#he made little figures out of sand & pebbles to go with the temple

[yukipri]

It's Sad Man in the Sand Week!

Bonus: Closeup of Obi-Wan's sand temple:

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PLEASE DO NOT REPOST, EDIT, TRANSLATE, OR OTHERWISE USE MY ART. To share, please reblog! Reblogs and comments greatly appreciated!!!

❀ You can see the rest of my art through the Masterpost pinned to the top of my blog!

[i-did-not-mean-to]

Diary found in K---D--- : Part 2

So, here's the next little part of this :D

Imagine by @lathalea is indented!

Enjoy <3

Taglist: @shrimpsthings, @mulasawala (so you see where I'm going with this lol)

(Yes, there will be MORE artwork coming, stay posted...)

Fandom: Hobbit

Characters: Ori x OC

Rating & Warning: Fluff and silliness

His name was Ori and he was a scribe in Erebor. It turned out he visited the forest often to sketch the animals and plants. You spent the rest of the day together. In the evening, you exchanged campfire stories, sharing a meal. At one point, he shyly asked about where you came from. Blushing, he admitted, almost whispering, he never saw a person with such beautiful hair before.

You told him that you came from another world, from a region called East Asia, where many people looked similarly to you. He was very curious about your homeland, your culture and your world. You spent hours telling him everything about it and he listened to you in awe.

“Ori.” He replied, his lips quirking a tiny bit as if he was not used to speaking his own name. “I’m a scribe. In Erebor. The Mountain.” He pointed to a tree beyond the clearing.

Thankfully, I was familiar with the Lonely Mountain and did not think that he didn’t know the difference between a living organism and a pile of minerals.

“I have never seen you, neither here nor in that Mountain.” I replied, for I went into the halls sometimes to translate for travellers, but for the most part, I let the king be his grumpy, glorious self.

“I come here often, to sketch, but I seem to have lost my way.” He admitted with a tiny frown. Ah, a real dwarf. They only knew up and down seemingly and if there was no way into a hill, they’d stubbornly trek up until they tumbled off the other side again.

As if to prove to me that he was not lying – dear reader, he had a face that was utterly devoid of malice or dissimulation – he showed me rather good sketches of the fauna and flora of the dense forest surrounding us. “That is really good, Ori, the scribe, from under the Mountain.” I commented which made him blush with a fierce and, apparently, unexpected pleasure.

In an expression of indescribable cuteness, he literally wiped his face with his sleeve as if he could clean away the rosy hue like a stubborn ink stain from under his skin.

“What are you here for?” He then asked, pushing out his chest heroically. As a reminder, he was the one who had lost his way, but apparently, he wanted to defend either the forest from me or the other way around.

“I am here to think…in silence.” I replied; he retreated a few steps. “Oh? I’ll leave you to it then, I guess. It was great to make your acquaintance…”

I gave him my name, after all, he had given me his, and he chewed on it for a few moments before his face split into a smile that was like the sunlight breaking through the cloudy afternoon sky: tentative, warm, and strikingly beautiful.

“Stay. I like your face.” I heard myself saying. Maybe, it was my teasing, mischievous streak acting up, but I had liked his embarrassment so much that I couldn’t help wanting to coax more of these blushes out of him.

“My…face?” In that weird dance he had been engaged in for the last few minutes, Ori stepped closer again, shuffling his feet in the heavy boots dwarrows insisted on wearing.

No, your ass, I thought, but bit my tongue; Ori the dwarf looked like someone who would die on the spot if I said anything even remotely inappropriate…as I was wont to do when nervous.

My sarcastic thought spurred my own interest though and I examined him a little closer: he was indeed swaddled like a babe, beads of sweat pearling down his temples on account of the steep climb and the stubborn blush powdering his nose and cheeks with pink blotches.

“Sit down, you’ll get a heat stroke.” I invited him and pointed to a patch of moss beside me while rummaging in my pack for the flask of ale I had brought.

“Thank you ever so much.” He plopped down in a cascade of earthen-coloured wool and awkward limbs. He did smell warm, I noticed, a blend of cinnamon and comfort.

Also, he had one of those faces that only became better when seen up-close, I admit freely; there were golden stars dancing in the depth of his dark eyes and he had the most adorable freckles as if some outlandish fairy had sprinkled gold dust over that heart-wrenchingly handsome face.

“Are you thirsty, Mistress?” He asked, nodding at the flask in my hand.

Handing it to him rather abruptly, I realised that I had spent the last moments intently staring at his face as if I had never seen a male dwarf before in my life.

“I have work to do.” I snapped, feeling immediately guilty for taking my own embarrassment out on him, but he merely nodded and pulled his sketching supplies into his lap.

Strangely enough, Ori did not disturb me. If anything, the silence felt fuller, richer, deeper with him by my side. As I translated a letter, as a spinster I had to support my family and my insufferable sisters as best as I could, I felt like the chirping of the birds and the vibrancy of the colours around me were even more enjoyable now that I shared them with someone else.

…

The sun crept along its never-changing arc slowly and yet, much too fast.

As I looked up, I wished I was a better painter myself, for this dwarrow was made for sunsets.

The way the last golden hurrah of a perfect day exploded in a halo of warmth around his figure, the way all the greys and the blues seemed to bleed out of the world to leave nothing but warm tones behind, and the way his smile was the perfect expression of this mellow, unhurried mood…it struck me deeper and more violently than a thunderstorm in all its booming rage would have.

“Will you join me for dinner, Ori?” I asked gently, “I shall escort you back down.”

“It would be my honour.” He nodded, tearing out a page of his notebook and handing it over.

“It was an invitation; I do not demand payment.” I said seriously, for the sketch of the doe was so good, it might have been worth actual money. “Oh…” His nose crinkled at little at that.

“I wanted you to…have something beautiful. I have seen you work very hard.”

Of course, he was a scribe as well, he would consider the scribbling work, I thought and gave him a thankful smile. “You’re beauty enough for one day.” I shrugged.

He gasped, bringing his notebook up to his face as if to shield himself from my words.

“You’re having me on, aren’t you? Dori has warned me that girls do that sometimes.” He sounded utterly dejected. “I am not having you on. Has nobody ever told you that you’re handsome?” It was my turn to be wide-eyed with shock.

“And who is Dori?” I followed-up when he didn’t really reply to my question even though I thought I had seen his braids move like strings of pearls in a draft. The minutest of shakes of the head, a quiet admission of inadequacy that sunk ugly, ragged claws into my soft heart.

“He’s my brother. I have two of them. Dori…and Nori. They’re…” – “Older than you.” I completed. “Protective.” He supplied.

He was still holding his drawing out to me, and, after a moment, I took it gingerly and put it between the pages of my own writing supplies. I would hang it in my room and look at it daily.

Nowadays, there were but very few gifts for me; all the money went to my two younger sisters who were still nubile and would, if Mahal willed it so, be able to make a good match.

Busying my hands with making a fire, I asked him to tell me about his brothers.

“Oh, Nori is…agile. He’s…funny and brave and resourceful.” Ori started, his voice warm with affection and admiration. He sounded like a proper rogue to me, and as it turned out, he was, but he also deserved every single ounce of the deep-felt care Ori held for him.

“Dori is…fussy. He’s polite, he’s very caring, and he’s exceedingly proper.” Ori went on as I waved a hand for him not to stop. I enjoyed hearing about the life of other families than my own.

“So, is he the one who raised you to be this…warmly clad and gentle?” I asked, turning to place the foodstuffs I had brought up and stored in the cool lake water on spits to roast over the fire.

“Warm? Oh yes…I was a sickly pebble and he’s been worried ever since. I hope I have behaved in a way that would not make him disappointed in me.” Again, he worried his lip.

“Let’s see, you’ve startled a bird and an unsuspecting dwarrowdam.” I listed with a wicked gleam in my eyes; his face fell, and he looked properly guilty.

“Then, you’ve kept me company, and the best company I’ve ever had, it has been, on my grandmother’s grave, I swear.” I went on and that treacherous blush was back with a vengeance.

“I didn’t mean to startle you.” He then said in a low voice. “Great beauty is always startling.”

“I am hardly Thorin Oakenshield.” He laughed. Readers, you cannot imagine that sound just by reading my words. If flowers blossoming had melody, if the sun setting on the eternal sea had a song, if autumn leaves dancing on a gale had a tune, they would have sounded like nails on scree, like cats having their tails trampled, and like kettles going unheeded compared to Ori’s laughter.

“There’s beauty in the doe as much as in the wolf.” I replied gently.

“May I…can I ask where you’re from? I don’t seek to be rude, but I’ve never seen anyone quite like you; your hair looks like those fabrics the Elves weave. It…seems so soft, so liquid, so smooth.” He blushed a darker shade yet.

This might well have been the first time that someone had asked me about my origins without making it sound like an accusation; there was honest fascination in his demeanour.

“My family and I have come from the Far East. I have travelled a lot, Ori, I have seen landscapes entirely made up of rock and sand, I have walked forests so stiflingly hot and moist it felt like being underwater, and now, I am here in the land of tall trees and taller mountains.”

I said, surprised by my own frankness.

“That sounds amazing.” He took the food I offered readily enough, and I told him about the people I’ve left behind to be stranded at the other end of the world.

“This is good, is that a recipe of your homeland?” He asked, looking down on the piece of meat I had seasoned with herbs I had grown myself in our small backyard.

“It actually is. I’m glad you like it. I had not planned to have company, otherwise I’d have brought something more palatable to the local tongue.” I apologised quickly.

“No, I like it. You should definitely trade some recipes with Dori…and Bombur…oh, and if any of your delicious herbs are medicinal, Óin.” He laughed again when he saw my dumbfounded expression.

“I make a good honeycake, if I can interest you in that? Maybe…” He fell back into silence.

…

A look at the sky told me that it was too late to go down in the inky darkness.

“We’ll have to stay here for the night.” I mumbled, slightly uncomfortable at the idea of spending the night with a dwarrow who had not lost a single word about a wife.

“Are you married, Mistress? Will that endanger your wedlock?” He asked shyly.

“No, I am not and I have no name to lose…It’s a long story.” I didn’t feel like blurting out my disgrace, lest it give him strange ideas after all, especially as he would easily have been able to overpower me if he so chose.

“Neither am I. I don’t know about my name…Doesn’t look like I’m going to be married either. There’s not enough dwarrowdams as it is, and I think the royal line has a prerogative there.” There was no resentment in his tone; he seemed to accept this as a fact.

How could someone that sweet not be married, I wondered. He was courteous, he was cute, and he would have made the fortune and happiness of someone.

“Well, in that case, I think we can risk our reputation rather than our necks.” I grinned, rolling out a blanket I kept tied to my pack for emergencies and stretched out next to the fire on the moss.

“Erm, yes…Good night…” He mumbled, fidgeting around with his different layers of clothing. Apparently, he was deciding which one he needed least on his body to use it as a bedroll or blanket.

I eyed the proceedings with interest and a good deal of amusement.

“I can offer you my cloak to lie upon…the ground will grow very cold and wet soon.” He said in a low voice, not sure if I had already fallen asleep or not.

“Alright, I can offer you a spot under the blanket then?” I extended my own graciousness.

“With you?” No, with the red bird, I thought, rolling my eyes internally.

“Yes, Ori the scribe, with me. I will not eat you, as you have witnessed, I have had dinner.” Not that he did not look good enough to devour, standing there with his cloak in his hands and his face all crunched up in embarrassment.

“Hmmm…I guess.” He muttered doubtfully, spreading out the cloak and sitting down on it carefully. Impatiently, I scooted over and spread my lousy blanket over the both of us with a flourish.

“Sleep!” I commanded as I turned around only to find him staring wide-eyed at the spot where the back of my head had been only a second ago. Now that he was presented with my face, only inches away from his, his eyes grew even rounder and bigger in wordless distress.

“Friend…Have you never lain with a woman? And I literally mean, lying next to one?” I laughed for there had been friends and cousins aplenty in my own life and the feeling of having another body so close to mine was not a new experience for me.

“Well, I fell down on the battlefield once, next to a foe…I’m pretty sure that was a Lady-Orc. She was dead. There was a…” He gestured, indicating a spear or a lance sticking out of his chest and brushing against my own with the back of his hand. Dear reader, he flinched back as if I was a tiny Durin’s bane wreathed in flames.

“A Lady-Orc, indeed…” I mused; no doubt, he could hear the smile I hid in my voice for his face crunched up in embarrassment.

“I am sorry.” He sighed, rolling his eyes, and thinking – there was not a shadow of a doubt about that much – of his brothers who would have mocked him mercilessly for his stammering.

“There’s no need to be sorry” I tried to reassure him, but I admit now that there were things that I did not tell him right away then. We had only just met, and he was blessedly unaware of my shameful past.

How could I have made him understand – without hurting his feelings – how much I enjoyed that air of purity about him that I had squandered myself on an undeserving fiend? As a daughter amongst others, I had been used to dwarrows coming to court or to seduce, their eyes ablaze with greed and their hands wandering.

He would not have comprehended how much the absence of that voracious hunger that had plagued my youth and had ended up destroying my promising future meant to me.

“Sleep.” I repeated, unable to put into words how miraculous and precious the things he seemed to be most ashamed of were to me.

“Good night, Mistress.” He breathed with a soft smile that was nowhere near the wolfish baring of fangs I was used to and so, it was easy to return it.

You who may or may not have stumbled upon this ludicrous account of the most important story in an otherwise unimportant life, you shall hear another confession I did not make at the time.

I was fiercely aware that – had I but leant forward a little – I might have pressed my lips upon his; I was young still at that time and, despite what had happened, parts of me, that should have withered and died in the aftermath of my botched engagement, were much alive.

He smelled like our dinner and warmth, and the gentle reticence of the curve of his smile was more inviting than any flashing grin I had ever seen before.

Yes, in that very moment, on this very first evening, I had already been conscious of the shrewd attraction this self-effacing dwarrow held for me…and it scared me half to death.

…

Part 3

[pearlplusau]

Chapter 6 - Part 1, Trip down memory lane

At the crystal gem temple, the sky proceeds its early air breeze and pink hue, the sea proceeds to come and go, the sand proceeds its existence not as grains, but as a land.

The temple door glows, a thin stem but with pointy thorns glow rose from the midst of the door and separated the door left and right. From the pink glow, out comes Coral, stretching and yawning from lying on her neat pile of pink fabric for a few hours. As she walks out of the door, she sees Rose, the leader of the crystal gem, in her glorious white dress and thick fluffy, curly pink hair, standing right at the foot of the warp pad.

“Morning Coral~!” she called out with a tone that makes you think she’s a Disney princess in the woods, “Ready for our new day planned?”

“Of course! What did you have in mind?” Coral questioned, but still standing at the doorway.

“Well, before we actually go, can you recall anything from the, “incident”?” Rose formed her words very carefully, hoping that it won't upset her dear pearl.

“Hmm…” Coral tried to remember, she really does, but all there was between her leaving and coming back on the shore was pitch black, nothing.

It’s been a week since the incident, Coral still couldn’t recall what happened to her, facing some sort of memory loss. “I…I just can’t remember, the only possible reason why I left in the middle of the night is to go for a midnight fabric shopping?”

Rose was worried for her, she even consulted Garnet if there’s anything she saw that involves Coral’s sudden disappearance.

Garnet, the fusion with extraordinary abilities, was unable to see how she couldn’t foresee the incident, nor could she see any upcoming battles or fights in the near future. She’s becoming more frustrated, which decreases her vision clarity day by day. “There wasn’t anything on the night she left, and there isn’t anything dangerous that could be coming our way, or maybe there’s something I’m not factoring in? Hmmm…”

Hearing Coral’s response was not gonna ruin their day planned. For the past week, Coral was invited by Rose to different places, trying to see if there’s any way she can remember anything, but so far, no luck.

“It…it’s okay, don’t worry about that too much.” Rose tried to reassure, to herself more than to Coral. “Let’s start the day, shall we?”

“Ok, where are we going today?” Coral asked, fully awake. They travelled to many places for the past week, and everyday it's somewhere rarely visited, but the experience in travelling with Rose is very, very new.

Rose started to say, “Well, for today, we’ll be-“but she was interrupted before she could finish.

“Pardon the intrusion,” It was Pearl.

Pearl poked her head in from outside, trying her best not to interrupt but failed,  “Rose, can I talk to you for a moment?” Rose turned and saw Pearl, who was trying her best not to throw any daggers at the other pink gem’s direction. “There’s the matter of… corrupted gems. Garnet foresees two giant gem-worms, trolling around the old kindergarten, and she said the best outcome from the capture requires you to be there.”

Pearl however, was initially more concern with Coral and her every step, but after a day or two she got very much over her guilt and tries to forget the incident ever happened, she resumed disregarding her in the more dangerous missions with Garnet, even though she was not keen in breaking her promise to the team leader.

The leader of the crystal gems gently refused the mission, “Apologies my pearl, but I should really focus on Coral’s situation right now, if we don’t find out where or what happened to her, the same thing might happen to the rest of us, and I would not wish for anyone else to suffer whatever Coral went through.”

“But Rose, just look at her, she’s fine, she wasn’t hurt, the warp pad to homeworld is still disabled, there's nothing else for us to worry about.” Pearl tried to reason with the big gem, but her heavy, dark eyes told her there's nothing that she can say that would change her mind.

“I’m sorry Pearl but it looks like you and Garnet are going to take care of the gem monster, I’m sure you two can handle it without me.” Rose threw a quick glance at Coral, urging her to follow her elsewhere.

“Come on Coral, we’ll talk on the way there.” She led the pink gem on the warp pad and they both warped away.

-

The path taken is a lot more... dangerous than the previous adventures they had.

The duo walked until there's a giant mountain of a wall in front of them. Rose gestured to Coral to climb the steep mountain.

“Uhm, Rose, you didn’t have to spend so much time for me, Pearl and Garnet need you more on the gem hunt.” Coral looked nervous, scratching her head, and trying to look away from her leader.

“But, Coral, you're not a waste of time if that’s what you're thinking, your problem is just as important as the gem monster, who’s probably harmless since there's no humans or other earth critters around there.” Rose reassured the pearl and they to climb up the mountain.

It was a long climb, but Coral was upbeat and a lot more energetic after being reassured, and they got to the cave full of Rose’s weapon collection.

“Huh, can’t believe we would need to come back here after the war, '' she watched as her leader walked to the white platform covered in water, a hand size pedestal rose up to the pink gems waist. Rose placed her hand on the top of the pedestal and concentrated, “I’m not looking for weapons, armour, or anything for battle, I just need something that can help me and my situation.”

Behind Coral, a small white box rose up to her ankle.

“Uhh, Rose, is this what you’re looking for?” Coral called out and got her leader’s attention.

Rose turned to where Coral stood, “I…I think so.”

They examined the small, palm sized box, it was the size of Coral’s gem, but somehow heavier, there was a little mark for the box to be opened.

Rose opened the lid, and peeked the inside of the box.

It’s….

“A pebble?” And sure enough, it was a small, oval rock that hasn’t been incubated or dripped with any diamond essence.

“You know,” Coral carefully paused and observed the stone, said, “This pebble looks so familiar, doesn’t it remind you of someone? I know I mentioned that I can't recall recent events, but the great memories we had in our past lives is still something I can never forget.”

She slowly raises the pebble up to her eye level, hoping Rose would marvel the stone along with her. But something was not right…

Coral turned to her leader, hoping for some kind of reaction, but she was surprised to see the shocking darken expression of Rose Quartz.

“Uhm, Rose, are you… alright?” the pearl questioned.

She could see the big gem was holding on to something, holding it back. It was still daylight, but being inside the cave made it felt, dark. There were the sounds of water drops dripping from the ceiling poles, “Drip……. drip…….. drip….” into the clear, shallow pool.

Moments later, Rose’s expression shifted from stiff and dread to….hope?

“Why yes Coral, I think I am…” Her hope slowly transitions into, joy? “You know, one of the pebbles back at homeworld looks just like this one.”

Coral was glad she wasn’t being rude by mentioning their past lives. “Ohhh, the one with the green outfit? What was the name, Pebble 2TJ?”

Rose looked, actually thrilled! “Oh yeah, he’s always doing this neat cartwheel all around the room, it looked so fun, heyhey, what if…”

Rose was rather hyped, she got so excited she decided to do the cartwheel, for the first time.

She extended her arms and legs, forming a star figure, and said to the pink gem on the left, “Hey Coral, look at this!” She tilted her whole body to her right, but her hand didn’t catch the total amount of her body weight and slipped,

THUD! Rose quartz collapsed on the floor.

“Ohno! Rose!” Coral panicked and went to the fallen pink gem, “Rose! Are you alright?”

Rose, who positioned herself on her back to ease the pain, she giggled and said, “Yes, I think I'm fine.”

She proceeds to stay on the floor, Coral wasn’t sure what to do, “Uhm, Rose, do you need help getting up?” Coral asked.

“Oh no need, in fact, you should come down with me, we’ve been standing for a long time, and my legs are a bit tired anyway.” She sat down next to her leader.

“You know, that fall reminded me of another time we had, when we tried to balance the throne on a giant ball to make it bouncy, but it somehow ended up on fire or something, what fun times we had.” Rose chuckled at the amazing memories they made together.

Coral decided to add on to favourite moments and said, “Remember when you got your leg ship? You were so happy you grabbed me by the waist and spun me around, and I didn’t even mind, it was such a fun time.” 

The pearl peeked at the big gem, who was peeking into the box under the pebble.

“Oh look, in the box, there's three sticks in white, yellow and blue respectively.” Each stick has a shape of the respective diamonds, the blue and yellow stick have their diamond placed in the middle, and the white stick has its on the top.

“Huh…” Coral took a closer inspection of the three items and asked, “What are these? And why do you have them?”

Rose was scanning through her memory bank, they do look familiar… “I think these are from the early stages of the earth colonization, I got so bored on the moon I think I asked Pearl if there was anything we could do, she said the game was from an earth citizen back in the day.”

Rose went on about the game. “Pearl announced the game as gem refiguration, we picked them up, and imitated the gems in their tone, actions and their voices. There’s this one time where I made the white stick talk like White, Oh Starlight, there you are! Did you have fun? Did you get it all out of your system? And then Pearl would chuckle at my little fake white voice, saying that I sound just like her. We would play as the other diamonds too, Pearl knew Blue and Yellow’s pearls, she even did their voices! I would hold up a yellow stick, making it command in Yellow’s voice, then pearl would do her little hologram thing and say things their pearls would say, Now how is my wonderlous, amazing, everlasting diamond? Is there anything I can do for you? And we would both chuckle and giggle as we are indirectly making fun of them without them knowing! And- Coral whats wrong?”

Rose slowly noticed the discomfort as the story went on, she went from being interested in listening, to losing the smile, to worrying eyes, to a sudden darkened face.

“Oh! It's…it’s nothing, it’s just…as I was listening, I couldn’t help but wonder where I was while it all happened…”

“Well, you would be there obviously, just…not with us?” Rose scratched her head, hoping to retrieve some form of adequate response. “You were right with me, but you got bored a bit earlier and kinda fell asleep? We didn’t want to bother you so we just... played it on our own…”

Coral had her left hand scratching her right arm, “So…You guys had fun…. without me?”

Rose slowly realizes the pain she’s causing her dear pearl, she wanted to say she misspoke but Coral got to her first.

“Nonono, it's fine, i…I guess, I just, never thought….”

She turned to her side, arms holding her knees to her chin, and laid on the floor, trying to think this through.

Rose tried to reach her hand out, she wanted to assure that game was nothing, but deep down, she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Instead she retracted her reaching hand, and placed it to her side, giving Coral some much needed space.

It was awfully quiet for the both of them, the sticks had scrambled around with the box on its side, only the pebble remained in the box. Rose collected the items and put everything back where it was, and sat by the water alone. 

Coral noticed the shift of her leader, and followed her by sitting next to her by the water.

Rose and Coral looked at their reflections in the water, they stared at the water for a long time, until…

“Remember the first day you came to me?” Rose spoke while looking at Coral’s reflection, hoping she would do the same.

“It was some time after I saw Blue and Yellow’s pearls, I saw how considerate of them with their diamonds, how they were always with their diamonds, standing by their side no matter what. That’s what I wanted, someone who can listen and understand.”

Coral gleamed at the idea, and commented,  “Yeah, Us spending time together was the best, but then, someone else came along…”

Oh dear, Rose thought, is it the reason for the memory loss, trying to forget certain aspects of her life? The pearl continued, “Maybe I wasn’t doing my part right? Maybe you weren’t satisfied with my service back then? And, that’s why she came to….”

Rose didn’t need to hear the end of the sentence, she already knew what she was going to say.

Replace me…

Rose couldn’t take anymore of her sadness, she turned to the pearl, grabbed on her shoulders, and hugged her tight. “Oh Coral, I'm so sorry I made you feel this way, i should’ve been more considerate. But when Pearl came in, I was… told to spend more time with her, to get to know her, so she wont feel like an outsider when she’s with us.”

Coral slowly returned the hug, burying her face into her leader’s hair, wishing she could stay there forever. But it was getting late, and they should really head back.

“Come on, let's go home.” They left the cave, went down the steep mountain, and back on the warp pad.

Back at the temple, the duo was met up with Pearl and Garnet back from their mission. The two gems were covered in sand and dust.

 “Ah, Pearl and Garnet, how did the mission go?” the crystal gem leader turned to her fellow comrades and asked.

Garnet shrugged, dusting off the dust from her shoulder, “Could’ve been better.”

Pearl echoed, “Could have…”

Coral noticed Pearl’s defeated sigh, but Rose didn’t take much notice, “Excellent, If anyone needs me I’ll be in my room.” And marched straight to her cloudy pink room and promptly shut the door within a swift second.

She heavily leans on the door, “Why did it hurt so much?” Rose thought as she leaned against the closed door, her fist on her chest, trying to ease a pain.

Garnet decided to go out and take a walk, leaving the 2 pearls at the temple.

Coral was still in her hyper fun mood as she was humming, twirling and just being happy, something she hasn’t been in a long time. Standing on the side, watching her was Pearl, arms crossed, and generally not looking as happy.

She slowly approached the pink gem, and gained her attention with a slight cough.

“Ahem,” and slowly moves her fist away from her mouth.

Coral, still looking pleased, and not getting the pragmatic signs, lovingly asks, “Oh hey Pearl! What’s up?”

“You know this will pass eventually don’t you?” Pearl spoke, trying her best to not sound rude, but came off as a rather cruel statement.

“Huh?” Coral turned around, and hadn't really noticed Pearl during her time with Rose. “Wha…what are you talking about?” Coral questions in a strain voice, sounding almost hurt, but Pearl didn’t take notice.

“I think you know what I’m talking about, your small, brief attention hogging from Rose. She may be worried sick about your absence and the possible chance your encounter threatens what’s we’re fighting for, but for all we know, you could just be deceiving us, deceiving her just to keep her all to yourself.” Pearl’s accusation of Coral surprised the pink gem.

She tried to defend herself, “Pearl, you’re not making any sense. Why would I want to lie to Rose just to get close to her? We were just hanging out and having fun...”

“No more lies,” Pearl interrupted, “instead of trying to sweet talk your way out of this mess, why don’t we try something, physical?” She reached her hand to her glowing gem and conjured her staff, swifting the point to the tip of Coral’s nose.

“Coral! I challenge you to a duel at the sky arena, pearl vs pearl. If you win, I’ll let you off on your little scheme and you may…continue deceiving our leader without me getting all over your business.”

She did a slight thrust and pointed the tip between Coral’s eyes, forcing her to back off and smack the weapon aside.

Pearl retracted her weapon and twirled it all around her while she proceeded, “But if I win, you’re going to halt your devious act and leave the rebellion for the rest of time, you are to resign as Rose’s left hand soldier and never come back. Your disloyalty has already stripped you of your trust in the Crystal Gems, if you will not accept this challenge, I have no choice but to take you down before you do anything else, do you understand!?”

Coral stood and composed herself, she knows how serious Pearl takes her battles with anyone, so she can’t deny it, but she also knows how skilled of a fighter Pearl truly is. They may have trained together, but Pearl was always the fast learner, she also has a strategy for literally anything, so other than the duel, there’s probably something else she’s not revealing.

Coral took a deep breath, exhaled as she fixed her eyes at Pearl, and drew her lance.

CLANK, the weapons were intact.

“I accept your challenge, Pearl.” Coral said with as much determination she could muster.

“Excellent,” Pearl returned her staff into her gem, and slowly walked away while stating, “We shall battle at the breaking dawn of tomorrow, sharpen your lance, as well as your mind.” And then ballerina twirled into her room.

Coral watched as the temple door closed off, her lance planted between her feet as she said to herself, “I’ll be ready.”

End of Part 1

(A/N: Heyyo, welcome to the end of part 1 of chapter 6, first off, to clear something up. If you were somehow questioning my ability to draw, then yes Ii did some tracing on certain screenshots of the show, to make everything go faster. If for every part, I drew just 4 images without tracing, it would take at least 2 more months for me to finish it. So please, i'm not making money out of this, and the artwork isn't the main feature, just a visual assistant for the reading process.

Also thank you @marzipanotaku16​ for being my “beta reader” and doing a great job at pointing out certain areas that can do better!

So from the previous post, the next chapter will be uploaded next week from today! Unless, and it's just an idea, unless the first part of chapter 6 got more than 80 notes, then I'll consider posting the next part earlier. But that's just an idea I'm not sure that would be fulfilled. (It might be tho)

Lastly, the reference for the drawn images will be reblogged the next day.

Anyways, see ya next week, or earlier! Peace out! Bye! 

[hoodoo12]

Familial Ties (And How To Break Them) 10/14

SFW ~

She felt oddly drained as they hustled out of the Waldorf, as if she'd just worked a triple shift and then run a marathon. Maybe it was just a side effect of the brand Rigel had left on her skin. She'd noticed it when he released her hand and the blue fire flickered away to nothing; a small blue sigil to remind her of her contract with him. As they made their way back down the Strip she couldn't stop touching it, rubbing the pad of her thumb over and over it as if in hopes that it would simply wipe off.

She was so out of it that it took her a long moment to grasp what Beetlejuice was talking about, but sure enough there was a tiny Vegas wedding chapel tucked amongst the large luxury hotels and casinos with a hand painted wooden sign in the window advertising holy water on tap. It was worth a shot!

Back in their room once again, Pate settled heavily on her bed, wishing she could just curl up there with Beetlejuice and sleep this funk off. But they only had a few hours to accomplish the most important part of their operation: finding the hellmouth. Opening her trusty laptop, Pate set about the task of figuring out where they ought to go first to find one. Beetlejuice sat wordlessly on the bed behind her and she happily reclined back against him as she tapped away on the keyboard.

Scrolling endlessly, she began to feel that sensation again: a vice-like pressure, unmistakable but not painful, squeezing her ribcage. Her finger still on the keys, eyes scanning the screen for a clue where the feeling was coming from. Pate almost laughed out loud when she saw it. It was just too perfect.

"Valley of Fire State Park," she read, turning her head against Beej's chest to meet his eyes. "That's where I'd be if I were a hellmouth."

It was pleasant to have her resting against him, but he couldn't rid himself of the feeling of foreboding he'd had since meeting with his brother. It was a rock in his gut.

When Pate laughed, it perked  him up a bit; she hadn't sounded like her normal self since the penthouse. He rested his chin on her shoulder and looked at the screen of her laptop.

"Yeah," he agreed. "Let's get out there and see if we can find that ugly thing."

Should he tell her they were on time schedule? It was standard for any infernal contract like the one she'd signed; a set amount of time for the breather to uphold their end of the bargain. It was rarely brought to the attention of the person foolish enough to enter a contract; as Rigel so kindly pointed out and used to his advantage, omissions were lies too. Failure to complete the task would result in automatic forfeit.

He decided against telling her; it'd only increase her worry. He'd simply do his best to hurry her along.

With a press of a kiss against her temple, he grinned. "Let's go, baby."

With their gallon jug of purportedly holy water in the back seat, Pate and Beej retrieved her car from the parking garage and set off on the drive to the Valley of Fire. It would take a little less than an hour, but that was just to get there. They still had to try and locate a hellmouth somewhere in the park, and Pate was feeling apprehensive about that particular prospect. Sure, she'd had one of her weird new feelings to even consider going to the Valley at all, but once there how was she going to find it?

Though she couldn't pinpoint the source of the worry, it felt as if there were a clock hovering over her, counting down to some inescapable fate if the plan failed. Doing her best to ignore the growing sense of dread, she drove them through the choked city streets and out into the open road again, setting her cruise control and leaning back in her seat with a sigh while fiddling with the radio or the AC, unable to keep her fingers still.

Beetlejuice had been rather quiet since they left the Waldorf, and every now and then she'd glance over to find him watching her with a troubled expression. He was doing it now, she saw, though he tried to smile before she noticed although it didn't quite reach his eyes. Returning the awkward gesture, Pate reached across the center console and caught his hand, lacing their fingers together.

"It's gonna work," she said, hoping she sounded more assured than she felt. "We'll make it work."

The desert could've been modeled after goddamn Saturn. Beetlejuice half expected to feel the ground to rumble under his feet and a Sandworm to erupt out of it. He'd taken that ride before and had absolutely no desire to do it again, so he stepped cautiously as he followed Pate wandering aimlessly.

The sun blazing down warmed him but he worried about Pate; breathers were much more sensitive to the heat. He was going to make her drink that supposed holy water if they kept going much further.

But before it came to that, Pate stopped abruptly. He watched her look around, and put one hand on the ground, then crawl to another spot and dig a little into the dirt.

He was about to ask her what the hell she was doing, when that dreaded rumble came from underground. He backpedaled away from her, even as she stayed right where she was.

Panicked, he told her to get back--get back--!

The Valley of Fire was appropriately named: it was hot, scorching under the midday sun while all around them formations of red sandstone rose up from the dry and barren ground like monolithic abstract sculptures. Pate wasn't quite sure just what she was doing out here; in the desert, with a demon, looking for a passageway to hell. She still felt this odd certainty that they were in the right place, but she didn't know how she knew. It was as though she were being drawn in by an invisible magnet, her feet carrying her forward even while her brain hadn't a clue.

She gasped quietly and came to a sudden halt when she felt it again, the pressure squeezing her chest; something was nearby, something large and ancient and sleeping very, very deeply. Pate could almost imagine that the ground under her feet were rising and falling in time with its deep breaths. Her eyes scanned the ground, as though she'd be able to see it moving. Kneeling, she laid one hand flat against the sun-warmed ground. Through the lingering heat it had absorbed all day long she felt something else; a long, low thrum, like a guitar string vibrating after being plucked.

Still squatting, Pate awkwardly shuffled forward, her hand never losing contact with the rock and sand, following the vibration to what she determined to be the source.

Aware of Beetlejuice watching closely, she dug into the hot, hard earth with her hands. She wasn't completely sure why she was doing it, but it felt like the thing to do. Before she had time to start feeling foolish, kneeling on the ground in the desert and digging a hole by hand, the ground began to tremble and she went still, hearing Beetlejuice gasp in alarm behind her and shout for her to move away.

She nearly fell over as she struggled to her feet, but he was there, catching her under the arms and all but dragging her backward as the ground where she had been kneeling began to visibly shake. Rocks and pebbles rattled as pointed spikes the color of bone began to sprout in a large oval, like strange flowers. It soon became clear that they weren't rocks, they were teeth. It was the hellmouth, emerging from the desert, pushing its way to the surface. Pate and Beetlejuice stood frozen in a combination of amazement and horror as it all finally went still.

The creature was gigantic, like something from prehistoric times in scale. She could lay flat on her back on its tongue with her arms spread to either side and her fingertips would just reach to the roots of its teeth. Vaguely draconic, with dull grayish scales and boar-like tusks that curled up over its snout in vicious points, the hellmouth simply gaped, its eyes open but unfocussed and vacant. Pate let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, turning to face Beetlejuice.

"All we need now is the book and your brother," she told him.

They were standing in a desert, but he suddenly felt cold.

"Jesus," Beetlejuice swore, looking over the creature Pate had somehow pulled from underground. "That thing is something only its mother would love. Or my mother . . ."

Pate seemed fascinated by it, walking around it to see it from all angles. It seemed dormant, with glassy eyes and staying still as death, but Beetlejuice didn't miss the fact that one of its eyes sluggishly tracked her, while the other remained fixated on him. He wasn't sure if it was pretending to be immobile, and he didn't like it.

"Pate, baby, don't get too close to it," he advised, even as he couldn't understand why someone would want to get close to it in the first place. He'd prefer to keep his distance, but when she made the poor decision to reach a hand out near one of its eyes, he hurried forward and grabbed her, ordering, "Don't touch it!"

Its eye followed them, but it didn't move.

"Pate, don't . . . wake it up more, or whatever," he said, holding her tight by her upper arm and keeping half an eye on the thing. "We want to be hungry for Rigel, and if it gets you . . ."

She murmured something about thinking it was more like a barnacle waiting for something to drift by than an active hunter, but he knew she was only guessing that theory.

He took her other arm so she faced him. "Listen. We're running out of time." Her brow furrowed, and he kissed her in lieu of an explanation. "I'm going to go get the book. You wait here. Do not go near that thing. When I'm back, you call my come stain of a brother, and we'll get rid of him. Okay?"

He kissed her again, making his lips linger on hers for longer than he probably should have, hating that maybe this was going to be the last time they'd be able to kiss.

Breaking away, he stepped through the ether to his place in the Netherworld to retrieve the half of the book Rigel was so desperate to lay his hands on.

Pate stood alone in the desert, watching the air where Beetlejuice had disappeared. Well, she thought, maybe not completely alone . . .

She cast the yawning maw of the goliath hell-beast a nervous glance. When it first emerged and then became totally motionless, she'd assumed it was an indolent predator like the fish who burrowed in sand and just waited for hapless prey to stray too close. Beetlejuice's distrust of it was obvious and much more acute than hers, but now that she was on her own with it, it was definitely looking at her with it's huge round walleye.

Shuddering she turned away and busied herself with the jug of holy water. It was hard to believe that what looked like a jug labeled "Potable Water" that seemed to have originated in a chain mega-store that they had bought second hand from an ordained Bob Ross impersonator could possibly contain the real thing where the bottle from an actual church had not, but time was running out and so were their options.

Experimentally she opened the cap and sniffed it, tapping her finger to the damp underside and touching it to her tongue. It was salty. Not sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing she replaced the cap and set the jug on the ground at her feet, waiting for Beetlejuice.

Pate absently brushed her thumb over the blue sigil printed on her skin, breaking off scanning the horizon to look down at it. A chill settled over her at the sight of the Mark. This had to work. It had to!

He slipped through the back alleys of the Netherworld to his own private place. Rigel would shit himself if he knew the book had been secreted here! Luckily sometimes his mother's favorite had his head too far up his own ass to think about simple solutions like that.

Time passed differently here than in the upper world, and when he finally made it back to Pate's side, he wasn't completely sure how much time there was left. He handed her the book, gave her wrist a reassuring squeeze, and nodded. At least it wasn't the middle of the night, like a horror movie. They'd face Rigel during the hot dry day.

 tbc . . .

[swfanficbyjz]

SW AU - Slave Bonds - Ch. 1

So I had this idea a little while ago, what if Anakin and Ahsoka had met as kids? As I was thinking about that, I remembered that what little we know of Ahsoka’s back story is that this false Jedi came to her village and tried to kidnap her before Master Plo found her. And then I remembered that Dave Filoni’s concept art for this false Jedi looked a lot like the Zygerrians later on in the show. 

Which of course, because my brain leaps around like this all the time, got me thinking that if this false Jedi had been a slaver and had succeeded in taking Ahsoka, likely she would have ended up at a slave auction just like Anakin admitted he and his mother had been at. Because how many of those were happening at the time?

That of course gave birth to this story. If Master Plo had not found Ahsoka and taken her to the temple, and she did cross paths with Anakin as slaves, how would that have shaped the future of their relationship having had a history together?

Chapter 1:

She huddled in the corner, trembling. It hurt. Everything hurt. The tears burned her eyes. She didn’t understand. She didn’t understand anything. 

“Psst!” Her head snapped to the noise. She crawled towards it, brushing her hands to shake off the pebbles that ground against her palms. “Are you okay?” She peered into the hole but only saw a blue eye staring back. She fell back off her heels and started crying. “No, shh! It’s okay. I won’t hurt you.” His voice was soft and gentle, far kinder than any other she’d heard so far. “Here, take this.” She heard something bounce along the stone and stop by her feet. “It’s a charm, it will make you brave.”

She picked it up, turning it over. It was almost bigger than her hand. There were markings carved into an ivory square. She curled her fingers around it, held it close to her heart and closed her eyes. She did feel braver. It must work. 

She peeked back through the hole. “Thank you.” She whispered shyly.

“You’re welcome.” He smiled. “Just hold it tight when you’re scared and you’ll be okay." 

"Who are you?" 

"My name is Anakin Skywalker.” He sat back so she could see his whole face. She liked him. He had dimples. “What’s your name?”

“Ahsoka Tano." 

"That’s a pretty name.” She giggled and blushed. 

“Your name is pretty too.”

He smiled again. “Thanks! How old are you?”

“Four.” She held up her hand to show him but then wasn’t sure if he could see it.

“I’m nine.” He said proudly. “I’m good at fixing things. Someday I’m going to build my own droid.”

“What’s a droid?” She tipped her head to the side.

“They’re robots. They’re made out of metal and can move and talk and help you do things. You don’t have droids where you’re from?”

“I don’t remember.” She tightened the grip on the charm he’d given her. 

Several loud voices stopped outside her cell. “Get up, girlie!” A man yelled. She cowered, holding the stone in her hand. “I said, get up!” He hit his gun against the metal and it echoed in the room so loudly, she brought her arms up to try and block the sound. Her head pounded from the pain. 

“She’s just a kid!” Anakin shouted from the other side of the wall. “You’re scaring her!”

The man behind the voice pounded against his cell. “Shut up, slave! Mind your own business or you’ll lose your tongue!”

The door to hers slammed open and she squeezed her eyes shut as a large sweaty hand closed around her right arm, jerking her to her feet. She barely caught sight of Anakin as she was dragged past his cage. He was making a square shape with his fingers and she grabbed for the charm he’d given her, unsure when she’d dropped it or how it ended up back in her hands.

She held it tight as a painful metal collar was snapped around her neck, pinching her lekku. She’d cried out in pain only to be hit in response. She bit her lip so hard she tasted blood. She was chained to a platform that started rising into an arena. 

She shook her head, blinking against the bright lights. Her head going deaf against the noise. There was so much commotion, so much color. Occasional streaks of pain. She closed her eyes holding the charm, wishing to be brave. Just hold it tight when you’re scared, you’ll be okay. She repeated his words over and over again. Her hands were going numb from how tightly she held it. 

When she opened her eyes, she was in another cage on a ship. She could feel it shudder as it moved. She didn’t know where she was now or how she got here. But at least she still had the charm. It had worked. She didn’t know how, but she wasn’t so scared anymore. She’d be okay, just like the boy had said. 

—

She stared at the sand as she slowly shuffled along. She’d get in trouble for taking so long, but she wasn’t in a hurry. Whenever she didn’t have to be there, was the only time she didn’t hurt. She’d rather get one big beating than lots of little ones. She tugged at the sleeves of her shirt absentmindedly, not that anyone around here cared about the bruises she was trying to hide. 

“Ahsoka!” She barely had a chance to react to her name before someone pulled her into their arms. Her instinct was to recoil at the touch, but this one didn’t hurt. “You’re okay!” Was she okay? That’s not what it felt like. Who cared about her anyways?

She blinked up towards the two suns and his face finally swam into view. Blonde hair, blue eyes… dimples! “Anakin?” Now she was smiling too. She reached into her shirt and pulled out the charm she’d fashioned into a necklace. He took it in his fingers, turning it over gently. Then he leaned over to look her in the eye.

“Who is your master?” he whispered.

“Sebulba.” She looked down at her feet and he put his hands on her shoulders.

“Is he kind?” She shook her head, tears falling in the sand below. Then she rolled up her sleeve and he ran his fingers softly along the bruises.

“Stupid Dug!” he spat and she looked up at him, biting her lip. “I work over there.” He pointed to the shop a few yards away. “Come find me when you can.”

She glanced across the way and saw a strange blue creature float out of the shop and start yelling.

“I have to go. Keep holding onto the charm.” He smiled sadly at her and started running in that direction. She squeezed the necklace in her hand and watched him go. Someone did care. But she wished she could follow him. She turned back towards Sebulba’s place and hurried along. If she got to see Anakin again soon, she could get through whatever punishment awaited her.

—

She peeked around the corner hoping what she’d heard was true. Sebulba snored heavily as he laid back in his chair. She tiptoed past the doorway as quietly as she could and the moment she was out the front door, ran as fast as her little legs would carry her.

She was breathless by the time she’d made it to the shop Anakin had pointed out days before. But she didn’t want to waste any second she could be with him. She slipped inside, trying not to draw the attention of the shopkeeper. Her friend was working on the far side of the room, she could just barely make out his movements through shelves of interesting objects. The blue creature turned and she fell to her knees, crawling along the dusty floor trying to hide from his view.

Anakin turned around when she was about halfway through, his eyes widened. “Master,” he said. “I think I see a customer approaching.”

“Good good.” The shopkeeper replied and fluttered towards the doorway. The moment he was gone, she was on her feet, running into his arms.

“I was starting to think you’d forgotten.” He whispered, holding her tightly.

“He doesn’t leave me alone much.” She clung to him. He was the only nice thing in this place.

“Well at least you’re here now.” He pointed behind a crate near him as the shopkeeper came back in grumbling.

“You, boy! Clean up this shop, I’m going to go get a drink.”

“Yes, master.” He bowed obediently.

“What is he?” she asked after he left.

“Oh that’s Watto. He’s a Toydarian. His bark is worse than his bite.”

“He bites?” she shivered uncontrollably.

“No, it’s just an expression. It means he sounds mean, but he doesn’t actually do what he says he will.”

She ran her hands along the metal junk that littered the shelf in front of her. Everything here was strange. “Sebulba always does what he says he will. And he sounds plenty mean too.” She picked up a round metal object and rolled it in her hands.

“Well at least we’re both on Tatooine.” He said trying to sound positive.

“What is Tatooine?” she poked a button on the ball and it leapt to life, floating up into the air and around the shop.

“That’s the name of this stupid planet.” He dove after it, catching it but running into a shelf, knocking stuff off. A small rectangular thing on wheels started moving across the floor. “Grab that, would you?”

She threw her weight at it, just barely getting a grip on it. “Sorry!” she said trying to figure out how to shut it off.

“Don’t worry about it.” He smiled, shutting off the metal ball and putting it back on the shelf. Then he started laughing as the thing under her kept moving and was strong enough to pull her along with it.

“What is this thing?” she cried as it dragged her around the room.

“It’s a mouse droid.” He ran forward and stepped his foot down on top of it so it couldn’t move anymore.

“Droid? Like the kind you want to build?”

“There’s lots of different types of droids.” He picked it up and shut it off, setting it back on the shelf too and then he helped her to her feet. She brushed herself off, hoping that Sebulba didn’t care how dirty she was. “Here, let me show you.” She took his hand and he guided her to the back of the shop. “This is Threepio. He’s a protocol droid. Watto is letting me put it together using parts that I find. I’m building him to help my mom.”

She looked over what he pointed at. It was just a jumble of parts and wires as far as she could tell. “What is a protocol droid?”

“They can speak lots of different languages and they’re human-like. They’re service droids, so they’ll do anything you ask them too; cleanup, make food. You name it.”

“If droids can do that, why are there slaves?”

“That’s a good question.” He murmured. “Where are you from, anyways?”

“I don’t know.”

“I’ve never seen a Togruta before, but I’ve heard of them.”

“What’s a Togruta?”

“Well that’s what you are, silly!” he laughed, tickling her.

“I am me!” she said giggling, pushing him away.

“You’re a snippy little one, aren’t you?”

“What does that mean?” she looked up at him curiously.

“It means you have a lot of attitude.” He crossed his arms and looked her over. “I think I’m going to call you Snips.”

“But my name is Ahsoka.”

“It’s a nickname. Like a secret, just between us.” He patted her on the shoulder.

“Snips.” She repeated. “Okay. What can I call you?”

“Most people call me Ani.”

“But that wouldn’t be our secret.”

“True.” He laughed.

“Can I help you clean up?” she asked, looking around. She didn’t want him to get in trouble for the mess she made. He was so nice.

“It’s okay, I can do it. Watto won’t be back for awhile.” He tried to reassure her. “Let’s play a game. You like games?”

“I don’t know.”

“Okay, well you’ll like this one.” He went on to explain the rules, patiently teaching her and answering all her questions. For awhile, she forgot about the bruises and beatings, laughing as they chased each other around. She’d squeal in delight, falling apart into giggles whenever he’d catch her. He ran faster than her, easily. He had longer legs. But every once in awhile he’d slow down or pretend to be tired and let her catch him.

“Ani!” a woman exclaimed as she entered the shop and they were both on their feet looking ashamed. “What are you doing?”

“We were just playing, mom!” he said, hurrying to take the package she was carrying from her. “This is my friend, Ahsoka.”

She shifted nervously, looking up at the woman in fear. Was she as nice as Anakin? She seemed stern, but then her face softened into a smile and she relaxed. “Hello there, little one.” She crouched down.

“Hi,” she whispered shyly. The woman’s hands rested on her shoulder as she looked her over. Then her hand brushed the heavy collar around her neck and she smiled sadly.

“You’d better get back to your master, before he misses you.” She said gently. Ahsoka’s eyes widened. She’d been having so much fun with Anakin, she’d completely forgotten about Sebulba.

Next Chapter ->

[eviafoxhouse]

15 Thinks you must see & do in Evia Island Greece

New Post has been published on https://www.eviafoxhouse.com/15-thinks-you-must-see-do-in-evia-island-greece/

15 Thinks you must see & do in Evia Island Greece

Greece’s second-largest Island is separated from the mainland by the narrow Strait of Euripus.

With a fierce, mountainous spine and roads that often degrade to dirt tracks on the coast, Evia still isn’t accustomed to tourism.

But there’s much to see, as those mountains have waterfalls, gorges and can be admired in all their splendour on winding roads.

To call the beaches on Evia “remote” doesn’t sum up just how far removed from civilisation they can be.

Many double as campgrounds where people pitch their tents right by the water.

But if you’re tired of noisy beach bars and sun loungers packed like sardines, Evia’s beaches like Thapsa and Kalamos, are a breath of fresh air.

Let’s explore the best things to do in Evia:

1. Ancient Eretria and Theatre

Source: Christos Sallas / shutterstock

Ancient Eretria and Theatre

Some 20 kilometres along the strait southeast of Halkida lie the ruins of the ancient polis of Eretria.

The oldest finds date back to the 9th century BC, but by the 1st century BC Eretria was in decline after being ransacked in the First Mithridatic War against Rome.

The site has two palaces, four temples, baths, a gymnasium and a house with mosaics.

But the show-stopper is the theatre, one of oldest in Ancient Greece, dating from the 5th century BC. What’s so special about this monument is that it was laid on a man-made hill supported by retaining walls, much more of a feat than if it had simply used the slopes of Eretria’s citadel.

Those earthworks are still visible, and the lowest tiers still have their limestone benches, while behind the skene is a vaulted passageway leading to the orchestra.

2. Archaeological Museum of Eretria

Source: Christos Sallas / shutterstock

Archaeological Museum of Eretria

Eretria is important enough that a lot of its ceramics and statues unearthed are now on show at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens or the Louvre.

But the museum at the site still has lots of interesting things to see.

One is a terracotta figurine of a centaur, dating to the 10th century BC and found in a tomb at the village of Lefkandi.

From 560 BC you’ll find a stunning funerary amphora showing Heracles fighting the Centaurs and a depiction of Potnia Theron (Mistress of the Animals) behind.

One of the many noteworthy sculptures is a damaged representation of Theseus and Antiope, a 6th-century work, possibly by the acclaimed Athenian sculptor Antenor.

3. Karababa Castle

Source: Joanna Voulgaraki / Wikimedia

Karababa Castle

Right across the strait from Halkida is a fortress put up by the Ottomans in 1684 to defend the town against the Venetians.

The stronghold caps a cypress-dotted hill with arresting views of Halkida, Evia and the strait,. And if you’re wondering why the architecture is European, the fortress was designed by a Venetian, Gerolimo Galopo and then held out during an unsuccessful siege by the Venetians in 1688. Facing Halkida is a hexagonal bastion armed with two Russian cannons from the 19th century.

In the fortress vaults there’s also a lapidarium, with ancient building fragments, Venetian ornamental carvings and renditions of the Lion of St Mark.

4. Drimona Waterfall

Source: Lefteris Papaulakis / shutterstock

Drimona Waterfall

In Evia’s north, at an elevation of 620 metres is a waterfall in a heart-lifting mountainous landscape.

The waterfall is wrapped in fresh oak and fir forest, and is served by a flight of stone steps.

The flow can be pretty lean in the hot summer, but even when the water level is low the falls are no less beautiful, and this is down to the rocky overhang behind and the clear emerald pool below.

Visit in spring and there’s more of a torrent due to the melting snow running off the mountains.

At the top of the steps by the road is a cafe and forest ranger’s office with a small exhibition of fossils found in the area.

5. Edipsos Springs

Source: Heracles Kritikos / shutterstock

Edipsos Springs

Directly on the strait in Edipsos is a thermal spring that was mentioned by the both Aristotle and Plutarch.

In 1897 the high luxury Thermae Sylla Spa was built on the spring and in its time has attracted famous figures like Aristotle Onassis, Winston Churchill and Omar Sharif.

Fortunately you don’t have to book into that establishment to experience the mineral-rich waters.

These are claimed to soothe muscular and skeletal problems, as well as the endocrine system due to their trace radon levels.

Outside the gates of the spa, where the spring cascades into the sea, is a small beach with a layer of smooth rock formed by the build-up of minerals.

Here and there you’ll find little pools in the rock filled with warm therapeutic water to soak in.

6. Chiliadou Beach

Source: Agnee eviasziget.hu / Flickr

Chiliadou Beach

If you like your beaches to be wild and open to the elements, Chiliadou is the one for you.

The journey there isn’t easy as it takes more than an hour from Halkida, but for the last third the serpentine road weaves through a sublime mountainous landscape, past the 1,742-metre Dirfi peak.

Finally you’ll be at three beaches in an otherwise fearsome environment of gnarled limestone cliffs.

The largest of these beaches is Chiliadou, formerly just for naturists as it’s so remote, but now visited by all.

The beach is broad sweep of sand and pebbles, sometimes lashed by waves, but with transparent water on calmer days.

Parents with children need to take care as the shore drops off suddenly.

Nudists meanwhile have moved along to the more private beach around the headland.

7. Drakospita (Dragon Houses)

Source: PitK / shutterstock

Drakospita

Scattered around Styra in the south of Evia are some 25 megalithic structures, all perched on hills and mountains.

Made with huge slabs of grey limestone, these pyramid-like buildings have drystone walls, bound purely by weight and without any sort of mortar.

They also blend with their rocky backdrops, and often hardly look man-made until you see the rectangular doorways framed by massive slabs in their lintels and jambs.

The best and most researched example is on Mount Oche at almost 1,400 metres, where the lintel is four metres long and two metres wide, weighing a mind-boggling 10 tons.

Ceramics found at this building go back as far as the 8th century BC during the Archaic Period, which hints at the great age of the Dragon Houses.

8. Kalamos Beach

Source: taver / Flickr

Kalamos Beach

Holidaymakers will travel all the way from Athens, 120 kilometres away, for this beach on the east coast of Evia.

Kalamos is actually two beaches side by side: The larger is “Kali”(Good), as it has calmer waters, while the smaller of the two is “Kakia” (Wicked), as the sea is a bit rougher here.

The latter is normally lined with tents as many visitors camp overnight or for whole weekends rather than making the long drive back the same day.

Kali is worth every mile of the journey, with a surface of pale sand and fine pebbles, and sun loungers that come free with the price of drink at the bar.

The water is completely transparent but the beach does fall away suddenly.

9. Dimosari Gorge

Source: Heracles Kritikos / shutterstock

Dimosari Gorge

After sizing up the Dragon House on Mount Oche you can embark on the hike of a lifetime on an old shepherd’s path through this gorge.

Walking the Dimosari Gorge takes around half a day and the path through a forest with oaks, holly, chestnut trees plane trees and wild olive and pear trees.

Half-way along the gorge is the bucolic village of Lenoseoi , while the terrain varies from a gentle valley to a rocky ravine with waterfalls and rapids.

Go quietly and you may have some animal encounters as the forest is a habitat for rich birdlife including buzzards, eagles, owls and nightingales.

At journey’s end is Kaliani Beach where you can cool off with a dip in the Aegean.

10. Thapsa Beach

Of all the far-flung beaches on Evia, Thapsa Beach may be the most demanding to get to.

You’ll need a 4×4 vehicle to navigate the 10 kilometres of dirt road from the village of Koutorla.

And before you leave you need to make sure you have everything you could require, because there are no facilities at all at Thapsa.

But even with this in mind, you can’t turn down the chance to see this spellbinding beach with your own eyes.

In a crucible of vertiginous scrubby hills, Thapsa Beach is a white sand and pebble cove with light blue water commonly described as a “blue lagoon”. Camping is allowed on the beach if you want to spend the night somewhere out of this world, but surely it’s just a matter of time before real tourism arrives at Thapsa.

11. Agios Ioannis Rosos

Source: Dimitrios Michalopoulos / shutterstock

Agios Ioannis Rosos

In Prokopi, an hour north of Halkida, is a church of real status in Eastern Orthodox Christianity as it houses the relics of St John the Russian.

He was born in Ukraine in 1690 and was captured and sold as a slave during the Russo-Turkish War of 1710-1711. His fame comes from a refusal to convert to Islam, and his relics were brought to Evia by immigrants from Anatolia who were forced to move to Greece following the Greco-Turkish War in the early 1920s.

The church dedicated to St John dates to 1954 and there’s a steady stream of pilgrims all year round as he is believed to help people suffering from long-term illness.

His feast day is 27 May, when people come to Prokopi on foot from surrounding villages and you can see traditional music and dance performances specific to northern Evia.

12. Monastery of St David

Source: IM_Kakoulidi / Flickr

Monastery Of St David, Evia

Just four kilometres from the Drimona Waterfall is a monastery established in 1540 by St David of Evia.

According to tradition, David hit a nearby rock near the stick and it started gushing holy water.

The old building burnt down by the Ottomans during the Greek Revolution in the 1820s to punish the monks who had harboured insurgents, but was reconstructed in 1877. For non-pilgrims the monastery’s location is half the magic, as it’s couched beneath the Xiron Oros and Kavalaris peaks.

St David’s is a functioning monastery, and if you make the trip in winter you’ll get a warm welcome from the monks with loukoumi (Greek Turkish delight) and tea or coffee.

13. Euripus Strait and High Bridge

Source: Athina Psoma / shutterstock

Euripus Strait and High Bridge

The channel separating Evia from Beotia on mainland Greece is the scene of a strange natural phenomenon.

Unlike the remainder of the eastern Mediterranean, the Euripus Strait has strong currents, flowing at up 12 kilometres an hour.

At peak flow small vessels are unable to sail against the tide.

What’s more, the tidal flow changes direction around four times a day, and when that flow is reversed vortices form in the water.

The most eye-catching of the two bridges crossing the strait at Halkida is the cable-stayed High Bridge, 600 metres long and completed in 1993. One of this structure’s unique features is its concrete deck, which is just 45 cm thick.

14. Lighthouse of Kakokefali

In Halkida you can walk to the pine-shrouded Bad Head Cape, which juts out into the Euripus Strait in the north of the town.

From the Neolithic period, right through Classical and Hellenistic Greece the cape was a burial site, and it later gained notoriety in Ottomans times as gallows were placed on Kakokefali as a warning.

At the northernmost point is a functioning lighthouse constructed in 1886 with a square tower like a Medieval castle.

The most remarkable thing about the lighthouse is that it is one of just six in all of Greece to still be manned.

15. Wine Tourism

Source: siete_vidas / shutterstock

Vineyard, Evia

Evia has a high reputation for its wine, which is produced around the island but especially on the semi-mountainous Lilantio Plain outside Halkida.

A dominant grape in this region is Savatiano, a white grape that is resistant to Evia’s long dry spells and benefits from the cool air drifting in from the North Evian Gulf.

If you’re in Halkida, the most convenient of Evia’s ten visitable wineries is the multi-award-winning Avantis in the village of Mytikas.

Avantis grows a selection of grape varietals like six types of Syrah, Muscat, Grenache Rouge, Merlot, Greek white Assyrtiko and Sauvignon Blanc.

The venue is a revived early-20th century vineyard, which has a grape press from the 1930s.

As well as the usual tour and tasting session you can sample the winery’s line of cosmetics crafted from grapes.

From thrcrazytourist.com

[impishnature]

The Light Keeper (Part 9)

AO3

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8

Rating: T

Summary: A beast lurks in the waters. Stan loses Ford to the waves, the lighthouse his only point of contact and hope of ever getting him back. …He used to love the sea, now it’s taken everything from him.

Lighthouse Keeper AU.

Series of One-shots.

AN: Commission and story collab with @garrulousgibberish​ based on their Lighthouse Keeper AU (link above) More Lovely art by Ran! Please go give them all the love, they deserve all the love and affection ^^ ♥

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Part 9: A Ghost of a Chance

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The moon came back out as they neared the shoreline, the storm finally abating as they traversed into shallower waters.

Stan couldn’t help but let out a steady relieved stream of breath as he wondered if the creature that had caused all this trouble was stuck behind them in the foaming waves, its agonising roar still reverberating around his head. He vehemently hoped they had left it far behind along with the billowing storm clouds that had hindered their progress every chance that they could.

But even so he refused to look behind him and check, refused to give it or Mother Nature the satisfaction as he kept his eyes locked on the small twinkling lights that guided him. Didn’t even care that the shoreline was now visible, the silvery sheen of the moon lighting up the people dotted across the beaches in a wide arc to guide them home.

No, he just stared at the most important lights, the two small figures stood hand in hand, trying his hardest to steer towards them, to steer to home.

And at the same time he continued to chatter to his brother, kept him talking to him, no matter how tired he sounded. He knew that Ford needed to rest but he couldn’t yet, not until they were safe and sound at home where Stan could keep an eye on him and check him over, then he could sleep all he wanted. But right at this moment Stan needed to know he was still with him.

Come on, Sixer! We’re so close! You’re doing great, just stay with me a bit longer.

In the end, Stan wasn’t as good at navigating as he’d hoped to be, his arms growing lethargic and shaky as the adrenaline and resolve that had spurred him on throughout the entire ordeal slowly started to dwindle.

Though the storm had mostly fizzled out, the wind and sea were still strong enough to drive him off course, his arms unable to pull back like they had before to guide them true to the lights.

The boat juddered to a halt as it beached, the sound of it crunching through the pebbles and sand making Stan wince and sluggishly mutter an apology to the old boat even as he flopped forward onto the wheel. He stared at nothing for a second, blinking numbly in a moment of quiet contemplation as everything came into stark overwhelming contrast.

I did it.

“Stan?”

He started at the hushed voice, groaning as he stood back up and wobbled his way to where Ford still sat, hands locked around the mast, his legs spread-eagle from the turbulent journey. His expression were dazed, tired but achingly hopeful as Stan crouched down next to him. “Hey buddy, we did it. We’re home.”

Ford gave as bright a smile as he could manage, arms slackening around the mast as his body relaxed. Stan beamed in return, shuffling around to lay down beside him, staring up at the stars in a moment of absolute peace.

I actually did it.

“Told you I could do it.”

“Never… never doubted you for a second.”

Stan snorted, shaking his head as laughter tried to rumble through him tiredly. A hand snaked out to grip at his shoulder, weak and trembling but solid and warm, as if Ford was trying to convince himself this was actually happening as much as Stan was.

Or that’s what Stan hoped the gesture was conveying.

He gulped, the tranquil moment passing, thoughts going towards other things as he sat back up. The last time he and Ford had spoken had been almost forty years ago, a conversation which had not been pretty, and suddenly doubt was creeping up on him, seeping through him like the damp of his clothes. A small inkling that Ford would push him away once he realised, once he remembered.

“Hey, Ford? About the-”

“Mr Pines!”

Stan jumped, heart thudding against his ribs until he saw the figure running towards them. He gave a sigh of relief, looking down at Ford with a twitch of a smile. “Heh, it’s fine, it’s just Soos.”

“Stan, what were you-”

Stan shook his head quickly, cutting off the moment. “Nothing, doesn’t matter.”

It really wasn’t the time for that, what was he thinking bringing that up now?

He laughed again softly, standing up with a grunt.

He wasn’t thinking, that was the point. Everything was so up in the air, so charged, his emotions were making him blurt out things he really didn’t want to get into.

Besides, his main priority was to get Ford somewhere warm and dry, everything else could wait.

He dusted himself off, stood as straight as his back would allow and strolled to the side of the boat to find the worried face of his apprentice lighthouse keeper. “Soos? What’s all the yelling about?”

“What’s all-? Mr Pines, don’t joke like that! You went out on your own in a storm, the entire town came out to look for you once we heard.” Soos looked at him aghast, his voice peppered with hurt at his dismissal of the situation. Stan couldn’t help the twinge of guilt that went through him even as he tried to slip the conman’s smile on to his face with minimal success.

“Eh, it’s nothing, kid. Thanks for the concern though. Now, how’s about you go tell everyone I’m fine?”

“But-”

“Soos.” Stan sighed, rubbing at his temples in a fit of exhaustion that had the young man squawking in concern. He tried to brush it off with a quick wave of his hand, shortly followed by another groan as Soos continued to stare at him, eyebrows furrowing fretfully. All he wanted to do was get home, get Ford bundled up and then get to sleep himself. “Sorry, sorry- look this is really hard to explain. But, I- I’ve got someone on board that’s just taken a rather long dip in the briny and I really need to get him looked over. You think you can help out with that and get me some space to get him home?”

Soos gasped, eyes lighting up gleefully that threw Stan for a loop in his fatigued state. “You mean the twins were right? They thought they saw you rescuing someone! Dude, I can’t wait to tell everyone it was true!”

“…Right, whatever. Anyway-”

“Wait, Mr Pines, you’re soaked! Did you jump in to rescue him?”

“Huh? Of course I did. Soos, will you be quiet for a second?” Stan snapped slightly, eyes darting to Ford who hadn’t moved from where he’d left him. “Look, it was an ordeal, it was overwhelming to say the least-” He glanced up at the lights slowly coming towards them, face contorting with worry. “And I think a whole crowd of people around him will make that ten times worse. I want to get him inside and looked after, so you think you can help an old man out and keep our well-wishers at bay?”

Soos saluted him, eyes full of purpose as he leapt away from the boat. “On it, Mr Pines! I won’t leave out any of the details either, everyone’s going to be so impressed.”

“Just make sure no one comes over here!” Stan growled after him, coughing a moment later with a disgusted grimace. He hadn’t noticed just how cold it was out here, or how much water he’d ingested when trying to drag his brother out of the water. He shook his head, trying to stop the shivers running down his spine as he coughed up what he could. He went back to Ford’s side after, prodding him gently. “Hey, Sixer? You still with me?”

Ford mumbled something incoherent back, his eyebrows furrowing sadly.

“I know, I know, but I need you to stay awake a little bit longer, OK? I’m not sure I can carry you back home completely, I’m gonna need your help.”

Ford peeked a doleful eye open, tiredness lacing through the action entirely but he nodded all the same, arms reaching up to try and help Stan get him standing.

“That’s it, just one foot in front of the other.” Stan muttered encouragingly as he pulled him upright, his brother resting heavily on his side and making it difficult to get him off the boat.

Stan huffed ironically to himself as they finally managed it.

After all, it was still easier than getting him onto the boat in the first place, right at the heart of the storm.

“Grunkle Stan!”

Stan flinched, heart breaking at the sound of his distraught Mabel. He screwed his eyes shut for a second, hearing Dipper’s echoing sentiment of distress before he gave in and opened them, watching the two flickering lights bypass Soos’s outstretched arms and run towards him, obviously ignoring whatever he was shouting after them.

He chuckled, shaking his head. Of course Soos wouldn’t be able to stop them of all people.

His heart started to beat rapidly in his chest as Ford made a questioning sound. The dismay in their voices was soon outweighed by relief as they saw him standing and he couldn’t help but echo the notion.

This is it! I can’t believe it’s actually happening. I’ve been dreaming of this, of introducing you to them and now- now I finally get to do it.

“Stan, why aren’t we moving?”

Stan had to lean in close to hear the muffled slurred words. His brother’s eyes were heavy lidded and not really cooperating as he started to drag him forward, the crunch of pebbles a welcome respite against the rocky waves.

“No reason, was just thinking, that’s all. And hey! You gotta stay awake, you hear me?”

Ford whined, head lolling against Stan’s shoulder.

“Oi, no arguments. Come on! There are two kids running towards us who you are going to love. You have to stay awake if you want to make a good impression, you hear me?”

“Oh? I finally get to meet them, do I…?”

“Huh?” Stan frowned, staring down at his brother as he gave a soft sleepy grin in response, as if he had a secret that Stan didn’t know. “What was that?”

“Nothing…”

“Right.” Stan gulped, eyeing him worriedly as he continued to drag him forward. The kids were fast approaching now. He could see the tears in Mabel’s eyes, her arms outstretched as she ran. He couldn’t see Dipper’s face, running full pelt towards them, head down far enough that his hat was obscuring most of his face other than a thin lipped frown.

Ford slumped against him further, and with the movement, the sudden comprehension of what was about to happen made itself clear. Before he could say a word though, both twins were on them, latching on to his legs and making him wobble dangerously.

He couldn’t get a word in edgeways even then, the twins warbling out a panicked string of garbles that he found hard to follow, especially when Ford chuckled against his neck.

“Grunkle Stan! Why didn’t you tell anyone what you were doing? Someone could have helped! We’ve been through this before-”

“Grunkle Stan, I am so so sorry- I never got to say it and I thought for a minute that I’d never get to-”

“Whoa, whoa there. Slow down, you two.” Stan tilted down towards them as much as he could without dislodging Ford. “Kids, I get it, and I will sit down and let you two shout at me all you want later. But right now, I really need to get Ford home. We can talk through everything there, OK?” He gave them a grin as they looked up at him, both completely refusing to let go of him now they had him. “Kids, you’re gonna make me fall over and I’m not quite sure Sixer here would be of any use in getting back up again.”

“But-”

“Hey, why don’t I introduce you?” Stan’s grin grew wider, trying to distract the pair as their eyes finally flickered to Ford instead of worriedly appraising him. He nudged his shoulder upwards, trying to give Ford a cue as he started, his heart beating a mile a minute as he realised yet again that this was it- this was the moment that the twins met their other Grunkle. “Ford, this is Mabel and Dipper. Kids, this is your-”

“Grunkle Stan, I think he’s asleep.”

Stan blinked, head turning to his brother whose head had thudded against his shoulder, his face blissfully blank and eyes closed as his breathing evened out.

“Hmm… perhaps introductions will have to wait.”

The walk back to the Shack proved to be quite an arduous feat with a sleep heavy Ford leaning against him and two small children weaving in and out of his legs like cats. It didn’t help that the aches and pains of the trip were slowly making themselves known as the adrenaline left his system and the world became altogether less hectic one step at a time.

He had Ford back, cold and wet but real, clutched tight against his side. He could feel him breathing against his neck shallowly, and although he knew they weren’t out of the waters yet, it still felt a damn sight better than what it had been even an hour or so before.

Still a lot better than it had been in the entirety of the last 30 years.

Luckily for Stan, before they could get too far, Soos managed to untangle himself from the search party while it dispersed, to give them a lift the short trip to the shack before they made much headway. Not that Stan was entirely sure he would have made the trip anyway, regardless of his complaining as Soos pulled Ford away from him to get him into the car.

He thanked Soos once they’d gotten Ford inside onto the sofa, a stopping point for the moment when Soos noticed Stan cursing quietly under the strain. Stan couldn’t help but feel the need to when all was said and done, albeit only when the kids were preoccupied, chattering about how to help the unconscious man that looked so much like their Grunkle. A gruff pat to the back and a heartfelt thanks tumbled past his lips and left the boy blinked at him, mouth slack jawed in shock.

“Grunkle Stan! I think he’s waking up!”

Stan flinched at the loud noise, spinning around with an endearing yet exasperated smile, equal parts relieved that Ford was awake and worried that the kids might overwhelm him.

“Alright, alright, sweetie. How about we keep it quiet for him? He’s had quite the rough- well, let’s just say quite a rough evening for now.”

He gave an awkward cough after, not quite sure where to go from there. He gave another tap to Soos’s back before telling him to go home and get some rest, making it clear that he might need him to run some errands in the morning depending on Ford’s condition.

With that all sorted, Soos giving an understanding nod and vanishing without much else, Stan walked behind the two kids, eyebrow raised as he watched them whisper between themselves. Both sat hushed and waiting as the old man’s eyelids fluttered, his mouth falling into a soft frown as he shifted awake.

Stan tried not to let nerves or worry filter into his voice. “Hey there, Sixer, welcome back to the world of the living.”

Ford gave a huff of amusement, the frown lines melting away as he finally managed to open bleary eyes. He tried to sit up but jerked back as something was thrown at him, disappearing under a mound of fabric.

“Grunkle Stan!”

“What? Sixer’s soaked through, least I can do in bundle him up- Actually, might be a good idea to get out of those wet clothes. I’ll go grab some things, see if they still fit you.”

“Still fit him?”

Stan winced as a small inquisitive voice carried after him. He turned back guiltily, hand scratching the back of his head. “Kid, there’s gonna be a lot of questions, I know there are, but will you let me try and explain it all in one go, first?”

Dipper was silent for a few moments, face warring in a way that Stan hadn’t anticipated. He’d expected anger and betrayal, maybe a hint of doubt- but he definitely hadn’t been expecting the bright lick of guilt that swam there behind it all. Dipper turned back to Ford, tugging one of the blankets that Stan had thrown at him down over his legs. “You should get out of all that wet stuff too, Grunkle Stan, before you come back down.”

“Yeah! We don’t want you getting sick cause you’re too busy looking after everyone else!” Mabel pointed a finger at him, other hand at her hip before her eyes lit up. “Oh! I’ll go grab some blankets from our room and make a nest down here.”

“Heh, thanks for this, kids. I promise I’ll explain everything when-” Stan’s gaze shifted to Ford whose eyes had drifted shut again. “When I’m happier that Ford’s going to be OK.” He turned back to Mabel with a soft smile. “Now then, I’m actually thinking we should get him up to bed before the end of the night. So how about I leave you in charge of decorating the guest room? The one next to mine?”

“The one me and Dipper fought over for a bit?”

“That’s the one, how about you go make that room a cosy den for me?” Stan grinned as the girl squealed and darted past him, excitement at it all outweighing the negative emotions that had gathered earlier. Or so Stan thought, until there was a sudden pair of arms around his legs again.

“I’m glad you’re OK, Grunkle Stan.”

Stan sighed, patting her head. “Sorry for worrying you.” She shook her head against him before rushing towards the stairs again.

“You owe me all the hugs, that’s all!”

“Sure thing, sweetie!” Stan called after her with a laugh before turning back to the still silent boy, shame bubbling up as he watched him continue to puzzle over everything without any answers to help him. “Hey Dipper, can I leave you in charge down here while I go get changed and grab some clothes for him?”

Dipper didn’t turn to him but his back straightened which Stan took as a good sign. “Of course.”

“Atta boy, I knew I could count on you. I’ll be back before you know it.”

“And Grunkle Stan?”

“Yeah?”

“…You owe me the first hug… But don’t tell Mabel I said that.”

“Tell her you said what?” Stan gave him a cheeky wink, ruffling his hair. “First hug is yours because I’ve decided that then.” He felt the boy relax against him before he scowled and pushed him away.

“You’re soaked! Go get changed already!”

“I thought you wanted a hug?” Stan gave a bark of laughter as small hands pushed him away again, Dipper’s voice cracking in irritation at his attempts at a very wet hug. He waved to his brother, whose eyes had again opened at the sound, albeit weakly. His head stuck out of the lighthouse keeper jacket that Stan had draped around him as soon as they’d come in the door. His hands tugged it tighter still around him and fidgeted with the buttons as if the texture was grounding him.

Stan gave one last sigh of relief at the image, glad that for the moment Ford was still awake and let himself quickly follow Mabel, knowing that Dipper would call for him if anything untoward happened.

One quick change, and a much slower helping his brother do the same later, the pair were both warm, dry and decked out in matching fluffy blankets, courtesy of Mabel who refused to let Stan get away with not being bundled up as well. He was sure Dipper’s glare alone could have heated him up, especially when he tried to convince the girl that he didn’t need the blanket, but he thought it best to concede defeat against the pair.

Plus Ford was looking at him worriedly even in his bemused and tired state and that really wasn’t allowed. Their concern might have had something to do with the fact that he couldn’t quite stop the shaking once he realised just how cold he’d gotten when dry clothes suddenly felt so warm against his skin.

The twins curled up beside them on the sofa, added warmth that Stan couldn’t say he regretted as he slung an arm around Dipper. He watched Mabel shuffle into the space between her brother and Ford with a faraway smile at her antics as she tried to introduce herself to him. A bubble of giddy laughter escaped him as Ford tried to struggle out of the copious amounts of blankets to shake the proffered hand and failed completely at untangling himself.

“Perhaps you shouldn’t have swaddled him quite so tightly if you wanted introductions, sweetie.”

“But- we can’t not be introduced. He’s family, right?” Mabel looked vaguely distraught in that moment and Stan couldn’t help but laugh again as Ford’s eyes went wide with panic and he tried desperately to free himself even as weak as he was in that moment.

“Sure he is, that’s why you don’t need to shake hands.” Stan nudged Dipper up a bit so that he was turned towards Ford. “So Ford, now that you’re awake this time. This is-”

“Mabel and Dipper.” Ford managed to get out with a smile, the room turning silent as the kids stared at him. “Stan told me about you before.”

“I did? Huh, I don’t remember but then I said a lot of things to keep you awake out there.” Stan sniffed, scratching at his cheek as the twins looked up at him in annoyance. “Sorry! I forgot. Right, Mabel, Dipper, this is my brother, your Great Uncle Ford.”

“We have another Grunkle?!” Mabel’s voice hit a new decibel that had Ford wincing. His eyes widened and a huff of surprise left him as she launched forward, arms as tight around him as they could go when he was bulked out by padding.

“Easy, Mabel, easy. He’s just had a dip in the sea, I’d say he’s a bit worse for wear.”

“Oops…”

Ford shook his head vehemently at her when she pulled away, eyes soft. “No, no. Hugs are good. Very good in fact. Just-” He glanced down at himself before back at her with an apologetic smile. “I can’t hug back.”

“Hmm, fair. Hugs when you’re warmer?”

“Definitely.” Ford smiled at her before leaning back into the sofa.

Stan watched on with an anxious gaze. Just that small interaction seemed to have worn him out. He’d grown paler again, eyes taking on that weary glaze that heralded him promptly falling back to sleep if Stan wasn’t careful. “I think it’s time we helped get Ford up to bed.”

“But-”

Stan put up a hand to stop the disappointed voices, going as far as ignoring the small dejected gaze he got from his brother who seemed to be enjoying the company even if it was draining him. “Nope, no buts. Ford needs rest otherwise it’s going to take even longer to get him back on his feet.”

“I’m fine, Stan. I just need a moment-”

“Uhm… as much as I’d like to get to know you Great Uncle Ford-” Dipper kept his gaze low, not quite sure of what to make of anything quite yet. “Grunkle Stan’s right. You really should rest.”

Mabel gave a long suffering sigh before standing up off the sofa to let Stan get to Ford. “True, and the sooner you go to sleep, the more time we’ll have tomorrow!”

“But I don’t want to sleep.” Ford huffed, glaring petulantly at Stan who rolled his eyes back at him.

“Yeah, yeah, says the man who’s dead on his feet and will probably pass out as soon as his head hits the pillow.” Stan grinned, tugging away the blanket layers so that he could get an arm around his shoulder again. “Besides-” He whispered in his ear. “Just like Mabel said, we’ve got all the time in the world now. You’re safe, Sixer, I promise. We’ll all still be here when you wake up.”

Ford hummed and relaxed against him, allowing the small worries and doubts that had crept in to dissipate at Stan’s words. “I’ll-” A yawn interrupted him. “I’ll hold you to that, Knucklehead.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way, Poindexter.”

Stan bit his lip a few moments later to stifle his chuckles when he was proved right and Ford fell asleep almost before Stan had managed to get him in a halfway comfortable looking position in bed. Mabel quietly snuck up beside him, throwing layer upon layer over the top.

Stan raised an eyebrow as Dipper came in last, throwing the keeper’s jacket on top of the pile with a small hint of trepidation, especially when he noticed his Grunkle’s curious expression.

“He was holding on to it quite tightly when you were upstairs, I thought it might be a comfort if he woke up in the middle of the night.” Dipper whispered, head low as he shuffled out of the door, slightly embarrassed.

Stan took one more look at his brother with a soft smile, tugging the jacket up closer to him just in case before following suit.

“You’re an observant kid.” He ruffled Dipper’s hair again, tapping his shoulder so he looked up and then grabbing Mabel’s attention.

“Well, I did promise. Come on you two, let’s go back downstairs and I’ll answer what questions I can. We can have some hot chocolate to warm you two up too- don’t even think about pretending, I know that you two were out in that storm too and I don’t want any colds in this house, you hear?”

“And in the morning we can talk to Grunkle Ford?”

Stan felt his heart stutter at the term already being used, happiness blossoming that the pair could call him that now. That after all this time Ford had finally met them and that this wasn’t the end, it would continue like it always should have. He tried to let this happiness fill him up, tried not to let his doubtful fears about the future consume him. The ones that had started to fester and fizzle now that Ford was asleep and away from him, the ones that questioned how long it would be until his brother remembered everything, remembered their arguments and what he had done and grew angry with him once more.

But whatever the outcome of that, he couldn’t deny the kids getting to know him, no matter how hard it might be.

“Yeah, if he’s up for you two whirlwinds in the morning, I don’t see why not.”

.

AN: A story is not complete without a Pine family cuddle pile. Also 8D they’re home! ♥♥♥  I took a bit of a break with this one because it got huge - so the next one should be up before the end of the week to make up for that (and is... quite big again XD)

[royalnovels-blog]

STH Chapter 87

Chapter 87: Bone Structure Translator: StackThatCoin  Editor: AntiGod The palace that used to determine the potential and bone structure of an apprentice who newly joined Heaven Breaking Sword Sect was named 'Heaven's Will Palace'. The name implied that all the foundation of seeking Dao and cultivating Immortal was determined by Heaven's Will, and no one could defy the Heaven's Will. When the Heaven's Will determined that you could become an Immortal, that would be your destiny; if the Heaven's Will determined that you do not have the qualification to cultivate into an Immortal, the only path left for you is to go back to the mortal world and play with sand and dirt. To further illustrated this meaning, the overall atmosphere of Heaven's Will Palace was both oppressive and heavy. The dark palace was entirely built using mountain rocks with a high concentration of iron, and the characters engraved on the plaque hanging above the entrance were dull and gray. The feeling it gave forth was like the Heaven's Will that was heavily pressing on a person. It couldn't be defied, it couldn't be changed, it couldn't be overridden, and one could only accept it passively. Haoying Fengying continued explaining besides Wu Qi. As a matter of fact, the Heaven's Will Palace of Heaven Breaking Sword Sect was not the only one that was built in such fashion. The exact same design could be found in all thirteen Immortal Sects of Great Yan Dynasty. It was as if Great Yan Dynasty had the intention to imply some hidden messages through the design. As for what kind of message they tried to convey, it could only be comprehended by each individual, as no outsider could tell them about it. They walked along the black-pebbled path for quite a distance, and finally arrived at the main hall of Heaven's Will Palace. The hall ran deep and wide, at least one thousand feet in both length and width, yet the ceiling was only less than twenty feet tall. Although the palace looked oppressive from the outside, when Wu Qi came into the main hall of it, the feeling of oppressiveness was at least one hundred times greater than when he was on the outside. In this spacious hall of low ceiling, the walls were painted black, were the ceiling and the floor. Although it was dark inside, there were only six candle holders that could be found scattered around, each having a few large tallow candles lit on it, which made the hall to be poorly lit. A few old men were seen sitting on a cushion at the far end of the hall, looking like they were occupied with nothing. They seemed like a group of ghosts in this dim and spacious hall. Haoying Fengying brought Wu Qi and came to the far end of the main hall and bent down and bowed towards the few old men respectfully. The aura emanating from these old men was vague and subtle. Their skin was dried, wizened, and their body was thin and skinny. It looked like with just a light press of the finger, their gray-colored skin would turn into ashes and peel off from their bodies. Actually, all of them were peak Xiantian experts who had broken through the Embryonic Breath tier of Xiantian realm. Their spirit and Qi had gathered and condensed inwardly within their body, and no energy essence could easily leak from them. Among these old men, Wu Qi could sense a vague, sharp and vigorous life force from one of them. Apparently, that old man was a mighty expert who had one of his legs stepped into Gold Core realm. As long as he took another step, he would transform from a Xiantian Daoist to a Human Immortal, and that would give him at least eight hundred years of life. One step mortal, another step Immortal, obviously, this old man had the most important status among all five of them, and the other four old men actually took him as their leader. When the old man who almost formed his Gold Core saw Haoying Fengying approaching, he let out a dried smile and said, "Oh it is you, Fengying. I thought you are supposed to patrol the sect today? Why do you come to Heaven's Will Palace? Who is this little kid? A new apprentice? Why I never heard any of our Elders accepting a new apprentice?" Haoying Fengying smiled and said, "Third Great-Uncle, this is Wu Qi, a new apprentice who Sect Leader had just accepted a few days ago, and was requested by Princess Zhang Le herself. Princess Zhang Le said that if Sect Leader refused to accept Wu Qi as his apprentice, she would cut off this year's supply of energy stones and magical items. That is why Sect Leader had personally accepted him as his apprentice!" "Oh." The few old men let out a slight exclamation together, then rested their eyes curiously on Wu Qi's face. The Third Great-Uncle of Haoying Fengying, Haoying Xiong, felt surprised, nodded his head and said, "Upon the request by Princess Zhang Le? It is true that she would do something like this. Do you remember how Bai Xiaguan offended her three years ago? And the consequence? Princess Zhang Le sent her men and threw all the energy stones and magical items that were supposed to be given to Bai Xiaguan that year into Myriad Red River, from upper to the lower reaches!" All old men burst out into laughter. Haoying Xiong waved his hand at Wu Qi and called him over, saying with a smile on his face, "Since you're the new apprentice accept by Sect Leader, the result of the bone structure test is not that important. However, since you've come to Heaven's Will Palace, it is also a nice thing to have some knowledge regarding your own bone structure." Haoying Xiong smacked his lips and continued, "If you really do have the bone structure of cultivating into Immortal, you better put in a hard effort in your cultivation. Perhaps you could form your Gold Core and get to live a few hundred years of leisurely life. Yet, if you don't have the bone structure of cultivating into an Immortal, no one would throw you out from Heaven Breaking Sword Sect. After all, you're the apprentice of Sect Leader! By borrowing the reputation of Heaven Breaking Sword Sect, you can still bully men and women in Ji City for over a hundred years. That is still something very enjoyable." Cold sweat was seen breaking out from Wu Qi's forehead. This Haoying Xiong was indeed a straightforward man, and what he said was actually correct. Out of all three thousand apprentices under Nie Baihong, not all of them were having talent in cultivating Dao. At least half of them didn't possess any potential in cultivating. Nevertheless, all these three thousand apprentices were still the apprentices of the Heaven Breaking Sword Sect. Taking that Haoying Fenglong as an example, he didn't even cultivate much of innate energy, but that didn't stop him from becoming the apprentice of Heaven Breaking Sword Sect and continue holding the status of the first priority of his clan's inheritor! The few old men, including Haoying Xiong, kept chitchatting among themselves before suddenly recalled the purpose of Wu Qi's visit. Haoying Xiong brought his hand onto the floor and pressed a few times. A few pieces of thick and heavy tiles on the floor slowly slid aside, revealing a stone platform that gradually rose from underground. On the square surface of the stone platform was a white crystal pillar, nearly ten feet tall and with the diameter of a water bucket. Wu Qi recognized this object, as it was mentioned in Scroll of Stealing. It was an instrument that was used specifically in determining the potential and bone structure of a cultivator- 'Nascent Peeking Spiritual Crystal'. Without saying a word, Wu Qi stepped onto the stone platform, placed his right palm onto the crystal and injected a thread of his innate energy into it. A watery gleam flashed from the Nascent Peeking Spiritual Crystal, and a faded blue glow emerged from it. Haoying Xiong nodded his head slowly and said, "Hmm, you do have Spirit Seed, which is not considered bad. No matter to what degree your Spirit Seed grows into, having one is better than having none. It is a Water elemental Spirit Seed, so you can cultivate the sword style of 'Azure Water Sword'. If your Spirit Seed were Earth or Fire elemental, that would be a problem!" Staggeringly, Haoying Xiong rose to his feet and walked up onto the stone platform. He then formed a finger gesture and unleashed a seal into the crystal. A large curtain of white light immediately surged out from the crystal, covering Wu Qi into it. Catalyzed by this white light, Wu Qi felt all his Qi and blood flowing quickly in his body, and all his Qi essence was rushing toward his Spiritual Ocean without his control, forcefully slamming onto a mysterious spot found within his Spiritual Ocean. An indistinct buzzing noise echoed out as a curtain of ray burst out from Wu Qi's temple, revealing a vague, incorporeal figure in it. Haoying Xiong took out a ruler from his sleeve, using it he measured against the vague figure. He nodded his head smilingly and said, "Your Innate Nascent Embryo is five feet tall. Excellent, this is an upper tier Innate Nascent Embryo." Wu Qi exercised his will, and the information regarding Innate Nascent Embryo he learned from Scroll of Stealing immediately emerged in his mind. Innate Nascent Embryo had nothing to do with Daoist of Xiantian realm and Human Immortal of Gold Core realm. However, once cultivators formed their Nascent Soul and became an Earth Immortal of Nascent Soul, their achievement would have a huge connection to their innate Nascent Embryo. It determined the highest achievement an Earth Immortal could reach, because the maximum height a Nascent Soul could reach was in relation to the height of an Innate Nascent Embryo. For a three feet tall Innate Nascent Embryo, the Nascent Soul would reach to the maximum height of three feet. And for a six feet tall Innate Nascent Embryo, the Nascent Soul would reach the maximum height of six feet. And for every inch the Nascent Soul grew, on an average, the overall strength of a cultivator would strengthen by threefold. But it also depended on the skill the cultivator was cultivating with. If the degree of overall strength for a one-inch tall Nascent Soul were considered 1, the overall strength of a three feet tall Nascent Soul would be 90, while a six feet tall Nascent Soul would have the overall strength of 180. In general, the tallest Innate Nascent Embryo a cultivator could have was six feet tall. One foot tall was considered the lowest tier, two feet was lower tier, three feet was middle lower tier, four feet was middle tier, five feet was upper tier and six feet was superior tier. When one had his Nascent Embryo reached to the height of over six feet, then he was destined to attain the cultivation of Gold Immortal. Wu Qi's Innate Nascent Embryo was five feet tall. Among all cultivators, this was considered an excellent potential of one in a hundred. If he could cultivate to the Nascent Soul realm, his achievement would definitely be greater than others. A brief smile appeared on Wu Qi's face. He didn't take the matter concerning his Innate Nascent Embryo to heart. For someone who was cultivating with Scroll of Stealing, the size of his Innate Nascent Embryo would never become the determining factor that restricted his future achievement. Even if his Innate Nascent Embryo were only three inches tall, that would not affect him at all. There was nothing under the heaven that he couldn't steal, and according to Scroll of Stealing, Innate Nascent Embryo was also one of the things that he could steal. As long as he stole a thread of Innate Fortune Energy from someone, Wu Qi's Innate Nascent Embryo could keep growing and growing, and could even reach to the height of six thousand feet, let alone six feet tall. When Haoying Xiong saw Wu Qi's depreciating expression, he thought Wu Qi didn't understand the importance of Innate Nascent Embryo. Thus he quickly explained to Wu Qi about the pros and cons. In the end, with mixed emotions, he even told Wu Qi that his own Innate Nascent Embryo was only three feet and six inches tall, considered a middle tier potential. If one day he were able to make the breakthrough and stepped into Nascent Soul realm, his achievement would not be too significant. After all, when a cultivator was facing his Heavenly Tribulation, the stronger his Nascent Soul was, the higher chance he would have in transcending the tribulation! There was only one last test Wu Qi had to go through. Haoying Xiong took out a thumbnail size, perfect square lower tier Water elemental energy stone. The amount of energy stored in this kind of energy stone was fixed, and Haoying Xiong requested Wu Qi to absorb all the energy within it within the time frame of an hour. Wu Qi exercised the Qi Circulating Technique of Five Elements within his body, holding the energy stone in his palm and began to slowly absorb the thin energy in it. The Qi Circulating Technique of Five Elements was really not a good cultivation technique. Within an hour of time, Wu Qi could only absorb thirty percent of the energy stored within the energy stone, and out of this thirty percent, only nine percent of it could stay within his meridians and transform into innate energy of five elements. That also meant, Wu Qi could only keep thirty percent of the energy with the technique. Out of all the natural energies he absorbed, he could only transform thirty percent of them into his innate energy. With regards to this result, Wu Qi really felt that this Qi Circulating Technique of Five Elements was the lousiest cultivating technique. However, Haoying Xiong and few others were nodding their head in satisfaction. By being able to keep thirty percent of energy, it was considered that Wu Qi had a pretty good talent in cultivation. Among all three thousand apprentices under Nie Baihong who owned a Spirit Seed, most of them couldn't even keep twenty percent of energy. Eventually, Haoying Xiong and the other old men gave out their review for Wu Qi's bone structure and potential. He possessed a Spirit Seed, thus, he could cultivate the Dao. His Spirit Seed was of Water elemental, a perfect candidate to cultivate Azure Water Sword style. His Innate Nascent Embryo was five feet tall, which signified an excellent potential. He could keep thirty percent of the absorbed energy. All of this made him reach to the level of an elite apprentice. In brief, according to Haoying Xiong, Wu Qi was an elite talent who was suitable to be further developed in Heaven Breaking Sword Sect. As long as no accident happened to him, he could attain the cultivation of Gold Core realm easily. As he had cultivated to Xiantian realm at his young age, thus, it was highly possible that he could form his Gold Core within one hundred years. Before Haoying Xiong could finish his words, a loud laugh suddenly came from the entrance of the main hall. "Who would have thought to see an excellent talent here? Who is your Master? Why don't you join me, the Sect Elder, and become my apprentice?" As the laughter kept going on, an old man clad in black robe was seen striding towards them. Previous          Main Menu          Next Click to Post