#ship: spring break sprung

[lookingupatthesamemoon]

SPRING BREAK SPRUNG - a lore guide

a quick guide to the ship of Alien and Lexus, my Spring Breakers (2012) s/i !!!

cw: substance use, canon-typical violence

meet Lexus, my Spring Breakers (2012) self-insert !!! she’s a college student in her early 20s, majoring in finance, though she does drop out in favor of a life of crime with Alien.

she meets Alien while she’s on spring break in Florida (who could’ve guessed), while she’s sitting outside of a convenience store and admiring his car. she comments on it, inviting a conversation, which eventually leads to him offering her a ride in it, which she graciously accepts. they cruise around for a while, Alien asking her questions and flirting her up along the way. he eventually drops her back off at her motel, where her friends are waiting for her. before letting her go, Alien invites her to a party he’s having that night, and insists that she should bring her friends along.

of course, Lexus’ friends are like “why the hell would you get in some strange man’s car? we’re not going to that party, and neither should you.” Lexus, ever so stubborn, goes to the party on her own anyway. Alien spots her as soon as she shows up, and spends most of the night dancing with her, offering her substances, introducing her to his friends, and showing off his pricey possessions. his attempts to impress her work, and although his initial assumption is that she’s just another young and naive spring breaker he can use for his own gain, she sees opportunity with him for herself. they hook up, but she doesn’t spend the night, sneaking out in the midst of the party to walk back to her motel by herself. her friends have waited up to question her, but she waves them off, reminding them that she’s old enough to take care of herself.

the next day, Alien shows up at the motel, curious as to why Lexus snuck off on him. her friends, of course, are creeped out by this, but Lexus is charmed, hanging all over him as she hops into his car to go on another adventure. when the two return to the motel, Lexus’ friends watch as she grossly makes out with Alien before she leaves him. they try again to warn her about how suspicious he seems, but ultimately give up, as they know they can’t beat her stubbornness. they also complain that she’s wasting her spring break time with Alien when she should be spending time with them.

the day before she’s supposed to leave Florida and go back to school, Lexus gets lunch with Alien at some run-down diner, and he makes a proposition: she can keep living the dream in Florida, all expenses paid, so long as she helps him out with a little business venture (AKA the drugs). she likes the sound of this – school is boring to her, and the benefits of this potential arrangement with Alien sound worth her while. she thinks she can handle it. when she asks why Alien is offering to do all this for her, his answer is simple: “you just seem like someone special.” Lexus agrees to take him up on his offer, but doesn’t tell her friends until right before they get on their plane home. they’re upset, obviously, but don’t have time to try to change her mind. after a few months or so, they stop contacting her altogether. 

Alien first starts having Lexus work as “quality control” for his product. he then starts showing her how to package everything, and has her work with the twins for a bit, until they start creeping on her. she complains about this, and he then entrusts her to count the money and keep track of it in between getting it to his actual financial connections. she “moves up” so to speak rather quickly, and as she does so, she also gets closer with Alien – both in business and romantically. she finds herself falling pretty hard for him. she also starts realizing she can get pretty much whatever she wants out of him if she flirts and touches enough, and she requests to start helping him do drug runs, which they both quickly realize she’s pretty efficient with. 

soon after, Alien teaches Lexus how to shoot a variety of guns, and proposes that she join his collections team. at first she’s hesitant – she worries that Alien might be putting her at too high of a risk, but he assures her that she’s getting this opportunity because she’s tough (maybe even tougher than he is) and he thinks she can protect him. on her first trip out, she realizes that she finds it fun to bark back at other dealers, and she feels good about not having to worry as much about whether or not Alien will be coming home safe every day – plus, she gets to take whatever guns she wants to each “meeting,” which is a pretty sweet deal as far as she’s concerned. at first, people underestimate her, but soon enough word starts getting around that she’s just as wild and crazy as Alien is. he’s super proud of this, calling her his little protege and whatnot, and he even starts letting her carry out collections on her own. 

by the time Lexus becomes proficient at being a part of Alien’s criminal empire, it becomes clear that the two of them are pretty on par in terms of how reckless and crazy they can get, and they fall into a mutual obsession of sorts. Alien is enamored with how well she can handle herself, as well as how seemingly fearless she is. he spoils the shit out of her – buys her chains, cars, whatever the hell she wants. he gets her name tattooed right on the side of his neck. she’s almost always attached to his hip, and eventually it becomes rare to even see them apart from one another, both on and off the job.

(divider by @/thecutestgrotto, moodboard by me :3)

[thehydraethereal]

VENUS BABY AAAAAAAAHHHH THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS I POUTED WHEN I READ YOUR COMMENT AND HONESTLY? YOU'RE LIKE MY IDOL GIRL <3 IF I EVER START PUBLISHING MY WORKS, JUST KNOW IT WAS ALL BECAUSE OF YOU (and @pedrosyouknowwhat)

Back to biz 🙂‍↕️ I'd like to put in a request, please <3

This will be basically the continuation of my last request because your prompts just made me go back to it and ugh, I loved it too much to let it go so easily. The way you write dark Acacius >>>

Prompts are: ⒙ Him finding your "escape" bag and burning it in front of you and⒐ Saying you made him do this while cleaning your bruises in that order because— because.

I just picture it. Reader has had enough, doesn't want that life for herself anymore and plans an escape with the help of her servants. And Acacius is out of the house for X reason, and she takes that time to pack her bag in plans to go away from Acacius, maybe back to her father's house, maybe out of Rome for good. But he comes home, sees her trying to hide her emotions and finds the bag, and... well, nine prompt.

Warning tags are the same as last time; age gap, abusive relationship, power imbalance, physical abuse, heavy domestic violence, manhandling.

THANKKKKK YOUUUUU A ZILLION TIMES AGAIN. I CAN'T WAIT <3333 (I can, pls take your time so you don't burn yourself out baby)

𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐁𝐄 𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐃 ههههه

dark GENERAL ACACIUS && wife ! reader

PROMPTS && MAIN M. && PEDRO PASCAL M. ههههه (PREQUEL) LINK HERE

NOTES: This is the first thing I've written after my break (1.8 K words MY LONGEST WORK YET OMG) and I can only hope it is at least readable and enjoyable. My love for DARK Acacius will never fade away, and I wish I am one of the writers that can give him to you, but in a beautiful and derranged way as well. Please tell me your thoughts, they are welcomed always! Now, for my beloved @katwriteshardy, I thank you again for requesting this. You make me too hapoy and I am honestly looking forward to you requesting something again. Can't wait to read your feedback and to talk about this one with you. I love you ˁˀ PLEASE PUBLISH YOUR MF WORK, I NEED IT LOL

Your body instinctively flinched, tendons of your heart curling in themselves, as Acacius rose from the table. He wore his armor still, darkened eyes settling upon the guard that presented next to him to report the state of the army he sent to the North African kingdom. His brows furrowed as the guard breathlessly narrated, and all of a sudden, the general struck the table with both his hands, so violent that tears sprung straightaway in your eyes. "By the gods, I’ll skin the bastard who led that charge. Whose orders did they follow? Because they weren’t mine.", the general growled and you could almost feel the anger radiating off of his figure. 

“Ready my horse. Rouse the commanders—I want every man armed and accounted for by nightfall. Tell the harbor—my ship sails at dawn. No delays. I move with the sunrise. If those filthy barbarians want this, I will give it to them. I will have my armor, my blade and their blood over me by the rise of the moon.”

You looked up at him while you gripped your skirts subconsciously in an attempt to stop your insides from trembling. His words never failed to terrify you. 

But as you watched him step away from you, jaw clenched in pure madness, and as you unclasped your fingers from the soft fabric, you realised you could not live like this any longer. This wasn’t you, but the remains of a shell of your existence. You had to leave.

The eyes of the new stable boy shyly looked over your figure as you strolled by him. He was a couple of springs younger than you. You often saw how he turned his face away when Acacius grabbed you or spoke to you, not wanting to witness your endless pain. You stopped your walk and, while watching upon his bowed posture, you let your voice free.

“Can you be trusted?”, you asked, voice cracking as his eyes pierced yours. You raised your brows, expecting an answer and he gave you a small nod. “Very well. I will send you my maid, she will tell you how you can be of service.”, you whispered. “Please…I need your loyalty", you said to him, and the sudden vulnerability made him shift. “Yes, my Lady.”

“My queen.” The title made you flinch as a strong, gold-wrapped hand snaked around your ribcage. The boy quickly looked down and you could almost see Acacius’s cruel gaze, even though your eyes were on the dusty ground. 

“I will have to leave. Duty calls for me", the General growled, kissing the palm of your hand. You tried to give him a small smile, but his hand was already cupping your chin. “I have the trust that you will not do anything stupid until I return”, he finished.

You shook your head and his lips were on yours, devouring your mouth. Then, you watched him stroll away and the scrunching of the gates closing was the confirmation you needed. Marcus Acacius left and you were yet to be free. 

You and your maids spent the entire night preparing a tiny wooden cart with keepsakes too beloved to leave. Your mother’s wedding dress, worn again at your own, as custom demanded, was a bittersweet memory which you had to take with you.

The ring your first lover had carved out of a santal tree, the bracelet your father had gifted you when you turned sixteen, the mortar you had used as a child—everything you loved was wrapped carefully in clean rags and put in the cart.

A few guards, once sworn to your father, now to you between the constricting walls of the villa, kept watch for your safety and discretion, and the boy at the stables went to bring you bread, figs, olives, ointments and water for the lengthy trip that stood before you.

You needed to leave Rome as fast as possible. Even the air was making your insides churn, choking your senses and souring your gut.

The cart had been triumphantly finished and hidden among other carts full of hay, but you were not sure it made it out the great gates of Rome.

You were left at the villa, it would have been too dangerous and suspicious if you left along with the humble cart, and just had to wait for the man that would guide you towards Praeneste.

Then, you would run to the Colli Albani mountains and from there, you would be able to start a fresh life, where fear, pain and dominance would be only stray memories.

With one last vague, disgusted gaze upon the mighty marble villa, you turned your head to go inside and change for the trip. 

But your dreams vanished when the first drop of burning light of the sunrise hit your skin and the pounding of hooves shattered the silence of early morning.

“It…It can’t be—”, you sobbed to yourself as the gates opened. The burgundy of a mantle sewn with gold caught your teary pupils. You could recognize it anywhere.

You raised your eyes, looking at your husband through wet lashes. Your heart was punching your ribcage and instinctively, you took a couple of infant steps back. 

“My wife,” Acacius called a smug smirk planted on his face, as he approached you, still riding on the stallion. Everything in your being screamed at you to keep your calmness, but the moment overwhelmed you. The questions kept flowing—’Why was he not gone?’, ‘Why is he back?’, ‘Did he find out?’, ‘What will he do?’. 

“You seem frightened and distressed, my love,” he furrowed his brows and pouted his lips tauntingly at you. You took another step back, now that he was on the ground. He raised his hands, looking back at his soldiers, at your lack of words and they started laughing. 

“Is there something I should know?”, he asked and blood froze in your veins. He always used this tone before he would hurt you, that honeyed tone, that pretend pout.

You caught your lip between your teeth, tears starting to blur everything but that damn maroon cape.

“Answer me,” Acacius growled, trying to maintain his composure. “No,” you spoke, too swiftly.

“No?,” he puffed, chest heaving with an unamused chuckle.

“If not, then—,” he started and gestured towards someone, “—what is this?”, he finished, voice dropping an octave.

It was clear and light as daylight, he knew. The very first tear caressed your cheek, leaving a long stripe of wet agony as your husband’s calloused finger was tracing it. The cart—your small cart—was dragged inside the courtyard. 

“Did you try to run from me, hm? Did you try to leave me?”. His voice was torturous, and his hand felt heavy on your cheek.

You felt every stripe of skin on his fingertips, every drop of shedded blood, every particle of ash, and it constricted your throat.

He released your face with a light push, and he walked away towards the gates.

“Bring them in”, he gestured disgustedly towards a couple of his men.

The faces of your maids and the stable boy, littered with cuts and dirt, stared back pleadingly at you, their eyes darkened with fear.

“NO!”, your scream was visceral and raw, and it was bruising your throat as you let it out. Falling on your knees, your fingers wrapped around the crimson, heavy cape of the General. “Please, my lord, p-please—”, you whimpered, eyes darting from his dark, captivating eyes to their restrained bodies.

A guard was pushing the young boy on his knees, while another was tearing at the dress of your closest handmaid. Her pleads were echoing through your skull.

“The crosses are already prepared for them. Betrayal is not forgiven.”, Acacius stated, looking down at your knuckles on his clothes. The words made the people that helped you plead to him, terror lacing their tones.

Acacius raised his hand and flinged it twice and the screams were getting further. He crouched next to your crawling body and his hand came behind your head. His fist wrapped in your silky hair and he forced you to look at him. 

“I shall break your kneecaps, then drag you after my horse through all Rome. And, when it would be over, people would call it mercy.” A whimper fought its way out from your pained throat. 

“But how can I do that to my beautiful wife? Even though you wanted to humiliate and shame my name, I will not do that.”, he growled and you let your eyelids cover your eyes, knowing what he was yet to say or do would be much worse. 

But he never spoke, and, as he raised up, he dragged you up by your hair. Your voice gave up on you moments ago, and you could only whine brokenly. 

Bending your spine, he smashed your body against his chest. “Burn it”, you felt his hard chest rumbling as he spoke out these words.

 You broke into a sob when you saw moths of ash falling down from the torch one of the guards was carrying. When it landed upon the cart, flames started eating at the wood and at your beloved trinkets. You felt waves of fresh tears burning your cheeks as the fire consumed everything you had dearer. 

“Please—p-please, just stop i-it, I am begging you—”, you hoarsely cried, but his fingers tightened in your scalp and his bicep curled against your chest tightened you closer to him. His pelvis rubbed discomfitingly against your back as you squirmed in the uneasy position he was holding you in. 

“No, NO! Marcus, st-stop it—”, you screamed when the wood started creaking under the unbearable heat. Strings and torn pieces of your dresses were flying around, looking like burnt butterflies. “Am I not merciful enough? I could have had your tongue cut in the center of the market, most men do that to disobedient wives for less. Do you want me to turn these words into truth?”, he yelled, lips pressed tightly to your ear.

You delicately shook your head with the strength you had left in your body, and your husband flipped you so you would be able to face him. His large palm curled over your neck, as he pulled your face closer. With rough but careful fingers, he tried to clean the small cuts and scratches across your face. 

“You forced my hand, my love. All those people, who lived under my roof, are dying right now…It was you who made this happen.” His words made your whole body jerk, guilt ringing in your stomach. 

“I will tie your hands to the altar and take you there if you run again. I’ll put my child in you on those stones. You will cry while my seed settles. And if the gods are cruel enough to spare you the first time, I will come back the next moon and try again. I will fill you and then—”, he growled, touching your belly with the back of his fingers and knuckles “—we will see how rebellious you are with my heir growing inside of you.”

TAGS: @pedrosyouknowwhat @highonmarvel @essraxi

[abbysimsfun]

Sims In Bloom: Generation 2 Pt. 132 (Solving the Brindletons' Murder)

Though spring had sprung just about everywhere, the snow stuck around in Brindleton Bay. With Ash in the city and Heather in Selvadorada, Hazel spent time with her girlfriend, and Conrad spent time bonding with Lavender.

He had been hard at work on George and June Brindleton's murder case since his return from Sulani, on top of trying to keep his detectives in line with their own cases. With Easter fast approaching, he finally made the breakthrough he'd been searching for.

He entered Brindleton County Prison and greeted the staff. They'd grown accustomed to his visits, but he wasn't here hoping to finally break Ximena. With Hazel watching Lavender at home, Conrad had come this evening to talk to John Brindleton.

The inmate entered the room with a scowl, avoiding a greeting when he recognized his visitor. "Did you need something, Lieutenant Gordon?"

"I'm going to cut right to the chase, John. Why did you hire guys to kill your parents? Did you not think they'd give you up if they were caught?"

John Brindleton scoffed in his orange jumpsuit. "They're lying."

"We found receipts from the money transfer. How did you move it from in here?"

"My mother was generous, and bankers do whatever you want if you have enough money."

"So she shifted the money you used to pay the hitmen, and you killed her for...her generosity?"

"No, I killed her for siding with him, staying with him even though she swore she hated him. She stayed with him and he kept abusing me. So I got rid of both of them."

"But why? You were almost done your sentence."

"It's not so bad in here," he sniffed. "I met someone."

"I'm happy for you." He shook his head with a pitiful glance. "They're in here?"

"They had nothing to do with my decision to rid the world of my parents, so we don't need to talk about them."

The embattled lieutenant shook his head with a frown. "Be careful in there, John. You're going to be behind bars a long time, and there are a lot of snakes in there."

"The Brindletons aren't snakes?" John barked, offended that Conrad clearly saw him as a loser. "Look where I came from. My father wasn't the first Brindleton to wreak havoc in that town, and the name's been a poison for me since I was born. The Brindletons have plundered through the Bay from the moment the first ship from Windenburg landed two hundred fifty years ago."

"I'm not here for a history lesson."

"Why not? The name Francis Gordon means nothing to you?"

Conrad's blank expression made John Brindleton laugh. "He was the real captain of the ship my ancestor, Silas Brindleton, claimed to be sailing when the town was founded. Apparently Francis financed the boat, found the settlers, and would've been the town's first mayor, but he got sick on the way and Silas saw an opportunity. The Gordons were resourceful, and Francis' wife stayed in the town to raise her children, but the Gordons and Brindletons were bitter rivals until most of Francis Gordon's descendants picked up and moved to San Myshuno. The last Gordon living in town was..."

"Ben Gordon..."

John grinned. "I'm surprised you know that, but none of the rest. My ancestors did a great job covering up the truth. They wiped Francis' name from every artefact in the town museum, but the original documents are inside my family's safe deposit box in Windenburg Bank. Made themselves into the prodigal sons, 'saviours of the Bay' and all that crap."

His story unfolded as Conrad listened closely, slightly incredulous to the whole tale. "The funny thing is, Lieutenant Gordon...if not for the Brindletons, your good, honest, kind ancestors would have founded the town, instead. Who knows what sort of paradise the place might've been. But since I'll be stuck in here for decades, you might as well know. If Brindleton Bay has a real 'prodigal son', it's you."

Conrad laughed, but John pressed on. "It's no wonder my father hated you so much. You joined the force and it's like he's been haunted ever since. You threw him off his game. Left him hiding out in Sulani too long, and that made it easier for me to execute my plan. You've already done better for Brindleton Bay than we ever did, which I can say as the snake you just put away for life."

John was taken back to the cells as Conrad reeled. Family history didn't mean more to him than doing the right thing, and he had no interest in wearing his badge as any sort of prodigal son. Though he'd closed the case on the Brindletons' murder, the place was still at risk of crumbling now that George's hands weren't reaching into every corner of the town.

He was even more resolved to keep safe his family and the people of the Bay he'd come to care for.

His thoughts turned to Ximena, who was somewhere inside the large prison counting the days until he'd run out of time to keep her behind bars. He needed something ironclad, and Rafa hadn't reached out since Conrad left him in Sulani.

He needed a distraction and considered calling Heather, but he wanted her to have her fun. Instead, he placed a call to someone he hoped could help him solve a few of his problems.

"Conrad Gordon, my favourite grumpy lieutenant!" Felix Psyded laughed into the phone. "I was just with some new acquaintances, but I'll always have a minute for you, my friend." ->

<- Previous Chapter | Gen 2 Start | Gen 2.1 Summary

Gen 1 Start | Gen 1 Summary

WCIF Police Station: Used in this installment and the episode when Conrad saw Ximena behind bars, it's available on the Sims 4 Gallery by MarmeladArt. I've used it exclusively in second saves so it doesn't accidentally become the default police station Conrad goes to work to every day. I would use it for that purpose if I did the detective career again (many, many, many generations from now...)

[buckthefutcher]

hi friends, im gonna try and explain what happened last night on the firefighter show last night in objective terms

last year, main character has a bisexual awakening with a character who has been in 3 eps before this 5 years ago. in those 3 eps he’s a bad racist sexist guy

then over the 6 month course of the relationship (and the course of 13 episodes, he’s in 8 maybe?) he has probably around 10 minutes of screen time max. he never gets any real characterisation, it’s never shown the relationship is particularly thriving, and there’s rumours that the main actor may not actually get along with him (unsubstantiated, but my opinion is it seems likely)

cast and crew interviews make it very very clear the pairing are headed for a break up. like they are saying it so obviously

however, during this whole 7ish months, some parts of the fans of the pairing that have sprung up have started acting like an actual cult. an obviously full of bullshit ‘insider’ springs up to feed them false hope that this couple are endgame and this character is important to the show. and the fans just eat it up. also important to mention that the love interests’ actor has a cameo and when he sees how popular the character is he starts charging $200 and is feeding in to any headcanon bc it’s financially beneficial for him. because of this, people begin to get tattoos of the relationship that, again, only has 10 minutes of screen time

anyway, they finally break up last night and the fans melt down. the main character’s actor gives interviews saying it would be nice to see the character sleep around and explore his sexuality a bit. the heartbroken fans accuse him of biphobia (?) and he has to come out and defend himself. they start messaging the ABC’s feedback service. they start review bombing the ep

I honestly don’t know where this is going other than just laying out some objective facts, and maybe one day I’ll turn this into an actual article or something (there’s bad behaviour on both sides of the ship war and I’d like to be a lil bit more balanced in longer form). But yeah. This has been some context

[merryfortune]

Springtime Bad Behaviour

Written for the April 2025 ficwip discord's 1000 words event

Title: Springtime Bad Behaviour

Ship: Mikiyo/Yuzu

Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc V

Word Count: 1,000

Rating: T

Warning: None

Tags: Post Canon, Developing Relationship

   It was that time of the year again: when tourists and locals alike flocked to tree-lined streets, vernal parks and charming waterways for the perfect photo to commemorate another spring which has sprung.

   Yuzu, for one, was part of the vast majority who enjoyed this time of year.  When the flowers were in full bloom, there was a sweet scent in the air which mixed with the oceanic aromas typically common to Maiami City, the sights and smells were romantic. It really felt like there was something new and alluring in the air which was magical. 

   It was just so exciting, to come out of winter and its frigidity then be met with the classic pink and white blooms of cherry blossoms. Spring truly was a time of new starts: new school year, new jobs, new opportunities, and if one was very lucky… Even new loves.

   Though Yuzu liked to think she was pretty satisfied on all those fronts. 

   Life after the dimensional merge was pretty good, once everyone got themselves sorted and unmerged. Yuzu had returned to school and was now a second year in middle school. She helped with clean-up efforts and counselling, both receiving and giving. All in all, Yuzu was generally on the up and up despite everything that had happened. She was looking forward, again, to the future and so, this first spring twelve months after everything that had happened had the potential to mean a lot to her.

   So, Yuzu wanted to get some pretty photos for her social media album just like everyone else. She felt like she deserved a break but it wasn’t the walk in the park little trip she had been hoping for.

   Though Yuzu had chosen a relatively obscure locale, it was still a cast of thousands and not all of them were good actors. 

   Yuzu strolled along the canal as best as she could as she dodged families, friends, and picnickers. The atmosphere was bright and vivacious, full of the chirp and chatter of people enjoying the fresh, springtime sunshine. The waters that flowed from the sea inwards were pristine and crystal clear. The trees that lined the avenue were hale and darling, in full bloom.

   Yuzu couldn’t have been happier as she whistled a little tune to herself, keeping an eye out for her own perfect photo opportunity until she spotted something that incensed her.

   There was a girl up ahead who was hogging a tree all to herself. That by itself, might have been selfish but harmless. It was what she was doing to said tree was crossing the line. She was purposefully shaking the tree so it would scatter petals all over her for the perfect shot.

   Nothing got Yuzu’s blood boiling like bad behaviour and whenever there was someone being disrespectful towards the cherry blossom trees, there was always a host of cameras and a film crew abound. Celebrities! They thought they were above the courtesy of the land and as Yuzu glared down at this girl, she realised something.

   She knew this girl: Naname Mikiyo. 

   It had been a year since Yuzu had encountered the young starlet - and thoroughly trounced her in the Maiami Championships. Knowing that she was the superior Duelist gave Yuzu a bolt of courage and she launched off the sidewalk and into Mikiyo’s path.

   “What do you think you're doing?” Yuzu asked.

   Yuzu stomped towards Mikiyo. Cameras flashed, the video rolled. Yuzu was fuming whilst Mikiyo was as cute as cute could be. Yuzu put her fists to her hips as she got all up in Mikiyo’s face but ever charming, Mikiyo smiled gracefully.

   “Having a photoshoot, of course.” Mikiyo replied, nonchalant.

   She glanced amongst her employees. She gave them the okay with her eyes alone that she was fine, she was in no danger with Yuzu.

   Yuzu huffed, “You know what I mean.”

   Mikiyo batted her eyes innocently, “I’m afraid I don’t. Not when you are the one causing trouble by coming up to me when I’m at work.”

   “You are being dense on purpose right now, you can’t shake the cherry blossoms, the trees are delicate and everyone deserves the right to enjoy them but they can’t if you ruin it for everyone!” Yuzu explained angrily.

   Mikiyo giggled, her hand began to reach up ominously, “Like this?”

   Her fingers curled around the thin branch of the tree. She gave it a tug and the flowers trembled. They discarded petals prematurely and cascaded down over Mikiyo as she laughed.

   “Oh, you!” Yuzu growled.

   She pushed forward again. Into Mikiyo. To forcefully stop her from being a pest to these poor cherry blossom trees. Yuzu shoved but Mikiyo responded. She steeled herself as Yuzu tried to unlatch her hand from the branch by force. A tussle ensued.

   One which had Yuzu in a spin, literally, as Mikiyo’s hand wove into hers and she was pulled into a dance. Yuzu squeaked as she was tossed about and taken for a tumble. Mikiyo gave her a twirl above and her skirt fluttered below before voila. The ending position with Mikiyo’s arm wrapped around Yuzu’s chest and the rest of her pulled back, her leg stuck up automatically so they were in a dramatic finish for the cameras.

   Mikiyo nuzzled in and Yuzu could feel her breath on her skin. Her heart hammered. Mikiyo smiled ahead and they both dazzled endlessly by Mikiyo’s camera crew. 

   “Alright, I give, I’ll stop bothering the trees, besides… I think I have something much better for my upcoming magazine cover.” Mikiyo flirted as she held Yuzu hostage to the cameras. “Extra, extra, read all about it: popular idol has a springtime rendezvous with the heroine at the centre of the dimensional war.”

   Yuzu blushed with a grumble on her lips as she and Mikiyo remained entrapped in their pose. Yuzu wanted to complain, especially since most magazines in this day and age were gossip rags but in this instance, there would be a kernel of truth.

[highladyivy]

Currently Reading the ACOTAR series on book 2 here are some thoughts as I read through the books - A thread.

ACOTAR (Finished reading)

Thoughts are in no particular order

• Feyre chose tamlin when Lucien was right there!!!! Lucien x Feyre > Tamlin x Feyre

• I think Nesta was wrong for always taking the money that feyre worked so hard for when they were humans. The comment about oh I always knew you’d be able to get more bitch the fuck. Go chop the firewood you had one job.

• I get that the spring court was cursed to not talk about said curse but you idiots could draw a fucking story board. Do an interruptive dance idk… anything non verbal… CHARADES FOR FUXKS SAKES

• The moment she realizes that almost all the staff at spring court watched her get lured out by the puca.

• Lucien hesitating to save Feyre but then feeling guilty about it.

• I think lucien was right tamlin should’ve waited three more days before shipping Feyre off she probably would’ve said I love you if he hadn’t just sprung it on it as she was being carried away.

• The glamour not working on Nesta is interesting

• The difference between tamlin and Rhysand: Rhysand going through literally daily sexual assault for 49 years to protect his people vs tamlin going and sending his own people out in Hopes that one of them gets killed so that he could bring that person over to woo them make them fall in love with him so that they would be released from the curse

• Rhysand under the mountain is just chefs kiss

• yes he did some unfathomable things like force her to make the bargain but in all honesty it was for her own good in the end.

• Rhysand was protecting her even before the bond snapped for him.

• Page 324 - Rhysand falls in love with Feyre he just doesn’t know it yet

• page 328 him being the only one that votes for her to win.

• him letting his guard down around her when he stays in her cell for a little while to get a break from everything

• when the bond snaps for Rhysand. Proves my theory that mates aren’t rare the majority of them are just born human and not fae.

ACOMAF (currently reading)

• tamline is totally giving women should be seen not heard vibes

• the fuck tampon you really gonna lie there while the women who risked her whole life LITERALLY is waisting away and vomiting her guts up from TRAUMA in the bathroom and you just gonna ignore her.

• Feyre waiting for the bond to snap with tamlin 😬

• ianthe - that’s it that’s the thought it’s not a good one

• tamlin is giving me the ick

• Ianthe wants tamlin for herself

• suspicious that she made sure she was the only priestess there - possibly a villain turn??

• there’s my boy Lucien trying to help Feyre.

• if I didn’t love Feysand so much I’d be Feyre x Lucien.

• the dress did Feyre dirty

• No red and what does Ianthe do put red there

• I mean good riddance cause I feel like if the. Red wasn’t there she would have went through with the wedding and Rhysand wouldn’t have heard her and saved her.

• hello Feyre darling — #dead

• the sentences he has her practice amazing work truly some of his best.

• feyre realizing that Morgan wanted to hang out but was waiting for and invite

• really tamlin

• I don’t think he was any bit concerned about her well being at all while at the night court he just wanted to get inside information

• he pretty much interrogated her as soon as she got back.

• This makes me think he’s up to something - and it’s not good

• Rhysand treats Feyre like a capable fae while tamlin coddles her and treats her like an object a fragile object.

On chapter 8 will continue as I go…

[redwildfury]

Ref sheet of my orca character, Mosa!

He is a trans offshore orca F/M

I'll be putting a little snip it of his backstory below for those that want a read!

During late spring a pod of orcas had been spotted off the coast. They were migrating to a different hunting ground where they could teach earlier springs offspring. But in doing so they caught the attention of an ongoing ship. Unbeknownst to them, this wasn't some ordinary cruise ship.

Upon closer inspection, the pod would come to understand that this vessel wasn't here to simply gaze at their beauty.

The matriarch was the first to sound an alert, picking up the uneasy vibe from the incoming craft. Despite being the oldest, she readied herself. And instructed all the mothers within the pod to make a circular barrier in order to protect the calves.

For being one of the oceans top predators, none of them had ever felt like prey before.

As the mothers arranged themselves accordingly, they had yet to acknowledge two other ships propelling their way. Within moments they were surrounded. Having nowhere to go or an outlet for escape.

The situation only became more dire as the humans atop the deck lowered massive nets into the water. Fully separating the whales from open freedom. Within the circle of protective parents a calf suddenly sprung from the center. Startled by an unknown bang she'd never heard before. It scared them all. Sending most into scattered panic. The sound came again, from a different ship who lowered another net. It caught the calf that fled the safety of her mothers side. Blocking any form of escape as the net enclosed around the small individual.

Her mother wailed. Being unable to do anything as her child was stolen from her.

As the calf boarded the boat the nets were lifted, allowing the pod to finally move and breathe. But relief of freedom was short lived. A sobbing wail chorused among the waves, drowning out beneath the surface, and crashing into a mothers breaking heart.

-

Days became weeks, months became years, seasons came and went. Aging the calf that'd been taken oh so long ago. She'd grown into an impressively large female. Entirely surpassing the usual growth of a captive orca. Even outgrowing the largest male held in captivity.

Those that worked with her noted how difficult she was to handle. Deeming her unfit to perform along with the other orcas that were trained for shows. Thus they decided to place her into a breeding program instead. She was paired with a male they thought would complement her. However, they were not prepared for the ongoing occurrence that would shortly take place.

As after many attempts, any offspring produced would perish within the first few days of its first breath. She had six before she was finally taken out of the program.

It was at this time that she'd gained a name. One that even herself felt as though it suited her.

But during her time after her fourth child, she'd become aggressive towards her care takers. Taking her frustrations and anger out on anyone that got close to her, or her children. This fury only grew, consuming her until she couldn't take it anymore. Having been taken away from her own mother at such a young age, living a life of nothing but enclosed walls, swimming in circles for hours. And now losing the very thing she'd hoped for all her life.

Something in her snapped. It'd been buried deep inside her. But she could no longer keep it locked away.

-

On a bright day, with the sun high in the sky. A cool breeze blew by, accompanied with soaring leaves. Visitors from all over came to view and witness the amazement and beauty that was the killer whale. They watched in pure awe at the show taking place. Astonished and transfixed of the imagery of black and white.

If not for the ear shattering scream and loud splash, the show would have carried on. They'd ignored plenty before this day. But there was no denying the cost it took to ignore such events. Yet another employee's life was reaped. Taken just like her children had been. Her anger festered. Growing over time through abuse and other forceful acts bestowed upon her.

She would no longer accept such treatment.

As the last of six employees met their demise in crushing jaws. Did the park finally decide that they could no longer house her.

Her tank once again filled with blackened crimson. Led to her freedom.

-

Her name was known far and wide throughout the ocean. Gaining her a reputation among other sea creatures. She was feared. And looked down upon by her fellow species. No male desired her as a partner. For she looked too much like a male herself.

Therefore, she took on this role. And changed her sexual identity. Claiming to others he'd been a male all his life. It was a lie, but no one questioned it.

Even now, with years having past, he still wished for the day he could reunite with his mother. His wish was for not. And his dream of becoming a parent was long forgotten. Now living a life of solidarity among those he once knew.

For a Mosa long ago would have lived the same solo life.

My friend drew this for me! You can find their social here!

https://mikeeylo.carrd.co/

[suzubelle-chan]

Breaking Chains Chapter 5

Thank you so much for the wait! This chapter has been a long time coming! If you're still reading after this time, I really thank you and hope you enjoy it! As always, bless @lpham2525 for beta reading this fic!

Content warnings-murder (mentioned in passing, long past), hate crime (discussed)-this one is more detailed and darker that other ones I'm going to have asterisks (*) marking when it gets discussed so readers not wanting to read about it can skip over it. Please practice self-care and take care of yourselves!

In Which Sariphi Sariphi Learns so much

Sekhmet’s ears pricked at the silence, waking her up from her sleep. You would think silence would be a boon considering how loud her mistress snored. Yet after decades of hearing the waves, it was only natural to hear it at night. So much so that silence now was honestly disrupting. The Holy Beast pitied her mistress’s husband when she was away.

She rose from the cushion at her lady’s bedside table and paused at the sight of the woman. Leona lay in bed, an arm raised, her eyes on her wrist. With one pounce, the kitten was at her ladyship’s side, nuzzling against the woman’s cheek. “Pardon me, my ladyship, but perhaps you should listen to your own orders.”

The woman made a grunt, a bare acknowledgement.

Sekhmet looked at the wrist, at the small mark that caused the woman distress. At first glance, it was the human symbol for a heart with a tree growing inside of it. Yet as one looked at it, they would notice the tree split to a perfect v shape, the straight branches springing from it. And no leaves sprung from the top, due to the heart’s curves in the way. She knew that the v shape with its prongs came first, the leaves, trunk, and heart later.

“My Lady, I doubt Her Highness would hold it against you.”

Leona let out a snort. “I know Sariphi is a really sweet girl, but there are some things that even the Family can’t forgive.”

“Well, it’s not like you are the one who sacrificed her. This is a part of your life that happened rather long ago, even before you met Lord Reinhart.”

Leona rolled on her side, away from her familiar. “The moment she finds out, she might hate me or be scared of me. I’m not sure which one would be worse.”

The kitten jumped onto her lady’s hip. “Given you haven’t rolled her up and shipped her to the Temple should speak of your loyalties to them. You’re always telling patients that the best thing for a regret is to acknowledge it and do your best to not let it grow, but to grow yourself. If you are worried about her reaction, perhaps it’s best to hide it for now. Once you feel closer to her, perhaps you two can share your pasts. I know you’re curious about her too.”

Hands picked up the Holy Beast, now against the woman’s chest. Sekhmet felt a small kiss on her head. “Sekhmet, you always know what to say.”

“I have been at your side for almost a century, my lady. It is my sworn duty, honor, and privilege to help you in this life in any way I can.” 

Leona smiled. “Ah Sekhmet, you are so wise yet so young.”

The kitten let out a small huff, releasing herself from the grasp. “I thought we’ve made it clear that I am ten years older than you. I know I’m young for a Holy Beast, and this form doesn’t help, but after all these decades it should be clear!” She stomped a small paw to emphasize her disdain. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Leona said, scratching behind the kitten’s ear. 

The kitten leaned into the touch, letting out a small purr, but then stopped and backed away. “My lady!”

“Sorry, sorry, even if I get a good five or six centuries with you, I’ll still probably see you as a cute kitten to spoil and rely on.”

“I would think you can expect that long. Lord Reinhart is still relatively young for a Beast.”

“That’d be nice. I’ve got grandcubs to spoil! Maybe a few great-grandcubs if I get lucky.” Leona yawned. “Thanks again Sekhmet. I can’t imagine life with…out you.”

Sekhmet watched as the woman’s eyes closed. She closed her own eyes. “Oh Mighty One who Guides Us All, thank you for letting me be at this woman’s side and be her companion. Please allow her wishes to be granted, that she reunite with the son she lost so long ago and bring her family back together. And please keep granting me this joy to help her.”

A snort of a snore broke the Holy Beast out of her thoughts. She looked to see her ladyship content in sleep. Sekhmet smiled, licking the woman’s nose. She nestled by the woman’s side and slept, lulled by the sound. 

After a time of sleep, neither were sure if it had been minutes or hours, several small knocks woke the two of them up. 

“You heard that too?”

“Yes.”

The knocks continued.

“Ah the life of a doctor,” Leona sighed. She stretched and groaned getting out of the bed. She grabbed the ribbon on the bedside and wrapped her hair inside of it, then took it out and wrapped the ribbon around her right wrist. She opened up the door to find Sariphi, trembling.

Now she was alert, maternal and doctor’s instincts kicking in. “Sariphi, what’s wrong?”

The maiden clutched at her skirt. “You see…”

A large growl filled the room, Sariphi’s face flushing bright red at it.

Leona smiled with a sigh. “Alright, time for breakfast.”

“So when you woke up this morning, you found yourself trembling and really hungry, is that right?” Leona asked, now dressed in a long sleeved shirt, pants and slippers, pouring a white mixture into a skillet before her.

Sariphi nodded, cheeks stuffed like a chipmunk’s. After some chewing and swallowing, Sariphi said, “Yes, Leona.”

The woman gave a one-shoulder shrug. “Well, it is your first day of schooling in a while. Makes sense your nerves are acting up. Stress–helpful sometimes, but in most cases not.”

“But I’m not that nervous. If anything I’m excited for today,” Sariphi admitted.

“Really?” Leona asked, adjusting a spatula underneath the circle of batter. With a quick flip, the circle turned over, revealing a golden brown color.

“I mean, I am a bit nervous about messing up in lessons. But that is what learning is about? Figuring out what I know and understand, and if I don’t know something, I figure out why and keep going. It’s been a while since I’ve had a teacher to guide and show me things. I really want to learn a lot from Will and Juno so I can be the best queen I can be.” She held up her hand. “I’m not nervous in my mind, so why is my body acting this way?”

Leona smiled, flipping over the circle and then sliding it onto Sariphi’s plate. She sat down and took Sariphi by the hand. “Sometimes the body feels stress more than the mind does. I mean you were rather ill recently and couldn’t eat much. Now that your mind is in a more relaxed state, your body has started making demands to make up for the lack of food it got in that time.”

Sariphi blinked, taking a look at her captive hand and then at one of her legs. “I don’t think I’ve lost much weight over this, if that’s what you mean.”

With another shrug, Leona continued, “Still you didn’t eat much for a while; your body wants to get itself right and make sure you’re eating again.” She patted the hand. “For now, we’ll listen to your body–especially your stomach–and give you plenty of snacks. If it lasts longer than a week, then I’ll give you a lookover to make sure there’s not something else.”

“Okay.”

“Though you could do something a bit more physical to perhaps help with the nerves. You know how folks pace when they get nervous; it’s the same thing. I think Juno may have something planned today that might help you walk out your nerves.”

“Like a dance lesson?”

“I don’t think so, but Juno wanted her lesson to be more of a surprise so I’m keeping my mouth shut on that.” Leona shut her lips and twisted her hand like she had a key and tossed it away.

“Can’t you give me a little hint?” Sariphi asked.

With her mouth closed, Leona went on talking in mumbles. Then she unlocked her lips. “There was your hint. Hope it made sense.”

Sariphi giggled, shaking her head. 

“Wait, just remembered,” Leona stated. She then reached into her pocket and placed a small box in front of the girl. “You’re gonna need this.”

Sariphi stared down at the box, slowly reaching over and opening the top. She saw a glint and something silver before shutting the box and sliding it over to the woman. “I’m sorry but I can’t accept this.”

The woman, stern now, slid it back. “Sariphi.”

“I don’t want to hurt anyone with this.” The young woman gave the box another push. 

This time, Leona put her hand on top of Sariphi’s. “You won’t. We’ve done some tests back home and it is a bit painful, some Beasts get migraines afterwards, but they’re fine the next day.”

Sariphi’s face blanched, almost matching the color of her hair. “You...you did that?”

“Sometimes folks find our village, and some of them are Beasts. We’d like to be kind to everyone that needs help, but now and then, we’ve had some Beasts take one look at the humans and just attack out of fear, prejudice, or a combination of the two. It’d be foolish for the human residents to not have something to defend ourselves, just in case. Plus you were kidnapped recently right? You could have pulled a reverse cat and mouse on the guy, making him stop every few toots while you got away. Or maybe just annoyed him enough for him to throw you back to His Majesty.” 

Sariphi stared down at the box. “I don’t think that would have worked.”

Leona patted the hand in front of her. “You only need it to use it in emergencies, when you don’t have anyone else around and there’s a Beast aiming to hurt you,” Leona offered. “Just in case. Plus think of it as a symbol of what you want.”

“Of what I want?”

“Yeah, you and his Royal Furriness want to make a world where humans and Beasts at least get along. Then we won’t need things like this anymore.”

“That is true…” Sariphi sighed. She opened up the box again, this time pulling out a small, silver finger-length whistle with a small chain. She stared at it as if it was taunting her. Then she slipped it into the small pocket of her skirt, and patted it, feeling the hard metal against her thigh. 

“It’s just for emergencies,” Leona offered. “And if we’re lucky,” she stopped to knock on the counter and raise herself up. “You won’t ever use it.” She then started on another dessert.

“I hope so.” Sariphi pressed a hand to her thigh, feeling the whistle right there. 

Leona smiled, heading back to the stove to start on another sweet. “Back home, we’ve got a few fighters and martial artists. Just say the word and they’ll teach you whatever you need to give a good smack. If it’s a Beast, best to aim for the ears or nose. If a human, try for the side. And with human men, just give them a good kick where the sun don't shine.”

Sariphi blushed and giggled a bit. “Do you know how to fight?”

“I know how to throw a punch and not break my fingers.” Leona shrugged. “I probably can teach you too.” As she spoke, she struck poses, akin to those Sariphi would see in action plays and stories from the East, the frying pan now a weapon. “Though I’m not much of a hi-ya, ho-ya woman.” 

“I’m certainly not much of a fighter either…Where did the pancake go?” Sariphi asked, her head tilted. 

Leona looked down at her empty skillet. “Looks like I got a bit too zealous there.” She looked up at the ceiling. “Huh, don’t see it.”

Craning her neck up, Sariphi also joined in the search. “Where did it go?”

“Excuse us,” the king said.

The two humans turned towards the voice. Leona wheezed with laughter and Sariphi gasped, hand covering her mouth as she trembled again, holding back her giggles.

For the King of Beasts had pastry dangling off his muzzle. He took it off his face, holding it in his claws. “What is this thing?”

“Hotcake,” Sariphi replied.

“Flapjack, ” Leona replied. 

The king looked between the two women. “Well, which is it?”

Leona waved her hand. “It’s the same food, just has a different name depending on where you grew up.” She strode over to the king and started to reach up for the pastry on her tiptoes. She didn’t even reach his neck though. “If you don’t want to eat it, I will.”

The king quickly chomped at the sweet. “Humans sure do like their soft foods, don’t they?” 

Sariphi stepped over. “Do you like it?”

“It’s not an unpleasant taste.”

Leona walked over to the skillet, this time adding some oil to the pan and swishing it around. “You might be more of a waffle man; my husband is the same. He prefers the crunch. How about you pull up a chair and I’ll make some breakfast for you? I’ve got coffee ready.”

The king nodded. “As you are offering, very well.”

“Better make some meat for you too. Let me go slip into your fancy icebox room for a sec.” And with that Leona slipped away into the other room.

“Icebox?” the king asked, looking at his bride. 

Sariphi sat down, back to her plate. “It’s a metal box that humans use to keep things like milk and fruit cold to keep them fresh longer. There’s a section where ice goes that makes it cold and another for other foods, hence the name. I know Beasts typically use magic to keep their storage rooms cold to preserve meat and eggs.”

The king took a seat next to his bride-to-be, placing a paw on her shoulder. “Are you alright? You left the room quite early this morning.”

Sariphi placed a hand on his paw, giving him a squeeze. “I’ve got some nerves about going into my first lessons, but it’s a good stress.” She leaned in. “I’ve got a lot to learn to be a good queen for you.”

“I find you to be an excellent queen.”

She blushed. “Thank you, but I still need to learn how to do paperwork and other duties.”

“That is fair.” He nodded, giving a small smile. 

Leona peeked in from the cold room. Truth be told, she found some meat slices she could work with right as she walked in. Yet when she turned around and saw the two talking, she stayed in the room, watching their moment together.

She exhaled, her breath a plume due to the cold. “I know I keep bending your ears, Family, but I can’t help but keep asking. Please let me have this. Let me be in their lives. Let me be there for them. Let me know what sacrifice you want me to put at your temples, what folks need healing. I’ll do it in a heartbeat. Just let my family stay together, now and forever, amen.”

She took a breath and smiled as she stepped back in the room, a large platter of meat in her hands. She twirled and sang, “Who wants bacon?”

After breakfast, Sariphi and Leona parted with the king. They arrived at the library where Lanteveldt, Cy and Clops waited at the entrance. 

“Ah there you are.” Lante stretched. “You’re usually here as soon as you wake up. I was wondering if you were sick again.”

“Are you okay Sariphi?” Clops asked. 

“Okay?” Cy asked too. 

“Sariphi just had some first-day jitters going on so she came to see me. Just a few snacks in the next few days,” Leona said with the wave of her hand. 

“Sounds good to me,” Lante stated with a smirk.

The group entered the library to find a desk with piles of paper on it. A pen and ink set was waiting to be used. Will was underneath the desk, patting around the ground, his golden tail wagging.

“Pardon us, Mister Will?”

The dog shuffled out, and with a few grunts, he used the desk to help him stand up. A pair of spectacles sat on top of his head. “Ah, morning, Your Highness.” He stepped towards the group, gripping Sariphi by the shoulders. “I have a very important request for you. One that will greatly show your capabilities as queen.”

Sariphi blinked and nodded solemnly. 

“Good. Thank you.” The dog returned the nod, then tilted his head back as he whined, “God help me find my glasses! I can’t find them anywhere.” 

Sariphi stood on the tips of her toes and reached for the glasses on his head, her fingers just reaching the metal. “Do you mean these sir?”

Will looked up and sighed and grabbed them from his head. “Thank you so much, my lady.”

Leona wheezed out of laughter, shaking her head. “I don’t know why I take you anywhere without your wife.”

“Me neither.” he replied, inspecting his lenses. “Next time we’re part of a set.” He set the glasses on his muzzle, then twisted at the side, the little clasps squeezing on his nose. He tilted his head, but the glasses remained firm. “There we go.”

Sariphi watched, fascinated. “So that’s how they work.”

“Have you ever seen a beast with glasses, Sariphi?”

“Just once and I was there for royal business so I didn’t have the chance to ask.” 

“Ah yes the Maasya geezer,” Lante replied.

“Rude,” Cy said, a little digit pointed at the hyena.

“Indeed,” Clops stated.  

Sariphi looked over to her two smaller beast friends. “Are glasses common among Beasts?”

“They are not,” Clops replied.

“Nope,” Cy affirmed.

Will nodded. “True they have become common among older beasts now. Yet it’s far more common to have a younger clan member escort the older beast and read any signs for them.” He walked over to the desk and offered the pen to Sariphi. “Now show me what you know.”

Sariphi took the pen. “What I know?”

“In order to properly educate you, I need to know where you are now. I want you to be challenged while learning, but I don’t want to hand you things you can’t understand.” He pulled out the chair. “Just write down as many words or sentences as you can come up with. You can write ‘The dog ran in the rain. The cat ran in the rain. The dog ran in the street.’ However you can get a word out. It will also help me see your handwriting in Ozmargin. Shall we begin?”

“Of course!” Sariphi plopped down in the chair. Will smiled as he pushed her in. “Thank you sir!”

Will halted, then crossed his arms while his brow furrowed.

“What’s wrong?” Sariphi asked. 

“Pardon me, Your Highness, but the idea of a future queen calling me a ‘sir’ is a bit odd. When you say that, I can’t help but imagine ruffling your hair like a child.”

“I see, is there anything you’d like for me to call you?”

Will stroked his chin, murmuring to himself. “I can finally be a Don! No wait, that wouldn’t work. Maybe Maestro…no, no, not quite.” He snapped his fingers together. Or at least tried to but no sound came out. He licked his pads and tried again, this time producing a ‘snap.’ With a wide grin he said, “Call me Professor. I’ve always liked the sound of that.” 

“Okay Professor Will.” Sariphi nodded and started to work. 

Clops bounced over to the desk. “Can we help?”

“Help?” Cy offered his small digits. 

Will waved a paw. “Actually this time I’d like to see Sariphi’s efforts on her own, just to see where she is.”

The two blops stopped, sagging just a bit. “Okay sir.”

“ ‘Kay.”

Sariphi stared down, writing furiously on the paper.

Will chuckled. “Now, now, take all the time you need, Your Highness. These are your lessons after all, so they revolve around you.”

Leona watched but then pulled out a book and began to read it nearby. Lante watched for a bit with a yawn, Will joining his side. He leaned down towards the hyena. “You know, young man, there are other human women in the world besides Sariphi’s sister. In fact, if you’re interested in meeting someone, there are really lovely ladies back home.”

The teen let out a huff and waved his paw. “It’s not that. This knight’s job is all I want in life. Don’t need any romance in it.”

“Are you sure? Don’t let these two fool you.” He pointed a finger, waving it between the two humans. “Human women can be taller than this. There’s a few girls back home that are even taller than me. And let me tell you, son, once you have a taller woman's love, it’s hard to go back down.”

That sent Leona wheezing and Sariphi giggling.

Red-faced, the knight turned away from the teacher. “No thanks.”

The golden dog nodded, patting the young man on the shoulder. “Alright, do let us know if you change your mind.”. 

Clops ground his teeth before growling, “Mr. Will, this is Sariphi’s lesson!”

“Respect!” Cy agreed, little digits waving. 

“Just having a little fun,” Will said with a motion. 

“Pardon me sir, I’m done,” Sariphi called out, hand in the air.

“Alright let me see.” Will walked over and picked up the papers. He sat down in a chair, one leg crossed on top of the other, and started to murmur to himself.

Sariphi watched, eyes wide, leaning in. Her heart hammered in her ears. She did tell Leona the truth about the lessons. She didn’t mind if she made some mistakes, but some voice in her mind was running around screaming, just loud enough to be heard over her beating heart, “I haven’t learned a thing! I’m such an idiot! What kind of queen am I going to be?!?”  

After a few moments, Will leaned back and looked at the queen-to-be. “So this is what you’ve learned so far…”

“Yes,” Sariphi admitted, her hands clutching her skirt. She could feel them sweating. She shut her eyes, bracing herself. 

“Quite extraordinary really.”

Sariphi could just hear him over her heart pounding in her ears. “Really?”

Will smiled warmly. “I mean it. After all, you haven’t been here a year, yet you write on a level at least of a child that has been in school for a few years. Good sentence structure, nice variety of words. The handwriting could stand to be a bit bigger, but I’d say you’re off to a good start.”

With that, Sariphi’s heart finally slowed down and she sighed, “Thank you sir.” The little voice wasn’t shouting now. Instead, it was preoccupied with mumbling, “ Well, we still have a lot to learn. It doesn’t mean much.” She knew it was right, but at least she could celebrate this win. 

“I know that look,” Will stated, adjusting his seat. He tilted his head, so the light caught on his glasses “You’re thinking, I’ve still got a long ways to go to learn, right?”

Sariphi and her grumbling inner voice flinched. “Well yes. I mean, I am to be a queen.”

“True, but given most of your predecessors were raised from the cradle to be queens, and also not to mention the amount of years they spent growing up as a beast,  the track you are on is vastly different from theirs. Focus on your own progress. In fact, since you’re able to make sentences like this, it may mean you can do more than what you think you can.” Will smiled warmly. “So please believe me when I say you’re doing just fine now.”

Sariphi let out a breath. “Thank you sir.”

The dog beamed. “Well now that’s settled. I’ll go look around to find some books to start on some summaries, reports, get you used to writing in the language. As I said, your handwriting is a bit small. Feel free to take up a bit more space. We’ll work on that now.

As he walked away, Will let out a grunt as he clutched at his eye, stopping in his tracks. 

“Professor?” Sariphi asked, standing up suddenly.

“It’s fine.” The dog waved his free paw. “I’ve got an eye condition that flares up now and then.” He looked at the human already dashing towards him. “Thanks Leona.”

“You’re welcome.”

As he bent backward, he mumbled, switching over to another language, “Ay dios mio! Did you have to make it hurt this much?” 

“Lo siento,” Leona responded in kind. She pulled out a bottle, unscrewing the top to reveal a dropper of brown liquid. “But the last thing we need is for those old geezers to recognize you. I mean, it might send them into heart attacks if they realize you’ve been alive all this time.” This caused Leona to pause and tap her chin.

Will laughed. “I know it’s tempting, but the king needs them. At least to do some paperwork.” He squatted, so now he looked up at her, his face closer to her chest. 

Leona tilted her head, concentrating and adjusting the dropper so it was right above her friend’s right eye, which was now a lighter shade of brown, edging towards a shade of green. “Fine. Really wish he’d get rid of his grandpa’s hand-me-downs. What’s with you Beasts and not retiring once you hit like 500?”

“Stubbornness I guess. I’ve been told that’s a trait of our species, especially from my wife.”

Leona squeezed, liquid hitting his right eye, and for a second his iris grew a bit darker before turning back to the brown color of his left. He rose, blinking frantically before turning to his friend. “So how do I look?”

Leona said with a smile, “With your eyes, you loon.”

He gave a dramatic gasp and raised his voice, back to the common tongue, turning everyone’s attention towards him. “Excuse me ma’am, that’s only something a wife can say and I am happily married!” He let out an indignant huff, heading towards the nearest shelf while the human woman wheezed, leaning against a nearby chair.

Cy and Clops bounced over to Sariphi’s desk. Clops ground his teeth before asking, “Sariphi, are you sure you want to learn from him? He seems a bit odd.”

“Odd,” Cy confirmed with his brother.

“Now, now, Mister…I mean Professor Will just has a lighter side. It’s rather nice.” She slid one of her sheets of paper over to them. “Do you think what he said is true?”

Cy’s purple pupil skimmed while Clops declared, “Wow it’s true! We didn’t realize you knew so much!”

“Wow! Sari great!” Cy agreed, his little digits clapping. 

“It’s only thanks to you two I’ve been able to get this far. Do you think you two can help Professor find some books for me?”

“Yes’m.”

“Yes!”

Sariphi watched her two friends with a smile. 

Will returned with a small stack. “This should be a good start. I do have to admit, I’m quite surprised at how many historical facts you wrote down.”

Sariphi smiled. “I really like history, the stories of the people of the past, learning about their lives, how they saw the world and lived through it. I’ve been trying to find more about the queens of Ozmargo and other Beast nations, to find out about how they helped their husbands and countries. I do hope you’ll teach more about them. ”

Will blinked and let out a small groan, head tilted back. “Alright, new rule. I’m only going to new places if I can take my wife and my daughter with me.” 

“Why is Maya a factor now?” Leona asked, now draped across a chair. 

He turned towards his human friend, paws out to frame Sariphi “Because you cannot just show me an adorable, sweet girl like this when I cannot ruffle adorable, sweet girl’s hair! There are forms of torture and then there’s this!” He added a small groan.

Sariphi giggled, face turning pink as she rubbed the back of her head, “You’re flattering me sir. I do hope I can meet your expectations.”

The dog raised his paws in the air. “Gods above, where is a woman like you for my sons?! Come on, what does a man have to do?”

“Apparently be a king and hail from a long-line of human-eaters,” Leona commented. 

“Some folks get all the luck,” Will grumbled.

Just then, Amit entered the room with a tray full of snacks. “Pardon me, I hope I’m not interrupting.”

A small gurgle rang out, causing everyone to look at Sariphi, who was now pink-faced. 

“I think you have perfect timing.” Leona chuckled, patting the girl’s shoulder.

As everyone settled around the table, Sariphi commented, “I haven’t seen Miss Juno today.”

Amit stiffened, setting a plate down with a clunk. 

“Juno got commandeered by the kitchens. Since we blew their minds about humans eating beast foods, they’ve been asking her non-stop about how to prepare it. I’m sure we’ll see her soon,” Leona replied.

Suddenly, ears pricked at the sound of something sailing through the air. Lanteveldt turned around, paw out. In a second, he caught a book. 

Just then Juno showed up, one hand with a tray of coffee and tea, the other holding her head. “I hope I haven’t kept you waiting too long.”

Leona blinked and said in a louder voice, “I’m sure my dear son will get married to an absolutely wonderful lady soon.” She blinked, glanced at Sariphi, then looked up at the sky, pleading. 

Juno let out a small chuckle as she distributed cups. “I think it’ll be a while before that one comes true.”

“Damn,” Leona grumbled as she shoveled some sugar into her coffee.

“Did you just throw a book at me?” the hyena asked, pointing at Juno with the offending literature. 

“No. I threw it at Sariphi,” the Caiman said flatly. 

“Eh?!” the two blobs cried out. 

“Why, ma’am?” Amit asked, panicked.

Juno waved her free hand. “Please don’t worry. I was just testing Sir Lanteveldt.” She pointed a finger at Sariphi. “You’ve got to make sure servants are doing their jobs properly at any time.” She set a cup down in front of the maiden. 

As Juno poured the tea, Sariphi said, “I think there’s a better, calmer way of doing such a thing.”

Lanteveldt scowled as the reptile, smiling serenely, offered him a cup. He took it, scowling at it, “I’m watching you lady. You’re one of those secret crazies.”

“I think most folks would call any of us crazy.” Will shrugged. “After all, neither human nor Beast would think we’d even sit at a table together, let alone share a meal and drink with one another. I’d say we’re all in good company.”

“Hear, hear, to a ‘crazy new world’.” Leona lifted her mug in toast.

The three older adults laughed and raised their cups. Lanteveldt shrugged, raised his glass and started to take his drink, letting out a small laugh. Cy and Clops shook a bit, Cy’s pupil bouncing around the older three. Yet when Juno placed a cup in front of the two, Clops lifted the glass to his brother. “Hear!” 

“Hear, hear!” Clops said a bit louder before he drank some tea. 

Sariphi let out a small giggle as she raised her cup. “Hear, hear!” she declared as well. The sight eased the blobs next to her, and their shaking stopped. 

Amit, however, only stared at her lap; she didn’t have a cup yet. 

When Juno reached the princess, Amit shook like a leaf battered by the wind. The older woman sighed, looking at the maiden straight on. “I deeply apologize to Your Highness for not bringing this up earlier. I am related to Lady Hera, but it’s a distant relation. I don’t recall ever meeting her. So I cannot say where she is now.”

Tension slipped from Amit, shoulders slumping. “I thought so.”

“Who’s Lady Hera?” Sariphi asked. 

“Well…she was my nanny. She raised me ever since I hatched. She was the one that taught me how to bake. One day, she left the court, her husband, basically everyone and everything. No one has seen her since.”

“I think I’ve heard about this lady. Is this the same Hera that got killed by her husband?” Lanteveldt asked.

The younger members of the group gasped. Will growled a bit and Leona clenched her cup, both eyes on Juno who stood still and passive, as if he just commented on the weather. 

“She wasn’t!” Amit declared, standing up, hands slamming on the table, sending plates and cups to jump slightly. “She…she wasn’t…” she panted, chest heaving as she almost fell into her chair. 

Sariphi, eyes right on Amit’s, placed her hands on top of her friend’s, giving her a firm squeeze.

“Ah sorry,” Lanteveldt said with a small nod, ears bent down. 

“Well, it was no secret that her relationship with her husband was falling apart,” Juno commented. “He often took mistresses and she would bully them until they left society for good. She also would defy him at many turns, especially publicly. I suppose when such an obstinate woman disappears, it’s only natural to think that her husband may have taken care of her once and for all.” She placed a gentle hand on the princess’s shoulder. “I apologize if my presence has caused you distress.”

“No no, I guess I was being hopeful. When she disappeared, she left my eldest brother and me a letter. She said she’d fallen in love with a man she met so she would be leaving her old life to be with him. And she wished us well and that she’d hope that we meet again someday. I guess, even after all these years, I really would like to see her again. ”

“I’m sure she would like that very much as well.” Juno smiled warmly, squeezing the young woman’s shoulder. 

Another growl sounded from Sariphi’s stomach; Sariphi squeaked out a, “Pardon me!”

Juno smiled. “Well, I’m glad we’ve gotten that out of the way. Personally, I find it's best to ask questions rather than to speculate and rumor yourself until your mind’s all tangled up. Only the truth can snap you free like snipping a knot out.  Let us eat for now. Enjoy some good food. Then we can start lessons again.”

After eating, Sariphi wiped her face with her napkin. “Pardon me, Miss Juno, what will I be learning today?”

“Miss?”

“Ah sorry. Is there anything you’d like for me to call you?”

“It’s not a matter of preference but more of a matter of ranking and situation.” Juno nodded.

“Really?” Sariphi asked. 

Juno’s gaze hardened, hands clasped in front of her on the table. “Your Highness, by all accounts, you are the highest ranking person here. In impersonal settings such as this, you can refer to us however you please.” She pointed a claw at the princess. “For example, you can refer to Her Highness here by her first name alone.”

Sariphi squirmed a bit, glancing at her stunned friend. “She’s a princess…”

“And you’ll be a queen,” the older woman retorted. “True, in formal situations, it is only natural to call her by her title, but here and now it’s fine.”

The two maidens looked at one another, faces flushed. Sariphi faced her friend, hands tight on her skirt. “Would it be alright if I called you by just your name?” 

“Oh yes! I would be honored!” Amit answered, clapping her hands. 

“Then Amit…” Sariphi stated, face growing dark red. 

Amit’s eyes watered, face bright pink. “Lady Sariphi.”

“You know you can call me by my name when we’re like this. Is that right, Miss Juno?”

“In these situations of course,” Juno stated, head resting on her hands. 

“Then Sar…Sari….” However Amit’s face turned so red you thought someone had lit a fire inside her mouth, the steam billowing out of her head. She hid her eyes in her hands. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I can’t!”

Sariphi patted her friend on the knee. “It’s okay, I don’t mind waiting.”

“Thank you Sar…Sari…” But once again the heat of embarrassment overtook her.

As the ladies all smiled, Lante leaned close to Will, swallowing his food before asking, “What’s this all about?”

Will shrugged. “It’s a lady’s thing.”

After swallowing his food, Clops commented, “Ladies sure are confusing.”

“Yep,” Cy said, offering a cookie to his brother’s mouth. 

Once they started stacking finished plates, Juno rose. “Alright we shall begin the lesson.” She proceeded to walk out of the room. Leona and Will followed, but the younger members of the cast remained at the table, watching the older folks leave. 

“Is the next lesson going to be outside the library?” Sariphi asked.

Pausing mid step, Leona commented, “It was part of the hint I gave you. Was that not clear?”

“Well your mouth was shut when you said it,” Sariphi pointed out, rising from her seat. Her companions soon followed, although Lante did take a moment to finish off the last of his plate and add it to a stack of dishes on a tray to be picked up later.

“Sariphi, when you get as old as I am, you learn many languages: grumbles, groan, sarcasm, sass–especially when your kids hit their teenage years. It just takes time,” Leona said, smiling. 

The Caiman woman paused from where she stood in the door frame. “Of course, that’s a lesson that can wait for another time. Now come on, don’t dawdle. There’s plenty to learn.”

Sariphi quickly stepped forward so she was by the woman’s side, the rest of the group following along. “Pardon me, Miss Juno, or is there something else I should call you?”

Juno pondered, raising her head a bit, hand on her chin. “Well since you gave my friend a degree and made him a professor, I wouldn’t mind being a lady.”

“Then Lady Juno, where are we going for the lesson?

The Caiman woman stopped at a section of hallway, pointing down a branching corridor. “Tell me, what is down this hallway?”

Clops perked up. “Oh that’s…”

“I asked Lady Sariphi, little ones. This is her lesson after all.”

Sariphi rested her head on her hand. “Ah…I believe it leads to the maids’ quarters.”

Juno tapped her chin. “Accurate, yet hesitant–eighty-three points.”

“Huh?” the two blobs asked.

“Don’t worry, there’ll be plenty of time to improve it,” Juno continued, hand in the air. “I’m sure you’ll be busy with running the kingdom, dealing with policies and trade to keep it going. Yet, you are also queen of this castle, the lady of the house. And as the lady, it is up to you to know everything there is to know about this place, from top of the roof to the bottom of any cellar. This way, you can tend to the needs of guests and know what the staff needs to keep it going. It is home to many people that help you in your daily life so you must keep it running seamlessly.”

Sariphi hummed, “So it’s the same in the human realm. Yet Anubis is the one that orders around the servants for things like meals and events.”

“Historically, if the queen couldn’t do the task, the Anubis of the reign would take over for her,” Juno replied. “I believe during the gap between the previous king and our king now, the council took over. Yet once the king was on the throne, his Anubis took over the duties. Soon enough it’ll be your duty to do so. You must know your domain like the back of your hand. Of course it will also be your duty to arrange events for the domain.” She paused, twisting back to her student. “Tell me, do you have any musical talents?”

“Me?” Sariphi asked, pointing to herself.

“Yes, you. You are the student and queen-to-be here,” Juno said. “Often at many events, ladies of the household provide entertainment either by performing or inviting others, such as musicians and poets, to entertain. Do you play any musical instruments or do you prefer singing?”

“I can sing, but not very well,” Sariphi stated. 

Leona smirked, stepping in front of the maiden. “Let me be the judge of that. Come on, let us hear a tune.”

“Okay…” Sariphi took a deep breath…In an oddly breathless and high-pitched tone, she sung, “Sleep now my dear child—” 

With just a few notes, everyone began to yawn at the sound. 

Will raised a paw. “That’s enough.”

Juno covered her mouth as she fought off a yawn. “Indeed, might be best to keep your singing to a nursery rather than a ballroom.” 

Leona smacked the dog’s paw. “Come on, I’ve heard worse. Could use some warmups, maybe try a lower pitch...” She patted the girl on the shoulder. “Well, if you’re not comfortable with singing, you can always play something. Know any instruments?”

Sariphi’s eyes darkened, looking down at the floor, a small frown on her face. Her mind took over her vision. She remembered her face almost touching the glass in the window as she looked at something round and shiny behind the glass, sitting on a white cushion. She remembered a young Maria, face beaming as Sariphi found the object sitting in an opened box in her lap. “Happy Birthday, sis!” Maria said. Then, she remembered Maria, years older now, going, “Come on Sariphi play us a song! You’ll never learn if you don’t play it!” 

“Sariphi?” Leona called out.

Sariphi found herself in the present once more, her friends looking at her, concerned. She shook herself, trying to dispel the past’s threads on her. “I’m sorry. I don’t know any instruments, but I have had a few dancing lessons. Maybe we can start there.” 

Juno stared, then nodded. “Ah yes. A good idea for a lesson. However, we’ll focus on the castle today. First we’ll have a broad view in order to get your bearings. Can’t have you getting lost in your own home. Then we’ll focus on the individual spaces, its inhabitants, and functions.”

A clamor directed everyone’s attention to the windows.

Lanteveldt poked his head out to see. “Looks like the Captain and his men are back.”

“Apt timing.” Juno smiled. “Let’s get some fresh air and tour the soldier’s training grounds and quarters first. Given the activity of the area, it often needs a lot of attention and care. Plus I have been curious about this Captain Jormungand I’ve heard so much about.”

The group made their way to the open grounds where several soldiers were dismounting from their horses. Jormungand was leading his soldiers towards the stable when he noticed the group heading towards him.

“Ah Lady Sariphi.” The knight bowed. “I heard that you became ill while I was away. I’m glad to see you well again.” 

“Thank you sir. It’s always good to see you and your men return safely.” Sariphi gave a small bow in return.

“Indeed.” He nodded towards Leona. “And I suppose we have this lady to thank for your recovery.”

Leona blinked and twisted around. “A lady where?” After a few twists, she stopped, smiling. “Oh you mean me! Thank you sir.” She stuck out her hand. “Leona Carrin, doctor. Nice to meet you, Captain Jormungand.”

He took the hand into his own mitten-like one. “An honor to meet you, ma’am. Thank you for healing our queen.”

“Happy to help wherever I can. If you or your men need some medicine or tending to, I’ll lend a hand anytime,” she said when the handshake broke.

Several soldiers flinched at her words, some openly staring at her. 

“Do you have experience in tending to Beasts, ma’am?” The captain asked. 

Leona waved at his words. “No need to ma’am me, but I’ve tended to all kinds of folks—skin, fur, scales, feathers. I’m always ready to aid those who need it.”

The captain nodded with a small smile. “Well, should the need arise, I’ll let you know.”

“Good.” She proffered a hand out to her companions. “Here are my friends, Will and Juno. They’ll be staying here as Sariphi’s teachers.”

Juno curtsied rather low. “It is a great honor to meet you, Captain Jormungand.”

Several of the reptilian soldiers stopped fully, looking at the woman with wide eyes. Some murmured between each other yet one glare from the captain silenced them. 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you two.” The captain bowed his head. 

“Jor!” 

Everyone turned to see Anubis, waving from one of the pillars outlining the courtyard. You could almost see the veins popping out of his head. 

“Pardon me, it looks like the Chancellor is in need of me.” With that he turned away from the group. A small green charm attached to his sword peeked out before being hidden by his coat. Leona and Will shared a glance and a smirk. 

Juno stared openly at it before coughing into her hand and regaining her composure. “Well, now that we’ve done our greetings, let’s keep going with our tour. A peek at the soldiers’ quarters and armory and then we’ll go from there.”

Just as the group left the grounds, they passed by a small room that caught Sariphi’s attention. Several round metal pipes were sticking out of the wall with a chain attached to them. She ventured away to peer at them. Leona noticed and followed.

“What do you think these are?” Sariphi asked, twisting her head. 

“Looks like a kind of shower head,” Leona commented. 

“Shower head?” Sariphi asked, trying out the words.

“You know about piping in water for baths, right? It’s the same system, but instead the water comes out from this spout here so a person can wash themselves standing up. Given how many men there are here, it would be convenient to have a place like this to have lots of men get washed at once. Plus, folks like reptiles and amphibians are more sensitive to temperature changes both from the outside and in. Probably a good way to cool down after training.”

“Really?” Sariphi glanced at the chain, tracing it with her fingers. “So I guess this is how you get the water out.”

Leona edged her charge away a bit. “Probably want to take a step back before trying anything.”

“Thank you.” Sariphi tugged on the chain, yet nothing occurred. She gave it another hard tug, but still nothing. 

Leona pulled up her sleeves. “Alright let me try.” She spat in her hands and tugged at the chains. Water burst out, drenching the two women below. She looked over at the maiden. “Sorry, Sariphi, looks like we needed two steps back.”

“It’s fine, at least now we know this works,” Sariphi commented, a smile on her face.

Their friends appeared at the doorway, Lante snickering with Will trying to hide his own laughter. Amit dashed towards the two women with Cy and Clops floating beside her. Juno sighed. “I suppose it’s as good a time as any to meet the seamstress in the castle.”

“My, my, while the circumstances are lamentable, I’m happy to see you again, Your Highness,” an older brown mouse woman commented as she hung up Sariphi’s dress next to Leona’s pants, shirt, and corset on a dressing screen. She was only a bit taller than the two humans, thanks to her ears, and she was dressed in a light pink cap and dress. “I’m sure your friends will be here in just a moment with your clothes.” She then scurried off to the side and pulled out some blankets, wrapping both humans. “Hope these keep you warm.” 

“Thank you ma’am,” Sariphi said, now standing behind the screen in a small top and a pair of shorts that went down her thighs. Leona sat on a stool in her own small clothes. 

“Please call me Marie, Your Highness.” The mouse smiled. She then touched the corset drying on the side. “Pardon me, Miss Leona, but what is this thing?”

“It’s a corset, a kind of undergarment. I mainly wear mine to keep my back straight and my boobs from going all over the place.” She patted at her ample chest. “But ladies also can wear them to help give them an hourglass kind of body shape; it’s all the rage back in Yoana.” 

“I see.” Marie picked up the fabric, tugging at the strings. “Would you like for me to make you something like this, Your Highness?” she asked the queen-consort-to-be. “It might take me some time.”

“For me?” Sariphi asked, pointing to herself. 

“I’m not sure. Mine’s more for purpose rather than fashion,” Leona commented, head in hand. “I’m not sure it would look good with the long flowy fashions that I see a lot of Beast ladies wearing outside the castle. Human fashion now likes that style too, so the corsets made now are longer.”

“Indeed?” Marie asked. 

“Yeah.” Sariphi nodded. “It’s the style nowadays. I’m not sure I really should wear one since I’m so…small,” she added with a small blush, arms wrapped around her slim frame.

“Eh, you’re fine.” Leona waved a hand. “I mean, whether or not you want to wear a corset is more up to you now, since you don’t have much in the way of human-style clothes.” Leona stood up, clasping the skirt of Sariphi’s drying dress. “I mean, this is the dress you were brought in here right?”

“Yes.”

“If human fashion likes longer garments why is Her Highness’s usual dress short?” Marie asked.

“I say fashion but it’s more high society that favors such things. Other places and regions can have their own idea of style.” Leona’s face darkened a bit as she continued with a bitter tone, “Plus, sacrifices are supposed to be modest women, humbling themselves for the sake of their race, so the Temple sends them dressed up like this.”

“It’s still a nice dress,” Sariphi commented. “It’s similar to the style I used to wear back at home, so it’s fine.”

“If you say so,” Leona said. “Why do you wear this one so much? As you were getting better, I helped you change into clothes and you have a lot more than this.”

“Those feel a bit too fancy for me to wear when I’m just studying in the library,” Sariphi admitted.

“I did think so. I just figured the king was spoiling you with nice gowns like rich men in love do. Even though he doesn’t seem to mind wearing his grandpa’s coat,” Leona said. 

“That is lamentable,” Marie sighed. “His Majesty and Sire Chancellor have only requested a few dresses for the few occasions we had guests while your position was still…precarious,” she said with a circle of her paw. “And of course, the moment my stupid cousin breaks his leg and thus everyone in the family has to rush over and make sure he’s alright is the moment the council decides you are queen-consort-to-be and thus need a new wardrobe befitting your position. And even though I’m the royal seamstress and have been waiting ages for the chance to provide a proper wardrobe for you!” She threw her paws in the air. “Yet, they can’t wait and thus the Head Maid,” she spat the last words out like a poison, “took some of the old queen’s and consorts’ clothing to make something for you.” She then sighed, flopping in her chair. “I’m truly sorry, Your Highness. I’d love to make you some more casual clothes if I can.”

“You really don’t mind dressing up a human queen? Seems like the rest of the castle is a bit on the fence about having a human around, let alone having one rule over them,” Leona commented, head resting on her hand. 

“I mean, I was certainly surprised about him selecting a sacrifice to be his bride. Yet, in the few times I’ve met her and everything I’ve heard from castle rumors, she’s been nothing but kind and compassionate to every Beast she’s met. Well those that aren’t trying to attack her at least.”

Leona sat up straighter. “Wait, is she talking about those thief guys that came in?”

“No…she’s talking about a princess who visited who really wanted to be the queen. At first, she just switched out the wine I was drinking for something too strong for me. Then she cornered me while we were alone, telling me to leave the position. When I refused, she attacked me. Fortunately Amit stopped her and then the King arrived and demanded she leave.”

“Oh Family,” Leona commented. “Is that when you got Lante?”

“No, he became my knight much later.”

“I never thought I’d see a hyena anywhere near the capital, let alone walking around the castle walls,” Maria commented, turning towards the older human. “The Hyena clan once fought against the king’s ancestors and were almost wiped out for it. I’m honestly surprised there are still Hyenas left.”

“I’ve heard about that.” Leona tilted her head. “Wasn’t that like 1,500 years ago?”

“Yes,” Sariphi sighed with a nod. “On his first mission with me, some of the soldiers we were with at the time distrusted and even confronted Lante, leaving their posts so they could bully him. Seems like Beasts have a hard time forgiving what happened and those now have to face so much because of it. I’m not sure I can make everyone forgive one another. I don’t even think I got through to those soldiers at the time.”

Marie smiled at the maiden. “Yet it’s seeing a kind of person that looks at all Beasts as equals that gives me hope for the future. The various mouse clans, my Brown Field included, can testify that many clans have attempted to take over our lands and we have fought them off. White Elephant, Elemental, pretty much every feline clan. Honestly, it’d be easier to name the clans that we haven’t fought with. And even when we were able to get back our lands, we continued to attack them out of revenge. And while there’s been no active conflict in my lifetime, I grew up so suspicious of other clans; I was afraid of anyone I didn’t grow up with. 

“Yet the more I interacted with other folks, the more I learned about them. I didn’t think of them as potential aggressors or enemies, but rather friends or clients. I can’t say they’ve all been kind, but I do think we can at least learn to get along with one another and try to bury the hatchet. His Majesty’s reign has ushered in a peace most Beasts have never known, and I do hope you can help him with that somehow. I’m certainly looking forward to the day I see you in the wedding dress I’ll make!” The mouse clapped. 

“Yeah, all hail Queen Sariphi, Bringer of Peace!” Leona called out. 

Sariphi beamed. “Thank you! I’ll do everything I can to make peace for all.”

A knock on the door turned their attention. Maria opened it to see Juno and Amit carrying clothes for their respective friends.

“Thank you so much,” Sariphi said, taking the clothes from Amit.

“The two of us will head to kitchens to help make lunch for everyone,” Juno said as she passed clothes to Leona. “Any requests?”

Leona tilted her head. “Not really.” She pulled her corset off the dressing wall, giving it a few flaps before putting it around her waist. As she adjusted the hooks, she looked over her shoulder and said, “Sariphi, got anything you want to eat?”

With a light pink dress covering her head, Sariphi paused. The group watched as she stayed like that, one arm up in the air, the other on her chest, tightening around the fabric. Leona pulled on a black shirt and then headed over to the maiden, pulling down her shirt and revealing her face. Sariphi wore a frown and furrowed brow, eyes down like the ground held some secret from her. 

“Sariphi?” Leona asked, snapping her fingers in front of the girl.

Sariphi blinked. “Ah sorry. Lost my train of thought, must be hungrier than I thought. No, I don’t really have a preference. I’m looking forward to anything you make; it’ll be delicious,” she said, a wide smile on her face.

Juno nodded. “Alright, chef’s choice. We’ll head down and see what ingredients the chefs have prepared and go from there. Mind helping me Amit?”

Amit watched her friend, concerned written on all her features, yet she gave the woman a nod and followed her out, still looking at her friend until the door shut behind them. 

“Pardon me, Your Highness.” Marie stepped forward. “Do you need some refreshment?”

Sariphi gathered her hair from the dress’s collar and pushed it free with her hand. “No, but thank you.”

Leona now pulled up her black pants. “You sure, queenie? You seemed a bit off.”

“I think I just need to sit down for a second.”

Marie quickly grabbed the stool from behind the curtain and offered it to the girl. Sariphi quickly took the seat. 

Another knock sounded from the door, followed by a male voice.“Is it safe for me to come in now?”

Marie giggled, “Yes dear,” and went to open the door, letting in a figure in red pants who was carrying a pile of white clothes in their brown paws that was tall enough to block the rest of the person. She took some clothes to reveal a brown mouse with a small red hat on top of his head. 

“Ladies, my husband Jacq, royal tailor.” She nodded, pointing to the new mouse. 

“An honor and pleasure, my ladies,” Jacq said, bowing with the clothes still in his paws. He then set the clothes on a nearby table. “Phew, I’m always glad when the soldiers come home safely. Though I wish they would stagger when giving me their uniforms to tailor when they return. Though I am glad its Captain Jormungand’s men, he always makes sure they’ve been cleaned beforehand.”

Sariphi rose from the stool to eye the clothes. “So you’re in charge of the soldiers’ outfits?”

“Yes.” Jacq held up a pair of pants, inspecting them. “My wife is in charge of the ladies’ outfits. Well, supposed to be.”

“Your Highness, if you could get that old fool of a head maid to let me do my job and take care of the maids’ outfits, I’ll honor you for the rest of my life as the best queen in history and sainthood,” Marie stated, a paw in the air. 

“Why won’t she?” Sariphi asked, ankles crossed. 

“Most of the maids are the Head Maid’s granddaughters, grandnieces, or the daughters of good friends,” Marie said. “And she’s very protective of her girls, which is fine when she tells off soldiers harassing them. But she says and I quote,” Marie cleared her throat and hunched over a bit. She slipped digits underneath her hat, making them poke out like horns. She then spoke in an older voice, “ ‘I know what’s best for my girls. I can take care of all their needs just fine.’ ” The mouse then rose and flung her arms out, as if shaking off something, clicking her tongue. 

Jacq snickered as he held up a pair of pants, “You do the best impressions, love.”

“Thank you, thank you,” Marie said, with a small bow. 

Leona watched the couple, clapping at the woman’s performance. However, Sariphi’s attention was on the tailor inspecting the clothes, making a few marks with chalk on parts here and there.

“Are those tail holes in the pants there?” Sariphi pointed to the wide pants that Jacq held up. 

“Ah yes, you probably won’t see most of them since quite a few beasts have shorter tails or wear longer shirts to cover them up.” Jacq nodded as he folded up the pants. 

“Wait Captain Jormungand has the most Reptiles out of all the captains serving the king…” Sariphi’s eyes began to sparkle; she leaned towards the man, hands gripping the seat. “Does that mean Reptiles have tails?”

Jacq fumbled with the pants in paw, nearly dropping them. “What made you think otherwise, milady?”

Sariphi shrugged. “Well I haven’t seen a Reptile tail since I arrived. I mean I did see war paintings and tapestries depicting them with tails, but since I didn’t see any here.  After a while, I thought the artists just added them in.”

Leona stepped towards the girl, arm around her small shoulders. “Remind me you’ve been here for about eight months or so right?” Leona asked.

“I think so…it’s hard to keep track since the calendar here is a bit different.”

Leona held her chin in thought. “Huh, you might just break my record.”

“Your record?”

“The shortest amount of time it takes for a human to see a Reptilian tail. Mine is a year and a month, so you’ve got some time.” Leona patted Sariphi’s shoulder.

“Really?”

“Yeah, I had been living back at home for a while and there were some reptiles and I kept thinking, ‘Where are the tails?’ I’ve seen them in tapestries, books, and murals. Was that some kind of artist interpretation? Do these Beast folk not have tails? They look so much like animals though?’ And sneaking down to the local hot spring to watch my neighbor's bathe to answer my queries was tempting but as a married woman, I had vowed to not watch any man but my husband naked.”

“Really?” Sariphi’s eyes went even wider. 

“It’s not in traditional vows, but he got lonely and jealous easily at the beginning so I didn’t want to upset him. Then one day, my neighbor Bai, a snake fellow, had this really bad rash–note you’ve got to teach Beasts what poison ivy looks like–on his leg and it went all the way up so of course I had to have him take off his pants, and seeing his tail was the furthest thing from my mind. Yet, there it was, one bonafide thin tail right in front of me. I screamed my head off in delight, which in turn caused Bai to scream in confusion. In fear that we were being attacked by something, villagers, including my husband and Bai’s wife, came forward to find us poking at the tail–it had a rash on it too. Fortunately, it was clear what was going on so only I got chased by Bai’s wife with her wok.”

“Wok?” Marie asked. 

“It’s a kind of frying pan, with a big middle so you can really fry a lot of things together,” Leona offered. “Well that mystery was solved. Reptiles had tails. For two weeks I cuddle-consoled my husband to show I didn’t want anyone else but him and for two months Xu–that’s Bai’s wife–kept her wok at hand whenever I was around until I earned her forgiveness. So let this be a lesson to you, yes, Reptilian folks do have tails; they just hide them cleverly. And don’t go looking at anyone else’s tail other than your husband’s, it makes them jealous.” 

“I see…” Sariphi stated.

Leona held a finger up. “By the way, the record for ‘Longest without Seeing A Reptile’s Tail’ is held by Mwindo.”

“Your town’s blacksmith? Why would it take him so long?” Sariphi asked.

Leona explained, “Well before he was a blacksmith, he was a mercenary. Actually fought off some rebel Reptilians years ago. But they kept their tails covered in combat. He only saw a tail once he met Juno, but that’s a story for another day. One where she’s far out of earshot and grabbing range.” 

Sariphi held her tilted head. “But why would Reptiles hide their tails in the first place?”

* “Well, Ozmargo did defeat the Reptiles two centuries ago,” Leona commented, rubbing the back of her neck. “And even before that, there’s been disdain between Mammals and Reptiles. So when it came time for Reptiles to enter Ozmargian society, they were naturally taunted for what made them different–scales, different tails. And some even took it a step further…” Leona took in a deep breath, “by chopping off Reptiles tails.” 

“Really? Why?” Sariphi cried out. 

“You see,” Jacq interjected, "there are some reptile clans that grow back tails after they’ve been chopped. I’ve even heard that they can even grow back limbs. When Ozamargo bested the Reptilians clans, the king took several of the higher-born and high-ranking soldiers and chopped off their tails–as proof he had bested them.”

“That was the previous king right?” Sariphi nodded.

“Yes.” Marie nodded glumly. “After that spectacle, many other clans began to chop off Reptilian tails as a means to demean them. Walking around with a stump of a tail is embarrassing as it is. So thus the clans came up with a means to cover their tails, protecting themselves from such attacks. After all, it’s hard to aim at what you can’t see. Attackers didn’t want Reptiles killed, just demoralized and reminded of the social order. And it may have even led to some younger folks thinking Reptilians had no tails at all, like yourself.”

“That’s…” Sariphi clutched at her heart, eyes watering. 

“Please don’t worry, Your Highness,” Marie stated, offering a handkerchief. “At the start of his reign, decades ago, His Majesty made such crimes punishable by way of banishment. It did earn him several enemies, yet I’ve spoken to several Reptiles in my time and they feel much safer now. Yet there are those folks, rebels to the crown, who will attack a Reptile if they think they can get away with it.” 

* Sariphi pressed the fabric to her eyes, wiping off a few tears. Leona moved over and hugged the young girl, smiling at her. “I know it’s tough, but you don’t have to solve all the world’s conflicts at once. Let’s start with stopping folks from actively killing each other and we’ll go from there.” 

“That’s what His Majesty’s been working on since the start of his reign,” Marie admitted.

Jacq stated with a finger up,“It’s true.” 

Sariphi took a deep breath and allowed herself a smile. “Alright.” She then turned towards Marie. “Would it be alright if I stop by sometime for measurements and to get me some casual clothes? I’d like to wear what my fellow country folk wear daily.”

Marie clapped her hands. “Of course, it would be my pleasure.”

When the ladies stepped out of the room, Lanteveldt, Will, Cy and Clops stood up from their seats. 

“Ooh, that’s a nice color on you, Your Highness,” Will said with a nod.

“Thank you,” Sariphi said with a small nod, smiling.

“You look so pretty, Sariphi!” Clops exclaimed.

“Pretty!” Cy agreed. 

“About time,” the hyena nearly groaned. “Let’s go eat.”

“Young man, you better get used to it. Ladies will take their time to get ready for any event,” Will commented. 

“I’ll try to not take too much time,” Sariphi assured, waving her hands in front of her. 

“‘A queen is never late, everyone else is simply early,’ I believe a human queen once said that,” Will said..

Leona nodded. “Yeah, so don’t worry about taking your time to get yourself all dressed up and ready. I’m looking forward to seeing you in your new wardrobe.”

“A new wardrobe?” Will inquired. 

“Marie offered to make her some more casual clothing for daily use,” Leona added.. 

“I see…” Will stopped the girl with a paw. “I’m sorry but please no more crinolines and petticoats. Humans finally got rid of those and I can’t live through that era again if you decide to wear them again!”

“Crinolines?” Cy asked.

“Petticoats?” Clops followed up. 

“Yes,” Will started, hands out wide around his waist. “For some reason humans decided that big poofy skirts were the fashion of the day for so many years. First it was achieved with layer upon layer of petticoats. Then they had these almost cage-like things around their waists called crinolines to cover their legs to achieve the same kind of designs. And Lord, those took forever to take off. Like seriously, how do human men have the patience for all of that?” He then turned to the hyena. “And despite what the heat of passion may tell you, young man, don’t try anything with a lady love while she’s got those things on. Learn from my mistakes. Getting slapped by that much fabric is not fun.”

Lante snickered a bit, “Noted, old man. But why would Sariphi wearing such things cause such a fuss?”

Will tilted his head. “Because whatever the Queen wears becomes what high society and in turn what society considers fashion. You can see it all the time in Yoana when royalty or highly-notable nobles decide to wear something different, everyone else is sure to follow. Historically, it also happened in Ozmargo too. But since the King doesn’t care for finer clothes and there’s no queen, there hasn’t been any new trends since her Late Majesty.”

“Why would your wife wear human clothes?” Clops asked. 

“You see, we’ve swapped clothes and fashion from time to time. We actually have a variety of human cultures and thus different kinds of clothing. The crinolines and petticoats are mainly from Western Yoana where Sariphi and Leona are from. I don’t mind wearing human male clothes. I find them quite alluring, but I pity the womenfolk.”

“Hey it wasn’t that bad,” Leona commented. “And the pockets on those kinds of dresses were amazing. I could fit Cy and Clops in one and have plenty of room in that one and have a free one. The day that crinolines went out the door, so did pockets for women.” She placed a hand on the maiden’s shoulder. “Sariphi gotta make sure Marie gives you a good pocket in your outfits. Not the tiny ones your hand barely fits in that you get nowadays.”

“That would be nice,” Sariphi noted, head tilted yet eyes on Leona, watching her in a fascinated way.

“You still have large pockets, Leona,” Will pointed out.

“Because I raised an understanding, compassionate daughter who also is a mage in her own right with a needle and thread. Your wife would probably be a lot less happy if she didn’t have those pockets for journals and pens my Le makes for her.”

“True,” the dog conceded. 

Just as they turned the corner, a man called out, “Ah, Your Highness.”

This caused Sariphi to halt. The group looked up to see Judge Set coming out of another hall. “I’m so glad to hear you are doing better after being unwell for so long.”

“Ah yes. Thank you.” Sariphi nodded to the man. 

“And I suppose this woman is to thank for your new health?” the tall fox asked, looking at Leona. 

“Yep, Leona Carrin, at Her Majesty’s service.” Leona offered a small bow. 

“I see. I am Judge Set. It is an honor to meet you ma’am. I apologize but I must be going.” The fox gave them a nod and left the group. 

“How long has he been here?” Will asked. 

“No clue, since the king’s been reigning I guess.” Lan looked down at the blobs. “You two know?”

“We don’t know much about him,” Clops admitted. 

“None,” Cy agreed. 

“He’s a bit spooky,” Leona commented. 

“Ah, yes.” Sariphi looked away from the fox. 

“What’s wrong, Sariphi?” Leona asked, hand now on the maiden’s shoulder. 

“Let’s just say when we first met, it was…awkward. It wasn’t the best circumstances.” She turned her head even more, hugging herself tightly. 

With her kidnapping and then her illness, she all but pushed her encounter with the judge on that almost catastrophic day out of her mind. Yet when he looked at her, with those cold and unfeeling eyes like stones, she couldn't help but think of her “parents”. They had those same eyes for her, even until their last goodbye. She’d take Anubis’s glare, full of life and venom at her, over Set’s cold eyes anyday, anytime. 

“I see.” Leona narrowed her eyes a bit. “Well, if he gives you any trouble, you can always tell me. I’ve got a few potions on hand in case you want to see him green or something. Or just tell His Majesty; the judge works for him after all. And he’ll work for you someday soon. Be sure he knocks off the whole suspicious thing while you’re in charge.”

“I’ll try,” Sariphi said with a nod. “The latter I mean. I don’t want anyone to turn green on my account.”

Leona sighed, “Ah you are so nice. It would only last a few days tops, honest. Cross my heart.” She made a small cross on her chest, but then saw Sariphi give her a stern look. She raised her hands up in defeat, “Fine, fine, no green. But do let me know if you change your mind.”

“Not likely, but thank you.” 

As her companions traveled onward, Leona stayed behind a bit. Around the corner, she just caught the man going around the other side of the hall. She let out one sharp whistle, catching him. When he looked at her, she pointed two fingers to her eyes, then back to him, then back to her. She then slowly slid away, eyes still on the judge until she disappeared behind the wall. 

The judge stared at the empty space for a bit and then smirked. “Another human in the castle…now this is an interesting development.” 

As the day continued on, the sun began to paint the miasma clouds a deep shade of purple. The teachers and students took a break by one of the outer walls of the castle, where one could see the capital life going on. 

Will let out a small woof as he sighed on one of the benches, massaging his paw of a foot. “I have to say, we really need to stop with these long trips. Lord, my legs can’t take much more.”

Juno huffed, arms crossed, “That’s because you spend too much time huddled over books. Honestly I think you’ve walked more in these last few weeks than in the decades I’ve known you.”

He shrugged. “I exercise my brain more.”

The two adults looked at Sariphi in between the two of them. She was kneeling, looking out at the people below: children chasing each other, mothers and fathers with children in slings or on shoulders, couples walking together, holding paws, hands, wings or some combination of the three. A few hoofed Beasts walked with tails entwined. 

“Pardon me, Lady Sariphi, are you overwhelmed by the tour?” Juno asked. “Perhaps we should have done it more in chunks.”

“No no and please call me Sariphi. It’s a good time to do so right?” Sariphi said, hand up.

“Of course, if that’s what you wish.” Juno clapped. 

Will pointed to himself. “Could I call you ‘Sariphi’ sometimes too?”

“Sure.” Sariphi smiled. Then her eyes looked off to the horizon. “Do you two think I can be a good queen?”

“Of course, you’ve got intent to learn and help others; that’s a fine start,” Will commented. 

“Yet, there’s still so much I have to learn.” Sariphi sighed.

“Yes I did hear you just learned about Reptilian tails,” Juno commented with a smile. “I guess going somewhere and not seeing what you’re expecting does raise some questions.” 

Sariphi tilted her head. “Were you born before Ozmargo defeated Murga or after, ma’am?” 

“I was born before, yet I was just out of diapers at the time of the war. If I’d had to guess, I’d say I’m close to my early or mid thirties as a human.”

“I’m closer to my forties in human sense,” Will admitted. “Though I’m getting closer to four hundred than I like to admit.” 

“So how old is Leona?” Sariphi asked. 

“42,” Juno said with confidence.

“43,” Will declared proudly. 

The two beasts turned to stare at each other.

“You don’t know her age?” Juno's gasped.

“I think I know her age quite well; I’ve known her longer,” the dog said, arms crossed. 

“We can ask and see who’s right,” Sariphi suggested.

“Okay, but I will let Leona know you made her older than she actually is,” Juno commented, waving a finger at the dog.

“Yeah, yeah.”

Sariphi giggled and sighed, relaxing against the back of the chair. She then tensed, hands gripping each other in her lap. 

Will leaned in towards the girl,“You know, Sariphi, we’d be happy to give you lessons after you marry His Majesty. Just because you become a queen doesn’t mean we’ll pack our bags and head back to our village."

“Really?” 

“It’s a bit unconventional, but given the fact that you are ascending the throne in less than a year, it’d only be natural to ask for assistance in such a case,” Juno noted. 

Sariphi nodded. “His Majesty says he doesn’t mind waiting for me to take over the queen’s duties until I’m ready. Yet I want to be ready as soon as I can be. Since he’s been doing this with Anubis’s help for so long, I want to help him too.” 

Will sat for a moment pondering. “My wife taught me that even if you reach a goal you’ve strived for, you shouldn’t try to stop improving and learning. Even if you do become queen, it would be good for you to keep learning and growing whatever talents you have. I mean, look at Her Highness Princess Gloria. She’s mastered pretty much what you expect from a ruler, yet still attends classes from universities and competes in competitions for all kinds of fields.”

Sariphi rested herself on her crossed arms, eyes closed. “Yeah, she is magnificent. Like a finely polished diamond held up to moonlight.” She pictured the woman she’d seen in newspapers, always so poised and elegant. The image of her standing with a fencing sword, holding up a large trophy, stuck out the most. She then opened her eyes, “She’s had so many years to learn…I don’t know how I’d compare.” 

WIll hummed, scratching his chin. “I suppose it can be frustrating when pretty much all your predecessors were either royalty, nobility or the very wealthy merchants who basically inhabit the same circles. I’d have to research it more, but it would be hard to find a queen throughout Ozmargo’s protectorates or other Beast nations with a background like yours. The only one that comes to mind is Queen Varyl, the first queen, but we didn’t have the concept of nations in this land yet.”

Sariphi looked down at the Beasts below. She felt a touch on her right side, seeing Will smile at her. “Although I must say, you wouldn’t be an oddity among the human queens though. I mean even your late Queen Winnifred, Gloria’s grandmother, was born a commoner and look how she turned out.”

With that mention, Sariphi gasped, face pink, hands flailing. “Me? Be like Queen Winni? No way! There’s no way I can compare to her!”

“Ah let the historians compare the two of you in like five, six hundred years,” Juno commented. 

“But Queen Winni was so amazing! She would stand with people at protests. She made speeches and raised so much money for so much good for the people. Even after she gave the throne to her son, she still cared for so many…” Sariphi began. Now she pictured Queen Winnifred, her features a bit rounder than you would see on her granddaughter. An old matron, wrinkles around her face from all her years of smiling. The newspapers always depicted her enjoying her retirement with helping out others, ladling out soup after disasters. Her death a few years ago was met with nationwide mourning, no newspaper needed to declare it. Everyone wanted to show their love for their beloved former monarch so that Crossa would know that Her Majesty deserved an afterlife full of true bliss.

“And once you’re queen, you can do those things,” Will commented. “Plus Her Majesty started out as an eccentric princess since she married the second prince, giving the nobles headaches about what they called nonsense about ‘unions’ and ‘workers’ rights’ . She only became queen when her brother-in-law died without an heir. Plus she got the throne when she was about forty or so? You’ll get a bit more time to change things than she did.”

“But what if it’s not enough time?” Sariphi said, looking once more down at the Beasts below. “There’s still so much conflict in this land. Can I really help it in the years I have? I’m a human, so I know I’ll be dead perhaps long before His Majesty sees the peace we want.”

Behind her, the two Beasts looked at each other with a knowing glance. Then Will adjusted himself to look the future queen in the eye. “I’m sure you’ll have plenty of time to change this nation,” Will said. “And we’ll do everything we can to help you and support you however we can. Like say, I can help you examine the reigns of commoner queens to see how they adapted and what their reigns were like. Oh, I’ll definitely see if there’s any that hailed from foreign nations, to see how they handled any culture or society differences.”

Juno leaned herself closer, offering her own words. “I can also be at your side to help you plan events such as speech presentations or balls. I can personally attest that when everyone is having a good time, no one thinks of conflict or wars. We’re here for every step of the way of your reign. Just trust in yourself and your heart and I’m sure your dreams will come true.” 

Sariphi smiled, “Thank you so much! I'm ready to learn! ”

Juno chuckled, “Don’t thank us quite yet, Your Highness.We haven’t given you our homework yet.” 

“There’ll be homework!?” the maiden gasped, hands on face. Her eyes were actually shining. 

Will clutched at his chest. “Oh Lord, stop being so cute! This is too much! Why couldn’t I have a son that was a king? I could have had a daughter-in-law like this!” He glanced at the future queen. “Any chance your sister is like you?”

Juno smacked her friend on the shoulder. “Will!”

“I’ve got three sons to marry off; you can’t blame a guy.” Will rubbed his shoulder. “You could go a bit easy on me.” 

Juno let out what sounded like a gurgle of anger. She looked back to the queen-to-be, yet the look on Sariphi’s face stopped her words. 

Her usual bright blue eyes dimmed and looked slightly to the left. A small frown on her face. She didn’t look like she was about to cry in either Beast’s eyes, but there was a sorrow now to her. 

“Uh Sariphi? I’m sorry,” Will offered. 

As if a spell broke, Sariphi shook her head, blinking, her eyes back to their usual shine. “Ah sorry, I was lost in thought at the moment. But to answer your question, Professor, no, my sister doesn’t care much for studying.” She started waving her hands. “Not that she’s dumb or ignorant or anything like that. She’s just more…lively. She’s always one for a party or other social event. Always happy to have a conversation. She was, I mean, is, the more social of the two of us.”

“She sounds lovely,” Juno commented.

“Yes…yes she is,” Sariphi said, looking away.

Will wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Sounds like a lovely woman…think she’d be interested in an older dog of a man? She can have her pick with my sons.”

Sariphi clutched her chin in thought. “Hmm…I honestly don’t know.”

Juno thunked her friend in the head. “Let’s save matchmaking for another time shall we? Dinner should be ready soon. And with your new appetite, it can’t be a moment too soon.”

“Yeah.” Sariphi rubbed the back of her head. 

“Yeah, dinner first, then we’ll give out the homework,” Will agreed. 

Leonhart walked into his room, taking in the sight of his bride on the floor, papers scattered around her. A small dish of crackers were piled at one side as she ate one, scanning over a book. She wrote something on her paper. Then she paused, made some scratches on paper and continued on with her writing.

“Would you like to have a desk in here?” the king asked, brow raised. 

Sariphi jumped a bit, looking around the room. When she caught sight of the king, she beamed. “Leonhart, welcome back! Sorry, I just wanted to get a head start on my homework, so it won’t be necessary.”

“I’m sure there’s a spare desk and chair that can be procured somewhere in the castle.” He walked over, glancing around at the papers. “What are you doing?”

“Right now, Professor Will’s homework. He wants me to translate these Human tales he brought into Ozmargin.”

“He’s a professor?” the king asked, sitting on the bed above her. He noted a few books at her side. He picked up one that had two humans–a man and woman, judging by their dress–in the middle of a dance on the cover. 

“I don’t think so, but he said it was awkward for me to call him ‘Sir’ since I’m going to be a queen, so he asked me to call him ‘Professor’. I’m calling Lady Juno ‘Lady’ for the same reason,” Sariphi replied, not looking up from her work. 

He made a small grunt. “Do as you wish.” He flipped through some pages filled with squiggles–human language he assumed–going from one side of the page to another, rather than running from the top of the page to the bottom, like he was used to seeing with Beast language. 

Occasionally, he’d find pictures, some with text surrounding it; other times, the picture took up almost the entire page. He stopped at an image of a girl in rags, scrubbing the floor while two women in dresses covered in ribbons and lace pointed, laughing at her. “What are these tales?”

“Oh they are fairy tales.” Sariphi now looked up at the king.

“Fairy…tales? What is a fairy?”

“It’s a magical creature.They are often human-looking but with a pair of butterfly-like wings on their backs. Some are small enough to fit in a person’s hand; some are people-sized.”

“Butterflies?”

“Ah one moment.” She pulled up a piece of paper and doodled something with two rounded wings and then some stick-like objects out of the line in the middle. “It’s a kind of insect. Here’s what they look like.”

“So the tales are about fairies?”

“Well they are tales for children. Sometimes there are magical creatures like fairies or witches that appear to either help or curse the hero or heroine.”

The king furrowed his brow. “A witch is…?”

Sariphi shrugged. “It’s usually an older, ugly woman with no husband and kids, who’s thought to have made a bargain with Beasts. That in exchange for teaching them magic in some way, they’d capture young women for Beasts to feed on.”

“Humans really believe in such things?” The king almost laughed. 

Sariphi set down her pen, holding her chin in concentration. “There was a time several centuries ago when conflicts across the continent were in the Beasts’ favor. Combined with several natural disasters that happened at the time, people were frantic to find some reason for what felt like the gods turning their back on them. They came to believe that women, particularly older, unmarried ones, may have made deals with Beasts for magic and were betraying humans. However, time and reason won out; eventually such things were dismissed as superstition. So now witches are just things that appear in stories.” She did pause looking the king in the eye, “Though I wish there was some way I can do magic, so I can help you.”

Leonhart leaned in closer to his love. “Really, what would you do?”

Sariphi admitted, “I’d probably do more arcane magic; that’s the kind you used to make my rings, right?”

The king nodded. “Yes. It’s a rare kind of magic that even my clan struggles to master. It has many uses though such as transferring magic into objects to enchant them or to make new ones.”

Sariphi held up her left hand, the ring on it shining. “And it’s absolutely wonderful. I wish I could make things like this for you.”

“What would you make?” Leonhart asked with a tilt of his head. 

Sariphi barely blinked as she counted on her fingers. “A pen that would write down what you say so you could respond to requests and correspond faster, but not have to deal with the wrist pain of all that writing. Some kind of blanket that stays warm for Nights of Revelations to keep us warm and to soothe the aches you have when transforming. A matching ring for you…”

“A ring for me? Why?”

Sariphi blushed a bit. “Well, where I grew up, married couples exchange rings as part of their vows of fidelity and continue to wear them as a sign of being married. I think it’d be nice for us to have matching rings like that.” She then looked up at the king. “Would you like a ring like mine?”

“I’m not one for jewelry…” He averted his gaze. “Though to wear a ring like yours does sound tempting.” He then glanced at the book, looking for a distraction. “So these are the stories you read as a little girl.” He pointed to the picture. “What’s this story about?”

Sariphi looked at the page. “That’s a story about a girl bullied by her step-mother and step-sisters because she’s prettier than them. They are jealous and worried she’ll catch a better man than them. So, she’s forced to do all the housework while they enjoy a leisurely life.”

“Seems like a cruel thing to do…Did your family do such a thing to you?”

“No, no. I mean, yes I did do chores, but it wasn’t like I had to do everything in the house. Although I admit, I did more of the physical ones like scrubbing the floors,” Sariphi admitted. “Don’t worry too much though, I’m fine. And this story ends happily too. When a good fairy sees the bullied girl’s kind heart, the fairy helps her meet the crown prince and the two fall in love. They get married and live happily ever after.” 

The king nodded. “Huh, I ponder what your parents would say at your position now then…” he mused. But then he noticed Sariphi…shaking? She’d taken up the pen again, making a long, shaking, downward line in ink. He placed a paw on her shoulder. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought them up. I know they are a bane to you.”

At his touch, she leaned into his large paw, nuzzling at the fur. She rested her hand on top of his. “Ah, thank you. I don’t want to think about my ‘parents’ right now, please.” After a moment she did add, “I will say, they wouldn’t be pleased to hear where I am now.” 

Leonhart glanced around, hoping for some distraction on another piece of paper. One held a column of numbers with tiny Ozmargin by them. “What’s this list?”

Sariphi brightened. “Oh that’s Lady’s Juno homework. She asked me to come up with ten different things that I think would improve the castle.” She then blinked and waved her hands. “You don’t have to do them. That’s still a first draft, to get started. I’m sure I’ll come up with some better ideas.”

He scanned the list: 1. Ensuring good bedding for servants. 2. New controls for the soldiers’ showers–he could agree with that one; they hadn’t changed since he had them installed for the reptilian soldiers near the start of his reign. At number three, his brow furrowed.

“Put up art around the castle? What is that about? Seems like a waste,” he commented.

Sariphi paused, clutching the pen in her hand tighter. “Really?”

The king took back his paw so he could cross his arms. “Indeed, when I was a child, my father would commission one piece after another, lining the walls. I doubt he even saw every artwork, just kept requesting and paying. He treated money from the treasury like river water, flowing and never ending.” The king let out a huff. 

“What were they pictures of?” Sariphi asked, standing up on slightly wobbly legs before plopping herself next to the king. “I’ve only seen the portraits of the former kings and queens down that one hall.” 

“Mainly my ancestors in triumph. Several battle scenes where humans were massacred. A few of them were of his late wife; those were kept closer to his chambers,” Leonhart admitted. “Even after his death, artists came to the palace with their pieces and demanded payment for their works. I never understood his obsession with all the arts.”

“So what happened to the paintings?”

“Most I gave away to folks that were interested. Some are in a part of the treasury.”

“Sorry.” Sariphi lowered her head. “I thought that maybe it would be good for visitors so they wouldn’t get lost in the castle. And it would be nice for all the castle staff that immigrated here to be able to see parts of their home.”

“What?” The king looked at her, ears wiggling in distress. 

Sariphi took a deep breath. “Well, back in Yoana, there are many folks who travel for business, religion, and other reasons. So they often carry pictures of their homeland to remind them of where they come from or to ease homesickness when on the road. Since there are quite a few different Beasts from different parts of Ozmargo, I bet they miss their original homes too. Even Amit or the Reptile soldiers may miss their homelands from time to time.”

Leonhart looked at the list and then back to her. “Do you miss your old home?”

Sariphi gripped her skirt. She took in one, two, three deep breaths. “Sometimes, I miss parts of it. And some of the people I left behind.” She then stood up, able now to wrap her arms around the king’s neck. “But I’m far happier here than I was there.”

“Really?” he asked sincerely.

“Well you’re here for one thing. Being with you makes me happy and wherever you are is home to me now,” Sariphi admitted, smiling and bright-eyed. 

The room suddenly filled with the sounds of thumping. Sariphi peeked up to see his tail wagging behind him, hitting the bed with fervor, his face a bit pink. 

Sariphi smiled and hugged the king tighter, placing a small kiss on his brow. He returned the embrace and kissed her cheek, then nuzzled her face, still holding the list. He then released her, focusing now on the paper. “You’ve made a good point with the art. Though it has been a while since the palace commissioned a piece, I’m not sure which artists are still practicing from my father’s reign.”

“That was a first draft,” Sariphi commented. “I just wrote down some things that would be nice to have around the castle...They probably are silly.”

Leonhart set the paper down and brought her into a hug. “Well, let me see your final draft when it’s ready; we can see what we can do together.”

“Thank you, Leonhart.”

“You are my queen. I have faith in your decisions and will fulfill any desire you may have, for yourself or the kingdom.” 

Sariphi’s face deepened to pink. A small rumble broke through the moment, Sariphi’s face now an absolute red. 

“Oh Family this is embarrassing,” Sariphi murmured, face in hand and sitting on the bed. “I really hope this appetite goes away soon.”

“What is this family? Leona mentioned them when we first encountered each other,” Leonhart said, picking up the plate of crackers.

Sariphi then took one. “It’s the family of gods that humans worship.” She took a bite of the cracker before her. 

“How come you never mentioned them?”

After swallowing, Sariphi admitted, “I’ve never been religious. There’s a general worship of them on holy days and people will pray to the god that watches over their positions, like blacksmiths to Fuma, the god of forges or farmers to the goddess of farming, Grewth. Yet, nowadays, most folks are more indifferent to the gods. It’s been like that since the end of the last war. When humans had to give up their own to survive, it seemed like the Family didn’t care enough to help humans out of the situation. 

“Plus the Temple of Brezah, one of the gods, is the one in charge of the sacrifice system. Growing up, my family often went to that temple. They were always close to several priests so I guess that’s how they found out about our town having to give up a girl. It’s supposed to be random, so that way one part of Yoana doesn’t have to give up more girls consecutively than others, but I guess that’s not true. Hard to have faith if a god just lets their followers do whatever they want without punishment.” 

The king hummed, “Understandable. I myself don’t have much faith in my God either.”

“I’ve wondered a bit about your God.” Sariphi pondered. “I guess he doesn’t have a name?”

“When he’s the only one, does he need a name?”

“Ah good point.” Sariphi giggled. She looked up at her love. 

They spent a few moments in that warm glow of comfort. 

“By the way, have you ever seen Captain Jormungand’s tail?” Sariphi asked.

“What?” the king asked, bewildered.

“Well I just learned about how Reptiles cover their tails so I got curious. Have you ever seen his tail?”

The king thought for a moment. “I can’t say that I have…”

Sariphi sighed a bit, “I’m glad I’m not the only one.” Her hand wandered to her pocket, feeling the whistle in there all over again. Earlier, after dinner, Leona got it back from the seamstress, and gave it back to Sariphi. The future queen  patted the fabric and reached for her plate of crackers. Like Leona said, it would only be for emergencies. Perhaps she’d never use it and it would just be a relic of this time. She then knocked on the wood of the king’s bedframe with her knuckle, hopeful the whistle would be just that. 

Thus ended Sariphi’s first day of lessons. Fortunately her appetite went back to normal after two days.

“Damn I liked those extra snacks though,” Lante grumbled in the middle of Sariphi’s lesson, handstanding on a stack of books.

“Could it still be possible to make some more?” Sariphi pondered.

“I don’t mind. Just make sure you keep up training or else those extra snacks aren’t going to show,” Juno said, swatting at him and causing him to lose his balance and fall. He just managed to land on his feet. “Seems like the snacks are making you slow already.”

“Yeesh lady, Sariphi’s your student, not me,” the young man grumbled from the ground. 

As the hyena got up, the two blobs watched from their desk. With Sariphi now learning Ozmargin from Will, they were taking a break from their usual translating duties and reading one of the Human books Will brought.

“It’s hard to say who’s the oddest of the bunch,” Clops commented.

“Yep,” said Cy.

[b3ast0fburd3n]

❝ If you do that one more time I will break your hand. ❞ // santiago for any of yours

Hayes, Santiago and a handful of other pirates wait for something Hayes has long since forgotten about. The air is steadily warming back up through the bouts of torrential downpour, suggesting spring has sprung.

He'd already been told to shut up several times by the other pirates, some threatening to kill him just so they wouldn't have to hear him anymore. He slumps against a shipping container, fidgeting mindlessly by calmly swaying his body back and forth. He sighs for the tenth time this hour, then shuffles a joint out of his pocket to smoke off of. The other pirates decline his offer to share, mostly worrying that he'll start fucking talking to them again. He finally decides to stay in his own space, sitting on the ground with his back to the rusty red shipping container.

Hayes finds a gaggle of small spiders skittering away from each other. They must've just hatched. He picks up a little stick and starts poking at them. He keeps the joint in his lips, closing them around it to inhale before parting them on one side to blow the smoke out. After killing about half of them, he starts going in with his thumb, making quiet crash noises with his mouth as his digit connects with the arachnids.

"If you do that one more time I will break your hand."

He looks up at Santiago, thumb still pressed into the sandy dirt, before sighing yet again and moving to fuck with just the stick. He wasn't sure if Santiago meant the noises or the spiders, but either way he's already learned his lesson to obey threats.

[lookingupatthesamemoon]

okayyyyyy just added my latest f/os to the big ol’ f/o list post,,,,,,,,, it’s always an interesting assortment 🤕😭. pretty casual about all four of them currently (randal and hal don’t even have tags yet) butttttt if anyone is curious about any of them do not hesitate to inquire 😇.

[magician-kitty]

Bad Weather

“And in breaking news, it's been confirmed that last week's devastation was caused by the legendary Demon Bull King. Questions still remain about the small, overpowered heroine who saved us all. Authorities warn citizens on..."

The news reporter spoke in the background as MK swung around the staff on Sandy's shipping barge, grinning. She's currently bragging on how she defeated DBK.

"And then, I was like...stop there, Demon Bull King! and DBK's like...you can't stop me bruh, I'm cwazy!" Mei started giggling at her bestie's antics.

"And then, I grabbed my staff and whoosh! I created this giant mech!" She then stabbed her staff into the boat, springing a leak.

"Oh S**t!” MK sweat dropped. "Uh oh, looks like you sprung a leak, MK." Mei said. MK panicked as she tried to find something to patch it up with.

"MK!" The sound of angry stomping rang in MK's ears, feeling a dark, menacing aura approaching. "I've just pulled a quadruple shift at the shop. And I show up to see you've all been slacking off all day!" He yelled, making Tang laugh and smile at his husband.

"Oh, Pigsy dear, relax. A little time off never hurt anyone." He told the Pig Demon, earning another glare. "Yeah, a time off never hurt nobody!" MK piped up, smiling in.

"Yeah, I mean I just saved the world from total annihilation."

“Look out!" Yelled Sandy. Everyone looks up to see a crate, as its chains break, falling over them. Mei, Tang, and Pigsy were quick to move out of the way, all except MK, who stared at the crate in confusion. She realized too late what was happening, as the crate crushed her.

"Kid!/My baby!" Tang and Pigsy shouted, horrified.

The cargo suddenly starts moving, as MK busts out through the lid. MK checks herself over, looking at her hands. "Woah, I.....am...invincible!"

Pigsy, Tang and Sandy sighed in relief while Mei cheered excitedly. Pigsy groaned as Tang rubbed his back comfortably. “Look, MK, just 'cause you got the Monkey King's powers and all, it doesn't mean-" Pigsy started, only to gasp with the others as Mei shot a bazooka at her friend, who came out completely unharmed.

MK laughed as she came out of the rubble, grinning happily. "I am invincible!" He yelled excitedly as Mei looked ready to find more things to test her invincibility on.

"Hey MK, how about this!" She shouted as she launched a missile at her, the impact did no damage to her. "Yeah! invincible baby!" MK shouted.

Pigsy sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Okay, you're a superhero now, You're going to need-"

"A cape! maybe a logo, or a headquarters, some vehicles! You know all the stuff you need to help you beat bad guys!" Mei interrupted Pigsy.

"That ain't what he meant, Mei! w-what I was getting at was-"

"To the secret base!" Mei shouts, ignoring Pigsy.

Everyone follows Mei up the cargo on the boat, as she elbows the yellow box on top, revealing a secret doorway to an elevator. "Welcome...to our new team base!" Mei exclaimed. The lights flash on to reveal the base; there were multiple types of vehicles, a computer system and a lounge area.

"Mei, when did you make this?!" MK gasped.

"How did you make this?!" Asked Pigsy.

"Say, Sandy, weren't you building a secret base for MK too?" asked Tang as he turned to the river demon.

Sandy blushed, remembering the small pillow fort he had built for him. "Uhm...nope?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Meanwhile at the Flaming Foundry, Demon Bull King roars in anger, rampaging the foundry, destroying everything. "An eon trapped under a mountain and now this! I had the staff in my grasp! I should have crushed the thief when I had the chance!" He shouts in anger.

Princess Iron Fan comforted her husband "Calm yourself my love, don't be so dramatic. We've nothing but time. You will bring the world to it's knees." Princess Iron Fan said before Red Son spoke.

"And sooner than you'd think, Father. Allow me to secure the power you desire." He said.

The Demon Bull regarded his son for a moment before nodding. "Get it done then." DBK told him. Red Son nods, turning around with a smirk. "I won't fail you again."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Welcome to the Weather Station, where you'll notice it's another beautiful day. Here at the weather station, we control the city's weather to bring you a perfect day. everyday." The intercom announced.

Red Son passes through various of people enjoying themselves before finally reaching the control desk, clearing his throat.

"Oh, yeah, hey. I'd, uh, I'd like to help you and your friends, But I'm pretty busy." The worker said.

"Not for much longer," Red Son smirks. And with that, the demon bull clones wreaked havoc on the Weater Station.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Citizens! it is I, Red Son, I have taken control of the weather station and will harness the very power of nature to return my father to his former glory! This message is more of a courtesy really." He pulls a lever down, causing a storm which floods The Great Wall. "When I'm finished, my father will once more dominate the world! And then- Oh look! A lightning button." He said as the camera turns off.

"Oh yeah!" MK and Mei shouted in unison. "What do you mean "Oh yeah?" This ain't an "Oh yeah moment!" Pigsy yelled.

"Chill out, Pigsy. I'm invincible, remember? If he wants a piece of me, then I say bring it!" She said while Mei threw a bunch of crap at her, having no affect on her.

"Yeah! 'cause she's a superhero, yo! The red baby is gonna be M-K-Owned!" Mei exclaimed.

Pigsy tried to stop them. "But Kid, got a lot to learn, you don't just dive head first into danger-Wait!, what did I just say?!" Pigsy yelled noticing that MK had gone past him and as the door closed.

"Totally awesome!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As Red Son surveyed the destruction he was causing slurping while slurping a drink, MK came, barging into the station. "Hold it right there, Red Son!"

He gasped, his face flushed pink at the sight of her. "Noodle girl! Uh- I mean..," He clears his throat, catching himself. "Ah, Noodle Girl. I thought I smelt garbage, turns out I was right!" He cackled.

"You're laughing now, but...I'm invincible! So yeah, you're basically toast. Prepare to get M.K.O'd!" MK told him, swinging around the staff.

"Yeah, MK! You show him who's bo-" Mei was cut off when the staff hit her in the head, making MK panic.

"Mei! You, okay?!" She asked, feeling bad as the girl gave her a shaky thumbs-up, still on the ground.

Pigsy yells at MK, "Ah, jeez! Watch whatcha doing!"

"Sorry Mei!" Her panicking only caused the staff to stretch, missing Tang and Pigsy who were able to duck in time, only for the staff to hit Sandy in the face. "My chakra!" he groaned.

"Oh no! you killed him!" Tang cried. "Eh, he's a big guy. H-he'll be fine."Mei says, patting the Water Demon before she collapsed onto Sandy.

"You ladies done beating each other up yet?" Red Son asked, looking on at MK with a bored expression.

"Oh it on now! Cause you're next on my list!" MK declared. She threw her staff, only for it to fall behind her. The staff then shot out into her behind, launching her forward and up the ceiling, bouncing off the glass. MK screamed as she was launched forward, past Red Son and through the glass dome as she fell.

Red Son and the Bull Clones surround the group, the Fire Demon laughing darkly, "What do you know, I guess the garbage takes itself out now?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Meanwhile, MK was still falling in the air as she closed her eyes tight to wait for the painful landing. Instead, she herself being carried bridal style as she slowly opened her eyes, just to see Monkey King carrying her in his cloud. “How you doing there, Sweetie?”

"Monkey King! great, now that you're here, we can both fly up there and-" MK said, Monkey King laughs, interrupting her.

"Nope, sorry! In case you forgot, I'm retired. You're supposed to be the one taking care of the bad guys. Beside you're.." he held the stick up to mimic MK. "Invincible! right?"

MK sweatsropped a bit, stuttering. "Well, uh yeah...I-I mean, I am...Invincible, you know. It's just...Every time I try to do anything, I just gunk everything up! I think something's wrong with me."

She stared at her hands, Suddenly Monkey King leaps onto MK's shoulders, startling her. "Hey! wh-what are you doing?" She blushed.

"Oh yeah, you're right. this is bad, Something's really wrong!" Monkey King exclaimed.

MK gasped, freaking out. “What!? What Wrong?!"

"It's you, fool!" Monkey King said, tossing a lice from her hair into his mouth, MK gagged in disgust. "Eww! Wait-What?"

"In order to have full control of your powers, you need self confidence." The great Sage explained.

"Hey! I've got self confidence!" MK said, Monkey King only frowns, pushing the teen back with his tail. "Nope! you're just loud. The only way to get self confidence is-" He trailed off, waving his paw around.

MK thought for a moment until she answered "Practice?" Monkey King smiled at her and nodded. "That's right bud! You think I took shortcuts? No. It took me centuries of training and fighting and just beating up demons. Just, so many demons. A-anyway, nothing worth anything comes for free.” Wukong said before clearing his throat.

"But...what about my friends? the city? There's all counting on me." She whimpered, giving him Puppy eyes.

He groaned softly as he spoke. "Ugh! Fine! If it'll stop your damn whining. I know a way to limit your powers so you can learn to control them, He explains, scratching his head. "But.." he trailed off.

"But what?" She asked. He continued explaining "I'm afraid you won't be...invincible anymore." He finished.

MK thought for a moment, looking down before sighing. "Alright, let's do it."

Monkey King hesitated. "Alright. No turning back." Monkey king stood in front of MK and got into a position, pulling his arms forward, as a seal appeared in front of him. He pulls his arms back, thrusting them forward, hitting Mk's chest.

Mk gasped, falling to her knees. "Feeling alright, sweetie?" Wukong asked, worried.

"Yeah. I'm alright. Let's do this!" She answered.

Monkey King nodded, transformed into his bird form and carried MK back to the Weather Station

"Eh, the ol' puppy dog pout trick always works."

"Who are ya talking to, bud?" Monkey King asked.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MK's friends on the other hand were tied up completely as Red Son's back was faced at them, he chuckled quietly as he spoke, "Peasants."

Mei grunts, struggling against the ropes. "You ain't going to get away with this, Red Boy! My girl, MK is gonna stop you!"

He scoffed, turning to Mei. "You're girl!? If anything Noodle girl is going to be My-” He stopped, hair flickering before straightening himself. I mean, Like there's a chance she'll stop me."

"Oh, Red Son!" Her voice called from above. MK came bursting into the dome, landing on her feet "Let's settle this for real!"

"What's wrong? You're going back to beating yourself up some more?" Red Son laughs, making her irritated.

"Hey, I'll have you know I can control my powers now!" MK huff out. "Only downside is, I'm not invincible anymore. So, I could die."

"What!?" Tang and Pigsy yelled.

"Okay, forget I said that! I've got this. Here comes Monkie Kid." Yelled MK, spinning her staff before running, Red Son sent his army of bull clones and MK started panicking, dodging their attacks.

"I totally don't got this!" She dodged the bull clones' attacks, eyes widening as Red Son stood ahead of him. Red son grins, furiously punching and kicking at Mk, who blocked his attacks.

She swung her staff, only for Red Son to block it as he punched MK, sending her flying into the controls. MK groans in pain.

"Ha! I guess you're not really that much of a fighter, are you Noodle Girl?" He laughed mockingly. Her eyes snapped opened at his comment.

"No the hell he didn't!! Oh it's on now, Red Son!"

MK growled, slowly gets back up on her feet. "Alright, you wanna go? Let's go!" She wedged the staff into the ground, keeping it in place.

"You're not seriously going to attack me with your fists, are you?" Red Son asked, confused by her actions.

"I don't need the staff to whoop your ass," She cracks her fists before taking a fighting stance. "Just the good old fashion way."

The fire demon let out a sigh, cracked his knuckles and powered up. "Fine, your funeral."

"What Red Boy doesn't know is that I'm an old student of Tai Shing Pek Kwar: or as I like to call it...Monkey Kung Fu."

Red Son darted forward, leapt up in the air and launched a spinning kick at the empty space that just a moment ago had contained her. "What the?" She suddenly appeared behind her sweep kicks him off his feet.

"Alright, way to go MK!" Mei cheered for her.

Red Son pushed himself off the ground with his left arm and twisted his body out of the way of her sweep, then contorted himself as she followed that up with a rising kick. He avoided it by no more then an inch or two, then put his right hand down and pushed himself into a leap that took him up, over and behind her.

MK's eyes widened and she instantly launched a right kick back at the same time as she twisted her body around to face him, only to see him deftly push her kick to the side and sweep a kick of his own towards her left leg.

"I admit it, you're good. But it's time to end this." MK looks up just in time to see a bunch of Bull Clones charging towards her and yelps.

"How am I supposed to fight them?!" She thought then she remembered something "Oh, that gold vision thingy!" She gasped, remembering the Golden Vision.

Her attention was then brought towards the darkened sky, noticing the thunder clouds. "That's it!" She yelled. MK's eyes widened, having forgotten her current situation, as she was crushed in a dogpile of Clones.

"Ain't so tough without all your Monkey King powers, are you?" Red Son grinned. Red Son raised a confused brow as MK stretched the staff, knocking the bull clones off. She extends the staff until it reaches the clouds, heading towards the controls.

"Lookie, A lightning button." She repeated Red's line from earlier, pressing the button. Electricity sparks, hitting Red Son and the bull clones. The staff then shrank, making Red Son scream, falling face first on the ground.

"Had enough yet Red?" Asked MK, staring down at him. Red Son growls in anger. "You may have won this round, But you're still garbage!" He groaned, slumped down.

MK giggled. "This was fun, let's do it again soon." She crouched down and presses her lips against his forehead, making him blush.

Red Son sighed, then he teleported away in flames. "Let's get this place back to normal. MK pressed a button, fixing everything back to the way it was. And that's that!"

"MK!" Mei cried, as she and the others tackled her in a hug. "I can't believe you totally whooped ass!"

"I guess my lessons finally paid off, huh?" Tang laughed, patting her on the back.

"But did you really limit your powers?" The dragon girl asked. "Yeah, but only until I learn to control them better," MK smiled, rubbing the back of her neck.

"And how are you gonna do that?" asked Pigsy.

"Practice, practice, practice!" She swung his staff around, hitting her head and fell to the floor. the others burst out laughing at her.

"That wasn't funny!" She exclaimed, flailing her arms around.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Back at the Flaming Foundry, Red Son appeared in a firestorm. He started walking to find his parents. Soon when he found them."

"Mother, Father, I have failed." Red Son expected them to yell at him but instead, he felt someone pat him on the back, he looked up to see it was his mother, "You did well even if you did fail, you'll get her next time."

The Demon Bull King turns away, breathing heavily. Red Son and Princess Iron Fan leave the room. He then angrily slams down on the ground. A bunch of Bull Clones are swept away by the blast, "The little thief has stolen from me again! I will not be undone by that insect again!"

The crater then glows blue. He then peers into the crack he just made hearing it whisper to him, "You must do what I say."

The Demon Bull King laughs, "Now, that is power."

[deepwaterwritingprompts]

uh so i know it's not request time so feel free to ignore this, but I broke my arm a couple weeks ago and just got the cast off yesterday (i still have to have a brace, but, you know, still) and I was wondering if we could get some a prompt about bones (broken or otherwise)

it was NOT request time BUT i do hope you feel better AND its halloween the first tomorrow SO i collected all the ones ive already written! bones.

“If you dream about the meadow, dig for my bones,” he whispered, “and bring one back, if you can.”

A ship made of whalebones had crashed on the rocks and washed ashore. I just happened to be looking out my window when it happened.

I saw a deer climb out of the frozen river, antlers cracking the ice from below, moving as if its bones were barely attached to each other. 

You had to watch the ground for wishbones. Breaking one even by accident would unleash hell, for better or (usually) worse.

I had one of my bones stolen, as a child. Only for an hour or two, but the experience changed me forever.

My town is normal I think, except for the river. The entire riverbed is covered in bones, which we collect for playthings, crafts, and ceremonies.

The desert remembers. It coughs things up, like earth oceans are said to wash things ashore. Assorted bones. Wrecked sand ships. And of course, me.

When the sea thaws in spring the first rib bones wash ashore. My friends and I always break one, for luck.

 Bones grow up from the ground, piercing our town, the cold white ribcage of a curious, otherworldly god. Every day I grab my saw, and get to work.

Strange people, and I’m sure they are people, emerge from the corn on Sundays. They swear they have every sort of thing for sale in there, long lost paintings, and bottled sunshine, and nice sturdy bones.

We learn something new every day, in the desert. Bones are good for bartering, doesn’t matter whose they are. Dead trees are usually hands, just pretending. 

Bones talk. Figuring out how changed science forever. It changed everything, forever. 

“I need my bones read.”  “But you’re still alive,” says the young man, looking me up and down. “I was hoping you could work around that.”

A pure white squirrel brings small bones to my cell window. I collect them, putting them in order, one by one.

Once a year, my father and I summit the mountain at dawn to feed the whales. In the fading starlight, their song echoes like a premonition through my bones.

A customer comes in asking for bones. I tattoo them on her skin where they would go in reality, one every few months, in an order she refuses to explain.

When I need extra bodies, I turn the hens into girls. They stand as soon as their bones have cracked into place, clumsy, screeching, and ravenous.

The city was protected, built on the bones of an ancient hero prophesied to rise again.

My bones scraped and creaked as they rearranged themselves hastily.

The way she moved in the water was beautifully inhuman. I realized it was because she had no bones. 

The Skeleton Garden was just what it sounded like. Hoards of wildflowers had sprung up through the bones of those who had tried and failed to flee.

Our neighbor was a beautiful girl who lived alone and wouldn’t take a compliment. “My bones are rotten,” she would say, sadly.

A desperate man once asked me, ‘where do the bones go?’ I didn’t know. I was only the collector.

As a child wandering the woods, I found a set of bones. They bid me take one home, and fashion it into a knife. 

She only wanted a quiet life. But there was lightening, quite literally, in her bones.

[swaps55]

Concerto - 4 - High Water

Pairing: mShenko | Rating: M

Notable tags: Canonical character death, graphic depictions of violence, desperate mutual pining

Summary: Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold.  

Chapter 4: High Water (Ao3)

When Saren’s dreadnaught appears on sensors, Joker checks the telemetry twice to make sure he’s not seeing things. Nothing that big, that fucking big, should be able to move that fast.

It’s bad enough being stuck on the ground. But with that monster sliding into orbit, taking flight isn’t exactly going to help them. Even if Shepard succeeds in taking down the second AA tower, they might not make it through the atmosphere. Stealth system or no stealth system, going up against something that doesn’t seem to give a fuck about the laws of physics isn’t exactly how Joker imagined finally putting the Normandy through her paces.  

Out of the frying pan and into the fire. Let’s see how Shepard plans to handle that one.  

Assuming they even get that far. Joker had listened to the entire exchange between Alenko and Williams with a cold, sickening twist of his gut. Pressly, who has been wearing holes in the deckplates with his pacing, had stormed back to the galaxy map, unable to stand there and listen. But Joker heard every word. If he can’t help them fight, he’s at least going to listen.

Williams has at least two unrepaired suit ruptures. Damaged shield emitters. Low medigel stores. Over the course of the last hour the salarian hardsuit signatures have winked out one by one. Only a dozen or so remain.

Rentola, miraculously, is still alive. From his original team of twelve, only two remain on radar. Kirrahe, whose squad had fared well initially, lost six in the span of twenty minutes trying to draw heat off the AA tower. The salarian comm channel contains more exploding shrapnel, whistling slugs and bleeping geth than actual combat chatter.

If Shepard doesn’t hurry his ass up, there won’t be anybody left to go get.

Twenty kiloton bomb on board, and nothing he can do with it.

At least when he’s in orbit he can monitor, anticipate, rescue. He can fire giant guns. Stranded here on the ground, he’s truly useless. Hell, he hasn’t touched a firearm since Basic. Most pistols with more kick than a Kessler would break his wrist. He could always try beating them with a crutch.

“Any word?”

Adams’ normally relaxed, carefree tenor takes on a biting edge. It’s the fourth time he’s checked in over the last twenty minutes. The thrusters are up and ready to burn, the entire ship poised for action like the coiled spring of a trap that hasn’t been sprung.

“How badly do you think one AA tower could rip us up?” Joker asks, massaging his forehead. “Because I’m almost willing to risk it at this point.”

“Just our luck the one that’s still up is the one closest to the bomb site.”

Joker sighs, smacking the console in frustration, then tunes back in to Shepard’s comm chatter, which explodes in a blur of static, gunfire and shouting. A check of the combat scanner shows a handful of geth in the area. Manageable enough. But then again, but Joker isn’t the one getting shot at.

According to his schematics of the base, Shepard’s close to the gun. On top of it, maybe. The fact that there isn’t more resistance is a testament to Kirrahe’s men – they’d done their jobs.

The marker signaling the AA tower flashes red. Joker barely has time to acknowledge it before Pressly pages him from the CIC.

“I’m reading it’s down! Joker, what do you see?”

“Looks good here,” Joker says tightly, before opening the line to Shepard. “Commander. Our scans show the AA gun is offline. Can you confirm?”

“It’s down. Get your ass over here. We need to plant that bomb and get the hell out.”

Read the rest on Ao3 | Read from the beginning | The Concerto Playlist

[imagineyouandharry]

Gypsophila (H.S)

Summary: Prince Harry has been under great pressure to find a wife, and he finds his Queen in a way far more unconventional than he could’ve imagined. 

Words: 5,730

Warnings: It’s a bit strange I guess? Idk lol.

A/N: Someone requested a Prince!Harry au forever ago, and then I didn’t really have an opportunity to write for a while, and then this idea sprung up on me and I’ve been lost in this little au for the past few days. It’s like a little twisted fairytale, taking inspiration from Snow White and Sleeping Beauty mostly. Part two is already a work in progress. If people are interested I’ll even put out a little sort of world building lore post with a map of the kingdom etc (I’ve been in DEEP). This part is a bit choppy and barely edited because I was just so eager to write it and get something out, but I would really appreciate any constructive criticism and editing notes! TYSM!! Long story short, enjoy!!!

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Harry Edward Styles did not believe in true love, in fact, he thought it was the most ridiculous idea ever. Harry’s certain he’s laid eyes upon every eligible young lady, from his kingdom and the ones surrounding, and he hadn’t felt a single thing when looking at any of them. He prayed every night that he would find his love the next day, and finally be able to put his parents out of their misery and ascend to the throne. At the age of 27, Harry’s the oldest person in his family to not be married, no one every waited this long in the royal family. He would’ve had an arranged marriage at 21, though when his parents suggested that he ran away on a sailing ship for two months. One thing was clear to him: though he may not have experienced love yet, he wasn’t going to ruin his chances at true by being forced into a loveless marriage. It wasn’t only Harry’s parents, but the entire kingdom that woke each day hoping to hear that their Prince had found his Queen. They referred to Harry as the Good Prince, his subjects adored him, and lived for his acts of charity and selflessness, and they only hoped he would find a Queen that would treat them the same.

Harry’s outlook on love changed however, after his most recent hunting trip. Sundays are for family and hunting, that’s what Harry was always told. No day was for Harry, he’d come to learn that. Living under a microscope meant for very little alone time, and almost no guilt-free alone time. He and his hunting party rode across the fields and out to the dense forest surrounding the kingdom, and over the two hour journey Harry found himself agitated with the topics of conversation going on around him. He wanted a break, tired of everyone only ever speaking about royal duties or politics. Harry had discovered a fresh water lake if he went off the trail, and when he realised they were edging closer to his favourite place he decided to excuse himself with the excuse of needing to fill his canteen.

The natural spring was a hidden treasure indeed. Harry’s entire kingdom was cut off from the rest of the world due to the thick forestland surrounding it. There was only one trail in, and one trail out, and even then only experienced riders were able to make the journey. The end of the trail, in the deep of the forest, was also often lined with thieves and outcasts making it not the safest journey. This spring wasn’t necessarily hard to find, however thick trees that lined the main trail hid the spring, the gorgeous wild flowers, and clearing of soft grass either side. Harry tied his horse to his usual tree, softly parting the bushes careful to not cause any permanent damage, and stepped his way through. His kingdom was full of hidden treasures like this, tucked away in places only to be found by those adventurous enough.

The sound of the running water was most prominent, however the closer he walked to the spring, the more he could hear a faint, delicate singing voice. Harry couldn’t recognise the song, but it was one he’d never forget now. It felt as though his heart dropped in his stomach, and he had to lightly scratch his arm on a branch to double check he hasn’t died and was hearing an angel of heaven sing to him. He walked closer, with quiet footsteps so not to disturb the singing. He knelt down to the edge of the spring and began to fill his canteen, looking around his eyes eventually focused on the source of his siren, standing in the clearing over the other side of the spring as she picked a bouquet of dainty flowers. Lavender, daisies, bellflowers, poppies. Her body was dressed in sage green, the simple dress showed she definitely was not from a wealthy family, but it was simple and beautiful in its own way. Perhaps she sewed it herself, it did look as if it were made for her. He could see her hair shine from here, and the features of her side profile were striking him even from a distance. She didn’t look real. The strange girl across the spring looked ethereal, like her beauty was too surreal for this planet. Had he hit his head? Was he seeing a forest fairy? He hadn’t even realised the staggering increase in his heart rate as he watched the girl, and listened.

He lost track of how long he had been watching her for, snapped out of his daydream when he heard a “Your Royal Highness! We must be getting on!” Harry heard shouting at him from a distance, most likely back where he had tied his horse. The girl had heard the faint noise and her eyes shot in Harry’s direction. His cheeks flushed with heat as their eyes met only for a brief second, before she ran away. The eye contact brought a slight curve to his lips, although she was leaving, at least he got another good look at her.

“Wait!” He called as he stood up, his hand and canteen dripping wet. His eyes softened as she simply left, looking back briefly in her stride, but he’d blown it. “God fucking damn it.” He cursed under his breath as he began to trudge back to his horse, his feet weighing heavy on the ground.

That was the most he’d ever felt, looking at the stranger across the lake singing as if it were for him, and he couldn’t help but feel like he’d just lost his future Queen. Half of him wanted to wade through the water and run after her, but Harry wasn’t a often disobedient Prince, when one of his parents or advisors told him to jump, his usual response would be “how high?” It’s ironic how for someone who’s whole life depends on finding his future Queen is given so little time to actually explore a social life, or love life himself. He was always set up with suitors who his parents found best. In the rare times he’s able to sneak away he’d gotten around, and most definitely wasn’t a virgin, but he’d never found a girl who had made him feel the way he wanted to feel about his future queen. He only wanted to please his family, and his realm, but this was the one thing where he refused to compromise.

Y/N was as far away from a future queen as it could come, or at least that’s what her step-mother wanted everyone to think. The entire town hoped to marry their daughters off to the elusive Good Prince Harry, however her step-mother only wanted her biological daughters to have that chance. When Y/N’s father passed away her step-mother sent her out to live as a recluse in a tiny cottage in the woods, she had always feared that her beauty would distract future husbands away from her actual daughters, and didn’t want to ruin their chance of being married. Each Sunday she drops Y/N off the supplies she needs, but that was the only human contact she was given. It wasn’t too bad, she managed to keep herself busy with sewing, baking, or whatever other art or craft she could think of and had the materials for. It was lonely though, and she was ultimately alone.

Well, if you don’t count forest fairies. Y/N hated being outcast into the forest, and spent most of her early months in the cottage crying to whatever wild animal she could find that day that would stick around long enough. Eventually, these wild animals started bringing their fairy friends along with them. They would spend their days with Y/N tending to fruit and vegetable gardens, watering plants, having picnics, and making daisy chains. Her life was simple, and although not one she asked, it was one she was growing fond of. Male company was something she could only imagine and long for, or read about in story books. There were dozens of fairies living in the forest, but she’d become particularly close to a group of some of the female fairies.

Each Sunday before her step mother visits, Y/N will pick her step mother a bouquet of flowers in attempt to win her over, in hopes maybe one day her sweetness will earn her way back into town. Y/N had total obliviousness towards her step mother’s plan, and towards what was going on in the city. This year, any woman over the age of 21 was to present herself to the Prince. Y/N’s 21st birthday fell on the day she was scheduled to be presented to the Prince. The letter had been delivered shortly before she was sent away to the forest, Y/N never laid her eyes upon it though. The letter outlined the royal guard would be coming to collect anyone who failed to present themselves on the day, and to Y/N’s step mother that meant the only option was to make it so Y/N never turned 21, or made it to her birthday for that matter.

Seeing the Prince most definitely did spook Y/N during that day in the field, if her step mother ever found out she’d had contact with a male there was no chance she’d ever be allowed to move back home. She did all she could think to do. She ran. She ran so fast that the petals of the flowers she had picked were ruined in her haste, quickly shutting herself inside the cottage to gather herself before her routine afternoon visit from her step mother. Sure she knew of men to be dangerous and terrible, but she feared her step-mother’s wrath more than anything any man could put her through.

Like any other Sunday, she scrubbed the house and dressed herself in whatever new garment she had stitched herself this week. The fairies had been busy this week and she’d had a great deal of time to herself, embroidering colourful flowers into the soft white linen of the new dress she had made. Her step-mother would bring her fabric and thread to sew dresses for her step sisters. It was something to be proud of, but most likely would be over looked. Little was said upon her step-mother’s arrival, but her character seemed off. Her step-mother’s eyes darted around, checking windows as she insisted on making the two of them tea. Y/N sat down at the small dining table, recounting tales of her week, ensuring to leave out anything about fairies or a boy. She watched a small bunny outside the window, forgetting to speak as awe overwhelmed her whilst she watched its tiny nose twitch. Her daydream came to an end when the sound of the ceramic mug hit the hard wood of the coffee table. “Drink while it’s warm, my love.” Her step-mother told her, sitting down in the seat at the head of the table beside Y/N. It wasn’t long after that that Y/N hit the floor, and her step-mother was shrouding herself in a hooded coat and sneaking out of the tiny cabin.

Elsie, a fairy most close to Y/N, who specialises in healing, came to the conclusion that she was only out for about six hours before the fairies found her. They did all they could over the following weeks to bring her back to life, trying as many possible rituals, potions, and spells to give life to her body once more. Nothing was of use though, and instead they decided to preserve her in a glass case in the clearing amongst the wildflowers. She had professed to them that the clearing by the spring had been her favourite place, so they saw this fit. Preserving her in the glass case was simply because the idea of her beauty decaying away made any of the fairies shriek. Fairies never communicated with humans, however Y/N was different. Elsie had always theorised that Y/N had magic in her blood. Amongst the many spells and rituals they tried to bring Y/N back, they threw in a spell that would hopefully bring her back with true love’s kiss. It was like a safety net, or a ‘what if?’ But they eventually tired and wore out, preserving her was well enough for now. They kept her dressed in the new dress she had crafted for herself, it was so beautiful after all. They had placed tiny baby’s breath flowers throughout her hair, and made sure everything was perfect. They even went as far to adorn her in delicate gold jewellery, with beautiful crystals of all colours. Her body rested upon a large rectangular slab of rose quartz.

****

Harry was dreading sitting in the throne room, while all the eligible females from the town were presented to him like livestock. It made him sick, and left a terrible taste in his mouth. All he could think of was the girl from the clearing. Is she a sign? Is he his ticket out of here? Was seeing her fate? Questions like that simmered over his mind and kept him awake at night, he had been sleeping little and finding it hard to focus on his duties. His best friend Niall was he closest confidant, the only one he had told about the beautiful girl in the clearing that day. Niall cared more for Harry than anyone, really. He didn’t just care about his fame or power or wealth, Harry was his best friend and he hated seeing his best mate so down about his love life and the pressure to marry a woman he doesn’t love. He made it his mission to find the woman, and his detective work lead him down a path he didn’t expect at all. First he went to the clearing where Harry filled his water in the spring, that was where he first noticed something over the other side of the spring that he couldn’t quite make out. He followed the spring and found an area narrow enough to cross, making his way to the structure he’d seen earlier. He didn’t know what to make of this discover, a dead girl in a glass coffin. ‘Forever at rest, only to be woken by true love’s kiss’ read an inscription on a gold plaque. He really didn’t know what to make of this. He didn’t know what to tell Harry.

Sweat lingered Niall’s brow as he made his way back to the castle to find Harry, to tell him of his discovery. “Look… I just need you to come with me and tell me what you think when we’re there.” Niall tells him, his voice somewhat breathless. Niall himself was still in disbelief, shock, his eyes wide as he shook his head. “I just- I don’t know what to tell you. You need to see it for yourself.” He adds.

Harry nods. “I’ll come immediately.” Harry tells him, his trust for Niall outweighing anything else going on in his head. Together they rode to the forest, crossed the narrow part of the spring, and towards where Niall had discovered Y/N.

“Is this the girl you were talking about?” Niall asks, however when he looks from the girl to Harry, he knows the answer. Harry couldn’t help but fall to his knees, pressing his palms against the glass as he looked inside. He noticed how long her eyelashes looked, and the freckles on her nose. His nose was almost touching the glass as he leant here on his knees at the side of her, taking her in up close.

“What happened to you?” He whispers, his eyebrows knitting together. Niall gives him a moment before he decides to mention the plaque at the foot of the structure.

“It uh, says something weird about being awoken by true love’s kiss. I don’t know if it’s true, and it’s revolting to think you would kiss a dead body for nothing, but someone has put her here. Someone made this. My grandmother in her old age would mutter stories about forest fairies and their magic… It just makes you wonder, you know?” He ponders, his eyes wandering away. It felt silly to bring up magic, it was something very commonly dismissed.

“Help me get this off.” Harry said as he brought himself from the ground, the soft grass had left green stains on his tan riding pants. He pushed the sleeves of his white linen button down up past his elbows, and the two men carefully lift the heavy glass case up off of the rose quartz Y/N had been resting on. It wasn’t easy, and the glass at the bottom dug into Harry’s fingers before they set the glass piece of the structure down on to the grass. “Alright. Here we go.” Harry said, in attempt to psych himself up for kissing a dead girl. She didn’t look dead though, just sleeping, you could only tell she was dead due to the missing rising and fall in her chest with her breath. “I might start walking back to the horses, give you some privacy.” Niall said, giving him a slight smile. He also didn’t really want to witness someone kiss a dead person, if she didn’t end up waking up.

“Good luck. Take your time.” He adds, part of him had no doubt it was going to work though. The stories his grandmother would tell him of the forest fairies were something he’d always held on to, those stories were amongst his most treasured memories. He’d always had some hope.

Harry waited until he could no longer hear Niall’s footsteps before he leant down close to Y/N, brushing a strand of hair back behind her ear. He took a moment, if this never worked it was going to be the last time he’d ever see her. He couldn’t fathom coming back to this spot if this didn’t work. His heart began to ache at the thought, it made his chest feel tight, and gave him the urge to rub at the spot.

“I really hope you’re who I think you are.” He whispers as he looks down at her. “This might seem like absolute madness. I don’t even know your name, but if you wake up for me, I swear to you I will be yours forever.” He began, to Harry this almost did feel like a ritual, it felt special, and the words he was speaking were amongst the most genuine he’d ever given life to. “I promise, I will protect you. I will provide for you. I will love you. I will never, ever harm you. I will love you until my very last breath, I just need you to do this one thing for me.” His voice was barely a whisper now, and breaking as hot tears welled in his eyes. He very carefully leant down, pressing his warm, puffy lips against her cold, smooth ones. He didn’t know how long to wait, but it didn’t feel wrong. It was a sweet, tender kiss. His eyes closed, and he felt at peace. It felt more than at peace. The long grass, wildflowers, and tree branches that surrounded them began to stir with wind, petals floating up into the gusts that took them. This girl had a tendency to make him feel like he’s dead and in heaven. Her lips slowly began to warm, and skin began to glow with heat. It felt like they were floating, as if the universe was made up of just the two of them. The flowers beneath him began to grow taller and more dense, and it began to feel like his heart was pulling towards hers. It felt like a tether had been formed, connecting their energy, he could feel as her heart began to pump blood again, and her energy radiate from her skin. It felt too surreal.

Slowly, Harry removed his lips to allow Y/N to breathe. He let a hand lay gently resting on her cheek as he watched her gasp for her first new breath, eyes shooting open as she looked up at him. It wasn’t shock she was met with when her eyes met Harry’s, but peace. The luminous green eyes that were gazing down upon her were like lighthouses, guiding her towards safety. So many questions began to race her mind as she came to reality, unable to decide which one to ask first. As if based on intuition, Harry decided to speak. “I uh- I’m not too sure what happened to you but my friend found you here today and brought me to you. I believe I saw you a few weeks ago, in the same spot. I’m not sure how long you’ve been out here, but there was this little plaque at the end of this thing here, that said something about a kiss to wake you up… I’m sorry for kissing you without your consent, but I couldn’t risk not taking this chance.” He didn’t mean to ramble or to overwhelm her with his spiel, but he was overwhelmed himself with everything that had just gone on. True love’s kiss. His queen. His true love. The other half of his soul, in human form. Y/N’s lips parted as if to speak, but nothing came out. She closed them once more as she sat up and looked around, swinging her legs off the side of the marble before looking back up to Harry. Her movement had disconnected his hand from her face, and they both longed for each other’s touch once more already. Her eyes began to well with tears as she began to think about how she got here, her last memories.

“I can only assume how overwhelming this must all be for you… We can stay here as long as you need, it’s just us. When you feel ready for it, I can take you back to my home and we can get you showered and fed. I don’t mean you any harm.” Harry doesn’t even need to add that last sentence though, because she can feel it. She can feel his love for her, she could almost hear it if she listened closely enough, as if his heart was now beating a song for her.

Harry stood back, as if to give the doe eyed girl some space. She looked at him as if he was the most precious treasure on Earth, he’d never felt so overwhelmed with love. This was followed by her delicate hands reaching out, taking ahold of his as she brought herself to stand in front of him. “Is it alright if you hold me for a second?” She asked softly, needing time to process things.

It had been so long since she had been touched affectionately, she couldn’t really remember it. Her father was never affectionate, nor her step mother or step sisters or anyone else she’d met. She felt comfortable with the stranger in front of her though, and didn’t have the energy to resist the magnet like force pulling her towards him.

“Of course.” He responds, his voice soft as he wraps his arms gently around her frame, pulling her into his warm figure. Harry was like the perfect, giant teddy bear… but he wasn’t really that soft. Pressed against him she could feel how chiseled his features are. Her arms wrapped around his waist as she relaxed into him, cheek against the skin of his chest kindly revealed by the first few buttons of his shirt being undone. “What’s your name?” He asks, tangling his fingers in her hair to lightly rub his fingertips against the tender skin at the back of her neck.

“Y/N Y/L/N. Yours?” She asks, looking up to the tall, broad man.

“Harry.” He decides on leaving out his royal title or last name.

“Just Harry?” She asks, her eyebrows raising.

“For now. We have plenty of time to talk about me later.” He notes, removing the same rogue strand of hair as before from her cheek, tucking it behind her ear. It was almost as if her hair had a life of its own, breathing, like the other flora growing in the forest. He had noticed the baby’s breath in her hair, though her hair moved, they remained in the same places, as if growing out of their place on the strand of hair. “What do you last remember?” He asks, needing to know if whatever put her in eternal sleep had been by accident, or as an act of malice. She looks back away from his face, resting her cheek once more against his chest.

“My step-mother, Styephania came over, she made me tea. That’s all I can really remember.” She said, unable to stop the disappointed sigh from escaping her lips. Maybe she’d had a freak health accident, like a stroke. Just because she’d been mistreated by her step mother her whole life, didn’t mean she was capable of murder. She knew her step mother didn’t put her out here though, this was the work of fairies. They were looking on, hiding in the bushes as they stood witness to young love blossom in front of them, not wanting to disturb the two of them. “I look crazy, and it sounds crazier saying this, but I’m certain the forest fairies are responsible for looking after me and putting me here. The day she came over was the day I think you saw me here, and I’m not sure how I’m meant to feel but I don’t feel like I’ve been a dead body since then. I feel like no time has passed at all.” Harry avidly listened to her speak, her voice like caramel, seeping in his ears and warming his whole body. Harry wasn’t phased by her mentioning fairies, Niall had suspecting this being their work earlier. It was the only explanation Harry could think of. He couldn’t understand why her step mother would leave her here, why she wouldn’t find her help.

He didn’t want to worry his sweet girl now, he wanted to make sure she felt alright, safe, and cared for. His grip on her wasn’t too tight, but firm in a comforting way. “The plaque… It mentioned how you’d only be woken by true love’s kiss.” He figured the longer he waited to tell her the stranger it would be. His cheeks were red, as if embarrassed or ashamed to tell her about the plaque, how strange it all was. Her eyes met his, and the connection gave him whiplash. He couldn’t peel his eyes away, getting lost in the little pools. He wanted to know everything about her, what she liked, disliked, what she ate for breakfast, her favourite songs, flowers, secrets. Everything.

“I don’t know if I know what love feels like. The only men I’ve spoken to are all twice my age. I wasn’t really allowed to see boys. You’re definitely much, much more beautiful than I would’ve imagined a man to be, and I’m certain that my heart is literally beating for you now, since you woke me.” She tells him, the descriptions of heroes in stories she would read, or how she would imagine the older men to look when they were younger, were incomparable to Harry. The compliment made his cheeks flush. With each beat of her heart, it was as if it was pulling her closer to Harry, calling out for him, begging for him to love on her and soothe the ache in her chest.

“How has God made something so sweet?” He mumbles, he hadn’t even realised he’d said it out loud at first. “You’re breath taking. The most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid my eyes upon, and trust me when I say I’ve seen a lot of them. Even from far away, the first time I saw you… You make me nervous. You make my heart race, and my palms sweat, and I get butterflies in my stomach and nervous when I think about saying the wrong thing or not having you like me. It’s as if you’ve been carved by God himself, like he was showing off when he made you so beautiful. I wish I’d met you sooner.” Those last words burn his throat, how easier the last few years would have been if he had just been able to find her sooner.

*****

Harry sent Niall back to the castle first, having him instruct everyone to clear out the path that the Prince and his soon to be queen would take to his suite, he didn’t want to spook her with people around. The guards had to stay though, non-negotiable. He also had Niall ensure the doctor was on standby, just to check on Y/N and stay in the castle over the upcoming weeks in case anything else happened. Security was going to be increased, and tightened, and a warrant put out for her step mother.

The two hour horseback ride to the castle would give them well enough time to get to know each other, Harry and Niall had also switched horses, Niall’s being the slower of the two. “I don’t want to startle you when we get there. I also don’t know how to really tell you this. I’m in the royal family, so the guards and whatnot are something to just be ignored. They’re for your protection. I don’t know if you heard much of what I was telling Niall earlier, but you’re going to be very safe here, and we’ll find out what happened. I’ll look after you, I promise.” His eyes are ahead as he speaks, looking over the vast green fields ahead of them once they eventually emerged from the forest.

“Still just Harry, to me.” She reassured, sensing his nerves about revealing this information to her. His shoulders relaxed at her reaction, and a smile formed on his lips when his mind began to wander into what their future may be like. His queen.

“Hey, one day that’ll be King Harry to you.” He joked, thankful that it was received with a laugh. Her laughter was almost as sweet as her songs, and for the rest of the journey he made it his mission to mine as many possible laughs out of her as he could, like little nuggets of treasure. After making their way through the fields that lined the forest, they went down a long road that served as a divide between two of the castle’s towns, and at the end of that road just past a small valley of mountains was a sight far more glorious than Y/N had imagined. Her village was a small village that contained mostly candlemakers and dressmakers, and it sat further to the east, people only ever going out there to purchase fine candles and clothing. It was niche though, and not many could afford the fineries the master crafters in her village would create. Y/N hadn’t even really seen a home larger than a cottage, Harry’s castle looked large enough as if it could contain its own little world, a complete wilderness of towers surrounded by fine gardens, protected by a large moat with a standalone drawbridge. Harry didn’t even need to announce himself, the drawbridge was already in the process of being lowered for him.

“I had Niall clear our path, I don’t want to overwhelm you. I’ll introduce you to everyone when you’re ready.” Harry reassures her, she hadn’t even thought of anyone else though, too in awe of the sights around her. Flowers she’d never seen before laced these gardens, with fine marble sculptures and fountains protruding from them.

“I can’t believe this is your home.” Y/N whispers, unable to think of anything else to say.

“Your home too, if you’d like.” Harry replies, though his words immediately shrouded him with nerves about rushing Y/N into anything. It was stupid, they were each other’s true love’s, but it felt wrong being strangers, so Harry tried his best to conceal things. He’d never been in a conventional relationship before, never mind whatever this arrangement is or was going to be. He just knew he wasn’t meant to rush things, so he tried to refrain from expressing his feelings as best as he could. Her arms around his waist tightened, Y/N needing to feel as close to Harry as possible. He held the reins in one hand, the other arm resting over hers around his stomach, holding on to her arm to make sure she couldn’t let go.

“I’d like that.” Y/N reassures, gently rubbing his side to soothe him. Harry was too caught up in his own feelings to pay attention to how calm Y/N was. She could feel his anxiety though, and continued to try to soothe him as best she could. Y/N knew very little about Harry so far, but what she did know was that he was kind, caring, and had a lot of worries. She’d never been a worrisome person, and if anything would even refer to herself as naive, it was something she’d always been almost ashamed of but in this moment felt like maybe she’d been made to be by Harry’s side. Y/N liked the idea of spending her days being Harry’s rock, a voice of reason. She’d rather a man like this than one who had no emotions, that was for sure. It could’ve been whatever was now eternally bonding them, but she swears she was feeling his emotions, able to see his aura if she really studied hard enough. She sunk into him some more, her arms around his waist, cheek resting against his back. Harry made sure to take it extra slow, giving his love enough time to appreciate the flowers. She seemed to like flowers, and his mother took pride in this being the most beautiful garden amongst all of the kingdoms. He couldn’t wait to show her all the fineries that came with his life.

[snarwor]

moon and old stars - chapter 9

holy shit it’s been awhile huh. no warnings for this one <3

Masterlist | Read on AO3

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Din thought about frost a bit too much.

It made almost no sense. Navarro was a lava planet, sulfuric and burning in dangerous pools less than a klick outside of city limits. His missions took him through the hottest damn planets. One of his only memories of his childhood was whining at the cold, and feeling the heavy weight of his father’s jacket settling around his shoulders. Heat and warmth and weight, that was love.

Of course, the exception to this was the blurrg which had fallen on him on Arvala-7, which was hot and heavy and smelly.

But Grogu, the kid. He weighed barely anything and was no warmer than perhaps a Loth-cat, and yet the weight which had settled over Din the moment he’d shot IG-11, the warmth which had filled his bones when that little hand had reached out for him, it was unlike anything he’d experienced before.

Crash landing on the ice planet with Mrs. Frog and the kid had been an exercise in fear, in hopelessness, in compartmentalization. The Crest was damaged beyond reasonable repair, there was a very odd biological imperative happening, there were karking ice spiders, yet the thing that filled Din with the most dread had been the cold. It seeped in and leached the warmth and hope from his bones, staining his beskar with ice, splintering like cracks in stone. False fissures.

When they'd managed to get to the atmosphere again, he joked about all of them dying in the harsh vacuum of space, and it didn’t even register until they’d hit the balmy surface of Trask. He’d made light of an icy, deadly situation, which was, at its core, supposed to be heavy and blood-hot. He’d been horrified when he realized.

He remembered listening to Omera speak on Sorgan about the history of the valley they lived in, how everything had been ice thousands and thousands of years ago, a massive glacier which melted and froze and melted and froze until an entire mountain had split in two. Din couldn’t believe it, but when he’d gotten back on the holonet, he looked up the phenomenon, and marveled at how cold destruction could bring such an idyllic sanctuary.

He began to see signs of it all over his travels. Ancient canyons with split boulders, once-whole halves laying cleaved by no tool made by man or machine. Din told the kid his findings. “Frost did this. Water gets in everywhere, it settles deep and when the cold hits, that water expands, and breaks things if it’s lucky enough.” Of course, the kid only paid attention when he had dried meat rations in his hand, but he liked to think he was paying attention at least some of the time.

His sanity had sprung a leak on Morak. Boba Fett had taken an ax to that leak and filled every splintered part of him with water until he felt like he was near drowning. His first gasp of air was on the armchair at the safe house, when they had been the only people in the entire galaxy. The shame was his heart’s first winter after the flood. The setup on the Lothal moon was an early spring snowstorm. The safe house had been a mild summer. The water had not left him. But when they boarded the ship, when they fought the Dark troopers, when…

Don’t be afraid.

That had been such a shock to his system that all that latent love and affection in him, feelings left dormant and misunderstood in the abscesses of his heart, froze. It was so cataclysmic he couldn’t even hear himself think over the groaning heave of his every canyon and valley. He was broken. He could not be put back together at all. And when Boba had said those five words, the frost started to melt, sure, but the cracks and chasms remained, evidence of a too-cold climate for anything like love to grow in.

Unless.

The melting sensation Boba had given him, the weight and warmth Din had always associated with love, perhaps it had been as natural as a cleaved boulder, but thaw had been intentional as well. It wasn’t Boba’s fault for the freeze in his heart. It wasn’t Boba’s fault he had existing cracks in his foundation. But he’d cleaned up the aftermath, several times over, taken his broken pieces and patched them together, said “I know you’re not whole, but I love you just the same” with every soft pass of a hand over his hair. With every pleasured moan he drew from Din’s lips. With every suspended second their gazes held, and every gentle press of a kiss, Din realized that the crags in his heart had smoothed over in places, didn’t hurt him as much as they had before. It wasn’t Boba’s fault for this new fissure, and here Din was, cutting the man on his own broken edges.

“Why didn’t you let her just kill me when she had the chance?!”

And still.

“Din—”

And still.

“No. Tell me why.”

And still.

“Because I love you, Din.”

The words sat in the air between them like a physical thing, an old moon in orbit, waiting to see if the shooting star would strike it down or warm it back. The last words his mother had said to him, before she was gone forever. He’d always understood that love wasn’t something to be volleyed back and forth, love wasn’t supposed to be expected or returned, not the true love his mother had given, and not the shy, defeated love Boba was giving him now.

And still.

“I love you, too.”

Boba let out a shuddering breath, half a laugh, and a single tear. “Then you understand why I couldn’t let you go.”

Love could look selfish, but it never felt selfish. At least not to Din. He let go of the bottle, and hung his head in his hands instead. The familiar shame of crying in front of Boba washed over him, and as his shoulders shook, he mourned that freeze a little, because he could at least pretend he was solid when it was there. Not now, though. Not now.

With hesitation, Boba’s arm wrapped around the slumped line of his shoulders. Without hesitation, Din leaned into it. “He’s gone,” Din rasped.

Boba made a noise he probably hadn’t meant to before the other arm came up to pull Din into his lap, curl him up small and safe. With the beskar, he was much heavier, and less kind on his aching body, but Boba bore his weight without complaint. “Not gone, just somewhere else,” Boba said, stroking a hand over Din’s head in a well-practiced motion they’d perfected since Morak. “I’ll...” The promise sat on the tip of his tongue. “If you really want him back, I can help you find him.”

Din shook his head, cried out and drained. “You don’t have to,” he said softly. “Your debt to me is paid, you don’t—”

“I don’t offer this to you out of a sense of obligation. I don’t offer any of myself to you for that. Maybe once, but certainly not now, jat’ika.”

The name hurt Din like a punch to the gut. The objection sat behind his lips like a fathier at the starting gate. He lifted his head so their eyes could meet again. Openness sat in Boba’s expression, and Din realized, all at once, that the two of them had really changed in those soft weeks between Tython and here. Without breaking eye contact, he brought his hand up to cup the back of Boba’s neck, and leaned in to press their foreheads together. A stuttering breath left Boba’s chest, a flash of that softness Din didn’t often see in him.

“I’m sorry,” Din said. “For what I said about your father.”

“You were upset,” Boba hedged. Din shook his head, only a little, as to not break the mirshmure’cya too fast.

“It doesn’t excuse it. I won’t say anything like that again. Forgive me, please.”

“I understand,” Boba said, bringing his own hand up to touch the apple of Din’s cheek. “It’s forgiven. Don’t catastrophize a mistake, Din.”

Din couldn’t help but laugh, a little. “Catastrophize.”

“Exactly,” Boba said, returning the smile. “Do you need to talk some more? Are you injured from the mission?”

This time, Din hedged, “Cuts and bruises, rattled my brain fighting a darktrooper, nothing huge.” Boba leveled him with an unimpressed look. “If it bothered me, I would have taken care of it.”

“Forgive me if I don’t quite believe you can take care of yourself.”

“Hoverskiff daddying, are we?” Din asked, a smirk on his mouth that both endeared and infuriated Boba in equal doses. Boba leaned back to press a smacking kiss to Din’s forehead.

“Show you daddying. C’mon, up. We’ll talk while we get you patched up.”

As Boba removed the armor from Din’s body, the weight which pulled at Din’s conscience followed suit. He felt able to take a full breath of air again, letting Boba smear bacta on his cuts and bruises, like every breath got easier than the last. Boba made him laugh, made him smile and forget he was ever frozen, forget he was ever broken and jagged and rough-edged. And when Boba mentioned the kid, the memories came with an ache, but no sharp pain. He would have permission to grieve, later. He knew that much. But for now, they reveled in the feeling of being alive after another difficult day, a unique sensation to the two that felt more familiar than coming home ever had.

“Your helmet.” Boba finally reached that topic, which predictably pulled a sigh and a downcast expression from Din’s face.

“I broke the Creed on Morak. And again, on the cruiser.” He left out the moments with Boba specifically. You are not of a Creed you can disappoint while in here. The only truth is that you are mine.

“You were saying goodbye to your son. I know men who would raze whole planets to the ground for the chance. It’s an honorable thing, what you did. Not a dishonorable one.” Din can’t make himself believe it in its entirety, not really.

“But the armor—”

“You told me once I’d have to peel your armor off your dead body. Yet I had to, to patch your wounds, give you comfort.”

They looked at the pile in the corner, gleaming beskar and worn padding which had protected Din for years. Clearly, he wasn’t dead, and yet, the armor went. Boba continued.

“And that to hand mine over to me was against the Creed. Until the more honorable realization was proven, you were returning it to me.”

Ret’urcye mhi. How funny that goodbye sounds like return to me.

“Your helmet was in the way of protecting your foundling, until it was not. Ke’juri beskar’gam, but not at the expense of k’ara’novo aliit, nor ke’gaa’tayli aliit bralir, nor ke’ba’juri sa Mando’ade.” Din felt the tears fall, but did not look away. “You are no less Mandalorian for making the decisions you did. In fact, you are perhaps more suited to hold that saber because of it.” He took Din’s hands. “You have protected and cared for your family. One of your aliit is learning what you could not teach. Your son is Mandalorian because he is yours.”

“Then why do I feel so guilty?” Din asked, his chest jumping a little in a hiccup, eyes shining with yet-unshed tears. Boba brought his hands up to kiss at their knuckles.

“It’s not guilt. It’s grief. We carry it differently, but it does not make us. The same as our armor. It is something we wear, something sacred, but it is not the armor who protects a son.”

Din fell into his arms, pressing grateful kisses to Boba’s mouth, his face. Tears of relief, not shame, not guilt, fell across his cheeks and smeared onto Boba’s skin, but he didn’t mind. His soul was still redeemable, he was still an upright man, deserving of salvation and absolution, deserving of the love which patched him together.

He realized he was speaking. “I love, I love—”

“I know, I know,” Boba repeated, not in a volley, but letting Din know his love had somewhere safe and soft to land.

And that it always would.

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

Mando'a - Translation

jat'ika - y'all should know this one by now mirshmure'cya - Keldabe kiss, soft headbutt for emotion, or apply forcefully for stronger emotion ret'urcye mhi - see you again, goodbye aliit - family, clan

Tenets of the Resol'nare (Mandalorian Creed) mentioned in m&os ke'juri beskar'gam - you will wear armor k'ara'novo aliit - you will protect family ke'gaa'tayli aliit bralir - you will help your clan succeed ke'ba'juri sa Mando'ade - you will raise Mandalorians

Other Tenets not mentioned because they don't make me cry as much ke'jorhaa'i Mando'a - you will speak Mando'a ke'shekemi haar Mand'alor - you will rally to the cause of the Mand'alor

[smutty-ki113r]

(((*vents back into chat* OK SO YOU WANTED THIS SOOOO- FEEL FREE TO READ AS PLEASE- IM MAKING A PART TWO BUT IDK WHEN IT WILL COME OUT SEEING AS IM LAZY BUT HERE YA GO B) ))

--------------------------------------------------------------------------- -𝙰 𝚁σɱαɳƈҽ Ⴆҽƚɯҽҽɳ ƚɯσ 𝙶σσϝႦαʅʅʂ-

𝙰 [SUSSY ANON] ϝαɳ-ϝιƈƚισɳ

𝙻αυɠԋιɳɠ 𝙹αƈƙ 𝚇 𝙲αɳԃყ 𝙿σρ

``𝚃ԋҽ 𝙲𝚒ɾƈ𝚞ʂҽʂ 𝚁σɱαɳƚιƈ 𝙳συ``

--//Explicit words//Hints to sexual desires//Mentions of death//Slight blood//--

️🌈 ~Gay ship paring Creepypasta~ ️🌈

It was a crisp summer’s night, as our colorful jester Candy Pop wandered throughout his Circus. He sighed as he sat down at the ‘Pick-A-Duck’ station. He pulled out a rubber duck and mushed it in his hand, chuckling as it ‘peeped’ out to him. He set it down on the counter and rested his head looking at the duck. He snickered at how small it was, patting it on the head, smiling at the tiny peeps it produced. He pocketed the duck for good measures, in case he ever needed a quick chuckle. He got up and wandered around more, humming to the tune of ‘Zydrate Anatomy’. He had heard that song a few times now, and it was starting to get stuck in his head. He wasn’t a huge fan of music, but he occasionally listened to it.

As the sun set further down, so did the jester. He went down the lanes between mini-games and in and out of mazes that he knew like the back of his hand. He laughed to himself as memories of chasing kids in these mazes danced in his mind. He loved that about his circus, that any newcomer could get lost so easily, and Candy Pop would know where they were. Most kids got stuck in mazes or rides. So that is where Candy Pop lurked the most, in case a kid did come down, he would be there waiting for them.

Candy Pop's shadow dragged behind him, he was getting rather bored of being by himself, he considered the options of going out, but it was far too late for that. Most places were either closed or going to be closed soon. But Candy Pop didn’t mind that, he entertained himself most of the time as it was. But recently he was craving something, more than just himself. He wanted another to entertain him, to be his partner in crime, to love him. But no one loved Candy Pop, he was too bold and chaotic, and most of all, a killer. Who would love someone that at any given moment, would end it all?

Candy Pop sighed at this, sitting down at a ‘Balloon Pop’ station. He looked up to the balloons on the wall, all of them were purple with a jester-like smile drawn on them. This was one of his favorite mini-games. This was because whenever someone popped the balloon, it would send a loud bang in their ears, causing the person’s ear dumbs to burst. He laughed at how many people went deaf to this. He was about to pop one himself just to hear the loud bang himself, but something caught him off guard. A silent grunt.

Candy Pop turned his head around to see a pin aimed right for his face? No, it was headed for the balloon, but Candy Pops’ poor reaction time led the pin to hit his face, right in his ear, a fearful gasp could be heard, the pin wasn’t meant for Candy Pop, it was meant to hit the balloon to startle him. Candy Pops’ eyes narrowed at who caused this. He couldn’t help but wince at the pain in his ear, pulling the pinout and planning on returning it to the sender. Just as he was about to throw it, a familiar voice caught him off guard.

“Pops! It's me, Jack!” The nervous clown exclaimed. Not wanting to hurt his friend, he rushed over to make sure he wasn’t hurt too badly. He scanned his ear to see where he hit. When he spotted it, he sighed as it wasn’t too severe. “Jeez, I really gotta get my ‘aim’ game eh?” Jack jokingly teased. Both chuckled at Laughing Jacks’ shitty joke. Candy Pop shook his head at his knucklehead friend, both could be complete idiots at times, and this was one of those times. “Ya know you really gotta be more careful with that shit, you aimed way too close to my head ya know!” Candy Pop sighed.

Both stood in awkward silence. Then, in unison, both spoke. “So what are ya doing-?”. Both looked at each other in shock, before laughing at how bizarre that was. Then, Candy Pop sighed, and went first. “I was just wandering around until you showed up, heh- what brings you here anyway?”. Jack looked back to his colorful friend before rubbing the back of his head.

“Well, I just wanted to see how my buddy was doing, ya know? That and I thought ya might wanna hang out?”. Jack asked. Candy Pops head sprung up to this question. Of course, he wanted to hang out with his greatest friend! Finally, something decent he could do. Smiling at Jack, he nodded fastly. “Yes! Yes! Of course, I’d love to hang out!”. Candy Pop sounded like an excited child going to DisneyLand. He practically sprung up from his chair jumping up and down a bit, before tuning it down and just swaying side to side. Jack chuckled at this before announcing where he would be taking him. “Well Candy Pop, I was thinking if we could just hang out at your Circus? Or mine if you’re up for it!”. Laughing Jack held the same excitement in his voice as Candy Pop did.

Candy Pop stood thinking of where he might want to go, but he was already at his circus and didn’t want to stress Laughing Jack too much, so he just decided it would be best to stay at his circus. “We could stay here and mess around!”. Candy Pop gleefully exclaimed. Laughing Jack smiled at this, wasting no time and grabbing Candy Pops’ hand. Jack had been to Candy Pops circus a few times before, but he knew that if he led the way, he would get them lost, or at least himself lost. So he let Candy Pop lead the way, he trusted him like that.

Laughing Jack always liked that about Candy Pop. Candy Pop was his only loyal friend, besides a few others, but even they had slip-ups. Candy Pop on the other hand only made shit jokes from time to time, but nothing too horrible or worth crying over. Candy Pop looked over Jack’s shoulder laughing at him. Jack couldn’t help but laugh back, he loved hanging out with Candy Pop, he was just so wild and fun! It was always a roller coaster of emotions with him. You never knew what you might get. However, Jack loved the days where Candy Pop was so burnt out, that he just talks about the most random things. That’s how they came up with ice cream-shaped pizza. Cookie dough for the bread, ice cream as the sauce, and chocolate chips as the pepperoni.

Candy Pop leads Laughing Jack to a glass maze, Jacks’ favorite maze there. He gasped and joy as his eyes gazed upon the maze. “You didn’t! Pops you know I love this maze!”. Jack chuckled aloud. He jokingly pushed Pops lightly teasing him a bit, both laughed at how cheesy the other was acting. Candy Pop hopped up at the start of the maze, holding a hand out for Jack. Instead of grabbing Candy Pops’ hand, Jack coiled his legs, like a spring, and bounced up, like a loose spring. His legs spiraled back to normal, he laughed at how cartoony that was. Candy Pop clapped his hands in amusement, despite seeing him do it before.

Both then wandered into the maze, Jack getting lost in his own glee, as Candy Pop ran around making sharp turns to not hit or break the glass mirrors. Laughing Jack soon found himself cornered in the maze, slightly lost and scared. Candy Pop took this as a chance to mess with Jack a bit. He stood in a mirror that reflected throughout the entire maze. He called out to Jack. “Oh, Jack~.” Candy Pop snickered at how cheesy this reference was. Jack snorted a bit himself too, he knew Candy Pop was trying to recreate the scene from Pennywise. Both hated that clown, so it was always funny when they mocked him. “You wanna BallOOn?”. Candy Pop said, trying to impersonate Pennywise. Both then burst laughing, Candy Pop falling over revealing where he was.

Jack couldn’t help but wheeze at how his face must have looked when he got lost, he probably looked like a lost child, he snarled at himself for that, but he was so busy laughing that it all seemed so funny. Candy Pop got up brushing himself off, still wheezing from what just happened. Candy Pop looked at Jack, who was still laughing and a bit red from embarrassment that he got scared. Jack looked up to Candy Pop as well, both meeting eye contact. They both grew silent just staring at each other, before starting up again and just losing it to laughter.

Candy Pop broke the spell of infinite laughter by finally speaking up. “Hey, bud- eheh- wanna head somewhere else? Don’t wanna stay here too long, when it gets dark here, IT GETS DARK! I don’t think I have any lights in the mirror maze- because it gets hot in here when there is light- heh.” Candy Pop chuckled. Jack considered this for a moment. “How about the ferris wheel!”. Jack practically shouted. That had to be his favorite ride, from how slow it was, to the heights, and how you could see the entire circus from up there. He loved the whole idea of it. Candy Pop smiled at this as well, he loved the ferris wheel, not as much as Jack, but he considered it second place next to roller coasters as his top pick. “I’d be down for that!”. Candy Pop excitedly said, already running in the direction of the ferris wheel. He had just installed new lighting or the ferris wheel, about a week ago. It lit aesthetic purple and blue, to fit the theme of his circus. He started to go there more often in fact, and having this in mind, he knew Jack would love the update about it.

“Come on then! It has some new cool features”. Candy Pop could jump out of his skin from how excited he was. He grabbed Laughing Jack's hand and dragged him along, leading them out of the maze. It even took Candy Pop a while, because Jack was lagging behind a bit, and kept slamming into the glass walls, so Candy Pop learned to slow down and take a steady pace. Even this was slow, but at least Jack didn’t get himself hurt. Snickering at Jack, Candy Pop teased him by bumping into a wall as well. This pulled off because Jack let out a faint snicker. A few minutes later they made their way out and started their long walk to the ferris wheel.

Eyes wandered around the carnival, looking at all the games and prizes to win. Dried blood spattered onto the walls from previous victims that fell to Candy Pop. History laid on these walls. Jack was there for some of the killings. Most of the time he just ate the victim whole. Other times they fucked the victim up so bad you couldn’t tell out a single feature. Jack smiled at the work they did. Jack felt his face grow warm as his gaze returned to Candy Pop, but he shook it off as just sweating from all that running. Candy Pop looked up to Jack and smiled, Jack's eyes met Candy Pop, and Jack smiled too. Both giggled lightly before looking ahead of them. Jack couldn’t help but love the fact that he was holding Candy Pop's hand. It was just so cute of him, Jack holding Pop's hand. The way his gloves were so silky smooth, and his nails lightly dug into Jack's huge claws. Jack never wanted it to stop, if he could he had the choice to, he would always hold Candy Pops’ hand. But he knew when they got to the ferris wheel he would have to let go. He sighed at that, hating the idea of having to let go. Oh well, might as well enjoy the moment.

The ferris wheel was getting closer now, just a few more rows of mini-games, and they would be at the entrance of the large ferris wheel. Jack could see the purple and blue lights, his jaw dropped rolling on the floor like a cartoon character would in animations. His tongue landed flat on the ground with a loud plop as his eyes bulged out. Candy Pop snickered, raising an eye at his now cartoonified friend. “You like it?” Candy Pop snickered aloud. “Do I like it..? No..” Jack teased. Candy Pop almost frowned, but his frown was cut off by Jack. “I FUCKING LOVE IT!” Candy Pop jumped at how loud his friend got, but smiled in joy. Candy Pop jumped up and down at this new information. “I’m glad you like it! I thought you might!” Candy Pops face beamed with overjoy, Jack saw this in Candy Pop, and lightly pinched Candy Pops nose. Both snickered as they resumed walking.

The closer they got to the ferris wheel, the more excited both got. Candy Pop snickered before looking at Jack. “Last one to the ferris wheel is a rotten egg!” Candy Pop then bolted for the ferris wheel, cackling to himself. “HEY!” Jack winced at Candy Pop. Candy Pop was already halfway there, but Jack remembered he could just teleport, so he did. He snickered to himself at how easy that was, now all he had to do was wait for his jester friend.

Jack looked at his claws admiring them and how deep they could puncture someone. He laughed at how many people he has killed with one swoop of a punch. He could hear Candy Pop getting closer, why didn’t he just teleport too? Maybe he forgot. Either way, Jack laughed a bit.

Candy Pop was now in full view, he was panting a bit at how fast he had to run to get there so quickly. Jack clapped slowly, cocking an eye. Candy Pop’s body dragged down as the weight of his body caught up to him. “Well, well, well, lookie here, I won~!” Jack teased Candy Pop by hissing those words at him. Candy Pop puffed and fell to his knees. “No! Lost! To a master- and cheater.. Of teleportation! How could this ever have happened! Oh, foolish me!” Candy Pop dramatically pretended to faint, holding in a snicker. Jack snorted at this, which triggered Candy Pop to burst laughing. Jack couldn’t help but fall to his side plopping on the ground next to Candy. Both lied their laughing until ether couldn’t breathe.

Candy Pop then dragged himself back up and dusted off. Jack did the same, chuckling at how dramatic his friend had gotten, even if it was an act. Jack then turned to the ferris wheel, to get a better view of it. Jack gasped silently at the sight. Wonderfully crafted, aesthetically fitting, and damn well-done lights, stood before the monochrome clown. He couldn’t help but mutter a silent wow at how unreal this all looked. Jack jumped a bit when he felt Candy Pop’s hand rub the back of Jack. “Pretty isnt it?” Pops silently said as to not ruin the moment. “It’s awesome Pops- like holy shit-.” Jack almost blurted out how much he loved it, but he managed to keep it in. Pops snickered at Jack before nodding to him. “Well, come on, hop it!” Candy Pop excitedly exclaimed. Candy then opened the door for Jack. He climbed in, and Candy Pop followed, sitting on the other side. He then pushed a button and the ferris wheel started to make its way to the top.

The ferris wheel seat rocked back and forth gently, someone could be able to pass out on it if they really wanted to. It was a quarter of the way to the top. Candy Pop smiled at Jack, as both grew to a cold silence. The other gazing deeply into the eyes of the other. Jack gulped a bit as things were getting a bit too intense for him. He didn’t like where things were doing, and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to stay till the end for it. It was now three-quarters of the way to the top now. If someone dropped a bit, it would echo throughout the entire circus. No one broke contact, Jack was too scared to look away, and Candy Pop was too into the moment.

The ride stopped as it reached its highest point. Candy Pop took this as his cue, and slowly leaned in. In a panic, Jack leaned back and winced. Confused, Candy Pop opened his eyes and looked at the clearly nervous clown. Both sat looking in a now dead tone silence. Candy Pop lightly coughed before leaning back into his seat. The ride started up again and started its slow descent to the ground.

“Sorry- I thought you wanted to- .” Candy Pop was then cut off by Jack. “N-no it’s okay I just panicked a bit that’s all, heh.” Jack quivered. Pops nodded his head, but he really wanted that kiss. It was just so called for, why did Jack back out, was he.. Scared? But why? It was so clear to Candy Pop that Jack was into him, or maybe that is just Jacks’ way of being nice. If so, that is one hell of a way to be nice.

They both walked in awkward silence to the exit. Neither said or even bothered to look at the other, in fear that something might happen. As they approached the exit, Laughing Jack sighed and looked at Candy Pop. “Hey- Pops? I’m sorry I didn’t mean to, I really wanted to just-!” Jack was cut off as Candy Pop grabbed the now-beat-red blushing clown, and kissed him. Jack couldn’t help but stare in shock, before calming down and kissing back. The kiss felt like it lasted for an eternity, but Jack didn’t mind. He regretted not letting Candy Pop in the first place. Candy Pop leaned into the kiss more, causing Laughing Jack to tip over a bit. Then, Pops stopped kissing Jack, allowing Jack to catch his breath.

“W-woah…” Is all Jack could say. It was just so magical it felt like a dream. Candy Pop, who was now just as red as Jack, snickered. “I-it was nothing.. Don’t mention it, heh.” Pops snickered. Jack chuckled and let out a sigh of relief, he started to walk towards the exit once more. He looked back to Candy Pop. Candy Pop nodded with a smile, as Jack left the circus, to visit for another time...

-𝙰 𝚁σɱαɳƈҽ Ⴆҽƚɯҽҽɳ ƚɯσ 𝙶σσϝႦαʅʅʂ-

𝙰 [SUSSY ANON] ϝαɳ-ϝιƈƚισɳ

𝙻αυɠԋιɳɠ 𝙹αƈƙ 𝚇 𝙲αɳԃყ 𝙿σρ

``𝚃ԋҽ 𝙲𝚒ɾƈ𝚞ʂҽʂ 𝚁σɱαɳƚιƈ 𝙳συ``

~The End~

AWWWWWWEEEWWWWWWWWWEWWE WAIT THIS WAS SO CUTE!!!

I loved it!! I’m not sure if you wanted my constructive opinion but here it is: I loved the descriptions, the lights and the circus was great, the games and the names too, I suggest adding more of feel in it. Not sure if that makes sense but just the FEEL. The humor was great, I liked the jokes you embedded. And the cartoonish descriptions were so cannon- I also like how you wrote the characters with their giddy childish selves. I used to have a really hard time filling in space between times which is another thing I think you should work on. Fillers can get mmmm sometimes so I suggest instead of dragging it out fill with emotion or thought. But overall I loved it, got lost in the story which is what matters so congrats! Great job love <333