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the12thnightproject · 1 year

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Tempest in Time Prologue Part 3 - Becoming a Liar

In which Katsu is nearly killed, and encounters Motonari, Kennyo, and Ranmaru. Part Two: Here

Aki examined the shogi board, having updated it with the latest move from the correspondent who I now understood to be Akechi Mitsuhide (yes, this time I had read his message). “Hrm. I will need to think about this a while.”

“I picked up some additional information while I was on the road,” I told him as began whisking the tea. (Another part of my training – tea ceremonies, although so far, I’d never been required to perform one, thankfully).

“Oh?” Aki was still apparently focused on his game.

Hm… was the tea too thick? It looked… odd. “Although it could be no more than a rumor born out of a drunken farmer’s ramblings.”

Finally turning away from the shogi board, Aki gave me one of his ‘I taught you better than that’ looks. “The craziest legends often have a beginning in truth.”

“Which is why I’m telling you this one. Anyway, apparently the ghost of Uesugi Kenshin is haunting these mountains – this is after his body had been carried off the battlefield by a –“ I stopped, because Aki wasn’t looking at all surprised. “And you already knew this.”

“More or less,” Aki said. “Though it is always nice to have additional confirmation. Besides, I’m happy you’re beginning to take some initiative.” He took a sip of the tea I handed him and winced.

Glad though I was to be praised, I honestly didn’t have any ambition to be any more than a courier (and obviously, “tea ceremony” was never going to be my parachute).

It didn’t occur to me until much later that night, when I was nearly asleep, to wonder why Aki was sending so many messages to Mitsuhide, who had… or I guess would… kill Oda in about three years. Was Aki part of that? And if he was part of it, was I now part of that as well? But Aki seemed to approve of Oda and his apparent plans, so why kill him? I couldn’t warn Aki, could I? Not without creating a temporal paradox, at least per the rules laid out in Star Trek.

I tossed around on my futon, staring up at the ceiling as my mind ran through the possibilities. I supposed the prudent thing to do would be to let it play out? Aki would not have told me to read his messages if he’d thought there would be something in then I shouldn’t see. He knew me well enough to know that I wouldn’t want to be part of an assassination plot. So that seemed to suggest that he wasn’t in on it. If it existed yet. I rolled over, burying head under the covers. I was too tired to figure it out.

“Kaya, wake up!”

“Mmmph.” My head was still under the blanket, but surely it was too early to get up.

“Katsu! … Katsuko!”

I opened my eyes when it dawned on me that Iekane was in my room. “Why are you d-“

He put his hand over my mouth. “Shhh. I don’t want to wake up Fume.”

Nobody wants to wake Fume, but if he didn’t explain why he’d come into my room uninvited, I would wake her up by screaming. I pushed him away. Just because we’d kissed a few times was no reason for him to invade my bedroom.

“I got a lead on your brother,” Iekane said triumphantly. “Come on, hurry!”

“What? Really? Where?” Iekane was generally sent to Chugoku region, which had more than one port. It was definitely possible that he’d run across Toshiie or had word of him.

“Sakai.” Iekane began rummaging through my things.

“Sakai?” The answer was a surprise. It was nowhere near his courier route. “Wait, does Aki know?”

“You’re so naïve, Katsuhira,” Iekane said Aki’s name for me sarcastically, as he tossed my clothes to me. “He’s known for a year, but didn’t tell you because you’re useful to him.”

That… was possible.

It wasn’t until we got on the road that I pressed him for more details. “Aki was correct that your brother is on a ship,” Iekane said.

We were carefully making our way down the path by lantern light. It had gotten chilly in the night and I could see my breath. I alternated flexing my fingers. Between the chill and my own tension, they were pretty stiff. “And?”

“It’s a pirate ship, and a well guarded one at that,” Iekane finally said.

“Can we bargain with them?” I couldn’t attack a pirate ship with a bow and arrow.

“That’s not a good idea.” Iekane turned back to look me over, and gave me one of his practiced smiles. “You’re pretty enough – more likely they’d grab you and either keep you for crew entertainment, or if you’re too annoying, sell you.” We’d reached the place where the narrow mountain path widened and were riding side by side. He reached out and touched a lock of my hair, then tucked behind my ear. In my haste to leave, I hadn’t bothered to bind it back and tuck it under my clothing. “I’d hate for something terrible to happen to you.”

He leaned over and kissed me. The heat from his hand warmed the side of my face. Or maybe I was blushing. Things between us had been growing slowly. Maybe once we found Toshiie, we could explore this… whatever this relationship was. But now wasn’t that time. “Do you have an idea then about how we’re going to get him off that ship?”

Iekane had a plan that involved me hiding in a crate – large enough for me to lie down in. As I looked up at Iekane, I almost felt like a vampire in her coffin. I sat up again. My crate was one of several identical crates of merchandise that were about to be loaded onto the ship.

“Once they load the crates on board,” he gestured to the other crates, “you ought to be able to climb out at night and track down your brother.” He showed me where there was a latch on the lid, and I tested the escape mechanism.

“The ship isn’t planning to leave for a few days.” He handed me my bow and arrows. “Light one of these on fire and shoot it into the air. I’ll wait on the dock with our horses.”

“Understood.” Iekane was obviously better at planning and tactics than I was. I wouldn’t have come up with this plan. I put my hand on his arm. “Thank you for this.”

He smiled down at me, then brought his hand up to grip my chin. Then he kissed me again. It was longer kiss, but I was too worried about not messing up the plan to get caught up in it. “Goodbye… well, good luck, I mean.”

I lay back down in the crate and my world became dark as Iekane closed the lid. A few moments later, I heard another voice. “You there! What are you doing with my … shipment?” Footsteps came closer to the box. I held my breath. Now would not be a good time to be discovered. Hopefully Iekane wasn’t in trouble either.

“Final inventory check!” Ooh, that was a good bluff on Iekane’s part, since he couldn’t know what was in these boxes.

I heard the lid on another box open, and the clink of metal – but the only metal that would be imported these days would be Nanban guns. Crap. Of all the crates to pick, we’d somehow gotten mixed in with someone’s weapon smuggling outfit.

“Wait ‘til they get a load of these, heh heh.” The clunk of that lid. I prayed that this guy wouldn’t inspect every box.

Another voice, this one with a European accent that I couldn’t place through the walls of the crate. “I’m happy you approve, Motonari. You, boy, help us move these.”

“Of course.” That was Iekane’s voice.

I felt the box being lifted. The motion was actually soothing, almost like being rocked in a cradle, and in spite of my anxiety, I felt myself becoming sleepy. But after about half and hour or so, my crate’s journey ended with a thunk. And then more thuds – oh the other crates.

The clink of coins. “Pleasure doing business with ye!”

I held myself very still. If they were going to look inside, it likely would be now. But instead the footsteps all faded away in the distance. Now, to wait until it was safe to come out. Maybe I would continue that almost nap…

Some time later, I woke up with no concept of how much time had passed. It was as dark as it had been earlier, and I was feeling a bit cramped. Yeah, I really needed to move around. I grabbed the latch and –

The lid didn’t budge.

Hm. Maybe I wasn’t doing it right? I tried the latch again, and again. No, it was definitely unlatched, but the lid wasn’t moving. It was like there was something on top of the… another crate maybe? I pushed on the lid harder, but I couldn’t move it. That’s when I started kicking.

My kicks echoed dully around me.

Otherwise… nothing.

My breath felt tight and mixed with tears – was I trapped in here? How many crates were on top of mine? How long would it be before someone came to get them? If I screamed, would anyone be able to hear me?

The constriction in my throat worsened…

I could… die in here.

It would take days… but if no one found me in time…

As I pounded on the walls of that dark coffin for hours, my life in this era, which had always had a sense of dreamlike haze, developed sharp edges. Though I had been living in this time period for almost three years, it had felt like a black and white drawing, with blurred edges. My real life, the three dimensional world, was out there somewhere, though I had no idea how to return to it.

But now it was clear that this world was vast and colorful and very real and very very much out to kill me. My old life was the life that seemed black and white with blurred edges, like an unfinished drawing that I’d likely never get around to finishing before I lost interest.

And it didn’t matter anyway, because I was NEVER GETTING OUT OF THIS CRATE.

Time passed – I lost track. I was hungry and thirsty and phased in an out of nightmare filled dreams and dreams of rescues that became living nightmares when I woke up again.

Until during the waking nightmare I heard footsteps.

Once again, I screamed and pounded on the crate, with a voice that was hoarse and thin. I didn’t care if whoever heard me might be an enemy inclined to kill me on the spot. If death was the price of getting out of here, I would welcome it.

I kicked harder on the side of the crate, and I finally, finally I heard, “Is someone in there?”

“Yes! Please let me out!”

There was a muffled sound of disbelief, then the crates were moved, and finally, the lid opened and I squinted up into the scarred face of a… monk? Even with the harsh scar across his face, there was something comforting about his presence. Although, in my state, I might have found Jack the Ripper a comforting presence.

“Child! What in heavens name were you doing in there?” he asked as he helped me climb out.

I was so exhausted and overwhelmed that I could do nothing more than collapse at his feet. My legs were too cramped to hold me.

Muttering an oath under his breath, the monk picked me up in his arms – I was a sweaty smelly mess, with my hair matted around my face and tearstains on my cheeks. My breath was still coming out in panicked gasps. “Outside. Please, I need air.”

He carried me out into the street. It was all I could do to breathe, as he held my hair out of my face. I hadn’t realized it, but I was crying.

There was a shout from down the street, and I looked up to see Aki running toward us, looking more unsettled than I had ever seen him before.

“Katsuko.” His voice cracked when he saw me. “Thank the Gods.”

Still sobbing, I clung to my rescuer, who looked at the crowd of curious onlookers circling us and suggested we retreat to where he had an encampment outside the city.

“My horse?” I looked at Aki, not sure if I remembered the location of where I had stabled her, yesterday? Had it been yesterday? I hoped she was ok. “And Iekane?” Was he safe?

“I’ve got your horse,” he said. “Iekane got away.”

Got ….away? Had he trapped me on purpose?

The monk, who finally introduced himself as Kennyo, asked Aki what was going on.

“I’m not sure, aside from this foolish girl impulsively leaping into a trap.” He softened his words by putting his arm around my shoulders and brushing my hair out of my face.

“Girl?” Kennyo looked at me more closely, then made a hrmmm of acknowledgement.

Kennyo’s camp turned out to be in the middle of the forest, a short ride away. By some unspoken agreement, Aki and Kennyo avoided discussing anything too serious, and instead spent the journey making small talk about the weather and the best kind of fruit to grow in a mountainous terrain.

Once we reached camp, Kennyo directed a younger monk, a beautiful boy named Ranmaru, to loan me some clean clothing. Ranmaru was a smiler, an kept up a friendly chatter while he found something for me to wear, but I wasn’t paying a lot of attention to him. “Pardon, what?” I finally said, once I realized he’d asked me a question.

“Do you want to wash up? There’s a lake over that way,” he pointed downhill, “where the water isn’t too terribly cold.”

I hesitated. I did really want a bath, but I didn’t feel safe venturing too far away. But I figured, Ranmaru did not want my dirty self in his clean clothes. So I nodded, and followed Ranmaru to the lake.

“I don’t bite.” Ranmaru gave me another dazzling smile. “Not unless requested.”

He did have a beautiful smile, but I wasn’t in the mood to appreciate it. Or to trust it. Still, that was no reason to be rude. “Sorry. It’s been a really… long… day… two days, actually.” I explained to Ranmaru what had happened and he looked properly appalled.

“Anyway, no insult intended, but I’m not feeling especially friendly, but it’s nothing personal. I do appreciate being able to clean up,” I continued as we reached the lake. I dunked one foot in the water. “Yikes! That’s your definition of not too terribly cold?”

Ranmaru laughed. “As long as there no ice chunks floating in it.”

Must be a monk stoicism thing. And speaking of… “Would you mind turning around? I promise to scream if I’m drowning.”

He looked embarrassed. “Oh yes, of course you want some privacy.” He turned around then treated me to a long stream of cheerful prattle while I hurriedly dunked myself in the lake and tried to scrub away the memory of the past couple of days. When I tuned back into to radio Ranmaru, he was talking about the soap he’d given me.

It did smell pretty nice. Did they make at his monastery? Did Monks make soap?

I scrambled out of the water, dried, and got dressed in Ranmaru’s clothes. They were a little large, but not overly so. He was not much taller than I. “It’s ok to turn around now,” I said as I braided my hair and secured it with a leather tie that Ranmaru had thoughtfully provided.

“Are you and the Abbott on some kind of pilgrimage from your temple?”

Ranmaru lost his friendly expression. “No. We have no permanent temple these days.”

“How come?”

Rather than answering my question, Ranmaru instead directed my attention back to the main camp. “It should be time to eat… and there are fresh peaches. My favorite. Do you like peaches, Miss Katsuko?”

Ok. Well. It was a rather inelegant segue, but I allowed the change of topic without protest. We all had things we preferred not to talk about – I had a feeling that this entire episode would become one of those things for me. “Yes, I do like them.”

“Great! I’ll share mine with you.” With a laugh, he ran back up the path.

We rejoined Aki and Kennyo, who were sitting at a fire pit, and Kennyo again asked what had happened.

“I do not know,” Aki said, and told them that I was the daughter of a late friend of his. I had foolishly eloped with one of his vassals, and apparently been betrayed.

That’s what he was going with? Making me seem like a lovesick idiot? I felt awful enough for having kissed Iekane a few times… worse, I had told him things that I never told anyone. But I would not have eloped with him. “I didn’t run off with him. He told me he’d found my brother. We were going to rescue him.”

Aki frowned. I was supposed to take my cue, not contradict. But I really objected to being characterized as a failed elopement, especially with someone who had tried to kill me.

Unlike me, Aki could take a cue. “Katsuko’s brother went missing in battle a few years ago, and I have been trying to track him down.”

Oh. Ok. Now I see why the elopement thing was a better cover story. Because they were going to wonder why we didn’t go to Aki before getting on the road on our own.

Quickly, I added an explanation. “Iekane said Toshiie was on a ship that was due to leave port. We looked for you, but Fume said you were out hunting and we didn’t want to lose the opportunity.”

“I see.” Aki was silent a moment. “We will speak more of this later.”

Translation – I was in trouble.

He turned to Kennyo. “I owe you many thanks for retrieving this one.” This one? “She is constantly in trouble, but I keep her on in memory of my friend.”

“It was no more than being in the right place at the right time,” Kennyo said. He was cooking something fragrant over the fire pit, reminding me that I hadn’t eaten in a long time.

“Regardless,” Aki continued. “If you ever need a favor, you can call on us.”

“Yes.” I nodded. “If you hadn’t heard me yelling, I don’t know how long I would have been there. It could have been months before someone wanted their… things.”

Wait. What had Kennyo been doing in there? Were those weapons his? What was he planning? Did it have anything to do with the fact that they no longer had a permanent temple? But… he had saved my life. I couldn’t thank him by accusing him of stockpiling guns.

Kennyo looked closely at me. I kept my expression as bland as possible. Finally he said, “Perhaps one day we will meet again, and you will have the opportunity to even the scales.”

How could that sound both reassuring and ominous in the same breath?

After that, our conversation became more casual. Ranmaru and I stayed mostly silent as we listened to Kennyo and Aki exchange news about the current wars.

Though it was still relatively early, exhaustion caught up with me, and I excused myself to retreat to a tent. I soon fell into a fitful sleep, interrupted by nightmares about being trapped in the crate. After the third time waking up gasping for air, I got up and dragged my bedding halfway out of the tent, and felt better once I could see the sky. With the night air on my face, I finally slept peacefully, until Ranmaru tripped over me the next morning.

Aki and I set out early for home, and knowing that he was still angry with me, I kept my mouth shut for the better part of an hour before he finally spoke. “Katsu, I thought you knew better than to run off without checking in first. What got into you?”

I explained what Iekane had told me.

“That was a lie.”

“I know that now. How was I supposed to know that in the moment? He’s one of us.”

Aki rubbed his chin. “Rule number one. Don’t trust anyone.”

“Except you.” I had gotten into this mess because I hadn’t trusted Aki.

There was a long pause. At first I thought he was concentrating on the path, which had become steeper as we got into the mountains, but eventually he said, “No. Don’t trust anyone.” He rubbed his chin. “You can trust me. Theoretically. But don’t.”

Uh. Thanks? “That’s reassuring, in a totally not reassuring way.”

“The only person you can ever know well enough to trust is yourself,” Aki said.

At this point, I wasn’t sure that I trusted myself, but I got his meaning.

He continued. “Everyone has a motivation or a reason for their behavior. If you can learn what they want, then you can generally determine how trustworthy they would be in certain situations. The higher the stakes, the more willing someone might be to betray you if you get in the way.”

I felt a belated wave of homesickness for my own time. Maybe people were as trustworthy, or not so, as they were in this when, but at least usually the stakes weren’t as high.

“That’s why knowledge is as much currency as this,” he pulled out his coin purse and shook it. “The more you know of someone, the better you can predict how they behave. Then you don’t need to worry so much about who to trust.”

That made sense. It was sad, but it made sense. For a while we both were quiet as we rode through the early morning sunlight. It was burning off the lingering mist from the night before, and I turned my face up to it, enjoying the warmth on my cheeks. I would never again take for granted sunlight and fresh air.

Which reminded me…. “What was Iekane’s motivation then?”

Again there was a long pause, and in my new state of ‘who can I trust’ mind, it seemed to me as if Aki was coming up with a story that was not the truth. Or, not the entire truth, maybe. “Jealousy? Envy? He’s always had a chip on his shoulder because of his illegitimacy. I thought I could exploit that in a positive way, but once the girl he was engaged to broke it off to marry into an honored family, he became twisted inside.”

Which still didn’t explain why he’d turned that on me. But apparently Aki was going to go with the “he went insane” defense.

“I expect you’ve learned from this experience.” Aki had his lecture face on again.

“I’ve learned that I have a lot more to learn,” I said. I’ve learned that I will do whatever it takes to stay alive.

“You do.” It was spoken almost as a growl, as if I ought to have known that already.

I’ve learned that I never want to be fooled the way Iekane fooled me again. “Can you teach me how to tell who is lying? And how to lie so that people can’t tell that I’m lying?”

“Yes. But- there’s no going back from that.” He paused and took a long look at me… almost as if he were memorizing my face.

I could live with that. Especially if it meant, being not-dead. “Can we begin now?” We had a long ride back to The Mountain.

Aki rubbed his chin. “I don’t see why not. First of all, remember that it’s better to tell the truth when you need to, and avoid a lie when possible.”

“What do you mean? Isn’t that the same thing?” I had been expecting to learn about lies, not be told to be truthful.

“Avoiding a lie means either leaving out information that you don’t want the other person to know – you can tell the truth around it. Or, when pressed, you can also rephrase their question as another question.”

The latter sounded vaguely like gaslighting. I saw what Aki meant about not being able to go back. But again. Not-dead was the goal here.

“Oh, and another rule. Don’t use these techniques on your mentor, because he’ll see right through that.” He gave me a fierce look, but that distant affection was finally back in his eyes.

“Do you really think I would do that?” I gave him my most innocent expression.

He laughed, as I had intended him to do, and I felt better that our relationship was on its way back to where it had been before Iekane had ruined it.

#ikemen sengoku #fanfic #tempest in time series #oc: katsuko #ikesen motonari #ikesen kennyo #ikesen ranmaru

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pen-try · 4 years

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monster hunter au!! some info:

gordon: monster hunter, outfit taken from van helsing,, luv that movie, hes a lot more stoic here, maybe some fucked up, tragic backstory too, like his parents were killed by monsters.. maybe they were monster hunters too but like really famous ones and he struggles to hold up their name and prove himself

benrey: werewolf, hes supposed to be one of the bigger ones, also my benrey is taller than gordon is the au (i draw him shorter in reg hlvrai)

bubby: they are a headless horseman! got their head stolen by gman/cursed by him, yes there will be boomer ship :) also they will have a horse lmao, instead of making it a skeleton horse im going to do a zombie horse thats more inspired by a headcrab. slight antagonist but forced to work for gman, prolly gets their head back in the end of this, also inpired by jack skellington

coomer: a vampire!! also inspired by van helsing, the vampires are so cool there lol (gordon was originally going to be the vampire of the group!)

tommy: either somehtign like a ghost/poltergeist/possessed spirit?? i want there to be times where he goes all evil and fucked up cuz i think he still has some relation to gman in this

darnold: a witch!! not really evil or bad, but she’s outcasted from reg village folk, and he’s very useful to gordon on his travels (maybe a lil romance shipping hrm? idk yet! maybe like catwoman and batman, but not so.. D:)

forzen: a gorgon! i think forzen isnt really a bad guy either, just outcasted by the village too, maybe gordon introduces him to darnold and they hit it off really well (so they wont be lonely outcasts anymore, outcasts together….)

gman:a demon! unsure if he’ll be THE devil or not yet, leaning towards no because in game he references his employers, so he’ll prolly have higherups,(working on doing an animatic for him to, to pumpkin song by jack stauber, dont know if ill finish it tho, i never finish animatics.. :(..)

also a lil interaction between benrey and gordon in last pic, as well as height growth comparison

#myart #hlvrai

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sonicringbond · 4 years

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Sonic Ring Bond: The Journey - Scene 52

Hopefully as everyone is reading this things have improved for me. My mental state has been a bit of mess at the time of writing this. I’ve had fears for the future of the AU and my ability to write it at all. While I have big plans and changes in store, it’s surprisingly difficult to stay enthusiastic. Strangely, only my primary villain seems to keep me motivated. But they won’t appear here, too an extent I suppose, but there is another villain who returns in this scene. I’ll let you see who now in...

“Oh~! I see more flowers,” Blister began as she stepped through the Ring Gate and watched Zooey embrace Tails. She grew distracted a moment however as she took in the sight of the Ring Gate Beacon room. The ceiling of shifting blocks covered in glowing geometric patterns was almost mesmerizing. “Wow~. I have to get one of these on my ship.”

“Maybe later,” Tails stated as he put his hands on Zooey’s shoulders and pushed her back, although as gently as he could. “Right now, we have to support Sonic. Zooey, can we map out the catacombs from the bridge.”

“The Engineers and I already have a map in place,” Zooey confided in Tails, though still peeked around him curiously at Draw and Blister. Tails’ urgency pulled her back however as she felt his grip tighten on her shoulders. “We can use the same sonar method we used to map the city to keep track of Sonic and give him a heads up if anything goes sideways.”

“That’s great,” Tails sighed relieved and started to hurry for the bridge, stopping only long enough to look back and ask Zooey another question. “Is it sensitive enough to pick out people?”

“I don’t believe it is, but the catacombs should be large enough for the Tornado to fly through.”

~|~

“Ho! An aeroplane of all things to best Claymore the Purple,” Claymore scoffed as he strode through brick halls that were open on one side to a cavernous hall beyond. “How the mage caused so much trouble with so small a force. No less he bought the time to take to the skies again. Ho! It is like that I would do well to remember the name Sonic the Hedgehog, unless I should stop him and my other guest all at once.”

Weighing the thought of confronting two Ring Mage’s, Claymore chuckled nervously to himself. “Ho! My first real battle since waking and I must face two Ring Mages. Would that I could be joined in battle by my fellow knights.”

~|~

“I don’t like it,” Rosy puffed up her cheeks, her problems multifold.

“Well, you’ll just have to bear with it,” Sonic encouraged Rosy to not let the situation get to her. As he was sitting on top of her pressing her deeper into the cockpit of the Tornado, his words seemed uncaring. Though they were no meant to bet, he had his own problems controlling the biplane as he had one hand occupied holding onto Rosy’s tarot card case. “Just consider it for your own protection.”

“I don’t need protected,” Rosy puffed her cheeks up even more. “Besides, if what Tails said is true, we won’t have time for me to be kept safe. We have to go stop Ix.”

“You know who you’re talking to, right kid?” Sonic feigned being hurt. But Rosy was not feeling playful.

Beyond the cockpit, even squished uncomfortably behind Sonic as she was, Rosy could see Yoluku in the sky, the upside-down sunset becoming a tighter and more sinister smile with each passing moment. A chill ran through Rosy looking at it, and she could swear even without her cards that she heard those same whispers.

It’s fine. This is fun isn’t it? Enjoying a desperate adventure to save the world with your true love. How entertaining!

“Hrm~!” Rosy emitted a low growl and puffed up her cheeks more. Not liking the voice in her head, she contorted herself as best she could behind Sonic and managed to get access to her wrist device.

“Tai~ls!” Rosy whined into it. “Please tell me you have somewhere for us to go!”

-I do!- Tails’ voice came back across the radio.

~I want to feel relieved while Tails guides Sonic through how he needs to fly the Tornado into the catacombs. It’s actually a lot of fun too, the way Sonic pilots his plane around the towers of the city and down into a chasm I didn’t know was in the city. Ooh~! It’s so exciting, but the situation isn’t good. Yolk is… I don’t know what Yolk is any more, but I have a really bad feeling.

~It’s not like me to have bad feelings, especially when Sonic is here. I know he’ll save the day, but something isn’t right. I just have a hard time believing Ix was seen so easily. He had me and everyone else fooled when I first met him, so to think he would be seen going into these oversized catacombs. It just doesn’t feel right. I wonder if this is supposed to be a trap. But for who? Did he even know I was going to be here? Ooh~! I don’t like this!~

“We’re going on foot from here,” Sonic stated as he landed the Tornado on a small ledge, bringing the short flight to an end. As he left the plane, he worked he wrist device under his ow glove cuff. “I’ll relay back to you what I see Tails, but you’re going to have to be on your game to get us to where you think our uninvited party crasher is going.”

-No problem, Sonic!- Tails’ voice chirped confidently across the wrist device’s radio. -Just watch out for traps.-

“No worries there,” Sonic laughed. “In case you haven’t forgotten, I have a world class rascal here to take care of them for me.”

“Soni~c!”

~Sonic’s ability to stay cheerful, even in the face of danger is always so inspiring and always helps me forget that people call me strange for doing the same. I can’t help but smile running with him through these ancient stone tunnels. Though it would be nice if there were less traps. But, well, a lot of traps that needed to be tripped were already tripped as Sonic and I ran past them. It’s hard to say running so fast, but they look more like they were disarmed rather than tripped. I shouldn’t be surprised, but… I kind of feel like it looks too familiar how they’ve been disarmed.~

~|~

“Alright, how much further do you want to drag me into this place! It’s been nothing but trap after trap and no rewards worth the risk!"

“Silence, treasure hunter! I must endure this humility and so will you.”

“Yikes! Don’t lose your feathers old man!”

“An old man who will outlive you, treasure hunter!”

“Alright, alright! Just put my gun down. I’ll stop asking questions.”

“Perhaps it would be best if you both focused.”

“Yeah, well if I could I’d leave you both under a pile of rubble if I thought it’d do anything you talkative pile of rocks.”

“Keep talking, treasure hunter. It fascinates me how your mouth is able to dig a grave.”

“Yikes!”

Watching the antics of Doctor Fukurokov, former leader of the now all but defunct Battle Kukku Armada, and Fang the Sniper, the troublesome treasure hunter who introduced Rosy to the world of adventure for his own gains, Ix would have sighed if his stone form possessed lungs. The two were anything but dignified. Though at least Fang put on no airs of false dignity like Doctor Fukurokov.

Still, Ix’s plans required both, lest he had been rid of them ages ago having learned all he needed from them via a forced Ring Bond.

“There will be time for you to torment the Child of Chaos yet, Child of the Heavens,” Ix at last interceded by walking between the owl and jerboa-wolf hybrid. His actions were meant to do more than break line of sight between them however, as he continued forward causing Fang to panic.

“Watch where you’re walking you blasted statue! You’re going to get us all killed!”

Fang’s excited shouting carried through the catacombs, straight into the twitching ear of a certain pink hedgehog girl. “Fang!”

“Him again, huh?” Sonic sighed in response to Rosy’s exclamation.

“Ooh~! Don’t be like that Sonic!” Rosy chided Sonic before suddenly picking her own route deeper into the catacombs.

“Hey! Amy! That’s not the way Tails is–”

“It sounds like Fang is with Ix!” Rosy interrupted Sonic and dashed off, following the sounds of the voices and her intuition.

“This isn’t a great time Amy! AMY!”

Left with little choice, Sonic took off after Rosy. It was going to be far from a difficult task to catch her either. For as much as she did her best to run at Sonic’s speed, her stumbling and general clumsiness was not the practiced and instinctual scrambling that Sonic performed that allowed him to run freely nigh anywhere. As large as the catacombs were, however, Fang did not possess Sonic’s speed. As he was the one searching for traps, he was the one controlling the pace at which Ix’s party progressed.

“Yeesh, the weasel, the surprisingly resilient birdbrain, and the statue who really would have been better served staying in bed,” Sonic remarked as he skidded to a halt and saw the odd group. Or at least odd to Rosy who did not see the panic on Fang’s face as anything but a desperate plea for help. Naturally, Sonic saw it differently. “So how are you going to lie your way out of this one, weasel?”

“Ho! Funny, Ring Mage,” the voice of Claymore boomed from beyond Ix. “I was aiming to ask you and the medium the same.”

“And now, all of the players are present,” Ix remarked, his blue glowing eyes taking in the autogolem knight, the treasure hunter and pirate, and the two hedgehog’s who he silently deemed the most troublesome of all his obstacles.

Scene 52 · CLEARED Party Crashing, to be continued

-----

And there we go. Two scenes left to finish up Season 1. There’s a lot of ground to cover, and hopefully I’ll be able to have Sonic meet my main villain. It’s just there is so much to cover, and it’ll likely inflate the scenes. The smart thing to do would be to stretch it out, but I really want to end the season inline with the anime season. So, if everything went well after I wrote this, in one week Season 1 will be finished and Season 2 will be quite different in it’s handling. Please look forward to it!

-----

Special Thanks to Cutegirlmayra Story by @JoshTarwater/SonicFanJ Inspiring Song – Insatiable (From “Final Fantasy XIV”) - Vocaloid Version – Azina, Masayoshi Soken – Insatiable (From “Final Fantasy XIV”)

#sonic the hedgehog #sonic fan fiction #sonic au #sonic au series #sonic ring bond #the journey #classic amy #amy rose #rosy the rascal #au amy #amy redesign #miles tails prower #fang the sniper #doctor fukurokov #pir'oth ix #sonic oc #claymore the purple

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mrneighbourlove · 4 years

Text

Scarlet Contract: Part 1

The fresh cool air of Duskar blew through the window. Another cool day ahead of them. Scarlet, being the first to get up from bed, looked down at a sleeping Rat and Borghild. Putting her clothing on, she walked to the living room to see her two youngest already up. Good. Breakfast first. Then she’d get set to work. Peeling oranges, the Gerudo set to work quickly on delivering food for her kids.

Rat woke not too long after Scarlet. He carefully wedged himself away from Borghild, who always slept like the dead, and stretched. He was old now, sixty years of age. Gray had riddled his hair and he had the slightest tint of winkles forming. Scars were thicker, more noticeable then usual. While he could still do his daily chores and manage work, it was getting harder. There were deep pains that haunted his body. Sometimes, the aches disturbed his focus. Yet, he put on a smile and always managed to play with the younger tykes.

The ex-pirate thought back over the years of when he held his firstborn. Revy was grown and spending more time with Seija now. The two were lovebirds, no pun intended. Trygve had grown into a huge warrior, taller and bulkier than him. The young man could transform into a fearsome into a grizzly just as fierce as his mother. Volcana was as sneaky as Bomba, and he was so glad that the little girl grew up to be just as lovely as Scarlet and as funny as Bomba. He could see more and more of Bomba in her everyday. He sincerely wished Bomba could see her now. And since Scarlet wanted to try for another child, it seemed they had more pitter patter of little feet in the house. Yet, he did not count on getting Scarlet and Borgie both pregnant at the same time. So now, there were two more daughters running around the house.

Putting out plates of breakfast, Scarlet whistled for her daughters to gather around. Although Volcana was a teenager, and quite independent, she still lived under Scarlet’s roof. “Girls. Breakfast.”

Lovisa and Greta were the same age and were as close as sisters should be. The two did everything together and refused to be without the other. Of course, this mean the two were twice as likely to cause trouble as well. Everything was completed in grins and giggles with a steady case of denial. As the two rushed to the breakfast table, they climbed into their chairs and settled in beside Volcana. Borghild grumbled when she heard the whistle and rose partway off the bed, her hair a mess.

"Am I going to have to snog her to get her to stop doing that horrid noise so early in the morning?" The mama bear grumbled. "So. Loud."

"Aye, perhaps so." Rat got off the bed and went to put on a fresh set of clothes. His back was hurting today from that fight with Onslaught all those years ago. When the dragon knocked him overboard, he managed to hit the ledge of the ship before the water. It had hurt him all these years, but was an old injury. "Borgie, me back is ach'n something a-fierce today. You rub it later for me?"

"As long as you rub mine." Borghild growled at him in a suggestive manner.

Scarlet took a crunch out of her apple. A sense of nostalgia filled her as she looked at her girls. She felt it was time. “Greta. Lovisa. I think it’s time you two learned a way around a ship. Volcania, you’ll be joining us too.”

Greta frowned, taking a bite of orange. “Must we mother? I wanted to play at the ranch.”

"I thought we were going to wrestle today?" Lovisa asked Scarlet as she munched on her fruit. "Mama said it's important to properly learn how to wrestle in order to win a fight. Besides, I'm the better wrestler."

"You're only the better wrestler cause you're a bear like your mother." Volcana rolled her eyes. "Anyone could tell you that, it's logic."

"So? Greta shoots better than you."

"And I ride horses better than you both."

"Okay, ya two, stop a-bickering so early." Rat walked into the dining area and kissed Scarlet on the cheek. "Borgie requests the cease of the a-whistling in the morn. She's a grumpy bear."

Scarlet guzzled down her drink, always enjoying a clear smooth taste of water down her throat. “And now, you will learn how to sail a ship. It’s in your blood.”

"Uncle Corsaire says sailing a ship is like handling a fine lady. What does that mean, Daddy?"

Rat nearly choked on his coffee. "Me will tell ya when ya older."

"Daaaaaaadddddd!" The girls protested in unison.

“It means that you put your soul into a ship like the one you will love.” Scarlet went to get her boots on. “All of your hurry up and finish your food. You’ll need the strength.”

"MMmhorn'n..." Borghild walked into the room half asleep. She had to have a little tea or coffee or even juice to wake her up. Being a grizzly bear, she valued her sleep. She kissed Scarlet and then Rat, and sat at the table. "Going off so soon?"

"Scarlet wants to teach the girls how to run a ship."

"She already runs a tight ship."

"A real ship, Borgie."

Scarlet put her light coat on and opened the door. “The seaside is beautiful today Borghild. Should join me.”

"Hrm," Borgie looked out the window. "Looks like a nice day for a long nap."

"Borgie, come now, let's entertain the girls and Scarlet for a while."

"Very well, but you two are cuddling with me when I nap."

“Always dear.” Scarlet kissed her wife’s forehead, then ushered the kids out when they were ready. “Come. We can go to Commodore Liz’s boats.”

Once at the ship, Rat felt that familiar wave of sadness wash over him. The sea always reminded him of the old days with the crew. He recalled Mojo and Juju loving the play darts at the bars in various port stops. Now, they were at home, enjoying the company of family. There was Acrobat, who could fly with the help of rope despite his legs. Then, when Asakonigei made him a pair of braces so he could walk normally, he found out that Acrobat loved to play music, particularly the fiddle. He worked in Hyrule at a bar, playing music for everyone. Pockets was as gentle as men could come and adored animals. Orana had been kind enough to let him take over the animal sanctuary when she was called away from diplomatic issues. Seer was here in Uskar, living out his days as a happy husband and grandfather. He still cooked for the king and queen, always enjoying the kitchen. If only Bomba could be here... what would he say now?

"The ladies can't resist me!"

"Whatever tis is, me didn't do it."

"Whale farts make tsunamis and fish makes great sushi, I love barmaid titties and shiny old rupees!"

He could almost hear him. Even if he was forgetting how he sounded at times.

Scarlet pressed on the wood boarding beneath her feet before turning to her girls. “All right children. Who knows how to lower and raise a sail?”

Lovisa and Great both pinched Volcana's backside so she would jolt and move forward. "Hey!"

“Alright Volcana. Get on the deck. Show me the ropes.”

The family spent the morning learning how to run the ship. It was a surprisingly fun activity for all of them. Rat felt like he was a young man again, hoisting the sails with Corsaire. He missed his captain, his brothers in arms, but was very glad that all of them were happy in life. Even Borghild tried to learn a few things from Scarlet, but the bear was more interested in the anchor staying exactly where it was. The last thing she wanted to do was to go out on the sea when she could smell a storm coming.

Scarlet showed the girls around the ship. They learned section names of the boat, how to steer a boat, load a cannon, and raise sails. At lunch, Scarlet let the dock master know they were going to sail about the lagoon.

"Nooo, no, no, a storm is coming, I'm telling you, I can smell it!" Borghild insisted, her hair almost standing up on end. She did not like flying, she could tolerate ships, but preferred land because it was not going anywhere. "We need to go back in."

"Mama, it's just a quick trip around the lagoon."

"Mom wouldn't take us out if she knew it would be bad."

Greta walked up to Scarlet, pulling on her mother’s shirt. “Momma. Why were you and papa pirates?”

Scarlet patted her head. “Circumstance my little Greta.”

"Yer Momma and me came from different backgrounds, my dear lassie." Rat reminded the girls. "Your Uncle Corsaire saved me life. Your Momma ran with her girls. All of the stories we told you were true."

“Why did you have Adda as your captain?”

The innocent question of a child could strike the deepest at times. Volcania was old enough to be weary of the name Adda. Scarlet held onto the wheel, deep in thought. “Because she was a sister, and the best suited to lead.”

"A bad sister at that." Rat told Greta and Lovisa. "Let's not bring up Adda around Momma, all right? We don't need to focus on bad memories, let's just focus on making the a-good ones."

“Rat. I don’t mind talking about the subject. Really.”

"... tis up to you, darling. I just don't like seeing you sad." Rat admitted to his lover.

"How did you... meet Adda?" Lovisa asked her question slowly.

“Rat. Drop the anchor.”

Once the anchor was dropped, the ship gently floated on the surface of the lagoon.

"Alright girls. Where to begin. Well, I met Adda when I was only eleven years old. Like all of us, she was taken aboard at a young age to serve the mast. Most of us willingly did so because our childhoods before them could be monstrous. Not too much younger than me, she quickly grew adjusted to life under Captain. We looked out for one another so that we might survive the brutal living conditions thrust upon us a times. When we were teenagers, I even saved her life.

________________________________________________________________

Crossover with @ridersoftheapocalypse

Next Part:

#Late Night Upload #Crossover #ridersoftheapocalypse #Scarlet #Captain Adda #Bonegrinder

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dracdad-a · 6 years

Text

A moment.

Dracula talks to Martha.

"I know," he began, his arms hugging his legs closely to his chest; eyes staring into the lovely artificial eyes he's spent countless hours looking into, "I haven't done this since Mavis got married, but..." somehow, it wasn't the same. The eyecolor was the same, and the expression was just as warm as the real thing, he remembered. And oh, he remembered.

But the painting lacked... that certain something her eyes had once held -- beautiful, drawing him in like a magnet and wrapping his heart in a much needed gentle embrace.

The room was dark; not even candles had been lit, and yet Dracula could see perfectly. His eyes glowed a faint hue of blue in the pitch-blackness of the room as he sat uncomfortably on the floor, talking to someone who wasn't really there.

"... But I just had to say something. I uh. I met -- someone." Inwardly, he winced a little; glanced downwards. "Mavy thought it'd be a good idea for us to go out on vacation for once -- and well, as you could imagine, I wasn't really that excited at first. But it was kind of fun, I guess. We went out on this -- cruise ship." A pause, his pale lips twitched. "I know; me, on a boat. Yes, that's... very funny, Martha," the last part was said more quietly, a dull and persistent pain creeping into his chest.

"I zinged," he blurted out after a long silence had passed, and somehow, he felt a weigh being lifted off his shoulders. "With the captain. Her name is... Ericka. Ericka Van Helsing." Dracula frowned. "Yes, I know how that sounds -- that man was crazy. He's still alive, by the way. Somehow. But she's... nice. And she's not going to hurt me, I'm fine.

"She's very kind and clever. Mavis and her are getting along pretty well. But -- don't get me wrong, honey. I... I still miss you a lot. I just had to -- move on. Frank said it wasn't good for me, so I tried. It didn't feel as bad as I'd thought -- taking off the... our wedding ring. It's been a very long time, and it wasn't making me feel any good." A long sigh escaped from inside his lungs. "I'm... I'm sorry. But I'm sure you would've wanted me to be happy. Wouldn't you?

"He tried to kill us in Atlantis -- her gread-grandfather. Almost succeeded, until she saved me. She saved all of us, monsters. And... yeah, Johnny did, too." A ghost of a smile made its way onto his facial features, and the vampire shook his head. "Mavis is very happy with him; oh, you would be so proud of her. She's grown up so much, our little baby.

"Oh, I'm a grandfather now! I forgot to tell. We are... both grandparents, darling. His name is Dennis. He has all this -- red curly hair on his little head, just like his own dad. But he's a vampire. Not that it matters, of course, but he got his fangs on his fifth birthday! He's a very sweet kid." His smile had widened tenfold, to the point he was actually grinning now; his long fangs peeking from behind his lips.

Then, a noise. His sensitive ears picked up a barely noticeable sound coming from the closed door a few metres away from where he sat. His smile fell, and his brows furrowed into a frown, his head cocking to one side in curiosity and in order to hear better.

----------

Outside, Ericka was feeling conflicted; her small hand covered her mouth as she tried to carefully listen in to what her boyfriend (was that the correct term?) spoke to his deceased wife. A cocktel of emotions swirled in the pit of her stomach: jealousy, sadness, pity, guilt.

What should she do? Should she dare say something? The human wondered if Drac could even hear her breathing from out here, for what something all these years of studying his kind had taught her, was that their senses were much more developed than hers. But maybe not.

Wait, why had he suddenly gone so quiet again?

The wooden door creaked open, and a very confused Count looked at her from inside the room; his hand holding said door open.

"Oh, uh. Hey."

"Hello." What was she doing out here? Had she been listening in? "What -- What are you doing here, honey?"

"I was just... Sorry. This isn't -- This isn't what it looks like."

He raised an eyebrow.

"I mean," she interjected, "it... maybe is, but I couldn't help it. I'm sorry, Drac. I got worried."

The vampire's expression softened. "I'm fine, don't worry. I was only..."

"Oh no, you don't have to explain yourself. Just... do you want some company?" He shouldn't sulk on his own like this, it wasn't healthy.

"... I don't know."

She frowned, a little rejected. "Ah, Okay."

"Okay?"

"I mean -- if you'd rather -- instead spend time with --" She outright winced. That sounded horrible. She was awful.

Ouch. "No, no. I just need some alone time, I promise." He shifted a little on his spot, awkwardly. "It's... not -- Ericka. My wife... Martha. You and her -- What you and I have is not the same. From what she and I had. I know we haven't talked about this, but... maybe we should."

She nodded, agreeing with him. "Yeah."

"But not now. I'm..." Dracula glanced away. Why was it so hard to put his thoughts into words sometimes?

"It's fine," she reassured him softly, placing a hand over his chest, his heart beating slowly but strong under her fingertips. "We can talk later. But... are you sure you want to --"

"No. You can come in."

She blinked up at him, quite surprised. "All right."

The first thing Ericka noticed once the door had closed behind her, was the darkness -- but that soon changed when, with a graceful wave of his own hand, a couple of candles got magically lit. Her eyes landed on the huge painting that hung from the wall, and slowly, she approached it, filled to the brim with curiosity.

A long hand placed itself on her shoulder -- Drac's hand -- and she looked up at him.

"We were together for a very long time. Almost three-hundred years. Martha was... my soulmate. She was my everything."

Some jealousy bubbled up inside her chest again, which she unsuccessfully tried to drown. Unfortunately, he glanced down at her right then.

"But you're my soulmate too. Don't ever doubt that," he added softly, blue eyes linked with hers. "I love you."

She smiled.

"What was her favorite color?"

"What?"

"Her favorite color?"

"Oh. Red. It was deep red."

Her smile grew. "My great-grandfather likes blue."

"Hrm."

"I know he's kind of... But he's my family too."

The vampire chuckled lightly. "That's how I feel about my father. He can really be a bit too much sometimes. And no one can get on my nerves like he can. It's impressive, really."

"Hah. Well, maybe all four of us are trying our best now."

"I hope so -- he's still annoying."

"Who, your father, or my great-grandfather?"

A thoughful little hum. "Both."

Ericka laughed, and he held her closer.

#hotel transylvania #hotelt3 #ericka van helsing #drabble #ok to rb

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skeleton-quays · 6 years

Note

What are your ships for Persona 5?

Hrm, I haven’t really formed strong opinions on this too much, there are very few ships I feel strongly about the popular ones are all quite good! I don’t hate any of the girls so this might be why, most of the shipping rage seems to be about who is Valid lol

I got really annoyed the game wouldn’t let my character date Yusuke after the link was so… Well everything! So I was like love is a lie in this game hahaha

I ship Anne with healthy boundaries and a life free of sexual harrassment

I see futaba and the main character more like older brother younger sister siblings but I don’t really think the ship is problematic or anything, bc my interpretation of the dynamic is clearly not the only interpretation the developers had set up for you to play. Futaba is like a little troll child I can’t imagine her dating yet she needs some time to go through her phase memeing on 4chan or whatever these kids do

(when I was her age I was not fit deal with humans I could only meme and dissociate so perhaps this has affected my view of her, she needs more time for her brain to heal before stepping out on the town or she will get hurt real bad)

I think the doctor and the teacher should hook up, age-appropriate adult links in general have some good ships out there

I see a lot of Makoto x Haru which seems very cute!

goro x therapy

Everyone x therapy actually but Goro the most

I will have to sit down and think of the supporting characters more, all their names have jumbled in my mind 😂 I was not well when this game dropped so my mind is jumbled! The shoji player is cool so I think she should get a cool ship but who is cool enough? 🤔

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aerislei · 6 years

Text

MHA - Post Season 1 Wrap Up

Season one covered a lot of ground and introduced a huge number of characters. It’s, ah, pretty ambitious tbh. That’s a big cast to keep track of and keep everyone interested in. And while it looks like they aren’t staying restricted to 13 episode seasons (thank goodness) there is still really limited screentime to work with when you consider we’ve got... Baku, Deku, Momo, Todoroki, ... ... Ochaco, that’s her name. And also... Kirishima, Mina, All Might, Aizawa...Jiru... I could go on and on, at this point.

Most characters are a name, a power, and a big question mark. I’m not going to even try to cover the whole cast, just going to pull a few I have something to say about, but below are a few characters and my current thoughts/theories. I do a more general wrap up at the end as well with what I’m thinking as we go forward.

I’m 13 episodes in, with more than 60 total. I’ve got some work to go yet.

This is the part where I mention (possibly reiterate) that I really don’t mind spoilers (because I am of the mind that it’s not necessarily the bit of information but how we get to it/learn about it/etc that makes the story what it is) and because of that I am somewhat steeped in information about MHA that was not necessarily available when season one was originally released. This is not a blind watching of the anime, and so some of my theorizing is based on information that I know comes into play, but don’t know how. I don’t really go seeking spoilers and I have been slightly more cautious since I started watching, but yeah, some things are inevitable.

Bakugo

I still think he’s compensating for something. He is settling into class better, after the combat practice episode. But there’s something... hm. He’s not got a good base, and I’m still suspecting some sort of rough place in his history with his quirk bringing positive attention that he craved. ... Or negative attention, even. Anything is better than being ignored right? This is speculation, but that’s where I am with him right now. I was very proud of his actions during the Villain attack, but... his personality remains all sharp edges. Still not sure I like him exactly, but here we are. He’s not a bad character, just a complicated one.

... I really which I knew why Deku keeps calling him -chan tho bc that’s generally a term of endearment and hell if they don’t seem to really not like each other. Like were they actually friendly once? Because all the flashbacks have the friendliness as very... very one sided. On the other hand, it may just be that he calls him -chan because that’s the sort of person Deku is. Hrm.

Ahhhhhh. I’m actually excited to see where the rivalry drives them, I didn’t expect to say that. But the two of them are in a position to push each other very... very far. I still want to see him develop more as a friend of Kirishima tho. He could use actual friends it seems.

Kirishima

It took me a second to remember his quirk, right, hardening. Okay. So! He’s had a combined total of like 5 minutes of screentime, curse of a cast this large. He is intriguing to me. He has a very hero-like attitude, is the best way I can describe it. And by that I mean his general outlook on ... for example, he and Bakugo going after warpgate, he recognized that they got in the way, and it may have been partially their fault that Thirteen wasn’t able to stop things before they were all scattered. He wanted to fix that.

He works really well with Bakugo in a way I’m not sure how to describe. I do hope to see them becoming friends, to an extent because I get the sense that maybe both of them could use a friend. I have a slight guess that he may feel drawn to Bakugo because they’re similar in some ways - but I haven’t quite figured out how because they have very different outlooks, externally.

I kind of ship Kiribaku, despite aforementioned combined total of maybe 5 minutes. Don’t judge me too harshly.

I really wanna know more about this guy, I think that’s all.

Todoroki

Literally a name a power and a question mark. We know he got in on recommendation - of course we don’t know who’s, but I’m not sure it’s important. What’s interesting though, and Midoriya brought it up in the monologue during um, Hero Notebook, I think, and I realized he’s right. We’ve never seen him use the heat portion of his quirk except to release his classmates that he froze in the combat practice episode. He relies almost solely on the ice portion. Now, this could be because freezing people in place is super effective and he hasn’t needed anything more but it’s still... interesting.

Especially when coupled with the burn on the side of his face, around his eye. That scar reminds me of Zuko, ofc (seriously look at that picture. I’m not convinced the imagery was accidental). Don’t know how he got it yet, but I literally cannot imagine that that burn isn’t extremely important - it’s very prominent and honestly I’d be surprised they bothered with something like that on a character that’s already extremely identifiable by his hair alone if it wasn’t important to his character somehow. And I also suspect it’s highly likely that it relates to why he doesn’t use the heat portion of his powers.

This is partially helped along by listening to ‘Sparks Rise’ and ‘Burn’. Neither of which give any particular details but *shrug*. I’ll leave anyone who hasn’t heard them to consider their additions to what little we see in season 1, because he has more than Kirishima’s screen time but not by much.

So, with that in mind. Ice Zuko Todoroki here, due to comparisons in my own head with Zuko, I’m predicting some kind of family issues. Indeterminate type. And I’m hedging a bet on, he’s either becoming a hero bc his family is pushing him to, or because he wants to get back at a family member for something. Perhaps the burn?

I’m looking forward to seeing if we get to see him use his fire seriously at some point. And, of course, learning more about what made him the way he is.

Midoriya

Okay so our main protagonist, and to be honest the one we know the most about. ... I have questions, of course, like where is his father and do we ever find out? But for the most part, we know he grew up watching heroes and that’s why he’s doing what he’s doing. His ultimate idol All Might is grooming him as a successor and that’s... I mean awesome for him. Dreams come true and all.

Easily arguable as one of the weaker combatants because he can’t use his quirk without half killing himself. But he’s got that, um, ... I think i’m going to go with inspiring personality (one of my friends @that-one-gundam-guy called him a Labrador in human form at one point and tbh that is so accurate). He’s very we can do it, happy go lucky, but he’s also very determined and he is taking this seriously. Even if he is extremely nervous outside of serious situations.

Anyway, he’s got a really good head in a fight. Probably second only to ... Momo and Todoroki, he is extremely good at analyzing a situation and the strengths/potential weaknesses of an enemy. His habit of collecting and analyzing everything about Heroes he can find will definitely serve him well in the field because he can recognize how a quirk can be used and how best to get around it. .... Mind he generally won’t have the tools to get around it himself. Currently, at least.

Aside from the fact that he’s not yet mastered his quirk there’s the fact that he tends to freeze up in certain situations. But there’s time to get around that yet. ... Though I hope at some point he starts to get a style that’s... his instead of just him copying All Might. Like, given the way One For All works, it’s gotta be possible to do... other stuff with it? Stuff that might suit his... much... smaller form better? I mean, yes it’s a close range quirk and he’s going to have to get into close combat, but punches can’t possibly be the only option. Some variation would be good.

All in all...

There’s still a lot of ground to cover and I’ve got a lot of hope for the series. Lots of room for everyone to grow and maybe for some reveals that will expand on some of our characters so they’re more than a power and a name. But there are... like 20 episodes in next season, so there should be more screen time to do all of that in.

Somewhere out there we have Kurogiri and Tomura (see I do know Warpgate and Hands’ names... lol)... and whoever is actually commanding them. But they’re still out there, and that means that they are going to pull their forces together and try to come after All Might again at some point. ... And Tomura certainly took notice of Deku. That’s not going to end well.

Or no, it will. But not before it hurts like heck all, I’m sure. Not sure it’ll be this next season though? Depends on how far they want to drag that plotpoint out for, I suppose. ... And how many times Tomura and Kurogiri strike before they hit gold, so to speak.

I was thinking though, the person they were speaking to when they first got back to their hideout took some serious interest when Tomura mentioned ‘the kid’. Does one of our bad guys know about One for All’s ability to be transferred between holders? Because that could spell trouble for Izuku “I’m-still-breaking-bones-constantly" Midoriya.

Anyway, season one was good, and I’m looking forward to season 2!

#MHA #BNHA #my hero academia #boku no hero academia #season wrap up

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lady-tortilla-chip · 2 years

Note

Hiiiii you know I have to ask VNC for 001

Fair. I also asked you for all three so. 😂

Favorite character: Vanitas! He makes me think of Yato and I am forever entertained by his general attitude and the fact that he’s a closet sweetheart.

Least favorite character: hrm probably what’s his nuts. Uh. Fucking crap I cannot remember his name but the GUY who put that like blood pact on Noé to force him to do whatever he wants when he activates it. THAT guy.

5 favorite ships (canon or non canon): idek if I have five. Vanoé, Domijeanne, VaNoLand/Rovanoe, aaaand I guess Vanijeanne but I don’t seek out content for them so I don’t think they count.

Character I find most attractive: Vanitas (as hot as Domi and Jeanne are, Vani wins)

Character I would marry: Jeanne 💖

Character I would be best friends with: probs Vani or Domi cuz they are bitches. But I’d also love Roland because ya just KNOW he’s not someone who needs you to talk to him cuz he’ll gladly do all the talking.

A random thought: Domi is a lesbian and VaNoLand/Rovanoe is the most obvious ship y’all are just BLIND

An unpopular opinion: Vanijeanne is actually a really good ship within the story and I think it’s a really good contrast to Vanoé

My canon otp: I….don’t have one. I like Vanijeanne in the story but I don’t like it nearly enough to consider it an “otp”

My non-canon otp: VaNoLand/Rovanoe ! 😤

Most badass character: agh this is a mean question because all of them are badass to me. Jeanne tho

Most epic villain: hrm the teacher guy

Pairing I am not a fan of: Domi/Noé. They. They are gay.

Characters I feel the writers screwed up: nobody! (Yet >.>)

Favorite friendship: domijeanne or Dante and Vanitas (I know they aren’t like FRIENDS exactly but they know* each other and I think they matter to each other)

Character I most identify with: nobody!

Character I wish I could be: also nobody! These characters are fucked! 😂

#oh I loved answering #y’all send me MORE #vnc #ask #answered

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dingoat · 6 years

Photo

The Right Way | Part Thirteen

[ previous | the beginning | next ]

In the timeline where Crow turned right, he knew he’d eventually have to face up to his past.

Even though he’d lost all contact with his former comrades, he’d managed to pick up on the murmurings, here and there. Nothing on Nines and Lyrisal themselves, of course… but there were whispers of a breakout at one of the less secure Republic facilities. A place where Crow was reasonably certain some of the lower ranking Deserters had been held; recent recruits, civilians who had not abandoned their army but rather been disillusioned by their former lifestyles, ordinary people seeking a different status quo.

“Come on, are none of you out on this fething frequency anymore? It’s me. Crow. Don’t tell me there’s nobody listening…” But if there was someone listening, they weren’t responding. He’d started trying to contact them again a few weeks back, but to no avail. And with every unanswered signal, he grew increasingly certain that his comm was purposefully blocked, and he knew why.

Coward. For years he’d tried to push it out of his mind, the way he’d fled, the terror he’d known. No matter that he’d tried to turn things around; no matter that he’d turned his ship back to the fight, it had all come to naught, as they were eventually rounded up and marched into their cells… without him. Because he’d abandoned them. Because he’d been afraid of exactly that. And if the Free People’s Army was mobilising once more, if they were finally breaking themselves free… oh, Nines would never suffer his cowardice to go unpunished. One way or another, she’d get to him.

He turned his weary blue eyes to the co-pilot’s seat, where Nela was curled up asleep.

Nel.

The only thing that had kept him going all these years. His only reason for being. High paying jobs in his line of work were either extremely dangerous, or deeply unpalatable. She was the reason he’d opted more for the latter, in recent times. Better to do unsavoury work and be able to see to her dinner the following day.

But now… well. It was all going to catch up with him. And he knew he’d have to make sure her future was accounted for before it did.

***

“Well! I think it’s time we pitted our newbloods against one another, get a look at their hand-to-hand skills.” The toned zabrak warrior, chieftain of his clan, turned his eyes to the two newest recruits of Aliit Motir’ang.

Ahuska gulped. Life had certainly taken an unpredictable turn in the last few weeks. She’d never had much hope for being invited into another clan; and especially not now, after the Eternal Empire had rained its blows across the galaxy and soldiers, warriors, tried and proven fighters were all that any rebuilding clan was after.

She’d met Alor Scottrys and his rallymaster, Sydica, doing a simple fodder delivery, overseeing the transport of a crate of live nuna from Dxun to Tattooine. She’d had no idea at the time that their clan were dedicated beast handlers; trappers and trainers both, and in sore need of more hands at that. They didn’t have to watch her handling her sleek silver varactyl long before they extended the offer to join them, and just like that, she found herself telling her old mentor Mirshko’vlk the news, packing her things and getting ready for a whole new life.

Though he was sad to see her go, his pride was undeniable, and the thought of trying to keep her back unthinkable. “Bout time you got yourself off the ranch and out into the galaxy” he’d said, shuffling into her room with a squirming ball of fur and teeth bundled in one arm.

The look that the young Bothan shot him; wide blue eyes, soft and sincere and struck with sudden concern, just made him laugh. “Oh, don’t even think about it, Hus’ika. Don’t you dare think of sticking around on my account. I’ve got Reyr to help around the place, and I’m sure there’s an ad’ika or two down in the Vale that would be happy to earn a few extra credits if she’s not enough. I’ll miss you, sure. The beasts will miss you doubly. But you deserve the chance to make something more of yourself.” The little thing he was carrying revealed itself to be a ten week old Nexu cub with a yowl and a wild flailing of her gaping jaws, at which point Mirshk’ deftly grabbed her by the quills and offered her out to Ahuska. “Here. I know you always wanted one. Something to remember the place by, hm?”

“Oh. Oh shab. Shab! She’s beautiful!” Ahuska scooped her up in an instant, and already those eyes of hers were brimming over. “Vor’e, Mirshk! Vor’e!”

She’d been so busy in the following weeks, she hadn’t even taken the time to settle on a name for the little cub, that now squeezed its way up from her lap and onto the top of the bar at which she sat with her new clanmates. Just a few days prior she’d helped them reclaim their old stronghold, having learned that they’d been forced to abandon it during the galactic conflicts and it had since been settled by a tribe of Sand People. That had been somewhat confronting; as brief and mild as the firefight had been, it was the first time in her life that she’d turned a blaster on another sapient being. But she had handled rifles before, was a reasonable hunter and had been forced to defend herself against dangerous animals before.

This, however? A fist-fight? With a complete stranger? This was something new. And in its own way, completely terrifying.

The man who sat a little way down the bar had to be at least a decade older than her. He’d been lounging there, wise-cracking, making cheeky remarks toward Sydica like he’d known her for years as opposed to having been pulled out of the Hutta swamps and invited back to the clan base only a couple of days ago. Ahuska had been too deathly shy to say anything to him just yet, but now she stared at him, at his bright blue eyes, the brightest she’d ever seen… his shaggy mop of slate grey hair, the rough stubble that accented his jawline and the striking tattoo that coiled its way up the right side of his face…

And then he was turning his broad, toothy grin toward her, and she found herself suddenly shaking her head. “Fight? No… I don’t… I mean I don’t really know how, I’m not sure I’d be any good to… to go up against…”

“Come on,” he said, getting up to his feet and motioning to the door with an incline of his head. For all that he’d been cracking wise and smarmy a moment ago, he now looked so utterly warm and encouraging, Ahuska started to feel herself unravel. “You’ll be fine.”

With her new Alor and rallymaster urging her on, Ahuska followed her roguish new clanmate down to the compound’s arena.

He knew what he was doing; she did not. The fight was short, finished when he delivered a blow to the end of her snout that took her so by surprise she wound up flat on her rear, doing all she could to stop hot tears of pain springing into her eyes. She was hurt, she was embarrassed at her own miserable ability, but she was overjoyed in an utterly inexplicable way.

“I’m going to have to go check in on Nela,” he said, after helping her up and clapping an arm about her shoulders. “But if you want a few pointers some time, I’m pretty sure my tent is right down from yours. Ahuska, was it?”

She nodded, flustered, with her hands pressed to her nose to try and stem the blood flow.

“I’m Crow, not sure you caught that earlier. You did great.” He gave her arm a gentle nudge before heading on his way, and Ahuska felt her heart swell like it never had before.

---

In the timeline where Crow turned left, Ahuska’a knew she’d crossed a line.

One very late night, when she’d successfully completed a hunt that only required the return of the hapless target’s head to receive full payment, she’d set up her camp out in the plains of Dantooine where she’d finally tracked the being down. A pirate of some sort, deserted his crew or double-crossed them or something, she didn’t particularly care about the finer details. Or even the greater details.

He was now just chunks of meat that she was carving up to feed her Anooba, old Rayshe’a, Resol and gangly young E’tad. It was blessedly late, and she was tired, and not looking forward to heading back out to find some game for herself. And so, while stoking her small fire, she came to the conclusion that she wouldn’t. What difference did it make, really? He was already dead. He was about to be devoured anyway. She could go out there and shoot down some animal; some lovely creature that had never crossed her, never done the galaxy a bad turn… or just share the meat with her dogs, a filthy criminal who the galaxy wouldn’t miss.

She knew she crossed a line that night, and felt just enough shame about it that she knew she’d have to keep it from her Clan, distant as she was from them these days. But not enough shame to stop herself.

***

It was a few months later that he tracked her down.

“Ahuska’a Ga’ihlr.”

She looked up from her patch of shade at the man who approached her in the bustling marketplace. A fairly unimpressive looking fellow, old but lean and spry in that way Sith often were, for Sith he surely was, judging by his eyes. “Mmm?”

“The Bothan Butcher?”

“Heh, that what they calling me these days? Easy, E’tad.” She placed a steadying hand at the nape of the young Anooba’s bristling neck. “Who d’you want me to shank, then?”

“Oh, no, no. If it were as simple as that, I’d be quite capable of handling it on my own. I’ve come with more of a… ahhh, business proposition, if you will.”

“Don’t need no partner. ‘n why would you need me if you’re not after a kill?” She spoke with the blunt confidence of one who trusted her reputation to keep her reasonably safe, in the right neighbourhoods.

He was equally to the point. “I need a Bothan. Preferably one with as few scruples as yourself.”

“Hrm?” The look she shot him was equal parts suspicious and curious. “Dunno if you’ve noticed, but I hardly fit the regular mould. Y’ haven’t thought to try Bothawui or Kothlis first?”

“Mmmm, no. I’d rather someone I could trust a little more to actually be on side with me. And, frankly, if you know anything about your own species you’d know why a Bothawui citizen would be less than ideal.”

“Hmf. You’re not really selling yourself, though. Gimme one good reason to hear you out.”

“I’ve watched your career, the last little while. You seem hell bent on punishing the galaxy. Would I be right in assuming it’s because the galaxy took something precious from you, some time ago?”

Ahuska’a stood abruptly, launching into the silver-haired man with a fierce kick to the guts that sent him reeling back a step. “Go feth yourself,” she snarled, pressing forward while her Anooba growled and bristled at her heels. “Before I set my dogs on you.”

He backpedaled swiftly, throwing up his hands in a gesture that was part surrender, part threat, as the dancing flickers of electricity crackled about his fingertips and made it plain he was prepared to defend himself. “What if I told you there was a way to undo that?”

Ahuska’a froze. A bewildering emotion seized hold of her, and it took a few long, furious moments for her to recognise it. Hope. How dare he give her hope. “You’ve got five minutes to convince me before I let my dogs eat you just for suggesting that.”

And so it was that Ulfran brought Ahuska’a on board on his hunt for the Tempus Shard.

=====

Aaaaaaa okay this segment is a little dear to my heart, because not only do we see the moment where Ahuska and Crow meet for the first time... but also the RP where I met @humanrevolt for the first time, too. And what a damned brilliant ride it’s been from that point!! I hope my memory serves it well.

#swtor writing #swtor #swtor fic #the right way #ahuska #crow #ulfran #bothan #bounty hunter #mandalorians #tatooine #my writing #other people's ocs #aaaa

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enaasteria · 7 years

Text

Apartment 5108 // 16

Apartment 5108 — ft. Oh Sehun // Contemporary Romance // Adult Fiction // Sexual & Explicit Language — in later chapters

A/N: It’s long (19,000ish words) and I’m sorry. This chapter is more of closing loose ends but nevertheless---please read with low expectations.

Chapters // 1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9 // 10 // 11 // 12 // 13 // 14 // 15

I remember staring back at Sehun that night.

I remember his imploring request to believe in him one last time. I remember his each and every sentiment sinking deep into the well of my heart and I remember how all of my words were lost beyond grasp while I listened to his final plea.

‘Believe in me.

Believe in me one last time, Ahri.’

It wasn’t hearing the four letters to my name muting my lips or hushing my thoughts. It was his determination in expressing how he was trying to do better---to be better than the man he once was.

Sehun finally showed me progress. He displayed his will to become someone far different than the man I lived with months ago and he was a person untethered to his past just as I have moved forward from mine.

It’s all I ever wanted from him.

It’s all I ever wanted to see from him.

For countless moments, I tied myself to the quiet night. I was unable to summon any sensible reply in head or heart. I remained without speech and could only watch as Sehun mirrored my voiceless actions. My stillness became his own while he patiently waited for my response.

And all I could give him, all I could answer with was a nod void of any sound or noise. Every small movement I made was filled with a myriad of emotions traversing through my skin and bones. They were heavy feelings I inwardly felt but couldn’t translate nor properly convey into letters or sentences. It was a mixture of uncertainty, worry, but also wonder and curiosity in how he’s going to show me precisely what I always longed for in this lifetime---

Love.

“Again,” my best friend demands. She’s full of breathless anticipation as the unfaltering amazement spills from her voice. “Tell it again from the beginning and don’t leave anything out.”

“Soi---

“Please?”

“This is the sixteenth time I’ve told this story.”

“And it gets better with each time, Ahri. You know I love a good romance.”

A weighty sigh rolls off my tongue as I dig my face into a pillow, suffocating my groans from reaching the surface. As much as I enjoy love stories, reciting my own intimate tribulations repeatedly from weeks ago doesn’t stop the embarrassment from making a home on my rosy cheeks.

But I’m awestruck with her reaction to Sehun as of late. For a while, she refused to pronounce his name, finding the sound of it leaving a bitter taste at the back of her throat. It’s a black and white disparity now as she revels in my narrative, flopping her slim extremities across the expanse of my bed. The thought summons a light over my face because she, along with my other two friends, see his improvement.

“And I must remind you, Sehun and I are not characters in one of your romance novels.”

“True. You’re not filthy enough. Him? Maybe. You? Possibly with some practice.” She rises from lying position and pulls me up with her.

I give her an intrigued expression of what she reads in the privacy of her home but make a note to ask about it later, not now because it’s definitely not the right time to hear about fantasies. Instead, my soft laughter fills the bedroom. “Please go get ready. You can give me lessons from your suggestive, fictional dalliances on the way to the party. We have a busy night ahead.”

“We most certainly do.” Her brows wiggle up and down before she jumps out of bed like a child racing towards their favorite treat.

I internally cringe, hoping she doesn’t trip over the mass of decorations I’m temporarily housing for Seunghyun and Lia’s wedding. Calligraphy signage, linen table cloths and napkins, picture frames, and even their wedding favors---a copious amount of reserve Merlots bottled in the year they met are scattered throughout my apartment. Everything was shipped to me because their living spaces no longer have the capacity to accommodate even an additional speck of dust. But she manages to avoid disaster and disappears into my closet.

There’s an extra bounce in her steps as she remembers why she’s spending this weekend before their wedding at my apartment in the first place.

Myungsoo invited Chanyeol, Soi, and I to KALON’s magazine release party located at an industrial warehouse a few minutes from where I live. He submitted our photoshoot to the lifestyle publication and found out they’re including the feature in their Autumn/Winter print edition. None of us have seen any of the photos and I assume it’s why Soi is particularly excited to dress up so she can witness her vision in matte paper form.

Although, I’m not sure what she expects to find inside my closet because my less than abundant amount of party clothes equate to slim selections.

“Ahri.”

“Hrm?” I walk to her as she calls out my name but all sense dissolves once my sights settle upon the ghastly mess she created. It takes me back to our room at Seunghyun and Lia’s getaway and I find being neat truly isn’t one of Soi’s many prized qualities.

Everything is out of order and I’m baffled she managed all of this within two minutes of being alone in the confined space. My folded clothes ranging from sweaters to pants are thrown askew. Wooden hangers dangle haphazardly off the rack and even my shoes are misplaced from one end of the closet to the other.

“What are you going to wear?” Soi asks, incognizant to how she’s a human tornado.

Holding in a low chuckle, I attempt to search for the outfit I set aside and find it pinned underneath the laundry basket. Myungsoo mentioned it wasn’t a formal event so I chose something simple. A white rayon short sleeve blouse with black jeans. I give them to Soi before sitting down on the hardwood floors and watch her gaze study the two pieces. “Should I wear something else?” I offer in between her many beats of contemplation. “A dress perhaps?”

She shakes her head with a pleasant merriment stretching from ear to ear. “No, these are perfect and very much you.”

“Figured you would say that but if you must, there’s a shopping bag in the back right corner. I bought them to try on at home but haven’t had the chance yet. Maybe you’ll find something in there to wear.”

“Moon Ahri buying dresses at a store? Who would’ve known this would be the you of today.”

Her sarcasm doesn’t go unnoticed. She tosses my chosen outfit over to me while I scoot towards the door and lean against the frame. “Really?”

“Yes, really. You avoided the mall like it was a contagion.”

“It still is.”

She scoffs before a succinct gasp breaks the soundtrack of her rummaging through the pile of clothes. “This. What about this one?”

My body sways over to see what she picked but rather than finding something new, she somehow managed to choose my mom’s blue dress. The same dress I wore to Sehun’s parent’s Christmas Eve dinner and the very one he wanted me to shove into a shredder.

A bewildered grin emerges as I refuse. “No, definitely not that one.”

“What---Why not?”

“Because it’s my mom’s dress and I said right corner. Not the left, Soi. You were looking through the donation bag.”

Her jaw unhinges, latching in place as if she can’t discern if this is a dream or occurring in real life. “This is your mom’s dress? That dress? The dress she wore while she gave you your one and only gift?” Soi trudges over to where I’m sitting and collapses to her knees in front of me. With the cobalt fabric draped over one arm, she takes in my face and stares directly into my eyes, searching for some kind of answer I doubt she’ll uncover just by ogling at me in this peculiar manner. “And you’re throwing this dress away?”

“Not just the dress,” I mumble in between short breaths because she’s squishing my lips along with my ability to speak properly. “The earrings are somewhere in there too.”

“But you’re throwing them away.”

“I’m donating them. Didn’t have the heart to completely trash them since some good can still come out of it.”

Soi releases her grasp on my cheeks and waits for me to elaborate. She’s wondering why I decided to give them away as opposed to ripping and burning their essence. It’s easier for her to understand if I inflicted the same calamitous treatment on the two items as my parents subjected upon me.

But what I strive for isn’t to act like my parents. It’s to become a person they wholly believed I could never grasp within this world.

“I thought my mother loved me. It was a hope. It was a minute dream I conjured up because I forced myself to believe she cared enough to give me one of her possessions. It was my innocent method in coping and I didn’t want to consider the real reason. I ignored it because it felt better to hope than to ensue life into the fact that---

“That she didn’t.”

I nod as Soi finishes my sentence.

My mom was never seen wearing anything twice. It was unfathomable for her to wear any attire or jewelry more than once so she constantly threw away her belongings. The blue dress and earrings were no exception---as I wasn’t either.

“She believed once an item was no longer new, they lost their value. They were unworthy of her and she implied I was just that to her---that I deserved nothing more than the items she rejects. I was, down to the very core, fitting of only the trash she gave me. I held no merit and couldn’t mentally process her cruel beliefs back then. It was too much to deal with on my own.”

“But it’s different now. You’re different now.”

My gaze lingers on the blue dress. I take it from Soi and hold onto the garment for one last time before placing it flat on the floor. I brush over the textile, feeling the fabric glide against my skin and find there’s no lingering desire of what my mother felt towards me.

“I don’t want her to have a hold on me anymore. I don’t want to continue hoping when the blatant answer was always there. She didn’t love me or care for me but it doesn’t mean I should allow it to imprison me in futile wants and wishes for the rest of my life.”

“That’s why you’re giving them away. You’re freeing yourself from them.”

“Once and for all. The reason why I’m not throwing them away is because my mom would’ve tossed them into the bin without a second glance. I’m not like her. I'm the contrast of who she was and these items can still do good. They can be given to someone who wants or needs them.”

“So someone else can enjoy the dress for what it is---just a dress.”

Finally folding up the garment, I hand it back to Soi and recite her exact thoughts. “Right. It’s just a dress.”

I fail to control the delight spreading inside my chest. It expands through every vein and vessel, trickling all the way up to the winged corners of my eyes and it’s because of the peaceful contentment. The long overdue chapter with my parents is officially closed and I’m finally at a stage in my life where I’m perfectly happy. It’s not forced. It’s not an emotion I’m making myself show the world but it’s originating from within and my smile swells from satisfaction.

“And you’re right in every sense. It goes to prove how you’re a much better person than your mom could ever aspire to be, Ahri. She couldn’t and will never measure up to you.”

“I’d like to think the same too.”

“Really. You are.”

The lightheartedness is short lived as I catch onto Soi’s voice waning to a whisper. She copies my sitting position and her head leans on my shoulder. We descend into a strange silence; it’s a kind I’m not accustomed to especially in her presence.

I’m used to her vibrant personality. She has the skill to view the positive in all she does but there are moments when she’s quiet with her deep breaths outweighing her speech and her timbre unveiling a tinge of sadness. It’s then when I realize even she bears her own qualms without knowing how to explain them. “Soi? What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing.”

“It’s not nothing.”

“Honestly, it’s silly. It really is. I don’t even know why I’m letting it get to me---again.”

With the latter word, I know she’s referring to Yixing. “You helped me through so much. I’d like to think you can confide in me as well.”

She lifts her head with her chest rising and falling to a steady tempo. Her vision roams around my closet as if the action will somehow release her encaged emotions. “You’ve grown, Ahri. You’re incredible and it’s like you said, everyone has the ability to change if they worked hard enough. You did with your parents, your relationships, and with how you live your life. Seeing and listening to what you’ve been through, I can’t help but wonder why couldn’t Yixing?”

The pain stitches itself onto her skin like an invisible tattoo. It’s a scar she tries to cover behind a brave smile but she’s hurting. The anguish is still there and I entwine my fingers within hers to ease the aches.

“We were great together but with every relationship, we’re supposed to grow with each other. Learn off of each other. Build a life with one another but Yixing didn’t want anything to change. It felt stagnant with him. He didn’t want our lives to converge more than it already did because something more meant time and attention away from his dance. There was no middle ground. He couldn’t cooperate and refused to budge on any issue. I was willing to compromise because I understood how important his work meant to him.”

“But in the end, he still couldn’t.”

Her hold on me tightens as she stops the difficult feelings from spilling out into the open. “No, he couldn’t. It was a situation he didn’t want to deal with and dismissed the matter in favor of his own stern beliefs. The way he behaved made me think I was inadequate like I wasn’t important enough for him to try.”

“It doesn’t mean you’re not enough. Don’t permit his lack of ability to see how great you are determine your self-worth.”

“I know. It used to eat me up inside. It used to gnaw at my flesh and bones when I was consumed by the negativity. It’s much less now. I don’t let it get to me as often but a part of me is still regretful over it.”

“Like when your thoughts wander and you think about the what ifs and could’ve beens.”

I know how she feels. I’ve been in her position. I’ve thought about the same dangerous questions and endured the grief she sustained on a daily basis. But she can overcome them. She can push through this obstacle and strive towards something far greater than what Yixing could ever offer.

With a deep breath and a strong exhale, her mood gradually cheers up. She voices a comment seemingly coming from out of nowhere while her sharp diction and honed speech spreads throughout the room. “Exactly, but what prevails is my anger and annoyance over the whole matter.”

It takes me a second to acclimate when her tone suddenly increases in melodic key. My vision on her widens because as fast as her somber demeanor appeared, it just as quickly vanishes. Her mannerisms are defined as dynamic and lively. She was never the type to dwell in pessimistic tides for long.

Her nose scrunches into a tight ball while her gaze fires imaginary daggers straight into my rib cage. I wonder why she’s abruptly giving me this seething expression as if I did a serious wrong to her and wish this isn’t one of the rare occasions where she unleashes her wrath on my poor old soul.

I’m scared to ask but proceed with caution. “You’re annoyed?”

“Absolutely annoyed.”

“At---me?”

“Partly you, but mostly annoyed over your Oh Sehun because even he changed. I thought he would be the very last person on the planet to mature and grow in character, but he did. He made the effort for you. And again, it makes me want to scream up to the high heavens, why couldn’t Yixing? Where’s the justice in all of this?”

She airs out an infuriating sigh and returns to her normal self as she stands and makes small, whiny stomps over to the shopping bag. Wrath averted but amusing, nevertheless, as I watch her petite frame walk away with such vexation.

“You sound bitter.”

“Can you blame me?”

I give her a whimsical grin and shake my head. “No, but may I correct you on two minor details?”

“Go for it.”

“One. He’s not mine.”

“He is.”

“No, he’s not.”

“He is, Ahri. If what he said on the bridge was any indicator---he is, without a sense of doubt, completely and entirely yours.”

“Soi---”

“We can agree to disagree. What’s the second?”

I concede but her sentiments rattle my heart, shaking the tiny strings and lines scattering throughout my body because having someone all to myself is an otherworldly sort of notion. I don’t mull on the matter for more than a minute before moving onto the next number. “Two. I’m not sure you can say he’s fully changed per se.”

“What do you mean?”

My shoulders shrug as my fingers play with the hem of the white shirt sitting on my lap. “Sehun hasn’t said or done anything more beyond the norm since our talk that night.”

“He hasn’t?”

My head turns left and right and she makes a huh noise. It’s not a question or confusion. It’s her method in running through all the possible scenarios and reasonings. I can’t read her expression but she’s perturbed by the issue.

I am worried about the sincerity of Sehun’s words. I wonder if he meant every single promise but I don’t want it to consume my spirit and life. It’s not something I’m waiting for minute by minute or second by second. I choose to carry on without overthinking which is different from how I was prone to doing so in the past.

“You don’t seem very bothered by it, Ahri.”

“I may not seem like it, but I am.”

“You are?”

“I would be lying if I said it didn’t bother me at all because it does. I’m just not letting my curiosity eat me alive.”

“So you’re not too concerned with his promise---with what he said? To believe in him, to believe in him one last time.”

I bury my face into the palms of my hands because she’s mocking me. She’s making fun of my odd circumstances with her singsong voice trilling through the enclosed space. I’m tempted to lock her in my closet for all of time but instead let out a dubious laugh. “Disregarding the last portion of your dialogue, I don’t know what Sehun’s planning to show me or if he’s planning anything at all. But if he does, then he will. He’ll show me what I want to see but if he doesn’t, then I guess we both move on.”

Her hand sweeps over her lips while her top frame bobs up and down. It appears she’s going along with what I’m telling her but when she does this, I know she has something else to say; it’s something she’s keenly aware of and I’m not.

My fingers move to the crook of my neck, kneading the skin as I recount my statement and debate the validity of my actions. “Is---is that not right? Is that not what I’m supposed to do or how I’m supposed to feel?”

“There’s no right or wrong feeling and it’s okay to behave as you have.”

“But?”

“But there’s another option besides waiting in limbo or moving on.” She hums a melodious tune with a smile stretching from ear to ear. “You could ask or talk to him about it.”

I shut my eyes to a pinch because it wasn’t what I thought she would say. Her more than straightforward approach astonishes me and I joke with her. “Is that what the characters in your books would do if they were in my situation?”

“If I remember correctly, you and Sehun aren’t like the characters in my novels full of secret rendezvous and moonlight trysts. So, no, they wouldn’t do that in your situation. The fictional characters I read about will dance in between miscommunication and unsaid words. They will wait until the very last moment to reveal what they’re feeling when most could be solved if they addressed it right away. But again, that’s why they’re books. They’re entertainment. You and Sehun. You’re not them so if you’re feeling uncertain about how he’s been acting lately, even if it’s just a tiny bit---talk to him. Ask him directly and you’ll find out why.” She emphasizes the final word and my figure cranes at her heightened elocution.

“Why do I have the feeling you already know the reason behind his behavior?”

“Because I do.”

“Care to tell me?”

“No, not really. It’s not my place to reveal such significant matters of the heart,” she sneers and grabs a bunch of clothes, making her way to the bathroom.

I throw a stray sock at her bottom before she disappears behind the safety of closed doors. “Killjoy.”

“I heard that.”

Feathery chuckles swim along the expanse of my chest but all the while, I keep her advice.

I place it securely inside my mind and consider it for the next time I meet the fateful man.

After an hour of Soi trying on dress after dress and wrangling over which one accentuates her petite figure better, we make it to KALON’s magazine release party. With the sky darkening to night and the sun setting beyond the horizon, I feel the late autumn air bring in a chilled wind. The clouds overhead blanket across the rising moon and we meet Chanyeol at the entrance which is already bustling with an eclectic number of people.

Even in casual all black attire, Chanyeol exudes a dapper appearance. Unfortunate for most, the dashing impression only lasts up until he decides to open that witty mouth of his. His love for spewing nonsense doesn’t relent as he greets us. “Well, if it isn’t Soi and my former wife with the sadistic talent of breaking men's hearts.”

“How could I break something which was already broken to begin with?” I retort without hesitation because he’s not the only person who loves to dabble in meaningless banter and harmless quips.

Chanyeol’s eyes grow wide, pluming to round orbs of horror. His hand draws over his chest with nails digging into his shirt as if I punctured him with a sword imbued with poisoned love. “The pain. Must you hurt me so?”

“Always.” I give him a cynical smirk before checking my phone to see where we’re meeting Myungsoo and ignore Chanyeol’s fake cries into Soi’s shoulder. Though, she does very little to appease his sorrows. “Myungsoo’s still driving. Traffic in the city but he should be here in about 5 minutes.”

“That means 5 minutes to get myself a drink,” Soi pipes and saunters off into the building while Chanyeol and I wait outside in the brisk weather. I mentally chastise myself for not wearing a jacket as my arms wrap around one another, rubbing my exposed skin to create a sliver of warmth.

The tall male next to me notices with his sulking tendencies subsiding. Per his usual habits, there’s an enjoyment prancing along the highs and lows of his voice in lieu of his former brooding mood. He takes a step towards me, inching closer and closer while angling his grand frame down to my size. “You know, hugs are a great solution to when you’re feeling cold.”

“I, regretfully, must pass.” I push out my bottom fold into a pout, sending it off into his direction and see what other creative comebacks he’s prepared for our trivial competition of words.

“How about my oversized tee?”

“Are you wearing anything else under that oversized tee?”

Chanyeol ponders on the question before gracing me with his addictive, mischievous grin. It’s contagious and enough for me to believe even I can smile forever if I’m around his buoyant personality. He peers into his shirt, examining his form and I slightly wonder what he’s hiding under there (but not for long because a half naked Chanyeol should never be one of my concerns in life). “Nope. Nothing.”

“Then, I must say no.”

“A hoodie. I have one in the car.”

“Pass again, which reminds me. There’s a collection of your leftover hoodies at my apartment and they’re all waiting to go home to their proper owner.”

“Who says they’re not already with their proper owner?” he retaliates as if what I said was exactly what his ears wanted to hear. “Plus, your apartment is like my second home. I think I’ll leave them there for now.”

“How is my apartment your second home? It’s more or less you ran out of closet space. Please pick them up, Chanyeol. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do with 15 of your black hoodies.”

“Wear them. They look better on you anyway.”

It’s an enticing notion. As much as I love comfortable clothes and huge sweaters to curl into at night, I, nonetheless, abstain from his offer because my apartment is turning into everyone’s excess storage room. “Wouldn’t you rather have someone else wearing your clothes?”

Chanyeol raises his brows and shakes his silvery locks at me. Metallic strands of hair drape over his eyes and I note how there’s no sadness lurking in them. If anything, he appears enthralled over some unknown fact beyond my understanding. “Maybe someone else later on but right now, the thought of you wearing them is my greatest joy.”

“Why is that?”

I catch a glimmer of evil perch at the corner of his mouth. He speaks clearer than before, enunciating every letter and syllable with precise diction. “Because it’ll bring me wondrous pleasure when I think about you wearing my clothes in front of the person you love, Ms. Just Moon Ahri.”

He ends his peculiar statement with a flirty wink and waltzes around me. I hear him greet Myungsoo from behind but I’m left pinned in a daze. Whereas my feet refrain from moving, my lips open and close like clockwork. They mutter to themselves, repeating his sentiments as if pronouncing it again will provide insight on how his clever brain ticks. My body finally wills itself to turn around for clarification but the question is heard by more people than I originally intended. “Why are you talking about the person I love?”

It’s in that moment when I realize the demonic boy trapped me in his horrific game of fun. Chanyeol lured me into a destructive path and easily won this round, perhaps even this entire war. I grit his name in between my teeth because I’m struck mute when I see the number of individuals Myungsoo brought with him to this event.

Lia and Seunghyun are included in the mix but the one person my eyes naturally trail towards is the last person I thought would ever show up tonight.

Sehun.

The elated boy stands with his height shadowing over me as I snap my jaw to a shut, contemplating a vow of silence for all of eternity. He doesn’t pass on the opportunity and hammers the last nail into my coffin, sealing in my death with ease. “And who is this person you love?”

My heart sinks into my gut and I feel my soul leave the atmosphere. I cry for it to take me along because I don’t know how to rid myself of this dire situation. My cheeks heat up and I’m certain they’re changing in hue as the distinct feeling of dread trickles down every part of my limbs with no remedy for a cure.

Sehun’s on the opposite spectrum. There’s a light glowing in him, a hope or desire in needing to hear the answer to his question. Soi’s lingering advice shoots through my head like a fire cannon and I mentally quiet the chaos to keep it from seeping onto my face (knowing far well it’s a fruitless cause).

As much as I want to shout out a name, none is spoken because it doesn’t feel right. It’s not the right place; it’s not the right time. I swallow the lump hinging inside my throat and barely manage to talk like a normal functioning adult, albeit rather slowly at a chopped pace. "I---I-I--lo--”

Sehun hangs onto every word and it’s similar to the night when we sat on the bridge overlooking the stream. He’s waiting for my response. He’s eager to hear a specific name marry into the air between us but somehow in some bizarre universe, there’s a deity looking out for me. There is a supreme being living on this earth and she’s come to save me in the form of Soi.

“Ahri.”

My attention snaps to my best friend reappearing. She’s sipping on her drink, unaware of what she’s stumbling into and I take advantage of it. “The person I love is Soi,” I declare. It’s not a lie. It probably not what Sehun wanted to hear but it did comprise of a truth; it’s just not the truth he was hoping for.

Soi is oblivious in how she’s become my new god as she peers at us through long lashes. She blinks from me to Sehun and there’s a brief shock as her attention ambles onto the latter male, puzzling over why he’s here of all places. I link my arm within hers, greet the rest of the group in one swooping breath, and walk in the way she came.

With one glance back at Sehun, I see him grinning to himself. It’s a soft, velvety laugh bouncing through his shoulders and travels all the way down to his knees.

And I can’t help but do the same.

My actions reflect his captivating movements. I don’t have an understanding on why I’m amused over the encounter but hide my embarrassing smile from emerging. Once we reach a comfortable distance away from the others, Soi tugs on my shirt with a free hand and an intrigue peeps through her bright visage. “Did I miss something?”

"No, nothing important---only my ultimate demise.”

“Oh, so the usual then?”

“Yes. Just the usual.” My head shakes and feel I should simply accept my entire life as one, terribly drawn out joke. I decide not to relive my shortcomings with Sehun in intimate detail and instead focus on the surroundings (because concentrating on the scenery around us won’t phase me into a blushing red pumpkin for the rest of the night).

KALON magazine emphasizes beauty from within. They favor inner attractiveness, praising the humble and modest rather than when it’s typically seen in outward appearances. It’s evident in the building they chose to host their party. The exterior portrays a cold, almost frigid construction and most wouldn’t take a second glimpse at it in passing. Its muted gray tones convey little to no spirit but once inside, the bones of the warehouse shine and provide a warmth filled with familiarity.

The high ceilings are lined with exposed metal beams. They’re painted charcoal in color and contrast against the crisp, white walls and golden light. The open plan layout is accentuated with wooden columns. They’re rich in hue with the grains depicting the structure’s old age but what piques my fascination is the furthest right corner. Black stairs lead up to the mezzanine level framed by hazed glass and black steel railings. The balcony design provides a view over the vast space and I note the easel placed in the center. It’s supporting an artwork but the piece is covered by a dark linen cloth.

“It’s the magazine cover,” Myungsoo says and follows my line of sight. “They’re revealing it tonight.”

“Are you one of the contenders?”

“Yeah, along with about 20 other photographers who are also featured in the magazine.” Myungsoo gestures to the displays around us.

Each photo is printed on heavy stock paper the size of posters and hang from thin wires attached to the ceiling. Some are single photographs while others are pages of the magazine spreads with descriptions and stories shown at a larger scale for guests to read. They’re an inside look into the publication and we walk around, perusing the various images around the gallery.

Myungsoo wasn’t lying when he said the competition for the cover art was intense. Every picture we pass by represent what KALON truly is about---a beauty instilled deep within the spirit. And somehow, I suddenly feel apologetic towards the photographer next to me.

“I’m so sorry if you don’t win, Myungsoo.”

“Why are you sorry?”

“Because your chances would’ve drastically increased if you had professional models for your shoot.”

Myungsoo chuckles and waves a hand to stop the nonsense. “Here. Let me show you something.” He leads us over to a shoot illustrating a female artist in her studio. She sits on the ground with charcoal drawings surrounding her feet. A man, assuming he’s her boyfriend or husband, is off to the side. His back is against the wall with a coffee and newspaper in his hands while he watches her render large sketches of the human form.

To the untrained eye, it’s a charming image just like every other image in the exhibition. It’s unique enough to be in the magazine because it shows a simple lifestyle built on a passion for the arts but also for each other. It’s how I perceive the image but Myungsoo expands on how it’s good---just not great.

“It’s an excellent image from a textbook stand point. The colors are balanced, the shot is perfectly framed, exposure, light, everything is good. It’s everything you learn in a classroom translated onto a film picture. It’s technically sound and it’s why it was accepted into the magazine.”

“But something is missing,” I follow up and he agrees.

“Yes, and can you tell me what that is?”

I study the picture, going over every detail until I notice a discrepancy in their expressions. It’s in the way they hold the items and in the manner they position themselves in the room. “Love.”

“Exactly. The photographer and stylist hired models for their shoot. You can tell by how she has the piece of charcoal in between her fingers. Artists have a natural way of drawing. It’s innate. There’s an inherent movement to their actions and it’s not easily imitated by amateurs. There’s a strain in her hands and arms and the same can be said for the guy. You can feign intimacy with longing looks and smiles but nothing beats the real deal.”

“But what Chanyeol and I did wasn’t a real love though.”

“Who’s to say it wasn’t? Love doesn’t always equate to romance. It can be a familial love, a love of the arts, or a passion for what you do in life whether it’s living or breathing. But it can also be found in a love between two friends who happen to share a platonic affinity towards each other.”

And I begin to comprehend Myungsoo’s interpretation. “It’s an understanding of one another and as the topic of our photos illustrate, it’s a comfort.”

His countenance brightens with his crescent eye smile, “You got it. Their shoot was curated. The props, the event space, and down to their very expressions were organized together. They posed in these positions because they were told to and not because they felt it. Although it all appears nice on the surface, it doesn’t leave a lasting impression. So to answer your trepidations, no, having professional models wouldn’t have increased my chances but working with you and Chanyeol definitely did. I might have to hire you two again for a future editorial.”

“Please, no. Once was more than enough.”

Myungsoo and I break out into a fit of chuckles. He runs a free hand through his hair before digging the other into his pant pocket. “I guess you’re right. If I put you and Chanyeol together in another intimate setting, the poor guy dawdling behind us with Seunghyun and Lia might actually do the impossible and self-implode.” Myungsoo clicks his head to the right and I see Sehun.

He strolls around the gallery while maintaining a distance from us. It’s a contrast from earlier when he was knitted into my space, stealing the air from my lungs and wrecking havoc on my tragic soul.

What I’m met with now is how he tends to act around me ever since our conversation all those weeks ago. We’re cordial to one another. We talk. We share the same area but there’s an implicit barrier between us. It’s a wall comprising of unanswered questions, intrigue, and tension. The last portion isn’t like the strain in the photos Myungsoo showed me. It’s not a tension felt in muscles or ligaments. It’s the kind where my heartstrings are attracted to Sehun’s. They’re unwillingly hypnotized by him and I’m either supposed to relinquish control and freely go towards him or stay absolutely stationary against the tide and currents.

They are my inward struggles but I leave the matter alone at present because the male notices me looking at him. The edge of his mouth curls into a smile and he conceals it with the back of his hand. I immediately sever my observation on him as I’m caught staring and ignore how the blushing on my cheeks is returning full force.

Myungsoo takes no heed over my veiled frets and goes on to explain why Seunghyun and Lia are here. He had a final venue walkthrough with the couple before the magazine party because their wedding next weekend will take place in a historic library located in the city’s center.

With an Old World ambiance, he tells me the ceremony room is decorated with ornate trimmings including heavy stone walls and a ceiling illustrating countless murals of rippling clouds and azure skies. But even with large arched windows stretching from top to floor breaking up the line of cold walls, the main issue Myungsoo had was the lack of natural lighting to balance out the wood accented expanse. He states the meeting took much longer than anticipated, carrying on well past the set one-hour appointment and it was why he was running late.

He adds how Sehun was asked to join at the last minute because Seunghyun and Lia wanted him to familiarize himself with the building layout. He’s one of the groomsmen but has the extra task of guiding guests to their proper seat and the go-to person for questions on the special day.

Towards the end of the walkthrough, Myungsoo mentioned the magazine party. They asked what it was for and he explained how we’re featured in KALON.

“Seunghyun and Lia wanted to know if they could come since they want to do a photoshoot the morning after their wedding. I figured this would be a great place for them to grab some ideas on where to have it and what to do.”

“They’re definitely inspired,” I say and see Lia pointing at one photo after another as she pulls insight from every single piece of artwork.

“I think so too.”

“Do they have a favorite yet?”

“They like certain elements from each but nothing quite hitting the mark. I think it’ll change once they see your photos with Chanyeol.”

“Why us?”

“Not sure. A feeling, I suppose?” He wiggles his brows and shifts his weight from one foot to the other.

Like many artists, Myungsoo has pride over his work. It derives from his personality and how he dedicates so much of his time towards his chosen passion. He realizes there’s always room for improvement---to be someone who can always better their skills and talents. But for the photos he took of me and Chanyeol, I somehow sense he finds his greatest achievement strictly within those prints.

He explains there’s something else about them; something vastly richer which will transpire through every individual here tonight. Each image portrays an ease felt in the heart but they also depict how everything in the end will be all right. It’s a comfort in realizing no matter the battles or scars laced in and onto our bodies, we will all be okay.

My hand naturally moves up to my own set of imperfections and feel there’s a familiarity in what he says. They are the words I relied on heavily throughout my life and hearing them dictated out loud by Myungsoo reinforces all of my beliefs---that what we endure will eventually lead to an ending fitting of all the hardships.

“Was this the reason why you didn’t show us the photos until now?” I ask.

“Partly, but also because of my greed in wanting to see all of you react towards them first hand. Although, I didn’t plan on having Sehun here so not sure how that one’s going to work out.”

“Are you worried about his reaction?”

“A little, but I’m wondering what he’ll do once he sees them.”

“Hopefully not self-implode,” I profess into his frame and he chuckles over my use of his exact words from earlier in the conversation.

“He very well might, Ahri.”

I shy away a pleasant merriment and view Sehun from the corner of my eye. My vision rests on him and I inhale a breath of air while correlating what Myungsoo told me.

Everything will be all right.

No matter the outcome, everything will happen the way it’s supposed to and we’ll all be okay.

With a pat on the shoulder, Myungsoo leaves me with Soi as he goes off to mingle with his colleagues and industry vendor friends. I see her reading over one of the full large scale spreads featuring KALON’s editor in chief, Ji Changwook. It consists of snippets from a day in his life, behind the scenes shots of his morning to night routine, and how he runs the magazine label.

While she’s fully immersed in the writing, I scan around the warehouse and catch Chanyeol hiding behind some of the hanging posters. He appears afraid of the repercussions about to unfold due to his former games and I find it’s time for his ultimate ruination.

His dark pools of umber turn doe-like as if he’s pinned on a road and sees I’m about to shoot an arrow straight into him. He swivels around on his heel for an escape but his lanky and clumsy movements slow him down. They work in my favor because he lacks control over his gargantuan body and elongated limbs. My fingers latch onto the sleeve of his oversized tee and haul him back with a stern grasp. “Park Chanyeol.”

“Ms. Just Moon Ahri.” He displays the most innocent smile; it permeates with cherubic appeal as if he prays it’ll convince me in sparing his mortal life.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“Bathroom?”

“Bathroom’s the other way. Were you running from me?”

He’s appalled by my accusation. “No, of course not. I would never do such a thing.”

“And you think I can trust the words of a man who threw me into a wolf's den earlier this evening.”

“Well, I wouldn’t really call Sehun a wolf---”

“So you admit your wrongdoings?”

“Again, wouldn’t call it wrong.”

“Chanyeol.”

“All right, okay. I’m sorry. I really am. What can I do? How do you want me to repay you? For what it’s worth, you were cute with all the stuttering and stumbling.”

I could strangle him. I really could. My hands would just have to wrap around his neck and squeeze hard until his hyoid bone fractures and his pretty little face turns blue. But I bite down on my murderous intent, grumbling over how it’s not worth going to prison on a homicide charge.

Instead, I settle the score with a small jab into his stomach and come to the horrifying conclusion about how all my friends are terrible people. They are the worst and take the ultimate pleasure in seeing me squirm inside my skin. “You’re doing a terrible job at apologizing.”

“How’s it terrible? I’m giving you a compliment.” He proceeds to extend out his arm for me to take and attempts another tactic to appease my glowering displeasure. “But if flattery isn’t what you want, may I ask what is? Perhaps I can be your genie for the night and grant you what you’re wishing for. Would that be a better form of an apology?”

He’s resorting to transforming into a genie because acting as an angel didn’t work to his benefit. I cast away my disbelief, hoping he doesn’t expect I’ll iterate his name and he’ll offer himself up like some sacrificial tribute. I grab onto him, albeit with much reservation, and follow as we make our way through the final portion of the gallery.

“I had genies fail me before, Chanyeol. What makes you far superior amongst the rest?”

“They didn’t have my wit or charisma.”

“That they did not, but I believe we’re at an impasse because there isn’t anything I want.”

Chanyeol chuckles as if I muttered a ridiculous notion and affirms everyone on the planet wants something regardless if it’s a small wish or object. He states his otherworldly talents allow him to see what others can’t and he knows all of my aspirations even if I don’t articulate the words. Worst of it is he offers to grant me three wishes without having me speak a syllable. I can’t fend off the curiosity as I tuck free falling locks of hair behind my ear.

Similar to Soi and Myungsoo, Chanyeol radiates positive energy. He thrives off the fire of carefree moments and lighthearted experiences, basking in all optimism. It’s a trait I’m learning to partake in more and more with each passing day as I join in his jests because any resistance is a hollow effort.

Before he begins, I give him a warning shot. “But if you speak one letter to your name as something I want, I will shake you silly until you’re in the right frame of mind again, Chanyeol.”

“Do you think this lowly of me?”

“I don’t, but you are one of my closest friends which means I know you rather well. So---was I wrong?”

“You’re not completely mistaken. Perhaps one day you’ll change your mind, but until then.” Chanyeol exhibits his candied grin again it’s the very smile indicating how our lives could be so different if we were made for each other. Only, we’re a shade of mismatched pieces. He doesn’t speak the sentiments wafting through our thoughts and maintains the air of our childish games. “The #1 thing you want is: to completely wipe away the existence of the dating app.”

I exhale a guffawed laugh into him and breathe out my amusement. In this case, he isn’t one bit close to wrong. For the past few months, Soi has dragged me into the hellish depths of the online dating world and I’m tormented by the notifications ordering me to swipe left or right. The blinking red light, the list of potential suitors, the deafening chimes. They all contribute to my suffering of the acutest kind. “I can’t deny this is something I desperately want.”

“Told you. Magic genie.”

“But how do you suppose you’re going to release me from this dating app prison? Soi dictated my friendship with her will be revoked if I dare uninstall it.”

“Oh my dear girl, it may come sooner than you realize.” Chanyeol winks and his benevolence is soaring through the roof as we walk side by side. He flicks his attention to where Soi is and we see her enthralled in a conversation with Changwook, KALON’s editor-in-chief. He was the man she was reading about earlier with great interest.

With hands behind his back and tousled jet black hair, Changwook beams at Soi and exudes boyish charisma as if it’s his god-given right. It’s not arrogant; it’s a bashfulness and I observe it in the way he fiddles with his fingers when he speaks to her. I’m not an expert on body language or anything but believe the poor boy is nervous (in the good way, of course). There’s a slight, growing infatuation he has for my friend and the same can be said for Soi as I haven’t seen her jubilant appearance light up a room like this in a while.

“She won’t have a need for the dating app much longer which will unbind you from your contract as a result.”

“Nicely done, Genie.”

“Like I said, your previous genie lacked my ingenuity. Wish #1---granted. Wish #2 is Ehle.”

“Ehle?” My footing stops and I direct my worries up to the tall man next to me. “Please tell me you’re not planning on stealing Ehle from Myungsoo. I rather not stand trial and testify against your criminal deeds.”

“As much as I would love to give you Ehle, I don’t want to die a horrible death by his owner’s hand when he finds out I was the mastermind behind the canine heist. What I can do is provide you with an alternative.” Chanyeol pulls out his phone, taps the screen a few times before ushering me to look at my own device.

Swiping down, there’s a mile long list of notifications from him. Every message received is a picture of Ehle’s fluffy white face and his heart tugging grin. I melt from each photo and keep it to myself how I’m already planning on printing them out so I can frame them all over my apartment. “When did you take these?”

“The day I adhered to your suggestion and borrowed Ehle so he can help me win Naia’s favor, which utterly failed by the way.”

I nearly gasp in horror, unable to fathom any person in the world not falling under Ehle’s hypnotic spell. “You must be joking.”

“Not in the slightest. Turns out she’s petrified of dogs. She hid behind anyone and anything she could get her hands on and screamed to get Ehle away from her as if he would devour her toes. You and I both know how Ehle behaves. The only thing he has a taste for is designer shoes and window curtains. It was ridiculous, Ahri. She wouldn’t give him a proper chance.”

“Similar to how she didn’t give you one either.”

“No, she didn’t. It was at that precise moment when I realized I couldn’t do it; I didn’t want to chase after her anymore.”

“And you decided to move on.”

“I did, hence the pictures. I celebrated my freedom from the horrid cycle by taking ample amount of photos with Ehle. I think you’ll appreciate the bedroom ones,” he teases and swipes my phone to the right, showing him and Ehle in matching bathrobes. Despite the latter promiscuous pictures, I give his arm a supportive squeeze; it’s the same kind he’s shown me in the past. Chanyeol appears ever so satisfied with himself and his visage is brighter than the fluorescent lights hanging above us.

What strikes me the most is the pride in his performance. It’s a blend of optimism and positivity because he’s pleased with actions, gratified he surpassed the struggles of knowing when to keep fighting and realizing when it was time to walk away from her.

“I’m glad you did.”

“Me too. It was worth it in the end.” His smiles don’t relent and if it goes on any longer, I’m certain the dimple in his left cheek will permanently carve itself into his flesh. But there’s a hidden meaning behind all of it. There’s an unknown detail spanning along the gentle features of his inviting face and it reminds me of when a person reflects fondly on a happy memory.

“Chanyeol---”

“Hrm?”

“Is there someone else you want to tell me about?”

His eyes lock onto me as his index etches itself along the edge of my chin and his response doesn’t shock me. “Yes, there is and I do want to tell you about it, but now isn’t the time, Ms. Just Moon Ahri. For at current, I will sadly have to spend the rest of my evening relinquishing my first love.”

I can’t help but find he’s spurting absurdities again but he guides my attention to the middle of the gallery. Chanyeol angles us to the last photo suspending in the center of the exhibition and I immediately sense all my breaths leave the sanctum of my heart. What he reveals is not any ordinary picture. It’s not of any random model or person.

It’s us.

It’s me and him and we’re teleported back to the cottage house with warm summer rays and a blissful scenery rivaling even the best fairy tale endings. The picture lives up to my memories as I recollect every intimate action performed. Chanyeol’s fingers against the lining of my face. His gentle hand to my thigh and the otherworldly smiles depicted on our faces as our foreheads connect to the faintest of touches. I remember every feeling felt, every thought transpiring through my mind as my eyes roam through the four corners of the image.

But Chanyeol adds to the surreal fantasy; he speaks to my hidden desire and unearths it to run wild and free.

“This photograph---this is what you want.”

My gaze links to his as he stares down at me and it’s because he knows me as much as I understand him. He’s answering what I can barely conceive or acknowledge on any given day. He’s telling me what I want, what I dream of, and what my wishes and hopes are in this lifetime in the form of one single picture.

His soft embrace on my forearm remains steady as his thumb grazes over my skin, subduing any nerves from fragmenting into shambles.

I remain stationary and permanently in place as Chanyeol’s voice echoes throughout all the corridors of my mind. I memorize the exact love felt in this image---the intimate expressions, the affectionate touches, and the distinct warmth filling my spirit as it all makes their way to my beating heart. I sense it drumming to the tempo of another and Chanyeol is quick to point out this single fact.

“This is what you want. You want the contentment, the ease, the unconditional love and how it’s simple and effortlessly clear. It’s what you imagine your life to be; it’s the future you’re searching for. Only, the male lead is someone else. He’s someone different; he’s someone other than me, isn’t he?”

My lips separate but the words fail in reply. Silence is my companion but what astonishes me is my ability to continue smiling because I remember what Myungsoo said. Whatever burden we bear, it’ll be okay and we’ll each find a resolution deserving of the struggles dealt to us. It’s an equilibrium. It’s a balance between the two halves.

“You know everything, don’t you?” I ask with my voice at a whisper.

“As much as your one and only genie should.”

“But as my friend, tell me. Do you think he could give me that? Could he give me the very thing in which I seek---in which you just described?”

Chanyeol arches to my height and he twists his head slightly as if to capture the attention of another. He’s making sure this person is listening to every word spoken. “If I was him, I would. I would do that and so much more for you, Ahri. But I’m not the one you want. You and I would make each other happy but we both know there’s another kind of happiness. A kind of love our souls yearn for because that person is the one we’re meant to be with. They are the ones we feel most at home with.”

"And you found that person, haven’t you?”

He straightens his posture and neither agrees nor disagrees to my suspicions. “Too early to tell, but again, not the right time to be discussing my active love life, Ahri. You have your own to worry about.” Chanyeol brushes a few strands of stray bangs away from my face before we return to the photo.

As the minutes go by, I can’t help but observe everyone’s reaction to it. Surrounding individuals turn quiet. Their voices dim as they inch closer and closer to study the photograph. Like Chanyeol and me, they survey every detail. They notice the loving ambience down to the imperfections situated on my skin. I hear their exhales end with a tender smile and realize how Myungsoo was correct when he said our picture would elicit an emotion transcending the norm.

The photo reveals a simple hope for the future and once more, I feel my soul strings seeking out a certain person.

Sehun is focused on the photo. His eyes are firm on the large print but his gaze doesn’t drift around the image. What moves are his fingers as his thumb sweep across his lips and chin. He releases a heady breath but whereas others sighed in relief, his encompassed a determination filled with resolve and grit.

His actions leave me in a plight of mystery but my thinking is interrupted by Changwook’s vocals channeling through the warehouse speakers. The editor stands on the second floor balcony as all guests rotate their attention onto him.

Changwook dives into the final portion of the event and begins thanking every vendor for submitting their work for a chance to grace the cover design. Within the number of attendees, I can easily point out all of the photographers because each are waiting in anticipation. Their bundled up nerves fill the air and even Myungsoo, to my far left, has his arms swung behind his back with fingers crossed for good luck.

“At KALON, we have a passion for the spirit. It’s an inner love for who we are, what we do, and who we choose to share our lives with. It’s a simple statement but extremely difficult to achieve in today’s world which is why this magazine came to fruition. We’re purveyors of simplicity and natural comfort whether if it’s within ourselves and or with another.” Changwook pauses and the audience mimics his prolonged silence. With a free hand, he grasps onto the black cloth and steadily drags it off.

Without looking at the revealed cover art photo, I can tell who won just by the sentiments expressed by the editor. Ease and comfort. Myungsoo shuts his eyes closed with his palm to his forehead. It takes him a moment to suppress the shock before bowing to his fellow photographers showing him their genuine applause.

As the celebration comes to an end, we all purchase our own print edition to keep before leaving the building. Soi and I have two whereas Myungsoo and Chanyeol grab ten each. I understand why the former is buying more than usual but have no idea why Chanyeol requires the same amount. He refutes my bafflement with how he must preserve his first marriage for as long as possible by laminating as many pages as he can. I conclude his acts are nonsensical but endearing in the least despite his aberrant behavior.

We all walk to the entrance and Soi drapes her arm within mine. She skips to a jovial rhythm and speaks my name. It oozes with caramel sweetness as she elongates the last letter, stretching it upon minutes. “Ahri---”

“Yes, Soi?” I mewl with a giggle and can’t help but ponder over what she wants. She issues my name in this manner when she needs something or feels guilty over a trite matter.

“Don’t hate me.”

“I don’t think I could ever hate you.”

“You might.”

“Again, I haven’t ever gotten close, but it would greatly help if you tell me why you think I would.”

After a few seconds of chewing on her inner cheek, I feel the excitement pour out of her like a waterfall cascading over a river’s edge. “Changwook asked our group out for drinks,” she confesses.

I raise my brows at her, “And?”

“And I know you don’t like bars. You will most likely say no to going but would you hate it if I said yes?”

“Why would I hate it?”

“Because I’m spending the weekend with you but---”

“Soi, I’m perfectly all right with driving home and having a quiet night indoors. Enjoy yourself. He seems genuinely nice.”

I see her clench the magazines closer to her body, withholding her glee from spinning out of control. If it was possible, I’m almost certain her exuberant jumps would land her straight on the moon. “I could ask Chanyeol to keep you company,” she suggests and I refuse without blinking.

“No, it’s okay. If he comes over, it means my collection of Chanyeol hoodies will increase from 15 to 16. I mustn’t allow that to happen.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive. Do you remember the pass code to my apartment?”

“You mean Yoo Yeonseok’s birthday?” she catches me stashing away a blushing smirk. “I still can’t believe you changed it from Won Bin’s. That’s simultaneously the most amazing and quite shocking thing you’ve done as of late.”

“A woman must move on once she’s been rejected in the clearest way possible,” I digress and continue, “And you have your phone just in case there’s any trouble?”

“Yes. I’ll even be home before curfew.”

"Good. I’ll be watching the clock.”

She sticks her tongue out at me as if I’m acting like her guardian and making sure she arrives home safe and sound. But she ends on the note of appearing relieved and more or less eager to spend time getting to know Changwook. It seems her days of reminiscing Yixing are coming to a finite end.

We reconvene with the rest of the group by the entrance before saying all of our final congratulations to Myungsoo as well as goodbyes for the night. Lia, Seunghyun, and Sehun already left earlier to pick up their wedding attire from the alterations shop before they close for the night and Myungsoo and Chanyeol decide to join Soi for drinks with Changwook. They ask if I want to go once more but the idea of an evening alone is much too tempting as I enter my empty apartment.

The silent solitude is a welcoming sight as I journey up the stairs to my bedroom with peace of mind roaming along beside me. A solo evening indoors provides a chance to tidy up after the mess Soi displaced in my room as I fold and organize the haphazardly tossed clothes. My phone rings while I place the last hanger on the rack and I look at the ID, finding it��s the said person herself.

“Soi.”

“Don’t hate me.”

I chuckle into the receiver and it’s baffling how this girl thinks I could hate her---twice. “Is this déjà vu or have we not gone through this already?”

“No, it’s serious this time so please remember I’m your best friend and I know you don’t like surprises but I literally have no choice in the matter. I would save you if I could but I can’t and he’s already on his way to your apartment but all in all, this might be your opportunity to ask him.”

I ignore Chanyeol’s wails in the background. He’s spewing something about being my genie and this is him granting my third wish but I’m confused as it is so hearing him doesn’t aid in my problems. “Wait---who is on their way here?”

“Sehun.”

I nearly choke on my saliva and an eruption of coughs bellow out of my esophagus. “What?”

“Sehun is on his way to your apartment.”

“Why?” The ability to remember how to inhale and exhale shoots out the nearest window when the doorbell goes off. An instant cold sweat roams through my bloodstream and the sound of the alarm is loud enough for Soi to hear as she curses under her breath.

“Shit. I’m sorry, Ahri. Remember, I love you. We all do. Don’t hate us or plot our demise.”

Against my every refute and call for her name, she hangs up with a click and I’m left inwardly struggling on why this is happening because it’s apparently against the will of the gods to have a quiet night alone.

The doorbell chimes for the second time and I rush to the entryway, checking the peep hole. Standing there in all his proper glory is Oh Sehun himself with not a hair out of place. I wince at this grim predicament but tow in a gulp before unlocking the dead bolt. With one hand on the door and the other affixed to my left earlobe, I barely manage a greeting. “Hi.”

“Hi, Ahri.” He responds in kind with a heated smile warm enough to melt even the coldest glaciers. I push away how the sound of my name entwines and tangles my flustered heart strings because there are more prevalent concerns stationed before us. The leading questions being---why is he here and how did he know where I live?

As if he can decipher my inner most thoughts, “Lia and Seunghyun emergency. Lia wants to have the wedding favor wine bottles etched with their names and date in calligraphy but the letterist needs them dropped off tonight so she can complete them by next weekend.”

“Oh---I could’ve drove them down.”

“They thought you would offer but they already feel bad about using your apartment as a surplus warehouse. Lia didn’t want you driving so far late at night. She suggested if I would go in their stead since they had another appointment and I said I could only if you were okay with it.”

I watch as his neck slants slightly, examining my current bewilderment and it’s because my brain is having to overclock itself trying to compute the situation.

He appears confused as if he was given wrong information. “Lia gave me your address---did she not call you? They both told me you were okay with it.”

“No, well, I assume she called Soi. I haven’t had a chance to process it all since Soi told me you were coming literally two seconds ago.” I brush my bangs away from my face and open the door wider for him to enter. But he doesn’t move from his stance and it’s as if his feet are bonded to the tiles. It hits me that he’s acting in this way because he wants to make certain I’m okay with him being here in my space. “It’s fine, Sehun. You’re not the person I want to murder tonight,” I joke.

The two on my hit list are Soi and Chanyeol. My best friend would never act under this pretense without the influence of another---that being is the devilish genie by the name of Park Chanyeol. He’ll be the first to go but I stash away my villainous side because unfortunately, I might be the one losing my soul tonight before the rest.

Sehun’s alleviated for the time being as he nods and takes the initial step into my apartment. I lead him out of the foyer and into the open living area shared with the kitchen. He circles around in place, visually sifting through the loft I now call home. In a way, our roles switched as I remember walking into Apartment 5108 for the first time nearly one year ago.

With two floors and two bedrooms, my new residence has more amenities than I require. I kept most of the furniture from when it was a model home and added only a few of my personal touches---landscape photographs and black and white portraits of my friends accenting the walls and tables. I never had many possessions to begin with but my collection is slowly growing due to new interests and hobbies.

Sehun’s hand drags along the exposed brick outlining the back wall. He feels every groove and indent as his feet advances across the aged hardwood floor. I can only imagine what his thoughts are but break him out of his musings to avoid any awkward small talk if possible.

“The wine boxes are in the guest room. It was the only place cool and dry enough to house them for the time being. Unfortunately, it’s on the second floor.” I explain while navigating.

The windowed wall in the living room leading out to the terrace provides too much light and warmth whereas the guest room is AC controlled and barely used unless Myungsoo or Chanyeol stays over for a night.

Sehun follows me up the stairs from behind as we pass my bedroom in the hallway. It still shows remnants of Soi’s destruction and I can hear him chuckle through his nose before clearing his throat. The nostalgic sound of it causes a fondness to spread inside my abdomen and it expands throughout my extremities. I’m not anal retentive when it comes to cleanliness but I do lean towards being neat more so than the average individual. Even when I lived with Sehun, the apartment always remained spotless and void of dust and dirt. I assume Sehun realizes this as he witnesses the unruly clutter.

“Soi’s doing?” he asks.

“How’d you know?”

“Seunghyun told me horror stories from when they were kids. He wants to submit her to Hoarders.”

“She’s not that bad, is she?” I turn around before reaching the guest bedroom and effortlessly laugh with him. And I miss this already. The ease of conversation. The laughter. The simple method in which we could say anything and everything to each other.

Sehun bounces his head up and down as strands of hair play over his happy eyes. “Why do you suppose she had to do renovations to her apartment?”

“That makes so much more sense now.” I quip and open the guest bedroom door.

We spend the next half hour loading his car parked outside with the wine cases. He offered to do the job all himself since he felt terrible for showing up out of the blue but I wasn’t having any of it. Didn’t seem right to sit back and watch him move all the boxes alone. Soi would beg to differ but since she’s decidedly not here, her opinion is invalid.

With the last box safely tucked in the back seat, Sehun shuts the door before a pitter patter of rain hits our shoulders. He and I both hold out our palms simultaneously while looking up but are met with an onslaught of downpour. It soaks through our clothes and onto our skin. Words barely leave my lips before I steer him to shelter under the apartment entrance overhang. Thunder and lightning rip across the atmosphere while the rain continues to plummet without a chance of stopping.

“The weather did not call for rain tonight,” I mutter and wipe away the moisture from my forehead and bare arms. Only, there’s no response as I look to the drenched male beside me. His stern gaze darts from my figure and then away to the parking lot before he slides off his suit jacket and holds it out to me.

I’m confused by his gesture but finally notice how my thin white blouse clings to me like a second skin. Everything is seen from my nude bra to the small birthmark below my breast and my left arm instantly covers my chest in haste.

I don’t even know why I did it since it’s not like Sehun hasn’t seen everything before but I’m grateful of his consideration as he walks over. He refrains from looking straight at me and places the jacket over my shoulders, holding out both lapels as I insert my arms into the sleeves. My fingers get lost in the arm holes but upon closer inspection, I finally discern this particular jacket. His suit. His entire outfit. I didn’t pay attention to it when we were at the magazine party due to my embarrassment but find he’s wearing the very garments I chose for him at SPAO.

The perfect tailoring shapes to his figure even if he’s soaked from top to bottom. The subtle vertical pin stripes elongate his already tall frame and in lieu of the lavender dress shirt, he opted for a crisp white finished by the diamond plaid tie. I don’t know what to make of his clothing choices because it could just be a coincidence. It could be just something that happened with no reason or rhyme but nevertheless, I force down the urge to stare and overthink it into the pit of my stomach.

“Think it’ll end soon?” he questions while angling his sights up to the still pouring skies.

I keep it under wraps with how the way our lives tend to pan out, it will sadly not go in our favor. “No, I don’t think so.” My answer is interrupted by vibrations and beeps coming from his jacket’s breast pocket. I quickly pull out Sehun’s phone and pass it to him.

He scans the ID and treads off to the corner as he talks with a person on the other line. He’s still within earshot so I can’t disregard his words even if I tried. I do my best not to listen but his tone suddenly changes in frequency and is at a decibel hard to ignore. My ears take in Sehun’s half of the conversation while his frustrations crowd into the outdoor area.

“You have got to be kidding me, Seunghyun.”

“She’s changing her mind---now?”

“Yes, Ahri and I loaded all the---”

“Yes, it’s storming.”

“Like hell I am, Seunghyun.”

“No, I’m not going to let you talk to her.”

“Why not? Because you’re all being certified rotten idiots and this isn’t how I wanted things to go.”

“No, shut up, Seunghyun. If you weren’t my best friend, I would’ve killed you by now.”

The overdrawn sleeve clasps over my mouth while I hold in a snort and find I’m not the only person wanting to commit homicide tonight. I curl into Sehun’s suit jacket and trek over to where he’s standing. His broad shoulders and long back face me and with folded arms, I ask, “Everything okay?”

From this close distance, I can already hear Seunghyun on the other line demanding Sehun lend over the phone. The gentleman in front of me sighs and I give him a reassured look. Dejection permeates through his eyes but he performs as ordered.

Holding the device up to my ear, “ Hello?”

“Hi, Ahri. Sorry and don’t hate us.”

Everyone seems to believe I hate people easily, in which, I don’t. Disliking a person is completely plausible and within my character spectrum but I could never hate my friends. Despite their questionable antics, they mean it all under good intentions. It’s just their execution is a bit skewed.

I release a gentle laugh, “For?”

“Lia changed her mind. She doesn’t want the calligraphy.”

“Of course she doesn’t.”

“Also the storm. We’re worried about Sehun. It’s a bit late and he doesn’t drive well in the dark. It’s a long commute and the rain. Slippery road conditions. Visibility is reduced. Hazardous trek.” Seunghyun drawls on and on and continues to stress the weather and drizzling torrent. It doesn’t take a genius to put two and two together.

“Message heard loud and clear, Seunghyun.”

“Really?” He almost sounds too astounded by how quickly I folded.

“Yes, really. Have a good night.” I tap the red end button on the screen and catch a glimpse of his wallpaper. Us. Another jingle of my heart is felt tapping against my ribs but I placate its commotion as I pass the phone back to Sehun. However, I can’t taper off the small giggles bubbling in the craters of my belly as I raise my brows at him. “You realize we have dreadful people as friends and this was all a ruse, right?”

“I’m beginning to reach that conclusion, yes.” He fiddles with his device and stares out into the lot of cars as another strike of lightning bolts across the weathered skies. It makes him jump in his skin as a child would tremble from the crackling noise.

So, I make it easy for him.

A part of me believes I shouldn’t and I should merely send Sehun on his way to drive back home but it is dangerous. It is a risky journey back and if something were to happen to him, I don’t think I would ever be able to forgive myself for telling him to leave.

I turn in my footing and take swift strides towards the front door. “C’mon. No use staying outside.”

“Ahri---”

Another rupture of lightning shakes him down to his bones and I stifle an amusement over his fear of rainstorms. “Look, even Mother Nature doesn’t want you to leave.”

“Is that a challenge?” he retorts with another pang of nostalgia.

“No, but it’s an offer. You can drive home freezing wet with the chance of catching a bitter cold or you can come inside. You can shower, dry off, and plan on how we can kill our friends without getting caught.” The argument appears to ease his rigid hesitancy and in a way, he looks grateful---almost relieved I’m allowing him to stay with me.

As we re-enter my apartment, I motion for Sehun to follow me up the stairs like from earlier. “I have some of Chanyeol’s clothes you can borrow.”

The sudden comment makes Sehun clear his throat as if there’s an itch, scratching and irritating him under his layers. The sensation bothers him as his left reaches around his neck, rubbing his skin to alleviate the sullen exasperation. “Ch---Chanyeol?”

“Yeah. He has a knack for leaving his hoodies all over the place and forgets to take them home.”

“Does he---” A throbbing vein strains against Sehun’s male flesh before he forces out his question with significant difficulty. It’s like the imagery is leaving an acrid taste at the back of his tongue as his mind darts off into forbidden lands, creating visual nightmares and bad dreams. “Does he stay overnight often?”

“What constitutes as often?” I choke down my glee from Sehun’s flustered inquiry and try not to smile too hard because the man in front of me has changed in character but there are traits of his which will always remain. His boyish envy is one of them.

I retreat into my closet and rummage through the contents to find him suitable clothes. I grab one of my oversized zipped sweatshirts and loose lounge pants. They’re large on me and I have a habit of purchasing pajamas from the men’s department rather than the women’s for they don’t cling to me like glue.

When I return to Sehun, he’s still suffering from my previous jests as his body leans on the metal railing. Beads of water drip from his ebony locks. They create woven straits along the contours of his prim face as I guide him to the guest bedroom. Opening the closet, he finds it lined with Chanyeol’s multitude of hoodies, t-shirts, and sleeping pants.

“He does leave a lot of clothes here,” Sehun croaks to his appalling distress. He loosens one of the buttons on his dress shirt as if the realization is restricting his oxygen flow more so than the shirt itself.

But I know how he feels about Chanyeol and the idea of wearing that male’s clothes will probably destroy Sehun’s livelihood faster than him being lit on fire. It’s all the more why I’m giving him an alternate option. “The ones in the closet are Chanyeol’s and these are mine if you want to try them on. I doubt they’ll fit you properly so you might be more comfortable wearing Chanyeol’s. Guest shower is through the door on the left and toiletries are in the bottom drawer.”

Sehun holds onto my clothes but before he vanishes into the bathroom, he flips around to me. His mouth balls into a circle as it swishes to and fro like a pendulum. It’s like he wants to ask or say something but can’t decide on which to convey. It’s a few passing moments before he accedes to a short thank you and we both disperse into our respective rooms to heat up with a warm shower.

All the while, I ignore the nagging thought of how Sehun is staying overnight in my apartment. He’s in my space. He’s in my home.

I’m not exactly sure how I feel about it as I finishing washing up and descend down to the bottom floor. I switch on the television as it aids in drowning out my emotions. I make a cup of tea while waiting for Soi and dearly wish for both her sake and mine that she keeps her promise and doesn’t leave me stranded with the man upstairs for the night. But my hopes in her returning dwindles as my eyes survey the clock.

The ticking sound hypnotizes my inner struggles while I steep my tea bag in a drone like fashion. I remain staring at the second hand while it goes around minute by minute and it’s only then when Sehun snaps me out of my despondent reverie.

“Ahri---are you okay?”

My hand stops bobbing the tea bag in my ceramic mug and I look over to Sehun standing at the other edge of the kitchen counter. What makes my movements halt isn’t him enunciating my name; it’s rather the clothes adorning his towering form. A pained grin emerges as I peer at the boy in front of me. He’s dressed not in Chanyeol’s clothes, but pitifully within mine.

I don’t know what I was expecting considering Sehun has a certain distaste for my other lofty friend. It’s apparent as I observe him in my sweatshirt. It’s zipped halfway, showing more skin than I care to be beckoned with (and I’m inwardly screaming for I’m sure I gave him a t-shirt to wear underneath) and sweatpants sticking to parts of him tighter than honey. I fight the heavy urge to sigh longingly because it’s not the right moment to reminisce previous late nights with him.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” I divert my attention away and concentrate on my cooling drink. “Tea?”

“Only if it’s caffeinated,” he answers and I send him a hurried glance of why as he explains. “Don’t feel like sleeping just yet.”

“Oh? Why not?”

“Secret.” Sehun attempts to wink at me but cutely fails as it looks like he’s simply blinking both eyes. A cherry tint surfaces on both of his cheeks and the temptation to sigh again is back.

As I finish steeping both teas, he carries the two mugs while we walk over to the living room and sit on the L-shaped sofa. He chooses to maintain a distance between our bodies and takes the longer leg of the sofa while I sit on the shorter end. He does it to separate us, to keep us a breadth apart and I swallow the affair (because perhaps having him closer might not be the wisest decision).

We settle into our seats as I surround myself with small plush pillows. There’s a relief as I remember how he said he didn’t feel like sleeping and not that he couldn’t or can’t. We don’t live together anymore but ever since Camberley, I was worried about his sleeping schedule---how he always had trouble falling asleep until I moved in but it seems the problematic habit is finally broken.

I put a cushion over my lap and inquire on his previous answer. “Why is it a secret?”

Sehun’s broad frame ticks left to right, stirring over my question with his eyes leading straight onto the television screen. His smooth features suddenly light up as if he came across a brilliant idea. His spine straightens and he wrinkles his nose to my direction. “I’ll tell you the reason why if you find a white item in the TV show.”

“Like our color game?”

“Yeah, just like our color game. It’ll also help keep you awake while you wait for Soi to return.” Sehun’s smile deepens as he hears me say our game and I force myself to peer into my less than luster tea rather than him. The manner in which his mouth curls into a grin was always an addiction. It’s easy to get lost in his expressions and I fear it’s a practice I haven’t lost even after all this time.

“To be quite honest with you, I don’t have much faith in her coming home tonight.” I turn to the right and see the relentless downpour still soaking the landscape. Weather is probably one factor as to why she might not return but the other is her giving me this opportunity to talk with Sehun. I’m still wary over her advice and temporarily set it aside to the far off corners of my mind for now.

“Then how about we play until we’re both tired and want to fall asleep?”

I contemplate the offer but nod in agreement. Although, the action is cut short as I forgot how fast he typically is and has already found a white item. In my dire defense, the show playing on the screen is a Yoo Yeonseok medical drama rerun and there are about a million white things in every scene.

Sehun is clearly proud of himself early on and I make a mental reminder for myself to never play games with my friends ever again. I’m neither good at them nor is winning ever a possibility.

“White lab coat.”

“Would you like a secret or a task?”

“Task.”

I was half expecting secret because the last time we played this game, Sehun always chose secret. He wanted my words, my speech, my thoughts to hold onto but it’s changed this time. I place my mug on the coffee table before preparing myself for his task, inwardly pleading it’s not embarrassing or too strenuous to perform.

He senses my apprehension and presents me with a comforting reply, a hybrid game of sorts as he clarifies. “It’s nothing physical but if you don’t mind, can the task be answering a question I have for you?”

“Like the personal question of the day?”

“Yes, but without the veto power. It’ll be easy. I promise it won’t hurt.”

He and I must have varying opinions on what pain constitutes but I curl in my legs and perch my chin on bent knees. I hope what he asks of me won’t be terrible or unsettling as I await his first question.

“Can you tell me about your new job?”

“My teaching job?”

He nods, clearly interested in my line of work. I’m not quite certain what he wants to know specifically or what kind of information he wants to hear but tell him the whole of it without hesitation. “Good. It’s different from what I used to doing at St. Albans. Some days I’m scared to admit I might enjoy it more than I should.”

“You don’t mind the permanency?”

My eyes flick towards him because he remembers my conversation at the Christmas Eve dinner with his family. He remembered how I said I was afraid of settling down with a full-time teaching job because I wanted the ability to up and leave at a moment’s notice. It makes me wonder if he’s asking these atypical questions for another reason---perhaps to gauge if I’m content with settling down within other aspects of my life. “No, it didn’t bother me as much as I thought it would and in a way, I kind of like getting to know the students in my class for a full term.”

“It lets you build a solid foundation with them.”

“Exactly.”

Sehun shifts on the sofa and orients himself more towards my way. His small movements captivate my every and all attention as we talk about my students. The topic reminds me of another detail. I battle if I should speak about it or not but decide it doesn’t hurt to bring it up. My fingers drum along my calves as I tell him a secretive fact I’m sure he’ll find amusing.

“My students actually ask about you.”

“Me?” His perfect brows rise in surprise and he wonders why my students would inquire about him out of all people.

“Yeah. Ada and Joon---well, mainly just Ada.”

“I thought they both went to St. Albans.”

“They did, but Ada persuaded her mom. She said if her parents wanted to provide her with the best possible education, they should let her transfer to Windemere and place her in my class. Somehow Joon got dragged in and with numerous teacher recommendations and both their parents making generous donations to the school, they were introduced into my class against my utmost dismay.”

The day when they appeared at the classroom door is still a vibrant memory. They hugged my legs and fought hard not to spill any tears from their doe-like eyes and I believe their determination in achieving the impossible is something incredibly unrivaled. It’s either that or they have parents who can’t help but cater to all their wants and needs. I smile into myself and think no other students will ever compare to those two.

Sehun catches on and shares in the benevolence displayed on both our faces. “You’ve taken a liking to them.”

“I have grown attached to them. I try not to pick favorites but it’s hard not to when they act like this. They insist on staying late with me after school and like it when I read to them before their parents pick them up. They even share a notebook together now. Ada writes quotes and quirky little facts she finds interesting.”

“And Joon?”

“He writes her little love stories.” I don’t tell Sehun some of the stories are based on us because it would mean revealing a hint of blush on my cheeks. I’m reminded of how each of Joon’s short stories all have happy endings and I’m envious of the innocence they still both preserve. “On occasion, they inquire on your whereabouts. They ask about what you’re doing and how come you don’t stop by and disrupt my class anymore.”

Sehun adjusts in his seat. He circles the ceramic mug within the palm of his hand before a grin piques at the edge of his pink-hued lips. It twists in a boy crush inducing kind of manner and he adds, “Should I then?”

“Should you what?”

“Should I come disrupt your class more often?”

Sehun’s gaze is rooted on me; his irises pierces gaping holes into my skull as if he wants to make an opening to read my inner thoughts. It feels like he’s measuring whether he can take one step deeper into my new life or not and I slowly begin to see the reason behind his distant actions and the caution he has when interacting with me.

But I’m unaware of how to bring it up and instead send him a look I give my students when they misbehave. “Only if it’s an emergency, Sehun.”

He stares back down at his tea and I ignore how whenever I speak his name, his happiness increases ten fold. I wonder if it’s derived from his name not causing me grief anymore but rather something similar to delight and contentment or hope and assurance. Although, I fear his emotions are a distraction as he points out another white item from the show.

“White ultrasound machine.”

“Should I even try anymore in this game?”

“How about I let you win the next round?”

I decline his offer and don’t want anyone to pity me even if I’m more than inept at these games. It’s also a way for me to extend this game because if I win a round, I’m afraid I’ll eventually have to ask him the very question I’m avoiding at the moment. It’ll be the one Soi voiced and I’m not entirely ready to hear his answer just yet. “Don’t worry about it. Secret or task?”

“Task.”

“Question or action?”

“Question.” Sehun pauses for a minute and places his warm mug onto the table as a preventative action before vocalizing his second ask. “I happened to hear you’re on a dating app?”

I nearly choke on my drink as I cover my mouth and swallow what I can. My hand balls into a fist as my eyes plume to astonished orbs because it’s frightening how his questions start off seemingly safe and instantly transition into disaster. I mentally groan and inwardly weep to the gods because this app will forever haunt my night and day. “H---How do you know about that?”

“Today in passing. Chanyeol has a voice which tends to echo.”

I regain whatever composure I can muster and Sehun doesn’t appear worried by it. He’s the reverse and is enjoying my ruffled behavior mingled with absolute mortification. His pure mannerisms aid me in no shape or form as I say, “It’s nothing serious.”

“It’s not?”

“No, no. Definitely not.” I shake my head more than I should because I don’t think I once considered it a viable form for dating. Not yet at least. It’s only because I never felt ready in that measure. I was and am still perfectly content with the people surrounding me and I don’t want to burst whatever comfortable bubble I'm in with the inclusion of another. “I joined solely because of Soi. She wanted someone to do this with after her separation with Yixing and I volunteered. Although, she basically did the majority of the work. Signed me up, filled out the description, and uploaded the pictures.”

“Did you end up getting matched with anyone?”

“Yes, but no one of consequence.”

“Not even Chanyeol?” Sehun inquires and I hear the end of Chanyeol’s name wing to a lilt. He’s doing the same thing he does when he’s forced to speak Myungsoo’s name and I note the annoyed tendency he still retains. His free hand moves up to the back of his ear as he scratches the annoyance away.

“No, I don’t think he’s on the platform. He only knows about it because Soi told him and since he’s decidedly one of my most wicked acquaintances, he likes to constantly pester and tease me about it.”

“I think it means you’re both comfortable with one another.”

“I am---as I am with Myungsoo and Soi as well.” I make it clear I view my two male friends as only friends. But what I see on the man in front of me is not a jealousy out of love. He seems envious of the friendship as if he desires for a type of companionship like the one I have with my three close friends---ones where he can converse with effortlessly without apprehension. “They’re easy to be around, easy to talk to even if it’s something as embarrassing as a dating app.”

“You have good friends, Ahri. I’m glad you have them.”

And I know he now has people he can rely on as well. He mentioned he had no one at first but finally depended on his parents, especially his mom, to help him through his troubles. It shows in his features---the tiredness and exhaustion a mere memory and in place of it is the face of the man seamlessly belonging in otherworldly stars.

Sehun mirrors my gaze and ambles it over towards the television screen thus concluding the short inquiry on the dreaded dating app. He implies he’s letting me have the next round and I follow suit with an item in white. “White sweater.” Like the previous turns, I choose a task.

“Question or action?”

“Question.” I contemplate on what to ask and watch as Sehun rolls up the sleeves of the sweatshirt he’s wearing. I try not to think about how he fits into my apartment so easily as if he belongs and stop the notion from growing and thriving as I concentrate on our game. “Why did you choose my clothes to wear? I know you don’t have a particular liking towards Chanyeol but he’s more of your size. You would be more comfortable in his rather than mine.”

He winces as his wide shoulders scrunch and tighten into his firm body. “You’ll laugh at my reasoning.”

“I promise I won’t.”

Sehun releases the tension and falls back onto the sofa. Grabbing a small cushion from the tail end of the couch, he covers his chest as if to conceal his swelling shyness. His reserved speech is slow and I hear a hesitancy in voicing the truth. It’s only until he says it that I understand his reluctance. “Because this is the closest I can physically get to you right now. It’s the closest thing to being with you, to breathing you in, and feeling you next to me. It’s why I chose these clothes.”

My confusion returns and I’m left stranded in the middle of uncertainty. As of recent, Sehun has this tendency of pulling me towards him with simple gestures and tempting words but within a second, he can change to a stranger and takes five steps back from an unspoken wall of fear and wary. I let out a silent sigh and turn away from his steady attention, oblivious on how to properly reply.

I remain mum.

I stay connected to my silence and feign concentration on the game, knowing full well both our hearts are speaking something vastly different. It’s as if this game is cover up to what we need to face but both are unwilling to let it surface.

The night goes on with more rounds and iterations than I can count. Sehun and I take turns asking each other carefree questions. They range from a myriad of themes and topics including: his parents, his living situation, the photos hanging on my walls, the Yoo Yeonseok drama on repeat, and even Sehun revealing a secret on how he doesn’t know how to wink.

He tried earlier tonight while we were making tea and adorably failed, telling me he only attempted because he saw Chanyeol performing the motion with ease during the KALON party. I revived my skills in googling and wiki-ing to search for instructions on how to wink but to no avail. The talent eludes him.

As the evening progresses into the late hours of the AM, my eyes turn heavy and a yawn escapes my lips. I’m sprawled on the short leg of the couch and lie on my side. My limbs are outstretched while my arms hug a pillow close to my chest. "This might be my last round.” But my words come out as a jumbled mess because as the hours dwindle, apparently so does my pronunciation and speech. “White sheet of paper.”

“Secret or task?”

My ailment doesn’t seem to affect Sehun as he’s much more awake than I am. His genteel eyes flow over me, amused over my fatigued state. The tea seems more potent on him than it is on me. “Task.”

“Question or action?”

“Question.” Exhaustion is winning as another weary yawn slips in between my teeth. It’s my final question for the night but I’m still stubborn over my unwillingness to adhere to Soi’s advice. Half of me wonders if Sehun and I are characters from her novels as I choose not to ask the very question lingering on my mind. I choose something else, something much lighter because of my greed in wanting to end the evening on a good note. It’s my desire in wanting to keep this blithe atmosphere even if it’s for a few more seconds. “Earlier you said you didn’t want to go to sleep just yet. Was there a reason why?”

“Yes, there’s a specific reason why.” His sheepish smile calms me as I curl in my legs, waiting for his answer. But he sees my drowsiness and makes one last deal. "Close your eyes first and then I’ll answer.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re on the verge of falling asleep---so close your eyes and I promise I will answer your question.”

I want to fight him on it but I’m already battling heavy eyelids disobeying my orders to stay awake. I hopelessly surrender to the fatigue but as promised, I drift off to Sehun’s silvery tone swimming like flows of rivulets inside my head.

"I don't want to fall asleep because it will mean tonight will end. It will become a new day and when morning comes, I know I'll have to leave. I'll have to leave your side. I’ll have to leave you and this night will end. So---I'm prolonging it. I'm making tonight last so I can be with you for as long as you will allow."

The following morning, I wake from the sun’s early rays beaming down on my skin. With eyes fluttering open, I blink once, twice, three times before adjusting to nature’s warm light. My immediate action is looking to my left as I slip the quilted covers off my body. I assume Sehun took them from my bedroom and placed them on me before he went to sleep as my sight settles onto his slumbering facade at the other end of the couch. His steady breaths are a slow ballad to my less than norm daybreak, but not one that I mind so much as I slide off the sofa.

A smile manifests from my lips as I’m reminded of Sehun’s final sentiments from yesterday night. I don’t fight how the feeling of waking up next to him still brings me a joy no other person can ever match or replicate.

But my happiness is assuaged as I finish washing up in my bathroom and head back downstairs into the kitchen. Sehun’s no longer on the couch and I believe he must’ve woken up shortly after I did.

I lean onto the kitchen island as my fingers wrap around a cup of coffee. My wishes linger on this sole warm mug, hoping the ebony liquid will imbue me with some sort of bravery to finally ask him the question I avoided conveying all of our prior evening. It’s the very one Soi told me to relay so I can figure out the ambiguous state of what Sehun and I are. With each passing sip, I find no solution on how to even begin asking him and it doesn’t help as his voice calls out my name, putting an end to my inward thoughts.

“Ahri?”

Sehun’s grin graces my vision and all of which was once blurry starts to come into focus. His bed hair is tousled into an array of directions but still charming as I take in his winsome face. His eyes form crescent moons with the irises pooling in umber. His Grecian nose is straight from bridge to tip. And his lips flush with rose as his tongue slightly wets the upper fold.

I swallow the rock in my throat as I see him do the same. His Adam’s apple hitches for a second before I apologize for the commotion and clamor slipping him away from his deep dreams.

“Sorry---did I wake you earlier?” I ask.

“No, no. I was half awake already when you got up.”

He shakes his head with a sheepish grin and I can’t but wonder if his heart is thumping to an erratic beat like mine. It’s humming and pounding against my chest, making a noise deafening to my ears and I force myself to speak so it can flood out my inner banter. “Coffee?”

“Yeah, please.”

With a nod, I grab him a clean cup before pouring the dark drink into the empty vessel. His voice is quiet as he thanks me. Taking a step away, he leans his back on the the Carrara countertop. We remain stitched to our silence and perhaps he’s in need of liquid courage to progress through the rest of this morning as much as I do.

But I soon realize—it’s now or never.

My arms lower the drink from my lips. I set it to the side before my fingers fiddle with one another, abating the nerves from creeping through my pores. I look to all the items in the kitchen. Everything from the stove, to the refrigerator, even the pantry. I set my sights on everything but Sehun because I fear staring at him will steal away my words. I find it’s my turn to speak concisely, but the only method I can muster up is finishing our game from yesterday night.

“White mug,” I say, albeit with considerable difficulty.

Sehun’s brow raises and a tiny simpering smile twists at the corner of his lips. He’s motionless for a few moments but the seconds feel like hours before he responds. “Secret or task?”

“Task.”

“Question or action?”

“Question,” I articulate and feel my heart moving up my throat centimeter by centimeter.

I don’t want to feel the prickling nerves but they are, nevertheless, there. My hands and fingers tremble as they find a fixed point on the counter to help keep myself steady and still. My inhales and exhales become short before the final breath breathes out my hidden concerns.

“That night—did you mean it? Did you really mean it when you told me to believe in you?”

Sehun doesn’t skip a beat and answers without hesitation. There’s no wait. There’s no insecurity or doubt. “I meant every word.”

“Oh.”

“Did you think I wouldn’t?”

“No, it’s j—just. It’s just I’m wondering why—“

I battle with how to properly pronounce my worries but Sehun saves me. He helps me by voicing the very sentiments chained inside my chest and conveys his honest truth in the clearest way possible. He makes certain his eyes are on me before the quiet is cut with his voice filling the air between us. “Why haven’t I shown you how my affections for you will last longer than the duration of our lives.”

My gaze finally meets his and my beating heart, which was once at my throat, plummets into my stomach as it swims in an ocean of unreadable emotions. His specific speech hits the mark straight center. My head dips up and down before he tells me not to move and to stay firmly planted in my position.

His long legs take him upstairs and he disappears into his room before coming back with his wallet in tow. It’s the one I gave him last Christmas as he pulls out a thin strip of paper from one of the pockets. For the time being, I ignore the picture of us clearly marked inside the window panel and train my attention on Sehun.

He clasps both hands together with the thin paper in the palm of his left. He holds it down at his lap but doesn’t show me what’s written. “I remember that night as much as you do. I remember every detailed description from the moon shining over us through the thick trees, to the tranquil stream flowing over stray rocks and stones, to even our actions and the wordless dialogue exchanged from your lips to mine.”

Sehun remembers it all and in a way, he’s telling me to think back to that night, to replay the events between us. He wants me to acutely remember what he saw through his perspective.

My left hand naturally travels up to my earlobe as I knead the skin and cartilage. Every time I blink, I see more of that night flashing back like a disconnected movie reel and slowly it all comes together into one piece. I remember the vulnerability he displayed between the last two sentences. I recollect how he waited for my response that night with bated breath and the part rattling my poor spirit is how I answered his final words.

I didn’t speak. I didn’t vocalize any literal response. My voice was left unheard and I didn’t utter anything to guarantee my acceptance of him or his promise. “I only nodded.”

“You did.”

It was a nod where I couldn’t will myself to even look at him. I nodded because I didn’t know what to say. I nodded because I was left with a feeling I couldn’t fully grasp and it was because of my wordless actions that we’re standing here now.

Yet, he doesn’t tell me I was wrong. He does the opposite and explains his comprehension of why I performed in that manner---how he knows my habits and common practices down to the very minute facet.

“You nodded because you weren’t ready. There’s nothing wrong with your reaction to my words that night and I understand why you did it. You’re perfectly happy right now, Ahri. You’re happy with your life, with the people around you, with yourself. It’s the best you’ve ever felt and deep down you know what I am to you—you realize I’m a risk to the happiness you fought so hard to achieve.

And it’s why I don’t want to mess this up or move too fast. I don’t want you to regret giving me this one and final chance. I want to do this right because that’s who you’ve always been to me. You were always the right person.”

I watch as Sehun wrings the small piece of paper in his left hand. His fingers brush against the texture, feeling the crinkled edges before he holds it out to me. I gently grasp onto the end as I see his handwriting stretch across the strip.

I have a sheet of paper similar to the one he gave me. It was when we stayed at the glass house and slept on the same bed together for the first time. The following morning, Sehun left behind a tiny piece of paper next to me in which he asked what I felt sleeping next to him. I answered, ‘warm’. What I didn’t realize was he wrote his feelings out as well. He wrote out his emotions on another piece of paper and kept it with him all this time.

‘Sleeping next to you feels right.’

“My heart knew it before my head could catch up. I should’ve realized it then how right you always felt which is why I don’t want to move too fast. I don’t want to move at pace uncomfortable for you. I want to move as slow as you want me to. It’s why I haven’t progressed any further than how I’ve been acting lately because I’m waiting until you are okay with me—

Whether it takes months or years, I’ll wait until you tell me you’re ready. I’ll wait until you tell me it’s okay so I can show you the extent of how much I love and will love you for the rest of my life.”

My fingers clench onto the sheet of paper as I realize the lengths he’s going through solely for me. He’s placing me above everyone else and making certain I’m comfortable. He’s making sure in all ways possible that I see he’s doing his best to show me he’s continually learning to be better than his previous self. And it’s this single fact trembling my heartstrings as I lower my walls.

My sight connects with his. It creates an invisible line permeating with an understanding of what he did as I whisper a single thought through my lips. “Okay.”

My sound causes him to stir. His spine straightens and he matches my voice as if making sure he heard correctly the first time. “Okay?”

I hum an mhmm and add to his wishes. “Show me, Sehun. Show me a love and an eternity I can truly believe in for the rest of my life.”

Our actions mirror one another as we exchange silent glances. He draws in a hushed breath and returns with a hopeful grin reaching all the way up to his eyes as it consumes my every spirit. He takes one step forward; it’s slow, paced. His body envelops me in a familiar intimacy and it’s an act I dearly missed. His arm wafts around my waist, holding me effortlessly as if it’s where I always belonged and it finally feels right. It’s the right moment. It’s with the right person.

His left hand glides up to my bangs, sweeping away my dark locks. A warmth emanates from his lips brushing onto my forehead as he does the single action signifying something especially meaningful for us. His gentle kiss flutters about onto my skin and creates small smiles illuminating both of our faces.

With three words, Sehun proves the one thing I always searched for in this lifetime. He shows me that from the moment I wake, the one person who’ll always be there to greet me, to be next to me, to love me in the purest way possible---will be him.

“Good morning, Ahri.”

#sehun scenario #exo scenario #sehun scenarios #exo scenarios #kpop scenario #kpop scenarios #sehun #oh sehun #exo fanfic #exo fanfics #exok #exo #exo k #enaasteria #but hopefully you all see the signficance of the end #bc there were hints #but if u don't #i must've failed then lol

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airanke · 7 years

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Attempt #2: I will take Vol'jin & Nadia, Amita and Jalga, and Nadia and V's rival whose name I can't remember for the meme thing!!!! (And for the % things on too, if that's okay :P)

MMMMMMMMM JALITA AND NADIA X TRIGON???? OMG. THIS’LL BE INTERESTING–

OH and yeah I can do that too!! I’ll put it in a separate post though, cuz this one will be pretty long with three ships!

@madmadameem yeeeeeeeeesssss

Vol’jin x Nadia!

who takes longer showers?

I’mma go with Nadia! She has a thick mass of hair, so caring for it probably takes longer than one would normally think (and let’s not forget about drying time too)! I’m pretty sure Vol’jin gets impatient at points and either drags her out or she just finds him sitting on a chair / on the bed staring at the door until she leaves. He helps her brush it - cuz I mean, I totally support the idea of trolls bonding via grooming u w u /

(rest under the cut!)

how do they make up after a fight?

SHIT MAN FROM WHAT I’VE READ VOL’JIN AND NADIA DON’T DO THE MAKING UP AFTER A FIGHT THING VERY WELL– but. I think that they would eventually sit down and talk about it, either by Nadia cornering Vol’jin, or by Vol’jin probably just picking Nadia up and carrying her off. Both of these things being done in the “we’re going to talk about this and you’re going to LIKE IT” sort of way haha! They strike me more as a “let’s talk it out now that we’ve both calmed down” sort O:

who prefers rain and who prefers sun?

I still run with the idea of Vol’jin preferring the rain because it reminds him of First Home ; w ; ! That being said, I kind of feel that after being in Durotar for so long, Nadia starts to prefer the rain as well - plus, with her being a mage, she can manipulate the water by freezing it and such, so I can imagine it being a very relaxing thing for her to do!

what’s their favorite place to go together?

Awww shizzle. I’m… not entirely sure? I know they would have a preference to more private places rather than public places (also this just based off what I’ve read PFFT since it’s like A LOT OF THE TIME THEY’RE TRYING TO KEEP THINGS A SECRET children pls). Umm if I had to pick a place… I feel like somewhere in Hyjal? IDK why, it’s a relatively easy place to fly to from Orgrimmar, and it’s really beautiful, and it would also be the last place anyone would think to look for them (so I mean they’d probably stress everyone out but when you want privacy YOU WANT PRIVACY ain’t nothin’ stopping you!)

who’s more likely to be voted prom king/queen?

Both of them of course! Both have the looks and the personality, they both gonna be the king and queen of the night u w u /

do they celebrate anniversaries, etc.?

Hrm… I can see them celebrating their anniversaries! Other than that, I’m not too sure what holidays they might enjoy celebrating together (though I can imagine Brewfest is an enjoyable one just because of all the silly shenanigans that can happen).

who’d pressure the other into singing karaoke?

UM I’m thinking Vol’jin would put the pressure on Nadia– between the two of them, she can probably sing better (though I’ve always imagined Vol’jin to have a gravelly singing voice, if he DOES sing).

what’s their nightly routine?

GROOMING because this is apparently the beginning of any routine involving a troll– I imagine that Nadia likes to take some time to moisturiser her face (I??? Don’t know where that came from but she looks like she has such soft, supple cheeks so MOISTURISING IT IS), or at least her part of the routine includes some kind of skin care. And more hair care. Because that hair. And then Vol’jin eventually gets annoyed with how long she’s taking and drags her into bed for cuddles u w u

who’s more likely to burn dinner?

… I’m so sorry Nadia I have always headcanoned Vol’jin being rather CAPABLE SO DESPITE THE FACT THAT YOU CAN OBVIOUSLY MAKE A REALLY NICE SOUP you are more likely to burn dinner— //BRICKED. It’s… it’s because she’s a mage…. she gets distracted… THAT’S MY EXCUSE.

Jalga x Amita!

who takes longer showers?

They both do because no matter what Amita does Jalga manages to sneak in every single time. He’s a rogue. She can’t stop him. His reasoning is he wants to help her with her waterfall of hair, but the truth is he just wants to kiss her neck. Jalga has a thing for Amita’s neck–

how do they make up after a fight?

Jalga is always the one who wants to talk about everything after a fight, which is good because Amita is rather avoidant. He makes it a point to seek her out and either ask what he did wrong or express to her what she did wrong, and is definitely the “we’re talking about this whether you like it or not” sort more than anything else.

who prefers rain and who prefers sun?

Jalga prefers the rain, and Amita prefers the sun. Jalga, though, likes to drag Amita into the rain with him totally not because he’s trying to seduce her with his romantic capabilities. That, and he will often just lie with Amita in the sun despite not being huge on the sun himself (it’s because he’s a rogue. He subconsciously wants to be hidden 99% of the time).

what’s their favorite place to go together?

Honestly? The dock in Ratchet. When it’s early morning and the boats aren’t coming or going yet, and when it’s late at night, again when the boats aren’t coming or going. They just like to sit there and enjoy each other’s company, and talk about things. And make out.

who’s more likely to be voted prom king/queen?

Both of them! Jalga is somewhat timid and sweet, and Amita is Amita! They both have the personalities and the looks to get all those votes!

do they celebrate anniversaries, etc.?

Not necessarily, but Jalga likes to take Amita off on little adventures to escape the Barrens every now and then (think of the Micro Holidays that were recently added in WoW). Bonus that he likes to drag Bujune along with them too, so there gets to be some mother/son time nestled in between all the time Jalga and Amita spend together u w u

who’d pressure the other into singing karaoke?

Jalga would pressure Amita. He knows she can sing - after all, I mean, she sings for him every night I mean what.

what’s their nightly routine?

Jalga makes sure to tend to Amita before they go to bed. That means exactly what it sounds like - y’know, brushing / braiding her hair, taking out her earrings (she can do this herself, but Jalga likes to do it for her, so she lets him). As for Amita, she returns the favor by actually tending to Jalga’s tusks. He prefers to keep them short, considering that he’s a rogue and if they’re larger than could easily catch on things, so Amita will break out the sand paper / a sanding block and carefully file his tusks. It’s something that’s best done every night, that way not too much has to be sanded off each time (and yeah, as a result of that, Jalga generally has smooth looking tusks).

who’s more likely to burn dinner?

Amita of course XD As I mentioned in the Amita x Vol’jin one, she can sometimes get distracted when she cooks, especially if it’s near a campfire! Jalga is less likely to burn food, but sometimes Amita distracts him sooooooo… he kinda sorta burns dinner too.

Tirgon x Nadia!

who takes longer showers?

Nadia. Because Trigon is like in the shower for five minutes and then basically done. He’s HELLA EFFICIENT OKAY??? I swear if Nadia takes longer than ten he’s coming in there and helping her or definitely NOT helping her…. depending… on which way that ends up going.

how do they make up after a fight?

Well shit. Trigon is arrogant at the very least and proud at the very best. But at the same time he’s also incredibly logical, so while he wouldn’t immediately admit when he’s in the wrong, he’ll get to it (on top of that he has one fierce temper). He’d have to calm down first, reassess what happened, and then when he comes to a conclusion, he’ll get off his high horse and talk to Nadia (regardless of if he’s “right” or “wrong”. He’s a strategist and highly intelligent, so he knows that talking shit out is better than stubbornly clinging to being “right” or “wrong”). SO EITHER WAY, they’d make up after a fight ultimately by Trigon storming into wherever Nadia is either opening with a) “I WAS RIGHT AND YOU WERE WRONG HOWEVER–” or b) “YOU WERE RIGHT AND I WAS WRONG HOWEVER–” and go from there with a discussion. Trigon stop being so DAMN AGGRESSIVE.

who prefers rain and who prefers sun?

Both Nadia and Trigon would prefer the rain. Trigon tends to hide in the shadows (let’s face it, he’s an assassin, he doesn’t want to be seen) buuuut when Trigon is in the sun, his scars glint in the sunlight, kinda like onyxes. He’d rather people not stare and/or ask questions about them, so he sticks to places where he’s not easily seen. Nadia I’m sure would have some fun impressing him with her ice magic (and I mean Trigon isn’t impossible to impress, he just doesn’t visibly show when he is most of the time - but if he sticks around to watch someone, it means he’s impressed!! And he would def stick around to watch Nadia do her little tricks).

what’s their favorite place to go together?

Hrm… Trigon’s not an Azeroth native, so this one is a teensy more difficult than the others… I feel like he’d take a liking to possibly Northrend areas or more traditional troll areas? After all the trolls on Azeroth live very differently from the trolls on Ether. Hrm… a specific place though… I think they would both settle on the library in Dalaran tbh. Trigon will take any reason to expand his knowledge, so he would definitely enjoy being in a library. In fact, this is probably the one time Nadia would discover that he’s not all “fuck you, fuck you, and fuck you in particular” and that he actually has a calmer, more conversational side u w u /

who’s more likely to be voted prom king/queen?

Nadia for sure prom queen. Trigon my gawd your personality leaves a lot to be desired. You’re really hot, we know this, but FOR PETE’S SAKE TONE DOWN THE CUSSING THAT’S VERY UNATTRACTIVE MY DUDE– naw, it’s a 50/50 thing for Trigon. He’s stern and headstrong (and arrogant asf), so his personality is a hit or miss with most people. Depends on how many people there actually like him that would determine whether or not he’d be prom king.

do they celebrate anniversaries, etc.?

Like Jalga with Amita, I like to think that Trigon would just show up randomly and be like “hey the Hippogriphs are hatching we’re goin’” and just whisk Nadia away LMAO!! BUUUT I also see them very much enjoying the Lunar Festival for some reason… it’s probably the lanterns. Trigon may or may not be weak for dim lighting and soft flames. Spoiler he totally is.

who’d pressure the other into singing karaoke?

Okay so funnily enough Trigon would encourage Nadia to sing by doing the whole “yeah sure, of course you can” or “bet you can’t” thing?? And then sitting there smirking while she proves him wrong until she realizes that she’s done exactly what he wanted and then resorts to glaring at him because he’s so fucking cocky.

what’s their nightly routine?

Okay now this one would actually start with them studying something and/or reading books together. As I mentioned Trigon is highly intelligent, and will take any and all reason to expand his knowledge. This of course means he would take a great interest in any magical texts, not only because it would teach him more about Azeroth magic, but also because it would increase his ability to incapacitate mages (boy is best against mages PFFT). Depending on what they’d gotten up to that day, or if Nadia has been particularly stressed, Trigon might actually whip up a bath. Like with the candles and rose petals and everything, I’mnotevenjokingHAHAHA. This would be his best efforts to get Nadia to relax. Or he helps her relax in other ways - and he is definitely the type to get all cocksure and teasing if she wants, y’know, something and his face totally says “I know exactly what you’re trying to ask me but I’m going to play dumb because I want to hear you say it”.

who’s more likely to burn dinner?

I don’t think either of them??? Trigon lives alone with his two brothers, and they were all in the Military (which… is the travelling army portion of the forces that Trigon is with //WEEPS) so they had to learn how to cook proper meals?? So yeah, neither Trigon nor Nadia would burn dinner. They probably try to out-cook each other sometimes. THAT WOULD BE REALLY FUNNY ACTUALLY— then they just wind up with too much food and look at each other and go “… well. I guess it’s time to invite people over for an impromptu dinner….”. They never learn their lesson.

Lawd I love Trigon so much you don’t eVEN UNDERSTAND—

#ship meme #Amita Dakini #Jalga #Vol'jin #Nadia Ravenscroft #Trigon #//SOBS MY BOY..............................

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severalbakuras · 7 years

Text

time

finish

im not prepared

(apologies to mobile users for the long post)

episode 5:

intro is a pink screen. it’s established pink is a mourning colour. hrmmm.

oh its an eyeball SHIRO

that’s not a good looking room to be in

that HAIR

hallucinating already, this is Not Good.

so he’s like totally alone in that room that is just bad practice right there. supervisor’s gonna get fucked if they get caught.

and. another shiro. one who’s kept clean-shaven. oh ok i know where this is going i think.

operation kuron is so unsubtle that i think we’re in for several layers of bait-n-switch until it turns out shiro never actually existed. schrodinger’s Shiro. shirodinger.

he escaped waaaaaay too easily - yeah. called it.

‘stage 3′ so stage one is ??? and stage two is this guy.

ok so shiro obvs remembers some things but i find it interesting that we’ve had no internal thoughts beyond memories of the tube/surgery. like he’s not thought about voltron or the paladins or allura and coran like he has no idea if they survived or not. nothing at all by the five minute mark.

HAGGAR FINALLY I’VE MISSED YOU SO

yeah you keep an eye on that boy. im sure absolutely nothing will happen to this guy.

self-cauterization holy shit.

“what killed you?” is the first spoken line of dialogue from shiro i think. everything else is just vague confusion noises and/or battle grunts iirc. we haven’t even had an internal line of thought yet (which i know don’t rly happen in this series like everyone tends to speak aloud but still he’s ALL alone). i think that’s significant, somehow.

how the fuck has he not frozen to death in that skinny suit.

SHIRO NO THAT COULD BE AN ACID LAKE

“subject Y0XT39″ i will eat a raw garlic clove if this turns out to be the real shiro.

wow that’s rly bad for blood circulation like way to make him lose his hands jackasses.

so these two are space cannibals. neat.

if you’re trying to convince people of who you are why would you just say your first name? he WANTS these guys to know who he is, there’s no point being cagey. say your surname shiro go ahead.

knowledge of who the paladins are rly is being kept tight under wraps. so long as nobody ever thinks to check out any planet where galra were known to have integrated into local alien communities to the point of children.

i :) wonder :) who :) might :) do :) that :)

(i wonder how earth’s doing. everyone has family down there who misses them (besides keith since he’s living in a shack in the desert and nobody from the MILITARY-ish training academy told his dad to come pick him up apparently))

lotor i swear to fuck don’t you dare pull a dreamworks smirk DONT DO YOU DARE

so galra channels are hackable

that big guy’s totally having a SUPPRESSING FIIIIIRE moment

i rly like this winter backdrop i love being able to see the brushstrokes on the snow (like digital ones but they count).

he’s starving but he doesn’t take a single bite of the food onscreen can’t tell if suspicious or #mood bc i don’t like people watching me eat either lol

so operation kuron isn’t something widely known then or Hold up those robo-soldiers have no reaction whatsoever to a unit falling down until the hangar doors close.

ok those two guys in the cave HAVE to be in on it or shiro would’ve died on that planet. why keep the ship above a Death Planet for him to be permitted to escape to unless they had someone down on the Death Planet who could send him back to the right ship to deliver to voltron without him knowing he was being played?

like this is ALL phase 3.

‘stop spying on me’

‘do your fucking job’

HA. IDEAS. IN ZARKON’S HEAD. AHHAHAA

i think this is the first time i’ve seen lotor angry like haggar gets under his skin so easily i hope they talk again soon. ‘I AM THE LEADER’ his VOICE damn.

ok so like i already know lotor is half-galran and he’s probably half-altean too like in the original series with the hair and all. but i don’t think haggar is his mother even though she’s also altean. he’s hyper-focused on not being like his father in that scene but he also seems the type that he’d leave a snarky comment about his mother too if she were. and she doesn’t ever refer to him as her son, only zarkon’s. she’d surely say ‘our’ son, unless she officially disowned him as part of his banishment and hates his guts but then surely he’d have at least SOME reaction to seeing her unless he was, like, literally banished at birth and doesn’t know who she is and that he’s half-altean. bc if he knew he was he’d connect the dots between ‘only altean on the ship’ and his dad v quickly.

like i do know the story behind exactly how original lotor (aka sincline) is half altean and it’s Unpleasant and makes zarkon a fucking monster and i doubt this series would even imply that that was the case here but if it did and our lotor knew this was the truth behind his parentage that could explain his lack of reaction to haggar AND his deeply intrinsic rejection of his father.

oh come ON the ship is stocked with oxygen!!!!!! why would a ship that’s intended for a robot pilot need oxygen!!!!!!!!

seven days, when he’s already in a bad way re blood loss/injury (like a healing serious wound burns calories and fluid by the truckload) and didn’t have much water to go on beforehand. if i didn’t think something was up before man.

finally, almost 20 minutes in, we finally see him think of his teammates. took long enough.

black lion notices. hrm.

episode six:

nice shooting lancFCUKING KILL THEM ALLURA

SAME LANCE

HUG YOUR SON SHIRO actually no you’re not shiro stay the fuck away from him

‘weird headache’ since this isn’t a dramatic romance show, he’s not got Invisible Anime Disease #5 so there’s absolutely a tracker in his brain.

A HUNK MOMENT THAT ISN’T ABOUT FOOD I’M CRY (like it intersects with pidge but i don’t mind it’s nice that he gets to show his own brains in what feels like forever)

shiro automatically stepping back in ‘this is what we do mode’ is SHRHCHCH. NO. even if he WASN’T a clone he’s still recovering and is missing out on potentially months of their relationships changing and being redefined. he can’t just step back in like that.

ok so like???? if there’d been more scenes like this early on??? i’d probably be totally into klance?? like keith doesn’t really grasp the depths of the issue with lance judging by how the shot holds on lance leaving and his facial expressions and all but keith tries and lance tries and there’s no cheap joke thrown in there’s no rejecting that there was any emotional connection. it’s not solved the problem lance has by any means but it’s lance opening up to keith about his vulnerabilities and worries and it’s keith doing his best to help him both as a leader and a friend and the narrative doesn’t turn either of them into a joke for it. THAT IS MY SHIT RIGHT THERE.

like i’m obvs lowkey into enemies-friends-lovers (bc otherwise i wouldn’t consider keitor or any of my other ships which i won’t name bc i’ve made it this far without comparing anything to warcraft so i won’t start now) but i guess i much prefer the friends-lovers stage. (especially when only one half of the pair considers the other as ‘enemy’ in the first place).

‘just whack it’ is a universal law that will last forever

SHIRO ARE YOU IN THE LEADER CHAIR. NO? SHUT UP.

fucking fake ass shiro he doesn’t even acknowledge keith stepping up to make a plan as leader like he always fucking wanted him to do he just sails on into his own plan without so much as a ‘sorry’. fuck you fake shiro. firo.

and keith just stands there like a lemon like this is ok ahrhfhg. firo i swear to god if you drag keith back down into the place he was on the gas planet before lance intervened i’m gonna be so mad.

interesting that we don’t get a reaction shot of lance when keith offers to stay behind instead of taking back red. considering how that was literally what the last scene between him and keith was about is all.

so clones are genetically identical so the black lion picking up on firo’s ~spark of life~ fading or whatever to rescue him isn’t odd. but the black lion knows your soul and it’s not happy.

(could be an issue when the real shiro returns tho but eh that’s a problem for futuretron)

I LOVE THIS LOYAL PETTY BASTARD

“Victory or death!” OH COME ON YOU’RE MAKING THE WARCRAFT REFERENCES FOR ME. LOKTAR OGAR

so perhaps lotor squad isn’t in on operation kuron?

i wonder what’s being whispered during the mind control scenes.

that ship looks like a space fox... or maybe a star fox.

in two minds about this part like right now firo IS right but they DO need to actually try and confront lotor at some point. it’s ALWAYS going to be a bad time bc lotor has figured out how to use plot armor to protect himself so sometimes you just need to attack that face down trap card and face the consequences or you’ll be stuck forever yknow?

OH IT’S HER. FROM THE SHIP. COOL i was wondering if that’d come up again.

oops he’s ambidextrous.

also i think ezor might be a little crueler than she lets on, she’s got some v. vicious expressions going on in this grapple.

ZETHRID THINKS ALLURA’S A WORTHY OPPONENT ZELLURA YOU ARE CLEARED FOR LAUNCH (in other news i am a terrible person)

honestly those are both equally high priority targets, either one WILL fuck things up in the future no matter if they follow firo or keith.

now lotor how do you know they were about to attack, unless you perhaps had a direct link into the lions communication lines, which have been kinda previously established as being impossible to hack?

(so that’s one point in them also knowing about project kuron)

YES KEITH THIS IS WHAT YOU DO BEST ON THE FLY INSTINCTIVE GOOD MOVE

hooooly shit lotor’s maaaad

get your hand off him firo.

“i’m sorry i had to step in back there” step in. STEP IN. LIKE YOU WEREN’T IN CONTROL OF THE ENTIRE MISSION START TO FINISH. he sets up ‘you were the leader and you weren’t good enough’ almost on purpose..

the former isn’t true because keith still stepped down and firo commanded all their movements from the ship and the latter isn’t true because no plan survives contact with the enemy keith basically had it as under control as shiro always did. considering the circumstances he did damn well AND he scored a ‘fuck you’ point against lotor by using lotor’s own new ship to wreck the teledove.

“i thought i had it under control” ;A;

HE’S BEEN THERE SINCE THEY ALL FORMED VOLTRON YOU FUCK. HE WAS GOOD AT THIS UNTIL YOU GOT HERE.

FUCK YOU FIRO.

damn that’s cold haggar.

episode seven:

i’m. um. huh. those certainly were memories i’ll need to pause on later.

this dramatic scene is being ruined by all the cute little triforces floating around.

my civil war theory is officially dead now i guess. goodbye, civil war theory. it was nice to have you as a handy aversion of the whole ‘X race is like this while Y race is like this’ trope that always shows up in sci fi and fantasy and sci-fantasy~

this music is giving me jack sparrow IN SPACE vibes.

oooh the dust particle effect in the light shafts in the air is pretty and a good attention to detail.

now see like why wasn’t his spirit projection thing back in season 1 more like this??? he has a character he’s got personality he’s just like his daughter i’d actually MISS this guy if that spirit projection thing had been like his true self and not a bland whatever he was he’s so forgettable i can’t even remember what he was like.

ZARKON WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED. YOUR VOICE. YOUR EYES.

so like galra culture has a class/caste system and is kinda militaristic. explains a lot in the future i guess.

“WHAT IS THAT” is that the same cat narti has? and oh god no he’s a dork.

OH NO HE’S A REALLY BIG DORK AAAAAAAAAAA

AAAAA BABY ALLURA. SHE’S SO CUTE.

oh so he married honerva? oh no. OH NO SHE BETTER NOT BE HAGGAR. DON’T DO THIS.

“it was a customary gesture” tf is that all about.

“by willow!” is that the first canon mention of a deity? cool.

so the red paladin was technically the first paladin.

this thing is eldritch as fuck.

“Am I a leg?!” god i am so sad that you’re going to die horribly i love you.

now it’s REALLY eldritch.

god she really is haggar.

so alteans definitely age then (which proves empress allura was definitely dead a long LONG time before alt-eans went all mind-controlly).

honergar’s giving me major ‘that bloodbender who’s name i’ve forgotten’ vibes.

I KNEW QUINTESSENCE WAS BAD SHIT

he loves her so much im gonna cry.

so the lions cannot pick up on deceit then. they accept the will of their paladin over the safety of voltron as a whole and the other lions. they cast no moral judgement.

so there could easily be an evil voltron somewhere.

ZARKON NO HE’S HOLDING HER HAND ARGH.

so those weird purple cloud creatures from another dimension are puppeteering the corpse of the first black paladin, taking his basic desire for power and extending it into a galaxy spanning genocidal crusade because???

their home dimension must be a fucking hell dimension if things like that are trying to escape.

that guard made it seem like they sorta knew and accepted why their planet was destroyed so i guess zarkon returning from death was such a massive cultural shock that they all fell into line. bc otherwise i find it hard to believe that every single galra would join the battle (like yeah the blades exist but they’re a tiny movement) and not question what the fuck happened to his eyes or voice or how he came back from the fucking dead or why they’re meant to suddenly hate everyone.

ok so why do most of the galra have similar glowing eyes iirc? surely the vast majority should have the normal eyes that old zarkon and lotor have but they don’t. unless like successful generals are permitted to ‘live’ forever by taking the creatures into their bodies but then like they have far too much personality for that. the loktar ogar guy for example. what gives.

that’s kind of a leap at lotor’s motives but an understandable one, they don’t know how much lotor detests being like his father so i doubt he’d do the same damn thing his father was trying to do.

he’s baaaaack and he’s got no new tricks, zombieman zarkon’s still just as thick as the last time~

lotor’s gonna be so mad. and also this doesn’t actually explain why haggar lets zarkon run roughshod all over her much better plans prior to this because she doesn’t remember being his husband until this episode.

and also also imo this means haggar definitely can’t be lotor’s mother bc when we’re seeing things coran can’t possibly know like honerva on her death bed we’re probably seeing haggar’s vision of events and he doesn’t appear to be a factor in either of their lives but she remembers their wedding perfectly.

(unless he’s a zombaby but he can’t be because his eyes don’t glow).

hrm.

season four when.

#vld #voltron legendary defender #sb watches voltron

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mrneighbourlove · 6 years

Text

Cruel Red Sea: Ch 8. Party Blowout

Seer took a week to recover and had improved slowly enough to walk about. He was able to walk without getting winded and could do most of his chores without hassle. Bjarke chopped wood for the fire, since that was about the only chore that Seer could not physically do just yet. There was still the constant, dull pain, though he tried his best to ignore it. Rat, Borghild, and Revy stopped by one night with a big feast for everyone to share. The next night, Bjarke, Naira, and Bjarke's dad, Sten, arrived with a meal the next, trying to give Seer a break. Then, surprisingly, Seer received a guard at the door, saying the High King and Queen was stopping by to greet him. Once he relayed the news to the girls, he told them to get ready in their nicest clothes. Since it was hard to raise his arms above his head, he asked the twins to help him with his hair. He wanted to look presentable as well.

Lex was surprisingly happy helping Seer. To tell the truth, it warmed her heart to do dress up and makeup with her dad. "Your ponytail looks wonderful Daddy~ I found a ribbon at the market that goes perfect for you!"

Liz quirked an eyebrow. "Where did you have the money to buy that ribbon?"

"The money was lying around."

"Thank you, Lex, I appreciate your help. You and your sister do some of the best braids." Seer then groaned aloud when Lex announced how she 'found' the ribbon. "Please tell me you didn't take your sister's allowance again."

"No. I did not steal from Liz."

She was oddly specific.

Quickly changing the subject, she sat in front of Seer. "Can you comb my hair Daddy? I want to look perfect. Princess Kanisa helped me fashion my own dress, and this is the first time I get to wear it!"

"Hrm, no more stealing ribbons. Or anything else for that matter, Lex." Seer took the comb from his daughter and waited for her to sit in front of him. Carefully, his hands found her hair and started to comb through her beautiful locks. "Do you want braids? A bun? A tail like mine?" He chuckled and then said. "You and your sister will look amazing, you're both my two, beautiful girls. I might not be able to see, but I can tell that the both of you are going to be absolutely stunning women one day."

"It's hard to put all my hair into a ponytail. That department can rest easy in the hands of Revy and Liz."

Liz looked curiously at the shining earing Lex had on her left ear. "Hey, were did you get that earing?"

Lex smiled. It was a gift Adda stuck onto her in the water. A shining pearl taken from a water dragon's lair. "This? Just something Kanisa didn't want anymore."

"And now... the finishing touch." Seer gently fixed Lex's hair into a braided bun, connecting four braids together to make the actual bun. Once he was done, he carefully slid her flower hair pin inside the bun to hold it in place. "How's that look, sweetheart?"

"Beautiful! I'm royalty!" For the first time since Adda showed up, she turned and gave her dad a kiss on the cheek. "My knight!"

Liz giggled at her sister's compliments. They never saw the High King's Palace before. This trip was just what they needed. "Well Sir Knight, can you do my ponytail?"

"Of course I can." Seer patted the spot in front of him and started to work on Liz's hair. "Lex, make sure you get your heavy coat out of the closet, and Liz's too. I don't want you girls freezing in those dresses. You can take off the coats when we get there, all right?" Liz's pony tail was more so fancy than his, Seer placing a couple, thin little braids with pins shaped like flowers here and there. "Not too tight?"

Seer was so glad that Lex seemed cheery and so did Liz. Things were finally getting back to normal. "And when we're all ready, I have a surprise for you two outside."

"Really?" Both girls spoke at once. When they spoke in union, it was a rare and sweet treat for Seer.

A knock came at the door, and the sound of barking. Revy couldn't contain her excitement. "Mom, mom, mom! Hurry! I want to see if Lex and Liz are ready!"

She petted her dog, enjoying his company in such cold environments.

"Yes, a surprise for both my sweet girls." Seer pulled both of them in close and kissed their foreheads. "Coats! Go on, put on your coats. And I have to find my boots, are they still at the door?" Hearing Revy at the door, Seer went to open it for her. "Come on in out of the cold. Oh, have Boof with you?" He held out his hands and the snow dog nuzzled them. "So soft."

Revy motioned Borghild to join them. "Mom says she's impervious to the cold. But she needs to come in too!"

"We don't want to keep your father and the others waiting." Borghild came in out of the lightly falling snow. "Are the girls almost ready?"

"Yes, they're just grabbing their coats." Seer then suggested. "Revy, why don't you and Boof go say hello to the twins? Make sure they have their coats."

Revy ran in to their rooms, and was instantly amazed. "You two look beautiful!"

Lex smiled, batting her eyelashes in practice. "Thank you."

Liz smiled, giving a bow. Here dress wasn't like a perfect fairy tail like her sister, but it was beautiful. "I like your wild ponytail Revy. And your lipstick looks good too. Say Revy, why aren’t you in a dress?"

“My Gerudo mom, Scarlet, said that prettiness comes from the inside!”

“Oh…” Liz lost her smile. It seemed Revy had been growing close with her biological mother.

"Do you know the High King?"

"No. But they're a powerful clan."

Lex wanted everything to be perfect on her arrival. Revy was a little too loose. Walking up to her, she adjust her shirt and hair. "I hope they let you in."

"Well of course. You two look like Princess'. And every Princess needs a heroic escort. I'm escorting Princess Kanisa! What's two more gonna hurt~"

The girls all giggled, putting their fur coats on. Lex was so glad she was gifted the stylish coat she wanted. Walking outside, they waited for the adults.

As Seer walked with the girls, he oddly took them in the direction of Rat's house. Instead of going inside the cabin, he took Liz and Lex around the side to where the barn resided. Borghild and Revy followed, Boof running through the snow happily and wagging his tail. The snow dog followed Revy everywhere she went and was a good pet for her. As soon as Seer was in front of the barn, Rat walked out with two horses, one on each side. Both were huge plow horses, good for farming fields and trustworthy steeds to ride through the harsh weather.

"Liz, Lex... your birthdays are in a couple of weeks and I figured after the events that transpired, it would do you good to have your present early." Seer chuckled and motioned to the horses. "Liz, yours is the gray one with white spots. His name is Blizzard. Lex, yours is the white one with gray spots. Her name is Whiteout. Happy birthday, my sweets."

Both girls squealed with joy, running to their dad. "THANK YOU!"

Revy clapped in excitement. "Horses?! That's so cool!"

"Now, this comes with responsibility. Until our barn is finished, you'll have to come here and take care of your horses." Seer hugged his girls in return. "If you show me you can take care of your horse, and be a safe rider, then I might consider letting you stay out a little later. If you can take care of your horse, that means you're learning to take care of yourself. Does that sound fair?"

"The girls needed a way to get around Uskar when the snow becomes thick." Borghild booped Reveka's nose. "A trusty steed to help them get where they need to go. After all, it's almost time the girls start their apprenticeships."

Revy scrunched her face up at the boop and bared her fangs. “Moooom. Not the nose. So if Lex and Liz have horses, can I get a dragon soon?”

"The dragon chooses you, silly, not you choosing the dragon." Borghild laughed at Revy's question, picking up the girl. "And maybe you'll get lucky and one of Na'seema's hatchlings will choose you. If not, then there's always when we visit Hyrule. Besides, what's wrong with a good dog and a good horse?" That was her fear of heights talking. "It's a lot safer on the ground."

"That's my good girls." Seer nudged them to the horses. "Go on, say hi, don't be shy. Then we'll go to the High King. All right?"

"You sound like Klinge mom..."

Lex and Liz walked in perfect sync up to their pair of horses. Despite their social differences, when they tackled new challenges together, they do so without hesitation or emotion clouding them. Each reached out to their respective horse.

"Hey, he doesn't like dragons, I like them okay, I just don't like the idea of falling." Borghild told Reveka with another boop to her nose. "Besides, you have Boof, you don't need a dragon."

"What do you think, little ones?" Rat asked as the girls petted their horses. "Pretty, yes?"

"I had the crew help me pick out what they thought was best." Seer told his daughters. "I know very little about horses, so I asked for their help. Uncle Rat has graciously allowed us to use his barn until ours is done, Uncle Mojo and Juju named them, Uncle Bomba tested them for riding, Uncle Pockets made sure to help Uncle Corsaire get them here to Uskar, and Uncle Acrobat made your saddles. So the first thing you two girls need to do is write them all a thank you letter."

"Yes! Thank you Daddy!" Both girls gave Seer a deep hug, super glad for the generosity the crew provided.

Revy gave a fun bite at the finger her mom booped her with. "This dragon bites!"

"You can ride them tomorrow," Seer told his girls with a smile. "For now, let's go before we're late."

The High King and Queen had invited Seer's family, Rat's family, as well as Bakura and Scarlet to a small gathering. It was a simple feast for everyone to eat and celebrate. Since everyone had a role in scaring away Adda's ships, it was a way of showing thank you. Originally, it was just going to be the High King and Queen, yet Halvar decided to come along as well. He did not want to stay with his older brothers or sister for a night of babysitting.

Scarlet felt awkward, staying in her armour to keep warm. She didn't know why she felt lonely in a room full of people.

Bakura gave a formal bow to the King and Queen, both hands together. "Your majesties. May I have a request?"

The High King and Queen sat at the head of the table as their guests arrived. Both instructed Halvar to be on his best behavior if he wanted to stay with them. When Bakura approached them, Torbjorn acknowledged him.

"Speak your request."

"I am the biological father to Lex and Liz. I wish to become a resident and, if I must to do so, a servant for the people of Uskar, so that I may be closer to my daughters."

"A citizen of Uskar... it's very rare for a stranger to wish to stay here in this frozen land we call home." Torbjorn pondered over the foreigner's request. It was not an unreasonable one. Besides, he did save little Lex from the crevice and fought against the pirate. "What do you think, my queen?"

"I believe we should honor his request." Brigritta nodded her head to Bakura. "He has shown to be a good fighter and only wishes to become part of his girls' lives. As long as he upholds our laws and traditions, I don't see why not."

Bakura nodded respectfully. "Thank you. I don't wish to be rude, but I have another request. I wish to know what you will do with Adda."

"Adda? The pirate captain?" Torbjorn stated. "If she comes into our waters once more, we plan to face her head on, and take out her ships. However, with the size of her army, we have asked for help from Hyrule."

“I want a bounty on her. She can’t keep moving about freely with no care for others.”

‘No care for you.’ Bakura’s alternate thought.

"Very well. We will communicate this to Hyrule, who will in turn speak to Danjur and Al-Daida. We will make sure that Adda has no where safe to go."

"Thank you."

At kids gathered around, taking their coats off. Revy was amazed by the architecture of the palace, looking around and waving to Direnor kids. Liz was attractive, but Lex was a knock out in her dress. She saw Halvar, and gave him a wave. Once she got his attention she flew him a wink and a nudge to come over.

Halvar turned the darkest shade of red when Lex displayed such a flirty nature. He awkwardly waved back in return, but did not leave the table, sinking down in his chair. His mother and father ordered best behavior and he was not going to get in trouble by starting up something with the twins. He had seen them bicker before and had no desire to get in the middle of that.

"Please, sit and enjoy the food." Torbjorn gestured to the table and then saw Seer approaching with his daughters. "Erling! How are you recovering?"

"I am doing much better than I was, thank you for asking, my king." Seer pulled out the seats for his daughters and then took one himself. "Just a scar now."

"My brother is a fighter!" Rat boasted at the table. "Nothing will take him down so easily."

Lex sat beside Halvar, smiling with charmful glee. His youngest sister was nowhere in sight. Her plan would go smoothly with just a little luck. "Hello Halvar. How are you doing this evening?"

"Good." Halvar spoke very quietly, focusing intently on his plate. He was rather uncomfortable with Lex's flirty ways, but tried his best to still be polite. "I hope you like the food."

"Bakura, since you are staying in Uskar, we would like to offer you the position as one of the scouts." Torbjorn told the assassin. "Your skills are noteworthy in combat, but we also need someone to go beyond the walls and look for potential hunting areas as well as those which are not safe. You may decline if you wish."

"I'd be honoured." Bakura took his seat beside Seer. Brushing his hair back he craved into his fish.

Lex nodded in agreement. "So Havlar, I heard you wanted to read Kanisa's book on Gerudo history. Do you like Gerudo girls?"

"I... I think they're good fighters." Halvar still spoke barely above a whisper. "I like reading about their fighting styles."

"Lex, don't let your food get cold. I'm sure you, your sister, Reveka, and Halvar can mingle after we eat." Seer reminded his daughter. "Liz, make sure you finish your greens."

"Here sweetie," Borghild placed a good portion of smoked meat on Reveka's plate. "Eat up. And don't push what you don't want under the table to Boof."

"Whaaaat? I'm not gonna-pffff." Revy just finished giving Boof her Broccoli.

Lex started to eat the food presented to her delicately. Liz nodded in respect to her dad. "Yes Dad. Can we share a story around the hall after dinner?"

"Of course you can." Seer then told his twins. "Do not leave the Grand Hall without me. We'll go home after we mingle. I don't like you girls out by yourself when it's dark."

Boof happily ate the broccoli. He pretty much ate whatever the girl gave to him except a couple of vegetables. He did not like radishes or turnip greens. Impatient, he pawed at her leg under the table for more.

"Uh-huh. Here's some more broccoli, you eat it this time." Borghild put some on her daughter's plate. "You too, Scarlet." The pregnancy hormones were making her a little assertive and overprotective at the moment. "You need your vegetables. Eat up."

Scarlet snapped out of just looking at everyone celebrating. She wondered how her band of sisters were doing without her. "Oh? Of course. T-thank you."

Revy barely ate the broccoli. "Mom. It's not cooked. It's so hard to eat."

Scarlet looked over with a small internal sigh. "Eat your food Revy. It'll help you swing an axe."

Revy looked over to Scarlet. "Really?"

"Yep."

Revy took a deep breath and started to eat the broccoli faster.

"Huh. I should have thought of that, then I wouldn't be finding Boof eating all her veggies under the table." Borghild took a bite of her fish. "Thought about what you would like to do here, Scarlet? We could always use another blacksmith."

"Bakura," Seer decided to start a civil conservation. "If you like, we can talk about the twins after dinner."

"I'm not a good smith..." Scarlet slowly ate her food, sighing seeing Rat so happy.

Bakura was surprised, looking at the blind man in curiosity. "I don't see the problem with doing that."

Lex patted Halvar's leg. "You want to go talk somewhere after dinner?"

"Well, what do you like to do?" Borghild asked. "We can always use help somewhere."

"Even babysitting." Rat shrugged his shoulders. "If you wanna work with kids, you can a-help parents out who have to work and watch the children."

"We can all go talk." Halvar jumped when Lex touched his leg. "It'd be rude not to include Elizabeth and Reveka."

"Good." Seer carefully took a sip of his drink, bring the cup to his lips. "I'm sure you have questions."

"I-I'm sure I can figure something out." Scarlet took more slow bites of her meal.

Lex shrugged her shoulders. "Don't you want some alone time?~"

Liz, not realizing what her sister was doing, nodded in agreement with Halvar. "That'd be cool. What has your family been up to Halvar?"

"You can let us know. It's good for a person to have something to do." Borghild gestured to Rat. "He's a good fisherman, I work in the forge, and Reveka's showing to be wonderful at training horses and dogs."

"Papa and Mama have been working on the trading routes with the witch queen!" Halvar perked up at Liz's question. "I mean, the Lorleidian queen. She's sending some more dragons next week with more supplies, but the blizzards have been a pain. We've been working on trying to select the best days for optimal weather!" He started rambling. "The wind dragons can push away the clouds with their magic, but it's hard for just a select few to counter a whole storm, so if they come in bigger numbers, then we can get more supplies and..." He continued to rant about weather patterns and how cool the wind dragons were for nearly a solid minute. "Oh! And the queen is sending in new saddles too! For a few to learn how to ride dragons!"

Lex quirked an eyebrow. "Do you want to learn how to ride a dragon?"

"YES!" Halvar nearly shouted and his earned a look from his parents. "... yes, I do want to learn. It would be so cool to fly!"

Lex thought about how to win Halvar over. Than she got an idea. She got a wonderful, awesome idea. "You know, I'm close friends with Na'seema. I could convince her to give you a ride."

Liz gave a chuckle. "You sure about that?"

Lex shot her sister a look to not ruin this. Things were going well so far. "Duh. Of course I can."

"Oh! I've ridden on Na'seema's back before, but just not flying." Halvar sighed sadly. "She's not going to ride with anyone right now though. She thought she'd have eggs for sure this time, but it was a false pregnancy. She's really sad. Hopefully, maybe next time she'll have eggs."

Lex, Liz, and Revy went silent from laughs, plots, and fun. This was news to them. Liz turned to her dad, looking for a confirmation, and hoping it would not be true. "Dad? Is that true?"

"I... I didn't know." Seer admitted to his girls. "Rat? Did you know?"

"I did, but I didn't want to spoil dinner." Rat frowned. "Na'seema was checked by Naira this morning since her eggs never came. Evidently, her body was readying to have eggs, but there were no eggs. It happens sometimes when a female really wants a baby. Her body just... fooled itself into thinking she was pregnant."

"Will she be all right?"

"Yeah, Na'seema is a strong dragon, she's just needing some a-time alone."

Revy felt really sad by that. She promised she'd go see and comfort her after dinner to herself.

Bakura cleared his throat. "Why don't the four of you kids go hang out with the other children?"

"They're at a party with their friends, but we can hang out in my room." Halvar volunteered. "I know it's time for 'adult talk'." He nearly rolled his eyes. "Come on, girls, Boof, let's go in my room and we can play a game of checkers!"

"Awesome!" Lex took Halvar's hand, letting him lead her away.

Bakura nudged Rat and whispered to him, noticing Scarlet look sadly as Revy walked away. "She needs something to fill her life."

"Aye, me's agreeing with ya, but unless she takes that first step forward, I cannot force her." Rat made a seesaw motion with both his hands. "She has to want it for herself."

"My king, my queen, I thank you for the feast." Seer finished his food and gave a polite bow. "I must speak with Bakura. Please continue to enjoy yourselves."

Bakura gave everyone a nod at the table and followed the blind direnor to the outside of the hall. "The air is chilly tonight."

"You ought to be here when a blizzard comes through the land." Seer knew the man had not experienced the horrid weather of Uskar just yet. "I know you wish to speak to me, and have questions about the girls, their life, your new life here. I'll do my best to answer them."

Bakura silently agreed. "How have they been growing up? How did you manage in my absence?"

"Lex is the demanding one." Seer chuckled at the recollections of the girl's temper tantrums if she did not get exactly what she wanted. "She wants it, when she wants it, how she wants it, and wants it right then. She's a little self-centered, but I can tell she really does love her sister and Reveka. And she's obsessed with looking girly-girly, hates to be in pants and a shirt. Loves dresses, jewelry, the works." He then switched to Liz. "My sweet Liz, goodness, she has a heart of absolute gold. She's the polar opposite of her sister, but she worries too much for others sometimes. She always seems to be putting others before herself, though she has this awful habit of moving things around. I keep telling her to put it back where it goes so I can find it. I don't know if she's doing it on purpose to mess with me or not. Maybe, she's good for pranks that way." The blind man smiled to himself. "It was difficult managing twins at first. I had to find them a wet nurse, and a babysitter while I worked in the palace of Hyrule as a cook. I felt bad because I honestly did not know what to do. Though as time went on, I could tell the difference between their cries for food or to be burped, if they wanted to play, or needed a diaper change, or just wanted to be held. As they grew, goodness, I can't tell you how many times I stumbled over their toys or accidentally put on their clothes backwards. Not to mention, if one got sick, the other followed. Having them both sick at the same time was a nightmare." That was something he did not care to repeat, especially with puke or diarrhea. "Though I'd do it all over again, because I live for their smiles, their laughter, their happiness... I may not be able to see them, but I can sense them. Blood or not, they're my girls. I'd give my life for them."

Bakura looked down to the ground. He felt shame that he could not do what this man did for him. "Thank you Seer. They needed a father to look after them."

"Look... I'll admit that I might have overreacted when you first came here. I was terrified you were going to take them away from me. I honestly don't know what I'd do without them." Seer would at least admit he was mistaken over this one issue. "I should have let you talk to them, yet I let my own selfish desires get in my way. You are their biological father and you have a right to know them."

"Thank you for admitting your faults." Bakura gave a smile at that. Even he with his formal speech, wasn't above making playful jabs.

"Hmph, don't get used to it, I just don't want my girls mad at me." Seer definitely was not above teasing either. "Hard to cope when two precious girls are pouting."

"Wise words regarding little ones." Bakura felt the bark of the tree, getting a sense of the land and grounding himself. "Is there anything you wish to know of me?"

"Hrm, not sure what all you'd be willing to tell me." Seer turned his head in Bakura's direction, his blind eyes blinking a few times. "I can sense you, but not see you. I can tell you are a deadly fighter, that there's another side of you, yet you won't hurt the girls, but do not necessarily care for others. It's part of what I am, a Direnor, that allows me to sense these hidden things about you. Whatever you wish to tell me, I will listen."

"Do you think me a threat because I could switch into a murderous personality?"

"In some ways, yes. In other ways, no." Seer was honest. "It does make me uneasy. I don't want the girls to see that side of you; to be afraid of you if you want to be in their lives. However, I know that you can use it to protect them as well, if necessary. It's a mixed feeling."

"Seth does what he desires. His unpredictability to be calm or beyond savage even scared Adda."

"... did this other personality of yours, Seth, as you call him... did he do something to Adda to make her doubt your capability as a father? Is that why she left the twins with me?"

Bakura felt uneasy bringing this topic up. "...Yes."

"Do you mind elaborating so I'll know what not to do in the future?"

"We happened to be raiding another pirate vessel together when an enemy with magic used a spell of confusion. It had different effects on me, such as bringing Seth to light. He mocked her abilities... and killed some of her crew for making fun of him. Maybe I deserved what she did to me."

"No one deserves to lose a child." Seer said quietly, feeling bad for the other man. "Losing a kid... it's like a piece of your soul is stolen."

"I was broken before... And I was a threat. After that, I came to my senses. I tried to justify my actions. That the crew I killed was just hired help. But she didn't care. She was had a reputation to uphold, and that I could have killed on of her girls. We spat words at each other, which ended with me calling her a filthy whore. With that, I believe she set her plan in motion to get back at me."

"You never know what Adda is thinking, or what she will do. I fear she may return for the girls or our lives; she gets rid of us, nothing is stopping her from trying to take the girls except for the ones who love them here." Seer shuddered at the thought. "I don't want them with her, in danger, on the sea where the unpredictable can happen, will happen. I want them here, with me, with their family who loves them."

Bakura gave a chuckle. "What do you think of Adda? Because can I tell you a secret? A part of me still loves that sailor."

"We had a spark a long time ago and I fancied her simply because she was willing to look past the fact that I could not see." Seer laughed. "That, and she had a way with words."

"She does, doesn't she?"

"I didn't let that work on me this time." Seer rubbed his chest where the scar was forming. "I knew what she wanted; I could sense it. I was not going to let her use me, and then take away the most precious part of my life."

"Hmmm... it hurt to see her again."

"I didn't see her, I punched her." Seer snorted.

Bakura sighed, almost like he was ashamed of himself. "I don't know if I could. She's my deepest hatred... and yet I still find in the corners of my mind why she was my closest love."

"Love is fickle sometimes, Bakura. Part of the reason the girls don't have a mother; I don't have a wife." Seer shrugged his shoulders. "I couldn't stand the thought of the twins getting close to someone to have them leave."

"Hmmm. Very true. Very true." Bakura scratched his hair in contemplation. "Where would I be now if not for her I wonder."

"Still killing people that piss you off?" Seer jested in good humor. "Creeping along silently in the night?"

"I'd probably be very lonely. Or incredibly dead."

"Let's keep you alive for a little longer," Seer reached out and found his shoulder, giving it a pat. "After all, you have nearly thirteen years to catch up on. You have to get to know the twins, so let's keep you breathing."

Bakura took his hand, giving it a small squeeze. "Thank you for allowing me into their lives Seer."

"Don't make me regret it." Seer told the man. "Make them happy and keep them that way."

"Of course. As long as you do the same."

Lex jumped on the bed beside Halvar, holding onto his arm. If only she was alone with him. "You have a really nice bed Halvar. Is your pillow made with cotton?"

Revy was looking around, trying to see what kind of toys a prince would use, while Liz looked through his book collection. "You collect stories?"

"Um... yeah, my parents got it for me from Hyrule. It's supposed to help with my allergies, I think." Halvar shrugged his shoulders. "The healers say I can't have feathers. Oh! Papa and Mama gave me those books, and a few are from Princess Kanisa and Queen Zarazu." Halvar saw this as an excuse to be descriptive and hopped off the bed to point out which titles were new. "And this one is my favorite! It's a book of Hylian fairy tales! Princess Kanisa gave it to me." He flipped it open to a tale about a hero defeating darkness. "If this hero can defeat evil, then my people and I can too!"

Revy got really excited. "I know this one! That's Link defeating the Demon King Ganon! He had the whole triforce at the time! It looked like he would escape from the sacred realm and plunge the world in darkness, but the hero put a stop to him!"

"Yes!" Halvar exclaimed with a nod of his head. "I absolutely adore stories of good fighting the battle against evil and winning! And this hero, Link, had so many friends to help him! There's the Gorons, the Sages, the Fairies, oh! And he could even turn into a wolf one time and had the... the..." He paused and looked at the book again. "Twi... Twili? Twili princess help him! Her name was Midna!"

Lex gave a sigh. "Midna's so pretty. Too bad Twili aren't so easy to meet. Impossible even..."

"Yeah, the last time the King and Queen of Hyrule were here, he told me how they had to destroy the overall entrance to make sure nothing dark could ever take advantage of that power again." Halvar thought back on the story from Covarog. "That was a big fight between him, Vul'kar, and the queen."

Lex leaned against the door, giving a small pout to herself. Revy and Liz were taking all of Halvar's attention away. "We were just born before that happened. Lucky to be alive when you think about it."

Revy gave a nod of agreement to the prince. "Real shame. I hope to be a hero myself one day and fight an evil as big as Vul'kar! When I hit eighteen, I'm going to start learning how to defeat the Frost King!"

Liz gave a roll of her eyes. She loved Revy at times, but sometimes worried about her ego with battle. Lately though too, something about Revy was slowly making Liz… mad. "Sure, and then you'll sweep all the boys of their feet."

Revy was taken a little aback. She recognized Liz's snark, but it was never positioned her way. "So? That's not what being a hero is about."

"If you want to be a hero, I'd say go for it. Though, I'm not sure if your father or your mother would like that." Halvar shook his head. "You're going to be a big sister soon, so they'll probably want you to look after your kid sibling. My older brothers and sisters look after me." He was just thinking aloud. "Besides, heroes have to go through a lot of stuff. Look at how much my parents go through, the King and Queen of Hyrule go through... Link doesn't really seem to do a lot of fun stuff or have good endings sometimes." He frowned. "It seems like he just wants to sleep and forget."

"But it's about standing up to evil. Showing that good CAN be on top!"

Liz shook her head and gave a huff. Revy was so bright, so pretty, so damn happy all the time. She never had any hardships in her life. Something about her started to really annoy Liz, but she didn't know why. "Halvar's right. You're being too optimistic and dumb about going about being a hero."

Revy knew something was up now. "Ok, what's going on with you?"

Liz immediately got defensive and her snark went way up. "I don't know. Why don't you fill me in, Miss perfect life."

"Liz, you're being super aggressive."

"What? Can't handle a little aggression?"

"I want to know why you're acting so mad all the sudden!"

"How about because you think you’re some hotshot with two loving moms, a dog, and a dad, with a brand new sibling on the way!"

Revy took a step away from Liz. "...you're jealous of-"

"HARD NOT TO BE WHEN YOU ACT LIKE YOU'RE THE HERO OF EVERYONE AND YOU DON'T HAVE A PSYCHO MOM! Look at me, I'm Revy, did you know my birth mom's an iron knuckle? WOOOOOOW!"

Lex flinched from that. "L-liz. Our mom's not-"

"Ooooo yes she is. I don't want to hear another word about her from you Lex."

Revy was utterly shocked. She knew Lex and Liz had been dealing with their mom showing up roughly, but while Lex had thrown the odd tantrum, it seemed like Liz was holding it together. However, it was clear now she had merely been bottling it up. And to be truthful, while not boastful about it, Revy was vocal about being happy with three loving parents now. "Liz-"

"Why don't you take your beautiful hair, your two moms, your fluffy dog, and your dad back to Hyrule if you're so happy!"

Lex started to pout. "Liz, you're being mean to Revy! You should go!"

"Yeah? So you can try and hook up with Halvar? We aren't even Direnor! We come from a lowly assassin and a bitch Pirate Queen! We will never be anything special!"

A moment of stunned silence filled the room as Liz got the last of the bile that had been filling up inside her out. Seeing Lex tear up, regret started to take shape in Liz. Before she could say anything to Lex, her sister stormed out of the Prince's room. To her embarrassment, servants to the Queen and King had been listening in.

Revy looked at Liz, pain on her face. "....You're in a lot of pain. But you have no reason to be mean. If you still want to be friends... we can talk later...."

Trying her best to not get emotional, Revy quietly left the room. Liz knew her mistake, and wondered if she as vile as her mom. Sitting on Halvar’s bed, she held herself, rationalizing in her mind her actions. Why was she so toxic against her sister and closest friend?

Halvar watched the argument go down and winced. He and his siblings had their share of spats, sure, but it was not this. It was not so full of hate. What was going on with Lex and Liz? There was a lot of unresolved issues between them and the new family members. This Captain Adda sure stirred up a lot of emotions with the twins. Bakura seemed to be trying to take part of the 'new dad' role slowly, not wanting to overstep his bounds. Scarlet wanted to be a part of Revy's life, but seemed reluctant to do so. All of this was so new to the twins, but also scary. As Liz sat down with a flop, the young prince was quiet for a moment. Then he carefully placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Liz?" Halvar spoke softly. "I'm sorry that you're sad but... maybe it would help if you'd just tell someone else how you felt instead of getting mad at your friends?"

She didn't look at Halvar as she yanked her shoulder away, but she didn't move from the bed either. "How can anyone know how I feel. How can you? You're a prince. You have a loving family of misfits who can take care of each other. I have a blind father with a cardiac condition now. As well as a sister who's obsessed with the finer things in life, which I know will be her down fall. Your mom isn't... you're mom didn't leave you all these years with questions and wrath built up inside you. She didn't make you so cold to those that only wish the best for you. At least Lex can get ahead in life by looks and street smarts. Give it five or ten years. I bet she'll have some noble around her finger.. Revy's gonna do great. Big, beautiful strong Revy. Hero Revy. And what will I have? Nothing but this rage against a woman I know almost nothing about."

"You're right, I don't know anything about that." Halvar had a good family who loved him and loved each other dearly. There were troubles here and there, a fight or two, but nothing that could not be fixed. "I know that it might seem like the world is falling around you, and there's nothing you can do about it. But... isn't it good that your dad still loves you? That no matter what, he'll still be there for you." He tried to give her a smile. "I'm your friend. I'll be there too."

Liz didn't reply, simply resting her head on his shoulder. "...I feel like I'm broken..."

"Well... that's okay. Broken stuff can get fixed." Halvar told Liz as he gave her a hug. "Just cause it's broke doesn't mean it's no longer good."

Liz buried her head into Halvar's shoulder. He couldn't say she was a crybaby if he didn't see or hear her sob.

Halvar said nothing when he heard her sniffling. He just continued to hold her, letting Liz get in control of her emotions. After a moment or two, the young prince suggested, "Would you um... feel a little better if maybe we read a little bit? You can pick out whatever book you like. Or would you like to maybe..." He stopped and looked around the room. "Hey! What about tobogganing?"

She took his hand to stop him from running about. "...Reading is ok."

"I got a book on Lorleidian culture you might like. The very first ruler, Queen Lorleidi is a good read."

“…Ok…”

#crossover #ridersoftheapocalypse #Seer #Liz and Lex #Revy #Borghild #Scarlet #Bakura Saibot #Captain Adda #Rat #Direnor #Gerudo

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