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writingroom21 · 3 months

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Hi hello! I love your writing and I thought I would send a request idea I had if you’re willing.

Could you do a Rafe x reader where they recently started dating and went to high school together but the reader has always been a big nerd but she “got hot” after leaving high school, however she still hangs out with the same group of “nerds” as high school which consists of a few guys and Rafe just doesn’t like the types of people you hang out with because “he doesn’t think they’re good enough for her” and she’s constantly reminding him thats not fair or true since she is still one of the and has been since they were kids. Rafe’s insecure because his friends say that if he doesn’t chill out on his jealousy she’ll probably dump him for one of her friends if she realises how much of an asshole he really is. -Maybe they resolve it with a Lord of the rings movie night with her friends🩵🪼

Nerd

Warnings: none

Wc: 2.1K

A/N: Hey! Thank you so much! I hope you like this and never be afraid to send requests

Once again here he is sitting off to the side not knowing what the hell you are talking about. You and your friends are going on and on about some fantasy book series he hasn’t even heard of. This seems to be a constant since the two of you got together a few months back. You would mention or quote something he knows nothing about. Normally he wouldn’t care because no girl lasts long but you were different.

Sometimes he still feels bad for the person he was when you were both in highschool. He can remember hearing your name but for the life of him he couldn’t remember actually seeing you anywhere. Which would make sense since you ran in two different social groups. Rafe was the typical rich cool kid that thought he was better than everyone else. You well you were the nerd in the front of the class that knew every answer.

Back then he wouldn’t have even thought twice about you. To be honest he probably walked past you in the halls and never noticed you. But one day a few months back he was out with Topper and saw you. He thought you were hot and wanted to get your number.

“Yo know who that is?” Topper looks at where Rafe is pointing to and sees you. “Yeah that's the girl from your homeroom. Remember the one that wore the stupid Harry Potter shirt.” Rafe tries to think hard but he doesn’t recall the memory. “Nah don’t remember her.” Topper laughs and claps a hand over his shoulder. “That was because she hung out with the nerdy kids and you were too popular to care.”

He honestly doesn’t even know why you gave him a chance. It seemed like the two of you were completely different people yet here you were. You smiled at him and every girl was just done for him. All of his thoughts were consumed about you. What you were doing that day. What your favorite color was. Even if your family would like him.

Getting your number and not blowing the first date was his best achievement to date. But that all seemed futile when he couldn’t keep you entertained like your friends. It started out small, you saying random quotes when you would hang out. He would always go “Huh?” then you would try to explain what you were saying. Only to say “It’s okay that you don’t get it. It’s not your thing.” Which only made him feel even worse.

It’s not like he hated your hobbies or what you were interested in. If he had one wish it would be used to make himself less moronic. That’s what it really came down to for him. He felt dumb.

You would tell him about the books you were reading or the shows and he would get a thing. Sure some of them were fantasy so he knows that it isn’t real but it didn’t make him feel any less dumb. He could hear how you and your friends talk when you are on the phone and they get it. They understand all of your jokes, quotes and references. For heaven's sake you even seem to laugh more with them than you do him.

It got to the point where everyone in his life was ganging up on him for his feelings. It feels like he can’t even voice his concerns without someone calling him out.

“All they talk about is that dumb show. I tried to watch it once with them and they kept asking me questions about it. “Oh Rafe, what did you think about Donna being their daughter?”, “Can you believe that David Tennet is back for a short time. It’s so cool,” I swear they are doing it to make me look dumb.”

Topper and Kelce share a look with each other. This isn’t the first time Rafe has brought up this topic with them. It usually consists of them just nodding along to what he says, not wanting to get too involved. “It honestly sounds like they are trying to include you.” Kelce says.

Rafe shoots him a look from across the table. “Man you don’t get it. It’s the way they say it, like they know I don’t understand and want me to trip up.” Kelce shifts in his seat. “Maybe they are actually trying to be nice. But you know they are nervous about having a new person in the group so the tone comes off weird. I don’t know man.” Rafe is trying to see how that could be the case but the piece won’t fit. “No, they are just not good enough for her. They can’t accept the fact she changed and is with me. It’s just some ploy to get her to leave me.”

“Well if you keep talking like that then maybe she will leave you. These are her friends she’s had for years. They just are trying to include you because you’re her boyfriend.” Topper stares back at Rafe, daring him to say something. “You don’t get it.” Rafe tries to start back up again but Topper isn’t having it.

“No Rafe you don’t get it. This is who she is, sure she’s gotten better looking. But deep down all that stuff is what she’s interested in. Those are her friends for a reason, that’s because they love her and relate to her. How long do you think you can continue being jealous of that before she realizes she’s better off?”

Rafe doesn’t say anything sitting there as Topper keeps going. “You’re lucky she hasn’t heard you say any of this. Could you imagine how hurt she would be if she knew how you were talking about her friends? I may not know her that well but I sure as hell know that it would make her sad. Plus what you don’t like them for is a part of her. She could take that as you not liking who she really is and wanting to change her.”

Kelce just nods along, agreeing with all of the points made. “He’s right dude. You need to control yourself or you won’t have a girlfriend anymore.”

That conversation has been playing in his mind for the past two weeks. Everytime he talked or saw you he would look at how you behaved. He knew you liked it but it never fully clicked that you really like it. You like reading fantasy books over anything else. You like talking about movies like Star Wars. Like dressing up as characters with your friends for some convention.

All of the evidence was right in front of him and he never fully noticed. It made him feel even more shitty because how couldn’t he know all of this? He was your boyfriend but was too wrapped up in his version of you to see the real you. But now that he is really looking he can see the real you and it’s better than he thought. You were even funnier when he got past the feeling of being dumb.

You even smile a bit bigger when you fully pay attention and comment on things. It’s not like he didn’t pay attention to you, just that his mind was often clouded with the thoughts of him not being good enough. He doesn’t get how he could be so wrapped up in himself and not focus on you. He’s been trying hard to fix all of that but sitting here not knowing what you are talking about isn’t helping.

All of your friends are commenting on different characters and plot lines. Rafe couldn’t even keep up if he wanted to. A hand resting on his thigh snaps him out of his thoughts. He looks down to see your manicured nails and the ring he got you. Enveloping your hand in his, he brings it to his lips to give it a kiss.

You lean closer to him, whispering in his ear. “Are you okay?” He smiles and wraps an arm around your shoulders. Making you scoot closer to rest against his side. “I am now.” You look up and give him a weird look, wanting to ask him what he meant.

“Hey lovebirds, what are you talking about?” One of your friends, he thinks her name is Sam, asks. “Nothing, just how hot he is.” You and your friends all giggle like school girls. “Actually I was asking what you are all talking about.” He took everyone by surprise, even himself. Usually when you have Rafe around your friends he’s super awkward, not really saying anything. This is the first time he actually tried to participate in a conversation.

“Oh it’s this book series I started called His Dark Materials. Technically I’m reading to my niece but it’s a good book so far.” Rafe nods. “What is it about?” He can’t see it but you have the biggest smile on your face proud of him for trying with your friends. Sam goes on to tell Rafe all about the book so far. Telling him that he should give it a read.

“Oh I don’t really read and never got into fantasy stuff like that.” The room went silent, all eyes on him. At first he thought he said something wrong, offended them somehow. It wasn’t until Becky shrieked that he realized that wasn’t the issue. “Does that mean you’ve never read Lord of the Rings?” The guilty look on his face was enough of an answer for them.

They all groan and you have to hide in his neck so they can’t see you laughing. It wasn’t like they didn’t know he didn’t find their interests well interesting. They all knew that but somehow had some false hope that he was a secret nerd like them. Like hello he is literally dating you, the biggest nerd out of all of them. “Dude how can you be dating someone who hasn’t read the book? Tell me you’ve seen the movies.”

His leg starts bouncing afraid that once he leaves they will tell you to dumb him. “Um no, never watched them.” Their groans get more desperate with his answer. You sit back properly and try to contain your giggles. “Come on guys, not everyone is going to like them.” His hand squeezes your shoulder, soothing you.

“It’s okay. Never had anyone to really show them to me. Maybe all of you can tell me what I’m missing out on.” That peace offering opened up a whole can of worms. You and your friends spent hours telling him all about the series. Even after you both had left it was all you could talk about. Then a couple of days later he was added into a group chat with all of your friends.

Sam: Welcome to our Chamber of Secrets

Sam: That was a Harry Potter reference btw

Rafe: I actually understood that one

Becks: See he’s already learning

You: Guys don’t bombarded him with messages. You all said you’d be on your best behavior.

Sage: Dude this is like big. We are letting him in the group. Feel special we don’t do this for anyone.

Rafe: I definitely feel special. Thank you

Claire: We want you to join campaign

Rafe: Campaign?

Claire: Yeah you know DnD. Dungeons and Dragons

Rafe: Oh that’s really nice of you but I’ve never played

You: She’s joking. We want to watch Lord of The Rings this weekend. That way you can see what we were talking about. But you don’t have to if you don’t want to.

Rafe: Phew I was scared for a second. I’m down

That brings him to Saturday, sitting on a tiny loveseat with you curled up on his side. The first movie was almost done and he doesn’t find himself hating it. He likes hearing all of the commentary you all share. Giving him inside tips about the movie he wouldn’t have picked up on. Telling him parts from the books he wouldn’t wouldn’t have known about.

“Thank you.” It’s barely a whisper. You were trying to keep your voice down to not disrupt everyone else watching. Rafe looks down at you, smiling before pecking your lips. “For what?” You pull the blanket to cover the both of you better, snuggling him. “Doing this for me. I know this isn’t how you like to spend your weekends. So thank you for sacrificing something for me.”

“It’s not a sacrifice. You deserve to have someone who tries things you like. I want to be that person.” You give his thigh squeeze. “You’ll always be my person.”

#rafe cameron #rafe x you #rafe x reader #rafe obx #obx

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simplyreveries · 9 months

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uhmm hii so i’ve mever requested something before so just ignore this if you like! uhm i’ve been watching violet evergarden recently and had this thought for a while maybe Jade and Rook (separately) as a servant for a Princess reader?? like the reader is a bit bratty and gets irritated easily and stuff? but she’s actually very nice?? soo she’s in a arranged marriage with some dude?? (you can pick a character for that or it can remain anonymous if you want) and the reader is sad because it means she’ll have to get separated from Rook/Jade since technically they don’t belong to her and belong to the the royal palace instead so uhm rook and jade comforting reader and stuff because the reader actually likes them and doesn’t want to be separated from them? kinda like in that one episode. if you dont want to do this it’s fine! you can just ignore it.

oml ive heard of that anime, but the only one with royalty themes ive watched was "snow white with red hair".. zen stole my heart when i was 11 hehehe

jade leech

jade is someone that loves snark honestly, he finds your attitude so entertaining and amusing to him. he only believed that you were just all bark and no bite, anyways. he always had a feeling that you were hopelessly into him as he is to you (even if jades loves more.. intensely than others..!) jade never seemed discouraged and upset when you would act all irritable and annoyed with him, jade would only give you a pleasant smile and ask you what else you needed.

an arrangement for your marriage was something that he was prepared to have come at some point, it's sort of the inevitable- also considering that you never once had given any kind of suitors presented to you the time of day. he would chuckle at that behavior and only warn you that this would make matters harder for you.

your tears were definitely a sight to see as you don't share this part of you often, nevertheless he'll be ever so calm and collected when by your side, placing one of his gloved hand on the small of your back in a comforting manner.

rest assured about the situation; I feel like jade wouldn't feel worried about it and tell you that you really shouldn't either. not to worry a single bit. I mean, who's to say something couldn't happen to this prince you're betrothed to?

rook hunt

he... is devoted to you so much that any comment or mean remark towards him does not bother him one bit, you could say it goes in one ear and out the other. rook feels as if it's the greatest privilege to serve someone such as you, he lives to serve beauty after all. assisting and being with you throughout your day is simply a dream come true for rook. you can't blame him for falling hard, can you??

when he sees you crying it breaks his heart--! at first, he was a bit surprised with wide eyes since you're rarely ever so vulnerable around him like this, he quickly was kneeling at your side pleading to know what the matter was with you.

rook feels lie it's a story, the bittersweet ones he reads about; forbidden love, oh his heart hurts! he'll take your hands into his and try his best to give you the most comforting words. though inside he does feel a sense of strange joy-- only to hear from your mouth that you do reciprocate his feelings. like jade, rook is intense and he always claims he's completely and utterly loyal to you as your servant. he'll practically do anything to ensure you priority is first. it's just so perfect that its him.

#twst imagines #disney twst #twst #twst x reader #twisted wonderland x reader #disney twisted wonderland #twst headcanons #twst wonderland #twisted wonderland #jade x reader #rook x reader #jade leech x reader #rook hunt x reader #royalty au

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gasstationsweets · 1 year

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THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR HELLUVA BOSS S1E8

okay okay okay- i just watched the new episode. i want to kinda unravel it all.

so, the first thing i realized is that there was definitely some connection between loona and tex (not romantic, obviously): even after she found out he had a girlfriend she still decided to be friends with him and still went to one of his “crazy ass hound parties”

second, i love how this whole episode focuses on loona and her life OUTSIDE of IMP. she isn’t just the way she is with all of her employees, but she’s the exact same way when she’s out and about: hard to interact with. but, like every episode, you see her confidence grow overtime, somewhat a character build up i guess.

though, when it comes to the aspect OUTSIDE of these things in the first half of the video, i wasn’t entertained. i honestly wasn’t.

then the second half rolls around, and blitzø gets involved.

he sees that he gets contacted by loona, and despite how mopey he is because of his shitty day, he still gets up and goes to get her. now i would like to point out that throughout the entire series, loona and blitzø have had such a hard time connecting but he will still be there for her and that’s something i love about him. she mentions how it “doesn’t matter” because she’s adopted but he still cares for her more than himself and that is a BIG aspect of his character entirely.

he comforts her and makes sure she’s okay. when she says she wants to give the party another shot, he is hesitant at first which is expected, but then said yes because he just wants her to be happy.

she felt so much more comfortable at the party the second she walked in with blitzø. it was obvious she felt a lot safer and she was actually having fun.

and she called him DAD ??!? HELLO ?!!! i’ve LITERALLY been waiting for this moment for SO LONG !!

later on, still at the party, tex and his girlfriend go up to loona and talk about how blitzø is “out of control.” at first, loona says that it’s fine and he gets like this all the time! once tex’s girlfriend mentions how he’s “causing problems on purpose” loona INSTANTLY gets defensive saying, “don’t act like you know him like i do!” he’s crazy, not problematic.

she finds him, drunk off his ass and making out with people, and drives him home. when they get there, she sets him on the couch and gets him water and a blanket. then, blitzø opens up to her about how his day was shitty. loona jokes around asking if that’s why he drank so much at the party, but then he starts CRYING.. he talks about his fear of dying alone. he asks if she’ll be there. as she covers him with the blanket, she says, “i’ll be there, dad.”

ANFJCJSNRIFJGLRKRKCJS

THAT IS TWO TIMES !!!!

the fact that blitzø knows he can open up to her and the fact that loona can care for him shows how much their relationship has grown. they still get on each others nerves but they still strongly care about each other and it’s now shedding out.

this WHOLE EPISODE just shows a completely different side of loona. her character has grown and she’s become more comfortable with herself.

also gonna mention the fact that the first time blitzø has EVER opened up about his feelings, it was to his daughter. sure, he was absolutely wasted, but it was still a special moment. when she walks away during his drunk blabber, he mentions stolas. before he said that he was afraid of dying alone. this proves my point from the previous episode that he DOES care about him, and that he has taken almost every moment for granted.

what’s crazy to me though is that i didn’t feel as.. attached? to this episode? i’m not sure why. maybe it’s just weird having an episode revolve around loona and her feelings because it’s just.. not something i’m used to seeing ?

i still very much enjoyed it though and i want to hear thoughts from other people :D

#helluva boss #helluva boss critical #blitzø #loona #vivziepop #s1e8 #the father daughter dynamic we all needed to see

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iistxrmyskyii · 5 months

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Sugar Bug/Reya Head-canons + Info

Recommended by @rozeliyawashereyall 💗

• Around 19 years old

• Uses She/Her pronouns and doesn’t put a label on her sexuality! She likes who she likes- no matter their identity

• Full name is Reya Lalokai (LA-LOW-KAI)

• Father’s name is Manu, mother’s name is Zuri

• Had a best friend named Aria who sadly (and very traumatically) passed away

• Has scars up her arms and some on her legs, and a large burn scar across her back from a house fire. She saved a young child from said fire at 17 years old

• Has a very flirty personality and doesn’t even realize it half the time 😭

• Incredibly good at swimming! She was born in a village near the ocean, and had her birth ceremony inside of the sea

• An absolute FIEND for sweet things

• She’s?? Actually kind of famous?? Like she’s been hired to entertain at incredibly fancy and closed off parties

• Reya called Aria her “Soul tuafafine”, which if I’m not mistaken, is Samoan for “Soul sister”

• Has scared the boys multiple times with her flexibility. She’ll be doing a handstand with her feet over her head and Bodie will walk in and scream 😭

• Hates seeing people in physical pain. She WILL actually freeze up. She can handle seeing strong and high emotions, but people in PHYSICAL PAIN scares her more than anything

• When Timmy was captured, she unbraided her hair and let it out in its natural curls

• Has the most hypnotizing doe eyes istg they are DANGEROUS

• Very adventurous! Always ask to join the boys whenever she can

• She is way too loyal, and would literally put her own life at risk for anyone and it’s honestly scary

• Astronomically confident in her own skin. LOVES her body, just sometimes not her mind

• Has the loudest sneezes?? 😭 She’s jumpscared people before

• I have to say it because I know some of you are wondering- Yes, Reya and Aria HAVE been in an romantic relationship at one point

That’s really all I can think of right now haha- Didn’t go into too much detail, but feel free to DM me and ask anything you want!!

#gator boys #gator boys oc #obsidian lantern #ocs #honestly my favourite listener design to this day #sugar bug #she’s so pretty #i would date her honestly

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catchyhuh · 11 months

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You once told about crying, so let's talk about the happier scenario: LAUGHTER. We were shown them sharing it a lot in canon but maybe you have some additional thoughts? Who would have the most twisted, dark sense of humor? Or maybe the cringiest? Who would laugh his butt off while reading some stupid text on the birthday card on the local shop? Does any of them snort or hiccup while giggling? Are any of them ticklish on some unusual spot? Do they prank each other? And what do they do to actually cheer up the others? Those kind of headcanons!

oh my god. i want to hug you. you’re right we DO need to talk about this!! peace and love and joy on planet earth!!!! all of them laugh when they see a guy walk headfirst into a glass pane and only two of them sort of kind of feel bad about it

lupin:

it takes almost nothing to make lupin laugh. and he’s not even fucking with you either he just sincerely thinks THIS much is funny but he has more of a control over his giggles than people might assume. he CAN stop laughing but he knows its obnoxious to people so he DOESN’T

he knows how to weaponize levity. like, he really does have more emotional maturity than people give him credit for (not that he’s GREAT about it, just better than people give him credit for!) and it’s been shown multiple times that he tries to use laughter to pull people out of their emotional pits of despair. he exaggerates his gestures, he makes weird faces, and since he’s already such an animated person you wouldn’t even realize it’s an intentional thing unless you really knew him

lupin arguably pulls pranks every day, but not on his gang. at least, not the standard kind. it turns out people with nightmarishly fast reflexes have um. pretty wild kneejerk reactions if you pop out from behind a corner to try to scare them! usually he just replaces unimportant items for the hell of it. sour cream in the yogurt tub. pens replaced with black straws. shit that’s annoying but never WILD. he saves that for the heists

jigen:

jigen laughing is (like so many things) ENTIRELY dependent on his mood. if he’s grouchy it’s almost impossible to make him laugh, even if it’s something he normally finds hilarious, but if he’s easygoing on this particular day it’s not. i mean its a REASONABLE level. it’s reasonable. honestly a lot of it has to do with the person it’s coming from too so it’s like. there’s factors. there’s factors to what makes him laugh. and oddly enough none of it has to do with his sense of humor. although in THEORY he would be the pickiest. it’s not HIGHBROW good lord not highbrow humor by any means, but he’s like. unimpressed with absurdist meme humor. probably because so much WAY wackier shit happens to them organically every damn day BUT YOU KNOW HOW IT IS

jigen. is a very loud laugher, when he gets to that very sincere point. like if he’s outside checking the mail or whatever and you’re standing in a bedroom upstairs on the opposite side of the house, and he sees a squirrel fall out of a tree flailing wildly before it just lands on its feet, blinking in confusion… you’ll know. you’ll know he saw that. and so will any house that happens to be in a 1 mile radius of the hideout. full lung capacity, clutching his stomach, pointing and everything.

fujiko:

it is not impossible to get fujiko to laugh. difficult, but not impossible. especially because she’ll just do that laugh that indicates “that was funny/entertaining” but doesn’t actually like. turn into real laughter. but fujiko sincerely, fully breaking into a laughing fit is like a haley’s comet level rare, beautiful event in nature. i know i said she never CRY cries but her eyes water up almost immediately the minute she starts laughing laughing, and her face gets all red and streaky. it’s exceedingly undignified. it’s so great

fujiko does admittedly find things funny the most in a like. objective sense. she’ll watch a movie and grin and be like “that was funny” and it’s like. ok then why aren’t you laughing? SHE JUST HAS A HIGHER COMEDY TOLERANCE. it’s not even one of those things she’s trained herself on. it’s just. being around these idiots for so long she has come to realize if she actually did start cracking up every time one of them did something stupid, intentional or not, she would have fractured a rib by now, and that’s just not super ideal for anybody really,

tied with jigen for the darkest sense of humor, easily. of course, again, unlike jigen, she won’t immediately start losing it, but her eyes will widen with this like flash of humor and she’ll just kind of smile tightly because she KNOWS she shouldn’t laugh at generic dead baby joke number 482938 but unlike jigen she cares at least a little about not seeming like a total ass. just a lil.

goemon:

less giggly than lupin, more giggly than jigen. goemon’s sense of humor is kind of hard to pinpoint, even for him. it could be something as simple as someone deliberately mispronouncing a word that gets his smile all twisted up, it could be a stupid pun, but he INSISTS he does NOT find others getting hurt funny. he insists. and then when lupin actually trips and eats shit and jigen immediately bursts out laughing goemon turns his head away like No No No it's not funny i will not laugh. i won’t BUT IT’S TOO LATE. WE’VE ALREADY LOST HIM. not above finding others’ misfortune funny in other ways though, he just (says) bodily harm isn’t funny. someone trying to step out of the rain and getting an entire awning’s worth of water dumped on them though, he will admit that shit is funny as hell

when goemon really REALLY starts laughing like, uncontrollably, can’t stop laughing, he just stops making noise. but he hates how stupid he must look with his mouth hanging open and no sound coming out, so he tucks his chin and halfway tries to cover his face, his shoulders just shaking the whole time. of course it takes a lot to get to that point like a LOT lot, so it’s amazing he’s as concerned about it as he is

zenigata:

zenigata WANTS to be like jigen in the “this is serious i'm mad at you. stop giggling” sense but he’s. not as sturdy in that department. he like draws his mouth super tight to stop from smiling and he’s like “this is not funny. stop. stop it. ITS NOT F--” and then he puts his head in his hands to try to stop laughing but it’s too late the dam has already broken

like with crying, he doesn’t ever really feel the need to stop himself from laughing outside of I’M SERIOUS CUT IT OUT type situations. like he gets giggly just when he’s in a good mood and nothing funny has even happened yet. and like with literally everything with him he’s loud. very loud. almost anything can get him to laugh, nothing is too stupid or juvenile despite what he insists. also sometimes laughs when he’s nervous, and it’s like, the only time he’s at a semi-average volume doing it. because he’s fearing for his life. it happens.

#i didn't get into it tooooo much cuz like you said it's pretty much spelled out for us just. IN canon. BUT WE LIKE TO HAVE FUN HERE #WE LIKE TO GET SILLY WITH IT. PART 2 LEVELS OF SILLY. MAYBE EVEN PART 3 LEVELS IF WE DARE TO DREAM #lupin iii #lupin the third #lupin #jigen #fujiko #goemon #zenigata #asks

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phoenixkaptain · 2 years

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I saw someone call Legally Blonde sexist and it makes me honestly wonder if they even watched it???

Maybe the movie is wildly different, but the entire point of the musical is accepting yourself and being as feminine as you want because stereotypical femininity doesn’t make you any less intelligent or capable.

Elle’s entire story arc is going from thinking that she has to wait for Warner to propose to her, thinking that she can’t look too desparate to get married because that will make Warner look bad, to proposing to her boyfriend at the end of her graduation speech. She learns that she doesn’t have to wait for a man, she doesn’t have to make life decisions based on a man, she can make changes to her life and circumstances entirely of her own volition.

The entire point of the musical is staying true to oneself. Callahan, the literal villain, tells his students that they have to change themselves to be taken seriously. They have to change their moral compass, and they have to win every case by any means possible. He mocks them for thinking compassionately. He doesn’t even entertain the idea that a woman who teaches self defense didn’t murder her own husband. He teaches Elle that she has to change herself to be taken seriously in any context, but no matter how much she changes, she’ll still just be viewed by him as eye candy.

Meanwhile, the actual mentor figure is Emmett (at least when it comes to law). Emmett’s song is the antithesis of Blood in the Water. Chip on Your Shoulder is about sticking to your guns. Emmett tells Elle all about his motivations to be at Harvard law, and his motivations and backstory fuel his entire character. He grew up with just his mom and the men his mom dated, not very good men, and he became protective of his mom. He’s there to make his mom proud, he’s there to make his mom happy, he’s there because he made this chance for himself and he’s taking it.

Unlike Callahan’s point of changing yourself to be taken more seriously, Emmett’s is entirely about how Elle doesn’t have to change herself, she just has to actually start putting effort into studying. He doesn’t expect her to change anything about herself except for the amount of work she’s doing. He teases her, but he’s completely accepting of her interests.

Emmett is the one who inspires and teaches Elle to be passionate about school, not Callahan, and it’s because Emmett’s teaching methods involve staying true to your morals. Staying true to yourself.

More than that, the entire musical is built on Elle’s relationship with her female friends. The “Greek choir,” the female students, Paulette, Brook Wyndham, etc. Enid is one of my favourite examples, since she has this line: “I used to pray for the day you’d leave, swore and down you did not belong. But when I’m wrong, then I say I’m wrong, and I was wrong about you. So listen up! I see no end to what you’ll achieve, that’s only if you don’t turn and run. You proved it to me, now show everyone what you can do.”

Enid is a feminist and generally, in the beginning, is snide about Elle, but she learns from Elle that she doesn’t have to be afraid of showing her own femininity. Enid is in a highly male-dominated field and she’s a lesbian; she acts more masculine and tries to fit in with the boys, and she does this because she wants desperately to be taken seriously. Elle shows her that she doesn’t have to pretend. She goes from looking down on Elle to looking up to her, and the character arc is just super sweet.

Legally Blonde is about as far from sexist as it’s possible to be. Just because a few characters (who are literally antagonists or are misguided and grow and change over the course of the story) are sexist, that doesn’t make the core of the musical misogynistic. It’s not, and to look at it that way is incredibly diminutive.

#legally blonde #legally blonde musical #elle woods #sorry i had to get this off my chest #legally blonde is fundamentally about accepting yourself #for more proof just look at gay or european #the song is about a man admitting and accepting that he’s gay #and that he doesn’t have to hide the fact #the whole story is about accepting yourself #it is so far from being sexist it’s not even funny #just because the romance is straight does not make a property bad #the inane ramblings of a madman #story analysis

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evansbby · 4 months

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Would you be willing to rank your favourite people from Vanderpump rules since you finished season 2?

Lol I like to ask all my friends to do that (we are friends idc what you have to say about that) and get their opinions after every season to see how much changed

Oh bestie I love you for asking me this bc I really thought I was yapping into the void and nobody cared about me watching this show bahahah

1. Stassi!! She’ll always be my number one! Of course she’s not perfect and can be controlling and bossy at times but there are parts of her that I admire so much. Like her confidence, how she has every man literally eating out of the palm of her hand and bending over backwards for her, how she doesn’t settle, how she knows exactly what she wants. And she was great in season 2, I love how graphic she gets with her imagery when describing things. Like someone asked her “what would you do if your boyfriend threw his drink at you” and she was like “I would cut his dick off and put a stick through it and barbecue it” or smth along those lines 😂😂😂 it’s so unhinged yet hilarious. I really felt for her when she found out Kristen and Jax slept together, and the way she staged the whole exposing Kristen at the club thing was amazing! That backhand was iconic lmfao.

2. Tom Sandoval. He’s problematic in season 2 bc he cheated on Kristen multiple times BUT he really brought the drama this season! Like he’s up here for entertainment purposes. And him punching Jax on the forehead was so satisfying. And honestly I did feel for him at times lmao. Him and Kristen’s drama had me sat and invested and was way more interesting than Jax/Stassi drama.

3. Kristen. Again, she’s super problematic but she brought the drama this season just like Tom so she deserves to be up here lol. She’s crazy though… like the way she behaves is honestly UNHINGED. Acting so sad about being cheated on when the whole time she was also cheating on Tom and with JAX is crazy. But she was super entertaining and I felt for her at times too. This season would’ve been nothing without her and Tom.

4. Kristina??? Idk if her name is Kristina or Katrina but the brunette skinny friend I feel like she’s so cool and pretty and talks a lot of sense haha.

5. Katie — she’s so boring to look at and listen to and her blonde hair was awful. But I did feel for her when her boyfriend threw his drink at her. I don’t understand why she’s still with that loser. I do feel like she’s a bit of a follower though, like she does whatever Stassi tells her to do.

6. Scheana. She’s just so blah! Like she tries to be fun and entertaining but her parts are so boring and she’s not bringing ANY drama. Like literally everyone else is surpassing her bc they actually bring drama. Although Scheana needs to be studied fr, she gives strong pick me energy and I can understand why none of the girls seem to trust her fully.

7. Jax. I get such an astronomical ick from this man. Like he just grosses me out at this point. His looks, his actions, everything! Like I can’t even hate on him anymore bc he’s so lame and nobody in the friend group even takes him seriously anymore. He’s 1000% a psychopath though, the way he felt zero remorse for fucking his best friend’s girlfriend who was also his ex girlfriend’s best friend. Weirdo fr.

8. Ariana. I hate her so much. Like I have zero respect for her and don’t care at all for her “chill badass girl” persona. She’s a homewrecker and the way she straight up lied when asked if something happened between her and Tom??? I don’t trust her at all. Lookswise she annoys me too like why is her hair so aggressively side parted??? Like I genuinely think Kristen is way prettier than her. Also joke’s on Ariana bc the way she probably thought Tom would never cheat on her. But once a cheater always a cheater and I know Tom cheated on Ariana like last year!!! But fuck her I feel zero sympathy!

#anon #vanderpump rules

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wonderlandleighleigh · 2 years

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(”Janine Caine” is my own invention, as another female comic of Midge and Lenny’s time. I didn’t want to use a real person this time.)

2010

“Lenny.”

Lenny grins, quirking an eyebrow at Craig Ferguson from next to his desk. “I like the way you say my name. It’s like watching Highlander.”

“You’ve seen Highlander?” Craig asks, laughing.

Lenny shrugs. “Midge wanted to see it. Sean Connery.”

“Aaaaahhhhh, I see,” Craig chuckles. “Can I ask you a question, Lenny.”

“That’s why I’m here. Otherwise we’d just sit here and stare at each other,” Lenny points out.

“We’ll get to that at the end of the interview,” Craig promises. “So Janine Caine was on the show not too long ago.”

Lenny chuckles. “I did catch that.”

“She says she had some steamy nights with you before Midge,” Craig says, lifting a suggestive eyebrow.

“It’s true,” Lenny confirms hesitantly. “I used to not like to talk about this stuff, but I’m old. *OOH LA LA* it. Yes, before Midge and I met, Janine and I had a couple of nights together, but I uh...I was still married and doing a lot of drugs- it wasn’t- I wasn’t good for her. Or anyone, at that point in my life.”

“She says that if you’d met later, like you met Midge, maybe you and she...?” Craig asks.

“No,” Lenny shakes his head.

“Really?” Craig asks interestedly.

“Really,” Lenny chuckles. “Look, I think Janine is a great comic. She’s so talented, she’s so funny. But what I noticed about her was that she was always on, and she expects the people around her to always be on, as well. And honestly, when I go home at night, I don’t want to be on all the time.”

“So your home life is very quiet then?” Craig asks.

“Well, sure,” Lenny shrugs. “You know, when we’re home, I like to read and listen to music, and Midge likes to watch movies and TV shows. So I’ll hang out in my study, and she’ll put something on the TV, and she’s got these adorable little popcorn buckets she uses.”

“That sounds boring!”

“It’s great,” Lenny shrugs. “And you know, it’s not like we never do things together. We watch movies, and go to the movie theater, and we’ll make dinner together and listen to music and eat together. Go out to shows and dinners together, but there’s no- there’s no expectation to be on, you know?”

“Right.”

“And the best part is when we get ready for bed,” Lenny tells him. “Because she’ll tell me all about what she’s watched, and she’s so *TOOTSY FRUITSY* funny, that it is always entertaining.”

Craig laughs. “So what, she gives you a recap of Downton Abbey, but it’s the wild, dirty version?”

“Exactly!” Lenny says. “It’s great. And she just wants me to listen, you know? I don’t have to be funny or clever, I just get to sit back and be an audience, which I enjoy very much.”

“And you don’t think it’d be that way with Janine?” Craig asks.

“Well, Janine wanted a sparring partner twenty-four-seven,” Lenny explains. “You know, she’d make a joke, and I would laugh, and she’d sort of try to goad me into making quips back and being funny with her, even when I wasn’t feeling like being funny.”

“So you think she wanted the stage version of Lenny Bruce all the time,” Craig surmises.

“Yes,” Lenny nods. “I think she did, and that’s just too hard to keep up all the time. You can really burn out on being the public version of yourself all the time, you know?”

“And that’s not to say you’re lying to your audience,” Craig comments.

“Well, I’m a standup comic. People coming to see me are paying to laugh,” Lenny reminds him. “Not every story I tell is true, but the ideas espouse are my ideas of what’s funny or interesting, or bizarre. But comics can’t keep up that stage persona all the time.”

“Oh, no, you’d go *AY CARAMBA* crazy,” Craig agrees.

“Exactly. Midge very much likes the home version of me. She doesn’t get agitated if I’m having a quiet day. Sometimes, she even says ‘feeling quiet?’ And I nod, and she says ‘Okay. Want a sandwich?’ And then we have sandwiches.”

“That sounds lovely,” Craig tells him. “I’m always blown away by how great you two are.”

“Well, it took time to get there,” Lenny reminds him. “You know. We got married in 65, and we struggled a lot between my addiction issues, and she had some things going on emotionally and physically that were so hard, but we both wanted it to work, so we helped each other through or *AY CARAMBA* and we made it. And I think Janine would have taken one look at the real me and dumped me very quickly.”

“Then why do you think she seems so jealous?” Craig asks, leaning in.

“I’m a fantastic lay,�� Lenny responds seriously, making the audience and Craig laugh.

“We’ll be right back with more Lenny Bruce!” Craig cries, still laughing.

#fic #au #tmmm #Midge x Lenny #Midge/Lenny #Talk Show Stuff

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miniscule-meow · 2 years

Text

Something Unexpected (16)

Writing Masterpost

Part 1

Part 15

Next part

Wordcount: ~2.3k

~*~*~*~

The party for their engagement finally rolls around. The staff around the castle had been in a dither about it for weeks. Day after day Princess Larkspur has had to sit, literally chained to a table making decisions that really have no point whatsoever. It was completely asinine. A group of ladies crowd around the table showing her different swatches of fabric, holding different gatherings of flowers. They ask millions of questions, what’s the color scheme, what type of flowers does she prefer, how should the table settings look, what color should the napkins be. They went on and on and on. It made her want to chew her own leg off so she could finally be free of the bindings and just fly out of there. She wanted to scream, “I don’t care!” at the top of her lungs, over and over again.

But she quells her frustrations thinking back to the conversation that Prince Oliver had with her. He told her to play by his rules and to be on her best behavior and that might earn her some better treatment. Do the opposite, and it isn’t hard to see how things could become so much worse. So, she figures she might be able to earn herself some extra freedoms here by playing nice. And besides, it might impress the right people if she does a good job, and that might earn her extra freedoms as well. At this point, she would do nearly anything to not have to wear the golden chain and be escorted around the palace.

The guards walk her about like some kind of dog, it is humiliating. At the very least, these ladies appear to be valuing her opinion. No matter how annoying it is, they are actually listening to her, she has to give them that. She is being treated like a proper princess, fulfilling the duties she is called to do. Apparently, if she had grown up in this cursed, backwards human society, this is the very thing any young girl would dream about doing. So, she picked floral arrangements, and she picked colors. She even entertained the subject of tablecloths and napkins for about two hours.

It takes the whole day for everyone to get her ready for the party. Her makeup is done for her, in her opinion it is entirely too detailed to be seen by any of the humans in attendance, but no one asks her. Her hair is twisted half up in an several elegant braids that come together elaborately into a neat bun, the rest is left flowing over her back in copper waves. She wears a green dress that is honestly stunning. It hugs her waist just so, and the skirts flow gently to her ankles. The front has a high halter neckline with a plunging golden mesh section that goes down nearly to her bellybutton. The back is nonexistent, allowing her wings free range of movement behind her.

Her wings shimmer with fine fairy-made jewelry that doesn’t incumber her flight, not that she imagines she’ll be doing much flying. She is absolutely dripping with jewels. The whole outfit is of course ruined by the golden band that is locked onto her ankle as she steps out of the room set aside for the fairies. Prince Oliver meets her at the door.

“Princess.” His voice is low, and formal. He barely even looks at her. He’s handed her chain and he simply attaches her to his lapel. “You may rest upon my shoulder.” He says this in a way that doesn't seem to be a suggestion.

Her stomach turns knowing that she spent all day getting all done up like this, just to be an accessory on his jacket. She’ll have to be his perfect little boutonniere. She grimaces and perches herself on his shoulder as he directed her to, unsure of where else she would even go.

This is going to be incredibly boring. She thinks dryly as Prince Oliver leads her into the grand ball room. Music is playing lightly from a string quartet across the room. So many humans are already milling about. The lady’s dresses all look heavy and dull, the men’s suits look incredibly stiff. This certainly isn’t a party for fairies. Lark isn’t convinced that this is even what a party for humans is supposed to be.

It’s so dull, everything is so rigid. Especially watching the humans perform their so-called dances. Everyone moves about like clockwork. Everything is so specific and planned. Of course, she cannot join in. She asked Prince Oliver if he wanted to dance, and he huffed a short mirthless laugh in response. She supposes she is much too small to participate, so she is stuck observing from the sidelines. At least Prince Oliver has to sit and watch and be just as bored as she is.

The night dredges on at a snail’s pace. People crowd around them, talking to the prince, and ignoring her completely. Or, they step too close to coo over her like she’s some exotic hamster with wings. Some cringe at her from a distance, as though she were some over-sized moth. She catches a group of ladies sneering over at her, then giggling and whispering to one another. Certainly they’re jealous that a “little thing” like her could have taken the prince’s hand away from them. Not that they would have had a chance anyway. Lark is very impressed that she is able to keep herself from rolling her eyes. I would gladly trade places with you, if I could. She thinks bitterly.

The monotony of the party drags on, but the worst part absolutely has to be the eating. All the humans are gathered together at one long banquet table. She is ceremoniously unpinned from her captor’s- or rather- her prince’s lapel, and she is affixed to her own place at the table. She is just on the table, level with the plates. They couldn’t be bothered to give her an elevated place, though they did make a single table her size for her to sit at. She supposes she should be grateful for that at least.

She feels an aching loneliness inside her heart. How grand it could have been, where her prince not a tyrant, where this kingdom not so monstrous. This party could have intermingled fairies and humans together in one crowd. This party could have symbolized a coming together of the kingdoms. This party could have actually been fun. But no. She is the lone fairy in the crowd, an oddity, a prize that has been won. This is only punctuated by her sitting alone in a sea of humans looking down on her, if they decide to pay any mind to her at all.

Before her is a mass of shifting hands, and walls of bodies. Everything is so loud. Cutlery scraping over plates, everyone is shouting and laughing and chewing. A hundred things are happening all at once, and she feels like she might explode.

It all comes to a head in one slow-motion moment. A glass is carelessly tipped over, spilling its contents all over her. It soaks her beautiful emerald gown with wine and the rolling glass shoves her little table clear to the floor. She flies up, out of the way of the glass, and is quickly smacked out of the air, engulfed in a palm. She is whisked up and away from the danger but the chain connecting her to the table snags taut and jerks her leg painfully. She lets out a small shout as Prince Oliver mumbles a curse under his breath.

She realizes all at once that this is the first time that he’s held her. Every other time they have interacted he has elected to touch her as little as possible. A guard would place him where he wanted her, and deal with her chains. Perching on his shoulder earlier today was the closest they had been. But now, his fingers completely surround her. He holds her just a little too tight. She feels her heart hammering against her chest, her wings pressed uncomfortably, but not painfully, against herself. She finds it hard to breathe with her face squished against his massive digits and his fingers constricting her ribs. She squeezes her eyes shut and tries to pretend that she isn’t being semi-suffocated by his clumsy fingers. She supposes she should be glad that she doesn’t have to bear the weight of a table full of humans resting their eyes solely on her. Think positively Lark.

Once he gets her unchained, he holds her cupped in both hands, like a child that has just caught a firefly. He excuses himself and carries her off, away from the noise of the party.

He plops her soggy form down onto a bathroom counter, letting the chain fall limp around her. The first thing he does is not check on her. Instead, he first washes his hands, drying them before taking off his jacket and setting it neatly aside. She looks down at her dripping gown, trying to wring out some of the wine as he rolls up his sleeves. He turns the faucet on once more, testing the water temperature with a finger before he collects her in his hand. Wordlessly, he brings her under the stream of water.

“Stop! Stop! Stop!” She shouts, completely soaked through. He jerks her backwards, out of the water as she sputters.

“What? Too hot?” He reaches a hand forward to check the water temperature again. She pushes wet hair out of her face to more properly glare at him.

“No! You are trying to drown me!” She shouts, all of the fear and humiliation from the night threatening to boil over in this moment

“I am not. I am just trying to help.” He furrows his brow down at her, setting her down with a wet plop and shutting off the faucet. Obviously, he doesn’t understand how being held in a loose fist and doused under a waterfall would not be helping the situation.

“You are not helping! This is so much worse! How would this not be worse?!” She flexes and balls her hands a few times, trying to calm herself down, trying not to cry. “Can’t you just take me back to the room and let me put something else on? This dress is ruined, my hair is ruined, my makeup is ruined.” She huffs, exasperated. “I’m fine, by the way. Not that you asked." She glowers a moment before adding "And my leg hurts, thanks to you and your stupid chain, but aside from all that, I guess I’m fine!” She’s shaking with rage.

Prince Oliver doesn’t even apologize. He frowns down at her, and nods. He dries his hands and collects his jacket. He picks up the end of her chain, like he’s going to walk with her down the hall like the guards to. If she were his size she thinks she would try to strangle him.

“Well?” He says, obviously impatient.

“I. Can’t. Fly.” She shoots back, obviously equally impatient.

“What do you mean you can’t fly?” He furrows his brow again. He does that a lot, she hopes he gets wrinkles.

“I mean I can’t fly! My wings are soaked, but who’s fault is that.” She sneers up at him.

“Tch. Fine.” He collects her in his hands again. It’s just as uncomfortable as it was the first time. Maybe even more so considering that she’s absolutely drenched now. It's clear that doesn’t like holding her. Well good. She thinks, because she doesn’t like being held.

She gets herself cleaned up, with the help of her ladies in waiting. They all of course want to know what happened, and after that they just want to gossip about the party. It must all be so romantic and exciting to them. She grimaces, but lets them keep their fantasy. Rose colored glasses and all.

They dry her wings, put her hair up in an attempt to mask how wet it is, and her makeup is re-done. She wears a new dress. This one is powder blue with sheer puffy sleeves that come to a cuff at her wrists. The top ties behind her neck, but the bodice is corseted below her wings. The skirt billows around her, though stops just below her knees. Oh, these humans will be so scandalized when they can see her ankles and her shins. Good, she hopes it makes one of them faint.

She is escorted back to the door, there is a landing in the human sized door where a fairy sized door is cut out. As she reaches for the doorknob she catches the tail end of a conversation.

“…A shame that you have to babysit that little insect.” It’s a woman’s voice. Prince Oliver grumbles something in response, but notably does not defend her. “You must not be having any fun at all.” She can hear the pout in her voice through the door.

“It’s not about me. It’s about my kingdom.” He says nobly, Lark rolls her eyes while she can. She clenches her jaw and quietly peaks out the door. She sees the prince and some lady that she might have met in passing at the party. She’s pressed up against him, her arms slung over his shoulders, he has his arms caught around her waist and is holding her close to him. Lark quickly retreats back behind the door, her stomach twisting itself into knots. She wasn’t foolish enough to think that her and that monster could fall in love or anything, but the realization drops in the pit of her stomach. This is how it is going to be. He will have his love, and she will be the decoration adorning his lapel. What a sorry existence.

But what he said is true for her as well. It isn’t about her. It’s about her kingdom. The sacrifice of her freedom right now is saving all of the innocent families back home from unimaginable suffering. The tension between her kingdom and the human’s kingdom was only getting worse and this arrangement brings peace.

If she was being honest, it could be worse. She could be locked in a metal cage; she could be starved; she could be dead. She’s still a princess. She goes to banquets; she wears fine gowns. So what if she’s kept on a leash and has no one to talk to. It’s for her kingdom. She nods thinking to herself, Alright. peptalk over, lets go finish this heinous night.

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buddieisgoingcanon2024 · 11 months

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I want to know the point of the unfiltered account now because let’s be real gurl is not even on the map in “arts and entertainment” to be important enough to have an unfiltered account…because legit the last set of photos have been examples of what real life is when you take R out of the equation…it’s literally just normal life with a few perks from the money 🤣. C’s performative faith posts have stopped fairly quickly and honestly interesting to see where her stuff in “arts and entertainment” goes because if that song “take care of me” is anything to go by she just wants to coast off of someone else’s money and talent to get the perks while doing the bare minimum herself…like anyone who knew her from the power rangers era knew she had so many 🚩 in this sense when she literally gave interviews being like “I want to marry a famous athletes or actor…” hmmmm what message does that send. Looks like she’ll have to back to the gun range full time but there are plenty of famous athletes and actors who show up there so you know C will probably be okay in the end 😂😂💀.

⬆️👍👏💯

#chrysti ane #ryan guzman

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darklydeliciousdesires · 2 years

Text

Beyond the Blood Tie - Chapter Three.

I felt like moving the story along a little bit, so here we are. Who’s ready to meet Angel properly? Don’t get too close to him, though. We know he isn’t hospitable... :p If you’re enjoying it, do drop me a comment, or offer a reblog. Help your struggling author a bit!

Previous Chapters - One Two, Part One Part Two

Words - 5,479

Tag list - In the comments. Please DM to be added/removed

Warnings - 18+ content throughout. Minors DNI!

Angel's POV

"Well, I think Edie made her point. I'll leave you to do what is best for you, which is to calm the fuck down and take your punishment like a damned man, son." The big, bald one they call Wilson tells me as he undoes my remaining severed arm from the chain beside me and carries it as well as the other with him from the room as he leaves. Son. He has a fucking nerve, being that I have an approximate seventy or so years on him.

Large, insolent bald guy aside, I have to say, I found that really entertaining, the severity of my punisher’s reaction to me biting her. Painful, but entertaining, as it honestly wasn't what I was expecting, and I get the measure of humans very quickly. Ursula taught me really fucking well. I didn't predict the ferociousness of her reaction, and I gotta be real and admit it; it impressed me. It doesn't mean she's won, though, although it does mean that she'll be on her guard over me trying the same trick again. Not that I could have the same end result, now they’re shackled me to the damned floor. Bastards.

I didn't want to feed on her, merely have just one drop of her blood, because that is all it took to have what I do now. My plan worked, and now I have what is known as a blood tie. I can feel her emotions, because my blood now runs through her veins, since I bit my lip seconds before biting her. That was my sole intention in getting her to come close to me, it wasn't just to attack her for the sake of it. Well, maybe a little. I'm hungry, and because of that I'm not healing quickly. The silver scorching my throat and ankles as I hang here without arms will not heal or let up until the contact breaks, and all the welts and cuts being punched with silver knuckle dusters have left me with will not heal like they should. It ain’t a good time to be Angel Reyes right now, guys.

This is, of course, what they deem to be a punishment for what I did, a crime I still do not see why I have to be reprimanded for at all. They intruded on my property, they were the ones after my blood, and they were the ones who shot two of my wolves dead when I emphatically fucking stated they wouldn't harm them. Sure, Astrid and Stellar both stood baring their teeth, growling with their hackles raised, but they would have only stuck on my command. I didn't give them that command, and yet he still killed them.

I'm not a vampire who goes around attacking humans for the sake of it. In fact, I don't mind humans at all. I don't like a lot of them, but ones I can see something interesting within I have no issues with. I still much prefer the company of my own kind, though, and don’t go out of my way to socialise with the living. Not even for sex any longer, but that’s another story entirely. I might tell you one day, if you're lucky.

Being stuck here for two months is nothing really, when I consider it. I'm a hundred and thirty-six years old, and if I play my cards right, I’ll have many hundreds and thousands of years ahead of me, too. Time just doesn't have the same bearing upon us as it does the living. Two months to me is like two days to a human. Not long at all. I know I’m gonna suffer it, though, with whatever the most aggressive punishment Edie decides to inflict upon me, being made to sleep standing up bound in silver and starved of my usual intake of blood. I can't even sleep properly if I'm honest, I just go into shutdown mode. We vampires can do that, we just stop and turn ourselves off from all around us, staring vacantly without blinking until we want to be roused.

One thing that is particularly hard is feeling the sadness in Ursula, as I of course can since she is my creator. She's like a mom to me, and sometimes, I do refer to her as that. Some vampires leave their creator and the two don't see each other for centuries, and some stay with them. I've never been away from her, and I don’t fucking like that the first time I am, it isn’t through choice. Also, I do not like being away from Charles and EZ either, the other two members of my vampire family, or Icarus and Thor. They'll want to know where their sisters are still. I'd buried their bodies before they arrived home with EZ on that fateful night. They'll now also want to know where I am.

Oh, god fucking damnit, how boring and painful this is. The pain I can withstand, but the boredom might prove more of an issue to deal with. Staring at a steel enforced wall will not sate my turning mind, my need for some kind of occupying stimulus. I was much like this as a human, and certain traits you had as a person do get carried over when you become a vampire. Restlessness was one of them for me. In all my time as a vampire, I have never done anything that wasn't something I wanted to do, and other than for my creator, I’ve never bent to anyone's will. Being here now, I feel angry and weakened, almost ashamed of what has happened to me at the hands of mere humans. I did not deserve this.

I've always liked being a vampire. Well, I have from the point I got used to it. It isn't easy, to go through the change from mortal human to immortal creature. It hurts to feel your own body dying while the soul within you stays intact, bonding itself to the dead, yet inexplicably enchanted corpse that is you forevermore. Granted, it definitely wasn't something I ever envisaged happening to me, but with the alternative I was presented with at the time it happened, vampirism was preferable. When the virus broke out, the MC I used to be a member of was off on a run, and only two of us eventually made it home.

Massive quarantine stations were set up, and we were confined to one of them along the route we were taking to get back from Northern Cali to Santo Padre. It was so massively widespread though, that people began getting sick all around us. The first member of our club to succumb to it was our VP, Taza, taken out on a stretcher never to be seen again. The second was Gilly, and by the time the rest of us were moved on, our president, Bishop, too. Coco vanished one night and never returned, yet none of the people within the quarantine station could tell us what happened with him. We think he probably called bullshit on it and left. Seems like something he would have done.

EZ, Creeper, Hank, Riz and I were all checked by doctors and told we were clean of the virus, so were carefully moved on into a smaller quarantine area. This was before it began spreading as heavily as it did, when things were still working. However, the rate that it spread at was staggering. The quarantine areas began to become infected too, more dead rising. The guys and I all decided we'd be better fending for ourselves, so escaped the centre and tried to find a place away from the rapidly growing carnage to hide away for safety. We found an abandoned house and made camp there.

We made it a week, a week until one of the reanimated found us and in the take down, Riz and Hank became infected by bites, the most common way it was spread. Riz died pretty quickly, and Hank didn't even wait for the virus to manifest. He left us a note and told us he'd thrown himself off a bridge, that he didn't want us to have to deal with him the sicker he got, and then have to witness him turn into a zombie and endanger us. Creeper went out on a run one day and never came back, and when we went out looking for him, we found him, scratching around, reanimated. It was fucked up, man, I can tell you.

I still miss them all. I lost everyone other than EZ to the disaster, same as many thousands of people did, too. Entire families were wiped out within a blink. Our mom died before it happened, but our dad, we just don’t know. We eventually looked for him, but he’d vanished completely. Same as my son, Maverick, and girlfriend, Luisa. She was so fucking tough, I expected her to have survived, but unless she was really well hidden, she and my boy, they’d vanished as well. It was a bitter pill to swallow, knowing they were very likely dead.

Anyway, back to before then, when we’d just found Creeper in his reanimated state. From then on it was just EZ and me as things began to shut down the country over, more people were dead (or rather walking dead) and America ground to a halt. Before the total blackout of power and media coverage, we learned Europe had been hit too. It was fucking unbelievable, like a nightmare that never ended. We eventually made it back to Santo Padre, that’s when we were searching for our family, who weren’t anywhere to be found, as I just detailed.

Obviously, our spirits were low and it was a struggle, to carry on after that, yet we did. Basic survival takes over at such a time, not that we were surviving as humans for much longer. About two months after the disaster broke, we were walking back to the house we'd barricaded ourselves into (climbing in and out via a high window, using a rope that the reanimated didn't have the co-ordination skills to climb) after going out to fetch more supplies, when we were approached by two figures literally out of nowhere. Those two figures were Charles and Ursula. They asked us if there was somewhere we could go away from the roving dead to talk, and just before we were about to say yes, something completely unbelievable happened.

As if things hadn't been bad enough up until that point, the two people we had thought to be normal suddenly grew very big teeth and moved faster than our eyes could detect to kill four oncoming the reanimated with some damn scary skills. Fuck, they just decimated them, I remember it so clearly. What they basically explained to us when we arrived back at the house was that they were vampires, and they were the only beings capable of killing off the dead quickly and efficiently, but in comparison to said dead, their numbers were low. That was why they were in Santo Pardre, teaming up with some of their vampire friends from over the boarder to try and thin out the dead.

They said they'd been watching us for a number of nights from the house opposite and that they'd thought we'd make excellent vampires with how resourceful we were, and how brave they considered us to be for fighting off the reanimated. We raided a gun store and liberated enough weaponry to be more than just well-armed. We found shooting them in the head worked very well, but the only problem was the gunshots made noise, and noise drew them in from all around. Decapitation was the next best thing, much quieter too. Machetes were sought, and heads rolled. It was kinda fun, actually.

They let us think it over, or more rather recover from the shock of finding out the fabled creatures we'd only ever encountered in books and movies were real for a few days before we had to make a choice. We both toyed with the idea for many, many hours, tossing around the argumentative pros and cons for each course of action. Stay human and possibly perish, live a miserable existence in a desolate and ruined country, or become immortal and see past this to go on and live for many centuries beyond it, too. We figured we'd lost everything already, what else had we to lose? Well, our humanity was the first thing to go as soon as we were made.

To regain some of your humanity again is what EZ and I have always been taught by our creators is of the most imperative importance. They disciplined us well for the first one hundred years, but let us let blow off a hell of a lot of baby vampire steam as well. It's expected of you almost, to enjoy your new found dead all you can, because let me tell you, being a vampire, you feel shit so incredibly more intensely than you did as a human. There’s a reason why humans get high as fuck off of our blood.

Anyway, I digress. When a vampire reaches one hundred years old, they begin to mature and calm down, and that is when they really begin to find a little more of their humanity again. Don't get me wrong, we don't become soft, we just get a little more poised, tolerant, and a little wiser as well. We also settle into our vampirism. EZ is doing good with it, but, well, I’m a little different. I was always the problem child, though. Some things never change.

As I've stated, I don't really have that much of an issue with humans, but I do have a problem controlling myself around them when certain emotions are stirred within me. That is the part of this humanity I'm trying to find again, one that I struggle greatly with. It happens, I'm no rarity. I know I'm a strain on Ursula though, so for that alone I really gotta try harder, instead of wearing her patience so thin. Even though this is my first time being punished, I have killed before. I have killed many times, but not for the reason you probably think. Vampires do not need to drain a body dry in order to feed to our necessity. Just half a pint of your blood is all we need take, unless we get greedy. When I drained those two useless sacks of sinew, blood and guts trespassing on my property, I got greedy.

"Urrrgh, man. So, this is the unpleasant feeling Charles described in such graphic detail to me." I mutter, while turning to look at each of my shoulders to see bone beginning to knit back together and form again. He lost a leg once, and told me all about it in extremely vivid detail. This is going to take its time, and already it’s fucking uncomfortable as hell to go through. That bitch assed punisher. Fuck her.

Oh well, at least they'll grow back. Then I can have the delightful fantasy of throttling the little blonde bitch who did this to me feel all the more real with two hands to flex at the thought of doing just that, wrapping them around her neck and choking her. Impressed at her venom I may have been, but she still strikes no feelings of mercy or anything remotely resembling tolerance within me. She may just be doing her job, but I can entertain myself by making that as difficult for her as possible. Hell, I gotta have something to amuse myself with down here.

Edie's POV

"See, see there? Look at that, he's got his heels on the back loops of the chains. Now look, he's moving his feet ever so slightly to make the loops surrounding his ankles move forward so they'd shake down over his feet, and eventually that's how he freed 'em. Wasn't all Edie's fault, he's a sneaky one. A sneaky one with a massively high pain threshold to do that, because silver on them is like hydrochloric acid times ten on us, so they usually keep still," Aileen announces to the room in her broad Mississippi accent after examining the disc playback of the video footage just prior to my attack, and showing her observances to all present.

It happened twenty minutes ago, and in those twenty minutes I've smoked about eight cigarettes one after the other to calm my adrenaline down. We're not allowed to be under the influence of any drugs or alcohol while on the job, or right now I'd be reaching for Aileen's ever present hip flask. She's a remarkable woman with a sharp eye, concealed behind very large, thin rimmed glasses. A remarkable woman who also only has one arm, nine kids and what could be considered a slight drinking problem, but she's awesome nonetheless. I'm beginning to think there's some kind of missing body part club going on around here. Ahmed with one eye, and Aileen with only one arm. I hope to god I'm not next!

"I still got too close to him, Aileen. I played right into his hands, regardless of the fact that not five minutes before, Wilson had warned me about that very thing. I'm an idiot," I lament, shaking my head and rubbing my now fully healed shoulder. If you apply vampire blood to a wound it heals up virtually instantly, and Miss Botts, who is the overseeing vampire here, offered to prick her finger on a fang and assist my healing by allowing me a few drops of her blood. I chose that over being stitched up, something I'm actually a little uneasy about. The very thought of skin being sewn, bleurgh, it grosses me out. She also informed me that she very much doubted he attacked out of pure malice, and that he probably did it for a purpose.

That purpose would be to apparently to form something called a blood tie with me, meaning he'll be able to pick up on my emotions since his blood is within me (she suspects he nicked himself on a fang and bled into my wound) and in turn, since by blood is now within him, I might pick up on little flashes of his own moods and feelings, too. According to her, I also could feel these a little more intensely than he will pick up on mine, because of the effect vampire blood has on humans.

She couldn't tell me what to expect, since no one can gauge how much of his blood dripped into my wound. The way it had partially begun to heal within, so she told me when she saw it, well it looks likely it was a fair amount. I can't say I'm happy about the fact he'll be able to feel what I need to hide from him, my inner feelings. In fact, I'm pissed off to fuck about it.

"It was a rookie mistake, my girl. You know better now, and you'll not do the same thing again now we've got him fully locked down. I still can't believe he wriggled his feet free, never seen one do that before.” Aileen shakes her head in amazement, reaching out and patting my hand as she smiles her lopsided smile at me, half her face almost hidden beneath the big trucker cap that is ever present upon her head.

Wilson then pipes up, adding his own two cents. "I ain’t ever seen that either, but apparently if they've an older creator who lets them feed from them, then it bolsters their tolerance and strength, so he's probably all pumped up on ancient blood still. Apparently, she went in to see him before he got took down here, so I bet she let him feed from her and that's why he's been such a crazy fucker since he got here. Edie, I want you to take as long as you need. What you did to him will suffice enough tonight, but after you’ve finished your coffee, go in with Ahmed and work on the guy he has in with him. I'm not risking you returning to the vampire this shift.”

"Ahh, the blood of their creator. That’s the only dead blood they can drink. Yup, I reckon you've called that one out correctly," Aileen quickly tells him before spit my own reply.

"Fuck that, I'm only a half hour into my shift. I'm going back in, as long as Miss Botts here says he's fit enough then I'm returning to finish. I have to, Wilson," I plead, looking over to the immaculately turned-out vampire with the pinned up black hair and poppy red lips.

"Considering what he did to you, I shall allow it. I must insist upon you not severing any more of his limbs though, or he will not be able to replenish them," she replies with a stiff nod, looking at me a little coldly. I can't say I blame her, since I just butchered one of her kind. At least she does see he deserved it, though.

"Edie, I just don't think…" is as far as Wilson gets before Aileen cuts him up.

"Wilson, I'm tellin' y’all, she'll be fine. Can I ask for just a few minutes alone to talk to her?" He exchanges a look with me and then Ahmed, my nod giving them the go ahead to leave the room, as well as the female vampire, just Aileen and I remaining within.

"Listen up, gal. I know you've got balls, you're going back in there just like a thrown rider gets back on his horse again, but there's a few things I can tell you that'll help. Those things would be as follows. Whenever a vampire is talking to you who you know is an adversary, they ain’t ever just making conversation. They're figuring you out, and they're luring you in. Everything they ask has an agenda behind it that you won't guess. They know how to press your buttons. Whenever he speaks to you, don't talk back. It'll give less away, and piss him off all at the same time. They hate being ignored; it really pissed them off because they see themselves as so superior to us.

“When you go back in there, you gotta watch that body language, too. I could see you trying, but you still made little gestures he picked up on. You've gotta be cool, still if you will. Totally poised like they are, so mimic him. They never give anything away, neither should you. You'll be fine, though. I mean come on, you went back in there and buried a hatchet in him until he had no arms. Good game," she tells me at length, wildly gesticulating throughout, winking and lighting one of her lethal filterless Camel cigarettes, knocking the pack across the coffee cup-stained table to me.

"I like that idea, not speaking to him. That could make it a whole lot more entertaining for me too, seeing him becoming more frustrated at me not answering him. Thanks, Aileen," I nod, reaching out and giving her arm a squeeze.

"No problem sugar, just giving you the benefit of my experience since my Trudi will insist on dating 'em.” Her words are delivered with a partially pissed off snort, referring to her twenty-two-year-old eldest daughter.

She's very learned on the subject of vampires, choosing to educate herself about them rather than follow suit with her husband and be ignorant and dismissive. She still doesn't much like them, but if Trudi is happy, then she's happy, as Aileen herself says. "You know, he reminds me of someone, that vampire down there. I remember this feisty gal we had one time, who kicked Kim straight in the face before she could even begin punishing her." She then adds, looking around the room in an absent kind of way before her eyes roll over to me and she begins to grin, laughing that crazy laugh she has. There was a comedienne back in the old days called Phyllis Diller who I've seen on the internet. That's exactly who Aileen laughs like.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," I mutter, taking a drag on my cigarette as Aileen just laughs more, quenching her rasp with a few slugs of whiskey from her hip flask soon after.

"He's a cocky little shit who needs some sense whacking into him, just like you were," she reminds me, taking another drag on her cigarette after placing her flask down. I did, she's absolutely right. I was a little punk who needed steering in the right direction. I still thank my since retired punisher Kim for that. She stopped her job when she and her then boyfriend decided to have children. She's a happily married mommy of three now. That'll never happen with me, because I don't want kids. I don't dislike them or anything, but I just don’t have the maternal desire to be a mother. Also, the thought of childbirth horrifies me. Some of the stories Aileen told me about the nine times she's gone through it, yikes.

"Well, this former cocky little shit is going to get back to it. Thanks for the chat, Aileen.” I’m met with that lovely, lopsided grin again, Alieen thumbing her glasses back up her nose.

"Just remember, I got my eye on you." She winks, nodding sagely before turning back to the monitors. I leave the control room and head back to my chamber, this time not pausing for a second before striding in and slamming the door behind me, heading over to the table and feeling the eyes of the vampire on me. I refuse to even acknowledge him by his name, even though I know he's called Angel. He's just 'the vampire' to me.

"Ahhh, she's back. Just when I'd begun to miss her," he drawls languidly, like he can't really be bothered to even speak. They all have that casualness about their voice, that slight something to their tone that makes it seem they'd rather be doing anything than talking to you. They have patronisation down to a fine art. Just like Aileen advised me though, I don't reply.

"How long are you going to ignore me for, Edie?" I hate the way he speaks my name. I hate it because it sounds really nice on his voice, I must confess. I don't give him a reply, though. Instead, I take the can of liquid silver from my belt and walk right on over to him. This time my heartbeat is as calm as the steadiest pendulum in the world, beating in my chest with a slow, even rhythm.

"Open your mouth," I order him when I arrive in front of him.

"Will you put your tongue in it if I do?" He winks, grinning. He’s so damned cocky.

"I said open your mouth.”

"You didn't answer my question,”

Keep firm, keep calm, Edie. "I don't answer to you. Open your mouth," I will not let him distract me. Eventually he does as I've asked, after staring at me in that eerie way he stares for a few moments, before a loud roar of pain fills the room when I blast the liquid silver straight down his throat, reaching forward with my other hand and grabbing his jaw to force his mouth open when he tries to close it in resistance.

"Ahhh, silence is golden. Or rather silver in this case, wouldn't you agree? Oh yeah, sorry you can't speak right now. Your vocal cords are too burned," I speak sweetly once I'm done, watching him gag and splutter, since of course he can't speak. I'm the one with the upper hand now, and that is how things will remain until he leaves. This will buy me only a limited amount of time, but one thing is for sure, as soon as I get home, I'm trawling the internet to find out exactly how long it does take them to heal from certain injuries. I know about their limbs because that was one of the necessary punishments I had to inflict upon him, since he took the limbs of humans. Or rather, he ripped them off and let them lie there bleeding out in agony for a while before draining them both dry.

I'm unsure how I feel about what he did, to be honest. Okay so yes, I'm punishing him for his wrong doings. However, I kinda think the people who were on his property deserved their fate. They'd have left him in much the same state, drained of his blood and deader than he is now. I think they call it the final death or something like that, when a vampire dies. Also, they killed two treasured pets of his right in front of him.

I don't have any animals because I worry about letting them into the yard at night, what with the occasional baboon you can find going through your trash, or worse, so I choose not to have a dog or cat. If I did and someone shot them in front of me, I think it's fair to say I'd be pretty heartbroken. I honestly didn't think vampires had any feelings toward anything other than their own survival, but apparently, I was wrong. They don't some feel things as intensely as humans do according to Aileen, but they are still capable of feeling the same emotions we do.

Still, I feel no sympathy for him. I just understand why he did it, but as ever I have to remain impartial. I cannot let my own personal feelings sway me in the case and that is something that goes both ways. I cannot be overly cruel and must adhere to the punishment guideline I am given, and I cannot be too lax either. Besides, the motherfucker attacked me. This is why as soon as he can formulate words, he gets the same again, and again, and again. I only stop when Wilson bangs on my door and tells me I'm done at midnight.

"Until tomorrow, Edie, I bid you and your nice ass goodbye." The vampire tells me as I'm walking to the door. I don't look back and I don't answer.

"What's up with this? I'm not due to finish for another three hours yet," I ask Wilson after closing the door.

"Miss Botts called time on it on account of the fact you chopped his arms off already tonight, so you get to go," he replies, jerking his thumb back in the direction of the staircase.

"On full pay?"

"Yup, get the fuck outta here, kid. See you tomorrow." He replies, while I beam brightly and do just that after retrieving my bag from my locker. A half shift, that's fucking sweet as. The first thing I do is go to the liquor store and buy myself a fresh bottle of whiskey and then grab some takeout chicken that I missed out on last night, heading home to sit in front of the television and crash. I'm doing no more painting tonight. I finished the kitchen this morning before doing a workout with my weights so my arms are really feeling it now after work as well. I plan to do nothing more strenuous than make my toenails look pretty.

Once home, I head into the kitchen and grab myself ice and a glass for my drink, and then the bathroom to fetch a bottle of nail polish. I choose glittery purple. I don't often bother painting the short nails on my hands because they just get chipped after a shift at work, but I like having pretty feet. When I go out with my girlfriends, Sasha and Miley, I often wear false nails, which are something that once again I just don't bother wearing for work. Can you imagine the scene? ‘Oh, excuse me while I just retrieve my acrylic tips from your cheek.’ No, false nails and work wouldn't mix.

It's just as I'm exiting again that suddenly, something flashes through my head like a memory, causing me to drop the polish and the glass onto the floor. The memory isn't mine, though. I don't recognise the quick succession of images, a large crowd of bikers and then a group of half-dressed women, and then the face of a woman with dark hair and green eyes smiling, and then the same woman screaming in terror, covered in blood. It goes literally as soon as it comes, and it is right there in the hallway on this first night of having to punish him, that I feel the first lasting mark this vampire will leave upon me.

#angel reyes #angel reyes fanfiction #angel reyes imagine #angel reyes smut #angel reyes x ofc #vampire!angel reyes #mayans mc #mayans mc fanfiction #mayans mc fanfic #mayans mc fic #mayans mc imagine

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bitbrumal · 2 years

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HEADCANON / ‘the god of love is lonely’ ↩ ↤ khioniya :: ‘aggressively chill’

khioniya, smirking just the tiniest bit as she comfortably lowers herself to the floor- does she feel the slightest bit Beneath Rosalyn ( @lalohefalter ) even in sexy ways no khioniya's not very good at feeling that but she's very content to let her queen make her queenly moves. if she'd like to step on a godqueen then go off girlboss- helpfully provides opportunity for one of her fave pastimes. does that ruin it? hm.

help i should write a hc abt this it's so funnyds fjskafjdskj she cannot feel lesser than anyone or -thing. it's illogical & alien to her. everything's equal; this here tree gets to punch me in the face if i give it due cause & vice versa c'mon now we're all fine. what is all this weird classist bullshit. bitch i became a god & decided we’re all equal anyway so how are u lot still being this wild about ur own inferiority complex-- cuz i felt this way before becoming a god so i’m js what are u being weird & weak for. tsk.

does she deem people / orgs / instances beneath her due to their personal choices? fuck yeah, that’s there - it’s not that she doesn’t judge like anyone else, she just... shuns the idea of better inherently just because the value of a living being or thing is not understood by the one doing the judging. ---but people who are beneath her aren’t beneath her, they just don’t classify as ‘good enough at being a person to be considered one themselves’. if you can’t leave ppl the fuck alone unless you need to fuck their shit up, you don’t get air. booh, bitch. die.

it’s part of why she doesn’t... do all the classist things as a ruler? like, you can’t step out of line, she’ll keep you well in there- but the line isn’t calling her majesty or bowing or giving her more space than you would anyone else, or letting her do shit you don’t want, or not giving your honest opinions on the proceedings.

I JUST WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW that i write a god who embodies all the.. ‘higher being cradling lesser beings to its chest & protecting it with higher powers just bc ur smol i’m big + divine territoriality’... but resolutely refuses to be aware of her position as a thing that is honestly terribly imposing to almost anyone, because. :’c she doesn’t like when ppl keep their distance so much. pls she doesn’t bite unless ur mean. ( she didn’t become a protector to be lonelier, so why is this how it’s turned out-? ) in an actually shit or at least not entertaining way ( she’s desperate she’ll take it. come be mean then, as long as it’s honest. refreshing. ) c’mon. come play? booh. she’s lonely-

ppl: gasp! a god. gotta be plastic abt this khioniya: well then i just won’t talk. at all. guess whether i’m mad i’m not gonna give you a clue until you apply normal people rules to me-

WHICH THEY DON’T. SO. OOP.

so it’s both a) genuinely too self-possessed, confident, & kind-hearted to see things as a hierarchy of importance. of power? value to a specific cause? sure! but not as generally inherently more deserving of consideration than others. b) yeah she’s not making that weird behaviour worse. ( except that she is. pls just tell them you want them to act normal- but the whole point is she doesn’t want ppl to do what they think she wants them to :c just be real ffs. & since real means distance to almost all of them... she has accepted this. )

#the god of love is lonely pass it on #hc ✦ her majesty the tsaritsa #the harbingers: gremlin atrocities unto god.#khioniya: aha. my kind of people. bet THEY'LL tell me how they feel for real!#:p

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punkscowardschampions · 1 year

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GC Party & Cali & Barly & Ronali

[okay so, pre-Ali’s bonfire night party, Cali go shopping for their ootns and then Carly comes back to the mcvickers gaff to help set up/get ready and generally have a nice time, girl Ro is salty because she has not seen Ali up to this point and she already hates Carly with a fiery passion, not helped by the fact that Tomeena are also around helping to set up and doing some cute baking for this party and they ofc like Carly and everyone is having fun together baking and kitchen dancing and vibing except for this antisocial autistic bitch lol]

Ali: [the way you make us feel so guilty and break our heart, Rosaline, trying so hard to involve you until it becomes obvious that you’re happier hiding away from all the fun but we’re still here feeling like shit in the background, as is your energy when you’re not being prioritised as much as you would like by this gal; at least everyone else is having a good time, even if Tomeena are in their not acknowledging any possibility of a crush phase here, it’s not unbearably awkward]

Carly: [I actually hate her because we all know that Tommy would also try SO hard to include her and also try his best to have a word with her about how Ali feels like shit without sparking ww3, meanwhile Carly has only ever tried and wanted to be her friend and is here doing EVERYTHING possible in the entire world to make Ali smile cos we all know she’s upset, do your best to still have a not unbearable time lads]

Ali: [she really is the elephant in the room right now in this era, until Tess just let’s y’all be in the same bedroom again because this has actually made her worse and we all know it but we’re trying to not give in lol, you better hope your sister is out, girl, or she’ll be dragging you out of your room and making you do something with her and Tess, like she also doesn’t have better things to be doing lol; ANYWAY, at least you four can do your best here to enjoy the festivities and entertain baby Rocky until he wants to go help Fearghal build the fire with the wood and random crap you’re burning, remember to check for snoozy creatures everybody]

Carly: [seriously, it’s blatantly obvious she only puts her mourning clothes on and attends this party at all because either Bea or Tess force her, it’s horrible and her bday is not gonna be one to look forward to either, but at least we have cali and tomeena flirty baking happening and Carly and baby Rocky are everything because she’ll just be encouraging him to be even more cray than he already is, then y’all can have a fun getting dressed up montage before the lads and any other guests come]

Ali: [this is giving a cosy, close affair so unless Tommy has invited any other friends, I feel like it’s just y’all and if Baze are making an appearance, the friends they are probably going to hang with somewhere else after, soz to Meena who will be feeling legitimately shy around these boys but you’ll be okay hun]

Carly: [I honestly feel like Tommy doesn’t have many friends because of the whole everyone thinking he’s a massive gay and everyone judging this fam as weird cos of joeray and everything that has occurred so he maybe has a couple of friends/small group of that are girls in his year, like the Savannah face for all that content I have, who he’d probably invite, but Meena is shamelessly his bestie when they aren’t in school, don’t worry girl he’ll be feeling awks around these boys too and like he’s gonna be hatecrimed, and I’m sure Ali’s nemesis and next door neighbour will be peering her head over the fence to see what’s going on which is funny and awkward too, thankfully these boys are chill and Moses isn’t allowed to gatecrash]

Ali: [that tracks to me, like atm Ali probably doesn’t have a shit ton because we’re only just out of the poisoning allegations era and y’all were a weird little trio then so she has yet to amass her many acquaintances but for sure that hoe is tryna peep and your parents are probably gonna complain about the fireworks like they wouldn’t do the same when it’s NYE or whenever because no one else is gonna be celebrating so it will be like what the hell, like Leesha, get over it lmao]

Carly: [mhmm, hence cali are friends rn and as close as they are because Carly has none either and has likewise been outcast, speaking of, catch her being the life and soul of this party because already high af from the second she arrived because she has to be for her crippling anxiety that she is only self medicating because her mum sucks, this sweet baby angel just making friends with anyone who will let her and giving everyone compliments and doing irish dancing with tomeena and the gals Tommy clearly made friends with through his dance and theatre clubs, playing with baby Rocky every chance she gets + Ali’s cat, it’s giving the vibes of that bbq we did when we did the cali era OG when Ali was dating k-stew, but Carly’s mood is gonna change when the lads get here because weird between her and boy Ro and weird between her and Bart, so she’ll be going even harder to try and mask that]

Ali: [very much that is the energy, everyone here knows you’re high but what are you going to do, kick this child out to be high in the streets, no, better to have her here where you can keep an eye mcvickers, you’re actually decent parents, despite your flaws; oh lads, the shaky alliances that have been formed, y’all probably feel so awkward, hence we’ve also got to go in making you feel at home, which means immediately finding you drinks so our father does not corner you, at least your garden is big enough ‘cos it backs onto the mountains that there is room in this garden to have a very definite ‘kids’ corner lack of a better word so you’re not straight up mingling with mcvickers and co lol, catch Ali holding Carly’s hand when she’s pressed these drinks into both of theirs]

Carly: [mcvickers are good parents despite having dropped the ball recently, hence poor Tess doing everything in her power rn to get girl Ro to join in with this party and eat something which sadly will only mean she’s there mute, reading a creepy girl book, and starving herself, but you know, Carly meanwhile do be pulling Ali away to dance like she really loves this song and they gotta even if she doesn’t know it because soz lads we can only deal with smiling and exchanging the most OTT yet bland pleasantries for a sec before we wanna die, even as high as she is, gotta go]

Ali: [her hands are very full getting the bare minimum from this girl, we get it; we’ll make that sort of face like oop, guess that settles that as we’re whisked away to dance, brb boys, we will find you, ‘are you okay?’ in this girl’s ear as we’re bopping]

Carly: [catch Ronan watching this intensely like cali are putting on a show for his benefit, soz sir Carly is just gay for Ali and everything she does has a flirty undertone, it’s not actually about or for you, and Bartley trying not to look because he hates when Carly be out here making a holy show of herself which alas is always ‘I am now, like’ back in Ali’s ear, playing with her hair way more than is necessary to uncover it, because lads, cannot be overstated here this couldn’t be less about you, she’ll never be happier than when it’s just cali having a time together and that’s the tea]

Ali: [not that, sis, when we have to remind you we have a ‘boyfriend’ so you don’t get your hopes up, in a subtle, non-mean way, ‘cos never wanna outright say the words again after that fiasco lol, poor Bartley, your crush must be a mystery to even you at this point because truly, never less of a time or place for it; at least no one is noticing you go red when there’s a literal fire right there, Alison, shaking your head and thus your hair in an oh you move at Carly, flicking your eyes towards Bartley actually subtly in a ‘what’s the plan?’ Energy without actually saying the words]

Carly: [when you laugh at Alison’s hair antics whether that actually tickles you or not, in a genuine I’m high and happy in this moment pure sort of way and we all know that boy and his crush can’t ignore that so as you’re looking over at him, in an undoubtedly less subtle way, because high as a kite, y’all accidentally catch each other’s eye for a moment and then Carly has to look away and literally bury her entire self in Alison because oh no that wasn’t the plan]

Ali: [doing your own laughter to cover the fact Carly is hiding right now to assure this boy you aren’t laughing at him here, no no, swaying so Carly is faced away from them and you’re the one facing them because you can handle it even if you are like oh my GOD right this second ‘okay, we’re not doing that’ in a jokey tone because we’re not mad about it obviously, just pondering what we will because the guestlist is too small for us to ignore them all evening, imagine lol]

Carly: [this girl like oh great I wanna die, even if we’re styling it out like a v romantic slow dance moment that we fully intended cali to be having ‘what are we?’ because she isn’t Ro and doesn’t wanna ignore them but also not trying to make a big scene about it either like CAN WE TALK because she is not that bitch either]

Ali: [‘we’re so dumb’ as you are slow dancing because this is awkward and you’re not used to that feeling, again, having to laugh at it though because not an emo bitch, this gives you an idea though so being like OH and dragging her to go find a bucket or some cards or whatever you may need so y’all can play a drinking game because that way you’re interacting but no one is having deep and meaningful because gotta focus, bring the essentials back to these lads like okay, let’s do this boys]

Carly: [doing an adorably sad and pouty face about how dumb they are like oh no I hate that for us but she can’t help but laugh too obvs, and also be buzzing about this idea, inviting tomeena and his friends to play too, whether they decide to or not, I like to think at least one of Tommy’s friends will fancy either Bartley or Ronan and thus be up for it lol, but then coming back to join in, absolutely sitting on Alison for no reason whatsoever except closeness so it’s less scary of a concept and the flirty vibe there always is, like okay, let’s play]

Ali: [god bless you guys, immediately picking a game whereby Meena can join in but not have to drink, like it’s just a secondary part of it if you catch my vibe, because you’re the youngest and not that girl unlike these girls necessarily so we don’t want you to feel like you’ve gotta get schwasted to be included here; just being that bitch to make sure everyone knows the rules and setting it up, whilst snuggling Carly casually]

Carly: [I love that and I love Ali for it because Meena is so young, they all are, and I’m sure some of Tommy’s friends are shyer than others/not as boy hungry and loud theatre/dance girl stereotype as the one is and he isn’t a massive drinker at this age or lowkey ever really, not the way Fraze is or Ali can be, so it’s nice and I appreciate it, as I do these gals snuggling always, I definitely also imagine tomeena playing as a team where possible which I equally love, whether it’s him taking the drink so she doesn’t have to or them working together for whatever these rules are]

Ali: [I know so few drinking games honestly but as it doesn’t matter, we can say this one is a pairs one perhaps so this extra girl can nab whichever of these boys she fancies, forces the other girl to go with the other one, which means tomeena and cali are free to live their lives, soz to that other girl but you’re probably still less shy than Meena and we’re not doing it to her haha, Alison do be lowkey competitive in the fun way so this will break the ice and y’all can feel more like you normally do when you hang]

Carly: [I think we should say the extra girl fancies Bartley because then that will keep him busy and away from Carly but also make her feel a type of way like oh, meanwhile the shyer girl, who is probably Savannah because she’s a bit weird, can be with Ronan and be fine because he only has eyes for Ali anyway/is nice and definitely the nicer of the two lads]

Ali: [that makes logical sense, storywise have Carly confronting if she too fancies this boy back or no, and everyone in the group is getting along, definitely grabbed some of the best food shamelessly so y’all are pigging that, Rocky probably wants to join in at some point even though he has no clue how to play so that’ll really derail the game into a toddler just telling y’all what to do to amuse himself greatly and feel so big and clever]

Carly: [mhmm, like, picture it cinematically, if this gal goes for it and kisses Bartley at some point during this party and in contrast to the cowboy costume matching moment when Carly did not give a shit, this time witnessing it she’s like OH, that’s slay of us as a device, but for rn she’s living her best life, firstly because cali are shamelessly winning pre-Rocky’s takeover and post it she’s as per encouraging him to be a little chaos demon]

Ali: [it’s v good, go us, me having just finished the ronali bit of that convo and him being determined it won’t be awkward, so clearly effort is being put in there, Ali would definitely help you set up the fireworks whilst everyone else is now happily distracted and the mood has loosened up somewhat, hitting him with a ‘hey’ like you’ve only just arrived]

Ronan: [lord, he would be trying, the boy’s a trier despite his every impulse to want to be as extra with Ali as Carly is being, bless him ‘hey yourself’ amused]

Ali: [‘alright, shit hostess, I know’ holding your hands up like I admit it ‘you got a drink if not a greeting’ cheersing your own against his as you say this, looking back at whatever Carly and Rocky are up to now, shaking your head]

Ronan: [a grin at her as he takes a swig of said drink like I’ll drink to that, jokingly, following her gaze and making an affectionate sort of what is she like noise about Carly, cos trying with her too after that awkwardness]

Ali: [turning your sights on this gal who has decided she wants on Bartley and literally hmming at this because on the one hand she’s keeping him busy and thus Carly isn’t freaking out but you also shamelessly think it would be nice for Carly to go there with someone who isn’t as horrible as Moses so you’re truly torn on it, shrugging as you turn back and return his grin with a smile ‘aren’t you glad you didn’t have to meet my parents now?’ like it could be more awkward, we should all be thankful]

Ronan: [again following where she’s looking cos this boy is probably quite oblivious as a lot of boys are but this girl is clearly being quite extra so you can’t entirely fail to notice, shaking your head at her whoever she may be, but you’re probably more in the camp of Bartley getting with her if anyone and leaving Carly be at this party and lowkey ever so, but you’re distracted from those thoughts by Ali smiling and what she just said, doing a subtle but apparent back of the neck scratch or whatever he did when things were awkward before, trying not to noticeably blush at remembering when you thought she wanted you to meet her parents, as he looks over at mcvickers trying to laugh it off like lol yep]

Ali: [from your POV, I don’t blame you for being on the opposite team, it could go disastrously wrong and it’s already awkward for us all and you don’t even know how much at this point; anyway, not as if we’re about to fight this girl over it, you can live ma’am lol, meanwhile we’re nudging into this boy with our shoulder because meant to be all bants here, helping him assemble/open/whatever needs to be done to the firework he is currently working on ‘they’re too busy parenting for our bullshit, so, we can do what we want’ trying to say that breezily and like it’s nothing but a good thing but there’s blatant tenseness because it is parenting of Ro we’re talking about, not the toddler you would assume]

Ronan: [Tommy is probably a bit like can you as my friend not get with this random gypsy boy who is friends with my sister and may or may not wanna fight me, but he’s busy with Meena as he always is when they are together cos he is a child of mcvickers and they all have the co-dependence drilled into them and she’s his person for it, ANYWAY, I’ll be here throwing out every cliche I can about these fireworks like his hand brushing hers a sec too long etc etc we all know the vibes ‘and what’s it you want?’ as a genuine question despite all the flirty vibes of his actions]

Ali: [Poor Thomas, no one lets you live ever, luckily for you Bartley is not dangerous and your friend can have her flirt and live to see another day, he’s quite shy so honestly this girl is probably being way more than he is haha; thinking about this for a pause ‘to blow shit up’ said like obviously and grinning at him now because lord knows pissing about with fireworks is the best thing you can do because you’re not a clueless boy so vibes are never lost on you]

Ronan: [have some fun actually blowing shit up lads because he’d wanna make her happy and it’s also something he’s clearly into as we know from Halloween, Tess will deal with the knobhead neighbours, Carly and Rocky having the most fun with this too + Tommy and Meena enjoying this romantic vibe which I’m sure his horny friend is trying to make the most of and poor Bartley is probably like please calm down]

Ali: [at least limited talking can be done ‘cos you have to light these fireworks and then run back as fast as you can, which is an amusing time, throwing yourself at the ground to watch these fireworks, love that you’re wearing such an inappropriate outfit for this, all leather, oh girl, you’ve committed now and you’re gonna be roasting lol]

Ronan: [we all know Ronan is watching Ali’s face and reaction to the fireworks instead of them because he is that cliche, Carly’s outfit is similarly inappropriate for the event and I lol, at least if you bought that coat instead of just window shopping it gal you have that to throw on the ground and lie on, but it wouldn’t surprise me if you couldn’t afford it and are therefore without one, should we say the girl is peak cliche and the kiss happens during these fireworks going off or wait a bit til later in the night?]

Ali: [hmm, like, you have no reason NOT to be a cliche, you are literally a drama kid so, you would, also gives Ali and Ronan a reason not to see because they’re too busy with said fireworks so let’s go for it]

Carly: [meanwhile poor Carly SEES this in caps and literally has to escape into the house because feels like she’s been punched in the stomach by it, I hope girl Ro isn’t in there lurking because you don’t need her being a massive bitch when you’re trying not to lose it]

Ali: [girl Ro you better know what’s good for you sis, you’ll surely keep your bitchy thoughts to yourself because she’s not with Ali and that’s when you hate her the most, soz that you’re not going to realise she’s gone anywhere until these fireworks are done with because why would you, tapping Ronan on the shoulder and gesturing for him to look at Bartley and this girl, even if they’ve stopped making out, it’s clear what the vibe is]

Ronan: [doing a lil whistle at them, whether they notice or not, because not fully being in their face @ them with it in a Moses way, it’s more at Ali like ooh get them haha]

Ali: [pushing him like don’t be mean but you’re also laughing a little until you’re looking around and realise Carly ain’t anywhere to be seen like oh, yeah, she could be in the toilet but we just know that’s not the reason so we’re gesturing to Ronan like hold on, just need to check something as we’re making our way towards the house]

Ronan: [catch this boy watching her go, utterly confused, because he rudely but very legitimately has not realised Carly is MIA, going to get himself another drink or whatever because everything is fine from his POV]

Carly: [but catch Carly literally hiding in whatever the nearest small space is to wherever she entered the house be it the french doors or back door or front door, I’m literally picturing her standing in a cupboard with all the coats or something and it’s the saddest but most adorable image]

Ali: [thank god it is Alison who finds you because anyone else would be so scared/confused to find you in a cupboard casually, we’ll be here returning the sad pout face and putting our arms out like come here you because we know, we saw enough when we finally did]

Carly: [walk into her outstretched arms like you’re a bub and she is the mum you deserve but don’t have, it’s giving the saddest game of hide and seek ever]

Ali: [have this cuddle, it’s okay girl, feel your feelings, we’re just here letting you say or do as little or as much as you want]

Carly: [here dropping compliments that are specific to this girl not just generic ones like she’s really pretty but genuine things about why we think she is great/well suited to this boy, with the unspoken being and we are not]

Ali: [‘they’ve only just met’ very gently but insistent because it is just a kiss]

Carly: [when you’re so in a spiral you can’t even register it’s not that deep even if you know it because you’re not cray, shaking your head to dismiss that like it doesn’t matter when it does, leaving her hair where it is as something to hide behind like 🥺]

Ali: [‘he was kissing cowgirl last week’ said in the same calming, almost sing-song voice you use to soothe a kid because he was and that was nothing and thus this can be the same, smoothing her hair, if not tucking it behind her ears, ‘cos she can hide if she wants to]

Carly: [‘last week I didn’t care’ because she truly did not and so she wasn’t expecting the reaction she just had to hit her at all never mind as hard as it just did, said in a um wtf is wrong with me kind of tone]

Ali: [making a noise like I know, I know because there isn’t logic to these things, and you can’t control how and when they happen ‘what would you like to do?’ because we can stay in this cupboard for as long as you like]

Carly: [‘poison her’ with a mischievous look in her eyes like lol ‘but your ma won’t be letting none of that go on, not on her watch, not again’ because if we’re serious about this we’ll never leave this cupboard actually, but the sigh that follows is more sincere]

Ali: [‘still dealing with the consequences of last time’ looking towards the neighbour's house even though you’re inside and can’t actually see or hear them kicking off rn ‘but for you-’ gesturing like let’s go and find the poison, as if you have loads kicking about]

Carly: [‘sure then, we’ve to head back outside ourselves, one less thing for her to worry herself about, what we’re up to in here’ said so flirtily as she pulls Alison from this cupboard in a similarly v flirty move but we’re sincerely going back as though there’s no other option because hiding in here forever doesn’t feel like a valid one for who this gal projects herself to be]

Ali: [‘all she worries about is boys’ rolling your eyes at your mother, the man-hater, as if she’s not proven to have valid reasons lol but hey ho, needlessly stumble out of this cupboard together like you’re dancing again ‘can chill in my room for a bit, if you want’ because there are other options but we’re also not opposed to cracking on, of course]

Carly: [‘they’re more of a worry than me’ as she takes this gal in the direction of back to the party and not in her room unsupervised like see, I’m a good influence and good girl because flirty 5ever]

Ali: [crowning her with an invisible halo, swooping your fingers ‘round and ‘round the top of her head, also changing whatever song is currently playing to something more danceable in your opinion so you two can do that for a while and not immediately have to go back to the group and try to chat]

Carly: [re-entering the party with another pure LOL because of her halo that I hope that boy hears, going IN dancing with Alison until the poor girl literally needs a break because she’s not high as a kite and then making Tommy dance with her which he’d love because dancing boy]

Ali: [at least all these peeps, Meena included, are dancing types, so you can fully let Carly be left in their capable hands and the lure of showing off like that will get that girl to cool it and go join the group, Ali throwing herself down with a sigh and a drink when she’s knackered from it]

Carly: [Carly defs doing the thing when she brings Meena up like she’s gonna dance with her but then getting her dancing with Tommy, catch this girl literally dancing with everybody in their little group but kissing girl and Bartley, even Ronan, cos really gotta make that point of oh y’all are too busy with each other to have a dance with me lol, but really she’s just mad at y’all haha]

Ali: [we love the complete lack of subtlety, babe, just here like oh, okay lmao]

Ro: [I’d like to point out girl Ro 👀 at Ali from wherever she is because a normal person would come over while she’s alone but she is not normal]

Ali: [that would require you having to move in front of company and heaven forbid, got to sit wherever you are sat with your book and barely move, never mind speak to any of these people, still, we will make our way over to you because we can feel your 👀 even with the attention being paid to all the dynamics playing out with the rest; gently nudging your book forward, to see what you’re reading, because it’s undoubtedly seasonably appropriate ‘did you see Leesha?’ because you’ve defs been doing your own 👀 by now]

Ro: [show her what you’re reading because one thing about this gal, she knows how to pick an appropriate book, but barely moving, so subtly doing it that nobody would see her doing so, likewise when she nods, only Ali is going to pick up on it]

Ali: [calling her, Leesha that is, something shady in the made-up language that you have ‘she’ll be after Ronan and Bartley now’ ‘cos she is that type of girl, shaking your head at her like oh you, grabbing some of the food that has been left by Ro and eating some, as if you can encourage her to merely via this although you don’t truly have much hope for it, instead talk about whatever fire rituals you guys can do on her birthday which is literally days away, as she wouldn’t join in with any of these festivities]

Ro: [likewise calling that girl something shady in their made up language but doing it by putting her finger over individual letters in the lines of the page of her book and spelling it out so it’s even more secret and just between them because god forbid this girl says a single word when there are people here she doesn’t want around, watching Ali eat whatever she’s eating like she’s starving because she is and even doing so out of the corner of her eye subtly there’s no escaping how !! she is about it, still looking at her that way long after the food has been eaten because ofc]

Ali: [‘whilst they’re gone’ like Tess and Fearghal aren’t here, you can, again, we’re desperate but not hopeful about this]

Ro: [‘no’ should be in caps because in contrast to her quiet and stillness up to this point, SHOUTING this loud enough that everybody at this party will be shooketh and stop whatever they are doing, because that’s how anti that suggestion she is, knocking the plate to the floor even if it’s empty or almost, with the !! of how dramatically she’s getting up and leaving because so desperately want to but cannot]

Ali: [oh what a party, getting up dramatically too, considering following her but you don’t know what to say or what to do if you were to, so instead kneeling down to pick up this plate and whatever food has been spilled, trying to not have your own little cry about this now]

Carly: [coming over and just silently helping her clean up/then taking her hand when it meets over this food and just holding it for a sec because you know how upset she is and it’s all you can do whilst trying not to make a big deal out of it in front of everybody, meanwhile Tommy will go after Ro even though he likewise doesn’t know what the fuck to do or to say because he is that bitch, especially in this era]

Ali: [just asking this girl if she has any drugs left because what else can you do at this point]

Carly: [you absolutely would, I’m sure, so put them into the hand you just held, whatever they are, from wherever you just retrieved them on your person]

Ali: [go run and take that in private so my boo can have Bartley and Carly interact, thanking you, ‘cos y’all are just being left here for a hot sec, Thomas and Alison have gotta deal with this separately]

Carly: [thank god Thomas invited several friends and they aren’t all boy thirsty af so Meena isn’t just left alone while he has a useless girl Ro convo with her while she’s lying under Ray’s old bed with her arms folded like she’s in a coffin cos just girly things, since I’m sure Carly FULLY intended to make her way over to these gals but soz I gotta have you be waylaid by that boy]

Bartley: [you’ll be fine girl, you clearly know these girls to some degree yourself, even if they are that bit older, you have some similar interests so; meanwhile this boy has no clue what Ro’s deal is clearly but now wants to because wtf was that, so just bowling over to Carly to ask as much because not a good look to ask the girl who’s all over you and she probably has as much of a clue, you would reckon]

Carly: [when you’re carrying on the clean up for Alison so she can go take her drugs and are thus UTTERLY caught unawares by this boy coming up to you, literally doing a me and jumping out of her skin 6ft in the air as if she has never seen this boy before and doesn’t know him like OMG, but gotta lol it off and lol at yourself because that’s who she is]

Bartley: [doing an amused snort at this reaction ‘she was pretty freaky, yeah’ giving calm down though about it, not helping to clean up because such a thought would not occur to you, nudging whatever she’s trying to pick up out of her reach with your foot ‘tell us then’]

Carly: [‘don’t be a gobshite about Ali’s sister’ so genuinely because will defend Rosaline even though she’s a massive bitch to us and always has been because again, who she is, an unamused snort back at his antics of thwarting her clean up efforts, kicking his foot very playfully, and obvs flirtily cos she always is, with her own like oi rude]

Bartley: [‘I’m asking you, quietly, like’ because you aren’t taking the piss to the whole group, which you could do honestly, the silent girl just shouting out of nowhere like hello, kicking this girl in her butt, not flirtily but because she’s either kneeling or sat on the cold hard ground rn so you simply can like oi yourself, miss]

Carly: [‘you’ve eyes and can see for yourself she’s not well’ because all we’re gonna say about it, we’re not going into the tea and the goss about this gal, bitch or not, getting up off the cold hard ground with a tut like um excuse you do not kick me up the arse thank you, standing with her arms folded like she’s so mad but her face is amused]

Bartley: [rolling your eyes when she won’t give you the goss because of course you wanna know, I would lmao ‘boring’ but you’re returning the amused look nonetheless]

Carly: [so would I sir, so would I, but Carly is too much of a sweet egg and too loyal to Ali to be giving you the goss, soz ‘your girl there’s the one for entertaining’ nodding to Thomas’ friend/the direction of, like, off you go if I’m so boring]

Bartley: [being so smirky smug about it because you’re a teenage boy and also not used to getting that kind of attention because you’re not Moses about this ‘piss off’]

Carly: [kicking him again, a bit harder like stop being the smirking emoji rn please I’m dying inside about it, in an irish dance move kind of way like she’s gonna dance herself away then, but not actually ‘you came on over to me, boy’ like I was here first and am mid cleaning up, you leave, but still playfully because don’t want him to fr]

Bartley: [‘stop bloody kicking us, you mental’ scowling but in a jokey way because none of the older lads are here to see you essentially playfighting with a girl about it ‘what are you on?’ ‘cos we all know she’s off her tits, giving that she’s taken amphetamines and is on a cleaning spree like a 50s housewife here]

Carly: [giving Ro’s outburst in a jokey way by getting RIGHT in his grill to mouth ‘no’ at him silently whilst shaking her head because gotta be the most flirty we can about it without even intentionally trying ever, staying that close to tell him whatever she’s on, like a conspiratorial whisper as if this is the best kept secret at the party ‘after some?’ genuinely because you didn’t give it all to Alison there is clearly some left]

Bartley: [pushing her head away how you do to dismiss someone without being properly rude like leave it out you because not okay about that casual level of closeness, nor are we after any because try to be a good boy about these things unless you’re trying to fit in with the older ones ‘and make as much of a holy show of myself as you? I’m grand for it’]

Carly: [playing with her hair because likewise not okay with his retaliation and how we feel about it, taking the BIGGEST step back it’s possible to take without falling over backwards like okay okay I shall heed it and move, that was still playful and silly vibes but she’s genuinely glad she did once he’s said that cos ouch, hugging herself like well that’s just mean ‘yeah, grand, you are’ sadly like okay normal service has been resumed and he is slagging me off again, cool and well done you sir]

Bartley: [shrugging awkwardly because you didn’t mean for it to be as mean as all that but you’re also of course not going to take it back because you’re like well, it’s true ‘her family are right here’ as if that had escaped Carly’s notice because we could never, best behaviour truly]

Carly: [‘and I’d have no knowing of how to be here without [whatever drug she is on]’ blurting that truth out because she is high enough to rather than try and defend her actions somehow in that !! way you gotta when you’re like I’M SORRY]

Bartley: [doing your own slight step back because you don’t know how to deal with this admission, blinking at her like oh, okay ‘I thought you two were close’ like why would you be that freaked out to be here]

Carly: [her entire being and posture once again screaming apologetic without her literally screaming her I’m sorry in his face rn because we hate that we said that and clearly didn’t mean to and now the vibes are OFF and we might as well be Rosaline levels of weird as far as this boy is concerned ‘we are’ in the kind of tone that’s like forget it/don’t worry about it/you obvs don’t understand and I won’t freak you out more by trying to explain]

Bartley: [just shaking your head because obviously you think this is a terrible coping strategy/it clearly doesn’t work but you’re not gonna say all that here and now, picking up the last of whatever needed cleaning up and going to toss it onto the fire without saying in a bit or anything]

Carly: [he’s so so right for that truly, go and find your BFF Rocky so you can throw yourself into being wild with him and try and forget that happened cos can’t even face heading to the gals atm when that’s the direction this boy is likely going]

Ronan: [meanwhile, you sir, go and find Ali in her attic like my boo and Winnie said, bring her a drink you can hand to her when you get there so it feels more casual and not like an ambush while she’s waiting for her drugs to hit]

Ali: [you’d be able to see him coming from your vantage point so you know it’s him and can have a hand outstretched with whatever drugs you have left in your palm like there we go, swapsies]

Ronan: [taking it because unlike your cousin you’re not opposed/cannot say no in this era and you wanna be on her level whatever happens so, get comfy next to her whatever that looks like, whether you’re on the floor or a chair is irrelevant because it’s the close to her without being !! in her grill bit that matters here]

Ali: [when the smile you attempt to do at him after your first sip of this drink is so sad, you can only groan and rest your head on his shoulder like for fuck’s sake because obviously they’ve not kicked in yet and you still feel like shit/mortified that the party has taken this turn ‘she’s just-’ stopping yourself like nah because not something you can sum up right now, nor do you want to honestly ‘fuck it’ offering him some of this drink to wash that pill down whether he has his own still or nah, just ‘cos]

Ronan: [stroking her hair how he do when her head is on his shoulder because genuinely wanna try and offer some comfort here and that’s such a boy way to do it, as is him saying ‘I’ve fireworks, still’ in a tone like if you wanna distract yourself by blowing more stuff up OR you wanna stay here and you’d have a great view of them, either is fine, because boys and men love to try and fix things with a practical solution even when there isn’t one and he thinks that’ll help cheer her and turn this party around, it goes without saying he’s taking her drink to wash said pill down even though he does have his own by his feet because of course he is]

Ali: [doing a little lol at the male nature of that gesture, squeezing his arm ‘good idea’ but we aren’t making any attempt to move or let you yet ‘feels like ages ago’ seemingly out of nowhere but you are talking about when y’all were up here because that was the summer]

Ronan: [‘it was ages ago’ as he hands her her drink back and picks up his own instead, fiddling with it in some way how he was the bottle or can before when they had their domestic but in a more absentminded way than how !! stressed he was then because we’re sad she’s sad but it’s not at that level]

Ali: [‘now you’ve had your birthday you wanna act all grown up’ smirking and nudging him with your head like it weren’t THAT long ago, come on]

Ronan: [a shrug because you don’t know how to verbalise that it was ages ago because so much has changed since but your feelings have not and it therefore feels like forever since you touched her in a non-platonic way and even being here rn feels weird, and even if you did know how to say any of that, you came here wanting to cheer her up at least slightly and none of that will]

Ali: [looking up at him and sitting up so you’re not lying all over him for a moment ‘please don’t be sad’ the sorry in the tone if not literally said because hate that we’re making you feel weird ‘I just thought we could wait out our come up’ because don’t necessarily wanna do that in front of everyone, doing your own shrug like you don’t have to though, obviously]

Ronan: [‘I’m grand, Ali’ sir you are not but I appreciate what you’re trying to do here which is to give I’m fine don’t worry about me rn vibes, putting an arm around her shoulder the second she is done shrugging like come on, it’s okay, let’s wait together]

Ali: [never take much convincing to be snuggly although we don’t really believe you because you could use it right now, I imagine there’s a comfy old armchair up here that he was on the arm of kinda vibe to you being in it, so you squish up so you can both be sat in it more definitively and comfortably ‘shan’t be singing, this rate’ because in my re-read it came up that he’d not heard her sing and he was like you’ll have to at your party then]

Ronan: [‘ah now, the ideal thing to do as we wait, is it not?’ nudging her like go on, sing for me, but obvs he’s not actually expecting her too fr rn]

Ali: [even with your level of confidence, just belting out a tune now to him and him alone is not something you can do, shaking your head and hiding in case you’re blushing at the idea like no, no]

Ronan: [do some singing of your own, which is probably not good, to try and get her to join in with you, some silly irish song because we’re deliberately trying to bring those casual just two friends here drinking vibes, no pressure]

Ali: [of course you’re going to because too fun not to and he is cheering you up with it, hence you are properly loling about this and remixing this song and putting it with another for your own amusement]

Ronan: [need to say y’all are drinking out of bottles so that he can blow on it and use it like an instrument to add to this fun time you’re both having]

Ali: [just having your own lil jam sesh here, you love to see it, pretend y’all aren’t sat that close together, mhmm]

Ronan: [at least Ali is cheered up because fuck you girl Ro and y’all have managed to kill time til these pills hit without having to have another awks af convo that’ll make jemily and you wanna die cos Carly has that vibe covered already after the barly convo lol]

Ali: [just here dramatically stopping what you’re doing to hold his head and look into his eyes when they’re getting all saucer-like ‘there you go’]

Ronan: [please resist the urge to kiss her even though you’re STARING into her eyes as intensely and big stroking her hair again and it’s a moment™️ because jali don’t need that level of drama thank you, laugh instead because y’all are high ‘ready?’ for more fireworks whether she joins the party or not]

Ali: [you do be high and it could have definitely gone that way as easily but my boo says not today thank you, get yourself down that ladder and race him to said fireworks thanking you]

Carly: [I’d like it on the record that Carly will throw her arms around Alison the second she sees her and be hugging her like she hasn’t seen her for a million years, so big that she’s spinning her around and off her feet and they could both so easily fall over, no notes, just buzzing this gal is back and happier + Tommy has defs given up with Rosaline at some point while Ali was gone and returned himself so the gang’s all here]

Ali: [the girls are back and we’re going harder with having fun in any way we can which means being more chaotic and messy about this, soz but it must be done]

Carly: [love to see it, I’m not at all soz, the fun doesn’t have to end until we rudely call time on this party cos poor Rocky has to go to A&E, up to that point, fill your boots everyone]

Ali: [we should probably let y’all have a nice time now, even if some of you are high and some of you aren’t, it can be okay lol]

Carly: [it’s deserved, no more drama and only good vibes for a bit please everyone, even if barly is awks af everyone else is okay and there are enough peeps here that y’all don’t need to be interacting]

Ali: [we got our point across with the reaction to him smooching someone else, that’s the main thing, she doesn’t need to let him know that right now, Ali saw]

Carly: [do we wanna move to doing aftermath of this party now with any of the peeps we’re vibing?]

Ali: [sounds good, who do we want to first because no limit to who we can do with who here]

Carly: [hmm, that’s the question]

Ali: [perhaps cali will be the easiest to start with?]

Carly: [good idea, it usually is, do you wanna start it or shall I?]

Ali: [I will, why not, gotta address that awkward vibe the next AM]

Ali: [give her the lowdown on this girl that you’ve gotten from Thomas because not your friend so you didn’t know much, just girly things]

Ali: See, not a thing in common, them two

Carly: oh

Carly: but it dont matter cos i fucked it for myself to be sure

Ali: ah no, he’s seen you 😵‍💫 plenty before, who’s he holding it against you this time, like

Carly: I said

Carly: my god, I said

Carly: no I can’t, if you’d of seen what he 👀 @ us like 🥊🔪🧨🔨💔

Ali: I feel like all I have to be saying these days are colossally stupid things, especially to those boys

Ali: it’s the hangxiety making you think it’s !! proper though

Carly: the lad for proper reckons im mental & how is it he’s wrong?

Carly: hes just not like

Ali: He does sort of think everyone’s mental, he’s quick with the insults, that one

Ali: I don’t think he really means ‘em as heavy as they come fast, you know?

Carly: ive solved shit’s what I know 🧩💚

Carly: even if he were into me before hes over it now from last night

Ali: Okay, fair, we weren’t being very good detectives 🔎💘

Ali: He does though, they all show it weird

Carly: nah he dont & Im to tell myself before I see him next & make a more massive dope of myself

Ali: You want to get over him?

Carly: theres nothing to get over he can 😍💋🥰💞😘💓 who he wants

Carly: its not me 🔎💘

Ali: But you want to, that’s something to process

Carly: ah ill be grand, be a new lad im after by this week coming 🔮🎱

Ali: Come on, this is me you’re chatting to

Carly: its whats chatted by everybody else & I told u myself im 🪀💜

Ali: But you liked Moses and wouldn’t have bothered with no one else until he did his own 180 on you, I know it’s never as simple as what’s on the grapevine

Carly: we’ve to talk about how the brave little big man is from his 🤕🔥🚑🚨🏥 carry on or your sister

Ali: Like it never happened

Ali: x2

Ali: In different ways, mind but

Carly: did though

Carly: to u & i love sharing my 🍭🍬 but baby I hate when youre sad

Ali: I don’t trust her to know when to stop with this

Carly: so what are we to do?

Carly: you know ill stop coming round there if it means shes better in herself for having you as her own again

Ali: I’m worried I can’t go back as far as she needs me too

Ali: that I’ve strayed too far now

Carly: cos of johno?

Ali: He’s responsible for a lot of it but, there’s so much she’s not done that I have now, it were never like that before

Carly: im sorry, it’s my fault, loads of it

Ali: It isn’t

Ali: she isn’t ready, I have been, ages before we even met and it all changed like that

Carly: idk maybe reading more books & 😍💋🥰💞😘💓 less lads would make her wanna b my mate too

Ali: She deffo has none of the bloody problems we do, maybe she’s got it right after-all

Ali: Ronan makes me feel so guilty, whatever I do

Carly: yea, me too, I get wrong off him all the time for not being you

Carly: boy, trust me, I wish I was 🙏💙🔮💜🤞🌠

Ali: get away with you

Ali: If you were me, who’d I be best friends with

Carly: away w ye being so 💛👼🌟🧚‍♀️✨🐝🌞💛🌻

Ali: I’m not, I’m a shocking friend, not one I’d want, he won’t be bothered much longer, guarantee

Carly: hes shocking if hes only bothering himself for your hole

Ali: My head is all 😵‍💫 poor boy don’t know what he’s to be bothered about, honestly

Carly: he dont want to have the knowing or hed have to put his head down and to what it is he is & isnt bothered by

Ali: and I feel like you wouldn’t be half as !! about Bart if I’d not have put the idea in your head

Ali: I feel shit for that now, like

Carly: its not for you to feel shit about

Carly: I shouldnt tell people whats in my head or how i am underneath the 🎇🥳🍄😵‍💫💥🤩🌟🥴✨😝☄️

Ali: Yes you should

Ali: I shouldn’t make you feel like you can’t, like everyone else

Carly: I told him idk how to be over yours w out 🍭🍬 i never meant to but he were going on about your parents being about & what a disgrace i am & I just wanted him to know how it is inside of me all the time

Carly: like hed ever ever understand when I dont

Ali: Jesus, why he has to say the things he says, and how

Ali: I really think he thinks he’s giving you useful advice, not just having a go but that don’t excuse it

Ali: He needs to stop

Carly: but hes a point, I do show u up in front of your ma & da

Carly: your sister hates me

Ali: No you never, if I cared, would I invite you round all the time, ‘course not

Ali: Ro doesn’t relate to anyone, it isn’t just you, I swear that too

Ali: they’re only paranoid because of the unfair rep travellers have, got to be the best boys or my parents will be looking down their noses… though I try to explain why my family’d be the last, they still reckon it

Carly: you care for the wrong things, caring about me

Ali: someone’s to, we care about each other

Carly: im 😤😠😡🤬 theres no more I can do to help you than it

Ali: My family is fucked beyond all our magic combined

Ali: I keep trying

Carly: yea, mine too, but I never used to know to try before u showed us

Ali: 🌑🌌🔮🌠🎱🎇💣🌌🌑

Ali: It’s all we can do when everything is 🙃

Carly: least you look cute 🙃

Carly: 🦇

Ali: [send her a pic of Rocky and his bandaged hand] know who you think is cutest, like

Carly: oh now 🥺 look at my man there 👶💪

Ali: He’s not been 😭 so we’ve no call to

Carly: ive no sleep for worrying of him, ive call to 🥱☕️🍭🍬

Ali: He does things like this all the time, you can’t be fretting, he’ll have your life and be bouncing off the walls like it’s nothing, trust us

Ali: 🥱 sounds good, at least I stopped myself doing the stupid thing I wanted to, no apology to him warranted, even if I still feel like it is

Carly: he can have my life idm save us chucking it @ some less worthy lad 👋💚

Ali: I suppose it’s a point

Carly: youre better w explaining, I’m beside myself u cant have my life & give that boy the telling of what I tried to

Ali: you’ll have another chance

Carly: perks of being neighbours like

Carly: yours were a real 👸✨🍰🐶🦪🍾🦢✨ last night btw wow

Ali: She shoulda come over, Brit party an’ everything, fit right in 🥴

Ali: just glad she didn’t try to follow the lads home, be after seeing her around your way constantly if she thought either of them was my boyfriend

Carly: hows she not 💭👀 poor ro ro is, sure, he must’ve been trying hard not to follow after you

Ali: He was trying super hard, even when I was a stupid mess upstairs

Carly: I should’ve come found you it was my turn sorry

Ali: I’m sort of glad he did, no offence, honey

Ali: how hard he tried made me do better than I were gonna

Carly: none taken then 💙👼💛

Ali: you’d be fuming at me if I kissed you just because I was sad and half high too

Carly: I wouldnt but your boyfriend would

Ali: He wasn’t at the party but yeah

Ali: idk, the vibes were off

Carly: watch him find out if it was me you kissed cos hes that in my business

Ali: maybe he likes you really

Carly: ha gas

Carly: u want everybody to like me

Ali: I really wouldn’t on that one, sorry

Ali: I’d look really, really stupid at this point

Carly: contrary to whats said I’m not after collecting em all ♠️ ♣️ ♥️ ♦️

Ali: Never hear the end of it if they were proved right 🙄

Ali: I shouldn’t have messed around with Ronan before, now it’s like, unfinished and weird and I can’t do fuck all about it

Carly: nor I, still, you had sense not to go all the way, better that than what I done w the boy

Ali: Is it? At least that can feel like a proper ending

Carly: yous can be proper friends in the end idk if he & me can

Ali: it shouldn’t matter

Ali: maybe it does, to all boys

Carly: 1 of these days theyll grow themselves up these 1s much as men ever are no more than big 👶😭

Ali: Distractions at best, yeah 😼

Carly: youre my fave distraction so I’ll be 👶😭 my own self you don’t wanna kiss us

Ali: Yeah, yeah

Ali: you know I don’t need 💋 to distract you

Carly: [her mum] is on it for the now

Ali: What’s [her mum] up to this AM?

Carly: [tell her about whatever random man your mum has over still from the night before because keeping the party going clearly but I don’t want to and shan’t think up the grim details, we all know the vibes and how not it they are]

Ali: you’re not up for doing anything then?

Carly: hes already asked me but it’s - craic to take your mammy’s fella from under her before she’s done w him, even Ive heard

Ali: I meant with me, girl

Carly: k 😁💛🌞🌻

Carly: loads better offer

Ali: Too right

Ali: ignoring I ain’t thought of no 💡 yet, I will by the time I’ve got to yours

Carly: I wanna go somewhere we can float off 🧜🧜🏼 don’t have to be the 🌊🐚 long as theres swimming

Ali: No ⚓️s just 💦

Carly: idk how i miss you when i saw you [however long] ago but hey

Ali: Too much in both our heads

Ali: a lot of it 💩

Carly: 🤯💥💩🧠 yea ive a headache & a half off it

Ali: same, those damn 🍭🍬 always do you like that in the cold light of day

Ali: Nothing sea air can’t fix for us

Carly: I love you & I wish that fixed things for us

Ali: I love you and I wish it too, baby

Carly: 🌑🌌🔮🌠🎱🎇💣🌌🌑 all we can do, how u said

Ali: 🙏🍀💘☀️

Ali: We can talk it out ‘til we know what to do

Carly: & if we dont we’ll let the water take us far from all of em

Ali: no problems in paradise

Carly: never ever ☀️🍦🍉🍹👙🍍🌴🤿🥥

Ali: just 2 👼👼 too busy for this bullshit

Carly: youre the only 1 who could say that & not have me think I’m being slagged w it

Ali: Shite at flirting, shite at slagging, sounds of that

Carly: 😶 I’m not at keeping secrets, owed or no

Ali: You should tell your ma her fella’s a creep, that’s no secret so you don’t need to keep it

Carly: she were there when he said it, nothing to tell when hes inviting me to fuck him right in front of her

Ali: That’s really bad, like

Ali: what the fuck [her mum’s name we really should just think of lol]

Carly: she reckons he dont mean it but idk how its gas or no better to be something hes joking about like

Ali: zero craic in being a nonce, idiot man

Carly: - craic but all of them have that

Carly: i could have my da come back round & not work it out cos he’d be after me the same going by her track record

Ali: She is to be ashamed of her taste at her age, I’m afraid…

Ali: will have to break it to her after a few [whatever cocktails your mum is about]

Carly: ah thatd be some good craic 😅 of the sort youre always to be relied upon for

Ali: all said with ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜 ‘course

Carly: course ❤️🍄🧡🐅💛🌞💚🍀💙🧿💜🔮

Ali: [at least we’ve got y’all out and trying to live your best lives despite it all, who would you like to do next, bub]

Carly: [hmm, let’s think logically here, who else do we realistically wanna do?]

Ali: [perhaps we post this bit and then think on ‘cos we’re just vibing and rereading rn, there are all the places we can go, including bringing the lads not at this party back on the scene too ofc]

Carly: [valid it is at 27 pages long]

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bouwrites · 2 years

Text

Those Warm and Halcyon Days: Chapter 10

Rumors of a Reaper

Ao3.

First, Previous, Next.

Story under read-more.

“Veery. A word.”

Veery frowns up at Professor Byleth. It’s not rare for her to approach him. She’s always running around the monastery spending time with students and for some reason, despite not being a student nor her responsibility, he’s no exception to that. It honestly baffles him why she spends so much time inviting him to tea or buying things for him.

The gifts are hit and miss for a while – mostly miss if he’s honest – because he has little need or want for clutter. He’s pretty sure Professor Byleth gives him nearly all of the things he owns. Admittedly, that isn’t much, considering that it barely includes even the shirt on his back. Still, he feels bad for a while, because she’s going out of her way to give him these things and he doesn’t appreciate them like a human can, but she just says she’ll get it right next time until, sooner rather than later, she does. They both discover together that consumables are great gifts, since he can enjoy them and not have to think about storage or remember to go out of his way to use them.

(He’s convinced Professor Byleth is subtly trying to encourage him to eat more sweets. Candy is a nice treat, but he doesn’t honestly have much of a sweet tooth. Truth be told, he can eat just about anything, and his preferences lie more along the lines of seal versus moose rather than sweet versus spicy.)

He’s half ready to entertain her for some training or sit through a tea party (which are getting less awkward. Professor Byleth isn’t any more of a conversationalist than Veery himself is, but she is getting better at picking topics that he knows enough to talk about.) but the moment he sees that her hand is gripping the Sword of the Creator on her hip he realizes that something must finally be happening.

Everyone is still looking for Flayn, of course, but not much progress is made since she goes missing. Veery is naturally still sniffing, and regular patrols have been started again, in pairs rather than lone patrollers this time, but he’s putting his hopes in Yuri, honestly. Even if Yuri doesn’t know what a trap is.

It’s been nearly three weeks. Veery will be surprised if she’s alive after all this time.

Seteth might go completely mad if they find Flayn dead, but he definitely will if they don’t find her at all. Veery may not be fond of the man (he’s scary, and not very nice) but he’s not about to give up just because he doesn’t think they’ll meet a good end.

Veery isn’t that kind of person. After all, he comes to Fódlan fully expecting to meet a bad end at the hands of humans. A bad end doesn’t mean it’s not worth trying for, and it doesn’t always end the way they think. Veery himself being the case and point.

So, he stands, shakes the grass off his fur, and shifts back to ask Professor Byleth what he can do.

“I just got word from Yuri,” Professor Byleth explains as she leads the way through the monastery. “He can’t find the exact location Flayn is being kept in, but there is odd activity in the tunnels around the staff quarters.”

Veery frowns. “Meaning… one of the staff is messing around in the tunnels under the monastery?”

“That’s right,” Professor Byleth says with that now-familiar neutrality. Veery himself is more disquieted, though hardly surprised. The staff is who he trusts the least here, among the Officer’s Academy, if he has to generalize. “I’m hoping that now that we’ve narrowed down a possible area, you can sniff out something.”

Veery purses his lips. “I know the Death Knight’s scent, but that’s just his armor. It should linger on him if he doesn’t bathe, or if he is one of the staff, I might be able to sniff out the armor if it’s hidden in their room.”

Professor Byleth nods. “Give it a try.”

“Okay. Um…” They get into the staff area, ignoring the looks the Knight of Seiros around give them, and Veery closes his eyes. The Death Knight. That armor. It has that familiar tang of metal, almost a cold smell, but it’s different from iron or steel. Iron stinks and fills up the air with a bright, stinging sharpness. The Death Knight’s armor is dark, almost heady in its own way. It’s more subtle than iron, which will make it difficult to pinpoint in the middle of Garreg Mach where the stink of iron fills up everything, but Veery is getting pretty good at ignoring that nowadays. “Hm…”

Nothing. If it’s here, though, he’ll find it. Veery starts walking. He opens his eyes to do so, and sees Professor Byleth following him silently, but he stops every now and then to focus as much on the scents as he can.

Alcohol – bad stuff, gross. Leather, iron, that curious scent of rain that seems to follow Catherine, ink, paper, dust, stone, sweat, hay, horses, perfume…

Hang on.

Veery sniffs again. That perfume… it’s hard to place, but it nags at Veery. Is this what he scents underneath the Death Knight’s armor during the battle in Abyss? He can’t say for sure, but he can say for sure that that scent bothers him back then, too, and if he’s picking it up from one of the staff, that could explain why it bothers him so much. It’s familiar.

Too suspicious not to follow. Veery doesn’t need Claude to tell him that. “It’s not the armor,” Veery says for Professor Byleth’s sake, “but… I want to follow something.”

Professor Byleth nods, so he leads the way.

It’s not far. The scent leads him to just another room in the long line of them, not at all unlike his own or Professor Byleth’s (who, for some reason, lives among the students rather than the professors, but that’s not Veery’s business).

“Whose room is this?” Veery asks.

Byleth looks at the door. “Professor Jeritza’s.”

Veery frowns and sniffs. No armor, but… “Can I go inside?”

Professor Byleth strides forward with no hesitation and kicks the door in. She stands there in the doorway, looking inside for a moment, and then steps aside, gesturing for Veery to go in.

That’s… not really what Veery means to happen, but okay. Sift out the scent of splintered wood, focus on the perfume. He’s here for a reason. He heads to the center of the room, sniffs, then gets a little closer to the bed and sniffs again.

There it is. It’s faded, so the armor isn’t here right now, but it’s been here. Or the one wearing it was without bathing first. And when the armor mixes with the perfume, the doubt leaves Veery’s mind. “Professor Jeritza is the Death Knight,” he says.

“You’re certain?” Professor Byleth asks.

“Definitely. This is the same scent. Unless the Death Knight happens to use the exact same perfume, and sat on Professor Jeritza’s bed recently, it’s him.”

Professor Byleth’s eyebrows twitch together just the slightest amount. “I’m not sure where he’s meant to be at the moment. We should report this to Lady Rhea and Seteth immediately. They’ll know where we can find him.” They share a nod, and then Professor Byleth stoically puts her hand on his head. “Good job.”

Her words are congratulatory, but Veery still doesn’t particularly like being petted. He recognizes the gesture for what it is, though, and knows she does the same to her students so it’s not just because he’s a cat. That helps.

Pride does bloom in his chest. It takes too long, and they still need to find both Professor Jeritza and Flayn, but Veery manages to help in this investigation. He’s not completely useless here. It’s nice to be useful and to be appreciated for it.

Until things go to shit, of course. Because of course it does. Veery doesn’t even realize anything is happening when Professor Byleth suddenly grabs his arm and yanks him roughly towards the door. He yelps but is completely unable to fight her in his surprise.

Then, before he can recover, he feels a punch to his back. He recoils reflexively but stops short when his eyes lower and see the bloody blade emerging from his abdomen.

He doesn’t have time to think, or even really register the sight, before there’s an immense, searing pain as the blade is twisted and pulled out and he falls to the floor.

Professor Byleth yells, screams, and a series of other voices join her. Sounds blur into a homogenous cacophony roaring in his ears. His head hurts, his abdomen is on fire, everything is too warm and too cold and toppling over itself and he…

He rouses, groaning and shaking his head and someone shouts, and he can’t even feel if his ears press back like they should. It’s too loud regardless. Gods, the pain. Veery wants to know what’s happening, but he can’t see or think straight. Too many voices. Claude?

Marianne. Her voice makes it a little easier to think. He…

He rouses, feeling like he’s buried in snow during an Albinean winter, except for his abdomen which is still burning. He wants to… there’s something he’s supposed to…

He rouses, and panics, because there’s too much movement for safety. Safety is quiet and sheltered and alone, but he’s being jostled, carried maybe, and there are voices. Not alone. Not safe. He tries to fight, but he ends up only clutching his stomach. Every movement to escape feels like he’s being torn in half. He needs to…

He rouses, and his fur stands on end. He knows enough about that feeling to know it’s not safe. When he opens his eyes, there’s too much light. He flinches back, hissing at the pain in his eyes and head and stomach and someone’s yelling – not safe. Somehow, he finds the strength to shift. Bad idea, but he’s not passing out yet. Not so easily. There’s still someone here. He growls, scared, cornered, shaking his head to clear it enough to see his enemy. If he doesn’t get out, get away, humans will… humans will…

He’s… going to end like all the other agell. A predictable, gruesome fate. He wishes… he hopes…

Veery rouses.

Wherever he is, it’s quiet. There are scents… blood, soap, vulnerary, linen, wood. Other things, harder to identify. Not things he’s familiar with. People. Humans.

His heart hammers against his chest – Mercedes… not a bad human. Manuela, more questionable. Claude. Marianne. Seteth. Rhea? As Veery’s head returns to him, this one stands out as odd. Linhardt, Caspar, Sylvain, Petra, Dorothea, Leonie, Lorenz, Hilda, Byleth. There’s more, too. Edelgard, maybe? That Cyril, probably on errands. This is the infirmary. Flayn.

Flayn?

There are sounds. Steady breathing, soft and slow, from four sources. Flayn – Professor Byleth must find her while Veery is unconscious – weakest of all, to his left, the smallest of breaths and the smallest of whimpers. Another steady and strong, sleeping like Flayn, behind him. Seteth. Here for Flayn, no doubt. Someone else, in another bed to Veery’s right. Veery doesn’t know their scent. Another like Seteth’s to his left. Manuela. It’s her infirmary, but Veery still feels his skin crawl. He doesn’t like that she has him so vulnerable.

He’s probably only alive thanks to her. He’s ungrateful. Maybe she deserves some… not trust, but hope. Maybe he should hope for her to be good, too. Hope that she isn’t what the stories he heard of humans tell that she is. He still doesn’t like thinking that she uses her magic on him without him even being awake for it. Better Mercedes, or Marianne, or even Linhardt.

There’s… he’s shifted. Why is he shifted? He is caught off guard, isn’t he? So, he shouldn’t be shifted. He doesn’t collapse shifted. He shifts back and immediately cries out a strangled gasp of pain as he tries to muffle himself.

There’s light. Streaming through the window, there’s light. It makes Manuela and Seteth’s features both clear as day as they leap up from their seats, Seteth going to Flayn first, unthinking, but Manuela on him like a hunter on prey.

“Do not do that again,” Manuela says sternly, already holding her hand over Veery’s wound. Wrapped, but the bandages are red (Again? He can’t say.) and fall away with his change in body shape. “No more shifting until you’re healed. Understand?”

She can’t possibly be serious. Veery tries weakly to push her away. A chance he might give her, but to tell him not to be half of himself? That’s ridiculous.

“Veery, please, calm yourself,” Seteth says, kneeling now by his bed. “Take deep breaths. Professor Manuela will not hurt you. She is trying to tend to your wound.”

Veery shakes his head, gritting his teeth. Seteth has no chance. No trust. Rhea’s hand. Slaughtering untrained militia, clergy who have already surrendered, disowned and unloved sons. All the vulnerable, all the weak, she kills. It’s a classic strategy for hunting, but she uses it for sport.

Veery’s weak now. Vulnerable. He can’t trust Rhea, so he can’t trust Seteth. He growls. It’s an inhuman sound, despite him not being shifted. Anything to make them both get away from him. He’s… he’s so scared.

This is exactly what he always fears. Himself, vulnerable, with humans bearing down on him. Seteth moves to get closer to him so he roars. It makes his abdomen burn but he roars because he knows he only has threats left. If Seteth calls his bluff, he’s… he can’t defend himself. He has to be fearsome so that he doesn’t. He has to scare him off before he realizes…

Where’s Manuela? He’s dizzy… He’s…

Veery rouses. He scents the room. Seteth. Manuela. Flayn. Someone else. Marianne. …Marianne? Is she… was she there before? Veery shakes the clouds from his head as he sits up. He opens his eyes. Manuela and Seteth are seated near Flayn, watching him but not approaching.

Good. Seteth needs to stay over there. Manuela too, for now. Until he’s strong enough to tear them both apart.

Marianne walks right up to his side. He growls, albeit a little weakly. She’s… still human. She’s better than Manuela, but she’s still… and he’s weak. Too vulnerable. Not just hurt but helpless. If she-

“Please don’t be frightened,” Marianne says, barely a whisper. “I know it’s scary. I know everyone is… scary, but… I want to help you. You have nothing to fear from me.” Veery knows that, but he… his heart leaps to his throat and he can’t stop the growl if he wants to. “Claude is worried sick about you, you know,” Marianne says softly. “He carried you all the way here, while the rest of us chased Professo- um, the Death Knight. Lysithea managed to hit the Death Knight with that terrifying spell of hers. Dark Spikes. She said it was revenge. For you.”

For him?

“Sylvain and Leonie must have fought through half the enemies down there on their own.” Marianne shakes her head, smiling weakly. Veery isn’t sure where “down there” is, or why there are more enemies than just the Death Knight, but… he can imagine those two carving through the battlefield together.

“Professor Byleth, um…” Marianne’s voice is trembling. “She, um, she was… angry.” Marianne flinches. Veery’s breath catches in his throat. Is he still growling? Is he… scaring Marianne? She takes a breath and continues when he stops, so he thinks he is. “She hurt the Death Knight. He got away, barely, but she almost cut off his leg.”

Professor Byleth… angry? Frightening thought. Maybe the only reason it doesn’t agitate him more is because he can’t honestly imagine how it looks. And… and it’s… for him? For someone who isn’t even human?

Everyone actually… cares?

As if she’s reading his mind, Marianne says, “Everyone is worried about you. We all want you to get better, so… please, let us help. We won’t hurt you.”

When does she take his hand? Something about her voice, or maybe he’s just still dazed, he’s… okay. He’s okay. He’s alive and the people here haven’t tried to kill him yet so… maybe he’s okay. He hopes he’s okay. He clutches Marianne’s hand and tries to breathe. It’s harder than it should be, but eventually, as she smiles at him, through his scratchy throat he croaks, “…Thank you.”

Marianne’s smile widens a little. It’s a dazzling sight, precious for its rarity. “How are you feeling?”

“Bad.” Just in general. Physically, emotionally, spiritually. In… now that he’s calming down, in hindsight, he was acting… well, wild. He knows better. He knows these humans better than that, but he… feels guilty, for lashing out when they were trying to help, because he’s such a coward that he can’t even convince himself that there’s even one human who won’t…

He feels bad. In every way. There is nothing else to say.

“Can I look at your wound?”

Veery bites his lip and, slowly, nods. It’s Marianne. Marianne, who talks more in this moment than he ever hears from her before because her voice brings him down from panic, who devotes herself to helping even though she’s scared, who patches him up in battle before, who connects with the black beast like he does, in some way. Marianne is, as humans go, safe. He needs to believe, to trust, to… to hope.

Marianne carefully unwraps his wound and washes it with her healing magic. It’s… too severe. He can remember getting it. Through his back and out his front… how is he alive?

“The sword just missed your spine,” Marianne says gently, but clinically. “If Professor Byleth hadn’t reacted so quickly, there’s a chance you might’ve lost use of your legs.”

Veery can’t breathe.

“It’s still a severe wound, but healers got to you quickly, and it missed the worst areas. You’re very lucky…” Marianne says this like it’s something someone else puts into her mouth, and she doesn’t like the taste. “But healing is going to take time. Most of the magic is working on repairing what organs were damaged. That’s why you’re still alive, but we can’t close the wound until the internal damage is healed first, and shifting moves things around and aggravates it, so you should stay like this for a little while at least.”

Well… that’s grim. Veery takes a deep breath – he’s so far avoiding anything crippling or fatal, it sounds like, so as long as he’s careful and patient, he’ll be fine. Breathe. It’s okay.

“If it makes you feel any better,” Professor Manuela says suddenly, “the Death Knight got it worse.”

That really doesn’t make Veery feel any better.

“Veery,” Seteth says. He takes a deep breath when Veery instinctively growls. Veery stamps down the noise, but he can’t stop himself from glaring at Seteth. He’s a lot calmer now but his head is still throbbing, and he can’t hardly move from where he’s lying, and Seteth is… not one of very few people Veery feels he must afford to trust.

He’s used to being alone. He’s used to dealing with injuries himself. He’s never been hurt this badly, but the fact remains that he’s used to not relying on others, and to hiding in safety to recover, so that no one can see him while he’s weak. The way Seteth winces, how his eyes crinkle at the edges, makes it look like he takes it personally – it’s not. Veery just… doesn’t like being helpless, and his standards for who he’s willing to allow near him are a lot higher than when he’s healthy and can defend himself.

(He can’t shift. Not safely. That alone sends panic like electricity jolting through Veery.)

“If you had not identified the Death Knight,” Seteth says slowly, carefully, like he’s speaking to a wild animal who might attack at any moment, “who knows how much longer Flayn would have been subject to those horrors?” He shakes his head. “I am in your debt. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. You may be the reason that Flayn survives this, and that is…” His voice trembles, so Seteth cuts himself off and clears his throat. “Words cannot express how thankful I am.”

Seteth bows his head. To Veery. Veery curls his lip slightly, unsure how to react or feel.

“So, please believe me when I say that I am on your side. I know I have not been the most welcoming of us here at the monastery, but you have saved Flayn and I know now that you are… a trusted ally. That is why, though I understand the reason, it pains me to see how little you trust us here. If there is anything I can do to put your heart at ease, name it.”

Just… a boon to make Veery suddenly feel safe among humans? If only such a thing exists. It’s damn near laughable, if only Veery can find the strength to laugh. He says and does nothing but narrow his eyes.

Manuela huffs. “If you won’t even let me treat you without being knocked out first, I’m clearly doing something wrong. You nearly attacked me three- four times!” That many? Veery can’t remember that many. “I’ve seen many patients react violently when they aren’t thinking straight, but you seem to have no trust at all in your physician. I know you were lucid on at least one of those incidents.”

Seteth’s lips draw into a grim line. “That would be the time that you… well, it seemed as if I was the one that triggered it.”

“Professor, Seteth, please,” Marianne squeaks out. “He was just scared.”

“Ah…” Seteth sighs. “We are not trying to accuse you of anything, Veery. We simply want you to feel safe as you recover, and we cannot do that without knowing what frightened you so much in the first place.”

“It’s not just for your own comfort,” Professor Manuela says. “Even asleep, you growl at everyone who comes close to your bed. The only assistants I have who aren’t terrified of you are Marianne and Mercedes, and that’s because you don’t react nearly as badly to them.”

Veery looks over to Marianne, at the dark circles under her eyes. “…I caused more work for you, didn’t I?”

Marianne shuts her eyes and ducks her head away. “You don’t need to be concerned about that. If Mercedes and I are the only ones you trust, we’re both more than happy to care for you.”

That’s nice, but they’re also both students. Veery knows they’re busy already with schoolwork. If he’s forcing them to watch over him, too, because he’s too scared of all the other healers, then… it’s just his fault if they’re overworking themselves.

“I…” Seteth sighs. “I do not want to cause you unnecessary stress, especially right now, but that is why I must insist that you tell me what the root of this is. If it is within my power to help, that is the least I can do for one who helped save Flayn.”

Veery holds his tail, grits his teeth. Seteth and Professor Manuela look expectantly at him. Marianne sits by his side, head bowed.

There is merit in their words. He understands why they want this information. But… “There’s nothing you can do,” Veery says. “Forget about it.”

“I know that is not true,” Seteth insists. “It seems as if… as if I am a problem for you. More so, even than the others.”

Veery sighs. What can he do? Can he tell the truth and not be punished for it? He doesn’t think Seteth is going to let him off either way without him answering. “…I’m scared of humans,” Veery says. “I don’t trust you.”

“All humans?” Seteth’s voice is surprisingly gentle, surprisingly… understanding. “What of Claude? Your other friends?”

Veery shakes his head. “They’re better, but… I can’t completely trust anyone.”

Seteth sighs. “I see. And why is it that you react even more violently to me?”

Veery swallows down the lump in his throat. “I especially don’t trust the church.”

“The church?” Marianne gasps.

“You have some problem with the Church of Seiros?” Seteth asks. “May I ask… what, exactly, is causing this distrust?”

Veery bites his lip. “Claude, Marianne… they’re better, because they’ve been showing me that they’re… that I should be able to trust them, even if I can’t.” He shakes his head. “The faithful don’t want me here. Outside the Academy, I’m not welcome. And Rhea… aside from allowing me to stay, everything she’s done so far has proved that I can’t…”

“…What has she done?” Seteth asks. “What is it that you take issue with?”

“Every chance she gets, she kills people who are weaker than her.” Veery clutches his tail tighter, not watching the reactions. “When I met you all, Catherine and the Knights of Seiros slaughtered militia, even though they didn’t have to. She executed the Western Church, even though they already surrendered. I know Miklan was hurting people but… why did he take that heart to begin with?” Veery isn’t thinking about his words anymore, he’s just curling up and talking. “Ingrid said that he was disowned because he didn’t have a Crest, but why should that matter? Everyone everywhere defends their territory without those Relics. Why is he killed because his family hates him for no reason? Annette… her dad is here. Why is the church letting him hide from his own family? And the faithful cheer it all on. Everything the church touches falls apart and Rhea turns it into a bloodbath for sport. I don’t… I can’t trust that.”

No one speaks. Eventually, Seteth takes a slow breath. “I understand that some of the actions that Rhea takes may seem… severe. But in every instance, she did what she had to for the stability of Fódlan.”

“Rhea kills the weak and vulnerable wherever she can find them,” Veery hisses.

“She does no-”

“She- humans- just… revel in killing each other. I learned, growing up, that humans will kill me if I show any weakness. That they’ll trap me and skin me for my fur. I thought that if I came to a land where there aren’t people like me, there’d be no… precedent. No reason to hate me. But I was wrong. Again and again all you humans do is kill each other for even the slightest differences. Anyone who doesn’t look or think like you, or because they aren’t born the same way you are. If they aren’t strong enough to survive against you, you kill them. And Rhea is at the head of it.”

“Veery…”

“I’m okay when I’m strong,” Veery growls. “Because I can defend myself. But I’m weak now and I see no reason why you won’t kill me next just because I…” He lets go of his tail to wipe at his eyes, attempting to clear them.

Gods, he’s scared.

“I’m different,” he says. “Just like everyone else. And I’ll be killed because of it like everyone else you kill. And humans will praise you and celebrate my death just like they do everyone else’s.”

“…So that is how we appear, from the outside…?”

Seteth crosses his arms, sighing as he trains his gaze on the floor. Marianne has her hands clasped together and she’s muttering what might be a prayer. Manuela just watches him with a small frown on her lips, brows furrowed tightly.

The door opens. Everyone jumps. Edelgard stands, Claude and Dimitri both at her side, looking oddly subdued. Thoughtful. “My apologies,” Edelgard says. “I- we, were on our way to deliver our regular progress reports and wanted to stop by to check on Veery and Flayn.”

“It’s good to see you up, Veery,” Claude chirps. “How are you feeling?”

Veery sniffs and answers, “Bad.”

“Ha! Yeah, a sword through your gut will do that to you.” There’s that smile of Claude’s but for the first time, Veery doesn’t think it looks very sincere.

“Claude!” Dimitri gasps. “Do not joke about such things! We were all very worried, Veery. I am glad to see you awake at last.”

Veery wrinkles his nose. “How long was I asleep?”

“A few days,” says Edelgard. “As I understand it, you kept waking up and attacking the healers, so you’ve been drugged for a while.”

“…Is that why my head hurts so much?”

“Most likely,” Claude says. “Professor Manuela?”

“Oh, yes,” Professor Manuela says. “In fact, I should give you something for the pain, anyway. It’ll help your head, too. How is your stomach feeling?”

“Bad.”

“Hm, I thought so.” She hurries over to a cabinet and picks out a bottle. “Here. Drink this.”

Veery takes the bottle from her without fuss but stares warily at it rather than drinking it. Claude sits on his bed, takes the bottle from him, and uncorks it to sniff it. “Huh. I thought you’d use something stronger for a wound like this. Here Veery, smell it. You know everything this is made of.” Claude holds out the bottle, so Veery obliges and takes the scent. Herbs and… water. Just herbs, really, mixed densely into a water base. Veery knows most of the herbs he can pick out. Claude tells him about them sometimes, since Veery wants to know the local plants like he knows the ones in Albinea.

Claude’s right. Identifying what’s in it sets his mind at a little more ease. Not only that, but he knows this mixture, and sees students drink it on occasion. He hesitantly takes the bottle back to drink.

“Of course,” Professor Manuela says, “he can use something stronger if he would prefer it. I simply thought he’d be more comfortable with something he’s familiar with.”

That’s… appreciated. A lot.

Marianne, Professor Manuela, and Seteth all pretend like Veery doesn’t just basically condemn the church, too, so that’s also very appreciated.

“You should have seen Teach and Lysithea face the Death Knight,” Claude says, as if there’s no tension at all in the room. “I only got there at the end, but man, I could tell just from the damage around the room that those two went all out.”

“It was an extraordinary sight,” Dimitri says. “For a moment, I thought Lysithea had killed the Death Knight with one strike.”

Edelgard hums, a smile playing at her lips. “It’s true. I imagine she learned the Dark Spikes spell to counter the Death Knight after the Rite of Rebirth – remarkable skill, to manage such a feat – but in the moment she claimed she used it for you. And that is not even starting on Professor Byleth’s performance.”

Veery smiles. “Marianne explained a lot of that,” he says. “What happened, exactly?”

“Well,” Claude says, “it turns out that the entrance to the tunnels where Flayn was being kept was actually inside Professor Jeritza’s quarters. Who knows what he was doing in the middle of the day, but he came back to the room using that same odd warp spell that he used to get away with both at the Holy Mausoleum and this time. After he stabbed you, he escaped into the tunnels. As soon as I got there, Teach told me to take you to the infirmary and took off after him.”

“We all came to investigate when we heard the alarm,” Dimitri says. “Claude and Professors Manuela and Hanneman were taking care of you, so the rest of us went to support Professor Byleth. The battle underground was… larger than expected.”

Edelgard huffs. “The Death Knight had backup, and we had to fight through them. When we did find Flayn… it was obvious that horrible experiments had been performed on her. She has not yet woken, since we’ve recovered her. There was another girl, as well,” Edelgard gestures to the other occupied bed, which Veery has largely been ignoring since the girl in it is unknown to him and obviously asleep, “Monica von Ochs. She is in much better condition, all things considered, and is recovering quickly.”

Veery eyes Monica and scents her. If she’s going to be around, he should know so he’s not always on guard from an odd scent. He wrinkles his nose, though when he concentrates on her scent. It’s… strange. Overly flowery and… almost like decay. Only the very first hints of it, but like decay. Like he’d expect on someone who works around bodies.

Veery is going to avoid Monica von Ochs, if that’s her scent. Scents don’t really tell if someone is good or bad, so it’s nothing to do with Monica, really, but it’s just a vaguely unpleasant odor to stay around, even for how subtle it is.

“I must apologize to you, Veery,” Dimitri says, politely, with a little bow. “Even though you did not participate in the battle, you were the one who cornered the Death Knight. Our incompetence allowed him to get away.”

Veery frowns and looks to Flayn. “It doesn’t matter. You rescued Flayn.”

Dimitri smiles. “You have a good heart, to think of other’s safety over your own vengeance. You’re right, of course. That Flayn is safe is what’s most important. I still wish we could have given you both the peace of mind of knowing that the Death Knight cannot hurt either of you again.”

Veery almost scoffs. The Death Knight? Yes, he’s scary, but everyone’s scary. As far as Veery is concerned, one more dangerous human is just a drop in the pond when he’s living in the middle of thousands of them. Maybe Flayn will appreciate Dimitri’s sentiment more, but for Veery it could just as easily have been Rhea, or even Dimitri’s own hand on the sword that hurt him. The Death Knight just happens to be the one to actually do it.

What does it matter if the Death Knight gets away? Veery’s not in any more danger because of it. Focus too much on the moose, and you lose sight of the eagle above.

“Lighten up, Your Highness,” Claude says lazily. “It’s a win! Everyone is going to be just fine, including Flayn and Veery. We should be celebrating!”

“Haha, you are right as always, Claude. Please forgive me, everyone, for bringing down the mood.”

So, Dimitri clearly doesn’t overhear what is happening just before he arrives. Well, there’s no way to know for sure, but the mood isn’t ever particularly high.

“Professor?” Edelgard asks. “Do you have an estimate for when Veery might be released from the infirmary?”

“A few days, minimum,” Professor Manuela says. “If he cooperates.” Veery pouts, crossing his arms. “And I’m going to want him visiting every day for at least a few weeks. And no shifting,” she says pointedly to Veery, “while you’re in here. We’ll talk more about that when the time comes to release you.”

“I see,” Edelgard says. “Then, if you don’t mind, perhaps we should give our reports here. Father Seteth?”

Seteth sighs. “Ah, the incidents in Abyss. Yes, I suppose Veery is involved in that anyway. What happened?”

“We have successfully recovered the Chalice of Beginnings.”

“You what?!”

Edelgard nods stiffly. “It is the artifact that we believe the mercenaries targeting Abyss are truly after. We recovered it, so there is no longer any need to target Abyss. Unfortunately, it seems that upon our return, Father Aelfric is currently missing.”

Veery frowns at Claude and whispers, “You guys really don’t waste time, do you?”

Claude chuckles. “Don’t worry, I’ll give you all the details you missed later. Though, we’ll probably have to deal with this first.”

“He was kidnapped, almost certainly by the same thieves targeting Abyss,” Edelgard continues. “They even left a ransom note. Professor Byleth has it, along with the Chalice, and should be reporting to the Archbishop as we speak.”

“This is- I must go speak to the Archbishop at once. Please excuse me.” Seteth hurries out the door like his shoes are on fire. Professor Manuela shakes her head. “You three. Sit down. It sounds like you’ve had quite the adventure. Marianne, will you give me a hand?”

“O-of course.” Marianne stands awkwardly and hurries around the bed to Claude, to begin checking him for injuries while Professor Manuela does the same for both Edelgard and Dimitri.

All three are healthy, in that their wounds are already treated and healed with magic, but tired. Manuela orders them to get proper sleep before “trying to get yourselves killed again”.

Sleep… sounds really good right now. Veery might do that, too.

#fanfiction #FE Fanfiction #Fire Emblem Three Houses #fe3h

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