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readingforsanity · 2 years

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The Memory Keeper’s Daughter | Kim Edwards | Published 2005 | *SPOILERS*

On a winter night in 1964, Dr. David Henry is forced by a blizzard to deliver his own twins. His son, born first, is perfectly healthy. Yet when his daughter is born, he sees immediately that she has Down syndrome. Rationalizing it as a need to protect Norah, his wife, he makes a split-second decision that will alter all of their lives forever. He asks his nurse to take the baby away to an institution and never to reveal the secret.

But Caroline, the nurse, cannot leave the infant. Instead, she disappears into another city to raise the child herself. So begins this beautifully told story that unfolds over a quarter of a century in which these two families, ignorant of each other, are yet bound by the fateful decision made that long-ago winter night.

A brilliantly crafted, stunning debut, The Memory Keeper’s Daughter explores the way life takes unexpected turns, and how the mysterious ties that hold a family together help us survive the heartache that occurs when long-buried secrets burst into the open.

We go through a series of emotions during this book. We meet Caroline, David and Norah all within the first chapter, and so sets forth the events of the book. David and Norah’s twins are born in the midst of a massive snowstorm, so unlike Kentucky where they reside.

The first twin, Paul, was born perfect in the eyes of his dad who ultimately delivered him. The second twin, Phoebe, is born with Downs syndrome. In 1964, this is something that is quite shocking to those who birth these children. They’re called mongoloids, and are typically sent away with live in homes with other children like them. This is ultimately what David decides. He sends his nurse, Caroline, off to a home outside of town where other children like Phoebe live. In the end, he tells his wife that Phoebe had died at birth, instead of telling her the truth.

Days go by, and Norah ends up setting up a memorial service for their daughter. Caroline, unable to leave Phoebe in such an atrocious home, takes her home with her. After much deliberation, she decides to head to Philadelphia with Phoebe to begin their new life away from Kentucky.

Years go by. Phoebe’s “death” continues to haunt David and Norah. Despite wanting more children, David does not give in to Norah, and their marraige slowly falls apart. She gets a job as a travel agent and begins moving up the corporate ladder quite quickly. Caroline is a live-in caretaker for a very prestigous man, and becomes quick friends with his daughter who had hired her. She cares for both Phoebe and this man daily. Despite thinking she had gotten far away from where anyone could find her, Al, the man who helped her during that fateful snowstorm finds her and they begin to pursue a relationship.

Paul and Phoebe continue to grow and thrive. Paul enjoys music, and wants to prusue it as a career. Phoebe just wants to be an independent child. Caroline and Al have married, and Norah begins havingg affairs quite often. David knows, as does Paul, but they continue to go on as normal. David has pursued photography and has gotten quite good at it, to the point that his photos are going to be in a gallery in Philadelphia. Caroline sees this, and goes to visit him. David wants to meet Phoebe, but Caroline is terrified that he is going to try to take her from the family that she knows.

In the end, David meets a young pregnant girl and brings her home. This is the turnignpoint for Norah who believes David is in love with her. But David only sees her as a daughter. Paul goes to Julliard where he becomes a prestigious guitarist, and is well known around the world. Caroline and Al continue their lives, and allow Phoebe to startr living in a group home where she can have some more independence. David and Norah have divorced, and Norah is going to be remarrying a French Canadian man she met while working. Rosemary has a 5 year old son who David loves like his own. It is on Norah’s 46th birthday that David has a massive heart attack and dies.

After his death, Caroline goes to Norah to tell her the truth of what happened. Norah ultimately goes to meet Phoebe, and invites her to join in on the wedding festivities. All is well in the end.

Discussion Questions

1. When David hands his baby girl over to Caroline and tells Norah that she had died, what was your immediate emotional reaction? At this early point, did you understand David’s motivations? Did your understanding grow as the novel progressed? I have a cousin who has Downs, and definitely understand his motivations. It was very common for people to give up their mentally disabled children because there was little known about what their lives would entail as they grew up. Emotionally, it was very sad knowing what would have likely happened to her had Caroline taken her to the institution and left her there.

2. David describes feeling like an abberation within his own family and describes himself as feeling like an imposter in his professional life as a doctor. Discuss David’s psyche, his history, and what led him to make that fateful decision on the night of his children’s birth. David understand the likelihood of what could become of Phoebe as she grew up. It was common for individuals born with Downs to have other issues such as heart or lung issues. To spare himself and Norah the pain of losing a child they were raising, he chose to do what he did which turned into a different kind of grief. But, his actions led him to those feelings. He felt like an imposter because he was meant to help people, yet chose not to help his daughter, and the fact that he was hiding it from Norah made those feelings worse.

3. When David instructs Caroline to take Phoebe to the institution, Caroline could have flatly refused or she could have gone to the authorities. Why doesn’t she? Was she right to do what she did and raise Phoebe as her own? Was Caroline morally obligated to tell Norah the truth right from the beginning? Or was her moral obligation simply to take care of Phobe at whatever cost? Why does she come to Norah after David’s death? Let’s thing about this: the story begins in 1964 when things were vastly different than they are today. David was upheld to an oath, but Caroline likely was not. Not like in today’s day and age. Caroline more than likely understand David’s reservations because those are the things that were embedded in them during their education and experiences in the medical field. However, Caroline felt obligated to save Phoebe because she saw the institution that David recommended whereas David hadn’t ever stepped foot inside of its doors. I think that since David died and could never tell Norah the truth, Caroline felt obligated to come to Norah and tell her what had happened out of pure guilt, especially since there was question of what would happen to Phoebe after she was dead and gone.

4. Though David wanted no part of her, Phoebe does on to lead a full life, bringing much joy to Caroline and Al. Her story calls into question how we determine what kind of life is worth living. How would you define such a life? In contrast to Phoebe’s, how would you describe the quality of Paul’s life as he grew up? Every life is worth living. Of course, there are instances where this may not be the case. But medical doctors should not be left to make those decisions for someone. That should be left up to the parents of the child. Since David was both doctor and parent, he made the choice, albeit a terrible one. Phoebe grew up in a loving home, and while Paul had that with his mother, he felt a disconnect to them because there was that missing piece of the puzzle that Phoebe’s supposed death leftt behind.

5. Throughout the novel, the characters often describe themselves as feeling as if they are watching their own lives from the outside. For instance, David describes the moment when his wife is going into labor and says he felt strangely as if he himself was suspended in the room...watching them both from above. What do you think Edward is trying to convey here? Have you ever experienced similar feelings in your own life? It’s easy to see where she was going with this. Like an out of body experience watching yourself do things you weren’t sure you were even capable of.

6. There is an obvious connection between David and Caroline, mostly aptly captured by a particular moment described through David’s point of view: “Their eyes met, and it seeed to the doctor that he knew her - that they knew each other - in some profound and certain way.” What is the significance of this moment for each of them? How would you describe the connection between them? Why do you think David married Norah and not Caroline? David was never aware of Caroline’s attraction to him until much later. I don’t think he would have married her regardless if he knew or not. He’s a man and never saw the signs or who was right for him in the first place. Their connection was something that was perceived, and wasn’t exact.

7. After Norah has successfully destroyed the wasps’ nest, Edwards writes that there was something happening in Norah’s life, an explosion, some way in which life could never be the same. What does she mean, and what is the significance of Norah’s fight with these wasps? She was learning to take care of herself. Up until that point, she was always the one who was taken care of. It was in this moment that she knew she didn’t need to be the damsel in distress anymore. She could fight for what she wanted, and she could have it.

8. When David meets Rosemary, it turns out to be a cathartic experience for him. What is it about her that enables David to finally speak the truth? Why does he feel compelled to take care of her? He was putting her in place of the daughter that he gave away. Rosemary knew this, and I think Norah did too deep underneath everything. Rosemary was never anything more to him than a pseudo-daughter, the what might have been if Phoebe had been born a “normal” child in his eyes.

9. The secret that David keeps is enormous and ultimately terribly destructive to himself and his family. Can you imagine a circumstance when it might be the right choice to shield those closest to you from the truth? Never. This type of a secret isn’t anything I’d ever want to keep from my husband. Nowadays, you can have testing done to see if there are any genetic markers for things like Downs that they didn’t have back then. However, it is clear now that children with Autism, or Downs, or whatever ailment can go on to lead full lives. Doctors know much more about everything than they used too.

10. What do you think Norah’s reaction would have been if David had been honest with her from the beginning? How might Norah have responded to the news that she had a daughter with Down syndrome? How might each of their lives have been different if David had not handed Phoebe to Caroline that fateful day? I think she would have loved her just the same as Paul. Their marriage wouldn’t have fallen apart after that fateful night, and they would have gone on to live full lives. Caroline never would have met Al, and moved away and would have continued on in her life. In the end, it was fate what happened because it led them on the paths that was perfect for their lives.

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azlrse · 3 years

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Non yandere request how almond cookie and herb cookie x s/o who is overprotective over sorbet shark cookie and gives all attention and love to them and say they should adopted sorbet so they can be a family headcanons

Adopted (Almond Cookie/Herb Cookie x GN Cookie!Reader Hcs)

CW: none, just fluff!!

A/N: Speedrunning right now since I still have loads of schoolwork to do!

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

Almond Cookie 🌰

Let's imagine this; you are married to the detective himself and became Walnut's stepparent. You loved your little family with every bit of your life.

This was during your first wedding anniversary where the three of you spend some time at Tropical Soda Islands.

Everyone was having a great time except your stepdaughter went to a particular place and told the both of you that she finally made a friend.

A friend? That's kinda new to your stepdaughter.

Well she's a curious little cookie so couldn't blame her.

Your husband told Walnut if she could bring her new friend to introduce to the both of you.

It came to a surprise when she finally brought in her new friend.

"Come on Sorbet! My parents' are excited to meet you!"

At first glance, you and Almond (with a small smile with his usual expression) instantly adored her new friend.

"Dad and Mom/Papa, meet Sorbet Shark Cookie, my new friend."

The small cookie made some adorable sounds and presents their hand as a way to greet the both of you.

"Nice to see you coming here, little fella. Me and my spouse are thankful that you befriended Walnut." Almond spoke as he watched the both of the kids playing in the sand.

Fast forward months after you met Sorbet. They revealed to you and Almond that they couldn't speak well when they're in land but can speak properly when in the water but the both of you were fine by it.

The time where the both of you became protective to your children when they're attacked by giant cake hounds.

You were so scared for your children's safety that you risked your own life just to save them.

Long story short, your husband and the kids were scared to death when you didn't wake up till a day later.

Now that you became attached to Sorbet, not seeing them as a friend but as your very own child, you asked Almond if he's allowing Sorbet to become part of the family.

He's hesitant at first but was also attached to his daughter's closest friend so he finally agrees.

Both of the kids were enthusiastic and excited when they both realized that they'll become siblings.

On the other hand, Sorbet is finally happy when they finally had a home and importantly, a family that welcomed them with warm arms.

Herb Cookie 🌱

Like I previously mentioned, this cookie loves kids.

He loves inviting the little ones into his gardens and play within the soft grass of the backyard.

After your daughter, Rosemary Cookie, came home, it gotten really busy.

Changing her diapers, constantly dealing with her wailings and didn't get constant sleep.

But the both of you still loved her to pieces.

While taking a stroll on the beach, Rosemary began to cry cause she accidentally dropped her toy and was washed away by the waves of the beach.

You and your husband began chasing the small toy but couldn't take the risk of being soggy and wet.

You began to loose hope when a strange cookie began to emerge from the waters.

"Hey, I think this belongs to you miss/mister!"

The half Cookie spoke as they handed you the toy.

Your daughter began to squeal in happiness at the sight of the her favorite toy, including the small child.

"I never seen you before, what's your name little fella?" You asked

"Sorbet Shark Cookie, pleased to meet the both of you!"

The both of you became surprised when they gained their legs back.

"OoooooOOOooooo!" (What's her name?)

You didn't understand at first but your husband managed to answer the young cookie.

"This is our daughter, Rosemary Cookie. Thank you for saving her toy."

ooooOOOOoooOO! (You're very welcome!)

Since that day, Sorbet would love to visit your home and of course visiting your daughter.

Not only you see them as an important guest but also one of your children, despite not being related.

Your parent instinct came when you spotted them injured while in their half shark form.

It looks like a mischievous pirate deliberately caused the wound on their chest, which is not a good view if you're honest.

After treating their wounds, that's when you realized something from them...

They didn't have a family and they spent a lot in their life in the ocean....

So you asked Herb if he agrees on adopting Sorbet as a new member of the family and being Rosemary's oldest sibling.

He agrees and stated that it will be a great way to expand the family.

To say the least, Sorbet was really happy when they finally have a family to call their own, including a baby sister.

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

Do not republish, edit, or repost to other websites.

Reblogs and likes are appreciated! 💕

#cookie run fanfic #cookie run kingdom #cookie run x reader #cookie run #cookie run kingdom x reader #cookie run kingdom imagine #cookie run kingdom imagines #espresso cookie x reader #espresso cookie #espresso cookie imagine #herb cookie #herb cookie imagine #herb cookie x reader #cookie run fluff

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al-pomegranate-seeds · 4 years

Text

The hands they held

“Roman looked at the flower shop that set itself across the street from his tattoo parlor. How weird. He was almost sure the building had looked as boring as the other empty buildings in the street when he closed the shop the night before.The front of the small building was not as covered with vines and flowers that surely didn’t grow together as it was now, of that he was certain.“

Pairings: Logince, DLAMP in later installments

Urban fantasy

Tags: Fluff, Getting Together, Genderfluid Logan Sanders, Flower Shop and Tattoo Parlor au(but make it magical(not the first one to do that but I feel proud))

Warnings: Food mention(it’s Roman listing out some food and then they mentioning it after some times)

Characters: Roman Sanders, Logan Sanders, Remus Sanders, Dot(Cartoon Therapy)

Archive of Our Own: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27705440

Roman looked at the flower shop that set itself across the street from his tattoo parlor. How weird. He was almost sure the building had looked as boring as the other empty buildings in the street when he closed the shop the night before. The front of the small building was not as covered with vines and flowers that surely didn’t grow together as it was now, of that he was certain. The visuals were right up his alley, though, just the right amount of dramatics one needed in their life to make it interesting. A big sign sat on top the glass doors, displaying the name “Berry’s Flowers and Herbs”.

And then, as he was lost in thought admiring and trying to see if he recognized any of the flowers, a man almost as tall as Roman himself, with deep brown hair and brown skin, wearing a simple black polo with jeans and a gardening apron, opened the door and put up a sign saying “OPEN” in dark blue letters, before turning around and inspecting the streets, and then looking directly in Roman’s direction and – holy shit.

Roman was in love.

Before we continue telling the story, let’s lay down some facts about our current favorite boy. First, Roman and Remus’ mother was an elf. Second, elves, besides a long lifespan and a somewhat inflated ego, have better working eyes than most humans. Which is how, even a street away, Roman could notice the beautiful sharp angles of the man’s face, the gorgeous silver shade of his eyes behind his square glasses, and the adorable glittering freckles that covered his face, his neck and his arms.

Roman kept gawking at the glittering man like a fish as he went back inside the shop and closed the glass doors.

“Ooooh, sweet, that’s closer than where I buy.” Remus’s voice sounded suddenly, startling Roman out of his daydreaming.

“Oh, cool.” Roman said automatically, before turning to Remus, who was cleaning his hands with a rag. Roman decided to simply not ask how he had gotten them dirty. “Hey, Rem.”

Remus imeddiately squinted. “What the fuck do you want?”

“What? Can’t a man just call his bro by a nickname to show his brotherly love?”

“You do that by calling me Trash Man, you only call me Rem when you want something, what the fuck is it?”

“Oh I wasn’t going to ask for anything, I was just going to ask if, I dunno, you maybe needed some more ingredients, maybe the ones you have are running out or something, I could maybe go pick it up for you...” Roman trailed off.

Remus just kept squinting at Roman for another 20 seconds, before flicking his eyes to some point behind him. Roman turned, only to see the man from before pushing a table on wheels with flower vases to the front of one of the big glass windows, before going back inside.

Roman could tell he was staring as the man went back inside, and when he looked back at Remus, that shithead smile was glued to his face like a dry face mask.

“Oooh, you got a cruuuuuush?” Remus said in a sing-songy voice, and Roman didn’t even have the energy to pretend to be mad, so he just kept staring at his brother’s face. “You know, now that you mention it, I think I’ve used up all of my marigolds, and I’m close to running out of rosemary...”

Roman immediately perked up. “So maybe, your very selfless and very helpful brother could pick some up for you?”

“Ah, yes, my brother who has no ulterior motives besides being helpful, of course.” Remus said, grabbing one of the sketch books before ripping out a page and writing something down. “Ok, there’s more than just what I said, I need some alyssum and some chrysantemus and some dandelions...”

“Ok, noted.” Roman said, grabbing the paper and scanning the list without actually reading it. He already remebered only the dandelion out of the flowers Remus had mentioned.

As Roman was heading out by the door, Remus screamed “Use protection!”

“I’ll murder you!” Roman screamed back cheerily.

He wasn’t prepared to enter the shop.

As soon as he step foot past the door, he realized the air felt different. It wasn’t exactly pleasant or unpleasant, but it was distinctly different than the air around human populated cities. Roman was almost sure he could hear little bells, and it felt like the air was caressing his skin. The walls were covered in shelves with different plants displays, the floor was a magenta and indigo checkered tile with golden edges that somehow managed to not be obnoxious, and the ceiling was entirely glass with golden metal swirls. The space was well lit, all of the flowers in perfect display.

“Salutations.” Sounded a voice, and Roman immediately looked back to the counter that sat at the back of the store, behind which he could see the glittering man and wow, he was even more beautiful up close.

“Hello there!” Roman said, managing to hide the fact that he felt distinctively out of breath at the sight that laid before him, which he wasn’t completely sure wasn’t a hallucination.

The man’s glittering silver freckles were even more visible from this close, and Roman could also see some that were smaller, less glittery but just as breathtaking, and he also noticed that the man’s hair also glittered slightly.

“...Can I help you?”

“Oh. Oh! Yes, yes, my brother sent me to buy some flowers, and-“ he started before realizing he didn’t actually know what to say after. “...and here is the list. With the flowers.”

He dramatically handed the list over to the man, who simply grabbed it and started Reading. A couple seconds passed before he raised an eyebrow.

“A...Kiss?”

“Whut. Wait.” Roman hastily grabbed the paper and quickly scanned the list, eventually finding the “kiss” item with a heart dotting the i. “Oh, that motherfucker knew I wasn’t going to read it, I swear this is just a prank – “

“Not to worry. Let’s simply ignore this and I’ll grab the flowers.” The man said, and set to do just that, quickly scanning the shelves and putting the flowers in clear plastic rolls.

Roman managed to stay silent for about five seconds.

“So, I don’t remember seeing the shop here yesterday.”

The man seemed to be startled for a bit, before answering “You wouldn’t have, we moved in during the night.”

“Hmm.” Roman hummed before looking for something else to say. “We?”

“...Yes. Me and my parents. My mother and I run the shop.”

“Oh, marvelous, so it’s a Family business! You know, me and my brother run the tattoo parlor across the street, we do tattoos with various magical properties. You should come visit, my name is Roman, I use he/him pronouns, and my brother is Remus, he/him pronouns too.”

“...Logan. He/him today.” He – Logan – said, turning to the dandelions. “Are you always such a conversationalist when buying flowers?”

That made Roman pause.

“Oh, um, I hadn’t – Am I making your uncomfortable?”

“Not to worry, I am simply not used to such...Friendly customers. But this is pleasant.”

Roman sighed relieved.

“I am not opposed to visiting your parlor, if you’ll have me.”

He simply smiled.

“Well hello there!” Roman said, opening the glass doors and spotting Logan behind the counter, like last time.

“Salutations, Roman. They/them today.” Roman nodded, leaning on the counter.

“So, how’s the day going for you, Specs?”

Logan went a few moments without answering, probably because of the nickname. “Pleasant enough. A few customers have come by. None of them was unpleasant.”

“That’s indeed pleasant.” Roman turned around, leaning on the counter with his hips now, looking around at the shop, and noticing the flowers on his left looked more perfect than a lot of flowers he had seen in his life. “Hey, Logan, did you do something to those flowers over there?”

Logan seemed to perk up a bit. They fixed their glasses before answering. “Indeed. Those are flowers I separate for decorations, I enchant them to stay alive for longer. This enchantment can mess with cooking and potions, however, so I always ask before picking them.”

“Oh, that’s cool. I hadn’t thought of that.” They stayed silent then, Roman zoning out as he looked at the flowers and spun his necklace on his finger. “Hey Specs, how old are you?”

“I – Well.” Logan started, before pausing and thinking more. “I’m forty years old, technically, but I’m a fairy, so I haven’t grown beyond being what humans would consider twenty five to twenty nine.”

“Oh, you’re a fairy?”

“Well, quarter fairy. My father is half fairy, my mother is human. They had me when mother was twenty seven years old, and I grew up in the same speed as a human until I was around twenty four years.”

“Marvelous. I’m half elf. I’m thirty four years old, and yeah, basically around that age. I would still be a teenager if both of my parents were elves.”

They stayed in silence for a few minutes.

“Roman, do you...Do you like outer space?”

“Well, yeah.” Roman said, before turning back to Logan. “I don’t know a lot, but I think it’s fascinating.”

“Would you...” They swallowed, then, sounding nervous. “Would you like to hear about it?”

“Of course. Tell me everything you know.”

Logan smiled, then, with barely restrained excitement, and Roman felt like he could listen to them for hours if they would always smile like that.

“Hello there, my favorite nerd!” Roman said, entering the shop with his his arms spread and holding a paper bag.

“Salutations, Roman. She/her today. Do you bring anything besides your dramatic entrance?” Logan said, with a small smile that never failed to make Roman lose his train of thought for a few seconds.

“I sure do, Smarty McSpecson, I bring sustenance!” He laid the paper bag on the counter. “It’s a bowl of goose stew with mushrooms, fruit salad with honey, aaaaaaaand pork filled buns.”

“Sounds delicious. I’ll have the buns.”

“Marvelous! I’ll eat some of the stew. I’ve got homemade mayonnaise too, if you’d like to add it.” Then he went to open the bag.

“Wait. Mother will take over the shop for this afternoon, so I’m free in ten minutes. There is a small kitchen in the back, and I think it would be pleasant to eat on a table instead of this counter.”

“Oh, that would be cool.” Roman said, trying to play it cool. It almost felt like she was inviting him on a date, but surely that wouldn’t be it? Logan was just nice like that. She was also very direct and probably would be forward in asking for a date. Yeah.

“Come on, it’s behind this door over here.” Roman then followed Logan into the aforementioned door, finding a small kitchen that seemed to be decorated with a light yellow color scheme. All the counters and cabinets were light yellow, the counters having white tops, the fridge and the stove were both black, and the floor tile was white. The kitchen was pretty small, only wide enough to fit a small round table and two chairs, and there was a floor to ceiling rectangular glass window behind one of the chairs.

“You can sit down while I get mother, I’m sure she won’t be incovenienced to come down ten minutes early.” Logan said while getting some plates and bowls from the cabinets, then laying them on the table.

“Ok. I’ll be here waiting.” Roman said, sitting on the chair facing the window. He may or may not have been thinking about how gorgeous Logan would look framed by the window and the plants outside.

Logan stepped into a door that led to a white staircase, leaving Roman to think and analyze the small kitchen.

Now that he had the opportunity to pay attention, he could notice little things he hadn’t noticed when he first entered the kitchen : the white countertops were stained at some spots with some sort of colorful pigment, there was a black paper on which someone drew constellations with white crayon, and there was a clear glass cookie jar filled with dried flowers on one counter.

About five minutes later, Logan came back with who Roman assumed was her mother, a chubby, dark skinned lady with short black hair wearing a beige argyle sweater over a white button up and beige skirt, plus a pair of red glasses and bright red lipstick. He noticed Logan seemed distinctly more glittery around the face.

“Oh hello there dear, you must be the famed Roman!” The lady said, rushing over to him and grabbing his hands. “I’m Dot, this one’s mom, I’ve heard so many things about you – “

“Mother...” Logan said with a warning tone, her voice not managing to hide her embarassment.

“Oh Logan talked about you so much, you’re every bit as handsome as she described – “

“Mother!” Logan exclaimed, and now her face was shining so much it looked like it was encrusted with tiny gems. Roman was almost hipnotized enough to not realize that was probably her way of blushing.

“What? It’s true! He’s as handsome as sherpherd pie!” Dot responded, and Roman was as confused as he was flattered.

“Mother, that’s not – forty seven years of marriage, and that’s what you pick up of father’s vocabulary?” Logan said, bafflement not being able to hid the awfully fond tone of her voice.

“Oh don’t pick on me, you know I’m telling the truth.” Dot said, before looking at the shop. “Oh dear, I better get started on that shop running thing.” She said, before kissing Roman and Logan’s cheeks and stepping out into the shop, closing the kitchen door.

They stayed silent froma few moments before Logan sighed.

“I love my mother, but she can be a bit overwhelming. I hope she didn’t bother you too much.”

“Oh, she didn’t bother me at all. So, um, as handsome as shepherd pie?” Roman asked, still a bit baffled by the term.

“It’s an expression father uses. It’s an equivalent translation coming from the faery language my father’s specific nation spoke. It’s a bit outdated, but it was used most often to describe someone the person was attracted to. Of course,” Logan said all of this while grabbing the cuttlery and sitting down on the other chair. She paused while adjusting herself on the chair, before continuing with a fondly amused smile. “she wasn’t hitting on you, don’t worry.” Logan went to grab the pork buns, while murmuring to herself low enough that, if Roman wasn’t part elf, he surely wouldn’t have been able to hear it. “Not for herself, at least.”

“Not for herself?” Roman asked. Logan’s eyes went wide as saucers, and she almost dropped the bun she was holding.

“Oh you – you heard that?” Logan asked, adjusting her glasses (which Roman had noticed was a bit of a tic of hers). Her face, that had gone back to the normal amount of glittering, suddenly was shiny enough that Roman wanted to grab her face and kiss her senseless.

“If it’s any comfort, I only heard because elven hearing is a stronger than humans’. But seriously, what did you mean?”

“Oh, it’s nothing important, it’s silly, it’s just – mother is certain you have been flirting with me, you see, and no matter how much I tell her she’s being foolish, she won’t quit putting these thoughts into my head, and I swear it wasn’t on purpose, I didn’t even felt like these before but then she mentioned it and I couldn’t stop thinking about how handsome you are and how nice you are and how you made an effort to befriend me when we had just moved in and I didn’t know anyone and I didn’t have any energy to go out and make friends – “ she was rambling now, her speech getting more fast paced and anxious the longer Roman went without saying anything.

Well. She seemed to think Roman wasn’t interested. He had to do something about that.

Logan was gesturing wildly with her hands, moving them up and down in an effort to calm herself, so Roman grabbed one of them in an effort to effectively distract her.

“So,” he said, laying their hands down palms up on the table and drawing tiny circles on the wrist. “I most definitely was flirting. I most definitely think you are very handsome and very nice. And I most definitely think you are as handsome as shepherd pie.”

Logan was silent for a few moments before saying, with a slight breathless note on her voice, “...oh.”

“Yeah.” Roman said, before bringing Logan’s hand up his mouth and kissing the palm.

Logan giggled. She honest to ghosts, real as magic, giggled.

“So,” Roman said, putting their hands back on the table. “do you want to try this?”

“I – most definitely.” She answered, nodding quickly with a smile on her face.

They started eating, then, and nothing changed but the hands they held and the soft smiles.

@tulipscomeinallsortsofcolors

#logince #fluff #getting together #logan sanders #roman sanders #genderfluid logan sanders #urban fantasy #elf roman sanders #fairy logan sanders #sanders sides #unicia

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stxrrywildflower · 4 years

Text

it’s the great pumpkin (t.l.)

pairing - tara lewis x reader

summary - you and tara take the simmons kids to the pumpkin patch

warnings - none

note - this takes place before rosemary was born

it was no secret that you and tara were the usual go-to babysitters for any of the bau parents.

kristy and matt were the ones who utilized you the most. you two never minded, their kids were so incredibly sweet and you loved spending time with them.

matt had texted you earlier in the week asking if you and tara could possibly watch the kids that saturday. him and kristy were going to visit matt’s grandmother in northern virginia. they would be gone from early morning to late night and obviously the kids couldn’t be alone.

you arrived promptly at six-thirty in the morning at the simmon’s residence.

it was far too early in the morning and you still weren’t quite awake. tara had a bit more energy, but still leaned against you gently.

kristy was the one who opened the door, greeting you both and ushering you in. “how do you have such a bright smile this early,” you commented. “some of us have kids and are used to bring up at this hour.”

you’ve babysat for the simmons enough that you were fully used to their home. for that reason, you headed right into the kitchen to make yourself a cup of coffee. plus, kristy had gotten the fall holiday blend for their keurig and you both wanted to try it.

“hey tara,” you poked. “do you want some?”

your girlfriend nodded from the counter, still a little out of it overall.

“helping yourself i see,” matt spoke as he entered the kitchen. “hey matt, can you grab me the creamer?”

the agent chuckled at your deflection of the question. he didn’t mind at all. like before, you and tara were always welcome to help yourselves. besides, it was early in the morning and coffee was pretty much a must at this point.

as you stirred the two mugs of coffee together, matt went over the details while kristy was getting ready.

“all of the kids are still asleep. david is usually the early riser out of the group but he goes in and brushes his teeth before coming down. they all know you two are here so their shouldn’t be any surpises. chloe and lily will probably need a little help with hair and getting changed but once one wakes up, the other is two. them and jake should be down maybe thirty minutes after david,” matt explained.

you nodded along. you heard this speech a couple of times and it was already memorized in your head.

“we should be back by eleven. everything else with breakfast, lunch, and dinner is up to you. there’s money in the dining room for takeout if you want but other than that i think your good to go.”

matt and kristy departed soon after that. they had a long drive ahead of them and both wanted to arrive sooner rather than later.

for you and tara, you took your coffee into the living room to sit. all you could do at that point is wait for the kids to get up so you could make them breakfast and start the day.

reruns of the office played on the tv as you sat together. just as tara had taken both of your mugs back into the kitchen for refills, you heard the first set of foot septa coming down the stairs.

david grinned when he realized that you and tara were already over. the young boy ran as quickly as he could over to the couch. you let out an ‘oof’ as he jumped beside you, already clinging to you with a giggle.

it didn’t take long for the rest of the kids to wake up. they had heard the commotion downstairs and wanted to figure where it was coming from. they had greeted you both the same way david had before chloe brought up breakfast.

you made pancakes for everyone. they were simple enough and the kids loved them.

after breakfast, you and tara helped the kids get changed, brush their teeth, and fix their hair. by eleven that morning, they were ready to go for the day.

prior to arriving, you and tara talked briefly about what you wanted to do with the simmons kids. you settled on something that could be fun for fall, but it depended on how it went down with everyone.

after successfully gaining everyone’s attention downstairs, tara brought up the idea. “how would you all feel about going to get some pumpkins to carve?”

chloe and lily jumped up and down at that while david let out a ‘yeah!’ jake agreed too and was already going on about what he wanted to carve.

it took a bit to get the kids fed lunch and all together to get ready and go. when everyone was finally seated into the car seats, you took off.

the farm you went to was a bit outside of the city, maybe twenty minutes to get there from the simmons home. you could tell the kids excitement only grew as you were closer to your destination.

once arriving, you and tara helped the kids out of the car. “make sure to stick with one of us and we can go,” you informed them all.

lily resided comfortably on your shoulders, clinging to the base of your neck to keep herself upright after making grabby hands at you. she was the shyest one of the kids, preferring to stick to either you and tara or her parents when they were around.

the other three kids ran ahead. jake led the pack, pulling david with him as chloe did her best to catch up.

“come on auntie t!” david called.

tara gave you a quickly glance. “go ahead,” you motioned with your hand. “i got this little one.” lily giggled as you leaned up to tickle her gently.

as tara picked up the pace to keep up with the three, you and lily turned a different route of the farm. “alright lily, let’s go find our perfect pumpkin,” you beamed.

while tara, jake, david, and chloe were all trudging through the main field in search of a carvable pumpkin, you and lily stayed towards the main part of the farm. she seemed to really love the mini pumpkins they had. you grabbed a basket and put a few in much to her delight as well as another medium sized pumpkin.

“should we go meet up with auntie t and the others?” you poked lily. the young girl on your shoulders nodded, going quiet for a moment before she pointed towards the entrance to the field.

tara and jake were holding two very large pumpkins while chloe and david trailed them. you pressed your lips together, already preparing for the mess that was going to come with it.

back home, you brought the pumpkins, both big and small, inside first. tara helped you lay down some newspaper so the kitchen table wouldn’t be permanently damaged by the goop. after the knives and other scoopers were gathered up, it was time to start.

“alright now,” you announced. “what kind of pumpkin do we went to carve.

there were shouts from the kids all ranging from ‘dinosaur!’ to ‘princess!’ and even just a plain old face.

the last one was obviously the simplest and you ultimately decided to let the kids draw what face they wanted you to carve. while they did that, you walked over to tara.

“have any of the kids mentione what they want for dinner?”

“yeah actually. david brought up pasta and the other two agreed. i mean i’m nowhere near rossi level but i can make the one i usually so for us,” she offered. you nodded, “that sounds perfect.”

“auntie y/n! we’re finished!” chloe called. you turned to tara, “that’s my cue.”

you started off by cutting both tops off and diving in with your hands to scoop out the inside of the pumpkin.

the kids seemed to think it was hilarious everytime you threw more of the inside of the pumpkin down. adding onto the fact that it was slowly getting all over you and even on your face, they could not stop laughing at you.

you were elbow deep in pumpkin goop when tara started cooking. there were two pumpkins to carve and you needed to finish the first at that point and start on the second.

jake was helping tara cook. well, by helping it was pretty much him taste testing what she made. david and lily say with you as you carved away. they were in slight awe watching you work.

when the two pumpkins were finally carved, you let the kids pick out what candles they wanted to put in and light. with help from david, you all brought them outside to sit on the front porch.

dinner was a bit after that, then just time to relate, and finally time to put the kids in bed.

you and tara brought them up around nine. lily had already fallen asleep beside you and the rest weren’t far behind. after they lazily brushed their teeth and got their pajamas on, you said your goodnight, read them a bedtime story, and it was lights out.

matt and kristy got home that night right around the time they told you.

in the two hour difference between the kids going to bed and the two arriving home, you and tara pretty much just sat around and watched tv before you finally had to start the final parts of cleanup.

you were just heading back inside from the trash can outside when you saw their car pull down the street.

“hey y/n, where’s tara and the kids?” matt first greeted. “did everything go okay?”

you stopped what you were doing, tossing the rag you were using to wipe down on the table. “they’re upstairs. chloe couldn’t sleep so tara is up with her right now. the boys and lily passed out almost immediately,” you informed the parents.

kristy looked a little shocked at that. “really? it usually takes a bit for all of them to fall asleep.”

“well i think we tired them out,” you smiled, motioning with your heads to the pumpkins that sat on the table. “we carved pumpkins.”

“you did?”

you nodded. “yeah we put them outside on the porch. we went to the farm and let the kids pick them out and then brought them back to carve them.”

tara appeared in the kitchen a moment later. “chloe’s asleep,” she spoke first. “oh hey guys. everyone’s already in bed and tucked in.”

kristy nodded. “thank you guys so much. it really means a lot for you to do this.”

tara waved her hand. “it’s no issue. we rarely have any issues and they’re truly a joy to watch. besides, we have to get those favoritism points somehow.”

“you know you two are going to be great parents someday,” matt commented.

you leaned against tara with a smile. “you always say that matt.” kristy jumped in next. “well i mean it’s true. the kids really love you both.” for once, you finally felt like you agreed.

something about you and tara being parents just felt so incredibly right.

☆ ☆ ☆

tags - @ogmilkis @ssa-morgan @orbitluke @imagining-in-the-margins @goldenxreid @blakeprentiss @ssa-cinnamon @emilysprentisss @blakes-dictionxry

#criminal #criminal minds #tara lewis #tara fic #tara lewis x reader #tara lewis fic #tara lewis x you #tara lewis fluff

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beclynn-herondale · 4 years

Text

If you let me chapter 2

(For some reason, I am kinda getting nervous about this story, idk, but anyway I wrote the second Chapter last night as well, but idk if I'll be this productive again 😂) also this is another universe kinda thing}

Rosemary woke up to the sun bright in her room, she guessed she cried herself to sleep, she hated crying so she made sure no one was around to see her do it, and she went to check on Kit, who was still sleeping in his basinet, she decided to watch him sleep for a bit, she noticed Johnny still wasn't in the room, maybe he had gotten up or maybe he had never come home.

She supposed once Kit woke up she should eat something but she didn't have much interest in food lately, but she needed to, she thought of Céline making her breakfast and smiled, wow, she really needed to stop thinking like this but she couldn't get Céline out of her head.

Why couldn't she? She couldn't stop thinking of how beautiful Céline was and how her hair looked so soft, how her eyes were a beautiful green and she could stare into them for hours, how her lips looked soft and wondered what kissing her would be like, these thoughts went through her head on a daily basis and she wish she could stop but also maybe she was happy for them.

Kit woke up and she smiled at him

"Are you hungry my baby?" She said

And she picked him up and went to the kitchen to fix him a bottle, she made herself some toast with strawberry jam.

______

Céline took Jace to get Crepes today for breakfast, Céline loved chocolate crepes and it seemed her son had inherited the love for them as we, she was also teaching him french, he loved when she sang to him in french.

"Oh buddy, you got some chocolate on your cheek," she said.

"You too, mama," he informed her.

And they both laughed, she loved these moments where things felt normal and she could forget for even a moment, she had never known she could be this happy, until she had Jace and suddenly it was like there was a new light in her life, she would love him and be so gentle with him, he would never know anything like the childhood she had.

She picked up a napkin and wiped the chocolate off his cheek, he smiled at her.

"Alright what do you wanna do now?" She asked him

"Can you help me with reading?" He asked

Jace was always wanting to read and learn how, he loved learning

"Alright," she told him.

______

Rosemary noticed Johnny was still not home, she wondered if he decided to leave them, surely not though, right? She always had this fear in her that he would and she wondered if she would actually care if he did, she hated herself for feeling this way and thinking these things but life is like that.

She looked over at Kit playing with his stuffed animal and smiled, he didn't know hardships yet and she wished he would never have to, but she knew that it wasn't in her power to decide that.

The door opened and Johnny walked in, he looked annoyed

"Where have you been?" She asked calmly.

"At the shadow market, why does it matter?" He said

"I think I have a right to know where you are, especially when you haven't been home for almost a day," she said with a bit more force this time.

"Well I wasn't sure if that Céline was gonna be around, I don't like her and honestly I would like you to stop meeting with her, and that brat of hers," he said.

And Rosemary felt a rage she hadn't felt in a long time.

"Jace isn't a brat and Céline is my friend, and you don't get to decide if I hang out with people or not, I don't say you can't be at the market all the time," she said with a calm rage to her voice.

"Well it's my house and I haven't said anything to Céline's face, I tolerate her when she's here, hell I even became ok with the fact we were having a kid, and I continue to go out and make money to pay for everything!" He shouted at her.

And she felt her heart sink and break a little in her chest, she never thought he would actually say he didn't want Kit but he just did, she started cry and wanted to stop but couldn't, she loved him and they had a kid together so why did it feel like it was falling apart? She loved him.

"Rosemary. . . I... I am sorry, I shouldn't have yelled that or said any of it, I am just upset," he said more softly.

"Are you sorry? Or are you just saying that so I'll pretend everything is alright when it's not," Rosemary said, she realized she had said what she had been feeling for a while.

"It's that woman, Céline she is filling your head with stuff that isn't true, you know she has this idea that women are strong and can raise a kid on their own," he said with venom

"Women can do things on their own," she said.

"Really, why are you still relying on me than?" He said

"Well maybe I won't anymore," she said

And he looked like she had slapped but she didn't really care cause he had just shattered part of her heart, she would regret later she knew.

She saw Kit looked upset but he wasn't crying and she went over to hold him.

______

"Good job!, Buddy," Céline said cheerfully to her son

"I did it," he said so happy.

"Yes you did."

He had just read three whole pages of a book in french and he was so proud of himself, she would eventually start teaching him latin and if he is interested other languages.

"Hey mom?" He said

She realized she had zoned out

"Yes, baby?"

"Do you think some day I could learn the piano?" He asked

"Of course you can, my sunshine," she said and ruffled his curly hair.

She hoped he wouldn't lose his curls when he got older, he had beautiful curly hair, his eyes were gold, and she thought she knew why but couldn't be sure.

______

Maryse and Robert had been exiled to the New York Institute, several years ago, they were the heads, and Maryse hated that Alec and Isabelle didn't know very many other Shadowhunter kids, but it was her fault, she trusted Valentine and let him play her like a chess piece.

She kept in contact with Céline, Céline kept eyes out for anything that wasn't normal in paris and Maryse did the same in New York, she disliked Céline when she first met her, but she didn't hate her now, she was also raising a kid out of Idris and not around other Shadowhunter kids, she asked Céline if she wanted to come visit cause maybe their kids would hit it off.

Maybe they would have another friend, and it had been years since Maryse had seen Céline so maybe things could change, or maybe Maryse is finding am excuse just to see someone.

______

After their fight Rosemary waited for Johnny to leave before she packed stuff for her and Kit and went off to find a warlock to make a portal, she decided she would go to Céline, maybe Johnny would figure out where she went but she at least needed some time away from him.

Amd Céline would be nice to just be around, she never thought she would become close to this girl who had saved her years and years ago, but life was funny that way wasn't it?

And they are both so different now, both mom's trying to make the best with what they have, trying to not let the world hurt their children like it did them, she knew a little about what Céline's parents had done to her and she wished Céline had never gone through that, but she remembered what happened to her parents and wished she had never had to see them like that.

She found a warlock and they made her a portal, she went through it and she was in Paris, and it brought back memories of that night she first met Céline and that Silent Brother.

She started trying to figure out which part she was in and after she did she made her to Céline's.

She got to her small apartment and knocked on the door, Céline opened it and looked shocked.

"Rosemary. . . Why are you here? Is everything ok?," She asked concerned.

And she just cried and hugged Céline, Kit was in her arms but she didn't want to let go and she didn't want Céline to let go of her.

"Mommy, who is it?" She heard Jace call as he came to the door.

he saw them and joined the hug, telling Rosemary it would be ok, and that she could cry cause crying is good, this angel she thought.

Tagging @khaleesiofalicante cause I put a scene where Céline and Jace eat crepes, @chibi-tsukiko @spotsandclawsthings @megs-readstoomuch meg idk if you are interested in this but I am gonna tag you from now on if that's alright 🙈

#celine montclaire #celine herondale #rosemary herondale #rosemary x céline #roseline #jace herondale #kit herondale #tsc #the shadowhuter chronicles #tmi #the mortal instruments #tst #the secret treasons #bec's fanfics

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vampirecatboy · 3 years

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haha ok this is going to be a lot but :3c

Kira:(5,18,20,27,31,39,40) / Rhys:(4,12,28,35,37) /Murdoch:(6,14,23 but circus troupe, 32 previous to merrow transformation, 38) / Petra:(any question you feel like answering for him? c:)

oh hell yeah buckle up

Kira:

What was their childhood fear?

I don't think it was "getting lost" because he wouldn't go wandering around so much if he was scared of getting lost. I think he was really nervous around his siblings' friends, because they were all so much older than him and bigger than him, plus they were like that candy-sweet, cloying level of nice to him that really rubbed him the wrong way. They babied him basically and it made him very uncomfortable, so whenever Aoife or Teague had friends over he would either hide in the woods or his room if it was cold/rainy.

If they could live or visit anywhere, where would they go?

I'll skip over "home" because that's obvious I think. I think he would want to go somewhere secluded and remote, like a cabin in the woods, or a lighthouse. He's never actually been able to discern anything from a map so there aren't cities he wants to see, but he would like to see Inverness someday.

What did they dream of “growing up” to be?

I have a line I've never been able use in any one shot, where he says "I wanted to be cool and sexy when I grew up, and I think I've checked both those boxes." In all seriousness, he wanted to be an adventurer like his mom, an expert archer like Nikita, and he wanted to study the plants that grew around his home.

Have they achieved any of their childhood dreams? Are they still trying? Have those dreams changed?

He's achieved all of them, surpassed the one about studying plants because he's seen so much beyond his home. Unfortunately, becoming an adventurer came at a cost. He hasn't been able to stop since he was sixteen. His dreams have changed. He only has one now, and it's to see his family again.

Who are they when they aren’t with the party?

That's a tough one. When he's not with the party he's either alone, or with one of his love interests, and even between those he's different. When he's alone, he gets kind of spacey and in his own head, because there's no one else to interact with, and he probably won't choose to interact with anyone. When he's with a love interest, he gets very affectionate, and typically matches their energy and behavior. It's sort of like unconscious masking. Sometimes I refer to him in my head as a "sexual chameleon" but it's not just levels of sexuality he mimics. He'll work with whatever they give him in all fields.

If someone could tell them anything about the future they asked, would they want to know? Would they ask?

He absolutely would want to know, but I don't think he'd ask because he'd be afraid of the answer. He wants to know if he'll ever get home, he wants to know how things turn out with Rhys (he might not believe the answer he would get lol), and he wants to know if he'll survive the prophecy he's a part of.

What sets them free?

A sky full of fluffy white clouds, the weight of his crystal pendant around his neck, the first chill in autumn, the warm embrace of a lover, the sound of an arrow hitting its target, his father's shepherd's pie

Rhys:

Who was their childhood hero?

If I knew more about the character I'd say Long John Silver from Treasure Island because pirate. Otherwise, it's his dad. When he was young, he was the type who dreamed of getting married and starting a family, because he saw how his dad was with his wife, and how he was with him and Elsie and Erin, and thought "I want to be like him." (and now Cat's in the Cradle is stuck in my head lol)

What were their favorite hobbies as a teen?

He was a shy little bookworm who loved to read. He used to get in trouble in elementary school because he would read during class when he should've been paying attention. There was a point when he was a teenager and doing his apprenticeship with the book binder that he considered writing for a living.

If they could change their class(es), would they? To what?

I don't think so, he likes being a rogue, but.... he's always been a little envious of people with magic. He'd stay a rogue, but that insult spell that Kira used to k.o. him was pretty cool...

What do they see in the dark?

The things he's hiding from.

What is their sleep/trance like?

He's a sleeper, and he's a deep one. There's a reason he doesn't take naps anymore, he'd wake up after four hours completely disoriented and feeling pretty much dead. He'll occasionally have nightmares, not really triggered by anything, just when his subconscious is like "Hey, fuck you :)" All that being said, lately he's been sleeping less, not for any emotional reason, it's just that the sparse times the cat wakes up have been late at night, and shh don't tell his sisters but especially don't tell Kira, but he loves that cat to death and he's happy to see him awake because that means Kira is actually sleeping. Also sometimes the cat will make a little noise at him and his icy heart melts.

Murdoch:

Did they grow up with siblings? What were those relationships like?

Murdoch is the super spoiled only child of Shiloh and Rosemary Heffernan. That being said he had a lot of friends growing up, so he was never lonely. His moms let him have a lot of sleepovers because they knew it would be good for him to socialize and learn how to cooperate with others.

What does their midday meal look like? One big meal? Lots of snacks throughout the day?

I don't think he really gets lunch breaks so much as someone else will run over to concessions and get him something to snack on when he's not performing. Minor spoiler for my follow up to Kira's disaster threesome (or something he'll actually do in a session, we'll see), but I was thinking a day or two after that night, Kira gets a candy apple or something from concessions and brings it to Murdoch which is unintentionally a very sweet gesture.

What is their role in the party? Not just their class on a meta level, but among the individuals who make up the party?

He's the idiot brother with a heart of gold. I said a while ago, before he was part of the circus in canon, that he dumbs himself down and plays the fool so he'll seem less scary? Like he's got the eyes and the teeth and the deathly pallor, he feels he has to make up for that with how he acts, so he seems less threatening.

Do they have any expectations of how they might die?

He always felt he would die young, and part of him hoped it would be in some poetic way. Killed by a lover, or for love, in some pretty bloodless fashion, like with poison or through, well, drowning. Idk if we have Shakespeare in universe, but to put it in a way that I think fully encapsulates his feelings: he read Hamlet and hoped to die like Ophelia.

Do they remember their dreams?

Not often. That's one thing that didn't really change after he died. His dreams while he sleeps are pretty scattered and strange, things that are so ridiculous and nonsensical that unless it really scares or arouses him, it fades within minutes.

Petra:

Did they grow up with siblings? What were those relationships like?

I chose this one for Petra because I had this sudden vision of him having a twin sister (Renate, pronounced reh-NA-tuh, Renny for short) who he's really close with, as twins typically are. They both got into all kinds of mischief together. Renny I think became an urban druid, she and Petra both developed an affinity with the environment. In Petra that looked like parkour and and a crossbow, and in Renny that looked like talking to pigeons and (eventually) shapechanging into them. They still live together, their parents actually gave them the house and moved out to the countryside when they felt the city had gotten too fast for them. And one other thing, they've both got the same purple eyes.

#i spent so long on this and it was so much fun #my boys my boys my booooyyssss #dnd tag

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trashfor-imagines · 4 years

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My Senpai | 4

Ushijima x Reader

Summary: You’re Goshiki Tsutomu’s older doting sister, second year at Shiratorizawa and captain of the girl’s track & field team. At your brother’s first practice you sneak in to support him and end up meeting the impressive force that is his captain. Warnings: None really. Mentions sex. Spoilers: We’re encroaching on manga territory. Takes place after Karasuno v Shiratorizawa.

Author’s Note: Sorry for not updating in forever! I lost my original chapter and got discouraged. I started rewatching Ushijima episodes to refresh my grasp on his character.

[1] | [2] | [3] | [4] | [5]

It was a shock. You never thought Shiratorizawa was capable of losing this year. Ushijima appeared unaffected, but that was just him. It was always mental for him and he had the ability to act with a sort of chivalric grace whenever faced with conflict. God, your boyfriend was really cool. Your brother, however, it broke your heart to see him cry.

After the award ceremony, you raced down to wait by the bus. Ushijima walked out first, his head held high. Noticing you, he simply rested his large hand on your head before getting on the bus. Quiet hello’s and thanks for coming’s were whispered to you. Your little brother could barely make eye contact, the last one to get on the bus. Reaching for his hand, you gave it a squeeze before letting it go and heading for the bus that brought the cheer squad.

The ride felt long. You spent most of it listening to music and playing with the sleeve of Ushijima’s spare team jacket he’d given you shortly after dating. You smiled and chatted occasionally with your fellow students, but the topics of discussion were focused on how Ushijima and the third years were doing. They expected you to have the answers and quite frankly, you thought it was obvious.

Getting back, you made your way into the gym to see the team working on serves. You sat quietly on the sidelines and watched as everyone gave their all, letting out their frustrations from the day. You never knew you could find the slams of volleyballs to be comforting to where they could put you to sleep. Or maybe you were just exhausted. Either way, you woke up from being carried.

“Wakatoshi,” you mumbled, snuggling closer to his chest.

The two of you snuck into your dorm room, stripping down into your underwear and entangling under the sheets. Ushijima’s body was like a radiator, warm and comforting.You ran your fingers through his hair patiently. If he wanted to talk, then he would. Until then, you whispered little praises to him, pressing kisses to his shoulder between sentences.

“I won’t lose again,” he spoke quietly.

Months passed and things continued to go well between the two of you. They were better than ever honestly. During Christmas you visited each other’s families at his request. You didn’t even have to prompt it! Your parents loved him. They thought he was quite the protector type and approved. His mother ended up accepting you once she realized you were intelligent and genuinely loved her son. Your personality had definitely thrown her for a loop.

Graduation was soon approaching and the two of you decided on a five year plan together. Long nights were spent discussing goals and dreams, wondering if they would be compatible with one another. He intended on going pro right after school; the Schweiden Adlers seemed most likely and they were based in Oita. You still had your third year of high school to finish, but you were applying to Kyushu University for architecture. It was in Fukuoka and closer than your other options to Oita. It was just a couple of hours by train or car. You also had plans to stick with track and field and keep your spot on the national team for as long as you could. You both had your eyes on the 2016 Olympics.

For a year the two of you managed to maintain a healthy long distance relationship.

After graduation, there were farewell and congratulatory parties almost every day, but the most fun for you was going apartment hunting, together. It was like a vacation, enjoying the beaches and hot springs. You spent a week staying at his apartment where the lease was ending soon. He said the two of you needed a new place together, that his current apartment wasn’t fitting enough for you. On your third day in Oita, Ushijima decided on the place, a 2 bed and 1.5 bath townhome instead of a one and one apartment. When you told him it was a bit expensive, he said it was perfect because he wanted you to have your own space at home to study for school without being bothered by him. You cried right there and he handled it like a champ. The two of you moved in a week before you started school.

“Wakatoshi!” you called to him from the rooftop terrace. He appeared, sticking his head out from the sliding glass door. You wiped your cheek, smudging dirt across your face. “Can you help me move this bag?”

He slipped on his outdoor shoes and walked over, lifting the bag of dirt and moving it to one of the two raised garden beds that he built earlier today. The two of you had plans for a small vegetable garden. “I thought we were going to plant seeds after lunch. I’m almost done cooking.”

“I know, I just got really excited. I was staring at your beautiful work and couldn’t help myself,” you cooed, giving him starry eyes.

Sighing, he set the bag down where you needed it before taking your hand and dragging you back inside. “We’ll do this after lunch. Together.”

“Aw, are you jealous I tried to start before you?” He didn’t say anything in response, making you grin. “My handsome farmer, I’m so sorry.”

After lunch, the two of you filled the garden beds with dirt and carefully planted seeds for carrots, lettuce, tomatoes, peas, basil, parsley, rosemary, thyme, marigolds, lavender, and scarlet plume celosia. Ushijima had done quite a bit of research on complimentary plants. Hours really. Hours spent doing online research and drawing diagrams of how the garden should be set up for its fullest potential.

You were watering one of the garden beds when you caught a glimpse of Ushijima squatting with a spade in his hand. It was so cute how concentrated he was and how much attention he was giving this simple task. Biting your lip, you sprayed him briefly. He blinked, as if not comprehending what happened and looked up, as if blaming the sky. A muffled laugh escaped you. You went back to watering the garden bed as he went inside. Minutes later you heard the glass door slide open and didn’t pay much mind to it. Suddenly you felt chilled and were thoroughly soaked. Moving your hair from your eyes, you looked up to see your boyfriend holding a bucket over your head.

“Wakatoshi!”

Soon you were off to university, moving into a small dorm room with a single suitcase. Your dorm was littered with photographs of you and Ushijima and it was hard to cope with the fact that you wouldn’t see him through at least the rest of summer, maybe not even until the end of September if your school’s track team did well.

For a month you and Ushijima would call or FaceTime every night and tell each other about your days. He was quite proud of the garden the both of you planted and would send you progress photos and then describe what he saw in fine detail. Honestly, you didn’t realize your boyfriend was capable of being so invested in something other than volleyball. There were a few times you tried spicing up your phone calls, but honestly Ushijima didn’t get it. He was terrible at phone sex. It was fine though. Summer break was.... just a few months away.

It was a Saturday night after track practice when you got a phone call from your boyfriend.

“Wakatoshi! You’re calling early. I haven’t gotten back to my dorm yet,” you spoke, excited to hear from him.

“(Y/N), I’m lost.”

Your brows raised in surprise. “Lost, how? Do you need me to look up how to fix something?”

“No, I’m somewhere on your university’s campus.”

You felt your heart skip and you immediately ran toward main campus. “Okay well tell me what you see.”

In thirty minutes you were in your dorm taking a shower and Ushijima was reading the newest shonen jump he picked up at the train station on your bedroom floor. You came out with your hair in a towel and one of Ushijima’s t-shirts you had stolen. He set aside his magazine and pulled you down into his lap, holding you tight.

“I’m so surprised you came. I’m so happy,” you squealed, burying your face into his neck and running your fingers through his hair.

“I missed you too. I can stay for two days, but then I must go home.”

Pulling back, you let your fingers run over the stubble on his jaw, pouting a bit, “So what do I owe this short visit?”

His stare was intense and a faint blush kissed his cheeks. “I recognize that a few times you’ve tried to... initiate some things on the phone. I admit I’m not very good at it, so hopefully my presence now can make up for my... lack of experience.”

“Wakatoshi,” you breathed out in surprise, gazing at him with so much love. He literally traveled almost three hours because you were horny without him. Pulling the towel from your hair, you knocked him over onto his back as you jumped him.

Visits like these happened sporadically and soon it was fall. Track and field season was over which meant you could make your weekend visits home to Oita. You’d leave Wednesday nights and head back to school on Sunday mornings. Despite the second bedroom serving as a private study for you, you found yourself curling up to Ushijima almost always - as long as he wasn’t busy.

This was life for a couple of years. The two of you had become quite the duo. In fact, throughout your relationship, you had only argued about two things:

You broke your phone once and he wasn’t able to contact you and he freaked out from not knowing what was going on.

He forgot your anniversary and cancelled on your date for volleyball and you laid in on him for it.

Things were great until the 2016 Olympic qualifiers came around. You had broken a metatarsal in your right foot at the first qualifying meet of the 2015 season. You were out for the next eight weeks and even then, you weren’t going to be in shape to qualify because you had to go through physical therapy and get your athletic abilities up to par. Your coach told you that staying on the national team, going pro, and qualifying for 2020 was still possible for you. It didn’t stop the feeling of complete and total devastation that wrecked you and you were jealous.

Ushijima wasn’t sure of how to help you; he’d never seen you so vulnerable before, never seen you so sad, but he did his best to support you, even if that meant being a punching bag. He was consistent, despite things he had going on for his own Olympic goals.

After two months it was summer break. You had to go through physical therapy and you moved back home to Oita, transitioning to online classes for the second term of the year. Because Ushijima’s love language was different from most, you found yourself being forced to do your PT homework exercises, no matter how down and bratty you got.

“Wakatoshi, I don’t want to do stairs,” you groaned, curling up into a ball on the couch.

“You must, or you won’t be ready to start training any time soon,” he replied simply.

Your foot was throbbing and you were on your period, and everything just felt like shit. All you wanted was to watch anime and eat the small bag of chips you had hidden under the blanket you were under. Ushijima had been so strict with your diet and honestly all you wanted were trans fats, sugar, and carbs. With ease, he ripped the blanket from you, exposing you in your underwear clutching a bag of Calbee honey butter flavored potato chips.

“You should get up and walk the stairs now,” he said, prying the bag of chips from your hands, “if you want these back.”

Throwing your legs over the couch, you winced, balling your hands into fists in frustration. You got up, favoring your left foot, which he noticed. He walked up the stairs and sat on the top step, waiting for you to follow. Biting your lip, you moved slowly, trying to ignore the pain. There were 14 steps to the top and you had to go up twice and down twice. You were doing fine until your second trek up the stairs. It was a misstep and you slipped and you were clinging to the stair case, crying. It was embarrassing for you to be like this in front of him. This sweet giant quickly enveloped you in his arms and had you lying on your side of the bed, gently caressing your foot as you sobbed through it.

When you were calm again, Ushijima left for a while before returning, dinner in hand. The two of you sat in bed and had the meal he made in silence. You’d barely eaten, but you waited until he finished before you curled up to his side.

“I’m so sorry, Wakatoshi.”

“I would be surprised it you took this easily. You’re a competitive person. It’s one of the things I find attractive about you,” he replied. He wrapped his arm around your shoulders, his fingers gently running up and down along your own arm.

“Really?” you asked, feeling shy. He hummed in affirmation, glancing down to make eye contact. Smiling, you played with the hem of his shirt that was beginning to ride up. “What else do you... find attractive about me?”

“You’re thoughtful, kind. The way you pursue your passions and you’ve encouraged me to pursue my own; you believe in people wholeheartedly.” A thoughtful expression settled on his face as he spoke on effortlessly. He paused and his brows furrowed briefly before settling into a relaxed expression. “You’re beautiful.”

Placing a kiss to your forehead, you watched as he got up and headed to take his evening shower.

While you couldn’t compete, you concentrated on therapy and school and finished your courses early for your degree. You picked up a simple class to stay enrolled until your four years at school were up*, this way you could go back to competing your last year of university. The summer of 2016, Ushijima took you with him to Brazil. Japan didn’t win, but the competition was incredible. You got to meet with track and field athletes and it reignited your passion for competition.

You’d graduate come spring and then your focus was on 2020 Tokyo.

*In Japan, early graduation doesn’t exist. It was explained to me that if you attend a 4 year university, you have to be a student for 4 years before graduating, even if you complete your degree early.

tag list: @hihiq

#Ushijima Wakatoshi #ushijima x reader #shiratorizawa #my senpai #haikyuu!!#haikyu #haikyū!!#reader insert #imagine #fanfic #volleyboys

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purplesurveys · 4 years

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1057

survey by lets-make-surveys

1 - When was the last time you had a roast dinner? What kind of meat or vegetarian option did you have with it? That’s not really a thing we do here, but for our noche buena dinner we did have roast chicken with rosemary as one of our dishes. It was surrounded with bangus (milkfish), lumpia with cheese, callos, baked macaroni with cheese, and mashed potatoes with gravy. My family has never been traditional when it comes to Christmas food and I’ve never tried hamon or queso de bola.

2 - When was the last time you drove or travelled for over an hour? Where did you go? It is for sure going to be today because we’ll be driving to Laguna to visit my dad’s family wearing our face masks, face shields, equipped with alcohol and hand sanitizer, and ready to follow social distancing.

3 - What’s your favourite kind of coffee to order (eg. cappuccino, latte etc.)? I’ve been ordering caramel macchiato in the last...6–7 years. If a coffee shop doesn’t serve it, the next thing I go for is whatever sounds like the sweetest drink on their menu, like a chocolate chip truffle frappe or something like that.

4 - When you get old, are you going to let your hair go grey or dye it instead? I will probably dye it for a bit, like what my grandma used to do. But I guess it’ll also depend; I might end up liking grey hair and not feel the need to change how it looks.

5 - What genre was the last book you read? Was it any good? I can’t remember which one it was but it was definitely a wrestler’s memoir; I must’ve read around four this year. The best ones I read are always of Chris Jericho since he has fantastic stories but he also knows how to write well. A lot of wrestlers have great stories, but are so-so in writing.

6 - Did you ever wear braces on your teeth? Yeah, briefly from the end of middle school to freshman year of high school. I need to get braces again, though.

7 - When was the last time you were relieved about something? What caused you to feel that way? Continued from earlier today. We brought both dogs to my dad’s family’s place today and I was glad that they were fast asleep on our drive back home and that neither felt bad and puked.

8 - Where was the last place you went that required you to wear a mask? Are you used to having to wear one now? Everyone is required to wear masks as long as they find themselves outdoors, period. I wear one even if I’m just walking one of my dogs in our backyard. I’m definitely more used to it now, compared to months ago when I had just started going out again and would be forgetful when it came to masks.

9 - How often do you receive calls from unknown numbers? Do you ever answer them? I get them a lot more often now that I’m working and have to coordinate with third-party people...I get unknown numbers once or twice a week. As much as it irritates me, I have no choice but to answer all of them now.

10 - What’s your favourite condiment to have with sausages or hot dogs (or the vegetarian equivalent)? Whenever I have a sausage/hotdog in a bun, I’d be glad to simply have mayonnaise on it.

11 - Which fictional character can you relate to the most? Is this a character from film, TV or a book? Monica Geller from Friends.

12 - Do you groom your eyebrows? If so, how? Nah, haven’t in a long time. It’s just not something I’ve ever particularly cared about. Whenever I have to, I just shave them. I also haven’t had a trichotillomania episode with my eyebrows, which is a relieving thing to realize.

13 - Did you get “told off” for anything the last time you went to the dentist or was everything okay? My last trip went smoothly. I just had a tooth extracted and there wasn’t really anything to reprimand me for since the tooth was already damaged.

14 - Would you rather get a starter or dessert? Have always been more of a savory girl than sweet, so I’ll go with the starter.

15 - Have you ever been involved with the police? Did you find them to be helpful? I mean...I guess? Kind of? I wasn’t arrested by any means, but I was a journalism student, so *shrug* pretty self-explanatory lol. There was one time in one class where we were all required to write a story covering the police beat, so I had to stay at a police station in Manila and wait for any tips or leads to come in. I was in freshman year and was absolutely scared, but I did have a classmate/friend with me ‘cause we were in the same class and she needed a lead as well.

16 - Are you tired at the moment? Is there a specific reason you feel that way? I am extremely tired and would pass out in a second if I let myself. But I had been out all day and didn’t have the chance to do anything I wanted to do whether it was doing embroidery, watching 2 Days 1 Night, or taking a survey, so I’m making up for all the lost time and powering through this survey.

17 - Are you big on colour coordination? Does that just apply to your outfits or to the rest of your life as well? It rarely comes to mind. It’s not something I feel the need to maintain, precisely because I’m very inconsistent with maintenance. Even though I know I possess the necessary effort and patience to organize a group of items by color, I also know it would be disorganized in less than a week.

18 - What shoes did you last wear? How long have you had them? Puma sneakers. Yep, I’ve had them for the past two years.

19 - When was the last time you wore make-up? What kind of make-up was it? September, for my first job interview. My items were simple; just an eyeliner pencil and some lip gloss.

20 - Have you ever slipped or skidded on the ice? Did you end up getting hurt? Continued from last night because I’ve been so sloppy at taking surveys lately, loooool. I’ve slipped a few times on ice skating rinks before. I don’t know if it’s the same experience, but whenever it happened to me I usually felt more embarrassed than hurt. It only hurt quite a bit when the cause of my fall was crashing into someone on the rink.

21 - Do you wear glasses or contacts? I wear glasses, but I already need to change mine since my eyesight has gotten worse and the lens that are on my current pair aren’t for me anymore.

22 - Do you own any photo albums? Are they dedicated to special occasions or just a random selection of photos? My mom made several photo albums for her kids from our childhood days so each of us have lots of photos from age 0 to about 7 or 8. I haven’t made a photo album just for myself, though I really should. Making memories with a film camera and having them developed still sounds very appealing to me.

23 - What was the last reason for you using a spoon? I was mixing my coffee to make sure all the granules are mixed into the water.

24 - Did your state/region go into lockdown or similar back when Covid hit in March? What did you do to pass the time while you were stuck at home? Of course. I would be more surprised to hear of a city or region anywhere in the world that did not go into lockdown. March was a livelier, more optimistic time, so I tried out lots of new things while the lockdown was still fresh and no one had any clue for how long it would actually pan out, and continue to pan out until the literal end of the year. I played the Switch for longer hours, tried making dalgona coffee, watched Descendants of the Sun, pulled more all-nighters, revisited computer games from my childhood, and did my thesis chapter by chapter with Andi.

25 - What’s your favourite meal of the day - breakfast, lunch or dinner? In my family, lunch and dinner are very identical so I’d go with either of them.

26 - Who was the last person you texted? How do you know that person? I have not touched my phone in a while, believe it or not...I haven’t needed it much during the holiday break. I think it was my cousin? He’s a relative, so I’ve known him since birth.

27 - What was the last thing you put in a sandwich? A hotdog.

28 - What was the reason behind the last time you shouted or raised your voice? I was at my dad’s family’s last night and I had ordered four boxes of empanadas from their business, and I was trying to hand over the P500 bill to my aunt (the total was like P300, but I gave them bonus to serve as my treat and my gift). I kept trying to give it and she kept rejecting it and putting it back in my pocket hahaha, so it became like a game for me to see which tiny space in the house I can squeeze the bill in so she can stop retorting. It turned into a funny cat and mouse situation and I ended up raising my voice a few times.

29 - Are you a citizen of more than one country? Would you ever use that advantage to move abroad? No.

30 - Do you know how to change a tyre? Could you do it without help? HAH, no. I am fucked if it ever happens and when it does, I really hope luck would be on my side that day and have a kind stranger that knows how to change tyres walk or drive by.

#survey #surveys

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raywritesthings · 5 years

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All’s Fair

My Writing Fandom: Arrow Characters: Laurel Lance, Nyssa al Ghul Pairing: Laurel Lance/Nyssa al Ghul Summary: Laurel helps Nyssa celebrate her first New Year’s and complete her first Resolution. Notes: No “Eleven-Fifty-Nine” and no Crisis *Can be read on my AO3 or FFN, links in my bio*

“What are these ridiculous glasses?”

Laurel turned back around in the aisle, her basket hanging from an arm, to find Nyssa by the New Year’s display. She was holding a pair of floppy, glossy paper frames shaped into the numbers 2020.

“It’s for New Year’s.”

“New Year’s?”

Laurel stopped, then walked over to her friend. “Nyssa, you’re not telling me you don’t know—”

“I realize we are leaving one year behind for another,” Nyssa quickly stated. Laurel bit her lip to hide a smile. The way her friend tended to get embarrassed over not knowing things about everyday life outside of the League was endlessly cute. But Laurel didn’t know what Nyssa might say if she realized Laurel found her cute.

“Okay, well, it’s tradition to sort of celebrate. Ring in the new.”

“With silly glasses?”

Laurel nodded. “And hats and noise-makers and watching a big disco ball drop in the middle of Times Square. I haven’t done any of that in years.” It was strange to think about how many years she had let just pass by for one reason or another.

As she watched Nyssa eyeing the display with curiosity, she made a snap decision. Laurel scooped up two hats, noisemakers and another pair of the glasses, dropping them into her basket.

“Let’s do it, okay? Let’s celebrate New Year’s.”

Nyssa’s lips quirked in a bemused sort of way, and she dropped the glasses she was holding into the basket as well.

She grabbed some more things while they were out at the store, then returned home to work on putting it all together. Nyssa offered to help, but she told her to sit back and relax since this was her first ever New Year’s party. Though it wouldn’t be much of a party since their friends would all be out that night on patrol. Laurel sent Thea a text to let her know she and Nyssa would be taking the night off for themselves.

She was mixing a punch together when Thea’s reply came back. Have fun! Get a New Year’s kiss for me ;)

Laurel licked her lips and tucked the phone away. That was one aspect of the tradition she wasn’t planning to bring up with Nyssa any time soon.

It was just so unfair. Nyssa had been staying with her for a few months now, ever since she, Thea and Roy had returned from destroying the Lazarus Pits around the world. She had Thea’s old room, since Thea and Roy had gotten their own place. And rooming with Nyssa had been nice… yet endlessly frustrating.

Nyssa had certain habits, like lounging about in a towel while she let her hair air dry. Her very long, full head of hair. Her rosemary perfume tended to cling to things like the couch cushions, and she hand-washed and hang-dried everything. Including her underwear. Needless to say, Laurel’s imagination had taken her on many a trip to fantasy-land featuring rosemary and the swell of Nyssa’s breasts barely hidden under deep purple lingerie that Laurel knew for a fact her friend owned.

And it just wasn’t fair because Nyssa was off-limits. Not only was Nyssa her friend, but she was Sara’s ex — which Nyssa had only recently come to terms with after the last time Sara visited and told Laurel all about her new girlfriend, Ava. So, despite what Sara had done regarding Laurel’s boyfriend what felt a lifetime ago, Laurel knew that making any kind of move would be awkward at best and judged harshly at worst.

Never mind the fact she still hadn’t gotten around to telling anyone she might like girls.

It just never felt like the right time. She could hear the voices of her friends in her head even now: Laurel, you really have to stop trying to be your sister. It wasn’t like she’d made a conscious decision to like girls. It was mostly just little stuff, like that Mari was so strong and skilled or that Felicity was kind of adorable a lot of the time or that Nyssa was stunning and sweet and brilliant but refreshingly naive about so many things and she was everything.

God, she really was pathetic about this. But when she fell, she always fell deep.

Laurel ordered some Chinese, which was always a careful affair as Nyssa had very lofty standards where American Chinese cuisine was concerned. But Laurel hadn’t wanted to put her out by asking her to cook when Nyssa was supposed to be enjoying her first New Year’s. They turned the TV on to the channel playing the Times Square party, but kept the volume down in order to be able to hear the delivery man’s arrival.

“An interesting selection of songs so far,” Nyssa remarked. Interesting was her word for something she wasn’t quite sure she liked.

Laurel shrugged. “It’s a mix of new stuff with some classics. And some Christmas, because we didn’t get enough of it the rest of the month, apparently.” She passed her friend a glass of punch, grinning at the sight of the bright and glittery hat perched on Nyssa’s perfect hair.

“Thank you, my dearest.” Nyssa had taken to saying that a lot recently. The first time, it had been said as ‘my dearest friend’, but it had since become shortened for convenience's sake. “Mm, I like this.” Nyssa smacked her lips and licked them, which so didn’t help Laurel from openly staring at them. “How else do people celebrate the end of the year?”

“Well,” Laurel said, pausing to take a breath to collect herself. “A lot of people will make resolutions that they plan to uphold in the New Year. Like losing weight or quitting smoking or doing one random act of kindness a day. Stuff like that.”

“And do they uphold them?”

“Not usually,” Laurel admitted.

“Should we make them anyway?”

“If you want to.”

Nyssa nodded. “I do.”

“Okay, then.” Laurel heard the knock at the door and went to get their food. She returned with takeout containers she set on the coffee table, then went into her kitchen for the paper plates and utensils.

They spent the next several minutes eating silently as the night wore on. Laurel searched her brain for some kind of resolution she could say she was making. She liked where she was with her training and physical fitness right now, so that was out. Her sobriety was still intact. And she figured her vigilantism counted as random acts of good for the people of their city in a way. So that was most of the big categories.

Laurel knew that some people made romance a part of their resolution. But Laurel’s wheels were pretty much stuck in the mud when it came to relationships. She was going nowhere fast.

“Oh, it’s close to midnight,” Laurel realized, setting the remains of her Kung Pao Chicken aside and washing it down with the last of her punch.

“Very good. I have made my resolution,” Nyssa announced.

“Great.” Laurel bent down to fish the noisemakers out of her bag. “Did you want to tell me what it was?”

“Yes, as it rather involves you.”

Laurel lifted her head. “It does?”

“Yes, my dearest.” Nyssa set her own glass aside and slid closer on the couch they were sharing. “My resolution is to stop, as you Americans say it, beating around the bush.”

“Beating around the bush about what?”

“Us, of course. You hardly believe I would parade myself around as a feast for the eyes for just anyone, would you? Or allow you to glimpse my unmentionables? Not even my short-lived husband has ever seen them, and he would not be alive if he had,” Nyssa added with a wicked smirk.

Laurel was too busy gaping at her friend to really process the veiled threat towards Oliver. “I- you were doing all that on purpose? But I didn’t think—”

“Laurel, ever since I met your family, my life was changed. But you, dearest, have changed me. Perhaps more than you will ever know. How could I not hold you in my heart when at last I made room for it?”

Like most of Nyssa’s declarations, this one was nearly overwhelming in its intensity. Oddly enough, Laurel felt herself comforted by the wet sheen she could see in Nyssa’s eyes. Knowing she was just as affected as Laurel stoked something warm in her chest. “I thought I was wrong or taking advantage of you staying here. I didn’t think you could ever see me as someone to be with.”

Nyssa’s actions hadn’t been unintentional at all. She had been trying to let Laurel know that it was okay, that she was interested. That they could have this.

“To be with you as a friend and in this home has already been my greatest privilege. To be with you in every sense is now my greatest desire.”

Laurel couldn’t help a shiver. It had been so long since someone had even looked at her with something like want. To hear it laid so bare like that was doing things to her, reawakening feelings and sensations she’d thought she couldn’t have anymore.

Nyssa slid even closer, so that their knees brushed and she laid one hand on Laurel’s thigh. The touch seemed to burn through the thin cotton of the pajama bottoms she had on. “I have done some reading on this holiday while you were preparing our celebration. I understand that revelers exchange a kiss at midnight.”

Laurel nodded, not really trusting her voice.

“I would very much like to participate in that tradition.”

This required perhaps more than a nod, so Laurel just barely managed an, “Okay.”

Her friend smiled, a genuine one that was rare and thus all the more beautiful, before she leaned in. Laurel’s hand rose to cup Nyssa’s jaw, then stroke her cheek as their lips met in a tentative exploration.

Nyssa’s lips were softer than she could have expected, and warm against her own. Laurel couldn’t resist capturing the bottom one between her teeth for a moment, earning a surprised but happy hum.

They parted to breathe, foreheads leaned together, and Laurel smiled as a thought came to her. “Nyssa?”

“Yes, dearest?”

Laurel reached down and snagged one of the noise makers, blowing into it for a short, shrill burst.

Nyssa sat back, blinking in shock. “What on Earth—”

“Happy New Year.”

Nyssa let out a breath and shook her head. “Your country is ridiculous.”

Laurel laughed as Nyssa snagged the noisemaker and tossed it aside, then happily resumed their previous activity. The television flashed with fireworks as the crowds in New York City cheered. Laurel closed her eyes to all of that, too happy to surrender her lips and her mouth and her body to Nyssa’s touch. Her friend, her trainer and now so much more.

Maybe life was fair, sometimes.

#lauryssa #laurel lance #nyssa al ghul #arrow #black canary #my writing

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mrslittletall · 5 years

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Title: A Storm is coming (Chapter 20) Fandom: Dark Souls Characters: Chosen Undead/Dragon Slayer Ornstein, Rhea of Thorolund, Petrus of Thorolund, Unbreakable Patches Word Count: 5.603 AO3-Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16603610/chapters/52754764 Previous chapter: https://mrslittletall.tumblr.com/post/189592573874/title-a-storm-is-coming-chapter-19-fandom-dark

Summary: Ornstein and Tempest share a moment before they head out again. Ornstein, trying to avoid going to Blighttown, gets Tempest to do other stuff first.

(Author's note: I wanted to have this out far sooner, but with christmas in the way and after christmas me getting sick, I couldn't. Sorry for the wait. )

“Hey, Ornstein, how about some chicken broth for tonight's dinner? I let you even add something weird.”

That was the note that Tempest had written and put into the wooden box that was standing around in the cathedral. And right at this moment, Tempest squinted his eyes trying to decipher what Ornstein had written on it as reply.

“I am sure there isn't the word chicken in it...”, Tempest said, turning the slip of paper, thinking that maybe he tried to read it from the wrong direction, but still to no avail. There probably wasn't the word chicken in it, but Ornstein's handwriting could only be considered chicken scratch.

After ten minutes had passed and Tempest had simply maid out the word “No” in it, he gave up and went to find Ornstein.

He found the dragon slayer in a rather sun-drenched room that smelled marvellous. A quick look around unveiled the source of the smell and Tempest put both hands at his cheeks as he squeaked with delight: “A herbal garden!”

Ornstein, who had been in the midst of watering some thyme, turned around in surprise. “Oh, it's you, little Storm.”, he said and continued to water the plants if nothing ever happened.

“Why haven't you told me of this place? This is every cook's dream!”, Tempest shouted out and went to look at every single plant in the room. There was thyme, rosemary, dill, basil, oregano, garden cress and many more.

“Because all the herbs are already in the kitchen to use.”, Ornstein said, picking up some scissors to cut one of the plants into shape. “This garden...”, his voice suddenly grew somber, “...it has been his garden.”

Tempest could feel the pang of guilt in his stomach. He didn't need a name to know who Ornstein was referring to. That was something that he never would be able to undo. Besides...

… an idea formed in Tempest but he wanted the dragon slayer to be in the right mood for this. For now, he was more than eager to spend more time in this garden.

“May I help you taking care of it?”, he asked and made his best puppy eyes at Ornstein, who gave him a glance and simply murmured “Fine.”

After a good while of them working mostly in silence next to each other, only broken by Ornstein to tell Tempest how to handle the plants once in a while, the dragon slayer spoke again: “Little Storm, but you didn't come here to help me with the herbal garden, right? After all, this was your first time seeing it.”

“Oh, right!”, Tempest remembered why he had come finding Ornstein in the first place. He found the slip of paper in his pocket and showed it to Ornstein. “I couldn't read your handwriting.”, he confessed.

Ornstein gave the slip a paper a quick glance and then sighed deeply, muttering something under his breath. Then, he raised his voice and said: “I wrote: No thanks, but you could make me some meatballs with a sweet cream sauce.”

“Huh, that isn't something that I would put together, but at least it sounds edible...”, Tempest said. “Have you gotten tired of weird foods already?”

Ornstein blushed and snapped at Tempest: “That's n.. none of your business!”

“It's alright.”, Tempest grinned. “Can I take some fresh parsley for the meal? It will make it far better.”

Ornstein gave his permission and once Tempest had cut off enough parsley he went to cook the requested meal.

Their little break continued for two more days until Ornstein said that his leg was fully healed and they should move out again the next day. He even told Tempest that he now was allowed to cook the chicken broth, but only when he added every single herb of the herbal garden into it, simply because he wanted to know how it tasted like.

Even though Tempest's couldn't taste anymore and his sense of smell wasn't as refined as it once used to be, the overload of the herbs in the broth made his eyes water while cooking. He was halfway expecting Ornstein to spit out the soup before he remembered what the dragon slayer had eaten completely unironically the last few days.

As Ornstein spooned the soup he looked rather thoughtful and once he was finished he simply said: “Thought this would taste better.” and left, not asking for a second serving.

Tempest stayed, looking at the rest of the soup. He got curious himself. How it tasted like. But he knew when he tried to eat it, it would taste the same as paper for him. He was Undead and didn't need to eat anymore and therefore also couldn't taste anymore and he knew it. The only thing he could taste was the Estus Flask and drinking from it when not hurt felt wrong.

He stirred the soup with a spoon for a little while as he was lost in thoughts, hoping that Ornstein would eat the rest for breakfast. The only other people he could give the soup were the giant blacksmith and Dark Sun Gwyndolin and Tempest didn't want to unleash the All-Herb-Soup on them unprepared.

This evening and night Tempest stared at the notes he had taken once when Ornstein had told him about the lord souls and realized how useless they were. Sighing, he laid himself into bed and tried to get to sleep, a need that he didn't had anymore but could still act on if he tried.

The next day Tempest woke up and realized that he had overslept! He had really fallen asleep and apparently his body or mind or both had cherished the break and so Anor Londo had already got tinted into its eternal twilight, indicating that the next day had started.

Tempest hurried into the kitchen to see that Ornstein had eaten the rest of the soup. With a glance to the stove he noticed that it was cold and questioned how Ornstein had heated it up or if he had eaten it cold, but nonetheless, Ornstein probably was already waiting for him at the bonfire.

That was exactly where Tempest found the dragon slayer, who tapped his foot and scolded him: “You are late.”

“I am sorry!”, Tempest said. “I overslept.”

“Apparently.”, Ornstein said.

“So, for the next lord soul, we have to go back to Blighttown because that is where the way to Lost Izalith is... I think.”, Tempest said, unfolding some notes. What he couldn't see was how Ornstein screwed up his face on the mere mention of Blighttown.

“Weren't you talking about taking care of the black knights when we were in the tomb?”, he said.

Tempest looked from his notes to Ornstein, then to his notes again and then blurted out: “Really?! You mean we can do this?!”

“They once have been part of Lord Gwyn's army... as their captain, I owe their souls to bring them peace.”, Ornstein said. Of course Ornstein simply didn't want to get to Blighttown and any delay to visit this place was a good delay in his opinion. “So, where have you seen the black knights wandering around?”

“The first one was in the Undead burg.”, Tempest said. “And the second one was in the Undead Parish... I guess... the easiest way is from the sunlight altar bonfire... Oh!” Tempest's face lit up. “We should totally go to the sunlight altar!”

Before Ornstein could ask why or what had Tempest so excited, he felt how the little Undead took his hand and the familiar feeling of getting dragged through the fabric of space and time as well as the familiar nausea hit Ornstein.

As he opened his eyes again, nausea in his stomach settling down, it almost returned when he saw what Tempest had meant with sunlight altar when his eyes fell on the broken statue of... him.

Tempest hadn't noticed that Ornstein hadn't followed him and turned around, dodging a row of bolts that got shot at him from the hollows outside, stepping at the dragon slayer's side. “Ornstein, what's wrong?”, he asked.

“You see this?”, Ornstein pointed at the broken statue and Tempest nodded. “Notice anything about it?”

“Hm... let's see...”, Tempest approached the statue and observed it closely. At first he couldn't find anything conspicuous but then he noticed: “It's wearing your weapon! Ornstein, is that a statue of yourself? But... why is it here and broken...?”

“It isn't my statue.”, Ornstein said. “You have seen mine fully intact in Anor Londo. This one... is the statue of Lord Gwyn's firstborn.”

Tempest gasped as he stared at Ornstein and then let his gaze wander at the statue. “The legends...”, he said. “It isn't written anywhere but my mom once told me that he was banished for his crimes, but... nobody knew what it was anymore. Or his name...”

“Little Storm, this is a tale that has been forbidden to tell in Anor Londo and the entirety of Lordran for centuries, but... I think you deserve to learn the truth.”

Ornstein took a deep breath before he started to speak again: “The firstborn of Lord Gwyn, also known as the firstborn of the sun, was not only my master and I wasn't only his first knight, but we also had been in a relationship.”

Tempest needed a second but once he realized what Ornstein had said, he jumped up in surprise and screamed: “Wait, what, really?!”

“Yes, it is the truth.”, Ornstein continued. “We were not only slaying countless dragons together, we also spent countless nights together, but our relationship was secret from almost everybody, because Lord Gwyn wanted his son to marry an influential goddess.”

“Let me guess, this marriage never happened?”, Tempest said. He was sure if the Sunfirstborn would have married, his romance loving mother would have told him everything about this story.

“Yes. Because my master went traitor and sided himself with the dragons, our very mortal enemy. Back then... back then I barely could believe that it happened. He was banished and he broke my heart. Lord Gwyn smashed his statue and it was tossed into the human settlements... the first few days after his departure I spend a lot of time near it, doings things I am not proud about, like screaming at it, crying over it, kicking it, defiling it...”

“Defiling it?!”, Tempest chimed in.

“I said I was not proud of it.”, Ornstein growled. “Besides, I had been pretty drunk back then...”

He sighed and collected his thoughts: “Where where we? Ah yes. But now, after all these years, I have the feeling I understand him a little better. I... want to search for him once this is all over. And Gwyndolin gave me their permission.”

In Tempest's chest there was a sting. He knew it. He knew that Ornstein would never fall for him. With his latest partner out of his life, he was seeking comfort in an earlier partner he wished to make up with. He wasn't seeking comfort in the Undead that had been pushed on him.

Even though Tempest knew their feelings weren't mutual, it still hurt and so he didn't answer anything but simply stared at the ground, trying to hide tears that wanted to form at this realization.

After Ornstein had finished his story, the little Storm had grown uncharacteristically quiet and when Ornstein turned his head to look at him he felt a churn at his chest. He looked so... lost. Sad even. As if Ornstein had said something bad. And Ornstein couldn't help but feel pity for him. He...he didn't want for the cheerful little Storm to look like this.

Damn, he really had get attached.

“But... don't worry, I will stay at your side until your mission is over.”, Ornstein quickly said as if trying to take the heaviness of his words out of them. “Didn't you want to show me something here?”

Tempest looked up as Ornstein spoke. While he knew that Ornstein was out of his reach, he still was happy that the dragon slayer would spend time with him. Tempest made the decision that this would be enough. He raised his hands to wipe away some tears that had started to glisten in his eyes and then gave Ornstein his usual jolly grin, only that it wasn't reaching his eyes this time, something that Ornstein noticed.

“I brought you here, because...”, Tempest said and took Ornstein's hand, failing to drag him and Ornstein finally followed him with a sigh as he nearly fell over, “I wanted to see you in action.”, he concluded as Ornstein had to grab the little Storm and jumped away from the flaming breath of death that got unleashed by the drake, toasting everything on the bridge before landing on top of the roof of the sunlight altar.

“By the lords, little Storm, a little warning would have been nice!”, Ornstein said, glancing outside, wrinkling his nose as the stench of burned corpses hit his nose.

Which took him right back to the dragon war and Ornstein fell on his knees as he saw the pictures in his head, all the comrades that had died, hadn't been able to escape the dragon fire and then there had be him, he had survived, he didn't thought he would survive, he thought he would die, every single time but he had always survived... only him, why only him...

“Ornstein, what is wrong?”, Tempest said as he tried to get the dragon slayer on his feet and failed spectacularly. Then he remembered what Ornstein once had said to him. Why he was a bad cook. It was... because fire bothered him. It made him have bad reactions.

“...Ornstein, I am so sorry...”, Tempest said. “I shouldn't have you brought here... let's go back...” Tempest took Ornstein's hand again and tried to drag him to the bonfire but Ornstein raised his hand and gave Tempest a gesture to not interfere.

“It is about time that the dragon slayer is taking care of his duties again.”, he said, getting up, straightening himself and picking up his spear. “You stay back, little Storm.”

As Ornstein strode towards the door, the uneasy feeling in his chest hadn't left. But... he didn't exactly knew why, but he didn't want to see the little Storm like this. Pitying him.

He had killed the little Storm a few dozen times and he still had come back, over and over and over again and what was Ornstein doing? Cowering on the ground because of a mere drake? He had taken down foes that had been larger than hat.

No, the person who strode through the gate wasn't Ornstein, but the dragon slayer. He turned around, raised his spear with both hands and hissed: “Come at me, beast.”

The drake apparently wasn't interested in leaving its save place and breathed in. Ornstein, knowing what came, jumped straight into the air, landing right next to the resting place of the drake and wasted no time piercing its eye with his spear.

When the fire had died down and Tempest heard the drake shriek, he dared to leave the cover of the sunlight altar and gasped when he saw the drake flying off, or trying to, because Ornstein was riding on its back and prepared his spear.

Once it had fully been engulfed with lightning, Ornstein bore the spear deep into the drake's neck which shrieked again, in pain and fear before it tumbled down and landed on the bridge with a heavy thud, Ornstein elegantly jumping down from his back.

“That was.... AWESOME!”, Tempest cheered, jumping up and down. “You looked so elegant, Ornstein.”

“People didn't call me the dragon slayer for no reason.”, Ornstein said, holding his spear so that the shaft hit the ground and the blade showed upwards. “But I sure hope you don't have any drake surprises for me anymore.”

“At least not where I have been.”, Tempest said. “Ornstein, I want to apologize again. I didn't think this through...”

“Actually, I should have expected this.”, Ornstein said. “It just had been a good while since you told Gwyndolin your journey, so it slipped my mind that you left a drake alive. Anyway, it can't bother you or anyone else anymore.” He glanced at the hollows on the bridge. “Of course they will come back once the bonfire revived them.”

Tempest didn't listen anymore but instead was examining the drake corpse. After he had circled it a few times, he used his sword to cut through it, hot blood seeping out of the corpse.

“What are you doing?”, Ornstein said, taken aback. “It doesn't get any deader.”

“Oh no, I wanted to get some meat from it.”, Tempest grinned. “I never cooked drake. Most of them were extinct when I was born.” He looked over to Ornstein. “You probably played a part in it.”

“I did...”, Ornstein said, thinking back to their conversation earlier at the broken statue of his master. Back then he had called himself dragon slayer, but now, he had gotten aware that what they had done was pretty much genocide.

Ornstein shuddered at the thought. He asked himself if his master would ever forgive him as he watched the little Storm and was surprised when he felt a certain warmth in him at this action.

Once Tempest had cut out enough meat that he brought to his bottomless box at the bonfire, he walked to Ornstein who had leaned against the wall lost in his own thoughts.

“Actually, the first black knight I wanted to take care off is watching over this bridge from a tower that can be reached through the sunlight altar.”, he said, snapping Ornstein out of his thoughts. Right, they wanted to take care of the black knights. All to avoid going to Blighttown as long as possible. At least it was the reason for Ornstein.

“Right, then lead the way...”, Ornstein said, adjusting his helmet.

Tempest led him back through the sunlight altar and up a few stairs. Once they had climbed them, Tempest pressed himself against the wall, pointing at a black knight with a two handed sword (which they wielded with one hand) who had their back to them.

“Mostly offense, minimal defense.”, Ornstein whispered. “But this one gives you a good opportunity for a first strike. Try it. I come after you.”

Tempest nodded and snuck up behind the black knight, preparing his sword and stumbling right before he could stab it into their back, alarming the black knight who turned around and used their massive sword to make Tempest flying.

“Damn.”, Ornstein cursed as he heard the little Storm land with a thud and a yowl, indicating how much that must have hurt and countered the next sword strike with his own spear, feeling how he got pushed back by sheer force. “How about picking a fight with someone your size?”, he said mockingly, even though he was aware that the black knight's mind long had been gone.

While Ornstein fought against the sheer pressure of the black knight's great sword, Tempest had managed to bring his Estus to his lips and healed himself up, getting up and pierced his sword in length through the black knight's back, finding the joints in their armour. Like usual, the black knight didn't bleed but instead a black mass emerged from the wound before it fell over and disappeared with an unholy scream.

“They have been long gone.”, Ornstein said, as Tempest stood there, panting. “Whatever happened to them when they followed Lord Gwyn, it made them go hollow...”

“Can gods even go hollow?”, Tempest asked as he leaned down to pick up what the black knight had left.

“Not like you humans.”, Ornstein said. “So not because of the dark sign. But it is possible. Through trauma for example. It... didn't happen often. To see so many black knights like this is worrying...”

Of course Ornstein knew the cause of their trauma. It was because they had burned in the kiln. The fate that Tempest awaited too... he just didn't want to tell the little Storm the truth. If he knew, he might bail. But.. thinking about it, thinking that the little Storm would burn, made Ornstein's throat go dry and he himself had a hollow feeling in his chest.

“One.”, Tempest said. “There are two more. The next is in the Undead Burg, not far from here.”

“Lead the way, little Storm.”, Ornstein said, having been ripped out of his thoughts. He needed to stop thinking about this. This only was another mission to fulfil. After the little Storm had linked the flame, he was free to go. He should concentrate on this.

The way to the Undead Burg was uneventful, just a few hollows were in their way which Tempest managed to take down on his own without trouble. Once they had gone down a few stairs, Tempest pointed at the black knight at the far end of a narrow way, one with a sword and a shield.

“Remember your parry training?”, Ornstein said and Tempest nodded. “It works on them as well as on the silver knights.”

In fact, most of the black knights had once been silver knights until they had decided to take up the battle against the demons and picked up bigger weapons and an armour that was more resilient against heat.

Tempest tiptoed to the black knight but they seemed to hear extremely good, even for beings that weren't physical anymore and this one turned around and lifted their sword. Tempest reacted wonderful and parried the blow with his shield carrying on with a riposte.

“Good.”, Ornstein whispered, but as Tempest turned his head to give him a smile Ornstein noticed that the black knight had pulled themselves together and shouted: “Watch out!”

Tempest only had enough time to turn his head, raise his shield in a desperate attempt to catch the incoming blow, got staggered by the poor force and sliced open with the continued attack of the black knight.

“Shit.”, Ornstein growled, jumping in and piercing the black knight with his spear while Tempest was searching for his Estus and took a large sip to heal the inflicted wound.

“Thank you, Ornstein, that was close.”, Tempest said, scratching the ground with his foot in embarrassment.

“Black knights are more sturdy than silver knights. You should already know that.”, Ornstein scolded Tempest which only made his face blush even more.

Sighing, Ornstein ran a hand through his ponytail and asked: “So, where is the last one?”

“Oh, I saw them at the Dark Root Basin. Where the Hydra is.”, Tempest said. “Hm, maybe we can take care of the Hydra too when we are already there...”

“Good idea. It has gotten quite fat.”, Ornstein said, deliberately leaving out the fact that he was partially responsible for its large body by feeding it his leftovers more than once.

Tempest seemed to take into consideration that Ornstein was uncomfortable with teleportation and led him back to the Undead Parish. He had been diligent and opened up quite a few shortcuts so that they only had to fight a few hollows. And a leftover boar which Tempest helped taking down with his pyromancy.

As they had arrived at the church and Ornstein already took the turn that would lead them to the garden, Tempest gasped and ran forwards, shouting: “Rhea!”

In fact, the small cleric woman was sitting there, praying in front of the statue of whichever goddess had been worshipped here. Ornstein came closer to listen into the conversation of the two Undead.

“So you have made it out of the Tomb?”, Tempest asked.

The cleric gasped at the sudden visitor and started to speak: “Hello… I will never forget what you did. I am deeply indebted, for it was not within my power to save Vince or Nico. I cannot thank you enough.”

She sighed and stared back at the statue of the goddess before continuing: “I only wish there were some way I could help you, but I am inexperienced, and I only know the art of Miracles. If that could be of any help, speak to me again.“

All the while the woman spoke Tempest nodded along to her words and then took up the word himself: “It is good to see that you made it out of the tomb. I will certainly remember your offer.” He went quiet for a little while before asking: “So, why are you hanging around here and not at Fire Link Shrine?”

“The bonfire down there is so crowded...”, Rhea answered. “I prefer the solitude of this place. Here I can pray in peace. Vereor Nox.”

“Vereor Nox.”, Tempest reciprocated the prayer before turning around and walking straight to the elevators that would lead back to Firelink Shrine.

“The garden is there.”, Ornstein said, a tiny bit annoyed, pointing to the right, to the door outside.

“I just wanted to make a quick stop at Fire Link Shrine, please?”, Tempest worded it more as a question but ignored anything that Ornstein had to say by stepping on the elevator, making the dragon slayer hurry to follow him. “I want to strengthen my pyromancy flame and take a quick look around before we move on.”

“Fine.”, Ornstein said as the elevator rode down. At least that meant that he cold avoid Blighttown a little while longer.

Once they had arrived, Tempest spotted the cleric with the bowl cut, Petrus was his name, Ornstein thought and shouted: “Hey Petrus, did you know that Rhea is safe?”

After hearing this, Petrus turned his attention to Tempest and mumbled: “…Oh, it's you… …You rescued M'lady? Well, a pity that is, for it will amount to nothing. For the little madam is not worth her salt without her family name. Keh heh heh heh…“

As Tempest still frowned at his words, Ornstein casually walked next to him and put a hand on his shoulder, gently pushing him forwards. When they were out of earshot, he said: “See him showing his true colours now?”

“I... I guess...”, Tempest said, clearly unhappy with Petrus response and Ornstein's reaction.

“That girl isn't safe. He will take the first opportunity to kill her, rob her of everything she have and then let her to hollow out.”, Ornstein said. “But... the fate of the Undead aren't my business. It's your choice what to do, little Storm.”

Tempest grew quiet and glanced at Petrus and then back to Ornstein. “I... could give Rhea a warning.”

“She hardly looks like the type of person who can defend herself.”, Ornstein said, shrugging. Tempest had a far too good nature and was far too gullible for his own good.

In a sense, he even had made Ornstein break out of his shell even though the dragon slayer would never admit it.

Tempest's next stop was Laurentius the Pyromancer who he asked to strengthen his pyromancy flame. It must have been rather strong in the meantime, Ornstein could not only see how quite a few souls changed their owner but also how much more it glowed.

Once Tempest was done and said his goodbye to Laurentius, he stepped through the broken arch and stopped, staring at the spot where the sorcerer apprentice once had stood.

“Griggs is gone.”, he said.

“Didn't he want to catch up with his Master?”, Ornstein said. “He probably went to Anor Londo.”

“I guess...”, Tempest said and took a turn to reach the bonfire. Nobody was around it.

“Neither Siegmeyer nor Sieglinde are here...”, he said.

“I don't know Siegmeyer but I wouldn't worry that much about Sieglinde. Whoevers comes here and manages to survive while not being Undead would be fit to be a silver knight. Or more.”

“It's more Siegmeyer I worry about.”, Tempest said. “Whenever I found him he was in trouble, I already told you that.”

Tempest grew silent after this and ascended the few steps that led to Kingseeker Frampt. The primordial serpent was fast asleep and snored, in fact he snored so loud that it was heard through the whole shrine.

“Hm, I guess I let him sleep.”, Tempest said. “You can probably tell me more about the lord souls anyway.”

“...”, Ornstein somehow managed to make his speechlessness audible. He knew that Frampt was telling a lie. He knew that the Chosen Undead was told that he would replace Lord Gwyn and stop the curse of the Undead once and for all.

The only thing that was true about this was that he would replace Lord Gwyn. As sacrifice, not as king.

Ornstein felt the familiar hollow feeling in his chest. Was he hollowing out? He didn't thought it was his time already...

“Wait a minute...”, Tempest squinted a squatting person on the other end of the pool and then gasped, running over to them.

“Patches! Are you here to kick me down a ledge again?!”, he yelled.

“Oh, we meet again. How many of you are there?“, Patches asked casually.

„Just me and Ornstein.“, Tempest said.

„And you better don't pull anything with the little Storm because I won't refrain kicking you down the ledge of Fire Link Shrine.“, Ornstein commented.

„Oh relax, no more funny business out of me, my friends!“, Patches said in a placating manner. I'm done with looting. I'm a humble merchant now! And wondrous treasures, have I! At a special price for you.“

He put a few items in front of him. „There you are, have a nice look at them.“

„I will keep an eye on him just in case...“, Ornstein said to Tempest as the small Undead browsed the wares.

A short while later a few souls changed their owner and Tempest had a shiny new humanity in his hands. Ornstein heard him chat with Patches a little longer. Apparently the bald men had quite a few opinions about the other Undead around. Ornstein wasn't too interested in them, his goal was to get Tempest to the flame. But he listened attentively once Patches talked about Petrus and pretty much confirmed his doubts about the man.

As Tempest said his goodbyes and wanted to turn back into the direction of the bonfire, Ornstein stopped him.

“What is it?”, Tempest asked. “The garden was our next step, remember?”

“Remember the Asylum?”, Ornstein said.

Tempest eyes grew wide at this and he nodded excitedly.

“Then follow me.”, Ornstein stepped near one of the pillars and judged its height. Then, he put Tempest up (who complained about being manhandled for a second before he grew silent) and jumped up the pillar. He continued to jump from the pillar to the walls until he was at a broken tower where stairs led up, where he put Tempest down.

“Do you see the crow there?”, Ornstein pointed at the rather hard to overlook crow on the wall next to Frampt's pool.

“How could I overlook it? It is the very same that carried me here.”, Tempest said.

“You can trick it to carry you back to the Asylum by laying in its nest.”, Ornstein said.

“...How did anyone ever found that out?”, Tempest wondered and ascended the stairs. As he was halfway up, he stopped and stared at something on a roof.

“I think I see something shiny there.”, he pointed to it but before he could act and storm off, Ornstein had pulled him back.

“I get it.”, he said and jumped over to the roof without effort. After a little bit of searching he found a key that the sun had reflected light off, this must have been how the little Storm had spotted it in the first place.

He jumped back to Tempest and handed him the key. “Here you go, little Storm.”

“Thank you, Ornstein.”, Tempest said, eyeing the key. “I wonder where it fits?”

“To be honest, looks like a key from the Asylum.”, Ornstein pointed on the hard to make out letters which read A F2. “I am surprised we can still see them, with how rusted it is...”

“Well, let's just try the key once we are there.”, Tempest smiled, pocketing it.

Once they were at the nest Tempest stared at Ornstein with big eyes.

“The crow actually only carries one person at a time, so I show you what to do and you come after me.”, Ornstein sad and then curled into a ball in the nest, hearing Tempest chuckle. “Don't laugh.”, he hissed.

“Oh, it's just... I didn't think... that I would see you... do.. something that... ridiculous.”, Tempest brought out between snorts which quickly turned into a surprised “Woah!” when Ornstein felt how the crow picked him up and he got carried over.

Ten minutes later the little Storm got dropped off next to him, picking himself up.

“Huh.”, he said. “The last time I have been here there were less torch hollows.”

“Seems like we have to fight our way through to find your friend.”, Ornstein said, readying his spear. Next chapter: https://mrslittletall.tumblr.com/post/190441575024/title-a-storm-is-coming-chapter-21-fandom-dark

#dark souls #fanfiction #dragon slayer ornstein #chosen undead #oc tempest #orndead #littlewritesstuff

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kanwriteseverything · 4 years

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Iron Bullet Legacy: Chapter 4

Drunk and Stupid

Torryn’s POV

Day two on the wrong side of the veil, venturing around the fay streets alone. I thought about putting my mask on, but I try to avoid doing so unless I’m pursuing a target. There are plenty of humans on the enchanted side anyway, so I don’t think I stand out in particular.

The sun is on its way to set. I’ve passed a few portals labeled with outposts I recognize, but I’m hoping to find a waypoint that puts me near Yaling, which is where I was heading before the ambush. Travel on the enchanted side equates to double the distance beyond the veil, since this side is multiplanar, connected largely by portals and tears. As I travel further into North Haven, I should be heading South on the other side.

That’s what Lennox told me, anyway.

The younger fairy woke me up by accident yesterday morning, stubbing her toe on the door. She yelped something about rosemary in her distress, and I groggily breached consciousness, calling her the wrong name by mistake.

“Can I ask who Fiona is?” she later asked as we shared morning coffee.

I tore my hair out of its ponytail to comb my fingers through it. “My younger sister. When I lived at home, she came into my room a lot in the middle of the night.” She’s plagued by this recurring nightmare that often used to keep her from sleeping. I’d take her for a walk by the river to calm her down. “Sometimes she’d bump into my nightstand on accident and wake me up.”

“Is that where you were headed on your journey? Home?”

“No, I was looking for a city I’ve never been before. Yaling.”

That’s when she gave me a hybrid map for both sides of the veil, and showed me how the cardinal directions exist opposite one another. According to it now, I won’t make it to the right waypoint by nightfall. I should probably post up somewhere until morning. There’s an inn marked a few streets away. I can make my way there.

I hate being in places I don’t know. Well, I love it and I hate it. I hate having to watch my own six, mainly because I get so distracted and end up lost, but I love seeing all the places and people different from home. Fay tend to collapse their wings on the other side to blend in with humans, but here, there are so many fairies in one spot, sparkling in a way they only do beyond the veil, using their wings to hover above the ground. It all looks magical… which makes sense, since their bodies rely on magick to function.

Magick…

“You there!” a street merchant calls out to me. “Would it be you’re lost?”

What was my tell? The map, or me walking by his stand three times now? I guess I’m an open book. “Looking for somewhere to spend the night, actually. Headed to outpost 37 south.”

“37 south? That's a ways more to go. Aye, you’d best take up a room at the inn the ‘round the corner there, on your left.”

I was this close... Well, I’d surely have found it eventually.

“There’s a cracking bar next door there, too, if you fancy yourself a bevvy.”

It’d do me no good to get tanked in a city I’ve never been, on the wrong side of the veil, but a little alcohol sounds like a good means of taking the edge of the last week’s chaos.

The inn has a bright, lit-up sign even a foolish mortal could spot if he’d walked down the right street. The receptionist is a young fay by the name of Quillan, so says his name plate. He sets me up with a room for the night before I even get the chance to tell him that it’s Torryn with a y, not an i.

Quillan also recommends the bar next door. It’s bustling with less-than-passionate older couples, more-than-passionate en-sports fans, and moderately-passionate drunkards, humans and fay alike. I order some roast beast sliders and a half pint of ale, able to secure a seat at a little table near the door I came in. The TVs are covering competitions for exerwing and celerwing, which are almost comparable to human gymnastics and cross country... but with flying. I guess it’s a bit like the pub back home, in that they both serve alcohol.

I don’t know that I’ll be back in these parts anytime soon.

“Oh, come on! Tell him he can visit,” Lennox urged Sitara when I left.

Her mouth twisted to the side. “I’d prefer not to. Human doctors are much more equipped to manage human wounds.”

She wasn’t wrong, but I had to laugh. Doctors on my side always badger me about my profession when I need to be seen. I try to avoid it, if possible. With injuries notably fay related, some have refused to me entirely. Sitara though? She wouldn’t even accept payment from me after everything, since I was technically… well, entirely… brought in against my will. I still left behind some mortal and enchanted kroner, because I wasn’t too sure what they’d prefer. One of them has probably found the sachets I hid beneath a bunch of herbs.

The mage looked at me with a small smile. The roots of her hair were starting to turn black when I last saw her.

Will I see her again?

No. I don’t know if I’ll ever be back in these parts.

A wine-soaked voice cuts through my personal space as a woman takes the seat in front of me. “Hey there, cowboy!” Co… cowboy? Oh, right. Fay use that as a term of endearment for human men, don’t they? “Haven’t seen yous ‘round here before!” Her slender hand walks onto my thigh.

She's bold, that’s for sure, but her makeup is quite nice. Much better than Fiona’s has ever been, though she is sixteen and half blind. Last time I was home, she used me as a practice mannequin.

“I’m just passing through.” I put as much space between us as the tight corner allows. “Got a name, stranger?”

“I’m Torryn. What about yo—”

“Torry! Hi there!” My mom’s the only one who still calls me that at twenty-five. Unless you count Willem, who calls me Dowwy, since he’s not yet three and doesn’t exactly grasp how letters work. “My, we don’t get too many handsome fella around here!” She draws her syllables out twofold, playing with the ends of her blonde hair.

This is one of those encounters, isn’t it? Where a man is sitting by himself, and it makes him vulnerable, an easy target, and a kind lady seduces him, because she has such a charitable soft spot for lonely men, only to wake up next to him at dawn and make off with whatever he has that’ll turn a quick kroner. Totally haven’t been kicked by that pony before.

It’s either that, or this fay is just… remarkably way off the mark.

“Do you live in New Haven?” I prepare a swift retreat to my room.

“Just a bit west, actually.” She nods, pointing east. “I’ve got a little place of my own.”

“Ah, well, this is my first time here. I just rented a room next door.”

“Oooh, neats!” She leans in close enough to lodge her noxious perfume between my sinuses. “Well then, what do you say, cowboy? Why don’t we hurry up and take this some place private?”

“Sorry, miss...” She traces my hand. “I’ve got to head out early tomorrow. Best to get some rest. Nice talking with you. Enjoy your evening.”

My room back at the inn is peaceful. The bed is a bed, and the room is a room, but it’s peaceful. What in the fiddle was that fairy on about? She didn’t even tell me her name! I pull the pillow over my face as I collapse onto the mattress and shake off the lingering exchange. How exhausting. If I were five years younger, I probably would’ve stayed to talk. Maybe we would’ve gotten drunk and stupid together, but that’s just not fun for me anymore.

It used to be my scene, when I was young, and just getting used to new legs, as I’d recently joined the Enchanted Forces Unit. Bounty hunting has never been naturally conducive to long term commitments and, between my shiny new soldier status and prior experience traveling solo, I wasn’t a stranger to one-night stands. An EFU assignment I got a few months into the gig brought me to the east side of a rural town called Caphia. I met a girl at a tavern, which is where I would meet most girls. Her name was Ananke. She was gorgeous, and witty, and good at cards. Very good at cards. Maybe I should’ve taken the five lost games in a row as a red flag.

Even though I wasn’t a stranger to one-night stands, that’s not what we were. I let her call me Torry, and “I was the only one” who called her Nan. She wore my shirts, and spent every night with me in my hotel room in Caphia… and Itagus, and so on. A number of our evenings were spent getting drunk and stupid, and it was fun.

Then I was tasked with taking down a trio of rogue fay in a big city. It was a case of human children trafficking that required I set up in Acadon for a month. I used most of my monthly EFU allowance to rent us an apartment from a sweet old man who ran a pharmacy down the street, throwing in extra kroner for the inconvenience, since we weren’t staying long. It was tough job, because it reminded me of Fiona’s accident.

Ananke was the type of girl who liked taverns and cards and drinking games so much she hardly ever left. She always seemed to be between jobs. When she needed money, she could find it, but we always gambled with mine.

I quickly discovered I wasn’t built for her lifestyle. I didn’t take kindly to being hungover, and I liked remembering the night before in the morning. More than that, though, I felt guilty about the example I was setting for my siblings, even if they weren’t around to see it. That’s when it started, I guess. The beginning of the end, for me, anyway. She’d get drunk on her own more often, while I ate three trays too many of nachos or mozzarella sticks or fried pickles.

The closer I got to taking out the trio, the faster they started working. The disappearance rate was climbing, and I was losing my sanity. Fiona. This could’ve been Fiona, I kept thinking. This could’ve been my family. But Ananke didn’t get along with her family, who lived in whatever town she never told me the name of. She gave advice about my stress as good as a brick wall, though I bet the wall wouldn’t have told me that family is just a toxic, patriarchal construct, and I should go AWOL, and just have a beer already, Torry… but I wasn’t talking to many brick walls back then.

I killed the traffickers, and found a dozen terrified kids with them. After desperate mothers and fathers hugged me, thanking me for bringing back their children, I threw up outside the Caphia sheriff’s department. Missing posters with photos of tiny faces had to remain around town still. Too many for me to stomach.

That night? I wanted to drink.

So I sauntered into the tavern with a bit of pocket kroner, travelling light because of the mission, and the girl who liked taverns and cards and drinking games wasn’t there. I took a bottle back to my room, found the note, and got drunk. I was already stupid... had been the whole time.

All’s fair in love and war, she wrote.

She took a military issued blaster I was reamed for losing, a watch my parents had gifted me, and all the money from my bag, not to mention the cast iron skillet Fiona saved her chore money up to get me for my birthday the year before. Strange child, asking me to carry around a whole pan when I traveled, but I’d have said yes even if it were a whole trunk of them.

Would Ananke have taken it if she was sober enough to hear me that time I told her it was from my little sister?

I try not to wonder.

There aren’t too many people I’d share a drink with now. Hmm... maybe… no. Best bet is Fiona when she turns twenty-one, though she insists she doesn’t care about “that kind of stuff.”

Although, maybe Sitara.

Sitara…?

Fiddle, where’s that coming from?

Can I ask what happened?

I’m sure the explanation you come up with will be better than the truth.

The fairy mage…

Something about her isn’t adding up.

I’ve never heard of a fairy getting sick from a lack of magick. Why so many candles, then? Why the cherry blossom tree?

She said she was fine. The tree is magickal enough to sustain fay without the candles. Well, their magick is regenerative! A normal fay wouldn’t need to rely heavily on either! Let alone a fairy mage...

I don’t understand.

I mean, her hand has a bunch of rods attached to it, and wires leading beneath her skin. She somehow recognized the F3. Tons of fairy mages fought in the war… just… not many fought on our side.

I only knew her for two days.

But there’s something about her laugh… Maybe…

Makes me want to get drunk with her.

Someday.

#writing #writer #story #fantasy #short story #iron bullet legacy #kan writes stories

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hopevalley · 5 years

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so now that we know how you feel about jack, i kind of want to know your opinion on everyone else! how about lee to start things off?

I guess it’s time for Brutally Honest Hour: Lee is boring. He started off with some potential but I feel like he’s gotten sidelined one too many times. Like Bill, I think one of the biggest weaknesses of his character is his lack of a relationship to the townsfolk. He has a relationship to the town (the sawmill) but who are his best friends now that Jack is gone?

I like that the series is making an effort to make both he and Rosemary recognizable people in town (who chat with the children and are generally well-liked). I’d go for more of that in a heartbeat! I want to see, for example, Emily confide in Rosemary about something just because she feels safe in doing so. Little things like that can make a big difference for both characters.

I enjoy Lee when he is on screen, for the record, but it feels like he just…doesn’t do much. Maybe more small romantic gestures from him would do a little to show us his relationship with Rosemary without having to explicitly state anything. A note on the stove when he has to leave before breakfast. Heck, what about a tender little scene where she’s sleeping in bed and he tucks her hair back a little and leaves a note on the nightstand for her? I don’t need high-stakes drama; I just need a little care shown to see who these people are.

Who is Lee as a person? We know a little bit about who Lee the Husband is. We know who Lee the Boss is. But who is Lee Coulter the Man? Are his parents alive? Does he talk to them? Could they visit him someday, or vice-versa? If they’re dead, does he ever visit their grave? Has he taken Rosemary? He had a brother who passed away young but did he have other siblings? Has he ever made a bad business deal? Has he ever made a misstep in love? Who was his first crush? First love? Who taught him to dance?

Lee has been around a long time and I still feel that we barely know him beyond the bare basics. I guess at the very least, we have a good idea of his character foundation…but I still want to know more about him.

Maybe this S7 “secret” he’s been keeping will be a bigger deal than many of us think it will be… Could be good.

#waiting until feb 23 is gonna kill me #also i took the 24th off just to write my update #i needed a day off to look forward to #anonymously asked #answered mail #Lee Coulter #analysis and meta discussion

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deathinaprettypinkdress · 5 years

Text

Beautiful Lies: Chapter Two

A/N: I posted this on both AO3 and FanFiction, and I thought I would post it here. I have found so many wonderful Peaky Blinders fanfictions and imagines, and I thought I would throw my hat in the ring, and maybe, hopefully, someone will like it.

Summary: When Violet traveled to Small Heath to see her childhood friend, she thought the only thing that had changed about him was his name. She soon learns that isn’t the case, and struggles to recognize the boy she grew up with. MichaelxOC

1922

A year and half had gone by since Violet had last seen Henry-Michael, rather, it still felt odd to call him that. He had always been Henry to her. For a while he kept his promise. He wrote to her every few weeks. She was always thrilled to receive a letter from him, but they were becoming less and less frequent, as well as shorter and shorter. The last one that she had received from him was barely a paragraph, as opposed to the letters Violet sent him, always making sure to spray it with a bit of the lavender-scented perfume and giving the envelope a kiss before dropping it in the mailbox. But the last paragraph that she received from him, was perhaps the best letter she had gotten from him yet: an invitation.

Six months after Michael left, her father died, and only three months ago, her mother followed, and since then, she had stayed with her elder sister, Lucy. Michael had written her a week after her mother’s death, and the response Violet sent out was the one that contained news of her mother’s death. Only a week ago had Violet heard from Michael, expressing his condolences and inviting her to Small Heath, to stay with him and his mother, Polly. Violet had been hesitant to accept. Her entire life was in this little village, her friends, her sister, her nephew. Everyone except Michael. She still loved him after all this time, and she missed him everyday. She had expressed this concern to her sister.

Lucy’s response had surprised Violet. Lucy had told Violet that she ought to take Michael up on that offer. Lucy had decided that Violet had been too sheltered in the village and she should go out into the world, experience it, just a little. And Lucy had assured her that, if Violet was unhappy while she stayed in Small Heath, Lucy’s door would be open for her little sister. It was a scary thought to Violet, to leave the place that she called home. In all honesty, she was terrified. The world was daunting to her. She wanted to stay in her village, where she was safe. But against her better judgment, she listened to her sister, and decided to accept Michael’s invitation. She wrote back to him, and told him she would and by the time she would be coming. And Lucy had walked with Violet to the train station, hoping to provide her little sister with some comfort, and waved her sister off, not before kissing her forehead and giving one last reminder that she was welcome home at any time. And so, Violet set off for Small Heath, not knowing what she should expect.

As she sat on the train, with E. M. Forster’s A Room With A View sitting open in her lap, she stared out the window, almost in a daze. She couldn’t read her book now, she as too distracted and too nervous. Her mind was going a mile a minute, trying to think of what Small Heath could be like. Michael wasn’t too descriptive on what it was like, he only told her that there was such a difference between the little village and Small Heath. Violet didn’t know what to expect when she got off the train. She wouldn’t even know which way to go. She had an address, but she didn’t know which way or how far it was from the train station.

Michael had told her of his family, his mother and cousins. His mother, Polly, frightened her the most. Not only did Violet wish to impress her, as she was the girlfriend of his son and Violet wanted her approval, but in general, she sounded like she was a force to be reckoned with. She sounded different from Rosemary Johnson. Of course, Rosemary Johnson could be tough on her sons from time to time, Michael did have a mischievous streak. But Polly Gray sounded different. Tough in a different way. She sounded like someone Violet would move out of the way from when walking down the street. She sounded tough in a way that frightened Violet, but she also sounded like she tried hard to get to know her son.

The train ride to Small Heath took three and a half hours, but being so lost in her thoughts, those three and a half hours flew by, only feeling like twenty minutes, at most. As Rose exited the train, the first thing that she noticed was gray. It was so dreary and dark, so different from the blue skies and yellow sun and green grass in the village. Everything there was so vibrant, here, it was all muted. It would be enough to put anyone in a bad mood, to make anyone feel sad. But Violet wouldn’t feel sad, she couldn’t feel sad. She had missed Michael more than anything and she was thrilled that she was getting the chance to see him again. He told her that he worked for his cousins’ business as an accountant. Violet didn’t know exactly what sort of business it was, he rarely wrote about the business, and he barely gave her any details. She had tried to ask him more about his work, but in his letters, he always seemed to skirt about the question, never giving it to her straight. ‘This and that’ he would say. He would also say that there was some work with horses.

Violet was sure that having some of the work with horses would make him happy. She remembered his bay mare. Violet loved to ride too, but not so much as Michael. She would often go check up on his horse, and let him know that Michael would be coming home soon, even though Violet knew that was a lie. She had been completely wrong about Michael going to find his family. He was thrilled. He seemed to have settled right in, and even before her parents died, he had invited her to come visit him in Small Heath. Even in his shortest letters, he was trying to convince her to come and visit, but Violet had always refused.

Violet had even mentioned that to her parents and they refused to let her go. She had turned eighteen, her birthday just two months after Michael’s, and Violet’s eighteenth birthday had been three weeks before her mother died. In those three weeks, a conversation about Violet going to Small Heath hadn’t come up. But when she was seventeen, her parents refused to let her visit, saying that Small Heath wasn’t the place for a young lady. Even though they didn’t say whether or not they thought Michael had got caught up in it, but they did know of the crime that plagues Small Heath, and that it would be inappropriate for her to go unsupervised. They thought it was too dangerous for her to go at all.

Violet had asked for Lucy’s advice before she left, telling her about what their parents had told Violet. Lucy just told Violet to go directly to the address Michael gave her. That she should speak to know one but the cabby and wait for Michael. Lucy assured Violet that if he would invite her, that he ought to be willing to show her how things worked. ‘Any decent person would, at least,” Lucy had said. It wasn’t that Lucy didn’t like Michael, or the man she knew to be Henry Johnson. Far from it. Half of Violet’s childhood, Michael would be at their house. It was just that ever since Michael had moved, Lucy worried for her little sister. Violet was a romantic, and she was naive. Anyone growing up so sheltered as she had would be. And Violet had been so sure that Michael would be back. Lucy had only encouraged Violet to go, if only to snap her out of this little fantasy Violet had, of marriage and a house and a white picket fence and loads of children and a dog or two.

Lucy liked Michael, but she loved Violet. She doubted anything would come of their relationship. They were both so young. She just wanted her little sister to be happy, and she didn’t think that Violet would be happy with Michael. They both needed to move on, Violet especially. Violet had too many fantasies, her head was lost in the clouds and Lucy hoped that Violet would come down soon. She hoped this trip to Small Heath would wake her up, she knew Violet would be back with the month, sooner perhaps. Lucy didn’t know any other way to get Violet to come back to reality.

Violet left the train station and hailed a cab. She gave him the address, and sat quietly in the back as they drove to the address that Michael had given her. All the ride, Violet could feel butterflies swarming around in her stomach. She was afraid her nerves would get the better of her. It was important to Violet that she impress everyone in Michael’s family. Her parents had liked Michael, and they approved of their relationship, as did the Johnson’s. She wanted to impress the Gray’s, or rather just Mrs. Gray and the Shelby’s. It was clear through his letters that he loved his mother very much and held his family in a high regard, and Violet wanted them to like her. She had always had a bit of a problem with people liking her. She was always so desperate for it. Especially when it came to people in authority. She had always tried to kiss up to the teacher’s being called a teacher’s pet. It bothered Violet that many of her classmates didn’t like her, but she would rather have the teacher’s approval than her classmates. It was even something that Michael had teased her about. Violet just had to be accepted, and she was desperate for the approval of Michael’s family. The cab pulled to a stop in front of a nice looking house, and Violet stepped out of the cab. She turned and sweetly told him ‘Thank you so much,’ as she paid him and it was clear that such politeness was a rarity here. The cab drove away leaving Violet in front of the house alone. She took a deep breath, trying to get the courage she needed to go up and knock on the door, for the first time in a year and half almost, she was going to see Michael. She doubted he had changed that much in such a short amount of time. Could he? No, he couldn’t. He would be the same that he was as when he left. Things would pick up right where they left off. There relationship would fall right back in place and they’d continue as things had been before. The only difference would be the setting, and Violet could live with that.

Violet had dressed smartly for her trip. She was wearing a royal blue dress with a sheer overlay, that blew around the skirts with the wind. There was a dropped waist that was cinched just slightly, but still loose, in keeping with the current fashion. She wore an ivory coat that she hadn’t buttoned and she wore an ivory cloche hat. There was a wide collar lined in ivory lace.

Violet slowly walked up to the front door, taking her time as she did so. The butterflies were still swarming in her stomach, afraid of what would happen when she knocked on the door. She hoped that it was Michael who answered. After hearing of Polly Gray, Violet feared her, without having ever met her. Violet reached the front door before she was ready. She took a deep breath and knocked on the door. Time seemed to move slowly, too slowly for Violet’s liking. This felt like the three and a half hours that it was supposed to take for her to get to Small Heath from the village. The door opened up and Violet took another quick deep breath, getting much more nervous. She did so a little too quick and she ended up coughing a little.

“Christ, you look like you’re about to fall down,” said a woman.

Violet immediately looked up and a blush painted her pale cheeks. Violet hadn’t realized that she had become pale in all of her nervousness. The woman was short, shorter than Violet by about an inch, but she seemed to have such a commanding presence that it felt like she was towering over Violet. She had dark hair and dark eyes, and Violet guessed that this woman was Michael’s mother, Polly Gray. She was even more intimidating than Violet thought she would be. Violet stood still for a moment, her mouth hanging open. It took Violet a moment to realize, only doing so when she realized that the woman in front of her was looking at her expectantly. Violet shook her head slightly, and began speaking.

“Sorry, I’m fine,” said Violet, becoming flustered easily. “You must Henry-Michael, Michael’s mother. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Polly- sorry, Mrs. Gray. Or is it Ms. Gray?” Violet took a deep breath, before speaking again. “I’m sorry. I’m Violet Palmer. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

The woman, Polly, Violet suspected, chuckled slightly. Violet calmed down slightly, becoming less tense. Still, Violet was nervous. She had just made a rambling introduction and she made herself look like a fool, and she was sure she would continue to do so.

“So you’re Michael’s Violet,” said Polly looking Violet up and down, trying to size her up. “You’re just about what I expected.”

“That’s good, I hope,” said Violet, nervously.

“It’s good,” Polly said, stepping out of the way. “Alright, in you get.”

Violet entered the house and looked around. It was nice, and while it wasn’t a mansion, it was still a larger than average home. She could see Michael living here and being happier than he was in the village. But then again, he might have felt more at home anywhere than the village.

“I hope that this isn’t an inconvenience,” said Violet.

“Not a bother at all,” said Polly. “Michael talks about you all the time.”

“Good things, I hope,” Violet said.

“Good things,” Polly confirmed. “Figured it’s time I finally met you.”

Violet felt much less tense, knowing that Polly wanted to meet her, and she was happy to know that Michael spoke of her. But she was still nervous. She wanted Michael’s family to like her. She hadn’t worried when it came to the Johnson’s. She had known them since she was a little girl. To her, there was little doubt that they would approve. But with Polly, she wasn’t so sure.

“Er, is Michael around?” Violet asked.

“He’ll be here soon,” said Polly. “In the meantime, I’ve put the kettle on. Let’s have a chat, hm?”

#peaky blinders #peaky blinders fanfic #peaky blinders fanfiction #peaky blinders imagine #michael gray #michael gray imagine #michael gray fanfiction #michael gray fanfic

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