#and I think my mom and sister both have a light case of it too

[hsjazebel]

Desperate part 2*

Word count: 2763

A/n: I’m sorry to have made you wait so long for part 2, but here it is! I hope you enjoy💘

main masterlist | desperate masterlist

“I'm gonna fuck you so good you won't be able to look me in the eyes for a week without blushing."

He looks you straight in the eyes and your mind is blank, you just want to be fucked so good and not think about anything.

“Cat got your tongue? I've barely touched you and you're already all stupid! You just want my cock in your little pussy, don't you?”

You nod not having the strength to speak, but this isn't enough for him.

“Words, baby. I need to hear your beautiful voice. Is that what you want?”

"Yes, yes. I want you!"

“Oh is it, pretty girl? You want me? Who expected that the good girl who knows how to cook such good pasta would actually hide a dirty part! But don't worry, now I'm here to scratch your itch, I'll treat your pussy so good I'll ruin you! Are you ready pretty girl? There’s no turning back.”

“Yes, I want it so bad!”

“Good girl!”

And so, he sticks his cock in you and it's like the rest disappears. You lie there with your mouth open making little moans because of the feeling of his big cock opening you up and stretching you out to make his way in your pussy.

“This is all you’re good for, just a hole for me to fuck. Such a nice, wet little pussy for m-“

The sound of your alarm clock wakes you up from your wet dream. You open your eyes trying to adjust to the light coming from the windows. Last night you forgot to lower the shutters and you're mentally cursing yourself for it.

The memories of your dream are still in your mind that you can even feel your panties getting wet.

It's been a week since your first meeting with Harry and it's been a week that you only have him on your mind.

This isn't the first time you've had a dream like this. And you know it won't be the last either.

You desperately want to take care of yourself but you don't have time because you promised your mother to go out and do some shopping together.

You decide to go take a cold shower trying not to think about the all too real feeling of Harry fucking you.

Then you choose an outfit for the day and go down to the living room where you find your mother fully dressed.

“I'm so happy to have a mother-daughter day! It's been a while since we went shopping together. I'm sad your sister isn't here too, it would have been nice to just be girls!” Your mom says as she grabs her purse and keys.

“Yeah, but she’s like Dad, she doesn't like shopping,” you follow her as you leave the house.

“I really don't know how she doesn't feel like going out and buying new clothes!” She laughs.

“I always ask myself that too!” You laugh along with her.

You both head towards the city center and start entering various shops.

After spending an hour trying on clothes, you decide to go into Sephora, a place you can't resist, and while you're debating whether or not to buy the Rare Beauty blush you hear your mother's phone ringing. She spends a few minutes on the phone and when she hangs up the call she looks at you with a sad look.

“They just called me from work. They said they found a motive against the other defendant in the trial. I have to go to the office. I'm so sorry to have to leave now, I even thought about going to brunch together.” You can tell she wasn't happy about leaving, but your mom was an established lawyer in your city, and she was now working on this very important case, she couldn't do anything about it.

“Don't worry Mom, I know how important this case is for you! I think I'll take another look in here and then I'll go get something to eat quickly,” you smile at her trying to cheer her up. “Come on, don't make that face, I'll stay here all summer, we'll find many more days to have another mother-daughter moment.”

"You are right! It seems to me that I don't see you very often and I was so happy to spend this day with you! Please don't spend too much money on makeup, I know you don't have a minimum of self-control when you come in here,” she laughs as she hugs you goodbye. You hug her back and with that you see her leave the shop.

You finish your shopping trip - and you may not have exactly listened to what your mother told you about not buying too much makeup - and decide to go alone to that brunch you were supposed to have with her.

You arrive at a small place near the center called Jerome and already from the outside you could see that the interior was all decorated in pink and this caught your attention.

You had passed by here several times but you had never seen it or heard the name of the place, so you deduce that it is a new opening, and so you decide to go in.

The interior was as you expected, all pink with neon cursive writing. On the left was a wall covered in pink and white roses with large swings as eating stations, which also had a large teddy bear that you found absolutely adorable, and on the left a large glass counter showing that which, in your opinion, was paradise.

A waitress with a welcoming smile comes towards you, inviting you to take a seat in the front room and that someone will come to take your order once you are ready.

You return her smile by thanking her kindly and make your way into the room she indicated.

On the way, you find on the right side a wall covered with pink velvet and a bicycle leaning against it with another big teddy bear on it. You find this corner particularly cute so you take your phone out of your bag to take a photo.

As you open the camera app you hear a familiar voice calling you.

“Hi Y/n!”

You turn in the direction of the voice and find the protagonist of your latest dreams sitting at a table on a pink velvet armchair.

"Oh! Hi Harry!" You return the greeting by smiling at him.

He pulls back a chair as a sign to sit next to him and you gladly accept.

“Shopping day I see,” Harry tells you pointing to the bags you had to bring with you.

"Oh yes!" You laugh. “I was out with Mum but she had to run away to work, so I'm forced to go around with all these bags!”

Harry laughs back. “That's why you're here alone.”

You are about to answer him but are interrupted by a waiter who has come to take your orders.

Once he leaves - not before giving you a sweet smile - you see Harry give the boy a not-so-kind look.

You continue your conversation until within a few minutes your food arrives.

You start eating in silence and you notice that Harry keeps staring at you.

“Do I have something on my face?”

“Mh? What?"

“I see you staring at me, I asked you if I had something on my face.”

“No, no you don't have anything on your face, it's just… I don't know if it's appropriate to ask you something.”

“Ask me what?”

He takes a long sigh. “I was just thinking… if you have a boyfriend”

You stop yourself from laughing at his question. “No, I don't have a boyfriend. Why do you ask?"

“I was just curious to know I guess. It is undeniable that you are a beautiful girl and I also noticed how that boy looked at you before and I was just wondering if you have a boyfriend, that's all."

"Don’t worry. In fact, right now I don't want a boyfriend, I broke up a couple of months ago so I'm thinking more about myself now."

“I'm sorry, I didn't know you broke up recently. Can I ask why if it doesn't bother you?”

“Don't worry, it doesn't bother me. I've been with this Italian guy named Lorenzo for more or less a year and a half, except that in the last period, things between us haven't been going so well. In the last few months, I saw him as more detached, and in the end, I discovered that he had another woman... that’s the reason!" you laugh sarcastically.

“Excuse my language but… he must be a real dickhead to have cheated on you.”

“I'm big now, you can use bad words in my presence, and yes you're right, he's a big dickhead!” You laugh and he follows you.

After finishing your brunch you are the first to get up.

“Thanks for keeping me company, Harry. I really enjoyed talking to you!”

“No, thanks to you Y/n! And I enjoyed talking to you too! It could be done more often!” He tells you smiling, making his dimples appear.

“Yes, I would be more than happy to do it again. Maybe I could mention to Dad to invite you to dinner some evening.”

"I'd really like to."

And so you head towards the exit of the place with him opening the door for you like a true gentleman.

Once outside, however, you remember that you had arrived here in your mother's car and now that she was gone you didn't know how to get home. So your only option - other than walking in the July sun for 40 minutes on foot, which you didn't think was the best option - was to ask Harry for help.

“Um, Harry?” You call him. “Sorry but I just realized that I don't know how to get home since my mother left with the car, and.. uhm I wanted to ask you if by any chance, if it were possible for you, you could take me home.”

You didn't like bothering people about your things, because you always had the impression that you were annoying.

“Of course, I can take you home Y/n! I would never leave you stranded. In fact, I was just asking you if you wanted a ride but you beat me to it."

And with that, you head towards his car. And again, being the gentleman that he is, he opens the door for you to get into the car.

Along the way you are rather silent, in addition to the noise of the radio music in the background, there is every now and then an exchange of words.

Once you arrive at the gate of your house you almost feel sorry to let Harry go, and he seems to think the same as you.

You're about to say bye and thank him when an idea comes to you.

“You know I was thinking about the conversation we had that evening at my house and I just remembered that I have another book that I think you might like… if you want you could come in the house for a moment.”

“Yes, I'd like to come in but I don't want to disturb you."

“Don't worry, there's no one at home. Mom and Dad are at work and my sister is at the beach with some friends.”

“Oh…okay.”

He leaves the car in the driveway and so you go into the house.

As soon as you enter you head towards the bookcase in the living room but looking carefully among the books you don't find what you were looking for.

Going back in your memory you remember leaving it in your room; you had recently finished reading it and you immediately thought Harry might like it.

“Um…I think I left it in my room, if you want you can come with me, I also have other books there and I think you might find something you might like.”

"Yes, of course!"

So you go up the stairs and enter your room, but as soon as you enter you see the chair near your bathroom with your pajamas and underwear on it that you had taken off before entering the shower.

But the thing that immediately catches your eyes are your white lace panties on top of your clothes, and, if you look at them better you can also see a darker part on their crotch which you know well what is due to: the man next to you to you.

While you were both in your room, you felt a strange tension in the air. You look at Harry and notice the way he avoids your gaze as if he's hiding something. You suddenly feel vulnerable, remembering the embarrassing moment when you had accidentally left your panties on the chair. You wonder if he saw it.

“Sorry if the room is a little messy,” you say, trying to break the awkward silence.

He smiled faintly. “Don't worry, you told me that the book you recommended is here somewhere, right?”

Your heart beats faster in your chest as you try to figure out if he's just trying to be nice or if he's trying to avoid the awkward moment.

“Sure, it's right there on the nightstand,” you reply, gesturing to the book with a wave of your hand. “Sorry about the mess.”

He walks over to the nightstand, but in his gaze, he notices your panties casually placed on the chair. He lets out a short sigh, trying not to let his embarrassing discovery show. “Thank you,” he said, taking the book carefully.

The tension in the air seems to increase as they both look into each other's eyes, an energy filled with repressed desire and forbidden curiosity.

You try to ignore the racing of your heart as he walks away from the nightstand with the book in his hands.

“There are some really interesting parts,” you say, trying to keep the conversation light. "I hope you like it."

He nodded with a gentle smile. “I can't wait to read it, thanks for the advice.”

The silence that followed was heavy, full of tension and unspoken meaning. You both knew what was behind that embarrassing moment, but neither seemed ready to face it.

You bit your lower lip, trying to find the courage to say something, anything that would break the overwhelming tension. But the words seemed to get stuck in your throat.

Finally, he turns to face you, his eyes meeting yours with an intensity that makes you tremble slightly.

“Is there anything else you would like to talk about?” He asks you, his voice barely a whisper.

You swallow, feeling your heart beat so loudly it sounds like a drum in his ears. “Yes,” you admit in a small voice. “There is something we need to address.”

You feel your heart beating furiously in your chest as he gently approaches, creating an atmosphere full of anticipation.

“I know,” he whispers softly, his voice a seductive harmony in the air vibrant with desire.

A shiver of emotion runs through your skin as your gazes meet, communicating desires and secrets hidden deep inside.

You nod slightly, unable to articulate a sound, your breath held in anticipation of what was about to happen.

He gets even closer, so close that you can feel the heat of his breath on your skin, but without ever crossing that invisible border that separated reality from enchantment.

An instant of silence full of meaning lasts longer, time seems to have stopped as you let yourself be enveloped by the magic of waiting, aware of how powerful and precious that tension suspended between you can be.

You get dangerously close to the point where you can feel his nose touching yours, the desire between you vibrating in the tense air.

Lips a few millimeters apart, the imminent contact was like a promise of suspended passion, when suddenly the sound of the front door opening resonates in the air, interrupting the intimate moment.

You both tense up instinctively, your heart quickening its pace in your chest as your gazes meet in a mixture of agitation and repressed desire.

“Y/n! I am home!" You hear your father's voice coming from downstairs.

“Fuck,” you say as you pull away from Harry, but the heat of the barely touched contact still burned on his lips, while your body trembled slightly in anticipation of what might happen.

[daisymbin]

bestfriend!vernon + epilogue

warnings: none!

pairings: vernon x afab reader

genre: best friends to lovers!!!!

a/n: I'm thinking of turning this into an ot13 series but I'm not quite sure yet....

word count: 1.8k

requests open!

check out my masterlist!

bestfriend!vernon who you met not randomly or by friends but rather, through your mother. why you ask? because your mom & vernon's mom are best friends, so naturally, their kids have to get to know each other, their kids have to be bestfriends just like themselves. naturally vernon and you just have to get married too so that both your moms can fulfill their life long dream of being sisters, as a family. 

bestfriend!vernon who is always being the one who initiates skinship when it comes to you. he finds comfort and peace in the simple things, like hugging you, holding your hands when you're both in a crowded place or when you link your arms with his and you skip happily while walking home. 

bestfriend!vernon who stays up all night with you till the sun rises when you get nightmares and can't go back to sleep. he would talk about the most random of things to try to help you get distracted from the nightmare; which he of course succeeded in doing. on nights like this, he always makes sure to tuck you in & that you're deep in sleep. only then will he turn off the night light by your bedside table and proceed to sleep on the couch; making sure not to close the door to your room completely in case you get another nightmare & need him around. he wants to be sure he can hear you & be there for you.

bestfriend!vernon who loves loves loves movies and watching them in the cinemas, he also thinks watching movies alone in the cinema is his own way of spending ‘me’ time with himself; occasionally, you would join vernon on these movie nights in the cinema, other times, you prefer watching movies in the comfort of your own home; be it your bedroom or living room. but what vernon loves more than his solo movie dates with himself is talking about the movie afterwards and discussing them with you. vernon loves that you could also see & understand the art and depth behind those movies. he loves that he doesn't feel alone in that department. 

bestfriend!vernon who starts to ask to himself if he should tell you how he feels about you when he overhears someone from your class gushing over you as he walked past their table in the cafeteria to get to you. “are you not having anything for lunch today?” you asked as you watch him set his backpack down on the side of the table with only a juice box in his hands and sits across from you. “I'm not that hungry actually… I had a heavy breakfast. you go ahead, watching you eat will make me full.” he said cheekily. he can't possibly admit to you that hearing someone else gush over you made his stomach twist and made him lose his appetite. “really? but you should still eat something! have a bite of mine!” you raised your spoon to his mouth, “aaahhhh” you said as vernon eyes the spoon in front of him and slowly opens his mouth. he doesn't think he can stomach anything right now at the thought of possibly losing you, but how could he ever say no to you when you plead him to have a bite with your doe eyes? vernon quietly accepts his fate that he will do anything for you, even if its small things like this that you don't know about.

bestfriend!vernon who visits your family in secret on a Friday afternoon when he had no classes. “I was so happy you called, we've only ever spoken on the phone these days, I feel like I haven't seen you in forever!” your mother said as she rushes to pull vernon in for a hug. “where is y/n?” she asks as she pulled away from him. “she's in class right now, she doesn't get off until 430pm today,” vernon answered with ease. “I wanted to surprise her, she told me she missed your cooking so I thought I'd come by to pick up some food you made for her to have for dinner tonight instead of the usual pizza we have on Fridays.” vernon admitted as his hands scratch the back of his head out of shyness. “that's so sweet of you vernon! I'm glad she has you by her side. you guys still keep up with your pizza Friday tradition after all these years?” your mother asks as vernon recalls all the pizza Friday nights the both of you had with both your moms right here in this house where he's now standing alone. vernon then realizes how oddly easy this is, to be in your home with your mother, just the 2 of them, as if it's so natural and how its always supposed to be. like he's a part of your family too, not just a friend. “yeah, we still eat pizzas for dinner every Friday thanks to you & my mom.” vernon answers cheekily.

bestfriend!vernon who was rendered speechless when your mother asked him “so, have you told her?” he didn't need to ask what your mother meant or what she was talking about, he knew exactly what she meant. at the young age of 8 years old, vernon had asked your mother for permission for your hand in marriage; not knowing how difficult and different things and feelings actually are when you're both older. back then, everything was simple to naive vernon, if you like someone, you tell them, you kiss them, you get married & you live happily ever after! at least that's what all the barbie movies he's watched with you has taught him. “do you think your daughter feels the same for me?” he asked hesitantly, afraid of the unknown. “that's something you should ask her, not me my dear,” your mother said as she reached out for his hand in comfort. “but what I do know is that if you never try, you will never know. do you think you can live with that? not knowing? and for how long more do you think you can stay by her side as just her friend?” your mother knows all too well how you really feel about vernon. so does his mom. the two adults are simply just watching their two kids being idiots, wondering when the two of you will finally get together. 

epilogue: 

vernon's heart feels so full & he smiles so big as he watches you down your mother's food as if you have been starved for days. “god, I really missed this so much. thank you thank you thank you I love you!” you said hurriedly as you leaned forward to kiss vernon on his forehead with your slightly greasy lips, mouth still full of food, not that vernon minded one bit. “you're the best.” you said as you sat back down to devour the food in front of you. “are you happy? are you enjoying yourself?” vernon asked as he took a sip of his apple juice, still with a big smile painted on his lips. “I'm so so happy, thank you vernon.” there your doe eyes go again, vernon feels his heart swelling up at the sight of you.

“y/n.” he said as he tried to calm his beating heart. you looked up at him in acknowledgement without verbally answering. “can I ask you something?” he asked as he picked up a tissue to wipe the side of your mouth, his face turning serious. “what is it?” you asked as you gulp down your juice. “hmm.. how do you feel about me?” your body involuntarily starts giving you hiccups as soon as your brain starts processing vernon's question. “what..what do you mean?” you asked through your hiccups. “no I mean, I just, I like you..I don't know- no no I mean I know I like you, I like you a lot no I mean I love you I just-” vernon stopped himself when he feels like mind had gone haywire, he doesn't know how to do this.

“okay..? I love you too but-” 

“no not like that. I love you as in…I want to hold your hand and i-” 

“but you already do hold my hand…well sometimes.” you say as your words deflate. 

“exactly. just sometimes. because I don't want to bother you too much with it I don't know if it irritates you or bothers you or if you're just holding my hand because I'm holding your hand and you feel like you have to.” vernon picks up the courage to look at you, trying to read your face but for the first time in his life, he can't for the life of him figure out how you're feeling right now or what you could possibly be thinking about.

“vernon what are you trying to say exactly?” you asked after what feels like an eternity of silence. 

“what I'm trying to say is…is that I want to hold your hand all the time, not just sometimes. I want to kiss you too, not just on your forehead, but also on your cheeks and maybe..on your lips too if you'd let me….okay that didn't come out the way I wanted it to but I mean I just…” vernon paused to take a deep breath before he continued, “what im trying to say is that, i love you. i'm in love with you and I want to be with you and maybe... we could end up like they do in those barbie movies we watched when we were younger. well…that is…if you like me too…?” vernon asked cautiously.

you let out a laugh that comes out sounding more like a giggle, “like you too? if i like you too? vernon, i don't know how the hell you haven't figured out how in love I am with you all these years.” only then does vernon’s body physically relaxes and lets out a sigh of relief. “does this mean you'll let me hold your hand through the entire movie later?” vernon asks as he reaches to hold your hand in his. “I'll let you hold my hand forever if you want, only if you'll let me do the same.” 

vernon doesn't think he could be any happier, or that you could be even more adorable than you already are, but he was proven wrong later that night when you fall asleep with your head on his lap drooling a little while your hand was still holding onto his tightly even in your sleep. vernon takes a picture and sends it to your mother along with the message “i told her today 🙂” his phone vibrates in his free hand with a text back from your mother reading “I always knew this day would come!” 

[90sastroglam]

6th house synastry - my experience

This is honestly my LEAST favorite synastry to have with someone else, but only if I’m the 6th house person (which seems ironic, however it’s really true). I don’t know it this is due to the fact that I don’t have any 6th house placements on my chart…

Also I think this might depend on the sign it is in. In my case, it’s in Aries and they honestly get on my nerves. I’ve had this synastry with SO MANY people in my life. Friends AND family. My mom has her moon in my 6th house, my dad has his SUN and my sister has her MARS in my 6th house (guess who annoys me the most... cough cough mars, although sometimes it’s hard to tell who’s worse). I’ve also been gotten romantically involved with a man who’s mercury was in my 6th house, one of my longtime friends has her venus and one of my college friends has her ascendant in the same house.

Based on this, I would say the venus and ascendant synastry in this house is the easiest to deal with (and the moon in second). My problem with these people is that I often feel as though they’re like overly nitpicky, even cruel and unfair in their critiques - they’ll point things out unnecessarily thinking they’re “protecting me” when really they’re just making me doubt myself. I’ve found that they’ll also criticize me for things they do themselves ALL THE TIME - so they’re basically projecting onto me. And I would be lying if I said they don’t make me feel like shit sometimes. Oh and they’ll do it in public too…

Another detail - these critiques are never constructive… hell nah. They’ll just point out my flaws like no other. Then I try to tell them that they’re crossing boundaries and call them out, ask them to stop… yet they don’t stop and keep pushing ‘till I break. Oh and when I break they’ll literally stare at me like I’m the one who’s insane, even though they provoked everything (I also can’t act like them, ‘cause when I do I’m mean and harsh… they’re the only ones who can do it). To me, they just seem like hypocrites, who project onto me and then claim (as an excuse) they were doing it for me… when really they’re being selfish.

Just to give you an exemple… the guy I was romantically involved with began critiquing my looks soon after we started hanging out… he would often point out my break outs (which he knew were a sensitive topic for me and one of my biggest insecurities, as I was bullied for having a lot of acne when I was younger). Soon he started pointing out my stomach when I was bloated and my weight (I literally have a flat stomach and I’m skinny af… THESE ARE MY ORGANS SIR). As you can pretty much tell, it didn’t workout. I started getting sick of his BS and broke it off, as he would also be rude to me out of nowhere sometimes… then pretend he didn’t do anything And this guy is just a light case, as I was done way worse by both my family and some “friends” with placements in my 6th house.

To me, people with placements in my 6th house just seem rude, bitter and insensitive for NO REASON… no really…. NO REASON AT ALL. Yes they CAN be of service… but they can also be so invasive and even controlling. These are the people who have backstabbed me the most and I was so loyal and respectful towards them. See I would forgive them (yet call then out) so many times, but they really NEVER stop. Because they’re Aries placements they probably won’t be the ones who’ll serve you… I feel like depending on the sign this will work in different ways and let me tell you: aries will never be the submissive ones.

REMINDER: this is just my personal experience. This doesn’t mean aries placements are gonna treat everyone like shit either, it just depends on where they sit in your chart. Please tell me the experience with the sign of your 6th house and which sign it is.

xoxo,

lily.

[greenhaired-gremlin]

Okay very serious post time

TW: school shooting, Apalachee HS shooting

I live and go to achool an hour away from Apalachee. The shock and fear that one experiences when you find out a school an hour away has a shooting is so indescribable to anyone who hasn't experienced it. Today my school has our normal security officer and THREE others, a state trooper, a sheriff, and another who I can't read the car of.

I, a 16 year old, shouldn't have to go to school thinking "what if today's the day?" I should not have to have a plan for every room and every section of my school for if (inevitably, when) something happens. CHILDREN shouldn't have to worry about this. We deserve to be protected. Metal detectors help a little bit, but it's far too easy to slip things past.

At Apalachee two teachers, Richard Aspinwall and Christina Irimie, both of which who had families, were killed. Two students, Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both of which were 14, were also killed. By a 14 year old with an AR-style gun. Colt Gray had access to this weapon through his father, who claimed Colt "did not have unsupervised access to his hunting guns." Colt Gray has been on an FBI watchlist since last year in suspected relation to school shooting threats and social media posts about guns, but they didn't have enough evidence to arrest him. Now 4 people are dead and another 9 are injured, one of which had to be airlifted to Atlanta (Taylor unknown-lastname). David Phoenix (sh0t in the hip and foot according to his daughter) was also injured. All 9 are expected to survive thankfully. (the other 8 victims names haven't been disclosed as they were all students and therefore, minors)

WHEN are the adults who run this godforsaken country going to ACTUALLY do something about this? School started a fucking MONTH ago and there's already been one school shooting with major coverage and who knows how many others.

My mom said to me last night "And I though, at least she only has about a year and a half left, and then I was like nope these things happen at colleges too." I had so many people ask me if I was alright. I'm lucky enough to have never been in a county eith an active shooter but what about those who are? Apalachee has a student population of around 1910, plus their staff. Those are 1910+ families who will never be the same. 1910+ people who will never be the same.

I've seen so many posts of ELEMENTARY SCHOOL teachers talking about how their students told them "they wanted the light up shoes but couldn't get them just in case we have to hide" or something along that line. LITERAL CHILDREN. Everyday my little sisters go to school and I worry about them too. They are 9 and 4.

Protect our children.

Protect us.

Please.

Talk about the victims. Talk about the injured victims. Don't give all the attention to Gray. They had families too.

[seramilla]

So to add to the whole human au idea. Carmilla for whatever reason wants Sera to make the first move. Unfortunately Sera is too much of a mess to do that and very busy not so busy that she doesn't have time but busy enough thay she can use it as excuse to deny herself the chance to find love. Plus Emily at this point is friends with Clara and friendly with Clara's big sister Odette she doesn't want to make everything awkward by getting shot down by Carmilla especially since it gives Emily a place to go after school and rich friends. (Sera is trying to find out how to ask Carmilla to be Emily's godmother in case something happens to her they don't have a lot of living family and less who are qualified to be guardians. Maybe she works up the courage to ask Carmilla that question and Carmilla enthusiastically agrees thinking Sera has finally asked her out only to realize after she said yes that Sera is still to much of a coward to ask.

Carmilla agrees to be Emily's godparent in case something happens to Sera. She takes pity on the woman, who has no other family besides her sister, and probably worries every day about what would happen to Emily in a worst-case scenario. Carmilla just wishes Sera would catch all the hints that she's been dropping about her feelings for the other woman, for the last several months now.

"I don't know about you," Carmilla says, twirling the liquid in her wine glass casually, as she looks across at Sera from the kitchen island. "I feel like there might be an easier and more...permanent solution to this."

"Oh really?" Sera asks. "What is that?"

Carmilla puts down her glass of wine, reaching across the counter to lace her fingers with Sera's on the smooth, granite surface between them. Sera eeps! but doesn't pull away. Carmilla's skin is so soft, and has her in a trance. Her face flushes profusely, but she looks at the other woman, waiting for her to finish her thought.

"You could let me take you out to dinner. Really get to know me. And then think harder about the kind of relationship you'd like to have with my girls, too. They could really use another mom."

Carmilla rubs the inside of Sera's palm with her expensively manicured nails, and Sera shivers. She swallows heavily. She's been trying to deny Carmilla's advances for...how long at this point? But she trusts her, that's why she'd asked her to be Emily's guardian. But for her to just come out and ask this type of question? So blatant and honest like this?

She wants to. She's been denying it for so long, but since Carmilla has stopped dancing around the subject and asked her outright, how can she say no? She's been thinking the same thing the entire time.

"Oh-okay," Sera says, seeing the spark that lights up behind Carmilla's eyes at that one little word. Success! "As--as long as you're sure?"

"Perfectly sure," Carmilla says, taking Sera's hand completely into hers this time, giving it an affectionate squeeze. She smiles at her, winks, and then pulls away to go check on the girls. "It's a date, then."

Sera swallows heavily again, and puts both hands to her face in embarrassment. What type of woman is Carmilla Carmine, really? And what had she just gotten herself into, this time?

[narrans]

My Borrowed Son | 30 | Make It Right

Chapter Thirty | Make It Right

Kers stood shoulder to shoulder with the other members of the family as they stared down into the kitchen from the safety of the loosened light fixtures and the slightly ajar smoke alarm.

They heard everything.

They knew everything.

Parker had run away, and Amanda was quickly spiraling in desperation trying to find out where he was. The little Borrower teen had obviously been overwhelmed and, for one reason or another, had left the safety of the house and had gone somewhere else.

Of course they hadn’t had a thorough search of the house, so he could still be hiding inside somewhere in the crawl space or in another part of the attic. It was doubtful though. If the teen was going somewhere, he would have probably made his way back to the family to hide out there. He knew the way there and back after all.

From where they were, the family witnessed everything. They watched Amanda prepare breakfast and wait around for Parker. They heard her crying out for him and turning the house upside down trying to find him. They heard her sobbing and watched her collapse into her chair and onto the floor.

What made it more unnerving was that Amanda spoke directly to them.

“Um… h-h-hello? Hello? My name is Amanda. I… I know you’re there. Please, my son… Parker….” She was choking on practically every word, but she obviously forced herself to continue. It made everyone flinch, preparing to dart into the walls for cover if she happened to spot them.

“I… just want to know if he’s safe. Is Parker there? Is he with you? Look… I… I know what it must’ve looked like, but I swear that I only have Parker’s best interest at heart. He’s my son. It… it doesn’t matter to me if he’s a… Borrower. I love him. If… if he wants to stay with you…

“Please… I just want to know he’s safe. I saw this letter on his bed about finding the truth. I… I don’t know if he’s with you or if he’s run away. I just want to know he’s safe. Please! Do you know where he is? Is he okay? I just want to know he’s safe. That’s all. Please… Please! I just want to find my son. I just want to apologize to him. I… I didn’t get to say goodbye. Please, if he’s with you… please… just give me that?”

It was the plea of a parent who loved their child.

It was hauntingly similar to the things Kers heard before during his times living outside in the wilderness. Too many times there was no “last goodbye.” Too many times Borrowers would vanish into thin air or dragged away by some monstrosity or another.

The whole thing made him shudder.

The desperation.

The anguish.

The undeniable emotion.

The family to his left and right continued to whisper amongst themselves as they tried to process everything that was going on.

“Do you think she saw us?” hissed Kit.

“There’s no way,” replied Finnick.

“Shhh… if she hasn’t heard us or spotted us, she might if she hears us now,” stated Toulouse.

“Are we going to have to move?” asked Reed as he looked up at his mom, who was holding his youngest sister.

“I… I don’t know. I hope not, but we’d best get our packs ready just in case.”

“Why would he leave? Why would Parker do something as stupid as run away? Are we sure he’s not just hiding somewhere in the house?” asked Kit.

“Gee… I don’t know, Kit. Why would someone do something as stupid as go and reveal themselves to someone without gathering more information first?” shot back Finnick.

“Shut up! I was trying to help!”

“Shush! Both of you! Stop bickering. We don’t know anything at this point,” Toulouse sighed. “Right now, we have to assume Amanda’s going to start tearing down the walls to find Parker.”

Enough was enough. He had made a promise to himself that he would help keep Parker safe. He had failed, and now the consequences were upon him. Parker was missing and it was all completely preventable.

It would have been easy to say if he had done this or if he had done that then Parker would be safe and sound in his bed being an average teenager. It would have been so very easy, but that wasn’t what happened.

They were here. This whole situation was of all of their making – Kers, Amanda, and the kids of the family – and now it was time for Kers to swallow his fear and do something.

He clenched his jaw, knowing what he was about to do, and pushed himself away from the opening. The path was a long one and he needed to get a move on if he was going to keep his cool. There was plenty of time for him to talk himself out of what he was about to do.

When he turned around, however, Kit and the others turned around to watch him leave.

“What do you think you’re doing? Where are you going?” hissed Kit as she lunged forward and seized Kers’ arm. The other Borrowers nodded in agreement as they looked at Kers in the same horrified, confused expression Kit had on her face.

“I can’t just let her talk to herself down there worrying to death that her son might’ve been abducted by us,” argued Kers. “I’m going down there to talk to her.”

Everyone’s eyes widened as big as human saucer plates, all saying at once, “You can’t! The rules! You’ll be caught!”

Kers, rarely brought to anger, turned on the family of six and felt himself bristle.

“I told you that boy was fine, and you took it upon yourselves to destroy his reality overnight when he wasn’t ready. He was starting to ask the right questions and I told you you shouldn’t interfere. Now his mom is panicked and he’s missing,” Kers growled. “If you had listened, we might not be in this mess.”

“He’s a Borrower! He needed to be with us and not out there playing pet!” Kit countered.

“He wasn’t a pet. He’s her son. And if you don’t want the walls and floors to go up, you’ll let me go and won’t stop me,” argued Kers. “Because, as far as she knows, we’re keeping Parker against his will. She loves him and…”

“And taking him for her own amusement is no way to treat him,” Kit interrupted. “She probably stole him from his parents after poisoning them or something.”

At this, Kers grinned as he remembered something. He actually found himself chuckling at the irony of what just popped in his mind. It was something they said to Parker when he was in the family kitchen getting his life turned upside down.

“She didn’t steal him. She borrowed him. There’s a difference,” stated Kers. He tugged his arm free and continued heading toward the secure line he made leading down into the living room. His heart was beating a hole straight through him, but the weight of everything that transpired was already beginning to ease.

This was the right thing to do.

This needed to be done.

The path down usually felt like a long one, but Kers suddenly found himself standing in front of the electrical cover that led to the kitchen counter. He was there far faster than he anticipated, and sadly the words he wanted to say hadn’t come to him. On the other hand, he had the last four or so years to come up with the right words and hadn’t managed it yet.

It was now or never. Kers could only hope that the words would come to him, and that Amanda would see reason. Kers had no additional supplies on him except for his daggers, a climbing hook, and a little water. It was hardly a stellar list if he were to be captured, but he knew he wouldn’t be; at least, he hoped he wouldn’t be.

Do it.

Help her.

You owe her that much.

He reached out with trembling fingers and unlatched the electrical cover. Every instinct screamed at him to run back to the safety of the walls as he loudly opened and closed the electrical cover he used to get into the kitchen.

His muscles shook and threatened to override his will and retreat back into the walls, but he stood firm. With borrowed confidence he got from somewhere he couldn’t begin to name, Kers strode across the counter and stood firm as he looked out across the vertigo inducing kitchen and the human who was already way too close for comfort.

The sight was pitiful. Usually the sight of a human was terrifying, but now almost felt like the exception. Amanda looked broken and moments away from completely crumpling in a heap. She was leaning against the kitchen island away from Kers and, at the moment, she hadn’t noticed him.

It was the biggest leap of faith Kers had taken in his life. He inhaled one last shuddering breath before daring to clear his throat.

~~~^*^*^~~~

Amanda’s eyes burned like a desert fire. Never had she had a headache like this in her life. Everything hurt, and there was nothing she could do. Three hours of crying came at a price, but Amanda knew she would gladly pay it if she could just find out where Parker was.

She knew she should’ve said something sooner.

She knew she could’ve done so much differently, but hindsight was twenty twenty.

There were a million ways this could have gone, and this was what it was. If it was Hell, then it was of her own making – and Amanda knew it.

Still, she would give anything and everything to make it right.

Head pounding with every aching heartbeat, Amanda stumbled to the kitchen sink and ran some cold water over her wrists before taking a few mouthfuls of the frigid water. It barely quenched her thirst, but it was a step in the right direction. Amanda knew wallowing in sadness wouldn’t bring Parker back. It wouldn’t even help her feel better. It was just what her body decided to do to react to everything around her.

There was a hopeless part of her that could only assume her pleas earlier had gone unanswered. Parker had said there were others in the walls, but it was more and more apparent none of them were ready to help her.

Amanda’s mind spiraled as she collapsed against the sink, another bout of sobs threatening to overtake her. Her knees were shaking like leaves in a hurricane, yet she somehow managed to stay standing while propped up against the granite surface.

My boy.

My precious boy.

Where’d you go?

Are you safe?

It was right then that Amanda heard something so soft she almost missed it as her inner voice attempted to drown out all of her senses.

It sounded like a “clack” followed by another softer clacking sound. What was more unnerving was it sounded like it was right behind her. Confusion added to the foggy clouds in Amanda’s mind as she instinctually turned toward the sound behind her.

That’s when she heard it.

A cough.

Her heart leapt into her throat, and she spun around, desperately hoping it was Parker. That’s when she saw him. It wasn’t Parker, but it was someone just as big as him.

A Borrower.

He was standing out on the counter halfway between the wall and the very edge. The Borrower looked to be athletically inclined, muscles noticeably tone and sharp even at this distance under his ill fitting clothes. There was a pack on his back as well as a thumbtack and stay pin on his hips, both of which his hands rested on in casual preparedness. His face was slightly sallow, but his blue eyes held undeniable zeal and desire for life – a survival instinct that would not be denied.

The Borrower’s hair, a dark and shaggy brown, had been tied into a kind of bun using thread to keep it in a form of top knot. There was an obvious scar on his cheek, though there was no telling how he got it.

Though he portrayed undeniable confidence, the same could be said for his raw apprehension.

He was uncomfortable. It was obvious and he was trying not to be.

Amanda, so taken aback, stumbled backward and nearly fell to the ground when she hit the island counter behind her. The sound alone made the lone figure jump and retreat two steps before visibly swallowing hard and approaching the edge again.

Then, in a clear and concise voice, he said, “Hello, Amanda. I… think it’s about time we talked.”

Kers was shaking from head to toe. Determination filled him, but his body’s physical response could not deny he was terrified of what he was currently doing. As he looked into Amanda’s immense eyes, the words of the other Borrower family felt all too true.

If Amanda wanted to trap him in a cage or maime him to keep him from leaving, there was little to nothing he could do. Kers knew it. It was his worst nightmare.

He also knew Amanda and her son. He knew how she interacted with him and knew very well that Amanda would never do anything to hurt the small Borrower boy. It was a testament to her maternal instincts.

That being said, Kers wasn’t sure how she would react to someone who she thought might’ve taken her child. For all he knew, she would end him on the spot. The Borrower’s instincts told him otherwise, but just the possibility made him shake in his borrowing boots.

He could only hope Amanda saw his olive branch of information as a boon and would take that into consideration should she turn to more violent tendencies.

Speaking was never one of Kers’ strong suits, and now was no exception; however, it was necessary. Even thought facing a hundred hungry cats was more appealing than standing out here on the counter in front of a human, Kers stood there anyway.

Her eyes were on him.

His eyes were on her.

As Amanda obviously processed the information in front of her, she still managed to muster a single question which would undoubtedly further their interaction.

“You… are you… Kers?”

Hearing his name uttered by human lips set Kers’ nerves on edge. Every instinct in him screamed to flee back into the walls and abandon this futile mission. It wasn’t like he had something to tell her. He didn’t know where Parker was.

But it wasn’t the decent thing to do.

He was better than that.

Bigger than that.

Stiffly, he swallowed his apprehension again and nodded, managing a dry, “Yes,” as his throat constricted, choking out any other words that might’ve come out at that moment.

Instantly, he saw Amanda’s features flood with anxious hope as she continued to prop herself up onto the counter opposite him.

“You… live in the walls? You talked to Parker?” Amanda asked. Kers winced and nodded. He knew how bad that sounded.

“You… you’re the one who’s been living in the walls. You’ve been watching Parker and me?” asked Amanda stiffly. Kers winced slightly at the implication and took a few deep breaths before speaking as loudly and as clearly as possible.

“When you put it like that, it sounds creepy; but, yes. I’m the one who’s been living in the walls for some time now,” stated Kers, throat dry like sandpaper and body shaking already from the interaction. “I’ve watched you with Parker for almost four years actually.”

Amanda’s eyes widened while what little color was in her splotchy, tear stained face drained.

“F-f-four… years?” Amanda echoed.

“Yes, but can…” The words stuck in Kers’ throat and kept him shaking. Kers focused on the facts and the task at hand which helped summon the courage to continue. “Right now, can we focus on what’s important – on Parker?”

At the mention of his name, Amanda’s eyes glossed over and her jaw went slack.

“Do… do you know w-where h-he is? Do you have him?” asked Amanda, throat plagued with heart wrenching emotion. “Please, give him back. I swear I would never hurt him. I… if he wants to stay, that’s… f-fine. I… j-just want t-t-to say goodbye. Please. Please!”

It broke his heart, but Kers shook his head.

“No, I don’t know where he is – and I would tell you if I did,” stated Kers. The venomous, hopeless glare Amanda shot him made the Borrower take a few steps back. This wasn’t a look he was familiar with, and he knew it came purely from her protective maternal instincts. He needed to tread carefully. “P-p-please… you have to believe me. I told Parker not to do anything emotional or reckless now that he knows what he is.”

“Believe you? Believe you? It’s because of you that he’s gone!” sobbed Amanda. “I was going to tell him! I was going to talk to him about everything and we are none of your business!”

Kers had no time to react before Amanda pushed herself off of the counter behind her and slammed into the countertop Kers was standing on. The Borrower was suddenly inches from her hands. Kers blinked and, to his horror, one of those hands suddenly wrapped around his torso and slammed him onto his back, pinning him to the granite surface.

He didn’t even have time to scream.

Eyes blown wide with fear, Kers thrashed in the human grip instinctually as every instinct screamed to fight. He wrestled his arm around and had his fingers wrapped around his thumb tack dagger. All the while, his mind was racing.

You were wrong!

You were wrong!

You were wrong!

She’s going to kill you!

She’s going to crush you and toss you in a jar.

The Borrower began to hyperventilate as he heart pumped nothing but air into his veins. He felt like he could vomit out his stomach from sheer panic. Still, he found the strength to look up into Amanda’s eyes and keep control over himself.

“I swear! I d-don’t have him! A-a-and I didn’t tell him about us! I w-was g-going to talk to you first! Someone else thought he was in danger and went to help. It was a misunderstanding!” pleaded Kers.

In that moment, he was able to still his body because of what he saw.

What he saw was a distraught, heartbroken, determined mom who was at her wits end and desperately grasping at straws to find her son. She lashed out at the first person she encountered, which was all.

“I swear, if you don’t give back my son, you will regret it,” growled Amanda harshly.

I already am. Kers thought.

In his clearest voice and locking his eyes onto Amanda’s, he stiffened his features and said, “I don’t have your son. He’s not in the walls. I checked. I wish I found him before coming down her. I only came down here because I heard your pleas and couldn’t let you stand down here suffering and thinking we took him.”

Amanda’s eyes narrowed as she latched onto the words.

“You don’t have him, but what about the others? Did they take him? Parker said ‘we’ last night, and you said it just now. What about them? Hm? Did they take him?” Amanda demanded.

“No! We don’t have him. I don’t have him. They don’t have him. He’s gone, and we need to find him,” said Kers sternly. “He’s confused and hurt and probably doing something reckless, and the only thing that’s going to help him is us. All of us.”

Amanda’s stunned silence gave Kers a bit of reassurance. It meant he wasn’t going in a cage, and she was considering what he was saying. He was going to use this to his advantage. Amanda’s eyes flicked from side to side as realizations hit her. It was like watching one domino hitting the next like a Rube Goldberg machine.

Her hostility returned as she loomed over him. The light illuminated her from behind, giving her a menacing silhouette like shadow as she leaned over Kers.

“I swear, if you’re lying to me, you will regret it. You’re staying down here with me until I get my son back. You will suffer ten times what you’ve put me through. Do you hear me?” growled Amanda.

Kers felt hopelessness creeping over him. He wanted to plead for his life, but then something crept into Kers’ mind. Amanda’s hands were shaking. Kers thought it was his own fear making him shake, but glancing at the hand wrapped around him told him another story. Amanda was terrified, but she was also a caring mom.

It was a risky play, but he had nothing else to hide and nothing else to give. He could stab Amanda’s hand and make a break for the door, but that would only create animosity and force him and the other Borrowers to run for their lives.

That’s not what he wanted.

Kers was indeed completely at Amanda’s mercy, and she knew it; but Kers also knew Amanda wasn’t the type to hurt someone else.

Her grabbing him was a play – it was a bluff.

It was a pure guess, but Kers wanted to believe that Amanda wouldn’t actually hurt him. He had to believe it. His life depended on it. It was a game of chicken where he had everything to lose and nothing to gain unless she listened to him. The Borrower pinned all his hopes on this one chance and hoped it would pay off.

He took a second and attempted to calm himself down. Breathing techniques felt useless and the arm that could reach the thumbtack dagger was still pinned. Nothing else could be done except talk his way out of it. He had to appeal to Amanda’s decency and that maternal instinct that kept Parker safe for so many years.

It was his last chance to get free and help Amanda see reason.

“I’m not lying to you, Amanda,” stated Kers. “And you’re not going to hurt me. You won’t hurt me.”

“Oh? And why is that?” snapped Amanda. Kers took a breath and spoke calmly and clearly.

“Because you’re a good person. Amanda, you’re a good person. I’ve watched you for years. You wouldn’t ever hurt Parker because you see him as a person and as your son. And you won’t hurt me. I know you’re hurting. I am too. I should’ve talked to you about what Parker was before now, but we can’t change that.

“Someone broke the news to Parker before we did, and now all we can do is try and help him now; and that starts with us finding Parker,” stated Kers. Amanda’s eyes were locked onto Kers. He felt like he was under a microscope, every expression and word being scrutinized.

Now, however, was different. As the dominos connected once again in Amanda’s mind, Kers felt her grip faulter ever so slightly. Whatever she saw, it was finally connecting that Kers was telling the truth.

“Y…you… didn’t take him…” she breathed. Kers held his breath as her coffee breath washed over him. During this entire interaction, Kers had ignored all of his other senses as his body panicked after being grabbed.

“No. I didn’t,” stated Kers. “And I didn’t tell him that he was a Borrower. I told the others not to say anything until I talked to you. I begged them to not say anything to Parker. He wasn’t ready, but that’s not what happened and that’s not where we are. Now… please take your hand off of me and let’s figure out where your son is.”

Amanda’s hardened gaze softened in a matter of seconds. Her harsh and protective exterior melted away like snow on a summer day. Once again, she looked like a wounded mother desperate to find her child. Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked mortified at what she had done. She retracted her hand in two stunned motions and stepped away to lean on the island counter again.

The moment Kers felt the weight of her hand leave him, his entire body relaxed. He heaved in breath after breath as his head swirled uncomfortably fast. The chill left from the absence of a sweltering hand made him shiver, but it was a relief all the same.

Amanda’s soft sobs filled the kitchen once again and, once Kers composed himself, the Borrower pushed himself upright again and looked down at Amanda’s crumpled body. Her head was hidden in her hands in shame.

“I… I’m so sorry. I’m so so sorry. I… I didn’t mean…”

It was mind numbing. One moment ago, Kers was locked in complete fear of this human woman. Now, she was a pitiful puddle again. It was enough to give him whiplash, but that wasn’t the reason he was down here now.

“I… I know you didn’t mean to, Amanda. It’s okay,” stated Kers. He kept having to heave in air as if he were out of breath from a long sprint. It was the only thing that kept his heart from exploding out of his chest. “I know this is a lot for you right now, but I want to help. You can ask me questions and I’ll try to answer them if I can. If you want me to leave and try to find Parker, I can do that. He still might be in the house hiding somewhere I haven’t checked yet.”

“I…” Amanda looked up into Kers’ eyes and barely managed a half smile. She looked like a woman who finally had a lifeline. It was like her mind had somehow confirmed that she wasn’t crazy by seeing Kers sitting there in front of her.

“Yes?” Kers prompted. He didn’t do well in silences when others were nearby.

“Thank you. Really. Thank you.”

“Sure thing,” breathed Kers. “Now, what questions do you have?”

It took some time, but the next forty-three minutes filled itself with cobbled together question between Amanda and Kers. The Borrower gave a brief rundown of what a Borrower was and a brief history of when Kers moved into her home. He explained the need for secrecy, which made Amanda break into another round of sobs because of her emotional outburst and impulse to grab Kers, and emphasized that Amanda wasn’t at fault.

“You did everything you could for Parker, and I’m sure he knows that. He’s just… confused. I mean, I would be,” reassured Kers. “Now, as to where he went. Is there any place where Parker might have gone outside of here? Would he have gone back to your place? Was there somewhere he would have gone to hide? Is there something like a furniture piece here he would’ve hidden in?”

Amanda wracked her brain, but only one thing came to mind.

“I talked to him last night about where I found him. If… if I had to guess… he might be trying to get back there,” said Amanda after thinking for several long minutes. “But why would he? At his size? He’s so little. He… he couldn’t make it all the way. Not with being so small. He could get crushed or grabbed or run over or…”

“Amanda! Focus. Remember, Borrowers are durable and it’s the best lead we have right now. He would probably take the most direct path there, and he’s got a massive head start on us. If we don’t want it to get dark on us, we need to get moving. I’ll keep looking here an-”

“Please… come with me.”

The request stunned Kers into silence. He was already pushing his comfort levels sitting here across the way from Amanda. The thought of her carrying him or holding him was beyond the line he had set for boundaries.

“G-go? With you?”

“You’re right. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I… after what I did… It’s okay. You look here. I’ll go out and see what I can see,” stated Amanda. “You’re already helping me more than I could’ve hoped for. Really. Thank you.”

Kers closed his eyes and took a breath. The chances of Amanda knowing what to look for was slim to none. As a Borrower, Kers had additional instincts and a different perspective as to what path he would take versus what a human would take.

While Parker was raised by a human, he obviously had advanced instincts for someone his age. Many experienced Borrowers didn’t have the skills Parker possessed, and that would factor into how he made his way back to the park.

The decision was obvious and uncomfortable, but it was something Kers couldn’t refuse.

“N-no… I… I’ll come with you. I’ll explain on the way, but… let’s go. Hurry! Before I change my mind,” urged Kers. Amanda looked confused momentarily, but nodded and offered an open hand toward the place Kers still sat on the counter.

How on earth did Parker deal with this? Kers wondered as he forced himself to his feet and onto Amanda’s hand. The surface was like a squishy carpet, uneven and flexible. Already, Kers felt nauseous, but he swallowed the bile in the back of his throat and knelt on the hand that had him trapped once before.

“Let’s go find your son.”

~~~~~^*^*^*^*^~~~~~

Continue

Previous

Beginning

[gucciwins]

OMG your latest firefighter blurb was absolutely incredible and i’m actually obsessed with them🥺 i can just imagine after that storm that harry would light a fire on their wooden fireplace back home and cuddle up close to firebug and talk about literally sweet nothings :(((

thank you so much, darling 🤗 firefighter!harry has a special place in my heart. he's so in love with his firebug

//

“What are we watching tonight?” Y/N asks from the kitchen as she finishes serving their cup of hot chocolate. Harry was kind enough to pick up a few donuts while she finished in the shower. He told her they both deserved it after the day they had. She knows he did it because he knows they’re her favorite. It also helps that she showered him in kisses when she saw the familiar purple box on the counter. 

“Thought we could watch a movie, angel.” 

She hums, “it’s your turn to choose.” 

“What are we in the mood for?” 

Y/N laughs; Harry always does this. He wants to pick a movie he knows she’ll enjoy. She doesn’t mind what they watch; she loves being cuddled in his arms. “Surprise me, H.”

He sighs dramatically. She sets their mugs down on the coasters Harry bought for them when they visited his mom and sister in England. They’re a pair of angel wings, and she loves that he bought them because they reminded him of her. He always seems to do that. Y/N settles down on the couch, watching him tend the fire to their fireplace. 

Y/N had known her house was always too big, but she bought it when prices were low and she was thinking of a future she might have. Now more and more, the future has been getting clear, especially when she sees Harry right by her side for every new step. She never dared touch the fireplace because she was afraid something would happen if she stepped away from it. Harry was so excited as winter came and saw that the fireplace looked as good as new. He took it upon himself to show Y/N how to properly start the fire and turn it off so that no sparks would reignite it. He even went to show her what she had to do in an emergency, though he promised her that would not be the case. 

“Warm enough, firebug?” Harry turns around, happy to see her snuggled underneath the blankets he dropped on their couch. 

She opens up her arms, calling him to her. “Cuddle me, please.” 

“You never even have to ask,” he assures her. 

Harry steps away from the fire and falls right on top of her making her laugh ring out loud through their home. He knows it’s the best feeling in the world to be right here with the love of his life. He easily shifts them to lay on their sides, both able to hear the opening notes of the movie. 

“What movie did you pick?” She whispers. 

“Tangled.” 

She giggles, “good choice.” 

They lay sideways, Y/N never turning her back against Harry to look at the screen, not bothering to sing along as she would have every other time. No, her focus is solely on Harry tonight. He doesn’t mind one bit. 

“TJ told me how he and Carols are thinking about getting a pet.” Harry shares with Y/N.

“Yeah, they seem like dog dads.” 

Harry laughs, “what do I seem like? Hmmm, pretty angel.” 

Y/N feels her face flush and resists the urge to hide, knowing Harry loves seeing her smiley, especially when he’s the reason. “A cat, dad.”

“Yeah, you want me to share my love with a little kitten.” 

“Only if you promise to still love me the most,” she confesses. 

Harry shakes his head, pressing his lips against hers. “The easiest promise of my life, there is no competition.” 

“I feel we’ve kept many plants alive, and I think we’re ready for the next step.” 

“Do you?” Harry brushes a few strands of her away. 

“Mhm… wouldn’t you like that?” 

“Mimi Y/LN-Styles.”

She scrunches her nose at his name suggestion. “I do like our last names together.” 

“Fine, no, Mimi.”

Y/N raises her hand, letting herself trace Harry’s eyebrows down his nose until she reaches his lips. “Maybe on Sunday, we can go check out the shelter?” 

Harry playfully nips at her fingertip as she retraces his soft lips. She giggles, pulling back her finger. “Want to make me a daddy,” he teases.

“Harry!” She pulls back, shocked, slapping his shoulder gently. He shrugs, clearly amused. “You’re a dork.”

He tugs her back close to his chest, not liking the gap she created. “Love you so much, angel.”

She sighs, melting into him. “Love you,” she promises back.

“We can start with a fish,” he jokes. 

“Or a snake,” she teases.

“Now hang on….” 

Y/N knows that whatever comes next in life is something she is excited about because she gets to do it with Harry.

[authortobenamedlater]

E3 deep dive, brought to you by illness and cold medicine, you are warned.

I maybe should start just doing the highs and lows of each episode, because these take forever to write and I’m not sure how interesting they are for the rest of you. I was going to do highs and lows at the end of this post but it got too long.

We open up with Silver Team going rogue at Visegrad Relay, looking for their Cobalt comrades. It’s becoming increasingly clear that not only is this mission off the books, but John hasn’t told his team this. Not great for unit cohesion, Master Chief.

The base is eerily empty and there’s a rhythmic thumping sound. The Covenant? No, just a door opening and closing. Somehow that doesn’t feel much less scary.

Instead of the Covenant, we meet a swarm of Marines led by an impressively gutsy and likely ONI officer who puts herself between Silver Team and the ominously thumping door. She accuses John of stealing a Condor and falsifying a flight plan. This is news to the rest of Silver. John doesn’t care and barges through the door expecting to find Cobalt. He finds a whole lot of nothing. This doesn’t look like a cover-up at all, nope.

Next we whiplash to Ackerson having a touching and mundane moment with his father, who’s senile but not so far gone he doesn’t know he’s senile. Evidently Ackerson has been spilling classified information to his dad. In light of everything else going on, that’s pretty far down on Ackerson’s list of misdeeds. We also learn that “Julia” the mysterious flash clone was Ackerson’s sister. Why did he clone a bunch of her for Halsey? Ackerson Sr. reminds his son “You promised not to let them [the Covenant, presumably] take me alive.” Once again, nothing ominous here.

Then we have Dadmiral Keyes dressing down his overgrown children for ripping through the UCMJ like it’s wet toilet paper. You also get the feeling Keyes is getting squeezed into this and has information he should have shared with Silver, but was ordered not to. John asks if Ackerson is behind this, and everyone knows the answer but can’t say it.

John’s team is rightly furious with him for lying to them. Kai at least tries to reason with him but John’s not hearing it. The audience knows John is right and the UNSC-ONI machine is gaslighting him into thinking he doesn’t see what he knows he’s seeing. However, he’s still being a jerk about it and turning his own people against him. He doesn’t help his case when he mops the floor with his ONI babysitters like Steve Rogers taking out the Hydra guys in The Winter Soldier elevator scene.

Laera is trying to escape the Rubble and go after Soren, only to get wrapped up in Soren’s crew’s plot to steal the “Madrigal money.” Kwan continues to prove herself both useless and useful. With Madrigal glassed now, one has to wonder what role Kwan has to play. At the same time, she’s tough and resourceful, I have to give her that. She also tries to do what’s right. She knew Laera would die and went to rescue her, probably thinking she could reunite mother and son at some point but mom has to be alive for that to happen.

Laera, too, shows herself to be more than just a pretty face, resisting Antares’s interrogation even with a gun to her head. And the part where she says “I can usually reason with my husband” 🤣 it takes a real woman to hang with Soren-066. Plus, Laera always looks fabulous! I want to look that good if I ever get shoved in an airlock.

Got ahead of myself there, but some things work best tackled as a big chunk.

Riz seems to be increasingly disenchanted with Spartan life, not that I can blame her after how John treated her last week. Never mind that she’s been in constant pain for six months. She ends up at Louis’s place where we learn he and Danilo the PT are married. Riz asks Louis what “other things” there are to be besides a Spartan. We don’t get the rest of the conversation, but it looks like Riz might be getting ready to jump ship. She may find her options more limited once Reach falls, though.

Back at the ranch, we discover what actually happened to Cobalt. They were in fact at Visegrad, and ran into the Covenant. We don’t know if this happened before or after Silver Team showed up, but it confirms what we all thought: There’s some conspiracy to keep Covenant activity on Reach under wraps.

Keyes is clearly distraught over the four (remarkably intact) bodies in the morgue. THE DADMIRAL LOVES HIS OVERGROWN EMOTIONALLY STUNTED SPARTAN CHILDREN I am not taking questions on this. The exchange between him and Ackerson here is top-tier. When Ackerson tells Keyes to leave and Keyes says “I won’t run”? I don’t think you’re going to be in season 3, Jacob.

Kai goes to Ackerson, who admires her for defending her “CO.” John isn’t her “commanding officer.” He’s not an officer. I don’t know what they’d call him, though. “Your team leader”? I won’t bug you all with nitpicking terminology. Kai is so stir crazy that she asks to be deployed alone until John is cleared for combat. This, I suspect, is how she ends up with the S-IIIs.

John takes his concerns to Parangosky, who to the surprise of no one, has not really left ONI. He tells her the Covenant is on Reach and no one is listening to him. Parangosky doesn’t give him the help he’s looking for. She tells him to go back to FLEETCOM and lay low, and she’s brought a cadre of spooks to ensure his compliance. This does not placate the increasingly agitated Master Chief.

Ackerson visits Halsey in holo-jail and gives her a speech about how she made the Spartans “fragile” by implanting those pellets. He tells her that “these things [she] made, broken as they may be” will be the foundation for something greater. I suspect this is the Spartan-III program. It’s also what Adun says to Halsey’s clone right before he kills her and dissolves her in acid.

Then the bomb drops: Julia, Ackerson’s sister, was a Spartan who died from the augmentations. Suddenly everything about Ackerson makes sense.

But the bombs aren’t done dropping. Ackerson leaves, then walks back in with none other than Soren-066. He tells Halsey “I didn’t want you to be alone” and walks out. Halsey looks legit TERRIFIED when she sees Soren.

Finally, John goes to see Talia and finds her in church. I’m going Gaga over the religious references this year, you all don’t even know. Talia has a recording of the “interference” on Sanctuary, which we find out is also a prayer offered by the Arbiter not named Thel ‘Vadam, stating his intention to offer Reach as a burnt offering and place the Demon’s head on the altar.

While Talia is translating the prayer, we see a montage that notably shows us Ackerson giving his father a pill, probably cyanide, reiterating his promise that he wouldn’t let the Covenant take his dad alive. He tells his father “I have to go away” which is the third time he’s said as much in two episodes. As he’s walking out, Ackerson brings in a final Julia clone, and his dad thinks he’s seeing his little girl one last time. A teary-eyed Ackerson walks out, and the next time we see him he’s strapped into a troop transport. Going where, we wonder?

Then an explosion shatters the church’s windows and the episode ends.

All this sets us up for…next week it’s all going down.

[paarthurnax59]

"Always her Hero"

Prologue

Warning; Sad goodbyes, Sadness, heavy angst!

Word count: 2.9k

Year 2007…

Smallville, Kansas 

On the Parker Farm.

Prologue

   The sky was dark and cloudy, not one spot of blue sky could be seen. It was in the middle of the day as Hope Parker had packed up everything for her move to New York. It had not been a month since the funeral and Hope was already moving out of her once beloved childhood home. With a simple look, she thinks back to all the loving memories that she made with this house. Birthdays, Holidays, sleepovers, playdates, and everything in between. Many of them included one person was Hope's best friend, who was now standing right by her with his arm wrapped around her shoulders.

“You’ll be okay.” He said as he shook her gently making her look up at him. He had a beautiful, yet sad smile on his face. Hope took another look at the house and sighed as she laid her light-blue eyes on it for the last time. Never had she thought this day would come where she would say goodbye to not only her home, but also to the boy that she had been friends with since earlier childhood. Clark Kent. All her life, he had been the one constant thing. He was always there for her. Through both her darkest and brightest moments of her life. The boy standing next to her, had made everything all that much brighter. He made it shine like the full moon over the fields of barley that surrounded the farmland of Smallville. Now, she had to say goodbye. 

   She saw her aunt, her mom’s sister, Hilarie, signing the last of the few papers with Lionel Luthor and Lex standing beside him. Hope gave the young, bald man a glare. Sure, he didn’t orchestrated all this, but he didn’t try to do anything to stop it. They were friends once. For the past few years, her and Lex had a distant friendship where she didn’t feel trusting of him. Now, he was just standing by and letting her mom’s sister sell her family farm. 

“You know you can always stay here, Hope. At our home until you graduate.” John, Clark’s father, and owner of Kent farms offered her. She turned to him and looked up at John. 

“Thank you, Mr. Kent, but I think I need to go back to New York. You are already have enough on your plate as it is.” Hope declined his proposal, even though she would want nothing more than to stay. She knew that the Kents were struggling and her staying with them would be harder on them.  They didn’t need another mouth to feed. “Besides, I will at least have my uncle, aunt and my cousin.” She gave a small smile with shining eyes. John did nothing but nod, as he gave the girl a hug. 

“We’ll look after her, John.” Said her uncle Ben as he and his wife, May, placed a hand on Hope’s shoulders. “Don’t worry about her too much. Peter is really looking forward to seeing Hope. She won’t be alone.” Ben finished and lets Hope’s shoulder go. Her aunt and uncle, Ben and May, came all the way to pick her up a month after the funeral. They came over a month to arrange for her to come to New York shortly after the funeral. Peter, her cousin, was around her age and was back in New York staying with a friend while they retrieved Hope and her dog. Peter talked on the phone with her almost every night, telling her that she will like New York. Even reminiscing about the fun they had together before she moved out to Smallville.

“We will miss you, Hope. You will always have a home here.” Martha, Clark’s mother, encouraged as she hugged the young brunette. Hope wrapped her arms around the older woman. Martha released from her embrace and handed her a small bag of double chocolate chip cookies. “Here, take these with you. I made extra in case Peter might want some.” Hope smiled in delight at Martha’s kind gesture. She then handed the cookies to her aunt and took them back to the car to take to New York. 

“Thank you, Mrs. Kent.” She thanked the woman as she turned to a couple more people. All of them were kids around her age. Friends from childhood. Chloe, Pete, Lana and Whitney. They all came to her to say goodbye to her. Hope gave each of them a strong hug, telling each of them farewell.

“I will miss you all and I will never forget you.” Hope tearfully told each of them. 

“I hope you have a great time in New York, Hope. Give us a call when you can and write as much as possible.” Chloe request as her eyes teared up. 

“I will, thank you, Chloe.” Hope hugged the golden blonde and let her go as she went to Pete. 

“See you later, Hope. I hope that New York treats you well.” The young, African American boy hugged her as well. “If not, let us know so we can teach those city-slicking snobs on how to treat our angel.” He joked as he let Hope go, earning a grin from the blonde beauty. 

“Thanks, Pete. I will let you know if I come across any trouble.” She looked away from Pete and turned to Lana. She smiled at the beautiful brunette and hugged her just as tightly as the rest. “Take care, Lana. Make sure you keep these guys out of trouble.” She mumbled in the other girl’s hair in her tight embrace.

“I will. Good luck in in New York, Hope.”  Lana whipped a tear away from her face as she observed Hope’s icy, blue eyes with her brown ones. She looked over by a tall blonde with a sad smile and hugged him with her arms wrapped around his shoulders.

“See you around, Whitney. I hope you make it the NFL. You’ve earned it.” The girl hugging him and released her from his hold.

“Thanks, and also, this may seem a little strange to say, but thanks for putting me in my place when it was needed.” He chuckled awkwardly as he looked down at Hope. “Let me know when you become a CEO. We’ll hang out on one of our yachts one day.” He joked as Hope shook her head. 

“Yeah, maybe.” She chuckled as he turned away from Whitney and then casted her eyes back on the tall, dark-haired boy.

 Clark Kent, her next oldest and closet friend. She stepped closer with dog in hand and hugged him tighter than anyone else she did in her life. Hope could hear Beowulf whine in sadness as he looked up at the pair, his brown eyes big and shinning up at them in grief. He and Clark let each other go as the young man knelt to the German Sheppard.

“Bea, you need to look out for her. You hear me? Take good care of our girl because she is going to need you. Can you do that?” He asked the noble canine who gives him a gentle nod. Clark pets his head right before Beowulf gave him a lick on the face before he got up to his feet and looked at Hope. “Go, they are waiting for you.” He said as Hope slowly walked away from Clark and to her aunt and uncle’s car. She gave one final glare at Lionel Luthor before getting in the back seat with her dog. “Hope! Wait!” She turned around and as she heard Clark call for her. Beowulf did the same thing as well as Clark then began to run at her. Her heart rate picked up when Clark swooped her up with great ease and held her one again in a near bone crushing embrace. She ignored all the gasps she had gotten from the people around her. Her shock from Clark’s unanticipated gesture and wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders. She then could feel Clark sinking them down with her knees hit the ground. 

Hope knew she was being hysterical, but she couldn’t control it anymore. Saying goodbye to the most important person in her life and not knowing if she was ever going to see him again. To try and calm her down, he slowly wrapped his strong arms around her. He held Hope so tightly, like she was his life support.

    A second into the firm embrace, she could feel small drops of water onto her scalp. She knew that there was no rain. Hope checked the weather twice and there had been very little chance for rain. No. That water was coming from the boy that was holding her like his life depend on it. His chest began to heave violently, his breathing was intense as he continued to hold her in his arms. Then came the cries. It was the most painful sound that she had ever heard. It felt both his heart and soul were breaking. His sobs were louder as he held on tighter. Hope didn’t let him go either. Beowulf was feeling the hurt and heartbreak as he watched his human suffer. He wedged his way between the two and emersed himself in their embrace. The pair let him take part in what felt like was their last time together. Beowulf loved Clark and it was making his heart crack under the weight of the situation. The three stayed like that for a few more minutes until they broke away from the bone crushing hug. He helped the two of them from the ground, gently pulling her to him. Hope sniffed and huffed while he started to wipe away her tears from.

“Shh…Don’t cry, Sunflower….please…don’t cry….” He was still crying as he was trying to get her to stop. Hope would joke about him being a hypocrite but refused to scold him. Looking deep into his ocean blue eyes, she saw there was more to what he wanted to say. His mouth was open, and he was about to speak. Hope can tell there was something he wanted to say. “Listen to me, Hope.” He got her to focus on him. “No matter what happens. No matter where we are in the world, you must promise me something,” His already cracking voice was growing serious by the second throughout his monologue. “You need to be strong. No matter what happens or whatever Hell you go through, you need to remain strong. Can you do that for me?” He pleaded her with the tears coming down his face. she wondered on how she was going to answer. How was she going to remain “strong” without her best friend for thirteen years? As a child, she was always told that good things don’t last. She didn’t know how she would ever be able to live without him. However, he was right. What was happening now would not change. Fate had her mind made  up. Having to give her Hercules an answer, Hope reluctantly nodding her head. She hugged him one more time and wrapped his arms around her. 

“I promise …I will be strong.” She spoke after what felt like forever. 

“And I will make you this promise that we will see each other again. I swear it.” He promised and Hope wanted to believe that he can fulfill that promise. Her aunt and uncle, Ben and May Parker, watched the two of them. Knowing how much this was hurting their niece. The two let go as Hope grabbed her bag and began to make her way to the mustang where her family waited for her. 

“Don’t forget to write to me. As often as you can. Feel free to call me, okay?” He beseeched the girl with his dark blue eyes as he grabbed her arm gently. 

“Of course, I will. Goodbye, Clark. I love you.” (Name) choked out with a weak smile. The young man, Clark, was about to say more when thunder could be heard above them. They looked up and soon rain drops fell onto the dry, cold earth. The thunder grew louder, and the rain poured down harder. It was almost as if the heavens were weeping at their departure. (Name) looked to her Hercules one more time before he let go. 

    The rain pelted down as Clark stood in the driveway of Hope’s childhood home and the rest of her friends began to run to get away from the rain to the Kent’s car. She looked back at the now empty farmhouse that hold so many memories. Then she looked to the barn where many of the animals walked out, looking right at Hope. horses, cows, goats, ducks and pigs, all watch her leave, wanting so badly for her to stay. She waved goodbye to them, all of them have saddened expressions on their faces watching the car start to drive away. 

     Hope looked back one more time at Clark and could have sworn that he was trying to run to her. Watching him closely, Hope realized that’s what he was doing. He was running after her car as if he was going to stop it right in its tracks. Sprinting even. He kept on going until he finally stopped, not caring that he was getting drenched in the rain. Hope cried as she saw him began to fade away. She didn’t stop looking back, not for a moment until she could no longer see him from behind. Clark was no longer in sight and a new reality was facing ahead of her, and a new life. 

    Hope watched as they passed by the Kent Farm, Clark’s home. She stared at the large white house that stood next to a large, lush corn field. Hope can see the sizable, red barn where she and Clark would watch the stars through his telescope in his what his father would call his “Fortress of Solitude”. She loved how supportive his parents were of hers and Clark’s friendship. He didn’t have a lot of friends growing up and neither did she. The two fit like missing soul mates. Hope would go to his games, and he would go to her science fairs. He would go to Hope’s music recitals, and She would help him with work on the farm. He defended Hope from bullies and she would do the same, despite him being a year older than her. His friendship was the foundation of her sanity. What was she going to do now? 

“Psst!” Hope heard the small voice behind her and turned around to see her German shepherd, Beowulf, was looking at her. “You okay, pup?” He asked Hope, showing her genuine worry.

  Yes, for as long as Hope could remember, she had the ability to talk to animals. She wasn’t great with people aside from her family and friends, but with animals? Connecting with them was second nature. Hope didn’t know where she got these powers and honestly, she stopped caring a long time ago. The girl assumed that she was a mutant like in the news and managed to keep it all a secret for years. 

   Clark was the only person, other than her parents that knew about her gift. She was nine and was having a normal conversation with Henry, Lana’s horse, and Clark came walking in as he saw her. To Hope’s surprise, he wasn’t angry, not even in the slightest. He respected Hope wanting to keep her power a secret. Knowing that the few that know about, the better. She was grateful for Clark’s grace and patience. 

  “I’ll be okay, boy.” She smiled bitterly as she scratched the dog’s head and he groaned. Hope loved this dog, and so did Clark. He had been her uncle's dog while in the marines. The one good thing about this move was that Beowulf was going with Hope, even though she would be with family. If Hope was going to move halfway across the country, she wasn’t going without him. 

   With the Kent farm now out of sight, like Clark, Hope’s face sunk with a forlorn expression. Things will be different, that’s for sure. It was going to be hard and painful. Heaven knows it already was. It felt even more real when she saw the “Now Leaving Kansas” sign. The rain doesn’t subside as Hope took a deep breath. They drove off into the open road in silence going further to the east coast. Leaving Smallville and the boy that made it worthwhile behind. Hope gripped onto the golden necklace that Clark had presented on her thirteenth birthday. It was a simple pendent with a picture of a sunflower carved into it. It was the first thing he was bought with the money from his first job. Hope had worn it ever since She had gotten it. 

  Clark Joseph Kent will be a name She will never forget. For as long as she lived, her heart will belong to him. It doesn’t matter who comes her way. No boy or man, whether they be friend or lover, will ever compare to the bond that was twelve years in the making. Hope closed her eyes, hoping to get some sleep. Maybe she can kill a few hours with some shut eye. her thoughts go back to the farm and a boy with dark hair and blue eyes. Wishing this was nothing but a dream. Her leaving was nothing but a nightmare. But no, this wasn’t a nightmare. It was real and there was nothing she could do to stop it. 

[bookishjules]

Do you have any Annabeth headcannons?

one thing you need to know about me is that i used to read annabeth's page on the chb wiki as a bedtime story every night. her canon is my canon, and most hcs i've developed for her feel like.. a completely subconscious way to fill in the gaps. like this is just what i see when i think annabeth chase

annabeth frequently has braids in her hair. whether it's tiny braids made from the adhd need to be doing something with her hands or elaborate braids that look fucking cute and were easy as hell for her as a master weaver by birth. and the thing is too, braids are Functional. hair out of your face for battle, for thinking through elaborate plans on the white board, for sketching designs at your desk

while we're talking about style and appearance, annabeth is the kind of person to sport soft, patterned button-ups. whether it's a long-sleeved flannel or a short-sleeved blue and white gingham. they're comfortable and professional and cute and don't wrinkle easily. plus they're good for layering.

her favorite color is this light gray-blue denim color. because it goes well with her eyes? because it's something of her mom's and something of percy's? i elaborated on this in this post, but i think it's something she fills her life with just accidentally. blankets and throw pillows and sweaters and mugs..

estelle is her little sister in every way but biologically, and they develop a connection even outside of percy, and i think as estelle gets older their friendship becomes something important for both of them

much in the same way, her friendship with sally is something they both value, something that developed because of percy but goes deeper than that. (if i go any further into this idea of his family becoming her family i will start crying)

annabeth was a lego kid

she's an incredible friend. the kind of person who could make friends with anyone she wants to. there's a reason everyone at camp already had her number memorized in tlo

she's a fast runner

she carries around a little notebook in her bag just for writing things down randomly. things to research, ideas for designs, lists. she has a great memory, but she's also adhd

she knows all the constellations (and their myths ofc) by heart, even the ones we can't see anymore

after the surprise of other mythologies being real and lasting as well, she refuses to be caught unawares again and makes a point to do research--at least surface level--into as many different mythos as she can just in case

she'll drink coffee, but if she has a choice, she'd rather get her caffeine from matcha

cake or pie? she'd choose pie

[mrneighbourlove]

The War of Fire: Ch 10. The Flame of Death Whispers...

Walking across a bridge that led from the central castle to the main tower, Princess Rinku and Princess Leere stopped in the middle of the structure. The sun was setting down on Hyrule, a marvelous sky painted by orange and yellow hues. Each of the girls leaned over the railing, taking a moment to breathe in air that was clear, and hopefully just relax as teenage girls rather than warriors. 

Pushing some of her hair out of her eyes, Leere took a long look over the homeland before. The lush green fields were vast and wide, rising up into the various mountainous peaks that Hyrule was famous for. With just the two of them here, she looked over to Rinku. “How are you feeling?”

The blonde princess looked over to Leere, and the presence Leere felt was as heavy as the weight of a surging wave. Did Rinku look tired? Or did she look old? Either way, her sister tried to counter the weight behind her eyes with a light smile. “My sword arm is sore. I really need to work on my shield arm some more to compensate.”

Leere felt like she could understand that. “Yeah…”

It seemed it was Rinku’s turn to delve into her thoughts. “Your turn. You look pale. And I’m not talking about your normal, pretty demeanor.” 

The young necromancer slowly nodded in response, her shoulders sluggishly rolling downwards. “I never thought that becoming a princess would mean that I would have to one day become a soldier as well.” 

Rinku had a tone that was gentle, yet firm as she asked Leere to continue. “Go on.” 

Leere turned her gaze from the fields of Hyrule and looked downwards onto Castle Town. “I am so grateful that Zelda found me and rescued me from a terrible fate. She’s been the best mom I could ever have. Ganondorf helped me learn the magic, the skills I needed to protect myself. I know his methods aren’t traditional, or some mom certainly didn’t approve, but he’s been the dad I needed. And you…”

Leere watched Rinku wait, a small tension felt between them wavering as she collected her thoughts. “...I care about you. I care about this family I was brought into. Then as grew up more, the expectations came crashing in.” She was quick to shake her head at some intrusive thoughts. “Not from mom or dad. I could handle that. But from this society that I was brought into.”

“Makes you wonder if saving the ruling class is worth it.” “It’s not just the nobility, Rinku. I feel so different. If I was just a normal Hylian girl, I don’t think I’d receive the judgment I do from others. But because of the connections I have to the kind of magic that surrounds my life, the forces that stick with me, I know that makes anyone, not just nobles, uncomfortable with me. Then there’s the fact that I’m… the way I feel- felt…”

Leere trailed off, her thoughts a tangled and complicated mess of emotions. Her cheeks started to flush and feel heavy with heat. She snapped herself out of those emotions, needing to speak, or she’d be trapped in her own head again. “It was too much. I needed to focus on myself.” 

“So you ended up isolating yourself. Did that help you focus? Or did you just feel lonely?”

Leere turned to look at Rinku again, frowning. “Both? Do you have wisdom on that?”

“More than you know.” The blonde hero crossed her arms, still holding onto the bitter memory of the argument they had before Leere left the castle. “I said it would be foolish to go alone. Being by yourself can be difficult enough for anyone, but with minds like ours, there can be consequences for such actions.”

“Like?”

“You get over the nightmares by yourself? Have you found any peace with the ghosts that haunt you?” 

“I think we have very different ghosts that try to cling to us. And the nightmares don’t go away.”

“Then what was it that you got out of leaving?” 

Leere felt her heart pull at that. The tone that Rinku held in ‘leaving’ implied that she wouldn’t return. Maybe initially she made it seem like that was the case when she did. Leere thought about her year away from the castle. Living off the land, honing her powers, and communicating with the other world. Both the good. And the bad. “I found understanding. Some acceptance I think.”

“Of what?” 

“Of what I am. The witch girl, not only adopted by the royal family, but of all of Hyrule. Its spirits speak to me, cling to me. I help them. Be it talking with them, or helping them with a task so they can feel like they can finally rest. Some of the really bad ones… I either endure until they’re gone or ward them off. They’re part of a cycle that often goes ignored in Hyrule. They also helped me realize how important life is, how many of them regret not being able to truly live the lives they wanted.” Leere looked back at Castle Town, almost being able to imagine seeing every soul that lived down there. “I think… I think I’m like you Rinku, in some ways.”

“Oh?” Rinku’s voice picked up, a warm curiosity strong in her voice. It seemed she wanted to see if Leere truly understood. “In what ways?”

“The people look to the royal nobility to help them, but for you, for most of your lives leading up to this one, you didn’t have to have a title of royalty or even fight in the army. You had the power to help others and you took up a sword to do so.” Leere looked Rinku in the eyes, taking in the age and beauty behind this young face. “I can’t imagine what it is like to remember all the past traumas you’ve endured… but despite everything you’ve gone through, you’re still you. You don’t let the nightmares drag you down, and that’s so inspiring for me. I want to help the people of this land that took me in, even if not all of them want me. I have the power to do so.” 

It seemed that Rinku, while moved by Leere’s statements, felt concern emanating as well. “But what worries you is what you’re doing with that power.”

She meekly nodded in response. “The killing. I meant what I said, that I can do it. The power I wield is a sharpened knife. It can certainly be done. But is that all I can do? Just be a killer? Rinku, I don’t want to get numb to that.” 

“No one wants that.”

“Yet it seems you are.”

Rinku waved that away quickly. “This lifetime has already exhausted me and I’m not even twenty. There is a purpose with every cycle I find myself in. Before, when my duty was complete, it was easier to enjoy my rest. Yet now, even with this amazing family I have, there’s a large part of me that thinks I need to prepare for the next Link rather than live a life as ‘Rinku’. That I’m just the tool that’s used to settle strife in times of conflict, and if I’m lucky I will have my legend told down in future generations. Except it seems that the takeaway for that legend is for people to get on their hands and knees and pray for a hero to appear and save them! For me to save them!”

“Rinku, I-” Leere reached out in a gesture of comfort, but the Hero dismissed the act of kindness. 

The princess noticed immediately the emotional pain that was caused. “I’m sorry, it’s not you Leere. I just get so tired and feel burned out whenever I have to save the world on more than one occasion in a single lifetime. These aren’t adventures. Saving the princess, the kingdom, or a loved one isn’t a happy story to live through. There are struggles.”

“But you persevere. You keep going and see those struggles to the end.”

“Leere, things don’t always work out like that. I’ve been unlucky enough to die a few times, only for a fairy or a shrine to resurrect me and give me the juice to keep going. There was one lifetime I did die and stayed dead. I found out in my next life some random stranger took up arms and beat the wizard that slew me. People mistook him for me and kept the legend going. I know it's my ‘destiny’ to be the Hero everyone needs, and I’m going to utilize all the skills I know to win this war, but there’s no guarantee that I will come out of this conflict alive. There’s no guarantee that there isn’t another conflict I have to fight in the next decade from now. It stresses me out of my mind to think about.” 

Leere attempted to reach out an arm out to Rinku once more, this time being successful wrapping one close around her. “What else are you worried about?”

“Dying in itself isn’t what I’m afraid of. I have the courage to face death. Goddess help me, I might even welcome it at times, the idea of a glorious, heroic death if it means protecting what I love.” Leere’s heart sank hearing that, but she stayed silent to let Rinku continue. “What worries me is that I’ll die, and the danger will still be alive. That with me gone there will be no one to protect those that I care about.” 

Leere nuzzled her head into Rinku’s neck, breathing slowly as she held her close. The princess of courage relaxed, allowing Leere the comfort to do the same. “Then how about we protect each other? That way we can continue to protect all of them?” 

The young necromancer felt Rinku’s heartbeat slow down, relaxing to a steady beat. “I think that’s a good start.” 

~

“All that’s right, all that’s bright, will be revealed in the light.’ Can any of you tell me which scholar said that passage from the Book of Nayru?” 

Impa sat around the children of Zelda and Ganondorf, taking a reprieve from the conflict to check in on them until Zelda relieved the Sheikah of their duty. The bodyguard had a soft fondness for the children, even if she could never fully accept Ganondorf himself into his heart. Impa had been there to see Zelda become Queen, helped raise Rinku, and she would be there to see these five Gerudo children have the chance to grow up as well. 

Princess Orana raised her little hand, speaking with a small lisp due to a gap between her baby teeth. “Is it Ma-ma?” 

“No little one. It wasn’t your mother. She knows it by heart, but she did not write the passage.” 

The next to attempt it was Prince Ralnor. “He wasn't a scholar, but a saint. Saint… saint…Mar…ch?” 

“You are very close, Ralnor. But you are off by just the name.”

Finally, Prince Covarog raised his free hand, the other protectively holding his baby sister Kanisa’s hand. “The answer was Saint Marcus!” 

Impa nodded, glad to hear that the crown prince was taking his lessons seriously. “Very good. That is indeed the correct answer.” 

By the doorway, the Sheikah saw Ganondorf entering. She gave the King a quick glance before returning her attention to the children. “But knowing what an answer is alone will not generate true wisdom. Seek the meaning behind the words, and learn from the philosophy, and you will transform knowledge into wisdom.”

The children seemed to be grasping this. At least Impa hoped so. She wasn’t sure given Ganondorf completely captured their attention as he strode in. All the kids who could stand rose to their feet, hobbling over to him. Orana in particular was vocal. “Da-dad!” 

“Hello my little warriors.” Ganondorf leaned down and scooped up Covarog, Ralnor, Orana and Kanisa in one armful, hugging them close. “Did you have a good time with your nan-nan?”

“She teach us Hylia scripture”, Ralnor said in his little voice. 

Ganondorf’s nose furled, but he remained hospitable and gentle in his tone. “So she did. Well, I’m able to spend some time with all of you. How’d you like to play wizards and knights?”

The boys and Orana cheered, with Kanisa still being too young to fully understand the game, but still smiled nonetheless. Ganondorf glanced at Impa, giving the Sheikah a quick report. “Zelda wants to see you before she departs for the tundra.”

Impa still didn’t like the fact that Zelda and Ganondorf had chosen a protection detail of his men rather than the bodyguard. Maybe she could have one last chance to protest this to the Queen herself. “Thank you for relaying that information. I will depart at once.” 

Ganondorf gave a simple shrug before turning back to his kids with an expressively goofy face. “All right! Who wants to be the wizard!” “You! I want to be a knight!”, Covarog shouted out. 

“I’m always the wizard.” 

“You make the best wizard dad!” 

Impa smiled lightly, the expression hidden behind the cloth they always wore as she made her way out of the bedroom. As long as the children were happy with their father, the Sheikah could tolerate the King. Making their way through the halls of Hyrule Castle, she gazed out of the stained glass window, admiring the art of Zelda’s past. The Sheikah bodyguard felt pride at being able to be a part of this legacy. 

Asking around, Impa discovered that the Queen was already at the stables, instructing the soldier’s that would accompany her the traveling route that they would partake on towards their destination. 

A simple set up using a cube of hay, the Queen had a map laid over for everyone able to see. She used a ruler to point out and measure relative distances. “... for the purposes of our target, we are going to call the enemy location Fort Cinder. Myself and Commander Klinge will take a small division to sneak forward and investigate why the Kikai Empire is held up so far away from our capital and why they’ve chosen the tundra specifically. While we do this, Captain Appo will take the division and work with Captain Regan of the Rito Tribe to coordinate either an assault or distraction depending on the amount of Hasai that have rooted themselves. If their numbers are too great, you need not throw your lives away needlessly. All I ask is you keep the Empire on their toes and distracted long enough for my reconnaissance to bear fruit.” 

The Hylian Captain nodded to Zelda, letting out a chuckle. “Don’t worry my Queen. We know how to put on a show. The Hasai won’t be able to keep up with our dance.”

Impa watched as the crowd of soldiers all got a laugh out of that. It seemed to produce a well needed smile from the Queen. “I’m glad I can count on all of you for this mission. We leave in ten minutes. All of you are dismissed from this meeting.” 

The rush of soldiers vibrated the ground as they left the small section of the barn. Carefully, moving past them like a leaf in the wind, Impa approached both the Queen and the undead commander. While Klinge and the Sheikah never grew to like one another, there was a sense of mutual respect, least when it came to duty. Impa found Vaati too creepy and Ghirahim was unhinged in his loyalty to Ganondorf, at least Klinge could be more restrained and more blunt. Even so, Impa wished she could be alone with Zelda. 

“My Queen, you requested my presence?” 

The Queen nodded, a wrinkle on her face. “Indeed. I have a task for you. I need you to stay here and watch over my children.”

Impa felt their face heaton, but was able to keep the tone of their emotions well hidden. “I do think that my place would be better suited at your side. You’re going into hostile territory that the enemy has entrenched themselves into. As your protector, I need to be by your side.” 

Zelda smiled with the kind of brow that seemed to convey understanding. Pity maybe? “Impa, I would feel far better leaving the castle knowing that you were here to defend them. Your job is to protect the next generation. When I was a princess, it was me. Now that I’m Queen, it’s them.”

A deep concern, the only window to emotion in Impa, filled her eyes. “If that is your wish, I will follow it. But know that I will never stop wishing to protect you as well.”

“You’ve always been good to me, old friend.” 

Old friend. Impa closed her eyes, contemplating the order. The Sheikah could follow Zelda from the shadows to make sure their safety wasn’t compromised. Even with the training of heightening Zelda’s perception, Impa could do it without being caught. But a sense of shame came with that thought. It wouldn’t be right of them to do that. She would uphold her friendship with Zelda by maintaining trust. “Be careful.”

“I always will.” 

Impa shifted her gaze as Klinge stepped forward, placing a hand on her broad shoulder. When he spoke, there was always a metallic, machine-like sharpness to his voice. “Do not worry yourself. I shall watch over the Queen with the eyes of a hawk. In your absence, she will be well protected under my watch.”

How Impa wished she could see the man’s face. He was almost always hidden behind one of his damned helmets, but she could feel the smug superiority he had. Her glare was intense as he wisely took his hand off her shoulder. “Best you do. You wouldn’t want your leash yanked by our King if anything happened to her.” 

Least Impa could make out his micro expressions well enough. From the corner of her eye she was able to glance at his hand making a fist. “Best watch the castle carefully while we’re away. I’d hate for anything to happen to you as well in my absence.”

“I’ll make due.”

Zelda cleared her throat, a slight annoyance cropping up. “If you’re done commander, we have an operation to carry out.” 

Klinge saluted with a hand across his chest, like a butler. “Of course my Queen.” 

Impa wasn’t sure for certain if he spoke with sarcasm with that title or not. He was always on an edge. Vaati adored Zelda, Ghirahim would not admit she was his queen, but Klinge had a true hatred for Hyrule. Impa was sure that he could become a traitor anytime, but it seemed his loyalty to Ganondorf outweighed his hatred. For now, he was able to get away with any veiled disrespect. 

After he walked away, Impa sighed. “I don’t like that he’s the one accompanying you. I don’t trust him.”

“I know Impa, but Commander Klinge has proven himself quite effective. And I think, by working together through times of war, I am gaining his acceptance.” 

“Perhaps. Perhaps not. Just remember your own training out there and rely on that first and foremost.” 

“I could never forget your training Impa.” Zelda took a breath to compose herself as she looked out a window, gazing at Hyrule castle. Looking back at Impa, she smiled lightly. “Take care of yourself while I’m gone Impa.” 

“I will. You do so as well.” 

~ Zannah was rather impressed by her brother’s airship. The blimp was incredibly large, with dozens of rooms, from a dining hall, several private bedrooms, and the engineering room where she was now. 

At a workbench, the princess was working alone tinkering on her personal quarter blade as she liked to call it. A hilt that had the reach of a bo staff when both the blades were unsheathed by the press of a button or two on the grip. The precise gyros needed had to be calibrated every so often so that she wouldn’t find herself without a weapon. 

When she worked, the other Romtan engineers gave her space. None wanted to upset her. In some ways, she was okay with the isolation. It gave her the time to just think and be at ease calibrating. But when she was done, that isolation turned to loneliness. One that she was too proud to break on her own. Seeing a glowing Sheikah core the size of a small rock on the table, she looked over some schematics and set to work trying to put together another blade. 

Breaking the silence, her groove was thrown off by the cutting voice of her brother. 

“Zannah. I didn’t know you had a fondness for engineering.” 

The princess turned to look at her brother. Those sharp red eyes, tattooed blood coloured lines on his purple horns, and curved horns with golden tips and ornaments gave him a very defined and powerful look. Placing the hilt on the table, she got up, giving him his full attention. She wondered why she felt embarrassment being found here by him. It wasn’t like she went out of her way to hide her activities. “It’s a hobby that I picked up between training.”

“Just a hobby?”

There wasn’t exactly warmth in his voice, but he wasn’t sneering at her either. “It gives me comfort.”

Picking up the hilt she was working on, Nihilus scanned her work with a machine like precision. “Do you think you’re good at it?”

“I think with time I could be.” 

“Hmm. When I become Emperor, perhaps your place at my side will be chief of engineering. It is good to have more than one skill that isn’t just fighting related.” Placing the hilt down, he turned his gaze back to his sister. Zannah could feel the intensity behind his stare, even when he was emotionally neutral. “It’s about finding balance. Balance that I wonder is still in you?”

Was she being tested? Zannah crossed her arms, not wanting to beat around the bush. “I assume you came here for me. Are we about to attack Hyrule?”

“In due time. But first, I need to test you. Go to the dojo. There you’ll find a uniform. I will be waiting for you.” 

Zannah watched as her brother left, mentally preparing herself for a sparring session. She made an effort to clean her work table, then walked through the ship and went into the locker room to change.

At her brother’s request, she was garbed in light training robes. The clothing was far less restrictive than what she was used to, feeling as light as a balloon herself. Usually the chainmail she wore restricted her movements at least slightly. Standing across from her in the center of the dojo, her brother was waiting for her in a similar fashion. 

In both his hands he had two separate bo staffs, and with a quick thrust of his hand, he threw one of them to her. Catching it with one hand, Zannah contemplated its weight. Lighter than her weapon of choice, given there weren’t any blades attached to either end, but the same principle applied. 

Approaching, Nihilus seemed to study her closely, and when he spoke, he had a similar voice to father, only without the sickly, gravely tone that came with it. “It’s been too long since I’ve seen how you can perform in a fight. The walls are sealed by a heat absorbing layer. So don’t hold back your fire. If you have any still in you after losing Seras.” 

Zannah knew that her older brother was goading her to attack. She didn’t care. With a snarl across her face, she used her bo staff to pole vault towards Nihilus with a kick. As she made the leap, she channeled fire into her kick in a ferocious display of power towards him to knock him off his balance. While her flames made contact, her foot was met with an open palm. She felt herself grabbed by her ankle, then redirected and thrown to the ground. With a groan, she landed on her backside. As she tried to get up, her brother’s tail lightly struck her across the face. 

“Get up. Try again.”

The princess rose to her feet, her green knuckles turning a shade darker as she squeezed tightly around the bo staff. With a vertical slash, followed by several vertical slashes, she struck at her brother. Every attack she made he blocked.

“At least your movements aren’t stiff. But go faster. You really think that’s enough to take the head of Link?” 

Zannah doubled her efforts, striking high and low. She was starting to get a rhythm when Nihilus made his first attack back. An overhead swing coming down on her. Easy enough to block, but she was then met with his tail latching around her ankle. Distracted for a second by the gesture, she looked down. It was long enough for him to strike at her with a knee to the stomach, bringing the princess a knee. This was rewarded with another slap of his tail to her face. Zannah felt her cheek sting from the strike, not just from the physical pain, but the humiliation behind the effort. 

“Stop that!” 

Her brother merely pointed his bo staff in her face. “You’re a princess of the Kikai Empire. Make me stop treating you like a brat and fight back properly.” 

Zannah rose up once more, digging deep into her anger as she struck back. After a few counter blows from her brother that she was able to defend against, he cracked a smile at her. “I was wondering when you were going to take this more seriously.” 

“I am taking this seriously, you prick.”

“Could have fooled me.” Nihilus threw a fist at her, but Zannah caught it with an open palm, although there was a struggle to do so on her part. “Was he like this?”

“Who?”

“Ganondorf. Overwhelming. Strength that threatened to consume you, as it did Seras.” 

Zannah’s mind flashed back to how her brother was ultimately dominated by the King of Demons. The fear that filled Zannah, the fear of being powerless, made her realize that she had to consider all her choices in combat mattered. She had options, and it was her duty to utilize them wisely. As Nihilus was pushing her back with his natural strength, she let go of her bo staff to grab the arm she was holding back. Following this motion she used her brother’s own motion and strength to throw him over her. 

The prince rolled over his Zannah. landing behind her. Even as she followed up with a knee to his face, Nihilus was already recovered. His hand blocked the strike, and he pushed her back a few feet with a push. Despite this, Zannah didn’t relent. She picked up her bo staff while kicking his weapon away from his reach. 

She struck him over and over with a variety of angles, trying to hit him in the head or stomach, but Nihilus was quick to palm her strikes away, or just simply take the brunt force to his forearms. “Excellent. I feel the venom behind your strikes, but don’t tunnel your vision.” 

Zannah took the training to heart, as she saw her brother’s tail from the corner of his eye scoop up his staff, curling around it. With a swift movement he had his weapon back in his hands, and he went on a fierce counter offense. Zannah was being pushed backwards as she worked up a sweat to simply not get hit. 

Nihilus wouldn’t let up against her, frowning at her efforts. “Fight back. Use the unorthodox. Control my central line!” 

Thrusting her hand down onto the floor, Zannah released a wave of fire against her brother. It caused him to step away, as he couldn’t quite see her in the moment through the wall of flames. With but a breath, he controlled the heat in the air around him, and gestured to the wall of flames, commanding its fire to die out. That was all the time Zannah wanted. 

She only needed two seconds to produce a bolt of lightning. Thrusting her hand forward, the bolt danced forward towards Nihilus. As she launched her bolt, she saw her brother’s eyes flash with a small glow. It all happened so fast, one moment she was unleashing a deadly bolt of energy at her brother, the next- 

An explosion of kinetic energy occurred, her lightning detonating between the two of them. The detonation forced Zannah to raise her hand to control the flow of fire to go around her. As she did, her mind was on overdrive. Thanks to this, she was able to make out the sudden and violent motion of a bo staff swinging at her neck. With her own, she was able to defend herself. Standing her ground, Nihilus stood over her, a fierce look of pride on his face. 

The smoke settled, and the prince let out an exhale. “Well done.” 

He didn’t offer a hand to lift her off her one knee. As a princess, she would have to carry herself. Standing up, she felt the air of battle dying off quickly between the two of them. Catching her breath, she held onto her bo staff for support. 

NIhilus circled her slowly, his tail flicking up and down. “You have the skills needed to win this war. I have no doubt about that. Perhaps the power to. That was some impressive display of lightning.” 

“You said to use the unorthodox. Would you have preferred a smaller dose of power?”

“No. What do you think would have happened had you hit me?”

Zannah’s gaze sharpened. Anyone else, maybe a closer range, she would have. “You would be dead.”

“Or critically injured.” Nihiuls stopped his pace right behind her. She could feel him looking right down on her. “Do you think your actions were appropriate in hindsight?” 

Zannah cleared her mind, choosing to speak from the heart. “If you had, all you would have demonstrated is your weakness in the face of a half hearted attack on my end. In your absence under such weak will I’d gladly take command of both the mission and the Empire from you.” 

A pause. Zannah wondered if she had made a mistake. But all her brother responded with was a chuckle. “Half hearted? Impressive. But you are right about one thing. We cannot afford to show weakness. Our enemies will take no hesitation in exploiting it.”

“That’s why we need to manipulate their weaknesses to our advantage.”

Nihilus was putting away his bo staff, but kept an eye on Zannah. “What do you have in mind?”

“The hierarchy of Hyrule acts as a family unit. By bleeding that family, we can have them disorganized long enough to make them create critical, deadly mistakes.”

“Two of their warriors you encountered are sisters, correct?” When Zannah nodded to her brother, his eyes went to a cold, impersonal place. “Then we tear them apart.” 

Standing in the dojo again, he raised his hands in a fighting stance. Zannah braced herself, knowing that her brother was incredibly proficient in hand to hand combat. “Before we break between now and the mission, I’m going to spend the next ten minutes teaching you a few techniques. You will not fail against them again. Don’t hold anything back.” 

Zannah gritted her teeth. Failure would not be a part of her foundation as a person.

~

The journey into the Tabantha Tundra was cold and turbulent. Riding on horseback, Zelda pulled up her balaclava as the snow started to come down on her forces. Checking her compass and map, she knew it wouldn’t be long until they started to get into a potential firing zone. 

Holding up her hand and putting it into a fist, her soldiers came to stop. Strotting past the calvary to the front of lines, Commander Klinge and Captain Appo rode up to each side of their queen. Zelda’s steel gaze checked over the map before pointing out key sections to your chosen lieutenants. “The tundra is vast and wide. On the other side is the ravine that leads to the valley that marks a divide between our border with Labrynna and Danjur.”

Captain Appo nodded a little with a bit of shake. Zelda had sympathy for the man. All that armour must have made him feel as a cold as a polar bear. Yet Commander Klinge was still as a statue. “How do you wish to proceed?”  

“Captain Appo, you will approach in a straight angle. When you see any Hasai, lead them to you. As for the commander and myself, we shall travel in a curve from here to here along the base of the Hebra Mountains.” Reaching into a bag, Zelda grabbed a tube, handing it to Appo. “Captain, take this.”

He grabbed it, almost pulling off the white cap. “What is it?”

“Careful captain. It’s a device that we were able to get through customs from Danjur. This new invention is used for non magic users to alert your allies by shooting a fiery flare into the air. All you have to do is pull the white cap off at the top and hold it into the air. When you engage the Hasai, pull this first one. If you feel that your forces are ill equipped, or that you need to retreat, pull this second one.”

Captain Appo nodded, taking both flares. “Neat invention. You can count on us, my Queen.” 

“Good. Commander Klinge, I trust you have chosen a scout force to join us?”

“Indeed. This is Fang and Lash.” The Darknut pointed to two icy Lizalfos that blended in rather well with the snowy area. “They are excellent at camouflaged warfare, particularly in this kind of environment.”

“Excellent. Zelda turned to her forces, speaking loudly and firmly. “Ladies and Gentlemen. Be on your toes. The very tundra is against us. We can hope that our enemy has gotten acclimated, but we can not have any guarantees in this life. Stay alive! Now march!” 

Zelda snapped the reins on her horse, marching her forward. Behind her, Klinge’s own mount ran behind her, flanked by the two Lizalfos. The tundra’s cold winds were sharp against Zelda’s eyes, but she persisted forward. It took about twenty minutes of galloping before she could make something out in the horizon. Positioned ahead was a makeshift camp. 

Carefully getting off her horse, Zelda walked forward in her Sheikah garb, the special material of the cloth keeping her well insulated as she marched through the snow. She could hear the thud of Klinge jumping off his horse, but afterwards, he was remarkably silent for someone of his size. Getting closer to the structure, Zelda noted the material. Metal walls about twenty feet high. They made a pretty well fortified cube that dug into the mountain. “Commander Klinge. What do you make of this?”

The Darknut slowly scanned the area from left to right. “I would guess they’ve been here for a while. Latest I would say could be at least the start of the war. Knowing how isolated this area of Hyrule is from civilization, even the Rito, it could have been longer.” 

Zelda felt both fury and curiosity bloom in her. If the Kikai Empire had been here even before the start of the war, that meant the security of her country had been exploited and abused long ago. But now she wanted to know the reason. What had brought the Hasai people to her country. 

In the distance, a bright red light caught the attention of everyone in the area. Shortly after, what sounded like a gong echoed from the base. Following this, sharp gears turned and a door opened from the side facing towards the tundra. Zelda and Klinge immediately dropped to the ground and watched as Hasai soldiers raced out on mounted rides, ranging from horses to boars. The Skurge yelled to one another, Zelda was unsure if it was orders or merely hyping one another up. But the force that went out had to range from twenty to thirty men easily. She hoped Captain Appo would be prepared for enemy reinforcements. 

Looking back at the walls, she studied them for any structural weakness she could spot. Atop the wall, there was some kind of metal wire with little barbs placed throughout. No doubt if someone tried to scale them, it would be painful, perhaps even deadly to be caught up in them. But the wire itself did not look thick. 

Turning to Klinge and the Lizalfos, Zelda motioned to the wire. “Do any of you have a way to discreetly get past that?” 

The commander held out his hand, then with the snap of his fingers in his other hand, he revealed an item of interest. It appeared something akin to a pair of pliers. “Take this. Fang and Lash can stick to walls. They’ll give you a boost up wards. Cut where you want.” As Zelda reached out for them, Klinge held them back. “Be careful, they’re sharp.” 

With a smirk, she took them when he offered the handle. “So concerned.” 

“I just don’t want you making a mess of the snow.” The Queen disregarded his sarcasm and made her way up. To her soldier’s surprise, she was able to scale the wall just fine. All it took was a running start to start kicking upwards. Despite this, both the Lizalfos were beside on standby in case she needed assistance. With a few precise snips, Zelda clipped away the wire. Thankfully, Klinge was able to grab it quietly as it fell to the ground. 

Able to get a better look over the wall now, Zelda observed small metal boxes set up and drilled into the snow. Portable housing for troops and personnel perhaps? It seemed that all the doors were structured to go towards the center of the encampment, so that Hasai would either travel out of the gates into the wilderness… or into the cave the walls were built into. 

Hopping down inside the camp with a soft thud, Zelda waited as the Lizalfos carefully crawled up and over. Finally, after about half a minute, Klinge had managed to hoist himself up with a hook. Carefully, he too scaled the wall back down instead of jumping. 

Motioning her guard to follow her, they walked along the wall towards the cave. Sure enough, two guards were standing by, facing towards the gate on the far end. Zelda then grabbed some snow off the ground and imbued it with a little magic. Flicking it, the snow flew outwards, blowing past the two Skurge guarding the entrance. Turning direction, it blew into the cave, altering Zelda to any would-be additional guards. Luckily, there weren’t any. With a single gesture, she instructed the Lizalfos to take out the Hasai.

Rushing forward, the monsters were lightning fast in their approach. Before the Skurge could turn to retaliate, or even let out a cry, the pair of reptilians already had their jaws sinking into the necks of the soldiers. They used their hands to quickly pin them to the ground as their teeth shredded their lungs from their throat. It was a ghastly sight for Zelda, so she was quick to turn away. As quickly as they were killed, the Hasai were already having their bodies dragged away behind a tent to be buried under the snow.  The queen had a sickly feeling that had more time been allowed, they would have eaten the bodies. 

Quickly looking around, she waved for the commander to follow her into the ice cave. He made a swift order to the brothers to wait at the entrance. If anyone tried to enter, they had permission to kill on sight. Going through the cave, Zelda took note of how it curved upwards, how the wind barely echoed. Wherever they were going, it was leading to a massive excavated area. That knowledge gave the Queen severe pause. How long would the Kikai Empire have had to be here for? 

It seemed that the commander felt similarly. When he spoke, his voice was pensive. “If the danger turns out to be too perilous, we turn to leave immediately.”

“Only if it comes to that.” 

“Zelda, as Queen of this country, it is my job to protect you.” 

The Hylian didn’t stop her pace, but her attention had shifted just enough. “Can’t help but notice you did not say ‘my queen’, Commander.” 

“You are my Queen.”

“By technicality and marriage to your master. But not in your heart.”

The undead commander’s fist clenched as he walked forward, but his voice held its composure. “I serve Ganondorf. He is my King. I am a humble servant, but he is not my master.”

“Ghirahim doesn’t seem to mind. In fact, he’s an actual blade while you named after one. You serve the same function.” 

“The Demon Lord has far more fanatical ideals than myself. He would have burned the world for Ganondorf, for the darkness that rests in his heart.” 

“And you? What would you have burned?”

“I would have killed the rest of Hyrule for the atrocities that your people did to mine.” Klinge stopped just before the next curve of the cave. Zelda didn’t waver in her gaze against him. There was a hidden sense of bloodlust that came from him, and she was suddenly aware of their isolation. Yet, as quickly as that bloodlust came, it fell away to apathy. “However, I am not King, and you seem to have been set on keeping your word in creating a better era for Hyrule. I fight for that better future. If you are necessary to fulfill that future, then you must live.” 

Zelda supposed that would be the best comfort of loyalty she could muster out of him for now. However, whatever thoughts she had about Klinge were completely dashed as they rounded the corner of the tunnel to the vast openness of the ice cave. The eyes behind the commander’s eyes went wide as almost dropped his sword in shock. The Queen let out a gasp at the sight before them. 

“What in Hylia’s name?”

Before them, a massive construct stretched across over a mile long, ancient and modern metal fused together to create a dreadful beast. It was like a massive serpent stretched outwards, with bizarre cylinders that acted as joints for arms periodically placed at key points on its sides. At the head of the construct was the frame of a dragon, glass over the eyes and a forked tongue behind the jagged teeth. 

All around, dozens of Hasai were stationed on both the ground level and high on rafters close to the titanic creation, but amongst them were also strange darkly green machine creatures. The constructions had a strange energy flow through them that made the parts that made up their bodies detached, yet still able to work in tandem. The more Zelda looked at them, there was more than scientific curiosity egging her mind, but an odd familiarity she couldn’t shake. 

This familiarity was drilling so hard in the back of her mind, she didn’t even notice a glow coming from her hand right away until her commander spoke up.

“Zelda, your triforce.”

The Queen looked down at her hand. The lower left triangle was indeed glowing on and off. The feeling she felt rattling in her skull was warning and dread. Her own reincarnation was unlike Ganondorf’s and Link’s, for whenever she came into a new life, memories of past lives never came back to her. Zelda always had to look to history for past knowledge. Yet, in this moment, it was as if the triforce was doing its best to remind of her a past danger in one of her lives.  

Squeezing her fist, Zelda turned to Klinge, a slow moment of panic filling her. She needed more intelligence on what was being built here. “We will make our retreat. Now.” 

“Agreed. You don’t make something this big under your enemy's nose unless it's a weapon.” 

As the Queen and the commander were turning back around, loud alarms were suddenly set off. Red lights swirled around the work site and the Hasai were suddenly running around like hornets in a nest. For a moment, Zelda wondered if they had been revealed to the enemy, but from a glance, that was luckily not the case. But that didn’t give her any comfort as she saw walls opening in the mechanical monsters for the Hasai to rush inside. 

“All personnel, man your stations. Van Kiryu takes off in t-minus 5 minutes.” 

The voice of a Hasai echoed from the head of the mechanical dragon, vibrating around the ice walls around them. 

“Repeat. All personnel, man your stations. Van Kiryu takes off in t-minus 5 minutes.” 

Not wanting to stick around, Zelda and Klinge ran back to the entrance of the cave. Other soldiers of the Kikai Empire were scrambling out of their cabins, marching out onto the snowy fields towards central Hyrule. Reaching the twin Lizalfos, the Queen gripped the flair at her side. If she used it now, they would have a fight on their hands. “We can’t wait here. But we can’t call for backup until we make some distance from here.”

“Then it is in our hands to return.” Klinge snapped his fingers to the Lizalfos to get a move on and spoke quickly in a few clicks and clacks. “Stay close, I’ll flank you to guard our backs.”  

With one more nod, Zelda braced herself. They needed-

That was when the mountainside started to shake and rumble. The ground beneath them vibrated as the Hasai inside the mountain were ready to make their grand entrance. Zelda and her team ran as far away from the cave and mountainside as they could. Rock exploded outwards and snow came following downward in a haze of confusion. 

The Queen and the commander coughed through the debris as they kept marching forward. A large boulder came rolling down, unfortunately crushing Fang in the process. Gritting her teeth, Zelda channeled her magic to summon forth a large crystal shield just big enough to keep herself, Klinge, and Lash safe. She could feel more rocks bounce off the protection ward, but did not drop her guard for a while. 

For a moment, the only sound that could be heard was her breathing and the wind of destruction around them as the earth settled. Through the haze of the mountain snow, she saw something come from the digsite. Curving around the rest of the mountain side like a snake, Zelda could make out the last of a mechanical frame as it disappeared from view. 

Pushing the dread in her voice down, the queen steeled herself. “Commander. Get us back home, now. The country is in more danger than ever.” 

~

Grand Admiral Bellum checked a pocket watch, flicking it closed as a grin flashed across his grin. Van Kiyru being activated for the first time was everything he could have hoped for. The vibrations of power that went through the entire war machine was exquisite. Years of discovery, understanding, luck, building and preparation led to this. And soon, very, very soon, the destruction it could unleash would be on display. 

First, however, key pieces needed to be put in place. Prince Nihilus, Princess Zannah, and T0-D would just about be making their way over Kakariko for the assault. Yet before even that, he needed to order an assault of his own. Feeling his hand over the speaking stone, Bellum admired the magic in such a small and simple little rock. Rub two or more together, and you’d have the ability to communicate with others over any distance you wanted. Speaking into it, he calmly asked for an update. 

“General Oppo. Are you and your troops ready?”

A dark voice filled with anticipation answered back. The Skurge considered himself the Grand Admiral’s opposite, a rival perhaps even, but so long as they both served their emperor faithfully, the general would obey Bellum’s orders. “Yes. We are positioned just over the clouds.”

“Then land your craft and begin the attack.” 

Putting the speaking stone away, Bellum took a breath as he watched the craft ascend into the air. Soon, the Empire would ascend to such heights as well again. Ironic. The decline came with the death of the dragons. Now it would be a dragon of his creation that would give his people their newest golden age. 

~ Ganondorf sat on his throne, fists clenched as he finally had a moment to sit down. The afternoon had been hectic, running about looking after his children and ordering troops to rout out Hasai camps. Truthfully, there was some concern that weighed on the Gerudo King’s mind. Reports brought back to him found that only skeleton crews had been purged. Where was the bulk of the empire’s army? He knew that they weren’t diminished quite yet.  

The creek of the throne door echoed as a familiar face walked in. Ganondorf paused, his gaze freezing on Rinku. Truthfully, while he loved her as his daughter, there was now always this slight air of tension that could rise up between them now that they both knew who she really was. The war certainly didn’t make their relationship blossom. He knew that it brought the worst of himself in her eyes. 

Still, there was so much good ground they had grown between them. He tried to not be the one to drive a wedge between them. “Rinku… are you well as of late?” 

His daughter looked a little pained in her eyes, then shook it off rather quickly. “Of course. Bit of downtime is all I need, then I can get back out there and do what I do best. Kicking evil’s ass to high hell and back.” 

Ganondorf watched as Rinku made a swing of her arm and a punch upwards to emphasize her words. The King could feel the true weight behind those words, however. Leaning forward with both his hands collapsed together, even so far away from each other across the room he was a towering presence. “Rinku, I’m not asking you to be my soldier.” 

That seemed to strike the wrong nerve with her, a frown and a shrug being returned his way. “You sure about that? Because I saw the posters you printed of Leere and I. Props on getting our good sides.” 

“Those are to raise morale. You’ve already done so much for this kingdom. Just your presence on a parchment on a paper can inspire so much hope.” 

“You know that’s not my style.” 

Ganondorf sighed, slowly closing his eyes and breathing deeply. “I know. Despite that, I don’t want you to burn out in this war of fire.” 

“And what about yourself?”

The Gerudo tilted his head, curious. “What about me?”

“You aren’t worried about the flames of war eating you up?”

“My child, I doubt that these Hasai could kill me.” 

“That’s not what I’m referring to.” Rinku walked closer, feeling the side of her head as if she had some sort of headache. “I don’t like seeing you on the battlefield. I don’t like the way you seem to live for bloodshed.” 

Ganondorf felt his face stone up. Lifetimes of combat, rage, and, unfortunately, cruelty, flashed through his mind. Those lifetimes all ended violently by the one speaking to him now. Did she have the right to speak to him about bloodshed? The arrogance? Yet, looking at her, he saw more of his daughter who was concerned than an old nemesis who wanted to contain him. 

Gripping the arm rests of the throne, Ganondorf leaned back in his seat. “Do I? Conflict is something that I have become a master of. I know that looking at the way I condone myself can be frightful from an outsiders view, but it is-”

“A necessary evil?” Ganondorf frowned at Rinku beating him to his point. “But why commit an act of evil in the first place?” 

The Gerudo sighed, but felt a different kind of fatigue with this line of conversation than he usually had with Zelda. There was more sincerity with Rinku than with his wife. No, not sincerity. Innocence? Determination? It was hard to quantify. “What would you have me do? My power has never been gentle. Our enemies would never show mercy to us, so how could I afford the same.” 

“Ganondorf.” She spoke sharply, a surprise to the King. His instincts jumped and he felt his old rival’s come out of his daughter. As quick as it came, however, it passed as her expression softened. “I don’t want to see my dad turn into a demon to fight other monsters. You’ve proven that you can be better than that now.”

Ganondorf rose from his seat, a wave of emotion following over him to prove her right. “Rinku, I-”

Suddenly, a servant bust through the doors, flanked shortly by two guards. “Your majesty! Princess!!! Castle Town is under attack!”

“What?!” The King and his daughter didn’t hesitate to rush out the door to look out through the window overlooking the town. Descending like demons, several war blimps were landing over buildings of the town as Hasai troops were unloaded. Glaring with a deep ferocity, the King roared out to the castle. “Everyone! Man your stations and expunge this plague upon OUR HOME! VAATI, GHIRAHIM!!!” 

It took no time for the Demon Lord to heed his call, appearing in a dazzling puff of smoke and dark sparkles. “I am at your command master!!!” 

“Ghirahim, I want you to go protect my children. I will not have another kidnapping occur under our watch. You are my best blade.”

“An honour that I will see to.” The Demon Lord couldn’t help but throw a cruel job at Rinku before disappearing. “I’ll show you how one protects a child, hero.” 

It took a few more moments before Vaati appeared, running around the corner in a hurry. Ganondorf loathed the rat on a personal level, but as a wizard, the King had been convinced of the need for the wizard's skills. “My liege. I assume that this is the about the Kikai Empire attack?”

“Vaati. Use every source of power you know to knock those blimps out of the sky. Rinku and I will be launching an assault at the ground level.” 

“I will do all I can.” With a flick of his robe, Vaati was on his way. 

Turning to his daughter, Ganondorf looked to her, wanting to give her assurance. “Not for glory, not for enjoyment, but for the needs of the people.” 

Rinku could only nod in response. Rushing through the castle, the two of them made a quick stop to the stables to ride their war boars, making a fast paced march towards Castle Town as the gates of Hyrule Castle were opened. Holding up an open palm, Ganondorf channeled his magic into a glowing sphere. When it was ready, he unleashed the might, firing the blast towards one of the blimps. The magic flew through the aircraft with enough force to tear a hole through metal and cloth. The aircraft had to turn and collapse outside of the town as it came slowly crashing down. 

Inside the town wasn’t much better. Citizens were running around to hide inside homes, but many were running out as Skurge soldiers were setting fire to rooftops with pyrokinesis or throwing bombs through windows to set blazes. Hylian soldiers were fighting fiercely against the invaders, and here in the heart of Hyrule, the Hasai had to face a large cast of diverse and furious people. 

Goron smashed with fists as large as the torsos of many Hasai, crushing bones with ease. Zora commanded water to douse out the flames or to knock the Hasai off their feet. One with shark-like features tore into the throat of one Skurge soldier as they were locked in face to face combat. Hoping off his war boar, Ganondorf roared as he slammed into the ground with an open palm, forcing a shockwave to knock several Hasai to their feet, or some that were closer to be blasted into the stone work of several houses around them, shattering their bodies. 

From a pool of darkness, Ganondorf summoned forth two dual blades, snarling at the Hasai around him. “Get out of my country.” 

The invaders who could immediately responded with fire, blasting a combination of explosive flame towards the Gerudo. Placing both of his blades together, Ganondorf could feel the metal heat up as the fire was reflected to each of his sides. With a roar, he dashed forward, cutting left and right as the screams of gutted Hasai filled his ears. 

As he took the lives of these invaders, this was the hardest part for him. The feeling of pure vindication in taking these lives. With another swing, he dueled a Skurge soldier for about five seconds before his opponent made a mistake in his movement and was decapitated. Ganondorf moved like a demon, swift, ferocious, and the most powerful player on the field with sheer might alone. 

Ganondorf finished this unit of soldiers flawlessly enough, flicking a scratch of blood off his cheek. As he wondered about looking for a new batch of enemies to kill, his mind thought of Zelda and Link. Being warned of enjoying the slaughter and the rush war gave him. Even now, he could feel his own excitement rising. In the past, he would have zero doubts. Here, he was acting as a hero to Hyrule instead of its conqueror. He should have felt more vindicated than ever. Yet their presence in this lifetime had shifted his core just enough. 

The Gerudo King nearly stopped to contemplate this, but the timing was not ideal. For now, he would act in the ways he knew best for the sake of saving lives. The weight of his actions and how he felt would be sorted later. 

~

Nihilus finished putting on his gosoku armour, feeling adorned in a snow white chest plate. The last piece he placed on himself was the face mask, a covering that made him look like a demon, but still allowed his eyes to be seen. 

Behind him standing in the launch bay with him, Zannah was adorned in similar armour, but opted to go without the helmet or mask. If his sister felt speed was better than protection, that would be her call to make, or mistake to regret. 

Each royal child of Malakath had their own beast to ride into battle. For the deceased Seras, he was happy with a basilisk. Zannah had taken after her mother, able to tame the incredibly brutal Manticore that she named Raam. Nihilus, however, had a far more deadly creature tamed. About 40 ft in length, the monster he tamed was known as a Baraki, known in other tongues as false dragons or fell beasts. From a glance, this reptilian beast with wings on sharp claws and fangs could be mistaken for a dragon, but its ilk was far more violent and animalistic in nature. He named his Makuta, bringer of ill tidings and spewer of green flame. 

The blimp made its way towards Kakariko Village, and the crown prince watched as the bay doors opened. Stage one was ready to begin. With a slap of his reins, Makuta let out a deep snarl as he took off into the air. Behind him, his sister followed closely. 

It didn’t take long for Nihilus to see Sheikah and Hylian villagers taking notice of them. Before panic or understanding could settle in, the prince landed on the rooftop of one of the houses, the weight of his Baraki shifting. With a snap of his finger, he commanded the slaughter to unfold. With vile power, the fell beast spewed dark, green crackling fire on the village below. 

People screamed in terror, others in deathly pain as flames consumed them. Dismounting off his mount, Prince Nihilus jumped three stories downwards, as he was 10 ft from the ground, flames shot out from his feet, the force safely decelerating him as he made landfall. Already, the surprise seemed to be wearing off as Sheikah warriors started to surround him, holding short swords and spears. From a glance, Nihilus could feel that these warriors were experienced, or at the least they felt prepared. He would show them just how futile their preparations were. 

Two of the warriors charged him, and Nihilus answered the call. On each of his forearms were bladed gauntlets ready to slice and dice his enemies. He danced around his enemies, palming away one man, then after blocking the strike of another, retaliated with a slice across the throat, spraying blood outwards. The red scarlet liquid stained his chest armour, giving the prince his desired intent of fright. 

Satisfied by his initial warmup, Nihilus looked to the sky as his sister descended upon the village, firing a bolt of lighting to cause the door to one house to explode before she dive bombed inside. Looking at another Sheikah, the crown prince gestured with two fingers for the man to come face him in combat. The Sheikah drew something from a pocket throwing it at the prince, and there was suddenly a blinding flash. 

Nihilus closed his eyes and let his instincts take over as he relied on his ears and sense of smell. The Sheikah were incredibly light on their feet, running at him with the faintest of pressure against the grass beneath them, but it was enough. With a dodge, Nihilus ducked low, his tail lashing out as the man missed a swing over his body. The appendage grabbed the man by the neck, squeezing around tightly. With a wicked twist, there was a defining snap as the Hasai broke the man’s neck. Opening his eyes, Nihilus took a deep breath as he released the body to the ground. Putting both his arms together in a cross position, he quietly let out one word as the rest of the Sheikah charged at him all around him.

“Burn.” 

Releasing the energy building up in him, Nihilus thrust both his arms outwards to his sides, and a dome of fire exploded outwards from his being for 15 ft in all directions. The fire completely devastated his attackers, turning their bodies into burning corpses as they fell to the ground in flames, their lungs bubbling and death being quick. 

The crown prince looked at the burning village in front of him as the flames flickered in his eyes. Above him, his war blimp hovered above, allowing his soldiers to descend from rope and cables. Warriors in shimmering black armour made landfall, the fire reflecting in their uniforms. With hand signals, Nihilus’ Theron Guard quickly made their way through the village, shooting down villagers with crossbows and systematically killing every citizen they could find. 

Breathing in the air, Nihilus started walking towards the largest house in the village. On this day, he swore to himself that he would burn a scar in Hyrule so devastating that the land itself would never recover from. Fire was pain, devastation, and suffering. And he would share his fire with this country. He was Dorami, dragon in human form, and his fire would be known to all. 

______________________________________________________________

Happy Year of the Dragon!

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[princedetectives]

nanako is one of the most well written characters in persona 4

⚠️ major spoilers for p4 up to its 7th dungeon in here (yes im talking to you kaylingo)

ive been thinking about nanako a lot over the past few days and, man, i feel like she doesn't get enough appreciation. she rivals akechi as my favorite persona character ever because of how precious she is, yes, but also because her writing is so perfect.

because, let's be honest, a lot of parts of this game aged poorly, especially in a modern lens. i could make a list. i have made a list actually which i give to my friends who start p4 to warn them (hi kaylingo!). you know, like the bathhouse scenes, the poor representation, the countless times the female characters are treated weirdly. the fat girl who only exists for fatphobic jokes. i could go on. nanako is not included in this.

in fact, nanako is one of the most compassionately written characters i've seen. she is just as important to the whole investigation team as she is to yu. she is never treated as a hassle to watch over. she's actively included in things they do. everyone is gentle with her (her very first social link where yosuke finds out her mom is dead and so softly apologizes, the little things like that). everyone loves nanako. that's so important, both for her and the story as a whole.

the justice arcana

nanako being the justice arcana is pretty baffling at first. the wiki says it's thanks to her deep care about right and wrong, but to me that's not as satisfying as:

nanako reflects everyone's sense of justice

this is clearest during Heaven: nanako's death is the reason the investigation team turns murderous, desperate to avenge her. nanako ends up in danger thanks to nametame's skewed messiah complex. nanako being in danger gives dojima the energy to launch a desperate attempt to finally catch the culprit and save her, wrecking and getting terribly injured in the process. importantly, nanako being in danger is what gets adachi panicked enough to slip up and reveal himself as the killer, thus allowing justice to finally catch up to him.

seeing her like this makes every character's actions much more fascinating. she doesn't deserve anything happening to her in the slightest. it's unfair and unjust. everyone knows this. what we see during Heaven is each character's attempts to save her, even nametame.

Heaven is my favorite dungeon in the game. in my book it even beats every palace in persona 5. everyone's love of nanako is stronger than ever in the most painful way. there's so much raw emotion and it's so well written the entire way through.

a few characters specifically stick out to me, like naoto, who chides themself for not figuring out nanako could be in danger sooner and being the person to initially suggest turning murderous against nametame.

teddie, who's so distraught over the injustice of nanako's death and his inability to keep the promise that gave him a place in the world that he loses all will to live. he can only live in the human world with her around, and she only comes back to consciousness upon hearing his voice.

and adachi, who, in an episode of the golden anime, is seen muttering to himself alone in the hospital pushing the blame of everything onto yu (episode 6, i told you, yu. the anime is usually really dinky but that episode is genuinely a masterpiece somehow.), which further proves his warped perception of justice. because he cares about her too. the anime proves that to him, yu took his place in the dojima family, and he's extremely bitter about it.

in conclusion

nanako's role as the collective little sister is so important. she helps everyone throughout their social links and brings out the sides of people that wouldn't be seen otherwise. before Heaven, each dungeon was fairly impersonal, saving people they hadn't met before, which drastically changes with her kidnapping.

nanako gives everyone the strength to solve the case. she's the light that guides them to the clues they've been looking for throughout the past 8 months. nanako is the justice arcana because, without her, the case goes unsolved, and it's all thanks to the love everyone has for her. she's the best depiction of anything like this i've ever seen.

[mrallnight57-blog]

The Island of Dr. Spy

Chapter 1

Rough Rough Rough Draft

Jenny Ramirez had finally been given the opportunity to go back to Roswell New Mexico. Up to now she had been busy following up leads, and trying to learn more about the criminal organization that funded the Gothic Lights over five years ago.

She knew the Organization had gotten its start, in her home town of Roswell New Mexico. Now though, the organization operated all around the world. So getting back to Roswell was not an easy endeavor.

Another thing that made her job hard, was the fact that cosmic children had now become mainstream. She had learned about them five years ago, and was even part of a conspiracy to cover them up. Unfortunately their battles on the streets had far too many eyewitnesses. Then the media got involved. So Jenny and other government agencies had to admit there existence.

Jenny was in her childhood home. Her mom was in the kitchen preparing her a cup of coffee, and her dad was at work. Even at 69, her dad was still busting his ass in the oilfield.

Jenny was looking at old family photos. As she looked through the photos. One caught her attention. It was a picture of her, and her older sister Maria.

Maria was ten years older than Jenny. Even with this age gap. The two of them were very close. Maria was basically Jenny's babysitter when she was a kid, and the two of them would play and watch cartoons together.

When Maria was eighteen, she went to college. She was always very smart, and had straight A's in school. In college she met a man by the name Andrew Drakos. His family was from Rhodes Island Greece. Maria would end up dropping out during her junior year in college, because Andrew had knocked her up.

Andrew would finish college and become a doctor. He married Maria and they had a son name Nicholas.

Nicholas was a genius. At five years old, he had already graduated from grade school, and was taken middle school classes. At ten years of age, he had already graduated from high school. Had Nicholas been around today, he would have probably been a Nobel prize winning scientist.

The reason he wasn't around anymore was because by the time he was eleven. Someone had broke into his house. Tied up his parents, kidnapped him, and set the house on fire. Killing both of his parents.

This all happened when Jenny was twenty-two. After police failed to get any leads. Jenny decided to become a police officer, and solve the case herself. Sadly all this happened sixteen years ago. Fortunately for Jenny, five years ago she got a lead.

It all went back to the night at the Gothic Lights compound. It was there she met Litias. A creature from another world. The two of them became friends. In fact when the creature left. It broke Jenny's heart, because deep down, she had fallen in love with Litias.

Before Litias left, she told Jenny about a man name Stan Maverick. Three months later, she met with the man, and it was him who had given her a lead on the people who were responsible for her sister's death, and her nephew's kidnapping.

Jenny was now sitting at the dinning room table. Still looking at the picture, when her mom came out of the kitchen, bringing coffee, and homemade cookies.

Jenny's mother Sofia, sat the cookies and coffee on the table. Then she sat down next to Jenny and started talking. "So tell me sweetheart. What have I done to deserve a visit from my world famous daughter?"

Jenny's face turned red. She was embarrassed by her mom's words. It's true that both her involvement with the government, and her high standings in the LGBTQ+ community had made her famous, but she really needed to spend more time with her family.

Jenny continued to blush. "I'm sorry for not visiting much. It just lots of stuff keeps getting in the way. My new position in the FBI, has me running around like a chicken with it's head cut off. The good news is though. I think I finally cracked the case on who was responsible for Maria death."

Sophia eyes widen. "Is that even possible baby girl! That happened sixteen years ago. I figured if you hadn't found the creeps by now. You would never find them!"

Jenny looked her mom in the eyes. "I will though! I finally have a lead, and a possible connection between Nicholas and the people who kidnapped him."

Jenny pulled a satchel from underneath the table, and set it on top. Then she opened it and spoke. "You remember all of stuff you sent me, that belonged to Nicholas? Most importantly his drawings."

Sophia nodded as Jenny began pulling out some old drawings. Jenny began organizing the drawings. Which were very well made, and very descriptive. Almost as if they were made by a professional architect, but in actuality was drawn by a nine year old child.

Sophia watched as her daughter began showing her different pictures. Some were of weapons that couldn't be made, because technology was just not that advance yet. This included a ray that could drain someone's energy and make the target as weak as a baby. It was called a weakness ray.

Jenny looked over to her mother as she pointed at the weapon. "I've seen this weapon. It's true purpose is to be used on people with powers. Like the Cosmic Children, but this drawing was made many years before anyone even knew cosmic children existed. I think Nicholas knew about them. In fact I'm incline to believe he was one of them!"

At this point Sophia was confused. "Are you saying our little Nicky had powers!?!"

Jenny nodded. "Could explain why he was so smart."

Jenny pulled up another picture. This time it was a picture of an island.

Sophia looked at Jenny and asked. "What's special about that?"

Jenny grabbed a couple of other pieces of paper and said. "These are the schematics of the island. It is a man made structure, that is one hundred miles long, and not only would the island float, but it would also be able to fly. It has a cloaking technology that can keep itself from being detected during travel."

Sophia chuckled. "Wow! Nicky sure had a hell of an imagination!"

Jenny pulled out a satellite photo of an island. "This island appeared six years ago outside the islands of Greece. Five months ago it disappeared, and reappeared one hundred and fifty miles away from the coast of Florida. Everyone who has been sent there has disappeared. Also on close inspection. It looks exactly like the island Nicholas had created."

Sophia looked at the pictures, then back at Jenny. "What do you think this means?

Jenny put her hand on her mother's wrist, and softly spoke. "I believe Nicholas is still alive, and whoever has him, knew about Nicholas's abnormal intelligence, and is forcing him to help them in their criminal activities."

Sophia was taken off guard by Jenny's words. "So you believe he might be on that island!?!"

Jenny softly squeezed her mother's wrist. "I'm sure of it!"

[mineonmain]

Insight from an Asian about calling Win ‘son’

I know a lot of folks are freaking out about Team’s mom calling Win ‘son’, so as a (south) Asian I wanted to shed a little light on that. Disclaimer: I’m not Thai so idk how accurate the translations are or if there are cultural differences, but in general for Asian countries there’s a lot of overlap.

For starters, what a lot of English speakers may not know is that in a lot of Asian languages, we have a lot of other terms for people around us besides ‘miss/ma’am/sir’ (for strangers), ‘uncle/aunty’ or simply peoples names. For example, in Hindi there’s a different label for my mom’s brother vs my dad’s brother, and similarly for my mom’s sister vs my dad’s. The moment we use that word, we know exactly how they are related to us.

When it comes to addressing strangers, we don’t use a lot to formality unless they individual is visibly older than us, in which case we add a ‘-ji’ at the end of their name or title, as well as the sentence (this is similar to a -ssi in Korean, or maybe a -kun in Japanese, or even a khap/kha in thai’). But usually if we address a man, we’d call him ‘bhaiya/bhaisaheb’ which is basically calling him brother. These people are obviously not our brothers, but it’s a way of calling them that isn’t ridiculously formal and is extremely common.

Just like we call most male strangers as ‘brother’, we call most kids ‘beta’. ‘Beta’ actually translates to son, so you’d use beta/beti to say ‘hey this is my son/daughter’, but outside of that context ‘beta’ is a gender-neutral term for ‘kid’. And it’s not just for your own kids, it’s for literally any kid. So if my mom met any of my friends from school, she’d call them by their name, and to show a little more familiarity and casualness she’d called them ‘beta’ too!!

All of this to say, I don’t think Team’s mom referring to Win as ‘son’ automatically means she knows what they are to each other and that she’s instantly inducting him into the family with son-status, rather it’s her parental love and her acknowledging that Team and Win are both on the level to her, and that she trusts him (with Team). I don’t want to dampen any excited spirits, because let’s be honest, she’s adopted him anyways - the ‘son’ thing isn’t really a big deal, but please love their interactions anyways!!!

[xsunnysucculentx]

late nights

part 3 to meeting task 141!

summary: a late night talk with ghost

warnings: mentions of human trafficking, death, reader smokes, mentions of 9/11

pronouns: she/her

a/n: a rather short one today, kinda like a filler episode lmao, but i'll post the fourth part later today too!

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you groaned and pulled the blanket from your face. the red clock showed 1:12am, which meant you've been tossing and turning since almost two hours, not falling asleep at all. you sat up and rubbed your eyes. you were tired, but you just couldn't sleep. normal case of your insomnia. you took your cigarettes, put some fluffy slippers and your coat on. you checked your pockets, key card, lighter, phone and gum, you had everything.

stepping onto the roof your eyes had to adjust to the dark for a second before you sat down at the edge and looked down. the roof wasnt very high, you let your feet dangle off and slouched. not wanting your intrusive thoughts of throwing your phone down win, you held it with both hands and opened tik tok, the quiet sounds filling the darkness. the light from the lamps on the ground didn't really reach you, but that wasn't your problem, you were safe up here and everyone was probably sleeping anyway.

everyone except one. you heard the metal door creek and turned around instantly, recognising ghosts statue. he froze in his tracks after spotting you and almost immediately turned around. "you don't have to go" you said, not sure if it was loud enough but he heard you and after thinking for a moment he came towards you and sat down next to you. but like.. a meter away. "cant sleep too?" you asked and put your phone in your pocket, taking the cigarettes and lighter out. ghost did the same and hummed in response. "sorry i took your spot" "its fine, didn't expect you to be up here" he said and lit his cigarette. you didn't look at him out of respect, even tho you were kinda curious how he looked under the mask. "yeah" you nodded and the comfortable silence fell over you. "was a name chosen for you?" ghost started a conversation. a reasonable question, you had your first mission in the task force in two days. "nah," you inhaled the smoke and looked down. "flower was a pretty cool name if i do say so myself, kinda sad to let it go" "is that why there are flowers on your zippo?" he asked and you chuckled lightly. "not really, my sister gifted it to me. she said i'd always be her prettiest flower, that's why i took the name in the other task force." you smiled down at it. "i miss her, haven't seen her in a long time" you had no problem sharing some information from your past, it's not like ghost was the trash talk queen here. "yeah" he said and looked into the distance. "haven't seen my family in years either" you didn't ask why that was, knowing ghost was a very private man and you've only known each other for a couple of days. but it was your first real conversation that didn't have to do with anything like training or tactics. "i dunno" you sighed and took another inhale. "she's all grown up now.." you missed some significant years in her life. like her sweet sixteen, her first car, her first break up and all that. you couldn't even call her, if your phone got hacked you sure as hell wont even forgive yourself for putting her and your mom in danger. night time was always your sentimental time. you spent it alone mostly but it was good to talk to someone about it, too. "how old is she?" "she's turning 17 next month" you answered and let out a long breath. "we wanted to get matching tattoos on her 18th" "one more reason to survive" ghost mentioned and you nodded slightly. "still living and breathing, not planning on changing that soon" you put out your cigarettes on the cement next to you and put your hands in your lap. "how come you've joined the military? it seems like you have a close bond with your family, why choose such a dangerous job?" ghost sounded genuinely curious. "hm" you thought back to your teen years. "my dad was in the army. i was so inspired by him, i've always wanted to become like him. and i wanted to help people, my first mission was freeing five women from human trafficking. i dont know how they would've reacted if i was a man.." you said honestly and noticed it was your first time in years talking about your dad. you didn't know if you should regret telling ghost some things about your past, but it was too late now. "why did you join, lieutenant?" "9/11." he said simply and you nodded in response.

your talk with ghost yesterday was nice. but you couldn't help but feel like you've been run over by a truck in the morning. the briefing room was filled with the task force, you sitting in the back between ghost and soap, while price explained the mission. your eyelids started becoming heavier and heavier and you almost fell down on the table, but caught yourself right in time. "someone sleep deprived?" soap asked and you leaned back in the chair. "couldn't sleep at all yesterday. i even took melatonin, shit wasnt working" you rubbed your eyes and put your hand over your mouth to yawn. "you need to infiltrate building one, three, four and six," price showed the buildings on the map. "there's information on the laptops, retrieve it and get back. dont make a scene." you drank the last bit of your 4th energy drink and started bouncing your leg to hopefully keep you awake. the briefing could've been over at this point but price was nowhere near done. you couldn't even take a nap later because you'd be training all day to 'strengthen your team compability' you didn't have enough time for a breakfast (bc you actually managed to fall asleep for an hour or so) so you started peeling an orange and soap immediately turned around to look at you. "the whole room smells like oranges" you heard gaz whisper and quickly hid the orange under the table, offering soap a slice. you tapped ghosts thigh and he looked at you, seeing the three slices in your hand. he took them and pushed a slice in his mouth under the mask. you hated the white strings on oranges, so you started peeling them off carefully. ghost leaned his head to the side, thinking it was quite weird why you just didnt eat the orange as it was, those strings didn't taste like anything. he took the other half and started peeling them too, leaving the clean slices next to your hand. you smiled and mouthed a quiet 'thank you' to him, popping a slice in your mouth. maybe you could actually warm up to ghost, it seemed like he wasn't as cold and distant as you thought he was…

[badluck990]

Febuwhump24 - Helpless

TW: Angels and Devils(Devil Whumpee/Angel Whumper), collar and chains, alludes to past & future torture

Let me know if I forgot to add anything

“Hi, welcome to the RMRA. How can I help you?” Cedric was working the front desk that day as he didn't have any clients at the moment.

Andre started to explain their predicament only to instantly begin fumbling with their words. “Uh- Hello. My doctor recommended this place to me. I- I’m having some control issues…um, with my horns.” 

He nodded along whilst pulling out paperwork, “Can you tell me more?”

“Well um. I had to have my horns…amputated but my magic didn’t…reset for lack of a better word, with the small horn size.”

“And now without enough horn for the magic to go into, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to cast without causing harm to yourself or the area.”

“I wouldn’t say ‘increasingly’, but yeah.” Do they really see cases like this that often?

“Alright well I think pairing you up with Lynn Woodfeild would be a good idea.” He typed some stuff out before continuing, “she’s our resident angel and control specialist.”

“Th-that’s a thing?” He asked trying to focus on ‘control specialist' and not start internally panicking over hearing they were an angel. It was irrational, he knew that. Yet his chest insisted on being tight and his brain playing the memories of the serial killer's torture on loop.

“Are you alright sir?” 

Andre forced himself to nod, not wanting to spill his trauma to the poor desk clerk, plus the anxiety kicked in and decided that he’d look like an ass for denying help at this point.

The paperwork was drawn up and the first appointment was scheduled for the following week.

Time flew as nightmares made him dread the appointment

“You know you can request another person, right?” Aloka his younger sister asked, “you've dealt with some serious shit in that theater, having an anxiety attack based on hearing something that reminds you of that doesn’t make you a bad person. Just- if they are professionals then they won’t have a problem with you requesting…Someone else.”

“I can’t avoid an entire species, Aloka.”

“Still. I’m worried about you. And so it Atlas I don’t want you to have just woken up from a coma just to end up dying from stress!” She sighed, “Anyway, what time are you gonna be home after the appointment?”

“Not sure, they gave me a start time, not so much how long I’d be spreading with her each appointment.”

“That’s an important thing to forget to ask,” she grumbled.

“I was still trying to stop thinking about her.” 

“Mom’s gonna worry.”

“I should be back before too long.”

But he wasn’t. Cause he’d be gone for much longer than he bargained for.

~ Lynn Woodfield: Control Specialist~

It’s fine, I can do this.

“You must be Andre, right on time!” Lynn’s small wings fluttered as she finished braiding her hair.

“Uh, yes Miss Woodfeild.”

“Well aren’t you cute sweet. You’re very lucky you know.”

“What do you mean,”

“Well I typical only take one client at a time. I just got finished with a last one.”

“Oh, uh why? Do you only take one at a time I mean,” He added, after a pause.

“Simple.” She flipped the lights off and tackled him he should have been able to see and yet everything was pitch dark, “so there’s no one to warn the next.” As the lights turned on and his vision returned, he found chains binding his wrists to the floor. 

“What in the light's heaven?!” 

“Shh, my sweet. It’s temporary, just until I have the chance to get the rest of my supplies.”

Shadows harm, what’s she’s gonna do

His magic sparked in his hand, only one way out.

“You sure that’s a good idea? Shadow spike me and it could go through the ceiling and hurt someone upstairs. Or a create a shadow ball, with the issues you described you’d probably engulf the room and kill us both.”

He hated that she was right, magic wouldn’t them out of this. At least not safely. 

A dark curtain they hadn’t noticed fell and revealed blades, tools, whips, more chains, all complete with a drain in the center of the floor. The cuffs were switches for a heavy metal collar, no hinge, no lock and key, no way of getting it off.

How did she even get it on in the first place?

He was stuck against the wall, gagged and hidden anytime she left. 

What had she told his family to keep them away?

She had fun with him, similar to how his last captor had, only Lynn made sure not to kill him. Plus the last mess had been a day. Here? If he was keeping count correctly, a week and a half and counting.

The only good part was she was careful with his horns, but it was a small mercy compared to the knives in his leg and nails in his arm. Plus that stupid name she called him.

“Cotton Candy, or C.C. for short.” She’d giggled while patting his poofy pink hair.

It had been for Aloka, the first thing they did together when got out of the hospital. She loved dying her hair fun colors and he had promised her when graduated med-school he’d join her. But after nearly dying they agreed it was best not to wait. She’d gotten her done all white contract her own horns.

Andre got pink. It had always been his favorite.

Now it was another reminder of how trapped he was.

@wolfeyedwitch @kim-poce @cupcakes-and-pain

@febuwhump