#sad it couldn’t be a healer brawl but it is what it is

[octopath-traveler-tourney]

and that concludes the semifinals !! the finale will be up tomorrow !!

[xiomarawinters]

Mummy Dust

@the-hobgoblins

Xiomara’s chest heaved as she leaned on the wall to gasp for air. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to force air into her lungs- to fucking breathe. She felt woozy, a side effect of being beat up by two strangers with her former boss standing by with a sneer on his face. Her eye was swollen and weeping, her lip was split, her nose was beaten. She looked like she’d gone in the ring with a fucking Hippogriff. Xi had no idea what to do. Where to go? Who to call? What happened now? She remembered the chilling warning, hissed into her ear:

Don’t show your fucking face here again, or I’ll peel it off.

Groaning, Xiomara clutched her stomach as she forced herself to stand and stumble away from the wall, out of the alley. Not looking where she was going, Xiomara literally ran into something- someone- and she stumbled back, raising a hand and shrinking away, certain that it was Mathis changing his mind. “No please I-”

She opened her eyes, frowning when she saw two oddly-dressed people in front of her. Xiomara squinted, it was difficult to see, but she thought she could make out the outline of two hedge witches who visited the Free Trader Beowulf Safehouse. There was a deep pounding in her head- Xi couldn’t remember their names for the life of her. They’d come with Piper. “I-I know you- Please don’t, I can leave, I’ll go- I just-”

Maeko was lounging on the bed in Oz’s room, puffing on a spliff while Oz hummed and swayed in uncoordinated circles in a pair of Dylan’s pleaser boots. ‘Practicing,’ he said, but Maeko had yet to see any improvement.

After some incident with Loxley that he was less than keen to talk about, he and Piper had gone to Professor Sprout’s farm to lay low for a little bit. Borgin and Burkes was unnervingly quiet without them.

“Mae?” Oz mused suddenly, looking out the window of the second floor bedroom into the empty alleyway below.

“Hm?” Maeko’s black-ringed blue eyes slid to one side to look at him.

“You remember that blonde bird? Looker…mean streak?”

“Who?” Maeko questioned with only mild interest, well used to her half-brother’s half-sensical high ramblings.

“From the safehouse. Tall famous snack of a boyfriend—used to be a gajillionaire.”

“Oh, sure. Xiomara Winters…she used to be in Tu—in Paxton’s house. At Hogwarts.” Maeko took a drag, blew it out, and then added, “…what about her?”

“She’s down in the alleyway, there—some goons givin’ her trouble, looks like…”

“What?!” Maeko stood up and stamped out the spliff, then hopped over to the window and peered down. Sure enough, there was Mathis watching with cruel amusement as Xiomara Winters brawled with two of his nastier-looking associates. “Motherfucking—that lowlife knows not to bring his shit near this building…”

Maeko was already pulling on some jeans and slipping her feet into shoes, and Oz followed suit by pulling off the boots and putting his bare feet into his loose high tops. “Oh goody! Are we rescuing damsels today?” He wrapped a shawl around his bare chest in lieu of a shirt, looking hopeful.

“Looks like it.”

They must have missed Mathis by mere minutes, which irritated Maeko, who had been hoping to give him a piece of her mind. They might have missed Xiomara too if she hadn’t run straight into Oz in her haste to flee the alleyway.

“Hey! Hold on there girlie, we’re not gonna hurt ya…” said Oz.

“Are you alright?” Maeko added, concerned. “Merlin’s balls, you look like shit…did they jump you, or something?”

“At least come inside and get cleaned up, maybe take a few PK’s for the road…us hedges gotta look for each other, don’t ya know?” Oz held out a hand toward Xiomara to help her up.

It wasn't until Xiomara heard their voices that she made the connection to their names- Maeko and Oz. Maeko she knew less about, but Oz? Fucking hell. They kept meeting. She reached up to wipe under her nose with her wrist to stop the bleeding. Xi flicked her gaze up to Maeko as she sniffed, trying to steady her breathing. "Old friends." Was the only explanation she gave, partly because she couldn't think of anything else- partly because she truly didn't know if or what curses Mathis had added while he'd stood there, watching her with a curled lip.

She shook her head at the offer, but did let Oz help her up. "If Mathis sees you let me in…" Xi warned, but she didn't have much of a choice, needing to lean on the hedge witch just to stand. 

They hobbled into Borgin & Burke's, Xiomara felt more and more ill with every step until she was helped onto a couch of some description. She slumped, leaning forward to rest her head in her hands to stop the pounding. Her head was pounding, she felt hot, sick, overwhelmed, like a fire was burning in her chest- not unlike the sensation just before she'd burst the door off its hinges with Loxley.

Trying to remember Howell's warnings, and her Healer's pleading to breathe, Xi tried, in her broken, bloody nose, then out her mouth, past her split lip. She shook.

Xi looked up at the two of them, blinking drearily. "Please don't tell Nate. Don't tell any of them. If Mathis finds the safehouse, he'll-"

Xiomara jumped when there was a sudden knock at the door and she leaned back on the couch, wincing.

Maeko arched a brow at Xi as if to say, you need some better friends, mate, but otherwise didn’t comment; people from Knockturn Alley never pried into other peoples’ business as a rule. When the woman stumbled against Oz Maeko reached out to steady her, too; if she couldn’t even stand on her own there was no way she was gonna make it out of here without some help. “…then he can shove off,” Maeko finished for Xi, dismissing any lingering question of them helping her, “His lot know better than to fuck with a Burke.”

It was a group effort getting Xiomara inside, and after she’d been sat down Maeko flitted around silently gathering a few things—some clean towels, some ice, a large glass of water. Oz gave her a worried look when she rejoined the pair of them in the parlor and Maeko knew he saw what she was seeing: this girl looked really fucked up. Like—more than just a scrap kind of fucked up. Maeko gathered some ice into a hand towel to form an ice pack and held it out toward Xi.

“Can I tell him a few other things, then…?” Oz murmured suggestively, and Maeko kicked his shin; not the time.

There was a knock at the door and Xiomara looked about ready to jump out of her skin. Maeko handed the ice pack to Oz, who offered it to Xi, while Maeko walked over and put a hand on the closed door and closed her eyes, feeling the disturbance in the old building’s intricate wards that were powered by the same blood that ran through her veins. After just a moment, she said nonchalantly, “Cops…” and then walked back toward the other two. One look at Xiomara’s face and she added, “…bloody hell, relax. It’s not like they can get in here.”

Oz, who was kneeling in front of Xi and filling another towel with ice, waggled his brows and added proudly, “We’re what the au-thor-i-ties like to call infamous…”

Xiomara took the makeshift ice pack and held it over the bruised eye, which was what hurt the most. She managed to shift the towel with her other hand to squeeze her nose to try and stop that bleeding, as well. From behind her towel-face Xi narrowed her eyes at Oz- if this was another fucking joke about him genuinely thinking she was a sex worker…

She was on edge at the knock to the door, terrified Mathis had seen Maeko and Oz let her in and despite Maeko’s reassurances… Xi was not very reassured. She’d seen what he could do. Felt it. Xi swallowed, wondering if she’d prefer Magical Law Enforcement or Mathis’s goons- neither, frankly. “I’m on probation,” She said lowly, explaining. “There’s no way they saw, though, right? Mathis had that place warded up like-” She winced, “Like crazy.”

Xi looked down at Oz, wincing and shifting how she held the ice pack. It was a bit like using a spray bottle to put out a wildfire- everything hurt. She still jumped when there was another sharp knock at the door, hated herself for it. The blonde squinted at the hedge witch in front of her, imagining him getting into any sort of trouble with relative ease. “Oh yeah? What’d you do?” She had to keep the conversation going to stop the fear that ran rampant through her veins. He’d found her, he’d found her. You’ll. Explode.

Maeko and Oz both nodded at Xi in unison, commiserating, looking unnervingly related. Maeko glanced at the door when there was a second knock, but otherwise didn’t respond at all, instead taking out and lighting a cigarette with an aloof air. 

Oz laughed, and stretched in his position on the floor until he was lounging half on the couch where Xiomara was sat and his legs were sprawled across the wood floor. He put his arms back, his head in his hands. “Morrigan’s Three Tits, what haven’t I done?” he began with a grin. “…bastard child whose mere existence was an offense worth keepin’ decades-old secrets, for starters…wasn’t allowed to learn magic like the lot of ya—but you know all about that, now, don’t ya? Well let me tell you somethin’—the safehouses on the Irish rounds aren’t so accommodatin’ as your Putney Palace with Mister Nathaniel Pinnock. You gotta do more than prove you can perform…if you want magic there, you gotta earn your keep. I did a lot of, ah…disreputable things, in exchange for spells. Turned tricks, traded drugs…lied, and stole, and cheated, and scrapped, and worse…” Oz sighed, and it was an odd combination of sad and wistful. Then he added cheekily, “…not to mention I spat in the face of a cunt at your Ministry not too long ago.”

Here, Oz looked expectantly at Maeko, who just shrugged and said wryly, “I’m…Maeko Burke.”—as if this explained absolutely everything. Which, to her, it did. But after about a minute of being fixed with Oz’s go on… eyes, Maeko gave a sigh of her own, and then continued in a slow, dreamy tone—as if recounting a past life—“What is there to say? You come from Knockturn Alley, with a name like mine, and it doesn’t matter what you done—people expect you to be a bad seed and somehow, they always turn out right. I snuck out of school in fifth year to go to a protest, turned into a riot. My wand at the time was a family heirloom, or some shit, and when I did some dark magic with it to protect myself it—turned against me. Fucked with my head, took over…made me almost kill my best friend before I snapped it in half. In sixth year my parents were involved in a plot to assassinate the Hogwarts Headmistress, and I was nearly forced into being their accomplice. And when they were shipped off to Azkaban, instead of leaving it all behind like I always swore I’d do, starting over, I came back here to live in this shithole—my grand fuckin’ inheritance—and those bastards out there are just waiting for me to do something really nasty, so they can justify what they���ve thought about me all along. As if I’d ever give ‘em the satisfaction…so look, just because your family, or the Ministry, or the entire fuckin world, or you your own damn self have backed you into a corner? You don’t have to be what they’ve written you off to be. It’s your choice. And keeping people constantly guessing about just what it is you’ll do next? It’s fun. Now…” Toward the end of this speech, Maeko had moved to stand in front of Oz and Xi; she handed Oz her cigarette and then pulled out her wand and pointed it at Xiomara’s face. “…hold still. Episkey.” Xiomara’s broken nose healed just as there was another knock at the door.

Xiomara frowned lightly, listening to the stories of each of the hedge witches in front of her. She overheard them at the flat sometimes- most hedges came with a story, most magic bloomed in adversity. While Maeko and Oz were unique, like every other hedge witch, their stories were uncomfortably familiar. All intertwined. And Oz’s former affiliations explained a lot about why they’d run in the same circles so often. She thought about bothering to explain to Oz that the hedge circle wasn’t hers or Nate’s, she wanted to explain the Free Traders as best she could, pieced together from Nate’s nonsensical rambling-- or maybe even ask more about Maeko’s story, dig in, ask why she’d never heard of it-- but Xi was still just…. Coping with what had happened. She could listen and that was about it. 

The ice was melting in the summer heat, Xiomara moved the ice pack just as Maeko approached her and pointed a wand at her fucking face. Her eyes widened and Xi froze, even if the witch hadn’t instructed her to stay still she would’ve been frozen on the spot out of pure fear. The sensation of her nose being fixed was painful and she groaned, leaning forward to clutch it and swearing. She eyed the door with a glower and then picked up a fresh handful of ice, wrapped it in the towel then put it against her eye. “Thanks.” She commented. Their stories had done remarkably well at distracting her from the current, shitty situation. 

Her phone vibrated against her thigh and she squinted, looking down at it, genuinely surprised it hadn’t short circuited because of the magic in the- a blip, and the phone screen went black. Well. Spoken too soon. She put the phone back in her pocket, against the pack of cards she’d bought for Nate that morning, and then leaned back in the couch, her hand moving up to dangle over her newly-fixed nose. Xi trembled, giving a shaky breath out. “... Any chance I could borrow a cigarette?”

---

Xiomara didn’t know when she’d fallen asleep. It had to have been the early hours of the morning. Mae fell asleep long before she and Oz had drifted off. Oz and Xi spoke quietly, she could see him itching to touch her, to cuddle, but he kept his hands firmly to himself, even sat on them at one point. They traded war stories. Hummed songs. Smoked. Smoked a lot. 

It seemed that she’d only just fallen asleep when her phone buzzed to life again and she started, blinking rapidly and reaching for her phone, studying the screen. Nate. Merlin, he was probably laying a fucking egg by now… Xi reached up to rub her eyes and then hissed at the painful sensation. She put her phone on mirror mode- fuck, it looked bad. She locked her phone immediately and put it in her pocket, then pushed herself to stand. She was wobbly, all limps and sighs just to get to the front door. She had to get to Nate before he did something stupid out of worry.

Xiomara had barely opened the front door a crack before two wix in green robes pushed into the home. She stumbled back, tripping over some sort of metallic artefact that fell to the ground with a spectacular bang. “You- You need a warrant to be in here!” She thought she was talking evenly, calmly, but it sounded more like a shriek.

“No. We don’t. There are two and a half criminals in this property, you were seen fleeing a crime scene, and you two-” The wizard looked up, finding Maeko and Oz now standing, “Aided a person fleeing said crime scene. So, we have due cause not only to enter the property, but given you’re on parole, we can search you at will. As well.”

Xi folded her arms, stepping back from the Aurors. “You can fuck off.”

“Here I am, conducting a search.” The second auror said loudly, patting over his own pockets with a hum. He spoke through the contents of his pockets- a packet of gum, a quill, a train ticket- and then, he pulled out a small plastic baggie, with what looked like vacuum cleaner lint inside. “And- oh, dear. Xiomara, is this Mummy Dust?”

Xiomara was stunned. Genuinely, actually in fucking shock. She blinked stupidly, looking back at Maeko and Oz with her mouth half open. “... Are you… Is this a joke?”

“Xiomara Winters, you’re under arrest for breaching the terms of your parole, and being found with a prohibited substance.” She put her hands up, stepping back and away from them.

“Are you fucking kidding me? Are you- Are you for real?” Xi still could not comprehend it. He held up the bag, waving it a little, and then stepped forward, removing his wand from his sleeve. She barely had time to register what the fuck was going on over Maeko and Oz’s loud protests, before her arms were pinned behind her back with a swish of the Auror’s wand. Maeko stepped forward, bless her, but then the wand was pointed at her-

Xiomara blinked uncomprehendingly, mouth still popped open in shock before she was being spun, and apparated out of Borgin & Burkes. 

Maeko had fallen asleep curled up like a cat in a tiny fetal-position ball on an armchair, while Oz had dozed sitting up, with his head resting on a cushion of the loveseat on which Xiomara was curled with her legs up and bent at an angle. It was a peaceful scene—for half an hour, maybe. An hour tops. 

And then Maeko let out a cry of pain as she felt someone force entry through the wards on her home, without her explicit invitation; a loophole. She jumped to her feet, clutching her side, and Oz startled to the noise and scrambled up, protectively. The pair of them looked at each other and then heard voices in the entryway; Xiomara. Maeko shook off the pain and scowled, grabbing her wand and marching into the room where the commotion was, with Oz trailing close behind her.

Maeko came in on the offensive, with her wand raised threateningly. “Oi—you fuckin’ pigs have no right to—”

“I’d hold your tongue if I were you, Miss Burke…” one of the robed wizards cut her off dismissively, “…you’re a person of particular interest in this precinct, and my partner and I would just love to be the ones to finally bring you in—they’d probably give us a medal ’n everything.”

That did shut Maeko up for the moment, but she didn’t lower her wand at all, and continued to glare at the clearly corrupt officers as they performed their ‘search’ on Xi. She glanced over at Oz and saw him looking on wide-eyed and helpless, wringing his hands. There were specks of dust swirling around him in an unnatural way, and when he met Maeko’s gaze she shook her head at him and mouthed silently, no… Oz’s magic tended to be unstable and unpredictable, and now was definitely not the time for any kind of erratic outburst. 

But then Xiomara was being roughly restrained, and both Maeko and Oz’s attention returned to her; Oz said loudly, “Get your fuckin’ hands off of her—” while Maeko, at the same time, growled, “Oh like fucking hell you think we’re just gonna let you—”

Maeko stepped forward, and was about to fire off the first spell that came to mind, when in a blip the intruders were gone, along with Xiomara. Oz emitted a pained, defeated sort of sound, while Maeko shook with rage, before forcing herself to slowly lower her wand. 

She turned to face Oz, and he said, “What now?”

Maeko shook her head, not seeing anything they could do. But then, after a moment, she had a thought; “We…we should go to Putney…” Oz cocked his head at her, and Maeko added, “…we should go to Xiomara’s safehouse and talk to that prick, Nathaniel Pinnock. About what went down.”

[bubbleshowerlalalala]

Longing (Byun Baekhyun)

Disclaimer: I do not own the attached picture, and please excuse any spelling or grammar mistakes.

Warning: Small mentions of alcoholism.

Pairing: Mafia!baekhyun x Surgeon!reader

Genre: Mafia au. Angst, fluff and slight smut.

Word count: 4.5K

Summary: Things with your boyfriend went askew, wanting nothing more than to see him again he came back to you in a state you dreaded more than anything.

Another day has passed without hearing from him, and with the way you both parted you couldn't help but think of the worst. After all, its been around seven months since you last saw him. The air seemed to be tight around the headquarters these days, but you couldn't show any signs of weakness as you are a very vital member in the organization.

You had just finished stitching up two members that had 'just a brothers brawl' which ended up with a broken nose and some bruises. Sometimes you think they all just liked getting bruised and scarred.

Yeri, your sweet apprentice, seemed to notice your gloom even though you didn't tell her anything, told you that she was going to hold a picnic in the west garden today since Joy and Seulgi returned from a mission recently. You dressed yourself in a plaid summer dress, you thought that wearing a cute attire might lift your spirits or keep your mind off of Baekhyun for a moment. Irene and Wendy were also joining as there weren't any threats on the system and Luna told them it was okay to take the day off.

"Come on lets go, the snacks and drinks are already there. Plus I got you you're favorite iced tea!" Yeri chirped as she linked arms with you on your way out to the garden. You chuckled and held onto her arm "You're the cutest, do you know that?" Yeri is like the little sister you never had.

Soon Irene, Joy, Seulgi and Wendy joined you together at the garden and honestly what you might have needed all this time was spending time with your friends like this. Just as Joy was telling you about what happened at the club during their mission, familiar black vans and cars started pulling up the gates of the west garden, and people you recognized started running out of the cars to help the injured get into the base. In the midst of all the yelling and running, your breathe hitched in your throat and you felt your heart drop to your stomach as you saw the one thing you dreaded most.

Baekhyun knocked out cold and drenched in blood.

The sight of his injured body drenched in blood, in the arms of a running panicked Chanyeol was going to be engraved into your mind forever. Suho came in after them yelling, "Get [Y/N]! We need her right now!" His white shirt was tainted in blood, and scattered bruises painted his face but that didn't seem to stop him from running right after Chanyeol.

The sound of your name being yelled broke you and of your trance, and you took Yeri's hand and started running into the building to the medical wing without saying anything. You had to focus on one thing right now and it was saving Baekhyun's life. The medical wing was the nearest building to the west garden gates, that's why Suho must have chosen to get the vehicles pulled over out here. There must be a significant number of injuries.

"Yeri can you take care of Suho and the others?" You asked her as you reached the medial wing and started to disinfect to get ready for Baekhyun's surgery. "Yes but you need help with Baekhyun" she insisted as she tied up her hair and started disinfecting the tools.

Sunny and Winwin came in from the entrance pushing Baekhyun on the wheeled stretcher, with Chanyeol and Suho right behind them. Krystal, Doyoung and Jeno started mending the mildly and conscious injured members along with Yeri. As Winwin pushed Baekhyun into the operations room, Suho approached you but before he could say anything you turned away.

"[Y/N]-" Suho called after you but you just went in the operations room. "Now is not the time Suho, go get treated now." Sunny told him before going into the room too. It took both Yeri and Jeno to usher Suho on one of the beds to get treated, Chanyeol just quietly followed after, but kept looking at the operations room's door. The light switched on red to indicate the operation was in session, and even though the members were in pain and the healers were treating them they were all praying for Baekhyun's recovery.

▪︎°▪︎°▪︎°▪︎°▪︎

Baekhyun woke up in the recovery room, it was really bright for his eyes as he felt super groggy but could see that there was no one else in the room but him. He felt disheartened that he didn't find you by his side when he woke up like always, but that did seem farfetched with how things were left between you. He missed you so much and he just wanted to apologise and hold you in his arms and never let go. But there was this voice that tells him that maybe you wouldn't forgive him, or that maybe you had moved on.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Sunny came into the recovery room and broke his train of dark thoughts. "Never better," he smiled but instantly regretted that as the stiches across his cheekbone burned. Sunny had a lot to say to Baekhyun but chose to stay quiet only because he's very frail and honestly, looked so sad right now. While Sunny was checking his vitals and putting in a new iv bag for him, Baekhyun broke the silence. "Where's [Y/N]?"

"Baekhyun if she wanted to talk to you, she would've stayed by your side like always." That statement stung Baekhyun's heart, he just wanted to make things right again. "I didn't want to bring it up, but [Y/N] has been so quiet since you left, she's been drinking stronger than usual too. And today after your surgery she immediately left to her room and locked herself there, just so she wouldn't breakdown in front of us."

Baekhyun looked down and sighed. "Thank you, Sunny. I'm sorry." Sunny softly smiled and gently cupped the side of his face, "It's not me who you're supposed to apologize to, Baekhyun." she said as she got up and left him alone in the recovery room.

Baekhyun leaned back and closed his eyes, he knew that the love of his life was hurting all this time and he couldn't stop her pain. What he did was wrong yes, but he didn't think the mission would take seven months. What he had in mind was a short mission, then he would come back, beg for your forgiveness and kiss you, and hopefully you would kiss him back.

But unfortunately that Baekhyun type of thought process was far from reality.

His right hand was connected to the IV, and his left was broken at the wrist plus he was sure there were bullet wounds or broken ribs to explain the chest pains he was feeling. But that wasn't going to stop him from looking for you. Gripping the IV pole for support he got his legs, leg by leg, out of the bed. He soon got into a sitting position and took a deep breathe as slowly as he could to minimize his pain. Baekhyun knew to stand up as slowly as he could so he wouldn't pass out. As he managed to stand up and go for the door, he started his way to your room and hoped your door would be unlocked as he just wanted to collapse on any bed.

Just as Baekhyun left the recovery room, he felt the strength fade from his legs. He saw Jeno on the end of the corridor, it was like an angel was sent to save him.

"Hey! Jeno! I need your help." Baekhyun almost cried out as he saw his guardian angel. His right arm was aching from supporting his body. "Baekhyun what are you doing you're supposed to be in bed!" Jeno exclaimed and opened one of the wheelchairs folded at the side. "I'm strapping you to the bed,"

"No! I have to see [Y/N], you have to take me there" he said almost too quickly as Jeno made him sit down. "Please." He added as Jeno started pushing him towards the recovery room. With that plead Jeno stopped pushing the wheel chair. "If I take you to [Y/N], will you promise that you guys are going to make up?" He asked. Baekhyun felt a little embarrassed that almost everyone in the organization, even the younger members, has news about what happened between him and [Y/N].

"Yes, I want to go and apologize to [Y/N]." Baekhyun told him seriously. With that Jeno gave him a smile that could melt ice and purify the world from pollution, and started heading out of the medical floor and to [Y/N]'s room.

Her room was surprisingly unlocked and empty, there wasn't any noise coming from her bathroom too. Jeno pushed Baekhyun inside, "Do you need anything else, Baekhyun?" He asked before leaving. "Jeno, I seriously owe you a favor. Just tell me anything you want and its yours." Baekhyun sincerely told Jeno as he slowly got off the chair while holding the IV pole for support to get on the bed. "Get well soon, Baekhyun." Jeno chuckled as he left the room and closed the door behind him.

Heart pounding in his ears, Baekhyun lied down with a groan, his head started pounding and he needed some aspirin. He roamed his eyes across the room looking for some, he did find some aspirin on her desk table, along with empty bottles of bourbon beside it.

"Fucking hell.." he sighed with a swore, he didn't really want to get up for the aspirin as he felt his eyelids get heavier. 'I'll just stay here until she comes' he thought as he lost consciousness.

▪︎°▪︎°▪︎°▪︎°▪︎

The air was tense as the older generation and high rank members of the organization gathered at the meeting table. An attack to the headquarters happened a few days ago from a rising and much smaller organization. There were fatal injuries and property destruction as it was a surprise and strategically planned attack. Most of the skilled fighters were out of the headquarters on that godforsaken day, which lead to the number of injured memebers and plant damages the organization currently suffers.

Suho was furious as he felt responsible, even though there were older members around like Leeteuk and his group. But as he was the heir to the organization, he took full responsibility. He called out an emergency meeting to all the council members from all of the branches around the region.

"They really thought they could attack us like this, on our property? Our headquarters?" Key scoffed.

Your role and rank were both high in the organization, you were one of the few surgeons in the entire organization and Suho's parents were your godparents. Your real parents passed away in an accident when you were young, and were from the older generation of this organization. Suho's parents were your godparents since you were born and took it upon themselves to treat you as their own daughter since they owe your parents their lives.

"We have to fight back. This is our territory and they thought they could take us on. To attack us when our main base was empty is cowardly and foolish. And now, they will pay." Amber declared from beside you.

Some members opposed some agreed, but they all started arguing and you stopped listening as you were thinking about checking on Baekhyun as soon as this meeting finished.

Baekhyun was one of the few fighters left to protect the headquarters from the surprise attack. He and the few other members did manage to secure the base and beat the attacking gang, but not without suffering fatal injuries. Thankfully his injuries weren't life threatening but he need a long while to recover. You just wanted to go back and check his vitals again even though you just did before coming to the council meeting.

"We are going to attack them in two weeks, they wouldn't see it coming but we need participation from all of the groups." Suho looked over Leeteuk, Key, Amber, Yunho, Hyoyeong and Taeyong.

Everyone was in favor of fighting back and you were about to raise your hand in favor too but what he said next stopped you, "Of course, all members of my group are needed with us."

"Excluding Baekhyun." You said more of a statement than a question. Suho gave you a hard look, he knew this wasn't going to be easy. You stared back at him, unwavering, and felt everyone's eyes on you two.

"I need him, [Y/N]." He said shortly, clearly he didn't want to argue with you not when he has to think of an ambush plan and sort out all of the preparations. What you were asking for wasn't unreasonable, Baekhyun was still on bed rest, he suffered many injuries including a bullet wound to his shoulder which ruptured his tendons. You needed to be there for his rehabilitating exercises and even if he didn't have fatal injuries, taking him to fight in a couple of weeks is basically murdering him.

Everyone else had left the room after sensing the tension between you and Suho. They thought preparing for their upcoming battle would be better than sticking around the council room to watch you guys fight.

"Have you seen the state of him, Suho? He'll die." You found it hard to control your breathing and walked over to where Suho was standing. "[Y/N] he's one of the best fighters in this entire organization, he has to be there." Suho spoke to you in a low voice, but you could tell he was nowhere near calm.

"He can't move his shoulder, Suho."

"Lay will be there to help him out."

You couldn't believe how stubborn he was being right now, "You know how he is, how he throws himself on the line he'll die if he fights this fight!" You're voice was raising with each word. And you were pretty sure anyone outside the room would be able to hear. "You feel responsible and guilty for what happened and I know you want to fix things, but this is insane Suho!"

"He needs to be with us!" Suho slammed his hand on the table. The sound slapped through the entire room. "God dammit, [Y/N]!" He pinched the bridge of his nose and walked away from you, if there is anything Suho hates, its fighting with you.

You stepped back and tried to even your breathing, you needed to think rationally in all of this insanity. "You won't touch him before he's healed." You turned around and left the room.

Days had passed since the meeting, and Baekhyun was well enough to leave the medical wing to stay in his room. He still couldn't do basic routines without any help as his shoulder still needed a lot of care. He still joked around with everyone else, but you knew he was frantic deep down as he wanted to prepare for the upcoming battle alongside of his group members. Suho came into Baekhyun's room later that day to get into the bottom of things. "Have you told [Y/N] that you're leaving with us?"

Baekhyun was in fact going with everyone else, when he had told you that he'll stay with you until his shoulder got better. He knew it was a douche thing to do, lying to you, but he just couldn't stay in the headquarters when everyone else is going to battle. And he thought, by the time his shoulder healed, the battle may be won without him taking part in it. And that seemed to be the worst case scenario for him even if it had meant lying to you.

"No."

"Are you serious? Baekhyun you should tell her the truth, you can't just leave her without-"

"She'll understand." Baekhyun cut him off. He was sure you'll understand, you were all mafia after all.

▪︎°▪︎°▪︎°▪︎°▪︎

You walked into your room and saw Baekhyun sleeping on your bed. You had a feeling something like this might happen as you weren't the first thing he saw when he woke up. Seeing him lying on your bed like this reminded you of the last day you saw him. He promised he would stay, but you woke up to an empty bed. You were so disappointed that he lied to you, thinking that your relationship was transparent and mature for something like that.

You wanted to kick him out of your room but his current state just broke your heart. Sitting on the side of your bed you checked his vitals, and noticed that the IV bag was empty.

Baekhyun woke up and his breathe was caught in his throat as he saw you removing the IV cord from his hand. You're as beautiful as he remembers, and you still smelled like heaven to him. He still remembers how his heart raced like a school boy whenever you passed by him and the smell of your perfume would make him think about you for days.

You still treated him like he was made of glass like always. "I missed you." He said in a raspy voice and held onto your hand. "You weren't in the recovery room when I woke up." He pouted and brought your hand to his lips. You gently took your hand back, "You were supposed to stay in the recovery room, Baekhyun." How he missed hearing his name coming out of your mouth, you couldn't imagine.

Seeing you stand up made him panic, "Wait! Don't go!" he croaked. "I know we need to talk but can't we put that on hold for a second?" He pleaded. Watching him plead in his injured state just wrenched your heart, you were just so thankful he was alive. "I was just getting the ointment," you softly told him and sat down again on the side of your bed. Gently dabbing the anti-biotic on the stitched wounds that went over his left cheekbone and the bridge of his nose. His face was really colored with bruises too.

You felt your eyes watering the more you looked at his injuries. You could barely stop the internal bleeding when he came in, if he was any moment late you wouldn't have been able to save him. "Don't cry [Y/N], I'm fine." He lifted his hand to stroke your cheek. "You saved me like you always do." He looked into your eyes. Your tongue wet your lips and you swallowed as you held onto your tears. You gently pushed his hair back out of his face, and Baekhyun closed his eyes and nuzzled into your palm.

"Please lie with me," he said with eyes closed. You were so mad at him and wanted to punch him so bad, but right now you were so grateful he was breathing in front of you. Sighing, you gently lied down next to him, and he slowly tried to put his head on your chest but you stopped him. "You have to lie on your back." You took him by his shoulders and put him back on the pile of pillows you made for him.

"But I want you to hold me," he whined a tad too loudly for an injured person. He had always been a difficult patient, but you always put up with him. You complied, and lied onto your side, facing him so he wouldn't whine anymore.

"Your hair got longer," he looked at you.

"I'm still mad at you." You stated bluntly even though you obliged to his every need. "You lied to my face, Baekhyun." Your heart ached looking at his busted form, but you still remember how it hurt to be lied to by the person you love the most. Baekhyun tried getting on his side, as much as he could, "What I did was really shitty, I'm the worst boyfriend ever [Y/N], I know, I wish I was more considerate and brave," he took a shaky breathe and held your arm, resting it over his waist. "I was really scared. I'm really sorry [Y/N]."

What you didn't know was that since you both parted, Baekhyun regretted not being open with you and telling you everything he was feeling and thinking. The amount of regret was compiling each day, and he was about to compromise their location multiple times by trying to send you apology letters. Only wishful thinking of you kissing him as soon as he came back is what kept him going. He held onto your arm and you knew he was trying to stay awake but drowsiness got the best of him. You thought about leaving but you stayed and held him as he slept.

▪︎°▪︎°▪︎°▪︎°▪︎

If you had a penny for every time you took a bullet out of your friends' bodies, you'd have enough to get your own private island. You jotted down another glass of bourbon and rested your head in your hands. The bar was empty, which was a perfect time for you to wallow in your self pity. You knew being a doctor was hard, but being your friends' private doctor and constantly seeing them in critical condition was the absolute worst.

Your late parents' only condition to comply to your wish of studying medicine was if you become the organization's private surgeon. It would be safer than working in a hospital, they insisted. They sure didn't know the mental toll that came with it. And you just couldn't help but think of the day when you wouldn't be able to save someone's life.

What would you do then? How would it feel to hold their lifeless form?

"Drinking hard tonight?" A playful voice that you very much knew broke you out of your darkest thoughts. Baekhyun sat on the stool next to you. He had just kissed you and told you that he 'really really liked you' for the first time yesterday, and even though he seemed confident, his palms were clammy on your waist. You've always thought that Baekhyun was very cute, and your heart swelled with so much happiness when he told you that he liked you too.

"Yea I couldn't sleep," you hummed.

"Well you should've come to my room," He winked and took the half full glass out of your hand. He always thought it was cute with how you gave little hints that you liked him better than the other members. Like how you gave them all plain band-aids but only gave him the band-aid with characters.

Perching his elbow on the bar, he put his warm hand on your cheek, "A frown doesn't suit your face, babe" he said tenderly. Whenever you found yourself drowning in darkness, Baekhyun always came in and brought the light to you. He got off his stool, "Come on, I'll make you tea and then we'll cuddle,"

Baekhyun helped you off the stool but you stumbled and put your arms around his neck. He swallowed as you pressed your chest against his and looked at him with half lidded eyes. You figured that you should make the most out of every moment you have as they might be the last moments you share.

"Baekhyun," your lips hovered over his, you smiled and pressed your lips onto his. You kissed his lips slowly, wanting to savor this moment forever. But Baekhyun groaned as he found it hard to take it slow and pulled you closer, if that was possible, by your waist; his strong grip caused you to gasp and that gave him an opening to dominate the kiss with his tongue. You broke the kiss with a huff, and he began kissing the side of your face until he reached a spot under your jaw and started sucking. You let out a shaky breathe as he sucked harder and his hands traveled south, gripping your ass to tease you more. He released your neck with an audible pop, and licked the tortured spot teasingly one last time.

Gripping his ruffled hair, you pulled him back to your face to kiss him again. Kissing you back strongly, he surprised you by lifting you in his arms. As you let out a surprised gasp, he giggled and nuzzled your forehead. Putting you down on one of the back sofas, he put himself between your legs, making sure one of his knees were so close to your core. Looking at you under him, lips swollen and breathless, you were the prettiest thing he'd ever seen. He was truly the happiest when he was with you.

"I love you, [Y/N]." He smiled before kissing you again.

▪︎°▪︎°▪︎°▪︎°▪︎

The next few days were peaceful. Baekhyun for once didn't make things difficult for you or anyone working at the infirmary. He was so happy to have you back, he didn't want to step on your toes or upset you anymore. Afterall, he thought you would've dumped his ass. He also promised you to be completely open with you about everything, you knew that it would take time but appreciated him challenging himself like that.

Suho came in a few days ago to clear the air between you two, he brought a bouqet of lavender Hyacinths, apology flowers he called them. Of course, Suho had always been so dramatic with everything, growing up with him has been so eventful. There wasn't really anything to clear except that he knew Baekhyun lied and kept quiet. You also wished he would listen to you more and not make headstrong decisions.

You knew Suho never meant to hurt you in any way, and you had to understand that being in his position at a considerably young age is pretty tough. But happily, he told you that they 'showed the other gang who's boss' and you pretty much knew what that meant.

Baekhyun knocked at your office door even though it was open, he entered and sat on Yeri's wheeled stool and wheeled himself to your chair. "We're taking off the stitches today right?" He asked hopefully.

You smiled and rolled your eyes, day after day he whined about the stitches ruining his pretty face. "You know, I kinda like them on you," you mused as you put on your gloves and started to disinfect the scissors and tweezers. He pouted his lips and hummed as he took a close look at your desk mirror, "Huh. Maybe it makes me look tougher," he wondered. You wheeled him back to your chair by your leg, "Baby, you could never look tough your face is just too cute," you stated matter of factly, cutting the thread that sewed up his skin together.

"Yea my cute face makes you scream my name at night- AH!" He yelped as you purposefully pulled the thread quickly. "Sorry, I didn't catch that." You told him innocently.

"Ah, [Y/N]!" He whined loudly as you laughed. Honestly its been a while since you had a good and genuine laugh. Baekhyun smiled as he watched you laughing, the most beautiful sight, he thought. He rested his unbroken hand on your waist, "[Y/N], do you forgive me?" He asked seriously as he looked into your mesmerizing eyes.

You knew he learned from his mistakes as his lie had a big toll on both of you. You know that people make mistakes and learn from them to grow and become better people, and Baekhyun seemed to learn his lesson this time. Not to mention, you just loved this boy to death and couldn't bare to part with him.

"Yea,"

As soon as you replied he started attacking your face with kisses while saying I love you multiple times. He stopped as he reached your lips and lingered them over yours, as if asking for permission. You cupped his face with your gloved hands and pulled him to your lips, kissing him for the first time since he left.

You knew the days coming on weren't going to be all sunshine and rainbows, but your boy is enough sunshine and rainbows to your life.

[theshatteredrose]

You know, you are an inspiring person. Not just because of the passion put into your stories, but also because you can continue to do so even with shitty people sending you hate! On another note, what wuold be some pet peeves for your lovely guys?

Aww, thank you~ ❤ You’re so lovely too! I refused to be scared off from something I love and enjoy. I can also be rather stubborn at times ^^ I love the eo series too much to quit so rest assured that I will continue to write about my lovely characters as much as I can~

Now, onto my babies’ pet-peeves. Here we go~

EO2/Untold2/Guardian Guild

Lynus - Not so much a pet-peeve, but an outright intolerance for; others taking medics for granted or abusing them. For example, a guild who boasts about not needing a medic/healer or a guild cornering a medic/healer and demanding free healing from them. Also people who doesn’t respect his opinion because it doesn’t match theirs

Axel - misunderstandings that lead to fights or brawls. For fuck sake, just talk to each other!

Jhon - people who always find something to complain about

Tobyn - people chewing with their mouths open; that drives him nuts

Macerio - those who think they’re funny, but totally aren’t and yet are always making ‘jokes’

Lirit - unnecessarily loud or obnoxious breathing

Shen - when people ask stupid/dumb questions and get pissy when he give them rightly stupid answers

Magnus - people who are loud in places where you are meant to be quiet

Hamza - people who try to make conversation with him when he’s reading, especially if they ignore him when he tells them to leave

Rahas - people acting like they’re hurt or sad to get attention

Chi-hung - bad body odour

Cedric - people interrupting him as he’s trying to speak

Zeryn - slow walking people or those who stop suddenly in front of him without warning

Topaz - when he asks someone a simple, straightforward question and they spend ten solid minutes rambling on about everything in the world except the answer to his simple, straightforward question

Mahogany - people who refuse to be the decision maker about something so simple (like what to eat for lunch)

Simmons - people who refer to themselves in the third person; that confuses the poor boy :(

Gerald - when somebody turns off the lights when he’s still in the room (the bar more often than not with Cass accidentally locking him inside)

Tiffany - when someone says “It’s always in the last place you look”. It’s because you stop fucking looking for it when you find it, gwad!

Kerri - anyone who she doesn’t know or like who teases Simmons in any way or fashion

Darrell - incompetent work colleagues

Ryker - people who always have to be right and have the last word (Darrell often does this and it drives him nuts, more so that fact that Darrell is often right anyway)

Binah - people talking over the top of her while she’s talking and generally dismissing what she says. That makes her talk even louder until someone pays attention to her ^^

EO4/Phaedron Guild~

Varuna - someone mumbling then getting annoyed and saying “Forget it!” when he didn’t/couldn’t coherently hear them

Bryce - everyone who says “Ya, know what I’m sayin…?” (“No, I don’t know what you’re saying and at this point I don’t fucking care!”)

Nitish - when people ask him for advice and do the opposite of what he tells them (it’s more a disappointment than a pet peeve)

Achyuta - when he holds the door open for someone and they don’t say “thank you”

Roxbury - unnecessarily loud or vulgar and rude people

Mahalah - returning something, like the milk carton, back into the fridge with only a spitful left

Isiah - people who blame everything but themselves for their failure or stupidity

Falkner - people who taunt or mock those who don’t like to drink anything with alcohol in it

Fletcher - people who lean over his shoulder to look at what he’s doing. He’s short so that happens a lot~

Blayden - people who smile while obviously silently judging him or another

Miach - people who pick their nose in public (and eat it…)

Zoran - people who spit on the ground and don’t look first to see if anybody is around

Biast - the sound of too much spit in someone’s mouth when they talk

Zesiro - people being just plain stupid and acting stupidly superior

Kalan - someone opening a cabinet door or drawer and leaving it open for him to walk right into

Telem - people who don’t want to learn anything new because they know it all (he’s unfortunately witnessed that several times in the empire)

Durriken - people who love to point out how wrong everyone else is (while simultaneously ignoring how much of a wreck they are)

Baldur - people who don’t control their bratty children (ironic, right?)

Ciaran - those who don’t listen or follow simple instructions

Logre - when he has to walk out of the shower naked because he forgot to bring a towel or clothes with him

Kirjonen - When people continue to stare after they ask you a question, as if they need you to expand more on your answer

Xander - when he bends over to pick something up and miss the object multiple times, the last attempt is usually a frustrated snare

Whew, I think that’s all of them! Tag yourself if you want~

[xoxhannahh]

The Assasian’s Blade by Sarah J Maas

“Celaena Sardothien is Adarlan’s most feared assassin. As part of the Assassin’s Guild, she’s sworn to her master, Arobynn Hamel, yet Celaena listens to no one and trusts only her fellow killer for hire, Sam.

In these action-packed prequel novellas to Throne of Glass, Celaena embarks on five daring missions. They take her from remote islands to hostile deserts, where she fights to liberate slaves and avenge tyranny. But by acting on her own terms, will Celaena truly free herself from her master, or will she suffer an unimaginable punishment for such treachery?”

Spoilers included in this review!

Overall rating 10/10

The Assassin and the Pirate Lord

Sassy 16 year old Celaena is what I live for. She’s always quick with her words and ready to show off, but to see her in her early assassin days is exciting!

I love that she still has a lot of growing up to do. At this point she still trusts Arobynn and knows that feels wrong. She knows that Sams questioning things and he’s imploring her to do the same. Sam is the nudge she needs to start thinking for herself instead of letting Arobynn do it for her.

I’m glad that Celaena’s morals were not broken by being an assassin and she knows that the slavery situation was disgusting. I don’t know what message Arobynn was sending by making her go to Skulls Bay but maybe he knew she’d blow the whole deal on purpose and that was his plan the entire time.

Also Rolfe is smarter than he seems, I will give him that. He’s observant and I was not expecting him to catch them out in the ally when the brawl broke out. Celaena and Sam, just two people, duped the best pirate lord and his whole town of pirates in the span of a few hours. If that’s not natural talent then I don’t know what is.

To see her working with Sam from a place of distrust to relying on each other was great character progression. Their struggle in the water and their embrace had my emotions all over. Even though I know he’s dead, he’s still her first love and I want to see how he changes her and loves her.

The Assassin and the Healer

Yrene Towers is too nice and pure for this world. Her story makes me sad but also makes me root for her too. She just wants to help people and make the world a better place. I think Celaena sees a part of what she wanted to be, and still wants to be in many ways but can't, in Yrene and that is why she feels the need to help her.

I’m glad Celaena taught her self defense and showed her she has her own strength. And then told her to teach any other woman she could about it as well. That is empowerment and I am all for it.

Celaena’s inner struggle with leaving to the southern continent was interesting too. You could see the gods at work, guiding her back to her true path and sending her on to the silent assassins. It almost seems like she never really had a choice.

The Assassin and the Desert

This story is by far my favorite of the novellas in this book. Typical Celaena complaining about things not going her way as usual but she's only 17 now, can you blame her. Ansel and Celaena are so similar its crazy. Their wild, chaotic, untamed spirits call to each other and that is why they become so close quickly. I love that Celaena finds female companionship that is an equal.

Ansel and Celaena’s lands were both infiltrated by tyrants that murdered their families, while they were the only ones to survive. Now they have to live with that burden causing a heaviness in their hearts. It just goes to show how the hate could lead you down a very dark path to revenge if you're not careful. Celaena spared Ansel’s life with an extra minute to run, which she didn't deserve, but Celaena knows what its like to live with that same exact hate in her heart and how she doesn't want it to lead her down the same path.

Also Sam said he’d kill Arobynn for hurting Celaena and that made my heart hurt. Being forced to watch Celaena get beat by your master is brutal. Arobynn’s whole guild is vicious and even Celaena realizes that being in the red desert with the silent assassins. Yes, they have some deadly training in the desert but they treat each other with respect and don’t encourage rivalry; It’s more camaraderie.

Every time Celaena leaves the assassins keep she realizes just how fucked up Arobynn and his methods are and how much she doesn't want to be apart of it anymore. She is finding her independence and I love it. She's growing up, slowly but surely.

The Assassin and the Underworld

Arobynn is one manipulative, scheming, despicable asshole! The toxic relationship he and Celaena have is terrible. They constantly try and hurt each other more and more with each sentence they say. Arobynn is jealous of Sam and knows he will never have Celaena so he decides hurting her is the only way he will hold her attention. The deceit and lies that constantly unfolds around him is scary.

Sam professing his love to Celaena made my heart so happy. She realizes that its all moving so quick because before she would have killed him but the feelings are truly there. And selling Kasida to pay off his debts so he doesn't have to be tied to Arobynn, priceless. They are a duo that I’m so sad has an ending. Even though I know Celaena is meant to be with someone else that is made for her, this first love is so precious.

Honestly this novella just solidifies the hatred towards Arobynn and makes me so glad he's dead. He treated her so badly for his own pleasure; it’s sickening. But he’s a great character if he can get this much emotion out of me. Thank you SJM!

The Assassin and the Empire

Sam and Celaena talking about the future and giving everything up to move to the southern continent was so painful. I knew it wasn't going to happen. Knowing Celaena never actually said I love you to Sam also pains me. She couldn't tell him she was Aelin either, which she couldn't even face herself so I don't fully blame her. Sam wasn't truly meant for her though. He held her back and didn't celebrate her. He would always remember the days he lived in her shadow as second and that tainted their love. He didn't see her as an equal and neither did she. When it was revealed the “I am blank and I will not be afraid” came from Sam, I about lost it. That iconic line started from pain and loss and love and strengthened Celaena.

I can't believe that Wesley tried to warn her. I know he avenges Sam and tries to get Celaena out but it’s still a shocker.

One of my favorite parts of this novella was seeing Celaena admit being responsible for Sam was terrifying. Later on she’s scared of her crown, herself and being responsible for a kingdom which is a reason why she hides her identity for so many years. To come to terms with something like that that early on is a big step. Yes it wasn't the crown’s responsibility she was coming to terms with, but it will help play a big part later on.

I don't know how but Arobynn keeps getting worse and worse with each story. The betrayal and lies are all too much. His need for Celaena is too much to think clearly and rationally anymore. To kill Sam and make Celaena suffer so that she would need him is disgusting. Arobynn wanted Celaena to beg for him. He’s got a twisted way of showing love. He is manipulative to his very core and everything that comes out of his mouth is to serve his own purpose. To think she trusted him this long blows my mind. To think he would get her out of there when he was the one that betrayed her. Ugh.

Overall: These were great to read! I love that all of these stories were mentioned briefly in other novels and now we get to see what really happened. I’m glad we got to see Celaena grow up and have her first love with Sam. To have the pleasure of knowing Sam for even a short amount of time was incredible. Knowing how Celaena ended up in Endovier was insightful.