#and hes still avaricious despite that last bit but the point is that like. he could have that taught out of him or use it for good

[delku]

i think its reasonable to criticize the "afo was born evil" narrative cuz it definitely is dumb as hell for obvious reasons, and it is essentially just written in the text that way. that being said mha has always been a commentary on family dynamics and nurture over nature, and we see that with toga and dabi very prominently. i think the idea here is that afo could've been raised in an environment where he turned out to be a decent person, but because he was born and left to the rats (and society/government systems at large are at fault due to a resounding lack of failsafes), he was forced to use any resource he could get his hands on just to survive in an era that was hostile to him. am i reading this right. anyways.

[chrysalispen]

reverie (NSFW)

doing some bingo card prompt fills to get back in the swing of things.

prompt fill: masturbation

you know me, it’s my usual. brief nero tol scaeva/wol but mostly this is just poor aurelia being helplessly feral over the dick that cursed her. 

set sometime during the crystal tower raid storyline. NSFW under cut, as always.

=====

In short order she had drifted into a doze and the memory became dream. No longer curled in a thin bedroll upon rock and crystallized sand, she lay basking in the comfort of sun-warmed grass with the soothing scent of lavender in her nose. A warm breeze stirred her hair and the fine crepe fabric of the soft and comfortable dress she wore, the hem tickling her leg with its fluttering. 

Over long moments the scope of the dream shifted, almost imperceptibly, in the hazy and oneiric way dreams so often did, and Aurelia knew without opening her eyes that she was no longer alone. 

She could sense the warmth of another body nearby, someone she knew. 

She could open her eyes, but she already knew who it was. She'd had this dream before: her best friend from girlhood, alive and well, lazing next to her and watching clouds drift overhead. Despite everything, it was a dream that never failed to leave her feeling better when she had it. 

She was already smiling as she shifted herself towards him in a lazy roll to one side. 

A warm hand caressed her cheek. She threaded her fingers through his hair to tug him in for a kiss-- and the moment he responded in kind, she realized this could not be Sazha. The soft, warm mouth upon hers was too full, his face was not clean-shaven but bristly with overgrowth, the nose too broad-bridged and prominent. And also not a Miqo'te-- her fingers tugged ungently at soft, dense curls rather than the fine silky strands she remembered. 

She kissed him anyway. 

In turn, he devoured her.

She tore her mouth away from his to catch her breath and he continued his conquest down the column of her throat as he feasted upon her softness: biting and nipping in tandem with the descent of slim hands and calloused, dexterous fingers. He rucked the thin fabric of her dress to her waist, and when his fingers hooked with a deft surety into the laces of her smallclothes to loosen and expose, she felt only heady excitement. 

He surged forward, slotting one thigh between her legs; she found herself rolling smoothly onto her back to bear the weight of a body that was lean muscle and sharp angles. The muscles of her calves flexed to wrap about his waist for purchase and nearly in the same instant she felt the sensation of fullness and friction: heat stretching and sliding into her own, made smooth and easy with desire. 

She moaned, a guttural noise that was almost a growl, the sound of it swallowed by her lover's mouth on hers as he found his rhythm. The heat of the sun seemed to warm her blood with each thrust; she could smell lavender and musk and cut grass, and the irregular sighs from his lips warmed the column of her throat.

Those fingers tangled in her hair, the roughness of them gathering it like strands of spun gold. 

His lips caught her earlobe, moving in that soft spot behind its shell as he rasped, "You know me."

She did. She tried to remember his name, tried and couldn't, not with all her focus bent upon primal need. Even as she racked her memory, she twined her arms around his neck and tugged on his hair so she could kiss him again. Teeth and tongue together grazed her lower lip. 

"Yes," she panted against his mouth.

Each breath become more labored, seeming to lodge in her chest. His warm hands trailed down her thighs to tilt her hips up; she clenched around him and keened into his kiss, her hips canting hard enough into his that it should have hurt. If she felt pain at all, it went unnoticed; all that mattered was that thread of tension she could feel coiling on itself and the blessed relief that lay in sight, just within her grasp.

If she could just say his name-

=

Aurelia sat bolt upright in the darkness, eyes flared wide and chest heaving and skin dewy with sweat, her lips still trembling. She felt sure she must have cried out but if it had been heard there was no response. The tranquility of sleep still reigned over the NOAH campgrounds as far as the others were concerned, it seemed.

Sleep was now very far from her mind. The sound of her own voice still echoed in her ears.

She exhaled, a trembling whisper of sound, and let herself drop back to the hard and uncomfortable ground.

Well.

That had certainly just happened.

She'd ask herself why, but it would be nothing short of denial, and he'd been on her mind as of late, she wasn't about to deny it. In her defense, of course, Nero tol Scaeva had been on everyone's mind since the moment he set foot on the dig site (and it hadn't been so much 'set foot' as 'sauntered,' really)--

Well, what did it matter? The occasional strange dream was to be expected, especially when one was under duress- and she had certainly been given plenty to worry about as of late. The Doman refugees, Alphinaud's new grand company, the move to Revenant's Toll, meeting Ser Aymeric, dealing with a seemingly unending stream of summonings requiring her to stamp out fires (and gales, and earthquakes)...

These dreams are perfectly normal and nothing to worry about, soothed the calm and collected clinician's voice in her own mind. Certainly nothing to lose sleep over.

Except she knew the moment she shut her eyes that she wasn't going to put it out of her mind, much less find any peace in sleep. Lying in the close and humid darkness of the tent she remembered the sharp pale blue of his eyes, bright with triumph, watching with avaricious ferocity as he took her apart. Gods, the way it had felt. That hot and grinding ache lingered still, unwilling to let her go.

Damn it. He'd cursed her without laying a finger on her. Gods damn it all.

She wet her lips with her tongue, staring at the peaked canvas above her head.

With a furtive glance at the closed tent flap she rucked her sleeping robes to her waist and lifted her hips just enough to wriggle her smalls down to mid-thigh. Slowly she ran her palm along the curve of one leg from the rolled waistband of her underclothes to the delicate flare of her hip and then inward, index and middle finger carefully encroaching between her legs with a light and questing touch that was almost embarrassed.

But she had to do this quietly, she tried to tell herself, the harsh sound of her breathing alarmingly loud in her ears. If G'raha or Cid or Rammbroes (or worst of all without a shadow of a doubt, Nero) found her in this state--

Well, short of sinking into the ground of her own free will until the next Age rolled round, the consequences defied imagining. She'd be the Eorzeans' first Warrior of Light to perish from sheer mortification, that was all there was to it.

She'd been on the verge when she'd awakened; she could still feel the throbbing pulse of her heartbeat, everything between her legs still acutely sensitive. It was difficult enough merely to measure her pace but the hardest part was trying not to think at all- trying not to think about what she was doing or why so that she could concentrate only upon the sensation of her own fingers: not half as rough, smaller and more delicate, rubbing against slick flesh in slow and careful motions.

Slow and careful, rather, until neither of those things were enough to satiate.

As her concentration slipped, so too did her resolve to remain silent. The pressure of her fingers increased, along with the speed and urgency of her rhythm and that ghostly and half-remembered thread of impending release quickly returned, built back to its boiling point. 

A small keening welled from the back of her throat and buzzed through the lips she had clamped tightly shut; her back arched and her neck bowed, pressing the back of her head into the thin pillow of her bedroll.

She bit the soft inner layer of her cheek hard enough to taste copper on her tongue. It hurt but the urge to cry out passed with it, briefly.

Her free hand slipped beneath the thin pillow in some last-ditch effort at self-preservation, tugged just enough of it free so that she could cover her mouth, muffle the sounds that wanted to escape. Her teeth clenched against linen and hemp, and her last cogent thought was the memory of that dream-voice whispering in her ear, goading her to say his name. She thought of flaxen curls snared about her fingers, the breathy sound that whistled from his lips as she tugged at them in a demand for his attention. The sensation of the muscles in his back shifting beneath her fingertips. The glorious frisson and friction of his cock, pistoning inside her-

That thought did it.

The breath left her lungs in an explosive and half-choked gasp as that coiling tension snapped taut like a wire, heat from her release radiating out from her core into her limbs. She writhed atop her bedroll for an indeterminate amount of time, legs twitching with small spasms, helpless to staunch the small flood that wet her fingers.

After a handful of seconds the aftershocks began to pass, rolling like an undercurrent beneath the hectic slamming of her pulse. She lay quiescent in the darkness with damp strands of golden hair sticking to her neck and one hand still pressed between her legs, chest heaving and ears ringing.

Willing her breathing deep and regular, Aurelia carefully flexed her hand after a few moments more to shake out the ache of an incipient cramp. Beneath the giddy feeling of afterglow she felt a mingled jumble of emotions that she tried to ignore-- guilt, mostly, and no small amount of confusion.

Her eyes alighted upon her staff, laid neatly alongside her journals and packs. The faceted surface of a crystal caught what little light existed in the close space, glimmering feebly.

"You could have at least had the courtesy to let me dream about someone I actually like," she whispered. She laughed, but there was precious little mirth in it.

Aurelia sighed and rolled herself into a sitting position on still-wobbly limbs, reaching for something to pin back her hair, then rummaged in her bags for her canteen and a scrap of hemp cloth for washing. If she was to spend a sleepless night, she might as well tidy herself.

Maybe in the morning she’d be able to look him in the eye.

[a7xjoker33-blog]

The Summoner's Tales: Chapter 1 - Any Day in June

Prompt: Origin Story for your summoner. What was it like to be summoner to Askr?

      A puff of smoke appeared at the base of the large stone structure etched with a carving of the the world tree. Standing a good seven feet or so tall, the tablet never ceased giving off a simultaneous air of mystery and contempt. On the one hand, the fact that it acted as the portal through which so many worlds, times and realities could be connected with and drawn into this one was an awe-inspiring concept. Something so simple as a giant stone holding such importance. On the other hand, any summoner would know the pain of standing in front of the altar for hours on end, wishing and praying for some act of kindness and fair play, only to be met with the cold indifference of random chance. The stone tablet was just that - a stone tablet, but damn if I didn't yell at it time and again hoping beyond hope that it would sense my frustration and reward my efforts.

      I often considered the likelihood of there being other realities where other summoners stood as I did on that platform in front of the tablet, firing Breidablik and their dwindling ration of orbs into the heart of the beast. How many were lucky? How many summoned the heroes they so desperately wanted? How many quit out of frustration and left their new-found home behind? How many were drunkenly doing so only to wake up in their castle cots the next morning to the surprise of new allies and fewer orbs? Had anyone ever tried special trick shots? Did those help at all? Maybe if one were to sing a thematic song......

"Smoke? That's a good omen! I wonder who might be joining us today..."

     Lucina's voice beside me on the right snapped me out of those wandering thoughts. A quick shake of the head then refocused me on that infernal and beautiful stone structure a few yards before me in the summoning plaza on the Askrian castle grounds. A small audience accompanied me to the event that day. Well, small given the size of the barracks at the castle. To my right stood Lucina, hand resting on her Falchion blade holstered at her side; the mightiest weapon among the worlds we'd been summoning from and interacting with for months on end. A weapon of legend which had continued to evolve and develop as she fought here at my side; still not even close to as impressive as the girl who wielded it.

      As he did in most things, Robin stood right next to her, tome open to record the summons of this day. I always knew I could trust Robin to offer sound advice and strategies for our battles here with the Askrians. His calm nature and tactical mind had been boons since the first day I arrived in the kingdom, and we would often find ourselves discussing anything from odd histories of the various realms to the status of our troops and allies. Sometimes our conversations were over things as simple as the ruffled mops of hair we each wore upon on our heads. We each knew how similar our roles were to one another, and that along with our dorky personalities led to us becoming fast friends. He and Lucina were two of my most trusted comrades. They in turn were as thick as thieves with one another, sharing a bond stronger than any other two members of this makeshift army I had stumbled into commanding.

"Think it will be anyone cute? I bet it's a cute girl. Pleeeeeaaaassssseeeee let it be someone cute! Lucy - cross your fingers with me!"

     Lucina couldn't help but chuckle at that. Robin smiled and shook his head. To my left a few paces off and no longer leaning against the tree she had been a few minutes ago was Soleil; the happy-go-lucky girl who made each day with the army a bit more fun. By this point she was leaning forward, crossing the fingers on each of her gloved hands, bouncing a bit as she eagerly awaited to see a cute face appear out of the smoke. It didn't matter the day or fight our group faced. That girl made them all easier to endure. None of us were ever quite sure how she managed to do it. Despite my best efforts, I couldn't even maintain the group's spirits as well as the girl with long pink locks and an heirloom headband from her grandmother. Her charisma was a blessing that I envied. I mean, I find myself to be a pretty fun guy (fairly good-looking to boot, I'd say!), but that girl could flash you a smile and you'd climb a mountain for her!

     Beyond being the sunshine of my day most everyday and trying to ask every girl and guy in the army she found cute out to tea, I was amazed to see her rise to prominence as quite possibly the best fighter in the army. I often wondered between she and Lucina who really would have won that title. Lucina wondered it too, as it turned out. Even challenged Soleil to a friendly match one day to try and answer the question. Several of us in the mess hall had noticed Lucina approaching Soleil with an air of excitement. Lucy still had that bit of her father in her - that drive to be the best, Chrom’s competitive spirit. She wasn't about to learn someone in the army had surpassed her skill with a sword and do nothing about it . If that were the case, she needed to know so she could retake the title. Never did get the answer, though. Best as Robin and I can figure after watching the conversation from a distance? Lucina got caught off-guard by Soleil's flirtations and thought Soleil was leaving for the barracks to grab her sword.

     Soleil returned with a personal teapot and two cups. Robin and I both rolled with laughter as Lucina found herself on a tea-date with Soleil for the next hour. To her credit, Lucy seemed to enjoy it as well. Both girls knew they were the best in the army. Soleil just didn't really care to prove it like Lucina did. She was much happier to just lift the spirits of a girl who often found herself burdened with her own past and the memories of what she had lost. Had to love that about Soleil; flirtatious to a fault? Perhaps, but there wasn't a person alive who you'd rather spend time around than the happy-go-lucky girl with a smile as bright as the sun and a penchant for sass.

"Whomever it is, I'm sure we'll be the best of friends!"

     Speaking of outgoing personalities.....Sharena, Anna and Alfonse stood behind me; the original three members of this army that had now grown to over fifty individuals strong. So many faces coming and going; some that had grown with us and others that had left promptly or who had passed on their knowledge of skills. Yet the Askrian prince and princess and their commander-at-arms still were here, fighting what at times felt like a losing battle against the forces of Muspell. It always felt as though we were fighting back a predestined endgame, but the bouncy princess, lord of benches and avaricious commander still stymied the tides of enemies pouring out of the fire kingdom.

     Also in the audience were what I liked to refer to as Lucina's split-personalities. Lancina, Marthcina and Bunncina. Lucina was surprised the first time she came face to face with not herself - with the Lucina who still wore her butterfly mask picked out by Selena and Gerome in another time and reality years ago and insisted she be called “Marth.” It was an odd thing seeing her explain to this past version of herself that the war to stop Grima was progressing well and that she - the masked version - would get to meet Chrom as Lucina and not as Marth in the near future whenever she left this new realm. The second time when she met a version of herself wielding a lance and wearing a garb similar to her father's promoted attire things went a bit smoother. By the time Spring Lucy rolled into the plaza, the welcome party of Lucinas was well-versed on how to break the odd news. Nowadays they had formed the most powerful squad in the army, though giving orders to "Lucina" often led to a harmonic chorus reply of "yes?"

     We.....we quickly assigned nicknames after that. They always liked to be there to welcome whomever appeared and show them around the castle. Masked and Spring Lucina were always paired together while Brave Lucina often would converse with her partner-in-crime on the battlefield Soleil. Today she exchanged smiling glances with her OG self at Soleil's desire to see another cute face around the castle.

     Last among the ranks was the red-haired pegasus knight of Ylisse Cordelia, who had asked many months ago to watch as I summoned. What exactly she expected to gain from watching me, I have no idea, as I'm fairly certain she is unable to use the magic gun of summons, headaches and heartaches. But I didn't want to crush her spirits. She always watched so intently, as though she felt she was on the verge of figuring it out. I let her try one time when only the two of us were in the plaza. She actually did manage to get something to happen, though I imagine being blasted backwards via some weird backfire onto her butt wasn't what she had in mind. Made me promise to never tell anyone that story. Oops....

     The smoke began to clear as the central orb of the summoning tablet continued to glow red through the haze.

"I am Eldigan. Those who defy my lord will meet my blade. But I trust that you and I will have no such problem."

     The Lionhearted paladin himself: Eldigan. One of the most powerful cavalrymen among the realms; the wielder of the mighty Mystletainn blade. First time he'd ever appeared in this realm. That would be sure to make his sister and niece in the barracks quite happy. Particularly his sister. Sweet girl, but good lord the girl has a weird obsession with her brother. Come to think of it.......

"Wait! Someone else is coming through!"

     Right. Had had enough orbs to fire twice at the tablet. The centerpiece orbs still glowed a crimson red as the Lucina Squad led Eldigan and his horse into the castle. I wondered who would appear this time? A news bulletin from the Order's feathered messenger Feh had imparted that new summons had an increased chance of pulling from the world of Elibe and the time of Nergal's Campaign against Lycia. For long nights I had wondered where these messages were coming from that Feh was bringing back to the castle. A couple of nights I tried to stay awake with Soleil; each of us taking turns watching the dainty owl as she slept atop her perch, hoping to see her take off to some location allowing us to trail her. Inevitably though we each fell asleep leaning back to back against one another, only to wake up to the morning sun and find that the owl had brought back another seemingly omniscient message. The little owl just smiled and hooted, flapping her wings. Taunting us with a secret she wouldn't share.......cocky little bird. We'll see if you get any of Oscar's cake later.....okay, probably like a slice, but I'm not giving it to you right away. You'll have to wait at least five minutes.

     A long black-haired woman wearing a ceremonial garb of the plains people of Sacae stepped forward out of the smoke. A sword hung from her belt to one side, and her grey eyes conveyed a look of confusion at her new surroundings.

"I am Karla. This place is very strange....Who might you be?"

"Karla? I'm not familiar with any legends of her. Mike, have you?"

     Catching Robin unfamiliar with a hero was always a small treat for me. He read so much within the Askrian library about the different legends, heroes and conquests from the different worlds that there was very little I knew anymore that he didn't. Little victories - they get you through the days. I did a little fist-pump to myself.

"I saw that, you know."

"I'm going to guess you two in the cloaks are in charge? A pity. Neither of you look to be much in the way of fighters. I sure hope....whatever this place is doesn't turn out to be a waste of time."

"Everyone, this is Karla. She's from the world of Elibe, particularly Lyn's home country of Sacae. Pretty sure the uh....garb and sword give that much away though. She's famed in the world as one of the best arena fighters in all the lands - a lethal swordmaster able to strike in a blur. You may also know her as the sister of Karel, the Sword Dem-"

"My brother is here?!? Does he carry the Wo Dao still? How does he fare? Wait, another question - how do you know that much about me?"

"In order? Karel is here in this realm, but not among us. Last we saw him was on the battlefield where we bested him. He's shown up occasionally since, always in fine health but never joining us. Second, yep, still has your family's sword with him. But uh.....feel I should let you know - that particular sword isn't quite so rare here."

     I looked over at Soleil as she flourished her own version of the legendary sword with a smile and wink. A little figure eight pattern before re-sheathing it and a slight bow. I love how she can't help but show off a bit. Truthfully, I'd have done the same.

"That's.....perplexing."

"As for your last question, we are the Order of Heroes. Bit bland of a name, but hey, what can you do? I'm Mike, the summoner and tactician for the group. Turns out that this world is connected to many worlds. It acts a bridge of sorts; allowing heroes from different times and realms to venture to and from here. Sometimes, like with us, free to follow their own whims and train as they wish until they're called upon to return to their own times.

Sometimes they're bound by a contact when summoned to our enemies side to fight for that army. Pretty much the worst mercenary job you can think of. Just without the pay. Or....being a mercenary at all, I guess. Thing is, I'm not from this realm either. I came from another world - one where I've seen many of the endings to many of the stories and times all of the heroes here have lived through. Bit of a voyeuristic perspective, you might say. But at least it lets me know about you all and how to best help you."

"Sounds suspicious. What makes any of us sure we can fully trust you? Sounds like you may be no different than this opposing force of summoners. Wait, did you say army?"

"Ha. Fair point, I guess. Well, doubt I can convince you to believe in me by a simple conversation right off the bat. You're free to wander around this realm at your leisure. If you so choose, you can join us here at the castle as we continue to fight back an invading force hellbent on destroying this kingdom and the citizenry. There's plenty of room in our barracks and we could use your blade and skill. At the minimum, you'll find ample opportunity to train here. Lucina and Soleil are two of the best swordswomen I've ever met in any of the realms. They'll be every bit your match, and possibly better."

     I winked at Lucina. She just raised her eyebrow as if to say in response “really?” I'd sadly gotten used to that reaction. Can't blame a guy for trying though, can you?

"You might even be surprised to find some familiar faces here! Believe you know a musclehead named Bartre?"

"Bartre is here? I thought he was still travelling with the new Marquess of Pherae."

"Pretty sure this Bartre is a bit older than the one you know. Which is good news and bad news!  Good news! He's a bit more polished of a fighter than you probably remember! Also he's got a papa-stache now!"

"That man.....actually, I always did wonder how he'd look with facial hair. It's been awhile since we had our last training session. And the bad news?"

"You'll be seeing your future daughter here! Congrats! You're gonna be a mother!"

"WAIT, EXCUSE M-"

"I'll just leave you to it then! Cordelia, I'm sure you can introduce Karla to her family. Have fun!"

     I whistled as I casually strolled away from the plaza, heading back towards the mess hall and my quarters beyond that. I'm fairly certain Karla was shouting some amount of obscenities at me as I walked away. Sometimes it's just best to let the heroes figure out some things for themselves, you know?

     As we passed through the mess hall where some heroes were still eating their morning meals (late risers; I envied them, as that luxury had been lost to me since arriving here), Robin and I made plans to meet up at the training grounds later that afternoon to oversee a few friendly training matches, possibly even to set up an expedition to the local training tower a few miles out from the castle. I did hope Karla would choose to remain with us for some time. Her blade was as renowned in Elibean legend as her brother's. There was more I wish I could tell her. About how little time she'd have with her daughter, about how her brother would later find redemption and peace away from the battlefield, about how overjoyed Bartre would be today to see his wife one more time. Would she be taken aback to learn of her future? Perhaps, but circumstances being what they were, it's best to let her learn the major details right away. The rest could wait for later, and maybe longer still. It was always....difficult to determine how much to let Heroes know about their futures. Each hero would handle the knowledge differently, but it was consistently hard to tell how much was too much to let on. Sometimes ignorance was bliss.

     I made my way down the stone corridor between the mess hall in the center of the castle towards the barracks in the back. The midday sun streamed through the large openings on the left side of the corridor where windows would be back in my world. Another beautiful day in the kingdom, I thought to no one but myself. Ever since coming here, it was hard to deny that the kingdom of Askr had weather that would make anyone jealous. Plenty of sunny days and blue skies overlooking bountiful green farmlands and small villages. The air consistently felt crisp and clear. If I didn't know any better, I'd believe the castle to be near some large body of water. It never ceased to amaze me how.....light the air felt. I stopped for a moment just to breath the air in. I closed my eyes. I can't say it reminded me of home, but it did remind me of places I knew back in my world.

     Beautiful places where civilization hadn't quite mired the natural landscape, where man had only brushed his hand along the Earthen surfaces rather than dug down deep as if to bend the dirt below to his own will. Places where you could pause to think and reflect. Places where you felt that if there were some greater power behind all of this creation, this was as close as you could find to their fingerprint on the world. A place where once I had been able to sit alone on an overcast day along a rocky beach and stare out into a cold, northern ocean mere miles from where my grandmother had grown up, half way around the world from anything I knew and just.....breath and think. Just look out to the horizon, and for a moment smile thinking that you were looking at the top of the world; taking in a moment to reflect on how small we all are in the grand scheme of things. No more significant or long-lasting than those pebbles on the beach. Constantly buffered around by waves of time and all just looking for somewhere to rest a minute.

     I'd simultaneously found myself with plenty of time to think in this new world and little time to reflect on the small things with it. The burden of leadership, I suppose. It still all felt like a weird dream to me. One day you're driving to work, wallet and an old IPod classic circled by a pair of earbuds in one pocket and the next thing you know, you're falling from the sky into a ditch in a different world. Upside down with a massive headache; nothing to your name but a white embroidered cloak and a pocket with that IPod and wallet lining the inside of it. There stood a face I recognized from a series I enjoyed playing for hours on end. Anna, or some version of her wielding an odd white and gold-embroidered object that reminded me of one of the weird gun-shaped controllers some gamers would buy as an accessory for their consoles. I was kind of right. It was a gun. Turns out in their hour of need, Anna had found this.....Breidablik device and hoped it would summon the legendary hero that Askr had been promised. Instead they got me. A pale, glasses-wearing dorky extrovert with a mop of brown hair that never laid right, a slight beard that he could never decide if it was too long or too short, a sarcastic tongue and mind that got him into trouble more often than not for thinking he was one of the smarter guys in the room and a duality of confidence that shifted on any given day between cockiness and self-depreciation. Yay for them.

      I'd had my fill of fresh air, so I turned from the corridor's opening and continued on towards the barracks. This was one of the few mornings I found myself with a bit of free time before the daily drills and marching. Things had been quiet from the Muspell front for a few days. Disconcerting, but hey - take the breaks you can get. I had plenty on my mind already, and only one thing was going to calm me down. I waved hello to a few of the passing heroes. Arden and Effie on their way to training grounds to most likely lift something heavy. Lazlow or Inigo or whatever he was going by that day was reminiscing with his mother appearing in her younger form about his time as a retainer for the Crown Prince of Nohr. Cecelia and Seigbert passed on their way to the library for lessons in diplomacy. Still mentoring young royalty in another world. On another day, any of them may have stopped to chat with me, but I guess my hands in the pockets of my cloak and a distant stare probably didn't send off a "Sure! Let's have a nice chat where you tell me ALL about your day!" vibe. I didn't mean anything by it; it was just where my head was at.

     After a few minutes of walking down stone corridors and around turns in the barracks hallways, I found my room situated near the northwest edge of the castle. Alfonse, Sharena and Anna all had rooms near that corner as well, but given the time of day I knew I was alone there. Heading inside I plopped down on the cot in the corner, propping myself up against the headboard and wall it touched, one leg kicked out and the other propped up on the bed. I grabbed the IPod from the cloak's pocket and popped my earbuds in. Surprisingly I found that despite there being no electricity in this world, a few magic tomes were able to recharge the thing by lightly electrocuting it. I didn't ask too many questions. I was just thankful to have the darn thing working.

     I scrolled down until I got to the "Q" section of artists, clicked on Queens of the Stone Age, found their blue-faced album titled "Rated R" and hit the play button on the song "In the Fade." The slow fade-in of a guitar chord hit me and things felt right. I glanced down to see the repeat icon lit up. Eh, I'll switch it off after a few plays. I grabbed my wallet from atop the wooden desk adjacent to the bed and flipped it over to the back slot where a now-pointless driver's license was sleeved. Yep, still there. Not crazy yet. The day on the license matched the day on the calendar in the mess hall: June 7th.

I was 25 now.

     Hope mom and dad are doing well. Wonder if time here works differently. What if I do eventually head back and time hasn't changed at all? What if I have aged though? Two years older, two years more handsome, maybe? Ha.......I hope everyone is alright.

     No one at the castle seemed to pay attention that morning to the date. Just another day here. I'd have been more upset if it were a bigger deal to me, but to be honest I felt it more enjoyable to celebrate the birthdays of the others since arriving rather than my own. Never meant much back in my world, so why should it here?

     A knock at the door broke the inner monologue underplayed by a favorite song from a band no one else here knew.

"Mike, you in there? I uh...followed you back from the plaza. You seemed like you were somewhere else though, so I let you be. You know, in your own head? Anyway, got a minute?"

     Soleil sounded a bit more hesitant than normal.

"Sure thing, Sunshine. It's unlocked."

     I put the wallet back down on the table and removed my ear buds as she entered. She closed the wooden door behind her, but those olive eyes usually conveying a warmth as bright as any daylight were fixed down and to her left. She fidgeted with her gloved hands, rocking back and forth on one foot.

"What's troubling you, Sunshine? Something's on your mind if that smile isn't on your face."

     She sighed and met my eyes.

"You know so much about us, Mike. I get what you told me about having seen all these stories - all these lives and interactions - played out in some way before. Seems crazy to me, but hey! I grew up in some kind of....weird....time bubble thing, so who am I to judge? But it's soooooo personal! You know who we are at our best, and at our worst, who we're descended from, our skills, who we could learn the most from or have the most in common with, who will get along well, who can ride a horse or shoot magic or who has slain a dragon or who is a dragon or that I can't dance and how that' so embarrassing but now you're trying to help me learn how by introducing me to my grandmother who is really cute by the way -"

     Soleil was getting excited. She always got talking fast like that when she was flustered. Usually it was because there was a cute girl around. I'm pretty good-looking, but this wasn't that.

"Right, right. It's....kind of hard to explain it all myself. It's like reading a whole series of books and then one day finding yourself in the middle of the plot of one. You know who everyone is and how the plot should go, but you're now in a side chapter you never knew about. It doesn't make much sense to me either. But what's brought all that back up? Think I shouldn't have told Karla about Fir?"

"No, it's not that. It's just.....you never open up to us about you. Kind of feels like you're always keeping us an arm's length away. Even Lucina and me."

".....I...don't mean for it to seem that way. I really don't."

     I suddenly became aware that my hood was up. I hadn't even noticed it before. I pulled it down and nodded my head to the spot on the bed next to me, swinging my legs off of the bed so she'd have a place to sit. She flashed a small smile and sat next to me, hands grasping the edge of the mattress as she leaned forward to look at my face on her left. I opened my mouth for a second to say something, and moved my jaw off-center. Truth be told, this line of questioning from her was leading to the same place my mind had been most of the morning before the summoning session. I glanced right to look at her, meeting her eyes.

"Your dad had a conversation with you once, right? About how he wasn't from the world of Nohr and Hoshido? That the day may come when he had to return to his own world?"

"Yeah, I told him I wanted to go with him if I could. I'd love to see his world. Turns out we both got that chance in a way when you brought us here. It's not his world, but all of the friends he knew are here. Lucina, Geroma, Aunt Selena, Uncle Odin, even Grandma! And that's sooooo cool to get to meet them all! I get to meet my grandmother and see why dad was always trying to dance like her!"

"Exactly, but....it's kind of like that for me. You never knew his actual name was Inigo, right?"

"Yeah, that was a total shocker..."

"He kept certain parts of his past hidden. Same as Selena and Odin. Now they had a mission that kind of required them to do so, but with me it's......"

     I sighed.

"I don't want to lose you. Any of you. I've made so many friends here and feel so welcomed by you all, even as weird as I may seem knowing so much about you. But I don't know how exactly I got here. I mean, yeah, I get the whole Breidablik thing, but that whole situation still seems crazy. Say something happens someday, and the whole thing is undone. That I have to return to my world. The closer I get, the harder it will be. I'm the only one from that world. I'll have to return: alone. As much as I'd like, I can't take you or Lucy or Rob or anyone back there. Your worlds all overlap. Mine doesn't. I hate goodbyes. Never been any good at them.

And that's not even taking into account what happens if I were to lose any of you while here. I want you all to be able to return to your own worlds safe and sound when this war is done. Hopefully the challenges of your worlds are all far easier after the work and training we've put in together here. But I don't know. It's going to hurt to leave everyone behind or see everyone leave. Whichever comes first."

      I found myself leaning forward at this point, forearms resting on my thighs with my fingers intertwined. I looked down at the ground for a moment. Soleil just watched, waiting for me to continue. I was always amazed by how well she could handle serious topics. She was far more mature and understanding than you'd think being the peppy flirter.

"I'm not that interesting of a guy, really. It's pretty surface-level, Sunshine. I wear my emotions on my sleeve and I wasn't doing anything all that impressive with my life before coming here. Your stories are all way more interesting than mine. Despite being pretty good-looking, smart, funny, charming - "

     She snorted while trying to fight back a laugh. I snickered a bit too.

"You know what I mean. I'm just the guy who summons you all here and needs help from Rob to make sure I keep you all safe and alive. I'm doing the best I can to be everyone's reliable friend. I hope that's working. But I still wake up some days unsure of why the hell this stupid thing chose me."

     I raised up Breidablik from my side and shook it a few times before setting it arm's length out on the desk.

"You're special to us, Mike. You ARE a good friend and leader. And you're the only one we'd want leading us out there. You work night and day to make sure we all do our best. So turn that frown upside down, cutie! I hate seeing you down like this."

      She reached over with both hands and forcibly pushed my mouth into a smile. We both laughed again, and this time the smiles were genuine between us.

“You know, one of these days I'm really going to miss you being here to cheer me up. Or me being there to cheer Lucy up. Or Rob getting startled by something and cheering all three of us up."

"Hahaha! Like that time he was practicing a new spell and set the row of training dummies on fire! The fire nearly spead to the mess hall!"

"Lucy was so mortified and Chrom just laughed. Then he reminded them they had just broken a pair each the day before, and they both got really quiet...."

"Hahaha! Yeah, it's fun being around them! I get now why dad missed them so much. And Lucina's QUITE the cute one."

"Down girl. Think Rob would have a thing or two to say about that. Besides, you and Lancina already have your own thing."

"That's still so weird to me that they're not the same girl really."

     We each just smiled and looked forward.

"Soooo......weren't going to tell anyone about your birthday, cutie?"

"You knew?! I purposefully didn't tell anyone. How'd you find out?"

"Lucy and I snuck in here one day and checked the wallet. Felt it might tell us a little something about you. Been planning something ever since."

"Well glad personal boundaries are so well respected!"

    I chuckled. She just smiled a toothy grin at me. I really would miss that one day.

"So wanna get going? Think you're supposed to be meeting Robin here soon. Then Lucy and I have you for the afternoon off."

    Funny how a few minutes of talking with someone you trust can turn a day around, isn't it? Especially when that someone is a cute guy or girl who you can't help but smile and laugh with. We all need that person.

"In a minute."

    I grabbed my IPod still sitting on the bed beside and between the two of us, looking for the one earbud marked with the little "R" on it. Popped it in my ear, and offered its pair to the girl beside me. She moved her long pink hair out of the way and behind her ear, smiling as she heard the song.

Losing a feelin', that I couldn't give away Countin and breathin, disappearin in the fade. They don't know, I'd never do you any good Stoppin and stayin, I would if I could.

     And as I'd done on so many occasions before with the girl with brown eyes and a smile that warmed the soul, and with the blue eyed girl with the heart of gold, we both just leaned back against the plaster-covered wall; listening and enjoying a quiet moment. No battles to fight, no comrades to mourn, no futures to rewrite or family to save, no ringing of steel or cacophonies of sound rising from the chaos of a battlefield. Nothing but smiles on our faces and the sound of music. Two pebbles resting on the shore. For a moment, untouched by the waves of time.