#well whatever the girl is in love with a feral part alien creature and this will have to do

[shadowsfascination]

T H E M <3

[mermaidsirennikita]

Book Roundup April/May 2019

This spring has been exceptionally difficult and busy for me on both a personal and professional level.  I really haven’t had the time to read as I’d like--so I’m combining April and May.  With that being said, there were some good books within the past couple of months--Wicked Saints by Emily A. Duncan was DEFINITELY a huge highlight.

Call Me Evie by J.P. Pomare.  2/5.  Kate is held in a remote cabin by Ben--who holds her captive while claiming to protect her from the fallout of something terrible that she did.  The trouble is that Kate can’t remember the night that terrible thing happened.  As she struggles to piece together her memories, what Bill tells her isn’t matching up--and she must reconcile who she is with what she did.  I’m sure that lots of people would love this book, but the pacing was thrown off for me by all of the flashbacks.  It’s not you, it’s me.

Wicked Saints by Emily A. Duncan.  5/5.  Nadya is a Kalyazi cleric, and as such she can commune with--and draw supernatural power from--a pantheon of gods.  She’s spent her life in a monastery; however, a looming threat finally materializes in the form of Tranavian invaders, heretics that send Nadya on the run.  Falling in with Malachiasz, a Tranavian defector, she sets out to end the war she only way she knows how: by killing the Tranavian king.  Meanwhile, Serefin, the heir to the throne, is summoned home from the front--only to discover that he’s in more danger at home than abroad.  This is a wonderfully atmospheric and delightful novel.  Emily never holds back--you get monsters, you get royal politics, you get alcoholic princes and questions of theology.  And there is a romance that I’m absolutely obsessed with, which is always major for me.  I loved this book to death, and there is one bit at the very end that just got at my soul.  I can’t wait for the next installment!

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens.  3/5.  Kya is a young child when her mother walks out on the family; it isn’t long before her brother and father follow suit, leaving Kya as the borderline-feral Marsh Girl.  At first, she’s dependent on the kindness of strangers.  But gradually--with the help of friends and Tate, a boy who will become her first love--she becomes independent, if never truly accepted by the nearby townspeople.  Her way of life is shattered when a young man shows up dead--and she is accused of murder.  On the plus side, this book was very engaging, and some the descriptions were at times beautiful.  If you’re from the South, some things will indeed ring true.  It’s not perfect, but it is engaging, and a fun if predictable read... until the last third or so, when everything kind of collapses and the book’s flaws are emphasized in a big way.  I really, really disliked how much Owens went in on the “untouched wild beauty” thing with Kya.  It felt very fetishistic.  She’s this beautiful poor white girl living feral in the marsh... learning everything she knows from black people, by the way.  And all the men love her and want to have sex with her.  I’m honestly just torn about this one; I feel like I would have given it a lower rating if not for how much I did enjoy the first chunk.

The Bride Test by Helen Hoang.  4/5.  Khai is accomplished and handsome; however, he’s never had a girlfriend.  On the autism spectrum, he’s convinced himself that he’s incapable of love.  His mother has other ideas--and while visiting her homeland in Vietnam, she meets Esme.  She offers the single mother a golden opportunity: visit America for the summer and convince Khai to marry her.  If he refuses, she can go home, no strings attached.  It’s too much for Esme to possibly turn down--but making Khai fall in love with her is a much more difficult task than she first imagined.  This wasn’t quite up to par with Hoang’s debut (the delightful Kiss Quotient) but I did really, really like it.  Her trademark humor is there, as is her sensitivity and knack for sweet romance.  Khai and Esme’s story is just kind of lovely.  (And sexy.)  I did feel like the ending was a bit rushed--I wanted more.  But I’d recommend it any day, and can’t wait for Hoang’s next book.

Little Darlings by Melanie Golding.  2/5.  Following the birth of her twins, Morgan and Riley, young mother Lauren is exhausted.  Therefore, few believe her when she says that she saw a woman slip into her hospital room and attempt to replace her babies with strange creatures.  A month later, the boys briefly go missing in the park--and when they’re found, Lauren insists that the things that have been returned to her are not her children.  This may have been a bad fit for me--I love magical realism and changelings, but the overwhelming depressing darkness of this book was just... not even vaguely enjoyable.  And it did help put me off of having children for a looong time, if ever.  I couldn’t focus on the writing quality; it was just so dour.

From Scratch by Tembi Locke.  5/5.  This memoir tracks the first few years following the death of Tembi’s husband, Saro, following a long battle with cancer.  As she visits his Sicilian family each summer with their daughter, she flashes back to the early days of their courtship and marriage--as well as her in-law’s initial struggles over the fact that their Italian chef son married an African-American actress.  “From Scratch” is LOVINGLY written and painfully beautiful.  It made me want to be more open to falling in love, as cheesy as that sounds--what Tembi and Saro shared was clearly worth all of the pain she’d feel after seeing him slowly deteriorate and ultimately losing him... which is saying something.  Locke also has a talent for writing in general, but especially about food.  I appreciated her human examination of the prejudice she faced; it’s really obviously on her to decide whether or not to reconcile with people who treated her with clear racism, but...  She also clearly loves and is loved by her mother-in-law now.  The honest complexity in that relationship is refreshing.  I don’t usually love memoirs, but this one was fantastic.

The Unlikely Adventures of the Chergill Sisters by Balli Kaur Jaswal.  4/5.  Rajni, Jezmeen, and Shirina aren’t estranged, exactly, but they don’t have much in common either.  But after their mother’s death, it’s revealed that she charged them with a journey through their ancestral homeland of India.  With each sister carrying secret struggles, they unite in an attempt to fulfill their mother’s wishes--and come to terms with their relationships with not only her, but each other.  Balli Kaur Jaswal is so good.  And even if I didn’t love this quite as much as Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows, it’s still quite good.  She’s a rare author who can blend genuinely funny moments with high drama (that is often socially aware).  There is one subplot that I didn’t super love due to its implications, but otherwise I really enjoyed the book and the sisters.

Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors by Sonali Dev.  3/5.  Trisha Raje is a successful surgeon--who is nonetheless alienated by her blue-blooded family due to her history.  When she meets DJ Caine, a high-profile chef in the running to cook for the prestigious fundraisers supporting her brother’s political campaign, it’s dislike at first sight.  He can’t stand her snobbish bossiness; she finds his assumptions about her frustrating and demeaning.  But even if DJ didn’t need the job, they can’t avoid each other--because Trisha is the only person who can save DJ’s terminally ill sister.  So: Dev says that this is very loosely inspired by Pride and Prejudice, but as the title suggests it’s VERY inspired by Pride and Prejudice.  Points for the genders being swapped here--though DJ does stand in part for Darcy, he’s the Lizzie of this story--and Dev does a great job of bringing cultural backgrounds and social issues into the forefront without beating us over the head with it.  But for whatever reason, I never really clicked with Trisha and DJ’s romance, and the Wickham side of this was... not great.  Still, it’s a fun read and it made me very hungry.�� Not bad for a day by the pool!

[bibbleboo]

Could we get some headcanons/more background on Abbey and Doyle’s kids? 🥺👉👈 I love the premise of this AU

YEEEEE (im just gonna ramble a bunch about the backstory i have so far but ill put it in bullets so its easier to follow lol i apologize for it being long as fuck-)

OKAY SO,,, first of all,,, doyle and abbey timeline,,,, [i am looking respectfully]

in this au, they get back together and have a sort of ‘lovers pretending to be enemies’ chaotic on again/off again hookup thing off to the side just between the two of them thru like Most of the final season, they try to keep it a secret (especially doyle who doubts the saturdays would be hAPPY if he was seeing her again) but in the end, saturdays ofc find out, probably are unsure about it at first, but she gains enough of their trust to be there for the big finale battle in the weird world mansion.

when shit goes down and argost becomes the vessel for the two opposing kurs (regular kur, and the anti kur from zak monday) and they like. explode his matter or w/e, i imagine instead of kur just completely disappearing, the ‘anti kur’ gets shot back to its universe, while original kur gets forced into a new vessel in this universe... the closest of which happens to be the unborn child abbeys unknowingly carrying. basically, what if the two kurs just LOOKED like they evaporated but actually did what happens when you try to like tape two same sides of a magnets together and they YEETED-

So thats how we have Parker, their firstborn daughter! and this... also implies ‘Parker Monday’ exists which. 8^) i havent thought about yet so forgive me on that but hoo, 

they dont know parker is kur, they got no idea and rly just assume kur is gone for good. but after they find out abbeys pregnant (which is a huge emotional trip for both of them in its own right) they do eventually sort of agree they dont want their kid exposed to that whole world of mystery. like, ik its a vital thing to the whole family, and ik these two people were probably voted least likely to ‘settle down’ in high school, but i cant imagine they didnt escape the kur/zak situation without a LOT of trauma, so while the saturdays stay in the cryptozoology field, doyle and abbey slowly pull away from the mystery and mercenary stuff, and also instead of going for big dollar lifestyle settle with ‘independently wealthy’ parenting.

also, neither of them really . grasp the concept that theyve even started a family, and are ‘together’, and that this is REAL, until around when she gets pregnant with their second daughter, Kendall. and then theyre like. oh nooo wait are we actually like boyfriend and girlfriend EWW-

when kendall is born parker is 3, and the next like 10+ years are pretty smooth sailing. as far as what the kids know/see, they probably know the cryptids when theyre little but. (tw animal death sORRY TO BE DARK I JUST??????) idk,, how long komodo dragons live/how old komodo already is and i definitely dont know Anything about giant prehistoric birds and am not even sure if science knows that lifespan, so. im not sure how long they could really be in each others lives??? i almost imagine parker would have memories of them that she assumes she remembers wrong, like “oh yeah they used to have a lizard and a bird... my imaginative little kid brain thought they were a komodo dragon and a dinosaur”, and as for fisk im still working on it but i . actually kind of imagine he might have a much longer lifespan (since lemurians are like ancient or w/e? and also if hes by dna like a gorilla cat or w/e gorillas at least live long af) and also feel like once he got older and settled down a bit he might live somewhere in the woods, maybe even his old tree? and the saturdays see him ALL the time obviously, but hey zaks gotta go to college eventually, a gorilla cats gotta eat bugs in forest, we all have to grow up and leave the nest sometime,

so idk the last time parker has actually seen fisk and she might assume he was an imaginary friend or smth but, 1. if i do write a fic they absolutely have to meet again, 2. overall the vibe is they know the saturdays are cryptozoologists, like, the same way josh gates does destination truth, seeking answers and studying, they dont really. know that theyre REAL. to them its like, a hypothetical science. (this is also part of why they dont realize parker is kur, she isnt around cryptids and therefore whenever her powers would actually show up they wouldnt be recognized) anyways parker isnt embarrassed or put off by it but just thinks its a little wacky, meanwhile kendall is obsessed with the world of mystery/paranormal/cryptic lol

speaking of the girls personalities;;;

parker is like. not really normie/preppy, even if she seems it at first glance, shes nice and has a good head on her shoulders but also is a teenage girl (inherently unhinged) and shes THEIR teenage girl (+5 feral) so despite her success and charm shes also very witty/crass when she wants to be, and deep down shes closer to the kind of person that would on pure inexplicable instinct put something random in your mouth when you’re yawning so you bite down on it afterwards. or like. that video of the girl singing in the bathroom while her friends curl their hair and she grabs the curler to use as a microphone before realizing its burning hot??? shes. the voice of reason, but the voice is usually shrieking in fear, making a cursed joke, or half the time whatever shes saying is actually smart. she kinda wants to go to college and travel, but struggles with indecisiveness and anxiety, so she has no idea where to go, what to major in, etc. and is again kinda just livin thru the typical teen life in that regard

kendall on the other hand is like. weird kid culture, the kind of kid that believes they are secretly a new supernatural creature each year (mermaid phase, werewolf phase, alien phase, etc), probably completely accidentally starts cults or witch covens at school (didnt realize teaching peers how to become ‘blood brothers’ and ‘make potions’ from puddles and stolen school supplies would be taken so seriously by parents) , very into emo/scene/punk/alt culture but not rly in an overtly dark/edgy way, more of a having fun and expressing self way. she wants answers for everything, really loves mysteries and being open minded, and definitely a rebel/adventurer at heart, even if she gets naive or in over her head sometimes.

the girls get along well! parker is not dismissive of kendall she just. isnt really into the same stuff/is more freaked out by it most of the time, but she would tag along on certain adventures, especially if it was to keep her safe. and kendall definitely directs gentle mockery towards parker a lot but does see her as a good role model and guiding figure, their bond is really strong!

other details !

doyle and abbey prob decide to say fuck it and get married after kendall is born, they probably have a few rough patches but nothing is more important to them than the kids now and in the end they understand each other better than anyone else so . canon tension idk her! family ftw! power couple! they intimidate the teacher during parent teacher conferences together hand in shady little hand !

their parenting style is exactly what one would imagine, 70% fun and sass and controlled chaos where theyre the bigger children than their children, 15% ‘this is how you hack the government and dual wield swords-- i was not supposed to teach you that im sorry’, and 15% actual guidance / emotional depth / etc. flaws might be overcoming their own immaturity for the first few years, and then being lowkey overly protective (while claiming they arent, but just bc you semi jokingly tell parker she should join the football team doesnt mean you dont actually hide 60% of ur life from her and check that her bedroom windows are locked every night and have 24 people listed in her school emergency contacts and used to cut up her food till she was 7 and-)

so abouT THE BABY BOY (Phoenix), 1. his middle name is leonidas bc im gay and i love emotional turmoil babes , 2. fully unironically the idea behind such a late pregnancy is abbey would be mid fourties when hes born right. so like. [has two kids] ‘ok birth control time’ [when theyre teens many years later] ‘ok im old enough to stop taking this’ [the hyperfertility curse that plagues many women rears its ugly head with one last hoo-rah]

and finALLY a very quick elevator pitch of what id write an actual fic to focus on;;; kendall sneaks into the attic to look for old shit bc they BOTH know their parents have been hiding stuff over the years, she finds things like a cryptopedia (now offline), the claw, maybe even a piece of the kur stone, and ropes parker into the long haul of figuring out what all this stuff is. and ofc the second they ever find the naga relic and parker comes face to face with it, [rest in rip] time for mom and dad to find out and all this kur shit to start ALL over again-

[allisquish]

stargazer chapter 5

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4

warnings: language

in which the other shoes begins to slowly drop.

-

Yondu watches as the Terran girl follows the Krylorian, shutting the door behind her. As soon as the door clicks, he stalks across the room, listening intently. When he can no longer hear the footsteps of the two women, he places his hand on the door’s panel. The door slides open. A feral grin runs across his face, and Yondu takes a step forward.

Immediately, he falls to the floor. A painful electric shock sends his body into convulsions.

"Damn it!" He curses, picking himself back up as the door slides closed. He had tried earlier that day when the Terran, [y/n], had left that morning to the same results. Whatever those Sakaraan sonuvabitches injected into his neck was keeping him trapped in her room. He tries one more time, to the same results. Growling low in his throat, Yondu smashes a fist against the door.

This wasn’t the Kree, and the Terran girl wasn’t his captor, but damn if the chains and restraints chaffed just the same.

Running a hand down over his face and across his shoulders, Yondu picks up the comm link blue prints he's crafted. He’s lost his wrist comm and his arrow; the two things that would’ve been able to get him off planet. The one he’s designed is beyond basic, but it will do.

He goes over his drafts for a moment before eyeing the bed. His body is still sore and bruised from his crash, and the girl's bed is one of the softest he's been in, ever. If there was one thing Yondu could say in favor of the Grandmaster, is that at least he has good taste in creature comforts.  

Speaking of comforts… a tiny seed of an idea begins to form, niggling in the back of his mind. It grows and grows as Yondu strips off his duster and jacket. It's the kind of thing, really, he would expect from a little piece of shit like Peter, knowing his boy.

And, well, what was that one Terran saying? The apul never falls far from the tree?

[Y/n] is certainly a pretty little thing… And he certainly wouldn’t mind seeing more of that gorgeous rosy color to her face.

Removing his shirt, Yondu briefly checks on his bruises. They're looking much better than they were, and he's not feeling quiet as sore. The cuts are healing nicely as well. Good, good…

It's just as he's leaning back against the bed that [y/n] opens the door. The long silver gown she changed into for the Grandmaster clings to her like a second skin, flowing out from the hips down. She's a right lovely image, standing there in the doorway, the light in the hall highlighting her form. Although, the look on her face could be a little more... flushed.

She takes one long look at Yondu on her bed, before she turns and heads to her washroom. Her annoyed expression wasn’t unexpected, but it was a little unwelcomed. Yondu couldn’t help snickering.

She returns, now dressed in yet another dress, this one a deep blue ending at her knees. She snaps, “What’re you doing?”

Not what Yondu was hoping for, but he could still use it; “Why don’tcha bring yaself over ‘ere and join me?”

He’s immediately shot down, “No thanks, dude.” He watches silently while she retrieves a blanket from her closet and settles back into the armchair.

If he’s honest, this Terran reminds him of Peter. Y/n is obviously trying to keep herself together, but she’s been dropped into a world that life on her planet would never have prepared her for. But there’s certainly a fire in her, a drive to survive. To make it to the next day, if only to spite those who hold her bonds.

If Yondu is truly honest, she reminds him of himself.

-

“Tell me more about your boys.” You ask the next morning, munching on a slice of bread.

“My boys?”

“Yeah,” You grab a piece of fruit as well, settling down in front of the low table. You tossed and turned most of last night; not just because of your sleeping arrangements. You kept having nightmares involving the Grandmaster, Yondu, and Lily. They were different variations of the same thing- you found Lily only to lose her again, or Yondu and your only chance home, or all three at the same time. Always with the Grandmaster looking on, laughing and taunting.“I’ll tell you more about Lily, if you want.”

“Just got the two o’ ‘em. Peter and Kraglin.” Yondu replies around a mouthful of food.

“Peter’s the Terran, I guess?”

Yondu nods, “Yeah, and Kraglin’s a Xandarian.”

Huh. That has to be a very interesting family dynamic. A Centaurian space mercenary for a dad, with two alien sons. Imagine the holidays.

“Lily’s human- Terran,” You catch yourself, “My aunt adopted her, so I guess she’s not really my kid? But I used to watch her a lot for my aunt so she could teach. It worked out nice- she’d teach during the day, and I’d take night classes. Pretty sure she’s the reason I even got accepted to Culver in the first place.”

“Met Kraglin when the boy tried to steal from us- was shit at tryin’ thieve but showed better promise than most. Found Peter during a job. Now tha’ kid is just more trouble than he’s worth.”

A soft look shines in Yondu’s red eyes as he talks about his boys. There’s obvious affection in his voice, and a dash of melancholy. He misses them both, just as you miss Lily. Your heart fills with sympathy, near breaking.

Yondu shares tales of when Kraglin and Peter first joined his crew, and you told him stories about some of the little silly things Lily would get up to. It was nice, being able to talk about her to someone again. You haven’t told anyone on Sakaar about Lily, instead keeping her locked safe in your heart. Your reason to keep going.

Eventually, however, your conversation slowly steers from loved ones to the communicator device. You quickly read off the list the both of you have created, with Yondu making you repeat back to him what each component looks like. You get the vague feeling that this must be what it’s like interning for Tony Stark or something. Yondu has you do this twice before he’s satisfied.

“Be easier ta do this maself.” He grumbles. He’s probably right, but it’s not like he can leave the room. The control disks you both have are literal shock collars. After last night, you do not even want him to leave the room; if he stays in here then Yondu is out of the Grandmaster’s sight. Out of sight, out of mind.

The Grandmaster can’t become any more interested in Yondu. If he does, you both are as good as dead.

You plow forward, choosing to ignore both Yondu’s complaints and your negative thoughts, “A chaise shouldn’t be hard to get ahold of. I’m pretty sure they’ve got some old gadgets down in the kitchens they can be bribed to trade… We can start there first, and then sometimes the Scrappers will bring some things to market…”

It’s… it’s entirely possible that this might work. You try to smash down your hopes before they get too high, knowing that everything good on Sakaar comes paired with something equally terrible… but it’s difficult.

You let a small smile form, looking up at Yondu, “Thank you.” You mean the words with every fiber of your being- even if this turns to shit, even if it blows up in your face, you can’t remember the last time you’ve been given such hope.

-

The Tower’s kitchens are always a bustle of busy activity, and as you enter them later that morning, it’s the same as always. The cooks ignore you for the most part, as do the other servants dashing about. You are, however, greeted by the head cook, a Skrull woman named S’Llei.

“Storyteller!” The older alien woman announces, stepping away from where she was ordering another Skrull about, “What brings you to see us today?”

“Oh, Cook S’Llei,” You say, doing your best impression of a 1930’s starlet, clapping your hands once in joy at seeing the old Skrull woman and keeping your voice high, “How wonderful it is to see you! I hope everything with you is well?”

“As well as it can be, yes,” S’Llei places a hand on your back, leading you to a table towards the back of her kitchens. Besides the Grandmaster, there are two people who have any real power on Sakaar; Topaz, who serves the Grandmaster directly, and S’Llei, who feeds him. If anyone truly wants to survive, then their hopes lay with those two. You had made your choice long ago about who you’d rather side with.

“Now tell me about this… guest you have.” S’Llei continues, motioning for you to sit down next to her.

“Oh, what’s there to say?” You smile, studying the expression on the green woman’s wrinkled face, “I asked the Grandmaster for him, and the Grandmaster has been very gracious in allowing my guest to stay with me, so that I might be able to, ah, expand my storytelling horizons a bit.” One of the kitchen servants brings a tray of refreshments, placing it on the table by S’Llei’s elbow.

It’s a common green liquid that tastes like mint soda and has a name you can’t pronounce. S’Llei pours herself and you a glass, presenting it to you in a grand flourish. You murmur your thanks, accepting the glass and taking a sip.

“Still,” S’Llei leans back in her chair, a knowing look in her gaze, “It’s not every day a Ravager Captain lands on Sakaar.”

She’s fishing. S’Llei’s obviously fishing for some kind of information, but you don’t know what, or why.

“I didn’t even know what a Ravager was until he showed up.” You admit, picking and choosing your cards to play carefully. You wait for her reaction.

“Oh, I forget how… sheltered you Terrans tend to be,” She remarks, sipping her drink, “Has he been good company?” There’s an emphasis on company that sends goosebumps up your arms. You know what S’Llei is insinuating. The problem is, how do you reply? Truthful with an “I’ve never been much interested in that” or lie, “Oh yes, the very best”?

“Well, he hasn’t tried to steal anything yet,” Seems the best option. You place your half-empty glass on the table before derailing that topic, “I was actually hoping, S’Llei, if I could take a look at the kitchen’s junk pile if you don’t mind? I’ve been gifted this cute little piece of tech from Terra, but I can’t quite get it to function.”

S’llei waves a hand, “Of course you can, Storyteller. Please, feel free to take whatever you need- not one piece of it functions anymore, anyway.”

You chat with the Skrull cook for a moment longer, before she has to return to duty. The kitchens are preparing for a midday meal. Slipping away, you head into a small room connected to the main kitchens. The room might have been extra food storage at one point in time, though now it is nothing more than a junker’s paradise. When the Scrappers bring in anything remotely interesting, the Kitchen’s always get first choice, after the Grandmaster. They take what they want to keep the kitchens working, and never throw anything away, even if it malfunctions. If there’s a chance something might one day work again, then it stays.

You’re grateful S’Llei is a practical woman, and acknowledges that not all of it will. Hence the junk pile you were currently scrounging around in, trying to find anything that looks like it might match up with something on Yondu’s list. You do manage to find a good chunk of the list, and grab a few other things as well that might be useful.

Satisfied with your haul, you sneak back out of the kitchens, and hurry back to your rooms.

Topaz is waiting for you outside your door. She sees you just as you spy her; you immediately slow your pace. The pile in your arms suddenly feels heavy and bulky. There’s no way to hide it from her keen gaze.

Pausing a good distance from the other woman, you nod in greeting.

“I was just looking for you, Storyteller,” Topaz “The Grandmaster has requested that you join him for lunch.”

“Oh?” You gasp, your heart picking up speed.

“I’ll give you time to freshen up,” Topaz continues, looking you up and down with the beginnings of a sneer on her face, “But you do know how he likes to eat on time.”

You dip into a half curtsey, before scurrying into your rooms.

“Fucking shit.” You curse, dumping your loot onto the table.

“What’s with that mouth, girl?” Yondu snorts, looking up from his blueprints.

“Like you’re one to judge, Mr. Space Pirate Mercenary Man.” You roll your eyes while frustration colors your tone. Your hands clench and unclench as your pace the room, “The Grandmaster is going to be the death of me, I swear.” Eventually, you head into your washroom, leaving the door open, to check your appearance in the mirror.

“You goin’ out again?” Yondu’s rough voice is raspy with his own irritation, and you don’t blame him.

You’ll look presentable, at least so long as you change out of your now dusty dress covered with black smudges.

“Yes,” You hiss, pulling a long golden gown from the closet, “My… presence has been requested.”

Yondu picks up on the anger vibrating your voice and body, and he knows it’s not directed at him, yet it still sets him on edge. You’re his only connection to any kind of world outside these walls.

You step back into the room a moment later, wearing the gold gown. You take a deep, calming breath, “Please let me know if we need anything else.” You whisper, pointing to the scrap pile, “I’ll hopefully be back soon.” You turn to go, only to feel a hand wrap around your wrist. “What?” It’s soft this time, your voice, as you look at Yondu.

He immediately lets go, “Nothin’… Just… Be safe?” He sounds unsure, like the words are as foreign to him as the sky full of vortexes is to you.

“My only goal in life.” You smile, your voice and expression full of self-deprecation. The door slides open, and you dutifully follow Topaz through the halls.

-

The Grandmaster is, oddly enough, having his lunch in the Viewing Room. He is seated on his long, curved golden couch, looking down at the empty fighting pit far down below.

Something is going wrong.

“You know,” He says, his gaze never leaving the pit, “Once, when we were younger, my brother and me watched a pretty spectacular fight?” His tone is moroseful, an emotion you have yet to see from the ancient being.

“Oh?” You bite the inside of your cheek, careful to avoid sitting on the trays of food beside the Grandmaster, “Was it anything as spectacular as the Hulk’s victories?”

“Believe it or not,” He picks up a glass, swirling it in his grasp, “It was something better.”

You wait for him to elaborate, knowing that the Grandmaster does like the sound of his own voice, but nothing else comes. You wonder if you should say something, anything, when the Grandmaster seems to break himself from his reverie.

“But that’s not why I asked you here!” A boyish smile breaks out on his face, as he motions Ruelyz closer. She’s carrying a jar of something on a tray.

“What’s this?” You ask, keeping your hands folded in your lap. He never said if you could take it.

“A gift!” He puts his glass down on the floor by his feet, turning fully to face you now, “You know, I’ve, uh, just remembered a few things about Centaurians, and one of the more interesting facts is how sensitive their skin is. So, I found some lotion that I think will help our newest addition after his stint in the vastness of space.”

You are very much not enjoying how much the Grandmaster is focusing on Yondu. This isn’t the way it’s supposed to go.

He needs a distraction, but what?

You take the jar from Ruelyz, and wonder.

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tagging: @loveisyondublue