#also I’m hungry GRRRRRRR

[growingpains876]

Jared & Max

Part 4

Jared went straight from his fitting to the gym, and worked hard for two hours. He was determined to get rid of the extra weight. To his surprise he didn’t feel very sore or tired from his work out session from yesterday. In fact, he had lifted even heavier today, and he had nearly hit a new PR in a couple of lifts. He flexed in the mirror. The pumps he was getting lately were crazy. He did a double bicep pose and his muscled excitedly bounced into a hard flex, and his shirt creaked at the pressure. Jared wasn’t sure if he had ever seen his arms look so big. His back seemed to spread wider too, making his gut look smaller in comparison. Smaller but only in comparison. It was still round and filled his size medium shirt to its limit. This is going to take longer than I thought, he thought to himself putting both hands on his stomach and giving it a good shake.

Grrrrrrr! Jared’s stomach growled. His workout had left him starving, he hadn’t eaten since Wendy’s this morning… Mmm Wendy’s, that sounded good. He could get the baconator fries, which were life changing. I shouldn’t, he thought, but, he did need the energy to go shopping tonight, and besides, everyone knows you shouldn’t go to the store hungry…

Jared changed back into his Button up shirt and jeans. The sleeves were painfully tight. Damn! This pump is something else… The shirt also had to stretch to go over his back, and he couldn’t get the top three buttons closed. He thankfully hadn’t done legs today, otherwise he was pretty sure his jeans would have been a lost cause.

———————

“Welcome to Wendy’s… oh, hey! You were here earlier!” The same teenage girl from that morning was running the cash register. Great, the fast food workers are starting to recognize me, just what I need.

“Hi, uh, yeah, this is the only restaurant within walking distance of my place, and I’m still getting situated so I haven’t been grocery shopping yet.” Jared quickly explained himself, obviously self conscious.

“Shopping is the worst! I wouldn’t even bother if I were you.” She said it as a joke, but she didn’t know how tempting that sounded to Jared. “What can I get for you this time?”

“I’ll get a baconater meal, large, and can I get an extra patty on the burger? Gotta get that protein!” He laughed sheepishly. He had actually ordered the extra patty because he thought he could eat three burgers, but didn’t want to now that he had been singled out by this worker.

“Of course, and what else?” What was up with all of these restaurant workers using that phrase? Did they always do that? What else? Nothing right? He had just ordered a large meal, with an extra patty on the burger. The question made him study the menu again. Grrrrrr! He was so hungry is was painful. Sure enough he ended up ordering a ten piece chicken nugget and an another bacon cheese burger for good measure. For the protein of course… It could be worse okay, he could’ve gotten a mocha shake. Wait, that actually sounded really good…

Okay, this was his little treat for working so hard at the gym. Surely he’d burnt enough calories for a small mocha shake. He couldn’t resist.

“Could I get a small mocha shake as well”

“Of course! You need the protein after all !” She thought she was so funny. GRRRRRR! His stomach was so loud, he was pretty sure everyone in the restaurant could hear it. “You sure that’s all you want?” This time Jared displayed self control.

“That’s all.” He said, as if he hadn’t just order enough for almost three people.

He was refilling his large drink when his order came out. The first thing he noticed was that there was a large mocha shake on the tray. Extra large. They hadn’t even put it in the right cup, they put it in the large fountain drink cup, which was 32oz.

“Hey, I think you gave me the wrong shake.”

“You ordered the mocha, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, but I ordered a small”

“Whoops, it must have slipped my mind somehow.” She winked, which made Jared feel good and a little uncomfortable at the same time. I guess he hadn’t lost his charm yet.

He sat down and was surprised at how fast everything disappeared into his stomach. He finished everything including another Large coke. The only thing left he had left to conquer was the shake. But just as he was about to get started on it he realized that he had forgotten to upgrade his fries to baconator fries. That was whole reason he had come here! He would be remiss if he passed up his last opportunity to have baconator fries before the “big purge”, as he was starting to call it in his head.

Jared stomach felt heavy when he got up, and now left no extra room in his shirt. He could practically feel the food sloshing around in the half gallon of coke he had consumed

“Back again?” Said the girl at counter. Jared chuckled awkwardly, which the worker found incredibly endearing.

“Yeah.” He said as he scratched the back of his head, his cheeks turning more and more red, and his shirt riding up to reveal his distended belly and happy trail. “I forgot to order the baconator fries. It was one of the main reasons I came here in the first place.”

“Those are the best! Why would you ever get regular fries.”

“I know, they’re life changing.” He exaggerated, his hand unconsciously resting on his bloated belly.

“Really though?”

She was maybe trying too hard, but at least she was nice, and didn’t give him a hard time for the amount of food he was ordering. When the fries came out, they were in a salad container instead of the normal hand sized container they were supposed to come in.

“I made them special for you.” She said as she handed him the tray, “I’m Denise by the way.” She was clearly flirting.

“My name’s Jared. Uh… Thanks for… uh, this.” Jared gestured with the obscene amount of fries, and hurried back to his table.

This was not helping his waistline. How would he justify eating this?

He only needed to look back once to find his answer. Denise was watching him intently. She had made these special for him, how could he refuse her? He had to finish them. It was his duty.

Jared dug into the fries with purpose. This wasn’t just for him anymore, he had to do it for Denise. He liked the thought of someone watching him eat, making sure he finished every last bite.

He slowed down at about the halfway point when he felt the familiar pain of his belt cutting into his stomach. This time he felt less embarrassed to let it out, and gave himself two extra notches to get the rest of the shake and fries in. But undoing the belt caused all the pressure to go to his waistband, and his button was dangerously close to popping off. Not noticing, Jared began to alternate rhythmically between fries and shake, until finally he found his tray empty, and his stomach full. He was glad he’d had enough shake to go with the rest of his fries, He wasn’t sure if he could have finished it all if he hadn’t had the contrast of the sweet with the salty.

His gut was huge! And so round too! He rubbed it to relieve some pressure, and found that his button up shirt barely contained his bloated gut. His buttons strained, and revealed bits of meaty flesh between them. He couldn’t go out like this? He had to go home and change into something bigger. He started to rub the top of his stomach subconsciously on his walk home. Jesus, he was horny! He started to chub up on the spot. That was the final straw for his pants.

PEW! Jareds pants burst open. Only being held together by his belt. He felt blood rush to his tool. What’s happening to me? Not wanting to have full on boner in public, he controlled himself, and stopped nursing his aching gut.

The first thing he did when he got home was take off his pants. He sighed in relief as his gorged gut was able to relax. His shirt came off shortly after, and he started to rub the tight ball in slow circles. Oof, why did it feel so good. His boner strained against his skin tight boxers. As he continued to rub his gut he grabbed his phone for a quick porn/jack off session. He hadn’t used his phone since his fitting and his measurements were still up on his camera reel. He couldn’t help himself from looking at the numbers.

Pant waist/modern waist : 31 33 1/2

True waist : 32 36

Chest : 41 1/2 44 1/2

Seeing his new measurements right next to his old ones made him harder than he had ever been before. Had he really grown that much in just two months? The thought put him over the edge, and he shot a huge load all over himself. “What the fuck!” What was happening to him?

Part 1: https://growingpains876.tumblr.com/post/690315808323387392/growing-pains-jaredmax

Part 2: https://growingpains876.tumblr.com/post/690507567697412096/growing-pains-jaredmax

Part 3: https://growingpains876.tumblr.com/post/690977868213354496/jaredmax

Part 4: https://growingpains876.tumblr.com/post/693518788795269120/jared-and-max

[cerberus253]

Is there a chance to become Drago's girlfriend, if, for example, you are just a sweet, most ordinary girl? Not a villain or anything like that. Maybe she is a master of extreme sports to get his attention. Or it could be a punk girl from the friends of Ice's team. But if she's just ... in high school? It is very difficult for me to imagine how, under the conditions of the events of the series, Drago can meet a girl, become interested in her, it is enough to know her as a person and fall in love.

Oh so like me?? XD (except that I’m 21 and straight outta a 2-year college)

The main qualities that one primarily needs are patience and understanding. If you have some sort of mental disorder or physical disability, one would also need to, more-or-less, understand and accept thyself as well, for you cannot help someone else without working on yourself first, at least to reasonable degrees. I say this because Drago WILL be a piece of work that WILL wear-and-tear the s/o down often with just how much mental and emotional work that the relationship will take; that’s just what happens with incredibly broken people, sadly. With that being said, one also needs to know when to put their foot down and not be stepped all over. Not only would Drago be personally impressed that you have a backbone, but it is also needed to help him through his problems, knowing how stubborn he is. So, if this “ordinary girl“ has these qualities, including the “sweet[ness]” you’ve stated, a romantic relationship is most likely possible.

With meeting, I want to say the most likely scenario would eventually be through the Ice Crew because, well, they are humans full and through, while Drago isn’t and has no interest in getting to know people on a personal level. I’m not saying the situation of the person going up to Drago directly and initially, saying ‘Hi‘ or the vice versa isn’t possible, it’s just highly unlikely and would only happen under very specific circumstances. Anyway, meeting the Ice Crew first would be the most plausible. How that introduction starts is up to the fanfic writer, but again, it should follow the listed characteristics of the individual that I’ve laid out, not some OOC crap-- but I also have to state you can do what you want! My words are not a Bible to follow; these are just my own thoughts and opinions!

Moving forward, I say “eventually through the Ice Crew“ because you’d have to have at least someone in the whole four group (this includes Drago) to encourage you to hang out with them. It is possible to always be going to the junkyard while no one really cares that you’re there, but that doesn’t feel good, does it? Like, of course Drago would rather not have you around, but include the Crew in that? Yeah, that’d be pretty debilitating to one’s psyche. However, if you want to do the story that way, go ahead; I ain’t stoppin ya. But I also have to add, what else is the individual going to do? Just sit in the background, eating popcorn, watching them like entertainment, like a weirdo? I mean, sure, but that’s not going to get you anywhere. What I’m trying to get here is you need something else to do aside from following Drago around like a mosquito, and the only other activity is either hanging out with the Crew in their off time, or go along a completely different route and just work in the junkyard or something. Ya need another reason to be at the junkyard often than just (trying to) hanging out with Drago because he’s going to use all his power to make you stay away since you’re technically not helping him with his endeavors; so, do a junkyard job, junkyard diving, hanging out with the Crew, or whatever because Drago would have little reason to argue with you at that point. “He could still try and scare you off, though.“ I don’t think he’d want to waste his time with scaring off one measly human, ya know, as long as they’re not THAT annoying. (”Whatcha doin’ whatcha doin’ whatcha doin’ whatcha doin’????” “GrrrRRRR! SHUT! UP!”)

Aaaaaanyway, doing whatever other activity one is doing at the junkyard, and occasionally expressing the desire to interact with Drago, as well as acting upon said desires, would be the better vantage point. So, if Drago tells you to go away and threatens you if you don’t, you can walk away like he requested, but still have a reason to be there in the premise. A lot of times to people your mere presence is enough to make someone happy (or at least keep you on their mind), whether you’re interacting with them or not. “Wouldn’t Drago want you to go far away, like away and out of the junkyard?“ Yeah, probably, but you can argue that you still need to do your primary activity, which doesn’t actually involved Drago to begin with. So, you’ll just step away from HIM, and by staying in the premise, it gives you (and him) and second chance to interact with one another sooner or later.

A lot of this occasional interaction, maybe increasing if Drago seems to tolerate you more and more, you could get on his good side, but be warned he will not admit he likes your presence because originally he really wouldn’t want you here if you have no use to him and his goal. But wait, making him happy IS something useful, right? Yeah, and he, deep down inside, knows it, but will deny it because he isn’t suppose to like humans to begin with. This is the point where Drago will start to become frustrated with his different desires and need, ones for his human half and ones for hi demon half, which I believe I have discussed before. You could also label this as your first Trial and Tribulation(s) with your patience, understanding, and kindness, for he will get more irritable and mean than usual. These events will also take a VERY long time to get through; he needs to be encouraged that it’s okay to be different, but still given a lot of time to digest that hard-to-swallow-pill fact. As a bonus, when these events do begin, you have the Ice Crew to talk to! They may not care about Drago at all, but they do care about you as a friend, so they can tell you what they know AND step in if Drago wants to physically harm you at any time. Befriending the Ice Crew first has many perks and very little downsides ;) At least, the Ice Crew inside my head does...

Gifts like edible treats, badass jackets, and (my favorites) getting decent food and making tents and decent beds for them (so they don’t have to sleep on hard tires and gross-old car seats) would always be great. Like, I personally like to think about making breakfast for them; the Crew would be like “Hell yeah!“ and Drago would be like “... I’m not thanking you, but I am hungry“ and then just sits by himself to eat because fuck you guys, he doesn’t have feelings (b-baka...).

I also want to say do not be afraid to express your enjoyment of Drago. Even when he’s in a sour mood, try not be reluctant to be around him. Yes, there is a good chance something will get physical in the bad way, but the point is you’re trying to show him you genuinely like him and want to help even if it’s not in the way he admittedly wants. It’s okay to be afraid of him, but not letting that fear get the best of you and going up to be nice to him will show him that not everyone hates him for being what he is and his negative aspects. Of course, like I’ve said, don’t let him walk all over you, so you don’t have to be kind ALL THE TIME, but you need to be able to discern when to be passive and when to be aggressive. It’s good to have a lot of the former, because compassion is what he needs, but too much of the later makes him harbor permanent resentment; resentment in general will happen, but it would/should be temporary. Like, ya know when one character says something critical to another, and it pisses that second character off, and they think about it a lot, but then they actually learn from it and that critical statement ends up being helpful to them? Yeah, that’s what I mean by “temporary resentment.“ Permanent resentment would lead to a relationship not too different than the one with his Dad.

A lot of the time you will need to be taking the initiative when doing activities, from talking to Drago all the way to suggesting hanging out outside of just normal junkyard stuff. It’s going to be a lot of work, but I feel like if done right, the payoff will be worth it. Drago will definitely be the territorial and controlling type, but by God will he love you; he would probably aggressively SMOTHER you that you will have no idea if it’s actually obsession or actual love feelings XD That may sound OOC of him, but... I dunno, I feel like he can learn to love and be scary flustered by/with it.

“Her heart was a secret garden and the walls were very high.“ - William Goldman, The Princess Bride

But, like, “Drago’s heart was a buried garden, the ground suffocating the very little life left, and the walls were very high and heavy.“

[firewarrior117]

Song of Emerald Winds, Part 2

Part 2 of the tale of Esmeralda and the Rise and Fall of the White Sparrows. Camping out with the undead mercenary Raziel in the Remains of her old caravan, she tells her tale to him in the only way she chooses...Through Song and Dance! We has so far learned that she was taken in by the sparrows after her parents sacrificed themselves to save her. From here, we now find out where her life went from that fateful day!

*Esmeralda takes a moment to dance and simply expresses herself through both Elegant movement, and the arcane arts!*

Raziel: *Watches her Curiously!*...

*Raziel observes her every twirl and movement, gazing in awe of the stability of her undead form compared to his rather mangled stitched up appearance...*

Esmeralda: *She looks towards Raziel, smiling!* Hmhmhmhm...*She twirls toward him, bending down to his level!* Do my dance moves please you, Sir Raziel? You seem very intrigued by my performance...

Raziel: What’s got my attention is how the hell your able to dance so nimbly and NOT fall apart! I gotta be careful with my body to make sure my stitches don’t come loose! What’s your secret?

Esmeralda: *She smiles, stepping her leg up on the log next to Raziel, raising her skirt to show the stitching across her left leg!* Dwarven Aetherium fiber! The very same threading they use on their fancy technologies over in Mt. Skaoi. They were kind enough to renew my stitches with the fiber when I visited them one night! I’ve had this stitching for over a year now, and NEVER has it come loose or undone! I don’t ever have to worry about my stitching coming loose again!

Raziel: Huh...No kidding? *He takes a closer look at her stitching, realizing how tightly it is stitched up, a faint glow pulsing on the fibers every few seconds!*

Esmeralda: *Raises an eyebrow with a smile!* Look, don’t touch, luv~!

Raziel: *He nods!* Well...I’ll definitely have to stop by Mt. Skaoi some time to check that out for myself! I sure as hell need it!

Esmeralda: Indeed! You’ve quite the number of stitches on your body, Raziel.

Raziel: Well, Considering I was torn limb from limb by corpses after I died, my body being covered in them is unsurprising.

Esmeralda: Aaaaah...So, you have been through much before your demise. We all have our share of misfortunes. But even misfortunes can turn to blessings in time. *She gets up, readying her tambourine once more!* 

Raziel: Ooooh boy, here we go again...

*She starts up the magical instruments once again, preparing her next song of her history!*

Esmeralda: The sparrows cherished her day and night, but knew, one day, the child must fight! Magic in her veins! Books in hand! The child would someday be protector of her land! The Order outsmarted, her spirit goodhearted! The child would learn to fight for what’s right! Unburdened by wizard, assassin, or knight! The child was branded a “Heretic Bitch”! But regardless, she FOUGHT, As a powerful Wiiiiiitch~!

*The City once more, the Caravaneers have taken to the shadows of the city, hiding from plain sight from the Holy Order, a child Esmeralda practices her magic with Madam Morgiana, Gabriel’s wife and a legendary fortune teller.*

Morgiana: Breath, Esmeralda...Focus your energy...Concentrate...Ignite the fire upon your fingertips.

*The Young Esmeralda concentrates magic into her hands...She begins to emit a feint orange glow, sparks flying out of it as it glows brighter!*

Esmeralda: Hmmmm...*Focusing her magic!*

*She manages to make a faint flame appear from the glow...However, the sparks fizzle, the glow vanishing from her hands!*

Esmeralda: *!!!* *Pouts!* Ooooooh...Rats!

Morgiana: There, there, Esmeralda! *Pats her!* That was good! You almost had it in your hands!

Esmeralda: But why did I lose control? I was focusing as hard as I could!

Morgiana: That was the problem, my darling. You were concentrating too hard. Before it could be fully formed, your mana was strained out by your concentrations. In order to fully give form to your spell, you must be calm, and focus...softly! Focusing too hard will only put unnecessary strain on your body!

Esmeralda: But if I don’t focus, I won’t be able to learn magic and fight back against those evil knights that took my mother and father away from me!

Morgiana: *!*...Is...I-is that TRULY why you want to learn magic, my dear?

Esmeralda: W-Well...I-I-...I-It’s one of the reasons, yes...

Morgiana: Esmeralda...*Hands on her shoulders!* Listen to me, my child. As cruel as the holy order is, you mustn’t let your hatred for them force you into battle against them. What they have done to us Caravaneers is unforgivable...And we may never know peace with them in our lifetimes...But...One day, The Knights...The Inquisitors...The Archbishop himself! They will know the suffering they caused to all of us...And when that day comes...Hopefully then, things will finally return to normal for our land...But for now, we must simply play there game...Walk a path separate from them. It’s the best we can do until they finally accept our ways of life.

Esmeralda: Is-...Is that really all we can do, Miss Morgiana...?

Morgiana: I’m afraid so, My child...

*Esmeralda looks sadly at the ground...reminiscing about her Parents...*

Morgiana: *Smiles!* Why don’t you go play with the other children for the time being? We’ll resume your studies later!

Esmeralda: *Nods to her!* Okay, Miss Morgiana!

*She wanders off toward the Playground the other Caravaneer children have gathered!*

Caravaneer boy: Hahahaha! *He pokes at his bucket-headed friend with a blunt wooden sword!* I am the GREATEST WARRIOR! The Holy order shall know my blade and fear my name for generations to come! I am the RADIANT BLADE!

*The Other children and clap happily!*

Carvaneer Boy: Hehehehe! Just wait til I’m older! I’ll truly become the radiant blade! And I’ll show those evil knights who’s boss! I’ll be a HERO amongst the Caravaneers!

Timid boy: H-Huh? But my Papa told me we must simply dance to there tune and wait for a time when we can make peace with the order!

Caravaneer Boy: *He Sneers at the boy!* So we just need to accept them oppressing our way of life? Don’t be stupid! We have every right to continue following the old ways of Drow Culture! They’re just power hungry jerks who want us to worship some “Lord” that the humans of Vitaria revere! It’s unfair!

Caravaneer Girl: W-Well what else can we do? The adults say it’s best to just let them have there way for now! Violence will only breed more Violence!

Caravaneer Boy: Uuuugh! I HATE that Analogy! My parents tell me that all the time! *Points to Esmeralda!* It’s bad enough we’re letting that NOBLE live with us! She’s only descended from Caravaneers! She’s not truly one of us!

Esmeralda: *!* H-Huh?!  Luca! That’s a cruel thing to say about me!

Luca: Mama and Papa may treat you as one of us, But you are just a noble! Just as worse as those Holy order jerks!

Timid Boy: H-Hey! HEY! *Gets in between them!* Noble! Caravaneer! Does it matter? We are all Drow! We should be equals!

Luca: SHUT UP! (Pushes him to the ground!) 

Esmeralda: *!!!* LUCA! Stop this!

Luca: What are you gonna do? CRY?!

*He slams Esmeralda into a puddle of mud, him and his bucket friend laughing!*

Timid Boy: LEAVE HER ALONE, YOU BULLY! She’s a White Sparrow too, Isn’t she? She’s your family!

Luca: She’s no family of mine! *Glares at her!* She’s just another Sanctus Regno Noble! She’s not a true Blooded Caravaneer like us!

Esmeralda: S-stop it, Luca!! *Tears rolling down her face!*

Luca: NEVER! *Glares at her!* I won’t stop until the Caravaneers are free from the Holy Order! And we don’t need Noble Half-bloods like YOU slowing us dow-

Esmeralda: I SAID STOP!!

*She fires a massive blast of flame at him, he screams in a panic as he rolls in the dirt into a mud puddle himself! The children laughing at him while also impressed by Esmeralda’s trick!*

Luca: *!!!* W-what the heck...?! Y-YOU TRIED TO BURN ME!!

Esmeralda: Not on Purpose! You were being mean to me!

*The Children all laugh at the muddy Luca!*

Luca: QUIT LAUGHING! *Splashes mud at them!* I COULD’VE GOTTEN HURT!

Timid Boy: HA! Serves you right, you Idiotule!

Order Knight: What’s going on over here?! What was that Fire we just saw?!

*The Children all jump in a panic at the knights!*

Order Knight2: *Glaring at them!* Gypsy Children...Look at there clothes...

*The Kids scream and run away in a panic! Luca picking up his wooden sword and panicking!*

Luca: S-Stay away! You knights aren’t gonna Brainwash me!

Order Knight: Brainwashing? It is your parents that brainwash you, Child! We are trying to save the lives of Dragostiah by turning them to the one true god! And not false spirits who guide and protect us through the elements!

Order Knight2: *she grips the Timid boy’s hand!* One of you is the Magic User here...And we’ll bring you all in to get that answer if we have to!

Timid Boy: AAAAGH! L-LET THEM GO! PLEASE! TAKE ME IF YOU MUST!

Order Knight: Nay, Child! We shall take you all into someone who will not manipulate you into a false Religion of the old Dragostiah!

Esmeralda: *!!!* NO!!! *She jumps up!* Leave him alone! 

*She looks around at the surroundings around the knights...The Other one grabbing hold of Luca...She realizes the Knights are Standing underneath an awning, She glares at the loose rope!*

Order Knight: Hm...Trying to fight, are we?

Luca: *He Bangs his wooden sword on the Knight’s gauntlet!* YOU EVIL KNIGHTS! YOU WON’T STOMP OUT THE CULTURE OF DRAGOSTIAH SO EASILY! YOU WILL FALL BY THE RADIANT BLADE’S HAND!!

Order Knight: HAHAHAHAHA! “The Radiant Blade”, he says! The only Radiant Blade here is-

*Esmeralda Concentrates, breathing for a moment before shooting fire at the ropes of the Awning, sending it fluttering down over the knights as they let loose there grips on the boys!*

Order Knight: GAAAAAAAAH! What the- GRRrrrrr...*Attempting to remove the sheet!*

Order Knight 2: DAMMIT! *Trying to rip it apart!* THE CHILDREN ARE GETTING AWAY!

*The Two boys run off! Esmeralda following behind them as the knights struggle to get the sheet off there heads!*

Order Knight: GrrrrAAAAGH! *He rips the Sheet to bits Marching onto the playground!* Where’d they go?!

Order Knight 2: Grrr...*She looks around, finally just waving it off!* Forget it! Let’s get back to our patrols! We’ll worry about the brats later...

*The Knights resume there patrol...*

*Meanwhile, Esmeralda and Luca return to the White Sparrows, the parents hugging them both! The Timid child returning to the Caravan across from them!*

Gabriel: You both had us worried! Where have you been an-(!)...A-and why are your clothes all muddy?! What happened?!

Luca: *he looks to Esmeralda, then looks sadly at himself!*...F-father...I-

Esmeralda: We tripped and fell in the mud! We were being a little too ruff in our playing and we accidentally fell into mud puddles!

*Luca looks at her in shock!*

Esmeralda: We were also being harassed by knights of the holy order, but we scared them away before they could come after us! We didn’t harm them in any way!

Morgiana: (!) Order knights? Gods above! Thank goodness you are both safe!

Gabriel: Well, Dinner’s just about ready! Let’s get you two cleaned up and then we’ll all eat! (gestures to the other Caravan!) The Luminous stars made Honey muffins!

*The Two adults head inside to prep dinner!*

Luca: *Luca looks at Esmeralda, utterly confused!*...W-...W-why didn’t you tell them the truth?

Esmeralda: *Looks at him with a sad expression!* I don’t want there to be bad blood between us, Luca. I-...I know you’re not fond of me, but I don’t want to make enemies with you...You don’t have to accept me right away, but...I hope some day you will give me a chance.

*Luca looks at her...Then to the ground...Sighing, unknowing of what he should do...He simply goes to a corner by the caravan to clean the mud off of himself.*

Timid Boy: Um...Excuse me? *He approaches Esmeralda!*

Esmeralda: Oh! Hello again!

Timid Boy: *Nods!* Hello! I-I...I just wanted to say thank you for rescuing me! I’m not sure what I would’ve endured had I given myself to them...

Esmeralda: It was very noble of you, but please don’t do something so rash! I’ve been told many horrible things of what the order does to caravaneers...E-Especially children like us!

Timid Boy: I know...I’m just glad we’re safe! *Looks toward Luca!* I just hope your brother doesn’t hurt you anymore! That was just cruel of him to mistreat you so wrongly...

Esmeralda: Don’t worry! I hold no grudge toward him or his actions. I just hope one day, we can truly be family when the time comes...

*Luca washes his face...Taking off his muddy shirt and retreating behind a curtain to change into clean clothes!*

Tulio: *He smiles, gesturing his hand with a grin!* My name’s Tulio, by the way! I’m with the Luminous Stars Caravan!

Esmeralda: *Shakes his hand!* I’m Esmeralda! It’s a pleasure to meet you! *Smiles!* And thanks for the Honey muffins!

Tulio: Haha! Thanks! My mother baked them! If you like those, you should try her pancakes!

*The Two laugh, both there families coming out as they share a dinner together as the sun sets on the city...*

Esmeralda(Zombie): A friendship Made! The knights they did Evade! The child’s heart golden and swelling with pride! Her Studies continued, for years did she Stride! With the sparrows of white and Stars of bright~!

Raziel: *Raises an eyebrow!* Huh...Don’t know who this Luca guy is, but I kinda wanna punch him. Did he die with sparrows?

Esmeralda: Actually, no! He vanished from the sparrows and ignited a resistance against the Order! *Points!* BUT, I’ll get to that very soon! For now then...*She sits on the Log next to him, drinking from her water canteen!* *Phew!*...A quick rest, and THEN I’ll get to my teen years!

Raziel: Uuuugh...*Facepalm!* Come on, Lady. I know singing and dancing is the carvaneer’s shtick, but you can’t just get to the point?

Esmeralda: *Shrugs!* What would the fun in that, luv? I haven’t actively performed like this in a while! *Grips his hand!* And I appreciate you being such a patient listener thus far! Despite your minor complaints.

Raziel: Heh...Yeah. Aki and I both have the patience of a Saint. That’s what Old man Bellator tells us. Unless we’re pissed. Then we just beat everyone senseless.

Esmeralda: *Giggles!* Well, you and the Infernus clan sound like quite the characters, Raziel.

Raziel: You have no idea, lady...*Counts off his friends!* A Half-demon Swordsman, a noble fashionista mage, An Islander kid who can turn into a dragon, A perverted trouble-making demon, An overly affectionate Sabre-toothed hound, A crazy old war veteran, Fiona...Hell, the Princess of Lebenia herself even hangs out with us! I haven’t even gotten to those guys from that other world that Fiona opened a portal to!

Esmeralda: *!* Wait, Fiona opened a portal to ANOTHER WORLD...?!

Raziel: *nod!* Yep! She restored one of the ancient Magic Relics in the forest and opened a portal to Umbrelle! The world her boyfriend is from, who was doing the SAME ritual in his world at the time!

Esmeralda: That’s amazing...*She beams with delight!* I’m so proud of her!

Raziel: Hehehehe. Yep! She’s a talented kid...

Esmeralda: That she is...That she is.

*Esmeralda, not realizing it, still has her hand on Raziel’s!*

Esmeralda: *!!!*...OH! *Pulls away!* O-oh my! So sorry about that! *Blushing!*

Raziel: Erm...It’s alright. *Rubbing the back of his neck!* So, uh...You gonna do the next part of you story?

Esmeralda: Ah! Yes! Gladly! *Jumps up with her tambourine!* My little battle against the order didn’t begin until in my teen years, when magic and dancing rose up to be my ULTIMATE PASSION!

*She starts up the Instruments once more, beginning her song again!*

Esmeralda: Before long, the child grew into a girl! Charming the people with a song and a twirl! Her Magic and Talents did rise her to fame, As she danced, and bewitched for the strong and the lame! The order did see her skills as a threat! They knew there problems were not done yet! As the girl would fight! She would stand her ground! For the Talents and magical skills she had fooooound~!

To be continued in part 3!