#goose is loosing feathers mate

[imagoddamnonionmason]

*wheeze* I promise im gonna answer the asks in my inbox- I’m not ignoring anyone- I’m genuinely excited to answer just- *cough splutter* life is kicking my ass

[brokendreamscreation-moved]

@originemesis xxx)

"You're so doneso~" With a wicked grin, he considers the sullied state of the angel he's pinned in their impromptu wrestling match, muddied water dripping from the peak of his chin and between the stunned blue of the other's eyes. Aside from the yellowing of a white garb steeped in pond water, and the reflection of the man's golden hued gaze boasting victory over his rather small opponent, the color of the earth itself is all that remains- caked on hunched shoulders and his face. It seemed inexplicably part of him in a way that even if he should wash it off, a man from the dust of the ground he would stay. And if the wet slap of defeat delivered via a sleeve flipped onto the other's face didn't drive that point through to his rambunctious company, a playful thump to the halo might. "Easy? Is that why you're enjoying yourself down there, bruh?" Adam snorts, half tempted to start stuffing more handfuls of mud down the front of the angelic garb when he's suddenly thrown off balance in a whirlwind of feather flung mud. Back hitting the puddle with squelching thud, he blinks- bewildered by the sudden upheaval and change in scenery featuring what a waterlogged seraphim looks like from below.

Stabilizing the vex of rapidly flipped vertigo, he gives the hips straddling him a squeeze- flushed cheeks puffed outward in place of feathers. "That's soooo cheating- I demand a rematch! I-" The complaint fizzles with a groan and a toss of his head where it splashed in the shallow side of of the puddle- man down. Taking a few melodramatic moments to collect his wits, he starts to sit up, but goes little more than an inch into the hands fanned out on his chest. "I...uh." Gulp. His grip falters just enough to slide down the wet fabric clung at Lucid's hips like a second skin, fingers digging in to the soft back of a thigh. It's an odd texture- the fabric... especially soaked through. And it's even more odd to feel the excess of robe clinging to and around the insides of his legs. "So- your robey thing? It's kinda..." Trapped in his crotch? "...there??" Well, the angel would figure it out soon since something on the growing end of hard is currently pitching a tent under said fabric. Was it really almost that time? He'd been out playing in the mud too long.

Lucid tosses his head back, giving a vibrant crow of laugher, his pride swelling with triumph. Oh silly human~ Just because he is on the shorter side of Heaven did not mean the seraphim has a weaker physic, at least not to a mere man. His smirk drops to concern however when Adam makes the most peculiar noise to have ever graced the angels ears. Brows knitted, Lucid’s cocky attitude fizzles out, his focus now totally on what may be wrong with his companion.

The feeling of large hands sliding across the thighs of his attire is a strange one, the movement wringing some of the dirtied water out of his garment and trickling back to the mud puddle beneath them. In comparison to the cold dampness and mud, Adam’s hands felt warm, the heat pleasant through the angelic fabric. His own hands remained pressed to the First Man’s chest, feeling the increased beat of his heart and rise and fall of steady breathes.

And, feeling something else.

For a moment, Lucid wonders if he is being goosed by some critter that had the mishap of getting between their mud wrestling antics. Or perhaps a stick or stone, jostled loose from the earths wet muddy prison and now reaching back for the skies above. Only one way to find out. The blue seraphim sits back, gathering the soaked folds of his robe to pull up. Lucid’s brows rise in astonishment at the sight. Not that he has not seen the first member, but shocked by the hardened form it has taken.

“OH! That is quite unexpected. You are feeling the need to mate, yes?” The seraphim has ready books on human anatomy, knowledge of God’s creations and how they effectively carry out their purpose: to populate the Earth. However no textbook or scroll can ever compare to the real thing in-person. Carefully, Lucid pulls back his robe so not to let it continue to drape cold and uncomfortably upon Adam’s manhood, his own angelic anatomy still concealed from view.

The angel moves his eyes from the sight back to the man’s face, giving a slight tilt of his head. His blue hues were that of genuine intrigue. “I have never actually seen one in its erect state before. Is it safe to assume my actions engaged in the auto response of…arousal? Yes, I believe that’s the word.” Lucid moves a hand to rest just inside Adam’s thigh, smoothing a thumb over the slick, muddied skin. In a quieter, gentle voice, he makes a request.

“…May I touch it?”

[lokittenya]

Many Have Questioned 'Are Canadian Geese Protected?'

Short answer? Yes, geese are a protected species in Canada. Canada geese are protected under Canada's Migratory Birds Convention Act (MBCA). Canadian geese along with several other migratory birds are on the list of protected species in Canada. Though they are not an endangered species.

Canada Goose



With the scientific name Branta Canadensis, the Canada goose is often referred to as a Canadian geese. The birds have a brown speckled body with a black neck and white cheeks and under chin. And the geese are known for making loud noises.

The Canada geese is a large bird species common in southern prairies of Canada and northern United States of America. And are found here in equally large numbers.

Geese tend to let out a honking like sound. The birds are known to be aggressively protective. And has caused injuries in its quest to protect it's eggs from predators.

Did you know? A single Canada geese can have anywhere between 20,000 to 25,000 feathers. To keep them in top condition they are replaced through a process called moalting.

Canada goose is divided into 7 subspecies:

Atlantic Canada Geese

Interior Canada Geese

Giant Canada Geese

Moffitt's Canada Geese

Vancouver Canada Geese

Dusky Canada Geese

Lesser Canada Geese

Did you know? The giant Canada geese were thought to be extinct untill a small flock was found in Rochester, Minnesota in 1962.

Making differentiation between the different types of goose caused great confusion and conflict. The Lesser Canada Goose was believed to be a hybrid between Canada goose and Cackling goose. Hawaiian goose is also said to share the same ancestry as the Canada goose.

Canada geese range from 30-43 inches in length with a wing span of 50-73 inches. During late-June and through July Canada geese loose their flight feathers to moalting. They average as the largest of the 'true geese', I.e. belonging to Anser and Branta genus.

All seven species of the Canada geese vary in size with the Giant Canada Goose being the largest, weighing at about 8 kg and lesser Canada Goose being the smallest.

Did you know? An exceptionally large giant canada goose was found to weighed 10.9 kg and had a wingspan of 7ft 4in.This was the largest geese to ever be recorded in any present species of geese.

The natural predators of Canada geese are wolves, fox, coyotes, bears, eagles, ravens, gulls and wolverines.

Habitat



Canada geese are native to North America but have since distributed to a number of other places. The Great Lake region houses a large Canada geese population. The Canadageese are also present in large numbers better US eastern seaboard and Pacific coast. As this is part of their breeding ground.

Even in canada they were introduced to certain provinces like Quebec and Southern BC instead of being entirely indigenous like in southern Prairies and southern Ontario.

Canada geese was re introduced in the UK where the species has made itself quite comfortably. And the bird now spreads over half of UK. The Canada geese can be found all year round.

Migration



Canada geese is a migratory bird and move to southern United States and Northern Mexico during the winter period. Their choice of habitat includes wetlands, ponds, lakes, rivers, coastal areas.

The flying geese are easily recognized by their large V-shaped flocks as the birds migrate south in fall/winter and north in the spring.

Although, there are some parts such as Southern BC where the climate is temperate enough that the Canada geese need not migrate. These gives a referred to as resident geese.

Canada geese are usually found feeding on vegetation like grass, roots, leaves, seed, grain but they are also seen to consume insects, mollusks, crustaceans and small fish. As such Canada geese feeding on can be classified as omnivorous.

Did you know? Canada geese can travel over 1000 miles in a day when migrating.

Nesting and Breeding Habits



Canada geese mate for life. The birds start looking for mates between 2-3 years of age. When one of a pair dies the other finds another mate within the same breeding season make their nests and start laying eggs. If the birds destroy nests and eggs (by accident or if something else causes the destruction of the nests and eggs) Canada geese tend nest in the same season again.

Canada geese flocks tend to break up in pairs for the nesting period which usually lasts from mid-March to late-April. While the nesting site can vary it is usually around 150 feet of a water source.

Canada goose usually nests on islands, vegetation around shores, cattails or at the base of big and mature trees. Where they are adequately concealed. In urban areas they tend to nest in flower boxes, doorways or structures with rooftops. Preferring to have their nests on higher grounds with permits them better protection from predators.

The nests and eggs are guarded by both the male and female geese in equal measures. If the adult geese think that they are being threatened they will spread out their wings and hiss before attacking. The female can be found laying eggs around every 36 hours (1.5 days). Once she is done laying eggs the incubation period starts., which is about 28 days.

The female Canada geese can lay upto 2-12 eggs, the but the average clutch size is about 5 eggs. All the eggs hatchat the same time and are led away by the adults within 24 hours of hatching. And the young geese are protected by the adult goose.

Did you know? Goselings (goose ckicks) can learn to swim in a day. They sometimes form groups with other goselings. These groups are known as gang broods.

Canada goose population is quite large now. But in the early 1900s their numbers plummeted due to habitat loss and hunting. With the conservation efforts and regulationsput in place, the Canada goose population has reached up to 5 million in northern states alone. The global canada geese population is estimated to be over 7.1 million.



Why Hunt Canada Geese?



People used to hunt Canada geese for sport. They are considered to be highly intelligent and hence, equally challenging. They are also considered a delicacy. Some have even compared a geese breast to a good cut of beef.

As such Canada geese populations are hunted for their feathers and meat.

Thought there are others who find the birds to be tasteless. The unregulated hunting caused a steep decline in the Canada goose population. Thought they have since recovered a great deal.

Did you know? A Canada geese killed under a permit can be eaten but cannot be donated to another person.

Problems Caused by Canada Geese



Canada geese cam also cause a lot of problems. Their presence at the airports is a safety hazard. As they may impend take off and hinder in landings. As such, the airport staff performs regular checks to reduce aircraft related risks.

Nesting Canada geese defend their nests fiercely and an overly aggressive pair may cause injuries to pets and children.

Large flocks of Canada geese strip the areas of grass such as parks, pastures, golf courses, lawns and areas near ponds, lakes and other water bodies which leads to expensive landscape management for the owners of private property.

Many landowners have faced such problems and tried to employ various deterrent techniques to avoid the geese.

Excessive Canada goose droppings can be a valid concern in populated areas such as parks and golf courses well well people are present as well.

This has let to making the parks and often beaches unfit for use. Some parks even have boards that prohibit the feeding of geese.

While study has been conducted to determine the potential harm that goose droppings pose to human health there has not been any direct evidence to performed serious risk management.

The Canada geese diet can also lead to agriculture and resource damage as they consume grains and grass which causes harm to crops and pastures and may cause a degradation in the water quality as well.

The rapid increase in Canada geese population can also affect the already sensitive ecosystems and they may cause harm to other wildlife in their aggression. In recent decades the Canada geese have overcame the population objectives. Which has made it necessary to kill Canada geese to control the populations of geese.

Migratory Birds Convention Act



Are Canada geese protected under any act or can they be hunted? Is a common question people have. Often misunderstanding the birds to be an endangered species. Canada geese are protected but can be hunted mostly to control the now rapidly growing goose populations.

The Migratory Birds Convention Act emerged from International treaty between Canada and the United States. The treaty is known as the Migratory Birds Convention, signed in 1916. The Migratory Birds Convention provides protection and conserves the migratory birds populations and prohibits or permits the hunting of said birds under specified circumstances.

On the other hand, the act also acknowledges the damage caused by goose and provides the means necessary to deal with the problem. In such circumstances you can kill Canada geese but only as a last resort.

There are several migratory bird, along with the Canada geese that are considered to be 'game birds' and are eligible to be hunted but only during certain specified time and in specified areas.

The Act tasks the Federal government with establishing the hunting seasons. And Canada geese are a popular game bird among the migratory game bird hunters.

Hunting season has become a way to control the rapidly increasing Canada geese population. In Ohio, the Canada geese hunting season begins in November and lasts up to 2 months. In southern Ontario, the Canada geese season is from September 1 to December 16.

Due to the local laws it is illegal to hunt outside of the designated areas.

Permits



Canadian Wildlife Health cooperative has set the regulations for hunting seasons of Canada geese. The federal government allows for the hunting under specified conditions.

If someone were to hunt canada geese outside of the area where it may cause damage to private property or other wildlife one can contact the wildlife service with the information contact provides on the official wildlife service websites.

Though hunting during the hunting season or in hunting zones is not prohibited under the act. Goose are after all a popular game and not an endangered species.

To hunt Canada geese one must possess a single permit: a valid Migratory Game Bird Hunting Permit and a Canadian Wildlife Habitat Conservation Stamp on the permit. Though most provinces and territories have some other regulations and permits as well that provide protection to the wildlife.

Airport permits are also a thing under the Migratory Birds Convention Act to reduce aircraft related risks. The hunting permits allows one to hunt Canada geese under the Migratory birds act.

Hunting Districts



Different province have different amount of hunting Zones for the goose season.

Ontario permits a total of 4 geese hunting districts named Hudson-James Bay District, Northern District, Central District, Southern District.

Quebec has a total of 7 geese hunting districts named District A, District B, District C, District D, District E, District F and District G.

Alberta permits 2 geese hunting district names Zone No.1 and Zone No.2.

North Dakota has 3 geese hunting zones: Eastern zone, Western zone and the Missouri River zone.

British Columbia permits a total of 8 geese hunting zones that numbered as Provincial Management Units 1 through 8.

And so one and so forth.

To Conclude

Canadian geese are protected by the wildlife services which aims to protect all the migratory birds.

The geese populations have grown at an exponential rate. This growth is often attributed to the human landscaping practices which seem to favour the geese.

The birds nest, moalt and raised their young often heavily populated areas. The increasing rate of such disruption has caused a conflict between the people and the geese.

The Migratory Birds Convention Act recognises the damage wrought on by the birds and provides measures to to manage the problem. They provide tools such as permits that allows one to take necessary actions such as hunting the geese themselves.

The United States have declared the resident geese as 'overabundant'. The status of geese in Canada is not threatened. Hunting permits can be provided to people who wish to reduce the damages done by the large geese flocks.



All in all Canada geese are protected but also can be hunted with a valid permit.

[hurricanerin]

I’ll Never Tell Ch. 5: Insecure

Pairing: Loki/OFC

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Smut, non-con, power imbalance, violence, breeding, forced orgasms.

Chapter specific TW: Two geese meet their gruesome end.

Chapter summary: That time by the sea.

Notes: The geothermal pool concept is all @nildesperanddum​ and used with her blessing.  Check out her brilliant Jotun!Loki fic called Reigning in Hel.  It’s one of my all time favorites.

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Staring out over the arctic sea, Petra sighed as she waited to be set free.  Ever since their arrival to Utgard she had been cooped up in Loki’s quarters and was going stir crazy.  Today she’d been promised not only freedom from Loki’s rooms, but an outing.  

From the window she watched a giant albatross dive repeatedly, resurfacing each time with a beak full of fish.  The raging waves that crashed against the mountainous cliffs made her shift uncomfortably, despite the distance.  Prior to being dumped on Jötunheim, she’d never seen a the sea.  Svartalfheim had oceans, of course, but she’d never been to the coast.  

Petra jerked out of her thoughts when a raspy voice called from the doorway.

“Lady, are you ready?”

The Jötnar struggled to pronounce ‘P’s’.  ‘Lady’ was easier to say than ‘Petra,’ and most of those in service to Loki defaulted to the easier moniker.  With a wary glance at the tumultuous water, she hauled her cloak around her shoulders.   “Coming!”

Stuffing her bare feet into clunky fur-lined boots, the elf trudged from her personal room in Loki’s chambers towards the hollering voice.

 A flock of Jötnar women from the hunting camp, accompanied by Loki’s lead advisor, Marit, herded Petra from the castle down near the harbor, steering her on foot as they wandered into the city market.  The staggering space was packed with bodies and goods.  Stalls crammed with tools, clothing and animals spattered the rocky seashore, creating thin alleys for customers to walk through.  The group waded into the chaos, the sounds of bartering and interaction prompting Petra to uncomfortably cross her arms.  The livelihood of the market outweighed that of the hunting camp.  The shouts and calls of these giants were spirited compared to the quiet environment of the base where she first encountered the Jötnar.

As they neared the shore and the outskirts of the market, cluttered with fishermen and women tethering their boats and gutting their catch on the docks, Petra wrinkled her nose.

“What’s that stench?”.  

Marit squinted at the elf, sniffing the air.  “Oh, that?  It’s fish and saltwater, Lady.  You’ve never smelled it before?”

Petra made a face, “Never.  It’s awful.”

Marit shrugged a shoulder, “You get used to it.”

The Dökkálfr grimaced with a nod, making a mental note to avoid touching anything that came from the sea.  

The noise faded as they drew near the coastline, the shouts and chatter dissipating into the air and Petra’s muscles unclenched, her arms dropping loosely to her sides as she relaxed.

The women surrounding her stayed occupied.  One traded sea glass for a loaf of bread while Marit haggled with a shop owner over two enormous snow geese.  Purchase made, the advisor shoved the birds at a spluttering Petra as she stalked off to another stall stocked with nets and hooks. She returned a moment later with a box the size of her hand.

“My mate, he fishes,” she explained, holding up the container.

Wrestling with the poultry, Petra managed a nod, trotting to keep up with Marit as she bustled off to the next shop along the shore.

 By the time they made their way back to the inland market, word that the Dark Elf had come out of concealment had spread.  Conversations halted mid-sentence as Petra’s group passed, both speakers rendered speechless by the exotic foreigner.  Her white hair and dark blue-gray skin stuck out against the purer indigo flesh of the giants.

The shift of attention was palpable, leaving Petra feeling horribly vulnerable.  She clutched the geese to her chest as each pair of red eyes locked onto her.  

Recovering from their initial shock, most villagers leaned in to whisper in a frenzy.  Some looked on in curiosity, others glared, but Petra heard a few utterances of the word ‘hore’ which she assumed had the same meaning as it did in the common language.  It appeared as though she had a reputation already.  

As hostility escalated, Petra stepped closer to Marit, who was busy staring down some especially aggressive townspeople.  Petra’s gaze kept flitting to either side of the alleys, afraid of launched rotten food or worse coming her way.  Her companions stayed close, their hands wrapped around the axes and daggers on their belts in warning to those they passed.

The warmth of the birds under her arms was grounding as they walked into the village, her steps as quick as her clumsy boots allowed. Petra jerked when a cool hand grasped her upper arm, sighing in relief to find Marit close to her side.

“We’re almost to town.  Just a little while longer,” she reassured the elf.

Pursing her lips, Petra mumbled something affirming and hustled to keep up with the group.

The other women returned to their respective homes with their purchases as Marit led Petra to her personal dwelling.  Without a word Marit plucked one white goose from the other woman’s arms and snapped it’s neck.

Petra cried out at the woman’s brutality.  She staggered backwards.  “You killed it!”   She held the other honking bird to her chest.

Marit blinked.  “Of course I killed it.  It’s dinner. Give me the other.”

Stunned, the elf took another step back, shaking her head.

Fingers still wrapped around the dead goose’s neck, Marit planted her fists on her hips and exhaled, eyes narrowed.  “Fine.  Jens is not going to like you if his lunch is mostly broth tomorrow.”

With a sigh of defeat, Petra cradled the living bird, idly stroking the feathers of its wing.  She thrust it toward Marit, scowling and clapping her hands over her ears to escape the crunching sound as Marit wrung it’s neck.  Stomach rolling, she let her hands drop to her sides after the bird went limp.

Marit slung each lifeless bird over her shoulder.

“I will pluck them.  I’ll go outside for your sake.  I’m being very hospitable, I’ll have you know.”  

Marit nodded at the dwindling flames illuminating a small fireplace near the center of the house.  “Tend to the fire, then fetch a pot of snow to melt for tonight’s drinking water.  I’ll be back soon.”

The Jötunn brusquely vacated the home, leaving Petra alone and slightly flustered.  

“Norns,” she grumbled, ambling to the fireplace and plopping a few logs on top of the smoldering embers.  Despite not knowing what she was doing, she prodded at the fire with a stoker as she’d seen others do, emitting a contented hum at the heat radiating from the pit.

Fire roaring, Petra stood on her tiptoes to unhook a large pot dangling from a hanging rack.  There were only two to choose from, and she grabbed the larger.  The Jötnar lived simpler than the Dökkálfar.  It was nice, in a way.  Fewer trivial possessions, less desire for elaborate organizational schemes and displays.  There were no servants scurrying about, at least not in town, making beds with obnoxiously ornate frames and clanging pots and pans together as they worked.  Petra wasn’t used to labor like this, if one could consider it that, but found she didn’t mind.  

Spotting a nearby snowbank, she lugged the pot over and scooped handfuls of snow into it until her hands were numb.  Hauling it back inside was a much more physical endeavor, but she managed.  

When Marit returned, Petra averted her gaze, mindful of the featherless creatures swinging from her arms.  Slinging the two birds onto the kitchen table, Marit set about gathering ingredients.  From small potted plants she cut herbs and gathered onions from a basket near the wash basin.  Dropping the vegetables in front of Petra along with a knife, Marit continued shuffling about.

“Chop those,” she called from the fireplace.

Petra stared with wide eyes at the food in front of her. “How do you have fresh vegetables?”

“We grow them.”

Petra frowned, shaking her head.  “I mean how… where did you grow them?  Isn’t the ground frozen?”

Marit scoffed and motioned with her fire poker through the window.  “Of course the ground is frozen.  Dum jente,” she grunted, turning back to the flames.

Still confounded, Petra started cutting the herbs.  “The elements should kill anything that attempted to take root.  You have potted herbs, but no garden in here.  And where did you get soil?”

“There are geothermal pools that heat the earth to appropriate farming temperatures. They’re near the cirque opposite of the way you arrived.  I’ll show you soon.  We’ll need more supplies.”

Petra blinked.  Marit said things so plainly she felt dumb for even asking.  Of course there was arable land.  Of course they farmed.  What else would their animals eat?  How else would they survive?

Marit interrupted Petra’s thoughts by waggling a spoon in her direction.

“Boil the snow, Lady.”

The lines on Petra’s face relaxed as she grew distracted. The elf poked at the melting snow, stirring idly as her mind returned to her experience near the shore.

“Why was everyone so angry at me today?  Everyone in the market?”

Marit didn’t look up from her work at the table, but she did stop fussing with the geese to wipe her hands.  “Because you’re not Jötnar, yet you have value to the king,”  The giant shrugged a shoulder and rubbed her brow with a forearm.  “Loki is a good, but aloof and distant ruler.  They’re envious that a foreigner has his attention.”

“I-I’m not sure I’d say I’m of value to him.  I might hold some mild importance in regards to a strategic plan, but not value.”

Marit glanced up, raising a brow critically.  “Here, that’s the definition of having value.”

Petra muttered under her breath about value being something typically demonstrated through appreciation before moving on.  “The hunting camp wasn’t like this.  People—Well, I’m not sure they liked me, but they tolerated me.”

“I don’t think all Jötnar hate you.  Just the villagers.”

Sagging, Petra grimaced as Marit began cutting the meat into pieces. “Why am I so offensive to those in town but acceptable to the hunters?”

“The people…,” Marit motioned with her knife at the village through the window, “They have known the struggle of hunger and infertility.  But they don’t search for a solution.  They want things the way they’ve always been, Frost Giant mated with Frost Giant.  A pure race.”

The advisor sighed, tilting her head as she collected the bits of goose.  “The hunters, they understand functionality, ingenuity.  Not hunting isn’t an option.  If one method fails, you try another.  It’s that simple.”

“So I’m just another way to behead a bilgesnipe,” Petra muttered.

“Well, yes, I suppose.”

Petra’s gut twisted as Marit reminded her of just how disposable she was.  She was a vessel to these people, and nothing more.

“Fetch the other pot,” Marit ordered, nodding at the other hanging from the ceiling.

It took Petra several tries to unhook it from where it hung, but she lugged it over to Marit who deposited the goose meant to let it sear.

“Vegetables and herbs,” pointed Marit.

Automatically Petra fetched and dumped the chopped pieces in with the meat.

“Now water.”

With an exasperated sigh, Petra spooned several ladles of the clean water into the smaller pot.  

“We’ll eat well tonight.  It’s not always that way, but things are good.  The animals are fat and stores full.”

Well, at least something was going right.

“Help me clean up,” Marit said, tossing a rag at Petra.  She caught it clumsily, barely managing to wrangle it before wiping off the table. Jötnar manners certainly differed from Dökkálfar.  Dinner with Marit and her mate would be interesting.

Later that evening, Petra found Loki lounging in his quarters with a book.  He looked up when she entered, blinked, then his eyes returned to the page.

“Marit said she fed you,” he said.

Still growing accustomed to abrupt Jötnar manner of conversation, Petra was caught mildly off-guard.  “Um, yes.  She did. We made stew.”

When he remained silent, she started towards her portion of Loki’s rooms.  They consisted of a small chamber with a simple bed and dresser.  Before she took three steps, Loki called out.

"I’m not finished.  Come here.”

Dropping the sack filled with a little pouch full of Jötnar coins and a few shells she’d found along the beach, she warily retraced her steps.

“Take off your cloak.”

           She lacked the energy and motivation to argue. Petra tugged her cloak off her shoulders, pausing to hang it on a hook near the doorway.  She could feel Loki’s eyes on her, and waited several beats before turning around.  As she’d predicted, he was staring at her.  

           “You need to eat more.  You’re scrawny,” he mused.  He rested his chin on his fist.  “I wonder if you really are fit to carry my child?”

           Taken aback, Petra raised her chin and widened her stance.  She needed to remain important.  Her life depended on it.  “I can do it.”

           Loki smirked, which only served to irritate her. “Let me see you.”

           “I-What?  I’m standing in front of you.”

           “Take off your clothes.”

           After a split second of hesitation, she complied. His being bossy when it came to sex wasn’t new.  Muttering to herself, Petra quickly shucked off her dress and boots, standing with her back to Loki.  She plodded to the bed with her arms wrapped across her chest, waiting for him to follow. Glancing over her shoulder, her cheeks glowed as she saw him lazily untether his trousers and wrap his fist around his waking cock.  He cleared his throat and she realized she’d been staring.  Embarrassed, she lifted a leg to climb onto the high mattress, eager to put distance between them, when he interrupted her.

           “Stop.”

           “What?”

           “Face me.”

           Her stomach fluttered as she rotated so her side faced Loki.  Crossing one leg over the other, she hugged her chest.  His eyes, usually narrowed in a frown or glare, were relaxed as he studied her.  Petra squirmed as they roamed over her body.  The king had never looked so appraisingly at her.  He’d only spent a moment evaluating her body their first time and she shifted uneasily, looking at the floor.

           “No.  Face me.”

           The sharpness of his voice left no room for argument.  Clutching her chest, Petra swiveled until she was thoroughly in view.  Loki traced his lower lip with his index finger, humming as his eyes studied her dainty feet, moving up her calves and thighs until her crossed legs halted his examination.

           “Stand up straight.”

           She grimaced.

           “This isn’t… Are we not having sex?”

           Loki tapped his lip as his brow arched.  “Stand up straight, Petra.”

           Pursing her lips, she slowly parted her crossed thighs a fraction.

           “Do as I say or I’ll position you myself.”

           Her chest tightened as her blush worsened, spreading from her cheeks down her chest.  Arms flopping to her sides in defeat, she clenched her fists as she stood normally. “Is this what you want?  To assess my body like I’m an animal?”

           The corner of his mouth quirked as he rose and casually stalked forward.  She froze as he neared, gaze flitting to the ground.

           “Look at me.”  His voice was ice.

           Gaze blurred with teary uncertainty, she obeyed. He smiled, a cruel expression that only served to unsettle her further.

“I want to see your shame, skapning.”

           Staring at him while he appraised her was worse than being called out for being half human in front of the Dökkálfar court.  She felt lower than a whore.   At least most whores were purebred.  The sexual aspect of his examination was utterly humiliating.  Was she worthy of carrying his child?  Did he find anything about her remotely arousing? His eyes bored into her, coaxing goosebumps to break out across her skin.

           “What do you want?” she sighed.

           “I told you,” he murmured, the corners of his mouth still turned up.  “To see your shame.”

           Fingers trailing down her neck, Loki stopped over her fluttering pulse.

           “Do you think yourself… pretty?  Your face?  Your body?”

           Her stomach dropped.  She knew she wasn’t attractive by Jötnar standards.  She was too little, too frail.  Her hair and skin were the wrong shades and her height was pathetic.  Throat growing tight, she shook her head, eyes on her feet.

           The king tutted her.  “Look.  At. Me.  I’ll not ask again.”

           Eyes stinging with tears, she glared up at him.

           “Ah, there’s that fire.”  Loki traced her clavicle.  “Never lose that, Petra,” he murmured.

           Fighting the urge to swat his hands away, she remained silent.  Her cheeks continued to burn with shame as his eyes roamed.  She desperately wanted to retreat to her room.  It was enough to know he didn’t find her attractive, but she felt utterly repulsive under his current scrutiny.  She wanted to disappear.

           Inspection complete, Loki pointed to the bed. Without a word, she followed the silent command and crawled onto the mattress, propping herself up on all fours.

           Loki ran his hand along the length of her spine. “As appealing as you look this way, I’m going to have you in another manner.”

           Before she could ask what he meant, he flipped her onto her back.  She yelped, slamming her legs shut and crossing an arm over her heaving chest as they came face to face.

           “This-this isn’t how we do this,” she stuttered.

           “We do this however I want and tonight I want to see your face.  Unless, of course, you’d rather sit in my lap?  We both know how that turned out last time.”

           A shiver crawled up her spine as she relaxed, her thighs spreading a few inches and her arm falling to the bed.  Gravity tilted her face to the side and she stared at the wall.  Loki briefly ignored her passivity in favor of running his fingers over the delicate skin of her inner thighs.

           “I’ve only ever done this with my mate.”

           She started sitting up in alarm.  He was mated?  With another woman?  When a horrified expression crossed her face, he laughed.  “Calm, skapning.  She’s been gone for many years.”

           Her tensed body relaxed with an uncertain sigh. She couldn’t compete with another Jötunn woman for his attentions.  Replaying his words in her head, she frowned.

           “You’ve only done what with your mate?”

           Loki ignored her in lieu of wetting two fingers with his tongue and slipping them inside her.  Petra’s hips arched off the bed and she cried out in surprise.  He grinned down at her, using the broad palm of his free hand to pin her hips to the bed.  Heart pounding, she struggled.  The way he looked at her was terrifying.  He was feeding off her expressions and reactions, which she couldn’t hide as his began thrusting his fingers.  The position was far too vulnerable.  That he could see her face made her wildly uncomfortable.

           “This isn’t what I agreed to!”

           “Relax.  You’ll only be able to think for another minute or so.”

           Sputtering, she angrily smacked the mattress and laid back, staring at the vaulted ceiling.  

           Loki withdrew his fingers and issued a smart slap to her pussy.

           “What part of ‘look at me’ is difficult for you to understand?”

           Face threatening to crumple, she bit down on her cheek and lowered her eyes to meet his.  He stared at her intently, watching every twinge of her brow and twitch of her lips.  It was enough to be exposed like this, but to know he didn’t find her attractive was simply humiliating.  She felt like a disappointing specimen.

           “That’s better.”  

He withdrew his finger and took his cock in his hand, giving it a few pumps.  When she realized he intended to fuck her while on her back, Petra whimpered.  What had she done to warrant this kind of punishment?  She’d had sex like this before, but with meaningless partners that were likely picturing someone else as they fucked her.  Loki was not picturing someone else.  He was looking at her too hard, his gaze patronizing.

“Little skapning,” he sighed.

Glancing down, he ran the head of his length between her folds, stopping at her clit to rub against it.  The slippery precome and the pressure of his cock felt more heavenly than she’d like to admit, so she bit her cheek until it bled to keep from making noise.  She refused to validate him while he demeaned her.  

His voice startled her out of her thoughts.

“You’re just a little lost Dökkálfr without me, aren’t you? I give you purpose.  Carrying my child is an honor.  Do you know how many Jötnar women would quite literally kill to be in your position?”

Forcing herself to go numb in an attempt to survive whatever verbal assault he was conducting, she shook her head.

“Many,” he answered his own question

“Good for you.”

A laugh rumbled in his chest and he shook his head.

“Good for you, rather.”  He eased himself inside, groaning as her tight walls clutched his length.

Petra inhaled sharply, cursing under her breath.  He wasn’t finished belittling her yet.  He had to knock her down even further, forcing pleasure on her.  Her pussy throbbed around him making him hiss as he slid against her walls.  Lazily he began pumping.  

           “The night you arrived, I would’ve turned you away without a second thought,” he grunted.  “I wouldn’t have felt guilt.  But you were stubborn and feisty and I wanted to have you.  So I made you mine.”

           Petra pushed off the bed as best she could, brows raised in surprise.

           “What?”

           “Centuries ago I inhabited Asgard.  Traditional beauty isn’t lost on me.  You may not be a warrior, but you’re certainly a woman.”

           Spluttering, Petra shook her head.  “I thought you found me repulsive—!”

           With a sharp thrust, Loki knocked the air from her lungs.

           “Quiet, skapning.  We’re not having a conversation.  I’m merely enlightening you.”

           Gasping for breath, she grunted as he hit that spot that made her see stars, damning her body for falling victim to him with such ease.  She kept her mouth shut, grinding her teeth in an effort to limit the noises insisting on flowing from her mouth.

           No longer interested in words, Loki began jerking his hips in earnest.  Each time his cock passed through her entrance forced her a step closer to an orgasm. Since his proclamation that she only come with his permission, she’d managed to succeed so far.  But, something about the debasing tone he’d taken with her was causing an unseemly reaction.  He’d been speaking of her as if she were an object.  His object.  As if she belonged to him, which should have upset her, but the idea that she had enough value that he desired her made her cunt pulse.  Though in that moment she very much tried to hate him, the idea sparked heat low in her belly.  

           The prospect of carrying his child did make her feel important.  It was an honor.  He was a powerful man that people feared and revered.  It was impossible not to be attracted to that.  And the fact that he didn’t find her displeasing was slightly overwhelming.  

           A brisk snap of the hips knocked her out of her thoughts, prompting a moan.

“Do you like knowing you please me?  More than another woman has pleased me in centuries?”

It was hard to ignore him with their eyes locked, but she managed.  With a growl, Loki gripped her waist and slammed their hips together.  “Do you?”

Crying out in pleasured pain, she managed a nod.

“Good.”

With that, he pulled back, almost leaving her cunt, before plummeting into her pussy once again.  She screamed as his pubic bone ground harshly against her clit, making her walls flutter.

Her eyes had rolled back and it took a moment for her vision to return and when it did, he was smiling at her again.

“You’re easy to please.  I do appreciate that, you know.”

His thrusts resumed, the sound of skin on skin echoing in his chambers.  The slick of her pussy aided his rapid pumping, which sent them both closer and closer to completion.  Petra began to whimper, biting her tongue in an attempt to distract from the fire blooming in her belly.  Just as she was about to struggle away from him, he spoke.

“Come, skapning.”

With a wail she lost all sense of being for several moments, floating blissfully in pleasured nothingness as her walls contracted around his cock.  With a low growl his hips jackhammered against hers, likely leaving bruises for her to find tomorrow.  He erupted inside her, his come flooding her insides and leaking out as he continued to fuck her.

Both panting, Loki took a moment to gather himself before pulling out.  Without a second look at his bedmate he stretched, his back cracking as he sighed contentedly.  He disappeared to the bathroom for a moment to clean up and don trousers, then strode back to his chair, picked up his book and resumed reading while Petra caught her breath on the bed.  She wasn’t sure what she’d done wrong to make him leave like that.  Shaking her head in disbelief, she ignored the mess between her legs and rolled over and tried to sleep.

@the-kinky-friend​ @monarchofallisurvey​ @averyrogers83​ @smollest-soybean​ @alexakeyloveloki​ @cassiopeya81​ @vintage-lovers-world​ @jeremyrennermakesmesmile​ @imnotrevealingmyname​ @false-octopus​ @tinyfirestudentpurse​

thanks to @writeyourmindaway​ for the divider 💖

[majingojira]

If I stocked Jurassic Park/Jurassic World

I love the Jurassic Park series, and I love dinosaurs.  But I sometimes look at the species included and find myself asking ... “Why?”   Why 3 Spinosaurids?  Why 2 Ankylosaurids?  Why some species we know almost nothing about? 

So, I’m going to do what the title says, but I’m going to set down some ground rules.

We only ever see a few animals in any of the films, but at most the park has 43 species (not counting hybrids).  Mostly dinosaurs, but a few other prehistoric animals (Mosasaurs, Pterosaurs, and at least one Elasmosaur). 

So, for this, I’m going to give myself some limits:  35 Dinosaurs, 5 Non-Dinosaur Prehistoric Animals. 

Cover as much diversity as I can while still using interesting animals.

They will be listed by as:

Name: - Self Explanatory Description:  - Brief description of the animal and what it can do. Chaos Effect: - What Unexpected Elements could cause havoc.  This is a Jurassic Park post after all. Some speculation, some known stuff, we’re having fun here.

Feel free to think of your own takes on these prehistoric animals, or what you’d put in. 

Read, Set, GO!

1. Name: Stegosaurus Description: One of the most well known armored dinosaurs, it has a longer neck and raised tail unlike the more popular descriptions.  Chaos Effect:  While quite dumb, they are extremely flexible with both its tail (able to reach by its head easily), and its plates (which can flush red).  Which means, when this animal gets annoyed, things get stabbed.  And they can get annoyed quite easily.  

2. Name: Borealpelta Description: A small-ish (cow sized) Nodosaur Ankylosaur, known for having its full coloration known already.  Big shoulder spikes.  Chaos Effect: They dig ruts for themselves to sleep in at night.  This means only their armor bits show up.  They usually use the same one when they can, but it still damages enclosures. 

3. Name: Ankylosaurus Description: A heavily armored ankylosaur with a heavy tail club and thick armor scutes all over its body. Chaos Effect: It’s a damn goat. It will eat and swallow damn near anything.  It will crop things off with its beak, rasp them with an armored/toothy tongue, and then digest them with a powerful gut.  Males also have nose-balloons that inflate to impress mates.

4. Name: Kulinadromeus Description:A small herbivorous dinosaur covered in feathers.  1.5m long. Chaos Effect: Consummate preeners, attempts to put them in a petting zoo scenario ended when they began ‘preening the children.  With their beaks.

5. Name: Edmontosaurus Description:A large duck-billed dinosaur, though it’s actual beak is more parrot like. Chaos Effect: We knew that they had a comb like a rooster, but the one known is for the females.  The one for males is far larger and more elaborate (like comparing a chicken to a rooster).  It is also prone to picking up parasites.  Oxpecker birds have been imported and seem to be doing a good job countering the ticks and mites.  

6. Name: Parasaurolophus Description: A crested hadrosaur with a huge crest sticking out the back of its head. Chaos Effect: We knew they sang, but not so loud or so deeply! Constant maintenance is needed on the paddock as they can rattle apart their paddock locks if they are not checked regularly.  It also gets the attention of certain predators regularly.  Insulation has so far proved ineffective.

7. Name: Pachycephalosaurus Description: The best known dome-headed dinosaur. They ram into each other in dominance contests, but only as adults.  Juveniles have more elaborate horns that change into domes over time. They are still prone to ramming, but not each other. Chaos Effect: Electronics embedded in them, from tracking devices to health monitors, are shorted when repeated bashing occurs.  Enclosures must be reinforced, because they will ram things they do not like.  Also, they are omnivorous.  

8. Name: Psittacosaurus Description: A beaked ornithology with line of quills along the tail.  Chaos Effect: They rattle their tail feathers together like a rattlesnake (but more like grass blowing in the wind) to communicate. 

9. Name: Leptoceratops Description: A small horned dinosaur with no horn, about the size of a potbellied pig. Chaos Effect: It has the personality of a wild boar. Biting instead of goring, but no less aggressive.

10. Name: Triceratops Description: The classic 3-horned dinosaur. Chaos Effect: The back of the animal is covered in quill feathers resembling the quills of a porcupine. They are more prominent when younger, and ‘spread out’ as they age.  They are, however, short, only a few inches long, with no flexibility. 

11. Name: Styracosaurus Description: A smaller horned dinosaur with horns all along its frill. Chaos Effect:  Actually more about display and calling than actual combat.  If you can stand up to its intimidation (which includes the frill flushing bright red, bellowing, and mock charges), they’ll back off.

12. Name: Omeisaurus Description: A mamenchisaurid sauropod, though on the smaller side 66ft long and 10 tons. Mostly (stiff) neck.  It also has a tail club.  Chaos Effect: They are not very social animals, and will use their club to bat away other herd-mates if they get too close.

13. Name: Nigersaurus Description: A short-necked, grazing sauropod, with a wide mouth full of cropping teeth.   30ft long, maybe 2 tons. Chaos Effect: It took several changes to adapt this animal to grass, as the native plants it ate were hard to recreate.  However, having done so has made them horrifyingly potent grass eaters.  Even poisonous plants are mowed down without issue. 

14. Name:  Amargasaurus Description: Another short-necked sauropod, 30ft long,  3tons. Chaos Effect:  Another short-necked sauropod, but more varied feeding than Nigersaurus. When threatened, they roll their heads under their chests, sticking out their spikes, and charge.  They do this with minimal provocation. They also lash their tails around wickedly. 

15. Name: Apatosaurus Description: The classic Sauropod. 75ft long, 20ft tall at the top of the back, and they can weigh up to 30+ tons.  Chaos Effect:  The bottom of their neck is lined with spines they use for defense and in contests with each  other.  They also have a line of raised spines along their backs, which become quite wicked at the tip of their tail.  Lashes with their tail, done to other herd members in dominance points, or against what annoys them, can be very dangerous.  But not as dangerous as when they rear up and try to smash things with their feet or neck.

16. Name: Camarasaurus Description: The most basal deep-sculled sauropod.  50ft long, 40 tons. A high browser. Chaos Effect:  Its large naval cavity makes it a prime carrier for H1N1 Avian Flu.  They don’t seem to get sick, just carry the virus.

17. Name: Saltasaurus Description: A Titanosaur Sauropod with a heavily armored back. 42ft long, 7 tons. Chaos Effect: They love water.  Like, a lot. They drink a lot and prefer to spend the hottest parts of the day in it. 

18. Name: Dilophosaurus Description: A crested therapod. Chaos Effect: I’m going to go with the Jurassic Park poison spitter stuff here, because it’s just so much fun.  But with this added bonus.  The ones we saw in Jurassic Park were not adults.  An adult is 20ft long and can easily look a man in the eye, or loom over them. They lose the frill as adults.

19. Name: Carnotaurus Description: A short-faced, long legged, armored predator.  up to 30ft long, and easily 10ft tall. Chaos Effect: They are Cheetahs.  Extremely long legged runners at high speed, and at long distance.  They can also swallow a man whole by stretching their jaws out.

20. Name: Spinosaurus Description: A dinosaur trying to be a crocodile. 60ft long, with powerful arms, and stubby legs. Chaos Effect:  On land, it sort of waddles about like a giant penguin or pelican. It prefers shallow water, floating on the surface and dipping its head down to snap up small prey, or  waiting on shore to snap up larger fish.  For the biggest meat eating dinosaur ever, it’s actually rather goofy looking. 

21. Name: Allosaurus Description: A large therapod, the “Lion of the Jurassic”. 30ft long. Chaos Effect: They form loose association ‘packs’ most of the year.  They don’t really have tactics or coordinate actively, but they do work together effectively in a mob mentality sort of way.   

22.  Name: Giganotosaurus Description: Taller and longer than T. Rex, with a lighter skull built for slashing.  Chaos Effect:  It can shift between two skin-tones like a chameleon. It usually uses this for displays, but can use it for hunting when it wants to.  Despite being “Bigger” than T. Rex, it is far less robust, and more willing to back away when threatened.

23.  Name: Compsognathus Description: chicken sized therapod dinosaur.  Chaos Effect: They have a venomous bite. It’s about as potent as Gila Monster venom. Which is to say it hurts a LOT, but is usually not fatal to healthy adults.  Children and the elderly, however ...

24. Name: Tyrannosaurus Description: The Tyrant Lizard King. Chaos Effect: Eagle-Eyed, sharp-nosed, and with powerful jaws.  They hunt in family units when they can. Younger animals are more swift and graceful than older ones. 

25. Name: Struthiomimus Description: An ostridge-mimic dinosaur. Chaos Effect: Covered in feathers, has massive eyespots underneath its wings to scare attackers.  It also has the personality of a goose.

26. Name: Deinocheirus Description: A duck-billed, humped back animal, 36ft long and 12ft tall. Chaos Effect: If threatened, it will vomit on an attacker. The bile is foul smelling and slightly caustic.

27. Name: Shuvuia Description: A small dinosaur, 2ft long, with birdlike build, long tail, and short arms that terminate in 3 claws, the central of these dwards the others and is very robust (the others are almost completely gone).  Chaos Effect: An eater of termites and ants, it has a long sticky tongue to grab them up.  Utterly adorable.

28. Name: Therizinosaurus Description: A beaked head on top of a long neck, with a rotund, turkey-like body, and short tail.  Powerful hind legs to stride on, and long arms with massive claws all covered in feathers. Chaos Effect: Being 12ft tall at the shoulder and having scythe-like claws almost 3ft in length is enough!

29. Name: Anzu Description: An oviraptorid dinosaur some 6ft tall. Chaos Effect: It has a super-advanced voicebox that allows it to mimic the cries of damn near everything it hears. Including human voices. 

30. Name: Dakotaraptor Description: It’s the real life version of JP’s Velociraptor.  But feathery, of course. Chaos Effect: As smart as crows, but more carnivorous.

31. Name: Dromaeosaurus Description:  A medium-sized (6ft long,) Chaos Effect: It prey-rides. It latches on to prey and starts biting them.

32.  Name: Stenonychosaurus/Troodon Description: A omnivorous therapod dinosaur with a sickle claw on its feet. Chaos Effect: Escape artist and tool user. 

33. Name: Yi Description: A tiny dragon. Bat-winged, feathered, the size of a crow. Chaos Effect: Has a caustic orange spit that leaves chemical burns on those that are annoyed by it.  So, basically, it breathes not!Fire. Like a proper dragon.

34. Name: Microraptor Description: A four-winged primitive bird. Chaos Effect: Not needed, it’s a four-winged bird!

35.  Name: Phorusrhacos Description: A 8ft tall Terror Bird.  THick beak, powerful legs, and ostrich-fast. Chaos Effect: Hey, it’s a dinosaur!  It was either him or Gigantoraptor, but this was more fun.  They can clap their beaks to make a booming sound to coordinate attacks/call for help/assistance. One peck is enough to split open a hardhat, and the skull underneath.

36. Name: Quetzalcoatlus Description: A gigantic, stork-like pterosaur. Like Giraffe huge. With an 8ft-long bill. Chaos Effect: It is actually quite speedy on land at a gallop.  Still big enough to swallow a smaller-than-average person whole. Tall people get slammed until they break apart, then eaten piece by piece. 

37. Name: Pteranodon Description: The classic flying reptile is actually quite different from what’s expected. Chaos Effect: Extreme sexual dimorphism. Males have crests and are almost twice as big as females.  Acts like an Albatross. 

38. Name: Plesiosaurus Description: Classic sea reptile. Chaos Effect: Seems to spread any cephalopod toxins it consumes to its flesh.

39. Name: Mosasaurus Description: 40ft of marine monitor lizard. Chaos Effect: Has a second set of jaws inside its mouth to help it grasp prey. 

40. Name: Icthyosaurus Description: The “Dolphin” lizard. Chaos Effect: A nocturnal hunter of fish and squid.

[lunacanis99]

Mantle of Flames Proxi

So, let's talk about Althaea. Specifically about her curse/deal I've talked about a few times prior.

When Althaea gave me her background she told me that "Althaea is always on the brink of death, but never dies. This entity won't let her." Now this was a few sessions in and was actually referencing how Althaea had been knocked out in every prior session so she worked it into her background. I believe this is also based on "Over the Garden Wall" but I've never seen it so I don't know how much of a reference this is. Anyways, I decided to name the creature doing this for her a Vassal, which Wikipedia says is "a person or country in a subordinate position to another" (this was the first hint the Vassals weren't acting on their own.) And Well I've never wanted to say no to my players that backstory did present a problem: I could just have there be no repercussion of death for her. So I decided, each time she died she'd loose some of her max health. At first it was just her level in health but after about 3 deaths it became her level and a roll of her hit die. Out of game that was because it wasn't balanced enough to be an actual consequence with threat of death considering she got more max health each level, but in game it was because the Vassals had "noticed her loyalty". Aka Althaea sided with and defended the Vassals and I did not see that coming and had to rewrite a lot of things. As the game went on and I started figuring my big plot out I knew I wanted the Vassals to factor into it and have something to do with the chained gods. And then I realized, they were the angels of the chained gods. See in my world every god has 3 angels to act as messengers soldiers and workers for them. But the Vassals don't look like angels; they're completely black with glowing white eyes, a feather cloak, and antlers, so it wasn't obvious. Canary was actually the first to figure this out (making me have to rewrite again. Thanks) and had to keep it hidden from the group for a while, (mostly cause she wiped her own memory) especially Althaea. The rest of the group slowly followed and had their own opinions and realizations and now they're working to fix it.

But, as interesting and intricate as this is, it's not what I'm here to talk about. No, I'm here to tell you about all of Althaea's deaths so far.

Death 1: Her first death was actually out of game (precampaign) and what started all of this. She had just run away from her abusive home in the faewild and now was lost in the winter on the material plane. She would have starved or frozen to death, but the Vassal appeared to her, offered to help her, then killed her and brought her back, basically resetting her clock so she had enough time to find food and shelter. This was the first of many though...

Death 2: Her next death was facing down the young white dragon Mairon's uncle Melkor sent them to fight. Alistair also died in this fight so she shouldn't feel too bad. I believe she died to the ice breath. Problem was, though everyone saw it out of game the only character that saw it in game was Alistair, who, as previously mentioned, also died. And when he got back his memory was spotty, and we had him roll. He didn't remember.

Death 3: Her third death was also against a dragon, a green dragon this time. See this dragon was one of the big bads of the current storyline and was the queen drow's pet, thus was more intelligent than other beasts. So when everyone kept healing each other and getting back up he decided to fix that. So when he knocked Althaea out next instead of leaving her there he picked her up and dropped her in the deep pool of water to the side. She drowned and reemerged a few rounds later. This time, Alistair saw it. And the group confronted her on it.

Death 4: This death was in the faewild. They'd gone to the faewild to help their friend Carric on his task in return for his God reviving Mairon. (Convoluted I know) They'd gone with him to help take down a corrupted ArchFae. And, after being knocked out in one by a prismatic spray, she failed her death throws and died again.

Death 5: The next death isn't many sessions later, as these deaths start getting more frequent. And, this is an interesting one. Because, after being led on a wild goose chase around town all session looking for 2 kidnapped friends, the group find themselves face to face with a Vassal. Althaea tries to speak for the group and keep them safe, which she manages, in return for her own throats getting slashed.

Death 6: The next death came at the hands of a skyrate. She (once again) got one shot by Captain Hunter's monk first mate Kraven, but this time it was more than 2x her health, so she got one shot killed. However, this time when she died she made a deal with the Vassals for more power when she came back, but now she owes them... something.

Death 7: Death seven, once again was one shot, which seems to be the pattern now. This time by a meteor swarm from a witch.

Death 8: This is the most recent death. And by far the dumbest. After the group went to Canary's farm to ask her adoptive son Tazd to come with them and they ask Canary for permission, Canary threatens them if they touch her son. So you know what Althaea does? Can you guess? Yup. She picked up Tazd and tried to run away. From a Rouge with a gun... it goes about as well as a sneak attack assassinate bullet to the brain can.

So yeah, an eventful time of Althaea's death. Let's see what happens when she dies with 6 health, and thus has no more health to give. And... we'll most likely see this in 3 days. :)

[eshidu]

I missed my farm animals from when I was a kid. 

My mother was a Jockey, and when a few of her horses were ready to retire, her old trainer called her up to see if she could take them. So my mother settled down on five and a half acres in Morada,CA, to start a farm- like the one she had as a kid. 

The farm I lived on wasn’t close to the size my mother had, but we had two fields, a coop, and a veggie garden. These were our main animals, our goats, our hens, and our horses. 

Quackers and Fillet were my picks. Quackers died tragically in a coyote attack, as some of our chickens did, and some geese. Fillet was bought as dinner, but when she started laying more eggs a day than our hens, we decided to keep her a while. When she was down to just an egg or two a week, she met the chopping block- in time for Thanksgiving! ;u;

Mama was a mix between a black plymouth rock and a rosecomb! Very small, and very smart: she taught all of her chicks to fly up into the trees when the coyotes came prowling. When her babies started shedding their baby feathers we sold them to the feed store. Our roosters, Red and Roy were meant to mate with our Gold Comets- the Hennie Pennies- but the two of them only had eyes for Mama. 

We did also have a flock of geese stop in our field while flying south one year. They came and.... never left. So we tossed feed out to them and they grew comfortable with us. We would swamp them to the other field with the goats. It was funny watching Jack challenge the flock’s top goose. That goose was kinda rude, too, always nipping and flapping at me IN MY OWN YARD. Taking care of geese is easy; my mom’s dad taught me how to take care of an angry goose when I was really little. I surprised my step father when that big stinky goose came up to me, hissing and flapping and I stepped right up, picked him up by the neck, gave him to good shakes and tossed him back. I was top goose after that. 

Quackers was actually meant to tend to the garden; he was a Cayuga duck and they like to snack on snails and slugs. We grew corn, green bell peppers, zucchini, yellow squash, red potatoes and-.... well we tried to grow tomatoes, but they never took.  This veggie farm is the reason I don’t like squash or zucchini; they grow WAY too quickly for a family of three to eat. Ugh... 

Our Boer goats we bought to mow the fields for us. We started with Jack, Billy, and Lady- but Lady was named Buck. There was a mix up when they put the goats in the truck to bring them to our farm, and instead of three boys we got two boys and Lady. She got pregnant in the first month. And gave birth to twins! But rejected the runt, who I named Chibi and took care of myself. Unfortunately, his brother, Molasses, and Jack liked to bully him and he died before his first year.  Jack would regularly knock the fences over and let the chickens out. He wouldn’t even escape himself- just knock over a small section and shout and hoof the dirt around. We electrified the fence and he stopped.  Jack would also charge at me whenever I got too close. Just knock me down and walk off, maybe do it again if I turned my back. You know in Twilight Princess when Link has to catch the loose goat? Yeah, I did THAT to Jack, grabbed his horn and used my entire body weight to throw him off to the side. After two times getting thrown, he stopped. 

Our horses we retired race horses, so they were a little... finicky. Sunny was the oldest, and the Boss. Retired because of bad ankles, and belonged to my mother. BG was retired for spraining a back leg and for spooking too easily. He was a gentle giant at 18 hands. Really sweet. He’s the one we let the kids pet. He trampled a few small trees during a thunderstorm once. Rony was my horse. A pain in the ass, he was retired for PISSING OFF riders and other horses. But he was always sweet with me, so my mom had me handle him. I liked it when my step father tried to ride him and got bucked off twice. Rony didn’t really try to hurt anyone, just get them off him. Scared the shit outta my step father, though, and didn’t like me being near him. 

Taking care of all of these animals was pretty fulfilling, but costly. The small resources they provided for us didn’t outweigh the cost of keeping them, and when my mother’s boat repair business had a few bad years in a row, we started selling the animals off. First went the geese... sorry geese.. Then Molasses, and when the lady saw our other three, badgered us to buy them too for a while and we did eventually. Before all the goats went, the horses did first. I was really upset about that because I didn’t know about it until the trailer came to take them. 

We tried to find a new house that would let us keep the chickens and roosters, but none did, so we sold them back to the feed store we bought them from. We let Mama fend for herself after a goodbye. 

[dictacontrion]

"Is that what we are? Mates?" "Well, I thought...I mean, you Firecall all the time with these ridiculous problems that can't possibly be real—present wings excepted, of course—so I figured, maybe, that meant you wanted to be mates." "My problems are all real," Draco sniffed. "The time we went on the wild goose chase to find your missing pants?" "How was I to know Lipton had washed them?" "Bitsy washed them," Potter corrected. "And the time you needed help finishing the wine?" "Didn't want to be wasteful," Draco replied. "Even the time when you couldn't unzip your robes in the back?" "It was stuck." "You have elves." "They're too short." "I'm not particularly tall..." Potter's eyes danced. "Fine." Draco threw his arms into the air, ignoring the speckled feather that came loose and danced through the air until it landed on Potter's arm. "We're mates." "And you know what mates do?" "Get each other off?" Draco rolled his eyes. "Well, I was going to say they help each other, but if you insist..."

The Ugly Duckling by @icmezzo

[lumosinlove]

The Kitchens

part viii

Remus wakes up warm.

There is a plush pillow beneath his head—two, he thinks—, a heavy quilt over his bare body, and a toasty, sleeping boy pressed fully to his back. He can feel Sirius’ breaths against his neck, feel where his lips are just barely pressed there, even in sleep. His mind wanders vaguely to the thought of what time it might be, that he’ll be needed downstairs, but he cannot bring himself to care. He blinks his eyes open, and looks around the vast room. To think that, every single day, Sirius lives like this, in this, is…something. Quite something. Everything is dark and gleaming. The bed is probably the most comfortable thing Remus has ever, and will ever, lay on. He looks at the tables of food that they’d barely touched, waiting, then the delicate pile of Sirius’ fine clothes that he’d all but ripped off of him the night before. He bites his lip at the thought.

“I can feel you thinking…”

Remus smiles at the sleep-slurred words that come from behind him, chest warming at the rasp in Sirius’ voice.

Is this what you sound like every morning?

Will I ever find out?

Remus closes his eyes briefly, willing away the ache, and turns in Sirius’ arms, being greeted almost instantly by a hot kiss. Remus tilts his chin forward into it, melting into the heat of Sirius’ hands, feeling their way down his rib cage to his hips, his arse. It doesn’t even feel sexual, just touching… maybe loving.

“Did you sleep well?” Sirius asks in that same voice. Remus curls his toes beneath the blankets.

“Mm.” He hums, “This bed is…” He trails off, shaking his head.

Sirius smiles sleepily. His bruises and cuts look slightly better this morning. One half of his smile is smushed against the pillow, the other causing a dimple do appear on his cheek, “Goose feathers.”

Remus lets out a laugh, allowing one of his legs to be hooked over Sirius’ hip, bringing him closer, “I’m almost positive mine’s full of hay. Hay that I get allergic to in the warmer months.”

Sirius lets out a long, content sounding breath, fingers trailing softly up and down Remus’ thigh, “I can fix that.”

Remus raises an eyebrow, “Yes, because no one will notice new bedding being moved into my room.”

Sirius blinked slowly at him, smile still in place, “Who said you’d be staying in your room?”

Remus blinked, “I… Wh-“

“Because I have a better idea.” Sirius was suddenly rolling on top of him, speaking only between the many kisses he was peppering over Remus’ face, “I want—to wake up—like this every—single—morning—“ He ended with a firmer one on Remus’ lips, both of them grinning into it, “until the end of time.”

Remus let his hands find the small of Sirius’ back, feeling the warmth radiate off his skin, “That’s a pretty long time.”

Sirius shook his head, nose brushing Remus’, “Not long enough.”

And all Remus could do was let himself be kissed and kissed and kissed, taking pleasure in the sounds he drew out of Sirius’, until a new sound cause their eyes to fly open.

A crash raised from the door, and they jumped apart, hands going for the blankets, pulling them higher across their bodies. Remus felt Sirius grip his hand under the sheets.

James stood there, wide-eyed, breakfast tray at his feet, food and broken porcelain mingling on one of the fine rugs, coincidentally, by Sirius’ discarded crown.

The air felt that it had disappeared from the room as the three boys stared at one another, silent, un-moving. Remus’ chest felt tight as cold, oozing dread replaced the radiating warmth that was there just a moment ago. They’d been caught, found out. Remus felt like he was watching it happen, right next to him, all of them looking back and forth, not knowing what would happen, who would move, who would speak first.

He looked at Sirius next to him who looked more worried than scared, then back at James. James’ mouth was open a little in shock, hands poised in front of him as if they were still holding Sirius’ breakfast tray. Remus watched his throat bob around a swallow, then his eyes glance downward, “Um. Sorry. I dropped that.”

He said it like a simple observation. No one moved. Then, James cleared his throat, “I should- Um. Sorry-“ He crouched down to clean the mess, then seemed to think better of it, and was up against in a second, “Actually, maybe not. I’ll be just-“ He couldn’t seem to stop gesturing to vague parts of the room and himself with his hands, “I’ll just-“

As he turned for the door Sirius seemed to snap out of it, springing from the bed and only barely able to cover himself with the throw blanket at the end of the mattress, “James, no. Wait-“ He wobbled a bit with the effort of trying to stop his friend from leaving and secure the blanket around his waist at the same time.

James turned back around slowly, biting the inside of his cheek. Sirius opened his mouth, then closed it, then opened it again, suddenly at a loss for words. James’ eyes, for the first time, flicked towards Remus. Remus wanted to fold in on himself. He pulled the blankets up higher, then froze at the look James was giving him back. There was no judgement in his eyes. No anger. Even most of the shock had faded away.

“Hello, Remus.” James offered an awkward little wave.

Remus blinked, then rose his hand a little in return, “Hi.”

Sirius looked between them, “Are you two friends?”

James rolled his eyes, letting out a sigh, “Sirius, honestly.”

Sirius glared at him, then it softened and he shook his head a little in realization, “No- Oh. I suppose because you both work down- Wait, I didn’t mean it like… Sorry, right. That was…”

“Idiotic?” James supplied, then, with a smile in his voice, “But, then again, I’ll let it slide. I suppose you’re a little sleep deprived.”

Remus coughed a little, face becoming hot. He was still a little caught up on how easily Sirius had taken James’ eye roll.

Sirius eyed him, re-tying the blanket around his waist then crossing his arms, “You seem very… calm. About this.”

James nudged some of the broken plate shards with his foot, “Well, if I’m being honest I sort of… figured.”

Remus’ head snapped towards him, “What?” Then he looked at Sirius, as they had said the word at the same time.

“Not about you two.” James explained quickly, “Just about it maybe being a bloke. For you.” He nodded at Sirius, “You were pretty secretive, mate. With the First Bloom stuff, I mean. I mean if it was a girl I figured you would have walked out with her… I don’t know, it was just a guess. A hunch. I don’t know why…”

Sirius nodded, still looking a little worried. He opened and closed his mouth a few more times until James sighed, “Your diction is just astounding, your majesty-“

“Fuck off.” Sirius glared but he was smiling a little, “I just… You’re not…” Sirius closed his eyes and let out a breath through his nose, saying slowly, “Most people…”

James seemed to understand, eyes softening, loosing the teasing tone, “Of course I’m fine with it. You’re my best mate, I don’t… I don’t care who your with as long as your happy.”

Remus felt his heart warm a little, and he looked back to Sirius’ face to see it considerably more relaxed, relieved.

James ran a hand through his hair, finally leaning down and scooping the broken breakfast onto the tray it had come on, “Besides, I’d much rather walk in on this than you being all bloodied up by her royal fucking highness-“

Sirius made a sound like an over-exaggerated throat clearing, a panicked need to stop James’ speech in its tracks. James looked up at the same time as Remus’ heart sank. He felt the color drain from his face as he realized what James had just said. He opened his mouth to say something but found he couldn’t.

James looked at Sirius, eyes asking a silent question, before they flicked to Remus and he understood, rising and standing there uncomfortably for the second time in less than five minutes.

He held the tray tightly, “I, um… I’ll get this downstairs, then. Why don’t you just tell me when you want breakfast instead of…” He cleared his throat, “Right, okay.”

The room was once again silent when James left, and Remus waited patiently for an explanation. The shock of being found out seems dim now in comparison to this newer revelation. And Remus feels it, the familiar ache in his chest at seeing Sirius’ face cut up and bruised. But it’s stronger now, accompanied by the knowledge that the bruises aren’t voluntary, they aren’t sport, but a beating. Sirius, in just the time Remus has known him, has taken two beatings.

How many does that make in his lifetime?

Remus swallowed. He didn’t want to know.

He raised up on his knees slowly, stretching his torso until he could reach Sirius’ unmoving hand and tug him back towards the bed. Sirius didn’t put up any resistance, he just seemed to be unwilling to look Remus in the eyes. He allowed the blanket to be pulled free from around his waist and nestled back under the covers. Remus kept a firm hand on his shoulder, just in case he tried to roll onto his back, or worse, face away. But Sirius showed no tension, no fight. He kept his eyes down, cheeks tinged pink. Remus tentatively placed one palm on the right one, feeling the warmth there, both from the healing wound and the embarrassment.

“You could have told me.” Remus said softly, “It’s okay that you didn’t. But just know that you could have.”

“I know.” Sirius said even quieter, lips barely moving. The words were short and clipped in an effort to conceal the tremor in his voice.

Remus brushed his thumb over Sirius’ temple, carefully avoiding the bruise, staying at the edge. His stomach felt sick now, looking at it. Looking at what the hand of his own mother had done, looking at the gash in his cheek that he’d seen once before, identical. Made by the same hand. The same ring.

“Why?”

Sirius huffed a little, “Why not?”

Remus felt every muscle in his body tense, “Wh… What?”

Sirius sighed and this time he did roll over onto his back, staring at the ceiling, “Nothing, I didn’t mean… Nothing.”

Remus pushed himself up onto one forearm, “You should learn not to say things you don’t-“

“I didn’t mean it like that. I mean, I don’t know, maybe…” Sirius closed his eyes against the world, “I don’t know why she does it, okay? I’m not like her, that’s why. I’m not like them. I… I disagree and it embarrasses her. So she… does this.” He opens his eyes, looking at Remus finally, “Fair trade, in her book.”

“Not in mine.” Remus shot back, sitting up farther, “That’s not- I can’t believe… God, I hate this.” Remus was the one to turn away this time, sitting up, fiddling with the blankets in his lap, “She can’t just… She can’t just hurt you.”

Sirius sat up as well, pressing his shoulder to Remus’. Despite his anger, Remus was thankful for the warm gesture, “Yes, she can. Who’s going to stop her?”

“Me.” Remus grumbled, annoyed at the improbability of the statement.

He caught Sirius small smile, “My knight.”

Remus pushed lightly against his shoulder, “Not really. I can’t even lift more than two of the flour sacks at once. I’d probably just… end up shoving moldy bread down her throat and hope she chokes.”

Sirius let out one of his rare laughs then, the kind that starts with a little snort, the real kind. Remus grinned at him for a few moments, then bit the inside of his cheek,

“You don’t… You don’t think James will-“

“Not a chance. He’s my best friend, Re. Has been for forever. He won’t tell.”

Remus nodded, “Okay.” Then again, lighter, “Okay.”

Then he turned, pressed his hands to Sirius’ neck, and kissed him; he kissed his cheeks, kissed each bruise, each cut, and then kissed him again thinking that, if ever he could, he’d be a knight for Sirius. Sirius kissed Remus back thinking that he already was.

~

Sirius is still standing in front of the bookshelf that Remus had disappeared through minutes early when James walks in with a fresh breakfast tray. Sirius sighs and turns, only then finishing tying the shirt that Remus had pulled over his head with a kiss before he left.

“God, you’re like a puppy.”

Sirius tossed a pillow at him with a laugh, only narrowly missing the mug of juice on the tray, “You’re one to talk about puppies. Lily, Lily, Lily-“

“O-kay.” James said breathlessly, “Alright.”

Sirius let them smile comfortably for a moment, watching James set up the tray, laying the silverware out and pouring what looked like orange juice today.

“James.”

“That’s my name.”

Sirius rolled his eyes, “I’m trying to talk to you.”

James clicked his tongue, “Yeah, see, I’m not good at talking, this is why I should be in your King’s Guard instead-“

“James.”

James set the pitcher down, “Sorry, sorry.” He straightened, dusting his hands on his dark trousers and looking at Sirius with a soft smile, “It’s just I know you’re about to thank me and you don’t have to.”

“Yes, I do.” Sirius sat on the bed, picking up a piece of bacon, “Remus has been worried about this, I think. Someone finding out. I know it’s a valid thought, but… to have it be you, and for you to so readily accept this… It just means… it means a lot. And you’re… you’re a good friend.”

James sat on the bed too, on the opposite side, “I already gave you my heartfelt speech, so I don’t know what you want me to say, mate.”

Sirius snorted, “I don’t want you to say anything, I just wanted you to know.”

James nodded, “Well, I do support you. Who’s business is it who you love, other than your own?” James smiled at Sirius’ smile, then cleared his throat, bringing a nervous hand to his neck, “In saying that…”

“In saying that…” Sirius prompted.

“Sirius, this is dangerous for you. Even more so for Remus. You have to realize that.”

Sirius straightened, “I do. I do realize that. We’re careful-“

“Sirius, your mother beats you for passing the peas wrong. If she found out, she would have the perfect grounds to dispose of you, something we both know she wants more than anything.” James passed a hand through his hair, “I don’t even want to know what she would do to Remus. He has none of the protection you do.”

Fear started to thrum in Sirius’ chest at the image, “I’d never let anything happen to Remus. I’d sooner die.”

“Well, then you’d have no control over the situation, would you?”

Sirius tossed the bacon back to his plate and flopped down on his back, “We’re careful.”

“I know you are.” James pushed, “I know, I just- I’d hate to see anything happen.” Sirius looked at James’ worried, hazel eyes, “Just keep being careful, okay? Your family is too unpredictable for you to let loose. I’ll even help you, in any way I can, just… keep being careful.”

~

“Why are you in opposition now? After so many days.”

Tarea’s voice was level, but her eyes were sharp and her knuckles were white. Regulus tried his hardest not to rest a comforting hand on his sword.

“It is not opposition. It’s simply a new plan. A better one.”

Her eyes flashed, “Better one?”

“What would be better then slitting his throat?” Bellatrix sneered, “Blood traitor, blood spill.”

There was a murmur from the crowd at the table, a repetition of what was quickly becoming the society’s motto. Regulus felt bile churn in his stomach.

“A more beneficial one.” Regulus chose his words more carefully, “For you,” He nodded at Tarea, then flicked his eyes to Bellatrix, “And your daughter.”

Tarea’s features softened in understanding for a moment, and she sank slowly to her chair, back pin-straight. She folded her long fingers in front of her, lacing them together slowly, like if not done just right they would not fit. It was an eerie sight, “A marriage. You propose a marriage.”

The room was silent, as others processed. Regulus’ heart pounded seemingly out loud. And then Bellatrix screamed, mouth opening wide until her mother whipped her hand up, palm out, silencing her almost immediately.

“No!” She said in much softer but no less harsh tones, “No, mother! He would still be king!” She turned on Regulus, fingernails digging into the wood of the table. Her face shifted in the watery light of the window, warped and mad, “He would still be king, it would not work, it would not be the same!”

“My daughter is right.” Regulus swallowed down the panic in his chest, “A match between her and yourself would be more reasonable. Sirius is only in the way-“

“The villagers favor Sirius.” Regulus let his mouth move of its own accord, praying it said the right thing, “They always have. They would be more accepting in the beginning, thus giving us more power.”

Tarea shook her head, “I do not see how this gives us power.” Her upper lip quirked up in a sneer, “If this is a self-absorbed attempt to save your-“

“You would have power.” Regulus pushed on, standing. “He would be king, but he would not be the one in charge.” Regulus swallowed thickly, placing a hand on his sword, I’m in charge, “Not with something held over his head.”

All eyes snapped to him now, but he only looked at Tarea. He did not blink the entire time the small, sick smile coated her face like a liquid mask. Her fingers were winding together again,

“You wish to blackmail your brother into submission.”

“Yes.” Regulus shifted his eyes around the table. He had their attention. He let his shoulders relax some. He could win this battle now, “There are rumors of a girl. A girl he is keeping hidden. He took someone for First Bloom, that much is known.” A murmur launched around the room and Regulus easily spoke over it, “If she is of low status, this will ruin him, but either way it is before marriage. He will not want this getting out if he is to be king.”

The queen dipped her head silently, continue.

“We will have the favor of the village, and the power you seek. At least for a time. Enough time to make you more money than I would be able to in a lifetime.”

The hall was quiet. All eyes darted between the, not one, but two suddenly prevalent power forces in the room. The elder of the two, finally leaned forward, voice like venom,

“Find the girl.”

Relief flooded Regulus’ chest.

~

Sirius regretted walking into the dining room the instant the door swung shut behind him. One look at the vast table, and he stopped in his tracks.

He’d never admit it, but at that moment he almost would have preferred his mother to be in the room. At least then he’d be able to think up a snide comment to say as he sat down. His little brother, however, who was the sole person seated for dinner so far… He hadn’t the first clue what to say to him.

The brothers stared at each other as Sirius walked slowly to the seat opposite him, holding up his hand to the waiter who tried to pull his seat out for him and did it himself. Regulus’ eyes flickered around to watch the gesture, then down to his plate.

Sirius sat, “Hello to you, too.”

Regulus straightened his posture and Sirius couldn’t help but do the same. Nervous tick, “Hello.”

Sirius rolled his eyes a little, fingers drumming on the table cloth, “Right, well, walked right into that one, didn’t I?”

Regulus pressed on the prongs of his fork for something to do, making the handle tap against the table. Sirius kept his eyes on his brother, watching the way his hand twitched with the effort not to bring it to his mouth and bite on his nails. Sirius recognized the old habit instantly.

“So,” He leaned back in his chair, “How is your acquirement going?”

Regulus’ fingers stilled, entire body suddenly not moving. Sirius didn’t even think he was breathing. Then, quietly, “Don’t ask me about that.”

Sirius scoffed, “Why, because mummy isn’t here to hear about it yet?”

“Hold your tongue, Sirius-”

“Why?” Sirius pressed, “Why do you expect me to just sit here while you and your new little friends destroy this kingdom?”

Regulus closed his eyes, “That’s not-“

“It is.” Sirius was almost yelling now, “And I’m not going to let it happen, I won’t-“

“You have to.”

Sirius jolted back in his seat, surprised at the way his brother had matched his volume. Regulus had looked at him in the eye for a moment, pure fire, then pressed a hand over his face, through his hair, “God. I can’t- I can’t talk about this-“ He was gripping the edge of the table now and, finally, his eyes found Sirius and stood there, “Look. I don’t know what I did to make you hate me so much-“

Sirius nearly choked, “What? What you did to make me hate you? Are you fucking-“

“But I am the only friend you have here.” His voice dropped to a whisper, leaning forward in his chair, “Sirius, you should see the way the act when your name is mentioned, you have no idea-“

“And you’re working with them?” Sirius hissed back.

Regulus’ face looked almost pained, and he gave his head a fierce, clipped, shake, “I am trying to keep you s-“

“Boys.”

Both brothers straightened instantly at the greeting called out. Regulus looked away from Sirius. He felt dread sink through his veins. He should have allowed more time to tell Sirius, to try to warn him of what was about to happen. He could feel his eyes on him still and looks up again, desperately trying to communicate his unfinished sentence.

I am trying to keep you safe.

And more importantly,

Let me.

And more importantly than that,

I’m sorry. I’m sorry.

The Queen slid easily into her seat, allowing it to be pull and pushed in for her and a napkin to be  placed into her lap, a drink into her hand, “Not arguing again, are we?”

“No, mother.” Regulus says quickly, “No.”

“I’d hope not.” The ice in her glass tinkles as she takes a sip, “Especially not on such a special occasion.”

Regulus’ heart tightens as he sees Sirius’ head snap up out of the corner of his eye. He’d hoped he’d have more time before she brought it up. He was wrong.

“Special occasion?” Sirius tried to sound casual but his voice wavered, just a little, “Not another ball, I hope. Haven’t you displayed your wealth enough?”

Please, Sirius. Regulus begged, Just don’t. Not tonight. Not tonight.

His mother laughed, long and clear, “Oh, you’ll wish it was.”

Regulus kept his eyes trained on Sirius’ face, unable to help it but not exactly wanting to watch either.

Sirius rolled his eyes into his glass, mumbling, “That’ll be the day.”

“Marriage.” His mother crowed, grinning at the way Sirius’ entire body froze.

Regulus dug his fingers into the underside of the table, keeping his back perfectly straight, trying to keep his face the same as he watched Sirius.

Sirius’ eyes lost focus for a moment, staring blankly at the table as he slowly lowered his glass.

“What?” His voice came out hoarse, like his body suddenly lacked the will to function properly, much less speak.

The Queen’s smirk remained as she delicately tonged roasted pheasant onto her plate, “You knew this day was coming, did you not?”

Sirius looked like he was trying not to throw up, lips pressed together until they were nearly white, fists clenched around nothing on top of the table, “Yes.” He managed through clenched teeth. At the tremor in his voice, Regulus realized with a start that maybe he was trying not to cry.

“Alliances must be made, Sirius. And the Lestranges are a powerful family as any-“

Sirius made a choking sound, and he was suddenly standing, “No.” He was glaring, anger replacing his emotion, “Not them. I won’t fucking-“

“Sit down this instant.” Their mother barked, fingers tight against the thin utensils she held. Sirius, slowly and stiffly, like his limbs were rebelling, sat, and she continued, “Now, Bellatrix may be a… unique girl. But her family is ruthless. Powerful. Useful.”

Sirius’ head was bowed, shoulders rising and falling rapidly. Regulus could feel the anger simmering, ready and waiting to boil over.

I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry.

Sirius’ head snapped up, “This is your doing. This is you, isn’t it?”

Regulus could have jumped at the bite in his voice, but he was thankful it was directed at him all the same.

Yes, me, be angry at me. You won’t get hurt that way.

“This is part of your fucking society-”

“This is part of being king!”

Sirius pressed his lips together, staring at Regulus as if he had said the comment and not their mother.

The Queen stood, “You will accept these terms, Sirius. And you will do it quietly. You attract enough attention as it is. Now,” She twisted her ring around her fingers a few times, “Come.”

“Why?” Sirius spat, but his hands were shaking. Regulus’ eyes darted from the still fresh bruise on his cheek to his trembling fingers.

The Queen’s eyes flashed, “You don’t ask questions. Come-“

“Wait.”

Regulus didn’t remember getting to his feet. His mother turned to him, expression warning, eyebrows raised.

“Mother, I’d like to speak to him.” He ignored the scoff from Sirius’ side of the table, “I can… inform him of the society’s reasons. The benefits.”

The Queen, to everyone’s surprise, actually looked taken off guard by Regulus’ initiative. She laced her fingers together gingerly in front of her stomach, straightening her neck and holding up her chin, “You wish to…”

“Yes.” Then hastily, “It’s my job, isn’t it?”

“Y-“ Their mother sniffed, “Yes, I suppose. Very well.” Then she turned, motioning and snapping at servants to bring her dinner to her room. She turned coldly to Sirius, “I’ve been exhausted.”

The door seemed to echo in the silence when it closed behind her. The second it does, Sirius is turning on him.

“What the fuck are you trying to pull? She’s my cousin!”

Regulus sat back down, suddenly feeling too tired to even stand. Now that his mother was gone, his adrenaline seemed to have abandoned him, “It’s very common-“

“Fuck that.” Sirius spat, “I don’t give a damn about money, I don’t give a damn about power, or bloodlines or purity-“

“Exactly!” Regulus sighed, “Exactly, Sirius, and they know that. That’s why you’re in this mess. They know you don’t care and that makes you dangerous.” Sirius sat too, making the table rattle. Regulus leaned forward, “Listen to yourself. You’re the future king and you don’t care about what they care about. They need a way to make you care. And this is it.”

Sirius looked up at that, “This? This is their way to make me care? She’ll be a Queen, that is all! She won’t have power! She won’t have a say! She wouldn’t have that anywhere, especially if she is married to me. This gives them nothing!”

“Not if they can control you.” Regulus said the words quickly, as if they tasted sour.

“Yeah? And how do they plan on doing that-“

Sirius trailed off, eyes narrowing, then shifting over Regulus’ face and widening as if he were seeing him for the first time. He sat back in his chair, lips parted slightly in shock.

“You.” He breathed. He shook his head, “That’s… That’s why they chose you.” A small, disbelieving smile crossed his face, “God. God, you’re going to blackmail me, aren’t you?”

“That’s what I promised them, yes.”

Sirius looked at him, eyes tight, let down. Regulus’ heart hurt, his head hurt, everything hurt and it was all because of that look. Sirius let his hands fall to his lap limply, “And you think it’s me that hates you? With what?”

Regulus grid his teeth against the sting in his eyes, “There’s a girl, isn’t there? A servant girl? A common girl?”

“A sex scandal?” Sirius tried to scoff but there was fear in his eyes. Real fear.

“This was the best deal I could get. I- I needed something to keep myself in their circle. So I could keep some- some sort of control over the situation, I-” Regulus felt like he had been pleading with him for days, “Sirius, they were going to- They wanted to-“

He couldn’t finish, but Regulus could see he understood. Sirius turned from the table, nearly knocking his chair down in his haste to get up, and then stopped a few steps from the door, fists clenched. He didn’t turn back, but looked slightly over his shoulder, jaw prominent. The air was still for a moment, and then,

“You’ve tied me to a fate worse than death. I hope you realize that.”

And then Regulus was sitting alone.