#flashflames

[ignitxr]

A GIFT OF RESILIENCE @flashflames

"If a sword comes at you like this," Wanning said, demonstrating with her right hand. "You can block like so." She turned and the metal band around her left wrist met her hand blade. "The material used to craft this bracelet is stronger than most - there are few blades in the nation that would be able to run it through with a single strike. With good coordination, you could fend off quite a few attacks like this...and then." She pushed down on the bracelet discreetly with her thumb, activating a mechanism that made a sharp dagger shoot out from the side of the plain-looking band.

"The blade is thin but incredibly sharp." She cautioned, showing Keran how to return the dagger inside the bracelet before handing her the gift. "For you, my dear friend." Wanning smiled. "I did make an additional one for Lady Aera as you asked, but...I would be ashamed to present her with something so...unsightly."

Wanning was right to feel embarrassed. House Yue was known for crafting and honing weapons. As useful as her gift was, it was truly one of the most hideous creations to ever come out of a Yue's hands. The metal was dull, slightly crooked, and in a grey color that would remind one of a rock on a rainy day. "Perhaps we could...paint this red and...decorate it with lace?" She offered and then laughed at the silliness of her own suggestion. No amount of effort could ever make this fashionable.

"Do you like it, Keran?" She asked eventually, eyes soft. "I hope you will never have to use it, but just in case."

[orchdaries]

to @flashflames with ♡

     tournaments in romance novels are always a glamorous thing; it's always a big event with big decorations and simply the perfect opportunity for love confessions and promises of eternal loyalty. it's thrilling in its own way, being unsure whether the main character will win all their matches and get the big prize for their romantic interest, moving their relationship forward further and sometimes even being the turning point for the other part to realize their feelings or even to understand the depths of one's feelings towards them. aera has always loved tournaments in books, forever finding them one of the many epitomes of love.

     however tournaments in real life are a little less glamorous and a lot more scary, even more so when people that she cares about are participating in it. of course that this is a good-natured kind of event since there were rules to be followed and none of them says that these matches should be to the death, how it's designed for entertainment and showing off firebending skills more than anything else. even then, with their prides on the line, of course that individuals will get competitive and disaster, either of low or high degree, is bound to happen; people are bound to get hurt. or maybe it's simply because aera never liked physical combat, never enjoyed it when she was forced to learn when younger, and therefore of course she won't enjoy a real life tournament.

     even then aera still forces herself to watch at least a couple of them, wanting to show support to her family and friends. even when she'd prefer to have volunteered to stay at the medical bays to help the participants after their fights — though she supposes there wouldn't be much for her to do considering she's a healer and not a doctor, her knowledge of physical ailments much more limited no matter how much experience she has in patching yura, geonwoo and even keran up —, she still sits by her oldest sister's side in the audience while praying to the spirits that neither her siblings nor keran will be harmed, at least not badly.

     and that's why, when keran comes to her for help with her injuries, aera feels like she has some ground to stand on to comment on— " you seemed a little distracted when you faced lady yerim . " she points out, delicate hands coming to pass a soothing ointment on her shoulder where a particularly nasty burn is located. this won't be a cure and keran will definitely need to see a real doctor at some point, but it'll definitely help with the pain and hopefully make the healing process a little smoother. " is everything alright ? " do i have to scold either chanyul or geonwoo, she wants to add but doesn't. at least not yet.

[orchdaries]

     " but strong people can be hurt too . " aera argues with a pout, fighting back a smile from tugging at the corner of her lips. she knows that keran is strong; as a matter of fact keran is one of the strongest people that she knows and that was one of the things that she admired in her friend, one of her personality traits that had younger aera wanting to impress her so much — the young lady of house choi even remembers how she cried because she thought she ruined everything after tripping on her own little dress while meeting the young lady of house zhao for the first time, after all she remembers learning that strength was what matters for that house.

     " keran— " aera squeaks like a kitten's toy when her friend hugs her so tightly before the sound dissolves in more giggles and her own arms come to wrap around the other to try to return the tight hug as much as the healer's own strength allows; at this point she has enough experience to avoid having her ribs completely crushed because keran always hugs with the same intensity and strength that she loves and at this point aera is more than used to it, actually welcomes it more than anything else because, yes, it means that her best friend hasn't changed one bit. " fine , " she concedes. " but let me do a little check up on you afterwards . " as she always does when keran is back from her military duties just so aera can ease her own worries and maybe it's a little of a dirty move, knowing how much keran is weak to her requests and willing to do most of them without blinking an eye.

     the healer whines in a faux complain when her cheeks are pinched even if keran's touch is too gentle for it to cause any pain or harm, it's simply the principle of the act, putting her own hands on top of her friend'a. " yes , yes . " she answers like a petulant child would to their overbearing mother sans the any heat to her words — and maybe some truth to it as well; maybe she did neglect her sleep for these last couple of days, either through work or because she found out a new favorite novel that she couldn't let go of, a favorite novel that turned out to be a trilogy with a couple of other volumes of side stories— as if worrying about keran on top of everything wasn't enough.

     but keran is there now, warm and alive, so aera is sure that it'd be easier to fall asleep at night (or maybe not, but only if they decide to have a sleepover which they most likely will) with her simple way of thinking that she could simply punch all of difficulties of her and aera's lives away. it's refreshing from the twisted and overcomplicated webs of the court even if it's also as unrealistic as most of aera's dreams. " the only difficult that i've been through is being away from my other half . " but exactly because keran is there, warm and alive, that aera allows herself to act a little spoiled, to pout over the necessary absence of her best friend. she has no idea what keran as a person with a rank of hers in the military but she's sure it's important!

     " come on ! " the healer tangles her fingers with keran's, moving their hands away from her face just so she could drag keran inside to a room that she's sure the help in the zhao residence already prepared for them, too used to the ritual of keran coming back home and aera welcoming her at this point. " you have a lot of stories to tell me , don't you ? can't wait to hear them in person ! "

"of course it is," she grants, because even the tavern with all its people and stories wouldn't have kept her warm without aera's letters to read over cold nights. keran still has her pressed flowers in her satchel, tucked into the letters as some of the only things she brought home with her. she knows she would've been missed, just as much she she'd missed aera too. "don't worry," she assures her friend, tapping her heart. theirs beat in time, the same warmth flowing through them. "i'm really strong, remember?"

she hugs the older girl, tight as she always does; keran's hugs are proportionate to the length of time she hasn't seen aera, and the fondness built up in between. "see!" she squeezes her friend's shoulders, showing off the strength she's known for. aera's fussing is welcome, though, just another reminder of how much she cares. keran would never begrudge her friend anything, and she reassures her easily, "everything's okay!"

and it really is, now that she's home with aera by her side. the healer has been sorely missed, the full force of it coming back to keran now, being herself again. aera makes everything simpler, like a pinky promise between children that's been kept as easily as the charm that hangs above every room she's lived in, everything falling into place between the two of them, puzzle pieces whose sides fit just right.

"what about you?" she's aware of the softness of aera's cheek in her calloused hands, pinching them gently in her fingers. she worries about the shadows under aera's eyes; she isn't a girl meant for hardships. not if keran has something to say about it, and plenty of fire in her to fight them all off. "have you been taking care of yourself?" she reaches a thumb out to soothe the frown lines between aera's eyebrows, not noticing that she's mirrored her best friend's expression. "say the word and i'll deal with it!"

[t4t-scout]

GOING INSANE OVER THIS COSMETICS PROMO ART OMFG

[bonusdragons]

April 20, 2024:

Tangerine Secondary, Guardian, Vipera.

Flashflame of Kyrinasha's clan!

[arytang]

In the snowstorm - Maedhros & Maglor

At the battle of flashflame(dragor Bargollach),in the Himring,the reunion of Maedhros and Maglor.

[chrysanths]

⸻ @flashflames

Keran's participation in the tournament should have been of no surprise. In fact, he rather expected her to indulge; to seek the glory of victory through sheer force. His muscles already burn hot from previous battles, black scars billowing with molten cracks emerge beneath his feet—the marriage of fire and earth. Each step toward her rings a heavy thump. He looks upon her with sharpened eyes. They are those same ones that bore into her when they spar; when they feel. He fixes on hers and says not a word. She should know by now the indicators of his first move.

His wide shoulders spread with outstretched arms to summon the viscous heat from below. He molds it between both hands until flat and dynamic, thrown as a deadly disk in her direction. The aim is for her head ( as he is one to do ), a move done with purpose to allow focus drawn to the spot for just a moment longer. That face that holds such beauty; eyes that flicker so strongly under the glaring sun. He wants to grab the embers within and hold them tenderly.

( And when his gaze trails from eyes to lips? A memory sparks. He has already had her once, felt her sink into him, let her make purchase with her grip to tear through him. He could have her again. He wants her to own the fleshy, filthy thing lurking in his chest that quickens when she is near. And he would gladly have her rip him apart once more. He would lay on the dry dirt, torn asunder and think,

She could be mine. )

When Geonwoo gulps down his apprehensions, he swallows sand. Suffocating, gritty, burning bile. This feeling is unfamiliar. Never has the pain of her presence hurt so terribly —not even when the strength of her blows see him kissing ground and he tastes iron. Nothing could be as painful as loving her. She could be his—and yet, he hesitates like an unaccustomed hand put to flame. Those of their skill should be used to fire, but never has he seen a flower burn. ( And, oh, is the sight one to behold. )

You have lost yourself to thought again, haven't you?

The sigh escaping him billows out a long string of steam. It floats into the bright air between them. Keran is his weakness and he knows. The gap between their last spar and now grows vast. Between when he last saw her—truly looked... There are too many words to say; and, as usual, he stuffs them down for a simple utterance,

"Come at me."

[divinetrcgedy]

𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐒𝐄 𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐂𝐑𝐀𝐕𝐄𝐃 𝐆𝐋𝐎𝐑𝐘 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐍 𝐀𝐍𝐘𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆, 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐒𝐄 𝐖𝐇𝐎'𝐕𝐄 𝐁𝐄𝐄𝐍 𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐒𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐎 𝐁𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐄𝐕𝐄 𝐇𝐎𝐍𝐎𝐑 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 ⸻ always had a way with itching their skin, awakening the maelstrom of a voracious desire that laid dormant underneath fragile skins and porcelain-wrought bones. this tournament of red sun was just another way for those people to scratch that itch and of course, without a single doubt ; seok yerim was one of them. it'd been expected of her to join this tournament, yerim was one of the two firebenders from house seok and was the only one who never minded using her firebending skills to fight for her family's sake. with sarang refusing to even entertain the idea of sparring, it'd been up to yerim to hold the mantle instead and bring their family the promised victory.

to make way for her mother's honor and father's glory. why else had she been brought into the world if it weren't for the fact she's been destined to do so?

but a formidable fighter needs a formidable opponent and who else better than lady zhao keran herself, who was her equal in every way? in age, name, and especially prowess.

the two opponents stands before each other on the opposite sides of the arena, looking at each other with cautious steel gazes as if waiting for the one another to make the first move. even without looking back, yerim could already sense her family were amongst the audience, feeling the piercing gazes of her stern mother and proud father etched onto her back — a clear reminder that she must not fail, especially not in front of them.

with a simple click of her hands, her eyes started to glow with a scarlet sheen, turning her once dark irises into ruby spheres as vermillion flames slowly swirled around her, like wreaths, like lively flickers. the heat which wafts from them is a welcome and familiar feeling, but still, the strings of scarlet flames that wind themselves taut around her closed fists serve as a reminder of how searing her fire can be.

yerim takes a languid step forward, her gaze remaining razor-sharp and vigilant upon her opponent's form. ❝ i'll start,❞ she declares and without a single moment to spare, she runs towards keran at a frightening speed. with igneous fists raised, she aims straight for the head.

𝑳𝑬𝑻𝑻𝑬𝑹𝑺 𝑻𝑶, @flashflames

[dcrkbloods]

@flashflames

it felt like the tournament dragged on and on, and he would never see the end of it. did people really find this entertaining? granted he had never paid much attention to combat, nor did he want any part in showy displays of dominance. that's the only way he could describe the event, always revolving around something about honor. what a joke.

each person that entered the arena held his attention during the beginning moves and quickly lost it after the first noticed misstep. he picked apart the players' fighting styles and mentally took notes on how he'd have done it. it circled around to exactly how he would've executed a block or how he wouldn't have lost footing during a dodge. this was only entertaining when it was about him, and he'd surely find a way to make it so. hyeseong wasn't the strongest amongst his peers by any scale, but being overly confident in his bending gave him all the excuses in the world to critique anyone who stepped foot in that ring.

keran's round with yerim didn't generate the sparks he imagined for himself. if he was being honest, every match looked the same and he grew more and more bored as the afternoon sun rolled on in the sky. it was beyond time for him to shake up his day and he'd already figured out exactly how he'd do it.

later, as people moved along to the dining hall and chattered on about the grand feast, he briefly trailed behind a steaming force of a woman and contemplated whether or not he should catch up. he figured he needed to be careful with what came out of his mouth, but where's the fun in that?

"i'm not sure if you lost balance or quit paying attention during your match, but that was honestly a little brutal to watch," hyeseong matched her stride as she moved along and showcased a slight grin as he spoke. "did you mean to do that? from where i was sat, that didn't seem to be the case."

[the-once-and-future-love]

26. Good Merlin Fics I've Read Recently (4/2/23)

A Fall We Can't Forget by BlueGrassSax

Disguise by diner_drama

Flashflame by 0hHeyThereBigBadWolf [mergwenthur]

Fruition (or The Education of Arthur) by orphan_account

His Most Treasured Possession by Zaharya

Human Touch by Oriberry

I am who I am and I am who I was and I am who I will always be by Pearl09

If I Couldn't Run To You, I'd Crawl by ironfamjam

like a purple robe by astranix [gen]

My Breath In Your Lungs by Zaharya

River-Bright by whatthedruidscallme

Silvery by acciomerlin

stained with the colour of roses by TheCourtSorcerer

the answer’s in the second before the other shoe drops by voidbound

That Burning Torch of Kingship by Imagined

The Book of Merthur by horsecrazy

The Inherent Limitations of Words by Imagined

The Kingcraft of Arthur Pendragon by SauraUnderscore

The Potion by Sorceressofdragons

The stakes are high, the water's rough (but this love is ours) by aliciajazmin

To Be Fools Prepared by pyrrhical (anoyo)

Turn Again to Life by kay_roswell

Will You Search Through The Lonely Earth For Me? by Camelittle, Merlocked18

What Have Kings by antonomasia09 [gen]

[thelibraryofchaos]

The Gravity Of Us - By Phil Stamper

4/5 stars

Are you looking for a quick read? A fun LGBTQ+ story to get you out the reading slump? Ya like space?

The Gravity Of Us is set in the near future, with humanity taking its first steps towards landing on Mars. With twenty astronauts to be selected for Project Orpheus, we follow our protagonist Cal, a budding journalist with growing fame on his ‘FlashFlame’ account as his dad is selected to be one of these astronauts. Uprooted from his life in New York, from his close friend Deb and the waning prospects for his future journalistic career, Cal is not looking forward to this launch.

But he meets Leon Tucker, fellow child of a selected astronaut and his sister Kat, and the two boys begin to get close as the day of launch grows closer. But, on the other hand, the reality show ‘Shooting Stars’ is making problems for both NASA and Cal and this boy will not take that lying down.

So, this book is quite a quick read and not that deep. Most things happening are surface level and happen quickly. The space/Mars aspect is the least essential plotline of the book – so don’t expect Sci-Fi or anything; the real aliens are that of reality show hosts. This book is about social media, fame and the difference between reality shows and reality.

It is pretty fun, though, especially seeing the different aspects of the project through the lens of social media. Some parts seem out of this world (*wink wink*), and there is a slight suspension of disbelief, especially towards the reality show and social media aspect.

The relationship develops rather quickly. It is not a slow burn, but it works for the pace of the story. It may be because of my demi-sexuality, but instant relationships confuse me a lot (how do people get feelings that quickly???), but the relationship is immediate. Yet, Cal and Leon are cute together, so they can be forgiven for crushing immediately.

There is also an aspect of mental health as well, references to depression (Leon) and anxiety (Cal’s mum). Cal also has a habit of getting into everyone’s business which can get annoying, but it works on it.

Overall, not ground-breaking, not wonderfully written or fantastically developed; however it does what it wanted to do and got me out of my reading slump. I’d probably re-read it for that exact reason.

Let me know what you think.

[royalnovels-blog]

AWE Chapter 416

Chapter 416: Starry Sky Dao Polarity Superstars

The voice which filled the area was backed by the might of a Nascent Soul cultivation base, and it instantly caused the faces of the Flashflame Four to fall, and their bodies to tremble. If the voice had belonged to an ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator, their reaction might not have been so extreme. After all, the entire group had extraordinary…

[orchdaries]

     ❝ precisely . it's been three years , ranran . ❞ aera reminds her friend sweetly even though she also wished that she could give keran more reassuring about how exactly chanyul felt back then, however that happened when her own relationship with the prince wasn't the same as it was when they were younger or even the same that it is now. ❝ feelings can be quite fleeting things . he might've not wanted to talk to you then , however it doesn't mean that he's angry now . ❞ it might've been enough time for chanyul and keran mature in their own ways and maybe chanyul understands where the youngest zhao was coming from when she decided to run away back then and that in the end she didn't mean to end the engagement between them.

     this feels way too much like one of her novels where the main characters are full of misunderstandings between each other because they're always assuming things instead of talking things out, asking and clarifying things with each other. even though it's something that, in books, keeps aera on her toes and has the very satisfying pay off when the two main characters finally get together, in real life with her two real friends, it makes aera want to sit both of them in a room together and make them talk even more urgently because she knows that she could just do so.

     the healer sighs, ready to ask her friend if chanyul was at least informed that it was an apology or if he just knew somehow that it was an apology instead of making it too vague to the point that the prince might even see this as another way for keran to run away from him again, however any word or reaction that she could've had dies and is replaced by wide eyes and a hand covering her mouth, most likely to stop herself from screaming, when keran admits that she and chanyul— ❝ kissed— you— you two what ? no , wait— does this mean that chanyul was the one who kissed you first ? ❞ and suddenly she's a little proud of her former playdate, never really having much faith that he'd be the one to have iniciative for something like that.

     ❝ no , wait ! first how did it feel then ? ❞ aera asks more than curious about it since she remembers how anticlimatic was keran's first retell of her kiss with chanyul; how a little disappoint aera felt back then, taking keran's outstreched hand in her own a new sparkle of excitement filling her eyes. ❝ did you feel you discovered a whole new world , being overwhelmed with such an exhilarating feeling that you completely lost track of the environment around you ? or ! or ! was it something a little sweeter and familiar ? like finally finding a piece that you didn't even know that you were missing ? a kiss that tastes like home and all of your favorite things ? ❞

     ❝ of course you have to talk to him ! ❞ she answers right away. ❝ or do you want me to go and pull his ear so he can approach you first ? ❞ she offers as well, deciding that this might be a good exception of her no meddling rule. ❝ i'm his healer now so he has to listen to me . ❞

aera is her better half, the lovelier part of her life that soothes instead of scars, and comforts her even on the most imagined slights keran bears. she nods, automatically agreeing with what the older girl has to say. "i guess so..." but the sergeant still frowns, "i still think they shouldn'tve!" it's one thing to lose, and another to lose so terribly. for shame!

but there is no judgement from aera, always. even when keran's finally confessing the second (or first) embarrassing loss she'd taken, before the red sun tournament had begun. and her best friend's love for all things related to love is no secret to her, so keran has no qualms about telling her everything. there's no one better, who's been by her side longer, and would know everything she's about to say too.

"it's been three years," she grumbles, "even i understood that he didn't want to talk to me." which is the same as ending things, isn't it? it puts a pit in her stomach, like she's swallowed a sinking stone. or the rising sun, when she thinks about that moment again. it must burn as hot as her cheeks now, half hidden in the bountiful skirts of her best friend. keran can't wrap her head around the complexities of it, but she knows aera can.

she looks up at her friend. "we didn't talk after that... i didn't know what to say. i was going to just lose, and then that'd be it. an apology!" the sergeant holds out her hands, the apology that should've been in them all but snatched away by chanyul. "and he kissed me." keran quickly raises an open hand up, palm outstretched to aera as if to claim her innocence and space for a quick addition. "but then he left, too!"

the girl glances at her friend, already knowing what aera's going to ask—she knows her too well not to answer the questions the romance-loving healer would have. "it wasn't... how it felt like when we were kids." because that had gone over terribly, the world's least inspired kiss between children who hadn't understood a thing about it. this one is different. she'd lost a match over it. keran groans and turns over, burying her face in aera's knee. "i think i've been a fool, aegi. what do i do now?"

[ignitxr]

Wanning clapped as her friend made quick work of her imaginary enemy. This situation reminded her pleasantly of their youth when they'd play pretend as children in the woods. With a smile curving her lips from the past memories, Wanning set her hand on Keran's head.

By the time her mind caught up and realized the inappropriateness of her action, it was too late, and she'd already run her fingers through the girl's hair twice. An apology was on her tongue, but Wanning swallowed it back down because she knew Keran would not want that. Her friend never seemed to like it when she deferred, perhaps because it would remind her of the natural distance that existed between them due to their Houses.

"Rubies?" Wanning searched in her box of gems for two round ones of equal size. She held them up against the bracelet and...Well, now it looked like it had eyes. What if they add a strip of ribbon in a place where it would not interfere with the blade? Pink ribbon, surely Lady Aera would like that...no. Now the bracelet looked like it had beady little crimson eyes and a weird, lopsided tongue. "I know! Why don't we just send it to Lady Aera as it is, and she can figure out how she wants it decorated?" This was Wanning's way of suggesting that they give up on trying to prettify something because it was clear neither of them had any talents.

"Besides, there is a more important matter for us to attend to." Wanning nodded seriously. "Your hair, my lady." It was in desperate need of some scented oil and a comb.

their friendship isn't built on wanning's ingenuity for weaponry, but keran can't deny that she admires that side of her. the younger woman is always impressed by the weapons her friend crafts, even though keran prefers to rely on her own flames and fists in a fight. what the archer shows off to her is a discrete solution for when those might prove too graceless, clearly made with sincere thought and their friendship in each carefully welded joint. "thank you, wanning!"

she grins big, teeth as sharp as the blade she's been given. her friend hopes she won't use it, but, "i would like to, though!" keran tosses up the bracelet, catching it from midair to reveal the dagger it turns into. swipes against an imaginary foe who would've certainly lost at least two fingers to her, and turns to wanning in her hypothetical victory. she hears nothing of wanning's self-effacing claims of unsightliness, a brilliant weapon in her hand to match her grin. "i'd be the talk of the town!"

and her best friend surely would too, though for much less heroic reasons—even keran can tell that this bracelet wouldn't match anything that aera owns. she suits softer colours and pretty embellishments, delicate and beautiful to keran's eyes. although she has no doubt that aera would still cherish such a present from them.

"perhaps we could tie ribbons to it," she suggests, scratching her head. "aera likes those...?" then keran imagines the blade getting caught up in the ribbons, a split second that could cost everything for flutters of satin. a frown turns her lips down, shaking her head, and she raises the bracelet up to the sunlight as it dapples through, thinking as hard as her head would allow for. "what about putting some gems on it?"

[orchdaries]

     aera pretends to heave a long sigh when keran drops on her lap, a halfassed attempt to look annoyed because she did ask her friend to not move while she treated her shoulder. reality is that the older lady could never really get mad much less annoyed when keran sought her affection like that, when the other acted too much like a pouty baby for aera to feel nothing but endeared. the healer doesn't even have in herself to scold keran for it and instead keeps on her work with the ointment, a temporary fix for something that the other will need to have a proper professional to look at and bandage later. " i don't think everyone noticed . " she tries to comfort her friend, a small being offered to the good side of her shoulder. "just the people who matters . " like aera herself, people who knew the youngest zhao too well— or well, that's what aera thought but then she knows little about combat skills and wasn't interested in developing more knowledge in that specific aera.

     the healer does perk up when keran brings up chanyul's name, knowing too well the story between them — even though the prince refuses to give his side of the story to her which is a pity, she thinks, but at the same time she won't pry and instead leave their love story for them to write unless asked her opinion and/or meddling —, even more so when it's one that she has been following since all the three of them were kids and having pride in somewhat educating chanyul in being a prince charming (you should always allow keran to keep your serving of dessert!, she remembers her kid self scolding her friend).

     " maybe he didn't want to end things . " aera guesses, trying to not sound too overexcited about her friend's love story — even more so when the healer won't deny that, purely for selfish reasons, she thinks that keran and geonwoo look a tad little better together than keran and chanyul because there's nothing better than to have her best friend as her sister in law as well — and how it does feel like she's getting a front row seat to one of her favorite plays. " i think the apology was welcomed but not at the cost of cutting ties with you . " and even the part of the idea of keran losing the fight, considering how much that would mean for the youngest zhao, was great and something that aera, with her knowledge of romance, would suggest herself or at least approve the idea.

     " did you two talk after it or are you still avoiding each other ? " knowing her friends, she'd definitely bet on the later but aera does want to give keran the benefit of the doubt.

house zhao is so often dauntless, and keran is no exception. she throws herself headfirst into tournaments with ease, the confidence of her training and strength behind her. and aera's gaze that she often spots in the stands, her grin loud and unbecoming of a noble, though one could not say it inappropriate a greeting for her best friend.

she fights each match for the destructive beauty of it, as she's learnt from her forebears. they are by no means indestructible, though there is no fear in getting hurt. the jinx of their house has become a badge, a recklessness that spurs her on—her time will come when it does, when she falters, but that only means she's all too ready to meet that head on. keran relishes the scars she receives in battle, each win marked along her skin, the losses a branded seal of her weakness to be overcome. though today, there is one that stings more than usual, even with aera's careful hand over it.

keran lands in the choi residence with all the familiarity of a regular guest, giving herself up to aera for mending. the questions aren't unexpected; the healer knows her too well to have missed the faltering steps she took on her last match of the red sun. "no," she says, blunt as ever. the sergeant falls into aera's lap, her brow furrowing when the wound on her shoulder is jostled, though she's too comfortable to move. "i don't like that everyone noticed that," she grumbles. "it's almost as embarrassing as losing in the sight of everyone."

she looks up at aera from where she's lying down, angling her body so the healer can get to the rest of the burn. her touch is soothing, soft in ways that only she's able to be. "i asked chanyul for a match." there's no need to hide this from aera, keeper of her secrets and acceptance for them all. she knows the other will understand what she means, although she's now wishing she had consulted her about the plan beforehand. "and i won, only because he let me." her words aren't bitter; they're confused. "i'd meant to lose as an apology, to end things, but now i don't know what that means."