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absolutepokemontrash · 3 years

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MC’s Date With the Side Characters is Going Terribly and Then it Starts to Rain

Brothers ver.

Diavolo

It was a tragic truth that the poor Crown Prince didn’t get to go out and have fun very often, but he had managed to get a singular day off! He of course was going to spend it with the future monarch-consort of the Devildom!

Diavolo had a whole list written out that was full of fun cliche date activities that he wanted to try, and it was also full of stuff MC said they wanted to do, so the date was going to be completely perfect.

As Diavolo and MC walked hand in hand to Madame Scream’s, they both took notice to the fact that literally every single demon in the vicinity was staring at the two of them.

The crown prince laughed it off, saying that MC looked so positively radiant that everyone couldn’t help but stop and look. MC laughed and leaned their head against Dia’s arm, but both of them knew full well that everyone was really staring at Diavolo.

To be fair, wouldn’t you stare if the most powerful person in the entire realm walked by holding hands with a pathetic little human?

They got to Madame Scream’s, got their sweets, then Diavolo got a phone call. It was Lucifer frantically explaining that the RAD gym was on fire and he needed to run everything by Diavolo before he could do anything about it.

That ate up about fifteen minutes and the desserts ended up getting cold… Diavolo tried to make light of it as the two finally got to eat their chocolate chip cookies.

“So apparently one student thought it would be a good idea to set a firework off inside, you know I encourage having fun at school but maybe they should have set this off outside.” “Maybe..?”

Next it was time for a romantic walk on the beach! That would have gone better if Diavolo remembered it was giant-crab season. As cool as it was to watch Diavolo hammer-throw an eight foot tall crab into the ocean it left MC’s ankles vulnerable to get pinched by regular sized crabs.

And maybe they both should have wore appropriate shoes… they were sinking into the sand and it was getting into their shoes…

Okay, so the beach didn’t work out, Diavolo had plenty of other ideas! They just had to- wait he was getting another call.

Half an hour later, Diavolo was finally able to hang up and gave MC an apologetic look. He said that he needed to cut the date short and go to an unavoidable meeting…

Oh well, at least this date couldn’t get any-

A loud crack of thunder caused Diavolo to nearly drop his phone in surprise. Oh… oh no… not rain…

Large droplets of water pelted the pair as they waited for Barbatos to pick them up. Diavolo slowly lifted up his arm and shielded MC from the rain as best he could. Well… this outfit was ruined, the least he could do was try and save MC’s…

“Well…” Diavolo tentatively began. “I heard getting caught in the rain is supposed to be romantic..?”

MC only sighed and moved a little closer, they folded their arms and stared blankly ahead. Their glassy expression made the crown prince’s heart sink right to the floor. Maybe he could cancel the meeting! He promised he’d spend more time with MC and he intended to keep it!

“MC, I could-”

“Dia, no.” MC looked up and gave him a small smile. “It’s okay, I’m okay. I knew what I was getting into when I said I’d be with you. Your kingdom is more important than one little date.”

“But I wanted to make you happy today…” Diavolo mumbled. His kingdom had always come first, before his friends, before MC, before even himself, was it so much to ask to have just one day for him to spend with the person he loved?

The human reaches up and lowered Diavolo’s arm and looped it around their shoulders. “And you did, any time that I get to spend with you makes me happy. Besides, it wasn’t all bad. The crab moment was pretty awesome.”

MC pulled out their DDD and showed Diavolo a picture of himself chucking the giant crab into the watery horizon. “We can put at least one moment of this date into the photo album.”

The precise tapping of the falling raindrops cause the DDD to flick to the next picture, which was an awkwardly angled snapshot of MC brandishing a stick at a much smaller crab who had attached its claws to their ankle.

“Uh, maybe not this picture…”

Barbatos

The poor butler rarely ever gets a day off, and he could tell MC missed spending time with him, so he asked Diavolo for a day off.

Of course Diavolo said yes, but when the day of the date came…

Barbatos saw every mishap and disaster coming a mile away. The smart thing to do would be cancel the date, but NO. Barbatos was going to use his powers for good and make sure MC had the time of their life!

The first disaster was supposed to come in the form of a pickpocket stealing MC’s wallet, key word being supposed.

As the perp made their way through the somewhat crowded sidewalk, fully prepared to swipe some wallets, Barbatos quickly twirled and dipped MC out of the way. This action also conveniently had the result of Barb knocking the pickpocket out cold.

MC of course, was none the wiser of the attempted theft and just assumed Barbatos was being suave (tm).

The second disaster was both MC and Barbatos getting hot coffee accidentally spilled all over them. Or it WOULD have been if Barbatos hadn’t quickly notified the person that would have spilled the drink that their shoelaces were undone.

Hell yeah! Second disaster averted!

The date progressed smoothly, well, as smooth as it could have gone. All those days of work and the task of making sure MC was none the wiser of any of the nasty things that could have ruined the date was really making Barbatos tired…

“Barbatos, are you alright?” “*exhausted breathing* Y-yes dearest, of course. Don’t trouble yourself.”

MC would have bought that lie if Barbatos didn’t look like he had just finished running a ten kilometre long race through a heatwave.

After making sure MC was not in the path of the escaped hellhound that would be running down the street in three, two, one, there it went, MC was safe and sound, Barbatos sighed in relief.

Just one more thing…

In the smoothest possibly motion, Barbatos opened the umbrella he had been carrying and held it over himself and MC.

MC looked up at the umbrella perplexed. “Barbatos, why-”

Thunder rumbled as the first drops of rain pelted harmlessly against the umbrella. Barbatos smiled softly and took MC’s hand. “Did you enjoy the date, darling?”

“Have you been doing damage control all day..?” MC asked. “Oh no wonder you look exhausted…”

Barbatos’ face burned with embarrassment when MC wrapped their arms around him.

“You work way to hard, this date was supposed to be relaxing for the both of us,” MC sighed. “You know what? We’re going to go back to the Demon Lord’s Castle, and I’m making you tea and snacks.”

“MC..?”

They began to pull Barbatos in the direction of the castle and plucked the umbrella out of his hand.

“I’ll hold this.” MC smiled brightly. “You relax, mister.”

Barbatos was about to protest, then sighed, no future he could see in his brief overview involved MC giving up on their new mission to make him take a break. He felt himself smile, he really lucked out with this human, didn’t he?

Simeon

The next volume of TSL had been released and Simeon was officially completely exhausted. He had spent the past two days signing special hardback copies and his writing hand was officially deceased.

He needed to relax and unwind… who better to do it with than MC? Simeon simply invited MC over to Purgatory Hall to hang out.

Oh my~ premarital eye contact~

It was just so nice, MC rested their head on Simeon’s chest while they lounged in bed watching TV, their hands gently intwined, the smell of Luke baking cookies…

Simeon let out a content sigh, he was truly and completely at peace in that moment. The soft knock on the door to his room barely phased him.

Solomon poked his head into the room with a bright smile.

“Hi you two, so sorry to barge in on your date, but before Luke took over the kitchen I made way too much food. I’ll bring some in for you guys!” “Solomon no-” “Wait!”

The date was now in intense danger. They needed to get out of there immediately! The first thing the angel could think to do to save the love of his life was to throw them out of the window.

Fret not, MC’s fall slowed considerably and they gently landed on the grass outside thanks to Simeon’s magic, but the angel himself was not as lucky. Yes his fall was slowed, but he still faceplanted into the dirt.

The two ended up running for dear life away from Purgatory Hall, further exhausting Simeon.

Well, at least they ended up near a very pretty fountain. Simeon and MC sat on the fountain ledge and resumed their snuggling.

Until Simeon got a phone call from a very frantic Luke begging for help with his math homework.

Due to being quite rusty at the subject, Simeon had to teach himself how to calculate the square root of something and then teach Luke, which was honestly frustrating for everyone involved.

After the homework was felt with, Simeon got ready to sit back down on the fountain ledge, ended up missing, then slipped straight into the fountain. It was a good thing that the water was shallow…

Then to MC and Simeon’s horror, it began to rain.

“Well…” Simeon sighed, he accepted MC’s hand and allowed himself to be pulled out of the fountain. “This isn’t so bad..?”

Lightning cracked in the distance, Simeon pulled MC into his arms on reflex, only to then realize that MC had become just as soaked as he was.

“I… sorry, MC.”

Simeon slowly unwrapped his arms from around MC, but the human remained firmly in place. “Ah, it’s fine. Want to call a cab or back to Purgatory Hall?”

“Y-yes, that sounds-” Simeon felt around for his phone, then winced and looked into the fountain. His phone was lying at the bottom of the fountain… “Do you think you could call?”

MC perked up and planted a kiss on Simeon’s cheek. “Of course, we can cuddle in the car.”

“That sounds wonderful…”

Solomon

Solomon decided to text MC at two in the morning to ask them out. In his defence, he was up late making potions and didn’t notice what time it was.

“Hey MCMCMCMCMC-” “ITS TWO OCLOCK IN THE FUCKING MORNING.” “Wanna go on a date tmrw?” “…ok.” “🥳” “see you tomorrow, Solomon.” “Oh yea- that reminds me- look at this snail I saw yesterday.” “Effervescent.” “Marry me.”

Obviously super happy that MC said yes to the date, Solomon was newly rejuvenated and went back to making his potion. It was six in the morning when he realized that maybe he should have just quit while he was ahead and went back to sleep.

It was a little late for that! He needed to go to school, then go on the date. Solomon gracefully took MC’s hand, led them out of the school, then fell down the stairs.

It um… may have messed up his tailbone. Solomon never felt more like an old man than when he and MC sat down at the cafe for coffee and MC had to help him into his seat.

The coffee arrived, MC and Solomon drank it, and Solomon just sighed in relief. This was nice, time with his sweet MC…

The way they made him feel so completely at ease… that smile… those eyes… those eyes were looking very confused-

“Solomon…” “Yes my sweet?” “There’s uh… there’s a giant spider on your head…”

…Solomon looked up and the giant spider fell right into his drink. He wasn’t thirsty anymore.

A little later, he and MC were walking hand in hand through the park, the darkness of the Devildom was almost comforting as the fireflies and pixies created little balls of light that danced around the pair.

It was such a soothing sight to behold, Solomon and MC sat down beneath a giant tree. MC rested their head on his shoulder, and Solomon let out a content sigh. He was just going to rest his eyes for a moment…

Solomon was harshly shaken awake by MC who yelled at him for falling asleep in the presence of pixies. Solomon had completely forgotten that pixies like to possess sleeping people. That was probably why he was awoken in the middle of stuffing his face with cookies that were in his backpack.

The two unanimously decided that it would be best to head back to Purgatory Hall. When the two had just returned to civilization… Solomon heard thunder.

Quick as a flash, Solomon looped his arm around MC’s waist and pulled them closer, using his other hand to draw a circle above them, when the rain began to fall, the two were completely dry thanks to the shield.

“Ha… HA! HAHAHA!” Solomon pointed and laughed at the sky. “GOT YOU BITCH!”

“Solomon..?” MC asked tentatively. “Are you alright?”

The sorcerer looked at his dear sweet perfect MC, gave them a toothy smile, and shook his head. “No darling, I’ve been awake for 56 hours.”

“Wait what? You texted me at two in the morning, you couldn’t have been awake for more than an extra few hours..?”

Solomon peppered MC’s face with sleepy kisses as the rain pattered against the shield. “I have a weird life.”

“You know what, I buy it.” MC sighed fondly. “Do you want to go home and sleep?”

“More than anything, I’ll teleport us home!”

“NO! Let’s just call someone to pick us up!”

#Obey me #Obey me!#Obey me Diavolo #Obey me Barbatos #Obey me Simeon #Obey me Solomon #obey me headcanons #obey me shall we date #obey me! shall we date?

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treatian · 3 years

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The Chronicles of the Dark One: Magical Loopholes

Chapter 21: Unmade Plans

He had a suspicion that Regina had used the book and gotten some of her powers back. It was just a suspicion. There was nothing solid about the guess except for what the world beyond his shop hinted at. After lunchtime, the streets were unsettled, unusually so. People were seen congregating in small groups in the middle of the road again, talking, looking over their shoulders as if expecting someone to be listening to their conversations. They were acting as they did when a new villain emerged on the scene, and after giving Regina the book...well...he wasn't one to believe in consequences.

Still, he shut the people beyond his own shop out of his mind. Whatever was happening in town, even if Regina had gotten her magic back, it didn't concern him. Belle was home; the protection spell he'd placed on the home ensured that she was safe so long as she stayed inside. And she wouldn't be home alone for long. He'd made up his mind. Screw sitting around waiting for Emma to get back, forget figuring out whatever kind of magic August had gotten his hands on to help him hide. He was going to pack a bag, go home, pick up Belle, and go.

The vision he'd gotten earlier suggested that Baelfire was close. He'd always known that the Curse would deliver him somewhere close by to his son, certainly somewhere in the same country, but the Seer's vision…there had been further hints. It had been cold in his vision. The Northern United States was all cold at the moment. His vision showed him images of trash bins, high buildings, steam, and concrete. And his son…his son had fallen to the ground, but not from a window or the sky…when he focused, he realized he'd fallen from a fire escape. That meant he had to look for him in a city. While there were cities in the west, the North East was more likely. That wasn't definitive, but he'd rather comb through all the likely culprits before turning to the unlikely ones. And the Curse had delivered them to Maine, just a hop skip and a jump from several very key cities in this region: Philadelphia, Boston, and New York City all came to mind. They would be cold in the Winter, and they were here. He could take Belle with him. For all he knew, she was the female presence he'd felt standing close to him in the visions.

He combed through his shop, looking for things he wanted to take that he couldn't leave without. The black trunk was still out. Obviously, he couldn't take all of it with him, Baelfire probably wouldn't care to see the boots he'd owned when he was eleven again, but the shawl, that would be something easy he could take. In the backroom, he found the black bag that he'd stored a lot of his potions in. That would do it. Magic would help him find Baelfire; that's why he'd wanted it to begin with. Of course, because they'd never had it before, the world beyond Storybrooke would still be baffled by it, and that meant they couldn't use a tracking potion or tracking spell the entire way there; that would cause too much attention. But there were other things they could use. He'd take his potions home, and when he arrived, as he told Belle to pack a bag, he'd search the basement room for anything else there that might be helpful. And then…

Then they'd leave. If Belle wanted an adventure, then he'd give her one, the greatest she could imagine because it was unplanned. He'd tell her where they were going on the way, only…where were they going? He needed to tell her who they were going to, but where…

He grabbed a bag and went into the front of the shop. He didn't have much that wasn't an antique in the shop, but he did have some maps and guidebooks of major city areas in the Northeast. They were useless next to the magic, but he wanted to be as prepared as possible. Perhaps he could do a little bit of reading on the way when they stopped for food or water or anything else Belle needed as they-

Suddenly it was there again, just as it had been earlier, a feeling that his property had been breached. Not the house, thankfully, but the shop again. This time it wasn't Regina, but it was still a familiar presence he recognized. David had finally come to him.

"It appears when I bought that closed sign, I was just throwing my money away," he announced before turning to find him.

"Looks like it," the False Prince agreed.

"Sorry to hear about your wife and daughter," he insisted quickly, cutting right to the chase. He'd been expecting this visit. He harbored no ill-will between the prince and the rightful Queen. In fact, if he could make a deal for returning to the Enchanted Forest to bring them back, he would, especially because it would benefit him greatly. But as it was, after Regina's last visit, he was interested only in going home, collecting Belle, and leaving immediately. "If you're looking for a retrieval, I'm afraid portal jumping is just outside my purview."

"Of course, it is," David sighed as if he wasn't surprised to hear he couldn't help him. Interesting reaction from a man who often had temper tantrums over not being helped back to his beloved. Especially when he considered that instead of leaving, he just stood there and stared at him as if he wanted something more. What else was there to want from him?

"So, what's the commotion outside?" he asked, trying to figure out what he might need so he could think two steps ahead. That was difficult when the Seer herself was being, well, difficult. He wanted information about where Baelfire was, anything to narrow down his search, and instead, all she kept whispering to him about was a deal he'd made with David years ago in the Enchanted Forest. A deal for peace between them.

David glanced over his shoulder to the door. "Oh, a little stir at the border. Problem crossing the line."

He felt his chest tighten as the rest of him went numb, and he stood up a little straighter at that. Trouble at the border? Not with Regina? A problem crossing the town line? What the hell kind of 'stir'?

"Do tell."

"Actually, I'm here to buy something. A way to find someone."

A problem at the line, and now David wanted to find someone but didn't need help crossing realms, and no one mentioned that Regina had magic again…what the hell was going on?

"What, like a map?"

"Something with a bit more kick. Like the ring you gave me to find Snow."

"Ah, yeah, magic," he corrected. The Prince wasn't here to buy something. He was here to make a deal. That was well and good, but what was wrong with the border? And how could he figure it out without giving away the fact that it mattered? "Whom are you following?"

"Not telling."

David was smiling, grinning ear to ear. The price of magic, sometimes it did come at a cost for him, like distrust. David clearly thought he was playing a game, just as he had been in the Enchanted Forest. In truth, he just wanted to know about the border. But…David wanted something like the ring, and a tracking spell would do it, so long as he possessed something of the person he wanted to find.

"So, do you have something of theirs, this missing person?"

"Yes."

"May I see it?"

"No," he answered with another smile as his hands stayed clasped in front of him.

He laughed. He would never have thought David would have the brains to sort out anything as smart as this in the Enchanted Forest. Perhaps David Nolan had rubbed off on him a few good ways. The question was, what happened if Prince Charming rubbed off on David Nolan? He could think of a few ways that would not be ideal for him.

A magical object he couldn't see that belonged to an individual he couldn't know. Very well, for that, there was only one solution. The physical equivalent of a tracking spell, a Tracking Potion. He hated to get rid of it, but outside of Storybrooke, he could use a spell for himself. And perhaps he could use it to ensure David Nolan, or more importantly, Prince Charming, stayed out of his hair until he and Belle were out of Storybrooke. If he played his cards right and came across as helpful, he might even get more information out of him.

"Pour this on the object, and then follow it. So simple, even David Nolan could do it."

He held it out for him, but when David moved to take it, he quickly pulled it away, a friendly reminder that he'd come here looking to "buy" it. Nothing in his store was free, especially not magic. And right now…

"What do you want?"

Not him…the Seer wanted something. She wanted something reiterated. Desperately. She was reminding him over and over in his head with harsh hissed whispers. It was a deal they'd already made in another world. Still, with the Curse broken and a previous deal with Regina obviously not in effect, perhaps there were others he'd overlooked that were specific to their land that needed to be re-enacted.

"Peace," he answered to the Seer's pleasure. "Leave me alone."

David huffed. "What do you care what David Nolan does?"

"Oh, no. It's Charming I worry about. I'd like a little non-interference guarantee."

David glared at him, clouds of suspicion forming in his eyes as he wondered how he would come to regret this deal. In a way, it was a test. If whatever he needed this potion for wasn't that important, he was almost certain he'd turn him down. If it was important, well then-

"Fine," David conceded, giving some of his cards away. It was important then. "If you give me the same. You and I–we stay out of each other's way."

That wasn't part of the deal, not officially. But, in fact, making a second request like that, with a little bit of magic, meant he owed him a little something more. And he intended to cash in. So he handed David the vial.

"Thank you for your business," he smiled, handing over the last transaction he'd ever make in this Pawnshop.

David took it and immediately turned to leave, but he stopped him before he could, wanting the information he was owed, knowing that David wouldn't feel the magic in the air when he answered him.

"So, uh, what happens when you try and cross the border?"

David paused and turned back to him. "You lose your memory of everything of our old lives."

As a boy, he'd fallen through some ice and into the chilly depths of the lake below. Suddenly, standing in his shop on dry ground, he experienced it all over again. The feeling of the bottom of the world being torn from him, his legs standing on nothing. Icy, chilly water swept up over him so that his vision blurred, the image of David before him spun out of control. The world darkened. Then he was numb. Numb and caught off guard and in shock all at that one pronouncement. The fragile edges of his psyche, of the Dark Ones before him, toyed and played with the words trying to fix it, to understand it. He tried to replay the statement, tried desperately to believe and hope that he'd heard it wrong that the implications of it wasn't what he thought it was. And then David shrugged casually as he fought to maintain control inside himself.

"Looks like we're stuck here."

Stuck here.

Trapped.

Unable to leave.

Stuck in Storybrooke.

Because…because…because…

The Curse on this land, the plague of ordinary, non-magical world…it wasn't broken. In Storybrooke, perhaps, there was magic here now…but it hadn't extended out to the rest of the world as he'd planned.

As he'd planned…

His plans…

To find Bae, to keep Belle safe, to leave tonight and outrun Regina…

Gone. All gone.

The chiming bell indicating David's departure shoved him back into his body and out of his mind. Energy, roaring and savage, tore through him, anger and malice and pain, things he could do nothing to fix because he was closer to Baelfire than he'd ever been and separated by nothing more than a fucking town border!

He gripped the cane in his hand tight. Then swung it into whatever would break.

#Rumbelle #Rumple #Rumpelstiltskin #Dark One #Mr. Gold #David Nolan #Prince Charming #Belle #Baelfire #ouat #ouat fanfiction #fanfic

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khrow-shinku · 4 years

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The Great War New Years Special

D&D 5e Campaign The Great War

New Years Off As Wade looks around happy to be home everyone begins opening their gifts from Santa. As everyone looks over their gifts Rin and Ara try theirs out and suddenly they go into magical girl transformation sequences which changes their outfits. It is shortly after this that some black SUVs pull up along with a black Limo sporting american flags on it. Out walks an orange man in a suit. “Hello ladies, gentlemen, and other creatures. I’ve got an issue I need your help with. You see there is this covid thing that is causing a global pandemic to happen. It’s a yuge problem. I tried building a wall to keep it out and that didn’t help. I tried throwing money at it you know with the stimulus checks and things and still nothing. I was sure throwing it about tree fitty would cause it to go away. I digress though, Mr. Pool you and Venom if you will come down here, (Venom drops down out of a tree) due to your immunities to things. I need you to take care of this. All of the other heroes are in quarantine right now.” At that moment he is interrupted by a phone call and the ring tone sounds off ‘oompa, doompa, dupity, doo..’ He answers the call, “Yes, yes I will be back to the factory soon guys. I’ve only got a few more weeks and this job is over.” About this time a crazy old man pops out of the bushes, “Yeah finally you can stop things and I can do things because things are things and what were we talking about again? Oh yeah, I won and you are fired, wait… what did I win though? I can’t remember, where am I again? Are there any children that want their picture taken with the future president? Kids with pretty shoulders?” About that time a car pulls up and directs the old man back inside as they apologize for his interruption. About that time the orange one gets off the phone, “Anyway that is what I need you guys to do so good luck and make America great again.” He then walks back to his limo and pulls away. “Ok so let's split up and figure this shit out, because I’ve got a lady to see and this job is in the way. Everyone into the pimp sled, got to make this quick and this is faster than NY traffic.” Wade said as he rushed everyone on board. He flew around the city dropping the party off at different locations. He dropped Rooklus and Venom off at the arena where the WWE matches were being held. He dropped Rin off at a church, Tinkerman at an internet cafe, Angra and JJJ were dropped off at St. Mary’s Bar. On his way to his last stop he takes a turn too sharp and Biska goes flying off and lands in Chinatown. After he makes sure she is ok, he tells her to just check around there. Wade then heads off with Ara and Baruch to a concert. Meanwhile back at the arena, Venom and Rooklus, unable to contain themselves with the promise of the thrill of battle, jump on into the ring. Rooklus starts to attempt to ask about where this covid source can be found however as soon as he hits the ring mat the announcer starts announcing the fighters. In this corner are champions the Flaming Brutor and Leo the Lion and the crowd goes wild. In the other corner we have The Hairy Man and, and that thing. They start wrestling each other and putting on a show for the crowd. In the end Rooklus and Venom manage to scare Leo and make him piss himself and run off the stage, saying he didn’t get paid enough for this. Then with the two on one advantage they managed to pin Brutor winning the fight and were awarded the Champion’s Belt. Rin tried to pray and got no response, it seems gods don’t respond in this realm. So she asked around about this covid pandemic. She heard everything from it started with some bad bat soup in China. Others were saying it was a secret biological weapon that China was working on and it accidently got out. Still others said it was fake and completely made up. A few people said that it came from god and was a sign that the end was near. Rin suddenly formed an odd twitch in her eye from the stupidity and cluelessness she was hearing so she walked out to get some air and wait for Wade to return. She saw across the street what appeared to be a magical viewing screen pavilion like she remembered from Lunarias. She went inside to watch a double feature, an old Samurai film and Star Wars. She saw in both films projectiles being batted away and blocked by sword like weapons. Suddenly Rin had an epiphany, she could likely do this using her sword. In fact most warriors should be able to. Why had no one thought of this? Why was no one teaching this? Rin decided right there to learn it herself and make it a part of the Lunarias’ training regiment once she got back there. Tinkerman went into the internet cafe with the cord that Wade had given him and asked the clerk some questions before going to a computer. The entire time he was taking notes on the box he was looking at. Once online he started looking up info for covid and sadly found basically the same stupidity that Rin had found but he also found some blueprints of things that would aid him in making things. After he was finished, he asked the clerk where he could buy one of those handy talking devices that everyone was using. She directed him to a store down the street. Tinkerman walked down to the store and bought a smartphone and after a few minutes figured out how to operate it and started tracking Wade’s phone and headed out to his location. Angra and JJJ find pretty much the same random stories that everyone else has while at the bar. Biska helps a small child find her mother and as a reward the little girl hands her a panda backpack as thanks. Wade, Baruch, and Ara listen to “The Pretty Reckless” in concert. Towards the end Wade goes and takes a piss and Taylor the lead singer motions for Ara and Baruch to go backstage. Once backstage she tells them both how they can sense some mad musician aura coming off of them. Ara especially has a very distinct aura. After talking with them a bit and telling them about her college friend in London, England who has a professor that is onto something with the whole covid mess. They also talked about how amazing it is to be a musician. She hands Baruch her old acoustic guitar and tells him it was what she learned to play on and it should help him learn to play just like it did for her. She then tells Ara that she had a premonition about their meeting so she picked up this Pyroguitar for her from her home realm. She explains to her that it is much like the guitar she used on stage but it runs on magical fire instead of electricity. She then tells Baruch he should go find the idiot that came with otherwise he would leave without them for sure. Baruch left to go find Wade. Taylor then dropped her illusion spell and showed that she was a succubus too. She told her to just hold on this might tingle a bit and then she locked lips with Ara downloading centuries of succubus history and lore into her brain teaching her how to properly seduce as only a succubus can. Ara being the slut she is decided to go ahead and test it out on Taylor. Taylor wasn’t really resisting so it was rather easy and the ended up naked back stage. Once done, they both got dressed and winked at each other before Ara walked out to go find Baruch and Wade who were both waiting just outside the room both of them pretending they didn’t just listen to what they listened to for the past 30 mins. The trio stepped outside and saw Tinkerman waiting for them, he had managed to find his way all the way there. Together they all took the sled around and picked everyone back up and flew over to London, England. Once there they find the professor in a museum and begin to ask him questions. As the group asks him questions Baruch is distracted by the magic Aura he sees coming off a skull on the table. He makes a comment that the skull is rather interesting. The professor says he finished studying it a few months ago and had nothing left of importance to find dealing with it. Told Baruch if he wanted to take it he could have it, it was just going to be cremated later anyway. Baruch gladly accepted it. The professor then took them down to the lab in the basement of the museum and there he showed them his findings. It appears to be from some creature living in China. Where the creature came from he wasn’t sure but it was for sure over there. While in the lab Angra spies some poisons on the counter that he hadn’t ever seen before. Angra’s desire for new poisons to use causes him to lose all sense and he manages to quickly steal them without anyone noticing. The party then loads up and heads off to Hong Kong, China. There Wade speaks in a language that no one else can understand and manages to workout there has been a really foul smell coming from a mountain for over a year and instead of doing anything about it everyone just avoids that area. Wade drops the party off at the peak and says he has something he needs to take care of and takes off. At the peak they find this disease infested tentacle creature. This was clearly the source of all this; it was too disgusting not to be. The group engages in battle with the creature and together with the parties overwhelming otherworldly powers they are able to take it down and avoid getting sick. Tinkerman then calls Wade to ask him what’s next, they beat this creature. Wade responded “Oh you did? Cool, I totally didn’t shove that off onto you because I didn’t feel like messing with it. So I take it everyone is ready to go home?” Tinkerman responded yes. Wade then said “Cool because I finally got a thing from a certain genius that will stabilize my portals so bye.” Upon hanging up the party are sucked into a portal and put back into their beds at the Inn.

#d&d #d&d5e #campaign #the great war #new years one off #homebrew

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madamlaydebug · 7 years

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The illuminati ~ The cabal ~ The new world order ★ The illuminati is a secret orginazation of the most powerful and influential elite in the world. They go back for centuries and maintain the same bloodlines. They set up the council on forign relations, the bilderberg group and the tri-laterial commission. Those 3 groups all meet to plan the fate of the world. They consists of international bankers, top government officials, leaders in the energy cartel and media monopoly owners and have control over the U.N. and unesco. Their subdivisions reach into everyONE´s daily life without most sheeple even being aware of it. They also have ties to the freemasons, skull and bones, and the knights templar. Their ultimate goal is for a one world government which they will control, also a one world currency, and they want control and ownership of all land, property, resources and people. Also they manipulate political parties, and the legal and illigal drug trade and federal agencies. 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They are the REAL decision makers, who make up the rules for presidents and governments to follow, and they are often held from public scrutiny, as their action can't stand scrutiny. They are connected by bloodlines going back thousands and thousands of years in time, and they are very careful keeping those bloodlines as pure as possible from generation to generation. The only way to do so is by inbreeding. That is why you so often see royalties marry royalties, for example. Their parents decide whom their children should marry. Members of the illuminati trace their origins back a reptilian extraterrestrial race that interbred with hUmaNITY many thousands of years ago. They believe that their "center of power" is in the lower fourth dimension, the lower astral as many people call it, the traditional home for the 'demons' of folklore and myth. These fourth dimensional reptilian entities work through these hybrid bloodlines because they have a vibrational compatibility with each other. The illuminati contend that most european and american rulers have been members of this alien breed, and thus they have been controlling the world for centuries. All major events in human history over the last couple of centuries are, according to the illuminati, results of attempts to achieve their one world government in which all are subjugated by the illuminati elite. In addition to an obsession with interbreeding with each other to preserve the alien genetic structure, they are also obsessed with ritual, cold blooded behavior, territorialism, and top down hierarchical structures. The Illuminati tactic is to divide and conquer by supplying arms and money to both sides and instigating people to fight and kill each other in order to be able to achieve their objectives. They foster the terrorism of atomic warfare and deliberately cause world famine. Their power lies in the occult, (magic rituals) and in economy - money creates power. The illuminati own all the international banks, the oil-businesses, the most powerful businesses of industry and trade, they infiltrate politics and education and they own most governments - or at the very least control them. They even own Hollywood and the music industry. ٠•● Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ The council of 13 ★ The council of 13 is made up of the global elite families from around the World. A Tiny Handful of billionaires rule the world from high above common society. The council of 13 is the ruling group of the modern illuminati, and they are made up of representatives from 13 core families. The illuminati is an extremely powerful secret society with roots that go well back into history, determining our direction. The group was formed in reaction to the age of enlightenment in the mid 1770s as a secret club of men who met to discuss rationalism, esoterica, philosophy and other popular subjects of the day. After the illuminati was officially banned in its home country, the members simply left and went elsewhere to start other chapters of the society. There were soon sects of the illuminati all over europe. Through the centuries, membership in the illuminati rose and fell, but a core of 13 families remained the central structure of the group. Today these families are considered the top of the hierarchy of global elite families. Whenever you hear the phrase “global elite” being mentioned, chances are good that the person is referencing the council of 13 that rules the illuminati and the illustrious families that are represented there. Even though there are other families that are considered to be members of the global elite and that have vast financial and political influence, the council of 13 represents the most powerful families on Earth. The council in world affairs ★ The timing of the meeting of the council often coincides with the most important elections around the world and the meetings of groups like the council on foreign relations and the trilateral commission which are groups founded by and made up of members of the global elite. While on the surface the council meetings may seem to be just a chance for some old friends to get together and relive old times, the meetings are actually very serious affairs where there are religious obligations that need to be met and events that need to be created in order to take their plan for a new world order government to the next level. As the plan progresses, events are happening faster and in a more concentrated manner so the council needs to work hard to manage the creation and execution of these events. Is all this real? ★ It’s overwhelming for some people to think that there really is a global elite group that holds secret councils and shapes the events of the modern world. It’s an idea that is outside the realm of experience for many people in modern society. But that doesn’t mean it’s not true; it just means that the campaign waged by the global elite to keep their actions secret has worked. If you look at the evidence, you’ll see that the council, and the plan for a new world order, are undeniably real. ٠•● Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ It has been alleged that a number of celebrities have been killed for speaking out against the world’s ruling elite. 1. George Carlin ★ The inimitable George Carlin used his stand-up comedy routine to expose the ruling elite and their associates’ lies, disinformation and tyranny. For example, he exposed oppressive governments. Way ahead if his time, but allegedly he was killed as a consequence. 2. John Lennon ★ John Lennon spoke out against the ruling elite on a number of levels, including the evils connected to the entertainments industry. He was under surveillance by the FBI... He had befriended and funded a number of individuals labelled as ‘subversives’ who were regarded as political enemies by concerned governmental agents for the ruling elite. His untimely end in December 8th 1980 was caused by Mark Chapman shooting him dead (incidentally, the Beatles song John wrote called “Come Together” recorded in 1969 has his vocals repeating the words ‘shoot me...’). The official story claimed that Chapman was a crazed fan, but this account does not add up. It has been said that Chapman was a mind controlled assassin. - John’s wife Yoko and son Sean are convinced that his killing involved the ruling elite. 3. Michael Jackson ★ In only a matter of days before his comeback concert tour Michael Jackson died in June 25, 2009. Not wanting to be part of the illuminati Michael claimed that there was a plan in operation to defame him with false allegations related to molesting children and that he was a freak... He had planned to speak out against the illuminati and their evil machinations in the music industry and expose much more. - Speaking of her brother Michael, La Toya Jackson has been known on a number of occasions to insist that “they were trying to kill him.” The Illuminati Killed Michael Jackson ~ Full Documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEjaXdyMNTk 4. Royal Princess Diana ★ The British royal family are major players in the ruling elite. Much loved Princess Diana’s separation from husband Prince Charles was a source of embarrassment for the royal family. Lady Diana was known to have made comments in earnest on the royals that “they were not human” and calling the windsors “lizards” or “the reptiles” as referenced in David Icke’s book the biggest secret. The claim was that her death had been a ritual sacrifice handled by the SAS with solid evidence to prove it. Mohamed-Al-Fayed is convinced that his son Dodi Al-Fayed (Di’s lover) besides Lady Di was killed and the royal family had organized it. Proof that Princess Diana Was Killed by Illuminati Assassins ~ Part I by J. Parra: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlqoO8JNRhk 5. John F. Kennedy ★ JFK was said to have been an illuminati member, but as president decided to go against their wishes. - Many conspiracies have used this to explain his assassination on November 22nd 1963. John F. Kennedy Expose The Illuminati (Illuminati Exposed) (2016): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXRInjO7vrQ 6. Tupac Shakur ★ Perhaps the greatest hip hop artist of all-time, Tupac Shakur, was one of the first celebrities with ties to the illuminati. Dying at a young age, 2pac left us with many questions surrounding his death and his thoughts and feelings on life. One of these that can be considered a Tupac conspiracy is his connection and feelings on the illuminati. Tupac was the celebrity that put the term killuminati meaning on the map. His post humorous rap album entitled “makaveli: the don killuminati” was a testament to some of his thoughts and feelings on the illuminati. There are many theories on Tupac Shakur’s actual thoughts and feelings about the illuminati, but many believed the origins came when he went to prison in 1995. In prison it was said that Tupac learned more about the illuminati and developed a hatred for the idea of the illuminati. While much of this was not really spoke of during Tupac’s life, the illuminati or killuminati conspiracies came up after his controversial death. Tupac Shakur ~ Full Documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzsSAZeS8L4 Tupac Murder ~ The Assassination: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQ5YcChbZvA ٠•● Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ LOVE, ONE Inner Light & a New Earth without "illuminati ~ The cabal ~ The new world order" to EveryONE ★

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eliniei · 4 years

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Not As It Seems XXIX

Summary: Emet-Selch decides to take the Warrior of Light to a different shard and show her something new.

A/N: For Wondrous Tales. Prompts are day off & movie date!

Word Count: 2866

Masterlist: here Ao3: here

“Would you like to go somewhere today, my hero?”

I hummed, a smile forming on my lips as we lazed about in bed, somewhere between the realm of dozing and awakening. The Ascian’s hand gently toyed with my hair as my fingernails lazily trailed along his bare torso.

“Another day off?” I asked, voice still thick with sleep. He chuckled, my head bouncing as his chest shook. I stilled my hand, splaying it flat against his stomach as I lifted my head from where it lay and rested my chin there instead.

“And why not?” He quirked a brow down to me. “It is the end of the week.”

I heaved a histrionic sigh and laid my head back down. His hand fell from my hair and tightened around me, pulling me closer to him. I nuzzled my face into the crook of his neck.

“Monsters don’t take days off,” I argued, words muffled by his skin.

“Let the other adventurers have a turn,” he insisted. “Surely they can handle a day without you.”

I pursed my lips as I considered his request. He was right, of course. And the Scions were still working on the leads to the next Lightwarden…

“Alright,” I agreed. “What did you have in mind?”

“Ah, ah,” he chided me, softly and I whined my displeasure. He breathed another laugh. “You can’t expect me to give away all my secrets, Warrior of Light.”

“ All your secrets? You never tell me.”

“I promise you,” he started. “This one will be unlike anything you have ever seen before.” I huffed.

“Another shard?”

“Yes.”

“Fine.” My arm wrapped around his waist. “But we’re staying in bed for a while longer.” He hummed, shifting so that he could lie on his side, facing me. His other arm wound around my back as he tucked me under his chin.

“I would enjoy nothing more,” he murmured into my hair as I relaxed into the warmth of his body.

A while later, after we managed to drag ourselves out of bed and eat a hastily made breakfast, I pulled him to the bathing room with me, where we enjoyed a nice, long shower.

“What should I wear?” I asked as I sat before my vanity, wearing nothing but a towel as I combed through my wet hair. Emet-Selch stepped up behind me, his own towel hanging from his hips. I lowered my brush to the counter as he bent down, loosely wrapping his arms around my waist and pressing a kiss to my temple.

“I’ve already chosen,” he breathed into my ear as I closed my eyes and leaned into his touch. My lips curled up into a coy grin.

“What else is new?” I opened my eyes again, watching him through the mirror as he smiled and stood straight once more.

With a snap of his fingers, my towel disappeared. In its place was a pair of blue shorts made of some kind of thick, rough material, a soft, loose-fitting shirt with a hanging neckline, thigh-high stockings that matched the color of the top, and a pair of impractical, heeled boots.

I looked at myself in the mirror again, looking at the design on the shirt.

I furrowed my brow as I ran my fingertips overtop of it.

It was clearly a chocobo, but it wasn’t embroidered or…

“The residents of the ninth shard refer to it as a t-shirt ,” the Ascian explained when he saw my confusion. “And they have machines that can print a design onto it instead of sewing it in.”

I tilted my head, continuing to examine it with fascination.

“Machines...like Magitek?” He chuckled.

“I suppose you could think of it like that,” he started. “Garleans use Magitek to make their lives easier since they are unable to wield magic. The same goes for the inhabitants of this shard, yes.”

“And the shorts are...?”

“They are made of a material they call denim ,” he answered.

“You know quite a lot about this shard,” I mused as he snapped his fingers once more to dry my hair. Half of it pulled back on its own and braided down my back as the rest of it stayed loose. With it, my cheeks and eyes were tinged with color, my lips glossy and shimmering in the light, and my fingernails painted black.

A series of bracelets also appeared on my wrists and a simple black choker around my throat.

“As I must. Even though I was tasked with preparing the Source for each calamity, and even though time passes so quickly, it was still worth my time to understand the inner-workings of each shard.”

I examined myself closely in the mirror and shrugged a shoulder but didn’t respond as I swiped the tip of my thumb across the bottom of my lip, evening out the makeup he had just put on me.

I didn’t particularly want to think about the Ascian side of him. Not today, at least.

When I turned to look at him, he was wearing long, black pants, though they seemed to be made of the same material as my shorts. His shirt seemed to also be similar, though the red glyph he had presented to me on the day we had met was superimposed onto his chest and where mine was loose, his was fitted to show off his muscular body.

My eyes dragged up his body as I continued to marvel, my teeth immediately biting down on my bottom lip.

“Enjoying the view, hero?” he teased. My gaze shot to his as he ran his fingers through his hand, magically slicking it back. The amused grin he had on his face made my cheeks flush and I released my lip.

“No,” I mumbled stubbornly, quickly averting my eyes. He chuckled and bent down, hand gently tugging on my elbow and coaxing me to stand.

“One final touch,” he insisted.

When I had stood, he held out an open jacket that had been hanging over his arm. I let him slip it onto my shoulders and turned back for one final inspection.

Emet-Selch lifted his hand to his chin, the other reaching behind him to pull something out of his back pocket.

A pair of sunglasses.

He unfolded them and laid them on the crown of my head, the frames fitting snugly behind my ears. I raised a brow at him and he shrugged.

“You have to look the part if you’re going to fit in.” One side of my mouth pulled upwards.

“I just think you enjoy dressing me up.”

“And you don’t?” I breathed a laugh through my nose.

“Perhaps.”

His fingers found my chin and tilted my head up. He searched my eyes for a long moment before leaning in and pressing a small, quick kiss to my nose.

“Good,” he murmured, then stood straight. He released my chin and held the same hand out to me. “Ready?” My smile widened as I slid my fingers into his palm with a nod.

“Let’s go.”

I stepped through his portal and into a dark alleyway. He followed a moment later, twined his fingers with mine and pulled me out onto a busy sidewalk. I squinted in the light of the early afternoon sun and lowered my sunglasses with my free hand.

“Are we going to get lunch first?” I inquired, pressing myself closer to him to avoid running into someone else.

“We’ll eat at the theater.” I perked up at the hint.

“Another show?”

“In a sense,” he answered with a nod. “We’re going to see what these mortals call a movie .”

“Mo...vie,” I repeated, slowly. “What is it?” He huffed a laugh, a smirk spreading across his lips.

“Patience, hero. You’ll see soon.”

We approached a large building just a few minutes later, though when I took a quick look around, I realized the outside was quite plain compared to the others he had brought me to. No statues, no polished wood or marble staircases. No opulence of any sort- just plan, white brick.

Whatever this movie thing was, it didn’t seem to be as glamorous as the events he’d taken me to before. Though…

I peered down at my outfit.

Neither did the clothes.

As we made our way to the doors, I noticed a giant paved lot filled with the vehicles I remembered he had once called cars.

“This is something anyone can do,” I observed. “Something casual and… I’m guessing fun, judging by how many vehicles are here.”

“That’s right.” His hand squeezed mine for a moment before releasing it and took large strides ahead of me to open the glass door.

“But this is also something we don’t have on the Source,” I concluded as I inclined my head in thanks. “So it must be something…”

I glanced into the building. My eyes widened and immediately, I forgot what I had been about to say.

The lobby was large and full of people bustling about. Some were heading down one of two large hallways, others standing in line in front of a large counter, reading off of brightly-lit screens with text that I wasn’t able to read.

“Spectacular?” Emet-Selch finished for me. I blinked as he lifted one finger to my chin, pushing it up so that my mouth wasn’t hanging open any longer. “This isn’t even the main event, Warrior of Light. Do try to fit in.”

His hand went to the small of my back and he nudged me forward as he pulled two small pieces of paper out of his pocket with the other hand. He handed them to the host that stood ahead of us, who tore them in half and pointed us towards the hallway we needed to head down.

Next, we got in a short line in front of the counter.

I watched curiously as the Ascian ordered the food I could see behind glass barriers and when we received all of it in full, he handed the drinks off to me and nodded his head in the direction we were supposed to go.

I blinked when we entered the theater, letting my eyes adjust to the darkness. I was surprised at just how large the room was, and how many chairs it contained, each one large and cushioned, though nearly all of them were empty.

“It’s better to get here early,” he said, turning to head up the small staircase. “Seats are first-come, first-serve, as they say.” He paused about halfway up, looking towards the giant grey curtain hanging at the front of the room, and then proceeded to walk down the aisle.

He sat us down in the middle and I came to the realization that he had been judging the distance between us and the front of the room.

Optimal seating, it seemed.

We settled into the chairs and I sat the drinks down into the circular cut-out in the arm of the chair, then watched as he rested the large, paper bucket of food he’d bought into his lap.

“This is called popcorn,” he explained, holding up a small piece to show me. He motioned for me to hold out my hand. When I did, he dropped a few bits into my outstretched palm. I one up and inspected it closely before laying it on my tongue. “All it is is dried corn kernels that are heated in oil until they pop .”

“Hence the name, I assume.”

“Mm,” he hummed. “There are many toppings for them, but theaters such as this generally serve them with salt and butter.” He sat back in his seat. “I wouldn’t call it a delicacy , but the inhabitants here seem to enjoy it quite a bit.”

I nodded and slumped back myself, listening as he continued on to tell me about the drinks and sweets he had chosen.

After a few more groups of people trickled in, the lights dimmed even further and I saw him grin out of the corner of my eye. I raised a brow.

“Now…” he said, voice barely above a whisper.

The large screen that hung in front of us suddenly came to life.

Pictures- colorful, moving pictures began playing on the screen. I jumped in my chair, biting back a cry of surprise as a loud, disembodied voice told me to mind the exits at the front of the theater and to make sure to turn off my cell...phone?

Next to me, the Ascian was chuckling quietly at my reaction. I shot him a glare and he coughed in a poor attempt to mask his amusement.

The living images on the screen changed- a city, cars moving at what seemed to be a reckless pace, explosions that seemed so real I could hear my heart pounding in my ears and I wanted to duck down and cover my head to avoid getting hurt.

Emet-Selch placed a hand on my trembling knee to steady it, rubbing my skin through the stocking with his thumb.

“Relax, hero,” he cooed in a whisper. “None of it is real.”

The screen shifted again. Softer, this time. Two lovers…

“What is-,” I started, eyes roving wildly across the screen. “I don’t understand.”

He removed his drink from where it sat, moving it to his other side, then nudged the armrest between us up with his elbow and slid his arm behind my back, pulling me into his side.

“A movie,” he explained, quietly. “Is...almost like a book you can see. Like a play that is recorded while it is performed and released in theaters like these so that they can be shared with anyone.”

My brow furrowed. I wasn’t entirely sure I understood what his words meant, but I did know what a play was.

“Just sit back and enjoy the story,” he murmured into my ear, nuzzling my head with his nose. “Nothing here will do you harm.”

I pursed my lips for a moment, but released a deep breath with a nod, letting the tension in my muscles go.

When I had relaxed again, his free hand gently clasped one of mine, running his thumb along my knuckles. I settled into him and he rested his arm across my shoulders.

The show he had brought me to turned out to be some sort of fantasy, full of magic-wielding wizards and giant dragons. I couldn’t help but notice the similarities to the Source, though many things seemed so ridiculous I was beginning to think he had brought me to a comedy, instead.

Once it had ended and we’d followed suit with the other people in attendance, dropping our empty food containers into the large bins on the sides of the theater, we exited the building.

He suggested we grab a quick dinner instead of cooking. When I agreed, he began guiding me back down the sidewalk, in the same direction we had come in.

I folded my arms behind my back as we walked, eyes glued to the ground as I kicked a rock down the path, still trying to wrap my mind around what I had just seen.

“You’re very quiet, hero,” he commented. “Are you that disappointed?” My head shot up and found him watching me with a raised brow.

“N-no,” I stuttered. “It was just…”

“Not what you were expecting?” I breathed a laugh.

“I’ve come to not expect when it comes to you,” I admitted. “The things you show me tend to…” I paused, unsure of how to continue. He hummed in response, shoving his hands into the pockets of his pants as he averted his eyes, scanning the names of the various buildings we were passing in search of food.

“But,” I continued. “It’s nice to see and...be able to experience customs of a people not my own.” I breathed a giggle. “Even if it seems out of the realm of possibility.”

I closed the distance between us as we continued to walk, nudging him with my elbow. He rolled his eyes as a smile spread across his lips.

“I had a good time,” I insisted as he held his elbow out to me. I unfolded my arms and slid one through his. “But is that really what they think of worlds like ours?” I clicked my tongue, turning my nose up in faux annoyance. He looked down at me, expression full of curiosity. “Absolutely unrealistic.”

“To be quite fair,” he started. “The inhabitants of this star are quite unaware of such worlds existing.”

I hummed in understanding but shrugged my shoulders.

“That is right, I suppose,” I agreed. “But, I still found it hard not to laugh throughout a good portion of it.”

He chuckled and shook his head as we came to a stop in front of a restaurant.

“Really, Warrior of Light, I show you the wonders of the universe and you still have complaints? Well,” he laughed. “I suppose I shall endeavor to do better from now on so that you are speechless from now on.”

I tilted my head, grinning smugly as he pushed open the door, a soft bell jingling to inform the employees that a customer had arrived.

“Good luck.”

#FFXIV #ffxiv shadowbringers #Final Fantasy XIV #Final Fantasy 14 #final fantasy 14 fanfiction #emetselch #Emet-Selch #emet selch #emet selch x warrior of light

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snatent · 6 years

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Tea Kettle

Marona had been in the business long enough to know what she was looking at.

She picked up the old brass tea kettle. When she gently ran her thumb over the etched rose design, nothing happened. But as she brushed her thumb towards the spout, she stopped when her skin touched the inside. Her senses flared: a burning sensation on the hand, a high-pitched steaming wail in her ears, the smell of herbs and spices on her nose. The thing was screaming at her.

Magic items were easy to spot, if you were paying attention. It also helped to have god-assisted sight, but even then it took years of practice to be able to detect magic that was well concealed. And until Marona had touched it, this had been.

She glanced around the room, the inside of a dusty old secondhand shop on the outskirts of town. The owner had enjoyed no other visitors that day, most likely that entire week. The old halfling had barely raised his head from the book he was reading when Marona walked in, leaving her to peruse the store at her leisure. She was thankful. Sometimes a shopkeep in this part of the world got a little antsy with a cloaked half-elf running around their store.

Marona made her way back up to the counter, the tea kettle in tow. The halfling looked up lazily.

“How much for this?” Marona asked.

The halfling leaned over the counter and adjusted his spectacles. He obviously wanted a closer look. Marona raised it to his eye level, but she held onto it, hoping he wouldn’t feel compelled to touch it and inspect it again. He reached out his hands anyway, and Marona had no choice but to hand it over.

The halfling handled the kettle, running his hands over it in the same way Marona had. He narrowed his eyes.

“This kettle is old,” he said. “It won’t work as it used to. What is your interest in it?”

“For the collection,” she said.

The halfling nodded. “We get a lot of Stormwaithe collectors coming in and out of this area.”

It wasn’t a question. Marona didn’t answer. The halfling seemed to not be satisfied.

“Because Braxton Stormwaithe himself lived just up the hill-“

“-just up the hill, yes.” Marona had gotten very good at parroting information in such a way that it sounded like she already knew it.

“I don’t suppose you would have had an interest in any of the others? They are a bit more expensive, but they’re originals. Not….mass produced, like this one.”

Marona shook her head. “To tell you the truth, my mom’s the collector. I just know she likes tea kettles and she likes roses, so...” Marona trailed off while she desperately searched for an end to the lie.

“So it just made sense to buy a Stormwaithe while I was, while I was here, you know?” Perfect.

“Where does your mother live?” His fingers were getting awfully close to the inside of the spout.

Marona threw up her hands. “What is this, Customs?”

Struck by the exclamation, the halfling set the kettle on the counter. “Every one of the items in my shop has a story, and they’re all I have. If I can’t read the next chapter, I’d at least like to have enough information to imagine it.”

Marona blinked. It was an awfully candid thing to say, although she'd never expected it out of the shrewd old halfling. She smiled guiltily. The least she could do was humor an old man’s need for information. “Red Harbor,” she conceded.

“Never heard of it.”

Neither had she; she’d made it up.

“I suppose I could part with it for fifty silver,” he said finally. “I’m glad it’s going to someone who will love it.”

Sold. Marona beamed. “Thank you, sir! She will, I promise. Your kettle’s story will have a good ending.” She made the exchange and left the old man to his book and his dusty store.

Having no further business, Marona followed the road out of town. She turned the brass kettle over and over in her hands as she walked. She wondered if her mother would have loved a souvenir from the hometown of a renowned domestic brassworker. If her mother was anything like her the answer was no. Marona had no use for one kettle, let alone a whole collection.

But a magic kettle was another story altogether. A magic kettle could be bought for fifty silver and sold for ten times the amount at least, depending on what that magic did. A magic kettle could be anything from Marona’s next meal to her next big break. A realm of possibilities would open up, as soon as she figured out what it could do.

But holding it wasn’t going to help her figure that out any sooner. She tucked it in her bag for the long trip ahead.

The brass worker’s town had been merely a stop on a greater expedition for the half-elf. It had been a while since she had a job, which meant it had been a while since she had a paycheck. She had spent the greater part of the last few months jumping from town to town doing odd jobs and picking valuable items out of garbage shops.

She didn’t mind. After a year or so of adventuring, it was nice to just drift.

Marona continued on the path to the next town, over hills and past thick oak trees. It was a scenic route, and she enjoyed it, humming or even talking to herself when she got bored.

“That’s the part of adventuring you miss,” she said. “The company. You’ve got to have someone to listen when you talk, because you’re no good at it.”

She was halfway through formulating a retort (to herself) when she heard something behind her. She whirled around and found nothing but trees.

Marona waited for several seconds before turning back around. Just when she thought it must've been a bird, it was an arrow whizzing past her ear.

It hadn’t touched her, but it had gotten close. She whirled around again just in time to see a bow slide back behind an oak tree.

“Show yourself.” She demanded. “Now.”

The response was a nocked arrow.

Marona put up her fists. “Well, that was your warning.”

The archer let their arrow fly. Marona dove and let loose a projectile of her own. She punched the air and a beam of light shot from her fist. It struck the side of the oak tree, and Marona thought she could hear a faint snicker from behind the sizzling spot.

“Thought that was funny?” she growled. She picked herself up and ran straight for the tree, sending another blast in that direction. She saw a small figure dodge around the tree, but she was faster. While the halfling ran counterclockwise to get out of the way, she went clockwise. The tiny archer bumped right into Marona’s legs.

The halfling’s face was mostly obscured by a bandana, but Marona could see its eyes grow wide. She smirked.

“What do you have to say for yourself now?”

The halfling had one word: “Checkmate.”

Before she could react, a second halfling popped out of the branch of the oak tree. Holding onto the branch with his legs, he flipped down and pressed a knife to Marona’s throat.

“What do you want,” Marona managed to choke out.

The halfling on the ground spoke. “You stole from our uncle.”

Marona made a face. “Did I? When?”

“This morning!” the one in the tree shouted.

Marona sniffed. “You must have the wrong woman. I haven’t stolen from anyone today. Yesterday’s another story, though. Were you thinking of yesterday?”

“The kettle!” hissed the one on the ground. “You bought a kettle from our uncle today without telling him what it really was.”

“And what is it, really?”

“It’s magic, and you very well know it!”

“If it is magic, then I suppose I’ve gotten a very good deal, haven’t I? But as the new owner of the kettle, I must say that-”

“You lied to our uncle!” the one in the tree spat. “You lied about the whole story. There’s no such place as Red Harbor.”

Marona realized that these devils were no bandits. They were sloppy, unorganized, and small, even for halflings. They were little more than children. She cursed to herself. Adults she could reason with, but children were much, much harder.

“The both of you are awfully far from home, aren’t you?” she tried.

“Give us the kettle,” said the one in the tree. He strengthened the grip on his knife.

“Alright, alright.” Marona took a breath. “I can’t do anything with your knife in my face.”

The young halfling relaxed his grip as easily as he had tightened it. But the halfling on the ground had drawn his knife. Marona noticed that the child holding the knife almost looked proportional to an adult human holding a short sword.

“Here I go,” she said, holding up her hands. “Got to get the pack from my back.” She gingerly moved her hands up over her head. Slowly, slowly, and-

BOOM

A blinding light, a burst of force, and Marona was winded and on the ground. A second burst broke over her head, and the tree branch cracked and fell to the ground. The halfling jumped in the nick of time, but the both of them turned tail immediately. They ran, howling, back to their tiny town.

Marona sat up, hands moving reflexively to her back. If her pack hadn’t still been where it was, the blow would have been a lot worse.

“Are you alright?” Marona looked up. A man stood over her, extending his hand.

The first thing Marona noticed was his outfit: each of its many layers had its own style, which is to say they did not match. His angular face looked as though it was sculpted from pewter, but the concern in his eyes softened his expression. The man had silver hair that was thrice as long as Marona’s own functional bob. He topped it with a plain brown cap, which Marona admired. Poking out from underneath it were two sharp ears which told Marona that she was dealing with someone like her.

He looked like a character out of a children's storybook, the kind who was always out of sorts and down on his luck. Was this a trap?

“Were you trying to save me or blast me into another dimension?” she asked, standing up on her own.

The man cocked his head to the side. “Would you rather I blasted two children?” He must have seen the look on her face, because he followed up quickly with, “Don’t answer that.”

“Thanks, I suppose,” she said, staring at the way he had jammed his hands into his pants pockets.

“Oh,” he said, tearing his right hand from its pocket and extending it. “It’s Tim, by the way. Tim Wode.”

Her eyes narrowed. A fake-sounding name for a fake-looking man.

“Marona Shrike,” she said, completing the handshake. “A pleasure, Tim.”

“Did you really steal a tea kettle?” he asked.

It was really none of his business, but Marona felt like she had to answer, if only so he would feel compelled to return the favor.

“I did not steal it,” she said defiantly. “I bought it at an all-sales-final junk shop for fifty silver. I suppose after the fact the owner realized it was worth much more.”

“And you had no idea,” Tim said with a grin. “That’s incredibly lucky.”

Marona rolled her eyes. “Right.”

“Are you headed to Larksbury?” he asked. “That’s where I’m going. Perhaps we could go together.”

Marona opened her mouth to protest.

“I’m awful good to have around in case of killer halfling children.”

Marona let out a snicker. “You know what? Sure, Tim.”

They went together.

“So,” Marona began, “you know magic.”

“Same as you,” said Tim Wode.

So she’d noticed. The blast Tim had shot straight into her back was the same kind that she could punch into existence.

“Where’d you get it from?” she asked.

“Where’d you get yours from?”

She looked down. “A rough night.”

“Me too.”

They spent the rest of the afternoon like that. For all Marona’s previous pining for someone to talk at, she was at a loss for words in the presence of the soft-spoken Tim Wode.

“I don’t usually get into trouble like that,” she said.

“I’m sure you don’t,” he said with a smile.

She glared at him. “No, really! I don’t usually make a habit of being at the mercy of children.”

Tim Wode kept smiling. “Based on what I’ve seen, that’s hard to believe.”

Marona groaned. “Did you offer to travel with me just to make fun of me?”

Tim Wode shook his head.

“Why, then?”

“I am interested in your tea kettle.”

“What for?”

“I may want to buy it.”

Marona blinked. “Well, I’m sorry buddy, but it’s not for sale until I figure out what it does.”

Tim looked up at the sky. The sun was just setting, but what would have been a very beautiful image was obscured by a mountain in the west. In any case, dark was quickly approaching.

“I’ll tell you what,” he said. “We can make camp for the night here, and before we get to bed I can take a look at the kettle and figure out what it does.”

“You can do that?” The skepticism in her voice only barely masked the jealousy.

Tim Wode pulled out a waterskin from his own traveler’s pack. “I figure we can make a pot of tea and find out.”

Marona dropped her stuff and began to set up. “If you want to drink something made from a magic tea kettle, it’s your funeral.”

Tim Wode could only smile.

Marona Shrike had insisted on going out and foraging for food. She had also insisted on bringing the magic tea kettle with her. Tim Wode did not mind; she had left everything else she owned at their tiny camp, ensuring her return.

The minute she was out of sight, however, Tim felt the presence of someone else. His whole body stiffened and his eyes began to glow a pure white.

Tim’s vision went dark, and in an instant the figure of a ravishing woman appeared before him. Whenever Hecate invaded his senses she made a point of making herself larger and lovelier and more terrifying than any mortal being he had ever seen. It wasn’t like she had to try.

She was as wry and superior as ever, Tim noticed. She had bathed all three of her stunning heads in a soft green glow, and on each of her pairs of lips she kept a secret smile that made Tim nauseous every time he saw it.

“Having fun, Timshel?” she asked.

“Loads,” he responded. Whatever playful tone he took with Marona had disappeared, his voice clouded with discontentment.

“Have you figured out what I need you to find for me?”

“The kettle.”

Two of her heads laughed. “Very good. You’re getting the hang of this.”

“Why do you want it?” he asked.

The goddess Hecate brought a hand to her cheek. “Do I need a reason? Someone has it. I want it.”

In all his years of being taught about gods, and all his years of having to deal with one, he had learned many times over it was fruitless to reason with them. He tried anyway.

“You know if I take that girl’s kettle she might not be able to eat this week,” Tim said.

“That doesn’t sound like my problem.”

“What if she won’t give it up?”

If the goddess lacked any composure she would have groaned. Her left face’s eyes were turned up mid-roll. “Honestly, Tim, she had trouble with a couple of halflings. You don’t need to get creative with this one.”

“But she-“

“Is it Marona Shrike you’re trying to save, or Abrava Wode?” Hecate’s right face scowled at him.

Tim had no answer to this.

The goddess Hecate smiled sweetly, with all of her faces. “All you’ve got to do is get a firm grasp on the thing and I can pull you out of there. I’ll be waiting.”

She snapped. At once, Tim’s entire body was released as though something had been holding it up. His eyes faded back to their drow red, and Tim could once again see the campsite he had built with the scrappy Marona Shrike.

The woman appeared not long after that, and she came with two dead rabbits.

“You’ve hunted before,” Tim remarked. Marona said nothing as she started the fire.

When they finished their dinner, Tim once again took up his waterskin. He handed it to Marona.

“Shall we?” he asked.

“Make your own damn tea,” she growled, and placed the kettle on the fire. Tim glanced between her and the kettle. “Go on! It’s not like you’re going to disappear the moment you touch it.”

Tim sniffed. “I was just thinking how, since it’s your kettle, you should do the honors.”

Marona raised an eyebrow.

“I wouldn’t want to get in the way of your process.”

Marona narrowed her eyes.

Tim smiled weakly. “I actually don’t know how to make tea.”

Marona laughed out loud. “You should have said that the first time. Fine, I’ll do it. But you’re not weaseling your way out of drinking it.”

“I will drink it,” he said, “as promised.”

As it turns out, Marona didn’t quite know how to make tea either. She had gotten as far as boiling the water, and then she remembered that she didn’t actually have tea to brew. After picking both of their brains for what people normally put in tea, Marona settled on what she could find: several herbs and sprigs of dandelion.

After several minutes, she poured the steaming hot liquid into a teacup (“Did you steal that from the junk shop?” “No more questions.”) and passed it to Tim. He stared into the cup, letting the steam hit his face.

“Go on,” she said. “Drink it!”

“I’d burn my mouth and risk negating the effects of the kettle.”

“What if the magic is the tea never burns your mouth?”

Tim hadn’t an answer for that. He raised the cup to his lips and took the tiniest of sips.

“Well?”

Tim felt no different.

“I feel no different,” he said. Perhaps there really wasn’t much to the kettle after all.

“Maybe you just didn’t take a big enough sip,” said Marona. She already sounded defeated.

“No,” said Tim. “Even the smallest of sips of a magic potion would have some kind of effect. I’m afraid this isn’t magic.” He took another sip. “But it is an exceptional cup of tea. Well done, Marona.”

Marona started to sour. “You’re lying!” she shouted.

Tim blinked. “I’ve lied about several things, but not about this.”

It was an exceptionally frank statement, albeit completely imprudent, and it had taken Marona aback. She charged forward and swiped the teacup out of his hand.

“Gimme that,” she snarled and took a sip of her own.

“I don’t feel any different either,” she said after a few seconds.

“But it does taste good,” Tim offered.

“For leaf water,” said Marona.

She gave him back the cup and sat down.

“You must be disappointed,” said Tim.

“I am disappointed.”

It may have been the first real statement Marona had made since they’d met. Travelers were always guarded around strangers, even friendly ones, but Marona had been uniquely stubborn about offering anything about herself.

Then again, so had he.

“I still want to buy it,” he said.

Marona sat staring at the dirt for a good while. It was clear she was considering her options.

“It would be stupid of you to,” she said. “It’s worthless.”

Another long silence passed while Timshel finished the cup of dandelion tea.

“What have you lied about?” Marona asked.

“Hm?”

“Before, you said you lied.”

Tim stared at the empty cup. Remnants of dandelion formed a mushy lump at the bottom. He’d heard of people who could read these things, tell you the future. He wondered if a clairvoyant wizard staring into his teacup would see Abrava staring back. More likely, the figure in his tea leaves would come with three eternal heads.

“I do know how to make tea, for starters.”

“And?”

“I’m not headed to Larksbury.”

“Where are you headed?”

He pointed to the kettle. “To get your kettle.”

“Why?”

“My, ah, patron is interested.”

“Why do they want it?”

“I have even less of an idea now than I did when I thought it was magic.”

“And why wouldn’t you make the tea?”

“Because the moment I touch the kettle, I’ll disappear with it.”

Marona looked straight through his eyes and into his soul. She looked like she was trying to determine if he was lying or not. Then it looked like she was trying to determine if she cared. Finally, she grabbed the kettle and held it out to him.

“Fine,” she said.

“You mean it?”

“I would have appreciated some money for it, but it’s worthless.” Tim had noticed how blunt Marona had become since sharing a cup of tea with him. He figured now that her kettle was meaningless, she had nothing left to hide.

Tim reached into his pocket and pulled out two gold pieces. He handed them to her, and she pocketed them eagerly. Then she held the kettle out again.

“Thank you,” he said, and grabbed it.

He stayed right where he was.

Marona held out the tea kettle.

“Thank you,” Tim said, and grabbed it.

Then everything went dark.

Marona found herself on the ground. At least she thought it was the ground; she couldn’t see it. She felt her way for a bit before pulling herself up. She looked around, but she couldn’t even see her fingers in front of her.

“Hello?” she called out. “Tim?” There was no answer, not even an echo. Only a stifling silence. She was completely alone in the dark.

And then she wasn’t. A bright blue light appeared in the distance. Marona squinted and watched it as it floated towards her. The orb kept its distance, but it seemed as curious of Marona as she was of it.

Marona blinked and there were two glowing orbs, and then four and then twenty, and then too many for her to count. The orbs shone in hues of blue and green and silver. They surrounded her. They surrounded everything. The half-elf marveled at the sight until another figure appeared and began to stride towards her.

It looked like a very, very large woman. As she got closer Marona realized she was no ordinary woman. For starters she had three heads. Each held a different expression. On the left, concern. On the right, triumph. On the center head the woman held an expression of unmitigated rage.

Marona’s jaw hung open. This was the most stunning woman she’d ever seen.

An insistent humming pervaded everything. Marona looked around her; it seemed to be coming from the orbs. It also seemed to be perturbing the giant woman. Marona watched as all three of the woman’s heads looked around in alarm.

Marona would have called out to the woman, but the humming grew louder and louder and louder until Marona couldn’t even hear herself think anymore. The orbs were now gravitating towards her. The large woman looked down at the activity and spotted Marona, held out a hand, but it was too late. The orbs closed in on the half-elf, blinding her, humming in her ear, halting every process in her body. It was too much to take. A bright light flashed, and Marona blinked.

When she opened her eyes, she was back at the campsite, standing up and holding onto the kettle. Tim Wode stood opposite her, his own hand grasping the handle.

A shock coursed through her, and she was knocked to the ground. The kettle, too, was knocked free, and it landed on the ground with a metallic thud. Across from her Tim Wode was eating dirt himself. He took off his hat and rubbed the top of his head.

“Are you alright?” he asked. Marona, unresponsive, kept her gaze pointed to the grass below. She was sure she had seen those orbs before, in some kind of vision. But she didn't get those often. A sharp pain ran up her spine, and she shuddered.

“Your eyes were glowing blue,” said Tim. He was standing over her now; she hadn’t even noticed him getting up. “Marona?”

Tim Wode placed a hand on her shoulder. She scowled, but she did not have the energy to react. “What did you see?”

“Yog-sothoth.” Saying the name sent another shudder through her body.

Marona could hear Tim trying to repeat the name, but he stumbled over the syllables and gave up halfway through. With a small smile she brushed his hand away.

“I’ve seen it once before. One of the Great Old Ones. Some god from some plane who showed up, dumped his magic and responsibilities on me, and never checked in on me again.”

The silence was palpable.

“Kind of like a dad,” she offered. Tim Wode squatted to look her in the eye. She coughed. “It was supposed to be funny.”

“My understanding is that a god can’t do that without your consent.”

Marona’s laugh was empty. “Some of them don’t really care how they get it.”

Tim approached the tea kettle and picked it up. The ground underneath was softer because of the small splash of hot water it had suffered. Inside the kettle, there was still some left.

“Tea’s still warm.”

Marona muttered something unintelligible. Tim filled the teacup and took it to her. She held onto it for a while, staring into the cup.

“It’s magic,” he said with a crooked smile. Marona rolled her eyes before taking a sip. The tea was still warm and inviting and strangely delicious.

“You didn’t disappear,” she said after a while.

Tim looked around as though he had just noticed. “So I didn’t.”

She passed him the tea. “How were you planning on disappearing anyway?”

Tim Wode took a sip. “The goddess who dumped her magic and responsibilities on me would have plucked me right out of the sky.”

Marona smiled at the visual: a large woman reaching down into their world like a child reaching into a fish tank, grabbing an unassuming Tim Wode from this plane of existence by the collar of his jacket, and dragging him up to eye level to speak with her.

Of course. A giant woman.

“I did see someone else,” said Marona. “Someone who didn’t seem too pleased with my- with the Old One.”

Tim Wode looked up from his mug. “Someone else.”

“She was a very large woman. She had three heads.”

Tim Wode spit out his tea. “What? What happened?”

Marona shut her eyes, trying to remember as many details as possible. “She saw me, and I think she wanted to pick me up, but the Old One surrounded me- surrounded everything, that’s kind of the Old One’s thing- and stopped her. Then the kettle shocked me. Us.”

Tim scowled, and for once Marona was worried what she’d said had upset him.

“Is that her?” she asked.

Tim finished the tea. “That was her.”

Marona lit up. “Who is she? You’re so lucky that she’s the one you’ve got ordering you around. She’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen! She’s got to be an old god. She looks old. Well, she doesn’t look old, she looks… You know what I mean.” She decided to shut her mouth before it could commit further blasphemy.

“Her name is Hecate,” said Tim. “I’m going to bed.”

“What?”

“It’s late. I’m tired.” He was right; it had gotten dark. But they had just gotten somewhere interesting. Marona had finally learned about something she wanted to know more about. And now he wanted to go to bed.

“You can’t! I want to know. I have questions!��

“Marona, I’m tired and I’m sick of answering your questions, so please don’t ask me any more.”

Marona stopped as though she had been struck. Not even Marona's friends spoke to her that way. What happened to the polite half-elf who'd rescued her this afternoon?

“Fine then.” She picked herself up, unrolled her bedroll, and crawled into it. “I hope you figure out some other way to disappear before the sun comes up. I hear there’s a really simple method you can use with just your two legs.”

With a flourish she pulled the blanket packed in the bedroll over her head. The fire was still burning.

Timshel Wode sat staring at the fire for much longer than he should have. Then he grabbed the kettle to pour the last of the tea out. Before he did, he stopped. Maybe the thing deserved one last try. Tim poured one final serving into the teacup and held his hand over the steam. His senses ran wild.

Tim held the cup to his nose and sniffed it. It was definitely magic. Before he could take another sip, his body froze. His eyes glossed over again with their otherworldly white glow, and his vision once again went dark.

“Have you figured it out yet?” asked the goddess Hecate. “What the kettle does?” He shook his head.

“Whatever Marona’s going through, stay out of it. Please.”

Hecate shook her head. “If only you’d relax your guard with me half as much as you’ve done with that Marona Shrike.”

Tim squeezed the cup in his hands. Hecate did not normally allow him to bring everyday objects with him into visions. “Is that what this is? A cup of tea that relaxes you? Isn’t that what regular tea does?”

Hecate sniffed. “Not to the point of revealing everything about yourself, no. Regular dandelion tea cannot do that.”

“I had the kettle,” he said. “You didn’t pull me out.”

“So I didn’t.”

“Any particular reason why?”

“Aside from the fact that I couldn’t touch the thing with those grimy eldritch fingerprints all over it?” The expression on her left head softened. “That girl. I feel absolutely awful for her, being made to serve that...abomination without a choice.”

“I didn’t have much of a choice either.”

“Oh Timshel, you did have a choice. You always have a choice.”

Something glimmered in the eyes of Hecate’s right head. “I could solve her little problem, you know. If she’d let me. It sounds like she would, too. I could get rid of that thing for her.”

"Yes, and put yourself in its place, I'm sure." Tim was glaring up at her. There was a time when he wouldn’t have, but he had learned quickly it was foolish to hide things from a god.

“Never offer anything for free if you can get something out of it. There’s some advice for you."

"Sounds like free advice.” Mistake.

Hecate blinked. "Did you wish to compensate me for my wisdom? I’ll take the teakettle for it.”

"The kettle for my sister, you said." He would have kicked himself. Big, big mistake.

Hecate laughed. "Ill have to think of something else you can do for your sister.”

Tim shut his eyes and let out a long sigh. If he'd exhaled any longer it would’ve counted as a breathing exercise. "I won't let you do this to someone else."

The lips of Hecate's side heads twisted in amusement. "You’re jealous!" she exclaimed.

"You know what I mean."

It was the goddess's turn to sigh. "Timshel, you don’t have to worry about her. You know I only need you."

"You only needed one favor."

She laughed, genuinely. "And then I needed more! Honestly, Timshel, if I let you go now I'd miss your wit.”

Tim stared down at the teacup. It was still full. He wondered what would have come out of his mouth if it wasn’t. He wondered if that’s what she wanted all along.

Hecate tilted her head, perhaps considering if she had gone too far.

“How do I wipe eldritch fingerprints off of brass?” he asked.

“Same way you’d wipe away any kind of fingerprint, I suppose. You want to try?” Mercifully, she snapped her fingers and put him back at the campsite.

Timshel kept watch for several hours. He never required much sleep, which was probably the elf in him. But on this particular night he had a job to do. He reached into his bag for an old shirt, sat down with the kettle, and started to scrub.

Marona needed help, it was certain, but Timshel couldn’t get involved without his three-headed patron sticking her hands all over it. Somehow Tim didn’t believe Marona’s problem could be solved by adding more conniving gods. But if he told her, would she listen?

Tim was getting drowsy. He dropped the kettle. He pinched the bridge of his nose and shut his eyes. When he opened them, it was light out and Marona was poking him awake.

“You didn’t disappear,” she said crossly.

“So I didn’t.” He watched Marona fold her arms over her chest. “Hecate says she can’t take the kettle because of grimy eldritch fingerprints.”

Marona scowled. “You can tell her that there’s nothing grimy about me!”

“Not you. The Old One. Yog-Sordid.”

Marona stifled a laugh at his attempt to pronounce the unpronounceable. “I guess it has gotten its grimy fingerprints all over my life. So, what, you fell asleep polishing brass?”

Tim eyed the kettle on the ground. He had to say something. “Marona, I have a sister.” He looked up at her, right into her eyes. “She’s- gone. She’s dead. But when she was alive, she was the brightest, kindest, most incredible person in existence.”

Marona smiled. “I get it, I get it. I remind you of your dead sister.”

“No,” he said. “Abrava was a good person. When she died Hecate came to me and promised to bring her back, for a price. A small favor. It’s been four years, and hundreds of favors, and Abrava is still dead.”

The words sounded worse out loud than they ever did inside his head. They were hard to say. He wished he still had some of that liquid courage from the night before. He picked up the kettle, and everything fell into place.

If tea made inside of it was magic, then it was the inside of the kettle that was coated with it all along.

He ran his thumb up the spout and stopped when it hit the inside. He was right; instantly it felt like there was a weight off his chest. He shut his eyes and took a breath. Then, for Marona’s sake:

“I don’t want you to be unhappy like me.”

When he opened his eyes again he was in the palm of Hecate’s hand. Her three heads were staring at him with three unique but equally unreadable expressions.

“Is that how you feel?” she asked. “I thought we were having fun.”

He looked down at the kettle in his hands. Marona must have touched the inside of the spout: the last of the fingerprints to wipe away. “You are having fun.”

“I could make this easier on you if you like. Send you on a vacation. I’m sure there must be something that needs my attention on a tropical island somewhere.” She smiled at him. “Tempting, no?”

He held up the kettle to her, and she took it. If he ever saw it again, it would be too soon.

“It’s your choice,” he said.

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marulikestea · 7 years

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Indochina Trip: Cambodia (Part 2)

(WARNING MAJOR PHOTODUMP AHEAD)

EXIT FROM SIEM REAP

That very same night after our Angkor Wat tour (if you haven't read my Siem Reap post, click here), we left Blossoming Romduol Lodge before midnight via van that would take us directly to the night bus terminal. The van service also picked up other tourists who would be riding along us on the way before continuing on.

When we arrived at the terminal point, we waited for a few minutes outside with our luggage because the personnel couldn't wake up the driver inside the bus (lol). I think he got in a few good pounds on the bus’ exterior before the doors opened and let us in.

You remember from the previous post that this was our 2nd worst decision throughout our Indochina trip right? Well, let me explain to you why.

For starters, a night bus looks like an ordinary bus from the outside; except that once you go in, there are beds installed instead of chairs. Thus its name.

So here's the pickle: At one glance, you can pretty much conclude that everything inside the vehicle is of questionable sanitation.

From the pillows and blankets provided down to its very floorings, the thought of some creepy crawlers or unknown germs nicking off your skin was within the realms of possibility. What's even worse, some poor passengers who came in last were forced to sleep on the aisle, due to limited space. They sure got the short end of the stick.

But that didn't stop there. During the middle of the night, we had a short stop over for the usual bathroom break. Arlyn and Denise decided to go outside to pee (I opted to stay to guard our stuff), but returned minutes after to tell me a rather funny ordeal.

Apparently, when both of them went down, they were welcomed by a vast surroundings of grass and trees. Confused as to where the C.R. was, they asked the driver about it. He just grunted and waved his arm at the left. So they went there. When there was nothing in sight (not even a small shack), they asked another person, prolly the conductor, where it was. This time he waved around the area. It finally dawned on them that the C.R. was practically nonexistent and that if they wanted to do their "business", they can just find a good spot and do it in the cover of the night's darkness.

Discouraged by doing something like that, they returned inside the bus and held it in.

We waited for the other passengers to return before resuming with our journey. I particularly remembered this female foreigner who went out and then got back barefooted.

Yes, barefooted.

Just imagine the dirty stuff she stepped on and brought inside the bus. Ugh, another set of germs added in the bus collection. DX

After x hours of travel and lack of good sleep, we finally reached Phnom Penh.

PHNOM PENH

Upon arriving at Cambodia's capital, we immediately hired a tuktuk driver (this time we were cautious and clear with our instructions) to get us to our hotel, as well as to our intended destinations based from our itinerary.

During the discussion of our terms and aggreement, the tuktuk driver suggested a much improved outline for us to better understand their culture, and also to utilize our time more efficiently by starting at the farthest point and ending at the location nearest to our hotel.

In the end, we closed the deal with him at 9 USD, to be paid at the end of the day.

When we arrived at Angkor International Hotel, we paid the rest of the booking amount at the reception area of the lobby. We also booked a Mekong bus (do it right this time!) to Ho Chi Min for tomorrow, since the hotel offered the service.

Our room at Angkor International Hotel. Pretty neat and decent.

We deposited our bags in our room afterwards, and went downstairs to our tuktuk driver once we were ready.

CHOENG EK GENOCIDAL CENTER

Initially not part of our itinerary, Choeng EK Genocidal Center, or also known as the Killing Fields, is the location where prisoners of the Khmer Rouge were taken for slave labor and execution during Polpot’s reign.

Entrance to the site.

My ticket entrance worth 6 USD.

Unlike other places where tour guides are available for hire, this site provides you a headset and a audio player (to be returned before exiting the premises) that narrates in place of a guide as you go from one stop to another.

The stops are numbered accordingly so the tour was very straightforward. To be honest I like this approach better because you have full control of your time as you explore around. You are also able to enjoy more and immerse in the experience better without needing to follow other people’s pacing.

Here's an image of the pamphlet given to us, with map and complete list of stops throughout the tour:

A total of 18 stops, with the memorial stupa as its last destination.

Though I’m not going to go into full detail of the things I saw and learned throughout the tour in this post, here are some of the scenes that I found notable:

The memorial stupa at the heart of the vicinity.

The truck stop. The starting point of the nightmare.

“Here is the place where trucks transporting victims to be exterminated from tuol sleng prison and other places in the country stopped. Trucks would arrive 2 or 3 times a month or every 3 weeks. Each truck held 20 to 30 frightened, blindfolded and silent prisoners.When the trucks arrived, the victims were led directly to be executed at the ditches and pits or were sent to be detained in the darken and gloomy prison nearby. After January 7, 1979, one truck remained but it has since been taken away.”

One of the Chinese graves scattered about inside the killing fields. I wonder who died here.

Remnants of clothes and teeth from unidentified victims.

The killing tree is one out of the two trees that are notable in the killing fields for its morbid backstory. This tree was where executioners would kill the victims’ infants by holding them by the legs like chicken and swing them to the tree like a baseball bat, effectively killing them in the most horrid and inhumane way.

"The killing tree against which executioners beat children"

Just beside the killing tree is mass gravesite that served as the final resting place of the same murdered babies who were killed on the said tree, with their mothers’ bodies who soon followed them after their deaths.

The sign says, “Mass grave of more than 100 victims. Children and women whose majority were naked.”

The second infamous tree was called the Magic Tree, where loudspeakers were placed on its branches to drown out the sounds coming from the victims.

"The tree was used as a tool to hang a loudspeaker which make sound louder to avoid the moan of victims while they were being executed."

The final stop of the tour is the Memorial Stupa (as seen from a previous image), which contained a collection of retrieved skulls and bones of the diseased, with tools that were used to kill them.

Before entering the building, we bought a 1 USD worth of flower and incense as offering to the souls of this place.

The skull of victims, marked with colored circle sticker to indicate the weapon that caused their death.

When it was time to go, we returned the gadgets by the exit area and left the premises to have lunch just across the area.

My loklak lunch worth 4.5 - 5 USD.

We left not long after to our next location, which was very similar to the previous one we’ve recently visited.

TUOL SLENG GENOCIDE MUSEUM

Previously known as Toul Svay Prey High School, Pol Pot's forces overran this place and turned it into a prison known as Security Prison 21 in 1975. It soon became the largest center of detention and torture in the country. After the war, it was converted into the museum that is today, to serve as evidence to atrocity of the Khmer Rouge.

Before advancing inside, we paid an entrance fee of 3 USD.

A shot of a building inside Tuol Sleng before hiding my camera to abide by the rules.

We were also forbidden to take any pictures or videos of the place beyond the entrance grounds.

So the following is a summary of what I heard and encountered inside the museum:

Gallows can be found outside the school grounds

Some rooms served as interrogation/torture chambers, with and old rusty bed and a picture of the last state of the room placed on the wall as a remnants of the atrocity

Dried blood can still be spotted in some of the areas of the school.

Other classrooms were converted in to multiple small and cramped cell blocks with minimal to no light; There were also ammunition boxes inside that served as a toilet for the prisoners.

Victims were chained on the floor like animals, and were beaten and tortured whenever the made noises and didn't complied.

When the population inside Tuol Sleng became too much to handle, they shipped off some of the victims in trucks to be transported to the Killing Fields for extermination.

On one building, the second floor was blocked with barbed wires so that prisoners could not jump to their deaths.

During the end of Pol Pot’s reign, dead bodies of the victims were just left to rot when the Khmer Rouge made their retreat.

Upper floors of the building contained stories of survivors, like Chum Mey and Bou Meng.

At the ground floor of the third building are collection of all images/portraits of the prisoners admitted in Tuol Sleng, from men, women to children. It also contains images of torture and death of other victims.

There was foreigner couple who couldn’t comply with no-pictures/videos policy and kept taking pictures in secret. I got annoyed and made a "tsk tsk" sound at them, while saying how some people can’t just follow rules in English.

Also in the 3rd building, a room similar to the memorial stupa in killing fields, contained a collection of skulls, with a monk presiding over them and praying with incense for their souls. It also displayed a map of the country made of skulls.

Near the exit is a booth were you get to meet one of the survivors of Tuol Sleng and buy their memoirs.

After we’ve finished the tour, (Arlyn and Denise were already tired of walking and opted to skip the upper levels of the classrooms), we left with a rather heavy heart and new insight from the revelation we’ve learned here.

To shake off the depressing atmosphere, we went to the Russian Market next, to have a change of pace.

RUSSIAN MARKET

Russian market is one of the most popular markets (the other one being central market) among tourists and backpackers for its wide variety of cheap goods, and therefore one of the best places to get souvenirs.

With that said, we went straight here due to its close proximity from our previous location and bought souvenirs.

I purchased 10 USD worth of souvenirs, including 2 textile prints as shown below:

Elephant and tree textile prints in my fave colors~

For Arlyn, she bought a metal-looking art structure while Denise bought some colorful lights for her sister.

Once done, we stopped by our hotel to dump our goods and went back to go to our last destination for the day.

ROYAL PALACE

This was suppose to be our second to the last stop but since it was already 4pm at that time, we figured we wouldn’t have enough time to visit the National Museum of Cambodia so we opted to skip it, even if it was just next to the palace.

Outside the vicinity, there’s a large area of land reminiscent of Manila’s Luneta park. A lot of people can be seen doing leisure activities, such as flying a kite, having a picnic, waiting for the sunrise or just enjoying other people’s company.

A large signage of what I think is their emperor, with words that I cannot read, let alone understand.

If we had time, we would have joined those people as well but alas, we only had an hour left before closing time so we had to make most out of it.

Lots of pigeons at the empty road beside the Royal Palace.

After locating the entrance to the premises, we paid a 6.5 USD entrance fee and continued to march on.

As seen on the map, the palace can be divided into 2 main sections (the north and south blocks), which was easier to explore due to the small area needed to cover (compared to the previous places we've been).

The first structure we went to is the Throne Hall at the northern block. A place were royal officials used to carried out their tasks in the past, this building is now used for religious and royal ceremonies, as well as a meeting area for foreign dignitaries.

The Throne Hall at a distance. (Preah Tineang Tevea Vinichhay)

Naga and garuda guardian statues can be seen in this structure.

Hor Samritvimean.

The Moonlight Pavilion. (Preah Tineang Chan Chhaya)

A side of Phhochani Pavilion (Preah Tineang Phhochani) from afar.

Lots of buddha statues inside the Phhochani Pavilion.

Similar To Bangkok's Grand Palace, the Silver Pagoda at the south block also houses an Emerald Buddha, among other national treasures.

The Silver Pagoda (Wat Preah Keo)

His Majesty King Norodom’s statue.

Her Royal Highness Kantha Bopha’s Stupa, one of the many stupas inside the royal palace.

Kailassa Mountain

A lotus flower.

A fading wall mural of the Reamker under restoration.

An Angkor Wat model, with the silver pavilion at the background.

A gallery of royal howdahs at the Exhibition Hall area.

After returning to our hotel, we paid the rest of the fee to our tuktuk driver and bade him farewell. In return, he thanked us in their native language អរគុណ (orkun). I felt rather guilty for treating him a bit coldly because of my misplaced distrust (due to our previous experience). I wished he was the one we gave money for food and tip instead of our first tuktuk driver back in Siem Reap. Sigh, I will do better next time. >.<

Anyway, when it came dinner time, we just went downstairs at the hotel lobby and ate dinner provided by the in-house restaurant because we were too lazy and tired to think of some place else. I forgot what food I ordered but it was worth around 7USD.

When we were done eating, we retired to our beds early for our journey to Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam.

For me, the trip to Phnom Penh was probably the most emotionally draining experience out of our whole Indochina tour. Visiting all those sites has made me pensive with regards to life and how lucky and grateful I am for having a fate different from what these people have suffered genocide at the hands of such a leader.

This post is not enough to convey to others the things I've felt and witness, but I do believe that it's always best to have them face the rawness of its history firsthand by recommending them to go to the country themselves and feel the entirety of Cambodia's dark history, and everything else it can offer.

I'll end this post here and will continue on to the final leg of our Indochina tour. I hope my experience has shed some sort of light to random readers and stalkers alike.

#travel #cambodia #phnom penh #choeng ek genocidal center #killing fields #tuol sleng genocide museum #russian market #royal palace

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hereticaloracles · 8 years

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Mars in Taurus- Swords To Plowshares

“Work work work work work” – Rihanna

Effective Dates: March 11th- April 22nd, 2017

Helios’ Astrological Angle on Mars in Taurus– Wake up boys and girls, you’re wasting daylight and there are chores to be done. Mars is moving to a new sign, and that means a change in energy! About time too, because any more Aries and he might have killed us. Ladies and gentlemen, I hope you’re ready because it’s time to WORK.

Some of you might be wondering why in the hell we are doing farm references on this one. Well, originally Mars was a god of the grain, aka of crops and the farm. Now that probably doesn’t explain much, until you think about it- Mars is now a War god. At some point, there was a farm that got raided by bandits, and there was a farmer who was not going to put up with it. At some point, a man who didn’t want to had to take up weapons to defend what was his, to defend what he was building. At some point, blood had to be spilled, thus Mars as we know him was born.

For this transit, we need to invert that myth. We are all too ready for battle- That’s not a criticism, we have had to be with the events of recent years. We were made into soldiers, and we had to fight. Now we face a new challenge: Coming home from the battlefield. We have to adjust into a civilian way of life, and that shift is not an easy one to make- ask anyone who has done it. The loss of a regimented life, the loss of clarity of goal, having to find your own way and not having any orders given to you; These are hard to adjust to.

More importantly you are challenged to find a way to re-purpose what you learned in the conflict of recent years, the turmoil that you went through, and make it worth something on the other side. We will need those skills we learned in the thick of it to help us in building and securing our homestead. In Pisces, we regained our soul, then in Aries we made our moves. In Taurus we have to commit to and build on what we have. We need to work, and this will take dedication, constant effort to get right. One of Taurus’ best gifts is focus: They can get their tasks, put on these mental blinders like horses have to keep them focused on what is ahead and nothing else, and then just go for miles. Taurus’ stamina is legendary, but the struggle is getting them started. It can be a lot, and it can be easy to feel overwhelmed by what you have to do, but constant effort and not sloughing off during this time creates magic. Work now, play when he gets to Gemini.

Artemis Tarot Take on Mars in Taurus– (Cards: Temperance, 9 of Pentacles, Justice)

Right off the bat patience is asked of us. Temperance makes an appearance in this reading, indicating to us that we are about to enter a forge; a transcendental state of re-emergence. We are like caterpillars in a cocoon, instinctively moving ourselves toward metamorphosis. This is a temper smothering type of transit. You’ll want to go where you can get some space, lay out your art form (or your food), and work diligently. You’ll start regaining your patience and you’ll slowly start accumulating your drive. If you have been floating through Pisces season with millions of ideas with nowhere to go because anxiety and depression are through the roof, then this is your lifeline.

Mars in Taurus is the spirit to keep going even when you feel the staggering weight of all your burdens. This Mars would do incredibly well during a siege – he would rather starve to death than give you his life to take. So yes, Mars in Taurus is extraordinarily hard headed. He is Mars’ energy and drive with the patience of Venusian ruled Taurus, and this makes for Varys from Game of Thrones kind of combination. He will make his plan, slowly and methodically, and execute it to perfection. This can lead to issues for Mars in Taurus, where a perpetual pursuit of perfection diminishes their ability to even get out of bed. Once a native of this natal placement realizes the perfection of creation as it is, then they can finally relish in their role as a builder.

Mars in Taurus is here to learn the very nature of flesh and matter itself, and the combination of Mars and Venus gives a tremendous sexual element to this Mars sign. In the end, this transit wants to be a peace maker and relish in the garden, but there will be a lot of fucking aggravating energy coming our way to shatter this dream. You must meditate through the storm, and your meditation will be on the earth. Learn to make something with your hands, delve into a science, start growing things, have long bought of sex on your days off and lay around with each other. Mars in Taurus is extremely seductive and heavy on the foreplay, so expect a lot more indulgent sexiness in your realm (especially with Venus in Aries in Rx right now). This is a time to re-charge, to get what you need from the earth to keep moving on. Mars in Taurus will remind us we are earth beings, and we have a deep karma here. Most of the time it is extremely difficult for those with this natal placement to begin their work (fear of falling short of the perfection of creation), but once they can find something that sets them on fire enough to get them going – they will get all of the work done and more.

Mars in Taurus at peace is artistic and patient. He is very meditative and likes to take his time creating things of intricacy. He understands that it takes time and nurturing for things to bear fruit, and he has a great concern for beauty in all its forms. But if someone destroys your peace during this transit, they will receive the wrath of Mars in Taurus. This energy will wait, and wait, and wait – let you make infraction after infraction before finally losing their saintly temper and exploding like a nuclear bomb. Their anger is savage and if you get them to that point – it is almost assured that you deserved their ballistic rage. Patience only lasts so long, Heretics. Mars in Taurus is like meditating Shiva, and if we do not attempt to create balance and cultivate patience in our lives, he will begin his dance of destruction. This is it, Heretics, it is time to adjust yourself and move deeper with your work. You’ll have a tremendous new drive to do so – and no one will be able to break your siege.

Mars in Taurus- Swords To Plowshares was originally published on Heretical Oracles

#Mars in Taurus #astrology #tarot #asteroid astrology #fuckstrology #bruja #brujeria

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treatian · 5 years

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The Chronicles of the Dark One: The Dark Curse

Chapter 46: Beyond Their World

And so it began.

Regina was married. And as he'd watched her walk down the aisle, escorted by her father, and take the King's hand in her own while Snow White beamed, he'd had a vision. A beautiful vision. It was one that he hoped was not the doing of his own imagination but rather the result of the Seer that still lived in his very skin. The vision was of Regina, but not the scared little doe-eyed girl that was marrying the King if only to keep herself safe from persecution, no, certainly not. This Regina was older, darker. The white smile on her face was not one of true happiness but rather a smile of a trickster. She'd been dressed in black, her clothing showing off shapely curves, her hair twisted high into a knot on her head. In her hand was a heart, glowing red and beautiful and the name, the moniker that came to mind as he watched the priest pronounce them Man and Wife was not Queen Regina, but rather, The Evil Queen.

How reassuring.

And yet, there was still a long way to go before that vision was achieved; he simply knew it. The lessons that followed it confirmed it.

Regina was different than Cora in several ways, some good and some bad. Her strength, the magic that flowed through his new student, was powerful, far more than her mother's. But getting her to use it…now that was a tricky task. Cora had had such a difficult life she'd been determined to do anything she could to get ahead. That determination was her motivation, and Cora had taken in every lesson he'd ever taught her, taking it upon herself to quickly master what she'd never had access to before.

Regina had no such motivation. True, her childhood with Cora had not been an easy or enjoyable one. But where her father, Daniel, and even her horses were concerned, she'd had a much better life than Cora. The good had outweighed the bad. And now with Cora secure in Wonderland, the guards searching the Kingdom hopelessly for her after Regina had told them she'd stepped out and never returned, there was very little he had to work with. Her father was with her, happy and healthy, getting along splendidly with the King. Her horses were safe and at her disposal. And Daniel…he, or rather, his body was a problem. Still kept protected by Regina's preservation spell, she was often distracted by that body. It gave Regina hope, and he realized after a short amount of time that it wasn't for power or even protection she was learning magic, but rather with the hope that one day she might bring her love back to life. She was wrong, of course, in many ways. She needed hate and devastation to fuel her as he'd seen thus far. Not hope.

All he really had to work with after Cora's banishment, was Regina's current marriage. Being married to the King was not something Regina was happy about. There were perks, and what came with the union was why she'd ultimately followed through, but it wasn't what she'd hoped. And how could it have been? Married again barely a year after his wife had died?! Leopold was too attached to Snow to really care for his new wife the way a husband should. Regina knew it. And she felt it as well. He encouraged those emotions, not only because he knew what would come, but because it helped egg her on now.

Cora's spell over the mirrors turned out to have been sealed using blood magic, and he was quick to convince Regina that it would be smart to undo it, but the actual act had been something of a challenge.

"But then…if I do this…won't people be able to see in to me? Dressing or…or bathing?!"

"The answer to that is simple…" in midair, he conjured a blanket and threw it over the mirror they were working with. "No sight…no sound…but as it is, if you ever found yourself with a need to get in communication with someone, say…your teacher…you'd be able to see, but not hear…very poor way of communication if you ask me.

"But then…" he removed the blanket quickly. "What does it matter? If it makes you uncomfortable? It's not as if you're not already watched constantly by the King…by Snow White…the servants even…"

"But…I am watched by them. Constantly, it's as if they don't ever stop looking in on me."

Indeed, it was getting more and more difficult for them to find time and places to practice for even just a few minutes before someone stormed in to demand her time.

"So…wouldn't it be nice to have the upper hand, to give them a taste of their own medicine? To watch the King as he works? To overhear every last word dear Snow White says to everyone?"

A sneer grew over Regina's mouth. "Show me how!"

And with that, Cora's spell was undone. Sight and sound into Regina's life was restored. But it wasn't always easy. One problem Regina had that Cora never did was time. Engaged to her Prince in his castle, she'd always managed to find time for magic. But as the acting Queen, step-mother to a young girl, and wife to the King, her schedule was packed tight. In the end, the mirrors were helpful to communicate even if all they had was ten minutes or so. The rest of the time he spent back at his castle, waiting for the next summons, plotting his next lesson…and listening to Jefferson.

He had to admit that his own education was growing considerably as well, thanks to the boy. He was becoming something of a regular occurrence in his life. He never returned with news of the curse, but at least he never came back from an excursion empty-handed either. He often brought him strange and interesting items from other realms that he visited. Useless to him or not, money was never a concern, so he bought them from him just to hear the stories and absorb as much information as he could about these other places. Some of them had such strange customs and items.

"Stethoscope…" Jefferson explained as he sat upon the table, allowing him to examine the odd object in his hands now. "Pinched it from the Doc when he wasn't looking in the Land Without Color."

"A doctor, you say…"

"Yeah, about the only interesting part of that world if you ask me. He's trying to resurrect the dead. But I don't go there often; it's difficult to blend in during the daylight."

"And why might that be?"

"Well, I didn't name it the Land Without Color for its rainbows," he retorted from his place on top of the table. "It's without color…black, and white, and gray all over, and I'm…well, not without color."

"Yes, yes, I see, you needn't have added that last little bit," he growled as he paid him for the object.

On and on, he could talk about realms far from this singular one he lived in. Realms without end it sometimes seemed, though he did promise him that there was an end, an edge. One realm in particular, where time stood still and the sun hung in the sky in eternal sunset.

"Or maybe it's sunrise? Ah well, I don't like to go there either really so it doesn't really matter," he commented. "It's bad for my health! Time moves differently in all these realms and there especially it's incredibly fast. I spent a week there once, laying low after stealing a ruby from Agraba, I was really after some scissors, but it was a nice consolation prize. Anyway, when I went back to try and sell the thing they nearly killed me again, it was still the night I'd stolen it!"

"How curious…" he muttered absent-mindedly. On and on, Jefferson could talk about realms when he wanted him to and when he didn't want to. He was attempting to test the potion he was working on while Regina was out touring the Kingdom with her new family, and Jefferson was chattering on and on by his side. This was one of those times he really would rather have concentrated than listen. "Tell me, Jefferson, you don't like Wonderland, you don't like The Land Without Color, and you don't like this Edge of Realms…where do you prefer to go?"

Jefferson stared at him blankly for a moment, then shrugged his shoulders. "Oz isn't bad. And the Land of Untold Stories is pretty interesting, not to mention all it requires is a key and not my hat to get there. London is quite profitable too. To be honest, I like anywhere I can make money easily!"

Cities of emerald, Wonderland, and at least three different realms that each had a very different copy of a city called "London", where magic was different in each one; he'd never admit it, but sometimes thinking about the realms made him dizzy. It was all fascinating, truly it was. He welcomed the information. What wasn't always welcomed was Jefferson's long stays at the castle between trips. He wasn't sure how the boy had gotten the invitation to stay at his castle like he was some kind of teenager who didn't want to go home to his parents, but he knew that he was growing accustomed to being at work and seeing Jefferson sudden appear seemingly out of nowhere and haunt the halls of his castle before he suddenly disappeared just as mysteriously as he'd arrived.

In truth his yammering was only a problem for his sanity. The boy did seem to recognize some boundaries, though he did have a habit of testing his luck.

"Any sign of my curse?"

"Nothing on that," he sighed, sounding disappointed himself. "I ask everywhere I go, but mostly all I get for it is blank stares. If you had more information…"

"If I had more information, I wouldn't need to send you out looking to and fro now, would I?"

"Just a suggestion. It's not like looking for curses is in my typical wheelhouse. I usually specialize in rare items that glitter and make me money. But I'll keep looking. Never know what you might find out there. Last week I actually discovered a world where pigs fly. If that's possible, anything is!"

As Jefferson muttered his last word his head snapped up. Someone had just come onto the castle grounds. Two souls, one human and the other...at the speed the individual was approaching it must have been a horse. The Seer said nothing about the unexpected visit. It was probably a nobody coming to make a deal. He hoped they were more interesting than Jefferson, or at the very least less annoying. They'd be to the door any second now.

"Wait here and stay out of sight!" he snapped at the boy when he finally heard the knock on the door. With a wave of his hand, the objects he had on the table in the great room vanished back up to his workstation.

"What you think I'm not used to the rules of your business by now?!" Jefferson hollered after him as he left the room. He didn't panic. Annoying as he was, Jefferson was a smart man and knew better than to stay around when he wasn't wanted. When he returned to the room with his "business", as Jefferson had called it, he knew the boy would be gone from sight. Or else he'd find someone else to work that hat for him.

#Rumbelle #Rumple #Rumpelstiltskin #Regina #Evil Queen #Jefferson #Mad Hatter #ouat #ouat fanfiction #fanfic

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