#this all looks fine and dandy but i always think of the red queen in alice in wonderland when i think of madame de pompadour

[rosepompadour]

How wonderful they were, those evenings when she would enter the dreamlike glow of her private apartments, divinely intoxicated on hot chocolate and champagne. She had always preferred warm, cosy spaces, far from the cold air of Versailles that froze her to the bone. In the Hall of Mirrors, the candles of the grand chandeliers had all been extinguished and the moon enveloped the palace in its soft milky light. It was then she would jump into her alcove bed to either fall straight to sleep or lay awake in a dream. Time flies so quickly when life is joyous and carefree. - Serge Gleizes on Madame de Pompadour, Laduree: Decoration and Inspiration

[yoshkeii]

Bokuto Confession hcs!

࿐ character: Bokuto Koutarou

࿐ genre: fluff, soft, confessions!

࿐ requested by: GreenTheSimp on Ao3!

࿐ imagine/scenario: “some Bokuto headcannons on how he asks Khai out? Plus maybe him being a goof towards his s/o.”

A/N: fyi, most of these will be coming from my Ao3 since I started writing there first! it’s not much and i generally don’t proof read these so im sorry if there are small errors, this one is a bit longer since I made two chapters for it. im so bad at writing istg,,

≫ ──── ≪ Confession Time ≫ ──── ≪

❀ First, Bokuto would be oblivious to his crush and his feelings for you till it was brought up multiple times by his team, and eventually at the volleyball camp from the other schools. Most likely Kuroo nagging him about the certain someone, Khai, Bokuto talks about so much.

❀ You and Bokuto were friends for quite some time, maybe at least a year or so. And being in the same class as him, you guys had time to interact with each other and even plan hangouts whenever you could.

❀ And yes, this man talks 24/7 about you without even noticing- this varies from your interactions during the school day, your conversations during classes and lunch, stupid dumb texts you guys have once in a while, the answers you give him from the many of many questions he asked you... the list goes on and on. This makes it easy for his friends to identify his fucking crush on you. him being so oblivious about it hurts their brains istg

❀ He's extremely bubbly around you, super friendly and kind but you usually brush it off as his normal personality. ibetyou'llbeoblivioustooaboutit.

❀ Once Bokuto awakened to his crush and feelings for you he found it extremely difficult to act like it was normal before. The slight blush on his cheeks was a much solid shade. His heart skipping beats every time he saw you walk in the room. Your laugh, your smile, anything about you made him so nervous around you now. When you directly smile at him, hearing your laughs at his jokes or actions will make this man just seize to exist.

❀ Bokuto can't stop thinking about you after that thought, always finding his mind wandering to the dorkiest, sappy shit thing he would do with you.

❀ Sometimes he found himself avoiding you at some points just so he can keep himself in check and not be an embarrassment around you-

❀ He still craves your attention but he gets a lingering fear he might mess something up so he has an internal fight with himself and it just- hurts him sm- poor owl,,

❀ Akaashi finds himself trying to motivate and support emo Bokuto at these moments, usually through texts or calls when they aren't near each other etc.

❀ You would generally think he would just confess to you as soon as he had the chance but actually took this on a slow thoughtful ride. To the point, it did affect his skill at practice, which notified his teammates about it fairly quickly. Bokuto was so deep in thought about it all he was unsure how to process his confession, when, where, what would make you happy, if you liked him back and such.

❀ This eventually leads to him asking Akaashi, the team, and friends (from the other teams' ofc-), on how he should confess to you. All of the answers didn't seem to fit Bokuto in a comfortable way either, which is hella surprising. Before he decided to do something pretty simple.

❀ Earlier today, Bokuto asked you to wait for him a few minutes after class. Knowing you two had different club activities after school, him having volleyball and you have [Khai's favorite activity]. It was the best option to get your attention since your clubs ended at different times made it difficult. And so you did, meeting him outside of your classroom, just you and him.

❀ Bokuto felt anxious about being alone with you, especially like this.

❀ "Hey, Khai..?"

❀ "What is it, Bo?"

❀ That little nickname you gave him, always and I mean always made his heart skip 10 beats. The blush on his cheeks grew a shade darker.

❀ "Wanna walk home.. t-together...?" Bokuto quickly mustered out the words, knowing his throat would dry up sooner or later.

❀ Both of you actually took a similar route home after school, which you guys figured out on a rainy day.

❀ "Oh, sure! Don't you have practice though?" You tilted your head innocently, your hair moving as well revealing the smallest of details that made Bokuto swoon.

❀ "Coach said we should rest for our game tomorrow"

❀ "Ah- that makes sense, I forgot about that-" You giggled lightly before you took the lead of heading out of the building.

❀ Bokuto froze at your giggle before you dragged him behind you. Your hand softly around his wrist. "C'mon slowpoke," you teased.

❀ He smiled slightly before he caught up to you. Walking aside from you at the same pace.

❀ It was an awkward walk. Bokuto was oddly quiet which made you slightly worried.

❀ "Bokuto? You alright..?" You finally broke the silence, looking up at the Ace to your right.

❀ "P-perfectly fine!"

❀ "You stuttered."

❀ "Did... I..?"

❀ "Yes, dummy- What's wrong?"

❀ "I-... Damn it. Khai."

❀ Before you knew it, he pulled you into a kiss. His large hands cupping your face as he planted his lips softly onto yours, pulling away from a little with only a few inches from your lips. Bokuto looked straight into your brown eyes, staring back with his golden eyes. The blush on his cheeks flushed with shades of red.

❀ "I like you. Wait- No.. I love you." Bokuto muttered softly, feeling his breath on your lips made you shiver.

❀ You just giggled, before it grew into genuine laughter. He widened his eyes removing his hands from your face.

❀ "H-hey..!! What's so funny!?"

❀ "It was so obvious Bo~"

❀ "Was.. was it!? I-"

❀ You cut him off, "I love you too Koutarou."

❀ Him hearing you use his first name WITH you saying ily to him, made his day. A bright smile plastered on his face, he hugged you lifting you up and kissing your face all over.

❀ "HEY HEY HEYYYY!! Khai likes me back!! Actually, Khai LOVES me!" Bokuto exclaimed happily

❀ After that, Bokuto was back to his normal, loud, excited self throughout the walk. You guys began to have your simple conversations again, him poking you with questions trying to get to know you even more. Having the lingering doubt he had from rejection and negativity was lifted-off from him. He even mentioned having your first date so soon-

❀ He couldn't wait to bring the news to his team and friends.

❀ He can't wait to see you by his side every day.

≫ ──── ≪ Confession Aftermath ≫ ──── ≪

❀ After the confession, Bokuto would rarely ever leave your side. So he does get clingy to you as he does with Akaashi. He's not much for PDA but he's also not against the thought, he unconsciously hugs you, wrapping his arms around your torso, waist, arms, and sometimes around your neck at least- Sometimes light kisses and pecks but those are generally rare unless he's really excited about something.

❀ He gets really flustered sometimes when you addressed him as your boyfriend the first few days and maybe weeks after starting the relationship. He's just not used to it- It gives this hunk of a man butterflies in his stomach a lot.

❀ Whenever you guys had to leave each other for your designated classes, you tend to find cute notes in your locker whenever you open them. Having cute phrases, flirts, compliments, and silly pick-up lines. You already knew it was from Bokuto because you... sometimes catch him lurking around your locker- just never brought up to him knowing it would genuinely make him sad.

❀ Bokuto just finds it cool that you don't know at first okay-

❀ You always tried to go to his practices and even games when you guys were just friends. Knowing that if Bokuto saw any of his friends out in the stands made his confidence skyrocket so much-

❀ But since you guys are now in a relationship, it makes Bokuto smile so much every time he spots you in the stands of the crowds. Cheering him on boosts his confidence so fucking much- like if this man is in emo mode please cheer for him, it helps a ton (Akaashi and the team might thank you also-)

❀ Long-lasting phone calls that continue till like 3-4 am. Sometimes facetime/video calls if you both have the ability to! He loves seeing your face, he finds it so fucking adorable with all your smallest features and details.

❀ Bokuto probably changed your contact name on his phone to something like "baby owl" with like emojis or something- or literally, just nick (pet) names he has for you- "baby, bae, cloud, cutie, feather, angel, king/queen, prince/princess" and so on. He looooves having names for you because it makes him smile every time he finds things that remind him of you (which generally is how he figures some of them out-)

❀ Whenever this man finds you sad, upset, stressed, or literally in any negative emotion. He will try his damn hardest to make you feel better even if its the slightest, and if it is the slightest he'll keep going to you are perfectly fine and dandy.

❀ He'll even go out of his way to skip practice if needed to comfort your sad butt- He'll give you cuddles, so many cuddles. He's practically a cuddle monster so better prepare for how long you'll stay in his arms afterward-

❀ Whenever you guys are just cuddling in general, he loves to nuzzle his face into your hair, your neck, and shoulder. Just craving the touch and comfort of his lover. Even if it's the slightest of motion, he'll take whatever he can get!

❀ Continuing on the cuddling situation, one of the secret things he loves about you is how you smell. The shampoo you use for your hair, the body wash, perfume or cologne.

❀ Since it's fall season (as of I'm writing this ofc-), Bokuto will drag you around for some walks in the cool weather through parks. Honestly hoping to find leaves to pile and fall into with you! I'd think one of Bo's love language would be quality time (and words of affirmation.) So hanging out with him makes this owl the happiest man to walk on this planet.

❀ Whenever you are cold on these walks, he won't hesitate to wrap his arms around you. If it's a specific part of your body that is cold, for example, your hands. He'll definitely hold his hands over yours. Maybe planting a kiss on them afterward (accidentally getting flustered seconds later-)

❀ Bokuto might also just stare at your hands clasped together, noticing the size difference for the 100000000000000th time

❀ Honestly, he likes to use Instagram and Snapchat filters with you. It's really cute af,, he's such a dork for couple things

❀ Body issues? Bokuto will love every part of you no matter what, comforting that every part of your body is perfect as it is. He'll softly plant kisses wherever you feel insecure. He'll cuddle you till you agree with him that you are a perfect human being.

❀ Don't try to sneak out of it. He's hella stubborn with topics like these- He ain't that dense and dumb guys,,

A/N: I love me some Bokuto huuuuu

[dariaslore]

1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 16, 20, 21 for Griffin x Valtor

1.What was their first impression of each other?

Well, the first thing that crossed Valtor's mind as he saw her was to play her. He was in front of a good looking witch and he thought she would've been swooning over him in no time. Valtor had just found his new puppet, ready to satisfy all of his ego's whims. He began flirting, but little did he know, Griffin hated his attitude. She hated his manners, everything about him seemed over stressed, emphasized and fake, he was playing a character she didn't like at all, plus she couldn't stand his bigger than life ego. Griffin could see what he was aiming at and she immediately tried to be straightforward and it turned out like "Everybody knows you're hot, but I'm here to work. I don't have time for sex."

3.Describe their relationship dynamic.

Bickering couple, they take everything as an intellectual fight and live for their bantering. Debating is their favorite activity and the topics can range between "what is best to eat for lunch" and "is the Council biased?". They tend to joke (some are very sexual) a lot, sass and sarcasm at their full potential, who can annoy the other the most is the winner.

( Valtor: Take that stuff away from my room!

Griffin: It's my plants, I live in this room now and I want them to stay with me.

Valtor: I don't care!

Griffin: Poor thing, I forgot they ruin your whole 'dandy wizard' aesthetic!

Valtor: Exactly. Buy me red roses instead, they look good with marble. Better if almost rotten, the decadence, the sweet perfume of death, you know?

Griffin: *facepalm* )

When it comes to feelings he's very closeted, but she tries to get him out of his shell.

4.What was their relationship like before they got together?

Bad. Griffin hated him and he hated her. Coven' members were annoyed by their dynamics and couldn't understand how childish their 'cracked to be power duo' was.

6. What do they love about each other?

Valtor is in love with her brain. He finds her simply brilliant and is always listening to her in awe whenever she comes up with a new plan. She's got wit and sass, her heart is as big as her brain is. He loves how she doesn't mock him for everything he does and she is willing to pay attention to his interest (something his mothers never did), so he feels comfortable enough to share his passions and doubts. He doesn't feel under scrutiny when she's around, he can be free to be and her smiles when she's proud of his doing are priceless. He loves the fact she truly cares about him and she's soo confident (it makes her so hot).

Griffin is a die hard for his charisma and she was quite surprised when he turned out to be most sensitive person she had ever met. She fell in love with his soul.

7. What do they have in common?

They are both ambitious and so into magic knowledge. Without magic and their drive for knowledge they would've never met. Their love bloomed between researches, books, ancient spells, strategies and missions, that's why even after they had gotten together, they still referred to each other as "partners" and not "boyfriend or girlfriend". Their partnership was almost sacred with a very deep bond. They're both dreamers, even though she's way more pragmatic and he's an hopeless decadent, they're prideful, vain and value their privacy. They may share some similarities and common interests (magic, history...) but their strength comes from the differences.

9. What made them realize they were in love?

They were fighting and teasing each other as always, they realized the might've liked and enjoyed that merciless bantering.

Griffin and Valtor started growing closer and their partnership got stronger and stronger as time passed. Sex came first, there was sexual attraction and they became "partners in crime with benefits". Then, after overcoming some barriers, they began to get to know each other more and more, he was finally showing her something real and she liked the fact he trusted her so much that he put aside the mask of the almighty and fabulous sorcerer from time to time. Valtor had gotten used to having her around, she was a great company and when he felt jealousy inside him for the first time by seeing her talking to another member of the Coven who had wanted her for a while, he realized that maybe it was more than just a partnership between the two of them. He hated to stay away from her and all her sides he had hated before, were now his favorites: the same witch he had thought a control freak and mean, whose now he adored the intelligence and sarcasm. Griffin knew she was slowly falling in love, but she was in denial, she believed it would've been just a fleeting crush and she tried every way to make it go away, she calculated pros and cons and looked for every single flaw in Valtor's personality to make him repulsive. But she loved those flaws. The witch was in love.

16. What do other characters think about this relationship?

Coven's members were happy they kinda stopped fighting all the time, some women (and men) were envious Griffin was his partner and lover. Griffin's friends were thrilled and found their couple really hot (where did she find such a good looking man?).

The Ancestral Witches had a controversial point of view, whilst they were satisfied they finally got along, their convergences were a blast and Valtor had a babysitter (the witches knew about his mental state, at least there was someone keeping him safe and sane now. The years before meeting Griffin had been really dark, the Ancestral were tired of the wizard self destructive behavior.) they feared the relationship might've distracted their son from fulfilling his destiny (he was created to be a weapon, not for love and kisses). They saw a threat in Griffin's figure, therefore they never treated her roughly, but always kept an eye on her. When Liliss found out of their relationship she said "This is going to end bad." Belladonna and Tharma were thrilled, Liliss was not, she knew the repercussions on their son if she ever left.

Griffin's father wasn't happy, he was worried and he tried to warn her daughter about what she was getting herself into, but she had to follow her path and he couldn't stop her from living her life and making choices (the witch was too stubborn).

Faragonda was also worried, very worried.

20. What does a typical date look like for them?

They're partners in crime, always together, and they can make a date out of nothing. A raid on a planet? That's a date. Stealing spells? Date. Spying on enemies? Another date. Theft on Eraklyion? The. Best. Date. Ever.

Whisperia is a bustling planet (I hc they lived there), there's always a ton of stuff to do. They didn't have a lot of free time, but they managed to make it worthy by going to some very classy nightclubs and going shopping (for Valtor's happiness. She's into fashion as well, but he's addicted)

He sometimes likes going to the theater and the opera (the drama queen he is), she doesn't understand a thing she's watching and it can bore her to death, but he's happy and she loves seeing him so engaged while he's explaining to her what is going on (she has to admit he's a wonderful storyteller and his humanistic culture is astonishing). She will definitely drag him to museums and scientific and political conventions where they discuss about magic and Magix's politics in a very technical way. Stargazing was another main activity, they could've spent hours talking under the dark sky (they did).

21. What’s a really significant moment in their relationship?

One of the most significant moment in their relationship was the first night they hang out together. The Ancestral were tired of their tantrums and decided it was time for them to bond, so Valtor and Griffin were forced to spend some free time together. The Witches thought it was important for their partnership to be strong also out of the battlefield, only in that way it could've unleashed its true potential. They had a new mission and it was building trust. And that night was just the beginning. (They were both slowly introduced in each other's own world). Another significant moment was Griffin seeing his demon form for the first time. It was a divide, a fracture, after that, their relationship was in free fall. Darkness became too much to handle, he was breaking, his mental health spiraling down towards insanity and she couldn't fall into pieces with him. It was toxic, his behavior, how Valtor got so obsessed with her she couldn't leave him alone for more than a minute. Griffin was sleeping next to a ticking bomb ready to implode, pressure from his mothers was too much, the demon rising, and she was afraid to hurt him.

There was no communication, she tried to understand and he erected walls, pretended everything was fine and at the same time he blamed it on himself if she was sad or angry for whatever reason. A dichotomy, the demon pursuing his mother's biddings and the man living just for her smile, fleeting sanity still standing in the name of their love.

[much-brighter-ink]

Secret Santa Queendom Exchange

Merry Christmas Eve! Enjoy your secret santa gift fic- since you said you were ok with anything, I went for a festive fic because I thought the queens experiencing modern christmas would be amusing (also my entire knowlege of Tudor Christmas tradition comes from a single Lucy Worsley documentary so apologies for any wrong details!)

*

‘Well that was a complete waste of time-’ Jane dropped her handbag and keys onto the kitchen table, scowling. ‘You would have thought I was asking for the moon from how he reacted!’

  Anna hummed sympathetically and got up to put the kettle on to make Jane a soothing post-shopping-trip cup of green tea. ‘No good?’

  ‘I said, I told him, that I completely understood that he might not actually HAVE one in stock, especially on Christmas Eve, but that we’d all agreed to check just in case and-’ Jane pulled out a chair with slightly more force than was necessary and Anna leant forward. 

  ‘What? What? He didn’t have one?’

  ‘He just laughed Anna!’ Jane’s annoyance softened into hurt. ‘He didn’t even answer, just laughed and then turned to the next person as if I was joking!’

  ‘Oh love-’

  ‘It was REALLy embarrassing AND then a lady stopped me before I could even LEAVE and asked why on earth I’d want to eat something like that…’

  Anna put a comforting hand on Jane’s shoulder and put a mug of tea in front of her. ‘Well you shouldn’t be too upset then- the very fact that she had to ask shows she’s obviously got no taste at all.’

  Jane chuckled weakly and took a sip of tea. ‘Thanks. It was just horrible- everyone looked at me like I was completely stupid.’

  ‘Well the others will be back soon, maybe they’ll have had more-’

  Anna’s words were cut off by the bang of the front door and the sound of a pair of shoes being angrily kicked off.

  ‘Kitty? Is that you?’

  ‘I’m back.’ Kitty trudged into the kitchen and leant into Anna’s side. ‘Don’t ask how it went.’

  ‘Why not?’

  ‘Because it was absolutely useless.’ Sinking into a chair, Kitty stared pathetically at Jane’s tea until Anna laughed and passed her a cup of her own. ‘No one could help and I got stuck listening to an hour long lecture about animal cruelty and The Law from some interferring old busybody that was passing!’ Kitty sighed heatedly. ‘Since when was it illegal to try and have some fun at Christmas?’

  ‘Weren’t you listening Kitty? If your lecture was anything like mine, it’s-’ Jane assumed a mincing tone. ‘-cruel the poor endangered boars. Or bears, in your case.’

Anna rolled her eyes. ‘God. Wiping them out globally is all fine and dandy then in the name of progress but kill one bear in a good old fashioned family bear-baiting to bring the community together and provide everyone with a bit of holiday cheer and you’re a monster…’

  ‘This century is so joyless.’

  Jane nodded. ‘You’re telling me.’

  Kitty turned anguished eyes upon her. ‘Don’t tell me you had no luck either!’

  ‘Sorry-’

  ‘Argh!’ Kitty let out a frustrated wail and let her head flop down onto her folded arms. ‘No bear baiting AND no boar’s head? It might as well not even BE Christmas…’

  The others murmured disconsolate agreement just as Catalina burst through the backdoor wildly.

  ‘That had better be some ill-judged Protestant humour-’

  Anna shook her head. ‘Sorry Catty.’

  ‘A tomar por culo! This is going to be the worst Christmas ever!’

  Jane looked at her oddly. ‘Didn’t you die at Christmas?’

  Catalina fixed a cold stare upon her former lady in waiting. ‘But at least I got to have one last Christmas dinner to keep my spirits up Jane!’

  ‘Fair point…’ 

  ‘Thank you Kitty.’

  The silence fell on the kitchen, and then Anna suddenly looked up.

  ‘Where are Anne and Cathy? Shouldn’t they be back by now?’

  Catalina looked up. ‘Didn’t they go with Kitty?’

  Kitty shook her head. ‘I thought they’d gone with you-’

  ‘No-’

  ‘They probably just-’

  ‘I bet they-’

  Their speculation was interrupted by the insistent buzzing of Catalina’s phone, accompanied by a rather tinny but still recognisable refrain-

  ‘Oh my god you have Anne’s song as your ringtone!’ Despite her earlier misery, Kitty now looked positively gleeful. ‘I can’t believe it, I KNEW you liked it really-’

  ‘It’s CATCHY-’ Catalina mumbled, as she half turned in her chair to hide her blush. Jane patted her arm sympathetically.

  ‘Catalina Trastamara de Aragon-’

  ‘Why does she always answer her phone like that?’

  ‘Leave her alone, as if Good Morrow, Bitches is any better-’

  ‘Madrina?’

  At her goddaughters voice, Catalina flapped an arm at the others. ‘Shut up! It’s Cathy! -Are you alright querida?’

  ‘I’m fine.’ Cathy sounded rather hesitant. ‘Just- promise not to panic, ok?’

  ‘Cathy?’

  ‘Promise!’

  ‘Ok-’

  ‘…..We’re at the police station!’

  ‘What?!’

  ‘How!?’

  There was a scuffle and Anne’s voice came on the line. ‘Hi! Look, before you get cross, absolutely NOT our fault ok?’

  ‘What did you do?’

  ‘We had no idea it’d go like this-’

  ‘What did you DO?’

  ‘It’s was Cathy’s idea!’

  ‘Anne!’

  ‘We just thought it’d be fun!’ Cathy wailed from the background. ‘We never got to do it back then but it always sounded so exciting-’

  ‘And Jane SAID we needed to make more of an effort with the neighbours!’

  ‘What did you DO?’

  ‘Well….and let me just remind you again that it was CATHY’S idea, seeing as it IS Christmas Eve…’

  ‘Anne-’

  ‘Turns out people get REALLY weird when you cover your face and burst into their house in disguise-’

  **

To the queen’s disgust, it turned out that the jolly Tudor practise of Mumming was, in the 21st century, considered to be highly suspicious and also in contravenence of the law. 

  A quick and grovelling conversation with the neighbour who had called the police (plus a promise of free yard work and snow shovelling for the foreseeable future) saw the two errant queens released and sent home with the stern warning not to try anything like that again.

  **

  Jane entered the living room where the five rather dejected queens sat in gloomy silence in the living room. ‘So they’ve agreed they won’t press charges and I THINK they’re going to keep quiet about it so that’s sorted at least.’

  ‘Thanks Jane-’ Cathy made room for the third queen on the sofa and Jane joined her.

  ‘What are we watching?’

  ‘Anna suggested we try a modern Christmas film to try and get into the spirit-’

  ‘Oh?’

  Kitty made a face. ‘It’s about a demon who goes around sneaking into the houses of children before Christmas day…’

  ‘Oh. Weird.’

  ‘Yeah not very cheering…’

  ‘Speaking of which, where IS Anna?’

  ‘Oh she said she had a surprise to cheer us all up-’

  Cathy hugged a cushion to her chest. ‘Honestly, I can’t think of ANYTHING that will make today ANY-’

  She was interrupted by Anna- Anna von Kleve, dressed in an oversized red hoody with Trust No Bitch emblazoned on it in gold sequins and bearing what looked to be Jane’s best Le Creuset mixing bowl, filled to the brim with-

  ‘Is that….what IS that?’

  ‘Mmmm….vodka….and the gin that was left over…and about a half cup of cooking sherry….’ Anna looked up defensively. ‘What? I know the wassail cup is MEANT to be cider but we didn’t have enough to fill the bowl!’

  ‘I suppose that’s fair enough-’ 

  Catalina reached for the bowl and took a swig. ‘At least that’s one tradition they can’t take away from us. Even if we’re the only ones to do it anymore…’

  ‘They can take our boar and our bear and our mummers but they’ll pry our wassail cup out of our cold dead hands!’

  ‘Yep’ Anne nodded decisely. ‘It can still be a BIT like Christmas IF we can all drink alcohol out of a massive bowl….’

  The other queens nodded, looking slightly cheered.

  *

  Needless to say, the Boxing Day performance had to be cancelled.

-----------------

Ahhhh @cynicalrainbows thank you so, so much!!! This made my day, I love your writing so much - have a wonderful Christmas Eve! @queendomsecretsanta

[shhhlikeme]

i sAW ARAN AND CAME AS FAST AS I COULD! would it be okay if you could do a oneshot where the inarizaki manager (the reader) has a crush on aran and is usually super boisterous and loud but goes super quiet and shy around him and everyone’s like 👁👄👁 - iDK IF THAT MADE SENSE 😭😭 ILY 💖💖

My demand for some Aran requests was sparked by your Aran Appreciation Day so lest not forget!! Ily too babygirl I hope your account goes back to normal soon smh.

I laughed the whole time writing this. Hope you like it:

————————————-

You Going From Reverse ‘zero to 100’ Because Your Crush Aran Ojiro Came In! 🔫

Some More Aran Ojiro x Reader Fluff 🤗 (Funny!)

————————————-

As the Inarizaki Boys Volleyball Team manager, you were responsible for a lot of things:

You had to make sure the boys were actively drinking from their designated water bottles, you brought the boys to the nurse when they were injured (Aran was currently out of commission with a sprained ankle right now😢), and you made sure to order extra uniforms because somehow Atsumu always lost his (though your school sources told you that his fan girls stole it one too many times)

You were also responsible, however, for more personal Manager duties, such as running morning practices by yourself without a coach like today, and...... sobering up the hungover boys when they are sluggish at practice BECAUSE they all went to a popular girls party last night that was thrown in their honour 🙄🙄🙄

THAT YOU TOLD THEM NOT TO GO TO! 😡😡😡😡

(Kita didn’t go because he is RESPONSIBLE)

Inarizaki girls are literally in love with the team and kinda forced them

they’re a beautiful team

so do I blame them? Nah

To wake the boys up, you shot them with your infamous ice cold water filled Super Soaker as soon as they came out of the change room, effectively getting cussed out by the twins

“We hate that thing, Y/N!” Atsumu yelled.

“Water guns in high school?! Grow up.” Added Samu.

You squirted them both again, sticking your tongue out.

“I don’t care, evil twins. I told you guys not to go to that party!”

still upset, the twins bickered with you all morning like brats

At the end of an awful practice Kita made the team a wager

“Y/N. How about some incentive to whip my team into shape, hm? If they promise to never come to practice drowsy like this again... do you promise to retire that wretched water gun once at for all? Like, for good?”

You smiled. “Ummmmm sure! But I do have to say that—“

The entire team interrupted you because they erupted in applause, hugging and dapping eachother up like they just won the lottery. Akagi ran to collect your precious water gun and altogether the team held it over their heads as if the water gun was crowd surfing. Cheering, they headed towards the trash can with loud chants of happiness.

Boiling over in annoyance (because that was your favourite water gun!!!!!) you yelled at them.

“OH BOO-HOO YOU BIG BABIES! 🤬” You were fuming at their childish behaviour, feeling your ears redden at their immaturity.

you’re one to talk ‘water gun girl’ lmaooo

Even though the boys cheered over your screams, you only made your voice louder.

“IT’S JUST WATER AND NO ONE TOLD YOU TO GO TO THAT STUPID PARTY. ACTUALLY, YOU PROMISED YOU WOULDN’T GO BUT WHO DO I SEE ON SNAPCHAT DOING THE ROBOT ON THE TABLE? THAT’S RIGHT REN, I’M TALKING TO YOU! YOU COULD HAVE FALLEN AND HURT YOURSELF AND BEEN OUT OF PRACTICE & GAMES LIKE ARAN.”

The boys made a show of tossing your water gun in the gymnasiums garbage can and jumping for joy afterward. They ran around you in a circle skipping, clapping, and making a scene just to bother you.

Overly unimpressed with their behaviour, you cussed on at the jumping athletes— “Grrrrrrrr. THROWING OUT MY FAVOURITE WATER GUN DOESN’T CHANGE THE FACT THAT YOU’RE ALL IRRESPONSIBLE AND CAN’T KEEP A PROMISE TO SAVE YOUR LIVES! ALL THE CHEERLEADING TEAM HAD TO DO WAS BAT THEIR EYELASHES AT YOU BOYS AND YOU LOT WERE THERE—“

“What’s all the commotion?” Asked an obviously separate voice from behind your seething figure.

You froze. It was a voice that you knew very well. A voice that should be at home resting with a sprained ankle and not at practice right now.

Agonizingly slowly, you turned on your heels to look up at quite possibly the (secret) love of your life: Inarizaki’s Aran Ojiro. Looking handsome as ever in an oversized gray hoodie and joggers, with two crutches tucked neatly under his armpits, Aran looked down at you with an amused expression. “So am I missing practice or am I missing a New Years Eve party?” He laughed at his own cute joke and butterflies exploded in your stomach.

Quickly transforming like a bloody Pokémon or something—you linked your hands behind your back and replaced your red seething expression for an innocent, blushing, cutesy one.

The team stopped their bouncing when they saw you go from just-about-to-pop-a-blood-vessel-mad to world-peace-loving-pageant-queen-sweet in a split second.

They all stared at you like: ............

👁👄👁

❓❓❓❓❓❓❓❓No Comprende❓❓❓❓❓❓❓❓

“Uh, n-no commotion Aran. Everything is um....fine and dandy here.” You stared at the gym floors as you spoke quietly, a huge contrast to how you were yelling a moment ago. You used the floor to skim dirt off the bottom of your shoes timidly. Blushing, you tucked a piece of your hair behind your ear.

Kita approached you then, he was absolutely concerned with your change in behaviour because he thought you might have a brain problem of something. “Y/N. You were just screaming at the team for disobeying your orders like a monster. And as soon as Aran walked in you turned into a blushing sweet girl. Are you okay—OW!!!”

Stomping on the way-too-blunt captain’s foot in the cutest way possible, you looked up at your crush who was looking back at the team with the most confused expression. You gave Aran a shy smile like: 😊.

“Anyways, how are you feeling...Aran? Why don’t you come sit down and I’ll take a look at your ankle while the boys GET BACK TO PRACTICE, hm?”

Still bewildered as ever but unable to refuse his pretty manager, Aran returned your smile and nodded. “Uh, sure....? Whatever you say.” Turning slowly in his crutches, you both walk together to the bench.

Kita, the twins and the rest of the team watch out-of-earshot as the their manager and their best spiker walk to the opposite end of the gym together. Angrily holding his throbbing left toes behind him, Kita glared holes into the back of your small figure. He was pissed.

“We need a new manager.” Kita spat dryly to the team who stood behind him in a cluster.

The twins laughed.

“No way, man.” Samu nudged his captain—who won’t be mad after an hour—in the rib. “Aran has a huuuuge crush on her. He’d be devastated if she left. Why else do you think he’s still here at practice when he’s under strict orders to stay at home? He literally can’t go a day without seeing her.”

Atsumu jumped in to the conversation then, nudging his captain on the opposite side as his brother. “He didn’t even come to the party last night because I told him Y/N wouldn’t be there. He’s got it baaad, Capt.” Atsumu shook his head.

The extraordinary Inarizaki captain listened to his twin teammate’s words as he watched from afar as you and Aran sat and spoke shyly to one another. He watched as you lifted his casted foot on the bench. Kita saw Aran’s lit up face when you spoke to him and he saw the way your blush hadn’t diminished even a little since he’d come in.

Kita sighed.

“Okay. She can stay, because she’s a hell of a good Manager, but that’s the only reason.” Kita stated. “Now, start cooling down.” He clapped twice to get the boys to start moving. Kita hoped he had sounded convincing when he said that the sole reason he wouldn’t get the coach to fire you after stepping on his foot was because you were good at your job...

When really.... he wouldn’t get the coach to fire you because even a cold, focused, austere man such as himself could see that you two had something really special blooming between you.

[perseusjackson-jasongrace]

His Blood Runs Gold IV

Percy is a God: Part IV

Here’s my masterlist for the next part and my other stuff

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

we are products of war

and enemies of peace

we are universes finally standing still

ready, ready, ready

to destroy us all

this time

there is only power baby boy

and i will be brutal.

“Hey,” Jason said faintly, tapping the bubble.

Percy stood from his perch on the rock and waved goodbye to the school of fish he had been talking to. “You’re awake. How are you feeling?”

“Like I haven’t slept that well in months.”

Percy produced an immortal grin at that, “You hungry?”

“Starved, you got any of those cookies?”

“You sure you don’t want a proper meal first?”

“Where are we gonna get a proper meal from? My backpack has some lonely granola bars and possibly a fast over-ripening banana.” His eyes furrowed in confusion.

The God simply smiled, “What do you feel like?”

Jason gave him a look but said, “Breakfast burrito?”

He laughed, flicking his wrist and before the demigod could blink a foil-wrapped cylinder appeared in the bubble.

Mouth hanging open, Jason grabbed the burrito and unwrapped it before staring between the God and his breakfast like his head might explode.

“I promise it’s safe to eat.”

“You can just- you just?” The blonde was at a loss for words.

“Believe it or not, it isn’t really handy now. When I was a demigod, I would have loved to have that neat little trick but these days I don’t need to eat much.”

“Well if nothing else I’m keeping you around for that alone.” Jason mumbled around a mouthful of food.

“So you’re just gonna use me for your own selfish needs?”

“Mhmm it may be nice to use the gods for once, instead of the other way around.”

“Fair enough,” He shrugged, and wondered when he’d stop feeling the blow of that statement, uttered so many times by his friends and former camp-buddies alike.

He knew how they felt, hell he had felt like that once; but since becoming one of those gods it was hard not to feel hollowed out. He knew the half-bloods wouldn’t outright curse them, but Percy still heard all their bitter thoughts, He wasn’t sure if it was because he was the god for demigods that the whispers followed him around like a ringing in his head.

Jason’s voice pulled him back to the present.

“Anyway, thank you for the breakfast,”

“Uh yea no problem. So, I was thinking about the prophecy and the direction of the north star,”

“Yea what about it?”

“We’ve been heading south and if my coordinates are correct, we should reach the equator in a day or two”

“Are you saying we’re headed in the wrong direction?” Blue eyes widened.

“No, I think your direction is good, I do think, however, that the arrow isn’t on land. I think it’s in the ocean just before the equator.”

“Why there?”

“You can only see the north star in the northern hemisphere, after the equator it disappears. The further south you go the lower on the horizon it is, which means at some point it looks like it’s on the horizon or close enough.”

“So, you’re saying the arrow sits underneath the star at its lowest point?”

“That’s the idea.”

“Okay that’s good news.” Jason took a deep breath, raking a hand over his face. “I guess we just wait for night and keep following the star.”

‘Actually…” Percy grinned,

“You have a plan?”

“If we just have to get to the equator, I can take us there now.”

“How would you know when we’re there?”

“I know the coordinates at any time when I’m at sea. Son of Poseidon and all that.”

“Well I’m convinced.” Jason nodded, thoughts fluttering behind his eyes. “How are we doing this?”

“I think it’s time to call in a friend.”

With a low whistle, that defied the laws of nature, because how on earth do you whistle underwater, the God whipped a dazzling smile over his shoulder.

“Do I want to know what you’ve invited to the party?”

“You’ll see.”

Just then the water rushed around them. When the clouds of sand and swirling water disappeared a beautiful, iris-coloured beast revealed itself, along with a cyclops already barreling towards them.

“Brother!”

They slammed into each other and Percy was grateful for his godly bones, because he’s sure his mortal ones wouldn’t have survived that collision.

“Hello Tyson, how are you?” He laughed in relief, in comfort.

“I knew I’d see you. A school of firemouth-killfish passed by and said you were around.”

“Thank you for coming. I’m helping Jason and I need Rainbow’s speed.”

“Of course, brother. What are you doing?”

“Jason has a quest to find Eros’ arrows.”

Finally Tyson looked over Percy’s shoulder to see the demigod still wrapped in a bubble, bobbing behind them.

“Jason. I haven’t seen you in a long time.”

“Hello Tyson, how are you?”

“I am good. And you are good?”

“Yes thank you. How’s Ella?”

His brother flushed a red as bright as Corallium.

“She is nice, fine.”

Percy decided to put the poor cyclops out of his misery and focus their attention on the mission at hand.

“Rainbow, can you take us where we need to go?”

The hippocampus gave a noise of agreement and brushed its head along Percy’s arm.

“We must be off,” He said, turning to Tyson.

“When will you be back?” A brown eye blinked in question.

“As soon as Love finds us, I guess,” Percy winked.

It was Jason’s turn to blush the colour of coral, but the god was already looking away, turning to hug his brother.

“I will see you soon Tyson.”

“Goodbye Percy,” and with a wave to Jason the cyclops was gone.

“Alright Jas–“

Percy had felt the deepest senses of fear and love and sadness many times, but never in his twenty years of life had he felt such raging, storm-filled anger. For standing behind an oblivious Son of Jupiter, ready to pounce was a sea creature that probably spawned from the depths of Tartarus itself.

It hadn’t noticed the God, or it wouldn’t even have dared come close to this space.

With a light brush against Rainbow’s side, the hippocampus disappeared. He turned fully, focusing on the beast, hiding himself within the folds of the current. He watched as it slithered out it’s tongue in sickening excitement.

“Jackson you were in the middle of saying something?”

He didn’t bother replying as the creature looked up, finally taking notice of everything other than his prey.

“Hello, found something to enjoy?”

“What?” Jason said

“This fight it not with you Percy Jackson,” It gurgled

Before they could take their next breath, the monster swiped its tail through the bubble and slammed Jason to the ocean floor. Something cracked, the demigod did not rise again.

Percy’s smile was sharp and terrifying.

“That,” He laughed, “Was not very smart.”

With a single movement of his fingers he wrenched the water from the monster’s body.

It seized and gasped, flopping about in the air pocket it found itself in.

“The fight is always with me if it involves my friends,” Malice dripped from the God’s lips.

The monster tried to respond, try to splutter and roar but there was no water in its gills. It gasped and writhed, attempting to escape the air.

Percy simply smiled, darkness gleaming in his green eyes, and watched as the Ketos Troias suffocated.

“Jason slayed you when he was fourteen, just a young demigod, but you decided to come back and oh what a horrible mistake that was,” He wondered briefly if he sounded as manic as he felt, and then decided he didn’t care. “Because now, now you have to deal with me, and I will not make it pretty.”

“I will kill you Percy Jackson,” It rasped.

“You can try.” He laughed, and then spat, “And it’s Lord to you.”

Its eyes widened as Percy revealed his godly form, golden light basking him. With a final roar, the monster turned to dust.

He heard a gasp from below and saw Jason finally coming to it, pushing on the walls of the new bubble Percy had formed around him.

“Are you okay?”

“Feel like I’ve been smacked with a ten-ton sledgehammer and I may have a broken rib but otherwise dandy.”

“Oh good, here’s some ambrosia.” He handed a small square to the demigod who nodded in thanks and gobbled it down.

“Was that the Trojan Sea Monster?”

“Yes, seems it was feeling revengeful.”

“Did you send it back to whatever hole it came from?”

The grin that graced his face could kill mortals, “It’s scattered in the deepest depths of Tartarus. It shouldn’t bother you in this lifetime again.”

“Shall we go then?”

Jason stared at him, and grinned back.

-------------------------------------------------------------

One of the strangest things I’ve ever googled was “type of fish off the Liberian coast” because i needed Tyson to be accurate when he told Percy fish had been talking to him. So yes firemouth-killfish do in fact exist and they do reside in the North Atlantic Ocean. Liberia is around where i pictured the two would be at this point. Anyway just some fun fic A/N’s for ya.

How are you guys finding it? Tell me your thoughts because i am inexplicably in love with Dark!Percy and i need to know if others are too????

Tags (if you want to be added to/ taken off the tag list just let me know, all my channels of communication are open):

@thepersonyourparentswishyouwere @lesbian-peanuts @thegirlwiththegoldenarm @thatis-americas-ass @whatevertakesmyfancy @lucyisblue @lrelikohll @tmifangirl24 @queenkivi @nishlicious-01 @whitelacepants @leydiangelo @urbanpineapplefarmer @queen-of-demons-and-hell

[marshmallowprotection]

Tangled AU

Hi, this is a mess.

Let's say that the Choi boys were the children from a neighboring kingdom but their parents were killed, and thusly, they were just taken in by Rika and V.

Rika and V soon discovered that the youngest twin was blessed with hair as white as snow, as white as the moon. Research into a lot of old fables and stories told them that Saeran was blessed by a rare flower that bloomed from a mystical force, and although it saved his life, people found out about the power and killed their parents for it.

V and Rika tried to keep the boys safe in the castle area but Rika became more and more consumed by the power of Saeran's abilities and stole him away in the night. She had always dabbled in magic but this was intense and true magic that could power her and gift her enough power to... control others and force them to be happy forever as well as alive to worship her out for a long time.

V tried to help her and show her that the world wasn't cruel and she didn't have to abuse magic like that, but she took Saeran when he was two or three and ran off. V was distraught but they could not find him or Rika.

They continue the search but the queen and the prince were... seemingly gone from sight. Saeyoung is the one that says that lanterns would be a smart idea to pull them back if they're out and lost. It's smart, and it shows that he just wants his brother back and safe. 

So, they do that for years on end until their eighteenth birthday comes around, and Ray finds a chance to see the floating lanterns in person thanks to the help of this mischievous but curious thief who only does it because she wants that crown back before the team that she's working with come after her for their prize.

To be fair, she was very nice after he did bonk her with a frying pan the way that he did. She just tries to get him to go home and turn around so she can escape but God, they wind up getting chased by some determined guards and ruffians along the way while this boy—

Is fawning over flowers and the scenery!

Taking him to meet ruffians didn’t help. Judas and Minji were far too cool for their own good. 

“Hey, stop doing that! Have you really never left that tower?” 

“...No, never, I can’t remember ever leaving my tower.” 

“Oh. Well, jeez, Rabbit.” 

“Why do you keep calling me that?”

“Your hair reminds me of a snow white rabbit.” 

Well, Ray did have company up there, and that’s with a little chameleon that he decidedly called Vanderwood. Weird name, but hey, Lila’s not going to judge the dude if he’s been sheltered all these years. Sassy little thing but at least Ray has had some company over the years. 

Not evening dragging this boy into a ruffian bar was enough to take him down and get him to stop chasing his dream. What’s Lila’s dream anyway? Well, she doesn’t like song and dance but she wants some money to finally live without struggling to get by after she ran away from her bad household. That’s all fine and dandy, but— 

Now, if only Lila hadn’t had the misfortune of enraging one angry stallion named Zen, they would be great. The two of them manage to escape peril after the uh white horse gives chase for quite some time, and they narrowly avoid the guards that he brought with him, al a Yoosung and Jaehee. Of course, that lands them trapped in the process. 

“This way!” 

“...Now, did you plan to trap us in a flooding cave?”

“I’m doing the best I can on the fly!” 

“...Uhuh.”

“Your little friend there is giving me a judgmental look.” 

“You think?” 

Which, of course, is a great time for them to remember that Ray has literal magic hair that glows and sustain life. Lila didn’t know how to feel about that but like, it is working and that’s something that she can’t deny. Like, wow, there really is a magic boy living in the woods with his mother for some fucking reason that she does not understand. It sounds fake, and she’s always been a realist but this is definitely real. 

Well, she can’t deny that he’s not stealing her heart the more that she’s around him, his smile is just... hard to ignore. His manners are great but he’s got that tendency to just be honest and sincere. Of course, Rika has been following after them and she catches Ray when he’s alone and warns him that this girl is just going to leave him high and dry. 

Ray can’t imagine that she would ever do that. 

Not even or some silly crown. 

“Mother knows best, Ray.” 

“She’s not like that.” 

“They’re all the same. I know, Ray. I’m a woman. I know how dangerous we can be.” 

“I won’t believe it.”

A promise is a promise, so, they do spend the day together getting ready for the lanterns. Ray finally gets to see and do so many things that he’s only thought about. And yes, he’s getting his hair done because he deserves to feel pretty and have flowers. And God, holy fuck, if Lila doesn’t feel her heart racing when this boy smiles and seems so happy. 

Yet. 

Something about this town... something about the colors... something is telling Ray that he should be paying more attention to his surroundings but at the same time, he’s having so much fun learning and taking in the sights that he doesn’t think about it too hard. Maybe it has something to do with what he heard about the lanterns being for a missing prince. 

Ray does get to see the lanterns up close, and it just feels right. His dream is really right in front of him and yet, his heart quickens when he sees Lila smiling at him, too. His mother wasn’t right. She wasn’t right for once in his life. Rika isn’t right. 

“You’re beautiful,” she says, quietly. 

“Huh?” Ray glances back at her, “Did you say something?”

“I said... it’s beautiful, your dream.” 

“...Yeah, it is.” 

They almost kiss. 

Almost. 

Lila just gets too nervous. 

Ray pulls away, unsure of what to do. 

The return to shore briefly and separate for only a moment. Yet, that moment is enough for the goons to get knocked out before they can attack Ray who can’t believe they’ve said that Lila just left him with the crown, but there’s a boat just leaving with a figure on it. Rika appears, and saves him, and as much as Ray is upset, he can’t deny what he saw.

Those ruffians, by the way, I’m firmly stating that it’s probably Echo Girl and one of the Glam Choi girls. Anyways, now that I’ve gotten that out of the way. Well, it earns him a trip back to his tower where he assumes that he will stay forever from now on. He takes a deep breath and thinks that this is it for him for the rest of his life. 

He trusted and it got him hurt. 

Until the moment comes that he realizes something. 

The clues.

The signs. 

Everything that he saw. 

He’s...

He’s the missing prince. 

Rika comes into the room and he confronts her about it. She stares at him for a long moment as he demands to know the truth. 

Fortunately for Lila, she may have been double-crossed but she’s got ruffian friends on her side, you know, like JUDAS AND MINJI, who break in and save the day at the same second, as well as Zen, you know, poor guy had a change of heart about the criminal. By the time that she makes it back to the tower in the knick of time, she found Ray tied up, and Rika knocked her down a firm strike of magic—

Oh, God, there’s blood. There’s so much blood in a matter of seconds and Lila just hits the ground. Ray manages to get rid of his gag, and he begs Rika just to let him save her life, and he won’t ever fight back. Rika considers it, and sighs, it is a bore for her, but she can’t have this boy fighting her anymore. It’s nothing so she’ll allow it. 

“I’m sorry.”

“No, Ray, I’m sorry. I wish that I had told you that... I found my dream. My real dream.” 

“...?”

“You. I decided that I wanted my dream to be you.”

“Lila, please.” 

Ray apologizes for thinking that Lila would willingly go out of her way to leave him and she apologizes for leaving him alone for even a moment. She does care about him and that’s why she has to do something. Ray leans in, and she just swoops in and cuts his hair with the shard of glass that she gripped so tightly with her hand that it cut into it. 

Rika screams as his hair reverts to the same color of red that belongs to his skin brother, and in her tirade, she manages to stumble out the window and plummet to the ground and her doom. 

Ray is left begging for Lila not to go, for her to not have done that at the cost of her life. He thinks that it’s all for naught. He may be free but the person that made him happy is gone. Well, maybe not, he thinks, as he cries and the room is illuminated in the color blue for the flower that powered and cursed his hair from the start. 

And suddenly, she’s awake again and she’s breathing. 

“Lila...” 

“Look at you, guess I can’t call you a rabbit anymore.”

Ray snorts, a stupid laugh leaving his lips at her poor attempt at trying to make the situation lighter at hand. 

And well, Ray is able to make his way back to the castle where he presents himself to the palace, people are shocked and let him go in right away without even questioning him. Ray doesn’t know what to think of that. At least, until they reach the throne room and he’s left staring into a mirror. No, not a mirror, he is looking at a twin. He is looking at his twin. 

They both burst into tears and hug each other, because their missing piece is now once again whole. V is just relieved to see that the boys are happy and safe once more. 

THERE’S MORE BUT MY BRAIN IS FRIED

[southern-belle-outcasts]

List three honest flaws your favorite character has and talk about how those flaws make them problematic.

@mynameisanakin

//

Alright so given I usually give a lot of attention to Roguey, I’ma put the spotlight on Padmé. Making me shred my characters. Typical, lmao.

1) she’s an idealist. I say this as an INFP-Dog-Pisces MESS when I say that being an idealist only gets you so fucking far before shit goes pear-shaped. When I say she’s an idealist...I’m not kidding. She thinks that you can trust the system to be able to work it out and that’s always the best thing. I just...no. Sweetheart, no. Sometimes, scuse me sometimes, I meant MOST times, the government is very self-serving and exists to run a machine of complacency and capitalism. That’s it. So while it might work GREAT on Naboo and really not be too bad of a system (before you @ me I am GETTING TO THAT POINT), in the grand scheme of a galaxy? Nah, nah this shit is going to run its course at some point and then you’re left with a mess slowly crumbling while jack fuck all is getting accomplished, as pointed out by Anakin, and people are suffering for it because it hasn’t had an overhaul and reboot to accommodate changes. So no, you can not always just keep pressing the button in a desperate attempt to get this stupid thing to work for you even though it’s Not Going To. It’s just not, move on, it’s done, wheezing, gasping its last breath. The other thing about her idealism is it allows you to ignore glaring red flags in people. While Anakin isn’t abusive by any means, he is clearly unhinged in RotS. CLEARLY. But of course love conquers all and lets take some very, very sensitive in more ways than one information and just trust the person who was so very obviously Not Okay as mere few hours ago is going to just...suddenly be okay when confronted over something that has been proven to both bother them immensely in the past on accident, let alone on a last ditch attempt at grasping at a solution and sanity. I just- girl, biggest fucking facepalm. I GET it...but godsdamn can we at least let him have a fucking shower and nap and then maybe see if shit doesn’t go better when he’s less Stressed The Fuck Out???

2) She thinks Naboo is run fine and dandy...until she desperately needs the help of the indigenous sentient species that has never really been acknowledged or consulted. At all. See? I didn’t forget about it from earlier. Like, given she’s literally been doing the whole politics thing for 7 years at this point...it’s not a secret the Gungans exist. They’re just never a concern. At least, not until they’re the hail mary for all the humans on the surface. And while yes, she gets all diplomatic with them to win a war, and Jar Jar becomes a senator, where else are they mentioned as being more included in the rule of Naboo? Spoiler alert: they’re not (unless it’s in some EU shit I haven’t read for lack of this thing called time, and attention). For them having saved her narrow ass quite literally...she sure didn’t make much of an effort to change how things work back home before stepping down as queen, after staying there doubly long as any other ruler. I’m just saying, oof.

3) So not letting Vaderkin get a fucking nap and a snickers is NOT the only time she’s just...completely missed the mark on how to address Anakin, sad to say. I get she’s a former queen, and a senator, yada yada yada. But her putting the kibosh on Anakin making any point when it’s his literal JOB to be advising for her safety...it’s really not a good look. Like it’s one of the interactions where you kind of pull back like “Yeesh, I did not know you had that in you!” Which obviously when you’ve literally watched your ship that you had insisted wasn’t going to be targeted blow to little bitty chunks in front of you, and watch your handmaid die, yeeeeah you’re grasping for every little bit of control you can and attempting not to look shakey. But rather than just snapping, it could have been posed as a question, stating her reasonings behind her judgement, but by all means, please, prove her wrong with something sounder. It could have been a more tacit “no seriously I feel I know what’s best right now, please stop”. And while the whole “last I saw you we were literal kids” thing is a valid point to make, I think she strongly played that view up as a way of combatting the “Oh shit, he’s NOT a kid anymore” because she’s quite frankly convincing herself from jump that she does not have time right now to be derailed by Cute Awkard Jedi. And to overcompensate, she’s mentally trying to force the view of him still being a kid, and she can’t quite manage because it’s clearly a lie, he’s an adult and grown right in front of her face. So the genius solution is just come off patronizing until better able relax and get the stick out her ass (which, she wasn’t wrong, the minute she did that, she was screwed and the rest is history).

[amora-recs]

god save our queen┊bae joohyun┊final

des: deep inside the Black Forest lies a secret. I fell for this secret. I died for this secret. (warning: teenage angst and death)

word count: 3k

parts: i. ii.

   I felt so bare, so vulnerable. It's been so long since I last talked so much. My cheeks were red and itchy from all the crying, I could feel my throat burning, my sore and tired eyes adding a finishing touch. Yet, I felt so relieved. I felt so relieved knowing Irene won't judge me, allowing me to feel like myself and let it all out. I felt so relieved about getting everything off my chest. I talked so much I lost track of time. I couldn't tell whether or not time was moving forward, but I could tell that as soon as I finished my long life story, my eyes were closing. My eyelids felt so heavy, yet I didn't want to sleep. I would be wasting so much time just resting. I would miss her smile. I would miss her laugh. I would miss Irene. I would miss so many things. So many magical things. Why couldn't time stop then? I wanted nothing more than that. "I think that's enough excitement for one night," she whispered, softly lulling me to sleep. "You need to rest."

"But –"

"We'll talk more tomorrow." before I could further protest, her finger shushed me. "I promise."

 I woke up to the sound of soft humming. Although I wanted to open my eyes, I kept them closed, allowing myself to enjoy Irene's soft melody a little longer. Her short concert was accompanied by the high pitched chirping of the birds. Just like last night, I wished time would stop, granting me more of these ethereal moments. Unlike last night, though, I felt cold. A long shiver travelled down my spine making me open my eyes, finding myself greeted by Irene's soft smile. I felt warm all of a sudden. Maybe it was because of the gentle sunlight finally penetrating my covered skin or maybe it was because of Irene, who knows? "Good morning," I muttered, my voice still hoarse. That's when I realised I was still in the gazebo, with my head in her lap. I stood up shortly after as if I was on autopilot, somewhat distancing myself from Irene. The awkwardness the atmosphere was tinted in was more than obvious. "Sorry... Didn't mean for that to happen." her sugary sweet laugh filled my ears in an instant. I didn't know if that was a good or bad thing.

"Don't worry about it," she said, playing with the few rebel strands of her messily tied braid. "We can't control the way we sleep, after all."

"Can you even sleep?" I asked without realizing, but before I could apologise, Irene already answered. The question didn't seem to bother her. Quite the opposite actually. "Not really... I don't know how to explain it."

 My subtle attempt at resuscitating the situation fell flat thanks to a stiff hand pat. No other words were exchanged after that. It was a combination of both uncomfortable and relaxing, as absurd as that might sound. I was lost in my thoughts, echoed by last night's conversation, the sudden need to hide into my hoodie reaching its peak in just a matter of seconds. That, and I was also cold. I let my eyes wander, allowing myself to get distracted by my surroundings. It was still relatively early in the morning, the sheer layer of mist slowly dissipating, sprinkling all greenery in the morning dew on its leave. It reminded me of magic dust, enveloping all plants in its airy glow. It resembled Irene too much. A short-lived light, bound to soon disappear. It made me wonder about so many things. It made me want to ask so many questions. I turned my attention to her instead, awestruck by her glow. It was warm, radiating this unique energy that did nothing more than welcome me in. It felt like something I was missing. It wasn't romantic nor was it sensual. It felt so familial, so homely. It felt amazing. "So," her melodious voice accompanied rather than interrupt the moment. "How are you feeling?"

"Better than last night, I guess," I muttered, clearing my throat in the process. I tried as much as possible to avoid eye contact. It was true, I did feel better than last night, but just because I felt better that didn't necessarily mean I wasn't embarrassed. I kept fidgeting for an eternity, wondering about what I should say next. "Thank you." was all I could say.

"What for?"

"For listening." I finally found my words. "For trying to make me feel better and for staying here with me. I really appreciate it." her nice little smile brightened up her face, helping me relax.

"Don't mention it. I'm always happy to help people around here." people around here? I sometimes forget, even if it is for just a few minutes, that Irene isn't... Human. She seems so real and so alive. It's almost funny how out of all people, a ghost was the one who helped me.

"Aren't you cold?" I looked up and saw my father, realizing Irene was long gone.

 I couldn't tell what he was thinking. Was he mad at me for storming out last night? Was he worried about me sleeping here? I chewed on my lower lip nervously, waiting for him to continue. "Come inside, breakfast is ready." all I did was nod. A loud exhale escaped my mouth, feeling my shoulders slack back, as I curled up in a ball. What was I expecting? Of course, he couldn't care less about how I was doing, or if I'm alright. It was all dandy as long as I didn't die.

"And the 'Father of The Year' award goes to..." with my head supported by my knees, I turned my head to the side, feeling even more lethargic as I listened to Irene talk. I wouldn't mind spending the rest of my life in this gazebo, away from my problems, away from people. With Irene.

 Unfortunately, I couldn't. I couldn't spend an eternity in here. I couldn't spend an eternity with Irene. I stood up, surprising her in the process. "Wanna come inside?" I suggested as I stretched my arms. As long as my father won't see her, things should be fine. "You're pretty good at hiding, anyway." her laugh reverberated in my ears.

"I can't walk further than this."

"What do you mean?" she stood up, stretching her arm out of the gazebo. My eyes doubled in size as I saw her hand slowly fading, making me pull her back. "Are you going to disappear?!" she nodded, walking out if the gazebo in the direction of the forest.

"I'm bound to this forest." it was the second time I have ever seen Irene this blue. Her glow was fading, a morose aura taking over instead. It made my heart shatter. It was as if I just witnessed someone hitting a puppy. The puppy, of course, was Irene. I sighed as I walked towards her, taking hold of her cold hand.

"Well then, into the forest we go!" I said with a somewhat cheery smile, to which Irene smiled back sadly.

"You should go inside. Who knows what your father might say," she whispered as she turned me around towards my house, placing a small daisy behind my ear. "We can talk later."

"After breakfast?"

"Yes, after breakfast."

"At the glade?"

"Yes, at the glade." she giggled as she pushed me further. "I do have one condition, though." I immediately turned around, more than eager to hear what Irene has to say. "Call me Joohyun."

 As promised, I met up with Joohyun after breakfast, at the glade. We talked and talked and talked for so long my mouth hurt. We talked so much it was the next day by the time I got home. I never realised how soothing talking can be. It is such a trivial, yet needful thing in our lives, it became my favourite thing. Although to be more exact, talking with Joohyun was what I actually liked. That moment became my most cherished moment. Just like chatting, it was simple but meaningful. It was the one bit I held close and dear to my heart as I waited for summer to come back again and let savour such times again... And that's what I did. My seventeenth summer is my favourite. Full of wonder, animals and daisies in my imaginary kingdom, where I reigned queen, free of worries and sadness. It was my biggest secret. It was beautiful, mesmerizing, fun. So much fun. Exploring around with Joohyun was fun. Singing with Joohyun was fun. Making Joohyun blush was also really fun. Though leaving wasn't as fun. But I managed, knowing I would see her again next summer. Knowing I would tell her I love her.

 I was eighteen when I realised I fell for Joohyun. It might seem ridiculous or it might seem stupid of me to feel such a thing, yet I did. I fell for a ghost. Was I finally going crazy for loving a ghost? Most likely, but as I dashed out of my father's car, I could feel my heart beat just a tad faster as soon as I spotted a certain silhouette in the gazebo. I embarrassingly stumbled and ran, ecstatic to finally talk with her again. My face dropped just before I was about to step inside it, Joohyun nowhere to be found. I suspected nothing and against my better judgement, I ran further into the forest, not hearing my father's calls. That would have been my last summer with Joohyun. She needed to hear me. I needed to hear her, see her. I collapsed on my knees the moment I reached the glade. She wasn't here. There were no birds, no animals, no Joohyun. Only the mellow murmur of the tiny waterfall could be heard. Shivers ran through my spine, goosebumps rising on my skin bit by bit. I felt cold in that summer afternoon. I felt scared. It was the same feeling I had when I was sixteen. When I almost died. I looked around me. Was this forest always this big? Was this forest always this creepy?

 There was a soft hum. It complimented the waterfall so well. And as if I was under a spell, I followed it. I ran and ran until I could feel my muscles burning. I ran into a tree and I almost stepped on a bunny, just so I could see her. Just so I could talk to her. I would be there for her, just like she was there for me. I would have run across the whole world for her. I would have done anything for her. Just like she would, right? Because I wasn’t paying attention to where I was looking, I fell, cushioned by a bed of daisies. I exhaled loudly, turning around on my back, suffocated by their sweet aroma. I looked up, unable to see the sky in all its warm glory, covered by long green branches. I wanted to get up – I had to get up, but I couldn’t. My legs were continuously trembling, completely burnt out from all the running. As my chest kept heaving, my eyelids were slowly closing, persuading me to rest. I could still hear Joohyun’s hum as I drowsily closed my eyes.

 It was night time by the time I woke up. I looked up again. The moon was shining as brightly as ever, if not brighter that one chilly night. Goosebumps seemed to become a permanent accessory attached to my skin, as my now tattered couldn’t do anything besides cover my clammy skin. Still in a daze, I stood up, my ears perking the moment I heard her voice again. She sounded even sweeter at night. My ankle kept pulsating as I kept walking in the direction of the sound, ominous shivers returning. It was as if my body tried to warn me. As if my body tried to stop me. Was I wrong for doing this? I knew it wasn’t normal, that’s for sure, but I couldn’t find it in myself to understand why it was wrong. Nonetheless, I kept moving, more curious rather than desperate to find out what was going on. Everything around me seemed alarming, the forest once known as my secret place, a place where I can be happy, terrifying me.

 Fields of nothingness stretched outside the forest, revealing a narrow path illuminated by the wan moonlight, turning the long tracks into an illustrious decor. I found myself walking towards a castle. Statues of kings were lined up at its outskirts, serving as reminders of the past. As I got closer, it became clear to me that the castle had been around for at least a few hundreds of years, yet it didn’t seem like it would collapse any time soon, so I allowed myself to get a better look. Five slim round towers surrounded the castle in almost a perfect circle, connected by giant thick walls of white stone. Elegant windows were scattered here and there around the walls in fairly symmetrical patterns. I stared in perpetuity at its tall ajar doors, as if awaiting a certain cue to enter. I immediately found out the cue I was waiting for was my name, called out cautiously from inside the castle and with heavy steps, I entered.

 Dust coated the floor, walls, windows and old furniture making my nose feel itchy, carefully making my way through untouched rooms one by one, still searching for Joohyun. Just as I reached my third room, the humming stopped. Was I close? I heard a giggle, making me turn my head towards it. Right by the doorframe stood her, still wearing her white flowery dress, still smiling kindly. “Joohyun?” it was my turn to call after her. She didn’t respond. She continued laughing, walking away into the castle’s never-ending corridor. Without her humming, everything was silent. So silent I could hear her steps. They flowed down delicately, making the softest sound as if she was scared someone would notice her. I stumbled after her, trying to keep up as best as I could with a swollen ankle.

“What’s up?” I tried to ask her, reluctant to believe there’s something wrong with her. “Why aren’t you saying something?” I asked a little louder, still waiting for an answer. I kept walking into the darkness, letting myself to be led by her. By the ghost I loved. We reached a dead end and a bright light hit my face. We were outside? I immediately noticed a part of the castle was demolished, leaving behind a gaping hole. We were standing on a cliff. And right by its edge stood Joohyun. My heart was thumping, body filled with worry. What’s going to happen if she falls? We are pretty far from the forest, after all.

“Do you care about me?” asks Joohyun all of a sudden.

“Of course I do!” my body was shaking, the cold breeze feeling electrifying on my skin. “I don’t understand what’s going on…”

“Do you like me?” she continued asking in a sweeter tone.

 With burning cheeks, I walked closer towards her, still trying to process her question. What does like mean? As in friends? As in family? As in lovers? There was a certain thrill running through my veins. Maybe it was because I was staying at the edge, maybe it was of her question. “I do like her, but I can’t see –”

“Then aren’t you going to jump?” I looked at her in disbelief. Her once warm brown eyes seemed hollow. The light in them died out. She wasn’t asking me to jump, she was ordering me to jump. “If you’re worried about something happening to you, I’m right here, aren’t I?” she took a step closer, whispering. “I won’t let anything happen to you.” I knew she wouldn’t. She could have let me die two summers ago, but she didn’t. She showed me nothing but kindness. She was there for me when I needed someone. She made me laugh, she made me smile. She gave this little whimsical kingdom in which I am queen. She made so happy. “I promise it would be fun.”

 I gasped. An attempt to calm my beating heart. It was so loud I couldn’t hear my own thoughts. I took a few steps away from Joohyun, looking deeply into her eyes once again. “I promise it would be fun.” I knew there was nothing to be afraid of. I looked up one more time, looking at the stars. They were shining so brightly as if they were also encouraging me. And so, I jumped. I jumped over the cliff, not looking back, yelling my lungs out in a rush of adrenaline. Millions of thoughts raced through my mind at the speed of light, the wind hitting my face so violently I could barely hear myself scream. She would be at the end, right? She would catch me, right? She won’t me let me die right?

 I could hear someone call my name. It was a girl. I slowly opened my eyes, slightly blinded by the warm sunlight hitting my face. I was in a forest. I was in a glade. Everything around me was green, the fresh smell of daisies tickling my nose. By my side stood a girl. She looked around my age. An adorably gentle smile graced her pink lips, her dark brown eyes, shining as bright as the sun. The girl giggled, tucking a few strands of hair behind my ear as she re-adjusted the flower crown I was wearing. God, I was madly blushing. “Who are you?”

“Don’t you remember, dear? It’s me, Irene!” a pretty name for a pretty girl.

[thecandywrites]

The Pink Panther

So this story is again, inspired from a crazy dream I had and again, like a woman possessed I JUST HAD TO WRITE IT. all my other wips and commissions be damned and just staring at my compulsary working on this going ‘uh, excuse me? Hello? You didn’t forget about us right? Right?!” and me going ‘but crazy idea that will drive me mad if I don’t get out of my head!’ in the same tone Hulk said ‘big monster!’ to Thor when Thor told him not to smash. And it’s a break from...well, everything I usually write. You see this is what you get when you watch count of Monte Cristo AND The Pink Panther from the 60′s. THAT PINK PANTHER and all those period dramas *cough* Harlots on Hulu *cough*. You get a nightmare fart of a story from three things that probably shouldn’t ever be crossed over. So I just need this out of my system so I can FOCUS on the other things and it was a really fun dream. Dashing lords in disguise, huge gems, a foul plot afoot and the promise of fortune greater than your wildest dreams. It’s fine it’s fine. 

Vidame Emilia Bellim sat in the back of her carriage with her best friend who just happened to also be her childhood friend and chaperon Fredrick as they rode to a strange palace in a remote area of Europe. Emily’s title and prestige meant that Emily was respected and sought after by nobles all over Europe, thinking that there was a great fortune behind her to be won when Emily’s adopted grandmother who was in poor health would pass and Emily had just gotten done being hosted by such a noble for such a purpose. While Fredrick on the other hand, his father was a scientist. One of the best but was eccentric, becoming at risk of being enemies of the state with his rantings. And while there was no romance between them, they were closer than siblings and the best of friends with Fredrick and his father living with Emily and her grandmother at Emily’s estate and Fredrick acting as her chaperon to make sure the nobles behaved themselves and only acted in the most gentlemanly like ways towards her and that Emily and her reputation would be protected at all times and that she would stay well above reproach.  

“So where exactly are we going?” Freddy asked after a while of traveling on the well traveled road.  

“To Count Sparta’s estate, his eldest son has been deemed eligible for marriage now and I am one of the few deemed worthy of being considered a prospect for him, apparently.” Emily answered sarcastically before Freddy snorted a laugh as his smile grew fond.

“My grandmother got a letter from Count Sparta himself and she promptly sent the carriage and another letter with it and sent me to go to this place. The first letter makes no sense, I’ve read it repeatedly and nothing makes sense. It’s like one of her many riddles.” Emily groused as she handed the letters over to Freddy to look over in the light of the lantern in the carriage next to him. Freddy frowned as he read them and tried to make sense of them too. He read them over twice and even to him it didn’t make a bit of sense. So he simply handed them back with a shrug before looking back out over the darkening landscape. When they stopped at an inn, they simply took a single room as Freddy helped Emily undress before the two crawled in bed together and cuddled close.

“I will always prefer to sleep with you more than anyone else.” Emily sighed contentedly with her head resting over his chest.

“Only because you know I’ll never grope you or worse.” Freddy teased.

“Precisely.” Emily smiled before she rolled over so that he spooned her and wrapped his arms around her waist before the two promptly fell asleep. After a long three days of travel on the road and staying at another inn only a few short hours away from Count Sparta’s estate the day before the letter demanded they arrive, they rested for the night, in the morning, Freddy helped Emily get ready into a new gown her grandmother sent her and helped her with her hair and makeup. Freddy always could make her look ravishing so that every other man seemed to fall in love with her with just a look at her and in return Emily got Freddy ready, making him look dashingly handsome. Her grandmother sent Freddy some new clothes as well so that he looked like a proper dandy and the two looked like a pair in matching peacock teal which did wonders for Emily’s fair complexion and natural dark red hair, something of a novelty all the nobles sought after but it was something she didn’t let get to her head so to speak, if anything it only empowered her to resist their advances and to be as picky as she wished about who she would keep company with and had rules about her person that most ladies in her status and circumstance could only dream of demanding but it was because of who was backing her that no one dared question it. Her adopted grandmother was a  grand duchess and was related to the royal families, some kind of great aunt who’s power and influence was great and whose fortune was famed to be unusually large and supposedly independent than that of the royal family and their monarchies, she had a fierce reputation for being a perfectionist in not just her home or her clothing but of others and had had no natural children of her own. And how Emilia got to be her grand daughter was something of a mystery but never questioned and that once the grand duchess named Emilia her only rightful heir, it was simply accepted as much and her adopted grandmother groomed Emilia to be practically perfect and poured all of her resources into Emilia’s education and talents to make Emilia the ideal in all things. Frustrating for a small child but as Emilia got older, she realized the value in such hard work since it now garnered her something priceless, respect wherever she went.

When they arrived at the sprawling and luxurious estate, their host did not greet them, instead the steward and his assistants did and Emily greeted them in graciousness and with the utmost respect in turn and soon realized she was in the company of some of the more keen minds but with checkered pasts and wild reputations of Europe’s elite and she felt right at home in such company for some reason and soon Freddy left her side as the two quickly gathered as much information from the other guests as they could as to why they were there. All of the other guests had gotten similar, perplexing letters as they soon began sharing them, Freddy and Emily quickly and easily memorizing the other’s letters as they gathered that the other guests were there for the same objective but varied incentives and motivations, a few felt they were being blackmailed to come here since their daughters were part of the pool of approved nobility that most royal princes would use to pick out a future queen out of. Others thought it was intrigue while most just thought it was harmless fun and a game as everyone was with a daughter of marrying age and knew that the estate had two sons of marrying age and all the letters mentioned the eldest and his quest to find a bride which is why Emily found herself surrounded by over a dozen of the most eligible ladies, dressed in gowns just as grand, if not more so than her own before they were seated for dinner. But again, their host did not join them, instead the steward and his assistants led the meal. Which was beyond delicious and Freddy and Emily happily gorged themselves. Not having had a good, decent meal in the last few days it took for them to get there.

“How do you like the meal Lady Bellim?” Rolf, the steward’s lead attendant inquired of her as he refilled her wine glass for her, having heard that her tastes were on par with royalty when it came to excellence and refinement.  

“Quite excellent, I’m very impressed, the variety of seasonings used is impressive, the techniques are a wonderful blend of the tried and true and new. I have yet to have an off mouthful. The cooks and all those tasked with helping to prepare this feast are to be commended, truly.” Emily praised genuinely as Rolf smiled proudly.

“Do you not think that the pigeon is over-spiced?” Viscountess Lucretia asked as she couldn’t help but cough as her eyes watered and she fanned herself and tried to cleanse her palette with more wine.

“No, not at all, I detect a wide variety of spice, particularly saffron, turmeric, chili pepper, coriander and cumin, is this your first time trying anything with any of those? Most feel the smallest fraction is too much because of how intense they can be, especially chili pepper.” Emily returned from her place across from Lucretia.

“That must be it then, I do not care for it at all.” She made a disgusted face before downing the rest of her wine before another attendant came and refilled her glass.

“You are from the mountain range of Italy are you not? There are herbs that grow in the mountains which are quite fine and should be just as esteemed as the silk road spices. Perhaps you would prefer the meal if it had more of those in it.” Emily pointed out and the Viscountess smiled appreciatively.

“Yes. Very much so, I have heard that you are very well traveled and prefer the silk road spices, no doubt why you were able to distinguish them so easily.” Lucretia returned fondly, appreciating Emily’s respectful esteem and making it so that her beloved herbs were equal to the famed silk road spices which was a compliment she greatly admired and appreciated.

“I appreciate all spices, no matter their origin, as long as they are used well.” Emily grinned as she continued to eat and thoroughly enjoyed the meal, trying some of every dish.  

“Now where does the title Vidame come from or mean? I don’t believe I’ve ever heard of it before.” Lucretia asked Emily curiously who smiled appreciatively as she wiped her mouth and cleared her mouth so that she could speak clearly.

“It is a title awarded by His Holiness the Pope himself, it was given to my father for commanding the Pope’s army and Bishop’s forces- not just in the Vatican but all over the Holy Empire. I inherited the title when my father passed since I am the only child of my parents and while I’m not expected to perform my late father’s duties, I enjoy the doting from His Holiness as perhaps any beloved grandchild would from a grandfather. In fact this cross is a gift from him for my birthday a few years back since my birthday falls in the Holy Week. I spend every birthday with His Holiness at the Vatican.” Emily boasted as she gestured to the outrageously gaudy cross that was encrusted with jewels that weighed heavily on her chest as all the other families gasped softly as they realized they should have risked breaking the rules and brought their sons to try to woo her too even though it was expressed that only chaperons, guardians and fathers be allowed to come to keep Lord Sparta from having to compete for any lady’s attention. But to have the Pope’s blessing was invaluable, no wonder she could go wherever she wished in the Holy Empire and beyond without a problem or could demand that no one touch her or invade her personal space because she had the pope’s backing and protection. They had all heard how the last poor soul who tried not only got stripped of all his lands and holdings by the king as demanded by the Pope, but excommunicated and promptly killed himself for the shame he brought on himself. So to be Vidame by the pope and future Grand Duchess when her grandmother would pass, would be a double honor to add to any family tree.

After the meal the guests were invited to roam the estate for one hour as they pleased without hindrance because all the staff from the estate would gather in the dining room for that hour and Freddy and Emily combed over every bit of it they could, Freddy going to the upper floors while Emily searched the lower ones, trying to find the basement and found a tunnel, shut by a metal door and once she used the key her grandmother sent her- she opened it and wandered inside before it suddenly flashed flame and she dove to the ground as a flame lit up the roof of the cave but only for a brief moment, barely a second or two. When the flame was gone, she stood up and wiped the dirt off her gown and noticed that the walls and ceiling were covered in black soot and that the ground had become like soft but charred saw dust, with dead beetle corpses blowing in an unearthly breeze within the tunnel. Her letter from her grandmother had said ‘go where death is certain to achieve the best life’ and now that sentiment suddenly made sense. Count Sparta was rumored to have unlimited funds, from family lines from all over Europe that even the kings of such lands drooled over and that if any king dare oppose the Spartas, that they would simply move to a new sprawling estate in another country, bringing their wealth with them and leaving the monarchs of said country financially devastated because of a lack of tax revenue that the Spartas would pay and that in return for Sparta’s patronage, the Spartas were granted not just lands but titles galore in every country they took up residence in. But only the father was known to only the royal families and rarely socialized outside of the King’s private court where he was considered a royal adviser- so his face was relatively unknown. His sons were even bigger mysteries, the only people to talk about them were the scholars who came from all over Europe to educate them for a small time until they passed all pertinent knowledge over then they sent away with more wealth than they could hope to use in a lifetime. Perhaps all that wealth was hidden down here. She knew her hour was coming to an end and knew that at the end of the hour, wherever the guests would be, they would be locked there for the night, their own rooms being the only “safe” spaces there were. She quickly gathered her skirts and made a run for her room that she would be sharing with Freddy, passing all the other guests who were leisurely going to their own rooms. Not thinking there was much of any haste to it and not taking their warnings in their letters seriously at all. When she got there and saw that Freddy was on the other end of the hall, also quickly going to their room and carrying something heavy wrapped in his coat.

“Freddy! Run!” She yelled down the hall before Freddy quickly slipped out of his heeled shoes and ran for her as she pulled him into the room right in the nick of time and once inside the doors shut and locked on their own and there were so many other guests left out into the hallway who were angry and demanded that they should gain entry to their rooms for the night before they went looking for other rooms that had beds to get some sleep.

“What happened to you?” Freddy asked as he noticed Emily was covered in soot, the black staining the gorgeous peacock teal of her silk and satin dress.

“I went where death was certain.” Emily explained with a bright smile.

“What?” Freddy asked as he helped her out of her dress and helped her clean up, miraculously with only a dab of a damp cloth, the soot came out of it and didn’t actually stain the dress because it was dry dust at that point.

“Under the manor, where a basement should be, I found a cave, I believe it must have been a bat cave, but fire soon lit up the cave and I had to fall to the ground to keep the flames from eating me. The floor is covered in what feels like charred sawdust. But I think it is charred sawdust on top of guano. There were beetle and cockroach carcasses swirling in an unearthly wind. What did you find?” Emily asked.

“A telescope that rivals any and all that I had ever seen before. I could see the moon and Mars from it. There was also this,” Freddy answered as he pulled what he thought was a giant pink crystal from his coat that he had used to wrap around it and what had made his run difficult.

“Wow, it is obviously a very pink gemstone, a diamond perhaps, and it looks like there is a panther in it. You must have taken a rare gem indeed.” Emily realized when she took the large gem that was the size of a pomelo and had to be held with both hands as she looked it over, it was raw and uncut and gorgeous.

“Oh, oops.” Freddy grimaced.

“Do no worry my friend, we can return it tomorrow. But something is afoot tonight, we must try to figure it out.” Emily realized as she went over to the desk and put the gem down and took out not only her letter but everyone else’s letter that she happened to steal from them.

“I see your fingers are just as sticky as mine.” Freddy teased as he came over which got Emily to grin at him again before they both sat down and compared all the letters. An hour later, a chorus of screams was heard and Emily and Freddy looked at each other worriedly before it just pushed them to work harder but then a deathly quiet followed. Emily and Freddy began looking around the room for anything that could help them but found nothing of the sort before Freddy noticed the letters were numbered peculiarly.

“Fibonacci.” Freddy breathed before he looked at the letters and found that the letters were numbered in the upper right hand corner and arranged them in the Fibonacci sequence before they read them again in that order, this time, they began to make a little bit of sense, it was a set of warnings of how to survive their stay in the house. But they were missing several pages still.

“We are pawns in a game.” Emily realized as she grinned wider.

“You smile as if you are enjoying this.” Freddy teased.

“Who said I wasn’t?” Emily returned.“Come, lets get some sleep, we can’t think clearly if we haven’t slept.” Emily offered as they got ready for bed. In the morning, Emily acted as if nothing the least bit disturbing had happened the night before and was delighted when she checked the doors to see them unlocked. When she and Freddy went into the hall, most of the other guests were already running for their lives and leaving the place, screaming at the attendants and servants to make sure they got all their things so that they could leave this cursed place as soon as possible; a few of them begging Emily to leave too, saying that the house was haunted and that they were there to meet their deaths and to write to the Pope to tell him about it although all their accounts about the ghosts seemed strange to Emily.  

“Do you not wish to go also Lady Bellim?” Rolf asked her curiously as he and his men were done carrying things down for the other guests so they could leave, although he personally didn’t wish for her to go. He liked her the best, since she was kind, gracious and respectful whereas everyone else seemed to be haughty and rude.

“I have played many games with many lords Sir Rolf, this is yet another one. Besides, I feel there is a prize equal to the task that perhaps hasn’t been mentioned in the letters. I’m staying.” Emily firmly insisted. “Fredrick Dear, you are free to go if you wish, please don’t stay solely for my benefit.” Emily offered but Freddy was just as intrigued as she was.

“I believe I will be with you until the end, whatever that may be Emilia Darling.” Freddy returned before he sat down at the table to get some breakfast.

“If I may be so bold and if you’ll forgive my saying so,” Rolf began and paused to see her reaction, she raised a curious brow but her facial expression was of ease, inviting and curious which only emboldened him to finish his statement. “You two make quite the pair.” Rolf noted as Emily stayed right where she was next to Rolf feeling she was safer with Rolf than she was with any of the other guests. Like she could be at ease with him without being offensive or improper, like she could be friends with him. He had such a warm and inviting manner to his person and he was unusually handsome to her and he had a gentle charm about him too which she found quite attractive.  

“We are no pair at all, simply the best of friends who’ve known each other since childhood, we are closer than siblings and are like family but never more.” Emily whispered to Rolf as she spread her fan to cover her face and conceal her conversation with him but still offered him a friendly if not playful and fond smile which Rolf found enchanting. Most ladies plastered on fake or polite smiles, hers was different. It was genuine because even her eyes seemed to glitter and glow with delight. Rolf could understand why half of Europe was infatuated with her. Emily was lovely.  

“Oh?” Rolf asked curiously, hoping to keep her company for as long as he could.  

“My Dear Fredrick prefers the company of other men.” Emily whispered.

“I see,” Rolf nodded in understanding, his brother Fits would be delighted to learn that.

“So you can understand, as a lady who is constantly trying to get courted, how refreshing his company is and how much I can trust his companionship.” Emily added and Rolf could only nod in understanding and offer her a smile, he supposed if he were in her shoes, he would be the same way. “So if you’ll forgive my curiosity, how long have you been in service to his Lordship?” Emily asked since he seemed more talkative than most servants would be which she actually liked and enjoyed. Knowing that servants were people too and she usually received better service from them if she was kind and respectful to them and treated them with respect and dignity, that and it made her feel better as a person to be polite to them. Not thinking so highly of herself that she would look down on anyone else, especially servants.

“Since I was a boy.” Rolf answered.

“How often does his Lordship like to play such games?” Emily inquired.

“More often than not.” Rolf answered and Emily nodded in understanding.

“Thank you for your candor Sir Rolf, I greatly appreciate it.” Emily graciously thanked him.

“Thank you for yours Lady Bellim.” Rolf answered in kind and Emily couldn’t help but smile and felt a kinship to him and sat down to breakfast herself as Rolf watched her appreciatively. Most of the other people there talked down to him because they perceived him to be a servant when in reality, his father was Count Sparta and Lord of the house and pretending to be the Steward and he himself was Lord Sparta, parading around as his assistant to weed out the undeserving of their guests. Rolf had expressed an interest in getting married and his father’s way of dealing with that was to have this charade, wanting only the most brave and clever girl to be his son’s wife and so far only Emily and a few other girls and their families remained, those ones however were the more despicable families in his opinion. He strode over to his brother to whisper Emily’s revelation to him, knowing his own brother also preferred the company of other men too, his brother absolutely delighted to hear the news and immediately traded places with one of the servants so that he could attend to Freddy himself.  

After breakfast they were invited to tour the gardens, which they did. Emily and Freddy however easily crept out of them and really tried to survey the grounds and when they got to the other side of the house, they found bare wilderness, black smoke billowed out of some craggy rocks every so often near a cliff and at the cliff, there was a waterfall, the waters coming out from deep underneath the manor. Rolf watched from a distance, having panicked that he lost her on the grounds and went looking for her and breathed in relief when he found her but couldn’t help but appreciate Emily’s tenacity and bravery for exploring where she was, even laying on the ground to try to look over the cliff safely. Also appreciating the fact that she was more than a pretty face. She had a kindness and a humility to her nature that he found very appealing. He had heard many rumors about her, how she was as uncommonly pretty as she was clever, discerning and brilliant, too brilliant for a woman. Headstrong and lively too. Which to him were exactly what he was looking for. He wanted a wife to excite his mind as much as his body while warming his heart, he also heard rumors she was skittish, rebellious and refused to be coerced into anything she didn’t want to do and so far she had lived up to her reputation.  He was looking forward to seeing how she would react to the next test.

At lunch his father got his own steward and his own steward’s sons to pose as himself and his sons, riding gallantly up the drive and making a grand entrance and apologizing that they had urgent business with the king that they needed to take care of at the last minute, Rolf and Fits carrying the large chest of gold coins as the ‘payment’ for their services to the king which worked like a charm as the other guests eyed the gold laden chest with the same hunger a starving man would look at a plated meal. Then the real Lords watched how all the other families would react to their replacements and to no one’s surprise, all the daughters were pushed to fawn over the fake heirs. Rolf was keenly delighted however when Emily was not one of them, even though she was amiable and polite, she didn’t throw herself at the acting Lord like the other girls did. Instead she seemed to be keen on observing him but the more she was around him, the more it was obvious to Rolf that she did not like his acting replacement and made no further bids for his time or attention. He watched Emily look out the window after playing a card game with his replacement and had won and cashed out the moment she got all the winnings instead of staying to continue to play as he came to stand next to her since the light in her brilliant aquamarine eyes had died a little and now she looked rather sullen and it pained him to see her so, usually any girl would be over the moon winning as much as she did but instead she was looking more sullen than the losers were- now that her back was to everyone else and no one else cared to see how she was.

“Are you alright Lady Bellim?” Rolf asked as he came to stand with her at the large window.

“Yes, perfectly alright Sir Rolf, many thanks for your concern.” Emily answered, her whole being lighting up and the warmth of her expression returning the moment she noticed him come near her.

“Do you not take delight in his Lordship?” Rolf asked, fearing Emilia had already seen through the ruse.

“Could I be honest with you without causing offense?” Emily asked warily but with hints of hopefulness.

“Please, by all means, you have a fantastic mind, please continue to bestow upon me the candor we enjoyed earlier.” Rolf invited and couldn’t help but let his own grin grow as hers did the same.  

“His Lordship is handsome to be sure. However I have heard rumors from his previous tutors that his Lordship is supposed to be uncommonly clever and brilliant and so far I do not find him to be so. All of his gambles were, and continue to be- reckless and stupid. The other ladies loose on purpose so as to make him out to be the winner anyway and it wasn’t because he was dealt bad cards, it was because he played good cards badly. If he were to loose so they would gain on purpose is one thing but what he is doing is another. It was too easy to win against him, that is why I do not play with him now, he would loose this entire estate and I do not like to take unfair advantage of him or any other stupid person, it’s just not right.” Emily answered softly so that only Rolf would hear her. “To be such a Lord and to know that all this rests on his shoulders, he would know since birth to be more careful. It is as if he lives in a fantasy of his own making just like every other Lord and Noble who likes to squander their resources I know- and I do not care for it. And his conversation is lacking. It’s as deep as a puddle. He’s supposed to have some of the best education in all of Europe and so far he does not live up to his reputation. I’ve made mentions and references of the classics and the well known riddles and rhetoric and he responds as if I am speaking gibberish. I am profoundly disappointed.” Emily explained and Rolf was ready to kiss her because she saw through it without realizing it and she was a woman who knew her stuff and when he had overheard her conversations over the course of the card game, he was inwardly groaning and fighting not to join in himself because everything she said went over his replacement’s head and Rolf wanted to know her opinions on everything because she was educated and informed about everything she tried talking about. To have anyone be as educated as himself, his father and his brother was a rare treat and delight and his stand in, while knowledgeable about how to run an estate and how to take care of lord and guest alike, was severely lacking in all other topics but she was the only one to make it show. And he could do nothing but respect her for it. And respect her for staying true to herself and not dumb-ing herself down to flatter his replacements like the other girls instantly had.

“So what can you tell me about the cave under the manor, unless you must be getting back to your duties.” Emily initiated since she had his attention for the moment, might as well benefit from it and enjoy it.

“There is a natural gas leak into the cave system under the manor that spontaneously combusts. You should stay away from it.” Rolf warned her but instead of shock and horror at that revelation, he found a smug grin meeting his statement which was intriguing him to say the least.  

“Too late, I found it last night, my grandmother wrote a letter to me- in it she told me to go ‘where death is eminent for the treasure of life’ along with a key to the door and I intend to do the opposite of that.” Emily revealed as she pulled a key out of her little purse, which was already stuffed with her winnings for the briefest of moments and Rolf blinked in surprise at her.

“Then if you insist on returning to that place, please permit me to join you, it would be improper for such a Lady as yourself to get injured on these grounds.” Rolf insisted- eager to leave the drawing room and the mindless banter and the disingenuous laughter. Even more eager to spend time one and one with her, even as improper as that was.  

“Could we go now?” Emily asked as her features lit up with excitement.

“Of course.” Rolf answered.

“I believe I’ll get changed into proper attire first.” Emily said as she left and dressed into Freddy’s lower clothes which were simply what he wore when he wanted to be comfortable before Freddy and Rolf’s brother Fits joined them as Rolf tried and failed not to look at the shapeliness of her legs and hips. Thinking that women in trousers, well her in trousers was quite becoming actually. He wondered what she would be like riding astride on a horse or better yet, riding astride him but he quickly tried and failed to push that thought from his head.

“So where are we going then?” Freddy asked.

“To the burning caves under the house, care to join me?” Emily beamed happily as she put all the letters and put them into a small leather satchel for later reference.

“But of course.” Freddy agreed as he changed into some lower clothes too and the four of them set off and Rolf watched in fascination as Emily seemed to know exactly where she was going as if she had grown up here herself as they took a lantern and with Emily once again opening the door with her key, they gained entry and started traversing the caves.

“How well have you explored these caves Sir Rolf?” Emily asked Rolf.

“Please, just Rolf, Lady Bellim.” Rolf corrected, he wanted her to use his name, that title would do him little good down here. He hated it down here and only came down here when absolutely necessary or from a direct order of his father to retrieve something in particular.

“If you are going to dispense with formality, in my case then I ask that you do the same. Emily, please.” Emily insisted as she shook hands with him as they were soon grinning happily at each other.

“So back to my question, how well have you explored these caves Rolf?” Emily asked.

“Not well at all.” Rolf professed as they trudged through, the lantern turned up so as to light up the caves better.

“And you?” Emily asked Fits.

“This is the first time in them My Lady.” Fits answered nervously, their father always threatened them with throwing them in here as punishment growing up and he was nearly pissing himself in fear, but as such Freddy and himself had already dispensed with formality and had talked all through the card game and Fits was already becoming loath to leave Freddy’s side.

“Please, Emily, we are all friends here are we not?” Emily asked.

“Indeed we are Emily.” Fits beamed. He could see what his brother liked about her. She had an ease to her that most girls did not before the gas ignited and they all dove down to the ground, Fits and Freddy falling to try to shield each other and Emily as Rolf shielded Emily completely with himself and once the flames extinguished the four got up and dusted themselves off.

“Well that was exciting.” Emily beamed happily, happy that Rolf hadn’t tried to sneak a feel of her at all, simply tried to protect her courageously, which she thought was sweet of him as he helped her back up to her feet.

“You are the only one who could think so Emily.” Fits grumbled, having nearly fainted when that happened.

“The breeze is coming from over there.” Freddy realized when he licked his finger to feel the direction of the breeze more keenly.

“Yes but our expedition earlier proved that there is nothing in that direction but a vent in a ceiling, I came to see if these caves are connected to the water.” Emily explained as Fits and Rolf looked at each other in surprise. She was smarter than they had estimated. “So in my experience, head closer to the humidity and downwards.” Emily suggested before they came to a fork. One leading upwards while the other went downwards.

“The gas likes to gravitate towards elevation, thus why it ignites in the ceiling, we will be safer if we head downwards if we were to head upwards the ignition line will only lower to our level and burn us up for sure.” Emily noted as Fits grew even more afraid and Freddy, took a leap and held onto Fits’ hand as the two clung to one another as Emily grinned encouragingly at Freddy.

“Do you know fear at all Emily?” Rolf asked as they went further down the second tunnel grabbing her hand to steady her decent as he went first before her through the deepening charred guano that was starting to get wetter in shallower depths.

“Of course I do, it is because I respect it so that I have gotten this far.” Emily answered. “Do you know why there was screaming last night?” Emily asked Rolf seemingly as an afterthought.

“I do not, when we came upon the other guests, they claimed they had seen ghosts.” Rolf only partially lied, himself and his brother and father and half the staff dressing up as ghosts to scare their guests away on purpose.

“Well it can be argued that most estates are haunted. The unspeakable acts usually unfolded within the walls of the wealthy and powerful make them such.” Emily reasoned.

“I do hope you have never been a victim of such atrocities?” Rolf ventured, appalled that she would be resigned to such a notion, wanting to protect her from such crimes.

“Of course I have, I’m an orphan and heiress to an estate, I have known nothing but. Talk seriously with any Mistress and she’ll tell you the horrors of every Lord. I am lucky in that I have a choice in the matter, most in my position do not.” Emily returned and Rolf found himself helpless to not respect such an answer.

“However, upon hearing statements from the other guests, I do wonder if perhaps several servants were simply under sheets with holes cut out for the eyes, based on the fact that ghosts cast neither shadow or make human sounds, like snickering laughter and loud thundering steps when they run. Surely if I see a ghost I am throwing my cross at it and if it goes right through, it’s a real ghost, if it makes contact with something solid, it is simply a joke-ster. I have heard rumors that Lord Sparta does enjoy a good ruse, it would not surprise me in the least if he put his own servants up to scaring his own guests.” Emily mused as she watched Rolf and Fits look away guiltily and narrowed her eyes playfully as her grin grew smug.

“Well surely if I get approached by such a ghost, there are plenty suits of armor in the halls, I shall not hesitate to grab a spear or javelin and run them through with it.” Emily professed.

“And Emily is quite inept at throwing things, like a modern David and Goliath.” Freddy boasted as Rolf and Fits looked at each other worriedly as they both made mental notes to not even attempt to scare her later and would be warning the others of that to leave Emily and Freddy alone lest something tragic happen.  

“I have heard rumors that you are uncommonly clever and brave. I am blessed to know these rumors are true, his Lordship would be a fool for not wanting you like all the rest.” Rolf praised, changing the subject.

“That buffoon upstairs? No thank you. Although being mistress of these caves would be a wonder but I doubt I shall ever get to explore them again. As soon as he chooses a bride and the real prize is revealed, I’m sure we will all be sent home. But this has been a most fun game and I’ll mourn it’s loss when it’s done.” Emily returned as Fits snickered a laugh at Emily’s bluntness as Rolf could only stare at her in awed amazement.  

“You would make the best mistress of these caves.” Fits praised.

“Thank you, that is the highest praise I’ve ever received.” Emily beamed happily before they heard the flames light up again and they all dove to the ground once again. Rolf, shielding Emily with himself again as Fits and Freddy did the same to each other and Emily true to Emily’s guess, the flames only hugged the ceiling this time and quickly running up towards the other passages. Knowing they all would have been dead for sure if they hadn’t followed her direction.

“Ha! I knew it! They do lead to the water!” Emily beamed as she found a stream as Rolf was careful with the lantern to only light up the stream, the mass of their fortune in giant chests on the other side of the stream along with the stairwell that led directly to his father’s room and he didn’t want Emily to see that part. Although if she was brave enough to traverse these caves perhaps she was entitled to it on that merit alone.

“Come on.” Emily urged them.

“Woah, woah, woah, what are you doing?” Rolf stopped her when she made a run for the stream.

“I’m going to ride down the waterfall it’s not that tall, I’ve jumped from higher. You go feet first.” Emily giggled and Rolf just smiled brighter at her. She was perfect.  

“Not without me.” Rolf said once he grabbed a firm hold onto her hand and they both made a run for the stream and jumped in together, both of them cackling with laughter as their splash extinguished the lantern.  

“Is she always like that?” Fits asked Freddy as they clung to each other in the darkness.  

“Yeah, come on, before the cave alights again.” Freddy said as he led Fits over to the river’s edge as they both jumped in hand in hand too.

“I have never in my life, done anything like this.” Fits admitted with a laugh as they felt the stream carry them down before, in an act of courage kissed Freddy before Freddy kissed him back.

“Isn’t this so much fun?” Emily asked Rolf as they floated further down stream as they both fought to keep their heads above water while still keeping a hold of each other.

“It is.” Rolf laughed despite himself before the mouth of the falls appeared.

“Ok feet first!” Emily laughed as she gripped his hand even tighter before they both yelled in delight as they plummeted to the lake below followed closely by Freddy and Fits who both hollered loudly as Rolf and Emily laughed before they made sure they were all ok before they swam to the shore and once on land the four of them laughed until they were crying and continued to talk all the way back to the estate.

“It would be a pleasure to be your friend Rolf and if I could ever steal you away from his Lordship, I would, in heartbeat.” Emily offered to Rolf once he dropped her off at her room while Freddy went with Fits to get some clean dry clothes in his own temporary room because that kiss ignited their own fire.  

“Only if you’ll allow me the same opportunity.” Rolf returned charmingly.

“Deal.” Emily grinned as she handed him her hand for him to shake again as he shook it before he kissed her hand affectionately and that kiss sent a shivering, delightful tingle throughout Emily’s body, the first kiss she had ever received to elicit such a reaction from her before she, out pure rebelliousness did the same to him which made him blush and smile bashfully. He really loved her now before she felt even bolder and used her hold on his hand and pulled him in to kiss him before he kissed her back, framing her beautiful face with his hands as she wrapped her arms around him to pull him flush with herself and felt the heat of his body come through their drenched clothes.

“You should get dressed for dinner Emily.” Rolf insisted even though he wanted to take things further but knew if he did, the jig would be up and he confess to everything and he would ruin it all.

“You’re right, forgive me for...” Emily began, slightly embarrassed that she wanted more. But not at all ashamed that she wanted it from him rather than Lord Sparta himself.

“Nothing to forgive.” Rolf cut her off and Emily just smiled wider at him.

Over dinner Emily naturally sat at the other end of the table away from her hosts to let the other girls and their families try their hand and wooing them. She was beyond disinterested and she ate quite a bit, as if it was her last meal there and the food was beyond delicious and so she gorged herself as if at any moment, Lord Sparta would dismiss her and Freddy- to bid them to go home as Fits and Rolf waited on them, sneaking the best and most delicious wine to them. But to Emily’s surprise, his Lordship didn’t bid her goodbye. However when she came back to her room for the evening, she found the #5 letter pinned to her door and Emily grinned when she realized the game was still being played as she took it and put it with the others and grinned wider when it started to make even more sense. Like a giant puzzle.

“Emily? Would you mind if I spent the night with another?” Freddy asked as he came to stand beside her.

“As long as it’s Fits, I don’t mind one bit.” Emily returned proudly.

“Then don’t mind.” Freddy grinned triumphantly as he kissed her cheek sweetly and got his things and left again. Soon after the doors locked again and Emily simply shrugged and sighed contentedly as she got ready for bed, adding another blanket to the bed so she would stay warm and she slept so soundly she didn’t wake to hear the screams of the other guests through the night knowing that it was a hoax and that there was nothing to really fear at all.

In the morning, she found she had actual attendants to help her with her hair and dressing along with a new necklace. Emily frowned as she allowed them to put the necklace on her. But at breakfast she saw one family leaving already, the girl crying that she wanted to stay and strolled right up to the young Lord Sparta, the one she was supposed to be wooing but had no interest in doing so.

“Lord Sparta.” Emily began as she curtsied.

“Yes good morning Lady Bellim.” He smiled charmingly at her.

“Is Lady Willowbe being sent home by your Lordship or is she going home of Lord Willowbe’s will?” She asked.

“Both, Lady Bellim.” He answered.

“Why? Did not your Lordship take delight in her? She seemed quite happy to compete for your attention. Why not send me home instead to allow her to stay?” Emily inquired.

“Because you are still playing the game. She sought to cheat.” He answered.

“Lord Sparta, I have already cheated, I’ve stolen some of the other guests’ letters.” Emily confessed.

“No, that does not break the rules at all,” he argued as Emily simply frowned in confusion at him.  

“Could you please tell me all the rules then? I would not like to break them by accident and forfeit my place in the game then.” Emily returned.

“No, where would the fun be in that?” He grinned before he walked off leaving Emily to think over his words. Maybe he was smarter than she gave him credit for and maybe he was playing dumb on purpose the day before.  

After breakfast they went to the drawing room as the girls showed off their accomplishments with the piano forte’s and songs and poetry and Emily begrudgingly participated only because Lord Sparta invited her to do so that flirted with demanded in tone as she was almost predisposed to tell him to ‘piss off’ before she indulged him and the other guests in doing as requested before she played another game with him and was surprised when he was a much better player this time but Emily still felt as if everything was wrong about him. After games, they went to the garden to try to get through the maze and Emily grabbed a hold of Rolf again.

“I do not wish to go through this maze with Lord Sparta, I’d much prefer to go through it with you.” Emily told him and smiled when he smiled in turn.

“Of course My Lady.” Rolf offered his elbow to her to escort her through it and smiled again when she hugged his arm and seemed to have a system to go through the maze reaching out and keeping her right hand continuously on the wall to her right. Another piece of advice given to her by her grandmother.

“I must confess something Rolf.” She began as they found a lonely corner of the maze, away from the gazes and ears of the others.

“Surely you have done nothing to be confessed to.” Rolf began.

“On the contrary I continuously do things wrong that must be confessed to. I am not playing the game fairly. I stole some of the other’s guests letters.” Emily confessed again.

“I believe that’s one of the ways to play the game Emily.” Rolf answered, albeit a little apologetically since he could clearly see she wasn’t enjoying herself around his replacement.

“Then if you have such knowledge, won’t you share it with me Dear Rolf?” Emily asked, giving him a hopeful yet pleading look and Rolf would have given every coin he had to continue to hear her talk to him so endearingly and affectionately for the rest of his life.

“I only know some of the rules but I will tell them to you.” Rolf answered before he told her all that he knew that his own father had told him.

“Would Fits know more?” Emily asked as they neared the center of the maze.

“No, Fits and I were told all of that together.” He told her and thought her pout of disappointment was absolutely adorable. “But his Lordship’s finery does look quite fetching on you.” Rolf praised as he appreciated how good Emily looked in his late mother’s necklace and had to laugh when Emily rolled her eyes.

“He is wasting it on me. While I do not wish to offend his Lordship by not wearing it. It does not endear him to me. If anything it poses to push me farther away from him because every other Lord tries to woo me with jewels. I suppose it was his late mother’s necklace, judging by how fine it is. I dare not take it with me when he sends me home.” Emily insisted.

“How can you be so certain that you will be sent home?” Rolf asked.

“Because I have no interest in his Lordship. I do not flatter him, I do not fawn over him. If he is the only prize in this game perhaps I should forfeit now. I simply do not care for him. Yesterday he was overly stupid, today he is trying too hard to be overly clever. He is all wrong. It is as if he’s a first time actor trying to play the role of his Lordship and he keeps getting his lines wrong. Besides, I’d much rather spend more time with you, I feel you’d play better games and provide better banter for me anyway.” Emily praised as she hugged his arm tighter before he stopped and couldn’t help but kiss her again, happy that she pulled him flush with herself first and leaned her head up to kiss him, having realized he wanted to kiss her and realizing she wanted to be kissed for once, if only by him though.

“Do not play the game for him then, play it for me, if you win, you can have me as the prize instead.” Rolf whispered when they broke for air.

“You drive a very hard bargain Dearest. Very well, only for you then.” Emily begrudgingly agreed before she kissed him again, feeling quite addicted to his kisses already.

The next day, they did some riding and shooting, Emily not holding back and hitting more birds than young Lord Sparta did. Rolf unbelievably pleased that Emily was the only one genuinely trying while the rest of the ladies refused to try more than once, Emily saving the dogs more than once because of how bad those ladies were at shooting. Emily was also the only woman to wear browns, tweeds and trousers so she could ride astride the horses and not spook the game while all the other ladies wore bright colors and pretty dresses and had to ride side saddle and could move no faster than a walk on the horses while Freddy, Fits, Rolf and Emily got to run and canter all over the country side as much as their hearts desired. Rolf put Emily on his own favorite horse which was one of the faster ones in the stables and watched as she rode it just as well as he usually did and in dead runs, she won out, leaping and jumping over logs and boulders with ease, not caring in the least if she got dirty because she was genuinely having fun and it was a sight for Rolf to see while his ears eagerly took in the sounds of her delighted laughter and conversation.

Over the course of the week, Emily tried to play more fairly and more nicely with her competitors and his Lordship and every other morning, another girl was sent home but that evening Emily got a new letter pinned to her door until the end of the week. She felt she had all but one of the Fibonacci sequence pages and understood most of it until it was herself and one other lady were all that remained, the other lady being Viscountess Eliza from England and Eliza stared cloaked daggers at Emily every time she looked at her. Emily however was undisturbed by this and Rolf simply watched with pride as Emily seemingly took it all in stride and let Eliza’s actions and sugar coated venom-ed words roll off of her like water from a duck’s back. While Emily did her best to befriend her host, Lord Sparta, she could not harbor feelings for him besides the polite platonic kind since her budding romance with Rolf bloomed more and more each day, he even came up with mini games just for the two of them to play which she was keen to play and win if only because she was playing with Rolf over everyone else. Usually he would have been scared she saw straight through the ruse but at the same time, he didn’t care. He really liked her and was starting to really love her and adored her and missed her when they parted for the night and it was getting harder and harder to play the role of a servant but his own servant who was playing his role took it with stride as the two tried to help each other with their reversed roles.

At the end of the week, Emily found herself walking through the greenhouse with Rolf, who seemed to be her constant companion when Freddy was no where to be found, the few times he did show up, was simply to tell her that he was fine and that he was currently getting lost in Fits which she congratulated him for and was happy that he was finding love and happiness, even as unintended as it was.

“Do you know if his Lordship will make his decision soon?” Emily asked as she wanted to smell every fragrant bloom in the greenhouse and was currently nose deep in the most fragrant roses.

“Why do you ask?” Rolf asked, not wanting his time with her to end, ever.

“Well Freddy is quite in love with Fits and I don’t want to separate them by loosing to the game too early and I do enjoy your company and I would be loathed to part from you and I’m prepared to make an offer for you from his Lordship but I do not know if he will part with you and Fits but this is proving tortuous for Eliza and I don’t wish for needless suffering.” Emily reasoned and Rolf was burning up inside, wanting to tell her everything but couldn’t.

“Are you missing home at all?” Rolf asked, trying to change the subject again.

“Yes and no. I miss my servants who are proving to be the few loyal friends I have anymore.” Emily admitted as she pet the petals of a lily before smelling it and smiling softly at the scent. “Truth is I have very few friends indeed. All ladies my age are my competitors, all men period are usually my suitors and they look at me and see a pretty face behind a large purse, a trophy to put in a glass case or a gilded cage, or better yet some kind of wild animal they hope to tame to stroke their own egos or the living embodiment of His Holiness that they can attain. Or worse yet, money grabbers who think I have a grand fortune and will receive even greater once my grandmother passes. But it’s all a lie. I live a very modest life, barely getting by some years. The estate took most of my inheritance and the wages of the servants and doctors and caretakers of my grandmother take the rest of it. All the finery I wear is actually “gifts” from all the other nobles and lords- payment for coyly flirting with them for a week at a time, feeding them crumbs of false hope that they are “wearing me down” to accept them. I hate it. It makes me feel like a harlot, selling my attention like that. Never myself mind you but still, far too close for my liking. I refuse to sell my pride or my self respect though. Perhaps it’s that- that everyone else is after and while I spend my birthday week at the Vatican with his Holiness, he barely remembers me anymore. That cross I wore is the only thing he’s ever bestowed upon me and I do not have the heart to ask him for anything. I’m not noble by blood, my blood is no more noble than yours is, I was just blessed at birth and my father got promoted to his station when the previous holder of it died. My mother was a camp follower for Christ’s sake and while everyone treats me like I’m royalty I know they only do so until I choose someone, then once the truth about me is found out, they’ll treat me like the trash I think they all secretly think I am. The only power I have is my ability to see things for the way they are and say no.” Emily confessed as she smelled the fragrant jasmine before sitting down to tea with Rolf that was just brought to them.

“Then don’t play to such horrible people Dearest.” Rolf said simply.

“I would love nothing more than to take your advice and simply quit it all but I have the livelihoods of many who depend on me. My grandmother is nearly senile and caring for her is very costly, that’s why I gamble, all my winnings go to actually taking care of myself and feeding and clothing myself because my living can not sustain myself to the degree everyone expects of me and my estate and my grandmother. Freddy’s father is about to be considered senile himself and is at risk of being enemies with the state every time he goes into a tirade rant. I don’t know how much longer either of us can hold out.” Emily worried, showing her rare vulnerable side, but only because she felt she knew she could trust Rolf with such things, he had never taken advantage of her and always waited until she initiated contact first.

“It sounds like you’re tired My Dear.” Rolf surmised.

“I am.” Emily huffed a laugh as she sipped her tea. “The tea is delicious today, what kind is this again?” Emily asked.

“You see that bright red flower on that bush right there?” Rolf asked as he pointed to the blooms in question as Emily nodded yes in confirmation. “That is a hibiscus, this is tea made from the flowers.” Rolf answered.

“Such a beautiful flower makes equally beautiful tea.” Emily grinned happily as she continued to drink it and savor it.

“I’ve noticed you have a healthy appetite. Most ladies pick at their foods like delicate birds, I know the cooks work hard on the food and it seems like you’re the only one who enjoys it and it makes me happy to see you enjoy the meals.” Rolf praised as he watched her try all the cakes, having asked the cooks to really outdo themselves to make something that she would deem as her favorite so he could lavish it on her.

“They do work very hard and I do thoroughly enjoy everything and it feels like a waste if I do not at least try all of it. I don’t care if I appear gluttonous with the others, back at home I usually eat whatever the servants cook for themselves because it’s more cost effective if I do. A lot of expense can be spent on just a meal for myself, my grandmother already needs such a special diet, I would prefer for her to eat well rather than myself. You’d be surprised how long I can subsist on soups and stews with breads alone.” Emily confessed before she continued to devour the special lemon and berry cakes, quite liking those. “Although I must say, this is exquisite, I could eat a case of these.” Emily noted as Rolf beamed happily at her as he made a mental note of that.  

“Maybe your fortune will change and you’ll be able to eat like you do here all the time, wherever you go, especially at home.” Rolf offered.

“Don’t curse me like that.” Emily returned with a frown.

“Curse? What curse? How is that a curse?” Rolf asked in astonishment.

“Because the only way that will happen is if I marry a Lord, one of the overstuffed buffoons who try to tempt me with such things. I would rather come here and serve as a maid and eat whatever the servants here eat if it means I can eat with you every day. I am not above such things. It would be honest work and I’d be happy making honest money for honest work. Granted in order to do that, my grandmother would probably have to die first and I’d have to sell the estate and that would probably pull my heart and soul from my body to do but if that’s how I have to survive then so be it. I can only hope the next mistress treats my friends well.” Emily explained.

“I will give you every coin I have to make sure that never happens.” Rolf offered.

“Oh hush, don’t speak of such nonsense. I would never ask that of you. You’ve earned your wages and you should use them to take care of yourself and your own loved ones, surely you have family outside of this estate who needs those funds more than I. I can get by, I obviously do. I know how hard life can be for servants no matter their master. Use it for those in a worse state than I. I just wanted you to know the truth of the matter. Every other man has their own fantasy of my fortune and I don’t have the heart to tell them it’s already gone. You have been honest with me, I need to be honest with you in return. You deserve more than the false hope I feel I have to shell out to everyone else. You deserve the truth. You deserve better than I could ever hope to give you.” Emily insisted and Rolf both wanted to break down and cry or throw up from guilt but at the same breath, confess to his own truth. Feeling she deserved it in turn and could barely stomach this charade any longer. He waited until she was done chewing and swallowed before he kissed her tenderly. Feeling bad for kissing her instead of telling her the truth. But kissing her was the best and easiest thing he could do for now.  

“And you deserve better than I could ever give you. If you truly wish to stay with me here, I’ll make the arrangements, if you want me to go home with you, I will, without a second thought or hesitation, the Count and his Lordship be damned. Just give me a little bit more time my dearest Emily.” Rolf breathed as he stroked her gorgeous face before she turned her head slightly to kiss his palm as her hands came to rest over his own. Usually she would have been on the other side of the greenhouse to keep space between herself and everyone else but she wanted to be close to him and she craved his touch and his closeness as much as her body craved breath and every moment they could steal away and enjoy their privacy like this, she cherished. Her own grandmother be damned for marrying ‘beneath’ her. She loved Rolf and since she had the power to choose for herself, she was going to choose him, no matter the cost.

“Alight.” Emily nodded in agreement.

The next morning however at breakfast there were still only two girls left, Emily and Eliza and his lordship did not come to breakfast instead another attendant came and made an announcement.

“Miss Eliza, you are the winner of the grand game, please turn in your letter to receive your prize.” He announced and Eliza lit up with excitement and quickly handed over her letter that she had not let Emily look at- at all and had horded and guarded this whole time as Emily blew out a breath of relief before she offered her congratulations to Eliza for a game well played and won.

“Miss Emilia, your prize for being the runner up.” The attendant said as he handed Emily the last letter.

“Thank you.” Emily beamed as she took it and added it to the others.

“Where are all the rest of them? I had page 144.” Eliza frowned.

“Have you ever heard of Fibonacci, Miss Eliza?” Rolf asked as he came strutting into the room, wearing his proper clothes with his attendant, who had been parading as Lord Sparta following behind him dressed in his proper steward in training clothes.

“Fiba- who?” Eliza asked in confusion as Emily did a double take and just gasped in shock and stared in stunned silence at Rolf, her mouth hanging open almost comically as her eyes were wide before she remembered to cover her mouth with her hand. Rolf looked so handsome dressed up before she realized all the signs that he had been Lord Sparta all along. No servant should have been so candid and conversational with her but she had been so desperate for his kindred companionship she hadn’t cared to notice the impropriety of it before she just couldn’t help but smile to herself before smiling adoringly at to him- her eyes welling with tears as she wanted to cry from her overwhelming emotions. She should have known all along, normally she would have been furious being tricked like this but she didn’t care. Her prize of Rolf- had not changed and she was happy to have him in whatever form he would take. Then she took her necklace off, the very piece that was the late Countess Sparta’s necklace and threw it at him jokingly to make sure he wasn’t a ghost himself which got both of them to laugh as he easily caught it.

“Fibonacci, is a famed mathematician, he had a formula for numbers, start with zero, zero plus one, is one again, one plus one is two, one plus two is three, two plus three is five and so on and so forth, adding the previous two numbers to get to the next.” Emily answered Eliza’s question as Emily showed Eliza all the letters and pointed to the numbers in the upper right hand corner as Eliza realized she was the victim of a cruel trick herself and stared hatefully at the very man she had been trying to ensnare all week.

“So are you my prize then? A servant?” Eliza sneered at the manservant.

“Of course not my Lady, your prize is this.” He answered as he placed a simple but small bar of gold in front of her. “Is this not what you have been digging and vying for all this time?” He taunted before she huffed and took the bar of gold and got up and stormed off to her rooms with it as she quickly got ready to leave before Rolf put his mother’s necklace back on Emily.

“Thank you for not actually throwing a spear Dearest.” Rolf gently teased as he touched her shoulders affectionately and kissed the back of her head.

“Next time.” Emily teased back as she looked up at him, looking at his handsome face upside down, the two laughed again before Emily turned her attention back to the steward in training.

“So what is your real name Sir?” Emily asked the manservant with a grin.

“Byron.” He said as he held his hand out to shake hers.

“Pleasure to meet you Sir Byron.” Emily greeted him. “And if I can just say, you make a terrible lord.” Emily teased which earned a laugh from everyone, especially Bryon and Rolf and his father- William as Rolf sat down next to her as William sat at the head of the table as Freddy and Fits finally reappeared, having done nothing but lay together and draw closer all week in Fits’ real room. Fits sat to the left his father and Freddy sat on the other side of Fits and sat in Eliza’s seat across from Emily as Freddy beamed proudly at Emily for being the real winner of the grand game.  

“This my dear Emily, is your prize.” Rolf said as he put a ring box on the table in front of Emily before Emily put her stack of letters down on the table between them to open it and found an engagement ring, a smaller miniature version of the pink panther diamond they had found and returned earlier that week before Emily offered her left hand so Rolf could put the ring onto her hand.

“And I am honored to receive such a prize.” Emily returned as she just smiled adoringly at Rolf before turning her attention to his father William. “And I must applaud you Count Sparta for putting together such a fantastic game, I see from the rules that you yourself are very well read, pulling from the great minds of the masters of the Renaissance especially.” Emily praised Lord Sparta who beamed happily at her.

“And I must applaud you for seeing so easily through the guises.” He returned. “You will bring much to this family, if you choose to stay.” He returned to her.

“I believe I will.” Emily grinned as she squeezed Rolf’s hand from under the table. “But I must also tell you that my estate is a mere fraction of what most think it to be. All the wealth I had has been put towards the upkeep of the manor and care of my own servants who I count as friends.” Emily revealed.

“And it is because you invested your funds as such that made you such an invaluable treasure, when my son told me as such I knew you had won the game and so I put an end to it today, not wanting you to suffer any more than you already have, especially at that horrid girl’s lack of manners. You are by far the most superior lady I have ever come in contact with besides my own dear Contessina and I know you will look after this estate with the same care you do your own manor. That is why I gave your grandmother the key to the letters and the key to the caves, because if you were brave enough to traverse them, you will no doubt bravely walk next my son through life.” Lord Sparta smiled appreciatively at her. “When Rolf said he wanted to marry, I devised this plan so that not only would a wise and brilliant woman figure it out, but a brave and courageous yet kind heart-ed woman would win my son. I understand you are quite the problem solver and the beholder of many fantastic ideas, I’d love to hear them if you will be so kind as to share them with us.” Lord Sparta invited as she blushed and smiled bashfully at such praise, but knowing it was sincere- meant the world to her.

“If you will send for Fredrick’s father, who is not just a brilliant scientist but inventor as well, I believe together we can find a solution to the gas problem, I think if you could manage to collect it and harness it safely and keep it from self igniting. It would prove very useful.” Emily began.

“Then please do tell.” Lord Sparta invited before Emily took a deep breath and began to tell him all sorts of ideas as she felt the same ease and free-ness she would feel at home.

That night after rounds of games and cards with the real lords and being thrilled to finally play them well with her fiance and his father, brother and Freddy and in return, be played well with. Rolf led Emily to his real quarters since one of the rules of the game were that no lady would lie with anyone for the duration of the game and now that the game was over, they were both more than eager to be together before her things were put into the room as well to stay with him until the wedding that would be planned the next day.

“At last, we can be completely alone.” Rolf breathed in relief once they were both undressed and redressed in their night clothes but Emily had quickly and easily stripped out of her night gown the moment they were under the covers as Rolf did the same.

“Yes, at last.” Emily giggled as Rolf had Emily roll on top of him and ride him just like he had imagined all week, wanting Emily to continue to have all the control she wanted, both of them moaning at finally being joined as they kissed each other very deeply and Emily felt no ill feelings at being touched and caressed, instead of feeling dread, she felt at ease and happiness in addition to be wanted but more importantly treasured and respected most of all as she put his hands to her body without a hint of embarrassment or shyness. “Please my Dearest Emily, tell me and instruct me how to please you best.” Rolf pleaded desperately, wanting and needing to give her every pleasure and Emily could have cried she was so moved by such a sentiment that she told him exactly how and was blown away when he was able to pull from her body and soul the sweetest of pleasured releases as she did the same to him.

“You will be the best Lady Sparta.” Rolf praised as he laid next to Emily and wiped the sweat from his brow as they both panted as they recovered, their bodies still alight with delight.

“Only if you’ll be the best Lord Sparta, forever at my side.” Emily returned as she found herself in his embrace once again.

“Always.” Rolf smiled before he kissed her again.

“And quit kissing me instead of telling me things. I realized you kissed me instead of telling me the truth all week, you must stop that this instant, please tell me everything from now on.” Emily insisted.

“I was under oath from my father! I had very little choice in the matter, I swear.” Rolf insisted as Emily gave him a playfully unimpressed look.

“I swear on my mother’s grave I told you all I could without ruining the game. If I did, the game would be over and forefit and I could never hope to see you or speak to you again, those were the rules placed upon me.” Rolf swore as Emily gave him a softened hard look but detected he was telling her the truth.

“Very well, but I have a favor to ask of you Dearest.” Emily began.

“Anything.” Rolf returned.

“My grandmother’s doctors have advised me that my grandmother can not be moved from the house. Would you mind terribly moving to my estate until she passes? It can not be long now.” Emily requested.

“I wouldn’t mind at all, we could leave as soon as you wish.” Rolf immediately answered.

“Thank you My Love.” Emily cooed as she kissed him again, in the morning, they did indeed plan for their wedding and even agreed on invitations while the servants got everything ready for their departure and the very next day after that Rolf had an entire chest of gold and treasure put onto one of his father’s very grand and very luxurious dormeuse, with his brother and Freddy taking another with yet another chest with them. Freddy already wearing some of Fits clothes while Rolf had already ordered loads of dresses for Emily so that she would always be the most well dressed woman in the room that would rival even royalty and once inside the carriage, Emily giddily closed the curtains so that her and Rolf could continue to enjoy maritals on the journey home.

[letmetellyouaboutmyfeels]

I’m going to give you options for this dragon smut—either first time (because they’re cute) or (if different) the first time Flynn accidentally gets dragony during and the other two are surprised for a minute before rolling with it.

Tagging @extasiswings for… reasons. We’re going to go with the second one here… and it’s NSFW so under the cut!

(This is also now on Ao3 because it turned into a fucking giant of a post. Read it here.)

Sometimes, Lucy really wanted to tell every single one of her well-meaning but not-exactly-educated ladies in waiting on where they could stick their dragon ideas.

Dragons weren’t exactly well-known. Most people just experienced them as mysterious beings who lived in the mountains and occasionally came down to spit fire at people. Having one not only stationed in court but as good as married to the queen and her consort was… intimidating, for many.

It meant that there were a lot of rumors about them. And it was understandable, really.

But if Lucy had to deal with one more question regarding Flynn’s, well, anatomy, she was putting signs all over the castle informing everyone that when a dragon took on a human form, EVERYTHING was human. EVERYTHING. NORMAL. HUMAN. JUST WHAT YOU’D EXPECT FROM A HUMAN MALE. There were not two of them, there were no ridges, it was all. Just. Normal.

Well, and a rather pleasing size if you asked Lucy but she’d be the first to admit that for her ‘pleasing’ and ‘intimidating’ were synonyms.

“You know,” Flynn observed at one point, “sometimes I think you’re having sex with me out of spite.”

“I am not having sex with you out of spite,” Lucy replied.

“She’s being loud out of spite,” Wyatt added. “Ow! Lucy what the hell–”

So really, everything was fine and dandy and extremely enjoyable, thank you, no complaints, and if Flynn had an unusually high body temperature and sometimes took on an otherworldly growl and had a tendency to get distracted by sparkly and/or shiny objects in the room, it was no more than what many other couples had to deal with (Wyatt had taken to getting Flynn’s attention from far away by taking off a metal gauntlet and holding it up so the light caught it, causing Flynn to drop whatever he was doing in pursuit of finding The Shiny).

And then there was that… One Night.

Lucy had held her first official ball in order to celebrate her ascendency to the throne. She’d put it off as long as she could but after the proper mourning period for the king, and for her mother (she was not even going to pretend to be mourning Emma), it couldn’t be ignored any longer.

Personally, she didn’t think that she was anything all that special to be celebrated. There was still a lot of work to do, many of King Nicholas’s laws to be undone and reworked. And the court was as scheming as ever. But given that she had a) named a lowly knight as her consort and was b) openly sleeping with a dragon on top of said knight–sometimes literally, as Flynn liked to joke–she knew she had to make some concessions.

She’d chosen to wear a dress of dark red, thinking that it made her look intimidating and regal, the way that she wanted to look. It had gone well with her dark hair and eyes, and while she had made it just a little low cut on purpose (Wyatt’s slack jawed stare never got old), she hadn’t even thought about what the color might imply until she entered the great hall and saw Flynn’s reaction.

He looked like he wanted to devour her in the best way.

Lucy shivered but kept her face calm and placid. She’d grown used to hiding her emotions, growing up with Carol for a mother.

“What are you wearing?” Flynn growled, more than a little of his dragon voice starting to seep through.

“A dress,” Lucy replied. “I hear they’re all the rage nowadays.”

Flynn’s eyes flashed with telltale fire. “You’re wearing my scale colors,” he said, his voice sounding almost strangled. “And we have invited Queen Denise and other dragons to this celebration.”

“Yes?” Inviting the dragons to promote interspecies harmony was only fair.

“Lucy,” Flynn said, honestly looking like he might have a heart attack, “you might as well be waving a flag that says you’re my mate.”

“Well, I am your mate, aren’t I?” she asked, stepping a little closer.

“Yes, but–” Flynn seemed at a loss.

“Then what’s the big deal about it? Everyone already knows you’re ours and we’re yours.”

Flynn swallowed hard. “I’m not sure you know what that means to our kind. How–how important that is.”

“Is it as important as marriage for humans?” Lucy asked. Flynn could not be married to her or Wyatt given that he was a dragon, and because according to the laws of the land one couldn’t take more than one spouse. But that was how she thought of him–as her husband, just as much as Wyatt was.

Flynn’s jaw worked for a moment. “Yes,” he admitted at last. “Dragons are… private creatures. Solitary, usually. Mating is usually a private bond, done just between the two dragons, no witnesses. Dragons can mate and then sever the bond, all in privacy. To openly declare that you are a dragon’s mate is… it’s a declaration of… permanence.”

Well. This certainly wasn’t what she had been planning when she’d picked this dress out, but she couldn’t say she wasn’t happy with the result. Lucy held out her hands, which Flynn automatically took.

“In that case, perhaps you would like to help me find Wyatt so that you can introduce us properly to the dragons here,” she said. “I had him wear a suit to match my dress.”

“Jesus Christ, you two went to whisper in a corner?” Wyatt said, appearing as if she’d summoned him. “You’re leaving me to the wolves out there.”

Flynn looked like he wanted to drag them both somewhere private. Lucy just squeezed his hand. “Go on, Garcia. Lead us out.”

Wyatt looked a little confused, so Lucy leaned in as Flynn started leading the way. “We’re wearing his scale colors in public. Equivalent of dragon marriage.”

“I thought we already were married.”

“Don’t ask me.”

Flynn led them out into the crowd, and Lucy could immediately tell who the dragons-disguised-as-humans were because they were the ones who immediately all froze and went a little goggle-eyed.

Lucy raised her chin up. That’s right. She was Flynn’s mate and so was Wyatt and it was staying that way for the rest of her goddamn life.

The party went relatively well, if you ignored the way the dragons tended to stammer a bit around her.

“Is it really so odd that two humans would choose to willingly mate with a dragon?” Lucy asked Denise at one point.

Denise looked fondly over at her mate, the human queen Michelle, who was chatting with Wyatt. “It’s not just that, although it’s rare enough. Flynn’s known as a… bit of a hothead, in our community. After he lost Lorena and Iris he went off the deep end a little bit. Our kind are known for being… dignified, wise, emotionless.”

Flynn wouldn’t know ‘dignified’ or ‘emotionless’ if they hit him over the head.

“I’m glad he’s not like that,” Lucy replied. Her Flynn was a messy disaster who was sharp and sarcastic with other nobles but soft and warm with her and Wyatt, always teasing, his emotions be they happiness or anger plain on his face. She wouldn’t have him any other way.

Denise smiled at her. “I can tell. But I think most of them are wondering how he managed to land the two of you. Some of them might even have thought that you and Wyatt had him around only for his use in protecting the kingdom.”

Lucy felt a prick of possessive anger warm up her stomach. Flynn was perfect. She’d march over and kiss him right then if it wouldn’t have caused a huge scandal, if only to prove to the other dragons that she was with Flynn because she loved him, loved him fiercely and unconditionally.

“But given your little stunt tonight with your outfits, I doubt that will be much of a problem.” Denise’s eyes flashed with blue flame. “Was that intentional?”

“It wasn’t, but now I’m glad it was done. Flynn is my mate just as much as Wyatt is my husband. They’re both my consorts, even if only one of them can have it in name.”

Lucy looked over at Flynn, who had walked over to join Wyatt and Michelle and had apparently just said something that made Wyatt elbow him, blushing. Flynn caught Wyatt’s elbow and used it to pull him in, saying something low in Wyatt’s ear. Wyatt shoved at him playfully but said something in return with a wide smile on his face, unconsciously curling in Flynn’s side. Wyatt had spent his whole life protecting Lucy, especially once Emma came to court with murder in her eyes, not to mention it was his job as a knight to fight for the kingdom, and whether he would ever say it out loud or not, Lucy knew Wyatt loved that there was someone he could relax around, someone who would protect him the way he’d always had to protect everyone else.

She’d have them both right now if she could.

But there was the party to wrap up, and dignitaries and nobles and dragons to speak to, and overall being a queen was exhausting. By the time they were able to retire to bed Lucy thought she might sleep for a week.

Except for the way that Flynn was looking at her and Wyatt.

The moment they stepped into their bedchamber–the servants dismissed and told that the queen and her men could get out of their clothes on their own, thank you–Flynn grabbed her and hauled her to him, kissing her like it was all he’d been thinking about doing all night.

Lucy ran her hands over his chest, yanking at the buttons on his coat to try and get it off. His skin burned like fire but in the best way, the way that matched the heat quickly building inside of her.

Wyatt came up behind her, kissing along her neck, starting to undo the buttons on her dress–but Flynn shot out a hand and grabbed Wyatt’s wrist, stopping him.

“Do you have any idea what it was like?” he asked, pulling Wyatt in and kissing him as well. “To watch you two looking like that all night? Wearing my colors? Telling the whole world that you were mine?”

Lucy loved watching how Wyatt went pliant in Flynn’s arms, how he kissed back eagerly, pressing himself up against Flynn until Flynn had to get a little rough with him.

She understood now that Flynn didn’t want her to take her dress off, so she reached up under her skirts until she could undo the extra fabric that made it billow out and carefully hid her legs from view, shoving it all to the floor, taking the chemise off until she was only in the burgundy silk. The dress clung to her like this in a way that would be utterly scandalous in court, her curves simultaneously hidden and on display.

Wyatt succeeded it getting Flynn’s jacket off, at which point Flynn started walking Wyatt backwards towards Lucy and the bed. They were still kissing and so neither of them saw her at first, until Flynn pulled back, eyes bleeding red, and then he caught sight of her.

Lucy smiled, sliding her hands over her curves, her breasts, her stomach. “You did seem to want me to keep the dress on.”

She could have sworn she saw the faintest bit of smoke curling out of Flynn’s mouth as he stared at her for a moment before pressing her down into the bed, kissing along the soft skin of her chest and throat that was now almost completely exposed with the chemise gone.

She started undoing Flynn’s pants, gasping and arching as he sucked at her nipple through the thin fabric of the dress. She might have been imagining it just then, but she almost thought she felt the prick of–fangs?

Flynn’s teeth, as a dragon, where purely carnivorous. Pointed, serrated, deadly in every sense. One of his teeth was the size of her hand. But as a human his teeth were just like everybody else’s.

She had to have been imagining it.

Flynn pulled back as Wyatt crawled over to him, having stripped at some point, lightly holding onto Flynn’s shoulders so that he could kiss along them, making Flynn rumble low in his chest.

Lucy spread her legs apart, shivering as Flynn slid his hands underneath her dress, dancing his fingers up her thighs. Oh, fuck yes, she was already getting wet just thinking about–

She frowned.

The only light was from the moonlight shining through the large tower window, since with Flynn’s warmth they didn’t need a fire, so maybe it was as trick of the light but it almost looked as though…

And then Wyatt pulled back with a “whoa.”

Flynn looked at him. “Everything okay, rasvim?”

Dragons had their own language, a rough and ancient one, that always sounded awkward in the mouth of a human but somehow rolled deep and powerful out of Flynn’s mouth. It had taken a while before Flynn would admit just what the meaning of certain words were–namely the words he would call her and Wyatt. Rasvim meant ‘treasure’ and was apparently a common endearment among dragon kind for mates and hatchlings.

Wyatt tapped lightly on Flynn’s shoulder–where there would normally be skin but was now…

“Scales,” Lucy blurted out. “Flynn, you’ve got scales.”

A patch of burgundy scales now ran over Flynn’s shoulder and down his chest. Lucy knew that Flynn could partially transform, but she’d thought it took him concentration.

Apparently, not all the time.

“Ah.” Flynn actually looked… nervous. “Sorry, I won’t–I’ll fix that.”

The scales started to disappear, and Lucy surprised herself by sitting up and saying, “No!”

Flynn paused. “…no?”

“I mean… I just…” Lucy looked over at Wyatt for assistance.

Wyatt’s gaze roamed over Flynn, taking in the patches of dark red scales mixed in with the skin.

Then he bent down and very deliberately kissed Flynn’s shoulder where the scales were.

Lucy grinned, sliding her hand into Flynn’s hair and pulling him down so that she could kiss him, her other hand roaming over his chest, feeling the strange transition from skin to scale and back again. The scales were smooth and warm to the touch, and while she definitely wasn’t going to ask Flynn to fully transform any day soon (that would be a little hard for even her adventurous determination to deal with) this little quirk was the opposite of unwanted.

“If I’d known you had a thing for it,” Flynn rumbled against her mouth, amused, “I would’ve let go a long time ago.”

“Mmm, let go?” Lucy pulled him into the middle of the bed, spreading her legs so that he was cradled between them. She could feel the hard, hot length of him through the fabric of her dress and she wanted him so, so badly.

Flynn got occupied kissing Wyatt for a minute, but then he answered, “When I’m… transforming requires a strong emotion. Like anger.”

He had told her how he had killed her grandfather. “So you focused on your anger, for that.”

Flynn nodded, a little preoccupied as Wyatt got more adventurous and sucked on the scales, making Flynn shudder. “During every day, routine, it can be difficult. But when I’m here…” He got his hand between Wyatt’s legs and Wyatt immediately whined, burying his face into Flynn’s neck, clawing at Flynn’s back and chest. “It’s… it’s a bit of work to stop some of my true form peeking out.”

“But normally you manage it.”

Flynn gave Wyatt a squeeze and Wyatt groaned. Flynn kissed him and then turned burning eyes onto Lucy. “Tonight isn’t normal.”

It clicked and Lucy grinned at him. “Why, Garcia Flynn, are you saying we drove you a little crazy? And all it took was wearing red? I’d have worn this a long time ago if I’d–”

He kissed her, shoving his tongue into her mouth, stealing her breath away. His kiss was like fire and Lucy gasped into it, bucking her hips up, wanting him to consume her.

Flynn pulled away, smirking at the undoubtedly overwhelmed look on her face. “Athear.”

“You don’t look so bad yourself,” Lucy replied, smiling helplessly. Flynn was rather… awkward with his words in English but in Draconic, he had no problem with piling endearments on the both of them. It had taken her a while to get used to being called things like angel and my treasure regularly, but now it just warmed her chest, another sign of Flynn’s love.

Flynn kissed Wyatt again and Lucy moved back until she was resting properly against the cushions. Flynn growled when he noticed she’d moved out of his reach, but Lucy shook her head when he reached for her.

“Go on,” she ordered, feeling every inch a queen. “I want to watch.”

Flynn grinned savagely at her, his eyes all dragon now, glowing golden. Then he turned back to Wyatt, hauling him into his lap, the two of them running their hands all over each other.

Wyatt was clearly enjoying this, shuddering in Flynn’s arms as Flynn got his hands around Wyatt’s hips and started guiding Wyatt’s thrusts, running his hands over the scales and grinning breathlessly into Flynn’s mouth when it made Flynn growl.

Lucy shoved her skirts up out of the way, touching her breasts through the fabric and starting to slide her fingers through her folds, touching herself lightly. “You like this,” she noted to Flynn. “Does it make you more sensitive?”

Wyatt bit down on the patch of scales at Flynn’s neck and Flynn’s hips jolted and, well, that answered that question.

Lucy twisted a finger inside of herself, biting down on her lip as she watched Wyatt start to lose control, Flynn sliding a hand back down between them to stroke Wyatt’s cock until Wyatt was resting his forehead on Flynn’s shoulder and panting, eyelids fluttering. His nails dug into Flynn’s scales and Lucy added a second finger, panting a little herself as she started to rock her hips.

“Go ahead,” Flynn growled in Wyatt’s ear. Wyatt was always a sucker for Flynn talking dirty but Flynn’s voice was unnaturally deep now, his dragon voice, and Lucy felt another shiver run through her. “Xyr rasvim, go ahead, let me feel you.”

Wyatt clawed at him desperately, letting out a helpless moan as he jolted and came, staining both his and Flynn’s chest with it.

Flynn kissed all over Wyatt’s face, murmuring soothing praises, xyr isk, xyr rasvim, vorel, as Wyatt slowly came down from his high, running his hands along Flynn like he couldn’t stop touching the scales, staring a little slack-jawed at Flynn’s golden eyes.

Lucy let out a little whine, corkscrewing her fingers in and out. “Garcia,” she gasped out. “Garcia, come here.”

Wyatt moved to the side, stretching out by Lucy and running his hand through her hair as Flynn crawled over to her, settling between her legs again.

Lucy hitched her leg around his waist, letting him get his knee over her other hip. “Pin me down,” she ordered.

Flynn looked at her for a moment, then took her wrists in one of his hands and pinned them over her head. For a moment, shrouded in darkness and half-lit by moonlight, with the scales and the golden eyes, he really did look like the dangerous creature everyone feared he was, the feral animal who tore down castles and killed kings.

Lucy arched against him, feeling him right close to where she wanted him, right in the crease of her hip. “Fuck me,” she whispered. “Go on, Garcia.”

Flynn ran his free hand gently over her curves, his eyes running over her body still encased in the dress. “You look like mine,” he whispered, his voice awed and reverent, his eyes gleaming gold. “You both looked like mine tonight.”

“We were always yours,” Wyatt said, his voice still a little hoarse. He kissed Flynn’s shoulder and Flynn turned his head to gently bump their foreheads together for a moment before turning back to Lucy.

She smiled up at him. “Always.”

“I know.” Flynn bowed his head to scrape his teeth over her jaw as he slowly began to enter her. Lucy made a helpless ungh sound as she felt that familiar burn and stretch. “But–in front of everyone like that–”

Lucy thought she knew what he meant. It was one thing to say I love you, we belong together in the safety of the bedroom. It was another thing to have it be silent, understood, shown through gestures and actions in public. And it was yet another thing to declare it to the world.

“We’ll wear it every day,” she whispered, rolling her hips. Wyatt lifted her up considerately and slid a pillow underneath her lower back, changing the angle and making her cry out.

Wyatt grinned at her mischievously.

“Every day,” Lucy repeated. “If you want us to.”

Flynn growled, starting to roll his hips into her. “Xyr miirik, just hearing you say that’s enough.”

Lucy growled in her own turn. “Then fuck. Me.”

The corner of Flynn’s mouth flickered upward in an amused smirk. “Since you command it, my queen.”

Wyatt snorted in laughter at the sass, but Lucy didn’t even have time to snark back at him because Flynn started moving, fucking her hard and fast the way she wanted, keeping that grip on her wrists. Lucy had always been a little loud, which had been a problem when she’d been a princess who–on her rare forays into sexual relations–had to keep it quiet.

But now she was a queen and could sleep with whomever she pleased, so she saw no reason to keep her voice down. Flynn and Wyatt certainly seemed to enjoy it, and Flynn buried his face in her neck as he thrust into her, a constant growl emanating from his chest. Wyatt bent over him, tonguing the scales on his back, running his hand down Flynn’s spine, driving Flynn even crazier.

“Xyr isk,” Flynn growled in her ear. “Vorel, xyr isk.”

She knew the sentiment if not the words, and the tone in which they were said, the deep forceful growl, only made her shudder and strain against his hold, loving the burning feeling of being held down, of being taken, that edge of danger even as she knew he was only doing it because she had told him to.

Lucy could feel Flynn’s unnaturally hot breath on her neck, hear and feel the vibration of his growls, his tongue darting out to scrape along her neck and it wasn’t his usual tongue, it was long and rough and forked and oh God she wanted that between her legs next time, she could see the scales all over him and fuck, she hadn’t fallen for him out of any weird fetish but fuck if it all wasn’t driving her insane and she came so hard she thought she saw sparks.

She tightened around Flynn and he let out a final growl, biting down hard on her shoulder, and she wasn’t imagining the prick of fangs this time–nor did she think she was imagining the upward furl of wings, there and gone in the space of Flynn’s climax.

They all lay there afterwards, a tangle of limbs, Wyatt idly kissing along Flynn’s scales and skin. Lucy just rested her head on his shoulder, basking in his warmth, loving that one of her husbands was basically a walking personal heater.

“Question,” Wyatt said after a while. “Your tail.”

Flynn cracked open an eye, which was back to its usual dark unfathomable color. “What about it.”

Wyatt blushed, and Flynn let out an amused groan. “Next time, Logan, now lie your ass down and go to sleep.”

Lucy closed her eyes, felt Wyatt settle against Flynn’s other side, his arm stretching across to tangle his hand with hers, and fell gently into sleep.

It wasn’t until morning that any of them noticed that at some point, Flynn had burned the bed curtains.

Translation of Draconic:

vorel = beautiful

athear = celestial/angel

miirik = song

isk = star

xyr = mine/my

…yes Flynn is a sap. What else is new.

[aticklishtem]

The Bud of the Joke

((Request for @uniquemagicman ! Hope you like!! ^w^))

“Cagney, c’mon, open up.”

“No,” he answered, voice muffled by the petals stubbornly closed around his face. “I don’t want anyone to see me like this.”

He heard Hilda sigh, and he could just picture her rolling her eyes. “I’ve seen you. I saw you just this morning, and you look fine.”

“And I already told ya, I ain’t dragging my roots all the way over to the next isle just so folks can gawp like I’m the latest attraction in the freak show.” Hilda had been convinced that a trip to the carnival would lift Cagney’s spirits, but how could he face the prying eyes of the funfair crowds in the sorry state he was in? His usually magnificent crowning glory of petals was a ragged mess, his leaves were limp and lifeless, and the cold gave him the sniffles something awful. He hated winter.

“Stars above, you’re such a drama queen.” Cagney scoffed, because that was rich coming from someone who literally transformed into a raging bull when she got a bee in her bonnet, but Hilda continued: “But that’s not it. I got something here that just might buck you up.”

“Really?” Cagney somehow doubted that, but it piqued his interest, so he peeled back a single petal to squint suspiciously at her, perched on her cloud looking back at him all sincere with her big moon eyes. “What is it?”

“Come outta there and see for yourself.”

Cagney grumbled quietly to himself, but he unfurled his petals to bare his his face once again, shivering against the bitter chill in the air. Hilda smiled and nodded encouragingly, gesturing to the grass below her, and Cagney glanced down to be met with what had to be the tiniest top hat he’d ever seen.

“...That’s it? You got me a hat?” Cagney stared down at the offending item in equal parts dismay and disbelief – he knew that dame had her head in the clouds, but this was something else. “Hilda, I’m a flower, and that thing’s never gonna –“

“Surprise!” 

He almost jumped right out of the ground as the hat exploded in a shower of confetti, a blare of seemingly invisible noisemakers and a flash of red, white and blue that somersaulted into the air before landing in front of him, catching the hat and placing it back on a now very familiar, shiny, grinning head with a flourish.

“Cagney, my good bud – it’s been too long! How’s it growing? Did you miss me? Were ya surprised?!”

“Oh, hey, it’s Beppi! You sure...surprised me, alright.” Cagney managed a slightly dazed smile, the eternal questions of what, how, and why still spinning through his mind as Beppi clasped one of his leafy hands with both of his smaller ones and shook effusively. “To what do we owe this, uh, pleasure?”

“Well, y’see, a little Bergie might’ve told me…” Beppi winked unsubtly at Hilda, “that you’ve been a teensy bit under the weather lately.”

“Did they now?” Really, Cagney should’ve known. “Can’t imagine who’s been telling you that, but I’m fi–“

“He’s done nothing but mope around the forest being all cranky for weeks now ‘cause he thinks the cold makes him ugly,” Hilda cut in, oh so helpfully; Cagney shot her his most withering look, but she simply stuck her nose in the air. “Well, ya have!”

“Uh-huh, uh-huh – winter blues, classic.” Beppi nodded, humming thoughtfully to himself before clapping his hands together, dialling his smile back up to its usual megawatts. “Time to perk up those petals, my flowery friend, ‘cause laughter is the best medicine - and Doctor Beppi’s in the house to cure what ails ya! Or in the field, in this case.” He glanced around, taking a moment to admire the scenery. “So, this place is looking swell! Just look at all these lovely blooms. What’s your secret?”

Cagney shrugged. “I take care of ‘em. But it’s seen better days.” He always did pride himself on keeping his patch the neatest, brightest, most fragrant in the isle, but he hadn’t been able to protect his non-sentient flowers from yesterday’s snowfall, under which most of them were currently buried.

“Modesty? Who are you, and what have you done with Cagney Carnation?!” Beppi mock-gasped, pointing an accusing finger at him before continuing: “Seriously, though. The other day, I was actually thinking of planting a few flowers myself.”

“You don’t say?” Cagney cocked an eyebrow; somehow, he didn’t strike him as the green-fingered type. Red or blue-fingered, maybe.

“Sure! But then I got home, and I realised…” Beppi paused for effect, holding up his hands in a shrug as he delivered the punchline: “I hadn’t botany.”

Hilda collapsed dramatically on her cloud in a fit of loud, exaggerated cackles. Cagney considered telling her not to give up the day job, but unfortunately for him it was all the encouragement Beppi needed.

“You like that one? Maybe next time I’ll bring along my pal – he’s a mushroom. A real fungi.”

Cagney stifled a sigh, and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Beppi…”

“Vegetable jokes too corny? Don’t worry, I’m just pollen your stem.”

“Beppi.” It came out sharper than Cagney intended, and he felt a prickle of guilt when Beppi visibly deflated – it wasn’t that he didn’t like the fella, but it was all fine and dandy for him. He didn’t have petals to preen, or even a hair on his air-filled head. “Look, I appreciate...whatever it is you’re doing here, but save it for the kiddies, okay? You don’t gotta worry about me – either of you. It’s just biology. Winter don’t agree with me, but there’s no sense in lettin’ me ruin your fun. Might as well run along and I’ll see ya in the spring.”

Beppi fell uncharacteristically – almost suspiciously – silent, his bicolour brows knitting together as he exchanged a look with Hilda Cagney couldn’t quite read.

“Okay, pal, I get it,” he said, still smiling but a little more subdued as he sidled closer and tentatively placed a hand on Cagney’s stem. “It’s a thorny issue, huh? But we can’t just leaf you here alone to wither away all winter. We’re your friends, and by golly, we’re gonna try our darnedest to pick you up, whatever it takes!”

He punctuated the pick with a light squeeze to Cagney’s stem, sending an unexpected tingly jolt through him that made him jump before he could help it. Cagney would’ve passed it off as the cold, but of course Beppi was onto him immediately, intrigue and delight flickering to life in his piercing gaze.

“Oh? Do I spy the seedling of a smile already?”

“No! I mean...yes?” Cagney hesitated, cursing himself internally for the brief display of weakness – even if he held back from reacting, he’d probably only be subjected to more terrible jokes. But that was proving more difficult with Beppi’s fingers still curled precariously around his stem, beginning to drum a gentle, teasing rhythm that was absolutely not helping the stupid grin twitching at the corners of his mouth. And judging from the way Beppi’s smile shifted from caring concern into something altogether more sinister, his situation was about to get a whole lot worse.

“Well, in that case, plenty more where that came from!” he declared cheerfully, and Cagney abruptly burst into scratchy guffaws as Beppi increased the tempo, fingers digging in and dancing up and down his stem - his thorns were usually enough to deter anyone foolish enough to think about tickling him, but they were utterly failing to protect him now. “Oooh, I got one! What did the bee say to the flower?”

“I don’t cahahahare!” Cagney squirmed and pushed at his arms in an attempt to shake him off, but Beppi clung onto him like a particularly persistent, tickly little bug. “Knock it ohohohoff!”

“‘Hey there, honey!’” Cagney tried to groan at the punchline, but it wasn’t nearly as effective melting into giggles when Beppi switched to tracing feathery circles around his thorns. “Boy, that one really hit the spot, huh? I know I got some real rib-ticklers, but this is ridiculous! Hmm – does a flower have ribs, I wonder?”

“That’s the wohohohorst…!” Being forced to laugh at that ‘joke’ only added insult to injury, as well as the embarrassing shriek Cagney let out when Beppi pinched at the sensitive spot under his leaves.

“Hihihihildahahaha!” he pleaded, twisting around to look desperately to his so-called friend as she reclined on her cloud, watching and smirking like Cagney’s suffering was just one big joke. “Li-ihihihittle help here?!”

“Oh, you need some help there, Cags?” Hilda batted her eyelashes innocently, flashing him a smile Cagney would’ve recognised as dangerous if he hadn’t been a little preoccupied trying to fend off the tickle-hungry harlequin still going to town on his stem. “Sure thing, I’d love to!” She drifted over and started scratching her nails lightly over the delicate undersides of his petals.

“Trahahahahaitor!” Cagney screeched, leafy limbs flailing wildly as he batted at her, but the sly little minx was too quick for him and this – this was just pure garden cruelty, feeling his face burning an unflattering shade of scarlet that he attempted to disguise by burying it in his petals.

“No way, mister – you’re not hiding away from me this time!” For such a petite little thing, Hilda was surprisingly strong, pushing Cagney’s petals back to leave him exposed while her other hand scribbled at the top of his stem. “Let the world admire these pretty, ticklish lil’ petals!”

“Couldn’t agree more, Bergie,” Beppi chirped, prodding along the leaves at the base of Cagney’s stem; he would’ve uprooted himself by now to get away, but he was too darn weak from laughter, helpless under the combined efforts of sixteen wicked fingers teasing and tormenting all his most vulnerable spots. “And would ya look at this big, strong stem – we got the cream of the crop right here, for sure! Hey, that reminds me: what kind of flower grows on your face?”

“Gee, I don’t know, Beppi!” Hilda trilled, like half of Inkwell’s most diabolical double act. “What kind of flower does grow on your face?”

“Tu-lips!”

“I swehehehehear I’m gonna –“ Cagney couldn’t even finish the threat as they pounced to blow simultaneous, deadly raspberries; Beppi’s loud and sloppy against his stem and Hilda’s light and fast and fluttery all over his petals, vibrating relentlessly from his crown all the way down to his roots. Cagney finally lost it, uncontrollable, incoherent cackles and snorts and pleas for mercy pouring out until his stem gave out just as Hilda planted her last loving raspberry to his top petal. Beppi only just managed to jump out of the way fast enough to avoid getting popped on Cagney’s thorns as he collapsed to the floor in a gangly, giggly heap.

“D-dihirty cheaters, the both of ya,” he grumbled, after recovering enough strength to stand again, but not quite enough to shake the wobbly grin that lingered along with a few remaining tingles as he folded his arms with a huff.

Hilda giggled and pinched his still-flushed cheek playfully. “Aww, Cags, you’re just as cute as a bug’s ear. Told ya I knew how to cheer him up.” She winked at Beppi, and the pair exchanged an irritatingly smug high-five.

“Always happy to lend a helping hand or two, Bergie.” Beppi tipped his hat and shot Cagney an equally cheeky smile. “And, I gotta say, I think tickled pink’s a good look on you, bud.”

This time, Cagney grinned back, baring his sharp teeth and fluttering his long, leafy fingers challengingly at him. “Go ahead, funny guy – make one more pun. I dare ya.”

Beppi opened his mouth, but then seemed to think better of it – probably the most sensible decision he’d ever made – and raised his hands in surrender, shuffling backwards with a nervous titter.

“Tempting, tempting – but actually, I’d better skedaddle. Might’ve left some balloon gators floating around and lemme tell ya, those guys get snappy. But you two’ll still come stop by my show later tonight, right?”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Hilda said brightly. “Would we, Cags?”

Cagney made a noncommittal hmmm noise, thinking of all those people, but it was harder to hold out with two pairs of wide, hopeful puppy-dog eyes gazing at him. “Yeah, alright...maybe. If I’m not pruning my leaves tonight.”

He had to admit, when Hilda looped her arm in his with an affectionate squeeze and Beppi’s smile lit up his face with genuine gratitude, brighter than all the lights in his carnival, the idea of getting out of the forest didn’t seem quite as unappealing as it had done.

More importantly, though – Cagney still owed them both a heaping helping of revenge.

[metaphoricalplutowrites]

“I care for you more than anything else.” royality

wooo so ive never really written royality before so this was a first for me ^-^” i dont think i did as good of a job as i could have done (like with the end) but hey, i did what i could ahha. i hope its okay :)

Romanhadn’t seen Patton much that day, which was odd for the moral side. Deciding tocheck up on his little ball of sunshine, Roman made his way into the hallwayand stopped outside of the white door.

Hepolitely knocked on the door a couple of times. No reply. He knocked again. Stillno reply.

“HeyPat? You in there?” Roman asked gently.

Therewas a light crash and what sounded like a little scramble inside the room.

“Y-yeah!”came in reply. “I-I’m here, one sec!”

Afew seconds later, Patton’s door cracked open ever so gently and only a small sliverwas able to be seen inside the room. When Patton had seen it was in fact Romanstanding outside his door, he seemed to bright up (?) and then stepped outsidehis room, for some reason not letting his door open fully.

“H-heyRo! You okay?” Patton asked, a smile plastered his face. His eyes weresuspiciously red.

“I’mgood, but are you okay?” Roman asked,noticing the other’s slightly messy appearance. “You haven’t really seemedyourself today…”

“OhI’m quite okay! No need to worry!” he smiled and seemed to be okay, if a littletoo cheery.

“Butthat’s the thing, I do worry, you know you can tell me when you’re not okay right?”The prince looked into Patton’s eyes, trying to see if his message got across.

Pattonpaused, and then replied. “Yeah I know, but I assure you, I’m quite fine.” Hegiggled and Roman sighed.

“Youknow, it’s okay to not be okay”

Pattonshifted and looked to the side, not quite meeting Roman’s gaze. “Yeah… I know…”

“Comehere,” Roman opened his arms, offering a hug. Patton looked at his outstretchedarms and then at Roman. After a second, he walked into the hug, wrapping hisarms around the other, burying his face in Roman’s shoulder.

Afterabout a minute, Roman could feel Patton nearly melting into the embrace, maybeeven the odd tremble could be felt. Slowly but carefully, he managed to manoeuvrehimself and Patton in to the royal’s room, doubting the moral side would wantto be standing in the corridor for much longer.

“Hey,shhh, it’s okay, you’re okay now…” Roman ran his hand along Patton’s back andwove his fingers through his hair in a comforting motion. The small motionseemed to break the wall which other had tried to put up and Patton started togrip at Roman’s shirt, shoulders shaking more and more as the seconds tickedby.

Slowly,they moved to sitting on Roman’s large bed, Patton still crying into hisshoulder but less so as he had been before.

“Youwanna talk about that…?” He asked Patton gently when he didn’t seem to becrying as much.

“N-noi-its fine… it’s probably stupid anyway…” Roman felt his heat restrict as hecradled the other in his arms, seeing Patton’s sad face.

“Hey,listen.” He moved his hand a gently moved Patton’s face to face him. “Icare for you more than anything else. How could you think that whateveris ailing you would be stupid? If something is troubling you, I want to be ableto help.” He brushed aside the hair which had fallen across the man in his armsface. Patton looked away but then looked back into Roman’s eyes. “…please…?”

Pattonsighed. “Sometimes… sometimes I just feel down and I don’t know why, nothingseems to be going bad recently, so I don’t know why I’m feeling this way. But Iam and I hate it. I’m supposed to be the happy side, the source of happyfeelings… but I still feel this way… and I don’t know why….”

Romanhugged the other side closer to his chest, “Sometimes there isn’t always areason for why we feel the way we do. And that’s perfectly okay. There doesn’t haveto be a reason.” He rocked the two of them slowly side to side, tucking Patton’shead under his chin slightly.

“Iguess so….” Roman got in reply and Patton snuggled in closer to him. “But… whydo you call me sunshine then…?”

“Well,”Roman made the two of them lie back on the bed, Patton curled into his sidewith his head on Roman’s chest and Roman looking softly at Patton. “You alwaysbring light to everyday we have, and even the sun can get blocked outsometimes, and while those times aren’t the best, the sun is always there insome place, peaking through. And, after a storm, the sun comes out and itshines across everything. Yes, you may not feel randy dandy or quite grandy,”Roman smiled and hugged Patton a little closer. “But that’s okay. You don’t alwayshave to feel like you have to be happy all the time.”

“Thankyou, my prince.” Patton whispered to Roman and let a few tears slip.

“There’snothing I wouldn’t do for you, my sunshine.” He smiled and pressed a kiss tothe other man’s hair.

Theylaid there for a while in comfortable silence, until Roman spoke again, with alittle more energy. “Now what do you say we watch some Disney movies and kickback?”

Pattongiggled and relpied, “Yeah, that sounds wonderful.”

Andso that’s how they spent their evening, Patton curled into Roman on his bed,and Roman making sure Patton was okay while the two snuggled together watchingDVDs.

Sowhat if his little ball of sunshine wasn’t always feeling the greatest? Romanloved and will always love him despite of this, and Patton would always be his sunshine,no matter what.

Tags:@novagalaxy4real @virgilssweaterpaws @tree4life25 @ultimate-queen-of-fandoms @say-no-to-this-but-its-laurens @magicmapleleaf

[loyalflutist]

White Lie (Rem x Deuce)

Rating: Teen and Up Audience Archive Warning: N/A Category: F/F Words: 2,663 Summary:  After a week-long mission, Rem and the others await for their comrades' return. Their returns were drastic and horrid, but it appears that Deuce is in near-pristine condition. Unfortunately, Rem finds out that there's a bit more to her girlfriend's appearance...

A/N: This is for a good buddy, Rin. Dragging me to the rarepair scene like there’s no tomorrow. (Then again, I’m one for Deuce x everyone, lol.) I had fun with this!  

----

War was always something she hadn’t enjoyed. It was a necessity, but the collateral damage crushed her spirit. Guns blazed over the flames, ice and lightning burst overhead, wyverns and machines unleashed unimaginable strength, shrieks and blood coated the land. Students sprawled for miles on end, their body parts churned through a nightmarish wheel of fate. Innocent civilians were executed by stray bullets and used as blackmails. War crimes are at an all-time high after the broken peace treaty, even more so after the Fabula Pact.

Rem Tokimiya thumbed the knowing tag over her neck. Iron lingered on her taste buds, the metallic sensation disrupting her olfactory. She chewed the bottom of her lip. They were living in Hell, and there was nothing they could do about it.

“Ah— They’ve returned.”

She snapped her head to the front entranceway after Eight’s announcement. The two, along with Machina, watched the double door creak open. Slow as the process may be, out flowed some older cadets, stained and dirtied with grime and blood. Rem sharply inhaled. Their weary features blackened the sparkles that had once been contagious. One of the students had lost a limb, his friends supporting his hobbling. Another student had lost an eye, her stares hollow, fingers occasionally touching the crimson patch. Eight and Machina exchanged worrisome looks.

“I’m… I’m sure they’re okay,” Eight weakly punched his palm, albeit his tonality wavered. “We’re Class Zero.”

Ace, Deuce, Nine, and Queen were tasked with an important mission. Ordinarily, all 14 members of Class Zero would participate in the fight. They were always together… even Rem and Machina were included. This time, Central Command ordered the squad of four to participate in a special operative. An imperial officer had defected from the Milites Empire. They, accompanied by a pack of cadets from other classes, were to travel to the snow-covered Mt. Acrid in West Nesher and take the officer into custody.

‘ Deuce never liked the cold… ‘

Compared to the hardy Ace, Nine, and Queen, Deuce was the weakest of them all. Consistent exercises in the training arena did not do much to alleviate the pitiful stats. If she had frozen to death... Rem’s thumb hastens, her hues pointed at the pouring soldiers.

“Is there a reason as to why they weren’t healed?” Machina grumbled. "What happened out there?"

One of the better-looking cadets stopped in place. He turned to Machina. “We ran out of potions and were low on magic.” He shook his head, his shoulders slumped. “I thought we were prepared, but we were overwhelmed.”

“We should count our lucky stars, chap,” his ally brushed his shoulder. Walking ahead, the student murmured, “We made it out alive.”

Machina, Eight, and Rem felt their blood freeze. Sunny as the rays may be for this afternoon, they shivered, their bones rattling. These grave words were only soothed by the fact they remembered Ace, Deuce, Nine, and Queen. They’re not dead, but…

“Ace—!”

Machina rushed forward, his vermillion cape audibly flapping from behind. He was the first to approach their classmates.

Nine hand his arm slung over Ace’s shoulder; the dried blood smeared from his head. The scarred lancer grimaced.

“Oi, ya lover is here, Acey.”

The disheveled Ace felt steam blow from the top of his head. If Nine were not injured, the blonde would have walloped the dragoon into submission! Instead, he ignored his friend’s lousy remark, a faltered smile formed.

“Machina… I’ve returned.”

Nine scrunched his nose to exaggerate distaste as their exchanged continued. He was stuck in the middle like a third wheel, an angry throb pulsating from the corner of his head. Out of all his returns, this had to be the worst one of them all. (Even the time Queen punched him in the guts after a mission failure was better in comparison.) Nine grumbled under his breath, his eyes shifty between the two boys. Machina fawns over Ace like a doting mother… He’s more of a mother than Mother Arecia herself.

“Ugh, if only I hadn’t saved yer ass, I would’ve been fine and dandy like you.”

“I thank you from the bottom of my heart, Nine.”

“Urk… I think I feel sick…”

“From your injuries?”

“No, from YOU TWO.”

It was almost as if their troubling times with the operation had not existed, the three babbling and squabbling like little children. Other cadets and officers expressed disdain from nearby. But none dare speak up. They know the harsh truth. These are children—unfortunate children conditioned for war.

Eight and Rem, on the other hand, heeded far more attention to the other females, the petite boy extending his hands out.

“Easy there…” he whispered, allowing Deuce to transfer the weak girl over. Queen, who had been struggling to stay conscious, finally crumpled upon taking a step into the academy’s ground. Had it not been for the flutist and Rem’s reflexes, the sword user would have fallen to the floor. Eight narrowed his eyes from the stickiness. “She’s lost a lot of blood.”

Deuce, who appears to be the healthiest of the bunch, lowered her head.

“I tried to heal her…” Tears prickled, the flutist’s nails digging into her palms. “She protected me. If… If I had only been faster—!”

“Deuce,” Eight’s eyes softened. “It’s not your fault. I’m sure Mother can heal her.”

He glanced over to Ace, Machina, and Nine. Then, he looked at Rem and Deuce.

“I’m going to find Mother. I’ll see you guys later.”

He promptly disappeared from the scene. The other boys quelled their conversation, but only temporarily. Nine eventually barked that Machina and Ace take him to the infirmary. That left the two girls stranded by the entranceway.

“Deuce…”

The calling of her name prompted Deuce to close their distance. Deuce grabbed ahold of Rem’s hands; those hands were enveloped with a warmth that starkly contrasted to the winter storm from her week-long mission. Her thumbs smoothed the cadet’s hand and smiled.

“I’m back, Rem.”

“Deuce!”

“#$%@&*!” An incoherent outcry startled the wits out of nearby officers from the sudden lunge. Rem, known for her passiveness, acted out of character. She launched herself towards the bard without a moment of hesitation. Deuce stiffened, her eyes wide, and squirmed in her crushing embrace. “R-Rem— Ow! That hurts!”

That was odd. Rem immediately pulled away. Deuce’s respiration had quickened, sweat poured forth from her pores, the metallic smell beginning to waft into her nostrils, and her smile now strained. Rem frowned.

“Deuce! Are you hurt?”

A hesitant shake of her head. “No.”

Now that was odd. Deuce would normally speak up about her injuries. She was the frailest member in the class— or even the entire peristylium! Injuries that could be shaken off by many would render the girl handicapped. Students and commanders that participate with her in battle know all too well to keep her safe from harm’s way. (A recent example being Queen’s protection.) Rem knew that too, hence her majestic capabilities to shield her. All these protections led to Deuce holding the best record for staying alive in any given battle… and for holding the least number of scars on her figure.

The familiar iron tickled Rem’s nose, only it was getting stronger. She began a thorough examination of the flutist’s body. Not a speck of blood seen on the girl, save for the occasional dirt and torn fabrics. Astonishing when consideration is taken to her sense of smell. It had to come from somewhere. Rem pat the girl’s arms. No reaction. She slid her hands onto Deuce’s shoulders and provided another pat. No reaction yet again.

Meanwhile, the young girl tried to inch away from Rem…

“Don’t move.”

Deuce felt a chill run down her spine, her legs halted in place. She gulped. Rem was intent on keeping her still during the examination. Not that it took long anyway. The youngster jabbed her index upon Deuce’s modest chest, causing the musician to wince. Rem retracted her finger. One look was all it took, traces of magma-red staining the pigments. Beads of sweat flew out of Deuce’s head at the sight of her comrade’s intensity. A forced giggle erupted from her throat as she weakly flailed her hands.

“Y-You know, I have to go see Mother—”

“Deuce.”

“YES?!”

Rem huffed. She shook her head, reached out to Deuce, and proceeded to drag her away from the area, despite her weak objections.

“Rem, can I see Mother, please?”

“…”

“I-It’s kind of urgent…”

“…”

“R-Rem?”

“…”

Silence was the only response she could give. Dread shadowed over Number Two as she shifted her gaze elsewhere. It was rare for Rem to act this way. The last time she acted this way was when they got into an argument over her illness.

Deuce vividly recalled their raised voices. Tonality that was never heard before to the public were exposed like an open book, their stubbornness bashing against each other. Deuce had shaken her head more times than she could count with two hands. Rem was as stiff as cardboard with hands on her hips. The fight took about a week to recover from and the members from Class Zero had no idea how to bring them back together. (It was thanks to Kurasame and, surprisingly, Sice that encouraged them to mend their relationship.)

Could this be another heated session? Deuce felt a shade of red discolor her cheeks, albeit for a different reason.

They eventually reached Rem’s dormitory. The door cracked open, she single-handedly motioned for the brunette. Deuce timidly scuttled inside before Rem clicked it closed. She seated herself on the mattress after a silent urge from the female.

“Clothes.”

Deuce really didn’t want to do this… but she adhered to Rem. Who was she if she were to ignore her girlfriend’s request?

She unbuttoned and unclicked her uniform. Bit by bit, she stripped her upper wear until she was left with nothing but her bra. Rem sharply inhaled, all forms of frustration eroded.

“Oh, Deuce…”

Scratch marks, likely from a machine, tore through the chest’s epidermis. Though it appears as though someone had cast a healing spell or used potions on the infliction, the gash had not fully sealed, blood oozing from two of the three cuts. Amongst the other scars that lightly riddled the brunette’s porcelain skin, this one was the worst of them all. Perhaps it was a blessing from a divine spirit that prevented the injury from sinking its lacerations deeper than the surface. Had it touched her heart…

Rem shooed the thought away. She immediately cleaned the bloodied mess.

"How in Orience did you hide this wound?"

"..."

"Deuce?"

"I... got a spare uniform. It was cold, so I carried extra in case I got wet."

"I see."

Soon, Rem hovered her palms over the cadet’s chest, soft green light emitted. Deuce let out a shaky exhale. The throbbing that once plagued her cavity had now dissipated. (Granted, they were bearable this morning, but the freezing temperature had dulled the pain receptors until her return.) She dryly swallowed and watched her girlfriend.

“Why did you hide this from me?”

“…I didn’t want to worry you.”

“Didn’t you just scold me about this?” Rem sighed. “You should practice what you preach.”

Deuce gently bit the inside of her cheek, her eyes downcast. “You’re right. I… I’ve never sustained any injuries like this… and I thought I could go to Mother to heal me.”

“Huh, Mother…”

Rem removed her hands. (Thanks to her high capability of magic, spending Cure on her fellow ally hardly wasted her breath, especially if it’s for her dear Deuce.) Now that the gash left nothing more than faint lumps, the brown-haired began to trace the scars. Deuce nearly let out a squeak as the cadet allowed her mind to wander.

‘ Deuce… aside from Machina, everyone in Class Zero had always spoken about Mother Arecia. ‘

Adopting children was not rare in Orience. Orphans from war and brutality were common. The lucky bunches would be picked up from the streets and served in manors for the riches and most elite. The unlucky bunches would be picked up from the streets and served as slaves or prisoners for the ruthless and heartless. However, it was sincerely an oddity to have someone pick up 12 children almost all at once.

“I’m sorry, Rem… for lying to you. I’ll tell you the truth next time.”

“That’s okay. I forgive you.”

Rem felt her heart clench. She had to forgive Deuce. There was no other way to teach Deuce what was right and what was wrong.

She and Machina knew more than them. Even the oldest member, Seven, possess very little knowledge about social and general knowledge about the world. When they were asked about the war, all 12 members claim to enjoy fighting. They've trained all their lives, never rewarded for their deeds, stuck out like a sore thumb from the mass, yet they stood proudly without shame. The members were conditioned, and that too applied to Deuce.

When they privately spent time together, the child would always point out the most obvious and ask questions about it.

"How are flowers grown?"

"Why is the sky blue?"

"When is the right time to tell someone you like them?"

"Rem, what is this feeling in my heart every time I see you?"

"My heart aches when I see you with Machina... Do you know why?"

"Rem, what does ' love ' really mean?"

There was so much for her to learn… especially in the form of love. Had it not been for the valiant efforts of Rem’s confession, both Deuce and Rem would have been left with an awkward two-sided love that would go unnoticed by the two crushers. (Porn books by Jack aren’t exactly helpful.) If Rem didn't confess... what would have happened to the two of them?

“Rem? Can I put my clothes back on?”

She snapped back to reality. Deuce, whose cheeks were on fire, was trembling under her ghostly touches.

‘ Oh. She’s half-naked. ‘

Rem pulled back her hand once again, the temperature from her face rising in conjunction. However, what retracts was replaced with something far more pleasant. She leaned in to plant a brief kiss on the flutist’s lips. Butterflies fluttered inside of their stomachs, the faint tingles sparking from the sensitive pink flesh once they parted.

“Promise me you won’t do that ever again,” she breathed, her eyes staring deep into the other's. She tucked a stray strand of hair behind Deuce’s red ear. Then, Rem pulled her into an embrace, her head buried into her shoulder. She deeply inhaled the fresh, rainy scent that always accompanied the bard. “Promise me that you will come to me first for healing.”

A shudder. Deuce slowly brought her arms around her girlfriend and leaned her head against Rem’s. “What if my injuries are too much to be healed by you?”

“Who says I can’t?”

“Well… then what if I needed to be revived?”

“I’ll search the entire continent to find a Phoenix Down.”

“And if you can’t?”

“I will.” Rem parted from Deuce and caressed her face. Thumbs smoothed her silky skin as she whispered, “I will always bring you back to life… just like how you brought me back to life with those three words.”

Deuce giggled. They went in for another tender kiss, the two disregarding the earlier request to redress. Blissful love showered upon the couple as Rem was eventually stripped down to her undergarments. There wasn't one moment where they looked away from each other, even as Deuce plopped back on the mattress and Rem hovered from above. They nuzzled their noses with bright smiles.

“I love you, Rem."

"I love you too, Deuce."

It was safe to say that after that long and romantic evening, Deuce kept her promise with Rem. Not that she needed to keep it in the first place as Rem accompanied her to every single battle afterward... much to the dismay of Kurasame and Arecia.

[jadeyharls]

((Okay, so the thing that is going on is an age swap thing, and I decided to go with a “bad” timeline 1,000 year old Jade. Not doing that on here for reasons, but here is her story thing if anyone wants an idea of what’s going on. Warning though, it’s super long.

BARK :D There. Another night, another nightly bark in the bag. Perfect. That should hold your need to post anything for a little while at least, and remind people that you’re still here. It was silly. Even you knew that, but it was a strangely fun ritual of yours that sort of affirmed your presence on this website in a way. Now tough, a short break. You look over at your “dogs”. Well, your one dog and then your “dogs”. Olena seemed fine. Somehow you could just tell by the way she looked at you. Maybe this was canine to sort of canine communication in the works. Who knew? Best not to disturb her, but Poppy and Dinah needed to go out probably. Those two’s play fighting was starting to get a little wild. You pull Poppy, the little brown puff of fur, off Dinah, and then adjust the black dog’s bandana a little from where her sibling had pulled it loose. These two. It was amazing you could keep any kind of accessory on them at all. It was worth the trouble though. You knew they didn’t mind them, and they were freaking cute, alright? You might need to get Poppy a new flower though. This one was starting to look a little worse for wear. Anyways though, you better take these two out before they get too out of hand. Gathering them up, the usual green flash brought about by your warping fills your eyes, but then… darkness. Something wasn’t right. Then you open your eyes. It takes you a moment to recall where you are, but as you look at the intricate painted visage of space you had done above your bed you begin to regain your bearings. A dream. That’s all it was. A memory of days so long ago, that you sometimes almost forgot them. Almost. You’d never truly forget. However, over a thousand years is a lot of time to collect memories. Your library of recollection had to be rather full. You lie in bed for a while longer, thinking back on the days your subconscious decided project into your dreams. Those were much… happier? No, perhaps that wasn’t the right word. You were plenty happy now, right? Simpler perhaps. Those were the days when you didn’t have to worry about the prosperity of an entire planet. The days before your friends stopped being your friends, and family stopped acting like family. The days before they forgot you. The days before they hadn’t gotten so caught up with themselves that they moved on with life without you, despite your attempts to keep up. The days before you felt so alone in the world, unloved, abandoned for what those who had been so dear to you must have viewed as more important. The days before their love for you had switched to fear or hate. Perhaps, to some extent, those days had been happier after all. Too bad they didn’t last. You still so strongly recall what happened. Things had been fine and dandy in those first years after that cursed game. You had your friends, you had your family, your pets, your moirail. As the years wore on though, things began to slip away. Within the first twenty-five years on Alterra, you had lost Dinah to old age. Within the next twenty-five, Jake and Dirk had finally moved out to live their own lives elsewhere. By a hundred years you had lost Poppy to time as well. By two hundred years your loved had scattered across the world, but you still kept in touch. By four hundred you spoke to them maybe once a year. By five hundred… You were practically alone. Almost. You manage to pull yourself up in bed finally, reaching over to briefly run your fingers behind the golden ears of Olena where she was still asleep on the foot of your bed. She was still such a good old girl, so loyal and loving. She’d never leave you. You are drawn to an ornate box on your deck, and the familiar glow of your powers surround it, causing bits and pieces to shift on the surface until a click unlocks it. You lift the lid and peer inside. Memories then overtake you as you carefully pick up each relic. A yellow ball with red painted flowers reminds you of the first pet you ever had after Bec. A stuffed toy that you had shrunk down to fit inside your treasure chest reminds you of someone that used to claim to be your best friend. A picture of one oversized dog family from when they kidnapped you that one time to go somewhere you couldn’t recall reminds you of the antics they used to cause. A ring rose gold and set with a brilliant violet stone… So much for lasting forever, huh Dorkfish? The rest of your treasures are made up of a few drawings and other trinkets from the children you had taken in over the years, a small golden circlet who had belonged to someone dear, gifts from your former “consorts”, and finally, a simple reminder with a few colored plastic beads. Blue, green, purple, red. It seemed you were the only one that didn’t forget. “My Goddess?” A voice calls from beyond your sight, and you slam the chest shut. The pained look on your face softens as you turn to see one of your handmaidens, a young Dersite woman, standing at the door. “You’re up earlier than expected. Did you sleep alright?” “Yes, Dorthea. I just was woken by a strange dream is all. It’s no reason to worry. I don’t even remember what it was about.” “Oh, then should I see if the kitchen already has your morning meal ready? I believe Harkus mentioned you have a council meeting in a few hours. High Acolyte Amelia wanted to speak to you about your birthday celebration preparations, and I Spymaster Eldwit has new intel about the Alterra situation.” “Which one?” You huff in agitation and roll your eyes. “There are always about ten at a minimum. Breakfast would be nice, thank you. Could you ask Franakko if he could pull out a black tea this morning instead of green? Preferably something with a nutty taste to it.” “Yes, My Goddess.” The woman nods. “I’ll try to be back shortly.” “Take your time dear. I think I’m going to go ahead and get dressed before taking my meal.” You politely shoo the girl away, and she takes her leave before you start to head for your closet. You select attire of black and gold and discard your sleeping gown before sinking into memories once more as you change. Five hundred years ago you had been so alone. It was a feeling you had never wanted to feel again, and yet here you were. John and Calliope were the only two you really spoke to on occasion, and that hardly filled the void in your heart. You took to your aspect, trying anything to fill that hole, but nothing worked. Growing in strength only made you feel more isolated, but then… You opened your eyes. You were a goddess. Of course, despite your protests, you had grown a following. There were those who looked up to you, revered you, recognized you for your talents, worshiped you. Loved you… If the ones you cared for didn’t want you anymore, then you’d take to those who did. Within twenty years you cultured one of the strongest followings on the face of Alterra! But some people didn’t like that. Those who abandoned you soon began to turn on you, call you a threat. Some outright betrayed you, brought harm upon your new family, and even tried to snuff you out before you grew even stronger. It didn’t work. There was no touching you, but your followers, your new family. They needed protection from the world that had turned on them. So, you decided to take them from the world entirely. You took to space and began to pull together the pieces to form a few home. You took scraps from the cosmos and built a new paradise. It took a good two hundred years or so to put together, but finally, the time came. You sent out the call, and your people came. It was time to bring them home. Your kingdom had grown astonishingly fast over the next three hundred years. Your people built a capital made of gold, earning the planet’s name as New Prospit. You took your place as your peoples guiding star, their queen, the deity you deserved to be. Trials came and passed, but you persevered. You took on multiple wards and lovers. You made friends and enemies. Lost loved ones, and gained new ones. Never again were you going to be alone and unloved, and you were damn well going to make sure of that. Finishing your dressing process, you go to open a cabinet with the final piece of your daily wardrobe inside. Your crown. Well, crowns actually. You’d managed to gain a few over the years. However, since you are reminiscing, you think you will go with the one given to you at the start of your reign. It was plain compared to some of her other pieces in your collection, but it still had to be one of your favorites. There was a sentiment behind it that the others just didn’t hold a candle too. Next to it, encased in glass you keep the letter from the Prospitian man that had crafted the now centuries old headpiece. You look at the final line of the note as you place the circlet upon your head. ’We rise with you. May you lift us beyond the farthest stars, Lady Harley.’ Harley. People hardly called you that anymore. You were so much more now according to the people. To them, you were The Golden Goddess of the Jade Sun, The Eternal Star, The Cosmic Witch, Queen of New Prospit… Her Celestially Divine. Forever may she reign.

[samirgianni]

8th Annual Seed Catalogue Review

I'm finding this year a big temptation on the seed ordering front! We are supposed to be cutting back and consolidating but I see sooo many new things I want to try. Mr Fredzy and I are just going to have to fight it out! There are more seed companies listed here than ever before. I don't know that any of them are just hatched; it's more I managed to miss them before. I'm not really seeing any distinctive new trends emerging, but the directions of the last few years continue. If anything, I am noticing a lot of herbs this year but I'm not sure if that's a trend or if I am just noticing them. My attention certainly does bounce around. As ever, don't forget to check Seeds of Diversity's  Seed Catalogue Index if you are looking for something specific (and, in fact, if you are just browsing too). A'Bunadh Seeds: Situated an hour from Edmonton, they supply seeds for short (zone 2a) Alberta seasons; 90 to 110 days. Some items listed as new include Kabouli Black garbanzos, O'Dricoll's pole bean, Leanne's Pioneer Pickling cucumber, Prince onion, Lower Salmon River squash, Ampus Polish pepper, and Fuer Kugel beets. They have a lot of peas (not surprising) and a lot of corn which is more surprising. They also have a very large selection of garlic, as well as some rhubarb, comfrey and asparagus roots. AgroHaitai: The only Canadian source I know of for mostly Asian vegetables; they have a good reputation but most of their offerings are F1 hybrids. Still, some very interesting things there. I cannot tell if their site is updated for 2018 or not, so I will just mention some of the things that look interesting to me - mostly not hybrids. Look for Bao Tah nappa cabbage, Late Green choy sum, Small Gai Choi mustard (35 days to maturity!), Ho Tau Bok (choy), Petch Siam eggplant, Chuan pole green bean, Oregon Sugar Pod II snow pea - recommended for dau miu but treated seed, Noodle King yardlong beans, Peking Strain kohlrabi, White Ball radish, and Leisure slow-bolting coriander. Annapolis Seeds: This is their 10th year in business, and they now list over 500 varieties. New things for this year include what Owen is calling Inca Berry (I have written about it as Golden Berry), Zapotec Pink Ribbed tomato, Fortna White Pumpkins (so cute!), Fort Portal Jade bean, Lebanese Za'atar (which term gets used for a few different herbs; here it is a form of summer savory), Bear Necessities kale (a Tim Peters variety), Sapporo Express and Juno peas, and Dragon's Claw millet. Burt's Greenhouses: Mostly a nursery with ornamentals, Burt's also sells a good range of sweet potato slips at reasonable prices. We got our Toka Toka Gold, Owairaka, and Purple sweet potatoes from them. They have Beauregard, a classic orange fleshed sweet potato that does well in Ontario. They also have Cuban, Covington, Georgia Jet, and Tainung 65. The Cottage Gardener: They have a note up that they are experiencing technical difficulties with their 2018 catalogue, but the 2017 catalogue is still up and things won't change too much, I expect. I'll update this post once the 2018 listings are up. Eagle Creek Seed Potatoes: Potatoes don't tend to come and go like seeds, but I note Bellanita fingerling as one I have not seen previously. Also new; Alta Blush early. I don't know if they are new but I note Citadel and Roko as sounding interesting. I think I will need to order some German Butterball as we seem to have eaten most of ours. If you are interested in potato breeding, Rebsie Fairholm suggests Pink Fir Apple as a mother. And as ever, if you can't decide, they have some really good mixed packages. Edible Antiques: Grown in Prince Edward county. New this year, Acoma Light melons should be drought tolerant. Drew's Dandy beans look really charming. Iroquois Cornbread beans would be great to grow with some Iroquois corn. If you want black turtle beans, Mandan Black are probably a good choice for the north. Ordono peppers are drought tolerant, amazingly purple, and hot. If you want your purple peppers sweet, try Violet Sparkle. I've kind of skipped over the tomatoes, but there are lots. Greta's Organic Gardens: Greta doesn't indicate what's new, so a selection of things that catch my attention out of her very large list of offerings: Baklout Tunisian and Korean Kim Chi hot peppers, Long White bitter melon, Bourguignonne and Red Butter Romaine lettuces, British Wonder, Karina and San Cristoforo peas, Carminat pole beans, Green Luobo radish, H-19 Little Leaf cucumber (excellent and hard to find!), Iko Iko sweet pepper, Jagallo Nero and Portuguese Tronchuda kales, Scarlet Ohno Revivial turnips, and Yellow purslane. Lots more; a good selection of tomatoes in particular. Harmonic Herbs: Not updated for 2018 as I post this. They specialize in medicinal herbs but have a good selection of short season vegetables including their own earliest Norwesterlee tomato, Pink Beauty radish, Canoncito pepper, Margaret's Sugar Snap pea, Perfection fennel, and Gaucho beans (a Carol Deppe variety). They have sea-buckthorn seeds, and Mexican Tarragon (I know it as Anisón and it's actually a kind of marigold). Hawthorn Farm: Also not updated for 2018. Since this is, so far as I am concerned, a key source of seeds for southern Ontario, I will update once their new listings are up. Heritage Harvest Seed: One of Canada's best heirloom seed companies, located in Manitoba. I have found a number of our favourite varieties here, including Gnadenfeld melon, January King cabbage, and a lot of our favourite peas. New this year is American Wonder pea (sounds like a must-try for us). Black Canterbury bush bean, Chickpea of Spello, Green Delicious and Sibley squashes, Le Puy green lentils; all sound really interesting. I also see Provenzano tomato - an Italian heirloom grown for many years in northern British Columbia, so already well adapted to Canadian conditions. Hope Seeds: This Nova Scotian company specializes in east-coast heirlooms. New this year they have Iannetti Slicer beans, Filderkraut (whoa, pointy!) and Perfection Savoy cabbages, Kincho green onions, Amish Butter popcorn, Dorata di Parma yellow onions, Kalocsai Paprika pepper, and strawberry crown pumpkins. I have my eye on that paprika in particular! Ferme Tournesol: A fascinating list from a fascinating place! New this year includes Duborskian hardy RICE! Their new tomatoes are already kind of picked over, but there are some interesting lettuces - Sucrine, Red Butter Romaine, Pirat, Crispino Iceberg, and Reine des Glaces. There's also Ancienne d'Acadie savory, and Stella Blue squash. Furthermore, there are seeds for plants of Ferme Tournesol's own breeding: Rainbow Tatsoi, Big Fat Jalapeño, Carrot Bomb pepper, and Kale and Mustard mixes. In addition to a good general selection of vegetables, they have quite a few cover crops. Jardins de l'Écoumène: Site is in French and a little awkward to manoeuvre, but new offerings (nouveautés) include Pasquier lettuce, Barry's Crazy cherry tomato, Curly cress (alénois frisé), Shimonita Negi green onions, Oseille perpetual spinach (actually a sorrel I would say), and Tom Thumb popcorn - a selection from Elwyn Meader. Sounds like good stuff! Mapple Farm: Very little changes here from year to year, although I see they have Butterbush and Potimarron squashes new this year. They have good selection of Sweet Potato slips, as well as Ken Allen's sweet potato book - a must-have for the Canadian sweet potato grower. Crosnes, gobo, scorzonera, and Turkish Rocket are things you are not too likely to find elsewhere. They have small but finely curated collections of tomatoes, squash, soybeans, and melons Matchbox Garden Seed Co: have apparently been around for a decade; making this list for the first time. Another Ontario company growing most of their own seed! Selection is not huge, and leans more to well-known standards than the rare and exotic. I don't see items marked as new, but a few of their more unusual listings include Tadorna (Lyon) leek, Cracoviensis lettuce, Nebuka scallions, Capriglio Red peppers, Lemon summer squash (very cute!), and Rumii Banjaan tomato. Naramata Seed Company: A note at the site indicated they will be updated by the end of January, but that most varieties will be returning. So, existing listings that strike me as interesting - Long Winter leek and Piata di Bergamo onion, Baladi romaine, Gulley's Favourite, and May Queen lettuce. That last one is hard to find, but I grow it and recommend it highly. Greek Sweet Red and Silver Bell squash are appealing, and Gill's Golden Pippin is recommended. There's a good selection of peppers and tomatoes, including popular items as well as some quite unusual ones. Norton Naturals: Not a seed company; they sell a selection of roots, mostly native but also crosnes, edible daylilies, and double Tiger lilies. Native plants include: Arrowhead, Camas (Quamash), Groundnuts, Hog Peanuts, 3 different Jerusalem artichokes, Spring Beauty, Meadow Garlic, and Ramps (Wild Leeks). In my experience, if you do not have the necessary fungus in the soil those last will not grow. Worth trying if you have a typical Ontario woodlot though. They sell Prairie Turnip as seeds - this is actually a tap-rooted legume, and it looks like it would also make an excellent ornamental. It's currently out of stock, unfortunately. They ship twice a year - next up in April. OSC (Ontario Seed Company): They continue to be a very good source for open-pollinated classics at very reasonable prices but most of their new offerings lean towards F1 hybrids. I'm noting that in particular most of their corn is treated, as far as I can tell with the notorious bee-killing neonicotinoids, so DO NOT GROW. (If you are a large enough grower you can request untreated seed.) Also they do not always identify F1 hybrids so do some research before you order. Potager Ornemental de Catherine: Site is in French. New offerings include Sanjaku Kiuru cucumbers, Willow Leaf White lima bean, Moonlight "Spanish" (Runner) bean, quite a few climbing beans, the very early Edouard tomato, and the gently nippy Sucette de Provence pepper. The selection in general is not the largest out there, but well-considered with some interesting looking things. I'd have a go at Misato Rose radishes, Sucrine du Berry squash, Iona peas, and d'Espelette pepper. Prairie Garden Seeds: Just before posting time I received notice that the site is updated for 2018, with 30 new items and some returning ones as well. As they note, they don't tend to change their listings much from year to year, and the new offerings aren't labelled as such. However, they are the go-to source for many Canadian heirloom vegetables, and are particularly strong in tomatoes and beans, but also in grains - if you want small amounts of many historic Canadian wheats, or indeed all kinds of grains from all over the world, check here. If you want open-pollinated, untreated corn this is probably the place. Prices are very reasonable and amounts generous, but you cannot order online - you must send them an order form and a cheque. It's been well worth the trouble in my experience. Richter's Herbs: When it comes to herbs if they don't have it, good luck finding it. (Not impossible, necessarily. But good luck.) They have more basils than I have seen anywhere, and you could even grow bay (leaves) from seed. In a pot indoors in the winter, alas; but still. They also have a reasonable selection of vegetables, including quite a lot of peppers from the sublime (Ancho Poblano) to the ridiculous (the very vulgar Peter pepper). Patient growers can try Prickly Pear cactus. I have ordered some Agretti (Barba di Frate) and Okahijiki to try this year. I was also finally able to get some French shallots last fall, so I will be checking them with interest this summer. They list 2 za'atars, but theirs are forms of oregano. Black Nebula carrots are very eye-catching. Salt Spring Seeds: These guys are now one of the older of the newer Canadian seed houses and yes, that totally makes sense. Also, a lot of things that pop up at other seed houses started out here. This year I'm seeing Calvert, Galina, Gold Harvest, and Osayo Endo peas. Black Beluga lentils, Winnifred's garbanzos, Pisterzo pole beans, Nine-Star Perennial broccoli, Candystick Delicata and Gill's Golden Pippin squash, Yellow Capriglio peppers, Candy Mountain sweet corn and Cascade-Ruby Gold flint corn, from breeder Carol Deppe - not all of those are new; some of them just catch my interest. Semences du Portage: Site is in French. Nouveautés for this year include Goodman cauliflower, Maxibel beans, Black Kabouli chick peas, Lancer parsnip, Pink Thai poppy, Lemon catnip, and Green Zebra tomato. There are some excellent older listings too: look for Savignac and Noire du Portage tomatoes bred in Quebec, Raxe radish, Palla Rossa radicchio, Scarlet Ohno Revival turnips, Oka melons, Fisher's Earliest corn, Jericho romaine lettuce, Tante Alice cucumber and Dragon carrots and more. Strong in herbs. la Société des Plantes: Site is in French. Herbs, native plants, ornamentals and vegetables presented higglety-pigglety (though you can sort them), but some surprising things can be sifted out. Eye-catching to me are Watanabe Early gobo (bardane japonaise), Jaune Ovoïde Des Barres (Yellow Intermediate) beet, Redventure celery, de Crosno rutabaga, Gaspé flint corn, Noir Long de Pardailhan turnip, Val-aux-Vents leek, Charlevoix soup pea, Raiponce (Rapunzel to you), and Fiori Blu salsify. In the fall look for Échalotte de Ste-Anne and Egyptian Walking onions. Solana Seeds:  This little Quebec seed house is strong on peppers and tomatoes, and with the exception of Purple Epazote, all the new offerings are one or the other. There is Bulgarian Carrot pepper, Chimayo pepper, and Orange Sweet Hungarian Cheese pepper. New tomatoes include Beauty Queen, Federle, Galina, Old German, Nyagous, Blue Pear, and Green Pear. Seed packets tend to be on the small side but prices are commensurately low.  Stellar Seeds:  Out of business as of this year. Sunshine Farm: Located in Kelowna, BC. Not updated for 2018 at time of posting. I see a good selection of fairly standard items, although they have quite a few herbs and greens, including Red-Veined sorrel. I haven't seed Petrowski turnips anywhere else. They have Hilds Blauer radish, Golden Egg eggplant, Sette Lune Romaine lettuce, and Kiss of Satan peppers! Quite a few tomatoes. Tatiana's TOMATObase: As ever with Tatiana's, I'm not going to mention any varieties here because where even to start? But if you are looking for unusual tomatoes this is a GOOD place to check. Tatiana has added 82 new tomato varieties to the list this year, total available now being 1273. She seems to have fewer of other things, although there are 37 lettuces, 15 melons, 22 squash, and I think 45 peppers. Still the only Canadian source of Grover Delaney watermelon. Tatiana has moved to a larger and more rural farm this year and warns that shipping will be a bit slower as she will not get to the post more than once a week. Terra Edibles: Celebrating 25 years in business this year, they were the first of the new wave of small seed houses we ordered from back when we still had an allotment garden. They are very solid on beans and tomatoes, but it looks like their selection has expanded a bit. The only things they mention as new are Jade and Ugandan Bantu beans, but I'm sure there's more. Things I haven't noticed before include Anna Aasa red cherry, Tappy's Heritage, and Southern Night, all tomatoes. In beans, Helda Romano, Monte Gusto wax, and Sequoia. Yellow Carrot Shaped radishes are intriguing, as is Wachichu Flint corn. They have many of our tried and true varieties, including the hard-to-find Spanish Skyscraper pea. Also the hard-to-find legume inoculant, available for a fairly short season in the spring, so check. Terre Promise: Site is in French. Last year, to my great excitement, they listed Rose de Roscoff onions. They sold out rapidly, and are still listed as out of stock, but they are at least still listed - I will be watching! While you wait, check out (wild) garlic from la maison des Jésuites de Sillery, available as bulbils. Also I am INTRIGUED by Sea Parsley, also known as Scottish Lovage (although it isn't lovage). Salt and shade tolerant! How about the Laliberté Pea bean, skirrets (chervis in French), chufa, Green Finger Lebanese cucumbers, and Canadien Blanc corn.  Cressonnette Marocaine is, in fact, an Italian lettuce. There are other more mundane things, but this is a place worth taking a look. Urban Harvest: I'm seeing things that weren't there last year, so I assume updated for 2018. How about Fiariello frying peppers, Jimi's Purple Haze poppy, Tom Thumb lettuce, Scarlet kale, and Sunrise Bumblebee cherry tomato? In general, a good and comprehensive listing of vegetables. Urban Tomato: Has a small selection of other seeds, but is mostly about the tomatoes. Newness is not indicated, but interesting ones (names, at least) include German Red Strawberry, Golden Delight, Moonglow, Sweet Angora and Striped Cavern. Wild Rose Heritage Seed Company: New this year, they have Green Brooks (I've always known it as Old Brooks) tomato, Rani cilantro, Marconi red peppers, Howden pumpkin, French Breakfast radish and Purple Peacock beans. In general, they have a solid if fairly conservative list of the better-known open pollinated varieties, and if you are just starting gardening you could do worse than to start with most of these. William Dam Seeds: The same story applies here as last  year. Their new introductions lean so heavily on F1 hybrids that I am hard pressed to find anything of interest. Their few new introductions in open pollinated vegetables (I think - they are not always clear) are Cabot bean, Scarlet Greshen runner beans, Vates kale, Miz America mustard, and Midnight Snacks tomato. THAT'S IT. They still seem to have many of the old open pollinated varieties they used to carry, but the herd definitely seems to be thinning. Still a good place for other gardening equipment that can be hard to find - trays, netting and row covers, organic fertilizer, etc, and a very large selection of ornamentals.  from Seasonal Ontario Food http://seasonalontariofood.blogspot.com/2018/01/8th-annual-seed-catalogue-review.html