#on the contrary like. if u make a thing based on something i made

[zillychu]

Are you alright with people using your fire core au but putting their own spin on it and not sticking strictly to the backstory you created?

Absolutely!

I'm not protective of my ideas, I'm overjoyed to see people having fun with something I've made! I'm always thankful for credit when I'm a heavy inspiration, but other than that, all my plotbunny and/or AU ideas are free game to use as-is, or molded to your liking :)

Fandom is all about having fun together! Just be nice, credit when reasonable, and don't make money off my stuff. That's all!

I'm also very happy to get tagged in stuff (if it's not potentially triggering) but it's not necessary 💕

[itz-wanderer]

hi!! can I request headcanons for how majima and kiryu would be with a nonbinary s/o? who also happens to dress super masc some days, super fem other days. thank u so much, and I hope you have a rad day :)

Hello! Thank you for requesting ! 💗 I'm sorry this takes forever and I still don't know if I make this right but here it is!

Hope you enjoy!

Having nonbinary s/o (Majima and Kiryu)

Kiryu Kazuma

- He personally thinks that gender is secondary to attraction and doesn’t really mind or care. For him, all it takes is to have a deep connection and deep base of relationship which can be in the form of how deep you understand each other, that’s the most important thing to be romantically attracted to.

- There would be some days where you’re in the mood to dress pretty feminine, all girly with those crop top, short skirt, makeup, and he thinks you look so pretty and cute like he just wants to protect you from any harm, then there would other days where you feel like dressing masculine and he still thinks you look pretty cool and badass. Either way, you’re going to get a compliment from him.

- In his eyes, it’s your choice whether you want to dress all feminine or masculine because he’ll respect your choice and he’s never been one to give that much attention to how people dress, just look at him, wearing the same suit for years and he never gets tired of it. Anyway, it doesn’t matter how you see yourself as, he would never force you to be something you aren’t; in contrary he prefers you to be yourself, that way, he’ll feel how deep the connection is between you both.

Majima Goro

- He believes that people don’t have to understand what it means for someone to be nonbinary. For you, to be coming out as one was considered one of the bravest things by him. In his eye, you were the most precious thing that ever happened to him.

- Shopping with him was one of your favorite past times on the weekends when both of you had days off work and Majima spent it practicing his baseball swings in the backyard but this time you had managed to drag him off to a mall.

- “How does this look, honey?”, you muttered as you put on a cute tank top which had “No gender only goose” written on the front of it in rainbow colors. “I won't lie but I think you should get a size shorter, cause I need to have a glance at that pretty waist when you are walking around the house.”

- You made sure to get some super frilly clothes as well which Majima said radiated your adorable and clumsy side. He always used to say how he loved that side of you making him always feel like protecting you. A natural instinct ofc.

- Majima too kept surprising you with all kinds of expensive dresses and all kinds of clothing from an expensive seller having them handmade a week before your birthday and surprise you with it on the same day, while no matter what, it sure ended up on the bedroom floor by the night with him wrapped in your arms tightly as he whispered naughty things in your ear.

Note :

Feel free to keep requesting! 💜

[sexhaver]

I mean I do (think???) I disagree with your take on AI art but I don’t think ur brain dead I see ur point lol. The debate of whether art has a “soul” or is “real” or some shit is always always pointless. But I do think there is a pretty distinct difference in the way a human person processes inspiration and includes elements of styles they admire or symbolism they enjoyed into their art vs how AI completely trains itself through mostly stolen art, and in some cases already, things like illegally uploaded medical records in the form of photos. Mostly because. At that point who gets credit? Can we genuinely say that someone who generated something with an AI “made” that piece???? Do they have the ethical right to use it to profit? And how do we avoid letting AIs get trained on images meant to be private? I genuinely don’t know, I don’t know enough about how any of it works to have a solid answer. But I think this debate has been interesting and raises a lot of questions about like. How much human made art is posted without proper credit in the first place? Like at what point is inspiration prevalent enough in a transformative work that you have to credit the works and artists you based it on??? Once again idk. I’m just. Sorry u got called brain dead bc that’s mean and I get what you’re talking about even if I do think overall that these current uses of AI are more hurtful than helpful rn :( hope u have a good day

thank u for being sensible! for me the most inch resting part of this whole debate has been seeing people rehash, almost word-for-word, arguments that have been raging for over half a century about AIs being "truly" sentient or not. just replace "making art" with "passing the Turing test" in a lot of posts on this subject and suddenly you're looking at a version of the Chinese Room thought experiment with a few nouns swapped around: do AI artists actually "make" art, or do they simply arrange pixels on a canvas based on trends in data they've taken in, and is there even a difference between those two things? i don't say this to belittle people making these arguments; on the contrary, the fact that the sentient AI argument has been ongoing for 50+ years with no end in sight suggests this issue is far from resolved

[raskolni-kin]

my hc for succession characters and their zodiac sign

(there’s no mention about most of their bday as far as i remember right? so here we go, based on my experience, basic knowledge and some guesses alone so lol)

Logan aka the only one with exact birth date

(i even made his birthchart so here we freaking go, im just gonna talk about planet in general bc im too lazy to go into aspects)

he was born on 14 October 1938 which made him a LIBRA♎️ (like me). libra are often known for loving peace and balance, rational, diplomatic and good at teamwork(?), which i can see in him, but we’re also known for being loving and sincere too!!

WHERE IS THAT LOGAN WHERE

also libra in mercury♎️ (communication), this means he’s tactful, good with words and also tends to cooperate (?)

gemini moon♊️ (emotions), he loves learning and new challenges. he’s restless and easily irritated aka mood swing (so true of u logan) BUT gemini moon is also known for being open-minded (wot?)

but here we have an explanation: logan has his mars (actions) in virgo♍️, which means he’s a perfectionist, strong-willed, hard-working, can be very intense and easily irritated (again) when things dont go as planned

he also has jupiter (prosperity, growth) in aquarius♒️, which makes sense bc his wealth came from his own innovation (even tho he’s not much of a typical humanitarian aquarius lol). he’s also quite egocentric so yup. thats pretty much correct

saturn (limitations) in aries♈️, ppl with saturn in aries tends to face obstacle when they were young, but they are soo ambitious (of course fiery aries) so it’s no surprise that aries saturn ppl overcome their obstacles as they got older

i dont have his birth time so idk the houses and his rising sign (outer personality, appearance) but i think he’s capricorn rising♑️ (conservative, great achiever) (im capricorn rising too and i know im an overachiever lol) or taurus rising♉️ (the most stubborn)

also i think he must have something in 4th house (relationship with family), maybe saturn or chiron (asteroid of unhealed trauma). tbh i think every roy has something quite *not alright* in their 4th house smh

next, we’re gonna go with pure guesses now bc there’s no bday: my no.1 boi kendall!

KENDALL IS LIBRA♎️ AND I WILL DIE ON THIS HILL. he’s sooooo stereotypical libra that it hurts to watch

i always believe ken is actually a kind, peace-loving and caring (too much) soul, but the environment around him is just,,,, bad, so it’s not a surprise that he showed more of the negative sides of libra (too fragile, people pleaser, can’t make a decision, dependency issue, superficial, etc). also contrary to popular belief libra is a good liar trust me

probably cancer♋️ or pisces♓️ moon? he’s sensitive, defensive and of course he clings to his family and friends very hard

taurus rising♉️, even tho he’s not really a strong presence in typical sense, but he *seems* loyal, stubborn, cautious and inflexible esp. when it comes to anything he can’t control smh

i think he has virgo venus♍️ (love, aesthetic), as i said virgo is a perfectionist sign and i think kendall expects a lot from his relationship,,, also he needs to be appreciated

SHIVY SHIVY SHIVY aka the queen who radiates fire sign energy🔥

definitely an aries♈️: very direct, fierce, confident and impulsive. can sometimes come off as an arrogant know-it-all person (yup so shiv)

moon in sagittarius, maybe venus too♐️, bc we all know shiv needs her space and freedom. she’s kinda idealistic in a way and loves to find her own way in the world. and because sag is always looking forward, it is very easy for her to miss other people’s small details or feelings and come off as irresponsible (her broke ass marriage with tom is such a good example)

leo rising♌️ (yes shiv has big three in fire sign bc,,,, SHIV): leo is the big dramatic boss. like shiv, leo is ambitious, confident and not afraid to speak her mind. i also think shiv (as a leo rising and youngest sibling) loves to be the centre of attention.

roman,,,, okay he is quite a hard one but i’ll go with

gemini babyyyy♊️: first, people often think gemini are annoying and talk too much (which is not wrong but STOP) in fact thats bc gemini is the *big brain* of the zodiac, much like roman. he’s expressive. he’s clever, innovative and playful in his own way, which also means he’s super unpredictable too lol. (also gemini is kinda flirty👀)

scorpio moon♏️ *aham* chaotic *aham*. scorpio + moon means extra intense emotional (and hor*y) but that doesn’t mean he’s out of control at all. on the contrary scorpio is a very intuitive and fearless sign, and i think roman always knows what he’s playing with (and i think he loves it). scorpio is like a *waters run deep* sign anyway.

i’ll go with sagittarius rising♐️ for roman! sag is like an arrow that keeps moving forward, very active, very free, very direct that his words or outer personality may come off as mean or tactless. nope! in fact sag is a light-hearted sign who just wants everyone to,,,, be happy and enjoy, y’know?

next the love of my life my baby my egg cousin greg

im so confident with this one GREG IS AQUARIUS♒️, so aquarius i can feel it in the air. aquarius is the ‘weird geek’ of zodiac signs. they’re surprisingly clever, creative and a very good observant (greg!!). aquarius is also a sign of tolerance, friendliness and humanitarianism. so no wonder why he can be bff(?) with tom and chose to side with kendall bc of the documents. most importantly, aquarius can be very rebellious and they are not,,, quite in touch with their emotions aka they’re not the romantic type

for moon sign, i think greg has gemini moon♊️ (like logan!) but the influence of humanitarian aquarius sun (his self identity) and different generation (uranus, neptune, pluto) makes him a lot softer than logan: more open-minded, curious, optimistic, witty and needs personal freedom. combined with aquarius sun, i think greg always tries to manage and ‘make sense’ of his own feelings

haha,,,, gay™️

tomgreg nations feel free to use this info as you see fit😘

okay, rising sign… for someone like greg i think i’ll go with pisces rising♓️: gentle, go with the flow type, soft and dreamy-looking, dislikes confrontation and wants a stable, reliable partner. weak and easy to overlook right! WRONG! nevertheless, this is just his outer appearance, his aquarius sun and gemini moon say that he’s ready for the big challenges and not afraid to be rebellious when he thinks the time of change has finally arrived,,, if this doesnt scream greg I SWEAR

bonus: pisces rising people are also known for having beautiful eyes and smiles <333

of course you know the queue, here we go mr. tom wambsgans

man if you wanna see the real tom, watch safe room lmao. tom is the epitome of taurus♉️ man! he’s kind, patient, loyal and hardworking, we’d seen his positive side, but his real taurus-ness came out the most during bottlegate scandal, the materialistic, stubborn and possessive trait, so im pretty sure with this headcanon

he may have taurus venus♉️ too, considering from how his relationship with both tom and shiv going,,,, taurus venus ppl love to service their partner, especially physical pleasure, and i think we all know at this point that tom’s so touchy and his love language is massage so,,,,,

moon, considering from how much matt mac mentioned about tom secretly being afraid, i’ll go with virgo moon♍️. he loves things to be simple and easy (y’know, earth sign) but as i said before several times *virgo is the perfectionist sign* so having virgo controlling his emotions, it makes sense that he tries to be as productive and practical as possible, and the cost of it? his own self esteem,,,, poor man just needs a hug seriously 

after all tom is still THAT boss, so i’ll assign him the same rising with his wife (not the other wife lol), leo rising♌️: bossy, dramatic and LOVE big things (its leo thing) so our man loves to exaggerate A LOT (as we all know). But because he has virgo moon, it can make him less fiery than shiv, more self aware and less confident :(

for yall who wants to know (ofc you want to) both tomshiv and tomgreg are in this case 40% compatible in terms of love (aries and taurus are both stubborn, while aquarius is wayyyy out of taurus comfort zone,,, i mean it’s challenging but they could work lol)

next, 🚨GERRI ALERT🚨

all my astrology b*tch friends agreed that gerri is the epitome of capricorn♑️! you can say that capricorn is the sign of traditional (well ofc there are cap conservatives out there) but this is bc capricorn don’t like to deal with any chaos, like gerri. she’s very organized, loyal, wise and responsible esp. when it comes to business (as i said, cap is the achiever sign), but gerri also has that blunt, sarcastic side (that many people find seggsy—)

yes capricorn is like the seggsy maneater sign😳

gerri radiates such a strong earth sign energy and i think taurus moon♉️ fits her the most! ppl with moon in taurus are strong-willed (yup the most stubborn sign goes to taurus), calm and emotionally stable (good for the company tbh) but taurus moon gerri also has the nurturing and comforting side that makes others need at least her presence in the room (ik me too)

mmhmm rising sign🤔 i think i’ll go with virgo rising♍️ (yes big three earth sign!). she seems cold and judgmental, but that is because she sees every detail better than all of you lol, and once someone knows her better they’re going to find that she also has the charming and caring side too (+ capricorn sun + taurus moon). virgo rising also loves to be an observer in the background rather than being the face, which is of course very gerri.

and here we go, cap gerri and gemini roman’s compatibility (astrologically)! bad news is their compatibility’s like,,,, low (i’d say 20%?) bc capricorn loves everything planned and organized while gemini (as mentioned above) is the exact opposite lol you can say capricorn doesn’t trust gemini that much (and yeah i think we’ve seen that before,,,,,)

the last one for now bc im tired but i need him STEWY MY BELOVED muahhh!

of course he’s a scorpio♏️ what else could he be lol, bc scorpio is seggsy as hell, dominant, intense, competitive and rebellious. he’s a fierce and loyal (and actually quite protective) ally, but if he was betrayed he’s gonna turn into such a dangerous and manipulative enemy (as we’ve all seen)

you go my mansplain manipulate manwh*re

aries moon♈️ stewy enjoys troubles and challenges so as we’ve seen he isn’t the type to take no easily. he’s also assertive, confident and fun to be around (or else he wouldn’t be kendall’s coke bff lmao), but i think he is not that impulsive as aries stereotype bc of his scorpio self.

stewy always looks so good so *aham* of course libra rising♎️ *aham*. style and charisma are very important to ppl with libra rising (just look at him the man’s is so high maintenance lol) so that’s why he can attract people (for example me). he’s also a social animal and very good at persuasion

if you wanna know how compatible he and kendall is astrologically,,, uhmm i gave them 50/50 chance if they could, you know, calm down with their own stuffs a little.

[macyomoiji]

hi :) can you write any scenario with levi x fem reader who is independent and never listens anyone with makes her someone with no breaks. levi and her used to be rivals and for some legal reasons to avoid smt bad for survey corps they were forced to marry each other. after a time they fell in love blah blah thank you if you do it love u bye <3

Eek! I love this idea! Alrighty, some fair warning, I’m a little bit of a detail oriented perfectionist, and a very literal one as well. With that said, I hope your in for a long ride. I’m using references from OVAs and details Hajime has shared. We’re following as best as possible, how living underground for a female/female presenting person. I hope you enjoy this one!

Edit at 4am I did my best. Watch the OVAs, No Regrets and Lost Girls and everything else on 9anime.to/as-list/A?page=25 kthxbye!

Warnings: language, drug use (by others not “you”), alcohol, angst, fluff, Canon based, smut.

Levi x fem!reader

Everyone you’ve met or have gotten to know has had a…unique upbringing. That seems to be the standard of citizens living underground. So why would your story be any different?

At some point your mother instilled a fear in your brother and yourself. Contrary to what you were told up until then, titans were not your only source of worry;

“My angel you must never let any man touch you.” Your mother told you one day while brushing your hair as you played cards with your brother.

“But mommy, that means I can’t hug my brother.” You leaned back, atudhinf her face that appeared upside down to show your confused and displeased expression. At one point in your life, you had no problem with hugging people or being close to them. Unfortunately, ignorance regarding this issue, would spell an early death…you were only 7 or 8 at the time so it seemed like an odd new rule. You also thought it would be incredibly hard to adapt to.

“Your big brother is different though sweetie.” Raising an eyebrow, you then redirected your attention to your hand of cards.

“Yeah N/n cuz I’m your big bro!” Saying so with his usual vibrant toothy grin. B/n was always so expressive and energetic.

“That’s right darling.” Her smile was like the sunset you had only seen on 2 occasions and for a short span of time.

“What about the really old man at your work who says I remind him of his granddaughters?” Taking your cards and putting them down, your brother settled in front of you laying his head on your legs. Like always, he placed one of your hands in his hair before crossing his arms and closing his eyes. This was something your mother did to comfort the two of you. It was a neutral a form of affection and comfort towards your loved ones. Something that means quite a bit to you.

“He’s okay so long as I’m around.” She the thought about how to better explain this guideline while you tried to braid your brothers hair. He’s only older by a few years, but took his role as your older brother seriously.

She then told you both “you’ll both get to know lots of people in your life. I’ve taught you how to decide right and wrong. Good and bad, fair and unfair. Find someone who does what is best and who values those close to them.” It was a lot but it was something she’d tell you and your brother throughout your childhood.

“One day you’ll find someone worthy of being close to you.” Following your mothers guideline to never let a man touch you, has indeed kept you safe. In return, it’s made you paranoid if not downright anxious and fearful of being put in a situation where you had little to no control.

When you were 13 she told you about the things she feared and was careful with. The reason children and friends went missing at random. Why Underground there aren’t as many women wandering freely. She told you what you needed to know as a young lady and why she encouraged you to learn self defense. You were far more interested in learning about people and puzzles. When you think about it, the two are somewhat synonymous.

From the day you were born, adults fussed over you. You’re gorgeous so it made sense. Beautiful (h/l) (h/c) hair, entrancing (e/c) eyes, soft pretty (s/c) skin and a dazzling smile. Your mother and brother were just as beautiful. There was a time when you liked the attention you were met with. That was early on and for a short time.

When you were 17, she was one of those pretty women predators targeted in hopes of selling them…but she wouldn’t let them take her without putting up one hell of a fight; which is why you found her in pieces… Counselor Lovof was one of the men your mother worked for as a house keeper. He was not some defender of humanity like his position lead you to believe at first.

At one point, Lovof tried to have her abducted. It didn’t make sense at the time but you realized that had she gone missing during work hours, it would look awfully suspicious. She was well liked and respected. She couldn’t just go missing without someone raising a fuss or taking notice.

Some years after your mom died, you stopped stressing as much over hiding your appearance. You hid your hair though and still refrained dressing feminine out of habit. Things got more and more difficult over time since women underground were far from safe or respected. This made it hard for you to tolerate others, mostly due to their shitty behavior often accompanied by a terrible attitude. If you have nothing nice to say, write it out and edit until the venom is undetectable.

Your brother had worked with a few not so great or safe crowds. He was how you met Furlan Church, and Levi. Your brother thought Furlan was awesome and Levi was like his hero. Their resilience and ODM skills were impressive. For a time you didn’t like your brother working with them. Until the week he died, Furlan had been the only one who tried to convince him to stop being a Coderoin distributor. Had he listened he’d still be alive and you wouldn’t be in the position your in now;

Then one day you were tasked with what would redirect and entirely change your life. But what did it matter? All you did was tinker and assist in building somtimes.

“How clever. You managed to survive this long by making a fake identity.”

“That’s an interesting way to begin a fairytale…”

“Perhaps if you weren’t so cold, you’d be married, have kids and die having made actual minuscule difference in the world.”

“Anything else?”

“I didn’t come to badmouth you. I came because your mother and brother were good people.”

A man you met way back who worked under Lovof, had felt inclined to warn you?

“Change your last name or marry someone. You have access to one of those two options.”

“Why should I do that?” You ask raising your eyebrow at him, the solution he’s presenting is far fetched and drastic at that.

“Your mothers told you about things she never should have known. Additionally, your brother supported some associates who are no longer on good terms with Councilman Lovof.”

Apparently councilmen honor and respect some things. In reality they are just covering their asses. But if you have some kind of archived anchor they won’t go after you. After all, the king might find out and wouldn’t be too pleased to know that some who supposedly followed his idesoligy, only did so when convenient.

“When has marriage ever stopped them from being sick bastards?.” Using an uninterested tone you turn the page in your book of detailed designs that hasn’t yet been lost with all the other worthwhile books.

“I overheard them discuss your records and how much of a problem it would be if you went ‘missing’ with lasting ties to something.” Why is there a target on your head? Your not a teen like the ones that usually ‘disappear’. How did they even know you were still alive? What had your mother told you or exposed you to that was so important?

“Why do I need to have anybody to prove I have value as a person.”

•••

After you’ve picked out a few good books you head home. With books in one hand, you poke your nails into the top of your thumb. It’s a nervous habit that no one aside from your brother has noticed. It results in your skin being minimally irritated for a bit. Shouting and some cheering from around the corner catch your attention. It doesn’t sound like anything bad so you make your way over.

“Isabel! You’re gonna crash into-“ before Furlan finishes, you’re suddenly knocked over.

Tumbling to the ground you drop your books in exchange you have Isabel. It was kind of awkward when you met her a few months ago. You admired her pretty red pigtails but forgot you more or less presented yourself as a man. Kinda just out of habit at this point in your life.

“Hey Isabel.” You say weakly while sitting up and adjusting the fake glasses you’re wearing.

“Sis N/n! Are you okay!? You’re not hurt are you?!?” She quickly helps you up and scans you for injuries.

“Looks like I got lucky.” With a light smile you notice a cut on her cheek.

“Are you two okay?” Furlan says as he catches up to the two of you.

“I’m fine but she’s got a cut.” Letting the smile fade, you turn her head to check the other sides of her face.

“We can stick to cleaning if you can’t follow instructions.” Landing beside Furlan, Levi notices the cut when you let go of her chin.

You pull out a small bandage from your jackets pocket. There’s almost always one with you. Once you’ve covered her cut, you go to collect your books.

“Here.” Standing up, you take the book back with narrowed eyes from Levi. However, Isabel catches you off guard with a sudden hug around your midsection.

“Thanks for the bandaid!” Although surprised, you don’t shake her off. You know she means no harm. Additionally she reminds you of how you used to be towards your brother. “I didn’t know you had such pretty hair”

The moment is cut short though; “what’s got you so stressed?” He’s harmless, sure; it still isn’t really necessary for Furlan to care enough to hold your wrist.

“Let go of my hand please.”

He’s respectful and lets go. Your brother likely explained your cold behavior at some point.

“Am I bugging you?” Isabel asks still hugging you.

“No you’re just fine.” With one shake of your head, she smiles before letting go. She spots your hat on the ground and grabs it for you.

“Tch.” Levi turns around to leave, gesturing for them to go. Home isn’t far so it should be fine.

You remember that at some point, Levi spoke briefly with your brother about being able to obtain documents. “Hey I need a favor.”

“Oh?” Furlan pauses with the triggers if he ODM gear in hand.

“I need documents.” Using the word need is one you don’t particularly like using. Not everything asked for is needed. If your life or well being isn’t at risk, it falls under ‘want’. However, your life is indeed on the line.

“Let’s talk back at our place.”

“That’s way far away on foot though!” The concern Isabel has is appreciated.

“It’s important. I’ll meet you guys soon then?”

“Now let’s go.” Levi’s voice trails off as he takes to the air.

•••

On the way to their home you thought about the fastest way to get marriage documents. Hopefully, neither Furlan or Levi care enough about a piece of paper. From your experience, they’re some of the only people who didn’t make you incredibly uncomfortable.

•

“So you’re looking for a husband? Never thought I’d see the day.” Furlan jokes once you’ve gone over your predicament.

“I’m looking for documents. Forged or not. Marriage means nothing otherwise.” You say while taking your hat off and pull your hair over your shoulder to play with the ends as a way to keep from sounding embarrassed or uncomfortable.

“Well, If I must.” He’s nice but a lot like your brother. That’s an odd thought.

“Hell no. You’re way too excited about this.” You scowl.

“Why not marry bro Levi then?!” Isabel’s certainly excited over the idea. At first you were concerned that she’d resent you for taking one of her brothers. More or less brothers anyways.

Your face hadn’t divulged your displeasure with the issue until now. Why? Perhaps it’s the underlying thought of Furlan reminding you of your brother that makes you not really consider him as seriously.

“He doesn’t have a last name though.” Thoughtfully, Furlan taps his chin.

In reality, you’re not so much careless and cold, as you are a thoughtful and a dreamer. The future your mother hoped for you is one you would have liked to bring to fruition.

“Isn’t that better than? If her name is the only thing tying her to something. Plus you two could just make something up if there is a problem.” Isabel’s thought process is a little more hopeful than the issue calls for. But she’s got a point, anyone who’s a registered citizen holds more recognition. In order to qualify for residency on the surface you have to have a record. Even if it’s only your birth certificate. Not like anyone ever gets to see those though.

“I’ll see if I can’t bribe whoever officiates this at the courthouse first.” You say before putting your hair back up and hat on.

“One of the guys should go with you then.” Isabel says while sitting up on the couch in the main sitting area of their home.

“I’ll be fine.” You smile at her briefly before heading out.

Unfortunately, the man you thought worked at the court house doesn’t work there anymore. The one who does work there isn’t making many exceptions. To make matters worse, he tips you off that the guys working on the surface will find it suspicious if you don’t have some registered event or honeymoon following your obtaining a marriage license.

“Absolutely, fucking ridiculous.” You mutter to yourself crossing to the other side of the little side street. There was a group of guys sitting on the ground and along the wall of a building. To avoid discomfort or unwanted interaction, you crossed. Only giving your attention for a moment, you turn the corner.

There are far too many homeless people. It’s upsetting to know the people running things above ground, care so little. The amount of people underground actually exceeds the population of those living in the Utopia district. The idea of people living underground was supposedly to “restore” or “save” entire colonies, and a number of people who fled here due to persecution.

“Well look at what we have here.” Startled a bit you look to see who the voice behind you belongs too. Not stopping, you look over your shoulder. Some guy who certainly doesn’t look friendly. He’s not anyone important that you need to stop for though.

“Aw come on, I can tell you’re a pretty lady. Why not come have some fun with me and my buddies?” Ignoring him you turn back around spotting the road you’ll have to go down that leads to your soon to be patchwork family.

It’s been a while since you’ve used the term let alone think of someone as family. Some time has passed since your brother died. Living alone isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. But you’ve managed to do okay alone. Today’s not the day that changes.

“I’m not interested. Please leave me alone.” Since you almost always have your hood up or hat on wearing a coat, it’s unclear to you what gave you away.

The thought of someone actually assaulting you hadn’t been too bothersome. But have you possibly become careless with the way you carry yourself? You do have a habit of crossing one arm while raising another to poke your thumb or play with your hair. When talking you sometimes put your hands on your hips while putting your weight on one leg or the other. Things you’ve forgotten to refrain from. The biggest give away is your voice. If he was unsure before, he isn’t now.

“Playing hard to get eh?” Hearing him get closer you duck as he reaches for your head. Thankfully he only gets your hat before you start to sprint.

“Leave me the hell alone!” You shout before turning a corner down a small alleyway. The next turn should lead to the walkway of Levi, Furlans and Isabel live.

“Eh get back here brat!” One last turn.

“Hey what’s-”, Levi stops at the bottom of the steps. Slowing down as much as possible, you still accidentally bump into him.

“That asshole”, quickly moving behind him while struggling to breathe you point before you put your hands to your knees to catch your breath. “I—don’t have—a knife—on me.”

“Thanks for stoppin her buddy.” The guy sounds angry as hell after finally catching up. With burning lungs and eyes squinted shut your surprised when you hear the guy yell.

“Ahhh! What the hells your problem?!”

“Keep your disgusting hands off, you’ll get dirt on my clothes.”

The guy had tried to pat his shoulder. Clearly, he doesn’t like being touched either.

“Whatever man.” Hearing the guys footsteps trail off, you open your eyes, your breathing is a little more even. “I’m sorry—I bumped into you.”

“Tch…come on, stop crying.” He offers a hand. Surprisingly, you realize you had started crying. You put your head down but take his hand anyway.

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be. We don’t let Isabel run around alone.”

Still jumpy from the chase, you instinctively grab Levi’s arm when Furlan suddenly opens the front door.

“Sorry.” Immediately dropping his hand, you put your arms around yourself.

“Stop apologizing for no reason or you’re marrying Furlan.” Stopping to let you take a step ahead, he pushes you forward. With a nod, you take a seat by Isabel.

“Where you hat go?” Isabel asks.

“Guess I lost it on my way back.” Pulling your hair over your shoulder, you sit back against the couch.

“We can get y’a a new one!” Her positivity is refreshing but you shake your head.

“Why did you wear that thing all the time anyways?” Furlan asks while taking a seat in the armchair to your right.

“How many women do you see in a week besides myself or Isabel?” Answering his question with another.

Waving him off, Isabel turns to face you. “Sooo?!”

“Hmm?”

“Are you gonna be Mrs. Levi now or what?!?” Raising an brow at her “you’re blushing!”

“Like hell I am kid.” Crossing your arms, you say so in an almost annoyed tone.

“I’m not a kid!”

“Aw you throw tantrums like one too.” With a smirk you par her head.

She swats your hand away though in a more playful way than angry. “You’re shorter than me anyways. So aren’t you the kid here?!”

“Oh hardly!”

“Alright alright!” Furlan interjects as you put an arm over Isabel’s neck to ruffle her hair. “Enough arguing with Levi’s Fiancé, Isabel. It’s bad manners.”

“How about we have you two get married while we’re at it then?” Your comment phases neither of them.

“Nah, I’m the ring bearer and she’s gonna be the flower girl.”

“We’re signing papers. There is no wedding.” With a deadpan expression, you turn to Levi. “How much do I owe you?“

“Don’t worry about it.” You raise an brow at him.

“I’ll go with $150 then.” Standing up you head to the door.

“You’re already paying for the documents. Don’t worry about it.” He reiterates.

“Aw! A wedding gift from your husband!” Isabel chimes in.

“Where are you going anyways?” Furlan adds.

Pulling your hood up, you stop at the door. Freezing before you grab the handle, “Id rather not mess up my sleep schedule by staying out late.”

“You can stay here you know.” Levi says while going to the counter for water.

“And sleep where?” Crossing your arms you turn your head to look at him.

“Isabel’s room.”

“It’s too small.” She’s rather quick to reject the idea. “You can stay in Levi’s room! It is bigger after all.” Her attempt to not smile or giggle is…terrible.

“Tch.” He stands up and moves to the hallway. “I can grab bedding from the storage, or take you home using ODM gear.

“I can walk home just fine…”

“ODM gear it is.” He walks back to the table and where his gear is.

“Very funny…”

“I’m not in the mood to beat up more guy for you.”

“They already argue like a married couple!” Isabel’s fake whispers to Furlan.

“Is ‘bro Levi’ blushing?!” He fake whispers back to Isabel before getting up and passing Levi to head to his room.

With one hand on your forehead and the other on your hip, “Fine I’ll stay here…” you grumble.

“You can borrow some of my pajamas too!” Isabel says grabbing your hand “come on Mrs. Levi!”

“Tell her about Eman!” Furlan yells from his room.

“What is Eman?” Confused, you look to Levi.

“It’s name backwards…in case they require a last name” Levi says while turning to go down the hall. “Is your room really that small?” He asks stopping in front of what is probably her door. Pulling you with her, Isabel opens the door to her room and goes in. It really is too small…

“Fine…” turning around he points to one door, “that’s the bathroom, my room is here.” Opening one door, he goes and places the bedding a few feet from his bed. Isabel passes you a tank top and shorts.

Once you’ve gotten ready for bed, you go to knock on Levi’s door. Before you can, he opens it. “You coming in or what?”

Holding your clothes to your chest, you nod and walk in. The candlelight provides enough light. Taking a seat in the cot you put your clothes to the side. “Thank you…”

“What for?”

“Helping me with that guy earlier…and letting me stay here.” Putting the pillow at the head of the bed, you spread out the blanket over your lap.

“Don’t mention it.” Pausing before he closes the door, “open or closed?”

Looking up to see what he means, you shrug “Doesn’t matter to me.” He closes the door and goes to lay on his bed.

“You sure you’re okay with signing a marriage license?” Using a quieter voice, you lean forward and pull your hair over to run your fingers through it.

“Are you sure you’re okay with it being me?” This time he answers a question with a question.

“Fair enough.”

“I forgot to ask, how do you feel about heights?” Stopping for a moment you turn to look over at him.

“Why do you ask?”

Turning to face you, “ODM gear.” His response causes you to grimace.

“Do I really need to?” They told you about the job they’re doing that unfortunately involves the same Councilman youre trying to avoid. There’s hardly a chance that he’ll find out about your being involved. As far as ODM gear is concerned; It’s not like you’re afraid of heights…they just aren’t your favorite.

Nodding his head he proceeds to explain a little bit about what you’ll need to keep in mind when using it. Surprisingly, he isn’t as terrible as you thought he’d be…just so there are no surprises tomorrow, you recap your conversation with the guy who’s supposed to approve your marriage license. Purely out of curiosity, you ask Levi a couple questions about himself. It couldn’t hurt to know a couple things right?

“Wait what do you mean you don’t know how to-”

“Laugh and the deal is off…” not knowing how to read or write much isn’t something you were going to tease him about. It’s not surprising either. Not much is offered Underground in regard to education. Since your mother had worked on the surface for a time, you were lucky to join in learning various things with children from the families she did housekeeping for.

“I’m not laughing or making fun of you. I was just surprised.” You explain putting your hands up in defense.

“Whatever.” Turning to lay on his back, he pulls his blanket up and looks to the ceiling.

Because you don’t want him to be pissed off at you, you press further, “since you’re teaching me how to use ODM gear tomorrow, I’ll help you work on your reading and writing skills.”

“You’re learning because you don’t have much of a choice…” still upset he folds his arms behind his head.

“True. But don’t you think it would be a good idea to better your reading and writing before ‘joining’ the scouts?” You say while twirling a strand of hair between your fingers.

Thinking it over, he realizes he will probably have to read over some documents when he joins. It will probably be good too know exactly what he is looking for when going to the surface to get whatever it is Lovof needs regarding Erwin Smith.

“Fine.” Peaking over at you through one eye, “do you always play with your hair so damn much?” He asks.

“Hm?”

Opening his eyes, he turns to lay in his side; “I noticed earlier. You do that a lot.”

Maybe it’s embarrassment that causes you to blush. It’s not like you can see your own face though. You look at the strands between your fingers. “I’m not sure. My mother used to play with my hair when I was a little girl to comfort me or just because it felt nice.” Smiling to yourself you remember a couple times she had done so when you were upset. “I did the same for my brother. Even as adults.” a light giggle escapes you.

After a moment of comfortable silence, “So you only pretend to be a cold bitch.” His comment although joking, almost breaks your good mood.

“Whatever Mr. quiet and ‘mysterious’.” You grumble using air quotes. “How about you?”

“What about me?” Raising an eyebrow at you but still, he sounds curious.

“Did your mom used to do something like that?” Unintentionally, you murmur with your elbow on you knee, you rest your chin on your palm.

Taking a moment to think, he seems somewhat forlorn. “I don’t remember much about her.”

“That’s okay. Also, you don’t have to tell me anything just because I ask.”

“I know.” He says simply. “I’m glad you’re not terrible to talk to.”

“Gee, thanks.” Making eye contact with others isn’t hard but to some, it is. Levi seems to be part of that some.

“Hey, are you okay?” For whatever reason, his face seems to have a fever.

He raises and eyebrow “what do you mean?”

“K, stay still.” Scooting over, you sit close enough to out your wrist to his forehead.

“What are you doing?”

The door suddenly opens, “Yeah, what are two doing?!” Isabel and Furlan ask with more or less the same words.

Having been momentarily wide eyed, you roll your eyes and put your wrist to Levi’s forehead again. “I think he has a fever. Did you really grab your knife?”

“Yes.” Directing his attention to the hell raisers in the doorway, “what?”

“Oh nothing.” With feigned innocence, he stands up straight again.

“They for awfully close. Bro Levi’s blu-“ covering her mouth;

“You’re already acting like a doting wife” Furlan smiles before letting go of Isabel.

“Have you already prepared for that whole man and wife thing?” Her question kinda goes over your head.

Having totally let yourself forget, you remove your wrist from his forehead and scrunch your eyebrows together thinking.

“Go to bed.” Sitting up, Levi closes his door.

Since it doesn’t seem like he’s sick and he doesn’t have a temperature; “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine.” He states simply laying back down where he was.

You scoot back to your bed stifling a yawn. Laying down, you pull your covers over yourself and close your eyes. “Goodnight Levi” is the last thing you say for the night.

“Goodnight…Y/n” is the last thing you hear.

•••

“What the hell are you talking about?” You ask incredulously.

Holding the certificate behind the counter with both your signatures on both copies of the marriage license, the ‘priest’ yawns. “I told you yesterday that I could help y’a out. I’ve cut the price already and made a ‘reservation’ for your honeymoon that your not even going to.” Whisper shouting the honeymoon part, he puts one copy in the tray of documents behind him.

“You couldn’t mention this part yesterday?” Levi asks.

“Listen here kid, I’m already risking my job. You can kiss her or waste a hundred bucks.” The priest says.

Grabbing Levi’s hand, you lace your fingers with his and kiss the back of his hand. With your hands still together you put it in front of his face.

“Doesn’t count doll face.”

Before you can object or say anything more, Levi yanks you over by the hand. Trying to go with it as much as you can, you grab his shoulder to keep yourself from completely crashing into him. You freeze for a moment, “A-are you sure?” You whisper.

“Yes” sounding calmer than expected, he still seems terrified.

“Okay.” Looking to his lips to make sure you don’t miss, you close the gap between you feeling him freeze. Apparently the priest counted down;

“Congratulations!” He, Furlan and Isabel say more or less at the same time.

Keeping it short and simple, you break away and let go of his shoulder. He takes the certificate from the priest and puts it into the bag over your shoulder.

“Alright, that wasn’t so hard was it.?” Before either of you can respond, he hands you a piece of paper.

“What is this?” Looking over the paper it reads exactly as he explains.

“Honeymoon reservations are at the first address. Rings are at the second address.”

“Rings?” Levi asks while looking at the card in your hand.

“Comes with the service. You put hers on her left hand she puts yours on your left hand. Viola, immediate first glance proof.”

“Oh…is that a common thing?” You ask.

“Yeah, now hustle. The faster you get the rings on, the better.”

“Thank you.” Giving a quick wave before being tugged along by Levi, you notice the address is close to your home.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Letting go of your grip on his hand, you try to step back from Levi when you notice him, Furlan and Isabel adjusting their ODM gear.

“We don’t have time to waste. Now get on my back.” Kneeling he lets go of your hand. Hesitantly you follow his instructions. Almost immediately he’s off. Also almost immediately, he uses one hand to grip your arm. Feeling him pull your arm, you realize you were choking him and loosen your grip.

“Sorry.” Keeping your eyes closed and pressed to your arm.

“It’s okay.” Letting go of your arm, he catches up to Furlan and Isabel.

••

Once you’ve stopped by the second address, you had intended to stop by your home. Unfortunately, Lovof gave a rough estimate of when to expect a run in with the Military Police and assisting Scout Regiment soldiers.

“There’s been a change in plans.” Levi says.

Looking over your shoulder, you see then round a corner still a good ways away. You turn to face forward again and notice Levi aim for a rooftop. Landing, you remember to alternate plan that had been previously discussed.

Letting go of him, you walk backwards for a sec, “Be safe.”

“You too” he says really quick before leaving. Spotting the soldiers you see them getting closer and run to the shoddy fire escape. Using your sleeves, you put you feet to the sides of the ladder and slide down. Pausing 2 times, you manage to make it to the ground. As soon as you make it to the ground, you book it exactly where Levi said was best and safest. As predicted, you are abruptly grabbed. What was not predicted was being thrown over some assholes shoulder.

“Who the hell do you think you are!?!”

No Response.

“Hey asshole! I asked you a question!”

Still no response and he turns a corner causing you to slide partway off his shoulder. You close your eyes but hold onto his cape.

“Are you trying to kill me?! We’re you hired to kill each too? If thats the case then you might as well drop me asshat!”

No response and he shrugs you off his shoulder. With a gasp you hit the ground and open your eyes. Feeling pain in your elbows, you follow the plan further. When he reaches to grab your hood, you roll out the way. Putting the little self defense training you got to good use, you move out the way when he grabs at your ankle. You aren’t just winging it. When he misses, you quickly kick forward. Landing one good kick to his face before getting up, you turn around but he grabs your hood before you can run. Not so gently, he puts your hands behind your back and moves you along while tying your wrist together.

~~~

Once you 4 arrived to the surface, like you discussed with Levi, you were entirely honest minus everything about Lovof and his contracting Levi, Furlan and Isabel. After being given the choice to return, you declined the offer and joined the trio. When Levi expressed wanting you Furlan and Isabel to stay behind, you agreed. Before they left, you had grown extremely attached now that you were days away from the place you knew as home. They were now home to you, so they weren’t too surprised when you hugged them goodbye. What they were surprised by was your feeling particularly attached to Levi resulting in your choosing to kiss him a second time. During the expedition, you voluntarily joined the military training and worked with cadets that mostly had not yet decided on what regiment they intended to join. As a little girl, you were fully aware of how terrifying Titans were. Your mother had taken you with her to work in the Utopia district while she filled in for one of the kings house keepers who had fallen ill. You were not meant to see the king in his Titan form. On another occasion a year or two later, you were unexpectedly accosted by a titan who managed to grab someone your mother knew.

Distance does honestly make the heart grow fonder, as does loss.

They havent been gone for too long, but it feels like they’ve been gone for a month. Earlier in the day you were told you had to wait at HQ for them to return. Pacing up and down the hall, you freeze when you finally hear their return being announced. Knowing it will take a minute doesn’t help you stay patient for long. Keeping your composure is damn near impossible as you see how few of them have returned. Looking over each of their faces, you begin to panic. Looking over their faces a second time, you see the top of Levi’s head. In total disbelief, you check all the heads after him, but only 10 people are behind him. None of those behind him resemble Furlan or Isabel. Feeling tears run down your face, you run and cling to him right as soon as you see him. He stops and doesn’t say anything. Instead, he puts his arms around you. Feeling him bury his face in the crook of your neck, you both stay that way for a while. A while after the sound of footsteps disappears, you wait for him to loosen his hold. When he does you don’t ask him anything, you just put your forehead to his for a moment. Staying in place, the only thing you do is retract your arms and grab one of his hands. Letting him choose when to head in, you follow in silence.

Levi wants to talk to you but has no desire to do so immediately. He wants to kiss you, but can’t yet bring himself to do it. Instead, you both walk back to his room, take off your shoes and lay in his bed. He’s comfortable like this. After not getting much sleeping, he feels himself drifting off while you gently run your fingers through his hair. Before he’s totally drifted off, he hears you whisper;

“Never stop coming back to me.”

Pulling one of your hands to his lips, you hear him whisper back “never”.

***

I’m not looking over this again. I’ve made sure to pause and check part by part. I like what I’ve written. I’m likely going to continue this story because I like what my noggin came up with. If you’ve read all the way through, I hope you enjoyed it. It’s 3:30am. Don’t take this the wrong way, but if I can’t understand what your request is saying and your profile has no info, don’t expect the outcome to be steamy n shit. This was surprisingly difficult to put together but honestly very fun! ☺️ tbh I’ll rewrite this bish through all 4 seasons if y’a ask me to. Like bit by bit not for one request. 🙃😝

I shared the site I watch AOT on where all the OVAs are available. There’s a hentai pop up but it’s proven to be safe for me. I hope you enjoy the site, they post the new episodes of the final season usually within 48 hours of its release. Like, reboot, send requests IM CHECKIN YOUR PAGE IF YOU ASK FOR SMUT! Please be sure to reread your request so I don’t feel totally terrible/concerned for altering it. Part 2 of my last Levi x reader is up next! (TBH for all I know, you could be straight up fuckin lying in your bio. I’m not the tumblr cop. All I ask is that you make sense for me and don’t make me uncomfortable for being under 18 askin for sex posts. If you’re gonna lie to me, send an anon requests XD Im takin my delirious ass to bed. Share your thoughts and feels. Take care of yourself, eat food drink water and praise Captain Levi. Weeb out!🤣🤍🤣🤍🤣🤍🙃🤍😌🤍☺️🥱😴

Oh also, I’m putting the title here because I can’t be bothered to figure out how to put one above without pressing return and messing something up. It’ll probably be a continuous selection of words that make sense when read in order;

Never

2/22/2022

[iamnmbr3]

Venom 2 Spoilers - very mixed bag

I just. huh???? like the last third was good. but as I said it felt like it came from a different movie. I wish I had seen the movie it came from. Cletus said he only wanted to be Eddie’s friend?? what? when? That never happened. at all. and why does Carnage hate Venom? If that was never built up or explained so Venom eating him had little impact. Eddie and Cletus never had much interaction (contrary to what you would think if you walked in late and only caught the end) so their final interaction is a well done scene but feels like the conclusion to an arc that never happened. 

Also why is Eddie apologizing to Venom??? Again. It was a good and cute and funny scene in and of itself and felt like it matched their dynamic and characterization from the first movie. But it wasn’t at all set up by the preceding 2 acts. Quite the opposite. Venom is the one who should be apologizing to Eddie!! The third act seems to imply they had a couple’s spat centering on Eddie being ashamed of Venom or something and not giving him enough acknowledgement or credit or ability to pursue his goals etc. That could’ve been a cool arc. But it never happened. We just see Venom constantly knocking Eddie around and taking his temper out on him. So Eddie getting mad at him seems totally justified to say the least. And it makes no sense that Eddie apologizes. 

Also how come nobody cares about or addresses that Venom apparently killed a whole bunch of people by body hopping between them??? And why does Eddie not seem bothered by the fact that Venom has complete control over his body and keeps literally throwing him around rooms? Like he’s upset at the time. But not nearly as upset as you’d think he would be. And later it never gets mentioned. Also why does Venom do that? He didn’t do that in the first movie when he didn’t know or care about Eddie at all. Actually in the first movie Venom could’ve just forced Eddie to do anything that he wanted, but he chose not to. 

Which is why we got a really special and unique movie instead of a standard evil body snatching alien movie. Then in the first 2 acts of this Venom is actually basically just acting like a standard evil body snatching alien, except the framing acts as tho it’s all fine. The last third has the correct relationship dynamic and characterization for Venom and Eddie and I love the final scene if I ignore the first 2 thirds of the movie that completely contradict what we see in the ending bit. If you don’t ignore it, it makes no sense and is also downright abuse apologism.

Also at times we get the witty and clever snarky Venom comments that were so great in the first movie. But sometimes it just feels like it’s trying way too hard to be funny and veers into the territory of ridiculous silliness. Like yeah the first movie was hilarious but it also felt grounded. We the audience are laughing but the characters are all acting in ways that make sense for how they are written and the rules of the world. Eddie grabbing Venom and pulling him into the bathroom makes no sense. How is he able to do that??? He can’t force Venom to do something if he doesn’t want to. Also how does no one hear Venom arguing with him if he’s out of Eddie and speaking out loud????! 

And wtf was Eddie’s arc supposed to be? Or Venom’s for that matter? If Cletus killed his family members bc they were abusing him then why did he murder all those other people? Again. WHY does Carnage want to kill Venom??? I love Eddie and Venom realizing they are stronger together but that wasn’t developed at all in the first 2 acts. If Carnage and Cletus aren’t a good match why don’t we see them arguing till the last minute. They seem to work together great until the last third. Shouldn’t that have been set up more??? Wouldn’t it make more sense for Eddie and Venom to have the more harmonious and cute relationship and Cletus and Carnage to have the violent abusive twisted dynamic??? It’s like they switched them. 

Frances was amazing. But where did she get her powers? I thought superheroes weren’t a thing in the Venom universe. Also she and Cletus were the most interesting and engaging part of the movie. Every time they were on screen - and particularly Frances who just absolutely stole every scene she was in in the best way - I perked up. A lot of the rest of the movie was boring. The two of them actually had emotion to their scenes and had some actually developed characters and motives. At least compared to the rest of it. 

Loved the callback to comics!Eddie on the island with the symbiote in his Hawaiian t-shirt. And loved Venom and Eddie’s interactions in that scene. They work perfectly with the first movie, but not at all with the first 2 acts of this movie where Venom treats Eddie horribly. Also again it feels like payoff to something that was never setup bc we never had any indication that Eddie wanted Venom to admit his feelings for him or anything like that. Like I love the scene in isolation and it feels in-character based on the first movie, but when you view it in the context of the first 2 acts of this movie it feels jarringly dissonant, and also straight up like it’s saying if ur abusive partner says they love u, u should take them back. Which I get wasn’t what they were going for. But. Wut. 

Also. Venom in the MCU? NO. Literally my worst nightmare. Maybe the last third was made earlier (since it takes a while to animate stuff) and the first 2 thirds got changed to set up venom as a villain in the MCU or something. Or they’re just incompetent af. Who tf knows. Anyway. From now on I will be watching the first Venom movie and the final scene of the sequel only. 

[mayhiems]

Part 1

Hmm so listen listen, I was gonna say this in the a/n for one of my Your Throne fics when I update, but I got impatient (I'm also worried about some of y'all). Kinda spoilers cuz I based it from the leaks.

So like I get that everyone thinks Medea having sex with Eros in Psyche's body is wrong, and mostly it's for two main reasons:

1. Lack of consent from Psyche's side. People assume that Psyche has never fucked before, cuz she's portrayed as an innocent and naive girl. And most of us were taught having sex = loss of innocence. It's not. So when Medea did that, people's thoughts kinda went "You made Psyche do something she wouldn't have! How dare u?!"

2. It seemed like Medea didn't care about Psyche, like she absolutely disrespected someone she was supposedly friends with.

Oh. Bonus reason on my side:

3. I fekin hate entitled predatory misogynistic men touching and even just looking at the sweetest and kindest women. Take your disgusting gaze elsewhere asshole, go mess with the people who'll actually fight back if you think you're the sht or smthng.

Okay so... no.1.

It's true we were never shown Medea and Psyche talking about the things they did while they were in each other's body. Maybe it's cuz they didn't have time to and their meetings were always short and monitored. I think one reason tho is cuz they already understood that they each did what they needed to survive.

Ep.44 in general,

And this scene in particular, I believe is a short and concise way for both Medea and Psyche to show their trust and acceptance of each other. I don't know about y'all but when my closest friends or family and I have MAJOR issues/disagreements, we confront each other but we don't say things directly at least not everything, things aren't discussed word by word. When you already know the circumstances for the series of events that happened and can't be changed, all that's needed is the understanding or forgivenes of the other. Some close and actual friends don't need to verbalize everything. Psyche and Medea are like that.

Medea is talking about the people they've lost, but what she didn't directly say was what she did to hurt Psyche. She mentioned not going back to the way things were cuz she didn't want to be ignorant of Psyche's suffering and do some petty murdering sht again. That was her reaching out to Psyche, it didn't seem like an apology but it was and it was also a promise to treat Psyche better. And Psyche accepted it.

Contrary to popular belief, Psyche is not stupid. She can connect the dots pretty fast, but her faith in the goodness and honesty of people make her ignore the more negative answers.

She knew it was Medea who took out her knight. She figured out what Lynn as a spy sent by Medea meant. Psyche figured out all that once Medea told her about the spies. That's why she's smiling, that's why she said what she said on the 2nd photo.

Psyche was forgiving Medea, and accepting that they couldn't do anything about the past and they needed to move forward. She was giving Medea her trust again.

How does this all relate to the fuck scene?

They didn't directly mention Medea's murder, the same reason that gross sht wasn't also mentioned. It was a painful topic that would've made Psyche sad and probably would've made her cry, NOT because she'd think "Medea I can't believe u fucked my fiance in my body!" but because the realization that Eros didn't love her would stab her again.

Psyche knew some aspects of Eros pretty well. She knew he was obsessive and possessive and very controlling. Eros' obsession with control and his being an asshole is partly why they probably fucked often when they met. He probs thinks along the lines of "I'm pretending to be her lover and fiance why can't I enjoy my priviliges?"

Yeah. He's a real asshole. And that time Psyche was just starting to adjust to that.

I'm not saying Medea was avoiding talking about it (well, maybe, I mean I'm not the author so I don't know exactly what the characters are thinking but based on what's established, I doubt Medea was exactly), I'm saying they were talking in code, talking in a language only the two of them know.

Hmm. I might be contradicting myself but ep.62 when Medea visited Psyche after getting assaulted by Eros on that sht boat ride.

Psyche apologized because she knew Medea liked to know everything so she can be ready for anything. She also apologized because she believes in love and thinks kissing and physical affection like those stuff are for those with mutual affections.

Medea absolutely hates Eros, so yeah, Psyche felt like apologizing. PLUS, it was out of character for Medea to kiss Eros, it made things complicated made weird situations like maybe...having Eros wanting a make out session out of nowhere?

I mentioned contradicting myself cuz in ep.62

It kinda seemed like Medea was guilty in the 1st pic, making excuses and justification in the 2nd pic not just for Psyche but also for herself.

Maybe Medea remembered her actions and felt bad about not being as direct as Psyche in apologizing, or maybe it's cuz Medea didn't feel the need to apologize until Psyche went down on her knees. Either way she felt bad for Psyche and had no intention of blaming her.

Medea recognizes that in all those shitty situations Psyche has never actually done anything wrong, she was forced, always forced.

The only mistake Psyche made in her relationship with Medea was not telling Medea about Eros being her secret lover. And even that was cuz she was forbidden from talking about her divinity, since opening up about Eros meant talking about the basement and talking about the basement meant speaking of her divinity.

Continued in Part2...

Dang it, hold on. I didn't know there was a 10pic limit in tumblr posts ugh. Lemme make dis part1 and imma go make part2 cuz I haven't tried posting explanations with photo evidence and hmmm it's kinda interesting.

[starrywolf101]

For the zombieinnit thing what about different people finding out how fragile Tommy is

The 5 Times Tommy Gets Hurt

(+1 he gets protected)

1 - Jack Manifold

He had a brief interaction with Manifold on the day he left the prison, but he was still reeling and not truly listening to anything Jack said. That day was more of a blur than anything.

But now here he was, wanting Jack to stop rebranding the hotel. It was only a couple weeks since the last time he'd seen the other, but by now he's made more strides in recovering. Nobody but Puffy, Sam, Tubbo, Ranboo, and Michael knew about his zombie status yet.

Currently Jack Manifold and him were locked in a glaring content, both of his eyes locked onto the other's heterochromic eyes.

"Look, Jack, you can keep managing it and everything, but I really need you to remember that it's my property. Not yours, you arse."

Apparantly not liking that answer, Jack sneers and shoves Tommy. Freezing up in fear, Tommy doesn't even trying to defend himself from the attack. He loses his balance and falls to the ground, skull hitting the floor with a sickening crack. Regret flairs through Jack's veins as he immediately drops to his knees to check over the kid. Tommy's eyes are glazed over as he stares blankly up. His mind is replaying the moment he died over and over again, when his skull was slammed into the obsidian floor. Back in the present, Jack calls Sam Nook for help, the robot had been standing outside the hotel as per usual. He didn't actually want Tommy dead... again,,

When the robot had started helping Tommy, the kid's new... symptoms having been recorded into It's database, Jack had nearly puked. The back of Tommy's head, where he had hit the ground, looked rotted, and... ew was that Tommy's brain??? How was the kid still awake!?

He watches in shock as Sam Nook pours a potion of harming onto Tommy's injury, nearly jumping in to stop the robot, before watching with widened eyes as the wound healed...

"YOU WILL SPEAK NOTHING OF THIS JACK MANIFOLD."

Jack had nodded silently and fled the scene. There was so much to process...

2 - Sapnap

Sapnap and Tommy have always had a... complicated relationship. Sometimes they got along, and other times they were against each other. But since Dream had cut all attachments, Tommy had shown sympathy and reached out an olive branch to the other, and Sapnap had taken it. They still don't always get along perfectly, but its back to how it used to be... playful teasing and pranks!

But since the kid had left the prison, he's been... quieter. Seeing Tommy so quiet felt wrong.

In fact, he rarely saw the kid nowadays.

Having been looking for an excuse to see the teen, Sapnap had found the perfect thing. By a river, he'd found a rock that, if you squinted, it was shaped like a dick. Surely Tommy would get a kick out of this!

Approaching the dirt shack, gift in his pocket, Sapnap had a slight skip in step. He knocks on the door and called out for the boy.

"Tooommmyy! Are you home?"

A crash inside the home was worrying, but a quiet groan of pain set off alarm bells. Without another thought, Sapnap tries the doorknob— surprisingly the door was unlocked. Did this kid want to be stolen from??? Shaking off the stray thoughts, once again focused on the task at hand, he opens the door and enters. A light on downstairs leads Sapnap into a storage room with Tommy sitting curled up in the corner.

A rancid smell hits his nostrils and he scrunches his nose. An odor that was familiar to the awful smell of meat having gone bad.

Walking up to the teen, Tommy stared back at him with large, scared eyes. He was cradling his hand close to his chest, hiding it from view. And now that he was closer, something in the back of his mind registered that the smell was coming from the kid.

"Hey Tommy," Sapnap's voice took on a softness usually reserved for his close friends and his fiances. "Wanna tell me what happened so I can help?"

After a moment of Tommy examining his facial expression, he must've realize Sapnap meant no harm, and hesitantly holds his hand out. What Sapnap sees makes him want to vomit. Across Tommy's palm was a huge cut, but it was green and purple... the muscles torn and bone glimpseable .

Frowning, Sapnap mumbles: "Oh, kid... Here, I have a regen pot on me–"

"NO" Tommy's panicked shout cuts him off mid-sentence. "I– I mean," the kid gets quiet and nervous. "Use the one from my chest...: He shakily points towards the single chest across the room with his good hand.

Shaking off the shock, Sapnal roots through the chest and pulls out a bottle ful of a sickly potion... upon realizing what kind of potion it was, the cogs in his head turn. Rancid smell, rotted wound, potion of harming... Tommy was undead.

Sapnap scoots back over to Tommy, gently taking hold of the kid's wrist as to avoid spilling the potion on himself, and pours a generous amount of the viscous liquid onto Tommy's injury. The kid winces, but neither miss the twin looks of relief on their faces as the wound knits itself closed.

Seeing that Tommy was still clearly in a bad mental space, he remember the gift in his pocket. Pulling it out and handing it to the other, Sapnap smiles as he simy says: "I got you a dick rock."

Tommy's surprised, burst laugh was like music to his ears.

3 - Ghostbur

Ghostbur didn't understand what Tommy meant when he said he'd died. Tommy couldn't die, right...? No, his little brother was a survivor!

There was no way he had talked to Alivebur... but that look in Tommy's eyes... there was no way to fake that.

All the evidence kept piling up, and though he forgot some of it, some things never left his mind anymore. The way Tommy would get scared of taking damage, the way touch repulsed him... Tommy was also a lot quieter nowadays.

It was a nice day in Snowchester when it Ghostbur was confronted with the awful truth.

He had been visiting the small community when he spotted Tommy huddled up inside Tubbo's house. Obviously, he wondered why his little brother wasn't outside playing in the snow, so he goes to investigate.

"Tommy!" His raspy voice calls out cheerfully upon entering the cozy home. "Tommy what are you doing inside?"

He misses the way Tommy flinches, the terrified look in the youngest's eyes. Maybe Wilbur would've spotted it immediately, but Ghostbur wasn't him. He only saw the forced smile that covered it up, mistaking it for genuine happiness.

Tommy opens his mouth to respond, but he hesitated too long. Ghostbur was already talking again, excitedly bouncing in place. "I saw the snow outside and I remember how we used to have snowball fights when you were itty bitty, and it must've been a long time ago because now you're all tall and gangly! So I was thinking to myself, 'hmm, Tommy had been so sad lately! You know what would cheer him up? A snowball fight!' Except I can't touch the snow or else I'll melt so I thought we could go find Tubbo to play with!" It was a good thing Ghostbur didn't need to breathe anymore, because that whole rant would've taken a lot of air. Before Tommy could even finish processing all of that, Ghostbur grabs his wrist and starts tugging.

The unexpected contact send Tommy reeling, memories of a time when Wilbur would drag Tommy by the wrist, grip tight and unrelenting as the kid kicked and screamed. Times in the dark, cold ravine where nobody else could hear him plead for help. That morphed into when Dream started to doing the same thing during exile. Dream and Wilbur were interchangeable, their voices of anger and disappointment morphing into one. Adrenaline kicking in, Tommy starts shouting out for help, thrashing in Ghostbur's loose grip and causing the ghost to let go in surprise.

Luckily, Ranboo was close by and appeared inside the house. His teleportation ability kicking in without him realizing. He's quick to Tommy's side as the ghost watches on in horror. Quiet, comforting vwoops leave Ranboo's chest, and Tommy unconsciously curls closer to the source of familiar comfort. Once the majority of the panic was over, Tommy looks at Ranboo, eyes locked onto his tie. "Ra' boo?" The youngest slurs out tiredly.

"Hey, Tommy, you're safe. You're in Snowchester, with Tubbo and me."

Tommy simply nodded and closed his eyes, slumping over. The air is still for a moment, a tense quiet fills the walls of the house.

"Is... is he okay...?" Ghostbur finally speaks up.

"Honestly? Not really..." Ranboo answers, turning to look at the ghost, but never quite making eye-contact. "But he'll be better when he wakes up. Panic attacks are exhausting, especially for him nowadays.."

When Ranboo picks Tommy up, the red and white shirt rides up on his side a little, giving Ghostbur a good look at a nasty wound. Flesh eaten away to reveal the muscle underneath. Already feeling himself forgetting, Ghostbur watches the two teens leave the room.

4 - Philza

It had been awhile since he'd seen Tommy. Last time had been when he'd shown up to help Ranboo move. After the eyepatch incident, the base had been wrapped in a tense silence. Ranboo left for a few days afterwards, though Techno and Phil couldn't blame him. He did come back, but nobody spoke of what happened.

So, Phil hadn't been ready to run into Tommy in the Nether. He had just been on his way towards the larger SMP when he saw the kid sitting on a path, legs dangling off the side as he stared into the lava below. That sight set off so many alarm bells, and it took everything in Phil not to yank the kid back from the edge.

"What are you doing out here, mate?" Phil calls out, wings ruffling nervously on his back. He kept his voice and expression calm.

Tommy flinches, but his posture quickly relaxes again as he turns to look at Phil, his empty socket uncovered. Phil has to force himself to not stare at it. "Oh, its you." There was an apathetic tone to Tommy's voice that rubbed him wrong. Tommy was one of the most expressive people he'd ever met, and to hear him so emotionless...

Contrary to popular belief, he was not Tommy's dad. He hadn't even met the kid until his son, Wilbur, had gotten attached. But that Tommy was very different from the one he's looking at now. What had caused this change?

"You just gonna keep fucking staring at me like I'm some circus freak, or are you gonna sit down already?" Tommy pulls Phil out of his thoughts, causing the man to blink in confusion. He accepts the offer before the teen catching his mind— sitting cross-legged on the path beside Tommy, but not too close. They sit in silence for a bit, listening to the songs of the Nether. Piglins and Zombie Piglins oink and snort, there's a distant cry of a Ghast, and even the lava is bubbling to its own tune. Every now and then, Phil catches himself staring at Tommy, forcing himself to look elsewhere when he does. Tommy catches on, "I know I'm handsome and all, but staring is considered rude, bitch. Thought someone as old as you would know that," there's a hint of teasing in his tone.

Embarrassment floods his veins, causing Phil's wings to poof a bit, but he could blame it on the heat. "Erm– Sorry, mate... just caught up in my own head, I guess,"

Tommy rolls his eye and makes direct eye-contact with Phil. "I don't want your pity. I don't care for your thoughts. If you have questions, ask them now, cause you might never get another opportunity."

Phil swallows heavily and looks away. A lot of questions raced through his mind, but only one stuck:

"Did you talk to Wilbur?"

The teen grimaced, and that was an answer all in itself. "Yeah, asshole talked about solitare for months straight, would not shut up about the stupid game."

Oh... that hadn't been the answer he was expecting.

"And then continued to want to destroy the entirety of the SMP. He's acting crazier than before, but I guess I would too if I sat in a void for nine years too."

He remembers reading something about the time difference between death and life... back when he was still researching revival. Moving on from his question about Wilbur, he then asks: "How have you been doing?"

Tommy simply shrugs. "Usually? I'm either knee deep in flashbacks, or I'm aware enough to stumble about. Today? Can't feel a thing– 'm hollow. That's why I don't care about the questions,, I literally can't."

His heart breaks as he listens to Tommy's words, here is a kid so beat down and ruined by the world. To the point where he's gone numb. Not sure what else to do, Phil pulls Tommy into a hug, wrapping his wings around them. "I'm sorry."

Still for just a moment, Tommy slowly leans into the embrace, "Yeah.. me too."

5 - Puffy

Captain Puffy prides herself on being there for her friends. For trying for those she loves. Learning that she didn't try hard enough for Tommy left her broken.

And then, by some miracle, he was back. But... not as he was. In fact, the trauma he's lived (and died) through seems to have shut the once lively boy down.

She finds him hesitating outside her therapy office, or therapuffy as she calls it, fiddling with his torn and bloodied shirt. She mentally noted that he needs a new wardrobe.

"Hey, Tommy! What's up, my dude?" She keeps her voice soft and upbeat, not wanting to scare him away. "Did you need something?"

She internally frowns at the way he shies away from her, even though she's not anywhere near enough to initiate contact. Even stranger is how he doesn't fully turn to face her, half his face obscured from view. Still, she doesn't show she noticed it, and continues to smile warmly. Here was a duckling who was afraid of opening back up, but desperately in need of that love and affirmation he deserves. But she has to wait for him to come to her.

Realizing that maybe he wouldn't start anything on his own, she starts up the conversation. "Did you hear about the latest prank on Bad?" She asks. When Tommy shakes his head, the corner of her lip quirks up in amusement as she continues. "Somebody put a bunch of swear words all over his house!" That gets a chuckle out of Tommy.

They sit in silence after that, though its not awkward. It feels more like Tommy is internally debating on what to say, and Puffy didn't want to distract him. After a minute, with his voice uncharacteristically quiet, he asks: "Do you have any potions...?"

"Yeah! I've got some in storage," She hums. "Do you wanna come with me to get some?"

He hesitantly nods before turning his body to fully face her. That's when she saw it. His cheek in the left side of his face was rotted away, revealing teeth and gums. Nausea twisted in her gut, but still somehow remains calm. Instead of even referencing the gruesome sight, she simply smiles and holds out her hand. Seeming to get the message, Tommy places his hand in hers. She leads him down to where she kept most of her stuff, and sits him down on a spare surface– the place being an empty chest just sitting out.

"What kind of potion you need?" She asks, not wanting to assume and end up messing up.

"...Harming,"

Humming, Puffy digs around for a minute before successfully retrieving a potion of harming. It was a drinking one, surprisingly enough. Usually she just turned all of those into splash pots. Pulling on a pair of gloves and dousing a spare rag in the viscous liquid. Carefully holding up the soaked rag to his face, she hovers just above the rotting flesh and asks: "May I?"

Tommy nods and she presses the cloth to his cheek. She can feel the flesh knit itself back together under the cloth. Once she was sure it was healed, she hands whats left of the potion over for Tommy to drink. That'll fix up any internal damages he was possibly dealing with.

He grimaces as he accepts the bottle, "It always tastes like that shit nasty medicine i took as a kid.." he grumbles before throwing his head back to gulp the potion down as quickly as possible. Her inner pirate from days long gone idly thinks that Tommy would he good at putting down shots.

He soon leaves after that, not a word from either of them. Puffy silently promises to look out for the kid.

+1 - Techno

Tommy was being chased down by Bad and Ant again... though they were quickly gaining on him. Since coming back from the dead, Tommy's had very poor stamina, and he's not sure if its a zombie thing or him being very unhealthy thing. Being skin and bones, unhealthy underweight, would definitely affect him,, but he just couldn't seem to put any of the weight back on now.

The Egg cult must've been especially focused on him, bevause they were still chasing him, and Tommy was stumbling through a snow biome... Deja vu much?

Panting, Tommy can only hear the blood rushing in his ears, his heavy breathing, and the crunching of snow.

There's a light in the distance, though! And a very familiar cabin. Alarms blared in his head, his traitorous brain reminding him that he wasn't welcome here anymore. He didn't have much time to think, though, because his foot gets stuck in a snowdrift, causing him to collapse into the cold, frozen ground. The snow cushions his fall, though he definitely feels his foot pop off from his ankle.

"Well well well, looks like its the end of the road, Tommyinnit... again." Bad mocks in a chilling voice– it was a hollow sort of joy, a mimic of how warm Bad's voice used to be. He watches as Ant picks up the detached foot, frozen still with fear. "Any last words, Tommy?"

He squeezes his eyes shut, waiting for his swift end... knowing that Bad was lifting up an axe to swing. Only for it to never come. Instead a clank of metal on metal, and a familiar monotone voice.

"You see, I can't let you do that. You're all on my land, and I'd hate for the snow to stain red."

Peaking open an eye, he's in awe of the sight before him. Technoblade was standing in front of him, his axe having blocked the strike. Bad and Ant look at each other, nod, and back off. It was obvious that going against The Blade was a losing battle. Ant drops the foot into the snow as the two retreat.

Techno puts away his weapon and crouches down to pick up the foot. "What are you doing here, Theseus?" Techno didn't turn towards him.

"Give it back." Tommy ignores the question, putting up his wall. "That's mine, you arse."

"What do you mean its yours? Whose foot is this anyways–" Techno's words cut off as he turns to face Tommy, finally taking in the kid's appearance.

Tommy wasn't wearing his eyepatch, but thats not what caught his attention. It was the lack of a foot attached to his body. Quickly realizing why Tommy was demanding back the foot, he hands it over to the kid, watching in morbid fascination as he pops it right back onto his leg and rolling his ankle. The voices were all screaming different things,and he couldn't make sense of what they were saying.

"So... uh, the weird egg people were chasing you?"

Techno sucked at small talk, but he honestly didn't know what to say as Tommy stood up and brushed the snow off himself. "I'm immune and shit— well I was before the uh, prison visit. But I think I'm still immune."

"Ah,"

...

"Uh, I'm gonna go back home.." Tommy points towards the Nether Portal. "Thank you for saving me, or whatever.."

"Yeah.. yeah,"

...

"I'm just... gonna go."

Techno watches as Tommy starts to head off, slowly crunching through the snow.

He didn't know what terms he was on with the kid, but it didn't seem nearly as hostile as before. It probably wouldn't hurt anything if he started to watch out for Tommy from the shadows..

[Masterpost]

---

Okay its done, I've been working on this for ages! I also didn't go back and read it, and most of this was written while I was exhausted, so there's that

[jemdeserveslove]

My thougths on Elain's future

(it got way longer than it was supposed to be, so please, bear with me)

(This is all based on the belief that ACOTAR 5 is Gwynriel's book and ACOTAR 6 is Elucien's, but I'm not focusing on the ships)

I think it's undeniable that SJM writes about people healing from their traumas with the help/support of other people that can usually relate to their experiences. So that in the end they form a family together. The famous found/chosen family

She did it with all of her main female characters (Aelin, Feyre and Nesta) and she's probably gonna do it with Elain too. And I must say I'm REALLY EXCITED for her journey, because I feel that she has a lot of potential for a great story, such as: We know that of all the sisters she's the one who had more connection to the human world, so how is she dealing with that? What is she thinking? What happend to her in the cauldron? Why does the cauldron kinda likes her? what exacly are her powers? and even about the ships: what does she think about the whole thing in Azriel's pov? and what exacly are her thougths on the mating bond with Lucien?

Basically, many things to be addressed. lol

And with all of these things, we're gonna get her healing arc with her found family. I'm personally a fan of Elain leaving the Night Court and meeting new people, beacuse I belive she needs to leave an enviroment with people who protects and coddles her. That way she can grow. I know some people would rather Elain stays in the Night Court to heal with her family, but here's the thing for me: we know that the sisters love each other a lot and would do a lot for each other, but we also know from Feyre's pov in ACOSF that she and Elain are not super close, they're just fond of each other's company and Feyre also confirms that if she had like a problem or whatever she would not run to Elain for advice (or something like that) + I dare say that's the case with Nesta as well, she would run to Emerie or Gwyn.

With that being said, I think that one of the biggest reasons we know nothing about Elain's thoughts or opinions is because she doesn't have anyone to share it with at the moment (because she also doesn't run to them for advice or anything like that)

And, honestly, I'm all about the sisters having a better relationship with each other ( that's my dream ending), but for that to happen I belive they need to deal with their individual baggages first so that they can gradually come together and fix their broken relationship (we already had a bit of that in ACOSF)

As for Elain's found family, I'm not completely against it being Nuala and Cerridwen because I think they have a nice friendship, however we had all of their conversations off page or under someone else's pov (and that's not SJM style) + they work for Feyre and Rhys ( and Azriel too, I suppose) so it's basically their job as spies to tell them stuff about people and I'm not sure if that would work.

I support 100% Elain being close with the Band of Exiles because 1) Jurian and Vassa are strongly and directly connected with the humans and I feel like it would suit Elain to be close with them 2) they would not protect and coddle her, on the contrary, I feel like they would sort of challenge her (indirectly). Honestly, just the experience of being away from her sisters would already be a challenge and I think that's nice and necessary

To summar everything, I belive Elain needs to leave the NC in order to grow as person(fae), find out what she wants to do and where she wants to do it, find her chosen family, discover more about her powers and bloom her relationship with her sisters ( the three of them need to do that last bit)

And for all of this to happen she needs to have more presence in the books and folks I think it's coming (one way or another). She migth have more presence in Azriel's book (since they have unfinished bussiness) but I don't belive she will have more than Mor. There's also the novella and it just makes sense for her to show up more in that one (just like we had more Nesta in ACOWAR and ACOFAS, and more Azriel in ACOSF) In these two books we'll probably see more of Elain's opinions, flaws (she needs those to be a character) and more seeds of her journey.

If you made it this far, thank u for coming to my TED Talk and please tell me if you agree or disagree with me (opinions are always valid, as long as there is no toxicity)

[thetravelerwrites]

Monster Match #39: Karkadann

For Anonymous: “My pronouns are he/they. I'm interested in nb and men (Biromantic/Demisexual). I have a lot of nerdy hobbies like interactive fiction, video games, and reading. I also enjoy watching movies, and going on walks/hikes with my dogs. My personality has been described as a little intimidating by some, and can come off as a loner. Once I get closer to people I'm generally more open and more relaxed. I naturally pick up leadership roles in group settings if no one else will, and I tend to try hard with things I care about I approach problems with logic and am good at problem solving. I like to initiate 9with sharing ofc).

For partners I dislike people who are lazy or who are a slob. I really like to keep my areas clean and it drives me crazy if my partners can't cleanup after themselves. I also don't really like people who are overconfident. Qualities I find attractive are people who are more soft and generally understanding. People who value independence and who are mature (but know when to take a joke). Oh I forgot, since it's nsfw! I'm a switch/verse with Dom prefs!”

For some reason, I forgot to post this, so here it is!

You’ve been matched with a Karkadann!

The name karkadann is a variation of the Kurdish name that means “donkey with one horn” (Kar kit Dan). Persian kargadan, or Sanskrit kartajan, which is said to mean "lord of the desert". Depictions of karkadann are found also in North Indian art. Like the unicorn, it can be subdued by virgins and acts ferociously toward other animals. Originally based on the Indian Rhinoceros (one of the meanings of the word) and first described in the 10th/11th century, it evolved in the works of later writers to a mythical animal "with a shadowy rhinocerine ancestor" endowed with medicinal qualities.

Monster Matches are Available!

You were working as an intern lab assistant in a small medical research wing of your university. You were basically a glorified gopher, running errands for the researchers and doing simple chemical composite tests. You were the newest employee there, so it made sense that the fiddly work got passed to you, but you still resented it a little.

Dr. Sayed was one of the best medical researchers you’d ever met, and something of a genius in his field. Not that he’d ever admit that; he was also terribly modest. You actually didn’t like him when you first met him, convinced he would be as full of himself as other researchers you’d met.

Contrary to your preconceived notions, though, he was actually a very open, friendly guy who enjoyed a good laugh, though he wasn’t the type to laugh at the expense of others. You didn’t want to admit it at first, but eventually you had to acknowledge that you had him pegged completely wrong.

He avoided you at first, perhaps innately aware that you weren’t fond of him. Once he sensed a thawing of your attitude toward him, he began to smile and greet you in the mornings, which you reluctantly returned.

His primary study focus was on himself, or more specifically, his horn. According to legend, his horn was said to contain magical healing properties, and he wanted to isolate and replicate the effect and make medicine from it. He believed that, if he succeeded, it would be revolutionary in low-cost health care, something he was passionate about.

“Doesn’t that hurt?” You asked one day as he took another scraping from his horn.

He looked over in surprise. “No, not at all. It’s made of keratin, the same as hair and fingernails. If you were to dig too deep, though, you’d hit nerves and blood vessels, but the surface is perfectly fine to take samples from. I don’t even feel it.”

“Ah,” You said, returning to work. That was probably the longest conversation you’d had with him, and you’d only said three words.

“You’re the new guy, right?” He asked with a friendly smile. “Sorry I’m only introducing myself now. You just sort of had this air around you like you’d prefer to be left alone.”

You laughed a little. “I get that a lot, and it’s usually true.”

“What’s your field of study?”

“Epidemiology,” You replied. “I’ve heard you’re trying to find a scientific alternative for magical healing.”

“Trying, yes,” He said, sighing. “I should have expected it to be more difficult that I first assumed.” He scrubbed his face with his massive, three fingered hand. “Magic and science seem to be at odds with each other. Sure, that’s a well known principle, but I didn’t expect that they’d actually repel each other.”

“Sounds frustrating,” You replied.

“Incredibly,” He said with a sigh, rubbing his neck.

“You look tired,” You observed.

“I am tired,” He responded. “I’ve lost a lot of sleep over this project. If I don’t start showing results soon, my grant won’t be renewed and I’ll be placed on another project. I don’t want all of my work to go down the drain when I’m so close to a break-through.”

You felt bad for him. He was genuinely trying to help people only for his efforts to be fruitless.

“Listen, it’s almost the end of the day,” You said. “Why don’t we leave a little bit early and I treat you to dinner?”

He smiled at you. “That’s very kind, thank you.”

You took him to a local vegetarian restaurant he loved, and the two of you talked over dinner. He was warm, sweet, and it only took the span of the meal for you to realize that he was exactly your type, and you felt your attraction to him grow stronger with each passing minute you spent in his company.

You’d never been the type to shy away from confrontation, so when dinner was over and you were walking him to his car, you asked if he’d be interested in dating you. He was surprised but pleased, and shyly accepted.

You both decided to keep the fact that you were dating a secret until an outcome of his project was reached, whether it was positive or negative. A month into the relationship, though, he showed up at your house unannounced on the weekend, even though the two of you hadn’t had plans.

“What’s up?” You asked, ushering him inside. “Everything okay?”

His leathery face sagged morosely. “The project has been shelved. I’m being moved to a fibromyalgia project.”

“I’m sorry, babe,” You said. “Can I do anything to help?”

“I don’t know,” He said, moving slowly as though stuck in honey. “I came here without any plans. I just wanted to see you.”

You sighed and wrapped your arms around his waist. He cuddled you in tightly.

“You look exhausted. Why don’t we just lay down and take a nap for a while, okay?”

He nodded and allowed himself to be led into the bedroom.

You woke up in bed next to him sometime later, not having meant to actually fall asleep, but his warmth had made you feel very comfortable and cozy. He was curled around you, snoozing softly.

Without thinking much about it, you started to kiss his neck and face, scratching his rough skin gently. He awoke with a soft snort but didn’t speak, just let you bath his body in kisses.

“What are you doing?” He asked in a quiet tone.

“I’m hoping I can make you feel better,” You replied, your hands drifting downward to play with the buckle of his belt. “Let me help. Be a good boy.”

“Okay,” He said obediently, his hips thrusting up slightly, a noticeable bulge pressing against the fabric of his pants.

“Are you okay with this?” You asked.

“Yeah,” Sayed said breathlessly, nodding fervently. “I’ve been… pent up for a while.”

“Well, let’s release some of that tension then.” You popped the button of his pants and unzipped them, reaching into his underwear and wrapped your hand around his organ. It was thick and grey, just like the rest of his body, but it was far more silky to the touch than the rest of his skin and the tip was a blush pink color.

You licked him from testicles to tip, and he groaned. You flicked your tongue over the ridge and swirled it around and around. You spent some time on him, and then lay face down next to him with your hips in the air.

“Now why don’t you take care of me for a bit?” You said, wiggling. He grinned and got up the kneel behind you, bending to press his long, broad tongue against you, his moans vibrating against your skin. He pressed his large thumb inside you, massaging in and out as he sucked.

You spun around and pushed his shoulder, throwing him back to the bed, and straddled him, sinking down on him with a hiss of pleasure. He was definitely bigger than any person you’d ever been with, but it was a fun challenge. And you always liked a challenge.

In no time at all, you were riding him like it was your day job. He grunted with each thrust, gripping your hips as you slammed your body into his. You reached between the two of you and began to stroke yourself, perched on your toes as you began to climax. He gave a shout and came inside you, ribbons of his seed shooting out of you as he jerked underneath you. You crested the wave of your own pleasure as slowed to a stop, collapsing on top of him.

After a while, when you got your breath back, you said, “It’s shelved, right? Not canceled completely.”

“Yeah,” He said, his arms around you.

“Well, that’s good then. Maybe what you need is to step away for a little while and focus on something else. It might help. It’s like when you lose something and find it the minute you stop looking for it, you know what I mean?”

“You might be right,” He said. “A break would be good. And fibromyalgia is a worthy cause, too.”

“I’ll help you,” You told him. “So don’t give up. That’s an order, mister.”

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My Masterlist

The Exophilia Creator’s Masterlist

[jalebi-weds-bluetooth]

Hiii JWB, analysis anon here! So my question is, how did Anjali convince herself that Shyam was innocent after the first reveal? Too many things were out in the open, and she chooses selective rage against Arnav and Khushi! Also, how does Khushi’s gesture push her to try abortion ? I am unable to grasp Anjali completely in this phase, would appreciate any help. Thank u so so so much❤️

Hello Analysis Anon!

A brilliant ask, as always. There are four parts to this and I'll try to answer them to the best of my ability. I’ll try to mix what canon showed with my interpretation. Again, everyone’s free to their own opinions. 

how did Anjali convince herself that Shyam was innocent after the first reveal?

Just like how Annika and Gauri from Ishqbaaz blindly trusted in Shivaay and Omkara despite their aunt showing contrary evidence publicly. 

Like how every person trusts the person they love. 

We find it difficult to understand Anjali’s perspective because Shyam is not the hero.

Like how we we all outraged on Arnav as he did not believe Khushi cause he believed in the evidence in front of him because Khushi is the heroine of the show. 

So you see, we’re upset on Anjali that she chooses to believe her love over evidence, but then we’re also upset on Arnav when he chose evidence above love. 

It’s perspective. 

Also at that point Khushi and NK had no hard evidence, Arnav/NK were counted as people who would believe Khushi blindly, and Khushi/Payal (the truth sayers) betrayed the family’s trust by hiding such a secret in the first place that there were too many things to handle. It just wasn't Shyam kidnapping Arnav, it was also Shyam having ‘cheated’ on Anjali with Arnav’s wife / having terrible intentions all along. 

And then Shyam laying the accusation that it was Arnav’s wife was who was behind him the whole time.

And Arnav did not say “I saw Shyam being shit”, he said “I believe what Khushi says,”

And that worsens the matter instead of strengthening it. It’s only to Nani, later, that Arnav says he knows the truth, he has seen it and Nani gets a full grasp on the situation - which is something neither Mami nor Anjali nor Akash learn.

And if we flip the situation, would we believe Anjali if she lay heavy accusations against Arnav to Khushi that would separate Arnav and Khushi? And no true evidence to back her? Wouldn't we all root for Khushi if she chooses to believe Arnav beyond everything?

And as audience we are privy to the evidences that no one else sees. We know Shyam’s a snake.  We know Arnav and Khushi aren’t wrong. We know Anjali has been manipulated throughout.

she chooses selective rage against Arnav and Khushi

Because the household agrees on Shyam being kicked out based on what Khushi said and Arnav supporting her. Anjali is made aware that Arnav is supporting Khushi, not that Arnav has seen terrible things for himself. 

So she draws a conclusion that he chose his love above hers. And that doesn't make sense. If Shyam never told the truth, what’s the guarantee that Khushi did?

She knows no one else has the power nor were involved in kicking Shyam out so she does not have anything against anyone else. 

If Arnav told her the full truth, Anjali might have gotten some clarity and space to see that there's a third picture. 

And, her fear, doubts, insecurities and heartbreak was never addressed. Everyone goes into the mode of “ok you’re hurt, let time pass and move on”

But a person will find it difficult to move on if there are infinite questions that's not answered by anyone. 

Why would Shyam do this? How do Shyam and Khushi even know each other? Shyam was engaged, what, when? Why didn’t the Guptas tell anyone about it? Why were Khushi and Shyam engaging in private conversations lately? How does Arnav fit into this? Where and how does the kidnapping make sense? Now Shyam wants money despite years of him not doing so? Khushi, money - what did Shyam ever want? 

And no one gives her these answers. Literally no one. And it’s terrible because almost everyone has some answers to her questions.

how does Khushi’s gesture push her to try abortion ?

Nani realised that Anjali does not know the truth and is not in the space to know more information which is why she asks Khushi to stay away from Anjali (basically asking some time till Anjali gets the space to clearly hear out what happened and make a wiser judgement). 

Khushi makes a MASSIVE mistake by visiting Anjali at this point. Khushi thinks goodness is everything - that’s not the case. Which is why Khushi is still immature. She shouldn't have visited Anjali because their relationship has completely changed - and its not about truth, it’s because Anjali is at the end of everything. 

Anjali and Khushi no longer share that relationship of trust and respect - that has been breached by a misunderstanding. 

When a person is hurting, giving them space is everything. Nurturing sensitivities is important. But Khushi still assumes it's ok to go and speak to a woman, who's completely broken because Khushi thinks its right, not considering whether Anjali can handle any conversation. 

Anjali sees Khushi as the woman who broke her home - not necessarily by ‘having’ the affair, or laying accusations against Shyam, it’s her word that led to Shyam being kicked out without giving him a chance to explain.

When Khushi walks in and starts talking about the baby Anjali realises that the whole family, who now hates Shyam, is going to grudgingly accept the baby only for the sake of Anjali. Internally the child is going to be hated. And the child will be fatherless. 

Thus the future of her child is doomed even before it begins. 

And given she is in an extremely vulnerable state of mind without any support by her - she decides to not give her the child the dark future. 

She sees no road to happiness, ever. 

And this is triggered by Khushi visiting her. 

It’s heartbreaking - if Arnav, Akash stayed continuously by Anjali to share her pain as opposed to in the fear of she doing something, she might've healed over time. But she knows she’s being treated like she’s made out of glass and that the whole family is giving her sympathy instead of trying to understand her position. 

There’s no one who listens to her.  

And it does not help that Khushi does not see how hiding the truth was the worst decision ever, and meeting Anjali was another terrible decision. For someone very empathetic, she does not see things from another person’s perspective. 

And it does not help that Manorama, a woman Anjali trusts a lot, told her that Shyam might be cheating on her with Khushi.

I am unable to grasp Anjali completely in this phase

One thing is perception, the other is the writers/directors didn’t do the best job in explaining the perspectives. I think they made a big mistake in pitting Anjali against Khushi. I don’t think that was fair because both the women were suffering. They turned this whole thing of Arnav being torn in two directions and shot very similar shots and angles for Anjali and Khushi which was weird. 

This is what I personally feel, not discrediting the hard work the team put - it’s always tough to shoot a tv show.

But I feel we were distracted by the awkwardness of things and were unable to get the characters perspectives. We don't get time to focus on Anjali losing her whole world all of a sudden rather we see Anjali suffering only when Arnav is with Khushi and her being sad when they're together and that didn’t work at all.

Probably they were working in the Didi Ki Saut stuff as @phati-sari suggested in her multiple answers regarding this track. 

But also the public was tired of Arnav and Khushi’s 4/5 months of misunderstandings that they just couldn't see more problems between the lead pair. 

Right idea, wrong execution. 

Image credit to: http://indiandisspyaarko.blogspot.com

I hope this helps!

Love, 

- JWB

[ladymiseria]

Smut Alphabet- Levi

Considering this a warm-up of sorts to my latest foray of fic-writing.  I have ones for Belphie and Satan planned, as well, so expect those sometime soon.

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

-Lots of hugs and cuddling.  Constantly asking if you’re okay, if you need anything, if you enjoyed yourself.  He likes resting on your chest and having his hair pet and getting plenty of reassurance.

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

-Levi likes his hands.  All his time spent playing video games has made him very dexterous and he knows it.  He loves using just his hands to get you off.

Levi is a leg man.  He loves anything that shows of your legs like short skirts, thigh highs, fishnets.  He always wants to touch your thighs and run his hands up your legs or even just have your legs slung over his lap while you relax together.  Also, in true otaku form, he’s a sucker for that absolute territory.

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

-He’ll never object to coming inside, but he also loves coming on your face (with your permission, of course).  He’s also been known to paint your chest and back with his cum when the mood strikes him.  He’s also into snowballing after he finishes in your mouth.

D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

-It’s hard to say what could be considered a “dirty secret” since his sexual interests are fairly varied and “unusual”, you could say.  What he would consider his biggest “dirty secret” is that he’s really into being dommed and serving his mistress/master.  This goes hand in hand with his degradation kink.

Levi also wants to fuck you with his tail, as it resembles that of a sea serpent and makes him think of the hentai trope where people are fucked by tentacles.

Also also, Levi didn’t think he’d be into pegging, but now he loooooves it.

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

-Probably the least experienced of all the brothers (partially because he so rarely leaves his room), but he still definitely knows what he’s doing, even if a good portion is from dating sims and other such games of a naughtier nature.  He knows what he likes and he wants to please you, as well, so he makes sure to know what to do.

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)

-Having you on top really does it for him.  But his ultimate favorite is fucking you on top of furniture (dresser, table, things like that) or standing with him fucking you from behind.

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

-He can be really goofy in the moment!  He wants to have fun when he sleeps with you, and loves to see you smile and laugh.  Sometimes he gets carried away with his roleplaying, but he’s learned to laugh about it if you bring it up or try to get him to lighten up a little bit.

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

-Contrary to what others might think, Levi is actually very clean in terms of personal hygiene, even if his clothes sometimes look a bit disheveled.  He’s clean shaven downstairs because he just likes it better, but he’d be okay with some body hair if you asked.

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

-Levi isn’t the traditional romantic who’ll wine and dine you, but he loves hugs and holding hands and being close to you.  He loves giving you soft touches all over and holding you in his arms and he’ll always tell you when he thinks you look good (which is most of the time, but whatever).

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

-Levi masturbates a lot, but less so now that he has you.  That said, he still plays his hentai games on the reg and gets off to those.  He also frequently jacks off to the thought of you and previous or upcoming intimate encounters between you.

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

-Degradation, dom/sub, overstimulation, roleplay, edging, being made to beg

L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

-His bedroom is his favorite as that’s his safe space and where he feels most comfortable, with your room coming in a close second.

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

-He loves when you dress up for him.  Roleplay and costumes are big turn ons for him, so he loves when you dress the part, or even just get cute/sexy for him in general.  He’s also very easy to tease, so little suggestive touches or whispering in his ear is often enough to make him blush and get hard.

Levi also melts into a puddle when you massage/stimulate his head near the base of his horns, even when they’re not showing.

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

-There’s not much he wouldn’t do, but he’s not really into physically hurting you for the sake of sexual pleasure, i.e. knifeplay, hitting you outside of spanking, etc.  He’s afraid he might misjudge how much you can take and actually cause you physical harm.  He’s also not much of a forceful dom unless the circumstances are just right.

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

-Loves loves loves receiving especially when you let him finish on your face.  He likes giving, as well, but he’s not as confident as he is in his other sexual skills.

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

-Somewhere in the middle generally, but a lot of it depends on what you’re actually doing.  He’s easily excited so sometimes he loses himself a bit, but he does love to savor his intimate time with you, just touching and kissing and exploring each other’s bodies.

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

-Quickies aren’t his go-to, but sometimes he just can’t resist, especially if you’ve been teasing him for a prolonged period of time.  It’s not terribly unusual for him to snap and pull you away.

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

-Yeah, definitely down to experiment!  His otaku interests have brought a lot of different fetishes into his sexual purview so there’s a lot of things he’s always wanted to try if he found a willing partner.  He’s also always up for hearing what you like and what you’d like to try and he does his best to accommodate.

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

-Levi is supposedly the least “in-shape” of the brothers, but his stamina is still a bit higher than that of the average human.  In the beginning, he wasn’t able to last very long as he would get too excited and overstimulated, but it’s something that’s gotten better with time (and some training).

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

-Oh yes, lots: he has enough toys for the both of you, and all different kinds, at that, including ones on the more unusual side (hello, monster dildos).  He loves using them on you, especially the weirder ones, as it fulfills some of his weebish fantasies.  Despite him having such a collection, he was always too nervous to use the dildos and vibrators on himself, but, after letting you use them on him, he was easily converted.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

-He’s not one to tease really at all since he’s too awkward and nervous, but he loves being teased, even if he pouts and says that you’re “unfair”, in true Levi fashion.

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

-Initially, he’s very embarrassed and tries to stifle himself, but the longer you go, the more his resolve breaks down.  He makes a lot of whiney, whimpering noises and he can get a little loud when he comes.

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

-Levi is into being collared and treated like a puppy.  He gets off on you ruffling his hair and giving him commands and leading him around on a leash.

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

-Levi has a good body even if he may not be as fit as some of his brothers: he’s still a high-ranking demon, after all.  His dick has similar skin to his tail, so a bit scaly and a bit smooth.  The tip also has a defined point at the very end.

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

-Moderately high.  He’s easily distracted by his many hobbies, but it’s near unheard of for him to turn down sex when the opportunity presents itself.

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

-Levi isn’t really all that sleepy after sex.  He needs time to recuperate, but he’s usually ready to move on to the next thing he wants to do after a while with little fuss.  

[hwallout]

quatervois - ljy

summary: “Listen up pretty boy, we’re both murderers. We carry the souls of hundreds on our weapons. It doesn’t fucking matter who our targets are. We’re the exact same; except, I’m honest and I only do this because it pays good fucking money, and what is it you’re striving for? With your ass always covered? Pitiful peace and justice? That’s pathetic. There’s no such thing in this job.”

words: 21,7k (this was 38 pages on word im,,,i birthed a monster im so sorry)

genre: assassin!juyeon, assassin!reader, angst, drama, fluff, crack if u use a microscope

warnings: (not explicit) violence, murder, language

early an: holy shit it’s here

The way you got introduced and became a part of such a job wasn’t exactly how one would imagine.

Becoming an assassin hasn’t been a direct wish of yours. As expected, in the beginning, this exact possibility had never crossed your mind. Growing up in an ordinary, middle-class household, it was expected of you to follow the footsteps of many. Never the smartest kid in class, but with a knack for logic and solving thought experiments, you’ve imagined becoming a philosopher of some type. Nothing too spectacular, but interesting enough and different than a usual 9-5 job.

So then, how exactly have you come to holding a knife against a random man’s throat almost daily?

Of course, while young, a person is prone to the effect of the outside world and people surrounding them. Some pupils are lucky enough to live in the best surroundings and are given amazing opportunities; therefore, they grow up into kind, successful people. Then, there are those who thanks to certain circumstances end up walking a different path, all of them hoping for the best possible outcome.

In today’s society, the importance of money was huge. It was expected that every family, containing at least one adult person, was able to deal with constant fluctuation of cash and sudden, unanticipated expenses. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case in many households and those kids had to experience helpless life without enough money, while their parents fought for every coin.

It was incredibly unfortunate that it affected you as well, even so in the worst possible moment – right before university.  

Thanks to stupid reasons that could’ve easily been prevented, your family fell into dept, causing both of your parents to find second jobs. Not having enough money to continue with a rather expensive education, you felt obliged to find a job.

And of course, being so young and ambitious, but mostly misfortune driven, you thought that the future of the household was in your hands. It was a must to find something that pays good, fast.

Consequently, the first night was spent scrolling down the endless pages of Google. You searched for something that didn’t require any special education (because of obvious reasons), but would generously help your situation. Seconds extended into minutes, those into hours, days even. Finding a good job with no degree was pretty hard, yet what else could’ve you expected?  

The issue had you visiting most irrelevant sites, clicking on shady ads (and installing a thousand viruses, probably), asking strangers in online chatrooms. Lost and unexperienced, you struggled and almost accepted the proposal of being a stripper in a famous strip club downtown.  

Almost.  

The job you were suddenly introduced to was something seen in movies and video games only. For whichever reason, it appeared in a dream one night. The dream had you play the main character, dressed in all black, doing all the terrifying, dirty work with random weapons, but being paid a huge sum afterwards. It was scandalous enough to have you hesitating for a little while upon waking up, disgusted at the thought of doing it.

Still, remembering the money filled suitcase, you’ve overcome the initial revulsion fast. Unexpectedly intrigued by the idea, you thought a little research couldn’t hurt anyone. Finding a reliable site that offered information on paid assassins only took a couple of minutes. The author of the article was an ex-FBI agent, therefore you thought there couldn’t be data more reliable than this. Upon a quick look, you’ve come to the conclusion that the study was most definitely written with intent of educating people on this topic, rather than motivating them to apply for it. Oh well.

From an objective point of view, it was exactly what you were looking for. It didn’t require any special degree from any university and it paid horrendously well, with small variations on the amount due to different employers. Reading further though, you realized that not just anyone can become an assassin, or hitman, as people liked to call it.

It demanded years of training, hard work and terrifying change. The author described it as “...complete mutation of one’s mind and personality, utter desensitization to almost everything. Those people become machines...”. You didn’t doubt their words, on the contrary, you believed them completely. It was only logical that a person has to get used to blood, extreme violence, emotionless murder, which were no ordinary or acceptable sights and actions. Of course, you were in denial, about to laugh at yourself for even reading the article seriously.

But then your eyes landed on the pay again. The numbers were huge. It would definitely help. Your family needed this. Sacrifices had to be made.

The next day, you bought a burner phone with the last bits of your savings. Entering an empty alley, you immediately dialed a phone number you’ve found at 3am. You didn’t know what was the worst that could happen, seeing as you were dialing a shady number from a shady website with shady intentions. Maybe the phone would blow up – in which case thankfully, it was a burner. But that then meant you wasted money with no reason.  

Thankfully, the other side picked up and scheduled a meeting for the next day.

Everything about it was suspicious, from the first to the last moment. From the first meeting with a tall, fat man, wearing an expensive suit and a shiny Rolex on his wrist, to the moment that exact man patted you on the back for good luck on your first mission.

The training was all you’ve expected and more. Tears, sweat and especially blood were shed during that tough period. You were put through complete torture – whether it be emotional or physical. In the beginning, they had you watch videos containing mild abuse of random people, only to progress to horrible violence as time passed by. In times where you wanted to look away, a stern and strong man would yell at you, ordering to stay focused on the task – one that would make you used and nonchalant to seeing such monstrosities.

You were trained to take words, threats and even hits with a straight face, only to return ten times harder. Sometimes you thought that self-defense classes you were offered but never took in the past, would’ve definitely helped with the current situation. Simple pistols were immediately introduced to you, strange looking men always pressuring you into improving the mediocre aim. More complicated guns and snipers were thrown in your direction upon noticeable improvement.

Surprisingly, they began “paying” you from the start. The big boss said it was because he noticed your potential and incredibly fast progress, therefore used the money as constant motivation for further improvement. Unfortunately, the trainees you’ve encountered weren’t so positive about it, saying it was the boss’ way of making sure no one ditches out once they enter (“you’ll have to pay the complete sum back, he basically indebted you”). The money you received wasn’t a lot, but it was definitely a good starting position.

In a relatively short period of time, a huge change happened. You’ve transformed from someone whose eyes watered at harsh words, body flinched at sudden movement and hands shook while holding a knife, to a person who had no trouble taking a hit to the face, only to counterattack by slitting throats.

Your knack for logic and solving thought experiments and predicting outcomes came in handy, for they’ve worked on further developing that as well. They created a thousand puzzles, testing possible situations (“you have to run away, which route do you take?", "two witnesses saw you; how do you deal with them without anyone else noticing?”), always questioning your answers (“but then wouldn’t that make you more exposed?”, “what if suddenly your target chose to change their usual route?”) and having you argument them thoroughly.

You were trained to notice even the smallest of similarities between two situations, perceive possible danger/risks, predict where a target would appear next based on their recent roundabouts and analyze certain types of behavior. Basically, they tried recreating situations that would slowly introduce you to the harder part of your future job – the planning, unnoticed execution and escape from the crime scene.

The boss had personally hired personnel to train your selective attention. Everything a normal person would pass by and dismiss, you’d notice. The unusual movement of leaves in the corner of your eyes, a black bird in a flock of dark grey ones, the inconsiderable change in a person’s demeanor, a reoccurring but overlooked detail in everyday situations.

Friends weren't particularly made in such a setting; therefore, like many others, you've been alone through it all. Evidently, you've noticed other people around, mostly teenagers who were just introduced to the whole thing – yet never really bothered or had enough time to go and meet them. Everybody was just as scared and hesitant as you were when it all started. In the end, who knew who you'd have to fight against in the future. “Save yourself a heartbreak”.

Interestingly enough though, there was a boy who caught your eye. You weren’t sure when he was recruited, for he never seemed lost or inexperienced. The boy would walk confidently around the training site, shoot exceedingly well at the shooting range and progress through his endurance training perfectly.

Silently, you watched and admired the handsome boy with attentive eyes. Everything about him was as captivating as ever, further piquing your interest with every passing day. His form and skill were envious, while his mature behavior and breathtaking looks stole your breath away.

Eventually though, the boy disappeared.

Your parents were a sensitive topic. At first, they were told the job you found didn't have fixed hours, which sounded like the only logical explanation for why you never came home at the same time.

When the training became more serious and the changes in your personality and looks became obvious, you stopped seeing them. The place of stay was a motel a couple of miles away from the training site (or the supposed store you lied working at). Despite their constant messages and phone calls, pleads to come back home and stop “overworking” yourself, you stood your ground. The money you were paid was still linked back to them, and after a while you were informed that the debt was no more.  

Unfortunately, though, you've come to the point where you didn't want to back out from this horrendous job. And a couple months later, the boss forced you to cut contact with your parents.

Maybe it was for the better, because it wasn't possible to predict if they'd even recognize you. Their daughter built muscle, had a scarred body and went through a drastic change of personality. The desensitization did wonders to young minds. It came to the point where you were able to firstly watch and then execute a certain violent act (on a specialized, human-like doll), without having to look away. The two elders definitely wouldn't want such a person in their household.  

Although there really should've been, there was no shame or regret once the trainee period was finished and your feet set out on the first ever mission and first real kill.

Fast forward a few years after the first mission, and you were considered a high valued assassin.  

There really was no proper reason, but the flow of the river happened to direct you towards the more infamous customers. Drug dealers, wanted criminals, corrupted politicians, all sorts of people involved with illegality hired you. Over time, you've gotten used to it. Already familiarized with customers, type of targets and forms of execution, switching to work for a different type of people simply stopped crossing your mind.

Your prices weren't low at all. Actually, they were one of the highest for the job, yet with a great reason. Despite the victim count passing hundred, there hasn't been a single case that was ever (properly) solved, the employers always getting away with their work. Not even once have you been suspected or connected to any of the assassinations either, and it was all thanks to your tactics.

One could argue that there weren’t many ways a person could be murdered, but you managed to prove such a statement wrong. Not a lot of executions you've done followed the same path – which only showed how creative but also knowledgeable your mind was.

Because of one simple hair strand, whose color faded a long time ago, they called you Red. The nickname stuck with you ever since those torturous, trainee days, and nowadays, it helped avoid using your real name. You doubted anyone even knew what it was.

An interesting period began during your sixth year. Numerous politicians, usually the ones that heavily opposed the new government, would be found dead around the city. Not just them, but gang and mafia leaders who became too powerful and prominent in the public eye as well – many of those who hired you in the past.

Much like always, this government experienced the lack of trust and satisfaction from citizens. Rightfully so though, the public demanded change after supposed rigged elections, finally having enough of the fake democracy. Heavy and frequent protests blew up the nation, huge crowds of people led by a few brave individuals. Unfortunately, though, a few weeks in, the leaders of those would be found dead after announcing the protest scheme.

The terrifying amount of sudden assassinations were never solved or explained. At least to the public. The huge leap in numbers shouldn’t have been thrown under the mat so easily, yet it just happened. People began living in anger and fear. All the officials had to say about it was a simple “we're looking into it, but it’s not our main priority”, words that only intensified the rage felt by the citizens. That topic would always be dismissed with the same exact answer, occasionally adding that those assassinated already had “worrisome and problematic backgrounds”.

“It was only a matter of time when something as tragic as death would happen to them”

The situations greatly benefitted them; they wouldn't make an effort to explain whatever happened even if they weren't involved. All of those people worked against them, one way or another anyway. Still, the murders weren't spontaneous, and just like many others, you caught onto their sly play.

For a little while, you tried getting some insight and information on the cases. Your intentions weren’t to solve them and serve justice, but rather find whoever was the one hired by the government. It was pure curiosity to know who was the infamous colleague.

The information given to the public (obviously) wasn't much, and you were left connecting all the different cases using simple wide shots and shitty descriptions. The best source of information appeared to be freelancing journalists, who published the most details. Unsurprisingly though, those weren't enough for a proper open case either, for someone evidently prohibited them from posting more.

One thing that had you frowning was the fact that everything was way too clean, perfect and similar to your own way of work.

Closing the laptop after reading yet another empty article, you looked around the dark room. Sighing out in frustration and cracking fingers one by one, you wondered if you're supposed to consider those people your actual colleagues or rather enemies.

The clock ticked eleven and fifteen; just forty-five minutes before midnight. The atmosphere in the tiny apartment was calm, no sound other than your quiet breathing heard. Darkness filling your bedroom was only interrupted by the big moon that greeted you through an open window. Yet, much like any other Friday, the outside world seemed to be bustling with life, getting ready for what's yet to come.  

Standing up, you stretched fast and walked towards the entrance door. Picking up a black coat from the hanger, keys and phone from the little table next to it, you headed outside. Tomorrow was yet another mission, this time a man by the name of Lee Baekgon. The reason was usual, another member of a gang who had involved himself with the government, becoming an unfortunate mole.  

Thanks to the extensive week-long watch and study you've done on the man you had gotten used to his ethics and everyday habits. The experience you had and the surprisingly uninteresting and bland life of Lee Baekgon allowed you to do so in such little time – which always brought more money. The faster the execution is, the more expensive it is, and of course, you cared about the amount in your pocket.

Now, having everything planned out and prepared, you went out for a relaxing walk – as per usual on the night before. The streets were filled with people, hurrying in all directions, either coming back from their late shifts or going out with their friends.

Setting a regular pace, you camouflaged into the crowd and breathed in heavily. Colorful lights from nearby stores lit up the street in a thousand shades, creating a unique palette out of the usually dull path. Your eyes skimmed over people, not really staying locked on anyone's head or scalp. All of them were plain shapes to you, only looking similar to those who you've had the job of executing. Either way, it was pleasurable to hear the overall sound of people. The voices, laughs, gasps.

Suddenly and surprisingly, as if trained, your eyes locked onto a tall, lean, dark blue haired man walking in the opposite direction. It could’ve been because of his height or hair, but he stuck out of the dense crowd like a sore thumb. The stranger wasn't looking at you, rather ahead of himself, but you immediately scanned his profile. An unfamiliar feeling spread through your body, sending shivers down your spine.

The man carried himself with a certain kind of confidence, his steps calm and collected. He held his head high, looking forward as if staring at an invisible dot, walking towards an unknown destination. His eyes, although dark and hooded, were sharp and focused. The nose bridge of his created a slight shadow over the side of his handsome face.

Unexpectedly, as if sensing your eyes, the man looked back for a short second. Immediately, a familiar image of a teenage boy who exceeded in all training fields flashed before your eyes. Alas, before you knew it the man was taking a sharp turn and straying away from view.

The organ inside of your chest performed one incredibly hard beat, before going back to normal. Someone bumped your shoulder, apologizing right away and breaking the short-lived daze. For another moment, you stood motionless, looking in the direction of the other, the blue strands now long gone.

Shaking your head quickly and picking the pace up again, you tried processing what has just happened.

You'd see the man quite often after laying eyes on him for the first time. He even had a nickname. Blue.

Blue's fashion was quite predictable now, for the man seemed not to prefer colorful clothes. During the day, his wardrobe consisted of simple t-shirts, black jeans and occasional black leather jacket. One thing that changed almost daily though, was the bag that he'd carry. Nonetheless, Blue would always walk as nonchalantly and confidently as ever.

Each time you'd encounter him, the man would remind you of that certain boy. Weirdly enough, Blue never once looked back, no matter how many times or how close you'd pass by. No matter what though, you'd notice the same pair of sharp eyes peeking through thick blue bangs – a feature you very well remember.

The second thing that would have anyone's interest piqued, was that you'd see the man at the shooting field as well. On the days when you decided on visiting and practicing your (already impressive) aim, he would already be there. You'd watch from afar, the last couple of shots he'd take before turning around to leave. The male never once stayed any longer. Blue wouldn't even check on his hits - he'd shoot thrice and leave immediately.

A thing that many would fail to notice, would be the fast movement of his arms as he pushed the gun back into his rucksack.

Over time, you've realized that the number of encounters with Blue was too great for a stranger. The possibility of it not being an accident started bugging you. Eventually, it became worrying.

In the dead time of the night, while walking through forgotten alleyways no one really passes through, you'd see him. On rainy nights, while everyone else ran or hid away as to not get soaked, Blue would walk calmly.  

And maybe he had always been there, yet you simply never cared or gave it enough attention up until recently. Or maybe, it was something more serious.

His sight would often be locked onto his feet, hands shoved deep into jean pockets. During the night, Blue would wear all black, a mask and hood frequently covering up his face, yet the dark blue strands never failed to peek out. He'd also wear the same black worn out backpack, the one he never brought out in the daylight.

Although you've met and dealt with many different kinds of people, never once had someone managed to make you feel so curious but anxious at the same time. Neither of those feelings felt good.

Despite your initial pleasant surprise, Blue became someone who you disliked pretty fast. It bugged you how the two worlds happened to overlap at the most unconventional of times. Whether it was when you were spying on someone, following them or coming back to the base with blood on your hands, the man would make his appearance. You suddenly felt as if this stranger had a whole insight of your life and knew all of your secrets. As if he was aware of your job and worked as a spy whose target was you.

Feeling apprehensive was something you never expected to experience, especially while out of work. For the first time ever though, you thought about executing someone who you weren't ordered to take out.  

Thanks to instances such as those stated earlier, you've developed a side mission over time. As if in you were in a game and suddenly had to unlock another small part of the main story to progress. There was an undying need to find out if your suspicions were correct and what exactly was so off-putting, upsetting about this man (who seemingly did no real harm to you). And of course, if there was a way to fix it before jumping to the last, desperate solution.

Truthfully, you never got any thrill from the pure act of execution. Taking someone's life was as emotional as raw poetry, but those emotions were never felt by the heart, much less the brain. Sometimes you wondered what your thoughts on everything would've been if you hadn't changed so much.

Taking another deep breath, you grit your teeth and backed the scared man against a wall. With a knife held close to his Adam's apple, the man gulped and winced for the last time. Fat beads of sweat raced each other against his neck. There was no remorse for the other – neither him or the rest of his happy family.

You didn't hear the pleads and wishes of the victim, as the cotton gag filling his mouth prevented any noise from escaping. The thin blade sliced through skin and flesh in a delicate manner, effectively damaging his windpipe. The man gasped for air, but only coughed back blood. White cotton soon changed color. Watching the white material turning red didn't make you feel any different, just like the eyes of the man who struggled in pure agony.

Only when it looked like the blood was about to create a puddle on the ground, did you remove the cotton. The other gasped two, three more times, too exhausted and lightheaded to take any action. With much force, you pulled the body towards an open manhole and dumped it inside, listening to the way it heavily fell into the water.

That's what drug debt does to you.

Closing the manhole up, you stuffed the bloody cotton inside your coat and hid the knife inside of your boot. Taking off black gloves and mask, you pushed them beside the cotton and walked in the opposing direction than the one you came from.

The connected alleyways seemed to go on forever, but they were no unfamiliar place to you. To say that you used them often wasn't a lie, but there was rarely anyone else doing the same. Light steps echoed shortly; the fog that unusually filled the tight space became thicker as you delved deeper. Suddenly, there was yet another echo coming from the other direction. The person was seemingly walking towards you. Unconsciously, you prepared to reach down for the knife.

Through the fog you could faintly make out a silhouette of a man approaching. Every step you took allowed a clearer view of the other, and eventually the full sight of his figure. With an exaggerated eye roll and in pure disbelief, you silently cursed your absolute luck. It once again proved to be just who you expected.  

Blue walked with hurried steps, something you haven't seen before. Upon coming close enough to you, he looked up from the ground, pace slowing down and eyes meeting for the first time in a long while. Time seemed to slow down as well for both, one short moment extending to unexpected lengths.  

Both were dressed in similar, dark attire, carrying a fake expression of innocence. Yet, the moment their irises met, a certain feeling spread throughout their bodies, as if they quietly confirmed it wasn't a coincidence that they met here at this time.  

No words were exchanged, the moment finally ending as you passed by each other. There was a strong urge to look back after the other, but an inner voice whispered quietly, saying it was smarter not to do so. Not even when the man's steps promptly stopped echoing and you felt eyes on your back.  

A couple of steps later, you picked up on a sudden, but barely noticeable smell of human blood. For a moment, you were tricked into thinking it was the cotton or knife that were stuffed inside your coat. Still, the closer you got to a certain container leaning against a building wall, you realized it couldn't be it.

Once a foot away from the huge object, you stopped. The smell wasn't at all strong, but still noticeable enough. You didn’t want to interfere with whatever took place, but it didn’t take long to realize someone laid dead in there. In the end, it was the smell you were surrounded with pretty much daily.

Dots were beginning to connect slowly, but you were once again forced into moving. The feeling of being watched was making you feel uneasy, but this time you were tempted enough to turn around.  

There was no one standing where you expected them to. He was gone.

Sighing out loud, you turned around, took a quick left and finally walked out of the alleyway. There were almost no people on the streets, and the weird feeling was finally gone. The walk back to the base was just enough time to analyze all the different possibilities that unexpectedly plagued your mind.

It shouldn’t have surprised you that it happened so soon.  

A few rather peaceful days have passed since your last encounter with him. Time seemingly fled by, but unlike many other, these days were calm. The missions have come to a stale; therefore, you effectively used your free time to do chores and visit the market. In the end, the fridge wouldn't fill itself up.

The thin paper bag swung side to side as you walked. Cans and bottles made an unrecognizable but even melody as they clashed against each other. Lost in thought, you aimlessly walked forwards, enjoying the cool gust of wind hitting your face.  

But then, in the corner of an eye, you picked up on a man running towards you.

He was in his forties, a body of short, strong and somewhat fat build covered by a formal, grey suit. There was little to no hair in the middle of his head, while two thick patches spread on the sides. He wore a panicked expression, eyebrows furrowed and eyes all but screaming for help. It took him only a few seconds to reach you.

“Miss?” The man panted, immediately bending down to place his hands on his shaking knees. “Miss, I beg for your help”.

Glancing at his face again, you recognized the other as Mr. White - a man who has been barking against the government quite a lot recently. The propaganda he preached was slowly but surely gaining more supporters, and it suddenly clicked for you. This little rat probably had a sudden reason to feel unsafe and afraid of experiencing the same end as many others. What a shame he was brave only on the TV.

For a moment, you were hesitant, unsure if accepting to help was a right thing to do. Especially when such a person was in question. You waited a minute, while the other gathered his thoughts and managed to form coherent words. He must’ve sensed your reluctance, for not another second was wasted before he began explaining.

“I’m sorry, I feel exposed and like I’m being followed and...” Mr. White went on, blabbering something you only hummed along to, while scanning the surroundings. The park he came from wasn’t that crowded, unlike the last time you’ve passed by. There were only a few families playing with their kids and people walking their dogs.  

Nothing out of the ordinary, yet a certain man walking a tall Doberman managed to have you interested.

“...that hooded man...”

Lips moving to form a smirk, you almost patted yourself on the back for suspecting the right person. The stranger was rather tall, wearing black fitting jeans and an oversized cherry red hoodie. Despite it being warm outside, a big hood was pulled over his head, and his face was somewhat covered by a cap he wore underneath. A strong hand gripped the chain leash that held a dauntingly big, black Doberman on a trained distance, walking in a calm pace. The dog was huge, with ears pointed up and forwards, steps elegant but threatening. One could swear that it could rip a man’s head off with one bite.

“Why didn’t you take a taxi?” You asked back, cutting off the current ongoing speech.

“I tried... I tried calling for one but... none... none stopped, please help me... stay with me, wait with me” He practically begged, knees bent and hands pressing together as if praying. Passerby watched the scene unfold with surprised expressions, some even mocking the way the male behaved. Frowning at the current situation, you pulled the man up by his bicep, not in the mood for any unnecessary drama. He looked way too pathetic.  

Nodding as a reply, you started walking towards the pedestrian crossing not so far away. On the other side, at the designated spot, you’d be able to call for a taxi.

The whole time, you ordered Mr. White to walk in front - as if your smaller form would be any coverage for him. Despite not being strong, the wind was still powerful enough to carry the quiet echo of footsteps behind you. The person walked with the same pace, keeping suspicious distance.

Once at the traffic light, you stopped. The panicked politician didn’t dare move, his limbs stiff and frozen like a paused frame. At the given moment, you weren’t sure if the man was even breathing – his chest wasn’t at all moving. Unfortunately, the wait for the light to turn green was quite long. The steps that used to echo behind you came to a halt as the suspicious man finally caught up. It was then that you turned around to look at him – eyes meeting with a pair that held no emotion inside of them.

Blue looked even more handsome up close and in broad daylight. With fierce eyes and dominant aura, he seemed quite intimidating. While his facial features now resembled a grown man, they once again reminded you of that certain young boy. It was a sudden flash of clear memory, something you’ve only experienced while crossing paths the blue haired man.

Blue attentively caught onto your interested gaze, for his eyebrow rose and lips formed a smirk. Slowly, as if you were supposed to notice, he glanced behind at the motionless politician and then back at you, this time with a wider smirk. Such a bold move.

And of course, it shouldn’t have surprised you that it was him. Coincidence no more; your doubts were crumbling down like a house of cards thanks to the sudden stimuli.

The black dog watched you like prey, hungry eyes tracking every move. Thankfully, it was properly held in its place by the stronger man.

As soon as the light turned green, Blue took off, not sparing any more attention to neither of the two. The Doberman trailed in suit, walking graciously beside its owner, following the exact pace. You let him a few steps ahead, before crossing the street with Mr. White who seemed more relaxed now.

Paying the last bit of attention to the young man, your eyes unconsciously trailed down his leg. Immediately, you noticed the outline of a certain object that strained against the material of his fitting jeans. With a quick analysis, you recognized the weird shape – it was a knife.

That was it; exactly all the additional information you needed. The young boy grew up to be someone you now worked against.

Work, work, work. That’s all your mind was filled with for the past few weeks, and with a good reason. Being an undiscovered assassin often demanded immense amounts of creativity (which really proved to be hard when unmotivated) to avoid similarities between cases. Sometimes, you even had to choose the riskier and more public approach, much like today.

The current mission demanded a month-long preparation and as crazy as it might sound, obtaining explosive was the easiest part of it. You were lucky to have a couple of acquaintances who somehow had the exact stuff you needed, and at a great price as well.

For exactly four weeks, you’ve watched over a certain man, a tall, strong and well-known drug dealer called K. Besides actively selling all sorts of opium and illegal substances, the man led a powerful gang named The Vipers. You’ve never been hired by that gang, but you’ve heard a lot about them through numerous connections and accidental eavesdropping. Sometimes, you thought that assassins were the biggest threat to their employers, thanks to the amount of insider knowledge they pick up on over time.

The Vipers heavily depended on their leaders, brothers K and B. The older sibling, K, as the stronger leader, took most control over their big bites, while B did the other, sporadic and less serious work. Still, they cooperated perfectly, working in sync to create a big, illegal underground market, that the government never spoke about.

Unfortunately, they got themselves into a big fuss with another powerful gang, Weiro, the details never once directly explained to you. There were a couple of things that you could’ve suspected went down, but really, it wasn’t your job and interest. Anyhow, Weiro employed you, with a strict order to kill K in an extravagant way that will have his gang warned properly. Their request had your eyes rolling back; music wishes were never a favorite.

For a whole month, you studied the man, all of his whereabouts and paid attention to the people he interacted with from an unassuming distance. While K probably lived a very stressful and interesting life behind the closed doors of his hideouts and warehouses, his everyday ethics were pretty bland and easy to predict. Of course, you weren’t the one to complain, for it made your job easier.

During that time, you’ve also thought of an extravagant but careful enough way to finish the mission. Thankfully, creativity wasn’t a skill you lacked most of the time.  

The plan was simple when broken down. Every third day, at 4pm, K. drives from his home to The Vipers’ main warehouse. He takes the exact same route to reach that destination in the shortest period of time, driving either his black Porsche or B’s red Dodge. Both cars were one of a kind in the area. There are exactly 6 traffic lights he has to stop at before advancing to the highway and leaving the city. With some advanced work, you managed to interfere with them through a tiny device that was set up and connected to a phone. It still didn’t work at command (which you wish it did), but it bought some time by prolonging the red light.

Thankfully, your city had a wide chain of sewers that spread under every single street, numerous manholes leading in and out.  

The public town cameras positioned at almost every corner were connected to your phone as well, allowing a great view of the street you’ll be operating on – or underneath, for a better narration. Navigating through the sewers should be relatively easy, thanks to the map you’ve studied numerous times. After interrupting the traffic light, K’s car will (presumably) stop right above a manhole, through which you’d be able to set up a 30-second explosive. The car should explode a street away, killing K.

Surprisingly enough, the plan worked out perfectly. With hurried steps you’ve walked into one of the empty alleyways, immediately running towards an already open manhole. There was a bright yellow warning that indicated a hole in the ground – one that no one closed even after a whole year of the sign just standing there. Looking around for the last time, you slipped in, sprinting away the moment your feet touched the ground.

Steps echoed through the empty tunnel, contact with wet surface only creating loud splashing noises. Currently, the screen of your phone was split, half showing the camera display of the street and half exhibiting a blue button and a frozen counter. A few minutes of fast navigation through the sewers, you looked up, realizing the designated place was there. A quick look up granted proof that the plate was there. K was then taking a turn, only a few hundred meters away from you.  

With a quick and forceful tap of the blue circle, you watched the light turn red.

The powerful vehicle driving closer appeared even louder down there. When K stopped and the noisy engine came to a halt, the cameras were there to confirm his perfect position. Hurriedly, you climbed up, working the plate open with a miniature crowbar (that you carried in a backpack, along with the explosive). Then, with calculated and calm movements, the metal cover was carefully moved and the car was right there.

Huge amount of smoke entered through the opening, making you cough. Much like always, time was precious and there were only twenty more seconds. Skillfully, you securely tied the tiny bomb to the underside of K’s vehicle, closing the manhole up and setting the timer off immediately after.

The light turned green and the mighty engine roared for its last time.

Taking a clean jump down, you ran back the same way. Somewhere in the middle, you heard a huge bang, followed by strong vibrations of the ground. Smirking, you nodded in satisfaction because of yet another case well done.

Outside, on the main street, while many panicked about the car currently on fire and a dead man inside, the familiar blue-haired stranger watched with calm in his irises. He was leaned on one of the walls, laughing at the scared pedestrians and their clumsiness. Then, as if programmed, the moment you came out of the alleyway, he turned to face you.

Caught like a deer in headlights, you stopped in tracks. Blue smirked boldly, nodding slightly with a raised eyebrow – as if giving props for the finished job. Once again, an anxious feeling overtook your body, slight goosebumps appearing on soft skin. Gulping, you took a deep breath and walked right past, trying not to look intimidated by his sharp gaze.

Despite the familiarity you felt, Blue never once showed any signs of knowing who you once were or where you came from. Yet, it looked as if he knew exactly who you were and who you worked for currently, which was a worse situation to be in.

Once again, you aimlessly walked through lit up, bustling streets. Unnecessarily, you felt like a part of the normal community during these times. The chilly wind was somewhat relaxing against warm skin, serving as a distraction from overthinking. There were a thousand things that could go wrong every time, and thinking about them wouldn’t make anything easier. In the end, your skill and instincts never failed you, every move already memorized as muscle reflex.

About twenty minutes in, you caught onto a familiar person a few meters ahead. There was a small group of people separating the two of you, therefore they allowed short glimpses. Still, the tall, lean physique and dark blue hair that gleamed under the street light, gave their identity away. It was him.

The man’s posture was something you were already used to – relaxed, with steps long but calculated. His head was bent down lifting up for a second only, before falling down again. With the way his arms were positioned, you supposed the male held a phone or some sort of device in his hands.  Not daring to approach, you chose to follow his movements from a safe distance.  

A tall, strong man took a quick right turn into one of the side streets, effectively distancing away from the crowd. You wouldn’t have paid any special attention to him, if it weren’t for Blue’s gradual stop as well. Choosing not to blow the cover off, you continued with the same pace for a little while, ignoring the other as you passed right by. After about thirty more steps, you sat on one of the free benches that allowed a clear view of the blue haired man.

He stood on the same place, now leaning against one of the street lamps, phone still in hands. The device lit up Blue’s beautiful features, his stern eyes occasionally looking up and at the direction that man disappeared in. From his actions, you presumed he was the next target, and the assassin was only studying his behavior and roundabouts.

Although you couldn’t see, Blue watched the man enter one of the buildings, then waited for the lights on the 3rd floor to turn on and a window to be opened, much like always. When that happened, he pushed the phone into his jacket and turned around, happy with the final observation. You sneakily watched from afar, admiring the relaxation and carefreeness.

Then unexpectedly, Blue turned his head slowly, eyes meeting with yours. They found you so easily and that’s when you realized there was no cover to begin with. The uneasiness once again itched your skin. It was clear that he was aware of your positioning, hell, he probably even knew when you were behind him. The man’s eyebrow rose in an amused manner, before he looked the other way and walked away.

Something told you to go and follow.  

Taking careful and light steps between people, you tried to stay as low-key as possible, although the other probably expected – scratch that, knew – you were behind. His phone rang, an annoying ringtone interrupting the previous atmosphere. Blue picked up quick, talking quietly but laughing loudly at whatever the person on the other end said. Quickening the pace, you were able to get close enough to hear pieces of their conversation – unfortunately it wasn’t anything interesting, rather a casual talk between two friends. You suspected the man used this as a foolish cover.

Suddenly, he turned a corner, disappearing right behind. The phone call was still ongoing, his strong voice echoing through the alleyway for just a short period of time before getting lost in silence. You waited a couple of seconds before advancing.

It was your shadow that first made it around, but it made no effort of warning you about what’s to come. A silent scream left your lips, as the man you’ve been stalking for the past twenty minutes stood right ahead. His body was so incredibly close, minty breath fanning against your face. The corner of his lips formed a teasing smirk.  

“Hello, Red” He spoke, voice low, but with a pinch of playfulness in it. His big hand lifted up and reached behind your ear, taking a hold of a certain strand of hair. Noticing the expected color was no more, Blue frowned lightly. “Oh? It’s not red anymore?”

His act evidently surprised you, eyes wide open and lips parted slightly. The fact that he called you Red had only increased the bewilderment. A battle of foreign emotions started inside of your mind and chest. A foreign, bubbly feeling was fueled by pure hope that the other somehow remembered you, while the rational mind suspected the man’s real intentions and knowledge. In the end, Blue had never once interacted with you directly, how would he know about a hidden strand? Who did he hear it from?

“Hello, Blue” You replied, looking him right in the eyes and choosing to ignore his previous question. There was a slight tinge of dominance in your words, something that the other wasn’t quite expecting. “Nice to finally meet you”

“Haven’t you a long time ago, though?” He questioned, the smirk now turning into a light-hearted smile. Something about it had you wanting to wipe it off immediately. Nevertheless, his words once again had a double meaning. They echoed in your mind, replaying like a never-ending mantra. Technically, the two of you were no strangers, but what reason should you give him? Was it thanks to the faith that intertwined your paths or was it the history you’ve indirectly shared?

“Let’s just say I like to make things formal like this” The more you observed the man’s features, the more you grew intrigued. He was just so perfectly sculpted, and it made no sense that someone as breathtaking as him busied himself with such dirty work. Yet, God only knew what had forced the young boy to choose such a path.

“Well then, my name is Juyeon” Blue extended his hand for a handshake, once again showcasing just how big his hands were. Not bothering to take the gloves off, you accepted his greeting, somehow managing to feel the roughness of his palm over the black leather. A quick mutter of your own name was seemingly enough for Juyeon, for he hummed along and repeated it with the same tone. You didn’t miss the smooth flow of the vowels off his tongue.

Tranquility enveloped the small alleyway. Wind blew through it in strong waves, messing up your hair. Two frames stood just a step away, never once breaking eye contact, but prolonging the silence that swallowed every other sound. It was becoming awkward, yet neither knew how to bring up topics that obviously interested both.

“So, want to grab coffee, or?” Juyeon asked, breaking the suffocating atmosphere. His words served as a splash of cold water that brought you back into Reliaty, eyes averting their gaze for the first time. You watched a rat run from one trash can to the other, disappearing behind it in a matter of seconds.

“No, I actually have something more important to do” The truth was, you wanted to go with him out of pure curiosity, but a lot was holding you back. Even after imagining this exact moment a thousand times, you weren’t sure you were ready for it. Apart from that, there was yet another more impulsive reason for the refusal. You’ve been taught that everyone was an enemy when looked at from the right angle, especially in this job. Therefore, you were to deny as a precaution to not allow just anyone to use any information against you.

And what’s the most unfortunate was that Juyeon wasn’t just anyone. He was exactly your type. Which meant that he was both the most dangerous and safest of them all. The worst combination.

“But less important than following me for about...” The male looked down at his watch, an expensive device tightly secured around his wrist, “20 minutes?”. Blue's expression was one of curiosity, probably anticipating the reply to his remark.

“I had time to kill” It wasn’t at all believable, but the other let it slide with a slight chuckle. He glanced at you with an amused look, before speaking.

“Kill huh? Working so late?” Juyeon teased, the chuckle from before now growing into an audible laugh. Truthfully, this exact reply had caught you off guard pretty well and the silence that suddenly spread was a solid proof of it. Fortunately, though, the other allowed time to think of an answer properly, all while having the cheekiest smile spread on his lips.

“Why so surprised? Weren’t you doing the same a little while ago?” Juyeon nodded at your question, shoulders shrugging fast as if to nonchalantly approve of it. You were quite surprised with his quick confirmation that didn’t hold a pinch of hesitance. It felt as if he was perfectly fine with verifying all of your suspicious and letting you know about the trivial things. Logically speaking, it was only fair, considering how much he apparently knew about you.

“Well then... I can’t do anything about your time” Tsking to show fake disappointment, the male pushed his hands into tight jean pockets and gazed down. It was surprising that he wasn’t pushing the proposal, rather accepting the denial. For whichever reason, your pride accepted a decent hit. With one foot, he carelessly kicked a rock on the ground with a heel, making something underneath his shoe cling. The sound didn’t go unnoticed.

“I guess I’ll see you around then” Juyeon added, before turning in the other direction and slipping away. Before you could react, the man was already ten steps ahead, carrying himself in the same relaxed fashion as before. His steps echoed, the soles of his shoes way too hard on the ground. Upon a quick accidental look, you noticed a piece of shiny metal on his heels, reflecting off the light that happened to hit them directly. Huffing was your only reaction to it.

The whole way back, your thoughts were a hectic mess, one that couldn’t be calmed down, for they always wandered towards the blue haired assassin.

You never really liked warehouses, for they were way too open. Thankfully though, the one you were working in today wasn’t empty – crates and boxes filled with unknown substances and materials were scattered all around, as well as machinery that’s used to move them around. Overall, all of those objects allowed much cover and plenty of room to comfortably work around the broad place. Moreover, your steps weren’t going to echo too much in such a setting.

Today’s target was a man named Captain Lee, a case similar to about a hundred others previously assigned – work with government officials. You never cared how many people did what, but you supposed the most died because they hadn't paid their part of the deal or smuggled with the government. Either way, they happened often and you will never run out of work just because of that.  

Hidden and on a great distance, you watched Lee and another man (assumed government official) enter the warehouse. Unfortunately, both had a generous number of bodyguards, but luckily, none were allowed inside. The huge door was the only easy entrance option, but since that would immediately ruin the mission, you decided to infiltrate some other way. Working fast and precise, you climbed up set of drainpipes and entered through an open window on the roof. Done in less than three minutes – record time. Dropping down was a more challenging move, but nothing too bad, for you entered far enough from the two men to remain unnoticed.

Your shoes that were two sizes bigger, proved to be a bigger hassle today than ever before. The metal railing was very hard to move over without making any unnecessary sound. The mask on your face helped you breathe properly, the air being way too stale for anyone’s liking. Thankfully, there were no major light sources that would interfere with your cover. Full black attire matched perfectly with the semi-dark surroundings.  

The voices of the two males weren’t loud, but in an empty space like this, the echo was immense. It helped you navigate around or between the crates and gigantic shelves in the most accurate manner. The pistol in your hand was already equipped with a silencer, your hand reaching up to stabilize it for the last time. Slowly, you sneaked closer, back pressed against a set of boxes.

Then, unpredictably, something moved in the corner of your eye.

Stopping dead in tracks, your full attention moved to the staircase not so far away. It was protected by one of the huge machines – those you supposed organized all of these crates. Your mind promptly wandered off to the worst scenario – it must’ve been a guard you failed to notice. Gripping the pistol with more force, you aimed at the suspicious area, holding the bullet in, but ready to fire if needed.

Despite the darkness, you noticed a puff of blue hair. Lowering the gun with an inaudible sigh, your eyes rolled back, jaw clenching in frustration. The boy peeked out carefully, irises finding yours in an instant. He nodded in your direction, hand moving slightly in a low wave.  

Looks like the day has come when the two sides get to work together.

Juyeon seemed to realize that as well, for he moved closer to the edge of his cover, evidently willing to make a plan of action. For a moment, ego and pride made you think about ditching the offer, why would you ever need help? But on a second thought, he would definitely make everything easier, and who in their right mind would deny that? Shuffling closer, you accepted the silent proposal with a nod.

Although far away, the two succeeded in communicating through short signals, functionally organizing a proper scheme. You’ve got to know the male was equipped with a knife only – which really didn’t make things easier, but it was possible to work around it.

Juyeon got moving quick after ending the discussion, making his way around the warehouse. You watched his steps until he disappeared, readying yourself to fire at Lee and disappear if anything goes wrong. In the end, you weren’t going to risk getting caught because of someone else’s mistake all while already being so close to completing your part of the job.

Once in position, the other assassin threw a coin in another direction, the tiny object immediately serving as a distraction. Exactly then, both of you jumped out of cover, not giving the two men any reaction time before It was too late.

Juyeon grabbed the official from the back and covered his mouth with one hand, the other coming up to slit his throat, while you fired two rounds at Lee’s head. The pistol, although suppressed, made two sets of noises that still sounded through the warehouses.

Experienced, you knew that if the bodyguards had trained ears, they’d pick up on the sound. Therefore, in a hurry and with a wish to get out of there asap, you grabbed Juyeon’s unoccupied hand and took off running. Hurried steps probably made more sound than the shots you were worried about, but thankfully there was still no one that could hear them.

Juyeon diligently followed behind, holding onto the thin blade and occasionally looking back at the entrance door. Fortunately, both of you were able to reach the exit in a matter of few minutes. Just a moment before slipping out, he picked up on a glimpse of two bulky silhouettes entering the warehouse. Pay people to protect you, only to be murdered without witnesses. Bodyguards my ass, Juyeon thought.

Neither spoke until far away from the mission location. Walking through the woods, both tried making as little noise as possible, gripping their weapons tight just in case there was any more danger. In the natural setting, black clothes greatly contrasted the greens, yellows and browns. Nonetheless, the two figures silently walked through with determination.

Only when in complete clear, did the both stuff their weapons inside their attire, taking the hoods and masks off before anyone could notice. More relaxed and less covered up, you’d look like a normal couple taking a walk in the nature. The road you took led towards the center of the city, but it was a long, long walk.  

After scanning your emotionless face for a few minutes, Juyeon was the first to break the silence.

“Don’t you feel the smallest bit of remorse? He had a sick wife and year-old twins waiting for him at home” The question was a pure shocker. Instantly stopping in place, you looked the other in the eye with the most baffled expression. Out of everything he could’ve asked, that’s what he chose to say? Was he judging you? Was he expecting you to actually care?  

You weren't sure where he was coming from.

“Excuse me? Do you? Are you any better than I am?” You bit back, hoping the pure annoyance that dripped from your words reached the other. Juyeon’s face didn’t change at all though, it remained blank, as if your passive attack hadn’t even touched him. As if you were getting worked up for no reason.

“He didn’t have a family; I don’t sign such things; therefore, I don’t feel that way” The male replied, in a matter of fact tone. His attention wasn’t on you, but an invisible dot in the distance, somewhere between all of the trees and bushes. Still, he could clearly feel you looking at him with a suspicious expression.

“Don’t look at me with those eyes. I have a choice and I choose not to do it, simple as that. Not everyone works for the same people and has the same goals as you”

You wondered how can someone make your blood boil in such a short period of time. Much like you, Juyeon trained for years; it was a fact that he had no empathy for any of his victims – such thing was inevitable. Every assassin in training had to go through the desensitization program, and no one was different than the other when it came to feelings of this kind. So, what exactly was he trying to do with his questions?

Why did it matter if you cared or not? Why did it matter if someone had a family or not? What was the difference? Just because he worked for ‘the good guys’, he got to be the morally right one? What even was it they fought for? Peace, order, harmony in the community as a whole? Or satisfaction, more power of the hungry ones on top by murdering individuals? You had to laugh.

All these years of work and you’ve never once stopped to think about someone’s family or friends, for it simply wouldn’t have changed anything about the final decision. “No hard feelings” was one of the few rules of the whole ordeal. Killing people was your job, the execution of someone didn’t have anything to do with their sick wives or young children.  

You stepped forward, pressing a finger into Juyeon’s chest.

“Listen up pretty boy, we’re both murderers. We carry the souls of hundreds on our weapons. It doesn’t fucking matter who our targets are. We’re the exact same; except, I’m honest and I only do this because it pays good fucking money, and what is it you’re striving for? With your ass always covered? Pitiful peace and justice? That’s pathetic. There’s no such thing in this job.”

At this point, you were fuming, jaw clenched and eyes boring holes into the other’s forehead. Although your voice was hushed, it was quite authoritative. The boiling blood that flowed through veins quick only fueled your irritated brain. Truthfully, the boy did feel slightly intimidated, but more so intrigued.

“Get your head out of that utopia mindset. “Oh I’m killing because that helps keep our community peaceful”, no! You’re killing to make the rats on the top happy and get paid a fortune! You’re taking a life whoever you’re working for. It does not matter if they have ten starving children, or a sugar baby waiting for them at home. There’s a reason they should be dead and you’re not the one to question it! Much less using family as an argument! That’s pointless!”

Juyeon didn’t try and oppose your thoughts, only watched your annoyed being work itself up with every sentence spoken. The smirk on his lips slowly grew wider, eventually turning into an honest smile. Although not in ideal conditions, you managed to captivate him so much, and the man wanted to know and hear more from you, even if that meant you had to yell at his reasoning.

It was interesting how the tables have turned though. Juyeon suddenly wanted to continue observing and listening to you, admire this smaller being that held so much power and determination. It was only now that the male realized the appeal of doing so, after so many years of wondering just what had you looking at him from a distance for so long. The two of you were so different now, despite being so similar back then. Yet the one thing that hadn't changed, was the beauty of the young girl that had evidently followed her into adulthood.

He’d hardly admit it, but he was glad that faith had done its job at setting the two of you up again.

Thanks to your state, the next fifteen minutes went by without any more words. Juyeon kept a safe distance, a couple of steps behind you, unsure of what to do. The tension was beginning to make him uncomfortable. At one point, the thin blade placed inside of his hoodie moved, and the boy let out a fast yelp. The knife managed to shift in such a way that fortunately didn’t harm, but warned the other of its position.

Juyeon crouched down and pushed one arm underneath his hoodie, moving the weapon and trying to push it deeper into the hidden fluffy pocket. For whatever reason, worried about the lack of presence behind, you turned around and noticed the man crouching down, an uncomfortable expression on his face. Approaching out of pure curiosity, you lowered to be on eye level – not quite expecting Blue’s next move. Just to break the unbearable tension, he thought.

With a quick grasp of your arm, Juyeon pulled you towards him, falling back into the soft grass. The two figures fell down, one of which was smirking wide with hooded eyes and the other wore an astonished expression.

“You see Red, you’re some type of enemy for the regime as well, working for sketchy people and killing unnoticed... Be more careful, otherwise I can make some money off you too” The boy joked, voice calm but low. His sudden change of demeanor had you pleasantly surprised and without much thought, you joined in on the play. Situated on top of him, you lowered yourself down, just a few inches away from his face.

“Oh, you can, but you won’t” You replied back, a smirk of your own bidding its hello.

“What makes you think I won’t?” Juyeon answered, suddenly pressing something sharp against your stomach. In any other instance, the action would have immediately set off your self-defense mechanism, but right now, the man was allowed to have his harmless fun. Somehow, you felt the other wasn’t a threat, and your senses never lied to you.

“Because it’s against your morals, pretty boy. You wouldn’t dare. You kill only when ordered and I highly doubt I was ever on your list” With that, you managed to take home a doubtless checkmate. The man tried ignoring the way you called him for the second time that day. Slowly but surely, you took a hold of Juyeon’s big hand that held the weapon and moved it away to a much safer distance. The other let you, without any protest or fight back.

“Plus... I don’t think I’m working against you; I don’t touch anyone else but the bad guys, remember?”

At such close proximity, it was possible to predict what were the thoughts of both. Unexpectedly though, beside a moment-driven need to press your lips together, there was a hidden feeling of understanding and content. Both remained in the exact position for a little while, breathing the same air and enjoying this unique situation.

Without any special reason, you lifted up and touched Juyeon's nose with a soft finger. The act changed the atmosphere quick and caused both to giggle, pleasantly surprised to experience it recklessly Mindfully, you then hoisted yourself up and off the boy, helping him get on his feet as well.

An imperceptible crack formed inside of your soul, something that was just a beginning of a storm.

The next two weeks passed by without any encounters. You took time off to regain energy before moving onto the next scheduled and fixed mission, while Juyeon busied himself with the usual, easy executions. He’d run around the city, hang about in underground passages throughout the day and sneak through alleyways during the night. His victims weren’t big bites at all, for he had gotten used to simple cases of unprotected individuals.  

Juyeon has always been covered by the government, which was to be expected since he did work for them. Every single life the assassin had taken, was never recorded in his dossier, for it remained as clean as ever. The cases he and a few other colleagues worked on were never investigated properly, always thrown under the mat or closed by the court after a few days. It often happened that innocent people were forced to take blame, just so the families of victims felt ‘content’ and ‘justice’ - despite it being far away from that.

The boy had a proper reason for why he chose the path of paid assassination. It's not rare to hear that people who’re born in a violent environment grow up to be violent as well – and unfortunately that was exactly what happened to the blue haired assassin.

Juyeon was only seven when he had lost a dear parent. On an unfortunate night, his father had come home shitface drunk and proceeded to beat up his mother. It was sad to say, but the boy, as well as his younger brother, were used to violence, as it occurred almost daily. Their mother would always usher the two youngsters into their rooms, before she strongly took all of the anger of the older so her kids wouldn’t have to. The man had rarely ever come home sober, and the number of times they listened to the pitiful gasps and cries downstairs was way too great to count.

Still, one night, Juyeon noticed his mother laying on the ground in a pool of red liquid and her mouth parted with eyes fixed on an invisible dot. The father, enraged and unable to process the situation properly, lunged towards him. With extreme amount of luck, Juyeon managed to shield his younger brother for a second, immediately grabbing him by the hand and running out into the open.

Even so young, Juyeon was aware of everything. Raindrops fell in an even, calm rhythm on the pavement while the sky flashed every now and then. He ran almost barefoot, the socks on his feet soaked by the wet pavement. All the time, he held tight onto the younger’s hand, encouraging him to continue running despite everything else. The teddybear his brother carried was dragged along the ground, plastic nose creating a strange noise over asphalt ground.

It took a long time until they were able to find someone on the streets in such weather. One young and reliable looking woman stood under a shop shade, seemingly waiting for the pour to stop. Mindfully though, she ran out of cover to help the same moment they came into view. The woman was shocked and distressed, listening to the heartbreaking story of two young souls who spoke through never-ending tears, their voices breaking with every sob.

Juyeon and his brother were taken into custody quick, and their father was arrested in a matter of one day. Sadly, the siblings were soon separated, both going into different families due to unknown circumstances. They never saw each other again.

Juyeon grew up into a teenager with a never dying urge to get revenge on his father. The picture of his mother lying dead on the ground replayed behind his eyelids every time they closed, it only fueling the hidden fury. He couldn’t fall asleep easily and when it somehow happened, he wouldn’t sleep for long as the image would haunt his young mind even then. Juyeon was unwillingly updated on the state of his father, who he visited not even once.

Either way, Juyeon silently plotted how to get back on the remaining parent, not letting anyone know anything about those plans – which fell apart in the end. The elder died in prison two years later – cause unknown. Juyeon hadn’t bothered to go to the funeral.

The teen ended up without a revenge, nor the justice he thought his mother deserved. Juyeon turned towards bad habits and streets fights, often falling victim to toxic relationships. Everything he did was to ease off the horrible feeling of guilt and anger he simultaneously felt. Secretly, everyone feared him, his sharp words and skills, despite the boy never doing any intentional harm to others without a proper reason. The fights Juyeon got into were only when he felt immoraly wronged, or when someone really pissed him off.  

Eventually, the boy was introduced to the job he’d later become a professional at. Young Juyeon thoroughly thought this tough decision over many times, especially when standing before the big, bossy man who immediately offered him a contract. The older said that people like him tend to be perfect for the job, particularly when driven by a certain emotion – something that would drive them on. At first, Juyeon wasn’t sure where he would end up with a “degree” in assassination, therefore hesitance was a reasonable reaction.  

Sly as a fox though, the boss used unfortunate history against the rookie. Juyeon was told that if he did well enough, there’s a chance he’d be accepted into the government guard – and it fought for justice and peace.  

It was surprising how kids of different backgrounds happen to receive the same treatment and training, only to end up on different places again. One could think that since everyone experienced identical programs, they were meant to work together – when it was the exact opposite. The minor differences in performance and work ethics that could easily be overlooked, were the ones that labeled you a certain position. And unfortunately, it often depended on just what kind of person they turned you into.

Juyeon thought about his time there often. Short pieces of memory flying by and disappearing in an instant. The six years he spent watching different clips of torture and learning how to flawlessly execute a silent murder. All the days his mobility was challenged – running the same course, climbing different heights and crawling through miniature gaps while carrying different weapons.

He thought about all the different people there, all of the kids that he watched get beat up and heard scream – many of those giving up after only days of training.  

But she never did.

The little girl that always observed his practices and paid attention to his every move, as if she was trying to remember them as well. He remembered the younger taking everything thrown at her like a complete champion, determination and will for success written over her face in bold letters. Juyeon always wondered just what it was that made her so persistent.

Shivers ran down his spine as the face of the little girl in his head took on familiar lines. They formed a mature and stoic, yet beautiful as ever face. Juyeon sighed loudly, still not processing the fact that faith made it be so their paths crossed again.

How exactly the two of you managed to find each other so fast in a club full of people, was unexplainable. It could’ve been a sixth sense that you’ve developed, for the two pairs of eyes immediately locked the moment you walked in. Thanks to previous experiences and an uninteresting game of guessing, you’ve come to the realization that once again, the playing field was same for both.

Slowly creeping up to the man, you threw your hands around his neck, attempting to dance to whatever song the DJ was remixing. It was an easy way to get blended into the crowd and communicate with the other without raising suspicion. Flashing colorful lights along with the excessive amount of fake mist and sweaty people once again reminded of the reason why you didn’t like clubs. But alas, work had to be done.  

Juyeon had caught onto your plan, but the smirk and hooded eyes clearly showed that he was quite amused with your boldness. Carefully, his big hands creeped up to your hips, bringing close to his and swaying them to the beat of the song. With a gasp of surprise, you giggled, turning around in Juyeon’s hold, back pressed flush against his strong chest. The male’s head moved closer, lips lingering just above your ear. Out of pure curiosity, with a swift move, your ass ground against Juyeon’s crotch, eliciting the sweetest gasp in return. Before any remark could be made, you glanced back, speaking in such a volume that no one else heard.

“Who is it tonight?”  

“One of the sisters, Yuri” Juyeon replied, voice low and rough, soft lips finally touching your ear. The grip on your hips tightened, as a precaution to not dare pull the same trick twice. Although the colorful tints of flashing lights turned the whole room into hectic mess, Juyeon was thankful for it hid the flush that unknowingly overtook his features.

“Oh, how exciting!” You replied in a sarcastic tone. “I’m here because of Aria!” The answer received a hum of understanding in return.  

The two sisters, Aria and Yuri, while not the most influential on the streets, had managed to get themselves involved in quite a few problems with the big ones, for a short period of time. To know that the fall of both happened due to one’s mistakes was slightly disappointing. It was one of those rare cases you were disclosed all details, and simply put, it had your eyes rolling back. Everything could’ve been easily sorted out.

Despite being twins, they were complete opposites. Aria was always the calm, calculated and careful sibling, while Yuri ran around, causing problems, concerning herself with illegal jobs and getting away with it thanks to her connections. Those associates often asked for something in return, and more often than not, it was someone with some type of political power. You guessed that’s why Juyeon was here tonight. Can’t say it wasn’t to be expected.

Aria, although the more mature twin, got dragged into everything thanks to Yuri. Surprisingly enough, she managed to find a place in the community fast. At first, Aria often did the dirty and hard work of finding new druggie customers for her bosses. Eventually, she progressed and ranked up significantly (no one really knows how she did it so fast), finally allowed to deal crack and heroine by herself – while of course having to pay a percentage back to the leader. The semi-autonomy was there in theory.  

It all went smooth and well until Yuri found out. To her irrational brain, it only meant free shots of fun every time she needed it. Therefore, like a fool, Yuri started using the drugs her sister had to sell, without giving a coin back. Whatever the reason was, Aria let her.

Debt happened fast, as Aria couldn’t pay back enough money, nor make up a good enough excuse as to where the drugs went. The siblings tried prolonging their (Aria’s) payment date and buying just a tad bit more time to get everything sorted out. Empty promises were spoken through disposable phones as Aria pledged the money will be ready soon.  

And as if they were suddenly blind and deaf to the fact of being in debt, the sisters decided to open a nightclub. Apparently, the earnings (they hoped would happen fast) would be used to pay back thousands of dollars they owed.

Unfortunately, being too hopeful was never a good thing. And that’s why you were there on the exact day of the grand opening.

“Well then, can I ask you to be my partner in crime, Miss?” Juyeon whispered, nudging your temple with his nose. Although in the mood to play with the other for a little while longer, you had to get to work first. Once again turning in his hold, you nodded and began bopping along to the new beat that vibrated off the walls. With foreheads pressed together, you tried ignoring Juyeon’ sharp gaze and focusing on discussing a plan of action.

°•. ✿ .•° °•. ✿ .•° °•. ✿ .•° 

It was unusually easy to get inside of the security room, turn the cameras off and delete all footage of the current night. With a bit of secretive work, two assassins found a blueprint of the whole floor, familiarizing themselves with all important points of the nightclub – first and foremost the security room. Immediately, both got to work.

Thanks to your moderately revealing outfit and Oscar-worthy acting (no sarcasm intended), you worked as a distraction in the first part of the plan. Accidentally walking into a male bathroom, you managed to gain attention of drunk and drugged men. As expected, they followed out like hungry dogs.  

In the meantime, Juyeon slipped in and out of the bathroom through an open window. The drain pipes, weird infrastructure and façade of the whole building, allowed him to make his way around and towards the security room. The window was barely open, but with a bit of force, it was lifted up higher and Juyeon jumped in without much sound.  

With quick work of skilled fingers, the footage was deleted and all cameras were disabled for the night. Following the same path, the male left, making sure to lower the window into its previous position before returning to the bathroom. Luckily, your charm and flirty words worked well enough to keep other men outside the room until Juyeon came back.

He felt wronged seeing everyone looking you up and down as if you were some type of provocative art piece, hoping to get a feeling with their nasty fingers. Immediately, Juyeon approached the little group and wrapped a protective arm around your shoulder, leading you away. Sounds of disapproval were heard from the rest, but neither paid no mind, already focused on the next piece of the plan.

°•. ✿ .•° °•. ✿ .•° °•. ✿ .•° 

Keeping up the cover often required creative and interesting measures. You’ve been there, done that many times, yet never once have you made out with someone in public because of it.

At one point of the night, while progressing towards the next point, you’ve noticed a couple of guards paying a little bit more attention than usual. The amount of security surrounding one piece of the corridor was enough information to understand that the sisters (or at least one of them) were in one of those rooms. Trying to play drunk and drugged was so far the best shot at being left alone, but it seemingly didn’t work this time, as one bulky man walked towards you. The sound of his voice was almost silenced by the deafening music playing in the background.

“I’m sorry this is a-”  

Suddenly, Juyeon pushed you against a wall. Big hands cupped your face, holding it so delicately, carefully, as if you were a rose made out of glass. Yet, his lips moved against yours with a hungry and lustful feeling, only breaking apart to catch a breath before continuing where interrupted. One of his hands trailed lower, hitching one of your thighs over his hips, earning a rather surprised and breathless gasp in return. Unfortunately, the guard wasn’t willing to cooperate.

“I’m sorry, you’ll have to leave this area” He yelled, voice unexpectedly high for a man his built. Juyeon chose to ignore the other, kisses now trailing underneath your jaw and over the tender skin of your neck, nipping but not strong enough to leave any marks.

Growing impatient and with an obvious pressure from his colleagues that bore holes into his back, the guard grabbed and  Juyeon’s bicep, effectively breaking the two apart. It took all of Juyeon’s mind strength not to turn around and break the man’s arm – that much was obvious from the sudden fire in his eyes.

“Leave” The bigger said, pointing back towards the direction you’ve came from. With glassy and hooded eyes, you watched the intimidating man, giving him a wide, forced smile. Pointing between the two guys, you started laughing, occasionally looking away and trying to suppress more giggles from spilling out. Juyeon caught onto the tactic and followed it, his shoulders rising and falling in a fast rhythm.

“I’m sorry~ we’ll goooo” Not wanting to create any unnecessary drama, you grasped Juyeon’s hand, leading the way while fake stumbling and force laughing the whole time. The male tried supporting you, and for a more authentic look, his own steps shortened and uneven.

“Drunk kids... I can’t bel..” Was all you’ve heard from the guard, before his voice blended in and disappeared in great noise that was an EDM beat.

°•. ✿ .•° °•. ✿ .•° °•. ✿ .•° 

Around one in the morning, when the night was reaching its peak, the two targets came out of their room. Despite other distractions, Juyeon and you spectated from a safe distance, dancing against each other for the nth time that night. As per usual, Yuri appeared high and out of her mind, while Aria dragged her towards a small terrace that overlooked the dance floor. There was a guard that followed behind.

“I guess it’s true that they’re giving a speech tonight... how eventful” With a sarcastic tone, Juyeon whispered in your ear. You looked up towards the terrace and hummed along to signal his words have been heard.

“There’s only one guard following, there must be more up there” He continued, head dipping low and lips caressing the exposed skin of your neck. Following the beat of the song, Juyeon moved one of his legs between yours, interested to see the reaction he’d get. His bold touches and moves intensified the unusual tension and sudden heat you already felt. The mission had to be done fast, since you weren’t sure how much more of this new, pleasurable torture you could take. Both were being pretty unprofessional, evidently forgetting about their main focus at times.This wasn’t at all like either of them.

“Taking them out up there is too risky anyway” You began, leaning your head back into the juncture of Juyeon’s shoulder, before speaking again, this time with a more teasing tone “Can’t guarantee that my idea is safe either, though. Are you up for the challenge?”

“Oh woah, don’t get too cocky on me now, baby” Blue replied, smirking when your head shot up to look him in the eyes. It faded fast, an eyebrow raising in a questionable manner, as if his words weren’t special and deserving of such a reaction. “Tell me. I get to hear the offer first before taking it, right?”

“You’re acting way too unprofessional. We’re here with a reason” You whined, suddenly wanting to distance away from the other, but a tight hold on your hips didn’t allow that.

“Me? Unprofessional? Maybe I’d believe that if you weren’t the one grinding down on my thigh” Juyeon bit back with a generous amount of confidence, the one that people carried themselves with when they were aware of being right. The colorful lights hid the immediate flush that overtook your features. A quick look to the right proved the man that his words definitely had an effect.  

“So? Are you going to tell me or let a chance slip away?”

°•. ✿ .•° °•. ✿ .•° °•. ✿ .•° 

Aria and Yuri laid dead inside a big closet, their necks snapped and heads hanging in an unnatural way. Juyeon and you once again happened to be the most compatible teammates, getting the job done and leaving the club before anyone suspected a thing.  

The time between leaving and present passed by in a blur and way too fast. Or maybe it didn’t, maybe it was just the power of Juyeon’s soft touches and hungry kisses that made you forget all about it.

Currently pressed against a cold brick wall a few streets away from the nightclub, you enjoyed the attention the man was offering. It all felt unusual and new, but not in a bad way. The wall temperature greatly contrasted the one of the body pressed against you, creating an unusual but pleasant combination. Juyeon’s lips rarely stayed on yours, often wandering down to your jaw and juncture of shoulder. This time though, he didn’t care about the marks, pink bruises now decorating the expanse of your neck. With hands in his dark blue strands, you pulled Juyeon closer, moving in just the right ways to allow more access to the soft and undamaged skin.

It wasn’t clear why both assassins gave in to the sudden want for each other. There were no evident emotions to back up their actions, just a strong need that had to be fulfilled with no one else but the other. Some could suppose it was the consequence of their blunt actions from before, while others may argue that it was something much more meaningful. A relatively new, exciting state of mind and experience that obviously didn’t have to happen, yet it did. A slipup so to say - or at least both hoped that it was.

“How can you be this hot after just murdering someone?” The man asked breathlessly, a quiet chuckle leaving his lips that formed a slight smile. His sharp eyes looked at yours with a new kind of emotion, something you weren’t able to pinpoint just yet. Juyeon’s deep but quick breaths matched yours, both trying to take in as much air as possible in a short period of time.

“What can I say, I’m a natural at keeping people around my finger” You raised a pinky up, playing along, voice low and seductive. Truly, there were missions that required acting flirty and playing dirty, therefore your charm has developed quite a lot. Still, what you tried implicating at was the situation from earlier that night, when all those men gathered around you. There was no reason to expect a reaction from the other. Juyeon’s expression quickly changed into something that resembled a frown, but it disappeared just as fast, not allowing any time to make any remarks about it.

Suddenly, the thigh that was once again positioned between your legs flexed, making you flinch and unwillingly whine. The man smirked, closing in the distance again, but not enough for yet another kiss.

“Should I be scared to become one of those people, then?” He whispered, irises playing between your eyes and lips that were just a breath away. The intimate proximity that went on for way too long happened to have a negative effect on you. Gradually, a pinch of doubt and hesitance began clouding your mind, scolding it for being too carefree next to the other. They reminded of just who the man was, and that the game currently played was a dangerous one. Without much thought, like a reflex, your hand moved quick, retrieving a pocket knife and pointing the tip at Juyeon’s barely covered stomach.

A gasp of sincere shock left the man’s lips, eyes opening wide, as he scanned your face. With an indifferent voice, but a slightly different mind, you spoke.

“I don’t know, should you?”

It was impressive to see how much effect people had on each other. Despite being busy with constant planning and thinking, there was always space in both heads to think about each other. Occasional pondering about his lips on hers, or her hands in his hair – all intensifying the anticipation for the next time.

Juyeon often found himself rushing missions because he knew the female wasn’t busy at the moment. Whenever passing by the familiar building and a certain room had even the slightest bit of light in it, the boy would invite himself over. It appeared that Juyeon risked much more than the other, and definitely much more than he should’ve.

Just out of pure skepticism that underlined every action, you never directly planned any of the meetings, rather letting the other barge in or set time and date. It was easy to catch onto his habits and when to expect a knock at your entrance door. For added security, weapons were kept in secretive places for quick use if the man ever decided to turn on you. And although fighting a never-ending battle inside of your mind, you grew to anticipate the hidden meetings. His kisses were spreading fire throughout your body, words messing with your mind and touches offering pure euphoria.

There were occasions when the two of you would meet at the rooftop, one always back from a mission while the other waited patiently. Sometimes, Juyeon’s hands still dripped fresh blood, the male not willing to waste any time on cleaning them before rushing towards you. It was a special feeling knowing that the fingers that used to do such horrifying things caressed your skin so delicately.

Slowly but surely, some type of understanding was established between the two. Then, the whole relationship wasn’t purely based on physical connection, and it meant much more than a way to satisfy hormonal human needs. Periodic talks about present worries and bothers, as well as thoughts on current events, allowed them to get to know each other better. Alas, the connection never reached its highest level, as numerous obstacles stopped them from reaching it – biggest being the female's constant hesitation.

Objectively speaking, Juyeon let himself open much more than the other did, always easy on bringing up topics to discuss about and contemplate on. He also shared much more information about himself, many of them being trivial and harmless things, but still something you stoically held back on. Of course, that didn’t mean you were silent during two-way conversations, just pickier about what you wanted to share.

Juyeon understood that, and he appreciated everything you’ve told him. That compassion was the foundation that will slowly build a more trusting and open relationship in the future. You valued his way of acting, enjoying harmless discussions and gradually getting used to having a companion who became a part of your almost daily life.

With a little bit of effort from both sides, everything was going to work, or at least you hoped. You encouraged every passing meeting, every second together, to hit the wall of reluctance with as much force as possible – still, unfortunately, it stood strong.

Blue and Red created purple during their nights together, merging with the beautiful melody of the storm that only grew bigger the closer it got.

Thanks to the impeccable weather, it was slightly challenging to get to the roof this time. However, with master level acting, fake politeness and a little bit of luck, you were able to avoid suspicion from the residents you passed by. Most definitely, and fortunately, not a single soul knew that there was a sniper rifle packed in a rather sizeable guitar bag you carried. Along with its components such as silencer, optical sight, bipod, additional ammunition...

Once on top of the building, you immediately unpacked the bag’s contents. First of was an expensive, albeit small door jammer that was installed straight away, effectively sealing the entrance you just walked through. Trying it a couple of times just to make sure, you deemed it impossible to open. Next was the sniper.

Having done such a thing countless times before, it didn’t take you long to properly set and load the weapon with a set of new bullets. The fresh smell of metal filled the small space around. Hiding behind a pile of rubbish, you set the bipod behind the cornice, muzzle and barrel pointing towards the road your target was supposed to appear on soon.  

Then, like a lightning, you immediately withdrew back, sniper pulled way behind and body pressing flush against the ground. There was a sudden feeling of being noticed and even watched, to which you were always quick to react. Keeping low for as long as time allowed, you dismounted the bipod as it only made advancing more difficult. Slowly but surely, you moved around, setting everything up on another corner with tall plants and flowers. The aim wasn’t as clear as before, but it wasn’t too big of a problem. Yet, despite the natural cover doing its job relatively well, the dangerous feeling was still present.

Taking a quick risk, you took off the current optical sight and mounted another, angled one, that allowed you to look around without being too exposed. Since you were on the 11th floor, on the tallest building in the area, there was no way someone could’ve noticed you from the roads down below. Glancing over them quickly just to make sure, the theory was deemed correct – no pedestrians had their heads raised up and looking in this exact direction.

Looking at the sky, you searched for drones or any other objects that could be supervising the area (as that unfortunately, did happen before and they had to be destroyed manually, via a gun). Thankfully, there were none, but instead of making you feel relieved, it only intensified the anxiety previously felt. Where was it coming from?

All you needed to get the desired answer, was an accidental glance over the roof of the building right across from yours. There, behind a pile of wooden planks, metal bars and all other unnecessary trash, you noticed a barely noticeable, but suspicious movement. Locking eyes on the exact spot and rolling the plastic on the sight, you zoomed in, getting a clearer image.  

Shockingly enough, there was a barrel peeking right between the two wooden planks, and it was pointed right at you.  

And then it quietly fired.

The bullet would’ve missed anyway, but thankfully, you moved down just in time, watching it penetrate the wall behind. Your heart leaped, pumping blood faster and kicking against your chest, almost as if it tried jumping out. Strange type of fear enveloped your body. It wasn’t fright for own life, rather unpleasant surprise that fueled thoughts of being outplayed. At this stage, you knew very little. Was it only one person? Were there more people? Were you cornered?

For whatever reason, the person on the other building continued firing, twice to be exact – yet both bullets hit the exact same spot as the first one. It didn’t make sense at all, but at least ir allowed keeping track of the opponent.

In a quick act, you moved, peeking just enough to expect to be fired at, but it never happened. Moving once again and receiving nothing in return, you positioned the sniper and looked through the sight for the nth time, trying to confirm if they were still on the same location. And that’s when you noticed.

A blue haired man peeking out, head cocked to the side, his sharp eyes and smirk offering a teasing, harmless expression.

Rage, disappointment and distrust overtook your body fast, blood boiling on a temperature higher than before. All emotions served as a strong reality check, a shot through the heart and mind, reminding of just who you were. They helped strengthen the invisible wall you were so desperately trying to weaken, ruining almost all of the progress made. Still, their consequences that will definitely leave a mark were your own fault and no one else’s.  

A drastic switch happened. While following Juyeon’s movements through the sight, you unconsciously aligned his head with the red dot in the middle. That person was suddenly someone who made you feel threatened, anxious, alarmed, and not the one who was supposed to help achieve change. You expected so much from him, yet all you currently felt was pure let down and anger. The inner battle was as hectic and loud as ever. A finger creeped up to the trigger, trembling as it came in contact with cold metal.  

Before the pull happened, your phone vibrated almost unnoticeably. It apparently did the right, desired trick, as it effectively broke the dangerous, fury-driven daze. With an audible sigh, you remembered who the actual target of the day was, aim moving downwards in a quick motion. Just as predicted and on time, a big black jeep turned the corner, driving into the street underneath you. Getting into a more comfortable position, you trailed the movement of the black vehicle.

First and only to come out of the car was the exact target. His appearance was immediately followed by two quick, (thanks to the silencers, somewhat) muffled gunshots, the bullets hitting just right. With two holes in his big shiny head, the man was sent falling down, momentarily holding onto the open door before faceplanting the cold concrete. Blood seeped out, painting the previously grey ground in a dark red, almost black color.

But the thing was, you only shot once.

Albeit caught off guard with the shocking realization, there was way too little time to get lost, every second more precious than the last one. Hurriedly, you deconstructed the sniper, pushing everything inside the guitar bag in a careless manner. When done, you moved towards the door and took the jammer off in record time before storing it inside the carriage as well.  

A quick glance was thrown in Juyeon’s direction, but unfortunately there was no sight of said man. For whatever reason, you were somewhat glad.

In a slow and relaxed manner, with calculated steps, you took the stairs again, making sure to appear just as natural and neutral as before. Thankfully, almost no one occupied the hallways. On the 5th floor, there were two elderly women happily boasting about their children, beside who you passed with a polite bow. You even smiled at them, but the expression was deemed unseen thanks to the black mask that covered your face.

Luckily, another semi-smooth mission was done with. You were out of the building and away from the scene in a couple of minutes, with no doubts about being seen or suspected. The only bothersome thing was the sudden change of feelings towards the blue haired man. A dangerous and slightly embarrassing switch could’ve had a very tragic outcome.

And of course, it wasn't worth missing out on the fact that for the first time, both had the same target.

You agreed on further meetings, although they were much different than those in the past. A drastic change in atmosphere was present from the first second, yet neither really wanted to comment on it. Despite being close physically, Juyeon didn’t feel warmth coming from you anymore, or at least not in the same amount as before. The male felt your body shiver under a cold gust of wind, but your skin didn’t feel any colder underneath his fingertips. When he tried offering you a jacket to cover up, you denied with a half-hearted smile.

It was unreasonably late, around three in the morning, which meant the city was at its calmest. There were less people on the streets than fingers on both hands and almost no apartments had their lights on. The moon was the most trustful source of light, its soft hues illuminating everything and making it more beautiful.

Nowadays, fewer words were exchanged as well. Silence was common, both bodies quietly cherishing what was left of a cracked relationship rather than trying to fix (or ruin?) it with meaningless talk. Leaned against the male’s shoulder, you tried forcefully letting go of tension to feel a piece of that carelessness that once existed between you. Truthfully, there was a willpower to continue fighting and experiencing the strange kind of joy, but there were so, so many obstacles. And most of them were created by you.

Neither had the explanation as to why this was still an ongoing thing, why neither gave up despite the little flame burning its last few seconds. No matter how long you searched for the answer, it just didn’t appear. A deep sigh resonated in a small bubble of space.

The biggest and constant bother was that invisible wall, still standing proud. Apparently, it grew taller and stronger every time you remembered the unfortunate event from two weeks ago. As time passed by, you became more skeptical, giving time and attention to thoughts you weren’t fond of. They whispered and laughed at a poor being for daring to experience something it wasn’t supposed to in the first place.

You didn’t even look Juyeon in the eyes anymore, always finding a nearby rock or wall crack a more attractive sight. Why? The fear of looking up and seeing no emotion in the man’s eyes was a fearful thought, mighty enough to forbid you from even trying. And why was it affecting you so much, why were you still holding onto it? You didn’t know.

Hell, your fucked-up mind was daring you to kill the man and he didn’t even know about it.

Juyeon, much like always, put more evident effort into the whole thing. It looked as if the male was aware of the trigger for this sudden stumble (not fall!), and was ready to give it his all to fix everything. Immense guilt was evident on his face, and if you looked up just once, you’d be able to read it off his beautiful features.

Despite your mental distancing and defiance, he never gave up transparently trying. You being there with him every night was all the hope Juyeon needed to continue. Even if you weren’t as willing to see him the next day, Juyeon would knock on your door. Even if you weren’t in the mood to talk, he’d ask a question about one of your favorite topics. The assassin wasn’t religious (and truthfully, how could he be?), but every night he’d pray for this tough period to end already. If for nothing else, then to have your eyes lock with his one last time.

Overall, these last few nights were a weird type of battlefield. Juyeon’s hand moved up to your shoulder, occasionally rubbing down your arm, hoping to feel just a bit of warmth there. You’d allow it, sighing and leaning into his hold, trying to, for the nth time, force a bit of feeling back.  

Either way, the two waited for a beautiful sunrise before disappearing in two different directions.

You should’ve believed the tension that thickened with each word the other said. You should’ve refused and backed out from this exact job when not even one person in the room appeared familiar. But it didn’t happen.

For the first time in an incredibly long time, the employers weren’t a part of a mafia or drug dealing gang. That much was disclosed, with a rude comment that it wasn’t your job to know anything more about them, anyway. It had your blood boiling and eyes squinting suspiciously, irises locking down every of the five men present.

Their detailing about the job that had to be done was just as, if not more, brief. Not believing that someone expected you to work properly with just three sentences of information, you asked a couple of times to have them repeated. Every time, the leader of the group sighed louder, eyes rolling back in an over-exaggerated manner, before turning around and giving a knowing look to the man beside. Were they joking around with you?

When asked about the basis behind this assassination, in hope of getting at least a little bit of early lead on who you’re dealing with, the man offered nothing useful in return. Instead of giving a proper reason, or at least putting effort into making a believable story up, he threw something senseless right at your face. Upon asking how you’re supposed to work without knowing how the target looks like, they replied with:

“They’ll be the only ones there, guaranteed. It's just a little game of hide and seek... with a twist. Isn’t that exciting?”

You were spared the detail that the target was just as (if not more,) experienced than you at these “murder plays”, and they demanded huge amounts of caution. Three main points were specified, the address, time and the fact that this was an extremely dangerous mission. The legitimacy of that information remained unknown, as they once again failed to give a coherent explanation. Despite the last point serving as a warning, you suddenly weren’t given a chance to back out.  

“Excuse me?” You said, disbelief all but dripping from those two simple words. “You’re sending me against another assassin, did I connect the dots correctly?”

“You’re a smart one”

“I don’t want to work on this case” You denied, getting ready to leave, when the other cleared his throat.

“We want this person taken out at any cost, and we particularly chose you for it. In the end, we did hear quite a lot of positive reviews... therefore you seem to be the right person, no?” The man tried flattering you, but his voice was laced with venom, lips moving slowly to form an unnatural, wicked grin. He wasn’t looking at you with fake friendliness anymore, rather an emotion that could soon turn dangerous.

“That doesn’t matter to me, I have the right to not accept the job. My signature is not yet written on the papers” A small pile of documents resting on the table was pointed at, endless rows of black text only missing a simple name written in ballpoint pen. The other chuckled lightly, gaze turning threatening in a blink time as he lifted a blue pen and spun it around his thick fingers.

“That’s easily dealt with” The weight of his words hit immediately, a shocking situation that you’re dealing with for the first time. There was no training for this and lack of experience was making you a nervous mess.  

Shuffling body mass from one leg to the other, your eyes remained on the ground, hands anxiously intertwining. There was nothing that came to mind that would help the current position, and you wondered what all of this was about. No one has ever forced you into working for them, much less threatened to sign the contract in your name.

The man chuckled once again, saying nothing but thinking a lot. This was it, they had you.

“Don’t you want this?” Another male spoke, his frame moving from the doorway and opening a black suitcase on the table. The carriage itself probably cost a fortune, as it was made of expensive leather, and the mouth-watering amount of money inside was as alluring as ever. It would probably be the best paid work ever. Still, you managed to look up from the bills and into the leader’s eyes with strong confidence.

“Does it even matter? You’re forcing me to do it anyway” The words barely made it past your tongue, their weight way too heavy. The freedom you had while working was something greatly cherished (for a lack of better words), and it was suddenly taken away. It almost felt as if nothing was in your power anymore. Fearful shivers ran down your spine.

“Well then, glad we got that behind ourselves. Sign here”

The whole process of sealing the deal was done in a matter of seconds. Your signature was scribbled in the ugliest way possible, and the pen was thrown to the other side of the room as a form of protest. The weak plastic broke due to the force of impact, the ink painting a patch of white wall blue. Turning around to leave, you stomped with heavy steps, glaring at each and every male in the room for the last time. Then, one step away from the doorway, you heard it.

Your name. Your real name.

The one no one ever used.

“Good luck, you’ll need it”

The door closed behind in a loud thud, not allowing you enough time to properly react. Just once your face hit the fresh air, did the heaviness of the decision fall upon your body. What have you done? Who were those people and why did they refuse to introduce themselves?  

Doubts filled your head – were your employers suddenly against you? Were they suddenly hyperaware of your knowledge, or scared that you’ll turn to the other side, become their enemy? Was this actually a ploy made to get you out of the game? The thought made you gulp audibly; wondering if but knowing that it was too late to turn around and tear the contract paper into thousands of pieces.

There’s also no way ditching the mission came into discussion. With the way they acted, god only knew if each and every step of yours was watched on. Holy shit.

The walk home was a long one, not particularly because time passed by slow, but because you purposely chose the longer path. Eyes filling with tears, your reaction was one of pity. Reaching up to brush the watery substance away from the corner of your eyes, you looked at the shiny finger. This was the first time in a long while that something managed to bribe out the emotion of grief. And for the first time ever, it was for no one else but yourself.

Tiny rocks sounded under your shoes just quietly enough to not ruin the perfect sneak up. The sky was grey, thin but overlapping clouds blocking sun from coming your way. Luckily, it meant you could move with more freedom, not having to worry about unnecessary shadows and their power to ruin cover.

The first abandoned building you were heading towards was huge, with main walls almost completely ruined. Chunks of concrete, bricks and other unnecessary trash created stable cover that you’d usually be thankful for, yet now dreaded.  

This was the exact address you were given, but the trick was that it happened to be a whole wide field with two abandoned buildings. On top of that, the opponent’s identity was still unknown, therefore you had no knowledge of who to look for and where. For all you knew, they could already be in position and aiming right at your head. “It’s just a little game of hide and seek, with a twist”. Instinctively, you ducked behind the nearest tree, feeling the heart strengthen its beats. Carefully and in calculated pace, the advance towards the entrance was continued.

There was a huge hole in the ceiling of every floor. It reached all the way up to the destroyed rooftop, almost as if something heavy fell from above and demolished the concrete surface. With back pressed flush against a piece of wall that still stood strong, you took a deep breath and reached down for a favorite of weapons, your trusted knife.

Suddenly, there was a strange type of noise coming from an unknown direction, resonating throughout the whole building. In the midst of a less careful and more panicked moment, while trying to retrieve the blade, it sliced through the delicate flesh of your calf. A quietly yelp of pain escaped your lips, hand immediately stretching to press on the wound. The feeling of blood running down your leg was accompanied by burning pain, and you tried ignoring it while climbing up the stairs.

Thanks to the special soft soles of the boots, your steps weren’t heard over the hard ground. They also didn’t put much force on your calf, therefore the advance to the 1st and 2nd floor went by almost without a problem. Occasionally, due to a bad step, the wound would reopen, another flow of blood quick to rush out along with a thousand silent curses.

The doorways on both floors were as demolished as the rest of the building, preventing anyone from walking through and forcing you to move up to the 3rd. Dodging and crouching down at places where you’d be exposed to the outside, you all but crawled up.

The third floor seemed different; way less disintegrated than the rest. Once there, you looked around and through the now available doorway. The corridor was very long, filled with wooden planks that once resembled doors leading to empty rooms. On the other side, about fifty meters away, there was another stairway, much like the one you took just now.

Alas, despite the burn in your calf, there was suddenly that alarming feeling of being watched.

Immediately ducking behind cover, you gripped the knife tight and took a few deep but quick breaths, planning the next move. Someone was definitely in there, and the rapid heartbeat was making sure you were constantly aware of it.

The feeling gradually subdued the more time passed by. You looked around attentively, once again taking notice of the still gaping hole on the ceiling. There was no one watching you through it though, so the trigger must’ve been from either outside or down the hallway. Remembering the noise from earlier, you completely crossed out the possibility of them being outside.

Which of course, wasn’t in your favor at all.

Peeking out just so the top of the head showed, you tried bribing out shots or any kind of attack from the other – something that would indicate where they were located. Receiving nothing in return was slightly confusing, but it also offered a pinch of hope. Maybe they moved, which meant you had a chance to sneak up behind them, or maybe they’re just hiding, which meant it could all go down very fast.

With a hurt leg that was slowly growing numb, there wasn’t a lot of time you had left before retreat was necessary. And never once did that happen. Therefore, trying to protect pride and get this done just to never see those nasty men again, you tried winging it. Pressing the wound one last time, you whispered a prayer before taking off through the open doorway.

There was just enough cover to move around in semi-safety, back turned towards one of the walls. Your eyes perceptively scanned every corner, every pile of rocks which could offer any type of protection. Occasionally, ignoring the pain, you’d jump inside one of the rooms to your right, hoping to catch the other off guard. The knife in your hands was gripped tight, leather handle shining slightly due to a thin layer of sweat coating it.

Tension was as high as ever, air becoming thick to an almost suffocating degree. For the first time, you felt undoubtedly scared. Your mind was clouded with a thousand racing thoughts, all of which only intensified the sensation of panic. The more time passed, the more your eyes aimlessly wandered around empty spaces, growing more tired and unable to notice possibly important details.

The amount of blood you lost was probably in the red zone, moving around becoming more challenging with every step. Still, doing the best possible job was always a requirement, therefore you used last spurts of strength to enter the 2nd to last room in the long hallway.

Once again met with a different terrain, you immediately noticed a demolished doorway, connecting the room to the one right beside. Upon quickly deeming the current room safe, you crouched down, sneaking towards the linking point. As if sensing danger, you patiently waited a couple of moments, trying to breathe as quietly as possible. If not for the protective leather handle, the blade would’ve sliced through your hand due to the impossibly strong grip.

Someone on the other side coughed. A curse followed right after.  

Both moved rapidly, reaching out for the other through the doorway.

You were held at gunpoint, jaw feeling the pressure of a cold muzzle on it, while a strong hand grabbed your hair, pulling it back. Your own hands grabbed the other’s collar, tugging down while holding the thin, sharp blade against their most sensitive point, Adam’s apple.

Neither moved.

Blue watched Red with surprised eyes, irises playing inside the broad space of dark brown. Your gaze tried locking the man down, scanning those beautiful features while still avoiding his sharp eyes. Unexpectedly, a weak wave of emotion hit, bringing back a piece of what you wanted for a very long time. There was a slight urge to reach out and caringly caress his sharp cheeks, cup his jaw and kiss his lips.

But there was a gun pressed against your skin, and a knife against his.

And neither moved.

The war started. Horrid battles began and ripped your heart piece by piece. Everything was on the line and an indecisive mind was as dangerous as ever. The realization that this man, despite everything that happened, was the last person you wanted to harm, hurt the most. It was the quick moment of reminisce about the old times, when everything was just starting. He was the only one who gauged new, thrilling, pleasant emotions and made them feel like they’re exactly what you needed. And it was the truth.

But the weight of the weapon on your jaw reminded of the not-so-bright moments as well. A flashback of the day you were teasingly shot at sent shivers down your spine, feelings of pure anxiety and fear coming back in an instant. Rightfully so, they were strong and rivaled the positive ones, trying to outweigh them and take control over your next actions. The man was still someone who dared pull the trigger on you, dared taking that type of unpredictable risk.  

If he dared pull it again, you dared slit his flawless, soft skin. But embarrassingly enough, you’d never have enough strength to be the first one, no matter how impulse-driven. Harming him definitely was your last wish. The thought of it even being a possibility made your eyes water, tears welling up and falling like never before, straining your soft cheeks.

Juyeon’s heart ached as well. Sadly, it opposed two separate and strong thunders. The first one hit hard, touching the intimate topic of his feelings towards you. It wasn’t a secret that you’ve changed him as well. In a word of gloom, blood and violence, you made everything disappear and instead of war, brought peace to his mind. Most of the time, it was enough for Juyeon to know that you were there, and every worry would fade away. The mutual understanding was then something he grew accustomed to and happy for. The male didn’t feel like he didn’t deserve attention anymore.

But what hit even harder was the fact that Juyeon was aware of your current thought process, and the guilt once again ate him away, bite by bite.

Carefully, the grip on your hair was released, gloved hand reaching up, thumb wiping a falling tear. Rough material nearly scraped your skin, a frown appearing on the other’s face almost immediately. Juyeon bit down on the glove, taking it off before placing his hand back on your warm cheek. The act made your eyes water even more, lips trembling and throat constricting to stop loud whimpers from escaping.

Still, the weapons didn’t move.

“Juyeon” You suddenly whined, finally finding strength to say his name. Lightheadedness was slowly overtaking your whole body, vision blurring fast. The pain in your leg although still present was long forgotten. Every letter carried huge weight, every taken breath felt like the last and you wondered if taking that bullet hurt any less. Unconsciously, your hand began shaking, resulting in the thin blade moving against the man’s delicate skin. It wasn’t enough to hurt, but Juyeon visibly and audibly gulped under the metal.

“They... they set us up to kill each other, Juyeon” The realization hurt like a sudden kick to the gut. It was supposed to happen sooner or later. All suspicions you weren’t willing to think about came out to be true and the terror spread through your body in a strong wave. Everything made sense – why those men weren’t willing to introduce themselves, why refusal wasn't an option and why no proper explanation was given to you. They were aware that if you knew even one of those things, you wouldn’t have dared to show up in the first place.

Or would you? Would they be able to push just the right buttons and play with your mind as they were right now?

You were set to break apart.

Do it. Don’t do it. Do. Don’t. Past and present were clashing together, habits and new found emotions. For the first time in a while, you felt somewhat disgusted with your job. Yet, the wheels were turning, reminding that you’ve been doing this for years and now was no time to give up under the pressure. It was so, so easy to end this all, much like hundred times before. Swallow down the hard feeling and contractions of your heart, cut through like you’re used to. Emotions were just an accident, an error in the system of a machine.

All this time though, Juyeon’s hand remained on your cheek, and only now was it only noticeable that he wasn’t holding you in place. The muzzle of the gun wasn’t as strong on your jaw as it was before. Juyeon wasn’t going to actively fight or harm you either, that much was clear. This had to end somehow, and the male was about to use his last possible chance.

“Look at me” The voice he said it with was soft, but underlined with a certain type of authority. For whatever reason, as if under a spell, your eyelids opened, irises immediately locking on his.

And then it all crashed down.

All the doubts and hesitation were immediately gone. Your hand moved, putting pressure on the weapon for just a quick moment before letting go completely. Heavy blade fell onto the ground with a loud and high-pitched noise, one that echoed throughout the whole building. The invisible wall was no more.

At the same time, Juyeon released the gun, hefty metal hitting concrete with just as loud of a thud. When the pressure disappeared and the current situation processed properly, your body went numb. Legs giving out, you almost collapsed on the ground. Luckily, Juyeon managed to catch you just in time. The male lowered the smaller body onto the ground, holding it carefully.

Your head hung low; eyes wandering all around the room, but not focusing on one spot. This was the first mission you’ve ever failed and the fear of possible consequences was scary.

Juyeon’s hands enveloped your face, just holding it firmly. Neither had an obvious cheerful expression, but there was a lack of certain something that made both seem more at ease. He caressed the soft skin, examining your face that was blank of any emotion. It was the moment of complete calm.

Upon focusing on the man, you noticed a clear red line just underneath his Adam’s apple. Instinctively, you reached out, running a smooth finger over it and listening to Juyeon’s strained hiss. A new wave of tears welled up in your eyes, yet the other was quick to wipe it away.

“Can you listen to me?” He questioned, with a gaze that suddenly turned more serious, albeit none the less caring. The breathing rhythm was slow and deep, almost as if he was trying to calm down in the fastest way possible. With a slight nod, you replied, hoping to keep enough consciousness to listen until the end.

“Let’s escape this hell” You would’ve definitely reacted greatly to the proposition, if it weren’t for the lack of energy in your body. Instead, the reply was a simple, perplexed look, a result of not quite processing what was talked about.

“Escape, disappear, perish, they’ll never know. They’ll never find us because... because they’ll think we’re dead. Isn’t that what they wanted? To wipe us off the list?” The tone Juyeon used was a hopeful one, as if the man already had everything planned and was ready to go right this second. And maybe, just maybe, that was the case.

“We’ll move countries and get new identities – I have a couple of friends that could and will help us with that. We’ll start a new life away from... away from all of this, because we can’t stay” Gradually, his words became more rushed, too many thoughts and too little time to wrap them up. “We can’t go back. They’ll kill us themselves, you know that, right?”

Juyeon was right. In the planned scenario, one of you was supposed to die today, while the other would’ve been finished off upon reporting the case. You’ve thought about it many times, making up scenarios and trying to find a way to get out of them. No one has ever trained you in that field or shown any ways of dealing with it, and there was an exact, fucked-up reason for it.

“Or we could just...” His eyes wandered off to the two weapons lying on the ground, tears welling up fast. There’s no way that was the only other option, yet...

For a moment, you glanced at the objects as well, not out of interest, but pure disgust. Just a mere thought of what could happen made your stomach twirl and heart hurt. Turning around to look at the other, you noticed a teardrop that made it down his jaw. Wiping it off gently, you smiled, speaking in a low and calm whisper.

“No... no. Let’s... let’s go. Let’s disappear together, wherever that takes us, Juyeon” The mind finally accepted the sudden feelings that were no longer confined and hidden. The imaginary, but nonetheless strong, cage and restrictions were no more. You finally felt proper euphoria of freedom.

Speechless, but immensely happy, that’s what Juyeon was in that exact moment. His chest abruptly wasn’t enough space for the organ that beat at an incredible pace, with new-found strength. Tightening his hold, the male pulled you towards his chest, into a first, proper hug. Your hands sneaked around his body, trying to squeeze as hard as possible and relish the beautiful moment. In such an intimate position, it was possible to feel that exact excited heartbeat of the male.

After a long period of comfortable silence, you quietly spoke into his chest, “Please piggyback me... wherever... I don’t think I can walk”  

“Oh my god, you’re hurt?!” Juyeon noted in an alarming tone, eyes immediately scanning your body and finally noticing a streak of red liquid on the concrete underneath your leg. He loudly cursed at himself for not seeing it earlier, hand reaching down to press on the wound. Although not fresh, it still gushed out more blood, earning another hiss from you.

“Yeah, no shit mister... fuck be careful! I wouldn’t go all baby... and soft on you if I... I didn’t feel like fainting. You were lucky today” You bit back jokingly, trying to keep the light atmosphere that was slowly coming down its high. Juyeon’s head shook at that, a quiet ‘you’re not in position to speak like that’ passing through his barely parted lips. A pair of hands worked fast on tying a thin jacket around your calf to stop further bleeding.  

“How?” He asked, confused but curious at the same time.

“I’d rather not talk about it” Your head turned away from the other, irises locking onto one of many holes on the wall. The male chuckled at that, checking the knot before standing up with knees half bent. He helped you stand up and climb up on his back, strong arms instantly gripping the back of your thighs.

“Bet you hurt yourself, clumsy”

“Yeah, bet”  

With a loud, content sigh, your head lowered onto Juyeon’s back, eyes closing as you finally drifted off to sleep. There, on the closed, but broad battlefield, the two warriors accepted their faith. They made up their minds for a different future, something neither were sure how to approach, but were more than ready to experience together. A future that didn’t revolve around blood, murder and secrecy, one that would allow both to heal and live their lives breathing properly.

Quatervois, a heavy change no one expected. A decision made fast, but a result of long, aimless thought and experience. And some may say this was deemed to happen sooner or later, but was it? If things were just slightly different...  

Guess we would never know.

AN: well... here it is? truthfully speaking, i’m very satisfied with this work, and i love every piece of it, but it has been giving me so much stress oh my god... writing has taken me so much time because i tried so hard to make it perfect and i really hope reading almost 22k of this was worth it, and that you’ve enjoyed it. at some parts, i’ve maybe focused on the main female character too much, but i think that to understand her character, it’s important to have an in-depth point of view. i’d really appreciate it (to the moon and back) if you guys could leave feedback for this one. thank you so so so much for reading, have a good day <3

[ddamiqn]

so. let’s tackle batfam height (and imo, some misconceptions and fanon.) 

((quick note: i know hcs exist. i know other arguments and analysis on why X Y Z should and is going to happen. i’m taking pure canon--with a bit of guesstimation as u can see, aka logical assumptions based on evidence--right now people, but i know different people can interpret the same thing differently. basically im not trying to attack anyone or make their fanon interpretations invalid. pretty please don’t start discourse or anything, i know and recognize all in all none of this doesnt really matter but . yeah))

tim drake is small. (like 5′4″ and below small) - nope. 

the most recent ultimate character’s guide puts him at 5′6″. 

past versions have put him at 5′4″/5′5″ or whatever, but i’m assuming those are both older in real life and in canon as well, plus are talking about tim when he’s younger. 

someone claims that in current canon tim is 5’9”, 140 lbs instead of his current one of 5′6″ 125lbs,  which honestly makes the most sense to me bc of the below panel, but i cant find a reference. it says its from (Batman Family Vol 2 #5 page 2) but i cant find it?? so thats the only reason why that aint up there. what does back me up is the below tho--  ((from detective comics issue something or other. its part of the gotham knights arc, right after tim comes back from the ‘dead’ aka mr. oz)

cass is 5′5″. he is clearly taller than cass

btw. honestly he should be about 5′11″ here and in my original post on twitter i said he was 5′11″ bc of the nu52 batman beyond, but i don’t have a source for that and i cant find whatever evidence i had for that too.

BUT i know canonly tim ends up 6′0″ in multiple universes such as arkhamverse and future’s end (2016, the most recent rebirth version). so it makes sense tbh

damian will end up tall and stacked like his dad - nope. 

contrary to popular belief and fanon that is taken as canon, damian does not end up tall. 

(tall is relative but when you’re 5′4″ like me that’s tall ok)

i think the reason why so many people hc damian as becoming a big ol tank like his dad is because of batman in bethleham/666 universe and the heretic.

 there’s no given height for him in the 666!verse (but most people assume it’s tall i guess) and the heretic--who is not damian--is 7′4″. reminder the heretic was absolutely nerfed from birth to be a weapon; the same can be said for damian, but he wasn’t altered and dehumanized quite to the extent of the heretic. he also was intubated in the belly of a whale, people. he emerged Huge

in reality, according to the little canon we have about future universes, damian is... actually kinda small. injustice 2 puts him at 5′10″ / 177cm, the same height as canon dick grayson, and when i guesstimated his height in future’s end i got roughly the same thing. see below

bruce is 6′2″ so i made sure he was approx that height, giving me damian’s height of around 5′9″ish. the argument that this is a flashback tho and that he could have still grown (bc i dont think we know if he’s in his late teens/early 20s/stopped growing) i also grabbed a panel from the ‘current’ time aka 5 years in the future.

once again, same dealio except i moved damian down a little bit (a bit too far, actually) after matching bruce up bc they were both on an incline and--ignoring my mistake--damian once again is about 5′10″ish and very clearly not a tank like his dad. he has a body type more like his mama-- slim and lithe.

imo it’s a combination of the body types from his parents, his abusive childhood with the LoA, his multiple deaths and metal spine plus other long lasting injuries that stunt his growth. sure, he was meant to be the paragon of human perfection but, uh, ra’s didn’t account for Trauma points  

summary time, according to canon: 

tim is not teeny tiny. he is 5′6″ and will most likely grow up to be 6′0″. 

damian ain’t gonna be a tank. he’s gonna be 5′10″ at best and as you can see from the above, at the very least slim compared to his baba. 

references include: injustice 2, batman beyond (2016), nu52 future’s end, teen titans of tomorrow, detective comics, ultimate characters guide old + new 2019 edition

((yes i know canon can change + there basically is no real canon, yes i know artists interpret different characters differently and all the other arguments. i’m not saying that you can headcanon tim as small and damian as a future tank, what i’m saying is you can’t claim it’s canon when as of now it’s not.)) 

[verytiredowl]

A character analysation of IdV’s Bloody Queen

Bloody Queen AKA Mary is a hunter in the mobile/PC game Identity V. She is personally my favorite hunter because she is easy to learn but hard to master. Her backstory is something that has always interested me though, so i decided to compile my thoughts onto this one post.

Something i appreciate about IdV’s character roster is that some of them are based off of historical characters, and interesting ones at that. So expect a lot of history lessons and references that should be explained in order to understand a character fully (especially with Mary considering how there isn’t a lot shown about her backstory through promotional content, and im talking about stuff like the official website here).

With that in mind, let’s just get into it.

There is not a lot we know about Mary other than the fact that she is inspired from a mix of stories, those being about a French queen named Marie Antoinette and Bloody Mary. These two are used in seperate ways, Marie Antoinette’s story being used as heavy inspiration for Mary’s backstory and lore, while Bloody Mary is a visual/gameplay inspiration.

Mary’s description on her info page and on the official idv website is 

This is strange because it really tells little to nothing about Mary besides her being aware that the position of a queen means a lot of vulnerability. It also strikes me as weird because every other hunter has a fleshed out backstory being written under this tab. (With the exception of Guard 26)

So overall, the ground to work on is pretty small, we dont have a lot of info revealed to us, and therefore leaves her to be a character who loses a lot of potential on a writing stance.

Intro Video

Mary does have an introduction video, though, which explains the base of what happened to her Pre-manor. 

The video explains how Mary was the queen of a country that had a bad financial crisis which was so bad people couldn’t afford food (if we are sticking fully to the Marie Antoinette inspo, this was in the 1790′s) and the public felt as if Mary didn’t care enough to help her people, the citizens voted her to be beheaded under a guillotine. Truth be told, Mary was actually trying to help her citizens by giving them cake.

We have probably the most lore information about Mary from her deduction descriptions, which explain her career as a queen more in detail, about struggles she had and her situation in general.

Deductions

(Credits to u/mawile94 on Reddit for the images)

The first conclusion is clearly telling us that the king Mary married had a problematic family, and the king’s family probably only looked at Mary as someone who will keep the family’s name up, someone who will have a child with the king. (Also, dont get confused: Maria Theresia is Mary’s mother’s name, not her actual name.)

Mary used to spend a lot of time away from the palace in Petit Trianon, which is a manor located in Versailles. The secret letter tells us that Mary was egoistic, naive, and was kind of a glutton. The letter mentions how rumors are powerful, and are going to spread really fast once word comes out about the “incompetence” and lacking abilities witihin the royal family, which will eventually be Mary’s demise.

Princess Lamballe is once again a historical recreation of actual Priness Lamballe, a part of the Savoy House (Western EU country). In real life, Lamballe was actually the confidante (someone who you would discuss private matters with as a royal) of Marie Antoinette after her 1 year old marriage came to an end. IRL, Princess Lambelle dies along Marie Antoinette’s side as she gets killed in the French Revolution. 

The shameful secret can really only be assumed to mean that Lamballe was actually Mary’s secret affair, especially looking at how all evidence suggests that the actual royal family Mary is connected to seems to be a mess. Mary is kind of confirmed to be wlw from this deduction which is fucking cool, but this rumor mightve been what also caused Mary to be beheaded. (But, IRL, the king Artois considered Marie to be physicially unattractive or even smart enough for him, in contrary to him, where he apparently was attractive. He did end up making up with quite a number of mistresses. But let’s not get into a conversation about how unhealthy or toxic royal relationships were in the 1700′s)

this is obviously saying Lamballe is being replaced by the Yolande (Countess of Polignac) as her confidante. IRL, this happens because the Countess of Pilognac and Lamballe start having quarrels against each other, in which they try to win over the queen’s heart, and over time Marie ends up preferring Yolande’s company. But Lamballe feels as if Yolande was a bad influence on the queen, yet she could do nothing about it. The friendship between Lamballe and Marie remained regardless, and she constantly admired Lamballe’s loyalty toward her.  "She is the only woman I know who never bears a grudge; neither hatred nor jealousy is to be found in her." 

Mary finally has a child, and it is a girl. Here we see the reinforcement of Lamballe’s loyalty, but with this conclusion also being titled as a rumor, it is also telling that this is one of many reasons people will start getting suspicious of Mary’s possible affairs.  

This conclusion only leads me to believe that one of the several reasons why Mary was treated the way she was by the public was because of jealousy towards her life and the things she achieved at a young age. The description of the people who are spreading the rumors are bitter, sour people who take joy out of seeing the bad in successful people. Here is where it all goes downhill (as evident by the subtitle under the deduction title.)

We will once again need a little bit of a history lesson for this one:

Koblenz, first of all is a city in Germany. The reason why the French would ever think of even setting up anything in Germany was because of the French Immigrants, and the reason why the Germans were cool about this was because the archbishop-elector (one of the chiep bishop electors) was the uncle of Louis XVI-a persecuted king of France. Along with the refugees that entered the city, two of them was Louis XVI’s brothers: The Count of Provence and the Count of Artois. them, along with Louis XVI’s cousin, Prince Louis Joseph formed an army of aristocrats who would seek to fight for the Ancien Regimé (The name of the political and social system that was popular in France at the time.) In the meantime back in France, the Royal Family gave in and decided to adopt the  Constitutional Monarchy, which was very modern at the time. This deduction description just basically explains that this is where Mary and the royal family fucks up, i just thought it would be interesting to know what they actually meant by what they wrote.

Yolande has left behind the Royal Family and made a run to escape the country. If you’re wondering, at the start of the revolution Princess Lamballe was actually in Switzerland, but as soon as she got notified of the situation she revisited the royal family to aid them, and reassumed her position.

This letter in particular is pretty cut-and-clear: the intention of the revolutionists was to smudge the royal family’s name in the dirt once and for all. What real-life anti-monarchist propaganda would consist of at the time was promiscuous imagery of Lamballe and the queen as lovers to further “besmirch” the queen’s reputation.

This is just obviously hinting at the aftermath of the French Revolutions and also telling us the present (at the time the letter was written). Mary gets executed by the Guillotine, and-well we all know how the rest of the story goes.

Overall, Mary’s deduction story is just a short summarization of what actually happened before and during the French Revolution: it even added the details of how actually sketchy and corrupt the royal family within was, not just the dissatisfaction of the public. As a summary of what this meant for Mary, as the Hunter, she feels pure bitterness, and anger towards the citizens for the way they treated her and the people around her. And as we can see, there was no reference towards Bloody Mary what-so-ever, and the reason why that is is because according to the Chinese version of IdV (which is what the original game’s region/language is) Her name actually would translate to “Madame Red”, not Bloody Queen. I think it was just the translators having fun with words, and since her design is very similar to that of what a person would think Bloody Mary looks like, i guess it made sense to them lol

But regardless, we’ll still take a look at Mary’s design.

Mary’s design is simple compared to other hunter designs in IdV. A simple, ball gown which was originally white, but turned red due to Mary’s beheading, pools of blood dropped all over her body. Mary also used to have long hair, but assumed by the very broken looking locks of hair, her hair probably was cut down by the guillotine. Eagle-eyed people will also take notice to her neck, which is stitched back onto the rest of her body, which the designers wanted to include really bad since its prevalent even in concept sketches as well:

Mary’s gameplay design is based solely on mythologies about Bloody Mary, however, which makes things kind of confusing, but i guess thats what idv excels at the most lol

anyway, you’ve reached the end! if you have read this far, thank you so much, i put so much effort and research into this and i hope people will make good use of it. I also hope i made you more interested in playing mary and/or the French Revolution, lol  but thank you for reading this!!

references:

The Count of Artois and the Coming of the French Revolution by Vincent W. Beach 

The Princesse de Lamballe; a biography by Hardy, B. C. (Blanche Christabel)

My history textbooks

And wikipedia lol

[four-loose-screws]

FE8 Novelization Translation - Chapter 3, Section 1

If you would like to start from the beginning, read a missed part, etc., click here!

FE Game Script Translations - FE Novel Translations - Original FE Support Conversations

If you are interested in donating to support my work, please check out my Ko-fi here. Thank you!

———————————

I call this a “section” because it is not a separate part of the chapter in the book, but divided from the rest of the chapter by a scene break.

———————————

Chapter 3: The Stolen Bracelet

The Grado Army did not attack for a significant period of time, allowing Eirika and her army’s mountain journey to progress smoothly.

Whenever the soldiers began to look tired, they stopped to take a break. Eirika was impatient and, if it was possible, did not want to do so until they arrived at Renvall Castle, but she knew that would have an effect on the soldiers' morale. Though it frustrated her to stop, they really needed to rest. 

Two days after leaving Ide Village, while taking their evening break, Eirika stepped away from Seth, Garcia, and the others, who were all chatting, and went on a walk by herself.

The white moon was just starting to rise from behind the mountaintops. Talking with her allies was fun, but the moonrise was so beautiful that it made her want to get some fresh air.

Once she was all alone, she was unsurprised to find herself thinking about her brother. 'What is he doing now? Is he looking up at the white moon, just as I am?'

She knew well just how strong her brother was. She didn't think he could be captured or injured, but… considering the situation he was in, she was very nervous.

'Please let him be safe until we catch up to him…' She said to herself as if praying to the moon, while she continued walking along.

Suddenly, something bumped into her from behind.

"Eeek…!" The force of the impact almost made her trip.

"Whoops, sorry 'bout that!"

She heard a voice say with a laugh. It came from a man of small stature wearing a cape…  no, after getting a second glance at him, she realized that he must still be a teenager. The next thing she heard were his footsteps as he quickly ran away from her.

He was probably a traveler, and likely didn't notice her and bumped into her because it was starting to get dark.

"Are you alright, Lady Eirika!?" Seth rushed up to her. It seemed he'd worried when she vanished without a word, and came looking for her. 

"Yes, someone just bumped into me, is all."

Seth furrowed his brow and looked at her. "What happened to your bracelet?"

"My bracelet…?"

'It’s right here,' she raised her arm to say, but was instead surprised. The bracelet she should have been wearing was gone.

Eirika was at a loss. She had no idea when she might have lost it. Her father had given it to her when she was young and told her to treasure it, but because she was always wearing it, on the contrary, she was always unaware that it was there.

"Oh… maybe that man I bumped into earlier stole it? Everything happened so quickly…"

"We will chase after him." Seth said in a panic so very rare of him that Eirika held him back. "Wait! My bracelet certainly is precious to me, but we don't have the time right now. We should put saving Brother over thieves, shouldn’t we? Let's hurry!"

"No, that bracelet is…" Seth looked like he was going to say something, but they didn't have time for that, either. He looked in the direction the thief had run off in and said, "Either way, we must get it back. We will chase after him, Lady Eirika!"

He did not wait for her answer, instead returning to where the army was resting. He cut their break time short, and seemed determined to put all their efforts into chasing after the thief.

Eirika didn't understand how Seth could be acting this way. It wasn't like him at all.

The bracelet was certainly a valuable gift from her father, but their goal was to find Ephraim, and they likely had no time to waste. He was even cutting their break time short despite stressing how important it was...

Eirika didn’t know anything about the history of the bracelet. Since her Father worried about it so much, she figured it must be important to the royal family, and never asked about where it had come from.

But Seth might know. He was the man her father trusted most, so there was a chance her father would tell him something even she did not know.

'I'll ask him after we get it back, and he calms down.' Eirika decided, then chose to first chase after the thief.

-

"What dummy has a bracelet stolen right off their arm!? You must have totally spaced out!” Ross said in complete astonishment when he heard the news.

Franz came up from behind him and whacked him upside the head.

Eirika's face turned red with embarrassment as she tried to explain herself. "He bumped into me so suddenly that I couldn’t think… U-um, I certainly was careless, but…"

 "It's not your fault, Lady Eirika! That thief was just really good!" Franz angrily covered for Eirika.

Ross decided it was best to stop teasing her. "So it was a really good thief, huh? Then he musta been one of Bazba's men."

"Bazba…?"

They're a group of really violent bandits that causes a lot of trouble around here. I think they're the ones that attacked my village, too." Ross' face clouded over with regret. 

Garcia, who was beside him, continued the explanation. "Bazba's Bandits aren't just any old group of bandits. The guys that attacked Ide Village weren't very strong, but we can't underestimate them. Their numbers at the base will be great, so they will be a difficult foe to face."

"Then let's brace ourselves for a difficult fight." They decided that they would leave quickly while it was still night.

Along the way, they noticed a person standing by themself in front of their path.

They went on guard, in case this person was another member of the bandits, though they did not appear to be one. 

As they approached the person, they saw the face of a timid girl looking at them helplessly.

She carried a big bag on her back. To be traveling alone at this time, and in the middle of the mountains, was far too dangerous. 

Just as Eirika was about to call out to her, she timidly approached them, and looked up at Seth and Eirika, both atop his horse.

"Um… excuse me… would you happen to be… a mercenary group?" 

Her straight pink hair fell just below her ears. She was trembling with fear, so it was difficult to tell, but she seemed to have very cute features.

Eirika instinctively turned her attention towards the girl and asked, “Who are you?”

The girl looked at Eirika with pleading eyes, then suddenly screamed, "Please help me, I beg of you! I… I tried to stop Colm… but he wouldn't listen…! At this rate, Colm's gonna… Colm's gonna…!" Tears slowly welled up in her large eyes, making Eirika panic.

"Uh, um, please, calm down. I don't really know what you’re talking about… ‘Colm?’”

"Oh, ah, I-I'm sorry!" The girl wiped away her tears and began to explain.

"My name is Neimi. I lived in Lark Village near here."

"You lived there… what do you mean by that?"

"The village is gone. A group of bandits burned it down… and killed all of the other villagers… only two people made it out alive… me, and my childhood friend, Colm…"

"So Lark Village was destroyed too? Dammit…!" Ross had been listening in, and was enraged by what he heard.

Neimi wiped away more tears, signaling that she had been hit by another wave of sadness as she talked.

"My village was burned down, too. It was Bazba's bandits that did it."

"Oh… th-that's terrible. They're the ones who attacked my village, too. I heard their hideout is inside this mountain. So Colm… he said he was gonna take back the treasure the bandits stole, then went all by himself… E-Even though I tried to stop him! I told him it's dangerous! That his life is more important than treasure…!"

She seemed to be the type of person who cried easily, even under normal circumstances. And once she started crying, she almost couldn’t stop. Eirika felt lost, but wanted to do something to cheer the girl up. "The bandits stole something important from us, too, and we were just pursuing them. Surely we can help each other out!"

"R-Really!? Thank you! I can't save Colm all on my own… so I was waiting for someone who looked strong to pass by. Thank goodness… Oh, but, um, I don't have very much money, so I can't pay you and all your mercenaries enough…"

Ross answered faster than Eirika could. "We don't need anythin' like that! And we ain't really a mercenary group! This person is actually…"

"Anyway, let's go! Can you lead us there, Neimi?" Eirika frowned and glared at Ross.

Neimi was nothing more a random girl they'd crossed paths with, but Eirika still thought it best not to reveal her identity. She knew that if Neimi became associated with her, the princess, and Grado found out, Neimi would be in danger.

"Over here!" Securing help seemed to have calmed Niemi, as she continued down the mountain road with light footsteps.

‐

When Eirika's army heard the words "bandit hideout," they imagined something like a run-down shack, but it was actually a very impressive building.

It was a mansion made of stone built into the mountain. The bandits must have collected a large sum of money from their constant pillaging, as the hideout was so big and lavish that it could compare to the homes belonging to wealthy merchants that one might find in the middle of a town. 

"Neimi, please hide somewhere safe. We're going to break in and fight now." Eirika said.

Neimi began to fidget and answered, "Um… Actually, I was wondering if you guys would take me with you."

"What? But it's dangerous! This is going to be a very difficult fight!"

"I'm really good with a bow! Grandfather taught me how to use one when I was a child."

"Really?" Seth replied. 

Neimi continued to fidget, but nodded her head deeply.

"What do you think, Lady Eirika? Our army is lacking in archers. If she fights with us, then we'll have the abilities we need to win."

"That is a good point…" But Eirika was still nervous.

No matter how you looked at her, Neimi did not seem like she could handle combat. Would such a pitiful girl who cried so easily really be able to fight against bandits?

“Please let me come! I want to do something to help you!"

But when Neimi looked up at her with determination on her face, Eirika couldn't say no. She nodded and said, "Then please provide support from the rear line. Do not go anywhere near the front. You wouldn’t stand a chance in direct combat.”

"I-I understand! I'll do my best!" Neimi excitedly pulled something out from the bag she was carrying on her back.

"Whoa, that’s so cool!" Ross, who'd been peeking in on the conversation, whistled.

Neimi had grabbed a small bow and a quiver. They looked handmade, but seemed sturdy and well crafted. It was clear just by the sight of both items that they were well used and had been mended many times. "This is a momento from my grandfather. He was a very good shot." Neimi said while putting the quiver on her back, then readying her bow.

She was so energetic now that she seemed like a different person from the crybaby they'd met. She looked as ready for battle as any trained soldier would be.

Eirika was impressed, and was now sorry for underestimating her. If her grandfather had been such a good archer, then he’d probably taught her everything from the basics onwards, giving them more than enough reason to believe that she’d be a valuable addition to their army.

First, Gilliam led his unit of armored knights as the front line. They used their weapons to break down the front door in the blink of an eye.

The enemy had not thought in the slightest that they might be attacked by such a large group. The guards rushed towards them, but were immediately eliminated by the knights.

Eirika and the others flooded in through the doorway. The battle immediately turned intense.

Neimi's performance far exceeded Eirika's expectations. She shot arrows in rapid succession from behind the main army, wounding their enemies. 

The main army then rushed in and finished off their weakened foes.

"You're the real deal!" Neimi cheeks flushed red from Ross' praise.

When they had just about eliminated the first wave of enemies, Neimi suddenly gasped.

Eirika panicked and whirled around, thinking Neimi might have gotten hurt, but instead saw her rushing inside of a room. "N-Neimi!?"

There would likely be enemies inside. It was reckless for an archer, who couldn't fight in close combat, to go ahead all on their own.

Ross and Franz panicked and followed after her. Eirika defeated the last enemy in front of her and rushed ahead as well.

"Colm! You're safe, Colm!" Neimi shouted, then hugged someone rummaging around inside the room.

"Ack! Neimi!!" A young man with a stern face wearing a cape yelled out, sounding flustered. 

The sight of him made Eirika freeze in her tracks. 

She couldn't say it for sure, but… she had a feeling that he resembled the thief that stole her bracelet. It had been dark, and everything happened so quickly, but she remembered the silhouette of the thief's cape.

The man paid no attention to her, and started talking to Neimi. "What are you doing here!? Why would you just waltz into a place like this?"

"B-Because… I was worried about you…"

"You should worry more about yourself than me! Do you really think a group of bandits would do me in!?"

"B-But…  I met this group of mercenaries, and asked them to help. So we came here together…"

"Mercenaries? You're being dumb again…" The young man said in a sulking tone, then looked at Eirika and the others. The color drained from his face, and he leapt up a foot into the air. "Uwahhhhhh! Why did you bring them here!?"

"Like I said, they're a mercenary group! …I brought them here to save you…"

"I-I don't know! I don't know anything! ...A-Anyway, we can talk later. I’ve already taken back all the stolen treasure, so let’s get out of here!” His shivering was undoubtedly suspicious. 

"Are you…" Eirika walked up to him to confirm that he was indeed the thief.

However, the door opened right at that moment, and the bandits all rushed in to attack at once.

Eirika drew her sword and began to fight. The questioning would have to come later.

‐

The enemy's numbers were great, making for a tough fight, but Eirika’s army managed to win.

The room they’d fought in was now a mess of toppled chairs and crumbling walls, making for an unfortunate sight. In the corner was Neimi, who’d just caught Colm.

"Colm… I'm so happy you're safe… I… was so scared that I… couldn't stop imagining all the scary things that might happen…"

"Hey, you don't have to cry anymore. Look at this!" Colm pulled out something from within his cape and handed it to Neimi. 

She wiped her tears and gasped. "This is… my mother's mirror…"

"It's an important keepsake, isn't it? And it isn't broken! Lucky, huh?"

"Even though I'd already given up on it… you came all the way here just to get it back, didn’t you? You didn’t tell me the details why you left… s-so I didn’t know anything at all, and…”

"Hey, I told you to stop crying!"

From what bits and pieces everyone else heard, Colm and Neimi’s conversation seemed to be a happy one.

However, Seth came up to them and said in a stern voice, "There's something I must discuss with you. I want you to give Lady Eirika back her bracelet."

Colm shivered and looked up at Seth.

Neimi also looked up at him, curious. 

He seemed afraid to make eye contact with her, as he stood between them as he spoke. "Um, what are you talking about? Stop making stuff up… Whoa, hey, what are you doing!?" Colm saw Seth grab the handle of his sword, and jumped back. "Whoa! You’re messed up, man! I get it, I get it, I should give it back, right!?"

Seth lowered his hand.

Colm took the bracelet out from under his cape and reluctantly handed it over. "Look, I’m giving it back. Sorry, it was my bad."

"Why did you do something like that?"

"No reason… It's a pretty bracelet, and that girl wasn't paying attention to where she was going, so I couldn't help myself! That's all it was, I swear!"

"Colm! I can't believe you…!" Neimi covered her mouth with her hands, and her eyes widened. "You… you stole it? That bracelet? Colm, you've always stolen things, but at least the worst you did was take persimmons from my family's garden! Or so I thought! I never imagined you would do something this terrible…!"

"I-I just felt like it! I said I was sorry! I said it was wrong!"

With the bracelet back in the hands of its rightful owner, they no longer had any reason to stay at the hideout. Seth started to walk away from the two, but Colm called out to him from behind.

"W-Wait up! Hey, would you let Neimi and I go with you?"

"...What?"

"Our village burned down, so we’ve got nowhere else to go. Even if we try to work, there’s fighting goin' on everywhere. We'll become mercenaries, too, so please, take us with you!"

"Colm…" Neimi was shocked by Colm's sudden words, but she made eye contact with Seth and nodded forcefully. "I feel the same way! We don't have anywhere to go home to anymore. If we continue on this path and become nomads, Colm is sure to become a horrible villain that none can save!"

"...Hey!"

"Please! Please take us with you! We'll do anything!"

The two clung to Seth, and it was of course too much for him to handle. He looked up at the ceiling and sighed lightly. “Then you should try asking Lady Eirika directly. She’s the one you stole the bracelet from.”

“Lady Eirika? Whoa, that’s a really polite thing to call her.” A smirk spread across Colm’s face. “That girl is a higher rank than you? You guys are one weird group of mercenaries, to have a girl like that on top!”

“We are not mercenaries. I cannot tell you the details. You should hear them from Lady Eirika.”

“Yeah yeah, whatever you say…” Seth led Colm and Neimi to find Eirika.

‐

Eirika exited the dusty fort and took a deep breath of fresh air.

Seth had also left the fort, and came up to her with Colm and Neimi following behind him.

“Lady Eirika, I safely retrieved your bracelet.” Seth politely returned itto her, and she put it back on her wrist.

With her bracelet back in its rightful place, Eirika’s worries finally subsided with a sigh.

“Please be careful not to let it leave your possession ever again.”

Eirika could feel the extra weight Seth put into his tone. She stared at the bracelet and patted it gently. “Seth, what do you know about this bracelet? Maybe something my father told you?”

“About that… I guarantee that I will tell you when the time is right. It is still too early right now…” Seth’s words escaped his mouth hesitantly. He surely wouldn’t hide such information from her without reason.

Eirika concluded that the bracelet likely had a very deep meaning locked away within it, and nodded.

“I understand. But more importantly right now, Seth, is what those two are doing behind you?”

“They said they want to join us. What do you think?”

Colm and Neimi had listened to Seth and Eirika’s entire exchange with confusion on their faces. 

Colm picked up on the hint that it was their turn to speak, and said, “Hey, sorry about your bracelet. But you were in the wrong too! You spaced out while wearing such a valuable piece of jewelry!”

“Colm!” Neimi hissed, but Colm just shrugged his shoulders.

“You’re right, I do regret letting my guard down. I’ll be more careful from now on. The more important issue right now is, are you two serious about wanting to join our army?” Eirika asked.

“Yeah we are! You can’t argue against how useful my skills are, and Neimi may be a crybaby, but her archery abilities are the real deal. We’re sure to help you out!” Colm puffed up his chest and beat his fist against it.

This young man was an impulsive thief, and looked like he was a bit of a rascal, but didn’t seem to be a bad person. And Neimi had already proven her skills with a bow to them. Eirika didn’t have any objections to them joining her army.

“I’d be very happy to have you with us. But you still seem to misunderstand… that we are not mercenaries.”

“Huh? Oh yeah, that messed up guy said the same thing. So if you ain’t mercenaries, then what are you? Considering the circumstances, I wouldn’t care what you are, even if you're pirates or a traveling circus!”

“No, neither of those are it, either. I am the princess of Renais, Eirika. And this is my trusted retainer, General Seth. The soldiers serving me are members of the Frelian Army that the king lent to me.”

Colm and Neimi both stared at Eirika with their mouths wide open.

Eirika felt embarrassed, but didn’t really fully understand why, and started laughing awkwardly.

“The… princess?”

“Seriously…?” Neimi stumbled back a few steps and placed her hands on her cheeks. 

Tears welled up in her eyes, which once again flustered Eirika. She’d already gotten used to seeing Neimi cry, but still, she couldn’t help but feel as if she was the one who’d caused it this time. “Uh, um, there’s no reason for you to cry! Why are you…?”

“Colm stole the princess’ bracelet!? Are you going to execute him? Are you going to execute Colm!?”

“C’mon Neimi, don’t start worrying about things if you don’t know they’re gonna happen!” Colm yelled at the panicking and flailing Neimi, but he too seemed nervous, and looked at Eirika with trembling eyes.

Eirika couldn’t help but laugh. Her shoulders moved up and down as she shook her head. “No, you don’t have to worry about that! My bracelet was safely returned to me, so that’s all water under the bridge now. What I wanted to say is that, despite how we look, we’re an army, and we’re marching towards Grado territory. We’ll have to fight powerful enemies that bandits cannot compare to in strength. Are you ready to throw yourselves into such danger?”

Colm and Neimi looked straight at each other.

As one would expect from childhood friends, they could communicate their feelings to each other as if they were telepathic, and didn’t need to exchange words. They nodded in unison.

“Of course! The ones who originally ruined everything around here and caused the bandits to start attacking were the Grado Army’s soldiers, so…”

Colm nodded. “Yeah, I don’t like their way of doing things either! We’ll go with you!”

“Then let’s fight together!”

Afterwards, Eirika introduced them to the rest of the group.

The serious Franz, and others like him, could not accept the rude and thieving Colm at first, but changed their minds as they talked to him. Neimi was very shy, so she hid behind Colm in the beginning, but after Ross complimented her archery skills, she slowly became able to talk to everyone.

As Eirika was watching them from afar, Seth said to her, “People seem to gather around you, Lady Eirika.”

“...Huh?” She looked up at Seth in surprise. He looked upon Colm and the others, all laughing and chatting in high spirits, with kindness in his eyes.

“Both Garcia, who’d sworn off fighting forever, and Ross, and now these two new recruits… Everyone seems to be drawn to gather around you.”

"Surely they're not… We were just lucky and met them by chance…"

"Is that really the reason? You could also consider it to be not by chance, but by fate."

"Fate?"

"Lady Eirika, you have the power to attract and move people. It is different from both authority and military strength, and is a power all rulers should be born with, don’t you think?”

"I have no such power. Brother is the one who inherited it…" Eirika was completely taken aback.

When they were young, the one to attract people to them was her brother. Everyone naturally gathered around him and talked to him. On the other hand, she was quiet and always in his shadow when they were growing up. 

"You understand now, yes? That you, Lady Eirika, have strength that is as great as even Lord Ephraim’s... I have a feeling that in the future, many more people will appear before you time and time again, and lend you their strength."

"That's great and all, but… my power alone is so small. If I wasn't being saved by those around me, I wouldn't be able to fight…"

But though she said that, Seth's words were more reassuring to her than anyone else's would be.

That was what she truly felt in her heart, but could not bring herself to say. Instead, she blushed and looked away.