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asgard-segun-elcadejos · 2 years

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Asgard Academy

Year 2: Part I

[ Index ]

xxxxxxxxx

Summer came and went, as seasons do. The six of them met over break, but one returned to the mountains during the last few weeks. The first day of Year 2, he took everyone by surprise, without meaning to.

One year ago, the kid from up north showed up with a slender build, great reflexes, and messy silvery hair. After twelve months of consistently gaining muscle through exercise (in class and in the karate club), another growth spurt over summer break, and a visit to the barbershop, the person who was in Fenrir Ylfingrsson’s seat looked little like what other students remembered of him.

“My, my! Who is this handsome hunk?” asked Karianne out loud, using her hand as a fan.

Fenrir gave her a nervous smile, not really looking into her eyes.

Syd slapped him in the back. “Were you this tall a few weeks back? You’re so much closer to Bud and me now!”

“Not to me, nuh-uh,” his twin replied right away.

“Don’t be stupid, we are the same height.”

It took Fenrir a moment to realize the lack of comment from Artica. She was looking at him with a thoughtful expression. This somehow filled him with immediate dread. “What, do I look weird?”

“Oh, no, sorry! I didn’t mean to stare. You look great, actually! That new hairstyle really suits you!”

Fenrir smiled with a bit of embarrassment. He had his hair trimmed and started combing it back. A rebellious lock wouldn't stay put, though. The sole victim of the one time he tried to trim his own bangs and chickened out after one cut. At the base of his neck, he left another lock of hair intact, curious to see how long it would be in a few months. He suddenly realized his gaze was no longer leveled with hers, and something else. “Oh, you cut your hair too?”

“Hm? No, not really,” Artica replied, touching her braid as if to check it was still there. Before, it reached her lower back, and now it ended a little higher.

“Do not be silly, dear,” Rúri intervened, standing right next to them. “She also had a growth spurt. I must admit I am a little jealous I did not, you have all grown so much taller than me.”

“Nonsense, darling, you are already the perfect height.” Syd scooped her up in a hug and kissed her.

x+x+x+x+x+x+x

Just like the year before, Freyja of Asgard entered the great hall and everyone gave her a deep bow. However, this time she was actually wearing the Blue uniform and an excited smile on her face, ready to finally be an Academy student. The start of the school year speech was delivered by Sigurd, who gave everyone a warm welcome, and encouraged Year 1 students to take part in the game scheduled after the ceremony.

Karianne eyed the newbies with interest. “You think Her Royal Highness will get hit?”

“Unlikely, my lady, not only because she is Hilda’s sister, but because of the kid that orbits her like an aggressive moon,” intervened the boy who had skipped a grade last year. His bright pink hair contrasted well with his electric green eyes.

The intervention startled the usual six for a second before Syd replied. “My lord, that is the heir to the Flaming Stallion, yes?”

“Indeed. We were classmates until last year.”

The younger twin nodded, watching as the other student who also skipped a grade last year approached the first and whispered something into his ear. They both snickered, laughing quietly at whatever it was they found amusing.

x+x+x+x+x+x+x

Syd saved them a seat near the center of the benches.

“Great work in the Archery Club’s exhibition! People are already talking about seeing the Hawkling in the tournament next spring.”

Artica gave him an embarrassed smirk. “I just hope they consider me for the sponsorship… Where’s Rúri?”

“Helping store all the Music club equipment away, she will be back shortly.”

“A shame she will miss the Fencing Club’s exhibition match. They seem to have several skilled members,” Karianne commented. Artica didn’t notice the flicker in Syd’s eyes at her words.

‘Skilled members’ was an understatement. The Black’s mind was blown away by the precision and agility displayed in each match (one per weapon). The winner of the foil match (nicknamed Green Knight due to the handkerchief wrapped around their arm) did so at such lightning speed, most didn't see what happened. Only four of the six Fencing Club members removed their helmets, but Green Knight was not among them before leaving to change back into school uniforms.

“Who is that person? Wow!” Artica muttered, still flabbergasted. “That’s some badass skill right there.”

“Very impressive indeed,” Syd agreed with a nod, and for whatever reason, a proud smile. “Oh, and here come our very own skilled members.”

Rúri finally showed up, just in time to see the Karate club prepare for their matches. Cheering loudly is not etiquette-appropriate, so Karianne had to settle with waving heavily towards them to catch Bud’s eye, and then sent a kiss his way.

“Corny,” Ruri whispered, and got a slap on the shoulder for her comment.

Bud was first and dealt his opponent such a punch to the solar plexus that it knocked the wind out of them. They surrendered immediately after.

Artica shook her head, smiling. “Always so rash. He’s so focused on winning he never actually lets any exhibition take place.”

“That is true in more ways than you think, sweetie.”

“I don’t wanna know right now, thanks.”

“Oh? But you might want to know later? Cheeky!” Karianne said and got a slap on the shoulder for her comment.

Fenrir was next, against Asgrim. The Black, taller and heavier than the Blue, smirked menacingly. He forgot, however, that Fenrir had arguably the fastest reflexes among club members and easily dodged his attacks. Asgrim soon realized the trick would be to follow Bud’s example and knock him out in one hit.

The redhead put all his weight behind his punch, right for the solar plexus. Fenrir leaned back and without skipping a beat, connected a well-placed high kick to the side of Asgrim’s head. It took a few moments for the Black to stumble forward and faint. Fenrir eased his fall and carried him over to the side.

“Good job,” Bud said, nodding.

“On not getting hit, right? This guy has one mean energy during matches, I don’t like it.”

The twin didn’t comment, unsure if Fenrir was aware of why Asgrim behaved like that. He pointed to the benches near the middle. “Wave or something. They’re cheering on your win, you know?”

Fenrir turned to see several people waving at him. A girl with copper curls, the boy who frequently had something to say… and the friends he made last year. Fenrir waved back and smiled sheepishly.

x+x+x+x+x+x+x

Artica couldn’t help feeling a little sad her seat was not next to Fenrir’s this year, but on the bright side, it was now next to Bud’s. They lowkey fist-bumped after taking their seats. Syd and Rúri were on the right, up front again, and Fenrir and Karianne on the last row. The guy from up north already missed his place by the window, wondering where his mind would wander to, now that he was in the middle of the row. To his left, unexpectedly, was Levina Sefidóttir, and to her side, Malik Havasson, both of whom had been in another class last year. After a while of chit chatting freely, Malik raised his voice.

"So, Miss Reynirdóttir, is it true you were bit by a dog?" he asked casually. Too casually.

Artica turned to him, not particularly bothered. "Yes, my lord, a little over a year ago."

"A terrifying experience, I'm sure," he said with solemn contempt, right before making a barking noise or two.

She was bothered now. Not as deeply as whatever happened last year, but cold sweat still went down Artica's spine, with only the slightest of flinches. Her lips were tight in an awkward expression.

"Indeed, my lord," she replied before stiffly turning around.

Malik then noticed there was a warning in Levina's olive eyes, and a threat in Fenrir's amber gaze.

"Please refrain from making that noise again, my lord," he said icily. It was echoed by the advertised murder intent in Karianne's stare.

Malik raised his eyebrows, unwilling to give in, but understanding the etiquette-approved response that was being asked of him. "My apologies, Miss Reynirdóttir, I did not mean to make you uncomfortable. This will not happen again."

She briefly turned around to give him an understanding nod. Later, during lunch, he endured Levina's silent disapproval.

"What? I apologized, and that is that."

"Sometimes I get the feeling you do not understand how to court someone."

"Excuse me? It is crystal clear to me, thank you."

"As clear as a maelstrom, it seems. We are a whole year behind in sympathetic connection to him compared to those other five, and there is no way to catch up quickly. Lucky for us, romance does not prerequisite a sympathetic connection, so we can move forward boldly."

"Yes, so?"

"It is in our best interest to not generate antipathy. You and I are both aware he gets along with her spectacularly. Making her feel uneasy will only backfire on you. Let this morning be a lesson you will not forget."

"What, are you both friends now after the Jólablót activity?"

Levina rolled her eyes. "You are attracted to Fenrir, so focus on making him attracted to you. Do not focus on the wrong thing."

"... I appreciate your advice. I see this is how you have played from the start, yes?"

"Yes."

x+x+x+x+x+x+x

What possessed Asgrim, it is still unknown, but the moment after he playfully spanked Artica, she turned around immediately and grabbed him by the tie. Even though he was almost 20 cm taller, her grip got them on the same eye level instantly. In any other situation, this might have been welcomed, but the rage in her eyes gave Asgrim goosebumps of the really bad kind.

“That was unwelcomed, trashy, and disrespectful,” Artica hissed. “If you ever do that again, I’ll deck you in the teeth. Is that understood?”

The redheaded Black was honestly appalled. He’d never heard her speak with such an aggressive tone. The force with which she held onto his tie told him it was not an empty threat.

“Is that understood?” she repeated, and at his nervous nod, let him go. Artica didn’t spare him another glance before walking away, furious.

“I… didn’t think it would bother her?”

Asgrim looked over at Bud, who saw the whole thing. His arms were crossed over his chest, unimpressed. “You thought wrong, and you should apologize. Sooner rather than later, if you hope to avoid any losses.”

x+x+x+x+x+x+x

Fenrir hung back at the library’s entrance like a nervous crow. Suddenly aware of what the date was, and what date was quickly approaching, he’d been looking for Artica all over, but after finally finding her, promptly stayed back. Artica was speaking with Asgrim on the bench under the large tree in the southern gardens. They both seemed tense, and awkward, so there was no way in the Nine Realms Fenrir would willingly interrupt.

After a while, they finally parted ways. Fenrir did his best to seem like he was just coming out of the library to meet her. “Hey… You okay?”

“I feel better now,” Artica replied, not without a hint of weariness. “That was not gonna work out so… it’s better to just rip the band aid off, y’know?”

The boy nodded in silence, unsure of what to say, but somehow deeply relieved. It made no sense, though. He wasn’t even part of the conversation, so why did he feel better now?

“Wanna get a milkshake and some pastries?”

Fenrir nodded again with an easy smile, completely forgetting why he’d been looking for her in the first place.

x+x+x+x+x+x+x

“Can I ask you something?”

“Always.”

“Are you dating the guy from up north?”

Artica almost spat her drink, laughing. “I’m not. Why’d you ask that?”

“You two’ve been going out an awful lot lately.”

She nodded in agreement. “Yeah, but they aren’t dates.”

“No?”

“I don’t think he wants to be more than friends.”

He finished his own drink with a suspicious look. “...Do you?”

There was a slight blush on her face. “I dunno. I enjoy Fenrir’s company, and he’s always been kind to me. It’s just that, dating a Blue…”

“What? I’m dating a Blue.”

“Yeah, but like it or not, you’re from a noble bloodline, and I’m not. It’ll be more hoops for me to jump through and it just feels like an enormous pain in the ass…”

Bud had to agree, just going to school and following their requirements was already weary. “Has he ever made you jump through hoops?”

“Not yet. Fenrir’s pretty chill about etiquette, almost like he wants to ditch it himself, but we don’t exist in a vacuum. He is still a noble…”

x+x+x+x+x+x+x

Embla peered out of the door, somewhat surprised. “Fenrir! Hello!”

“Good morning,” he replied. “Is Artica home?”

“Oh… No, sweetheart, she’s out on a hunting trip with Reynir. They’ll return tomorrow evening.”

The teenager was visibly disappointed. “Right, I understand.”

“Would you like to come in, or leave her a message?”

“N-no, it’s nothing. I wanted to grab a bite with her, since her birthday is on Wednesday and what not, but if she’s on a hunting trip, she’s already having a good time. Anyway, have a great day!”

Before Embla could even reply, Fenrir had already turned around and returned home. He let out a deep sigh as he took off his jacket to lay on the bed, pulling out a box from one of the pockets and sliding it into the drawer of the night table once again.

x+x+x+x+x+x+x

“So, uhm, if you guys aren’t busy on Thursday… would you like to have a small dinner at my house?”

“For your birthday, yes?” Karianne asked. “Anything we should bring?”

“Oh, no, if you can spare me a few hours of your time, that is more than enough for me,” Artica said, half-drifting into her stiff formal tone.

“Nonsense,” Rúri said to herself and then raised her voice. “I’ll make you a birthday cake, sweetie, my personal recipe.”

“Uhh~,” Syd cut in. “When she says ‘personal recipe’, you’re in for a treat.”

“Uhm, but-”

“I will get her the fanciest dress,” Karianne said to herself with gleaming eyes. “One visit to the Street Market will do.”

“I will go with you,” the younger twin said immediately.

“Hah! Fools, I got her gift months ago!” Bud declared, victorious.

Artica was making hand gestures. “That’s not necessary, please don’t worry about it.”

Rúri held her right hand. “Dear, let us pamper you, to compensate for last year.”

“Hm? There is nothing for you to compensate for.”

“Yes, there is. Last year your eye was still healing, and a few distasteful things happened, so this year we will compensate.”

“That makes no sense! Bud, help me out!”

“To be honest, I agree,” The older twin looked at her with a sparkle in his eyes. “So, we’re all going, right?”

Three of them confirmed right away. Bud got behind Fenrir, who had his headphones on, and shook him by the shoulders. “What about you? You’re coming too, right?”

Fenrir heard the entire conversation, as he never bothered to push play in his music player, and felt his entire body tense up as all eyes (silver included) were on him. This was the perfect excuse to give Artica the gloves and for it to not seem like an isolated gesture, but he suddenly felt very nervous about giving her that present in front of everyone else.

He cleared his throat and decided to play dumb. “Where?”

“To Artica’s birthday dinner on Thursday, honey, keep up,” Karianne summarized, snapping her fingers. “Get her a nice present.”

“It’s not necessary,” Artica intervened, this time with less fumbling. “I can’t stop any of you from getting me something-”

“Indeed, you cannot,” Syd agreed with a smile.

“-but don’t go overboard with it. I’m a simple person, anything simple will do.”

“But I got you an elephant!”

While Bud was busy teasing her even further, Fenrir quietly made a mental note of what everyone had already said they would get her and decided to look for something else later. Surely, there would be another time to give her the gloves.

x+x+x+x+x+x+x

Karianne gave her a beautiful, trendy peach-colored coat. Syd a pair of fashionable ankle-high leather boots. Aside from her delicious homemade cake, Rúri also gifted her with a stylish wristwatch. Bud, looking very smug, gave her a new quiver in her favorite color. Last, but not least, Fenrir's gift was a somewhat heavy box wrapped in simple, but colorful paper.

They all waited quietly while she unwrapped the last gift; it was a set of seven books, all new and from the same edition. Artica's eyes lit up at once.

"You don't have to read the mismatched ones from the tiny bookstore anymore… and this one has the final book too," Fenrir explained quietly, painfully aware of everyone's eyes on him.

She pulled the seventh book out and held it like it was made of gold. "I'll finally know how it ends!"

Her smile warmed Fenrir's chest, and he couldn't help smiling back. Syd, Rúri, and Karianne suddenly became aware of what Bud had already known for months.

Everyone crowded next to her and cheered. "Happy birthday, Artica!"

x+x+x+x+x+x+x

Fenrir suddenly found himself back at the theater where the Asgardian Symphonic Orchestra was playing a selection of European Baroque masterpieces. He didn’t know which ones, but that’s what the pamphlet Levina gave him earlier said. She was completely enthralled by the performances but seemed to glance his way every now and then. During each of them, a group of actors would perform an original, short play inspired by the music. There were no dialogues, so spectators were encouraged to come up with an interpretation as the show progressed.

This had worked wonders for Fenrir, whose mind always wandered freely when listening to music without lyrics. He suppressed a chuckle when he remembered Artica saying she also liked music without lyrics, but when she shared her earphone, it turned out to be techno.

Now that he thought about it, that whole conversation was probably the reason why Levina had invited him to this event. It certainly included music without lyrics, though not in a way he had experienced before. No complaints, though. Fenrir had a fantastic time reimagining old fairy tales with the orchestra as soundtrack.

x+x+x+x+x+x+x

“This is exasperating,” Karianne hissed, looking at Fenrir and Artica playing a game together at the arcade.

The other three looked at each other knowingly. Syd shrugged, smiling. “Right? I think they would make a very cute couple.”

“Maybe we should help them out a bit,” Rúri suggested with a hand gesture.

Bud slammed his drink on the table harder than he intended. “No! They must do this themselves, don’t intervene.”

“Why are you so defensive about it?” his partner inquired, noting how tense he was.

“For starters, Fenrir needs to learn how to communicate clearly with others by himself, without us humoring him.”

“And Artica?”

“She’s not a child, and this isn't her first time, she can make up her own mind.”

The blonde raised an eyebrow. “Very well, but if they approach me about this, I will encourage it. I think they complement each other well.”

“Agreed,” Karianne and Syd replied at the same time.

“Yeah, yeah, I think so too, but let them work it out themselves.”

x+x+x+x+x+x+x

Regardless of what he said before, Bud realized his expectations had been a tad high. At least, regarding the guy from up north.

“Remember the first time we all went to the arcade, Syd, Artica, you, and me?”

“Yeah, fun day.”

“That’s hanging out. When there’s only two people, so they have a certain privacy, it’s usually a date.”

Fenrir stopped what he was doing and looked at him with a confused expression. “R-really?”

“Yeah. Karianne and I go on dates all the time. That’s why I thought you two were dating.”

“So, those classmates that invited me to hang out, only the two of us…?”

“Not all two-people hang outs are dates, obviously, but I’m pretty sure a few asked you out with that in mind.”

“I- Damn, I didn’t notice at all.”

“There were a few times when you kinda did the same thing with Artica after hanging out with someone else. Why was that?”

Fenrir rubbed his chin, thoughtful. “Uh… When I visited the Street Market with Levina, it all felt highly formal, almost like a chore, even though the place’s brimming with stuff to do. I invited Artica to go because at least she had a place she really wanted to visit, and it ended up being a really fun day overall so… Whenever I was invited to do something that seemed fun, but wasn’t, I asked myself if it would be more fun with her…”

Bud was slightly annoyed by that answer; he knew Fenrir was above average clueless, but now it felt like he was just an idiot. “Have you, by any chance, read The Descendants, by Kaui Hart Hemmings?”

“No, how is that related to the topic at hand?”

“Something you said reminded me of it (1), that’s all,” Bud covered his eyes in an irritated manner, taking a moment to brace himself. “Fenrir, do you like Artica?”

“Yeah, she’s very friendly.”

“No, not like that. Do you have feelings for her?”

Fenrir was caught off guard by his question. “Can you, uh, explain further?”

Bud sighed, now convinced his classmate was truly an idiot. “Do you find yourself thinking about Artica often? Does your heart skip a beat when she calls out your name? Have you gone out of your way to get stuff she might like, so you can surprise her later?”

That last question immediately caught his attention. The deerskin shooting gloves were still sitting in his drawer, waiting to be delivered. He lowered his eyes, now understanding why her going out with Asgrim had bothered him so much. “Yes, yes, and… yes…”

“Now you know, then.”

“What do you do when you realize such a thing?”

“You make a choice. Either pursue it and let those feelings reach that person or keep them and let them rot inside you. Neither option is wrong, it’s a matter of what you want to achieve.”

“And what happens if the feelings reach the other person, but they aren’t accepted?” Fenrir asked, noticing that old, horrible fear he had felt as a child creeping in the shadows.

“You cry a while, maybe vent out to someone else, take a deep breath, and move forward. I’m not gonna lie, Fenrir, rejection sucks hard, but it happens often enough.”

Fenrir felt he was going to cry right there. He knew rejection so well, so intimately, so deeply. The mere thought of someone like Artica, who he highly appreciated, making him feel it again almost broke his heart. “How can I know if she feels the same?”

“You ask her.”

“You’re her best friend; don’t you know already?”

“Even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you. Making a move only when you’re sure to succeed is cowardly. You need to put your hand in the fire by your own choice. The same goes for Artica. Your hands will either meet in the middle or be burnt to cinders. In any case, you will have an answer, and can move forward from there.”

“You’re pretty good with words,” Fenrir said with a surprised look on his face. “Thanks for the insight. I’ll think about all this.”

“Good. Look, I know being homeschooled didn’t allow you much interaction with other people your age, so I’m willing to hear you out from time to time.”

“R-really?”

“Yeah, I hope you don’t consider Artica your only friend,” Bud said, clapping Fenrir’s back. “I won’t answer anything that I consider her private business, but that doesn’t mean I can’t help you organize your thoughts.”

“Thanks, I really appreciate it! And I do… consider you a friend as well.”

x+x+x+x+x+x+x

Fenrir was laying on his bed in the dark, looking at the ceiling.

How could he be so stupid? Of course those had been dates, it was so clear now that Bud had mentioned it. All to places where they could enjoy themselves, but with enough space for more private interaction. He felt guilty for being so oblivious to his classmates' feelings and intentions. They probably considered him an idiot, and they would be right.

What Artica personally thought about it bothered him the most. Maybe she too thought those were dates? If so, did she enjoy them as such? On the other hand, she might’ve just considered them as hanging out, like he did. Or worse, she went along out of pity, or concern some Blue backlash would go her way if she refused.

Fenrir turned to his side, reaching out for the gray hand-knitted scarf neatly folded on top of his nightstand. It still smelled like her, with that fruity perfume Artica always used. Fenrir never thought his feelings might get ahead of him; the whole thing was embarrassingly new, and he was not sure what to do.

x+x+x+x+x+x+x

Everything had to be perfect.

After failing to be able to wear one of Syd's suits (curse his chiseled muscles!), Lord Baldrek had one specially made for him. It was in light grays, and Lady Tilda gifted him golden cufflinks with the crest of the Viking Tiger to match. After all, should he decide to take part in their lifestyle more frequently, they would come in handy.

Today wasn't about that, though. Today Bud was attending a dinner at the Celestial Horses city manor to finally meet Lady Aldora, who had been in Belgium for the last eight months. Karianne's younger sister Famke hadn't concluded her exchange program yet, but their mother decided to visit Asgard for a few days to check on her other family members.

Bud looked in the mirror, nervously fumbling with his tie. Only when he felt Karianne's soft hands on his did his tremble diminish.

"I'm a tad nervous."

"Just a tad, darling?"

"Okay, a lot more than a tad."

Her hair was pinned in a high ponytail, letting her gorgeous black curls cascade down her back. Karianne's deep red cocktail dress hugged her body in a very flattering manner, even making her look taller. Or maybe it was just the high heels? Anyway, as usual, she looked lovely from top to bottom. Even their matching helix piercing, two rhombus-shaped jewels of moonstone and eudialyte, appeared to complete a look no one had considered until today.

“What if Lady Aldora doesn’t like me?”

“She is not the one dating you, dear, so there is no need to worry.”

Bud laughed nervously, feeling anything but cheery. “I don’t wanna make you look bad.”

“I cannot recall that happening before, so again, there is no need to worry. You were not this anxious when you met Father.”

“Actually, I was, but Lord Ulrich called me ‘Syd’ eight times in a row before getting it right, so I gladly let him feel all the pressure.”

Karianne closed her eyes, annoyed, after recalling how it went. “That man, I swear…!”

She tapped her wristwatch and took his hand the moment the doors to the dining hall opened for them. Karianne gave the first step and whispered as they walked. “I am proud of you, and proud to be your partner. Not because you are tall, handsome, strong, and from a noble bloodline, but because you are charming, caring, and say the lamest pick-up lines with absolute confidence.”

Bud felt his chest bubbling but couldn’t manage to reply. With a deep bow and a smile, Karianne cleared her throat. “Lord Ulrich and Lady Aldora from the Celestial Horses, may I introduce Bud, son of Sanfridd, from Eastern Asgard?”

It took him by surprise that she did not mention the Viking Tiger, but after seeing Lady Aldora curl her mouth into a small smile, and raise an inquisitive eyebrow, Bud felt much more confident. Certainly, this wasn’t about meeting a Lady, it was about meeting his partner’s mother.

x+x+x+x+x+x+x

XXXX eyed the invitation suspiciously, over and over again.

It seemed legitimate; the boy did not have the means to falsify the crest ring of the Viking Tiger to seal the envelope, and in any case, was probably not bright enough to even think about it. On top of that, there were not one, but two invitations. One handed personally to him at school, and another delivered by mail directly to the manor. Both in the same handwriting, both with more or less the same message.

Behind his own back, Fenrir nervously fumbled with the end of his sleeves, going over Syd’s words in his head. Bud and Artica told me what happened last year. I got it all figured out. You do not have to worry about a thing. This is foolproof.

The thing was, Syd had never met XXXX, and didn’t really know the level of scheming viper he was dealing with. It would all boil down to how well Fenrir could keep his cool, and his wits, upon him.

“So, if I understand this correctly, the Viking Tiger’s heir is inviting you to celebrate his birthday at the family manor in Eastern Asgard, is that correct?”

“As stated on the invitation, yes.”

“And this celebration will be over several days, during winter break?”

“Indeed; it seems he was born on December 23rd, so that would explain the timeframe.”

“Why is this arriving now? It is the middle of October.”

“I do not have an answer for that,” Fenrir replied, and it was a half-truth. Syd’s plan was that, by inviting him with such an early notice, XXXX would be less likely to have an excuse to not let Fenrir go.

XXXX turned towards the window, pondering deeply. Relationships with other Houses were terribly delicate matters. Turning down an invitation like this without a legitimate reason would be seen as a faux pas. Making matters worse, the Viking Tiger enjoyed a highly respectable status, and a historic role as the Winged Crown’s left hand that went back for at least seven generations. To top it off, rumor had it that their heir was already in a relationship with the heir of the Guarding Swan, which meant another politically strong House was marginally involved. And to top that off, it was common knowledge the Heads of both Guarding Swan and Celestial Horses had been close for a long time.

He massaged his temples, feeling a slight headache. Taking everything into consideration, the answer was to simply allow the boy to go. The Viking Tiger would not take offense, and he wouldn’t have to deal with him for a whole week. Win-win situation. However, it was precisely because the boy seemed somewhat excited about it that XXXX felt the need to deny him this simple pleasure.

Decisions, decisions.

“Very well. You may attend this event.”

“Really?” Fenrir blurted out despite his own efforts. He did his best to regain composure at once. “I mean, this will prevent me from attending your yearly holiday dinner.”

Nailed it. Nailed it! XXXX didn’t expect him to be considerate towards his stupid, lame-ass dinner, yet voicing it out loud gave Fenrir the upper hand, etiquette-wise. That was usually XXXX’s move, but not today, sucker!

The man appeared to be thinking the exact same thing, as he slightly narrowed one eye in annoyance. XXXX signed the invitation addressed to the city manor without pleasure. “Due to these circumstances, you are excused from attending this year.”

Fenrir politely waited for XXXX to hand him both invitations and then excused himself out of the study. Only after carefully sliding them into the chest pocket of his fur-trimmed jacket and going all the way to the creek in the wilderness behind the family manor did he allow a sound to escape from him. A whistle, strong and loud, that summoned Ging shortly after. Fenrir trapped him in a tight hug and buried his face in Ging’s fur.

“I think I just got a well-deserved, early holiday present!”

x+x+x+x+x+x+x

Reynir struggled not to choke on his coffee after Embla read the invitation’s content. “You’re invited where?”

“The Viking Tiger family manor,” Embla repeated, somewhat dumbstruck herself. “In Eastern Asgard.”

“You know the one, Pa. With the gigantic courtyards and-”

“Of course I know which one!” he snapped, and immediately softened his tone. “I- I’m very aware, sweetheart. When is this again?”

Bud and Artica eyed each other discreetly. This was not the parent they expected to make a fuss about it. “December, for Bud’s birthday.”

“Phew, there’s still time,” the man let out a distressed sigh. “Alright, you two. Sit. We have a lot to talk about.”

“This has to be the first time we’re gonna get a lecture before fucking something up,” his daughter muttered, but fell silent at Embla’s threatening look.

Reynir ran his fingers through his hair before clearing his throat. “A city manor in Central Asgard is not the same as the family manor, wherever it may be. I need that to be absolutely clear. Everything in a family manor has been tweaked and tinkered with to give the family complete control over all that happens on their grounds. That goes from the staff to the actual buildings and gardens. Everything. I cannot stress this enough. All you say and do will be noted and promptly informed to the masters of the house.”

“Wh-why are you telling us this, Pa?”

“You two’ve never been to a place like that, not even the Academy works on that level. Some previous jobs have gotten me in these family manors once or twice. Keep your guard up; act and speak like everything will be reported back to Princess Hilda herself. Nobles can be capricious, and it worries me more that it’s the Viking Tiger.”

“No need to worry about that, old man, I’m their precious older twin son now, aren’t I? Can’t do shit to me, and I won’t let them do shit to her either.”

“Wrong!” Reynir exclaimed, poking the boy in the chest. “You might be their new ‘young master’, but you’re a stranger to them. The Lord and Lady can say whatever they want, the staff will proceed as they’ve always done, keeping the House’s best interest in mind. If, for whatever reason, they believe you’re a threat to your twin, they will act accordingly.”

Both teenagers looked very apprehensive now. “I-I understand, Pa. I’ll make sure not to do anything stupid that would put the family dignity down.”

“That’s the least of my worries, sweetheart. I-”

Embla poured more coffee into her husband’s cup and then hugged the kids. “This isn’t about family dignity. You two are barely seventeen, and still have a lot of situations to experience, good and bad. The issue here is that one bad experience with a noble tends to have long-term consequences…”

Reynir sipped his coffee with a frown, staring out the window. “I have a bad feeling about you going there by yourselves…”

“I can help with that!” Sannfrid’s husky voice interrupted as he emerged from the living room.

“Sorry, Dad, did we wake you?”

“Nah, I shouldn’t be napping but sometimes I still feel so tired…”

Embla also poured him a cup of coffee and pulled a chair so he could sit down. “Not a problem, Sannfrid. You were saying?”

“Oh, yeah,” he mumbled, pulling something out of his back pocket.

Bud snatched it so fast, the others were barely able to register the broken wax seal. “You got an invitation too?”

“Well, it’s for your birthday, y’know? Your- The Lord and Lady of the Viking Tiger kindly invited me to join the celebration.”

All eyes drifted back to Reynir, who seemed to be rearranging his thoughts at light speed. Even if Sannfrid had never been to a noble family manor before (to Reynir’s knowledge at least), he had some leverage as the man who raised Bud like his own son. That, and he also cared deeply about both kids, so would intervene on their behalf without a second thought. A quick glance at their faces made it clear this was the best compromise they would ever get.

“If you have no issue with going, I’d greatly appreciate a set of familiar eyes watching their backs, old friend.”

“Do you have an issue with me going?” Sannfrid asked Bud, somewhat sheepishly.

“What? No! It’d feel kinda awkward celebrating with a bunch of strangers aside from my friends, but you’ve been there for all my birthdays, Dad. I wouldn’t want you to miss this one either!”

x+x+x+x+x+x+x

The moment he saw Artica in the locker room, he turned around and started to panic. “No. No, no, no. You give me anxiety and I can’t be anxious before a match.”

Fenrir had intended to mutter that to himself but said it quite loud instead. The smile on her face faltered, and a tiny sting hit her chest. When he turned back to her, he realized Artica was already gone. Bud approached him with a groan, slapping the back of his neck.

“’You give me anxiety?’ Are you fucking stupid?”

“Yes, among other things,” he replied hopelessly.

Bud let out an annoyed sigh. “Ever since our conversation the other day, you get all jumpy around her. That won’t help. Nothing’s changed yet, there’s no reason for you to panic.”

“Everything’s changed and will continue to change. I have every reason to panic!”

The Black let out another sigh and then gently patted Fenrir’s head in what felt like a familial gesture. Fenrir wouldn’t know, this was the first time it had happened to him.

“Just… breathe, ok? That’s true, but not in the alarming way you think. You should also-“

“Apologize, immediately, I know.”

“Well, not immediately since the match is about to start, but sooner would be better, yes.”

Bud ran his fingers through his own hair. "The first one was too self-centered, the second one too self-confident, and the third one too self-conscious. Sometimes I think it would just be better to date her myself."

Fenrir felt that in his core. There was no world out there in which he could match Bud's charisma. The Black, who had meant it as a light-hearted comment, cleared his throat.

"But it's too late for that now, isn't it? I'm already under someone else's spell, and I don't want out, so you better get your shit together.”

x+x+x+x+x+x+x

"I was nervous because it was my first match against someone from another school so seeing you reminded me everyone was counting on me to win that day to keep our place at the top, but I don't do well with crowds like that and I just wished they would've put Syd instead, y’know? But what I'm really trying to make crystal clear is that I'm sorry for saying it like that. You don't give me anxiety, I give me anxiety, and I understand you were there to encourage me, and I fucked up, so again I'm really sorry."

Artica stood there in silence for a moment, shocked that Fenrir could compress so many words in a single breath, but then let out a relieved sigh. “I’m- Thanks for saying that. I was a little worried, to be honest… but I get what you’re saying. Living up to other people’s expectations can be weary. You did great, anyway! There was nothing for you to worry about.”

There was a lot for me to worry about, he thought to himself, because I said something stupid again and you felt bad due to it. Fenrir was grateful, though, that this had been resolved easily. He could no longer afford to blurt out every idiotic phrasing that came to mind. There had to be a conscious effort, a conscious willingness, to let his feelings reach out.

x+x+x+x+x+x+x

She took a deep breath, trying to stay calmed. Ging walked around her, sniffing her clothes. Artica felt on the verge of falling into the void of panic once again, but this time, she had something to hold onto. Someone.

"How are you feeling?" Fenrir asked.

"I-I think…" the Black tried to say but could not go any further.

She was squeezing his hand hard, but Fenrir paid no mind. "Take your time."

Artica closed her eyes. Even in that creek, sitting between the bushes where no one could see them, she felt embarrassed. How could she not be able to go beyond two words? Fenrir had kindly agreed to help her overcome her uneasiness around dogs, with Ging's assistance, yet she did not feel she was improving at all.

Fenrir patiently waited for her grip to soften, but at the same time, didn’t want to let go himself. Distracted, he didn’t see Ging lick Artica's ear. She immediately inhaled sharply and after a few seconds, fainted. The boy barely managed to catch her before she hit the ground.

“Well, shit. Look at what you did!”

Ging lowered his ears.

x+x+x+x+x+x+x

When Artica opened her eyes, she felt awfully confused. It took her a moment to remember what happened before everything went black. Her cheeks flushed when she realized she was lying against a tree trunk, covered with a very familiar fur-trimmed jacket. The silver gaze wandered a bit until it happened upon a pair of golden eyes shyly looking back at her.

Fenrir was sitting against another tree, several meters away. Next to him, Ging was also staring. The boy’s lips were tight. “I’m very sorry, he meant no harm, I swear, it’s just-”

Ging licked the boy’s left ear. Artica immediately touched her own out of reflex.

“The way you smell, it’s very nice…” he mumbled, immediately regretting it. “Ging likes it. He was just curious and-”

The expression on the girl’s face was difficult to interpret. Fenrir swallowed hard. “Would it be okay if we came a little bit closer?”

“We?” she echoed in a slightly uneasy tone.

“You can tell us when to stop.”

To his surprise, Artica allowed them to come quite close, just a few paces from where she was sitting. The girl stared into Ging’s piercing blue eyes. “Why did he lick your ear?”

“Oh, it’s just a thing he does when he…” Fenrir started to explain, realizing exactly at that moment that this was the first time Ging had ever done it to someone else. He’d never shown interest in interacting with anyone beside Fenrir before. “...likes you.”

“... Are you making this up?”

“Why would I? There’s absolutely no way for me to force him to do anything.”

There was a short silence. Artica gripped the jacket firmly, a slight blush on her cheeks. “Thank you. I can’t, for the life of me, approach Ging right now, but your words have given me the courage to try next time.”

Fenrir was so relieved to hear the implication of consent to another time together, even though today had been a massive fuck up, he barely contained himself. Asking Ging for some space with a whistle, he helped Artica stand up and encouraged her to wear the jacket, at least until they were back at the house. Once there, she returned it, and politely thanked him for everything.

The boy looked at her walking away until she was lost in the distance. “Next time…”

x+x+x+x+x+x+x

"I… think I do like him," Artica said suddenly.

Bud put his greasy-ass burger down. "Even if he is a Blue?"

"Yeah… I’d be willing to… jump through some hoops."

"Great. When are you gonna tell'im?"

"You really think he’d be interested in me that way…?"

Her best friend almost choked on his drink. If you only knew. Bud found it slightly amusing, considering Artica was usually very perceptive. "Even if he didn’t, you should tell him. The only bad shot is the one you don't take, right?"

She nodded, unsure. In the past, it had not been much of a deal for her to express her interest, but after Thyrna dumped her, she had lost her footing. It’d been painful to realize the person she cared about didn't reciprocate on the same level.

Even now, it still hurt.

XXXXXXXXX

(1) “That’s how you know you love someone, I guess, when you can’t experience anything without wishing the other person were there to see it, too.” The Descendants (2007).

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yimmick · 5 years

Photo

duo of dumbassery + pearlie

#ace attorney #aa #phoenix wright #maya fey #pearl fey #ruri draws

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mcofthemansion · 3 years

Note

SHIT ALMOST FOR GOT BUT AA

♧ <3

Ruri!!! Sorry for this being so late...my mom asked me to do something a while back and I completely forgot every single thing I needed to do including Tumblr and School work and I accidentally left this in my notes...also I'm very sorry that the first letters won't bold I'm not sure why it's doing that...

My brain has been so empty all week I'm very sorry about that

Anyways

You're my : Mutual!!!💗💗💗 that I adore talking to and interacting with!!!

How I met you : Through Spoopy actually!!! Since they follow you I saw your posts a lot and I wanted to talk to you for a long while and only got the confidence to comment on a post when I felt like you where feeling down and I wanted to try and cheer you up!!! Because you are such a delightful person and I wanted you to feel happier!!!

Why I follow you : Because you are a wonderful person and I love all the stuff you talk about!!! You also have incredible Oc's and I just really like talking and interacting with you!!!

Your blog is : In terms of color I find it very esthetically pleasing!!! In terms of content very sweet, funny, well though out, wholesome, just a lot of very nice things I always want to wake up and see as soon as possible!!!

Your URL is : @Rurifangirl very cute!!! I actually haven't asked in a while, what do you think of Ruri now? I haven't heard about him in a while (maybe because I'm missing it because I can't be on Tumblr all day) I find it a very cute Url and I honestly adore it!!!

Your Icon is : Very fun!!!! It's Ruri I think unless my brain is deceiving me!!! It's a very nice image of him!!!!

A Random fact about you : You use the 🔪 emoji sometimes and I don't know why but I find it the most adorable thing ever!!!

General opinion : YOU ARE SUCH A SWEETHEART AND SO ADORABLE AND I LOVE YOUR POSTS ALWAYS AND PEOPLE WHO KNOW YOU IRL SHOULD FEEL BLESSED!!!

A random thought I have : I just want you to drink water, sleep, and feel loved!!!! You deserve all the love and happiness!!!

#talking with mutuals #ruri #Oops sorry that should've been a capital letter #Ruri #hugs!!!#💗💗💗💗💗💗

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sanderscat · 3 years

Note

no please im so intrigued by the aa x dcst

hi! this idea came to me two days ago, it went something like this: "aa characters are all quirky and eccentric... dr stone characters are all quirky and eccentric... what if i combine them" and that was it (≧▽≦)

it's still very rough and subject to change, but there's some things that i think would be funny/interesting:

Gen as either defendant or a witness. a very hard one to work with because he's got his mysterious persona to uphold and that makes him look suspicious as hell.

Senku as a snarky witness who only cares about science and wants nothing to do with this mess. Also he would correct everyone in the courtroom and go on tangents explaining his science stuff. Kinda the same vibe he has before the petrification.

"I was in the middle of a very important research, why did you drag me here again?"

They would make Write and Edgeworth's life miserable lol.

Tsukasa fits the witness role pretty good too, and he has connections to Gen. Also "Strongest Primate High Schooler" sounds like it belongs in ace attorney :'''D

And i thought to maybe give Kohaku and Ruri some magical powers similar to Fey sisters...

Petrification either didn't happen or is about to happen in this au. Maybe it isn't as apocalyptic and I could work in something similar and small-scale into the story. We'll see.

I still have no idea who the victim is, or who the real killer(s) are (someone suggested stan/xeno), so ideas and suggestions are welcome (ㆁωㆁ)

Thanks for the ask!~

#sanderscat ask #eflats #aa dcst crossover

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nightfallgame · 4 years

Note

I'm going to take one for the team... How big/small are the girl's breast? Barely noticeable? Easily hidden? Small, yet surprisingly big for their size and how skinny they are?

Ah, the expected titty ask~ >:3c

. . .

Hikari -- Too small for a bra

Tomoe, Angelica -- AA-cup

Yoru, Christine -- A-cup

Rin, Hiromi, Ruri -- B-Cup

Shinobu, Xavia, Trinity, 712 -- C-cup

Lucille, Kano, Amaya -- D-cup

Kitana, Kyouko -- DD-cup

Viktoria -- F-cup

#Info #Genderswap Au

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utagoe · 5 years

Text

IkeLive: Go Fly Away Lyrics

Kanji, romaji and English translation for Go Fly Away by Amamiya Henry

(kanji source)

僕の世界にない僕の空不安や悲しみが強いほど笑ってみせてるそっと

乾いた風が吹き抜けて逝くカラッポな心を鏡のなかにたたずむ僕はすべて偽りでも

君に出逢ってから生まれてきた意味感じてるデタラメなこの世界で

羽撃いても飛べやしない孤独に奪われた羽根じゃ君は僕に君の羽根をそっと渡しながら '─私の空、羽撃いてるあなたの姿見たいの─'と透明なまなざしで笑いながら僕に力をくれる

微笑むたび崩れ堕ちて逝く瑠璃色の心を誰にもバレないように振る舞う息ができなくとも

君はどんな日も陽だまりのなかでつつみ込むやわらかな風みたいに

羽撃いても飛べやしない孤独に奪われた羽根じゃ君は僕に君の羽根をそっと渡しながら '─たとえ何が起きようともあなたの味方でいるよ─'と真っすぐなやさしさで見つめながら僕に力をくれる Go fly away for you

君は気がついた僕の闇のなか燈される仄かな淡い希望に鳴呼

羽撃くこと懼れていた自分に自信が持てなくて…

弱さはいま強い力に変わる

僕の世界にある君の空いまならば偽ることもなく笑えるはずさ

Romaji

boku no sekai ni nai boku no sora fuan ya kanashimi ga tsuyoi hodo waratte miseteru sotto

kawaita kaze ga fukinukete yuku karappo na kokoro wo kagami no naka ni tatazumu boku wa subete itsuwari demo

kimi ni deatte kara umarete kita imi kanjiteru detarame na kono sekai de

habataitemo tobe ya shinai kodoku ni ubawareta hane ja kimi wa boku ni kimi no hane wo sotto watashi nagara "watashi no sora, habataiteru anata no sugata mitai no" to toumei na manazashi de warai nagara boku ni chikara wo kureru

hohoemu tabi kuzureochite yuku ruri iro no kokoro wo darenimo barenai youni furumau iki ga dekinaku tomo

kimi wa donna hi mo hidamari no naka de tsutsumikomu yawaraka na kaze mitai ni

habataitemo tobe ya shinai kodoku ni ubawareta hane ja kimi wa boku ni kimi no hane wo sotto watashi nagara "tatoe nani ga okiyou tomo anata no mikata de iruyo" to massugu na yasashi de mitsume nagara boku ni chikara wo kureru Go fly away for you

kimi wa ki ga tsuita boku no yami no naka tomosareru honoka na awai kibou ni aa

habataku koto osoreteita jibun ni jishin ga motenakute...

yowasa wa ima tsuyoi chikara ni kawaru

boku no sekai ni aru kimi no sora ima naraba itsuwaru koto mo naku waraeru hazu sa

English

My sky that isn't in my world Is gently showing me it can smile brighter The more intense my uneasiness and sadness are

A dry wind blows through My empty heart Even if everything about me Standing still in the mirror is a lie...

Ever since I met you I feel the meaning Of why I was born In the nonsense world

I can't fly even if I flap my wings With these feathers stolen by loneliness While softly giving me your feathers, you say "I want to see your figure Flying in my sky" While smiling with a transparent Look in your eyes, You give me strength

Every time I smile, it crumbles down My azure heart I behave in such a way that nobody notices Even if I can't breathe

No matter what kind of day, You always wrap me up In a sunny spot Like a gentle breeze

I can't fly even if I flap my wings With these feathers stolen by loneliness While softly giving me your feathers, you say "No matter what happens, I'm on your side" While looking at me with An honest kindness, You give me strength Go fly away for you

You've noticed The faint pale hope That lights up Inside my darkness Ah

I was afraid of flapping my wings Because I wasn't confident in myself...

Now, my weakness Turns into a powerful strength

Your sky that is in my world Now I should be able to smile Without any lies

#request #ikemen live #ikelive #ikemen series #own the night #amamiya henry #amamiya henri #ookawa genki #okawa genki

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natsuhikoshidou · 6 years

Text

REMIND BLUE (JP/ROM/ENG)

Track 7 from Mekakucity Reload. Please support Jin by buying the album or listening on Apple Music/Spotify!

JAPANESE

滲んだ帰り道　斜陽に凪いだ歩道徐に歩調を速めて

遅れない様に　惑わない様に視線に染まってまた流されて　離れていく

見えなくなっていく

浮かんだ八月に　祭囃子の音瑠璃色に　霞んだ坂道

忘れない様に　零さない様に頼りない記憶が　ずっと瞬いている

今になって　思い出すんだ君の歌った　「大人が嫌いな歌」を

青い影　笑い声　切なさも全部夏枯れたままで　心に遺った

淡い未来の色も　まだ解らないあの日から僕らは　大人ぶったままだ

蝉時雨、追い掛け　行き着いた「今日」も思い思いの色を　探してた「昨日」も

通り過ぎて行くよ　夕焼け空と一緒に

変わらない様に　離さない様に結んだ手が　スッと解けて

終わった八月に　二つ、影の模様覚束無い記憶に　ずっと佇んでいる

潤んだ目も　乾かさないまま君は笑った　「さよなら」って　寂しそうに

片蔭り　通り雨　言えなかった想いをつまらない言葉で　心に隠した

西明かりの色が　まだ蘇る空回りの僕らは　すれ違ったままだ

苦笑い、繰り返し　知りすぎた「今日」を思い思いの術で　「明日」に託して

通り過ぎていくのかな　勘違いと一緒に

解夏　噴井の音色アケビ　線路　炎陽

噎せ返る様な色めいていく様な

まだ僕はきっと　大人ぶったままで掠れない気持ちを　抱えたままで

青嵐の音が　大人しくなって夕涼みの歌が　懐かしくなった

青い影　笑い声　「さよなら」の季節は繰り返すうちに　遠い過去になって

届かない処へ　遥か遠のく残された僕らは　変わらないから

急ぎ足の帰り道も　蜃気楼になって眩しくって泣いてた　あの日に戻って

遠回りをしよう　昨日の僕と一緒に

ROMAJI

Nijinda kaerimichi shayou ni naida hodou Omomuro ni hochou o hayamete Okurenai you ni madowanai you ni Shizen ni somatte Mata nagasarete hanareteiku

Mienaku natte iku

Ukanda hachigatsu ni matsuri hayashi no oto Ruri iro ni kasunda sakamichi Wasurenai you ni kobosanai you ni Tayorinai kioku ga zutto mataiteiru

Ima ni natte omoidasunda Kimi no utatta “otona ga kirai na uta” o

Aoi kage warai koe setsunasa mo zenbu Natsugareta mama de kokoro ni nokotta Awai mirai no iro mo mada wakaranai Ano hi kara bokura wa otona butta mama da

Semishigure oikake ikusuita “kyou” mo Omoi omoi no iro o sagashiteta “kinou” mo Toorisugite iku yo yuuyake sora to isshou ni

Kawaranai you ni hanasanai you ni Musunda te ga sutto tokete Owatta hachigatsu ni futatsu kage no moyou Obotsukanai kioku ni zutto tatazundeiru

Urunda me mo kawakasanai mama Kimi wa waratta “sayonara” tte sabishi sou ni

Katakageri toori ame ienakatta omoi o Tsumaranai kotoba de kokoro ni kakushita Nishi akari no iro ga mada yomigaeru Karamawari no bokura wa surechigatta mama da

Nigaiwarai kurikaeshi shirisugita “kyou” o Omoi omoi no jutsu de “ashita” ni takushite Toorisugiteiku no kana kanchigai to isshou ni

Gege fukii no neiro Akebi senro enyou Musekaeru you na, Iromeite iku you na Mada boku ha kitto otona butta mama de Kasurenai kimochi o kakaeta mama de

Seiran no oto ga otonashiku natte Yuusuzumi no uta natsukashiku natte Aoi kage warai koe “sayonara” no kisetsu wa Kurikaesu uchi ni tooi kako ni natte Todokanai tokoro e haruka toonoku Nokosareta bokura wa kawaranai kara, aa

Isogi ashi no kaeri michi mo shinkirou ni natte Mabushikutte naiteta ano hi ni modotte Toumawari o shiyou kinou no boku to isshou ni

ENGLISH

The blurry way home, a walkway lulled in the setting sun I suddenly hasten my step So I won’t be late, so you won’t be confused, Dyed in my gaze, I see you’re swept away from me again, and we separate.

I can’t see you anymore.

The sounds of festival music in the August now upon us The misty hill in lapis lazuli blue. So that I won’t forget, so that I won’t let them shed, My unreliable memories were always flickering within me

At this point, I remember The song you sung, about “hating the adults”.

The blue shadows, the laughing voices, and the heartache, They all remained in my heart, in the midst of its summer slump I still don’t know the tone of the faint future, After that day, we’re still pretending to be adults

A chorus of cicadas, the “today” that we chased after and arrived at, And the “yesterday” that we sought after, of whatever kind we like, They go and pass by me, together with the sunset sky.

So that I won’t change, so that I won’t let go, Our bound hands, suddenly come undone The image of two shadows, at the end of August, Had always stayed still in my unsteady memories

Though your eyes were wet, you left them undried, As you smiled, saying “goodbye”, in a way that seemed so lonely.

The shade of leaves, the downpours, the unspoken thoughts Were hidden in my heart, with boring words I can still recall the colours of the twilight As we ran about aimlessly, passing each other by

The wry smiles, the repetitive “today” that I know too much about, It’s sent into “tomorrow” by whatever means we like I wonder, will it pass by me, with everything I mistook?

The summer solution*, the timbre of gushing water fountains, Akebia, railway tracks, the summer sun. Like I choke up, like I brighten up, I must still be pretending to be an adult, Still holding on to these un-blurred feelings.

The sound of the fresh wind has become so grown up, The songs of the cool evening have become so nostalgic. The blue shadows, the laughing voices, the season to say “goodbye”, While it repeated again and again, it became the distant past. It’s become so far and distant, to a place I can’t reach, Because we, who were left behind, haven’t changed.

That rushing back home becomes a mirage, Returning to those days, where you cried so radiantly, Let’s take a detour, together with yesterday’s me.

*解夏 (Gege) – the end of a geango (夏安居), a “summer retreat where monks stay in the same place to study”. The kanji literally means “solution” and “summer”. I suppose it implies the end of a summer break.

(*this is my translation. Jin’s writing tends to be interpretive and the lack of sentence subject within Japanese means that I’ve had to take some liberties with translating, like adding in “I” and “you”. Please be conscious that it’s possible that there is more than one way to interpret the lyrics.)

#kagepro #kagerou project #mekakucity actors #mekakucity reload #remind blue #リマインドブルー #hhhh haruka

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zenobsessed-blog · 6 years

Text

Getting off the MysMe train - Hakuoki: Kyoto Winds opening song

With the disappointing V route and Ray being only slightly better, there was a big void left, so I started branching out into other otome games. I tried the two other Cheritz games, Dandelion and Nameless. Others have written longer, better reviews. I liked Nameless better but both were quite good.

So what does a girl do when there’s no more MysMe to be had? First I tried Midnight Cinderella from Vehura’s recommendation. It was okay, but I spent way too much money just making it through the story. However, it taught me to curb my spending, so now I am currently playing My Forged Wedding Party and have disciplined my spending on coins. It’s just frustrating to have to wait for the time to recharge the love passes or whatnot for those free-to-play games.

I didn’t mind, however, shelling out the money for Dandelion and Nameless, and not having to wait for the next chapter of the story except on my own time. I figured that someone else had probably created some pretty good otome games before these, so I googled the top ones. As luck would have it, Steam was having a sale on Hakuoki: Kyoto Winds and Edo Blossoms.

On to a new obsession! Others have also written better reviews of both these games, so I will not. I have played several routes, and because the game is based on historical events, they are starting to feel repetitive. Thank goodness for the skip button. I love the opening song Ruri no Sora e, but I can’t seem to find an English translation. Google Translate will only work on the kanji, not the romanized Japanese, so I had to take these lyrics and delete the romanized lines to get Google to translate the kanji.

Credit for the lyrics to Koigokoro, but I will reproduce them here to get the side-by-side (well, really, top-to-bottom) translation. Also did a bit of cleaning up with the English, but I unfortunately have no idea if it is at all accurate. :( Apologies to those who actually know Japanese!

I have to say: I love this song even more now that I get an inkling of what it means. The transient nature of cherry blossoms is so poetic and tragically beautiful. Just like life. #hanami

Ruri no Sora e 歌詞: 瑠璃ノ空へ歌手: 吉岡亜衣加ゲーム: 薄桜鬼真改風ノ章 Lyrics: Ruri no Sora e (To the Lapis Lazuli Sky) Singer: Aika Yoshioka Game: Hakuoki Shinkai Kaze no Shou (Hakuoki: Kyoto Winds) Sora e sora e 空へ　空へ

To the sky, to the sky

takaki sora e mukai sakishi hana yo

高き空へ向かひ咲きし花よ

Fly to the sky high above, and bloom and flower

toki no jouran sae fumikoete 季節(とき)の擾乱さへ踏み越へて

In this fleeting time

sake adeyaka ni 咲け　艶(あで)やかに

When you blossom and fade

Furimuki mo sezu hana wa saite chiri yuku 振り向きもせず　花は咲ひて散りゆく

These flowers bloom and scatter, never returning

sono ikizama ito tsuyoku isagiyoku itooshiki hito ga goto 其の生き様　いと強く潔く　愛ほしき人が如 Living and loving with all their strength and brilliance Aa saredomo seou yume wa amari ni omoku あゝ　されども背負ふ夢はあまりに重く

Though I am young, my dream is fervent

tada mimamoru modokashisa kono mune ni shimaite koyoi mo inoru ただ見守るもどかしさ　此の胸に藏(しま)ひて今宵も祈る I keep this frustration within my heart, and pray tonight as well Unmei wakeaitai moshi yurusareru nara 運命分け合ひたひ　もし赦されるなら

That you can be forgiven

asu no te ga kari wa sono senaka tsui no toki made 明日の手がかりは　其の背中　終(つい)の刻まで

And to know how by tomorrow’s end Sora e sora e 空へ　空へ

To the sky, to the sky ruri no sora e mukai hiraku yume yo 瑠璃の空へ向かひ開く夢よ

A dream that opens to the sky of lapis lazuli yami ni moesakaru yozakura yo 闇に燃え盛る��桜よ

It is a cherry blossoming in the dark night sake azayaka ni 咲け　鮮やかに

Blooming vividly Deai shi ano hi mabuta omowazu fuseta 出逢いしあの日　瞼思わず伏せた

That day, I beheld a shocking image sono hitomi no ito fukaki yuruginaki kibishisa ni inukarete その瞳の　いと深き揺るぎなき厳しさに射抜かれて

Burned into my retina even after closing my eyes Aa tsuyoki manazashi ima wa mitsume kaeseru あゝ　強き眼差し　今は見つめ返せる

I opened them and looked again, now that I can stand strong

wa ga yukumichi koko ni ari sou mune ni kakugo wo kizami shi yuweni 吾が往く道　此処に在り　さう胸に　覚悟を刻みしゆゑに

And do what needs to be done, my mind resolved and prepared Mirai wo sasagemasu moshi kanau no naraba 未来を捧げます　もし叶ふのならば

I will devote myself to you even if you fall

inochi nagedasu mo ito wa nai anata no tame ni 命投げ出すも厭(いと)はなひ　貴方の為に

Like a leaf and die

Sora e sora e 空へ　空へ

To the sky, to the sky kuraki sora e mukai ryoute awasu 昏き空へ向かひ両掌合わす

Fly toward the sky with our hands clasped together

imada akeyaranu kono sekai 未だ明けやらぬ此の世界

Through this unknown world

sake wa ga negai 咲け　吾が願ひ

Wishing for blossoms Kabosoi tsuki ga marude sora no kizuato no you de かぼそひ月が　まるで空の傷痕のやうで

The moon is like a scar in the sky futo ononoite osoreuchi kesu tada me wo tojite ふと慄いて怖れ打ち消す　ただ目を閉じて

Suddenly, trembling and afraid. Just close your eyes.

Sora e sora e 空へ　空へ

To the sky, to the sky

ruri no sora e mukai sakishi koi yo 瑠璃の空へ向かひ咲きし戀よ

I will blossom to the sky of the lapis day and love you sotto moesakaru hizakura yo そっと燃え盛る火桜よ

Suddenly burning fire cherry blossoms sake tokoshie ni 咲け　永遠(とこしへ)に

Blooming forever Sora e sora e 空へ　空へ

To the sky, to the sky tataki sora e mukai sakishi hana yo 高き空へ向かひ咲きし花よ

Fly toward the sky high above, and bloom and flower

toki no jouran sae fumikoete 時代(とき)の擾乱さへ踏み越へて

In this fleeting time

sake adeyaka ni 咲け　艶(あで)やかに

When you blossom and fade

#hakuoki kyoto winds #opening theme song #ruri no sora e #english translation #hanami #hakuouki #hakuoki

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darkfromday · 7 years

Text

hibernating (10)

Prompt: Day 3 - Winter

Pairing: Mockingbirdshipping (Dennis Mackfield/Shun Kurosaki)

Assumptions: Dennis lives/works in Xyz Dimension after the war. Shun somehow doesn’t hear about it. Can you tell I think that’s an amazing plot point and should be set in stone if it wasn’t already

Remember how I said literally every single time Dennis is in a ship he makes it take a hundred million times longer than it’s supposed to?

Dennis Mackfield is handing out the last of his Entermage-supporting Trap Cards when he feels hot threatening breaths on the back of his neck--and whoops, sure enough, Kurosaki Shun is glaring down at him by the time he turns around.

“Academia scum. What are you doing here?”

"Yare, yare," he tsks, ignoring his faster heartbeat and his pop-goes-the-weasel boner, "is this or is this not public space? Nice to see you again too, Kurosaki-san."

The taller boy's response is to just grab his collar and pull him closer threateningly.

"Ugh--okay, okay, I got it, 'don't act like we're friends'. Sawatari gives me that same look when I stop by Standard."

"Why," Kurosaki repeats slowly, "are you in my hometown?"

Dennis snorts condescendingly, because okay yeah, he does have some of that Fusion pride, and he's also kind of sick of being talked to like he's a modern Typhoid Mary by this attractive asshole in particular.

"I've been here all winter, moron. Actually, you've caught me leaving--and I was just giving the kids who came for my shows some parting gifts before I left."

He's let go almost instantly as soon as he says the word gifts. When he looks back up at his aggressor's face, it is looking considerably less aggressive.

"You've been in Heartland all winter?" (Tacked on in his tone Dennis hears, and there haven't been any attacks?)

"Aa, squatting here and there. I'm kidding!" he says hastily as those gold eyes turn dangerous again. "Some families have let me stay with them in exchange for some housework, and some extra performances for their kids."

Shun sits down on the sidewalk, which is a relief for Dennis' poor neck muscles. He seems to be wrestling with something, and far be it for Dennis to disturb someone who's already kicked his ass.

And plus, he's cute when he thinks. Well--he's cute when he's angry, too. And when he does that overdramatic draw when he's dueling--

"Where are you going?"

He snaps back to attention at Kurosaki's question, blushing, then kind of... sags. Because he has no earthly idea where he's going to wait out the season, and until he was just reminded of that, he'd blessedly forgotten.

"Eh, I dunno... somewhere warm?" He lies down, putting his arms behind his head and grinning wistfully. "Maybe I'll go bug Gon-chan in Standard, or Yuugo-kun in Synchro."

For a moment he doesn't even get a grunt in response. It's uncomfortably quiet, reminding Dennis that for all his jokes, he really doesn't have a reliable set of friends to count on anymore. Or maybe he never had. There's no guarantee that either of the boys he mentioned alone would even give him a lukewarm welcome.

"You can't go home?"

Dennis chokes on a laugh. At first he thinks the question is a jab at him, a request for him to hit the road already; then he hears the sincerity in it and feels a bit of shame for even thinking that. Of all the Lancers, only Kurosaki understands what it's like when you literally can't go home. His real home, where his family was whole and happy, is in the irretrievable past.

Dennis' "home" is a training ground for young monsters, a place he once thrived when he was too good for a conscience. There is no way he could ever go back there for more than five minutes, unless he wanted to start screaming and never stop.

"Nah. Academia's got most of Fusion Dimension under its thumb even now, and their whole 'imprison and indoctrinate' routine... isn't my style anymore."

To his surprise, Kurosaki actually chuckles, and he makes a joke. "Not their style anymore either."

Dennis laughs, and feels the best kind of traitorous warm fuzzies as he does.

He looks up and Kurosaki is staring straight at him again, with that thoughtful raptor expression he loves hates. It's as if the guy is deciding whether to fly with him or feed on him.

"...Mackfield."

"Uh--yeah?" Holy shit, we've come far. That's a lot better than 'Academia scum'!

"Since you've got nowhere else to go--and the kids wouldn't understand how much you deserve it if you froze to death--you, uh, might as well come stay in one of our guest rooms."

Dennis feels his face turn tomato-red--it takes all he has to keep his voice from cracking. "Why, Kurosaki! You're inviting rotten old me into your home?"

"No," Kurosaki says too quickly, "Ruri's asked me to invite you to stay if you could be found, and since you unfortunately could be found--"

"Ah ah ah, you managed to stay away from me this long. I'm supposed to believe that Ruri wants me in her space but you don't want me in your same space?"

"Yes! Yes you are, you stubborn bastard!"

Dennis gets up and twirls, and dances in a circle, teasing him. "Just come out with it, Kurosaki~! You can say it: 'Dennis, I want to keep you warm. Dennis, the thought of having you around makes me happy. Dennis, come hunker down in my nest!'"

"If you don't shut the hell up I will leave you out here for the crows to pick at!"

"Crows? Wrong dimension, Shun-kun."

"GAH!"

#arc v rare pair week #Arc V #mockingbirdshipping #Dennis/Shun #Darkday writes fanfic #lateposting 2017 #this is actually one of the shorter ones with Dennis in it #I'm finishing the second to last one with Dennis right now #I think I'm going to quit him as a character for a few weeks after this #I feel like I'm regurgitating soooooo much #tw for that btw sorry #I usually don't mention vomit in my tags #AGH AGAIN SORRY #I think these two are an old OTP of mine #even stronger than my Sora/Shun time #also I'm still not sure if it's 'Macfield' or 'Mackfield'#because I think I saw both so I just add the k #k is one of my favorite letters in the English alphabet so

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magpiejay1234 · 1 year

Text

There is a lot of the talk about the new Z-ARC support, like, this is basically the actual ending of ARC-V, but for now, I’m focusing on the Katakana names.

https://yu-gi-oh.xyz/news/%e3%80%8c%e8%a6%87%e7%8e%8b%e5%a4%a9%e9%be%8d%e3%82%aa%e3%83%83%e3%83%89%e3%82%a2%e3%82%a4%e3%82%ba%e3%83%bb%e3%82%a2%e3%83%bc%e3%82%af%e3%83%ac%e3%82%a4%e3%83%bb%e3%83%89%e3%83%a9%e3%82%b4%e3%83%b3/

覇王龍ズァーク is the Japanese name of Z-ARC as we discussed before, Haouryuu Zuaaku. As we discussed before, zu sound here is weird.

However,

覇王天龍オッドアイズ・アークレイ・ドラゴン, Odd-Eyes Arcray Dragon uses the “zu” sound for Odd-Eyes (オッドアイズ, Oddoaizu, hey, ai zu!), and adds a break for aaku, then adds Ray’s name レイ (rei, meaning zero, or ley in ley lines, known in Japan, and China as “dragon pits”), which explains the true purpose of the “zu” sound.

or does it?

As you may know, 2 pf the Dimension Dragons have their Bracelet Girls’ names in them, and 1 of them alludes to it:

オッドアイズ・ペンデュラム・ドラゴン, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon has the ズ, zu, and yu, ュ, letters, representing Yuzu.

クリアウィング・シンクロ・ドラゴン, Clear Wing Synchro Dragon has リ, ri, and ン, n, representing Rin.

ダーク・リベリオン・エクシーズ・ドラゴン, Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon has the リ, ri, alluding to Ruri, but doesn’t contain the ru sound.

These specific Dragons are somewhat important, since they spell Z-ARC’s name: ズ, zu from Odd-Eyes, ア, a, from Clear Wing, ーク, (elongation)+ku from Dark Rebellion.

スターヴ・ヴェノム・フュージョン・ドラゴン, Starving Venom Fusion Dragon doesn’t have a lot of interesting stuff going on for it, but it contains a lot of Pendulum’s characters. ム, mu, ラ, ra, ュ, yu, ン, n. (In Z-ARC’s name, the elongation sound might come from here, but they kinda dropped the ball here to be honest, to focus on Yuri’s status as an evil Yuya specifically rather than his status as one of the Yu-boys.)

Since 3/4′s of the dragons reference their respective Bracelet Girls, it makes sense Z-ARC to reference his, Ray.

For future reference:

Ship tags for Zarcray are ズァクレイ (Zuakurei), and ズァレイ (Zuarei), much like Yuyayuzu, this doesn’t have the elongation sound, unlike Odd-Eyes Arcray Dragon. Otherwise, Odd-Eyes Arcray Dragon literally contains their ship name. Hilarious. I don’t get how more canon than you can get. I would like Yusei x Aki to try.

(This card is especially amusing, because it was revealed shortly after Vision Resonator in the Jack Atlas SD. Zarcray somehow managed to beat Jack x Carly, damn.)

****

覇王眷竜ライトヴルム, Supreme King Servant Dragon Lightwurm’s Katakana name, Raitovurumu, which is a combination of Ra in Reira, and i, in Ray (Rei).

Though Reira’s name is written in Kanji 零羅, zero lightweight fabric/silk gauze/thin silk.

This card is likely a homage to Lightray monsters, which are the LIGHT counterparts of various monsters, mostly DARK ones. Their names were written in Katakana, thus contain Ray’s name.

wurm part in Darkwurm, and Lightwurm is likely a reference to lindwurms:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindworm

And Germanic dragons in general:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germanic_dragon

Much like Eternatus’s inspiration, the intended meaning is likely how wurms, in their ouroboros-esque form, represent infinity.

(We will talk about this card more in detail, but apparently seeing a whitewurm in Swedish folklore means good luck.)

****

Pendulum Evolution’s name is based off Structure Deck: Pendulum Evolution, which featured Astrograph Sorcerer, and Chronograph Sorcerer, alongside the Magician forms of Dimension Dragons.

The card’s effect is for Astrograph Sorcerer, and its retrain, but since the artwork features pendulum neclaces for each Yu-boy, transformed by their respective En cards, this might be a hint towards either 2500 ATK versions of the Dragon Magicians, and/or 2500 Pendulum Main Deck versions of Dimension Dragons.

We will also talk about this card in detail in a later post.

*****

I find it amusing that of all Yu-boy/Bracelet Girl couples, Zarcray ended up getting the sappiest, most 80s animé looking stuff. This stuff looks like it is straight out of a classic shoujo manga, or old mecha animé.

#shitposting #ygo random thoughts #ygo katakana names

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asgard-segun-elcadejos · 2 years

Text

Asgard Academy

Year 2: Part II

[ Index ]

xxxxxxxxx

“Hey, uhm, was it wrong of me to hang out with Artica all those times?”

“Nah, but it was foolish to not think a little harder about how it was perceived.”

“If I had the choice, I would like to go out with Artica every time.”

“Alright, that’s a start,” Bud nodded. “Now you just have to tell’er that.”

Fenrir saw him chuckle; no doubt because he suddenly grew very tense. “I’m not very good with… expressing myself. I can’t imagine how you did it.”

Bud displayed a cocky grin. “I wouldn’t compare; we have vastly different personalities.”

Fenrir sighed in agreement.

“I didn’t accept Karianne's advances because she’s physically attractive (she is, but that wasn’t it). K has such a fiery personality and isn't afraid to show it. She’ll argue you into the ground if she believes she’s right. I really like that, especially in a Blue. You people always want to talk it out. Sometimes you have to punch it out.”

Fenrir had a slight frown. “I hope you’re not punching it out with her, though.”

“Not like that…” Bud replied in a whisper. “Anyway, what are you going to do about Artica? You are interested, right? And is that enough for you to want to focus on her for a while or will you move on sooner rather than later?”

“Huh? What’s that supposed to mean?”

Bud chastised himself, aware he let his mouth run a little more than he intended. Artica was his priority here; if Fenrir was not particularly committed, he wouldn’t encourage him any longer. “As we established before, you went on ‘very likely’ dates with a few others, and then with Artica.”

“I already told you I’d choose her over them.”

“For how long?”

“I don’t know. For how long are you gonna date Karianne, huh?” Fenrir spat back, annoyed. “I don’t know jack shit about any of this. It’s already humiliating to learn I’m socially inept, stop making it seem like I do it on purpose.”

The Black raised his eyebrows with a hint of guilt.

“Sorry, I got a little carried away... I want the following to be very clear: don’t engage carelessly without at least contemplating what’ll happen. When someone gives you expectations and fails to meet them, it’s difficult to swallow. Let’s say you start dating someone, and when they’re with you, they call you sweet names, but when they talk to others, you instantly become 'just someone from school'. That would suck, right?”

“A lot, yeah…”

“Alright, so try to think of the right wording for the right situation, in order to be clear. If you ask Artica out with the specific intent of dating her, then say that. ‘Hey, do you wanna go on a date with me?’. That’s much clearer than saying ‘Wanna go to the arcade?’”

Bud packed his stuff in his bag and turned around. “That’s the only thing I would ask of you; always be clear. If at the end of the day, it turns out you don’t like her enough to date, I get it, but make sure to let her know.”

x+x+x+x+x+x+x

“How’s it going?”

“All good, son, just finished packing. Hope I didn’t forget anything.”

“No worries, Dad. Anything you need, just say so. Syd and I will handle it.”

Sannfrid let out a chuckle. “Last year, you avoided his name in every possible way, and now you team up for birthday parties. You’ve come very far, Bud, I’m so proud of you.”

The teenager wrapped his arms around him with a relieved sigh. A little over a year ago, his father had been gravely ill, and it was only the kind offer from his biological parents, that he now knew was Syd’s idea, that helped him get better faster. Bud was grateful for many things, but that was the biggest one.

“Thanks, Dad.”

x+x+x+x+x+x+x

"Everyone, may I have a moment of your time?"

The staff quieted down and gave the young master their undivided attention.

"As we have discussed, three of our guests this week are not as deeply familiar with etiquette as the others; my older twin brother Bud, the man who raised him Sannfrid, and our mutual friend Artica. I humbly ask you to be patient and understanding with them and help if they seem to be struggling. Regarding the last person I mentioned, there is one more thing…"

x+x+x+x+x+x+x

"Oh, gods, her face!" Hejne whispered and was immediately elbowed in the ribs by his young master.

"What did I say? Pray she did not hear that, or you will help me clean my piano more often!"

Awfully aware of how slow, tedious, and absolutely boring that was, Hejne gave him a mortified nod. He lined up with three other youths and an older man waiting behind their young master. Karianne and Rúri ran to them immediately. Syd gathered his other four guests for introductions.

“Hejne is my gentleman-in-waiting, and for this week, yours too,” he told Bud, then turned to Sannfrid. “Gudvin will assist you, sir, and Hanka will help Artica out.”

Hejne was a lively boy with brown hair and a small birthmark on his right cheek. Gudvin seemed solemn and kind, safe to approach. Hanka, on the other hand, was a dark-haired girl with sharp eyes and a very serious demeanor.

Bud, visibly uncomfortable, cleared his throat. “Is this in any way optional?”

“Not for you three, I am afraid. Things between a city manor and a family manor work very differently. It is better if you have direct assistance to navigate this,” Syd explained. “For you, however, it is.”

Fenrir felt all eyes on him and immediately prayed the ground would swallow him up, but the gods had never answered him before, so it was pointless to hope they would now. “I’m fine by myself, thank you.”

“Oh, alright. We were not sure if you would bring your own gentleperson-in-waiting…”

“Uh, no,” Fenrir replied and diverted his eyes elsewhere. As if the gods decided to compromise, Karianne and Rúri suddenly interrupted, stealing the attention away from him.

“This is Paolo! My gentleman-in-waiting!” Karianne announced in a joyful tone. “Oh, I have missed you, sweetie. I am so glad you could come with Father. Where is Father, though?”

“Lord Ulrich is to arrive on the morrow, my lady, along with Lady Paulfrid,” Paolo answered at once. His complexion was somewhat darker than the average Asgardian, with dark blond hair in waves and darker shades of green in his eyes. He even looked tanned, which was highly uncommon among those living in the Asgardian Principality. The most interesting thing about him was, however, his overall, utterly relaxed demeanor.

Rúri took the hand of the girl next to her and gave her a spin, so her long skirt swirled around her. “Ritva is my lady-in-waiting. Such a sweetheart, I hope you will get along well.”

Ritva’s kind eyes were partially obscured by her platinum blonde hair. As everyone introduced themselves, Artica noticed they all did the same thing when greeting her and couldn’t help letting out a sigh. This was going to be a long visit.

x+x+x+x+x+x+x

“A pleasure to see you, Sannfrid, thank you greatly for accepting our invitation,” Lord Baldrek said.

“Thank you for hosting me once again, my Lord, it is an honor,” he replied, returning his handshake firmly with a deep bow.

After witnessing this, Bud scouted for the next moment he was available to whisper into his ear. “You've been here before?”

“Twice, yeah. The first time was when they decided to take advantage of the legal reform, so they contacted your legal guardian (me), and the second time was before they reached out to you directly.”

His son raised an eyebrow. Sannfrid did mention meeting his parents beforehand and discussing the whole thing, but not that it was here in the Viking Tiger family manor. It didn’t really matter, yet it now made sense why his father hadn’t been nervous to come all the way here. He even greeted Gudvin with familiarity.

After the never-ending formalities, they were finally shown to their rooms. The twins and their partners were located to the left of the dining hall, while Sannfrid, Fenrir, and Artica had to go right. Their quarters seemed the same; a room so wide it fit an enormous bed, a pair of armchairs around an elegant tea table in front of the fireplace, and a finely carved desk next to the window. The bathroom was equally wide, with both a bathtub and a shower.

“This place’s ridiculous.”

Artica meant it in a good way, but got nothing more than a side-eye from Hanka, who had followed her inside. The lady-in-waiting pointed to the enormous closet and made quick hand gestures.

‘Please use this space for your clothing and shoes. If you require a thicker coat, or better insulated boots, let me know.’

The Black nodded, and got it over within ten minutes, which was just about right considering she hadn’t brought (and didn’t actually own) that many etiquette-appropriate outfits. Artica looked around before sitting on the bed.

‘What are the family manor rules I must not forget? Aside from regular etiquette, I mean.’

‘You may use common areas like the library, tearoom, and courtyards at your leisure. Eating and event areas only at designated times-‘

‘Library?!’ her eyes sparkled at the thought, but Hanka didn’t seem to appreciate her interruption. ‘Sorry, please continue.’

‘Private quarters cannot be entered unless the user explicitly invites you. It is prohibited and has strong consequences.’

Syd suddenly burst in with a smile. “What do you think? Anything else you might want in here?”

Artica looked at Hanka, who rolled her eyes. She was careful enough to sign just out of Syd's field of vision. ‘He is an exception. And no, I do not know if his twin also is.’

The Black nodded again, impressed by how perceptive the other girl was. “Not at all! I’ve never had a space like this all to myself. Feels kinda lonely.”

The young master smirked. "So it is company you want? That can be arranged."

"Shut UP!" Artica immediately replied, her cheeks flushing. "That’s NOT what I meant."

"No? Shame, I already had someone in mind."

x+x+x+x+x+x+x

Fenrir was staring out the library window, deep in thought.

He couldn’t believe what he’d witnessed since they arrived at the Viking Tiger family manor. The absurd number of staff members, unthinkable levels of precisely executed logistics, the general warmth in everyone’s gestures. That was all foreign to him. Neither city or family manors of the Northern Wolf would be able to host these guests or achieve this level of efficiency. Hell, XXXX and his brother kept only four staff members each, two for general duties and two for cooking. A gentleperson-in-waiting for all guests (if they did not bring their own) was out of the question.

The boy frowned. Would it have been different if his parents were alive? Would there be that many people? Could events like these take place back in the mountains? Should he have had a gentleperson-in-waiting all along? It would’ve been nice to have a companion of any sort, at some point. Growing up an only child, and an orphan, under the tutelage of two people who gave exactly zero shits about him had made quite the dent in his… everything.

Fenrir let out a sigh, and then heard some shuffling between nearby shelves. Following the rustle, but not really paying attention to his surroundings, he bumped headfirst into a bookworm he knew too well.

“Hey, good morning,” he greeted, and had to repress a chuckle seeing her carrying three large books with a gazillion pages each.

“‘Morning! You think I can read them all before we leave?”

“Maybe, if you wake up early every day. Why are you awake now, though?”

Artica drifted to a nearby table, left two of the books and grabbed the third. “Oh, uh, I forgot to ask for schedules yesterday, and woke up in a hurry only to find everyone else still asleep. I might have woken Hanka up too, feel kinda bad about that.”

‘I was already awake’ she signed, popping up from between some shelves with two cups of tea on a tray. She left it on the table before leaving. ‘I will come for you when breakfast is ready.’

Taking note that Hanka was keeping a thorough eye on her, and that she was clearly skilled at lip reading, Artica gestured for Fenrir to take a seat. “Gentlepeople-in-waiting are both fascinating and alien to me.”

“That makes two of us.”

She said nothing. The day before, it seemed to her that Fenrir declined Syd’s offer because it made him uncomfortable to be a noble and not know how to interact with people in that role. Apparently, that was the case. “So, why are you awake now?”

I have no idea what is expected of me, and that keeps me on edge. “I also forgot to ask for schedules.”

x+x+x+x+x+x+x

“You really have an indoor swimming pool. This is blowing my mind,” Artica said as they entered. “Wished you’d said so before, though, I didn’t bring a swimsuit.”

“Me neither,” Bud admitted.

“Not a problem, darlings, I did,” Karianne chimed in.

“Wh-? What does that mean?”

“Paolo, be a dear and bring the purple bag, you know the one.”

Her gentleman-in-waiting nodded and left but returned soon after. They both went into the changing room next to the entrance. Karianne’s voice could be heard inside. “Well, what are you waiting for? We do not have all day!”

Artica and Bud exchanged looks while Syd and Rúri smirked. “Finally, she has some other poor souls to use for entertainment.”

“No offense, guys, but she has been pestering us for years. It was about time a replacement showed up.”

Once inside, before anything else, Karianne and Paolo stared at them in almost identical gestures, a hand on their chins.

“Palettes?”

Even though Paolo narrowed his eyes in concentration, it didn’t seem to break his eternally relaxed expression. “Mid-dark tones for him, preferably in the reds so he matches you, my lady. Lighter tones for Miss Reynirdóttir.”

“Lighter? Are you sure? I was thinking maybe some blue to… you know…” Karianne raised her eyebrows, pointing to something that was not there.

“A compromise, then? I believe A13 fulfills both, my lady.”

“Hm, yes, that is a good choice. However, we will start with the other one. Please hand him from B4 to B9, and then from B17 to B20.”

Artica was offered a seat next to Karianne, while Bud was sent into one of the changing room cubicles. He had to try a parade of different swimsuits, all different mixes of black, gray, and splashes of color between purple and orange. After a full thirty minutes, Karianne and Paolo nodded to themselves.

“Very well, please give him B12, the one we selected yesterday.”

“What? You made me try all of those even though you’d already decided on one?”

“Yes, I needed to see you in different styles, for future reference. That hot ass of yours should always be displayed in flattering garments! Now get out, it is Artica’s turn.”

“She saw all of mine, why can’t I see hers?”

“I wanted her seasoned opinion on the other options, now please change and exit, we have work to do.”

With a slight blush on his cheeks, Bud did as she asked and left. Artica was given A13 immediately.

“Wow, you have really nice legs, sweetie. Show them off more often, yes? Now, what do we think of A13, Paolo?”

“Good fit. A two-piece shows your athletic disposition quite well, Miss Reynirdóttir.”

“Th-thanks.”

Karianne tapped her cheek with one finger. “You know, this one fits you very well, so I encourage you to wear it, but may I ask you to try two other swimsuits?”

“For future reference?” she chuckled. “Yeah, that’s okay with me. Thanks for lending me this one! You’re a lifesaver.”

After changing to their own swimsuits, Karianne and Paolo returned to the poolside. The curly-haired girl took a seat in one of the benches. “Ritva, honey, are you not going to join them?”

Ritva uncovered one shoulder. “I did bring a swimsuit, my lady, but I feel unwell. Maybe another time.”

“I understand, come sit next to me so we can enjoy the view together.”

Bud’s head popped up from underwater. “You got us into these; you have to get in too, K!”

“Not today, darling. Pool chlorine is not what I need after washing my hair last night.”

Without another word, the older twin got out of the pool, dripping water everywhere, and picked her up princess-style.

“Unhand me, you beefy oaf! Do not dare to-!”

“Hey, no, wait!” Artica managed to say, getting out of the pool too. “Not like that, put her down.”

Karianne gave her a thankful look, just before the Black suddenly pulled her towards the water edge. She gasped loudly, clinging desperately to Artica and anticipating the cold water, but nothing happened. The Blue opened her eyes again to see Artica smirking teasingly as she pulled her back.

"You said you didn't want to get in the pool today because of your hair, so it would've been unkind to push you in."

"S-so gentlemanly of you, sweetie, thank you."

"Of her only, though," Bud interrupted mischievously as he trapped them in a hug, dropping all three of them into the pool.

After that, Karianne stayed in the pool, but didn’t allow Bud anywhere near her. Instead, she clung to Artica’s back like a reproachful child. Even during the water polo game, she refused to be on the same team. However, before they returned to prepare for lunch, Karianne graciously accepted Bud’s apology and allowed him to carry her all the way back.

“Is it always like this?” Paolo asked, picking up his things from the changing room.

“It is worse, actually,” Rúri replied while gently drying Syd’s hair with a towel.

x+x+x+x+x+x+x

Lady Paulfrid drank from her goblet. “The Archery Tournament is this spring, yes?”

“Remember that time Crown Prince Adalhar himself took part in it and a seventeen-year-old kid from the eastern region beat him by 2 points? His Royal Highness was furious.”

“It was hilarious,” Lord Ulrich said with a chuckle. “Not that he lost, of course, there is no shame in that. It just happened that His Royal Highness was so utterly convinced he won, he never bothered to check the kid’s total points.”

“Huh, funny you mention that, Father-” Karianne said, and was suddenly stopped by Bud’s knee bumping into hers. He shook his head, as subtle as he could manage. Her eyes drifted to Artica, who had lost all color on her face, her eyes begging Karianne to not say anything else.

“Yes, darling?” her father asked, noticing she suddenly went quiet.

“Ah- I-”

“Did you know, my Lord, that boy is Miss Reynirdóttir’s older brother? And she is as skilled an archer as him,” Rúri suddenly intervened, to the other three’s dismay. “An outstanding shot, surely to win the Tournament this coming spring.”

“Is that so, Miss Reynirdóttir?”

Frozen in her seat, Artica barely managed to reply. “Y-yes, my Lord. That he is my older brother, I mean. I would not dare claim the second part of my lady’s statement.”

“She is being modest,” the blonde nodded. “Why, if you could just see her in action…”

Bud snapped out of his shock. “It did not occur to us to bring her gear, my lady.”

“If we were to procure some, would you accept a humble request of skill display?”

All eyes on her, Artica had no other option than to nod slowly, defeated.

Lady Tilda clapped her hands together in excitement. “Oh, I do not believe we have had an archery display at the family manor in years!”

x+x+x+x+x+x+x

“Why did you tell them?” Artica moaned, collapsing unceremoniously on one of the library chairs.

“Hm? Why would I not? Ever since we arrived, you seemed a bit down, so I figured that doing some archery would help you get through it!”

“Do you know why that is?”

Bud gave Syd a look, and his twin casually asked Hejne, Ritva, and Paolo to use the next hour to their leisure.

“... I cannot claim to be certain.”

“Everyone on this estate has been flinching, muttering, and deviating their gaze every time they speak to me. We met after the bite; I’ve always looked like this to you, but during the sixteen years before that, I didn’t stand out because of my appearance, and that was alright with me. Now I don’t have a choice…” she took a deep breath. “At the Academy and everywhere else I frequently go, people are already used to how I look, so I sometimes forget I even have it but… Not here. If I could, I’d rather not put myself in that position…”

Rúri took her hand. “I apologize, sweetie, I should have asked you first. You are always up to a challenge, so I incorrectly assumed this would be nothing for you to worry about. Would you like me to speak with Lady Tilda?”

“I think it is a little late for that, she already procured the archery equipment.”

“What? It’s only been rwenty minutes!” Bud blurted out.

“Oh, you should really hang out with Mother more often. She wastes no time, ever.”

x+x+x+x+x+x+x

Fenrir had hung back and waited for a moment to speak. Lady Paulfrid was the first to notice and turned to him with a warm smile. “Yes, young lord? May we help you?”

“My Ladies, my Lords,” he began, taking a deep breath. “During my Coming of Age ceremony, I will be formally granted the title of Lord. However, I find myself… lacking understanding of the true meaning of this responsibility. May I humbly request you share some of your experience with me?”

He bowed deeply, waiting for their answer. The adults gave each other a look and nodded. Lord Baldrek spoke first. “It would be an honor, young lord. I can only hope to provide useful guidance."

"With pleasure! Her Majesty did send word a few months back; I was wondering when you would come around to ask," Lord Ulrich said teasingly.

Fenrir straightened up with an awkward smile. The truth was he had been too embarrassed to reach out. He only did it now because the three Heads of House were conveniently gathered in the same place. "I- I am-"

"There is no need to answer that, young lord, he is just being an ass," Lady Paulfrid intervened, shaking her head at Lord Ulrich's amused expression. "Thank you for reaching out to us, we are more than honored by your consideration."

Lady Tilda concluded the conversation she was having with Aleks, the head butler, and turned around to address her husband. "I already rearranged the schedule to include both the archery display and this meeting, dear. I will inform the children right away."

x+x+x+x+x+x+x

“What’s wrong?”

Artica stopped fidgeting with the equipment. “Ah, it’s just… this is a recurve bow. They’re certainly the primary choice for target archery, and the standard for Olympic-level competition, but mine is a compound bow, better fitted for hunting.”

“Oh, the piercing power is greater, I guess?” Fenrir asked, more to himself than to her.

“Yep! That’s right! I mean, recurve bows can also be used for hunting, the specs are just different… and this one’s got no silencer, so it’s gonna be loud. This bow sight we can leave it in the box, not gonna use it. The arrows have rubber vanes, I guess that’s fine. Oh, these shooting gloves are nice! I'd like to have something like these one day. The arm guard is good too, though it’s kinda stiff…” Artica was saying, and suddenly remembered she was not alone. “Sorry, Fenrir, am I boring you with all this? I’m too much of an archery nerd, m’afraid, you guys just never have to put up with it.”

Fenrir was so absorbed by how enthusiastically she talked about it, he barely noticed it had devolved into a monologue. “Not at all! I think it’s cool you have something you’re so passionate about.”

Artica gave him a gentle smile. “Thanks for keeping me company. I’m not nervous anymore.”

He wouldn’t have guessed it based on her ramblings alone. “Just like in the exhibition at the beginning of the school year, this is practice for the tournament too. Even if there’s a lot of strangers, you’ll do great. I know it.”

x+x+x+x+x+x+x

"May I ask you something personal, my lady?"

"Certainly, my lord, what is it?"

"Syd and Karianne are both dear to you, yes?” he said, looking at them chasing Bud around the courtyard while they waited for Artica to return. “How did you, uhm, note the difference?"

Rúri meditated on his words. "...between romantic and platonic?"

Fenrir nodded sheepishly.

"Ah, this sounds like a serious matter to be discussed over tea, my lord. Follow me."

A while later, they were sitting at a table in a nearby gazebo with jasmine tea and pastries brought by Ritva.

"So," she resumed after taking a sip. "You wonder what is the difference between one and the other. I feel there is no universal answer, but we can discuss whatever is on your mind if that will help you understand it better."

"There is someone," Fenrir began, self-conscious at the flicker of her eyes. "I, uh, appreciate, but I am not sure if it’s one or the other… and cannot make up my mind."

“Well, let us start with the easy part. Why are you friends with this person?”

“They are kind and supportive towards me, we have fun together, and have shown me they have my back.”

“And why do you believe you might want something more?”

The boy lowered his gaze, a faint blush on his cheeks. “...because my heart skips a beat when they call out my name.”

Rúri tightened her lips, trying to disguise how heartwarming she found that answer. “Have you ever shared time alone with this person?”

“Yeah, a bit…”

“Did it feel… like a breath of fresh air? A weight lifting up?”

He nodded, his eyes wide.

“If tomorrow, they came to you and said ‘I do not want to see you again’, how would you react?”

Fenrir closed his eyes, very aware of how that felt like. “I would abide, even if it broke me into pieces.”

Rúri nudged the other cup in his direction. “Drink your tea, dear, and take a deep breath. This is all hypothetical, no need to jump to conclusions.”

They ate a few pastries and finished their tea in silence. Rúri had a nostalgic smile on her lips.

“I often feel Syd and I are in a duet; his piano and my violin, playing a melody no one else knows. It is sweet, and slow, and gentle. I do not know how long we will play it together, but I do know it warms my heart and eases my pains. Maybe this is a difficult metaphor for you to relate to, but that is how our relationship feels to me.”

x+x+x+x+x+x+x

It’d been a while since everyone split up for the treasure hunt, and the fact they hadn’t bumped into any of the other teams yet only proved how gigantic the Viking Tiger family estate really was. Artica checked the oddly elaborate map Hanka gave her, deep in thought. Fenrir, who was aware Bud “randomly” paired them together, had been unsuccessfully trying to make a move for the past twenty minutes. He found it sadly ironic that his “blurt out” skills only worked with stupid shit, and not actual, meaningful phrases. In the meantime, however, he came up with something to use soon.

“Say… if you had a coat of arms, what do you think it would be?”

“Like, for my family, or a personal one?”

“Oh, uhm, whichever.”

“Hmm… I think a family crest would have a predator. Hunting’s been in Pa’s family for a few generations now.”

“And for you?”

“Personally, I would love a stag!” Artica replied, curling her hands over her head to imitate antlers. “Majestic and strong as fuck, those bast-! Shit.”

It didn’t take Fenrir long to understand. There was a very alert-looking Norwegian Elkhound staring right at them, not with the friendliest body language. Such a breed is known to be wary of strangers, and well, that’s exactly what this dog stumbled upon. Artica was breathing fast, nervous all over.

“No. No, no, no. Animals, dogs, react to your own energy. You gotta stay cool, Artica,” the boy said, his hands on her shoulders. “Nothing’s gonna happen, okay? I promise.”

The dog moved toward them at a steady pace. When she felt its breath on her, Artica kind of stepped away, right into him. Without skipping a beat, Fenrir took her hands and stood very still.

“I promise,” he repeated in a quiet voice. She looked him straight in the eyes, trying her best to tune out her immediate surroundings. Unconsciously, Artica matched his breathing and relaxed a bit. Just a bit.

“Stay cool, that’s it. You got it.”

The dog sniffed them for a while before cocking its head towards a rustle at their left.

“Oh, sh- Heck.”

Hejne caught himself just in time, then whistled. The dog’s ears perked up at once and returned to his side. It did not escape him the guests were holding hands. “I apologize. This dog is witty and knows it can open its kennel door with enough patience. The young master asked us to keep them locked away during your visit.”

“That’s probably because of me, sorry,” Artica said with a sympathetic smile. “A dog bit me last year.”

Hejne's eyes opened wide, briefly looking at the left side of her face. He bowed. “I deeply apologize, Miss Reynirdóttir, I was not aware. It will absolutely not happen again; on that you have my word.”

“Thanks, Hejne, I appreciate it. Don’t worry, we won’t tell anyone, right?”

“About what?” Fenrir asked casually, also with a sympathetic smile. He gave her hand a squeeze, not knowing the gesture gave her heart a squeeze too.

The gentleman-in-waiting bowed once more, thankful, and took the dog away. Just before reaching the kennels, he heard Syd’s awfully familiar stepping pattern on the stone.

“Why is that dog outside?”

“If you allow me to skip that question, I can tell you what I saw after I bumped into two of our guests.”

Syd’s mouth curled into a smile. “Oh? I am listening~”

x+x+x+x+x+x+x

Was he underdressed? Or maybe overdressed? No, there was no such thing as overdressing when meeting a Head of House, certainly not when meeting three at the same time! Fenrir wished this felt normal to some degree, but the truth was that in that manor in Eastern Asgard few things felt familiar. Luckily, one of those was sitting on the bed, looking at him with bright silver eyes.

“I really don’t think there’s anything wrong with that outfit?” Artica said with a hand on her chin. “The cut is etiquette-appropriate, and there’s no need to be fully formal because it’s a private meeting, not a public event.”

“But they are Heads of House! And I will be too when I turn eighteen! I can’t fuck up now (or ever)! They’ll know I’m ill-suited for the title!”

“You’re not ill-suited; you’re not even seventeen yet! Give yourself some credit; not everyone has the guts to speak to three Heads of House at once.”

I don’t have the guts either, but there is no other choice. “I just wished I wasn’t doing it by myself.”

“You’re not,” Artica replied, taking his hand to deposit the locket left on the nightstand. “The person who gave you this said so, right? They’re with you forever, and even if I don’t know much about the burden you carry, I’m here for you too.”

She let her words hang in the air for a moment, trying to decide. Should I tell him now that we’re alone? No, he’s too worried about the meeting. Putting him on the spot right now would be unkind, but if I tell him afterwards and he doesn’t feel the same, the days we have left here will be awkward.

Artica reached towards him. “May I…”?

Fenrir’s heart was pounding so hard, he was sure the Black could hear it too. One of her hands, warm and calloused, was handing him the locket with his parents’ helix piercings, while the other reached out towards him. Fenrir hopelessly wished it was to cup his cheek in a reassuring gesture and maybe a k- No, better not. I don’t even know how to kiss.

Before he realized it, Artica’s hands were on his neck, gently fixing his shirt collar, and then moved down to slightly adjust his tie. She gave Fenrir a tender tap on the chest, noticing how nice his citric cologne smelled. “There. They were a lil’ crooked.”

Internally screaming, Fenrir wished he didn’t have a terribly important meeting in five minutes. He needed at least ten to recover from this. “Thanks! I… sadly must get going.”

Sadly?

There was a faint blush on both of their cheeks. She nodded and followed him, noting how suspicious it was that her four classmates and their three gentlepeople-in-waiting just happened to be chatting in the hallway outside, considering their quarters were in the opposite direction. Hejne led Fenrir away to his meeting, while the other six stared at her expectantly.

“Is everything alright? Did something happen?”

“Something like what?”

Karianne suppressed a frown. “Well, you were…”

“Helping Fenrir get ready, like I said this morning," Artica interrupted, playing dumb for the sheer pleasure of messing with her. Watching Karianne struggle to get answers while keeping her subtlety was honestly hilarious.

"A word?" Bud asked, choosing to be more direct.

"Apologies, brother. Artica and I already have an appointment."

"We do?"

"Yes, you are to help me with piano practice, remember?"

x+x+x+x+x+x+x

They had done this many times before, yet it was still amusing to see how much a change of setting impacted everything. The piano was larger than the Academy’s, and handsomely decorated in gold over forest green. The legs even had carvings that made them look like Viking tiger paws, which was both fearsome and elegant. Hejne brought tea and pastries and arranged them neatly on a table nearby.

Syd started playing at once, clearly in a joyful mood.

“Sounds like your birthday week is going well,” Artica commented, nibbling on a fruit tartlet.

“It is! Everyone was able to come, and I have been having such a great time! I do hope it is the same for you.”

“Oh, absolutely! Lots of firsts this past few days. I've never had papaya before!”

As usual, they talked a bit about Bud, a bit about Syd himself, and even a bit about the Lord and Lady of the Viking Tiger. Hejne chimed in with bits about Paolo and Ritva but found talking about himself too embarrassing and changed the subject several times. During the conversation, Syd's helix piercing caught the light, and she couldn't help asking.

“How did you meet Rúri?”

“Oh, Karianne introduced us a few years back. As you know, they have been friends for ages,” Syd explained, without missing a beat on the piano. "It was during a ball, yes?"

"Sigrblót (1) festival, I believe?" Hejne offered helpfully.

"Oh, right! What a beautiful summer start that was… Anyway, when Karianne told me about her, I was astonished. Plays the violin? Likes jazz music? Enjoys visiting new places? I had not even met her, and I already felt we would get along fantastically, which was obviously the case.”

“Obviously,” she agreed with a nod, sipping some tea.

Syd carefully timed his question with a dramatic section of the song he was playing. “If I may ask, have you found someone who piques your interest? I recall the thing with Asgrim did not go very far.”

Artica lowered her teacup. “No, it didn't… but I guess I’ve found someone, yeah.”

“I am glad to hear that,” he said with a warm smile. “Whoever that person is, I hope they value your attention. You have a caring heart; it should not be invested in fools.”

I am the fool, though, unable to tell if I am the investment they are looking for. "Well, kind of tricky now, y’know? It's hard to say if they’d be okay with their partner getting stared at everywhere they go, not in a flattering way…"

Syd abruptly ended his solo and turned around, all business. "May I make a wild guess as to whom we are discussing? You do not have to acknowledge if I am correct."

Artica gave him a nod. Syd said the right name without batting an eye, cool as a cucumber. She was not cool at all, red as a shrimp. "Oh, no. Is it super obvious?"

"Probably not to him," the twin chuckled as he ate a croissant. "I figured it out recently, and even though I would not claim to know his exact thoughts on the matter, I feel he would not mind the staring. You two hang out quite frequently already."

This unexpected acknowledgement filled her heart with hope. If only…

x+x+x+x+x+x+x

“You think Hejne can get me a beer?”

“Pretty sure you’re gonna get plenty of wine during dinner, it would be unwise to mix like that.”

Wearing once more his custom-made suit with the Viking Tiger cufflinks, Bud had combed his hair back in a short ponytail, for once allowing both eyes to be visible. Sannfrid and Artica nodded, impressed with the final look.

“You look fantastic,” his father said as he took a seat near the lit fireplace. “Not a hair outta place. That’s my boy.”

Bud smiled sheepishly. “You guys gonna be alright?”

“Yeah, don’t worry. I’ll keep Sannfrid company while we eat and then I’ll probably go to sleep early. Those paintball matches after the birthday lunch wrecked me.”

“Fill the bathtub and take a nice, long dip. It’ll ease some of the weariness.”

Artica nodded enthusiastically at Sannfrid’s suggestion. She then accompanied Bud over to the door. “Enjoy the evening. You deserve all these good things for your birthday.”

The older twin ruffled her hair with a smile. “We still need to talk about whatever happened yesterday.”

“Yeah, yeah, later. Go and have some high-class fun.”

After having a nice, quiet dinner time with Gudvin and Sannfrid, she finally went back to her quarters only to not find them empty. Karianne was reading a magazine on the bed while Rúri brushed the hair of a displeased Hanka. Ritva offered her a plate with snacks the moment she saw her.

“Wh-?”

The Black didn’t even know what to say. Hanka seemed too annoyed to even sign an explanation.

“Finally!” Karianne exclaimed, slamming the magazine shut. “Get in your pijamas; we are having a girls’ night.”

“Right now?”

“Of course, dear,” Rúri said. “We got everything ready while you were elsewhere.”

“I can tell, yes, but I was gonna fill the bathtub to-“

The girl with the black curls didn’t like that. “No- Hm! Alright, I realize we are taking time you had already planned for something else. I understand that. I have two questions, so if you are willing to answer them, we’ll move along to my quarters, and you can join us after your bath if you want.”

“Uh, sure. What are they?”

“Do you like Fenrir? And if so, did something happen between you two yesterday?”

“Yes, I do, and no, nothing of particular importance happened.”

The other four were honestly not expecting a straightforward answer and just stood still for a moment.

“Oh,” Karianne said, still flabbergasted. “Well, okay then.”

Rúri started to gather the snacks while Hanka straightened the bed. “Put some lavender oil (tall, yellow bottle on the left) in the water, sweetie. It’ll help you relax in no time.”

Artica saw them out, prepared the bathtub, and got in without further delay. It was awfully convenient they didn’t ask about the treasure hunt because boy, that would've been vastly more difficult to discuss.

x+x+x+x+x+x+x

“Thank you for having us,” the guests collectively told their hosts with a deep bow.

“Oh no, thank you for coming all the way here for the boys’ birthday. It was our pleasure!” Lady Tilda said, and all the staff members present bowed after she finished talking.

Lord Baldrek turned towards Fenrir and shook his hand. “Take care, young lord. I do hope we were able to give you helpful insights. If there is anything else we can do for you, please do let us know.”

Lady Paulfid and Lord Ulrich were just behind him, nodding in agreement, but their attention drifted towards another guest quite suddenly.

“We are looking forward to seeing you in the Archery Tournament!”

“Very impressive display you gave us the other day. Who would have thought hitting a red dragon fruit with an arrow would have such an explosive, gory result!" Lord Ulrich said with delight.

She laughed nervously. If Artica had known what a red dragon fruit was before shooting it off Syd's head, she would've suggested a different target.

The Heads of House moved on to someone else, while their heirs said their goodbyes to their gentlepeople-in-waiting.

"Do take care, dear. I know you like biking but twisting your ankle is not worth it," Karianne was telling Paolo, kissing both of his cheeks. "I hope I can meet your partner next time I return home."

"Be well, my lady. I know now I leave you in good company," Paolo replied, shaking Bud's hand. "I truly enjoyed watching you annoy the hell out of each other these past days. You are meant to be."

Artica, Fenrir, and Sannfrid snorted loudly at his words. Rúri was hugging Ritva so tightly, it seemed she would never let go. "Oh, I know our schedules collide in every single way but do feel free to visit the city manor from time to time. I miss you dearly, sweetheart. Be sure to call me once you get home."

"Sometimes it sounds like that's her partner," Syd chuckled. "I do hope Hanka was not too harsh on you. She is rather serious."

"What? No, she was perfect!" said Artica, and then proceeded to mutter under her breath. "(She was the only one who looked me in the face while speaking…)"

"Farewell," a voice she didn't recognize said, and it spooked her a bit to realize it was Hanka herself. The lady-in-waiting noticed and proceeded to pull back some of her dark hair to reveal a cochlear implant. Syd had his back to them, so Hanka proceeded to sign at the speed of light.

'I've had it for a month now but… you whine too much; signing was the better choice.'

'That's fair,' Artica replied with an honest laugh. 'Thanks for your help and farewell.'

x+x+x+x+x+x+x

Karianne was looking at all the polaroids taken during the trip with great satisfaction. Her favorite one was of Bud and her, dripping wet, in the middle of a kiss, but close runner-ups were Syd covered in paintball hits, and Rúri in calf-deep fountain water trying to retrieve one of the treasure hunt coins.

The train started to slow down, and a voice announced they were arriving at the Central Asgard station. Karianne was gathering her things when she noticed one last scene that should be immortalized and quietly took a photo of Fenrir and Artica asleep, leaning into each other, before gently letting them know they had arrived.

Embla and Reynir greeted them on site and after saying goodbye to everyone else, helped them get their luggage on the local train to their side of the city. Before Artica walked Fenrir home, her mother invited him over for New Years, if he was available. Knowing XXXX would leave him behind to go on vacation, Fenrir accepted right away.

As he saw them walk away together, Bud thought to himself that something had changed between those two. He didn't know what, or why, but it felt like they were finally walking in the same direction; towards each other.

x+x+x+x+x+x+x

The whole place was a mess.

One moment, the carnival held for Dísablót (2) was filled with music and laughter, and the next a lightning strike caused the main tent with the acrobats to collapse on itself while everyone screamed. Bud was both glad and ashamed; glad because he was able to grab Karianne’s hand and quickly pull her away from that chaos, and ashamed because he had failed to do just that for Artica. During any other time, it would not be a concern, but during a thunderstorm…

“Hey, are you guys okay?” a familiar voice called out to them. Fenrir emerged from between two stalls.

Bud could not help feeling discouraged. He thought maybe, where he had failed, Fenrir would have succeeded. However, there was no one with him. “Sort of. You?”

“I’m fine. Where are the others?”

The twin looked at Karianne's bleeding forehead and made a choice. I'm sorry. This time, I will not keep my promise.

"Fenrir, there is nothing that scares Artica more than thunder, and this is no simple storm. I hope you understand how important it is that you go find her, because I need to take Karianne to the hospital."

There was both a plea and a threat in his voice; Fenrir did not miss either. "I do, and I will."

They both nodded and parted ways, feeling the icy rain on their heads. It took a while of wandering the area until he found her taking cover under the big tree in the park, crouching and covering her ears.

"Artica! We cannot stay outside, c'mon!" he yelled, but got no reply, reaction, or acknowledgement. Fenrir frowned, now understanding what Bud meant. This was a much deeper fear than dogs. He took Artica's hand, pulled her up, and dragged her along as he ran.

Fenrir slammed open the door to his house. One of XXXX's staff members was nearby, reading the newspaper like he owned the place. "YYYY, prepare a room for our guest, and a few towels, please."

There was an awkward silence. XXXX's staff paid Fenrir little mind, and he did the same. This was the first time in more than a year of knowing of each other's existence that the boy had spoken to him. The man eyed him over the paper, looked at the girl up and down, and grunted.

Even though Fenrir had prepared for resistance, the man went ahead without any further convincing. After a short while, YYYY returned with the towels, and was not impressed when Fenrir pulled Artica along without taking off their dirty boots. He resumed his place reading the newspaper, barely acknowledging the quiet 'thanks' Fenrir whispered.

The boy guided her to the room next to his and let her sit on the bed while he closed the curtains. Since Artica seemed to be in a kind of shutdown, Fenrir did his best to dry her braid a little while pulling off her soaked jacket. Immediately, after wrapping a blanket around her shoulders, he noticed her trembling. It was honestly a pitiful sight; the terrified mouse before him felt like someone’s sick joke of the cheerful and energetic person he had grown to care about. Fenrir somehow got her boots off and gently nudged her to rest her back against the bed’s wooden header.

When a particularly strong thunder roared outside, the Black let out an audible whimper and immediately grabbed onto the closest thing to her, which happened to be him. Artica was breathing so fast, Fenrir feared she was going to faint. With a fist full of his shirt, she started shaking heavily.

Fenrir grabbed the hand on his chest and laid it flat with his own. Then, putting his arm around her, lowered his voice. “It’s alright. I’m here with you. You aren’t alone."

He breathed in and out very slowly. "Match my breathing rhythm; you can do that, right?"

Artica did not answer, her eyes tightly shut. A few tears rolled down her cheeks. Fenrir hugged her closer and gently encouraged her to follow his lead. "Breathe in, breathe out. Evenly. Without rushing. Together, just like that."

This was only achieved once the thunder had ceased. By the time Artica fully realized it, her head was resting against Fenrir's chest. It was soothing, and comforting, in a way she had not felt in a while. Was it alright to wish for this to last a little bit longer? Was it okay to think he did not mind?

His chin was gently resting on the top of her head. Fenrir could feel himself at peace and realized at once why it was. He knew etiquette required him to apologize for his forwardness and whatever, but he didn't want to. Apologize for something that felt nice? Which seemed to be alright with her?

Eventually, they both realized that unless a certain thing was said, they could not remain like that. Slowly, without a word, they pulled apart.

In that silence, their hearts ached, but out loud, neither said why.

x+x+x+x+x+x+x

A day had passed, and he was honestly not expecting to see Artica standing outside the gate. She hadn’t ringed the buzzer yet; Fenrir only went to check because Ging had been circling outside his window door for a while. They both suddenly felt all their feelings merge in an incomprehensible hot pile, and a slight blush brightened their cheeks.

“H-hey,” she greeted sheepishly. “I wanted to… uhm…”

Rummaging through her bag, Artica pulled out a paper bag full of homemade chocolate chip cookies. Fenrir’s favorites. “Thank you, for your kindness…”

The boy received the heavy bag, speechless. She fidgeted with the end of her sweater sleeves. “I've always been afraid of thunder and struggle a lot when there's a storm. You didn’t have to welcome me into your home, and keep me company during that episode, so… I really appreciate it.”

Acting against his better judgment, Fenrir walked over and gave her a tight hug. “I'm sorry, I wish I'd known beforehand. You were nervous all afternoon, but I didn't understand why. I’m glad I was helpful, even if just a little.”

She hugged back, just as tightly. “It was more than enough. I made those cookies to thank you, I hope they're alright.”

They let go of each other; yearning for more, but unable to say it out loud. At least, not yet. Artica made a short bow his way. “I’ll return the hoodie you lent me another day. I forgot to bring it.”

“No problem, don’t worry about it,” he said, reaching inside the bag and taking a bite off a cookie. “Oh, these are really good, thanks a lot!”

The girl gave him a smile, her cheeks now bright red. She waved goodbye and returned home. Once back in her room, she pulled out a hoodie from her bag. Artica had promised herself to return it, but in the end gave in to one selfish wish. The smell of Fenrir's citric cologne comforted her, especially after yesterday's events and, at least for now, she wanted to hang onto it.

Fenrir sat outside his room. He gave Ging a hug, borrowing his face in the fur. “It must be true, right? That these feelings echo in her? That it would be okay?”

Ging did not have an answer.

XXXXXXXXX

(1) First day of Harpa, first month of the Norse calendar (mid-April to mid-May). A day to celebrate the beginning of summer and the victory of light over darkness.

(2) A celebration of new beginnings and preparation of the land for planting (beginning of February).

Source:

https://www.timenomads.com/the-norse-wheel-of-the-year-viking-calendar-holidays/

#AAAU #AU #fic #AA!Fenrir #AA!Artica #AA!Bud #AA!Syd #AA!Karianne #AA!Ruri #hejne #ritva #paolo #baldrek #sannfrid #tilda #ulrich #paulfrid #ging #scumbag10aniversario #scumbag10au #eng

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robert7979 · 7 years

Text

New Post has been published on Budowa i Remont

New Post has been published on https://remont.biz.pl/projekt/przykladowy-zestawienie-projektu-wentylacji-mechanicznej-rekuperacja/

Przykładowy zestawienie do projektu wentylacji mechanicznej z rekuperacją

Producent: Vasco

System wentylacji: D275E

Miejsce, w którym będzie urządzenie rekuperatora: kotłownia

Dach: 38-42°

Lokalizacja komór rozdzielczych i ich odległość od rekuperatora:

Nawiew Wywiew Komora 1: 2 m Komora 2: 2 m Komora 3: 3 m Komora 4: 3 m

Czerpnia / wyrzutnia powietrza:

Miejsce czerpni: ściana ( 1 m )

Miejsce wyrzutni: ściana ( 3 m )

Kondyg. Rekuper. Pomieszczenie Typ: Pow. 0 1 1 wiatrołap 3,98 0 1 2 kuchnia 7,90 0 1 3 salon 23,92 0 1 4 komunikacja 2,74 0 1 5 komunikacja 1,15 0 1 6 łazienka 3,31 0 1 8 wywiew inne 1,59 1 1 1 komunikacja 2,82 1 1 2 komunikacja 3,87 1 1 3 pokój 10,55 1 1 4 pokój 12,10 1 1 5 łazienka 6,38 1 1 7 pokój 11,41 1 1 8 garderoba 3,80

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Nawiew Wywiew Osłony Długości kanałów Pomieszczenie Typ: Kond. Dł. Sz. Pow. Przepływ Przepływ Mość 1 2 suma m m m2 m3/h m3/h Naw. Wyw. Ściana m m m 1 wiatrołap 0 0 0 4,0 25 1 8 8 2 kuchnia 0 0 0 7,9 60 1 10 10 3 salon 0 0 0 23,9 95 2 6 6 12 4 komunikacja 0 0 0 2,7 5 komunikacja 0 0 0 1,2 6 łazienka 0 0 0 3,3 50 1 2 2 8 wywiew inne 0 0 0 1,6 30 1 6 6 1 komunikacja 1 0 0 2,8 2 komunikacja 1 0 0 3,9 0 3 pokój 1 0 0 10,6 35 1 10 10 4 pokój 1 0 0 12,1 35 1 7 7 5 łazienka 1 0 0 6,4 40 55 1 1 3 3 7 pokój 1 0 0 11,4 35 20 1 6 6 8 garderoba 1 0 0 3,8 1 1 1 SUMA: 95,5 240 240 6 6 65,0

Pozycja nr CSpis Cena Mość SUMA REKUPERATOR | 7 713 zł 11VE00022 Rekuperator D500E II+Przełącznik RF 10 758 zł 0 0 zł 11VE00019 Rekuperator D400EP II +Przełącznik RF 10 146 zł 0 0 zł 11VE00020 Rekuperator D300E II +Przełącznik RF 9 238 zł 0 0 zł 11VE00015 Rekuperator D275EP II +Przełącznik RF 7 086 zł 1 7 086 zł 11VE44100 Grzałka elektryczna D300E II / D275EP II 627 zł 1 627 zł 11VE44110 Grzałka elektryczna D400EP II / D500E II 926 zł 0 0 zł EASY FLOW | 7 434 zł ZAWORY POWIETRZNE 11VE30150 Osłona wylotu sufitowa OKRĄGŁA 229 zł 6 1 374 zł 11VE30250 Osłona wylotu ścienna / sufitowa OKRĄGŁA 229 zł 6 1 374 zł 11VE30200 Osłona wylotu ścienna / sufitowa KWADRAT 229 zł 0 0 zł 11VE30100 Osłona wylotu sufitowa KWADRAT 229 zł 0 0 zł KANAŁY EASY FLOW 11VE40100 Kanał EasyFlow (L1160 mm/ 2uchwyty) 6 szt. 285 zł 3 855 zł 11VE40110 Kanał EasyFlow (L1160 mm/ 2uchwyty) 24 szt. 1 137 zł 2 2 274 zł 11VE40300 ROZDZIELACZ 6 poł. / 0 180 mm 2 szt. 452 zł 2 904 zł 11VE40310 ROZDZIELACZ 4 poł. / 0 150 mm 2 szt. 600 zł 0 0 zł 11VE40400 Kolano rozprężne 2 szt. 109 zł 1 109 zł 11VE40410 Kolano rozprężne 5 szt. 272 zł 2 544 zł 11VE40401 ELEMENT ROZPRĘŻNY POZIOMY 2 szt. 132 zł 0 0 zł 11VE40411 ELEMENT ROZPRĘŻNY POZIOMY 5 szt. 331 zł 0 0 zł 11VE40500 Kolano pionowe 90° 4 szt. 265 zł 0 0 zł KANAŁY IZOLOWANE HRV | 5 067 zł 11VE41110 Kanał HRV 2000mm 251 zł 7 1 757 zł 11VE41210 Kolano HRV 78 zł 8 624 zł 11VE41310 Łącznik HRV 0200/200 43 zł 12 516 zł 11VE41410 Łącznik HRV 0200/180 47 zł 8 376 zł 11VE41510 Łącznik HRV 0200/150 51 zł 0 0 zł 11VE41260 Trójnik izolowany HRV 0200/170 481 zł 2 962 zł 11VE42110 Wyrzutnia / czerpnia dachowa 0200/170 692 zł 0 0 zł 11VE42310 Wyrzutnia / czerpnia ścienna 0200/170 416 zł 2 832 zł POZOSTAŁE | 61 zł 11VE43150 REDUKCJA OCYNK 180/150 mm 48 zł 1 48 zł 11VE43126 MUFA OCYNK 0 150 mm 13 zł 1 13 zł Cena całkowita wg specyfikacji (bez VAT) | 20 275,00 zł

Możliwości Sterowania

VASCO SILENT VENTILATION

standard: Przełącznik RF

zawsze w dostawie z rekuperatorem, fabrycznie zalogowany. 3 biegi i załączanie czasowe trzeciego biegu; bezprzewodowa komunikacja z jednostką; zasilanie bateryjne – do 15 lat żywotności; może sterować równocześnie do 3 jednostek. Służy do podstawowych ustawień (przepływ, reset alarmu filtrów); z sygnalizacją LED.

11VE20012 PRZEŁĄCZNIK RF (DODATKOWY) 1 sztuka cena netto PLN 256

opcja: Czujnik CO2 możliwość manualnego przełączania biegów 2 tryby automatyczne dążące do osięgnięcia docelowego poziomu CO2 – EKO – dąży do 1200 ppm – KOMFORT – dąży do 900 ppm płynne zmiany prędkości zasilanie sieciowe 230V; komunikacja bezprzewodowa z rekuperatorem

11VE20013 CZUJNIK CO2 RF 1 sztuka cena netto PLN 1316

opcja: Czujnik wilgotności

możliwość manualnego przełączania biegów 2 tryby automatyczne przy zarejestrowanym wzroście wilgotności powietrza w pomieszczeniu – EKO – drugi bieg na 1 godzinę – KOMFORT – trzeci bieg na ½ godziny zasilanie 2 baterie AA, komunikacja bezprzewodowa z rekuperatorem

11VE20014 CZUJNIK WILGOTNOŚCI RF 1 sztuka cena netto PLN 677

Czujnik wilgotności montuje się w łazience. Czujnik CO2 montuje się w salonie.

Dzięki powiązaniu czujników z rekuperatorem możliwa jest całkowita automatyzacja pracy systemu wentylacji, który będzie się całkowicie bezobsługowo sterował pracą rekuperatora dążąc do maksymalnego komfortu, przy minimalnym zużyciu energii.

Jeden układ sterowania system VASCO SILENT VENTILATION może składać się z zespołu do 3 rekuperatorów i do 20 przełączników i czujników. Dzięki temu jest możliwy podział domu na strefę nocną i dzienną z przydzielonym własnym rekuperatorem i powiązanymi z nim czujnikami.

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VASCO SILENT VENTILATION

1.Urządzenie wentylacyjne z odzyskiem ciepła

Urządzenia wentylacyjne z odzyskiem ciepła VASCO zapewniają cichą i energooszczędną wentylację. Wymiennik krzyżowy przeciwprądowy z poliestru o wydajności> 90%. Urządzenia mają 3 poziomy wydajności, mogą być sterowane dołączonym przełącznikiem bezprzewodowym lub opcjonalnie z użyciem czujników

2. Zawory powietrzne

Zawory regulacyjne są ustawiane do wyliczonych wartości przepływu dzięki specjalnej konstrukcji. Zawory regulacyjne mają zastosowanie zarówno do nawiewu jak i do wywiewu.

3. EASY FLOW

Kanał EASYFLOW ma elastyczną część środkową umożliwiającą wygięcie w płaszczyźnie instalacji. Kanały EASYFLOW umożliwiają szybki, prosty i elastyczny montaż. Mają właściwość nie przenoszenia dźwięku do wentylowanych pomieszczeń. Zbudowane są z HDPE, mają wysokość 60mm umożliwiającą umieszczenie w warstwach podłogowych. Uszczelki zapewniają szczelność dla powietrza i wody.

4. Czerpnie / wyrzutnie powietrza

5 Kanały izolowane HRV

Rury zbiorczego przepływu są wykonane z HDPE z warstwą izolującej pianki od wewnątrz. Mają zastosowane zarówno na zewnątrz, jak i pomiędzy rekuperatorem a komorami rozdzielczymi.

Cennik Vasco

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#budowa #kanały #mechaniczna #montaż #powietrzne #producent #rekuperator #vasco #wentylacja

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sudaiss · 7 years

Note

ab3'aa connected 7gekk ,9'ruri

ya kthr ma 76ith , http://connected2.me/DS17

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asgard-segun-elcadejos · 2 years

Text

Asgard Academy

Year 3: Part I

[ Index ]

xxxxxxxxx

"Before we go, let's go in real quick to tell Ma and Pa."

Fenrir immediately blushed but followed her inside without skipping a beat. Embla was reading the newspaper while Reynir eyed the scrambled eggs. "What happened, sweetheart, didya forget something?"

"Yeah, to tell you Fenrir and I are dating now."

Reynir turned off the stove before walking up to Fenrir and offering his hand. He was positively beaming. "A fine young man, no doubt."

Embla pinched Fenrir's cheek gently. "Oh, sweetheart, that’s great news to start the day! I need to call your siblings to tell them."

Artica was also beaming, her cheeks flushed. "Alright. We're heading out."

x+x+x+x+x+x+x

After getting their new helix piercings (two black surgical stainless-steel hoops) into place, they wandered for a bit until they reached the capital’s central park, which was more akin to a giant garden. Artica found them a nice, secluded spot next to a large pond, which was still in the process of thawing. They were sitting in front of one another, their faces very close. The simple intimacy of that gesture gave Fenrir goosebumps.

"There’re two ways to kiss, I guess,” she said, returning to the conversation they had earlier. “One like last night, just gently…"

He was not entirely listening, thinking precisely of the kiss she gave him before they fell asleep. It had felt so warm… Her lips were pink, bright, and soft. Ignoring they were moving because she was still talking, Fenrir leaned forward and pressed his own on hers. Artica immediately froze, completely flustered. This was not their first kiss, as stated, but definitely the first one Fenrir gave her on the lips.

He pulled away with an embarrassed smile. "Like that?"

She nodded in silence, feeling her chest tightened. His eyes looked particularly bright right now, with the shy blush on his cheeks making it more evident. Artica leaned into him, touching foreheads. Their feelings flutter for a bit, happy to finally do so openly.

x+x+x+x+x+x+x

The Black was busy putting away materials used during class when she noticed Levina was still in her seat, staring out the window. Even though Malik had insisted on giving her a thorough breakdown of the current situation regarding the Asgardian National Football team, she had barely acknowledged his ramblings, preferring to stay silent. Artica had a vague idea why but decided to leave her undisturbed. Levina was probably not in the mood to deal with her anyway.

“Congratulations on your relationship, Miss Reynirdóttir,” the Blue suddenly said, turning to her.

What a perfectly awkward way to start this terribly awkward conversation.

“Are you angry, my lady?”

"I am discouraged, yes, that all my efforts led nowhere," Levina replied. "Yet I knew the challenges. I knew you were around."

Artica gave her a lopsided smile. "Pardon?"

"Neither of you saw it, it seems, but I did. Mister Sannfridsson did too, I believe. A premonition of deeper affection, if anything."

The Black let out a nervous cough, unsure of what to say. Levina always spoke in an elaborate manner, everything going through Artica’s head sounded silly in comparison.

“True, I didn’t think much of it when I befriended him. Even so, I wouldn’t say your efforts led nowhere, my lady. Feelings are unfixed little bastards, but they make your heart stronger.”

“Stronger? Why would that be?”

Artica took Malik’s seat, staring at the whiteboard. “Well, sometimes we feel attracted to people who have less-than-desirable aspects. Maybe they are self-centered, or lack confidence, or are just physically unattractive. Our heart grows stronger when we can see beyond that and appreciate them as a whole, rather than the sum of the individual aspects.”

“You do know you are implying we learn to ignore negative aspects?”

“Ignoring them doesn’t make your heart stronger. Understanding them does. After you do, the feeling changes. It may go from reproach to sympathy, for example. Besides, you speak as if your actions had no impact, but you helped the kid from up north feel less like an outsider by going to the Street Market, and the theater, and the arcade.”

“No, you are mistaken; he suggested the arcade. I am not particularly proficient at such activities, you see, and found it rather underwhelming.”

The Black nodded. “In any case, your feelings had an impact on him, even if not the desired one.”

“How would he know? I never said them out loud, and there is no point now.”

“A poet (1) once wrote that ‘unsaid sentences do not mean unfelt emotions’. If you choose to state those feelings, I’ve no issue. If you’d rather keep them to yourself, they’re still valid.”

Levina let out a sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose with both annoyance and contemplation. “Either way, that is two Academy years that I will not get back in that sense.”

“Hmm, I don’t know, my lady. I feel like I’m having a premonition right now,” Artica replied, picking up her things. She waved goodbye as she passed the senior at the door.

‘What is the hold up, Levina? Are we not going to the theater?’ Vaike signed, a little concerned.

‘Yes. My apologies. I got held up by an unfixed little bastard. Shall we go?’

x+x+x+x+x+x+x

"Can I ask for a favor?"

"Always."

"Would you consider…" Fenrir began, brushing her bangs away. "...not covering your face this time?"

"I don't… want to embarass-"

He stopped her by joining their foreheads. "We promised, right?"

She closed her eyes. "Yes, to be kinder to ourselves…"

"Then please don't say, or think, you’re embarrassing. You’re not, and I don’t think that, in any way."

"W-will do."

"Thank you," Fenrir leaned close and kissed her right on the scarred cheek. His golden gaze was fixed on hers. "I just really like to see your face brighten up when we go to the hunting gear shop, y’know?"

Later, on their way home, he noticed Artica’s hands were quite cold, trembling slightly even though she was wearing both a sweater and a scarf. Since there was no wind blowing on the train platform, Fenrir took off his fur-trimmed coat and slid it on her shoulders. She turned around with concern, which he immediately dismissed.

“The north gets way colder at this time of year, okay? It’s fine.”

Artica took off her gray hand-knitted scarf and wrapped it around his neck, before wrapping her arms around him as well. “This’ll have to do until the train arrives.”

Fenrir hugged her back with a kiss, and both shamelessly hoped it was delayed.

x+x+x+x+x+x+x

"This is my partner, Artica," the boy said, carefully curating his words, tone, and body language. "I would appreciate it if you gave her a warm welcome to the city manor of the Northern Wolf."

XXXX and his four staff members side-eyed each other. Some were mildly surprised; some were deeply annoyed. Eleven uneventful years had passed where no outsider had set foot in their manors without previous, carefully calculated planning.

XXXX had never considered the whiny, sad child under his care to be of interest to someone, much less enter a formal relationship with them. Sure, they'd seen the girl here and there, but considering her appearance, it was difficult to imagine why the boy would want her around.

In any case, she was a small bump in XXXX's overarching plan. As long as she witnessed nothing that would make her complain to other, more dangerous parties, there should be no issues. After all, the boy didn't expect anything from them, so there was nothing to mess up.

Just a few more months to go until their scheme was complete. Largely ignoring her, just like they had largely ignored him for over a decade, would be a walk in the park.

x+x+x+x+x+x+x

“May I ask something personal, sir?”

“You don’t need to call me ‘sir’, my lady. My own name is more than enough.”

“There is no need for you to use formal language with me either… Sannfrid,” Karianne said, a little nervous. Even though she and Bud had been partners for over a year, being alone with his father had been a rare occurrence.

They managed to squeeze in a small celebration in Rúri’s schedule, between her Coming of Age ceremony and a well-deserved vacation. Karianne came over to help Bud take some of the decorations to the Viking Tiger city manor and found herself drinking coffee with Sannfrid while the older twin changed clothes.

“If it is not too nosy of me, would you tell me how you met Artica’s parents?”

The man scratched his chin. “Huh, what an unusual question…”

Karianne said nothing, sipping her coffee in silence.

“After deciding to adopt, I went to every workshop, read every book, and volunteered for every activity the Adoption Center had to offer. I memorized everything, determined to give this baby boy the best life possible from day 1… but by day 3, I felt miserable.”

Sannfrid stared melancholically into his cup.

“Whenever he was not nursing, he was crying. I think Bud went to sleep out of exhaustion, not actual need. Even I knew that was unhealthy, but I just couldn’t figure it out…! So, on day 3, we went to the park. I was sitting by the lake (he was still wailing in his stroller), thinking if maybe it’d been a mistake; dreading that I’d deluded myself into believing I was actually a good choice for the kid, when I saw a couple walking by. The man had a sleeping baby drooling over his shoulder, just a few months older than my own… I swallowed all my pride, walked up to them and asked ‘How’d you do that?’”

The girl with magenta eyes raised her eyebrows.

“You can imagine the puzzled look on Reynir’s face,” Sannfrid laughed. “Embla didn’t even say anything, she just went over to the stroller and removed a few of the million blankets I wrapped around Bud. He immediately started to calm down. I was stupefied. They later explained this was their third child, so they had it more or less figured out… To answer your question, I met them because I had a baby boy, and I didn’t know how to take care of him.”

“I did not expect that to be the answer. Somehow, I thought you knew each other from before.”

“Not really, no. I’ve seen them around, as we lived in the same part of town, but never really talked to them until that day. And well, after that, we spoke every day! With time, we even took turns babysitting the kids, and the family of two that I had hoped for expanded to seven in the blink of an eye.”

Karianne smiled. “Was it hard to manage them?”

“Bud and Artica? Yeah, absolute gremlins those two. He stole her toys, she gulped down his food, they both got jealous when we picked the other up,” the man sighed. “It was only after they started going to school that they sorta calmed down, and stuck together more… Is there a reason you ask?”

“Ah… When Syd told us about his brother, I could not help wondering what kind of life that boy had lived until now. Sometimes, my mind (and my gaze) would wander towards him, asking myself what his family life was like,” she explained with a hand gesture. “Over the next few months, it became clear that part of it was right there in class with me. Then I had the chance to meet the rest of you and well… I am just grateful.”

Sannfrid put his hand on hers. “I’m grateful too; all I ever wanted was for him to be happy. I think that so far, we’re all helping him do just that.”

When Bud entered the room, both his partner and his father seemed to rub a tear away before facing him with a bright smile.

x+x+x+x+x+x+x

Last summer was great. For the first time in his life, Fenrir had friends to enjoy it with, and thoroughly invested every second of his break having fun with them. He had hoped this summer would be even better, now that he had somehow managed to get a partner.

They’d done all kinds of things, and visited all kinds of places, both in group and by themselves. They even managed to buy tickets to the concert they were looking forward to! The three hours in line had been definitely worth it.

This, however, was his favorite part of the day: taking a nap.

Fenrir woke up first, and immediately wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth. In front of him, Artica was facing his way, asleep. Her right hand was on his left, and he couldn’t help giving it a soft squeeze. One of her eyes half-opened, shining bright in the dark.

“Hm? Did I oversleep again?” she asked drowsily.

“No, but it’s around the time you wanted to wake up.”

Artica rolled to the left, right into his arms. “A shame, I wouldn’t mind staying like this a little longer…”

He wouldn’t mind staying like this forever. Fenrir hugged her tight, taking in the fruity perfume. After all, since they had started dating, he noticed he slept better during their naps than at night, by himself. For understandable reasons, Artica didn’t spend whole nights with him (yet), but when she did decide to leave late, he knew he would rest better without fail.

He sheepishly wondered if this is how his parents felt when they were dating.

x+x+x+x+x+x+x

"What is it?"

"N-nightmare. Can I s-sleep here tonight?"

"No," the man replied at once, his hand on the door handle. "Stop being so needy."

The child wasn't crying, but his eyes were already irritated. "There was a bear… Papa’s and Mam-"

"I don't care. Go back to your room."

He didn't move from the spot, tears now running down his cheeks. "Please."

"Did I fucking stutter, boy? No. I can’t believe they left such a whiny boy behind. Not very good parents at all."

“Not true! They w-were the bestest!” the child cried back, sniffing loudly.

“They either taught you to be strong, or weak. Which is it?”

Confused and hurt, the child returned to his bedroom without another word. That was the last time he ever asked his guardian for any kind of support.

Many years ago, just a month after turning six.

x+x+x+x+x+x+x

Another endless argument with XXXX regarding some stupid shit that neither truly cared about. Holed up in his room, Fenrir expected it to be one of those nights where he would pretend to be dead and forget everything and everyone, listening to music above the recommended volume level in the dark. It was a miracle, honestly, that he heard the knocking on the glass door.

Artica was outside with an aggravated look on her face. “Is everything okay? Are you okay?”

“What are you doing here?”

“I’d just thought I’d return the books you lent me, but I heard the yelling, I was worried… Are you okay?”

Fenrir didn’t have the strength to pretend. “No, I’m not. I-”

He choked on his words.

“I feel so miserable and powerless, like it’s always raining on me… I miss the mountains, where I could find peace, even if I was unwanted at that house too,” Fenrir was on the verge of tears. “I'm not by myself anymore, so why do I feel so alone?”

Artica put her bag down and embraced him with a caring, gentle hug. “It’s alright. I’m here with you. You aren’t alone."

They stayed like that for a while. She rubbed his back gently, wishing nothing more than the wisdom to help him. “Would you come with me?”

“Where to?”

“You'll see when we get there. Why don’t you bring your music player? Oh, and a blanket. It’ll be really cold at this time of night.”

Not sure what was going on, but hungry from someone’s attention, Fenrir did as she asked. They left quietly and started a thirty-minute walk into the woods. Artica held his hand the whole time, guiding him through the wilderness he hadn’t explored yet. Before Fenrir realized it, they reached the summit of one of the nearby hills; there was a clearing with a spectacular view of the sky. And what a view, with an electric green flowing gently into the night.

“Beautiful, right?” Artica said, inviting him to sit next to her. “I know they're common enough, but there's something about the Norðrljós (2)…”

Fenrir sat down, staring at the sky. She pulled the blanket out of her bag and covered them both, then huddled close to him. Artica rested her head on his shoulder. “I hope that, at the very least, you find some peace and company here…”

Fenrir leaned his head on hers, feeling a little better. Like a wound which was still open but had stopped bleeding. He took out his music player and offered her an earphone.

x+x+x+x+x+x+x

Okay, he’d done this before, so it shouldn’t be a problem, right? Still, as the new Karate Captain, Bud could’ve done him a solid and gotten someone else for this. Fenrir eyed the Year 2 student he was supposed to have the exhibition match against.

His name was Mime, from the House of the Singing Eagle, and was in the same two clubs as Syd: Music and Karate. He had pale orange hair and deep red eyes, but despite those harmless looks, Fenrir had noticed it was quite difficult to anticipate his moves. He was not particularly confident in winning this match.

Right now, though, he had other concerns, like the untamable lock of hair on his forehead that never stayed put! It was taking forever for it to grow long enough to be combed back with the rest of his hair, and Fenrir was running out of options to keep it back. That was, until a voice spoke right behind him.

“You really need to get a headband or something,” Artica observed, fiddling with the end of her braid.

“Oh! I thought you were still in the Archery exhibition... Yeah, I should, but it’s no use now.”

“I wrapped up as quickly as I could,” she said, finally pulling something out of it and reaching towards him to pin the lock neatly against the rest of his hair with a bobby pin. “There.”

Their faces were so close, he could feel the warmth of her body. A whistle rang in their ears, indicating the end of the first exhibition match, and this tiny moment of intimacy.

“I’ll get going.”

“No, wait!” Fenrir said, grabbing her hand. “Can I… Can I have a good luck kiss?”

“You don’t need good luck,” Artica replied before leaning in smoothly. “But you can have the kiss anyway.”

Bud gave them a moment before clearing his throat. “Alright, alright, that’s plenty of luck from you. Move along.”

As Artica was walking away, she bumped into someone coming into the changing rooms. It was one of the fencing members; specifically, the one that always wore a green handkerchief on their arm during matches.

“My apologies, my l- Rú-?!”

The older twin had barely turned around when Artica got snatched into the changing room. The door slammed shut loudly.

“You can tell absolutely NO ONE. Is that understood?” the Blue said the moment Artica opened her mouth.

The Black was taken aback. “Wha-? Why not?”

“I do not wish others to know this truth, and that should be enough to do as I ask.”

“But you’re the Green Knight!”

“The what now?”

“The Green Knight!” Artica repeated, pointing at the handkerchief. “The mysterious fencing club member that never removes their headgear during matches!”

“Now you know why. Please.”

The Black nodded, somewhat startled to remember that no matter how long you’ve been friends with someone, there is always a side of them that is unknown to you.

x+x+x+x+x+x+x

"Congratulations! You are going to be a father!" Karianne announced, and almost everyone at the table struggled to not spit their drinks.

Bud frowned slightly at the other’s reaction. His partner brought a box from the next room and presented it to him with a smile. After removing the lid, Bud picked up its contents

"Oh, thank the gods it is a kitten," Syd said, still a little pale.

"Of course it is a kitten, dear, what are you even saying," Karianne replied with a dismissive gesture.

"I knew it was; K's been talking about this for weeks. I'm guessing Dad finally confirmed he's not allergic?"

"Certainly, darling. I would never make a move before ensuring his safety and consent."

Rúri, immediately smitten with the creature, extended one finger to rub its tiny head. "Does it have a name?"

Bud and Karianne looked at each other. She spoke first. "It is not my kitten, so I only have a suggestion."

The older twin, perfectly aware she usually gave food-related names to everything, felt the need to ask. "Yes?"

"'Espresso'! As he is small and black."

Her purebred competition horse was called 'Mac n' Cheese Kariannesson the Third', so this was an improvement. Bud nodded. "I’ll take that into consideration, K. Thanks for the little guy. Would you take a pic of us?"

Karianne grabbed her camera and immediately obliged. The resulting polaroid showed him carrying what looked like a black hole, as the kitten showed no recognizable features besides its bright eyes.

Bud stared at the picture and suddenly remembered reading an article about pigments and coatings. "I'm gonna call you Vanta (3)."

x+x+x+x+x+x+x

“You’re being so mysterious about this gift!” she said, covering her eyes. “Waiting for everyone else to leave and all that.”

Artica heard him open the cardboard cylinder Vaito brought with him to the birthday lunch and then presumably unfurl its contents to set them on the table.

“Okay, you can open your eyes now.”

There were two things in front of her; one was a small, dark purple box, and the other a poster-sized, coat of arms-styled illustration of a massive stag facing forward atop of a rocky hill, with the night sky behind it, and a bright full moon strategically positioned between its antlers. Artica was speechless.

He then opened the box and showed her the content; a thin, silver choker in the shape of antlers.

“Fenrir… this is too much.”

“Too much what, exactly?” he asked, a little startled. “You don’t like them?”

“I do like them. I love’em! But it’s… too much for me…” Artica replied, fidgeting with the corner of the poster. “Anything simple would’ve been fine, I’m a sim-”

“Yeah, I know, you always say that… but I wanted to get stuff that was beyond things you like, something that is meaningful to you. Stags seem to be it, yes? So, a choker, which reflects the majesty of their antlers, and a custom coat of arms, that showcases their strength. Both qualities you share with them, in my humble, unbiased opinion.”

Sheepishly, the Black went to him and hugged him tight. “Thank you. I really do love’em.”

She then turned around and pointed to the poster. “What about the moon, though?”

“What about it?”

“Why? Isn’t heraldry super intentional, with all bits contributing to an overall meaning or reference?”

Fenrir cupped her cheeks with his hands. “It represents your big, beautiful, bright, silver eyes; they are like the full moon on a clear, winter night.”

"Wow, that was a very cool answer. You nobles always know what to say."

He remembered the first time she said that to him and couldn't help smiling. So much had happened since, and yet, Fenrir hoped it was just the beginning. After a few moments of gazing into each other’s eyes, they kissed.

Embla, who was watching TV with Reynir in the living room chuckled lightly. “Woah, he pulled that one off really well.”

“I know, right? Even I felt flattered, and he wasn’t talking about my silver eyes.”

x+x+x+x+x+x+x

Her therapist had been thoroughly impressed during their latest session, when Artica reached out and petted the dog’s head for a bit. It had been a medium-sized one, though, unlike who she was petting now.

"Who would've thought a wolf would help me get over my fear of dogs?" Artica said while scratching Ging's chin.

Fenrir froze on the spot, the color drained from his face. "Wh-what did you just say?"

"Oh, c'mon, did you really think I believed he was a Saarloos Wolfdog?"

He made several non-descriptive hand gestures, but said nothing. Artica let Ging rest his head on her shoulder.

"I've gone hunting with Pa and B since I was a kid. You really thought I couldn't tell?"

"I- Well, you never said anything."

"The day I met him, I told you he looked one-of-a-kind… You casually shrugged it off."

Fenrir nodded vaguely. "I didn't say he was a dog that time, just that it was unlikely there was a dog like him in Central Asgard…"

Artica gave him that one. "In any case, if he really was your pet, you'd be a terrible dog owner."

"What? Why?"

"He has exactly one bowl, and for water only. You don't feed him or walk him."

"Of course I don't, he's a wolf! Ging doesn't need any of that from me."

"My point exactly," Artica replied, victorious.

After a while, they returned to Artica’s house for lunch. As she was sweeping, the Black raised her voice. “Hey, Fenrir?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you really not want to do anything else on your birthday besides the Coming of Age ceremony?”

The Blue, who was washing the dishes, spoke without turning to her. “Uhh, I dunno… Why? Do you have something in mind?”

“No, not really, but I mean, if you want, we can put something together. It doesn’t have to be very elaborate. At what time is the thing at the Palace?”

“Around noon, I think? I have yet to hear more from them.”

“How about a small dinner, then?” Bud interrupted, coming back from taking out the trash. “Artica can do her famous baby back pork ribs.”

Fenrir immediately turned around at the sound of that. “You can?”

She raised her eyebrows, a hint of pink in her cheeks. “If you want, yeah. They’re nothing special, though, so don’t think it’s a super fancy recipe or something.”

“But it’s good.”

“Yeah?”

“Very,” replied Bud with a cocky smile. “Meat falls right off the bone.”

Fenrir’s mouth started watering. He turned to her. “Would… Would you cook that, if we have a small dinner for my birthday?”

Artica didn’t have a reason to decline, but the puppy eyes he gave her would’ve been too powerful to even try. “Yeah, no problem! I’ll get everything going while you are at the Ceremony-”

“What? No, you’re coming too. I didn’t tell you?”

“NO?”

“Traditionally, there must be at least two Heads of House present who agree one is worthy of the title-”

Bud snorted. “And you’ve got three. Piece of cake.”

“No- I mean, I don’t know. A very humble request was extended to the Viking Tiger, Celestial Horses, and Guarding Swan, but I completely understand if they decline.”

Artica gave the twin a look when he snorted again.

“And as the Lord-to-be, I am allowed to bring one or two guests to the Ceremony so I would be really, really happy if you would attend.”

Puppy eyes again. Artica seemed all troubled, and for a moment, Fenrir thought she would just say no, but the concern that came out of her mouth was regarding an entirely different matter.

“Shit, I don’t have anything to wear to an event with the fucking Princess of Asgard!” she muttered, frowning.

Embla, who had been folding clean laundry in the living room, entered the kitchen a few minutes later. “We couldn’t help overhearing. Don’t worry about that, sweetheart. I know just the person to ask.”

As she said that, Reynir handed her the phone, from which a voice was speaking. “Yes, Mother?”

x+x+x+x+x+x+x

“What are you dressed as?”

They shared a smirk.

“I am the Big Bad Wolf,” Fenrir answered, adjusting the ears on his head.

“And I am the Huntress,” Artica added, turning around to show her bow strapped to her back.

“That is quite clever. You are just missing a Red Riding Hood,” Rúri said with an impressed look on her face.

“Oh, we have one,” the Black said, nudging him to pull back his fur-trimmed coat and show a small hand-knitted doll strapped to his belt.

“Did you four manage to get all the costumes you wanted for the Vetrnaetr carnival (4)?”

“OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!” an imperative voice ordered as Karianne appeared round the corner wearing a deep red dress with elaborated heart patterns on the shoulders and sleeves. The twins were right behind her, arguing about something.

“No. We had them made for the occasion,” Rúri answered, adjusting the cat ears on the bright purple wig. She was blinking more often than usual. “These contact lenses, though, I cannot seem to get used to them.”

Her usually blue eyes now showed electric pink. It was easier to appreciate the Alice in Wonderland theme they were sporting once Syd (March Hare), Bud (Mad Hatter), and Karianne (Queen of Hearts) finally met up with them.

“Onwards, dear subjects, to the sign-up table first, and then the ale stalls!” Karianne indicated to her friends.

x+x+x+x+x+x+x

“As you know, your graduation ceremony will take place at the end of the school year, during the morning. It will include a speech, and the delivery of your graduation diplomas. Besides your school uniform and the commemorative pin (design is not final), there are no other dress code requirements.”

Their overseer cleared their throat before continuing.

“In the evening, the masquerade will honor and celebrate your achievements in these past three years. Just as the ceremony, it will be held in the Academy’s Great Hall. This event requires formal clothing (those of you considering dresses should keep the length no shorter than your knees). Dinner will be s-“

A hand shot up, preventing her from moving on.

“Yes?”

“Professor, you described it as a ‘masquerade’. Would you please explain further?”

“Ah, it seems I was about to skip that. Thank you, Heimrik. Yes, it is tradition for the graduates to wear a half-mask that covers the upper portion of their faces. Those of you with a family crest, your masks are to represent the sigil in the coat of arms. For the rest of you, you are free to choose a symbol from Asgardian culture and/or wildlife, as long as it does not overlap with one of your classmates’ family crests.”

“Does that mean we have cat privileges?” Bud whispered into his brother’s ear. The younger twin repressed a laugh.

“Please make sure to fill out the survey you were given at the start of today’s meeting by the end of the week, so we can send in the order for the half-masks as soon as possible.”

Once again, Heimrik’s hand shot up. “Professor, are we allowed to invite non-Academy students to the masquerade and, if so, do they require a half-mask as well?”

“Yes, you may invite one person who is not a graduate nor an Academy student, and yes, they do. In your survey, you will find a checkbox option for ‘external guests’. A more generic, but still tasteful mask will be crafted for them.”

The meeting continued with a deep dive on food, decoration, and music, among other topics. Overall, it seemed graduation day was going to be quite the event.

x+x+x+x+x+x+x

Ever since she won the tournament, Artica’s popularity has understandably increased.

At the Academy, she had been selected as the new Archery Captain, and students felt the need to high-five her frequently, chanting ‘Silver-Eyed Hawk’ whenever they spotted her in the halls. Even as they wandered around the city, people would randomly walk up to them and ask for a few words.

This had boosted Artica’s confidence greatly. Fenrir was happy for her, truly, but couldn’t help feeling annoyed at the frequent interruptions. The Street Market was probably the most tedious of all places, with so many people packed in the same narrow streets. Some even had the gall to flirt with her, even though their helix piercings were clearly visible!

“They only talk to you because of the tournament, you know?” Fenrir said after she politely turned down the most recent of those attempts.

“Excuse me?”

“You know it’s true. Before, they wouldn’t even give you a second glance.”

“What?”

“What! It’s the truth! People have fancies like that!”

“What’s wrong with you?” she asked, visibly irritated.

Even though her hands had curled into fists, Artica just took a deep breath and started walking towards the plaza, where they would meet up with their friends. Fenrir followed her closely, both now exchanging heated words and escalating the matter, to the point where people around them started staring, intrigued by the lover's quarrel.

“I don’t even understand why you’re suddenly bothered by this. Are you jealous?”

“No! And it's not sudden! We can’t have peace and quiet anywhere now! You think I like being stared at all the time?”

Artica stopped dead in her tracks. His words flew right at her like a dagger and landed between her shoulder blades.

Fenrir didn’t even notice; his train of thought was somewhere else. “Obviously not!”

“That’s a lot of shit to say for someone who spends all their fucking time at someone else’s house!” she spat angrily, turning around. “Can’t even have some peace and quiet in my own home!”

That dagger lodged itself in Fenrir’s heart and was the only thing that prevented him from saying anything else.

“Hey, hey, that is enough,” Syd suddenly intervened, pulling Artica’s arm. Neither had noticed they’d reached the plaza, nor that their friends had heard most of their exchange.

“I’m outta here,” Fenrir declared, pulling the hood of his fur-trimmed coat over his head and walking away.

She too departed soon after, politely declining Rúri’s invitation to come with them to a nearby coffee shop.

“I have never heard her like that,” Karianne said, twenty minutes later, sipping her tea. “Arguing, I mean. I have seen her angry, but never arguing.”

“That’s because Artica dislikes arguing,” Bud replied. His black coffee remained untouched. “She’d rather return to the subject later with her head cool but whatever sparked that hit her too close to home, I guess.”

x+x+x+x+x+x+x

Artica collapsed on her bed, covering her face with a pillow. “Obviously, even Fenrir’s fed up with it. I’m the one stuck with this scar for the rest of my life. Why did I think it wasn’t going to be an issue?”

Just a twenty-minute walk away, Fenrir was sitting alone in his room, all curtains closed, and listening to music in the dark at a higher volume than recommended.

“I am jealous; I should've just admitted it. Why can’t I think before I speak like a normal person? And… She’s right, I’m always invading someone else’s home because I don’t have one.”

x+x+x+x+x+x+x

“Pa.”

Reynir already knew something was wrong because Artica returned earlier than expected, and immediately went to her room without saying a word. However, this was his third child, and he’d already learned the hard way that it was better to wait for her to come to him, rather than asking questions at the wrong time.

“Yes, sweetheart?”

“Do you prefer how I looked before the bite?”

“There’s nothing wrong with how you look now. I don’t miss your face without the scar.”

Her eyes filled with tears. “I do.”

You try getting your face bitten the week before joining the single, most pompous academic institution in Asgard, at sixteen! Polar had yelled over the phone when he tried to ease her worries.

Of all the things that hung over his teenage daughter's head, this was the one he disliked the most. There was no easy way to fix it, physically or emotionally, and sometimes the only thing that felt right was holding her in his arms and gently rubbing her back.

"Sweetheart. Whatever happened today will pass, okay? And while it does, we'll be right here with you."

x+x+x+x+x+x+x

Class was uncomfortable as hell.

This year they ended up all in the same row, which was great, but right now, Syd wished his seat was not exactly between Fenrir and Artica. They weren't hostile or snappy at each other, like Bud and Karianne occasionally were, but it felt just as bad.

It was gloomy, awkward, and quiet; like sitting between two tombstones. During lunch, Fenrir would go elsewhere while Artica ate with the rest in complete silence. After speaking with them individually, it was clear they were not actually angry at each other, but deeply aggravated, and too embarrassed to talk about it.

“Just apologize, if you believe it’s necessary,” Bud had told her.

“Of course it’s necessary! I said something horrible to him! I just… don’t want to argue again.”

“Then don’t. Apologize for what you said, and if he starts to argue, tell’im what you used to tell me. ‘We can’t have a conversation in that tone. Come find me when you’re ready to talk’. It always worked.”

Artica hugged him close, thankful for his support.

x+x+x+x+x+x+x

“What if I fucked up real bad?”

“I think we both know that is a given in this case,” Syd replied. “However, no matter what you have done, an apology is always the first step to sort matters out.”

“I was talking about other people, you know? About how they’re fair-weather friends because she’s the current tournament winner… but it came out wrong, as usual. After replaying it in my head, I realized it sounded like I was talking about her…”

“Then tell her that. Apologize, and explain yourself. I am sure she is eager to understand, and to resolve this.”

“Thanks for hearing me out,” Fenrir said, bumping Syd’s shoulder with his fist.

x+x+x+x+x+x+x

Come up to meet you, tell you I'm sorry You don't know how lovely you are I had to find you Tell you I need you Tell you I set you apart (5)

The concert was packed, as expected. Everyone was singing along with the band, raising their colorful lights in the air in what looked like a sky full of stars.

Even though they’d bought tickets with seats, none of them were there. Both Artica and Fenrir were walking around, trying to find the other. He replayed his apology in his head over and over, trying to make sure he didn't miss anything. She rearranged her words every few minutes, frequently worrying it was not enough to convey the full extent of how sorry she felt.

Tell me your secrets And ask me your questions Oh, let's go back to the start

Eventually, they found each other. He had the gray scarf wrapped around his neck, while she had the hoodie’s arms around hers. They thought the same thing: ‘If this is it, I should return this, and if it's not, I want them to remember how much they mean to me.’

Nobody said it was easy It's such a shame for us to part Nobody said it was easy No one ever said it would be this hard

The music, the crowd, the lights. Everything suddenly went silent, and only they existed in the world. Those few seconds felt like entire centuries, and without fully realizing it, they ran to embrace each other. Tears ran down their faces as their gazes met.

Artica spoke first. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry for getting mad and not paying attention to what you were trying to say."

“I’m sorry because I always blurt things out right away, and can’t take a moment to make it clear,” he replied, holding her tight. “I didn’t mean that about you. I was an asshole.”

“I didn’t mean my words either. I know why your house is not your home, and I’m sorry for being an asshole.”

They joined their foreheads, quietly sobbing in relief.

“You know I don’t mind your scar, right? That time I said it was one of my favorite things about you, I meant that. I still do.”

Artica leaned into his hand as he cupped her left cheek, closing her eyes.

“Thanks for saying that…” she paused, and then opened her eyes again. “We all gladly welcome you in our home, anytime, because now it’s yours too, no matter what happens between us.”

Fenrir let himself shed a few more tears. “Thanks for saying that, and for letting me into your home. It’s the first one I’ve ever had.”

Tell me you love me Come back and haunt me Oh, and I rush to the start

The rest of the concert was exactly what they hoped it would be; a wonderful, enjoyable time with their kjæreste.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

(1) Tyler Knott Gregson

(2) “Northern Lights” in Icelandic.

(3) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vantablack

(4) Vetrnaetr: “Winter nights”. The end of the harvest season (end of October), which meant that it was time to use the meat of the farm animals and start hunting. It’s also a night to reflect and honour ancestors, as well as the goddess Hela. The veil between the worlds is thinner during this night. https://winternightsfestival.com/about-vetrnaetr/

(5) The Scientist, by Coldplay

#AAAU #fic #artica #fenrir #bud #karianne #syd #ruri #reynir #embla #sannfrid #levina #aa!artica #aa!fenrir #aa!bud #aa!karianne #aa!syd #aa!ruri #Au #scumbag10aniversario #scumbag10Ships #scumbag10AU

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