#tatuaje breathe

[odario]

TLOZ

[pearlsinmyhair]

༄ breath of venus ༄

chapter six ~ eye of the storm

summary: venus bullies lopez a little. she and mansk have another moment. quaritch and venus find a little bit of calm. quaritch and lyle start to coparent. venus speaks spanish.

word count: 5.4k

warnings: cursing en español

authors note: ok guys, i’m so sorry if this spanish is not up to par. i cross referenced so many different sources, especially about the use of ‘chocha.’ remember how venus patted lyle’s head when she was a baby?

glossary

¿hablás español? - (do) you speak spanish?

Sí, lo estudié durante muchos años. Sin embargo, mi acento está fuera de práctica. - yes, i studied it for many years. however, my accent is out of practice.

Tu acento está bien. Sólo un poco rígido. - your accent is fine. just a little stiff.

Tus tatuajes son un farol, ¿verdad? - your tattoos are a bluff, right?

¿Qúe? - what?

chocha - pussy

eres terrible, niña - you are terrible, girl

Y eres crédulo. - and you are gullible

“all sins are attempts to fill voids.” - simone weil

“I don’t believe you.” said Ja from the bank of the spring they had stopped at. Venus was knee deep in said spring cooling off, and she laughed softly at his words.

“You can refuse to believe it. That doesn’t mean that it is not true.” she replied as she waded to the sand. “I swear to you, on all that I hold dear, that they are like my siblings.”

They had been traveling non-stop for nearly two weeks now, and their bodies ached with cramps and knots that never seemed to ease. It was Venus’s suggestion that they stop.

She knew the area by description, not experience. The Omatikaya had close connections with the Tawkami due to the latter clan’s trading outposts and routes. As tsakarem, Venus was given the responsibility of diplomacy and hospitality and was charged with greeting the visitors. Neteyam occasionally accompanied her, but his age made him quick to annoyance and uneasy with the tentative nature of alliance. She had not seen a trader since before the war, and she personally believed that they had hidden, at least from the Omatikaya and other clans of close proximity to Bridgehead.

Many of the marines had taken the opportunity to empty their packs and wash clothes. Venus even showed them some plants they could use to clean, not wanting to pollute the stream with the harsh soap they carried.

Quaritch notably did not participate, instead keeping watch whilst leaning against a nearby tree. He seemed determined to disassociate from anything Venus involved herself in, and it was beginning to irk her.

“What are their names, then?” Zdog butt in, and Venus waved a dismissive hand at her.

“It’s my turn now. You’ll have to save your question.”

It took three days for someone to break the silence of the group as they traveled. Quaritch had given Venus a throat comm and ear piece, but there hadn’t been much talking besides orders and directions. It was Lopez who had snapped whatever invisible tension that rested between her and the recombinants when he suggested a game.

It was simple: Venus and the squad would each have five questions that they would ask a day. Ten questions total over the span of twenty-four hours. He called it ‘trade’. Quaritch called it a waste of time. But they had tried it anyway, and it was working so far.

The squad had already asked her two questions: the one at which Ja showed disbelief of was if she had animal mounts besides her ikran. She had explained Pali, and then added that she had a close familial bond with a few thanators.

Venus pulled her songcord from beside her ear as she asked her question.

“Can I see your tattoos?”

She figured that it wasn’t too much to ask.

That was another rule: no deep questions. None that would entail revealing secrets, at least, both personal and war related. Said rule had been instilled by none other than the grumpy Colonel not twenty feet from where she stood.

Most of the squad had removed their tops to rinse off, so she got a pretty good view of most of their tattoos. The few that hadn’t stripped were Ja, Mansk, and Quaritch.

Zdog went first. The female recombinant hadn’t exactly minded taking off her shirt and standing in a sports bra. Next to Venus you look like a nun, Brown had joked. Venus whacked him with her tail and Z whipped his shoulder with her rolled up tank.

Unlike most of the others, Zdog’s tattoos were colored, and she even allowed the girl to trace the honeycomb-like structures across her arm. When her finger wandered to the snake with the inscription of ‘deathless’ on its scales, she met Z’s eyes and raised a brow.

The woman just chuckled, and Venus moved to the others. She deliberately saved Quaritch and Wainfleet for last. She lingered at Mansk, whose tattoo was covered by his shirt. He had flipped his sunglasses atop his head, showing his different colored irises.

“Eventually.” she said to him, referring to his covered tattoo. He nodded. “Eventually.”

When she moved on to Lopez, she had to bite back a grin. She had been waiting for this moment for some time now.

There was a human woman that had stayed after the war. She was beautiful, with dark curly hair and bronze skin, and her voice tilted with an accent that sounded delightful to young Venus’s ears.

The woman’s name was Lilliana, and she was one of the first avatars who interacted with her without fearing Neytiri’s wrath. Venus grew attracted to her and often went with her to the avatar tent, something that Neytiri greatly appreciated when she had Neteyam and Kiri, with Lo’ak on the way.

It was there that she got introduced to Reggaeton. She could still remember the moment that she heard the strings of a guitar and the bump of electronic bass when she was seven.

Long story short, she demanded that Lilliana teach her spanish, mostly so she could sing it, and partially so she could understand. Norm was able to procure language books and work pages while Lilliana helped instruct her and fill the gaps.

And it was for that reason that she easily translated the tattoo inked across Lopez’s chest.

Sepulturero.

She had nearly curled her lip in disgust when she first saw it, but then she decided that the irony of it was amusing.

“Gravedigger.” she uttered as she stood in front of Lopez, studying the way the word arched under his collarbones.

He raised a brow, eyes widening in slight shock. “¿Hablas español?” he asked softly.

“Sí, lo estudié durante muchos años. Sin embargo, mi acento está fuera de práctica.” she said as she shifted her attention to the tatted brass knuckles on his hand.

“Tu acento está bien. Sólo un poco rígido.”

She nodded at his words. As much as she’d love to sit and talk with him, she had much more pressing matters to attend to.

“Tus tatuajes son un farol, ¿verdad?” she said, allowing her voice to rise slightly in volume. The marines conversations had died down, now attuned to the way that Lopez’s expression shifted from surprise to anger at her words.

“¿Qué?” he questioned, his eyes hardening as her face shifted towards amusement.

“Your tattoos, they must be a bluff. There is a saying from a human book: any man who says ‘I am king’ is no king. I believe it to be the same with these markings. Why would you need to write it on your skin if your actions did not already prove them true?”

Lopez practically snarled at her, but this was not the first time that a man taller and older than her had shown such hubris. Having brothers honed her skills at humbling others, and she applied them when needed.

She smiled up at Lopez mockingly, cocking her head to the side in a silent challenge.

This was a common occurance between them. Lopez was the only one who truly entertained her antics, so she pestered him when she needed to let off steam. Be that through ikran chases or arm wrestling or death diving.

She knew she had touched a nerve, but she had learned Lopez’s emotions well. He was pissed, yes, but he wouldnt hurt her. He frequently insulted her back, so this verbal repertoire was relatively tame.

It was Quaritch’s insistence upon her stopping that angered her. And now was no different.

“Venus, Lopez, knock it off.” he called from the shade. Venus’s tail lashed as she glared over her shoulder at the Colonel. Every time she had any semblance of relaxation or fun, he was breathing down the back of her neck, treating her like she was some spoiled brat that he’d been stuck with.

Lopez followed his orders, though he shoulder checked Venus as he passed. It was that action that made her realize that she may have bruised his ego a bit more than intended, but she couldn’t find it in herself to care.

These were her captors, after all. She had no need to feel sorry for them.

At least, not about immature insults about tattoos.

She carefully removed the woven jewelry from around her waist as she stepped to the water once more. She set the strands and her armbands down on her bag before she reached up and untied her chocker from her neck.

She passed the piece to Ja, explaining how each little dark point was a claw or a tooth from one of her siblings when they were babies, and his eyebrows shifted up as he handled it with care, studying the necklace.

Venus walked over to a ledge that wasn’t far from where Lopez and Brown were now conversing good naturedly. Lopez’s shoulders still knit from her insults, and she smiled to herself. She checked to make sure that the water was deep enough as she stood on the edge of the rock.

She turned to them and took a deep breathe, recalling what Lilliana had always said.

‘If a boy or a man every gets a big head, you set him right. you plant your feet in the ground, turn to him, and call him una-‘

“chocha.”

Lopez turned to her so quick that she barely had time to squeak before he leapt at her, tackling her right into the water below.

For a moment there was nothing but splashing and churning white, and the recombinants watched in amusement as a blue foot appeared before slipping below the surface. When the water calmed and neither Venus nor Lopez rose to the surface, that amusement turned to slight panic.

“They’re gonna drown each other.” said Brown, who leaned over the edge to gaze into the deep water below. Due to their blue skin, he couldn’t pick out any figures. “They won’t drown each other. Venus will drown Lopez.” said Z confidently.

The soldiers turned to the woman, and she simply raised an eyebrow. “She’s really very strong, and she’s lived here for longer than we have. I’m just saying that you shouldn’t underestimate her.”

Quaritch walked up to look over the ledge, standing next to Brown.

“Ten seconds and we’re going in to get them.” he said, brow knitting as he too searched to no avail.

“We? Who’s we?” called Lyle, who stepped towards the bank of the river. “I’m not going to get Lopez’s sorry ass if he drowns. He tackled her, so he’s going to face the consequences.”

“Since when is everyone so confident in the kids skills at drowning people?” Quaritch asked, smirking at Lyle. His corporal looked to him with his head cocked to the side.

“If you paid attention to her, you’d not-“

Before he could finish his sentence, Lopez burst from the water, coughing and sputtering like a drowned cat. He looked like one, too, wet and pissed off. For a moment, the squad waited with baited breath for Venus to emerge.

“Im right here.” came a voice from one of the pools behind them.

And there she was, squeezing water from her hair like she had gone for a nice swim rather than wrestling a marine a foot taller than her.

Zdog was the first to break the silence.

“Who won?”

Venus flashed her canines in a quirked smile.

“Who do you think?”

Zdog fist bumped her, and Quaritch scowled. Z’s ears folded back, backing down, but Venus seemed to rise under his glower.

“He tackled me.” she said as she walked past him, making sure to sling some water from her hair onto his back.

She stepped to Lopez, who was catching his breath on his back on the sand. She reached out a hand.

“Eres terrible, niña.” he said as he took it. Venus pulled him up with a smile. “Y eres crédulo.” she replied.

As he walked away to his pack to get a clean shirt, Venus turned back to the Colonel and Wainfleet.

She wasn’t surprised by Quaritch’s tight jaw or tense posture, no. It was Wainfleet’s look of disappointment that seemed to cool her blood, but she became irritated just as quickly. What right did he have to be disappointed at her?

She simply scoffed and moved to a patch of sun to dry off and comb through her hair, refusing to acknowledge anyone for the rest of their time at the spring.

༄

Venus shifted against the bark of the tree, thinking that when she got the chance, she was going to hibernate on her mat at home.

While she never had qualms about sleeping in trees, constantly doing so was taking a toll on her spine. She practically had to wring herself out every morning to stretch, and the cracking that ensued made her cringe.

But being a hostage wasn’t a luxury, so she took it in stride. There were worse things.

Mansk had taken first watch, sitting a few feet from where she was. His sunglasses sat in his lap, so she was able to study his face. The way that his ears flicked told her that he knew she was looking.

“What are their names?” he asked, voice quiet as to not disturb some of the sleeping soldiers.

Of course he had remembered. Mansk paid close attention to things around him, and he must have mentally saved Z-dog’s question for later.

His eyes shifted to meet hers, and this time she didn’t shy away. He had grown comfortable with her over the past days, peeling back the layers that he concealed himself with as a defense mechanism.

Under all the stoicism was uncertainty and some insecurity. While they hid it well, the recombinants were not happy with their body switch. Venus could empathize: if she woke up in a human body tomorrow, she’d be devastated. So she didn’t push them to talk too much about the change.

She tilted her chin in question, and he gestured for her to come closer. She did, scooting her butt until she sat beside him, listening to his breathing as she thought of her answer.

She registered that Quaritch was awake and listening, though he tried to pretend otherwise. His ears pricked up, swerving to listen to their conversation as his eyes remained closed.

“There were five in the litter.” she said softly. “But only three live. A boy, Armua, died when the sky people returned, burned up in the fire of the ships thrusters. And a girl, Wa’su, died giving birth to her first litter.”

Mansk hummed, looking down at her without fully turning. She was thankful for it. While the wound of Wa’sus death had healed, Armua was still fresh. She remembered searching for him for weeks. He had been the one that was closest to her, having territory not far from the villiage.

She had found nothing but ash.

Some of the marines had risen now, woken by their voices. Lyle yawned widely as he shifted to look at them. Quaritch had given up his little ruse and took a sip of water before handing the flask to Lyle.

“The three are Tamar, Salínu, and Ke’muntxa.” she said, turning to address them as well.

Brown’s ears pricked up. “No mate.” he translated, and Venus’s brows raised in surprise. So they had been listening to her language lessons.

“Yes. She’s a female thanator who lives not too far from here. We flew over part of her territory. She’s the eldest of the group, though not by much. She is my favorite.”

“And she has no mate?” asked Mansk.

“Nope. She rejects every male that tries, fighting them and chasing them off her territory.” Venus answered, smiling fondly at the memory of her sister chasing her brothers away from her, viciously protective from a young age.

Lyle smirked. “Remind you of yourself?”

Venus’s smile sharpened. “Piss off.”

He raised his hands in a ‘I surrender’ gesture, laughing softly. “Just saying. I don’t see you with a mate either, V.”

Something about him smiling made her soften, like the grip around her chest loosened slightly. Lyle had all but ignored her this whole time, outright refusing to talk about the first three years of her life and the last three of his.

She couldn’t exactly blame him. It wasn’t the conversation to have lightly over their comms, but still. The way he looked at her, with his brow furrowed and words behind his eyes, hadn’t exactly helped the tension.

This was the first time that he really spoke to her, looking directly at her and smiling. He joked easily with the others, even the Colonel. But with her, he was distant and cold, only acknowledging her when necessary.

But just as quickly as the mask slipped off, he put it back on, and the warmth of his eyes vanished. Her smiled dropped as well, and she retreated back to lean against the tree. She settled back, and Mansk’s arm brushed hers softly.

She looked to Quaritch, meeting eyes with him. “I meant to tell you earlier, but we’ll be traveling straight through Tamar’s territory. He’s highly aggressive and very protective, so we may want to remain above ground for as long as we can.”

Quaritch nodded, laying back down on his back, stiff as a board. He didn’t like taking advice from Venus, but he was learning that her knowledge was useful when it came to protecting his squad. It was a silent truce of giving him morsels of information and him taking it like a child forced to swallow medicine herbs.

She watched him for a while, and after a few moments his eyes turned to meet hers. The shift in his face was barely visible, but his ears dropped, jaw relaxing as his eyes softened. It was odd to see his inner turmoil, and if Venus had been any less aware of others emotions she would have missed it entirely.

He broke the staring contest first, and she looked away.

The rest of the soldiers settled down, burying themselves in their packs to try and get some sleep before their own watch shift came.

She turned back to Mansk, opening her mouth when-

“Lights out, Venus.” came Quaritch’s low but stern voice, and her tail flicked irritatedly as she turned to look at him.

“You’re not my father.” she uttered, so low that only he and Mansk heard. Mansk inhaled sharply, pointedly turning his face away from whatever father-daughter confrontation was happening.

Quaritch leaned up once more to look squarely at her. “Fine, kid. I’m not, but I am the person in charge of keeping you in line. So get in your pack before I make you.” he practically hissed. Venus barred her teeth, ready to bite back when Lyle’s sleepy voice interrupted.

“Quaritch, let her do her thing. She’ll be fine.”

Venus turned to him, surprised at the casual ignorance of authority. Lyle was feircely loyal to Quaritch, following and respecting his orders always. But now he interviened on her bahalf?

Lyle’s eyes shifted to meet hers before glancing at Mansk, then back once more.

He winked.

Oh, Great Mother.

Her ears burned viciously and heat prickled the back of her neck.

Quaritch glared at the corporal before sighing and rolling over so that his back faced them.

She glanced around to see if anyone else had witnessed what just transpired, but everyone seemed asleep.

Seemed.

She leaned back against the truck of the tree, giving Mansk a disbeliving look. His shoulders shifted in a silent laugh, and she bumped her elbow against his in mock annoyance.

Mansk was…easy. Quiet. Now that she knew him, she hesitated to call him shy. He was more contemplative, not as brazen or cocky as the others. He could be when he got loose enough, but most of the time he was wound tighter than a bow string.

And she had made it her mission to loosen it. She didn’t know why.

Well, maybe she did.

“Your turn.” came his opening.

She reached up and rolled the beads of her song cord thoughtfully as she debated. She had two more questions to ask per Lopez’s rules.

“How old are you, really?”

Mansk leaned his head back to look up at the stars just peaking through the leaves. The stretch moved his shirt slightly, and Venus took a moment to admire the peek of his chest tattoo that poked through.

“Well, I was sent to Pandora when I was sixteen.”

Her eyes snapped up to look at his face. “That hardly sounds ethical.” she replied tentatively.

He hummed thoughtfully, putting the memories together in his mind. “I had an aunt who was pretty high up in the RDA, and she personally recommended me to the Colonel. I needed the money, so I took the offer. When I got to Hellsgate, I was technically twenty-one, but no one ages in cryo sleep. I was on there for four years before I died.”

“Twenty.” she murmured, thinking it over. How it would feel to have lost all that time but at the same time having no repercussions for it.

“Is it the same feeling now, having been gone for sixteen years?” she asked.

Mansk’s ears lowered, and she immediately regretted asking. But as soon as she opened her mouth to apologize, Mansk lifted a hand, silencing her.

“Kind of. I know that it should feel like a gap, but it feels like i was asleep. But then…that man isn’t me. I just house his memories.” he replied, and Venus had to fight the urge again to reach to him.

So that was how they felt? Like corpses, carrying on someone else’s lives.

She supposed that was what an avatar was. A vessel.

But they were not avatars. There was no body in the distance piloting them.

Words sat on the tip of her tongue, begging to fill the quiet between them. But she clenched her jaw and held them in.

Instead, she gently took Mansk’s raised hand.

He flinched, the touch unexpected, but she just cradled his hand in the palms of hers, spreading the fingers and studying them.

A beat of silence, only filled by the soft breathing of the soldiers around them, all asleep.

Mansk’s question filled the air without him having to say it.

What are you doing?

She didn’t answer it, instead tracing the lines that flowed down to his wrist. He shivered as her fingertips traced his veins. She pressed her thumb against the center of his hand, and his fingers curled reflexively.

“You are not him.” was all she said before she let the hand go. He retracted it slowly to his lap. Only then did she notice that he had fully turned to her and that their knees were brushing.

“I used my last two questions. You have two to ask.”

She didn’t look up into his eyes, she was afraid of what she might see in them.

It is much harder to kill something when you see it, granddaughter.

But sometimes it needs to be killed, regardless of its thoughts.

You have much to learn.

“How do you know english so well?”

Ah.

“My father always suspected, at least a little, that the war was not over. It was for that reason that he kept his english sharp. And as the eldest, I learned it as well. I understood it could be useful diplomatically.” she murmured, gesturing between them as if to say ‘see?’.

“And my vocabulary comes from reading and speaking to the scientists that stayed back. I love books, but I had to use a magnifying glass to see the letters without holding the pages up to my face.” she chuckled, swallowing awkwardly as silence filled the space between them again.

The thing about Mansk was that when he thought, you could feel it. Like a cloud of static enveloping you if you were close enough. And with his breath teasing the hairs on her forehead, she was easily close enough.

She studied the camo of his pants, tracing the designs with her eyes as he put the words together in his head.

“Why are you doing this?”

She looked up at that, only to be met with Mansk’s heterochromic irises.

The intensity of the stare made her swallow, and she was once again hit with the same feeling of being seen that she had tried to ignore weeks before.

“Doing what?” she asked, trying to play innocent.

“Talking to us, teaching us, warning us.” he asked, voice barely above a whisper.

It was a question that had haunted her many sleepless nights. A fight of her heart and her morals. They are the enemy, they are people. They are redeemable, they will never be uncorrupt. She had not yet solved it.

So she answered honestly.

“I don’t know.”

His eyebrows knit at her response, and she could tell that he was unsatisfied with that answer. But he didn’t push it. Instead, he reached forward and gently traced his thumb along the veins at her wrist.

“Let me know when you do.” he said, with a note of finality that let her know that the conversation was over.

She let out a breath of air as she stood, unsettled with it. But she went to Quaritch’s bag, where he kept a spare bed roll for her.

“No complaining, you hear me?” he had said as he handed it to her.

She was grateful for it, but she decided to mess with him a bit. “Does Ardmore know that you took an additional roll for the savage girl?”

His eyes hardened, and he clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, mumbling something about “taking the high ground” as he stalked away.

The only available space around was next to Wainfleet. Otherwise, she’d have to climb, but the her head swam with exhaustion in a way that suggested certain death if she even tried to get higher up.

So she unrolled her pack along one of the intertwined branches and laid down, determined to get as much shut eye before sunrise.

As she stared up at the sky, Lyle rolled over, wide awake and bright eyed.

“That was a fucking train wreck.” he said, and she had to fight the urge to slap him. “You talk to everyone you’re interested like that?”

“Oh and i’m sure you were a real lady killer back in your day, huh. It’s not like that, anyway.” she responded, voice low as she turned to face him.

His smile was sharp. “Oh sure. And i’m still spry enough to kick you off that branch.”

“You won’t. You like me too much.” she said, chuckling.

The weight of her words thudded in her chest, too late to take them back.

He looked…frozen. Like he had been caught by a predator in the forest, deciding if he should run or fight.

She didn’t know exactly how long they stared at each other, but it was long enough for her stress to turn into frustration.

Now or never.

She reached her hand forward and set it on top of his head.

It was ludicrous, borderline comical as she sat up on her elbow with her hand on top of a killer marines bald head.

When he didn’t slap her palm away, or bite an insult, or kick her off the branch, she opened her mouth to speak.

“I’m her, Lyle. She’s still here.” she murmured, watching his expression carefully.

The moisture pooling in his eyes must have been a trick of her eyesight and the light of the bioluminescence around them.

She swallowed, pulled her hand away, and rolled so that her back faced him, begging the Great Mother to give her the sweet mercy of sleep.

༄

She awoke to the soft cooing of an ikran.

Her eyes fluttered as she took in her surroundings, checking each bed roll to see who was here.

The only one missing was Quaritch.

Go figure. He had taken the last watch, pressured by the others to get some rest. Now, as the sun began to rise over the horizon, she found herself searching for the man she was so determined to avoid.

The cooing sound rose through the branches again, and Venus stood to follow it to one of the branches on the opposite side of the tree.

She had instructed the recombinants on what branches to sleep on, and she had deliberately made sure that they slept on the side opposite the rising sun.

She rounded the tree trunk to find Quaritch trying to give Cupcake a tumpasuk.

She let out a soft whistle to alert them of her presence, and their heads both snapped to her. Cupcake let out a low hiss as she took a step forward, and Quaritch turned to the ikran and tutted her.

She watched as his ears suddenly shot forward, and he reached a hand to her.

Ah, so he had been paying attention to her and Mansk at Bridgehead.

She carefully grabbed his forearm, allowing him to pull her to Cupcake. The ikran hissed again before sniffing at her. She let out a snort of approval, and Venus raised her hand.

Cupcake snapped at her halfheartedly, but Venus had dealt with temperamental banshees all her life. She carefully slid her hand past the orange comb at the base of her jaw, finding the dip of skin along the underside of her head and itching.

Cupcake’s head dropped against her chest with a soft squeal, nudging her in a silent demand for more. She looked at Quaritch to find him staring at her wide eyed.

“How come she acts like a hardass to me, but shes all sweet with you?” he said softly, the question mostly rhetorical.

“Because i’m listening to her.” she responded anyway, rubbing her hands along the various divots that were hard for the ikran to scratch. She carefully grabbed the banshee by her chin and turned her to Quaritch, gesturing for him to continue her actions. When he did so, the banshee cooed gratefully.

“I was trying to feed her.” he told her as she settled down next to him, and she studied the fruit that he showed her.

She smiled. “Ikran do not eat tumpasuk. They prefer meat, always.” The colonel rolled his eyes.

She watched him try to bond with Cupcake, but there was something wrong.

“You’re hesitating to fully become one with her. It is why you struggle when you fly.” she said, resting a hand to his bicep to get him to stop. He turned to her in surprise at the touch, but she was already sliding under Cupcake’s neck to stand by her side.

She gestured for Quaritch to follow, pressing her ear to the banshee’s ribs. “Feel her breath, and then breathe with her. Start to become one with her before you even make tsaheylu.”

Quaritch did as she instructed hesitantly, pressing his own cheek to Cupcakes skin, feeling the pattern of her breath before trying to match it.

In and out.

She felt the coils of the ikran’s muscles loosen, and she gradually relaxed against her rider. Quaritch himself seemed less tense. Or, as less tense as he could possibly get.

“When you are ready, make the bond gently. Allow yourself to really feel her thoughts, her lungs, her strength.” she whispered as Cupcake lowered her queue to Quaritch.

The colonel brought his braid over his shoulder and carefully made tsaheylu. The ikran shuddered, and he whispered little reassurances. Venus watched as Quaritch slowly unfurled, allowing his mind to fuse with his ikran’s.

She had instructed many before him, but the change in him was the most drastic of all. His shoulders dipped, and she watched as the pairs breathing became simultaneous and connected.

She wasn’t sure how long they sat like that, but after what seemed like a century Quaritch opened his eyes.

“I’m still not letting you indoctrinate me into your little insurgency, kid.” he grunted, still pressing his face against Cupcake.

She sighed in mock disappointment. “I know.” she said, taking a step around the ikran back to the trunk. “But it was worth a shot.”

As she began to round the corner, Quaritch called out to her.

She turned, wondering if he was going to insult her.

“Thank you.” was all he said, and Venus nodded, retreating to the rest of the squad to wake them up.

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B, C, D, F, I, K, R, S, U, V, Z

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Queen 🧡, te dejo un temazo

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En donde estoy ahora: echao, viendo memes y contestando este ask jaja

V: ¿La última vez que lloraste?

Cuando tuve q poner a dormir a mi gata 😢 al menos ya no esta sufriendo

Z: ¿Cómo estás?

Bien, espero que ud igual

Gracias vuelva prontos 😄

[gptobacco]

Tatuaje Halloween Cigars

Cigar Aficionado's critics took note of Tatuaje and the Garcias, grading their cigars positively on multiple occasions. Johnson categorizes his cigars as "seekers," or cigar enthusiasts looking for a certain taste profile and experience. The most evident advantage of smoking cigars is the soothing effect. Cigarettes include tobacco, which contains nicotine, a stimulant that may potentially be depression. Nicotine is taken into circulation when smoke is breathed, causing an increase in adrenaline. Click Here:- Tatuaje Halloween Cigars

[dopetattooblog]

Top Dragon Tattoos Designs + Ideas (2020 Guide)

There are myths and legends about dragons all over the world. Dragon tattoo ideas are also one of the most popular tattoos. Dragons tattoo are the most trending and popular tattoo designs. They can be of any variety, colors and styles. checkout these latest dragon tattoo designs.

 300 Best Dragon Tattoos For Men: Cool Designs + Ideas (2020 Guide)

 Top 300+ Best Dragon Tattoos in 2020

 300 Small Dragon Tattoo Ideas for Men [2020 Inspiration Guide]

 Discover dragon tattoo design and inspiration by exploring wide ranging and brilliant ideas for Asian and Western dragon body art

 Top Sleeve Tattoo for Men [2020 Inspiration Guide] From shoulder to wrist, discover aesthetic designs with the best sleeve tattoos for men. Explore cool body art ink ideas and inspiration.

 While most men get dragon tattoos because they look badass as body art, some guys will be interested to know that different cultures associate dragons with deep meaning. For instance,…

 Discover a breath of power wrapped up in one single entity with the top 300 best dragon back tattoo designs for men. Explore cool manly ink ideas.

 Discover a timeless selection of the top best badass tattoos. Navigate your way through an awesome selection of classic and modern ink design ideas.

 Discover indomitable might alongside fire breathing wonders with the top 300 best Chinese dragon tattoo designs for men. Explore cool ink ideas with flames.

 Discover legendary fire-breathing creatures with the top 50 best small dragon tattoos for men. Explore cool giant serpent design ideas.

 —————————

 300+ Dragon Tattoo Designs For Women (2020) Arms, Shoulder, Chest

 Dragon tattoos are among the top ten most popular tattoo designs. Dragons are mythical creatures that have been mentioned in various cultures across the globe throughout centuries. Did they exist? Or were they part or pure imagination?

 Chinese dragon tattoos have a cultural connection, but they also look fierce. If you’re looking for some inspiration, take a look through these 20 Epic Chinese Dragon Tattoo Ideas.

 If you’re searching for a new tattoo, you’ll love our collection of the best tattoo ideas for men. These cool designs make up the best tattoos we’ve seen.

 Elegir el diseñe environnant les n’t tatuaje simply no siempre es lo mávertisements sencillo, ya qui debes considerar muchas cosas, desde el tipo nufactured línea, tamaño, coloration, lugar donde lo lo vas a hacer (sobre todo por new york dósis delaware dolor que significa), etc. Ymca aunque es una elecciódeborah muy individual, aquí te dejamos algunas suggestions environnant les tatuajes pequeñoperating-system que ademáazines nufactured ser muy a… #dibujos de tatuajes blanco y negro leon

 Best Dragon Back Tattoo Designs – Best Back Tattoos For Men: Cool Back Tattoo Designs For Guys – Men’s Upper, Lower, Full Back Tattoo Ideas #tattoos #tattoosforguys #tattoosformen #tattooideas #tattoodesigns тату дракон

 See more ideas about Celebrity style, Style and Style inspiration

 Outfit inspiration straight from the stars. Whose style do you love? Pin your favorite celebrities to give more detailed style inspiration to your Stylist. The more you share, the better your Fixes can be!

https://dopetattoo.com/2022/08/13/top-dragon-tattoos-designs-ideas-2020-guide/

[pequenostatuajes]

Por Zaya, hecho en Brighton. http://ttoo.co/p/278796

[exitsposts]

[tatuajesdefamosos]

Cara Delevingne | Por Bang Bang · Keith McCurdy, hecho en Bang Bang, Manhattan. http://ttoo.co/p/28315

[tokyo-tattooartist]

Simple lettering for girl . . #タトゥースタジオ　#タトゥー渋谷　#原宿　#タトゥー女子 #tokyolufe #japanlife #tokyotattoo #japan #tattoojapan #letteringtattoo #レタリングタトゥー　#かわいい #おしゃれ　#ストリート系女子 #breath #東京タトゥー #tatuaje #tokio #tatouage https://www.instagram.com/p/CBj9CgCj0Pj/?igshid=vfl15x2i4zqs

[soymattx]

I wouldn't hold my breath if i was you. Cos I'll forget but I'll never forgive you.

[las-microfisuras]

MI ESPOSO ANTES DE LA OCUPACIÓN

Él tropezaba entre su miedo y su fuego

Yo era esclava pero su señora, su dama

Su nombre, un tatuaje de mi dolor

Su pasado, un crematorio para mi poesía

Érase una vez, mi esposo...

***

MI ESPOSO DESPUÉS DE LA OCUPACIÓN

Le dije a mi esposo:

Sé como un hermano para mí

No mojes nuestro lecho matrimonial ni con una sola gota de felicidad

Los muyahidines, ahora en nuestra casa

Percibirían el perfume del amor, nuestro sudor

Decapitarían a cualquiera

Que tuviese al mismo tiempo amor y aliento.

________________

Amal Al-Jubouri

en "Hagar Before the Occupation, Hagar After the Occupation", Alice James Books, Farmington, Maine, 2011. Trad. del árabe al inglés, Rebecca Gayle Howell y Husam Qaisi. Versión del inglés al castellano, Jonio González.

________________

MY HUSBAND BEFORE THE OCCUPATION

He stumbled between his fear and his fire

I was slave but his mistress, lady

His name, a tattoo of my pain

His past, a crematorium for my poetry

Once upon a time, my husband—

***

MY HUSBAND AFTER THE OCCUPATION

I said to my husband—

Be like a brother to me

Let’s not wet our marriage bed with even one drop of happiness

The Mujahideen, now in our house

would smell love’s musk, our sweat

They’d behead anyone

who had both love and breath

(Del muro de Jonio González en fb)

[gptobacco]

Tatuaje Halloween Cigars

Cigar Aficionado's critics took note of Tatuaje and the Garcias, grading their cigars positively on multiple occasions. Johnson categorizes his cigars as "seekers," or cigar enthusiasts looking for a certain taste profile and experience. The most evident advantage of smoking cigars is the soothing effect. Cigarettes include tobacco, which contains nicotine, a stimulant that may potentially be depression. Nicotine is taken into circulation when smoke is breathed, causing an increase in adrenaline. Click Here:- Tatuaje Halloween Cigars

[marissalearnslanguages]

Vocab from Cruzando Los Límites

un desguace - a junkyard un cuerno - a horn cretino - cretin (a stupid person) destilando chulería - distilling cockiness/insolence ronronear - to purr baboso - slimy la gravilla = the gravel madrugar - to get up early babear - to drool entregar - to deliver gilipollas - douchebags

estropear - maltratar a alguien; maltratar, deteriorar o afear algo enroscar - poner algo en forma de rosca; reprochar / to screw enfado - anger parpadear - to blink una bronca - a quarrel calzador - a shoehorn veintiún - veintiuno, 21 un coscorrón - a crunch la pantalla - the screen cacerola - pan enfadar - to anger la balanza - the balance alucinante - amazing, awesome el tatuaje - the tattoo tatuar - to tattoo mosqueado - pissed off amedrentar - to intimidate una sonrisa socarrona - a sly smile anudar - to knot coquetear - to flirt la melena oscura - the dark mane la fulana - the whore la paliza - the beating zafarse - to break free borracha - drunk acariciar - to caress el ombligo - the belly button la ceja - the eyebrow resaca - hangover avellana - hazelnut cachondo - horny el respingo - the jump, the start arrepentimiento - remorse, regret, repentance insoportable - unbearable salpicar - to splash rozar - to touch esnob - snob anochecer - to become night agudo - acute sostener - to hold aclaraciones - clarifications puñetazos - punchings pañuelos - scarves enturbiar - hacer o poner turbio algo; clouding la zancada - the stride coña - joke el bofetón - the slap anhelar - to long for, to yearn for estallido de furia - outburst of fury follar - to fuck hondo - deep pavor - dread atizar - to stir maullido - meow asquerosa - disgusting la bofetada - the slap marear - to be dizzy una nube de vaho - a cloud of mist el canalla - the scoundrel el ronroneo - the purring indescifrable - indecipherable ardor - burning fundir - to melt el latigazo - the lash irascible - irascible, irritable, short-tempered la sarta - the string resoplar - to pant averiguar - to find out los peldaños del porche - the porch steps aclarar - to clear out atar - tie trueno - thunder magullado - bruised desequilibrado - unbalanced centellear - to sparkle enredar - to tangle acantilado - cliff, steep la portezuela - the door esbozar - to sketch out infarto - heart attack itinerario - itinerary, route; timetable lograr - to achieve

te mantendrás alejado de los problemas y las drogas. ¿De acuerdo? you will stay away from problems and drugs. Agree?

Estrelló un puño contra el volante. He slammed his fist against the wheel.

¿Qué pasa, que esos ricachones no respetan ni el luto? What is it, that those rich people don't even respect mourning?

—Buen apretón —señaló el juez—, fuerte y seguro. Eso dice mucho de un hombre. "Good grip," the judge pointed out. "Strong and confident. That says a lot about a man."

—Eh, Brian, Terry y las chicas quieren ir a los billares, ¿os apuntáis? "Hey, Brian, Terry and the girls want to go to the billiards, you wanna sign up?"

Se giró hacia Mick con un rictus de enojo. He turned to Mick with a fit of anger.

—¡Yo no babeo! "I don't drool!"

¡Venga, admítelo, en el instituto estabas coladita por él! Come on, admit it, in high school you were crushing on him!

Él arqueó las cejas, sorprendido por el esmero que ponía en algo tan insignificante. He raised his eyebrows, surprised by the care she put into something so insignificant.

Los engranajes de su cabeza comenzaron a funcionar. The gears in his head starte working.

Cassie dejó sobre la encimera de la cocina una enorme tarrina de helado de frambuesa. Cassie placed a huge tub of raspberry ice cream on the kitchen counter.

...se recostó en la silla y se quitó las gafas para frotarse los ojos. ...leaned back in the chair and removed his glasses to rub his eyes.

Caleb negó con un gesto y cazó al vuelo un clavo que se le escapó de la mano. Caleb shook his head and snatched up a nail that slipped out of his hand.

Caleb sacudió la cabeza y salpicó el aire de gotitas de agua. Caleb shook his head and splashed the air with droplets of water.

Savannah asintió y soltó una risita. Savannah nodded and giggled.

—Sí, tú habías puesto mermelada en los borradores de la pizarra... "Yes, you had put jam on the drafts of the board..."

—Esa boquita sucia me excita "That dirty mouth turns me on."

Ella posó la mano sobre el tatuaje de su clavícula, acariciando el símbolo que unía su familia a su corazón. She placed her hand on the tattoo on his collarbone, caressing the symbol that linked his family to his heart.

Le mordisqueó el cuello y después la oreja, mientras una mano juguetona se colaba bajo el vestido y le apretaba el muslo—. He nibbled at her neck, then at her ear, as a playful hand slipped under her dress and squeezed her thigh.

Savannah se derritió entre sus brazos. Savannah melted into his arms.

...esbozando una sonrisa malvada. ...outlining an evil smile.

—bromeó Savannah con cara de susto. Savannag teased with a shocked face.

—Vas a provocarme un infarto "You're going to give me a heart attack."

Te he elegido a ti. I have chosen you.

Las arrugas de su rostro se movían al ritmo de los sonidos y las voces que surgían de la grabación. The wrinkles on her face moved to the rhythm of the sounds and voices that emerged from the recording.

Savannah inspiró hondo y sus ojos se humedecieron. Savannah took a deep breath and her eyes moistened.

[tatuajespequenos]

Por Amaia Arriaga, hecho en Donostia - San Sebastián. http://ttoo.co/p/284859

[pequenostatuajes]

Por Ekaterina Heart Poke, hecho en Londres. http://ttoo.co/p/284125

[sheis-danielle]

Get to know my character: Danielle Dolohov Greengrass.

¿Cuál es el color y número favorito de tu personaje?

Su color favorito sin duda alguna es el negro. No hay día en que no porte alguna prenda con ese color, sin embargo el verde distintivo de la casa de Slytherin también abunda en sus ropas. 

Evita cualquier tipo de tonalidadades innecesariamente llamativas: rosa, rojo, amarillo, naranja, a excepción del azul, el cual utiliza para resaltar el color de sus ojos. 

Su numero favorito es el 3 y no tiene una razón en especifico, sin embargo este dígito aparece continuamente en su vida para marcarla de una buena o mala manera. También es el numero que ocupa en la alineación de su equipo de Quidditch y el cual adorna su jersey.

¿Cuál es su música y actividad favorita? (muggle/mágica)

Entre sus gustos musicales destaca el rock clasico y pop, siendo gran fan de las Brujas de Macbeth y Spellbound, así como de bandas del mundo muggle que conoció gracias a Albus o su tío Charlie: The Beattles, Queen, KISS, Coldplay, The Backstreet Boys y Twenty One Pilots.

El Quidditch es su actividad favorita en el mundo, aprendió a volar en escoba a los cuatro años gracias a su padre y para los cinco conocía cada jugada. Desde entonces no hay quien le saque de la cabeza que es el mejor deporte y también su vocación. 

También gusta de pasar horas con la nariz metida en un buen libro, ya sea de literatura o para su estudio, pues disfruta de empaparse con nuevos hechizos o historias de la magia..

Algo que admiran en otros y algo que detesta:

Danielle siempre ha tenido cierta envidia y admiración hacia las personas extrovertidas, agradecidas, entusiastas, pacientes y sensatas, pues son cualidades que ella misma ha notado faltan en su persona y las cuales secretamente le gustaría poseer. 

Odia las injusticias, la deslealtad, cobardía, presunción, flaqueza e ignorancia.

¿Tu personaje utiliza tecnología muggle? (celular/reproductores/redes sociales, etc...)

Tiene un teléfono celular cargado de su musica favorita, regalo de su tio Charlie en su cumpleaños numero trece, el cual no utiliza con mucha frecuencia pero si con dificultad a pesar de las lecciones de su tío. La rubia parece estar peleada con la tecnología y prefiere mantenerse alejada de esos extraños objetos muggles que probablemente podrían explotarle en la mano. 

¿Tu personaje disfruta el cine o la literatura muggle?

Danielle nunca ha ido al cine, pero si tenido un par de lecturas muggles que comenzaron por error al tomar un libro del escritorio de su pequeño hermano Sergey, y las cuales se volvieron más continuas al descubrir lo interesante y a veces bobas que podían ser estas. 

Después de hurtar las primeras veces, termino siendo descubierta por el chico y desde entonces le pide prestado uno que otro o acude a la biblioteca muggle más cercana. 

Sus lecturas favoritas suelen ser comics o del genero misterio y policíaco. 

Bebida y comida favorita:

Aunque no lo parezca, Danielle es muy glotona y puede comer inclusive más que sus dos hermanos juntos sin sobrepasar su peso, lo cual llega a ser bastante asombroso. 

Su debilidad son las gomitas o caramelos agridulces, simplemente no puede resistirse a la extraña sensación que causan en sus papilas gustativas cuando estas se disuelven. 

Su platillo favorito siempre y que parecerá un poco extraño debido a su procedencia: hamburguesa y papás fritas, aunque las alitas a la barbecue no se quedan atrás. Además de una soda para acompañar. 

No le gusta el chocolate a menos que sea blanco o para beber en un día de invierno. Tampoco es fanática de las cerezas o las nueces.

Prefiere mil veces un café antes que el té o una cerveza de mantequilla: negro, frio, latte, cualquiera esta bien para ella, pero sin cafeína en su sistema no puede vivir. También le gustan los batidos; especialmente el de crema irlandesa. 

Sus bebidas alcohólicas favoritas, firewhisky y vodka.

Tres datos interesantes de él/ella:

Con ayuda de Scorpius logró crear un hechizo sin limite de duración, capaz de ocultar la marca tenebrosa de cualquier encantamiento revelador conocido, pues a pesar de buscar deshacerse de ella de todas las formas posibles, inclusive incinerándola, permaneció intacta. Ahora es casi como si no estuviera más, aunque algunas veces Danielle puede llegar a sentir un suave, casi imperceptible escozor en ella como un mal presagio.

Su boggart puede resultar una completa calamidad, el hecho de que su temor más grande se transforme constantemente en dos escenas completamente diferentes entre ellas, pues así como haber presenciado el asesinato de su padre a temprana edad le dejo marcada con el temor de perder al resto de su familia y seres queridos, existe uno más que ni la propia Danielle puede explicarse aún pero que se presenta de vez en cuando: y es ella misma con las manos y cuerpo manchados en sangre.

Su armotentia posee un ligero aroma a cigarrillo, tierra mojada, cedro y regaliz.

¿Tu personaje prefiere ser llamado por algún pronombre en especial?

Los diminutivos: Dan, Danie y Blondie -contribución de Albus Potter-, solo son permitidos a familiares y amigos. 

¿Cómo describirías la habitación de tu personaje?

Por más extraño que parezca, su habitación se encuentra al fondo del pasillo izquierdo en el segundo piso, subiendo las pequeñas escaleras en el ático. El lugar puede parecer desordenado, sin embargo esto es debido a la rustica decoración. 

La decisión de ocupar este lugar y convertirlo en su guarida personal se debió a todo el tiempo que solía pasar en él cuando su familia se mudo. Como no era un lugar demasiado espacioso, Vladimir se encargó de lanzar un encantamiento de extensión. 

La mayor parte del ático mantiene la misma estructura: madera de caoba, a excepción de aquella pared donde la cama de base baja resalta por las verdes sabanas, y la cual se decorada con textura de ladrillo, fotografías familiaresde tamaños desiguales, una línea de luces tenues, banderillas alusivas a Slytherin y una enredadera potus por el contorno de la blanca cabecera. 

Del lado opuesto, una ventana grande, triangular y blanca con alfeizar permite la entrada de luz natural. Increíble para apreciar la luna por las noches y que parece ser el sitio favorito de su gato Purr para dormir la siesta. 

Del lado derecho un closet amplio de dolor beige con espejo integrado. En el izquierdo, junto a la puerta un librero y una mesa de estudio con mil cosas encima, incluido un foco de estudió en forma de serpiente. 

De las vigas del techo, cuelgan fotografías ella misma ha colocado; su padre, su madre, sus hermanos y amigos están ahí. Y son recuerdos que causan nostalgia en Danielle. 

Clases favoritas/ clases más odiadas:

Su clase favorita es Defensa Contra las Artes Oscuras y Estudio de Runas Antiguas en las cuales destaca notablemente. También es muy buena en Encantamientos, le emocionan más que nada las semanas de duelo.

Realmente no existe una materia que odie, pero suele tener problemas en Historia de la Magia y no a causa de falta de conocimiento, sino porque más de una vez se ha quedado dormida en clase, y descubierta por el profesor castigada durante la semana o enviada a dirección. 

¿Estudio en una escuela muggle antes de Hogwarts? ¿Planea estudiar en una después de?

Al provenir de una elitista familia como lo son los Dolohov, con ideas tan arraigadas como la pureza de sangre, Anthonin nunca permitió que sus hijos se involucrara en asuntos tan muggles como escuelas mientras vivía a pesar de la insistencia de Daphne y cuando este falleció, ninguno de los involucrados hizo por cambiarlo. 

Si bien el mundo muggle le parece bastante interesante y quizás un sitio para escapar, nunca ha pensado en mudarse a este pues no se cree capaz de sobrevivir más de una semana sin magia.

Extras:

Fue testigo del asesinato de su padre a manos de un sujeto encapuchado con tan solo cinco años de edad, siendo este uno de los principales detonantes para su actual personalidad. Su principal sospechoso, su padrastro: Vladimir Schatten. 

Adquirió su primer tatuaje a los trece años de edad con tinta blanca en el bíceps derecho, un pequeño pero significativo texto “Breathe Deep”.  Y un segundo poco después y que parece ser su favorito en la muñeca izquierda, justo bajo la invisible marca, el cual reza “Silence” por obvias razones. 

Tuvo un tipo de enamoramiento por todo un año con su mejor amigo Albus al encontrarlo extrañamente lindo, el cual se negó a admitir y es uno de los muchos secretos que guarda. Aparto cualquier sentimiento de atracción al enterarse que Scorpius estaba enamorado de él. 

Tiene un cofre con cartas hechas a su hermano menor Sergey que nunca le ha entregado. En el fondo hay algo que le impide odiar al pequeño y sabe que lo protegería tanto como a Liam, pero aun después de años no sabe como acercarse a él.

 Es catalogada como una chica varonil debido a su forma de vestir y actuar, incluso hay quien duda de su sexualidad puesto que nunca se le ha visto relacionada sentimentalmente, no obstante existe el dueño de un primer beso: Cameron Zabini, compañero de casa y amigo. Estaban ebrios -aunque no lo suficiente para olvidar- y bajo un muérdago cuando sucedió. Nadie lo sabe o han vuelto a hablar del tema y están bien con eso.

Bebe y fuma desde los catorce, este ultimo siendo el que realice con mayor frecuencia debido a que disminuye su estrés y ansiedad. A pesar de poseer este vicio, detesta que las personas fumen, ella lo hacía a escondidas hasta hace poco, cuando fue descubierta por Sergey y ahora realmente no le importa que el chico este alrededor mientras lo hace. 

Tiene un gato persa de color amarillo llamado Purr regalo de su madre en su décimo cumpleaños y una lechuza negra de nombre Khalessi, la cual perteneció a su padre. 

Se inició como cazadora del equipo de Quidditch de Slytherin en su tercer año, ahora juega como golpeadora. Su sueño es llegar a ser una profesional, pues no se ve en ningún otro sitio que no sea montada en su escoba siendo ovacionada por el publico al salir de Hogwarts.

Durante los últimos meses se le ha visto muy cercana a su compañero de casa Brandon Krum. Aunque ella no lo admita ha comenzado a tener sentimientos hacia el hijo de su ídolo Viktor Krum.  

Tiene descendencia irlandesa por parte de madre y a lo largo de sus visitas a los abuelos aprendió vagamente el idioma. Suele utilizarlo para maldecir.