#and i. need to farm a lot of red bars

[thegoldendoorknob]

RF Guardians of Azuma general tips (Spoiler-Free)

Copying my advice I made for reddit for any GoA community here too-

I updated it because reddit blew up my tips post for a few minutes and scared me lol

Story Tips

Kai, Ikaruga, Kanata, Clarice, and the other Protagonist are unlocked late in the story, so if you're having trouble raising Kai's bond, or you can only find him at night, you aren't far enough in the main quest yet. It seems like a few characters have bond levels locked behind this too, like Mauro...

The main quest expects you to level up towns once or twice before leaving, so you can get an early start before you hit that point, if you want. The 4 Villages are set up to encourage specific builds, from what I've noticed:

Spring - Farming plots

Summer - Shops

Autumn - Rice, Barns

Winter - Fruit, Fishing

Press the R3 button (right stick) or T-Key to switch to overhead view in building mode to make edits much easier.

If you hold down the button (A | X | Left Shift Key) after deleting an object in this mode, you can quickly delete anything you move the cursor over -Odd-Implement-7045

When you are in build mode, the day timer is stopped. Your RP still recharges when you're in build mode, so if you want to get some early levels for Drum Dance without eating food, you can.

When the quest says 'Pray at the Kagura Shrines' after the winter village, the shrines are on these turtle-shaped islands in the sky, not the village shrines. [Thanks AdDecent7641!]

Speaking of, monsters on islands with a tall red tower on them will be around 40-50, since they're involved with a quest later in the game.

There's some parts of the main quest where they'll stop you until you cook something specific or tame an animal. So far I've had to tame a Buffamoo, Cluckadoodle, and a Wolf.*

*You can use Fubuki and Kurama for that quest instead of the Cluckadoole and Wolf, apparently! They even have flavor text if you do -asteriuszenith

Bosses also have weapon weaknesses and elemental weaknesses based on the free weapon and divine instrument they gave you for the region earlygame. Think of it like a Zelda game; whatever tool you picked up, they expect you to use later. It's always possible to go against the flow, though the lost bonus damage is pretty noticeable this time. The weapon weakness (first icon) and elemental weakness (second) will pop up above the boss's health bar when they are hit by them.

Boss dark attacks will slam the party for big damage. I thought I was underleveled my first death, but no, it was the dark element alone blowing up my party. Maybe invest in Dark Defense equipment when you get close to level 50.

Perfect dodging an attack before attacking lets you deal big damage to enemies and boss stun bars. You also charge a lot of spirit gauge by doing them

Suzu is really easy to level bond up on and doesn't faint, so she's a great team buffer for most of the game.

If you're indecisive about who to party, I ran Suzu-Iroha-Ulalaka for almost the ENTIRE game and rarely ever had to equip them to keep up. In the lategame whenever Ulalaka was unavailable, I used Yachio as a substitute until she returned, but any healer is probably fine really.

You won't have access to Monster Barns until you complete Autumn Village, so you may want to chat your favorite characters to Bond lv1 and take them out for a spin until you reach that point. You can check their personal skills by switching to them on the Equipment menu and pressing Y | Square | X | X Key

On that note, when you unlock the 'back row' after Winter Village, the back row gains passive exp. Good for grinding characters and monsters!

Some decorations show random stats like STR, these will increase your stats when you place them in the towns! Later decorations can raise them like quite a lot, so they may be fun to experiment with. Each unique deco can only raise that stat ONCE, so duplicates won't raise the stat again. You can check what town it needs to be placed in, and if you already placed one by looking at the highlighted symbol in the crafting menu. -Haktarius

Speaking of- some decorations also need to be placed in specific villages to get their buffs. They show this with flower icons on the side in the crafting screen. -KainYusanagi

Try to pace yourself- the bond and character locks suck, but this game is deceptively long and easy to burn out on if you rush. To give you an idea- there's roughly 16 to 17 dungeons total over the course of the entire game. 4 for the seasons, 6 for the story after, another 4, then 2-3 more.

General Tips

A lot of recipes are locked behind Frog Statues, make sure you grab any you come across.

In later village levels, they'll unlock more fields for you to build on top of.

If you use the first person bow scope with the Summer Treasure equipped on top of a harvestable crop, it will sickle the crop without using any rp!

If you dash just before falling off a ledge, you maintain that dash speed through the air for GREAT air-time. This is especially helpful and fun when you get the winter sacred treasure.

Negative trait villagers will lower your town stats- evict the ones with only negative traits whenever you can.

A good time to evict negative villagers is right before the day ends- on the next day, if there's any empty slots, 2 or more new villagers will reliably fill them. -Alexaius

It helps to invest a little in logging and mining villagers early on to stockpile materials for builds later.

Fruit trees will always be a plain-colored, green tree. You can find Oranges on some cliffs around the Summer Outskirts and on that small island to the south, Apples behind the purple vines to the west of Spring Village [?], Grapes directly to the right of Autumn Village next to an ore, Chestnuts further to the right side behind all the vine walls, Bamboo shoots are to the right of the castle, and Peaches I don't know where in the overworld they might be, but I found some in a dungeon you unlock after getting Kanata. There's a traveling merchant from higher village levels that can sell saplings later, apparently!

Algester has a visual of my fruit tree directions Here!!

You can find most Golden Vegetable seeds off of islands in the sky, the mushroom master has some gold pumpkin seeds behind his house as an example. You can also buy them off basic seed shops later once a town is leveled enough.

There's a traveling merchant for every region! They will randomly show up next to teleports and appear as a white dot on the map -ego157

Onigiri holes ask for: Onigiri, Salmon Onigiri, Miso Onigiri, Tempura Onigiri, Bonito Flake Onigiri, Greatest Grilled Onigiri (Cook Together with Matsuri) -Haktarius

inkstainedgwyn is starting a Unique Dishes list! You can unlock unique dishes when you are Bond Level 6 with a character.

SEEEECRETSmuahaha has made a simple Gifting Guide for the romanceable characters! Big-Buzz-Jet recently made a more in-depth one Here!

Taming bees for their honey is a pretty good way to make money! Higher level monsters will give you higher level produce for more $$$ as well! -ego157

The DLC swim suits and the default swim suits are different! You can unlock them by reaching bond 2 and inviting them to the waterfall or beach.

Yukata outfits are unlocked on Summer 20th! You get them by attending the firework festival. They can be unlocked a little earlier on Summer 7 if you have Kanata. -Kisaell77, Haddock_Lotus

Higher bond levels also unlock some personal accessories, like Iroha's headband or Kai's mask.

[stargazedwinchester]

ִ ࣪𖤐◞ ꙳ ๋࣭ ⭑ `scar tissue, dean winchester ༘♡

summary: you're a midwestern girl whom dean can't seem to stay away from. word count: 1244 pairing: dean x countryfem!reader now playing;｡･:*♫♪ scar tissue - red hot chilli peppers

i guess i have a knack for fixing emotionally (and physically) unavailable men </3 if you recognise the farmhouse pic .. ur goated

⛧°. ⋆༺☾𖤓༻⋆. °⛧

Your hometown is scarily small.

So small, in fact, that everybody knows everybody. Everybody knows you.

Everybody knows Dean.

That motherfucker, the one that left you kicking and screaming the whole fucking house down. The one that promised you everything and more, just to leave you like you meant nothing. Like you were nothing.

It’s not like it was on purpose, because he needed to ensure that you were safe. That nothing would get to you if he wasn’t there. That you had the life you deserved without him. You didn’t care, though, because anything with him was something. He meant a lot to you, more than he’d ever know.

It’s way past midnight, the soft rustle of the trees sound through your slightly ajar windows, owls cooing and the farm animals shuffling and making subdued noises. There’s something that’s telling you to not sleep, something that’s eating away at your brain, picking away, but you can’t seem to figure it out.

Your home is fully fenced off with electric barbed wire, a gate with a lock and high enough that no one can climb over. You know you’re safe, but something is nearby, you can just feel it.

There’s an uneasiness, a pit that falls inside of your stomach as you gaze out of your window, as a knock raps on your door.

You freeze, palms sweating, and a coldness runs down your spine. Your breath halters as you silently make your way to the front door, reaching into your basket full of blankets, pulling out a semi-auto pistol, clicking the safety on. You lean next to the door, hoping you can hear some sort of noise from the window behind you. It’s a stupid idea to face away from the window, knowing something could just reach out and grab you, much faster than knocking the door down. They knock on the door again, this time it felt urgent. “C’mon…” you hear a rough, desperate voice plea from the other side of the door. They sound eerily familiar, but not enough to welcome them in.

“Y/N? Are you awake?” He calls out, his silhouette through your stained glass paces back and forth on the balls of his feet. A huge, leather jacket basically consumes him and he runs a hand through his gelled back hair.

Motherfucker.

Luckily, your porch light gleams just enough so you can make out his face, and sure enough, it’s Dean. He’s slightly hunched over, holding his left side of his ribs with his right hand. Part of you wishes you could tell him to fuck off and to never come back, maybe set one of the dogs on him, but you don’t.

Each time he comes back, you wish that he’d tell you he’s going to stay. And each time is the same.

You unlock the door leaving one chain left on the hook. Turning the door handle, you open the door so the chain recoils with force. Dean huffs, a weak smile on his face. “Hey.” He greets, and you roll your eyes. “You only visit when it’s convenient for you, huh? Y’ever think about me for once in your life?” You spit, shutting the door on him to unlock the chain. You reopen, inviting him in. He scoffs. “I think about you quite often, actually. You know I’m doing this to keep you safe.” He replies, straining each word as he shuffles over to your kitchen island, propping himself onto a bar stool.

He shuffles his jacket off, laying it across the bar stool behind him. Blood seeps through his shirt, a slice so clean that no knife could’ve done. You bite your lip gingerly as you sift through your first aid drawer. It takes a lot of effort to keep your mouth shut. To keep the peace. Your mother always told you that ‘silence is golden, but sometimes it’s just gilded surrender.’

“Then why in the living hell have you come back?” You question him, completely disregarding keeping the peace. He’s quiet, pursing his lips as he peels his shirt up toward his chest, revealing the gnarly cut across his torso. You tut, examining how easy, or how difficult, it will be to patch him up. You rummage through the materials, gathering the right ones to fix it. He watches you, assuming you’re not looking. You can feel the tension build between you both, his eyes glazing over you. “Y’know how easy it would be for me to tell you to git gone? To stay away from me?” You practically lie through your teeth, knowing full well that every single time he comes back, you let him stay. You let him walk all over you like a damn door mat.

He looks up at you, a certain shine in his eyes that only you can see. A shine that means something. “Y’look like you wanna tell me somethin’.” You sigh, preparing him for stitching. He groans, whether it’s from the alcohol wipe or if it’s from your prying, nonetheless, he’s whining again.

“I need to stitch you up, okay?” You tell him, and he nods. “Yeah. Fine.” His tone is low and tired. Dean takes deep breaths to counteract the sharp, shooting pains travelling through his abdomen. “Ready?” You murmur, and he nods. You use the needle to pierce his skin, causing him to flinch in shock. The suture threading through his skin repeatedly. You’ve gotten pretty rapid at this, each time becoming easier than the last. It’s not often when you do it, though, but it’s a very useful skill.

Dean’s eyes follow you. They chase you, like you’re something he wants but can’t have. You put the items away and throw the needle in the bin, walking over to the sink and you scrub your hands thoroughly.

“You wanna know why I’ve come back?” He huffs as you wipe your hands on the kitchen towel.

“Why?” You don’t even hesitate, you keep your back turned to him, hunching over the counter. Dean stands up and walks over to you, hovering behind you.

“Because I love you.”

Your breath catches in your throat, your eyes widen as you hear those 3 words you’ve been dying to hear for years. You press your lips together, scanning every thought in your brain, every emotion this man has ever made you feel. But there’s nothing that compares to this feeling.

You inhale, then exhale out of your nose, slowly and gently. Taking in the moment. You turn around, your eyes travelling from his torso up to his eyes. “I’m staying away from you because I need you to stay alive. You don’t understand how badly I want to be with you. If I stay put too long, you’re dead. No one except for Sammy gets it. I just need you to get it. Please.”

“You love me?” You coo, placing your hands behind your back, intertwining your fingers. A slender smirk appears on Dean’s face as he steps closer. “I do.” His smile grows larger by the second, reality finally setting in for him.

You reach up and kiss him gingerly, your lips barely touching, as he lets out a small sigh. “You don’t know how long I’ve wanted to do this,” he places a hand in your hair, moving it down to the nape of your neck. “To tell you I love you.” He kisses you, and this time, he means it.

He really means it.

[delopsia]

Congrats on 2k!!!

Can you do Hayride with Rhett Abbott and the title "No Thing Defines A Man Like Love That Makes Him Soft"

thank you, nonnie! ^w^ This one was a lot of fun, omg 🌷 🍑Come join the Fernwell Creek Farms Event! 🍑 Hayride — Choose your rider(s) and a title, and I'll write you a short drabble

It's so calm out here.

Nothing at all like the shouting or the heavy music, still thumping from inside the bar. And it's still. No dancing, no fists flying, nobody doubling over or wincing in pain. The only movement is the sway of Rhett's body, slow lefts and rights that you've eased into, helpless to do anything but cling to him.

The seam of his sleeve has ripped. A patch of pale skin peeks through, the faint constellation of freckles broken apart by an angry red scratch. You lift your head, pressing a kiss to it.

If only that would heal it.

From so close, you can hear him breathe in, his arms loosening as he leans back. You can't bring yourself to look at him, head hanging limp without the support of his shoulder.

But you don't mind taking his hand, so big that you can hold it in both of yours. Thin streaks of crimson smear across the back of it, fresh scabs already forming on his knuckles. Thick. Split wide open. His index finger looks broken, awkwardly bent to the side.

Rhett tilts his hand, tangling his fingers with yours. The thick pad of his thumb runs back and forth, comforting.

"I'm sorry," your voice hardly carries, dead on arrival.

"'ts alright," he murmurs, mouth right against your ear. The rumble of his tone is light that of thunder, warding off the sharp bite of your nerves. "Y' didn't do nothin' wrong."

"But I should have been looking where I was going—"

"No, no, hey," he tilts your chin, bringing you to look at him. There's a bruise forming beneath his left eye, a bloody scratch etched along his cheekbone, and there's something on his jaw, but... Oh, why must his eyes be so entrancing? "This wasn't your fault. He shouldn't 've gotten up in your face like that."

There's no opportunity for you to refute that. Rhett's leaning in, placing a soft kiss on your forehead. Then, another, an inch below. One after the other, down the bridge of your nose.

Something wet touches the tip of your tongue.

"Did you just lick me?" You can't believe it. He just licked you!

Rhett's grin is as guilty as can be, fighting it off as he leans in and catches your lips in his own. Chapped, vaguely tasting of tequila, and every bit what you needed.

It only lasts for a moment, but you don't mind. There's still time, when you clamber into the truck, in the shower, and the coziness of your own bed.

You reach to tuck the stray bit of hair behind his ear. It falls forward once more, unruly as always. "Can we get a snack before we go home?"

His smile only widens. "I was gonna ask the same thing."

[starberry-cupcake]

*doing a recap as I suffer listening to my football/soccer team go through it in another tab, I'd wait but I want to finish day one of nona today because Things are happening tomorrow*

previously, in nona del 9:

this happened

this is the general tag for those catching this recap loose in the wild

also, I don't wanna put this person out there like that, so I'm not sharing url, but I want to apologize personally to them for not starting these recaps from the beginning (I didn't know this was going to happen)

and also please don't let me deter you from reading these books if I'm unfunny, I can't live with that burden

please read them anyway

I was telling @lady-harrowhark how I feel I'm embarrassing her in front of fandom famous people and now I feel I'm embarrassing all of you, I'm so sorry

CHAPTER 6 (sixth house skull babeeeyyyyyy)

people are having trouble with the economy, employment and political strife

so, we're not doing a lot better in the future, is what I'm hearing

this is not the sci fi future I'd like to see, folks

some people are like "at least with the houses people knew who had to pay them"

I think we've all lived in situations where we had to hear someone say something like this

camilla asks nona if she would want to leave to the idyllic farming fairy tale pyrrha imagines they could run away into

(not that it doesn't sound nice, but that's so unlikely pyrrha, I mean, come on)

nona says she doesn't because she loves it there

which means nothing, because nona loves everything

the bar isn't super high here

after a bath and reading the advice column (?) nona asks camilla to tell her the story of how they met her

(kinda wild that this part coincided with penalty kicks in the game, not that I'm live blogging the match, just thought I'd take you on a full experience here)

(we won, but my blood pressure was put to the test and now I can come back to re capping properly)

(I'm still not used to the paperback thing and I'm live-reading rather than finishing a chapter and doing a recap as I used to)

(still haven't found my footing here)

so, there's a lot of info here but, at the same time, not enough info, you get me?

isn't that just the tlt experience, though???

isn't that what we love????

crafting theories and getting tangled with the red yarn???

we're all connected with the red thread of conspiracy

camilla and palmolive were trying to communicate and they knew "she" was in trouble

which refers to nona, but I assume it's not nona yet, I assume they're talking about...harrow??

camilla says that "she" disappeared but they found "her" and pyrrha and "she" was hurt

pyrrha helped them escape, but they lost ships and people and "something very important"

is that gideon's body?????? is that "something very important" gideon's body???????

DON'T LOSE GIDEON'S BODY, PLEASE!!!

WE NEED THAT!!!

WE'RE NOT DONE WITH THAT!!!

so, camolive and pyrrha asked to be able to keep "her" and we suffer interceded for them at that time

and then palmolive convinced "the Oversight Body" and the sixth house to evacuate

I don't know what the "oversight body" is

if they lost gideon's body, that's definitely an oversight

palmolive chose 16 people to talk to BOE

I'm sure one of them was his mom, she was cool, I liked her

I didn't realize that was his mom reading the story until someone pointed it out, though

I embarrassed myself there

ANYWAY

THEN nona woke up

after they lived together for a while, the light in the sky appeared and, according to camilla, BOE betrayed them

or wasn't able to protect them anymore

they're fucked, is the overall important thing to take from it

idk if this is why coronabeer and palmolive aren't in speaking terms right now

they mention the sixth house people being lost, or at least nona asks if she can help find them if she remembers who she is

also, awake me up inside seems to have been we suffer's boss

so she has beef with pyrrha

according to camilla, it's because pyrrha was best friends with the person who killed her

idk if camilla and/or we suffer know the whole thing about pyrrha and og!gideon being intimate with commander wakey wakey, though

also, incredibly important

this is essential information

kevin is good at origami

we love kevin

JOHN 5:20

we've established in the first one that these are bible verses

the previous one (20:8) was about the empty tomb

for the record, it was: "Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed."

this one is: "For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed."

dr reverend emperor john asshat is still talking (to harrow???)

of course he's still talking, he loves the sound of his own voice

he's telling her about how he got where he got with his lyctor buddies

apparently, his cryogenics plan was cancelled in both senses of the word

it was stopped from continuing to run

and it got into the press, so people started panicking about the end of the world and everything was going to shit

important to note that C and N were dating, and I guess this is Cassiopeia and Nigella? because Cyrus is also a C but since Nigella is Cassiopeia's cav, I'm gonna go for that option

good for them, we love cassiopeia

she had ceramics and was sixth house

also, augustine is being dramatic, but what else is new

they also were collecting bodies to test on and weren't able to cremate them anymore because of the experiments made on them

for personal family and country history reasons, I'm not gonna make jokes about that one

but it was something to note from the conversation that seems to be important for later

now, here it gets complicated

because dr reverend emperor john keeps drop naming people

or drop letter-ing?

and naming planets in our system

pyrrha was a cop, apparently

very evident in her behavior

and then he says that, because of the press, he wasn't going to be allowed to work again

and also says: "I sure as hell wouldn't be allowed to work on anything else to do with you"

in the last one, he said "Harrowhark" when interacting, so I took it this could be harrow's soul or whatever

but that doesn't add up with this????

because then he starts talking about this "you" being sick and not telling them, so I'm starting to wonder if this is ice cube barbie aka annabell lee aka AL aka The Body

so, dr john goes on some breakthrough spree and mercygirl says he's probably on coke (among other things)

and he says "coke zero"

I'm a coke zero girlie and you're not welcome here, mr man

you're not like me

he has some bodies which are his "favorites"

and when the Powers That Be shut them down and cut the electricity from them

(because they were using 3% of the country's electricity)

(fuck them tbh)

all the bodies collapsed, except from the ones he had "touched" and "loved"

ALLEGEDLY

ALSO, he again calls her "Harrow"

which ??????????????????????????????????????????

how is this harrow and also whoever was sick back then, who I thought was ice cube barbie????????

what's happening????????????????????

the chapter ends with the word "incorrupti"

which is either a typo or something's going on there

could be either, could be both

AND THAT'S IT FOR DAY 1!!!! we're moving ahead!!!!

[lqveharrington]

Dust Storm | W.H.B.

summary: You and Billy get caught up in a dust storm while on a horse ride.

pairing: William H. Bonney x fem!reader

includes: slight angst, fluff, you and billy are engaged, not a lot of warnings 🤷‍♀️ let me know if i missed any !!

a/n: i had this sitting in my drafts for a billion years 😭 my bad bookies

It had been days since that last dust storm blew in and the spirits in the small county of Talihina, Oklahoma were high. However, there was no rain insight. And with no rain, it left many farmers with empty fields, covered in dried-out dirt and sand. It especially hit the Ashford farm and ranch the hardest.

The Ashfords were the wealthiest family in Talihina. They were well known for being able to run a horse ranch and a healthy farm. The father, James Ashford, was in charge of both the ranch and farm, making sure everything ran smoothly. His wife, Josephina Ashford, better known as Jo, was known for helping around the town and giving to those in need. Luckily for the couple, they had two children who helped them with their work. They had a daughter and a son. You were the eldest Ashford child, and you had a bright future. You resemble your mother in all ways. You were the kind of woman to make young men turn their heads just by walking by. Unfortunately for them, you were happily engaged to one William H. Bonney. On the other hand, your younger brother looked like a replica of your father. Adam Ashford was eight years old with the same determination as his father, hoping to take over the farm and ranch when he got older.

But because of the dust storms starting up two years ago, it was harder to tend to the crops that would grow and bring the horses out of their stables. Before, you would help your father to tend to the horses when you weren't doing volunteer work, but with the constant dust blowing around the whole country, he banned you from leaving the house unless it was absolutely clear from dust. And for the first time in two years, James let his daughter out of the house. Only to run her mother’s errands, of course.

“In case of emergencies,” James tied a red bandana around your wrist as you took your mother’s list and woven basket from the kitchen table. “Wrap this around your head and cover your mouth and nose. I don’t want you to get hurt. And remember to come straight back from the markets—”

“Pa, I’ll be fine.” You squeezed her father’s forearm, kissing his cheek. “I’ll be back before you know it.”

He sighed and shook his head, “Okay.”

You squeezed his arm again before leaving, silently reassuring her safety. You took quick strides to the town center and watched the dust kick up with every step you took. The walk going to town wasn’t bad. The only downside was that there was no shelter for any incoming dust storms. Fortunately, the blazing sun was beating down on the earth and the wind was seemingly absent.

Upon reaching the town center you smiled at the sight in front of you. You found children running around with wooden toys their fathers made and their mothers gossiping about the recent family who left for California. It felt normal. For the first time in years, it felt normal to see mothers scolding their children for messing with drunkards sitting outside of the bars.

You shook your head before entering the town’s only grocery, the bell above the door ringing to alert the storekeeper. “Mr. Taylor?”

“Miss Ashford!” The storekeeper beamed at the young woman. “What brings you into town? I haven’t seen you and your folks for a while.”

You gave him a tight-lipped smile, “With all this dust, I would hardly expect anyone to be hustlin’ ‘round town.”

“What can I do for you?” He dismissed the comment.

“I’m in need of some of your delicious Fuji apples. My ma s'been craving them ever since Adam read a book about them to her.” You looked around the empty store. “Other than that, I can grab the res’ of the things myself.”

“I’ll be right back.” He knocked the wood on the counter, heading toward the back of the store. You watched him leave before heading into the different aisles, glancing at the brands and prices of the different items. In fact, you were so immersed in deciding which brand of vegetable oil would be best that you hadn’t realized someone new had entered the store until a pair of strong arms wrapped around you and spun you off the ground.

“Oh my god!” You clung onto the stranger’s arm, not wanting to fall face-first onto the ground. You glanced back at the stranger before gasping, eyes lighting up at the male. “Billy!”

“Afternoon, gorgeous.” He put you down and kissed your cheek.

You felt your face warm at the name and action, tucking a stray piece of hair behind your ear. “What are you doing here?”

“My ma sent me into town to get money from the bank.” Billy followed you around the store, his gaze flickering across your face. “Then I saw my favorite woman walk into town. I decided I could spare some time to talk to her.”

“Uh-huh.” You spun on your heel and peered into his eyes. “Did you get the money for your folks? Or did you forget?”

“You think so low of me, sweetheart.” He tilted your head up with his finger. “Of course I got the money.”

You hummed, giving him a proper look now. William H. Bonney was once a lanky boy in grade school. But he had definitely grown into himself. He got stronger and taller over the course of two years. The loose clothes he once wore now perfectly fit him, making you flush red each time you saw him. Your eyes then traveled from his fit shirt to his tattered, dust-covered boots. You frowned at the state they were in, but no one could do any better from the current weather the states were currently facing. Finally, you shifted your gaze to meet his eyes once more. His crystal blue eyes were such a beautiful contrast to the dust coating his dark jeans and his wavy brown hair. You swore you could get lost in them if it weren’t for him pulling you back to reality each time.

“You’re staring, gorgeous.” Billy grinned, earning a small scoff from his beloved.

“You’re impossible.” You shoved two bars of soap into your basket, heading toward the counter where the apples were waiting.

Mr. Taylor suppressed a laugh at the young couple, taking the basket from your arms. “That all for today, Miss Ashford?”

You hummed as you took your wallet out of your dress pocket, “How much?”

“$3.42 is the total.” He read off the cash register as you handed him the exact amount, trading it for the baskets of groceries and apples.

“Thank you, Mr. Taylor.” You smiled at him and moved to grab Billy’s hand as you left the store, intertwining them. “What’ve you been up to since I’ve last seen you?”

“Since last week?” Billy pulled you closer to him, squeezing your hand. “ Not much has happened since I visited your place. Just helping my ma in the fields like always.”

You nodded and looked toward the ground, watching the dust cling onto your leather boots and the bottom of your maroon dress. “The dust storm affecting your folks’ farm badly?”

“It’s affecting everyone, sweetheart.” He pulled you away from a stampede of running children. “No one can get any crops.”

“I know…” You muttered, rubbing small circles into his palm. You peered up at the bright sun, squinting at the beam. “You know what I wish for?”

“What?”

“I wish for everything to go back to normal.” You adjusted your hat, the Ashford ranch coming into view. “The dust storms have ruined everyone’s crops. I can barely step foot out of my own house. There hasn’t been any rain since god knows when. My pa won’t let me tend to the horses. It’s madness, Billy.”

“M’sorry, sweetheart.” He kissed the side of your head. “I can’t promise everything will go back to normal, but in the meantime, I can find a way to ride horses with you. ”

“William, what’s that supposed to mean?” You squinted at him, his piercing gaze meeting yours. “Whatever you’re thinking, it’s probably not a good idea—!”

“Come on. We can ride the horses and be back before your folks worry.” He pulled you into the Ashford stables, taking the baskets from your arms and tucking them safely in a corner.

You bit your lip, looking at the groceries and then back at the brunette, cursing him for being so convincing. “Fine.”

Laughter filled the air as you raced Billy through the back trails of Talihina, the generated wind blowing through your hair. It felt like you were both young teenagers who had no idea they were in love with one another, doing reckless activities until they were caught by one’s parents.

“Pick up the pace, Bonney!” You shouted as you saw Billy catching up, urging your horse to move faster.

A huge amount of dust kicked up with every stride the horses took, and if you looked back, you wouldn’t be able to see anything. Billy shook his head with a smile and copied you, finally riding beside the pair.

“Sweetheart, you know I can beat you in any horse race.” He chuckles as he brings his horse to a stop, wiping the sweat off his forehead. “You feel any better?”

You nodded and glanced to your left as you tugged on your horse’s reins, meeting his blue eyes. “I do feel better. Thank you.”

“Anytime.” He tipped his hat in your direction. “Ready to go back?”

Your smile slowly faded but nodded, “Yeah.”

“Hey, we don’t need to rush. We can take as long as we want to go back if you want.”

“I’d like that.” You guided your horse to head back toward the ranch. “In the meantime, you can tell me all about what you’re gonna do when your ma finds out where you’ve been all day.”

“I can tell her I’ve been with my girl all day.” He bit back a smirk when he saw your cheeks tint pink. “I think my folks love you more than me.”

You shoved his shoulder, your engagement ring glistening in the sun. “They should love me more than you. I think my Pa loves you more than me.”

“Impossible.” Billy took your hand and kissed the back of it.

The young couple took short strides on their horses as the sun slowly faded away. One could argue that the sun was setting, but it was still much too early for the sun to set.

“What time do you have on your watch?” You looked back at the darkening sky, picking up the pace.

“3 PM,” Billy muttered, looking into your panicked eyes. “We gotta go.”

The both of you started to rush your horses back as the wind picked up, dust blowing around them which impaired your vision. You hastily removed the bandana from your wrist and tied it around your head, keeping your balance. Billy kept one hand on the reins and shoved his own bandana up, covering his nose and mouth. The sky was now covered with dust clouds and the wind blew harshly against your backs, the mix of dry dirt and sand hitting their exposed skin.

“Are you okay over there?” Billy shouted over the blowing wind. “Y/N?”

“I’m fine!” You blinked away tears from the dirt that stung your eyes, squeezing your legs to make your horse move faster. You could just barely make out your family’s farm, but with each passing second it became more and more obscure.

“Sweetheart, we have to go to the stables! It’s closer to us than your house!” He veered his horse over to the left.

“I can’t! My folks will worry and—”

“Y/N!” He snaps you out of your spiraling thoughts. “Please!”

You quickly followed him and turned toward the stables. Billy slammed the front doors open, causing chaos to erupt inside. The other horses stood on their hind legs, thrashing as the harsh wind blew the dust inside. You raced inside as Billy jumped off his horse and slammed the stable doors shut, grabbing bales of wheat and shoving them by the front. You took deep breaths as you tried calming your own horse, resting your forehead against the head of your horse.

“This dust storm ain’t gonna go away anytime soon.” Billy rubbed dust off his face, removing his mask. “We’ll be fine in here.”

You nodded weakly, combing your fingers through your horse’s dusty hair. “We shouldn’t have gone out— I-I promised my pa that I’d be back—”

“Hey, look at me.” He went over and took your fidgeting hand. “They’ll be fine. We’ll be fine. When the storm eventually calms down, we'll head over to your place.” He slowly helped you off the horse and held your dirtied face in his hands, slipping your bandana off and wiping your muddy tears. “Okay?”

“Okay.” You took a breath, holding onto his wrists, following his breathing pattern. You rested your forehead on his, shutting your eyes. “Okay.”

The dust storm only accumulated as time progressed. The field and crops were covered in piles of dust once more and the automobiles were suddenly buried underneath the dried dirt. Those who were inside any buildings had dust seeping through the smallest slivers, despite the taped downed windows and towels blocking the doors. It was as if the storm would never stop, deeply worrying the Ashford family for their daughter’s safety.

“James, you can’t leave!” Jo whispered toward her husband, arms crossed over her chest in disbelief. “It’s late and you wouldn’t be able to see anything with all of that dust blowin’. Adam worries for his sister, but imagine the grief if he lost his pa and his sister?”

“I can’t sleep without knowin’ if my little girl is fine, Jo,” James argued, tightly tying a handkerchief around his head. “If Adam wakes, don’t tell him where his pa went—”

“James!” She held his arm in desperation, holding eye contact. “The storm might end soon, don’t risk it.” She looked between his eyes as he glanced toward the backdoor. “Please.”

His gaze softened at his wife’s demeanor and pulled her into a hug. “I’ll wait.”

“Thank you.” She murmured, wrapping her arms around him. “When the storm dies down, you can go. I won’t stop you then… I worry about our little girl too.”

The storm kept blowing until early morning. The crops were now either torn out of the ground or buried deep within dry dirt and families had given up on keeping the dust out of their homes. James and Josephina Ashford fell asleep at their kitchen table waiting for the storm to pipe down while you fell asleep in the stables in the security of your lover’s arms. William H. Bonney, on the other hand, stayed awake. He was constantly listening for the winds to quiet to let you know you could head home. In the early hours of the new day, Billy gently shook the woman beside him awake.

“Sweetheart, wake up.” He brushed the dust off that had fallen on you overnight, watching you shift closer to him. “Gorgeous.”

“Give me a minute, William.” You groaned, using his government name as a threat.

He chuckled and sat up straight, bringing you along with him. “The storm stopped, you can go home now.”

Your eyes shot open and you looked over at the male incredulously. “You should’ve said that first, idiot. Let’s go.”

Billy smiled as he stood, helping you up. He shook the final bits of dust off as best as he could and moved the hay bales away from the doors. Billy tilted his head toward you, silently signaling you to head home. You grinned and picked up your dress, racing over to the house without stumbling. You burst into the house and discarded the dust entering as well, finding your parents standing by the kitchen’s backdoor. James had his handkerchief tied across his face, triggering your tears.

“Y/N.” Her father let out a breath of relief and engulfed you in a tight hug. “You’re safe. You’re okay.”

“I’m sorry.” You sobbed into your father’s shirt, clinging onto him. “I’m so sorry, pa.”

“Why are you crying, sweet girl?” He rubbed your face. “What’s wrong?”

“I didn’t go straight home. I wanted to be out more, so I-I rode on the horses with Billy an-and then the storm started up. I shouldn’t have gone. I should’ve gone home right away. I should’ve stayed home. I shouldn’t have—”

“Hey, you’re alright.” James sat you down in one of the wooden chairs, removing his handkerchief from his face. “You’re safe. You’re home.”

You sniffled, looking up at your mother who had tears in her eyes too. “I’m sorry, mama. I didn’t wanna worry you…”

“My baby,” She knelt on the ground, taking your hands in her own. “I’m just glad you’re safe. The worst didn’t happen. You’re here. You aren’t hurt.”

Billy knocked on the side of the wall, making his presence known. In return, all heads whipped over to him. “I brought the groceries your daughter bought the other day.”

“William, come over here.” Your father beckoned him over.

“Yes, sir?” Billy stood by your side, removing his hat.

James sighed, putting his hand out. “Thank you for watching over my daughter.”

“Anytime.” Billy shook his hand, bringing him in for a hug. “I would risk my life for your daughter every single time.”

You lightly sock his arm at the mention, lacing your hands together. “Thank you.”

“I mean, now that you’re here, why don’t you help clear the dust out of our house? I’m sure my daughter has brought in heaps of it from runnin’ in here.” Jo patted her future son-in-law’s shoulder.

You flushed red as Billy chuckled, feeling him squeeze your hand at the comment. “Of course, Mrs. Ashford.”

The young couple got to work clearing out the dust while Jo and James started preparing breakfast for the day. It would be a while until all the dust would clear out of the house completely, but it wasn’t the worst problem they had. The dust storm that day might have ended, but little did the Ashford family know that it would only be the true beginning of their hardships.

©lqveharrington - all rights reserved. do not copy, translate or share my work on other media platforms

[reigningcheesesun]

⋆.˚ ᡣ𐭩 .𖥔˚ RETH x READER

wc: 2983 tags: fem!reader, she/her reader pronouns, reth from palia, canon events (i guess could be spoilery?), finding your shepp, self indulgent writing, not proofread or beta read :D

masterlist

“Find a shepp,” you muttered to yourself with a sigh. It was hard enough trying to navigate this newfound world, let alone trying to find a shepp per Eshe’s request. Since spawning into this place they called Kilima Village, you had been thrown into task after task. How would you ever find the time to build relationships with the villagers if you were always busy? You decided that today you would take a break from being the errand girl for everyone and instead would meet everyone you could find in hopes that you would find someone who would be willing to be your shepp. Up until now, you had only briefly spoken to most of the town, but no one knew you well enough to be your shepp just yet.

As you came into town, you assumed that Ashura would probably have wise words of advice on the fact of the matter. Hurrying along, you walked into the inn to find Ashura at his desk. 

“Hey, Ashura!” you said cheerily as you approached him. The large, gentle giant softly smiled. “Welcome in, y/n! Good to see you today. How are things going for ya?” he asked.

“Honestly? Well, I need some advice. You know this place, and the people, better than anyone, so I was going to see if you have any tips for me on picking a shepp?” 

“A shepp? So that’s what Eshe has you doing, I see. Well, many of the townsfolk would be more than happy to be a shepp- but,” he gave you a look, “asking them to be your own comes with a lot of responsibility on their part. You don’t want just anyone to be your shepp, and it should be someone you feel close to or have a connection with.”

“Responsibility? Eshe didn’t really explain much of all this to me. I thought they just told Eshe ‘Yep, she’s one of us!’ and that was it.”

Ashura chuckled. “In a way, yes, that is what they do. But their job as your shepp doesn’t stop there. They’re responsible for you, so anything you do- whether that’s good or bad- reflects upon them, too. Likewise, anything they do can also affect your own standing in Eshe’s eyes, if you get what I mean.”

“Oh… so we are kinda tied to each other’s social standing?” The wheels in your head began to turn. Who would you choose as your shepp then? It seemed the task wasn’t going to be as easy as you once thought it’d be.

“Yes, at least in the beginning it will be. But once you’re on your feet, most of us will forget who you picked as your shepp and there won’t be a little red string tying you guys together anymore. But don’t just rush into it, you’ve got all the time you need to pick someone who best fits you and your lifestyle. I know you aren’t Majiri like us, but maybe figuring out what path you like can help you narrow down your candidates.”

“Path. That’s right! A lot of you guys have your own path, so maybe I should find one I could call my own as well. Thanks, Ashura! I knew you’d be a big help for sure.”

“Oh, it’s nothing. It’s what I’m here for, of course. Kilima Village has a pretty good variety of those in different paths, there is a path for everyone- from farming, furniture making, to cooking-  you’ll figure it out.” Ashura placed a hand on your shoulder and gave a soft smile before walking past you to go about his day.

There is a path for everyone. Surely someone in this town had a path you could find yourself in, you just had to figure out who it was. As you stood there, racking your brain through the makeshift list of names in your head, you heard the rumbling coming from your stomach. You had been so immersed in your search for finding a shepp today that you forgot to make yourself something to eat. You looked around the inn, seeing the bar open for business.

“What’cha got on the menu today, Reth?” you asked as you put your hands on the counter. The elf playfully contemplated his response, acting as if he was thinking long and hard about it. “Well, I would say my famous lettuce soup, but I’d be willing to whip up something different if you wanted,” he said with a smirk.

“As much as I love your lettuce soup, I don’t think I can have that for breakfast. How about some bacon-stuffed mushrooms? What do I have to do to get some of those on your menu?” you laughed. Reth was someone who was fun to talk to, in your opinion. You knew that the rest of the town had their own opinions about him, but none of it mattered to you. You enjoyed how go with the flow he was and how he always seemed to take each day one at a time.

“You know what, for you, I can make those. Just don’t tell people I make stuff off the menu.” He winked and turned around to start prepping the food. As you watched him chop the ingredients and assemble your meal, you wondered what his thoughts were on paths and choosing a shepp. “Reth, what do you think I should do about finding a shepp? Ashura said I should find someone who’s on a path that I can find myself in, but I don’t even know where to start.”

Reth scoffed to himself. “You sure you want to ask me about paths and shepps? I don’t think I’m really the best one to give you any advice on that, y/n. But if you wanna know how I feel, I think that these paths people take just because their parents do is a little outdated of an idea. I think what Ashura means is finding a path that you like, that you enjoy doing. You lucked out being human, even if you changed your mind, no one is really gon’ say much about it.” His tone changed towards the end of his sentence.

“Yeah, so I’ve heard. The Majiri don’t seem too understanding if you change paths… but I’m sure you know it all too well, but I’m glad you’re doing something you like.”

“Me too, this stuff is way more fun than getting splinters all day and hammering away on furniture,” he said as he put the plate of bacon-stuffed mushrooms in front of you. The food looked immaculate, you could tell it was made by someone who truly loved what they were doing.

Hey, Reth,” you said quietly as you started to cut the food into pieces. Reth turned around and wiped his hands on his apron. “Yeah? What’s up? It’s not good? Don’t tell me that, just lie to me,” he snickered.

“No, no. It’s not the food, this is good, great even,” you said as you finished a bite. “Do you think, maybe, you would be my shepp?”

Reth looked astounded by the question. “What?! ME ?! Y/N, I wouldn’t even know what to do with myself as a shepp. Maybe if I knew you better, but even then, you sure you want me to be that person? I don’t really have the best reputation in the village.”

You pushed the food around on the plate, almost feeling stupid for even thinking he’d agree to something so serious. It wasn’t like Reth to be tied to anything, let alone a new person in the village who was asking a lot of him. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked. You’re probably right,” you said quietly.

Reth leaned on the counter and met your eye level. “Look, if it comes down to it and you still don’t have someone, then I’ll do it. But there’s gotta be someone way better out there for your decision than this guy. But I will do it if no one else will-”

“Really?!” you exclaimed, cutting him off. Reth put up his index finger. “Yeah, but on one condition,” he chuckled. “You just have to promise to keep coming into the inn and having breakfast, lunch, and dinner here for a while before I really agree to it. I gotta know the person I’m shepping for before saying yes for real, don’t I?”

You rolled your eyes playfully. “You know what, Reth. I think I can do that, but only if you promise me you won’t make me lettuce soup every time I come in.” Reth laughed heartily at your response and nodded his head in approval. “Fine, you got a deal.” He made his way to the other side of the counter to take someone else’s order and began prepping their food for them. 

It was hard not to watch in awe as he prepared the orders he had coming in. He was meticulous with his cuts and attentive to all timers in the kitchen, basically ready to take stuff out before the timers could even go off. It was like watching an artist paint a masterpiece as he plated the food and garnished it before passing it across the counter. As you continued to watch, you admired how much fun it looked like he had cooking. Finally, you finished your food.

“Reth,” you called to him as you placed your coins on the counter. “For the food.” You got off the seat and waved goodbye. “See ya later, Y/N! I’ll be here all day,” he laughed as he waved back. You left the inn in a better state than you came in, at least you knew that if all else failed with the rest of the town, Reth had promised to be your shepp.

ɞ────⋆˚₊⋆ ๑

The coming weeks didn’t bring any result in picking a shepp. Everyone was either too busy to commit to it or didn’t feel right with your relationship being so new with them. You walked into the inn and sat at the bar, laying your head in your arms and letting out a long sigh.

“Hey, hey, hey. This is a ‘no-sad-human-zone’, you can’t do that here,” Reth said as he leaned on the counter in front of you, resting his head in his palm. “Ughhh,” you groaned dramatically. “Wow, that bad, huh? I bet I know what will fix it.” He snapped his finger and walked into the back of the bar where the pantry and other cooking supplies were at. A few moments later, you could feel him put down a plate of food on the counter beside you. “This one’s on the house,” he said as you raised your head up to look at what he brought out. It was a fresh bowl of ramen, complete with boiled eggs and green onions on top. Reth leaned over and whispered to you. “Just don’t tell anyone I let you have it for free, okay?” He winked and grabbed a cleaning rag to start wiping off the counter.

You appreciated the sentiment, especially coming from Reth since you two were starting to grow a little closer after all the visits you had promised to make to the inn. “Reth, what do you do outside of this place?” Reth paused for a moment, a little confused by the question. “You mean like once I leave work? Uh… I do…. stuff, I guess.” His tone implied he wasn’t really trying to answer the question, but you couldn’t pinpoint why.

“Well, are you going somewhere when you’re done today?” you asked, not really sure where you were going with the series of questions.

“I have a few things I have to do later tonight, but nothing right after we close up here. Why? You tryin' to ask me to hangout?” He chuckled and kept wiping the counter. 

“Actually, yeah. Do you want to?” You were still unsure yourself what was even going on, but the conversation just seemed to flow naturally. You did want to know more about Reth after all this time, and he did say he needed to know you more before officially agreeing to be your shepp. Short conversations over a meal while he worked weren’t really the best way for you two to get to know each other.

“Oh, uh,” Reth said, scratching the back of his head and smiling. “I didn’t expect you to actually say that was the plan. But ya know what, I think we can do that. Why don’t you come back later at say, 6pm? I’ll be finishing up here and we can go somewhere then. How’s that sound?”

“Sure, that sounds good. Thanks, Reth.” You started to eat your food as you noticed Reth checking the clock on the wall. “I’ll be right back, I have to.. Get a few things from the storeroom.” Reth scurried off out of the bar and rushed down the stairs to the basement area. After a few minutes, you felt a large hand on your shoulder. You turned to see Ashura standing beside you, he looked like he needed something.

“Have you seen Reth? I got a few things I need to talk to that boy about, but he’s always in and out doing things,” he said.

“He just had to go to the storeroom for something, but when he gets back I can let him know that you need him?” You gave a shrug as you suggested.

“Yeah, that’ll work. Thanks, Y/N. I have to head out to the garden, but he should know where to find me.” He gave a sincere smile and left the inn. You looked up at the clock. Reth had been gone for at least 10 minutes. What on earth does he have to even get down there? And what about his job? Luckily, the bar wasn’t full of people waiting on him, but what if it was? He would be in high water with Ashura come the end of the day, and you definitely didn’t want to see if that sweet man was capable of bringing down the hammer.

You glanced around the bar; it didn’t look like anyone was coming to get food anytime soon so you decided to go downstairs to see if Reth needed help with whatever it was he was getting. You got up from the bar and made your way down the steps of the inn. It was your first time down there, but the store room was just across the room past the little boat docks under the inn. As you grabbed the door handle, you felt it turn and pull open as Reth left the storeroom. “Oh! Uh.. Y/N, what are you doing down here?” he asked nervously.

“Well, you were gone for so long, I thought maybe you needed some help or something. And plus, Ashura said he was looking for you.” Reth let out a groan. “Yeah, I forgot I have some errands I have to run tonight for him. He’s probably just reminding me.” He let out a soft sigh under his breath. “We may have to reschedule our little hangout tonight, if that’s alright.”

“Yeah, that’s fine…,” you said. The two of you sat awkwardly in silence for a moment before you broke it. “Maybe I can help you with some of the errands so you get done early?” Reth’s face lit up at the offer. “Hey! That just might work.” He snapped his fingers. “How about you do a few of the deliveries and pick up some things, and I’ll take care of the rest? I promise the deliveries aren’t that bad, just a handful of things to take and pick up.”

His bright smile made you smile as well. “Sure, you just tell me where to go.” Reth pulled out his order pad and wrote down the people to deliver to and who to pick up ingredients from. “There, that should be it. Eshe’s stuff’s all done, just upstairs in the back fridge. You’d be a real lifesaver doing this for me.”

You took the list and walked back upstairs with Reth. He led you into the back kitchen area and got the delivery package out of the fridge and handed it to you. “Careful with it, it’s a luxury to deliver this special dinner of mine to Eshe. Gotta deliver it safely or it’s both our hides that’ll be skinned,” he chuckled. “And just let the others know you’re picking up for me, they should have the stuff ready for you. Thanks again.” He bashfully smiled, something you hadn’t really seen before, but it was endearing. “No problem, I’ll be back before long,” you said before you left the inn.

Eshe’s delivery was your first priority, so you made your way across the bridge down from the stables and found her waiting, impatiently to no surprise. “Hey, Eshe! Have something for you,” you said as you pulled the package out and offered it to her. You watched Eshe look at the package and then back up at you before taking it. “So Reth has you doing his job for him? Hmph, seems fitting. This better be what I’ve been waiting for, not like that awful lettuce soup he pushes every time you order at the inn.”

“He doesn’t have me doing them, I offered to just help him out. I’m sure the food he made is well up to par; he really puts in a lot of work into his food, ya know,” you said assuredly. Eshe scoffed at your reply and tucked the package under her arm. “For his sake, I hope it is. If not, he will surely hear about it.” She walked off towards her house and left you standing there alone.

“These people really feel some type of way about him, don’t they?” you mumbled to yourself. 

2024 ©️ reigningcheesesun. please do not copy, translate, and/or distribute my work. divider.

[uglypastels]

Darling pls would u mind writing a fic with OPLA Buggy where the reader is like a big fan of him. The type that wants his autograph, likes his shows and stuff like that and so Buggy melts for his little supporter and tries to impress them more and more bc for once he’s loved 💗🥰

no but i absolutely love this idea!! thank you so much for requesting it

masterlist | inbox - requests open

warnings: drinking. slightly dark themes - it's buggy after all. but nothing explicitly mentioned.

His Biggest Fan

How he did not notice you staring was a miracle. You knew it wasn't right, but how else could you make sure that it really was him?

Well, it probably didn't require that much to figure it out. After all, how many other pirates had long blue hair, a red nose, and that kind of make-up? At least, around where you were from, none.

That is why you had never expected to see him walk into this dingy little bar with his crew. You watched him from your table, from the edge of your cup, switching glances between his figure and the wanted poster that hung on the wall- more as an accomplishment than a warning, really- among the many others.

15 million Berry. A pirate doesn't get such a bounty for nothing. You had heard the tales of the Flashy Fool, the Genius Jester. The Ringleader of the most notorious outcasts and freaks in the East Blue, and somehow, he was sitting only two tables away from you.

You kept your eye on him the entire night, constantly egging yourself on to just go for it, to walk up to him and say something, anything.

Finally, encouraged by another large drink, you decided to make your move and walk over to the table.

He was sitting at the head of it, looking unimpressed as his crew drank the bar cry, smiling but never laughing at the jokes being made, generally uninterested by the conversations, thoughts far away from the island you all found yourselves on.

You cleared your throat, trying to call out his name, but it just got washed out by the noise around you. After another lost attempt, you tried to tap his shoulder, but before your hand reached it, his hand snapped up, nearly slapping you in the face.

'What?' He snapped alongside his limbs, looking over at you. His eyes glared with anger momentarily before softening up the slightest amount when he realised who was trying to speak to him.

'I'm sorry, sir.' You did your best to stop your voice from shaking. Some of his crew had stopped their conversations to look over at what their captain was doing, and you tried to ignore them as much as you could. 'Are you the pirate... Buggy?'

The acknowledgement sparked something up in him, and the corners of his wide smile grew even larger.

'The one and only,' he nodded his head, pleased, 'and who may you be?'

Nervously, you introduced yourself and watched him mouth your name to himself, grinning that wicked grin of his.

'I've heard a lot about you- about the things you've done. It's- well, it is quite impressiveve.'

'Why, thank you.' He cocked his head to the side, almost in bewilderment at the fact that someone might have found his accomplishments noteworthy. 'So, is there anything I can help you with?'

'Oh,' well, now that you were here, you weren't really sure what you had expected from approaching the pirate. 'No, I just wanted to- I'm not really sure.' You laughed off your own nerves and the silliness of the situation.

'Now, now, honey, no need to get so shy with me.' He picked up his drink. 'Tell me, are you a pirate?'

'Me? Oh no,' you, who never had left your small island and lived your days working on your family's farm outside of town, where the only form of excitement was to meet the fascinating figures that sailed by the harbour. 'I'm just-'

'A fan?' Buggy filled the gap in for you. 'Admirer?'

'I suppose so.' Your cheeks flushed hot.

'Never considered just sailing off into the distance? Seeking treasure and fame? No?' He read your body language as you responded to him with a shaking head. 'No. I wouldn't think so.'

He smiled at you, and so the quick turn from this kindness to the manic yell he shot at his crew, who had been giving him interested looks, was startling 'What the hell are you morons looking at?' he shouted out. The shock of it was enhanced by the fact that he reverted back to you and his smile just as quickly afterwards.

It should have scared you. Perhaps it even did, but you easily could have mistaken the fear for excitement. There was just something so raw and refreshing about the pirate captain, something you had never seen in any man before.

Buggy leaned over the table to look up at you, knuckles under his chin. 'But I bet you would want to go on a big adventure, hmm?'

'Uhm...'

'Go out into the world, follow your dreams? I'm sure there is something out there you'd want?' But was there? Your world so far had been so small that dreams had never even felt like an option.

When you didn't answer, Buggy sat back in his chair. 'Perhaps not. The pirate life isn't for everyone, is it, sugar?' He chuckled. 'Anything else I can do you for? An autograph maybe?'

'Oh, I don't mean to bo-' you didn't want to seem like the annoying kind of "fan", after all, but Buggy wasn't having any of it.

'Nonsense!' He clicked his fingers, and someone at the other end of the table got up and ripped the captain's wanted poster off the wall. They handed it to him as Buggy pulled a pen from the inside of his coat, signing his name in large, scratchy letters. 'Anything for my... biggest fan.'

Another hot flash came over your face as he handed you the poster.

'Thank you,' you said, unsure. Surprised. For an infamous pirate with a bounty of millions of Berry on his head, he was nothing like you had expected him to be. Not with that smile he gave you or the wink he had sent you off with.

And so, you left the bar. A big smile adorned your face, and you thought of your interaction with Buggy for the rest of the night.

And he did, too. He kept you in his mind's eye as he listened to his crew's schemes on how to take charge of the island they had just sailed to. The plans they had for the citizens. He could already see it take shape. The biggest audience he's ever had, all sitting and watching him. Crying and laughing with him. With you, his number one fan, as his special guest of honour.

Oh, the plans he had for the two of you.

[swann-song]

daydreaming - part four

summary: you agreed to go on a date with pierre chavanges. he needs to make a good impression.

pierre sneaked a glance at you over the menu, this is the first chance he’s had to actually look at you. on the car ride over, you’d spent the whole time changing the music in the car, you were taking it very seriously and he hadn’t wanted to interrupt. at le cheval blanc you were sat outside with a lush garden. the warm night was filled with the sounds of summer and the gentle conversation of the tables around you created a good atmosphere.

he ran his fingers through his hair again, it has grown longer and tickles his brows, he had rushed out the door evading his mothers questions. he had spent the whole day preparing mentally and physically, he had changed his outfit four times, settling on a black button up and trousers. pierre has been on enough awkward first dates to keep his expectations low. unfortunately, the stakes feel high and he’s apprehensive, he’s never wanted to connect with someone as badly as he does with you but he doesn’t know how. how do you let someone know you want to be important to them.

he watched you study the menu, you poke your cheek as you decided and mutter to yourself. "i’m getting the sea bass then" you said with a finality. you looked up at pierre and his heart skipped a beat.

your lips were a blurry red and inviting. he loved the way your eyes sparkled at him, smiling at him sweetly every time your eyes met. he was thoroughly enjoying that. your hair cascades around you and frames your face, reminds him of the romantic impressionists. you were wearing a short black dress, tight on your waist but flowing around your thighs. the sleeves are long and elegant, sliding up your arm when you move. he likes watching your fingers reach for the wine, likes the way a sip stains your lips a little.

the conversation flowed, pierre had been worried but he had an endless list of questions. you answered him freely, stories from your childhood, your friends and work. he liked the way you spoke to him intimately, like you’d known him for years. he found you funny, be it your stories from university or the witty remarks you’d use to punctuate your sentences. he could tell you read a lot, you spoke vividly and he was engaged. he even surprised himself and offered his own jokes, not wanting burden you with all of the nights entertainment. he liked the way you laughed with him, the sound sweet and you made yourself breathless.

"and then she threw the mic across the room" you were telling him about your friends birthday party. it had been at jd's bar and he remembered his own friend telling him the story. "well it’s nice to hear your point of view, jd had said it was just because you were all wasted", "his karaoke didn’t have abba" you interject, pierre nodded, "right, so now i see it, in a way, it was his own fault". you both burst into giggles and the waiter turns annoyed.

three hours had already passed, the candles dwindling, the other patrons had left. pierre was shocked at the time, it was going too fast. he hadn’t felt like this before, no rush to leave. he already knew all your favourite films, books, music, your childhood friends and pets, core memories and your first driving lesson fail. he knew your dreams for the future, your current frustrations with life. it didn’t feel like enough, he felt greedy, wanting to know more and more about you.

you were the most interesting person he’d met, when he would ask question after question, you asked him to stop the interrogation. pierre couldn’t help it, he offered himself as well. he told you his own stories. his many endless nights making trouble with his friends. the two years he’d travelled to italy before he took over the farm. the pressures of a lineage farm on his shoulder, the endless repetition. the silence after the dessert was comfortable but pierre’s heart was still beating fast. your cheeks were flushed, your neck tipped back, taking in the night stars.

you suddenly sat up straight, looking into pierre’s eyes earnestly. "you know pierre, i fucking love cows" pierre covered his face with his hand, shaking it. trying to suppress his laughter. "i really do pierre" you had reached across the table, your fingers curling around his wrist. "now do you think i could get one.. i could get one of yours you know, just a baby, i just need a baby one… you could help me, i’ve read a few books already and you know basically everyone else has one, you could give me one"

pierre was certain you were too tipsy now, he nodded at you. he paid for dinner and held your hand in one hand, your coat in the other. he slowly guided you to his car as you were trying to convince him he should sell you one of his new calf. in the car, you were silent, looking out into the fields, you sometimes made a comment about the song playing on the radio. as he drove up to your apartment complex, pierre was feeling nervous. the date had gone well, in his eyes it did. pierre knew himself, he recognised it, he was already half in love. that’s why he was feeling on edge, he needed to know how you felt. he thought he knew, from the way you flushed at his compliments and stared at his lips but he needed to know for certain.

"i really enjoyed tonight" you were speaking almost timidly. pierre was glad you did, he turned to you and smiled softly. "so did i, i really want to see you again" pierre watched you stare straight ahead, he took in your profile. your perfume filled his car, he was hoping it would linger when your gone. you took a minute, pierre didn’t want to rush you. you nodded and met his eyes.

your hand rose to his jaw, your soft fingers stroke up to his cheek and pierre fell into it. your eyes sparkle up at him, lips parted and breath laboured. pierre’s hand slides up your arm and meets yours, he tangles your fingers with his and pulls them away. he moves closer to you, you sit back, a puzzled look. pierre’s hand moves to the nape of your neck, his thumb gently stroking your cheek. he pulls your head to his and wraps his other arm around you. his lips meet yours. your lips are so soft, sweet from the wine, he falls in deep. he feels your heart beating fast against his own, no doubt beating just as fast. tilting your head back a little, his tongue finds yours, and he hold you tighter. his hands tangle in your silky hair, he strokes your back. pierre feels overwhelmed, by your taste, the scent of you and your body in his arms, so giving and warm.

your arms move up from his chest to dangle from his shoulders. your hanging onto each kiss and pierre hears a soft moan from you. he pulls away quick. how could you make that noise against his lips. he needed to be reasonable since your not being so. your eyes look up at him big, a little whiplashed from the sudden lack of warmth. you arms are still around his neck and you softly purr his name. pierre stroked your arm, pulling your sleeve back and plants gentle kisses on it. he tries to ignore your pout and how hard it’s making him. your eyes narrow at him and he pulls your arms off him while he intertwines your fingers in his. pierre avoids looking at you in an attempt to suppress that icy sharp desire he feels.

"it’s getting late, i’ll call you tomorrow okay" pierre kisses the tips of your fingers in apology, keeping his head low and feels you relax beside him. you kiss his cheek quickly and jump out, closing the door you look at him through the open window. "good night pierre, remember you owe me a calf". pierre feels his heart flipping and wishes you a good night but not making any promises.

daydreaming masterlist

[queenmabsim]

a vegetarian vampire.

name

caleb vatore

traits

foodie ambitious materialistic generous sincere

original timeline

fourth.

preferences

likes

baking & cooking cross-stitching knitting writing grey, red, & white argumentative & idealist sims romance enthusiast alternative & metal music spooky music

dislikes

fishing handiness tween pop music new age music

fun facts

caleb used to be much younger than his sister, but due to the complexities in timelines on when they were turned, the siblings are now technically the same age forever.

the disaffected grunge movement really agreed with an adolescent caleb. he loved the style, he loved the music, he loved the messaging. he prefers to focus on the value of something instead of how much he can get of it.

he needs to get out of forgotten hollow a lot. caleb doesn't get along well with vlad, and often gets into rows with his sister about it. he has started spending more and more time at that bar in moonwood mill.

known sayings

"I prefer my plasma farm to table... and not so messy."

[ to be continued...

[irrelechan]

TW/ Physical intimacy, not explicit

The bike Alex left for her had seen better days, a little rusted, but it rolled smoothly enough once she got it going. It still had the faintest black paint on the frame from one of their attempts to make it “cool” back in high school. The basket rattled over bumps in the path, but the wind in her face felt good. Familiar. Sadie had to admit riding it down the old path into town stirred something inside her that felt suspiciously like freedom.

Sadie coasted into town, letting her eyes adjust to the new-oldness of everything around her. She hadn’t realized how quiet the valley had become in her memory until the real version surrounded her again. Birds called overhead. A dog barked somewhere. She rode past the saloon, past the community board still cluttered with flyers for egg hunts and produce sales, and stopped outside Pierre’s General Store.

It looked the same, down to the faded “SALE” sign in the window that had probably been there since elementary school. The bell jingled as she stepped inside. Sawdust and fresh fruit hit her as a wave of nostalgic memories. There was comfort in it, something stable and lived-in. She spent a lot of time in this store, especially upstairs. Sleepovers with Abigail were never in short supply.

“Sadie?”

Pierre’s voice rang out from behind a display of fertilizer bags. He stepped around the shelf, blinking and adjusting his glasses like he wasn’t sure his eyes were telling the truth.

“Well I’ll be damned.” He wiped his hands on his apron and smiled warmly. “Look at you. You haven’t aged a day.”

“That’s very kind, but also a lie,” Sadie said with a dry laugh. She stepped forward into his hug, warm and tight. Pierre hadn’t changed much, other than his red hair turning a strawberry blonde with age. 

Caroline emerged from the back, her apron dusted with flour. She softened instantly upon seeing Sadie. “Oh, honey, it’s good to see you. I’m so sorry about your grandfather.”

“Thanks,” Sadie said. “I’ve been meaning to stop in.”

“You holding up alright?”

“As best I can.” She offered a tired smile and lifted the basket over her arm. “I need some cleaning stuff. And you know, food, of course. I can’t survive on Saloon take-out all week.”

“Say no more,” Pierre said, already rounding the aisles. “Caroline, get her a starter set from the back. I’ll throw in some extra gloves.”

As she followed him, Sadie glanced toward the stairs. “Is Abigail here?”

“She’s upstairs. She said she’d reorganize the record bins out front, but that was two hours ago.”

Sure enough, the back door creaked open moments later. Abigail emerged with her hair pulled into a lopsided bun and a granola bar clamped between her teeth. She looked up, saw Sadie, and grinned, bar still intact.

“I figured you’d come by, eventually. Need a shopping cart?”

“Maybe a small wagon, with everything your parents are grabbing for me,” Sadie said as she surveyed the growing pile of supplies.

“Better idea, just move in here, and work at the store with me,” Abigail quipped, offering a hug as they walked back toward the register. “Dad will pay you in fruit and unsolicited life advice.”

“Hey now,” Pierre said, raising a brow. “My advice is premium quality.”

Abigail turned to Sadie, rolling her eyes. “You know he’s already called Robin, right?”

“I…didn’t know that.”

“She’ll swing by your place tomorrow to check out the property!” Pierre said, handing her a box of eco-friendly sponges. “Sorry, I couldn’t help it. The old girl deserves to remember what she used to be.”

Caroline handed over a canvas bag of odds and ends with a pat on Sadie’s shoulder. “You let us know if you need anything, ok, sweetheart? Don’t let Abby get you into trouble.”

Sadie smiled at them both warmly. “Thank you, really.”

Abigail nudged her as they walked down the steps of the store. “You free for a bit? I’ll walk you back to the farm. You need the full update. And I do mean full. The town’s been chaotic in the most petty ways.”

“I’m afraid to know, but tell me everything,” Sadie’s smirk, slow as honey, curved her lips. Their clasped hands tightened as a giddy warmth bloomed into a fleeting echo of sixteen-year-old recklessness. She missed this feeling. She missed her first best friend.

“You’re gonna love this. Ok, first major drama, are you ready? Mayor Lewis married Marnie.”

Sadie blinked. “Wait. Seriously? I didn’t even realize they were ever dating.”

“Yep, secretly. They’ve got the newlywed cottage not far from Marnie’s farm and everything. Sam swears he saw him gardening in a novelty apron that said ‘Kiss the Mayor’.”

“No. Oh my god, that’s horrifying,” Sadie laughed as she pictured the scene. “What happened to her farm then?”

“Marnie retired, so Shane runs it. He’s sober now, can you believe that? He’s been raising Jas. She’s so big, seventeen or eighteen, I think. About to go to college.” 

“Wow. I can’t even imagine her being older than six or seven.”

“Jodi divorced Kent. That happened year three sans-Sadie. Naturally, the kids stayed with Jodi. Kent’s PTSD got worse because he never fucking did anything about it. Jodi couldn’t take it anymore.” 

“Not surprising, really. How did Sam and Vincent take it?”

“Pretty good, actually. I think they were just as beaten down as Jodi was. Figuratively speaking.” Abigail took another bite of her granola bar before continuing. “I don’t think Kent ever actually hit them or anything, by the way, but it was not a good situation. Anyway, Vincent sees him every other month. Sam pretty much cut ties. They had some rough years after you left.”

“Damn. What about Emily…and Haley? I remember Clint was like obsessed with Emily. It was almost a sport watching them in the Saloon. Do you remember that?” Sadie and Abigail laughed together.

“Yeah! So, Clint and Emily are engaged now, finally. Clint took about as long to propose as he did to ask her out. Some other news, Sebastian and I are a thing. We’ve been dating for four years. He’s the best.”

“I thought he wanted to move to Zuzu and go into web design?”

“He did! Well, sort of. He got a degree in UI/UX development. Seb works remotely, so he could be close to me,” she smiled sheepishly. “We were thinking about getting an apartment downtown, but they’re hard to come by.”

They rounded the corner toward the property’s edge. Sadie was still laughing about how Sebastian asked her out officially when Abigail added, “Oh yeah, I forgot to say, Haley is—well. Let’s say her and Alex are ‘casual.’”

“Really?” She asked, trying not to sound like the question got stuck in her throat. “Does she live nearby still?”

“I heard Haley is doing well for herself, though. She has a small, homemade organic cosmetic line that she runs from home. Haley and Emily live on the east side by the coast now. Too uptight over there, if you ask me.” She faux-shivered.

“Casual, huh?”

“Mhm. They’ve been doing the ‘not serious, don’t label it’ thing for a while now. Haley insists they’re just having fun. Alex doesn’t talk about it, but he’s suspiciously not dated anyone else. I’ve been trying to figure them out for literally years.”

Sadie forced a shrug. “Ah…Guess that checks out.”

Abigail shot her a look. “That bother you?”

“No,” she said too quickly. “Just surprised. Do they even have anything in common?”

“They don’t,” Abigail said, laughing. “I think it’s mostly physical. She likes his abs. He likes her legs. It’s all very shallow and seasonal. I could never do something like that. No judgment or anything, but I feel like Haley could have anyone she wanted in or outside of Pelican Town, you know?”

Sadie made a noncommittal noise.

Abigail squinted at her. “You asked a lot of follow-up questions just now.”

“Yeah…” Sadie said quickly. “Just catching up. It’s a lot to take in.”

“Mmm,” Abigail hummed, crossing her arms. “You’re being weird about Alex.”

“Abby, I’m not being weird—”

“You are. You just made that face you did in high school when you tried to pretend you didn’t care that he brought Jenn Morrison to the pool party.”

“I did not make that face.”

“You just bit your cheek and blinked too much. It was that face.”

Sadie rolled her eyes and turned toward the bike. Abigail kept eyeing her closely. “He’s been a fucking mess since you got back, by the way. Tried to deep-clean George’s truck. He never cleans the truck.”

“That’s not proof of anything.”

“Sure, and the way he looks at you is how he looks at everyone?”

Sadie hesitated, adjusting the basket. “We were just kids, Abigail. Nothing is going on between us now.”

They stopped at the edge of the Palmer House steps. Sadie rested her arms on the bike’s handlebars, avoiding Abigail's eyes. They stood there for a moment, the breeze teasing the ends of Abigail’s teal hair and Sadie’s hemline. The town seemed to buzz faintly in the distance, filling the space between them.

“Seriously, though,” Abigail added more gently. “It’s good you’re back. Even if it’s just for now, or whatever you decide. I missed you a lot.”

Sadie smiled, grateful for her. For this place. “It is. I missed you, too, Abby.”

“Have you ever thought about staying?” Abigail asked suddenly. “It’s not as bad as Sam makes it out to be, I promise. I think I might just grow old here and be buried in the cemetery behind the Mayor's old place.” 

Sadie looked down at the handlebars. “I don’t know yet.”

“Well, either way,” Abigail said, brushing it off with a smile, “you’d better come to the Spring Flower Dance. If I have to dance with Sebastian in front of the entire town for the hundredth time, I’m dragging you down with me.”

“Deal,” Sadie said with a smile.

After Abigail disappeared into the distance. Sadie set up a pullout chair she found in the basement and sat with her thoughts, watching the sun go down. The breeze was warm, she noticed more green buds growing on the trees. Birds sang like they had no idea how complicated people were.

She didn’t know what to make of Alex, if she was honest.

It had always been easy with him, maybe too easy. He was the one she’d call when things fell apart. A bad breakup, a fight with her parents, a job that made her want to disappear. One text and he’d respond immediately. He’d joke, flirt, and make her feel like the world wasn’t so heavy. She’d let him, and let herself fall into that rhythm like it didn’t mean anything.

But it did. At least it had started to.

They were never ‘together’. Not really. But there were summers when the air felt different between them. When he looked at her like she hung the stars, and she let herself believe it, just for a few months. When she kissed him behind her Grandfather’s barn at dusk, they pretended it was just for fun. It was like trying on a pair of jeans you’d never buy. Then fall would come, and she’d leave again. He never asked her to stay. She never asked him to come with her.

And maybe that was the problem. Haley made sense for him in a way. Always did have a thing for Alex. She was always gorgeous. The typical jock, cheerleader dynamic. Back in high school, she’d orbit him like a shining little moon, flipping her hair and smacking her lip gloss. Sideways glares for Sadie were not uncommon coming from Haley. Sadie used to pretend it didn’t bother her, but it did. She genuinely liked Haley as a person, just in general, but they just never could make it work as friends. Largely in part because of Alex.

Now there was that doctor. Sadie could still feel the memory of his gentle hands on her ankle. He seemed steady, warm, and quiet. There was something about the way he’d said her name, too, like he was already memorizing it. And those hands! God. 

​She huffed to herself. What was she going to do, fake a limp just to get his attention? She considered it for half a second before rolling her eyes.��

That’s insane. I’m not that desperate. Morgan would scorn me for life. It’s just prolonged celibacy and emotional nostalgic whiplash. Nothing a bottle of wine and a long bath couldn’t fix. That’s all it is. 

She laughed to herself, then quieted in a somewhat firmer resolution. She had enough going on without tripping over old flames and new obsessions. She needed to focus and figure out what the hell she wanted with this place, and with her life, for that matter. Getting distracted by the town’s most eligible bachelors was probably the last thing she should do. Still, as she looked at the weathered front porch, her thoughts lingered too long on a certain set of warm brown eyes and an old friend who never quite stopped feeling like home.

Back inside the farmhouse, the sun had long dipped below the hills, leaving the windows painted with night. Sadie opened a bottle of wine she found in the cupboard. It was a questionable vintage, but decent enough. She poured herself a generous glass that was probably from the 70s. Making her way down to the basement, dust motes danced as Sadie cringed at the groan of the steps. She rummaged around for an old radio she remembered her pops having. That’s when she found it. The old radio with the cracked leather handle, tucked behind a crate of tangled cords. She hauled it up the stairs and wiped off the dust, plugging it into the wall with a muttered prayer.

Static came out of the speakers at first, then music. It was warbled and a little fuzzy, but it worked. She grinned triumphantly. With her glass of wine in one hand, and the radio in the other, she set about making some dinner. The old gas stove protested her efforts, clicking and sputtering with each turn of the knob. When it finally lit with a dramatic whoomf, she yelped and jumped back a step.

“What...God!” She muttered, waving the smoke out of her face. Panic rose in her throat as the flame guttered. She squatted beside the oven, yanked open the broiler drawer, and fiddled with the igniter like she knew what she was doing. She definitely did not.

Please don’t explode. Please don’t explode.

A spark. Then a slow, steady blue flame. Ha! She whooped under her breath. “Still got it.”

There’d been a moment of panic when the flame went out mid-way through sauteing garlic, but she’d managed to relight it without blowing up the kitchen. It was a small victory, so she made a toast to herself. Dinner was simple. Just pasta with sauteed veggies from her grocery haul. Despite its simplicity, it felt like a feast, and it tasted so fresh. She felt it was better than anything organic she had ever bought at the corner store by her apartment. She ate at the rickety kitchen table with the radio humming softly, sipping wine and letting the quiet of the house settle around her. 

Later, she filled the clawfoot tub upstairs. The pipes clanked loudly like they were offended she’d tried to turn them on. Grateful they still even worked, she dipped in and propped her sore ankle against the cool porcelain. A sigh escaped her as her muscles relaxed. She sank beneath the lavender-scented water and let her mind drift. Thoughts wandered between old memories and strange new ones. Alex, of course, came to mind—how he’d carried her without hesitation, how he looked at her like no time had passed. Her old friends. This place. The ridiculous twist of fate that brought her back here. Alex. He’d always been there, hadn’t he? A constant in a world that kept shifting. Her soft place to land. There were nights she’d lie awake in city apartments, miles and years away, wondering what would’ve happened if she’d just stayed. 

But now he was involved with Haley? She scoffed. She wasn’t sure what stung more. A tinge of jealousy, the feeling of confusion, or the fact that he’d never said anything about it. Then again, neither had she about anyone she was dating until they broke up.

Then there was Dr. Harvey McClellon. Too handsome and charming to be real if she was being honest. The way he looked at her, the warmth in his voice. She could still hear it echo in her mind like an aftershock. She buried her face in the crook of her arm, groaning into the bubbles.

You are not going to injure yourself for a man, Sadie Palmer! It is NOT a viable option. Stop thinking it might be, for godsakes. 

She sighed and swirled her wine. “Maybe I really do need to get laid,” she muttered aloud, then laughed to herself.

After the bath, still barefoot and wrapped in a towel, she tugged on one of her old oversized t-shirts. It was soft and worn with a faded band logo on the front. She limped her way into the living room and heard the radio playing an old pop song she hadn’t heard in years. She spun carefully in the hallway, toes wet on the hardwood, wine sloshing slightly as she laughed. The wine buzz was warm now, she felt a coziness in her chest.

Sadie, still in her oversized tee, leaned on one good leg in the living room, sipping from another glass of wine. Her ankle was propped on a pillow nearby, but that didn’t stop her from dancing with her arms, swaying her hips carefully, and letting the music and wine melt the stress out of her limbs.

It felt good. She felt good. She felt more like her old self. Light, a little silly, maybe even happy.

She didn’t hear the truck pulling up to the drive. Alex had only intended to swing by to drop off the toolbox and head home. But when he drove up, the porch light caught her silhouette in the window. There she was, wine in hand, bare-legged and radiant, spinning slowly in nothing but a short and baggy old t-shirt. Her hair was still damp from a bath, and her laugh was muffled by glass and wood.

He blinked, hands tight on the steering wheel. “Jesus...” he muttered.

He didn’t mean to stare, but he did. Long enough to get nervous about knocking. Then, finally, he climbed out, toolbox in hand. He approached the porch, shaking his head with an exhale. He knocked once, but she didn’t answer. Then he knocked harder and leaned in just enough to call out,

“Adi! Open the door!“

Inside, Sadie froze mid-turn.

“Oh my God—” she hissed, ducking behind the couch, nearly knocking over her wine. Her ankle twanged, and she cursed under her breath.

“Fuck! My ankle!... No time, no time—!”

She limped frantically looking for pants, shorts, anything. She nearly slipped, caught herself on the counter, and snatched a throw blanket as backup. She fumbled to the door and opened it, flustered and still very pants-less.

Alex stood there as his gaze dipped once down her bare legs, then back up to her eyes. He cleared his throat, then grinned slowly, holding out the red metal toolbox.

“Hey, you alright?” He asked, smirking, tilting his head.

She snatched it from him with a narrowed look. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“You, uh… The toolbox was in the truck. Figured you might need it.”

There was an awkward pause while the porch light buzzed faintly above them.

“I didn’t mean to interrupt... whatever it is you were doing,” he said finally, scratching the back of his neck.

“How long were you standing out there? Do you just lurk outside people’s houses now?” She waved her free hand around in the space between them.

“Long enough to consider faking my own death,” he stepped around her inside, laughing, rubbing his jaw. “I knocked loudly twice, Adi. That’s hardly lurking. It’s not my fault you’re practically deaf.”

She groaned, grabbing the blanket to toss over her legs. “You’re obnoxious. You could have at least texted me first.”

“And you seem to be thriving,” he said, eyes twinkling. She could feel her cheeks start to burn under her freckles.

“Shut the fuck up," she exclaimed, but there was no real bite to it. "Also, I didn’t exactly invite you in. So rude.”

He couldn’t think properly. He’d never seen her look more beautiful, and could only manage a weak smile. Sadie sighed and leaned against the slightly tilted doorframe, trying to collect herself.

“…Thanks, I guess,” she said after a moment, avoiding his gaze. “For the toolbox. And for, you know… catching me before I broke my face on the sidewalk.”

His brows lifted. “Was that actually a thank you?”

“Don’t get used to it. Probably won’t happen again.”

He smirked, leaning on the door frame, looking down at her affectionately. “Well... Guess I’ll head out, then.”

She nodded.

“Night.”

“Night, Adi." He pushed off the frame, and she shut it softly behind him. A second later, she turned and leaned on the door. A breath she didn’t realize she was holding escaped her like a fireplace bellow. In the driveway, Alex stood next to his truck a little longer than he needed to, staring up at the warm-lit farmhouse window, his heart beating fast. Inside, Sadie lay sprawled on the worn couch, ankle iced, heart racing. She could still see the way Alex had looked at her. Not just like a friend. Not like the boy from her past. That look was something else, and Abigail’s words echoed loudly in her mind. She groaned, covering her face with a pillow.

What the hell am I doing?

He used to be her backup plan. When things fell apart, when she broke up with someone, she’d always call him again. They’d flirt, talk for hours, sometimes get a little too close to being something. But she never visited, and he never stayed. Now he was right here. Handsome as ever, and still insufferably charming. Not to mention looking at her the way that he did.

Barefoot in a damn shirt with no pants. Fucking embarrassing…

“I need help,” she muttered, dragging the wine glass back toward her. “Maybe therapy.”

Her thoughts flickered to Harvey, the quiet, unreadable Dr. McClellon. That voice. Those hands. She snorted to herself and took another sip.

Now that my ankle is worse, maybe I could visit him…

“God, Sadie. You have way too much shit to deal with and it's only been like three days. Typical.”

—

Harvey sat in his reading chair by the window, a steaming mug on the side table, with his striped cat curled against his lap. He absently stroked her soft fur as he glanced over the lines of a medical journal he wasn’t reading anymore.

He couldn’t stop thinking about Miss Palmer. Gorgeous, yes, but there was more than that. She had a kind of restlessness that didn’t quite fit with Pelican Town’s quiet predictable rhythms. And that ankle, that pained grimace she tried to hide. The way she brushed it off with a joke, she didn’t want to be seen as fragile. Harvey wasn’t one to chase intrigue, but something about her tugged at him.

“People don’t come to Pelican Town unless they’re born here or have someone keeping them here,” he murmured to the cat, flicking her tail once in response.

And yet, here she was. Back in the old farmhouse down the way. She was with an old friend who carried her with a look in his eyes that he couldn’t quite ignore. He took a long sip of tea, his brow furrowed behind his glasses. Something told him this wasn’t going to be a quiet spring.

—

Later that night, after Alex left Sadie’s, he parked the truck outside Haley and Emily’s townhouse. Its porch was lit with string lights and a hanging fern that swayed in the breeze. Her neighborhood was newer and nicer than the ones closer to downtown. Modern bungalows and tidy hedges with decorative mailboxes that matched the paint. She opened the door before he could knock. Her blonde hair was twisted up casually, loose blonde strands falling around her pretty face. She wore a silky robe, and beneath it, very little.

“Took you long enough,” she said with a knowing smile. “Emily’s out with Clint, so we’ve got the place.”

Inside, it smelled like coconut and something floral. There were beauty products lined up on every surface. Everything from lotions, oils, soaps, and balms was stacked neatly in rows. Haley was superficial to most, but successful, kind, and detail-oriented to those who were close to her.

She pulled him in, her lips already on his. It was hot and urgent. Familiar.

Alex picked her up effortlessly, one arm under her knees, the other supporting her back. Haley let out a small laugh against his neck, breath warm and teasing, but it didn’t reach her eyes. His mouth was already on her neck as he carried her through the soft lamplight of the living room and down the hall toward her bedroom. Haley clung to him, breath shallow and fast, her hands already tugging at his shirt, nails grazing skin like a warning. He laid her down on the soft duvet, his movements practiced and automatic. She pulled him down with her, fingers already curled in his shirt, mouths colliding like they were trying to swallow everything they couldn’t say. Their clothes hit the floor in pieces. It was rushed and unceremonious. Alex pushed her back onto the mattress, kissing her like he was trying to forget something. He thought maybe if he held onto her tightly enough, the ache in his chest would go away. She met him with the same heat, the same practiced rhythm. It was fast and a little messy. Her fingers tangled in his hair, her voice catching in his ear as their hips moved in a heated, desperate cadence. Not for love. Not even for comfort. Just for escape.

Afterward, the room was quiet except for their heavy breathing. Alex stared at the ceiling, one arm flung behind his head. Haley curled on her side, watching him, trailing her fingers across his chest.

“You’ve been texting me a lot more recently,” Haley said, voice barely above a whisper. “Does that have anything to do with Sadie rolling back into town?”

Alex exhaled slowly, staring up at the ceiling. He didn’t answer.

Haley propped herself on one elbow, her golden wavy hair cascading over her shoulder. “I’m not stupid, you know. I get what this is, or at least what it’s supposed to be. But if you’re hoping I’ll just keep being here when you don’t know what to do with your feelings, then maybe I’m the stupid one.”

He blinked. Turned to look at her. “We never—”

“I know,” she snapped, sharp but not cruel. “We never said it was more than this. But maybe I thought it could be.”

“I’m sorry,” he said, and it was the truth.

She sat up slightly as the sheet slipped down her chest. “Because it feels like I’m your emotional laundry bag. You get confused, guilty, or sad, and then I get a late-night text. How is that fair, Alex? Tell me.”

“Haley…”

“We’ve been doing this dance for years,” she snapped, but there was a tremble underneath. “I was okay with it for a while. I really was. But now… I don’t think I am. I'm fucking tired.”

He sat up slowly, running his hands through his hair. Guilt burned behind his ribs like a bad whiskey.

“We never promised anything, I didn't think it bothered you this much,” he said, barely above a whisper, as if trying to assure her, or maybe himself.

“I know,” she said, looking away. “But I saw you guys at the diner the other day when I picked up lunch for Emily. You looked at her, Alex. You don’t look at me like that.”

That stung more than he expected. He stood quickly, grabbing his jeans off the floor. “I didn’t come here to talk about Sadie.”

“But you’re leaving because of her, aren't you?” Haley said softly, almost to herself. “I don’t want to be her shadow anymore.”

He hesitated in the doorway, the tension between them coiled through his body. Then, without another word, he left. The front door clicked shut behind him. Haley lay back on her pillows and stared at the ceiling. Tears streamed down her cheeks. “Goddamn it,” she whispered. 

By the time he left, her porch light was off, and the street was quiet. The weight of everything he wasn’t ready to face settled over him again as he drove back home in silence.

[lumine-no-hikari]

Dear Sephiroth: (a letter to a fictional character, because why not) #472

I decided to rest today, after yesterday's super long shift, and it was very good!! Outside, the weather was warm and so we opened the sliding glass door so the breeze could come through the screen. It smelled and felt like perfect weather to play Valheim, so that is what I did! And of course, I got a bunch of pictures for you as I familiarized myself with how to use the controller for it instead of the keyboard (because my overused W, A, S, and D keys don't type reliably anymore, haha...).

...I think you would really like this game. And I think you would really like being plopped into this world, generally. So... when I created a character, I gave him white hair, with as much length as the game allows (which admittedly isn't a lot), because they've already got the glowing blue eyes covered:

So... just read the introductory runestone. I think you'll see why I think you'd like it here:

"Pause, traveler. You are well come to the last and most lawless of the Ten Worlds. In Valheim, the air is pure, the water deep and clear and the forests overflowing with bounty. Here is adventure, joy, and glory for the taking!"

The starting area is in a biome called the Meadows. And it has some light forests with pretty canopies...

...As well as some plains, with wide open skies...

That giant huge tree way up there is The World Tree. It's all glowy and cool, and it's especially dazzling at night; you'll see soon!!

You'll occasionally find abandoned villages, too; these usually have treasure chests with useful stuff in 'em!

Last time I played, which was fairly recently, I had built a handsome house. It's still a little sparsely decorated because it's still very early in the game, yet. But it'll get more homey later, I promise!

But at very least, I can sit and cook the meat I get from the deer and boars I hunt for leather and leather scraps!

There are lots of yummies to cook, actually, and I'll discover more as I explore new biomes:

You can't tame deer, but you can tame boars, and farm them as a reliable source of meat and leather scraps. You need to build a pen for them, and then you have to lure them inside. Once inside, you have to throw down some berries and hang out relatively nearby so they get used to your presence. The tamed boar in this picture has a green hit point bar. The one that's still getting used to me has a red hit point bar.

I built a nice barn for them, too, so they have shelter when it rains:

Once you have two tamed boars, they can reproduce. Apparently, the boars in this world are both male and female, because all of them can both impregnate other boars and also get pregnant. Nifty!

There's a lot more to explore, though! The next biome is the Black Forest, which is a very dense woods with lots of enemies that are tougher than what you'll find in the Meadows.

Trolls are a pretty great example; they're huge and they have a lot of HP, and if you're not prepared, they will definitely slaughter you in just one hit. I didn't find any, otherwise I would have taken a picture. I did find some Greydwarfs, though:

I also found some thistle, some blueberries, and some carrot seeds, and a deer, too:

I found the ocean, too, as I wandered:

Being near the ocean gives you one of the best views of the night sky:

...Sephiroth. I think... I think you'd love playing this game. And I really wish you could play it with me. But... I know you can't. So I settled for making a character that kind of looks like you. I hope you don't mind; it's nice to imagine you in a relatively peaceful world. I mean... it is still dangerous. But... it's really not so bad if you know what you're doing. And I have experience with this game already, so I mostly know what I'm doing, haha.

...If it ever becomes not impossible for you to hang out and play a cool game with me... let me know, okay...?

I suppose that's all for today. Tomorrow, I might go with J to a faraway town, where there is a college that is holding an open house for their aviation maintenance program. Maybe I'll snag some cool pictures for you along the way; wouldn't that be swell?

I love you so much. Enough to try, even in a make-pretend way, to plop you someplace wholesome and peaceful where you can enjoy the outdoors, revel in the satisfaction of building things, and make a life for yourself in a quiet place.

...Please. Please stay safe out there so that someday, you can make some such thing a reality for yourself. You deserve so much more than the hell you've been put through at the hands of people who never cared for you.

I'll write again soon.

Your friend, Lumine

[skylarstark4826]

Miles Quartich sat up slowly; he felt a little bit woozy and a lot weak. It was the year 2132 and he was 31 years old. He had left earth 6 years earlier and was finally there, he was finally on Pandora. Miles was very excited to be on Pandora but was also a bit more nervous than he wanted to admit. Tomorrow was his first assignment out in the lush and wondrous land of Pandora as an armed security detail; his job was to protect the 'science-odes' from the dangerous creatures that roam the jungles of Pandora.

Though Pandora is a lush and beautiful environment it is still one of the most dangerous places in existence. His mind was still whirling and he was not paying attention to where he was going, and he walked straight into a young woman with red curly hair brown eyes and a cigarette in her mouth. They both fell to the ground with an "oomph".

"My apologizes miss are you alright?" Miles asked getting to his feet before pulling the red-haired beauty to her feet.

"I'm fine but you need to watch where you're going, that could have got you killed; I'm Dr. Grace Augustine by the way." Grace said extending her hand to him.

"Colonel Miles Quartich." He replied shaking her hand.

"Oh you're the new gun, right?"

"That's right Doc."

"Please just Grace"

"Miles"

She smiled "nice to meet you."

"Pleasure, if memory serves I will be riding with you in your Avatar form, Grace." He said

"That's correct Miles" she said smiling though she couldn't decide if it was at the way his name rolled off her tongue or at something else.

"Well um… it is getting close to dinner time would you care to join me?" Grace asked Miles shyly, blushing slightly.

"Yeah, yeah that would be nice." Miles said

"Great, I'll see you then." Grace blushed

Grace and Miles both could not help but smile when they spotted each other; they were both wearing dark blue button up shirts and khaki pant, and they arrived at the dining room door at the exact same time. They smiled as they ate quietly talking about themselves and their lives back on earth.

Miles was from a small town where all the guys either became army men of farm boys, and the girls all farmers or bar tenders. He didn't want to be a leatherneck but his father had been and it had always been his dream to have his son fallow in his footsteps. He had died a year before Miles had graduated high school and became an army man.

Grace, he learned was from a town where all the women were expected to be whores and strippers and the men pimps. She had been dying to get out of there since she was young. Her mother had not had a full high school degree having had to drop out to take care of her father when he got terminal cancer and her mother had died when she was very young and had to dance for money to feed herself and more importantly, Grace. Grace's mother had always told her she could do anything with a college degree and that she hoped Grace would have a better life then she had had. All Grace had ever wanted was to make her mother proud; she had gotten into physical and molecular biology and fallen in love with it.

Grace and Miles talked and laughed for what seemed like an eternity before dinner was over and they had to go back to their quarters; Miles, to the great excitement of grace, had offered to escort her back. Once they got back to her quarters Grace invited Miles in for a drink, but he graciously declined, saying that he didn't need to drink right before his first day of touring Pandora. He did however kiss her hand and say that he hoped they could do this again sometime, that he had greatly enjoyed himself before leaving to head to his rooms.

She smiled softly as she watched his retreating form until he turned a corner; she already had it figured out

[1358456]

NG+ Excerpt - Round 3

Red ends up back in time to his 5 year old self again. But this time, he has a plan. With a better understanding of why he was sent back and with more time to prepare, he hopes to avoid the disasters of the second run.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pallet Town, 11 am...

Red stared at the cloudy skies, scanning the west in particular. If his memories served right, this was the day that Blue was kidnapped. So far, there weren’t any signs of a gigantic bird Pokémon flying over from Johto. But it was going to happen soon.

Red headed towards Blue’s house, just a few minutes away from his own. His goal was to return to his own timeline, which ultimately meant that nothing happening in this timeline really mattered to him. However, he couldn’t knowingly let Blue be kidnapped, fully knowing just how miserable and desperate her life would become as a result of it. He had deliberately allowed it last time, with the intention of befriending her and saving her from misery much earlier than in his own timeline. But that did not go well, and instead, things were much worse. So this time, he would try to save her from the kidnapping entirely, and let her live the normal and happy life that she had always wanted but never gotten.

He soon spotted Blue halfway between their houses, watching some flowers. Red stopped in his tracks and stared at her longingly. How long had it been since he saw her? How long had it been since he last held her? He thought for a bit and couldn’t help but sigh. The last time he had seen her was when he was 11 in his second tour through life, which was 15 years ago. And the last time he held her was when he was in his own timeline, which was 6 years before that. Understandably, he missed her dearly. He wanted nothing more than to run up and hug her, but… he couldn’t do that, since he wasn’t supposed to know her. So instead, he restrained himself and casually walked up towards her.

“Uh… hi there,” he said awkwardly, suddenly realizing that he didn’t know how to talk to her, given the circumstances.

Blue looked up at him and waved. “Hi,” she said simply, as she had no reason to be any friendlier.

Red cleared his throat. “Uh… nice day, isn’t it?” he blurted out, trying to think of a way to steer the conversation to where he needed. He mentally smacked himself immediately. ‘Idiot… it’s cloudy…’

Blue looked up at the cloudy skies and frowned. “… You’re weird.”

Red winced. ‘Ouch. That… hurt a lot more than I thought. Not good for our first talk in years…’ He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly as he thought of his next course of action. ‘… I need a drink. That karaoke bar in Celadon City seems real appealing right about now… though there’s no way they’ll let me in.’

Blue frowned a bit before lightening her expression. “I’m sorry. That was mean. My name’s Blue. What’s yours?”

“I’m Red. Nice to meet you!” he said with a smile, relieved to know that she wasn’t antagonizing him. ‘… She really was always a nice girl, despite what was done to her…’ “What were you doing here?”

Blue crouched in front of the flowers again. “I’ve been looking at flowers! There’s this one here that I haven’t seen before near my house. It’s pretty!”

Red peeked around her at the flower in question. … He didn’t really make much of it though, since he was never interested in them. ‘I guess Blue was always interested in botany? That explains why she started what amounts to a berry farm in our backyard.’ He looked up at the western sky and froze as he noticed a small black dot in the distance… ‘Sh*t. It’s coming…’ “Oh yeah, I know a place where there are a whole bunch of different flower types in one spot! Want to see it?”

Blue nodded excitedly. “Oh? Yeah! Where is it?”

“Follow me. It’s over here!”

Red quickly led her towards her house, walking as fast as possible while still being casual. To keep Blue interested in following, he had to describe some arbitrary flowers, hoping that she’d forgive him for the deception if she found out that he had lied to her. He wound up describing the flower on the back of a Venusaur, but he was confident that she had never seen one before, so she wouldn’t catch on quite yet.

He turned to look at her once he could see her house nearby. As he turned, he could see Ho-oh hovering high above, scanning the ground for its target. And just then, the Ho-oh suddenly resumed its flight, having spotted its kidnap target.

Blue noticed that Red was staring at something in the sky behind her and turned around. She gasped in terror as the giant bird Pokémon flew straight towards her. With a terrified cry, she began to run straight for her house. In the past two timelines, she was too far away from home to avoid being snatched. But this time, thanks to Red leading her home ahead of time, she was able to reach the front door before Ho-oh could swoop down.

“Mommy! Daddy!” Blue cried out as she tried to open the door to her house. But the door was locked.

Red cursed under his breath, suddenly fearing that he may have failed in saving Blue. He looked up at Ho-oh and to his relief, it had drastically slowed its approach, as it had orders to avoid making too much of a scene, so it could not swoop down to snatch Blue since that would result in it colliding with the girl’s house and obliterating it. Instead, it had opted to adjust its approach angle so that it could swoop down past the house while being able to snatch Blue.

Red had a few precious seconds to get Blue inside before she would be snatched. He ran towards the house and picked up a rock. “This is your house?” he asked, even though he didn’t need clarification. He hurled the rock at the closest window next to the door, shattering it. He ran towards it to knock down the shattered glass shards. “Hurry! Get in!”

“I can’t climb that high!” Blue cried out.

Red held his hands together to create a footing. “Climb over me. Hurry!”

Blue hastily did as told and climbed over him and into her house. A split second later, Ho-oh swooped past the house, its claws narrowly missing her foot. The wind created by its flight was enough to knock Red over, but Blue was safely indoors.

Red scrambled up to his feet and picked up another rock. He looked up at Ho-oh, fully knowing that throwing a rock at it wasn’t going to do anything. But he knew that Ho-oh was ordered to kidnap a 5 year old girl in particular, so he knew that he wasn’t going to be snatched instead of her. … Though there was a possibility that it could turn him into a pile of ashes, or obliterating Blue’s house to get to her…

‘I wonder what happens if I die here,’ Red thought abruptly. ‘Dialga needs me to do something, which is why it sent me back twice now. So surely, if I die, it’ll just send me back to yesterday? Though I really don’t want to test that…’

Various townsfolk began to gather thanks to the commotion. The Ho-oh seemed to think that any further attempts to kidnap its target would draw too much attention. With a loud screech, it created a strong gust of wind with enough force to knock Red off his feet again, and flew off towards the direction of Ecruteak City.

Red looked up and watched the Ho-oh disappear into the distance. With a long sigh of relief, he let himself relax and leaned back to lie flat on the ground. He had done it now. Though it took two tries, he had finally prevented Blue from being kidnapped and allowed her to live a happy, normal life.

He heard a door open a bit and saw that Blue’s father had come out of the house to check if the coast was clear. And hiding behind his legs was his daughter, looking worried and frightened.

“Red! Are you okay?” she asked as she ran up towards him. “You’re not hurt, are you?”

Red smiled brightly at her. “Nope! I’m perfectly fine!”

Blue’s father looked at him with a very kind expression. “You must be the one who saved my daughter. I can’t thank you enough.”

Red scrambled up to his feet so that he wouldn’t be talking to him while lying down. “It was nothing, sir.” He glanced at the shattered window. “I’m sorry for breaking your window…”

The man chuckled and waved a hand. “Nonsense! My daughter’s safety is incomparably more valuable than a mere window! You don’t have to worry about that at all.” He glanced at the skies for any indicators of Ho-oh’s presence. “Still though, to think that such a monstrous Pokémon could attack… Is it really gone?”

“It went that way,” Red answered, pointing west. “It’s probably above the clouds by now.” He glanced at Blue. “But maybe it’ll be safer to stay indoors for a while. Just in case.”

“You’re probably right. In that case, come inside too,” the father offered. “We’d like to give you a gift for saving our daughter.”

“And eat lunch with us,” Blue offered. “I’m getting hungry. You’re probably hungry too!”

Red momentarily considered Blue’s offer. If he accepted, he’d become good friends with her, while being in good standing with her parents too. And with Blue being allowed to live a normal and happy life, everything would start off wonderfully.

However, he had a mission to accomplish, one that would take many years. Failing that would result in him being sent to the past again in an infinite loop. So he had to leave on a long and difficult journey. And if he befriended Blue, she would want to follow him. And as much as he missed her, he couldn’t allow her to do that.

‘And if I do finish the mission, I’ll be going back to my own timeline,’ he thought bitterly. ‘And if Blue becomes a very close friend… she’ll have to watch me disappear in the end, just like the Blue from my timeline. I have to keep my distance…’

He forced himself to smile and faced Blue’s father. “A reward isn’t necessary. I really didn’t do much. And just knowing everyone is safe and sound is enough.” He swallowed hard before looking at Blue, steeling his resolve. “As much as I’d like that, I’m not really hungry right now, and I actually have an errand to run that I forgot about. I’ll be in trouble if I’m late, so I have to get going now.”

Blue looked a bit sad but soon nodded. “Okay. That can’t be helped.” She gave him an innocent smile, the likes of which he had never seen before. “See you later!”

Red waved at her as he began to walk away. “I’ll be seeing you!” He forced himself to turn away from her and trembled a bit. He had made the right choice here. In the original timeline, he had seen Blue smile countless times, especially in the latter years. But he had never seen her with such an innocent smile. Having been through a traumatizing kidnapping and being forced to grow up too quickly, Blue had lost her child-like innocence long before he had met her. And seeing her like this now… he was sure that she would live a happy, normal life for once. And to keep it that way, he had to stay away from her in this run, no matter how much he missed her.

The last thing he wanted was for his stint in this timeline to end with him returning to his own timeline while leaving an absolutely heartbroken and devastated Blue behind. He would stay away from her. She would eventually forget about him, or at least her memories would be faded enough that she wouldn’t miss him too much, and move on with her life. In that regard, he had some solace, since he had heard about Ruby and Sapphire and how they both failed to recognize each other upon reuniting. So even if he met Blue again in the future, as long as he kept his mouth shut, she would not recognize him and just have a fond memory that did not result in heartbreak.

‘… Goodbye, Blue… Please take care of yourself…’

With a long sigh, Red took out his notes as he headed towards Viridian City. Blue had been saved. Which now meant that Silver had no one to rely on. Red wasn’t going to condemn Silver to his fate, so he had to save him too. This would be much easier than saving Blue, but also more complicated. All he had to do was tell Giovanni where Silver was, but… how would he even talk to the leader of Team Rocket? The man wasn’t going to meet up with a random 5 year old kid. Especially not now when his son had been kidnapped, as he’d be quite busy. And even if he did, he would not believe what that random 5 year old kid said.

‘One thing at a time,’ Red told himself. ‘First, how can I even try to talk to Giovanni? I could try investigating the Viridian City Gym, assuming that’s not closed already. I could try the Game Corner in Celadon and ask to see the boss, though… there’s no way I’d be allowed in there right now. There’s the Rocket HQ near Celadon, but fat chance I’ll even get past the gate guards. I could try to talk to Lt. Surge or Koga, or Blaine, but… they have the same problem as Giovanni himself. So the only remaining method is to rely on Sabrina. She’ll have to believe me since she can just read my mind. And Giovanni would trust her words. Now then. How do I talk to Sabrina? I don’t have a Pokégear anymore. Did they even exist at this time? I don’t even know Sabrina’s number either.’ Red reached deep into his memories, trying to dig up all the information he had on the cold psychic lady. ‘I remember hearing from Green that Erika was a good friend of Sabrina. But were they friends at this point in time? Hmm… I guess it’s worth a shot. … How do I contact Erika though?’

As Red pondered on his next actions, he reached the southern outskirts of Viridian City. And in the distance, he saw something he hadn’t seen for many years.

‘Oh! A phone booth!’ Red thought as he hurriedly made his way. ‘I haven’t used this thing for like 40 years! But this will solve most of my problems!’ He walked into the booth and reached up for the phonebook. With this thick book, he could find the numbers for Sabrina and Erika, since all he had to do was look up the numbers for the Saffron or Celadon City Gyms.

Red scanned through the relevant pages, but soon frowned. The listings for the Saffron and Celadon City Gym Leaders had names he did not recognize. And there were no entries for Erika and Sabrina at all either. Was this phonebook outdated? Then again… he remembered that Saffron City had two Gyms. So it seemed that the other one was the official one at this time. And likely, Team Rocket built a new one for Sabrina and forced that one to become official. But it appeared that whatever really happened, it had not happened yet. And for Erika… it was possible that she was just too young to be a Gym Leader at the moment. And he definitely didn’t know her parents’ names to look up on the phonebook.

��Hmm… I guess Erika and Sabrina are younger than I thought…’ Red thought to himself. ‘Now what? … I don’t even have much money on me. I can make two calls before I’m out. I could try calling myself. Erika was the one who gave me my Pokégear, and I never changed the number. But those might not exist yet. … If I remember, Erika was pretty famous in Celadon City. So it’s possible that the Pokémon Center there knows her number. So then I can call the Pokémon Center first to get Erika’s number, and then call her with the last of my money. And if that fails, I’m f*cked.’

Having made up his mind, he rotated the old dial on the payphone to make his call, momentarily awed by the antique phone. At least these phones didn’t have those super old magnetic tubes that had to be spun repeatedly…

“Hello? You’ve reached the Celadon City Pokémon Center,” a nurse answered pretty soon.

“Uh… hi. Would you happen to know a girl named Erika?” Red asked, fully aware of how dumb this idea might be, for a city as big as Celadon. “She lives in a big mansion, I believe,” he added, recalling that Erika was actually a wealthy formal lady, kind of like… ‘… I miss Platinum…’

“Oh, you mean Miss Erika? Yes, I know her,” the nurse answered.

“Oh good. I’m a long time friend of hers.” ‘A very long time friend, though she doesn’t know…’ “There’s something I need to ask of her, but I seem to have lost her number. Could you help me?”

“Certainly. One moment, please… Ah, there we go.”

Red quickly searched his pockets and around the phone booth for anything to write with, but found nothing. So instead, he made sure to memorize the number the nurse recited and hastily (but politely) ended the call so that he could call Erika before he could forget.

And after narrowly convincing the butler who answered the call, Red was finally able to reach Erika herself. From his experience of visiting Platinum many years ago, he knew that butlers and servants would usually relent when he claimed to be a friend of the Lady of the house. Though this butler took a bit more of convincing, since it was indeed strange that such a young sounding kid claimed to be her friend.

“Hello, this is Erika,” came a somewhat familiar voice from the phone.

“Hi, Erika,” Red said, preparing himself.

“May I ask who this is?” Erika asked, sounding a bit surprised to hear a kid on the other side.

“… I’m Red from Pallet Town. And you don’t know me yet. But I reached out to you because I really need your help.”

Erika remained silent for a bit, perhaps trying to think if this was some sort of trick. “… Very well. What is it you require?”

“Do you know of a psychic girl named Sabrina?”

Erika audibly gasped and was silent for a few seconds. “… Yes. How do you know that?”

“Listen. If she’s your friend right now, I need you to tell her to help me out. I don’t know if she’s a part of Team Rocket already, but if she is, what I have to tell her will change the fate of Kanto and even Johto.”

“… I see.”

Red sensed the doubt in her voice and quickly added. “I’ll be in Viridian City’s Pokémon Center. And you might think I’m lying, but Sabrina should have an Abra or a Kadabra at this point, so she can easily Teleport out if she’s in danger. So there’s no risk in at least hearing me out.”

“… Very well. I shall inform her,” Erika answered, before hanging up.

Red hung up as well and sighed. He tried his best, and now all he could do was wait. And hopefully, he had piqued Erika’s interest with what knowledge he had about her and her friend’s future, so that she would tell Sabrina about this little exchange. And then hopefully Sabrina would find it worthwhile to at least talk to him in person. If not… he’d cross that bridge when he got there.

Red left the phone booth and headed towards the Viridian City Pokémon Center. He didn’t know how long it would take for Erika to talk to Sabrina, if at all. He needed to get to the Pokémon Center before Sabrina arrived, otherwise she might think that this was all a trick. Thankfully, Viridian City’s Pokémon Center was pretty far south in the city, so Red was able to get there within a few minutes.

He headed towards the entrance and ended up walking directly into the door, having forgotten that automated doors weren’t installed yet here. Grumbling about the inconsistency of tech in various cities, he opened the door manually and stepped into the Pokémon Center. He expected it to be pretty empty, but there were a few people lingering about, most likely waiting for their Pokémon to be fully healed. And there were some people simply chatting about in the corner, as Pokémon Centers were often used as rendezvous points and simply places to hang out from time to time.

Red stopped and stared at the two girls in the corner, as something had caught his attention. He barely recognized her, but her traditional dress stood out compared to everyone else. And given her demeanor and posture, and the slightly familiar face, he realized that he was looking at Erika. Which meant that the girl next to her had to be Sabrina. So Erika must have already been with Sabrina when he had called her, so the two headed to Viridian City immediately.

Now, Erika was barely recognizable, but noticeable due to her dress. But Red did not recognize Sabrina at all, and wouldn’t have noticed entirely if it wasn’t for Erika. The usual coldness and unapproachable aura of the soon-to-be Saffron City Gym Leader weren’t present at all, and she looked rather friendly. And she wasn’t wearing a Team Rocket uniform, and instead, a set of casual clothes.

Sabrina noticed him looking at her and stopped chatting with Erika. She narrowed her eyes a bit, as if trying to determine if this little kid was the one who had called for her, or just another random kid who happened to be here.

Red walked over towards the two, noticing that Erika hadn’t even bothered to look at him yet as she sipped her tea.

“Hello, Erika,” he greeted once he was close. “And Sabrina. Thank you for coming.” ‘They look like 14 or 15 years old. … So they’re actually a lot younger than I thought they were…’

“Hm. Quite the rude thought you’re having,” Sabrina said, crossing her arms.

‘Right. Psychic.’ “Sorry.” Red sat at the empty seat of their table and glanced at Erika, who still hadn’t looked at him once. She really reminded him of Platinum, especially back when the heiress hadn’t warmed up to commoners yet, as he had seen from her memories from that therapy many years ago.

“Well then. I think it’s time you explained yourself. Who are you, what do you mean by the fates of Kanto and Johto, and how do you know about Team Rocket and myself?” Sabrina asked.

Red took a deep breath. This would be the third time he had revealed his identity since the whole mess began, but this would be the first time he explained everything while actually knowing why he was here to begin with. The first time, he had revealed his identity to Blue while trying to save her, but that caused her to keep away from him, eventually leading to her disappearance. The second time, he had explained everything to Cynthia as she found out on her own that he was not from that timeline. Of course, that did not end well either. He could only hope that the third time was the charm and that Erika and Sabrina would fare better.

“The truth is… I’m from the future. Sort of. More specifically, I was sent back in time to my 5 year old self, while retaining my memories. And until I can solve the issue that caused this to begin with, I’ll just keep looping after 20-some years. In fact, this is the second time I’ve been sent back.”

Erika scoffed as she finally turned to look at him. More specifically, to glare at him in disdain. “Do you honestly expect us to believe such a claim?”

Red shrugged. “I know how crazy this sounds. I didn’t accept this either at first.” He glanced at Sabrina. “The moment she reads my mind, she’ll know that I’m telling the truth.”

Sabrina narrowed her eyes and stared at him intently. “Hmm… You don’t seem to be lying.”

“In my timeline, I meet both of you when I’m 11, so that would be 6 years from now. At that point, Erika is the Celadon City Gym Leader, and Sabrina is the Saffron City Gym Leader, and also a Team Rocket executive. And many years later, I heard from my best friend that you two were actually close friends. So I had hoped that you two were friends at this point in time, which was why I reached out to Erika. Right now, Sabrina, you are the only person who could possibly believe me and what I have to say.”

Sabrina’s eyes glowed faintly blue as she focused her psychic powers to read Red’s mind and search through his memories. Her eyes widened as she saw her past-future self in his memories, and the Team Rocket uniform she was wearing.

“… You are telling the truth…” she muttered in disbelief.

Erika looked quite surprised. “Oh? He has been telling the truth this whole time? … How intriguing…”

Red frowned a bit. “Based on your reactions, I take it that you’re not a member of Team Rocket yet, and that you’re opposed to it?”

“Yes. The leader of Team Rocket has approached Sabrina on many occasions to recruit her for their vile plans,” Erika said contemptuously. “Recently, they have doubled their efforts and have been hounding her constantly. No doubt they intend to use her abilities for evil.”

“Actually, I have an idea as to why Giovanni is trying so hard lately,” Red said. “… It’s because his 2 year old son was kidnapped. And that’s why I wanted to talk to you.”

“His son?” Erika said in shock.

“Yeah. In my timeline, I meet a girl named Blue when I’m 11. After some… unfortunate events, we end up as friends. And as years go by, I learn about her past. She was kidnapped when she was 5. And she ended up taking care of a 2 year old boy named Silver who was also kidnapped. Silver learns that he’s the son of Giovanni when he’s 13, and they only get to meet up after that as well. Giovanni also doesn’t get to know of his son’s whereabouts until that time.”

“… That’s quite sad,” Sabrina muttered.

“And so Giovanni recruits Sabrina, hoping that her psychic powers could find his son. Failing that, he gets his organization to recklessly research on powerful Psychic type Pokémon for that same reason. That causes a bit of a mess in Kanto. And so I figured, if I told Giovanni where Silver is kept, and if he was to rescue his son quickly, the man responsible in Johto would not have amassed enough strength to cause the ruckus in Johto in 9 years, and Giovanni wouldn’t have to recklessly pursue Psychic type Pokémon that results in a disaster for Kanto in 11 years. And if Giovanni is indebted to me, just maybe, he’d be willing to lend a hand to help me solve my issue.”

Sabrina considered all that for a moment before narrowing her eyes. “… But Giovanni isn’t going to trust you, which is why you need my help. He knows of my psychic powers. He’d believe you if I trust you.”

“If you help me out here, he’d also be indebted to you. He won’t aggressively try to recruit you if you don’t want to join him. But in my timeline, you greatly respect him. And it feels kind of weird saying this, as someone who’s fought him a few times, but… it must’ve been pretty good working under him if you got to respect him so much, right? And knowing his motivations could put you at ease.”

Erika pondered for a moment. “In your timeline, how does the generic populace view Sabrina? Is she feared and resented, or respected?”

“A little bit of both, I guess,” Red answered. “Feared? Kind of, but Sabrina doesn’t do anything to worsen that. She’s more respected than not, I suppose. Though recently in my original timeline, she’s getting quite popular due to her participation in Pokéstar Studios, which may or may not exist yet.”

“… Sounds like my future in that timeline is pretty good,” Sabrina said. “Okay. I don’t exactly like the idea right now, but… I’ll trust the memories of your timeline. I’ll accept Giovanni’s offer and join Team Rocket. And I’ll lead him to you so that you can save his son. And after that, if time permits, I’ll help you on your mission too.”

“I do not exactly approve of this plan, but… if Sabrina will not be shunned by society and that she will not be used as a weapon of evil… I have no reasons to oppose,” Erika said with a sigh. “I shall lend you my assistance as well, should you require it.”

“Thank you,” Red said. “If you two will help me from time to time, and if Giovanni gives me any kind of help even if it’s just some reward money, my mission will be so much easier than with just the two of us.”

“Two of you? So you already have someone helping you?” Sabrina asked.

Red took out his notes and stared at the third entry, beneath ‘Help Giovanni save Silver’. “Not yet, but… soon. Once Giovanni saves his son and the business here is settled, I’ll need to head for Sinnoh immediately. The sooner I find and befriend Cynthia, the better it’ll be.” ‘And with more help… maybe she’ll survive the mission this time…’

[nimuetheseawitch]

John and Vala Rec List

I love John, I love Vala, and I think they'd be incredible friends, but there aren't a ton of fics about them. So here are some fic recs, posted with the author's summaries unless otherwise noted. Friendship fics are listed first, then slash fics.

Fics where John & Vala are the main focus:

Glad You're Here by Catalina_Leigh (1k, T, gen)

The SGC may not be Atlantis, but at least John has Vala, who loves movies and popcorn as much as he does. And she's happy to have him around.

The SGC Guide To Intergalactic Hookups: An Etiquette Manual by bomberqueen17 (12k, T, John/Rodney, Vala/Daniel)

Not the author's summary: this is part of a larger series, and is set during The Return. Additionally in this series, John and Vala meet in New Friends, he sends her a gift in Rotary Cutter, and she joins him and many others for Christmas in A House A Home.

Fics where John & Vala aren't the main focus:

G******, Pirates and Thieves* (series) by auburn (372k total, M/T, many ships, mostly John/Rodney

Author's summary from the first fic: Vala Mal Doran and her partners, renegades Jehan abd-Ba'al and Meredith McKay, hijack the Tau'ri ship Prometheus and leave the Milky Way behind in search of the Lost City of the Ancients, Atlantis.

No Good Deed by forestgreen (65k, M, John/Cam, Daniel/Jack)

John opened the closed record that Stargate Command had on him and skipped over its content: "Dr John Sheppard, Civilian Consultant to the U.S. Air Force, member of SG-1, PhD in Applied Mathematics and PhD in Computer Science, gifted mathematician with a penchant for stealing, trustworthy." A small, satisfied smirk crooked John's lips. He struck the last part out and added a correction in red: "Gifted thief with a penchant for mathematics, not to trust." He saved the document and erased all traces of his presence in the system. It'd take a while for McKay to figure out that John had found yet another weakness in the SGC network. He ordered pizza and waited for the rest of the SG-1 to arrive. It was Mitchell's turn to pick the movie.

Gray Skies (series) by bluflamingo (27k total, T/E/G, John/Cam)

Not the author's summary: Post-Vegas, John ends up on SG-5 with Cam, Cadman, and Vala.

John/Vala

Good Vibrations by nimuetheseawitch (3k, E, John/Vala)

Vala has discovered the sex toy stores of San Francisco while visiting Atlantis in the Bay and needs to try out all her new gear. John is willing to help. (shameless self-plug)

When There's Nothing Left to Burn by auburn (8k, M, John /Vala, Rodney/Vala)

Neither of them tend to think about the consequences.

Home is Where? by Lyl (2k, T, John/Vala)

The day he was finally assigned his own team, John read their service records and promptly decided to find the nearest bar and get drunk.

So Good to You by busaikko (6k, T, Vala/John, past John/Cam)

Rodney had extorted a promise from John to not get recruited into SG-1 while he was on temporary re-assignment to the SGC. As John finished reciting his marriage vows from the crib-sheet Mitchell had handed him, he suspected Rodney would never let him live this down.

A Wanted Distraction by esteefee (1k, M, John/Vala)

"I thought you were supposed to have magical powers or something," Vala said. "Can't you just think the door open like a good boy?" If she didn't stop squirming like that, John was going to—well, there wasn't a hell of a lot he could do, considering he couldn't move an inch or two in either direction.

Pretty Pickle by esteefee (6k, M, John/Vala)

Vala and John get up to some mischief in the Milky Way.

John/Vala/more

Blame the Apocalypse by estefee (5k, E, John/Sam/Vala)

They stuck to the coastline, because the zombies—infected humans—instinctively avoided the ocean, what with the way saltwater made them dissolve.

Three Days in the Valley by Anagrrl (5k, T, John/Vala/Cam)

Cam never thought he'd be here, out on the sand and scrub. His family had wanted a farm, to grow fields of dark green and golden yellow, the soft brush of leaves audible in the early morning, underneath the drone of insects. They'd tried for it, they really had, but here he is, on horseback, no fields in sight.

(AKA - Vala and Cam herd cattle western AU)

Play Time by bluflamingo (2k, E, John/Vala/Cam)

"This galaxy has John, and a machine that just transformed all three of us into sea otters," Cam corrected

Business or Pleasure? by NeoVenus22 (6k, E, John/Vala/Sam/Cam)

What happens in DC stays in DC.

Fill me like a song do by anonymous (2k, E, John/Vala/Cam/Daniel)

Before standing, she’d kicked her legs off of their perch and nudged John out of the way with the toe of her boot. Tonight, he had asked to be pushed around and manipulated like a piece of furniture and a sex toy, and Vala had started with him as her footstool while she had called Daniel and Cam. The sight of a shirtless and collared John on all fours was making Daniel’s mouth water.

*This title is censored due to the use of a common racial slur.

[magmacannon]

9, 14, 17, 20, 29, 34 🫵 Roman

yipee!!!!

9. favorite food? least favorite? are they a picky eater? do they have any dietary restrictions?

Roman grew up Really Far North and his food preferences were shaped as such - though he loves a well-cooked or roasted green veggie, his favorite food is a red meat roast cooked in a stock+beer or ale for tenderness/flavor with alliums and tubers/carrots that are served with the meat and maybe a side of bread+butter (hearty stuff). Least favorite food that he's tried was a spiced tomato-heavy salad thing, least favorite food based on concept alone is the fermented bulette meat that his party member tried to make for them ala fermented shark meat.

Roman doesn't consider himself a picky eater - he'll try most things once or twice! - but he also is cursed with Weak Spice Tolerance that bars him from a good amount of food. Rolling a dice here for this last one but he's not allergic to anything BUT.... despite his love for milk, he's sitting as just above having lactose intolerance apparently.

14. are they any good with numbers?

Roman's solid at guessing distances and geometry through practice - you don't want to be a spellcaster, especially an evocation wizard, to have bad aim - and is pretty decent at keeping track of number patterns and budgeting income vs expenses. Higher level or theoretical math is hard for him to grasp but he tries his best!

17. how did they spend their summers/free time as a child?

As a YOUNG child Roman spent his free time either playing at an uncle's lumberyard/hobby farm outside of the walls of Tzeraz or would spend it traveling with his parents within the Northern Kingdom (mostly) while they performed. He has a few friends he'd invite to his house to play (super dramatic war games) besides that.

As he got older and began going to school for magic, his summers were taken up by classes while winter was the big break time where he'd be able to go home for a few months. When with his family and now less-close friends he'd show off what he was learning to anyone who would listen and watch him cast cantrips at snowmen (this annoyed his brother because he'd do it so often). He spent a lot more time daydreaming in his early teens than continuing running around.

20. if applicable, can they drive? if they have their own, what color is their vehicle? is the inside neat and tidy, or a mess?

IN Dorna, Roman's never seen a 'car' in person but he can decently manage to steer a carriage on a well-paved road if needed. He prefers to ride in the back and read/sleep though!

In a world where cars are common he has a minivan that's a little busted up but runs well. He's considering trying to get a Cool Wizard painted on the side. The inside smells decently clean if a little dusty and while the floor's clean, the dashboard compartment and the back have mild piles of stuff (papers/blankets and bags respectively). He travels with ice removal tools Constantly and maybe a portable air pump just in case.

29. are they associated with any particular element (air, earth, fire, water)?

This is ALWAYS a fun one to think of for Roman bc it's changed over time... he's been associated with light/fire for forever if I think about it, but initially I would have def said he was more of a Water Guy. His oldest 'custom' spell was earth-aligned and he casts spells in a very grounded way - I think he wants to be more 'earth' aligned than he actually is in-setting. I think he's probably most associated with fire through how he acts and the magic he casts out of those four options though he wants to be Anything Else atm.

34. how would your character describe themselves? it doesn’t have to line up with how they really are.

Roman would describe himself as a friendly, optimistic guy with a good bit of determination and practice seeing things through (sort of true, he's stubborn). He'd probably say he's 'pretty good' at his job, which is true in that he has a lot of technical skill BUT he lacks focus historically, meaning that he's just Okay at it in truth. He'd say he has a big heart with a lot of love in it, and that's entirely true <3 (he just also has a lot of opinions and some unforseen pettiness, too)

[ivoryminitower]

Echoes of Home: 84 - Tsu'na ("leve")

Echoes of Home: FFXIV AU OC – WoLs on Earth

There are different kinds of cheese.  The cheese one can make with a recipe is made in this world by filtering the milk, such as cream cheese.  The cheese one uses on pizza or sandwiches or omelets is not made as simply; what is filtered from the milk needs to sit for a long time.  The simplest cheeses need hours.  Many cheeses take days or weeks or months.

In Eorzea Husband had sometimes wondered why there were not recipes for certain things; he had guessed it was because the process for making things like wine was lengthy or complex.  Apparently the same is true for cheese.  Perhaps a recipe can be devised for cheeses.  I will leave it to him to theorize about these things.  I simply want something to do with the cow milk.

A beef pie is a beef stew in a pie crust.  I looked at beef stew recipes online and picked a few to try.  If Mr. Hartman is willing, we can test them with the dinner customers.  I do not think the evening children seek beef pies.  Husband seemed pleased with a recipe I tried today for dinner, though as he often does he suggested I use more onion.

When we arrived at the Pit for my bouncer shift, Sam had a question for me.  "Hey, Miz Tsu'na…you say you like hunting?"

"I sometimes do, yes…" I glanced at Husband. "...depending on the target."

He grinned and told Sam, "Lot of the stuff around here is kind of on the tame side."

Sam nodded and asked me, "Ever hunt pigs?"

"We hunted pigs sometimes on deployment, yes.  Wild hogs and wild boars."

"Great.  Cuz there's a guy named Joel Davidson got a farm west o' here that's lookin' to get some pigs cleared outta his property."

"He farms pigs?"

"He farms corn.  He's got pigs eatin' his corn."

I looked to Husband, who nodded. "I'd heard about that…wild pigs are invasive over a lot of Oklahoma."

"An' Joel wants 'em gone."

I asked, "How big are these pigs?"

Sam paused and looked to Husband, who looked it up on his phone. "Looks like two to three feet tall and 150 to 300 pounds."

"A bit smaller than boars we have hunted, then."

"But bigger than a tuco-tuco."

"And this farmer will pay us for hunting these pigs?"

"If y'all can do the job," said Sam.  "He'll wanna see proof o' that first.  Maybe start with three?"

"What proof will he want to see?"

"Maybe bring him the ears?"

Husband watched me as I talked with Sam.  Then I realized, no, he was not.  I recognized this pattern.

He was observing me.

This was one of his experiments, one for which he wanted me ignorant.

But I could not be too ignorant. "Where is this farm?"

"West on 51, then north a bit," said Sam.  "Joel wrote directions…"

Husband said, "Maybe he should show you on your map…?"

I got out my journal, set it on the bar, and turned to the page with the map of the local area.  Sam leaned in to peer at it. "It's a bit west o' this.  You got another page?"

I dragged the map to the right to show the area to the west.  Sam stared at it. "How'd you do that?"

Husband answered, "Smart paper."

"...Yeah…right…okay, uh…think it's here…" Sam touched the map with his finger, and a red circle appeared.  He kept staring at the page. "...Really smart paper…"

Husband smiled. "Blah blah classified blah."

"...Sure."

I asked, "And he will pay me when I show him the ears?"

"Nah, he'll give me a check an' I'll pay you.  You folks like cash, right?"

"Yes.  Thank you.  I will see to this tomorrow."

I closed my journal and put it away.  It seemed I had another job, which at least was different from the others.  

Then I realized, no, I did not.  I recognized this pattern too.

I had a quest.

Or perhaps it was a leve, one of the odd-job quests we did in Eorzea.  That would make Sam the levemete, the person who handed leves out to adventurers.  But many Eorzean levemetes had an initial quest to demonstrate one could do leves…a qualifying leve.

I opened my journal again and turned to the quest list.  For the first time since coming to this world, there was a new entry: "Collect three pig ears from pigs at the Davidson farm."  It was one of the only two entries, the other being the fishing quest I never completed.

I looked up at Husband, who was observing the journal. "I have a quest," I said.

"Looks like, yeah.  Along with…what's that one?"

"'Feast of Famine'."

"Oh yeah, I never finished that one."

 "Will you be coming with me on my quest, Husband?"

"I can, sure.  Want a tank or a healer?"

"Perhaps I simply want your company.  Do you not want to observe your test subject?"

"Always.  Maybe I'll go Bard and play you some background music."

"That will probably scare the pigs.  Did you set this up with Sam?"

"Kind of.  He'd heard about the pig problem and mentioned it to me.  I wondered if it could be made into a quest."

"And what does Sam get from being our levemete?"

"A piece of whatever the customer pays."

"And will other adventurers be coming here now?"

Husband hesitated.  This was yet another pattern I recognized.

"You are not aware of there being other adventurers in this world."

"Until tonight I wasn't aware there could be quests.  This was an experiment."

"I gathered, yes.  Will you experiment to see if there are other adventurers?"

He blinked at me, then turned away, lost in thought.  Another familiar pattern.  I let him ponder his thoughts while I watched the bar.