#I need to make art of all the things apart of mimic branch just living in one house…..

[whatwouldyourbiasdo]

Finding Cinderella | Series | Chapter Two

Title: Finding Cinderella

Pairings: Donghae x reader,(Primary) Heechul x reader (Secondary), Kyuhyun x reader (Secondary)

Author’s Note: I have been planning this story for a while but have been battling many writers’ blocks in doing so. This story will mainly focus on Donghae and the reader but will have branching stories between Heechul, Kyuhyun and two secondary OC characters.

Sidenote: Yes, this series will include Kangin and Sungmin. This was originally started back when the two of them were still active members and in my heart they will always be members so I will include them wherever I see fit.

SM Entertainment plans to host the event of the century and you are invited!

The news headline offered as click bait got a lot of people talking. It wasn’t a complete lie as SM Entertainment was gearing up to host what they believed to be the event of the century and even a handful of lucky fans were going to be granted access to this exclusive party. But there was a catch.

Only a few lucky fans were going to receive a V.I.P. invitation to the party, a chance to meet all their favorite artists and celebrities as well as experience the best food and music they had ever come across.

In order to be considered for an invitation, fans had to record a video message stating why they loved SM Entertainment, what they felt like the company’s artists changed their lives and why they should be one of the honorable guests for the party. SM Entertainment artists would judge the videos and each group would collectively vote on one fan to personally invite to the party.

Some netizens criticized the requirements, stating that they were basically begging for people to praise them on video so they could use that to their advantage later as part of a sneaky promotional stunt, while other netizens praised the company for including fans who helped the company gain so much success over the past year.

Videos came flocking in as soon as the signup had opened, people had to create a personal account on the official SM Entertainment event page, fill out their profile and personal information and upload the video. On the first night, the event page managed to crash due to the traffic from all over the world though many netizens claimed the company would end up picking fans within Korea as they always seemed favorable to their country.

Not all the applications were valid to the competition, however. Some people thought this would be the perfect opportunity to get their own rise to fame and uploaded a video of them dancing, singing or acting in a desperate attempt to get discovered. Paying tribute to their favorite artists they sang their hearts out and tried to mimic the complicated choreography for as much as possible to showcase their own talents and abilities. Unfortunately for them, SM Entertainment wasn’t looking for new trainees and took no heed of these desperate audition attempts. And then there were the desperate fans who were just grasping the chance of conveying their messages to their favorite idols, hoping that their love confession would set off a series of events only seen in dramas.

Some, however, took it to the extreme. This platform was also the perfect opportunity for the so-called “sasaengs” to come forth with extreme and desperate messages stating that their “oppa” needed to love them and whoever would love them instead would face serious consequences. Most of them would receive a message that their account had been disabled for not following the rules and the company even issued a warning that those would continue sending disturbing messages would face legal repercussions.

   Lee Chanhee had hesitated several times about signing up and giving it a shot. She had been a big SM Entertainment fan for years, their artists and music ignited a light within her which sparked her passion for singing. There had even been people who told her she had actual star potential, the only thing that held her back was her fear. A fear to audition and get rejected. A fear of people who were supposed to be experts, rejecting her and crushing her dreams, killing the fire that fueled her passion. And the idea of the stress and demanding schedules she had heard about, it definitely made the idea of signing as an artist less favorable. Having all eyes on her, judging her every action and movement, commenting on anything she did or said or didn’t do or say, the pressure of being perfect… That was something she rather lived without. Instead, she decided to keep it low and sing for fun. Releasing online songs under a pseudonym to keep the mystery going, she gathered quite a fanbase of followers and viewers. And that was enough, for the time being.

But a chance to be invited inside SM Entertainment, to meet, greet and party with her favorite artists and get an idea of how the people she admired were in real life, without the cameras and the pressure to keep up their good image, that intrigued her. And so her mouse hovered over the signup button on the event page. But she didn’t click.

“Signing up means I have to record a video...” She let out a soft sigh as she considered her options. “Which means people will see my face… And they’ll judge my story...” They made it quite clear in the promotions that the artists were actually going to be reviewing the applications themselves and personally pick out a fan to invite. Which would mean she could have the chance to personally convey her feelings and experiences with her favorite artist, but that could also mean making a great fool out of herself. She could just imagine the groups watching her video, laughing at how ridiculously cringeworthy she looked.

But what exactly did she have to lose? None of them knew her and if her video was laughable at best, they wouldn’t invite her over which means that they would just as easily forget about her embarrassment. And if she did get invited then maybe, just maybe her video wasn’t as cringeworthy as she imagined it in her head.

“Yah! Chanhee-ah!” A voice called from the hallway as she heard the front door slam shut. Footsteps approached her bedroom door and a second later the door flung open revealing the dark haired girl that had burst into her apartment. Sometimes she regretted giving her the password. “Aish, there you are!”

“Oh, Miya-ah!” The curly haired girl nodded as she finally moved from her spot behind her computer and greeted her friend. Miya was a student at the Korean National University of Arts, majoring in vocal and dance courses whom Chanhee had met online right after she released her first ever song online under the pseudonym 월광 신데렐라 (moonlight cinderella). Miya was her first subscriber and commenter and had proceeded to comment, like and even promote every song she released after that. When Miya sent her a message asking if she was a student at her university and that she could introduce Chanhee to one of the music producer majors, she took the plunge and met up with Miya. And they have been friends ever since.

“Sorry, I’m late since the semester is ending they are killing us with exams and preparations,” The slightly shorter girl huffed as she dragged her bag over the floor.

“No problem!” Chanhee smiled as she inched closer to the girl with a curious gaze down on the bag she was dragging along. “So… You got the goods?”

“Ah?” Miya exclaimed, looking up at the taller curly haired girl with a somewhat confused gaze before realizing what she meant. “Oh! Yes! Miya's goody supplying service has done it again!” She grinned proudly as she crouched down and rummaged her bag until she pulled out the small USB stick. “Tadaa! I swear, Yunghwa was going to have a mental breakdown since his program kept crashing and it deleted his final project, you should have seen his face!” She mused, showing no signs of consideration towards her music producer friend she put in charge of helping produce and mix Chanhee’s releases.

“Aigoo, please thank him for me!” Chanhee humbled as she held her hands out for the USB stick, impatiently waiting to hear the final product. She had worked hard on this release, usually, she only produced covers of popular and lesser known songs, but this was the first re-write of a song she composed and she was eager to hear how it turned out before releasing it online.

She did feel sorry for putting so much pressure on Miya’s friend who she could imagine was under a lot of stress as was with finals creeping up. And to top it off, Yunghwa wasn’t even getting paid for the producing he did. Chanhee did offer, but Miya somehow found a way to have him do it without any reward. Chanhee decided not to ask questions.

“Psh, all he needs is a couple of cups of coffee and he’ll be good to go!” Miya smirked as she placed the USB in her hands. “So what were you up to?”

“I was wondering if I should sign up for the SM Entertainment event...” She muttered as she made her way back to her computer, playing with the USB in her hands.

“Oh, right… The fan event where they’re asking you to stick some feathers up their butts to make them feel good,” Miya hummed thoughtfully. She had heard about the event, not surprising since it was advertised everywhere and several of her fellow students had signed up. Not to mention her former roommate had been talking about all the things she had to arrange for it seeing as she found a full-time job at the company after dropping out of university.

Personally, she didn’t feel the appeal of the event, she highly doubted those lucky fans would even catch a glimpse of their idols and would most likely be stuffed in one corner of the venue. She could imagine most of the people that signed up merely did so to get to meet their wannabe husband or wife.

“It would be a chance of a lifetime to attend… Even if it’s just for the food.” Chanhee explained. “But I’m not sure if I’m so comfortable with recording a video message. Especially since the artists will hand pick the winners themselves.“

“Huh, you would think they’d have better things to do than to go through millions of fan videos.” Miya clicked her tongue as she brushed her fingers through her already messy hair. The thing about college students was that after a certain amount of time you stopped giving a crap about your appearance, the dress code was pajamas and dark eye circles most of the time anyway. “But these idols don’t know you, right? So what’s the worse that could happen? You’ll be one of a million rejected and they’ll probably not even remember your face or voice or anything.”

“See, that is what I was telling myself but still...” She bit the inside of her lip as she stared back at the signup screen.

“C’mon! Just do it, you know you want to or you wouldn’t be hesitating so much!” The smaller girl pressed her finger onto the curly haired girls to make her point. “Don’t think too much and just do it. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain!”

“Yes! Yes, you’re right! Let’s do it!” Chanhee encouraged herself as she finally clicked the sign-up button and filled out the information they requested. It also asked for a preferred group, seeing as they were going to divide the applications between all the groups to limit the amount of time their artist had to spent on watching and judging the videos. After thinking about it, she decided to sign up for Super Junior, reasoning that the group barely seemed to take themselves too seriously so if she ended up making a fool out of herself they would most like just brush it off as adorable at least. Or that’s what she kept telling herself as encouragement.

“Lemme know how the track sounds before releasing it and if you need anything changed hit me up and I will pester Yunghwa into fixing it!” Miya mentioned as she hoisted her bag over her shoulder again. She didn’t have enough time to stick around unfortunately, a student’s duty called and she had to get back to campus for a couple more classes.

“Thanks a lot, Miya!” Chanhee beamed as she turned to look at her friend. “I owe you a lot!”

“Aye, what kind of fan would I be if I didn’t go to the extreme for my precious unnie!” She flashed her a cheeky smile and winked as she finished her words before heading out. “Good luck!”

Chanhee waited for her friend to leave and the sound of the door falling back into its automated lock before opening her recording program and turning on her camera. She stared at her own reflection in the screen, huffing as she brushed her fingers through her soft curls trying to get them to twirl a way that would look decent on camera. Patting her cheeks she wondered if she needed to add some more makeup or if it were best to just go with the natural look to give them the right idea of the girl proclaiming her love to the company.

“Ok Chanhee,” She took a deep breath, her finger hovering over the record button. “It’s now or never, I can do this!” She cleared her throat and hit the red button.

“Annyeonghaseyo, Lee Chanhee imnida. Twenty-five years old, veterinary assistant... “ the curly haired girl introduced herself with a shy smile and soft voice. She was fidgeting with her curls as she seemed to try and think of the right words to say.

“I guess I should be answering some of these questions…” Her eyes darted off to the words on the screen for a moment as she mouthed the question first before turning back to the camera with a thoughtful look on her face.

“Um… How has SM Entertainment influenced my life? I guess I would say it has turned my world upside down...” A soft chuckle escaped her lips as she finished her words. “Ah, but not in a bad way! Not at all… It has shown me that music is so much more than a simple melody and some words. It’s about the feeling and message that it’s trying to convey. Connecting people with a mutual feeling, regardless of boundaries set by society… I think that’s what makes it beautiful.”

She seemed to really be contemplating her words as she no longer focused on the camera and as her mind wandered off to the message she was trying to convey, she seemed less nervous. “The first song from SM Entertainment that I had ever heard was sung by Super Junior, and it seemed to speak to me in a way I never expected music to do… In particular when Kyuhyun’s part came up. His voice managed to capture the words and the message, touching every heartstring by singing. It felt like he was conveying the message straight to my heart without ever having met. That’s the power of real talent, it says a lot about the artist's abilities.”

A soft hum escaped her lips as she let her own words sink in for a moment, hesitating whether or not she should keep speaking. It was clear that there was more to say, but she wasn’t sure if she could. “Music has saved my life in more ways than one. And to show gratitude I have always supported all the artists. If I ever had the chance to meet them, I would like to thank them for all the strength their music has given me…”

Her eyes moved up to the question on the screen again as she read the final question. “Ah… In all honesty, I’m not sure if I can answer the last question. I’m sure there are plenty of people out there who would deserve being invited more than me. So I’m not going to answer why I think I’m more deserving or special than all the other fans, everyone has their own reasons for being and their own story to tell. So if I get chosen I will feel blessed and thankful, but if not then I will still be right here, supporting the artists to the best of my abilities, that’s the least I could do.”

As she spoke her final words the screen turned to black as the video had finished. The boys stared at the screen for a moment as they let the message sink in before speaking.

“Wow, that has to be the most genuine message we have seen so far...” Sungmin finally spoke up, breaking the silence filling the Super Junior office.

So far they had seen fans declaring their undying love to the company and them as artists draped in every single Super Junior merchandise they could find. Swinging lightsticks, screaming out their names, high on energy drinks and showing the posters that covered their bedroom walls.

But this girl seemed to really take the requirements seriously. She recorded a video and answered the questions diligently and genuinely. Judging by appearance compared with some of the other videos, you could hardly tell she was a fan. But listening to her words, it was clear she thought long and hard about what she wanted to say and she actually knew what she was talking about.

“Tch, unbelievable she chose Kyu’s voice over mine!” Heechul smirked as he nudged the younger male playfully. He had seemed flustered when the girl started speaking about his ability to convey a message. Sure, he had been praised for his voice and talent before but for some reason the way she praised him felt different.

“She knows her stuff, that’s for sure!” Ryeowook nodded in agreement, it wasn’t surprising that someone praised Kyuhyun’s voice. He was one of the main vocalists after all.

“Let’s just pick hers since I doubt there will be any other actual entries on this list!” Kangin stated as he pulled out his phone. They had been watching videos for several hours now, some more cringeworthy and loud than others. He could understand that people were excited to have a chance to meeting them, but after several hours of sitting in one spot and watching these videos, he was in dire need of some change of scenery.

“That wouldn’t be fair towards the other fans,” Leeteuk felt somewhat guilty about the idea of skipping the rest of the entries right away. “I’m sure all of them put a lot of thought and dedication into it.”

“Well, can we at least call in for some food and drinks then?” Shindong suggested, maybe if they had food to keep them busy, enduring these videos would seem a lot less tiring. It was nice to hear all the praise their fans had given them, it definitely made all of them feel grateful for having such a dedicated fanbase.

“Pizza?” Yesung suggested, feeling peckish himself.

“No, chicken!” Eunhyuk protested as he was craving the taste of juicy fried chicken a lot more at the moment, already licking his lips at the thought of it.

“Why not both?” Donghae shrugged, it wouldn’t be the first time they mix and matched their food preferences because honestly, trying to decide on what to eat with ten - thirteen different cravings wasn’t exactly the easiest task in the word.

“Pizza and chicken sound good to me!” Kyuhyun nodded, finally joining in on the conversation. His mind had been replaying the words of praise Chanhee had spoken before, wondering why those specific words seemed to get to him so much.

“I’ll be right back, you guys keep watching!” their manager nodded as he left the room and headed down the hallway. “Ah! Park-ssi!”

The girl stopped in her tracks as she heard her name being called, turning in the direction of the voice as her crimson locks danced around her face. She bowed in greeting as the manager approached her.

“Yes? How can I help you?”

“I need you to order a couple of pizzas and boxes of fried chicken,” the manager told her as he nudged his head back to the office behind him. “The boys are going through the applications and they’re starting to get restless so they need some food to tie them over.”

“The boys?” She arched a brow curiously as she glanced over at the door leading to the office, hearing muffled voices from the other side. “Ah, Super Junior right? Pizza and chicken? Sure, of course, I can arrange that for you.”

“Thank you, I knew I could count on you!” he smiled thankfully as he bowed his head in gratitude. “Don’t take too long, though. They still have a lot of applicants to review.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll have them deliver in fifteen minutes,” Eunmi grinned as she nodded in understanding. “You know how persuasive I can be after all.”

[breeeliss]

[voltron]: breathe too deep to feel

a/n: i’ve been seeing a lot of art and edits of keith smoking and i always wondered about why he would start in the first place. then i thought of lance who seeks so much validation from others and wondered if maybe he started at one point too. 

characters: keith, lance

words: 2091

disclaimer: i don’t condone smoking. it’s a very nasty habit that isn’t good for you in the long run, and there’s nothing cool or romantic about it. 

keith starts smoking when he’s eighteen -- right after his galaxy garrison records are tossed, right after he realizes that everything he has left can be carried on his back into the desert. 

he pulls out all the spare bills and change in his pockets and buys four packs and a lighter from the only grocery store for miles. he shoves one in his mouth and lights it up the minute he leaves the store. no one ever taught him how to do this, so he coughs up the smog and winces when it burns his chest and his throat. but he feels something deep inside of him, and that’s a start. 

lance starts smoking when he’s fifteen. he crawls out onto the roof with his older brother and watches him blow smoke rings towards the sky that disappear into the clouds. lance sneaks a couple from his pack and sticks them in his pocket so his brother doesn’t see. 

he takes the matches from the kitchen and lights one up with his head sticking out the bathroom window. he’s watched his brother dozens of times and knows what to do -- hold the smoke in your mouth, inhale, then blow it all out. he only coughs twice and feels his head get light and airy. he holds it like his brother -- in between his middle and ring finger. when he’s done, he sits in the bathtub and feels how his brother must always feel -- cool, collected, confident. 

keith smokes when his house is too quiet and when his mind is too loud. he sits on the windowsill and watches the sunset, hair still wet and dripping down his back from the shower. it passes the time and dulls his thoughts and makes them hazy, muted, and indiscernible. it makes him forget the photo of shiro in his galaxy garrison uniform plastered across the news. it makes him focus on the corkboard in his living room filled with notes, theories, and pictures of things that don’t seem earthly, don’t seem human. he doesn’t consider the possibility of death. he considers what is alive and pulsing in the distance. 

it’s why his fingers itch for another smoke in the mornings, before lunch, and just before bed. if keith can inhale poison, then he knows his lungs are working. if he pulls in too much and feels himself start to cough, he knows his body is working to keep him alive. he hurts, therefore he is. descartes can eat his heart out. 

lance smokes when he gets out of his meeting with his guidance counselor. she tells him “it’s a reach” -- his physics scores are average, his chemistry scores are okay, and his biology scores are just a little too low. maybe they’ll like his application video, maybe the fact that he’s a good writer will save him. “we’ll just have to wait and see.” he’s on his fourth cigarette by the time he sits on his stoop, refreshing the emails on his phone, waiting for his admissions results.

the other kids in the neighborhood already gush over lance -- that dude who can exhale smoke out his nose and blow rings better than anyone else on the block. “did you hear? he applied for the galaxy garrison.” it makes lance feel a little bit special. makes him feel like he can hide how ordinary he is behind billows of smog that, for a second, make him cooler than his brother. his brother who’s at yale, who’s gonna be a lawyer, who doesn’t have to try as hard as lance does, who can’t french inhale as well as lance does. 

lance opens the new email in his inbox. cargo pilot. he’ll take it. 

the last cigarette lance smokes is right outside the galaxy garrison when they tell him that smoking on campus is grounds for expulsion. 

the last cigarette keith smokes is one he ashes on the sole of his boot as he watches a mysterious ship fall from the sky. 

a whole year goes by before keith smokes again. he’s tired of hearing about alliances, about voltron’s new leader, about lotor, and about war. so he leaves the throne room of the queen who rules over this strange new planet they’re on and wanders around the palace, shiro’s black bayard feeling heavy as it hangs awkwardly on his hip. 

he passes the kitchens and sees some of the cooks sitting on the balcony, sucking on long, black pipes, and blowing out glimmering lavender smoke as they chortle and gossip in a disjointed language he can’t understand. the old habit presses against the back of keith’s throat, and he finally feels the exhaustion aching deep in bones from staying up for three days straight, scouring aimlessly through space for any sign of shiro with only the demure presence of the black lion for company. as much as he hates any implication that shiro is anything but alive, keith’s brain speaks truth to him late at night when it tells him that people usually only ever get lucky enough to evade death once in their life. 

it’s still so hard to pilot his lion, his instincts aren’t yet polished for leadership, and shiro’s absence burrows a hole in him that makes it hard for him to care. so he walks into the kitchens, points to one of the pipes they’re smoking out of, and points to himself. 

no words are needed to explain how it’s done -- the muscle memory does most of the work. admittedly, it occurs to keith far too late that maybe he should ask if this plant is harmful to humans, but that concern is blurred right along with the fears stuffed deep into the corners of keith’s mind as he takes his first drag. it’s different from tobacco -- it feels cold when it settles in his lungs and produces much more smoke than his shitty drug store cigarettes ever could -- but the effect is almost identical as he shuts his eyes, leans his head against the stone wall, and feels the chaos inside of him calm into a gentle hum that’s easier to manage and easier to ignore. 

they pull a branch off the tree from just outside the window and teach him how to rip up the smooth leaves, pack them into pipes, and roll them into small tubes made out of black filter paper. before he leaves the planet, he pockets a pipe, swipes as much filter paper as he can fit in his pockets, and strips five whole branches of their leaves. 

when he’s back in his room on the ship, he closes the vents to his room, lights up using the zippo he still had in his back pocket, and gasps when he realizes the iridescent, purple smoke glows in the dark and looks like a galaxy of stars curling and twisting their way through the universe. he smokes through two cigarettes before he falls asleep, dreaming that the smoke clouds will lead him to shiro. 

one day, keith forgets to close the vents to his room, and lance smells the smoke from the hallway. 

when he knocks on the door, he hears cursing and shuffling around for a couple of minutes before keith opens the door. he greets him too casually and sounds too friendly, and lance knows why. the smell from the hallway is stronger now, and he can still see a very subtle haze of smoke hanging near the ceiling that reminds him of the day his mom finally caught him smoking in the bathroom. lance points above keith’s head with an eyebrow raised. keith looks at him like a little kid and asks him not to tell allura or coran. lance promises and asks keith to empty his pockets. 

he almost laughs when he sees the handful of what look to be black cigarettes rolled by hand, an homage to a relic lance was half convinced he’d permanently left behind on a planet he’ll probably never see again. he asks keith where he got them from, and keith mumbles something about picking them up from the last planet they’d visited, absently rubbing his thumb against the purple stains on his fingers as he speaks. 

keith looks like how he sounded on thayserix -- overwhelmed with burden and displaying the guilty aftermath of his fear, anger, and inexperience as if he expects lance to pick him apart and find fault in him. but lance does now what he did back then. he takes the burden from keith, breaks it in half, and shoulders part of it himself. he comes inside and asks if he can keep keith company. 

they sit on his bed while keith lights lance’s cigarette and watches him take his first drag. lance shivers when he pulls it into his lungs and smiles when it all goes right to his head. it feels like falling back on a crutch, and lance doesn’t have to think before he swallows and forces the smoke out his nose. keith stares at him for a long moment -- as if lance has broken down another layer of distance and leaves keith pleasantly surprised -- before he lights up another cigarette for himself and settles himself next to lance. 

they go through all the cigarettes keith rolled for the evening while lance asks keith at what age he started. 

they find each other whenever they need a smoke break. this winds up happening often because keith keeps knocking on shiro’s door expecting him to answer and lance keeps spending all his time curled up inside the red lion, wondering if he even deserves to man the controls. lance does smoking tricks because it delights him to see keith try and fail to repeat them, and keith takes long, deep drags that lance can’t mimic without coughing his lungs out. it’s a strange thing for them to find camaraderie in, but the hours pass rather easily when they lay out on their backs on the bridge of the ship and stare at all the distant solar systems and galaxies that pass as they float aimlessly through space. 

it becomes therapeutic -- keith can laugh with ease again and lance can let himself be cocky without it feeling like a cover. their chests feel congested and the backs of their throats ache, but things feel shaky and shrouded in uncertainty now that they’re being forced to grow up quicker than they thought they’d need to. the possibility that they might die tomorrow is more clear than it had been while they still had shiro’s calm experience to keep them safe. after all the botched missions and days spent in healing pods while they struggle to fill shoes much too big for them, they feel as though they’re entitled to their vices. 

one night, the conversation switches to brands they smoked back on earth. keith admits he loved marlboro reds because they burned the most, and that’s always why he smoked -- to feel the high and the burn, the relief and the pain. lance admits he only ever smoked lights -- he was afraid of dying and getting sick, but he loved how people stared at him when he made his smoking look effortless. 

“does it still feel cool?” keith asks, ashing his butt on the floor next to him. 

lance shakes his head. “there’s no one here but you, and i know you don’t find it cool. i guess now it’s just a habit that pretends to fix my problems.”

“what problems are you trying to fix?”

lance snorts and rolls his shoulders back. “i smoked when i fucked up. when people told me i wasn’t good enough. when i thought i wasn’t good enough.”

it’s too honest an answer. it’s packed with insecurities lance has confided to keith before, but keith feels undeserving of them, feels as though he’s not quite sure how to alleviate them. he’s not good with words and he’s even worse at offering comfort, and he doesn’t know how to convince lance of his worth in a way that’ll make keith sound sincere. so keith doesn’t bother to lift him up. instead, he pulls himself down so that they’re side by side. flawed yet equal. the perfect set of partners. 

“don’t worry,” keith tells him, fiddling with the velcro of the gloves shiro gave him, the ones shiro told him to keep safe, the ones keith swore he always would. “i smoke when i fuck up, too.” 

[twilightpony4]

HomeFront: 40. Confrontation

There was still a piece of sunlight when they reached the designated village. To warm them up, they walked them until fit and amped up their speed as time went on. Ridden frequently or not, everybody needs a warm up. The whole Wild West riding thing doesn't work like that (sorry y'all). Venus pulled back on the reins ever so gently to cue her steed to slow to a stop. It was in the Andalusian’s nature to disobey somewhat, fighting back by shaking the bit in his mouth. Leonardo found it easy with Yujin, who listened and executed without question. Still, Venus was speaking and responding to her reacting steed. In a moment, he gave in and shuffled to a stop beside his equine friend. Venus pointed to a building ahead. It was pretty easy to set it apart. Much like the Wu Kwan, it was a ruby (not much a diamond), amongst the small rural homes. From what they can tell, there was no guard outside the door, but that wasn’t to say there was one. These are ninjas we’re talking about; an organization of ninjas and soldiers who are sure to keep a careful eye on who and what enters. “Let's tie them up over here.” She referred to their steeds when a tree caught her eye. Thick at the base yet bent at some degree, the green plumage spread across evenly at a tall height. The location of it was not too far from the desired building and hid behind a house at angle angle. That way, the animals could be hidden as well if a problem were to arise. She clicked on, having Nan lead the way for Yujin due to the incapability of his rider. As they drew closer towards the living log, he could feel the horse slow underneath him, leading to a stop in front of it. “If we need to, we can make a quick getaway.” Venus slid off her high horse. “Gotcha.” Leonardo tried to mimic her movements, though they weren't so subtle. His dismount that ended up as a climb downwards was no match for her simple slide down the leather. Both feet landed in two distinct beats against the ground. Yujin nickered and sashayed in relation to his odd movements, but did not overreact. The instant he touches the ground, a sudden shock went up his leg through his foot. They had been riding for so long and he had never done it before. It was torture on his behind as the belief was indeed true about why a cowboy walked in such a way. He forced himself to stand up straight, reaching backwards to pop his back. “Okay Leonardo, you are…?” The question lingered as she reached around a lower branch. In her hand was a rope to the horse’s halter that she had brought for such an occasion. With a good knot tied, she slipped the halter over Nan’s muzzle and bridle. Once secured, he immediately dove his head down to eat by the tree’s roots. She advanced to Yujin, unbuckling his own from the side of his saddle. “Just a tourist; Lost if needed be.” Leo answered, doing some random stretched hoping they would serve him justice. “Good.” She wrapped the rope about the tree on a different branch. “So what are you then? You know, since you're not a geisha.” His head cocked to the side to see hers. She was focusing on the knot until returning the gaze back. “When we get in, I'll check out the surroundings and determine what I could be. With a gathering at this degree, women may or may not be strictly permitted.” She sounded so down, so low as she presumed to secure her dark colored sweetheart. “Okay.” She was just giving Yujin assuring pats as he watched her. Such gentle hands smoothed over his velvet nose, delicate with love. Feeling the eyes, she looked up at him. Quickly (and not so smoothly), he turned away to stare at the empty spaces around him. Her smile faded and she let go of her horse’s face. He felt a hand grasp his arm. By the time her looked down, she was already folding it over hers. “Arm over, arm under. Now, stride!” The mantra repeated and continued in her head, remembering the etiquette she had left behind. Their steps were even and in pace as they left their steeds behind and towards the fire. Closer and closer they came, and more and more dos their stomachs swirled. It deemed too quickly were they about to ascend up the steps of the “forbidden” building. Both eyed each person who entered prior. Anybody is a potential danger, so best to catch any warning signs. “Keep your face still and confident when you walk in.” Venus kept her head low as she whispered to him. He lowered his head to catch every encouraging word. “It is most welcoming to the people and will serve you some demand of respect.” He gave her a single nod. Leo raised his head. Although his face looked deciding nod unsure, she carried it high at a comfortable rate. When he found an acceptable carriage, his expression straightened out. There was a glassy look in his eye, a look that looked right through one with relaxed facial muscles. The female turtle smiled as she watched his face transform. When he found his face, she continued to smile. He gave her a quick, playful glance before restoring his previous look. A man before them held the door open, letting the two walk into the dragon’s nest. The whole interior was marked in red and gold. Ruby colored wallpaper contrasted against gold accents and poles as the venue was set up circular. If you followed the path, you’d find doors on your right that could lead to anything. In the middle of it all, there was always a shallow set of stairs available for one to come down and join the occasion personally unless one wanted to watch it from above. Venus clutched Leonardo a bit more, trying to keep close and stay out of line. There was literally nothing they can expect but the worst if their hoax was to fail. “(Good evening.)” one gentleman greeted the strange boy as they passed by. By this minute, Leonardo’s face froze. What did he say? Is he onto us? He could only lean on Venus to help interpret. When he saw her smile, he relaxed the muscles he tensed up involuntarily. “(Good evening, sir.)” Venus returned in Leonardo’s place. Not at all thinking of Leonardo, the man went about his business. He was ok with Leo not responding and a woman instead. Good. As they walked around the path, they felt like hawks, watching everyone below on the “high” stoop. Traditional music played as drums and bells bounced around. Food was served on a platter carried by workers who went in and out of what would assumedly be a kitchen. There were not many women, but numerous men of all ages who chatted and laughed together. “Definitely a gathering, but it is highly social.” She observed. “A Foot meeting wouldn't look like this. If I learned anything from movies, they could be using this as a cover. It's best to figure if they are in a separate room.” Leo added, nodding his head welcomely to a man who caught his eye as they walked. “My thoughts exactly.” No sooner did she speak, she caught sight of the looks she was getting. Passing men or women by the walls with their fans up to their eyes singled her out. The look was not at all welcoming, but they weren't going to say anything. Venus already knew. “As if I don't get enough looks as a turtle.” She muttered disgustedly, glaring back at one older woman. Her skin was as porcelain as her face powder. The crooked, edgy look in her eyes were disturbed by how this one girl had no decency to keep herself out of the sun. A very rural, outdoors type girl she assumed to be. How unladylike. “All because I'm dark-skinned.” (Making sure y'all know this isn't a racial diss, it's a fashion diss). “Or because you're beautiful.” the comment caught her off guard. She was keeping her eyes on her toes until that warm voice came in. Venus looked up to him. Leonardo looked extremely genuine, all the while pulling her a little closer in their arm fold. “ Either one.” he shrugged, making the cutest of smiles with his slight overbite. The female turtle blushed, taking her eyes away to escape from his own. “I'd feel a lot better if we weren't possibly surrounded by a terrorist group.” she muttered, bringing herself back to reality. Leonardo had to face it too. This really wasn’t the time for him to be suave. Villains at every corner, but he took the chance to compliment the pretty girl. The band grew lively then soft again as the social floor became a dancefloor in transition. The men cleared a space in the middle of the circle as the lights began to dim. Leonardo and Venus were on their toes as the room went black. Bam! A white flash revealed the three women who appeared undetected in the circle. The band began to play once again, in tune to the small fireworks that were strategically set up for the performance. Following the rhythm of the flute, a red dragon costume hopped in and encircled the women as they performed feats with their gorgeously decorated fans. Both felt obligated to hunch over in the darkness of their higher platform. Although they were on a mission, Leo couldn’t help but watch the spectacle. It was something he’d never seen, or at least be able to see it in the origin of the art. Suddenly, he felt a tug on his arm. He whipped back and off to the side. Venus was up against the wall, in the middle between two doors. The turtle stopped himself short, just before he could bodyslam her. She made sure he kept close by pulling his hand towards her so no one could hear her whisper. “Take a look at every woman you see.” Man, Leo didn't want this to be the time where her hot breath sent shivers down his back. Poor man contained his composure and followed instructions. There were the women performing...and… most of the others were up were they were, either walking around in small groups or fraternizing with the male guests. “ What do they have in common?” Did she really want him to think about other girls in this room? “White faces, kimonos, black and red makeup.” he listed, which didn’t turn out to be so hard. Venus nodded, but even under no light, the shadows of her face weren’t smiling. “Every girl here has a pair of fans or a small stringed instrument at their sides.” She groaned. “I really hate being me right now.” “Why?” He asked. Not too long did he get an answer. Venus began to unknot her robe. Leo couldn’t think of what she was doing as a crimson blush took over his cheeks. He soon made him whip around in embarrassment. “Leo, I needed you to cover me.” She spoke harshly. He was too scared and bewildered when he slowly and awkwardly raised his arms, standing a foot or two away from her. She used a hand to reach his shoulder and whip him around. Now, her robe was spilling off her shoulders as she clasped it together at her chest with her other hand. “I’m just toying with it but it’s disgraceful if I do this in public. I’m human to everybody else, not turtle. You got to shield over me.” Her free hand grasped his and raised it up to her head, a couple inches to the left of it. She did the same to the other on the opposite side. Now Leo understood as he realized that his body and draping robe hid Venus underneath him. But, he had to admit, he felt uncomfortably close. It was already hot in there, but literally Venus could lift her head up and bump into his chin. He also felt lost, debating on whether to close his eyes or not because his position has him looking right down at her as she pulled her robe to sit just on her shoulders before they could choose to fall. He closed his eyes, hoping he didn’t seem like an idiot to her as she tied her robe back up. Before she was going to allow him to back off, she took a moment to revel at how he had closed his eyes even though there was nothing for her to hide from him. How sweet and gentlemanly. Now, back to life. “From here on out, I am a courtesan. Got it?” She urged, using a hand to gently push him off her. He opened his eyes, seeing a slightly different style before him. “Courtesan.” he repeated. “Correct.” “How do we figure what rooms they're in?” He referred to the Foot, the reason they’re here in the first place. By observation, people were going through the doors freely, just pairs of men and women who entered privately. “I see some couples walking into random rooms here. Do we do the same?” “No.” Venus shook her head, although she valued his insight. “We are visitors here. They are probably regulars.” The last sentence felt gross in her mouth as she cross her arms. “Hopefully, I can try to sense them behind closed doors.” She took Leonardo’s arm back and wrapped it as she had it done previously. In step, they stalked by the doors. To help her single out anything she could feel, she left her eyes to Leonardo when she closed hers, feeling any tendency through her body. “Feel anything yet?” He asked gingerly after the first five doors they’ve stopped by. “A little, but it's not getting any stronger as we go along.” She was honing in on something, but it felt off and eerie. Something could be blocking the transmittance. “There's definitely mischief.” she felt through her soul the evil tendencies, but it wasn’t strong enough to pinpoint an exact location or person. “(Are you still with her?)” A timid tap bounced against Leonardo’s shoulder. Leonardo jumped, compressing his companion’s arm underneath his tense muscle. He relaxed once he figured where it came from. It was a very old man with a very strange look. A tattoo that ran along with head and a shaven do and that a lot of hairs pulled into a topknot. Prior, Venus felt something odd as they walked and it grew stronger up until the point Leo had squeezed her. She opened her eyes in shock of the suddenness. The man was her friend, Khan. What was he doing here? Maybe the same as her? But then again, this strange feeling must be associated with him. Whether it be good or bd, Venus had to know. “I am a tourist.” Leonardo enunciated in English, quite unsure with what to do with himself. “(He is a lost tourist.)” Venus giggled in a very high pitched voice. A gingerly hand pressed against his chest as she smiled brightly to the older gentleman. “(And no, he is not. Is there anything I can do for you?)” “(You are needed. Come with me.)” Quickly, he took her by the hand and tried to pull her away. “Um, I don’t think she’s-.” Leo was going to reach for her, but she dodged his hand elegantly. “It is alright. I am ok.” She nodded slowly. The way she looked, she could be nto something. It was knowing and in control. “You're going to leave me here?!” He whined. Given all the circumstances, she was going to leave him to his devices in a terrorist party? “I'll be right back!” Venus whispered harshly back. “(He asked me where the bathroom was. My apologies.)” She turned quickly to the older fellow, wrapping er arm around his as she had done Leonardo. “(I see.)” He did not take ny interest in the matter. The older man whisked his only saving grace away. He watched as they gained ground and entered one of the rooms they chose not to seek out. Leo just stood there, dumbfounded as he leaned against the wall. What was he to do now? Just then, a group of young men passed by. Each one eyed him critically. Tourist, they were probably thinking. Leonardo sighed and gave it a whirl. “How are you doing?” His throat reached a depth that kept them moving along. “(Dance for me. Could you do that?)” he asked so politely. A chair off to the side was dragged to the woman standing center in the room. It was pulled to sit underneath him as he rested his back against it. “(Yes.)” Hurried, she reached for the fans by her sides. She did not want to keep him waiting. “(Would one with these fans work?)” One opened in her hand. Although it was made of paper and elegantly painted on, the thick, sturdy handles were designed to fight. “(Yes. Please, begin.)” he asked. Khan relaxed, nearly melted into his chair once the other fan was opened and she began. It had been years since Venus watched or danced with fans before. It was not a skill she was interested in and would do other things with them rather than dance. Alas, her cover called for it . Calm and collected on the outside, panic surged internally for her brain scrambled for any moves that would keep her rhythm going and make her any less suspicious than she already was. When in doubt, recycle the moves from Gong Fu or Hai Yang. Probably not the best choices, but he’s old, he’ll dig the classics. He did not seem to have a preference for his mind was in two places at the moment, relishing them both. “(Everything's coming together nicely.)” she heard him mumble. “(Finally, all of my plans will begin after this day.)” That came out louder than the ast, Judging by the way he said it and with the volume, he wanted her to know something. One would not be so direct, but touch on the subject in hope to spark of some interest. “(What are these plans of yours? May I ask?)” She gave in. These mischievous vibes were still present, and now he’s talking about ‘plans’. Could be anything: improvements of the council, a solution maybe, a solution to the Foot problem… why was he here? A good guess that they invited the village as a coverup. “(You are a silenced employee of the Foot?)” Oh, snap. Her fan snapped open with a warrior’s pose when he popped the question. Venus couldn’t believe it. Could it be? Khan? But… but he was the one who hated the Foot. He detained that guy the last time… or he pretended to. Could it be that there are other wizards inclined to the Foot? There must be more than this story, otherwise the world will soon be in chin deep trouble. “(I am pledged to the Foot Clan, yet I know very little.)” She tried to keep her voice even, not letting it crack and ruin her elegant appeal. Khan twisted the end of his long, black beard between his fingers. “(It should not hurt to tell. Besides, I need to tell of my soon to be victory.)” Oh, no. A gloater. She just had to put up with him long enough to get some truth circulating. It just can’t be that he was the bad guy in this. Khan is a good man. Please, just be undercover, a mole in their plan, she prayed while she composed into a crane position. “(As the next, powerful magician in line, it is only fair that I may speak for all of China.)” “(Yes? You are put before the political leaders of the entire country.)” Venus wanted to keep it going, let it all flow out at once and keep her nerves from rioting from anticipation. “(If I could, they would have been the dust of my shoes by today.)” He spoke so snobbishly. “(What keeps you?)” “(I have been offered a position to become the ruler of China with an image that does not appear to be a dictatorship. A sense of peace, if you will.)” “(How so?)” He is evil. You could not imagine the terror and panic circulating within a content-looking, fabulous dancer as herself, fighting it to keep the secrets flowing. Later, she told herself, it will happen later. “(Mistress Karai, daughter of Oroku Saki, has created alliances with the underground ambassadors of nations to gain complete control of the United States. With my cooperation, she will, in turn, support my political campaign when China’s leaders fall to her hand. Of course, she will bring forth to me more.)” Both of his hands reached for his collar and taught them apart. “(For you do not know, the Council of the Chinese Magicians are quickly failing without the guidance of the Great Chung I. If I run China politically, the Council will have no choice but to turn to my guidance and control.)” Outside the room of horrors was the party of horrors. Every turn, every person there was someone to eye him critically, telling him he did not belong there without words. Being a tourist was hard, he thought. Somehow, through the pushing and confusion, the six footer found himself in the middle of it all. Dodge that person, waiter with a full platter coming through. Most of the guests were a foot shorter than he was, so there was no way of missing him. Little scowls here and there, dancers over there, now there’s a dragon-coming-this-way! “Excuse me, dude.” It apologized when it bumped the disoriented man. Leonardo had to double take. Did that dragon just say ‘dude’? Taking a chance, he grabbed hold of the mouth of the beast and opened it wide for him to see inside. The person doubled back. He was white, much like himself but a hue darker. Freckles, blue eyes, but you can't miss the orange bandana around his eyes. “Mikey?” Leo questioned in surprise. “Do I know you?” The orange masked man lifted a brow and zoomed up close to the other. With a closer study, he realized the blue eyes and noticeable scar across one of them. “Oh, Bro, Leo hey!” He exclaimed. “You look good.” “What are you doing here?” “Rescuing you!” “Leo!” Another familiar voice. From behind Mikey, a taller yet lighter skinned fellow emerged with glasses. “Donnie?” He began to search further into the costume for the rest. As word quickly spread Leo was in front of them, a brown haired, muscular woman was followed by a red banded and even more muscular male. “That's… 1,2,3,4… All of you are in there?” There was a mutual head nod from every one of them. “Yep! So, what's going on? Anything suspicious?” Mikey whispered in a sneaky, childish voice. He leaned in close and put a hand up to the side of his mouth to make it “private”, creating a harsh sound on the last word. The only thing it did was make his big brother back off and wave his hand to get rid of the stink of the young one’s breath. “No, but…” he stopped fanning. “How'd you guys know about us being here? And how are you people too?” “Venus told Don.” Raph stated blatantly. “The old guy gave us magic charm necklace things.” “She knows nothing about this so not a word!” Donnie dropped in. He did not want to be the one that told Venus’ secret. Miwa already volunteered to take the blame. “Where's Venus anyways? Is she safe? It doesn't look” she paused to criticize the nature of the surrounding women. “‘woman friendly’ in here.” “Not sure. Some old guy took her away for something. I don't know what a courtesan is, anyways.” “She's posing as a courtesan?!” Mona pushed the other two brothers as she pushed forward, answering in shock. “Yeah?” He replied, quite unsure how to go about this situation. “Leo, a courtesan is a Chinese prostitute!” She exclaimed as quietly as she could. The eyes of every single English speaking boy doubled in size. She’s posing as a what?! “Whoa. Never thought it would come to this.” Mikey commented. “One day she's playing with dolls and now she's dancing on poles. So sad.” The orange banded boy dropped his head low in honor of the innocent Venus de Milo. Donatello grabbed the tails of his mask. Pulling them back, they forced his head up. Neck curling all the way back and looking at his brother towering over him, he listened. “She's pretending, Mikey.” Donnie assured. “You sure? It's always the good girls that go bad.” The older brother let go of the tails to playfully knock his head forward with his nonsense. “She said just go with it for her cover.” Leonardo explained. “Besides, this guy was beyond ancient. If anything goes haywire, she can handle it.” Mona Lisa was still not satisfied, as noted by the cynical expression she presented them with. The older turtle wanted to keep Venus out of any trouble if she were to pop back up and find out they're here. Of course her cover is not in any shape or form an intention. Leo saw the way she resented the fact, groaning as she changed her ways to fit the part. He was quick to defend her position.“She was using her senses to flush out the hole that the Foot are hiding in. Said something about mischief and that guy came by. Surely, she left to follow a lead.” “Alright. We got to keep moving.” Leonardo couldn't tell what the rush was. It was when Mona pointed with a timid finger and Leo turned to see. Yeah, it looked a little weird for the man to be carrying quite a conversation with the performing dragon. Yeah, better move on. “Keep us posted.” With that, she and Raphael were pushed towards the back in their original positions. The eldest could tell as the back end became full again. “Yes ma’am.” He saluted. Donnie backed up to disappear as well so they could roam around the room. Before he could release the grip on the mouth, Mikey stopped him just before he could. “Kung Hay Fat Choy won ton soup!” He whispered harshly. Leo raised a brow. Was he speaking Chinese? “Hai…?” His answer in Japanese, but he really didn't understand a word he said, or believe it was actually a Chinese phrase for that matter. Mikey rolled his eyes sarcastically. “That's my code for you got your woman stolen by an old dude.” He mocked, snickering inside when he let Leo close the mouth back up. “Go jump on the rails.” He threatened as the costume backed up and skipped away. “(Were you planning to kill Chung I?)” Venus tried to keep most of the stress of her voice at bay. At this part of the dance, her back was turned. One foot up in a crane pose and fan opened up, hanging over her head, tears tried to escape their ducts, but she wouldn’t allow it. She just needed a little more time from looking at him in the face to suck them back in. “(What was that?)” Please don’t make her ask again. She changed poses to keep her from shaking her head. “(If he hadn’t left, would you have killed him to gain that power through the council?)” That came out a little stronger than she had anticipated. “(I couldn’t.) He admitted. From the tone of his voice, he was very sincere. Venus was unknowingly still when he heard his answer. It was quite a surprise to her. (His children would never forgive me. Strange creatures they are. The young one is a magician as well, but she has no clue. And her oldest sister,)” an inappropriate chuckle. (“ a disgrace to the family. Quits everything for she was impregnated before marriage. Not only that, but she killed the child. A pity really, but who’s to say we should have more snakes like her running around our village.)” He was asking for an amen, but would not get one out of the entertainer. Can she beat him up right now? Every bone in her body screamed to stay cool and not blow her cover, but then again there was this other nice voice screaming ‘DRAG HIM!!!’. She kept her dance, yet it was less elegant and more simple to execute. Repeatedly, her bottom lip was chewed, fighting back every motive to break, “(Mona Lisa is not a snake.)” she bit her lip back to keep her from letting her feelings get in the way. “(What?)” The old man straightened up in his seat. “(She’s not a snake.)” she repeated. “(No, no. I didn’t mention her name to you, did I?)” Oh my gosh, he got out of his seat. She’s done it now. Khan approached quietly, head cocked to one side in wonder. “(No, you didn’t, but-.)” She tried to keep dancing, looking as innocent as possible.“(I have heard of her tale. The two reptilian sisters of the brush.)” she explained. Khan came closer and closer to her. “(Nobody should know of them outside of the village.)” Venus straightened up when he drew a hand towards her. There was no glow and no tension in his fingers. He bought it! But now, he was getting really close.Closer than what Venus would ever call comfortable to a menace like him. “(Well, someone must be leaking this information to the wrong people.)” How can she talk so smoothly while being forced to stare into the eyes of an evil man? His hand touched her face, fingers caressing her cheeks. She wanted to scream ‘back up!’ but could not. Could this possibly be how Mona felt way back when she was being mind controlled. Khan was now her Bebop as he stared into her beautiful eyes. The girl’s breathing hitched for she had not anticipated his old fingers dragging down to her jaw and down her neck. Was he really going to do this now? How can she get out of this? She certainly did not want to get this far with him. Just get some information and make a lame excuse to leave. How could the time get away from her. As she thought of a plan, Khan made his hands and eyes go down her collarbone. With prying eyes, he took notice of a piece of stringed leather around her neck, hidden within her robe. With full right to do so, he slipped his hand shallowly into the fold of her robe. Venus had no idea what to do as he made his hand inside her clothing. Suddenly, his hand clasped together with immense force and pulled at the charm, undoing the knot around her neck. “(Mèilì mèilì!)” he shouted, glaring at the stolen charm. He felt something off about this girl when she mentioned the unknown. When he looked up, he was less than surprised who it had been. What he saw was no longer the golden curled, dark skinned girl. Now, there was an anthropomorphic turtle he had know for so long, but not her cal stature was replaced with ever flowing tears. “(How could you? I thought you were our friend!)” She screamed. Khan took a couple steps back, quite affected by her pitches. “(You don't understand, foolish child. With the council dwindling, the only way to keep it alive is to take over China.)” “(You just took ten steps to solve two.)” “(If I rule China, that makes me automatically in power over everything. The council refused to have a single leader and would rather work together. It's not working! We're dying! Mystic arts will be gone if I don't do this!)” He bellowed. “(But taking over China, under the Foot clan!?)” “(A small inconvenience, but I'll do whatever it takes to keep the council alive.)” “(There's other ways to fix it.)” Venus shook her head, This just couldn’t be. All the lies… it just couldn’t. (“ I'm here now, let me help! Chung I was my father, I'm sure that-.)” “(You are not the biological daughter of Chung I!)” He cut off in distress. “( He has no heir, no continuance of his great blood! You have nothing of him! Neither you or your sisterly snake!)” Out of stress, he threw the magic charm away from him on the other side of the room. “(Don't do this! I know there's good in you-.)” “(My “good” is only available if they would let me be in charge of them! If they don't do it willingly, I shall do it by force!)” “(I'm not going to allow it!)” “(I did not ask for your approval, child!)” “(Do yourself a favor, and leave. Now!)” “(Over my dead body!)” Suddenly, her hands glowed. Khan was ready for a blast of some sorts, but instead the aura was in another part of the room. It surrounded the charm and lifted it. The old man allowed it for there was no other use for the charm that could stop his plans, Merely a cover up item and nothing more. Soon, it's magic will have no effect. She brought it to her. When it hit her chest, her magic created a new knot around her neck and cloaked her with her human body. “(That can be arranged.)” A yellow energy orb began to form. Once fully charged, he threw it at her. Venus was quick to counter with one of her own. It hit a little later than his, so the aftermath was closer to her, The power sent her back, but she kept on her feet. “(You are the only magician to know of my intentions. I was able to mask any emotion sense for the most part. Congratulations.)” he chuckled, taking strong steps to the side. He wanted to be in control of the situation, thus giving him the illusion of it early in the fight. Quite clever. “(A sense I've used quite often.)” She smirked before sending a surprise back. The ray of light was hit by his own magic who shied it away from him. A glimmer of it, however, marked up the side of his body. The old man put a hand over the wound as an impulse. It stung, but not enough to bring him down, He looked back into the eyes of the young girl. She stood so proud, so strong. How cute. “(I can tell.)” He sneered. “(Amazing that someone could like you so much in such a way. Maybe even love.)” He had used the same intruding senses on her. She knew who he was talking about, but she couldn't’ let that phase her. He knew she was insecure and intended on using that against her. Venus had to shut it out. She knew she wasn’t ugly, she knew that she was special, she knew that she was beautiful and there was a whole list of those who think the same. She stood her ground and smiled. Both fists were clenched up to her chin. “(Amazing how someone as respected as you could corrupt.)” One by one, people of the party began to quiet their chatter. When one asked their comrades to stop and listen to the weird muffling sounds, they shushed their friends and then forth. The rotation got around to the middle of the room when Leonardo took notice of the discrepancy. With the room quieted, there were some sounds he could make out. The sound of what a cartoon gun would make in an old cartoon, grunting, but nothing giving them direction as to where it's coming from since no damage was made on the building despite its shakes. The echoing of the sound distorted and was deceiving to the ear. Leo knew. He recognized that sound and knew exactly where it was coming from. People were apologized to frantically as he pushed the crowd and parted them to make way for him. As he tore closer to the outer ring, the people took notice and moved out of his way. Leonardo was at the base of the stairs when another rumble shook up the building. His head shot up when the sound of splitting wood cackled. A yellow light caused the audience to react violently, especially when a body was flying in the air. Leonardo charged those stairs, gaining as much momentum as he can. Venus seemingly lifeless body was doomed to fall flat on the unforgiving ground. At the top, the athlete leaped. Gaining a substantial amount of airtime, he grabbed the girl and snatched her down from the splintering wood. The people did not know how, but Leonardo used his shell to cover Venus from the falling wood. When the last of it took its turn to fall, he lifted himself off of her. She wasn't bad. Scrapes from the wood was definitely there in the appropriate places. “Leo!” Her vision cleared to see the worried turtle looking over her. “Whoa! Venus!” He didn't know if she could stand, so he placed his hand gingerly under her head. Her eyes squeezed in pain from being slammed against such heavy wood. Surely, without a shell she would have been done for. “You alright?” “It's Khan!” She forced out. Her hand was offered, indicating that she wanted to stand. Leonardo kept his hand behind her head and put the other in her own as they both pulled to get the turtle girl to stand. “Khan? Who's Khan?” She was unsteady and had to lean on him for support. To answer his question, the older man emerged from the sawdust, standing in the middle of the dusty room. A few men rushed towards him. The older gentleman only had to point directly to the two diversified people to divert the men’s attentions. “Oh boy.” “(Kill her!)” Khan ordered. Swiftly, the men sprinted, flipping down the stairs and made a beeline towards the two despite the crowd’s fears. “What'd he say?” He pushed Venus behind him, pushing them back from the men. “He ordered them to kill me.” The turtle girl stumbled, in which she grabbed the rim of his shell to keep herself up. She really was banged up pretty bad. The turtle before her reached inside his robe and withdrew two katanas from their sheaths at his sides. “Not today, they won't!” He affirmed, squatting low and clenching the blades tight. The first to reach him drew a single sword from the sheath at the side of his hip. When he came down, the metal rang across the room. The second the people saw a sword fight break out, they panicked and fled for the exits (shouldn’t they have ran when Venus’ body flung from a wall?). The Foot member, totally unaware that he was fighting a turtle, went to go in for a punch with his empty hand when he saw the opportunity. Crack! The felling of his hand faded away. He retracted it, holding it in his other hand very carefully. Then, dazed, he looked up at Leonardo. The caucasian man turned to look at his back, very confused as to why he did that. But then, he remembered. The mere thought of it brought a devious smile to his face. “My turn.” he spoke slyly. Oh man, how the soldier looked ready to cry when Leo swung his sword again. In pain, he released his hand to defend himself with his sword. They metal slipped off one another as the soldier went through with the motions, opening up his back to his opponent. One good elbow in him back brought him to the ground. “It's ninja time!” Mikey called to the furthest in the costume. Following the sound of grunts and metal clangs, he located the commotion through the crowds of people and viewed his now fighting brother. “Hey, hey, whoa!” He called as the family withdrew their weaponry and gripped the top of the costume. “What?!” Mona shrieked, both annoyed and in a hurry. “Can we pop out like the Huns from Mulan? Just straight up ‘ARRRGH’?!” Mikey pitched with enthusiasm. Before an answer could be made, the three taller siblings blankly pushed up the roof of the costume and turned it over. No fancy reveal, no screaming. Just… stood there. They took a second to glower at him before charging into the fray. Michelangelo was left behind to pout and look back at the costume. What he couldn’t see were to two Foot soldiers advancing towards him. His body sulked as he withdrew the nunchucks at his side. “I never” He began to swing his arms and chucks around wildly as an upset child would, “get to do what I want!” He whined. A moan from behind made him jump and turn around. In a fighting stance, he was ready to take on the ghost who yearned. A little sight down revealed to him the two outcold Foot Soldiers he unknowingly beat up. Michelangelo made an ‘o’ with his mouth, holding a fist to it with widened eyes. Man, he did them dirty. “Yeah Boy!” He shouted. “What’s up?!” He howled over them. The turtle gave them another cocky expression and gave his nunchucks a whirl before hustling over to his family. Khan emerged from the sanctity of the room. His eyes gazed around the chaos that surrounded him. There were more fighting against him than he had thought. More colorful characters were added into the picture. From careful observation, he can see the necklaces around their necks. More disguises, it may be. “(Remove their necklaces!)” He shouted from his spot. The orders were easier said than done. Three were off to the side, trying to fill in their quota first by taking down the biggest one with the red mask wound around his head. Each took a turn to try to kick or punch the person, but it proved too difficult as he dodged every single one. It also seemed that he was smiling, highly enjoying their demise. “Nice Dragon kick. Ah, sweet double Phoenix punch.” He commented sarcastically. “ Hey! You know this one?” A 180 twist of the hips granted a flying leg to the now flying men to the ground. Another off to the side, twirling and swinging a Bo staff that defected their swords and took a jab at their soft stomachs, lurching them forward in pain. Despite such views, he had more and more men. Those colorful characters could not last too long. In the corner of his eye, he can see a splash of light blue on the floor. Battered, Venus was still suffering from the effects of her earlier defeat. Khan grinned before glowing. “(Let's take it to my domain.)” He whispered to himself. His eyes began to glow white, and in return, Venus’ did as well. The world around her disappeared, transporting her to a place far beyond comprehension. The skies, if they could be called that, was a gradient of a dark coral and white. There was no floor to touch, in which she was floating in the atmosphere. Despite the colors, items and pieces of sets that made up the previous ballroom floated around them in a chaotic state. She had to question: Why am I here? Her answer came when a quick flash of a bright light simmered down to show the body of Khan. He appeared stoic and strong, looking over her pitifully, seeing a broken bird on the ground. She growled at his presence. “(Didn't think you'd survive a physical plane?)” she mocked, straightening herself up. The older man chuckled to himself, humoring the child. From her groggy expression, she was still feeling the effects on her body. “(Anyone can kill physically. This will be far more amusing to me.)” “(Bring it on!)” Little bursts of energy flung from her hands, hurdling in his direction. Creating a type of shield around his body, Khan deflected then once they hit. Behind his wall, the sound and impact of the balls vibrated against it, feeling its power indirectly. When the hail was over, it became his turn to retaliate. His entire body glowed yellow as the aura surrounded him. Only one of his hands was more concentrated than the other while the power source built up. At its peak, he forced the beam onto her. The girl was quick to react to the Magic by placing a shield of his own. As the yellow clashed with the blue, a blue aura spilled fiercely off the sides of which her shield took up. Four separate bursts fled from the sides, aiming at the offend man. He stopped his magic to defend himself from her own. Each burst was caught in both of his crossed hands and feet, but it did push him back on the plane. “(I must admit, you are raw.)” He levitated back up to her height. Venus stood ready. It was quite a big power surge that drained her of the majority of her energy. Khan knew it and she had to hold herself up. “(but out of my league.)” The girl’s eyes widened in horror. A bright yellow bubble surrounded him. Bolts of lightning and other explanatory lines ran around him in a storm. She had never witnessed magic in this type of state. That was the moment Venus knew. She was going to lose this battle. In the real world, things were getting a little better. The small family was getting tired, but the soldiers weren’t the best fighters to go up against. They still havent figured why some of their tactics didn’t work when they hit them in the right spots, meaning they have not successfully ripped off a single one’s necklace yet. But that was going to change very quickly. At the moment, Mona was having a wonderful time with the boys. A couple cute little team-ups here and there, but mostly independent. Currently, she was finishing off the last of her opponents. She jumped over the charging man, pushing off his back. When she hit the ground, her leg knocked him off his leg with a single swing. His back hit hard, choking him with the impact. The girl smiled at his discomfort. Leonardo approached her, but not to give her some praise, explanations, or deliver a witty phrase. He noticed Khan standing at the top of the stairway. A blank expression followed by white glowing eyes kept him still. Coming close, Michelangelo was busy using the pathway as a place to run to the other side of the room to assist Raphael. “Mikey!” He shouted. The boy stopped on on leg. A couple jumps forward on it kept him from falling over as his back leaned back to see what he wanted. “He’s the bad guy!” He explained. “Khan?” Mona shrieked. Leonardo nodded, placing a hand on her shoulder. It shocked her tremendously. Mikey was brought to the attention of the still man. Since he wasn’t posing any threat at the moment, he came up close and sneaked a peak of his face. “So?” he asked nonchalantly. “He’s right there! Clock him already!” “Yo! I'm not gonna punch an old dude!” “But he's evil!” “So?!” this time, it was a lot more sassy and resistant. “That's a bit of a double standard.” Donnie added before swinging his staff at the few of the standing Foot soldiers. “Look. I'm not gonna hit him, and y'all aren't either. Leave it to V.” Leonardo raised a brow. “What are you talking about?” Mona had to guide his eyes by pointing to the turtle girl hiding close by. Although the shadow hid her body, they could see those bright eyes glowing vividly. “She's fighting him mentally. What if she messes up his brain or something?” Raphael asked when he hoisted two men in both hands. As their fate would have it, their bodies clashed together. Outcold, Raphael dropped them like rags. “He's old anyways, probably forgot to turn the sink off at home.” Mikey defended. He put a hand on the old man’s shoulder. Before he could touch him, a shocking sensation pulsed through his arm. The turtle yelped and gripped his upset arm. Curious, and stupid, he tried it again. The same results occurred. So much for the punching plan. Harmless on the outside, they couldn’t not imagine what was happening on the other side. Venus was down. She could not protect herself from what Khan had delivered. It did not kill her, but she was sure he was going to finish her off. The entirety of her body either burned or stung from the unknown properties inflicted upon her. The man stood over her, watching her try to get up but definitely couldn’t. “(If you had just let me help the people, you would not be in this predicament.)” He glowed once more. The same unforgiving orbs of light surrounded him again. This was it. Venus, seeing her fate, put her head back down. Khan was not the last person she wanted to see. Instead, she’d rather remember the life she’s led. She couldn’t recall the wonderful life in China without Khan somehow being present. Instead, she recalled New York. The amazing lights and culture diversity. The adventures, the lessons, Splinter, her new brothers, Mona. Such beautiful figures. “(Give my apologies to Chung I when you see him.)” He asked. Khan unleashed his light in close proximity. The brightness was too hot to watch as it hit the girl. Even he had to back up from the heat. This was burning her alive. Both guilt and relief washed over him as the light began to dim. Venus as a threat was gone, but surely her sister and allies will come after him. He thought of his plans that his empire will be much bigger by the time they figure it out. The light simmered away and what he saw was shocking. The yellow light slipped off the rainbow colored bubble that covered the girl. Venus was in just as much shock as he when she looked up and saw that she was still alive. “(It is over, Khan.)” a deep-bass voice echoed. Suddenly, the invisible figures of twenty numbers revealed themselves. It was the wizard’s council. Everyone wielded a hand that outstretched their colorful auras to protect the turtle girl. Venus wanted to cry at the arrival of her salvation as they stood up to Khan. “(Gentlemen! Please! I was only trying to help!)” He nervously backed up. “(By attempting to kill the daughter of Chung I?)” One accused, offering a hand to the proof below them. “(It's not what it looks like! I swear!)” “(That's not what he told us.)” Another chimed in. “(Who?)” Khan asked. No answer. Just a squint of the eyes. Khan took the time to try to figure it out while one floated down to Venus. “(Mei Pei Chi,)” The field around her dispersed as he came to her aid. He turned her around carefully. Her eyes were partially shut from fear and happiness. “(will you help us?)” he asked, which was also his way of asking if she was alright. He helped her to her feet when she gave an unsure nod. He noticed her struggle, but she had to stand. The man let her lean her heavy figure against him. Slowly, she rose her head from her chest. What she saw was the most promising sight she had seen. With the council behind them, Khan stood, shook in terror. Now, it was her turn to get back at him. “(Goodbye, Khan.)” One granted as he raised his hand. The rest followed suit. The man who held Venus held up Venus’ arm so she may participate in his demise. Much obliged, she tried to contain herself. “(No! Don't do this! You all need me! I was trying to help!)” Nothing was going to stop them once their iridescent colors flung from out of their souls. Khan’s single magic couldn’t help the twenty-something others that assaulted him. His screams of anguish filled the space as he doubled over from their power. The next phase was prepared and ready. The man turned to Venus. When she caught his gaze, he gave a nod and they both looked back at Khan. He started his magic. With his hand around her wrist, the green color surged through hers like a glowing spiderweb up to her hands. It was charging her own, combining their powers. A look of awe took over her face as she saw a teal orb form in the palm of her hand. Longer and longer, the power built. When she saw it fit, they released it together. The bolt smacked into Khan. Louder shouts emerged for a second until it became silent. The magician's stopped their flow of magic and lowered their hands. Before there was nothing. What was left of Khan was gone. Just as the man disappeared, so did their surroundings. Her eyes were blurry, but she could make out a few heads over her. A couple blinks, her vision began to sharpen. “You ok?” It was a caucasian woman, but that pink around her eyes and long hair could only be one person. It was her sister. How she got there, she didn’t know, but she sure was glad she was with her. From what she could tell, she lay in her lap, in her arms as she gazed upon her worryingly. “Mona?” She asked, voice cracked. A subtle nod. “Yeah. Yeah I'm fine.” Not really, but better than not. “Good.” Mona’s voice dropped low. Venus wanted to raise a confused brow, but rather waited. “If I catch you actin like a h**, we’re gonna have some serious problems!” So much attitude! “Missed you too.” Venus muttered. She tried to sit up, using Mona’s assistance. “What happened in there?” Leonardo asked. He was squatting besides her, along with the rest of the squad who had mysteriously showed up just as Mona had. “I punched an old guy.” She did not want to tell a long tale, so this was explaination enough for her. Mikey’s face built up. He sucked in his lips while forcing air against his closed lips. “I TOLD YOU!” He bursted, shouting into Leo’s ear. The eldest turtle closed his eyes from the impact of his voice. A general laugh humored him after a hard fight. Donatello stood up first to extend a hand to her. Venus took the friendly gesture. As she rose out of Mona’s lap, she tried the best she could to help her sister up without hurting her. A couple grunts lead her to her feet. Donnie held her against him until she hung an arm around him shoulders. She smiled. “Was this your doing?” She quizzed. “Uh- uh actually, your friend Miwa called us.” The words spilled quickly out of his mouth. The girl nodded. “You’re a terrible liar.” she giggled. With that quick, shocked look in his eyes, he couldn’t hide that from her. “And thank you.” She squeezed him gently with the arm around her shoulders as a type of hug. He smiled warmly from her affections. He knew he made the right choice. They heard footsteps click against the tile floors. The family shut their heads up. The three boys surrounded their downed sister in protection as the man approached. It was Hong, the man who assisted Venus in the other plane. To call off the dogs, she placed a hand on Leonardo’s shoulder. He turned to see her calmed expression on her face. He then called off Michelangelo and Raphael as they let the man gingerly approach them. “(Khan is no longer a threat to the world.)” he informed with the most peaceful mind. “(Where'd he go?)” Mona asked. “(Where he can no longer do any harm.)” “(You mean…?)” Her finger pointed to the sky. The brothers followed it, wondering to what she was talking to him about. Nothing but a roof. The man chuckled briefly. “(No, a different dimension.)” “(Thank you so much, Hong.)” Venus bowed her head. He returned the favor by bowing fully for his friend could not. “(How did you know I was in trouble and that is be here?)” Another question when he rose. “(An old friend came to us.)” His explanation was followed by a knowing smile. The girls looked to one another and smiled, then back to him, stifling their giggles. “(I must help clean up this mess. Excuse me girls.)” Coming in from behind, a couple more council members showed up by the doors to direct work for hired help to clean the mess Khan inflicted upon the gorgeous building. “So…” Michelangelo broke the silence. “Can we go stop to eat?”

[anneedmonds]

Life Update: Sobbing, Sneaking and The First Day At School

Angelica starts school tomorrow, but I tell you what feels most weird about today, which is officially known as First Day Of School Eve: the fact that I’m not writing my monthly update in a panic at ten minutes to midnight! Yes that’s right, my friends, I’m actually writing this in daylight – everyone is up and about and bustling around the house, the doorbell keeps ringing and the dog keeps barking and in the distance I can hear a lorry trying to drive beneath a tunnel of low-hanging tree branches. Crunchhhhh-crackkkk-bang. Gets them every time!

I have to write this now because later on this evening I am back to the unending trauma of launching an app and all of the complicated administrative issues that it throws up. I now know things about servers and databases and cname records that I had no intention of ever knowing; I was quite happy being completely oblivious to the workings of a Virtual Private Server, I was content with my naivety regarding the screenshot upload requirements for submitting an app to the App Store. I didn’t ever picture myself researching content management systems for nine hours straight, or having to sit on Live Chat with a tech “helper” (not helping) for forty-five minutes at a time.

Silver lining: the app stuff has occupied me so thoroughly, I’ve not really had much of a chance to mope around about the school thing. The truth is, Angelica is well ready for school – I can almost sense the boredom, sometimes, when I suggest that we play shops or pretend to be hotel keepers. (I don’t know where these role-play themes came from, but I’m brilliant as both a hotelier and a shop-keeper, if I may be so bold as to blow my own proverbial trumpet. Never has a hotel manager been quite so thorough in their checking-in procedure and never has one been so quick-witted when it comes to accommodating odd requests. Cages for eighteen dragons? A room for a wizard who likes to sleep in the same bed as his brother and only wears socks to bed? I don’t even blink, me. I should have been a royal butler.)

So she’s getting bored at home, sometimes, and I think that school will be just the most exciting thing that’s ever happened. And if she’s excited then I am too. When I really think about the whole starting school situation, the part that makes me uncomfortable can be mostly written off as pure nostalgia and sentimentality – “my baby! Oh, my baby!” I can hear myself wail, in a parallel universe blog post that’s written after half a bottle of red wine. My Baby Leaves Me;  Is This The End Of The Era?; Why I’m Terrified Of Letting Her Go. All of those titles perfectly summarise how I’m feeling about the school days – I am terrified of the whole growing up, growing apart thing, and it is the end of the baby era – but those are my issues and I haven’t had the time to dwell on them, which I personally think is quite fortunate.

If Angelica had her own worries (we’ve talked about school a lot) then that would be a different matter and I would have devoted my energies towards making her happy and confident, but in truth (and this is slightly painful, in a “I’m not needed” kind of way) she’s absolutely raring to go. Tiny shoes and pinafore dress and all. The fact that the dress came with a matching grey scrunchie made her almost apoplectic with joy, even though she still doesn’t really have enough hair to put into one.

Both babies have baby hair. Actually, as I type this, they are downstairs being prepared for the visit to the hair salon – Angelica’s third visit, Ted’s first ever! Ted looks like a crazed old man who has been living on a mountain for eighty years, wispy mullet at the back and hair so long on top that he looks as though he’s trying to mimic a combover. Angelica’s hair is much more in-shape, but I thought it would be nice – and special – to have a day-before-school trim and style.

I did intend to make this a massively sentimental, gushing piece about how time flies and you have to appreciate each moment as it comes, but halfway through drafting out my (vaguely annoying) stream of consciousness I realised that I already appreciate each moment. It doesn’t stop time flying. And anyway, what a privilege for time to fly and to witness your child growing bigger and stronger. It’s a privilege denied to many and I thought for many years that it would never be my privilege, yet here I am, holding a pair of patent black shoes and showing a (just) four year old how to put a pinafore dress on without runkling up the shirt beneath. (Hand up the skirt, pull on the hem of the top – how long is it since you’ve had to do that manoeuvre?)

Then Ted starts nursery next week, just for a few hours, so that’s another milestone. No uniform, though, which is partly what tugs the old heart strings when it comes to the school thing, isn’t it? They suddenly look like miniature pretend adults.

I had loads of other things to tell you this month, but I think that the school-starting subject trumps all else, don’t you? I was going to tell you an entire short story about Ted and Angelica’s “sneaking” game, which basically consists of them really badly sneaking up on people and the people being sneaked upon having to pretend to be surprised. (See top photo.) I could write about Ted’s weird performance art dance moves that he’s started doing (he pulls abstract shapes and then holds them for seconds at a time, with a really serious look on his face) or I could tell you about Angelica’s new-found ability to do a forward roll, but school really overshadows any other development this month.

I’m being all blasé and flippant about it, I know, and I can guarantee you I’ll be the one uncontrollably sobbing at the gates tomorrow. I’ll update you. I mean I cry quite easily – it’s as though my tear ducts were connected the wrong way around or something – so tomorrow is bound to be a weep fest.

Weep Fest! Now that’s an idea for a lucrative summer event. £140 per weekend camping ticket, doesn’t matter if it rains because you’ll be depressed anyway. And soaked.

Does anyone else have school starters? How are you feeling? How are they feeling?

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Life Update: Sobbing, Sneaking and The First Day At School was first posted on September 3, 2019 at 7:38 pm. ©2018 "A Model Recommends". Use of this feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this article in your feed reader, then the site is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact me at contact@amodelrecommends.com Life Update: Sobbing, Sneaking and The First Day At School published first on https://medium.com/@SkinAlley