a lot of dancing.

Where did they first meet:

I always like the canon first meet before any other else, so Dalton.

Any pets:

Clarence, duh. Though I like to think Hunter would choose some more traditional name meant for people which Sebastian would tease him to death for. I think they would try having other pets along the way, and Seb would definitely want a big dog, but they might give up eventually, specially after Sebastian bonds with the cat, and doesn’t really have the time for any other pets.

What do they fight over:

Pffff. A lot. Who forgot to pay the bills. Whose is the time to wash the dishes. Why is Sebastian’s towel always on the bed. Why must Hunter control every single little freaking thing in their life…. I mean, do I need to go on? I think they rarely fight over jealousy. They sprinkle their jealousy anger into other stupid arguments and angry sex. Both of them know quite well when the other is jealous. If they have a real fight, it usually leads to one of them leaving the apartment for a day, and to very apologetic make up sex.

Do they go on vacations, if so where:

Yep. They do. Everywhere really. They always go somewhere together when they take time off work. They don’t like staying in the city when they’re not working. I think they’d travel pretty much everywhere unless it’s dangerous for civilians. I think they’d go to Egypt and explore Europe, and maybe South America, and Australia, Japan, ranging from very hot to very cold places, and the subsequent activities for each place. They just like exploring and taking pictures, and having memories that are only theirs. When they have their kid, they start being more careful with the places they pick to go to, and plan the trip better than just get there and see what happens, but they still take them everywhere, and have a lot of fun with it. Sebastian loves reading about the history of the places, takes them to the best night clubs and most famous bars, while Hunter makes a list of restaurant and special places he’d like to take them to, and takes them to all the radical sports spots. They both like to do historical exploring together.