#Locke's plot was fast and driven and just /tight/

[sharkneto]

I'm finally getting around to reading the Name of the Wind, and maybe it was too hyped for me because 3/4 through and it's. It's Fine. It's a fine book. I do get that Kvothe is not the most reliable of narrators as he's telling his own story, but that doesn't mean it doesn't still read like 'Kvothe is the bestest and smartest at everything" - his arrogance is his flaw, but I prefer a character who is a bit more wet and pathetic around the competency. And then the man is constantly in money troubles. The second you think "Oh dang! He finally has some money! That should keep him going for a while!" he fucking loses it all and we're back to square one. Kvothe, I'm begging you to hold onto a talent for more than a day.

[yuhawari]

Does Anyone Remember Polaris?

i'd like to say that i remembered it like it was yesterday, but yesterday was 2015 - in other words, falling apart by the second.

i was super bored while browsing through whatever singleplayer games there even were on my ipad, and one of them caught my eye. it was a story driven singleplayer first person shooter game that was constantly updating. i no longer remember the name of the studio that developed it or the studio that owned it, but the studio that owned it was a big name.

i downloaded the game and it was my lifeblood for its year-long lifespan. the plot went a little something like you waking up from a life pod in a spaceship that wants to kill you, so it sends what i think are either robots or aliens to try and pacify you. meanwhile, you went out guns a-blazing, beating the everloving shit out of the place while completing objectives as fast as possible, all while trying not to die. it was relatively unforgiving and death was part of the experience - stages were 5 minutes long give or take, but often felt like they took more than that. the environments sort of reminded me of Halo? they were incredibly detailed and had this very well-lit glow to them, just enough to trace out the shadows while still letting you see all the enemies. rooms would lock down until you defeated a certain number of enemies before letting you through; all you'd do is collect data chips from one area and insert them in another. it was cathartic.

near the end, you manage to get on an escape pod to a different spaceship controlled by a different ai. well turns out, the ai on that ship actually wants to kill you, meanwhile the ship you just escaped from just needed you to hibernate a little longer so it could make a proper escape. as the both of them start to bicker over your heads, you try to find a way out of the new ship you just got into, and the very last level the game gives you ends with you getting ejected into the nothingness of space through an airlock.

the game, as far as i can remember, was called Polaris. the app icon was the name of the game rendered in white with a large red star in the background. it was discontinued in 2015 or 2016, and was pulled from the app store shortly after. there is not a single piece of footage of this game, and i know for a fact it exists. this isn't some kind of tumblr bit or arg transition, no i shit you not this is a game that is real. my desperation to find it now is just from the fact that it has lived in my mind rent free because it was good, like really good, and i need to fucking know what happened to it.

each level had a very unique difficulty system in that the game was built to be speedrun. if you complete certain objectives in each stage, you'd get up to 3 bronze stars. bronze? yep. the minute you complete a bronze star challenge, the challenge would tighten its existing conditions and become a silver star, then a gold star, and then finally a platinum star. this effectively meant that the game had deep replayability per stage, as the stage conditions were not 3 stars - they were 12. each stage had its own kind of gun, from a rapidfire gun with limited ammo to a high-damage shotgun with limited range. they were tailor-made to the actual stage environments, ranging from very close encounters with enemies in tight corners to wide gaping bridges where you have less cover than you think you do. the game always allowed some level of pause to admire the environment, especially when you needed to heal, but they did nothing to forgive the incredible heights of difficulty the game had.

also, just in case you couldn't see the enemies with your grubby mobile fingers, every enemy was color-coded. i don't remember much outside of vehemently avoiding the purple-colored ones since they would hurt like a bitch, and that the enemies themselves weren't the ones with the coloration, but rather their attacks and their highlights. i'd show you footage but i no longer have access to a download of the game, which would've been my one hail mary.

if anyone can find even a MORSEL of this game, please tell me. it'd be an incredible challenge: it's a game from 2014 or 2015 which lasted only a year to basically zero fanfare, and i'm pretty sure the only footage that was out of that game was from the developer studio itself, which deleted the channel when the game lost all funding. i'm 90% certain they were owned by Ubisoft, but an uncertain lead could be the pitfall of any deep investigation into it.

i don't know how to plead to, but tumblr is a pretty cool place, so might as well plead here, eh?

[high-supernatural]

Memories

Kai Parker x Female Reader/Character

Word Count: 1918

Warnings: typical tvd themes, S.Assault hints, crying, soft kai, a lil boob touching, Stephan drives her off a bridge

Summary: She finds out the real story of what happened to her after a near-death experience. Kai agrees to comfort her in her own way.

(I wrote this with “she/her” instead of “V” because this is the last part I’ll be writing as a series, the rest will be written as one shot’s with she/her pronouns because if I continue to work on the series it’ll become an entire novel. So instead of writing a novel, I’ll just write the big plot points as one shots after this)

Another couple of weeks had passed since their ritual. Almost every day that would pass, they would go out and look for answers for what they saw and would come up empty handed.

One day they finally found something that could lead them to another lead for answers – an ancient necklace that was owned by a witch in her distant bloodline that could allow her to connect with the original owner. The only problem was that the necklace was worn religiously around Elena’s neck as a gift from Stephan.

That wasn’t really a problem for her. She didn’t really like Elena much, and Elena didn’t like her, but it wasn’t hard to get close enough to grab it since they both hung out with the same people.

That’s exactly what she did. She kept it with her for a week, waiting for a specific celestial event to happen for the spell all while dodging calls from Stephan and Elena accusing her of taking it.

She took to the woods by herself on the night before the celestial event to find the perfect spot under the moon to preform it. Just as she was about to make her way off the trail she was struck by a tranquilizing dart in her neck, knocking her out cold.

She woke up in the passenger seat of Stephan’s car, “oh, good, you’re up,” he said shutting his phone off.

Her vision was blurry, but she knew who it was and was annoyed to say the least.

“Have you seen Elena’s necklace?” He asked as if he already knew.

She blinked to focus her vision, “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she rubbed her eyes.

Stephan leaned in, “here’s what’s gonna happen… you’re either going to tell me where it is, hand it over, or I’m going to hold you here until you do.”

“You’re really about to do all this for a damn necklace?” she asked, still very annoyed.

They went back and forth for a while about how it’s “Elena’s necklace,” and how crazy Stephan was to host a hostage situation over it before he turned the car on, “ok, you don’t wanna tell me where it is, fine,” he slammed on the gas, “you’ve been a cosmic pain in everyone’s ass since you showed up in Mystic Falls by the way. We’re trying to rid the town of chaos and mischief and here you come…”

Stephan was driving at what seemed to be over 100 miles an hour with a crazy look in his eye, “so nobody wants to tell me where it is, I’ll drive you off the bridge and find it myself,” he spat.

“You’re bluffing. You wouldn’t drive someone off a bridge over a damn necklace, Stephan, plus if I do have it, you’d be losing your chance to get it back if you do,” she said unphased by his threat.

“That’s only if nobody wants to tell me. It’s really no sweat off my back if you live or die but… hey maybe Kai knows where it is,” he said as if he had just thought of the most iconic solution and dialed Kai’s phone.

As they approached the bridge, she began to take his threat more seriously. All she heard was muffled noises as adrenaline of being driven off a bridge kicked in.

She yelled panicked knowing Kai was on the phone, “Kai just tell him where the stupid necklace is he’s gonna drive me off the bridge.”

“Too late,” Stephan muttered with a smirk as the car flew into the water after he jumped out.

She tried to roll her window down before the car hit the water and was fully submerged, but Stephan had the window locks on, so she had to crawl over to the driver’s side to roll it down, throwing her against the wind shield and knocking her unconscious again as she got the window halfway down.

Just like the time she held her breath and an unknown entity came over her when she rescued Enzo, the same thing happened here. While she was unconscious the car fully submerged into the water for minutes until the entity awoke her and struggled to break the window open through the slowness of the water.

She remembered none of this. She awoke on the rocks only remembering being driven off the bridge and a replay of the things that had happened to her that Kai made her forget.

She sat there coughing up water and trying to catch her breath as the replays engrained themselves deeper. She knew she couldn’t deal with it right now though, she needed to get back to the motel for the necklace, so she started walking her way back to the road.

She walked expressionless until Kai drove up beside her and got out,

“What happened,” he asked throwing his hands up as he walked towards her.

“I don’t know, Stephan threw a fit about the necklace and thought it was reasonable to drive me and his car off the bridge,” she said silent and expressionless, darting her eyes not to look into Kai’s.

Kai looked at her, realizing that for the first time in probably forever, he was pissed about something because it had happened to somebody he cares about, but he still didn’t know what to say other than, “well, are you okay,” silently kicking himself for asking after he realized how big what happened was compared to the question he asked.

“Yeah, I just wanna get back,” she mumbled and went to open the door, but Kai grabbed it quicker.

She was silent the whole way back, something that was unusual for her normally.

They drove into the parking lot of their motel and Kai stopped her before she could open the door by grabbing her arm, “hey, are you good,” he asked, “you didn’t say anything the entire way back and you love to talk.”

She was still expressionless, “I’m good, I just need a minute,” her voice was almost robotic.

“Talk to me…” Kai tried to speak but was cut off.

“I’m about to freak out, and it’s not gonna be cute,” she spoke with a little more seriousness to her robotic tone, “so just give me a minute,” she began to walk towards their room.

He had never seen her like this before. They would usually make jokes the whole night whenever something that would typically be traumatic happened, but this time she seemed as though she was here physically but elsewhere mentally.

She made a beeline to the bathroom before Kai called out “let me know if I can do any—” she shut the door, “—thing.”

She stood at the sink and placed her hands on it to steady her balance as things began to look blurry and lightheaded. She tried rubbing her eyes to make the feeling go away but it kept getting stronger as her chest felt heavier, head felt heavier, and memories of that night months before screamed at her.

Kai leaned on the doorframe to hear what was going on but couldn’t hear anything.

She stood, taking deep breaths before it got increasingly harder to breath and gave into the onset hyperventilation and inevitable tears.

Kai knocked but she didn’t answer so he opened the door to find her with her hands in her hair, breathing fast, with a concerned expression.

She didn’t even hear him walk in at first until she felt a presence behind her as he went to touch her arm. She sat on her knees slowly before Kai could touch her, “Kai I can’t breathe,” he sat on his knees in front of her and put his hand on her head, unsure of what to say.

Grabbing his wrist to pull his hand into her lap, gripping it tightly she put her other hand on her chest and coughed, “I can’t breathe…. Why can’t I breathe…” she let the tears fall before placing her arms over her head and leaned forward until she was leaning against her elbows on the floor so she could catch her breath without having Kai see her cry.

Kai gripped her shoulders and pushed her up to look at him. She covered her mouth with one hand and squeezed her eyes tight, trying to return back to the position he moved her from before he stopped her by keeping his hands on her shoulders, “tell me what happened,” he spoke softly, gently removing the hand she had over her mouth.

“I remembered everything—” she sobbed harder and put her hand back over her mouth, leaning into Kai, “tell me it didn’t really happen,” she sobbed.

Kai knew what she was talking about now and pulled her to lean against the wall with her head on his chest as she sobbed more.

“Tell me I’m making stuff up, or that Stephan has sick humor, tell me someth—” she couldn’t finish her sentence before burying her face back into Kai.

He stared at the wall in front of him as if he could feel what she was feeling, “I can’t,” he whispered, causing her sobs to get louder,

“That couldn’t have happened… I wouldn’t have let that happen… it couldn’t have been me, maybe I just witnessed—”

He wrapped his arms tightly around her as she hid her face in her hands on his chest, “it did, V… I’m sorry, I wish I could tell you different… I’m sorry…” he had a look of remorse as she moved her hand to her scalp as if to cover her ears from what he was saying and placed his hand in her hair with her.

“I gave you different memories, I didn’t want you to remember but something must have triggered it earlier…” he spoke fast and buried his forehead onto the top of her head when she kept sobbing harder, “I should’ve been there…”

“What do you need me to do? Tell me and I’ll do it, anything… let me make it better,” he rubbed his hand on her back to comfort her, but she was too lost in her mind to notice, “you can’t make it better,” she cried.

He sat with her and let her cry until she couldn’t anymore before taking her to their bed.

She pulled his arm as she laid down or else, he wouldn’t have know if he should lay beside her or not. This whole situation was completely new to him, and he only wanted to make it better but had no idea how.

She laid on her side and pulled his arm around her for comfort.

Kai buried his face in her hair by her ear, “what can I do?” he asked again.

“Make me feel something else…” she teared up again.

“What do you mean?” he whispered and rubbed his hand on her upper arm.

“All I can feel is their hands on me and I cant get rid of it,” she choked up, “so maybe if I feel yours instead—” she placed her hand over her face to avoid crying again.

“shh… it’s okay,” Kai whispered surprisingly sweet and kissed her hair, “where do you want ‘em?”

She lifted herself up to place an arm under her neck, laying her head in the crease of his arm and slid the other to her chest.

She fell asleep as Kai gently rubbed from her chest to her stomach repeatedly, occasionally kissing her hair in between.

[binniesthighs]

call me babydoll | reader x chan

a/n: ahhhhh holy holy heck this chapter is SO DAMN EXCITING hehehe I had sosososo much writing and doing all the research!! please let me know if there is anything factual/cultural that I need to fix! I tried the best I could although I most def am not an expert in Egyptian culture so I appreciate it a lot :) hehe i hope ya have fun reading this chapter teehee oh! also I love hearing what you thought of it too! :D 

Four 

Pairing: self insert, female reader x bang chan 

Genre: action, mystery and suspense, fluff, smut, angst 

Tags: (of this part) bodyguard au, secret agent au, royal au, moderndayprince!chan, secretagent!reader, secretagent!jeongin, secretagent!jisung, collegestudent!seungmin, royal!minho, skz side characters, adventure and mystery, action and peril, plot driven, running out of time, slow-ish burn, growing feelings, sexual tension, explicit language, several mentions of food and alcohol as well as getting tipsy/drunk that good, good making out, suggestive themes

CWs: mentions of guns, mentions of knives, themes of jealousy (expressed by the reader) 

Word count: 7.5k

Parts 

ONE | TWO | THREE | FOUR | FIVE 

“Well, we’re in Cairo alright.” 

Two tugged the amazed young stow-away-student, Seungmin, by the hand of his backpack to keep him from running into one of the palm tree planters decorating the terminal. The young man had nearly slept the whole flight due to the length as well as the exasperation that he had just been through. While his eyes were still darkened from his nap, his glossy pupils still wondered all around him. 

“I take it back. I’m so glad that I almost died so I could end up here with you guys.” 

Jeongin slapped him from the backside of his head. “Never be thankful for almost dying. Life is a lot more fucking fragile than you think. This isn’t just some joyride--” 

“--Ease up F.” You interrupted your partner as you shouldered your bag. The kid had already been through enough already: he didn’t need accosting on top of it all. 

The dashing prince sighed out and stretched his arms. “Ahhhh Cairo. It’s been a while; too long actually.” 

The airport was humid: the kind of sticky warmth that dripped down your neck in a matter of seconds to then get caught above your lip. It wasn’t much help to the anxiety that already had seeped into your veins. The closer you got to a gun the more comfortable you would be. You and the other two guards created a formation around the prince with two in the front and the other in the flank. While each of you were dressed in regular street clothes, your responsibility of his detail still hung over your head with a severe air. 

Chan threw his arm over the young student with an obscene grin. His hair had become a little disheveled from the plane seat and his hoodie, but he didn’t appear to mind. Seeing him so normal was somewhat of an odd change to your previous unbreakable impression of him. 

“Seungmin my friend, you’ve never lived until you’ve been to Cairo. I’ve never seen another place so enriched in history in my whole life...it puts my kingdom to shame. It’s almost like...you can just feel the time here: hundreds of thousands of years...beauty, art, food, industry...I’ve got a thing or two to learn.” 

Seungmin nodded at the prince’s grandiose gestures in the terminal with an enamored smile. “I can’t wait to see it!” 

Your partner put a firm hand on the prince’s back to guide him to the baggage claim. “We won’t be here for long, so, don’t get too excited. We’ve come here for one reason and we shouldn’t dally otherwise.” 

The young boy appeared to frown, and Two bit his lip with a little chuckle. “Way to crush the kids dreams F.” 

“You know the mission, J.” Jeongin gritted his teeth with the words. “Everything is set, there will be a car waiting for us in the garage, and at the hotel we’ll have anything we need.” 

Prince Chan lulled his head back with heels clicking on the flooring. Rogue strands of his hair hung over his sunglasses where he threw a look back at you while pulling them down. 

“Don’t forget our little deal Bee? We’ll have time for a little pleasure.” 

The white haired agent rolled his eyes with gusto then adjusted the royal’s glasses over his face. “We’ve still got to be careful, you Highness. We never know where they could have eyes.” 

“I know where I’ve got mine...” He turned back once more to throw his cockiness in your general direction. 

“Listen to F, your Highness...if you want to live.” 

“Oooo. Feisty as ever, Bee. I love it when you bite back.” Chan turned to his new pet, Seungmin, “She’s really something isn’t she?”

The young man nodded, but not necessarily because he agreed, but it just seemed like it better to agree with a prince than to disagree with him. 

The air appeared to turn even thicker in the summery and arid city and your group approached the parking lot half shaded. Outside of the cement lot, iridescent waves of heat wiggled on the horizon, and further, the astonishing urban sprawl of Cairo, and just over it, the stretch of the Nile and Giza. Palms and other varieties of plants spotted the landscape and above it all, a perfectly crystal blue sky streaked with thin clouds. Had the circumstances been different, you really would have wished to have been there for pleasure. 

“This one. Right here.” Jeongin announced upon spotting the black armored sedan. It wasn’t the most inconspicuous vehicle, but you were prioritizing safety over aesthetics. Your partner touched his index fingerprint to the car door’s invisible panel, and it flashed blue just as the lock had at the safehouse with the ticking clock insignia. 

Two whipped his head around to make one last check of the surroundings before taking off his sunglasses and reddened eye. “Get in. Both of you.” He urged the prince and the student. He popped the drivers side open to find a different pair of glasses in the storage compartment: gold framed aviators. 

“Huh,” He said happily while putting them on. “This is more my style.” He rummaged around a bit more to find a new pair of black framed glasses there too. “Fox! Think fast!” He threw them over to your partner who sighed out with relief. 

“Thank god.” 

The trunk opened with a mechanical sounding creek, and you lifted up the trunk bed to find your whole arsenal: Heckler & Koch MP5′s submachines, Remington 870 shotguns, and Glocks complete with thigh holsters. Among the pile of metal, various knives and other weapons were held in foam holders. 

“They’ve got knives back there?” Two asked while pulling the rearview mirror to see. 

“Oh yeah. What? You more of a knife guy?” You teased while looping your thigh holster over your cargo pants. It fit just right. 

The illusive man popped his gum with a shiny smile. “‘Don’t ever have to reload them...that’s what I’m saying.” 

“Thank you Carroll.” Jeongin sighed upon seeing the thick laptop among the weapons. “Finally I can do some real work. That kid’s damn Chromebook was killing me. I nearly short circuited it trying to connect to our network.” 

“You what?!” Seungmin was suddenly much more interested. 

“Dont worry yourself too much, its still fine.” 

“Are there cameras in here?” You quickly asked your partner. 

“Agency should’ve fried them a long time ago. Why?” 

From the trunk bed you sized up the Glock to feel its weight and how cool it settled into your sweating hand. You unloaded the magazine to see that it had already been filled. 

“Carroll. She really is too kind to us.” You slid the magazine back in then, pulled back the slider to lock it once more, catching Chan’s adoring glance. 

“Something interesting pretty boy?” 

The prince appeared to shiver a little, but brushed it off sighing, “Oh, nothing.” 

━━━━━━━━━▲━━━━━━━━━

Either it was Carroll or the King, but someone had spared no expense on the young prince. The sun set upon the sparking Nile where you had arrived at the Four Seasons Hotel Cairo at Nile Plaza. 

Anything for His Royal Highness The Prince. 

The towering and gleaming building was a sight to behold in and of itself. It was nestled right into the riverside anchored with several leisurely sailboats bopping in the evening breeze. As day crept into night, the city grew with a swell of lights washing as far as you could see. Extensive bridges and roadways glowed with headlights and every building appeared to be illuminated along with more boats strolling down the river in a rainbow of colors and music. 

The prince craned his head as close to the window as he could and rubbed together his hands excitedly. He looked from you to your partners, finally making a disapproving scoff. 

“Come on. You’re not just a little excited to be here?” 

“We’re here on business, how many times do we have to explain?” Jeongin typed away at his computer from the front seat. 

“Bee?” He looked back to you with a hopeful little glint to his eye. 

“Like Fox said...tomorrow is our appointment with White Rabbit, then we’re on the first flight back home for you.” 

The young prince frowned, but this quickly faded once he had seen the golden brass doors to the magnificent hotel. Seeing the state that the four of you were in, it was a bit comical that you had rolled up to a place such as this. Immediately a valet and bellhop jogged up to the car wearing perfectly pressed uniforms and spotless shined shoes. Little did they know you had no belongings to your name...the rest was waiting in your suite: the royal kind. 

Seungmin cranked his neck to take in the scale of the building in all of it’s regal glory and let out an airy laugh his with his backpack straps snapped tight. 

“Holy shit.” He exclaimed with a giant smile 

Two rose a “no thank you” hand to the valet, and asked him where the garage was in perfect Arabic. The gesture surprised you...as many things did with that man. Jeongin gave a little nod in appreciation to the bellhop and expressed with his own broken version of Arabic that you group had no luggage. The young man was confused, but still gladly took the bills that Jeongin had slipped into his hand for the inconvenience. 

“We’re staying here?” Seungmin wondered while he followed you in. 

“When you travel with The Prince, it comes with some perks.” Chan tore off his glasses with a particularly prideful grin. 

“I feel like I need to pay for just...breathing in here.” 

Indeed, it was a luxurious and grand place. The atrium was patterned with various plush lounge chairs and benches and the path was made of emerald green marble tiles with swirling designs of beige loops. Thick, round columns also supported the ceilings in the lobby, and crystal glass chandeliers sparkled. On several tables, massive floral arrangements had been freshly placed, and you wondered how much the hotel must've paid for them to look that good just to have them replaced the next day. 

A couple formalities were exchanged with the worker at the front desk, and soon the keycards to the royal suite were placed into your hands. Seungmin held his piece of plastic as if it were a gold bar in his hands whereas Chan shoved it right into his front pocket. 

“Everything that we should need should be up in the room.” You told the group who were too distracted to hear what you had just said. 

Just before you had entered the elevator, a tug at your sleeve stopped you in your tracks. Jeongin pulled you back, nodding at Two to go with the others up first. 

“Remember what we talked about before?” He muttered in the hollow and stone corridor. “About the prince?” 

“I need to stay beside him?” 

Your partner nodded with a furrowing brow. “We’re out in the open here, it’s a big city...anyone could be watching us. No distractions, no messing around, no anything. We see White Rabbit and we leave. Hell, I’m even inclined to make sure he doesn’t leave the room...” 

“Jeongin...” You squeezed your partner’s shoulder which felt stringy and tense under your fingertips. “I got it. Trust me. He won’t leave my sight. I promise.” 

“..Okay.” He said with a nervous brush to his hair, then he pressed the elevator button with his knuckle. 

“You...okay?” 

The young man appeared to snap out of a trance. “What? ...Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be? I’m keeping it together fine. It’s just...there’s a lot riding on this mission. I don’t...” 

The gold and reflective elevator dinged to the ground floor. 

“We can’t disappoint Carroll with this one. There’s too much riding on it...I can’t disappoint Carroll.”      

You invited your partner into the marbled and mirrored interior of the small space. 

“Don’t worry, we won’t.”

━━━━━━━━━▲━━━━━━━━━ 

 Even without the help of his royal helpers, Chan managed to clean himself up nice...provided, only the finest clothes had been sent for him to wear. While they weren’t the usual designer labels that he was used to, it was clear that they had been picked out from the finest markets and boutiques in the area. Chan, as he always was, was a prince to the full extent of the word. After a shower and some perfume to his chest, he was the same man that you had been introduced to. 

A loose linen shirt swayed from his frame with little regard for the usage of buttons. He wore slacks that had been pressed made of a kind of fabric that you had never seen before, but looked airy and comfortable. As always, there was a small assortment of shoes for him to choose from as well. He picked brown leather loafers, then tucked up his sleeves to reveal his arms; scratched as they were, but still strong and spiderwebbed with thick veins. 

Arrangements had been made for you to share one of the bedrooms with him--as much as you had fought it at first. Chan was thrilled with the idea, and gladly let you settle into his room with your small assortment of sidepieces and modest set of clothes by regulation of The Agency. While it had mostly been denim button downs and several kinds of functional trousers, they had sent an evening gown. 

The silky white fabric was not unlike the dress that had worn for the gala, but it appeared to be even more sultry once you held it to your frame. The thin spaghetti straps barely held to your shoulders and the back dipped nearly halfway down your back. 

Knowing the man that you had an appointment with, you figured the dress would make it just a little bit easier to talk to him. Along with it, there was a matching set of diamond earrings and a necklace that glinted with the same sheen of the sea. 

“You’ll look gorgeous in that.” Chan said while slipping on a wristwatch. “I’m sure that it will suit you perfectly.” 

The wooden bedside nightstand creaked when you put your holster and Glock in with a matching matte black knife. You had to be careful with that one, as it had nearly cut your finger upon inspection earlier.         

“Hm. I think the both of us know that you’d prefer it on these lovely marble floors rather than on me. Correct?” 

The confident prince strode across the room in the dim lighting of a couple lamps with stained glass shades. Outside of the balcony attached to your room, the sheer curtains blew in the night air and distorted the city lights across the river. Further, Cairo Tower surged with a pink light wrapping around the length were the cylinder pierced the sky. 

“Maybe.” He tutted, then crinkled the king-sized bed where he sat. The prince’s disposition was alluring, there was no denying. He tiled his head to inspect you further, jaw clenching with a sharp angle and a testing glare to his brown pupils. The man smiled slightly while rubbing his index and ring finger down the sleeve of your considerably less scratchy blouse. 

“I hope that during our time here Bee, I’ll get to know you a little better. I’m...really looking forward to our drink later. I made reservations for us.” 

“Reservations? When did you do that?” 

“Oh. When you were showering.” He smirked at his sneaky plans unbeknownst to you. 

“If you think that I’m letting you go anywhere else besides this hotel--” 

“--Bee?” The young royal grew quieter, softer, careful even. His hand cascaded from your arm down to your waist where he tentatively went to grab at your hip and squeeze lightly there. 

While your first reaction was to swat him away, your second crept up on you unexpectedly, and swelled with a kind of confused euphoria feeling the pressure of him on your body. You let his hand linger there, thumb pressed into your hipbone. 

“You don’t need that dress to be beautiful.” 

His words snapped you back; sickly sweet, and sticky in your chest. You cast his hand off of you. 

“You’re crossing the line, your Highness. Don’t...don’t touch me again.” 

The royal sighed as he rose, then inspected his face in the sizeable mirror. Each of his cuts and scars had been skillfully covered with makeup the best he could manage.  

“Bee, I’d cross multiple lines for you. I thought you knew?”    

“THIS BED IS FUCKIN’ AMAZING!!” Seungmin called from the opposite of the suite. 

The prince smiled, then followed you to the door. 

“I’ve already got enough on my hands, your Highness. I ask that you not distract me.” 

“Distract you?” 

As soon as you had said it, regret bit at the tips of your ears. You couldn’t meet his teasing glances, but rather slid one of your more discrete sidepieces into your crossbody bag--as if guns as such could be such a thing. 

“I-I...I’ll sleep on the couch.” You then resolved out loud, however the prince chuckled at your sudden break. 

“As you wish Bee.” 

━━━━━━━━━▲━━━━━━━━━

“I think that this is the best meal that I’ve ever eaten in my entire life!!” 

Seungmin kicked his legs under the table to the embarrassed glances of both Jeongin and Chan. Before you, the prince had ordered a variety of both cold and hot mezzah dishes with a couple main entrees for you to share. While he was the only one to drink, he indulged in the most expensive wine that the hotel had to offer. Granted, everything would be paid for in cash from The Agency, however the Prince swore up and down that anyone could order anything that they wanted and that The Agency would be paid back in full. You and your partners ate modestly, however the young student didn’t hold back. As the boy shoved his face, it appeared to make the prince happy to see him eating so well. 

You were still an odd group, and garnered curious glances from other restaurant guests. While they were only glances in passing, they still didn’t make you feel any better. You had already drawn enough attention to yourself with you being an odd mix of foreigners who each held themselves differently. You could sense that you partner felt it too while he sipped at his seasonal soup with eyes up to scan the room as he did so. 

Chan threw his arm behind your chair to take in the rest of the room: perfectly decorated with jade green chandeliers and perfectly symmetrical wallpaper and furnishings. It was as if he felt somehow content with your strange little group; like he was the ringleader of it all or some king of the round table. For a moment, he paused to watch the way that the boats passed by on the river from the window nearest to him and sighed. Knowing him, he was probably enjoying running for his life in this way. 

Two cleared his throat and unbuttoned his fashionable suit jacket as the waiters came to clear the table for dessert. 

“So. What are the specs for tomorrow?” 

Jeongin fiddled with his glasses, then dabbed away at the corners of his mouth. “He’s invited us to come around 11pm. He wants us to dress up too--as I’m sure you’ve all seen the clothes that have been provided for us. He apparently loves his formalities, but, anything to make him feel more comfortable I suppose. His men will meet us in the front and take us to him, then we try our best not to fuck it up.”

“--Which we won’t.” You soothed your partner. 

Seungmin perked up, “I’m coming too?” 

“How else are we going to look after ya, kid?” Two ruffled up the young man’s hair. 

“W-wait. Didn’t you say that it’s a club? Will they even let me in? I’m not like, 21 yet? I mean, I will be in a couple months--” 

“--Ahhh you’re so cute.” Chan beamed. “If you’re rolling with us that doesn’t matter.” 

Seungmin blushed and played with the condensation of his water glass. “Oh.” 

Your partner shifted in his seat. “Speaking of. Considering that you’re “one of us” now. We need to discuss something important with you. Your identity.” He looked over to you to finish the rest of the speech that had been pushed off for just a bit too long. 

“Your name...is your most valuable asset. It’s the only thing about yourself that you can keep for yourself. No one else should know it besides you...and, well, us. If they know your name, they know your family, they know where you live, where you go to school, even that girl that you had a crush on in the fourth grade. Got it?” 

Seungmin gulped dry with blown out eyes. “I-I think that I understand.” 

“What do you want us to call you from now on?” 

He paused, considering towards the ceiling. ”Well...if you’re B, and he’s F...and he’s J...I could be S? Simple enough right?” 

“S it is then.” 

The waiters arrived with every dessert possible: chocolate cake, Crème Brule, fruit cheesecake garnished with mint, as well as traditional desserts like Om Ali and Mehalabiya--a type of milk pudding dressed with delicate, pink, edible flowers. 

Seungmin--now dubbed S--made happy little eating sounds while he tried a little bit of everything. 

“Thank you.” You finally spoke to the prince, who now smelled strongly of Lotus and Jasmine. 

“Don’t worry about it. I don’t mind treating my friends.” 

The word hung in the air, and you didn’t quite know what to do with it. 

Friends. 

“Where is this reservation that you mentioned?” 

He took a swing from his crystal glass with finesse. “Hm. That’s for me to know and you to find out.” 

“Jeongin told me that I need to keep an eye on you, you know that? It would be best if we didn’t leave the hotel at all--” 

“--But what would be the fun in that?” The prince nearly pouted. 

From the others side of the table, Two in his aviators brushed off his lap before standing. “I’m going to get some sleep, if that’s alright with you? I’m feeling pretty jetlagged and I want to be prepared for tomorrow. Excuse me.” 

The slender man bowed to you at the table, then even deeper to the prince. 

“What was that about?” Jeongin muttered while he poked at the thin caramel layer of his French dessert. 

“Actually, I think I want to head to bed too, I’m stuffed.” Seungmin rubbed his belly in his contentment. “Also...I think I might have homework due...heh. I don’t know...I’ve got to figure out all these all these time differences and stuff.” He pushed in his chair then gave the prince a deep bow. “Thank you, your Highness.” 

“My pleasure.” Chan said with a tiny bow back. “Rest up, kid.” 

With the empty holes at the table, the silence was deafening. 

“And then there were three.” Jeongin yawned. “Bee? Wanna do some laps in the morning? I saw that they had a pool? Wanna see if you can beat my record...again?” 

“Psh. I was coming off that biochemical cocktail the last time we tired. You had an advantage.” 

“Then you’ll beat me? Hm! I look forward to that.” Your adorable partner flashed the first smile that you’d seen in a couple days. You missed it, you realized. 

“Sleep tight Bee. Goodnight your Highness.” 

“Thank you Fox.” The prince mirrored his warm smile. 

Knives and forks clinked on china in the dining room, and music softly payed the soundtrack of the evening. A low hum filled the space where the tourists and patrons chatted among themselves. It was peaceful and normal amidst everything that had been pricking your skin and plaguing worry over your mind. The prince merely sighed, sparking eyes reflecting the candles dying out on the table. 

“And now it’s just the two of us.” 

“Seems like it.” 

“Can I whisk you away now?” 

“Whisk? Who said that I would allow any whisking?” 

“Come on...Bee. Just this one time? I promise to be on my best behavior.” 

You laughed out incredulously at the comment. “You out of all people can’t promise something like that.” 

“I guess you’re right about that. But...still, I won’t try to make a scene or anything.” 

The royal placed his napkin on the table with his knife and fork respectfully tilted off the edge of his plate. 

“Follow me?” 

Chan held out his hand. It was pink with heat and scraped a little from the glass that had pierced the fragile flesh. In some way, you had felt a twinge of guilt seeing the small injury knowing that you couldn’t have protected him well enough then. You allowed him to lace your fingers with yours, and felt the rough cuts of his scars in your palm. 

You had promised to yourself that he would never know such pain again. 

━━━━━━━━━▲━━━━━━━━━

“Annnd...this is it!” 

You had taken all of twenty paces outside of the hotel when Chan gestured with open arms to the riverfront. Just at the riverbank, a steamboat was anchored with open doors for hotel guests to enter. The massive, multideck, white steamboat shone like the moon peaking at the ocean’s horizon. Each of the semi-circle windows were lined with white lights and from the inside, the delightful sound of laugher and live music spilled out to the glossy water of the Nile. 

“W-what is this?” 

“Well…it’s a dinner cruise but I just signed us up for the bar part. Are you...surprised? I thought that it must be pretty safe considering that we’re on the water and no one can drive up and shoot at us.” 

“I mean...it’s a bit closed off, but nothing that I can’t handle.” 

The prince held out his arm for you to lead the way, then took your hand to help you watch your step down the stairs. Chan provided his name to the conductor in elegant sounding Arabic, leaving you shocked. 

“Y-you speak Arabic too?” 

Chan chuckled once more, taking your hand in his to bring you down the creaking wood deck with swinging with lanterns above your heads. 

“As a royal and diplomat, it’s best for me to know how to communicate if I might need to.” 

“I must say your Highness, I am definitely impressed.” 

“What? You thought I was just another pretty face?” The charming prince escorted you to a room within the steamboat that was lined with red velvet carpets and small bar tables with tea candles and water lilies floating in a shallow dish. He pulled out your chair before his own, then settled with hands folded in his lap. “I’m trained in hand-to-hand too, although I could use a refresher; that was so long ago, back when I went to school.” 

“Hand-to-hand? Well! You really are full of surprises.” 

The prince appeared smug and faintly amused by the compliment as he crossed his legs under the table and leaned in with his dizzying floral scent. 

The waitress appeared and Chan flexed his language skills once more while he ordered a Hemmingway Daiquiri for himself and a French 75 for you. Somewhere off in the distance or perhaps a different part of the boat, louder and more excitable music played along with the echoing claps of those who listened along. Here, it was much quieter, and the loud sound was replaced with a jazz song that you had heard before--likely from your more formative years. 

“It’s a beautiful night.” Chan began, “Thank you for agreeing to do this with me. I know that I’ve been a bit forward, but, I appreciate you entertaining me.” 

“If I had said no, what would’ve happened then?” 

“Well, maybe I would’ve dropped it, but...knowing you...I don’t think that I would’ve given up easily.” 

The waitress returned with the drinks on a silver platter: his grapefruit pink and yours the color of a lemon drop. 

The royal rose his glass for you to clink with yours, “To...adventures.” 

“To adventures.” 

With a resounding sound, the glasses met, and you watched the way that the shimmering liquid ripped across the prince’s nose. 

The two of you sat for several moments more, saying nothing, but sipping and soaking in the night breeze and the humidity that made your whole body feel blanketed with a sense of calm. You had felt this way before back at the safe house, and it snuck up on you once more. Simply exisiting with the prince provided you with a sense of solace that had long since faded from your life. The sense of responsibility that you felt for the man was noticeable, but you couldn’t help but notice how he provided for you the same sense of safety that you did for him. 

Perhaps it was the loneliness of the job and the solitude that came along with it. Was that you craved to be touched? Listened to? Admired? You had distanced yourself from irrational things such as love and other feelings of attachment. In your line of work, people died often, and you had to move on just as fast as their lives had been taken from them. You supposed that you had become unfeeling at this point...but this prince, so full of himself and focused on the material...there was something about him that reminded you how to feel. 

“Bee? What are you thinking about?” He asked carefully. 

“Oh...nothing.” 

“You looked kind of lost here.” 

“Was I?” 

“You okay?” 

“Yeah...yeah. I’m fine. Maybe the drink is just...getting to me.” 

“Just one drink?” Chan giggled a bit, “I didn’t take you for being a lightweight Bee. I thought that they gave you like, drinking lessons or something back at that agency of yours.” 

“I’m fine. I shouldn’t have more than one drink anyway.” 

The prince nodded, understanding. “So, what will you tell me about yourself? Is there anything that you’re allowed to tell me? Or...will you always be this mysterious, beautiful, enigma?” 

“Me? Enigmatic? Ha! Hardly.” 

“Well? What then?” The prince sucked at the lime garnishing his glass. “Since I don’t have the pleasure of knowing your real name, I’d love it if you could tell me something.” 

Over the stereo, the muted trumpet played along with the twang of thick upright bass strings,

“I suppose I could tell you how...” Chan leaned in, “I didn’t want to join The Agency. At first.” 

“Oh? Why’s that?” 

“It felt like a bit of a last resort and anything that is a last resort is something that can’t come easy.” 

Chan titled his head as if to say, I’m listening. 

“Life...fucking sucks sometimes. Sometimes...you’re left...living with your sleazy uncle with a letter addressed to you post mortem telling you to carry on the family name if you want to feel some connection to the parents that you never knew.” 

The royal cast his eyes down, “I-I’m so sorry.” 

“The Agency has been everything I’ve known since I was a teenager. This life...it’s everything. I think in a way I feel obligated to it...since it was what took my parents from me...I owe it to them to do a job that they spent so much energy on so that it wasn’t in vain.” 

You stopped, realizing the weight of your words in the air and how they cut like the blade of the knife that you kept tucked in your waistband sheathed in a leather cover. Once the sharp metal was taken from it’s confines, there was nothing to protect those from the damage it could do. 

“Bee...I don’t know what to say besides I’m sorry. That’s terrible. I can’t imagine what it must be like to loose your parents and have been thrown into this life...no one deserves that.” 

“Its okay.” You sighed. “I did it to myself. Now, it’s of no concern. I can take care of my own, and I have a new family. I try not to look back.” 

As he had done numerous times before that night, Chan’s hand reached out for yours under the table, brushing up against the white cloth. 

“I can’t say how much I appreciate you enough for what you do; risking your life for me...I owe you everything Bee.” The prince softened, rubbing his thumb against the back of your hand. 

The chug of the steamboat hissed softly behind you in that back bar room, and just through the windows, you could see the stars dotting the sky just as they did in any corner of the world. They were a reminder that while some things changed, others didn’t. 

The echo of footsteps on the deck clicked, causing you to turn a careful glance back to the direction of the sound. The man who entered was dressed in a casual cotton button up and navy slacks. On the white of his breast, he wore a pin holding the symbol of a crest.

“Lee Minho?” Chan gasped. 

“Your Highness!” The handsome man bowed immediately with a startled little smile. 

The friendly prince stood immediately upon seeing the other royal to shake his hand. “What a coincidence that we meet again!” 

Lee Minho shied with a polite smile while fiddling with his hair that looked to be masterfully styled. “Must be...fated. Or something like that.” 

“Are you alright? Last I saw you was at the shooting at the gala. I’m so glad to see that you’re safe. You didn’t get injured I hope?” 

This close, Lee Minho had oddly cat-like eyes that were as intense as they were alluring. He was just as you had remembered him to be--put together and polished like a true royal, dastardly handsome with all the right curves to his body, and just enough mystery to him to pique the interest of anyone who had sensed his air--just as the prince had. 

“What are you doing in Cairo?” Chan asked, gesturing for the stranger to pull up a chair. 

Lee Minho swatted away the question with an annoyed cringe. “Royal stuff, you know how it goes. Everyone is always trying to poke their noses in places where they shouldn’t be...unless they’re looking to get themselves killed. That's why they send me. I’m dispensable.” 

“Oh, I’d hardly say that.” 

In seconds the prince’s entire body had shifted towards the direction of the other man, and hung onto each of his words as if they were a siren song. 

“When you’re not as high up in the ranks as you are your Highness, royalty starts to feel more like servitude than a legitimate position.” 

“So, where are you poking your nose?” 

Lee Minho’s eyes nervously flicked to you, and Chan realized that he had skipped right over introductions. 

“Oh! I’m sorry, I didn’t introduce the two of you. Minho, this is Bee, my--” 

“--I’m a member of his detail.” You spoke for him. “It’s a pleasure to meet you formally Lee Minho. I recall seeing you at the gala.” 

Minho bowed slightly, “It’s a pleasure to meet you too.” 

It was obvious that you had made the man uncomfortable, just as you had liked it to be. While you could see what the prince had seen in him, you had the disposition to be much less trusting than his Highness. 

“Which royals are employing you? I’d love to know! It’s always exciting for me to learn about who is plotting what. The royal drama keeps me really entertained.” 

Minho sat up straighter, then waved a hand for the waitress to come scuttling over. 

“Some of my family members. You wouldn’t know them, we’re all dreadfully insignificant to be honest. They heard all this business about those men with the red crests and they’re starting to get scared. After they targeted...you, they’re wondering which royal family might be next...if any. I’m here to find out who they are, their whereabouts, anything else.” 

“Wow! That’s actually what we--”

“--And where are you planning on getting this information if I may ask?” You hushed the prince’s loose lips as quickly as you could. 

Minho leaned in over the flickering candle to lower his tone, “I heard that there’s an informant here in the city who might now something about this group. They’ve been popping up on national news too as of late. I’m looking to talk to him tomorrow evening. Luckily, I was able to make an appointment but it was no small feat. I had to bribe him to high hell to get him to speak with me.” 

“Hm. Sounds familiar.” You mumbled. 

Chan’s eyes widened, then he looked back to you to ask for permission. You gave him a nod.

“It seems like we’re here for a common purpose my friend.” The prince leaned in to bridge the gap between them, his hand notably reaching to rest on the other man’s thigh below the table’s surface. “We’re seeking similar information and I think we might be speaking of the same informant.” 

“But your Highness, isn’t it dangerous it you to do something like this?” 

“Not when I’ve got her around.” Chan threw a sly grin to you across the table. “I’m well protected. And you? Where’s your detail?” 

“I’m afraid that I’m out here alone. Like I said, when you’re as low in the ranks as I am...” 

“What? That’s terrible!! They aren’t even protecting their own? Bee!!” 

“Yes, your Highness?” You already knew where this was going. 

“Let’s bring Minho along with us tomorrow! We know that there’s safety in numbers--” 

“Your Highness, in case you haven’t noticed, our hands are already a bit full...”

“I can fend for myself.” Lee Minho suddenly piped. “Travelling alone, I’ve picked up a few things about protecting myself. You don’t have to protect me, but, I appreciate the offer.” 

“Nonsense! You should come with us! I would feel more comfortable if you did rather than went by yourself.” 

Lee Minho gave the royal a smile in his thanks, it was pure and a little adorable you had considered...but that was likely the champagne going to your head. 

“Really? I appreciate it, your Highness.” 

While you were distanced, you nearly could’ve sworn that the prince had squeezed the other’s leg reassuringly, and you were willing to bet he had rubbed it with his thumb too just as he had done to you. 

After long, the waitress returned with Lee Minho’s drink, and the two men chatted like old college buddies while you slipped away at your drink in an attempt to make it last as long as you could. While Chan did try to engage you in conversation, it would never last for long until he would become puppy-eyed over the stranger again. In the end, you wondered if the tipsy prince would’ve also confessed to this man if he had one too many drinks. 

The table bumped with their jovial and restless legs, and you could only imagine what wandering hands sought to discover. 

━━━━━━━━━▲━━━━━━━━━

The hotel was quiet save for the click of heels on the marble floors from ladies who had just gotten off the steamboat and clung to their husbands in their drunken stupor. They cackled in the empty and golden lobby, then pressed hasty kisses into the stuttering mouths of their husbands who’s mouths then smeared with hot pick lipstick. Chan giggled at the sight while he tripped over his own feet too. 

“Ahhhh. Being in love is so cute.” He adored them once you had entered the elevator. 

“You’re not going to throw up on me, are you?” 

The prince hiccupped, then shook his head. “Unlike you I know how to hold my liquor. I’m fine. Just a bit sleepy I think. Must be the jet lag.” 

The tones for each floor beeped in the compartment, and Chan lulled his head back and forth. 

“So. Lee Minho huh?” You said, not even able to help yourself. The alcohol had brought you a bit of an edge...so you thought. 

“Lee. Minho.” He sighed out dreamily. “What do you think of him?” 

“I think I can’t trust anyone as long as I haven’t ran at least three background checks on them.” 

“Awww, Bee, you’re so thoughtful of me.” 

In the empty hallway, the prince with squinting eyes leaned against the doorframe to the royal suite, reaching out to brush up against your blouse once more. You let him, excusing his drunken state. After he did so, his eyes hazed over with something much different, while he looked exhausted, it was laced with something else: something much more longing. 

“Bee...fuck, I really want to kiss you again.” 

“Hm. That’s ripe coming from you who was just viciously flirting with Lee Minho.” 

You could see his head spinning in his dilated pupils. “What?” 

The door clicked open and you less than gracefully lead the prince through the dark to your shared bedroom. 

“B-Bee, what are you talking about?” 

You scoffed, “I’m not blind, you know.” 

“A-are you...jealous?” 

“W-what? Fuck no. I’m just...you can’t just...toss people around thinking that they’ll all bend to you.” 

Chan sat at the edge of the bed and rubbed at his temples when you turned one of the lamps on. 

“I-I was doing that?” 

You tore a pillow from the bed as well as the throw blanket at the end. “I’m sleeping on the couch. Good evening, your Highness.” 

“Wait! Bee!” The young prince stumbled after you, stubbing his toe against the bedpost in the process. “Ah-FUCK!” He grunted. 

“What?” You growled back to him, half shrouded in the darkness of the suite living room. 

The royal stumbled out, eyes blank and backlit from the bedroom. While you couldn’t see him fully, you later could assume that there was something in him terribly torn and ripped in that moment that made little sense to him, as it did to you to. 

Arms reached out, bodies softly illuminated by the lights of the city, and the prince leaned himself fully into you, pressing bitter tasting lips to yours with a heat and desire that only seemed amplified the breather he had gotten. While he tasted of lime and grapefruits, with a twinge of alcohol. He was just as addictive as any vice. You wanted to feel him. As infuriating as he was, and oblivious, your abhorrence to him was just as strong as your attraction. 

“Mm, Bee--” He moaned directly into your mouth while shuffling both of you back to the bedroom. 

The prince’s trembling breath floated from his mouth to yours where he used both of his large hands to pull your face closer to his. You knew that in some way, there must have been something ingenuine about the whole scenario, but you didn’t care too much, not when kissing him felt like something. Maybe he had kissed you out of pity, or because he really had wanted to kiss you. You broke for seconds before both of your tangled limbs hit the bed. 

“Before...you said that you wouldn’t kiss me.” 

“I didn’t make any promises...but, how come...you said that you wouldn’t hesitate...? But you kissed ba--” 

You silenced the prince’s words with your own heated kisses that made little sense, only that kissing him as such felt good. You straddled the man while his hungry fingers traced all the way down your back. The prince’s hips sunk into the cushiony mattress, and you screwed him down even harder into it with your own heated hips grinding into him with as much pressure as you could muster. 

“This is what you want, right?” You pulled at his lip with your teeth to hear him groan from it. 

“Is it...what you want?” Chan got out between more kisses. 

You could blame it on loneliness or lack of touch all that you wanted, but it wasn’t even close. 

“Wait. Wait.” Chan suddenly interjected. 

“What? What is it?” 

The prince looked up at you, that haze in his eyes now fading to something much different that wasn’t covered in the lust that he held before. 

“Bee...I-I don’t know if I want it to happen this way. It feels...it’s not...” 

“Not what?” 

He brushed his hand upward now to caress your face, lingering on the side of the peach fuzz on your cheek. “You deserve better than whatever the hell this is.” 

“Oh, so when I finally want to fuck you, you’re saying it isn’t right?” 

“I’m saying, I’m drunk, it’s late, clearly there’s something that’s upsetting you, and I want to know what it is before we do anything else. Tell me, what’s wrong?”

It might’ve been Lee fucking Minho, or it might’ve been something else much stickier for you to admit, but seeing the prince like this, it was too much. He was gorgeous under you, practically angelic looking. 

“I-I’m...complicating things.” You whispered out, and the prince softened even further. 

“That’s what it is? Bee, I told that you don’t have to worry about--” 

“--Yes. Yes I do...your Highness. I-I can’t feel...” 

“Bee--let’s just talk about--” 

The prince might’ve said more, but his words faded into murmurs once you closed his door behind you, then crawled onto the couch in Jeongin and Seungmin’s room, locking their door too. 

~🌹~

Bunch of (Ro)ses!

@minaamhh @dazzlehoseok @synnocence @jjewibeans @hyunsluvv @unexceptional-h @bobawithchaitea @lechanters @sailorhyunjinz @silencefavarchive @eunaeiekim @lunarskzzz

[demoiselledefortune]

Post canon sangcheng fic recs for @runespoor7

(wooohoo that’s only 25 fics haha)

Silence by inberin

https://archiveofourown.org/works/17441771

a conversation in the snow.

Wonderfully nuanced characterisation. It hints at whole relationship and dynamic with a lot of delicacy.

Windrose by offlight

https://archiveofourown.org/works/18997546

Nie Huaisang is forced into a coma to stop his qi deviation. Jiang Cheng is tasked with waking him up.

There’s a lot of intriguing dreamscapes in this one, and I love Jiang Cheng (and in the background Wei Wuxian)’s desperation and obstinacy.

All the innocence we give by shamiran

https://archiveofourown.org/works/18864910

Learning to renavigate the ground between them is easier than Nie HuaiSang expects. It's also harder than he could have imagined.

Just a sweet story.

Taste the wine off your lips by ExNihiIo

https://archiveofourown.org/works/20129245

A light pat lands against his back, and a cup of water is pushed in front of his face. “Not even Zi Shi, and you’re already tipsy?,” asks a teasing voice, while a thin hand puts down the cup. Jiang Cheng coughs a little more, shaking his head, and sends a dirty look at his host. “I am not tipsy.” “Hm, and yet your cheeks are all red. What would your disciples think, if they saw you in this state?” “They’d think about running away while they can. I can break legs more easily than I can drink alcohol.” A smile curves the edges of Nie Huaisang’s mouth, and he closes his fan with a curt jerk, sitting across the table. He’s wearing lighter clothes, Jiang Cheng notices, compared to the ones he had during the Discussion Conference. Where those had been tight and rigid against his body, these now fall softly on him, the large sleeves sweeping delicately as Nie Huaisang moves to pour himself a cup.

I like the melancholy tone of this one.

The light of autumn: you will not be spared by crooows

https://archiveofourown.org/works/19901467/chapters/47138221

Nie Huaisang arrives a week early for the conference which will be held in Yunmeng to discuss the position of chief cultivator.

[Title is from a poem called "October" by Louise Glück!]

A bit funny, a bit melancholy

You can run but you can’t hide by ThirtySixSaveFiles

https://archiveofourown.org/works/21119297

Nie Huaisang has noticed something about the way Jiang Cheng takes compliments; Nie Huaisang has a theory, and he intends to test it out.

Just Huaisang figuring out Jiang Cheng has a praise kink. Established pairing.

Evening Bloom by dragonofeternal

https://archiveofourown.org/works/20958518

Jiang Cheng is spry and lithe well into his twilight years, living well off Wei Wuxian's stolen youth; Nie Huaisang's golden core, on the other hand, has always been poor- he blacks his hair with ink and dyes, hides the pudge of indolence and the wrinkles of age behind the latest fashions and the finest fans. Perhaps for their peers, finding the space to be vulnerable came easy, but for them it's taken this long to maybe think of letting someone in.

I have a big weakness for stories about old people falling in love and this is one delivers very sweetly.

Four Days in Lanling by Halotolerant

https://archiveofourown.org/works/21722695/chapters/51817036

Nie Huaisang looks at him. ‘You are confusing me, Clan Leader Jiang, perhaps I misunderstand, but…’

‘You didn’t misunderstand. You don’t misunderstand. You understand all of it.’ For six months Jiang Cheng has been mulling this over, and now with Nie Huaisang in front of him he can’t figure out if he most wants to knock him down or kneel at his feet. What he does is try and breathe. Clench his hands at his sides. ‘And now I am going to ask you to do something for me. You have to do something for me. You have to help Jin Ling.’

Ok so perhaps it’s misrepresentating to call this a post canon fic  since most of the action is mid-13-years-of-WWX-death but the fairly important framing part is post canon. Also it’s one of the best sangcheng fic out there and a must read.

Shadow eternal by rynleaf

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23162944/chapters/55439032

“You want me to distract the Chief Cultivator from the Annual Cultivation Conference, so you and other sect leaders can… what. Sign contracts without adult supervision?”

“If Jiang-zongzhu is amenable,” Sect Leader Ouyang repeats with a nod.

Jiang Cheng pinches the bridge of his nose. The pressure he felt building behind his eyes all morning is swiftly coalescing into a bitch of a headache. “Just what do you all think I’m capable of?”

Sect Leader Ouyang bows with a cheerful smile. “We have utmost faith in Sandu Shengshou’s abilities.”

-

In which a night hunt ends in disaster, Jiang Cheng catches a glimpse of Nie Huaisang's heart, and feelings are discussed after a certain fashion.

One that’s between sweet and angsty.

The way is shut, and we cannot go back by saltedpin

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23592523

One month since Guanyin Temple, and some people are coping better than others (or not).

This one is a mostly sad and bitter take on Jiang Cheng reacting to Nie Huaisang’s plot (and being very drunk).

Living memory by ghosthouses

https://archiveofourown.org/works/24827980

Once Jin Guangyao has left, he gives himself two indulgences. The first, a day to scream in his rooms made soundproof with a talisman. The second, a physical list written in code, to keep his older self, who will have let the pain dull with time, accountable for what must be done.

It has only two commandments:

He will die.  

and 

He will know.

Nie Huaisang puts it in his sleeve with the intention of keeping it with him at all times, to be added to but never reduced, a living memory of his task.

This and its prequel which you should also read is quite short but probably one of my favorite depictions of their dynamic (and probably one I find most plausible).

What’s Left of us by cangse-sanren

https://archiveofourown.org/works/24979081

“Well,” Huaisang tries hesitantly, “both of us seem to have a rather fraught relationship with things like older brothers and the concept of betrayal. And regret,” he adds as an afterthought. "Perhaps you just understand me more than most."

Yet another that dwells into Jiang Cheng reacting to Nie Huaisang’s plan. I really like that take although it’s barely shippy (and quite short).

Descending by lightningwaltz

https://archiveofourown.org/works/25296595

“I want to… to not be embarrassed.”

“To not be embarrassed during what?”

“During sex.” There. Jiang Cheng can say it. “In general. Also with you right now.”

“Very good.”

“When did you become so authoritative?” Jiang Cheng wants to sound irked, but can’t quite manage anything beyond nervous curiosity.

Very interesting fic and in many ways unusual. I’d say it’s hypnosis kink, but it’s much more character driven than that. With a context of established FWB arrangement between Jiang Cheng and Nie Huaisang.

Tell him that I miss our little talks by xiaolongbaobei

https://archiveofourown.org/works/25232023

the post-canon fic where Jiang Cheng becomes the Chief Cultivator, realizes that it's not too late to fall in love and learns to ask for what he wants

Longish fic exploring Jiang Cheng as Chief cultivator working with Nie Huaisang and slowly falling in love with him. I adore this one, and not only because I love fics that explore the idea of Jiang Cheng as chief cultivator.

Blind for Love by manamune

https://archiveofourown.org/works/25760272

Jiang Cheng is poisoned with an aphrodisiac and needs to orgasm repeatedly in order to flush it from his system.

The first person he thinks of going to for help is Nie Huaisang, who does what any good friend would do: he shoves his three decades worth of feelings for Jiang Cheng deep into the recesses of his mind, locks them up so he can pretend they don’t exist, and then fucks him so hard that he passes out.

Mostly a long smutty piece, but with a lot of fun character bits along the way.

A Tight-Knit Family by aldalin

https://archiveofourown.org/works/25500481/chapters/61862899

“Jing Ling, we need to talk.”

Jin Ling has too many uncles, and he’s about to get another.

Sect Leader Jiang announces his marriage to Sect Leader Nie.

A fairly different take, more focused on Jin Ling and Wei Wuxian reacting to Jiang Cheng and Nie Huaisang’s relationship.

A trip to Qinghe by Scorpiwriting

https://archiveofourown.org/works/26974741

An unexpected hunt forces Jiang Cheng to leave the Lotus Pier a bit earlier than he had anticipated, so he decides to send Jin Ling to Qinghe, for the sake of not sending him back to Lanling so soon: it turns into a learning experience for the young sect leader, who gets to peek into the life of the Headshaker.

or.

Jin Ling learns that not everything people say is true and that perhaps there is some merit to art. He also learns that loneliness is a dark beast and that his uncle should definitely do something about it.

Another one more focused on Jin Ling’s reaction to it. Honestly more of a gen piece about Jin Ling and Nie Huaisang, but an interesting one.

Silver bracelets on their wrists by mercurious

https://archiveofourown.org/works/25797715

“Can’t I find excuses to visit an old friend?”

Ok so this one is a bit fucked up in interesting ways. It combines Chief Cultivator Jiang Cheng and explicit longing about Wei Wuxian, and BDSM as catharsis. It’s a fascinating piece.

Welcome to love by amphigoric

https://archiveofourown.org/works/22412866/chapters/53549794

Desire, Jiang Cheng learned, flourished even in love’s absence. It surged hot and fast through his veins at the sight of Nie Huaisang’s spread thighs, marks still lingering from the last rendezvous they had. He felt it burning through his chest as Huaisang raked lines down his back, breaths coming in short, desperate gasps: “Jiang Wanyin, Jiang Wanyin, please, please.”

It’s a little bit clumsy at times, but also very passionate and intense in a way I still find compelling. Featuring a lot of self sabotaging Jiang Cheng.

When your stitch comes loose by heyninja

https://archiveofourown.org/works/27868454/chapters/68234434

Sometimes people see you for who you really are. Sometimes because you let them. Sometimes whether you like it or not.

A triptych of collisions between Nie Huaisang and Jiang Cheng.

Only the last part is post canon but it’s the most important part, isn’t it?

Peel your heart like a pomegranate by Izumi_silverleaf

https://archiveofourown.org/works/29458974

"It's an extraordinary feeling when parts of your body are touched for the first time. I'm thinking of the sensations from sex and surgery."

Sometimes you just need to read a very hot guro fic. It’s a weird fic but it’s a cool one.

If you give a Nie a cushion by LesbianLazerOwl

https://archiveofourown.org/works/29470236

Prompt: Long enough After Canon that everyone's mostly okay these days, Jiang Cheng and Nie Huaisang get drunk and wind up comparing masturbation habits; each is aghast at how the other spends their personal time.

Funny and hot

To Distraction by isozyme

https://archiveofourown.org/works/27763816

It’s the third night of Yunmeng’s kite festival celebrations. Nie Huaisang has come visiting, eager to partake in the food, the arts, and Jiang Cheng.

Jiang Cheng wants to forget. Nie Huaisang has some new lube and wants to see if he can put his whole fist in somebody’s ass.

Established pairing in which Nie Huaisang fists Jiang Cheng. It’s hot.

Safe in Your arms by Dragon_scribe

https://archiveofourown.org/works/30070503/chapters/74058315

In the aftermath of a night hunt gone (very) wrong, Jiang Cheng wakes up to find himself in the Unclean Realm. As he recovers from his injuries, he and Nie Huaisang grow closer and as time passes, their friendship begins to shift to something more.

Very sweet/sappy and hurt/comfort orientated, with a small bit of reconciliation dimension too.

[jiminwreckedme]

I will turn the lights on #01

This is a scene from a psychological thriller series ‘I will turn the lights on’ which I have decided to abandon for the following reasons 1 and 2 and decided to post it’s summary instead. (Might be better to read the summary if you want to read this scene.) 

Member - Jimin

Word count - 2.3K

Warnings -  Please note that the story has an extremely controversial concept and it might trigger people with it’s mentions of self harm, manipulation, hallucinations etc which are just few of many many absurd topics in this plot. Please DO NOT read if any of these trigger you, this is pure fiction but I don’t want anyone to be uncomfortable or disturbed because of it.

“Should I run the bath for you Miss?”

Valerie doesn't turn to look at her old housekeeper who continues to stand by the door she opened for her.

“No.” She could still feel the way Jimin’s hands wrapped around her as he hugged her tight in his excitement. Running her fingers over the skin of her arms where she felt his warmth just a few hours ago she smiles to herself. “Today is not a day to take a bath.”

She slowly walks to her room and as she shuts the door, the memory of his laughter ringing in her ears is taken over by another familiar voice.

“What did you do Valerie?”

She turns around and sees the woman standing right across her. She fails to notice though that the woman is wearing the same outfit as her, has her hair done the same way and was standing exactly like she was.

“What did you do?” The woman asks again.

Valerie slowly smiles, the sheer happiness she was feeling beautifully dancing on her lips. “I helped Park Jimin find his family.”

“You did what?”

“I helped him find the family he lost years ago. You should’ve been there that moment.” Valerie’s eyes shine with the memory. “He was so happy. So so happy. He thanked me so many times, again and again and again. Do you know he….” She looks around in the loneliness before lowering her voice. “Do you know he even hugged me?” She holds herself tightly but it didn’t feel the same as it did in his arms.

“He hugged you?”

She nods shyly, heat rising in her cheeks. “So tight. And in front of his whole family.”

“Is that what you’re so happy about?” The woman looks unimpressed. After all, she had bigger plans for her. “Just because he hugged you?”

“No.” She shakes her head, a fond look forming on her face. “I mean yes, that’s a reason, but more importantly, he looked so happy.” Jimin’s laugh rings in the room again. “That happiness on his face? I’d do anything for that. I can fight the whole world for it-“

“And yourself?” The woman smiles because she knows she’s on to something. “For those few moments of his happiness, you willingly fought and defeated yourself too? For his happiness, you ruined yours?”

A small furrow appears between Valerie’s eyebrows. “What?”

“I knew you were emotionally driven, but I didn’t know you were an idiot Valerie.”

The wide smile on her face slowly falters.

“You think that by reuniting Jimin with his family you have brought him closer to you but that’s not true…………. You, with your own two hands, have pushed him away.”

“No….”

“Yes Valerie.” The woman dons the smile instead now. “Do you remember what he said to you that day?”

Valerie knew what she was talking about. She remembers every word Jimin says.

“I’ve never had a mother, never had the chance to be loved by her, never once slept in her lap. I don’t even know how that feels like, to be so close to someone and feel safe enough to put myself in their hands. To trust someone to make me forget my worries while I just drift to sleep in their lap.” He turns to look at her. “I want to know Val. Can I sleep in your lap tonight?”

“He needed you then because he didn’t have his mother. But now she’s in his life, you brought her into his life. What will he need you for now?”

“That can’t happen…..”

“People share their happiness with the whole world Valerie but they share their pain with only those who are closest to them. Jimin no longer needs you to share his pain. You yourself gave him so many other shoulders to cry on.”

“Jimin won’t leave me for them-“

“Blood is the strongest thing that binds people. You should know that……. After all, you’re exactly like your father-“

“Shut up.” Her voice becomes threateningly low.

“You can’t keep me quiet Val. You know I’m right. I’m right about everything.”

“Shut. Up.” Her hand tightens around the vase on the table next to her.

“It’s time you accept that Park Jimin no longer needs your shoulder or your lap Val….Park Jimin no longer needs you-“

“SHUT UP.” She flings the vase across the room straight where the woman was standing, shattering the glass of the mirror into a hundred different pieces.

Park Jimin no longer needs you…..

She balls her shaking hands into tight fists, taking staggered breaths between her quivering lips. “That can’t happen…..I won’t let that happen…..”

Wiping the sweat above her lips with the back of her hand, she walks around the room looking for her phone, searching on the sheets of the bed, behind the cushions of the couch throwing them haphazardly, scouring the surface of the dressing table, not noticing the slightest bit how the shards of the mirror had pierced through her foot, letting the crimson leak out.

Finding what she was looking for in her back pocket, she dialed Jimin’s number as quickly as she could. 

She won’t let him go. She will never let him go.

“Let me go in….”

Her racing heart begins to slow down as she looks over her shoulder, ears catching the sound of the man’s voice, her finger hovering right above the call button. Abandoning her mission, she throws her phone on the bed, and limps to the door of her room pushing it open to see Jimin walking into the house. She leans against the frame in relief, looking at him tenderly, smiling once again. Park Jimin did not leave her……...but it fades when the security guard follows the former and lock his arms with him and begins to drag him out.

“Rodger.” Her voice sounds like the crack of the whip making both men turn to her. “Let him go.”

“Miss Valerie, he just-“

“Let him go and get out.” She narrows her eyes at him sensing his hesitation. “Leave. Right now.”

Rodger immediately unhooks his arm, moving back fast, bowing in apology. As he leaves Valerie’s eyes stop following him and shift to Jimin who flashes her a brilliant smile taking a step forward and immediately stumbling. She quickly rushes up to him, holding him up, as he lets out a silly laugh.

“Sorry.” He sinks into the couch behind him.

“Did you drink?” Valerie looks down at him, crossing her arms.

“A little bit.” He indicates inaccurately with his index finger and thumb. 

“This doesn’t seem like a little bit though.”

“I know.” He says giving a sheepish look.  “And I know you don’t like it when I drink but…..but I found my family today Val. I found my family after so many years; I couldn’t stop myself.”

“Why are you explaining yourself to me?”

“Because you look a little annoyed?” He shrugs in doubt.

Annoyed? After seeing him here, in front of her?.....With her? She smiles at his ignorance.

“Ah, now you don’t look annoyed anymore.” He laughs, putting his legs up on the couch, eyes falling on the table across him holding her untouched dinner. “Did you not eat?”

She shakes her head. “I was about to.”

“You should, it’s late.”

“Do you want to join me?”

“No.” He answers. “I had a home cooked meal after so many years today, I’m beyond full.”

Valerie does not let him see hardness in her expression at his disappointing answer.

“I should go.” He yawns. “My brothers are waiting downstairs.”

“Wait!” Valerie quickly answers before holding herself back. “I mean…..why uh….why did you come here in the first place?”

“I wanted to make sure you came back home fine.” He yawns again. “It was quite late when you left.”

Valerie somehow felt he same warmth she had when he had hugged her.

“Now that I know you’re okay, I should go-“

She stands before him, her position not allowing him to get up. “Is this all I deserve?”

“What?”

“I helped you find your family and this is all I get in return?”

“I thought I….” He looks apologetic, his expression immediately making her regret her words. “I’m sorry Val I-“

She laughs, “I meant, if drunk Jimin was going to come check on me then might as well share the celebration and a drink with me too right?”

Jimin’s mouth forms an O of realisation.

“Wine?” Valerie takes a determined step back. “I know you like my wine collection.”

“You know I can’t say no to that.” He laughs.

“I know.” She whispers to herself with a smile, walking to the bar. It’s the sharp intake of breath her housekeeper lets out that makes her turn and see the old lady covering her mouth with her hands, eyes following the trail of her bloodied footprints.

“Miss-“

“Shh.” Valerie puts a finger against her lips, shooting a quick look at Jimin who had his eyes shut, oblivious. “Just go.”

She nods, eyes wide with fear, taking a step back. Valerie grabs the bottle from the shelf, uncorking it and spilling the crimson drink into the glass. As she drops the ice cubes in it, one after the other, her actions getting more dedicated by the minute, she looks up from her concoction and.....Jimin is gone.

Panicking, she immediately rushes, drink still in her hand, looking around frantically.

“Val?”

She stops, and turns towards the open door of bedroom locating the source of his voice. Her feet pick up the pace as she hurries over, further pushing open the door and finding Jimin about to crouch down by the broken mirror as he stared, extending his hand towards it.

“Stop!”

She walks in fast and pushes him away, making him stagger and fall back onto the bed behind him. He sits up wincing, eyes finding the wound on her leg.

“Val, oh my god, you’re hurt-”

“I’m fine.”

“but…but-there’s blood.”

“You’re drunk Jimin, remember? You’re just hallucinating things.”

He frowns. “I’m imagining blood?”

Valerie raises an eyebrow. “Do you think I will be able to stand like this if I was hurt?”

“No...”

“Then there’s your answer.”

“But this mirror?” He points. “How did it break?”

“What are you talking about?”

“This mirror Val.”

“There is no mirror Jimin.”

“No way.” He shakes his head, rubbing his eyes hard in disbelief. “You’re…you’re not lying?”

“Lies are told by those who are afraid.” She takes a step forward.  “People who are afraid are people who don’t trust themselves.” Her lips twist into a small smile. “I’m not one of those people.” She takes another step forward, foot landing right on the edge of the broken piece, blood promptly gushing once more. “There’s nothing here, don’t worry.” She extends the drink in her hand to him. “Here.”

Jimin swallowed on nothing looking at foot her and then at the smile on her face as though absolutely nothing happened. As he lowers his gaze from them, somehow still unconvinced, his eyes land on the glass in her hand making him burst out laughing.

“Did you add ice? to wine?”

She looks at him, features adorably scrunched in confusion. “Are you not supposed to?”

“No, it dilutes the flavor, but it’s alright.” He takes the glass from her, downing its contents in a quick second. “I shall have it because you made it.”

She smiles satisfied, taking the now empty glass from him but Jimin holds her hand instead, pulling her onto the bed next to him.

“I can’t thank you enough Val.” He looks at her, face inches away from hers, making her hand tightly grip the sheets next to her. “What you did for me…….I don’t know what to do to repay the favour.”

She looks away, straight ahead, unable to handle the intensity of his sight. “it’s ok….you don’t have to-”

“When you came into my life I thought my bad days had started….but now I wonder.” He shuts his eyes and leans his head on her shoulder, making her hold her breath. “I wonder if you might just be the best thing that ever happened to me.”

The best thing?

“No, there’s no doubt.” He falls back into the softness of the bed, yawning once more. “You are the best thing that happened to me.”

It takes a few moments of silence for Valerie to realize he had indeed drifted off to sleep and allow herself to finally breath. She turns to look at him, at his shallow breaths as his soft lips were parted, his two crooked teeth faintly visible. As she reaches to push his hair off from falling into his eyes, the loud ringtone of his phone makes her jerk in the fear of disturbing his sleep. Not knowing what else to do she quickly reaches for the device from his pocket and glances at the caller ID.

Hyung.

Swallowing on the rising bile, she tightly holds the lock button, forcing it give out that small tone as it switches off before she throws it on the bed, undaunted.

Scooting behind, she crosses her legs and sits by his head, holding his face preciously and very meticulously pulling it into her lap, finally pushing his hair back as he curled peacefully in sleep in her presence.

Slowly Valerie looks at the woman staring at her from the broken pieces of the mirror, a small smile of victory curling her lips. 

“You were wrong. Park Jimin will always need me……Park Jimin belongs to me……and me alone.”

And as the sun took the place of the moon, three things were unmoving in the house. Valerie, as she smilingly watched Jimin, the wine bottle she left open on the counter and a strip of sleeping pills right next to it.

A/n – Please note that alcohol and sleeping pills should NEVER be taken together. That combination has a wide range of effects depending on the dosage, the worst of which is that it can potentially kill you.

[jmeelee]

Sterek Week 2019 Theme: Scene Stealer

Rated: G

Words: 1200

Scene Stolen from Outlander

+++++++++

People disappear all the time. Many of the lost are found, eventually.  Disappearances, after all, have explanations. 

Usually.

-----

The fall morning dawns crisp and cool; the kind of day that makes Stiles grateful for the kiss of the sun.  Yesterday's torrential downpour washed away the last remnants of an unrelenting summer, leaving behind air so sweet Stiles can taste earth on his tongue.  Red and yellow leaves madly shush like irate librarians under his sneakers, while snapping twigs pop like gunshots, echoing throughout the hush of the preserve. 

On days like these, Stiles thinks about Derek Hale.  

Derek drifts in and out of Stiles’ head, a handsome vagabond.  In his carpetbag, he carries Stiles’ youthful regrets and a soft, irreplaceable piece of his heart.  Sometimes he leaves as fast as he arrived; a ghost on the peripheral of Stiles’ vision, summoned by a scowl, over-arched eyebrow, or throw-away gesture, and gone in the blink of an amber-colored eye, not returning for months, a year.  Other times, he stays awhile, unpacking all the things Stiles thought were carelessly thrown in the back of a Toyota Cruiser and driven out of Beacon Hills five years ago.  When he overstays his welcome, Derek’s smile sharpens, a blade in the dark, so quick and bright Stiles tastes blood in his mouth every morning Derek stubbornly remains.  Eventually, he finds the strength to banish Derek back from whence he came.   

But he bursts into technicolor life today, face and hair bathed in the early-morning sunlight flickering through the trees, shirt a hair too tight, walking beside Stiles on his woodland errand.  This is Derek’s stomping ground, the land he treads with silent feet, both then and now, real and imaginary.  This is private property.  His presence is a gentle hum in the back of Stiles’ mind.    

Stiles’ meandering path eventually brings him to the secret garden he planted deep in the heart of the preserve, where rich and hearty soil feeds sage, mugwort, damiana, coltsfoot and more.  After a few years of careful tending, the roots are strong and the plants are abundant.  “You need to be that spark, Stiles.” He ruminates on Deaton’s prophetic words while he snaps off some stems, enough to stock his expanding apothecary and get the McCall pack through until Spring, wrapping the sprigs in white cloth before stuffing them into his beat-up leather satchel.  Spells scroll through his brain, their ingredient popping up for him to mentally tick off; a druid’s grocery list. 

Be that Spark.  He’s trying.

Twenty minutes in and the gentle hum at the back of his skull has turned to a mildly incessant roar.  

He turns from the garden, eyes narrowed, and steps over the two-by-fours outlining the raised plot, ears instinctually following the noise.  Derek disappears when Stiles focuses on his footing, gone back to South America or Atlantis or the Bermuda Triangle, whatever inaccessible place he resides these days.  Stiles’ satchel bumps against his spine as he follows the steadily swelling sound down a steep embankment, over a stream pregnant with rainwater, and through thick brambles.  

Carefully pushing aside a prickly, overgrown hedge with his fingertips, Stiles comes face to face with the stump of the Nemeton. 

“Huh,” he grunts, momentarily disoriented.  He glances around, blinking at familiar forest grove.  Water oaks reach their gnarled arms toward each other, tiny branches clasping like fingers overhead, creating a trellised canopy leading down to the freshwater preserve.  How has Stiles not realized his little garden was planted so close to the magical tree?  

“I’m sorry, Boy.  I have nothing left to give you.”  Yeah, nothing except the willies, even after all these years.

The buzzing grows louder.   

“What the hell?” Stiles whispers aloud, edging closer.  He searches nearby branches for a wasp nest, thinking that must be the culprit. Then he remembers being six-years-old, running around his yard playing war with Scott, and limping inside to his mother with a painful, swollen foot, a battle wound earned from stepping on a ground bee. He makes a cursory examination of the base of the Nemeton.

Half-way around he spots broad palmate leaves attached to long stems, twisting around a bulging root and stretching toward the sky like tiny umbrellas.  “No way!” Stiles exclaims.  “American Mandrake shouldn’t be growing here!”

He forgets the ominous susurrus in the excitement of discovery.  Stiles flips open his satchel, kneeling in the soft, damp dirt.  Medicinal potions and defensive spells unfurl like flower petals in his mind, and he braces himself with one hand against the smooth, flat surface of the nemeton to—          

The tree screams. 

Stiles backs away as fast as he can on hands and heels, scrambling in a reverse crab-walk and tripping on the short turf, ass connecting hard with the ground.  He stares at the stump, sweating profusely, stomach roiling.  The now-deafening noise continues.  Stumbling to his feet like a newborn colt, he staggers away, heading in one direction, then another, teeth grinding, aching, jaw locked.  His head spins and his vision blurs, the sound pulling him apart from the inside out.  Pulse fast. Skin crawling. Hair prickling on his neck, on his arms.  Elemental terror.

Then, silence.

Or as blessedly close to it as he’s going to get.  He bursts through the tree line, ears ringing like he’s just left Jungle on ladies' night. He shakes his head like a wet dog and Derek’s beside him once more. Really, Stiles?  A shitty dog joke?  Relieved breath rushes from his lungs, only to reenter in gasping sobs: he hadn’t realized he’d been holding it the entire time he was running.    

A three-story house materializes like a beacon in the mist, picturesque and vaguely familiar.  Stiles staggars toward it, taking in the widow’s walk, dormers, and checkerboard windows surrounded by dark slatted shutters. Evergreen bushes line a hip-high brick retaining wall in the front yard, and a generous porch extends down the first floor, bright purple California poppies growing along the stone foundation.

Huh, he somehow finds the brainpower to think.  Those usually bloom in March and April.  

The panicked bodily reactions retreat bit by bit, falling behind with each step, bringing Stiles closer to the home.  Warm orange rays paint the wood siding in becoming shades of blush, and Stiles blames his recuperating senses for taking this long to notice the sun is setting, where moments ago it was barely 9 am.  His long-sleeved plaid overshirt is stifling in the heat, when earlier it had been a comfort against the chill.

His heart, barely recovered, beats again in double time.

Where am I?   

The front door of the house swings open and a young man emerges onto the porch, stepping out of the warm entryway light like a scowling angel.

Stiles may not have recognized the house, but he knows this man.

Grief and joy knot tight in his chest, a snarled mess, tangled like vines in the brush.  Is he dreaming?  Is this a memory?  Another comforting fantasy? 

Was Stiles called to this place?  Or did he come despite it? 

The man on the porch opens his mouth.  “This is private property,” he declares, voice younger, more unsure than Stiles has ever heard it, a stilted warning, lacking all the pain, suspicion and anger Derek hid under aggressive

eyebrows and leather jackets. 

Oh no, Stiles thinks, eyes going wide.  He’s asking the wrong questions.

“When am I?”

[easyhairstylesbest]

Taurus Monthly Horoscope

MONTH OF January

Monthly Snapshot 

At last! For the past six months, you may have struggled to shine, and at moments felt outright invisible. That’s all changing as January opens and the hangover of #canceled holidays fades into the rearview. Ready for your cosmic coming out party? The first month of 2021 will happily host it!

  On January 6, energizer Mars blasts into your sign after six interminable months stuck in “sleep” mode, and it’s game on. Then electrifying Uranus rouses from a five-month retrograde in Taurus mid-month, and you’ll be an unstoppable force. Yes, Bull, you’re baaaaa-aaaack. 

  But you won’t just be stampeding at the first metaphorical matador’s cape. Your passionate awakening will be anchored by the heavy-hitting presence of lucky Jupiter and master builder Saturn, which recently relocated to Aquarius and your tenth house of career, achievement and public acclaim. Not only will you have innovative ideas to share, but you’ll also start getting the recognition you deserve. It’s about damn time!

  Just get plans underway before Mercury turns retrograde from January 30 to February 20. As the cosmic communicator backspins through Aquarius and your professional zone, you could experience a few slowdowns or setbacks. But with the right amount of advance planning, you’ll be buffered against the mischief maker’s mayhem. Back up your data and devices and make sure everyone’s clear on their marching orders as soon as possible.

  Week 1: January 1-10

Finally, your time to shine

Wake-up call! This Wednesday, January 6, is the day you didn’t know that you’ve been waiting for. But it is, Taurus, because your focus, confidence and energy are about to return with a vengeance. Since June 27, 2020, motivator Mars has been in Aries, slogging through your twelfth house of rest, sacrifice and illusions for an extended stay—FOUR times longer than its usual visit!

  During this surreal time, you may have become more spiritual, vulnerable or deeply in tune with your emotions. But you also could have felt confused and adrift, as though nothing you attempted quite came together. There was plenty of magic and divine serendipity—which Taurus folk don’t always let themselves dabble in. But in the mundane day-to-day realm, it might have been hard to find your footing. As a stability-seeking sign, you could emerge from this cycle feeling pretty disoriented. But you may also have met a soulmate, grown more emotionally in tune with yourself or discovered how to consciously root into a state of divine grace and acceptance. There are all things that will carry you through any future rough patches!

  Your surreal haze gives way to inspired action this week when Mars blazes into Taurus, activating your confidence, charisma and clarity. Mars is here until March 3, a once-every-two-years visit. All that feisty Mars energy will have you raring to go, and its methodical Taurean flow will suit your style of getting things done one item at a time, AND to your exacting standards. You’ll start to feel like your old self again—only better. Thanks to your long twelfth-house “meditation retreat,” you’ll approach your goals with more wisdom and depth, a silver lining that will pay dividends over the long haul. 

  With all the attention Mars could bring, you’re ready for a style refresh. A new look (or even just a hair, makeup and wardrobe mini overhaul) will help you feel sharp again, inside and out. Any transformations you undertake are sure to enhance your confident glow. And keep up the good work with social distancing for just a bit longer—all of your persistence will pay off.

  Week 2: January 11-17

  Should you stay or should you go?

  Is it time for a bold coming-out party—or should you keep some plans under wraps? The answer is “both” this week as go-getter Mars and disruptor Uranus both make waves in Taurus while tangoing with the other planets. 

  After feeling suppressed and subdued for the last six months, you’re eager to shout your message from the rooftops. Mars is finally in your sign, and you’ve got something to SAY. But not so fast, Bull. On Wednesday, Januaclass=”body-el-link standard-body-el-link” ry 13, rash Mars will lock into a tense square with tight-lipped Saturn in Aquarius and your conservative, career-driven tenth house. 

  There will certainly be occasions to speak up boldly, but you’ll need to do so tactfully and tactically. Aside from “just wanting to be heard,” how can you position yourself as a trailblazing leader rather than a hotheaded disruptor? Strike the right balance and you could earn the respect and allegiance of key power players. You’ll want them in your corner this year, Bull! You don’t have to suppress your truth to earn their trust…but know that this is a process, so play the long game. 

  Besides, on Thursday, January 14, pioneering Uranus will end a five-month retrograde backspin in YOUR sign that began on August 15. As the planet of radical change turns direct (forward) in Taurus, some of your passion projects or cherished personal goals gain momentum…or head in a thrilling new direction. Have you been pondering a new look or waiting to debut a style update? Uranus direct gives the all-clear for you to start turning some heads. 

  Fun fact: For the next two weeks, there will be ZERO retrograde planets, a great time to make decisive moves. Do it quick, before Mercury turns retrograde on January 30 in your career house. Thursday is also ideal to “go big or go home” because the bold Sun will conjunct transformational Pluto in Capricorn and your visionary ninth house. Swing far out of your comfort zone, Taurus, and try something wildly new and different. 

  The weekend could bring some bumpy moments as you break out of that shell. On Sunday, January 17, expansive Jupiter and disruptor Uranus lock into a tough square, which only happens every seven years. When these freedom-seeking planets connect, the urge to liberate yourself from any limitations becomes impossible to ignore. But since they’re at odds with each other, you could be pulled between dueling desires to blaze your own trail and move up the career ladder. Jupiter in Aquarius and your career house pushes for professional expansion while Uranus in Taurus prompts you to put your own dreams first. You may need to do a bit of both! 

  The last Jupiter-Uranus square was in 2014, so look back to that time for any major plot twists. This time around, Jupiter and Uranus are in different signs and parts of your chart. But once again, you’ll feel the urge to break out of anything confining, whether it’s your career path, an image you present to the world or your life direction. 

  Week 3: January 18-24

  Raring to go

  Get those ambitious plans ready! Aquarius season begins this week as the Sun joins Mercury, Jupiter and Saturn in the Water Bearer’s domain on Tuesday, January 19, staying until February 18. Aquarius rules your tenth house of career and success, and you’re more than ready to tackle some lofty goals, especially after a long, dragged-out holding pattern for the second half of last year.

  You’ll be fired up to make radical changes, possibly a complete pivot, especially on Wednesday, January 20. That day, go-getter Mars and pioneering Uranus will unite in Taurus, awakening your inner trailblazer. Do you have an innovative idea, perhaps one that involves cutting-edge technology? Hire that app developer or start scouting Fiverr wizards who can help you make it a reality. You might also have a vision for how the world can be better and more equitable. Don’t hold back—this outspoken starmap urges you to take a chance and speak up!

  Warning: With these two unpredictable planets melding their energies, you could be a bit volatile, especially if someone challenges your vision. You’re eager to move things forward, but this rash energy could tempt you to force your hand. Pro tip: Remain open to feedback instead of adopting a “my way or the highway” attitude. Even if you’re convinced that your approach is best, steamrolling others will only alienate crucial supporters instead of turning them into allies. Keep your ego and temper in check today.

  On Saturday, January 23, Mars will lock into a heated square with expansive Jupiter in your career sector. More impulsive and temperamental behavior could be triggered by this week’s second Mars aspect. While it’s great to break out of any limiting beliefs, watch that you don’t shoot yourself in the foot when doing so. Professional pressures could compete with your desire to launch a solo venture or do things your way. Should you play by the rules or flagrantly break them? This Mars-Jupiter square demands that you stick to the plan, at least to some extent, before throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

  Also on Saturday, the ego-driven Sun gets put in check by mature Saturn (the only adult in the cosmic room today, it seems) as the two make their once-a-year meetup. While this is normally a sobering and even pessimistic day, the Sun-Saturn conjunction provides the pause that could save you from self-sabotage. Step back and take a hard look at your long-term goals rather than just the immediate impact. Where would you like to be a year or two from now? Taking a little time to reflect on that could pay dividends.

  Week 4: January 25-31

A boost in the middle

  Ups and downs: incoming! The last week of January is bookended by challenging days—with a huge positive boost in the middle. On Tuesday, January 26, the Sun in visionary Aquarius and your tenth house of reputation squares off against troublemaker Uranus in stubborn Taurus and your first house of personal identity. Your desire for stability may be disrupted by parts of your life that are in flux—or your own shaky mood. 

  If a tempting offer comes your way today, you’ll face a tough decision: Which path forward is best? Work hard to hold your temper if the pressure feels extreme. Take a deep breath and ask yourself what’s most important: the way you’re seen by others or the way you feel inside?

  Things heat up in a wonderful way on Thursday, January 28. Considered the “luckiest day of the year” by many astrologers (and recently dubbed the Day of Miracles) this annual conjunction of the Sun and expansive Jupiter will shine a spotlight on your work-life balance, with abundant energy ruling the day on both fronts.

  Adding to the day’s fire is a full moon in gregarious Leo and your fourth house of home and family. Is a possible move or some other reshuffling of your living situation on the horizon? This could be a banner day for career and achievements, but it could be hard to find time to indulge in the Leo full moon’s pampering perks. Perhaps a toast with your inner circle is in order?

  You’ll want to polish up your public persona/front-facing materials (headshots, website, etc.) earlierclass=”body-el-link standard-body-el-link” this week because on Saturday, January 30, communicator Mercury turns retrograde (https://astrostyle.com/mercury-retrograde) in Aquarius and your tenth house of professional endeavors. This backspin will persist until February 20, so don’t be surprised if a job offer is delayed or presents some plot twists.

  Read the fine print and don’t sign on the dotted line just now if possible. Be careful about clashes with clients and authority figures. Any disagreements could be simple crossed wires, but if things get too overblown, you could find yourself stuck making amends or rebuilding a burnt bridge. Hold off on any big announcements and hunker down to work behind the scenes. You can unveil your big plans and projects in late February under more favorable skies.

  LOVE & ROMANCE:

At last! Taurus, you could NOT be more ready to put 2020 behind you when it comes to love. Not that it’s been all bad, but you’ve definitely faced some cosmic struggles. Back in the middle of May, your ruling planet, Venus, went retrograde for six weeks. And right as it corrected course at the end of June, the other love planet, Mars, slipped into Aries and your twelfth house of illusions, transitions and hidden agendas for an extended six-month stay (four times longer than usual). 

  From June 27, 2020, until this January 6, 2021, Mars slogged through this hazy part of your chart, making you unclear about where you stood, fanning the flames of insecurities and blurring the lines between fantasy and reality. While you may have had some wild and windswept romance, the roller-coaster ride of emotions was a lot to bear.

  You can reclaim your power as the randy red planet blazes into YOUR sign, staying until March 3. Your confidence, charisma and mojo return with a vengeance. Shake off those sleepy or frumpy vibes and get ready to get back in the game! We understand the timing or a camera-ready debut is inconvenient with so much of the world being shut down now. But we trust that you’ll find safe ways to let the world see your swagger again.

  Meanwhile, the other love planet, Venus (your galactic guardian), will be in Sagittarius and your sultry and intimate eighth house until January 8. This should bestow a sexy vibe, but with the galactic goddess in this internally focused sector, you might be feeling a bit insular, which will be easier for attached Bulls than those trotting solo. 

  But that intensity won’t last long. Once Venus soars into Capricorn and your adventurous, expansive ninth house from January 8 to February 1, nothing can bring you down. Your positive energy will be irresistible, and you’ll feel ready to try something new.

  And the next day, January 9, Venus and Mars form a golden trine (120-degree angle of harmony). A long-distance connection could spark for single Bulls. Couples might experience that rarefied and glorious sensation of anything being possible. Do it safely, and it just might be!

  Key Dates:

January 9: Venus-Mars trine

Bring on the lasting love! As affectionate Venus and passionate Mars harmonize in stable earth signs, you could have true romance with all the trimmings—sensuality and stability. Skip the “come here now go away” players and their mixed messages. A partner who makes you feel secure is suddenly the most attractive catch in town. Coupled? Mark a long-term relationship with a thoughtful gift to let your mate know how much you cherish them.

    MONEY & CAREER:

  Dear Reader: To bring you cutting-edge financial and career astrology, we’ve replaced our monthly Money & Career horoscope with an expanclass=”body-el-link standard-body-el-link” ded new offering. And we’re bursting with excitement to announce it!

  We invite you to join the waitlist for our Astropreneurs community, where we’ll be sharing tools, trainings and cosmic career coaching in 2021 and beyond! Whether you’re an entrepreneur, a dreamer with a side hustle or just looking for deeper satisfaction from your work, we’ll guide you to your path and purpose by the stars.

  2021 Vision Board Experience: January 28 with The AstroTwins Ready to designclass=”body-el-link standard-body-el-link” a path that truly fulfills you in 2021? Join us for a star-powered live online event to create success, leadership and impact on January 28, 2021. Tickets available at https://astrostyle.com/visionboard21

Love Days: 3, 8

Money Days: 24, 13

Luck Days: 21, 11

Off Days: 19, 6, 10

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Taurus Monthly Horoscope

[mx-fawkes]

I’m not going to get this finished tonight so, take this.

Written for Roadrat monster week. Day 2 - Scarecrows curse.

This is the first half, I’ll either finish it alongside the other pieces I want to do for the week or leave it until afterwards.

Sometimes, Mako really regretted buying the farm. 

Thinking back, it had been kind of a romantic, if naive idea. Move far away from home, buy a smallholding, grow his own food and keep some animals. Sure the cottage he fell in love with was a bit run-down, but he'd have it back into shape with a few months of hard work. Ha.

The cottage was perhaps a little small for him, but it fit his solitary lifestyle. It had one large room that worked as both living room and kitchen, a narrow flight of stone stairs that led up to the bedroom, and the bathroom was a small brick building unattached to the main house.

His land also included a hill he wasn't allowed to farm or build on. He wasn't entirely sure why, and the nervous government workers he'd spoken to didn't seem sure either, only knowing what their records said. One of them had suggested it might be an old burial mound, which didn't make him any happier about it being on his land.

He'd been at the cottage for a couple of months now, working on the house alongside getting the fields into a reasonable state. Luckily he was well versed in fixing up housing, he'd spent nearly twenty years working in construction. He'd had other jobs, security and warehouse work mostly. Anything that required someone who looked intimidating or was used to heavy lifting. He'd been able to actually work on farms a few times, usually helping with the autumn harvest.

He hadn't managed to do much in the way of actual farming, but he'd set up a small plot he was using to grow potatoes. He had a few pots of herbs growing on his windowsill, and he'd even been able to fish in a nearby canal, getting a decent amount of carp and roach.

It hadn't been enough, and his savings were getting as drained from his food bills as they were from all the things he was having to buy for the cottage. If he were a superstitious man he'd think the place was cursed. So much had been broken when he'd first moved in, and it seemed that in the time it took for him to get one thing fixed three more would break. 

When he wasn't working he'd usually spend time in the local town. It was a small place, filled with enough interesting bits of history to bring in a steady flow of tourists. It didn't have much in the way of supermarkets, and he had to drive further out of town to get to a hardware store. It was filled with good places to eat though, the streets lined with restaurants and cafes.

He'd visited one of them today, popping in after his shopping run to treat himself to a cup of bubble tea. It sat on the dashboard of his van as he made his way home. The sun was setting as he drove down the winding lane to his cottage, and as he stepped out he took a moment to look over his land. The dim orange light made things seem nicer than they usually did in the harsh light of day. Tall oaks cast long shadows across his fields, and the canal in the distance sparkled in the light. Roads crisscrossing the landscape made him wish he had more time to take his bike out, to spend hours exploring their twists and turns.

He let out a long sigh that felt like it been lurking in his lungs for days. This work, this life was what he'd always wanted. Even if he had to pick up another job to make ends meet in the meantime he'd finally have his dream.

When the light fully faded and the air began to chill Mako continued inside, heavy boots stomping on the stone floors as he dumped his drink and shopping bag onto the kitchen table. It was the only piece of furniture that had come with the house, and he suspected it was because the previous owners hadn't figured out how to take it out. Carved from a huge slab of black oak it dominated the room, clearly built for a large family to sit around. Maybe it had even been built inside, there was no way it would have fit through the doors. Mako hit his head off the frames often enough to know how small they were.

He was starting to put things away when a loud peppy song filled the air. Grumbling, he pulled his phone from his pocket and answered the call. "Hey."   "Mako? Hi." He recognized the voice, it belonged to one of the other farmers in the area. Why they had his phone number was beyond him. "One of our pigs has been injured, we need to get her to the vets but our car isn't big enough, can you come with your van? We'll pay for petrol- "

Ah, Claire.  Lived with her wife and a group of the cutest ginger Tamworth pigs Mako had ever seen. "Yeah, I'll be right over."

Shopping abandoned, he ran out to the van. He liked Claire, she kept the pigs as pets and didn't see them as food. Plus, he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he didn't help and the pig died.

Night had fully settled in by the time he returned home. The pig was fine, a nasty injury to the leg had been stitched up and it was staying the night at the vets. Claire and Alka had insisted he stay for dinner after he'd driven them home, and it had been fun. They were good company, and the food had been delicious. Home-grown, perfectly cooked and not a piece of pork in sight.

The mood throughout the meal had been light, but on the drive back he began to sink. Maybe he was just tired, but seeing them together made him wonder why he'd never had that kind of relationship.

Maybe he'd just missed his chance. He'd been too nervous as a teenager to ask anyone out, spent his twenties figuring out himself and starting hormones. He'd had a few fleeting dates, but hadn't been in an actual relationship until he was in his thirties. Even then they didn't last long, any initial spark of romance fading out fast. It was probably just him, he wasn't the best partner.

The guys he picked up always seemed so excited to date a strong silent guy who owned a motorbike, but after a few weeks they began to find the silence annoying, started to insist he talk to them more.

One guy, Quinn, had been so insistent that Mako was what he needed in his life. An exciting dangerous biker who would get into fights whenever he asked. He'd been put off when Mako had to do boring things like "going to work" and "not getting arrested". Things had come to a messy end when he asked Mako to meet his parents, the ones who were paying for Quinn's very nice apartment and who owned the company Mako was working for at the time. Mako had been quietly asked to quit by his boss a week after the break-up, with the unspoken implication that it was better than being fired.

It might be too late for him to start a new relationship. Who was he going to meet out in the middle of nowhere?

The door creaked loudly as he pushed it open, and he mentally added oiling the hinges to the long list of things that needed doing. He fumbled for the light switch, freezing in shock when the lights flickered on.

With all the repair work he'd been doing he hadn't bothered much with keeping the place tidy. The kitchen had quickly devolved into piles of unwashed dishes and bags of rubbish he hadn't gotten rid of. It was always on his list, but never enough of a priority that it got done.

Disbelieving eyes took in a kitchen that was now cleaner than Mako had ever seen it. The room had been scrubbed clean, his dishes sat in a neat pile on the countertop and the bags of rubbish had vanished off somewhere.   Only one item in the room seemed out of place. The cup of bubble tea was right where he left it in the middle of the table. Except it now had a straw sticking out of it, and was completely empty.

He wasn't sure how long he stood there, staring at the empty plastic cup. Had somebody broken into his house? Possible, he never really bothered locking the doors. But why clean his kitchen? Why drink his tea?

He moved further into the house, searching for any other surprises. Everything else seemed the same, his laptop was still in the living room where he'd left it.

"What the fuck."  

The next few days saw him on edge, making sure the house was fully locked up when he left and keeping an ear out for any strange noises when he was there. A loud knock at his door made him jump, heart racing as he fumbled the latch. It was only Alka, with news of the pig's recovery and a small basket of food. He just shrugged her off when she asked if he was okay, mumbled something about being tired. He didn't mention the strange event, and he was starting to doubt it had actually happened.

Drifting off to sleep the next night he was jolted awake by a loud crash from below. He practically leapt out of bed, grabbing a plank of wood before rushing downstairs. He quickly saw the cause, his pile of dishes scattered across the stone floor as if they'd been swept off the counter.

The back door hung open, and he rushed into the cold night air, expecting to hear an engine or at least footsteps. There was nothing. Just the rustle of the wind and the occasional chirp of an insect. He pulled on the boots he kept by the door, wandering outside with a tight grip on the plank.

There was nothing. His house was far enough away from anywhere else that someone wouldn't have just walked, but there weren't any cars or bikes further down the lane. He was shivering after a few minutes, wishing he'd gone to bed in more than a t-shirt and boxers. Going back inside might give whoever did this time to run, and he desperately wanted answers for why they were doing this.

He trudged towards the hill, hoping the height would give him some new perspective. Maybe it had just been the wind? The door latch had slipped loose, the door swung open, but it would take a pretty strong wind to knock the dishes off.

There! A person lay still in the long grass of the hill. Mako hefted the plank, storming over. "Who the hell-" He growled when he realized it was just a scarecrow, lying there as if dropped.

He picked it up, confused. He didn't own a scarecrow, and he'd never seen this one around before. Maybe whoever was bothering him had been messing with other farms too. He took one last long look around. If anyone was out here he wouldn't find them in the dark.

Holding the scarecrow in one hand he made his way back to the house. He'd ask around when he next went into town, see if anyone else was being fucked with.

He dumped the scarecrow on the sofa once he was back inside, making sure the door was locked. It was probably the most unsettling scarecrow he'd ever seen. A disturbingly human-like body stitched together with two wooden limbs and a burlap face. Maybe it had been a Halloween decoration once?  It was left there as Mako went back upstairs, exhausted and ready to return to bed.

--

If he had been able to muster the energy to move the next morning, the alarm clock would have been out of the window within seconds of it going off. As it was, he lay there overwhelmed with the desire to just fall back asleep, irritating beeping or not.

He didn't want to get up and feel his body protest his lack of sleep. Didn't want to go downstairs and sweep up the broken crockery. Didn't want to drive into town and buy replacements.  Definitely didn't want to find out what else had broken in the few hours he'd been asleep.

Thankfully, the desire to write the day off as a complete loss was defeated by his need to get up and piss. He flicked the alarm off and dragged himself out of bed. Joints ached in protest as he starred down the stairs, glaring at the scarecrow on his sofa. He didn't want to deal with that either, its eyes seeming to follow him around the room as he swept up the shards of broken plates.

Scarecrows couldn't stare. They couldn't see and this one didn't even have proper eyes. Even so, Mako took hold of the things straw ponytail and turned its face away, leaving him to have breakfast in peace.

He spent the day removing window frames, the old wood rotted and splintering apart. The glass was intact, but each square of wood only held a single pane. He'd have to think about upgrading to double glazing at some point. The place would be hell to heat in the winter otherwise. It did come with a fireplace, taking up a wall of the living room. He'd need a specialist to clean it out though, another expense he didn't want to deal with.

By the time he'd replaced the windows his stomach was beginning to growl loudly. A friend of his once joked it sounded like the Wild Hog Power tattoo on his stomach was complaining it hadn't been fed enough.

He rifled through the basket of food Alka had bought him, pulling out a pie and some vegetables. Oh, and a small bottle of mead. He pulled it out, examining the label. He recognized the farm it came from, they sold honey at the local market.

Pouring himself a glass he immediately realised he almost certainly shouldn't be drinking. It was difficult enough dealing with his life sober at the moment, and he didn't want to face off with an intruder while drunk. He allowed himself a small sip, the sweet taste almost tempting him to finish the glass. It was left on the table as his finished his meal, heading off to bed.

The scarecrows gaze followed him up the stairs, its stitched on smile seeming wider than before.

[syndianites]

The Consequences of Your Actions

Ship: Syndianite (Tom x S1 Dianite)

Summary: Vampire AU! Dianite has had many lovers over the years. Some were mere playthings, meant to pass the time. Others were passionate loves, a fire raging until their inevitable demise. Very few were of the immortal variety, most searching for a power grab, others enthralled by his image. One was different, one was special. And he’d be damned if he was going to let him slip away.

Chapter: 0/?

AN: I don’t know how long this will be, but it was dying to be written. I will commit to this, even when I have no time in my schedule for it. That’s how bad I need to write this. This chapter is basically angst, filled with some plot and setup, sprinkled with angst. There’s a little super obvious foreshadowing too.

Prologue

Tonight, there was something amiss in the city. As the residents slept, unaware of the feud taking place beyond their homes, beings of majesty that far outweighed their own were locked in battle. Meriden was ruled by chaos by night, and with each second passing, there was more to go around.

The Lord of the East had assembled his army very carefully. Each warrior had undergone tests, knowingly or not, to abide by certain standards. Their turning was meticulously planned to keep suspicion at bay. His soldiers held a slew of abilities, sorted both on those and their personality. The loyalty of his followers was made certain by the sire bond. His battalions far outnumbered that of the West Lord’s.

The Lord of the West had an army of considerable means. They had assembled of their own dedications, each loyal to him, under the sire bond, or through a will driven by what they saw from him. Despite their uptake as his soldiers, many lacked basic combat skills. Their first thought was not of war, but of being there for their Lord. Only those of higher class, or those of deeper connection, pushed themselves to be ready to protect him at any cost. Unfortunately, the cost was higher than they could have imagined.

It was no secret the Lords were at odds. Despite being brothers, their intents for each other were less than friendly. Though they were always at one another’s throats, itching to fight, seldom did they wage full wars against the other. Their battles never ended with a winner, the damage to both sides gave nothing in return to the Lords. And at the end of it all, they were one of the few who understood each other.

Dianite, the Eastern Lord, had not woken with the intention the starting such a battle. His growing army was not established to destroy his brother’s faction.  Such intentions had not been on his mind for many months now, his thoughts occupied by other events. The lurking threat edging into the city, the mysterious shadows, was but one of these worries. The other of his mortal lover, a human of which he had become rather attached to.

But as the sun fell, and the Lord went to discuss the matter with his brother, he failed to notice something was wrong. Lost in his worries, his keen senses were ignored, the signs bypassed. In the end, this was what let him fall into this trap. His dear brother, Mianite, the Western Lord, had been waiting with much different intentions for his visit. For before him, snarling and forced to his knees, was none other than Thomas Cassel, his beloved human.

Perhaps if he’d have taken a critical eye to the scene, he would have noticed the shadows in the background, how unnatural they were. He could have taken note of the dampened look in his brother’s eyes, how they appeared almost lifeless. Could he have changed the course of the evening with the insinuation this information had given him, what he knew these signs meant? Had it been any other being before the Lord, maybe he could have.

As it stands, he showed a considerable amount of strength keeping himself from launching forward, tearing his brother apart from so much as threatening his lover. He could feel the rage setting in, his body burning with it. Fire jumped from his fingertips, and he forced himself to stay rooted to where he stood.

“My brother,” Mianite called from across the alleyway, the meeting point they had settled upon centuries earlier, placed in neutral ground, “You seem a tad stressed. Have you been keeping up with your sleep schedule? I know when you take human,” he rolled the word distastefully in his mouth, “you prefer to give them the illusion of being one of them.” Tilting his head to the side in mock curiosity, the Lord asked, “Say, did you ever tell this lovely toy of yours what you are?”

Mianite’s hand was dug into the mortal’s bright blue hair, twisting the locks cruelly as he craned Tom’s neck back until he had a full view of his face. “Look at that pretty face,” he cooed, as the human snarled, trying to yank out of the awful grip that was keeping him in place. The Lord continued as though there was no resistance, bending down to brush his lips against Tom’s neck, “So feisty too. It’s no wonder your so fond of him. Though, I must say, I’m rather surprised that you let him keep the blue hair. Not quite your color. Were you considering giving him to me as a gift, painting him my color just for me?” He cut himself off with a soft chuckle, a glint of fangs poking into the open air, “He looks so captivating. I could take him right here. The feel of his skin giving way beneath my teeth, his gasps reaching my ears, his blood coursing down my throat.”

A growl ripped from Dianite’s throat, all his instincts screaming for retribution, to rip out the Lord’s jugular, to sever his head, pull his fangs from his jaw. But he knew one wrong move could cost his love hi life. Faintly, he could feel the concern of his fledglings, the unease. This sent his protective urges overboard, made his head spin. “If you don’t remove your hand from him, I will remove it for you,” Dianite seethed, the air between them charged, a heaviness covering the area. “My, my, I don’t believe you are in the place to make such remarks.” He straightened himself back up, letting his nails, slowly extending into claws, scrape against the mortal’s cheek. “I’d hate to ruin such beauty.”

The Eastern Lord knew his brother wanted something, but the object of his desires eluded him. He begrudgingly asked the wretched question, words dripping with malice, “What is it you want?” The Vampire Lord sighed, disappointed with the query. “How boring,” Mianite drawled with an accompanying eyeroll, “Surely you could do better than that? What could I possibly want? What could you offer me that I could not provide for myself? Your part of the city. For many centuries, we have cultivated this from a small, pathetic town, to a true village, to a sprawling city, now capable of being labeled a metropolis. And I want it all. Yours, Ianite’s. Everything.”

The only light shining on this bullshit was from the half moon, climbing towards midnight, and the dangerous glow in Dianite’s eyes. Clenching his hands into tight fists, the Lord grit out, “Give me back Tom, and you can fucking have it bastard.” Mianite’s eyebrows shot up, clearly not expecting the Lord to cave so fast. With a shrug, he pushed Tom into a standing position, before approaching the other Lord. Keeping his left hand curled around the mortal’s neck, he thrust his right hand out. “Let’s make this a true deal. Bound by magic. The only way to break it is to start a new one, or for one of us to kill the other. But” he paused, as Dianite reached his hand forward, “We have to wait at least 24 hours before we can go after each other.” Flashing his pearly whites in a mocking smile, he invitingly placed his hand within reach. Without hesitating, Dianite shook his hand. Tom was worth it.

However, both had a card up their sleeves. Dianite still had his army, full of loyal, trained fledglings, who might as well have been his children, and many allies with them. Mianite, on the other hand, was ready to enact a loophole. Taking his hand back, he shoved it through Tom’s gut in one fluid motion, a fatal blow that would give the two lovers mere minutes together. As the mortal fell towards the Lord, Dianite roared, rage and agony coursing through him. He lashed out at Mianite, but he was gone. “Kill him,” the Lord screeched, reaching out through the link he held with his fledglings, “Tear apart his army and destroy his home. Leave nothing left.” Resounding echoes of rage and war sounded in his head, but he was focused on the body collapsed in his arms.

“Tom, Tom focus,” Dianite struggled to stay calm. His rage burned, fire screaming to be released. He knew the next few moments would be the most important for Tom’s life. Whether he would still have one. “Beloved, do you want to live? Do you want to stay with me?” The human’s glazed over eyes struggled to find him in the gloom, centering on the orange glow emanating from them. He nodded, adding a faint, whispering croak, “Yes. I won’t leave you alone to suffer.” The Lord rest his forehead on Tom’s. “Even if you become a monster?” With the last of his energy, Tom forced out the word, “Yes.”

Biting his lips hard enough to draw blood, the Lord kissed his lover one final time for the night. In all his glory and might, he had only been able to save one of his followers at such a last-minute attempt. The blood flowing out of Tom would speed of the process, as much as it would close the window for the change. Time was of the essence, and it was slipping fast.

(AN: Im tired, i know its the oldest excuse in the book, otherwise id have written more. I left it there for suspence :) but prolly should have gone back and made a lot of few edits, but i think it looks pretty good. I had a weird phase of shifting from detail to actual story, so other than that, i think it flowed. That was mostly set up, but kinda not good set up. It just gives background for the next few chapters)

[duckybeth99]

Blood Red Floors (Pirate!AU)

[thegraytalon-blog]

Resident Evil 2 Review (Remake)

Overview:

Hey everyone, once again The Gray Talon takes aim, chooses his targets wisely and considers his prey carefully and TODAY we will be diving back into the zombie infested town of Raccoon City as Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield to see how this remake stacks up. Is it a truly a definitive survival horror modern masterpiece on a title that is over 20 years old or is it a cheap knock off for a quick cash grab like other remakes or remasters rather, have done oh so many times in the past since this console generation started? Let’s jump right in and find out! (And once again I will do my best to not spoil the plot.)

Graphics:

It’s 2019 and in this day and age one may begin to ask how much better can graphics truly get? And the answer lies no further than with Resident Evil 2. The new RE engine that Capcom is using holds such weight and presence here that you will begin to pause for several moments at a time as you take in the awe-inspiring meaty visuals on some of the zombies as they begin to deform and deteriorate before your very eyes whether it be from examining their idle corpses or studying and counting the pieces of brain chunks left after taking their heads off with that faithful shotgun or magnum. In terms of performance, I was playing this on my Xbox 1X and honestly it was damn near flawless. The framerate seemed consistent and almost locked at 60FPS for the most part, except during some intense action sequences when it dipped to below 50FPS but that was few and far between. Output on the 1X was a true 4K at 2160p. From the opening sequence to the part where you turn over that zombie’s head to reveal some juicy chunks of flesh to the first appearance of the horror that is Mr. X, the game is a true delight to witness through and through. 

Gameplay and Control:

What happens when you marry the atmosphere, item crafting, inventory management and horror of RE7 with the camera and control scheme of RE4? Sex, people. Pure, simple, unadulterated, prolific and glorious sex is what you shall receive in return. This is quite possibly the most fluidly controlled RE game I have played since RE4 rolled around 15 years ago. The controls are air tight and responsive, allowing you to navigate the eerie police station and lab with ease. The signature shortcut 180 degree snap feature returns in RE as well that they have trademarked over the last 2 decades, where you hold down on the joystick and press X or A to quickly turn around in the opposite direction. A useful tool indeed when Mr. X comes a’ knockin! Now in terms of movement and combat, the game offers you several options. You can opt to simply run away from all forms of zombies and lickers who are trying to chow down or cop a piece of your ass like you’re grade A top choice meat in the mile high club and the only female member of a flight surrounded by ravenous love starved men. Or on the flipside, if you decide to run and gun your way through, might I suggest heavy emphasis on the GUN aspect and light on the RUN. Especially when lickers are present. You want to tip-toe around them and walk on eggshells whenever you see those Gene Simmons from KISS impostors lurking about. When you fire you always want to aim true for their heads, especially on Mr. X, even though shots only stun him, leaving a small window of time for you to run past and make your escape.  In terms of weapons and upgrades, you start off with a simple handgun and have to work your way to unlocking other weapons via key cards or solving puzzles for guns such as the beloved shotgun, SMG, flamethrower and grenade launcher. You can also unlock greater inventory capacity via weapon holsters that are picked up during each separate campaign that makes life a lot easier. And finally, the puzzles are quite elaborate, just as they were from the original RE2 back in ‘98, so be prepared to put on that thinking cap throughout both Leon and Claire’s campaigns as you scratch your head to solve chemistry puzzles and even have to convert binary code to unlock elaborate doors in the lab sections.

Story/Campaign/Narrative:

The setting is 1998 in a small mid-western town of Raccoon City. You’re playing as rookie cop Leon S. Kennedy going to the police station for his first day on the job and/or a 90′s punk rock poster girl, college student Claire Redfield who’s in search of her brother Chris when all of a sudden the zombie T-Virus has just been unleashed onto the town and their stories converge at the police station where the majority of the game transpires.. For a 21 year old game, Capcom has made sure to make RE2 feel all grown up. While story aspects remain the same from the original release, they hired a brand new cast for voice over work as well as recreated most of the way scenes play out, like the first introduction to the illustrious Mr. X. Each campaign is fresh yet familiar and, for example, Leon’s first sighting of him is nuanced and a slow burn in a dark corridor, whereas on Claire’s run, although  you first spot him in the same place, it is in a completely different and quite sudden, fast paced, way. The core of the narrative revolves around Leon and Claire both trying to achieve the same goal of figuring out a way to survive within the confounds of the Raccoon City police station while working separately in their unique campaigns. Things go awry and snowball downward and take them from the police station to the sewers and right to the laboratory where the T and G viruses are made once good ol’ Mr X shows up. And in case anyone hasn’t a clue who I’m speaking of, let’s just say once Mr. X shows up in his trench coat and fedora, you’ll do whatever it takes to stop yourself from crapping your pants suit while fleeing hastily in his opposite direction because if he catches you, well, then let’s just say he will give it to ya! And you’ll go down harder than than a hooker on a weekend romp in Vegas because this dude moves like the T-800 and hits like Mike Tyson. Prison Mike too mind you so stay frosty! Each campaign is about 6-8 hours long, depending on your pace and offers another set of playthroughs on Leon and Claire’s “B” side, which means you will start off in different areas and end up following different routes and pick up different gear at different times, etc. to receive a new and true ending. I suggest you play Leon A scenario first, then go on over to Claire’s B scenario for the final and let’s say, good ending. So we’re talking a total of about roughly 16 hours, over 24 hours if you play through the game 4 times for shits and gigs. Overall the game is heavily story driven and robust, leaving players feeling the true meaning of survival horror along the way as you try and unlock the mysteries surrounding each of the viruses associated with the aloof Umbrella Corporation.

Sound, Music and Voice:

From the sounds of your character’s breathing as a creaking old wooden floor squeaks beneath you as you’re walking down a supposedly empty hallway to the terrifying growls and grunts of the zombies plowing towards you to munch on your no no parts, the sound effects are simply magnificent and remarkable. Sometimes the sound of silence is the biggest star of the show since Capcom does a tremendous job at making the player feel tensed up as they navigate the dark, gloomy and bloody corners of the police station. Just when you think the coast is clear and you’re about to reach that sweet, sweet save room, something unexpected usually happens that may cause you to almost lose control of your game pad and bowels as well. The music is subtle yet effective. The slow paced ambiance of woefully sounding background noises are a nice touch as you traverse the environment, carefully inspecting your surroundings ensuring your survival. The weapons too, when used, sound just as you would expect them. Nothing quite satisfies to the very core like hearing the sound of a shell of a shotgun or magnum blast and watching the zombie’s head explode in front of you like a popping a fat, overbearing zit. Or using the flamethrower and hearing the cracking sounds of fire as your enemies are burnt to a crisp then listening to the residual hissing sounds after you barbecued them like a rack of ribs on the 4th of July. The voice acting is surprisingly well done too. While not a familiarized sounding Leon from previous RE titles, I am glad they got someone who sounds fitting for the role. Fitting in a sense of a young buck who is just starting off in the real world and has yet to earn his stripes, but by the game’s end does so, ten-fold. Claire, too, sounds good and almost a little too surprisingly upbeat for the madness that is commencing around her. The supporting cast also does a great job to display the weighted turmoil surrounding them and the situation that they are all in. 

Replay Value:

High as a kite on a windy March day! I had to literally drag myself on playing through this game a third time. I was infatuated with the entirety this game had to offer. I have not been this glamoured by a Resident Evil game since the likes of Resident Evil 4. There is just so much to go back and do too in terms of getting all of the playthroughs, weapons, upgrades, items and hey, even speed runs to unlock such things as infinite ammo. Who wouldn’t want to barrage Mr. X with a plethora of rockets or grenades to see if you can actually kill that rat bastard? 

Conclusion:

My final score for Capcom’s Resident Evil 2 Remake is going to have to be a 9.5/10. Simply remarkable on all fronts. The video game industry now has set a new bar and new standard for remakes. Other companies are going to have a tough time toppling this undead opus. After you have finally run through both Leon and Claire’s individual campaign’s and the bittersweet zombie blood smoke has settled, what more can I say about this magnificently crafted game, other than why are you still listening to my dumbass for? Go play it for yourself to experience the horror and greatness!

PRO’S:

A beautifully yet horrifyingly detailed world from characters to environments.

Superb story with many terrifying moments.

Rewarding inventory and upgrades.

Satisfying camera and controls.

Tons of replay value.

CON’S:

If only playing one campaign it may be a bit on the short side for some.

A slightly long learning curve for newcomers as ammo tends to run very scarce at times.

[mrlsqu]

TITLE: WE

Pairing: Minashiro Soushi/ Makabe Kazuki

A/N: This is an AU where Kazuki fights on the human side of the war and Soushi alongside the ‘golden aliens’. It’s not very specific or plot-driven, but after over a year I craved some SouKazu love.

He had a split lip and a blood caked face from a wound on his temple. His fingers had trembled when they'd interlaced with Kazukis and his voice had been thin when he had taken a deep breath and spoken words of relive, but the way he hold onto his hand was solid and warm. Soushi was grounding. Soushi was good.

(He was home. As always. Like before.)

It seemed that no matter how many years passed - whatever happened around and between them - Soushi and Kazuki always ended up besides each other. After all this time, after all that was still to come, neither - they knew - would ever be ready to let go.

"If we continue like this, we will be destroyed...“

Soushi said it with such certainty, it cut them both deep. As the war was raging, clawing their skin open and raw, neither of them doubted his words. And if they truly insisted to hold on this - this feeling, this bond, their love for each other -, instead of sacrificing it for a new world, there couldn’t be a happy ending for anyone. At least non they could think of.

As children, oblivious to the worlds flaws and the chaos and rage of space, they hadn't wasted a thought to things like right and wrong, friend or foe. Everyone they had around them had simply been a friend. And everyone that hadn't been around at that point had been a friend they just hadn't met. But as they grew older, the world grew more complicated. They discovered that the suns and the moons and the stars didn't shine for humanity alone. That there were others. And that not every life form - alien or human - was willing to share.

Back then Soushi and Kazuki had been too busy realizing what they meant to each other to realize what they meant to either side. Now, after Soushi had been stolen and enlightened - 'taught their ways' as Soushi had described it - it was undeniable that they were pieces in a game too valuable to be left on the side. They were put on the board, moved, used in a way they didn't really have control over.

If they didn’t have their hearts firmly tight to each other, they’d surely been lost by now, given up. They weren’t born children of war. They were turned into them. Tools, mouthpieces for a so-called peace, they couldn’t really see anymore in this kaleidoscope of good and ill intentions.

Some days Kazuki wished they could dissolve into nothingness. He imagined it as a place beyond wars and ownership. To him it seemed ridiculous that they were claimed in the first place. As far as either of them was concerned, they knew who they belonged to. Had and always and forever would.

"We could just stop", Kazuki whispered after a while. The dust had settled and most of the soldiers had retreated for the night. His limps ached faintly, but during his training in the human army he had learned to ignore it. Or was forced to learn. Much in the same way he had been forced to learn how to hurt and to kill.

Just thinking about it made him sick. Nightmares still teared his soul apart.

Soushi had cried once, words stuck between sadness and rage. You were meant for something better, he had forced out between his silent tears. You’re too soft for these things. Over and over he had repeated himself. You are too good. You are not for their taking. You are mine. They hadn’t been able to let go of each other for an eternity.

But this too was a moment lost in the past. Now both had to fight. They both had to hurt and to kill.

For today the battle was over. The last heavy truck disappeared in the distance and only the taste of ash and decay remained. It lingered in the air not quite fully covered by the sweetness of their reunion, although they only tried to breath in each other. Neither of them tried to acknowledged it; The blood, the death and the hate.

This was another thing this war had taught them. They had long since stopped to take the effect of their closeness for granted. The warmth. The calmness. The flutter of emotions everywhere inside of them. The feeling of belonging. Of home. Grateful for every breath they could take after a battle, they curled further around one another.

"We could just get up and leave them to it", Kazuki said a bit hopeful but desperate, still the boy who loved the sky and chasing bugs in the summer. Stuck between naive wonder and the harsh, heartless reality. Soft.

Silently but still cutting like a knifes edge Soushi laughed. If only they could, but the world they lived in was too cruel for wishes like that. "No, we couldn’t“ he said, his tone grievous and small. And he was right of course. Kazuki knew that and yet.. the temptation to make up a future for them without all the fighting and blood became too great sometimes.

Soushi looked from the brightness of the yellow and pink bruising sunset to Kazuki and added: "But I wish it wasn't like this.“ His eyes reflected his concern, the pain and devotion.

Often Kazuki felt himself drowning when he looked at Soushi. But not in a way that one would in the sea; without air, panicked and cold. His drowning was gentle and warm. Like a bud bathing in sunlight, ready to bloom.

(He had been called beautiful by Soushi before.)

Kazuki cherished these moments when their watery eyes locked, like their hands would, their lips just shy of following their example. For all that they felt in their hearts they'd never done anything more. Instead Kazuki let his thump dance over the back of Soushis hand. Just one more day skin dancing on skin like a slow waltz. The back and forth movement was calming him down. He never felt safer than here.

"Me, too.“

Since the golden, alien life form had taken Soushi and made them his, their world had been thrown out off its axis. It had already been tilting and swaying off its way, when the first conflicts had started. But after they had both been chosen to fight and then had eventually ended up on opposed sides, their mutual feelings had turned out to be the only thing that kept it from falling apart.

Sometimes it still felt like it was crumbling. But every time a battle was over and their hands would touch again, they relearned what wholeness meant.

They were meant to be together. Let everything fall apart, but this remained. This was their constant.

They ignored how fast they forgot it again in the face of a battle, because it wasn't their fault. It wasn’t.

They still tried to accept, to understand, to communicate. Now more than ever Soushi and Kazuki wanted to be a link, the medium. Because these two - more than anyone - wanted to show them that being together was always better than being apart. After Soushis reappearance they had hoped that with one of them on each side the gap would be easier to close. But by now they had realized that it was like parts of Soushi had been stolen. Somehow he couldn't understand humanities wishes and fears the way he did before. They had left him his appearance; his body, his face, his voice. On the outside he remained unchanged. But the inside… There were parts of them in him now. Parts that made him see their wishes and fears and kept him fighting, because in some twisted way he thought that it was right although he knew that he didn't before.

It hurt, that a wall had appeared between them, that Kazuki and Soushi weren't able to breach.

"You know", Kazuki started after another pause, his head on Soushis shoulder, their bodies turned towards the last rays of sunlight. „I..“ But before he got another word out a strange melody washed over them. It was time. A shudder ran down Kazukis spine and dread pooled into his gut. Not yet, he thought. It’s too early. Next to him Soushi sighted.

This was a calling. He would have to return soon. He would have to leave again.

What Kazuki had intended to say stayed unspoken, but Soushi pulled him in - a silent see you soon. Not a goodbye. Never a goodbye between the two of them - and murmured the words "Me too", against his skin. The sound of their heartbeat together would never not be addicting.

The sun was gone by the time they separated, but the warmth had been put back into their bones. While the coldness of the night creeped into the air, the stars doted the sky with light. Kazuki remained seated, counting and connecting, with Soushis presence thick and comforting even after he’d left.

His own call to return to the base would come soon enough. For a moment thought he wanted to be; already waiting for the next time they’d meet.

Inside he knew that they would always met again.

[vixieevox]

Beauty is Surrounded

The Lividfury gardens, surrounded on all sides by Tetalor’s offices and a s were always a sight to behold.

Rare plants from across Quel’thalas bloomed in several carefully tended plots of soil. Magic muted the smell of dirt and enhanced the perfume of wild flowers. Each side of the garden was guarded by a walls of magically wrought gold, red, and white that resembled the archways famous in Silvermoon. The sun shined down through intricately stained glass. It was the perfect place to comfort a woman, who hoped that today would be a rare good day.

Alalena Lividfury sighed as she pushed her somber thoughts away. She couldn’t bear the thought of her frowns and sighs ruining the lovely day for her son. The thought snapped her attention from her daydreams to the small elf that played with blocks of sparkling gems in the center of the garden.

The boy, when compared to other two year olds, was small for his age. But he had a smile that shined brighter than the sun and made his mother’s heart melt each time she saw it. His hair was tied up in a pony tail that ran just past his shoulders, so as not to ruin the outfit that was ordered for him. He looked much like the perfect gentlemen, so unlike his father.

“Winris,” Alalena called, “…are you having fun?”

Winris turned to her and smiled wide. He bobbed his head before returning to whatever game his mind had conjured.

A strange thought came to Alalena’s mind then. Her son was smaller than most children, that much was certain. But she couldn’t help feel that he was growing too fast. It felt like only the other day that he was small enough to fit tucked into a single arm as she traveled the gardens of their family home.

She thought about her husband and wondered if he had noticed such…then felt her lips curl downward into a doubting frown.

The slam of a door in the southern room snapped the elven mother out of her dubious thoughts. She gasped and placed a palm over her heart and felt it beat that much faster. She breathed in and out twice before thoughts of her son forced her to regain her composure.

She looked at Winris.

The young boy was stiff as a board with his hands clenched tight and held against his body. The young elf’s eyes were staring at the door that led from the garden to the southern office. His shoulders jerked up and down from rapid fire breaths. Alalena could have sworn that she saw a single tear running down her son’s cheek.

The elven mother crawled across the garden and rubbed the young child’s back. She hummed a nursery rhyme and stared into the young boy’s eyes. Soon, the trembles receded, tension waned, and her son’s face no longer flushed with embarrassment and fear.

“That’s it Winris. There’s no danger here. Father likely has business to handle and forgets that we are here.” Alalena said.

It was a gentle lie.

Winris opened his mouth to speak. He likely likely had a question or concern that he wanted to share with Alalena, but a sudden slam choked off his words before they left his throat.

“I HAVE GIVEN YOU SO MUCH, MIRTIS. NOW YOU ASK FOR MORE?”

Tetalor’s voice bellowed with the force of demons. Each sentence was punctuated by a metallic bang as he slammed his gauntleted fist on some surface of the room. Alalena didn’t know this, Mirtis, but she felt bad for the guest in having to deal with her husband’s mood.

“Mommy?” said Winris.

Alalena shook her head. “It will be alright. Go to your room and I’ll read you a story after I check on your father.”

Winris opened his mouth to speak. Another bang from within the southern room cut him off and made him jump to his feet. Alalena had barely the time to shoo him away before the young child dashed into another room, where a maid had collected him to take to safety.

Alalena sighed. She was alone again.

She pondered whether to wait it out and retreat to her son’s side or to address her husband. She stood to her feet and looked through the windows on the southern wall.

She realized too late that that was a mistake.

Tetalor was having a discussion with two farstriders, one man and one woman. The rangers were standing in front of her husband’s desk stock still as they dealt with the noble’s fury. The woman had noticed Lena and turned towards her.

It was the briefest nod of her head, but one that her husband noticed. He turned his head and glared as his eyes locked with Alalena’s. He murmured words to his guests and held out a finger. He rose from his seat and approached the door that led to the garden.

Alalena looked to the farstriders who stared back in silence. They must have assumed that Tetalor’s shift to a more mild-manner was a good thing and that she had made negotiations easier for them.

The lord of House Lividfury entered the garden and marched towards his wife with a singular purpose. He ignored the flowers crushed beneath his hefty boots and the crunch when he destroyed Winris’ toy block. Alalena’s chest rose with labored breath that grew sharper and more terse when he reached her.

“Dear wife,” he said, “What did I tell you about being anywhere in sight when I have business to manage?”

Alalena froze. “But my lord, you never said that there was a meeting for the day.”

Tetalor frowned and took one of Lena’s wrists in his gauntleted hand. He squeezed his fingers tight, roughing up the skin between his metallic digits.

“Is that so? As I am the lord and cannot be wrong, that means that the wait staff failed to alert you in time. Shall I punish them instead for their mistake?”

Alalena wanted to sneer and glare. But she knew her husband’s wrath would be harsh, cruel, and take up most the evening. Worst of all, their marriage was politically driven and her family depended on the resources that House Lividfury made available to them, especially in the wake of the Troll Wars. This was her lot in life. To suffer prettily so that her family could excel.

Someone had to take the blame for what she was certain was Tetalor’s mistake…and it would have to be her.

“No, my lord, I recall you spoke about it over Breakfast. The fault is mine and I will accept my punishment.”

Tetalor grinned. “Excellent. Tend to your duties then wait for me in the dungeon. I suspect I’ll be given too much to the forest elves…” he said with venom, “…and I’ll need to feel better somehow.”

Alalena curtsied.

“Of course, my lord. I will tell our son that I will not be with him for dinner.” She said.

“You mean your son…” Tetalor said, “He’s soft and meek like his mother. But when he gets older, the trainers will beat that out of him so he can be a proper heir.”

Alalena didn’t comment. But in her heart of hearts she swore that she would never allow Winris to become Tetalor.

[buildercar]

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Four Seasons 2016 Nissan Maxima SR Wrap-Up

BMW’s 3 Series infamously lost the sport sedan plot a couple of generations ago by coddling the premium car crowd, leaving the tiny enthusiast segment with an opening big enough to accommodate everything from the Cadillac ATS to the Jaguar XE to the Alfa Romeo Giulia. There was even room for a front-wheel-drive sedan whose nickname, Four-Door Sports Car, has for decades been more of a marketing ploy than canyon-road reality.

Fortunately, Nissan took the 4DSC trope well beyond image for the Maxima’s eighth generation. The 3 Series — which we compared with the Maxima SR in the March issue after no less a driver than pro racer Andy Pilgrim praised the Nissan during last year’s All-Stars evaluations — came about its sport sedan status as a replacement for the BMW 2002, which defined the genre in the late ’60s. With the Maxima of the ’90s and later, Nissan tried to inject into an upgraded front-drive midsize chassis the sort of dynamics that once made the rear-drive Datsun 510 a poor man’s 2002.

Nissan calls the Maxima its luxury sedan, and road test editor Eric Weiner believes its interior would do an Acura or Lincoln proud. Only the Maxima SR, with its stiffened suspension, is worthy of the sport sedan description.

“I recently drove the Nissan Maxima Platinum with the same 300-hp engine but without the aggressive suspension, wheels, and tires,” Weiner said last summer. “It doesn’t look quite as aggressive, but you get all the same tech plus a 360-degree camera, no ugly suede steering wheel inserts, and a much more comfortable ride. Most Maxima buyers would probably prefer the Platinum’s ride.” More recently, on a road trip from Ann Arbor, Michigan, to Toronto, Weiner’s girlfriend’s Canadian relatives mentioned that the ride of the SR was a bit harsh. Contributing writer Marc Noordeloos suggests the ride/handling trade-off has more to do with the SR’s 19-inch wheels and tires, though. Other Maximas roll on 18s.

The Maxima SR bounced between the West and Third coasts, and its enthusiast bona fides became most apparent when Pilgrim and executive editor Mac Morrison compared it with a BMW 340i at California’s Willow Springs International Raceway.

“Look at the torque difference (69 lb-ft more in the BMW 340i), the power difference (20 more horses in the Bimmer), less sticky tires on the Maxima SR, and the continuously variable transmission. Is one more fun?” Pilgrim pondered. His conclusion surprised a few of us. “I had to be more careful with the steering input in the BMW because it maintained higher speeds, but the chassis moves around more, and I felt it was going to be easier for me to make a mistake. I really was concentrating hard to keep the BMW on the limit. I was able to be aggressive with steering wheel movements in the Nissan without fear I was going to go over that edge. That’s the difference.

“If I had to chose just one to take to a track day,” he continued, “I’d say the Nissan would be more fun and probably a little easier to handle with all the electronic nanny controls turned off.”

When we first took possession of our Four Seasons Maxima SR, the capacious interior with its roomy back seat and generous storage space had some thinking of the car as a full-size model. But the Maxima isn’t the bigger alternative to the Nissan Altima like the Toyota Avalon is to the Camry or the Chevrolet Impala is to the Malibu. In fact, the Maxima is only 0.9 inch longer than the Altima and shares its 109.3-inch wheelbase. But the Altima has none of the Maxima SR’s flavor or flair. According to one staffer, “Because the bland Altima is there to please the masses, Nissan can afford to go out on a limb here, and it did.”

Some consider the SR’s exterior sheetmetal over the top, and even more found the two-tone Alcantara and leather steering wheel to be a bit too much and too prone to collecting dirt and grease. We didn’t like the busy, dated center screen. “Frustrating touchscreen, skips too quickly to a street list, and then you select the wrong street inadvertently as you try to select the next letter,” Noordeloos said. That said, the physical control knobs for audio system volume and station were a plus.

Flat-bottom steering wheels are becoming a cliché on sporty family cars. The maxima proved itself worthy of such a wheel.

Although Pilgrim and Morrison delighted in the Maxima’s steering precision and predictability on the track — “excellent feel and feedback,” Morrison said — the car arrived at our Royal Oak, Michigan, office six months prior with a couple of real steering issues.

“It makes a groaning noise when turning lock to lock, especially when cold,” we noted, “and it sometimes goes heavy at parking speeds when you want the electrically assisted power steering to be light.”

At our first oil and filter change, Suburban Nissan of Troy fixed and adjusted an under-lubricated boot in the steering column. The service desk also pointed to a passage in the owner’s manual that says the power steering can be reduced if used continuously at low speeds in a parking lot: “This is to prevent overheating of the power steering system and protecting it from getting damaged.” This struck us as a last-minute fix just before production began and a poor one for a car purporting to be a sport-luxury sedan. So we turned it back in for service fewer than 2,000 miles later, and the dealer service department replaced the steering column, steering intermediate shaft, and column boot. All was covered under warranty.

With that problem solved, videographer Sandon Voelker found inherent fault in the Maxima SR’s 10-spoke wheels. “They love to suck large clumps of snow right between the spokes,” he recalled. “I had to stop three times on my way to the office to clear the wheels and return them to something that resembled balance.”

Conversely, Weiner praised the Maxima SR’s acumen in the snow when equipped with Pirelli Sottozero 3 winter tires from Tire Rack. “It clawed through absolutely everything nature threw at it,” he said, though he noted the car lost a bit of its luxury luster by letting in too much road noise from the Sottozeros.

Snow-collecting wheels aside, Voelker found the combo of Sottozeros and a foot-pedal parking brake to be the perfect setup for impressing passengers. “I stealthily deactivated the traction control before entering an icy parking lot, eyed up a nice apex around a snow bank, and gave the Maxima a good kick of the parking brake,” he said. “The back end came around nicely, and all three passengers simultaneously clutched the nearest thing they could. Yes, the parking brake is the best feature.”

Imagine if it had a handbrake.

“I don’t remember another Four Seasons car as tight and rattle-free as this one after more than 10,000 miles.”

Wear and tear included a thin scratch in the paint above the driver’s door handle, probably from a belt buckle when someone in the Detroit bureau leaned over to brush snow off the windshield, which itself picked up a chip, right in the center. Auto One in Berkley, Michigan, satisfactorily repaired it for $40.

Back on the road, staff photographer Patrick Hoey appreciated the car’s quick steering when driving to the New York International Auto Show. Two cars ahead of him, reacting to a truck that lost part of its load, changed lanes abruptly on the New Jersey thruway and cut Hoey off. “I flung the steering wheel counterclockwise,” he said. “And with almost no space to escape, the Maxima made a fast response to what I thought was a ‘damage-mitigating maneuver,’ but instead I dodged a bullet the size of a Honda Accord coupe.”

The Maxima is a comfortable, capacious cruiser with fresh looks, though most will consider its ride quality a bit too firm.

The Maxima SR again proved its worth on a road trip to Nashville — Nissan North America’s hometown — for a Chevrolet Cruze first drive. “I don’t remember another Four Seasons car as tight and rattle-free as this one after more than 10,000 miles,” this author wrote in the logbook.

Later, contributor and European car enthusiast Noordeloos drove the SR around western Michigan for most of July and came away a bit less impressed. “When driven quickly or when accelerating hard, the chassis shows the limitations of front-wheel drive,” he said. “Bad torque steer, and the chassis is very sensitive to ruts in the road.” Blame those 19s again.

The Nissan then headed to HQ in El Segundo, California, where editor-in-chief Mike Floyd reconciled Noordeloos’ opinions with Pilgrim’s.

“The Maxima’s powertrain is unquestionably one of its strongest attributes,” Floyd said. “The wheel can pull a bit under hard acceleration, but, as Andy points out, that’s more to do with its response to uneven terrain than pure torque steer.”

Yes, more than 45 years after the BMW 2002 and the Datsun 510, the sport sedan segment has evolved into bigger, more luxurious cars. Now, we have confirmed, it can even include a car with front-wheel drive.

Star Rating

4.0 stars

Pros & Cons

+ Handling, steering, fun to drive + Roomy and luxurious interior + 3.5-liter still one of the smoothest V-6s on the market – Harsh ride – Torque steer – Slow, dated-looking touchscreen

2016 Nissan Maxima SR Running Costs

Mileage 26,077 miles Warranty 3-yr/36,000-mi bumper-to-bumper 5-yr/60,000-mi powertrain Scheduled Maintenance 4,867 mi: Oil change and filter, $47.33. 10,001 mi: Oil change and filter, $39.01 15,656 mi: Oil change and filter, tire rotation, air filter, multi-point checkup, $200.11 Warranty Repairs 4,867 mi: Replace steering column boot covered under warranty. 6,729 mi: Replace steering column, steering intermediate shaft, steering column boot. Original parts returned to Nissan. Covered under warranty. Recalls None Out-Of-Pocket 307 mi: Winter tires, Pirelli Sottozero 245/40R-19 ($947), plus shipping ($60), mounting, and balancing ($80), $1,087.18 7,101 mi: Repair stone chip in windshield with Auto One, $40 7,509 mi: Swap winter tires for summer tires, $100 Fuel Consumption: EPA city/highway/combined: 22/30/25 mpg Observed: 24.0 mpg Cost Per Mile (Fuel, service, winter tires): $0.18 ($0.71 including depreciation) Trade-In Value $24,700 *Estimate based on information from Intellichoice

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