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cdyssey · 3 years

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Regret

Summary: When Fran doesn't come down to breakfast after spraining her ankle, the whole house is concerned for her—especially Niles and Mr. Sheffield. Set after "An Affair to Dismember."

A/N: Okay, so I've binge re-watched nearly four seasons of The Nanny in four days, and had to get at least one fic out of my system, lmao.

Fran Drescher's acting in "An Affair to Dismember" when she suddenly broke while talking to Maxwell made me sensitive. ;-;

AO3 Link

—

Breakfast is a remarkably boring affair without Miss Fine bursting through the door, raising her arms in a floral robe, and proclaiming, with signature adenoidal stylings, “Good moooorning, everyone!”

The clink of silverware, the scraping of ceramic plates, the ruffling sound of Mr. Sheffield anxiously attacking the New York Times like a new Andrew Lloyd Webber play has just dropped—all of it is so terribly drab that Niles spends the first fifteen minutes of her pronounced absence coughing loudly in the hopes that his employer will pick up the hint to do something about it.

“Oh, do go get a bloody cough drop, old man,” he finally snaps, smacking his newspaper down on the table. “You’re driving me mad.”

“Sorry, sir,” Niles arches a brow as he refills Mr. Sheffield’s coffee mug. “I have asthma.”

He turns away to replace the coffee pot on the side table.

“And half a mind to kick your tetchy derrière,” he mutters under his breath.

“What was that, Niles?”

“Nothing, sir! Just saying thank you for your attentive care.”

“Dad,” Master Brighton thankfully interrupts, “where’s Fran, and what have you done to make her mad this time?”

Niles immediately turns around again in time to see his boss’s shoulders straighten in that way they often do when he’s indignant.

Or guilty.

Or some mixture of them both.

“I beg your pardon, Brighton,” he replies stiffly. “Why do you immediately assume I’m the problem here?”

“Process of elimination,” Brighton shrugs. “Fran’s not mad at me, Maggie, or Grace, and Niles is one of her closest friends.”

“You’re so astute, Master Brighton,” Niles smiles wryly as he moves to the left to get a better view of Mr. Sheffield’s face. The vein in his temple is beginning to throb, which is always a good time.

“She hasn’t dated anyone recently,” Miss Margaret pipes up.

“And she’s always fighting with her ma,” Miss Grace adds, “but that's never kept her from Belgian waffles before.”

“So, Dad,” Brighton grins, patting his father once on the back, “unless our math is wrong, that leaves you.”

“Goodness me,” Mr. Sheffield mutters, angrily stabbing a piece of link sausage with his fork. “I didn’t know I was in the presence of the lost Hardy Boy.”

“So you did do something!” Margaret exclaims.

“No! I bloody well did not, Nancy Drew. For your information, Miss Fine accidentally hurt her ankle clubbing last night with Val. I don’t think it’s broken, but I’ve called a doctor to come by just to check.”

“Tsk, tsk. And you didn’t offer to pick her up Cinderella-style and swoop her downstairs so she wouldn’t miss breakfast?” Niles asks chidingly, only to be greeted with a nasty glare.

“Yes, I did offer to bring her down to breakfast as a matter of fact... but Miss Fine seemed strangely subdued when I spoke to her through the door... I didn’t know what to make of it to tell you the truth...”

Mr. Sheffield’s brow contracts as he searches Niles’s face for an answer, and Niles stares back just as studiously, observing the profound concern in his employer’s dark eyes.

The gentleness.

The romance.

The stunningly oblivious care.

Niles sighs fondly.

Unlike Miss Babcock, he’s never had the heart to kick poor puppies when they’re down.

“I’ll bring her Advil and a fresh ice pack,” he promises. “Perhaps some pain relief will help her to regain her spirit.”

“I hope so,” Mr. Sheffield replies, self-consciously turning to his plate again, the tips of his ears rather pink. “I hate when Miss Fine isn’t feeling well.”

“Here, here,” the whole table concurs.

—

Twenty minutes later, Niles is at Miss Fine’s door with a silver tray laden with all the essentials: painkillers, an ice pack, a mug of coffee (milk instead of cream and extra sugar), and a copy of the new edition of Gloss. He lightly taps on her door with the side of his loafer.

“Miss Fine, can I come in?”

“No,” comes an immediate and sharp reply. “I’m not dressed!”

“How discouraging,” Niles sighs smilingly. “What ever shall I do?”

“Suff’a, and at least give me a minute to find a brassiere.”

“Oh, we’ll be here all day then.”

He hears a strange thud, a collection of evaluations (“dirty, dirty, slutty, Maggie’s, dirty”), and an assortment of Yiddish curse words he now vaguely recognizes from being friends with Miss Fine for nearly four years now. And then finally—

“Come in, Jeeves, but shut the door behind ya ‘cuz I haven’t applied a morning layer of lipstick yet.”

Niles elbows the knob and pushes with his shoulder until the door lights open to a peculiar sight. Far from being neat, Miss Fine’s room looks like Macy’s after its annual Black Friday sale with clothes strewn everywhere—from the dressers to the wardrobes to the floor. An empty suitcase is lying on the bed next to Miss Fine, who is sitting in bed wearing an oversized t-shirt, her injured ankle propped up on a pillow. Niles can tell, even from the doorway, that it’s red and swollen, but to his satisfaction and relief, it doesn’t appear to be broken.

“Welcome to the jungle,” Miss Fine mutters when she notices his incredulous gaze. “We got all the animals out t’day.”

“I can see that,” Niles replies, placing his tray on her bedside table and shutting the door. With his usual efficiency, he then walks back over, retrieves the ice pack, and gently places it on the affected area, frowning when she flinches.

“Mr. Sheffield said that the doctor was coming at ten,” he says as he gently lowers himself onto the bed, clasping his hands primly on top of his lap.

“Mm,” Fran grunts noncommittally, grabbing the two Advil pills and knocking them back with a swig of coffee.

“What? You’re not curious as to whether or not said doctor in question is single, Jewish, and living in a Manhattan penthouse? Miss Fine”—Niles reaches over and places the back of his hand on Fran’s head—“do you have a fever?”

“Oh, Niles,” she swats his hand away, “I’m not in the mood.”

“It’s been awhile since I’ve heard that one.”

“Niles!”

“Sorry, Miss Fine,” he withdraws his hand with a laugh. “You know I have to warm up before Miss Babcock arrives.”

“Glad to assist,” Fran quips, taking another sip of coffee, and it’s only as she closes her eyes to savor the taste, that he notices there are lines beneath her eyes from what seems to have been a sleepless night.

The smile sinks from his face.

“You know,” he says quietly, “in all of our acquaintance, I’ve never known of you to injure yourself while dancing.”

Fran opens her eyes only to immediately glance away, tapping her long nails against her mug.

“Val tripped me up when she thought she saw Elton John,” she shrugs dully. “Turns out it was just a really lifelike poster of him behind the bar...”

“I see,” Niles returns, raising a brow. “It was nice of Miss Toriello to forgo her weekend trip with her parents to come back and… boogie woogie oogie with you.”

“Dammit,” she pouts, scrunching her nose. “I didn’t think I’d told you that.”

“You didn’t. I overheard you and Miss Toriello gabbing on the phone about it yesterday morning.”

Fran can’t seem to help herself; she smiles crookedly, even as she shakes her head.

“I dunno who’s more absorbent sometimes—you or the dish sponge.”

He smiles back at her, patting her uninjured leg gently.

“Me, naturally."

"I can believe it, Chatty Cathy," she sighs.

"Now tell me, Miss Fine"—he regains his solemnity quickly, unwilling to let her deflect with jokes—"why does your room look like a tornado went through Loehmann’s?”

Her dark eyes immediately glance around the messy room, as though looking for an excuse and failing to find one.

It’s only now that Niles is sitting down, taking everything in, that he notices that most of the articles strewn about are her favorite clothing items, from her holographic Versace dress to the black tube top that Mr. Sheffield can’t pry his eyes away from every time she wears it.

“I almost did a very stupid thing, Niles,” she half-whispers, looking down into her coffee cup, her fingers tensed and shivering around the handle. “And the thing is, maybe it wasn’t really all that stupid? Maybe it was the smartest thing I could of done in a lifetime of doin’ so many stupid things.”

She pauses briefly before sardonically adding, “People included.”

Though Niles doesn’t have enough dots to connect the full picture, he has what he needs in the way of evidence to get the basic gist: Nigel being in town, the two of them going out, Nigel leaving town, the suitcase, the swollen ankle, and Miss Fine's uncharacteristic melancholy, smeared across her face so sharply that it may as well be lipstick.

He swallows thickly, suddenly grasping how close that they had all been to losing Fran forever.

“Well,” he says, making an effort to hitch an oblivious smile on his face, “isn’t it your mother who says that everything happens for a reason? It seems as though you’re right where you belong.”

“Yeah,” she snorts indelicately. “Twenty-nine multiple times over, single, and livin’ in a mansion with a man who won’t even commit to his meal orders at restaurants, much less his very available and desperate nanny.”

“Beautiful, young, and living in a mansion with three children who love you, a butler who’d be lost without you, and a man who won’t commit to his tie choices either but still cares for you deeply all the same,” Niles corrects her softly. “He was very worried for you when you didn’t come down to breakfast this morning. He didn’t even do the crossword on the Times.”

“Gee,” she rolls her eyes playfully, “how romantic.”

“Very,” Niles grins, “a modern day Romeo—emotional hangups and all.”

With that, he pats Fran again and stands up; he has no doubt that Mr. Sheffield will be calling for him soon to interrogate him as to Miss Fine’s wellbeing.

Maybe he can even get C.C. on speaker phone to rub it in her face.

“Y’know, Niles,” Fran smiles at him fondly, “if this whole Mr. Sheffield thing doesn’t work out, we should elope in Vegas in ten yea's.”

“Only if you wear this little number,” he says, bending down and picking up a black cocktail dress from the floor, folding it neatly over his arm.

“You wish you could be so lucky.”

“If we’re going to be in Vegas, anything can happen, I suppose.”

After he retrieves the silver tray from the bedside table, he bends down and kisses Miss Fine lightly on the head, his heart hurting when he notices the way that she closes her eyes beneath the gentle touch—young and vulnerable and terribly hurt by something he can’t quite fix with a well-timed witticism.

“Get some rest, Miss Fine," her murmurs against her head. "I'll check on you a bit."

“Thanks, hubby."

—

Scarcely ten minutes later, he’s down in Mr. Sheffield’s office as per usual, offering the producer a fresh cup of tea even though he had already drunk his traditional two cups at breakfast.

He insisted, though, on a third, for some excuse he couldn’t quite come up with.

And instead of coming up with an excuse, he immediately asked for all the particulars of Miss Fine’s health.

Predictable chump.

“Thanks, old boy,” Mr. Sheffield frowns, returning to his crossword, tapping the end of his pen arrhythmically against the paper. “Let me know when the doctor for Miss Fine arrives. I want to be there when he checks her over.”

“Ooh la-la-la,” Niles hums, dropping a sugar cube into the tea with a zesty plop.

Mr. Sheffield places his pen down on the desk angrily.

“Not like that… I just want to ensure she’s going to be well… you know, for the children’s sake.”

“Yes,” he sighs theatrically. “How will the children ever be able to bear their nanny having a twisted ankle?”

“Oh, shut up,” Mr. Sheffield snaps. “I don’t pay you to be sarcastic.”

“No, sir, you pay me to help you with the crossword when you’re missing three-across,” Niles smirks knowingly when he glances down at the incomplete puzzle. “What’s the hint?”

Mr. Sheffield adjusts his wire-rimmed glasses on the bridge of his nose before looking down again.

“A word that means feeling bad for not doing something that you should have done all along. Disappointment. A sense of shame.”

Niles straightens up with a long-suffering shake of his head.

“Oh, sir, do I really have to spell it out for you?”

#the nanny #fran fine #niles the butler #maxwell sheffield #maggie writes

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mandoalorian · 4 years

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Fix You [Maxwell Lord x Reader]

Author's note: This was requested by a few people! Just a short one as I only planned on "Those Three Words" being a one shot. But I know a lot of people wanted closure for Maxwell and the reader and I understand the pain of cliff-hangers so here we go!!!

Warnings: hospital, very very brief mention of illness and suicide, mention of the loss of a loved one, Maxwell is mean but it's completely justified.

I love to write soft! Maxwell but, he is a 'villain' and so it's definitely important to me that's still displayed to some extent in my fics.

Word count: 1.6k

Rating: 13+

READ PART ONE HERE

MASTERLIST

"Mr Lord, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"But she's awake! I felt her hand move, I watched her stir!" Maxwell exclaimed, a mixture of excitement, worry and panic rising in his voice. A group of about eight doctors and nurses gathered around your bed and closed the curtains so Maxwell couldn't see what was going on. "Please let me stay, I have to stay with her."

"Sir," the nurse sighed, shaking her head. "It's hospital protocol."

"Do you know who I am?" Maxwell spat angrily. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Mr Lord, I really don't want to have to call hospital security… but if you're giving me no choice…" the nurse's hand dropped to the pager on her belt and Maxwell curled his fingers into a fist feeling nothing but anger and defeat.

"I'll be outside." he mumbled, slouching his shoulders and slowly leaving your hospital room. He sighed, leaning against the cool wall.

Looking around, the corridor was completely desolate. Maxwell wiped a tear that had fallen from his eye, taking a deep breath. It was going to be okay. You were the strongest person he knew. You had fought many tougher battles before. He tried to remain certain that you would get through it— only he wasn't. How could he have hope?

Maxwell Lord had loved and he had lost, over and over again. To the point he had completely shut out the possibility of any attachment to anyone, until he met you. He had lost his father to suicide at the tender age of sixteen, and then lost his mother to a fierce illness when he was only twenty five. He was a divorced man who had lost custody of his son. He'd lost so many people, he had been so close to giving up himself. You were his light. His angel. You changed him for the better.

He couldn't believe how it had all gone so wrong. How the fight had even started. If he lost you now, he would never have been able to forgive himself.

"Mr Lord," the same nurse from earlier came out of your room, along with the other nurses and doctors who were checking on you. "She's awake. She's… lightheaded, tired, but she's here. You can go see her." the nurse granted with a quick nod of her head before scurrying away.

Maxwell froze up. Now was his moment to make amends. What if you hated him. He felt the tears of guilt begin to well up in his eyes again and tried to shake the feeling away. Cautiously, he entered your room.

You were sitting in the bed, propped up by pillows. Your hair was in your face and your eyes looked heavy, but nothing beat the feeling of seeing the small smile that crept up on your lips when you saw your Maxie. Maxwell stood at the door, his eyes glazed with tears. You were wearing his pale blue suit jacket over your hospital gown, the one that he had left for you, and he swore in that moment you were the most beautiful he had ever seen you. You were alive.

"Maxie," you whispered, tears threatening to spill from your eyes. You weakly held out your arms, ushering for him to come forth and sit next to you. Maxwell sat down on the edge of your bed and took hold of your hands which were now warming up nicely. Maxwell gulped. He had so much to say, so much to apologise for, but no words could come out. "Are you okay?" you asked him with a croak, your hand coming to cup his cheek. He nuzzled his face into your hand and another tear slipped from his dark brown eyes.

"Was so scared of losing you," he admitted, closing his eyes. He couldn't bring himself to look at you. Look at the way you were tubed up and the cuts and bruises along your body. The blame was stirring up within him. "I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault." you promised him, smiling tiredly.

"You're always so good to me," he sniffed. "Even when I don't deserve it."

"Of course you deserve it." You told him, knotting your eyebrows together and giving his hand a gentle squeeze.

"You almost died." Maxwell faltered.

"But I'm still here, aren't I?" you chuckled. "Cheer up. I thought I got you out of being such a grumpy old man." you nudged him playfully and Maxwell smiled a teary smile.

"I love you so much," Maxwell whispered, nudging his nose against yours. "I can't wait to take you home. I will fix all of this darling, I promise."

You nodded slowly. "Okay, thank you." you uttered.

The next few moments were filled with silence. Both of you gazed into one another's eyes feeling nothing but love and relief. You asked Maxwell to bring you a few changes of clothing and toiletries from home and he assured you that he'd be quick to return.

When Maxwell exited the hospital, he was greeted by an abundance of news reporters and flashing cameras practically blinding him. "Max! Maxwell Lord!" they cried as they flocked towards him. Maxwell dropped his sunglasses down and pushed through the cameras. "How is Y/N? Are you injured? The crash looks really bad? Are you paying for Y/N's health insurance?"

Maxwell scowled at the ridiculous questions, carefully manuovering through the crowds of people to try and get to his car. He'd have to drive himself home, something he didn't feel comfortable with but he wasn't about to ask Jeeves and, at the end of the day, he was doing this for you. And that was enough motivation he needed.

"Maxwell Lord, is it true that y/n is in critical condition?" a news anchor from NBC quizzed, shoving a microphone in Maxwell's face. Maxwell's head snapped to face her.

"What?" he glared sourley, anger and bitterness dripping from his tongue. He snatched the microphone from her hand, earning a small gasp to escape from her lips. "Right, is everyone listening?" Maxwell asked, raising his voice and speaking into the microphone. The crowd of journalists and paparazzi piped down to hear what the CEO had to say. "I want you to all stop with these disgusting and invasive questions. We are people too," Maxwell pointed his finger at one paparazzi. "Do you have a lady in your life?" he asked. The paparazzi nodded slowly. "And how would you feel if dozens of people were pestering her every fucking day? To the point she's afraid to leave the house or she has to triple check and make sure the doors are all locked before she can go sleep at night?" Maxwell felt the rage build up inside of you when he remembered how anxious all these people he was now confronting made you. But he had to remain calm. He knew for a fact his little speech would be broadcast on national television. The paparazzi blinked nervously. "My question wasn't rhetorical." Maxwell spat.

"I'd be upset, sir." He replied timidly.

"Upset is a fucking understatement." Maxwell crossed his arms over his chest. "This is your fucking job, harassing people? Ruining their lives? Look at yourselves! You all need a reality check. Next time you go anywhere near me or my partner you will be hearing from my lawyers. And I'll have you know, I have the best fucking lawyers." Maxwell threatened. "Am I understood?"

Maybe it was the bite in his voice, or the way he used his harsh business tone, but the crowd backed off in an instant. That was the power of Maxwell Lord. You had changed Maxwell Lord. Softened him, sweetened him… but when people were trying to hurt you, he knew his power. He knew he could and would ruin their lives.

Your recovery was slow, but sure enough, you did get better. It was difficult at first, but with Maxwell's fierce and defensive nature, the paparazzi and the news reporters began to stay away from you both. Once discharged from hospital, you were bed bound for a few weeks. Maxwell took time off work, giving you his full attention. He tried to cook you soup, but when that failed, he'd order you whatever take out you craved. When you fancied homemade food, he'd call the chef over? He did the chores that you usually did, like laundry and vacumming. You loved seeing Maxwell become so domesticated; you didn't know he had it in him, it almost made you feel a little smug. There was something about seeing a billionaire businessman angrily scrub grease from a frying pan that satisfied you. When he wasn't pottering on around the house, he was in bed with you.

He used this time to show you how much he really truly loved you. You wanted for nothing. He'd gently stroke your skin, give you soft kisses and play with your hair. And those three words you craved to hear, there wasn't a day that went by when he didn't say them.

"I love you."

Permanent taglist (let me know if you would like to be added!) ~ @supernaturalgirl @phoenixhalliwell @ah-callie @luvzoria @stardust-galaxies @wickedfrsgrl @goth-topic @nerdypinupcrystal @wonderfulfluffer @kiwi-the-first @pedroepascal

#pedro pascal #pedro pascal x reader #maxwell lord #max lord #maxwell lord x reader

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tinyboxxtink · 3 years

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"Doppelganger" *Part 25* !!Finale!!

Okay I know this took two days but remember when I said I was NOT going to make another chapter? Well I had to just fit multiple chapters into this last one. Because dammit it will STOP HERE.

Except for the epilogue.

So here it is, I hope the anticipation and the hype doesn't ruin it for you, I did my best!

Also thank you so much for coming on this ride with me, it's been the longest one yet! I'm going to miss Pinguino and Raffi, but they'll be fine.

Part 24

Tag List

@madamsnape921

@lolliepopsicle

@chasingeverybreakingwave

@milkshqke

@wanniiieeee

@word-scribbless

@gibbs274

@sassyada

@aprildecker-blog

@bookishfanfic

@stars-in-the-skies-world

@stars-trash-18

@omgsuperstarg

@objection-argumentative

---------------------------------

It was finally the night before your wedding day. The day you had been waiting for since you had first kissed Rafael, if you were being totally honest. You were staying at Chloe’s due to the whole traditional “not seeing each other” before the wedding; it was the first night you had spent away from Rafael since the whole “Nevada” debacle. You wanted to prove to him and yourself that you could spend one night without him cuddling you like a toddler afraid to sleep in their own bed. But the more you drank during your “last girl’s night” the more the demons came out for you. Before you knew it you were hiding in your old bathroom dialing Rafael’s number.

“Baby aren’t you--” He started to ask you but you cut him off.

“Do you still want to marry me?”

“Ay dios,” You heard him chuckle. “Si, mi amor,”

“¿Estás seguro?” You asked worriedly.

“Yes carino,” He said very seriously. “I am very very sure,”

“...Okay,” You said in a small voice.

“Now go have fun and tell Chloe not to let you drink anymore, comprende?”

“Si,” You rolled your eyes. As you came out of the bathroom, you were greeted by Maria who was now in your former living room...for some reason.

“Hey babe, so Maria came by for--”

“I came by to ask you a favor, mija,” Maria cut Chloe off.

“Oh um--” You tried to act more sober around the only mother figure you’d really been around since forever. “Yeah sure! What’s up?”

“Well, I know we haven’t known each other that long, but Raffi is basically my son, so I consider you like a daughter,” She smiled sweetly at you, and you were suddenly aware that she was carrying a box with her.

“Oh, well that’s very sweet of you Maria,” You tried your best not to look uncomfortable.

“My husband Felipe and I,” She explained as she opened the box. “We were never able to conceive children ourselves,” She pulled out a very ancient looking, very detailed veil from the box.

“This veil has been worn by many generations in my family, and if I can’t pass it onto my own daughter, it would be my honor to give it to you to wear tomorrow,”

“Oh, Maria,” You did your best to hide your disgust for the veil, looking at her teary eyed smile. You glanced over her head and caught Chloe’s gaze; she was making a face that mimicked how you felt. It was like one of those fruit hats women wore in movies or commercials, only white and frilly. But what could you do?

“I’d be honored to wear it,” You nodded sweetly. Maria threw her arms around you with a tearful cry of joy. Behind her Chloe waved her arms wildly like “what the hell are you doing?!”. You could just shrug like “what else am I supposed to do?!”

“Bless you, hermosa,” She kissed you on the cheek as she stood up to leave. “Now I’ll leave you ladies to your fun,” She smiled and waved as she walked out the door.

“...What the hell?” Chloe couldn’t help but erupt in giggles as she properly examined the monstrosity.

“Shut up,” You tossed a pillow at her. “What was I supposed to do?! She was asking me to carry on her family name, or something,” You looked at the door where she had left; although you were still pretty drunk so you half remembered the conversation.

“Well if Rafael marries you while you wear this, you know it’s true love,” She snickered as she put it on you and turned you towards a mirror above your key ring holder.

“Oh God…” You threw your hands over your face and fell onto the couch face forward.

“Hey hey hey, don’t wrinkle it!” Chloe continued to tease and giggle. “That thing probably came over in some old Cuban woman’s raft,”

“I hate you,” You muttered through the cushions.

“You’ll hate me more if I don’t get you in bed right now,” Chloe shook her head with a laugh and a bottle of water. “But first, drink this. We don’t want you hungover on your big day,”

“Thanks mom,” You took the water and headed to your room, leaving the veil on the couch.

------------------

The next day Chloe woke you up by jumping up and down on your bed yelling “IT’S YOUR WEDDING DAY!!!”

“...Jesus Christ Chloe,” You grumbled. “It’s too early for this,”

“Too early?” She scoffed, plopping right on your butt making you grunt. “Nonsense. It’s your wedding day!!”

“Which begs the question why you’re so happy about it,” You raised a suspicious eyebrow.

“What? I can't be happy for my best friend to get her happy ending?” She feigned offense.

“....Uh huh”, You continued to give her the look.

“And the fact that my bridesmaid’s dress makes me look like a classy pornstar?” She added.

“....An oxymoron, but go on,” You waited for it.

“....And the fact that every eligible lawyer and cop are gonna be at this wedding?!” She finally exclaimed.

“There it is,” You nodded your head with a roll of your eyes as you threw on some clothes to go downstairs.

------

There was a limo waiting outside Chloe’s apartment for you and her. You hesitated getting in, remembering the last time you were in one of them. Chloe decided she’d do a ‘sweep’ for you. She jumped in and slid down the seats, squealing in delight.

“All clear babe! Check out what the husband left you!”

You cautiously slid in the limo to see Chloe pointing to a mini bar/fridge full of sweet pastries and champagne.

“Good lord,” You shook your head with a smile. “Chloe maybe we--” You were starting to say maybe at least wait until 11 am to start drinking, but she had already popped the champagne.

“Here,” She grabbed orange juice from the mini fridge. “Mimosas, the breakfast drink,”

You just stared at the drink she was trying to hand you; orange liquid in a champagne flute. You closed your eyes and told yourself the mind elixir was bright orange like Fanta, not orange juice. You took a deep breath and slowly accepted the mimosa, sipping it. See? You were fine. Everything was fine.

-------------

As you pulled up to St. Michael’s you saw it was swarmed with cameras, reporters, and people in general. It looked like a circus. You saw the crowd and silently wished you had said screw tradition and had Rafael there with you. But you were a big girl, and you had Chloe.

“...Can we get out somewhere less...this?” You nervously asked your driver.

“Absolutely ma’am, I’ll find a private entrance. No problem,”

“Thank you,” You sighed in relief.

-----

After driving around the church a few times, the driver finally found a side street blocked off. He informed the copper he had you in the limo, and the cop waved your limo inside. Chloe jumped out of the limo while holding your hand, nearly breaking your arm.

“Oh! Wait! Hey Jeeves, can we get those pastries and mimosa’s in the lady’s bridal suite?”

“Chloe his name is not--”

“It’s fine, ma’am,” The driver chuckled. “I’ll make sure the refreshments are delivered to your dressing room,”

“You’re a doll,” She blew him a kiss before she continued pulling you through the huge building like she knew exactly where you were going.

“Excuse me, where do we go?” Chloe asked a random man in a suit.

“Oh, it’s you Ms. Y/N!” The man pulled out a camera and began snapping photos.

“Oh my god--- What is WRONG with you people?!” Chloe shoved him aside and took you down another corridor. Finally you reached a doorway that was guarded by two armed guards.

“Hi, do you know--”

“Right this way,” One of them took your hand. “Mr. Barba is already inside getting ready,” He nodded to the door as you walked away. You wanted so badly to swing open the door and jump into his arms, but you knew you had to stay calm.

“Great!” You did your best to smile at him as he led you and Chloe down the hall to another doorway. He opened it to reveal a huge room with a vanity, a changing wall, two long body mirrors and a lush couch. Two sinks lined the wall and a room with a toilet was behind it. Yours and Chloe’s dresses were hanging on the changing wall, and sitting on the vanity were your treats from the limo.

“Weee! Look at all of this!!!” Chloe clapped her hands and giggled wildly as she danced around the lavish room.

“I mean, it is nice--”

“Nice? God I wish I was getting married here!” Chloe sighed as she poured herself another mimosa.

“Well, if you ever find a man I’ll look into it,” You teased her.

“Uh I think you mean WHEN,” She pointed out. “And I think the ‘when’ will be by tonight!”

“My wedding reception isn’t a singles mixer, Chloe,” You rolled your eyes.

“Well of course not,” She shook her head. “It’s a BALL!”

“Oh good god,” You groaned with a small laugh as you poured yourself a mimosa and downed it.

“Whoa there killer, let’s slow it down there,” She gave you a look. “Wouldn’t want you stumbling down the aisle in front of a million people,”

“...Do you think you’re helping?” You asked her in an annoyed tone.

“Sorry, sorry,” She apologized as there was a knock at the door. Chloe answered it to see two women carrying makeup cases and hair tools.

“We’re here to get you ready, Ms. Y/L/N,” One of them smiled at you.

“And her maid of honor, right?” Chloe jumped in.

“Uh...if that’s what the bride wants,” The other one looked at you with a wary stare.

“Yeah that’s fine, actually please do her first by all means,” You waved them over to the long sink wall and vanity.

“You’re a good friend,” Chloe put her hands over your face with tears in her eyes as she smiled.

“...You’re ridiculous,” You patted her head sweetly before she sat in the vanity, ready to be made over.

While Chloe was being turned into a princess, you walked over and admired your dress that looked like it was made for one. It was a long, cream white colored sleeveless dress with intricate cubic zirconia diamonds sewn into the bust. It was the simplest dress Chloe had let you pick. Suddenly you remembered the cornucopia veil, it was sitting on the couch in the box Maria had brought it over in. You pulled it out and put it on; when one of the stylists saw it she gasped.

“Oh, ma’am, I don’t know--”

“My...mother, asked me to wear it,” You stopped her.

“Right,” She nodded uncomfortably while Chloe tried not to laugh at the disgusted faces they were clearly trying to hide.

---------------

After what seemed like hours, you and Chloe were finally done in full make up and up do's. One of the ladies picked up the ancient headwear and tried positioning on your hair as best she could. She took several tries, using hair pins and hairspray before she finally stepped back.

“Lovely,” She smiled as she stepped back to admire her work. You looked in the vanity mirror to see your finished look. The headdress felt like it weighed five pounds, but it was intricately woven into your hair, there was no getting it out now. You longed for the moment Rafael would rip it off your head as soon as you were alone in your honeymoon suite...or, y’know before then.

“Well we’ll see you out there ma’am,” One of them nodded as they gathered their stuff and scooted out the door, leaving you and Chloe alone once again.

“Well,” Chloe examined your head. “At least you won’t lose it…” She was cut off by a knock at the door. You started to open it when you recognized those eyes.

“Rafa!” You slammed the door and yelled through it. “What are you doing? We can’t see each other before the wedding, it’s bad luck,”

“Baby I think we’ve gotten all the bad luck already out of the way,” He called through the door. “And I really, really need to talk to you,”

Your eyes widened in panic as you looked at Chloe, who sprung into best friend mode. “Calm yourself, I’m sure it’s nothing…” She walked over and put her hands on your shoulders.

“Stop freaking her out counselor, are you planning to run? Tell me now so I can get out there and tie you to a chair,”

“What? No! I just-- Y/N please will you open the door, por favor?” He sounded seriously distressed, and he used his secret weapon: speaking in spanish.

You sighed and slowly opened the door, revealing Rafael in a gorgeous black and white tux, and the tallest top hat you’d ever seen.

“Well well well, Mr. Monopoly, don’t you look spiffy?” Chloe snickered, causing you to hit her while Rafael made an even more distressed face.

“I knew it, god it’s awful,” He sighed as he took it off his head and walked inside the room.

“So why are you--?” You started to ask.

“The mayor said it would ‘look better on tv’,” He scoffed in disgust.

“Oh Jesus--” You rolled your eyes. “Baby why didn’t you just tell him--?”

“Because that stupid fucking contract we signed said we would go along with everything he said for the rest of this whole shit show!” He growled at the mess he had gotten himself into. The mayor knew damn well how much more “favors” he would ask of him before he signed that contract, he just knew it.

“Well, if it makes you feel any better…” You pointed to your own head. Rafael’s worried expression turned into a relieved smile as he finally noticed the bird’s nest on your scalp.

“...Maria sprung this on me last night,” You pointed to it. “At least you can take yours off,”

“...Well, that does help a bit,” He half smiled as he examined your ceremonial headdress.

“Is that it mi amor, you’re freaking out over a hat?” You put your hand on his face.

“Well our children are going to see these photos! Videos! Our GRANDKIDS! They’re going to think their grandpa was a huge douche,” He cried overdramatically.

“...Is this what it’s like to be with me? Because I don’t love it,” You teased him.

“I’m serious, Y/N! This isn’t funny!” He gave you a pitiful pout.

“...What else?” You gave him an expectant look.

“What else?”

“All of this over a hat?”

“...Alright fine,” He sighed as he sat down on the lush couch. “I know what I said about all that mattered was me and you standing across from each other but--”

“But?” You gave Chloe a worried look.

“But I also wanted someone else,”

“....Who, Olivia?” You rolled your eyes.

“No!” He exclaimed. “No, my childhood priest, Father Hernandez,”

“Oh,” You said with a relieved sigh. “Well, baby why don’t you just--”

“Because they’re being super particular, stupid Catholics!” He got up and started pacing.

“Apparently THEIR priest Father O’Shannon is ‘assigned’ to this place. God forbid anyone dare replace him,” He grumbled as he continued to pace.

“So you--”

“And it’s just the last straw on top of all of this bullshit, all this bending. I can’t do it!!” He threw up his hands in frustration.

“....Baby, breathe,” You stopped his pacing and pressed your forehead against his, your own personal calming gesture.

“God I guess it is true what they say,” Chloe suddenly spoke up, causing you both to give her a perplexed stare.

“In a couple when one person starts to go off the rails the other one instantly becomes the calm rational one,” She gestured between the two of you.

“Hey, I am NOT--” He protested.

“Baby please,” You shook your head. “I almost forgot how high strung you were until this moment,”

“High strung?” He took offense. “What are you talking about?”

“You forget that I worked for you,” You giggled.

“I’m high strung at work?” He asked. The question caused you to erupt in laughter. “What?! Am I?”

“Oh no sweetie, you’re totally mellow,” You smiled sarcastically.

“How am I--?”

“Think about how much coffee you drink at work, Rafa,”

“I don’t see how that is relevant,” He huffed. He loved his coffee, so what?

“...Mmmkay,” You chuckled, kissing his cheek.

“Well whatever, kettle” He made a pouty face.

“Fair,” You chuckled. “But we’re talking about you right now, pot,”

“Hey, I think I have done more than my share of helping you through your little ‘episodes’, it’s your turn!!!” He crossed his arms like a kid.

“Oh really? ‘Episodes’?” You replied in a snarky tone. Chloe sensed the rising tension and sprung into action.

“Okay! I think that’s enough, Pot. Kettle.” Chloe stepped in between you. “You’re clearly both too high strung for this conversation,”

“He started it,” You stuck your tongue out at Rafael like a five year old.

“Okay now let's not turn on each other, then the terrorist headwear wins,” She pointed to the hat on the vanity and your head.

“....Well do you have a solution, Gandhi?” You raised an eyebrow.

“Actually,” She smiled proudly. “I think I do,” She grabbed her phone and began typing something into google maps.

“You wanna share with the class?” Rafael asked as he gave you a look, like you were supposed to understand her crazy.

“.....Have you seen The Office?” She asked them, then glanced at you with a knowing look. Your face turned into a huge grin as you realized what she was implying.

“Chloe, you’re a genius,” You grabbed her in a hug.

“I know,” She nodded with a cocky smile.

-----

Chloe popped her head out of the door, making sure the coast was clear. When she was sure, she motioned to the two of you out and down the hall towards the back door where you left the limo. You and Rafael got in, and Chloe began to shut the door when you stopped her.

“Aren’t you coming?”

“Someone has to vamp!” She pointed out.

“You're a good friend, Chloe,” You gave her a kiss on her head.

“I know,” She said boastfully. “Just hurry, my bubbly personality can’t hold them off for long,” She slammed the door and you were off.

-----

“...Fucking New York traffic! Estúpido tráfico de mierda,,,” Rafael began muttering under his breath. His childhood church in the Bronx was at least thirty minutes away with the busy Manhattan traffic. You put a hand on his knee to try and soothe him, but he was extra wound up by now. It reminded you of when you were just his assistant; he’d get this way when a trial wasn’t going his way and he felt backed into a corner. The worst days you’d seen him have at the office, where he’d suddenly take off for hours in the middle of the day….

That gave you an idea.

“Baby,” You snapped him out of his internal ranting monologue. He turned to you with a dismayed look.

“I’m sorry, carino,” He apologized, taking your hand that was placed on his knee. “I know I’m--”

“Can priests marry people outside of their church?” You simply asked him.

“....Like a closer church?” He looked at you in confusion.

“.....Actually, I was thinking somewhere closer,” You bit your lip with a smile as you took his phone and typed in an address that linked to the driver’s phone map. He glanced down at it and gave you a huge smile.

“You’re the best,” He gave you a huge kiss as the limo made a U-Turn.

------

Luckily Father Gonzalez used a bike for his transportation, so he was able to make it through traffic pretty easily. He met the two of you outside Central Park pretty soon after you got there.

“I appreciate you doing this for us, Padre,” Rafael hugged the priest tightly. “I didn’t want anyone else marrying us,”

“Claro, Rafael,” He smiled. “Of course! I was hoping St. Michael’s would have a change of heart, pero--”

“You know Catholics,” Rafael rolled his eyes.

“Si,” He nodded. “They’re almost as stubborn as you!” The padre chuckled. Then he noticed you.

“Ay, Rafa,” He gestured at you. “es este su prometido?”

“Si,” You nodded. “Soy su prometida,”

“Ay bien! Ella habla español!” Father Gonzalez smiled brightly. “So are you two ready?”

“Si, Padre,” Rafael nodded. “But first, we need the right backdrop,” He grinned as he took your hand and walked into the park.

----

It was the middle of the day on a Saturday so the park was full of families playing, joggers, street artists and the like. Luckily for you however, nobody seemed to want to see the penguins today. The enclosure was almost empty except for one elderly couple.

“Witnesses!” You beamed at Rafael as you calmly walked up to the two and tapped the woman on the shoulder.

“Excuse me,” You smiled sweetly. “Would you-- my fiancé and I, we’re supposed to get married in this huge chapel down the street from here, but it was just all too much circus so we snuck away so that we could just get married in our favorite spot here and--”

“Baby, too much detail,” Rafael laughed. He loved it when you would ramble on about something when you got excited, but you were on a time crunch.

“...Right,” You blushed. “Anyway is there any way--”

“You’d like us to be witnesses, dear?” The old woman smiled brightly at you.

“Yes, if you wouldn’t mind,” You smiled gratefully.

“Of course not!” The man with her chimed in. “Y’know, back in our day, we had to get married in secret too,”

You suddenly noticed that they were an interracial couple; a white woman and a black man. Your smile faded a bit as you thought of the hardships they must have been through, just to be together, similar to you and Rafael.

“Okay, we’ll do the fast version of this, mijos,” The Padre opened his Bible and began to speak, but looked at the two of you.

“Actually, you know you’re going to do this whole spiel in a little while anyway, why don’t you say your vows in your own words while you can?”

“Oh God,” You muttered, then gasped. “I’m so sorry! I--”

“It’s fine, senorita,” He nodded.

“I just...I’m not great, with the speeches and the speaking in public thing,” You twirled the one piece of hair hanging from your updo in your hand nervously.

“I mean, we’re not exactly in public, amor,” Rafael smirked.

“You know what I mean!” You hit him playfully. “I just...I want it to be perfect,”

“If you speak from your heart dear, it will be perfect,” The old woman assured you. “Just look into his eyes and say whatever it is you’re thinking,”

“....Well, maybe not ‘everything’,” The old man added with a laugh, giving you two a raunchy look. Good lord.

“Okay,” You took a deep breath and took Rafael’s hands, looking into his gorgeous green eyes.

“I...um….” You looked down nervously.

“Hey,” Rafael cupped your chin to look at him. “It’s okay, mi amor. It’s just me, it’s just us. Just like I said,”

“Just us,” You smiled, then began to start again.

“Rafael,” You took a deep breath. “It’s...it’s hard for me to make some big speech because the truth is, when I look into your eyes I forget everything. Every wrong decision, every hurdle we’ve been through, it all just...fades away, when you look at me,” You squeezed his hands tighter.

“You have done so much for me in so little time. People probably think that we’re insane because we’re committing our lives to each other after only really knowing each other for a few months, but the truth is it feels like a lifetime. I feel like I was born loving you, I just didn’t know it until I saw you,” His eyes were starting to water as your voice cracked with your own tears.

“I know that I have put you through so much grief, so much pain and...doubt,” You paused, wiping a few stray tears. “But you have never, not once, abandoned me. You’ve stuck through all of my crazy, all of our shenanigans--”

You glanced over at the old couple who were grinning ear to ear. You didn’t want to get into all the psycho drama you and Rafael had been through in front of total strangers, but he gave you a knowing look when you said ‘shenanigans’. He knew what you meant; because of course he did. You were connected.

“I’m actually really glad that you had your ‘freak out’ because for one it made me look like the sane one for once,” All of you chuckled. “But also, because it got us our chance to get married our way, in our spot,” You gestured to the cave around you.

“I remember the very first time you brought me here, I thought that it was done. We were done. I thought that our one perfect day was going to be just that-- one perfect day,” You began to choke on your words again as you thought back to that very first day, the day you “magicked” him.

“I never in my wildest dreams thought that--'' You glanced at the Padre and the couple again. “That we’d….start, again here,” You exchanged another knowing look.

“And I certainly never thought you’d propose to me in this place-- with a flash mob, no less!” The Padre and couple laughed in surprise, Rafael began to blush profusely, but you put a hand to his red cheek.

“Literally every single beginning we’ve had-- it started right here,” You wiped more stray tears, already knowing the woman back at the church was going to have to re-do all of it.

“And now it’s starting again-- for the rest of our lives,” You sniffled while Rafael wiped more tears from your face and then his own.

“...Okay I’m done,” You took a deep breath in and out as you smiled at Father Hernandez.

“Alright well then Rafa--”

“Oh wait!!!” You suddenly interjected. “Also, I love you,” You make an “eek” face. “I can’t believe I left that out,”

“...I’m pretty sure that whole speech was an ‘I love you,’ dearie,” The old woman patted your back with a reassuring smile.

“I agree,” Rafael nodded. “And to be honest-- I don’t think I can follow that,”

“Oh come on,” You rolled your eyes. “It wasn’t that great,”

“No it wasn’t great,” He shook his head. “It was perfecto,” He took both of your hands in his once more. “...All I can say is, ditto,”

“Ditto?” You laughed. “Real romantic, Rafa,”

“Well I can’t think of anything more than what you’ve already said!” Rafael shrugged with a laugh.

“Well, except this: You say that I’ve put up with you, and never abandoned you, but neither did you,” He pulled you closer towards him.

“You’ve put up with me plenty, and you could have walked away plenty of times. But you stayed with me. You fought for me. And I will spend the rest of our lives trying to be good enough for you, not the other way around,”

“You’re already good enough for me, Rafael,” You bit your lip as you tried your hardest not to kiss him before Padre said you could.

“Can I kiss her yet Padre?” Rafael read your mind.

“Calma, Rafa,” Padre chuckled. “Do you have rings?”

“Shit, the rings!” Rafael groaned. “Sorry, Padre,” He quickly apologized.

“Wait...baby,” You turned around and looked down at all the decorative stones that lined the bottom of the tank. You picked two up and handed one to Rafael.

“Pebbles,” He smiled at you. “Like penguins,”

“Ah, well then…” The Padre shrugged, having no idea what was happening but went along with it anyway. “I guess, exchange the pebbles now?”

You giggled as you placed your pebble in Rafael’s hand, then he placed his in yours.

“Well then, I guess by the power vested in me by God and the state of New York, I now pronounce you man and wife,” He shrugged with a smile. “Now you may kiss her, Rafa,”

“Gracias, Padre,” He grinned before pulling you into a passionate kiss, a kiss rivaling many of the kisses you had exchanged in this cave before now.

“Now, if you three would like to attend a circus, we’d be glad to have you,” You glanced at your three witnesses.

They looked at each other with confused glances, then shrugged and followed you and Rafael back towards the limo.

---------------

As soon as you pulled back behind the church, the Padre and the couple were shown to seats by one of the security guards while you and Rafael walked back to the bridal suite. Chloe ran up to the both of you before you could make it here, Rafael’s top hat in her hand.

“What the hell, you guys?!” She hissed, then realized you were in a church so she made a sign of the cross and kissed her fist.

“They’re about to start rioting!” She added.

“Sorry, sorry, Chloe,” You kissed her cheek. “You’re a good friend,”

"I want you to realize you've said that three times now,” She smiled proudly. “Be sure to tell all of your sexy eligible lawyer friends that, Rafael,”

“I’ll be sure to slip it in every conversation later, Chloe,” He smirked as he gave her a kiss on the cheek as well.

“Alright now take this magic hat and get down that aisle before the mayor actually kills you,” She shoved the top hat in Rafael’s hands and shooed him through the hall and towards the doors of the sanctuary.

“Alright,” She focused on you. “You ready to do this?”

“I mean…” You gestured to your messed up make up and the veil falling out of your hair.

“Aw crap,” Chloe grimaced. “Ok, well looks like you’re getting the Chloe special,” She went and grabbed her purse from the bridal room and pulled you into the ladies room.

After a few minutes you reemerged with perfect make up and the veil reattached to your hair like a nest. Hey, you just had your perfect ceremony. You could last a few more minutes with this thing.

“Alright, now you’re ready,” She brushed you off and opened the sanctuary doors to signal the piano to start playing the Bridal Suite.

The doors opened and Chloe took your hand as you both walked down the aisle together. The flashing lights and bright red dots from film cameras were starting to overwhelm you as you walked, but you focused on Rafael.

He was at the end of all this erratic tunnel of people gawking at you like a zoo animal. You just breathed in and out and kept your gaze locked into his; his smile was like a bright beacon in the darkness. Finally you reached the altar and he took your hands in his. You felt safe again; you’d always feel safe in his grasp.

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today…” The priest began to speak, but the only thing the two of you heard were each other, speaking volumes to each other with just your looks. It was just like Rafael had promised: Just you and him.

And it would just be you and him, forever.

#rafael barba #Rafael barba imagine #rafael barba x you #rafael barba x reader #law and order svu #law and order svu fanfiction #rafael barba imagine #doppelganger

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the-cult-of-russo · 3 years

Text

Push and Pull (Part 15)

Pairing: Matt Murdock x OC

Warnings: cursing, smut

---------

It was bright and early when Daphne woke up the next morning. She had things to do and no time to waste. The sun was shining through her window, the weather finally starting to get warmer. She put on some leggings with a tank top and then her zip up hoodie over it. She groaned at her hair in the mirror as she dragged her brush through the unruly locks. So many times she considered cutting it so it wasn't so much work, but she knew she'd regret it. Instead, she settled on tossing it up into a high pony and ignoring it. Her trusty backpack was slung around her shoulder and she hopped around as she put her vans on before leaving the apartment.

She squinted slightly at the light once she got out of the building but it didn't deter her. First stop. Coffee. One large latte to go later, she was on her way to see Brett to find out what news he might have. She tossed her now empty cup in the trash can beside the station before she jogged up the steps and inside. She never checked in with the desk, she was a ghost when she was here. That's how it worked. It wasn't such a secret anymore than she was on Brett's payroll which left her to come and go as she pleased, but officially, she was never there. When she walked into the office area, Brett was sitting at his desk just like the day before. He looked like he hadn't even gone home.

"You look like shit," she mused teasingly, putting down the other coffee she'd gotten for him. His eyes lit up at the sight of it and he gave her a tired smile.

"You're an angel," he muttered with a long pull from his drink as she sat down. The coffee at the precinct was the worst and never really did its job.

"Any news yet?" She tried to hide the impatience in her voice but she wasn't sure she succeeded.

"Actually, we do have something. Not quite sure the full details yet though," he murmured. She looked at him expectantly.

"The people we rescued, their fingertips were burnt right off just like the last time. We can't identify most of 'em until they're fully coherent. But they're doing alright. I just can't believe the Chinese were at it again right under our goddamn noses," he fumed, taking another slurp of his coffee.

"I'm not surprised. They probably picked it back up when the heat turned off them again," she sighed. She hoped that once the victims were in a better state they'd be able to get names from them. Some of them might have family that were looking for them.

"Anything from the device?" She asked hopefully

"Yeah, actually. The Chinese requested the meet. They were pretty vague about a lot of shit but they kept saying something about the Italians having a weapon and they wanted to use it. Seemed to be brokering a deal about it. I got no idea what the hell this weapon is, but the Chinese really fucking want it and the Italians already have it. And that makes me nervous as shit," he frowned.

It made her nervous too. What did the Italians have that the Chinese couldn't get for themselves? And why did they want it?

"Well that's unsettling," she huffed with a shake of her head.

"Tell me about it. Good news though, that device you planted must be well hidden. It’s still live and active," he flashed her a grin and she smiled herself as she gave herself a mental pat on the back.

"Do you think it'll be useful?" She inquired.

"No telling yet. I mean mostly it'll be the kitchen staff but it might pick up something. Any other meets we might not be aware of or anyone saying something. Even something small can lead to something big, right?" He smirked, practically quoting her. It made her chuckle.

"At least that's something. If we can figure out what weapon the Italians have we can figure out how bad this all is," she said softly. It made her nervous and she had a feeling things would get messy soon in Hell's Kitchen.

"Here's hoping. There ain't much for you to do with the case right now but I'll let you know when we get any more information. It's just a waiting game now," he replied.

"Ah, my favourite," she smirked sarcastically, causing him to snort. She wasn't known for having patience. She liked answers and she liked them immediately. But in this case, playing the long game would be the only option to getting to the bottom of it all.

She bid her goodbyes to him not long after that before making her way back out into the sunshine. Now it was her next pit stop. A short cab ride later and she was at a very fancy luxurious home. It was more like a mansion and was three stories high. It looked like it was right out of a movie with one of those grand entrances and a water feature out front. She was well out of place as dressed down as she was but she knocked on the door anyway. She wasn't even surprised when a butler answered the door.

"Can I help you, miss?" The older man asked softly. His black and white uniform was crisp and clean and it put her own rumpled clothes to shame.

"I'm here to see Mrs Grimes. I'm Daphne Weaver," she replied awkwardly.

"One moment please," he shut the door and she quirked her brow at how formal all this was. This better pay well. Suddenly the door opened again and he smiled at her.

"This way please. She's been hoping you'd come," he seemed a little friendlier now. Maybe it was because his boss wanted her here so he wasn't all suspicious of what she wanted. Either way, she followed him inside. He led her up the huge ass staircase, the kind that split off at the middle. Everything looked like it cost a million dollars, from the art to all the rare looking things in cabinets. She didn't even feel worthy enough to touch the banister so she kept her hands in her hoodie pocket.

The carpet was lush and a deep purple colour and she found her eyes wandering the hallway they walked down. How many rooms does someone need? No wonder she had staff, upkeep on this place would be a ball ache. They reached a room far down the left and he knocked on the heavy looking mahogany door.

"Enter," a female voice rang out. It was slightly accented but she couldn't place it. Jeeves opened the door and gestured for her to go inside. She glanced around the room curiously as she walked in. It was a living area with a grand fire. Heavy bookcases lined the walls of the room and were filled with what looked to be antique books that Daphne found herself wanting to look at. There was a giant fur rug in front of the fireplace with velvet looking sofas set in front of it.

That's where Mrs Grimes was sitting, looking perfectly in place for where she was. She was wearing a long black dress, heels bigger than anything Daphne could ever walk in. Her greying blonde hair was neatly coiffed and pinned up and she was dripping in diamonds. Jesus.

"Pleasure to meet you Ms Weaver, please sit," she smiled warmly at her, gesturing to the other sofa. Daphne was half worried her vans would dirty the goddamn carpet as she padded over and plonked down. Despite it being completely over the top and not really her taste, she did appreciate however how clean and neat everything was kept. A place like this could easily fall into being cluttered and dusty but it was pristine. She supposed the staff were to thank for that. Mrs Grimes' nails were so long she doubted she could do much cleaning herself. Daphne wasn't sure how she didn't accidentally gauge her own eyes out.

"Would you like something to drink?" She asked politely. Jeeves was still hovering near the door no doubt waiting for his command. She was tempted to say yes to see what kind of beverages the other side drank, but she didn't want to stay long.

"Uh… no thank you. I'm fine," she replied with an awkward smile.

"Very well. Hammond, leave us," she dismissed the man at the door. He gave a dramatic nod before he left and shut the door behind him. She idly wondered if he ever wanted to punch his bosses when they commanded him to do things like that. She'd never be able to hold a job like that down.

"I'm glad you came, I was worried you wouldn't," the older woman started, elegantly crossing one leg over the other.

"A job's a job," Daphne snorted lightly, her hands still stuffed in her pockets lest she touch something and ruin it. Mrs Grimes gave her a tense smile, looking like it was difficult to be polite. Maybe she wasn't used to the lower class being in her home.

"Indeed it is. Will you take the case?" She asked hopefully.

"Yeah, I'll be able to do it. As I tell all my clients, I don't give out time frames. I never know how long it'll take me to find what I need or what roadblocks might come up. I don't appreciate impatience and it doesn't make me work any faster," she said firmly. Establishing boundaries was the first thing she liked to do. It was important. Especially with the wealthy ones as in her experience they tended to be the impatient ones with their self importance.

"Very well. I accept your terms. And please, whatever you find, do tell me," she implored. Daphne nodded, she always did no matter how shitty the information she'd gained was. Mrs Grimes stood, walking somehow with grace and ease in those monster heels as she walked over to a cupboard near the wall. She opened a drawer and came back with some paper.

"Me and my husband used to be very much in love. And I'm afraid now that I'm older he's decided to find other companions. Call me paranoid but I'm sure you understand when to look into a gut feeling," she mused as she walked back over and sat down. Daphne nodded again. Her gut was rarely wrong and it was telling her that Mrs Grimes was right.

"I want confirmation. I want to know who with and how deep it runs. If it's just physical or something more. I want to prepare myself should he try to divorce me and take what I have. I need proof," she stated seriously. Daphne's eyes subconsciously swept across the room and all the fancy things in it.

"I know what you're thinking. And I was the one with money, not him. He makes a decent amount with his job but I was born with money. This house was passed through my family for generations. Everything in it I bought. But over the years I've had my eyes opened to how greedy my husband can be. I cannot trust if we separate that he won't try to take everything from me," she sounded bitter and Daphne wasn't surprised. They definitely sounded like they had issues and once trust was gone in a relationship, everything else had no foundation to stand on. It wouldn't last. She commended the woman for thinking ahead to make sure she was protected if it came down to it. This kind of bullshit was why relationships were too much work.

"I'll find out what I can. I'll be honest, some of my methods aren't quite… legal. But it gets the job done," Daphne muttered. Things like breaking and entering were definitely illegal and then there was hacking if she ever needed to do it, which in this case might prove useful.

"Good," Mrs Grimes smirked at her. She found herself smirking back at her. The rich typically didn't care too much about how she got the information, just that she got it. Mrs Grimes reached down to her Gucci purse, setting it on her lap and she grabbed something out of it. It was her wallet and Daphne was curious what her offer would be. She hadn't spoken to her about price points yet and when it came to her wealthier clients she made a point of waiting to see what their offer would be first. Usually she’d haggle a little just because she could. They'd have the money and they wanted the information.

She watched with a keen eye as Mrs Grimes took a chunk of money out and handed it to her. A quick count told her it was $1000 and it took effort for her eyes to not bulge out as she kept a cool calm facade.

"That's the deposit. You'll get the rest when the work is complete. Another $1000. I may give you more depending on just how much you find out," she drawled. So she wouldn't need to haggle then, this price was insane and way more than what the job would entail, but like fuck she would tell her that. She also appreciated the incentive. She liked a challenge, something to work towards. The more she found out then the more she'd get paid.

"Sounds good to me. I'll get started in the next few days," she replied, keeping her calm demeanour and not acting like she was thinking of what she would spend her money on once she got it all. She carefully stuffed it in her backpack before zipping it back up. She almost jumped when the older woman dinged a bell beside the table and it took all of her willpower not to roll her eyes as the butler walked in.

"Yes, Mrs Grimes?" He enquired politely.

"Please see Ms Weaver out. Have one of our drivers drop her off to wherever she needs to go," she commanded softly. Part of her wanted to protest but the other wanted to pretend she lived the fancy life, even if just for a moment.

They both stood and Mrs Grimes took her hand in one of those fancy people hand shakes that were flimsy and light.

"It was a pleasure, Ms Weaver. I hope to hear from you soon," she smiled.

"Likewise," she replied, not really knowing what to say. No matter how many well off clients she saw she always felt weird and out of place interacting with them. She followed Jeeves out the hall and down the large stairs case. He stopped when he got by the front door and picked up a phone that was attached to the wall. She stood there looking around as the man spoke in hushed tones down the receiver before hanging up and then opening the grand front door.

"Have a lovely day, Ms Weaver," he bowed politely.

"Uh… you too," she murmured as she stepped outside.

The door shut with a clang behind her and she was suddenly on her own outside. It didn't last long though as a large black car pulled up right at the entryway.

"Ms Weaver?" A man called out after rolling the window down. She nodded and walked over. She was getting sick of being called that name. The man hopped out, jogging over to the back of the car and opening the door for her. This really was fancy service. She gave him an uncomfortable smile, not used to this level of service from anyone. It felt wrong almost. But she slipped inside and settled in the ridiculously comfy car seats.

"Where to, Miss?" The man asked once he was situated behind the wheel again.

"Um… Fogwell's gym please," she murmured in response. He punched in something on the phone he was using with the GPS and then he took off. There was a reason she was dressed the way she was after all. She didn't want to think of Matt being a weird asshole the day before. As much as part of her considered not going, she really needed to train and she knew he would be there. She was too stubborn to let Matt's weird PMSing get in the way of her learning to defend herself properly.

The drive was uncomfortably silent and she clutched her backpack on her knees. She wondered what it was like to live this life full time. She was a bitch but she didn't feel right with commanding people to do shit, even if she was paying them. It just felt off to her. Before long, the car pulled up in front of the gym. She almost felt like she should pay him or something, totally not used to this kind of exchange. As she unbuckled her seat belt, the man got out and ran around to her door. He opened it and she slipped out, swinging her bag over her shoulder. She noticed the apprehensive look on his face as he looked at the rundown gym.

"Are you sure, Miss?" He asked quietly, like he was asking her to blink twice if she needed help. She almost snorted but gave him a polite smile. She guessed his boss wasn't used to being around places like this. She appreciated his sentiments all the same though.

"I'm sure," she said softly. He nodded, still looking unhappy about it but there was nothing he could do. With a nod, he was back in the car and taking off by the time she walked through the door.

She was quiet and heard loud grunting and the hits of a punching bag. As she came into view, she saw Matt beating the holy hell out of the bag. His fists were flying, grunts and pants leaving his lips with the flurry of punches. The graceful savagery was what always intrigued her about him. But then typically he'd open his mouth and ruin it. He hadn't seemed to notice her yet once again which honestly was perturbing since anyone could come in here and sneak up on him like that. She walked over to the bench, setting her backpack down with a thud. The grunts and punches stopped instantly and the only sound that echoed in the gym was Matts heavy breathing.

"Didn't think you'd show," he said carelessly.

"I wasn't sure either honestly. But I need to train, even if I do have to put up with your bitch ass," she muttered as she started wrapping her hands. He scoffed as he came over, grabbing his water bottle and drinking a large pull from it. He tossed the bottle down again as he made his way to the ring.

"Alright, come on then," he demanded.

"What? I don't get to warm up first?" She asked skeptically with a raised brow. He snorted coldly and shook his head.

"You wanna know how to defend yourself for real, there is no warming up. When you're out there in a situation like this, you don't get that luxury," he retorted. She rolled her eyes but honestly couldn't argue with sound logic.

Instead, she bit her tongue as she put on the gloves and climbed inside of the ring. Matt cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders as they squared off with one another.

"Let's go," he smirked devilishly. He lunged at her but she moved just in time, twirling around as they practically traded places. They started trading blows, although his were very clearly intended not to hurt her, and she was pleased she got some good jabs in. She didn't slow down or stop this time when he deflected or managed a light shot to her side. She just came back twice as hard. She was proud of herself. Her heart was thumping away from the adrenaline and the exertion of the sparring after a while and she leaned against the ropes as they both caught their breath.

"You did good. You're getting better," he sounded reluctant to give her the praise and she rolled her eyes a little at him.

"I want you to teach me how to get out of the hold from last time," she said firmly. His head turned to her then, his hazel eyes not quite landing directly at her as he narrowed them.

"Daphne, I don't think-" he started, only to be promptly cut off.

"It's fine. I need to learn and I'll get over it. I think I'll be fine this time," she urged. She meant it too. She still had lingering effects of her attack but she was feeling a little better recently. And after her and Matt's partially regrettable night together, she hadn't had a nightmare for the first night since it happened. She knew the sex had helped. Whenever she needed to feel better and clear her head, she would have sex. It's why her sister was so worried it would become a crux for her. Her sex with Matt had done wonders for her stress and anxiety over the whole thing so she felt like now was the perfect time to try to learn it.

He was quiet for a moment before heaving a heavy sigh. He yanked his gloves off and tossed them out of the ring and she followed suit before he changed his mind. Climbing to the floor, she lay on her back and bent her knees just like the last time. As he knelt down between her legs, it was hard not to think of the night they shared together and how similar it was.

"Ready?" He asked reluctantly. She gave him a firm nod he couldn't see but could sense and he brought his hands to her throat. Once again, he applied very little pressure but she lay perfectly still. Her heart wasn't hammering like crazy, she wasn't seeing Keiran hovering over her. She was fine. Matt stayed still as he did his head tilt thing and it took her a moment to realise he was listening to her heartbeat to check if she was okay or not. It was kind of creepy but she let it go.

He talked her through the steps of how to get out of that kind of hold. One at a time he'd tell her what to do and correct her if she got it wrong as they did a slow mo version one part at a time to ensure she knew each step. It was more complicated than the last one but after a few step by step tries she thought she had a good idea on what to do. Now it was time to get out of it for real.

"3, 2 ,1," he counted, preparing her somewhat so she didn't lose her shit like last time. This time he applied some pressure around her throat but it was still practically nothing. She felt his weight bearing down on her and she grabbed his right forearm with her left and then used her right hand to grip his left shoulder in a cross grip. Using her left foot, she pushed off his hip, pivoting her pelvis to the right so he was no longer directly above her. She hooked her right leg high up on his back, right under his armpit and she kept a firm grip on him as her left leg moved to wrap around his shoulder too, locking it onto her other. She grabbed his wrist, the one that was in her grip that was now at her mercy on her chest. She knew if she thrust her pelvis upwards sharply she would break his arm at his elbow.

It had happened so fast but she caught herself before completing the maneuver and felt pleased with herself. She let go of his arm and rolled them over so he was now under her. They were both panting and she laughed lightly, feeling good she actually did it. She was a little sweaty and she looked down at where he lay under her. His brow had a slight sheen to his and his hair was doing that thing where it went every which way. His eyes were wandering as he caught his breath with a grin. She wasn't the only one enjoying their session it seemed.

She felt his hands glide up her thighs that were around him and she'd be a liar if she said it didn't make her tingle. His unseeing eyes were burning into her, pupils blown wide. She went to move off him but he held her in place, only now she was hovering right in front of his face. One of his hands rested on the base of her neck and he pulled her down a little. She stayed still though and resisted as her lips were a breath away from his.

"We're not on the same page, remember?" She teased him, enjoying seeing him this worked up. She squeaked when her back hit the mat when he rolled them over quickly. She hadn't expected it.

"I'm over it," he smirked devilishly at her before his lips collided with hers.

She should have really stopped to think about it. To assess the validity of his words. But sex with Matt was something else and it made her feel amazing. All her stress and worries melted away last time. And although she knew going down that rabbit hole wasn't good with her past of sometimes becoming dependant on sex for her own mental well being, she couldn't really help herself. She blamed Matt for being insufferable and ridiculously attractive. The kiss was rough and demanding and she gave into him, moaning as he pushed himself against her through the thin fabric of their pants. He knelt up, tugging at his vest and lifting it over his head. Something dawned on her then.

"We're gonna do this here? What if someone walks in?" She snorted amused. She wasn’t one to shy away from sex in weird places but she didn't want some old dude walking in and getting a free show. He tossed his vest on the floor as he chuckled, jumping to his feet and climbing out the ring. She sat up, watching him curiously as he went and locked the door from the inside. She couldn't take her eyes off him as he prowled back to her though. The predatory grace he held, the way his sculpted body moved. In her needy and horny haze she found herself impatient for him to return and she felt like he was taking his time to tease her if his smirk was anything to go by. She pulled her shirt off and then her bra, tossing them in a heap beside them as Matt toed off his shoes.

He knelt back down then, his hands curling her ankles and yanking them lightly. Her back hit the mat with a light thud and she looked up at him shocked before laughing. With a wicked grin, he pulled her leggings and panties off together but painfully slow and her desire was increasing with every second he made her wait for it. She wouldn't beg though. She sat back up, tugging at his shorts and he bent down, kissing her roughly as she yanked them down with his boxers. She fisted him tightly and he moaned into her mouth, causing her to smirk into the kiss. Letting go, she pulled the shorts and boxers all the way off him before pushing him onto his back.

It was his turn to look mildly shocked and she climbed on top of him, her slick heat trapping his cock against his belly. His eyes were darting around her face and she leant forward, catching his lower lip with her teeth. He let out a long groan, arching up at her as she tugged it before letting it go with a pop. She sat up, pushing up on her knees before she gripped him and lined herself up. Without a word she sank down onto him and the pair moaned in relief. It was instant for her, that feeling of him filling her up like that. Knowing her release would come soon. She rested her hands on his firm chest for leverage as she started moving her hips. His hands felt like they were all over her body at once. Not soft or sweet, but firm and demanding and he took in every detail of her body.

The gym was filled with moans and gasps as she rode him hard, her anger at his behaviour and the thrill of fighting with him fuelling her pleasure. She almost found it ironic that they were fucking in a boxing ring with how often they fought. He pulled her down roughly, lips smashing against hers as he ravaged her mouth. She felt that euphoric feeling getting closer, her whole body tingling in anticipation. She got faster and harder, chasing the release she was after like her life depended on it.

"Don't stop," Matt groaned against her lips, one hand gripping the back of her neck while the other was on her ass, fingers digging into her flesh. She had no plan on stopping though. Not when she was this close. She kept up the pace and then she moaned loudly, her body tensing lightly as she clamped down around him.

He let out the hottest fucking noise she’d ever heard a human make and it only heightened her own pleasure as she rode the waves of her orgasm. He was clinging onto her tightly, rutting up into her as he panted and then groaned, spilling himself inside of her. He relaxed instantly. Hands falling to his sides. She sat there on top of him as she tried to catch her breath. Her cheeks were flushed and her hair had started falling out of her ponytail. She was thoroughly fucked and in the best way. That beautiful feeling was coursing through her veins as she let the hormones and endorphins flow though her.

She climbed off him carefully before standing up and stretching.

"I'm gonna hit the shower," she hummed sounding blissful as she scooped up her clothes. She walked completely naked to the showers and got herself cleaned up and presentable. She didn't regret it, it was amazing and she felt good now. And from the sounds he made, he enjoyed himself too. She just hoped he meant it when he said they were on the same page.

--------------

Matt stood in his own shower in the men’s changing rooms as he let the cold water pelt him. His brain was a fried mess and he leaned against the cool tiles as he tried to just think clearly. He wasn't sure why he'd done it again, not after last time. He couldn’t really say what had bothered him about the fact she left last time. He'd gotten out of the shower and went to his room and she was just gone. No words, no note, nothing. He knew it had been purely physical, they could barely tolerate each other. He wasn't stupid enough to think too deeply into it. Yet it left him feeling strangely hollow when she’d just left him like that.

And then when he had turned up to work, Foggy had been acting weird. After some pressure he'd told Matt about his conversation with Daphne. Matt was pretty sure he hadn't gotten the whole story from him but the gist of her saying it was just sex was clear. And he'd told Foggy she was right. It was a one time thing because of all their pent up anger and the adrenaline from the night they'd had. He told his best friend to stop thinking about it. Yet he hadn't been able to do the same. He'd ended up texting her using Foggy's phone to see if she would be home and then he went to see her. No rhyme or reason or idea why he was going there. All he knew was that it bothered him.

It wasn't like he’d never had casual sex before, although he couldn't say it happened much the last few years. And his inability to understand why he was feeling the way he was led to them fighting again. Because she was right. But he hadn't been able to let it go. So when he left, he told himself it wouldn't happen again. She was trouble and being around her wore him out. It wasn't worth it. So how did he end up here again? Oh that's right, apparently he'd turned into a horny teenager again. A bit of sparring, feeling her body against his and sensing how happy she was in the ring really fucked his hormones over. And now here he was again. Only this time it was his own fault. She’d actually turned him down and he'd been the one to push. He couldn't say he regretted it either. It was the best damn sex he’d ever had and it left him feeling more chilled out than he felt in a long time. He'd keep his mouth shut this time and not act like a teenage girl about it. He dug himself into this hole and now he had to climb his own way out.

-----------------------

Daphne towel dried her hair as much as she could and it left it wavy. She scooped it up in a messy bun on top of her head, a few stands framing her face. The euphoric feeling she got after sex was easing but she still felt calm and settled. It was nice, she didn't get to experience it that much anymore. She really didn't want to have to face Matt, not knowing if he'd throw a tantrum like last time. She didn't want him to read into it again or act all weird about it. It really killed the vibe and ruined her good mood. She'd tried to stop it from happening, not wanting to deal with that again, but she hadn't been able to help herself when he'd wanted her so clearly. There was something addictive about it. But now she felt dread settle into her bones as she thought about how he would react.

She took her sweet time getting dried and dressed simply to buy herself some time. But eventually she was done and she had to leave the changing room. As she walked out into the main part of the gym, Matt was sitting on the bench tying his laces.

"Ready?" He asked softly. No awkward questions, no anger in his voice. Maybe he was on the same page now after all. She felt relief sweep through her, allowing her to enjoy the calmness that she'd been left with after their time together.

"Yeah," she replied, grabbing her backpack and putting it over her shoulder.

Matt grabbed his cane where it was leaning against the wall. He was now wearing a hoodie too and he grabbed his glasses out of the pocket as he slid them onto his face. She wondered if he ever got sick of having to act blind. He was blind but not like the average blind person. He didn't really need the stick and she'd seen him 'bumping' into things like he hadn't known they were there before. When they stepped out into the sunshine, she winced and squeezed her eyes shut.

"Jesus christ! I think I've joined the blind club," she grumbled, rubbing her poor eyes. The sun just burnt the shit out of her retinas. He let out a surprised laugh, the door shutting behind them.

"Here," he grinned. She cracked a wary eye open, seeing him holding out his glasses to her, but she didn't take them.

"It's not like I need them,” he teased. It helped. She felt a little better. She slid them onto her face and her eyeballs thanked her immediately. They started walking down the street together and she glanced into a window as they walked by, looking at her reflection. She snorted at herself. Her hair, despite being recently washed and put up, was a wavy mess. Her cheeks were still rosy pink and the glasses looked weird on her face.

"They suit you," he mused playfully. She shoved him lightly, causing him to laugh when an older woman gasped at her actions.

"Assaulting a blind man in public? It's like you want to get arrested," he smirked.

"Yeah well, Foggy will be my lawyer so I'll be good," she quipped back with a grin. Now they were on the same page they seemed to be amicable after venting their frustration on each other.

"You really think my best friend would take your side over mine?" He asked, faking being hurt as he held his hand over his heart. She stopped walking and he did the same as she looked at him.

"I hate to say it but I think he prefers me now. Not that I can blame him. You are a bit of an asshole," she grinned mischievously. He gaped at her before his hand darted out and went to grab the glasses. She squeaked, holding them in place as he tried to steal them from her face.

"You don't deserve my glasses," he snorted.

"Come on! I need my eyes, I'm not like you!" She whined pitifully.

"And what's this?! My two favourite people, getting along nicely? Is the world ending?" A dramatic voice sounded from next to them. Both she and Matt stilled completely in a comical way before they took a step away from each other. Both of them looked caught out as they looked at a very smug Foggy.

"This is great! Better than great! I love this," he beamed like a kid on Christmas. Daphne groaned and glared at him from the glasses still perched on her face.

"Foggy, I swear! You want us to not kill each other when we're in the same room? Don't make a big deal about it when it happens," she huffed.

"It is a big deal. You're both laughing and smiling together. This is huge. It's like a rare solar event or something," he defended.

She resisted the urge to throttle him as Matt rubbed his temples.

"Foggy," Matt warned lightly.

"Okay! I get it, I'm making it weird. This whole thing is new to you both and I'm just making it awkward," he soothed, holding his hands up in surrender.

"There is no 'thing'. We can't just actually have a moment where we get on with each other before you start trying to marry us off again?" She whined.

"Marry us off? What?" Matt asked quickly, his head whipping to his friend. She snorted as Foggy's cheeks went a little pink and he shot her a glare

"Oh, he didn't tell you he's the captain of ship Maphne?" She laughed loudly. She didn't care if Matt knew. It was ridiculous to her and she was getting payback on Foggy for being a little shit.

"Maphne? Do I even wanna know?" Matt asked exasperated. Foggy shot her another look before standing up straighter.

"You know what, Daph, mock me all you want but this is the hill I'm choosing to die on," he pointed at her. Matt still stood there unsure of what they were even talking about. She opened her mouth for another retort that would no doubt embarrass Foggy further and also maybe make Matt uncomfortable which was a bonus, but Foggy beat her to it.

"Anyway! I'm glad I caught you two, I have great news!" He beamed excitedly. She quirked her brows perplexed as he led them to a table outside of the cafe nearby. The three of them sat around it, Matt and Daphne watching their friend expectantly.

"I finally asked Karen on a date!" He practically squealed. A splitting grin graced Daphne's face, unable not to be happy for him. During their many talks, he'd spoken about his feelings for the blonde and Daphne had always told him to go for it.

"Aw, Foggy! You're growing up, I'm so proud!" She cooed, reaching over and pinching his cheek. He was so happy he just let her.

"That's awesome, man. I'm happy for you," Matt smiled sincerely.

"I know, it's great right? I just finally bit the bullet. I just decided I need to stop being such a baby about it," he explained. He had a weird look on his face though, the same one that usually told her something going on.

"What is it?" Both she and Matt asked at the same time, him clearly picking up on Foggy's weirdness in his own way.

Foggy raised a brow at them both being in sync and she made a point to not even look at Matt so Foggy wouldn't go off on his Maphne tirade again.

"Well… I just… I panicked, okay? I set it all up and she knew I wanted to ask her something. But then I'm like, what if she says no? I mean it's just gonna be me and Karen. Alone. On a date," he uttered looking like a deer in the headlights.

"That's kinda the point, Foggy," Matt teased.

"I know it is. And I couldn't back out because she was just watching me, waiting for what I wanted to ask. I honestly felt like I was about to have a heart attack and I may have asked her on a date but told her it was a double date with you guys," he blurted, barely taking a breath as he did.

Daphne blinked at him for a moment as her brain tried to digest his words.

"You did what?" Matt asked incredulously. Foggy made a pitiful noise and she took Matt’s glasses off and set them in the middle of the table, giving Foggy a look.

"A double date? Implying that me and Matt are actually also going to be on a date. Do you see the flaw in that plan?" She asked slowly, like she was talking to a child about why playing with matches was bad.

"I know! Like I said, I panicked and that's just the first thing that came out of my mouth!" Foggy defended with a sigh.

"And Karen actually bought that?" Matt scoffed, gesturing with his hand to him and then Daphne.

"You're kidding right? She's all aboard this ship, she was actually excited about it," Foggy smirked. She kicked him under the table and he groaned. Matt's jaw ticked as he glared in his best friend's direction.

"This isn't a joke, Fogg. All the shit you give me for keeping my secret from her and you're just lying right to her face about this?" Matt frowned.

"That's completely different. Your secret is dangerous. This one isn't. For all she knows it's your first date too and after that it just didn't work out. Besides, it's not like you're not getting it on with each other, would it really be that hard to just pretend to be on one date?" He pleaded, looking from her to Matt.

"Yes," they both answered again.

"Please? I really need this. If I tell her you're not going she might cancel too. You two are like a buffer, help set the scene and put her at ease. I really like her, guys. I don't want to mess things up," he begged.

"Foggy-" Matt started sternly, only to be cut off by Daphne.

"Fine. But you're paying for dinner," she relented.

Foggy smiled the widest grin she'd ever seen on a human and Matt turned to glare at her.

"You've got to be kidding me," he scoffed incredulously.

"What? Didn't you hear him? He's our friend, Matt. Let's just do this for him. Besides, free dinner," she shrugged. Matt looked pissed and honestly it was a reward she hadn't expected. She'd almost forgotten how nice it felt to push his buttons.

"This is ridiculous. You really think she's not gonna notice we can't stand each other once she's sat at a table with us for a while?" Matt glowered. He had a point but they could just try to be civil for Foggy's sake.

"You know what, Matt, I really hate to play this card but you left me no choice. You lied to me for the longest time and now I have to keep your secret. I already have to start a potential relationship with lies for you. Can't you just do this one thing for me? I never ask you for anything," Foggy muttered with a frown.

A sly grin spread on her face at how underhand it was of Foggy. She almost felt like a proud parent as she watched a million emotions pass over Matt's face before defeat was all that was left.

"Fine. But don't say I didn't want you when this all blows up in your face. And you're paying for my dinner too," he huffed. Foggy looked more than pleased with himself.

"Thank you! You guys are awesome. I'll even pay for your drinks if you actually try and act like you like each other and not make it awkward," he shot them both a toothy grin.

"Hey, let me drink as much as I want and I'll make it really look like we're on a date," she smirked devilishly, a wiggle of her eyebrows and Foggy burst out laughing.

"Jesus christ," Matt muttered quietly with a shake of his head.

"Deal," Foggy nodded firmly, "tonight at 8. It's the Mexican place near the firm," he instructed before he stood.

"Alright. I'm heading out, you coming with, Matt?" He asked, shooting his annoyed friend a look.

"Yeah. You go on, I'll catch up in a sec," he bit out. Foggy gave her a look and a smirk before he started walking away.

"Really?" Matt glared at her, swiping his glasses from the table and shoving them onto his face.

"What? Free food and as much booze as we want? Plus doing your best friend a solid? I know you're an asshole, Matt, but I thought you weren't that much of an asshole," she quipped dryly. He clamped his mouth shut, jaw tense as he pursed his lips.

"Fine," he stood up abruptly, gripping his cane before holding it in front of him.

"You're doing this for Foggy. Don't fuck it up for him just because you've got a stick up your ass," she huffed as she stood up too.

He shot her what she presumed was a dirty look behind his glasses before he started walking away, his cane swinging in front of him. His irritation about the situation only made her want to do it more. It was his own fault really for acting like such a bitch about the whole thing. He was asking for her to make it worse for him. She started walking home as a plan formed in her mind. She'd get nice food and decent booze and she'd get to piss Matt off in a setting he had to behave in. She was actually looking forward to it.

As soon as she got home, she called their firm, knowing Karen would be the one to answer.

"Nelson and Murdock, Karen speaking," came the voice down the phone. Daphne trapped the phone to her ear with her shoulder as she tugged off her hoodie and tossed it in the laundry basket.

"Hey Karen, it's Daphne," she said casually.

"Oh! Hi!" She sounded genuinely happy to speak to her and she wondered why she'd never bothered to speak to Karen more since she was so close to Foggy and Matt.

"I know this is weird, we haven't really spoken much. But I wanted to ask a favour since we're going on a double date," she said carefully, flopping onto her sofa.

"Sure, what is it?"

"Don't tell the guys, it's kind of weird for me. It's just… this is mine and Matt's first date too and it's been so long. I was wondering if you'd help me get ready for the date? I wanna look really good. I mean I know he can't really see, but he just somehow knows these things, right?" She grinned, cringing at how hard she was going at this. She felt a tiny bit bad at lying to her but she ignored it.

"Of course! I'd… I'd really love that. I'm nervous too and it'd be good to just have some girl time," Karen said softly.

"Thank you, I really appreciate this. We could go to the restaurant together when we're done," Daphne smiled pleased with herself. After exchanging cell numbers and goodbyes, Daphne sat back on the couch with a smirk. She wanted to turn heads. Not only just to irritate Matt, using her knowledge of him finding her physically attractive against him, but it had been a while since she went out. Usually she did so with a goal in mind, to have sex. And she would turn heads, a lot of them. Tonight was different but it didn't mean her ego wouldn't enjoy being looked at. It certainly would be interesting.

#matt murdock x oc #matt murdock fanfic #matt murdock #daredevil x oc #daredevil fanfiction #daredevil

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justal0wk3yg4mer · 3 years

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Things I've Said: Watch Dogs Legion (Spoilers)

Me *Player/My Actions* Character Dialogue

Heads up, this will be a long post. Due to the story and all the random missions there was a lot. Not to mention, I still have to play the DLC (That will be in a different post, I will give Aiden and Wrench the respect they deserve.) So sorry and I hope you all enjoy.

It's time to liberate London Boys! *Remembering all the other games I've played that had me liberate London*…Again.

Holy shit, it's November the 5th. 21st Century style.

Wait, am I driving on the left side? Fuck, I'm American and I already suck at driving in videogames.

Give me your secrets.

Bagley: Well fuck me. Me: Bagley! 😲

Long hiatus from this game, because I have the attention span of a 5 year old and started playing other games. I came back to it later and restarted to give myself the full experience and completely focus on this game.

Okay, first go around didn't know about the traps. Now? Now I'm never entering an area without arming every single one.

Careful Claire, those words get you shot.

The voice acting is phenomenal!

I'm so glad I bought the pass, fucking around as Aiden or Wrench is gonna be fun.

You can't find me~~ nobody can find me~~

This is now my cargo drone son, his name is Jeeves. We will travel together and explore London from the skies.

That's Dedsec, ye old clock fixers.

And here I go again. Doing everything else but the main story.

My operatives be lookin' bougie 😎

Fuck this wheel mission. Fuck it so hard.

Who's playing 'Fuck you'? *Goes back to the bike I was riding* Oh! I'm playing 'Fuck you'. Fantastic.

Who's shooting? I appreciate violence but not that violent.

Character: Albion's Global Center is here in London! Me: Crazy...not like they were establish here.

Is that? Is that the DJ from the first game? No, he died...right?

My spiderbaby got the zoomies!

That's Dedsec, we inspire illegal activities.

Bagley roosting someone is the highlight of my day.

Did you hear that man?! They're hoarding the toilet paper!

Bagley, next time, just say you're gonna make the bomb go boom.

Cybermen. Cybermen are back and taking people. (Doctor Who anyone?)

Yo Wrench, Bagley throwing shade at you and your crew.

Dalton had a husband?! Aw, poor baby, not gettin' deported on my watch.

That's incest Wrench.

Hm, Aiden still has that voice.

This house scares me; it has a tone. The AI is her mom, as fucked as that is, I'm calling it.

Oh Aiden, you're not that old...are you?

*Before starting the Assassin's creed missions* Wait, wait. I gotta do it. *Switches to Aiden Pearce* I had to do it, This is the closest thing to a crossover Ubisoft is gonna give us.

Eagle drone? I'm dead. *Gets closer to the drone and it explodes* Did that thing screech?!

Notorious gangsters? Oh, Evie would have a fit. Jacob would be so happy though.

Oh honey, you don't want to get into that wiki history lesson.

Darcy: Assassin's and Dedsec. Could you ever image that? Me: Uh, yeah. It was only a matter of time before Ubisoft broke down.

To Buckingham Palace! *Starts humming 'Hail to the Chief'* Wait, shit sorry, wrong song.

*Finishes all the assassin missions* Oh, new outfit. *Recognizes it as Desmond Miles's outfit* ...Fuck you Ubisoft.

Ah, I see. You can't continue until you do the other level. I see your jedi mind tricks.

Bagley: Oh no, she's off her fucking rocker for sure. Me: *WHEEZING*

*Hears something exploding in the distance* I didn't do it.

I feel that Zero-Day is memeing here. Like the, 'Would be a shame if I', that one.

I fucking knew it! You can't be that much of an asshole AND be desperate for help.

Lau please, for the love of God do not let this woman walk away from here. Fucking look at her smug face!

Random ACP: *Sneezes* Me: *Out of habit* Bless you. ACP: Thank you. Me: O.o *Cue X-Files theme*

Wow, you went off your fucking rocker didn't you?

On my grave. If this boss battle is a Rule of 3. *A few minutes later* IT'S A RULE OF 3!!!

You know you-*Referencing myself. Not calling anyone out*-suck when the game is giving you a fucking hint to go to an easier level.

What if Hamish was Zero-Day? I would be surprised...no, actually I wouldn't. If you really think about it, it makes sense. Now, Sabine? That would totally mindfuck me.

*Talks to Malik and really thinks for a moment* Is it fucking Sabine? Bro, I was kidding. But...*Really thinks about it and pieces are beginning to fit together*...oh fuck. And all of Dedsec is in one place- OH FUCK.

I am going to destroy this fucking van.

Evil listens to classical music cliché.

We gotta kill Bagley! Why?! Well okay, I understand why but WHY!?

*Chaos everywhere* Did I miss the Purge sirens?

Me: Why are there all these weapon caches? Hamish: Tons of drones comin' your way. Me: Ah, that's why.

Bagley: Shutting down this one will be just like the others. Me & My Operative at the same time: No it won't.

Final cutscene? *A minute later* Bagley! You tough AI--wait...'Finding Bagley'?!

How fucking would that be if Bagley was Sky Larson's brother and something happened to him and he became Sky's first subject.

Bagley did you have a boyfriend? 😃

*Plays the final corrupt memory* I FUCKING CALLED IT.

Bagley is Bagley. And Bradley is Bradley. And Sky Larson is dead. All is well.

#watch dogs legion #wrench #aiden pearce #dedsec #video games #gaming #things i've said #assassin's creed #ubisoft

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egelantier · 4 years

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Yuletide Recs

Having had two days of more or less nothing but reading fics, I come bearing recs!

First of all, my amazing gifts:

The Goblin Emperor

For Thy Principles

The nohecharei of Edrehasivar VII were unparalleled in their defense of his person, but there were limits to even their prowess. When Maia first developed the fever, Cala quickly determined that it was not the end result of a magically-based assassination attempt – and from there it had to be left to the court physicians.

Maia falls ill, and Csethiro protects him as best she can.

Beautifully gentle Maia sickfic, with Csethiro holding him together. For me all for meeee.

Benjamin January Mysteries

Dry as a Bone

“Oh. Well, I’ve been better, maestro, been a hell of a lot better to tell truth.” Shaw stared at him for a long moment, and he was stunned to see honest to God grief in his eyes. Even when Shaw had just lost his brother he had been so much more himself than this lost man currently standing before him. “Not that I mean to put anything extra on your shoulders, I’m sure you’ve got enough of your own shit going on at present moment, but it seems like I’ve just lost my job.”

Shaw loses his job, and finally confronts Ben about trust (and lack thereof) between them. It’s GREAT.

The Tarot Sequence - K.D. Edwards

A Distraction Worth Losing

They may never be together, but the gods would have to move heaven and earth to split Rune and Brand apart.

Brand, Rune and The Kiss incident. (Poor messed up babies, somebody save them.)

And fics of the collection:

17776, Astreiant, Raksura, Frederica, The Gentlemen, The Goblin Emperor, Hades, Innkeeper Chronicles, Jeeves, Kate Daniels, King Arthur the movie, My Next Life as a Villainess, Nirvana in Fire, No. 6, Psmith, The Secret Garden, The Sleuth of Ming Dynasty, Swordspoint, The Tarot Sequence, Teixcalaan Series, The Temple of the White Rat verse

17776: What Football Will Look Like in the Future

so far, so fast

When Manny gets a craving for some fancy meal he had once, over ten thousand years ago, Nick decides he’s gonna fulfill that craving, no matter how hard it is. Because real romance is about making the impossible happen for his husband.

Goddamn transcendental.

Go Get It

Sometimes you start out just planning to get some groceries with your husband, and next thing you know, you’re committing to join the most hopeless team in college football.

Nick and Manny decide to play. It’s perfect.

Afterlife

A young man dies six months before the end of human death; his loss saves five lives, which end up much longer than anyone expects. (A series of worldbuilding vignettes about original characters in the 17776 setting.)

Made me cry, in a very cathartic way.

Astreiant Series - Melissa Scott & Lisa A. Barnett

April dressed in all his trim

A quiet evening in spring.

Sweet little slice-of-life with lovely sensory details.

Books of the Raksura

The Second Consort

“When Glow arrives, be friendly and welcoming,” Ember said. “Not scary.”

“Why does everyone think I’m going to scare him?”

Chime said, “They can see your face when you look at him.” He paused, glancing over at Moon. “That face, that’s the one.”

Ember sighed. “I remember being in his position. It’s pretty nerve-wracking coming to a new court and not knowing what’s going to happen to you there - whether they’re going to welcome you or shun you, whether you’ll make new friends, whether a queen is going to claim you…” He came and put a sympathetic hand on Moon’s shoulder. “Glow is probably worried about all of those things, and missing his home and clutchmates, and it’s our job to try and help him relax.” For a moment Moon thought he was just being soft-hearted, until Ember added, “He won’t open up and tell us what’s really going on unless he’s relaxed.”

Jade takes in a new consort, on Moon’s permission, and everybody is delightfully adult about it.

Frederica

Lady Alverstoke

Frederica commences her first Season as a married woman by planning a ball, promising most straitly that her husband will have nothing whatsoever to do …

Sweet and funny slice-of-life post-happy-ending for canon.

**The Gentlemen (2019) **

Even

The week after he intercepts Fletcher, that squirrelly little cunt, outside the London Miramax office, Raymond reluctantly ventures down to Brixton.

Under normal circumstances, Raymond tends to give this part of Brixton a wide berth, but he has unfinished business that needs attending to. Of course, that doesn’t mean he has to like being accosted by the overwhelming smell of greasy fish and chips when he pushes the car door open, doesn’t mean he has to be pleased about stepping into a piece of chewed-up gum the moment he sets a foot on the kerb.

But then, he can always take a shower after an errand in Brixton. The deep-seated discomfort of unfinished business doesn’t wash off that easily.

Raymond tries to pay Coach back for saving his life, and it doesn’t quite go as planned :D

The Goblin Emperor

The Archduke’s Discovery

Prince Nemolis goes on a journey, and learns a bit more than he wanted to know.

Really great point of canon divergence, and true and precise character voices.

Hades

all the spaces between us

For a place full of the dead, crammed with ghostly shades and nothing but the endless lull of eternity unchanging, gossip sure travelled fast in the Underworld.

Or, Zagreus mulls over his relationship with Thanatos while the rest of the Underworld get overly invested.

Slow, slow, slowest of burns.

Innkeeper Chronicles - Ilona Andrews

A Quick Trip

“It’ll be a quick trip,” Maud said, more to herself than to Arland. “No one will even notice we’re gone.”

Pirates are plaguing an ally, just outside of vampire space. Maud and Arland don some aesthetically beat-up armor and try to get more information from the pirates themselves. Of course, plans only last until you meet your enemy. Or your enemy’s giant alien attack boar.

Excellent canon voice, action/adventure sprinkled with badassery and hilarity.

Jeeves & Wooster

August Thirteenth

Discovering that this is not the first August thirteenth that he’s lived through, that certainly was a head scratcher. Luckily Bertie has the stalwart presence of his man’s man, Jeeves.

Very, very great and satisfying use of the time loop.

Kate Daniels - Ilona Andrews

lookin’ like a snack (cake)

It took Barabas a while to figure it out, because he wasn’t used to not being taken seriously.

Barabas considered several ways to phrase it, and finally settled upon, “Do you have a thing for twinks?” Christopher knocked his head back against the headrest: once, then again. “Is that a yes?”

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017)

When Goosefat Bill finds himself in a difficult situation, the last thing he wants is the King to show up and “help”, in his own unique and unexpected way.

Goosefat Bill does not need to be rescued by his King. But he might just enjoy it a little.

My Next Life as a Villainess (Anime)

All I Have To Bring Today

Catarina and Sophia had been discussing the latest in the Devilish Count series, and Sophia had mentioned how romantic the surprise picnic the count had planned for his lover was and how she wished for someone to surprise her like that.

“What about you, Catarina? Have you ever wished for someone to sweep you off your feet?” Sophia had asked.

Catarina makes a choice! As sweet and as hilarious as the canon.

Nirvana in Fire

Adverse Event

What a pitiful man must he have become, if the only thing he could provoke in bed was a monologue on his character flaws.

: or, the famous strategist mei changsu plays xanatos speed chess against truth serum: the fic.

Mei Changsu gets hit with an accidental truth serum; it doesn’t stop him from lying to himself, but it does buy Jingyan a clue.

Records of the Land of Xiang

There was something of Xiao Jingyan there, in the firmness of his jaw, the unforgiving slash of his brows, and most clearly in the eyes that neither saw nor conveyed deception. But Long Zhan was not Jingyan, could never be, no matter how much Changsu might wish otherwise, because Jingyan was dead.

In service to a very-much-alive Prince Qi, Jingyan dons a Jianghu-typical disguise and infiltrates the Jiangzuo Alliance to suss out this Mei Changsu fellow and see if he might be useful in helping them re-open the Chiyan conspiracy case. Basically, a slightly ridiculous premise where everyone is running around the Jianghu with masks, multiple identities, and secret agendas.

Fascinating and fun AU scenario that delves, among other things, into Mei Changsu the jianghu chef, not Sir Su the court schemer.

suffering as I suffer you

The first time Jingyan stays the night at Su Manor, he discovers an uncomfortable truth about Mei Changsu.

Excellent extrapolation of Mei Changsu’s illness into his nightly routine - with Jingyan watching…

Here, In Our Arms

With the world put to rights, however briefly, Xiao Jingyan and Mu Nihuang take the opportunity to make a fuss over their beloved Lin Shu, and will not take no for an answer.

Sweet moment of comfort.

Find the Coals Amid the Ashes

Despite Changsu’s assertions, Lin Chen is a well brought up person. He would never violate his host’s privacy during a social call. It would be inexcusable, for example, to break into a marquis’s private alchemy lab in the middle of said marquis’s birthday party, in order to search said alchemy lab for certain hard to find medicinal herbs, which one has reason to believe can be found therein. These would be the actions of a man without honour, of a man who has only desperation to his name.

Lin Chen crashes a party and makes a new friend.

The best team up ever :D

Dead Letters

Mei Changsu isn’t the only schemer in Da Liang.

Fei Liu fixes things, in the most Fei Liu way imaginable, and it’s great.

No. 6

All Good Things

In the midst of a crisis for No. 6, Nezumi returns to Shion’s side.

A reunion! And cuddling.

Psmith

The Psky Is The Limit

“As this ship’s Orator, my mission is still as it was in the beginning and shall ever be, world without end. It is to hail any message sent by comrades from outer space and pass it on to you verbatim. Well! The hour, I say, has come. The Word has come into being. Here comes Psmith, bearing news of great mirth: the intercom has spoken.”

(A Mike and Psmith Space AU)

Psmith in space! Hysterically funny Psmith in Pspace, at that.

Psmith Pops In

Psmith reached over and solicitously loosened Mike’s scarf, his fingers brushing the skin of Mike’s neck, and that young man, to his horror, felt heat creeping up from where gloved fingers brushed his bare skin. Really, this blushing nonsense was getting out of hand. Ever since Psmith had tried to take the blame in the case of the painted dog, Mike had developed an inexplicable habit of turning hot and cold around him, and these odd responses had become more and more frequent.

Very funny! And then very tragique! And then jussssst right.

The Secret Garden

The Space Garden

When Meri La Nix was sent from the Mars colony to live with her aunt at Missiles Wait Manor, nobody said she was the most disagreeable-looking child ever seen. But some of them thought it.

Beautifully inventive space retelling - with gardens, still.

The Sleuth of Ming Dynasty

The sky spinning above him

In which there’s a jewellery thief on the loose, Tang Fan plays dress up, gets a mild concussion and also a boyfriend.

Frothy, sweet, well-grounded and hot. Also hilarious (check the end note!)

truth in fiction

Three days after Wang Zhi leaves the capital, bits and pieces of his extensive library begin arriving at Sui Zhou’s house.

Sui Zhou is really committed to research and accuracy in Tang Fan’s porn. It’s delightful.

Time don’t fool me no more

“The electrician is a Tang dynasty spy,” he says, dumping some of his eggs in Tang Fan’s bowl.

Tang Fan nods, shovels more food in his mouth, and starts talking again.

Past or future, Tang Fan has Priorities. And Sui Zhou is weak.

Meeting at the End

Sui Zhou knew he never should have let Tang Fan go alone. He knew he should have gone with him.

Really, really great and desperate whump. Super satisfying.

clever boy

Tang Fan never spares a smile for any of the girls at Wang Zhi’s establishment, he’s noticed. That’s alright, though. It means Wang Zhi gets his attention for himself.

Wang Zhi falling, falling hard; it’s delightful.

a bold and brilliant sun

“You’re sure you didn’t do something to it? They don’t usually stall out,” Sui Zhou says. He looks away from Tang Fan, out the windshield at the endless rust-red of the planet.

Tang Fan pouts at this, and slumps down on the edge of the console, feet propped up at an absurd angle against the pilot’s seat. “You think I’d fake a mechanical issue just so that they’d send a sexy Fleet crewman out here to rescue me?” As soon as the words are out of his mouth, he giggles. “Okay, I would do that, but I promise that this time the problem is real.”

Space AU! Most excellent space AU condensing all there is to love about the canon in one perfect package.

Blind Taste Test

Wang Zhi invites Tang Fan to evaluate Joyous Brothel’s chefs — but it’s Tang Fan and Sui Zhou who are really being tested.

Wang Zhi, ever helpful :)

Authorial Intent

Sui Zhou and Tang Fan end up in hot water yet again. Kinky sex ensues.

Hilarious, kinky, heartfelt, and in character.

Swordspoint Series - Ellen Kushner

Chrysopoeia

It struck Alec that this would have been much easier if their positions were reversed. Richard would have known what to do if he’d been dragged back here with a hole in his gut. He was quite simply not supposed to be the one on this end of the equation. In fact, it was possible he had done something very bad to deserve this.

Richard is wounded, and Alex is coping. Excellent h/c and excellent bloodplay and sharp, painful slice of Alex’ POV, excellently rendered.

At first — this was just like him — he thought he was hearing god. But it was only the man in the bed, whose face had turned toward him on the ragged pillow.

The Tarot Sequence - K.D. Edwards

Third’s a Charm

Addam asks a favor of Brand.

Addam asks Brand for help, which ends up being exactly what Brand and Rune need.

Pretty good

Five times Brand crawls into Rune’s bed and one time Rune crawls into Brand’s.

Brand and Rune, through the years.

Teixcalaan Series - Arkady Martine

Also in the Act of Reaching

When Three Seagrass arrived at Lsel Station, she was, officially at least, traveling as a private personage. She had missed Mahit and the possibilities they’d both chosen to turn away from. She also had– would always have– a gaping hole in her life where Petal had once stood.

It was simply that, left on her own, Three Seagrass wouldn’t have let either absence drag her to the ass-end of beyond.

Reunion, metaphors and realigment. Subtle and clever and just right.

The (concept of the) World Was Wide Enough

Yskandr Aghavn comes to the world like a drowning man comes to shore, but he is living on borrowed time. Teixcalaan has so many wonderful things to choke on.

Teixcalaan has had his heart for all of his life, has elevated him, corrupted him, and discarded him.

It is Lsel that he thinks of as he dies.

Temple of the White Rat Universe - T. Kingfisher

If Grace Is Too Much

Zale is given a case by Bishop Beartongue which turns out to be more complicated and personal than a holy advocate-priest would prefer.

Clever and sweet and carefully shocking, but in a very right way.

Outreach

“We don’t generally assess the… cursédness… of objects, trees or otherwise,” Beartongue said.

Utterly delightful.

#17776 #astreiant #books of the raksura #sleuth of the ming dynasty #nirvana in fire #white rat universe #telxcalaan series #the tarot sequence #swordspoint #the goblin emperor #psmith #the secret garden #benjamin january mysteries #yuletide recs

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popculturebuffet · 4 years

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Ducktales Reviews: The Forbidden Fountain of the Foreverglades!

Here I am a day late and 7 dollars short.. because I just bought the lost boys. Scrooge and the kids find themselves in America’s own personal circle of hell Florida to track down the fountain of youth. But with Goldie arriving for the same reason and swiping Finch’s diary, Scrooge and Webby are forced to take off without the boys in persuit while the boys enjoy themselves.. well Louie does, Dewey and Huey fight over whose the older sibling. Meanwhile Scoldie find themsleves magically younger, Webby finds herself crotchety and Rockerduck finds all of them in his quest to get the fountain for himself and be carried around like a baby like Jeeves. Full review with spoilers bellow.

Yes this is a day late, as I had to stop writing yesterday to do other stuff and to help stablize mom’s internet while she worked, and then had a full day with my best friend watching the bizzare but enjoyable double feature of Hubie Halloween and Tales from the Hood. But i’m back and with a LOT of other reviews to get to this week, two more for regular coverage, a review I didn’t finish sunday due to being really tired, and some reviews in time for next week’s episode, no more time for a big intro. Let’s go. Thankfully did get some of this done yesterday soooo...

It's spring break in Duckberg. So while Violet does her vacation research, Lena throws some things into the local ditch and misses webby, Boyd goes on family vacation with his adopted parents, birth creator parent, and Anthony Fremont without the powers thank god, Beakly goes on her annual grannies gone wild vacation, Donald goes on a boat trip with Daisy with his boys crashing, Della tries to party wtih the young people to show she still has it, Launchpad joins her because he is the young people. Fenton works and Penny.. triest to reign her girlfriend in because it’s Donald’s week off from trying to get the non-beakly adults to be reasonable. It’s her curse now.

In the actual episode Scrooge has taken the niece and nephews to Florida, the land that gods forgot.. yes gods forgot. They all did. Except maybe Loki because the god of chaos and storytelling really can’t ignore his people. Much as he’d like to. Sadly we don’t get Scrooge and the nephews on jetskis outrunning alligators iwth guns also on jetskis.. both anthro gators and regular animal gators, that still have guns mind because florida. And yes that is a recycled script from my failed Calvin and Hobbes spinoff pitch, Calvin and Hobbes: Miami Nights. Hobbes has a serious coke problem. Also Opus from Bloom County is there.. I mean hew as just supposed to be a guest star but the execs loved him and Berke was like “whatever can’t be worse than the Garfield movies throw bill in too”. But obviously coked up gators, tigers and bill the cat are not what you came to see so let’s move on. Though if it is hit me up. I think we’d get along great.

Anyways instead of Cokehead and Hobbes, we get a bunch of partying college kids, which given Scrooge already hates young people, this is indeed his own personal hell.. much like everyone whose not young or old going to florida. But spring break hotels are super cheap so Scrooge’s need to save money outweighed his need to not be surronded by young hot morons blowing off steam. Though Webby being webby points out the blowing off steam part.. which is nice of her but is probably only like.. half of them the other half being young dumb rich people looking to get laid. Which is also the mission statment MTV’s had since 2000. 20 years of not being about music and counting!

Anyways, naturally their here for a quest, with everyone else gone for the above reasons I made up but sound plausible and entertaining, as Finch’s diaries put the fabled fountain of youth here. As does a cheesy video from the lion owner of the result played by Nestor Carbonell. If that name dosen’t ring a carbonbell, which fair enough it iddn’t for me at first either, his voice probably will for disney fans who grew up around the 2000′s like me. It’s Senior Junior! From kim possible.

The Late Great Ricardo Montalbon, who I dearly miss to this day,with Nestor as his son, Senior Senior Senior and Senior Senior Junior, which are great names already. Their easily my favorite Kim Possible Villains (Yes I still love Drakken and Shego now hush), and it’s in part because the concept is brilliant: Senior was just a rich man accidently taking all the power in France. Kim showed up to stop him and Ron, her best friend sidekick and later boyfriend and presumably now husband, casually mentioned Senior’s home was the perfect villain lair, and that Senior had the talent for it. Senior took that to heart and spent the rest of the series trying to be the best classical arch villain he could be, trying to adhere to the tropes of one warts and all while his son just wanted to loung around and be young and rich. It was a great dynamic and the two really played off one another beautifully. Hopefully if there’s another reboot nestor can pick up where Montalbon left off with some new hot idiot as his own son. Even if it’s just for the intro you have to admit it’d be great.

So yeah I was happy to have him on board once I realzied this, More on him later I keep getting sidetracked this review and we’re, no joke not even past the intro. But Scrooge needs ice for his back, so the boys have the afternoon off while Webby helps him, because she’s a sweetheart, and Huey’s in charge because oldest.

Thus we get their subplot for the episode.. or most of it but more on that in a bit: Dewey is annoyed Huey is ALWAYS in charge and always overscheduling, case in point he has an afternoon schedule down pat MOMENTS after they arrive. However given Huey later did his research and has a super analytical and regimented mind, it isn’t a stretch to say he spent their time on the plane planning out things just in case. or that he always doesn’t do that when they have to stay overnight. But what makes it work is Dewey’s frustration is understandable. Despite being barely younger he never gets put in charge, Huey while a good kid can be bossy as we’ve seen as early as season one and has even been condescending with it once or twice. So as a younger brother myself I understand chafing under an older brother all the time.

However, Huey being in charge.. makes the most sense. Scrooge , and i’m HEAVILY betting Donald on the boat to present day and every other adult, uses the oldest excuse as something the kids will follow easily without starting a fight over the simple truth that Huey’s the most responsible and organized out of the three. And by that I mean Dewey fighting over it or being hurt at his mom saying it , Louie would probably be hurt but would probably be fine just fine with having no responsibility or effort to put in. Huey makes plans, looks after his siblings even when not in charge, and thinks things through the most of his three brothers. Sometimes overly so, which I can relate to, but point is he’s the best boy for the job, though I could also easily buy that at least for Scrooge, he genuinely buys into oldest is in charge because he was raised that way. Also this episode didn’t explain how he’s immortal but I’m betting “Battle for Castle McDuck” does so no harm done.

Back on point, Dewey is governed almost entirely by his impulses, which does work sometimes as seen with the season premiere, but has also lead to him nearly being sacrificed 74 times, while Louie can lead, he just doesn’t wanna half the time and would likely weasel out of it. And the episode bears this out with Louie being more bothered with the power struggle interfering in his being lazy time and generally being outside it. He just doesn’t care whose in charge unless it benefits him in some way and right now it doesn’t.

I’ll go ahead and cover this plot since, surprisingly, it ends up dovetailing into the main plot, and it’s easier to get it out of the wya here and cover where they start to overlap when the main plot catches up. So Huey leads them around starting with Lounging which goes well: Louie’s naturally on board and while well bored, Dewey sleeps when he can’t just impulsively jump into he pool.

The tide turns however when after his short dip, Dewey seemingly has a growth spurt and is taller and thus takes overa s big brother and forces them to go ahead and lunch.. which runs into both the old people and the old people menu. It backs up what I thought from the start: huey likely knows what he’s doing, which he does; Obviously in Florida old people eat earlier, so Huey’s scheduling wasn’t just his normal OCD flaring up, but using it to strategically plan when to have fun so they could in a packed resort. It also shows how clever Huey is, as even for something so mundane he plans perfectly. He’s my faviorite for a reason.

Huey eventually gets fed up with it and plays Dewey, but Louie, suspcious of the head of the hotel, instead starts piecing things together... and i’ll save that reveal for when it ducktails into the main plot..l because I couldn’t resist that pun and you know it. Not a bad plot, mildly slight but it sets up it’s connection to the main plot well and has a good conlict. Moving onto the real meat of the episode, turns out the race.. isn’t that much of a race as Webby outspeeds both Scrooge and Goldie, who bicker over a canteen and their long history of her betraying him and him betraying her for betraying him etc etc. Webby is delighful here as she’s both understandably awkward playing third whell and not at all fond of Goldie which.. yeah you would be too if she locked you in a closet. It’s nice to see the two interact if not by much. However things soon change when Scrooge and Goldie seemingly get tranformed by the river into younger 18-20 something versions of themselves. Admitley Tennant’s voice for younger scrooge is.. eh, but he still does well enough that you soon stop carring. The designs are great.. and damn if young scrooge isn’t delcious. Seriously it’s only thorugh the magic of network standards that Jodeci’s freak n you isn’t playing over half his scenes. Damn. Him around this age in the comics just looked sorta like donald with sideburns god damn Frank thank you.

Speaking of thirst with their hormones in place it’s naturally not long before the twos old spark that was smothered under decades of betryal comes roaring back, and the two even almost make out before Webby interputs, getting increasingly injured by the everglades.. as most people do by florida itself really. It won’t let you leave in one piece.

But things get interesting when Goldie makes a proposal.. ditch Webby for a bit and go find the fountain. As Goldie brilliantly puts it youth’s wasted on the young.. but not them. This is a second chance. While I heard people comment on “why is scrooge’s age suddenly affecting him now”... honestly it really probably isn’t. While he’s likely been old for some time, we’ve seen his back hurt him once or twice, just faking being hunched hurt him. And while it is played up a bit much in this episode, it’s perfectly realistic that his body has good and bad days. My mother does, I do, most people do as they get older. The parts of you that ache and don’t work right tend to wax and wayne in how much they hate you.

TO me it works to sell why this is tempting for Scrooge: A chance to start over, not abandon his family obviously, and given how much nonsense is around his life and how old he is, it’s not a stretch for duckberg to accept he’s younger than his own son and daughter now. Scrooge can buy or earn anything he wants and really is the man who has everything: He has a loving family, a repaired relationship with Donald, Della back after loosing her, a nice and nephews to carry on his legacy, tons of friends, a thriving empire, and tons of mysteries to track down, including recently ones his own idol never could find. He has everything he could want and tons more adventures to go: Bold New Discoveries, old ones to show his grandkids for the first time, and a cozy mansion. There’s really only two things missing: more time, as even with him and goldie having worked hard magically to stay alive as long as they have, as while they’ve found ways to stay alive, they haven’t been able to stay YOUNG. Sure they’ve added years and years, hell 60′s scrooge only looks somewhat older despite decades having passed, but while they can probably go on for a few more decades, there’s only so much they can do before their time runs out. And the other thing missing from his life quite obviously is goldie. The two clearly love one another.. but scrooge very justifably can’t trust her and can’t have her in his life until she tries to change, and she dosen’t want to. This.. offers a chance to turn back all of that, to cast aside their bitter history and start over as better people than they were before. Scrooge can have time with his family, time he would likely loose eventually to see THEM grow old. Raise their own families he might not get to see. To see those kids grow up and take on their own parents legacy. And to share it all WITH Goldie. TO have her in his family at long last. Sure he’s leaving Webby behind but he’ll come back and as we see she’s fine if understandably upset. Granted I think they could’ve done more with her leaving her, but the sheer brilliance of this plot I didn’t see coming, the sheer pathos of Scrooge’s second chance makes up for it. They find the fountain.. but it’s dried up and unconnected to the river. They also find Rockerduck, out of the amber with his frakenstein butler whose clearly now just a mindless monster. which means whoever did his work really did it shoddy as even frakenstein had some intellegence. He’s also being carried around like a baby which I enjoy throughly. Rockerduck does not look plesant, and i’m happy to have him back as I was upset this character only got adapted for seemingly one episode and was pleased to see him with fowl. They also find a good angle for him: Beisdes the old timey rober baron thing, and looking like Rene Belloq.. he even gets to do the nothing you can’t posses that I can’t take away line which is great and Hodgman is amazing as ever. But yeah besides that, he also gets his comic versions tendency to throw money around and do none of the work himself. The throw money around thing while neat in the comics did need to be reframed, as Glomgold now does it, and so does beaks. But with Rockerduck they found a nice medium for the two: like both he’ll spend massive amounts of dough. Like Glomgold he likes a good scheme, but dosen’t go to the sheer lunatic lenghts Glommy does: His schemes are more practical, stealing a deed from some unsuspecting trusting townsfolk, or finding some youth water to shore up his plan to freeze himself by getting his apperance back. While no longer young like Beaks, he shares beaks laziness and again tendency to spend money.. but still contrasts the guy: Rockerduck is ambitious in his cons and plans, Beaks is not. Rockerduck has money already to tap into, Beaks is new money and clearly burns through it on a daily basis. The show brillinatly kept what made the mallard a great villian, while reframing what no longer worked. But yeah Scrooge realizes that if the river didn’t help them what did, and now it’s time to get back to Louie: Whose figured out that Ponce De Leon, mentioned earlier, and the hotel manager are one in the same! Also props for making Ponce an actual lion. Nicely done. Yeah turns out Ponce diverted the water from the fountain to the resot: The tap water there is actually the restorative water, with Scrooge having filled his canteen with it without realizing. As for the old people turns out the fountain runs on equilvent exchange: Some of it’s waters drain youth to create the youth creating part of it. As such the seniors.. are actually the spring breakers, drained of youth and too senile to fight back. And Dewey’s sudden growth spurt was just him being in the pool for two seconds draining his youth. Naturally though Louie made the mistake of blurting this out and the boys get captured by Ponce who explains why the resort scheme: At first he just lured gullible minions on expeditions but eventually that scheme dried up so he simply modernized by building the resort and diverting the fountain to it., having gallons of youth restoring water stocked up. He traps the boys with a pool ring and while I expect more from them I get leaving them out of the climax. While Mildly annoying.. this really isn’t their story anymore, and the scrooge and Goldie stuff is where to focus. I can let a story slide on some weaknesses if it’s for good reason and really, focusing more on the more engaging main plot with Scrooge and Goldie was the right call. That said the nephews could’ve fought Jeeves or something but i’m getting ahead of myself. This twist is utterly and a great surprise. No notes.

Back at the fountain having realized what’s going on now, if not the youth sucking part just yet, Scrooge and Goldie race back with Rockerduck and Jeeves in persuit. Scrooge and Goldie arrive to find De Leon, revealing their on to them if being confused for springbreakers. But once he realizes what’s going on De Leon.. actually offers to cut them in. After all while it means sharing his water as shown the man has gallons of it, and even off spring break likely still has no shortage of young idiots to drain because it’s Florida and he runs a cheap hotel with a pool. But while Goldie’s naturally tempted.. Scrooge isn’t. He’s fine with a second chance.. but not at the cost of other people’s first ones. Sure they might waste it.. but it’s not his life to steal. Naturally a swordfight insues while Goldie darts off to find the water and Scrooge finds himself fighting both De Leon and Jeeves, as Rockerduck cheerfully admits he has ZERO issues with stealing other people’s youth and while he and De Leon don’t formally partner up, it’s not a stretch to say De Leon would be happy with a rich billionare joining in his operation providing both fincial backing.. and possible room to expand and steal MORE youth.

But before Goldie can run away with the water she finds the boys.. and in a nice callback her previous bond with Louie gets her to crack.. and she realizes she can’t just run out on scrooge again and repeat their history. So she frees the boys,k who are a bit dazed to help, and shoves the bit of water she got down jeeves throat. Though Rockerduck still got some, so he’s back to peak shape, if now having to carry around a baby frakenstien. He exits, and I loved him in this one clearly, even if i’m STILL annoyed it’s taking till next week for FOWL to do much of anything. I mean it’s obvious FOWL told him about the fountain but still, while they’ve set up the members well for the second half, we still haven’t seen much of the actual orignization and it’s grating. But again the rest of the episode is good enough that it swoops over this. This episoide has some minor flaws.. but the core story, big twist and everything is so good and the upcoming climax so emotional, it’s easy enough to forgive.

So speaking of that climax we get one hell of a swordfight with Scrooge and Goldie versus Ponce before Ponce ends up in the pool as he deserves but is determined to take Scrooge with him. So we get Goldie’s moment of truth: She could leave scrooge the drown, go about her day and take the water for herself.. or decide it’s not too late.. that even with her clean slate gone.. she can still change and still have a future with scrooge, stop betraying him for his own gain and start enjoying their time together instead. She makes the obvious choice, diving in in a beautifully shot sequence to save him. Ponce withers to death which is sad, as I really would’ve liked to see him again, but fitting. With the villian gone it’s time to wrapup loose ends! The ducks hand out the youth water, using up all but a few drops left to restore the spring breakers and hte natural order, Scrooge happy in his decision. Dewey decides to cede being the bigger brother back to Huey , and offers Webby some and in a great gag, she explains she just had a bad day she didn’t get her youth sapped.. though I feel she did in an earlier draft, but a quick pop of her back gets her back to normal. Though having her be an old lady was hilarious and it was nice to have a youth swap plot that didn’t have a roll reversal. To close things out Scrooge laments Goldie probably ran off again and leanred nothing.. only to be plesantly suprsied when it turns out while she is leaving for more adventure, she didn’t want to say good buy.. and it’s clear she’s changed. While her last apperance showed some cracks forming, while she did take the loot she did go back to save Louie and vice versa, here we see a genuine change. She’s realized, and it feels entirely plausable, that even if she can still scam other people and probably will.. she shoudln’t keep hurting scrogoe like this and her feelings for him outweigh any beinifit from treating him like garbage. Having a clean slate for a moment gave her a persepctive, and even if the slate’s back to full.. it’s not too late to fix things. So she kisses him passionately he happily reciporcates and i’m totally on board. I only didn’t ship this version fo the two because this goldie.. was not a godo person. Granted I do like her better than the comics version. While Comics Goldie is not BAD persay, she lacks some agency. She’s still cool, what with her shotgun and take no fucks attitude especailly in her youth, her just.. waiting for scrooge instead of getting after him feels.. weird to me. Sure the man’s stubborn but it didn’t fit her personality to just wait for it. Here there’s a valid reason they aren’t together despite a clear attraction: Goldie is out for herself. She’s the catwoman to his batman, which was a good metaphor really: Scrooge too is a grumpy guy who fights evil and has traveld the globe and has a massive extended family includling children he teaches to fight crime and his own adult children and is richer than god. But more than that Goldie is selfish, untrustworthly and loved money more than Scrooge.. here.. she realizes while she’ll likely still be stealing shit, because hey it’s her calling, she loves him more than doing crimes and that it’s not a clean slate they needed. .it was abetter her. I didn’t support them because frankly she wasn’t in a good place for an actual relationship. Now she is, he is and it’s sweet to see. A good note to end the episode

Final Thoughts: This ep was a bit uneven in places, not knowing what to do with the kids at times but as i’ve made clear i’ts excellent with the scrooge and goldie core really working well and Janney and Tennant bringing their absolute best to this one. Easily one of the season’s best. Not much more to say. If you liked this tune in each week for more ducktales coverage, and I intend once the hiatus begins to try and do one episode a week still to catch up as hopefully this isn’t the last season it might very well be. Next week Darkwing owns the night! I had planned a full darkweek.. but my busy monday and some other stuff got away from me. Still I have two darkwing themed reviews planned: Drake’s introdcution in the reboot with “Duck Knight Returns!” and the very first darkwing episode, chronlogically anyway, “Darkly Dawns the Duck.” Until next week, Let’s Get Dangerous!

#ducktales #the forbidden fountain of the foreverglades!#ducktales spoilers #reviews #scoldie #scrooge mcduck #goldie o gilt #john d rockerduck #huey duck #dewey duck #louie duck #webby vanderquack #ponce de leon #nestor carbonell #spring break

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gilgunizer · 4 years

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I’m not scared of you. kyle spencer. Ep 1- Bitchcraft.

TW // mentions of rape

In a million years, Celeste Rhiannon Alexander would've never expected herself to arrive here at Miss Robichaux's Academy For Exceptional Young Ladies. She stood in front of the big gate, staring in awe at the place. Zoe Benson, her best friend since birth, stands next to her and places a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Maybe this'll be good for us. Learning about how our powers work." She smiles and nods in response. How did they end up here?

Celeste giggled as she put an arm around Charlie and Zoe. It seemed like an ordinary day for the trio. When they reach Celeste's house, she waves the happy couple goodbye and says, "You guys have fun! If you know what I mean!" Zoe rolls her eyes at her and says, "You are such a dork! I'll call you later." And with that, Zoe and Charlie race next door. Alone, Celeste grabs a cookie from a jar on the kitchen counter and heads to her room to watch a movie. 20 minutes later, she overhears Zoe, frantically screaming Charlie's name. She runs straight into Zoe's bedroom and sees her covered in blood, a horrified look on her face. She looks over to see Charlie on the bed, unresponsive. Blood pouring from his ears and eyes. She knows Zoe. She knows she didn't kill him. Celeste hurriedly called 911 and their parents. She stayed the whole time with Zoe, crying in each other's arms.

Once everything had died down, it is revealed that Zoe is a witch and that she must be sent to the academy. Without even time to process this information, an older, fiery-haired woman and her supposed henchmen stroll in, taking Zoe away, firmly holding onto her shoulders. "Hey! You can't just take her!" Celeste shouted in rage. She kept trying to pull Zoe out of their arms, but she kept getting pushed away. "Back away dear, before you get hurt," The fashionable woman said with a glare. She didn't even bat an eye. Celeste felt herself getting angrier and angrier by the minute, her face growing hot. She hasn't ever felt this angry. With nothing left to do, she just kept glaring at the henchman, hoping somehow something would happen. Without warning, one of the henchman's suit began to catch fire and the other henchman quickly helped to put it out. The woman smirked and looked at Celeste and said, "Boys, it looks like we got another one." Her bags were swiftly packed, and she barely got to say goodbye to her mother. The girls were off to New Orleans.

The train ride was a bit of a solemn one. The girls learned the woman's name was Myrtle, and she told them the real story behind the Salem Witch Trials. She told them about how the real witches fled to New Orleans and started the academy. She also told the girls about their powers. Celeste had pyrokinesis, which was the ability to control, create, and manipulate fire. Zoe had the black widow, the ability to give someone a fatal hemorrhage through sex. Celeste felt terrible for Zoe. She'll never be able to experience true love. As for her, she never expected this to happen. She knew her grandmother had the same power, and even more, her grandmother told her all about it, regardless of her mother's objections. But she'd always believed that her cousin would get it. Not her. She put her hand on Zoe's shoulder as a sign of reassurance, and the train ride went on.

They walk into, what Celeste thought was a rather victorian-like place. It was quiet, maybe too quiet. Zoe thought she heard shuffling, but there was no one around. In a flash, someone in a black hood holds Celeste with a tight grip. The others push Zoe down onto a table. The main hooded person, wearing a red mask, raises a knife over Zoe. "O dark father, we offer this flesh up to you, blood, life, and all." "Get the hell off me!" she screams, the candles around her on the table erupting in fire. "Jesus, Nancy and Sarah, relax. We're just messing with you." The main girl takes off her mask. Celeste runs to Zoe's side. She instantly recognizes the main girl's face. "Holy shit, are you-" "Madison Montgomery, movie star." "Shit. When's the last time you made a movie, girl?" the girl on her left says, taking off her mask. "I'm Nan. Hi," the girl on her right says, also taking off her mask. "Zoe." "Celeste." "Queenie." "So bored now," Madison says, rolling her eyes. "So, is this all of you?" Zoe asks, looking at the three of them. "At the moment," someone says, walking into the doorway. She introduces herself as, "Cordelia Foxx, headmistress." "All right, girls, there's a van full of groceries in the driveway that needs unloading. I'll show Zoe and Celeste to their room. Then we meet for Midday Gathering. Let's go." The girls quickly walk out of the room, while Cordelia shows the girls upstairs. There's a room with three beds, one obviously already occupied by Madison. They dropped their bags down on their respective beds and follow Cordelia downstairs to the main room, where they meet for midday gathering. She explains how the coven began.

Cordelia explained how in 1790, the academy was established as a finishing school, with it facing new management in 1868. The supreme at the time, turned the coven into what it is today, keeping the name as a cover. It used to be home to as many as 60 girls. Over time, however, those numbers dwindled. Drastically. "Why?" Celeste asks. "We're a dying breed, Celeste. Many of the families who knew they carried the bloodline made a choice not to reproduce." "So, what's a Supreme?" Celeste asked, clearly intrigued. "An average witch is born with a few natural gifts. But in each generation, there is one woman who embodies countless gifts. Some say... all of them. She is the Supreme." "Are you the Supreme?" Zoe asks. The girls, who have now joined them on the couch start chuckling. "No. I'm like you. Just a witch. And a teacher. I'm here to help you identify your gifts and teach you how to control them." "She means to suppress them," Queenie cuts in. "Not suppression. Control," Cordelia corrects her. "She thinks it's still the 1600s," Madison also cuts in. "No," she shakes her head, then continues. "Back then, our kind understood the dangers. Today, so many families know nothing of their ancestry. Too many girls aren't lucky enough to have found us or weren't identified in time for us to have found them. Like that poor Cajun girl just outside Lafayette a few months back. Misty Day." Celeste remembered that name. She heard about it on the news the other night. She was labeled as missing, but something about that just didn't sit right with her. "She wasn't much older than any of you. And she had a gift, the power of resurgence. Misty could reach into that place between life and death and draw a soul back from the precipice, back to this side, back to life. To some, this appeared to be the God-touched power of resurrection. To others, necromancy." "So what happened to her?" "The same thing that's happened to women like us throughout the centuries." They knew where this was going. She was burned at the stake. "We are under siege, ladies. Our lives, our very existence is always at risk. Know this or face extinction." She sits up from her chair and walks off, which signals that the midday gathering is over. Zoe and Celeste head upstairs to unpack, with Madison following behind them.

"Look, I don't really do well with roommates do here are my rules. 1. Don't touch my shit. 2. If I ever bring a guy home, sleep somewhere else. And finally, 3. When I tell you to do something, do it." Celeste tried to keep her composure, but she just couldn't do it. "Okay, no. I get it about the whole no touching your shit thing but, doing whatever you say? Bitch, I'm not your maid. Do your own shit and we will do ours." Madison scoffs and lights up a cigarette. "You know, I have a feeling I'm going to like you. You're feisty." She then walks out of the room, leaving the two girls alone. Zoe finally speaks up. "That was.. awesome! I can't believe you stood up to her like that." "Please, it was easy. She thinks she's all hot shit cause she's a movie star, but she's all talk. She won't actually do anything." "Duly noted," Zoe quips. Dinner was in a few hours, so they just sat in their room, settling into the place.

When dinner was ready, they came downstairs and sat at the table with the rest of the girls, with Celeste sitting next to Queenie and Nan and Zoe sitting next to Madison. Spalding, the butler, comes to serve them their food. "Hey, Jeeves. Can I get some iceberg lettuce with a side of blue cheese?" Madison says, beginning her reign of terror. "Girl, be nice to Spalding. Poor bastard ain't got no tongue," Queenie responds. Celeste looks over at Spalding. It all clicked in her head. No wonder he stays so silent. "Is that true, Jeeves? Did you use your tongue for something wicked? Or maybe you just suck at going down," Madison quips. This clearly pissed Spalding off, and he grabs his cart and storms out. Madison lets out one last quip and quickly gets bored of the conversation. "So, new girls...what are you two in for?" "Zoe's boyfriend," Nan cuts in. "Nan, shut up before you get your ass in trouble," Queenie says, glaring at her. "Did you two kill him?" Madison asks. "No. It was an accident," Zoe says, shaking her head. 'It was an accident, Zoe. And you will find love again. A strange and unexpected... love," Nan says with a smile. Queenie slams her spoon on the table, clearly irritated. "Girl, are you deaf or just stupid?" "Tell us about this accident. And don't spare all the gory details," Madison says, sipping her drink. "So, why are you here?" Celeste cuts in. "My agent staged an intervention. Ever since my drunk and disorderly, I get blamed for all kinds of shit that I didn't do." "But you did it. You killed the man," Nan adds in. "I get it, bitch, you're clairvoyant," Madison then turns toward the two girls. "Do you want to know what happened?" Celeste was going to object but had a feeling Madison was going to tell them anyway. Madison then tells the story about her killing a man with a light fixture all because he said "hit your mark." "The light hit him just fine," she says with a smile. "All he said was 'hit your mark,'" Queenie replies. "Why don't you just do the world a favor and take an acting class, you D-list, Botox bimbo." With one slight hand movement, Madison spills Queenie's food all over her shirt. Without even thinking, Queenie stabs her own hand with a fork, causing Madison to scream in pain. "Stop it, you bitch!" "Stop what? I don't feel nothing. I'm a human voodoo doll. You like this?" "Stop! You're... you're gonna get in trouble. Queenie, stop!" Nan yells, trying to rip the fork out of her hands. She then pulls a knife to her throat. "I'll do it. I swear I'll do it." "Come on. Let's take a walk," Nan says, standing up. She huffs, "A walk? Fine. I'm not hungry anyway." She storms out the room, Queenie following behind her. "Like anyone believes that," Madison mutters under her breath, and Celeste almost smacked her across the face. "Well, that was disturbing. Given the choices around here, it looks like you two are my new best friends." she then checks her phone, then looks up at the girls. "Do you two own any clothes that don't come from the Gap or Hot Topic?" "Not really. Why?" Celeste asks. She sighs, then responds. "You guys can borrow something of mine. Frat party tonight. Just got the tweet." Madison whisks the girls upstairs and she digs in her wardrobe looking for "something hot" the girls could wear. she settled on three black dresses, with Celeste's dress being a strapless number. She decided to dress it up with a jean jacket, much to Madison's reluctance. They hop into Madison's car, heading to the miraculous frat party.

Madison, Zoe, and Celeste walk into the clearly packed frat party. All eyes turn to them. Mostly because of Madison. She is a movie star, after all. "What's a girl got to do to get a drink around here?" Madison says, her hands on her hips. A girl quickly whisks her away, leaving Zoe and Celeste alone. "I'm gonna go look around. you wanna come?" "No, I'll be fine here," Zoe says, quickly nodding. "Call me if you need anything okay?" Zoe gives her a smile and nod before she walks off. Celeste then walks into the sea of people, none of them paying any attention to her. She finds a red solo cup and pours herself a drink. She wasn't really much of a drinker but hey, free alcohol? who could say no? She stands in a corner and scrolls on her phone. She looks through old pictures of her, Charlie, and Zoe. She remembers how her life used to be. When life was normal.

Ten minutes had passed and she heads to look for Zoe, make sure she's okay. She sees her talking with a blonde boy. She eyes the greek letters embroidered on his shirt. Frat boy. Of course, she thought. But he doesn't seem like your typical frat boy. he doesn't seem skeevy. he seems kind, gentle, has a face anyone can fall for. "Celeste! Hey!" Zoe waves her over. "Kyle, this is my best friend Celeste. Celeste, meet Kyle." He holds out his hand for her to shake, smiling. She happily shakes it. "I'm gonna go look for Madison okay?" Celeste nods in response. "So, you're also from that finishing school right?" She smiles, "is it that obvious?" He lets out a chuckle. "Not really no, but I had a feeling." Celeste lets out a small chuckle. There was something warm about him. He just had this charm. She just feels safe with him. "So, tell me about yourself." He says, completely invested in her. "There's not much to tell really. I have a pretty bland personality." He looks into her eyes. "No, you don't. I just know you don't." She can't help but smile. "You know, for a frat boy you're actually pretty sweet." "Hey, hey don't let the shirt fool you I'm surprisingly a nice guy," He pauses for a second, looking down at the floor. "I love my frat brothers but, they're assholes sometimes. They don't think about the future as I do, you know?" She nods. She felt the same way. She loved her friends, but they never had any plans for the future. "I mean, I could ask 'em, 'what are you gonna do after college? who are you going to be?' and they just draw blanks." He shakes his head. "Well, what about you? What are you gonna do after college? Who are you going to be?" She asks, pointing to him. "I want to be an engineer. I want to actually do something with my life you know? I want to help people." She smiles at that answer. He really is genuine. "You're going to make sure the levees don't break again right? like they did during Katrina?" "Exactly! The last thing I ever want is for that to happen again. I'm going to make sure it doesn't." "But what about you huh? Once this finishing school is over, who are you going to be?" "Well..." "I can't find her anywhere. have you seen her?" Zoe says, running to the both of them. "What you think she ditched you?" "Honestly, I wouldn't doubt it." "Hang on, I'll look around upstairs." He walks past the girls and heads up the stairs. "Seems like you two were having quite the conversation." "Right? I mean, he talks about real stuff. Things that are important." "Maybe he's a keeper," Zoe says, giving her a nudge. "I doubt it. After this party, I'll probably never see him again." She lets out a sigh. All of a sudden, they hear shouting upstairs.

The girls quickly run up the stairs as quickly as they could, trying not to break their ankles in the heels that they were wearing. They ran into a bedroom to find Madison on a bed, completely out of it. She was gang-raped by those frat boys. Those assholes. "Madison?" Celeste quickly ran to her side and brushed her hair out of her face while Zoe tried to find a blanket. "Shit! Hey, did they give you something?" She could barely even talk. Zoe covered Madison with a blanket and stood beside Celeste. "It hurts," Madison moaned out. "Look, stay here okay? they're not gonna get away with this." Zoe grabbed Celeste's arm and they ran down the stairs, chasing the frat boys who just got onto a bus. They were seconds away from catching them, but they still kept on running after it. yelling "stop!" at the top of their lungs. They had stopped running when they realized there was no use. Madison, only steps behind them, comes up in front of them and stares down the bus. Without warning, she then lifted her hand and flipped over the bus, causing it to catch fire. Celeste was in shock. So was Zoe. Are they okay? Are they all dead? So many questions were running through their minds.

The drive home that night was definitely a somber one. Zoe drove, being the soberest one out of the three. Madison passed out in the back seat, and Zoe and Celeste were still too in shock to say anything. It was silent. No one even turned on the radio.

The night when they got home wasn't any better. Madison somehow slept like a baby, Zoe slept, but not well, and as for Celeste, she couldn't even sleep at all. Even when she tried. When morning came, the girls headed downstairs for breakfast, the news playing on the television not so far away. Celeste and Zoe watched on, their eyes basically glued to the tv. "The Louisiana campus is still in shock over the tragic bus crash last night. Nine members of the fraternity Kappa Lambda Gamma were on board. Seven of the boys died on the scene. Two were rushed to Troost Medical Center where they remain in critical condition. Officials will not confirm the identities of the deceased-" the tv was quickly shut off by Madison, annoying everyone in the room. "Hey, I was watching that!" Nan exclaims. "Why? It's yesterday's news. They got any Greek yogurt?" she asked Spalding. He was clearly not amused. Celeste and Zoe walk up to Madison. "We have to tell somebody what happened," Zoe says in a whisper. "The one we met, Kyle- Madison, he tried to stop it okay, and he was on that bus," Celeste whispers. "What are we talking about? The college boys?" an older blonde woman comes up behind the three. Celeste hadn't seen her before, seemed like no one has. She continued on. "Taken in the prime of their lives. Such a tragedy. Almost makes you want to cry, doesn't it? But, then, the world's not gonna miss a bunch of assholes in Ed Hardy T-shirts." "Who are you?" Madison asks. "You know, I've got to hand it to you. A bus flip? That's not easy. But you were a sloppy, little witch bitch," she says, facing Madison. She scoffs, "go to hell, you stupid hag." the woman then throws her against the wall with one flick of the wrist. Queenie laughs and says, "Say that." Now, I've read all your files. And you're never gonna become great women of our clan sitting around here at Hogwarts under the confused instruction of my daughter," she says, putting out her cigarette on a nearby plate. She then faces the girls. "We're going on a field trip," she eyes everyone's outfits. "Jesus. Go change your clothes. Wear something... black." Soon enough, the girls, all dressed in their best black outfits, joined the woman, Fiona Goode, outside for the field trip.

The walk was longer than expected, and Madison was already complaining. "Where are we going? It's too hot. My freaking vagina is sweating." "To Popp's Fountain. A kind of holy place for our order," Fiona replies. Fiona explained the story of an alternate coven that was down here in the 1970s. But It was damaged during Katrina. And since then it's been labeled a safety hazard by the authorities and it's been closed off ever since. "I don't understand. What are we supposed to do if we can't get in?" Celeste asked. "Tear the wall down. When witches don't fight, we burn." "This is seriously the worst field trip ever," Madison complains, but Fiona ignores it and continued. "Each one of you has a unique gift, but that's not nearly enough to be a real witch." "And you're a real witch?" Madison remarks. "She's the Supreme," Nan cuts in. "You know that one, she's smarter than all of you put together," Fiona quips, and they all keep walking. Once they get inside the home of Delphine LaLaurie, they are surprised to find Nan already inside listening to the tour. "You want me to get her?" Madison asks, but Fiona shakes her head. "Oh, excuse me. You can't just barge in on the tour without purchasing a ticket," the tour guide says, facing Fiona and the girls. "You're giving us a tour for free," Fiona says, obviously using some way to trick the woman. "For free. Of course," she says, then continues. She explains LaLaurie's chamber of horrors, and how she used human blood as a means to keep her skin young. Celeste felt disgusted. She was a racist bitch, and she didn't like the fact that she faced no punishment for her crimes. Or that's what she thought, until the tour guide continued. She explained that LaLaurie met her demise at the hands of Marie Laveau, a skilled voodoo queen. She had given her a deadly drink disguised as a love potion. Why? LaLaurie had killed her lover. Celeste knew about Laveau, her grandmother told her she knew her personally, taught her things. Made her powers even more powerful. The odd thing is though, LaLaurie’s body was never found. But the fact that she got what she deserved calmed Celeste's anger. With Fiona distracted, Zoe and Celeste snuck out to the hospital. Hoping, praying that by some chance Kyle was still alive.

They had finally gotten to the room they had them in, hoping that the second bed occupied was the kind-eyed guy they had met the night before. "Please, let it be him please," Zoe whispered under her breath. Walking toward the bed, the girls' faces were riddled with disappointment. It wasn't him. It was the rapist. The one who drugged Madison. "It should've been you asshole," Celeste breathed out through sobs. Zoe looks at the door, then back at Celeste. "Wait for me outside okay?" "What are you-" "Just wait outside," Zoe cuts her off. Celeste nods and closes the door behind her. She knew what Zoe was going to do. A few minutes later, she hears the monitor flatline, and Zoe quickly walks out of the hospital room. They decide to walk to the college where Kyle went, pay their respects. They learned a lot about him that day. He really was a kind-hearted person, loved by many people. Celeste looks down at Kyle's picture, surrounded by flowers. "I'm sorry you didn't get to change the world," she whispers and sheds a tear. She only knew him for that one night. But she knew, in her heart, that he was really something.

END OF EPISODE ONE.

#american horror story #american horror story coven #kyle spencer #evan peters #zadison #foxxay #ahs #ahscoven

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thealogie · 5 years

Text

thanks to the overwhelming silence and the fact that i can’t remember my old ao3 password and want to preserve my new ao3 for bookmarking rather than publishing anything I’m putting under the cut here some of the tentatively titled and probably-never-to-be-finished “Jeeves and the Unemployment Rate” which I wrote on the ios scrivener app a while ago (highly recommend if you want to write yourself fanfic on your commute and read it later) and then forgot.

It all started on a crisp sort of autumn morning when I returned to 3A Berkeley Mansions from a spot of lunch at my Aunt Dahlia’s with a bit of good news, a spring in my step, and sunshine on the old bean. It was the brightish sort of day, made all the brighter by the visit to a most Beloved Relation, who is the kind-hearted fly in the ointment of my theory that aunts are put on this earth for the sole purpose of crushing young nephews into submission, depression, and oppression under heels of steel. On this particular day, the old girl—in addition to being a generally good sort as usual— had also helped me solve a problem that had been vexing me for nearly a month.

I burst through the door with good cheer and a hankering for a whiskey fizz.

“Jeeves,” I bleeted. “Rally round.”

And rally around he did. Not that Jeeves does anything the seeing man would describe as “rallying.” But he floated gracefully out of the kitchen a moment before I called out for him, a whiskey fizz in hand.

“Ah, you are a marvel, as always, Jeeves. You’re sure you’re not a telepath? Positive of it, I mean? Very well, very well, I believe you,” I said, pouring the w. f. down the throat. “Right-o, now let us rally as men do. I bring splendid news from ol’ Dahlia.”

“Indeed, sir?”

“Dashed splendid, I mean. The sort to grip you somewhere in the middle and lift you just a footish above the troubles of life so that you glide above them in the air without once dipping your toes into their murky depths—the troubles, I mean. Of life, that is,” I explained.

“Indeed, sir?”

I narrowed my eyes a bit. There was something a bit soupy about his tone that told me he lacked the enthusiasm Betram Wilberforce was striving for in this situation. Like I said, rallying of any sort is out of the question when it comes to Jeeves, but a chap hopes that when he stirs up the pot with so much vim, he might be rewarded with a sincerely uttered “Very good, sir,” or, perhaps more ambitiously, “Most pleasing to hear it, sir. Perhaps you could recount the tale after I pour you another w. f.?”

I forged on bravely.

“Oh rather. I mean to say, you’re going to be biffed as well, old thing. Oh yes. The news touches you, is the thing. And I dare say it’s pleasant news of the sort that will have even demi-gods like yourself prancing about the place with a hop and a whistle.”

“Indeed, sir?”

Many times have I spoken to my man about his little habit of wielding “indeeds” against me in such sharpish tones.

“What do you...I mean. Yes, dashed ‘indeed,’ Jeeves,” I replied with some steel in my voice, “blasted, indeed! You know what, Jeeves, I’m surprised at you. You might show a bit more sympathy for the y.m. It’s not a happy household when a man comes through the door all hot and is immediately handed the ice.”

“Indeed, sir.”

“Jeeves!”

“My apologies, sir. I only meant to convey that it is just as you say. I should be glad to hear what Mrs. Travers relayed to you over luncheon.”

I crossed my arms and narrowed the Wooster baby blues even further until it was difficult to see a dashed thing.

“Alright Jeeves. Let’s have it.”

“Sir?”

“Out with it.”

“Sir?”

“Sir! I mean...to chopped liver with ‘sir,’ Jeeves. Something is rotten in the chez of Wooster. I see the displeased glint in your eyes. I should like to hear what’s hardened your heart against the young master’s general joie at the current state of vivre.”

“Well, sir. Is the pleasant information you wish to convey in any way related to the retirement Mrs. Travers’s head butler and her selection of a replacement?”

“By Jove,” I cried. “You do know all, what?! Jeeves, I know you don’t like this theory of mine, but it’s time we started to take the telepathy thingamummy seriously. Is it your deductive reasoning again? I mean, it’s too uncanny. Give me your Holmesian monologue on how you came to this one.”

“No deductions on this occasion, sir. Although I do not wish to jeopardize a friend, I must admit Seppings himself paid me a visit not an hour ago and divulged the news,” Jeeves said.

“Jeeves! Don’t tell me Seppings let the proverbial cat out of the proverbial bag?!”

“I’m afraid so, sir.”

“Oh rotten luck that!” I sighed, a bit put out that Seppings—the very retiring butler who had minutes ago been the source of my great gratitude—had ruined my surprise.

“As you say, sir.”

“And I suppose you know the person she intends to name as his replacement is, in fact, you?”

“I do, sir,” he said coldly.

“Er,” I replied.

“Will that be all, sir?”

“I can see you’re not too pleased with the young master, Jeeves, but I only thought—dash it, I mean, I thought it would please you. The superior title, an entire staff at your command, a house with guests of the more refined sort.”

Jeeves was unmoved by this. I forged on, feeling a bit like that Napoleon chappie must have felt trying to make good speed when it got nippy in Russia.

“Oh, think, you’d never cook again Jeeves! Every menu will be orchestrated by you and prepared by Anatole. Oh, and you don’t need to valet at all, Aunt Dahlia says. I mean, Uncle Tom would be glad to have you valet for him if you don’t trust anyone else with his clothes but they have a large-ish staff. If you’d like, you’d just be doing books and ordering people about all day and generally mastering the household.”

I had wilted a bit at his initial cold reception but I was at full speed again with my ramble, imagining Jeeves sitting behind his own desk, so many people for him to guide and mold.

“It is an incredibly generous offer, sir,” Jeeves said. “Will that be all?”

I wilted again.

“It’s only an offer, Jeeves. You can toss it out to the cold night air if it displeases you. I mean to say, what?! No one is making you take it—not that there are good odds against any mortal setting about making you do anything you don’t want to do and coming out on top,” I tried to mollify him.

“Very kind, sir,” Jeeves said stiffly. “Will that be all?”

I saw that Jeeves was not in a good way. And suddenly my own disappointment was the furthest thing from my mind. I softened immediately.

“Old thing, I wish you would tell me what’s bothering you,” I said ever so gently, or so I hoped.

“While it is commendable, Mr. Wooster, that you would secure another position for me rather than dismissing me, I am sorry to learn I have overstayed my welcome,” he explained, looking above the Wooster onion and straight at the wall opposite.

I scratched the Wooster temple, feeling flummoxed and flat out on my rear.

“Jeeves, old fruit, I’m feeling a bit flummoxed and flat out,” I confessed, leaving off the bit about my rear to preserve some dignity.

“Mr. Seppings came to congratulate me on the happy news, which he thought I was already privy to. After seeing that the news surprised and confused me, he confessed that he inadvertently overheard pieces of your discussions with Mrs. Travers,” Jeeves explained.

Oh. Oh, dear. That’s something to get hot under the collar about. If Seppings had indeed heard my conversation with Dahlia...

“Oh bugger all,” I groaned.

“He had not meant to eavesdrop, sir, but came to understand that you were asking Mrs. Travers’ advice on how to end my employment while avoiding the unpleasantness that generally accompanies an outright dismissal. If I may say, sir, the elected course is prudent. The offer of employment from Mrs. Travers at increased salary and title would have spared embarrassment on all sides,” Jeeves said. Except it wasn’t Jeeves at all, dash it. He had the faraway look of an automaton who has no thoughts at all, nevertheless the dozen or so ripe ones that seem always to be floating around in Jeeves’s head. “Sir, will that be all?”

Oh, dash it. Let me stop there for a mo’.

At this point, you must be feeling as betrayed as Jeeves. “Wooster, you useless goose!” you’re undoubtedly crying. “You’ve somehow managed to ensnare a divine nymph to crease your trousers and mix your cocktails? You have in your household a first-rate mind who should be writing treatises on literature and holding saloons in Paris, yet you dare to hand him the mitten? Refund me the price of the rag I’ve purchased or prepare to duel.”

I beg you gentle reader, give this Wooster a chance to redeem himself. An oaf I am, but an oaf pure of heart. My sin, you see, is not being up to this literary wheeze, not caprice.

In the normal course of events, you know, stories begin when matters are about to get wheeling on, then they trot on until everybody’s generally got their ankles up in the air and such, and then they end when everything’s been tidied up and all persons’ ankles are firmly back on the ground. You’re familiar with said basic structure, no doubt? Well, I’m no good at it. This Wooster frequently starts his wheezes when things have already gone ankles up. Jeeves tells me the more scholarly writer sorts try to hide this flaw by pretending to do this same thing deliberately and calling it “starting in medias res.”

Allow me to fill you in on three basic facts that might persuade you to regard Bertram Wilberforce as the well-intentioned buffoon he is rather than the malicious villain he is painted out to be in the above passage:

A. I’m in love with Jeeves. I mean properly daffy him and all that. I mean to say, I hear music when he walks into the room. When he leaves, clouds of doom descend upon me. His every touch however brief and accidental is etched indelibly in my memory. It’s properly scorching stuff, you see. But he hasn’t a clue.

B. I can’t tell a fellow I’m daffy for him so long as I’m his employer. I mean, he takes his wages fishing me out of the soup, drying me off, and setting me on my way again. I mean, you don’t need me to spell out the how and why. It’s simply not preux at all.

C. Premise A and premise B, when combined, put me in quite a bind. I shared said bind with an old chum of mine just a few weeks prior to the cheery-cum-calamitous afternoon I’ve recounted to you above.

“So, you’d like to get a leg over Jeeves, eh?” Ginger said crassly after I’d unburdened my very soul to him.

I’ve known Ginger for ages. I mean, I used to know Ginger rather biblically. Now we’re just chums. And unlike some chaps who used to know each other, we’re rather un-jealous and supportive chums. Though, Ginger’s support was a bit more vulgar than a laddie hopes for when said laddie is in the throws of a love that is all divinity and light.

“Ginger! You crude fishmonger,” I cried, scandalized. “This is serious, for once. What am I to do? Am I to take this to my grave? Saddens a chap to think of going on like this forever.”

“Want to roger him good, eh ol’ boy?” Ginger continued, without hearing me at all.

“No, Ginger. It’s not like that. I mean it is. But it’s more. I also want us to sit by the fire, reading poetry. I want to make him smile every day I am alive. I want his hands enveloped in mine,” I declared. “Were I a glove, and all that!”

“I think the Romeo chappie wanted to be a glove to touch that bird’s cheek, Bertie.”

“Well, Jeeves is too sensible to sit around resting his cheek in his hands when he’s wearing work gloves. But I mean it! I would shape shift into one of his imminently reasonable and dull gloves if I could, so I could be wrapped all around his elegant hands,” I sighed dreamily, giving Madeleine Bassett a run for her money.

“Looks like he’s got you wrapped around his fingers, all right,” Ginger laughed, clapping me on the back in a chummy sort of fashion.

“Oh but Ginger, don’t tease. Not today. If you had the smartest and handsomest man in England residing in your home, you too would find him a worthy general and think twice before acting without orders,” I sighed, chin in hand.

“Please Bertie,” Ginger said, rolling his eyes. “I hope you aren’t about to start again with your campaign to make Jeeves Prime Minister, Bertie.”

At this comment, the Wooster corpus, previously slumped over the table, sat at attention with a bolt of inspiration. “Euree—something. Jeeves would know. Something a Greek chappie once said when his grey matter finally got going. I mean to say, that’s it, Ginger! Oh, you’ve got it.”

Ginger blinked at me in confusion. “You’re going to make Jeeves the Prime Minister? I suppose, that would do the country a bit of good. And, you have a point. If you tell the Prime Minister you want to bugger him, there’s no danger of him going along with it because he feels obliged.”

“Not quite, laddie. If Jeeves had another job, a better job, then I would be just another man, not his employer,” I said.

“With you so far,” he said, wrinkling his nose.

“Well, young masters who wish to stay a step above the devil don’t go foisting declarations on unsuspecting valets and then expect them to go on dressing and feeding and living with said y.m. as though nothing is amiss,” I explained patiently. “But if he doesn’t work for me, I could tell him I love him. We’d just be two men, standing before each other. And if he doesn’t feel the same, he’d just biff off to his new household, that’s that.”

“I get all that. Bertie, you really are a Christmas pudding of a man,” Ginger said. “What I’m saying is...Well, that’s no solution at all. I mean. Right now, at least you get to be close to him day in and out, don’t you? If you send him away…you do realize he’ll be, in fact, away, don’t you?” he said sagely, buttering a scone with a great air dignity. “Or maybe you don’t. There’s no end to things you don’t realize, darling.”

I puffed up the chest. My love had made me feel a touch noble, like those self-sacrificing beazels in the old Greek plays. “I’d rather watch him walk out the door after I’ve said my piece than have him say ‘Very good, sir’ and shimmer into the kitchen to put dinner together because it’s what’s expected of him,” I said with a touch haught. “Now Ginger, if you’re a friend, you’ll help me draw up a list of suitable households where Jeeves will be happy and well-paid. You know he’s not exactly the ‘happy to put down anchor anywhere’ sort of fellow.’”

“That’s mild, Bertie. The man’s as particular as all hell,” Ginger exclaimed.

I sighed dreamily, planting the Wooster chin atop the Wooster palm. “Isn’t he just? It’s an infuriating quality of his.

“Oh dear lord, you’re done for.”

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v-thinks-on · 4 years

Text

A Social Visit

Part 2 of Jeeves and the Amateur Cracksman

Previous | Next

“Mr. Manders,” Jeeves announced, waving the aforementioned into the flat.

“What ho!” I exclaimed, jumping up to greet him.

While A.J. Raffles came closer to Jeeves in height, Bunny Manders, though dwarfed by Jeeves and even by myself, upon examination in the light of day, seemed to have some family resemblance in the set of his features that, combined with his youthful appearance, made it easy to believe he was Jeeves’s kid brother or young cousin, not that Jeeves gave any indication they had ever so much as exchanged a passing how-do-you-do.

“Hello,” Bunny said with a sidelong glance up at Jeeves. “I’m sorry Raffles couldn’t make it, but he told me to convey his regards.”

“Not at all! I’m sure a famous cricketer like him has all sorts of places to be and things to go to and what not. Tell him I say, ‘What ho!’”

I waved it off genially enough, but I confess I was more than a tad disappointed that I didn’t get the chance to rub elbows with the acclaimed A.J. Raffles. Still, we Woosters are nothing if not gracious hosts, and if I was to be entrusted with his pal Bunny, then it was the least I could do.

I waved Bunny into the sitting room. “Have a seat, make yourself at home! Jeeves, drinks all around, what?”

“Sir?”

Jeeves had drifted over to fiddle with the window while I had been preoccupied with our guest, but now he resumed his place at attention. Jeeves had been on the frosty side for the past couple days - I couldn’t say why, having thoroughly rearranged the wardrobe, I had just about ascertained it didn’t have anything to do with my costume - and now was no different.

Bunny jumped a little at his sudden appearance, clearly unaccustomed to how Jeeves has a way of flickering in and out of the presence rather than walking like any ordinary fellow.

“Care to join us for a spot?” I asked. “Bunny’s your cousin after all.”

“That is very kind, sir, but Mr. Manders is your guest.”

I shrugged - that’s the only thing to do when the man is in such a state, though there was something in his tone that grated more than a little. “Have it your way, Jeeves.”

While Jeeves biffed off to prepare the drinks, I turned my attention to playing the gregarious host. “Lovely afternoon, what?”

Bunny tore his eyes away from Jeeves. “Oh, yes, it is, isn’t it?”

“Do you play cricket?”

“No, not really. Do you?”

“Hardly - I’ve never gone in for sports myself except for a touch of golf or tennis. I did try rowing once, but it didn’t last long. The coach, an old pal of mine, Stilton Cheesewright, was a real terror; I’ve never stood so much rapid fire abuse. But I throw a mean dart. My club, the Drones, has a competition every year and I would be a shoe-in if not for Horace Pendlebury-Davenport!”

“Really?” Bunny said, with the air of a man who had gotten rather lost along the way.

I was about to endeavor to explain when Jeeves shimmered over with a pair of glasses.

Bunny leaped like he had been stuck with a pin, nearly knocking the proffered glass out of Jeeves’s hand. For a moment, he just sat there, looking like a chap who had just seen a ghost, which I supposed wasn’t such a strange response to Jeeves appearing and disappearing like a genie out of a lamp, especially not for a fellow called Bunny. I’d only just grown accustomed to the man’s mysterious ways myself.

Finally, Bunny took the glass, though he kept an eye on Jeeves, as though he expected him to vanish into thin air at any moment, which I could have told him was sure to happen sooner or later.

“I don’t suppose you could walk a little louder, Jeeves? Tie a bell around your wrist or somesuch?” I suggested.

“I will endeavor to make my presence known, sir.”

You may know that Jeeves sometimes takes on an expression, or rather a lack of expression, altogether reminiscent of a stuffed frog or other such specimen, typically when he’s present and wants to give the impression of not being so. There’s something of a wax statue in the chap, absolutely silent with no presence at all. Well, I’ll tell you that Jeeves could have passed for a stuffed Jeeves then. I reflexively glanced down at my raiment, but as far as I could tell, there was nothing offensive in the lot, and it’s unusual for Jeeves to stay silent on such matters.

When I glanced back up, he was gone.

Bunny and I sipped at our drinks in a companionable silence for a tick or two before I remembered; “Say, you grew up with Jeeves, didn’t you?”

Bunny hesitated on the reply. “Yes... You could say that.”

“Has he always been like this?”

“I suppose so... How do you mean?”

“Oh, all brainy and whatnot. Ate a lot of fish, I expect.”

Bunny seemed to take a moment to process the question. “I don’t think we ever had fish,” he said at last. “But he’s always been intelligent, just like Raffles. I was the only- well, compared to them...” he struggled with the words.

“Oh, rather! I mean, you should hear my Aunt Dahlia - or worse, my Aunt Agatha - talking about how much of a lost cause I am, negligible intelligence, waste of space, you’d think I’d run away to live a life of crime the way they put it. I’m just lucky my cousins Claude and Eustace are worse. I couldn’t imagine what it’d be like if they had a real paragon like Jeeves to compare me with.”

“It’s not much of a comparison.”

I gave a sad shake of my head. “No, and I couldn’t tell you why he’s stuck around as long as he has. I would’ve thought he’d have left as soon as another posish. opened up, but he’s still here biffing around.”

“You don’t know why he’s working for you?” Bunny asked, sounding truly intrigued for the first time since he arrived.

“Not a clue. Did he always want to be a valet? With a brain like his, he could give Sherlock Holmes a run for his money. I assumed he went in to support his family and what not, but that was before I knew he was related to a fellow like A.J. Raffles, though really I should have known Jeeves couldn’t just be any ordinary chap.”

Bunny nodded thoughtfully at the comparison. “No, I wondered why he went into service. He did stay and help when the rest of us went our separate ways, but-”

Jeeves gave a quiet cough, like a polite sheep on a distant mountaintop, to announce his presence - Bunny jumped at the sudden interjection, but not nearly as much as before. “I could not help but overhear, sir - if I may.”

“Do enlighten us, Jeeves. Why did you decide to become a valet?”

“Life is too short, sir. To spend that shortness basely were too long.”

“Well, there you have it,” I declared, though I wasn’t at all sure what it was that I had.

Bunny frowned, seemingly intent upon deciphering it himself as Jeeves shimmered off.

Our conversation wandered off to other subjects until Bunny made his excuses and got up to leave. I followed him to the door, still expounding on whatever the latest topic was.

Jeeves coughed softly to announce his presence as he brought in Bunny’s jacket. He gave the jacket to Bunny and then took a step toward me.

“Sir, I took the liberty of liberating your cigarette case from Mr. Manders’s jacket pocket.” He held out the now unfettered case.

“I can explain!” Bunny burst out, looking rather like his namesake, as he glanced nervously between Jeeves and myself - mostly looking at Jeeves, to tell the truth.

“Another one of your pranks?” I asked - nothing else seemed to make sense.

He rather jumped on it. “Yes! It’s a competition. We’ve always tried taking things from each other, and, well, since Raffles failed, I had to try.”

The scales seemed to fall from my eyes, if you get my meaning. “Jeeves, I never would have expected you playing a game like this. Do you try to steal things too?”

“No, sir,” Jeeves said with some disdain.

“But you did?”

“Well-” Bunny attempted.

“I have not in many years, sir.”

I could nearly imagine it, Jeeves in miniature and all his cousins sneaking around an old manor house in the dead of night, trying to get away with a toy or book in a clandestine game of cops and robbers. I only wished I’d thought of it in my formative years.

“I say, Jeeves, you’re full of surprises! And Bunny, you’re welcome ‘round any time, though I’d rather you didn’t run off with my cigarette case.” I took a cigarette out for good measure. “I’m sure we can find you something else - I wouldn’t want to break a family tradition.”

“That’s very kind of you,” Bunny stammered, still looking rather beet-like.

“Anything for a chum. I have an old cigar box I never use, if you like.”

I had been hoping to get the bally thing off my hands ever since my engagement with the girl who gave it to me ended, but Bunny was having none of it, and so I dropped the case, or box as it were.

“I really must be going,” he insisted.

So, I bid him, “Toodle-pip!” and saw him on his way.

“A very amiable chap,” I proclaimed as I meandered back into the sitting room.

I had a mind to settle on the sofa and return to the tale of suspense I had been reading earlier that afternoon - they were just about to discover the second body - when I noticed that Jeeves had materialized by the window and was peering down into the street below.

“Something catch your eye, what? I hope we didn’t send Bunny straight into the fray.”

“Not exactly, sir.”

I meandered over to the window to see what it was Jeeves was making such a fuss about - by Jeevesian standards at least - but his powers of perception must have been much greater than mine if he saw anything more than Bunny making his way around the square.

“It’s a nice day for a stroll, but nothing to write home about,” I remarked.

“I was merely observing the unkempt gentleman with a pronounced limp following Mr. Manders.”

“Oh!” I spotted the fellow, sure enough trailing a bit behind Bunny, but gaining ground despite his awkward gait. “Do you think Bunny’s in trouble?”

“I expect not, sir.”

“If you’re sure, Jeeves.”

“Quite confident, sir.”

“Right-o, then!”

I tossed myself down on the sofa and not a few moments later Jeeves rippled in with the tea.

Part of The Mysterious Mr. Jeeves

#v writes #The Mysterious Mr. Jeeves #Jeeves and the Amateur Cracksman #Jeeves and Wooster #Raffles

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oc-character-development · 5 years

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Alright so at Doctor Who society this week we had a pitch your own adventure night and I thought I’d share my pitch.

Rules of the episode:

It could be literally anything. Any doctor, any setting, any companion, copyright laws were not applicable so you could have the Doctor vs Voldemort if you wanted (we had worse or better, depending on your point, one idea was the Doctor teaming up with Sherlock Holmes and Watson, Jeeves and Wooster to fight Cuthulu, the master and Moriarty in 1940 and another was the Doctor VS demonic Teletubbies)

So here’s my pitch (and prepare for ANGST I’m warning you. It’s full of it! oh, and some details are left out/ under developmened/ rushed as my notes got deleted on my phone literally right before I pitched the story) OH AND SPOILERS FOR ANGELS TAKE MANHATTAN, WEDDING OF RIVER SONG AND GOOD MAN GOES FOR WAR:

Title: Time Trap/Chaos (its a two parter)

Characters:

11th Doctor- Post Angels Take Manhattan and Pre Snowmen.

10th Doctor- Post Journey’s End and Pre Next Doctor

Captain Jack Harkness- Post series 2 Torchwood, pre Children of Earth.

River Song- Pre Angels Take Manhattan, during the time she’s investigating Angels and writing the Melody Melone novels.

Plot:

Part 1: Time Trap-

Starts with 11 distracting himself from the loss of the Ponds, Eating Jammie Dodgers, admiring Fezzes and Bow ties and what not above 19th century Earth and trying to have one last bit of fun before he retires.

Cloister Bell starts ringing and the Tardis is suddenly pulled forwards in time towards 1930s New York (that’s bad by the way if you haven’t seen the episode, it could cause a paradox and blow up the whole planet apart) and there’s nothing the Doctor can do to stop it.

So naturally he rings up the only person he can think of who is in the 1930s at this time who could help. His wife.

River immediately assumes it’s another attempt on the Doctor’s life by the Silence and so tries to send a message to some archeologists from the 52nd century who have some experience in stopping the silence and could help her with this problem. The message goes haywire and ends up being sent to the 10th Doctor who is taking Jack on a trip to cheer him up after the events of Torchwood series 2.

Ten, knowing who River is, but not who she is if you get my meaning, delays their trip and immediately goes to help, because it’s River and he always comes when she calls.

Jack and River flirt.

River explains the situation

The ground shakes, turns out this ‘meteor’ (really the Tardis) that is heading to earth is causing natural distaters and a paradox is already happening making reapers to appear.

The 11th Doctor meanwhile figures out its not the silence as they would not use this method of stopping him reach trenzalore. It just didn’t fit.

Ten realises that he needs the help of eleven and so he creates a ‘timey-wimey loop machine’ to get eleven out of there by using both River and Jack’s vortex manipulators (as they are the exact same device). This doesn’t work as something is blocking the signal.

Meanwhile the TARDIS enters earths atmosphere and starts burning up.

Ten realises this is something far bigger than the silence based on River’s explanation and realises there is only one being who lives to create this much chaos.

The Trickster.

Episode ends.

Part 2: Chaos-

Episode starts with Ten explaining to River who exactly the Trickster is (Jack and torchwood has had a run in with the Trickster brigade before) and how he works

Ten then realises that the Doctor is being targeted which means his future self must had been close to death and said yes and that they are in a lot more danger than just reapers and natural disasters.

Eleven meanwhile, realising that this is the trickster. calls the being forwards for a chat and comes to realise that the trickster had planted a subconscious message in the Doctors mind in his moment of desperation and grief for the Ponds. The choice to save them and condemn hundreds and thousands of people or grieve them and lose them forever. The Doctor had unknowingly said yes to the first option. The Doctor tries to trick the trickster to go back on his own deal to at least get some time for the others to fix it.

Ten reverses the polarity on his device, allowing him to come on board the TARDIS with River and Jack, without causing more chaos but accidently destroying River’s vortex manipulator in the process.

Upon getting there, Jack tries to trick the Trickster, by shooting the creature (which doesn’t work) and is ultimately killed because of it. He comes back to life instantly because, 1, he’s immortal, and 2, it just wouldn’t be a cap Jack episode of Doctor Who without him dying now he’s immortal 😂.

Eleven tries to break out of the Deal but is finding it harder than usual because he still desperately wants the Ponds back.

Ten realises that him, and Jack are both at risk from being manipulated as they are all at vulnerable places in their lives and that River is the only one who isn’t and is probably the only one capable of convincing eleven to go back on the deal.

River, who has at this point has realised something has happened to her parents considering they aren’t there and eleven is acting like he would if it had but she’s not entirely sure what, convinces the Doctor (along with Jack who reminds him that he lost Rose and got over it with time), that he has to break out of his deal or the world is at stake, people will die and that Amy would do the same thing if she was there and the Ponds would definitely not approve of his actions. Eleven says no to the trickster. The trickster goes away, hinting that he is going to Bannerman Road (implying he is kickstarting the events of unaired planned episodes of SJA titled the battle of Bannerman road) and the TARDIS stops hurdling towards earth.

River and eleven have a quick heart to heart as eleven is obviously distressed by this. Jack celebrates as well. Ten looks at the scanner and points out the reapers haven’t gone away. The Trickster has tricked them and got another hold on someone or someones in the 30s.

It’s the Ponds. He’s got a hold of the Ponds. Rory as an old man, has been given the choice of being young and seeing Amy again but at the cost of thousands or dying and Amy in the second she’s sent back in time, has been given the option of getting Rory back and staying in the present time happily or dying in the past.

Eleven has a chance to say goodbye to the Ponds. Convincing Rory that they’ll get him out of there and that he’ll see Amy again. Oh and River stays in the TARDIS with ten and jack to avoid spoilers.

When he arrives to Amy, it’s her who reassured the Doctor that it will be alright and that he shouldn’t travel alone echoing her words that will be on the last page. But now both the Ponds are free from the Trickster.

All is well. Time has fixed and they land in Victorian London where the tenth Doctor’s TARDIS had followed them to, ten questions eleven on who River is, Jack and River flirt again and then Ten and Jack leave.

River questions the Doctor on his choice and what exactly happened, knowing that they wouldn’t remember the exact events once they leave and he fixes her vortex manipulator telling her he would have condemned the universe if she hadn’t kept him grounded (earning a snarky remark from River) he tells her to go finish that book and that she’ll understand what happened soon enough. But River tells him to listen to Amy and not be alone. She goes off back to 1930s New York.

The episode ends with the Doctor sighing, looking back at the TARDIS, sonicing it away to the cloud in the sky he’d created and turning around just in time to see Vastra, Jenny and Strax heading towards him where as he’s just forgotten the events that have just happened, he informs them for the first time that he has in fact, retired.

Roll credits

Yeah, there’s a few plot holes and development is rubbish but like I said I lost the actual document with the whole idea on. But yeah, I just wanted Jack and River to meet and the actual Trickster in an episode of Doctor Who and a bit more closure on Rory’s departure. Oh and I love it when the Doctor is vulnerable in an episode.

#doctor who #episode ideas #university #special interests #yowzah #amy x rory #the tenth doctor #eleventh doctor #jack harkness #captain jack #torchwood #river song #10 x river song #11 x river song #the ponds #angst

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coffeebased · 5 years

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I won’t be the first or last person to marvel at how quickly February whizzed past, especially in comparison to January’s gauntlet. To be completely fair to February, it had the ongoing COVID-19 international epidemic, as well as the ABS-CBN shutdown crisis, the anti-terrorism bill, the reminder that historical revisionism re: the Marcos dictatorship is alive and well… and those were just the actual headlines.

I must digress before I spiral.

I read 12 books in February, half of which were newly released in this month. I’ve split my post up into three parts like I did last month: one-shots, parts of series, and re-reads. It seems to be working well for me.

Prosper’s Demon by K.J. Parker

The unnamed and morally questionable narrator is an exorcist with great follow-through and few doubts. His methods aren’t delicate but they’re undeniably effective: he’ll get the demon out—he just doesn’t particularly care what happens to the person.

Prosper of Schanz is a man of science, determined to raise the world’s first philosopher-king, reared according to the purest principles. Too bad he’s demonically possessed.

After I read Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City last year, I knew that I wanted more by Parker. I considered delving into his back catalog, which I still will probably do, but I saw that he was releasing a new book in Feb 2020, so I jumped on that first. Prosper’s is exactly up my alley, what with the discussions of morality and the greater good with demons, and quite a bit of engineering. I’d admired the voice of the main character in Sixteen because he was dry and very caught up in doing what needed to be done, and the main character has the same appealing values. It’s a short read, but it sticks in the teeth and fills the belly.

Paladin’s Grace by T. Kingfisher

Stephen’s god died on the longest day of the year…

Three years later, Stephen is a broken paladin, living only for the chance to be useful before he dies. But all that changes when he encounters a fugitive named Grace in an alley and witnesses an assassination attempt gone wrong. Now the pair must navigate a web of treachery, beset on all sides by spies and poisoners, while a cryptic killer stalks one step behind…

Kingfisher, also known as Ursula Vernon, tends to write capable and damaged characters falling in with each other and foiling plots. She also tends to write paladins very well, which is a personal delight. I always enjoy a Kingfisher story, because the characters do the sensible thing more often than not, and she deals with trauma very compassionately, from what I suspect is a personal viewpoint. Her books are also usually very funny, very disturbing, and no-nonsense, scratching that Terry Pratchett Witch itch when I miss him very much. Grace is along the same lines, with a good solid HEA that leaves everyone, including the reader, satisfied.

Kindred, a Graphic Novel Adaptation by Octavia Butler, adapted by Damian Duffy and illustrated by John Jennings

I lost an arm on my last trip home.

Home is a new house with a loving husband in 1970s California that suddenly transformed in to the frightening world of the antebellum South.

Dana, a young black writer, can’t explain how she is transported across time and space to a plantation in Maryland. But she does quickly understand why: to deal with the troubles of Rufus, a conflicted white slaveholder–and her progenitor.

Her survival, her very existence, depends on it.

This searing graphic-novel adaptation of Octavia E. Butler’s science fiction classic is a powerfully moving, unflinching look at the violent disturbing effects of slavery on the people it chained together, both black and white–and made kindred in the deepest sense of the word.

Kindred, the novel, is on my Next 20s list. I had meant to read it before I read the GN, but picked up the graphic novel based on a friend’s recommendation. The graphic novel is searingly painful, and I enjoyed reading it, but there are parts of it that feel slightly disjointed. I’m not sure if it’s because of the time travel, or if it’s an adaptation problem. It made me want to read the novel immediately, which is what I am reading right now. I don’t think that I’ll be able to properly synthesise my thoughts about this book until I’ve read the original.

Mirror: The Mountain and The Nest by Emma Rios and Hwei Lim

A mysterious asteroid hosts a collection of strange creatures – man-animal hybrids, mythological creatures made flesh, guardian spirits, cursed shadows – and the humans who brought them to life. But this strange society exists in an uneasy truce, in the aftermath of uprisings seeking freedom and acceptance, that have only ended in tragedy. As the ambitious, the desperate and the hopeful inhabitants of the asteroid struggle to decide their shared fate, a force greater than either animal or human seems to be silently watching the conflict, waiting for either side to finally answer the question: what is worthy of being human?

Recommended to me by a new friend who’d heard I was into sci-fi and graphic novels, who absolutely hit the nail on the head with this rec. The art is beautiful, dreamy, and layered, and it keeps you tied to the story as the authors build what is a magnificent construction in your head. The authors do some really lovely things with timeskips that I have no idea how to talk about without spoiling anything, and I only regret that we weren’t able to linger through the second volume. I’m don’t know why there isn’t more of Mirror, but I do appreciate how they tied everything up as well as they could in two volumes. Looking forward to more like this in the future.

Heartstopper: Volume Three by Alice Oseman

In this volume we’ll see the Heartstopper gang go on a school trip to Paris! Not only are Nick and Charlie navigating a new city, but also telling more people about their relationship AND learning more about the challenges each other are facing in private…

Meanwhile Tao and Elle will face their feelings for each other, Tara and Darcy share more about their relationship origin story, and the teachers supervising the trip seem… rather close…?

You can read all of Heartstopper and its future updates here. Heartstopper is a lovely slice of life comic, PG13 at best, that really takes me back to my own mid-teens. The story is centered around the developing relationship of two young boys, Charlie and Nick, and it really deals with it respectfully. It tackles a lot of teen issues without being too preachy about it, which is probably the least inspiring thing I could have written about it, and integrates it deftly into the story. The art style is adorable and really complements the sweet story. This volume, just released this month, revolves around a class trip to Paris, and there are some shenanigans that you’ll have to read for yourself.

Sixty Six Book 2 by Russell Molina and Mikey Marchan

Kuwento ni Celestino Cabal. Kabebertdey niya lang. Mayroon siyang natanggap na regalo na ngayo’y unti-unti niyang binubuksan. Ika nga ng matatanda, “Huli man daw at magaling, maihahabol din.”

The story of Celestino Cabal. His birthday has just passed. He received a gift that he now gets to open, bit by bit. As the old saying goes, “Better late than never.”

This is the synopsis of the first book. There isn’t an official synopsis for the second book online, and I hesitate to write my own. Sixty Six Book 2 was released during February Komiket, and since I had been waiting for it for a few years, I had to go to the event even though everyone’s been iffy about going into crowded spaces due to COVID-19. I was excited to read this but unfortunately, I don’t think it capitalised on the foundation set in Book 1. The artist was different, and I admired their work on a technical level, as well as their humorous use of WASAK as a sound effect. I don’t know if there’ll be a third book, but the author has made themselves a little leeway for that possibility at the end of this volume.

Thank You, Jeeves, Jeeves #5 by P.G. Wodehouse

The odds are stacked against Chuffy when he falls head over heels for American heiress Pauline Stoker. Who better to help him win her over but Jeeves, the perfect gentleman’s gentleman. But when Bertie, Pauline’s ex-fiance finds himself caught up in the fray, much to his consternation, even Jeeves struggles to get Chuffy his fairy-tale ending.

This book was in my next 20s! So I’m accomplishing one of my 2020 reading goals, yay! But hot damn there is some racist language in this book. Every time I was finally sinking into the story boom! Racist language! And I know that it was because of the time it was published, like I know that academically, but oof. That aside, the story is solid. It’s a comedy of manners AND errors with Jeeves ex machina, as per usual, but this is the first full Jeeves novel I’ve read, the rest were short story collections, and it was good to see the characters take more space. It certainly made the comedic payoff a lot stronger.

But oof.

Die Vol. 2: Split the Party by Kieron Gillen, Stephanie Hans, and Clayton Cowles

No one can escape DIE until everyone agrees to go home. Or rather, no one can escape DIE until everyone who is alive agrees to go home. The second arc of the commercial and critical hit of bleakly romantic fantasy fiction starts to reveal the secrets of the world, and our heroes’ pasts. Yes, they can’t escape DIE. They also can’t escape themselves. Collects issues #6-10 of DIE

CHARACTERISATION. There’s a lot more breathing space in this newly-released volume of Die and I live for that! The first volume was a lot of the characters running from one place to the next and we, as readers, were being given the sense of setting. But volume two, you can feel Gillen just finally branching out and hitting us with their joined histories. I want to see more of how these older players will be dealing with the actions of their teenage selves, and I think the third volume will really show what the comic’s capable of. I’m really looking forward to that.

False Value, Rivers of London #8 by Ben Aaronovitch

Peter Grant is facing fatherhood, and an uncertain future, with equal amounts of panic and enthusiasm. Rather than sit around, he takes a job with émigré Silicon Valley tech genius Terrence Skinner’s brand new London start up – the Serious Cybernetics Company.

Drawn into the orbit of Old Street’s famous ‘silicon roundabout’, Peter must learn how to blend in with people who are both civilians and geekier than he is. Compared to his last job, Peter thinks it should be a doddle. But magic is not finished with Mama Grant’s favourite son.

Because Terrence Skinner has a secret hidden in the bowels of the SCC. A technology that stretches back to Ada Lovelace and Charles Babbage, and forward to the future of artificial intelligence. A secret that is just as magical as it technological – and just as dangerous.

The last Rivers of London book finished the first major arc of the series. It was a succession of explosions contained in a novel. So I was wondering what kind of tone Aaronovitch would be setting with False Value. Would it be all action, immediately? A filler story? I just wanted more Peter Grant. It could literally be an entire novel of Peter going to America to visit the Smithsonian museums and I would be on that.

False Value is a slow story but does a lot of table setting for the next arc. While the case of the book feels very small and contained, you can see that they’re being pulled into the larger world of magic. I did have a hard time with the first few chapters, but I’m not sure if this is a problem of the book, or because I sailed straight into it after the Jeeves book I had been reading.

I finished the book too quickly and now I have to wait for the next one. Bother.

The Thief, The Queen’s Thief #1 by Megan Whalen Turner

The king’s scholar, the magus, believes he knows the site of an ancient treasure. To attain it for his king, he needs a skillful thief, and he selects Gen from the king’s prison. The magus is interested only in the thief’s abilities.

What Gen is interested in is anyone’s guess. Their journey toward the treasure is both dangerous and difficult, lightened only imperceptibly by the tales they tell of the old gods and goddesses.

It’s March now, so my friends and I are starting on the second book in our read-along of The Queen’s Thief. I wrote last month that I was worried about how my friends would take the series, but really I needn’t have thought about it at all. The book stands well on its own, and my friends all got into the story. I hesitate to say that they loved it because there are four more books in the series, but they were definitely into it. Some of them had a hard time sticking to the two chapters a day schedule because Turner’s prose really just pulls you in.

I still love Gen, and I’m excited to relive his character growth.

The Farthest Shore, The Earthsea Cycle #3

Darkness threatens to overtake Earthsea. As the world and its wizards are losing their magic, Ged — powerful Archmage, wizard, and dragonlord — embarks on a sailing journey with highborn young prince, Arren. They travel far beyond the realm of death to discover the cause of these evil disturbances and to restore magic to a land desperately thirsty for it.

I’m reading Tehanu, the last book of the Cycle, now, and I’m scared of ending the series. It’s given me so much joy and peace these past few months. I slipped right into it after finishing The Farthest Shore, remembering that they overlap slightly, and that’s done a lot to soften the blow of the third book. Re-reading Farthest at this age, when things have been losing their colour and flavour, where I have to fight harder to keep myself honest and keep myself ‘good’, hits differently. I’ve been recovering, and the bitterness that Ged has over the loss of his mastery is too real to me. Of course, it’s a good book, but it hurts.

—

All right, that’s it for now. I’ll probably be popping in to post a little about Komiket and some other things I’ve been reading next week or so, so please keep a weather eye out for that next post!

February Reading Round-Up I won't be the first or last person to marvel at how quickly February whizzed past, especially in comparison to January's gauntlet.

#books #books 2 #reading #reading 2 #reviews

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courage-a-word-of-justice · 5 years

Text

Rolled out one tag. I got pretty far behind, so I’ll catch up in the next few posts.

Uchitama 1

Ume and Shirai here.

I would assume this kid with the tiger on his shirt is called Tora, because I vaguely remember a “Tora” in the promotional material.

The sakura aesthetic is nice.

This switch between boy and cat forms is a bit…”weird” is the first word that came to mind, but “random” was the next.

Tora = Shirai and Ume is a character called Kuro, who we haven’t seen yet. (Had to google which roles they had.)

LOL, I like Beh already. A sleepyhead like him is perfect!

I just noticed, but Beh sometimes has a cleft palate (that little dent in the mouth).

Ume’s character isn’t too bad-looking, y’know. He’s a clumsy one though, so he doesn’t quite seem like the sort of character I’d gravitate to.

Seeing boys and girls act like cats and dogs makes me LOL.

Huh? Is cat-dog romance like your standard opposites attract romance…?

Hmm…thank goodness the mother cat wasn’t “made human”…

I’m used to Nora being a woman (see Noragami plus the Western general usage of the name “Nora”)…so this one being a guy (with nice eyes, to boot) is a bit disorienting.

Turns out the Tosa is a huge dog with a face like a pitbull.

I find this Momo-Bull romance just a bit weird still.

I got spoilt on this from the reviews, but Waiha = Hawaii.

That flash of Nora’s owner (?) was interesting!

Other notes: The narration seems to be done by the voice of Tama. Ume sounds like Ume, but it doesn’t feel like Ume because he’s playing against his normal type of character. Shirai doesn’t sound like Shirai though…it’s a completely different character to the types I’ve heard him do before (Ramuda and Io don’t sound like Tora, but Vino sounds similar to En because a lot of Ume characters are done in his usual, suave voice…Ramuda is Shirai doing a falsetto though so he’s hard to compare).

Hatena 1

This one got alright reviews, but I get the feeling I’m not going to like it, so lt’s get this over and done with.

Why is Kana the only one with the black hair…?

This OP is rather low budget compared to the others…

I fully expect Kana to go “It’s bitter…” and make a face when drinking the coff-yep. Thought so. Why do people think black coffee is the mark of a distinguished adult anyway? I don’t even like coffee, so I don’t get it at all.

The sentence in Japanese went something like “Makoto’s always been good”, so I don’t get why the word “egg” had to be introduced into the subs.

There’s an onigiri sale in the back, LOL.

The gates were fairly CGId…

The butler’s name is literally Jeeves Wodehouse, LOL.

Oh, Yumemi is blonde because of Maeve and Kana is brunette/black (?) haired because of Mamoru. Yumemi = dream seeing and Mamoru = protect.

Kana’s voice is annoying! That’s why I thought I wouldn’t like this.

Kana’s such a tsundere now that she knows Makoto is a boy, it’s annoying. I already knew such a detail from the reviews, so I’m not miffed at all.

I find it vaguely amusing that there were 3 different types of animation of a person popping their head into the attic.

Ema’s just a bit evil…Update: Nup, she just ships Kana x Makoto, that’s all.

The hardsubs weren’t encoded correctly on this episode, so they’re all blurry now. Still readable but blurry.

The pun is that the ka in Kana can be read hate in other cases.

More CG doors.

Why is Kana wearing the scarf, even after her bath in a towel???

This reminds me of Hayate the Combat Butler…

Maeve is foreign...that’s why she’s blonde. Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh. (<- partially sarcastic)

Hmm…the fact you can’t tell what is and isn’t real is an interesting factor. However, the production values and the bog-standard romance being set up undercut that.

Magical girl transformation, eh? Reminds me of DN Angel or Magic Kaito, but also Phantom Thief Jeanne or something of the sort.

Hatena 2

I’m still trying to see if this is something to kick out…

This “scarf punches guy” business is getting old…I never got used to it in the old-school harems. I don’t know why it’s become a “classic” thing in anime.

This is meant to be for a boy’s perspective, so…I don’t get it. Okay, I’m dropping this.

Infinite Dendrogram 1

An isekai…oh, goody. (sarcastic) Then again, if I liked this I could try a new publisher out, so it’s win-win for me and the companies I go through to get there.

*the exposition rolls in about virtual reality* Oh great (sarcastic)…this is SAO all over again, isn’t it???

I saw HOTZIPANG in the credits list…now I’m really wary. HOTZIPANG were in the credits for Africa Salaryman and their animation production isn’t the best.

1st person cam…you suck, you know that?!

No. 13 (unlucky number)…Cheshire (Alice in Wonderland)…

Ray for Reiji makes sense, but…(consults Google-sensei) mukudori does mean “starling”, after all.

Yo…does Ray have to be blonde…? Is this some commentary on how having blonde hair is better than black hair, or am I thinking about this too much? (It’s my belief that Asians want to look European and vice versa – just look at their beauty standards! - so that’s where that comes from.)

Box? Looks like a bag to me.

Welp, just grabbing the kanji for mukudori via Wikipedia revealed the Embryo is a sword to me…*shrugs* No surprise there – as TV Tropes would say, heroes love swords (and redheads!).

So you can commit murder in Infinite Dendrogram??? (I’m joking partially, but Cheshire did say “you can do anything”…right?)

…and of course Ray drops into Altea from the sky. It’s been a cliché since No Game No Life.

“This is a game?” – Actually, I thought the same thing when I entered the website and game of TERA. Then again, this is basically trying to be SAO through and through, so I guess spouting that line is a prerequisite here.

How does anyone break both arms from running into someone…?

Well, at least this show looks nice. It’s doing its job on that front.

I was going to ask what a tian was, but the show answered it for me. Good job, show!

*Googles “dendrogram”* - “a tree diagram, especially one showing taxonomic relationships.” – Oh, so that’s why it’s called Infinite Dendrogram! (Y’know, it reminds me of studying about dendrites, which have the same appearance as a dendrogram...hence the shared origins of the words.)

Normally characters don’t jump into virtual worlds with thir brother…they’d do it with their cousin or crush or something…Hmm.

I was about to think you die in real life if you die in the game, but thank goodness this one is nowhere near as bad.

CGI bugs…of course…

That one still shot revealed a crack in this show’s visuals. I almost thought I could select it on the basis of the excellent visuals alone, but nope.

“…that…leaves a bad taste in my mouth!” – Not again, Ray…stop saying that line…

Again? I just told you in the last note not to!

Of course Ray gets the girl. I should’ve known…well she’s a sword but also a girl…?

The sentence ending -grizz is –kuma in Japanese.

I felt something special in my gut when the sword appeared, even though I’m complaining about this being like SAO, so I think it’s worth continuing.

A3 1

A3 is based on a mobile game so it looks a lot like those idol games, but it’s actually about acting according to the full name of Act! Addict! Actors!.

This kid’s eyes freak me out!

Considering this involves – according to the synopsis – a Mankai (full bloom) Company and this is called “spring and summer”, plus the metaphors from earlier, it makes sense the kiddo’s jumper says “spring” on it.

I thought the kid was singing, but turns out he’s reciting Shakespeare. I don’t know how popular the ol’ Shakie is in Japan, but I’ll take it.

Veludo Way = Broadway, apparently.

It should be Biro-do or Verodo, but not “Vedulo” like the subs say.

*sees a woman* - Oh great, so now this turns into an otome game…or, like i7’s Tsumugi, she’s an audience insert.

Someone encoded the video funny again…*sigh*

I bet the demolition guy is going to join the theatre, based on his looks. Update: According to the wiki, yes he does (as part of the Autumn troupe)! One of his hobbies is bubble wrap, which I can relate to immensely…and apparently he’s a yakuza…?

Masumi’s voice…is that Kaito Ishikawa? Update: No! It’s Shirai! I’m so surprised…it’s a very Io-sounding voice, though, so I guess I shouldn’t.

Masumi is one of those needy types who could easily fall into yandere territory…I don’t like him. I don’t like Sakuya either, though…

I know this from my recent experience, but hard work hardly works, Sakuya. Staying somewhere one year or ten years does diddly squat if you don’t have what other people are looking for. *tries not to cry*

I’m sorry guys, but even with the attack to the heart, I don’t give a s*** about you all. The troupe was just arguing to delay their deadlines and Furuichi (the demolition guy) has a point – the guys didn’t really prove themselves outside a brief but unimpressive stint from Sakuya.

ARP Backstage Pass 1

Hopefully this show is actually good, y’know? A3 just bombed…

Okayyyyyyyyyyy…from the one minute or so that I’ve seen, it looks like a Coldplay concert but with bishonen (good) and bad music (which is…uh, bad). That does not bode well for this show…also, the stage names are pretty obviously that. I mean, who cals their kid “Rage”? It’s probably Reiji (again, considring Infinite Dendrogram).

The cars from above almost look like Frogger…LOL.

Oh f*** me and my on-the-ball instincts! I guessed correctly again (Rage = Reiji)…and that’s bad news.

Wait, why is Shinji staring into space…?

There’s a kettle noisily going on in the background, so I can’t really tell what’s so awesome about this show without the music…I guess I’ll have to abort this mission until later…

Okay, so I listened to the piano bit thrice and couldn’t tell if there was a piano noise…That’s bad news. Update: Yep, listened to it again and there is no piano sound during the piano scene.

The rock music was…unexpected.

Wait, you mean the dude’s name is actually Daiya??? What???

Oh my gosh, these guys are hilarious! I know that’s dark considering they’re starving, but…LOL.

Idolmaster Side M taught me that career changes are actually pretty interesting when combined with idol anime and…this may be a band or something, but it sure works the same way.

That transition to Leon was terrible.

This appears to be Yokohama (Chinatown) and Hakone (the pirate ship).

Well, the show’s case would be helped if they had music in the right places, rather than music videos interspersed throughout.

Geesh this one is tough…some of the music is actually pretty good and the episode does get better when Rebel Cross appear (but Shinji is kinda boring, even though I thought I’d like him the most, and Leon’s singing was downright terrible), but the animation is terrible and I found myself going “But why should I care?!” multiple times in my head during the first half. The group do seem to have quite good synergy at the end and are generally entertaining, too.

Ankoku Hakaishin 1

I’ve ben calling this “Destructive God” or “Ankoku Haishin”, so this is A Destructive God Sits Next to Me. Update: It should be Hakaishin…actually.

Ooh, Natsuko Takahashi. This show’s in good hands.

Very Seki-kun.

Black Mouse Land, LOL.

“This is war!” – The word here is shoubu, which literally means “victory or defeat”, so it makes sense to change it to a more commonly used phrase.

“RIP Koyuki” – The grave said “Koyuki’s grave”…which isn’t that funny to be honest, so again, I get the decision to change it.

Hanadori still had the dog…?

“Things I Want to Forget” – Literally, the words on the page mean “black history”, which I think is funnier.

Oh, I bet Koyuki will plan the class trip…

“[T]he jerk in the next class over” – Does he have a name…?

I bet Koyuki has the worst grades in math of the trio.

Koyuki is deliberately designed like a cat, it seems.

You can see the broken window from earlier…LOL.

It’s Animal Crossing! On DS! (But what’s up with that rabbit with the fishnet stockings…?) Update: Do Japanese kids even use DSs these days? DSs must be cheap in comparison to their newfangled gaming laptops and Switches…

Is Tsukimiya Mamoru Miyano or something…? Update: Nup, Kimura. I seem to get those two confused quite a bit.

The “Muney” (sic) thing is because he (Hanadori) wrote the hyou in mokuhyou (aim, goal) wrong. By the way, Hanadori put an eyepatch on one of his banknotes.

That ending was actually kind of cute. I always prefer heartwarming comedies like these over mean-spirited ones (Osomatsu-san, Konosuba), so…yep, it’s in my wheelhouse!

I predicted the ending but the galactic reaction I got was…awesome!

In/Spectre 1

Why does this have so many names? In/Spectre, Kyokou Suiri , Inverted Reasoning (or was it Inverted Interface)…? Update: Inverted Inference. That’s the name on the manga covers.

Ooh, Saki is pretty classy-looking.

This is being framed like a romance, huh? I know this series is supernatural, but I’m not really here for the romance.

What’s the age gap? 17 (Kotoko) – 23 (Kuro)?

Lel, Harlequin novels. Those seem to be exclusive to the Western world (specifically the USA and its English-speaking country buddies), so it’s probably just romance novels in the original words. Update: I found Harlequin novels for Japan, but still, they’d be nowhere near as ubiquitous as they are elsewhere. Update 2: I kept thinking about it, so now I have an entire post with my findings. Turns out Japan does have and know about Harlequin novels (which do look like the one the samurai was holding), but they probably couldn’t state the name because of potential lawsuits or something.

Oh gosh, Potato-kun (Kuro) – yes, I think of him much like a normal harem lead – getting your hand chomped off to the arm is a bit stupid, y’know?

Whoa! Wht a crazy cliffhanger!

Whoo! This OP (? Or is this an ED?) is crazy cool. Kinda like low-budget Kekkai Sensen.

Well, this show is kinda losing me with the romance elements, but the supernatural part is great.

Hanako-kun 2

What’s Hakujoudai? Those will o wisps? Update: Seems so.

The explanation of Yousei-san has a voice like it’s coming across a radio…interesting.

The towel…I bet it’s the one from Senpai one of the students mntioned earlier.

The subbers spelt “brooch” wrong.

This new boy – which I thought was Minamoto at first (LOL?)…he has a traffic omamori as an earring and a staff/umbrella, so he’s probably an exorcist. Either that or a massive chuunibyou.

LOL, Castle in the Sky much? (Or is that Nausicaa?)

Nene is reading from a magazine called G Cinema.

The comedy is this is slowly getting better. That’s a good sign for this, but bad for Ankoku Hakaishin…

Seagull High????? (Kamome = seagull.)

Wait, Minamoto??? You mean Nene’s former love is an exorcist??? Update: Oops, that’s (Nene’s crush is) Kou’s older bro…but that’s spoilers.

“Kou” is written with the character for hikari, or in this case “Yorimitsu”.

The action scenes are pretty good in this…I guess I kind of took them for granted in ep. 1.

Oh, I guess I should’ve known that seal on Hanako’s face…there were more of them in his possession. Also, there’s an extra V in the subs for some reason.

The stairs remind me of Muzan’s “universe” near the end of Demon Slayer’s first season.

Oh, the events of this episode tell you why Nene does the next episode stuff.

The ED visuals remind me of Ranpo Kitan’s, and I love Ranpo Kitan’s.

Ankoku Hakaishin 2

Why is Koyuki eating with his teacher anyway? I thought he was the guy from the class next door until he started talking about kids.

“Miguel Whatever” makes me laugh every time.

The cat ears on Koyuki’s phone are cute.

Sumiso reminds me of Aikatsu girls…

Uchitama 2

Bull is an “ore-sama”, huh?

I didn’t think they would continue with the “Solitary King of Destruction” thing.

Bull as a chuunibyou ham is so entertaining, but when they try to play the Momo romance hand again…I start to lose my patience...

LOL, Petstagram…

…and now it’s a (reverse) HAREM!

“[M]ad dog”, LOL, what a turn of phrase.

Okayyyyyyyyy subbers, own up! Who put a dog pun in Bull’s talk?! (I’m referring to the “doggone it!”.)

*points at dog puns*- You didn’t, subbers! You’re still adding dog puns!

Wait, Bull’s singing?! This I didn’t expect!

Well…this decision is hard. Bull’s become greater than ever…but only in relation to his romance with Momo!

Aww…seeing Bull dejected makes me sad inside too.

Oh yeah! There we go! That intro landed its gag purrfectly…to use an intentional cat pun.

Why did I take to Bull so much? Well, if he weren’t a dog, I’d find him completely romanceable, even if he were a massive chuuni.

Oh, the pun is ippai (full). Then you unintentionally switch it to oppai (boobs).

What? Wow, I never thought I’d get Ume talking about cat and dog nipples. (That’s not a sentence I’m going to be able to match any time soon.)

Okayyyyyyyyy…that one segment was a massive weird non-sequitur. I have no idea how they’d represent that with cat and dog forms.

Oh, Petstagram! We actually get to see it!

This series is more prone to “mood swings” than Ankoku Hakaishin or even Hanako-kun…yikes.

No, no, no! Who is this guy??? Haven’t you heard of “stranger danger”?!

…Oh, so the guy was Tome, huh?

The ED! This aesthetic is too good!

ARGH! Okay, okay, Uchitama! You win! I was going to pick Ankoku Hakaishin because that’s more consistent in landing its laughs and Hanako-kun would’ve been a better choice because its aesthetic is more consistently there plus it has interesting ideas with its apparitions, but Ankoku Hakaishin is fairly interchangeable with Iruma-kun…basically, if Eizouken or Magia Record don’t work out, I can loo forward to switching in one or the other, but I’m going to stick with Uchitama because *gestures wildly at screen* just look at this manservice! Even if it’s actually for a dog, I cannot deny the manservice!

#simulcast commentary #uchitama #boku no tonari ni ankoku hakaishin ga imasu #a destructive god sits next to me #Hatena Illusion #In/Spectre #Inverted Inference #Kyokou Suiri #toilet-bound hanako-kun #jibaku shounen hanako kun #a3! season spring & summer #arp backstage pass #infinite dendrogram #Uchitama?! Uchi no Tama Shirimasenka?#uchitama?! have you seen my tama?#Chesarka watches Uchitama

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dndeviants · 5 years

Text

Return to Ravenloft

The nightmares landed at Castle Ravenloft. The party dismounted themselves and finally got the chance to actually pay attention to their surroundings.

They soaked in the foreboding, yet beautiful stonework, the expert craftsmanship on the oaken doors, long stained glass windows... and one beautiful stained glass circular window directly above them with the shining sun of the old Barovian god shown proudly...

Music seeped through the stone. It was surprisingly upbeat and jovial. The sounds of celebration and the chatter of victory beckoned them inside. The fire light flickered through the windows, spilling on the ground.

Whoops and cheers spilled out from within. It was a full blown reverie.

Jeeves put his hands on his hips and looked to Aric, “It’s quite a ruckus.”

“Yup,“ Linda replied, smirking, “Very lively...“

Her companions groaned as she chuckled.

Shadows flickered across the windows. Linda blinked. Given the placement of the windows from the ground and the length of the windows... the movement would have come from...

The ceiling?

“Vampires...“ she muttered. She walked up to the castle doors, “I gotta see this.“

Jeeves watched as Linda walked inside the castle. He called out, "What is there to see? Creepy castle? And even creepier inhabitants?"

There was a pause before she poked her head back out, “They are dancing on the ceiling," she eagerly retreated back inside.

Aric turned to Jeeves, "The ceiling, that's... different. Should we should join so as not to appear rude? The consorts did help us fight after all..."

"I suppose," Jeeves admitted, rushing forward to open the door for his liege, "My lord."

Aric entered the castle, "Thank you, Jeeves."

Aric, Jeeves, and Ruki walked through the stone halls, following the sounds of the reverie. Ruki obeyed her father’s instructions and guided them to the dining room.

A long table ran down the center of the stone and marble room, it was covered with a pristine white silk table cloth, with settings for twenty or so guests, and a special throne at the head of he table. All the place settings had fine polished silver plates and ornate silverware with wine goblets... some of the goblets were filled with a red liquid...

Blood, thought Linda. She looked to the casks uneasily, that is blood too. Another uneasy thing for her was just... how similar the style of the room was to the styles of the noble merchants of Neverwinter and Waterdeep.

She stared at the back wall. There was a grand pipe organ built into the foundation of the castle, its pipes and bellows extended all the way to the ceiling. But the music they heard wasn’t organ music....

Ghostly servants played stringed instruments and tambourines. Skeletons paraded around accomplishing mundane chores.

They looked up. Just past the four golden chandeliers that illuminated most of the room, the consorts were dancing on the ceiling. There was also a woman in maid’s clothes toiling hard at the ceiling, desperately dusting the ancient timber.

Jeeves nudged Aric and pointed to the skeletons, "Who do you think they used to be?"

Aric stared wide-eyed at the skeletal servants. He hadn’t noticed them, "No idea, they are strange though.”

Linda raised a brow, “Odd...” she took out a small journal and began to write her questions.

"Good Evening friends! How rude of us... let us get on the same level as you mortals... come darlings..." Escher was the one who spoke. He bowed elegantly and walked down the marble pillar to stand in front of them. He looked to the tiefling and smiled, "Ah, and good evening to you especially, Lady Ruki."

Escher grinned, baring fangs as the other consorts joined him. Linda looked up from her notebook.

She put her notebook away, opting to keep her hands free when dealing with the vampires. “Good evening,” she replied.

The red-haired female consort stepped forward, looking refreshed and youthful- nowhere near the amount of haggard she looked while fighting... In fact, to Linda, it looked like she was never in battle to begin with.

The red-haired one spoke in a low, soft voice, "Ah, Lord Strahd's guests... may I inquire as to where our lord is?"

Linda answered, "He and Rahadin took Mordenkainen to a mage's tower to keep him imprisoned until we can figure out what is wrong with him."

"What is wrong with Mordenkainen?” A dark-skinned woman unlike the other Barovians mocked, “I can give you an answer... the fact that he isn't already six feet under, that is what I say..."

"Perhaps our lord has grown too trusting of the living strangers..." the smallest of the female consorts spoke, almost glaring at them with her platinum mask in the shape of a horned skull.

Escher tutted, "Now now, no need to be rude... without them, we wouldn't have had this grand outing..."

Linda quirked her lips, unfazed by the vampires’ manners, "And these living strangers have names, which I assume you have as well."

Escher raised a brow, "Indeed. You may call me Escher. My last name is of no consequence, so you may not have it."

Linda smirked and folded her arms, “Very well, you can call me Linda.”

The dark-skinned woman stepped forward with grand posture, "Ludmila Vilisevic. Mila is a name reserved for friends and lovers...” She gave a cold, smug look,”You may call me Ludmila."

The red-haired woman stepped up with Ludmila and put a hand on her shoulder, “Ana,” was all she spoke as to her name.

The small consort removed her mask, revealing a soft face and wide blue eyes. She listed her titles, "Volenta Popofsky, Spring Maiden, and Vallaki's Siren of the Hills. My pleasure to finally meet you guests! We've been looking forward to seeing new people for years! Don't let Mila intimidate you. She's just protective."

Ludmila hissed, "Quiet, love!"

Linda raised her hands to gesture peace. She didn’t want the spawn to be agitated when their master wasn’t around to control them, "I understand. You hardly know us. It is expected for there to be... unease."

The female consorts backed off their aggression. Escher turned to Aric, who had been keeping quiet. He smiled at the young genasi, "My, my... what a handsome boy you are. You are quiet... what is your name, son?"

It won’t do well to appear rude... Despite his manners, Aric thought. "Aric Rein, a pleasure to meet you. And this is my retainer Jeeves,” Aric answered.

Ruki watched with quiet amusement, and donned a silk butterfly mask, while pulling out her ocarina. She playfully called to Escher, “Careful Escher, he's taken by his retainer...”

Escher laughed, "The boy is hardly old enough to marry, much less be taken. But how have you been, darling? Come now, spill the cask!"

Escher walked over to Ruki and pat her on the back, before turning to the other guests, "And everyone feel free to enjoy the music, dance, celebrate..."

The consorts resumed their dance, as the party still awkwardly stood near the wall.

Ruki looked at Ana and Mila and frowned, “I will have to teach them a lesson later. For now, I can manage to look after most affairs.”

Escher tutted,”Now, now. I think 'Vasili' has gotten to you. You can't be all work all the time."

Volenta absently spun around the table, lifting her fluffy skirts. She giggled and then startled as she bumped into Aric, “Oh my! Oops! Oh,” she smiled, grabbing on to him, “You should dance with me! Don’t worry, I know how to lead!”

I seriously doubt she knows how to lead- Oh no! Aric was surprised as this frail looking girl, about two or so years older than him physically, lifted him off the ground and began to twirl with him around the table... She’s holding me captive- I’ve no choice but to let her lead!

Jeeves reached out in a panic as his master was abducted, “MY LORD!”

Volenta sang nonsense and giddily laughed as she spun Aric around. Ruki approached Jeeves, and spoke without concern, “He will be fine. No one is as gentle and caring as Volenta.”

Jeeves looked to Ruki, agape, “"GENTLE?!"

“Yes, gentle,” insisted Ruki.

Aric called out, "I'm alright Jeeves!” Aric looked down at the enthusiastic vampire, “Volenta, maybe you could set me down and I could lead for a bit."

She giggled, "Alright! Although I did have fun. Your turn."

Volenta set Aric down. Aric bowed like a gentleman, much to her delight, and took her by the hand and waist to lead her in waltz.

Ruki smirked to her friend, “Escher, maybe you would like to ease Jeeves' mind with dance?”

Escher looked to Jeeves with interest, “Well I am not opposed...”

"I'm no dancer. That's a hard no," Jeeves spoke tight-lipped.

"What is it with serious retainers...? Rahadin, Jeeves..." Escher looked to Linda, and extended his hand, "Would you care?"

Perhaps I could get some questions answered. She stood up straight and extended her hand to him, “Very well.”

Linda allowed him to lead her in a waltz and waited until they had progressed through the dining hall a bit before asking, "So, Escher, how did you end up in Castle Ravenloft and a consort?"

"Oh, little old me?” Escher laughed, “I was a bard from a writer's guild. I specialized in poetry, history, and genealogy. I was hired by lord Strahd to be his personal historian. He commissioned me to make a book detailing the various 'reigns of his family'..."

He continued, "When I found out his secret, and the consorts' existence, I realized it was just a propaganda piece, but finished it anyway... and got him to trust me again. Wooed him... convinced him to turn me. Now I am here. It was pretty simple and uneventful really."

So he is the one who wrote the book. He asked to be a consort? He wanted to be a vampire? Are all the other consorts like that? Most spawn are slaves to their master, but they seem to have at least some freedom...

Linda was shocked, but tried to play it off, "Oh, well, I have read your work. It is well done propaganda..." she paused and ventured, "Do you know which parts were the real history?"

"Indeed I do, In fact I-" Escher stopped dead.

All of the music ended abruptly, and the consorts grew deathly still.

Linda was stunned by the reaction and felt chills all over her body. Why would they-?

"My my... what is all this then? Celebrating my absence, are we?" The voice of Strahd echoed through the dining hall.

Linda spun around to face the voice, heart racing. Strahd stood at the entry to the hall with Rahadin by his side. Rahadin scowled disapprovingly at the scene. Strahd surveyed the dining room with a barely amused expression on his twisted, bat-like face.

Strahd’s eyes landed on Escher, and seemed to burn for a brief moment. Escher dropped his hands from Linda’s waist to his side and bowed his head.

Strahd chuckled.

Rahadin stepped forth, addressing the consorts, "Made a mess on the ceiling...?"

Escher protested, "No, we weren't on the ceiling-"

Rahadin glared at Escher and held up a single finger to silence him. After a pause, he used the same finger to point up to the maid on the ceiling, desperately trying to clean.

Strahd quirked his lips in amusement, "That's alright, Helga. You can come down from there..."

As the maid scurried off the ceiling, and kept her head low, Strahd approached Escher.

He clacked his tongue, “Why do you lie, Escher?"

Linda stepped away from Escher, not wanting to be near the vampires when Strahd decided to punish the man... Linda’s heart pounded in her chest, anticipating his next move.

Escher spoke playfully, "It's why you hired me, my lord."

Strahd raised a brow, crinkling the already deformed lines on his face, "I will give you that. It is why I hired you, but not why I kept you around...”

Strahd approached Escher again and came really close to him. He put a clawed thumb on Escher’s chin...

Strahd smirked, “You may work with Helga. Make sure the guest quarters are suitable for my guests. I have rewards to grant them for their services."

That’s it? That’s his punishment? Linda breathed in relief. She felt certain that Strahd would have done something worse than making the prissy bard clean. But it seemed to be more than enough.

Escher sighed and groaned, displeased. Then he looked to Strahd with a petulant expression, "Well... we helped. What is our reward?" Escher gestured to the other consorts, who lined up next to him.

Strahd smiled in amusement, "We want a reward? Very well. Come here, darlings..."

Linda watched, stunned as the consorts came over to him, one by one, each being kissed and embraced by the Vampire Lord... with very genuine affection. He made Escher wait until the last to receive his affection.

Strahd embraced Escher, and pecked him on the cheek.

Escher huffed, but was not displeased, "That is it?"

Strahd laughed,"If I recall, you were the one who told me that 'a token of my affection would be greater than any other treasure I could offer you'... am I mistaken?"

Escher sighed, and chuckled, defeated, "No. You use my own words against me, my lord."

Strahd pat Escher on the shoulder, "You are dismissed. Please make sure everything is suitable."

Strahd allowed the consorts to leave, before striding in and sitting himself at the throne at the head of the table. He took the wine glass from his setting and drank the red liquid from within...

As he drank, his pale skin flushed, his twisted features seemed to melt... the blood restored him to a more human state... More human, but remnants of his bat-like nose and pointed ears remained.

Linda and Aric stood, unsure of what to do...

Strahd noticed their uncertainty and gestured to the seating, "No need to stand. Come, join me."

Aric felt brave. The vampire was drinking blood, obviously, so he shouldn’t have to fear his own blood being taken. He sat immediately to Strahd’s left, Jeeves sitting next to him.

Linda felt much the same and sat on Strahd’s right. Ruki remained standing by Strahd’s side.

Strahd surveyed his worn and battered guests. He looked to Rahadin, "Have a meal made for my guests. There are things to be discussed."

Rahadin bowed his head, “Yes, lord Strahd," Rahadin swiftly left to see to his master’s wishes.

Strahd examined his now empty wine glass for a brief moment. The living energy of the blood he fed from allowed him to gather his thoughts. He looked back up to Aric and Linda, allowing himself to smile briefly, "I trust my consorts were kind to you?"

Linda hesitated, “Mostly...”

"Mila?" Strahd questioned, already knowing the answer himself.

Ruki chuckled as Linda blinked.

"I guess you know their characters well," Linda said.

Strahd laughed quietly, "I make it a habit of knowing the characters of all who I bring in to my company. You... are no exception. And I have to say... I am pleased.”

He fixed them with his stare, “I could have hoped for no better help than you- even if it was not the kind of help I was seeking at the time."

Strahd leaned back in his chair, and made a gesture. A ghostly hand appeared and carried his wine glass to a cask and filled it with more blood before returning it to his hand. Strahd continued, "I have so, so many questions... and I suppose you have the same of me?"

"Indeed. I have a few," Linda nodded and took out her notebook and a pen.

Strahd blinked, suddenly uneasy. He didn’t let it show, however, "Oh? You came prepared? Very well."

"First off, where did the children go?” Linda asked, “And is Timothy with them? Is he okay?"

The children. Strahd relaxed but held up a hand, as if to ask for patience. He sipped the blood and felt it return him to his completely human form. Much better.

"They are all with Mina and Victor,” Strahd answered, “They are headed to Vallaki now, with an escort. There, they will meet with Father Petrovich, who will tend to their wounds from the fighting they did in captivity. They are as safe as one could be in Barovia."

"Very well. When I can, I want to see Timothy," Linda took a note and paused, flipping through her notebook.

Strahd sipped blood, patiently, now letting his eternal hunger become sated for the moment.

Linda looked back up to him, "Do you know more about Kiril? I saw that he turned to mist after the last blow."

"About as much as you,” Strahd replied, setting his glass down, “I never really paid attention to the politics of the pack. I only knew that Kiril was outcast-ed and banished from the pack, and returned to claim leadership... I do regret not being more involved with the pack... but I had enough to worry about with human politics."

"Fair enough,” She sighed and looked through her other questions, "Alright, how do you have a were-bat form? How can you communicate while polymorphed?"

Strahd looked amused, "You could say it was a birthday gift from the Dark Powers. I increase in power in various ways as I age, and that giant bat form is one of them. As for communication..."

Strahd gestured to Ruki, "This one actually guided me as to how."

Linda blinked, "Alright. That answers some of my questions. I'm sure I'll come up with more later."

Rahadin returned to the dining hall, with ghostly servants carrying plates of food. Rahadin bowed, "My lord, as you requested..."

Despite herself, Linda’s stomach growled. There were lots of warm, dark breads, a beef stew with moderate spice, roast pheasant, and various root vegetables...

She didn’t question how it had been prepared so quickly, she was just hungry.

Strahd finished his second glass of blood and rose, "Eat your fill. I will be going to my study. I have to prepare your rewards.”

He turned to the elf, “Rahadin, when Linda is done, bring her to me first. Then I will let you know when I am ready for Aric. Then Ruki, you and I will have a small chat. Is this fair?"

Strahd looked to his nodding guests and replied, “Very well. Enjoy. I will take my leave,” Strahd walked silently out of the dining room.

Linda took the time to savor the richness of the food, the first real meal she had since arriving. She let her stomach become satisfied, but not full. She rose and looked to Rahadin, "I'm finished. Let's go."

Rahadin nodded curtly to her, and spoke to Aric and Jeeves with warning, "For your own safety. Remain here."

After taking satisfaction with their mortified expressions, Rahadin guided Linda. They walked up the grand staircase... into an empty, derelict throne room. Linda saw the tattered banners and lonely throne, contrasted to the fine dining room below... it seemed only certain rooms in the castle were upkept. They went through to another room, with scattered chests, papers... an old man sitting at a desk, sleeping...

She had not much time to look before Rahadin took her up a flight of spiral stairs into... what appeared to be another dining room... but this had broken instruments, dust... and a table still set- but this one with rotten food and-

A wedding cake? But this wedding cake was green with age...

Linda shuddered, not wanting to see the state of the study.

Rahadin came to the door at the end of the private dining room and opened the door. “Lady,” he bowed his head.

Linda entered, agape. Without a doubt, this was the most beautiful room she had seen in the castle... It was warm and inviting. Bookcases were filled to the brim with several well cared for books. She could tell by the binding that not only were they ancient and rare, but each of them had been read... None of these books were for display.

An ornate fireplace had a roaring fire within it, lighting the room. Above the mantle was a portrait with a gold frame- its subject:

Is that Ireena? Wait... no... it has to be Tatayana...

Her stomach grew still and cold when she looked upon that face. It chilled her, despite the warmth of the room... she had to turn away from it.

There was Strahd, sitting at a large desk, reading his spell book. She blinked at him. He looked just like Vasili had... He was also no longer in formal wear, but a sensible white shirt, black trousers, and a red sash at his waist, a ruby pendant on his chest...

Very casual for him, but no less handsome. She batted the thought away and fixed her gaze on a coffer sitting next to him instead.

She walked over to him. Strahd looked up from his spell book, and gestured to a plush chair in front of the desk.

“You may sit, Linda,“ he politely acknowledged her, “Thank you for joining me.“

Linda nodded her thanks and sat down. Strahd rose from his seat, setting his spell book down and walking over to her, opening the coffer to show her several rings within:

“I have rings of various resistances I have collected or made through the years...“ he listed, “Fire, Cold, Acid, Poison, Lightning, Force, Psychic... that one is a rather recent addition-” he chuckled, “but in any case, the choice of ring is yours. I myself wear a ring of Fire resistance."

Linda looked over the rings, and thought back to the creature from the wolf den, "I think I would like fire, just based on that ring that Mehmet has."

Strahd nodded and pulled a band from the coffer, granting the ring to her.

"Thank you,” Linda put the ring on, and looked to Strahd again.

Strahd sat at his chair and leaned back, musing, "You know... I was thinking of granting you a title... just granting you a ring seems... hardly enough for the services you have done."

"A title?" Linda was stunned.

He nodded, "I am lord of the land, and it is within my right to grant titles for service. I did so with many in my ranks when I reclaimed Barovia... and you have done great service for me.”

He listed, “You helped to protect Ireena from Donavich, you aided in her rescue from Izek, you helped to deal with everything in Vallaki and more... including not taking advantage of my weakness in the tower, and even defending me from an old enemy...”

Ah, so he did appreciate that, even though I felt like a fool after, Linda thought, numbly.

“...the entire battle at Krezk... I could continue to list the ways of which you have done more service... " Strahd sighed, "Aric already is of noble rank, and Ruki is as well, though she cannot bear it publicly. It seems a shame to not grant one to you."

Linda blinked. She decided to tell the truth, "Well, the thing is... I have one already."

Strahd blinked, "Oh? Then it is no surprise that you are well suited in dealing with people... but... if you had a rank... why are you a tinkerer...?"

Strahd paused, realizing, "When we had first met, you said something about how your family was murdered... is this the reason you do not wear your rank?"

Linda nodded, sadly, "It is. My family was murdered for their money. If people found out that I survived and have the inheritance... my life would be in danger. My title is Baroness Melinda Sharaden."

She spoke the name she hadn’t gone by in years. Sharaden was a line of minor nobility that had risen to greater titles and lands by the keen planning of her father. A merchant baron. He bought enough land, rights, and titles to have that noble rank- and passed it on to her, his only daughter.

Strahd spoke, "Sharaden... A baroness?"

Strahd laughed.

Linda looked at him, shocked, and hurt. Why would he laugh at that?

Strahd seemed to read her mind, "I see... no, I am not laughing to be rude... I just had a thought that amused me..."

She raised a brow and folded her arms, "And what was that thought?"

"Well, if I wanted to increase your rank, I would have to marry you. It is a silly thought..." Strahd returned to the study of his spell book.

Linda blinked and felt herself blush, growing hot under the collar at the thought of marrying-

"Well... that's not.... necessary. I don't need a new title..." she folded her arms tightly across her chest.

"Of course not- not when you already don't use the one you have..." he laughed quietly, "I'm sorry. That was rude of me."

Strahd looked up to the portrait of Tatayana above the fireplace... It always vexed and transfixed him. He could spend countless hours staring at her visage... wondering if there was anything different he could have done... anything at all so that they might be together...

But now, when he regarded the ancient portrait, it was with... a sense of guilt. How dare he laugh with this woman so earnestly? Why desire her? She was not the woman you killed for- or died for- over and over and over again...

Tatayana’s eyes seemed to water... ever so subtly...

In his mind he heard her voice: “Have you forgotten me, my love?”

Never...

"So Strahd?" Linda’s voice beckoned him back to the present. Out of the spiral of guilt.

"Yes, my lady? What would you ask of me?" Strahd sat up, and brushed away his vexation. He decided to be more proper with this monster hunting baroness.

Linda fixed him with a hard expression, "Eight years ago, werewolves showed up in Daggerford. They appeared twice.”

She held up her fingers, “The first time they claimed to have been sent by you and were peaceful before leaving. Then, the next night, they came back and those hybrid things attacked. My partner, John, was killed by them.”

She held her eyes with his own, “I just wanted to know if what they claimed was true."

Strahd blinked and paused, "Eight?” he questioned. “By my recollection... it was last year that I discovered a portal to another world near the wolf den in Krezk. I asked Emil if he could send some of his pack to investigate, to see if they could breach into another world, and if so...”

He looked at the ceiling as he leaned back in his seat, “...was it safe for me to investigate a way to go through as well?”

He paused and returned his gaze to the woman, “I... never heard back from the expedition. Kiril took over not too long after."

So... Strahd wasn’t responsible for the attack after all. A little bit of relief washed over Linda, and her expression softened, "Alright. That answers that question. I suppose time changes traveling through portals from here. I already think time moves differently here...."

Linda thought about the rumors she had heard, and pondered, "Do you actually control who comes and who goes from Barovia?"

Strahd sighed and clasped his hands together, “Here is the thing. The answer to that is both yes, and no. My control is extremely limited and circumstantial."

He held out one hand in demonstration, “I cannot control who comes in to my realm. I cannot sense if some poor farm boy stumbles into the mists, but I can sense the approach of powerful people. I cannot control if they come into my realm... But I can ask the Vistani to lure people here, either for revenge or aid, or knowledge..."

He held out his other hand, "I can allow people to escape my borders. But I have no control over where they go, and no guarantee that they won't be sent by the Mists immediately back in. I was able to sever Barovia from other dread realms at great cost... but my control over the Mist is... I would say...”

He paused before concluding, “... above minimal, and fickle. My control over the land however... is much greater- but even then, I am bound by the confines of the Shadowfell. I cannot create souls, life force... anything in the domain of true gods..."

Linda folded her arms, musing, "Not all powerful, just powerful enough... so how is Sergei alive then?"

Linda could have sworn she saw the vampire flinch at his brother’s name, but only briefly. Strahd had excellent control over how he hid his true emotions.

"I don't know...” Strahd admitted, “Probably resurrected by the Dark Powers to torment me... they will always find ways to get creative with how they cursed me... I am staying as far away from him as I can... say what you will about me- but I have never made the same mistake twice...”

He looked back at the portrait, sadly, his voice quiet, “Just... several mistakes with the same result."

Linda looked up to the portrait with him. Looked to Tatayana, her hauntingly lifelike visage... The woman whose life and death had brought him so much pain- and continued to pain him in different ways throughout the centuries.

But he loved Sergei too. She had read that much from his journals. If he could let go of his brother-

She turned back to Strahd, her voice soft, "Why don't you do that for her?"

There was no disguising his pain this time... but he wasn’t as closed off as he typically was. He spoke to her, tiredly, admitting, "I've always felt like I had to. It's... a compulsion...”

“I'll search for her because it is one of the few comforts I have... knowing that one of the only truly good things in my life will someday return...”

He pinched the bridge of his nose, “I'll search, and I'll search, and just when I've given up... there she will be... just a little bit stronger than before... but..."

He sighed in frustration, "She seems to know me less and less every time... and now with the Guardian possession, and the manipulation of her memories... I feel like there is no true way for me to... save her. I feel like I've let her down, and betrayed her..."

Linda scooted closer to him, "Look, Strahd. I'm not trying to overstep myself, but I think you should let her go.”

She gestured to the portrait, “This reincarnation stuff, not only does it hurt you, it hurts her. Ireena, no matter how much she looks like Tatayana, she isn't her.”

Linda’s voice was firm, but not harsh, “Ireena is afraid of you. Maybe, the one thing you can do to save her is to let her live her life. The Dark Ones only have power over you if you keep getting caught in their game of torment. If her presence no longer consumes you, then maybe, you and her, will know peace and she won't keep dying."

Strahd glanced beyond Linda to the portrait... but only briefly. He settled his gaze on Linda, and blinked. She was being surprisingly earnest with him. He spoke quietly, "I'll take it into consideration. Right now, it seems like... that may be our only option... my only option...” he corrected.

“I... am sorry to drag you into this,” Strahd himself was now being earnest, “I've given you my word... I would pursue her no more until I had something figured out... and it seems that we do... even if I don't particularly like the results..."

Strahd leaned his head against his hand, and looked at Linda. He was being greedy with his time with her, rambling to this odd woman about things that had long remained unspoken... But he owed the same to his protegee and other guests...

Perhaps an excuse for her to stay longer...? He thought about her notebook, Perhaps she has more questions?

He spoke, "Was there anything else you wanted of me, Lin- Lady Linda?" he corrected himself, remembering her noble rank.

"Drop the formalities,” she said gently, “Linda is fine. I don't expect to be treated differently. Especially not when we are alone. I am still Linda."

Strahd nodded, slightly disappointed, but accepting his small victory, "Very well. Thank you for your services. I will think on what you said... and have Escher escort you to the guest quarters. Do rest well... I know I will."

Strahd slightly smiled, "Pleasant dreams. Good night, Linda."

Linda found herself smiling back, despite herself, "Good night, Strahd. Thank you for answering my questions."

Strahd allowed her to leave his presence, and glanced up to her as she rose from her chair and left. Escher would obey his summons and take her to the guest quarters. When she had left his sight, he turned back to his spell book...

A memory of obtaining Hearts Desire. Death had visited him long ago, in this very room, at this very spot where he read through tomes of ancient knowledge. He was more arrogant then... not listening to the old masters’ proclamations that there was no amount of magic to make someone truly love you...

It was only now, after three and a half centuries that he accepted that they were right.

He put his spell book down... and looked at Tatayana.

He knew that he should let her go, but every fiber of his being cried against what his brain could comprehend, but his childish, selfish heart could not.

How?

#story update #curse of strahd #linda tacklemeyer #aric rein #ruki von holtz #strahd #writing #d&d

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