#if little caesars steals this i will explode

[porkchopseven]

uh

[marveloussupernerd]

Okay. So I just watched the Hunger Games and was wondering what the RFA+V+Searans reaction would be to MC having to fight in the games? That would be so scary and sad.

I LOVE THIS REQUEST also I’m adding Vanderwood too oops

You Get Picked for the Hunger Games - RFA + Minor Trio

Important Note: if you’d like any of these written in a more in-depth one or two shot I’m begging you to request it I love this prompt so much. That’s why I didn’t write about the actual games happening :) hoping maybe someone may want a pt2 of any of these

Warnings: mentions of death, killing, a lil angst

Zen

You were in District 7, the lumber district

You and Zen had been together for years

You liked to spend time in the forests together, getting a little peace from the real world

More aptly out, you liked to climb the trees together and spend the day in them; you would all day if you didn’t have to go home to help with your younger siblings

“I’m so sick of the games,” you grumbled. The reaping was today, where the tributes would be picked. “At least its our last year in the poll to be picked.”

“Thank goodness.” He agreed, leaning forward to place a kiss on your lips. “Then we can finally get married and start a family.”

You giggled. “We have to take care of my siblings too”

He shrugged. He’d do anything for you

When they picked you, your heart stopped

Nobody volunteered; they usually didn’t in 7

As the lady went to pick for the boys, you scanned the crowd for Zen

Shaking your head vigorously. He couldn’t volunteer

You felt like you were going to cry or die of anticipation

He understood

It killed him inside but he didn’t volunteer

You got to meet with him to say goodbye before you were off to the Capitol

“Zen,” you whimpered. He pulled you in for a tight hug

“Take care of my siblings. Okay?”

He nodded. He was at a loss of words for the first time ever

Then he inhaled deeply, fishing in his pockets and pulling out a small copper band

“Put this on and we’re married. I don’t care if that’s not how it works. I can’t have you leave without marrying you first.”

You took it wordlessly

“Your family is mine now. I’ll take care of them. You focus on coming back home.”

You wanted to cry. “Don’t... don’t let them watch me die, Zen.”

“You’re not going to.” He was crying now too, despite the confidence in his words

“Promise me though. If I’m going to die don’t let them watch.”

He sighed. He didn’t want to even consider that

“I won’t.”

Yoosung

You were in district 11, the agriculture district

Yoosung’s family lived on the farm next to yours

You had been close friends your whole lives

When they picked you

Well, you had put your name in a few extra times to get more food for your family

It shouldn’t have been a surprise

Nobody volunteered. They never do.

They made you sit in a room while you waited for the train

Your family could come say goodbye if they wanted

You were surprised to see Yoosung

“This wasn’t supposed to happen” was all he could say

You frowned

You weren’t confident in your chances

“I- everything was supposed to be different. I was going to tell you I loved you,” he whispered, his voice so low you had to take a minute to process what he had said

“You do?” You asked

“I do. First Rika and now you? I- I can’t...”

Rika had been picked two games ago and was killed

“I’ll just have to win then,” you said, more determined than before

“You- oh?”

“I love you too Yoosung. I’ll just have to win for you. So you don’t have to lose us both.”

He wrapped you into a hug

“I’m holding you to that. You promise me you’ll come back to my arms safely.”

You chuckled. “Okay. I promise.”

Jaehee

You lived in district 6, the transportation district

It was no secret to those in your district that you and Jaehee loved each other, as more than friends

It was nice that you lived in such a progressive district that they understood that

Volunteering wasn’t normal in district 6

But when you heard them call Jaehee’s name...

You wouldn’t let her die in the games

“I volunteer as Tribute.”

The crowd was silent

They all knew

The Peacekeepers pushed Jaehee back into the crowds, escorting you to the stage

She was sobbing

And then she passed out

“A volunteer! How exciting. Why did you volunteer for that girl?” The lady asked you

“Because I’m in love with her.”

“Oh!”

The Capitol would eat that up

You didn’t even get to say goodbye to her

The Capitol wanted a show. And the show was better if you didn’t get to say goodbye

“So you have to win then. Win and go back to her and steal her heart. Her hero. Her savior,” Caesar had said in his interview with you

You’d have to win then

Jumin

Being from district 3, the electronics district, meant that you and your families were much better off than most other districts

Jumin came from one of the wealthiest families in the district

He probably was even more wealthy than some of the people in the Capitol

He could buy anything, right?

But he couldn’t buy you a ticket out of the games

“Listen to me.” He sat down across from you, as he met with you before you had to leave to head to the Capitol for the games. “You’ll win.”

“I- how?”

He had the smallest curve of a smile on his face. He was confident.

“I’ll sponsor you. Anything you need, you just say it. I’ll buy it and send it your way.”

It was true that district members could sponsor, they just usually didnt

But this time, he was invested

“I have a list of all the things I can send you. Food, water, medicine, bandages, weapons, rope, anything you want. I can even send you a teddy bear.”

“Please don’t send me a teddy bear. Only important things. Those are expensive.”

“I have money.” He cupped your cheek. “I’m going to make sure you win. I will do anything in my power to do so. If I go broke, okay. You’re so much more important than money.”

“I’ll try my best to make sure I don’t need to ask you for things.”

He rolled his eyes. “You’re so stubborn. Let me help you. Don’t get into fights intentionally. Just outlive the others. I’ll send you food every day for weeks if it’s what it takes.”

It was time for you to go

He pulled you into a quick, heated kiss. “Anything, My Love. I promise.”

707

You were from district 5, the power district

The games were not big in your district. You had a few victors but people mostly dreaded them

So it wasn’t surprising that when you were picked nobody volunteered

There was no way you could win

You were weak. You had seen the other tributes picked in district 1 and 2 today

You were lucky if you’d survive the first day

You had zoned out the rest of the Reaping ceremony

Until...

“I volunteer as tribute!”

He didn’t.

But he had

Once you both got on the train, you were ready to confront him

“Seven!” You yelled. “Why! Why?” You were hitting his chest. You were so mad at him. “Why would you do this?”

You were breaking down

He just pulled you close, hugging you

“I’m going to make sure you survive”

There could only be one victor

He knew that though. Didn’t he?

“My home life sucks anyways. Sacrificing my life for you is the best thing I could ever wish for.”

You were sobbing. He seemed oddly okay.

He would make sure you’d survive

V

You were from district 8, the textile district

V’s work with the textiles and art was so good that once he had passed the age where he would have been pulled for the hunger games, he was invited to the Capitol to be a stylist

You thought you’d never see him again

Until you were picked

And then there he was

With his hair dyed bright blue to fit in with the people at the Capitol

A stupid smile on his face as he got scissors to start shaping your hair for the event tonight

“You seem awfully happy,” you said smugly. You were going to die and he was grinning. He had become a stupid member of the Capitol after all

“I get to see you again.”

“I’m going to die,” you said simply

He shrugged.

Just shrugged.

“I actually have a plan.”

Oh?

He leaned close to you to whisper in your ear

If anyone found out, they’d have him killed

“I have a way for everyone to think you died in the games, but for you to stay living”

It was a big risk

But you wouldn’t say no to the chance of staying alive

Of course he wasn’t upset

He had a plan.

Saeran

You were from district 2, the weaponry district

District 2 was a part of a group called the careers in the hunger games

Basically districts 1, 2, and 4 trained their teenagers to enter the games and win

They were unstoppable

You had trained as well, of course

But you weren’t like some of your crazy classmates who wanted to enter the games

They wanted to enter, until they heard about the twist for this year’s games

Every 25 years there was a special twist to make it more interesting

Every 3 hours a tribute would be randomly killed off

More aptly out, they put a bomb mechanism inside you and you explode

You couldn’t train to beat that

So it was no surprise that nobody volunteered to take your place once your name was picked

Saeran was fuming when he met with you

He had been training to become one of the Capitol’s soldiers, a Peacekeeper, as most men in 2 did

But he had lost all respect for them and the game

“This is stupid and unfair. What’s the point of them randomly killing people off? It’s supposed to be a fight to the death. This is just random chance.”

“I agree with you. But there’s nothing we can do. I’ll just try to kill people as quick as possible before they even get to explode someone.”

“No.”

“No?” You questioned

“This is bullshit.” He grabbed you by the chin to look up at him. “I’m taking down the Capitol. They can’t do this to you?”

“Saeran, don’t.”

He had an evil grin

“I already have a group to do it with.”

Vanderwood

You were from district 12, the coal mining district

Vanderwood was always a sort of enigma to you

That’s why you were so interested in him

And he was absolutely infatuated with you

Nobody had ever volunteered in 12 before

So when you got picked, you were stuck

Vanderwood didn’t volunteer. Why would he? Why would he get himself killed like that?

You almost though he wasn’t going to visit you, that all your time together was just him messing around

And then he busted in

“Hurry Babe”

“Hurry what?” You questioned

He grabbed your arm and pulled you to follow him, running through the halls. Where were the peacekeepers?

“I’m getting you out of here. We’re running away”

“To where?”

He laughed, still running. “The woods. We’ll figure it out. We’re not following those bullshit rules.”

“If we get caught, we’ll be killed.” You were afraid to defy the Capitol

“If you stay there, you’re as good as dread. We’ve had one victor from here, yknow? Your chances aren’t good. Let’s run.”

[gio-is-writing]

hi! can i request a Caesar x Reader where the reader is also one of Lisa Lisa’s students and is together with Caesar but they are keeping their relationship a secret cuz Lisa Lisa doesn’t want any ‘funny business’ or something during training so they always act like they hate each other but in private they’re both so romantic and in love. then maybe their relationship is revealed thanks to Jojo trying to get a peek of the reader but then sees her together with Caesar alone? thanks!

REQUEST: hi! can i request a Caesar x Reader where the reader is also one of Lisa Lisa’s students and is together with Caesar but they are keeping their relationship a secret cuz Lisa Lisa doesn’t want any ‘funny business’ or something during training so they always act like they hate each other but in private they’re both so romantic and in love. then maybe their relationship is revealed thanks to Jojo trying to get a peek of the reader but then sees her together with Caesar alone? thanks!

I’m SO proud of this one, and is my first time writing for Caesar! I love him a lot u.u  Hope you enjoy!!

Pairing: Caesar Zeppeli x Fem! Reader

Warning: None

Secrets That We Keep

Training Hamon was tiring for all three participants, especially since they were constantly fighting each other out of pure annoyance. It was mostly Joseph making a dumb joke and Caesar having enough to throw hands around. (Y/N) on the other hand was more of making certain remarks on their moves and techniques that got on the boy’s nerves.

Today Joseph sat bored while Caesar and (Y/N) trained near the water and Lisa Lisa watched from afar. The teen wasn’t really paying any attention until (Y/N) rushed past with angry steps.

“Shut up Caesar!” she yelled “You think you know everything!”

“I do know more than you!” he screamed back from his same spot

“That doesn’t mean anything!”

Joseph saw her walk past Lisa Lisa and into the building they stayed at and looked back at Caesar with a big grin.

“She’s hot when she’s mad, isn’t she?”

Caesar threw him a hard glare while the younger slumped against the bench he was sitting at and looking out into the sea.

“I don’t understand how you hate each other so much” Joseph continued “You almost sound like an old married couple!”

The poor blonde stiffed at that comment but Jojo didn’t seem to notice. His face reddening from pure embarrassment. Nobody knew of their real feelings, not even Lisa Lisa. They knew how Lisa Lisa felt about relationships within students (specially their age) and were constantly scared of her suspecting a thing. Caesar looked back at where the woman stood until Suzie Q made an appearance to distract her with other things. He sighed and with an ‘I’m done’ he walked in the same direction (Y/N) had, leaving Jojo alone.

He walked along the corridors and deeper into the building until he was sure no one was around to see or hear. He knocked his lover door three times and waited for a few seconds till he heard the door click open. Sneaking in and shutting it behind him, (Y/N) standing now by her bed.

“Tesoro” he whispered closing the distance.

He wrapped his arms around her shoulder with his head over hers resting on his chest, her arms snaked around his waist in a tight embrace. These little moments were precious for them even if they lasted only a few minutes. Pulling back until they saw eye to eye, he placed a soft kiss in her forehead.

“You did so good today” she said softly “that technique is really improving”

“You did well too amore”

“I’m sorry I screamed at you” she nuzzled her nose into his neck and placed a tiny kiss there

“It’s okay Tesoro, you look hot when you’re mad” Ceasar smirked while she lightly smacked his arm. They stayed like that for a few minutes just holding each other tightly.

Their time was limited, he had about another minute to sneak back out until Lisa Lisa came looking for her. He placed both hands on her cheeks and kissed her lips, almost sighing against her. He just wanted to stay like this forever, to not hide their love away. He quickly left before he heard steps at the end of the long corridor.

Dinner time arrived and everyone seated on the table. Lisa Lisa seated at the head of the table as usual, (Y/N) and Caesar on either side of her facing each other and Joseph beside (Y/N) (to avoid fighting according to Lisa Lisa) They ate while each talking about their progress and the woman commenting on little things to improve and work on with the great addition of sassy remarks from all three parties.

Dinner was over and (Y/N) stood up from her seat with a small “Thank you” and “Good night” As she left, Caesar eyes stayed on her. Joseph kept talking about his own training with Lisa Lisa completely oblivious to the side glance (Y/N) threw in the blonde’s direction; an invitation.

Joseph wasn’t that observant out of training or being in trouble. So as everyone retreated into their rooms for the night he walked past (Y/N)’s room and almost failed to notice how her door was the slightest ajar. He stopped in his tracks and looked around. The corridor of rooms was dark and quiet except for the little light coming from hers. He tiptoed closer with a big smirk, maybe if he was lucky, (Y/N) was just changing into her night ware and he could steal a peak.

He was NOT expecting what he saw. (Y/N) seated on her bed with Caesar standing right in front of her, arms crossed. His eyes almost fell out of their place from surprise, what was Caesar doing in her room so late? Did he really just come to her room to fight?

But he almost gasped when Caesar closed the distance between them and kissed her, ON THE LIPS. Joseph was shocked, he was seeing something prohibited after all, something so private it almost felt wrong. ALMOST. When he finally came back to himself his smirk only grew, oh they were in big trouble! How dare them be in love and not tell him!

The next morning, the usual bickering of waking up was heard around and they settled back in the table for breakfast. What Caesar and (Y/N) failed to notice on their sleepiness was Joseph grinning, ear to ear. When Lisa Lisa made an appearance, it almost seemed to get bigger, he just needed to wait on the perfect opportunity.

After breakfast was served, (Y/N) noticed she didn’t have a spoon for her cup of yoghurt and seeing as Caesar just had finished his.

“Caesar, can I borrow your spoon?” she asked

“Get your own” he didn’t even look at her direction

“I don’t want to stand up” whining she pouted

“I already used it”

“I don’t think she minds” Joseph interviened “since you have already shared saliva before”

Everything stopped around them. (Y/N) and Caesar stopped breathing for a moment, both getting so red it seemed they might’ve exploded. Lisa Lisa raised her eyes from her place and looked at the three students. The ones beside her kept their eyes on the table but she could see their reddening cheeks and ears while Joseph had the most mischievous look on his face, he even looked proud in a childish way.

“Well…” Lisa Lisa started.

The couple gulped; this was the moment they dreaded the most. They were ready to run out of the room in case Lisa Lisa decided to kick them out of the place they called home for so long.

“You just stated the obvious Joseph”

Both set of eyes snapped at her direction, completely wide as in horror. She knew, but for how long? Caesar felt like he was sweating bricks while (Y/N)’s eyes almost filled with tears. They couldn’t even look at each other. They feared Lisa Lisa’s wrath so much than they didn’t know what do to about her almost mocking response.

“Y-you k-knew…”

“It was clear as day” she responded with a chuckle “Almost like Joseph’s crush on Suzie Q”

Said teen choked on his food and a high pitched ‘Eep!’ was heard from the kitchen. Caesar and (Y/N) relaxed and looked at each other, it was like a burden was lifted up their shoulders, but they still needed to make Joseph pay for what he did.

[purplehairedwonder]

Hearts With(out) Chains Chapter 13

Fandom: One Piece Rating: PG-13 Pairings: Gen (eventual Lawlu) Words: 4261 Characters: Trafalgar Law, Monkey D. Luffy, Robin, Sanji, Nami, Chopper, Usopp, Nami, Franky, Smoker, Tashigi, Sengoku, Sengoku’s goat ;) Notes: I’m taking my turn at the Corazon!Law AU because my brain won’t leave me alone until this is written down. Tags will be updated as the chapters come out.

Summary: Law is reclaimed by the Family when he's 17 and, with Doflamingo holding the lives of his crew as collateral for his good behavior, eventually becomes the third Corazon. Years later, trapped by his impossible situation, Law finds a strange connection to Monkey D. Luffy, which offers a glimpse of something he's repeatedly had ripped away from him: hope.

Previous chapters: Prologue | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12

Read also at AO3 / FF.N

Law slowly came awake, having slept the dreamless sleep he only ever had after draining himself to the point of unconsciousness. He grimaced before slitting his eyes open; his body ached, his mouth was cottony, and his head throbbed. As the fuzzy world came into focus around him, he realized he was on the couch. He frowned. When had that happened? The last thing he remembered was sitting with Luffy on the floor…

He threw a hand over his face and groaned as he remembered that Luffy was the one who’d found him during his panic attack. Bepo, Shachi, and Penguin were the only ones he allowed to see him like that; they’d seen him at his worst when Cora-san’s death was still a gaping wound, and his body was still marred with Amber Lead. They’d been there for the screaming nightmares and suffocating panic attacks. For anyone else to see him that way…

Well, Law hadn’t been able to afford such shows of weakness around the Family.

But Luffy had simply smiled and offered that he had his own demons as well.

Law swallowed, unsure of what to do with that bit of kindness. It settled uncomfortably somewhere behind his breastbone.

Taking a breath, he pushed himself upright and glanced around. Luffy was nowhere to be seen. Vergo’s body was also gone. That meant someone—likely Marines—had come in while Law was sleeping to remove it. The idea of being defenseless while Marines were in the room made his stomach turn. Yet they’d left him alone, undoubtedly on Smoker’s orders.

Shaking his head, Law grabbed Kikoku from where she’d been placed on the table and pocketed his Den Den Mushi. He had no idea what time it was—and there were no windows in this metal monstrosity of a lab to give him any hints—but if the Marines had removed Vergo’s body, there was a good chance the back-up ship had arrived, meaning it was morning.

Rather than aimlessly wander around the lab, Law reached out with his haki to look for the Straw Hats… and was immediately struck by the overwhelming presence of Luffy. After a moment, he was able to discern the chaotic energies of the other Straw Hats as well; they were gathered a few halls over. The Marines, including Smoker and his second, were on the other side of the lab, near the entrance. He could sense more Marines than he thought had been there previously, which seemed to confirm his suspicion.

Law left the control room and followed his haki. The closer he got to the gathered group, the stronger the smell of cooking food became—which made perfect sense when he found the crew in the dining hall.

“Torao, good morning!” Luffy called, waving his hand as though Law wouldn’t be able to pick him out from the small group. They were all seated at one long table that they seemed to have pieced together from several smaller tables.

“Straw Hat-ya,” Law greeted with a sigh, head already aching from the enthusiasm. Whatever time it was, it was too early for this.

“Sanji’s cooking breakfast. I hope there’s lots of meat!” Luffy said, eyes glazing over.

“Of course, you do,” the cat burglar said, rolling her eyes. She then turned and looked Law up and down without any hint of subtlety. “There’s coffee in the kitchen,” she said, lips twitching.

Law considered flipping her off, but coffee sounded amazing, so he simply nodded and headed back to the kitchen, where Black Leg was working. He raised an eyebrow at Law’s presence.

“Coffee?” Law grunted.

Black Leg nodded and broke off from the task he was doing—scrambling eggs, from the looks of it—and poured a cup of coffee.

“Take anything with it?”

Law shook his head, accepting the undoctored mug of precious caffeine.

Black Leg snorted. “Why am I not surprised?”

Law shrugged and took a sip. The bitter liquid burned at his scratchy throat, and it was heavenly.

“Any dietary restrictions?” Black Leg asked as he went back to the meal.

“No bread.”

Black Leg hummed. “Gluten allergy or just not a fan?”

“Gluten,” Law acknowledged around sips.

Black Leg nodded. “I can work with that.” He turned to another task but looked over his shoulder at Law. “Tell those idiots it’s almost ready, will you?”

Law took that as being kicked out of the kitchen, so he jerked his head in a nod and grudgingly returned to the rowdy collection of remaining Straw Hats.

“It’s almost ready,” Law relayed as he sat down at the end of the table, as far from Luffy as he could place himself. He could still feel a crawling sensation under his skin as he thought about the night before, and sitting as far away from its source while he worked through his thoughts seemed like his best bet.

“Was there meat?” Luffy asked, mouth practically watering.

“There’s always meat, you shitty piece of rubber,” Black Leg said as he brought several platters of food out from the kitchen.

After dropping off the platters, Black Leg went back to the kitchen several more times and returned with an impressive array of breakfast foods for the crew to share. The remaining Straw Hats, particularly those seated close to Luffy, seemed to have a well-practiced system in place to eat their meals while avoiding Luffy stealing from their plates, including knocking their captain upside the head when he got too close. Luffy merely grinned and laughed before returning to his own heaping plate.

Law managed to grab some eggs and fruit amidst the melee, and, as he ate, he considered how different the dynamic was from his own crew’s. Though, Law supposed with no little regret, he hadn’t eaten with them with any regularity in the last few years. Ever since Shachi’s injury, Law’s guilt had pushed him away from his nakama, and, when he did eat, he usually ended up eating alone or with the Family—Sunday dinners, for instance, were required for every executive who was not away on a mission. Though the Family was hectic in its own way, manners were still expected—and not just because their captain was also a king. Table manners had been preached even when Law had been with the Family at Spider Miles; just because they were pirates did not mean they were savages, Doffy had said, and they were expected to act like it.

That had made a lot more sense when Law had learned that Doffy was a former Celestial Dragon—many of his quirks had come into focus with that information, in fact.

It had also been revealing about Cora-san, though Law hadn’t been entirely ready to open that Pandora’s Box, despite knowing about it for six years.

“How did you sleep last night, Torao-kun?”

Law started, pulled from his thoughts by Nico Robin’s smiling face across the table from him.

“Luffy went looking for you last night after dinner, but then he didn’t come back until this morning,” she elaborated, still smiling.

The expression set Law’s teeth on edge. He narrowed his eyes, certain that she was screwing with him. “Fine,” he said curtly then deliberately took a sip of coffee, hoping to discourage the conversation. Still. Did that mean Luffy had stayed? He was obviously the one who had moved Law to the couch, and that was humiliating enough, but the thought that the other captain had stayed with him…

Law’s eye twitched.

But Nico Robin just kept smiling. “That’s good to hear. After all, we’re heading to Dressrosa today.”

Law put his cup down slowly. “Yes,” he agreed, not sure what she was getting at.

“We’ll need everyone to be at their best to face Doflamingo,” she said, expression never changing. “I’ve heard the rumors about him.”

“Until tomorrow, little bird.”

“He’s worse than any rumor,” Law ground out before pushing himself up and away from the table. He grabbed Kikoku, knuckles going white from his grip. He needed air.

“Torao?” Luffy called after him, but he ignored the other captain, practically fleeing the room.

Recalling the blueprints of the lab, he navigated the hallways to the front entrance and practically exploded out the door, stumbling onto the front stoop as he shoved the door open with more force than needed. He put a hand against the wall and sagged, sucking in lungfuls of icy air, the cold tamping down on the heat that had risen in his face and helping him to collect himself.

After a few more deep breaths, he felt his head clear, and he looked out over the island. He’d been so caught up in his own mind that he hadn’t noticed the Marine vessel being loaded in the port a few hundred yards away. He shook his head; he needed to get his shit together if he was going to deal with Doflamingo today.

Law leaned back against the wall and crossed his arms against his chest, watching various Marines scurry about like little insects whose nest had been disturbed while others barked orders.

After a few minutes of Law watching his men, Smoker climbed the steps and took a seat on the top step, leaving distance between himself and Law.

As the two watched in silence, several soldiers marched the chained Caesar and Monet toward the ship. Caesar continued making high-pitched protests—“Do you know who I am?”, “Do you know who you’re messing with?” and the like—while Monet remained silent. As if drawn to Law, she turned and their eyes met briefly, that look of betrayal still in her gaze. Then she was pushed along toward the ship and the connection broke.

Law exhaled, only then realizing he’d been holding his breath.

Once Doflamingo learned of their arrests as well as of Vergo’s death—he had more spies in the Marines than just Vergo, though even Law didn’t know all their identities—he would undoubtedly retrieve his subordinates and Vergo’s body. He would leverage his connections, and even the Fleet Commander couldn’t refuse the Gorosei.

Law could only hope he’d receive that news once Law and his nakama had escaped Dressrosa.

“What will you do now?” Smoker asked as they watched a string of Caesar’s men, buoyed by strange balloon devices, escorted to the ship by another group of soldiers. “Doflamingo will kill you if you return to Dressrosa.”

That… was not actually true; Law might wish he were dead if Doffy got wind of his betrayal before he and his crew could flee, but he would live until he performed the Perennial Youth Operation. Only then would he be allowed to die—for the sake of Doffy’s immortality. No, it would be his nakama (and Luffy’s crew, now that the crazy captain had decided to involve himself in Law’s affairs) who would pay the ultimate price. But Smoker didn’t need to know that.

Law raised an eyebrow at Smoker’s back. “Why do you care, White Chase-ya? I’m just a no-good pirate.”

“Maybe I don’t like being in debt to pirates,” Smoker retorted. “And if you die, I can’t pay it back.”

Law snorted. “Apologies if my impending death is inconvenient for your conscience.”

Smoker grumbled in response.

They sat in silence for several more minutes, and, surprisingly, it wasn’t an uncomfortable silence. Smoker seemed to have come to some kind of conclusion about Law, and Law simply had too much on his mind to bother with antagonizing the vice admiral. And, if Law were being honest with himself, while he hated the Marines on principle for their part in Flevance’s fall, Smoker was one of the few who had ever shown even an inkling of honor; it was a very grudging sense of respect he found budding toward the vice admiral.

They watched the ship’s continued loading until the lab’s door opened once more, and the Straw Hats spilled out onto the stoop. Law noticed two more figures had joined the group: Kin’emon the samurai and a boy dressed in similar garb. A son? They had shied off to the side of the group on the other side of the doorway from Law.

“Oh, there you are, Torao!” Luffy said, spying Law off to the side. “And Smokey!”

“Straw Hat,” Smoker grumbled, pushing himself to his feet.

“Where are the children?” the cat burglar asked, putting her hands on her hips.

“Tashigi is with them,” Smoker said.

“Well, we’re not leaving until we see them off,” Chopper added, coming up next to his crewmate at the front of the group, doing his best to sound authoritative.

Smoker lip curled in annoyance, but he was saved from having to reply by the emergence of the captain and the children from a side entrance of the lab. The swordswoman, with a bright voice and wide smile, directed the children toward the ship. The children laughed and jumped around as they boarded the ship.

“Tashigi!” Smoker called.

The swordswoman looked up from her charges and took in the group standing next to the vice admiral. After murmuring something to the remaining children waiting to board, she headed over to the lab steps.

“Smoker-san,” she greeted.

“These idiots won’t leave until they know the children are taken care of. Tell them where we’re taking them.”

Long Nose and the cyborg protested at being called idiots, but the cat burglar and Chopper ignored them. Their eyes were focused on the swordswoman.

“We’re taking them to be treated by Vegapunk himself,” the captain replied, adjusting her glasses. “He’s agreed to look at the long-term effects of the drugs and work on a treatment. Once they’ve received the care they need, we’ll take them all home. We’re also in the process of contacting their families.”

“That’s a relief,” Chopper said, smiling.

The swordswoman looked at the cat burglar. “I meant what I said earlier; I will protect the children with my life!”

The cat burglar nodded, her expression softening. “I know. Thank you.”

The two women shook hands, and the captain glanced at her superior before heading back to the ship. The children were making their way onto the deck of the ship, calling at the Straw Hats with their thanks. Law was startled to hear even a few thanks hollered in his direction. Considering he hadn’t wanted to get caught up with the children in the first place, he didn’t think he deserved any.

Smoker shook his head and glanced back at the gathered group, eyes meeting Law’s one final time, before he headed back to the ship, corralling the remaining soldiers who had yet to board. The Straw Hats waved as the ship eventually pushed off from the dock and set sail.

“All right!” Luffy called out, grabbing the attention of his crew. “Let’s go! On to Dressroba!”

“Dressrosa,” Law grumbled.

“Shishishi,” Luffy chuckled. “Whatever. Let’s go take down that Mingo!”

He headed off in the direction of the Thousand Sunny, and the rest of the group followed—including Kin’emon and the boy, Law noted. He’d have to account for their presence in his plan. Luffy continued chattering on, mostly to Zoro and Long Nose, though he’d turn back every now and then to meet Law’s eye with a grin.

As they walked, the cat burglar came up next to Law. “I can navigate using the maps we found in the lab, but if you have a better way…”

Law reached into a pocket on the inside of his coat and pulled out an Eternal Pose for Dressrosa. It was the same one Doffy had given Law nearly a decade earlier in the North Blue. He carried it on every mission away from the island. For a moment, Law’s grip tightened on the wooden frame as he considered that there was a good chance neither he nor his nakama would ever leave that island again. Swallowing, he forcibly loosened his fingers and offered it to her. Her eyes lit up.

“That will make things easier!” She looked at the pose for a moment then glanced back at Law. “You said it should take half a day?”

“Yes.”

The cat burglar—Nami—peered up at the sky and narrowed her eyes consideringly before shaking her head. “We’ll have to get further away from the conditions on this weird island before I can get a sense of the weather.”

“Dressrosa is a summer island,” Law supplied. “The weather is rarely poor around it.”

Nami hummed thoughtfully. “That’s promising.”

Law hesitated before adding, “Avoid skies with clouds as much as possible.”

“Why?” Black Leg asked from Law’s other side. He took a drag on his cigarette and raised a curious eyebrow.

Law glanced at him before turning back to Nami. “Doflamingo can use his Devil Fruit to travel in the skies. He uses clouds to do it. If he has any suspicion that I’ve betrayed him, he’ll be out looking for me.”

“Will he have any suspicion?” Black Leg asked as Nami’s eyes widened.

“I… don’t know.” Law had played the call over in his mind repeatedly and still did not know if Doffy had been bluffing. Even if he hadn’t been, there was no telling how quickly he’d hear from his Marine spies about what had happened on Punk Hazard. “Best to assume he does.”

Black Leg pursed his lips but didn’t say anything.

Once they boarded the Thousand Sunny, the Straw Hats spread out to complete their respective jobs for setting sail. Law leaned back against the wall and was joined by Kin’emon and the boy as they stayed out their hosts’ way. Law and the samurai eyed one another. Law didn’t know anything about Kin’emon, other than, as a samurai, he was likely from Wano and that Doffy wanted him kept alive. If Kin’emon was from Wano, Law idly wondered if Doffy’s orders about the man came from Kaido but put the thought out of his mind; it didn’t matter to the task at hand.

Once the Thousand Sunny had pulled away from Punk Hazard and started toward Dressrosa, Law’s Eternal Pose pointing the way, the Straw Hats reconvened on the lawn in the center of the ship. They turned to Law.

“Tell us, Torao-kun,” Nico Robin said, speaking for her crew. “What awaits us in Dressrosa?”

Law took a steadying breath and started to speak.

-----

Two Days Later

Smoker found the Inspector General in his favorite spot, a perch overlooking New Marineford, absently sharing snacks with his beloved goat. He hadn’t been entirely surprised to receive a summons from Marine HQ after the prisoners he’d brought in and the damning report he’d filed about another vice admiral, but he thought this might be a bit more personal, considering the source.

“Inspector General,” Smoker greeted as he came to a stop next to the seated man.

“Smoker,” Sengoku replied, nodding at him.

“You wanted to see me?”

“Ah, yes,” Sengoku said, adjusting his glasses briefly. “I read your report about the events on Punk Hazard.”

Smoker’s original report had been heavily edited so that the official report had, much like the Alabasta report, given him far more credit than he deserved for what had transpired. It also whitewashed some of the uglier truths Smoker had learned about the base commander of G-5 and the experiments being conducted on the island. But Smoker had a feeling Sengoku was referring to the unedited version. Semi-retired or not, a man like Sengoku would have his ways of getting his hands on that document.

“Sir,” Smoker said neutrally.

Sengoku offered his goat a cracker before glancing at Smoker. “You don’t seem pleased at the accolades being thrown your way for uncovering a traitor so high in the ranks.”

Smoker snorted. “If you read my report, you know I didn’t uncover shit. Sir.”

Sengoku nodded, absently scratching behind the goat’s ears. “Corazon revealed Vergo’s true nature.”

So, he had read the unedited version. “Yes.”

“Tell me, Smoker,” Sengoku said, something careful about his tone that Smoker couldn’t quite place. “What were your impressions of Vice Admiral Vergo? Before this? You worked alongside him at G-5.”

“I thought he was a good leader and a good soldier,” Smoker admitted. “I respected him.” He’d had no reason to suspect the man; his reputation was spotless, and the men of G-5 admired him. It grated on him that he hadn’t noticed the rat. Surely there had been something amiss that Smoker had missed…

But, no. Vergo’s act had been flawless.

Sengoku nodded thoughtfully. “And Corazon killed him.”

“Yes.”

“And what did you make of that, Vice Admiral?”

Smoker frowned. “What do you mean?”

“The second in command of the Donquixote Pirates killing a particularly important spy for his own crew among Marine ranks. Surely that was surprising to you.”

Smoker, even in his unedited report, had skirted around what he’d heard about Corazon’s history. He wasn’t sure why he was keeping the man’s secrets other than the debt he owed him, but something hadn’t sat right in his chest when he’d attempted to make note of all he’d heard. He’d learned to trust his instincts over the years, and they’d told him he’d be better served holding onto that information. Even—maybe especially—the Marines were prone to politics, and Smoker knew that information could be leveraged. He found the fact distasteful, but it was true nonetheless.

But those same instincts were also telling him now that Sengoku was the right person to tell, considering his personal connection to the Donquixote Pirates. It was known amongst the longest-serving Marines that Sengoku’s adopted son had been killed by the Donquixote Pirates while on an undercover mission infiltrating them. Smoker had never met Rosinante, but he’d seen the plaque on the wall of fallen soldiers.

“There seemed to be bad blood between them,” Smoker said after coming to his decision. He didn’t have a full sense of what he’d witnessed between the two men, but he knew enough about long-standing grudges to recognize one when he saw it. “Going back a long way.”

Corazon couldn’t be older than his mid-twenties but had held the title of Corazon for half a decade. Only someone who’d been with the Family for a long time could have risen to second in command—Doflamingo only surrounded himself with the best, which was part of what made his crew so dangerous—so for Corazon to have risen so high so at such a young age likely meant he’d been with them as a child. It was common knowledge that the Family recruited children and raised them to be loyal soldiers, so that would not have been surprising.

The slightest twitch in Sengoku’s eyebrow told Smoker that he was on the right track. Considering the timeline, then, there was a good chance Corazon knew Sengoku’s son and might have answers about the circumstances surrounding his death, which had remained under high level security clearance in the years since. Most Marine lifers felt Sengoku had never truly moved past Rosinante’s death (though they’d never say it in the man’s earshot), but now perhaps he could get some answers—especially if Corazon was attempting to leave the Family and had no reason to keep their secrets any longer.

“I see,” Sengoku finally said, offering the goat another cracker. He offered the bag to Smoker wordlessly, but Smoker shook his head.

Smoker hesitated only a moment before adding, “Corazon let something slip during the fight.”

Sengoku simply nodded at him to continue, obviously recognizing Smoker had left whatever it was out of his report.

“I think he’s a survivor of the White City.”

Sengoku paled, though Smoker had a feeling it wasn’t for the reason most did when Flevance was mentioned. He’d been Fleet Admiral when commands had come from above even him to wipe out the country and everyone in it due to the highly contagious Amber Lead Disease that was killing entire generations.

It was genocide and a shame on any Marine with a sense of honor.

“There were no survivors,” Sengoku said finally, voice curiously choked off.

And even if anyone had managed to escape the slaughter, they should have died years earlier due to Amber Lead Disease. But somehow, Corazon hadn’t.

The more he thought about it, the more Smoker had a feeling it had to do with that Devil Fruit of his. The Ope-Ope no Mi was a miracle surgery fruit, after all.

“There seems to be at least one,” Smoker replied, remembering the fury in Corazon’s voice as he’d railed against what had happened to his family and his home, sheer rage taking over the normally composed man. It was clearly a slip he regretted making, considering the way his expression had soured once he’d realized what he’d said. “It sounded like his parents were doctors, but they were killed with everyone else when Flevance fell. Including a sister.”

Sengoku ran a hand over his face, suddenly looking his age. “I see,” he said after a long moment. He turned to Smoker and gave him a wan smile. “Thank you for telling me.”

The dismissal was clear, but Smoker had one more thing to add. “The traitor, Vergo, didn’t call Corazon by his title. He used a name.”

Sengoku raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“He didn’t use a surname. But he called Corazon Law.”

“Law,” Sengoku murmured, as though trying out the name.

Smoker left Sengoku with the name on his tongue, wondering what the former Fleet Admiral would do with the information but deciding it was above his paygrade.

Next chapter

[dragonrajafanfiction]

Dragon Dancer III: The Emperor, The Devil, The Empress

Johann stood in stunned disbelief. His shock was so endearing. 

“Oh, honey...” I walked up to him and cradled his face in my hands, letting his head rest against mine. I closed my eyes. “You never, ever thought of me that way. As just a bloodline. Your mind doesn’t go to those places.”

“But Nono was right. Everywhere I went, people saw ‘pretty little S-rank babies’. In fact... now that I think about it... Herzog was a winning bid among many... I think Caesar put two and two together after our conversation at the shooting range. His family was likely in the running.”

I opened my eyes. “He said something similar to you... that I might be something beyond what they understood about S-rank... He was so upset when I said, I understood my value... down to the penny. Oh...” I laughed, my eyes shifting away from his in recollection. “Oh... Caesar you knew... you knew all along... didn’t you.”

“Imagine...” I looked back at Johann’s gorgeous golden eyes. “...a whole race of pure emperor hybrids. It’s the perfect recipe for a plot to conquer the world.” I laughed. “Such a Gattuso thing to do.”

His hands moved to my wrists. He took my hands. Speaking through clinched teeth, he said. “I swore on my sword I wouldn’t let them have you.”

“Don’t die for me. My life is worth nothing if you’re not in it, Chu Zihang.” I said, my voice breaking, my heart aching in my chest.

The sound of rushing water reached my ears. I looked up.

“This cave must be connected to an underground waterway. Makes sense.” He said. “There might be another way out of here.”

Johann held on to me while we passed the dead bodies. “Part of the mural is missing.” I told him. “To think... this intruder killed all those people, just to steal part of the painting... which part, I wonder.”

“I don’t think its Anjou who did this... but the idea that there might be someone to rival him... is...” Johann said.

The sound of the elevator motor interrupted. My eyes widened.  “That’s not the freight elevator. It’s the official one!”

He turned to me, “You have to get out.”

“I’m not leaving you here. We’ve been over this!” I pulled my hands out of his grip and backed away. “Besides if anyone is in danger here, it’s you!”

He stared. 

I didn’t bother explaining. Hopefully, I wouldn’t have to. Johann was a sweet and kind soul. But the minute he crossed the blood threshold using Blood Rage, he turned servitor. He was trash to these people. If he did that during a fight, they would have no issues hunting him down, killing him and throwing him in a ditch, the same way they treated anyone they called a ‘Devil’. 

At least, if it came to that, I could use my own life as a bargaining chip to plead for his. I was priceless alive. 

But how could I say that to someone who had such a strong protective spirit? I loved that about him. He’d protected me all this time.

Alarms suddenly went off. Loud banging echoed throughout the cavern. 

“Lock down.” Johann hissed.

“Okay...” I said. “No way out.”

I faced the elevator. The ground suddenly began to rock under my feet. I fell to my knees. An earthquake of all things? Now?

Johann threw himself over me to protect my head. I couldn’t help but smile. What did I just say? He couldn’t seem to help himself. While I waited for the shaking to stop I wondered where they were... these children of mine. Were they babies? Were they just frozen embryos? Were they even in Japan?

Did they look like me? Or Chisei? Did they have names? Was this Herzog keeping them cold and alone... were they aware of each other? Were they together?

Was this a mother’s feelings? I was never pregnant and I was already thinking this way?

The earthquake calmed. The alarms were still going off. “The earthquake stopped the elevator!” Johann got off me and hurried to where an exit door had been gated by a metal door. “Stay back.” He told me. 

His eyes glowed brighter than normal. He started to recite the Dark King’s Speech, deep gutteral tones, so rough and brutish comparison to my fathers dulcimer songs. Even from this distance, I felt the radiant heat explode outward, directed at the metal door. It started to glow brightly, but didn’t so much as warp.

“... this isn’t ordinary metal.” He said.

“Makes sense.” I said. “Try the freight elevator door?”

Johann moved over to it. But before he could do anything, the door cracked open on its own, forced open by two pale hands that pushed it aside. Johann stepped back, drawing his blade.

“Run!”

I stood up from the floor. “No.”

I looked at Chisei, standing there at the bottom of the elevator shaft. He tossed way his trenchcoat, drew his blade and charged at Johann without so much as a greeting. The moment their blades collided, Johann’s went flying out of his hands, spinning across the floor.

Then he came for me. I opened my dragon eyes to him. They glowed golden, looking at him directly. Just before his blade could pierce my body, Johann was there between us, knocking him away. I caught a glimpse of Chisei’s face as he did so. His gaze stayed with mine for a half second before he turned to address the one attacking him.

Like me, Chisei was unintimidated by Johann’s glowing stare. He met him blow for blow. I knew a little bit more than I did before about battles. Johann was trying his best. He had reason to. However, Chisei wasn’t really. Yes, he had to make an effort to keep up. Johann was no push over. He was skilled. He couldn’t let his guard down. But Johann didn’t even come close to breaking that guard.

Chisei continued to steal glances at me. I continued to show him my dragon eyes. I wasn’t afraid or intimidated by him even though he was actually trying to hurt me now.

Chisei, feeling a bit of pressure from his opponent, grew tired of the dance and slammed Johann’s sword down so hard it hit the floor. He knocked Johann away with a kick to the chest.

Disarmed, winded and stunned, Johann was no longer a threat to him. He turned to me. “So, we meet again, Carli.”

I didn’t say anything. There was no point in blurting out my secret now that he’d stopped attacking Johann. I pressed my lips together.

“I still don’t want to hurt you. Please... give yourself up peacefully... Please...” He held out his hand. “You’re so young... You don’t have to die here.”

I still didn’t say anything. It wasn’t just my life on the line any more. It was Johann’s, Nono’s, the captured Mingfei... and the children who were lost somewhere. Our children.

What sort of person was Chisei that I could trust him with them? I looked away.

“I am High Patriarch. If you give up, I can personally guarantee your safety!”

“Oh, whatever!” I turned to him. My eyes narrowed. “Like you guaranteed it on the Trieste? The sabotaged submarine? You’re not the one in control here. You never were. Until you admit that... I can’t put our lives in your hands again.”

Chisei’s hand lowered. He gazed at me with an intense sadness. “It doesn’t have to end this way... but it always seems to. Why?”

I saw his legs flex and called my spear of light. Even though I didn’t see him move, the moment I raised the spear to guard myself, he was there against it. 

Our eyes met.

I wasn’t going to be as easy as Johann Chu.

[pointycorgiears]

Dancing Fountains

A Danny/Terry ficlet.

“Everything was possible to steal. Danny was just one of the very few who had eyes ambitious enough to do it.

And he had done it. He proved the impossible was possible.

There was always a bigger fish though. And the one Danny was considering as he watched the fountains was not made of money.

Well, sort of.”

I don’t see much of this pairing, so I want to experiment with it a little bit. This is the first of several fics about these two.

__

Symphonic music floated on the evening air. The fountains of the Bellagio twirled and danced, perfectly in sync with the tune. An audience was gathered at the edge of the pool, entranced and mystified by the nimble spouts.

Danny was at the forefront, hunched over the concrete railing, surrounded by strangers. This was the second fountain show he’d seen since arriving to that spot. He hadn’t moved in awhile. He’d spent most of the day stalking the floors over multiple casinos along the Strip. He only landed that morning. He was currently wandering aimlessly across the country, hitting his favorite hot spots, swindling quick cash wherever he could. Tess separated from him again. Rusty was busy with his hotels. Danny was alone.

He always ended up in Las Vegas eventually. There were lots of desperate people here. He had done lots of jobs here. It was a sort of comforting location to be in, he supposed. Plus, there was always something to be obtained.

The music slowed and the line of fountains swooped down low in response, before rising back up in a pitch.

He always gravitated to this casino more than any other, and Vegas had no shortage of casinos to scout.

He always looked to the big fish. The unattainable. The most magnificent. The coveted kind of treasure many others in his game would say was impossible to steal.

Everything was possible to steal. Danny was just one of the very few who had eyes ambitious enough to do it.

And he had done it. He proved the impossible was possible.

There was always a bigger fish though. And the one Danny was considering as he watched the fountains was not made of money.

Well, sort of.

It had been in the back of his mind ever since the Bank job. The way Terry Benedict watched him with interest a little too long while visiting his office and discussing plans. Danny tried to cut the thought out right away, told himself to stop, don't entertain such a thing, don't even think about it.

He let the idea linger though, far after the Bank job. It even intensified after Tess left. (Or rather, he left. She still had the house.) He knew himself too well. He could not resist such a challenge. It was just one more thing to steal.

So there he was, staring down the towering form of the Bellagio through the flying mist.

The water exploded from the center ring in one final crescendo and fell graciously back into the pool. The music faded from the loud speakers and the crowd began to disperse after a short applause. The performance was over. Danny was alone again. He stayed by the pond, watching the casino lights dance over the ripples. He had nowhere pressing to go. He could remain there the whole forty five minutes until the next show and no one would pay him any mind.

"Ocean."

Danny froze at the voice. Except for that person.

He whirled around, his thief instincts caught completely off guard as he was lost in his mind watching the water. He tried not to look too oblivious as his eyes narrowed at Terry standing under the shadow of one of the trees that lined the pool edge.

"Benedict," he stated. It was all he could muster out. He awkwardly cleared his throat, summoning his cool bravado back up. He put on a charming smirk. "Come down to mingle with the commonfolk?"

Terry approached him, stepping out into the reflected light from the waves. "I like to personally make sure the fountains are properly synchronized from time to time," he said smoothly.

He looked just as smooth to Danny too. Tanned skin, hair slicked back, shoulders erect. All contained within only the finest black suit jacket known to man. He literally looked like a million dollars. He was worth far beyond even that.

"So you basically come out for fresh air, is what you're saying?" Danny watched him walk up to the edge of the pool. Terry placed his hands on the cool concrete barrier.

"You very well know everything in my casinos is perfect. I hold the outside to the same standard."

Terry's dark eyes scanned across the fountain pool, studying every minute detail. He spoke to Danny without facing him. "Are you pulling a job or something? Where's the other ten? Casing Caesar's?"

"Just me," Danny replied, watching him watch the water. "And I'm not on a job. I'm just in town."

"Already lost everything, have you?" Terry smirked at him. "That's how it goes when all you do is try to take what isn't yours."

"I'm not here to gamble."

"Then why are you here?" Terry asked, looking him dead in the eye. "Why are you standing outside my hotel?"

Danny studied him, assessing the threat level. There wasn't really anything to be wary of, yet. "Just enjoying the sights. I like the fountains."

Danny returned the stare that Terry pelted him with. They both held still, just mere feet from each other, sizing each other up. Danny wasn't going to back down. He was there because something valuable had caught his fancy, and he was going to take it. The opportune moment just needed to present itself.

He wasn't sure if it was the reflection of the water, but there was a subtle glimmer in the casino owner's eyes. It pierced right through Danny and his throat tightened. Terry was a smart man. To underestimate him would be a fatal mistake. He knew why Danny was there.

Danny forced a light panic down at that realization. That left only one option. Play it, take his chances, place his bet. He was good at this game. He knew he was charming and attractive.

"You've been out here a long time now." He just had to get the words right. Let the other fall into his trap so he could move in and take what he wanted.

"It's a slow night. It's off season." Terry was willing to play right into it, seemed. He didn't budge, only looked out over the pool again. "My staff can handle the casino floor without me for awhile."

Danny shuffled closer to him, just enough to make Terry glance from the corner of his eye. The man didn't move though, even if Danny was getting very close to invading his personal space. "Are you satisfied with the fountains?"

Terry smiled, gaze fixed on the water, and Danny noticed it was a genuine smile, full of pride. "Yes. They are just as beautiful as ever."

Danny crept closer, his own eyes bright and gleaming. He dropped his voice down to a whisper. "Yeah, beautiful."

Terry turned to him, suddenly realizing just how close the thief was. He kept in place though. Danny knew the man was too proud to flinch. He would not back away so easily.

Terry stared at him, hard and calculating. Danny could almost see the wheels turning in his head, almost unsure of what his next move should be. He was nearly right where Danny wanted him to be. He needed to be pushed just a little further.

Danny completely closed the gap between them, his arm brushing against the other's. He held Terry's gaze.

Terry was unblinking. "You stole from me."

"I gave it back," Danny smiled. He leaned in, hovering just close enough to Terry to feel his breath. He paused, waiting for the other to respond.

Terry remained rigid like a statue. His focus was fixed on Danny, but Danny could not read him. Even with the thief so close, his face was stoic, emotionless.

A quiver of anxiety ran up Danny's spine, the same one he sometimes felt when a miscalculation occurred on a job. A flicker of doubt flashed across his face. His eyes lost just a fraction of their shine. Terry continued to stare at him, indifferent.

Nothing.

His bet was losing. Danny shifted his eyes away, lowering his head. He internally cussed out his own ego. He was mistaken. He went too far. Once again, he found himself too eager to take what was clearly not his. He should have planned better, he should have waited a little longer.

An apology started bubbling up in his throat for overstepping his bounds. He mumbled his way through it. "Hey, I-I'm sorry..." He glanced up at Terry, who looked unconvinced. Danny shook his head, preparing to step back. "I got a little too carried away. I-"

He was cut off when Terry's mouth suddenly nipped at the corner of his. Not a kiss, more like a soft bite. It was so quick, he didn't have time to blink.

Danny stared at him. Terry's hard gaze remained unchanged and the man made no other move to give Danny anymore hints.

Danny's mind seemed to completely grind to a halt. He looked at Terry, and he knew he appeared confused and didn’t know how to hide it.

Terry finally let a smirk fall across his face. "So, you are capable of apologizing."

Danny could not make any words form. Terry's dark eyes flashed at him, much like a predator's would at its prey.

"You will never steal from me again," he said coolly. "From now on, you will only receive what I choose to give you."

Terry suddenly turned from him, walking away, heading for the path that would lead him to the entrance of his hotel. "I will know if you dare to set foot inside."

Danny wasn't sure if it was a warning or an invitation. He had a sudden urge to find out.

He watched Terry make his way up the path in the dark. He ignored the tiny voice in the back of his head that said this was a bad idea. It was too risky. This was not a job he should take by himself. However, he was alone, which meant no one was there to stop him or try to reason with him.

He knew himself all too well, and he had nowhere important to go, anyway.

End.

[epic-summaries]

British LegendsxPokémon - Oneshot

The muses gave me random inspiration and I wrote this. It became an exercise in worldbuilding. Think of Druids as Proto-Professors and Knights as Masters.

I hope this is a little good, it’s the first time I write a story in a few years. I better start practicing again because this was fun.

The Pokémon Squire

Arthur fidgeted with his golden hair. It was time for him to start his quest to become a knight. He was ten now. It was a special time, since this was when a child became a squire and received their first Pokémon. A child’s first Pokémon was very important, not just because they would be given a companion for life but also because they would be judged on that first Pokémon. It was the Pokémon which best described and represented you as a person. If someone received a Timburr, they were bond to become builders. Anyone with a Happiny were going to be healers. A Smeargle meant you were going to be an artiste. Anyone getting a Gible, you were going to be a knight. If you received a Pyukumuku, you probably weren’t going to do much in life.

That morning, Arthur’s father Sir Ector, the leader of their town, started the ceremony. Arthur was awaken at sunrise. Then was forced to have a special berry drink, made to bath in river, dressed in the ceremonial robes of eighteen colours (each representing a Pokémon type), he was given a Mew amulet, then his family brought him to edge of the forest. The ceremony was there for luck. Everyone wanted the best Pokémon for them.

Arthur’s mind raced. What if his Pokémon hated him? What if Arthur wasn’t worthy of them? What if he got a weak Pokémon and his father would be disappointed in him? If Arthur wanted to do anything in this world he couldn’t get a Finneon. Sure, they are beautiful to look at but they were not much use in battle. Kay would make fun of him. His father would be disappointed. Arthur needed a strong Pokémon if he wanted to do anything in this world. He wanted to be a Pokémon knight.

A Lucario walked out of the forest. Arthur looked back at his father and brother. Ector nodded proudly and Kay gave him a thumbs up. Torchic jumped up and down in front of Kay. Arthur almost felt calm enough to laugh.

He followed the Lucario into the forest.

Arthur had been in this forest many times. He normally liked to watch the Pokémon. The Cartepies and Treeckos climbing the trees. Brelooms fighting over territory. Seedots hoping in and out of view. At night, you had to be careful because Murkrows would try to steal anything shiny on your person. A few days ago, Arthur saw a Raichu hurrying up her littler of Pichus. However, Arthur didn’t notice anything on this walk. He was concentrating on Lucario like his life depending on it. He didn’t want to get lost. A person could be surprised how easily the dark blue fur could melt into the forest.

The two of them reached the Druid’s chapel after what seemed like days to Arthur. They called it a chapel but it was nothing like the man made religious buildings in town. This was the spiritual heart the forest said to have been touched by a Mythical Pokémon. There were different legends told around the campfire. Most people said the chapel was made by Celebie. Once Arthur heard the cave was made by a Victini celebrating a victorious Brutus. Another said Manaphy blessed it after an ancient ground Pokémon created it.

Guarding the chapel’s entrance was a Drampa. It wasn’t Arthur’s first time seeing that Drampa. Drampa liked to play with the child of the town. Arthur was the first one brave enough to take a ride with him. Then Kay went on a ride, saying if Arthur could do it, he would too.

Absol was sleeping near Drampa. He was kicking his left leg while making a yelping noise. He was dreaming. Arthur felt better that Absol was sleeping. He didn’t have to warn about a disaster.

Xatu stood unblinkly watching something. No one knew quite what she was watching. Was it the past? Was it the future? Was it both? Did she see far off lands? Only Xatu knew.

The last Pokémon protecting the cave was Torterra. Torterra’s head slowly followed Lucario and Arthur when they entered the cave.

Arthur could feel the spiritual strength of the chapel. The walls were covered with paintings. Arthur recognized Arceus creating the world and Mew. There was a scene of Celebi riding Keldeo. There were scenes of humans and Pokémon living together, working side by side or battling. There were Pokémon he recognized, like Sceptile, Flygon and Politoed. But there were also Pokémon unrecognizable to him, like a colourful rock bird or a beautiful icy long neck reptile. Arthur recognized Rhiannon riding a Musdale, Julius Caesar riding his Bravery claiming this island for himself. There were moments from modern history as well, Aurelus and Uthyr riding on Reshiram and Zekrom reconquering the island from Vortigern. The chapel was filled with history and meaning. It was truly awesome.

Merlin towered in front of a bundle of sticks. Ninetails sat dutifully beside him. A few of her tails were moving Merlin’s long cloak.

Lucario lead Arthur in front of the bundle of sticks. He stopped Arthur from walking anymore and then joined Merlin on the opposite side of Ninetails.

“Welcome.” Merlin studied Arthur with his amber eyes. Arthur bowed. “Today you start your journey to become Pokémon knight.”

Arthur nodded.

“Flamethrower,” commanded Merlin. Ninetails open her jaws and a flame shot out. In seconds the bundle of sticks caught fire.

Arthur took a step back. The heat of the fire was making him uncomfortable. He was sweating and to push his golden hair back.

Merlin raised his arms and looked to the skies. The look on Lucario’s face made it seem like Merlin was just being dramatic.

“By Holy Arceus and his anointed child Mew, I call upon the spirit of the cave and forest, send me the destined companion of this new squire.”

Plop.

Arthur felt something plant-like on his nose. His eyes took some time to adjust to the thing that appeared in front of him. He stared into very large blue eyes. Eyes which looked both young and old. Where did it come from? How did it get here? Arthur didn’t see anyone else in the chapel.

The eyes closed and moved away. It giggled and flew in a somersault. It was green and small. It’s head was huge for its tiny body. Its large eyes were circled in black. The back of its head triangled in a leafy tip. It was adorable. It was Celebi.

Celebi giggled again and flew around Arthur. They lightly poked on different parts of his body. Arthur tried to follow them but Celebi was to fast. They zipped and zoomed until they landed and sat on Arthur’s head. Celebi played in his golden curls. Their feet were in Arthur’s grey eyes. Then they made a cooing sound and an egg fell from the top of the cave and into Celebi’s hands. They pushed on Arthur’s head to only make it back to where they started.

Celebi cooed once more and gestured to Arthur to take the egg in their hands. Arthur took it.

Celebi exploded in flurry of coos and laughter while flying around the campfire. When they made it to the top of the fire, Celebi waved goodbye and disappeared.

“You are now a squire.”

Arthur looked at the egg. He couldn’t guess what was in it.

Arthur rode on Torterra on his way back to the town. He spent the entire time looking at the egg. He would put it up into the few pieces of light breaking through the trees. It was not see through.

Waiting for him were Kay and Bedwyr. Torchic chirped while Scorbunny sped up and hopped onto Torterra. Torterra didn’t seem to mind. Scorbunny looked at the egg and knocked on it. Arthur brought it closer to him.

“It will hatch when it’s ready,” said Arthur.

Ever since that day, Arthur watched the egg day and night. He walked everywhere with it. Someone told him that walking with the egg would make it hatch faster.

“Arthur!” called his father. “Drop the egg and come do your chores.”

“What if it hatched while I’m gone?”

“It won’t.”

“But…”

“Chores, now.”

Arthur put the egg in a safe place and joined his father in his chores. He didn’t pay attention to them and often did the same task twice.

“Stop worrying so much,” said Ector. He always seemed to sense what was wrong with his sons.

“You got a Kangaskhan and Kay got a Torchic. What if I get a Sunken or a Bidoof? What if Celebi thought I was weak and unworthy?”

Ector chucked. “Then it will be the best Bidoof it can be. Here’s a secret, the raw strength of the Pokémon doesn’t matter. I’ve seen a Hydreigon fall from the sky because of bad training. I’ve seen a Minun defeat a Gigalith. You can have a strong Pokémon but without love, friendship and compassion, a Pokémon can never truly be it’s best. So, if you get a stereotypically weak or strong Pokémon, you need love it and encourage it to be its best or that egg will never will never be the best it can be.”

Arthur hugged his father. “When did you see Minun defeat a Gigalith?”

“It was a weird tournament. That Minun won the tournament.”

After his chores, Arthur ran to his egg. Scorbunny and Torchic were both trying to keep it warm while Kay was practicing his swordsmanship.

“You’re getting better,” said Ector.

Kay beamed with pride. “Watch this! Scorbunny, Torchic you know what to do.” Kay held out his sword, the flat side perpendicular to the ground. Scorbunny ran towards Torchic, picked him up and threw him to Kay’s sword. Torchic made a couple of power kicks in the air and then landed on Kay’s sword. Scorbunny ran towards Kay and three of them made a finishing pose.

Ector and Arthur clapped. Arthur whispered into Ector’s ear, “Kay will have a strong team not because his Pokémon will evolve into strong Pokémon but because they have a strong bond.” Ector gave him a pat on the back and nodded.

Arthur ran around the castle. If walking made them hatch faster, then running must have doubled the speed. It had been a week. It had to hatch.

Arthur waved to Griflet, Lucan and Bedwyr trying catch Bedwyr’s new Zubat. Lucan and his Mime Jr. were trying to make barriers to keep Zubat in the great hall. Bedwyr and his Abra were trying to teleport around. Griflet was five and was just happy to be there.

“Don’t…” Lucan had started to say but Arthur had already ran into Mime Jr.’s barrier.

“Are you okay?” asked Griflet.

Arthur nodded. “Where’s my egg?”

Mime Jr. had quickly made another barrier and stopped it.

Arthur felt a tang of relief. Then he heard scratching. Oh no. What? Did the egg get hurt? Is it cracked?

Arthur raced towards his egg. It didn’t look crack but it was moving. Arthur could hear something scratching from within. Wait?! Arthur’s Pokémon was hatching! It was time!

Arthur gently put the egg on the floor. The baby inside scratched and clawed until a little white paw cracked the shell. Arthur hurried up and helped it out.

A pair of fiery brown eyes met with Arthur’s grey ones. Growlithe made a light whine and closed his eyes. Arthur slowly moved his hand and pet his fur. He finally took precious Growlithe in his arms. He was so tiny, like a three week year old puppy. The fur was a little gross and slimy but it was nothing Arthur couldn’t wipe off. And honestly, he barely noticed it. He had a beautiful little puppy cuddling soundly in his arms.

“Is it normally gold?” Griflet asked Bedwyr, who just finished putting Zubat in his Pokéball.

He had golden fur like Arthur had golden hair. They really were meant to be together.

[tessatechaitea]

Kamandi Challenge #2

I solved the mystery! Kamandi is actually David Lee Roth!

How does Doctor Canus get any sciencing done when he's constantly trying to buttfuck everything that moves?

• My second theory about how Kamandi solves the cliffhanger was that he'd simply run away and let the tigers die in the blast. But then I thought, "How far can he really run away? He'd be dead too! I know this is a comic book but that's so illogical!" By the third page of this issue, it seems Tomasi has opted for the Kamandi runs for his life solution. It seems a little bit like a cheat but at least it wipes out a lot of characters that don't matter. Just have Doctor Canus and Tuftan survive and call it good. Even Caesar doesn't have to live! • Tuftan catches Kamandi before he can get away and drags him back to the missile. All of the idiot tigers stand around anticipating the moment the bomb blows so they can all scream "It's greeeeeeeaaaaaat!" together in a fiery, apocalyptic ending.

"I'll never even get to kiss a girl who isn't a robot or my grandmother!"

• It looks like Peter J. Tomasi is choosing the easiest way out of this cliffhanger: the bomb's a dud! I feel so cheated! Hopefully Dan Abnett, in his brief at the end where he explains how he would have solved the cliffhanger, uses the dog semen trick. • Instead of blowing up, a sentient ape double fisting pistols pops out of the top of the missile. It was a Trojan Missile! And those stupid tigers fell for it! Although the ape is even dumber since his plan relied on the tigers setting off the bomb to free him so he could kill them. He could have just let them have a real bomb, I suppose. • More apes descend on the city so Kamandi uses the chaos to steal his shit back from Doctor Peanut Butter Dick. He then rushes off to the Museum of War to find a weapon. Or to be killed by Jackdaws. • I still don't know what the mystery is that I'm supposed to be solving before they do! • The Jackdaws pick up some of the ancient artifacts housed in the museum to help fight the apes. The relics are all weapons of DC superheroes! I wonder if Cheeks the Toy Wonder is in the museum somewhere. • Crashing down through the floor and into the Basement of Forbidden Jack Kirby Objects, Kamandi discovers Metron's Chair underneath an old tarp. I guess the cliffhanger will be how quickly Kamandi's head explodes after sitting in the chair. • Doctor Canus and Prince Fuzzy-pants show up just in time to see Kamandi hop in Metron's Chair. They chase after him to try to stop him before the chair disappears. And even though Kamandi has been trying to get away from these guys, he decides to reach out, grab them, and pull them along for the ride. The chair takes off and I start singing, "All my life I've wanted to fly like the birds that you see way up in the sky! Making circles in the morning sun flying high in the sky til the day is done! I CAN'T BREAK AWAY! Like a child in his fantasy punching holes in the walls of reality! All my life I've wanted to fly but I don't have the wings and I wonder why. I CAN'T BREAK AWAY! I CAN'T BREAK AWAY!"

Bogus!

• I hope Tomasi doesn't think the previous page will be used by the other writers! What writer is going to think, "Oh shit! Tomasi stuck that phrase into that Metron Chair bit that read 'If the Red Riders catch us, we're doomed!' I've got to incorporate that into my story! And remember he had all those comic books appear. What was that about?!" More likely, everybody will go, "Yeah, yeah. Fuck you Tomasi. I'm writing my own shit over here! Stop trying to be cute." • Kamandi, Doctor Peanut Butter Dick, and Prince Fuzzy-Pants wind up in San Diego. That's where the big Comic Con happens! I bet they run into cosplayers in the Wild Human Reserve. • Apparently the guards of the Wild Human Reserve are Manhunters. Even though they're called Manhunters, they shoot the dog and the tiger immediately. Then they say their trademark saying, "No man escapes the Manhunters," which alerts Kamandi to the danger he's in (just in case he thought the Manhunters were only interested in not allowing tigers and dogs to escape). So to get away, Kamandi throws himself over a cliff and presumably dies. Unless the next writers, Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner, can think up a way to keep Kamandi from dying! I just don't see how they can. He's as good as dead! • Finally, each issue includes an essay by the previous writer explaining how they would have solved their cliffhanger. This essay is by Dan Abnett and he describes how he would have had Kamandi survive the nuke. Hopefully he just says, "I was going to kill him. Let's see the next writer get out of that!" • Dan Abnett's solution would have been to have Kamandi flee while the nuke obliterates Tiger City. I pointed out that was an option but the laziest one of all! At least for coming up with a clever solution. I would have also allowed the bomb to blow because it's a post-apocalyptic world where bad shit happens. But Abnett also solved DiDio's cliffhanger with a lazy solution, so I think Abnett just likes to take the easy way out when writing. That's probably why I'm not reading his Titans book anymore. The Ranking! No change! I'm grading this on a curve and Tomasi's solution was less creative than my sticky dog semen solution.

[lovelyparanormalbooks]

Book Blitz: The Night Realm (Excerpt + Giveaway)

The Night Realm Annette Marie (Spell Weaver #1) Published by: Dark Owl Fantasy Inc. Publication date: October 20th 2017 Genres: Adult, Urban Fantasy

Clio would love nothing more than to go home. But as the illegitimate daughter of the nymph king, she’s stuck in the human world, exiled until she can earn a place in the royal family. Then her half-bother offers her a chance to prove herself. All she has to do is acquire some magic … by stealing it from the most dangerous spell weavers in the Underworld. Lyre prefers to go unnoticed, which is a tricky objective for an incubus. He can’t hide his looks or his coveted spell weaving skills, but he’s learned to mask his true intentions. As an unwilling pawn of the tyrannical Hades family, he stays alive by keeping one step ahead of his masters. Now he’s been assigned to watch over a visitor from the Overworld—one who’s definitely hiding something. And with her unholy talent for triggering chaos and catastrophe, his job just keeps getting more perilous. Clearly, she’ll never survive this world. The thing is, he’s no longer sure he can survive it either.

Goodreads / Amazon

—

EXCERPT:

As she stepped up to the last rack of shelves, she realized she hadn’t quite reached the end of the room. Tucked beyond the last shelf was another door—solid steel with no visible handle or lock. A web of magic crisscrossed the metal and complex runes filled four overlapping circles that shifted in a spiraling pattern. She raised her fingers, keeping a safe several inches between her skin and the steel, and traced a glowing circle. That. She’d never seen anything quite like that before, but she knew it would react to touch. How it would react was another matter. Intrigued, she leaned in closer, peering intently at the weaving’s underlayers as she tried to work out what it did. “Don’t touch that.” Lyre’s voice shattered the silence right behind her. A squeak of fright escaped her as she jerked backward from the door. But, with her sudden movement, her hand went the wrong way. And her fingers, already so close to the door, slapped against the metal. She cringed in terror, fully expecting the door to explode or her bones to melt or her skull to burst open. Nothing happened—until she tried to pull her hand away. It was stuck. She yanked on her hand, but it was fused to the metal as though her skin had been superglued in place. “I told you not to touch it.” She shot a glare at Lyre, standing two paces away. “I wouldn’t have touched it if you hadn’t startled me!” He tucked his binder under his arm and shoved his hands in his pockets. “Why would you touch anything in here without permission?” “I told you—” She bit off the words. “Unkey the spell.” “Hmm.” He rocked back on his heels and a downright evil little smirk curved his lips. “Not sure I know how.” “What?” “That lovely bit of work predates me. It’s pretty complicated. Since you fancy yourself a spell expert, if you look here, you’ll see—” He started to point, and she had no idea why, but she flinched back as though he might hit her. Her elbow bumped the door—and got stuck too. Lyre’s hand paused. “Now look what you did.” “I didn’t—you—get me off this!” “As I was saying, you can see here that the weaving amalgamates anything that touches it, so it’s embedded into your skin now—” “Get me off this door!” She jerked helplessly, her immobilized wrist and elbow twisting awkwardly. “Well, I could pull you off, but you might lose some skin. Though, since the weaving is spreading into your flesh the longer you stand there, you might leave more than skin behind.” Her heart kicked up to a full gallop from her growing terror. He, however, seemed perfectly calm. Amused, in fact. Humor danced in his amber eyes, softening the color to something closer to buttery gold. He was laughing at her. “Oh.” His eyebrows rose. “That’s quite the scowl.” She gritted her teeth. “Get. Me. Off.” Those irresistible lips curved up and her stomach dropped to her feet. The air heated. Why was she suddenly kind of dizzy? Shadows slid through his eyes, dimming the amber to shimmering bronze. “Get you off?” he repeated, and his tones were all purring honey, warm and deep and sensual. “With pleasure.” A hot blush swooped through her cheeks as she realized what she’d said. “I—I didn’t mean—I was—” In a panic, she lurched away from him—right into the spelled door. Author Bio: Annette Marie is the author of the Amazon best-selling Steel & Stone series, which includes Goodreads Choice Award nominee Yield the Night, and fantasy trilogy Red Winter. Her first love is fantasy, but fast- paced urban fantasy and tantalizing forbidden romances are her guilty pleasures. She lives in the frozen winter wasteland of Alberta, Canada (okay, it's not quite that bad) with her comparatively sensible husband and their furry minion of darkness—sorry, cat—Caesar. When not writing, she can be found elbow-deep in one art project or another while blissfully ignoring all adult responsibilities.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Amazon

GIVEAWAY! a Rafflecopter giveaway

[indianculinarycenter]

“You are going to pay $75/- to eat vegetables? You are crazy!” exclaimed my father when he learned that I am going to Dirt Candy for a special event on Canada Day.

“They are not just vegetables dad. They are cooked in a unique way – in ways we could never imagine.”

“They are still vegetables,” he responded, still questioning my decision.

Well, I don’t blame him. I had the exact same feeling when I first heard of Dirt Candy which is is located on the Lower East Side of NYC.

http://www.dirtcandynyc.com/

I went there for the first time last year and was impressed by the chef’s creativity. When I heard vegetarian restaurant, I thought pasta, salads and grilled vegetables – but Dirt Candy is not that. I didn’t write about it back then and so my memory is flawed but the two most memorable dishes were:

Brussels Sprout Tacos

Brussels sprouts tossed in Mexican bistek sauce and served on a sizzling stone with iceberg lettuce wrappers and accompaniments so that diners can make their own tiny bites that are one part Chinese sung choi bao and one part strange Mexican tacos.

The accompaniments are usually: smoked avocado, pickled red onion, cotija cheese, radishes, crispy brussels sprout leaves, tortilla strips, pickled jalapenos, salsa verde, and crema.

Not in my wildest dreams would I imagine eating brussels sprout tacos and loving them.

Kale matzoh balls served in kale galangal broth with stir-fried shisito peppers and red amaranth. Topped with pickled okra seeds, micro cilantro, and a poached egg. Matzoh ball soup is supposed to be comforting, and there’s nothing more comforting to me than a poached egg slowly dissolving into a warm, rich, spicy soup.

This is the most insanely delicious soup that I have ever had and now you know what I mean by clever? I love matzoh balls and the other ingredients mentioned above, but never could I come up with these combinations or the techniques she uses to transform foods we are all familiar with.

Now back to my current meal at Dirt Candy which was last week. Amanda Cohen the brilliant chef is from Canada and so to celebrate Canada Day she organized a special meal where we would go camping indoors.

That’s where the aforementioned $75 for vegetables comes in. My mom made the reservation for me as a special treat and I went with a couple of friends.

The room was strung with Canadian flags and several televisions were playing camp movies. The red and white table cloths were to mimic picnic tables and the scene was festive.

We took our seats and were first presented with a basket full of jalapeno hush puppies and maple butter.

I may not have had too many hush puppies in my life but I can say that I never met a hush puppy that I didn’t love. I’m not sure how you can ever go wrong with fried dough and to guild the lily, maple butter. I was in heaven. These were hot and crispy and I had to tell myself that this was the first course of a multi course meal.  I think I forced myself to stop at 3 or 4. I don’t recall.

The menu was a preset menu where one could eat an unlimited amount  of food- music to my ears.

Next came a plate of nachos, which was the only dish that tasted like many plates of nachos I have had before. Nothing wrong with it but not something I would associate with this restaurant or this chef.

But hey, we are camping and I’ll eat anything.

I had been watching empty jars going into the kitchen and could not figure out what was in them. I couldn’t wait to see. My question was answered when the waiter placed in front of us 4 salads in glass jars set in a baking tray. Now this is what I am talking about. This is why I was here. The presentation was unique, an idea that I am surely going to steal in my meals and the salads were delicious.  They were:

Grilled Caesar Salad!

Tomato and Feta Salad!

Smoked Potato Salad!

Herb and Bean Salad!

My absolute favorite was the Smoked Potato Salad – no surprise that I loved the potato salad the most but the smoke in the potatoes was such an amazing flavor that I just couldn’t stop eating it. I thought it was liquid smoke and labeled it as such on Instagram and wouldn’t you know it – I got a message from Dirt Candy telling me that they smoke their potatoes and don’t use liquid smoke.

I love it when I hear from the restaurant or bar that I have tagged.

And so I stand corrected. They smoke their potatoes! I am absolutely going to replicate this dish at home and since I don’t have the smoking apparatus that they must, I am going to add a couple of drops of liquid smoke.

The other salads were lovely too.  The Grilled Caesar was made with baby Romaine hearts – grilled and I couldn’t tell you how she made the dressing taste that way without the anchovies. I love anchovies and always put extra in my dressing but this was done very well.

I will be honest, after having my share of the Caesar salad and the other salads – I couldn’t help but lick the potato salad jar clean with my fingers. Oh, and I forgot to tell you – the potato salad was topped with chips that made the salad look even prettier and the crunch was an important component to add to my overall satisfaction.

Can you guess what this is?

The cutest baby corn ever! I am ashamed to admit that I didn’t even know that baby corn grows this way. I thought it was some factory produced product. Don’t I feel stupid. Now I have to investigate how baby carrots are made 🙂

These are Grilled Baby Corn, Elote Style! Adorable little baby corn charred in the husk, topped with cheese and a little drizzle of lime. It was so good – I wished there were more than one – but I just couldn’t get over how damn cute and delicious these things were. I ate the whole thing – husk and all.

Yogurt Grilled Baby Vegetable Kebabs!

Even a champion eater like me was beginning to feel full but these kebabs were too delicious to pass.  There was broccoli, cauliflower, baby zucchini and either baby eggplant or a summer squash – I couldn’t tell.  The vegetables were marinated in yogurt, grilled to develop a nice char -which I love, served over saffron rice. The flavor of the rice stood up to the very assertive flavors of the vegetables. The rice reminded me of the rice that you get in the quintessential “Chicken and Rice” dish from the NYC halal carts. I mean this as a compliment. The plate was sprinkled with Sumac which I made the waiter confirm for me. I like playing – name that ingredient games with myself.

Carrot Sliders!

Things were getting serious now. I was getting so full but the food kept coming, and I have to eat everything – I just have to.

Carrot sliders you say? Yes indeed. Hands down, one of the most delicious and the most creative dish on the menu, and probably the most unique dish I have ever had. And I eat a lot. Trust me.

We were all so thrilled with the cute boxes that were placed in front of us that I forgot to pay attention to each component of the slider. I do remember that the bun tasted as though it was most likely baked on premises. It was like no popular bun that I have tasted before. And the carrot – it was a thick (ok 1/8th inch) slice of carrot that was soft but not mushy. I couldn’t tell you how it was cooked. I remember seeing some lettuce and there was some dried crunchy sea weed like thing too. But what was the best thing that added to the whole ‘burger’ experience was the ‘special sauce’ that one gets at McDonald’s. Once again, I mean that as a compliment.

The bun was chewy, the carrot was sweet, the lettuce was crunchy and the special sauce tied the whole thing up in a neat little flavor package for your mouth. Those 3 bites were pure bliss.

Broccoli hot dogs

Beet po boys

Things were getting a tad out of hand now. We have been eating for 2 hours. My back was hurting a little from all the sitting and I wanted to stretch my legs. But the food just wouldn’t stop coming. “Where is the hot dog and the Po’ boy?” asked one of my dining companions to no one in particular.

“Oh yah, we have those too,” I replied.

I was imagining the hot dog to be a hot dog made of broccoli but what we got was the above. I think its hysterical. It was a broccoli stem in a bun with hot dog toppings like sour kraut and onions maybe. I could stop laughing and I couldn’t stop eating. It was so simple and so good.

The po’ boy was made with yellow beets and mimicked oysters in their look and there was the wonderful crunch of a fried oyster with the creamy soft center. I am running out of words to describe this fun food, and definitely room in my stomach. So good – I will say and leave it at that.

Berry & Nutella Moose Ears

Sweet Pea & Mint Nanaimo Bars

  “Okay they must stop now. I am going to explode,” I said.

“But we still have dessert.”

“Yes we do,” I sighed.

And so we were brought moose ears with nutella and berries.  Turns out moose ears are fried dough. They reminded me of zeppoles.

Nainamo bars are a bar dessert which requires no baking and is named after the city of Nanaimo, British Columbia on Vancouver Island. It consists of a wafer crumb-based layer topped by a layer of custard flavored butter icing which is covered with melted chocolate made from chocolate squares.

The version we were presented had a nut bar type of consistency on the bottom made with dates and nuts, topped by what I think was some sort of marshmallow thingi, a sweet pea ice cream and then chocolate. It was a fancy frozen ice cream sandwich to me.

It was quite good but I couldn’t get through more than a quarter of it.  It’s just that I am not a big dessert person and I was really really full.  The moose ears are just not my type of dessert. Even though I am a huge fan of fried dough – somehow when it is sweet, it doesn’t appeal to me. My friends enjoyed it though, and finished up both desserts with no problem at all.

Phew! That ended the eating portion of the program. We began eating nearly three and a half hours ago!

We were satiated, happy and I was thrilled by some of the foods I had never had or imagined could be so good.

On my way out of the ladies room, I briefly said hi to Chef/Owner Amanda and complimented her on her innovative thinking.

We waddled out to First avenue and found our way back home.

I came home and showed all the pictures of the foods I ate to my dad. “So dear father, this is what you get for $75/-.  Very delicious and satisfying food. Most importantly fun and full of flavors I have never experienced before!”

I am not sure if I will ever convince him to go with me, but I am sure to go back myself. Dining at Dirt Candy is a unique experience and I would urge you to put away your prejudices against vegetables that many of us have and just go with an open mind. I doubt you will be disappointed.

Until I eat out again!

    “Yes we do,” I sighed.

    A Review of Dirt Candy in NYC "You are going to pay $75/- to eat vegetables? You are crazy!" exclaimed my father when he learned that I am going to Dirt Candy for a special event on Canada Day.