#i wonder if they'll actually halt

[shantechni]

I noticed this a looooong time ago, but I didn't mention it and sort of kept pushing it aside as an unimportant detail. After coming across this for, like, the fifth time though, something finally strikes me as supremely odd, and it's these two simple lines Leo says in the first episode of S2.

Between the S1 finale and the S2 premiere, Splinter told his sons that he defeated the Shredder when they faced off in the hideout. Not only that, he told them they'd never see the man again because he lost his honor, but both of these statements are immediately proven to be contradictory to what actually took place, as well as to what Splinter believes about the Shredder's way of thinking.

Anyone who has watched the S1 finale, specifically the second part, knows that the fight was brought to a screeching halt when Karai ran in to stop Splinter from finishing off the Shredder. And, after seeing just how deeply influenced Karai has been to hate him, Splinter left in a hurry to avoid fighting who he now knows is his thought-to-be-dead daughter.

Now, it makes sense that Splinter didn't tell the boys Karai interrupted the fight considering she was a touchy subject, one he didn't approach all of his sons with until midway through S2 in The Manhattan Project. He was still coming to terms with the revelation himself, and his avoidance of everyone's questions tells us that he genuinely didn't want to explain why Karai believed he killed her mom. In the process, he'd have to get into the reason Shredder led Karai to believe that lie and yadda yadda.

So, not telling them Karai was there makes sense. But why tell them the Shredder was defeated?

Something like that would be believable if he didn't imply any finality by telling them the Shredder was taken down, because he goes on to wonder outloud if their enemies were truly defeated and even reaffirms that, "The Shredder is a crafty and patient foe who bides his time." But Leo clearly says that Splinter told them they'd never see him again after he apparently lost whatever honor he had left. And we can't point fingers at any potential dialogue or writing error because they make sure the audience hears that Splinter did indeed facilitate this calm behavior of theirs.

One can wonder if he didn't truly intend to flat out lie, but rather to placate his sons by withholding a harsh truth and giving everyone the time they need to revel in their victory. However, that's another odd decision for Splinter to make since he's usually the one to remind his sons that none of their enemies will stay gone for long, the first and most notable instance of this being when they first encountered Bradford and Xever.

Anyways, after Leo says what he says, Splinter takes offense to Raph casually adding that they'll take care of the Shredder if he does come back, and, upon realizing that his prior statement has heavily blanketed them with a false sense of security, he harshly tells his sons the month long celebrating is over.

Honestly, even though I said sugar coating is very out of character for someone like Splinter, it's the only sensible answer for him lying to the guys. And probably himself for a minute there, too.

He knows the Shredder isn't honorable. He's traitorous, underhanded, and full of spite for those he feels wronged him. Oroku Saki is a vengeful man who has been undeniably wronged in his past, but refuses to learn from it and will shift the blame onto those undeserving. He's tenacious in the way he literally left Japan with a singular image of a Hamato clan shuriken as proof that he has another chance to kill someone he used to call his brother.

Splinter knows all of this, but he still went ahead and made the morally dubious decision to construct a perfect, short-lived world where he could tell his sons they wouldn't have to worry about the Shredder again.

And where he doesn't have to face the gravity of the changes yet to come.

[alessiathepirate]

Saw (2004)

STRAY CATS: Adam Faulkner Stanheight x fem!reader

Summary: The stray cats of the streets loved Adam...

Notes: English isn't my first language. I apologize for any mistake I may havee made while I wrote this short story.

Warnings: swearing; some references to the bathroom trap, but other than that nothing

•••

The stray cats of the streets loved Adam.

They followed him around. They immediately started to both like and trust him. They liked to walk up to him and rub their backs to his shin, purring while doing so. They learned that following him home meant that they'll get some free food and water.

The stray cats of the streets loved her boyfriend and that fact alone made her heart flutter. And Adam loved the cats, every one of them, as well. He fed them, pet them and made sure they were okay when winter hit especially hard.

Sometimes she was even jealous of the damn cats, no matter how cute they were, how adorably they meowed in Adam's arms or how they purred as she too pet their heads.

Adam gave them more attention than anyone else and when he had one of them in his arms he was smiling with that adorable, loving smile of his, which always put a smile on her face as well. She liked to look at him when he was in a caring mood and she successfully stole his camera once to take a picture of that moment - Adam with the cats. She kept it in her wallet just like Adam kept a photo of her in his.

The first time she noticed what a special relationship he has with the city's cats, was when she accompanied him to Scott's place, who quite rudely demanded some pictures of his band for some new, stupid poster.

It was late and dark, and they were on their way back home hand in hand. Their shoulders were bumping together sometimes and she drew circles into the back of Adam's hand with her thumb.

It had been a long night and just like many times before, he was the punching bag for Scott's remarks once again. She hated the guy, she hated how he didn't respect her boyfriend at all and she hated his sexist remarks too.

"I love you," she spoke up, trying to break the silence and trying to make the dark clouds disappear from above their heads - the clouds were always there when they had an insufferable night. "don't you forget that, okay?" she gave Adam's hand a gentle squeeze. "It doesn't matter what he says, he's just an asshole."

"He's always been that way." came the answer in a tired voice. "You'll get used to it."

"I won't." she said quickly. "I will never get used to how he disrespects you every fucking time he wants something."

It was Adam's turn to give her hand a squeeze and she understood the sign: I'm tired and I'm not in the right mood to talk about it. She respected that and shut her mouth, swallowing down all the names she wanted to call Scott.

"I love you." she said instead, her voice full of the adoration she felt for him.

"I know." she wasn't really sure he knows or understands how much she actually does. "I love you too."

They continued their walk along the dark streets.

She didn't let go of his hand, knowing he needs to feel her touch to find some comfort in her presence after a long - a way too fucking long - day.

That's when she heard it - the meowing. It came from a dark alley and once they stopped to listen and look, it sounded like the cat was closer.

"There you are." Adam spoke to the darkness to her surprise as he let go of her hand. He took a few steps towards the alley and came to a halt when the cat finally appeared under a buildings light. "I was wondering where you disappeared to."

He was talking to the cat.

And he crouched down, letting the cat rub its side to his knees as he countinued talking to it like they were long time friends. He gently put his camera, what he was carrying on his shoulder, aside because it almost touched the ground. It was too precious to break.

She just stood and slightly tilted her head. After the first few shocked moments, she smiled. It was one of those smiles she could feel with her whole body; a shiver running through her, her heart starting to flutter, the muscles in her cheeks hurting.

It was adorable.

It was probably one of the few times she actually witnessed Adam being calm and free from troubling thoughts.

She stepped next to him and then crouched down too, looking at the cat and its glowing eyes as it looked up at her boyfriend.

You love him too, huh? You better.

"You know whose it is?" she asked as she touched the cat's ear and then ran her fingers through its fur - at one point her hand collided with Adam's. They didn't really mind it - at all.

"No." he answered. "Actually, I'm pretty sure she is no one's."

"Are you sure?"

"I know I'm pretty much the only one who feeds her."

She turned to look at him, her lips forming a smile once again.

That's what she loved the most about Adam. He's caring even if he's well aware how fucked the world is. He knows what reality is like, yet he does his best to make it feel good for the people - or in this case animals - he cares about.

"Not anymore." she spoke up, giggling when the cat turned around to get a good look at her, smelling her fingers and then rubbing her back against her hand. "Now the two of us are the ones feeding her."

Adam smiled and she loved that smile.

She loved when he wasn't smiling from their teasing bickering or about her dumb and bad attempts at joking when he got home tired. This smile was soft, heartwarming and honest - showing his true feelings for her.

"She'll follow us home." he said reffering to her place as home.

"It's all right. She'll get the best dinner she's ever had."

That was the first time she saw Adam with the streets' cats - and it wasn't the only one.

Every single time they were walking home at night - no matter the reason -, they ran into one of Adam's cats. That's how she called them - Adam's cats, since he was the only one who ever stopped to care for them.

Adam's want to care for the streets' cats never changed. No matter what time it was, what season it was - or what he went through: he always stopped to pet them, he always led them home to feed them - even if his shoulder still hurt and was in the process of healing.

Just like now, in the present. She is standing in the doorway, leaning into the doorframe watching her boyfriend, observing his every move and gesture, doing her best to memorize all of them because of the deep fear in the back of her mind - the fear she never really talked about.

It's a good thing some things never change, she thinks as she looks at Adam sitting on the floor with a small bowl in front of him.

It's hard to crouch down, the movement hurt too much - she knows that. But he still makes it work.

The cat is eating from the bowl, her whiskers white from the milk. The same cat they've met the first time she saw Adam interacting with the streets' cats.

She doesn't know what to say, so she stays quiet, although she wishes she had Adam's camera in her hands. Adam rarely uses it anymore, but she just couldn't bring herself to throw it away. Now it's in the bottom of her closet in a shoebox.

"You know," she starts after swallowing. "we should just keep her at this point."

Adam looks up at her and she finds it adorable. He's still adorable even if he doesn't smile or laugh as much as he used to - even if his eyes are red from the lack of sleep and his hair is a mess.

"We should?"

She thinks about it for a moment.

Should they? Rent isn't easy to pay, great jobs aren't easy to find. The vet will cost a fortune.

She tilts her head, thinking. But the cat makes Adam happy. And Adam's happiness makes her happy.

"Yeah." she answers without overthinking it. "We definitely should."

And Adam smiles. He really smiles for the first time since the incident, with that heartwarming smile of his; the muscles in his cheeks tightening, his eyes shining. He looks at the cat and pets her back.

She almost cries. She can feel her eyes watering and her lips are twitching, but she grounds herself. She takes a deep breath and swallow the happy tears down. She can cry later.

"We need to find her a name too then." she says as she crouches down next to him. "I'm not great with names."

Adam agrees with her - he's not great with them either. She knows that fact very well and she giggles at that.

"You know what, let's just leave it for tomorrow." she says. "It's getting late and I think she really needs a bath."

It's still a fresh wound - the bathrooms. But this time she can't see any negative reactions at the word. Instead Adam just carefully stands up, hissing when he moves his bad arm.

"Yeah, let's give her a bath."

And they do. By the time they're finished the cat's fur is clean - and their clothes are wet. They just laugh at that, but her heart feels full. So full.

Later that night when they curl up on the couch watching some bad comedy, the cat is in her lap. She pets her head, playing with her ears.

When Adam isn't looking she kisses her fur, tears beginning to appear in her eyes. The cat makes him feel better. He's getting better.

The stray cats of the streets loved Adam - and so did she.

[burning-academia-if]

Muahah!! You've been visited by a ghost of old IF ask past! I'm gonna bring back some iconic ones <3

So you know this scenario "MC asks whether or not they look pretty (gn) and RO finds out it's for a date"? Maybe I'm tweaking but I couldn't find it via search here i swear

BUT this is not the end!

What if MC seeing ROs reaction gently smiles at them and says: "Well, actually, it's for our date... If you'll have me"

Can we get poly reactions too? :3

teehee, thank you for your wonderful work dear author!

I answered the og ask here actually! Here's the variant version! Also I think you're the first person whose asked for poly reactions lol for the poly reacts assume the ROs have already had the feelings convo between them lol

Rook: He takes a breath, one wave of emotions replaced by another. He presses his lips together, every atom screaming in him to run away, but he can't. He couldn't deny how hard his heart twisted when you said you were going on a date. It isn't a good idea, he knows this. Yet, he can't stop himself, "...If you're fine with me."

Beck: He pauses for a moment, the faint wisp of disappointment fading and a smile blooming on his face. His voice is as gentle as yours, "Did you really think I'd say no to you?" He lets himself savor the moment, heart in bloom.

Rhea: She goes still, words failing her. Her hands still at where she'd been adjusting your shirt collar, and she's suddenly hyper aware of your warmth. Her eyes drift towards yours, and their just a little wide. Her voice is soft, "...Really?" She feels suspended in this moment with you.

Zoe: "...Huh?" Comes their intelligent response, brain trying to catch up after the initial stab of emotions. Them and you, on a date? Where would the two of you go, where do you want to go, what would it even be like- They put a halt to their racing thoughts as they realized they haven't given you a proper answer. They stumble over their words, "Y-yeah! I'd really like that!"

Lars: The initial annoyance at needing to appraise your date attire melts away to something unreadable. He stares at you hard, like he's expecting you to turn it into a joke or take it back. But there is nothing but sincerity plain on your face. He folds his arms across his chest, "Are you sure?" At your nod, he almost smiles, "Then let's go, then." He pulls you forward before you can protest.

???: They go still, the dark emotions like sludge in their bloodstream vanishing. They drift closer to you, voice quiet, "If I'll have you? MC, there are moments I think I was made for you." They stay a breath away, a question on their tongue. Is it just a date? Or do you have something more to confess. Perhaps it doesn't matter. For now, they'll just enjoy this.

Poly:

Rook/???: The Voice almost laughs, warm and bright, as they say "Both of us? I suppose we are bound together, aren't we?" When they reach for you, Rook steps forward as well, his eyes only on you, "Of course I'll have you." It's the most forward as ever been with you, especially in the realm of feelings. It's like the three of you fell into the inevitable.

Beck/Rook: Beck gives a soft smile, but he doesn't move towards you. Instead he practically pushes Rook forward, whispering something to him. You can't catch it, the faint "It's ok." Beck offers him. Rook frowns at him, before turning to you and saying, "If that's what you want." Beck's voice is a little teasing, "He means yes, obviously." Rook swats at him as he ducks away, a surprisingly warm atmosphere settling over you all.

Rhea & Zoe: "Oh! Darling, do you mean it?" Rhea presses her hands together, before nudging a shell shocked Zoe. They jump, clearly fighting for words. Rhea shakes her head at them, before saying with a smile matching your own, "We'll have you, always."

[mayhemchicken-varneyposting]

Varney the Vampire, Chapter 6: Yeah, Now's A Great Time For An Interlude

[Previous chapter] [Next chapter]

With Our Heroes on the verge of setting out on an expedition to break into a tomb, the narrative now grinds to a screeching halt, breaking away from the action to spend an entire chapter talking about the family history of the Bannerworths.

The Bannerworths are a once-wealthy family who have become rather infamous in the surrounding lands because, for the past hundred or so years, the successive heads of the household have been just dogshit people, just complete and utter garbage human beings. Over the century, the vices of the various Bannerworth patriarchs have reduced the family fortune to nearly nothing. Henry's father, though not an outright criminal like some of his ancestors, was a gambling addict who blew what little remained of the family money on gacha games.

One day, after several days of talking cryptically about selling the house, leaving England for good, and living like princes in some other country, Dad Bannerworth was unexpectedly found dead in the garden, in the middle of writing in his pocketbook, "The money is--"

A few weeks later, Henry was contacted by a London solicitor with an offer to purchase the house, which he declined for reasons of sentimentality. The solicitor's mysterious client then offered to rent it, for any price Henry wished, but he refused that too. Explaining why he was so reluctant to leave the house will require a second backstory infodump, so here we go:

A relative of Henry's had been sending him money so he and his siblings could take a yearly vacation. On one such excursion, they were horseback riding in the mountains of Italy when Flora's horse slipped and sent her over the edge of a cliff. Suddenly, a handsome young stranger appeared and rushed to her aid, climbing to the ledge she was clinging to and staying with her until her brothers could run to the nearest house and get help. The young man introduced himself as Charles Holland, and he and Flora soon fell in love. Her brothers also took a liking to him, and so they all agreed that Charles should come and visit them in England as soon as possible. Charles replied that for reasons of plot contrivance he was compelled to stay out of England for two years, and would seek them out as soon as that time was up.

Unfortunately, the following year the relative who had been paying for their vacations died, thus preventing the Bannerworth siblings from visiting Charles on the continent, leaving them with no choice but to wait for the two years to be up. In the meantime, they didn't dare move, because they had no way to give him their new address.

You might think that explains the whole situation, but you'd be wrong, because in fact there is a third backstory infodump for Marchdale. Marchdale is an old flame of Mrs. Bannerworth, who courted her when they both were young. However, since girls never go for nice guys, she married the alpha chad Mr. Bannerworth instead, which turned out to be a bad move on her part. After Dad Bannerworth's untimely death, Marchdale turned up at the Bannerworth house to crash on their couch for a while, which they were cool with because he turned out to be pretty good company.

Back in the present, it looks like all the Bannerworth's servants have quit! Henry manages to find some replacements on Fiverr, but they're clearly as freaked out by the vampire rumors as everyone else, and it seems unlikely that they'll stick around.

This is a funny chapter to revisit after having read the rest of Varney the Vampire. Spoiler alert, MANY of the things in this chapter will later be retconned, mostly by accident.

So, the Bannerworth men for the past century have all been trash, and they don't even have the excuse of having been cursed to commit a crime per day. (Actually, the similarities to the Murgatroyds are enough that I can't help but wonder if this story was a partial inspiration for Ruddigore.) Henry is the first head of the family in a hundred years to be a decent guy.

Now we get to the details of Dad Bannerworth's death, nearly every single one of which will later be retconned. The narrative states here that he died of some sudden illness, that his last words were recorded on paper, and that he never got farther than "The money is--". All of these details will be altered later. I think Rymer either got him mixed up with the ancestor, Runnagate Bannerworth, or he decided to combine the two on purpose, because of the nature of what was changed. More on that later.

There's a sentence in here I found interesting, given what happens later:

And now, people said, that the family property having been all dissipated and lost, there would take place a change, and that the Bannerworths would have to take to some course of honourable industry for a livelihood, and that then they would be as much respected as they had before been detested and disliked.

This probably illustrates Rymer's lack of direction for the story more than anything, but contrary to what you might expect from this passage, the Bannerworths are in fact saved from having to get a job by a series of contrivances - if Rymer was angling for any kind of theme with this passage, he later abandoned it. It could also be that he's being sarcastic here, and his contempt for the working class is shining through. He does certainly love to piss on the poor.

Fans of Dracula will no doubt be excited by the appearance of a solicitor in this vampire novel. The connection between vampires and solicitors appears to be a long-standing one. Keeping a tally of similarities between Varney the Vampire and Dracula will prove to be an interesting pursuit - you would not believe some of the very specific things Varney did first.

We learn, with the appearance of this unnamed solicitor, that someone wants the Bannerworth house very badly, and is willing to go to quite great lengths to get it. Hmm, I wonder who that could be.

And now we reach the introduction of a very important character to Me Specifically: Charles Holland. He appears here as a gallant and mysterious stranger in a daring mountain rescue that I cannot for the life of me figure out the logistics of. As best I can figure, Flora takes a tumble off her horse and over the cliff, but doesn't fall far enough to be life-threatening.

He told her to lie quiet; he encouraged her to hope for immediate succour; and then, with much personal exertion, and at immense risk to himself, he reached the ledge of rock on which she lay, and then he supported her until the brothers had gone to a neighbouring house, which, bye-the-bye, was two good English miles off, and got assistance. There came on, while they were gone, a terrific storm, and Flora felt that but for him who was with her she must have been hurled from the rock, and perished in an abyss below, which was almost too deep for observation.

It seems like she lands on a smaller rock ledge and is unable to climb back up to the trail? The details of what is going on here seem unnecessarily complicated.

After pulling off his rescue, Charles travels around with the Bannerworth siblings for a while. He is revealed to be an artist, a fact which is never again relevant or even mentioned. He and Flora fall in love, although the extent of their relationship appears to be that "Mutual glances of affection were exchanged between them". He's staying out of England for the next two years due to some convoluted situation regarding his inheritance, which is explained in greater detail later.

Henry explained to him exactly how they were situated, and told him that when he came he would find a welcome from all, except possibly his father, whose wayward temper he could not answer for.

Dad Bannerworth is still alive at this point. Make a note of this, it will be relevant to the Time Knot later.

With the Charles situation explained, to account for the Bannerworths being so attached to their house, the narrative moves on to shed some light on Marchdale.

He was a distant relation of Mrs. Bannerworth, and, in early life, had been sincerely and tenderly attached to her. She, however, with the want of steady reflection of a young girl, as she then was, had, as is generally the case among several admirers, chosen the very worst: that is, the man who treated her with the most indifference, and who paid her the least attention, was of course, thought the most of, and she gave her hand to him.

How did this piece of dating advice from The Secret find its way into my 200-year-old vampire novel. It would seem the beliefs of shitty men have been the same since time immemorial, or at least since 1847. Does this make James Malcolm Rymer the grandfather of pickup artistry? Discuss.

After telling us how Marchdale turned up to pay Mrs. B a visit following the death of her husband, the narrative then proceeds to spend roughly 5 entire paragraphs sucking his dick. A small sample:

He had travelled much and seen much, and he had turned to good account all he had seen, so that not only was Mr. Marchdale a man of sterling sound sense, but he was a most entertaining companion. His intimate knowledge of many things concerning which they knew little or nothing; his accurate modes of thought, and a quiet, gentlemanly demeanour, such as is rarely to be met with, combined to make him esteemed by the Bannerworths.

It goes on and on like this. It's kind of insufferable, frankly.

Marchdale, we learn, does not pay rent, as that would apparently be offensive, but rather makes his tenancy worthwhile by occasionally buying them a new Cuisinart, or the 18th-century equivalent thereof. It was a different time, I guess.

Rymer wraps up the chapter with a few more unnecessary digs at poor people.

That the visitation had produced a serious effect upon all the household was sufficiently evident, as well among the educated as among the ignorant. On the second morning, Henry received notice to quit his service from the three servants he with difficulty had contrived to keep at the hall.

Previous chapters gave the impression that there were more servants in the Bannerworth household than that. Not that pointing out such a detail really matters, as Rymer could not give a rat's ass about maintaining continuity of any sort. How many servants does the Bannerworth household have? Fuck you. What was the guy in the portrait called again? Fuck you. How long has it been since Dad Bannerworth died? Fuck you. That Varney guy, is he a vampire or what? Fuck you.

Next: The boys break into a grave.

[imagine-darksiders]

Hi! i've been wanting to message/comment for a while but always go against it, i just want to say i've fallen for soft monty. i'm supper picky when it comes to writing styles but yours?? *chefs kiss* can't wait for the next chapter for on the ropes and would it be rude of me to ask for a sneek peek?

Not rude at all, I was actually on a roll with this chapter and hope to get it out by tomorrow night. But in the mean time, here are a few [unpolished] excerpts to tide you over ;)

---------

Perhaps it shouldn't surprise him that you've listened to their shows. They're pretty difficult to miss after all, especially if one happens to be in the general vicinity of the atrium. But why, he wonders, does the knowledge that you've seen him perform fill the gator with equal parts horror and happiness?

You said you preferred the shows where he plays?

His in-built ego reminds him that 'of course you do! Who wouldn't!?'

But there's another facet of his programming, more subdued than the former, buried deep under a labyrinth of wires and circuits, that practically sings with delight. Astounded delight.

Without even having to say it out loud, you've told him one simple yet crucial fact.

You've noticed his absence.

Even before you met him, you noticed him.

Unbeknownst to the gator, the little bud of attachment growing inside his chest begins to bloom, unfurling like hesitant, delicate petals at their first taste of sunlight.

-------

As if he's handling fragile glass, the gator gingerly starts lowering you down to the floor, almost dropping onto his knees before your feet make contact with the carpet.

For his efforts, you fix him with a withering look, which he continues to ignore until your crutches are safely under you once again. Then, with the reluctance of a frozen man pulling away from life-saving fire, he finally withdraws his hands, moving slowly, ready to jump into action just in case he's mistaken and you aren't as steady on your feet as he first assumed.

This time, his wariness earns him a flat, unimpressed blink.

-------

Curious as to what, or who, seems to have ensnared his bassist's attention, Freddy follows the line of Monty's optics towards the VIP area, scanning briefly through the myriad of faces gathered there until his own optics land upon a face he was truly afraid he'd seen the last of.

The bear has to do a double-take, his arm sputtering to a halt mid-wave, hovering high above his ears and top hat.

Is that...?

“Y/N!?” he booms into his microphone with a start, heedless of the crowds of people watching on, “Y/n! Is that you!?”

'It's terribly unprofessional to be interrupting the show like this,' a quiet little subroutine tries to warn him, but it's swiftly bowled over by the sheer, unrestrained power of relief that spills through Freddy's systems with the force of a tidal wave, turning his knee-struts weak.

Before any of his bandmates can stop him, he turns himself about to face you head on and cries out, “You're okay!”

Gradually, your eyes creep open until they're as wide as they'll possibly be, horrified when the lead singer of the Glamrock band suddenly raises one of his arms high into the air and begins waving it animatedly back and forth at you, a beaming grin lifting his jaw and showing off his canines.

As flattering as you're sure it must be to be the centre of Freddy's attention, you can't help but feel mortally embarrassed, sinking low into your chair and willing the ground to open up and swallow you down into the Plex's lower levels so as to escape the sudden multitude of curious eyes that sweep in your direction.

[matcha-kisses]

III

wordcount: 3.6k+

≿━━━━༺❀༻━━━━≾

"So, Bai, are you ready?" Yao questioned his little sweet.

The duo was currently standing in front of the palace. Today was officially Bai's first day "working" at the palace. She knows that Papa told her she would be the royal sibling's personal servant, but she's not sure how much work they'll give her- considering they're children. But that doesn't stop the bundles of nerves growing in her tummy.

"I guess." Bai answers.

Yao looked at his granddaughter with question. He thought she'd be kicking the doors down to see Azula. Well, actually- Zuko. He knows that Bai says she's excited to see Azula, but he knows the little liar better.

"Bai... what's wrong? You were so excited after the party yesterday? What's caused this change of heart?"

"Well," she started, looking everywhere but at him. "I'm kind of nervous. I know that some of the kids and even the Firelord seemed to like me at Azula's party, but... that was different. What if they just didn't want to cause a scene? What if they really don't like me?"

Yao felt a piece of his heart sink. It hurt him deeply knowing Bai was feeling so insecure. How could she not think she was amazing, he thought to himself.

"Bai. You are worrying for no reason. You are a wonderful, compassionate, beautiful, kind girl. People can't help but like you! And if this family can't see that then they should really do some soul searching." Yao answered proudly.

Bai thought her heart was about to burst with love. She felt tears of appreciation pool at her eyes, but she managed to keep them in control. She didn't want to let her papa see her cry because he would start crying. It's moments like these where she realizes how loved her grandparents made her feel. Gramma always kept encouraging and pushing her even if it seemed impossible. Papa always managed to calm her ever present nerves and diminish her insecurities. She's so undeserving of her grandparents, and she thanks spirits above that they were the ones to raise her.

"Thank you, Papa!" Bai croaked, hugging Yao tightly. "I needed to hear that."

"No problem my sweet." Yao said, engulfing the small child in a hug. "Let's do this, okay?"

Yao stood up and grabbed Bai's tiny hand. Bai wasn't sure how today would go, but she knows her papa had her back the entire time.

You'll be fine, Bai told herself. There's nothing wrong with me being here. It was Firelord Ozai's idea. Besides, I'll only be doing this until Gramma gets back. I can manage being here for a few days.

Bai's thoughts came to a halt when she realized she was back in the palace. She must've been so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't realize she was inside.

"Now, you have to go see Firelord Ozai first. He's going to go over the standards and expectations you must follow." Yao said.

"Me? You mean you're not coming with me?"

Yao started looking at everywhere but the small child. He said nothing but Bai understood that he was saying no.

"But papa! Why? What if I say something wrong?"

"Look, Bai... I'd love to be with you, and truthfully, I'd feel so much better if I was allowed to be back there. But I have my own duties I must attend to. Besides, Firelord Ozai didn't want to talk to me- he wanted to speak to you."

Bai's head lowered in defeat. She understood what her Papa meant, but that didn't mean she liked it any better.

"Well, he won't get ugly will he? Or hurt me, right?"

Yao stayed silent. He couldn't bring himself to answer Bai's question honestly. Firelord Ozai may have treated Yao's family with mercy over the years.

But no amount of mercy can change the monster he truly is.

"Just be very careful how you answer and speak to the Firelord. Please treat him with the upmost respect." Yao begged. "Because if you step out of line in his eyes, then there's nothing I can say, Bai."

Bai's nerves were replaced with full blown fear.

What have I gotten myself into?

≿━━━━༺❀༻━━━━≾

"Ah! Bai, how nice to see you." Firelord Ozai uttered.

"It's a pleasure to see you as well, my liege." Bai timidly spoke.

Firelord Ozai held a nasty smirk on his face- the same one he held from the party. He noticed that the young girl was quite nervous and must be feeling vulnerable.

And he loved it.

Moments like this only confirmed the power Firelord Ozai held. The ability to make or break someone. The choice of sparing a life or destroying it. He's the most feared man in the nations.

"Well, come forth and sit up here. I can't see you back there, Bai."

Bai looked around the Firelord's chamber as she began walking. This must be where meetings of the city and war is held, she thought to herself. Black pillars stood everywhere in the room. Firelord Ozai sat on an ornate covered throne on a higher platform.

He must sit there all the time. So everyone can know that he's higher than you- that he's mightier than you.

What really made Bai nervous was what was surrounding the Fire Lord's platform- a wall of fire. Bai could only imagine how heated this room can get when Firelord Ozai gets furious. She shudders at the thought of him actually hurting someone with this wall. She recalls one memory her Papa told her. A meeting with the royal advisors was being held, and one member made the mistake of bringing up the need of funding the schools. Firelord Ozai lost his mind. The wall of flames stood as high as the roof and the heat coming off was unbearable. Papa told Bai he actually felt scared in that moment, and he didn't even do anything wrong.

I hope I'm never the reason he becomes that enraged.

After what feels like forever, Bai finally bowed down and sat- just like the Fire Lord had asked.

You can do this. You're fine.

"Good." He hissed. "Now, I'm a man of few words Bai so this won't take long. You are here to serve. Specifically, Princess Azula and Prince Zuko. Whatever they ask or want, you do it- no questions asked."

Oh spirits, I hope these children don't choose to torture me.

"Now, Princess Azula and Prince Zuko should be in the training room- they were practicing firebending before you arrived. There, you will find your duties. One of the servants will take show you where to go. After today, though, you will need to memorize the rooms of this palace."

Suddenly, Leang, the servant from the party, came in the chamber. She gave Bai and small smile. Bai was relieved to see a familiar face. She had a feeling she would stick close to Leang.

Bai quickly stood up and headed towards Leang's direction. She couldn't wait to get out of the Fire Lord's presence.

"Oh, Bai?"

Bai hesitantly turned around. She just wanted to leave and start her day, but it seemed like Firelord Ozai had other plans.

What could he possibly have forgotten to tell me?

"I know that your family holds a special place here, but that doesn't mean you're allowed to roam freely and do whatever you please. You may be in the palace, but that doesn't change the fact you're a low life servant. And that's all you'll ever be. Dismissed." He waved off.

Bai nodded her head, not trusting her voice. She felt Leang grab her hand to lead her out of the chamber. Which Bai was very grateful for because she wasn't sure if she would be able to move on her own.

Leang and Bai stayed in silent the whole time they were heading to the training room, which gave Bai plenty of time to think of what the Firelord said.

Bai had never felt so worthless like she felt in that moment. Not once in her whole life did anyone speak down on her like Firelord Ozai had. His words kept ringing in her mind over and over again.

You may be in the palace, but that doesn't change the fact you're a low life servant. And that's all you'll ever be.

"I'm very sorry about how Firelord Ozai spoke to you, Bai." Leang spoke, snapping Bai out of her thoughts.

Bai didn't say anything, only smiled and nodded. She was grateful that Leang was trying to make her feel better, but it wasn't really helping. She's not even sure if Papa could make her feel better at that moment.

"Prince Zuko, it is a pleasure to see you." Leang bowed.

Bai was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't even realize she already made it to the training room. The worst part was that she didn't know how she made it there.

Hopefully, I won't have to come here too much.

Zuko turned around and gazed upon Bai. She managed to look just as pretty as she did lastnight even though she was wearing a red and black kimono- designated for the servants. But what really catches his attention is her eyes. They're so blue and beautiful. He can see the kindess and loves she holds in her eyes- much like his mother. It's just so nice for Zuko to find someone so sweet. You can't always find that here- especially in the palace.

"And as to you." Zuko spoke, responding to Leang.

"You remember Bai here, right? From the party? She's here to serve you and your sister, Prince Zuko. I will leave you two alone; I have other duties I must attend to."

The two tweens were left alone, staring at each other. Both were too afraid to say the first word.

Bai felt her stomach twisting while Zuko's cheeks began to heat up. The tension was almost unbearable for both parties.

I need to say something, Bai thought to herself.

"H-hello, Prince Zuko. It is an honor to be in your extravagant home." Bai said, bowing.

"O-oh um... yes! As well to you. Well, actually not considering we're not in your home, and I don't know if it is extravagant. Not to say it's not! It's just..."

Bai giggled at the prince. Who would've think Firelord Ozai had a son that could be a little awkward at times? But Bai didn't mind; she actually thought it was kind of cute. It made the great prince seem like a regular guy.

"I promise I took no offence, Prince Zuko. And I think I understood what you were trying to say." Bai said.

Zuko let out a little sigh of relief. At least she decided to save me from embarrassment, he thought to himself.

"So, how can I be an assistance to you, Prince Zuko?"

"Well, you can start by calling me just Zuko."

"I'm sorry, what?" Bai questioned. Doesn't he know the position he's in? He's a prince for spirits sake! And he doesn't want to be called by his official title?

"It just sounds a little formal, don't you think?"

"I suppose that's true... but I don't want to get in trouble with your father."

"Well, how about this," the young prince started. "Whenver we're in a larger setting with my father, generals, or councilmen, you can refer to me as Prince Zuko. But when it's just us, you can just call me Zuko."

Bai shook her head in agreement. She liked that idea very much. And, it gave her hope that the prince would want to spend more time alone.

"But as far as official tasks, I don't need you to do anything."

What? That can't be true.

"Well what about cleaning your room? Or finding you food?" Bai asked. Surely, he'd want her to do something.

"Well, usually, the maids come by and clean our room when while we train. And if you work in the kitchen then those servants deliever us food in case we want something."

Bai felt flabbergasted. He's really doesn't have anything for me to do? Oh! But I bet Azula does!

"Well, what about the princess? I'm sure she has something she would she for me to do? And where is she by the way?"

"She got out of training today. She's a prodigy so she doesn't have to train as long as what I have to." Zuko sneered.

Bai felt bad for Zuko. She hated that he must've thought he wasn't as taleneted as his sister. Or better yet, told he doesn't measure up to Azula.

"But, she left you this note. She told me to give it to you. I'm guessing it's your tasks for today."

When Bai grabbed the note, she felt a small shock between her hand and Zuko's. He must've felt it too because he jumped when his hand grazed upon her smaller and softer one. Bai breathlessly giggled and looked up at the prince. He was already holding s small smile and noticed the a light shade of pink on his cheeks. She realized that Zuko has wore that same shade of pink a few times since she's been around. But she was beginning to like it.

After exchanging nothing but small smiles and breathless giggles, Bai took the note from Zuko; She really needed to see what Azula wanted:

Dear Bai,

I'm sorry that I couldn't be with you today; Both Ty Lee and Mai's father came for an important meeting today. But obviously, they're here with me. I only ask that you would do this one task, and stay away from us today. It's nothing personal, really. Mai's just not very comfortable around you. And both girls feel a little embarrassed to be hanging out with someone of your lifestyle. But don't take it personal, Bai. I promise we can hang out together some other time. Besides, you have Zuko so you're not completely alone.

Azula

Bai felt a little of her heart sink. She wasn't upset because those girls didn't like her- it's why they didn't. It just shows the social distance, she supposes. And it didn't help that Azula used the phrase "someone of your lifestyle." It reminded her of what Firelord Ozai said to her earlier. Which is a memory she would like to forget.

"Are you okay, Bai?"

Bai snapped her head up at Zuko, who held a concern look on his head. Azula may have left Bai alone with Zuko, but she was alright with that. She could see that Zuko was different than his family. He didn't treat her like she was different. Bai's never been able to experience that until now.

"Yeah, I-I'm okay. It looks like I have a pretty easy day."

Zuko wasn't sure if Bai was telling the truth on whether she was okay or not, but he didn't want to pry. He didn't know if he was correct, but he was sure Azula said something awful in that letter.

"Oh! I have an idea!" Bai squealed.

"What is it?"

"What if you showed me what you were just practicing?"

Zuko's eyes widen and his mouth dropped. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Y-You want to see me bend?" He asked. There's no way she's serious, he thought to himself.

"Yeah! I've never gotten to see firebending up close before. Besides, Papa and Gramma can't bend so it's not like I ever get to see it. And I'm sure you're really good at it."

Zuko couldn't help the small smile that was growing on his face. No one ever asks to see him bend- not even his father. Everyone is always so infatuated with Azula. They all think she's the greatest firebender of all time. But now, this sweet, beautiful, and innocent girl has asked to see him bend.

"Okay. I didn't do anything super cool in training today so you might be disappointed."

"I'm sure I won't be." Bai said with a smile.

Zuko stands a good distance away from Bai to make sure he doesn't hurt her. He takes a deep breath in, clearing his mind from all distractions. He focuses on channeling his inner energy, just like his teacher taught him.

Zuko leaps in the air and kicks with his left foot which causes a big burst of flame. Once he lands on his feet, he begins  punching the air in a rhythmic motion and makes a lot of flames.

Bai watches Zuko in awe. She's never seen something so beautiful. She was always told fire can be dangerous and that you shouldn't even mess with it, but Zuko doesn't make it look dangerous at all.

Zuko was preparing himself to show Bai the new move he learned today. He knows that he hasn't perfected it, but since she looks so genuinely impressed, he wants to show her.

Zuko stops throwing his punches. He gets in the proper stance, squatting with his fits close to his side.

You can do this. You've got this.

Zuko lifts his hands from his side and raises them to the sky, trying to channel all his energy into making one big flame. Except there was one problem.

His big flame was smaller than it was suppose to be. A lot smaller.

Zuko looks at Bai who still holds the same sweet smile on her face, waiting to see what Zuko is trying to do.

Come on Zuko! Before she looses interest!

He raises his hands again, trying to channel all of his energy, but still nothing. Only a tiny flame.

Zuko sighed in defeat, and lowered his head in shame. He was afraid this would happen.

"I'm sorry, Bai. I learned a new move today, but I couldn't do it. I'm sorry you had to see that."

Bai's heart sank. How could Zuko think he was a failure? He may have not gotten the move right, but Bai was still impressed, nevertheless.

"Are you kidding me? That was amazing! I'd never seen anything like it!"

Zuko looked up at Bai. Did I hear her right, he thought to himself.

"Really? But I didn't get the move."

"Well, maybe not, but you still impressed me with those kicks and punches. I've never seen firebending so close, and you did a really good job. And you'll get that new move in, I promise."

Zuko could feel his cheeks heating up. He hopes Bai thinks it's because he was messing with fire. She was the only other person to believe in him besides his mother and uncle. He was very glad that Bai made an appearance again in the palace. He knows it's selfish, but he hopes her Gramma stays sick for a little longer. He knows that's not fair to Bai and that it's wrong to think like that, but that would give him more time to spend with her. He didn't know why, but he liked being around her. Bai made him smile and made him feel like he could do anything. She brought him up when he felt down. Plus, she was so beautiful.

"Thank you, Bai."

All of the negative emotions Bai felt inside was slowly slipping away. She felt at ease with Zuko. He made her feel like she was her own person. He was fun to be around with, and she couldn't wait to spend more time with him this week.

≿━━━━༺❀༻━━━━≾

"Where is it? Where is it!"

Ming was searching for her heavy fur coat- she was going to need to where she was going.

"Yes! Finally!"

She grabbed the coat and ran for the door. She didn't have a lot to time so she had to make it quick. She looked in her bag to make sure she had everything. Ming had a far journey ahead of her so it was crucial she was completely prepared.

As she was looking through her bag, she felt something strange. It didn't feel like anything she packed so she took it out to see what is was. When she realized it, tears began to burn her eyes yet again.

It was a family portrait of the Shangs. Bai was just a baby, smiling brightly and being held by her grandparents. Yao and Ming held the same smile Bai had. They took this picture right whenever Yao and Ming took in Bai. They were all so happy back then. She wished she felt the same way now.

Ming put the picture back in her bag and ran to the door. Before she opened the door, Ming looked around the small house one more time. So many memories were held here. So many good memories.

"I hope you two are able to make more." Ming said aloud.

Ming turned away quickly. She wasn't sure she could go through with her plan if she stayed in her home much longer.

She opened the door and quickly headed out. As much as it hurt for her to do this, she knew she had to. It was the only option.

No turning back now.

[thephantomcasebook]

Alicent being a boy mom ...

And a little extra Helaemond if you got it.

Hmm ...

I've never actually written Helamond before ...

Well, all the girlies will either like it or they'll let me know otherwise.

(Note: The Characterization of Daeron is from another post I did where someone asked me to introduce the character my own way in the show)

Well, live or die, here's my Helamond shot.

He could still see her falling.

He wanted to twist her beautiful curling locks in his hand, yank her head back, and demand to know why she was stupid?! She could’ve gotten killed! But instead, she is pressed hard against his chest – not being able to tell where she started, and he began. They were latched tight to his saddle, her arms about his neck. Her hot breath was in his ear, repeating nonsense over and over again – “A sapphire lost in the God’s Eye!” He felt her clutching him hard, nuzzling his neck, tears streaming down her milky cheeks. “A sapphire lost in the God’s Eye!” She was afraid, petrified.

Queen Helaena Targaryen was not made nor meant for a battlefield, to be in the air filled with cries of flame and roars of hate.  Below them, fireballs of pitch and ruins of stone arced up at them from the catapults of the Velaryon blockade. The gleam of red, orange, and blue flames from burning ships reflected in the gentle tears of the young queen of the Seven Kingdoms as she sat astride Vhagar in reverse. Aemond’s left hand was clutching the handle of his saddle, the right firmly grasping Helaena’s leather clad arse to force her against him as they maneuvered above.

A fury, unbridled and murderous, came over him when the flaming arrows and exploding pitch halted. When he leaned over to glance down, his single eye bulged in rage. Fore there he was, landed on the damaged and half enflamed Velaryon flagship. The sleek and graceful creature of cerulean scale, a beast of royalty, sat poised for even the slightest flinch on the deck of the ship. A figure in golden dragon wing helm with masked eye guard and green streamers to represent the flame of Old Town at war, sat astride his majestic beast. All around him, the ashen and seared sailors of the beaten flagship gathered behind Corlys Velaryon who stood stalwart with his Valyrian Steel axe in hand, his white whiskers scorched.

Yet, he lowered his weapon.

Fore laying in the young dragon knight’s arms was a silver haired young woman in tight leather and stricken crimson scale armor. Baela Targaryen was staring at the figure who held her gently in wonder and amazement. For a moment she couldn’t understand it, couldn’t believe it.

 He … he saved her life?

She had been felled by Vhagar as she rushed to save her grandmother whose dragon, Meleys, was held by a monstrous foot in vise by her pink rigged neck. But when she dove at her late mother’s dragon, the old bitch craned her head, her maw closing about Moondancer’s wing, ripping most of it off. Baela’s scream was shrill and lost in the wind as she fell to the earth, the sea rushing toward her like a green tinted wall. Her grandmother could do nothing but watch. In that last moment, the young beauty thought of her mother, her smile, her kisses, the warmth of her body as she read to her girls. Then, like a blue comet, a figure came diving in a flash, buzzing Vhagar, Meleys, Prince Aemond, Queen Helaena, and the helpless Princess Rhaenys line a typhoon wind. It gave chase to the falling girl like a bolt of lightning. An arm wrapped Baela’s waist and pulled her to a stricken and repaired breast plate with the worn engraving of the High Tower upon it. Suddenly, with a dip in her taut belly, they leveled out just a foot or so from the surface of the sea. It was then that she found herself in unfamiliar arms that held her tenderly … perfectly.

They had never met, but she knew of him, heard stories around the Painted Table. Jace spoke very highly of him, Luke admired him, Father hated him, and Rhaenyra did not wish to discuss him one way or the other. For Baela, she had no opinion of her cousin till the last fifteen minutes when Moondancer couldn’t keep up, Meyleys took his chained Morningstar whip in the head twice, And Grandmother’s nose broke against the sole of his boot when he unlatched himself from the saddle and came flying downward as she angled to burn Aemond and … Queen Helena.  Baela thought she hated him, feared him, was frustrated that he and his blue queen were untouchable. But now she felt only shock … only …

What she had hoped Jace and she would find in time.

A bare ebony hand touched the silken green scarf of Queen Alicent’s favor that was wrapped about the mouth and nose of the helmeted dragon knight. She smelt the pleasing scent of her aunt as she leaned in and gave a peck to where she thought her cousin’s lips might be. Then, she cautiously slipped from his self-crafted and battle worn saddle, flush at his almost intimate touch helping her down. But whatever soft and looming emotions that fluttered in her heart soon retreated when the cerulean dragon craned her head back and gave a cry of threat at the girl’s lingering.

Quickly, Baela stumbled back to the open arms of her grandfather. For a time, Lord Corlys Velaryon and the Dragon Knight matched glares. It was an offering, the paying of a debt – for the life of one Driftmark heir had the other’s life been spared. And needing not to be told the context or meaning of the gallant gesture, Lord Velaryon took his axe in hand and placed it to his chest and bowed his head in gratitude. In response, the young knight simply gave his former captain and comrade in arms a familiar two finger salute before he urged his mount to take off in Valyrian. With a roar, the she-dragon lifted off into the air, flying low, back to Kings landing. And for a time, among the horror and terror of the “Dance of Dragons” there was glimpse of honor and mutual respect between Green and Black on that afternoon.

The battle was over.

But not at the Dragon Pit.

With an order in Valyrian, Tessarion clawed low into the dark. She could smell, hear, the snorting shuffle of livestock - victory morsels. However – and luckily – before Daeron Targaryen could remove his nicked and battle scared helmet, something hard and powerful contacted it. The blow rattled his brain like coppers in a jar. The young knight immediately found himself on the ground, a voice in sinister Valyrian shouting at him. Meanwhile, what sounded like his sister was protesting. Then, a hand grasped his battered breastplate and yanked him into a siting potion. There, in a murderous rage, was his brother Aemond, his single eyes nearly black in the darkness of the Dragon Pit.

“<Blood Traitor!>” He snarled at him in Valyrian. “<You spared our sisters would be killer! Craven pup!>” He punched Daeron again, making the winged dragon helm sing from the strike.

But this time the coppers didn’t rattle – only the cage of the dragon in his blood. In anger and madness  boiling from the fight still coursing within, Daeron went right back into battle instinct learned from years of fighting on the Stepstones. He immediately swept a foot and heel kicked Aemond across the back of the knee. Then, when knelt, Daeron launched headfirst with his helmet, smashing its armored brow against Aemond forehead - drawing blood. With clenched teeth of rage, the younger brother tackled the older into the dust of the Dragon Pit.

Soon, they began rolling and punching, cries and snarls of curses in Common Tongue and Valyrian echoed into the vast arena. Around them the Dragon Keepers watched on neutrally with their tall staffs and scorched crimson and cream robes. Meanwhile, Queen Helaena paced anxiously as she covered her ears to drown out the violence and the stream of angry emotion from the men she loved that came on like waves of a typhoon that violated her sweet and gentle nature.

Immediately, astride two white stallions, followed by a mounted guard of men in Hightower armor, the visage of the Dowager Queen Alicent and her Lord Commander Ser Criston Cole appeared with a clatter of hooves in the vast open space. The queen’s luxurious copper locks flowed like a banner as she raced into the Dragon Pit, afear of what losses she would face from the mission this afternoon. But instead she pulled back on the reigns of Ser Criston’s name day gift to her.

“Hey!” She called loudly in alarm.

In front of her was a tall figure in highly crafted black sable armor and a younger silhouette in stricken and cobbled pieces of battle-damaged Hightower armor and a weathered and patched cloak, rolling about. They looked like hounds in a kennel fighting over a bone or an errant challenge in the hall. They gripped and punched, Aemond pulling on the green streamers atop Daeron’s golden dragon helm, while Daeron was shoving Aemond’s face into the dust, metal squealing and rattling as they continuously rolled, trying to get and deny leverage to one another. All the while Helaena, in tight black leather trousers and matching scaled doublet of Dragon riding gear, paced around them, ears covered, and choking on the rapid words and phrases she said aloud to comfort herself.

“Aemond! Stardust!” She called out to them. “Enough!” Alicent leapt from the back of her horse, Criston grasping the bridle.

“Prince Aemond! Daeron!” Criston shouted as he dismounted, waiting for one of the queen’s guard to take their matching stallions’ reins.

Helaena marched away from her mother’s bracing grip as she watched her boys rolling around, shouting words she understood – even the foreign ones – and would never allow them to utter in her home, much less in public. With gritted teeth of determination, Alicent flung herself into the fray. She got hold of the back of the golden helmeted youth that wore the green embroidered scarf of her silken favor about his mouth and nose under his eye guard. With all her strength she put her youngest child in a choke hold and pulled with her slender legs and creamy hamstrings.

“Stardust … stop it!” She growled into Daeron’s ear as she got him upon his knees, prying him off Aemond. Then, with a startled gasp - not wearing shoes that carried the cobbled traction needed for such strenuous physical activities as pulling apart your two scrapping youngest children – Alicent fell backward, taking Daeron with her. She landed on her bottom; her arms wrapped like a vise about her youngest’s chest. There she held him as he squirmed against her.

“Oh, no you don’t!” She gritted crushing the back of his helmeted head into the crook of her neck, covering his eyes so he couldn’t escape.

It would’ve left him vulnerable for Aemond when he recovered, if the anger and bloodlust of the battle was not shocked out of the tall lean young man by a blast of cold. As he turned over onto his stomach to push himself back onto his feet to pursue his traitorous sibling, he let out a cry of shock and confusion when something wet and frigid thunder down upon him. With wide eye, Aemond glanced around - now soaking wet – to find Lord Commander Cole with an overturned bucket from the fire safety trough.

With a shiver and chatter, the outraged prince struggled to get to his feet – incensed at needing Ser Criston’s help. He pushed the man away, who only smirked in that annoying, know-it-all, way that his teacher and mentor always had since he could remember. With a wet rattle, Aemond ripped off his black helm with green plume and threw it down, his long silvery hair soaked and dripping. But when he saw Daeron still on the ground he made to approach.

“Don’t you dare!” Alicent’s voice was like a whip that cracked, keeping the lion at bay.

Ser Criston already firmly placed his grip on the young warrior prince’s breast plate in restraint. And each time that Aemond swatted his hand away, the Lord Commander’s other replaced it, retaliating by shoving him back further and further with his palms. Meanwhile, Alicent had gotten to her feet and was pulling Daeron’s arm till he found his own. The youth’s light armor – stricken breast plate, a shoulder plate on his sword arm, vambraces, and all covered by a tattered cloak she wove him long ago – made it easier for him to stand.

Yet, the moment he did, Alicent grasped her son by the golden winged dragon helm and slipped it from his head.  Immediately a mane of her own waving copper curls in a half hazard messy ponytail slipped free. With his mouth and nose covered by her green favor, Daeron’s brow line and eyes were of such a striking match to her own face that she might have been looking into a gender bent mirror. Throwing his helmet away, Alicent reached up and pulled down the silken scarf to see the sculpted boyish stubble of copper hair on his chin.

‘Enough!” She snapped in his face, grasping Gwayne’s former breast plate and pulling it down so that Daeron was looking right into their matching eyes. No sooner had she done this, when she strode over and grasped Aemond by his prominent chin and pulled him down to make eye contact.

“Do-you-hear-me?!” She annunciated every syllable, nodding her son’s head with her cadence. Then, when she heard the petulant answer of the classic Aemond Targaryen non-answer of “Mmhn”, she tossed his head back. But she didn’t stop there.

“You!” She strode over to Helaena who turned away from her. But that wasn’t gonna fly today. She grabbed Helaena back by the arm and twisted her to face her. “What were you thinking?!” She yelled at her daughter. “You are the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms!” She shook the girl. “You cannot go flying into the middle of a battle or a dragon duel!” She shook her. “Why?!” She demanded of her daughter.

“A sapphire lost in the God’s Eye!” She snapped angrily at her mother. “Lost forever, never to be found!” Her voice cracked in devastation and fear.

 A look of heartbroken and helpless confusion fell over Alicent’s countenance as she searched Helaena’s distressed face but found no recognition, no understanding. Teary eyes of falling anger glassed over as her hand reached out to pet her silvery blonde hair. But the girl turned away and paced over to stand by Aemond, covering her ears as she laid her head against his shoulder. The dowager queen took a shaky breath to collect herself before she walked the short distance between her two sons.

“What is going on?!”

“Baela dove on Dreamfyre while Stardust was playing with Princess Rhaenys! She could’ve killed Helaena if it wasn’t for Vhagar!” Aemond was incensed. The use of Alicent’s pet name for her youngest babe stung and seared Daeron when used against him in mockery.

“How was I supposed know that Helaena and Dreamfyre was going to go wandering into the middle of the battle?!” Daeron replied hotly. “I was supposed to be keeping the old hag and Moondancer busy while you opened a lane for the Blockade Runner!” He announced.

“Baela tried to kill our sister, your queen! And you decided to save her life! <You spared, boy>!” Aemond finished in Valyrian.

“I did what I thought was right!” Daeron countered forthright and chest forward. “There’s an honor in the way we fight!” He said stalwartly. “It’s what separates and distinguishes us from Daemon and his thugs!” He scorned in lecture.  

“This is war!” Aemond cried angrily.

“Don’t!”

There was a dangerous snarl that was so heavy that it came out in a whisper from the young knight’s mouth. Alicent turned at the noise, the deep traumatic stress that set her motherly instinct aflame.

“Don’t you talk at me, Aemond, about war!” Daeron gritted his teeth, his eyes suddenly alight with memories or horrors undreamed upon the small rocky chain of islands that could not be unseen. “I know more about it then you ever will!” the young knight’s eyes grew haunted and his voice distant.

Alicent found herself at the youth’s side, her hand slipping into his, her eyes sorrowed.

“You read too many story books, brother!” Aemond grew fierce then, Helaena’s breath on his ear like the fanning air to the flames in his blood. He could still see her falling from Dreamfyre’s saddle when Moondancer slashed across her belly - Vhagar too big, too bulky, almost losing Helaena on the horizon as she fell. It was only by an instinct he couldn’t quantify, that he could … sense where she was. Reach out and take her hand when he couldn’t see her. The fear, the helplessness of almost losing her …

It made him fiercer than his dragon.

“There’s no room for heroes here, brother!” He stepped away, in front of their sister, as if to protect her from this valiant and noble fool with their mother’s face. “The guilt for whatever sins you weep about into our mother’s breasts in the night have no place in my army!” He said rancorously. “I hear Daeron “The Daring” was a champion, hero of the Stepstones – that he and his dragon Tessarion sank the largest war galley in the world at the Battle of Tara-Haj.” He scoffed as if it were some tall tale told in a tavern. “But I only see a mewling and wailing tourney knight! Mother’s arse a pillow while hiding behind her silk skirts and more worried about his own honor than protecting his sister, his queen!” He snarled, pointing the finger of prosecution at the handsome young knight.  

 “Careful, Brother …” Daeron fixed the tall man with dark look. “ <Don’t mistake murdering a boy and his hatchling for being a warrior.>” The youth replied with a deep distain in cutting High Valyrian.

“Hey-Hey-Hey!”

They drove so hard at one another that the only obstacle to their rematch was the crushing together of Alicent and Criston – back to back – as both young men were barely restrained by their mother and their mentor. Alicent squinted, gritting her teeth as she pushed back against her youngest, her arms wrapped around his torso, her cheek against his scorched and scared breastplate. Meanwhile, Criston’s lips were pressed in strain at he had Aemond under the arms trying to walk the slender spear of a man backward. Both the queen and her protector’s heads and hair were battered by flailing arms and hands striking at the other. Eventually, with a twist, Criston got Aemond off his feet, tossing him upon the ground. With a clank and sliding of metal, he dragged the violent young man by the back of his chest piece toward Helaena as he kicked and struggled.

“Stay down!” Criston snapped shoving the young prince back onto the floor when he tried to get back up.

Then, suddenly there was another splash of water that was thrown into Aemond’s face. With a spit and a snarl, murder was in his single eye as he turned to see which dead man it was. But instead, his fire was quenched in shock and confusion when he looked up to see that it had been Helaena with the bucket in hand. Her eyes were stern, her face cold – the same expression she gave Aegon. That single look of disappointment and displeasure alone stopped everything within Aemond in its tracks. He gave a pride saving grunt and “Mmnhm” as he turned his steely eye forward past Criston – pacified by his queen’s want.

“Enough! Stardust, look at me!” Alicent struggled with her little boy. “It’s me! Stardust, it’s me!” She said forcefully till he stopped wrestling with her. “It’s done. It’s time to stop!” She gave him a sobering shake, knowing of the madness, the manias, and flashbacks to war and violence that lived within him – how he suffered in their thralldom. It was only then, lost in her eyes, the soft melodic velvet of her familiar voice, that a sobriety took over him. Alicent grabbed Daeron by his ears and forced his head down. When their eyes matched, a fierce and stern look was wrapped in a loving sympathy.

“Okay?” She said softly.

“Yeah …” He replied emotionally.

“Yeah?”

“It’s fine …” He nodded, his eyes losing their sharpness.

“Go outside and wait for me and Ser Criston.” She ordered handing him his distinct dragon winged helm.

There was a half nod in his reluctance as there remained a fiery glare at Aemond - who was now laying down in the muddy spot, hands behind his head – waiting for his scolding as one does for the sunset in a flowery field. Meanwhile, Helaena looked at her little brother with a soft wilting smirk of love – assurance that she did not agree with their brother. But before he had left Alicent’s shadow, the queen grasped his arm and pulled him back to her. She cupped his cheeks and pulled his head down low to her.   

 “Reluctance to murder is not a weakness …!” Alicent whispered to Daeron, touching her forehead to his. The youth did not say anything, he simply nodded, letting her nuzzle and nip his nose in maternal affection and pride of his conduct that day on the field of battle. Then, she gave him a soft shove of parental steel, sending him on his way.

“Get up, Aemond!”

“…”

“Get up!”

With a noise of bemusement, the youth found his feet in a timelier manner than anyone was expecting. But his jaw grew tight when slender pale hands grasped his breast plate and pulled him close. Her hand gripped his chin once more and used it like a hinge as she turned his head left to right, checking the cut on his forehead and gashed cheek where Princess Rhaenys had caught him with her whip. Satisfied that nothing was serious, she let go. He did not respond when she gave a pensive shake of his chest in her hard grip.

“Thank you …” She sighed. “For saving Helaena, for looking after her.” She nodded.

“You don’t have to thank me, Mother.” He stood impeccably upright, immaculately postured. “I wouldn’t let any harm to come to her.” Aemond was more sincere than she ever thought possible. “You know that.” He nodded.

“Yes …” She replied. “And we’ve won a victory today. Our envoys have gotten past the blockade and are on their way to negotiate with The Triarchy. You and your brother have destroyed over a dozen Velaryon ships, and you’ve permanently maimed one Rhaenyra’s dragons.” Alicent praised.

“A day to be celebrated.” Aemond gave a nod.

“A day not to be squandered.” She corrected. “With baseless accusations and slander!” She suddenly snapped.

“He spared Baela –“ He began.

“And he saved your life and Helaena’s too when Rhaenys had you two right where she wanted! I watched from the Tower of the Hand from the Grand Maester’s telescope! Or do you deny it?!” Her eyes fixed on the stalwart and carful warrior prince.

“I do not.” He looked away.

Alicent turned Aemond’s head gently to face her. “We cannot fight a war against Rhaenyra and ourselves.” She said softly. “Perhaps, mistakes were made. Foolish things done!” Helaena had the decency to look chastised when Alicent’s gaze fell upon her in accusation. “But you cannot win this war on your own Aemond.” Her eyes glistened. “You and Daeron are the sole compliment of our dragon riders. When you’re out there, you need each other.” She placed her hand on the Targaryen insignia on his black breastplate. “Don’t bring the war home with you.” She stroked his chest.

She smirked softly when Aemond grabbed her hand and squeezed it.

“Of course, Mother.” He said dutifully. “I’m sorry if I …” He cleared his throat.

“It happens to all of us, my dearest boy.” She nodded. “Now get Helaena home … we’ll meet you there.” Alicent replied, needing only a glance to convey her plans to Ser Criston – a shorthand of sixteen years of devotion to one another. As they left, Criston clasped Aemond’s shoulder in comradery, the two sharing a nod of affectionate endearment as the Dowager Queen and the Lord Commander paced outside. 

When they were gone, Aemond turned to find Helaena standing near him. Something different, relaxed, relieved, was in her countenance as they stood alone together in the vast hall of the Dragon Pit. A soft smile touched her face as she paced closer to him.

“It …” She shook her head cautiously. “It wasn’t today.” She said, his eyes fluttering shut at the soft and smooth warmth of the sun in her heavenly palms that stroked his cheek in reverence.

“What wasn’t?” He asked.

“I saw a sapphire lost forever in the God’s Eye …” She replied, a single tear falling down her cheek. “And I thought it was today.” She nodded. “I thought it was today.” She repeated in a strangled whisper of dueling relief of the hour and fear for the unknown of many tomorrows.

Then, to assuage her, Aemond removed his eyepatch to reveal the sapphire that she had once given him, breaking it free from her favorite necklace as compensation – replacing something she loved with something else just as precious.

“Not today.” He said confidently.

He did not flinch nor blink when her finger reached out and touched the sapphire, his hand grasping her own, leading her digit across the smooth surface of the jewel.

“Not today …” She whispered again, a sobbed little chuckle.

Then, he took her in his arms as she clung to him, crying happy tears as his strong jaw nuzzled the silky locks of her silvery blonde hair.

Perhaps one day a sapphire will be lost forever to the God’s Eye …

But it wasn’t today.           

[zoroara]

OCtober challenge Day 21 - Apparatus

Vittorio had recently made all the uniform changes for his Scrap Vulture Squad. Of course it was a bit unfortunate when he realized his group was only going to be a duo of two people who well... Were specifically labelled as "difficult to manage" a mist flame who didn't listen to most orders despite their rank, and a storm flame that killed anything that made a sound.

Though they'll pretend that the reason they were trusted with these two were for the fact they themselves can corral people very well... and not Xanxus choosing this out of spite for how well their conversation went.

He'd need to meet them later... But right now he needs to look over his engineering plans so he knows what kind of weapons to actually pick up for scrap and parts prioritizing them. However their plans were halted by finding a strange looking apparatus on their desk it certainly wasn't theirs and the only thing they've ever seen like it were those strange boxes the Gesso family had that turned them into beasts.

They ponder this, really the thought was terrifying. Vittorio was admittedly easily send into a panic over any real animal being close no matter the size and they've only gotten used to the animals in the varia rings, and of course Avo their vulture that they made for themself. Even if it was intensely stressful putting their trust into it. But Carnage boxes seemed... too much...

Though they'd gain nothing if they allowed that to stop them. Taking their ring and lighting it with their sunset coloured flame, Vittorio closed his eyes. Only to find on his hand a small Axolotl that shared their sunset coloured flame making up the gills an replaced the fin of the tail.

"Well aren't you a relief... I wonder who my secret admirer must be to gift me such a sweet little thing like you~ hm... Well if I am to use you... I'll call you Alba."

For those that don't know, none of my Varia OCs have future arc memories. Vittorio specifically doesn't have them thanks to being an antagonistic force due to choosing to scrap after the battle of italy which the Varia had taken to be a threat. Vittorio nearly wiped the executives and forced them to turn tail. This is the reason for their kidnapping. Which they never find out about.

Yeah ever think about all box weapons become completely into the rings except for the carnage boxes which become external as an upgrade for some reason? Seeing a box weapon in the present that's actually an animal would be intensely odd so that's always an interesting thing to have to keep in mind for OC making.

Vittorio made his own ring and ring animal(as well as a cambio forma) before this after getting data about the vongola rings. Of course he did this initially in secret as he was still being held against his will and got the data by promising to upgrade the Varia rings. which he did. This one however is a gift from a Varia executive more as a congratulations for getting as far as he did.

I don't know if it is obvious as to who would have done this or not, but it is supposed to be a little shocking. Anyway yes Vittorio's two subordinates are Nascosta and Silenziatore. He's got his work cut out for him. They were actually initially created just for that but then a looooot ended up expanded upon because: oopsie. You know how it is with ocs.

The scrap team members all have uniforms kind of similar in design though the default one is supposed to have sleeves. It's just vittorio has tattoos in the future so he wants to show them off. Plus he, at least to the varia, being a safety nut, made sure to make a separate set of combat gear for him and his two. The only other thing that is consistent in these uniforms though is the deep black colour, the deep red internal, and the size of the fluff being much bigger than regular varia uniform to signify the vulture feathers around the neck.

The rest such as the colour of the metallic triangles and feathers change tint based on flame colour. Vittorio's being orange and blue due to the rain sky mix he is. Every other part of the uniform can be altered added to or whatever the person desires.

[crashingmeteor3]

Doors+

I was playing the Hotel+ Update on Doors, and I was naturally very confused and died both times. So while watching my friend I was pretty interested in some stuff. So if you don't want to know what's new I wouldn't recommend reading this.

First off shout out to the undertale reference in the Hiding in Plain Sight Achievement, has to be one of my favourites.

The new door opening sound was cool, but it made me feel disoriented because I'm so used to the old sound.

Nothing really changed in the entities besides Seek and Figure's animation I think, I haven't encountered Halt yet since playing the update.

Also props to whoever did Seek and Figure's new animations, they're really cool!

During the period where Seek's Eyes begin to appear, these 'paintings' begin to appear. But as you can see here, it's not a painting.

So what is it? a photo? Actual eyes? It creeps me out.

I wonder if the clock will play a role in this game, for me, I noticed you could hear the clock ticking around important times such as the Seek Chases and the Library. Maybe I wasn't paying attention but I couldn't hear it well anywhere else.

The fact that there's a painting of Jack with a pirate hat is hilarious. Also, there are pictures of Silence, Greed and (assumingly Depth) in the game. Maybe they'll be on floor 2?

Seek but purple? As far as I know nobody looks like Seek and is Purple. A possible future entity maybe?

Jeff is love, Jeff is life, and I love their music choice. I did actually vibe to the music for a few minutes. Also, the fact you can see Jeff look happy when you buy something means everything.

It's amazing how Jeff climbed up my favourite entity list so fast, and while not my favourite (that's Guiding Lights spot) they're definitely in my top 3.

Who made this scratch? I don't know if any of the Entities have claws or nails to make a scratch that big and deep in the wall. Is it a new entity or someone we know?

I was thinking Figure since I found the scratch near room 50 (room 52 or 53 I think), and for some reason, I was thinking Hide? We don't know what Hide looks like, sure, but there was a closet in the room and a bed. And since we don't know Hide's true appearance my theory can't be debunked or confirmed, but it's fun to think about, I always imagined Hide as a temperamental entity.

Don't think I got an image of it, but in one of the later rooms you could go behind one of the closets and go into this weird secret room with an 'untitled' painting and three chairs in this sort of triangle-circle position. What if people were kidnapped and/or tied up there? It certainly gave those vibes to me. And the yellow light you can see, I wonder what that is.

And then here are the pictures of me and my friends playing :D

[olyia-stories]

Let's get into this: my thoughts on the Siege of Macindaw: book 6 of the Rangers apprentice

Aww Will sneaking up on Gundar! I bet he's going to offer redemption for letting Buttle go in the form of storming the keep.

Lol Gundar mistaking Will for a ghost, I bet Will enjoyed that just a little.

HORACE!

So I know the studded leather is probably nothing more than set dressing, but as it's fairly useless to stud leather armor I think it's very funny that Buttle is wearing it. Just another sign of his incompetence.

Love Will!

Well Orman was a little slow on the draw, a ranger named Will. I thought he already figured it out. But he was almost dead for a little, I won't judge too harshly.

"He made the peace sign" ✌️

Oh. Ohhhh. "Is. That. Clear." Will became so intimidating so quickly.

Ok the plan to capture the scotti general, tactically sound. Although I don't know how many more stomachs the clearing can feed. Even with Orman helping.

Oh Will wasn't with Halt to see that the ranger thing can't scare people outside of their country, they don't know to be afraid.

Losing Machaddish is on you Will, never take your eye off the enemy before you've secured him.

Anyways, Will won't die today.

I'm so glad Horace is as smart and as loyal as he is. Things were looking dire for Will.

Will thinks it's no big deal that a Scotti got away, but want of a plot begs to differ.

It seems the clearing was ready for prisoners.

Lol the whole frightening MacHaddish scene is hilarious and devious. Who knew the healer could be so evil?

And then kicking off the platform boots

So they need a ton more men to infiltrate Macindaw, it's a good thing they happen to know a certain evil spirit that uses explosive powders to make a point.

Oof. Alyss coming in for the final blow against Kerens pride

I think Will's plan might actually work, but as there's still 200 pages left it can't work too well.

I wonder if Alyss saw the flare and if so what she thinks of it

And now for Will and Horace they get to hurry up and wait, I guess the army is the same no matter what universe you're in

"What rhymes with Macindaw?" Bro I love Horace so much!

Will LOVES ALYSS! he finally said it out loud! It just took the threat of death to admit it

And she doesn't think it really happened. Horace is right will need to come out and say it or they'll be stuck in this dance forever

"There weren't many fools in the Ranger corps, but he realized he just met one." WILL a savage!

I might have seen Will giving shadow to Trobar coming, but it was still hard to read

Ah a pretty girl like Delia, of course she got married while Will was away

Ooh self-proclaimed prophet ehh? I smell sequal bait!

BLESS HORACE! I love my meddling son

What a good ending to this book! They're so cute and will is growing up so fast! I already have the next book checked out from the library and hopefully it doesn't take me a whole 3 months to read the next one as it did this one

Thanks for reading my thoughts to the 5 people that keep liking these when I post them

[donutsupremacy]

Periodic table

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Summary

"When your own crush rejecting someone else's confession, it gives you two feelings: Hope and fear. The alchemist never thought he'd had to experience those types of emotions before. But hearing his light-green haired assistant turn down someone's heartfelt confession— there was still hope for him, but he feared having to take the risk."

Warnings

Very Fluffy

Very long (giggity-)

Rejection (Sucrose to Timaeus)

Corny pick-up lines

Science stuff

1 Dirty joke (Poor innocent and naive bedo)

A/N: I only made this cause I wanted to make Albedo choose the worst person as his wingman, Kaeya lol

also from what I read on Timaeus' stuff, he envied Sucrose for her work, but hey I already said I diddle daddle with stuff like this so for the sake of this fic imma make him have a smol crush on her. It's either him or Tighnari, idk who else to ship Sucrose with and it's very random to ship ber and tighnari—

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Witness the romance

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"I'm sorry... Timaeus. But I think we should just stick as being friends."

Halting his scribbling, the light blonde male perked up at the sound of his assistant's voice coming from outside. Turning his head, he saw no one standing by the entrance of the camp, but he could still make out the sound of his fellow assistants chatting nearby.

"Uhm... y-you're certain you won't give me a chance to prove myself?" Albedo gazed back at his clipboard of notes, they were almost done, all he needed to do now was to record the conclusions of his small experiment.

But he couldn't focus on writing, the lead of his pencil hovering over the paper as his teal eyes squinted in an attempt to concentrate. Yet, all he could focus on was Sucrose's voice.

"It's not that I don't think your skills are bad... I just see you as more of a sibling to me. I genuinely think you're amazing and you have a lot of potential." His assistant's voice spoke, softer than the snow on Dragonspine. "But... I actually already have someone else on my mind."

'Ah, so she does have an interest in someone... how lucky.' The blonde shook his head, opting to place his clipboard down on the table for the time being, he can't focus on his work if all he could think about was this mysterious suitor for Sucrose.

It's odd, he rarely ever felt some sort of... 'hatred' towards a person before.

Albedo placed both of his hands on the table, slightly leaning towards and staring at the large glass beaker in front of him that was filled with a type of chemical substance. The reflection on his glass displayed his furrowed brows and frown, as though he was bothered by something. But truth to be told, in a way, he kind of was.

So, what if she's in a romantic relationship with someone? That just means she'll have someone who'll be there for her when she's in trouble, they'll make sure she's resting after many hard days at work, hold and cuddle her when she's completely tired out, listen to any of her troubles...

His teal eyes, though concentrated and deep in thought, stared at the eyes of his reflection that returned the gaze. His mind was like static, buzzing in annoyance as he wondered why this little 'revelation' was bothering him.

The more he stared at his reflection, the more he thought about Sucrose... and taking the place as her suitor.

Albedo placed a hand over his mouth, his brows knitted together when he thought about being his loyal assistant's romantic interest. It would work, right? After all, he certainly enjoys her company almost as much as he enjoys playing with Klee. She likes his company too, right?

He would be lying if he said he disliked being with Sucrose. He admired her dedication when it comes to work and her caring nature when she noticed he was ignoring his needs, her timid nature only made her even more precious in his eyes.

"Mister Albedo? Sorry for taking so long, but we found some starsilver ore!" The blonde looked over his shoulder, absentmindedly smiling at the sight of Sucrose happily waving at him with a small bag of said ores.

Perhaps... it wouldn't hurt to express his feelings for her?

"It's not a problem. Set them by the shelf over there and sort them by size, please." Albedo instructed, picking up the clipboard and briefly scanning his notes.

His nose scrunched as he pretended to jot down his findings, wondering how to ask the light green haired girl about who she took an interest in. Sneaking a glance at the girl, Albedo noticed his other assistant entering the campsite. They were no longer alone. 'It would be an inappropriate time to ask the question...' Albedo thought, letting out a muted sigh as he attempts to push those thoughts away and focus on his work.

<Timeskip>

"Big brother Albedo!" The alchemist smiled upon seeing the little girl in red scurrying down the Favonius Headquarters flight of stairs, her light blonde hair bouncing from each and every step along with her elf-like ears. However, that smile soon dropped once he saw the notorious calvary captain following behind her, his face showing the same sly cat-like grin he always wore.

"...Kaeya." Albedo greeted rather coldly, to which the blue haired male only playfully hummed in acknowledgement. As expected with how their personalities clashed, the two rarely ever get along unless necessary. Even so, Albedo would much rather keep his distance from the calvary captain.

Unfortunately, perhaps he could be useful for once.

His teal eyes returned to Klee, who was now already clinging onto his leg and looking up at him with her big bright crimson eyes. His smile returned, his teal eyes shining as he went down on one knee to pet her head. "Hello, Klee. How have you been?"

"Great! Kaeya took Klee to Cider Lake today and we let the ducks play with Jumpy Dumpty!" Albedo looked up at the taller male, raising a brow to which Kaeya only shrugged.

"That's great, Klee... Ah, but, i'll play with you in a bit, there's an important... 'Issue' I have to address with Kaeya. Sucrose and Noelle are outside, why don't you go play with them for a bit?" Albedo urged, already dreading his decision to have a chat with the blue haired male who seemed quite interested and eager to talk with the alchemist.

With a bit of persuasion and after whining a little, the Pyro wielding child eventually exited the building, leaving the two alone. "My, my. I never thought there would be a day where the chief alchemist of the Knights of Favonius wants to have a chat with me."

Today's going to be a long day for Albedo.

"Yes. Well... this is because I inquire... your assistance." Albedo reluctantly admitted, knowing it's best to just get straight to the point rather than beating around the bush and stalling with idle chatter.

"Very well, then, i'm all ears." Kaeya waved his hand, signalling for the shorter male to continue. Albedo thanked the Archons for making him compliant.

A sigh left his lips, already seeing the embarrassing outcome as soon as he explained everything to Kaeya. And unfortunately for him, he was correct.

"Ahahaha! So, you need my help... to woo Sucrose?" The blue haired male teased, leaning down a little to grin and enjoy the sight of Albedo's cheeks slowly growing red.

"...Would it kill you to not behave like this?" The blonde asked, surpressing his anger while glaring Kaeya right in his one eye. Though, as he already knew, a meaningless threat like that won't be enough to stop the taller male from laughing.

To be fair, it was either him or Lisa. But, it was Lisa's day off. He knew better than to bother the normally busy librarian on her break, lest he decides to endure a shockwave to the chesy.

"Okay, okay... i'll stop now, hahaha... Well, when it comes to charming a special someone, you've certainly chose the right person for this job." Kaeya smirked, a hand on his hip as Albedo only rolled his eyes.

"It's better to say that I chose the most annoying person instead." The alchemist grumbled under his breath. "Let's not waste any more time here... What... should I do?"

Albedo missed that twinkle of mischief in Kaeya's periwinkle eyes.

<Timeskip>

He really should've just went to Lisa instead.

After a string of ridiculous attempts to charm the timid girl, all of his results were ended in comolete disasters.

First, treating her to dinner sounded like a perfectly normal choice, plain but romantic. It was by pure coincidence that Good Hunter's chef, Sara, had suffered an accident and closed the restaurant for the time being.

No matter, from Kaeya's suggestion, he could always treat her out for a lovely picnic. Unfortunately, he had underestimated the amount of Hilichurls and Slimes wandering around outside, seemingly more aggravated than usual. Not even allowing a moment of peace before he was dragged into several dozen fights with them, where was the traveller when he needed them? Poor Sucrose decided to call of their unofficial picnic date in favor for their safety.

Kaeya's suggestions only grew more and more ridiculous from there, but his suggestions for pick-up lines were even worse.

"You're so sweet, it's giving me a toothache."

"Really? Mister Albedo, I think you might have to consult a dentist..."

...

"The doctor told me I was lacking vitamin U... will you help me?"

"Oh, of course! I suggest you eat various cruciferous vegetables like cabbage, broccoli, kale..."

...

"Do you have a map? Because I keep getting lost in your eyes."

"...A map?... To where?..."

...

"If women were boogers, i'd pick you first."

"...Y-You think i'm a booger?..."

...

"Hey, Sucrose, did you sit in sugar?... because you have a very sweet rear."

*SLAP*!

He shuddered at that slap Noelle gave, it was a mistake to say that line, let alone when the maid was nearby.

Albedo let out a tired groan into his hand, it almost 10PM and he was wondering if he had wasted the day by sabotaging his relationship with her instead of improving it. Maybe it would be better if they'd just stay as friends... it might interfere with their work.

"...No." The blonde clicked his tongue, disappointed at how easily he was backing down. "I can't just give up this easily..." Albedo ran his gloved fingers through his fluffy light blonde hair, massaging his scalp as the brain inside was wondering how could he express his feelings for her.

His teal eyes dart around the items on his desk, frantically looking for any sort of inspiration, the only light source in his room coming from the desk lamp.

And that's when he saw his notebook, opened to a page that was displaying the periodic table.

Hesitantly, he dragged the book over and scanned every single element name along with it's symbol. His brows furrowed, concentrated as an idea slowly formed in his head.

"...Let's just hope this works."

<Timeskip>

"Ah, there you are." The light green haired girl jumped at the familiar voice, glancing back to see Albedo walking towards her with a calm smile.

As if on instinct, Sucrose frantically gathered her equipment, preparing to make a dash to get away from her teacher who was acting abnormal. Realizing she was attempting to escape, Albedo rushed over and slammed both of his hands onto the table behind her, effectively trapping her between him with his arms as the cage.

It's unlike him to lose his composure this easily.

Sucrose let out a squeak, her face flushed brighter than hed superior who froze for a few seconds, his brain registering the intimate position they were in. "A-Ahem... My apologies, Sucrose... but please, don't run away."

The shorter girl only shrank away, hiding the lower part of her face with her gloved hand. "I... wanted to apologise for my odd behavior yesterday. It was inappropriate and thoughtless of me to not realize how uncomfortable I made you." Albedo sighed, looking away with regret and guilt in his eyes. "I only ask for your forgiveness..."

Slowly raising his arms away, he let out a mental sigh of relief as Sucrose remained in place and not running away from him. "M-Mister A-Albedo... I genuinely don't know what's gotten into you yesterday... what happened?"

Her amber eyes no longer held fear, but concern and worry for the blonde who felt his heart flutter upon seeing them. "It's... complicated. But, I can explain... I take it you have forgiven me?"

"Of course I do. Is there something bothering you?" His assistant asked, eliciting a chuckle out of him.

"In a way, yes. Take a look." Albedo opened his notebook, quickly flipping to the same page where the periodic table was in. "Yesterday, I was experimenting with a few of these elements and I have discovered something... 'special'."

Sucrose's eyes shined brightly, impressed by his work just by his words alone. "Really? What did you find out?"

"Here, I have combined these four elements together to achieve a marvelous result." Flipping to the next page, he had written down 4 elements; "Lithium, Oxygen, Vanadium, Europium".

"These combination of elements don't they crea—"

"I know what you're gonna say, Sucrose... But please, I ask that you take a look at these elements and connect them by their symbols." Albedo's heart was racing, watching her puzzled expression as she flipped back to the page with the periodic table.

She was getting closer to figuring everything out.

"L..."

His palms grew sweaty.

"O..."

His teeth sinking into his bottom lip.

"V..."

And here it is.

"E..."

"..."

"L-Love?..."

Her surprised amber eyes meet his anxious teal ones, awaiting for her response that was stuck in her throat.

"I-... I-It's a 'chemical reaction' that I have been feeling everytime we were together... Sucrose, you have been making me feel... odd everytime I saw you. It's only until recently that I have come to a conclusion in this experiment; I love you."

Albedo reached out for her hands, holding them gently and raising them to his chest. "Tell me... do you feel the same as I do?"

Out of surprise, Sucrose slightly flinched from the touch of his hand on hers. But her eyes softened as she stared into his pleading anxious ones, she has never seen him like this before. "M-Mist— I-I mean, Albedo... y-you 'love' me?"

Albedo wanted to awnser with a short and simple 'yes', but he couldn't help and spill all of his thoughts. "Back in Dragonspine, I had overheard your conversation with Timaeus."

Sucrose's face immediately turned bright red, her ears perked upwards in embarrasment as he continued, unaware of her flustered state. "I didn't mean to, of course. But when I heard that you not only turned down his feelings, you already had someone in mind. I couldn't help but feel... afraid. I was afraid of seeing you get taken away from me. You're everything to me, Sucrose. I can't stand the thought of you being with anyone else but me."

The alchemist risked a glance at the girl who had a look of astonishment on her face, he couldn't decipher if she would accept or reject his confession. "But, I understand if I am not the one you're looking for. I can't take you away from someone who makes you happy‐"

Before he could continue, he felt a pair of hands cup his face, his gaze now on Sucrose who was now smiling at him. "Albedo, I think there was a bit of a misunderstanding."

"...Pardon?"

The light green haired girl giggled, letting his face go and shyly tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. "You see... when I said I already had someone in mind; I was actually taking about you."

"Y-You were??" Albedo's jaw dropped, but he was partially relieved at the same time for obvious reasons.

"Of course. Albedo, I love you too. You're kind, intelligent and hardworking... Honestly, I can't believe you didn't have a partner, let alone choosing someone like me." Sucrose shyly admitted, adjusting her spectacles that were starting to fall.

Albedo chuckled, slipping two fingers under her chin and tilting her head upwards for their eyes to connect with eachother once more. "Now, why would you think of yourself like that?"

"After all, you've created a reaction between us."

▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

A/N: The choice of last words are so ironic for me because Geo is one of the elements that can't be swirled lmao

i should really stop making these oneshots hella long jesus christ what have i been writing-

[thelonesomequeen]

Not if he uses his platform effectively and speaks about the strike in a way that informs others of what’s going on. The strike NEEDS bigger stars to pull that attention and explain to the public what it is they’re actually fighting for so people understand and don’t run with the assumptions they’ve been making 🦎/

I totally respect what you're saying, but I think Chris may have taken heed of the way Disney was able to smear his close friend Scarjo when they shafted her with the shady streaming of her Black Widow movie.

Straight out the gate they made her out to be a greedy millionaire who was trying get one over on the suffering public. We were deep in the pandemic at the time and Disney claimed they were just trying to keep us safe (as if) and allow people to watch at home, when Scarlett knew they were just trying to undercut her. They successfully made her look greedy, and quite a few people to this day feel that way about her, even though they ended up settling the lawsuit.

I suspect Chris and other stars in his tax bracket probably feel if they turn up they'll be used as a distraction to hurt the cause, because the studios will immediately latch onto the 'greedy millionaire' sticking point, and suddenly the issue won't be the 98% who need a living wage, but "Multimillionaire Chris Evans, who just had two lavish weddings, made $60 million last year, and now he says it's not enough'.

Of course, a well-written statement where he says 'yes, I'm fine but the rest of them are not', would probably do wonders, but it might get lost in all the noise. He may believe he'll hurt more than help.

I think the studio heads are even more disappointed that he didn't turn up than we are, because they are SALIVATING at the chance to change the narrative.

Of course, I could be wrong and he just doesn't give a rat's ass, but I prefer to give people the benefit of the doubt.

At this point I hope he's donating like crazy behind the scenes.

I do think you bring up an interesting point about studios using celebs as a villain that I haven’t thought of before. But as I said earlier down, the union and head of the strike should be proving scripts and talking points for all members to effectively get the stance across. But either way, it doesn’t look like this is wrapping up soon which is unfortunate. Productions being halted harms a lot of other people in the industry who don’t make bank like costume designers, wardrobe, hair and makeup, set designers, etc. This strike is keeping more people out of work who need those paychecks to survive, so I hope for their sake it’s wrapped up soon🦎

[universestreasures]

@ravenretainer (Because we havn't actually gotten to do any Nobles PH content yet sooo)

"Well...looks like we're almost there." Oz says, confirming they are indeed close to their destination as a giant circus tent comes into view. With all the commotion in the Rainsworth House surrounding the recent poisoning of its heir after attending the Akaba House's gala, the investigation of the Pale Moon Circus and their illegal use of chains from the Abyss was put on hold. Honestly, the timing of the entire event seemed too perfect to be a coincidence to Oz. After all, what better way then to halt Pandora in its tracks than to shift its focus to another investigation all together? Considering the circus' access to chains and all other sorts of creatures, it's certainly possible.

That's why he and his servant were out here in the field, going to confirm if the young lord's theory was true. Alice didn't go with them considering she probably wouldn't be best for a recon mission. Though, that did mean Oz would have to rely on Gilbert if they got into a fight, something he hopes to avoid at all possible today. They were just here to uncover information, nothing more than that.

Although, considering he's never been to a circus, it's also possible his child-like nature from being secluded from the outside world for most of his life will get the better of him. Thankfully he has his servant here to keep him focused, even if Oz makes no promises that he won't try to rope Gilbert into some shenanigans. He wouldn't be Oz if he didn't at least try to have some fun on the job, right?

"I wonder what kinds of things we'll see today, Gil! I hear circuses are the most fun time anyone can have, and aside from the sketchy dealings regarding the captures of Chains and stuff, the Pale Moon Circus is said to be the best one in the land!" You could already see the star twinkle in his eyes, honestly enjoying thinking of this little mission that doubled as a fun outing. "Oh! I wonder what kind of food they'll have! I'm starving!"

His stomach then growls as if on queue, further emphasizing the young lord's eager appetite. It was understandable since they had been traveling since early this morning and it was well past lunchtime. Looks like getting lunch would be the first thing they'd do when they arrived.

"Say, have you been to a circus before, Gil?"

[unavernales]

"can-- can you at least act like you're happy for me?" words halt. excited speculation of what the vatican will be like in person is deflated with a mere prick. yeshua had that effect on his brother. the priest held zachariah's pride in calloused hands. how could someone possibly attach value to something if his brother scoffed at it? leant against the side of the church, yeshua continued to puff at his cigarette. zachariah hated when he smoked.

"and can you not smoke so close to the church? what if the parish sees you?" the younger looks around, making sure the thursday morning mass crowd had properly dispersed. yeshua didn't hold mass often, but he had to as part of his contract. zachariah knew for a fact that his brother hated mass, actually. would constantly fall asleep at it when they were kids. stared at the ceiling and sighed and grumbled when they got old enough to be more passive aggressive than bored. so yeshua only did tuesday and thursday morning masses. the crowds were thin and those in attendance were either praying away a hangover or so devoted they wouldn't question the young priest at the altar, disinterested and unattached. zachariah had long since given up telling his brother what an honor it is to shepherd believers. what a privilege to be ordained at such a young age.

honor. privilege. burden. all the words meant the same to yeshua.

"you want a holy man to lie, zach?" he takes another puff of his cigarette as the younger rolls his eyes.

"i don't understand why you can't be genuinely happy for me--"

"because it's bullshit," yeshua says easily. he's not stern. never stern. yeshua had a talent for saying the cruelest things casually. it hurt more than if yeshua were to yell at his brother. though that's what happens when you taste hell from such a young age. knives become playthings. zachariah's face falls.

"this is an opportunity of a lifetime. going to the vatican. being invited to the vatican? do you know how long i've waited for this moment?"

"the vatican," yeshua scoffs. "as if it's any holier than this shithole--"

"no, shua, you don't get to do that. you don't get to be all-- all-- cynical or whatever just to take this away from me. i know you're going through this faith crisis but you don't need to drag me down with you, alright?" zachariah presses his lips together, shocked at even his own words. yeshua doesn't seem fazed. just nods as if he were expecting this. he always knew his brother better than anyone, including zachariah.

"matthew 21:12 to 13."

"don't, yeshua. seriously."

"you're the one always quoting scripture at me. you go into all of those gold plated churches. you go in all your wide-eyed wonder. determine if it is a den of prayer or a den of thieves, zach."

"what is your point, yeshua? what is your point? do you want to be right? do you want to be smarter than me? we already know that you are." the priests and nuns always marveled at zachariah's academic ability, but it was always yeshua who talked him through it. who tutored him. who applied two dimensional knowledge to a real, bleeding world.

"i don't want you to be bribed into losing yourself."

they both go silent. zachariah is sure that even god is silent. god's humming on the other side of the wall had ceased.

"the vatican don't want holy men, zachariah. they want men who will listen to them. you're kind. you care. you want to change the world. they'll talk you out of that. i don't want that to happen. i just want you to stay you."

zachariah swallows, says nothing and stares at the butt of his brother's cigarette.

"i love you."

"i love you, too," zachariah murmurs. yeshua nods toward his car.

"let's go get something to eat. i'm starving." they do.

[the-firebird69]

No joke but this guy trying to ring the Lord has to go

He put stuff on our son's bike and twice now once on each and we're going to take him out.

He says he's an idea it's kind of dangerous but it works and he says that news people in social security and he can't get him to do what they want and our son knows how it works. And you can't get me money threatened social security because he doesn't have the AI

And we realize people have power get him funding and a lot of people know there are sons clan most powerful and got him a lot of stuff and is used this guy threatening him and that's all he's doing it's not power it's not smart it seems stupid

We agreed he doesn't really get it

Thor Freya

I sort of get something you don't think I'm powerful smart definitely don't have the AI and I'm high on it and those things won't prove it to him. And is trying for the keys to the apartment it's a low-life thing to do cuz someone just take your head that's what your collar means I kind of get that so we're trying to raise our Navy to get over there and I'm holding up to her and it's screwing it up as I plan to anything so an idiot and you wonder why I care so much I have to sit there and try and beat it into him force it into him threatening into him and hasn't done anything and he wants me to leave him alone and he says again we have to kill you and all your people for me to get anything that's what he says that sort of get something too I'm saying these things is not putting it all out there so the demand I put it out there all day he could care less I shouldn't be saying stuff to try and prove that I can do AI computing or have power it's a waste of time you have to prove it not say it or threaten me for it

That says all that and a lot of people do believe that because it is true I have a backwards method and it works sometimes most the time it doesn't

Trump

What are you an annoying person but what do you expect at the bottom of the barrel. Don't taking advantage of you and we're going to take tons of territory kick you out of areas and use you to take stuff in this laundry as we just began today just now

Zues Hera

We started yesterday no but we have other things to talk about for Christ's sake this guy's annoying but the ships are getting ready and they're going to go down there and he's holding on to Sherry and he's going to lose and Tommy apples their heads off and it's very gross and she's upset because he's a moron and thinks he's using people or close I really he does not do squat. We're up to a whole bunch of stuff and we have things to do we have orders and we have things to straighten out mostly we are getting ready to stop Trump from rampaging through our areas and to halt his progress and doing anything and the empire planned completely goes against his asos JC and Mary and they have influence still but he is not good at computing.

-there's a few other things that were starting up today and it's a program here and it is to bring in more housing believe it or not or asking for it they say yeah okay we just don't want to live in your crappy houses they're very crappy and there's other things too but we are starting actual projects probably not in Charlotte county yet but in Florida

-we have more to do and the status is in cash is in the eastern hemisphere with a Giants had a problem and they were prepping last night and you can see that Sherry was there and they have this experience going on yesterday but it's not complete that's going to be tonight and they'll lose their Giants there the whole world will see it again and they already saw it and the mainland but to see it on the island chains and all go investigate and find out they're killing everybody and they're going to get their asses kicked again so right now we are prepping for that

-we have factories that are coming alive and they are many factories all over the world there's a large number of them and they are being activated as we speak yes they're trying numbers of these factors that are being activated they are very big the percentage of restarts are approaching the 490% and it's getting to be much better and they had to be way up there and it is the right stuff mostly it's like 20% it's ridiculous once the idiots get beat up for money by their own there are other things happening but that is a major Plus and her son and daughter went to kick it in the pants and clean out a whole bunch of naysayers. It's a huge project that we began to reactivate factories and to get the economy going we do need help with it and a lot of it and we're looking for it and we do appreciate it and we're looking for it now. We need a lot of items and we do need a pronto so the idiot is threatening for his project to run and his wife is threatening for not to and she's the one who did that to the bike is not true had him do it and he said you have me do it she stopped me she says no to take it over eagles score and my son says you're dead to him because he was dead so what will you expect stupid moron I guess you're dead to rights and you're going to be gone it's free and have you killed I'll tell you how so no because I want to work now going after him he's a honor but she had him do it to draw attention to his people and get them out of the way included cheeseman and they got slaughtered and the project didn't work so she's a freaking idiot that's what they say and she really is but we need her out she keeps doing that thing that we need him dead but we usually have it happen to light them up and we got rid of a lot of them because of it

Thor Freya

Olympus

Zues Hera

[casspurrjoybell-32]

*Warning Adult Content*

EVERYONE KNOWS - Chapter 14

Alek

The next morning Ahote went about his day like any other, he cleaned around the kitchen, did the pre-cooking for the day and spoke to all the other wolves he worked with like they couldn't smell us from a mile away.

Since Ahote opened the pack-house, most of the morning just consisted of other omegas walking into the kitchen and halting as their eye widened in realization.

They didn't bring it up because Ahote didn't bring it up and the awkwardness lasted only for a few minutes because Ahote was quick to diverge their attention to something else.     

To say the least, I was impressed, Ahote had a strong will to him and he wasn't going to let anyone talk down at him for his decision or tease him.

The fact that we had been together in that way couldn't be hidden, so everyone knew before the end of the morning, sometimes I would hear people whispering as I walked by and it seemed like the other wolves didn't know what to make of me now.     

"They'll get over it," Ahote had said while he worked in the garden, the spring was fully here now and all the garden plants had awakened from their hibernation and needed tending to.     

"I hope," I said and Ahote just smiled at me, leaning forward to press a kiss to my cheek before walking to the other end of the garden, he wouldn't let me work since I still couldn't figure out the difference between actual garden plants and weeds yet.   

"Besides," he had said to me when he and the others were getting ready to tend the garden.

"You're going to be a Lambda here," he had told me that with such an assured smile that I was quick to believe him without any doubt.

His brother was now my friend, even though the news of us being together had shaken him a bit he was okay with it and one of the hunters had invited me for a run later in the day, I could see that Ahote was putting in a lot of work into getting me integrated with his people by pulling strings here and there.

Even the Alpha seemed to be warming up to me and wasn't asking me when I was leaving anymore, I appreciated that but it also scared me in... in a good way that is, I wondered if I could live up to be the mate Honon couldn't be for Ahote and as the day went by, I kept wondering if everything would remain just as calm as they were now. 

What if Ahote's pack couldn't come to an agreement with the Canadian government?

What if Honon showed up out of nowhere and decided that he wanted to be with Ahote?

Would Ahote just leave me?

Was I just a stand-in for his actual mate?

I didn't know and I was starting to weigh myself down with senseless worry.

"You look terrible."     

I looked up at the sound of someone walking into the veranda.     

"What are you doing here. You didn't go for a run?" I asked when I spotted Len walking over to me.

The teenager didn't answer me he just took a sit on the ground next to the stool I was sitting on, not a lot of people were around, most of them had gone out to take a run.

It was unnaturally sunny for an early spring day, which meant the muddy grounds had gone dry and it was a nice day to run a few miles and play around.

I had ended up refusing to go out with the other wolves and decided to stay back with the few Omegas taking care of children, I had gone outside since I could sense that I was making some of them uncomfortable.

It looked like they wanted to gossip and I was getting in their way because it was probably about me.     

"You and Ahote," Len started, making me look down at him, he had a frown on his face and his lips were pulled together in a thin line.

"You're together now?" he said, almost like he was asking a question, which was odd, seeing that he could smell it, everyone could smell it.

Did he want me to lie to him about it?     

"Yes," I said after a while, and I watched as the youngster's shoulder's slacked, he looked like he was about to cry but in the space of a few seconds, he blinked back his tears and put on a smug face.   

"Alright," he muttered under his breath, reaching out for the stone beside his feet, he rolled it between his fingers and the patio fell into silence again. 

"Are you upset about it?" I asked, even though I had been restraining myself from doing so, a sigh left Len's lips and he dropped the stone he had been holding before pulling his knees to his chest and hugging his legs to himself.

"Y-yes," he said in a small voice that I could barely pick up, I let his words settle in my mind. I didn't know what to say to that... sorry?

I sat up, turning to look out into the compound that belonged to the Peace River pack, it looked a lot different from the pack grounds I grew up as a child but because of Ahote, it was starting to feel like home.     

"I was going to wait until I was eighteen before telling him how I felt about him."

Len's words made me turn to look down at him, he was staring ahead with a blank look on his face.

"Then you came and now you're all that he talks and thinks about. It's annoying," the teen confessed, sucking in his lips before sighing. 

"But at eighteen you'll feel the mate-pull," I said, making Len look up at me, his brown eyes held my blue ones, he looked away, shrugging. 

"I doubt I'll like anyone as much as I like Ahote."   

"Even your mate?" I asked, frowning a bit and the boy smiled a bit.

"Yeah."     

I had the urge to tell Len that he possibly couldn't mean that but what would I know?

I didn't have a mate of my own, the sixteen-year-old seemed to really believe what he was saying and maybe he was right.

Mate bonds were guides, not a final verdict and anyone who knew Len knew how much he adored Ahote, we both sat in silence for the period and when Len got up and left, I was left by myself again.

It was late noon now and the sky had taken a deep orange color, I started thinking of how long I've traveled and the friends I had made along the way, since I got here, I haven't called anyone.

Elan had been the one playing puzzle games on my phone for the most part, I didn't do much with it, the service here was bad here.

I had the urge to call the few people I kept in contact with from my pack in the past but I didn't know what I wanted, that I had found a place to stay? That I had someone?     

As I thought about these things I wondered if Ahote's pack had a bonding ritual, would I get bond to Ahote? Would his pack elders allow it even though I wasn't his mate?

I don't know, Ahote hasn't really talked to me about any of that yet.

I remained in my thoughts and was only pulled out from them when I heard the door creak open.     

"You're here."

I looked over at the main door as it opened, Kaya stepped out of the house and walked over to me, er hands were tucked in the pockets of her brown dress and her hair was shorter, cropped at her ears, he must have recently cut it.     

"I wanted to ask you for a favor," she muttered and I looked up at her, waiting for her to tell me what she wanted.     

"You have a phone on you, right? I want to call someone," she said in a small voice even though we were the only ones outside, I noticed that had face had gained a redness to it and she looked nervous, who was she trying to call?   

"Zeke. I'm trying to call Zeke," she said, answering the question I had asked myself, I remembered that name, it was the name of her mate from the pack in the next town.

"I'm trying to get some info from him. It's nothing serious," she added when I didn't say anything, she looked like she was ready to be questioned but I didn't have any questions to ask her.     

"Sure," I answered, getting up from the stool I had been sitting on.

"But we'll have to take a walk to get a signal," I informed her and she nodded.     

"Wait for me," I said before disappearing into the pack house to get my phone.

When I got out Kaya was still waiting for me, I climbed down the stairs, meeting her before we started walking, as I checked my cell-phone to see if I picked up any signal, Kaya just hummed beside me as we walked around the pack territory.     

"Here," I said, handing her the phone when I got two bars, she smiled at me, taking my phone before dialing a number, the person at the other end picked up and Kaya strolled away to have a chat with Zeke.

As I watched her converse with him, I tried to put a mental image of the man she had been talking to all those weeks ago when we drove into the town nearby, he hadn't been too tall and if I remembered correctly, he was blond. 

Kaya walked back to me when she was done, thanking me as she handed me back my cell-phone, she turned, walking back towards the pack house.     

"Wait," I called out to her, making her stop in her tracks, she turned to look at me with a raised brow.     

"Why don't you just bring him here?" I asked, making the expression on her face go sore, she knew I was asking about Zeke, I hadn't wanted to ask her about something that seemed so personal but the question had been bouncing around in my mind when I watched her talk to him from a distance.

Kaya looked happy and excited to hear his voice, I didn't see a reason why she didn't want to do anything about their bond as Ahote had put it, was it because he was a stranger?

I was a stranger and Ahote wasn't letting that stop him.     

"He doesn't want to be here," she said after a while, folding her hands over her chest.

"He says he wants me to come with him and I don't want to leave," she explained and I just stared at her.     

"Zeke's pack... is not a pack," she said.

"They're Rogues that decided to organize themselves like one. It's one thing to leave your family. It's another thing to walk right into danger, "she explained.   

 "Also, do you know that people are worried?" she asked, walking closer to me.

"About you... about Ahote?" she asked and I just stared down at her. 

"Sure, the hunters now somewhat like you but you'll have to do more than that to remain here," she said and when I didn't say anything in return, she turned away from me and walked back to the pack house, the sound of her shoes crunching the sand filling the air. 

I stood in the middle of the compound, staring at the pack house until Kaya disappeared inside it, she had said something factual and obvious just to stir me up for the question I had asked her and it made my chest ache a bit.

I knew, It was obvious, it was written on everyone's face, especially Aponi's but I tried my best not to think about it too much but her jab had reminded me that I didn't belong here and that even though I remained here people might still be wary of me. 

A sigh left my lips as I put my hands into the pocket of my jeans, I stared down at the ground, feeling that I should give it some more time before I went inside.

Kaya was probably still upset with me, maybe I should have minded my business.