#crewmate: river

[marlynnofmany]

Arboreal Species

We had plenty of options for ways to keep occupied while waiting for the client to show up and collect his delivery. Several of the crew were playing card games with the captain, using a delivery crate as a table, and she was beating the pants off all of them. (Though none of these particular aliens wore pants. You know what I mean.) Some of the others waited inside the ship, declaring boredom with this particular patch of exotic wilderness.

The rest chatted with crew from the ship that had arrived after us, which was also delivering cargo for the same late-to-arrive local. They had plenty to complain about. They also had food to share, and a decent chance that it would be edible by those they shared it with.

While Alien Food Roulette was always exciting, I’d found a much better option.

“Hey, they tell me your species climbs things,” the stranger from the other ship had said, long snout curling into a smile. She looked like a mix of 3/4 baboon and 1/4 crocodile.

“They’re right!” I replied easily. There weren’t many climbing opportunities on our little courier ship, and I was curious where this was going.

The alien pointed at a huge tree on the edge of the landing pad, which boasted smooth orange bark with branches every couple feet. “I’m gonna go climb that. Care to join me?”

“Would I ever!” I said, already heading toward it. I called back over my shoulder, “If you guys need me, I’ll be up a tree!”

Captain Sunlight didn’t even look away from the game, just waving distractedly, her scaly face intent on whatever play Mur had just made. He was chuckling about it and rubbing his tentacles together in a way that was probably a bluff. As soon as I looked away, he made a noise that said the good captain had just wrecked his clever plan. Trrili hissed with laughter.

None of them cared that I was about to climb to a dangerous height. None thought this was out of character in the slightest, and all of them were missing out on an excellent climbing experience.

It was a great tree. The bark was smooth but not slippery, reminding me of a madrone tree from back home, just without the flaky outer layer. And it didn’t feel as cold. If anything, it was warm as we scampered skyward, almost as if the tree welcomed a good climb by people who’d appreciate it.

The alien stopped, picking a branch to sit on and leaning back against another. “Now that is a nice view.”

I had to agree. “It is!” I found my own convenient pair of branches, draping my arms over the top one and finding a nice footrest on a third. “Everybody down there doesn’t know what they’re missing.” The forest around the landing pad was bright with oranges and yellows, the kind of vivid colors that I associated with autumn, but which could have been year-round here. Rolling hills lined the horizon, with a river sparkling merrily in the distance. The only straight line was the road. It made a nice counterpoint to all the gentler natural shapes.

My new friend cupped a hand to her snout unnecessarily. “Hey, everybody down there! You should come see this view!”

To no one’s surprise, she got a chorus of “no thanks.”

I shook my head. “Such a shame. They’re missing out on all the knowledge that comes from above, too. Hey, Paint!” I yelled down to the crewmate who had just dropped a box of round things. “One rolled under the ramp, and two are over in the grass!” I pointed them out.

A distant “Thank you!” reached my ears.

The alien nodded. “Wisdom of the heights indeed. What else can we see, that those on the ground can’t?”

We spent a good few minutes pointing things out to each other and swapping stories. Apparently her people were called the Farsights, for exactly this reason.

“Oh, motion on the road!” she declared, squinting into the distance. “Looks like somebody’s in a rush to be a little less late.”

“Well that ship has launched,” I said, following her eyes. “Nice thought, though. Say, is that one car or two?”

The Farsight didn’t answer immediately, which made me worry a little. Then she said “Uh oh,” which made me worry a lot.

“Uh oh what?”

She stood up on the branch and bellowed, “INCOMING! Client’s being chased by hostile fauna!”

“Oh jeez.” Now I could see it too: something large and antlered galloping after the little surface skimmer. Both were headed straight toward our landing pad.

Chaos erupted down below as we slid off our perches and scrambled downward. The bark was still friendly-smooth.

“I think that creature eats these!” my friend said, bounding out toward the end of a branch to shake loose a bundle of round seedpod things. “I’ve seen them before!”

“Will that matter?” I asked, slowing. “It looks pretty mad!”

“Can’t hurt!”

I couldn’t argue that. There were more than a few seedpods waiting on my path down, all of which came loose with a little judicious bouncing of the branches. When I hit the ground, it was in a sea of baseball-shaped plant bits.

The rest of the crew was scrambling to move crates and dash into the ships for anything weaponlike. A handful of beefy individuals from the other crew lined up to stare the thing down as it approached, and my ship’s biggest and scariest hurried to join them. Trrili claimed a place in front with her black-and-red carapace gleaming in the sun, pincher arms spread wide. She left space for the skimmer to zip past, but only just.

I grabbed seedpods, making a basket with my shirt. “Will we need these? Is it going to stop?”

“Beats me!” said my new friend. She grabbed an armload and ran. “Let’s find out!”

I raced after. We joined the lineup just before the gigantic whatever-it-was skidded to a halt, rearing to paw the air and roar thunderously. The guy in the skimmer was trying to park behind our ship. The various scary aliens yelled back at the huge moose-rhino.

“How well can you throw?” asked my friend, not waiting for an answer. She dumped her armload and started chucking seedpods.

“Pretty well!” I didn’t bother dropping mine, just grabbing them one by one from my shirt basket and aiming for the head.

I didn’t count how many of those direct shots were me, but I’m going to say most of them. The pods burst into squishy fruit with a solid core, doing a great job of annoying the creature as well as coating it with presumably-tasty purple goo.

Its forefeet hit the ground with a teeth-rattling thud. It roared some more, but half-heartedly, like it was just trying to save face at this point.

My friend the Farsight had run out of seedpods, so I gave her some of mine. While our crewmates did their best threat displays, we pelted the dangerous beastie with fruit until it turned to lope in the other direction. I made sure to throw a few on the road near it, in case it felt like picking up a bite to eat on the way. It didn’t, but I did see a tongue lick out as it turned its back on us.

Belatedly, Kavlae and Eggskin skidded out of our ship with stun guns at the same time as a couple people from the other — was that a rocket launcher or a flare gun? — none of which turned out to be necessary.

“Take that and eat it!” crowed the Farsight.

“Yeah!” I agreed. “It’s probably delicious!”

“It probably is, actually,” she said as the congratulations started to pour in.

I picked up a seedpod I’d dropped and sniffed it. “Smells a bit like kumquat.”

Captain Sunlight, busy trying to coax the client out of his vehicle, yelled across the landing pad, “Don’t eat that until Eggskin runs it through the medscanner!”

“Aw, really?” I complained, perfectly in synch with my new friend.

“Yes really!” She shook her lizardy head. I couldn’t make out her muttering from here, but I could guess it was about omnivorous habits, self-preservation instincts, absurd treeclimbing species, or all of the above.

The Farsight said, “If these are safe, I’m taking some back with me.”

“Even if they’re not, the seeds would make good souvenirs,” I pointed out, pulling at the pod where it had separated. “Look how perfectly round they are.”

“Oh yeah, those are nice.”

Trrili stalked past with a haughty tilt to her antennae. “You two get along far too well.”

“Like two seeds in a pod!” the Farsight quipped.

That made me smile. “Hey, my people say that too!”

We had plenty to talk about while everybody else handled the actual delivery we were there for. Eventually Eggskin did check the thing with a medscanner. It tasted like sour kumquat. The seeds cleaned up nicely.

And most importantly, my new friend had family with a whole enclave at the next space station my ship was planning to visit. And they had a climbing structure three stories high. I couldn’t wait.

The rest of the crew thought that sounded pointless and dangerous, of course, but none of them had ancestors who danced through the tree branches, so clearly they have no taste.

~~~

The ongoing backstory adventures of the main character from this book. More to come! And I am currently drafting a sequel!

[1000sunnygo]

Vivre Card translation: Bepo

"Afternoon nap with Law (as a pillow)" still cracking me up

Bepo is approximately "1.4 Luffys" tall.

Essence

Seeking strength for the sake of his comrades! A hot-hearted polar bear navigator!!

Bepo joins the battle and fights hard to support Law. After witnessing the overwhelming power of the Four Emperors, he contemplates the future and has Chopper make him a 'special drug' to greatly enhance his strength.

And then, the battle against Blackbeard Pirates. At the sight of Law in danger, Bepo takes the drug despite its risks and transforms into the Sulong form to engage in a desperate fight. From a hopeless situation, he saves his captain.

A Rumble Ball?

Bepo turns into Sulong without seeing the full moon. Is it an effect similar to Chopper's Monster Point as it appears...?

Choosing to rescue Law over following the strategy. Like the rest of his crewmates, he always acts with the ship's Captain as the top priority.

Although a polar bear, he's a fine man. His eyes sparkle in excitement at the sight of General Franky!

He has an exceptional hearing ability, and can analyze the enemy's movements through sound to support his nakama in a battle.

The Sulong transformation causes the body to become massive, and the claws to become razor-sharp. That power is so overwhelming that even the mighty Blackbeard Pirates are taken aback.

He desperately persuades Law, believing in the strength of his comrades. He uses his excellent swimming skills to escape into the sea in order to save his Captain's life before anything else, and successfully evades pursuit.

History

Infiltrates Wano Country. After eating river fishes, he's down with upset stomach.

Captured by Hawkins and is imprisoned at Rasetsu District Prison.

Released with Law as a substitute, prioritizes Law's life over the strategy.

As he's indoors during the Onigashima raid, he is unable to transform into Sulong...

Shares his frustration to Chopper and has him make a drug.

Departs from Wano after the alliance with Straw hats is dissolved.

Battle with Blackbeard pirates. Transforms into Sulong and saves Law.

[undiscovered-horizon]

[Sanji and Zoro hardly get along, requring a lot of effort to keep things civil between them. But when it's revealed that they've both set their eyes on the same girl, their rivalry might just get out of hand.]

Enjoying my work? You can leave me a tip on Ko-Fi | Have a request?

If Sanji was a different man, maybe he'd feel a bit embarrassed about his little habit. Maybe he'd question whether intensely staring at his crewmate from afar is appropriate.

However, he is who he is, so Sanji just silently smokes his cigarette all the while watching you discuss something with Nami. You're telling her something that must have really moved you - there's a plethora of emotions on your face and your hands are all over the place gesturing. The cook chuckles to himself. You're cute when you're excited.

Then, something stings inside his chest. What does Sanji have to do to become your confidant? To be the person you run to whenever you need an ear to listen? His suave words and rivers of compliments have worked perfectly so far but it seems like he's come to some plateau. Lingering touches, less than ambiguous remarks, favors and gifts... And yet you're not any more inclined to throw yourself at him than you were a month ago.

"Don't bother, waiter." he hears a voice behind him.

Sanji almost chokes on the cigarette smoke. He wasn't expecting anyone to catch him red-handed, much less for that person to be Roronoa Zoro - the only one who would spill his little secret just to get under his skin.

But Zoro's willingness to get under the cook's skin goes a lot deeper, at least in Sanji's mind. He's not oblivious to the swordsman's prying eyes that follow you and the compliance with which he succumbs to your every whim, even if he tries to appear annoyed.

Sanji feels his skin burn as he watches you move around in a short skirt. As though he's under a curse or stared the Basilisk straight in the eye, he can't look away. You've asked Nami to cut the material down, not being a fan of the way you looked in a knee-length skirt. It wasn't bad, just a little awkward.

Now you're standing in front of Nami, turning around and walking in place so she can see if everything's the way you wanted. The ginger girl keeps grabbing the hem of the skirt, folding it upwards to see if the seams are right.

Then a few floorboards creak as someone else approaches the scene.

"What do you think, Zoro?" you ask in a thrilled voice. Maybe if Sanji made his presence known, you'd ask him too. Then he could gawk at you all he wanted, up close, under the guise of 'making judgment'.

"It's fine," he answers with apparent disinterest.

Zoro walks past you and Nami. Sanji closely watches him, sounding out whether the swordsman has noticed him and whether he's willing to tell on the cook. Then, to his horror, Zoro glances over his shoulder, returning his attention to you. He looks you up and down, a little too slow to be considered innocent. Zoro licks his lips.

The swordsman turns again, meeting Sanji's seething stare. A mocking half-grin enters Zoro's face. He bumps his shoulder into the cook's as he goes past him. They don't exchange any words but their strife couldn't be more clear.

"If you think you can talk me into giving up on her, you're more of an idiot than I thought," Sanji retorts. He's willing to physically fight Zoro if things come down to that. Then, should the universe bless him, you'd take care of his wounds with your tender touch.

Zoro snorts. "I'm just sayin' there's no way she'd go for you. You smell like dishrags and salivate over any girl with a pulse."

Sanji takes the cigarette out of his mouth. He chuckles, both out of anger and disbelief. "If you spent as much time with women as you do staring at your swords, maybe you'd learn that brooding and vaguely threatening stares are hardly attractive, moss-head."

"You don't know anything about her, new guy," Zoro drones out. His low tone sounds like a warning.

The swordsman's irritation is like music to Sanji's ears. A mischievous smile appears on his face. "I've spent enough nights with her to know what she likes."

Roronoa slightly raises his eyebrows. Sanji almost believes that he surprised Zoro but the expression of the dark, brown eyes is nothing if not malicious. "So that's where she is when she's not warming my bed?"

A tense silence falls between them. They stare at each other like goaded bulls, ready to gore their horns through the other man. Their crescendo almost comes to a violent climax when something distracts both of them:

Nami and you burst into wholehearted laughter, tears streaming down your faces. Shouts of 'No way!' are cut into syllables by chuckles.

Both Sanji and Zoro let out a lovesick sigh. Immediately, they turn to glare at their rival. There, as silence remains between them and their hearts are filled with your laughter, the two men take up the rivalry, knowing that they're equally too stubborn to give up until either of them wins.

[mangekyuou]

Straw Hats x Fem reader platonic! This just popped into my head after watching ATLA! What if S/O, who’s mute, owned a pet messenger bird? No, scratch that, a pet messenger hawk? Sharp-looking, intelligent, and fast, he’s her pet companion that she takes care of sweetly and kindly. He can deliver messages to anyone around the world! I’m surprised that One Piece didn’t have a pet parrot, besides Karoo. HCs?

★ WITH A MUTE CREWMATE WHO HAS A PET MESSENGER HAWK! headcanons ★

── featuring. the strawhats.

── cw. gn!reader. no pronouns used. platonic. mentions of your hawk fighting zoro and sanji lol. not proofread.

── notepad. this has been sitting in my inbox SO LONG. IM SO SORRY. i really hope this reaches the og anon.

accidentally crossing paths with the new rag-tag group of hotshot pirates that were becoming a thorn in the side of the marines was unexpected. becoming a trusted member almost overnight was even more so

you are welcomed with open arms by your new family. well, you and your vigilant and protective hawk that was always perched on your shoulder, ready to snap at the hands of your new and still unfamiliar crewmates if they got to get too close to you

luffy, friendly and touchy as he can be, seems to be your hawk's main victim of the pecking. he never learns

outside of steering clear away from your violent friend with wings, the straw hats do everything in their power to ensure you are comfortable. never will you ever feel left out with them

they make sure to always include you in conversations, even if you don't want to contribute to them

they learn other ways to communicate with you, whether it is handing you a pen and a pad to write on, or starting to learn sign language. whatever makes you the most comfortable

your crewmates have an unintentional habit of checking for you the moment you are no longer in their line of sight

nami is the worst about it. she can't even count the number of times she almost had a heart attack thinking you were gone because she didn't see you for more than five seconds, before smothering you in big sister hugs and scolding you to never do it again

franky is the second worst about it. the one time the two of you went on a mission to find supplies in a village, he got distracted and kept walking, not noticing that you stopped a while ago. when he turned around and you were nowhere to be found, he was losing it. he called for you all over the village before falling to his knees in despair and crying a river before you returned having already found the supplies. he swore if he wasn't already crying he would have cried tears of joy when he saw you again

the straw hats find your pet hawk and the bond that the two of you share is very cool. to demonstrate their intelligence, you write a letter to your family back home and send your hawk on its way. when the bird returns a day later with another letter when its journey should have taken them weeks, the straw hats are in amazement

every now and then they ask your permission to send letters to their loved ones, even though you've told them several times that they don't need permission

it was just getting your hawk to like them is a whole other thing

your hawk absolutely loves chopper and robin. when they are not near you, they are perched on the top of chopper's hat, watching the reindeer do his tasks, while feeding them snacks in between.

while with robin, your hawk is comfortable enough to snuggle into her lap and fall asleep as they do with you while she reads on the deck of the sunny. you're starting to think they love her more than they love you

but you need more than two hands to count the number of times your hawk has left a few of your crewmates full of scratches due to being irritated by them, mostly zoro and sanji because of their "stupid bird" comments

well what can you do, the bird has a mind of its own

MANGEKYOU 2024 ── do not copy, repost, or translate my works onto this platform or any other !

[yoonavii]

Whispers in the night (pt.2)

OPLA Sanji x Reader

A/N: Read PART ONE first

The night on the Going Merry flowed like a gentle river, uninterrupted and serene. Sanji’s watchful eyes never left your form as you slept soundly, your breaths coming evenly. He couldn’t help but wonder what dreams danced through your mind, bringing forth those tender whispers of his name. As the hours passed, Sanji couldn’t ignore the growing desire to be closer to you. He had always been the type to express his affections through his culinary creations and, on occasion, with a well-timed flirtatious remark. But tonight was different. Tonight, he longed to be more than just your crewmate; he yearned to be the one who filled your thoughts, even in slumber.

With great care, he leaned in closer, his movements as silent as a wisp of smoke. His intent was not to wake you but to be near, to immerse himself in this moment. The soft fragrance of your hair, the rise and fall of your chest with each peaceful breath, it all held an irresistible allure. Sanji couldn’t resist the urge any longer. He reached out a gentle hand, his fingers trembling slightly as they brushed against a loose strand of your hair, tucking it behind your ear. His touch was feather-light, as though he feared that anything more would shatter the delicate dream that enveloped you.

And then, he did something he had never imagined himself doing in such a tender moment. He placed a soft and chaste kiss on your forehead. It was a fleeting caress, a whisper of affection, an unspoken promise. He didn’t know if you could feel it in your dreams, but he hoped, somewhere deep in your heart, you would. Sanji’s eyes never left your peaceful expression, his heart swelling with emotions he had never allowed himself to acknowledge. He realized that your presence had become an irreplaceable part of his life, and he didn’t want to imagine a future without you in it.

Hours melted away, and the night’s hold began to loosen. The first faint light of dawn painted the room in soft hues of pink and orange. Sanji reluctantly pulled himself away from your side. He knew that the day ahead would be filled with the usual chaos and adventure, but for now, he was content with this stolen moment. With one last, lingering look at your sleeping form, Sanji retreated from his bunk, leaving you to your dreams. As he stepped out into the deck, the sun broke over the horizon, and the crew began to stir, ready for another day of adventure on the Grand Line.

©𝐘𝐎𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐕𝐈𝐈— Any sign/evidence of plagiarism made from outside this name will be dealt with by whatever means necessary. Legal action may occur if non fanfiction works are plagiarized.

[blackreaderfics]

My Little Mermaid | Clark Kent x Black!Reader

↳ Pairing : MoS!Clark Kent x Black!AFAB!Reader

↳ Rating :  M (18+)

↳ Summary : a lone fisherman rescues a girl from the water

↳ W.C : ~1.6K

↳ Tags + Warnings: little mermaid motifs, comfortfic, reader is mute, slight dumbification, caretaker!clark, clark bathes her, slight implied age gap (reader is younger but over 18!!), size difference, non-sexual sexual touches, dubious consent, eye contact, ambiguous relationship, no smut

Clark wiped the mist of ocean water from his face as he surveyed the horizon. The sky was dull and gray; the same as it had been for the past three days. He had already gotten his catch for the week; choppy waters before a storm always stirred the life below right into his net. He decided to turn in for the day after his last reel-in.

Boats above a certain size usually required a crew to operate efficiently, but Clark preferred to work by himself. If any of his previous crewmates could see him hefting burdens meant for ten men with ease, they’d probably be afraid of him. He'd never forget the look on his classmate’s face when he’d been seen using his powers. His bully, ironically enough, had been the only one to witness his pushing their sinking bus from out of the river. The mocking and derision he’d gotten so used to seeing was replaced with terror, and Clark realized he’d been the sole cause of that fear.

The incident brought unwanted attention to the Kents and reporters at their front door. Since then, his parents had quietly taken him out of school where he would earn his diploma from home. He was used to being alone now. 

Clark secured the net to the metal rig and lowered it into the water. Tiny droplets of rain dripped from his hood one by one until a steady drizzle began to fall. He tugged at his hood, though it didn't help him much now that he'd already been dampened from the humidity in the air and the sweat on his back. He circled back around the boat, checking for any stray buoys or untied ropes while he waited for the signal to bring his haul back up. 

A heavy clang at the side of the boat called his attention. He hadn’t brought the rig down very deep and he was far from the coast. Did he misalign something when he was setting up? He mentally went over his loading checklist from that morning, but couldn’t come up with anything out of the norm—Clark was a man of routine, and he rarely strayed from it. He frowned up at the clouds, now rolling in, and back down at the roiling waters. It was too early to bring the net back up but even he knew not to tempt fate. 

Clark went back to the helm of the boat and raised a lever to signal the rig’s movement upward. As the steel arm rose, however, it made a creaking noise he’d heard only once before back when he bought the old fisher boat. The guy who had sold it to him ensured he would take care of it, but maybe Clark had been naïve to trust his words.

He set the lever back to its place and stalked out of the cockpit. So much for not using any strength, he thought wryly. He wrapped the rope connected to a pulley once around his hand. A strong pull shot the net through the surface of the water; It hung a few feet above where he stood, filled with silvery bass and something else he couldn’t quite make out in the rain.

“What the—“ That something else looked very… human. Alarmed, he secured the rope he was holding onto the deck and manually worked on the metal arm that held the netted bundle. The faulty rig was already broken, and he had no problem bending the steel back to fold it closer to the main deck. The net ripped apart with a yank of his fingers and he swiftly pulled the human body from the catch.

It was…a girl. It was you. Alive, somehow, but completely bare. He shrugged out of his jacket and wrapped it carefully around your body. Though your eyes were still closed, you had instinctively curled into his arms. He held you, carefully, as though you would break at any moment, and made his way to the shelter of the captain’s pit. The nearest hospital wasn’t too far from the shore. As long as you were still breathing, they’d be able to help you.

Clark laid you down on a cushioned ledge next to the control panels of the cockpit. He started the journey back to shore, but from the corner of his eye, he could see that you had awakened. When he turned to face you, however, your eyes had already squinted shut. 

“You’re awake.” He left the helm to come closer, kneeling by your side to take a closer look at you. He hadn’t taken a proper look at your face yet. He wasn’t a doctor but he knew a bit of first aid; he could check for any head injuries and vital signs that way. When he noticed your body tense up, he thought better of touching you and brought his hand back down. 

“Miss?” He tried again and you peeked out from underneath his jacket. Large doe-like brown eyes stared at him unblinkingly. “I’m not going to hurt you.” He promised, but Clark was beginning to wonder if you could even understand him at all. 

“I want to move your hair.” He spoke slowly, miming the actions with his hands at his own wetted curls. You looked at him as if understanding and slowly sat up. Clark froze as the jacket he’d draped over you shifted to reveal the brown peaks of your nipples. He quickly averted his eyes, only returning them back to yours when you moved suddenly in his periphery. 

You were.. touching him? Or more accurately, touching his hair, copying his movements from earlier. 

“N-no, not my hair.” Clark didn’t know why he was suddenly flustered but he moved now, with purpose, to cover you back up. You sat up, following his eyes as he brushed your long locs back and away from your face. You decided you liked his eyes very much.

Clark sat back on his heels and studied you. Your face looked unmarred, ethereal even, brown skin shimmering faintly as if you generated your own sunlight. You touched him again, this time at an area under his bearded jaw. When your fingers lightly grazed the knob at his neck, he swallowed involuntarily. 

At that moment he saw it. It was imperceptible at first; hard to catch if you weren’t looking hard enough. On the sides of your neck, three thin slashes pulsated like heartbeats, like…gills? He had to get you back into the water. 

Clark sat on the closed lid of the toilet, deep in thought at the strange situation before him. He had pulled you out from the middle of the ocean and you were now sitting in his bathtub, resting your chin on the lip of the tub as he brooded. 

After seeing your gills (at least that was what they looked like) there was no way he could take you to the hospital. And throwing you back into the water just to get caught by another fisherman didn’t seem like the best idea either. 

Finally, as if making up his mind, he rolled up his sleeves and kneeled beside you with a washcloth. Pulling your arm gently towards him, he began to rub small circles of lather into your skin. 

He was always so serious when he looked at you but now he refused to meet your eyes, as if avoiding the glare of the sun. Had you done something wrong? He told you he wouldn’t hurt you. You didn’t understand the exact words, but you understood it from his eyes and you believed him. 

He took your other arm and your eyes followed his movements, but he hesitated for a moment at your chest. After a beat, Clark placed the washcloth in your hands and covered it with his own, guiding your clothed hand across your breasts.

You looked down in awe. His hands looked a lot different than yours; a lot bigger. And behind his hand, yours had completely disappeared. A soft nudge at your shoulder prompted you to turn around, breaking you out of your thoughts of the man in front of you.

Your back was to him now, and you could feel the warmth of his body heat, but you couldn’t see his eyes anymore. It made you uneasy when you couldn’t see them. You turned to face him again and he sat back, startled at your sudden movement. This time, Clark had given up on avoiding looking directly at you, searching your eyes for a hint of what you wanted. 

Before he could retract his hand from you, you clasped another hand over his willing it to stay. He obliged and continued, across your stomach, around your thighs, and down to your feet. After some time cleaning you, Clark wrung out the cloth and stood, pulling you to stand with him. You wondered why he seemed to ignore the area between your legs. You reached for the cloth but he took a step back. 

“N-no! That’s not—,” He looked away again, the tips of his ears tinged in pink. Clark looked around his bathroom for any kind of method of escape but found none. You weren't completely clean yet, but he knew he wouldn't get anywhere trying to explain to you why. He resigned himself to his fate and moved to find a basin.

You gazed up from under him. He was much bigger than you were. Just like with his hands, you noted his body could wholly cover yours; perhaps he could make you disappear under him just the same.

Not too long after, he presented you with a basin of fresh water and cupped his hand under yours. You let the water pool and leak through the gaps in your fingers. After a few tries you were able to hold a good amount of water in the crater of your palm. 

He demonstrated with you first, bringing your joined hands in between your thighs. Up from underneath your hand he helped you gently press apart your folds. He guided your fingers each time you’d collected your water, bringing it to your mound again and languidly rubbing until you felt his hand drift away. 

Clark watched you copy the movements he’d had taught you earlier. He could tell you were searching his eyes for confirmation, so he made sure to nod in assurance each time you looked at him.

When you stepped out of the bath he draped a warm towel around your shoulders, making sure to avoid the slits at your neck. He was staring intently at you now. The look in his eyes told you that he would keep you safe, and you believed him.

©️ blackreaderfics // credit to cafekitsune for the dividers

[gentlebeardsbarngrill]

06/11/2024 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR; Rhys Darby; Nathan Foad; Vico Ortiz; Rachel House; AdoptOurCrew Message; Pink News; #MoonGlowingWithPride; TellTaleTV Round 3 Reminder; Watch Parties; Articles; Fan Spotlight; LoveNotes; Daily Darby/Tonight's Taika;

== Rhys Darby ==

More pictures of Rhysie outside and in the hot tub! Is that an OFMD hat I spy?

Source: Rhys Darby's Instagram Stories

== Nathan Foad ==

Nathan posting cute pics on IG again.

Source: Nathan Foad's Instagram

== Vico Ortiz ==

Vico is attending Dyke Day LA!

Source: Vico Ortiz Instagram Stories

== Rachel House ==

More pics with Rachel at the Sydney Film Festival!

Source: sarussellwords Instagram

== Adopt Our Crew ==

Did you know it's the 6 month anniversary of the first cancellation? Our AOC Crewmates sent out a lovely message.

Source: Adopt Our Crew's Instagram

== Pink News ==

Have I mentioned how much I love Pink News lately?

Source: Pink News Twitter

== #MoonglowingWithPride ==

Our absolutely stellar crewmate @xray-vex is leading a new way to celebrate queer joy, community and healing! Please join him and other crewmates on June 20-21, 2024 for the OFMD Full Moon & Solstice Event! See more information below!

Source: @xray-vex's Twitter

== Tell Tale TV Round 3 ==

Round 3 is up! This is the final round! Thank you to @ofmd-ann for these adorable graphic reminders! Please vote here and often!

Source: OFMD-ANN's Tumblr

== Watch Parties ==

Good Omens Season 2

Dates: June 10-14, 2024

Times: 3:30 pm PT, 6:30 pm ET, 11:30 pm BST

Episodes: M-Th: 1-4, F: 5-6

Where: RhysDarbyFaction Discord Server

Need access? Reach out to @gentlebeardsbarngrill on tumblr or @aspirantabby42 on twitter.

== Articles ==

== Fan Spotlight ==

== Cast Cards ==

Tonight's Cast Card from our sweet @melvisik is Eliza Jiménez Cossio, one of our writers!

Source: @melvisik's Twitter

== OFMD Colouring Pages ==

More Our Flag Means Pride pages from @patchworkpiratebear and distributed by @adoptourcrew! I'm very excited to colour in the Rosy Maple Moth!

Source: AdoptOurCrew and PatchworkPirateBear's Tumblr

== Love Notes ==

Happy Taika Tuesday Lovelies. I gotta be honest, I'm not sure what to say tonight. I'm feeling very raw about a lot of different things, fandom related and home related. So tonight, what I'd like to do is share with you a mindfulness poem by Thich Nhat Hahn called "The River of Feelings".

" There is a river of feelings within us, and every drop of water in that river is a feeling. To observe our feelings, we sit on the bank of the river and identify each feeling as it flows by. It may be pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral. One feeling lasts for a while, and then another comes. Meditation is to be aware of each feeling. Recognize it, smile to it, look deeply into it, and embrace it with all our heart. If we continue to look deeply, we discover the true nature of that feeling, and we are no longer afraid, even of a painful feeling. We know we are more than our feelings, and we are able to embrace each feeling and take good care of it. - Thich Nhat Hanh"

Our feelings are very important lovelies. Bad feelings are just as important as good ones. The more we understand them, the more we understand ourselves and others as well. Please be kind to yourself tonight crew. Tomorrow is a new day.

Img Source: The Latest Kate's Tumblr

== Daily Darby / Tonight's Taika ==

Tonight's theme is balls. Gifs courtesy of the brilliant @ofmd-ann and @neverswungonswingingstars

[hylianane]

Yeah, hello, I read a short of the Zoro novel. God stuck on a particular bit.

The novel establishes that in Shimotsuki Village, there’s a tradition similar to the idea of floating lanterns in Japan and I believe a lot of East Asia. The fan translator said they call it the Fire Float in Shimotsuki, where on the anniversary of a person’s death, they place candles on boats made of bamboo leaves and set them down the river so the person’s visiting soul can find their way back to the underworld.

The novel also quickly established that Zoro doesn’t really attend that ceremony, not even for Kuina. Probably for the best, since he’d probably just get the soul lost. But. I’m stuck on it. Because what if he started paying his respects in the form of a Fire Float. But only after he’s thousands of miles away from Shimotsuki Village.

In the days leading up to the anniversary of Merry’s (and maybe Yubashiri’s) death, the idea of the Fire Float wont leave him alone. And its not because of any sentimentality he harbors in his little Grinch heart, surely not. It’s just. The irrational thought of if Zoro doesn’t do it, then who will guide their soul back to rest? proves to be too distracting. So he mans up and asks Hawkeyes to spare him some candles, and tries his best to remember how to make boats out of leaves while ignoring the Ghost Girl pestering him about what he’s even doing. Some months go by, and he’s crouched by the river in Kuraigana again, doing the same thing for Ace.

The following year, it comes a lot more naturally. He doesn’t feel as embarrassed, or superstitious, now that he knows Mihawk could care less what he does and Perona isn’t someone who’d mock him for that kind of thing. The year after that, however, he almost chickens out again. If it weren’t for the sudden hollow pit in his stomach once the date of Merry’s death approaches, and the question of who will help them when they get lost? coming back with a vengeance, he most likely wouldn’t have had the courage to ask Nami to time their arrival to the next island more carefully. Or to ask Franky and Usopp if they know how to build leaf boats that aren’t shitty. He definitely wouldn’t have been able to swallow down his embarrassment with a cup of sake before explaining why he’s asking these favors of them of them at all.

It was a dumb thing to get in his own head about though, all things considered. Cause when they hear about the little remembrance holiday Zoro’s planning, instead of raising eyebrows at the uncharacteristic sentimentality of it all, they don’t coo at him in mockery, no, his crewmates seem to sort of. melt. at the idea of doing something like that to honor their dead. Usopp even blinks tears away, a little in disbelief, when he learns that Zoro started doing it out of concern for Merry. The atmosphere almost gets a little too genuine, too sugary sweet for Zoro’s palette.

But then they stop to laugh at the very idea of Zoro leading anyone anywhere.

[wh0refornikolailantsov]

Everyone's Fate Is Up To The Saints, Except Hers - Tolya Yul-Bataar

Prompt: “If you wish to keep your fingers, I’d take your hands off her.”

Warnings: Canon Compliant Threat

This is really just a drabble but what can ya do.

Not proofread because "no beta we die like men"

Had anyone asked, Tolya would have made it very clear that he 'never doubted her for a moment', that 'her capability was easily beyond that of the task at hand' and he knew, given the opportunity, 'she would've likely taken it on alone'. But Sturmhond, in a brief moment of clear insight, had drawn the conclusion that Tolya would have been very little help carrying out his duties if his mind had been following someone out on the mission. Waiting, wondering and worrying were three things not very conducive with carrying out duties to their requirement. So Sturmhond sent the both of them. No one questioned him, everyone else because he is the captain, but Tamar because she held the same knowledge that Sturmhond had based his call on: her twin for all his openness and cheer, was not letting on quite how deep the river of his care flowed when it came to one particular crewmate.

The she in question, had picked up a pace while Tolya had been somewhat lost in his thoughts.

"Falling behind there sesh?" You ask, turning around with a wicked grin, continuing to walk in the direction you both were headed, but now watching Tolya instead of the path. Walking backwards was something you had gotten very good at with the years of sword training, if you lean to step back with balance enough times, learning to follow the pattern is easy. Yet now, it was certainly more to show off than for practical use.

"You're still not using that correctly," Tolya smiled, an abundance of laughter in his voice. His shadow was being cast by a far off light and the distance made the silhouette looking deceivingly small, compared to the reality. Tolya was just as tall as he was handsome, which is to say more so than anyone really hard the right to be.

"Well if you gave in and told me the word I am looking for," you tease, the sentence hung in the air, feeling unfinished and incomplete. But the years have taught Tolya that sometimes you spoke in half, and it was up to the one hearing the words to decide if it was their turn.

"I will not teach you words in Shu just so you can mock me," he means the words he is saying but his tone is far from mean.

"I'm not mocking you," you defend. "I'm attempting to describe you."

"Describe me in your own language," he pulls his graze away, hoping that maybe if he stops staring, you might start looking where you're going, but to no avail.

"So you'll read me poetry in a language I do not know, but you shall not teach it to me?"

"Not when I know your interest lies in different intent, if you wish to understand the poem I'll happily explain it-" he is suddenly silence by a quiet and quick whistle, a signal that stops him in his tracks.

You look on edge, looking around the dim lit street with such concentration and apprehension that Tolya notices how small it makes you look, the fear. He isn't used to seeing you look afraid.

"Sorry," you say pulling yourself back in, raning it back and composing yourself. "I didn't mean to interrupt you when it's about poetry."

"I don't take it personally," he says. "You know Tamar well enough."

"Exactly, I try to let you talk about it as much as possible when there is no one to tell you to stop," the comment is offhand and absentminded, you hadn't meant much by it. It was a truth, and you did not choose to shy from the truth often, but it wasn't something you had meant to declare in any kind of way. Yet the look in Tolya's eyes makes you run the words back, trying to find the secret of the universe, the strangely powerful compliment that had to be hidden in the words you'd spoken without a second thought.

"Thank you," he says, his voice so soft, it hits like whisper.

"There's no need, there are few ways to show someone how you matter to them, and this is mine," if you had to break it down, the moments before, the reasons that this moment unfolds, you could lay out each factor in pieces. The light being so low. The quietness being so rare that sound is a welcome visitor and therefore can lull into a false sense of security. Maybe even your own foolishness, having not turned around despite your previous scare. But if you were honest with yourself, truly honest, it was not your ego or your environment that betrayed you in this small moment. It was your heart. Had you not been searching for something tangible in the unspoken distance between the two of you, there was no way someone could have gotten close enough to place a blade into the small of your back before you reached for your weapon.

"I wouldn't try it," the blade is pushed closer as you move for the weapon, the voice is dark and quiet, but the accent isn't from around here, and there's a gruffness that shows the man's age.

"I am guessing you are exactly who we are looking for," you reply. Tolya reached for his own blade the moment the assailant had stepped out of the dark, he holds it tight and his eyes are fixed over your shoulder. "We aren't here for a fight."

"Tell that to your friend," the man replies.

"Tolya," you say calmly. Tolya is reasonable, Tolya is smart and above all Tolya knows better than most, much better than his twin, when there's not a need for a fight. But he doesn't look willing to backdown.

"Perhaps I might be more inclined to step down if you remove the blade from my friends back," Tolya says slowly.

A hand grips your shoulder tight, and the blade moves from your spine to your side. A much more defendable position, but a still a threat. "Better?" The man asks.

"If you wish to keep your fingers, I’d take your hands off her.”

You watch him and your heart, against your practiced calm, races in your chest and his eyes flicker to meet yours. It dawns on you why he hasn't calmed the situation, why he is defensive and not quite like his normal self. He senses your confusion, your fear and he is not used to that in you. He isn't paying attention to the man's heartbeat or his emotions because he is still fixed on you. And that realisation makes your heart jump in a way you should know better than to let it do, and Tolya feels it. "He won't repeat himself," you tell the man, and he drops the blade to his side. "We were sent to get you, alive was the preference."

"Who sent you?" The man asks.

"Sturmhond," Tolya explains, listening to his heart now, sensing the fear, the anger, the loss. "We are here to help." Tolya's expression softens, he has been in the world and really seen enough of it to know that there's danger in the most unexpecting of places, but one of the many things about him that is never unsurprising, is how he still sees the opportunity for kindness and grace amongst them.

Sturmhond stares at the two of them and is quick to dismiss Tolya, who walks out on the deck and is soon shoulder to shoulder with Tamar.

"You seem tense brother," she muses, eager to hear what had happened.

"I shouldn't have gone," he thinks aloud. Tamar frowns.

"How did you come to that ridiculous conclusion?" She asks, pulling at a piece of the bread she is eating.

"Because it was my presence that made her vulnerable," he explains. "She was scared, I've not seen her scared before."

"Are you sure it was fear, and not anxiety?" Tamar asks nonchalantly. "Besides, Everyone's fate is up to the saints, is it not?"

"Not hers," Tolya says without pausing to think. Tamar gives him a side glance and he shoves her shoulder.

"Not hers?" Tamar echoes. "Not if you can help it."

[theresidentaliennerd]

Oops, I got writers block. Have a random snippet

Approaching the settlement the next morning, Kaikro felt small. It was huge. While it lacked the technology to be a proper city by Kaikro’s standards, he was still awed by the designs. Tall towering buildings that seemed too fragile to exist on a death world reached for the sky mingled with wide, black roads and monuments. It was busy, it was hectic, and it was more alive than Kaikro could’ve ever imagined! The humans rode in strange vehicles with wheels or walked on narrower white roads. It was a strange sight.

Stranger than the busy, seemingly disorganized nature of the city and the odd vehicles was how no one reacted to the chill in the air or the rumbling sounds coming from the sky other than an occasional glance upwards. Kaikro wrapped his tail around him as some of the scientists looked at their datapads with concern.

“Temperature is dropping. We should retreat for now. By my calculations, we’ll soon be in the danger zone.”

“Barometric pressure is falling as well. I am not sure what this indicates on this world. I do not like it.”

As a unit, the researchers quickly packed up what little equipment they had begun to set up and headed back to the ship. As they hurried back to the safety of the ship, precipitation began to fall burning any exposed skin it touched. Kaikro’s eyes widened in horror and fascination before he commed back to the rest of the crew. “Kaikro to Med Bay, we have six researchers with corrosive burns from the planet’s precipitation. We are on our way back to the ship now, approximately two kilometers away. Over.”

“Xerinn to Kaikro, heard. We will be ready and waiting. Over.”

“Quickly,” Kaikro said through gritted teeth as he urged his crewmates forward. “We need to reach the ship and get medical attention.” With a nervous glance, he assessed the five others. All were injured and the precipitation burns were getting worse as it poured down in river falls. Goddess, please, I beg of you, protect my crew from this.

[mofsblog]

(CW suicide) Does anyone else think TF like definitely tried to kill himself during the 10-year time period where Graves was in jail? No, like this has been an interpretation of mine for so long. It's just sooo. I feel like TF's absolute grief and guilt during that time period doesn't get talked about enough and like understandable because in the main lore it's only vaguely alluded to and implied and never really explored but like. If you think about it, you can not tell me this man did not cry himself to sleep for months if not years

Like it's fact that Graves got locked up (something TF probably blames himself for), which is already bad enough but then you take into account how TF has pre existing trauma surrounding abandonment because of his folk leaving him and I don't know about other people but I feel like a very common feeling when you're traumatised or hurt is being afraid you're going to put someone you care about through that so TF probably took it twice as hard because he felt like he "abandoned" Graves in prison. All of that guilt gets like 50% worse if you count the implication that TF has been in love with him for a long time and was self aware about it so now it's also guilt from "fuck I doomed the man I love because I couldn't save him"

AND THEN IT GETS EVEN WORSE WHEN YOU CONSIDER THAT, HE DID TRY. He did try to break him out. And that trying lead to at least 3 of their crewmates/friends getting killed. No like I can not state how absolutely devastating that period probably was for TF. The survivors guilt from Graves being imprisoned, the guilt from the fact he got their entire crew killed trying to save Graves, the fact that it's canon he never spoke to anyone about it and held it in for years

All of this concluding in this line that I've always found interesting

Like I could already go on about how his identity and name change seem to have happened right after the last of his crew died and how it's really likely he changed everything about himself to distance himself from everything that happened and how it was probably too painful being himself because of the guilt and grief

But what I find interesting is the mention of the river and how it's implied this name change happened after he visited and left the river. Now there's a high chance I'm looking too much into this and this is mainly my own headcanon and interpretation but how likely do you think it is he changed his whole identity because he failed a suicide attempt (in which he probably tried to drown himself) and using a different name and identity was the second closest thing he could do to stop being himself and existing as himself

No, like I'm sorry, but it's the fact he went to a river despite not knowing how to swim after thinking the man he was pining after was abandoned by him and TF put him through the exact pain he had to go through, not to mention the isolation and beatings TF just sentenced him to by "letting him get captured" AND THATS ON TOP OF THE ACTUAL AT LEAST THREE FRIENDS/CREWMATES HE ACTUALLY GOT KILLED IN AN EFFORT TO SAVE HIM. and then the fact he literally had zero outlet during all of this. I don't know, I just feel like it's a solid possibility. TF's repression of his emotions through his nonchalant and playful attitude tends to, in my opinion, make people overlook how badly the whole thing probably affected him and I feel like that's a bit of a shame because there's so much angst potential there

Anyways I'm normsl about the league of legends gambler guy

[kindalikerackham]

The Black Sails Drama Highlights™️

Like, what the fuck happened over there?

Lucky for you, I was there on the ground floor (even sent in some propaganda that elicited a truly baffling response from the poll runner) because I'm a nut for goofy little tumblr polls and a nut for best little lesser-known-tv-show Black Sails.

Alright, so. @/pirate-battle (from here on out referred to as OP -- the Original Pollster) was running, as one might expect, a pirate bracket. At first glance, it wasn't explicitly presented what the criteria were, so people voted on their preference, often moving along pirate icons (Hook from Muppet Treasure Island)/characters from active fandoms (TAZ), etc etc you know the drill. (Although they later clarified they were looking for favorites, not the "best pirate.")

OP's first mistake, I think, was the assumption that a silly goofy little tumblr competition about characters archetypically ungovernable would remain silly goofy and with minimal strong language.

But this wouldn't become visible until they made their second mistake, creating a first-round poll between James 'brutually murdered a crewmate in the first episode solely to maintain power for his revenge-quest against England' Flint of Black Sails vs Stede 'notable used tissue' Bonnet of OFMD. They did recognize some of the coming danger even with that post, tagging "#I predict slaughter in the tags"

O Apollo, strike down these children with prophecies that bite them in the a--

Anyway. Predictably, there was slaughter in the tags. Violent language rather typical of the tumblr that I came from (the tumblr of the early 2010s), but seemed to be utterly shocking to some OFMD fans.

Exposition time: It should be noted here that there exists at least two-ish different kinds of users of tags. Those that use them to scream personal thoughts into the void and/or whispers into their mutuals' ears, and those sneaky little fools who will peruse everyone's personal little screams/thoughts to their internet buddies. And original posters are relegated to suffer the yelling/whispers without choice.

So that slaughter, in the tags, those rivers of blood through the whispers of a fervent fanbase of a violent and freeing queer show, did reverberate around other users, regardless of etiquette.

And for some of those very sweet very uwu our flag means gay fans, that was.. very scary. (Must be all those spooky theatrics with the smoke and mirrors).

(....Idk??? Maybe I'm just battle-hardened from superwholock, but saying a tag a la "AHHHHHH I'm going to rip something's head off my BOY BETTER WIN" just doesn't really phase me?? Nor does "#I'm literally going to k/m/s if x wins." Overkill? Yeahhh... But this is tumblr. We invented overkill for the media we like. And again, this was in someone's tags.)

Moving on, as tags of that violent nature starting pulling through, and people started vigorously defending black sails as a franchise over ofmd, myself and others sent in some propaganda of my own, urging OFMD fans to really understand that Black Sails is mostly incomparable to OFMD and... Black Sails is just kinda better. Cuts deeper. Genre difference at work here.

Soapbox Side Note: Black Sails can actually be kind of game changing, especially for a show that came out in 2014. There's so much to say about it but it's hard to talk about without spoiling. I might add a link to a good 'things to know' post if you're looking to get into it.

Anyway. OP was starting to lose it.

Like, I really just don't think they had mentally prepared for how truly feral Black Sails folks were/are about that show, and how they were willing to get all HRRRRRRR CHOMP CHOMP CHOMP about it.

Additionally... OP was white, and they were super duper unprepared to engage with any of the discourse about racism that these shows dig up (They're about pirates, and a lot of pirates engaged in the slave trade. Or had freed slaves on their crew. Some even owned slaves themselves. It was complicated and pirates are typically a white fantasy vehicle and anyway I'm getting off-track--)

OP started to really fan the flames with more and more visibly emotional responses

They said "it's not a competition" between the two shows, despite it... being a literal competition...

They called people out for "gatekeeping," but didn't really define what it meant in the context of saying one gay pirate show was way better than the other.

They told Black Sails fans not to express negative feelings towards OFMD on the internet (because good representation is the god us internet queers pray to, and we wouldn't want some network exec to say "oh those mean people on the internet, better not renew the popular pirate romcom" obvi)

After some more of this, they then threatened to overturn the results of the poll entirely and remove Flint from the poll wholesale, despite the fact that he had won. (Which is hilarious if you know anything about Flint in Black Sails. He's literally That Guy That Makes People Break Democracy Attempting To Unseat Him).

Finally, after a day of trying to ignore the fact that they'd become a meme within black sails circles (one post even screenshotted then with "new copypasta just dropped" yikes), they threw in the towel. And bless them, I do think they needed the break. They were kind of going through it.

In conclusion,

The Black Sails fans pulled what I might even daresay to be,, , a fuckery "of censorship and fear",, over OFMD fans and some poor unprepared poll runner who had no skin in the game, while using only strong language and some mild mean-spirited memes (95% of which in their own tags and posts).

[thetempleofthemasaigoddess]

Flowing like a river (part 2)

Shanks x reader. Violence, blood - a lot of blood.

Sequel to Being a native of Foosha Village and falling for Shanks would involve..., even though it can be read as a standalone.

This fic is dedicated to @machinema7k, who first requested a sequel! This is part two of two.

Samuel Axe was a real-life pirate (actually a privateer) active in the 17th century. Chi is the japanese word for blood.

*****

You sigh as you leave the transponder snail on the little table next to you at the bow of the ship, at the end of another tense conversation with Shanks. Your lover has insisted he wants to hear from you every two hours to make sure you are all right, and hearing his voice is a balm for your soul, but you are so tired - tired enough you feel your legs could collapse under you any moment, and your eyes close, and then you could sleep for a full week…

A discreet but deliberate coughing behind you makes you jump as you turn; you really are a bundle of nerves, as you are sure the man now in front of you can tell. Still, Nejima, the helmsman of the pirate crew that is now completely under your control, even if seventeen men short of its original number, doesn't bat an eyelid.

"We are going to reach the island in less than two hours, if the wind remains constant." he reports; you nod in response, the relief filling your heart so intense you almost forget how arduous, and terrifying, the last two days have been - almost. Only an hour, you promise yourself, just an hour more, two at most to decide what to do with your prisoners and report everything that has happened to your captain, and then you will be free to sleep, and cry, and get drunk - not necessarily in that order.

Your prisoners. It seems strange to ever think those words referred to you, but that is what they are, according to the unwritten rules of the sea. It doesn't matter that nothing would have happened had Axe not ordered to kidnap you, or that you have only acted in self-defense, especially during the brief but deadly skirmish of last night; you have captured their ship, subdued the crew, and now it and them are all yours, to do as you please.

That is a responsibility you have never asked for.

Nejima remains behind you, as you scan the horizon under the newly-risen sun from the bow of the ship. You have no idea what he is thinking, whether how he hates you for what you have done to his friends, how afraid he is of you, or something else; and to be honest, you do not much care. At the very least, you are confident he is not planning another rebellion, after the one the end of which has seen the surviving Axe pirates scrubbing the galley's floor to remove their crewmates' blood and innards, and having to store seventeen (seventeen!) bodies in the hold until they can deliver them to the sea, as is customary when a pirate dies, and that is enough for you. Still, you can not trust him, you remind yourself, since he has already deceived you, taking advantage of your instinctive desire to help whoever is hurt and needs it, and that is why, when Nejima finally breaks the silence by asking

"You want to have some food brought to you?"

you shake your head decisively in response; the truth is you are starving, since the bread and cheese you ate yesterday were not enough to fill you up, but the pirates might decide to get rid of you adding a special ingredient to any food you could ask for, and since you would have no way, nor the time, to create an antidote for the poison, you have decided the safest thing to do is to go hungry… and sleepy, since you didn't sleep a wink last night, sure the pirates were just waiting for you to nod off to hit you in the head, throw you overboard and let the sea take care of you, since eating the Devil Fruit made you unable to swim. So you kept vigil, and considering that you had spent the previous night in the company of Axe and his whip, you haven't slept for… well, too long, that's for sure, and you are so tired you could simply close your eyes as you stand, and doze off in a matter of seconds.

But you won't. Shanks wouldn't let hunger and exhaustion make him lower his guard, which means you mustn't either; you wanted to be worthy of him, as your captain and lover both. After all, you are no longer the simple doctor of Foosha Village, but a member of the Red-Haired Pirates, and you have to behave accordingly.

You remain at the bow, alone, until finally the island appears in front of you, and that is why you order Nejima to have the men assemble on the deck, except for the few who need to remain at their stations to maneuver the ship, so that Shanks and the others will be able to keep them under control once the the two crews come into contact. You notice they all give you a wide berth, huddling together to avoid having to come within ten paces from you. You can't blame them: they have seen you kill their friends, brutally and mercilessly, a scene they will probably see in their nightmares for many years to come, and while they must know it is too late to get rid of you, since they will be before Shanks and his men in a matter of minutes, they know you have reason to hate them.

And you do. You really do, even if they were simply following orders and you had not even met most of them before a group of the most reckless attacked, hoping to overpower you with sheer numbers, and you were forced to defend yourself. You hate them for what they forced you to do, and for what they would have done once you were no longer of use to their captain. You hate all of them, and while that is not a pleasant feeling, you welcome it, because you are able to draw strength from it.

Shanks' entire crew (your entire crew; your mates, your friends, the men who over the last year have become your family) is waiting for you, observing Axe's ship, from which you had the Jolly Roger taken off to symbolize your capture of the vessel, at the abandoned pier you have been abducted from… two days ago, you realize, only two days have passed since you last saw your lover, saying goodbye to him with a kiss as he left to visit the man he planned on recruiting and expecting to see him again by nightfall. Those two days were undoubtedly the most painful and terrifying of your life, but you feel as if you had been away for weeks…

And then there is him; you would recognize him anywhere, even if the ship were not close enough by now to allow you to see him clearly, even if he were not standing alone at the head of his crew, as fitting for a captain, even if you could not see his red hair (as red as the sun at sunset; as red as blood) gently tossed by the wind, and that you have stroked and played with so many times.

It's him; your captain, your lover, your Shanks, whose very presence you feel in your heart, as if you were the two opposite poles of a magnet attracting each other. Once, as you lain in bed together in his cabin, your cheek on his shoulder and your lover's hand resting on your chest to feel your heartbeat, Shanks said you would always find each other, whatever distance or adversity had separated you, because each of you were a part of the other's soul, the two halves of a single whole, and no adverse fate would ever keep you apart. You joked that it was the rhum he had imbibed talking, or the fact that you had just made him climax so hard he had forgotten his own name - twice, but the truth is your heart was full of joy, and gratitude, and hope, because you knew he was speaking from his, and he really would move heaven and earth to be with you and keep you safe.

This is what you thought would happen, sooner or later, with Shanks being one of the most powerful pirates in the world and you still a neophyte; that he would have to defend you - which didn't mean you were content with being a burden to him and your crewmates, or didn't want to learn to defend yourself to fight alongside the others. Still, you would have never imagined you would be the one returning to him, having had to kill so many men to set yourself free, with Shanks waiting for you like the wife of a soldier back from the front; he probably didn't expect it either, but when you told him that you didn't need to be rescued and you would have your kidnappers bring you back to the island, he didn't protest, letting you decide what to do.

You loved him for it; and now you can't wait to be once more where you belong: by his side.

Your eyes meet while the ship reaches the pier, gently moving to approach the gangway protruding from the beach, and whatever pain and terror you may have suffered in the last two days, it is probably nothing compared to what your lover has gone through since he was informed of your disappearance, and that didn't diminish after you contacted him and assurred him you were all right. The joy and bittersweet relief in his warm eyes is so intense, Shanks seems for a moment about to cry; but as an experienced captain and pirate, he knows you are not safe yet - rather, this is in some respects the most dangerous moment of all, when the joy for your return may lead your crewmates to lower their guard, or Axe's pirates to attempt to escape and take you with them.

Nejima is once more behind you. "Lower the gangplank." you tell him, feeling extraordinarily foolish as you do, since the only orders you have ever given were of a medical nature and even those are routinely disregarded. Nonetheless, you are obeyed, and Shanks sends half his crew on the ship, to keep Axe's pirates at bay.

Most of your friends smile, wink, or pat you on the shoulder while they pass you by, and you greet them in kind, deeply happy to see them again.

"I had forgotten how insufferable he was when you were not around." Benn Beckman, Shanks' faithful and ever present first mate, mutters in your ear, making you laugh. You feel already much better, the simple presence of your crew around you comforting and reassuring: you are home once again, because they and him especially are your home, wherever in the vast sea your travels would bring you. Since you have joined the Red-Haired Pirates, you have forgotten what feeling lonely feels like, and you'll never cease being grateful for that.

"Believe me, I didn't leave by my own volition." you answer, turning serious.

"I know it, (name). Just…"

"Yeah."

Benn quickly takes command, sending the others to confiscate all weapons on board. You turn to look at Shanks, still waiting on the pier; he is not smiling, but you can see love and the almost uncontrollable desire to embrace you shining in his warm brown eyes - a desire you can easily recognize, because it's the same filling your heart.

Come here, he invites you with a brief gesture of his hand, and you are all too happy to obey. You turn to Nejima. "Come with me." you order, and the helmsman obediently follows you down the gangplank until you and your lover are finally, finally face to face, together once more, and for a moment nothing is wrong in the world.

"Captain." you respectfully greet him, and your lover nods.

"Doctor. Are you all right?"

"I have been better." you admit; you and Shanks have promised to never lie to each other, not even to spare each other pain and worry, and the signs of your abuse are evident on your face and body "But I'll live."

"Good. You are the first officer?" Shanks, whose eyes have moved on the man on your left, asks then, since you forgot to tell him the first officer was one of the men who attacked you last night.

"I am the helmsman, captain. The others have asked me to speak for them."

"I see. You know your situation is dire; you have kidnapped our doctor and abused her, and this is not a crime I can easily forgive."

Silence is the only answer he receives. Shanks sighs as he stares at him, his head tilted to one side, as he considers the man in front of him, his gaze not cruel but piercing.

"Your name?"

"Nejima, captain."

"What do you think your captain would do in my place, Nejima?"

The helmsman needs only a second to find an answer. "He would kill you all." he says evenly "The captain was not an easy man to serve under, but he considered each of his men as his brothers; the kidnapping of one of them was the sort of crime he would not forget."

"Hmmm..."

Shanks sighs; he is clearly torn, aware of the need to protect his men, and you, and loathe to commit unnecessary bloodshed. You have no idea what he will decide to do, but whatever it will be, you will support him, as his subordinate and lover, like you know he would support you.

"All right." he says in the end "Give me a minute."

He turns to you, gently inviting you to step away to talk in private.

"I missed you." he murmurs; surrounded as you both are by your crewmates and, more importantly, by Axe's pirates, he doesn't kiss or hug you, electing to simply rest his hand on your shoulder "I was afraid... But I shouldn't have, clearly. I know how strong you are."

The smile that blossoms on your lips is probably the bitterest of your life. "Had I not eaten the Fruit, by this time I would be fish food." you softly point out, before grimacing "I'm sorry I made you worry..."

"(name), we will have time to talk about everything later. You need to rest, now."

"I really do. But can you promise me you will wait until then before deciding what to do with them?"

Shanks nods, compassion clear on his face. "I promise. You want me to send someone to accompany you?"

You shake your head, since the Red Force is docked maybe a hundred paces behind you, and you are pretty sure you can walk to it without keeling over.

"I have missed you as well." you murmur; while you are not lying at all, those simple words are so little, a drop of water in the sea, compared to what you would like to say and do. You do need to rest, to sleep and to eat and to clean yourself, but you feel, no, you know that a single hug and kiss from Shanks would be enough to make all the pain and exhaustion disappear... "I... I was so afraid I would never see you again. There is nothing I wouldn't have done to return to you, no sin I wouldn't have committed, no carnage I wouldn't have carried out, but I was so afraid... I was so alone, and I kept telling myself this was not the end, not after we had waited so long to be together, but... I was hurting so much, Shanks..."

"Gods, (name)..."

Your lover's hand takes yours, delicately, to bring it to his lips, and you don't care if Axe's pirates are looking at you, you wouldn't care even if the whole world were, billions of strangers witnessing that intimate moment; he smiles at you, real and so close, and he feels like the sun after a century-long night.

"I'll be with you soon, I promise; and I won't take any decision without consulting you, since you are the offended party." he says "But please, now go rest; as a doctor, you must realize you need it."

You do, and so you let yourself enjoy the feeling of his warm hand holding yours for a moment more before taking a step back, and turn to set off towards the ship, still hurting but relieved to leave that nightmare behind you, if only temporarily.

The ship's empty corridors resonate with the muffled noise of your steps as you head to the infirmary (your little fief in Shank's kingdom, your lover likes to call it) without you fully realizing, almost as if obeying to muscle memory. Everything is like you left it: the two beds separated by screens, so as to ensure a little privacy to your patients; the shelves on the wall, with medicines and tools neatly arranged; a small chest with your personal belongings in a corner, a new dress you had bought the day before your kidnapping and that you planned to wear the next time you and your lover had some time for yourselves folded on the lid.

Being the only woman in the crew, and at the same time unwilling to give the impression you were receiving a special treatment from the captain because of that (or, worse, because you were sleeping with him) you asked his permission to sleep in the infirmary, which therefore also doubles as your personal cabin: this way you can keep watch on any patient who needs to be assisted during the night, and at the same time spare yourself and your crewmates the embarrassment to divide their space with someone who has a different anatomy. Until now, the arrangement has worked perfectly... and the others have been kind enough to never mention that the whole matter is a moot point, since you spend most of your nights in Shanks' bed in any case.

In the last year, that tiny room, and the ship in its entirety, have become as familiar as your home and practice in Foosha once were, so much that you could move around with your eyes closed and easily find your way; you feel at home here, surrounded by things you know and people who care for you, and you have been away for just two days, but nevertheless you feel a weird sense of... detachment, as if you had returned to your childhood home after decades of absence, or this were a place you had just briefly visited without lingering. It's still unreal; you are home, you know it, but somehow your heart hasn't fully grasped it... because you can't fully accept you have come back, or maybe because you had been so sure you never would.

Worse, you are still afraid, well aware that your lover and his men are more than capable of dealing with your kidnappers, and that in any case you have already demonstrated you can take care of yourself, but still frightened, irrationally sure an enemy could come anytime, from anywhere, as soon as you lower your guard. After all, Nejima only had to learn you were a doctor, wait for you to be alone, and tell you there was a patient who needed your help; clearly you still had much to learn about perceiving threats and dangers, which is an important skill for a pirate. What if it happens again? What if next time your captors are able to get the best of you, and use you to hurt your friends, and Shanks? What if he needs to come save you, and to defend you at the cost of his life...?

It won't happen. At least, it hasn't happened this time. Calm yourself, (name), you repeat yourself, with a voice that sounds surprisingly like that of your mother, as you finally begin getting comfortable in your room, you are at home. You are safe. Maybe you don't feel like it, but you are, and that is what really matters.

You remove your shoes, for a moment torn between the desire to get rid of your torn, dirty clothes, and the exhaustion that makes washing yourself in the basin of clean water next to the bed, taking clothes out of your chest and putting them on, an insurmountable task. Gods, you must have never smelt so bad in your life...

In the end, you simply wash the filth and sweat (but not blood; there is not a single drop of blood marrying your skin and clothes, nor yours nor of your victims) from your face and hands, pass a comb in your hair to try and give them some semblance of order, and check your shoulder wound, happy to see it free from infection. Then, you take a blanket from the chest; it is perhaps too much for the day, warm with the promise of an oncoming summer, but you are cold, so cold you are even shaking, and suddenly you are thinking back to when you were still a young girl, and your favourite quilt was the only thing that could protect you from the monsters hiding in the dark corners of your room...

The windows are closed, as well as the door. You drape the blanket over yourself as you lie in a foetal position on the bed on the right, the one you usually occupy unless you have two patients to take care of - or are happily sleeping in the embrace of your lover. You sigh, close your eyes, and do what you had ordered yourself to never do as long as you remained on Axe's ship, and that you have always tried to also hide from Shanks, in the rare occasions you felt the need to, so as not to worry him.

You cry. Out of relief, pain, regret, and to simply release all the stress and fear you accumulated in the last two days and that, now that you give yourself permission to stop being strong and simply feel, pour out of you like the tide released from a dam. It starts with a shy, almost inaudible whimpering, a few tears you quickly dry with the hem of your blanket, before realizing that no one can hear you, since you are alone on the ship, and you better get this out of you before Shanks sees and feels even more unnecessarily guilty than he already does. And so you cry, sobbing and wailing and shedding bitter tears that never stop coming, no matter how already soaked your pillow is; you cry until you can't cry anymore, because you are still scared, and hurt, and because you did it in self-defense, and Axe and his men had it coming, since they had kidnapped and were going to hurt you, they weren't even your first victims since you had taken to the sea, but... but...

You don't remember your tears stopping; you don't remember falling asleep either. Still, you do both, and in the end, when Shanks joins you in the infirmary, he finds you dead to the world, your chest still heaving with sobs, curled up with a dagger you retrieved from inside your chest hidden under your pillow.

*****

The ordeal you have gone through is the sort you expected to have nightmares about for months (at least, a still unexperienced pirate like you would; a veteran like Shanks would probably leave it behind him in a matter of days, but for you, alas, things are different), screaming as you wake up with the image of Axe brandishing his whip, or of the blood-covered bodies of his men lying at your feet, still vivid in front of you.

Instead, at least for today, your awakening is tranquil, the voices of your crewmates once again populating the ship reaching you through the thin walls of the room; you mumble to yourself as you turn to one side, vaguely trying to perceive what time it is, and whether you are waking up from a short nap or a night of uninterrupted sleep, when suddenly you realize you are not alone in the infirmary.

"So, apparently the best way to make a patient sleep and soothe his pain before surgery is to administer laudanum." Shanks considers, one of your medicine books in his hand as he deftly uses his thumb to turn the page "I've only seen use rhum. A poor devil on my old captain's ship had to have his left leg amputated, he drank every drop the cook had in the galley..."

"We used neither for you." you consider, thinking back at the terrible day Shanks lost his arm to defend Luffy from the Sea King; by the time you reached him, there was no longer need for pain medication, only to clean the wound and hope it hadn't gotten infected already. That was the day the two of you officially began your relationship, but you still can't think back to it with pleasure, because of the loss and the pain your lover had to bear.

"We didn't. Just my luck, I could have drunk as much as I wanted without anyone telling me off..."

You could point out that Shanks has always drunk as much as he wanted, without anyone ever trying to stop him, since he's an adult and his men enjoy rhum and beer as much as he does, but you don't, content with observing the man sitting at your bedside, an ankle resting on his opposite knee in a position only he could find comfortable, his warm brown eyes full of love.

"How long have you been here?" you ask in the end, sitting on the bed and pushing your dagger away; Shanks' presence is enough to make you feel safe.

"Not long. Feeling better?"

You do, surprisingly, and you happily accept the plate of food Shanks has left on the bedside table. He smiles as he sees you eat voraciously, lightly caressing your leg after lifting your ankle on his knee, and for a minute everything you need to do and talk about is forgotten, and nothing in the world matters except for the two of you being together.

For a minute.

"We need to decide what to do with Axe's pirates." you point out in the end, aware there's no point ignoring the most important topic you and your lover need to discuss. He nods, turning serious.

"Killing them all would be a show of strenght and ensure other pirates know they can't attack us without suffering the consequences. It would protect us, and you especially."

"I know."

"But you don't want them to die."

"I don't." you admit, and a sad smile appears on your lips "I know, not very pirate-like."

Your lover gently points out he would never scold you for the desire to be merciful, which is one of the many things he loves about you; on the other hand, pirates have their own laws, no one would ever blame you for demanding justice, and Nejima himself told you Axe would show no mercy, if the roles were reversed.

"The one I should want revenge against is Axe imself." you tell him as you eat voraciously; you have been taught it is bad manners to stuff your face, to carry out a conversation while you do it even more, but given the circumstances you think you can dispense with formalities "And I killed him already. His men were only obeying orders."

"His men were also very faithful to their captain, and may desire to avenge him, no matter how... how terrified they are of you."

He is clearly reluctant to utter those last few words, that hurt nonetheless; many pirates would be proud to know they have striken such terror in their victims they might decide to forgo honor and sense of duty, but you aren't - not yet, at least. Shanks looks at you, sighs, and as soon as you have put the now empty plate away, he takes your hand in his.

"I know it's not an easy decision to make, even for someone who is not a doctor, or who has lived as a pirate longer than you have." he says gently, and having someone perceive your thoughts and emotions with such clarity, as easily as with the book he was reading a moment ago, would be terrifying, almost a defilement, were the man doing it not the one you have given your heart to, and who has given you his "I don' like it either."

"But you have done it already, with other pirate crews you have fought."

"I have. I had to."

You sigh. "Can't we... feel free to laugh if you want... surrender them to the Marines?" you ask after a pause "Axe was a pretty notorious pirate..."

"But most of his men aren't; there are maybe four men with a bounty on their head in the entire crew, including the navigator. Think about it, (name); if the Marines were to arrest every single man in every crew they capture, their prisons would be full. Most of them would go free in a day or so."

Part of you wants to point out that if the rest of Axe's men are so harmless, there is no real danger in leaving them free, but your lover is right. Not only is the idea of consigning your fellow pirates to the World Government risible, but making sure they cannot hurt you and your crew anymore is only half the goal. Red-Haired Shanks is a feared pirate, and he needs to remain so; sometimes, even a merciful man like him, known for avoiding unnecessary bloodshed and not harming civilians, needs to be cruel... and so does whoever follows him.

"All right. Let's do it." you decide in the end "They have to pay."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. It is the right thing to do, even if I don't like it."

"I agree."

Your lover stands with a sigh; he bends to kiss you on the forehead. "I'll give the order; you can rest for a little more if you want."

"I think I can manage; what I need now is things to return to normal, and I do want to get back to work." you answer as you stand, but your determination lasts only a moment "... Shanks?"

"Yes?"

"Are... are the others afraid of me? Now that I can do... that."

"Oh, (name)..."

He smiles, his warm hand resting on your cheek. "No one is afraid of you; no one who actually knows you ever could be." he assures you; his voice is soothing, as if he were trying to calm a skittish colt "Rather, they were afraid something terrible had happened to you, and were happy to see you safe and sound."

You tell him you are also happy to be among your friends once again, but the fact remains that you are now the only member of his crew who ate a Devil Fruit, and who now possesses powers that could be used to hurt whoever is close to you.

"And you plan on doing that?"

"Obviously not!" you exclaim, frustrated; why is he not taking it seriously? "I never would. But now I... I am dangerous, even more than many other Devil Fruit users, and I don't want my friends to fear me..."

"Anyone on this ship is dangerous. Otherwise we wouldn't have survived until now on the Grand Line. Don't take it the wrong way, but if I were to be afraid of someone here on the ship, you would be one of my last choices."

You are not really sure how to interpret those words, whether to feel relieved or insulted; but you know Shanks is trying to comfort you, and you trust he wouldn't lie to you to do it. Still...

"And you're not afraid either?" you ask again; you hate how needy, how fragile, your voice sounds, and you know that your lover's feelings for you are deep and strong enough to withstand any difficulty and problem, but this is still all so new for you, and you can't help needing to be comforted.

"Why should I?" Shanks asks back, sincerely surprised by your question; then he smiles, lifting your hand with his to kiss the back of it. "I am used to danger, as well. Also, I know what sort of person you are, and if we ever were to fight for some reason, I trust we would discuss about it like reasonable adults, and you wouldn't make me bleed out like a pig in a slaughterhouse to punish me."

"Gods, no!"

"I was kidding, (name). Believe me, you have nothing to fear. I know what we share; and nothing in the world will ever make me fear you, whatever power of ability you develop."

Finally, you smile - truly, this time, completely unaware of how breathtaking you are in his eyes when you do it, your heart full of gratitude and relief, feeling as if you were falling in love with him again after a whole year... and eleven.

"Feeling better?"

"Very. May I have a kiss now, captain?"

"If you really insist, doctor..."

Shanks generously fulfills your request, and smiles when you rest your forehead on his shoulder, quietly enjoying his presence in the chaste intimacy of your room, and at the same time aware you have still work to do, and it won't be pleasant.

"We need to do it soon, right?" you sigh without opening your eyes, as if trying to keep hold of a dream when the light of sunrise is creeping in "This is not the sort of thing you can put off until tomorrow."

"I'm afraid so."

"Just a minute more?"

Shanks' arm circles your waist. "Just a minute more." he agrees, and his red hair brush against your cheeks as he rests his chin on your head.

*****

The sentence is carried out at midday, on the beach whose sand is soon turned red by the blood flowing like a river. Even though they have been ordered to hand over their weapons, some of Axe's pirates try to escape, either slipping away behind the backs of their crewmates or rebelling as they are forced to their knees; they are quickly brought back and put to the front of the line. A few are openly terrified, stumbling as they walk, crying softly or praying under their breath; many keep their head high, defiant and proud until the last moment. None asks for mercy as Shanks' closest companions move among them and use a dagger to cut their throats.

Shanks observes the scene surrounded by his men, his expression sombre but impassive, while you have asked to be among the executioners; you are deliberately avoiding using your powers (also, you are not yet sure you would be able to in a non-threatening situation) and the shirt you have put on to replace the one Axe's whip has reduced to shreds is already stained with splashes of red drops. As you deal the death blow to your third victim, looking at his throat from the side, a few of those fall on your cheek; you clean yourself with your fingers, and then absentmindedly lick them.

Nejima is the first to go; he looks in front of him, aware of and ignoring all the eyes on him, including yours, while he obediently tilts his head back to allow Benn to open his jugular vein with a knife and quicken the bleed-out. When Shanks told him they would be put to death, the man did not argue, having probably realized begging and promising would not save their lives, and only asked your captain to set their ship on fire with the bodies of all the crew inside, as is customary for pirate group funerals.

You don't feel pity for him, not even a little, even though you wish you didn't have his blood (the blood of all of them, sixty-eight men dead because of you, directly or otherwise) on your hands; still, you can't help admiring the calmness and self-composure the navigator is displaying as he faces his end. Who knows if you would be able to be equally brave in his place, you wonder as you clean your dagger from the blood, having been so focused on the men you were killing you didn't think of counting them; somehow you doubt it, unless Shanks were next to you or you had lost him already. In that case, death would be a sweet relief, even if you don't know what awaits you all on the other side...

The atmosphere is tense but solemn, Shanks' pirates keeping an hand on the butt of a gun or the handle of a sword in case some of their victims attempt a last, desperate dash for liberty, but there is no mocking the victims, no jeering, no desecrating the corpses. They are not that sort of men, and your captain wouldn't allow it either. In the end, when dozens of men (some with hair turned grey by age, a few barely past boyhood) lie on the sand in front of you, Shanks orders them to be carried to their ship, its hold emptied of all treasures and riches that are now part of your crew's loot. The vessel is then pushed offshore, and its sails and hull set fire to with blazing arrows.

The sun has just begun its slow descent towards the horizon as you observe the small bonfire silhouetted against the sky. "You can smell the flesh burning from here." you whisper, standing close enough to Shanks your hand brushes against his; your lover frowns for a moment, but he keeps silent, and his fingers find yours to interwine with.

"Have you convinced him?" you ask him a while later, as you walk along the beach, having left everything and everyone behind you, at least for a few minutes "The man you wanted to recruit. Is he joining us?"

Your lover blinks, as if momentarily unsure of what you are talking about. "Oh! No, unfortunately no. He is raising a family now, he says his pirate days are definitely over."

"What a pity..."

Shanks sighs; he is still holding your hand, clearly reluctanto to let it go. "If it weren't for that, nothing would have happened to you." he reasons, his voice raising so little above a whisper the noise of the backwash almost covers it "I would have been there to protect you."

"It is not your fault; I was asked to assist a man who had gotten hurt, I wouldn't have let you forbid me from going."

"No, but I would have stopped you from going alone; and then you wouldn't have been kidnapped."

"True. But then again, I should have realized it could be a trap; I have myself to blame, and myself alone." you gently point out "Thank the Gods I'm all right, and from now on I'll be more careful, I promise."

Another sigh; clearly your lover is not convinced, or at least he cannot leave the whole matter (everything you went through, the fear you both felt you wouldn't survive) behind him anymore than you do. In the end he stops, putting an end to the lines of footprints following you.

"I could have lost you." he murmurs, his hand already caressing your cheek "I... I can barely stand thinking about it. What would I have done without you?"

"Shanks..."

"I love you so much. I... I can't even explain it. I have known it since before we said goodbye in Foosha, and in ten years we have spent apart what I felt never wavered, but now... now that I can see you every day, and sleep holding you close and hold your hand and share my food with you and kiss you every time I want, it is as if I... I had developed an addiction. I can't live without you. I'm so sorry I couldn't protect you; you know I would give my life for..."

"Ssh..."

You gently press a finger to his lips, hating to see the man you love blaming himself. You know he can't help it: he loves you, and as your captain, you are under his protection. On the other hand, you are an adult woman who was aware of the risks when she decided to join his crew, and you need to learn to take care of yourself, as you effectively did. And should it happen again (and it will, no doubt, since there are many less dangerous lines of work than piracy)... you'll worry about it when the time comes.

"I am fine, and I am here with you." you remind him as your arms circle his shoulders, pressing your bodies together "And I love you too so, so much. My beloved captain... I would have killed all of them if it meant returning to you."

"I'm sorry you had to do this."

"Stop blaming yourself for things beyond your control; I did what I had to in order to survive, and I'll never regret it."

He smiles; and then he kisses you. "So you ate the Fruit." he points out. Shanks was the first person you talked to after finding the fruit, and he had advised you to think carefully about what to do with it, hether to sell or use it, since once you had taken a single bite from it, the effects (both the loss of the ability to swim, and whatever power it would grant you) would be irreversible. You did carefully reflect on it... and on the night before your kidnapping, you did eat it. "Was it bad? They say they taste bad, Luffy's did."

"It tasted horrible; like burnt gum. But since it gave me the power to subdue Axe's pirates and come back to you, it was a small price to pay. And from now on, I'll fight with you all: I doubt I'll ever be a great swordsman or combatant, no matter how much I train, but with these powers I won't have to remain back at the ship or hide in the galley every time you and the others fight. I can stand with the others, help, instead of being a burden and having to be protected."

"You're our doctor; your role is too important for you to put your life in danger."

"I know. But I want to do more than suture wounds or brace broken bones. I am one of you, Shanks; I want to pull my own weight, in the infirmary and outside. And who knows." you add with a new smile "Maybe one day I will save your life, like you saved mine twice already."

Your lover smiles, and says that as long as you watch out for yourself first, he has nothing to object to. He holds you against him, close enough to make you feel the beat of his heart, close enough to kiss you, which he does, again and again, until you can no longer remember where he ends and you begin. "Please." he whispers "Never leave my sight again."

"I won't."

[cramathonn]

Hey!! I saw you had requests open, but when you have the time, I would like an Anton x pirate! Reader (Like the faction the reader is like a pirate crew despite having no sea based areas yet in ZZZ 😭)

Anon... Anon holy shit your brain is humongous. You woke up the small pirate hyperfix I have omg-/pos

Since you didn't specify what role pirate reader would be, I'll be a little silly and make them a navigator. So... Yea, I hope this is ok with you, dear anon. If you'd like a more deck hands reader or even captain reader, you can just send another ask and I will write it like that!

The rest shall be under the cut!

The content ahead is gender neutral and will not have reader referred to with any pronouns!

Content warning: none! Just headcanons and fluff

Anton Ivanov x Pirate!Reader

★ Listen, constantly going on voyages and being at sea almost all the time will most certainly make you smell of salty water or like a tropical breeze, you can't change my mind. And Anton absolutely loves that smell, he would most definitely just rest his face near your neck or on your hair and take a VERY NOTICEABLE inhale. His muscles relax almost immediately when he does that

★ Absolutely hates how long you take to come back from voyages. Like, yeah, your ship is probably equipped with the most recent machinery to make your travels last less, but it still takes a while, specially considering that the weather makes a big difference in trip durations

★ Will hug you so tight when you come back tho, bear hug levels of tight. Will inquire on how everything went and will want to hear every last detail. Like, dude has barely been able to hear your voice during that entire time because your signal was shit or he didn't have time due to his work on Belobog, so please yap about everything that happened on your trip, he missed you so much

★ Also, during those times you are away, Anton will visibly be like a sad puppy waiting for its owner to come back home and he will yap about how much he misses you to whoever asked him if he was ok (please hurry back, Ben and Koleda can't handle much more of Anton's whining)

★Some times, Belobog hires your crew to bring some materials for them and Anton ALWAYS goes along (he begs for Koleda to let him go every single time and she lets him because PLEASE GOD spare her ears she can only handle so much)

★ Simply adores seeing you at work, he won't understand a lot of it but gosh, you look so attractive while cracking the coordinates of where you guys should go inside a hollow and relaying the information to your crewmates

★ Will be by your side constantly when you're on that voyage. He will obviously do his job, he prides himself in what he does, but will do so while staying by your side. If you need to do something when he's working, he'll let you go and finish what he's doing before rushing back to your side

★ Listen when I say this, he loves how you look when you're in your uniform. Regardless if how it looks like, he just loves it. Seeing you wearing your work uniform, dedicated to your role in the crew is so attractive in his eyes (he is vocal about how gorgeous you look to him, btw, will drop compliments here and there)

★ Anton isn't a big fan of staying at home, so be prepared for high or medium activity dates. Going on walks, going to the beach, going to the pool, whatever it is as long as it's not staying at home is a must with him

★ His personal favorites, however, are beach and boat dates. Yes, boat dates, as in he rents a boat and goes to a river with you type of boat dates. He loves seeing how you still get in your navigator mentality even when on dates, he finds it endearing

★ Will bring his bro along dates tho. It's his bro, he ain't leaving him behind! So you better get used to having Anton's bro revving up during your hangouts, specially if you guys go to Bardic Needle (his bro likes to sing)

★ Talking about singing, share the songs you and your crew sing during voyages! Heck, even teach him some, he'd love singing those with you (or simply just listening to you sing)

★ Now, if you're exhausted after returning from a voyage or planning for it, Anton is taking you back home to get a warm comforting bath and a well balanced meal (that he most likely bought at Lumina Square because, in my mind, he's not a good cook)

★ And in the topic of food, Anton would gladly help you prepare your and your crew's rations for voyages, keeping in mind the amount of nutrients best fit for consumption during specific times of day. He's THE meal prep guy.

★ tldr: he loves you and whole heatedly supports your pirate endeavors, helping you prepare for trips and taking care of you when you return. Don't let this man go because he sure ain't letting you go.

[raccoonfallsharder]

Domestic Scenes in Space Travel✩°｡⋆

The Very Boring Adventures of Space Pilot & Sweatshirt Girl MASTERLIST

ratings vary | no use of y/n | f!reader | series

In Rocket Raccoon: Grounded (2016) / Issue #3, Rocket asks a stranger on the ferry to "make sure nobody does anything weird" to him while he naps, and the stranger just, like, abandons him while he's sleeping?? who does that? when a stranger asks you to watch their stuff in a coffee shop, it's a holy obligation. x100 if it's a hot local space pilot trying to catch some Zs on the ferry. get in loser we're gonna fix it

reader x rocket domestic fluff & smut with feelings. comics-based but you don't need any comics background knowledge to ride this ride.

full details, summaries, & lists of warnings in each link. return to main masterlist.

please check out this fuckin adorable sweatshirt girl art by @chittyblue it’s so cute i wanna fuckin die

Installment One ❤︎‬❤︎ The Very Boring Adventures of Space Pilot & Sweatshirt Girl 18+ only MDNI | 5/5 visits | complete | word count: 37,783. you meet rocket on a new york ferry and the rest is history. The First Visit. rocket evades SHIELD by hiding in your purse. ✩ The Second Visit. you and rocket eat omelettes in your underwear. ✩ The Third Visit. rocket finds you naked & takes care of your cat. ✩ The Fourth Visit. rocket teaches you about his tail. ❤︎‬❤︎ The Fifth Visit. rocket stops by for a visit. ❤︎‬❤︎

Installment Two ❤︎‬❤︎ Outer Space Safety & Spaceship Maintenance Training 18+ only MDNI | oneshot | word count: 9,853. The Ninth Visit. Study Night.

Installment Three ❤︎‬❤︎ Reconnaissance for Beginners: An Instruction Manual 18+ only MDNI | oneshot | word count: 14,329. The Fourteenth Visit. Date Night. Rocket: Blue River Score (2017).

Installment Four ✩ ❤︎ smut-free and 18+ only versions available Critical Interview Questions for Potential Room & Crewmates varies | oneshot | word count: 6,111 - 6,723. The Eighteenth Visit. Autumn vibes & kittens.

Installment Five Untitled 18+ only MDNI | pending | word count: pending. The Nineteenth & Twentieth Visits. Series Finale. Guardians of the Galaxy (2019).

A Kinktober Oneshot❤︎‬❤︎ Proof: A Moment in Space 18+ only MDNI | oneshot | complete | word count: 1,786. The Twenty-Sixth Visit. Just smut.

some explicit statements or references ✩ explicit scenes or fantasy sequences ❤︎‬ long, detailed, and graphic explicit content ❤︎‬❤︎‬ deliberately smut-free, mostly or entirely platonic ✮

[teshadraws]

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Seekers of Soul

[Chapter 48]

<< First | < Previous | Next >

-

Nia and Tobias reach Shivergleam. However, they may not be ready for the information Edme has to offer.

-

Nia kicks her legs over the side of the boat, tucked securely against the railing. Evening sunlight is filtered weakly through cloud cover, but still warm on her back. The river below her is as swift and swollen as it has been the whole trip, rocking the ferry in uneven motions, but she finds it oddly soothing.

Her curious eyes are trained on the crew working to navigate the dangerous waters. Beck and Nori are swimming ahead of the ferry, sleek flashes of orange and blue weaving back and forth to check for underwater obstructions that could hinder their travel. Occasionally, Nia sees the two Pokemon work together to push a downed tree aside and clear the way.

The captain, Cordelia, is steering them slowly through the treacherous waters, staying to the outside of the river to keep to deeper channels. Well, at least that’s what Cas said she was doing when Nia talked to him earlier. The little duck clearly admires the brash crocodile, and proudly answers all of Nia’s questions about the ferry and how it’s run. Since they’ve been riding for a little over a day now, they’re finally nearing their destination of Shivergleam, at least according to Beck when he was on break earlier.

Nia has honestly enjoyed their trip downstream. Traveling by boat is new and exciting, and she loves watching the crew work around one another like a well-oiled machine. And last night when they’d had to stop as darkness set in, Nia had enjoyed getting to talk to the crew over supper.

Cordelia is a bit brash, but it’s clear she loves her job and her crew—plus, she tells one heck of a story. Nori the golduck, on the other hand, rarely speaks, instead communicating in dry looks. Cas seems more like a little cousin tagalong than an actual crewmate, too young to do much heavy lifting, but the rest of the boatsmon clearly love having him around. Even Ignatius, the quiet, sarcastic old torkoal is grounding in his own way.

While none of the crew have been unwelcoming, Beck the floatzel has been Nia’s favorite to get to know. The older Pokemon is clearly the most sociable of the bunch, asking Nia and Tobias about where they’re from and where they’re heading with genuine interest. When Nia had mentioned the Lexym Guild, the weasel’s brows had lifted. He’d explained with a smile that the guild is just a bit west of his own home, where his wife and daughter live taking care of his grandkids.

“I’m a bit of a wanderer,” Beck had explained as he helped himself to a second bowl of stew. “My heart always leads me back home, but I wouldn’t be happy staying in one place. This job gives me the chance to travel without leaving my family for too long.”

Nia likes the older man’s demeanor. It’s warm, friendly but calming. His surprisingly deep voice is nice to listen to, and Nia is endeared by how fondly he mentions his family.

Nia liked him even more after the weather was mentioned and Ignatius made a sarcastic comment about humans that made Nia freeze and Tobias glare. Beck was the first to scoff, whipping the turtle playfully with his twin tails. There was no real fire behind the torkoal’s words or the floatzel’s gesture, but Beck had cast Nia and Tobias a concerned look regardless.

“Sorry. Natius doesn’t have the best sense of humor. We know the humans have nothing to do with the weather being out of sorts.”

Cordelia had snorted, slamming her drink down on the table. “I wish humans were the problem. They’d be a lot easier to corral than the gods apparently seeing fit to dump rain across the whole region.”

Nia and Tobias had relaxed, and Nia couldn’t help the way she immediately grew fond of the ragtag little group.

Now, nearing their destination, Nia feels a familiar sting in her heart. She’s only known the crew for a day, but she hates that they have to part so soon. Tobias likes to tease her about how quickly she gets attached to people, but she can’t help it! She thinks she vaguely remembers her mom telling her she had a heart too big for her body. Tobias would likely say she’s got a heart too big for her brain.

Tobias.

Nia frowns, absentmindedly looking into the reflections in the river’s surface for a sign of Giratina. She hasn’t seen the banished legendary since the tunnels, though that doesn’t mean he isn’t there.

It’s not enough to distract her from thinking about her partner. About how they’d found one of his family’s killers, only to find him too late. About the family the crobat had left behind. About Tobias’ grief, a relentless sort of sorrow she’d never had to face so head-on before. It’d been so powerful she’d sworn she could feel it herself, at times.

And she tries not to think of Tobias’ voice on their ride over. The way his words choked as he mentioned her leaving for the human world.

Nia swallows against a lump in her throat and closes her eyes. She leans her head forward to bump against the railing, listening to the loud, constant rush of the river.

She’s leaving, once Will or somebody else finds them a way home. She has to. Every time she thinks of Clay’s bright grin or her Mom’s tight hugs or Toni’s laughter her chest feels like it’s going to cave in on itself. She knows it’s not an option to not go back.

But she let herself get attached. Of course she did. And now she has Tobias. Tobias and Maggie and Xander and Andyn and Val and Avery and—

Tears burn at Nia’s eyes, so she takes a deep breath, letting it out slow. She opens her eyes again to watch as Cordelia slows the ferry. Debris is floating on top of the water, and Nori and Beck get to work clearing it with experienced hands. It only takes a glimpse for Nia to recognize what it is, after seeing multiple sites like this.

It was a home, once. Likely a lovely one set up right off the riverside. But the flooding has washed it away, right off its foundations. Hopefully not with a family inside.

Nia feels her chest tighten even further. She can’t stay here, but she also can’t imagine just…going back to her old human life, like nothing ever happened. How can she just leave behind all of the people she’s met in this world? Especially knowing that mystery dungeons and natural disasters like this are slowly ramping up in severity. She would feel like she was abandoning them.

She’d mentioned a way to go back and forth between worlds out of nothing more than desperation, but now she’s thinking it might be the only way she could actually handle it. You can’t just give up an entire 18 years’ worth of life and the family you love. But you also can’t live in an incredible, magical world for months—has it really been months already?—and form a whole new support system only to leave. Not without tearing out a part of your soul in the process, at least.

She doesn’t have an answer for her situation. And that worries her.

Beck chooses that moment to call out to Nia. She lifts her head, thankful for the interruption.

The orange weasel—a floatzel, Tobias had said, and the species had rang a bell in her head for some reason—is bobbing in the water below her. “We’ll be pulling into the branch leading to Shivergleam soon. You might want to grab your partner.”

Nia thanks the water type before getting up and heading inside the cabin. She takes the path downstairs into the belly of the proverbial beast, knocking on the heavy door to the furnace room before nudging her way inside.

As it has been every time Nia has checked on Tobias, the room is sweltering. Dim orange light bounces off the metallic walls. Ignatius the torkoal gives her a passing glance before continuing his work keeping the steam engine running. He takes a bite of coal, crunching it loudly in his mouth. The flames inside his shell flare, almost bright enough to hurt Nia’s eyes, and the torkoal spews a cloud of steam and embers into the pipes of the steam engine.

Tobias is sitting nearby, crunching idly on his own piece of coal and flipping through a manual for the ship. Nia doesn’t know why being down here puts him so much more at ease, but he’s relaxed as he waves casually to Nia in greeting.

It’s a bit loud with the whoosh of the flames and the rumbling of the ship and engine so close, so Nia nearly has to yell to be heard. “Beck says we’re getting close and should prepare to dock!”

Tobias perks up. With all the rain they’ve been dealing with, he hadn’t gotten to go onto dry land yesterday evening when they’d docked for the night. Nia knows he’s been eager to get back to solid ground from the moment they stepped onboard The Aqua Jet.

Tobias gives Ignatius a nod of parting and grabs a piece of charcoal to go. Then he follows Nia back to the stairs. As she leads them back to the upper floor and out on deck, Nia sneaks a few glances at Tobias crunching into the little black mineral.

“I still can’t believe you can just…eat coal.”

Tobias shrugs, catching some crumbs before they fall. “I couldn’t live off of it, but it’s nice. Stokes my fire a bit. Got a good crunch to it.”

Nia stares at the charcoal with a furrowed brow as they reach the railing on deck. “Does it…taste good?”

Tobias makes a so-so motion with his hand, then holds it out to her with a smirk. “Wanna try?”

He probably expects her to recoil, but she can’t deny that she’s curious. She takes the charcoal and gives it a sniff, wrinkling her nose. Then, she licks the little stone.

“Ugh,” Nia shoves the charcoal back at her partner. “It’s like licking a dirty grill.”

Tobias barks a laugh. He tries to reign it in, but his shoulders still shake as he stares at her. “I-I didn’t think you’d actually try it.”

“I was curious! You really underplayed how awful it is, though.”

Tobias shrugs and takes another bite, the sound cracking through the air even with the loud background track of the river. “‘S not that bad. Just…earthy.”

“‘Earthy,’ he says,” Nia teases. “I think you’ve just fried off all your taste buds. You—“

“There’s the turn!” Cas cuts in, hurrying to their side. The little duck looks out at the river with glittering eyes. “I love Shivergleam. It’s so spooky!”

Nia trades an uncomfortable look with Tobias as the ferry takes a turn down an offshoot of the main river. The trees on either side of the waterway close in overhead, blocking out much of the evening light. The air feels cooler, suddenly.

“Spooky?” Nia echoes cautiously.

Cas nods. “Yeah! There are lots of ghost types living in Shivergleam. Delia says that all kinds of weird stuff happens there!”

Nia takes a step closer to Tobias. He’s trying to look unbothered, but Nia sees him cast his sharp gaze out into the trees.

The shaded marsh around them does suddenly seem more…unsettling. Large stretches of floodwater sit between twisted trees, pools of reflected light between dark shade. Away from the roar of the Lilycap River, it feels unnaturally still. Even Beck and Nori, still swimming from side to side in front of the ferry to clear roots and foliage, seem to cut through the water silently.

It must take another half hour for them to finish the journey to Shivergleam, considering the sun is quickly setting through the trees. To Nia, it feels like it somehow takes half the time and twice as long, and her nerves only grow as they approach.

As long shadows fade to total darkness, Nia starts to see…lights. They’re a bluish-purple color, scattered like flickering candle flames throughout the trees. For a moment she thinks of the lights she saw when she was sick. Her memories. But when she looks to Tobias, he’s also watching them, brow furrowed.

When they start to flicker into being on either side of the waterway, Nia gets a closer look. They’re tiny flames, somehow resisting the damp environment. Additionally, they don’t seem to be…burning from anything, or even sheltered from the elements. Instead, they flicker in space at fixed points along the river, among the grassy banks and up in the trees. Like lamp lights along a street.

“Will-o-wisp?” Tobias murmurs.

Nia frowns, wracking her brain for the familiar term. “The move that causes burns?”

“Lots of ghost types learn it. They must have a system set up to light the path, like how the grass types at the guild repair the Lexym tree and open and close the windows to accommodate the weather.”

“Okay, that’s pretty cool,” Nia whispers, looking at the little flames with a mix of awe and unease.

Soon after, Beck and Nori pull themselves out of the water, dripping onto the deck. The floatzel shakes out his fur, and Tobias hisses and hides behind Nia. To Nia’s surprise, Cordelia keeps the boat moving.

Nia casts the dark river a nervous look. What if there are downed branches here still? Won’t they get caught up?

Beck moves to their side. He leans against the railing and smiles down at the will-o-wisps reflecting off the water. “Don’t worry. Shivergleam keeps the river clear from here on. Nori and I can relax.”

True to Beck’s word, they make the rest of the trip without any issue. As they round a bend in the river, the trees thin out enough to see the glow of the town ahead.

Shivergleam is built in bits and pieces into the thin, ropy trees of the swamp, like a city of treehouses. Long, draping boughs of leaves curtain the warm glow of the buildings. Nia can see the occasional silhouette move across bridges made of twisting roots and vines. The whole city almost looks like it’s floating in the blackness of the swamp, its lights reflected in the floodwater below. Nia almost doesn’t notice the short, jagged silhouettes poking above the surface. It takes her a moment to realize that they’re more buildings, homes and businesses swallowed by the floods. Her ears flatten.

“Ol’ Shivergleam,” Beck says, sounding pleased. “Some folks get spooked by so many ghost and dark types living in one place, but don’t let that scare you. They’re nice enough. Make sure you try the food while you’re here.”

Nia gives Beck a thin smile. “Will do. Thanks.”

“You think they’ll be open to us trying to find this Edme ‘mon?” Tobias asks.

Beck’s twin tails give a thoughtful spin. “Good question. They can be a bit private about Shivergleam matters. They didn’t want to ask for outside help with the floods until half their ground population lost their homes. But no harm in asking.”

Cordelia pulls the ferry to a stop beside a makeshift docking system made of arching, twisted branches. A staircase sits nearby, circling the tree’s trunk. Its lower steps lead under the floodwater and its upper steps lead up to the light and activity of the town.

Nori hops out to tie the boat to the dock, Cas scrambling to follow. Beck helps guide Nia and Tobias onto the firmer ground of the stairs—made with slick, damp wood that creaks underfoot. Nia grabs onto the thin rail with one hand and Tobias’ hand with the other, both for her reassurance and his own.

Cordelia leaps out of the boat and onto the stairs with all the confidence of a water type hanging over floodwater. Or maybe that’s just Cordelia. “Passengers delivered safely! Whatcha think, Charmander? Not too bad, eh?”

Tobias gives the croconaw a glare. Cordelia laughs.

Beck stands beside his captain, looking up at the islands of activity. Light shines down between thin gaps in the wood. “You two going to be okay on your own from here? You’ll probably have to catch a flight ‘mon when you want to leave.”

“Better be, because we ain’t sticking around. Heading out first thing in the morning,” Cordelia says, moving to help Cas carry a bag three times bigger than his entire body off the boat.

Beck hums. “I suppose she’s right. But if you need us before we leave, then just come find us at Hollowberry. Always happy to help out a new friend.”

“That offer does not extend to me!” Cordelia calls.

Nia laughs, giving Beck a warm smile. “Will do. Thank you so much, Beck.”

Beck gives her a friendly wink and Tobias a nod before turning to help his crew.

In the quiet left behind, Nia looks to Tobias, who has one hand gripping the rail with white knuckles and the other holding her hand tight enough to hurt.

“Ready?”

“I guess. Anything is better than being on that rickety old thing.”

Nia takes that as a yes and leads the two of them up the winding staircase, towards the gentle clamor of the population above. As they emerge into the soft light of the town, Nia looks around.

The platform they’re on holds two small, twisted buildings built into the side of the tree. One home’s window is bright, and Nia hears laughter from within. Long, drooping leaves drape over the roofs. Ropy bridges made with vines and roots link the platform on either end to another two islands, one slightly higher and the other slightly lower. Despite the heavy darkness of the night, the warm light spilling from most of the buildings lights up the town like a sea of stars.

It’s nothing like the busy roar of Afon’s merchant-heavy environment. It’s quieter here, almost residential. Pokemon talk in pairs or move peacefully about their business, but it all feels very…quaint.

Two Pokémon pass by Nia and Tobias, their conversation pausing as they give the pair cautious looks. They move on quickly enough, voices rising again as they gain distance. Nia’s almost too preoccupied by the townsfolk’s appearance to be hurt by their obvious suspicion. Her grip on Tobias’ hand tightens.

“Those are ghost types, right?” Nia murmurs, tearing her eyes away. She doesn’t want to be rude, but…well. She can see through them! They’re semi-transparent, the lights of the town visible as a blur of light through their bodies. It’s a little unnerving.

“Yeah?” Tobias asks, sounding puzzled. “Why are you so freaked out? I know we don’t get many ghost types in the Haven, but…”

“I know they aren’t like…dead,” Nia whispers, looking around to make sure no one is close enough to overhear. She doesn’t want to offend anyone. “But it’s still hard not to be freaked out by actual, literal ghosts!”

Tobias snorts. “They’re only called ghosts because of their typing, remember? They resemble what spirits are thought to look like, but they aren’t actually ghosts. Well, most of them.”

Nia gives him an incredulous look. “Most of them?!”

“Uh. Yeah? Did your books not tell you that? Some species are supposedly born from reincarnations. Maybe it’s just like a cultural thing, but they say all souls of certain species lived previous lives. Phantump. Pumpkaboo.” Tobias cuts her a dry look. “Yamask.”

Nia blinks, caught off-guard. “Yamask?” So…Will?

She does vaguely remember reading about the yamask line, when she first came to the Pokemon world and was looking for a name. About how they’re supposedly born from lost human souls. At the time she’d assumed that meant they were in the same situation as her and all the other humans, but Tobias almost seems to be implying that there’s something different about them. That some ghost types are…born as reincarnated souls. But Will is an adult and he’s only been here a few years, so—

Tobias tugs at Nia’s hand, apparently deeming her moment of existential crisis unimportant. “We’d better get moving. We’re getting looks.”

Nia shakes off her thoughts. “R-Right. Can you lead the way?”

Tobias snorts. “As long as you do the socializing.”

“Deal. Are we looking for Hollowberry to rest for the night?”

Tobias mouth flattens as he looks around. Nia follows his gaze, slowly less and less unnerved and more amazed by the chilling beauty of their surroundings.

“With this many ghost and dark types, most of the town probably runs on a nocturnal schedule,” Tobias finally says.

“Oh. So…should we start looking tonight?”

“Are you too tired?”

Tobias glances at her, then away. As if to make it seem like he doesn’t actually care about her answer. Nia bites back a smile and pointedly doesn’t remind the prickly charmander that they’re still holding hands.

“No, I’m all right! Where should we start?”

Tobias looks around, then heads down one of the bridges leading to another platform, releasing her hand to grab onto both sides of the railing. The woven branches underneath them creak and dip under their weight.

The first Pokemon they find who actually makes eye contact and seems willing to talk is a floating purple ghost with no legs and disembodied hands. He’s handing out samples outside of a cute little bakery, which means his friendliness is probably just a business tactic, but Nia will take it.

Nia gratefully accepts a small sample of donut and exchanges pleasantries before saying, “We were actually wondering if you happen to know anyone in town called Edme?”

The ghost type’s friendly smile falls, a gleam of suspicion entering his eyes. “…Where did you say you two are from?”

“Lexym Guild, in Bethoc’s Haven,” Tobias answers, crossing his arms. “We aren’t here to cause any trouble. Just want to ask them some questions.”

Another Pokemon, some kind of little orange and black fox with a large tail, walks by. The ghostly baker catches her eye, pasting on a huge grin. “Hey! Quinta! Want to try a new recipe?”

The fox glances at Nia and Tobias before deciding to speak to the baker. The two quickly start a conversation, turning their bodies to shut Nia and Tobias out.

Okay, message received. Nia devours her (delicious) donut sample and leads Tobias away before his flaring tail flame gets them in trouble.

“Maybe the next person will be more open to talk,” Nia says hopefully.

The look Tobias sends her makes it clear how much he doesn’t believe her. “Sure.”

Unfortunately, the next Pokemon they stop is no more forthcoming. Nor the next. Most of the townsfolk don’t look thrilled to talk to outsiders at all, but even the friendliest of Pokemon immediately clam up and hurry off when they mention Edme.

“This is going well,” Nia sighs when they take a break, sitting against one of the platforms’ central tree trunks. The wood is damp and the air is getting cold as the night wears on, so her fur feels both thin and uncomfortable. She’s starting to drag, but the town only seems to grow more active as the moon rises higher.

“They’re suspicious of outsiders, and apparently protective of this Edme ‘mon,” Tobias says, also looking tired. “They must think we’re here to cause trouble.”

“Even though we’re Seekers?”

Tobias sighs, rubbing at his eyes. “Probably because we’re Seekers. Ghost types and dark types get a bad reputation sometimes. They’re pinned much quicker for crimes than other types.”

Nia winces, remembering her earlier reaction to seeing the ghost types. She’s grown more accustomed to them over the past hour or so, since they’re not really any stranger or scarier than other types of Pokemon. They’re just not ones she’s used to seeing.

“So you think they’re worried we’re here to take Edme in?”

“Probably. Whether it’s warranted or not.”

Nia makes a thoughtful sound in her throat. “So far we have been pretty vague about why we want to talk to Edme. Should we just be honest about why we’re here?”

Tobias gives her an Are you crazy? sort of look. “And say we’re here to ask Edme about—“ Tobias’ voice lowers. “Giratina?”

“Why not?”

Tobias rolls his eyes. “He’s a scary story for a reason! Most ‘mon don’t even like hearing his name.”

“But Edme was the source for all of those books we read! They’re almost like the authority on Giratina. And everyone here is defending Edme, so—“

“So Giratina probably isn’t a bad omen here,” Tobias finishes, blinking at her. “Huh. You know, that…might make sense. He is a ghost type. I don’t know enough ghost types to know if they see him as a deity, but…”

“We could try it?” Nia suggests.

Tobias sighs. “I guess it can’t get any worse than how it’s been going so far.”

Their next target is a pair of Pokemon chatting amiably outside of a shop and drinking tea. A misdreavus and a banette, according to Tobias. The two ghost types quiet as Nia and Tobias approach and politely introduce themselves.

“—and we were hoping that you might know about a Pokemon called Edme? We need some information about Giratina, and we heard they’re the best person—uh, Pokemon to ask.”

The two Pokemon straighten up with surprised expressions when Nia mentions Giratina’s name. They exchange a look, but Nia can see the cold suspicion thaw, ever so slightly.

“You want to know more about Lord Giratina?” The banette asks, clearly doubtful.

Lord Giratina? Guess they were spot-on about the deity thing.

Nia nods. “Yes! Please. We came all this way looking for information.”

“Why? Most solids are too scared to even say his name.”

Nia hesitates. Looks to Tobias. He shrugs. She bites her lip and looks back at the two Pokemon. “H-He’s been following me. Through reflections. And we want to know why.”

The pair’s eyes widen. Their idle hovering stills. It’s the most open emotion anyone from the town has shown so far.

“Lord Giratina showed himself to you?” The misdreavus asks, voice hushed with awe.

The banette looks torn between suspicion and confusion. “Why would Lord Giratina show himself to some random fighting type?“

Nia opens her mouth without thinking, to say something about it possibly being because she’s human. Luckily, Tobias whacks her leg with his tail, stopping her from blabbing.

“That’s what we’d like to know,” Tobias growls. “So if someone could just tell us where to find Edme, that’d be great.”

The two Shivergleam natives look torn, exchanging a worried look.

“What do you think?” The misdreavus whispers, her “hair” floating in a nonexistent breeze.

“The riolu should be fine. She’s a fighting type. But sending a fire type to the Guardian? You know how dangerous that is!”

“But if Lord Giratina really did show himself, then there has to be a good reason! And you know the Guardian can handle herself.”

Nia and Tobias share an uncertain look as the two go back and forth about the “Guardian.” Looks like Tobias was right—the citizens of Shivergleam are protecting their own. Admirable, if not annoying at the current moment.

“Fine,” the banette finally says. She turns to Nia and Tobias. “We’ll tell you where to find the Guardian.“

“Oh, thank you so much! We—“

“But,” the ghost type interrupts, baring her terrifying zipper-like teeth. “We don’t take kindly to anyone messing with our own. Especially a Guardian. So just know that if you do anything to harm her, the entirety of Shivergleam won’t hesitate to drag you both to the afterlife.”

Nia’s bubbly gratitude dies in her chest. Eyes wide and tail tucked, she frantically agrees. Tobias glares at the two Pokemon, but nods.

The banette seems somewhat satisfied by that. She waves her friend on.

The misdreavus hesitates once more before gesturing with her chin to the right, off through the sea of platforms and flickering lights. “She lives on the edge of town, at one of the highest sectors. It’s the tall house with the shiny baubles hanging outside of it.”

Nia grins, forgetting her momentary fear in favor of relief that their search is almost over. “Got it! Thank you!”

The two Pokemon still seem unsure. They go back to their tea with an uneasy air. Tobias hauls Nia away as she’s still trying to thank them.

“You want to lead the way?” Nia asks. “I’m so glad we finally know where to find her!”

Tobias snorts. “After a little light threatening of our lives. But yes, of course I’m leading. You’ll run us in circles with your sense of direction.”

Nia concedes that and follows Tobias across town. The residents of Shivergleam still give them wary looks as they pass by, but otherwise don’t seem aggressive. Defensive, if anything. It hurts Nia’s feelings a bit, to be honest, but she figures that she can’t really be upset with them if they’ve been blamed in the past so much by outsiders. She shouldn’t make this about her own hurt feelings when they’re the ones who have actually been harmed.

At least the town itself is a beautiful sight to see. Still damp and a bit unnerving to traverse with the pitch blackness of the water far below them, but otherwise lovely. The warm lights of the buildings make the place feel magical, almost dreamlike. Or maybe that’s just Nia’s sleepiness talking. It is getting late.

“Why do you think they were calling Edme ‘the Guardian?’” Nia asks.

Tobias shrugs, eyes glued to his feet as he carefully crosses the bridge. “Dunno. Not a title I’m familiar with.”

“They sounded kind of…reverent. Of both Edme and Giratina. I haven’t heard Pokemon call any of the legendaries ‘Lord’ before.”

“Eh, ghost types can be weird. If they’re looking to Giratina of all Pokemon for protection, then you know they’ve got a few screws loose.”

“Don’t be rude. Everyone has their own beliefs.”

“I guess.”

By time Nia hears the gentle tinkling of something almost like windchimes, the warm lights of the town have started to die off. Black forest sits ahead, with a single home framed against it. It’s a tall, narrow, misshapen structure of woven roots and branches. Shiny items like bottles, mirrors and glass are tied together from branches, swaying gently in the breeze. The upper windows are aglow with a soft light.

“Guess this is it,” Nia murmurs.

“Guess so,” Tobias responds. “Ready to get some answers?”

“I hope so.”

Nia steps forward to knock firmly on the front door. She listens for footsteps from inside, but doesn’t hear anything. So she’s surprised when the door unlatches and swings open. The faint purple of telekinetic energy—usually belonging to a psychic or ghost type—glows off the door handle in the dark room within.

In the doorway floats a…bug? It almost looks like a cicada shell, something about its stiff body and angular wings bringing to mind childhood summers and bugsong. A halo-like piece floats above the Pokemon’s head, and it stares out at the two of them with two immobile eyes. It floats faintly in place, but otherwise doesn’t move—not the flicker of an eye or the twitch of a claw. Not even a breath.

Nia feels a shiver roll down her spine.

Then the Pokemon speaks, a chipper voice echoing out of the shell. “Yes? How can I help you two?”

Nia blinks. Opens her mouth to respond. Closes it again. Something about the expressive voice paired with the unsettlingly dead image is…really throwing her for a loop. Not to mention that they’ve been running into unfriendly residents all night.

“Are you Edme?” Tobias asks. “The, uh, Guardian?”

The bug Pokemon laughs. It’s unsettling not seeing the body move with the sound. “I was the last time I checked! To who do I owe the pleasure?”

“N-Nia,” Nia finally blurts, getting her tongue under control. “Nia and Tobias, of Team Scarlet.“

“A Seeker team?” Edme asks, sounding intrigued. “We don’t see many Seekers in Shivergleam.”

“Well, we aren’t really here on team business. We were actually hoping to ask you some, uh, questions? About Giratina.”

Edme floats slightly lower, as if to meet their eyes and get a better look at them. “It’s…rare, for someone outside of our community to seek out information about Lord Giratina.”

It’s a thinly veiled question, just the slightest bit wary. Nia glances at Tobias. He gestures for her to go ahead.

“Giratina’s been following me, through reflections. Trying to contact me. I—we did some research, and pretty much every book we could find referenced you in some way, so we figured you know the most about him. We were hoping you could give us some answers.”

Edme stills entirely at this new information, as if frozen in time. Nia opens her mouth to ask if she’s all right when the bug lurches forward, a little too close to Nia’s space.

“You say you’ve seen Giratina? You believe him to be attempting contact?”

“Yeah, we’re pretty confident about that,” Tobias says drily, clearly thinking about the banished legendary trying to yank Nia into the distortion world.

Edme turns to Nia for confirmation, so she gives a helpless shrug.

Edme bobs in the air, as if excited. “That is incredible news! Please, do come in.”

The bug turns and heads inside. Nia shudders when she catches a glimpse of a hole in Edme’s back, showing the blackness of a hollow shell inside.

Nia looks to Tobias, unsure. Tobias nudges past Nia to lead the way, swinging his tail forward to use it as a torch in the dark house. By the light of his flame, Nia can see the walls are covered in bookshelves, and what little space is left is taken up by tables holding notes and inks, bowls and ingredients and jars. A large woven rug sits in the middle of the floor, strangely empty of furniture. A spiral staircase winds around the sides of the room and upstairs, to where Nia saw the lights in the window from outside. A study, maybe. It all looks rather spooky in the low light.

“Oh! My apologies,” Edme says, floating back down from the darkness and making them jump. “Let me give you some light.”

Edme uses the same telekinetic power—Nia still isn’t sure if it’s psychic or ghost type in nature, but she’s leaning towards psychic considering she can feel her fur prickle—to pick up a lit candle from upstairs in bright purple energy. It floats down and expertly makes a circuit around the room, lighting half-melted candlesticks until the space is warmly lit.

Nia relaxes, following Edme to where she’s nudging two cushions forward on the floor. They’re dusty with disuse, but Nia doesn’t want to be rude and point it out so she sits gingerly. Tobias has no such qualms and takes a moment to beat the dust off the cushion before flopping down.

Edme lowers herself to hover in front of them. “Would you two like some tea?”

Nia, anxious as she is to get some answers and worried that tea might lull her to sleep at this late hour, smiles and politely declines. Tobias just shakes his head.

Edme laughs her hollow laugh, blank expression never shifting. “Honestly, I was hoping you would say no. Now, would you mind laying out your situation? When did you notice Lord Giratina following you?”

Nia blinks, surprised that Edme believed them so easily. She looks to Tobias to start explaining, since he was the first one to notice Giratina.

Tobias, however, clearly isn’t as eager to talk. He crosses his arms and narrows his eyes. “I have a few questions first. We came to find you because you were the most referenced source in the books about Giratina, but it was obvious that the authors were holding stuff back. Being intentionally vague. Why?”

“Tobias!” Nia hisses. They’re the ones who came barging into Edme’s house—starting off with open suspicion is just rude!

But Edme simply laughs. “No, it’s quite all right. You are exactly right. There is a reason you could sense holes in their words. I no longer speak with authors, as they so willingly pick and choose what to share of the truth.”

“The truth..?” Nia echoes.

“The truth that the Guardians preserve, as servants to Lord Giratina.”

Nia and Tobias’ confusion is palpable.

Edme bobs, as if nodding. “Ah, yes. Allow me to introduce myself properly.” She twirls higher off the ground. “I am Guardian Edme, the 13th Guardian under Lord Giratina.”

Edme circles the room, gesturing with her body to the many, many papers and books stuffed into the walls. “For nearly a millennium, Lord Giratina has had a loyal guard in our realm to act as the official liaison between our dimension and the distortion world.”

“A millennium?” Tobias asks, suspicious. “So you didn’t stop serving him once he was banished.”

“Because he was banished unfairly,” Edme says, as simply as the sky being blue or grass being green. “Wrongfully ousted for trying to protect our world.”

Nia straightens up, frowning.

Tobias beats her to the punch, clearly incredulous. “That’s…definitely not the story we’ve heard. We heard that Giratina nearly killed another legendary and was banished for his violence.”

Edme lowers slightly, as if slumping. “Yes. Despite our best efforts, the truth has been grossly distorted.”

“But…that’s the story literally everyone knows,” Tobias protests. “It’s what’s written in all the books—including the ones you’re referenced in!”

For a moment, Nia swears the flames on the candles flare brighter before dying down again. Edme is once more still as stone.

Then, she speaks, voice bitter. “They record the truth they want to be known. Not the truth that actually happened. No matter how loudly we shout it.”

“And how do we know that what you say actually happened is the real truth?” Tobias challenges.

Nia bites her tongue. He has a point.

Edme turns to them, rising higher until she looms over them. In the flickering light, she looks as imposing as a statue in the dead of night, playing tricks on Nia’s eyes.

“I know this,” Edme says quietly. “Because I am a Guardian. It has been my duty since the moment I was born from my sister’s shell. This is my only duty. And the only duty of all my predecessors. I know the truth because they have taught it to me. Because I have spoken to Lord Giratina myself.”

Nia’s breath catches. “Wait. Y-You’ve talked to him? How? When he tried speaking to me in the tunnels I couldn’t hear him at all.”

Edme turns to Nia, quiet for a moment. Then she says, “I can allow you to speak to him, if you’d like.”

“No. I still don’t trust him,” Tobias growls. “Or, quite frankly, this ‘truth’ that you and your predecessors believe in. Sorry, but when the whole world thinks that Arceus themself banished Giratina for nearly murdering another legendary, it’s kind of a hard impression to forget. Plus, he tried to yank Nia into his creepy dimension against her will!”

“He did help us in the tunnels,” Nia points out, softly. Tobias throws up his hands, at a loss of how to respond.

Nia turns to Edme and says, hesitantly, “I guess…I don’t know what to believe right now. We thought he was bad, but he helped us recently. I know he did. And he has to be trying to talk to me for a reason. We were hoping you could give us some answers as to what that reason might be.”

Edme hums. “You would have to speak to Lord Giratina yourself for that. I can tell you the truth of his banishment, but I know not why he follows you.”

Nia swallows. She doesn’t know how ready she is to try “speaking” to Giratina. But…

“Could you tell us, then?” She asks. “What the true story is, according to the Guardians?”

Edme looks Nia in the eyes with hollow pupils. “Are you sure you want to hear it? There is a reason the cowardly pens of those writers never recorded my words.”

Nia looks to Tobias. He still doesn’t look like he trusts Edme, but she can tell he won’t stop her, either. Nia takes a deep breath and nods. “Y-Yes. Please. We want all the information before moving forward.”

Edme is silent for a moment longer. Then she chuckles. “Wise girl. I will gladly share the truth, if you promise to hear it.”

Nia murmurs agreement, and Tobias grudgingly copies her once Edme turns her stare onto him. Then Edme settles, floating low to the ground in front of them. Nia crosses her legs and leans closer, heart pounding.

“The story told for decades is that of Lord Giratina attacking another legendary Pokemon. Of Arceus commanding the Lake Trio to banish him to the Distortion World for his crime, destined to protect the dimensional borders without ever leaving them. Correct?”

Nia thinks that’s right, but lets Tobias nod their confirmation.

“The truth,” Edme says. “Is that Arceus had nothing to do with that decision. They weren’t even aware of it.”

Tobias frowns. Nia wracks her brain to keep up with the unfamiliar lore. Arceus is like…the god above all the other deities, right? The one in charge of everything?

“But,” Tobias says. “That doesn’t make any sense. Even if Arceus weren’t there at the time, they would still know about it, right? If Arceus is real, then surely you can’t hide anything from them.”

“Arceus is a very knowledgeable being,” Edme agrees. “Their eyes and ears and arms reach farther than any other. But they did not know about Lord Giratina’s banishment, for they were already asleep.”

“Asleep?” Nia murmurs.

“Asleep…” Tobias’ eyes widen. “You mean how the rest of the legendaries have gone dormant and disappeared? Arceus also..?”

“Arceus was the first,” Edme says. “They fell to sleep and none could wake them. Still to this day they rest. Presently, most of the others have followed. However, when it was just Arceus, when the panic of their parent’s falling was fresh, the legends didn’t know what to do.”

Nia can sense the gravity of Edme’s words, even if she’s having a hard time feeling like they’re actually…real, and not just a fairy tale. She glances at Tobias, and is surprised that for someone once so unconcerned about legendaries, the charmander seems pale and tense.

“The legends argued,” Edme continues. “About what to do after Arceus fell dormant. For months on end. This had never happened before. They didn’t know what would happen without Arceus there to guide them. Would their own energy falter? Who would protect the mortal Pokemon of their world?”

“Without their leader,” Edme continues. “Infighting began. And in the gods’ absence, our world began to slip. Without Lugia and Kyogre guiding the seas, waves became impossible to navigate. Marine Pokemon and sailors alike died without any hope of rescue. Without Groudon and Regirock, the earth shook and splintered without guidance, destroying towns and homes. Without the guiding winds of Tornadus and Rayquaza, gales developed into terrible storms free from Raikou and Zapdos’ protection, striking the earth with lightning and fire and flooding it with rain.”

“So they just…abandoned the Pokemon world?” Nia whispers, horrified. “To argue?”

“Most of them. Understand that to an immortal legendary, a few months is a heartbeat in time. To the Pokemon in our realm, it is an eternity. Many of them did not realize they were abandoning the world that they were born to protect.”

“Are you making this up to make all the other legendaries look bad?” Tobias accuses, baring his teeth. “It’s not very subtle.”

Edme laughs. “I don’t need to make it up. The legendaries are generally benevolent. But they were aware of their power in a way that led to self-importance.”

After a heavy beat of silence, Nia hopefully adds, “But you said most of them didn’t notice the issues they were causing, right..?”

Edme bobs in a nod. “Yes. A few legendaries were aware of what their absence meant for the Pokemon of the world. Those more tied into the affairs of mortals. Entei, protector of children. The Swords of Justice. Latias and Latios. Mew, Mother of all Pokemon. Lord Giratina.”

“You’re trying to tell us he was worried about mortals?” Tobias scoffs.

“He was not,” Edme says, startling Nia and Tobias into silence. “At least, not directly. He was worried about his domain—the dimensional rift. The borders containing our world, and keeping it safely separate from others.”

“Like the human world?” Nia ventures.

Edme nods. “Yes. Lord Giratina has been the guardian of our world’s borders since the beginning. He doesn’t care much for mortals, but he takes his duty seriously. He was aware that Arceus’ sleep was concerning, but the absence of legendaries—particularly his siblings Dialga and Palkia—only exacerbated the issue. Their panic was putting the fragile balance of the world in danger, and endangering the entire dimension in the process.”

“So what did he do?” Nia asks.

Edme laughs, this one more genuinely happy than bitter. “He gave the other legends a piece of his mind. Told them all to get back to their stations and stop destroying Arceus’ beloved world if they were so worried.”

Despite herself, Nia quirks a smile.

“However,” Edme says, voice sobering again. “In Lord Giratina’s absence, more of the legends had fallen dormant against their will. Victini. Hoopa. Jirachi. Tensions had grown high. Cresselia, in a fit of anger, accused Lord Giratina of being uncaring for their parent, Arceus. Even accused him of being the cause for their dormancy.”

Tobias makes a doubtful noise, but otherwise doesn’t interrupt. Nia frowns, focused entirely on Edme’s hushed voice in the dim candlelight.

“She attacked him, and so Lord Giratina defended himself. Squabbles between legendaries were not rare, but never was there intent to genuinely harm one another. However, Cresselia, already in a weakened state, was seriously injured and fell dormant after the fight.”

“On edge,” Edme continues. “The Lake Trio—Azelf, Mesprit, and Uxie—used their power to banish Lord Giratina to his domain in the Distortion World. The battle did spur the legendaries to finally return to their stations, however, rebalancing the world for the past hundred years.”

“But?” Nia murmurs.

“But,” Edme sighs. “They too eventually fell to sleep. Recently, even the most powerful of legendaries have begun to fall dormant.”

“The increase in natural disasters,” Tobias murmurs.

“Correct.”

“Is that what’s causing the mystery dungeons, too?” Nia asks.

“I…am not sure,” Edme admits. “Giratina is not speaking to me as openly as he used to. However, considering the two phenomena have been following the same progression, I believe they must be linked in some way.”

“Giratina hasn’t been talking to you?” Tobias asks, doubtful. “He’s sure been trying to ‘talk’ to Nia lately.”

Edme turns hollow eyes on Nia. It feels a bit unnerving. “Lord Giratina himself is weakening, but he believes that whatever is causing legendaries to fall dormant and steering the world towards ruin can still be reversed. Perhaps…he believes you could be of use in such a mission.”

Nia leans back. “M-Me? What could I do to help?”

“And I don’t like how you phrased that,” Tobias growls. “‘Of use?’”

Edme floats a bit higher. “Apologies. I simply meant you might be helpful in finding the answers Lord Giratina seeks.”

There’s a heavy moment of silence, tense and unsure as they digest that.

“That’s…” Tobias starts, sounding off-kilter.

“A lot,” Nia finishes. “And you heard this story from…Giratina?”

Edme floats over to a window, as if looking outside into the night. “I understand you may think me foolish, to believe the better light straight from the accused’s mouth. But my predecessors assure me that Lord Giratina has always been harsh, but just. That he would never intentionally harm another legend. I believe it to be the truth.”

Nia glances at Tobias, wanting his take on all this. The charmander is staring down with a furrowed brow, lost in thought.

“I still recommend speaking to Lord Giratina yourself,” Edme says, moving to float over to one of her tables. She uses her power to start sifting through the mess. “I can set up the ritual now, if you would like.”

Nia’s head snaps up. “What?”

“Like bring him here?” Tobias asks, barely hiding his alarm. “To our world?”

“No, no. Not to this realm, of course. The Lake Trio saw to it that even in their dormancy Lord Giratina would not be able to cross over any time soon. Especially not here. If anywhere, that would need to occur at the dimensional gate.”

“Dimensional gate?” Nia echoes.

“The traditional summoning spot for Lord Giratina,” Edme explains absently, shuffling through jars and papers. “Where the border between our realm and the dimensional rift is thinnest.”

Nia opens her mouth to continue that line of questioning, but Edme makes a sound of triumph, pulling back with a few supplies held in her purple energy.

“Would you be willing to speak with Lord Giratina and ask him yourself why he is trying to contact you? I believe conversing with him will convince you of his authenticity as well.”

Tobias growls a sharp, “No.”

Nia stays silent. Conflicted.

Tobias looks at her, bewildered. “You can’t be serious.”

“I’m not saying we trust him immediately, or even Edme’s story, but…”

“He’s the villain of the story! Of course he’s going to try and spin himself in a better light. And you can’t trust someone who is clearly obsessed with him to be any more truthful! I know how you are, Nia. If you talk to him, he’ll win you over with some sob story in a heartbeat.”

Nia huffs. “But what if they’re telling the truth? What if Giratina isn’t the bad guy he’s made out to be and he’s trying to save the Pokemon world? What if he needs my help somehow?”

Tobias groans and rubs at his face, muttering something about her being a bleeding heart.

“It can’t hurt just to talk to him, right?” Nia adds. “And you’ll be right here to keep us on track.”

Tobias looks at her for a long moment. Then he sighs. “Fine. But only because I know you won’t let up otherwise.”

Edme, who had been waiting nearby with barely restrained enthusiasm, jumps into action. She shoos them away from the cushions they’d been sitting on, then moves the pillows aside with her powers. Then she removes the rug covering the space in the middle of the floor, only to reveal a circular wooden panel below. Purple energy envelops it and easily lifts it aside, leaving a shallow dip in the wooden flooring maybe an inch or two deep.

Edme bustles about, gathering supplies and snuffing out a few of the candles. She fills the basin with a bowl of water, until the surface of it is nothing more than a smooth, glassy pool. Then she sprinkles some herbs on top of its surface, pouring a salt-like mixture into an intricate pattern on the wood around the outside of the pool.

“Should we tell her that Giratina just…shows up around you?” Tobias whispers to Nia, dry with humor.

Nia bites back a smile despite her nerves. “This does look very…intense. But she has to have a reason for it, right?” Even if she does look like she’s trying to summon the dead.

Finally, Edme floats back, apparently satisfied. Only a few candles near the basin remain lit, leaving the edges of the room dark. The thin pool of water almost seems to…glow, in the low light, a few bits of herbs floating on its surface.

“Now what?” Tobias asks, shifting nervously.

Nia moves to step closer to the pool, and he quickly latches onto her arm to stop her.

“We have lit the beacon for Lord Giratina. But if he has been following you, young riolu…” Edme turns to her. “Would you mind stepping into the pool, to show him you’re here?”

Nia stiffens, and Tobias immediately turns on the bug with a glare.

“We said we’d talk,” he growls. “Nothing more. I don’t care how much you believe Giratina’s story—we still don’t know that he isn’t trying to kill Nia or something. She’s not stepping in there to serve herself up on a silver platter.”

Edme angles slightly towards Nia. “Riolu?”

“I-I have to admit I’m not…completely comfortable with the idea. Can I not just…I don’t know. Sit by it and call out to him or something?”

“It is the only way to speak to him,” Edme says, something in her voice making Nia nervous. Something almost…desperate.

“It’s also the only way we know of for him to grab you,” Tobias counters, baring his teeth.

“You must be in his realm to speak with him!” Edme says, voice rising. “The banishment—”

“You didn’t tell us that!” Tobias snaps, stepping in front of Nia. “We sure aren’t going onto his creepy turf!”

For a moment, Edme is silent, staring at the two of them. Nia has a terrible feeling in her gut. Then, the bug sighs. “Shame. I was hoping I wouldn’t have to force you.”

Tobias’ lashing tail stills. “…What?”

In a flash of purple light, Nia feels her whole body lock up. From the corner of her eye, she can see herself outlined in the same bright purple energy that Edme’s been using all night. She can’t move anything but her eyes and her mouth. She’s stuck. Through her panic, she absently notes that it must be a psychic-type move if it’s able to affect her.

In front of her, Nia can hear Tobias make a strangled sound as he too is caught in the attack. Then, he’s pulled through the air to float at Edme’s side, wild eyes flicking to Nia.

“What’re you doing?!” Tobias snarls. Nia can see fire glow briefly behind his teeth before he chokes again and it peters out.

Nia has a sinking feeling about where this is going, even before Edme’s powers start to pilot her legs, moving her forward one jerky step at a time like a puppet.

“E-Edme, wait!” Nia yelps. “Let’s talk about this!”

Edme hums. “Unfortunately, Riolu, I must put Lord Giratina’s wishes above your comfort. If he wants to speak with you, I shall make it so. You cannot hear him if you are not in his realm. I was hoping to get you there voluntarily, but I can see the lies you’ve heard won’t allow that.”

Nia’s foot splashes into the thin basin of water. And then the other, until she’s frozen in place right in the middle of it, shaking against Edme’s grip.

Nia didn’t realize she was so powerful.

“Don’t worry,” Edme says, voice bright. “He won’t harm you. You should be excited! Not everyone gets the chance to speak with a legend.”

Nia feels tears start to gather in her eyes as her heart pounds. She alternates between looking down at the reflections in the pool below and up at Edme and Tobias. “I-I don’t want to. Please, Edme—“

Tobias tries to lunge forward, only to be snapped back into place. His eyes are glued to the pool.

Nia follows his gaze down and feels like she’s going to throw up. Giratina circles in the reflections below her, gold and gray and black and red. A faint serpentine shape growing closer and closer.

Nia closes her eyes, counting her rapid heartbeats and praying that something happens to miraculously save them. To break them from Edme’s grip and let them escape. Something cold wraps around her ankle. She whimpers, refusing to look.

Tobias is panting and growling, still struggling against the bright purple energy surrounding him. “Nia!”

The grip around Nia’s ankle tightens. She opens her eyes and looks to Tobias. She has a single moment to meet her partner’s eyes before the grip around her yanks.

Despite the shallow water of the pool, she’s pulled straight down. Deep, deeper than should be possible, through the coolness of the water and then back into open air. Her stomach flips. She feels like she’s weightless in the worst way possible.

The world seems to spin, and then she’s falling hard on solid, dry ground. She gasps, pushing herself up on shaky arms. She’s free of Edme’s telekinetic grip. She looks around wildly at the dark environment she’s found herself in.

It’s like some kind of strange nightmare. A dark, crumbling stone landscape, pieces floating midair as if trapped in resin. A swirling blue-black void of empty sky sits as its backdrop, and weirdly enough Nia is reminded of that one Vincent van Gogh painting she was taught about in elementary school: The Starry Night. Just without the comfort of the stars. The air is stiflingly still, making her shaky breaths seem particularly loud.

It feels…heavy here. Unnatural.

Nia staggers to her feet. She opens her mouth to call out for Tobias, but movement catches her eye. She follows it, her partner’s name dying on her tongue as she tips her head back.

Looming above her, all long tendril wings and piercing red eyes, is a creature of nightmares.

Giratina.