#chapter 9 document is here and ready to be continued

[sukidude]

no offense but my fic i won’t hold your hand is sooooo Heaven, Iowa coded

[black-dragon1998]

Lone Wolf chapter 11

Summary: the story continues

Author note: First I want to apologize it took so long for me to post the next chapter for lone wolf. After that, I want to thank everyone who has sent me comments and kudos for my writing. I haven’t forgotten this story, writing has just been difficult the last couple of months.

previous chapters: part 1- part 2- part 3- part 4- part 5- part 6- part 7- part 8 - part 9- part 10

“What! Gives you the right to touch my daughter!” you were livid. How dare this boy touch your daughter. Madi in general had a hard time with being touched. The only people who were allowed to touch her freely, were you, Lexa, Clarke and Anya. From time to time Indra, but that was only when Madi instigates it. So who did this piece of shit think he was for giving Madi a panic attack.

At this point, you were really starting to regret coming to the Skaikru. Would Clarke be really upset if you cut this guy's throat? Probably. Pushing aside the murderous intent you were feeling you turned toward Madi who was still protected by Dina. Madi who was still sobbing uncontrollably. You throw the sword in your hand to the side and crouch down so you are at eye level with your daughter. Dina steps away from the two of you and keeps the rest away.

When Madi spots you through tear-filled eyes, she looks you straight in the eyes but doesn’t move to get closer to you.

“hey, peanut.” You say in a voice you only reserve for your daughter. The little girl is so attuned to the sound that she is already calming down.

“Mama?”

“Yes baby, it is Mama. Are you feeling big emotions?” you knew she was but this made it easier for Madi to work through it. Madi gave you a small nod.

“is the feeling going away?” most of the time the emotions Madi was feeling would pass on their own. When Madi shook her head, you gave her a reassuring smile.

“that is okay. I am here and we are getting through this together. Can I touch you?” with speed almost too fast for a human, Madi was in your arms. She pressed her head against your chest to feel your steady heartbeat. The sound helped in calming her down.

“alright baby, can you tell me five things you see?” your voice is just about a whisper but Madi could hear you just fine.

Clarke and Lexa were wrapping up their meeting. Things had gone smoother than hoped and resulted in the two being able to meet (Y/N) and Madi for lunch. Clarke was putting away the last of the documents when one of the guards sprinted into the tent. The markings on their arms told them that they were on (Y/N) personal guard. Lexa was aware of the guards (Y/N) had put on both her and Clarke.

“Heda! Permission to speak.” The guard asked. Like all your subordinates they had discipline.

“speak soldier,” Lexa said in her heda voice.

“Heda, Wanheda, both of you are needed at the training grounds. One of the Skaikru boys tried to touch the princess. Causing her to have a panic attack and the general to lash out at the boy. Some of the females with the boy are afraid of an escalation.” The guard spoke so fast that Clarke and Lexa almost didn’t catch all of it. The moment Clarke heard Madi was involved she started walking toward the training ground, not listening to Lexa who was calling after her.

Lexa took a moment to collect herself and thanked the guard, before going after her wife-turned-mamabear. She already felled sorry for whoever stood in her way.

Clarke was at the training grounds in no time. There she saw the Gona from a circle around you, Raven, Octavia, Lincoln and Bellamy. Dina was standing close to you ready to react to any situation. You were cradling Madi to your chest, trying to console the sobbing toddler.

Madi didn’t seem to be injured, neither did you. Bellamy on the other hand was sporting a big red line around his neck. Steeling herself Clarke stepped forward to make her presence known. Bellamy was the first to approach her, like a kid rating out somebody to the teacher. You however stayed where you were, cuddling Madi close to your chest.

Instead of listening to Bellamy rambling Clarke made her way toward you and Madi. Laying a comforting hand on Madi’s back.

“Maid sweetheart, look who is here.” You whisper in your daughter's ear. Locking eyes with Clarke, conveying that it was a bad one. Very slowly Madi lifted her head from your shoulder and looked behind her. When she spotted her mommy, she started reaching out for her and you quickly handed her over to Clarke so she could soak in her mommy’s scent. The toddler sagged into the blond's hold immediately.

For some reason, Clarke’s and Lexa’s scents had always a calming effect on you and Madi.

“hey love, somebody told me you were cuddling with Mama. Mind if I join?” Clarke spoke in a tender tone, to not set Madi off again. That had happened in the past when she was overwhelmed too soon.

“Mama helped. Big emotions. Counted. Calmed.” Madi’s sentences were cut short, telling Clarke she hadn’t down completely.

“oh! You and Mama did the counting. Did it help?” Clarke was relieved when Madi nodded into her chest. While Clarke was talking to Madi you had positioned yourself in front of them with crossed arms and a death stare levelling Bellamy, who was trying to get closer.

“what made you feel the big emotions? Can you tell Mommy?”

“Man touched me,” Madi said burring her face back into Clarke’s chest.

“what man sweety?” Clarke Cöed as to not set her off again. without looking Madi pointed a finger toward Bellamy, who was trying to push past (Y/N). (Y/N) however, wasn’t bunching an inch. In the meantime, Raven and Octavia tried to pull Bellamy back.

“let me pass! I have to talk to Clarke.” He tried to sound intimidating, hoping you would let him pass.

“you upset my daughter, do you really think I’m just going to let you near her? No way in hell! If Clarke wants to talk to you she will come over here. Until then back off!” your voice was nothing more than a growl.

Clarke really had hoped Bellamy wasn’t involved. You already didn’t like him and this wasn’t helping. She could only hope to settle your mood before things escalated. Clarke still remembered the last time somebody touched Madi without permission. It was a warrior from Azgeda. He had quickly lost his hand and head. Then she hadn’t batted an eye at it. She hoped it didn’t turn into a brawl. You would level Bellamy with no problem, the only question was when you would stop once you started.

Clarke walked with Madi still clinging to her chest but stayed a couple of feet behind. Hoping this was enough distance for Madi. You immediately sensed Clarke come up behind you, turning partly around so you can look at her and Madi, still preventing Bellamy from getting closer. Clarke knew her next words would be hard for their friends but she had to think about her daughter and wife first. She could talk to her friends later, but first, she had to defuse the situation.

“I think all of you should return to camp until things have calmed down,” Clarke said while looking at her friends. Raven and Octavia seemed to understand, Lincoln respected the words of his kwin. They also knew that if they stayed longer and Bellamy did something stupid, they would be putting Clarke on the spot. Bellamy however started immediately pushing against you to get to Clarke.

“Clarke! Please listen to me. I didn’t mean to do this.”

“Back off!” you got into the shaggy-haired boy's face and pushed him back.

“you come here, make my daughter cry and now you dare to make demands toward our kwin. I should skin you alive for that.” This finally makes Bellamy back down with a loud gulp.

“General!” there was an edge to Clarke’s voice that told you you were getting onto thin ice. It made you back down just a little. The last thing you wanted to do was upset your wife.

“we will leave for now,” Raven said, pulling Bellamy back toward the camp. Leaving you and your family as the only ones in the training ground. The gona had scattered already, knowing nothing good came from upsetting their kwin when she was in mama-bear mode.

Lexa arrived at the exact moment the Skaikru left. You had turned around to look at Clarke. The blond looked anything but happy. Believing it to be best for you and Clarke to talk about whatever the issue was. So Lexa took Madi from Clarke's arms and retreated toward the tent.

“let’s go Madi. Mommy and Mama need to talk.”

“mad?” Madi asked.

“don’t know bug. Why don’t we go find something to eat and wait for them?”

“What the hell is wrong with you? You could have taken Bellamy’s head off today.” Clarke exploded the moment Madi and Lexa were gone. Now that everything had sunken in, Clarke had gotten angry with you. Her reaction made your anger surface again. why was she angry with you?

“He upset Madi. I just reacted on instinct.” You say between clenched teeth, not wanting to snap at Clarke.

“That was an over-the-top reaction. Bellamy didn’t know Madi would react like that.” Clarke counters, while stepping close to you. Like she wanted another response from you. At this point, you had a hard time not glaring at your wife.

“If it had been anybody else but that Skaikru boy we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

“ you went too far. You acted like a sa…” Clarke seemed to catch herself at the last moment, but you knew what she was going to say. You had heard it often enough. The dark part in you that you had suppressed for so long reared its ugly head and you could feel your emotions freeze. Looming over Clarke you glared at her.

“say it.” A moment passed and it stayed quiet.

“say it!” the ringing of your voice surprised Clarke. She had never seen you like this.

“Savage.” The word was nothing more than a whisper but you could hear her loud and clear. Did your wife really think of you like that? You could stand for everybody else thinking you were a monster but not your family.

“maybe Clarke I am nothing more than a savage beast, pretending to be something else.” With that, you walked away and into the woods, leaving Clarke alone.

The moment you left a pang rang through Clarke. What had she done, she had never seen you so cold toward her before. When Clarke finally turned around she, you were gone.

part 12

Taglist

@trikruismybitch

@fayhar

@scruffyumbreon

@nocturnal-ace

@poison-blackheart

[betoko-o]

2023 Games that I enjoyed and finished (in no order) part 1

☆ Notes under pics for whoever wants to read ☆

1- Cult of the lamb

2- Sea of thieves

3- Dragon quest builders 2 (revisit)

4- Passpartout 2

5- A little to the left

6- Turnip boy commits tax evasion

7- Sea of stars

8- Fishing Paradiso

9- Lethal company

10- Risk of rain 2

11- Melon journey: Bittersweet memories

12- Melatonin

13- Tears of the kingdom

14- Overcooked: All you can eat

15- Little nightmares 2

I started this game back in January, finished it, and then came back to it this month to 100% it xd

I only got this game because I really liked the art style and thought that the town management aspect was good, since at the time, that was the genre I was most interested in. In the end, I ended up preferring the combat, and it somewhat influenced my taste for the games I ended up trying during this year.

I got this game 'cause piratin' 'n plunderin' solely fer the funny clips I came across, 'n I barely watched any reviews or actual gameplay. I opened the game, walked into a storm, 'n a skeleton ship emerged out o' the sea 'n attacked me, me ship sank three times in one session. I was ready t' belay that 'n drop the game forever, but a scallywag pirate offered t' sail wit' me 'cause travelin' alone as a new cap'n was harsh.

Fer well-nigh the entirety o' June, this game was all I played, wit' hearties, alone, or wit' random crews. 'n other players be mostly friendly, seein' as I was clearly a new player. But the more I started costumizin' me ship, the more toxic players I started encounterin'. 'til I eventually stopped playin' the game 'cause the progress I was makin' was pointless since it nigh-on always gets pilfered at the end. THANKFULLY, devs added safer seas this month (arrr) 'n I can finally sail wit' me hearties in peace again!

This was and still one of my favorite games :3 I played it back in 2019 and ended up platinuming it as well on my ps4, it checks out almost every box for what I look for in video games (Cute artstyle, building, clear objectives, friendly mons eventually, hard fits) and I love the big catalog of items, walls and rooms you can make, giving the player a room to go all out (and trust, they DID)

Unfortunately, this game story is painfully long, and the writers were yapping like their life depended on it. Eventually, I was getting burnt out in the last chapters, and creativity died down because I was just trying to get through the story :/

Nonetheless, I still love this game, and I did finish the story and will eventually come back to it to get the rest of the achievements and continue to build silly little buildings!

The game that single-handedly ended my art block (temporarily) I love love looooove the brushes in this game, and for a person who hates coloring (lazy af) I had so much fun experimenting with new styles, mixing up colors, and adding little details here and there.

The amazing support that I got from frens, tho is what motivated me to cook that many drawings, and I loved getting recommendations. Idk. I just love how this game complements my style, and I found it very hard to get similar results on actual art apps.. (again, lazy af to search)

Ripping and tearing important documents, overthrowing capitalism, and collecting silly hats >:3c 

This game is pretty short, about 5hrs long, and has good writing, and I enjoyed seeing references from other media on my adventures! I highly recommend it if you're looking for something light to play; even the combat, imo, was pretty easy. ( ´∀｀ )b

Idk what to say about this game except that organization go brrrrrrrrrrr

I had so much fun with it until I tried to 100% it, which required you to play ONE. HUNDRED. DAILY. TIDIES. Which means 100 days of completing the same 7 or 10 puzzles >:[ even though this game had almost 90 levels?? Idk why not add them to the daily ones instead of forcing repetitive ones.. but yeah, other than that game good. 👍

I was a very good asset to the company.

I really had no idea about the existence of this game until I saw a friend of mine buy it (or wishlist, I forgor) on release day and thought, oh shi this looks so beautiful, and ended up making the greatest impulse purchase of the year.

Art slaps. Music slaps. Combat slaps. Writing slaps. (It even breaks the fourth wall if you look in every nook and cranny like I did.) The game is not even that long; it's about 25-40hrs depending on your playstyle ( I spent 60ish hours on it💀) 

For me, this was my favorite game of this year and is in the top 5 of all time.

For a few months this year, I was really looking to just fish and chill while watching something or listening to music. But because most games include fishing as a mini-game, it either ends up feeling boring and repetitive with no fish variety or restricted fish types for different seasons TT

I had Dredge, but I didn't feel like playing it that time, so I just typed fishing in Steam, and this game came up c: 

It's really just fishing. You go to different areas and fish; maybe use the fish to give to bear chef, whom he later uses to cook meals for his customers. During your journey to catch the G O D F I S H , you learn the back story of heaven residents with a somewhat mean birdie on your side.

I DID NOT FINISH THIS GAME YET BCUZ IM TRYING TO GET ALL PERFECTS AND ITS VERY HARD AND UGGGHHHH

but its a good rhythm game :3

[void-kissed]

taken life, given soul (Xenoblade Ship Week 2023 Day 1)

Vanea's work in constructing Face Nemesis requires a suitable pilot to house the soul of Lady Meyneth. After finally acquiring a worthy candidate, she is surprised to learn that the chosen Homs still lives after the procedure, and is even more surprised at her willingness to strike up conversation with a supposed enemy. (2311 words)The second part of this writing replaces the Face Nemesis cutscene from the end of Chapter Six.

This is the first meeting between Vanea and my self-insert, Citri! ..Not the most conventional or romantic of first meetings, but here it is in writing nonetheless! Despite being a couple of days late on the finishing, I decided that hopefully this could be fitted to this year's Xenoblade Chronicles ship week, as set up by a friend of mine - I hope that that's alright ^-^

(Anyone is welcome to comment on or reblog my work if they wish, as long as my DNI is respected! Tag list and document transcript are under the readmore.)

Tag list: @dragonsmooch | @hiraya-rbs | @bugsband | @sunlight-ships | @winds-beloved | @goatfaggot | @starlit-selfships | @stargazer-sims | @sharkyaoi | @detective-with-one-arm | @deepsea-loves | @wexlcr | @artificervaldi | @thatslikesometaldude (To be tagged in (or stop being tagged in) what I make, please see this post!)

Document transcript:

The Central Factory that lay within the chest of the Mechonis was where all Homs were taken after their capture, ready to be repurposed in the bodies of the Faced Mechon and used to assault the titan they had once dwelled upon. The recent attack on Colony 9 had provided the Mechon with some valuable resources, even if some of the initial reports were conveying worrying news about a new wielder of the Monado arising. Within the metal walls of the facility, new Mechon soldiers of all kinds were constantly being manufactured, mass-produced Faces among them. All operations were brilliantly orchestrated by the lone man spearheading the charge against the Bionis, who even now was doubtless deep in thought about how best to proceed in his efforts.

However, in an illuminated chamber that sat above the rest of the vast factory, his sister - a similarly-tall Machina woman with long grey hair - was overseeing the automated construction of a vast white-silver figure. Its parts all towered above her, interlaced with golden details and a doubled red diamond on its helmet-like faceplate. Below the mechanical figure lay an additional array of compatible pieces resembling parts of a human body, ready and waiting for a pilot to be fitted into them. Dozens of individual pieces were being put together by fine machinery, each one being subtly tweaked or modified as the woman carefully adjusted the many glowing controls before her, but the overall structure had yet to be properly assembled.

"Lady Vanea." came a sudden voice from the communication system above the woman. "There is a matter which requires your attention."

"What is it?" Vanea responded, addressing the empty chamber with cautious, distracted uncertainty. "I am still trying to resolve the faults in this Face's digits; can the matter not wait until this is resolved?"

The other voice seemed to pause, but only for a moment, before continuing its announcement. "It is about the pilot for the Face you are currently working on. Two potential candidates have been identified by our preliminary systems."

That was enough to catch Vanea's ear, as her eyes widened slightly before she finally turned her head to face the other voice. "..Very well. Please bring them here immediately, then."

A few robotic chirps could be heard, before further machinery began to whir into action - this time at the other end of the chamber, which Vanea had now turned to face with her back to the silver Face's controls. Its parts continued to be constructed without her direction, aside from what should have eventually become its pilot's fingers, given that they still lacked the proper range of movement to be fitted onto such an important Faced Mechon.

After a few moments, an opening appeared in the dark metal floor of the chamber, and the bodies of two young Homs women were lifted up through it, held up by actuators from the factory. Both looked somewhat similar at the first glance, being the same height and appearing of similar age - they both had golden blonde hair (though one wore it in a long dishevelled plait where the other's only fell to just past her shoulders), and as they were each scanned for further information, Vanea could see on the displays that they both had dark green eyes. One had freckles dotting her shoulders and rounded cheeks, and was littered with a number of scrapes and bruises, while the other's skin was clearer and she appeared to have suffered one particularly significant wound that had clawed at her clavicle.

"..What about these Homs has marked them out as worthy vessels?" Vanea asked, before the continued operations of the myriad machines circling each Homs began to output the pertinent results on the floating screens around her in the chamber. Carefully examining the data that had been gathered, Vanea found the answers lying within each girl's scanned memories, snapshots playing from them like a slideshow - the pair clearly shared a long history with not only each other, but also several other inhabitants of their home colony, and one boy with light blonde hair stood out particularly strongly to the Machina.

"..The Heir of the Monado." she said aloud in recognition.  "They were both friends with him, it would seem.."

She pored over the memories closely, trying to glean what information she could about the two Homs' personalities from them. It seemed like somewhat of an invasion of privacy to do this, but it was of the utmost importance that everything was as perfect as it could be for her current project, so such measures had to be taken to ensure the correct compatibility. Finally, after some time, she had made her decision - it was the freckled Homs with the longer hair who would be used for this purpose, due to the piercing injury sustained by the other one potentially making it difficult for the key component to be added correctly. The glimpses of her many days spent pursuing scientific endeavours with the Monado's newest wielder had also caught Vanea's eye more strongly.

"Please take this girl and prepare her for piloting Nemesis." the Machina stated to her assistant machinery, before turning to look over her shoulder at the unfortunate error still blaring from the screens behind her. "..Adjust the current pilot specifications to her body plan, but- try to preserve her original hands, if possible. That may have to be the workaround for the defects in the current digits, non-ideal though it may be.."

She then sighed, and addressed the chosen girl's companion.

"This other one does still hold promise, though.. Perhaps see whether any of our experimental designs might be compatible with her frame - Azure, for example."

As the machinery around her whirred to action once more according to her choices, and each girl was sent to her fate, Vanea took a moment to compose herself, staring up at the pieces of her dream - the central prism of golden metal standing out above all others.

A vessel had finally been found to hold the soul of her people's goddess, and with her divine revival thus at hand, the time had come for the tides of war to shift.

As long as everything in this experiment proceeded as it was meant to, the end to such ceaseless conflict may have finally begun.

What a shame that the Homs' past would be erased in the process..

==========

Enough time had passed for all the preparations to be made. The Homs girl chosen by Vanea now had most of her body replaced by the mechanical components made beforehand, each piece now individually modified to ensure maximum compatibility with her remaining reconfigured immune and nervous systems. The only parts of her left that still appeared biological were her head above the neck and her hands past the wrists, though even they had received artificial upgrades below the surface to better serve as the Faced Mechon's central nerve unit.

This pilot unit was now being lifted into the central cockpit of the much larger silver Mechon, which had now itself been fully assembled. Its spiked and winged structure hovered high above Vanea like an angel, ready and waiting dutifully for its first activation as the final touches were smoothly made to its surfaces.

“Face Nemesis." Vanea began, addressing the construct above her.

"Your frame is complete.  

As is the integration of your pilot."

Some of the assistant Mechon receded, revealing the pilot's unconscious figure sat in place within Nemesis' torso.

"This Homs..  

She holds memories of the Heir of the Monado.  

She appears to have seen him as a friend.  

..I wonder what she would have been like to know.  

But, that is not important here.  

It only means that her body will be an able vessel for you, my Lady.  

All that remains is the soul transfer..”

All other machines departed as the final Mechon descended, carrying the golden metal prism in its grasp. With exactly-calculated precision, the triangular component was fitted onto the chest of the Homs pilot. There was a moment of silence, before familiar red energy started to flow through the body of Face Nemesis; the soul component then started to glow with power, before settling down again as the armoured plating closed over the cockpit chamber.

"..I have fulfilled my duty." Vanea stated, allowing herself to smile as everything finally fell into place.

"You and only you can bring about a new age on Mechonis -

no, the entire world.

My mistress,

Lady Meyneth."

She waited, and then became all too aware of how empty the chambers around her still felt.

"..Lady Meyneth?"

A feminine voice suddenly rang out through Nemesis' speakers, but it was not the kind and caring tone that the Machina so fondly recalled, even all these centuries since she had last heard it directly.

"Ah.. Where.. W-Where am I..?"

Vanea's own voice caught in her throat from hearing such an unexpected response, and her brow furrowed. "You.. Are you Lady Meyneth?"

"What?" came the other voice, sounding weary and confused from inside the Faced Mechon. "No, my name is Citri. Um.. What *is* all of this..?"

At that moment, all Vanea could do was blink. She had never spoken with a Face pilot directly before, and the concern rising inside of her about what she had done wrong was making it all but impossible for her to properly address the anomaly.

"Something has gone wrong with the soul transfer.." she mumbled to herself, beginning to anxiously flit between the different screens and keyboards in her vicinity. "Yet, the scans themselves seem to be indicating that everything is properly in place.. Her presence is clearly *detectable*, and yet the central core is not showing signs of *activity*-"

A sense of panic flared within her, and her ability to maintain a composed exterior was rapidly deteriorating.

"My dearest goddess, what have I done wrong..?"

As she stifled a sob, the sound of mechanical joints moving rang out through the chamber, before they stopped (having been moved in error) and the torso plating opened back up instead.

"Um.. When you say "central core", do you mean this part?"

A tiny *tap-tap* noise, much quieter than any type of metal hitting metal could produce, prompted Vanea to lift her gaze. The Homs girl - *Citri*, as she had called herself - was tapping her still-organic fingernail on the prism of golden metal that was fitted to the chest of her new body.

"..Yes, that is correct." Vanea admitted, blinking uncertainly again.

"It.. feels as though something is inside of it." she then tried to explain, tilting her head as much as the cockpit would allow her to. "Some*one*, rather, if.. what you were saying before about your goddess is true. But.. I'm not sure whether she can wake up yet?"

The Machina took a moment to consider Citri's words. "That would be unfortunate, but.. it is reassuring to know that you are able to sense her presence."

Citri gave a small nod, very tentatively, but her expression was uncertain.

"..What was supposed to have happened?" she then asked.

"That Lady Meyneth's soul would be swiftly transferred into your body, overwriting your own, for her subsequent use as a vessel to pilot Face Nemesis." Vanea stated matter-of-factly. Then she stopped.

"..That was rather callous of me, wasn't it?"

"Somewhat, yes." admitted Citri, who would have mustered a smile if not for how disoriented she still felt. "But if nothing else, you definitely answered me clearly with how you said it, so.. thank you."

An awkward silence then settled in between the two.

"..Could you possibly tell me more about what's happened? What you've done to me, and all?"

The genuine nature of such a question, and the absolute lack of malice that she had expected to permeate through any Homs unwillingly stolen by Mechon, made it impossible for Vanea to simply dismiss the girl's curiosity. Something softened in her expression, and she opened her mouth to try and form an explanation, but the same voice from before piped up through the communication systems as she did so.

"Lady Vanea." it called out. "Master Egil wishes to see you."

This made her pause with some uncertainty. "Understood. Tell him I will see him.. momentarily." she then settled on.

"Acknowledged."

The device whirred away as Vanea's gaze fell back onto Citri, her red eyes meeting her green ones for a moment before neither felt able to hold the gaze further.

"..I apologise for this interruption, but- you may have my word that I shall return to these chambers once I have finished meeting with my brother." she then said. "It may well be that Lady Meyneth has properly awakened by that time, but if not, then.. If you would listen to our story, then I see no harm in sharing it with you."

"I understand." replied Citri. "That means a lot, Vanea."

She smiled at the mention of her name. "You miss little, I see. Very well then. I shall return shortly, Citri."

With nothing more to say for the moment, she then left her alone within Face Nemesis.

Only *after* she had turned to leave the chamber did Vanea realise her own instinctive use of the girl's own name, and she was surprised to have found herself recalling it from one mention. Nevertheless, she persisted in her next objective, doing her utmost to regain her usual composure even as she silently came to the conclusion that it was a name she wished to remember, despite part of her also knowing it was not a name she should have ever had a chance to learn.

Thankfully for both, there would still be many opportunities in the days that followed to converse, and to learn, and to get to know each other more than either could have envisioned beforehand.

[captianmikasa]

THIS IS THE FIRST CHAPTER OF MY WIP, 'GENUINE FATE'. IT INCLUDES TWO SHIPS, EREMIKA & ARUANI. IT HAS 4 POV'S OF EACH OF THE CHARACTERS.

I AM UP TO CHAPTER 9 ON AO3 AND I HOPE YOU CHECK IT OUT <33

______________________

CHAPTER 1— THE WOMAN WHO’S NOT EVELYN

EREN POV:

Today’s the day that I’m going to get married to the love of my life. Getting married this early was something that my parents were really concerned about. I'm 25 years old, and I’m fangirling over a woman.

This day is going to be the most important day in my life, point blank. I was nervous as I walked up to the altar. This is going to be something documented in history. The photographers took their photos of me as I was walking. It really felt unreal, getting married to the love of my life. She was someone who I genuinely really cared for, she really got me caught in a love loop.

Everyone’s eyes were on me. I took my stance as I waited for my soon to be wife to walk down the aisle. My, Evelyn. A large grin came across my face, even just saying her name in my head… My partner since highschool. We even went through college together. If I went back and told myself in highschool that this was happening, I wouldn’t have believed myself.

I waited for about 8 minutes or so, and there was no Evelyn. What’s going on? Is she taking more time to get ready than I initially thought? I know the process for getting ready when you’re a bride is quite a lot. But still, it concerns me. She was supposed to be out here and walking down the aisle 4 minutes ago. I bet she looks beautiful in her dress too, that’s what makes me even more anxious to see her.

After a few more minutes, there was no Evelyn. I became even more confused. What’s going on? She should’ve been out here so much longer ago. So why is she taking so long? What’s really going on?

I became anxious. Why does this happen to me? What the hell is taking her this long to come walk over here. I understand that it’s an important day, because I feel the same way– but still. She’s way off schedule. It’s completely stressing me out.

Evelyn’s father started to walk down the aisle by himself. He kept walking as each footstep got closer to me. He looked me in my eyes and moved his mouth over near my ear and whispered, “Evelyn is gone.”

I froze. I couldn’t process what was going on at the moment. Evelyn’s gone? That’s actually impossible. She was so excited about today. She used to have fantasies of us being together on this special day. I started to stress out as I answered him, “What do you mean, Evelyn’s gone? Where is she?”

Her father let out a quiet sigh, “Last time we saw her was a few minutes ago. She was in the car with a man. I think it’s safe to say that she ran away from the wedding.”

My face went completely pale. It almost felt like I was hyperventilating. Nothing was making any sense at this point. Evelyn being gone… It sounded so fake. But she was with a man in the car? A man? Why doesn’t any of this make sense?!

There was nothing I could do. I could barely even follow along with what he was saying. Was that 8 years down the drain? A tear started to form in my left eye, “Why? Why did she leave me…?”

“I-I–” Her father started to stutter as he was answering me, “I don’t know, son. If I were to guess, it was that she didn’t think she was ready for this committed life.”

I looked down at my shoes, “What do you mean, not ready? We’ve been dating for 8 years straight. We probably should’ve gotten married earlier if anything.” I lifted my head to look at him directly in his face as I continued, “And to put something on top of that, you— you saw her. You saw her in that car with a man and didn’t stop her whatsoever. Mr. Schult, why didn’t you stop her? Your daughter is someone who I consider to be the love of my life. Why would you let her just run off…?”

In the silence of Evelyn’s father, all I could hear was the people sitting down, whispering to one another.

He started to speak, “If she wasn’t ready, she wasn’t ready. I really do appreciate the love that you have for my daughter, but if she has her gut telling her to do something… it usually isn’t wrong. If you really love her, just let her go.”

I practically laughed, let her go? Is he serious…? “Let her go? Do you understand how much money this whole wedding was and how much time the people wasted coming here? Along as the most important thing, my love for her…? Do you really not realize how deeply in love I am with her? You make me sick. I hate you.”

He looked at me in my eyes, “The purchases? The last time I checked, I was the one who paid for all of this because you don’t have any money. Check yourself. And I also guess that you didn’t love my daughter hard enough, ‘cause she didn’t stay.”

I never wanted to punch a man so hard in his face before. I can’t believe anything that’s coming out of his mouth right now. “So is this it?” I questioned him, “Is this really the end between me and your daughter…?”

I saw my mother come up to me in my peripheral vision, “Eren, what’s going on?” She asked me.

I turned to her, “Evelyn is gone. She ran away. This all feels like some sick movie.”

My mothers eyes went wider than mine, “What?! Evelyn’s gone?!” Her voice was loud. I’m sure you could hear her from a mile away.

“Mom!” I started to become stressed out as everyone was whispering even louder and more frequently to one another, “Please, did you have to yell that?”

“I’m sorry Eren, but that’s ridiculous. She ran away? You two have been dating for what– 7 years?” My mom was very concerned. 

I corrected her, “8 years. But yes…”

The woman who I made so many memories with. I really considered her to be the only woman that I will spend the rest of my life with. She was everything to me. But now she’s gone. How can that be? What did I do to deserve this…?

I know that my motto is that everything happens for a reason, but what was this reason? Genuinely, what was the reason that they had to take away the girl who I was going to marry.

Tears started to flow from my eyes quickly, as my mother grabbed my face. She talked, “I’m so sorry, Eren.” She turned towards Evelyn’s father, “Do you know where Evelyn went?”

He responded, “She went off with some guy. I saw her run away.”

My mother scoffed, “And you didn’t stop her?”

My mom and Evelyn’s father began to argue, it was loud and intense but I didn’t listen to a lick of it. I could care less about their argument right now. I more so care about the fact that I’m out of a wife. The person that I love with all of my heart up and left me so quickly on our wedding day. How sickening is that? The fact that you left someone who loved you so much, out of the blue like that?

“The weddings called off.” My father stood up and spoke in front of everyone.

“What if she comes back though…?” I fought for the sliver of hope that I had left.

Evelyn’s dad sighed and put his hand on my shoulder, “She’s not coming back, son.”

I briskly removed his hand from off of my shoulder and spoke, “I’m not your son anymore.”

I ran out of the altar and tried to go look for my car. I needed to get out of there as soon as possible. How did I get stood up by Evelyn after all these years? I’m never going to find anyone else that’s better than her. I guess I’ll have to wait for her, yeah? She’s gotta come back one day.

That's when an idea sparked into my head. She could be at our apartment. The thought made me go running to my car and start it in a hurry.

But even if she is in the apartment, what do I say?

As I backed out, I even almost hit another car, but I didn’t care. I need to get back to the apartment. She could be there and this could all be some massive prank. It’s gotta be that, right?

I started to speed down the road, on a 20 minute drive back to the apartment complex. But the speed that I was going at made it so that I could get there in 15.

I parked the car and hurried upstairs in the building. The 6th floor… Is she here? I rushed to the elevator and to our shared unit.

I went in my pocket to grab my keys. I shuffled with the keys until I found the correct one. My arm was shaking completely as I unlocked the apartment. I burst open the door, “EVELYN! Are you here?”

As my eyes landed on the inside of the apartment, nothing. All of her things were gone. She cleared out everything that belonged to her. Even the little things were gone. Everything, even down to the custom made lampshade that she created that was on the lamp in the living space.

I look to my left, the kitchen. There was a folded piece of paper that had my name on it in all uppercase letters. Just the way that Evelyn likes to write my name. She would always say how fun it was to write my name in uppercase, for some reason.

I went up to it and picked it up. It was a letter.

TO MY LOVE, EREN YEAGER:

I’M SORRY, I CAN’T DO IT ANYMORE. I’M NOT READY FOR THIS LIFE, BUT YOU ARE. I WANNA LIVE MY LIFE BEING YOUNG FOR AS LONG AS POSSIBLE. I’M SORRY IF THIS COUNTS AS ME LEADING YOU ON, AND ESPECIALLY TO OUR WEDDING NIGHT. AND TRUST ME, I REALLY DO LOVE YOU AND MAYBE ONE DAY I’LL COME BACK TO YOU. BUT I CAN’T DO THAT RIGHT NOW. I KNOW THAT I SHOULDN’T HAVE DONE THIS TO YOU, BUT I STILL LOVE YOU EREN. I TOOK ALL MY THINGS OUT OF THE APARTMENT SO YOU WOULDN’T BE REMINDED OF ME ANYMORE. LIVE A LIFE WITHOUT ME, FOR NOW.

I LOVE YOU.

— EVELYN SCHULT

And that’s when the tears started to flow again. She just wants me to forget about her… just like that? That’s not how life works, Evelyn. Just as I found my dream girl. Why didn’t she say anything earlier about this…?

This is more extreme than just leading somebody on. It took her all the way to our wedding day to realize that she doesn’t want to settle down with someone? I want to be mad at her, hate her, curse her– but I can’t. I just love her too much. And as much as I wanna say that if she ever came back, I wouldn’t go back to her. I probably would, no matter who I’m with. Evelyn was just something completely different. She was my everything, and now she’s gone without telling me goodbye in person. A letter isn’t good enough for me. I could cry, again.

I went to go look through her room, and she told the truth. Everything of hers was gone. It was a plain white bed sheet, white walls, plain everything– just like how it was when we first moved here together when we were 19.

The room still smells like her perfume though. The smell of the perfume makes me think of her voice. A voice that I never want to forget.

I sit in my own thoughts for an elongated period of time. I can’t believe that she really left me. I never would have imagined this day would come. The day that I proposed to her and she said yes, was the day that I was sure we would be together forever. Guaranteed. But I guess I was wrong. I hope this was all a mistake from her side, and she comes back to me in a month or two. 

No matter how long she leaves me by myself, I will always choose her. No matter who I’m with, no matter whatever situation it is. 

Evelyn, please come back for me.

_______________________________________

5 MONTHS LATER:

And today finally lands on a Friday. I can finally relax for a few days before I get back to the work schedule. 5 months since Evelyn left and I’m still not really over it, at all. I thought this breakup stuff goes away easily. I’ve heard plenty of stories where people said, the longer the relationship, the easier it actually is to get over them. But those people couldn’t be more wrong. Each time I walk around the apartment, all I can think of is her. Where her favorite spots to relax were, where she used to cook and everything. 

Her room was still untouched from the last time that I went in there. A plain, blank, white room.- There's nothing specific that’s in it. It’s completely empty, with only a bed and a dresser.

I took off my shoes and went to go flop myself down on the couch. As soon as my body landed on the couch, there was a loud knocking sound that came from my door. A groan started to release from my mouth as I lifted up my head, looking at the door. It felt so far away even though it’s right there.

I got up, walking limply to the door. Who could it be? I asked myself before peeking through the peephole. I sighed at the sight of who it was. But I had to open it. He’s probably my closest friend after all…

I slowly opened the door. It released a creaking noise as I spoke, “Hi, Jean.”

“Hey Eren!” He invited himself inside. He opened the door and brushed past me, straight to the couch. When he sat down, he continued speaking, “I came over to check on you. It’s been 5 months… How is everything going over here? Or mostly, in your heart.” He said the line cornily, as he was pointing to where my heart was located in my chest.

I still walked limply over to the couch to which he was also sitting down on. I spoke, “I think I’m doing fine.” A complete lie rolled off of my tongue. I’m not fine, and I’m sure he knew it.

He took a pause, “You’re fine?” He started to look around the open themed apartment. His nose started to flare as well, showing that he’s smelling something. Jean continued, “You’re not fine at all. Have you been spraying Evelyn’s perfume around this place? Don’t tell me that you literally went out of your way to go buy her exact $200 perfume to spray it around your unit.”

I was stunned by Jean’s quick finding. I sighed and corrected him, “$175.”

He rolled his eyes at me, “Like that makes it barely even better. What’s even worse is that you still have the room arranged the way that Evelyn likes it. You re-bought some of the things that she would like.” He stood up and went over to the bookcase, “Like this plant. Evelyn’s favorite, right? You told me that you used to hate this plant. You need to get out of this apartment. Rent a new one or get a house. It’s sickening.”

After 30 seconds of me and Jean awkwardly staring at one another, I had the confidence to speak, “Okay, so what if I did all those things? I’m just grieving and miss her, loads.”

“You spent $175 on her perfume while she’s probably getting dicked down by 175 other guys. Pick a struggle.” 

Jean's quick comeback left me completely stunned in silence. Is that really true? I looked down at my thumbs, twiddling, “Jean, do you think that she’s actually doing that right now?”

He let out a quick sigh of relief, “Yes! God, yes. She said she wanted to stay younger for longer. That’s code for wanting to have sex with more guys before she settles down. And you’re sitting in your apartment, going through the 5 stages of grief.”

Is that really code for what she was talking about? Did she just put it in nicer words so that I don’t feel too bad…? Was I lied to?

Jean came up to me in my face, “Think about it Eren! You guys started dating back in senior year. She didn’t get to experience her traditional college years because you guys were a thing. So when you were thinking about your marriage, she was thinking about if it was all a mistake. It’s time to get over that whore.”

I lashed out, “She’s not a whore! Just because you never liked her doesn’t make that true. Maybe she just wanted to have a break and hang-out. Be actually young.”

Jean sat down and scoffed, “Eren, what do you think that the context of young is? Young, single and free. If she wanted to go hang out with people and feel that type of young youth then she would’ve still gotten married to you. But she wants to be with other guys. And she is a complete asshole for doing that on your wedding night.”

I sighed in somewhat agreeance, “You might be right. But what are you doing here so unannounced anyway? It’s gotta be for something important I imagine.”

He looked at me in my eyes, “It was exactly what I said earlier. I wanted to check on you and make sure that you’re okay.”

I rolled my eyes, “Jean, you always have another motive. Just spit it out.”

He chuckled, “I wanted you to be my wingman at the bar.”

I let out an exasperated sigh, “That’s not it either.”

He groaned loudly, “Okay, fine! I want you to get your mind off of Evelyn. You’ve lost all of your energy since the break up and you need to get over her. Maybe you can find a nice girl at the bar or something. My extroverted Eren is gone! C’mon, she’s probably fucking different guys left and right, so why can’t you?”

I looked away from him, trying to find a quick excuse, “I’m not doing relationships yet.”

He shoved me, “First of all, it’s been 5 months, you can do a relationship. Second of all, it doesn’t have to be an actual relationship. Just have sex with a girl for a night to get your mind off of things for a while. Trust me, it’ll help.”

“Your whore tactics will help? I don’t think so. I’m not that type of person that needs to be with other people to get over someone.” Jean’s face looked shocked from what I said.

He started to stand up, “Wow, I feel disrespected. But also, you don’t have any ground to stand on for that one. Evelyn was your first and only real relationship, so how would you even know what type of person for real breakups you are? You wouldn’t.”

Honestly, Jean’s got a solid point. I don’t know how I am when it comes to actual relationships yet. Or when it comes to the breakup process either. Do I listen to Jean? Is this gonna be the thing to make myself stop feeling this continuous way of 5 months? 

I sighed, “There’s no way this is gonna work.”

A large gasp came out of Jean’s mouth with a big smile along with it, “Is that a yes, then?!”

I thought about it for a minute. Is that a yes? Am I really gonna do the things that way to get over Evelyn? It sounds terrible when I first take a look at it. But the way that Jean explained it made it sound better. She’s sleeping with other men, guaranteed, so shouldn’t I have fun too?

It all still felt a little wrong but I went with it, “I guess so.”

Jean gave me a hug as he spoke, “You’re making such a good decision for yourself! You don’t even know, Eren…”

I rolled my eyes, “I really hope that you know what you’re talking about.”

_________________________

About an hour later, we were in Jean's car as we pulled up to a bar. I’ve honestly never been to a bar before. Being in a relationship at such a young age had stopped me from being in this environment. 

“C’mon. I promise I’ll get you a lady.” Jean held open the door for me to get inside. As soon as I stepped foot inside, the sound of the bar was louder than I swear I’ve ever heard in my life. Jean continued talking, “Did I forget to mention that it’s club night?” He smirked.

I should’ve known. There’s always something hidden up Jean’s sleeve. I know that he just wants the best for me but clubs really aren’t my scene. The atmosphere almost automatically gave me a headache. The lights were bright and the music was loud. There were so many people all over the place.

Me and Jean went up to the bar and he ordered us drinks. He spoke, “This’ll loosen you up a bit. You’re a handsome man, Eren. I’m sure picking up a few girls will be no problem.”

I rolled my shoulders back as I took the drink, “Hopefully not.” I was still extremely nervous about what was going to happen. I’ve never picked up a girl in this environment before.

It felt like there were a million and one eyes staring at me, but when I turned around it was nothing. I had to try to calm myself down here.

Jean turned to me, “Are you alright, bud?”

I shook my head back to reality, “Yeah. It's just a little overwhelming, that's all.”

He rested his hand on my shoulder, “It’s not that hard, trust me. Just go up to a girl that you find at least somewhat attractive. If she’s outgoing, dance on her. If she’s shy, speak to her. Or even better, when she speaks to you first. That’s how you know that you’ll get some.”

I rolled my eyes at him, “That sounds like some asshole shit, to be honest.”

He groaned, “Whatever! It’s fine. I’m just gonna go talk to this girl over here. Not too much of my type but she’s got a cute smile.” I lost him within the sea of people that he went through.

I sighed to myself as I looked around for someone to try to get with. As I did a skim around the room, I didn’t find anyone in particular who I’d want in my bed tonight. And especially not anyone to wear Evelyn’s wedding ring either. I groaned and sat down at the bar, asking the bartender for another drink. 

Maybe drinking will ease my mind.

I heard a voice pop up to the left of me, “You alone, handsome?”

Her voice was grainy and an extreme amount of raspy. She sounded like she was on the line of being an addictive smoker. I was going to respond with a no until I saw her face. She looked identical to Evelyn. A blonde with green eyes. The blonde was clearly fake, it looked like she had just got the highlights in her hair.

It took me a minute but I decided to answer with the honest truth, “I’m just here with my friend.”

She tried to look at me with seductive eyes, but it wasn’t landing, “Yeah…? Does that friend happen to be a girl?” She spoke slowly, but her voice was so aggravating.

I was quite annoyed but I thought back to what Jean said, ‘Or even better, when she speaks to you first. That’s how you know that you’ll get some.’ It still sounds terrible, but… “No, just one of my guy friends.”

She chuckled, “How is a handsome man like you got no girlfriend?” She caressed my chest with her finger like we were in a movie.

I visibly cringed from her actions, “She broke up with me.”

An ‘awe’ noise came from out of her mouth, “I wouldn’t do such things to you. Wanna get over her?” She questioned me.

I knew what this was leading to. If I agreed then me and her would end up back at one of our apartments, having sex. Honestly, I was worried. I had sex with Evelyn for so many years that it would feel weird to do that with anybody else.

I sighed, “Think I might be ready for that. What’s your name?”

She laughed as she rolled her eyes, “Does that really matter?”

I didn’t change my facial expression, “Objectively, yes. It does.”

She let out a long sigh, “My name is Chloe. Nice to meet you, sir.”

“It’s Eren.” I responded.

She had a tiny smile from across her face, “Nice to meet you, Eren.” She corrected herself.

To be honest, if this doesn't just turn out to be a one night stand, I’ll be upset. I don’t want to learn new names, new faces and a whole new partner. Plus– she grosses me out to an extent. But she reminds me of Evelyn by her looks.

She continued to speak, “Can you purchase me a drink, maybe?”

I looked towards her, “What do you want?”

She chuckled, “Whatever you’re having.” 

I ordered her the same thing that I was drinking. It was on Jean’s tab but I’m sure he won’t mind. I mean, I’m doing exactly what we came here for. I didn’t even wanna come out here anyways. 

Jean came over with a girl. It was a woman with curled honey blonde hair and brown eyes. Jean had his arm around her and they were speaking until he saw me and cut himself off, “Eren– who do we have here?” He acted as if he was genuinely interested to know the girl.

I looked up at him, “This is Chloe. Who is the woman that you’re with?”

The girl that was under Jean’s arm put out her hand, “I’m Yasmin! Nice to meet you, Eren.” The woman was sweet sounding. I wish that Chloe sounded more like her. If she did then we would have something going on other than just sex. 

The girl that Jean pulled was conventionally attractive but nothing crazy that I’d turn my head to. She reminded me of the Yasmin Bratz Doll.

I shook her hand, “Well you already seem to know my name from Jean.”

Chloe pushed me back so that I could look at her, “Are you flirting with another girl infront of me?”

Jean cleared his throat and answered for me, “No! He’s just introducing himself, relax.” Jean was speaking as if he was nervous even though I really wasn’t flirting with Yasmin. It was just nice to hear her speak since it was such a large contrast to Chloe’s annoying voice. God, I really hope that she doesn’t sound like that when she moans…

Chloe started to get a grasp of my hair. She played around with it, “You have longer hair than the average man. You know, I think the longer hair look on men is more attractive.” She let out a small chuckle with her mouth closed.

Flirting with her right now was genuinely insufferable but, I should really listen to Jean for once in my life, “Yeah, you think so? Well I love the blonde on you. It looks wonderful.” 

Yeah, I was partially lying. The only reason that I found it somewhat attractive is because I’m thinking of Evelyn. But in reality, her personality is as ugly as her voice. But as I looked at her face, I think she was more shocked that I could tell the blonde was fake.

She slowly went in for a kiss. Before she kissed me, her eyes rolled up to her head as her eyes were closing. It looked, ugly. That was there when I made the rule. Backshots, only. Her lips pouted out a crust. It looked like she hadn’t used chapstick in years. Or am I only like this because Evelyn used to use chapstick every two seconds…? It rubbed off on me quite a bit, so now I guess I’m more observant of things like that nowadays. 

I looked at Jean and Yasmin before I kissed her back. The two were egging me on. Doing the ‘Do it!’ motion. I followed along with their instructions. I kissed Chloe back. Her mouth was open excessively. It was the real definition of a wet kiss. As I started to pull back from the kiss, she took her hand and placed it on the back of my head, leaning me in even more. 

She wouldn’t let me pull away from the terrible abomination that some people call a kiss. My eyes opened, I was mentally done with the kiss. When my eyes opened I saw her really getting into the kiss. I looked to the right of me. Yasmin and Jean were giving… concerned faces? They looked like they were cringing almost as much as me. 

Jean mouthed the words, ‘Pussy is pussy, right?’ he shrugged his shoulders at the same time. Yasmin gasped and shoved him a little.

This felt really, disgusting. To be fair, I think that I might just be judging the girl a little too much to my Evelyn standards. I mean, Evelyn was literally my everything. She was good at everything she did as well. Maybe I should just sleep with her and give the girl a chance. Maybe she’s inexperienced…

Chloe finally pulled away from the kiss, “Come back to my apartment with me. I need you.”

I looked at Jean and Yasmin for advice. Jean held up a thumbs up while Yasmin tilted her hand back and forth, signifying a ‘maybe, maybe not.’

The majority vote is a yes, then. I look back at Chloe. “Yeah, let’s go.”

She grabbed my hand and smiled. Jean and Yasmin waved me bye. I was nervous, honestly. I was more scared than almost anything else in my life. I really couldn’t picture myself doing this with a woman that I actually don’t know.

We took an Uber to her apartment complex. The ride there was a little awkward, at least on my side it was. I could feel her eyes piercing through my head the whole time.

Once we arrived at her complex, it was a pretty modern building. It looked like it had to be building a maximum 10 or 15 years ago.

We went into the building. Chloe started to speak, “Don’t worry, I’m on the 3rd floor. It won’t take too long my love.” All I could think was ‘Please for God's sake, don’t call me that.’

As we got into the elevator I could feel her smile radiating throughout the area. There was another woman in the elevator, she was an older lady. She seemed to be in her seventies at least. She was giving me and Chloe a sweet look.

She spoke, “Are you two a couple?”

I answered her question, “Ahh n—”

“Yes! We are.” Chloe cut me off. What the hell is her problem…?

“Awe, you two are so cute!” The old woman gave us a compliment as it rang that we were on floor 3. “Have a good day, cute couple!”

“You too!” Chloe answered. We both walked out of the elevator as she led me to her apartment.

I spoke, “Why did you tell that lady that we were dating?”

She let out a laugh that I never want to hear ever again, “It was cute! Plus it made her happy.”

I gave her a disgusted look, “Yeah, never again.”

She turned to me, “Awe, why not, Eren?”

“Because we are not in a relationship.” I responded blandly.

She groaned, “Whatever, anyways— we’re here.” She started to unlock her door with her keys.

The left side of the apartment looked like a wreck, while the right was pretty clean and tidy. It was obvious she had a roommate. Now the real question is, which one is her side?

She grabbed my face and was the one that started to kiss me first. It was that same wet kiss from earlier. I wanted to hurry up and get this over with so we can just fuck, honestly. 

She started to grind on my leg and it was all just one huge blur. Once we got into her room, she let out the loudest moans I think I’ve ever heard in my life. If I was her roommate, I’d probably move out by now. The moans were unnecessarily loud. I know my dicks a pretty big size but, is it really that good?

I stuck to my rule of backshots only. That way also made it easier for me to imagine that Chloe is Evelyn. The sex was still terrible. She wasn’t inexperienced, I could tell that much but she just genuinely sucked at– every aspect. 

She came way before me. It was a miracle that I was even hard at all.

_________________________________

The next morning, I woke up in her bed. The first thing that sparked to my mind was Evelyn. Jean was wrong. Sleeping with that woman didn’t do anything but remind me of Evelyn even more. How was I even supposed to get over her?

I woke up before Chloe did. If I can get up and leave before she wakes up, that would be ideal. I don’t know if she’s a heavy sleeper or not though.

I took my chances and started to try moving away from her. Sadly, she woke up first thing.

In the morning, she was even more raspier than usual, “Eren, where are you going?”

A million and one things went through my mind of what lie I could use to get out of this one, “I– I have work.”

She looked at me, “On a Saturday?”

I stuttered for a second, “Ye–yeah. I have work so I have to leave.”

She sighed, “Oh, okay. I can walk you out.” She switched to a smile. She was slightly more tolerable in the morning. She seemed more relaxed.

I found my clothes and we both walked out of her room. 

I. Froze. Immediately. 

There was a woman. She stood some distance from Chloe’s room, but just enough to talk to us. The girl sported a gray set. There was a sleeveless buttoned top, along with the flared pants. It was in the style of a suit, with narrow vertical lines running through it. She looked, good.

Her hair was a short bob length, black and fluffy. She had what I think they call ‘Manga Lashes’ with a natural pink lip.

It’s hard for me to find girls attractive, but this woman— she was one of the most stunning I’ve ever seen. It was almost like I forgot about Evelyn for a second. And no one has yet managed to have that effect on me. What is going on in my mind? Is this what Jean was talking about?

The woman groaned, “Chloe, I am so fucking pissed off at you. How many time have I told you to stop bringing men home in the depths of the fucking night?!”

Chloe rolled her eyes, “And once again, it just sounds like an excuse for you to act like a fucking hater because I’m getting dick and i haven’t seen you bring a guy back in lord knows how long. Oh wait that was—”

“Chloe. Don’t do this ‘victim’ complex shit in front of your fuck buddy, pretty boy over here. Your fucking loud ass moans keep me up every night. They’re so terrible and you wonder why every guy tries to leave you in the morning. Surprised this one hasn’t left you yet.” She points to me, “He must be a stupid one, for choosing you.”

I’m stupid? That was suspiciously rude and seriously uncalled for. This is my first time ever even being here. Plus, I don’t even like Chloe.

Chloe sighed, “Again, you’re being over dramatic. I’m sure that you have no problem sleeping.”

Her roommate gasped, “No problem? Do you know what time it is…? Your moaning has kept me up all night so I could barely sleep. I’m an hour late to work right now, and that's money that I have to give back to my clients because I slept in, AGAIN!”

Chloe raised her voice higher than the other woman, “You know what, Ackerman?! I’m so done with you treating me like this! You shouldn’t be talking to me like that! It’s rude and disrespectful. It’s not my fault that the fact I’m enjoying myself is keeping your dusty pussy from sleeping.”

Ackerman? That's gotta be the pretty ones last name, yeah? It can’t be her first.

Ackerman started yelling, “CHLOE, DON’T FUCKING TALK TO ME LIKE THAT! It’s been months of you doing this and me along with my clients are sick of it. I’m packing my things after I get back from work and leaving this place for good. Fuck you, stupid fucking whore…”

The girl walked along and slammed the door shut once she left. She was so rude but at the same time, she was stunning. The most beautiful I’ve seen in a long time…

Chloe waved her hand in front of my face, “Hello! Eren– why are you standing there star-struck like that? You alright?”

I woke myself up back to reality, “Yeah. I’m fine.”

[binarybitex]

writing updates for this week :] (04/14/2024)

this week's writing is largely comprised of thoughts, brainstorms, and a few revisions to chapters 9 & 10.

here's a snippet from the upcoming ch 9 "boss babysitter"

in total, i wrote over 5600 words on the document!!

as i wrap up book 1, ive been thinking a lot about the structures of books 2 and 3. timing is key to me bc this is slowburn after all. but aaaaaaa its just as painful (/pos) to write slowburn as it is to read it....

ive also been thinking about zekes journey up to heart hollow, pa. what he's seen, where he's been, what brought him to the resort, yadda yadda yadda.... and so my brain continues to flesh out things that will probably never be brought up in the main narrative

ive been deeply considering cherry and zeke's friendship. theres a pretty pivotal chapter in book 2 that touches on this, and i want to make sure i grasp it right. i wrote a big dialogue chunk down in my notebook.... i cant wait to write this episode !!! its been part of my arc list since the very beginning. eeeeek

aaughh ive been laboring over chapter 11's details. lots of research, lots of planning. there are....... so many moving pieces. im a little intimidated but i think itll be an excellent challenge. some stuff abt lewis gets dropped this chapter. thats all ill say.

added and tweaked chapter 10 a lot. this is the one thats been killing me... its going to end up being longer than ch9. fuck me for writing 30+ page chapters ig. (again.... slowburn is so painful but good god that slow dopamine release is therapeutic asf)

made some final revisions to ch9 "boss babysitter". i think i understand now why ive been so hesitant on posting it; a few more things needed to be added before the books finale..... i........ dont mean to cause alarm, but as soon as im done drawing the promotional artwork............ i think im ready to post it.

thats all for the week. monday starts tomorrow and i only have one task i have to accomplish. will probably work on ch10 and finish up the promo comic for ch9 "boss babysitter" :]

[ambroziadelphine]

Careful, I bite. Chapter 9

Masterlist Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8

The week continued on like this, going out somewhere with Hashirama to the gym, park, grocery store; which he was both appalled at the price when we figured out the currency difference between worlds, and amused when he saw the variety we had in food. I also showed his where I worked, just as a quick stop since my Manager wanted to give me an updated schedule since a new girl was hired; he was interested in what I actually did as a bartender then the alcohol or guests, but it was a little earlier in the day so there also weren't many people there. In exchange, he would tell me more about where he came from; about his life in the anime world. I learned that Tobi and Hashirama had indeed been leaders like Augie said, though they were called the Hokage, and they didn't rule at the same time. I also asked him to explain honorifics because I was thoroughly confused when he'd use them, turns out they are pretty accurate in anime which I guess should be obvious. I just never really knew if anime would be that accurate to Japanese culture like that, especially with how many there are and not all from Japan. 

I also made it obvious I was ignoring Tobirama through out the week. If he asked me something that wasn't just a basic need, I ignored him and even would leave the room if he was getting pissy about it. Which he was. A lot. Yet I noticed that night after I had shown Hashirama my work, Tobirama had stayed up waiting for me again, though when I entered he didn't even so much as glance at me, just continued reading whatever book he had. He had done that every night I worked since then, though I never bothered asking him why seeing as that meant talking to him willingly. B had taken him to a book store to get some he would want to read instead of the stuff we had at the apartment, especially after I had removed most of my spicy books to avoid him reading them accidentally; however that was about 2 full shelves of books I had to move, hehe.

Hashirama also always joined me when I was going to Liz's diner which I found quite funny, watching him sit at the counter with August talking about the newest thing he did in school, or talking about the character the little boy didn't even know was right in front of him, or something he made. He had found out Hashirama's name and has been attached to the man at the hip ever since, well, whenever he wasn't helping his mom. I think the little boy has also picked up on the subtle glances the brunette would take at his mother, there have been more then one occasion where he's gotten his mothers attention to cheer about something Hashirama told him about the Naruto character or small, harmless stories from his world. I was actually glad to see August so happy, he and Liz were pretty blue a year ago when her boyfriend, August's dad, died in a car accident. She had just found out she was pregnant with her daughter when she got the news, it was a miracle she didn't miscarry with the stress she was under those first few months, but thanks to Augie and some family support, she made it out just fine and gave birth to a healthy baby girl.

Right now I was in the shower, just washing my hair before I went out and got some documents I had a buddy forge, it wasn't a passport, but instead all official Canadian documents for Madara, everything from a birth certificate to high school transcripts to get him wherever he needs in this world. It'll be important if he's going to stay here. I have to pick them up today as Alex asked if I could get them done and she'd pay for them to even be put on rush order so she could have everything ready asap. Apparently, they're having some issues with one of her neighbors sons having it out for Madara or something, idk, but she wants it as a back up incase something happens and she needs them for if they need to involve police or anything.

I didn't really question it, though I did ask if I should get all that stuff for the Senju brothers too which she said no to, they were going home as soon as they can so there wouldn't be much point rushing that as well for the time being. I finished up in the shower quickly and got dressed, grabbing my coat and bag before walking out my door and into the living room, going to put on my shoes.

"Where are you going?" B asked as she turned to see me at the door.

"Oh, I gotta pick something up for Alex. I shouldn't be long." I said making her frown.

"You meeting up with King?" She asked making me pause and sigh, nodding. "Come on Max, you know that guy is still in touch with Rio." She said lightly making me roll my eyes.

"Well, he's kinda the only person who can get us forged documents for these guys, so I'm kinda stuck with him. Besides, I've already told him I'm done with Rio. For good." I said, turning and grabbing the doorknob when she called for me to stop, getting up and grabbing her coat.

"I'll go with you." She said making me scoff.

"No, you're not. He hates you." I said making her pause and scowl at me.

"I'm not gonna have you going to meet him when I know he's gonna go running to Rio right after this. I'm not letting you meet someone alone who's still friends with that abusive prick." She said, Hashirama and Tobirama getting up from the couch at her words and coming up to us.

"Abusive? Max, what is she talking about?" Hashirama asked making me sigh, putting a hand on my head.

"The guy Alex and I are paying to make the passports for you two, is a friend of my ex boyfriend from a few years ago; but I've kept my distance from him since then and things seem fine." I said with a slight shrug as B scoffed loudly.

"Ex-boyfriend, more like ex-abuser and stalker." She said as she took my wrist. "You can not just go meet with his buddies without someone there with you! They could be dangerous!" She said making me roll my eyes, pulling my wrist from her hand and stepping back.

"I think B is right, Max." Hashirama said softly. "We are just concerned for you, we do not mean to offend, we just wish to see you safe and out of harms way." He said making me sigh.

"Look, I'll be fine-"

"I'll go with her." Tobirama said, cutting me off making me blink in surprise along with the others.

"Excuse me?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at him.

"So, you finally talk to me?" He countered making me roll my eyes.

"Fuck you." I said, moving to open the door when he put a hand on it to stop me.

"If they're dangerous, you're not going alone. Enough arguing." He said, grabbing his coat and swinging it on. "I'll make sure she's safe, don't worry." He said as he followed my scowling form out to my car, getting in the passenger side as I sat in the drivers seat. I drove to the meeting location in silence, glaring at the road in front of me as Tobirama looked at me. I could feel his eyes on me the whole way making my annoyance grow as we pulled up to the spot,  putting the car in park as I unbuckled my seatbelt, seeing Tobi doing the same until I stopped him.

"You're not coming out there." I said, making him look at me in confusion.

"Of course I am." He scoffed making me glare at him.

"No, This will be a quick exchange. Stay in the car." I said, getting out without another word and walking up to where King stood, the Hispanic man had a yellow manila folder in his hands as he eyed the white haired man in the car.

"Rio ain't gonna be happy about him." King said making me tense, I just needed the folder, then I'm out of here. "You know, he's been a mess without you." He said making me roll my eyes.

"He'll live. The folder, please." I said, holding a hand out as he walked closer, eyeing me slowly.

"Ah, don't be like that, Maxine." He said, smirking as he tilted his head. "Where's the love?" He asked making me sigh and cross my arms.

"I thought we've been through all this before King. I don't want anything to do with Rio anymore. I've moved on from him, its time he does the same." I said calmly, getting him angry wont do me any good if I still need to get Tobirama and Hashirama's documents.

"Yea, I doubt he's gonna let you go that easily." He said, taking a step closer to me as he stared down at my eyes. "Took him a long time to get him off your back before." He asked, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, stepping back and taking the folder from his hand carefully as I turned around, only for him to catch my hand, which is when Tobi opened his door, standing up and glaring at King as he paused.

"Ohh, got yourself a little guard dog, huh Max?" He asked, grinning as he leaned close to my ears, my body freezing as I felt my breath stop. "He'll be hearing about this, from me or someone else." He said, letting me go as he turned around, walking back to his car, driving away in his shiny Rolls Royce as I felt myself let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding.

"What was that about?" Tobirama asked as I walked up to the car.

"I told you to stay in the car." I said, opening my door as he frowned.

"Answer me." He said, I let out a frustrated sigh and looked at him over the hood of the car.

"King is one of Rio's closest partners. Rio runs the money, he forges needed documents and such. Now, King is going to tell Rio about you, and the fact you were with me and he's going to be pissed. You might have just risked your way home by doing this cause King is also the only one who can get you those passports!" I snapped, he may have just fucked this all up for them. So, now either I have to fix it or find another plan. I also now needed to be a little cautious because Rio was still dangerous, even if I had told B I'd be fine earlier, he was into some sketchy shit with King, and I didn't truly know what he was capable of at this point. Tobirama scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"I'm sure you could find someone else to do it with how easily you got him to." He said making my eye twitch. Did he really think these things were that easy? He didn't even know what the fuck kind of documents we needed and he thinks its that easy? I stormed over to him and pushed him into his seat, leaning over him as I had a hand leaning on the doorframe.

"Getting these documents, is illegal. So I'm sorry, if I don't only know fucking criminals." I said, though he didn't seem to care much making my anger rise. "Also, you may have just majorly fucked me over by getting Rio jealous. B wasn't lying when she said he was dangerous, and not even I know what the fuck he's fully capable of. I'll be lucky if I'm not under constant surveillance or being followed at every turn now because of you." I snapped angerly, he rolled his eyes again.

"You're not that special." He scoffed making me step back, pulling my shirt up to reveal an 'R' faintly scarred into my skin right below my bra on my right side.

"Tell that to him." I said coldly as he looked at the scar in shock, a slight anger and mortified horror in his eyes at what was essentially a branding of my ex carved into my skin. "He did this 2 months into dating. I was trapped with him for 2 years. He continued to stalk and harass me for another year before finding a new bitch to abuse." I said, pulling my shirt down before shutting his door harshly, walking back to my side and getting in. Tobirama was quiet for a moment as I started the car, pulling back onto the road as he looked out the window.

"I.. I'm sorry." He said quietly, sounding honestly genuine making me scoffed.

"If you had said that yesterday, I would have forgiven you." I said, my hands balled into fists. "But right now, I just want to get home and get as far away from you as I can." I said, it was a very tense and awkward ride home and upon entering the apartment again I stormed into my room, locking myself inside as I tried to keep calm, I didn't know what he'd do. He could be constantly watching me now. Every bar, every café, every party I go to. He'll probably know. I wouldn't ever put stalking me again past him, he did it for a year after I left him. He only stopped after finding someone else to abuse.

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

When it got to Friday, I could not be happier, especially after going the rest of the week without seeing a hint of Rio anywhere. Maybe I was over reacting. I guess we'll see.

Anyways though, besides the Rio incident, thankfully no big arguments have broken out again, though I could always feel Tobirama's eyes on me since we got home that day; especially when I refused to talk or look at him at all the rest of the week. Hashirama and B tried to talk to me about it but I just said I wasn't going to change my attitude until he left, I had briefly explained what happened to B, who explained to Hashirama, and after that they thankfully stopped bugging me. Though I still heard that night as Hashirama conversed with Tobirama, sounding to be scolding him slightly.

I had just gotten home from work, taking the elevator that was finally fixed up to my floor with an excited kick to my step. Earlier that day I had gotten a text about a party happening tonight and I wanted to go and get laid. I wanted a night where I could forget about Tobirama and Rio, just to relax and have fun while I drowned my feelings in alcohol. I was super jittery to go, hoping B would be as on board as I am, which was almost a guarantee with how much she liked to party.

All I knew, was that tonight, I wasn't letting anyone get in the way of taking some much needed de-stress time and fucking whoever I want.

[revolutionaryant]

Routine

7:30 a.m.: The alarm clock brings S. back from the pleasures of unconsciousness. Usually she cannot remember her dreams, but the warm and comforting feelings tell her that she dreamt of indescribable wonders again. 

Next to her, her husband snores slightly. Fortunately, the sound of the alarm didn’t wake him up. S. would love to stay in bed for a little bit longer; however, it is not possible. H. is a light sleeper and it would be better to let him be for now.

S. takes her phone, moves the sheets aside and, as quietly as possible, leaves the room carefully closing the door behind her. Then, goes to the living room and a faint rotting smell welcomes her. She decides to ignore the source: a pile of dirty dishes begging to be washed in the kitchen sink. She goes and lies on the sofa, after a while she starts trying to organize her day, knowing that past 10:00 a.m. her schedule is subject to change. 

7:46 a.m.: After 10 minutes of planning S. decides to make herself a coffee to properly start her day, but the mountain or dirty plates and pots tells her that a plain glass of water would be a better idea.

7:56 a.m.: Finally, S. turns her computer on and readies herself for another workday. After checking the accumulated emails from her agent and some editorials she opens the document where her novel awaits some sort of progress. 18 months and 3 movings later, no more than 5 chapters had been completed. 

Checking the outline of the story, S. decided to work on the 2nd act, the climax of the story. Today, continuing where she left off in chapter 6 wouldn’t work anyways, she was out of ideas. 

While she is spilling some incoherent ideas on the document a low volume growl comes floating through the bedroom door shattering S.’s fragile focus. No other sound breaks the heavy silence of the house, so, after 5 minutes S. relaxes and starts the slow process of reorganizing her ideas to put them “to paper”. 

9:49 a.m.: S. notices the time. She is still stuck on this meeting and her agent, along with the owner of an important editorial won’t have a problem on keeping her here for at least 30 more minutes. Her right leg starts jumping up and down in a nervous rage but her upper body maintains the stern and professional mask the situation requires. Her hands are tense and sweaty, it would be better to keep them off the camera’s field of view. 

10:23 a.m.:  A scream interrupts S. halfway through her sentence. The door of the bedroom opens violently. H. stabs her with a hateful stare as he storms into the bathroom. S. forces herself to keep her composure, and after a deep and resigned sigh, she mutters an apology, mostly directed to her agent. After all, S. had promised this wouldn’t happen again. She tries to finish her thought, but the kicks on the walls and the doors slamming make it impossible to continue the meeting.

10:36 a.m.: H. runs all over the apartment searching for his working clothes, his keys, his wallet, and countless other objects, all while he scolds his wife for not waking him up earlier. He will be late and it is HER fault. He shrieks for her to at least prepare him a coffee while he finds his black trousers. She obliges and apologizes profusely for her fault. It was not her intention, her meeting went longer than expected. H. only answers with more insults. 

11:29 a.m.: The sound of a notification catches her attention. It is a message from H. lamenting the scene and asking how he can be forgiven. S. runs her fingers across her lips, still sore from the slap she received, takes a deep breath and simply answers: “Don’t worry about it, I know you are very stressed lately. Everything is fine”.  

5:35 p.m.: S. is exhausted after a whole afternoon cleaning the house and falls asleep on the couch. Now that she doesn’t have a job anymore, at least, she can pay more attention to her chores. 

9:54 p.m.: A sudden shake wakes her up. Half asleep S. can barely understand what H. is saying. He is livid, going on about how absolutely selfish she is. Why would she clean the house alone and rob him of the opportunity of contributing to the keeping of his own home!?

1:11 a.m.: After her afternoon nap, S. cannot fall asleep. She is uncomfortable, but doesn’t move much, trying not to disturb H.  2:32 a.m.: Finally, exhaustion overcomes S. as her eyelids grow heavy she smiles. She hopes that, this time, her morning alarm will fail its mission of waking her up and her unconsciousness will last forever.

[chocochannel]

State of Grace - Chapter 1

Pairing: Sunghoon x G/N!Reader

Synopsis: After many years spent in studying and extracurriculars, you finally manage to fulfill your dream to study in one of the best private universities in the world, located in Paris, France. However, unlike the other students here, your tuition is fully paid with your scholarship. Stumbling upon snobby and pretentious classmates that have spent thousands of dollars for private lessons, the atmosphere becomes very tense, especially with one of the top students in the university, Park Sunghoon.

Genres: Private University in France AU, Enemies to Lovers, Academic Rivals

Taglist: (Opened), @cyuuupid

Word Count: 835 words

A/N: Guys, I am so excited to finally share with you the first chapter of my first ever story! I would like to say in advance that i plan to make this a long story, therefore the drama between the reader and sunghoon won't be immediate. Hope you enjoy this chapter and I will be posting the next one soon!

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

It was Saturday morning and the sun rays glimmered through the open window in your bedroom. Although it was the end of summer, the weather was still warm. Being awoken by the morning light, you took a long yawn and eventually got up. You picked up your phone and caught a glimpse at the time – it was 9:00 and you had exactly 2 hours before you had to head to the airport. Fortunately you had packed your stuff the day before so this was off your to-do list. Now you only needed to get ready and eat something so you didn’t starve during the day. After finishing with these mundane tasks, it was finally time for the excitement to come through. Tomorrow would be your first day at Enchanted University. You had dreamt of this moment for so long and now it was finally around the corner. You had worked so hard to get into this prestigious university and everyone knew that – your family, your friends and even your teachers. You felt a sense of pride now that your work had paid off. Moving on…You were finally dressed up and headed out the door.

You were at the airport now and your family and friends were all here to see you off. After saying goodbye to everyone and promising to call them everyday, it was time to get on the plane. You found your place there and got ready for a long flight. Putting your favourite song on and snuggling in a cosy blanket you dosed off, awaiting the start of a new chapter in your life…

Standing in front of the campus, you suddenly felt small. The building was enormous and almost resembled an old castle. The courtyard was filled with students and you felt lost in such a big crowd. With no other option then to continue walking, you headed straight towards the big building. After a while, you managed to reach the entrance to the main hall of the university. After getting your documents checked at the reception, you now had to head to your newly assigned dorm. You had already been informed that you would share a triple-bed apartment with someone else, therefore you were feeling nervous to see who you would be living with for the rest of the semester. After walking for what seemed like a really long period of time, you finally arrived in front of the apartment’s front door. Even by the look of the exterior, the place seemed quite fancy. The excitement and nervousness took over your whole body as you proceeded to enter inside.

When you opened the door, you immediately spotted someone. There was a tall pretty girl, dressed in sportswear. She was surrounded by various athletic equipment and she was stretching in front of a big TV. She didn’t notice you for a while, but the moment she caught a glimpse of you entering the dorm, she suddenly got startled and fell over.

“I’m so sorry for scaring you.” – you said nervously.

“Don’t worry. It was my fault for getting distracted” – the girl reassured you and got up. “I am Kazuha, nice to meet you!” – she smiled brightly and shook your hand.

“I am Y/N. Nice to meet you too. Sorry for disturbing your workout.” – you replied and smiled back.

“It’s alright. I was just doing a post-workout stretch as I just got back from my ballet lessons.” – she mentioned.

 “Oh so you do ballet? That’s so cool!” – you were genuinely surprised from this fact.

“Oh thanks, I am doing an art degree in dancing here. And by the way, you can just call me Zuha. We will be living together for a while and I can’t wait to get to know my roommates!” – she said excitedly. She seemed really cheerful and she always had a bright smile on her face.

“Honestly same! And to be honest I am really relieved after I met you. I still haven’t seen our other roommate though. Have you seen them yet?” – you asked Kazuha.

“I haven’t met them yet, but as far as I know they are a fashion major. It will probably be fun to live with such a cool person! Actually, now that I have mentioned that, I forgot to ask what are you majoring in?”

“Well I am studying law here.” – you replied

“ Wow, you must be really ambitious then! I think it will be a great year for the three of us!” – Kazuha was really positive. She reminded you of a sunshine.

“I am glad to meet you, but I have to unpack my luggage now. I will let you finish your stretch and we can talk some more after, if u want.” – you suggested.

“Of course! I will be waiting.” – she said and then got back to doing her exercises.

It seemed that your roommates weren’t as scary as you had thought they would be. Well, at least one of them wasn’t. You still hadn’t met the other one, therefore you were still feeling nervous...

[agustdakasuga]

Between The Bloodshed | Chapter 18

Genre: Mafia!AU, Angst, Romance, Fluff

Pairing: OT7 x Reader

Characters: Doctor!Reader, Gangster!Namjoon, Gangster!Seokjin, Gangster!Yoongi, Gangster!Hoseok, Gangster!Jimin, Gangster!Taehyung, Gangster!Jungkook

Summary: Being a freelance doctor, this was just supposed to be any other job, helping a private client and taking care of him through his recovery. But you were not expecting to get caught in something so much darker that would change your life entirely.

There are just too many things going on right now with a heavier workload and more responsibilities. But maybe now is the best time to address the emotions that seem to be running too high. 

Warning: This story is fictional and has nothing to do with real life events or the actual members of BTS. It may contain depictions of violence, blood shed/ gore and mentions of abuse. Please read at your own discretion.

Chapter warning(s): Mentions of glass injury, censored curse word by angry Yoongi, reader goes drinking so alcohol mention. 

With the birth of your new niece, you had been even more busy, if that was even possible. Unfortunately, Jisung wasn’t able to stay over anymore because you were worried about him knowing what the boys did as their ‘jobs’. 

“Koo, I know it hurts but you have to stop moving.” You scolded as you used your tweezers to remove the shards of glass from his knuckles. Jungkook whined as he winces in pain. You had to make sure you removed every little piece of he might get an infection. 

“I told you to stop being reckless.” You sighed, placing the pieces of glass onto the cotton pad. 

“I was careful...”

“You punched through a car window. I don’t know how careful that was.” You rolled your eyes. When you were sure all the glass pieces were out, you moved the magnifier lamp away and threw the glass away. 

“I wasn’t going to let him get away. So I punched through the window and pulled him out.” 

“Okay, you already know what is next. So take a deep breath.” You warned, getting the antiseptic spray ready. 

“Can we skip that?” He whined. 

“Can you not get so badly injured?” You retorted, making him pout. You shook the bottle and he took a deep breath, biting his bottom lip and scrunching his face to brace. 

“Okay, we’re done.” You cooed. Jungkook let out tiny whimpers like an injured puppy, his eyes glossing over. You patted his head, gently dabbing his wounds with a cotton. Once that was done, you wrapped his knuckles up, fastening them in place with some medical clips. Jungkook watched as you cleared up the messy area, disinfecting the table after. 

“How’s your niece?” 

“She’s doing good, both her and her mother are getting all the rest and care that they need. Her name is Yuri.” You said, scrolling on your phone to show Jungkook a picture. 

“She’s cute. She has the same eyes as Jisung.” Jungkook smiled. You laughed, nodding in agreement. 

“So... did you find someone to accompany you to the ball yet?” He asked, finger drawing imaginary shapes on your desk. 

“If you couldn’t tell, I’ve been rather busy the past few days. And unfortunately, finding a date for the ball is at the end of my priority list now.” You scoffed, typing on your computer. Jungkook just hummed. 

“Well, I was wondering if-”

BANG!

You turned your head to see Yoongi standing at your door. His shoulders rise and fell with each pant. A deep frown was on his face and even if it was anger, it was very rare to see Yoongi display such strong emotion. You weren’t scared but worried and curious. 

“Out.” Was all he said to Jungkook. Jungkook didn’t even bother arguing like he usually did, standing up and making a beeline for the door. 

“What’s wrong?” You stood up. Yoongi seemed to hesitate for a while, it was obvious he was having an internal debate with himself. He untucked a manila folder from under his arm. 

“Yoong-”

“Just read it.” He cut you off, sliding the folder across your desk to you. You gave him a look before undoing the string, looking at the contents. 

“What does all that mean?” He asked impatiently. 

“Yoongi, this-”

“Just tell me.” He pressed. 

“It’s cancer. That’s all I can tell you now.” You sighed, putting the summary report down. Yoongi seemed shock, walking back into the chair opposite yours. It was silent as you continued looking at the other reports and Yoongi let reality sink in. He stared ahead blankly but you knew Yoongi well enough that he didn’t want to be comforted right now. 

“What else?” He asked. 

“Yoongi, you can shout at me all you want. But I am not telling you anything else until you tell me who this report belongs to.” You said firmly. Yoongi glared at you but you weren’t backing down. 

“Half brother.” He mumbled. Considering Yoongi has never even mentioned any siblings before, you believe this half brother was estranged. 

“He won’t let me near him after what my dad did to his mother. Getting a copy of these reports was the only way to know what was really going on.” Yoongi explained briefly. 

“It’s non-small cell lung cancer, stage 3.” 

“What does that mean? Can he be cured? Whatever needs to be done, I’ll do it.” Yoongi said firmly. 

“At this point, it still seems regional, which means it is only affecting the tissues in the surrounding area. It hasn’t widespread yet. Surgery can be performed to remove the affected tissue followed by chemo or laser therapy to kill off any other affected cells.” You informed. 

“Can you do it?” This was Yoongi practically begging at this point. 

“Can I do it? Yes, I can. Will I do it? No, I won’t.” You said, placing all the medical documents back into a stack, putting it back into the original envelope that it came in. 

“WHY THE F*CK NOT?!” Yoongi stood up with so much force, his chair fell back, crashing onto the ground. 

“If you read the report, you would know that your brother’s cancer has only gotten to this stage because he refuses treatment of any kind. He refuses to take even one pill from his doctor. You force him to do such a big surgery he doesn’t want, any plans you had of making up for your broken sibling relationship will be gone.” You frowned. 

“Hyung...” The others appeared at the door. They had rushed over when they heard the crash. 

“When Min Geumjae comes to me on his own will and tells me he wants the surgery, I’ll do it. But until then, I refuse to even look at his file.” You pushed the manila envelope back to him. 

“Hyung.” Namjoon brought Yoongi out to cool down. You let out a sigh, shivering slightly as you turned your chair around, back facing the boys. 

“This is the last thing I need.” You rubbed your temples. 

“Hey, you alright?” Hoseok’s soft voice appeared on your side. You opened your eyes to meet his worried ones. 

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?” You replied a little colder than you intended to, turning back to your computer. The boys cast each other uneasy looks before everyone was ushered out by Jin. Only Jimin remained behind. 

“Say, what are you doing tonight?” He asked, leaning against your desk. 

“Chim, I really don’t have the time for this. If you aren’t injured or need medical help, please go somewhere else. I have work to do.” You said, typing away the report that was on your screen. Even your big computer monitor looked like a mess with multiple windows everywhere. 

“Come out with me. Tonight.”

“Chim, I-”

“I’ll meet you at the foyer. 9pm.” He smiled sweetly before getting off your desk and walked out. You stared at your closed door before shaking your head and turning back to your work. 

It was close to 9 when you came down from your room. You didn’t know how to dress but if you were going out with Jimin, you knew you had to meet standards. 

“Where is he?” You checked the time on your phone. 

“Uh, going out...?” Namjoon saw you and immediately grew curious. You were in a short, black bodycon dress with a slit on your left thigh. 

“Yeah.” You nodded. Some others passed by and also couldn’t help but stare at you all dressed up. They loitered around, wanting to see if they could catch a glimpse of someone picking you up. 

“I’m here! Sorry for being late but we can do now.” Jimin came rushing down, adjusting his suit jacket. He was in a more casual suit than the usual business ones the boys wore, the red jacket and pants complimenting to loose, black undershirt nicely. The others that were there in the foyer were speechless with their eyes wide. Jimin was taking you out?!

“Let’s go.” Your words confirmed their suspicion. 

“You look nice.” Jimin complimented. You let out a hum, bending slightly to wear your shoes. 

“The driver is outside.” He held his arm out for you to take as you headed out the door. You failed the hear the scrambling of footsteps from the others, rushing to the window to see Jimin opening the door for you. 

“What?!” Taehyung screeched. 

“That hyung is good.” Jungkook shook his head. 

The car stopped in front of a building. The neon sign flashed ‘Filter’. You remember this as one of Jimin’s businesses. 

“Come.” The driver opened the door for the both of you. People who were either waiting to get in or entering stopped to stare at the both of you. The girls squealed at Jimin’s good looks but the boy only focused on you. He placed a hand on your waist. 

“Good evening, boss.” The bouncers bowed. 

“That’s the boss?” 

“He’s so good looking!” The people were whispering. When the bouncers opened the velvet rope, Jimin led you in. The staff must have known that Jimin was here because some guys immediately came to you to serve you. 

“I’ve got it, guys. Thanks. But she’s mine.” Jimin waved his boys away. You couldn’t help but heat up at his words. 

“Yes, boss. Have a nice evening.” They wished the both of you and bowed before leaving the both of you. You felt rather lost in this whole situation, you’ve never seen this side of Jimin before. 

“You look like a lost lamb.” Jimin chuckled. He continued to guide you to the elevated VIP platform. Your booth overlooked the other club goers. 

“What would you like to drink? It’s on the house. You can just sit back and relax.” Jimin asked as you sat down. 

“Well, if you say so, Mr Park. Then I’ll start with a red sangria, please.” You ordered with a chuckle. Jimin laughed along as he nodded and sat down beside you on the plush couch, pressing a button on the armrest. In a few seconds, a tall male in a suit came in. His name tag flashed ‘manager’. He bowed deeply to the both of you. 

“A red sangria for her and a beer for me to start.” Jimin ordered. 

“Yes, sir.” He bowed and left. 

“You know, I’m perfectly fine being with the normal people downstairs. I don’t need a VIP booth or any special treatment.” You said. 

“Nonsense. (y/n), don’t you realise? You’ll be granted entrance and a VIP booth to anywhere that you go. It doesn’t matter whether me or the other boys are there.” He raised an eyebrow. 

“What do you mean?” 

“That.” Jimin pointed. You followed his finger to your bracelet on your wrist. The very one that Namjoon gave you when you joined. 

“That bracelet is a symbol that you’re part of the family.” He said briefly. You looked at the bracelet. Even if it was dark, the pink diamond charm was shining brightly next to the wing charm. 

“Don’t take it off.”

You remember Taehyung’s words when he first put the bracelet around your wrist. The manager coming back in with your drinks broke your train of thought. Jimin handed you your drink and you clinked glasses together before taking a sip. You let out a relaxed sigh. 

“It’s good.” You smiled, swirling the drink in your glass. 

“I’m glad. Have as much as you like.” Jimin grinned as he sipped his own beer. He was just happy you were smiling again. 

“Jimin... You probably think I’m cruel, huh? For not helping Yoongi.” You guessed that Jimin knew the situation with Yoongi since he was one of the ones that was the closest to the elder. 

“Why would you think that?” 

“Do you know why I refuse to do the surgery?” You asked as you stared at the drink in your hand. Jimin shook his head. 

“Because, I’ve seen it all before. Families, relationships, torn apart... Because some people think what they’re doing is the best for the patient. But have they really asked the patient what they want? My parents were all for it. Doing big surgeries brought a lot of good image and reputation but I didn’t want to be part of that.” You confessed. 

“(y/n)...”

“That’s why I can’t do it. I’ve seen people bribe patients to do surgeries with such high risk just to give the press something to write about.” You said. 

“I know Yoongi only has good intentions. He only wants his brother to live. But at what cost? If his brother doesn’t want it, who are we to make that decision for him? We can’t just make him do it.” 

“I never realised...” Jimin said. 

“It’s just the way the world is. Why do you think I live through my parents’ snide remarks instead of giving in to work for them?” You chuckled bitterly. 

“A son of an old patient contacted me that day. His mother needs a heart valve replacement, which can be a rather risky surgery considering her age and it’s open heart surgery.” You started. 

“Is she going to do it?”

“She didn’t... That’s why her son wanted me to convince her. I told him I would look at the medical reports before speaking to her. In the end, I declined. Yes, cruelly, I’m letting someone die. But why am I trying so hard to convince someone to do something they don’t want to do?” You looked at him. 

“Of course, I know when people have a chance of living and yet, they refuse, it’s a shame. But I willingly live with that guilt and regret.” You threw your head back. Jimin wrapped an arm around you. 

“I hate seeing you upset.” He comforted. You closed your eyes, putting an arm around him. 

-

“Hehehe.” You giggled as Jimin carried you into the house. Maybe you had a bit too much to drink but you were very insistent that you were not drunk. The other boys came down. 

“Oh my... How did she get so drunk?” Jin’s eyes widened when he saw you. None of them have ever seen you in that state before. Seeing the other boys standing there, you blinked at them before grinning and waving at them. Namjoon was the first to take you from Jimin. He gave you an amused smile and you poked his dimple. 

“Cute.” You commented. 

“Let’s get you to bed.” Namjoon said softly. 

“But I’m not sleepy...” You mumbled, cuddling against his chest. Jungkook patted your head. 

“Hyung, can we talk?” Jimin asked Yoongi. Yoongi nodded his head wordlessly, walking with the shorter male out to the garden. Namjoon looked at the two before bringing you upstairs. 

“Who are you?” You tilted your head. 

“Namjoon, doc. Did you forget me already?” He chuckled.

“Doc... I’m a doctor?” Your eyes widened as you pointed at yourself. Namjoon hummed in reply with a nod, kicking your room door open. He placed you to sit on your bed. 

“Woah... I’m a doctor. That’s cool. And what about you, Mr Namjoon? Are you a doctor too?” You asked. 

“No, I’m not a doctor. Only you are a doctor.” He said, grabbing some makeup wipes and began to gently wipe the makeup off your face. You seemed so fascinated with the life you were learning about from Namjoon. 

“You’re really nice, Mr Namjoon.” You giggled. 

“Thank you. Now, doc, do you think you can change out of your dress and into these?” He asked, holding up a shirt and some shorts. You stared at the articles of clothing before nodding your head. Namjoon ushered you to your bathroom and closed the door, staying on the other side. 

“I’m done.” You said. Thankfully, you were able to successfully change. Namjoon tucked you into bed. 

“Goodnight, doc.” He wished. 

“No, Mr Namjoon, don’t goooooo.” You whined, holding onto his wrist. 

“Come on, doc. Be good, you have to sleep. We can hang out tomorrow.” He coaxed. You pouted with a frown, crossing your arms like a little kid throwing a tantrum. 

“Well, then what do you want to do?” 

“I don’t know... I want to stay with you.” You said sadly. Namjoon smiled endearingly, patting your head. He helped you out of bed and into his room. 

“You can stay here with me.” He got under the covered. You snuggled close to him as he leaned against the headboard, reading his book. Even if you weren’t doing anything, you were content. 

“Are you comfortable?” Namjoon asked. You nodded your head, yawning again. He reached over to pat your head.

“Mr Namjoon?” 

“Hmm?”

“Do you have a girlfriend? Or someone that you like?” 

“I don’t have a girlfriend... But there may be someone I fancy. Actually, doc-” When he heard no sound from you, he stopped. Looking down, Namjoon saw that you were fast asleep, tucked under his arm comfortably. Namjoon closed his book, putting it on the nightstand before turning off the lights. 

“She probably thinks I’m just like her parents. Or all those other people she hates.” Yoongi sighed, leaning against the railing of the gazebo. 

“She’s doesn’t, hyung. You know doc isn’t like that. She knows all you wanted to do was help your brother. None of us would know all this, she only told me tonight.” Jimin shrugged. 

“All I did was add to her stress.” 

“Hyung, stop. Doc always tells you about taking all the blame on yourself and how it’s a bad habit.” Jimin scolded, making Yoongi hang his head. 

“Well, she said that she won’t do the surgery already. So I guess there’s really nothing else I can do except speak to my brother to try and get him to do the surgery... Or just watch him die.” Yoongi said bitterly. Jimin knew Yoongi was just at lost and as painful as it sounded, those were really his only options. He wrapped his hands around the older.

“No matter what his decision is, I’m sure he would appreciate your support. It’s never too late to mend a broken relationship.” Jimin comforted. 

“That’s if he ever wants to see me again.” 

“You’ll never know, hyung. Maybe a serious, sit down conversation is all you need.” Jimin pulled away with a chuckle. Yoongi forced a small smile, nodding his head in agreement. 

“About doc, I’ll speak to her soon. Thanks for taking her out.” Yoongi patted Jimin’s shoulder.

“I didn’t do it for you.” 

“Huh?” 

“I didn’t do it as a favour for you. I did it because I hate seeing the woman I love upset.” Jimin said before turning around to talk back into the house. 

~~

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[raisinghellonstarbug]

Stumbled Into Laughter, Stumbled Into You - A James Acaster x Reader Story

Basic plot: The year is 2019, and life has been quite dull for you since working in a job that you hate for the past two years after graduating from university. You used to do stand up comedy at uni, but you’ve been putting off pursuing it due to lack of confidence and motivation. Your best mates decide to encourage you to try a comedy mic night for the first time ever and while there you incidentally run into an old mate of yours, comedian Rhys James. That’s when your life gets turned around as you end up diving into the world of the comedy circuit and becoming close with other famous British comedians. In the midst of it all, you end up meeting a particularly distinctive red headed fellow who might end up being the very thing that brings meaning to your life again.

*

A/N: Hello Acaster fans!

So this was an idea I have had in mind for the last few months and I finally finished the first chapter of my story!

Just so you know, the first chapter does not include James, but be patient as he will appear soon (but maybe not quite as soon as you hope). I do reckon it will be worth the wait for his appearance, or at least I hope the story is still enjoyable! It is a slow burn so if you are an inpatient person, then this story might not be for you ;)

You can read this chapter below or if you prefer, there is also the link to the chapter posted on Ao3 right here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/33748507

-

Rating: M

Chapter 1 word length: 2326

Characters: James Acaster (duh), Original Female Characters(s), Original Male Character(s), Rhys James, Ed Gamble, Nish Kumar, Josh Widdicombe

Relationships: James Acaster x Reader/you, Original female character/Original Male character

Story tags: Romantic comedy, domestic fluff, slow burn, fluff and smut, British comedy, eventual relationships

Tagging: @laurabeech @rilannon @jasclearwaters @marklily @queensantiagoofthe99

Chapter 1 - Summer 2019

You were sitting at your desk at your mundane job, practically ready to blow your brains out on the usual, dull Thursday afternoon. It was really warm and stuffy inside the fifteen story office block building situated in Canary Wharf. This was a place you found yourself five days a week, doing the typical 9 to 5 hours. A usual day for a usual person.

Your job wasn’t a particularly riveting one. As an underwriter for an insurance company, some days could get especially boring. You knew how to do the job well, but it was not something you really loved. It involved all kinds of clients and claims in paperwork and it sometimes felt tedious and unfulfilling. But hey, it still paid your share of rent and bills. At least you could say you could manage in the hustle and bustle of the London lifestyle.

It was nearly hometime and you were itching to get home and relax. But before that could happen, there were those last set of insurance cover forms you had to copy to get sent to the HR department. And so you typed away on your laptop, clickety clack, clickety clack… the minutes went by like a chalk on a blackboard, scraping away at a snail’s pace.

You put your full force of concentration on the documents on the screen until it was finally done. A sense of achievement was necessary in these moments despite your lack of enthusiasm. It was in the little victories you reminded yourself. You rubbed the sweat from the July heat off your forehead.

* * *

The last 2 hours eventually passed by and it was soon the rush to get out of the door before you got held up by your colleagues. They were nice enough, but sometimes they could hold you back for half an hour chatting when you just wanted to get home, or your manager might try and get you to stay an hour overtime.

Thankfully you did get out promptly, and as you ran and dashed out of the office building saying brisk goodbyes to coworkers, you managed to make it to the tube with the train just arriving on time. But not without being moderately sweaty and hot though. Bloody stuffy platforms.

As expected it was still a busy train with plenty of 5pm finishers getting themselves situated on the half crowded carriages, but as it was only 10 past, it wasn't the worst time of day for commuting yet.

You perched yourself on one of the tube’s seats and let your shoulders drop, having held the tension in your body from sitting at a desk all day. You placed your head slightly back, balancing it on the window of the train. You looked up momentarily above you and then lifted your head back up to look at your phone and choose a song to listen to on Spotify through your wireless earphones.

The streams of sound from one of your favourite songs began to play softly in your ears and you smiled, knowing that the song gave you a little bit of wistful joy. You started mouthing the words.

Call it all for nothing, but I'd rather be nothing to you. Than be a part of something, something that I didn’t do (Best to You - Blood Orange).

The words half mean something but not necessarily anything. You began to wonder about being part of something that you’re not.

I just wish I could float away from my unexciting existence… you thought to yourself.

It sometimes occurred to you that you might have wanted something more out of life, but weren’t entirely sure what. It doesn’t make you dreadfully sad, but you know that life for you hasn’t exactly been the best it could be, and that perhaps something was missing. You wish you knew what it was.

You sighed, ignoring the feeling of sorrow wash over you momentarily and propped yourself back up in the uncomfortable seat of the train. You tried to keep yourself awake so that you wouldn’t miss your stop. The music continued through your ears.

* * *

You opened the door of the three bedroom flat that you had been residing in for the last two years with your flatmates and sighed with relief that you had finally reached home. You hurried to get your handbag off your shoulder and your shoes off, placing them on the rack next to the front door and walked through the hallway.

The minute you poked your head through to the lounge, bellowing a faint hello to whoever was around, you were suddenly greeted by one of your best friends and flatmates, Grace.

“Ahh Y/n! You’re home. Thank christ!”

She grabbed you and reached her arms around to embrace you tightly. You were perplexed by this gesture as it was so random and unusual given that Grace lived with you and saw you everyday of the week. You frowned and reluctantly placed your arms around her to return the hug.

As she then let go, she looked at you with urgency in her eyes and shrieked with excitement, “Oh Y/n guess what? It looks like I’m up for a promotion! Can you believe it?”

Now processing the reason for such an embrace, you raised your eyebrows in glee and smiled proudly, gushing back to your best mate who was obviously chuffed by the matter.

“Oh wow Grace, that's fantastic! I mean, finally. It is about bloody time!”

She smiled, “Yes I guess it is. But I mustn't get too excited. I haven’t officially got the promotion yet.”

“Ah but no. I’m not having any of that. You will get that promotion. It is a guarantee. They would be idiots to not give it to you.” Grace rolled her eyes and bit her lip. She reluctantly nodded and agreed.

The smell of food distracted you momentarily from the conversation. It was a particularly appetising smell.

Grace uttered, “Yes that smell is good isn’t it? Theo insisted on cooking us a nice meal for me as a celebration.”

You smiled knowingly, having known about how Grace and Theo had been in relationship limbo ever since you three became close friends at university. You knew they both had feelings for each other but often danced around the subject, completely oblivious to one another’s obvious attraction to the other. You reckoned they had to do something about it one day.

“Thank fuck. I wasn’t prepared to make dinner tonight. I am too tired for that.”

Grace then had her worried face on. She instantly knew, as she knew you too well, but funnily enough never picked up on Theo’s emotions despite constantly wondering about them, that something was wrong.

“Are you ok babe?” she asked with a look of pity that you scornfully resented.

You sighed, half lying, “Yes. I’m fine. Just tired is all.”

You made a beeline for the couch knowing full well that you were going to talk about it whether you liked it or not. You knew that Grace would see right through your dishonesty and insist that you told her the problem.

So you waited until Grace inevitably sat next to you and gave you that sympathy look she always gave you before coming out with the concerns that were floating around your brain.

“OK fine. I know you won’t leave me alone unless I tell you.”

“Ahh, you know me so well…”

“Yes, just as you know me. I’m just- I’m fed up. Work was slow. I don’t really feel like I’m associated with my life. I feel... disconnected, I guess.”

“Do you have any idea why?”

You shrugged and looked down at the floor and then back at Grace smiling sheepishly, “I don’t know. Maybe I’m not- not fulfilled? I just don’t thoroughly enjoy my life right now.”

Grace nodded and put a hand on your leg. You twitched your face in slight discomfort. You hated it when you were given sympathy for something that seemed so miniscule. It wasn’t like you were dying.

It was times like this when you just wanted to curl up in your bed, eat a tub of ice cream and watch your favourite comedy programmes. 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown sprang to mind.

As you sat in momentary silence for a bit, Theo came waltzing through from the kitchen with his silly apron on that had a naked man’s body printed on it, and a spatula in his hand. He smiled at you.

“I thought I heard your voice. I hope meatballs for dinner are good tonight. Not mine of course,” gesturing to the apron as he said it.

You shook your head at Theo’s poor dad joke and stood up to hug him. You realised that you must be really down in the dumps to be hugging Theo. It was his turn to be confused. He looked towards Grace wide eyed.

“She’s had a particularly tough day. But mind you babe, you’ve kinda been like this for weeks now.”

You let go of Theo and turned to Grace, frowning and feeling slightly defensive. You placed a hand on your hip.

“Been like what? I’ve just been a bit fed up, that's all.”

“Yes but it’s not just a bit fed up. You said so yourself you feel disconnected. We’ve been waiting for you to say it.”

You looked to Theo and he nodded gently in agreement.

“Ok… but, nothing is really wrong exactly. My life is fine.”

“Fine, yes. But not amazing. We know it’s getting you down. And the job is the problem.”

“But I’m good at it. And it pays the bills. What else am I supposed to do?”

Grace then looked away from your eyes then, twitching her lip and looking as though she was holding something back. She then sighed and began to admit something you had not been expecting.

“OK look. We know what you can do. Theo and I have figured it out. We can manage money wise. It will be tight, but if you quit your job we should be able to help you out for a little bit.”

Your eyes grew wider than large saucepans. You were totally bewildered and your mouth slightly agape.

“What? Quit my job? Why? What work would I get instead?”

“Well, maybe you won't quit your job yet. Maybe you’re right, that's too hasty. Perhaps what I’m trying to say is-”

Theo then chimed in, “-what Grace is trying to say is…”

You smirked to yourself. How do they not realise that they’re already a couple but without the sex? They’re practically married for christ sake.

“...we reckon that you need to pursue your passion. Perhaps stop wasting your talents in an office job that you hate.”

Grace continued, “yes exactly. We have had an idea in mind. See, we want you to go to this thing… it’s no biggie but well, we’ve already booked it for you.”

Your mind was racing. You couldn’t understand anything that they were saying to you. It was all too much for you to manage.

“Booked what for me? What the hell are you both going on about?”

They both looked at each other with reluctance, pondering the moment and whether to tell you the whole truth. They both shrugged and Grace was then pulling her phone out, this whole conversation beginning to appear as though they had been trying to practice it.

Suddenly Grace’s phone screen was wavering in your face. You moved your head closer to see a photo on the screen. It was a comedy club night poster. Incidentally, it was an open mic night event happening on Saturday night. You began to then put the puzzle pieces together. You folded your arms and frowned heavily.

“What the fuck have you two done now?”

Theo softly spoke, “We… booked you a slot to do that comedy open mic event thing, on Saturday night.”

“Wait. As in to perform? You can’t be serious-”

Grace tried to reassure you and grabbed your arm.

“Look, we know it might seem daunting, but we just wanted to see you happy again. It’s been two years since we graduated and you haven’t performed since then. We thought it might be good to encourage you to perform again. You were always funny to us. And people at uni thought so too. You have the stand up talent, Y/n.”

You could not process anymore. You shook your head in disbelief and placed your head in your hands, rubbing your eyes from sudden exhaustion. You then threw your hands up in exasperation. It was not possible. You could not do that again.

Fucking no way. I can’t be on stage again! It’s too scary. University pub nights are one thing but a comedy club?

You shook your head again and placed your hands on your hips. Grace tried to speak up again seeing the frustration painted across your face. In fact it was anger that your friends chose to do this without your say so.

“Y/n…”

“No. Nope. I’m not doing it. No.”

“But Y/n, we were also going to tell you that Theo is also thinking of doing the same thing! He wants to do his music again. What harm would it be for you to rejuvenate your comedy skills? Surely you can write a quick couple of gags. Nothing strenuous. You have your old material from university, right?”

You had to get out of the room. Nothing that they were saying to you could be fully accepted at that moment.

You then gave them no choice but to let you go with your head in a flurry. They both watched you leave the room, mumbling something along the lines of I’m not really hungry anymore, I’m going to bed. Soon after, you darted across the other end of the hallway, ill-tempered and almost seething, and slammed your bedroom door shut.

[the-marsh-harrier]

Who was Orion Black? (Pt 8) Orion Black x Female!Reader

A/N: I wanted to explore Sirius’s childhood more in a non-traditional sense and give Orion and Walburga some interesting character development. This takes place after Sirius has broken out of Azkaban. Although this is a reader insert in parts, it is not the main focus and some chapters will have little or no mention of the reader. I have also altered the year Walburga was born to be 1940 instead of 1925 as it states in cannon (this is my fanfic and I’ll do what I want with the characters that are in it). Similarly, in some of the chapters to come, I already know I will upset some people with the way I portray Sirius and Walburga’s relationship - remember everyone is entitled to portray fictional characters as they want in their fanfics and if you disagree, please write your own. JKR's bigotry and opinions are not welcome here nor supported.

Masterlist Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 (Part 8) Part 9

Now or Never

By the time Sirius had reached his family home, the pouring rain had turned to sleet. He was thankful that Kreacher had lit the fires in his absence, the warmth and orange glow allowed Sirius to feel slightly at ease. Until…

“Decided to come back then?” The cold voice of Walburga bounced through the halls. When Sirius didn’t reply, she continued. “Your half-breed friend came. Left a letter for you on the kitchen table.”

Instead of doing what she expected, Sirius calmly and quietly made his way up the stairs.

“Where are you going?!” Walburga shrieked. “Talk to me!!”

Sirius quietly closed the door to his childhood bedroom. He caught sight of himself in the mirror for the first time in weeks. He somehow looked worse than when he broke out of Azkaban. “Well, this just won’t do.” He muttered to himself. “Kreacher!”

***

The next morning, Sirius lounged opposite the portrait, legs crossed, tea in one hand and Dailey Prophet in the other whilst he waited for Walburga to wake up. Stone-cold sober and ready. He had read the letter Remus had left for him to fill in some of the blanks regarding Y/N L/N – most surprising as Sirius hadn’t asked for Remus’s help, but it was welcomed nonetheless.

She was born (DD) (MM) 1932. She grew up in (insert country) and attended (insert wizarding school). Once she finished school, she worked for the British Ministry of Magic as a Court Scribe for the Wizengamot. Y/N met Orion in the Spring of 1953 and they were married on the 29th of February 1956. She died on the 31st of July 1960 - it was this fact that Sirius found the most troubling, but he knew it to be true as Remus had secured a copy of her death certificate. Sirius had assumed that Y/N must have died very early into the marriage she shared with Orion but no… in fact they were still married when Sirius was born. In Remus’s digging, he had found that she had given birth in 1959 but the records about her child were not available for him to view as he was not a relative of the deceased.

Sirius set out to find his birth certificate, but it wasn’t where all the other documents were. He had found everyone else’s but not his nor a copy of Y/N death certificate in the book that held the rest. Sirius had drawn his own conclusion to this scenario, but he wanted it confirmed. Therefore, he was waiting for the woman he had believed to be his mother immortalised in paint to wake up. She was the one to know.

“You’re up early.” Walburga’s voice broke the silence that filled the room.

“Yes, my godson is coming for the holidays and I want to make sure I am in the habit of being presentable while he is here.” Sirius said courtly. He placed the paper down on the coffee table before him. “I also have some matters I wish to discuss with you.”

“Oh, you do; do you?” She matched his formal tone.

“Quite.” He drew his lips into his mouth before taking a sip of his tea.

“Let me guess. More about Y/N L/N.”

“Well, I would prefer that you refer to my mother as Black from now on.” Sirius said blankly. There was no emotion on his face as he took another sip of his tea.

Walburga attempted to hide the surprise on her face. “I am your mother.” She said a little too quickly.

“You can stop lying to me now. I know the truth. Unless you expect me to believe that my father – who loved his first wife so dearly, to your admission – had an affair with his cousin.” Walburga was staring at Sirius wide-eyed and mouth slightly agape. “I didn’t think so. I know she died on the 31st of July 1960; I was born on the 3rd of November 1959. Y/N married Orion on the 29th of February 1956. You were right when I was sixteen. I wasn’t your son. In fact, I never was, and you spent the last thirty-five years lying to me.”

He could visibly see Walburga’s chest contract with every breath. Sirius set his mug down on the table and uncrossed his legs, leaning forward he clasped his hands together and rested his elbows on his knees. “You know, growing up I never knew what you meant when you said you’d given up so much to raise me. I always assumed it was because you were so young. You would’ve been eighteen when you would’ve fallen pregnant with me, nineteen when you would’ve given birth. But it was never that. You were nineteen, called back from Merlin-knows-where to raise an eight-month-old baby that wasn’t even yours.”

Sirius’s eyes locked onto his tea as he nodded. “I wasn’t an easy child by any means. None of it was easy on you either though, was it?” He looked up at the portrait to see tears welling in her eyes. “You had so much responsibility put on you. A grieving husband that was starting to develop alcohol dependency, a baby, and then the pressure to get pregnant as soon as possible because that’s what the noble house of Black expects of its women. I can’t begin to imagine it.” He looked back at his tea when she hid her face in her hands. “I don’t blame you for blaming me, you know. Doesn’t make what you did to me growing up any better or justify it, but I understand it now.”

“Sirius, I’m so sorry.” She choked out. “No more lies. There’s no point in any of it now that you know the truth.” She swallowed thickly. “Ask me anything.”

“What was she like?” Sirius suddenly realised how Harry must feel having never known Lily. It was like a new hole opened in him that was never there before or maybe had had always known… growing up wishing for a different mother – his mother.

“She was a pleasant girl. I only met her a few times at family gatherings, the wedding, and I visited shortly after you were born with my mother. She adored you, as did your father. It gave me hope that I might be able to find what Orion had, finding someone you enjoy being with. My parents didn’t love each other, they had a unique friendship, a steady companionship but not love. Seeing Orion and Y/N was the first marriage I had seen that had love and was tolerated by the rest of the family.”

Sirius nodded before continuing his next question. “How did she die?”

Walburga took a deep breath. “She was hit by a muggle car. It was a young man driving the car, he was going too fast and lost control around a sharp corner. Both Orion and Y/N were hit, you were… you were at home with their house-elf – Norey, she was reappointed Hogwarts after. Your father was never the same after, he went over the bonnet; it was frightening really when I saw him after. If you had seen him at the time, you’d be surprised with how few scars he ended up with and how well he recovered considering. Your mother, she went under the car, she wasn’t as fortunate – she died before help arrived. Your father managed to get to her but… I can’t… I’m not going into any more detail than that.”

Sirius wasn’t prepared to hear that. He sucked his lips in once more and started to rub his face. “And dad’s drinking? When did that start?”

“I don’t want to say immediately but it started getting excessive just before the funeral so a few weeks after he left the hospital. Orion’s drinking was varied, you could say – he would get worse and better in a vicious cycle. While your father was still in hospital, your grandfather Arcturus moved you into here. That way he knew you were properly looked after. You were the first and only male heir at the time and that man would’ve given anything to keep you well looked after. Orion wanted to stay in the house he and Y/N had purchased in Aylesford, but Arcturus wanted him back in London after the funeral. Orion wasn’t allowed to see you until he moved back so, he was forced.” Walburga admitted.

“Why was it kept a secret? I was still the legitimate heir due to their marriage. It’s not like she wasn’t from a good enough family. There was no need to hide this.” Sirius questioned, looking up at the woman who had raised him.

Walburga offered him a sad smile. “Arcturus wanted to make sure he had his male heir. He thought it best if you grew up thinking I was your mother and that I have a child as soon as possible to make it more believable for you. After her death, her family believed integration was a necessity to make us more aware of muggle advances in technology and develop new protection methods from it; they advocated for more integration despite what happened to their daughter… Arcturus saw this as a reason to dissolve the family tie Orion had created and you solidified. He thought if you knew you had a family that believed in the integration of muggles into magical society and had exposure to her family, you would turn your back on the Black family traditions.”

“What of her family? Did they never ask of me? Or write?” Sirius was confused as to how they had never contacted him.

Walburga looked increasingly uncomfortable by this question but answered it anyway. “That requires a very complicated answer. You see, Y/N’s family didn’t blame the muggle driving the car for her death… they blamed your father for not doing something to save her. They tried to claim that Orion was an unfit parent for not attempting healing charms. We can all say what we would do in those moments, but we don’t know until we’re in them – to suggest he had sinister intentions because he was distraught, injured, and involved in the accident himself – was cruel. He was blaming himself before they said anything. I can’t imagine how he must’ve felt during that.” Walburga continued. “They tried to take you away entirely, but Arcturus wouldn’t have it. It was decided that if you were to remain with us, you needed another family member to take responsibility. Arcturus couldn’t take the role due to his demanding working hours, and Orion couldn’t as he was still recovering. It was decided that I was to return immediately to become your carer. Eventually, it was ruled that you’d stay with your father and me. Due to the destress your mother’s family had put on the situation and the immediate family stance of full integration, it didn’t put them in good stead with the Department of the Protection of Child Wizards and Witches. It was ruled that limited communication was preferential. From my understanding, they had correspondence with Arcturus. I don’t know any more than that.”

“Over time, a rift developed in her family due to the situation. Each side becoming extremists differently; joining Voldemort or wanting full integration – both were very dangerous in mine and your father’s opinion, Arcturus… well, you already know what side of her family he agreed with and thus those were who he would speak to. Some of them wanted muggles to be educated on the existence of magic so it could be used in their presence, it’s a terrifying concept when you think of how we are portrayed to them – muggles fear us and when muggles are frightened or threatened, they’re violent. Very risky business if you ask me. They appealed the decision, but the department decided that leaving you with the L/N’s could put you in danger due to their stances on integration. You must understand, that it was a different time, most of the wizards and witches involved had seen at least one muggle world war – that kind of fear doesn’t disappear. Your father and I tried to shield you from those worlds but as you got older, and another wizarding war was drawing closer - it was almost impossible. That’s when the obsession to keep you here only grew worse. We didn’t want either of you boys involved in any of it, but we lost you both to it in the end.” Walburga concluded.

Sirius was feeling very overwhelmed by all the information he’d just been given. “That’s enough for today, I think.” Sirius said as he rose from where he was seated and began to exit when Walburga started talking again.

“Sirius, I never wanted this for you. I wanted to do right for you, but I was so young and angry. By the time I realised I had taken it too far you were packing your things to leave for the Potter’s, and I was too prideful to ask you to stay. That’s why I tried so hard to get you a trial, to try to get you out of there… out of Azkaban but I couldn’t. I failed you repeatedly. I didn’t fully understand the repercussions of my actions until I was old and alone at Orion’s funeral. I couldn’t even bury my own son. The only son I had left was you, but I knew you’d never forgive me… I knew because I wouldn’t have forgiven me either.”

Sirius didn’t say anything. He just continued to walk out of the parlour toward Orion office.

[vladdocs]

Vlad the Impaler between Hungary and the Ottoman Empire

Authors: Ileana Căzan, Eugen Denize

When discussing the complex personality of Vlad the Impaler, we believe that there are two fundamental issues that need to be addressed and two questions that require an answer based on a thorough analysis of the data and facts available to us. The first question is whether or not Vlad the Impaler was a bloodthirsty tyrant, ready to kill for the simple pleasure of seeing innocent blood spilled. We believe that this question can be adequately answered by looking at how his war with the Turks began in 1462. Was Vlad Țepeș, a bloodthirsty tyrant, acting under the blind impulses of unleashed instincts and unjustifiably provoking the Turks, or was he obliged to wage war against the great Ottoman power under conditions unfavourable to him but imposed on him by the course of events?

Secondly, despite his bravery and the sacrifices he made fighting for his own people and for Christianity, Vlad the Impaler fell victim to the propaganda and misinformation that Matthias Corvinus, King of Hungary, unleashed in the West to justify his inaction in 1462. That the King of Hungary resorted to less than chivalrous methods, incited and supported by the Saxons who could not forgive the Highlander for his actions against them, is easy to understand. But how does one explain the great success of these lies, which have survived through the ages and helped Bram Stocker's literary creation and fantasy to transform the hero of the anti-Ottoman struggle into a true model of the vampire, the famous Dracula? Matia Corvin's propaganda power was not enough for this, but it received unexpected and essential help from the most informed power of the time in relation to the Ottoman Empire and the general political life of Europe, from Venice, a true bridge of contact between East and West, not only in economic terms but also in terms of information. The credit given by Venice to the untruths propagated by Matthias Corvinus, even though it knew exactly the political reality of the Lower Danube, ensured their particular success, because the other Christian powers were much less informed and interested in the situation in this part of Europe and therefore had no reason to dispute what the Venetians accepted as true. All these problems, questions and possible answers will be dealt with in the pages of this chapter, as far as the available documentation allows.

As far as Vlad Țepeș is concerned, whether he took over the reign between 15 April and 3 July [1] or in July-August [2] or at the end of August 1456 [3], the fact is that he did so with the help of Iancu de Hunedoara, at a time of maximum clash between his armies and those of Mehmet II, the conqueror of Constantinople, who was also preparing to conquer Belgrade, the key to Hungary and Central Europe. By ascending the throne of Wallachia at such a time, he could only be the exponent and continuator of the anti-Ottoman political line advocated by Iancu, as is clear from the act, dated 6 September 1456, in Targoviste [4], in which he offers to help, with all his powers, Hungary against the Turks, from the letter sent to the Brașovs from the same place on 10 September [5], and from the help he would give to Stephen the Great to take over the throne of Moldavia in the spring of the following year [6]. In spite of these intentions and deeds, due to the premature death of Iancu de Hunedoara, which significantly changed the political situation in the Romanian area and not only here, Vlad Țepeș was obliged to pay his tribute regularly to the Porte [7] , until 1459, when he stopped doing so, invoking to the Sultan the conflictual situation in which he found himself with the Saxons of southern Transylvania and the Hungarian king Matia Corvin [8] . The truth is that, obliged to respect the Turkish-Hungarian co-residence established over Wallachia by the armistice concluded by Iancu de Hunedoara with the Sultan on 20 November 1451-13 April 1452 [9] , Vlad Țepeș never reconciled himself to this situation and tried to manoeuvre between the two powers with the ultimate aim of opposing one another and easing the situation of his own country [10] .

Here we believe it is appropriate to bring into question the way in which the war between Vlad Țepeș and the Turks started, whether Vlad Țepeș started this war driven by reprehensible bloody instincts or whether he was forced by circumstances to accept a war with the great power south of the Danube, a war that could only be total, in the sense that this word can have for the time, if he wanted to achieve victory and save the country from total disaster. We believe that there are three essential aspects of the moment of the real rupture between Vlad Țepeș and the Ottoman Porte, aspects that must be analysed very carefully.

Of course, Vlad the Impaler was determined, right from his accession to the throne, as we have shown above, to pursue an anti-Ottoman policy of defending autonomy and state integrity, but this policy could not be pursued under any conditions and at any risk. Vlad Țepeș, as a good politician and a remarkable military commander, realised that to start the fight against the Ottoman colossus meant waiting for the most favourable moment, when his reign would be strengthened internally, and externally he could hope for help from other countries also interested in the anti-Ottoman struggle. But let's look at the three key aspects of this problem.

First of all, there is an alleged expedition of the vizier Mahmud Pasha against the Romanian Country, which two Italian sources place in 1458 [11], but, in fact, there is a chronological error [12], which excludes the hypothesis of a clash between Vlad the Impaler and the Ottomans before the winter of 1461-1462.

Secondly, in our opinion, the cessation of the payment of the tribute of 10,000 ducats per year [13] did not signify an immediate and irreparable rupture with the Porte as is considered in a number of more or less recent works [14] . If things had been different, if Vlad Țepeș had openly broken off relations with the Porte, Sultan Mehmet II, who wanted to mark each year of his reign with a new conquest, would probably not have hesitated to attack Wallachia. But what did he do until 1462? In 1458 he conquered a large part of Moreea [15] , in 1459, the year Vlad the Impaler stopped paying tribute, Mehmet II conquered Semendria and all that remained of the Serbian state [16] , in 1460 he completed the conquest of Moreea [17] , and in 1461 he conquered Sinope and Trapezunt [18] , the last remnants of the Byzantine Empire. In our opinion, the Sultan and the rulers of the Porte did not interpret the non-payment of tribute as an act of hostility, nor did Vlad Țepeș have any interest in deliberately provoking the Turks at a time when he was in open conflict with the Saxons of southern Transylvania and the Hungarian king, Matia Corvin [19] , who supported hostile claimants to the throne and Bohemian groups. Through this conflict, which was also determined by important economic aspects [20], but dominated, above all, by political causes [21], Vlad Țepeș sought to achieve two objectives that were absolutely necessary to be able to fight successfully against the Porte: the internal consolidation of the state and the institution of the reign and the affirmation of the independent position, de facto, of the Romanian Country against the claims of suzerainty of the Hungarian royalty. Both objectives were achieved by the treaty concluded with Brașov around 1 October 1460 [22] . The 1460 reconciliation between Vlad Țepeș and the Saxons unquestionably restored to them the commercial freedom in Wallachia suppressed during the conflict [23] . The reconciliation also took place in the context of Vlad Țepeș's return to the alliance with Hungary, in the preparation of the anti-Ottoman action, which remained, all along, the dominant direction of the Romanian prince's foreign policy.

Thirdly, in our opinion, the Turks begin to show distrust and hostility towards Vlad Tepes only in 1461, during or immediately after the end of the expedition against Trapezunt and, in this situation, having no other choice, the lord decides to take open action against them in the winter of 1461 and 1462 [24] . He considered himself to be fairly strong internally, he realised that a confrontation with the Porte had become inevitable, especially after the unsuccessful attempt to capture him at Giurgiu, and he was also counting on possible external support that could come either from the eastern enemies of the Ottoman Empire or from Matthias Crovin, or from Venice, because the time for the formation of an anti-Ottoman coalition including all these seemed very near, despite the failure of the Congress of Mantua in 1459, at which Pope Pius II (1458-1464) had hoped to set up a great anti-Ottoman league, with the broad participation of the Christian powers [25] . It was decided here, among other things, that the Christian army would be led by the Duke of Milan, Francesco Sforza, and the Duke of Burgundy, Philip the Good [26], but the decision would have no effect.

The contemporary chronicler Laonic Chalcocondil states that Vlad Țepeș did not start the anti-Ottoman struggle until he felt that the situation in Dacia was secure, and this happened after the Sultan's campaign against Trapezunt in the winter of 1461 and 1462 [27] . But let us see what were the elements that led to this rupture and to the great confrontation of 1462.

In the second half of 1460, Vlad the Impaler re-established good-neighbourly ties with the Saxons of southern Transylvania, as we have shown above, and concluded a secret treaty with Matthias Crovin [28] , which provided, among other things, for his marriage to a relative of his [29] . Also in this year, a soldier of the eastern princes of Georgia, Mingrelia, Guria, Trapezunt and Uzun Hasan, the Turkoman ruler of Persia, crossed the Danube to Hungary, who were preparing to attack the Ottoman Empire and were looking for allies in Europe. They were accompanied by the monk Lodovico da Bologna [30] - the Pope's legate in Georgia - and held talks in Hungary [31] , with Emperor Frederick III [32] , in Venice, where they were received with great respect and politeness [33] , then in Florence, Rome and with Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, considered as the possible leader of the European anti-Ottoman coalition [34] . But the result of this veritable European tour of the Eastern solons was nil. The fact is that the 1458-1461 actions of the Eastern coalition under the leadership of the Turkmen state of Uzun Hasan, which included Trapezunt, Armenia, Georgia and Sinope, led to anti-Ottoman campaigns in northern Anatolia in 1459 and 1460. This was known to Vlad the Impaler, which leads us to believe that he also held talks with the Eastern soldiers in 1460, when they were travelling on the Danube. Although there is no evidence for this, it is unlikely that the lord of Wallachia, who was preparing for war with the Turks, did not take advantage of the presence of the soldiers of the Eastern Coalition, which already existed and was acting against the Ottoman Empire, while at the same time heading for Central and Western Europe, where they hoped to build a similar anti-Ottoman coalition. In this way, Vlad the Impaler hoped to receive important aid from both East and West, and that his anti-Ottoman action, simultaneous with the other two coalitions, would be successful. Vlad Tepes also realised that dispersing the Ottoman forces on several fronts, where they could be engaged in heavy fighting, would have favoured his own action [35] . But this did not happen, as the coalition in the East was dealt a heavy blow by the sultan's conquest of the cities of Sinope and Trapezunt in 1461, and the anti-Ottoman coalition in the West was not formed until 1463, after the Turks had started the war with Venice. Vlad the Impaler's attack in the winter of 1461-1462 therefore took place without any outside support, at the very moment when the Turks were free to act militarily as they wished, which leads us to believe that he did not want the attack and therefore the outbreak of hostilities with the Ottoman Empire at the very moment when it was under no outside pressure. But as we shall see below, the lord of Wallachia had no choice, the Turks did not let him choose the moment of the attack, but, on the contrary, by their actions and intentions they provoked him just when they knew they could strike a devastating blow.

The negotiations with Matthias Corvinus and the Saxons of southern Transylvania, as well as the possible negotiations with the soldiers of the anti-Ottoman eastern coalition, naturally provoked the displeasure of the Porte, for whom continued non-payment of tribute was beginning to be considered a sign of insubordination. The vast majority of narrative sources agree that this change of attitude of the Porte towards Vlad Țepeș occurred in 1461, either during the campaign against Trapezunt or immediately afterwards [36] and do not suggest any previous disagreements regarding the non-payment of tribute. On learning of the agreement between Vlad Țepeș and Matia Corvin [37] , the sultan sent, for a start, a message to Wallachia in order to ask the prince to abandon the alliance with Hungary and the planned marriage [38] , but the expected results were not obtained. Vlad Țepeș accepted to pay the haraci, but refused to give children for the janissaries, a blood tribute that his country had never given [39] and refused to appear in person at the Porte [40] .

This time, the reasons given, among which the threat from Hungary was the most important, could no longer be believed by the Sultan [41], who decided to replace Vlad Țepeș from his reign. Mehmet II, however, sought to avoid a major campaign against Wallachia, whose chances of success were doubtful, and therefore tried to capture Vlad Țepeș by deception, but the trap set for the prince by Hamza bei and the Greek Catabolinos, near Giurgiu, ended in disaster, the two being captured and impaled [42] . Now appear in the Turkish chronicles the most serious accusations against Vlad Țepeș, accusations that justify the action and failure of Giurgiu, but also the sultanal campaign of 1462 [43] .

However, after the execution of the two Ottoman rulers, things had become very clear for Vlad Țepeș. There was no way back and the only plausible option, with some chance of success, remained war, a war that had to be fought with all determination and harshness, given the huge disproportion of forces in favour of the Turks.

In the political context created by the Congress of Mantua (26 September 1459-14 January 1460) [44] , by the coalition of states on the eastern borders of the Ottoman Empire [45] and by the Moreea uprising [46] , by the Venetian preparations for a decisive conflict with the Porte for predominance in the eastern Mediterranean [47] , the war waged by Vlad the Impaler in the winter of 1461-62 against the Ottoman Empire was undoubtedly the first major military action in Europe that preceded the great Turkish-Venetian war of 1463. Unfortunately for the lord of Wallachia, his action came at a time of calm on all the anti-Ottoman fronts, with the coalition of Eastern states in a period of ebb and the Western, Christian coalition not yet formed. In fact, the latter coalition was never formed and was only replaced by a system of alliances that revolved around Venice, but this from 1463 onwards. So, as we have already pointed out, Vlad the Impaler found himself alone against the Ottoman Empire, not because he wanted it out of an uncontrolled warlike impulse, but because he was forced, we repeat, by circumstances.

Vlad the Impaler was fully aware of this fact and that is why, in his famous letter of 11 February 1462 to the King of Hungary, Matthias Corvinus, after detailing the results of his expedition south of the Danube that winter, he emphasises his adherence to and identification with the Crusader ideal and consequently asks for the absolutely essential help he needed to face the huge Sultan expedition that was preparing against him. But let the Lord of Wallachia himself speak: "For we do not want to leave what we have started on the road, but to see it through to the end. For if the Almighty God will hear the prayers and desires of Christians and incline His ear with kindness to the prayers of His poor, and thus give us victory against the heathen, enemies of the cross of Christ, it will be the greatest honor and use and help of soul to thy great and holy crown and to all true Christendom.... And if, God forbid, we should come to an evil end and our country should perish, neither will your highness have any use or help in this matter, for it will be to the detriment of all Christendom" [48] .

It must be pointed out, however, that Vlad the Impaler, as a skilful politician and military commander, like Stephen the Great a little later, understood to fight against the Turks as a modern monarch, which in fact he was, a monarch who had the interests of his state at heart and not as a medieval crusader who threw himself headlong against the infidels. His adherence to the crusading ideal at this time can only be explained by a desire to gain support from other Christian powers, but he was aware that they too were far removed from the medieval crusading ideal and were fighting, if they decided to do so, only for their own interests. This explains the quite clear threat to the Hungary of Matthias Corvinus, who, in the event of the collapse of the Romanian Country or the installation on its throne of a prince allied to the Porte, would have found himself alone, face to face with the Ottoman Empire.

In launching his anti-Ottoman action in the winter of 1461 and 1462, because he had no other choice but to strike first and with all his might, Vlad the Impaler therefore counted on possible help from his ally, Matthias Corvinus, or even Pope Pius II [49] and on the fact that the main Ottoman forces were still dispersed in several directions (Sinope, Trapezunt, Moreea, etc.) [50] . Unfortunately, as we have already pointed out, his action was at odds both with that of the Turks' Asian enemies, defeated in 1461, when Sinope and Trapezunt were occupied by Mehmet II, and with that of Venice, which would not enter the fray until 1463, after the Turks had attacked first and taken Argos by surprise. As for the King of Hungary, despite the alliance he had with the voivode of Wallachia, his requests for help in his letter of 11 February 1462, the subsidies he had received from the papacy and the promise he had made to go in person against the Turks [51] , he had no intention whatsoever of confronting them [52] , for two main reasons: on the one hand he was still caught up in the conflict with Emperor Frederick III [53] , and on the other hand, from the beginning of his reign he was determined to direct his main efforts towards Central Europe and not against the Ottoman Empire [54] . The only concrete measure taken by Matthias Corvinus was to strengthen only the defence of Transylvania [55] .

In fact, the King of Hungary, from presumed ally, became Vlad the Impaler's enemy, whom he arrested on November 26, 1462, at a time when no one expected such a thing, tried to take credit for the summer victory against the Sultan and, in order to justify his action before Europe, which expected great feats of bravery from him in the anti-Ottoman struggle, he launched a veritable propaganda campaign to slander the brave prince of Wallachia, accused of treason, of collusion with the Turks and of abominable cruelties [56] . All this served, we repeat, as a pretext and justification before the Pope, Venice and the whole of Christian Europe for his own renunciation of the anti-Ottoman campaign he had promised to undertake.

So, if we were to formulate a few conclusions up to this point we have reached with our analysis, they might be as follows: Vlad Țepeș was forced to attack the Ottoman Empire in the winter of 1461 and 1462 due to the manifest hostility of the Sultan, who refused to accept on the throne of Wallachia a lord considered rebellious, the cessation of the payment of tribute in 1459 not having, in our opinion, the significance of an open break with the Porte. The voivode of Wallachia did not receive any concrete help from anyone, because the enemies of the Porte and his potential allies had either been defeated or had not yet entered the battle [57], his main ally, Matthias Corvinus not only did not help him but, probably reaching an agreement with the Porte regarding Wallachia in order to have peace on its southern borders, arrested him and threw him in prison where he stayed for almost 13 years. Because of this, the great victory achieved by Vlad Țepeș in 1462, when the Sultan was forced to retreat south of the Danube without having achieved any of his original objectives, could not be exploited in any way by the European powers, especially Venice, which in a year's time would go to war with the Turks, a decisive war for the balance of power in the Eastern Mediterranean. It should also be borne in mind that the expulsion of Vlad Țepeș from his reign, just after his victory, can also be explained by the attitude of part of the nobility, of the political class, which was willing to fight only in moments of great hardship that threatened its own existence. When these times passed, it preferred to reach compromise solutions with the great power south of the Danube [58] . This was also the case with the accession of Radu the Handsome. Nevertheless, Vlad Țepeș's victory over the Sultan was of particular importance, as it managed to save the existence of the Romanian state and made it possible to reach a compromise with the Porte, which would have been impossible in the event of defeat. Basically, Vlad Țepeș saved his country from being turned into a pashas.

However, it is also interesting to note how Venice, the main Christian power in the Mediterranean at that time interested in the anti-Ottoman struggle, followed the events of the Lower Danube [59], how it knowingly became the mouthpiece of Matthias Corvinus, even though it was well aware of the political reality in the area. In 1459, in the year of Vlad Țepeș's supposed open break with the Porte through non-payment of tribute, Venice was not very interested in the events in this area, which, moreover, did not herald anything special. This may be one of the explanations for the permanent obstacles to Pius II's crusading plans, as set out at the Congress of Mantua. Thus, in exchange for her participation in a possible anti-Ottoman coalition, Venice demanded 8,000 men to equip her fleet, payment of all expenses incurred for war preparations, and the organisation of an army of 50,000 horsemen and 20,000 foot soldiers to go to the borders of Hungary [60] , conditions impossible to achieve. Moreover, after the peace concluded on 23 April 1454 [61] by Bartolomeo Marcello with the Sultan, the Republic of the Lagoons did its utmost to preserve the status quo in relations with the Turks, to reduce any of their sensitivities, to avoid at all costs the outbreak of a new war with the Ottoman Empire. Such a war was regarded as inevitable, sooner or later, by Venice, which had begun to realise that the Turks were gradually becoming a formidable maritime power,[62] but it should not be started before the Republic was fully prepared. Of course, the Republic was never fully ready, so after a nine-year peace, the war would be triggered, somewhat surprisingly for the Venetians, by the Turks.

Until then, however, the Venetians sought to spare the Sultan as much as possible and at the same time avoid papal invitations to join the preparations for an anti-Ottoman crusade. Thus, on 2 December 1456, in the instructions that the Senate sent to Lorenzo Vitturi, the Bailiff of Constantinople, he was asked to tell the Sultan that he had no reason to fear Venice [63] , and on 3 September 1459, in the instructions given to the new Bailiff Domenico Balbi, he was asked to resolve the conflicts and commercial disputes that had arisen in the meantime with great diplomacy, without reaching a rupture [64] .

On the other hand, the instructions that the Senate gave on 21 June 1458 to Niccolň Sagondino, envoy to Pope Calixtus III (1455-1458), are particularly significant. He was to show the Holy Father that the accusations levelled in Rome against Venice were intolerable, since Venice had always done its duty to Christianity. In this regard, Sagondino was to insist on the victory of Gallipoli in 1416, where a Turkish fleet was completely crushed, he was to show that in 1423 Salonium was occupied and held for seven years with great effort by the Venetians, that in 1444-1445 Venice armed galleys that fought all winter, while Pope Eugenius IV did not pay what he had promised. And all this while the other Christian powers did not respond to Venice's requests for help. Rather than listen to its accusers, the pope should consider the fact that the Turks are closely surrounding the Venetian possessions and that Venice's situation is therefore totally different from that of the other Christian states. For this reason, Venice cannot think of attacking the Turks in the given circumstances, because it would be premature, but it defends the island of Negroponte and maintains 12 galleys in the Aegean Sea to guard the Straits, and no Christian state can boast of comparable efforts [65] . It must be admitted that these instructions, intended to reach the ears of the pope, faithfully respected both the historical truth and the present situation, ruthlessly debunking all the accusations that could be levelled at Venice at that time. Due to the death of Calixtus III, a letter, almost identical, was also sent to the new Pope Pius II, on 30 October 1458[66] .

About a year later, on 11 October 1459, the Venetian Senate gave a very interesting reply to the delegates of Pope Pius II, who insisted that Venice participate in the preparations for the crusade. It was thus pointed out that the battle plans proposed by the pope were grandiose, but it was doubtful that the Italian states would find the necessary resources to maintain a sufficient army capable of defeating the Turks, who were very powerful [67] . The adversary should not be underestimated, especially now that Mehmet II is much more powerful than Murad II because he rules Constantinople. It is recalled that Murad defeated at Varna and the Christian powers hardly fought back, and that a long war is now to be foreseen, which will need financing without hesitation. Thus, thorough preparations must first be made and then war can be launched. As far as it was concerned, Venice was making such preparations [68] , but wondered what the other Christian powers were doing [69] . On 10 November 1459, about a month later, the Senate addressed a new letter to the Pope. In it the Venetians were more than surprised at the extent of the preparations for the crusade. They asked the pope how he could believe that the 240,000 ducats needed to arm 50 galleys could be raised quickly, and pointed out that it would be preferable to draw up plans for a crusade that were really feasible and not mere utopias [70] .

From all that has been said so far it is clear that in the years following 1454 the Venetians pursued a policy of obvious undermining of the Ottoman Empire and rejection of the Crusade, but we cannot but agree that, to a large extent, the arguments they used were fair and hard to refute. Everyone was aware, despite the pope's efforts, of the disappearance of the crusading ideal and the ideal of the unity of the Christian world, and no one could accuse the Venetians, with real grounds, of not wanting to fight the Turks. It would have meant asking them to commit a real act of suicide, which neither they nor the other Christian states were willing to do.

It seems that it was not until 1460, when the Turks attacked Moreea again and reached the borders of the Venetian possessions here, that Seria really began to worry about the intentions of the Ottoman Empire towards it[71] . So in 1461, the year in which we consider that the rupture between Vlad Țepeș and the Turks really took place, the situation of Venice was completely different, which explains its increased interest in the events of the Lower Danube.

In April 1460, after having noticed suspicious preparations by the Turks, the Senate ordered the captain of the Gulf, Antonio Loredan, to leave with the greatest haste for Negroponte [72] . On 20 May, the military preparations of the Turks became so worrying that Venice was forced to take several preventive measures: it requested the preparation of 300 crossbowmen in Crete, so that they could be sent to Negroponte if necessary, it decided to send supplies of wheat to Modon and Negroponte, and to arm three new galleys [73] . On the same day, the new captain of the Gulf, Giacomo Barbarigo, was ordered to leave immediately for Negroponte and to make short calls at Corfu, Modon and Nauplia [74] . On 16 June, instructions to Lorenzo Moro, who had replaced Barbarigo as captain of the Gulf, required him to first of all put Coron, Modon and Nafplio in a state of defence, and if he found out that the Sultan was heading for Albania or Negroponte to take the necessary measures [75] . Finally, on 1 August, the information received by Lorenzo Moro and the castellan of Modon and Coron proved very clearly that the Sultan intended to establish his authority over the whole of Morea and that he was the enemy of Venice. The Turks had reached the borders of the Venetian territories in the Peloponnese and, in order to better probe the Sultan's intentions, the Senate decided on 9 August to send an extraordinary ambassador to the Porte in the person of Niccolň da Canale [76] .

In 1461 the tension generated by the Ottoman military preparations persisted in Venice. On 28 April, the Senate sent its instructions to Vittore Capello, supreme commander of the Venetian fleet (Captain of the Sea), asking him to visit all Venetian ports in Romania, to watch the movements of the Ottoman fleet, but with great discretion, and not to attack Turkish ships leaving the Dardanelles. Such actions would be dangerous at a time when Venice was holding talks with the Sultan [77] . On 21 July the same Vittore Capello was asked to disarm part of the fleet, the Ottoman danger being less pressing after the Sultan left for the Black Sea [78] . But Venetian fears were far from being allayed. In the autumn, on 18 October, the Senate came to the conclusion that, owing to the general circumstances and the dangers threatening the territories of Romania, it was more than ever essential that men of merit should be elected as governors, and that they should be given all the necessary advantages [79] . Only two days later, on 20 October, although it had learned that the Turkish fleet had disarmed, Venice could not be reassured about the Sultan's intentions, and so Capello was asked to keep watch, with the galleys that remained at his disposal, over the waters of the Aegean archipelago [80] . On 9 December, the Senate also decided that the fortifications of Negroponte should be strengthened, that arms should be sent to them and that a detailed defence plan should be drawn up [81]. At the end of the same year, Venice also alerted the King of Hungary, Matthias Corvinus, to the imminence of war with the Turks [82] and also tried to bring about a reconciliation between him and Emperor Frederick III [83], but without success.

However, on 4 March 1462, the Venetian envoy to Buda, Pietro Tomasso (Petrus de Thomassis), announced to the Senate that he had been summoned by the king, who gave him to read some letters he had received from one of his soldiers to Vlad the Impaler, informing him of the damage he had caused to the Turks, of the multitude of those killed whom he had seen "according to the number of heads depicted, apart from those who were burned in those places". From this letter, which in fact refers to the one sent by Vlad Țepeș on 11 February, it appears that Matia Corvin used the results of the victorious expedition of the prince of Wallachia - whom he considered his vassal - in order to obtain funds from Italy, the Venetian envoy asking for "denarij per sovvene" [84] . It is also noted that the echo of Vlad Țepeș's deeds of bravery was quickly received in Venice, which, almost immediately, on 20 March, made them known in Rome [85] .

Having reached this point in our investigation, we feel that we must highlight a particularly important aspect that we will find again in Venice's attitude towards Vlad Țepeș until the end. Namely, it is the fact that, although it knew very well who was the author of the victory against the Turks in the winter of 1461-1462, i.e. Vlad Țepeș [86] , Senioria accepted all the propaganda of Matia Corvin and acted to help him and not the brave prince of the Romanian Country. Thus, on 20 March 1462, the Venetian Senate wrote to the Pope, as we have shown above, explaining the critical situation of Hungary and not of the Romanian Country, as if Hungary had entered into battle with the Turks and not the Romanian Country. Moreover, the Senate proposed to the Pope to send monthly the 10-12,000 florins to Hungary for the maintenance of 400 horsemen. This project was also presented to Matthias Corvinus on 29 March [87] . Pope Pius II knew as well as the Venetians who was the real winner over the Turks. This was because he had been informed by the Venetians themselves, but also from a letter of the Cardinal of Mantua, dated April 1462, who informed him of the following: ,,Adi 29 di Marzo venne nuova come li Valacchi chi hevevano dato una rotta al Turco nelle paesi della Va(la)cchia, e morti di loro piu di vintimilla soldati..." [88] . But for the pope, as for the Venetians, the Catholic king of Hungary had to be the hero of the anti-Ottoman struggle, and therefore he had to be helped.

Venice, although it probably wished to do so, avoided entering into direct contact with Vlad Țepeș, thus seeking to play down the sensitivities of Matthias Corvinus [89] , who claimed to be his suzerain and thought himself entitled to deal on behalf of the man he considered his vassal. Therefore, all Venetian information comes from the Hungarian court, some from Constantinople as well, but it proves that the events of the Lower Danube were followed with great attention in the "fortress of the lagoons", the political factors here seeking to find out their true significance and extent.

A second letter, known to us, sent by Pietro Tomasso to Venice, is dated 27 May 1462. In it, the ambassador describes to his superiors the situation on the Lower Danube as it was on the eve of the outbreak of the great Sultan campaign. First of all, he talks about Mehmet II's huge army, which, according to some rumours, he considers to number 200 000 men, including 20 000 janissaries, and points out that there could be three areas of attack: Wallachia, Transylvania and Belgrade, the first two being the most likely. Then a river fleet of 300 ships is mentioned, which the Sultan introduced on the Danube to help him cross the river. This is followed by information about Vlad the Impaler, who is said to have sent all his women and children to the mountains while he and his army guarded the Danube. It is also said that everyone at the court in Buda was surprised that Vlad Țepeș had not sent for help, and that the king was determined to go and fight the Turks [90] . At the end of the letter the ambassador makes some considerations about the future course of events as he envisaged them, some of which will be refuted, but others confirmed. Thus, he believes that either Vlad Țepeș will be easily defeated by the huge Ottoman army, which will not happen, after which the Hungarian kingdom will be defeated just as easily, which again will not happen precisely because Vlad Țepeș will not let himself be crushed, or King Matthias will reach a shameful agreement for the whole of Christendom [91] , which will indeed happen, despite the splendid victory of the Romanian lord [92] . From this letter it can be seen that the Venetian ambassador in Buda had become quite familiar with Hungary's military capability and her king's "desire" to confront the Ottoman Empire. At the same time, he did not doubt that Vlad the Impaler was determined to make every sacrifice to defend his country but, not knowing the military situation of the Romanian Country, he believed that a possible success would have been impossible in the face of the Ottoman onslaught.

More than two weeks later, on 14 June, the same Pietro Tomasso wrote again to the Doge, showing him that the Turks led by a Pasha, probably Mahmud Pasha, had crossed the Danube with 60 000 men, including 25 000 janissaries. In fact, this is the closest figure to the truth for the entire Ottoman army led by Mehmet II himself [93]. The Venetian ambassador went on to say that the prince of Transylvania was preparing for battle, and that Matthias Corvinus had told him that the Sultan was in camp and would probably attack Belgrade. He also indicated that the king had ordered the general assembly of the army at Seghedin, from where it could move either to Belgrade or to Transylvania and Wallachia, depending on Mehmet II's intentions. It can be seen that with this news Matthias Corvinus was trying to create confusion in Venice and probably in Rome about the Sultan's intentions. He spoke of the possibility of attacking Belgrade at a time when it was very clear that the Sultan intended to attack with all the forces at his disposal, precisely because he did not intend to support Vlad Tepes and openly confront the Ottomans. At the same time, however, he asked Venice to call on the Pope and other Christian princes to send him aid, showing that his treasury was empty. The ambassador said that Vlad Țepeș, unable to stop the Turks at the Danube, had retreated to the mountains and predicted his complete defeat, feared by the court of Buda, which could have led to the loss of Transylvania [94] .

Some of this information, however, was contradicted by other information from different sources. Thus, regarding the fact that Vlad Țepeș had not asked for help from the King of Hungary, information transmitted by Tomasso on 27 May [95] , another letter, that of Ladislau de Vesen, also addressed to the Doge, indicated that the lord of the Romanian Country "... every day asks to be helped, because he will not be able to support such a strong attack alone" [96] . Even Pietro Tomasso, in his letter of 15 June, indicated that the Sultan had already entered Wallachia, but, under the influence of the court of Buda, he maintained his opinion that from here he could move against Belgrade and continued to express doubts about Vlad Țepeș's ability to resist [97] . Of course, all this information, although some of it was contradictory and could leave room for justified suspicions, turned Venice's attention primarily on Matthias Corvinus and less on Vlad Tepes, with whom it avoided, as we have already shown, to enter into direct links.

But the reality was different, and the one who knew it best was the King of Hungary himself. Thus, after having tried to demonstrate to Venice that Vlad Țepeș was incapable of resisting the Turks and after having received subsidies from the latter for the anti-Ottoman struggle, [98] Matthias Corvinus tried to make the most of the splendid victory of the Romanian prince, to which he had contributed nothing. Immediately after learning of the victory and the Sultan's retreat, he sent a message to Venice announcing the crushing of the Sultan by "Hungarians and Romanians", the echo of which was recorded by the Milanese ambassador in the lagoon city, A. Guidobonus, on 30 July 1462 [99] .

But in spite of these attempts, which in today's terms we might call intoxication and misinformation, Venice, whose diplomacy was very skilful in such matters, could not be misled. It gathered its information not only from Buda, but also from elsewhere, and was thus able to form a picture very close to the real course of events in the Lower Danube. Particularly significant in this respect is the letter of the Constantinopolitan bailiff Domenico Balbi, who, on 28 July 1462, gave an almost complete and truthful picture of Mehmet II's campaign in Wallachia. He showed that, once north of the Danube, the Sultan found the country empty of men and provisions, all retreating to fortified places in the mountains. He then tells of the harassing war waged by Vlad Țepeș, of the night attack against the Sultan's camp, of the great losses suffered by the Turks, which finally forced them to retreat, Mehmet II being already at Adrianopol on 11 July. It is also mentioned that the Sultan left his brother, none other than Radu the Handsome, with some Ottoman troops near Wallachia, to try to overthrow the prince with the help of possible internal complicity: ,,... lasso al fradello de Dracuglia cum alcume bandieri dei Turchii per tentar li animi de Valachi de quanto volesserro lassar al Dracuglia convenir de quest altro" [100] thus, an accurate picture of the 1462 campaign and Vlad the Impaler's victory, but not a word about the so often mentioned help of Matthias Corvinus, which of course made the Senate, the Doge and the other ruling factors of the Republic realize also the real position of the Hungarian king.

True information about what happened in Wallachia in 1462 reached Venice through other channels, probably letters from its representatives in the Balkans and the Aegean islands, echoed in several chronicles of the time, which also reveal the opinion of Venetian public opinion, i.e. the informed circles of the Republic, about the events of that year at the Lower Danube. Thus, an anonymous Italian chronicle, also circulating in Venice, which goes on to narrate events up to 1481, records, under the year 1462, that '... the Turks who had gone against Dracula in Wallachia were beaten and chased away" [101] , the chronicle of Domenico Malipiero also states that the lord of the Romagna region met the Turks with a strong army and defeated them with mighty will [102] , and the Venetian Annals (1433-1477) of Stefano Magno wrote that in 1462 Mehmet II, "emperor of the Turks and Greeks", sent ,,... a strong army into Wallachia; but the Wallachians rising against it were defeated..." [103] . We note, therefore, that in all these sources, which refer to the great confrontation that took place in Wallachia in 1462, there is no mention of any contribution by Matthias Corvinus, whose claims, brought to the knowledge of the Republic by the July solia, are appreciated at their fair value, i.e. at their rhetorical-propagandistic value, without any real support.

The suspicions that Venice had about the intentions of Matthias Corvinus also result from the fact that when he left Buda on his so-called campaign to help Vlad the Impaler, arriving only at the beginning of November 1462 in Brasov, he was accompanied by the Venetian ambassador Pietro Tomasso. His mission was to inform the Senate about the evolution of the conflict and other important events [104] . Unfortunately, the only information that the ambassador sent and of which we are aware was that of 26 November, concerning the arrest of Vlad Țepeș, after some time the leadership of the Republic confirmed the receipt of this letter, as well as that of the King of Hungary about the "case" Vlad Țepeș [105] .

We suspect that the Venetian authorities, usually very well informed about events, especially if they were of direct interest to them, had found out by the end of the year the truth about the relations between Matthias Corvinus, Vlad the Impaler and the Turks, because as early as 9 November it was known in Vienna that the King of Hungary had concluded a secret treaty with the Sultan [106] . As relations between Frederick III and Matthias Corvinus were tense, we do not see what obstacle could have prevented Venetian diplomacy from finding out everything that might interest it about this treaty. But, although it knew the truth, Venice continued to undermine Matthias Corvinus in the hope that he would eventually decide to attack the Turks. This was at a time when Venetian-Ottoman relations were becoming increasingly tense, with Venice's preparations for war intensifying especially after the appointment of a new Captain General of the Sea (supreme commander of the Venetian fleet) in December 1462, an appointment that did not become effective until 31 January the following year, with the election of Alvise Loredan to the post [107] .

Thus, on 15 January 1463, the Venetian Senate confirmed to the Hungarian King the receipt of letters informing him of "... the enmity case of the former Montenegrin lord, who tried to commit such a great crime against Your Majesty and the kingdom" [108] . Matthias was also praised for having taken some timely defensive measures [109] . This was, however, we repeat, a diplomatic language that Venice used against Hungary only because it needed to ally itself with it at a time when a major confrontation with the Ottoman Empire seemed unavoidable and Vlad Tepes had lost his reign. In fact, despite the letters and 'proofs' of treason sent by Matthias Corvinus, the Venetian Senate could not be convinced of Vlad the Impaler's guilt.

Five months after his arrest, on 18 April 1463, it asked the new ambassador in Buda, Giovanni Aymo, to discover the truth about Vlad Țepeș, to find out about the relations between the King of Hungary and the new ruler of the Romanian Country and to find out whether a peace had been or could be made between Hungary and the Ottoman Empire, in which case it had to do everything possible to prevent it [110] . Two important things emerge from these instructions: on the one hand, Venice's distrust of the political and military intentions of Matthias Corvinus, and on the other, its imperative need to establish an alliance with Hungary in the face of the growing Ottoman threat. The information she possessed about the secret treaty between Matthias Corvinus and the Sultan, probably obtained through Vienna but also through her diplomatic agents in the Balkans, she wanted to have confirmed or refuted by investigations on the spot and, if possible, to turn the situation in her favour. For this reason she was willing to accept the explanations and arguments of the Hungarian king, the veracity of which she doubted, but she did not derive much benefit from the hoped-for alliance with him, since Matthias had his sights set on Central Europe, preferring to maintain a situation of military balance and territorial-political status quo on the borders with the Ottoman Empire [111] . On the Lower Danube, the main de facto allies of Venice in the long war with the Ottoman Porte between 1463 and 1479 were the Romanians and not the King of Hungary. The Romanians led by Vlad Tepes defeated the Sultan in 1462, they too, but led by Stephen the Great, would achieve the brilliant victory of Vaslui in January 1475, a victory which for a time eliminated Ottoman pressure on the Venetian possessions on the Balkan coast of the Adriatic, and in 1476 a new Sultan expedition would crush their fierce resistance. In this period, as in others of the Middle Ages, the main factor of resistance to Ottoman pressure on Central Europe was the Romanian countries and much less the feudal Hungarian kingdom. It is true that the Hungarian royalty tried to take credit for all the major victories achieved against the Turks on the Lower Danube, but this could not hide the undeniable truth of the facts. For the ruling politicians in Vienna, Venice, Rome and others, Matthias Corvinus' behaviour in 1462 was very clear, his treachery was obvious, but the hopes, unrealised, moreover, that he would change his attitude and fight the Turks led them, like the Venetians, to give him credit, undeservedly, for it.

How, however, can this attitude be explained? We believe that two factors played a primary role, both for Venice and for the papacy. The first is Hungary's status as a great power, recognised throughout Europe. So, in comparison with the Romanian countries, which had a much lower political and military potential, Hungary was preferable, from which they expected not only a defensive confrontation policy towards the Turks, but also important offensive actions against them. For this reason the papacy intervened energetically to conclude a peace treaty between Matthias Corvinus and Frederick III [112] , after which it played an essential role in the conclusion of a treaty of alliance between Venice and Matthias Corvinus, a treaty concluded on 12 September 1463 [113] . But it seems that this alliance with Hungary was already too late. By that time Hungarian foreign policy had already changed direction and Hungary was no longer aggressive towards the Turks [114] . After Matthias Corvinus had secured his hold on the Jajce region of Bosnia and after the failure of the papal crusade project in 1464, he abandoned the anti-Ottoman struggle for a long time and, at the urging of Pope Paul II (1464-1471), turned his forces against George Podiebrad (1458-1471), king of Bohemia, his former ally and father-in-law, but who had meanwhile become a heretic and enemy [115] . The situation could not be prevented or changed by the agreement signed on 19 October 1463 between Pope Pius II, Venice and Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy [116], which provided for an anti-Ottoman alliance for three years.

Secondly, it is the fact that Matthias Corvinus was the Catholic king of a Catholic state, Hungary. For the Pope it was essential that the anti-Ottoman crusade be led by Catholics and that it be carried out with the participation, first and foremost and on a large scale, of Catholic forces, Catholic states. For this reason, one of the constants of papal anti-Ottoman crusade policy was to seek participants within Catholic Europe. Once they had offered their services or refused to take part in the crusade, papal diplomacy turned its attention to the Orthodox world and even to the Asian world, from where formidable enemies of the Ottoman Porte could emerge. This is why Venice, which desperately needed the help of the papacy, did not dare to bypass the Catholic Matthias Corvinus and enter into direct contact with Vlad Tepes. For Pope Pius II, all the victories of Vlad the Impaler were, in fact, victories of this Catholic king of Hungary. Nor could the pope have conceived of an anti-Ottoman crusade being started by an Orthodox prince, and of his placing himself at its head. That is why there was not even the question of helping, even symbolically, the brave prince of the Romanian Country. All eyes were on Matthias Corvinus, the only leader capable, in the Pope's view, of leading the anti-Ottoman forces. Significant in this respect is the firm rejection by Pius II in 1462 of a project for an anti-Ottoman crusade, which had been initiated by the Bohemian king George Podiebrad, suspected of heresy. The latter, through a Frenchman from Dauphiné, Antonio Marini, who had arrived in unclear surroundings at his court, proposed an anti-Ottoman alliance to Venice, Burgundy and France. But Podiebrad wanted to bypass the pope, to leave him out of the alliance, which, as Venice pointed out to him, was an impossibility [117] . And indeed, absolutely nothing came of this project.

We believe that these are the two main reasons why the Italian powers, in particular Venice and the papacy, avoided engaging in direct relations with Vlad Țepeș, leaving him to the good pleasure of Matia Corvinus, who threw him into prison for more than 13 years without anyone holding him to account.

Things would become very clear towards the end of Matthias Corvinus' reign, however, when he repeated his behaviour, in a similar situation, towards Stephen the Great, Lord of Moldavia. Although he had an alliance with the latter, which provided for mutual aid in the event of Ottoman attacks, Matthias Corvinus did not hesitate to conclude a treaty with the new sultan, Baiazid II (1481-1512), in 1483. Thus, while the Turks attacked and captured by surprise the two key cities of southern Moldavia, Chilia and the White Fortress, he launched a major campaign against Frederick III in the summer of 1484, which resulted in the occupation of Vienna the following year, where he remained until his surprising death in 1490 [118] . The "champion of Christianity", the "defender of Europe" thus ended his days in "glory" in Vienna, having conquered, in hard and bloody battles, almost all the hereditary possessions of the Habsburgs, and not in the anti-Ottoman struggle as he had promised throughout his reign.

In fact, in our view, Hungary was not and could not be that "wall of defence" of Europe against the increasingly insistent Ottoman assaults, for two main reasons. The first, less important, is that Matthias Corvinus, its last great king, deliberately turned his efforts to a policy of expansion in Central Europe, the exact opposite of what his father, the great Iancu of Hunedoara, had done, a policy which necessarily involved the maintenance of the Ottoman Porte. The second and most important reason is that the overall development of Hungarian society in the 15th century and at the beginning of the following century led to an intensification of feudal anarchy, through the increase in the power of the great magnates and a corresponding weakening of state structures and the strength of the state, which explains why a single battle (Mohács, 1526) was enough for this state to disappear from the political map of Europe. The same was not true of the Romanian countries, which have experienced uninterrupted state continuity and have recorded in history numerous glorious feats of anti-totalitarian struggle.

At the end of these brief considerations, we believe that a few conclusions are in order regarding Vlad Țepeș in the context of the anti-Ottoman struggle. First of all, it is noted that there was no direct link between him and Venice, this being impossible due to the claims of suzerainty manifested by Matthias Corvinus towards Wallachia, theoretical claims, but which Venice, for the reasons indicated above, did not want to contest. Secondly, we can say that Venice, in spite of Matia Corvin's disinformation action, knew, even with very significant details, the heroic struggle of Vlad Țepeș, as well as the less than chivalrous behaviour of the Hungarian king, in contradiction with the medieval obligations of a suzerain towards his vassal, as Matia Corvin claimed to be towards Vlad Țepeș. But, thirdly, Venice preferred to turn a blind eye to the evidence, hoping to obtain the effective collaboration of Matthias Corvinus in the anti-Ottoman struggle. The result was that it passively witnessed the downfall of a sure ally, Vlad the Impaler, and in return obtained only a very inadequate amount of help from Hungary, which at the time did not have, even if it wanted to, the capacity to wage a major offensive war against the Ottoman Empire.

Vlad the Impaler tried to break out of the system of Hungarian-Ottoman co-occupation established over the Romanian Country in 1451-1452, but without adequate external support he was unable to do so. His action showed that this system could not be removed, that, overcoming mutual hostility, the two great powers intended to keep it in place, which would happen until the disappearance of Hungary in 1526. At the same time, however, his action also brought to light a particularly important fact, namely that the balance of power in this system was increasingly tilted in favour of the Ottoman Empire. This also explains Stephen the Great's repeated failures to bring Wallachia into his sphere of influence and to oppose the Turks, the victim of which was Vlad the Great himself in 1476. However, his struggle was not in vain. It showed the Turks that Wallachia could be defeated but not destroyed. ___________ Sources: [1] Ioan Bogdan, Vlad Țepeș and the German and Russian narrations about him, Bucharest, 1896, p. 11; Ștefan Andreescu, Vlad Țepeș (Dracula) between legend and historical truth, Bucharest, 1976, p. 59; Manole Neagoe, Vlad Țepeș, heroic figure of the Romanian people, Bucharest, 1977, pp. 21-22. [2] Nicolae Stoicescu, Vlad Țepeș, Bucharest, 1976, pp. 33-37; Radu Ștefan Ciobanu, Pe urmele lui Vlad Țepeș, Bucharest, 1979, p. 95. [3] History of Romania, vol. II, Bucharest, 1962, pp. 465-466. [4] Hurmuzaki, Documents concerning the history of Romanians, vol. XV, 1, Bucharest, 1911, p. 45, doc. LXXIX. [5] Ibidem, pp. 45-46, doc. LXXX. [6] Olgierd Górka, Cronica epocei lui Ștefan cel Mare, 1457-1499, Bucharest, 1937, p. 110; see also Ion Const. Chițimia, Cronica di Ștefan cel Mare (Schedel's German version), Bucharest, 1942; Slav-Romance chronicles of the 16th century, Bucharest, 1942. XV-XVI published by Ioan Bogdan, revised and completed edition by P. P. Panaitescu, Bucharest, 1959, pp. 28, 49, 61 and 178; Grigore Ureche, Letopisețul Țării Moldovei, edition P. P. Panaitescu, 2nd edition, Bucharest, 1958, p. 90. [7] See in this regard the statements of Critobul of Imbros, From the reign of Mohammed II. Anii 1451-1467, edited by Vasile Grecu, Bucharest, 1962, p. 290; Laonic Chalcocondil, Expuneri istorice, edited by Vasile Grecu, Bucharest, 1958, p. 283; Tursun-bei, ,,Tarih-i Ebu-l Fath-i Sultan Mehmed han" (History of Sultan Mehmed-han, the conquering father), in Cronici turcești privind țările române. Extracts, vol. I, Sec. XV-mid sec. XVII, ed. Mihail Guboglu and Mustafa Ali Mehmet, Bucharest, 1966, pp. 67-68; Șemseddin Ahmed bin Suleiman Kemal-pașa-zade, ,,Tevarih-i al-i Osman" (Histories of the Ottoman Dynasty) in ibidem, p. 198; Constantin Mihailovici de Ostrovița's account in Foreign Travellers about Romanian Countries, vol. I, Bucharest, 1968, p. 126. [8] The hostile attitude of Matthias Corvinus towards Vlad Țepeș is confirmed by the order he issued from Buda on 10 April 1459, forbidding the Brașovs to sell arms in Wallachia (Hurmuzaki, Documents, XV, p. 52, doc. XC). [9] See Chapter I of this work, note 124. [10] In support of this assertion, we believe that the historian Șerban Papacostea comes to the conclusion he reaches after a meticulous research of the causes that generated the conflict between Vlad Țepeș and the Saxons of southern Transylvania. Here is what he says: "The fierce confrontation between Vlad Țepeș and the cities of Brașov and Sibiu was therefore not a commercial war with political manifestations, but a political conflict with commercial excesses" (Șerban Papacostea, ,,Începuturile politica commerciale a Țării Românești și Moldovei (secolele XIV-XVI). Road and State", in Studies and Materials of Medieval History, X, Bucharest, 1983, p. 30. [11] This is an anonymous history up to 1500, La progenia della cassa de' Octomani, apud Nicolae Iorga, Acte și fragmente cu privire la istoria românilor, vol. III, București, 1897, p. 13 and Donado da Lezze's chronicle, Historia turchesca (1300-1514), ed. I. Ursu, Bucharest, 1909, pp. 24-25, which

indicates the year 1458 for Mahmud Pasha's expedition against Vlad Tepes, information considered true by N. Iorga in Istoria Românilor, vol. IV, Bucharest, 1937, pp. 130-131. [12] The chronological error of the two Italian sources, which place the events of the beginning of the 1462 campaign four years earlier, is demonstrated with solid arguments by Ștefan Andreescu, op. cit., pp. 91-92 and idem, ,,Războiul cu turcii din 1462", in Revista de istorie, tom 29, nr. 11, 1976, pp. 1673-1674. See also Const. A. Stoide, ,,Vlad the Impaler's battles with the Turks (1461-1462)", in Anuarul Institutulului de istorie e arheologie "A. D. Xenopol", XV, 1978, pp. 16-17. We share this opinion. The confusion in the two Italian sources may also derive from the fact that in early October 1458 Hungarian troops led by Mihail Szilagyi defeated an Ottoman army commanded by Mahmud Pasha near Belgrade (I. A. Fessler, E. Klein, Geschichte von Ungarn, III, Leipzig, 1876, p. 16; N. Iorga, Geschichte des osmanische Reiches nach den Quellen dargestellt, vol. II, Gotha, 1909, pp. 107-108; C. Jireček, Geschichte des Serben, II, 1, Gotha, 1918, p. 213; Franz Babinger, Mahomet II le Conquêrant et son temps. 1432-1481. La grande peur du monde au tournant de l'histoire, Paris, 1954, pp. 189-190). [13] For the haraciul of Wallachia during Vlad Țepeș's reign see M. Berza, ,,Haraciul Moldovei și Țării Românești în sec. XV-XIX", in Studii și materiale de istorie medie, II, București, 1957, pp. 28-29. [14] Istoria României, II, p. 470; N. Stoicescu, op. cit., p. 86; idem, ,,La victoire de Vlad l'Empaleur sur les Turcs (1462)", in Revue Roumaine d'Histoire, XV, no. 3, 1976, p. 377; Șt. Andreescu, Vlad Țepeș (Dracula)..., p. 99; R. Șt. Ciobanu, op. cit., pp. 170-171; Emil Stoian, Vlad Țepeș. Myth and historical reality, Bucharest, 1989, p. 79; Constantin Rezachevici, ,,Vlad Țepeș - chronology, bibliography", in Revista de istorie, tom 29, nr. 11, 1976, p. 1748; idem, ,,Vlad Țepeș - Chronology and historical Bibliography", in vol. Dracula. Essays on the Life and Times of Vlad Țepeș. Edited by Kurt W. Treptow, Columbia University Press, New York, 1991, p. 257; Kurt W. Treptow, Aspects of the Campaign of 1462, in ibid, pp. 123-124. Matei Cazacu considers that Vlad Țepeș stopped paying tribute to the Turks in 1460 and links this decision to the work of the Congress of Mantua in 1459 (Matei Cazacu, L'histoire du prince Dracula en Europe Centrale et Orientale (XVe siècle), Geneve, 1988, p. 📷. [15] In this year Mehmet II undertook an important campaign in Moreea, succeeding in conquering a third of the Peninsula, with the cities of Corinth, Patras, Vostitza, Kalavryta. The two despots of Morea, Thomas and Demetrios, are obliged to pay an annual tribute of 3,000 ducats (Denis A. Zakythinos, Le Despotat grec du Morée. Historie politique, London, 1975, pp. 256-260). [16] F. Babinger, op. cit., pp. 199-201. [17] Ibidem, pp. 210-215; D. A. Zakythinos, op. cit., pp. 267-274. On 1 August 1460, the Captain of the Gulf, the title borne by the commander of the Venetian fleet in the Adriatic, Lorenzo Moro, as well as the castellan of Modon and Coron, received very clear information that the Sultan intended to establish his authority over the whole of Morea, that he was the enemy of Venice and that he had already reached the borders of the Venetian territories in the Peninsula (F. Thiriet, Régestes des délibération du senat de Venise concernant la Romanie, tome III, 1431-1463, Paris, The Hague, 1961, pp. 233-234, no. 3118). [18] F. Babinger, op. cit., pp. 228-238; Ș. Papacostea, ,,Relațiile internazionali în răsăritul și sud-estul Europei în secolelele XIV-XV", in Revista de istorie, vol. 34, no. 5, 1981, pp. 916-917; Tahsin Gemil, Românii și otomanii în secolelele XIV-XVI, București, 1991, p. 140. 19] For this conflict see Hurmuzaki, Documents, XV, 1, pp. 50-51, doc. LXXXIX; I. Bogdan, Documente privitoare la relațiile Țării Românești cu Brașovul și cu Țara Ungurească în sec. XV-XVI, vol. I, 1413-1508,

Bucharest, 1905, pp. 101-103; C. C. Giurescu, Istoria românilor, vol. II, 1, 3rd ed., Bucharest, 1940, pp. 43-49; Istoria României, II, pp. 468-469; N. Stoicescu, Vlad Țepeș, pp. 70-73; Șt. Andreescu, Vlad Țepeș (Dracula)..., pp. 66-77; R. Șt. Ciobanu, op. cit., pp. 150-159; E. Stoian, op. cit., pp. 60-70. Tursun bei shows that Vlad Țepeș ,,... trusting in the High Porte, overcame the Hungarians, killing many of them..." (op. cit., ed.cit., p. 68), and Chalcocondil also states the following: "And the Peons (Hungarians - n.n.), not a few, whom he believed to have some interference in public affairs, not killing any of them, killed them in very great numbers" (op. cit., ed.cit., p. 283). In fact, Vlad Țepeș's incursions into Transylvania were directed against all those who were working against him, hostile boyars or pretenders to the reign, and who were thus violating the country's aspirations for independence (Pavel Binder, ,,Itinerarul transilvănean al Vlad Țepeș", in Revista de istorie, tom 27, nr. 10, 1974, pp. 1537-1542).

[20] One of the reasons for the hostility of the Saxons, craftsmen and merchants par excellence, was probably the adoption of protectionist trade measures by Vlad Țepeș (Gustav Gündisch, ,,On Vlad Țepeș's relations with Transylvania in 1456-1458", in Studies. Revistă de istorie, vol. 16, 1963, pp. 684-686; Radu Manolescu, Comerțul Țării Românești și Moldovei cu Brașovul (secolelele XIV-XVI), Bucharest, 1965; Dinu C. Giurescu, ,,Relațiile economice ale Țării Românești cu paesi de Peninsulei Balcanice din secolul al XIV-lea până la mediados la XVI-lea", in Romanoslavica, XI, 1965, pp. 167-201; M. Cazacu, ,,L'impact ottoman sur les pays roumains et ses incidences monétairs (1452-1504)", in Revue Roumaine d'Histoire, XII, no. 1, 1973, pp. 188 ff.).

[21] We find the opinion of the historian Șerban Papacostea particularly interesting, who considers that Vlad Țepeș did not pursue a protectionist policy towards the Saxon merchants of Brașov and Sibiu: "Vlad Țepeș's relations with Brasov and Sibiu, the meaning of his conflict with the two cities, as well as his entire personality and activity are distorted in historiography, partly because of some of the sources that recorded his deeds, stories in Slavonic and German, a mixture of reality and legend, partly because of an historiographical approach that placed the thesis before the source and research" (Ș. Papacostea, ,,The Beginnings of Commercial Politics...", p. 27). In the continuation of the argument of this point of view it is pointed out that it is certain that Radu the Handsome, brother and successor in the reign of Vlad the Impaler, instituted the obligatory deposit, which considerably restricted the activity of the Brașovs in Wallachia and at the same time intercepted their direct link with the Lower Danube (Ibidem, p. 28). Returning to the throne in 1476, and with the assistance of the Hungarian royal armies, Vlad Țepeș undertook, in fact, to annul the measures of Radu the Handsome: ,,... that from now on the scale of what was shall be nowhere in the land of my reign" (I. Bogdan, Documents concerning the relations of Wallachia with Brasov..., I, pp. 95-97; Ș. Papacostea, ,,The beginnings of commercial policy...", p. 29). If this is the case, and it is very probable, it follows that Vlad the Impaler's war with the Saxons of southern Transylvania and with King Matthias Corvinus was purely political (Ș. Papacostea, ,,The beginnings of commercial politics...", p. 30; G. Gündisch, ,,Vlad Țepeș und die Sächsischen Selbstverwaltungsgebiete Siebenbürgens", in Revue Roumaine d'Histoire, VIII, no. 6, 1969, pp. 981-992). It is also possible that the payment of tribute to the Porte, which Vlad Țepeș made regularly in the first years of his reign, until 1459, was interpreted by the King of Hungary and the Transylvanian Saxons as a gesture of hostility (M. Cazacu, L'histoire du prince Dracula..., p. 5). Also, as Matthias Corvinus had been holding secret talks with the Turks since the end of 1458 to conclude an armistice (Monumenta Hungariae Historica. Acta extera, vol IV, Budapest, 1875, pp. 36-40; Lino Gómez Canedo, Un español al servicio de la Santa Sede. Don Juan de Carvajal, Cardinal of Sant Angelo, legate in Germany and Hungary (1399? - 1469), Madrid, 1947, p. 199), it is quite possible that the Sultan saw Vlad Țepeș's action as an act of pressure on the King of Hungary, that he even gave his approval for the military actions in southern Transylvania and that he accepted, as something absolutely normal, the non-payment of tribute from 1459.

[22] G. Gündisch, ,,Vlad Țepeș und die Sächsischen...", p. 992. It seems that this peace and alliance agreement was a direct consequence of an earlier agreement with Matthias Corvinus (N. Stoicescu, Vlad Țepeș, p.89, n. 17; Radu Lungu, ,,À propos de la campagne antiottomane de Vlad l'Empaleur au sud du Danube (hiver 1461-1462)", in Revue Roumaine d'Histoire, XXII, no. 2, 1983, pp. 149-150).

[23] Ș. Papacostea, ,,The beginnings of commercial policy...", p. 29.

announced the crusade on 14 January 1460 (N. Iorga, Notes et extraits pour servir à l'histoire des croisades au XVe siècle, IV, Bucharest, 1915, pp. 166-168). Also, on 20 February 1460, Pius II offered Matthias Corvinus 40,000 ducats in case of war with the Turks, on condition that he did not conclude a separate peace with Mehmed II (Augustino Theiner, Vetera monumenta historica Hungariam sacram illustrantia, vol. II, Rome, Paris, 1860, pp. 351, 356-357). In turn, during the Congress of Mantua, Matthias Corvinus promised through his soldiers that he would participate in a possible crusade with a contingent of 12,000 soldiers (L. Gómez Canedo, op. cit, p. 212).

[24] The opinion that Vlad Țepeș openly took action against the Turks in 1461 and not in 1459 was expressed by Nicolae Iorga: "Only in 1461 does he change his behaviour: he returns to the traditional policy that had been his father's" (Scrisori de boieri. Scrisori de domni, 3rd ed., Vălenii de Munte, 1931, p. 163) and repeated by Sergiu Iosipescu, ,,Conjunctura și condiționarea internazionale politico-militare a cea seconda domnii a Vlad Țepeș (1456-1462)", in Studii și materiale de muzeografie e istorie militară, nr. 11, 1978, București, 1978, pp. 179-180. However, in the case of the two historians this opinion is not sufficiently scientifically substantiated. That is why we, being in agreement with this point of view, will try to support it with all the arguments at our disposal. 25] G. B. Picotti, La dieta di Mantova e la politica de'Veneziani, in Miscellanea di storia veneta, seria terza, tomo IV, Venezia, 1912. Pope Pius II, who was preparing the anti-Ottoman league, appealed for peace in Hungary, torn by fighting between the partisans of Matthias Corvinus and those of Frederick III of Habsburg (I. A. Fessler, E. Klein, op. cit., III, pp. 20-21; K. Nehring, Mathias Corvinus, Kaiser Friedrich III und das Reich. Zum hunyadisch-habsburgischen Gegensatz im Donauraum, Munich, 1975, pp. 15-16) and, despite the opposition of Venice and the imperial delegates, read the bull announcing the crusade on 14 January 1460 (N. Iorga, Notes et extraits pour servir à l'histoire des croisades au XVe siècle, IV, Bucharest, 1915, pp. 166-168). Also, on 20 February 1460, Pius II offered Matthias Corvinus 40,000 ducats in case of war with the Turks, on condition that he did not conclude a separate peace with Mehmed II (Augustino Theiner, Vetera monumenta historica Hungariam sacram illustrantia, vol. II, Rome, Paris, 1860, pp. 351, 356-357). In turn, during the Congress of Mantua, Matthias Corvinus promised through his soldiers that he would participate in a possible crusade with a contingent of 12,000 soldiers (L. Gómez Canedo, op. cit, p. 212).

[26] Luigi Bignami, Francesco Sforza (1401-1466), Milan, 1938, pp. 275-276.

[27] L. Chalcocondil, op. cit. ed., pp. 283-284.

[28] I. Bogdan, Documente privitoare la relațiile Țării Românești cu Brașovul..., I, p. 107; Urkundenbuch zur Geschichte der Deutschen in Siebenbürgen, VI, București, 1981, pp. 90-91, doc. 3237; G. Gündisch, Vlad Țepeș und die Sächsischen..., pp. 986-992; N. Stoicescu, Vlad Țepeș, p. 89, n. 17; Șt. Andreescu, ,,En marge des rapports de Vlad l'Empaleur avec l'Empire ottoman", in Revue des Etudes Sud-Est Européennes, XIV, no. 3, 1976, p. 374; S. Iosipescu, art. cit., p. 182; R. Lungu, art. cit., pp. 149-150.

[29] I. Bogdan, Vlad Tepes and the German and Russian narratives..., p. 78.

[30] Lodovico da Bologna is one of the most controversial figures of the age, who undertook numerous journeys to the East, as a soldier or papal legate, almost always with the mission of making anti-Ottoman alliances with the Eastern powers. His missions of 1437, 1454-1455, 1460-1461, 1465, 1472 and 1477 are well known. For his life and work see, among others, Moriz Landwehr von Pragenau, Ludwig von Bologna. Patriarch von Antiochien, in Mitteilungen des Österreich Instituts, Wien, 1901, p. 293; B. Bughetti, ,,Nuovi documenti intorno a Fr. Lodovico da Bologna O.F.M. (1460-1461)", in Studi Francescani, series 3 a, 10, 1938, pp. 128-134; Angelo Bargellesi Severi, ,,Nuovi documenti su fr. Lodovico da Bologna, al secolo Lodovico Severi, Nunzio Apostolico in Oriente (1455-1457)", in Archivum Franciscanum Historicum, annus 69, fasc. 1-2, 1976, pp. 3-22; Richard J.Walsh, ,,Charles the Bold and the Crusade: politics and propaganda", in Journal of medieval history, III, 1977, pp. 70-72, Jean Richard, La Papauté et les misisions d'Orient au Moyen Âge (XIIIe - XVe siècles), Paris, Torino, 1977, pp. 274-278.

[31] I. A. Fessler, Die Geschichte der Ungarn und ihrer Landsassen, V, Leipzig, 1822, p. 77; A. Bryer, ,,Lodovico da Bologna and the Georgian Embassy of 1460-1461", in Bendi Kartlisa. Revue de kartvelologie, XIX-XX, 1965, Paris, p. 181; Lajos Tardy, ,,Il ruolo di Venezia nei rapporti persiani e georgiani dell'Ungheria", in vol. Rapporti veneto-ungheresi all'epoca del Rinascimento, edited by Tibor Klaniczay, Budapest, 1975, p. 258.

[32] L. Tardy, art. cit.

[33] Ibid; A. Bryer, art. cit., p. 184.

[34] A. Bryer, op. cit. p. 191; L. Tardy, op. cit. p. 258.

[35] Ș. Papacostea, ,,Die politischen Voraussetzungen für die Wirtschaftliche Vorherrschaft des osmanischen Reiches Schwarzmeergebiet (1453-1484)", in Münchner Zeitschrift für Balkankunde, 1, Münich, 1978, p. 230; R. Lungu, art. cit., p. 151.

[36] L. Chalcocondil, op. cit., ed. cit., pp. 283-284; Critobul of Imbrosa, op. cit., ed. cit., p. 290; Ducas, Turkish-Byzantine History (1341-1462), ed. V. Grecu, Bucharest, 1958, p. 430; Tursun-bei, op. cit., ed. cit., p. 68; Șemseddin Ahmed bin Suleiman Kemal-pașa-zade, op. cit., ed. cit, p. 200; Enverî, Düsturname (Book of the Wazir), in Turkish Chronicles, I, p. 42, Asîk-pașa-zade, Tevarih-i Al-i Osman (Histories of the Ottoman Dynasty), in ibid, p. 92; Mehmed Neșri, Djihannuma. Tarih-i al-i Osman (History of the Ottoman Dynasty), in ibid, p. 125; Sa'adeddin Mehmed hodja efendi, Tadj-ut-Tevarih (Crown of Histories), in ibid, pp. 317-318; Mehmed bin Mehmed, Nuhbet-ut-tevarih ve'l ahbar (Chosen and Informative Chronicle), in ibid, pp. 406; Kodja Husein, Beda'i ul-veka'i (Wonderful Events), in ibid, p. 455; Solakzade Mehmed Hemdemi, Tarih-i Solakzade (Chronicle of Solakzade), in ibid, vol. II, sec. XVI - early sec. XVIII, ed. Mihail Guboglu, Bucharest, 1974, p. 139. It should be noted that all the Ottoman chronicles we have been able to consult place the time of Vlad Țepeș's battle in 1461 and do not mention any previous suspicion that the sultan may have had about him regarding non-payment of tribute. [37] Probably from spies infiltrating Hungary (F. Babinger, op. cit., pp. 246-247). [38] These details are known from the famous letter sent by Vlad Țepeș to Matia Corvin on 11 February 1462, after the attack on the Ottoman positions on the Danube (I. Bogdan, Vlad Țepeș și narațiunile germane și rusești..., p. 79; N. Iorga, Scrisori de boieri. Scrisori de domni, ed. cit., p. 165; Andrei Corbea, ,,Cu privire la corespondența lui Țepeș cu Matia Corvin", in Anuarul Institutului de istorie e arheologie ,,A. D. Xenopol", XVII, 1980, p. 677). Without these details the solia is also mentioned by L. Chalcocondil, op. cit., ed. cit., p. 282; Ducas, op. cit., ed. cit., p. 430; Enverî, op. cit., ed. cit., p. 42; Tursun-bei, op. cit., ed. cit., p. 68. Asîk-pașa-zade states that the sultan's message was preceded by one of Vlad Țepeș (op. cit., ed. cit., p. 92), the same statement can be found in Mehmed Neșri (op. cit., ed. cit., p. 125). [39] For this blood tribute ("devșirme") see B. D. Populia, Ursprung und Wesen der "kuabeulese" im osmanischen Reich, Munich, 1963, with the mention on p. 58 of Vlad Țepeș's justified refusal, apud N. Stoicescu, Vlad Țepeș, p. 91, n. 24. [40] Ducas, op. cit., ed. cit., p. 430; Tursun-bei, op. cit., ed. cit., p. 68. [41] Radu Florescu, Raymond T. Mc. Nally in Dracula. A Biography of Vlad the Impaler (1431-1476), New York, 1973, argue that Vlad the Impaler's refusal to appear at the Porte is evidence of Turkish suspicion of his improving relations with Matthias Corvinus (pp. 90-91). [42] Most of the Ottoman chronicles I have been able to consult, of course, accuse Vlad Țepeș of cunning and deceit, showing that Hamza bei and Catabolinos had no hostile intentions. That this is not the case we can learn from the Turkish chroniclers, namely from Kodja Husein and Solakzade Mehmed Hemdemi, who show that the Sultan, before sending the two in solie, gave the order for the gathering of the armies (Turkish Chronicles, I, p. 455 and II, p. 139). [43] An eloquent example of this is Enverî, op. cit. ed. cit. p. 42, but also many other Turkish chroniclers to whom we do not return. But here is what Enverî says: "After the Shah conquered Trapezuntul/ He set out from here to Rumelia/ He filled that land with great riches/ And the enemies on all sides were punished// While the Shah was on that side/ And the Rumanian on this side,/ He made so many uprisings, that whoever saw them was astonished/ Ishak-pasha sat in residence/ He did not go out of the word of the Shah by heeding his advice/. The Shah summoned the viceroy/ Then Iunus left on his solie/ Iunus-bei and Hamza-bei died like martyrs/ And that unworthy man also scorched the banks of the Danube/ When the year reached 866 (1461-1462 - ed.)/ The Pashah began a holy expedition against him". [44] The

Congress of Mantua was one of the main initiatives of Pope Pius II to organize an anti-Ottoman crusade, an idea that was dominant throughout his pontificate but never materialized. See, among others, G. B. Picotti, op. cit.; A. S. Atiya, The Crusade in the Later Middle Ages, London, 1938, pp. 236-240; R. Eysser, ,,Papst Pius II und der Kreuzug gegen die Türken, in Mélanges d'Histoire Générale", published by C. Marinescu, vol. II, Bucharest, 1938, pp. 1-138; Giacchino Paparelli, Enea Silvio Piccolomini (Pius II), Bari, 1950, pp. 210-222; G. Valentini, ,,La crociata di Pio II dalla documentazione veneta d'archivio", in Archivum historiae pontificiae, XIII, 1975, pp. 249-282; K. M. Setton, The papacy and the Levant (1204-1571), II The Fifteenth Century, Philadelphia, 1978, pp. 196-270; N. Stoicescu, Vlad Țepeș, p. 87; Șt. Andreescu, War with the Turks in 1462, p. 1677; S. Iosipescu, art. cit. See also note 25 above. [45] Pius II's crusading aspirations were also based on possible collaboration with the Ottoman Empire's Asian neighbours (the Turkmen state of Ak-koiunlu in Persia, Uzun Hasan, Sinope, Trapezunt, Georgia, Armenia), who had already in 1458-1459 concluded an anti-Ottoman alliance and forced Mehmet II to turn his main forces eastwards where, in 1461, he conquered Sinope and Trapezunt (The Cambridge Modern History, vol. I, The Renaissance, Cambridge, 1931, p. 78; N. Stoicescu, Vlad Țepeș, p. 89; Ș. Papacostea, ,,Caffa et la Moldavie face à l'expresion ottomane (1453-1484)", in Romanian-Italian Colloquium Genovesii la Marea Neagră în secolele XIII-XIV, București, 27-28 March 1975, București, 1977, pp. 139-140; Șt. Andreescu, War with the Turks in 1462, p. 1677; S. Iosipescu, art. cit. [46] Ducas, op. cit. ed., p. 422 et seq.; E. Stoian, op. cit. p. 79. [47] Freddy Thiriet, La Romanie vénitienne au Moyen Âge. Le dévélopement et l'exploitation du domaine colonial vénitien (XIIe - XVe siècles), Paris, 1959, pp. 384, 385. [48] I. Bogdan, Vlad Țepeș și narațiunile germane și rusești..., p. 81; N. Iorga, Scrisori de boieri. Scrisori de domni, ed. cit., p. 166; A. Corbea, art. cit., p. 678. [49] In Pius II's crusading plans, Matthias Corvinus, the Catholic king of Hungary, was to play a leading role. Thus, on 18 January 1460 he urged him to continue his military preparations (Hurmuzaki, Documente, II, 2, Bucharest, 1891, pp. 128-129; A. Theiner, op. cit, p. 329), and in the course of that year he sent him as a subsidy the sum of 40,000 ducats (Monumenta Vaticana, Mathiae Corvini Hungariae regis epistolae ad Romanos Pontifices datae et ab eis acceptae, Budapest, 1891, p. 13; Stephan Kaprinai, Hungaria Diplomatica temporibus Mathiae de Hunyad Regis Hungariae, II, Vienna, 1771, p. 393). With this money 12,000 men and 10 ships could be armed (Hurmuzaki, Documente, II, 2, pp. 130-131; A. Theiner, op. cit., II, pp. 351, 356-357), and the king promised 40,000 men and his personal participation in the anti-Ottoman struggle (N. Iorga, Notes et extraits, IV, p. 182; St. Kaprinai, op. cit., pp. 354-355), but none of this happened. [50] Ș. Papacostea, ,,Die politischen Voraussetzungen...," p. 230. [51] See notes 48 and 49 above. [52] The very fact of the capture (in the autumn of 1460) and execution of his uncle Mihail Szilágyi (5 February 1461) (Monumenta Hungariae Historica. Acta extera, IV, p. 67; L. Gómez Canedo, op. cit., pp. 215-216), although it caused a certain tension in relations with the Turks (F. Babinger, op. cit., pp. 443-444), did not lead Matthias Corvinus to go to battle against them. [53] In 1462 he was still in conflict with Emperor Ferdinand III (1440-1493) who, on 17 February 1459, had been elected king of Hungary by a group of magnates from the western and north-western counties, headed by the palatine Ladislaus Garai. The conflict was not resolved, following papal mediation, until 19 and 26 July 1463, when, in Buda and Wiener Neustadt, the two sovereigns ratified a treaty concluded the previous year (Monumenta Hungariae Historica. Acta extera,

IV, p. 143; Aeneas Sylvius Piccolomini, Historia rerum Friderici III Imperatoris, Helmstadt, 1700, p. 49; A. Theiner, op. cit., II, pp. 382-391; I. A. Fessler, E. Klein, op. cit., III, p. 31, A. Hoffmann, Kaiser Friedrichus III. Beziehungen zu Ungarn in dem Jahren 1458-1464, Breslau, 1877, p. 16; V. Fraknói, Mathias Corvinus König von Ungarn 1458-1490, Freiburg im Breisgau, 1891, p. 95; K. Nehring, op. cit. pp. 209-213; N. Stoicescu, Vlad Țepeș, p. 128; Șt. Andreescu, En marge des rapports..., p. 508). [54] The foreign policy of King Matthias Corvinus was strongly influenced throughout by the dynastic struggles with the Habsburgs and the Jagiellons, each of whom sought to expand their influence and power in Central Europe as much as possible (Lajos Elekes, La politica estera di re Mattia e gli Stati italiani nella seconda metà del secolo XV, in vol. Rapporti veneto-ungheresi all'epoca del Rinascimento, edited by Tibor Klaniczay, Budapest, 1975, p. 246). [55] V. Fraknói, Mátyás kiraly levelei (Correspondence of King Matthias), I, Budapest, 1893, pp. 18-19. [56] Ș. Papacostea, ,,Cu privire la genza și spreaddirea povestirilor escritas despre faptele lui Vlad Țepeș", in Romanoslavica, XIII, București, 1966, pp. 159-167. This study shows that the appearance, at the end of 1462 and during 1463, of the first texts recounting the deeds of Vlad Țepeș (the Vienna manuscript, incorporated in Thomas Ebendorfer's chronicle, Enea Silvio Piccolomini's Commentaries and Michael Beheim's Povestirea in verse) is only one aspect of the propaganda campaign intended to cover the abandonment by the King of Hungary of the anti-Ottoman action to which he had committed himself (p. 162). The testimony of the papal legate Nicholas of Modrussa, who carried out an important mission for Matthias Corvinus at the end of 1462 and the beginning of 1463 (p. 163; G. Mercati, ,,Notizie varie sopra Niccolò Modrusiense", in Opere minori, vol. IV, Città del Vaticano, 1937, pp. 217-218, text of the account on pp. 247-248. For stories about Vlad Țepeș see also Ion Stăvăruș, Povestiri medievale despre Vlad Țepeș - Dracula, Bucharest, 1978. [57] Vlad Țepeș also tried to obtain help from the Genoese of Caffa, one of his soils being recorded in the town's accounts on 17 and 20 May 1462 (N. Iorga, Acte și fragmente, III, p. 39; idem, Studii istorice asupra Chiliei și Cetății Albe, București, 1899, p. 124; Sergiu Columbeanu, ,,Acțiuni navale în timpul lui Ștefan cel Mare", in Revista de istorie, tom 28, nr. 1, 1975, p. 76; Șt. Andreescu, War with the Turks in 1462, p. 1685), but here too he was not successful. [58] Barbu T. Câmpina, ,,Complotul boierilor și "răscoala" din Țara Românească din iulie-noiembrie 1462", in Studii și referate privind istoria României, parte I, București, 1954, pp. 599-624; E. Stoian, op. cit., p. 116; the sources even show the existence of a group of philoturci boyars, who betrayed Vlad Țepeș and demanded an intervention of the sultan against him (I. Bogdan, Documente privitoare la relațiile Țării Românești cu Brașovul..., I, pp. 149-150; see also the account by Nicolae de Modrussa in Ș. Papacostea, Cu privire la genza..., pp. 163-164, Șt. Andreescu, En marge des rapports..., pp. 377-379). [59] The attitude of Venice towards Vlad Țepeș's anti-Ottoman struggle was analysed in general terms by Șerban Papacostea in his study ,,Venise et les pays roumains au Moyen Âge", in vol. Venezia e il Levante fino al sec. XV, Firenze, 1973, pp. 608-611. In the present chapter we intend to provide only a few additions and developments. [60] N. Stoicescu, Vlad Țepeș..., p.87. [61] J. de Hammer, Histoire de l'Empire ottoman, tome III, Paris, 1836, translated from the German by J. J. Hellert, p. 17; Samuele Romanin, Storia documentata di Venezia, II edizione, tomo IV, Venezia, 1913, pp. 261-262; N. Iorga, Geschichte des Osmanischen Reiches, II, pp. 45-46; F. Thiriet, La Romanie..., pp. 383-384; W. Heyd, Histoire du commerce de Levant au Moyen Âge, translated by Furcy Raynaud, vol. II, Leipzig,

1886, p. 318; G. I Brătianu, La Mer Noire. Des origines à la conquête ottomane, Monachii, 1969, p. 320; William H. Mc. Neill, Venice, the hinge of Europe (1081-1797), The University of Chicago Press, 1974, pp. 86-88. The new peace guaranteed the Venetians freedom of trade in Ottoman territories in return for a 2% customs tax on the value of goods. [62] Andrew C. Hess, ,,The Evolution of the Ottoman Seaborne Empire in the Age of the Oceanic Discoveries. 1453-1525", in The American Historical Review, LXXXV, num. 7, 1970, pp. 1900-1903. [63] F. Thiriet, Régestes..., III, p. 227, no. 3088; F. Babinger, ,,Jaqubpascha, ein Leibarz Mehmed's II", in Rivista degli studi orientali, 26, 1951, pp. 87-113. [64] F. Thiriet, Régestes..., III, p. 227, no. 3088. [65] Ibid, p. 221, no. 3059. [66] Ibidem, pp. 223-224, no. 3071. [67] The Venetians were not wrong in their assessment, since scientific research today will confirm that the Ottoman army can be considered as the most developed form of the horsemen armies of the steppe, benefiting also from a strong artillery support, which made it particularly feared during sieges of various types of fortifications (A. S. Atiya, op. cit., p. 329). [68] Indeed, on 7 December 1458, 16 February and 7 May 1459, the Senate had adopted measures to reinforce the military positions at Modon, Lepanto and Nauplia (F. Thiriet, Régestes..., III, pp. 224-225, nos. 3073, 3075 and 3081). [69] Ibid, p. 227, no. 3090. [70] Ibid, p. 227, no. 3091. [71] Gyula Rászó, ,,A strange alliance. Some thoughts on the military and political history of the alliance against the Turks (1440-1464)", in vol. Venezia e Ungheria nel Rinascimento, edited by Vittore Branca, Florence, 1973, p. 98. [72] F. Thiriet, Régestes..., III, p. 230, no. 3101. [73] Ibidem, p. 231, no. 3106. [74] Ibid, p. 231, no. 3107. [75] Ibid, p. 232, no. 3110. [76] Ibid, pp. 233-234, No 3118. [77] Ibid, p. 236, No 3129. [78] Ibid, p. 238, No 3137. [79] Idem, Déliberations des assamblées vénitiennes concernant la Romanie, tome II, 1364-1463, Paris, 1971, pp. 229-230, no. 1598. [80] Idem, Régestes..., III, p. 239, no. 3141. [81] Idem, Délibérations..., II, p. 231, no. 1604. [82] Monumenta Hungariae Historica. Acta extera, IV, pp. 92-93; Ș. Papacostea, Venice and the Romanian countries..., p. 608. [83] Monumenta Hungariae Historica. Acta extera, IV, pp. 111 and 120.For the diplomatic action of Venice in this period and at the beginning of the war with the Turks see, among others, Roberto Lopez, ,,Il principio della guera veneto-turca nel 1463", in Archivio Veneto, serie V, XV, 1934, pp. 45-131. [84] Ioan Bianu, ,,Ștefan cel Mare. Câteva documente din Arhivele de stat de Milano", in Columna lui Traian, January-February 1883, pp. 34-35. [85] On 20 March 1462, the Venetian Senate sent to Rome the report of its ambassador to Buda and a copy of what might be called a real war bulletin sent by Vlad Tepes to Matia ,,... simul cum certis exemplis litterrarum per vaivodam Valachiae scriptarum Regi Hungariae nonnulla nova felicita continentium" (Monumenta Hungariae Historica. Acta extera, IV, pp. 121-122; Ș. Papacostea, Venise et les pays roumains..., p. 608; N. Stoicescu, Vlad Țepeș, p. 95). [86] This is clear from Pietro Tomasso's report of 4 March 1462 and is recorded just as clearly by Domenico Malipiero, with reference to the Sultan's campaign of the same year, in his famous Venetian annals: "Ma'l Turco e sta chiama in Valachia in difesa del fratello del Signor Viacola, che e sta scazzado da esso Signor Viacola; e condutto l'esercito in quella provincia, Viacola se ghe ha opposto con potente esercito, e l'ha rebatudo gagiardamente" (Domenico Malipiero, ,,Annali veneti dall'anno 1457 al 1500", in Archivio storico italiano, tomo VII, parte I, Firenze, 1843, pp. 11-12): also an anonymous Italian chronicle, up to 1481, probably also known in Venice, mentions in 1462, also referring to the Sultan's campaign: ,,... Turco andato contra Dracula in Valachia: sonno fugati Turci e malmenati" (N.

Iorga, Acts and Fragments, III, p. 39). [87] Monumenta Hungariae Historica. Acta extera, IV, pp. 122, 127 and 131; L. Gomez Canedo, op. cit., pp. 222-223. [88] Bucharest State Archives, Microfilme Italia, roll 57, frames 501-502. [89] Ș. Papacostea, Venice and the Romanian countries..., p. 609. [91] It is interesting to note that the Venetian Senate had shared this opinion for some time, from the beginning of 1462. On 22 January this year, in the instructions it sent to its ambassadors in France, the Senate asked them to show King Louis XI (1461-1483) that, without effective help, Matthias Corvinus was on the point of being crushed, since he was fighting simultaneously on two fronts, against the Emperor Frederick III and against the Turks. It was pointed out that only a shameful peace would bring him glory. Obviously these arguments were of no value to the French king, who was more interested in Italian affairs than in fighting the Ottoman Empire (P. M. Perret, Histoire des relations de la France avec Venise du XIIIe siècle a l'avenement de Charles VIII, vol. I, Paris, 1896, pp. 381-384). [92] Monumenta Hungariae Historica. Acta extera, IV, pp. 142-143. [93] The Venetian ambassador here confuses two distinct actions, namely: the attack of Mahmud Pasha, which occurred in May and was a prelude to the Sultan's campaign (Sts. Andreescu, Vlad Țepeș (Dracula)..., p. 107), with the campaign itself, attributing to the former the number of troops with which Sultan Mehmed II himself came. [94] Monumenta Hungariae Historica. Acta extera, IV, pp. 146-147. [95] The court of Buda, by supplying this information to the Venetian ambassador, as well as that concerning the weakness of Vlad Țepeș's forces and, therefore, his probable defeat, sought, of course, to prepare the ground for Matia Corvin's future explanations of his apathy in the face of the Ottoman offensive and to cast a shadow of doubt on the Romanian prince's sincere desire to fight. See also note 90. [96] "Vajvoda quotidie hic sollicitat ut adjuventur, quia solus tantos impetus sustinere non valet" (Epistolae Mathiae Corvini regis Ungariae, ed. Johannes Hajdo-Michael Kuun, vol. I, Claudiopoli, 1745, p. 74). Here we would like to point out that the Sultan, before setting out on his campaign, had asked Matthias Corvinus to leave him the Romanian Country and Bosnia (the latter he would indeed conquer the following year, in 1463), offering him peace for his kingdom in return and threatening that if he did not accept these conditions, he would invade Hungary with his large army (Pius II (Enea Silvio Piccolomini), Comentarii, ed. G. Bernetti, vol. III, Vienna, 1973, p. 176). This threat, in addition to the conflict with Frederick III, which was still unresolved, led the King of Hungary, who did not even have large forces at his disposal, not to intervene, in fact not to respect the terms of the agreement he had concluded with Vlad Țepeș, not to respect his obligations as his suzerain as he claimed to be. He was content only to take some measures to defend Transylvania and did not leave Buda until August, when the defeated sultan had long since left Wallachia (see notes 55 and 90 above). [97] Monumenta Hungariae Historica. Acta extera, IV, p. 147. [98] Ș. Papacostea, Venise et les pays roumains..., p. 610. [99] Barbu T. Câmpina, ,,Victoria oștirii lui Țepeș asupra sultanului Mehmed al II-lea" (On the occasion of the 500th anniversary), in Studii. Revistă de istorie, vol. 15, no. 3, 1962, p. 550; N. Stoicescu, Vlad Țepeș, p. 117; idem, La victoire de Vlad L'Empaleur sur les Turcs (1462), p. 395. [100] Monumenta Hungariae Historica. Acta extera, IV, pp. 167-168. [101] N. Iorga, Acts and Fragments, III, p. 39; N. Stoicescu, Vlad Țepeș, p. 118; Șt. Andreescu, Vlad Țepeș (Dracula)..., p. 119. [102] D. Malipiero, op. cit. [103] N. Iorga, Acts and Fragments, III, p. 86; N. Stoicescu, Vlad Țepeș, p. 118; Șt. Andreescu, Vlad Țepeș (Dracula)..., p. 120. [104] "... dando nobis notitiam per litteras tuas quanto diligentius

poteris de successibus Majestatis suae in illis partibus Valachiae et de omnibus que occurent" (Monumenta Hungariae Historica. Acta extera, IV, p. 181; Ș. Papacostea, Venise et les pays roumains..., p. 610; N. Stoicescu, Vlad Țepeș, p. 128). [105] "Casum retentionis Draguli olim voivode..., circa quam rem idem serenissimus Rex etiam per suas littetras nobis scripsit" (I. Nagy, B. Nyáry, Magyar diplomacziai emlékek. Matyás király korobol. 1458-1490 (Sources of Hungarian Diplomacy. The Age of King Matthias), vol. I, Budapest, 1875, p. 172). [106] Fontes rerum Austriacarum, II, Diplomataria et acta, 42 (Urkunden und Aktemstüke zur ósterreichischen Geschichte im Zeitalter Friedrichs III und König Georg von Böhmon (1440-1471), ed. A. Bachmann, Wien, 1879, p. 442, no. 329 (9 November 1467): 'Nich lanngt an, wie sich, nein gnädiger Herre (Johann von Mergenthal, chancellor of the emperor - n.n.) der König zu Hungern mit dem Turcken fünff Jär die nächsten, in Besicht vertragen habe, und in die Walachey zuziehen in Furnemen angetzogen sey, das ich euch zu verkunden nicht verhalten kan wollen'. This is the renewal of Turkish-Maghreb pacts every five years, including those of 1452, 1457 and 1462. See also Radu Constantinescu, Codicele Altenberger, Bucharest, 1988, p. 15. However, the peace with the Turks may have been concluded even earlier, in 1461. The fact that the Hungarians did not attack the Turks in this year, when the Danube line was poorly defended due to the campaign in Asia, fuelled rumours of a possible secret Turkish-Hungarian peace (Monumenta Hungariae Historica. Acta extera, IV, pp. 101-105; N. Stoicescu, La victoire de Vlad L'Empaleur sur les Turcs (1462), p. 383, n. 23, R. Lungu, art. cit., pp. 147-158; M. Cazacu, L'histoire du prince Dracula..., p. 10). Ileana Căzan considers that Matia Corvin's first armistice with the Turks was concluded only in 1468, "Matia Corvin, securing the Danube frontier and the Turkish-Hungarian armistice of 1468", in Revista istorica, Seria Nouă, vol. 3, no. 7-8, 1992, pp. 769-782). [107] F. Thiriet, Régestes..., III, p. 247, no. 3171. [108] "Libuit Serenitati Regie Vestre litteris ejus super ad nos delatis, significare infestum casum Vaivode olim Valachie, qui adversus Mejstatem Vestram, regnumque vestrum tantum facimus perpetrare molitus erat..." (Monumenta Hungariae Historica. Acta extera, IV, p. 171). [109] Ibid. [110] "Studiosus eris intelligere conditiones regni illius et in specie volumus, quod nos advises, qualiter se habuit negocium Dragulli Vallachie, dando etiam nobis administrationem de illo, qui in presentiarum reperitur Vaiovoda in partibus illis et qualiter se intelligit aut non intelligit cum Rege Hungarie. Significabis quoque nobis provisiones factas, etque de cetero fient in Regno illi. Et si sentires, quod teneretur aliqua praticha, vel tractatus pacis, aut sufferentiarum inter Regem et Turcum diriges spiritus et cogitamina queque tua ad obviandum et turbandum tractatus hujusmodi per omnes illos prudentes, bonos et acommodator modos, qui videnbuntur tibi" (Ibidem, IV, p. 202; Sime Ljubić, Listine o odnosajh izmedju juznoga slavenstva i mletačke republike, vol. X, in Monumenta spectantia historiam slavorum meridionalium XXII, Zagreb, 1891, p. 241, doc. CCXXXVIII; Ș. Papacostea, Venise et les pays roumains..., p. 611). [111] Ferenc Szakály, ,,Phases of Turco-Hungarian Warfare before the Battle of Mohács (1365-1526)", in Acta Orientalia Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae, tomus XXXIII, fasciculus 1, 1979, p. 109. [112] The peace treaty was drawn up in 1462 by Bishop Ion Vitez and the papal legate Geronimo Landus, Bishop of Crete, but was not concluded until 19 July 1463 (Monumenta Hungariae Historica. Acta extera, IV, p. 143; I. A. Fessler, E. Klein, op. cit., III, p. 31; K. Nehring, op. cit., pp. 18-19 and 202-217). [113] A. Theiner, op. cit., II, pp. 380-382; N. Iorga, Acts and Fragments, III, p. 40; Hurmuzaki, Documents, II, 2, pp. 149-151. [114] G. Rászó, art. cit. [115] L. Elekes, art. cit., p. 249;

L. Ernest Denis, Fin de l'indépendance boheme. Georges de Podiebrad. Les Jagellons, Paris, 1890, p. 152. It should be noted that between 1464 and 1466, although he had abandoned the fight with the Turks and had not yet entered into war with Podiebrad, Matthias Corvinus continued to receive important subsidies from the papacy (I. A. Fessler, E. Klein, op. cit., III, p. 43; G. Valentini, ,,La sospensione della crociata nei primi anni di Paolo II (1464-1468) (Dai documenti d'archivio di Venezia)", in Archivum historiae pontificiae, XIV, 1976, pp. 71-101; K. M. Setton, op. cit, pp. 273 ff.) and even of Venice (I libri commemoriali della republica di Venezia, V, Venezia, 1901, pp. 153 and 155, apud M. Cazacu, L'histoire du prince Dracula..., p. 14). It seems, according to some calculations, that the total amount of papal subsidies during the reign of Matthias Corvinus amounted to 300,000 ducats (A. Kupelwieser, Ungarns Kämpfe gegen die werdenden Macht der Osmanen bis zur Schlacht bei Mohács, Wien-Leipzig, 1895, p. 149). [116] P.M. Perret, op. cit., I, p. 409; L. Gómez Canedo, op. cit. [117] For Podiebrad's crusade project and the work of his soil Antonio Marini see E. Denis, De Antonio Marini et de Bohemiae ratione politica, eo oratore, Angouleme, 1878; idem, Fin de l'independance boheme..., pp. 112 and 115; P.M. Perret, op. cit., I, pp. 391-393. [118] For this major conflict between Matthias Corvinus and Frederick III see, among others: V. Fraknói, Mathias Corvinus König von Ungarn 1458-1490; pp. 208-212; Peter Rassow, Histoire de l'Allemagne des origines à nos jours, vol. I, Lyon, 1969, p. 285; L. Elekes, art. cit., p. 249; I. Barta, T. Berend, P. Hanák, Histoire de la Hongrie des origines à nos jours, publié sous la direction de E. Pamlényi, Budapest, 1974, p. 130; K. Nehring, op. cit. pp. 163-164

[fanmoose12]

catch me if you can

Сharacters: Hange Zoe, Levi, Erwin Smith, Kenny Ackerman

Genres: Mystery / Romance

Summary: The Ackerman duo. Just the mention of this name filled Hange with so many feelings. Mostly, when she reread the files of their cases over and over, until her eyes watered, she felt pricking annoyance. Sometimes, when she stared at the dead bodies of those scarce unfortunates who stumbled upon their crimes, she was filled with hatred and a pushing need for revenge. Hange couldn’t deny, however, there were times when she marveled at the impudence of their crimes. And, when she was investigating the Ackerman’s cases and saw just how meticulously planned they all were, she couldn’t help but feel something close to fascination.No one knew who they were. No one had seen their faces, no one knew their true names. Almost everyone knew of their crimes.Hange was determined to unravel every last one of their secrets. She will put an end to their crimes and then she will get the elusive Ackermans behind bars.

Chapter 9/?

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

“We aren’t looking for Krista Lenz. We’re searching for Historia.”

Despite the evidence quite literally staring right back at her, Hange could scarcely believe what she herself had just said. Krista Lenz, the missing girl she was searching for, wasn’t actually Krista Lenz? Apparently, the girl’s name was Historia, at least, according to the birth certificate. But it didn’t make any sense, and, what’s worse, it raised so many additional questions…

The main question, of course, was the reason for why the girl was living under a false name, and how did Kenny Ackerman acquire this piece of information? And for what purpose?

Luckily, she had the person, who, hopefully, could shed some light on this new mystery. Hange shoved the photo and the document in Ackerman’s hands, staring at him expectantly. “Do you know something about this?”

He didn’t answer right away, and that gave Hange a semblance of hope. Perhaps, it was just a misunderstanding? Perhaps, the photo and the birth certificate were put into one envelope by a trick of fate? And Krista Lenz was truly Krista Lenz? Hange certainly hoped so. It would save her so much trouble.

Ackerman’s eyes were narrowed as he studied the document. Hange watched him with bated breath.

Her world crumbled when he gave a little nod.

“I think I know where Kenny got it. Remember the robbery of that politician’s manor? Kenny stole this thing from the guy’s safe.”

Hange remembered that robbery, remembered that murdered man. But how could it possibly be connected to her recent case?

“How did you know where to find it? And why did your uncle need it in the first place? It makes no sense…”

“On the contrary,” Ackerman shook his head. “Now everything makes perfect sense. I couldn’t understand why Reiss asked us to rob that guy’s house, but now I’m starting to think that your missing girl…”

“Wait! Wait!” Hange silenced him with her palm on his mouth. She whirled around, starting to pace around the room. What he was saying just now? He didn’t mean it, right? At least, not in the way Hange comprehended it. It couldn’t be, she refused to believe it. But what if Ackerman was telling the truth? What if— Hange turned back to him, her eyes pleading for him to say it was an ill-timed joke. “What was that about Reiss? Did you mean Rod Reiss, the member of the parliament? That Reiss?”

“Naturally.”

Hange slowly sank into an armchair. Her head was spinning, her thoughts were going in circles. Rod Reiss, the model politician, the law abiding citizen was working directly with Ackermans. It seemed completely outlandish.

“Are you serious?” she asked quietly, to keep herself from shrieking. “Are you actually fucking serious?”

Ackerman shrugged, looking so nonchalant, a stark contrast to her frantic appearance. “Why would I lie about this?”

Why indeed… Logically, Hange knew there was no reason for him to lie about Reiss’ involvement, but, damn it, she just couldn’t wrap her head about this. Even the notion seemed utterly ridiculous, like it was taken from a dumb conspiracy theory.

“Just before I dropped your case…” Hange began, desperately trying to find a way to contradict Ackerman’s claim. “He wanted to help me solve it. He offered me money and people, anything to get you behind bars.”

And that meant that he wasn’t working with them, right? It meant that Reiss was actually a good guy, who wanted to fight the bad ones.

He’s a politician, a voice that sounded suspiciously like Erwin reminded her. You can’t get so high just from being good.

Despite her endless stubbornness, Hange couldn’t disagree with that. Those who held a lot of power didn’t acquire it from being honest and honorable.

Reiss claimed he wanted to catch Ackermans, but that desire could just be his attempt to cover up his traces.

Fuck.

Ackerman was right. Everything was starting to make sense.

“I guess Reiss wanted to get rid of us,” Ackerman confirmed her guess. Hange’s heart sank. “Maybe, that’s why Kenny didn’t return him this,” he showed her the birth certificate.

Hange felt another wave of nausea. If she correctly understood what Ackerman was implying…

“Are you saying that the missing girl…” she swallowed, reluctant to end that sentence. It would become more real then.

“Yes,” Ackerman nodded, his voice a little softer. Was it his attempt at giving her a bit of comfort? Did he simply pity her? “I think that your Krista Lenz is actually Historia. And that her father is Rod Reiss.”

Even before he spoke, Hange knew that Ackerman had reached that conclusion. Reluctantly, she was almost ready to agree with him. But… her inner world was practically in shambles. Rod Reiss, the good-willed, kind looking man with a gentle smile, was working with the criminals. He had a secret daughter.

She really couldn’t trust anyone, huh? She should have learnt this simple truth by now. Levi Ackerman did a great job of teaching that lesson to her, after all.

Hange dropped head into her hands, letting out a deep, bone-weary sigh. Couldn’t she have at least one simple, easy case? One that wouldn’t make her revalue all of her relationships and lose her faith in the humanity?

A case like that would have been real nice.

But instead she had a case that grew more complicated with each clue and a girl who was waiting to be rescued.

If nothing else, Hange couldn’t let Krista Lenz down. Or Historia, whichever name was the correct one.

“Hey listen…” a tentative touch to her shoulder and a gentle voice in her ear made Hange jump. She looked up and saw Ackerman, standing right next to her. He was… gods, he looked worried. Hange didn’t know if she should be amused or slighted. Just how pathetic she seemed just now, if Ackerman decided to comfort her? “I know it’s a lot to take in…”

Hange brushed his hand aside, abruptly jumping to her feet. Ackerman could take his pity and fuck himself with it. It was a lot to take in, but she was fine. She had taken it all in, she dealt with that mind-blowing revelation. Well, she didn’t really deal with it, but she took a pause in dealing with it. She’d finish the processing after this fucking day was over and she’d get drunk at some shitty bar. But now, she had work that needed her attention. And Hange was ready to begin.

“Give me that,” she snatched the birth certificate out of Ackerman’s hand, studying it intently. The graph with the father’s name wasn’t filled, but the mother’s name was there. Alma. There was no last name, but still, it was a start. Certainly not very promising, but Hange did more with less.

Alas, there was nothing interesting about the document except the name of the child’s mother. The child was born here, in their city, twenty two years ago. Krista Lenz was exactly twenty-two years old. A small detail that simply couldn’t be overlooked.

Next, Hange turned her attention to the photo. The picture showed adult Krista, and it was shot from distance, only her profile visible. Could it mean that someone was spying on her? If Krista was Historia, and a daughter of Rod Reiss, it made sense that he was keeping tabs on her. However…

Hange’s eyes widened, the realization swiftly settling.

The photo and the document, it didn’t come from Reiss. Reiss asked Ackermans to steal it for him, meaning…

“Do you think Reiss has enemies?” she asked Ackerman. “Do you think that someone wanted to expose him?”

“Perhaps,” Ackerman tentatively replied. His eyebrows furrowed, as he continued, rubbing his chin. “The guy that we killed… he wasn’t supposed to be at home that night. Reiss said he wasn’t going to be at home.”

“But he was.” Hange uttered, confused.

“He was,” Ackerman agreed. “And I think Reiss knew about it.”

“You think he tried to set you up?”

“Possibly. Or it was a pure coincidence and the guy just decided to return from the party earlier. Or…” he spread his arms, his point more than clear.

Closing eyes, Hange rubbed her temples. Possibly, Ackerman said. Well, she was definitely getting into something she shouldn’t. Secret children, Ackermans, nasty politicians… It was well above her paygrade.

But she couldn’t just give up. And, fortunately, she knew a place where they could find more information. If the person spying on Krista wasn’t Reiss, then it was someone who was actively trying to expose him. Someone who had died before he could reach his goal.

Hange still remembered that brief conversation she had with the politician’s widow, remembered her mentioning something about a girl that worked for her late husband. Perhaps, that girl was the one who took that photo of Krista. And if she found Krista once, perhaps, she’d help them to find her again.

The plan of action was prepared, and that was enough to calm Hange’s mind. At least, for a short while.

“We’re going to visit the politician’s house,” she announced to Ackerman. “His widow might know something.”

“You want to go to the house of the guy we robbed and killed? Awesome.”

Hange hummed, letting her eyes linger on Ackerman’s bored face. There was a question that’s been bugging her for a long time now, ever since she learnt about his true identity. They weren’t in a hurry yet, so she decided to take another moment to satisfy her curiosity. “That guy… were you the one who killed him?”

Ackerman stared back at her, his eyes surprisingly honest. “Would it make you feel better if I tell you that my uncle did it?”

Would it make her feel better to know that he was just a thief, and not a murderer? Maybe. Or, maybe not. Hange wasn’t sure what feeling this knowledge would provoke. These days, she wasn’t sure what to feel at all. The only feeling she was certain of was the exhaustion.

“Back at the museum…” perhaps, bringing this up was unreasonable. Perhaps, completely unnecessary. But she had been thinking about it, a lot. She had already formulated an explanation. Now she wanted to hear Ackerman’s reasoning, and see if the two versions were compatible in any way. “I know you weren’t the one who shot me, your uncle is much taller. When he raised that gun, he was aiming at my head, I could see it clearly,” she laughed, the sound too broken to be genuine. “I thought I was already done for, so why…”

“Why what, four-eyes?” Ackerman snapped. “Why did I stop him? Do you actually not know?”

Ackerman was staring right at her, his impassive mask slipping to reveal his anger and… frustration? Hange couldn’t clearly interpret the look in his eyes, not when she was so confused herself. She swallowed heavily, her heart pounding as she struggled to look away. Ackerman’s gaze… was burning.

“I wouldn’t have let Kenny kill you. I couldn’t bear the thought,” he said, his voice raw. He took a step towards her, and, subconsciously, Hange took a step away from him, her back now pressed against the wall. Despite their height difference, Levi seemed to loom over her, his eyes brimming with feeling. The feeling of… what? Hange didn’t know if she wished to know the answer. “Do you actually not understand why I did it?”

Ackerman was wrong. She did understand. She had him figured out, all thanks to dark, long and sleepless nights.

“You still needed me, right? That was your reason? I was still useful to you, that’s why—”

“Useful?”

Hange flinched at his tone. There was no protest there, no anger. His voice was thick with pain. Her eyes widened at the realization.

“What did I use you for, Hange?” he grabbed the lapels of her coat, roughly pulling her close to him. His breath was hot on her skin, and his fists were clenched so tightly she could almost hear the sound of the coat’s fabric ripping. “What did I ever use you for? Did I steal something from you? Did I get some piece of information out of you? You gave me the keys to your damn office, I held your shitty notebook in my hands, and did I use it?”

In the face of his outrage, Hange felt numb. She didn’t try to push him away, felt too weak to escape from him. She could only stare helplessly at him, feeling small and insignificant. Feeling like she had missed something vital, a central piece of the puzzle.

“I don’t know,” she murmured. “I didn’t check, perhaps you did take something—”

He breathed a curse into her face, his eyes a liquid fire. Just as suddenly as he had grabbed her, Levi let her go.

His back was now facing her, as he stared out of the window, his breathing loud and irregular.

“You can think whatever you want about me,” he said, deadly quiet. “You can think that I am a liar, a thief and a scumbag. But I didn’t use you Hange. It was never my intention. And if you really don’t know why I didn’t let you die, then you’re a shitty fucking detective. No wonder you couldn’t catch us.”

He stormed out of the room a second after, leaving Hange to stare incredulously after him.

His words, his touch, his eyes, it weighted down on her. They made it hard to breathe.

The places where Levi had touched her were burning, his words were still ringing in her ears and she couldn’t quite shake off the image of his eyes, his stare furious, but simultaneously hurt.

She was hoping to gain some clearance, hoping to deal with one of the many mysteries of her life. But now she was even more confused.

She took one deep breath after another, clutching at her chest. What the heck had just happened? What was Levi so worked about, what was he— it was another lie of his, another act, it had to be, Hange at last decided. What else it could be? Levi, no, Ackerman, he couldn’t really speak the truth just now? Because if that was the truth, then—

The loud bang of the closing door snapped Hange out of her reverie.

She was being naïve and foolish, again.

She was letting him get into her head, she was allowing him to fool her once more. But she wouldn’t let him do it, not after everything she had gone through.

She also couldn’t let him distract her from the case. Be her name Krista or Historia, but that girl needed to be saved. Hange had to save her.

And she wouldn’t be able to find her if she continued to stare numbly at the wall.

Hange shook her head, pushed the hair back from her face and fixed the lapels of her coat. She had no time for confusing feelings, she had to get back to work.

She was fully intent on doing that, until she remembered what had helped her get her focus back. The front door was thrown closed…

Hange shrieked, her hands flying to her head. Ackerman! He had escaped!

With a lightning speed, she rushed out of the room and out of the apartment. She took two stairs at the time, hurrying to get to the bottom of the stairwell. Her mind worked just as fast as her legs, as Hange tried to predict what direction Ackerman would take. Where would he go? Would she be able to find him? Should she even find him, after everything that just transpired?

By the time, she reached the exit of the apartment complex and tumbled out on a street, Hange was completely out of breath. She took a fleeting second, doubling over in an attempt to stop her lungs from burning out. Shit, she was getting too old for this kind of thing.

With her breathes still coming out way too rapidly, Hange slowly straightened out. Left or right? Which direction Ackerman would take? Maybe, if she was lucky, she’d catch him before he ran away.

But as Hange turned her gaze to her left, she was surprised to see that the escaped criminal… didn’t actually escape. He was standing right next to her, lazily smoking a cigarette.

“I thought you had a girl to save, detective?” he asked in a bored, indifferent voice.

Hange hated how good he was at concealing what was going on inside him. She was still shaking.

She also hated how attractive the damn bastard was, especially while smoking.

But Ackerman was right. There was a girl, and she needed to be saved.

Hange shrugged, adopting a more confident stance. She couldn’t let him know she was worried that he left. Or how handsome she thought he was. She had embarrassed herself plenty already.

So with a determined face, Hange lifted an arm, hailing a taxi.

There was no time for feelings. Not when there was work needed to be done.

***

The time they’ve spent in taxi was spent in silence.

Hange was looking out of the window, stubbornly refusing to even look in his direction. Levi himself was staring at his knees, lost to his own thoughts.

There was a lot he had to think about, the main focus, of course, was on Kenny and his involvement with Reiss and his new-found daughter.

Levi had kept a faint hope that when they got to their apartment, Kenny would be there, laying on a coach with a cigarette in one hand and a bottle of beer in another. Until the very end, he hoped that this whole ordeal with kidnapping and letters from Kenny the Reaper was a result of a weird coincidence.

Unfortunately, his hope was crushed without mercy.

Kenny wasn’t at home, and what’s more, the state of their apartment frightened Levi. Kenny wasn’t as obsessed with cleanliness as him, but he had never created such messes either. At least, it had never happened during all these years they’ve lived together. Was the mess caused by the fact that Levi had left? Or was Kenny truly going crazy?

If he decided to kidnap a girl, Reiss’ daughter, and then run off to god knows where, then he was definitely not quite right in his head.

But that wasn’t the only thing occupying Levi’s mind. Ashamed as he was to admit it, Kenny wasn’t in his thoughts nearly as often as was Hange.

Their fight back at his apartment was, for the lack of better word, a complete disaster. He made a mistake, he shouldn’t have lost his cool, he shouldn’t have admitted the things Hange didn’t have to know.

For fuck’s sake, he practically admitted that he was smitten with her. Worse yet, he almost admitted just how far he was willing to go not to hurt her. It was dangerous and it was foolish. Luckily, Hange wasn’t too interested in listening to what he had to say.

And still, the things that she had said hurt him. More than Levi was ready to admit.

She really lost all trust in him, didn’t she? Perhaps, this outcome was not at all surprising, but… painful nevertheless.

Levi stole a glance at Hange - she wasn’t looking back at him. So he allowed himself to admire her profile. Her bright, brown eyes, that hawkish nose, those enticing lips… He sighed, tearing his gaze away.

Coming here was certainly a mistake, he could have hid a little better, could have tried to run from Hange for the second time. He could have done so much more, could have at least attempted to not get caught in all of this.

Too late for any regrets now, he thought bitterly. Besides, it wasn’t like he had come here for Hange, right? He had to get Kenny out of whatever shit he had involved himself into this time.

Kenny, he was there for Kenny. For him and him only.

He had to repeat this to himself a couple of times more, because with Hange sitting so close to him, with their thighs slightly touching in the backseat of the taxi, it was hard to remember his main and initial goal. With Hange so close, it was getting hard to focus at all.

He had to think of something else.

Levi looked out of the window, watched the streets they passed by. They were getting close. Close to the house of the man he murdered.

Levi gulped. Perhaps, the idea to focus on something else wasn’t as sound as it seemed at first.

Another train of thought then. He turned to look at Hange again.

He couldn’t think about her, but there was the matter of their case. He could try and pay attention to it.

“You mentioned that the girl is missing for almost a week. Why are you the only one who’s working on finding her then? Aren’t these types of cases supposed to be…” he waved his hand around, gesturing uncertainly. “Especially time-sensitive?”

Hange sighed, showing just how stressed she truly was. “They usually are time-sensitive. But… thing is… no one actually cares if I solve this case or not.”

“Do you mean—”

“Yes. Krista, or, well,” she winced, “Historia, doesn’t have a family. She doesn’t seem to have any friends either. We received the tip about her disappearance from a fucking anonymous call. No one even noticed that she is gone. I talked with the students at her college, and some seemed sympathetic, some even mildly worried about her well-being, but no one actually cared about her. No one truly knew her too, at least, no one knew her well enough. As I asked about Krista, I got the same answer. She was kind, always ready to help. She was attentive and diligent during classes. And that world ‘was’,” Hange shook her head, her palms clenching into fists. “It seemed like everyone had already accepted that she was gone for good.”

Hange sounded so sad, so frustrated, Levi desperately wished to give her what little comfort that he could. He understood now, why she was so determined to find that missing girl and bring her home.

It was good to know that people like Hange existed. People, who would do their best to try and help someone else.

Levi could be that girl, he realized. If he went missing and Kenny wasn’t there to find him, no one would care to help him. If something like that ever happened to him, he could only hope to come across a person, who would be as selfless and kind as Hange.

If there were more people like her, perhaps, his life wouldn’t be so miserable. Perhaps, he’d be a different person.

But pondering on it was pointless now. He was who was he was. For the better or worse, Hange was who she was too.

“So no one is pushing you to hurry?” Levi glanced at her beneath his fridge. “Then what was that shit about? When you ran out of my apartment, red in face and panting like a dog?”

“Oi,” Hange slapped his knee. “Fuck you.”

“Fuck me?” Levi raised his eyebrow, remembering their first conversation. “Aren’t we moving a little too fast?”

“Shut up,” she grumbled, turning her face away. Just before she did, Levi saw the red on her cheeks.

Hange blushed. Hange, the hot-shot detective and a huge pain in the ass, had actually blushed after his stupid joke.

Well… now Levi had something to be proud of.

“I just thought—” she huffed, moving hair from her face. “It doesn’t matter what I thought, but… thanks for not running away. I… appreciate it. Looking for you would be a large inconvenience,” she gave him a side-glance, her lips twitching. “Thanks for not creating even more problems for me, I guess.”

And who said that Hange wasn’t a paragon of politeness? Levi almost felt good about himself. He almost thought that things between them were… not as disastrous as they actually were.

“We are almost there,” Hange announced, nervously tapping fingers against her thigh.

The bubble busted. There was no time to fool around. There was no time for playful banter and witty back and forth. There was no time to… appreciate that bright sparkle in Hange’s eyes.

Levi nodded, acknowledging her words, but remained speechless. What was there to say? He was going to the house that belonged to a man his uncle had killed right in front of his own eyes. And he was going there willingly. God, his life was just a string of one fucked up shitty event after another.

Hopefully, this visit would help him learn more about Kenny’s new job and, maybe, even find Kenny himself.

Hope… that’s all he had these days.

The taxi took a turn and drove up to the tall, black gates. Levi remembered climbing over it during that awful night two months ago.

This time, he wasn’t climbing over it.

Hange got out of the taxi, just as they approached the front gates. She spoke through the intercom, requesting entrance. After a long moment, the gates slowly opened and the taxi drove inside, bringing them to the large doors.

Front doors. Last time Levi was getting inside through the back door. Well, another improvement. Another sign that this visit, hopefully, wouldn’t end so horribly.

Hange paid the taxi driver and told him not to wait for them. Together they exited the car.

As they walked to the door, she leaned in to him and whispered, “It’d be best if you don’t tell the grieving widow that your uncle killer her husband.”

“I’m not an idiot, four-eyes.”

Hange chuckled and lifted her arms, palms-up. “I’m just saying. I don’t think she’s eager to meet us as it is.”

When the front door had finally opened, they were met by a butler. A fucking butler, dressed in a suit and tie and with glasses on his face. Levi stared at him, incredulously.

Killing people in general went against Levi’s principles, and killing the owner of this house in particular was obviously wrong, but stealing from him? Perhaps, he and Kenny should have also taken a few paintings.

“Good day,” Hange smiled – to Levi the expression seemed a little forced. “I’m detective Zoe and I wanted to—”

“I know,” the butler bowed his head, gesturing for them to follow him. “The Lady asked me to bring you to her office.”

The Lady? It took all of Levi’s willpower not to scoff. Rich people were ridiculous. That’s why he preferred to steal from them. Served those fuckers right.

The butler led them through a big, brightly lit hall, up the majestic stairwell, through a row of ugly paintings, and finally they stood before a brown oak door.

“The Lady is inside,” the butler said, taking a step back. “I’ll bring tea in just a few minutes. Now if you’ll excuse me…”

Hange waved her hand, obviously not interested in his false politeness. She threw the door open, walking inside without waiting for the invitation. So that was detective Hange at work? Levi watched her, hiding his amused expression.

“Sorry that we didn’t give you a heads-up,” she spoke to the woman that was sitting behind a long, mahogany desk. Suddenly Levi realized it was the same room, where Kenny had killed a man. Suddenly he realized that he was staring at the face of a woman, who had lost a husband because of him and Kenny. Avoiding the widow’s gaze, he did his best to hide behind Hange. “But there’s something we wanted to discuss.”

“Did you find my husband’s killer?”

No, but I'm his nephew and I was there when your husband had died, Levi almost blurted out. But Hange had warned him. So he wisely kept his mouth shut.

“No,” Hange walked further inside, plopping down on a chair. Much more humbly, Levi did the same. “But we think your husband is related to our other case. So we were wondering if we can ask you a few questions?”

“Who are we?” the widow arched her perfectly thin eyebrow. “Last time we spoke, I didn’t remember you having an assistant.”

Hange’s smile became strained. “That’s, um, Levi,” she gestured at him. “My, well, he’s sort of my partner.”

“A partner, huh?”

“He helps me with the case,” Hange answered vaguely. “Now about our questions…”

The widow arrogantly waved her hand, allowing Hange to continue. “Just be quick about this. After my husband’s death, I have a lot of work on my hands.”

And all of it because of him and Kenny. Great. Levi sat lower in his seat.

“I remember you mentioning…” Hange took out her notebook, Levi cringed at the sight of it. As he watched her shift through it, he briefly wondered if that note he had left for her was still there. Did she tear it out, rip into pieces and then burn the rest? Or did she… leave it there, so she could stare at it whenever she felt especially angry? Levi wasn’t sure which option was more preferable and which one would make him feel more sad. Meanwhile, Hange continued, “A girl who visited your husband. Do you remember what she looked like? Can you describe her to us?”

The widow scrunched her nose, clearly displeased. She reached to the desk’s drawer, taking out a pack of cigarettes. She opened it, putting a cigarette in between her lips. “If you don’t mind,” she mumbled, flicking up a lighter. The widow took one long drag, letting the smoke curl up towards the ceiling. She lazily traced its movement, then, when the smoke had dissipated into nothing, she spoke, “I saw her only once, she was leaving our house late in the evening. It was dark and I didn’t get a good look on her face, but I remember that she was tall,” she squinted, looking at Hange. “Slightly taller than you. Had brown hair, gathered in a low ponytail. Her clothes were baggy, and, overall, she looked just like…”

“Like what?” Levi snappily required. “Like a criminal?”

“Well, yes,” the widow agreed, throwing the ash off her cigarette. “I think she was doing some shady work for my husband.”

“Do you by any chance have a way to contact her?” Hange asked. “A phone number or a home address…”

“And why do you need it?” the widow looked at them skeptically.

“Classified information,” Hange smoothly replied. “But it’s for the greater good, believe me.”

The widow huffed, obviously not buying it. But she put the cigarette down and reached for the drawer again.

“I don’t know if that will be of any help, but,” she rummaged through the drawer, taking out a yellow envelope. “I found this when I was looking through my husband’s things. He must have destroyed the letter that was inside it, but there is the sender’s address on the back, so…”

“Thank you for your time,” Hange spoke sincerely, snatching the envelope from the widow’s hands. “You really helped us. A lot. You might have even saved a young girl’s life.”

“Whatever,” the widow rolled her eyes. “Just get out of here already. I have the work I need to do.”

“Thank you,” Hange repeated, rising to her feet. “Have a nice day.”

“And…” the widow hesitated. “Good luck with your case. I hope you do better this time.”

The smile on Hange’s face faltered, but didn’t disappear. “I’ll do my best,” she promised, before walking out of the room.

Throwing a quick last glance at the widow, Levi dutifully followed.

***

The address on the envelope led them to the worst part of their city. To the streets that were filled with garbage, where the walls had paint falling off and most windows stood completely smashed.

Hange in her fancy light brown coat looked starkly out of place. Perhaps, Ackerman was right about her having too much privilege. Right now, the contrast between her and the more unfortunate ones were sharp as ever. Although, Ackerman’s attire wasn’t that humble either.

Hange stepped a little closer to him, in a futile attempt to hide from the unfriendly gazes that followed after her ever since they stepped into this part of the city.

“I’m surprised you’ve agreed to come here,” she spoke to him in a quiet voice, “Since I know how much of a clean freak you are.”

The look Ackerman gave her could probably freeze someone to death. “I wasn’t always living in a nice and neat apartment, four-eyes. People like me usually come from the places like that.”

Hange’s eyes widened at the realization. She glanced at the man beside her, tilted her head to study him more intently. It was hard to imagine sharp-dressed and clean-shaved Ackerman, or younger Levi living in a place like that, walking through the dirty streets with broken windows. He came a long way, it seemed. Hange was amazed at his perseverance.

“I think this is the right house,” she pointed at the grey four-story building. Hange took out the envelope, checked the address again. “Yes, this is it.”

Wordlessly, Ackerman started walking in that direction. Hange caught him just before he pushed the front door open.

“Shouldn’t we, like, knock?” she asked, doing a poor job at hiding her nervousness.

Ackerman just rolled his eyes. “Don’t be an idiot,” he scolded, adding a quiet ‘tch’. “There are several apartments here. You’re not trespassing on someone’s private property yet.”

“Oh, alright,” Hange mumbled, letting him open the door and following him inside.

The inside of the building… was dirty. There were bags of trash lying around, shards of broken glass and half-shattered empty bottles. The house wasn’t silent too, from somewhere deep inside the building a child’s wailing was heard. It was accompanied by the sounds of a fighting. Or, maybe, extremely passionate love-making. Hange desperately hoped it was the latter.

“We need to go to the basement,” she said to Ackerman, trying her best to sound nonchalant and confident.

“Basement?” he repeated incredulously. “Is the address actually pointing to a basement? Are we looking for a vampire?”

“I don’t know who we’re looking for. But here,” she thrusted the envelope to him. “You can check it for yourself.”

He pushed her hand away. “I’ll trust you on that one.”

They made their way down the stairs in silence. Not wanting to see something that wasn’t meant for the police officer’s eyes, Hange kept her gaze focused on Ackerman’s face. Unsurprisingly, his expression was indifferent. But his breaths were coming out more raged than usual and he was walking with his head bowed low.

Compared to his regular level of emotionlessness, Ackerman seemed almost overly distressed.

Was this place affecting him so much? He had hinted at his not so happy childhood before. Were bad memories the reason for his emotional state right now?

Hange placed a hand on his shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Ackerman, listen…”

Roughly, he slapped her hand away. “I’m fine, four-eyes. Focus on the task at hand.”

She stared at him, affronted. Here she was trying to— what was she trying to do? To comfort him? Because she was worried about him? Hange conceded. Perhaps, Ackerman had every right to scold her. She was losing her focus. She couldn’t allow herself that.

As they climbed to the end of the stairs, Hange looked around, searching for an apartment 009. It stood just at the end of the hallway, and without hesitation she marched right there.

She knocked, quite forcefully. And received no answer. She huffed, ignoring Ackerman’s amused gaze, and knocked again. Again, there was no answer.

Hange put her ear closer to the door, listening to any signs of life inside. There was… nothing.

“I think no one is at home,” she announced mournfully to Ackerman. “Perhaps, we can come back later…”

“Or we can stop wasting precious time,” he rolled his eyes. “Move your ass, four-eyes, I’ll get us inside.”

Ackerman went down on his knees before the door, searching for something in the pocket of his jacket.

It took Hange a long moment to realize what he was about to do. As soon as that realization kicked in, however, she rushed to pull Ackerman away from that door.

“What are you doing?” she cried out. “Ackerman, it’s illegal!”

He gave her a pointed look. “I’m a criminal, remember?”

“I’m not! I can’t let you break inside someone’s house, I’m a police officer!”

“And can you let a young girl suffer? My uncle is an impatient man, if she pissed him off…”

“Don’t joke about it!” Hange scolded. Fuck, she didn’t know what to do. On one hand, she couldn’t let Ackerman just break into someone’s house. On the other, she couldn’t really waste any more time.

“You can look the other way, four-eyes,” Ackerman proposed, his voice an octave softer. “I won’t tell anyone.”

Damn it, Hange couldn’t believe what she was about to do. Ackerman and his damn influence, if Erwin ever finds out…

She sighed, surrendering, and turned away from that door. “Do your thing already,” she urged. “I’ll be… on a look-out. Or whatever you people say.”

“You people?” he repeated teasingly. “What kind of people?”

Hange could practically hear the laughter in his voice. Well, at least, someone was enjoying himself.

“Criminals,” she gritted.

“Just don’t forget that it’s a nasty criminal,” he said, “That helps you solve this case.”

Gods, what a fucker. But he was right. He was helping her. For his own reasons, sure, but even so, Hange was working with him for merely a day, and already she accomplished so much. Perhaps, after all of that mess was over, she could even thank him.

If he wouldn’t give her another reason to hate him.

Ackerman dealt with the door just in mere seconds. Hange didn’t know that it was possible to break the locks so swiftly. He surely was talented.

“Wow, you really are good at it,” she marveled under her breath.

“Figures why you couldn’t catch us, eh?”

So he was not only a fucker, but a cocky one as well. Hange shouldn’t have found that trait of his attractive. He lied to her, for god’s sake. But she had to admit – he looked damn good while doing it.

Ackerman opened the door and let Hange go in first. She did, a bit precautiously.

The first thing she noticed was, of course, the absence of the light. Outside the afternoon sun was shining brightly, painting everything in warm orange colors, but here, in the basement, it was dark as ever. Distinctively, Hange could hear the sound of the pipes leaking, the steady drop, drop, drop that set her just a little further up on edge.

She blindly searched for the switch on the wall. As soon as she had found it, a lone lightbulb filled the room with faint light.

Apart from that, the interior of the apartment wasn’t so different from the interior of the whole building. It was in similar bad shape, with torn wallpapers and leaking ceilings. But, surprisingly, the apartment also seemed strangely empty, like whoever was living there didn’t actually consider it their home.

As Hange looked around, she found nothing personal there, no photographs or postcards or any other kind of trinkets people usually treasured.

There were some clothes thrown here and there, but that was about it. The rest of the apartment was disappointingly empty.

“I don’t think we’ll be able to find something here,” Ackerman said, as he walked inside beside her.

Truthfully, Hange was of the same opinion. But they came here. They broke inside. She wouldn’t leave until she finds at least something remotely useful.

“Let’s look around,” she said, deciding to start with the kitchen.

Unfortunately, there was nothing useful in the kitchen. The only thing Hange found was the insane amount of instant noodles and cheap beer.

No clues were found inside the living room as well. She looked under the dusty old couch and the rug, behind the shattered TV-screen and the wardrobe. But she found nothing.

Met with the absence of the clues and Ackerman’s increasing impatience, Hange was starting to get desperate.

“We’ll find something,” she murmured, to assure both Ackerman and herself.

He simply clicked his tongue. “I searched the bedroom already. I didn’t find anything that might be of some interest.”

“I’ll go and have another look,” Hange stubbornly pushed past him. “Perhaps, you missed something.”

“Or, perhaps,” he countered, his voice laced with venom. “This lead is a dead-end. And we’re just wasting our time.”

“Need I to remind you that this is the only lead we have? Because you’re unable to find your own uncle.”

Hange knew she had said the wrong thing as soon as the words had left her mouth. She didn’t mean it, not really. But she was frustrated. She was tired and lost, and Ackerman’s proximity and their shared history were making her even more stressed than she already was.

But all of it didn’t mean that Ackerman deserved her bitterness. Not in this moment, at least. Hange knew she was in the wrong, she wanted to take her words back, but then— then Ackerman decided to retaliate.

“And need I to remind you that the only reason I’m here is because you can’t solve this shitty case all by yourself. So stop accusing me of being useless when I’m helping you out of the kindness of my heart.”

“Out of the kindness of your heart?” Hange repeated, completely scandalized. She couldn’t believe that she was meaning to apologize to that shithead just moments ago. And he had the audacity— Gods, he infuriated her to no end. “You’re a fucking asshole, Ackerman. When you were lying to me like a total scumbag, were you doing it out of the kindness of your fucking heart as well?”

Ackerman was getting riled up to, his face became contorted with faint lines of anger. His hands clenched into fists, he took a step forward, breathing heavily. “Are you still going on about that thing, really? Yes, I lied to you, but I’m sure I’m not the only person in this life who did it. So can you just let it go already?”

“Let it go?” Hange felt like she was boiling, there was so much fury inside of her that it seemed like it was pouring out of her. She wanted to smash or break something, preferably Ackerman’s stupidly handsome face. “Are you seriously asking if I can let it go? Do you really not understand how much—” she faltered, choking on the hurricane of her emotions. “I trusted you, Levi, I believed you were a good man. For god’s sake, I was starting to develop f—”

Hange abruptly stopped herself. She was angry, true, she was overwhelmed as well. But she was not so lost as to reveal to him just what he truly made her feel. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing how good his lies were and how much they’ve hurt her.

After taking a deep breath, she risked a glance at Ackerman. He was staring right at her, wide-eyed and shocked and… was that sadness in his eyes?

Before Hange could decipher his expression, it changed again, became more cautious.

She blinked, and Ackerman was already moving, rapidly, in her direction. All out of sudden, he was standing right beside her, close enough for Hange to hear just how loudly his heart was beating.

Confused, she wanted to push him away, she meant to do it, but before she could react, Ackerman had her encircled in his arms. He pulled her to the side, and just as Hange was trying to get away, they swayed and tumbled. In a mess of limbs, both of them fell onto the ground.

No more than a second later, Hange heard a loud, sudden noise.

A noise she knew so well. A gunshot.

Confused and with her ears ringing, Hange tried to make sense of her surroundings. There was a gunshot, and she fell but she wasn’t on a ground. Ackerman was on the ground, and she was lying right on top of him. Hange stared at him, wide-eyed and shaken.

Their sudden close proximity made her thoughts move even slower.

Still in Ackerman’s embrace, she turned her head in the direction, where that gunshot had come from. A girl stood there, her gun raised and aimed at them.

How long had she been standing there? How in the world Hange hadn’t seen her enter?

The reason for her lack of caution was still beside her, holding her tightly to his chest.

It felt good to be so close to him, Hange felt so warm and safe—

“Get the fuck off me,” feeling her face burn, she pushed Ackerman away, and jumped up to her feet.

“That’s the thanks I get for saving your life,” he grumbled, standing up as well and dusting off his jacket. “And I did it for the second time, four-eyes.”

“Shut up,” Hange gritted, returning her attention to the girl who almost shot them both. She was tall and brown-haired. Could it be their mysterious lead?

“I’m terribly sorry to interrupt… whatever that was,” for a second the girl’s lips curled in a wicked smirk, but then she gripped the gun in her hands tighter, her finger going to the trigger. “But who the fuck are you and what are you doing in my house?”

Still slightly shaking from the whole ordeal, Hange’s fingers trembled as she took out her police badge, showing it to the girl. “I’m detective Hange Zoe, and I came to ask you some questions.”

The hand that held the gun didn’t lower. “Regarding?” the girl asked.

“Regarding Krista Lenz’s disappearance.”

The girl relaxed. The gun was tucked safely inside her leather jacket. “So the police have finally taken notice of that case? Took you long enough.”

“I’m hoping to rectify that mistake. And I hope I’ll be able to bring Krista home. What is your name?” Hange smiled and tentatively offered her hand for the girl to shake.

“Ymir,” just as cautiously, she shook Hange’s hand. “And Krista isn’t her real name, you know?”

“She is Historia, right?” the smile on Hange’s face widened, as she saw Ymir’s genuine surprise. “We found that bit of information already.”

“Seems like you’re a real deal then,” Ymir concluded with a nod. “I’ll share what I know with you. But,” she raised a finger. “I have a condition – you’ll let me join the investigation.”

Their crew was rapidly growing, and two-thirds were presented by criminals, Hange thought grimly. Well, she was ready to do anything to bring Historia home. It seemed like she would have to stick to her own promise.

Just when Hange was ready to accept Ymir and her proposition, Ackerman took a step forwards. His eyes were narrowed to slits as he glared at their new companion.

“And what guarantee we have that we can trust you?”

“You have no guarantee,” Ymir replied, staring down at him. “But as long as our goals align and as long as you promise not to hurt Historia, I promise not to betray you.”

Ah, so their crew was rapidly growing and they couldn’t really trust each other. A recipe for a horrible disaster, but… Hange had no other options.

She clasped Ymir’s shoulder, giving her the most convincing of her smiles. “Welcome aboard then. What have you managed to find out?”

Ymir grinned and turned around, gesturing for them to follow. “Probably much more than you did. Come with me, I’ll show it to you.”

[prosaic-bun]

Sal Vindagnyr odds and ends

Pairing: Kaeya x Mc x Albedo

Novelette

Genre: Fluff - Angst (just a little) - Post 1 year timeskip

Author Notes: Hey everyone, as I mentionned earlier I made a super simple and easy to fill survey to prioritize my upcoming works. Maybe you would enjoy your favourite character receiving special treatment? »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»Click Here«««««««««««««««««««««««««

Trigger Warning: none

Prologue - Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7 - Chapter 8 - Chapter 9 (you are here) - Chapter 10 -------------------- Chapter 9

2.7k words

Soft lambent light filtered into the Headquarters of the Knights of Favonius’s alchemy workshop making the atmosphere luminous and tranquil. In the morning, Mc’s day was going pretty slowy - he didn’t have anything planned, his friends were busy with Mondstadt duties and his lovers were supposed to return from an investigation in early afternoon.

To keep himself busy he could have gone over everything he prepared for the expedition at the Peak of Vindagnyr that was scheduled overmorrow, but after already remembering the exact order of every bullet on his checklist, he worried he would turn crazy by the time Albedo and Kaeya came back. So like every sane person trying to avoid thinking too much, he decided the alchemy workshop needed to be tidied up floor-to-ceiling, thus for a good chunk of his morning cleaning duties were everything he thought about. He dusted most reachable surfaces, but more importantly he decluttered and organized the different study stations.

Mc was finishing up when he stumbled upon loose sheets of paper covered in a neat and precise handwriting. It didn’t look like anything personal, but he didn’t know if he should read it. Well since he organised the different books and documents based on subjects like a true archivist, it would make sense to read the notes - clearly not to satisfy his curiosity. «I am struck by the otherness of things rather than their sameness. The way a tiny pile of snow perches in the crook of a branch in the tall pine, away by itself, high enough not to be noticed by people, out of reach of stray dogs. It leans against the scaly pine bark, busy at some existence that does not need me. It is the differences of objects that I love, that lift me toward the rest of the universe, that amaze me. That each thing on [Teyvat] has its own soul, its own life, that each tree, each clod is filled with the mud of its own star. I watch where I step and see that the fallen leaf, old broken grass, an icy stone are placed in exactly the right spot on the earth, carefully, royalty in their own country.» (1)

Mc smiled to himself after he finished reading the excerpt of Albedo’s notes. How could a few pieces of paper layered with ink could encapsulate the alchemist so effectively. The nymph placed them on the side of Albedo’s desk where he kept most of his current projects before leaving the workshop and returning to his room.

Mc stayed in the doorway of his standard favonius quarter as he laid eyes on the gears and bag he prepared to explore the last domain of the mountain he called home. The nymph’s eyes continued to roam around the room, briefly stopping at the window to take in the view he grew accustomed to. He then looked at his unmade bed reiterating to himself that life was too short to fuss over making his bed every morning. All of a sudden, Mc felt something tug on his senses, asking him to interact with it. Mc spotted the communication mirror on his birch nightstand and subsequently fully entered the room to go get it. Mc deciphered Kaeya’s message by shifting the mirror in different directions to make out the faintly inscribed letters appearing on the reflective surface. «Be ready 13:00 + look under pillow.» The message left by the Cavalry captain was succinct and right to the point, the small sized mirror couldn’t be used to send detailed information unless reading the lips of the interlocutor.

Under his pillow? Mc picked up the fluffy object off the bed only to discover a sealed envelope that was hidden underneath it. As he freed the single sheet of paper kept in the envelope, the nymph wondered when exactly his partner was able to hide it in his room. The man couldn’t help himself but to grin since the level of drama instilled into an envelope sealed with wax was reminiscent of Kaeya’s usual theatrics. Only a few lines were centered in the middle of the neatly folded paper sheet.

«My mouth hasn’t shut up about you since you kissed it. The idea that you may kiss it again is stuck in my brain, which hasn’t stopped thinking about you since, before any kiss.» (2)

-To my beloved morning glory

Kaeya certainly regained momentum in the enticement department since his bashful confession. The nymph refolded the paper and slid it back into the envelope with a dimpled smile as he basked in the delight he obtained by reading this specific assortment of letters in that precise order. The fibers of the paper felt velvety under his fingers and his heart felt like beating in a pool of honey, pumping golden nectar through his arteries as he was reminded of the last kiss he shared with the knight. As the nymph recovered from the memory, he figured he had enough time to bake something before the two knights would return from their investigation of nearby hillichurl activity. ****

After he heard the three brief knocks indicating the return of his favourite people, Mc jolted to go open the door of his room. Both men seemed pretty much enthusiastic and greeted him eagerly after their forced estrangement. Kaeya, as sly as ever, was quick to steal Mc a quick peck as if it was the hundredth time he did so. Albedo then moved in to hug the nymph, hiding his face in the crook of his neck, leaving a few kisses there before parting. After their embrace, Mc registered they already changed into more leisurely clothes since their investigation as they were wearing beach attires ready to unwind.

«Are you ready to leave, love?» Kaeya solicited.

«Do I need to bring something special? I packed a bag with a blanket and enough water for everyone.» Mc answered. «We are not going far, but you do need to change. Do you have a bathing suit and maybe a breezy tunic or robe cover up?» Albedo advised. «It can be something you wrap around yourself, the bed linens if you have to.» Kaeya added. «I did sow something for this type of occasion with Noelle not too long ago. Give me a minute.» Mc answered. If Albedo got the cue to leave the room, Kaeya on the other hand was standing against the frame of the window adjusting the neckline of his bathrobe, waiting for Mc to change. «Is a little privacy too much to ask?» Mc inquired more as a rhetorical question.

Kaeya obtempered, but put on a wry face as if the idea of having to exit pained him immensely. He continued his shenanigans up until he reached the door frame, Albedo whisking him out of sight with a scowl on his face. After Mc closed the door he changed into his newly made beach wear attire consisting of a bathing suit and half sheer half opaque bathrobe (Writer’s reference 1 (excuse their faces) - 2 - 3) and joined the two knights in the corridor. They then headed in the opposite direction of the main gate and climbed the many flights of stairs until they were on the same level as the Favonius Cathedral. Kaeya guided the group behind the gothic devotional structure and soon reached the most northern part of the city facing in the general direction of the Dornman Port. Beside them was a quiet quasi empty graveyard with only one man who could be seen refreshing the flowers on a tombstone. «We are going over there.» Kaeya claimed with a grin on his face now pointing to the North East. «Are you going to be ok gliding for such a long distance, Mc?» Albedo worried. Mc got closer to the low wall and evaluated the situation. «Well there aren't any obstacles and in the worst case scenario I’ll fall into cider lake or maybe crash onto that sandbank. Amber would nonetheless say I’ve been training for such a challenge.» «You should go first, so if anything happens we will be able to react appropriately. Oh and I believe in you, no doubts there.» Kaeya cheered. After Mc prepared his glider, he just had to orient his flight. He confirmed with the knights he should aim North-East of their location and Kaeya added he should look for a noticeably bigger tree on the other side of the shore. They warned him to not wander too much to the East or he would reach Wolvendom’s beach instead, which had many hillichurl camps. Mc was able to cross the lake successfully and landed on his two feet; equally happy to have made it and to be on solid ground once again. He was joined by Albedo shortly after who praised him for his gliding progress. They turned to look at Kaeya who decided to show off, landing earlier over the water and freezing a platform as the tip of his foot met the crystalline water. It only took a few more freezing steps to reach his lovers onto the embankment. The Cavalry Captain adorned a jaunty smile, relishing over the prowess he could showcase in front of his lovers. They quickly drove out a few anemo slimes before spreading out their blankets on the ground. Kaeya was the first to undress wearing navy swim briefs accentuating his perversely slender waist. He left in a hurry to dip his toe into the water and judge if the temperature was adequate for a leisurely swim. Albedo followed, in his white high waisted jammers keeping it elegant as usual, passing by Kaeya and went hastily deeper in the cool waters without hesitation. With the pace of the alchemist's keen steps, water droplets splashed onto Kaeya skin, ensuing a vengeful chase after Albedo creating concentric circular waves around both of them and properly soaking his partner. They continued bickering as they reached deeper water where only Kaeya was able to touch the bottom of the lake. Albedo boosted himself with a vigorous kick and tried to sink Kaeya under the water surface. Their combativeness wavered after a few minutes of dueling. Albedo latch onto, Kaeya’s back and secured his position by wrapping his legs around Kaeya’s waist. The ladder turned toward the beach, weightlessness bounces guiding the duo back towards it. Albedo and Kaeya recouped from their short-lived squabbling and turned their attention back to search for their partner. Few meters away, arms crossed and water just below the knees , Mc seemed amused while looking at the two knights. Mouth agape, Kaeya and Albedo stared blankly at the nymph. Mc had removed his previous bathrobe and looked radiant in his black swim briefs exposing his lubricious bare thighs (Writer's reference 1 - 2 - 3 - 4). How dared he just stand there so hedonistically? Why would he keep himself from joining them?

Sneaky smiles and complicit eye contact between Albedo and Kaeya resulted in them suddenly hounding down the innocent nymph, too enticing for his own good.

Mc tried his best to struggle, but he ended up held by his fists and ankles, rocked back and forth until tossed into the lake (as an equivalent of celebratory birthday bumps). Unscarred, the nymph bubbled up to the surface asking what it was all about. Kaeya answered evasively, not wanting to admit how cute he looked in his bathing suit.

The trio continued to swim around more peacefully. Mc was able to convince Albedo to sink down to his chin in the clear water, Mc then proceeded to untangle his soggy hair and massaging his scalp to release the tension. Despite himself, Albedo sighed in satisfaction, eyes fluttering shut, as the nymph made him melt in his hands even more.

The cavalry captain was about to exit the water after drifting a little bit. At the sight before him, Kaeya’s heart softened, gravitating towards them, more intoxicated than what a Death after noon at Angel’s share could ever do to him. However, as the scheming man he is, he couldn’t help himself, but to drop two or three icicles along Mc’s spine when he kissed the nymph on the cheek announcing he was going to start fishing. «Oh, is something the matter, love?» Mc’s reaction was immediate, but he stilled the best he could given the circumstances not to drown Albedo in the process. Mc glared at the Captain with wrathful eyes to witch Kaeya’s responded with a wink and a kissy face. The nymph couldn’t stay mad per se, but he took a mental note to retaliate twice as hard when the situation would be opportune. Maybe he could ‘towel’ snap Kaeya’s butt once he used his blanket to dry up.

After a few more minutes, Albedo and Mc returned under the shade of the tree. Albedo settled down to sketch while Mc walked around to gather dead twigs and branches to cook Kaeya’s potential catch for supper.

They ended up eating grilled fish on a stick to their heart's content, while they appreciated the calmness of the forest as they leaned against the large trunk of the mature tree. The sun was setting, painting the skies with pastels hues. After bathing and eating, Mc was getting especially sleepy, but didn’t want to let it show. Kaeya tapped the ground in between his legs, making it clear Mc wasn’t fooling anyone. Mc put his back against Kaeya’s chest and left one hand resting on Albedo’s lap. Kaeya looked down at the nymphs' features as he played with his hair for a bit easing Mc into slumber. The cavalry captain ended up falling asleep too, his head laying on Albedo’s shoulder. Once the alchemist was sure they were fast asleep, he turned to a blank page of his sketchbook and started sketching an approximate portrait of the three of them in the position they were currently in. Of course, he took some artist liberties to self portrait himself and imagine the general position of his lovers he couldn’t see without disturbing them.

When Mc woke up from his nap, the stars were already up. The light snores of Kaeya and the regular scratches emanating from Albedo’s sketchbook were audible to the nymph thanks to the general quietness of his surroundings. Mc squirmed to try to straighten up his position without waking Kaeya. Despite Mc’s effort to let Kaeya nap, the Cavalry captain happens to be a light sleeper and when he felt movement his first reflex was to lock Mc in a tight grip as to protect him from an unseen menace. Kaeya relaxed automatically when he remembered the current context and mumbled something along the lines of «I must have fallen asleep». «Ready to go home?» The alchemist asked. «It’s probably for the better, Kaeya’s bed is more comfy after all.» Mc answered. «Didn’t you fall asleep, Albedo?» «I’m afraid I couldn’t. I haven’t slept properly during the last few nights; when I close my eyes I end up having nightmares like I’ve never had before. Maybe my subconscious is working overtime.» Albedo commented half heartedly.

Mc examined Albedo, but nothing was giving away how tired he felt. «Do you want to talk about it in front of a carrot cake?» «A what?» Kaeya perked up still a little groggy. «A carrot cake, it’s my specialty dish. I baked it just before you came back.» Mc specified.

«I would never miss the pleasure of being invited for dessert by such a lovely person.» Albedo commented.

«What he said.» Kaeya threw in. The trio made its way back to Mondstadt in the most personalized fashion. Kaeya freezed a trail for them to cross Cider Lake. When they reached the base of the cliff, Albedo used his Solar Isotoma as an elevator. Reaching the ground level of the cathedral, the partners made their way nonchalantly towards the Knights of Favonius Headquarters.

«You know Mc, Albedo and I went on vacation to an isolated archipelago located to the east of Mondstadt where the sea side is perfect to relax or collect conches.» Kaeya mentioned.

«I feel like there is more to that story than a simple vacation.» Mc commented.

(1) Tom Hennen, "Looking for the Differences", Darkness Sticks to Everything

(2) Alex Turner

Outro song

Cc. @creatorofstars

[sorcerersofnyc]

The Last Thing Left (Zemo x F!Reader) 3/9

If it wasn’t so painfully ironic (and hilarious to watch,) Helmut would find the relationship between Sam and James a little sad.

Ghosts weren’t enough to hold two people together.

While they wait for Torres to locate Donya Madani, Zemo brings Sam and Bucky to the home he once shared with you.

You reunite and he reflects upon his relationship with you (his wife's friend and his friend's wife) and your journey from being people with mutual friends to partners.

Chapter 3: Sam and Bucky try to understand your relationship with Zemo. It isn't complicated, but he remembers a time when things very much were.

Angst, various mentions of death & mourning, Zemo's wife's name is Heike because of comics.  The reader likes waffles (this is a non-negotiable fact)

Note: Main Character is neutral in most regards, but the story was written with my own cultural background in mind. (In other words, I won't say what she looks like but I envision her as being black.)

First Chapter | Previous

***

A fresh breeze filters in through an open window, swaying the room as Helmut’s words take root.

“Partner?” Sam leans forward in curiosity. “You mean like a life partner or a partner in crime?”

“Yes,” is Helmut’s unhelpful reply. He sends you a conspiratorial smile, one you return with a roll of the eyes.

“Helmut and I are engaged in a… civil partnership,” you explain, “for legal reasons.”

“Amongst other things,” he adds.

“Yes, amongst…other things.” A deep honey-like scent wafts into the room from the kitchen as you share a fleeting glance, a private moment despite the scrutiny of James and Sam. You must have put on a pot of tea.

“That should have been in the reports,” James narrows his eyes and examines the room carefully. “Why doesn’t anyone know about you?” Despite his position on the other wall, he angles his body toward Sam, ready to defend against any traps you might spring.

"Well…" you tilt your head in contemplation, "there was a significant delay in the processing of our paperwork. Nothing was documented until after Helmut’s prosecution."

"How much of a delay are we talking about here?" Sam asks, turning his assessing gaze toward Helmut as if to ask, ‘did you do something?’

"Around—what was it, Helmut? A year and a half?"

"18 months," he agrees. “Our paperwork seemed to have gotten misplaced. It's so difficult to find reliable lawyers these days.”

Sam didn’t seem to believe him.

"I'm his spouse on all official records,” You cut in before either of the two to speak, “but I'm sure you understand why privacy is important to me.” When he testified to his crimes, he made it clear that he had no accomplices and the investigation proved the same. The lawyer ‘misplaced’ the paperwork long enough for public interest in his case to die.

You didn’t need that sort of public scrutiny.

Sam seems to agree.

“We would never compromise your safety,” He assures you. He has his own family, people he loves with targets on their backs. He thinks of them as he addresses you.

The teapot whistles in the background.

“Thank you.” You smile and excuse yourself from the room. “The tea is ready.”

Helmut wants to pull you back to him, but he settles on meeting your gaze as you make a hasty retreat through the archway.

You’re gone all but a few seconds before James begins to speak.

"OK Zemo,” He says, his voice low and threatening, “it's about time you tell us what's going on—your partner? Really?"

"I’ve no reason to lie, James—but perhaps you’re not used to honesty,"

“Not from you," James lurches forward like a beast seeking prey. He glares down at Helmut, a mere arm's length from Helmut’s chair.

Helmut doesn't doubt Jame's violent intent, but he isn't particularly afraid. He settles back in his chair, moves his hands along the length of the arms, and brushes a thumb across the cool metal of the gun strapped beneath.

"Simmer down, Buck.” Sam lifts his hands. “This is weird enough as it is.”

James hesitates but relaxes his defensive stance.

"She doesn't seem to like me and Sam," James continues, reclaiming his position on the wall. “I don’t plan on waking up with a knife in my back.”

“She would never do such a thing, it's far too messy." Unbothered by their altercation, Helmut rises from his chair. He moves toward the bay window and liberates a copy of  Arsène Lupin, gentleman-cambrioleur , from the floating shelf.

Before James can say whatever it is he wants to say,  Sam intervenes once again.

“What I think he means is, 'how do we know we can trust her?'”

"You won't come to harm under her care, you have my word."

His word.

James scoffs at the mere suggestion. Trust isn't something that exists between them and it never would.

But the air is so thick with tension and he can hear the unspoken words that linger in the air: ‘What about your late wife?’

So Helmut flips through the book absentmindedly, stopping at a dog-eared page.

“My companion,” he begins to explain, “she was my wife's dearest friend.” He glances up from the pages of the book to meet Sam’s gaze. “She lost her husband when your friends made Sokovia into a battleground so I found it prudent to ensure her wellbeing.”

They're quiet—finally—and Helmut finds their discomfort pleasing.

Turning his attention back to the book, he reads a line you underlined.

'Quel dommage que je ne sois pas un honnête homme!' What a pity that I am not an honest man!'

“Would you like some honeybush tea?” Your voice cuts through the silence a few moments later. You stop at the threshold and gaze back warily gaze wary.

“I expected Helmut to be alone, but I have other drinks too.”

“The Tea is fine, thank you.” He sets down your beloved book and walks across the room to meet you. Ever so gently, Helmut coaxes the tray from your hand and sets it down on the center table.

“I made lunch as well... si comes ese tipo de cosas .” You mutter, leaving the room once again.

Helmut pours himself a cup before gesturing toward the tray.

"Please, you are guests; have a seat, enjoy some tea." Grabbing the book with one hand, Helmut returns to his favorite chair.

James doesn’t move an inch but Sam takes the seat near the window. His body sinks into the fabric with a sigh.

“Hopefully Torres finds Donya soon. I don’t want to impose for too long.”

“She really is a lovely hostess.” Helmut takes a seat and returns the book. “I intend to enjoy her hospitality while I can.”

***

At first, living with you was easy; Helmut stayed out of your way, he spent his time conducting research and it was quiet.

But the walls were thin and noise echoed through the open vents—He could hear you crying late at night.

He wanted to help, but he had no temporary comforts to offer. The only thing he had was his anger and his plan. You’d rest easier with the Avengers buried in the ash heap, he told himself. That day, when you hugged him, he felt as though you encroached on something, something that would break if he failed to tread lightly.

When you looked as though you wanted to talk or share a fond memory, he mentioned something about the old-fashioned décor and suggested that you change something. He bought you books from the shops he passed on the streets, jars of pigment, and blocks of clay.

He observed you, found what you liked, and got them for you.

“Thank you,” you’d say with a smile, and that was more than enough for him.

He didn’t expect you to return the favor.

But then you’d do things like make him breakfast (always with black coffee and a side of bacon, his favorite.) You’d buy pillows in the same specific shade of burgundy to accent the walls. You’d leave the paper on the kitchen island and kept a jar of honey with the tea.

And he hated you for that, for doing the things Heike would do, for sharing her habits, humor, and sensibilities.

‘Good morning, Helmut,' you would say in the morning, 'Would you like to visit the market with me?’ or, ‘Helmut, you can’t survive off coffee, aren't you hungry?’

He’d refuse you every time.

It was difficult, disappointing you,  but the thought of enjoying a pleasant breakfast, or taking a stroll through the market hurt even more.

He could still feel their bodies buried beneath his feet.

So he opted for uncomfortable silence, and unsteady peace, the ghosts of your loved ones a wall between you.

*

Weeks went by and he continued his research. It took a while, but Helmut could see the steps of a plan unfolding in his mind.

He wouldn’t be the one to send the Avengers to their graves, he’d make them kill each other—and for that, he would need the Winter Soldier, James Buchanan Barnes.

So one day, after reading and rereading the S.H.I.E.L.D.  files he managed to decrypt, he told you he was going on a trip.

“There’s business that I need to attend to.”

“You’re leaving?” You looked up from the clay you were molding. It hadn’t yet taken form, just a sad lump of grey. “For how long?”

“Not long.” He promised, “I’ll be back soon.”

But he returned two weeks later.

Exhausted, Helmut had just taken off his shoes when you walked upstairs to meet him, red power on your hands.

“Helmut! Where were you?” You demanded before you took notice of your tone, the accusation present in your voice. You amended your words quickly.  “I was worried... I missed you while you were gone.”

“My apologies,” was his unsatisfactory reply, his back still turned.

When he finally turned to look in your direction, you wore a troubled look upon your face, and the look reminded him of Heike.

It was the worry of a soldier's wife, of someone waiting by the door to greet an unknown future.

“I’m sorry,” he offered, genuinely this time, and placed a hand on your shoulder.

For a moment that you would reject him. He was certain you considered doing just that, but when you didn’t move or knock away his touch, a strange sense of relief filled him.

You sighed.

"When you've gotten settled, come down for dinner.” It was an order, he realized, not a request.

"Of course." An amused smile tugged at his cheeks.

"Where did you go?" You asked, lingering by the door as he set down his bag. He wasn’t dressed for business in his drab gray jacket and worn shoes.

“I visited an auction house out east."

“An auction house?” You tilted your head and assessed his clothing again. “To bid?”

“Not exactly."

Not at all, really.

He tracked down information about an auction where fanatics were gathered to bid on HYDRA paraphernalia. He hoped to find the book that once belonged to the Winter Soldier's handler, but it wasn't didn’t exist amongst the garbage he found there.

The trip hadn't been a complete waste, however. He managed to rid the world of a few dozen agents and others who would support their cause—but he wouldn’t tell you that.

"What I hoped to find wasn't there.” He settled on saying.

“It took you weeks to do that?”

“I needed to visit Berlin as well. My family collected many cars over the generations. I’ll take you to see them one day if you like.”

Helmut had no plans to get you involved in his plan to end the Avengers,  he couldn't. But he remained true to his word and joined you for dinner that night.

He helped you set the table and you ate paprikash (which, he assumed, you made for his benefit more than your own.)

"Ozenik suggested I make it," you explained. "It was never my favorite but it was fun to make."

"You did a good job."

"Thanks...I thought was time to try something new."

He agreed.

You ate dinner together the next night too, and the next, and the next night after that.

Helmut grew to enjoy the time you spent together—it was a pleasant change of pace.

Even so, he had his ‘business’ to attend to. He would still have to leave.

Sometimes he would go for hours, sometimes he’d be gone for days, and sometimes entire weeks would go by and Helmut wouldn't call or even text you.

And you were frustrated.

Once he returned home to find you painting angry red lines across what might have been an abstract swirl of blue and gray.

One evening discovered you rearranged the dining room completely.

Then one day, during dinner, you attempted to bridge the gap between you once again.

"I received a message last night," You began, "a reminder that I purchased tickets to see a play last year.” It was summer, but the season had been unusually rainy, confining you inside for most of the week. “I’d have to travel to see it but it might be fun. Would you like to see it with me?”

"I'll be gone again soon," Helmut told you. “My apologies.”

You frowned.

"I haven't even told you the date. How do you know you’ll be busy?"

"I have plenty of work to keep me busy through the end of the year." His reply hung in the air for what felt like an eternity. He didn’t even bother to look up as he continued. "If you need to travel, I'll speak with Oeznik about arranging that for you."

You looked down at your plate, sighed, and set down your utensils.

"It's fine." You told him, but it wasn't. You were angry at his rejection, at his nonchalance.

"You know...you don't need to force yourself to be here with me, Helmut." You stared directly across the table at him, meeting his gaze. "We don't have to stay together if you don't want to. I have my benefits from the veterans association now so...if there's somewhere else you'd rather be-"

"There isn't." Helmut looked at you, his eyes dark piercing. "How could you think that?"

“How could I not when I never know if you're going off to the market or leaving for weeks?” A dangerous edge crept into your voice and you didn’t bother to amend it. “What sort of 'business' are you conducting? You won't even tell me."

"You don't need to worry," he tried to assure you, but his weak appeal only seemed to make you angrier.

And that anger, your anger,  frustrated him to no end.

Who were you to question what he did with his time?

Heike always understood when he was gone for longer than expected. When he returned, she greeted him with joy and relief, not accusation and scorn.

But you...he didn't know what he expected from you.

You weren’t his wife, you weren’t involved romantically. You weren't even friends, not really.

So really, what tethered him to this place?

What he planned to do was dangerous; he might not even survive. He fulfilled his promise to see after your well-being, did everything he said he'd do, and yet...and yet…

You sighed, huffed really, and gathered your plates quickly.

“I’m trying, I’m really trying but I’m tired, Helmut,” you told him. “You go and move us to this...this ritzy tourist city and what am I supposed to do? Find friends with similar life experiences? I can’t even sleep through the night and you...you just...” You take a breath as you turn away, leaving with your half-eaten plate.

“I don't... I don't fit in here.” You confess resignation carried in your voice. “I don’t think you understand that and I don’t think we’re good for each other either. ” You decided. “We’re too different. I appreciate you trying to help me, I do, but… but maybe I should leave.”

***

Thanks for reading! You’ve come so far and soon you will be rewarded. Next chapter we’ll see the steps Helmut took to amend your relationship. And in the present timeline, we get to see something super cute (something that involves hand-holding, perhaps?)

Feedback is very much appreciated. Please tell me what you think!

Tag list: 

@actuallyanita

@fillechatoyante

@viviace 

@buckyandlokicanhaveme

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