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casspurrjoybell-17 · 2 years

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HEART'S DESIRE - CHAPTER 30

*Warning: Adult Content*

"You okay, Kit?" Montreal Hunter asks, setting a gentle hand on his back.

Kit Montaine looks around, drinking in the scene that surrounds them but it is not fear that makes him shiver.

It is wonder.

They are gathered in a small clearing at the edge of the woods, beneath the spreading boughs of a solitary tree.

With the moon in hiding, only the shimmer of summer stars softens the blackness of the sky and many lanterns and candles keep the dark at bay.

The lanterns are little globes of colored paper and hang from the branches of the tree.

Dane’s Mate, Julian Hart has worked some Fae magic, too and tiny firefly sparkles light the air, while the songs of crickets in the meadows and frogs in a nearby streams lend a quiet, wild music to the night.

Beneath the tree, four long tables are arranged in a square, laden with a feast that awaits the alphas' return.

Hot dishes rest in heated pans, while ice keeps chilled things cold and fresh.

Everyone contributed something, even Monty and Kit had made a peach cobbler that Monty said his grand-mama taught him to make.

Besides that, there's Sasha's crispy fried chicken ‘and tofu for Monty’ and buttermilk biscuits from Monty's mother, corn on the cob and fresh fruit salad from Martin's family, spicy gumbo from Freya and something called 'beignets' which were like square doughnuts topped with powdered sugar, from the mysterious Darius L'Amour.

There was grilled salmon and rice from Noah and his Dragon/Mate, Ambrose Thorne and a watercress salad that Julian made.

At least it's not waffles, he had said. Even Kit’s cousin Ophelia is here, with her baby, Kitka and her human/husband, Ed.

They'd brought a coleslaw and kebabs with fresh garden vegetables and aromatic sausages.

In all, the combined scents makes Kit’s stomach ache with hunger, while the peaceful gathering itself has him in awe.

"Yes, I am well," Kit says, answering Monty's question at last.

"It is only that I have never seen an Ascendance ceremony before."

"How do the Mortaines transfer power, then?" he asks.

Ophelia, who shares a blanket with Kit on the sweet dry grass, laughs at that.

"They don't. Obadiah challenged his own uncle as soon as he came of age. Kit and I weren't born yet but people still talk about it."

Kit nods.

"They say the battle lasted all night and only ended when my uncle tore out his uncle's throat and drank his blood, just as the sun rose, all red in the eastern sky. He's ruled unchallenged ever since."

Monty shudders.

"Lords. I still can't believe mom and dad wanted to join the Packs. If Dane hadn't met Julian when he did..."

"We didn't know," Astrid Hunter says, making Monty jump as she appears at his back, apparently having overheard.

She settles on the blanket, sitting cross-legged, and smiles at them.

"The Mortaines keep their secrets well and the face they show the world isn't the face they show at home. At least, that was the case until recently. When we matched Dane with Selene, we knew the Mortaines were fierce and proud but we did not suspect that they were also vicious and cruel. If we had, we would not have agreed to the arrangement, peace or no peace."

Ophelia snorts.

"No wonder you got trouble now. Selene's a spiteful bitch, if there's something she wants that she can't have, she makes sure nobody else can have it, either."

Astrid nods.

"Have you thought about staying? No one would blame you if you pulled up stakes and took your family as far from here as you could. Joseph's got family in Georgia and Dane's got his territory out West. I'm sure you'd be welcomed, either way."

"That's kind of you," Ophelia says,

"But Ed and I have talked it over and we agree that running isn't the answer, this time. We could be Outcasts all our lives, running from place to place, always lookin' over our shoulders for Mortaines. For Kitka's sake, we'd rather put our trust in your strength and take our chances on a better life, here."

She glances at her little girl, where she plays with Luna and Luca nearby.

When she'd set the baby down with the twins, Julian had gone stiff and watched anxiously, worried that Luna and Luca might be too rough with her, or not want to share their toys, or might not accept Kitka at all.

Instead, they had welcomed her readily and been surprisingly gentle with the little half-wolf girl.

Luna had even given her the stuffed fox to hold, pressing it into her arms with an exclamation of ‘fuks!’

“You're right, too," Ophie continues.

"About my former Pack, that is. They're good at hiding things. Just look at poor Kit, outside the family, no one even knew he existed. And nobody dreams of choosing their own Mate, it's all about power and the 'strength and purity of the line.' Not like here, where you actually love and care about each other."

Kit shifts uncomfortably and looks towards where Monty’s brother, Martin sits a few yards away with his four children and his mate, Elena.

Kit knows Monty’s worried about Martin and he doesn't blame him.

Martin’s family isn't like Monty’s but people don't see what they don't want to see and it's easy to turn a blind eye when others don't want to be seen.

"Actually, Mom, there's something I'd like to talk to you about," Monty says.

"Of course." She looks at him expectantly but he shakes his head.

"Maybe later, alone?"

She nods and the talk turns to other things.

Some minutes later, the musical howls of two wolves rise from the darkness, signaling the alphas' return.

They enter the clearing together Dane a towering figure beside his father's more slender form. Whatever secrets passed from father to son, the exchange of power is complete and Dane radiates strength.

His family cheer and congratulate him and he receives their praise with quiet humility.

Kit can't quite bring himself to join in with equal enthusiasm, though.

The Hunter family see hope in his strength and power and Kit does, too but he also know that what Ferrault will see is a worthy Challenger.

~ ☾ ~

Kit’s misgivings are soon forgotten amid the festivities and feasting.

He has never seen such an array of delicious foods, much less been invited to partake of it.

Monty encourages him to try everything and before long he is too full to take another bite.

Sleepy and contented, he leans against Monty where he sits with his siblings, on benches around a little fire and listens to them talk.

They speak of memories from their childhoods, shared adventures, silly mishaps and innocent dreams.

It makes Kit a little sad, not to have known any of those things but he’s happy, too, that Monty did and that now he is sharing them with him.

"Kit?"

Monty nudges Kit and he realizes someone has asked him a question.

"Sorry?"

"I just wondered if you'd tried any of the books I brought for you," Noah says, smiling. "I hope they're not too difficult. I can help you if you have any questions."

Noah had given Kit a fresh stack when he arrived, a mix of Wolf history and legend, some charming children's tales and a big heavy one of various mythologies.

"Oh! Yes, I've read them and I enjoyed them very much," Kit says, returning Noah’s smile with gratitude.

"Which ones?" Noah asks, blinking from behind his gold spectacles.

He is smaller than Martin and prettier, in a way.

"Well, a-all of them."

Noah narrows his eyes at Kit.

"And you understood them?"

"I... I think so."

"He's a fast learner," Monty says.

"I couldn't have read all those books in the time since we arrived and I've been reading since I was three," Noah replies and to Kit, he says...

"Okay, who was Aruna and why did the Wolves of the north revere her?"

Nervous sweat prickles Kit’s skin at the unexpected question but fortunately, he had just read that story the night before, so it was fresh in his memory.

“Sh-she was a huntress who f-fell in love with the Wolf-God," he recites hastily. "He t-took her as his Mate and their child was the first whose nature was both Wolf and human."

Noah nods, his eyes widening with astonishment.

"That's correct."

"What does that prove?" Noah's mate, Ambrose asks, firelight reflecting from his dark eyes and long, red-brown hair.

"He might've heard that story anywhere."

"No," Noah shakes his head.

"I borrowed that book from the shop. It's probably the only copy and it's not the sort of story the Mortaines would tell. Gods mixing with humans, Wolves mixing with all kinds of things, not exactly the pure-breed narrative."

"There is even one tale where a Wolf falls in love with a rabbit," Kit says, eyes wide. "I was afraid to read it, at first because I feared it would be a tragedy but it is actually quite humorous."

Noah draws a breath and pushes his glasses up his nose.

"I believe you, Kit," he says firmly.

"I only wanted to be sure. I've been doing some research of my own, actually and I think your fast learning is a kitsune ability. In some of the legends, foxes don't begin to absorb knowledge until they're one-hundred years old, but that's likely an exaggeration. My theory is that this is the reason you were never taught to read or allowed to go to school, I think your ability to soak up learning like that is the key to unlocking your true potential. Your family didn't want that to happen yet because if it did, they probably wouldn't have been able to control you any more."

Kit stares at Noah, ready to tell him he doesn't have any potential to unlock but Ambrose, winks one ember-bright eye at him.

"I was kept in a similar way, once," he says.

"If I'd somehow managed to understand and embrace my inner fire... Well, my family would have been reduced to ashes long ago. But then I do not know if I'd have met my lovely little wolf and I would not trade him for the world."

Noah blushes a bright coppery-red and elbows his mate in the ribs.

Ambrose merely grins, shows slightly long, sharp teeth and Kit wonders at the two of them, Noah is so gentle and quiet, while his mate seems as volatile and dangerous as fire.

They make an odd pair but they seem to balance each other, just as Kit hopes that he and his Mate shall too.

"Do you have any more?" Kit asks, looking at Noah.

"Books, I mean?"

Noah laughs.

"No. I didn't expect you to go through them quite so fast. But I can get more, if you'd like."

Kit nods and leans against Monty's side.

"Yes, please. I would."

If Kit does has some hidden potential, some secret power to unlock, he wants to discover it, so that he can protect my Mate and his family, as they have protected him.

First, though, he needs to make Monty his...

~ ☾ ~

Later, after the celebrations have ended and the feast has been cleared away and all the little lanterns and candles are extinguished, Monty and Kit retreated to their tent.

They have a choice of two narrow beds or a single, wide one and since Monty had been busy at the time and had left the decision to Kit who chose the wide one.

In his whole life, he had never felt so safe or so comfortable anywhere as he did in Monty’s arms and he would rather have slept with him on the bare ground than alone in the most luxurious bed.

He knew Monty did not trust him and his feelings for him, books were not the only source of learning.

Kit had observed him and his family and those around him and the more he observed, the more he began to understand.

If he were more human, he would surely have been broken by his sufferings, surely, as Monty said, he would not wish to be touched or held by anyone.

But he had been raised like an animal and treated like an animal and so, to some degree, he had thought and experienced things like an animal, too.

There was 'good' and 'bad' 'pleasant' and 'painful' hungry and not-hungry want and fulfillment.

Simple feelings for a simple soul.

Kit had lived in a box with blank walls, knowing only what had been told to him and not daring to seek more.

Now, it was as if the bottom had dropped out, the sky expanded to the distance of the stars and he had only begun to realize the freedom he had.

It was true, he had been starved of affection and love and now he thirsted for a gentle touch and a kind word but not from anyone.

Monty was wrong to think Kit trusted him, that he loved him, only because he was the first person he had met who treated him like something worth caring for.

Kit trusted and loved Monty because he was someone worth caring for.

Now, Kit just had to convince him of that.

Kit had already used the shower and changed into his sleeping clothes and now Monty returns from washing and strips out of his own garments, facing away.

A single lantern hangs from the top rafter of their wood-framed tent and shadows are sharpened by its slanting light.

Monty's shirt lifts, revealing his muscled back and broad shoulders, fluid strength beneath earth-toned skin.

He casts it aside and sheds his pants and Kit’s breath catches at the sight of him.

He has seen plenty of naked men, most of them have frightened him.

Now though, a seed of want awakens in his core, like a sprout pushing first leaves towards the warm sun's light.

Kit looks away as Monty dons his night clothes and his pulse quickens as he comes to lie at his side, at his nearness, at his scent and Kit finds himself hungry once again, though food is not what he desires.

Now Kit wants Monty, all of him, as his own.

As his own heart's desire.

"Hey Kit," he says, smiling as he lies on his side, facing him.

"You have a good time tonight?"

"Yes." Kit nods, shifting a little nearer to his heat.

"That little Kitka's something else, huh? Looks so innocent with her big blue eyes and blonde curls and before you know it, she got Luna and Luca eating out of her hand. Two little alphas and a half-wolf and—"

"Monty," Kit interrupts, moving a little closer and sliding his hands over Monty’s shoulders.

"I love you."

Monty’s breath catches in surprise and his dark eyes go wide.

"Kit..."

"You love me, too, don't you?" Kit asks.

"I..."

Monty shuts his eyes and takes a breath.

"Yes. I love you, Kit."

Sitting up, Kit straddle him, lying atop his chest to kiss his mouth but Monty pushes him away.

"Wait."

"Why?"

Monty lays a muscled arm across his eyes and shakes his head and to Kit’s distress he see tears slide down the sides of his face.

"I can't, Kit."

"Why?" Kit asks again.

"I want you and I love you, you love and want me. We're mates. Why can't we?"

"Because I'm not ready," he whispers.

"I'm sorry, Kitty. You gotta understand. I... You'd be my first but... not the first to break my heart, if I'm wrong."

Stung, Kit moves off him and lies at Monty’s side again, facing away this time.

"Tell me," Kit whispers.

"I've told you everything. So tell me, Monty, why are you afraid? That's what Mates do, right? We're there for each other, no matter what."

Monty is silent so long, Kit thinks he must have fallen asleep.

Then he speaks, his voice is rough and raw with a mix of emotions Kit can't begin to understand.

"Alright," he says.

"But this gonna take a while and I won't blame you if you change your mind, after you heard it all."

Kit rolls over to face him again and leans close to briefly press his lips to his.

"No. I'm here to stay. I'm yours and you're mine. Like your mom and dad said, all I want is more time with you."

He bites his bottom lip and takes a deep, ragged breath.

"And I won't hold you to that, Kit," he says, with a soft sadness in his eyes.

"We only met a few weeks ago and you... You don't know me, yet. You don't know everything. Once you do, I won't blame you if you change your mind, okay? I won't blame you one bit. I'll still love you, though, no matter what. I'll love you anyways."

Kit shuts his eyes as Monty kisses his brow.

He expect nothing less, from his heart's Mate.’

"I belong to you, Monty," Kit reminds him.

"You can tell me anything."

And so then, Monty tells Kit everything.

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hellycatto · 4 months

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wisdom teeth recovery journey | d1-4

I got my wisdom teeth out this Friday - it was a pretty scary experience but it had to be done!

When I was in the process of applying to medical school, so many people asked me why I wouldn’t consider dentistry instead. My honest answer? Teeth make me so uncomfortable! Looking at the Xray of my OWN teeth with all the roots made me feel uneasy.

My teeth were completely impacted and at a 90 degree angle. The dentist also said that there was a gap between the wisdom teeth and my other teeth, meaning that it was imperative to get them out ASAP. I got them all out at once, it took almost 3 hours for the entire process, and this was done under LA.

The surgery wasn’t too scary. The only painful bit was the anaesthesia injections. Afterwards, I couldn’t feel much other than the pressure and I could hear the constantly drilling of my teeth! Once everything was done, I got 2 pieces of gauze of bite on, a pack of painkillers and antibiotics to munch on.

day 1

The first thing I did was go to the supermarket to buy some jelly! My mouth was so numb that I couldn’t feel anything and couldn’t manage to swallow - blood was dripping from my lips onto my favourite shirt.

When I reached home, I started a fever, and so I propped myself up at a 45 degree angle (as recommended by the internet to reduce swelling), and went to bed for the rest of the day. It was really painful to move my mouth to speak or swallow initially, but I finally choked down some water for my painkillers and antibiotics. My mom bought me lots of soy milk and blackcurrant juice, and I survived off that for the day.

day 2

Still really swollen and sore - I felt like a Lego figurine with a square head! I spent most of the day dozing off and recovering, but also managed to choke down some rice congee and Japanese grape flavoured jellies. At this point, I hadn’t brushed my teeth for 2 days and my mouth tasted absolutely terrible. I was also told not to rinse my mouth, so I could just taste so much blood and I hated it.

day 3

This is when things started looking up! I managed to challenge myself with more food - I was absolutely starved for proper food at this point. My dentist recommended 2 weeks of a soft diet, but I really needed food. For breakfast, I had lots of almond milk and chocolate milk, and ripped some soft bread rolls into bite sized pieces. For lunch, my family headed to a Chinese restaurant and the food was amazing! I had some seafood broth with white rice, a little bit of tofu and some duck by chopping everything up into manageable bits and chomping with my front teeth. For dinner, I had pumpkin soup with a bread roll. Unfortunately, I had a pounding headache and my stomach was hurting so much from my improper eating and sleeping schedule in the last few days, so I took some painkillers and retired to bed really early. It was a tough night!

day 4

The first thing my mom said to me this morning was: you can speak! The soreness and swelling has gone down, and I’m feeling braver about trying new foods. For breakfast, my mom headed to a brunch place where I ordered some soup and had an iced tea. The iced tea was so good, I had it with almond milk & lots of caramelised sugar. I also had a vegan banana bread that I devoured.

I don’t know if it’s because of my teeth, but I get so tired so easily! After our brunch adventure, I went home to rest for a little bit, and had some chocolate almond milk & soft chocolate bread for lunch. For dinner, I felt really really brave! I made some frozen fried food in the air fryer and I could feel my stitches at the back of my mouth. I also finally dared to brush my teeth yesterday and today, just extremely gingerly. I also rinsed my mouth. I’ve been told you can’t spit out anything, so I just let the water drip out of my mouth in an unsightly fashion.

overall

The one very good thing about getting all your wisdom teeth out at a time is that you’ll never have to do it again, ever! Although with my luck, it’s entirely possible that new teeth are already growing in.

Just kidding! But I’m glad that I got this done and it wasn’t too torturous an experience. Just be prepared to give yourself lots of slack and rest, and to give up your favourite foods for a couple of days.

Some lifesavers was having an abundance of milk and sweet drinks by my side, and lots of pillows to prop yourself up in bed.

how did your wisdom teeth removal journey go? if you haven’t done it, what are some questions you have? and if you don’t have wisdom teeth, how does it feel like to be part of a favoured group?

That’s all from me, and all the best to everyone!

Love, Hellycatto <3

#wisdom teeth #medicine #dentistry #recovery #plastic surgery #storytime

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iloveallmyexes · 2 years

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ok this is gonna be a lot bc a lot happened this week tw: calorie counting, sexual language

ok so lets start with the positives! i had a rly good week restricting aka fasting and going to the gym. i started taking a new anxiety medication on top of my other two prescriptions but ive already noticed that im not as nervous in public, which is amazing! i went to the beach yesterday which was really fun! i also got 3 of the small squishmallows! i got a stone buddha, a lightbulb, and a hamsa! they r so cute!

ok now for the times i stressed over food this week. i hung out w a friend and we were talking and bonding over our issues w binging. the only difference is i dont really think she has issues restricting. im not invalidating her struggles with food though. i only mention this bc we both were hungry as fuck bc we were talking abt food and then she suggests we get krispy kreme….…… so im like…… haha ok…. and so we both look at the menu. shes looking at it to see which one looks yummiest to her and im fucking frantically opening and closing tabs looking at nutrition facts of every item on the menu with my screen brightness low as fuck so she cant see. and then she says “should i get one donut or two” and a lightbulb turned on in my head! i said “ill get one of the donuts u want and give u half” she said “no u should eat a whole donut bc u deserve to eat a whole donut” i was so faded i shouldnt have said that bc it probably made her feel bad. but like???? how am i going to justify all those calories to myself? one donut is more than my average daily caloric intake. i decided to get donut holes since theyre 45 cal each and i was just going to eat one or two and order an iced black coffee ofc but there was a rly long line so we ended up going to carls jr bc we both hadnt had dinner (or breakfast or lunch muahaha) and we were gonna go to in n out and i was going to get a veggie burger w no spread, add chopped chilis BUT my friend has never had carls jr and there was one across the street and idk we ended up going and ugh im still upset over this shit. i ate a whole burger and a small fry. i thought i was going to throw up on the spot. anyways i went home and went on a full binge. and by that i mean, i had a candy bar, a chicken wing, and a diet coke. idk it was just all junk food i rly felt gross but eating the hamburger made me remember how good food can taste and being full makes me feel complete but also that was my first time being high in a while so realistically i just had the munchies. anyways. the next day was fine. i got poke for lunch i wanted to fast bc of how bad my binge was but i was out w my family. it had spring mix, radish, cucumber, spicy tuna, shrimp, seaweed salad, and wasabi and i gave half to my mom. i was busy yesterday so i didnt track my calories for lunch and honestly im so stressed abt that shit im gonna do that right after i post this. ok and then my friends and i went to a pho place for dinner and i got fried tofu. i only ate 2 and i was genuinely still full from lunch and they were so oily i hated myself for it. and then i had a fucking churro at the beach. im so embarrassed at how fast i ate that shit. like….. :( and then my friend wanted to go to mcdonalds! so ofc i couldnt resist and i ordered a 4 piece mcnugget happy meal. my friend ordered a sprite and a 10 piece mcnugget but they messed up and so we only got the 4 piece and a medium sprite. so i gave her 2 of my nuggets which was perfect actually. i still felt rly gross when i got home. both nights i wanted to purge but there was no where for me to do it. i couldnt do it in front of my friend and i couldnt do it at home bc i wouldve woken up my family. i thought abt purging in a random parking lot on the way home but it was 2 am and i didnt wanna get kidnapped. i weighed myself this morning though and i still lost a pound so yeah idk maybe i was stressed over nothing lol

ok now for the weird shit. i have this friend who is queer and im the last person to think someone who is attracted to girls is automatically attracted to me. but. they made me so uncomfortable last night. before we picked them up my other friend told me that theyve talked abt my body multiple times when i wasnt around or said it quietly enough so i wouldnt hear… and like i feel like thats disrespectful to me as a friend. so anyways we were talking and someone said “group sex” and that friend says “i like group sex? yall arent down huh” and i know its a joke but they do that shit all the time. they’ll make a suggestive comment, hoping we’ll take their bait even though im straight. and then at the restaurant we were seated at the table and that friend stood up and was like “sorry are my boobs in your face haha” …….. im sorry but like imagine a straight guy has a queer friend who did the same shit but was like “sorry is my dick in ur face haha” thats just uncomfortable for anyone, especially if that person has already made it clear that they are sexually attracted to you. at that point i was just grossed out. my other friend told me that they made up a story abt me just to talk abt how big my titties are. they said that i have to squeeze through the door to their balcony bc i have big titties but ive never even been on their balcony. its just creepy. honestly i dont like the way i look at all but i think there are ppl who are attracted to me and they show it to me in weird ways and i think they think bc i maintain my friendliness towards them, that they might have a chance w me. my brothers friends go to our gym and apparently one of them said that their other friend said i was pretty. which is just weird and idk why they would tell my brother that someone said that abt me. and then his other friend said that he thought i liked him bc i was “giving off a vibe” and “giggling” its so fucking gross it makes me wanna never leave my room. one time i was hanging out w my friend and his friend and another girl and afterwards i was trying to tell this guy that he’s too clingy for something thats supposed to be casual and he was like “but we went on a double date” i didnt know the other two ppl were a couple. i thought we were just grabbing lunch. its weird. one time i was hooking up w a 30 yr old who gave me free weed and then he told me he loved me after we fucked. it was gross. idk where im going w this i just have been thinking a lot abt how ppl perceive me lately.

#rant #hehe

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dweetwise · 3 years

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a short one this time, ft. a lighthearted breakfast together <3

ship: felix x ace warnings: none word count: 2350

[previous] [next]

Where there’s smoke, there’s fire (part 4)

Ace had a pretty good feeling about this morning.

He'd tried to slip away gracefully to avoid the awkward morning after, but Felix had stopped him. In Ace’s opinion, getting in some silly chatter and morning cuddles was much preferable to a walk of shame before the sun was even fully up. At the very least, it beat going to his room to start the day with a shot of gin from the mini bar like he’d originally planned.

Felix had seemed much more relaxed this morning, though he was still awkward; at this point, Ace just accepted it as part of his charm.

Suggesting to get breakfast together was a spur-of-the-moment idea—as if Ace ever had any other ones. As soon as the opportunity to spend time with Felix in a casual setting where Ace didn’t smell like week-old-liquor presented itself, Ace took it, and Felix happily accepted.

Which is why Ace wasn’t really nervous when returning to his room to get more presentable. He even had time to start cleaning his messy room in preparation for Felix's visit for tonight, because after only a quick shower and even quicker internal debate between two different shirts, Ace was ready to go.

And from the way Felix's gaze immediately drops to said shirt, he seems to have made the right choice.

“Fancy meeting you here,” Ace offers with a grin, pleased with picking the navy blue button-up with a pineapple print.

It's cute how quickly Felix's nervous demeanor seems to calm down in Ace’s company. He goes from tense and running a hand through his hair to smiling in just a second, whatever he was fretting about momentarily forgotten.

“I was worried I'd be late,” Felix says, stepping into the elevator and coming to stand way closer to Ace than is appropriate.

But this time, they don't have an audience that would make it awkward.

“You really do worry way too much,” Ace offers with a carefree smile.

“I've been told that,” Felix smiles sheepishly, before his eyes are drawn downward, to the second button of Ace's shirt that he deliberately left unbuttoned.

Following suit, Ace lets his own gaze roam appreciatively over Felix's outfit, a sadly not as tight tee with a tasteful, open vest and snugly fitting washed denim jeans. His hair is loose and looks even softer than it was in the morning.

All in all, he looks extremely kissable.

“I like the look,” Ace says, meeting Felix's eyes. And if he tilts his head up in silent invitation, nobody can prove it.

“Me too,” Felix says, returning a small smile, before flustering. “I mean—your look. The outfit,” he explains.

And somehow, the awkward floundering makes him even more kissable.

Sadly, the elevator ride isn't infinite, and they arrive at the lobby floor before Ace can instigate a make-out session.

“Shall we?” Ace offers with a smile.

“After you,” Felix agrees, oh-so-polite.

They give their room numbers at the restaurant counter, and then are off to the breakfast hall that’s somewhat crowded despite the late hour. Ace isn't surprised that people decided to sleep in after the rude wake-up in the middle of the night, but the crowd does make it somewhat of an annoying experience.

Luckily, he has company to keep him entertained while they wait in line.

Felix trails after him, which Ace doesn't mind in the slightest, but it's only when the German stops in front of the cereal section and looks at him meaningfully that Ace cocks his head in confusion.

“You were supposed to help me pick,” Felix says, deadly serious.

Ace tries not to laugh that Felix seemed to take his earlier invitation literally. He really shouldn’t be surprised at the man’s quirks anymore.

And that's how Ace ends up improvising a three-minute lecture about why corn flakes are superior to muesli.

“I see,” Felix says, nodding in understanding, reaching for the cereal—

And choosing muesli.

“Hey!” Ace exclaims, mock offended. “Didn't you listen to any of what I just said?”

“Yes. I just don't agree,” Felix says, way too nonchalant, spooning the cereal onto his bowl. “I like this one better.”

“It has raisins!” Ace exclaims, flabbergasted.

“I like raisins,” Felix points out.

“Oh, babe,” Ace sighs dramatically, shaking his head. “And here I thought you had taste.”

Ace quickly peeks back up at Felix, needing to make sure he didn't take the joke personally.

“Shut up,” Felix snorts, elbowing Ace. “Come on, let's go argue about juice next.”

After a brief conversation about juice ("Who the hell drinks apple juice!?" "I don't like the texture of orange pulp") followed by going through the rest of the breakfast selection together, Ace discovers that Felix is an incredibly picky eater.

When they sit down at a table, the difference between his and Felix's servings is hilariously prominent.

Felix's plate holds two pieces of toast, a fried egg and some sliced fruit, compared to Ace's overflowing plate featuring 90 % of the entire breakfast selection.

Usually Ace wouldn’t care about other people’s eating habits, but the knowledge makes him a little nervous about their dinner.

“Really adventurous with the white toast, I see,” Ace teases.

“At least I don't have bacon with pancakes,” Felix shoots back.

“I ran out of room on my plate!” Ace protests, but Felix only smirks behind his cup of coffee. “So, what kind of food do you like?” Ace prods, digging into his meal.

“I don't really have a preference,” Felix says diplomatically.

But Ace can smell the bullshit a mile away.

“Really?” Ace asks, raising an eyebrow. “So you wouldn't mind if I picked the place for dinner tonight?" he teases, only to realize something. “Uh… we're still on for that, right?”

“I hope so,” Felix says, smiling bashfully.

"Good, just checking!" Ace grins. "Well, since you're not picky… how about a Mexican place? What about sushi? Or an oyster bar?”

Predictably, Felix cringes at his suggestions.

“I'm… not great with spices or raw fish,” Felix admits.

“Or?” Ace pushes.

“Steak, shrimp, mushrooms, tofu, kebab, or greasy food in general,” Felix lists and Ace tries not to look too confused at how someone can so nonchalantly rule out entire food groups.

“What about Italian?” Ace asks.

“I don't like pizza, either,” Felix says apologetically.

“I'm not taking you to a pizza place for a first date!" Ace protests, while simultaneously trying to figure out how someone can not like pizza. "I was wondering how you feel about pasta or risotto?”

“That…” Felix considers. “Actually sounds nice.”

“Italian it is!” Ace grins victoriously. “I'll find a nice restaurant, just leave it to me.”

“Alright,” Felix says with a small smile.

“Now…” Ace says, realizing he's been running his mouth instead of actually eating. “Excuse me while I stuff my mouth with bacon pancakes.”

Felix huffs out a quiet laugh before following his example.

They eat in silence, or as much relative silence as a bustling dining hall allows. Ace does his best to not eat like a pig, feeling Felix’s stare on him as the other sneaks glances. After not having had any food for 24 hours, Ace is kind of surprised he didn't pass out in the parking lot, especially after the bright idea to have a few drinks on an empty stomach.

“So, how…” Ace trails off mid-sentence as he suddenly notices a couple of pigtails sticking up right beside him, narrowly missing the kid’s head when he reaches for his coffee.

“Good morning!” the kid, a little girl, beams up at him.

“Uh, hey there,” Ace says, a little taken aback at why this random child is approaching him.

“Hello,” Felix jumps into the conversation, getting the girl’s attention. “We meet again.”

Ace shoots Felix a weird look; does he know the kid?

“Did you remember to give him your number?” the girl asks Felix, tilting her head in curiosity.

A grin spreads over Ace’s face in realization, while Felix only clears his throat self-consciously. Ace didn’t really pay much attention to their company in the elevator last night, but the girl clearly remembers them.

“He did, yeah,” Ace says, shooting Felix a smug look over the table.

“Good,” the girl huffs, before turning back to Felix. “You need to stop being so forgetful, mister!” she accuses, hands on her hips.

Ace bites his lip to stop from chuckling as Felix flounders for an excuse to this sassy eight-year-old.

“You’re right,” Felix settles on. “It was silly of me, I’ll try to do better.”

While Felix is talking, the kid seems to get distracted, standing up on her tiptoes to peer into Felix’s now empty cereal bowl.

“What did you eat?” the girl asks, like a typical nosey kid.

“I had some yogurt with muesli,” Felix explains, way more patient than Ace would be in his situation.

“Do you like Froot Loops?” the kid asks.

As Felix calmly explains that the cereal in question isn’t his favorite, Ace starts discreetly scanning the room for the girl’s mother. He tolerates kids just fine, but he’d rather not have one ruin his unofficial date with Felix. Hopefully, the girl isn’t lost or something—

“There you are!” a woman appears from the crowd and gives the kid an exasperated look, Ace distantly recognizing her from the elevator last night.

“Hi mom!” the girl interrupts her cereal debate with Felix to greet the woman.

“I’m so sorry, I swear she was right behind me a second ago—” the woman glances at Ace and Felix apologetically, steering her daughter away with a hand on her small shoulders.

“No worries,” Ace defuses with a smile. “Kids, huh?”

“Always getting into trouble,” the woman agrees with a sigh, grabbing the girl’s hand. “Come on now, let’s go back to our table.”

“Bye, misters!” the girl calls.

“Goodbye,” Felix offers, and even Ace forces a smile and wave as the pair disappear into the rush of the dining hall.

“So, you got any kids?” Ace asks, having noticed how patient Felix was with the girl.

“No, I… maybe in another life,” Felix says, sounding melancholy, and Ace realizes there's probably more to that story. “Um. You?” Felix asks, clearly not wanting to elaborate.

“Nah,” Ace says. “I have a niece, though. She's a real demon. Great kid.”

“That sounds accurate,” Felix says, smiling. And somehow, Ace gets the overwhelming feeling Felix would be a great dad. “At least she has an interesting uncle.”

“Oh, you don't know the half of it!” Ace grins, taking the opportunity to tell Felix about some of his more memorable moments with his niece.

All too soon, they finish the last of their breakfasts and Ace offers to walk Felix to his room.

“Thanks for the company,” Ace says when they’re coming up to Felix’s door.

“You as well,” Felix says.

“See you tonight?”

“I'll call you,” Felix promises. “I should be available around five."

“Can't wait,” Ace grins.

Felix turns to his door, but then almost instantly whips back around to face Ace. His gaze flicks obviously to Ace's lips as he swallows.

“I have an hour before I need to leave for my meeting,” Felix says. “If you want…”

Ace's gut flutters at the implications, but then he remembers he has things to do. Though he'd much rather make out with Felix than go find a fence or shady pawn shop that will buy his shit, now is not the time.

“Sorry babe, I've got some errands to run,” Ace says good-naturedly, pretending not to see how Felix deflates in disappointment.

“I see,” Felix says.

“I'll make it up to you later,” Ace promises.

“It's okay, I should prepare for my presentation anyway,” Felix says, and upon the mention of his work, instantly seems more tense.

“Well, good luck with your work thingy. I'll be waiting to hear from you!” Ace says with fake cheer.

“Right,” Felix says, reaching for his door. “See you later.”

When the door closes in front of his face, Ace can practically feel the anxiety radiating from within the room. Ace really has his hands full, if he's going to get the guy to relax and forget about his work like he promised.

In the next thirty minutes, Ace ends up turning his own hotel room upside down while he scours it for valuables. He finds the watch he was looking for, as well as an earring behind the headboard, and some spare poker chips in one of his jacket's pockets.

He can’t help but smirk as he runs his fingers over the poker chips; it looks like destiny is trying to point him in the direction of the casino after all. And who is he to deny fate? After all, it's what brought him this far.

Ace thinks back to a couple months ago, where he—or well, his alias, Diego Sanchez—had still been living a somewhat stable life. Over the course of a year, he’d managed to pick up a few part-time jobs to fund poker tournaments and talk himself into more than a couple of loans. But as with most things, Ace had gotten too cocky, and his associates had figured out he wouldn’t be able to pay back the debts he owed.

At this point, uprooting his life and starting over was something Ace was very familiar with. For the last few weeks, he’d been motel-hopping across the country, having shaken the debt collectors off his trail while he tried to figure out the next place to settle down—at least for a little while.

Meeting Felix was just the kind of morale boost he needed right now. Even as Ace opens his wallet and finds a whopping two dollars among the handful of stolen credit cards, he knows he’s going to be okay.

He grabs his things and throws on a blazer along with shades and a hat; even if he should be safe, it doesn't hurt to protect his identity.

Finally, he heads out into the city, with an agenda of restaurant, pawn shop, and casino.

#riconti #ace visconti #felix richter #dbd fanfic #dweetwrites #dbd #dead by daylight #felix x ace

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guiltysecretpasttime · 4 years

Text

Contentment

So here’s a thought that became a Lin Beifong one-shot. If someone’s reading this... let me know what you think 🤷‍

---

Ever since she made it to Chief of Police, she found that she was able to take more control of her schedule. Nonetheless, quiet Friday nights at home like these were rare.

Using metalbending, Lin Beifong peeled her armor off and placed it in the cabinet beside the shoe rack, a reminder that she will get to its maintenance before going to work on Monday. She wiggled her toes and continued into the house barefoot, enjoying the feel of the cold marble floor against her skin. She headed towards the kitchen, tossing her work bag into the study along the way.

The paper bag of take-out food was plonked on the dining table and an old battered kettle with water was soon on the stove. She stretched her arms languidly then reached to turn on the radio, if only to fill the silence with white noise.

Plucking out some spice canisters from the shelves and taking out the vegetables she sliced earlier, Lin set about to prepare dinner. Humming softly with the radio tunes, she cleared a portion of the table and opened the containers of sliced vegetables. She sat down and unrolled a piece of cloth, intent on assembling a couple of vegetable wraps on the mat.

After decades of preparing vegetarian meals, Lin had learned to appreciate the cuisine and tweak it to her taste. She added spicy pickled kelp and sprinkled chili on some of the wraps. She made a mental note to ask her sister to bring more kelp on her next visit. (The older Beifong would never admit it but she dearly valued exchanging recipes with Suyin’s ex-pirate chef.)

The kettle let out a high-pitch whistle (which her husband hated and had thus more than once offered to buy a replacement kettle; which she adamantly refused to do so since her mom made it for their housewarming party years ago) and she took it off the stove, placing a steaming pot in its place. The earthbender tore open her take-out paper bag and dropped the store-bought dumplings into the pot.

She then arranged the vegetable wraps on the serving plate alongside the fried puffs she purchased from the vendor beside headquarters (“Assorted crab and tofu puffs, please”). With not enough time to make dessert, she figured her husband would have to settle for some chilled moon peaches from the icebox.

As she waited for the dumplings to reheat, she decided to make herself a cup of coffee before dumping some tea leaves to steep in the kettle.

-----

It was a quaint and cozy scene that greeted the last airbender when he got home. A scene that still brought a lightness in his heart even after being married for fifteen odd years.

Leaning against the kitchen counter was his wife, apparently fresh from the shower as evidenced by the dampness of her short grey hair. Tenzin continued to observe her quietly as she absentmindedly continued to stir something in a saucepan while reading a book propped at the side, page held in place by an empty coffee cup. Barefoot and clad in a plain tank top and shorts, the stern protector of Republic City was barely recognizable in the casual setting. He smiled as Lin made a face, probably scoffing at the plot of her novel.

He made his way towards her, landing a kiss on her exposed shoulder from behind, effectively startling her.

“Spirits, Tenzin!” Lin raised the spatula in shock, landing whipped cream on her face and on his robes.

Tenzin grinned. He loved that he was the only person in the world who could surprise the otherwise vigilant metalbending chief of police. It was a testament on how comfortable she was with him that she never felt the need to be on her guard.

“Hello, dear.” He kissed off the cream from her cheek and was rewarded with a slap on the arm. “You seemed engrossed there, good book?”

“Oh Agni, no.” His wife snorted as she marked her page in the book. “It’s just one of those trashy books that Su sent me, in the hopes that I get in touch with my inner dancer or something.” She placed the saucepan beside the peaches on the dining table.

The airbender accepted the napkin given by Lin to clean up his robes. “Still trying to convince you to join her dance group?” He turned to the counter, opening his paper bag of food.

“Yes, claims it would make me more flexible and limber - as if I don’t have enough training at headquarters.” (”Or in bed,” Tenzin muttered, getting swatted on the arm for his contribution). She offered her husband assistance as he poured the soup he brought home into a serving pot. “I have to constantly remind those children running the precincts that I am not old.” Her hand flicked in irritation. “And apparently, the only way I could assert that is by beating them down. While hanging on the ceiling. With my metal cables.” Little tremors were felt on the floor as she punctuated her statements with barely perceptible stomps of her foot.

Tenzin chuckled, guiding his wife into her seat in the dining room as she scowled. “I’m sure you enjoyed putting them in their place,” He added the pot of soup on the table. “Come now, I wouldn’t have thought a bunch of new officers would get you down. It’s the weekend!” He sat down, pouring tea for the two of them.

Lin shrugged and proceeded to pile Tenzin’s plate with two (bland) kale wraps and a few dumplings.

“This one’s new,” He lightly touched an angry red cut on her forearm.“And so is this.” He grasped her wrist when she placed his plate in front of him, gently massaging a darkening bruise on her elbow. “Where...?”

Having been raised and grown up in Air Nomad culture, Tenzin feels discomfort whenever his wife arrives home with another souvenir from work on her body (often temporary, sometimes somewhat permanent).

“A new group of non-benders instigated a faceoff with some benders near the cultural center today,” The metalbender downplayed the encounter, removing her arm from his hold. “Good thing we got there just in the nick of time.”

“And got yourself something which is more than a nick,” He frowned at the four-inch long scarlet mark that was a stark contrast against her pale skin. “Lin,” He quickly ladled some seaweed soup into a bowl. He knew it had properties good for blood loss. “Please be careful.” He pushed the bowl towards her.

“I always am.” She caught the sober tone of his reminder. “Don’t worry, I make sure to assess the risks beforehand. I’m no longer that reckless and brash detective who attempted to arrest her sister.” She tried to make light of their conversation.

As if on cue, as with any other time that her scars or the origin of her scars were brought up, Tenzin delicately cupped her cheek and gave her a soft kiss. He was a husband seeking a reminder that all was well. He felt the familiar pressure on his lips as his wife pressed back to deepen their kiss.

They both ended the kiss, breathing heavily. She smiled, finally accepting the soup.

The rest of the meal continued uneventfully. Tenzin complimented his spouse on her thoughtfulness on the meal. They talked about how their day went (”Tarrlock, that chattering hog-monkey, would not stop about this new ordinance he wanted to pass. I was sorely tempted to ring Mother and Fire Lord Izumi to influence their representatives to vote against it out of spite.” “Oh Tenzin, but you wouldn’t. 10 yuans on you that you would not push through with that.” “You’re right dear,” A sigh was heard. “I wouldn’t have.”) and how their respective families were faring (”Mom hasn’t still gotten in touch with Su and I.” “Should we be worried?” “I don’t think so. Lord Zuko is out travelling as well - 10 yuans bet that they’re out on a life-changing field trip.” “Lin, what’s with you and 10 yuans??”).

-----

The couple decided to finish their dessert in the study.

Lin tucked her legs under as she got comfortable on the couch while Tenzin cleaned up (”You go ahead and relax, I’ll take care of the kitchen and dining table since you prepared the meal - well, most of it at least - ouuuuch woman, stop hitting me.”). She pulled out her (Su’s) novel to bide the time (yes, bide the time, she was not invested in the story of the lone ballerina who captivated the king in that one-night-only performance, nope, not invested at all, thank you very much) while waiting for her husband.

She had made it into a chapter and a half by the time Tenzin joined her. She got up to make space for him, then laid her head on his lap to continue reading while he elected to tackle his correspondence.

They passed the time in that position, with Tenzin alternately feeding Lin and himself some of the sliced moon peaches. The only sound was the occasional flip of pages and parchment being discarded on the side table.

Half-way into the book, Lin was making mental note to ask her younger sister if she had a copy of the sequel when the airbender released a deep breath.

“Is something wrong?” She lifted her eyes from the book and directed her attention to the face of the man above her, albeit a bit concealed by the beard from her point-of-view.

“The new Avatar has mastered Earthbending.” He indicated the letter he was perusing.

“That’s good news, right?” The earthbender sat up on her heels, taking her mother-in-law’s letter to go through it.

“It says here they’re inviting you to train the Avatar as her airbending master in five years time,” Lin felt her excitement building as she read Katara’s update. “Provided, however, that she passes her Firebending mastery test by then.” She knew how important this was to him. “Ten-!” She looked up and saw his faraway expression.

“Hey,” Lin tenderly took his face into her hands, looking into his eyes. Green met gray.

Earth and air - their elements and their personalities were as opposite as they can go. While Lin Beifong learned early on how to master her emotions (which several times proved to be necessary in her line of work, sometimes even a matter of life and death), the man in shades of saffron and red before her wore his heart clearly. Even at the age of forty-six, he exuded an air of artlessness. Some of his detractors saw it as a weakness but she recognized it as his strength, the ingenuous sincerity which coated each of his interactions appealed to the constituents. Nonetheless, Lin knew him for as long as she was alive and she knew something was troubling him.

“Do you,” Like any earthbender worth his or her salt, she faced this head on. She swallowed the lump in her throat. “Tenzin,” She knew they had made peace with it in the past but she needed to ask, yet again. “Do you regret it?” Do you regret choosing me - the unsaid question hung thickly in the air.

-----

The last airbender covered her right hand with his and leaned into her palm. “Never.” He knew she can feel his steady heartbeats as she held him. After a beat, he leaned forward, capturing her lips with his.

Lin Beifong, while a confident woman, did need reassurances which only her husband can provide. He knew that she still experienced vestiges of guilt from time to time.

He saw it when she was reading the newspaper and an article called out the Chief of Police as a hard-ass with a heart of stone, unbending with the law and unbending in rehabilitating an extinct nation.

He saw it through the years as she accompanied him in various city council formal events and got asked on multiple occasions when they were going to start trying for kids. She would pleasantly smile, with a poise that would make the late Poppy Beifong proud. Then she would sweetly reply something along the lines of no, thank you, we’re not trying for kids but rest assured we’re frequently engaging in exercises that might (if we were not careful) result in one. Now, that (and the subsequent choking noise made by whichever pompous guest who dared ask) would make Toph Beifong proud.

He saw it whenever the entire family gathers at Air Temple Island to celebrate someone’s birthday and the Air Acolytes seem to walk on eggshells around her, never mind that technically she was the first lady of the nation.

Everyone else saw her smirk or her stoic blank face; no emotion betrayed by the absence of hunching of the shoulders or the lack of a furious blush on her complexion.

But Tenzin, her partner for most of her life, saw the little indicators - the tightening of her jaw, the stiffening of her spine, the whitening of her knuckles as she dug her nails into her palm...

They simply did not know. They did not see her as a terrified child, fresh from being abducted by a convict on parole that her mother had put into jail years before her birth. It was the day that she first showed signs of metalbending as she broke off the chains the bound her. She was seven.

They did not see her stay up late as a teenager, waiting on the roof of one of the buildings in Air Temple island, scouring the horizon in the hopes that her mother might be coming home soon from a raid.

They did not see her collapse after returning to headquarters, after being beaten up (close to death) as a police captain caught in a turf war, getting more heat because of her ancestry. (”Bonus points in taking the metal woman down - her mother is the esteemed chief of police!” One of the fire-bending hooligans had spat.).

They did not see her weep neither did they hold her in their arms after a particularly difficult day on her job. She had murmured to him that she will never want to put a child, her child, in dangerous situations just because of the consequence of having her a mother. That would have been selfish. It was simply not an option.

Her (their) decision not to have children was publicly discussed and dissected. More than once, the usually calm Tenzin had blown up at the press to leave them alone. These only resulted in new heated rumors published the next day that he was probably selecting Air Acolytes across the Air Temples to impregnate to repopulate the Air Nation. If anything, while he was infuriated, Tenzin was glad to see Lin laugh out loud upon reading about it in the paper. His eldest brother Bumi had even called over just to check its veracity, volunteering to scout the United Republic in the next years in search for thick-eyebrowed large-nosed airheads cooped up in libraries across the temples.

Tenzin also dealt with the aftermath of these public set-downs once they returned to their home in Republic City. He would willingly offer the reassurance that only he can give her at her most vulnerable.

Even as the last airbender, Tenzin would do anything to make his metalbender happy.

-----

Satiated and relaxed, the couple adjusted their position on the couch, with Tenzin airbending the throw blanket over them. He noticed Lin fingering the letter from the Southern Water Tribe again.

“It’s just that - they’re asking us to move to the South Pole for the duration of Korra’s training.”

Lin raised her eyebrows at this. “Oh.”

“But no,” Tenzin moved to put an arm around her as she sat in his embrace. “I wouldn’t want to uproot you. It’s not for a few more years; we’ll figure something.” He distractedly finished the rest of the peaches and cream from the crystal bowl. Between the two of them, he was the one with the sweet tooth. “I could start training Oogi for frequent long distance trips to the South Pole, if only to ready him for my frequent back-and-forth to you in Republic City.”

The sound of the scraping of the spoon against the bowl echoed in the companionable silence.

“Or, Tenzin, maybe - what if,” Lin played with the smoothness of the blanket. “You invite her to Air Temple Island?” She avoided his inquisitive gaze. “I mean, we can reinstate the White Lotus around the temple for security and prepare the island for airbending training. You’ve probably have enough in the coffers for a refurbishment on the Island, given that it’s been a while since your family lived there. But those would be best put into use in rebuilding the other temples; I have enough money to add from the Beifong inheritance, we could use that - it will be my home too, you know -.” She was interrupted by a tight embrace and a kiss.

“You’re amazing, you know that?” The response he got was just a laugh. “But, really, are you sure about this?” He rubbed her side gingerly, taking care not to hit any of her bruises.

“Of course,” Lin grinned at him. “But you better start training again - sounds like this Korra would be a tough kid to manage.” She patted his chest.

“Train you say?” Tenzin had a glint in his eye. “Why don’t we start now,” He picked up his surprised wife as he carried her in the direction of their bedroom. “Let’s get you all limbered up and flexible then let’s give your sister a call so I can give her a blow-by-blow account on how you need not be a dancer to limber up.” Laughter trailed behind him as Lin made sure to metalbend their door close.

Yes, they treasured quiet Friday nights at home like this.

=====

Follow-up fanfic: The Airbender’s Wife: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

#linzin #lin beifong #tenzin #lok #legend of korra #lin deserves a happy ending #linzin fanfic #linzin fanfiction #toccatina's fanfics #toccatina completed

45 notes · View notes

namjoonchronicles · 5 years

Text

hands | yg

↳ pairing yoongi, you

↳ genre drama, fluff, angst

↳ words 1.6k

↳ warnings car date nights, yoongi’s that husband who cook for his wife, student!reader, tw rape, tw depression

A car pulls into a stop. It's still drizzling outside. The car door swung open, Vans set firm on the wet tar road to reveal a young men putting on his black hoodie as he got out. He caught a glimpse of a beautiful silhouette from the entrance, wearing the dress he likes, hair down and effortlessly flawless.

Skipping to his embrace, you greet like lovers do. His arms draped low around your waist, just above the curve of your bum while he presses his lips on yours, leaning down. He bites his smile when you part and you took a chance to kiss the corner of his mouth. It really has been awhile.

"How are the boys?" you climbed in and Yoongi took the food he packed for you from the backseat. You smiled at his meticulous effort, putting wet tissues in one of the bags, complete with toothbrush for after you've eaten. He knows you're going straight to bed when the date is over. Students aren't allowed to be out that late. Braised spicy tofu, hot rice and kimchi. The food are simple, but it made you feel very much at home. Ever since you began under-graduate school, you hadn't feel like you've been eating on time. And Yoongi knows this from all the brief calls he had with you when you're too tired to speak or when he's too tired to understand.

"They wanted to come but I figured that it will take more than an hour and they need to be in bed on time," Yoongi puffed his cheek, switching his attention to the street light right by your dorms. Then he twitches as if he remembered about something he needed to ask.

"How's class today?" He saw your cheeks bulging from shoving all the rice you can into your mouth and chuckled through his nose as he wipes the corners of your smudged lips with his sleeves, "Eat slowly, the rice is not running away." He fetches a bottle of water and twist them open for you. You collect them from his hand and took careful sips. Without realising, you have rice in your hair by accident and Yoongi picked that away from you.

"It was short. Starts around noon and ended before 5, it was about culture and ethnicity, pretty fun, I'd say," you talked with your mouth full, eyes glued to the food your husband brought, "Best thing about his class is that he celebrates opinions and we frequently have discussion about politic and religion..."

"Sounds like your kind of class, you'd have a blast," Yoongi tucked a lock of hair behind your ear as you ate. You nodded enthusiastically.

"Gosh I missed your cooking," you exasperatedly say, "The food here is dry, always the same thing. Fried rice, fried rice, and more fried rice. I'm thankful for any hints of food, truly, but please vary the choices."

"I thought you liked fried rice??" he cocked an eyebrow, wondering if he had lost parts of his wife in that devil-looking college. "I do, but only the ones you made. I have had a fried rice with a strand of hair, strand of red threads, egg shells in it, I'm like, never again...." the horror was real. Imagine coming home, hungry as a starved hyena and having to be okay with fried rice that are not at par with decent restaurant standards, despite being an actual restaurant. "And you ate them anyways," he concluded.

"You know me too well, it must be sorcery," you squint your eyes at him. "You don't give a fuck when you're hungry, I know that much," he shrugs, dragging a smile,"I remember that one time I saw your empty plate and you asked me if I wanted my fries. And when I said no, you drag my plate to your side."

"That was back when we're not even married yet, you remembered that?" you knitted your brows together. "I remember everything that involves you," he digs his tongue to cheek, knowing that he might have stirred something in you with those words.

Empty containers that came with food just minutes ago are empty and in the backseat where it belonged. After brushing your teeth, you returned to the car and heard Yoongi turning the radio on. Alina Baraz's Lavender & Velvet was playing softly. Yoongi continued talking about the ordeal he had to overcome without you, with the twins being rebellious, drawing on the walls with Yoongi's paints, breaking one of his chords, sleeping together in one bed.

"All three of you? In our bed?" You couldn't hide your astonishment. "They wanted a bedtime story so I figured why not have them sleeping here too because it gets lonely without you... Our first born snores, did you know that?" Yoongi leans his head back to the headrest, turning slightly to your side.

You mirrored him and after a few minutes of silence, and just the music from the radio filling in, you leaned to close the distance and gave him a chaste kiss.

When he gave you a questioning and flustered look, you said, "As in 'thank you for bringing me food, and coming over to see me so late in the night' and also 'for accepting me as I am, although I'm not much'..."

Yoongi propped an elbow and rested his chin on the heel of his palm.

"What happened," he drops his eyes down then to the side, "You were very quiet these days."

You squirmed in your seat for a bit but you know that you wouldn't be able to leave this car until you tell him exactly what has happened to you the last few days.

"A close friend told me that she was depressed and has been taking pills to treat that. Only 19," you started. Ever since you heard the whole story, it has been weighing you in, heavier than you've ever been. Getting a degree at 26 was one thing, finding out that your classmates are 19 is another. Age gap is nothing, that's what Yoongi told you. But listen to this.

"I asked her, what happened before she started drinking and smoking and just ruining her life in Foundation," pause, "She told me that she was running away from her past. A secret she kept from even her own family, that she was pregnant at 16."

Yoongi then find out that she got pregnant not because she was sexually active. But because her uncle took advantage of her gullibility. She was 16 when she found out she was pregnant and that she was 3 months in, with a baby she didn't want.

"And when she told me that, I just started crying... She told me with her back facing me because she was ashamed. Halfway through, I couldn't help but rubbed her back. I couldn't imagine the fear she faced. This brilliant girl, this beautiful brilliant girl with so much in her future, felt less than everyone else because she was no longer a virgin. And was robbed by a person she trusted."

"She kept the baby?" "No, she had an abortion at 3 months. She was about to sit for her college entrance exam. And she couldn't tell her parents because at the time, this uncle was from her mom's side. And at the time, her parents weren't doing very well. She was afraid that if she told them, it would break the family apart. It will give a bad impression towards her mother's family and her dad would have left her mom. She has other sibling needing care, as much as she did. And this girl, this stupid smart girl just felt responsible for everyone else, knowing that she needed the support just as much as others did."

You couldn't imagine the fear she faced. All she did alone. From the morning after it happened, to the day she goes through changes in her body because she was having a baby, to the moment she realised she was pregnant within the numbered days of an important exam, having to hide everything behind her parents. Just what was this girl thinking? Why was she so strong? She was just 16. She was just a baby.

From then onwards, you began to feel the air shifted between you and her.

"She made me found my heart," you wiped a tear that escaped your eyes, "I owe her so much. I hadn't cried, I hadn't sympathise anyone in awhile, and she just, the toughest blow is that she trusted me with the weight that she was carrying and I don't think I'll ever able to thank her my whole life. Like I didn't want to live until I found you and our boys, and she gave me more reason to stay, because I think I should take care of her too..."

Yoongi begins to understand the distance that happened between last week and today. It was like a coming-of-age movie, just that, this one is real. That was something about you. You carry other people's burden like your own, and you help them find comfort where it is absence. That's who you really are, the real you that you've been trying to hide, afraid of getting hurt again.

"Now I see her laughing, I wanted to hear it all the time," you sniffled, "Because there was a time where she couldn't. She told me once that all she wanted was to be accepted, and it all made sense now. That there was a time that she couldn't even accept herself. And I relate to that, and I want to make the world better for her, and I want to keep her safe. And I want her to live."

Yoongi offered his hand to be taken, laced with your fingers. He pulls them to his lips and stayed with you until you recovered.

Sometimes you don't need all the hands, Sometimes you need just one.

. . . . . . I love you, and I care about you, and I've kept your secret. No one will know your name, but your stories will be heard. If you need to punch a man in the face, I'm only a text away. I got you.

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purplesurveys · 4 years

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921

LOL was gone for a while to attempt doing that ridiculous 5000 survey myself again and I really thought I was going to breeze through it this time. 2 1/2 weeks and 2500 questions later, I need a fucking break. Need normal surveys plz.

What was the best thing to happen to you this week? Got to visit Gabie today! I brought Cooper as well so that she, her sisters, and their puppy Tofu could finally meet him. Fun day, but I am beat. The blackout yesterday also made me revisit painting, and that felt so good too.

Where do you put your keys when you get home? It always differs, idk why I never picked up a routine. Sometimes I set it on the dining table, other times on the decorative table in the living room, and other times I bring it up with me to my room.

Do you prefer hot coffee or iced coffee? I preferred hot (warm would be more accurate) for the longest time but once I went iced, I never wanted to go back.

What's your phone background picture? I recently changed my lock screen to one of Audrey Hepburn. My home screen is still Hayley Williams.

If you could move to any country, what would it be? Anywhere with a clean and honest government sounds like heaven.

Have you ever seen a snake in the wild? No. Can’t say there’s a lot of them here in the city, and I’ve never seen any in my trip to provinces either.

What's your favourite movie from the 80s? Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.

Do you have any posters, paintings or other artwork on your walls? I have at least one of each of these, yes.

What would your dream wedding be like? Huge. I’d want a long guest list, expansive food choices, and acts that can provide good music throughout the evening. I never really throw parties for myself, so I would want at least my own wedding to be big.

Would you ever take a trip to space if given the chance? Yesssssss.

How do you cope with anxiety? I'm lucky to have found different outlets, so that said I usually choose from taking surveys, watching a favorite channel on YouTube, turning to my dogs, going to social media to see dumb memes, or taking a nap altogether. Of course there’ll always be those days where none of these work out and I’ll have to just cry through the anxiety attacks until they’re over.

Are you expecting any phone calls or emails? I’m expecting an email from my college, yes. I’m currently applying for civil service eligibility and they’re asking for documents that only the college can provide, so I emailed them a couple of days ago asking for assistance, and that’s considering we’re still under a lockdown and most offices are still under skeleton staffing.

What's the weather like in your part of the world right now? LOVELY. I actually wear oversized sweaters to bed now and I even managed to wear a thick denim jacket out today. The rainy weather has settled beautifully, and I’m perfectly fine with 24ºC-28ºC everyday.

What was the last takeout food you ate? My mom bought me and my siblings a chicken sandwich and chicken nuggets each from McDonald’s last week.

Who makes you laugh the most? Definitely someone from my college barkada. I can’t decide whether it’s Aya, Kate, JM, or Jum; they’re all equally hilarious as fuck.

Do you know anyone with the same middle name as you? See these questions are always weird to me because my country has its own naming customs; it’s basically a mix of American and Spanish customs. We have two first names (where Westerners would understand their second ‘first’ name to be their middle name) and our actual legal middle name is our mother’s maiden surname (which I think doesn’t apply at all in the Western world). So to answer this I’ll go with our own customs and say that no, I don’t know of anyone who has the same middle name as me. It’s not a very common surname anyway.

What did you have done the last time you saw a dentist? Had a tooth removed. I don’t think it was a wisdom tooth; it was just a tooth at the back of my mouth that had been in pretty bad shape for years but was only discovered at that time.

What does a successful relationship look like to you? I believe the formula is different for every couple. Like I value constant communication and checkups, but others might not feel the need to be clingy or update their significant others all the time.

What do you like to put on your baked potato? Don’t really have these a lot, but I remember when my mom used to make baked potatoes with bacon and cheese and those were unbelievably good.

What field of science interests you the most? Biology. <3 I’m sure I would’ve taken up medicine if I only wasn’t so bad in the rest of the sciences.

What's the closest shop or restaurant to your house? There aren’t any nearby shops since I live in a gated community, but once you get out of the village’s main gate, the first thing to the left is a McDonald’s. To the right is a small complex with a hair salon, burger place, music school, and one of those boujee stores that sell hype clothing.

Do you have any family that live in another country? So many relatives. We’re Filipinos, man. We migrate everyfuckingwhere. As far as I know I have family living in the US, Canada, Vietnam, Japan, China, Australia, and New Zealand.

What colour is your couch? Gray.

Do you know how to care for plants and keep them alive? Not at all. Every single plant that I’ve been given as a gift or party giveaway has died on me.

What was the most memorable birthday you've had? 18th was awesome. Cruise trip, hotel stay with friends, Tiendesitas + noodle date with Gab. How I got away with three separate celebrations without my parents saying anything about it I’ll never know.

Would you rather go to the beach or the mountains? Beach. The area where I live is mountainous as it is; as someone who’s always lived and studied in the city, a trip to the beach in the province never gets old.

What do you do for work? I don’t have any yet but I’m waiting for openings for our national agency for either history, or culture and the arts. My plans have shifted recently and I’m now eyeing to work for either instead of rotting away while underpaid at a corporate agency.

Have you ever been to see the circus? No. I wouldn’t be interested either; they all just seem so harsh and unethical.

Are there any words that you hate or make you cringe? Sure.

What is the best house you've ever lived in? The one we live in today has been the most comfortable; but I also hold a lot of nostalgia for my dad’s parents’ house in Tondo because of how raw Manila life was there. Life wasn’t pretty, but it did feel real.

What was the first CD you ever bought? The first CD I actively wanted my parents to buy for me was probably the High School Musical soundtrack, heheh.

Do you look in the mirror before you leave the house? Yeah, always. Wanna make sure my shirt is tucked in properly (if it is), or that my jeans aren’t cuffed funny or whatever else.

What's the most unusual thing you've ever eaten? I’ve mentioned this before but it was the Indian dessert gulab jamun. Really did not expect the flavor that came in when it hit my mouth.

Have you ever seen someone quit their job in a dramatic way? I’ve never had a legit job, but when Jeuel quit the org a couple of years ago because of ~irreconcilable differences~ between him and us officers in the executive board it did feel a tad bit dramatic and passive-aggressive.

What movie reminds you of your childhood? Shrek 2 or The Game Plan.

Do you know why your parents named you what they did? The singer named Robyn was really big then and they ended up being fans of the name.

Do you have any bills that need to be paid? None of my own. My parents usually pay the family bills immediately, so I don’t think we have any pending payments for now.

What do you like to dip your fries in? Mayonnaise.

Is your house clean or messy right now? It’s always clean as my mom is extremely tidy.

What was the last email you received? It’s one of the job-hunting websites I’ve signed up for, giving me job alerts for new openings in my chosen industries.

Do you know someone who speaks without a filter? Yeah and I know people who do it responsibly and those who just come off as tactless.

Are you in any social groups? We call our college group the Daydrinkers, since our friendship began when we started constantly hanging out at nearby bars at like 2 PM, during our breaks lol. I used to be in a barkada in high school but Angela and I broke apart from that since we couldn’t deal with Athenna’s toxicity anymore, though I still keep in touch with most of them, like Chelsea and Kaira. Since then Angela and I have formed our own group consisting mostly of Angela’s friends from architecture and Hans’ friends from Ateneo.

How many hours of sleep did you get last night? Sigh, around 4. I don’t know why it was so few, but it also means that I’m currently drowsy as all hell at 9:03 PM. I will most likely turn in for bed after this.

What's your favourite kind of museum? Those that cover history, so museums that have artifacts and fossils and shit.

Do you believe in alternate universes? I like the idea, and I love literature that explores the idea of alternate realities, multiple universes, pocket universes, etc. Whether or not I believe they exist...idk. I don’t think about it that much in literal terms. < Yeah pretty much. Gaby Dunn wrote an amazing piece on multiverses and that was what got me to find comfort in the idea.

Whose house did you last visit? I was at Gabie’s place this afternoon. We had burritos, talked about career prospects, and puppy-sat our babies.

What games do you play on your smart phone? I turn to 1010 when I’m bored or anxious. I have like 30 other games but I never touch them lol, but I do keep them should the time be right to whip them out.

Have you ever been to Los Angeles? I have not.

What was the first concert you ever went to? Paramore, February 2013. I was a late bloomer; kids my age started going to concerts at least three years before that.

Do you know anyone who is colourblind? I don’t think so.

What's your favourite season and why? The wet season, because it’s colder and I hate the heat during the dry season.

Are you the youngest, middle or eldest child in your family? I’m the eldest.

If you had to make something for a potluck, what would you make? I recently watched this phenomenal recipe for 48-hour chocolate chip cookies that looked absolutely bonkers when they were done baking. I’d for sure give those a try for dessert. If that fails I’d just buy the food so that what I bring is more guaranteed to be good.

What kinds of decorations do you put up at Halloween? My family has never cared much for Halloween. It’s not even a legit holiday, so as much as I love Halloween I don’t think I would spend for decorations myself to decorate my own place. The only instance I imagine doing so would be if I have kids of my own who may want to get into the Halloween ~spirit.

How many tabs do you have open right now? In my current window, eight.

What's something you've been meaning to do but keep putting off? Taking another online course, just because it’s great to learn new things and earn free certifications while at it. I haven’t been doing a good job at being consistent with them, though.

What's the first thing you check on your phone at the start of the day? Facebook since it’s my primary social media now. Literally never thought this day would come.

Have you ever flown a kite? Yeah but it’s been a while.

Who was your favourite music artist when you were 16? This was the time I was slowly moving away from my punk phase and inching closer to Athenna’s music tastes, so I was into acts like Hozier, Banks, Daya, Twenty One Pilots, etc.

What are three things you usually always have in your fridge? Water, bread, eggs.

#survey #surveys

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missguomeiyun · 4 years

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Homecookings [March ed.]

How was everyone’s March 2020??!

Here’s mine: Started off the month with staycation, which I didn’t get a lot done (nowhere close to what I had planned) but at the same time, I got quite a lot done. I’m referring to a newly self-taught skill, which is ink painting. I busted out my ink block FINALLY. Those ones where you gotta swirl & melt it in a water reservoir. It’s super old-school & it’s how oriental ink painting is supposed to be done (the liquid ink bottles are modern-style). The ink block has been around for so long; & for the longest time, I didn’t want to start using it bcos I didn’t wanna ruin it lol I wanted to “save” it. But you know what? LET’S GET IT!!!! Every day, I worked on a painting, & I actually ended up with 10 in total. It wasn’t as hard as I thought; I tried different styles, & after 10, I think I have a good grasp of the technique!

^ Just sharing one :)

I rarely talk about current events on this blog bcos it’s a place for me to document my food adventures as well as travel-related (but mostly food-related) topics, with the rare appearance of Kpop/Kdrama talk. But things have been CRAZY in Alberta! With the COVID-19 ‘formally’ entering the province early March, & ppl hoarding things, to school closures & online classes.. . now semi-lockdown, where only essential service is open, etc.. . The province has, is, & will be going through a lot of changes, as a whole.

To say the ‘official entry’ hasn’t impacted me/my life at all is a lie, however, the impact has been very minimal. Since starting mid-March, there has been daily updates regarding the cases by our Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Hinshaw. *My personal view only* Everyone’s situation is different, & I fortunately, am able to keep my lifestyle pretty much the same at this point. I’m a pretty big home-body to begin with, & as much as I love seeing my friends, I don’t see them that often anyway due to shift work *shrugs* so in terms of the practice of social distancing to my social life, in all honesty, not much impact.

Well, what about my work?! Am I sent home to work???! No. Don’t wanna go into too much detail here, but I will share a little. As a medical laboratory technologist, PPE at work + hand-washing practice is “normal”, as in, there’s nothing to change about it. I may wash my hands more, but ppl that hang out with me know I sanitize/wash hands often anyway so. .. I’m still going to work as a regular full time, doing the things I do; we are an essential service & we gotta be open no matter what! The company has adopted some recommended guidelines put forth by Public Health, such as, “sick leaves” (+ follow up) have now expanded in definition, & staff gets mandatory temperature check at the entrance before we enter the facility. The biggest change at work has been the change in work volume - we are so used to busy, busy, busyyy & now it’s like “let me pick up the next phone call pls!”

Anyway, didn’t mean to start off with such a loooooong update ... Let’s start the real deal: homecookings this month!

Hmmm .. . what do you think I did with this?

^ KitKat-covered wafer rolls. I find milk chocolate reallllyyyy sweet so I melted some tiramisu KitKat with some brewed coffee (1. to de-sweeten, & 2. to make the mixture more runny). I crushed majority of the KitKat but I aimed to keep some wafers as large-ish pieces to fulfill texture-building. Then I poured the mixture on top, let cool, then cut into individual pieces.

^ I then up’ed my game, & nearly tripled the amount of coffee that I used the 1st time. The resulting melted KitKat + coffee mixture was very bitter - just the way I liked it. I didn’t use as much wafer rolls this time bcos I couldn’t; that’s all I had left in the house. But I had some chocolate mix left; thus I just scooped some over Oreo thins.

PS: Oreo thins wins!

PPS: For both experiments, I used half of the large KitKat bar! mmm.. coffee amount was pretty much YOLO-’d.

^ Kimchi + chicken mini tacos. Stir-fried up some chicken breast & cut up kimchi, & scooped on top of soft corn flour + wheat tortilla tacos. Added some mozza shreds & green onion after.

^ Another fusion soft taco, consisting of Costco fries & basa fish fillet that’s been cooked in pasta sauce. Decided to add some bacon ranch dressing as well. This was surprisingly a success! I’m not a huuuuge fan of fish, in general. I’ve never tried basa with tomato + herb pasta sauce. I was gonna eat the basa on its own like that, but then I thought, let’s fish taco-it! Got a nice crunch & softness of the basa in 1 bite :D

^ Beef + cabbage with flat rice vermicelli noodles. This is like my home-made bun bo hue but with a looooooot of cabbage bcos I love cabbage! I used the canned pho soup (diluted it with water), some fish sauce, & fire chicken sauce! Doesn’t look like much, but it was spicy!

^ baked salmon - used coarse sea salt, fresh ground black pepper, furikake, & white truffle olive oil. YUM!

^ another baked salmon. I know this probably sounds stupid, but I’m 100% transparent about it haha I have a foil sheet on my toaster oven tray, & I’m not a fan of changing it out every single time, so I’ve come to a consensus with myself that I’ll bake, but use some other dish as a vessel, instead of “baking” on a tray or pan. The last salmon, I used a white dish - it was SO hard to wash afterwards. So this time, I used one of these stainless steel dishes my mom has (& uses for steaming). It was less of a mess!

Anyway, what flavour is the salmon here? Salt, fresh ground pepper, garlic, & honey!

^ cheese tortellini with pan-seared chicken breast. I made the sauce using: milk, butter, salt, dried parsley, & 2 slices of Kraft mozza singles. Topped with more dried parsley & fresh ground black pepper. (Don’t worry! I had steamed broccoli on the side for my “greens” portion.)

^ Vegetarian bibimbap. The fried tofu was store-bought, but I cooked it in Korean soy sauce + sugar, so kind of like braised tofu. Mixed salad greens at the bottom, then rice, then the tofu; lastly, some sesame seeds + bibimbap paste.

^ Ramyeon with mixed greens + chicken breast. Gotta keep it healthy! haha you might find that this is weird - to put salad greens in soup. But let me tell you, use a small amount & try this the next time you buy these veggies. Like just try! If it fails & you don’t like it, you won’t waste too much of it. When you pour soup over it, the greens start to “cook” & decrease in size significantly. With these salad greens, this ‘sorta cooked but not cooked’ texture is another way I personally enjoy them.

A glass of milk.. . the base for dalgona “hot chocolate”. Do you think it worked or not?

I used 2 tbsp hot chocolate powder with 1.5 tbsp sugar & also 1.5 tbsp of warm water. I manually whisked for a loooooong time, but it didn’t really froth. It became more dense if anything. But anyhow, I ended up with a somewhat heavy product, but was able to *feel* there was some air in it. I went for it.. . scooped it on top of the milk.. . And.....

This happened! It did not build up on top, but settled nicely at the bottom lol. You try with hot chocolate powder & let me know if it worked for you or not! :P

^ Post-night shift brunch =] I try to eat somewhat cleaner when I’m on nights by doing less meat compared to my usual diet. I don’t know what it is. .. I just crave more vegetables + non-meats. So I made braised tofu (just soy sauce & sugar) & cabbage soup (seasoned with gochujang & salt, so it’s a little spicy). It looks really red but it’s actually very mild.

All in all, pls stay home if you can during this time. If the sacrifice isn’t done now, the result will be much more devastating later down the road.

Talk to you later~

#homemade #homecooking #cooking #food #healthy #eat healthy #stay safe

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saccharii · 5 years

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Todofam Month, Day 23: Burn

Burn

AO3 link

Todofam Month master post

@todofammonth

Warning: major character death

Dabi curls deeper into the tattered blanket. He’s cold. Colder than he’s ever been. His body is made for the cold—as a child, he played outside in winter without a jacket. He could stand barefoot in the snow and it wouldn’t bother him. He’s done it before. But now he’s freezing under a worn, lumpy duvet in his apartment in the middle of May.

He’s beyond shivering. His body jerks, almost uncontrollably, and his teeth clack together so hard it’s painful.

The room spins whenever he moves, and his eyes won’t focus. There is no more room for thoughts in his head, but he’s still coherent enough to know not to use his quirk to warm up. The last thing he needs is to burn himself even worse because he set his bed on fire like an idiot.

He itches all over. Bugs crawl beneath his skin, behind his eyes. Buzzing fills his head, and shards of glass scratch the inside of his throat. He just wants it to stop.

Mother smiles warmly, happy in a way he’s never seen her, as she hands him his birthday present. The wrapping paper crinkles under his fingers. It’s everything he’s ever wanted. (When was the last time anyone gave him a gift?)

He throws his arms around Mother’s neck, and she hugs him back, her cheek pleasantly cool against his.

She pulls away and cups his face with ice cold hands. It’s not just her hands; she is ice and frost radiates off her. Light refracts as it passes through her body.

Flames wreath him, lashing out, and Mother screams and melts. She screams and screams until she can’t scream any longer because she’s no more than a puddle on the ground.

Someone lays a cool hand on his forehead, and he leans into it. It’s too large and too calloused to be Fuyumi’s smooth, dainty palm. Who...? Dabi struggles to open his eyes, but he can do no more than flutter them.

“Jesus christ, you’re burning up.”

“Natsuo?” he croaks.

His voice scrapes its way out of his throat, harsh and rasping. It cuts him; it cuts his mouth, his tongue, his lips.

“Who’s-? No. It’s me. Hawks.”

A hawk? Why is there a hawk in his room? Mom will be mad there’s a bird in his room. He’ll have to chase it out with a broom. Maybe not. Birds of prey are vicious, intelligent creatures. They should call animal control instead.

Touya tries to move away from the hand, but the sheets are lined with shards of scrap metal and they scrape away his skin.

“Go away, Natsuo. I’m tired.”

“I’m still not Natsuo, whoever that is.”

He pries his eyes open—it’s physically painful. Kohl-lined gold eyes under a creased brow meet his. Sunlight filters through downy, blond hair. Oh. That’s right. Hawks. Dabi was supposed to meet up with him... today? Yesterday?

He tries to say something, but all that comes out is a groaning, gurgling noise.

Those golden eyes widen in alarm, and Dabi sinks down, down through his mattress and into the floor where only darkness remains.

Mother reels away with a shriek, knocking over a lamp in her haste. It shatters on the ground, but she doesn’t notice.

Touya steps closer, arm outstretched. She stumbles back until she hits the wall.

“Go away,” she says in a wobbly, shrill voice. “Go away!”

“Mom? Please... it’s me.”

Mother grabs a picture off the wall and throws it at him, but it misses. “I said go away!”

“Mom...”

She sinks to the floor and curls up into a ball, clutching at her snow-white hair. “Go away, go away. I hate you, I hate you, I hate you, I hate you, go away, go away.”

Touya leaves.

Static roars in his ears. The world dips and jerks around him. The air steals away what little warmth he had, but he doesn’t shiver and he isn’t sick from the violent movement. There is nothing left inside him; he’s hollow.

The stars shine, vivid in the still, deep night sky. How could he have never seen them before? The sky’s so close; he could touch it. He wants to drag his fingers through the starry river and see the ripples, but his arms are tucked limply against his chest.

Dabi’s head lolls against a firm, warm surface, and a racing, thumping noise is the only sound the wind doesn’t whisk away.

Touya snatches a piece of fried tofu out of Fuyumi’s bowl, and she squawks out a ‘hey!’ He stuffs it in his mouth before she can steal it back. Hawks laughs at her outraged look.

A black-haired man—his father, his mind supplies, not Endeavor—scolds him, but humor laces his voice. Fuyumi glowers at Touya until Mother gives her some tofu from her own bowl. Fuyumi protests, but Mother insists.

Shouto complains that he didn’t get any extra tofu, and Natsuo offers to trade his for Shouto’s sliced beef.

Touya tries to snag a piece of Hawks’ meat, but the other man knocks his chopsticks away. With a quick movement, he grabs a slice from Touya’s bowl instead. Touya bares his teeth at him in mock anger, the movement pulling at his scars and staples. Hawks smirks back cheekily.

“How are you so heavy? You barely eat. Ugh, work with me here, you limp noodle.”

Touya’s feet drag across the ground. “Mom put dinner in the corner under the cobwebs,” he says. “Make sure Shouto gets some.”

“Fuck, you’re really out of it. Could you at least try to stand?”

Touya puts his feet flat on the floor and tries to push himself up. His legs wobble and he sinks. Strong arms pull him back up.

“I’m really tired. Could you kill Dad for me while I take a nap?”

He falls backward onto a soft surface and bounces.

“Kill your own damn dad.”

Rough hands manhandle him and fabric catches on Dabi’s staples as his shirt comes off. A distant voice curses, and fingers press down on the seam of his scars and Dabi screams. He thought he’d grown used to pain by now, but god, no, this is worse than when-

He struggles to get away. A man looms over him. A flash of red- red, fire, pain, his skin sticking to the smooth wood of the training room floor. He lashes out with a hoarse cry and blue fire erupts. The man jerks back. Dabi tries to sit up, tries to lurch away, but the world sags and melts and bright pink and purple lights flash before his eyes.

Someone is begging and pleading, but Dabi can’t make out their words. Water sloshes around him and the smell of antiseptic burns his nose. Small things drifting in the water bump into him, and he floats.

“Don’t die, you bastard. You’re supposed to be unkillable, like a cockroach. After all the shit you’ve been through, you really gonna let some infection do you in?”

The room sharpens. Hawks is gripping Dabi’s hand, his eyes wild, and his eyeliner is smeared. His sleeves are wet with water from the ice bath.

Dabi isn’t cold anymore, and he doesn’t hurt. Actually, he doesn’t feel any pain at all. He hadn’t realized how much everything hurt for all these years until now. Suspended in the water, Touya is more comfortable than he’s ever been in his life.

He feels like he could sleep forever.

#todofammonth #todofam month #bnha #boku no hero academia #bnha fanfiction #death #character death #hallucinations #dabi #bnha hawks #dabi is todoroki touya #todoroki touya #implied dabihawks

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abroadening-horizons · 5 years

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Pho Phu Chau is dead. Long live Lobster Noodle House.

So back in 2017, I posted a ‘top 5′ list that included a place in Ottawa called Pho Phu Chau. Sadly, they closed and a new Vietnamese place came to occupy the space after a fresh coast of paint and some redecorating. This place is Lobster Noodle House.

(Image courtesy of Jennifer P. on Yelp)

As you can imagine, they focus on one thing: lobster.

This means prices are a bit higher than your usual pho place, but not to an unreasonable degree. You still get quite a lot of food for the price you pay, and there are your classic Vietnamese dishes, as well as vegetarian options for those who don’t enjoy our red friend from the sea.

In any case, I was curious about what had changed and what had stayed the same (was my beloved H51 still there?) and so I told my mom we should try it out for dinner one night and we finally found the time and opportunity last week. Since it was now ‘Lobster Noodle House’, we of course had to try at least one lobster dish.

We started with the lobster vermicelli rolls, and already this place gets a big thumbs up from me for using an actual peanut sauce. Those who know me know I love my peanut sauce made from actual peanuts, so this was a pleasant surprise. The one slight nitpick I had with this dish is that it could have used a few more leaves of basil in the roll. Again, really want to stress that this is a nitpick, and not really a substantial criticism. There was basil in there, just not quite enough to my personal savoury-obsessed liking.

In any case, the ingredients were fresh, the lobster was perfectly cooked, and as you can see for yourself not in any way a minuscule portion. I honestly thought that we might have gotten just a few shreds or ribbons of lobster meat, but each bite had meaty lobster in it which made both of us quite happy. Now, onto the main course.

Sadly, the H51 as it existed is gone but this soup was a worthy successor in my eyes. Meet the ‘Special B’, a delectable and slightly spicy mix of BBQ pork, deep fried tofu, and chicken saté with rice noodles in chicken broth.

Again, freshness was one of the fist things that came to mind when presented with this aromatic wonder. I find that when it comes to Vietnamese places, there are two ways to tell if they’re good; if their bathrooms are clean and tidy, and/or if the basil they bring with your bean sprouts, lime, and chili pepper is fresh and spotless. Spotless basil gets a thumbs up from me any day.

Everything in my soup was perfectly cooked. The BBQ pork was lean, yet juicy. The chicken, though immersed in steaming hot broth, was perfectly cooked and retained its saté charm. As for the tofu, the exterior wasn’t crispy as one might expect deep-fried tofu to be, but I accept that as a casualty of soaking up more of that delicious and spicy chicken broth. Again, this is more of a nitpick.

As for the service, it was quick which is always a plus. It felt as though everything from the tea to the mains were being whipped together fresh and fast in the kitchen. In fact, if I had to use a single word to best describe my first experience at Lobster Noodle House, it would be ‘fresh’. Fresh ingredients, piping hot soup, perfectly cooked meat and vegetables, and crispy bean sprouts made for a pleasant eating experience.

Needless to say, I’ll definitely be coming back here, and will be sampling more of the lobster menu. If you find yourself at the edge of Ottawa’s Chinatown, pop in for a snack or a meal. Whether lobster is your thing or not, and even if you’re vegetarian, Lobster Noodle House has got you covered. Go and show them some love.

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phrenicnervous · 5 years

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POST OP DIARY DAY 2

SUMMARY OF 5-18

I slept like shit. It was cyclical, where I would wake up every 80 minutes, have a popsicle and half of an oxy, and get a new glass of ice water. It was worth it to get an extra bag of hotel ice in the middle of the night, since the biggest help was falling back asleep with a fresh bag of ice around my neck. The ice helped with my swelling and my pain. Regardless, each time I awoken to the sound of my own swollen uvula slapping against my nasopharynx. I read on a blog somewhere that a woman found success from sleeping with her mouth open, but I found it did not make a difference for me.

I’ve been consuming so much oxy that I’m not sure what the pain may really feel like, but I’m not about to find out. When I woke up this morning, I immediately took a hot shower. I could tell my throat was swollen more than it was yesterday, because I had no way of speaking, and I couldn’t open my mouth. I realized I’d need Jello and started getting really angry about it. I also needed pillows, since I realized I can’t sleep unless I’m sitting upright. I took a morning nap after my champion’s breakfast of popsicles and Gatorade and was able to get my mom and myself to target. There was no way I was going to speak at all.

Our shopping trip was efficient. We found pillows I could use and finally found what I believe now may be the last two packs of Jello in all of Seattle. Although at the end of it I could tell my body was falling apart, likely because of the liquid diet. My mom wanted to get food outside of the hotel room, so I suggested our old haunt, Daily Grill. She barely ate her roast beef and au jus while I excitedly smoothed out mashed potatoes to a paste and managed to eat most of them. I gummed and spit on a few French fries and consumed them painfully. Possibly the highlight of my day, it was the best I could do to eat, but I stayed ambitiously hungry.

Later on, I ate two miso soups with extra tofu, and it was still nice and soft on the throat. I had a couple small pieces of raw tuna poke. After raging out about some tourist on my floor stealing the entire remainder of the box of popsicles I was hiding in the ice fridge (what monster steals FOUR popsicles?), I ate two cups of Jello, choked back a pudding cup, and finished off a protein shake I was trying to imbibe overnight. My supply of popsicles was replenished and I ate two in the evening; one because I wanted to, and the other because it was too soft from being in the fridge and was running out of time.

I’m in bed and I just took half of an oxy. I’m trying to be conservative with my meds because I know I can swallow water and I’ve certainly eaten more than I expected to today, and I hate opioid-related constipation. I had my cup of Smooth Moves tea (active herb being senna, which promotes natural peristalsis, and does not work like a laxative—no sense of destructive urgency). I’d like to heavily recommend this for any kind of constipation, since it’s a nice bedtime tea and it’s saved me tons of grief during post-operative opioid use. Additionally, I am now able to dose myself with a 5:1 CBD/THC tincture which helps my sore upper back and neck. The weed will be gone by the end of the week, but it will be worth it.

I will say my stomach is stronger than it used to be years ago, and I haven’t had any issue with nausea from anesthesia or throat pain. I’ve been eager to get back to eating and moving, even if my neck is sore and gets worse from holding my head erect. I just want to get back to nachos. I don’t need my voice if I can have that good spicy crunch.

My whole body hurts from the way I’ve been sleeping, and the surgery. Good fucking night.

#tonsillectomy #surgery

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remembermemorablememories · 5 years

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Wednesday, February 20, 2019

post #408

main points:

- wake up early to go to newark

- stop by mom’s office

- fly to san antonio

- visit family friends and hang out for the night

today i:

- woke up at 9am to my alarm. sheena woke me up around 6:30 before she left to go to school cause she’s also going on the class trip to florida so we wouldn’t see her for a few days

- got out of bed, packed my pajamas, brushed my teeth and got ready. dad had gotten starbucks for sheena in the morning so he also got me a bacon egg and cheese sandwich. thanks dad :D

we left the house by like 9:40am and then drove over to mom’s office so she could swipe in/stop by real quick. we got there around 11am and it just started snowing like a lot

- drove over to newark airport, stopping by to get gas. the snow was really starting to come down. then we parked our car at a parking lot that dad knew about and booked through a reservation (it was cheaper than airport parking) and took the shuttle to united airlines

- checked in, checked our bags, went through security and then got some food at the airport. we got some wings at “world famous fried chicken” or something like that. i got a chicken sandwich with pickles and mayo. mom and dad shared some wings. i went to the bathroom / made a call to schedule a tentative ultrasound for next tuesday

then we started boarding (around 1:30pm). we were stuck on the tarmac for like an hour and were delayed by 40 minutes (left 2:40pm but should’ve left at 2pm). they had to de-ice the plane and other stuff since the snow was really starting to come down. it wasn’t too too bad but still something that had to be taken care of

on the plane ride i watched S1E1 of black mirror cause it was the last one i hadn’t seen. i remember alyssa told me not to watch it as the first episode of black mirror cause it was weird and yeah, it was pretty weird. watched downloaded vox episodes of monogamy, weed, and tattoos. the monogamy topic was very interesting cause it seems like by human nature we are more interested in polygamy. but as society has evolved from tribal to more independent/possessive in nature, we’ve changed/shifted towards monogamy. and also because it was to gain power/in-laws. i wonder what society would look like if polygamy was still a thing

fell asleep for about an hour. then listened to planet money’s podcast on a norwegian plane in iran

https://www.npr.org/2019/02/13/694463700/why-a-stranded-norwegian-plane-is-a-consequence-of-u-s-sanctions-on-iran

then we finally landed 6:30pm EST or 5:30pm CST in san antonio. that felt like such a long plane ride. i was looking for entertainment after black mirror and vox but couldn’t figure out what to do so i just slept, then listened to that podcast... i also felt cramped cause i was in the middle seat. just a lot of uncomfortable :/ and united offers wifi streaming on devices but i need their app >:O big dumb

- we picked up our bag then lyfted to my mom’s family friend. driving out here felt a lot like california, very open roads and large lanes. we got to our family friend’s house and it was huuuuuuge. mom and dad caught up with them (two couples) and i walked around the house. i wanted to hop on the wifi cause my LTE data quota was used up from earlier this week but i didn’t wanna be rude so... i just kind of chilled for a bit

then we ate dinner at the dining table and the food was DELICIOUS. i took some pics of all of them together since it was like a reunion. idk why we didn’t eat with white rice but didn’t wanna ask but then we got white rice halfway into the meal :p maybe they were all just really happy to be around each other they forgot. but the food was :100:, beef, tofu skin, pork. the host also made this interesting corn drink, like corn juice..?

they also talked a lot about what it’s like to be an immigrant now trying to get work with H1 visa vs back then, when there was less competition/strict rules: it’s really tough nowadays with lottery system. they also talked about living on east coast vs in texas, reminiscing old memories from when they all lived here, it was very wholesome. also it was interesting cause it was all in chinese but i was able to follow along for 95% of the conversation

- i went to the bathroom while they all hung out, then when i came out the hostess asked if i wanted to watch TV or something. i asked for the wifi password and then chilled on my phone in the living room watching youtube videos :p

samsung came out with the s10 so i watched mkbhd and the verge coverage of it. also some notable videos

loneliness by kurzgesagt

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3Xv_g3g-mA

and burnout by matt d’avella

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHMfmcIWXT8

and adventure playgrounds by vox

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lztEnBFN5zU

- now i’m typing this at 11:30pm in the guest bedroom. i still needa shower but i am very tired. waking up early is rough. also cause of the time zone it’s technically 12:30am EST

first i gotta type up tuedsay feb 19 blog post :p

okay good night

#post #february #normal #2019 #travel #texas

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dietaku · 5 years

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Chapter 5: Video Games are for Sharing Happy Memories

“Wait, what was I supposed to go find?” I demanded,” And what in the ever-loving SNAFU just happened, anyways?”

“I'm not sure why you're asking me that. I wasn't even there,” Princess Catalina countered, as I slumped with despair,” Still, your instincts were better than you imagined, as I can explain, in a way what happened.”

“Oh?” Errin asked, crossing her arms.

“Yes. Even though I wasn't there, I still acted as the fulcrum for your spirit journey.Your dear boy, Jun here, is the key to all this. As a Rancher, a class dedicated to harvesting the natural bounty of the world, he is not a strong combatant. Instead, Jun possesses a useful trait, Friend to All Nature, which sets his opponents' aggression to zero unless he actively attacks a combatant. Jun also possesses a knack for alchemy, allowing him to craft bomb attack items.While you all were battling Nezha and the Prisoner, he attached several such bombs to the pair and defeated them all while they were solely focused on you. Why would they focus on him? He didn't attack them....up until his bombs detonated and defeated them. While you were engrossed in your battle, succumbing to despair, Jun worked with calm and collected manner, producing success.”

“I...see,” I said, looking down at Jun as he grinned at me expectantly, as I patted him on the head,” That still doesn't explain what I supposed to look for.”

“That I cannot say. Even with my talents and gifts, I am not omniscient as I am,” Catalina admitted,” Although, you must've discovered something?”

“Well, I did find my character's mother,” I mumbled.

“Your mother,” Catalina explained.

“What? No! My mom is nice, but she's nothing like that woman! Besides, my mom isn't in this game,” I protested, as Catalina chuckled, shaking her head,” Fine, then! I'll prove to you all! I'll find her and prove my point!”

I stomped off into the streets of Grafzou, recalling the directions I traveled in my dream, as I found the run-down house I left what seemed like an eternity before. Chattering noises rang out as I paused with a flood of emotions washing over me, while I stewed in confusion and anger.

“No, this isn't my home. This is just a place in the game,” I growled, as the chattering stopped and a Floof woman slowly walked out. Still beautiful, with her willowy form, blonde mane and tail just as I recalled her, including her ruined left arm. I spied the faintest traces of worry upon her face, even as she lit up when she spied me.

“Deegal?” she asked, as my eyes welled with tears

“Yeah, Mom, it's me,” It's nice to see you.” I mumbled, as she embraced me tightly.

“It's so good to see you! It's been what, ten years since you wandered off? I'm glad you had the good sense to take after your father. Now, what are you doing nowadays?” she asked. She and I chatted for several hours, as I settled comfortably into the conversation. As our talk went on, more and more details of Deegal's life became known to me, and the two of us laughed and joked between each other even as the shadows drew over us from the fading sun and the streetlights flared to life outside.

“Mama?” called behind me, as I turned to see Jun hesitantly entering the house.

“Deegal, who is—Oh, I see,” my mother smiled as she motioned Jun to sit beside us,” I never pegged you for the motherly type. Who's the father?”

“I don't know,” I admitted. I can't very well tell her the real way we bonded.

She shook her head, “ If I had a nickel for each time I heard that. Still,” she grinned, as she disappeared into the nearby kitchen, returning with a basket of fried tofu and several bottles of sake,” My little Deegal came home, and brought me a grandson. We ought to celebrate!”

Soon enough, we were surrounded by a crowd of other Floof women, and an impromptu party arose. Jun was the star of the gathering as the others all fawned over him and he happily basked in the attention.

“Aaaaw, he's such a little cutie! You better be careful, Deegal. Otherwise, he's going to get snatched up, just like my Jiang was,” a brunette Floof my mind identified as Yinli, called.

“Is that the excuse he gave you? He's down on the south end these days fooling around with a Zorren girl,” another called, who my mind filled in as Meilin.

“That silt-pounding Qwibon-fondler! I'll be back!” Yinli growled, stomping off, as Jun waved.

“You know, though, that reminds me,” Meilin mentioned,” Yinli's husband isn't the only one on the south end these days. I heard that Pai O is in town again.”

The entire party fell silent for a moment, as I looked around in confusion.

“Who?”

“One of Hu Shian's chosen handmaidens. She knows the secrets that can make us of the Floof Clan stronger,” my mother explained,” Deegal, why don't you remember that? I know I told you about them.”

“Oh, I'm sorry. A lot's happened lately,” I muttered, as he others tittered at my foolishness. The party lasted well into the night, before I settled down, exhausted, happy and confused.

“All these memories, none of them mine, and yet, I'm ecstatic. What the hell is even going on with me?” I wondered, as Jun snored beside me. Abandoning my pensive mood, I settled down, and drifted off the sleep. The next day, Jun and I said our farewells, finding Errin not far outside, as she and I exchanged worried looks.

“You too, then?” she asked, as I nodded.

“My mind is filling with memories not my own, like I'm stepping into Deegal's life, even if she was just a character I made,” I mumbled, as Errin nodded.

“Last night, I found my character's father, and discovered I had a knack for brewing. I've barely ever cooked, but apparently I can craft beer rather competently,” she replied.

I shook my head,” What's all this mean?”

“I don't know. This does imply that perhaps....No, that's not possible,” Errin muttered, “That would imply that this world, this game, isn't actually a game....”

I said nothing, as we both nodded, and strode back to the castle. There, amid the crowds, stood Princess Catalina, as she smirked as she spied our approach.

“Did you find your answers?” she asked.

“No, but I have to ask you. All this,” I waved around me,” This isn't a game, is it?”

Catalina smiled,” Do you think it is?”

“I can't say anymore. After I came back from my dream quest, I've been wracked with memories not my own, like I'm stepping into someone else's life,” I muttered, as Catalina's smile widened.

She patted me on the shoulder,” Don't feel bad. Everyone has experiences they can't place. That's the nature of being alive.”

Errin piped up,” It's more than that. I've never cooked anything more complex than a grilled cheese sandwich in my life, and yet a few hours ago, I met my father, and now I discovered that I'm a brewer? When did all this happen? I'm an academic and psychologist!”

“If you desire answers, then seek out the Three Great Societies, then. They have the answers you seek,” Catalina smiled.

“Three Great Societies? Where are they?” I asked.

“They are present in several locations across the world, but the best place for you to find them is the city of Treisgen,” Catalina replied,” Be wary, though, you need to travel across the Veeya Strwam.”

“Veeya Stream?”

“A series of plates running along a circular path about Mt. Kunlun. If you follow the flow of the Stream, then you ought to get to Treisgen in less than a day,” Catalina explained. I nodded, as Errin piped up.

“And will this take us back to Caaztfahl?” she queried. Immediately, I understood; it would be much easier if we could reunite with Zechs, Jake and the others.

Catalina smirked,” You want to return to your home, I take it? Worry not, Treisgen is on the same side of Mt. Kunlun as Caaztfahl, It will be simple to get back from there.”

“Right. Fine. We'll be back. Till then, you better stay where we can find you,” I replied.

“Did you just threaten me, the princess of he kingdom of Grafzou?” Catalina snorted.

I shook my head,” No threat, just a promise.”

Walking off, Errin nudged me,” That wasn't much of a reassurance., Dieter.”

“I know, but I want to be in charge for a change,” I muttered, stewing in my thoughts as I ran into a tall figure. Well, ran into was the wrong phrase, more like she appeared out of nowhere and I tripped into her trying to get out of the way.

“Watch it, you! You're a daughter of Hu Shian and you're as graceful as a drunken Taurigante. Take more effort into yourself!” she growled, as I looked over the woman I ran into. A tall Floof woman who seemed eerily familiar. With her auburn hair, bright eyes and unusually luxurious tail, she almost reminded me of....

“Pai Zuri?” I asked, as she snorted.

“Of course a cow like you would know my little sister. I suppose you've sought me out after she worked you over? Giving you the little kid treatment? Well, rest assured, if you want something, I'm not going to baby-talk you or give you any post-coital snuggles. You're in the deep silt now, Baby Bird,” she replied, as realization swept over me.

“You're Pai O, right?”

“What a perceptive little cow you are, Baby Bird,” Pai O leered, looming over me. Her being six inches taller than me didn't help,” So, you want my tutelage, then?”

“I-I-I never said, anything abo--”

“Cease your mewling, follow me,” she growled, beckoning for me to follow her. I looked at Errin and Jun pleadingly, before I sighed, following behind her. She arrived at an empty warehouse, one of the many sketchy buildings in the outer sections of Grafzou I completely ignored on my way in. Turning to face me, she looked over me with an dispassionate stare.

“You want greater power? Are you sure? This will be incredibly painful,” she asked.

I looked at her blankly, I never asked for anything, “I don't know--”

“You're right, you don't,” she retorted, circling around me before roughly grabbing my tail as she raised it, massaging its base. A white sun of agony dawned in my mind and my entire body shuddered with pain. I whimpered, and promptly passed out. Waking up as the agonizing heat roiled over me, I staggered to my feet, as I noticed a curious weight on my backside. Looking backwards, I realized I was now the proud owner of four more tails.

“You still alive?” Pai O called as I stared at her.

“What did you even do?”

“I opened one of your chakras, awakening some of the divine blood in your body. Now you possess part of the strength of our ancestor. You see, my dear baby bird, this is the power of Alluring Tail Whirlwind. Just as our divine ancestor could wield their tails as you wield your hands, so too will you be blessed now,” O explained, as I looked her over quizzically.

“You only have one tail. Why aren't you so endowed?” I demanded, as she cackled.

“I don't want to talk about endowments with a cow like you, but I'll let you discover that for yourself,” she called, just in time for my Spirit dropped into the red. My backside burned painfully, and I squeaked as the weight on my butt lightened. Blinking through the tears, I found my tail was now all alone once more.

“Alluring Tail Whirlwind consumes huge amounts of Spirit to maintain. We lack the full divinity of our ancestor, after all. So, it's not a skill you ought to use all the time. Still, in a pinch, it can be a life-saver,” Pai O explained. I nodded, as I heard a gasp. I slowly turned around, spying Jun wide-eyed at my predicament.

“Mom! What'd you do to her?” he demanded, assuming a stance I recognized as my own, as he lunged with a barrage of sweeping punches, which Pai O avoided with ease. Grabbing his fist, Pai O's other hand whipped out, clutching his face as she pecked him on the forehead. Jun staggered back, his face a flustered crimson.

“I like your spunk, Kid. Still, you're ten years too early to confront me with a challenge like that. Still, keep training, and maybe one day, you will,” she winked at him, as I staggered to interpose myself between Jun and this erstwhile teacher.

“Okay, that's enough of that, Pai O,” I challenged,” Now you've given this skill, so beat it.”

She rose, looming over with a sneer,” If that is your wish. Know this, though. I am called by my people who cry out for salvation. You and your karma are sad indeed. I'm sure you and I will meet again, Baby Bird.”

With this cryptic parting, she walked out of the warehouse, as I helped Jun to his feet.

“T-thank you,” he muttered, as I arched a brow.

“You can speak English now?”

“I could speak English before, but I need to concentrate to do so. My head gets fuzzy when I try to speak normally, and what comes out of my mouth isn't what I mean. Well, it's what I mean, but it comes out in a different language. This has happened ever since that Zechs man approached me.”

“I see,” I muttered. Staggering out of the warehouse, with Jun helping me along, Errin eyed us with a half-smile.

“I assume you gained something new? The other woman just walked off with a nasty frown on her face,” Errin replied, as I shrugged.

“We'll see,” I said, as Errin cocked her head.

“Oh? I want to see what she taught you,” she called.

I shook my head,” Maybe later. Jun, where do we need to go to get to the Veeya Stream?”

He pointed off to the west as I spied a gigantic shadow looming in the clouds near the horizon,” We head that way. There'll be a town over there where we can join the Veeya Stream. We'll also need to get you two Qwibons.”

“Wait, he can speak English? What have you done to him?” Errin uncrossed her arms in shock.

“Mom didn't do anything to me. I-I just.....felt it would be easier this way,” Jun winced, hefting me as I patted him on the head.

“It's okay. I can walk myself. Now, why you lead the way?” I asked, as he nodded happily.

Following him, past the fields of scattered palm trees covering swaying grasslands, as he crossed ever closer to the gigantic shadow at the horizon ahead of us.

“What is that, anyways, Jun?”

“That shadow ahead of us? That's Mount Kunlun, the stairway to the gods,” he answered, as I slowly looked up. The mountain's peak disappeared into the cloudy gloom of the sky above and even that disappeared into the sky above.

“I see. You're being metaphorical, though, right? There's no way there's a mountain can reach up to Heaven, can there?” Errin asked, as Jun shook his head.

“You get to the top, you can meet the gods. To do so is dangerous, though. All sorts of scary monsters and divine beasts dwell on its slopes. Even strong people like Mom and Miss Errin would die up there. Please don't try it,” he asked softly, as I nodded absentmindedly.

“Oh, yeah, sure, of course,” I muttered,

Jun then paused, waving ahead of him,” We're here.”

“Huh?”

Before us sprawled a small town bustling with activity. Traders hawked their wares, people happily talking, and even several fights breaking out. The most striking feature, though, was that an animal accompanied every single person I spied in the crowds.

“What's with all this?” I asked, looking around, as Jun grinned.

“This is one of the four cardinal towns of the Veeya Stream, Ponesant. I also suppose I should show you all this,” Jun explained, whistling loudly, as a large beast lumbered up to him excitedly. I leaped out of the way, as this beast clambered besides Jun, on its hind feet clearly excited to be called. Looking it over, I lacked words to explain this bizarre animal. Like a maniac's vision of a kangaroo expressed with his only description of the animal through some twisted telephone game, it loomed over me with wide eyes, a narrow muzzle like an opossum, tall ears like a rabbit, a sleek body covered in brilliant blue fur, and a tufted tail like a flamboyant skunk. It looked me over excitedly, grabbing my shoulders with smaller front paws as it nuzzled my face with a pink nose, before sitting obediently beside Jun as he snapped.

“What is that thing?”

“That's a Qwibon, isn't it?” Errin asked.

Jun nodded,” That's right. How did you know?”

“Jake told me about therm. He used one to travel to the plains of Abenon with Potato and myself. He told me there was a quest to get your own,” Errin answered,”I assume this is what you're taking us to do?”

He nodded,” That was my plan. You need some way to travel across the Veeya Stream, and you can only do so if you possess a riding animal. The easiest one to get is a Qwibon, although there are dozens more.”

“Oh?” I grinned deviously,”Jun, are there any platinum gem riding animals?”

Jun nodded,” There are, but you really ought to get your Qwibon first, Mom.”

I ignored him, trotting over to the marketplace,” I'd like to purchase the most expensive riding animal!”

The clerk nearest to me, a towering Phomet man, cleared his throat, “Of course, ma'am. Do you have your license?”

“My what?”

His caprine face lowered to my level, looking me in the eyes coolly, “Your riding license, ma'am. You can't ride a Qwibon or any other riding animal without acquiring your license. Don't worry. Approach the clerk on the opposite end with the green flag. You can earn your license there,” he called, as I glowered, before nodding.

“So, this is the way of things, huh? Bureaucracy?” I wondered as I trotted over to the directed desk, where a bored Phomet woman doodled on a writing pad, at odds with her counterpart due to her humanoid face.

“Are those two even the same species? Honestly, she reminds me of Potato more than him,” I thought. As I looked her over, she realized I stood beside her, stowing her drawings swiftly in her desk.

“Welcome! I assume you're here to acquire your riding license?” she beamed,

“Y-yes,” I frowned,” as I looked back from the first clerk back to her, “Will this take long?”

“Oh, no! All I need to do is read your credentials,” she said, staring at me for a moment, abefore scribbling hurriedly on a paper and handing it to me,” Take this to the clerk across the room you were just at.

“Ah, good, you have the paper,” the first clerk called, as he took the paper.

“So, I can get a riding animal now?” I asked excitedly.

He shook his head,” Not yet. You need to take this paper back to the clerk across the way.”

“Very well,” I sighed. Such busywork was the norm in many RPGs, so it stood to reason such chores would arise. However, when the female clerk handed me yet another paper, my patience wore thin.

“What am I even doing? Why can't I just do all this paperwork all at once?” I demanded, as she snickered.

“Because the paperwork can only be done at each respective desk,” she answered,” How else would you do it?”

I bit my tongue as I fumed inwardly at this impudence. Continuing along on this farce, I passed along each desk again and again, each time, passing along papers, signing papers, crossing Ts and dotting Is. After an hour of this farce, the male Phomet nodded, as he looked over me with an appraising look.

“It seems everything is in order,” he nodded,” Here is your license.”

He pushed forward a small card towards me on the table, which I grabbed greedily,” Niow, if you wish to continue, you can enter that door to get your Qwibon--”

I snorted,” Thanks, but no thanks. I'm off to get a far better ride.”

“But, you need to--” the clerk sputtered, as I trotted off, back into the hustle of the city outside. Spying a sign denoting the platinum gem mount shop, I looked over the options, as a single beast caught my eye.

“It's not as expensive as I wanted, only 2,500 gems. Still, this guy is far stronger than the typical Qwibons I'm seeing,” I mused, as I purchased it. Immediately, a figure towered over. A muscular mountain of a man towered over me. A giant with listening green skin, legs ending in hooves like dinner plates, and a large horse head stared down at me. What surprised me most, was the second, human face situated on the middle of its chest.

“I am Divine Beast Centaur, the least of the speed gods. Are you my master?” it boomed in a soothing voice, as I nodded, a silly grin spreading across my face.

“That's right. I need to go as fast as possible. Can you do this for me?”

Centaur snorted,” I am the fastest being on the surface. There is nothing I cannot overrun.”

“Awwright! Let's go!” I beamed, as he hefted me onto his shoulders, walking off into the main plaza in wide strides. I waved as I spied Jun and Errin, now with her own Qwibon; a stout mare with muted orange fur.

“What even is that?” Errin gawked, as Jun clapped with excitement.

“That's a premium beast! You have to use gems to get that one! Wow!” he gasped, as I nodded.

“Enough gawking, let's go!” I yelled triumphantly, as the others agreed. Loping along the city's streets, we passed along the main avenues into a large flattened stone valley rumbling with some unseen force.. The floor of this gorge was unnaturally flat, and I soon understood why. As Centaur stepped onto it surface, we shot forward, as I gathered why the others spoke of the Veeya Stream as they did.

The entire valley moved forward on its own.

We now charged ahead on a natural escalator of sorts, as I whooped with exhilaration Scattered groups of other adventurers surrounded us, as they raced along with us, and a silly grin spread across my face as I basked in the glory of the speed, the sun, and the wind rushing through my hair. My elation was short-lived, however, as a new whining drone, different in pitch from the rumbling drone of the Veeya Stream itself, as a wave of riders on granny bicycles surged ahead. Narrowly avoiding this oncoming wave of humans, I angrily shouted,” Watch it, you goons!”

“Shove it, you spotty bint! We're the Marmalade Gang and we own the Veeya Stream!” one roared back at me, as I fumed.

“Who do those bozos think they are?” I grumbled, as Jun's voice rose up from background whine.

“There's three others coming up behind us!” he cried, as I spun around. Behind s roared a gigantic vehicle, the size of a small house, soaring along on the road on a giant tricycle setup. Looking it over in shock, I spied two heralds rushing along beside this massive trike, one a garish dark-skinned human man dressed in bright greens and surfing along on a hovering board, while the other, a gray-skinned snub nosed giant, presumably a Zorren human, loped along on a majestic Qwibon buck armored to the gills with bright silver plate.

“HOOO BOY! LOOKIT THIS! Some fool in our way. Whaddya say, Chutney? We gonna double-team this twat?” the surfer called, as Chutney, the rider on the Qwibon, snorted.

“She's not even worth the trouble, Currant. Have at her,” he growled, as the rider on the giant trike, a lean man wearing a plethora of black leather, merely smirked.

“Go ahead, Currant, uphold the honor of the Marmalade Gang,” he boomed.

“Awwright, you heard Boss Marmalade! Know we're the Marmalade Gang, girlies! The Veeya Stream is our playground, and anyone, ANYONE who crosses us knows to vamoose! We'll run even our own grandmas down!” Currant cackled

“Sod off, you skater freaks!” I yelled, as Errin stared at me incredulously.

Marmalade, seated pompously on his giant trike, laughed uproariously, as he waved lazily at his subordinates.

“Do as you will,” he called.

“YEAH! Time to AMP THIS SUMBITCH UP!” Currant roared with delight, producing a small LP record, and spinning it onto a turntable trapped to his thigh. The valley rang with the new din of atonal music as a whir of electronic beeps, boops, and synthesized instruments assaulted my ears. The extra little knife twist to this ambush was that, deep down, I really liked electronic music. It was like being attacked by an old friend. As I cupped my hands over my ears, I desperately scanned the valley for any potential vector of attack, but none came.

“Flippin' disc jockey,” I wheezed, lunging forward into the air with an open hand as the lethal wave of Brutal Shrike Dance raced downstream at him, as he jumped over it without issue.

“Izzat it?” he leered, resuming his scratch session as a crash erupted behind the trio and bicycles and riders crashed about like a bizarre rain.

“Currant, Chutney, there are attackers behind us!” they cried, before smashing the walls of the valley as Chutney jerked about, spying a trio of riders on a pair of brilliant purple Qwibons.

“Is that...No, how could they be behind us? That can't be Zechs, Jake and Potato,” I mouthed, but sure it enough it was.

“HEY! WE FINALLY CAUGHT UP WITH YOU! WE'VE BEEN ON THE VEEYA STREAM FOR TWO DAYS!” Zechs shouted, waving.

“Yeah—Waitasecond, that's Divine Beast Centaur, Dieter.... How'd you get that?” Jake asked quizzically.

“Oh, I, y'know, bought him,” I replied nonchalantly.

“But he's a premium be—Oooooooh, you bloody bimbo! I'll wring those gems from you yet!” Jake roared, as Zechs laughed, patting him on the shoulder.

“Now, now, there's no reason to get ma--” he managed, before unceremoniously unseated by Chutney with a sweep of his lance. Zechs tumbled wordlessly off the Qwibon, and was soon out of sight, assuredly dead.

“ZECHS!” Potato cried, and in that moment, I'm not unsure what possessed me to do so, but I jumped off Centaur's back, soaring through the air and landing on the trike with a flourish.

“Okay, you suppository-guzzling sewage-mongers, I'll be smashing you all now, so you better get ready!” I hissed, as Marmalade laughed, rising to his feet, as he extended a hand to me.

“Now that I get a good look at you, you're not a half-bad looker. The name's Marmalade. This entire land is mine. You got yerself quite a fierce spirit! You'll be a fine addition to my gang. What do you say, Babe?” he smirked, as I stepped back. Something within my chest burned with unusual warmth and I felt my breaths shorten as my knees shook like jelly. What sort of magic was he using against me?

“Oh dear,” Errin sighed, shaking her head,”I never expected to have THIS be an attack I'd see in this game.”

“What do you mean?” Jun inquired.

“Well, Jun,” Errin chose her words carefully,” Most girls get used to such attacks by exposure or by being warned beforehand to such things; their friends telling them or warnings from their mothers. However, Deegal never was told, I suppose.”

“Told about what?”

Errin kneaded her brow,” That man. He's a bad boy in a leather jacket riding a motorcycle. He's the worst opponent for....someone like Deegal.”

“Oh!” Jun looked over,” How can you tell he's bad? Is that a Beckoner ability?”

“Oh, Jun, never change,” Errin smiled, as Jun gave her a grin, still not quite understanding.

As Errin and Jun bantered, I stepped back, unsure of how to respond, which only further emboldened Marmalade, as he slowly stepped towards me.

“Baby, I've been waiting for a girl like you to come round

To make my engine roar, let my spirit sound

I'll even let you outrun your cares, shore to shore

So, open up your heart, I'll treat you nice, and

after wards, we'll get some steak and rice,” he finished, flashing me a roguish grin, as I looked away, whatever plans I formed, flustered right out of my hormone-addled mind.

“I-I-I,” I sputtered, as one of Errin's angels tapped my shoulder, before shot out of the sky by Marmalade as he hefted a gigantic autopistol.

“Don't interfere,” he growled, as a wail eclipsed even Currant's din.

“This world is filled with easy lies to blind you

Life is a brilliant pastime, all flash and no substance

The truth is, the firecracker flash they parade, is you

Your life isn't mere kindling, but a roaring flame

Light your own beacon to follow. Your. Dreams,” the breaking voice roared, as even Currant and Chutney paused their assaults upon Jake and Potato, a newcomer roaring beside them. His coat fluttering like an embattled victory flag, Zechs gaudily shouted the opening refrain to the theme song of Slidelands, as he drove a shining silver motorbike beside Jake's Qwibon.

“The Zechs Warrior KENZAN!” He yelled triumphantly.

“WHAT?” Jake called.

“The Zechs Warrior arrives,” Zechs grumbled.

“That's what I thought.”

“Round two, “ Zechs called triumphantly, narrowing his gaze towards Chutney,, cut short as Marmalade leveled his pistol at the newcomer, firing wildly. I stared as Zechs wove around the wild shots more adroitly than I imagined possible.

“You feel anything for THAT rider?” Errin called, half-sarcastically, as I shook my head.

“No. Because I know it's an idiot. I'm over it. I'm over ALL of this,” I yelled, turning my attention to Marmalade,” Let's do this, ya doofus!”

He merely laughed,” Oh, my sweet, sweet angel, you cannot harm one such as I. Even with your fists raised, all you can do is shower me with the kiss of your skin.”

I growled, pummeling him with punches and kicks, as his mocking cackle grew.

“I told you, my dear,” he sneered, his skin shimmering with a metallic sheen,” I am a Proton Cruiser, No damage can reach me as my body is armored with flesh, steel and my iron will. You may hammer me with blows of Flesh, but you cannot pierce my armor.”

I stole a glance back at Jake and Zechs as they clashed with Currant and Chutney, as Errin cried with fury as she summoned numerous angels to aid our allies. It seemed, though, no such aid would arrive on my end.

“Are you afraid? Afraid of me and my lieutenants? You needn't be worried. I'll be gentle to you,” he smirked. I shuddered with fright, How could I even handle such a foe?

“You don't frighten me. I'll show you, I'll show you yet,” I growled, as I lunged forward with a Screaming Jetter Kick, landing the blow cleanly to his gut. He gasped, stepping back in pain, before rising with a cackle. His body shimmered with metallic light as a sheath of form-fitting armor covered his body.

“I told you. Your attacks won't do anything to me. Now, just give up. I won't hurt you,”he crooned, as I stepped back, but found myself at the edge of the trike's chassis. Swallowing, I furrowed my brow, and focused my power into my tail as I recalled the feeling Pai O lent to me with her terse lesson. I grasped my hands in a bizarre mudra unconsciously, Immediately, my backside burned with power and I blinked through a dawn of pain as my tail divided into numerous additional appendages.

“Ohoooo, what a lovely display. What are you going to do with all that extra backside?”

“Kick yours to the curb, you creeper! Alluring Tail Whirlwind!” I hissed, barraging Marmalade with a maelstrom of assaults utilizing both arms, legs and tails. This beatdown continued for several seconds of cathartic, mindless violence, but as soon as it came, I felt my body lose its vigor and I collapsed back, hurtling off the trike. As I fell towards the earth, I sighed.

“Well, I'm probably going to die again. At least I won't get molested,” I sighed, as my body jerked in midair. Looking up, I saw Jake reaching out, grabbing my tail.

“Gotcha!” he cried, tossing me onto the back of his Qwibon.

“I can't find any way to defeat this guy! His body is sheathed in some sort of unbreakable armor!” I called, as Potato stared at him for a moment.

“Ah, that would do it, he's a Cruiser. Cruisers gain massive benefits to armor and defense, even able to just cut damage taken. Thus, I think it's clear what we need to do.”

“Utilize armor-ignoring absolute attacks?” Jake asked, as Potato nodded half-heartedly.

“Well, yes, but before that, we ought to deal with those two,” Potato pointed to Currant and Chutney.

“Oh, yes, deal with us, pip-pip!” Currant mocked, spinning a new LP into his player as a new droning burst of music erupted. Spurred on, Chutney charged us, as Jake narrowly avoided the other Qwibon's charge. The pair engaged in a tense back and forth as Jake and Chutney traded blows. Hopping off Jake's mount and joining Potato, I glanced about the battlefield as Potato played a song on a small harmonica, and my vigor returned.

“Second Wind Scat,” they called,” Now about this Cruiser. Do you have Vacuum Fist or Kestrel Blow?”

I shook my head,” No, I don't. I don't have anything of the sort. All those skills have lower than average base damage!”

“That's the entire point, Deegal! You deal almost direct damage to your target's HP! That's how you defeat highly armored opponents. You can't overcome armor merely with large damage! You're no Drifter!”

“I'm no what?”

“Drifter,” Potato repeated,” It's a DPS gun-wielding class.”

“Oh! I thought youmean something more like cowboys shooting alien dinosaurs. I....Hold on,” I muttered, bringing up my skill menu, scouring over the list available techniques as I tried my best to ameliorate this serious shortcoming.

Potato snorted,” Are you actually looking this up right now? In the middle of the battle?”

“What do you want me to do? We're in the middle of a battle, and I can't do anything!” I cried, violently shaking Potato as they squeaked indignantly.

“S-STOP IT! I DON'T LIKE BEING TOUCHED!” they pleaded, as my eyes flared and I began poking their cheeks cruelly.

“Then what do you want from me, you nag?” I sneered, as our Qwibon whinnied, leaping out of the way of Chutney's continued assaults, tossing us both off her back. We shrieked as we clung together desperately shielding ourselves against the danger of the oncoming ground. Without thinking, I flared my strength throughout my form and we rose back into the air, rolling unceremoniously back onto Marmalade's trike.

“Oh, so, look, Destiny returns us together, and look! Even a Phomet lass joins us,” Marmalade grinned, as I shoved Potato off of me.

“Yeah, so what?” I growled, standing up, as Potato shrunk behind me.

“You can't harm me, and your little friends are powerless against my boys. Just give up and let yourselves become more riders on my endless wave.”

I looked back at Potato as she nodded,” Marmalade. If you asked me normally, I might've said yes. You're not a bad guy, I'd like to think. However, you just don't know how to take a hint, so let me be as clear as I can be,” I growled, rushing forward, lashing out with my hand as Marmalade leveled his monstrous hand-cannon at me. I was quicker, and my palm slammed into his side, blasting his body with concussive force. Hurled back by my blow, I grabbed Potato with my free hand as I alighted back onto Centaur's waiting back. For his part, Marmalade collapsed to his feet, more surprised than hurt, although I grinned at my handiwork. His shimmering mystic protection crumbled under my blow, and Potato shook me excitedly.

“His magic plate is broken! We can win this!” she cried, as Chutney and Currant, both alerted to their boss' status, jumped beside him.

“Like that'll happen! That'd require you to get close enough t'do so!” Currant mocked, as Chutney grinned, chanting, as a series of large lances materialized around him. Zechs sighed, turning to Jake.

“Jake Man, I got a question for you,” he boomed in his affectation.

“What's up?”

“Do you trust me?”

Jake paused, before raising his fist to Zechs,” Sure, man. I can't see why not, now.”

“Great. Then let's do this! Our combination attack! Breaker Boost!” Zechs roared, as his body suffused with a brilliant glow.

“Wait, what even is that?” I asked, turning to Potato as her eyes sprarkled with awe.

“T-that's the Breaker Boost. That's supposed to be the core ability of the Breaker, a team move that gives you and one other ally a massive stat boost and a powerful attack technique. The trouble is, the attack requires a full minute to charge, and with the reliance on close proximity to your target, then the effects you wish can be easily discerned. Granted, Breaker is versatile enough without it to be viable, anyways, but--” Potato began as I cut her off.

“Enough, Potato. Can this beat those three?”

Potato shrugged,” Maybe? I've never actually seen it in action.”

Predicting Jake and Zechs' intentions, Currant and Chutney began preparing for the inevitable reprisal, as Marmalade chanted, his body shimmered with his rebuilt armor.

“Oi, Boss-man, how long till you can rebuild your Steel Aegis?” Currant called, as Marmalade grunted with effort.

“It'll be another minute,” he growled, as Chutney turned to the others hesitantly.

“I-I'm not sure we have that long,” he called, as Zechs and Jake seethed with immense energies.

“BRILLIANT!” Zechs roared, BOOST BREAK!”

Jake and Zechs surged forward, twin comets of destruction as they launched forward, hammering the trio with a single blow each, hurling their quarry into the air.

“I-IMPOSSIBLE! A BREAKER BOOST?! WE LET THEM GET OFF A BREAKER BOO-” Marmalade howled, as his body ballooned with destructive force, and the trio exploded spectacularly above us.

“Well, we just killed a man,” Potato mused, looking on in awe, as I shrugged.

“They were adventurers. They just went to the resurrection temple,” I replied, as Potato nodded, returning her attention back to the explosion as it surged ahead.

“Should we--” I asked as we both flew back,hurl;ed back by the explosion as we tumbled off the Veeya Stream. I looked up, finding myself int front of an archway labeled ,”Welcome to Treisgen.”

“Oh, good,” I sighed.

We arrived, at last.

#Adventure #fantasy #fiction #mmorpg #Photon Breaker Zechs

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