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rosanna-writer · 2 years

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to make them love me and make it seem effortless

Summary: When the High Lord of the Spring Court whisks her off to Prythian, it's exactly what Feyre Archeron wants. Her plan: let Tamlin romance her to break the curse and use her proximity to him to pass military secrets back to the mortals. And it works— until a certain other High Lord tries to steal documents she's after.

Pairing: Feysand

A/N: In this AU, Spring is cursed during the War, Feyre is born much earlier, and Hybern reins Amarantha in when she goes rogue.

First chapter is below, and you can also find it here on AO3 :)

When I winnow to Tamlin's manor, his guards have their ash arrows notched and trained on me, just as I expected. Tamlin himself is waiting on the steps, wearing a scowl and a formal forest green coat. Dressed for diplomacy, not battle.

Ignoring the guards, I cross the lawn and saunter up the steps. When I get closer, Tamlin's scowl just deepens.

"Is this how you greet all your guests?" I say.

"Try anything, and you're as good as dead, Rhysand," Tamlin says. With how tightly his teeth are clenched, it's a wonder he manages to get the words out.

"Yes, the saber-rattling might be necessary, but doesn't it get a bit tiresome?"

Tamlin pulls out the box he’s been holding behind his back. It’s small, unmarked. "For security, you'll wear this until you leave. Don't bother trying to remove it— the clasp only opens for me."

I expected this, too. It’s the reason my Inner Circle all protested against me coming here today and the very reason I insisted on coming alone.

My eyebrows shoot up in mock surprise. “A gift? Oh, you shouldn't have."

For once, Tamlin doesn't take the bait. He continues as if I hadn't said anything. "It won't hurt you, but the faebane it contains will bind your powers."

"And if I refuse?"

"Negotiations are off, and I order my guards to shoot."

All things considered, I don’t actually believe Tamlin’s unreasonable to demand this before we sit down to negotiate. If our roles had been reversed, I would have done the same.

But this plan requires Tamlin to believe that my court is seriously considering an alliance with his, a deal too high-stakes to delegate. And I couldn’t ask anyone else to join me in enemy territory with no magic and no way home. So I’m here alone.

"I agree."

As Tamlin opens the box, a new tattoo circles both of our left wrists, an alternating pattern of stars and flowers. The bargain is sealed.

The thin silver cuff in the box looks unremarkable. I take it, slip it over the tattoo, and close it. As soon as it touches my skin, the world goes quiet. Every single mind I'd been able to sense disappears from my consciousness, like candles snuffed out by a strong breeze.

"Come inside," Tamlin says. "I'll show you to your room, and you can freshen up before the banquet."

He turns on his heel, and I follow him inside, feeling more vulnerable than I've ever been. Perhaps my friends had been right. I shouldn't have come here.

As we walk to my room, I memorize the route, in case I need to make a swift exit on foot. Tamlin doesn't say anything else, and the few servants we encounter give us a wide berth. When we arrive, Tamlin mutters something about dinner in an hour and leaves me to it.

The suite is spacious, with the same cloying beauty as the rest of the manor, all greens and pastels and ornate designs. I get to work searching for anything potentially suspicious. The windows don't open, but I find nothing dangerous, no violations of my privacy. Tamlin must think that binding my magic is all that's required.

I'll have to ask to send a note back to the Night Court letting my Inner Circle know I'm unharmed. Not being able to handle it myself makes me feel like I'm missing a limb. The sun sets, and I kill the rest of the time until dinner pacing the suite like a caged tiger.

Tamlin doesn’t send an escort, but I remember the way to his great hall. I briefly consider “accidentally” getting "lost" to get a better look around, but think better of it. There are too many servants around, and Tamlin is still on guard. I have to bide my time.

I arrive to dinner fashionably late. I can hear the buzz of conversation as I approach, and the hall is already full of the lords of Tamlin's court. When I enter, it goes quiet. All eyes fall on me.

I plaster on the grin I usually reserve for the Court of Nightmares. It's good to know I can still have this effect on a room, even without my magic.

Tamlin stands to greet me. "Rhysand," he says. "Come sit."

The empty seat to his left must be reserved for me. I cross the room, scanning the crowd, and my eyes fall on the woman at Tamlin's right. The human woman at Tamlin's right.

I know her.

I don't know her name, or what a mortal is doing in the Spring Court, but I've seen that face in enough of my dreams that I'd recognize it anywhere. Even though the dreams had gotten more vivid a few months ago, I’d half-convinced myself that I’d made her up. But here she is.

She doesn't look at me, keeps her head bowed and her eyes on her plate. In the few seconds it takes to cross the room, I regain my composure and put on my mask. I take my seat and say, "And what do we have here?"

Tamlin moves between us, partially blocking my view of her. "My fiancée and future Lady of the Spring Court, Feyre Archeron."

"Interesting," I say, just to cover my shock. The High Lord of the Spring Court is engaged, to a human woman no less, and somehow I'm the last to know. "I can see why you've been keeping this little flower all to yourself. Congratulations."

"Rhysand…" Tamlin growls.

"What?" I say, picking an invisible piece of lint off my sleeve. "You can't be upset I didn't bring a wedding gift if you haven't let anyone know you're engaged."

"It's a recent development."

I catch a glimpse of the glittering emerald on Feyre's finger as she raises a glass of wine to her lips. It looks expensive, if far too gaudy.

"Recent development or not, it's a pleasure to meet you, Lady Feyre," I purr.

"You as well, my lord," Feyre says softly. She looks at me for the first time, but I don't see even the smallest flicker of recognition in her eyes. Either whatever connection I have with her is entirely one-sided, or she's the best actress I've ever met.

Tamlin's knife scrapes loudly against his plate as he pushes it just a little too hard. Feyre drops her gaze again but winces at the sound.

I grab my own knife and start to butter a roll. "So do tell, Tamlin. How did you meet? I wouldn’t have taken you as the type to slum it with the mortals."

Tamlin's hand tightens around his wine glass, and I brace myself for it to shatter. "Alliance or not, you have no right to come into my home and insult my fiancée—"

Feyre strokes his arm and whispers something. It's too soft for me to hear exactly what, but Tamlin seems to force himself to relax, kissing her on the cheek. The sight of it turns my stomach.

"You'll forgive me for my curiosity," I say, "But at the very least, Lady Feyre must have been far from home for the two of you to even cross paths."

"Feyre came to Prythian after killing one of my sentries," Tamlin says.

I freeze with the dinner roll halfway to my face. "So she's your captive?" I say.

"Of course not," Feyre blurts out. With how demure she's been acting, it's a bit of a shock to hear the sharpness in her voice.

"She was hunting and thought Andras was a wolf. But I couldn't let his death go unanswered," Tamlin adds.

She still sounds like a captive to me. But there's information I must be missing— I don't see why Tamlin didn't just kill her immediately. He must need her alive, but I can't imagine what for.

"It all sounds terribly romantic when you put it that way," I say.

"Tamlin isn't keeping me here," Feyre says, "I could go anywhere in Prythian I liked and come and go as I please. But I decided to stay, and that's how we fell in love."

She's looking at him like he hung the moon, and so I bite back a comment pointing out that it's not much of a choice when the rest of Prythian is hardly safe for a human, even if she did kill a faerie. Tamlin leans in and kisses her again, and I take another sip of wine to cover my look of disgust.

The rest of dinner is tedious. None of Tamlin’s courtiers are particularly interested in making small talk with me, which I prefer. And I can’t put my finger on why, but watching Feyre and Tamlin together makes me want to throw things. It’s ridiculous of me— his love life is none of my business.

I return to my room as early as I can without seeming suspicious or rude. Tamlin sends a message to Amren on my behalf, letting her know I'm safe and negotiations will begin in the morning. Even though it's late, I don't sleep. This is my best chance to explore the manor undetected.

Without my magic, I doubt I can get into Tamlin's study, but at the very least, it's worth getting a sense of what wards might be protecting it. Ideally, I'd find any confidential documents myself, but barring that, I may be able to relay enough information for Azriel's shadows to find them instead.

The manor is silent as I creep down corridors lined with vases of flowers. Out of habit, I reach out with my mind, trying to sense anyone else I might cross paths with. But I feel nothing, just silence, and since coming here, I've never felt my lack of powers so acutely.

The power of the protective wards radiates from Tamlin’s study— I can feel it from just outside the door. But before I can examine them further, I hear footsteps down the hall.

I yank open the next door over and slip inside. It's an empty meeting room, likely the one we'll negotiate in tomorrow. I focus on closing the door as silently as possible, not taking in my surroundings.

Which is why I don't expect the blade pressing into my back.

"Give me one good reason I shouldn't scream for the guards right now," Feyre says.

I smile and turn to face her. Cauldron only knows how she hid that knife under her frilly nightgown, and I realize she's covered her scent with floral perfume. She might be wearing far too many ruffles, but there’s a hard, deadly look in her eyes that tells me she won't hesitate to bury that knife in my chest. From the way she's gripping it, I suspect I wouldn't be the first.

“Because I believe we might be on the same side, Feyre darling," I say.

The knife doesn't move. "Explain."

"A bargain, then. I'll tell you the truth about what I'm after, if you'll do the same for me. And neither one of us will hurt the other, at least until we've each told the full story."

As she considers it, the silence seems to stretch for an eternity. But eventually she sheaths the knife. "Deal."

I feel a tingle just behind my ear, and her hand comes up to rub the same spot where her own tattoo must have appeared. It's done.

“Something tells me you didn’t turn your back on your fellow mortals by coming here, did you?"

“Of course not. I came here on their behalf." I raise an eyebrow at that, prompting her to go on. She takes a deep breath and adds, "How much do you know about the curse on the Spring Court?"

"Not much," I say, doing my best to keep my face impassive. It's not a lie, but I’m not sure I want to admit outright that I’ve heard nothing about this curse at all.

"Spring will lose its magic if Tamlin cannot convince a mortal who killed a fae to fall in love with him. He has forty-nine more years."

I should be asking who cursed the Spring Court and why, but the wave of relief that she doesn't actually love Tamlin overwhelms that. It doesn't make sense— I've only known her for a few hours. Some emotion flickers across her face as well, too fast for me to read.

"The perfect weakness for a beautiful human to exploit. Brilliant."

Her face flushes so deeply that even in the dark, I can see it clearly. "It wasn't my idea. But when Nes— our spymaster, got word of the curse, we agreed I had the best chance of killing a fae."

After sneaking up on me, I could see why. It seems better not to press her for the rest of the name she almost let slip, so I ignore it.

"In that case, I'm fortunate that you chose not to kill a second one tonight."

Feyre smiles again. It's nothing short of predatory.

"Tamlin was a fool to let you come here, even without magic. There's no good reason for the Night Court to switch sides, so something told me I could trust you."

It seems too much to hope that means she's felt the same pull I do. This woman is a survivor, and she trusted her instincts— there's little that has to do with me.

"The Night Court will never ally with slavers, Feyre. And if you need to leave this court, you will have a safe haven in mine."

"Thank you," she says solemnly.

It’s all I have to offer her, and it doesn’t feel like nearly enough. But we have a job to do, so I say, “Who cursed the Spring Court and why?”

"Amarantha. Tamlin rejected her, and Hybern wasn't able to rein her in completely. I haven't been able to find out what her plans were, but I think it involved all seven courts. She only got as far as Spring, and now she’s missing."

"That explains some of the reports from my spymaster."

Azriel's shadows had ascertained that she was no longer one of Hybern's generals but not the reason for the falling out. But this fills in the missing pieces and explains why Tamlin’s been acting so desperate.

"That's all the information I have. Tamlin keeps me in the dark when it comes to decisions," she says. There's a dark undercurrent of anger there, but I don't press for details.

"I don’t have much else. As you guessed, I'm not here to negotiate. I came here for answers, and here we are."

She nods, seeming to mull that over, and I feel the tattoo disappear. That’s all the information we both have.

After another silence, she says, "So if you have everything you came for, are you leaving?"

There's a note of despair in her voice, and it takes all the willpower I have not to pull her close and reassure her that I’d never leave her. I don’t understand where this urge is coming from. I'd be a fool to think this is about me when she's been far from home and pretending to love a man happy to ally with her people's oppressors.

"You could come with me."

"No," she says, resolute and final. "Not if I can still be of use here."

She's survived enough and contributed enough, but I understand. If I were in her position, I'd do the same.

"I can't get through Tamlin's wards on my own, not without my magic. My intention had been to gather as much information as I could and pass it on to my spymaster. But with you..." I trail off and hope she can see where I’m going with this.

She shakes her head. "Tamlin will know if you're in his office. And if he figures out I let you in, he'll kill us both."

"You underestimate me, Feyre darling," I say, leaning back against the door and stuffing my hands in my pockets.

I thought that might get her to smile again, but her expression remains stony. "We can't risk it."

"If there's a way to unbind my magic, it will only take a second to winnow us to the Night Court."

Her gaze falls to the cuff on my wrist. The wheels are turning in that lovely head of hers, and it’s gorgeous. Devious is a great look on her. "There's a crystal Tamlin keeps on his desk as a paperweight."

At first, I'm not sure what that has to do with anything, but when it clicks, I laugh. "Are you really suggesting smashing the cuff open with a rock?”

"Nevermind, it was a stupid idea,” she says, blushing again and ducking her head.

"Not stupid, just brazen. I don’t think it matters that only Tamlin can open it if it’s broken."

Her head snaps up. "So you think we should?"

I nod; the plan is already forming in my head. "You go in, collect everything, and then break the cuff. I'll winnow both of us to Night. If I pass troop movements and locations to our generals immediately, the surprise attack could be enough to force a surrender."

She thinks about it, and I hope so hard that she’ll agree that I nearly forget to breathe. If she stays here, I’m sure that she’ll hold her own. But for some reason, I’m aching to see her safe in the Night Court.

Her hand curls around the handle of the knife again. “Let’s do this. It won’t be long until he wakes up and wonders where I am.”

I follow her out to the empty hallway, then stand near the door to Tamlin’s office. Without my powers or even the most rudimentary weapon, I feel exposed. But she gives me a nod, and I push aside the anxiety and give her a wink.

Feyre holds her left hand up to the door, and her ring glows. The lock clicks open. There’s a ripple of magic as she walks through the door. My heart starts to pound.

I want to watch her gather everything up, but I can’t expose my back if— no when— Tamlin or his sentries come barreling down the hall.

Compared to the silence, the sound of desk drawers opening and pages turning is deafening. I pray that she finds everything she needs soon.

Then it’s drowned out by the sound of footsteps. Someone is sprinting our way.

Tamlin turns the corner and his face twists into a beastly snarl. “What have you done with Feyre?” he roars.

I brace myself, ready for those talons to slash into me. But instead something sharp slams into my wrist from behind. She’s here.

The cuff falls to the floor, and the magic rushes back into me. I’m whole again.

Tamlin is only a few feet away, calling Feyre’s name. Just as he raises a hand to strike, I grab Feyre and winnow us away, right to the war room in the Moonstone Palace. At the same time, I reach into the minds of my Inner Circle and tell them to meet me there immediately.

Feyre's breathing hard, eyes wild, the hand holding the crystal raised as if she's preparing to strike again.

"You're safe," I say softly. "We did it."

"We did, didn't we?" she says. Her panicked look melts into the most stunning smile I've ever seen.

And that's when the bond snaps.

The force of it sends me stumbling backwards, and she grabs me and tugs me forward so I don’t fall. I’m too overwhelmed to shield, and her relief and my shock surge down the bond.

"Rhysand? What happened?" she says.

But before I can answer, the rest of the Inner Circle bursts in. They freeze at the sight of my scraped up wrist and Feyre clutching my other arm, still in her nightgown. It gives me the second I need to recover my composure.

"This is Feyre Archeron, and those files in her hand are Tamlin's own notes on the position of Spring and Hybern's armies and supply lines,” I say.

Feyre places the files on the table and spreads them out so everyone can see. I wish there were time to introduce everyone properly, but there's so much strategizing to do.

Cassian, Azriel, and I will have to return to the war-camps, and Mor and Amren will have their hands full keeping Velaris and the rest of the Night Court protected and running smoothly in my absence. Feyre just listens, occasionally cutting in with additional information from her time in the Spring Court. It's remarkable how much she's memorized from overheard conversations or brief glances at paperwork on Tamlin's desk.

I can feel her confusion and curiosity through the bond, and it doesn't take a daemati to know that the rest of the Inner Circle is itching to ask questions, too. I wish I didn't have to ignore it, but there's no time to explain.

When everyone has their marching orders, I stand and turn to Feyre. "I'll have Nuala and Cerrridwen show you to your rooms. There may be questions for you that arise regarding the Spring Court, but you should try to rest. It's going to be a long few days for all of us," I say.

Feyre nods. She stands with her back straight and expression grim, as much a soldier as any Ilyrian warrior. "Anything you need," she says.

My instincts are screaming at me to kiss her goodbye, but I can't just yet. For all I know, she's never heard of a mating bond before. And as a human, I don't think she feels it. Instead, I nod, winnow to the war-camps, and hope it's not the last time I see her face.

#acotar #feysand #acotar fic #feyre archeron #rhysand #a court of thorns and roses #to make them love me and make it seem effortless

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ryantavey · 1 year

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Ah, a circus! That magical place filled with wonder, excitement, and the faint smell of elephant dung. Let me give you the rundown on what a circus is, in excruciating detail.

First and foremost, a circus is a place where people gather to watch other people do things that they themselves cannot do. It's like watching your neighbor mow the lawn, but with more glitter and clowns.

The main attraction of a circus is the performers, who are the epitome of physical perfection and human endurance. These acrobats, tightrope walkers, and trapeze artists have spent years honing their craft, all for the privilege of performing death-defying stunts in front of a crowd of strangers.

Of course, we can't forget about the animals. Elephants, tigers, and bears (oh my!) are often the stars of the show, forced to perform tricks and stunts for the amusement of the audience. Don't worry, though, they love being cooped up in small cages and being whipped into submission. It's all part of the fun!

And let's not forget about the clowns. These brightly-colored, grease-painted buffoons are there to distract you from the fact that you just paid $20 for a bag of cotton candy. They'll honk horns, juggle balls, and squirt you with water, all while desperately trying to make you laugh.

In short, a circus is a place where you can go to watch people risk their lives, animals be exploited, and clowns act like fools. It's a magical world, filled with wonder and amazement...or so they say.

But let's be real here. A circus is also a place where you'll spend a small fortune on tickets, only to be crammed into a sweaty tent with a bunch of strangers. You'll be bombarded with loud music, flashing lights, and the overpowering stench of popcorn and cotton candy.

And don't even get me started on the performers. Sure, they may be talented, but let's face it - they're also a little bit crazy. Who else would willingly fling themselves through the air on a trapeze or balance precariously on a tightrope? It's like watching a bunch of adrenaline junkies show off for a crowd.

As for the animals, well, let's just say that their treatment isn't always up to par. Many circuses have faced backlash and boycotts over the years due to allegations of animal abuse and neglect. And honestly, watching a majestic elephant perform tricks in a tiny ring just feels wrong.

And the clowns? Well, they're a mixed bag. Some are genuinely funny and entertaining, while others are just plain creepy. Do you really want a grown man in a rainbow wig trying to make you laugh while you eat your popcorn? I didn't think so.

So there you have it - a circus in all its glory. It may be a spectacle, but it's also a bit of a circus (pun intended). If you're looking for a fun day out, there are probably better options out there. But hey, if you're into watching people tempt fate and animals be exploited, then a circus may just be the place for you.

And let's not forget about the food. Circus food is a category all its own. Who needs a balanced meal when you can have deep-fried everything? From funnel cakes to corn dogs, the options are endless. And let's not forget about the ever-popular elephant ear - a greasy, sugary pastry that's sure to clog your arteries and give you a sugar rush that will last for hours.

But despite its flaws, a circus can still be a fun way to spend an afternoon. There's something undeniably thrilling about watching a human being fly through the air or seeing a massive elephant perform a trick. And for kids, a circus can be a magical experience, filled with wonder and excitement.

Just be sure to do your research before you go. Look for circuses that prioritize animal welfare and treat their performers with respect. And make sure to bring plenty of hand sanitizer - you never know what kind of germs are lurking around in those tents.

In the end, a circus is what you make of it. If you're willing to overlook the noise, the crowds, and the questionable treatment of animals, you might just have a good time. But if you're looking for a more civilized way to spend an afternoon, you might want to skip the big top and head to a museum instead.

And let's not forget the performers themselves. These are people who have dedicated their lives to mastering their craft and pushing their bodies to the limit. They've trained for years to be able to do what they do, and their performances can be truly awe-inspiring.

Of course, there are also the clowns. Love them or hate them, they're a staple of the circus experience. They're there to make you laugh, but let's be honest - they can also be a little bit creepy. There's just something about a grown man in a rainbow wig that's a little unsettling.

And then there are the audience members. There's nothing quite like sitting in a crowded tent, surrounded by strangers, all of you craning your necks to catch a glimpse of the action. You'll hear gasps, screams, and applause, and you'll feel a sense of camaraderie with your fellow circus-goers.

All in all, a circus can be a truly unique and unforgettable experience. It's a chance to step outside of your everyday life and immerse yourself in a world of wonder and excitement. Just be prepared for the noise, the crowds, and the occasional elephant dung.

And let's not forget the sheer spectacle of it all. A circus is a feast for the senses, with bright colors, flashing lights, and heart-pumping music. It's a chance to escape from reality for a little while and lose yourself in the magic of the moment.

But like any form of entertainment, a circus has its downsides. Animal welfare is a major concern, with many circuses coming under fire for mistreating their animals. And while the performers are undeniably talented, their stunts can also be dangerous and even deadly.

And let's not forget about the price. A family trip to the circus can cost a small fortune, with tickets, food, and souvenirs all adding up quickly. You might end up spending more on a bag of cotton candy than you would on a week's worth of groceries.

So is a circus worth it? That's up to you to decide. If you're willing to overlook the negatives and embrace the spectacle, you might just have a great time. But if you're looking for a more ethical and affordable way to spend your time, there are certainly other options out there.

At the end of the day, a circus is a unique and polarizing experience. Some people love the excitement, the danger, and the spectacle. Others are turned off by the animal mistreatment, the high prices, and the general chaos.

But there's no denying that a circus is an iconic part of our cultural history. From Barnum & Bailey to Cirque du Soleil, circuses have captured the imaginations of people around the world for generations.

So if you're thinking about going to a circus, do your research first. Look for circuses that prioritize animal welfare and sustainability. And be prepared for a noisy, crowded, and potentially expensive experience.

But if you're willing to embrace the magic of the circus, you might just find yourself transported to a world of wonder and excitement. Just don't forget to bring your sense of humor, your love of adventure, and your willingness to suspend disbelief.

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literaticat · 2 years

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Do you have any tips for authors on how to deal with jealousy (both theirs and other people's)?

There might be something on the pinned post in the FAQs that would be a "pep talk" of sorts about Keeping Your Eyes on Your Own Paper, but I haven't checked. There IS a great post from Gwenda Bond that addresses this, though, and it's a lengthy but excellent read -- needless to say, I agree with Gwenda that comparing yourself to other people and their careers is both maddening and fruitless.

A highlight:

"No one ever really feels comfortable or assured of their place and always always confident in their work and whether it will succeed in the market. The more failure, the more pressure. The more success, the more pressure.

The only answer [...] is to keep writing and see. Keep trying to get better. Keep your eyes on your own paper. All writing careers are icebergs–there's more happening than what you see above the surface–but I can guarantee you that any news that would make you envious or sad or disappointed is probably the result of the person doing one key thing: Writing. It's much easier to focus on what you're putting on the page when you're not letting yourself be distracted by things that do not matter to your career and have no direct relation to it. And you will also have to learn to focus when you're being distracted by things that do matter to your career and directly relate to it. Learning to focus and work no matter what our circumstances (unless you're trapped in a cage with a tiger or similar, obvs) stands us all well."

Do read it. MEANWHILE -- I was listening to the Book Friends Forever podcast this morning and the topic was, "what makes you remarkable" -- something that they said struck me as quite profound. Basically, Alvina said that one of the things that she admires Grace for is Grace's generosity. And Grace said (paraphrasing) -- really? I mean, I don't FEEL generous. A lot of times I feel envious or have FOMO or wish I had what another person has. Which, Alvina replied, perhaps makes it all the more remarkable - that you can feel these ways and react with generosity despite them.

And it led me to something I'm still thinking about now: Perhaps the opposite of Jealousy is GENEROSITY. And maybe, if we are feeling a green-eyed monster kind of way (which is normal and natural and we all feel it sometimes!) -- instead of letting ourselves get eaten up by it -- see if you can react with generosity. REAL generosity. Like, bigger than just gritting your teeth and saying "oh, congrats" when you really want to set the person's house on fire. :-)

I wonder if that would work? Like, you are feeling the envy, you grit your teeth and say congrats -- but then instead of sitting with that mean-ness, you also purposely do something tangible that is GENEROUS. Make a donation to a cause you believe in. Create something to share with people you love (or strangers on the internet). Bring some unexpected joy to somebody by telling them how much their book meant to you.

(Randomly: I got a text yesterday from a friend praising one of my clients books and I have to tell you -- it completely turned my day around! They might have thought nothing of it, but it was in fact deeply meaningful to hear and TRULY changed my entire outlook for the day. I hope that them getting to SAY that was half as good-inspiring as my hearing it was!)

My point is: I'm no scientist, but I KINDA feel like a dose of generosity will do a lot to counteract a bout of envy. I'm going to try it next time I'm feeling green. Will you?

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neo-contemporaryfailure · 3 months

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In 1976, Boy Wonder tries to explain the value of musical theatre to Olive and Jack.

A restaurant.

JACK and BOY WONDER are there. JACK is towards the end of some very intriguing and mildly disturbing story, BOY WONDER is listening in either awe or horror.

JACK

There was so much blood. It was very uncomfortable. And most of the blood was mine.

BOY WONDER

Most of it?

JACK

Well, okay- when she- I sorta jerked and- her nose got hit. It was a mess.

BOY WONDER

That's… I don't like that.

JACK

It was pretty uncomfortable. Not as painful as you'd think considering all the blood, but– But ah, you learn. Besides, she's my wife, can't hold it against her.

Enter Olive, who takes a seat next to Jack.

OLIVE

Sorry I am late, wonderful Maurice just talks on and on and on and on.

BOY WONDER

I don't understand why you two can't stand him.

OLIVE

Jack keeps a list.

JACK

One–

BOY WONDER

I like Maurice. I don't need you to convince me otherwise.

JACK starts to speak, OLIVE interrupts him.

OLIVE

What are we seeing tonight?

BOY WONDER

Pacific Overtures. It's Sondheim.

OLIVE

Will it make me change my mind on the medium?

JACK

Only goddamn hag in the world that could be in a musical for 10 whole months and still come out hating– this bitch has a Tony award for her performance and she still goes on and on about how much –

OLIVE

And when I was in Chicago I was helping out practically every storefront musical in the city.

JACK

Because you're the only one there who knows how to dance.

OLIVE

But no matter how many shows I ever did, I just don't get it.

BOY WONDER

What is there to get?

OLIVE

I just don't understand why everyone is singing.

BOY WONDER

You just don't get it?

OLIVE

No.

BOY WONDER

Sometimes you can only tell something through song. The power of music. There's obviously more technical storytelling reasons, but music is the epitome of emotion, it's when nothing else will do. When everything is too much, when the world is collapsing, music pulls you up and out.

OLIVE takes a sip of Jack's drink.

OLIVE

I don't think that's true.

BOY WONDER

You don't think it's true? Liv, you helped structure Kissing–

OLIVE

I know how it works, I just don't get it. I mean, if we sung whenever we felt anything too much, Jack would be singing all the time. It just doesn't make sense to me–

BOY WONDER

–You're a dancer. You understand the power of rhythm. Music transcends. It's visceral. It's being let into the character's world, what they feel, who they are, and why they're there. Everything big, everything too small to see, everything too much to handle, it's all music, that's the only way you can get through it. The only way you can get people to understand. It's an extension of the soul. It's a straight line to a heart.

OLIVE

I don't think that's true-

BOY WONDER

–Through music you're not just seeing the story, you're brought into it, you're living it, you're breathing it, you're one with the moment. It's power.

OLIVE

I'm not feeling that.

JACK

Ain't he cute?

BOY WONDER

Okay… Um, what confuses you? Exactly, I mean. I can probably explain it.

OLIVE

Why they're singing. I mean, how often do you see that in the real world?

BOY WONDER

Theatre isn't the real world, that's the whole point.

OLIVE

Why?

BOY WONDER

What do you mean “why?” That's the power of art, the power of fiction. You have to suspend the sense of reality. That's what makes it enjoyable.

OLIVE

Who would ever want to live outside of reality? I mean, what a great world we're in.

BOY WONDER

Reality has it's limits, it's– there are routines that must be followed, there are ways of expressing ourselves that are within the normal limits that has to be followed– unless you're Jack– music isn't escaping reality, it's enhancing it, it's elevating the world, it's finding new ways to appreciate it.

OLIVE

But why are they singing?

BOY WONDER starts again, but Jack reaches out to him and touches his hand.

JACK is barely stifling laughter.

JACK

This is like watching someone poke a tiger through the bars in a cage.

BOY WONDER

I just want to help you understand.

OLIVE and JACK can't hold back laughter anymore.

OLIVE

Kid, I'm pulling your leg.

Boy Wonder sorta leans back, looking mildly embarrassed.

JACK

Okay, okay, we're going to miss the show if we keep having a good time.

They start to go.

BOY WONDER

I have some really good books on the topic. Some things Louis Curtis wrote to me when I was a teenager writing letters to him. I share them sometimes.

OLIVE

That is alllll right.

They leave.

#fiction #writers #writeblr #writing #writers on tumblr #ncf #Olive Cameron #Jackson Ainsworth #Jeffrey 'Boy Wonder' Andrew

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starlightnighteve · 2 years

Text

Chapter 9; The Sanctuary

Time had passed, days gone by, and little by little Eve's been adjusted to most of her work. Still head-strong, and vocal as she is. Eve was getting along with others. People sometimes flocked to her, having questions, and wanting to know interesting stories about Eve. She started to feel deja vu from being a music idol, just about her powers. And, her partner Agent Grey, could tell by how many people try to distract her from working.

Luckily for Grey, they get some time out of the office, and around coworkers, for a special occasion that'll take the full work-day. Eve had been getting excited, seeing that information about the sanctuaries had been popping up more recently. Today was the big day, and Grey only hoped for no troubles.

One was indeed excited to go. Another, not as much, especially now. Waiting in front of Eve's door, Grey could hear singing, running, and galloping from the other side, as he knocked on her door. Eve opens the door, and Sameer pops his head out from beside her. She looks up to meet Grey's eyes in surprise, then smiles warmly.

Grey's expression stayed cold and emotionless. He spoke just as monotone. "Ready for today?"

Eve hugs the edges of the doorframe with her hands and nods. "Mhm! Although... You're early, right? I thought we weren't flying till later?" She tilts her head to the side in question.

Grey shrugs slightly. He cleared Eve's wondering, and spoke. "Right, I just wanted to stop by earlier, make sure you and Sam are prepared. And, I hope you'll both be on your best behavior."

Eve opens the door more, acting coy. "Aww~ Don't trust us~? Hehe, don't worry. I'm just excited to go. Sam will be fine with me the whole time."

Grey observers them fully now. Eve put a large bandanna around Sam's neck in a similar color to her blue button-up. For a grown white tiger, he looked and acted like a big domesticated cat. Though, with his experience, Sam's definitely a ferocious tiger when it comes to attacking intruders.

Eve waves Grey in as he's looking between them. Eve closes the door as he slowly walks in. Grey wasn't doubting Eve fully, but he knows she's unpredictable sometimes. "Well, I wanted to see for myself. I suppose you aren't too nervous about seeing a new facility, even different creatures and plants?"

Eve shakes her head and smiles bluntly. "Nope! Heh, I'm trying to keep my excitement and hopes up so that if it goes wrong at least we tried being prepared. Not much, but if they try anything, one angry tiger, and one angry magician, doesn't 'spell' a quiet fight, heh."

And, the unpredictable worry came again. Although Grey was hoping it's just his worry, he really has to make sure she doesn't. "Uh, I think it'll be fine, Eve... Please don't try to fight anyone. I've only been there a few times, just briefly for missions. It's not like it's a bunch of small cages in the dark corner of a small facility."

Eve keeps a grin permanently on her face as she walks off behind Grey. "Funny, I thought they'd be like that, or at least some places in the government."

He stops looking at Eve and just coolly looks around, as if he hadn't seen Eve's place a few times before. "Well, sadly I've been to a few that do, they're not associated with the secret council, and sectors we're in. That's what the other part of the government does that we can't control their decision making. The one we're going to, they know of powers, odd creatures and flora. They try to keep them safe and hidden, away from the public that could use them for dangerous reasons."

"That's still sad for those sections that keep things in cages and tortured... But, hopefully that could be changed one day...." Eve mumbled as she lowered her hand to her heart, as it ached a bit.

To get the bad facilities out of her head, Eve changes the subject, and goes back to smiling. "Hey, want some tea or coffee? We have lots of time." Eve had already been walking before Grey even responded.

Grey looks away aloof and responds, as Eve watches him off to the side. "Just give me black tea. Nothing added."

Eve turns to her kitchen, looking for a kettle and strainer. She peers over occasionally as she's talking to Grey. "Sure thing! So... you've been to this place before. How would you describe it?"

Grey leans on Eve's dining table, imagining the facility they'll see soon enough. "Well, it's a large building, so large there's a big indoor garden where everything is mainly kept. Most track the stuff there, analyze them, keep them healthy... Mm, stuff like that."

Eve passes Grey a warm cup and he takes in the moment to drink to wake up. "Thanks." He hummed.

Eve tilts her head innocently and gives a big smile to Grey. She hops into her kitchen counter and swings her feet. "You're welcome. Fancy anything to eat? It's probably best to eat something light now before we go."

Grey snapped his attention up at Eve, idling on her counter, then down at his cup. Grey was acting almost nervously. He was originally hoping to pay back the past meals, coming early to ask her. But then again, Grey's never seen Eve eat anything but her own meals, some snacks excluded however. Grey ponders, and still asks Eve. "A- actually, is there anything you're craving right now? Could be anything, not just from your fridge."

Eve thinks, then looks past Grey in a trace as she draws out, melodically. "Mm... Chocolate~."

Grey cocks his head instantly at Eve. "That's not exactly a meal- Sigh... Never mind...." Grey just resorted to drinking his tea, moping.

Eve leaps to one side with her hands knit behind her back. She giggles lightly. "Hehe, I'm perpetually craving sweets, but I could also go for some food. I have stuff that doesn't take long to cook up." Eve jumps from the counter, heading to the fridge.

Eve immediately started to rummage around her fridge and cabinets. Grey pops up beside her as she closes the fridge door. "May I help with anything?" Grey at least wanted to do something for Eve. She was hard to do things for. She was like that for a lot of people and reasons.

Eve smiles as Grey, and now Sam follows her over to the counter space. "Peel stuff for me?" SHe innocently askes.

Grey gave Eve a skeptical stare. He taps on the countertop, then drops his hand down, sighing. "Alright, but I can do a lot more once I'm done."

It took some time convincingly, but Eve let Grey help. He was able to prepare with Eve, and watch the stove when Eve didn't. No matter the handful of times eating together over the few months, Eve's opened up, but not to other's help. Like, every time she offers to cook solely.

"So...." Grey starts off, calming speaking over the stove, beside Eve. "How'd you get so good at cooking for yourself?" He asks her.

Eve gives a light, hearted chuckle. She looks down smiling as she speaks. "Since I was young, I wanted to help make food for me and my father. He was always at his desk ever since he changed to working at home. He stopped cooking and bought takeout all the time."

Grey shifts his eyes, just glancing at Eve. "Ah, I see... Did you learn by yourself?"

Eve answers Grey's questions. "Mostly, after a while. I remember trying to 'help' my mom cook when I was really little. After that, it took time, and a few bad dishes to learn how my mom was able to make such delicious food for me and my dad. I never saw my dad cook, so I thought I'd help out. He was diagnosed with clinical depression when I was young. He didn't have much motivation. I took up a lot of the cooking and cleaning to support us." She thought through memories, pleasantly, with a bittersweet feeling felt behind.

Grey seems to watch what he says next. "Oh, I see... You really loved your father." He didn't want to bring up anything she wasn't comfortable with. But, she did bring up some more information about her old life, outside of her music.

Eve hums, closing her eyes for a moment thinking back. "I still do, and my mother. They're not physically here, but they're still part of me... and I'm here because they were truly in love. Both were mostly outcasted by their families because of it, especially my father's side. I'm still happy for the time I had with both of them, even if it was brief... They were really the only family I had, but they showed me what love, and kindness was.

Eve noticed a somber silence from Grey. She didn't want Grey to be saddened by her past.Eve wanted to emphasize why she started to cook. Because people cared for her, and she cared for them. She didn't know if Grey had anyone like that growing up. She never heard much from Grey's past besides the accident with his last partner. He 'did' care for them, maybe still does. "Was there... anyone you had around you, that you cared for?"

Grey thinks, but surprisingly says a new fact about them. "Oh, my Nana. She passed when I was younger, but she was the only person who cared about me. In her poor health, it seemed I was the only one that cared for her back."

It was something both could relate to a bit, but Eve felt a bit awkward with the odd heart to heart they were having. "Aw, I'm sorry. At least you had each other." Her eyes wandered as she spoke, looking at Grey, or somewhere cooking.

Grey tries to go back to focusing on the food, and on lighter things. "It's alright. Moving on to something more positive, hopefully. Remembering the past still and all, what got you into music?"

The past was the past, and everything felt the same no matter what memory, besides the ones from the desert. Eve still kept it light and peaceful, closing her eyes, humming calmly. "I was always dancing to tunes and singing as a child. I took ballet and orchestra, later jazz and then self-teaching a lot. I didn't do choir with my tight schedules, but took up singing lessons later on for a while. I just wanted to post music and dancing. Much later, I started showing who I was other than a person posting videos. I ended up seeing myself grow a career, and a musical journey out of it."

"It must have been nice having a job like that. Doing something like that, and enjoying it so. S- Sorry, we may have cut that short, and all. I hope you can forgive us for that... Eventually." Grey stumbled, awkwardly speaking.

Eve acts like she's contemplating in thought. "Hm... I can only adapt, than say the agency's more fun than making music, for me. But, for what seems important, I don't know. The agency's important, as much as I think making people smile is too. It's good to ensure safety, so, it's okay, hehe." She toys.

Grey understands more of what Eve was like before the agency, and not in the desert. Family was an unspoken thing she cherished. Things like how she had some practice cooking for her father growing up. A lot changed after her mother, then father's death. She had to learn, and make mistakes all on her own, till she became good at certain skills. She loves to cook for people, and cooking for Grey reminded of the times with her father.

Eve had very young memories of her mother, but she kindled a lot of what Eve grew passionate about. Her mother was the one who introduced her to cooking, music, and ballet. It was probably how Eve got into a career in music, because her mother loved it too.

Grey learned more about Eve, and Eve learned a little about him slowly too. This time it felt more personal than asking about her music and things related to that. That's something she'd put out there herself, and the entertainer she was, everyday. But, she never mentioned family, even long distant relatives, or many interactions besides people online, or with close ones. For acting so extroverted, Grey sees Eve was an introvert at heart. Or, she was so much in her own little world, she was untouchable to many. The untouchable pair, one stone cold, the other a bubbly idol.

After cooking together, they sit and Grey sits across from Eve. Sameer, as always, sitting by her. Everyone had their favorite places to sit at the dining table together. They continued to eat and chat, till it was time to leave. With some time to spare they all casually hang around Eve's apartment. Grey explains to both of them the rules and what to expect. Now Grey's back to business, but his tone and talking earlier was much softer now.

_______________________________________________

Eve, Grey, and Sameer had all made it to the unit's rooftop next. They board on a jet that was set for taking them to the sanctuary. It wasn't long till they reached their destination, but the scenery had changed drastically. They were in a partial desert landscape. The ground was mostly hard, dry earth, with only tall grass around. But, beside the plane as they exited was a gated, large, similarly colored earthy building with a large glass dome on top. Looking through the glass, there were treetops that peered over the building.

Eve stops once her feet are on the ground, observing the big facility. Both Grey, and Sameer stood by Eve's side, looking as well. But, Grey takes his attention back to Eve, before he walks off to the security at the gate entrance. Eve and Sam follow quickly behind. Eve snapped out of her glazing quickly. Back to discovering exactly what 'this' was.

Inside, it was bright like a giant hospital lobby. Eve's boots seemed to echo to endless halls wrapped in a circle. There were many doors, and one big double door in front. From the looks of greenery from the other side, it was the main enclosure.

A woman in a white coat appears from the halls, and keeps walking towards Eve, Grey, and Sam. She looks at them, and both partners turn and face her. The woman holds out a hand to Eve first. "Welcome, I am Doctor Corer. I assume Sam is him." She looks down at Eve's furry companion beside her. Sam nods, to speak for himself. He assumed he should get it out of the way.

Eve shakes her hand, trying to combat her nervousness, and nods. She raises her head a bit, observing the woman meeting them. Age showing under her eyes and in her originally dark, curly brown hair. But, she stuck as serious, and beautiful in her confident stature. This was the lead doctor the director had been in contact with about their case.

Eve places a hand lightly to her heart. "Yes... I am Agent Maestro, Sam is my friend. And, this is my partner, Agent Grey." Eve waves both arms pointing to Sam, then Grey's direction when speaking.

Grey shakes the doctor's hand and they both observe Eve and Sam. Sam looks between everyone curiously. When he stopped at the doctor, he lifted a paw, and tried to say hello with a small wave. Eve watched unfazed, but Grey cocked his head slightly at it. Doctor Corer understood, in a way, and made note of it. She would be observing how Sameer behaves and acts through this whole meeting.

Doctor Corer looks back to Eve, and calmly speaks. "Alright. If you'll allow me, I want to ask a few questions, and evaluate him. I'll also give you a tour of the sanctuary, and what we're protecting here before we start."

Eve nods sincerely. At least it was being handled much better than the other facilities they could have gone to. Goes to show that the S.O.U, and others, weren't as cruel and restrictive. "Alright, please show us the way."

The entry was normal white, so was the hall. But, once they passed the two large doors, it immediately became a jungle. The trees Eve saw outside were part of a lush indoor garden, packed heavily with trees and bushes, along with a tall, heavily enforced fence that was to each side of them.

Immediately as Eve looks around, something makes a zapping noise, and she looks past the fence. An odd plant has sparks coming out of the drooping buds, and a small, odd, lizard-like creature was trying to zap it right back using its tail. Eve is amazed, and looks back at the group. Sameer saw it, but everyone else hadn't heard the noise, and was walking away. Eve and Sam pace quickly behind them again.

There was a narrower path straight through the center, gated in parts so that workers could come in to feed and care for the creatures on the other side. As they started to walk further along the path the doctor was leading them, Eve heard and saw a bit more of the active life around them.

Eve's eyes couldn't help but light up as she was marveling at the scenery. "Wow~... This is beautiful." Eve said her thoughts aloud.

Doctor Corer chuckles a bit, and turns to Eve, still leading them. "It is, isn't it?"

Eve cutely tilts her head and brings a finger to the other cheek. She questions, bubbly and surprisingly unafraid. "Do any get aggressive?"

Dr. Corer shakes her head as she continues walking ahead. "Not many on hand, some however are a bit more hostile. Due to protocols, we have to cage aggressive creatures in separate enclosures. The rest can be fenced off, with no hostility towards the others."

Eve looks around, and listens into the subtle rustling and sounds. Eve imagines what it must be like, taken to someplace new. Hopefully protected, but was similarly to her situation. She could imagine them scared, but hopefully not for long. Eve's face furrowed in worry.

Grey adds, reassuring his partner, since it was her first time there. And, Grey noticed the silence and expression Eve was making. "Maestro, it's okay. They still get well fed and cared for."

Dr. Corer nods facing them, then faces forward again and walks on. "Indeed. As we are constantly learning about these creatures, we use part of that information to find their suitable needs. New ones have trails of foods, exercises, and comfortably to see what works. We constantly write down observations and track how they behave."

Eve's relieved to hear. The endangered creatures definitely needed the right care. They all go deeper into the sanctuary, where they can see more movement from behind the gates. Some things started to get closer to the fences the more they ventured.

After passing a few creatures Eve's never seen, and stopping at any that stood in front of her. It was unlike anything. Plants she's never seen, sadly she doesn't know if they're magical. But, from the first plant she saw near the entrance, some have abilities, which seemed like it could be used as a magical ingredient. Some animals had abilities, but a very slim few. Some creatures looked like sentients to normal animals, and some looked like nothing from this earth. Some flew, hovered, had antlers, glowing eyes, tendrils, and other strange details.

After sometime walking along the fence, Eve makes another stop, as a small creature has her undivided attention. "Wow~...."

Grey grunts annoyed in Eve's direction. He stares at his partner tiredly. "You've been saying 'wow' to everything you see." He quoted vaguely and rolled his eyes. He wonders how she keeps up all that excitement.

Eve holds a hand close to a fence with an odd, furry, yet shapeless-like creature that was jumping in circles in front of Eve. Its body weirdly stretched as it spun around. She turns her attention away from it, and giggles at Grey. "It's just so beautiful here. The sunlight and forestry is fantastic. There's so much space and biome... We don't know if they're happier here, it's still better for being in a new home."

Eve turns back to the cute creature that's now looking up at her, wiggling around. It seemingly wanted to play, or get her attention back again. Eve pressed on its nose lightly through the fence. The furry creature ran around in a circle excitedly, stretching its body. Then, it faced back to her again, body shrinking back to its normal, fluid-like state.

Eve looks back, after getting distracted by the creatures, over to Doctor Corer. "I must ask, about Sam... Have you found any creatures that appear like animals we normally see?" She gets back to the task at hand, which Grey is relieved about.

Doctor Corer looks uncertain at Eve, not the most reassuring sign. The doctor tries to elaborate her explanation. "That is where we don't have any creatures that fit that specific type, that we know of yet. I will have to run a small test to see. Maybe his DNA would tell us anything."

Eve tenses up hearing the word 'test' and Sam's 'DNA'. Grey noticed his partner tense up. He knew that face she was making that she was getting worried. Grey knows not to have Eve get too much in her head. She becomes unpredictable for Grey. "Maestro, it's okay. She just wants to see if it'll prove any more to your question."

"Yes, and if you don't want me to run everything with machines, I can check something now...." After speaking, Dr. Corer's eyes then glowed a bright white. To Eve's surprise, the doctor was also an ability-user. Dr. Corer looks at Sameer. Sam, and both agents watch the doctor. Eve felt something a bit, like a breeze just whispered to her for a moment. It felt, and sounded familiar.

Eve looks between Sam and the doctor curiously. Although she didn't see anything change, she knew something was going on that she just couldn't see. "Oh? You did something, I felt that too."

The doctor keeps their glowing gaze at Sam, but explains. "Indeed. I'm checking his 'soul' of sorts."

Eve curiously observes Dr. Corer. She's been wanting Yamehl to check Sam's soul. It was a topic Eve had asked about with her mentor, but their escape made it challenging for Sam to come back to the place they were imprisoned.

Maybe Corer would help see his soul instead. She was curious once and checked Sam's aura. Sam had a white aura like any other animal, but it was big, and bright like Eve's almost. She only saw his aura once and had been waiting to ask her mentor about what it meant. He'd be able to see both, and know more about it.

Eve goes wide-eyed, surprised and excited. She gasps and waves her hands frantically. "His soul? Neat! I can see the outside aura! Can you see auras, or just the souls?"

Grey interjects, facing his partner a bit nervously. "Maestro, calm down...."

Although her voice sounded just the same, Dr. Corer chuckles a bit. She calmly spoke. "You have a similar power too?"

Grey now turns back to the doctor. "N- no, she doesn't exactly. She's a special case, and can perform many abilities. You could say, she has multiple...."

"Oh. I've never heard of that before." Dr. Corer turns to Eve curiously. Her face was often relaxed, but the doctor gave a small smile, still calmly speaking. "You and your friend, Sam, are the most interesting pair I've met."

Eve definitely took that as a compliment. She was happy to explain her magic, as simply as she could. "Hehe, it's understandable. My ability is starlight. However, I'm able to do a few other things, alone or with a tool. Like aura-reading. I can tell you what your aura looks like! May I?!"

Doctor Corer chuckles at Eve's excitement, and nods. "Heh, sure. It'll be the first, since it doesn't work in a mirror." For Eve, she understood why the doctor couldn't, because mirrors don't reflect their spiritual form.

Eve excitedly jumps, then closes her eyes. She stomps her foot lightly and a wind flows from her to the doctor. Opening her eyes again, they glowed, and Eve saw Corer's aura. "Oooh, so pretty~! You have a colorful ring! It's very interesting, there's a small ring just round your heart too." Eve cups her face, and marvels at the sight.

A colorful spectrum of light was around Corer. It gleamed, as well as a smaller ring that was wrapped around her heart indeed. Corer took her word for it, as she couldn't be able to check herself. She does however, look to see if she could see the one on her heart. She placed a hand on her chest, and she could see the glow from the light and shadows on her hand. "I've never noticed the small circle around my own heart before. Hm, interesting."

As new discoveries and revelations, Grey scoffs, breaking the cheerful atmosphere between shared ability-readers. He crosses his arms and looks away from them. "Hmph, it's odd how you two can talk so casually, like it's nothing out of the ordinary to see 'souls' and 'auras'..."

Dr. Corer chuckled. She speaks, which surprised Eve, once she started explaining. "We might try matching his DNA, and soul, with other creatures. I was informed that it might be too much to ask, but there might be a chance we'll need a small sample of blood. We'll try with the saliva and hair tests first. That will hopefully be enough to analyze, so we don't have to do the former." It seemed they were already informed by the director of Eve's protection over Sam. Which may have been an 'over-protected' nature.

Eve nods nervously, just from wondering what will and could happen. "Okay, that'll be alright."

Now that the agreement was settled, they could start looking into research of what makes tigers capable of understanding languages. "Alright, it'll take time for the full results. But, I'll check something quickly in our lab, before you go. Follow me."

The group follows Dr. Corer to a door, inside was a makeshift lab workshop, and emergency care station. Corer sits down at a computer and brings a microscope connected to it close to her. After collecting a saliva sample, Dr. Corer inspects it under the scope, and pulls up something to her computer. "Hmm... Looking at his cells, and comparing it to species of snow tiger, they're fairly similar. We'll have to run more tests. See if he's an intelligent tiger, or something more. Once we get more results."

Eve tries to be polite, questioning softly as she was still nowhere close to figuring out what Sameer was. "Is there anything you'd make a guess of?"

Dr. Corer props a fist to her chin and ponders. She shakes her head, not confident in the answer. "It's hard to imagine rare things... But, I do know there's a rescue for rehabilitated lab experiments. Sometimes we get a few animals that have been altered beyond its normal species. Maybe Sam was tested on by other agencies."

That made Eve's heart drop. For the reason that places like that exist, and if Sameer was ever in one. Eve's eyes go wide and she bumbles through her words in shock. "T- that's terrible!..." She couldn't imagine why people would alter peaceful lives, for research, or any purpose.

Dr. Corer nods slowly. She couldn't agree more. "Yes... I don't see any alterations in his cells, but maybe it's something deeper in his DNA. Even if he's not an experiment, he still has an interesting case. We'll see what we can find, even if some animal minds can become more cognitive."

Eve nods, processing all her worry, and thoughts. She turns to Sameer, slightly unnerved by the conversation. He looks up at her. Eve tilts her head to him, questioning. "Sam? Are you... a government experiment, maybe? I don't really see that."

Sameer looks confused and shakes his head, but then shrugs his shoulders. Sam didn't, nor couldn't know what he was. If he did, then he couldn't explain it to them either. It seemed impossible to get any information this way.

The furthest of Sam's memories, and most of his life before Eve, could possibly have been in cages. It would have been difficult to end up in the desert, being an experiment overseas, if that was the case. She'd have to learn who sold off Sam to a distant emperor, and why. He was a rare breed of tiger, but a breed that understood humans was still unheard of. Eve thinks deeply into the possibilities still. It seemed like no matter the creature, Sameer was nothing like anything she saw in the sanctuary.

Dr. Corer looks one more time at the DNA through the microscope. She speaks, turning back to the partner agents, and tiger companion. "And, for a moment, if you'd please. The director wanted me to show a couple of samples of plants also reigned here."

Eve knows this is for her. "Oh? It's the director's order?" As a reminder, the director wanted Eve to look at the creatures and plants, comparing it to the things she's learned previously.

Dr. Corer nods. "Yes. Follow me." She turns to the doors, and the group then follows her out into the hallway again.

They were led to a room that was a little dimmed. The lights were off, but all the windows shine in, along with several UVB and ultra lights. Inside, plants and things that resemble it were growing in small rows in planter boxes, or glass chambers singled out. Some grew different colors. Some were just oddly growing from the soil in spiraling or sharp, jagged stems outward.

Everyone files in the room, and Dr. Corer goes to a side room, where storage shelves full of contained jars with air pumping through to each one. Eve sees her take tubes out of glasses and carries the jars out. Walking back out, Corer speaks. "We have many record materials, but the director had asked for a few in specific. He asked for your knowledge of rare minerals and herbs."

Eve nods and excitedly beams. "Oh! Sure then! Seems interesting enough...." Dr. Corer sets a few plant samples out, and immediately something catches Eve's eye. Corer goes to take all the plants and a stone out of their containment with crucible tongs, and organizes them on a lab table, for Eve to observe.

Eve picks up a dark blue flower from the center. Smaller, but looked like it was frozen over, with yellow, glowing polyps on the stems. Immediately it gave a chill that quickly went through her gloves and flushed her in a cold wave. Then, still holding on, it became warmer than it was originally in the room. This strange flower, a similar ingredient that she has seen before. ".... Where did you find this one? The Atlantic?" She twirls the flower in her hand, looking it over thoroughly.

Dr. Corer nods, as plainly but she looked nervous for some reason when Eve held the flower. And, how it was still in her hand, and Eve was just fine. "Yes, actually. You've seen this before?" She eyes Eve and the flower.

Eve didn't want to mention how she would get it, and from where it winds up, but she explains. "It's used for changing the weather temporarily. I've come upon a few in my life, and used them."

A familiar ingredient found in the agency's possession. This could be expected, but still a surprise to everyone in the room. Corer verifies with Eve. "Interesting. A research team found a small patch of these in an Atlantic forest on a trek. I heard it was difficult to keep as cargo, it zaps all the heat from anything it touches. That's all we really know about it. We keep all of our plants for research, and care for them. One that creatures eat or like, we keep in the main room to grow naturally."

Eve looks up from the flower at Dr. Corer. Eve was acting uncharacteristically serious. "I know someone who can handle them. That's good, at least you're finding a purpose for it. I assume the ones unfamiliar to me haven't been used or able to be in the areas I've worked in...."

Eve's eyes glow a bright blue, she looks at the flower that way. She inspects it again, this time sharing some of her power with it, making the polyps burst a small golden mist around it. "The only thing these plants have in common is that they have a power, like us. We can even connect to different, and new forces." As she was, and it was responding in a way no one else in the room had seen before. It looked like the flower was blooming, growing taller, buds sprouting, and a mist covering it like golden, small clouds.

Dr. Corer couldn't recall a moment the plant behaved like that. "Fascinating... How did you do it?" She could see Eve use her power, but she didn't know it wasn't her star-power. It was just like using energy, like when identifying their kind to one another. The next step was the connection, something magicians practice.

Eve let's out a chuckle. She couldn't give a full explanation, as she's tried with Grey before, but still puts it simply. "Heh, I don't think I can explain it, if you haven't experienced it already. If you hear and feel something, you feel your ability wanting to make a connection."

Eve walks around the table and hovers a hand over the objects. "But... All of these here have different essences. I see the director picking out these specific elemental powers."

Eve's eyes glow again. As before, now just activating each plant and stone in a row. It was like a show of different lights, and they grew slightly as they did. Some did things like flash red, have plums of mystic smoke appear, or the stone flashing a bright green. "... This one is hot, though nothing's burning. This one, I feel like I'm in a lucid dream. This stone flower seems like it needs more dry soil to grow, than a container full of air. A stone that helps grass grow. A flower that breathes, ironically it's filtering the air. That seems like a good one to plant."

Dr Corer keeps a serious tone, as she looks down more focused on the changing of plant specimens that had just changed just then. "We know some insight to these but nothing that we can't observe. Some plants seem to be sporadic. Seeing you handle and control them just now, was unimaginable." She looks back at Eve, more curious to what this agent exactly was.

Grey pipes in, as Eve would start boasting about magic and things they wouldn't be able to comprehend. "Maestro has the power to connect with substances like this. Even use plants like these as ingredients. So, she's a natural in this field." He coolly explains.

Eve giggles, nodding at Grey's statements. She places a hand to her heart, offering the idea. "I can also have a friend see if they know anything. I know an expert that knows almost all rare substances on earth, maybe beyond too."

Corer smiles happily. It was mentioned Eve could help offer new techniques, and new research performed. As promised, it was like questions that had, or didn't know they had, were being answered. "Ah, identifying some of our plants, and whatever else, would be great help. However we can form help in our research, we talk more later. I'll also be finding out anything about Sam here, for the time being."

Grey nods plainly and seriously to the doctor. "Let us know of any results you find. We'll be on our way."

Dr. Corer shakes both partner's hands again, and Sam's paw, as a farewell. "Of course. Thank you again for coming."

Eve faces Dr. Corer, and bows and a hand to her heart. Eve liked the sanctuary, the doctor, and being able to come in the first place. "Thank you very much for your help. I appreciate your time helping us."

Sameer sits calmly, and also bows his head as they say goodbye. The agents, and tiger, all leave. Corer shows them out and gives them a final wave goodbye through the gates. They take off again back to the unit, as they all hopefully get results soon in time.

____________________________________________________

It's late and Eve's already ate and freshened up after a day at the sanctuary and traveling. Work was short, just having the trip for the day to do. She uses a key to go up to the rooftop, so she could have some time with Sameer under the cloudy night sky. The stars in the city were even more hidden from sight from the clouds. A plume of grayness partly enclosed the moon beneath its glow.

In an act to calm her racing thoughts, Eve sighs heavily, and then looks up to the sky, and a flourish of her arms to follow. She takes a slow stride and waves her arms from side to side. She then spun, swishing her arms around, sending glimmers of light.

Eve circles her arms around each other, and then reaches up high with one hand. She twirls her fingers to grab hold of golden webs of light that stick to her fingertips from the air. Small bright dews of liquid glimmered, sliding from the strands and onto Eve's hand. She brings her hand closer to inspect. The dewy threads extended from her hand, to the endless connection it had with the night's gray and grim sky above.

She hums to her, and Sameer, who was laying down watching her. "Hmm, it looks like there will be heavy rain soon. I guess we'll have to head inside."

She turns her attention to Sameer in the corner laying down relaxing. Yet she looks back to the moon and thinks off to herself for a moment more. "So much information this world has, yet so much is unknown... Ugh... My head's spinning just thinking about it." After cradling her head, Eve inhales deeply. Something in her head was pounding, yet somewhere over her head felt like it was aching too.

Eve reaches out to the sky again, and exhales deeply. She then closes her eyes, and smiles. "Ah~ bless the light that fills the universe... May all hear the hopes of Elder in the wind's whispers. Polaris... please give me your strength and light. Let the world shine as bright as you, one day...." Eve opens her eyes to meet the night's atmosphere again. She then opens both her arms and raises them, as if going to embrace the sky.

"... Amen? Do you normally do that, or some sort of ritualistic prayer?" A familiar, gloomy voice from behind Eve, suddenly interrupts.

Eve quickly whips her head to see Grey leaning on the door. He'd been off duty for a while, yet he just ditched his tie and untucked his shirt and sleeves. His hair was also more to the side, less neater than before. Eve was a bit curious as to why he was still up. Even Eve had changed hours ago and was relaxing on the roof in her pajamas and a sweater.

She had no idea when he got there. She was taken back, surprised. "W- what? No, I'm not praying... at least I don't think so. I don't know what I do exactly, I just talk, and sometimes something happens. If not, I still have my thoughts protected into space, hehe."

Grey rolls his eyes and sneers mockingly at Eve. "Har har, very philosophical, if you intended for that. Well, what are you doing up here so late? You said it'll rain soon."

Eve scoffs in a joking manner, crossing her arms and shaking her head at him. "Gotta be around me once I step foot out the door? Besides when you're at my door? Hehe." She teased, with a bit of sass.

Grey answers plainly. "No, surprisingly. I actually wanted to get some air up here, to clear my head. I was just waiting till you noticed, but I haven't been here for long. So, what are you doing besides 'projecting'?" He used air quotes to emphasize his question again.

Eve toys a bit. Her voice sounded animated, but it was a calmer tone. Rather than excitedly higher pitched. "Hehe, that was a spur of the moment, but I was also just getting some air. I was just thinking about... a lot, and I needed a second to compose myself." She drops her head a bit, and softly cradles it in a palm as she turns away from Grey. Eve was tired, but she didn't want it to show.

Grey, too monotone and work-centered, observes Eve, and her recent troubles as a result. "Hm... seems the added work you're taking on might be weighing on you. I know everything has been a lot to take in, so I can be an ear for you. I will not use you for work anymore, or make it seem like I don't care. You can also talk to me about whatever's the matter."

Eve tiredly chuckles. She tilts her head and looks over to Grey. "Well, I was thinking about my entire life, but the work also ties to everything. I'm still getting adjusted, though it's not so bad, I guess. I just have a LOT of questions. With what I thought I knew, and what I know now... What happened when I first discovered my powers, or when accidentally showing 'Mehl... Or, wondering... what would have happened if I was brought up into the agency, like you...." She turns away, not looking Grey in the eyes.

Grey sees Eve's attempt to hide her expression. Yet, he could hear it in her voice how somber and bothered she was. "It... it's different for everyone. You maybe would have been the same, ran away, or never found your true potential. I'm not sure you'd be as powerful if you were taken like me. So, don't worry about that...."

Eve scrunches her face confused at Agent Grey. "When were you taken?"

Grey scratches the back of his head and looks away. He then thinks critically, and lowers his attention down at the rooftop. "I was... young. Maybe... 14? Younger? Still, old enough to go to school and I learned from private schooling as well as lessons about random abilities and our secret society. And, most were around my age or older...."

Eve tilts her head curiously. "What do you remember from before that?"

Grey slightly shook his head. He didn't face her as he grimly spoke. "... Not good memories, and I remember the secret unit was my escape route...."

Eve down her gaze and speaks sincerely. "I see... Apologies, if it's rude that I asked."

Grey eyes Eve, and tiredly bores out. "It's fine. It's not something that defines me, but I learned from it. It's nothing I ever have to worry about but it's so... beneath me now, that I don't want to even think of it as a part of my life. Or... talk about it, since it seems so foreign to me."

Eve looks at Grey, more sorrowfully. She places a hand to her heart, as if it ached. "I'm sorry it seems like you have a troubling past..."

Grey changed his tone a bit exaggerated, yet tired still. He wanted to correct her statement. "As I've said before, I'm unlucky. Not a lot of luck has been on my side, misfortune always comes...."

Eve leans to the side over to Grey, and smiles. "As an optimist would say, good fortune comes after, or eventually. They both do, and that is life. I hope you'll have some better luck one day, then you won't curse yourself as misfortunate."

Grey raised one side of his mouth slightly. "Heh, I hope so too, then." He breathed out. Definitely hoping one day to feel what having luck is like.

A trickle of rain falls on Eve's head. She jolts and looks up. "Okay, Sam definitely needs to get inside, before he gets cold and wet."

Eve buzzes closer to the Grey, and the door. He was kind enough to step away and open it. "Alright, after you two." He holds the door for Eve to rush Sam back in, and then he follows.

Grey closes and locks the door. He swirls the keys with his finger, then places them back in his pocket walking down. Eve and Sam start to walk again down the stairs, so Grey could follow.

Eve leans over with her fingers intertwined together and holding just below her chin. She gives a small, awkward grin. "I'm sorry you didn't get some alone time on the rooftop."

Grey shrugs slightly. He tried to act aloof. "I still got to distract my thoughts, so I'll be fine."

Eve beams a warm smile up at him as she turns a corner of the stairwell. "Well, good! Hopefully you can sleep tonight."

Grey brushes his hand on the wall and pauses as he looks at her. "Hopefully, and you too...."

They reach Eve's floor first, Grey follows Eve until they are in the warmly lit hallway, when Eve turns to him. She smiles, she pats Sam's head softly. Grey was the first to speak, very softly. "So... See you tomorrow, and have a good rest of your guy's night." He says to Eve directly.

Eve beams up at him again with a very calm and sincere look. "Hehe, we will, you too. Nighty-night, Grey."

Eve closes the door to her apartment, and she waits by the door. She hears Agent Grey's footsteps go down the hall. Then, as an old custom, she put a magic seal around the door. Sounds and sights of a flash from the cracks of the door. Eve goes to her room with Sameer and sits beside her bed. She takes out the crystal communicator necklace, and activates it in her dimly lit room. The light from the living room creeping from the door was the only light in Eve's room.

Eve sees the crystal flashing, then staying a small glow. She speaks through the crystal, hoping to reach her mentor. "Yamehl! How are you? Are you okay?!"

And, as Eve was hoping in anticipation, her mentor speaks. Yamehl speaks calmly and cheerfully. His voice pressed more tired and deep as he mentioned his ongoing work.

'Heh, I'm well. Nothing's happened, so not to worry. Things over here are still taking time. I'm targeting the location of your soul, from having never been or seen the place you were taken to. Forgive me, as I need more time. I hope you've been better.'

Eve shakes her head, like she was shocked. Her mentor's disappointment in his searching wasn't an issue he needed to have. After how long she's been working, and putting up with the new scenery, it wasn't as bad. Life had changed, but it wasn't so bad that she needed rescuing. It was more like she was slowly needing to rescue the agency, for whatever they need her so much for. "I've been getting adjusted to life here, but it's not the same, nor does it feel like home. It's alright for now, since I'll soon be able to come to you."

That was something they've both been holding onto, being able to see each other again. Both Eve and Yamehl were happy. The worry of being torn apart was something they feared, when Eve was taken to the S.O.U. headquarters. Yamehl was almost reminded, as Eve mentioned before, that the agency would want to meet with him directly. Eve didn't want him to leave for that reason, when they could come to them.

Yamehl wavers in a cheerful thought, then an anxious one. For a moment, Eve could at least hear him smile as he spoke a little more excited. But, then it faded.

'Oh? If the time is drawing nearer for me to permit a team to come with you, we could wait till then. I can put a tracing spell on you, and be able to travel to you, if ever needed. I'm worried something will happen, and I can't get to you.'

Eve tries to combat her mentor's worry. She spoke truthfully, as it would ease him the most. "I'll be fine, and I've been eased into working alongside the large agency. Things will be fine and we can prepare in case something DOES change for the bad."

'If you need a way out, if anything happens that you're not comfortable with, tell me. I will do all in my power to take you out of there....'

Eve didn't really know what else he would do, but she didn't want them to have to result to it. All she knows is when he showed up, to her or to get ingredients, it would be on occasion. If she moved, he wouldn't show up soon after, but later on. Since this was a different continent, it would be highly plausible it would be longer than before, Eve can only assume.

But, Eve saw no threat, as different as things are, for the time being. Even with what new rules she follows now. "Thank you, 'Mehl. I promise, I will. I'll be fine, from what I've gathered, I'm important to keep alive. They're not wanting anything crooked, other than abruptly making me help them."

Given, it was true, and just their strict way of containing people with powers. It may be unfair for some, but many take it as a way to have a normal life again. Even if Eve's experience was now more pleasant, her mentor still saw some things not quite right with how they handle situations. Especially if Eve was involved in that thought. He tries to let out the worry with a sigh, and clearing his mind. He sounds happier again.

'Please be safe, reach me if something happens. I'm excited to see you soon.'

Eve fidgets sitting on her bed as she excitedly jumps speaking. "I am too! I miss you so much! It'll be so nice to see you again! A- a and the town! I can't wait to see everyone again. And! You get to meet Sam more, this time!" She quickly adds more to avert any sudden slips she might make.

Yamehl chuckles, the crystal picking up and flashing at his merry tone. He chimes a farewell, as they had to end at some point. Their brief talk made both of their days better than before.

'I shall be anticipating both of your arrivals. I can't wait to meet him. It's late for you, is it not? We'll hear from each other again. Talk to you soon, Eve. Goodnight to you both.'

Eve goes giddy, though her heart hurts a bit, soon not able to hear her mentor speak again for a while. She didn't want their talk to end. She wanted to talk about his day, ask what he was up to. But, it was late, and she didn't want to take up any more time if he was busy. "Take care, 'Mehl... I'll let you know when we plan to meet you. We'll hopefully have a date set soon... - And p- please take care, a- again. Goodbye, 'Mehl." She rambles on, practically forcing herself to say goodbye.

The crystal goes back, and Eve sits with her thoughts, and Sameer by her side. It was a good day, and after talking to Yamehl, it was a good night. The sounds of rain, now catching her senses. She lays onto the bed, now looking at the rainy window with the crystal gripped above her head. She slowly drifts to sleep, and Sam cardles around her carefully.

Time set its own pace at an unforetold journey. What was planned, and what was to come, were to be shown at their own pace. For the time being, everyone was to go to their usual tasks at hand, only waiting till fades collided. What would happen when S.O.U. members met with Eve's mentor, was a mystery on how it would go. What they might learn or come by, only Eve had seen. With knowledge, what would also happen if a new society applies old techniques, also a mystery, but for all.

#agent starlight #chapter 9 #wattpad #my story #the sanctuary #secret agent #special abilities

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girlwithwolftatoo · 2 years

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The moon boys getting the silent treatment....idk I'm just in the mood for some drama💁🏽‍♀️

It's sad time, ladies and gentlemen!

Marc Spector:

*His first reaction is letting you know he doesn't give a damn. Marc doesn't like confrontation, so will let you be and act like he's fine with that.

*Spends most of the time doing stuff to keep his mind occupied, but fails. Like, he turns the T.V on but just stay at the screen without even noticing he hasn't paid attention to the movie or show.

*Walks around his floor like a caged tiger, cellphone in hand, wondering if he should call you or not, and everytime he turns, he gets more angry until he kicks the nearest furniture and spit a couple of curses.

*Probably will buy booze and drink until he passes out. He simply lays on the floor and drinks straight from the bottle, thinking about everything he has done wrong in life and how you should drop him forever because he's a senseless bastard and all sort of negative things that drag him in a depressive spyral.

*He's the one who suffers the most the silent treatment, he'd rather have you yelling at him or being passive-aggresive, anything but pretend he doesn't exist, it's too hurtful for poor Marc and once you forgive him, he feels so down he cannot act normal for a couple of days.

Steven Grant:

*He won't go down without a fight, and will tell you a thing or two about how you're acting selfish and stuborn and how he'll be on the phone for when you want to speak again.

*He spends most of the time talking to Gus about the discussion. "And then (Y/N) just gives me this look and turns back, obviously they don't want to talk, amirite? I mean... yeah, everybody does mistakes but... communication is the key, don't you think?"

*Steven can handle this sort of things better than the rest of the Moon boys, he gives you space to calm down and he does the same. The only problem is he's getting used to do a lot of things with you, and nostalgia hits hard when he's listening some music you enjoy together or he's trying to finish the 1000 pieces puzzle you bot began as a project the last weekend.

*"I... I miss them, Gus" he sighs and leaves the puzzle table to sleep, thought he knows it's not going to work. So Steven lays on the bed, staring at the ceilling with mixed feelings until tireness wins the battle and he gets some hours of rest.

*He jumps and falls onto the floor as soon as he hears his phone ringing. Steven answers trying to sound normal, even acting a little brat ("Oh, you want to speak now? I'm glad to hear that"),but deep inside he's relieved of listening to you again.

Jake Lockley:

*Jake chuckles and towers you from behind, to mutter a single warning: "If you don't want to hear about me, I swear you won't". Then, he leaves slamming the door shut.

*And of course he'll keep his promise. Turns his phone off so you can't call him, drives around the city and spend the night having a good time kicking asses and flirting with ladies of all sort without actually pretending to be serious. Yes, he can be happy without you.

*Jake knows how to dissapear if he wants to, but after the adrenaline spree he had during nighttime, the lights of dawn remind him not everything in life can be violence and fun. He practicall passes out on his sofa and wakes up in th afternoon, feeling more tired than before, hungry and a little lonely.

*Just like Marc, he drinks to wash the pain away, but never gets drunk. In fact, he grows tired of booze very quickly and then he tries to revive the emotions of the last night, probably without much success.

*That's when he begins to miss you. Yeah, he made a promise and will keep it, but he's so used to feeling you, having you on his side like his sanity lifeboat, your absence is like a deep wound.

*Instead of calling you, he drives to your place and waits for you outside of the limo, smoking just to relax his nerves. And he can be like this for hours, until you show up or either come out. "(Y/N)" he says as soon as he sees you, and doesn't need more words, his eyes are the perfect reflection of his pain.

#moon knight headcanon #moon knight series #moon boys #marc spector #jake lockley #steven grant #marc spector headcanon #steven grant headcanon #jake lockley headcanon #steven grant x reader #jake lockley x reader #marc spector x reader #oscar isaac #marvel series

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bored-storyteller · 3 years

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Hello! I remember you said you could write for Sally Face even though it's not on your list (if I dreamed of it, excuse me 🙏), since you still look like you're in the fandom... How about the #4 of the prompt list with Sally Face? If you do not write for him I apologize 😭

Hello dear Anon! Yes, Sally Face maybe is the video game I'm most fond of, I can write for him, I just don't always feel like making the requests that come to me about this game. But don't worry! Asking is always fine! Thanks for the request!

P.s. This is more fluff than angst I think, I apologize, is that there is already a lot of angst for him

73- Sally Face, Sal Fisher x Reader

From the prompt list

4- “Do you know what it’s like?”

Gizmo's purr lazily fills the silence in the room, the big cat is taking his ration of free pampering perched in your boyfriend's lap.

His fingers glide absently on the white and tawny fur of the half-asleep feline, while behind his mask you catch nothing but an absent gaze directed at the void between his knees.

By now that beautiful sky-colored eye of his communicates with you without the need for words, and you see how much it seems dull and lost, so much so that it appears almost glass like the one on the right.

Sal is always so sweet and so strong. He has so much weight on his shoulders, yet you always see him accepting everyone else's too. He never complains, he doesn't fidget, and he doesn't scream, not even when he gets angry, and if he does he apologizes as if he's at fault.

You love him, you really love him. You feel it in your guts, especially now, that he is like this.

You don't really know what's troubling him, yet you see how sad he is. His shoulders are bent slightly forward, and his blue hair slips free, covering even more of his usual mask.

Even though you know you are free with him, you are terribly afraid of hurting him. You're afraid of saying something too much, something he doesn't deserve.

As you leave the book you were reading by your side, you try to remember when Sal began to wither.

You noticed it after the last outing you did with the others, but you have no idea if those thoughts that seem to be spinning in his head were already floating around before, and you curse yourself for being so inattentive towards him.

"Give me space Gizmo" you mutter with a playful pout, picking up the lazy cat to move it a little further "I want the cuddles too."

Sal just cooes as his hands remain motionless, letting you nestle your head in his lap.

Once you are comfortable in your new nest, his fingers gently touch your forehead, while you are busy trying to come to terms with the big cat who insists on trying to stay on his master's lap too, at the cost to sit on your face.

“Come on Gizmo. Let me be a little jealous every now and then. " You snort, pushing the royal furry butt away from your nose.

"Are you jealous?" Sal's question is surmounted by the meow of the fake tiger who decides to snuggle in the hollow between your shoulder and your neck.

Your eyes roll up into his gaze and for a moment you don't know how to read that question. You feel him terribly serious, and in a way, you don't know where he is going.

"Yes ... I'm jealous of you ... that is ... is it normal I think?" You know that sincerity is always the best choice with him, but you still bite your tongue, wondering if you are giving the wrong idea.

His caresses have stopped while he silently looks at you, and you don't know what he's thinking, you don't know if you've unknowingly touched a nerve or if you just added a new thought to him.

"Why?" His question comes out as a surrendered sigh "You have no reason ... I say ... it is you who can make others love you, not me."

His words take your breath away for a moment.

"What are you saying…?" You murmur, as you raise a hand to touch his turquoise locks "you know how to make yourself loved even by those who don't even know how to love ..." you whisper softly, yet you don't seem to convince him.

His sigh becomes more impressive in the rumble of his mask, and you look at him patiently, while his hands undo the hooks that block it to his face.

Few people know what lies behind that prosthesis, and it hardly ever happens that he leaves himself so spontaneously in the sight of others. It's because it's you, you know, and it flatters you, yet something so immediate still surprises you.

You believe that his face is something magical, because no matter how grotesque it is, how almost you could say that there is no face, but you love it, you loved it from the first moment you saw it. Maybe because you were already in love with him.

"You were beautiful that night." His words still confuse you, and you force yourself to accept the idea of having entered a minefield. So you were right, was it your last outing that upset him?

"Sal ..." you get up, and now even Gizmo has realized he has to leave space for you, moving to the next pillow.

He doesn't look at you, his eyes are closed, but he continues to keep himself completely exposed to you.

"I really mean it. You are always beautiful to me, but that night ... that night you felt beautiful too, didn't you? You were, you really were, and ... "his shoulders give way a little further forward, as if he were about to collapse under an invisible weight. "And if you hadn't been with me, someone would have come to you. Maybe he would have offered you a drink and then ... "

Your lips part for a few seconds, looking for something to say, but you really don't know what ground you're walking on.

"I'm not really beautiful Sal, I'm just-"

"A normal person. What else do you want?" His abrupt interruption silences you.

In a moment his eye is on you again, alarmed: “Sorry. I'm so sorry. Forgive me, I didn't mean to be bad. "He whispers softly.

Sal Fisher, always so attentive to others even in his moments of despair.

"Only that ... you ... do you know what it’s like? To be like that…"

His voice just trembles, and you forget to breathe. You would like to remove all doubts and insecurities from him, but you cannot do it.

"No ... no Sal, I don't know ..."

"That's okay ..." he murmurs, trying to console the guilt of your tone "I don't know what it is like to be you either, but ... it can't be so pleasant to kiss bare teeth ... right? It must not be pleasant to feel this dead flesh against your skin, and it must not be pleasant to wake up in the middle of the night from a nightmare and find this monster a few inches from your face ... I just think ... I just think you should know that you can certainly find someone else ... someone else other than me. "

You have always admired him, also for all the strength he has to live with that weight - one of many - that he carries with him. Perhaps subconsciously he has always found a way to make his flaws simply characteristics, his style. With or without his ponytails, Sal was always recognizable and, in a sense, charismatic.

But you know that even if he is so strong, so resilient, the weight does not disappear.

"Sally Face ..." you murmur softly, as you move your legs to be able to sit astride his lap.

"You know ... I've always looked for many things from life." Your fingers casually play with his tufts of hair "And I swear to you I never thought I'd find what's really essential to me right here."

Your palms rest gently on his rib cage as his slowly brush your hips.

"You might find someone different from me too, Sally Face, but I don't want you to, please." You just smile "Also because ... after a nightmare you are the first thing I look for, and when I find you ..." leaning forward you are greeted by the loving arms of your boyfriend, while you take refuge in his chest, snuggling up to his heart "I do this, and I stay listening to you until I fall asleep again. When you sleep peacefully you never notice, but you always welcome me. "

Curled up there on his chest like now, you have no idea what's in Sal's eyes. All you see are a few blue locks of him falling over your cheeks, while he lets you relax under his chin.

His silence leaves you on alert, and even if you don't move, you look for any clues that might tell you something about his emotions.

A slight tremor in his chest and a restrained sob from him make your heart tremble, but his slowly calming beat just makes you snuggle closer to his body.

"I-" he starts off lightly, but then stops immediately, and when he resumes, you're sure he's changed the subject, but it doesn't matter anymore. "Am I such a heavy sleeper?" He asks, with a shivering chuckle amid the slight gasps of silent tears.

You laugh lightly as you lift yourself up to look at him. In your hands, his cheeks are rough and wet, but even as tears flow from his eyes, he doesn't look agitated or hurt.

"Well, you recover the sleep that all your nightmares take away from you."

Your fingers slide gently under his eyelids to collect his tears. You don't ask him why he cries; you know that in his chest he has a reservoir where he keeps all his emotions and, every now and then, they pretend to come out.

"Wake me up next time you have a nightmare, you're always there when I have mine."

You smile softly as you rest your forehead against him. You wouldn't change him for the world.

"For once, let me take care of you Sal."

His sigh hits your nose as he snuggles a little more against you. Calmly it seems that he can channel his emotions into a single torrent.

"Take care of me?" He murmurs against your lips “How about picking up the phone and ordering a pizza for the two of us? It would make me very, very happy. "

Your cheerful laugh fills the room, while your lips touch what remains of his: "And the ice cream?"

"And the ice cream." He confirms as he accepts your sweet kiss.

There seems to be a long night of pampering with Sal and Gizmo ahead of you, what more could you ask for?

You gently kiss his cheek one last time, before getting up in search of the device to order your dinner.

"Hey ..." before you're too far away, your hand is lovingly held by Sal's "I don't want anyone else next to me."

Your eyes dive into him for a moment, and what you find is nothing but a clear and sincere sky that takes your breath away every time it lands on you.

"Me neither. I wouldn't want anyone else even for a single day of my existence. "

#sally face #sally face x reader #sally face sal #sal fisher #sal fisher x reader #one shot #angst/comfort #fluff

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jedidragonwarriorqueen · 2 years

Note

For the drabble requests, how about Rayllum with mind-controlled Rayla being forced to fight Callum? Bonus points if it's the first time they've seen each other since TTM

from these angsty prompts

Hohohoho friend you know me so well🤣 Thank you for the ask, enjoy!!!

Callum had pictured Rayla in his mind's eye countless times since she'd left him behind at the Moon Nexus: in her assassin gear she'd worn when they met, and for the duration of their journey to the Storm Spire; in the yellow pajamas she'd claimed as her own when they returned to Katolis; in the light training outfit she'd wear to the courtyard to work out in the evening.

With his eidetic memory, he could remember her just as she had been: the way the moon lit her hair silver; the feel of her four fingers entwining with his five, and the little squeeze she'd give to catch his attention when he zoned out; the sound of her light giggles when a councilor accidentally made an innuendo, or the loud belly laughs when Soren made a completely intentional one; the taste of sand and sweat and faint moonberries, their first real kiss on top of the ambler; the smell of the flowery shampoo she used, coupled with the polish she used on her horns.

He knew she would have changed, in the long months and longer miles since then. (He certainly had.) He'd tried not to imagine what she might have changed about her appearance, how different a person she might have become, whether her choice to leave had wounded her as terribly as it had wounded him.

He'd tried not to, but he couldn't help but wonder, sometimes.

The sight of her now was almost as bad as his worst nightmares.

She was thinner, paler, harder. Her clothes, ripped and dirty, were not nearly as well-made as the ones she'd been wearing the night she'd left. The Moonshadow markings on her face had faded to a faint blue. Her listless, tangled hair was short and choppy, barely coming down past her jaw. Her butterfly blades, which she'd always kept in pristine condition, were peppered with nicks and notches, with leather grips wrapped around the decorative hilts. New scars marked her arms, and one of her horns was chipped.

But worst of all were her eyes.

They glowed, but wrong, a harsh violet so unlike the soft lavender Callum knew so well.

Distracted, Callum barely raised his staff in time to deflect the butterfly blade swung at his head. The magically-enhanced wood held against the Moonshadow steel, but his arms trembled under the strain.

"Rayla! I know you're in there!" he pleaded, desperately searching her face for any flicker of resistance. "Fight it!"

A growl emanated from her throat, such a guttural sound he could barely reconcile it coming from her, and suddenly the second blade was swinging in from Callum's periphery.

Adrenaline lent Callum strength. He disengaged and pivoted away, whirling around to face her again as soon as he was clear. They circled each other like caged inferno-tooth tigers, Callum's knuckles white on his staff, Rayla's grip relaxed on her twin swords.

"Rayla, please!"

But she didn't seem to hear him, her face a blank mask, her pupil-less eyes staring somewhere beyond his shoulder.

Gritting his teeth, Callum reached again for the sky arcanum, but only a whisper sang in his mind. The moon arcanum was even quieter, barely a dull hum at the back of his consciousness.

Now would be a great time to suddenly understand the earth arcanum, part of his brain suggested.

Shut up, the rest of him retorted.

"It's such a lovely night, isn't it?" Claudia crooned, safe atop her boulder pile while Callum was . . . otherwise occupied. "The stars are so bright—especially with a new moon! And there isn't a cloud in the sky, or even the faintest breeze."

"Claudia, let her go!" Callum spat.

"Now, that doesn't sound very appreciative," his childhood friend pouted, crossing her arms with a huff. "You could be a little more grateful I'm letting the two of you reunite. Dad wanted to add your little elf friend to his collection, but Iconvinced him to keep her for a different use." She tossed her hair back over her shoulder. "You're welcome."

Before Callum could retort, Rayla broke their standoff and came at him, blades whirling.

Callum had trained with Rayla—despite his growing affinity for battle magic and his own protests, she insisted he at least learn the basics of self-defense—and as a result knew many of her tells, her style, the way she moved, her favorite forms. But knowing them and being able to respond to them adequately were two separate skills, and he had yet to master the latter. It was a rare thing for him to beat her during a sparring match, when she'd been holding back.

Now?

Ha.

Her "slash" blade seemed stuck in scythe form, at least, which limited the techniques at her disposal and gave Callum at least a fighting chance. He parried another blow, desperately hoping Soren was on his way back after seeing the villagers to safety. The crownguard's swordsmanship was a better match for a Moonshadow ex-assassin, and with Rayla otherwise occupied, Callum could turn his full attention to Claudia. He could almost feel the burn of the Sunfire amulet in his pocket at the thought.

He just had to hold out until then.

One of Rayla's blades grazed his cheek but Callum bit back a cry, refusing to give Claudia the satisfaction, refusing to upset the real Rayla further if she was aware, trapped in her own body.

He'd searched for her for so long, across three times the distance they'd traveled together. He wouldn't lose her now, not before he'd held her again, not before he'd heard her voice again.

Not before he looked her in her beautiful eyes, wholly her own, and demanded why. Why, after everything, had she left him.

If she left again, that would be her choice, and he would grant her that. But he wouldn’t let her go without a fight, not this time.

Callum’s eyes locked with blind violet ones, and steel met wood again.

#the dragon prince #rayllum #tdp callum #tdp rayla #tdp fanfiction #tdp fanfic #stars writes #thanks for the ask!

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opens-up-4-nobody · 3 years

Text

Naruto things that made me lose my mind for one reason or another (s5-6, s9, the 3 movies):

Sakura: why dont you ever tell me anything, sasuke?! (Um Sasuke doesnt owe you shit just bc u like him????)

Sakura: sasuke, if you left my loneliness would feel the same as yours after your entire family was violently wiped out

I try to be shocked when kids use food pills but no. I'm actually not shocked these children has access to ninja amphetamines

Child kimimaro, trapped in a cage, stabbing the walls with his bones: why has god forsaken me?

Sasuke: I no longer look to the future, my dream lays in the past (absolutely devastating)

Sasuke: your friendship is very precious to me. Naruto: THEN WHY THE FUCK ARE WE FIGHTING????

Sasuke: father, why is itachi so cold to me? Fugaku: How the fuck should I know? itachi's a freak

Naruto: sasuke, you have no idea how happy it made me that day you said you wanted to beat my ass most of all

Naruto: sasuke, when I'm with you I wonder if that's what it's like to have a brother (...naruto I wonder if maybe you're wrong)

Sakura was apparently gonna let "kabuto" stick a kunai between her eyes bc she was so upset about the idea of sasuke being dead

Naruto: you weren't useless, sakura! I was only able to save the day because you were trying to let yourself die and I had to stop it!

Mizuki: iruka! Check our my sweet prison bod! I just wanted to say that I cherish every second of your suffering!

Oruchimaru about Mizuki: lol look at this loser. I'm gonna give him a potion that turns him into a tiger then drains his body. Just for funzies

Filler episodes really feel like the writers are saying: hey, come with me on a stupid fucking journey

I feel like someone forgot they said rainbows were a sign of evil snakes when they made naruto do the rainbow rasengun

Sasuke got the actress's autograph for naruto 😭

Naruto: the 3rd hokage looked after me before he died (no he fucking didn't! He did the bare fucking minimum!)

#i kno i said id wstch all the filler before starting shippuden but im not strong enough. i miss sasuke too much #and at least bleach filler was fun and had arcs???? naruto filler is so god awful lmao #i need my emo son back :'((((#im gonna be so sad when i run out of dub eps on hulu. i dont kno how well ill be able to focus on subs #im too busy and i wanna kno everything now #liberally almost all of this is like from the last few eps of s5 lol #unrelated #maybe ill go back and watch s7 and 8 but idk maybe not

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haveyouseenthisskeleton · 3 years

Note

Someone just...requested angst... THAT'S ME >:)) When S/0 was late from going home, the skellies started worrying since S/0 is usually early but then there was a slow knock on the door, the skellies open it to find.... S/0 injuried. S/0 collapsed on the floor vomiting black liquid, they tell the skellies to knock them out like make them unconscious and later when they wake up they'll explain that there was a fight in the city while getting groceries and the black liquid was just in their blood, reacting to the bad emotions.

Undertale Sans - Lol, he doesn't knock you out, he teleports you straight to Alphys because he is on the edge of a panic attack right now and he thinks he will die if you are not going to be checked up. If there's something they can do to help, they will find it.

Undertale Papyrus - "OKIE DOKIE". He makes a big hammer-bone and hits you at full force. Well, I mean, it worked with Frisk and they kept coming back to him for more, so it might be a thing humans like to do??? S/O wakes up in the garage with a dog bowl with spaghetti and a blanket with a note saying "I'M IN THE KITCHEN IF YOU WANT HELP TO SLEEP MORE.". Papyrus is not worry as long as you're not worry. You're the human expert after all, since you are... a human.

Underswap Sans - He knocks you out relulanctly, and then he calls Undyne and Alphys for help because what the hell he's so scared he has no idea what to do??? He is panicking, roaming in the living room like a tiger in a cage, wondering if he did right to hit S/O or not. He's happy when you wake up more or less fine. Never do that to him again, his soul can't take it.

Underswap Papyrus - He doesn't knock you out, he can't do it with cold blood, and he is clearly about to faint. But thank god, before that, he calls his brother, who called Undyne and Alphys. Then he fainted because of the way too many feelings all at once. Honey needs some time. They will have to check the both of you.

Underfell Sans - He's not believing you. He helps you sit on the couch, then blips in the air to the crime scene, and beats up the first guy implicated in what happened. He doesn't care if it was not that guy, he needed that to calm down. Now he can think more rationally and call someone to help.

Underfell Papyrus - Uh... He holds himself but ends up hiting you in the face a bit too harshly. That will leave a mark. Oops. Edge doesn't know if he feels guilty, but he is clearly a bit worry about you. He will be very protective the next few days and will insist you go see a doctor.

Horrortale Sans - Blood + S/O injured + fight in the same phrase, it's too much for him. He goes full protective mode, locks you up into his hoodie and he will stand guard for as long he has too. No one will hurt you no more. He's protecting. You try to explain you need help, he won't hear you. He's too scared you might die right now, so you stay where he can make sure you don't die.

Horrortale Papyrus - He brings you to the hospital, and he doesn't care if you say it will not do anything. He knows a lot of people who said their injuries were nothing and then dusted in his arms, and this won't happen again on his watch. He will go full mama mode for the rest of the week.

Swapfell Sans - Ew. Can you please vomit dark blood shit outside of the house? He doesn't want to clean the entry again. Though if knocking you out will help, he trusts you and throws a damn brick into your face. A neighbor saw him and called the police. Now Nox have to explain that you asked him to do that willingly and that he wasn't trying to kill you, even if, because of how pissed he is right now, he might be wondering if murder can't be easier to solve all his problems.

Swapfell Papyrus - Hum. Black saliva, eyes wide open, injured, blood.... Yep. You're turning into a zombie. He closes the door at your face and leaves you here. He doesn't want to be responsible for the apocalypse, fuck you. You insult him for long hours under his window.

#undertale #underswap #underfell #horrortale #swapfell #undertale ask blog #undertale asks #undertale imagines #undertale headcanons

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misslilli · 3 years

Text

Felix Felicis

MSR. AU. PG-13. | tagging @today-in-fic | read on AO3

Chapter 45 - The First Date

[ DS ]

Wednesday finally arrives and I’m so giddy with nerves that I’ve spent a good part of the school day misplacing keys, remotes, books and pieces of paper around the classroom. The kids have had a field day watching me frantically trying to find them again, thrown into a fit of giggles when I'm looking for my reading glasses to read them a book for a good five minutes until they have mercy and point out they've been on my nose the whole time.

It only gets worse when the girls and I get home after school and the time for Mulder to pick me up inches closer and closer.

“D, will you stop pacing please! You’re giving me anxiety!” Sarah looks up from the kitchen table where she sits laminating flash cards.

“That’s a really poor choice of words, S. But she’s right, you need to stop obsessing, D!” Alex joins in on the conversation while Sarah has the decency to look sorry.

I’ve been pacing the living room like a caged tiger for a while now, freaking myself out thinking about the date later today. I’m so terribly nervous, I’m about to go out of my mind. I turn and take another pass across the floor, voicing my thoughts out loud.

“Guys I’ve been looking forward to tonight for such a long time and now that it’s finally here, I’m right back where I’ve been before, freaking myself out with the What ifs?.”

“D, you know that you’re not back where you’ve been before - it’s okay to be nervous, the lead-up to this was massive and it took you guys a freaking long time to get here. But you said it’s going really well, so what gives?”

“I don’t know, feels like the stakes are really high and you know I’m not good at dating. What if I’m really boring? What if he is? What if we can’t actually carry on a real conversation? What if he realizes that I’m not actually all that special? What if he ends up only wanting me for… you know, carnal pleasures?”

“Okay that’s it!” Holly throws her pen down onto the couch table with such force, it bounces over her graded homework before rolling off the table. I jump a little at her frustrated exclamation.

“If you don’t pull your head out of your ass soon, I’m having you committed. Do you even hear yourself? What if he’s just in it for the sex? I don’t even want to dignify this bullshit with a response but you seem to need it: If he just wanted sex, don’t you think for a guy like him, there’s easier ways to get that than pining and waiting for you for months? Driving 2 and a half freaking hours just to see you for a while? The phone calls? And the ex-wife thing? Who does that with someone who they just want to have sex with?"

Alex puts her arms around me, hugging me tight. "Holly is right, D, although she could've worded it a little differently… Keep your head on straight, he's done nothing to earn your distrust, right? I'm not saying you should go into this blindly, but don't ruin a good thing just because of Steven!"

"Listen to the wise words of Miss Alex, D. Take it one step at a time. First step: Have you decided on what you're going to wear to knock his socks off? Come on, I'll help you decide, and then we'll have to do something about this." Sarah gestures to the frizzy messy bun on top of my head with a look of distain that makes me laugh, grateful once again to have wonderful friends like them to make me feel better and a little less anxious.

————

[ FM ]

I’ve changed outfits several times over the last few hours, should I wear a suit, no that’s too formal, a t-shirt is too casual and I wouldn’t be caught dead in a polo shirt.

Having been out of the dating game for quite some time, I have no real date clothes. Also, I have absolutely no idea what to do or say and I'm terrified I'm going to say the wrong things or crack a dumb joke because I'm so nervous that has her running for the hills. Sorry, Mr. Mulder, I don't have a rose for you tonight.

Glancing at the time and torn briefly between waiting a few more minutes so I don't appear too desperate, arriving early, I grab my keys and wallet and try to calm my nerves on the drive along the deserted beach road that leads to her house.

My hand is a bit too shaky for the cool demeanor I'm going for tonight as I ring the doorbell and I send a quick prayer to the God I don’t believe in that it’s not one of her friends who opens the door. I’m nervous enough as is, I don’t want to have to make awkward smalltalk with them.

We're still in that awkward dating limbo where you've established that you liked kissing but it's not yet established if you greet each other with one too, so you just stand there, holding your breath nervously until one gathers up enough courage to either move in or not. Even then, you might bump noses or cheeks or worst case chins or, and the most feared of all, the turned cheek for a pretentious European air-smack or two.

————

[ DS ]

Jesus Christ, this is awkward, if we were going to spend the whole date standing on my front step shuffling our feet like shy teenagers, I would've worn more comfortable shoes than four inch heels. It's also a perfectly good waste of the emerald silk dress Sarah's picked out for me or the white dress shirt I spy with my little eye underneath that coat that stretches across his chest just right. I've pretended not to stare quite a few times and oh I've pretended even more times I'm not itching to run my fingers over that chest.

"Just do it! Kiss him! What are you waiting for, man?" The sultry voice in my head belongs to the little devil that has just appeared on my shoulder, the one with the too short skirts and words that sound suspiciously like my friend Holly. Its counterpart on the other shoulder, so innocent in her white long dress, looks positively horrified at the suggestion.

"Nooo you can't just do that, we're a lady, after all!"

"Well maybe you are, I'm the fun one to listen to around here!"

At the appearance of these two characters, I'm almost certain that it has finally happened, this is it, I've finally gone insane.

I'm saved from further thoughts on how to decorate my private padded cell when he does finally decide we can't stand here forever and moves in for a quick kiss and I can hear the whoops from one shoulder and the shy giggle from the other one in my head.

"You look very beautiful tonight, Miss Scully!" Both of them swoon at the compliment and so do I, it's been so long since I've heard a man say it and actually mean it, if you don't count little Felix, he's not stingy with compliments. But it hits different from someone who gives you butterflies with the shy boyish smile on his handsome face.

The cheap seats on my shoulder are quiet during the car ride, thankfully, because my mind is too busy trying to figure out where we're headed.

“So, where is this mystery place you’re whisking me off to tonight?”

“Impatient, are we? It’s a surprise, like I’ve told you the other thousand times you’ve asked me over the past week!”

"Ooooh a man of mystery, how very exciting! We like that!"

The little angel crosses her legs primly with a wary expression on her face. "Let's just hope he doesn't take us to a deserted place to murder us for now, shall we?" I try to cover up my snort at her ludicrous idea with a cough, oh this is going to be fun, I just hope I don't slip up and actually answer out loud, that would be awkward.

Our destination turns out to be a small cottage at the end of a long driveway, situated right on the edge of a cliff and I realize with a gasp where we are. “I love this little Italian place, how did you know?”

“A magician never reveals his secrets, isn’t that what you told me?”

The location combined with my company for tonight couldn’t be more perfect. My eyes follow him on his way around the car to my side, taking in his tall, lean figure in his suit.

I’ve known this for a while, yet it still takes me by surprise to find that Mulder in a suit is my personal kryptonite, from the way it clings to every curve and dip as if sewn right onto him to the way the fabric stretches over his firm butt, begging to be touched. As he walks in front of me to the door, it takes every ounce of self-control I possess not to reach out and feel if the fabric is as soft under my fingers as it looks.

The skin on the back of my neck tinges as he takes off my coat to hand off to the waiting staff member and when I turn to look over my shoulder, I catch him checking out my ass in that dress. He thinks he’s being so subtle about it and once he realizes he’s been caught, the tips of his cheeks blush just the tiniest bit and I catch myself thinking it’s the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen.

————

[ FM ]

I’m more than a bit embarrassed to having been caught staring but I just can’t help it, we’re taking things slow but I’m not made out of stone, that dress elicits a domino-effect of images and reactions in my mind even I can’t control. Shaking my head to clear away one particular image of unraveling it by the simple pull of a string in the back, I follow her and the waiter to our table, sliding into the chair across from her.

“Would you like to get started with some drinks?” The waiter puts the wine card in my hand and I run my eyes over the list but I don’t know heads from tails when it comes to selecting the right kind.

“Do you prefer red or white, sir?” I guess my confusion must show on my face and I glance across the table for help, handing over the menu with a sheepish smile.

“I clearly have no idea what I’m doing, I’ll be fine with whichever one you choose.”

Our hands brush when she takes it from me and I almost jump at the spark from a simple touch, wondering if I’m the only one who can feel it.

Her brow knits in concentration while reading over the selection and I find myself uncharacteristically focused on the way her tongue traces her cupid’s bow deep in thought. Heat trickles down my spine as I imagine those lips doing something entirely different and I try my very best to ignore the warmth that spreads through my body.

Take a deep breath, in and out and focus on something else - I’m suddenly very interested in reading the label on the bottle of olive oil on our table. Extra-virgin, very funny.

“We’ll have two glasses of the Chianti Classico please and a bottle of water, con gas.”

“Certo, signora, parli Italiano?” I look up to catch the small smile on Scully’s lips and the way she raises her shoulder just a little while replying something I can’t understand, I had no idea she spoke Italian.

“So, you like Italian and you speak the language, how come?” I lean closer, dying to know more details about her enigmatic personality.

“I don’t know why, but I’ve always loved everything Italian, the food, the wine, the melodic sound of the language. I guess I’ve picked up a few phrases along the way, but I’m not actually fluent or anything. Actually, those phrases get me into trouble regularly with the Italians, because they get very excited thinking I understand them and start talking to me in a fast flurry of words while I actually have no idea what any of it means.” She smoothes her fingers over the napkin in front of her a little shy at her admission and the small smile still plays around her lips. “Do you speak any languages?”

“Yes and no. I took Spanish in high-school but I can’t order a taco in Spain to save my life, I’d probably starve to death!” That one elicits a laugh from her and it’s one of those laughs that’s like a ray of sunshine peeking through the clouds on a rainy day.

————

[ DS ]

It’s probably for the best he doesn’t, that lisp will make any man seem like a little kid with a speech-impairment, even one as attractive and built decidedly un-boyish as he is. Our wine glasses arrive and I’m thankful for something to grab onto as we clink our glasses together with a chime that can only come from obscenely expensive glass.

The heavy Chianti deliciously warms my stomach, it’s a good one, and I think it’s not only the wine that raises the temperature, it’s also the way he licks it off his lips with a satisfied smile. I’m so focused on his face that I don’t notice the water glass that gets in the way of my elbow and topples over, spilling sparkling water across our table and onto his lap.

“Oh my God, I’m so sorry! Here, let me help you with that!”

Jesus, I'm such a clumsy idiot,

"Yeah, if you're this clutzy with your wine glass, guess he'll rethink letting you near any other valuable body parts!" Oh shut up, devil.

————

[ FM ]

Slightly panicked, I manage to shake my head at her offer to help me out with my situation. Absolutely not, you’re not coming anywhere near my pants with that napkin of yours!

“It’s alright, it's just water, it’ll dry in no time.” The icy water actually helps with clearing at least part of my brain, so I guess I should be thankful for her clumsiness.

The conversation flows easily over our steaming plates of pasta and I’m delighted to discover several other things about her, one of which is how she doesn’t share food when she threatens my wandering hand with her fork. With a careless remark, I've gotten myself right into a discussion about psychology and I want to kick myself, if she's not bored out of her mind yet, I've got some theories up my sleeve that'll make sure she's asleep in a couple of minutes, tops.

————

[ DS ]

This is going so well, it’s almost hard to believe that I was so worried about tonight being a total bust. I’m delighted to find out that aside from his attractive outside, there’s a sharp mind and a sense of humor that I find even harder to resist. He doesn’t shy away from challenging my ideas as we debate the validity of Freud’s theories on dream interpretation vs. the ones of his scholar, Jung.

"Just agree with everything he says, guys don't like a challenge, nice and agreeable is the way to go here!" The angel is on the edge of her seat, dating advice ready at her hands.

"Oh get out of here angel! Disagree with everything he says, you're not the little woman that needs him to form your opinions, show him who's boss!" Devil waves her fists in the air ready for a fight but I ignore both of them, choosing the middle way.

“I think Jung was right about dreams being the bridge between the unconscious and the conscious mind, not as a way of repressing desires or outcomes, but rather a tool to help the person come up with a solution to a problem they may face in their conscious state of mind.”

“I have to agree with Freud in that one, we can learn more about a person through their unconscious mind as opposed to their conscious - people often don’t act out their deepest desires because of considerations of reality and morality!” I raise my eyebrow at him, spearing the last piece of cannelloni with my fork.

“That’s what it always comes down to with Freud, isn’t it. Sex and repressed desire.”

"Ha! That's it! Talk about sex, this is good! Might give him ideas on how to end this date!"

"Oh no no no, we're not ready for that yet, stop giving out stupid ideas!" I have to agree with Angel on his one, immediately regretting the murky waters I have steered myself into with my stupid mouth.

————

[ FM ]

I’m not particularly fond of Freudian theories, because of this exact reason, but right now, I can’t help but agree with him. Until now, I didn’t realize I could find an intellectual connection to be just as stimulating as an actual physical one nor did I expect to ever be turned on by a conversation about the ancient theories of two psychologists. But alas, here I sit, awestruck by someone who is not scared to voice her opinions even if they don't coincide with my own.

“Freud was single-minded like that, I’ll give you that. Not everything is about sex, contrary to what advertising would like us to believe. Speaking of advertising, did you catch the Bud-ad with the puppy and the horse at the Super Bowl?” I really, really need to steer this conversation into a different direction before the topic and the way she bites her lip trying to come up with a response makes me forget all the words in the English language.

—————

[ DS ]

While I really enjoy sparring with him with our words, this particular topic of conversation makes me slightly uneasy and my mind is torn between wanting to uncover more of his way of thinking and changing the topic to a safer one. It’s as if he can read my thoughts and makes the decision for me.

Time just flies right by until a glance at the watch reveals that it’s time for us to call it a night, it’s almost close to 7:30.

“Guess we better head back Cinderella, before my ride transforms back into a pumpkin! I had a really good time tonight.” There’s something about the way he smiles at me that manages to raise the temperature of my blood while the light touch of his hand on mine sends goosebumps up my arm. My body is just as conflicted as my mind, it seems.

His hand that never leaves the small of my back as he guides me back outside is so comforting and familiar, I can’t help but lean back into it just a little.

I’m not used to this level of gentleman-ness, so there’s an awkward scramble of who gets to open the door that makes us both chuckle.

The date-night ends as it began on my front steps and I get wrapped up in the most perfect good-night kiss I can imagine, chaste but with a little teasing nip on my bottom lip before he gets back in the car, leaving me standing there wanting more.

More of nights like tonight, more of him, more of everything.

On that, even Angel and Devil can't help but agree for once.

#xf #the x files #xf fanfic #msr #felix felicis #awkward first dates are awkward

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