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perlelune · 8 months

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Cruel Summer | Felix Catton

Your mother's money issues make it hard for you to enjoy your summer at Saltburn. Thankfully your cousin is there to comfort you. But what happens when you realize his interest in you isn't just familial concern?

Warnings: DUB-CON, NON-CON, Start! Reader, Incest, Secret Relationship, Manipulation, Corruption, Innocent Reader, Drugs, Smoking, Filming

This is a dark story. Heed warnings before reading under the cut.

Your eyes round as they absorb the massive castle and the vast, lush gardens surrounding it. As you drag your suitcase behind you, you can’t quell the urge to admire everything. Even the towering, perfectly symmetrical trees lining the path to the iron gates. It’s been years since you visited Saltburn, but you don’t remember it being so big or intimidating.

Still, you bask in the chirping of birds and the brightness of the sky above you. You’re compelled to admit it. The English countryside is lovely, a haven away from the pollution and noise of the city. A sharp contrast to the familiar chaos you’re used to back home. The uproar of traffic, from the honking to the shouting. The endless stream of people strutting down the streets. The gigantic ads and the skyscrapers that graze the stars.

A city that never rests or stops for anyone.

While this is home, it all can be so overwhelming. There never is time to just…breathe and be. Here, as you look at your surroundings, you figure it’s all there is to do. Breathe and be.

You push the small iron door on the side, astonished to find it ajar. Did they leave it open for you? You doubt it however. From what Mom told you, consideration for others isn’t one of your aunt and uncle’s strong suits. They’re too wrapped up in their “posh little world”. One your mom isn’t a part of anymore. And neither are you, as you’ve been raised overseas.

As for your brother…well he’s another matter. Shipped from school to school thanks to Uncle James’ “bottomless well of generosity”, he is a free spirit. Seas apart from you in every possible way.

Ever since you were young, the pressure to succeed has gripped you tight and never released you. When others partied and experimented, you were nose deep in your books, stressing over finishing every assignment on time and acing every test. It paid off. You were accepted into your school of choice this summer, with a scholarship no less.

Slacking off isn’t an option for you.

While your brother has a sort of safety net, you’re not so close with that side of your family. You’re their estranged American niece, one they haven’t seen in over a decade.

In fact, you’ve no idea how you’ll be received.

The long walk to the castle is harrowing but gives you time to comb through your memories. You were so little the last time you visited. Still, foggy remembrance floods your thoughts. You played with your cousins by the pond. Made up stories and ran around the fields. You even faintly recall skinning your knees when one of them dared you to try and climb all the way to the top of the stone stairs beneath the stained glass window. You slipped for a long time and wept on the floor, you think. Auntie Elspeth scolded her children and you for playing dangerous games.

Their cherubic faces flicker in your mind.

There were two of them.

A little boy with dark hair and a gummy smile. A blonde girl who giggled all the time. And of course, your brother.

When you’ve reached the castle’s front door, you suck in a wide breath. Before you can even knock on the tall, black doors, they swing open in front of you.

A surprised exhale spills from your throat.

Swallowing, you fall back.

Hands behind his back, a stern man in a suit runs his gaze over you. He is so still, for a minute, you wonder if he’s real.

But then he speaks. “Are you lost, miss?” he asks.

You shift, a surge of inadequacy filling you. Still, you clear your throat and give a tremulous answer.

“Hi. I…I’m here to visit my family.”

The man doesn’t budge, still pinning you with his unflinching stare. Sweat breaks out on your back. Are you at the right place?

“The Cattons,” you offer, an awkward smile stretching your lips. “My brother should already be here.” You start rummaging through your backpack to pull out a map. “This is Saltburn, right? Auntie Elspeth sent me the itinerary but perhaps I-”

He cuts you off, seeming almost annoyed with you.

“Right, you’re…earlier than we expected, Ms. Start.”

“I could come back later-”

“The gates aren’t open. We’d have sent someone to pick you up.”

You glance back, dumbfounded. The gates were definitely open, weren’t they? Or perhaps that little door wasn’t supposed to be crossed. Your cheeks flame. The elaborate rules your wealthy relatives abide by are already eluding you.

Your shoulders heave and fall.

“It’s okay, it wasn’t that long a walk.”

The man stiffly allows you in. You note the two black men standing by the door. They haven’t uttered a single word, blending into the background. Always seen but never heard. You believe your brother mentioned something like that in his sporadic texts and letters. Your gaze tears from them. The inside of Saltburn is even more majestic, a thing you didn’t think possible. Standing in a museum wouldn’t be much different, you suppose, between the antiques sitting on shelves, paintings hanging on the walls and crystal chandeliers hovering above you.

So, this is what generational wealth looks like.

When you were little, you didn’t notice this. You were too busy playing. Now, it’s all you can see.

“Just leave your bag there. Someone will get it for you,” the man says.

“Someone, as in…”

“Someone,” he repeats, staunchly refusing to elaborate.

The grip on the handle of your suitcase tightens.

“I really don’t need it. I can carry it myself.”

The man considers you, his face twitching as if you just spat in it. Your insides stir in confusion. All you’ve said is that you don’t mind carrying your own luggage.

The loud utterance of your name has your head snapping sideways.

Your mouth falls open when a towering, young man in a yellow shirt around your age strides in your direction.

He halts in front of the stern man, chiding him with a playful lilt in his tone.

“Really Duncan? You’re scaring the poor girl. Duncan, stop being so terrifying. She’s family.”

“Well, I shall try.”

You note the subtle warmth in the man’s tone as he addresses the newcomer.

He turns to you, beaming. Your stomach flutters. “Cousin, try not to be too terrified of Duncan.”

You’re taken aback when he grabs the hand gripping the suitcase. His large hand completely engulfs yours.

“I’ll show her to her room. Don’t worry,” he chimes. He pulls you away and you’re forced to keep up with his long, enthusiastic strides. He tosses you a glance, laughing when you sort of hop behind him. “Sorry about that. Duncan’s a bit odd, but he’s alright, you’ll see.”

“And you are…?”

Disappointment creeps on his face at your question. He spreads a hand over his chest.

“Felix, your cousin. Golly, you don’t remember me? Really? That kind of hurts.”

Your eyes grow. The picture in your mind was that of a chubby-cheeked, clumsy little boy. Your cousin definitely isn’t that anymore.

“Oh my god, yes! Felix. You don’t have a lisp anymore and…You’re like a giant now.”

A smug expression lights his features.

“Puberty.”

You laugh in response. “Yeah, I guess we all grew up.”

A strange glint fleets across his gaze as he gives you a quick once over.

“Clearly,” he says, his smile expanding.

He shows you around the estate. You can’t suppress your awe when he mentions Henry VIII, surprised Saltburn’s history stretches that far back. The library also radiates ancient and priceless, countless rare leather-bound books sitting on the shelves. A smile creeps on your face when Felix greets the ghost of your grandmother.

He takes you through a vertiginous amount of hallways until taking you to what will be your room. It’s apparently right next to Venetia’s. You glance around, expecting another long lost cousin to pop up perhaps. But it’s just you and Felix in the vast bedroom.

He leans against the doorjamb while you soak in the room and the massive bed, large enough to welcome three or four people. It’s nothing like your tiny bed at home or the one in your college dorm. This is something you never had, and that is just Felix and Venetia’s normal. It makes you speechless.

You drop your backpack on the floor at the foot of the bed.

The mattress bounces as you plop down on it. You let your fingers skim over the blissfully soft sheets.

Your contemplation is abbreviated by the ringing of your phone. You flip it open. The screen lights up, signaling a new message received. You type on the glowing arrows to find out it’s from Mom.

Remember to ask your aunt and uncle for what we talked about.

I really need you, sweetie.

You unleash a heavy breath. Your mom is the one who pressured you to go on this trip. Ever since her brother’s regular payments have dried up, your mother’s been relentless. She keeps claiming she wants her share of the trust and your uncle argues that she used all of it. First, she recruited Farleigh to speak on her behalf. Your brother’s attempts have met little success however. So your mother enlisted you.

You don’t know what more you can do that your brother couldn’t, but you can never say no to anything your mother asks.

“Is something wrong?” Felix inquires, making his way to your bed to sit near you. The scent of his pricey cologne tingles your nose.

“It's nothing,” you lie. “Just Mom asking if my arrival’s been smooth.”

Your cousin seems like the living embodiment of sunshine, just like you remember. If possible, you want to keep him out of the money issues between your mom and Uncle James.

Felix tilts his head as he studies you.

“It’s kinda funny.”

“What?”

“The way you say ‘mum’”

A laugh peals from your lips.

“I guess I’m gonna have to get used to my accent being made fun of.”

Felix shrugs. “My mum will think it’s exotic.”

You cringe inside. You never liked that word, how it makes you feel like an animal in a zoo.

Switching topics, you ask, “Is my brother around? I haven’t seen him in forever.”

“Ah, Farleigh’s probably skulking about somewhere.”

You chew on your bottom lip. “I don’t know what to say to him.”

Felix collects the book poking through the zipper of your backpack. He flips through the stained pages of your copy of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood prince. You accidentally spilled coffee on it during a late night study session.

“You could talk to him about this,” he offers, waving the book. “We’ve kind of been passing around Venetia’s copy. Although I tend to skip to the most interesting parts, but don’t tell everyone else.”

You smile.

“Your secret’s safe with me,” you reply solemnly.

He watches you for a long time, long enough for your gaze to find the floor as your face heats.

“It’s really good having you here with us, cousin. I mean it.”

You fidget in your spot. “Thanks.”

Felix flashes you a mischievous grin.

“But I’ll need to make sure you remember me this time.”

The rest of the day is spent reconnecting with your other relatives. Everyone gathers in the library and you get to meet Venetia, realizing she too has changed a lot since you were kids.

Oliver, Felix’s friend from Oxford is also there. From your cousin’s broad explanations, it appears he’s grieving the loss of one of his parents, so he invited him to make sure he isn’t alone. It’s unbelievably kind. Besides, you’re guessing from Oliver’s lost puppy dog stares and awkward manners, that he’s as out of place as you are here. Instant sympathy blooms inside you when you’re introduced to him.

A woman named Pamela is also in attendance. She is Aunt Elpseth’s close friend, though it’d be hard to tell, the way she orders her around like a servant and exposes the long list of tragedies her love life has been to the entire room.

A saying about friends and enemies flutters through your mind as you witness their interactions. It’s such a bizarre spectacle, watching this red-haired woman, dead behind the eyes, bend over backwards for your aunt. You don’t remember Aunt Elspeth being this cold-blooded.

And naturally, there is your brother. Farleigh. Aloof in the back, apart from the Cattons, your eyes collide from across the room. He smiles at you. You smile back. Warmth flows through you.

It’ll be a while before you’re comfortable around each other again. It pains you to say, but you don’t know your own brother all that well anymore.

Dinner’s a strangely formal affair. Everyone’s dressed to the nines, giving the family gathering more of a cocktail party vibe than that of a family dinner. Venetia lends you a dress so you aren’t the odd one out. You thank her profusely. All you packed when you left America are jeans and a few pairs of shorts. It never occurred to you that you’d need any kind of formal wear since you figured you would be around family.

But you failed to take into account said family is also a part of British high society.

Awkwardness fills you as you hesitate over the utensils, the different kinds of knives and forks making you dizzy. You don’t want to make a fool of yourself on the first day. Seeming to grasp your predicament, Venetia nudges your elbow when you grip the right fork and knife.

You mutter a quiet ‘thanks’ and she winks at you.

Several courses are brought on silver platters, one after the other. The entire time, you focus on your plate, swallowing every bland, flavorless bite.

Stiff conversation is exchanged at the table, most of it centering on Aunt Elspeth’s dour-looking friend. Once more, compassion flutters through you.

It’s blatant to everyone at the table that Pamela isn’t wanted at Saltburn anymore.

It’s a relief when dinner concludes and you can return to your bedroom.

You sit by the large window in your room to admire the night sky. Between the skyscrapers and artificial lights, it’s hard finding a spot to look at the stars in New York. Here however, you can make out constellations and various other glittering shapes.

Venetia joins you on the windowsill. She takes a long drag of her cigarette and blows smoke on the window. She shoots you a cheeky smile.

“So, do you regret coming already?” she teases.

You fiddle with your hands.

“It’s fine. Everyone’s nice. It’s…kind of unreal being here.”

“Just remember this is your home too.”

You mull it over. It is becoming clear to you how much you don’t fit in with the Cattons, despite sharing blood with them. You wonder if it’s how your brother has felt all these years. Like an outsider amidst his own kin. Although, you have to admit he looked quite comfortable at dinner. Far more than you, definitely.

“I’ll…try to remember that.” You hesitate, gnawing on your lip before speaking again. “Is Pamela gonna be okay, you think?”

Venetia shrugs.

“I think she’ll be alright.”

Your lips purse. Who knows how that haunted woman will fare once she’s on her own in the world again? You’re not too hopeful. But it seems like Aunt Elspeth is done with her, so it cannot be helped you suppose.

“If you say so.” You tilt your head at your cousin, dropping casually. “Do you think Uncle James is still up?”

“At this hour, Daddy will be in his study.”

You nod and get to your feet. Wandering the halls of Saltburn at night is a peculiar experience. The shadows clinging to the walls seem to follow your every step. Dusty slices of moonlight spill from the windows, bringing the stern portraits of your distant relatives to life, the aged hues of the paintings shifting in the dim light. If you didn’t know any better, you’d think you're being watched. The back of your neck tingles as the sound of your fearful steps echoes in the vast halls. A breeze of cool air seeps through your clothes. You tug on the cardigan Venetia let you borrow from her closet, hurrying your pace.

For a long time, you spin in circles, growing desperate to find your uncle’s study. Your spirits sour. You followed Venetia’s instructions to the letter yet you got lost. A left, a right, straight along the green room, then…another right?

You frown. Now you can’t remember. Why does every hallway look the same here?

Astray in your own mind, you carelessly bump into a hard object.

You lift your gaze. Your jaw drops.

“Felix,” you exclaim, placing a hand over your heaving chest. “You scared me.”

Mirth glints in his brown orbs.

“Lost, cousin?”

Avoiding his eyes, you scratch your am.

“Well, this is embarrassing,” you mumble.

Felix chuckles and seizes your arm.

“It’s not. It’s easy to get lost here.” You gasp as he pulls you alongside him. “Just tell me where you need to go and I’ll show you the way.”

Too dumbstruck by his abrupt appearance, you let Felix drag you through the somber hallways. The sharp twists and turns he takes make your head spin. There is no way you’d have found the study on your own.

He halts in front of two mahogany doors. Your feet bounce as your hand lingers on the brass handles.

Felix knocks on the door and your heart leaps.

“I’ll wait for you here, so you don’t get lost again,” he says.

“You don’t have to,” you squeak.

He leans over you and smiles.

“I insist, cousin. I have to prove to you not all of us are completely horrible…despite what you may have seen.”

Your face warms.

“T-Thank you.”

James’ voice rises from inside the room, giving you permission to enter. You nod at Felix and take shaky steps inside the study. The crackle of logs burning away reaches you. The swaying flames mingle with the shadows, casting a faint orange glow on the room.

“Uncle James, may I speak to you?” you bashfully inquire.

He lowers his round glasses and puts down the notebook in his hands.

“Of course. Anytime, love. Have a seat.”

“Is something troubling you, child?”

You gulp the lump stuck in your throat, staring at your lap for a while before you meet your uncle’s gaze again. You shift in your seat.

You don’t know how to ask or, more precisely, the appropriate way to ask. A wide lungful enters your lungs. Why delay the inevitable?

You elect to dive right into your reason to be here.

“My mother. Well, she was wondering…” Your nerves buzz as your uncle’s sharp eyes cut into you. You clear your throat before continuing. “We were wondering if there were issues on your side because she hasn’t…” Sweat blooms inside your palms as your voice dwindles to a whisper. “Well, you haven’t sent anything like you usually do and it’s been two months now.”

A heavy coat of silence falls over the study. After a while, your uncle unleashes a deep sigh.

“And she sent you to vouch for her.”

“I’m sorry.” Your shoulders slump. “Mom, she…She isn’t really good with money.” This is a massive understatement, and from the way Uncle James’ eyes bear into yours, it’s clear that he’s also aware of that fact. As much as you love your mom, she’s never been the most responsible with money, often squandering it on flashy things and pretty clothes. More than once growing up, she fell short on a bill and you couldn’t even shower before going to school. “If you could help this one time, then I’ll figure something out for her. I promise.”

“And how do you plan on doing that, young lady?” your uncle challenges.

“I…I’ll find a way. We always find a way.”

“You’re a very good daughter, which I can appreciate…” Your pulse races as you wait with bated breath. “But I’ve given your mother more than enough for her to get on her feet. Still, she always asks for more.”

Your heart plummets. The finality laced in his tone didn’t elude you. Why did you even think you could sway your uncle’s opinion in any way when your own brother, who has been around the Cattons for years, couldn’t accomplish that feat?

“She has issues…but I promise, uncle, she’ll get herself together this time,” you offer.

“I will give it some thought.”

He flashes you a sympathetic smile. You recognize its meaning right away. It’s strikingly similar to the one Aunt Elspeth gave her “friend” at the dinner table.

Understanding you are being dismissed, you get up from the chair and bid your uncle good night.

“Thank you for listening,” you say glumly before leaving.

As Felix escorts you back to your bedroom, you can’t help but notice that Uncle James never once referred to your mother as his sister.

You frankly doubt he will give what you said any semblance of thought. In fact, you wouldn’t be surprised if that entire conversation vanished from his head the second you stepped out of his study.

The rest of the week goes smoothly. Lazy summer days with your cousins and brother fly by in a hazy blur. Hanging by the pond beneath the sizzling sun. Displaying your terrible tennis playing skills to the entire group. Scary movie nights with the whole family during which Venetia and Felix laugh at you because you watch most of the film through your fingers and hide your face in a pillow whenever the monster appears.

It’s nice. You start thinking that reuniting with your extended family for the summer wasn’t such a rotten idea.

You nearly forget your mother. Nearly.

Though with the daily messages you receive detailing the squalor she’s living in, it’s impossible to forget. Guilt grows within you each day.

“She’s been texting you too?” Farleigh asks as he sits at the edge of the tennis court next to you. He’s still in his tux while you’re still wearing one of Venetia’s sparkly dresses, as all of you decided to sneak out of Aunt Elspeth’s uptight dinner party to catch the sunset and play a game of tennis. One thing you’ve come to learn about your cousins. They do whatever the hell they want, whenever the hell they want. Part of you envies that. The carefree knowledge that whatever mess you make, someone will clean up behind you…discreetly and in silence at that.

You flip your phone shut and sigh.

“Nonstop.” You sag in the chair. “I’ve done all I can.”

“Yeah…Me too.”

“I feel awful.”

You’re taken aback when your brother says, “Don’t. This isn’t your fault.”

You tentatively reach over his armchair to squeeze his hand.

“It’s not yours either,” you assure softly. Your brother shocks you when his fingers wrap around yours. You don’t think you held hands like this since you were toddlers. You were always the clingy one, following after your big brother like a lost puppy.

You and your brother remain like this for a while, eyes trailing the downward race of the sun over the horizon.

When night falls, you’re surprised to find a tall, familiar form slipping through the wall of your bedroom.

“Felix!” He puts a finger over his lips as a sign to lower your voice. It instantly dips to a whisper. “How did you get here?”

Amusement paints Felix’s features at your flabbergasted expression. He clicks the door shut.

You blink. Once closed, the secret entrance blends seamlessly into the wall. There is no way you could have known this was here.

“Secret passageway. Old castles like Saltburn have plenty of them,” he explains, crawling over your bed.

“Oh.”

As your eyes drag over his frame and you note that Felix’s just in his shorts, fire creeps inside your cheeks. Of course, you’ve seen your cousin in trunks but usually, it’s around the entire group. For some reason, a sliver of discomfort pools within you. You look away and clear your throat.

“Is it…okay for you to be here?”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s just that…nothing.”

A deep chuckle peals from his chest. The mattress bounces as Felix lets himself fall onto your sheets. He makes himself comfortable on the pillow near you, putting his hands behind his head as a lazy smile spreads on his lips.

“Don’t be silly. We’re family. It’s like when we were little and we’d all sleep in the same bed.”

You can’t help but smile at that. He’s right; you’re overreacting.

“Right. That was so fun.”

He lies on his side, elbow bent as he buries one hand in his tousled brown curls.

“You used to have nightmares so you’d always sneak into my bed or Farleigh’s.”

“Now that you’re saying it, I think I remember that.”

“You’re still as cute as I remember.” Felix’s brown eyes twinkle as he drinks you in. “No…Even cuter.”

“Thanks.”

He approaches you and starts playing with the hem of your cotton shorts, twiddling the fabric between his forefinger and thumb.

Brown eyes dive right into yours.

“I saw you with Farleigh today. You looked sad.”

You shake your head.

“It’s nothing…just got some stuff on my mind.”

Felix’s smile dies.

“You also looked sad when you left Dad’s office the other day.”

You bristle. “It’s nothing important, really.”

“Your mom?” he inquires. When you don’t reply, Felix’s knuckles sweep over your outer thigh, his deep timbre softening, “You can trust me, cousin.”

You unleash a sharp, audible breath, budding tears tickling your eyelids.

“It’s just a lot. She’s asking things from me that I don’t know if I can do much about.”

Felix collects one of your stray tears with his thumb. He then snatches your hands from your lap and clutches them in his. They completely swallow yours.

“She shouldn’t ask anything of you. It’s not fair. You’re her daughter. She should protect you. Not the other way around.”

You sniffle. “I don’t know. It’s just been me and my mom for so long. Especially after Farleigh decided to stay in England most of the time. So I feel like…I need to take care of her, you know? Because she always took care of me.”

He cups your cheek, wiping more of your tears.

“You’re far too sweet for your own good, cousin.”

Felix then sits up and conjures a lighter and a blunt from the back pocket of his shorts.

You gawk at him as he lights it in front of you, taking a deep drag before blowing smoke in your face.

Your stomach tingles when he offers it to you.

“I don’t know if I should…”

Felix’s timbre lowers seductively as he grabs your hand and slips the roll between your fingers. Even holding it doesn’t feel right.

“Come on, you’ll feel better. It’ll free your mind. No thoughts. No troubles. Just…light and happy.”

“That sounds amazing,” you mumble.

“Then try a puff.”

You bring the blunt to your mouth and immediately cough.

“You gotta go slow,” he chuckles. Once you’ve retrieved your breath, he nudges it against your mouth again. “Here, another.”

The room begins to swirl around you. You lie back, a heady, cotton-like sensation spreading from your head to your toes.

“Damn…” you whisper as your limbs slacken, the tension in your body slowly melting away.

Felix lies back next to you, his grin growing.

“See? That’s why you should always listen to me, cousin.”

It becomes a habit, Felix sneaking into your room and the two of you smoking in your bed every night. Him slipping through the secret door doesn’t even faze you anymore, and your reservations about getting high evaporate a little more with every puff you inhale. The serene sensation and warm tingles you get afterwards are entirely too pleasant.

It’s something you’ve never experienced. Letting go. For a few precious minutes, the burdens on your shoulders can vanish.

You don’t tell Venetia, or even Farleigh. You still remember him going full big brother mode that one day when you tried to join the rest of them when they hung out naked in the field. The Cattons siblings laughed as you were escorted away, burning from head to toe at the humiliation.

You don’t want a repeat of that. Always being the good girl is exhausting. Not that your brother would understand. He gets to live life on his own terms. Get kicked out from as many schools as he likes. Charm his way through the world. You don’t. For once, you want to revel in doing something…a little forbidden. Something the nerdy, party-avert, studious girl you forced yourself to be all these years would never do.

So the nightly meetups become you and Felix’s secret.

It’s all casual, harmless fun. Until, one night, everything changes. As your head lolls back on the pillows, your gaze fixated on the ceiling, your cousin’s fingers dance over your half-exposed belly.

“Feeling better?” he mutters, his voice low and secretive.

“Yeah.”

“I know a way you can feel even better.”

You don’t think much of it. Not even when he slithers across the sheets, finding his way between your legs. He tugs your shorts down, slowly, until you’re down to your panties in front of him. The rush of cool air on your skin makes you tremble.

“Felix, what are you doing?” you chuckle, high enough not to fully register what’s going on.

A playful smile ghosts over your cousin’s lips. He blows on your clothed center and the sensation draws a giggle from you, even as a faint layer of panic is trying to pierce through the haze.

“You seemed so stressed today. It’ll help you relax…” he promises, trailing sluggish kisses up your inner thigh. As his lips travel upward, your stomach clenches. He hooks two fingers inside your panties to push them aside.

Your cousin’s gaze darkens, his smile broadening, as he basks in the sight of your bare, shuddering folds. He licks his lips before kissing the center of you.

Your limbs tense as Felix starts unraveling you with his tongue. He licks a stripe over your folds, his tongue tarrying over your tender bud. The breath catches in your throat. He traces slow circles over your button, tearing a soft gasp from you everytime he suckles the sensitive spot between his lips.

Felix hums while his head bobs between your thighs.

A tingly, warm feeling starts blooming in your core, scattering to your entire body. Hot and irresistible. A wave of heat that slowly takes over your entire frame.

You clutch the sheets.

Your eyes rise to the heavens as heat pulses through your core.

“No, Felix, this is… this is wrong,” you wheeze out between aching breaths.

His devious laughter ripples through your core.

“I’m just trying to make you feel good. How can that be wrong, cousin?” he says innocently, before flicking his tongue over your folds. He spreads you even more, dipping in and out of you as quiet shouts rip from your throat. Your back curves over the sheets. Your lids flutter as you peer at the ceiling unseeingly.

His sinful baritone nudges you to your undoing.

“Just let go. It’s okay. It’s just me.”

You quake, the tense heat growing too much to bear. Your insides coil. Sparks erupt from your center, traveling outward. Your body goes limp as you collapse over the sheets, dazed and breathless. Tears of arousal trickle from your core and your cousin greedily savors every wayward drop. Shame scalds your insides as you feel him lap up your nectar, your wide gaze glued to the ceiling.

The next morning, panic rushes through you as your eyes snap open.

“Hey, hey, you don’t need to freak out,” Felix says lightly, pulling you against him from behind. His hand settles over your rapidly moving chest.

“Last night…” you say, choking on a sob as you recall bits and pieces. You were so damn high. Still, you’re pretty sure what you think happened…happened. Even in your own head, you can’t put it into words. You rub your thighs. Stickiness lingers there from Felix’s ravenous tongue. Shame burns in your gut.

As you try to climb off the bed, Felix yanks you back. He slams you down on your back. Your heart jumps as he looms over you, his broad body easily caging yours.

He frames your chin, drawing your attention to him.

“We just had some fun, you and I,” he says, thumb tracing your quivering lip. “That’s all. No one ever has to know.”

Tears well up in your eyes as you keep pulling on your tiny camisole, pathetically attempting to cover your nakedness. Felix chuckles.

“Gosh, you really need to stop being so uptight, pretty cousin.”

He drops a quick peck on your cheek before dragging his lips over your earshell.

“It’s okay. We’ll work on loosening you up.”

For a few days, Felix doesn’t visit your room again. You’re thankful for that. You can barely meet your cousin’s gaze now, the fear of someone finding out what happened eating you alive. You can’t imagine coming back after so many years only to cause havoc and drama.

Your mom would be so disappointed. Your brother would be livid.

So you do as Felix says. You keep your lips firmly sealed. It’s not like it’ll go further than that anyway. The two of you were high, that’s what you keep telling yourself.

None of this would have happened otherwise.

Unfortunately, your meticulously crafted wall of denial explodes when your cousin shows up again one night.

You tremble as your eyes rest on him. Felix smiles at you, pushing the secret door closed. You note the camera dangling from his neck. The entire day was spent snapping pictures to remember the summer. You took so many silly ones with Venetia and your brother. For a while, you let yourself forget. Felix took most of the pictures today, appearing in very few himself. You just didn’t expect him to still be wearing it this late.

“Hey.”

“Hey,” you reply shyly.

“How are you feeling today?”

Your lips clamp shut. Today was awful. Apparently your mom might be getting evicted soon. She hasn’t stopped texting you about it the entire day, and even some of the night because of the time difference. You feel so dauntingly powerless…and awful. You’re staying in a literal castle while your mom might be homeless soon.

“I’m good.”

He takes lithe steps towards you, his handsome face twisting in sympathy as he plops down on your bed. He removes the camera from around his neck and tosses it over your pillows.

“No you’re not. You’re still worried about your mom. You were checking your phone all day today.”

You bring your knees close to your chest.

“It’s fine, Felix.”

Felix sighs, concern swimming in his brown gaze.

“No, it’s not fine.” His fingers roam over your ankle as he lies on his side. “You know…” Felix pauses, eyes holding yours. “I could talk to my dad if you want. He never refuses me anything.” He flashes a sunny grin. “After all, I’m his precious boy. His firstborn son.”

You gape at him.

“You really would do that for my mom?”

Felix sits up and closes the distance between the two of you. He bends over you, placing his large hands over your feet. You follow the stars tattoos etched atop his hand; his sister has the same ones if you recall.

His knees graze your ankles as he says, “Not for your mom. For you, cousin. So that frown on your face can finally…” He flicks your brow with his thumb and laughs. “...disappear. Like magic.”

You consider Felix, relief and awe storming through you.

Without giving it much thought, you toss your arms around his neck.

“Thank you so much,” you exclaim.

“Of course…” His fingers travel along your spine. “I’d just have a little favor to ask in return.”

“Sure, anything,” you answer easily.

He pulls back, lacing his fingers with yours.

“It’s not much.”

The heady scent of his cologne washes over you as he leans forward.

“I’ve been aching somewhere lately and I need you to make it better, cousin.”

“Oh, aching…where?”

“I think it’s best if I just show you.”

A foreboding inkling flares in your gut. Still, you don’t move as Felix “shows you”. He tugs on his shorts. He slowly pulls on the fabric, shimmying out of it as you hold your breath. When his length springs free, you unleash a small squeak. Your reaction drags a laugh out of Felix.

Though you don’t really want to, you can’t help but stare. It’s thick and long with veins running alongside the shaft. The tip points upward, glistening and red.

“I don’t know if I can help with…something like that,” you mumble, your voice wavering at the end.

“Sure you can.”

He lifts your chin, diving his eyes into yours.

“I just need somewhere warm, and soft, to slip the tip of my cock so it doesn’t hurt anymore.”

Shock parts your lips.

“Felix…”

He hooks his thumb inside your open mouth, a lopsided grin stretching on his face.

“Come on, it’ll just be the tip, I promise. Then we never have to talk about it anymore. You won’t even feel it, I swear.”

“Just the…tip?” you say, your throat knotting as your gaze drifts down. You take in Felix’s size, swallowing thickly. It matches the rest of him, you suppose. You don’t even think it could fit, not fully. So just the tip is probably for the best. “Nothing more?”

“Just the tip. And I’ll talk to my dad first thing in the morning.” He strokes your cheek, uttering softly, “I bet your mom will be so happy for what you did for her.”

You heave out a deep, resigned breath. Right, your mom. While you’re not too comfortable with what Felix is asking for, if it means he’ll talk to Uncle James, you don’t have it in you to refuse. A favor for a favor. Then you’ll spend the rest of the summer forgetting it ever happened. You can do that.

You peer up at Felix.

“Okay then but don’t…stay too long.”

He beams at you.

“You’re amazing.”

Felix leans back. He removes his shorts fully, revealing himself in all his naked glory.

“Just lay back for me, cousin,” he instructs. He slants his head, satisfaction filling his gaze when you do as he says. “Open those perfect legs of yours.” His pupils swell with lust as you part your quivering thighs.

“Good girl,” he praises.

Felix crawls over you. You freeze. He grips the waistband of your pajama bottoms to slide them off your legs. He takes his time, agonizingly slow as he soaks in every tiny shift on your face. Horror curls your insides. You wish he’d just get it over with. But it’s clear Felix wishes to enjoy every mortifying second of this.

Your panties are next. Once again, he drags it out. Warmth blooms in your face as cool air hits your bare folds. It’s worse than last time, because there’s nothing to dull your senses, or pretend it isn’t happening.

“Don’t close your legs. I want to see everything,” he says when you try to hide from him. His throat bobs, hunger lurking in his eyes as he licks his lips. “You have a really pretty pussy, you know that, cousin?”

“Please, don’t say things like that.”

“Why not?”

“B-Because it’s embarrassing.”

He smirks.

“You’re so fucking cute.”

Your cousin plucks the discarded camera and points it at your face. The blinding light sears your eyelids as he quickly snaps a series of pictures of you in the compromising position.

Adrenaline pumps through your veins, your pulse soaring.

“W-Why did you just take a picture?”

“Because I want to remember you like this.”

He chortles as you try to snatch the camera from his hands, keeping it out of your reach with ease with his long arm.

“Delete it, Felix,” you plead.

He tilts his head, his expression dripping with mischief.

“Sure, if you do everything I say, I’ll delete it.”

Tears brim beneath your lashes. You want to trust Felix. You really do. But he always asks for more. You wonder where it’ll end, if it ever will.

“You promise?”

“Of course. I’d never lie to you, cousin.”

He places the camera on the floor near the bed. If you thought you could get past him, destroy the camera, you would. However you’re beginning to realize something about Felix. He always gets his way.

He crawls his way to you. You don’t resist as Felix nudges you down, trapping you beneath him. The fitful drumming of your heart fills your ears.

He bends down, stealing your lips in a heated kiss. His lips sweep over yours, hungry, feverish. He cups the side of your face, moaning as he explores your mouth. His hands start wandering over your body. They feel everywhere at once, kneading and teasing your flesh. Felix pulls your top over your head so you’re in nothing but your bra.

He deepens the kiss, his tongue stealing your air and sanity. You melt beneath him.

The air is robbed from your lungs when he starts prodding at your entrance. Your fingers clench around the sheets. His thick tip stretches you so much already. You can barely take it.

His voice comes out hoarse and strained.

“You feel so bloody good.”

He pushes a bit more. You tense, your walls aching at his size. Your tearful gaze rises to the ceiling. Felix seizes your chin, pulling it so your eyes lock with his.

“Look at me,” he instructs.

He piledrives into you, sheathing himself inside you completely. Your vision flickers as he finds the hilt of you. Your lips part in a silent scream. Your chest heaves and falls quickly.

“Felix, you said…”

He shushes you, pinning both of your wrists above your head as he begins moving inside you. A wicked glow burns in Felix’s brown gaze. “I know what I said…but it feels too good inside you, cousin.”

“But you promised...” you sob.

He kisses away your tears, his voice mellowing.

“I’m sorry,” he says after thrusting inside you deeply. “I’m so sorry…” Your toes flex, stars creeping in your sight with each of your cousin’s vigorous thrusts. His pace doesn’t relent, even as you weep and plead him with your eyes. He almost seems to pluck joy from your quiet helplessness. His chest brushes over yours as his lips ghost over your earshell. “But I don’t think I can stop.”

Your breathing quickens. As Felix’s cock grazes along your sensitive spots, little whimpers spill from your throat. He drapes one hand over your mouth, still pounding inside you.

“Shh, be quiet for me, cousin. Wouldn’t want anyone to hear us, right?”

“I think our uncle likes you better than me.”

You look at your brother through your sunglasses. You’re thankful for them. They’ve done a nice job concealing the puffiness of your eyes. You’ve been crying a lot lately. Too often. It started the night Felix snuck into your room and the flood hasn’t really stopped since. All of it turns your stomach. The lying, the sneaking around…the sick, twisted lies. His sick, twisted lies. It was supposed to just be one time.

Felix deceived you.

Every night since that one, your cousin found his way into your room, coaxing you to do things that make you hate yourself afterwards. It’s even slowly escalated to daily trysts. Felix would conjure excuses to steal you away while your other relatives are blissfully unaware. Having his way with you in a dark corner. Fingering you in the library. Cornering you in the maze to taste the nectar between your legs. Your cousin seems determined to make sure no inch of Saltburn isn’t tainted by his wicked desires.

This is a nightmare.

Your mom was so overjoyed on the phone after receiving Uncle James’ payment. And you’re glad you could help. But the cost…Did your mother’s happiness have to occur at your expense? You’re so exhausted, ashamed. You don’t know how long you can stand to be the vessel for your cousin’s lurid fantasies.

Even proper rest is denied to you now, the fear of someone figuring it out keeping you wide awake for hours every night.

“I doubt that,” you say, your lips curving in a stilted smile.

Farleigh leans back in his lounge chair, pushing his sunglasses over his nose.

“Still, good job, little sis.” A wide grin blooms on his face. “Guess being a goody two-shoes has its perks.”

Your chest clenches at your brother’s remark.

As Felix’s eyes find yours from across the pond, your blood freezes. He smiles at you. Goosebumps erupt on your skin. You shift, your attention returning to your brother.

“I-I don’t know about that.”

You thought the awfulness reached its peak. You were wrong. A new brand of twisted is introduced by Felix during breakfast with the entire family.

He sits next to you, smiling at you. You don’t think much of it. Why would you? He’s done this before. Taunt you. Tease you. Torment you. Even in front of the rest of them.

But what he does today, while Aunt Elspeth sits across from you and your brother is on your other side…it’s just ghastly. Impious.

Felix’s digits roam atop your thigh. You shoot him a glare. He pointedly ignores you, carrying a casual conversation with his mom while playing with the hem of your dress.

You focus on your plate. He caresses the inside of your thigh as you bring the fork to your lips.

He presses two fingers against your clothed center. Pushing, pressing and swirling around your tender bud. Your knees rub, heat gathering at the apex of your thighs.

The metal of the fork damn near shatters your teeth as you choke on a mouthful of eggs.

You apologize swiftly, shakily grabbing the glass of water near your plate. You take a long swig from it and clear your throat. Felix’s digits dip further inside you. Your breath hitches. He stops just shy of letting you come apart, bringing you to the cusp only to retreat at the very last second. A meticulously thought out torture.

It lasts for almost the entirety of breakfast, only reaching an end when Venetia rises from the table. You follow right after her, excusing yourself with a tense smile.

Hollow steps take you through an endless series of hallways. You can hardly even think, the enormity of what your cousin just did in front of his parents, in front of everyone, shocking you into numbness. Where will his depravity end? You long for summer to end so perhaps you can finally be free from your cousin.

You wind up in an empty room brimming with dusty books and antiques. You sit in a corner, knees against your chest, as you revel in a rare moment of respite. You don’t get these as often anymore. Not if your cousin has anything to say about it.

As usual, it doesn’t take long for Felix to find you a little later. Your heart skips a beat when his towering frame darkens the doorway, blocking any chance of an escape.

“Playing hide and seek, cousin?” he teases, amusement laced in his voice.

Tears swim in your eyes as you shoot him an accusing look.

“At breakfast, really? Someone could have seen, Felix. M-My brother, he could have seen.”

Rolling his eyes, he hops towards you to take a seat next to you. His rebuttal is disturbingly nonchalant.

“We’re not gonna get caught.”

“I think we should stop,” you sputter, your mouth wobbling.

His brows squeeze together, a mix of annoyance and confusion twisting his features.

“Why?”

You fiddle with the bottom of your dress, struggling to meet his irate stare.

“I’m grateful for everything you did, really, but this doesn’t feel right.”

His cheek pulses, a strange grin dragging his lips upward. Your stomach sinks.

“We’re just having fun, you and I, cousin.”

Your words warp into a watery croak.

“This isn’t fun, Felix.”

A weary sigh drops from his chest.

“It’s because you’re overthinking it,” he says, reaching out to cup your cheek. You turn your head. Frustration flickers in your cousin’s eyes. As you try to stand, he grabs you and shoves you on the floor.

“Felix, no…”

Ignoring your sniveling pleas, Felix hastily unzips his jeans and yanks your underwear down to your ankles.

A strangled sob flows from your lips as he nestles himself inside your wet heat in a single deep, cruel thrust.

You’re a whimpering mess on the floor as your cousin pounds into you from behind.

“Just stop fighting it,” he grunts. He twists his fist in your hair, your scalp singing in pain when he tugs at your roots. Tears stream down your face while your cousin snaps his pelvis into your ass.

“See? This is good.” His warm, heavy exhales tickle your nape. “Doesn’t my cock inside you feel good, cousin?”

“Yes…” you begrudgingly admit, loathing how every time he sinks into you, your toes curl and your eyes roll back on their own, warm tingles dancing through your core.

“Look outside.” You wince as he angles your chin towards the window, his other hand still tangled in your hair. You’re greeted with a beautiful sight of the lush gardens sprawling before the castle. His hot whisper grazes your temple. “Do you see all this? How beautiful Saltburn is…especially in the summer.” His smile carves into your skin.

“One day, all of this will be mine, cousin.” He plants a soft kiss on your cheek. Shivers course through your spine. “And it could be yours too… if you behave.”

#saltburn #felix catton #saltburn fanfiction #felix catton x reader #dark!felix catton #dark!felix catton x reader #saltburn 2023

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slaymybreathaway · 9 months

Text

WASTELAND BABY! (Chapter Three)

Chapter List Masterlist 📼

Word Count: 1k

Content: sexual innuendo, friendly banter, Neville being all cute and flustered

September 5th ○ Gryffindor Dorms

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

"Ron get up" Harry shook the sleeping figure of his best friend and watched as his one of his eyes opened, his long red hair still splayed across the pillow.

The rest of the boys were already up, having been woken by the bell rining in the corridoor fifteen minutes prior.

"Lemmesleeparry," Ron mumbled before turning onto his other side. Harry rolled his eyes, though he had grown used to this over years.

"Tell him that he'll miss breakfast," Dean laughed from where he was making his bed on the other side of the room. "That should get him up quick enough,"

"Or..." Seamus buttoned up his shirt before grabbing his pillow and holding it up, a michevious smirk on his face.

The other three boys realised what he was getting at and picked up their pillows, quietly walking over to Ron's bed. Seamus counted down from three on his fingers before they all jumped on the bed, bashing the sleeping boy with their pillows.

Ron covered his head with his hands, in a futile attempt to protect himself from the suprise attack. Feathers flew around the room as laughter erupted from the attackers, only stopping once Ron held up his hand in surrender. "Alright alright! I'm up, I'm up!"

Seamus, Dean, Harry and Neville retreased back to their own beds, still chuckling to themselves as a loud knock sounded on the door.

"Shay, you in there?" The sound of an Irish accent made Neville turn his head towards the door quicker than a racing broom.

"Yeah, come in Y/n" Seamus called out from where he was digging through his trunk.

The door opened and in walked y/n, carrying a small pile of clothes. She put them on Seamus' bed, not noticing Neville trying to fix his hair as much as he could.

It had been a few days since their dance on the top of the astronomy tower that had made his affections for her stronger than ever.

"Ma put these in with my stuff before we left. She leave anything with you?" She asked, peering over her brothers shoulder into his trunk. It was often that their mother got their clothes mixed up while doing the laundry.

"I don't understand why there's a charm on the stairs to the girl's dorms but not the boy's. What if we weren't decent or something?" Ron muttered grumpily as he sat on the edge of his bed, pulling on a pair of grey socks.

Y/n turned to face him. "Dumbledore trusts us more than you bunch of perverts I suppose," she let out a laugh, crossing her arms. "Besides, if you weren't decent, Ron, I doubt there'd be much for me to look at anyways,"

A smirk climbed onto the girl's face as a chorus of "oooh" sounded across the room. A red blush started to connect the freckles on Ron's cheeks as he stuttered trying to defend himself.

Inbetween fits of laughter, Harry handed Ron the glass of water from his nightstand. "You'll need this, mate"

"For what?" He looked up at his friend in confusion.

"To cool down that burn!!" Dean called out, both of his hands cupped around his mouth to project his voice, the room erupted into laughter once more.

"Oh shut up," Ron rolled his eyes and walked straight to bathroom.

Laughter died down as everyone went back to what they were doing. Seamus pulled a couple of t-shirts out of his trunk and set them down on the bed. "Here, these are yours... and, em," he spoke embarrasedly "so is this,"

Y/n watched as Seamus picked a black bra out of his trunk like it was a contaminated object and flung it towards her. Her face immediatley went red with embarrasment as she tucked the bra away under her jumper in an attempt to hide it.

It was poinless though, because Dean let out a whistle from where he was sitting on the edge of the bed. "C'mon y/n/n, show and tell," he joked.

"Piss off Deano," she cracked into a laugh before picking up her other clothes from the bed and started to leave. "Hey Nev, I need to drop these back to my dorm. Will you save a seat in the Great Hall for me?"

Neville looked up from where he was studying his timetable for the year and gave y/n a smile. "Yeah of course,"

Seamus' eyes glanced between all of his friends' faces in suspicion. He waited till his sister had left the room and was out of earshot before turning back to his mates. "You guys better have had a good look because that's it," he spoke just as Ron walked back into the dorm, toothbrush in hand.

"That's what?" Harry asked, confused.

All of the boys turned their heads to Seamus for an answer.

Seamus crossed his arms before speaking "Y/n's off limits, starting now," he nodded decidedly.

Neville looked at Seamus with confusion. What did he mean off limits?

"What? That's crazy! we wouldn't go after your sister," Dean shot back, a look of shock on his face.

"Speak for yourself, Thomas." Ron scoffed, a smirk on his face. Seamus, who's face was turning quite red, was about to speak up before Harry interrupted him.

"Do you think if I asked her out she'd say yes. You know, because I'm The Chosen One and all," he grinned, sharing a look with Ron. Of course neither of them was serious, they were just trying to get on Seamus' nerves... and it was working.

Once Dean realised what they were doing, he chimed in too. "On second thought, she does give me the look sometimes"

Seamus almost had smoke almost blowing out of his ears at this stage, but before he exploded he turned to Neville. "I suppose you wanna get in on this aswell, Longbottom?" He asked.

A state of panic came over Neville and he could feel the colour drain from his face. "What? I don't wanna say anything!" He held his hands up.

Seamus' anger was halted as he flung one of his arms around Neville's shoulders. "See! Longbottom's the only one with the decency to not want to snog my sister!" He smiled, pointing at Neville between every word.

Nevilles face went from white as a ghost to red as a tomato in a matter of seconds and he felt his heart racing in his chest.

Only if he knew...

#harry potter #harry potter fanfiction #ireland #neville longbottom x reader #neville longbottom fic #neville longbottom #neville longbottom fluff #neville x reader #harry potter and the goblet of fire

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geddy-leesbian · 3 months

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A carved oak table tells a tale, of times when kings and queens sipped wine from goblets gold, and the brave would lead their ladies from out of the room to arbors cool. A time of valor, and legends born. A time when honor meant much more to a man than life, and the days knew only strife to tell right from wrong through lance and sword.

fantasy + cowboys + don quixote variety pack for Serennedy week

plus little snippet of a princess Luis story:

It's the moment of truth. Leon has hacked and slashed his way through what felt like endless waves of monstrous wolves and gigantic insects, navigated through a maze of a garden lined with thorny bushes, and solved a few puzzles. Finally he's reached the base of the tower. If the stories he's heard are true, there's a beautiful princess up at the top waiting to be rescued.

Scaling the tower isn't too bad. There's hardy vines growing on it, that Leon is able to use like a rope to climb up to the lone window at the tower's top. His heart races as he heaves himself through the window. There might be a beautiful princess in the room. A princess so beautiful and special that Leon will actually be attracted to her without conscious effort, and she'll be so grateful to finally be rescued that she'll agree to marry him right away.

Or the room will be empty, and Leon will just have to make peace with the fact he's going to die alone, because this whole “find a princess to rescue” thing was his last ditch effort after years of trying and completely failing to court women the normal ways.

Shutters magically snap shut behind Leon, covering the window, trapping him. The room is lavishly furnished. At the center is a large canopy bed, with intricately carved wood posts and lacy fabrics. And there's a figure in a dress laying on it. Success. It isn't until Leon gets closer that he realizes: It's a man. He approaches stealthily, dagger drawn and presses it to the man's throat.

“Oye, what the hell are you doing?! Barging into someone's bedroom, putting a knife to their throat?”

“There's supposed to be a princess here. You've got her dress. Where is she? What did you do to her?”

“Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but there is no princess here. Never has been. Just a very charming prince who happens to enjoy wearing his mother's dresses.”

“You're kidding.”

“No, you have the wrong castle, hero boy. But, while you're here… Untie my hands?”

“I can't believe this,” Leon complains, rolling the man over and using his dagger to cut the rope tying his hands together. “I went through hell to get here expecting my soul mate, and instead I get you.”

“Easy, easy. I may not be the princess you expected, but I'm not nothing either! Can the handsome and amazing Prince Luis Serra know his savior's name?”

“Leon.”

“Thank you, Sir Leon,” Luis purrs, before breaking Leon's brain a little bit by boldly going in for a kiss. “Now let's get out of here. Just a few flights of stairs, no more traps. Oh, and there's a dragon at the bottom of the tower that you'll have to slay.”

“Of course there is. Whatever.”

#if i wrote more there would be major drama bc luis is not locked in a tower for no reason #he's got princess magic and kept accidentally summoning monsters and ppl got tired of it and locked him away #that's why his eyes be glowing red #so all the monsters leon had to fight were luis's fault #like he doesn't do it on purpose it just kinda happens but that doesn't make it less awful to have to deal with #luis serra #leon kennedy #serennedy #serrennedy #using a genesis lyric for a post makes me feel like im cheating on geddy lee

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tarnishedinquirer · 4 months

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Into the Old Keep

Returning to the Liftside Chamber, there was this one stubborn door that refused to open. Which was frustrating because it led right down into that mystery abyss.

I tried dropping down from the ledge right outside the chamber, but only got a sprained ankle for my troubles and the realization that, while I could keep going down, I could not get back up to unlock that door.

So, time to go up. I took the lift to the top of the tower, and found a very peculiar sight. Miniature jars, like Alexander but much smaller. Seemed almost cute.

....until the mother jar showed up. It tried to smash me with its bulk while the little ones pounded me with their tiny fists. Once I shattered them, the big one dropped a Living Jar Shard and a.... a.... a meat dumpling.

Oh gods those are teeth.

A pungent raw meatball, made succulent by virtue of being on the verge of turning. Heals, but also poisons the user. Not recommended for those who prefer to know the origin of their meats.

Thanks, voice. If I run out of Crimson Tears, I'll just die instead.

This confirms what I suspected about Alexander. He is definitely filled with actual people, mashed into a pulp. The though turned my stomach even more than the "dumpling" did.

The jars actually were alive. Not just animated. The meat had turned into some sort of...tissue.

A fragment of a living jar, hardened after its death. Such fragments command a high price due to the magical power locked within. This leaves the living jars unfortunate targets for poachers.

So why were there so many of these broken around the Weeping Peninsula Minor Erdtree?

Another thing I found in the jar nest was a Cracked Pot, like the kind I use for holy water or fire. Are these jar eggs or something? If I put human meat in it, would it grow into one of those smaller jars and attack me? Curiosity and disgust warred in me, but disgust won. I would not be investigating that.

Past that was a very strange collapsed part of the floor. It looked less like a collapse and more like an impact. Like something landed here and dug a furrow, collapsing several floors before coming to a stop. It was hard to even envision what this place was before the collapse, and the only way I could make sense of it was that this is a place where construction stopped. Whatever renovations Godrick was making had completely petered out at this spot. Even if the rest of it was sometimes a confusing patchwork, the construction here did not match up at all.

I climbed up some scaffolding to a ledge, then across to a window. When I stepped out, I saw another one of those red Banished Knights. She was kneeling over the corpse of one of those fire-breathing Warhawks, with a regular Stormhawk joining her.

Had she killed it? If so, she still clearly held great respect for the beast. The feeling was mutual, as the other hawk was docile and joining her mourning. This all but confirmed for me that the hawks were intelligent. Perhaps the Banished Knights were once kin to the hawks of Stormveil, but the Warhawk hadn't recognized her due to its far more invasive prosthetics.

I continued on my path through a storage room, across more scaffolding, up to an even worse collapsed floor, and into what seemed like an even older part of the castle.

Here, the construction was completely different. It felt even more familiar. The only inhabitants were long-neck commoners, who didn't appreciate my intrusion. Under the stairs, someone had stashed a Manor Towershield

An iron greatshield large enough to cover the entire body. Depicts the Roundtable Hold, gathering place of champions.

God. It just hit me. I finally figured it out. Why the older parts of the castle seemed so familiar. The arms, the armor, the whole thing. I'd been looking at it for so long without seeing the significance, I didn't even notice it anymore.

The Roundtable Hold. This castle was exactly like the Roundtable Hold. At least, originally. The same arms and armor that decorate Stormveil could be found there.

Before the gaudy facades. Before the curse of pox and thorns.

At one time, Stormveil and the Roundtable Hold had been twin castles.

I stepped out on the battlement, and a rune message greeted me. Far more articulate than your typical runes, and with Rogier's visage. I knew that if I followed his instructions, I'd finally reach the secret of Stormveil Castle.

Were the knights banished from the Roundtable Hold?

What kinship do they have with the hawks?

What impacted this area of the castle?

Do Living Jars grow from the Cracked Pots?

What awaits me down below?

#elden ring #elden ring lore #in character #in character blog #in character post #let's play #rogier #sorcerer rogier #living jar #stormveil #banished knights #roundtable hold #fortified manor #stormhawks #dragon communion

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nikkeora · 2 years

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—

0 1

summary; the gods are real. like, the greek gods. and apparently, you're a demigod. were you skeptical? yes. no time to question much though.

pairing; no romantic ones (yet) // clarisse la rue, annabeth chase, luke castellan, travis and conner stoll (all platonic)

word count; 1.9k

warning(s); none

a/n; whoop, my first series! might add a romantic pairing later on, but i don't think it's going to be percy or jason or leo since you (the reader) are a couple years older than them, around the age of the stolls (who to my knowledge are 15 in the lightning thief.)

takes place 3 years before the percy jackson books, reader & travis & clarisse are 12, connor is 11, annabeth is 9, luke is 16.

—

μηδέν. mother of mine

"So, he finally told you?"

You opened your eyes to an unfamiliar sight and an ache in your back. Where were you? And where had that voice come from?

"Hello?" You called. Propping yourself up on your hands, you could see that you had been laid across a set of marble stairs as if someone had tossed you there like a sack of potatoes.

Your vision was slightly blurred, like a white veil was over your eyes. There was a cool tingling feeling on your skin, like someone had rubbed alcohol on it.

Looking around, you realized you were at the entrance of something straight out of your history book — an ancient Greek temple. A massive one, at that. Four sets of towering columns were placed in neat lines along the edge of a marble platform, and on top of them lay an ornate marble ceiling. Fluffy gray moss grew along the bases of the columns, while lighter gray vines of ivy wrapped up around them.

Strangely enough, some parts of the temple were bleached so white to the point they glowed, and other parts were more of a light, slightly transparent gray, similar to smoke but much more solid-looking. The ceiling in particular was clear enough to see the night sky through it, which held more stars than you'd seen in your entire life.

Through the columns were plains of tall grass that were devoid of color. It rippled almost like water as if harsh winds were blowing through, but you couldn’t feel the slightest breeze. The rustling of the plains was muffled, too, like you’d placed pillows on your ears. Overall, the place felt like a whole other world.

"Where am I?" Your voice — muffled, you realized, just like the grass — wavered, the initial awe starting to subside and panic slowly seeping in. The logical explanation for this situation was that you were dreaming, but the soreness in your back and the cold marble under your palms felt too real for it all to be fake...

Had you been kidnapped?

"What do you want from me?"

The voice from earlier chuckled, sending a chill down your spine. It wasn't coming from any particular direction. If anything, it sounded like it was echoing from your own head.

"My child, it is not what I want from you as much as what you need from me." It said.

From behind some of the columns, you saw the first bits of color you'd encountered since you'd woken up at this place: blue lights, bright as the stars above, floating leisurely like big fireflies. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw a faint, golden light.

Suddenly, a dense mist flooded in from between the columns furthest from the entrance. From between the two middle columns emerged a wispy figure of a woman holding an old-fashioned reed torch in either hand, dressed in what you guessed were golden Greek robes.

Wait, no.. she came from between the columns furthest to the left. No, the right. Three smoky images of the same woman moved in unison toward the center of the temple.

To your surprise, you didn’t feel the need to run as she — they? — stepped closer. If anything, you felt drawn to her, like a chunk of metal to a magnet. You hastily stood up, feeling a little dizzy but otherwise fine.

The mist eventually subsided. Once the three wispy images were only a few feet away, they merged into a much more solid form, and your sight seemed to clear. You could make out her features.

Her skin was beautiful but deathly pale; the vibrant, turmeric-yellow robes with ornate golden designs that hung gracefully off her figure were the only thing that brought her some liveliness. Her blond hair was pulled back with a golden pin in a braided bun. Her face was like a Greek statue — pale, beautiful, and ageless — but her eyes were slightly unsettling. Squinting your eyes, you saw that they were a true inky black, irises and all. Not one bit of light reflected off of them.

You couldn’t quite pinpoint it, but the woman felt almost familiar...

"You're Hecate," you gasped, the realization hitting you like a truck. "The Greek goddess of magic."

"There’s one more title I hold, dear." Hecate smiled serenely, though it didn’t reach her eyes. "If you’d recall what your father told you..?"

Oh. The talk.

When your dad pulled you aside for a ‘talk’ around early evening, you’d expected him to bring up the birds and the bees. Instead, he had told you that the Greek gods were real and that you were the daughter of one of them — the goddess of magic herself. You’d been worried your dad had gone crazy, or if he was on something, or even drunk, but he looked so serious you had to promise not to tell anybody. You didn’t believe him, though.

"You can’t be my mother." You stood firm in your nonbelief. This had to be a dream, something your subconscious created because of the sheer nonsense you’d heard earlier that day. "You’re not even real. All of this is in my head. Besides, I already have a mom."

You immediately knew you’d said something you shouldn’t have.

The air grew colder as Hecate’s smile dropped the slightest bit, tilting now into more of a smirk. A green glow surrounded her as you began to feel lightheaded.

A searing pain exploded behind your eyes, and you fell to your knees, crouched over and gripping your head with both your hands. You tried to scream, only to discover that your voice had vanished. Memories you didn’t know you had started appearing one by one, and soon they were all whirling around in one big, jumbled, incoherent storm.

You could make out flashes of images — a pale woman in a dark coat watching as a young you played on the swing set with your two best friends… The same woman at the very back of the gymnasium at your elementary school graduation... And yet again the same woman handing your dad a little bundle of silk blankets, from which you could see the small fist of a baby sticking out to grab hold of anything it came across.

The pain stopped just as it had started, and you were left on the ground, cold and confused, with your eyes still tightly shut. You tried desperately to make something of all this new information, putting every memory into a neat little timeline just to make it all make sense. But the more you tried, the more you realized most of these memories weren’t new at all but rather variants of certain memories that you had never been able to recall in full detail.

"I can assure you that I’m quite real, my child." She said. You reluctantly looked up at her, shivering slightly from the cold. She’d come a lot closer in the last few moments. "The only reason you don’t have any recollection of me is because I swore upon the river Styx not to reveal myself or anything of my world to you before your father explained it all to you first."

She looked you over. "Although I can see that he clearly hasn’t done the explaining very well. As for your ‘mom’ — Delilah, was it? — I’m afraid she has no idea of anything, poor dear." She tsked, a bored look on her face.

"If I’m really your daughter, prove it." You spat, your throat hurting from trying to scream too much. Your head was still pounding. "Prove to me that this isn’t all some crazy dream. One of my nightmares."

"Nightmares?" Well, that certainly piqued her interest. "Tell me about these nightmares."

"I don’t know; they’re nightmares. Everyone has them." You were becoming irritated. Whether or not this was a dream or reality, one thing was for certain: you did not like the goddess of magic one bit. "Sometimes I’d have them a couple nights in a row, and they’d all connect, but they’re still just nightmares."

"Ah, but you see, a demigod’s dreams are quite special." Hecate said, smiling widely once again. "They often convey messages or show what may happen in the future. Tell me, have any of your nightmares come true?"

Your heart skipped a beat. You remembered one time you dreamt of your parents getting in a car crash. They were hit by a drunk driver on the way home from work only two days later. You’d stayed over at your best friends’ house for over a week so that their mom could take care of you when your parents were at the hospital.

"This isn’t giving me proof, mom." You said instead, not wanting to tell Hecate much about anything. You didn’t trust her, and giving her more information on you when she’d clearly been keeping well up to date on your life without your knowledge wasn’t beneficial for you. "Saying things isn’t going to make me believe. I need something solid, something real."

You took a deep breath as one of her eyebrows arched up. With her void-looking eyes, you couldn’t tell if she was amused or annoyed at what you had just said.

Then her smile grew wider.

"As I’ve said, child, you need something from me — or rather, some things would be more accurate, I suppose. Being a demigod comes with a few chinks and perks, and you’ll need my help to control and survive them."

"Wait, wait, wait. What the hell do you mean, ‘survive’? Am I in danger?"

"Why, of course." Hecate seemed almost gleeful at the mention of danger.

‘Some mother she is’, you thought.

"Danger comes naturally with being a child of the gods. There are monsters and gods looking for someone to smite, and don't forget the quests—"

Monsters? Quests? What kind of life had your dad brought you into?

"—which is why you’ll need me." She finished. There was a tinge of pale pink on her cheeks, as though the mere thought of tossing you in a pit with all sorts of nasty creatures was just too exciting. "As for the proof you requested... I’m afraid we have run out of time."

"Wait, what?" You were beginning to feel very stupid at this point. All you had were questions and a ‘mother’ who seemed uninterested in giving you any straight answers.

You looked at her expectantly, and she stared back at you. She seemed to freeze for a moment, then looked around the temple before settling her gaze on one particular spot on the left. Then she turned toward you again, the pink tint on her cheeks more evident than before.

"Check under your pillow once you wake up. Look after those brothers you’re so fond of; you’ll need them where you’re going." She rushed out, a green glow starting to surround her.

"Wait—"

"I’ll see you sometime soon, child." Hecate was now split into three images again, each one shoving something small, flat, and square into your hand. "Don’t disappoint me."

Hecate then disappeared. The temple began to crumble in her absence, with cracks appearing out of nowhere on the pristine marble. They wound up the columns and spread throughout the ceiling, creating shapes that resembled lightning.

Then everything came pouring down on you.

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amberthefantasy · 7 months

Text

and the dragons danced?

chapter eight: AEGON II

Aegon pressed himself closer into Sunfyre, encouraging the dragon to fly down. He saw Jace on Vermax following close behind. They'd flown past the Kingswood by the time the sun had reached its apex, and had passed over Ashford and Horn Hill already. Soon the Hightower would be in view and they would be descending on Oldtown and Daeron.

Daeron... his littlest brother. Only a boy of six namedays when he'd been sent off to foster with their mother's family. Aegon barely remembered what his little brother looked like, he knew that out of his siblings Daeron had been the only one to inherit their grandmother Alyssa's blonde hair, he hadn't inherited her eyes though, having the same indigo eyes as their father, Rhaenyra and Aegon himself.

He remembered the little dragon that Daeron had claimed though. His brother was the only one of Queen Alicent's children to have an egg hatch in the cradle. A bright cobalt blue she-dragon whom Daeron was been proud of, even at six. He'd scoured the library for days trying to find her a name, asking Aegon to read him words that he didn't understand. Aegon was eleven at the time, and had found it quite irritating to be saddled with his little brother, but he had helped all the same and eventually Daeron decided on the name Tessarion for the little hatchling.

Three days later he was gone. Aegon hadn't seen him since, he wasn't at Lady Laena or Ser Laenor's funerals, or the tourney held in celebration for Aegon's sixteenth name day, or even his wedding to Helaena. Aegon remembered mother asking grandfather about why her son was not present, but everytime Otto managed to distract her and change the subject, Aegon was beginning to worry about why.

Aegon was lost in thought for a while, before he spotted the white stone tower in the distance. The Hightower itself. Vermax came closer to Sunfyre as they neared the city. "You land!" Jace's voice came over the wind, "I'll circle above, Sunfyre will show me if I need to land." They'd talked about the plan before they left, but Aegon was relieved to hear the ease in Jace's voice, even shouting over the wind he sounded confident, a helpful salve to Aegon's own worry.

Soon the two dragons were circling above the tower. Aegon took a breath, then directed Sunfyre to land on the top of the tower.

The guards kept back. Eyes darting from Sunfyre's golden jaw to Aegon as he dismounted his dragon. "Tell my cousin that Prince Aegon has come for his brother," he called to the guards. One turned and took off down the stairs. The other two stayed. Eyes still stuck on Sunfyre. "Do not be afraid," Aegon said, amused, "he will not harm you."

As they waited for his cousin and brother, Aegon distantly heard the sound of a dragon's cry. Tessarion sensing her kin perhaps?

It didn't take long for Lord Ormund and Prince Daeron to reach the top of the Hightower. His brother's eyes lit up when they fell on Aegon and a smile graced his lips. "My Prince," Lord Ormund spoke, his own eyes locked on Sunfyre.

"My lord cousin," Aegon responded.

"What brings you here? We received no raven telling of your coming," Ormund said, when his eyes finally turned to Aegon he could see the genuine confusion in them. Either Grandfather had not yet sent word to Oldtown of his fathers death or he had and that raven had included the detail of Aegon's escape.

"Has my grandfather sent you a raven yet?" He asked.

Ormund hesitated, "yes my Prince, I am sorry for your loss."

Aegon nodded, "then you know. I am here because my brother should be present for the funeral of our father," Ormund nodded at Aegon's words, "and the coronation of our sister."

That made Ormund blink at him, "your sister..." he repeated.

"Yes." Aegon confirmed, "my father's named heir." He raised a hand and waved Daeron forward. His brother hesitated for a moment, eyes darting between his brother and his cousin, confusion alight in them. "Come brother, our sister has requested your presence personally." Daeron's eyebrows pulled together, a sliver of fear visible in them. "It's okay," he reassured, "come on."

"I should fly on Tessarion right?" Daeron said, his voice no longer tinged with the shrillness of boyhood.

"Yes," Aegon agreed, "call her. I'll take flight on Sunfyre before she lands." He turned his eyes back to his cousin, "I don't wish to risk the structure of your tower with two dragons upon it." Lord Ormund muttered a thank you. His eyes no longer confused but simmering with barely concealed anger as he realised there was nothing he could do to keep the youngest prince away from his family.

Daeron closed his eyes as Aegon turned to remount his dragon. The dragon's call came again, Sunfyre responded with his own and far above them Aegon heard Vermax's distant cry. Tessarion came into view a few moments later, her cobalt scales distinct against the pale sky. "Brother?" Aegon called as he flung himself into the saddle and prepared to take flight. Daeron turned his eyes from his dragon. "Stay close, you have less flying experience and I can't have you dying before we even get home." Daeron smirked and nodded.

Sunfyre took to the sky just as Tessarion reached them. The two dragons passed each other, Sunfyre's golden wings brushed Tessarion bronze chest and the smaller dragon snipped at him. Luckily Sunfyre didn't seem bothered by it and kept flying up. Aegon looked down as Tessarion landed and let out a sharp call. Ormund had grabbed Daeron by the arm it seemed, probably hissing some warning about a murderous sister. Daeron pulled away, stepping closer to his dragon. Tessarion lowered her head, and as Daeron placed a hand on it, Ormund stepped back and left. Aegon smirked to himself.

Daeron was in his saddle a moment later, taking flight to join Aegon. "Stay close," Aegon called.

Before Daeron could call a response there was a sharp cry as Vermax descended from the clouds to join his kin. Aegon rolled his eyes as he heard Jace's laugh on the wind. "Hello uncle!" Jace called to Daeron. Tessarion fluttered back. "Let's go home!" Jace yelled. He spurred Vermax on. Aegon laughed as he followed with Sunfyre, seeing Tessarion following right behind. The three dragons flew north in sync, in the direction of home.

Daeron followed Aegon's advice and stayed close the entire ride back. So close to Aegon and Sunfyre in fact that Tessarion's wings brushed against Sunfyre's every now and then. Aegon also noted that Daeron stayed a distance from Vermax. Jace seemed to understand that as well, keeping Vermax away from the other dragons too. The Hightowers had definitely filled Daeron's head with the lies they had filled Aegon's with. His hesitancy to go to their sister, Tessarion's snarl at Vermax and Daeron keeping his distance during the flight all combined to tell Aegon that.

Aegon leant forward to push Sunfyre downwards, his golden claws grazing the top of the trees of the Kingswood. During the flight back Aegon and Jace hadn't tried to keep out of sight like they had on the flight there. Daeron was already on the way to Dragonstone and they'd be there by sundown, there was nothing the greens could do to stop them so there was no point in hiding themselves. Vermax alighted beside him for a moment and Aegon caught a look at Jace, his head was leaning back as he took in the fast wind around them. Tessarion fluttered to his other side, the smallest of the dragons among them it was much easier to see Daeron's hunched form on her back. The three dragons pushed on over the Kingwood and towards the Narrow Sea.

Dragonstone came into view just as the sun began to set over the horizon. The first thing Aegon saw was the red scales of Caraxes as the Blood Wyrm circled the sky, presumably on watch. When the three smaller dragons descended from the sky, Caraxes followed.

They landed in the same place that Aegon and Jace had taken flight from. Rhaenyra, Luke, Baela and Rhaena were all waiting for them. Jace jumped off Vermax the moment they landed, running his hand over his dragon's neck for a moment, before he walked over to his family. Baela instantly pulled him into a hug, Luke and Rhaena joining a moment later.

Aegon dismounted slowly, allowing them a moment of reunion, before he landed on the ground. "Thanks boy," Aegon muttered to Sunfyre, "you did well."

"Aegon!" Rhaenyra called. Aegon turned to see his sister opening her arms in invitation. He took it. He stepped forward and into Rhaenyra's embrace, her soft arms enclosing around him. "Welcome back," she said softly.

"Thank you," Aegon responded. He pulled back and turned slightly to find Daeron. His brother had dismounted as well, but had stayed standing beside his dragon. "Daeron!" Aegon called, waving his brother over. Daeron hesitated for a moment, his eyes flicking to Rhaenyra, before he walked over.

"Princess," Daeron bowed when he reached them.

"Oh, none of that," Rhaenyra waved him off, stepping forward to take Daeron's arms, "welcome to Dragonstone valonqar , I hope you enjoy your time here."

Daeron glanced at Aegon, who smiled encouragingly. "Thank you... mandia. "

Rhaenyra's answering smile was blinding. "Come," she said, turning to wave for her children, and Daemon, who had landed Caraxes and dismounted as well, to follow her. "We have much to discuss."

atdd masterlist / post masterlist

#fanfic #house of the dragon #aegon ii targaryen #jacaerys velaryon #daeron targaryen #daeron the daring

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darkdevasofdestruction · 1 month

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Chapter 1 - The Devil, Upright

Hong Kong has long since been known as the epitome of technological development and pristine services of all kind, so it was no wonder it attracted the youth of every age, no matter their background or studies. Nobody looked at another with judgemental eyes, as anyone could become the newest genius researcher, or the big shot CEO. Thus, a young lady with exceptionally long, luscious hair of scarlet velvet found herself enjoying a light meal and a cup of tea, reading a book. She was absolutely gorgeous, and even the waiters wanted to flirt with her, despite her intimidating appearance. She was dressed in black, a crop top and high waisted pants and boots with platform, and over, a haori of evidently expensive silk - It was black, patterned with red spider lilies and embroidered with shiny gold thread.

On the table, a half oni mask, like that of a Samurai, was resting, that too, black with gold teeth and fangs - Yet on her head, the black straw hat with horns and tassels was undiscarded. She didn't seem to actively attempt to hide her identity, nor did she seem to outright show her features to the world - Even so, her gorgeous vixen-like make up made her look like a seductive temptress, her glowing emerald green eyes looking more precious than the most expensive jewel. Her jewellery also, very expensive and made of gold, emphasising her elegance with ease, against the colour block of full black. She sipped her tea calmly, unbothered by the door of the restaurant opening and closing every now and again. She remained aware of her surroundings, yet not enough to bother about what other groups of people were doing.

That is, until she heard her mother tongue being spoken at a table closer to her own, which made her shift her gaze towards them. The young woman gasped softly, raising to her feet and attempting to rush over to their table, but she was too late, for this silver haired Stand user attacked them and provoked them to a duel, outside of the restaurant, but not before the one with the Fire-using Stand lit up the whole place.

The red haired beauty followed close behind, walking up the stairs to some kind of open space with statues and trees all around. The Fire-user was the one supposed to respond to the challenge of the Frenchman, but he was rudely interrupted by the lady who flicked the katana sitting idly at her hip, and attacked the challenger, slashing at his torso with one swift move, and making him grovel on the ground dramatically. "Stop being so dramatic. You'll live." the girl spoke in a whispery voice, looking down at him with a passive expression. "For now." "O, ma belle mademoiselle! Ma fleur! Such a beauty, so deadly!" he stopped his complaining, and got back to his feet, applauding her. "Tell me everything you know about Dio." she said, placing the blade at his neck. "I am not above killing you." "I will tell you all you wish to know - If only you can defeat me, cherie!" all of a sudden, the man towering over her appeared to be floating in mid-air, though it was obvious his Stand, Silver Chariot, which shed its armor, was holding him up. Talk about dramatics. "You seem surprised, cherie! Well, it would be dishonorable of me to defeat you before I explained my previous move. It's only fair, after all." "Your Stand just got faster after shedding its armor. If you can pride yourself with such basic knowledge, you are lesser than a worm." the woman tsk'ed, stepping backwards, watching the Stand create what looked like duplicates, but no doubt, they were after-images left behind from that speed. She could hear various gasps of all kinds, wonder, fear, speculation of what was going to happen - Some were yelling at her to get away from there, that a normal person can't defeat a Stand User, though a rougher, lower voice told them all to shut up. She wasn't a regular person, if she was knowledgeable enough to mention Stands and know strategies.

At once, the Stand went to attack her, while the Frenchman remained rooted to the spot, commanding Silver Chariot. She readied her katana and awaited the momentum - It was all about initiative, that was one of the first rules of a samurai; rules which she held to her heart since very little. A single slash addressed towards the Stand, and the Frenchman was bleeding heavily, whining and whimpering on the ground. The Stand disappeared. The girl sheathed her sword and stepped next to her opponent, looking down at him with bored eyes. "Are you going to tell me about Dio, or should I just kill you?" "Je suis desole, cherie. I was conceited. I was sure my swordsmanship was superior! I will die a honourable death - Since you were able to defeat me, I'll accept my fate, out of respect. Anything else would be dishonorable!" the woman sighed, slapping her face in annoyance and crouching by his side. She stole a quick glance at the party, before placing her hand over his forehead and revealing the manipulating flesh bud controlling him. With some difficulty, she channeled her Stand's power onto her hand to extract the bud, only to slash it with a karate chop.

Though the overly dramatic Frenchman was perfectly fine, he only babbled on and on about someone with two right hands and weird things like that. Having given up on getting any kind of useful information out of him, she got up and stepped towards the party who looked quizzically at her, and they were even more confused when she rose a hand up and... Slapped Kakyoin so hard over the face that he stumbled on his feet. Only to then grab him by the coat of his uniform and bring him into a tight embrace. Everyone was too shocked by the weird behaviour of the girl, that they were unable to speak.

It wasn't until they saw Kakyoin wrap his arms protectively around her that they realised they at least knew each other. "That hurt." the boy said with a chuckle. "Worrying over you hurt more." she muttered, burying her face in his shoulder. "You disappeared one night. Everyone was worried." her voice was soft and light, unlike her tight grip on the boy. "Forgive me, Kisara, I didn't mean to worry everyone." Kakyoin sighed. "I got captured and manipulated by an evil man called Dio... Though I suppose you gathered that by now already. I had a flesh bud like him too." he explained, laxing his hug. "I know. I met others like you. And I met Dio also. It was how I was able to track you down, all the way from Egypt. Mind you, it wasn't easy." the lady spoke, her hands cupping his face as though she was searching for injuries. "It's okay, I'm unharmed." he smiled tenderly at her. "Thank you for worrying about me, but you should go home. We are on a quest to kill Dio. I don't want to endanger you." instead of earning a nod of agreement, he received a light-hearted slap on the back of his head. "Did you think I travelled half the globe to find you, just to return home without you? Don't be ridiculous. I am your older sister, who else but me is supposed to take care of my defenseless baby brother?" she smirked, crossing her arms and rejoicing in the embarrassed blush painting his features. "Whoa - Kakyoin, you never told us you had a sister!" the old man behind them gasped. "You never asked." Noriaki shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "Everyone, this is Kisara, my sister. Kisara, this is Jotaro. He was the one who saved me from Dio's flesh bud. This is Mr. Joestar, Jotaro's grandpa, and Avdol, his friend." Kisara nodded her head at them, tipping her straw hat slightly. "Thank you for saving my baby brother. He can be helpless sometimes." the girl said. "Especially you, Jotaro. Thank you." the young brunet man towering over her - Like everyone else surrounding her - Simply hummed and looked away. Not much of a talker, it seemed. "I suppose everyone has their reasons for wanting to kill Dio. Our end-game wishes align. I can only guess we're going to Egypt, yes?"

Thus, Mr. Joestar began telling her about his daughter, Holly, and her affliction from the Stand that was trying to kill her - A manifestation of Dio's re-awakening from his hundred year slumber. Not only that, but he wished to eradicate the world of all Joestars, the lineage of his eternal rival from his youth, before he become immortal. No doubt, it was a ridiculous story, but given the circumstances, she was unable to dismiss the weird story. With the Frenchman now back on his feet, he, too, joined their party... And it became rather colourful and energetic, much to the introverted girl's dismay. Mr. Joestar said he hired a crew to sail them across the ocean, so they should go towards the port; As he explained that he charted a ship from the Speedwagon foundation, the Frenchman once again crossed their path, under the premise of thanking the group for freeing him from Dio's mind control. "Don't thank us. Thank Kisara." "I don't need your thanks. It was not altruism, but self-interest." the red head tipped her hat, already fed up with the foreigner. "It was a kind thought, but it seems to have fallen on deaf ears." Avdol shrugged his shoulders. Polnareff cringed a little from the woman's cold demeanour. "As you say. I've no desire to come off as heavy-handed." he sighed in acceptance. He then approached the party, asking Joseph to reveal his left hand, covered by a glove.

The Frenchman explained he was looking for the man who murdered his sister, and the only information regarding his physical appearance was the clue of him having two right hands. With Joseph revealing that his left hand was entirely robotic from an incident occured fifty years prior, he encouraged the young man to speak his story.

Three years in the past, his sister was killed when she was returning from school - First, the culprit sliced her friend's chest open, as if with a sickle, then turned to his sister, abusing her before strangling her to death. The man wanted nothing more than to torment the two young ladies. Somehow, despite her heavily bleeding injury, the friend escaped and was able to tell the whole story to Polnareff, who was now hunting the criminal high and low, all over the Earth. Nobody believed her, except for him - He was sure the culprit had a power much like his own. A Stand Power.

I see something in the crystal ball. It is a vision - Not from my heart, but from yours. The man you seek, the pain you hide, my power only brings it into focus. What do you say? Why don't we become friends? You are distressed. You are suffering. Join me, and your suffering will soon be a thing of the past. The image in the globe is what pains you, no? Lend me your strength. I, too, am suffering. I have been denied the Sun's embrace for all eternity. That is why I need your strength. Allow me to find him for you.

"Then I was ordered to kill you all." said Polnareff. "I felt it was the right thing to do." "The flesh bud is partially responsible, but it seems he's quite the manipulator." concluded Avdol. "Indeed. And judging by that story, I would wager that the man with two right hands is already his underling." Kakyoin rightfully guessed. "That's Dio, alright." Kisara let out a breath of amusement. "He did the same to me also." "Wh-What?!" her brother gasped at her comment. "How do you know of Dio?" "How else do you think I could find you?" Kisara scoffed lightly. "Dio is unable to manipulate me, no matter how hard he tried. It was worth listening to his attempts though." such a notion attracted Jotaro's attention, who eyed the girl carefully. Any information regarding their arch-nemesis was vital, no matter of what kind; And at least she seemed much more reliable than the obnoxious Frenchie. "What do you mean? I and Polnareff got manipulated with those flesh buds, and Avdol got threatened also." Noriaki spoke with some alarm. "Ah, I see - No wonder Dio knew how to guide me to you." the single woman of the group chuckled dryly. "I just have a simple trick, of which you are unable of putting into practice, due to the nature of your Stand, that is all." Jotaro concluded easily that this woman, although not showing it, must be having quite a reliable Stand, with an out of the ordinary power. His own Stand was good at close combat, though it had perfect accuracy and quite the sight, much like himself. He saw Kakyoin and Polnareff in battle, and their Stands also were fighting-orientated, with some personal twists. Avdol, he remembers, could use Pyromancy tricks of different kinds, much like the mage of a party.

Could Kisara's Stand be as peculiar as Gramps' weird, thorny stand? Although, Jotaro only knew that he could punch a camera and find a location of interest, so not entirely useful in battle, but good enough for their quest. No, she couldn't have such a lame-ass, useless Stand, could she? If Noriaki, her brother, has a Stand like that, she too must have something useful. Hopefully, he will see it soon at work; He wanted to know everyone's weaknesses and strong points, so that they could all be taken into account when formulating strategies and what not, should the simple Ora Ora punch approach not go as planned.

As Kisara smirked at the group that so easily fell prey to Dio's charm, two young girls marched up to Jotaro, all cutesy, asking him to take a picture of her, as they are tourists and want a nice memory to take home. Alas, their blatantly flirtatious demeanour quickly angered Kujo, who started yelling at them to shut up and leave him alone. The Frenchman, however, got in between them and took the girls away, complimenting their looks and taking a ton of pics of them... Mainly, their long, slender legs. What a pervert.

"His personality is mystifying." Avdol admitted, watching the man's shamelessness with bewilderment. "His emotions change on a dime." "More like, he's got two brains, and the one downstairs suddenly started calling the shots." Joseph's comment made the girl bite her lip in an attempt to hide her amusement, while the others felt outright defeated. "Salope." Kisara's snark, in turn, made Joseph only gasp and start giggling like a schoolgirl. The audacity of calling someone a 'whore' in their own language, how sassy.

Their journey will only feel significantly longer, now that the Frenchman's overly extroverted and talkative self joined the group, though at least it might save some awkward silences. Once boarded on the ship, it will take three full days at sea to get from Hong Kong to Singapore. Hopefully, some peace and quiet will do them good. With how hot it was, Joseph took off his coat, sweating in the white and red striped tank top. He looked in deep bewilderment as Jotaro and Kakyoin kept their full school uniform on, lounging leisurely on the chair; Whilst Jotaro was 'Sun-bathing', the red head boy was reading a book. Weren't they overheating? What was with them? Were they reptiles or what?

"Can't you do something about those school uniforms?! Are you gonna stay dressed like that the entire time? Aren't you hot?" Mr. Joestar asked, almost as if he was flexing. "Well...They ARE pretty hot." Kisara chuckled in amusement, not wanting to let the opportunity go away. "Don't let that get to their head!" Joseph whined a complaint - Only to look at the girl who dared speak, though her situation wasn't much better. Sitting on the railing of the opposite side of the boys, Kisara was enjoying the soothing sea breeze. Her straw hat was down, and her long carmine hair was dancing as graceful as a river around her, almost as if she was a fairy of sorts. Her comment attracter the attention of the two boys; Her brother smiled at her warmly, knowing very well how much she loved the feeling of freedom she was only ever able to get from the sea or mountains. She truly looked happy, which was a rather rare occurrence for the otherwise highly stressed girl - Granted, she usually does like stressing herself with the most silly things... Not that he was any better, for the most part. It must be a twin thing.

When Jotaro looked, however, he saw the someone other-worldy, as though Kisara was not a member of humankind, but some nymph-like being. Was it that untameable fire-like hair, swaying around with the breeze? Or was it that relaxed, genuine kitten smile, looking up at the azure sky with the clouds lazily passing by, and the bright Sun highlighting her beautiful face? How very peculiar, Jotaro thought. Perfectly bizarre. Since when did he care about women, anyway? They always annoyed him to the point of forcing him to yell at them, and even curse. Even his mum would oftimes irk him with her clingy, affectionate actions and sweet words.

Was it because Kisara looked like a serious and reliable person, who only spoke when needed? Or was it the meticulous and sure approach which she displayed when interrogating and defeating Polnareff? Perhaps, it was the clear fright she was feeling with her brother's disappearance, the boy her slender body trembled almost invisibly upon seeing Kakyoin and embracing him with such care and worry. There was something about her, and Jotaro was going to find out exactly what it was that made his eyes linger on that seraphic grin of hers. "We both are students, and students should dress as students. Though we might be pushing it." Kakyoin explained simply. "I see. Japanese students are so uptight." Joseph shrugged. "I see... So this is what they call Bushido." Kisara couldn't help but hum, hearing Avdol compare the Samurai code to the rigidity of the two students. "Like they say, clear your mind and even flames feel cold." "You know, girls aren't gonna fall for uptight guys like you." Polnareff joked. "If only you knew the amount of girls that flock around my brother." Noriaki let out a breath of amusement, though his ears did warm up a little from the embarrassing comment.

Though deeply engulfed in their light conversation, the quietness was broken by a rather aggressive growl and the loudness of a struggle. "Let go! Let go of me, you big lug!" there was a kid, less than twelve years of age, Kisara approximated, who kept screaming and trashing around in the arms of one of the sailors. "Oi, I thought I said no passengers!" Joseph scolded the sailor. "Sorry about that, it's a stowaway. This brat was hiding in the lower storage area." the sailor explained apologetically, as the party lazily gathered around the commotion. Who would have thought that such a small, unruly child could create a headache of this proportion. "Come at me, then! C'mon and fight me! I'll break your balls!" the kid tried to break free, though his strength meant nothing compared to that of a hardened sailor like himself. "How vulgar..." Kisara sighed deeply, looking at the display in disgust. Her whole mood was now ruined, and the calmness was destroyed. The fight between those two continued just as aggressively, with the sailor taunting and pinching his cheeks, and the little boy biting his arm like a dog... Until the little one jumped in the ocean, garnering everyone's shock. The only one completely uncaring of the situation was Jotaro, who didn't budge from the lounge chair even by an inch, nor did he share any kind of concern for the child.

"Leave 'em. The kid must be a confident swimmer to brazenly dive in like that." Jotaro noted in a most bored tone. "Not even an Olympic Swimmer can keep himself afloat when there is no land in sight, and the water is infested with dangerous sea creatures." Kisara shrugged, hopping off the railing and fixing the hat back on her head, looking down at the brunet delinquent, who stared right back at her. She looked so different with that ronin hat on her head; No longer was she a fairy, but she gave off the passively-threatening aura of a samurai of the caliber of Miyamoto Musashi himself. Positively aloof, yet very much dangerous. "Oh no, this is bad! Sharks!" Kakyoin spoke his concerns out loud, along with the others. "Hey, kid, come back here! It's dangerous!" Joseph shouted after him. "Sharks! There are sharks out there!" Polnareff, also, yelled his worries, not wanting to see a live-action of Jaws. "You are all yelling, yet neither of you is taking any active steps in rescuing the child." Kisara looked weirdly at the men. "Well, what can we do, anyway?!" with the Frenchie yelling in her ear, Kisara groaned, seeing the outshape of a shark, lurking around the boy. "... Why am I always taking care of the little brothers?" the girl leisurely hopped off the railing, and much to everyone's surprise... She landed on her feet? And was walking on the sheen of the water? Was was going on, what kind of Stand Power did she have that she could do such a thing?

The men up on the deck watched as Kisara grabbed the boy from the water, holding him up by the neck of the outfit;; The boy let out an ear-piercing screech right in her ear, so high-pitched that she thought her ear drum ruptured - All because the shark leapt at them. Silly boy. "Quiet." Kisara hissed at him, effortlessly kicking the shark away from them, and beginning her catwalk back towards the ship with the child in her arms, cradled like a baby. "One second thought." she looked down at the brat, blowing the hat off his head, revealing a cascade of dark hair, poorly taken care off. "I'm caring for a little sister now, I see." "H-Hey, I'm not a child! How dare you patronise me like this!" the child tugged on a strand of her hair, only to freeze and start shivering at the glare received from those cold, empty green eyes of hers. "I hate children." the older girl's harsh comment made Anne feel small and insignificant, afraid for her life more than with the shark.

Behind them, the bloop of a large water bubble being broken caught Kisara's attention, and she briefly turned to see what was happening, in case another shark were to approach. Her eyes widened in surprise realising that the noise of the water surface breaking was indeed from the shark she hit earlier... In a large spot of blood, it's carcass split in two perfect halves. "What the hell..." "Katrina, get back fast! Something's attacking from underwater! It's not a shark! And it's racing towards you! Hurry!" Joseph's alarmed voice called out from the ship. "Nori?" the red head extended her arm upwards when she calculated the perfect distance. Her heart was pounding hard against her chest; She could see the silhouette of the monster of the depths. It was definitely a Stand. "This distance is perfect!" her brother unleashed Hierophant Green's tendrils, and with impressive speed, Kisara and Anne were snatched back on the deck to safety, just as the Stand wrecked the saving lifeline closeby the spot she was standing previously. "Kisara, are you okay?!" Noriaki embraced his sister as soon as she threw down the little girl. "I am fine." she patted his head. "But we are in deep trouble once the Stand User reveals himself." "An Aquatic Stand...Even I have never seen such an ability such as this." Avdol declared, nervously, still staring at the ravished lifeline.

The men kept trying to ponder over the possibility of whether or not the little girl could be a Stand User... Though incredibly pathetic, looking like a drenched stray cat and heavily panting on the ground. Seeing them all staring down at her so intently, Anne shakily stumbled to her feet, taking out a pocket-knife and threatening the party. "Don't underestimate me, okay?! You're gonna regret this!" neither of them reacted to her words. "One-on-one! Come at me, I dare ya! My demon blade wants to slurp the blood of its 340th victim!" "Haven't I told you to shut up? Do I have to rip your tongue out?" Kisara sighed, stepping in front of the girl and snatching the knife away. "I hate loud brats like you." she flipped the knife to hold the blade before bonking the child on the head with the handle. "Now keep quiet like a good child and I will think twice about throwing you back to the sharks to fend for yourself." Anne shivered, looking up at the woman towering over her maliciously - She was so cool! Anne wanted to be as intimidating and strong like this miss also! Instead, Anne gulped, looking down like an obedient girl. "Y-Yes, Ma'am."

The party looked at each other, and agreed the girl couldn't possibly be the Stand User - But that only begged the question of who could be Dio's puppet lurking from the shadows? As if called, the very captain of the ship appeared out of nowhere, grabbing the young girl so tight that it seemed to hurt her. Jotaro lit up a cigarette, stepping away from the commotion. Joseph seemed to be verifying the true identity of the ten-people crew on this ship, and no one seemed to be suspicious of the man at all. It only made Kisara wonder, her eyes fixed on the leisurely captain. He was tall and built well - He seemed to be playing the role of a captain good enough also.

"Jotaro." Kisara stepped towards the boy who seemed to be analysing the new-comer as well as she was. "I am getting bad vibes from the captain." "Me too." he puffed some smoke, making the girl cough a little. The two shifted their attention back of the captain, who seemed to have ended his conversation with Mr. Joestar, who he strode rather hostile towards them. In one move, so fast and intimidating that even Jotaro was surprised, he grabbed the cigarette, reprimanding the highschool student. "Please refrain from smoking on this ship. What were you planning to do with the ashes and butt when you finished? Were you going to toss them into this beautiful ocean? You're a guest on this ship, so you must follow her rules, Mr. Outlaw." everyone around gasped at the disrespect as the Captain put out the cigarette on one of the golden accessories on Jotaro's hat, before throwing it in his uniform jacket's pocket, which left people speechless. "You got it?" he let a small, amused breath before turning back to the girl who was being held hostage by two other sailors. "There was no need for such rudeness." Jotaro was surprised at the strict tone which Kisara used in defending him. "You may be the Captain of the ship, but your arrogance is unwarranted when scolding one much younger than you. For an adult, you have much to learn in terms of social etiquette and manners." "Hold it." Jotaro spoke out to the Captain, as he put a hand on Kisara's shoulder as a silent thank you gesture. "Don't be a condescending prick about it, you asshole." Jotaro spoke in a hostile manner to him. "Hey, you two! Quit being rude to the captain! It was your fault anyway!" Joseph warned them, but Jotaro paid his grandfather no mind. "Kisara is a well-mannered woman, but I'm not done being rude just yet. I figured it out. This guy's not the Captain. He's the Stand User!" Jotaro declared, making everyone gasp in shock at his bold allegation. "Sta...Nd? What, pray tell, is that?" the Captain played dumb, while everyone in the party took his side. How could a Speedwagon-certified captain be the hostile Stand User attacking them? Working with Dio to bring their demise, no less? The man was even acting cluelessly to a fault, impressing all around him. "I figured out how you can tell a Stand user from a normal person. That is, if a Stand user inhales even a little bit of cigarette smoke, a vein pops up on the tip of their nose." Jotaro declared dramatically, and it made everyone, except for the young girl, touch their nose in surprise. "You can't be serious, Jotaro!" Polnareff cried out in a pitched voice. "Yeah, I was lying. However... It looks like we found our dumbass." Jotaro explained, which made the Captain's dark aura become even darker than before. "Jotaro, how did you become so suspicious of him?" Joseph asked, surprised that his grandson could pick up on an enemy's hidden intentions, while he, with much more experience behind him, never even suspected the man in the first place. "I didn't. I had no suspicion at all. Kisara was, so I thought I would try this with every man on board, beginning with him." Jotaro spoke calmly, glaring down at the foe caught in the middle of the Stardust Crusaders. "You're cold. Goddamn, you're ice cold. And I fell for it! Hats off to you, boy." the enemy took off his hat. "I'm not really the Captain. The real Captain is sleeping with the fishes at the bottom of the ocean in Hong Kong." the villain grinned smugly. "Then I'll make you sleep in the depths of Hell!" Jotaro threatened, with a strong sense of justice.

"Ah-!" through the horribly tense silence hanging down around them, Kisara's rather adorable squeak broke the ice with her being startled - Something had roughly grabbed at her ankle and dragged her outside of the boat, keeping her hostage in a painfully tight grasp; So tight that she could feel her lungs burning from the lack of oxygen. The Aquatic Stand revealed himself, as the Blue Monster of the Lagoon; The Dark Blue Moon Stand. Trouble on the water; Lies and betrayal. The Moon card represents the fear of the unknown, which the depths of the ocean always garner from even the bravest of souls.

"Even for a guy like me, taking all of you on at once would be a bone-breaking task. Which is why my plan was to stay hidden and take all of you out one-by-one. Woman, since you were the smartass to figure me out, I guess I have no choice than to kill you first! Getting you first, so easily, is a sign that my luck is changing. I'll just be jumping into these shark-infested waters with her. Of course, you'll end up following us in, to save her! If we fight in the water where I have the advantage, I can beat all six of you at once!" the Captain boasted, his Stand holding her arms behind her back painfully tight. "I heard your Stand, Star Platinum, is pretty fast. I'm not trying to brag, but my Dark Blue Moon is really fast in water. It can swim more elegantly than any fish in the sea." the enemy continued bragging shamelessly. "S-Save... My hat..." the party could see only a small flash of pure white light flicking her hat back onto the ship for her brother to hopefully rescue. "Go on, act tough while you hide behind a hostage." Jotaro threatened, stepping up to confront the enemy. "It will take a lot more than that to shake me up!" "It's no act, it's a prediction. Follow me... If you're prepared to choke to death on all the seawater you're about to swallow!" the enemy jumped from the rail, along with Kisara and her flame mane.

Without budging a single muscle, Jotaro sent his Star Platinum to attack the Stand and its User mid-fall, giving it a good beating and catching the girl's hand firmly around half-way down the distance to the water. As the party was outright denigrating the enemy, Kisara gulped, looking up at Star's eyes with concern and awe. Star had the exact same gorgeous eyes as Jotaro. How beautiful, she thought - Though it was not yet the time to get bewitched over a pretty boy, when not only she, but everyone was in danger.

"Jotaro, let go of me! The fight is not over yet!" Jotaro was suddenly pulled harshly towards the railing, almost toppling over, were it not for all the men holding onto him. "You were right, this isn't over. He attached these to me earlier when I hit him. They keep multiplying! My Stand's strength is being drained." the poor boy was sweating buckets, just keeping hold onto her body. "Let go of me, I will be fine!" Kisara hollered up at him, trying to slip her hand from his Stand's hold. "I wouldn't be sweating like a freaking pig if I could!" realising that the barnacles were making his whole hand bleed and they were stuck in this hold, Kisara had to call the power of her Stand, manifesting only throughout her own hand.

Jotaro could only see a bright aura engulfing Kisara's and Star's hands, and mysteriously, the girl was released, falling into the depths of the water. He couldn't understand how she managed such a feat; She hadn't severed the barnacles, let alone destroy them, yet somehow, she got away. She fell down, and descended even further down, until she could barely see the light of the day protruding through the sea, and her back hit the bottom of the ocean. She was surrounded by corals, and about to get viciously attacked by the enemy, who was at a great advantage to her.

She felt calm though. Why did she feel calm? Her muscles felt free of any fatigue, caressed by the gentle coolness of the water embracing her like a form-fitting silk dress; Her hair was floating around her as though she was an enchanting mermaid, and she was smiling - Yet all the same, she was glowing white like a seraph, and looked the par.

What a strange woman, Jotaro thought, plunging into the water and seeing her unmoving form. If she couldn't swim, she would be freaking out, so why was she so calm in the face of adversity. Moreover, as soon as he approached her, his arm reaching out to her to grab her to safety, it was she, who grasped at his hand, pulling herself into his embrace and clinging onto him, charming him like a Siren's song for a sailor bold. "Keep close. You can breathe and speak if you maintain this proximity." "What the hell is your Stand Power anyway?" Jotaro gruffed, holding onto her carefully, one arm keeping him close to his side, while the other was keeping them swimming. "Let's just say..." Kisara grinned like a mischievous little vixen; The enemy attacked them, and though Jotaro tried to block the attack with his Stand, he felt no kind of pain or physical trauma. "As long as you keep close, there is no physical force that can harm you or Star." the young man took a quick look at the girl clinging onto him, wearing such an alluring smile, and he scoffed lightly, looking away. "Yare Yare..." he mumbled to himself as the nasty captain and his arrogant words, denigrading the two. "So, what will it be? Tell me what kind of fish dish you want to be. Fish paste? Or maybe some sashimi? I'll make one hell of a meal out your Stand." "You're tough brother, but I know what you're thinking." the captain glared at them, a wide smirk of victory on his face. "How long can this guy stay underwater? I could probably last two minutes, tops. Could he last longer?" he laughed boastfully. "Well, guess what! My lung capacity is three times that of a normal human! And I've been training too; My personal best in six minute and twelve seconds! You must be dizzy just hearing that number."

The Aquatic Stand sliced through the water with great swiftness with sharp, screw-like rotations, creating a whirlpool that spun so fast that Kisara had to dig her fingers into the boy's coat, her mind going in disarray with vertigo. Ah, how she hated spinning around, especially to such intense speed. She wasn't a piece of clothing, so why must she get the washing machine treatment? Not only that, but for the Captain at least, it seemed as though the barnacles were deeply attached to a vast surface of their bodies, yet for some odd reason, Jotaro couldn't feel the same pain and discomfort from earlier. Was it Kisara's Stand Power that kept it at bay? She did manage to part them prior, was it something similar now too? It almost felt as thought those things weren't even touching him... Like there was a soft membrane covering his body, protecting him like a shield.

Realising the great advantage they had over the enemy, who thought the barnacles were draining his life energy and strength away, Jotaro sped up, pretending to swim towards the surface, for his lungs were burning with deep need for air; Dark Blue Moon intensified the whirlpool surrounding them, and razor-sharp shells and barnacle pieces were supposedly tearing away at their flesh.

From up on the ship, the party watched in horror as the otherwise calm water turned into a veritable mayhem, with Jotaro and Kisara both still very much caged in the underwater tornado; They took their Stands out and dived in the water, only to slashed away with the scales - Were they to actually get in the water, they would become minced meat.

"Keep dead-still." Jotaro briefed her on the plan, and with a hum of approval, Kisara clinged on him like a koala bear on its mother, and they both allowed their bodies to grow completely lax, limp, devoid of any reaction or opposing strength in this tornado. Those watching from above seemed terrified for their well-being, thinking them dead - All, but Joseph, who seemed to be thinking that his grandson had a master plan, shrewd much like his own, that he could find a way to destroy the enemy as only he knows best.

The smell of blood made Kisara open her eyes and react again, as the young man took the captain by surprise. "Turns out it was you who was turned into Sashimi." Jotaro's punchlines hit as hard as his punches. "What's that? I can't hear you well underwater. Speak up!" he shouted angrily. "But your power was being drained... You went limp on purpose... " the evil man hollered in defeat. "Wrong. What I was thinking was... How fucking gross it'll be when I kick your stupid ass and you piss yourself - I'd be fucking disgusted since we're underwater, old geezer." Jotaro's last taunt made Kisara chuckle a little.

With one last punch to the face, the Captain went to sleep with the fishes, and Jotaro swam up to the surface. "Had fun?" Kisara smirked, leaning onto his shoulder. "Hardly." he gruffed - Though initially his eyes bore sternly into her own, not necessarily appreciating the closeness - He couldn't help but chuckle along with her. It actually had been a rather comical situation; And it wasn't like she was going out of her way to come hard onto him in an overly-flirtatious way, she seemed to as carefree as her brother. Yeah, he could definitely see how they are related. "You haven't shown your Stand." "Should I have?" she hummed, watching the ship go up into flames, as all those still on board let down the life boats and embark them. "I will, if the time comes and I need her." "You did use her Power." he noted as they swam towards the boats. "A small fraction, of course. I only need to take her out if I need her full power - Which, mind you, never happened before." she chuckled, flashing the brunet a mischievous smile. "You seem to have overconfidence in her strength." Jotaro noted as he got in the boat, helping her up also. His hands lingered on her body a little longer than he should have, he realised. How shameful of him. "It is not unbased." Kisara thanked him for the help up, settling cozily next to her brother. "I might think, some day, whether I want to let you in on our little secret." she leaned on Noriaki's shoulder, and perhaps thanks to their sibling connection, the lad knew what she was referring to, and matched a pose with her. "My sister's Stand is really cool. I think you'd like it, JoJo." if even Kakyoin could say something like this... It only left the Kujo boy incredibly annoyed with this veiled mystery. "Yare Yare Daze..." Though their little teenage bickering, all in good faith and light-hearted, ended as soon as the little girl spit out the only bit of fresh water they had left, out of the extreme shock of sighting something akin to a ghost ship appearing from within the mist, and right towards them, floating lazily.

It was a freighter, and they were rescued. The distress calls must have been answered. Finally, some good news for the Stardust Crusaders.

... Or so they thought ...

Next Chapter >

#The Devil's Star #jojos bizarre adventure #jojos bizzare adventure #imagine #jjba #jjba x oc #jjba x reader #jjba imagine #kujo jotaro #kujo jotaro x oc #kujo jotaro imagine #kujo jotaro x reader #kujo jotaro x kakyoin kisara

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vigilante-bardock · 2 months

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Arrival to Paris

Paris France, Present Day

Orion's POV "I'd say that was a nice flight, wouldn't you say?" I remarked as me and my friends, Ariel and Dion, walked down the stairs as we exited the plane and entered the Paris airport. We had just finished our trip from America and landed in Paris, where we were staying for the next year or two. We had just won a scholarship to go to Paris so as you can imagine, it wasn't something we couldn't be more excited over.

"Sure." Dion, my best friend, replied as he held a hand to his head. "Whatever makes you happy, Orion." Dion was a Japanese-Irish male with short orange hair and sharp blue eyes. His hair was short like his father's with the same color, however, his face was more like his mother's. He wore a white sleeveless button-up with long orange sleeves from the elbow down while wearing a light blue tie and black boots. "I'm just glad the ride's over." No sooner did he say that than his face started to turn green. "HRK!" Dion exclaimed as he ran over to a nearby trashcan before vomiting.

"I thought it was amazing!" Ariel exclaimed as she did a quick spin, her long, black skirt spinning like a top. Ariel was a pink-haired Jewish girl who wore a black and pink shirt and white shoes. "Just think! We'll be in Paris! The city of Love and Lights! For two whole years!" Her excitement caused her ponytail to sway a little. "I would just love to visit the Eiffel tower, and the Louvre, and taste the exotic foods here!"

"We won't be doing any of that until we get our luggage," I said, adjusting my glasses as we went over to the line and looked for our cases. "And meet our guardian." I was a Greek Mexican boy with dark blue hair that was Eren Jaeger-like in appearance. My outfit consisted of a white t-shirt with a red coat over it while my hands wore blue fingerless gloves. My pants were dark blue with blue Nikes.

"I wonder who we're staying with anyways." Ariel inquired as we walked into the airport lobby. "I wish I had paid attention when Mom and Dad gave me a description of our contact." She sighed a little bit as she thought about it.

Dion pointed ahead. "I think that would be them." Ariel and I looked at where he was pointing and saw someone with a sign that had our names on it. The person in question was a young man with orange hair covering one of his eyes who wore a grey jacket over a red-orange shirt. "Ariel," Dion began, "isn't that-"

ZOOM! Ariel sped past us and towards the guy and embraced him in a bear hug. "Cousin Nathaniel!" She exclaimed. "I'm so glad to see you again!" Nathaniel seemed to be happy as well because he lifted her and swung her around.

Ariel's POV I was so excited to see my cousin Nathaniel again! The last time I saw him was at our cousin Matthew's bar mitzvah. "It's been so long!" I exclaimed in Hebrew. "It's so good to see you again cousin!"

"Same here, Ariel" Nathaniel replied, also in Hebrew. "When I heard you were coming, I almost broke a window from jumping in excitement!" He looked over my shoulder and saw Orion and Dion standing there. "And who are your bodyguards?" Nathaniel inquired in English.

"I'm Orion Pax," Orion replied as he pushed his glasses upwards and tried to compose himself. (He always got nervous meeting new people). "It's nice to meet one of Ariel's relatives."

"My name is Dion Mcfinnigan," Dion said very calmly. (Dion was always the most chill out of all three of us.) "I take it that you are the one that is taking us in?" Without warning, Nathaniel got closer to Dion and looked at his face.

"You look familiar," Nathaniel commented as he finished. "Have we met?" Orion and I looked at each other in confusion.

"Not that I'm aware of." Was Dion's answer. "Perhaps you've met my mother by chance?"

"Who would your mother be?" Nathaniel inquired.

"I wouldn't know," Dion replied, "all I know is that I'm the result of an affair between my father and some rich married Japanese woman who decided to get giddy behind her husband's back."

Nathaniel looked at me with an odd look on his face before turning toward Orion. "And you?" He asked in a curious tone.

"Teen pregnancy." Was all Orion said at the moment Nathaniel nodded before moving on.

"I suppose you guys want to know where you'll be staying for the time being," Nathaniel commented as we began walking. "Look no further when I say that you're going to be living with me." This revelation surprised me a little bit. Nathaniel is living by himself? Whatever happened with him and his father living together? I thought.

"Get down!" Orion screamed as an explosion appeared beside us, knocking the 4 of us down.

Dion's POV I slowly got up as a ringing hit my ears. I looked around and saw Orion, Ariel, and her cousin Nathaniel try to get up, still disoriented from the explosion. Without thinking, I looked at where the explosive projectiles had originated and saw something extremely unusual: I saw what appeared to be a girl in an outfit that made me want to hurl. She appeared to be no older than we were.

She happened to wear an outfit that reminded me of Sailor Moon in terms of outfit and color. That was where the similarities ended though. Her hair was tied up in two silver lower French braids. Her eyes were a blood red that seemed to glow as she grew angry. In one of her gloved hands was a short wand that was gold and had a cracked heart gem on it.

"I am Sailor Galactica!" The girl exclaimed. "And I will show the world how awesome Magical Girls are!!" With that she aimed her wand and fired it at a street lamp, causing it to turn into a unicorn.

"Aaaaah!!!!!" Ariel screamed as she ducked behind a car, us following her. "Nathaniel," She started in an annoyed voice. "I know what I'm going to say might be crazy, but I think you might have left some things out of the letter that you sent me last year!"

"In all honesty Ariel," he replied, looking at his phone. "I didn't think one would appear today."

"Today?" I repeated. "You mean this thing happens all the time?" I looked over the car and saw the girl keep firing her wand at people and objects.

"Sadly yes," Nathaniel replied. "But these situations are usually resolved when our local heroes Ladybug and Chat Noir come in and stop the villain." He then showed us his phone, "I've already alerted them with an app that allows people to report akumas if they see them." A blast hit the car we were behind and turned it into another unicorn.

"Well," Ariel commented as we hid behind another car. "I'm not about to entrust my life to some spandex-wearing wannabes." She looked at me and Orion. "Who wants to kick some Sailor Scout ass?"

"That's not a good idea Ariel" Nathaniel commented. "That villain will reduce you to a pulp without a second thought!"

"I'm all for it," I said, cracking my knuckles. "I've been looking for an excuse to try out some of those new boxing moves."

"Someone's gotta make sure you two don't end up dead" Orion said as he pushed his glasses up. "So here's the plan..."

~|~

Sailor Galactica kept firing her wand at everything she saw. "Soon," she began monologuing, "everyone will know the best shows ever are Magical Gir-" She never got to finish her sentence, mainly because she got hit in the face by a rock. She turned toward the direction where it was thrown and saw a blue-haired boy standing there.

"I understand that you like Magical Girl Anime a lot, right?" The boy asked, pushing his glasses upward.

"Yes!" Sailor Galactica said, "It's why I'm doing this in the first place!" She aimed her wand at him, totally unaware of the two people creeping up behind her. "I take it you are a fellow loyal fan as well?" She smiled a little bit.

"To be honest," the boy replied. "I think it sucks!"

"What?" Sailor Galactica replied, completely confused by what the boy just proclaimed. "What did you say?" Her voice became dangerous as she looked at the boy.

"I think it sucks." The boy replied. "I mean, let's be honest here, all those frilly dresses, bright colors, long transformation sequences." He snapped his fingers and laughed a little. "Don't even get me started on those ridiculous poses they like to do." He then made a mocking Sailor Moon pose. Sailor Galactica's hand began to squeeze around her wand. "Then there's those weird attack names and titles too." The boy continued. She couldn't take it anymore.

"Enough!" She screamed, swinging her wand. "I will make you pay for those insults child!" She fired her wand at him. The boy dodged the blast, it hitting a random mailbox and turning it into dust.

"This is why I like Giant Mecha anime." The boy stated as he ran in a circle around her. "At least they have awesome fight scenes that don't use fancy poses and weirdly named attacks." He then dodged another blast before sliding under a car. "Plus, you never see them coming." Sailor Galactica felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned her head only to see a fist collide with her jaw, sending her flying. Without thinking, she let go of her wand, causing it to fly through the air and land in a pink-haired girl's hands.

"Nice wand," the girl said, "Mind if I keep it?" The wand then slipped out of her hands as it shattered upon contact with the ground, a black butterfly appearing from it. "Oops." She went as it began to fly away.

Orion's POV A red and black yoyo appeared out of nowhere and grabbed the butterfly, causing, Ariel, and Dion to turn in the direction it came from. We saw a bluenette pigtailed girl wearing a red bodysuit with black spots all over her body. Her mask had similar traits as well in terms of color and design.

Her partner, on the other hand, wore a black leather suit along with fake cat ears on his blonde hair with a belt-like tail that would move depending on his mood. His eyes were catlike which seemed odd to him considering he was human.

"Bye bye little butterfly..." Ladybug said as she released the Akuma from her yoyo, now white as it flew away. She then looked at us. "You guys stopped her?"

"Yes," Ariel replied, "my friends didn't think it'd be a good idea to wait until you arrived so we-" Ladybug held up a hand as if to shut her up.

"Do you know how stupid it was to do that?" She asked, somewhat annoyed. "You could've gotten hurt, or even killed by the Akumatized victim!"

"No offense, Puta," Ariel commented,(using swear words I taught her) somewhat annoyed by what she had said, "but would you rather if that Akuma or whatever kept attacking until you guys showed up?!" At this point, Chat Noir, Nathaniel, Dion, and I knew how this could end up.

"Calm down," Chat Noir interjected, hoping to ease the tension between Ladybug and Ariel. "Why don't we-?" He never got to finish his statement because both Ariel and Ladybug glared at him.

Poor guy. I thought as we looked at him.

"I would rather they didn't get hurt..." She replied, her voice getting angrier by the minute.

"That doesn't answer her question," I stated. Ladybug looked at me for a moment before looking at Ariel.

"Don't do this again.." She said before turning towards me. She got close to my ear and whispered, "I'll see you around..." She smiled as she did a motion and a swarm of ladybugs appeared that somehow fixed everything, down to the cars not being dust and no more unicorns running around. Before she left, she looked at me and made a phone sign with her hands. With that, she swung away.

"What was that?" Nathaniel wondered as he looked at the duo swing away. "I'm so confused right now."

"Ariel and Ladybug got into an argument." Dion recounted. "Ladybug then seemed to try to flirt with Orion, and then a swarm of ladybugs appeared, fixing everything." Dion turned to look at me. "She was flirting with you, right?" He asked, a little confused.

I simply shrugged to show I was just as confused as he was.

"The next time she tries that, I'm gonna..." Ariel growled as she made a motion that seemed to indicate her wanting to break someone's neck.

"I think we better go to my house right now..." Nathaniel commented as we grabbed our stuff and hailed a taxi.

Ariel's POV

I could only growl for the rest of the ride as I thought about what I saw and heard. Ladybug. More like Lustybug. I saw her making those eyes at Orion.

"Ariel?" I snapped out of my thoughts as Orion got my attention.

"What is it?" I asked.

"We're here," Nathaniel replied. I looked at where we would be staying and saw that it was an apartment complex. "Welcome to mí casa." He said. "I think that's Spanish for the front door, am I right?" I simply chuckled at this.

"Not bad," Orion commented as we went inside. "It's a lot roomier than I expected. Nathaniel's apartment certainly was larger than expected. From what I could tell, it was a four-bedroom apartment with a good-sized kitchen and bathroom.

"I'll be staying in my room," Nathaniel remarked. "and you three have to bunk together."

"How come?" I asked, curious about why he couldn't.

"One of the rooms is a studio for me," he pointed to the other room. "The other room is a workshop for all of us." He turned to us. "Any questions?" There were none. "Good," he said as he went to bed.

Seeing his wisdom, we all unpacked and decided to go to sleep as well.

I didn't know it then, but our lives would soon change forever...

#transformers #miraculous ladybug #humanization #autobots #oc akumas #optimus prime #elita 1 #ultra magnus #nathaniel kurtzberg

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missmilkie · 5 months

Text

Four Star High

Part One

(Not my art)

Note: This is something I came up with a while back. I’ve got some OCs in here and it’s an AU, so a lot of characters are going to be ooc and it doesn’t follow the canonical timeline. Also I’m going to change some ships as well as some other things about the characters because ✨creative freedom✨

2862 words

“Time to get up, kids!” Gine called from the bottom of the stairs. Her short and petite figure stood clad in a magenta button up with the sleeves rolled up and dark wash mom jeans, holding a spatula. Her face was very soft compared to her husband’s. Her black hair was blown out, framing her face and she wore light makeup.

Raditz shot up and swung his feet off his bed, grabbing his pre-picked clothes from his dark wooden dresser, and strode to the bathroom. The shower was running within minutes. As the oldest, he’d be damned if he let his siblings get the bathroom before him. Raditz put a lot of effort into his appearance.

He often wore carefully styled layers, corduroy pants, and gold jewelry. Raditz wore a lot of warmer neutrals and liked trendy designs. He had long hair that he often pulled back into a ponytail, leaving some hair out to frame his face. He had the exact same face shape of his father as well as his eyes.

Turles slammed his hand down to blast some hard rock music from his boombox. Dragging himself from his messy bed, he threw on a band tee from his floor. After some digging, he found a pair of ripped straight leg jeans. Turles shoved his feet into his dingy black converse and smudged some pencil eyeliner on his eyelids.

Turles was going through some teenage angst and rebellion. He smoked a lot of weed with his friends, and played in a band. They were definitely a grunge rock band. He played bass and wrote some songs. His songs were often sad or angry, written in the heat of his emotions.

“Turles, turn that shit down!” Bardock barked from the sink while washing dishes. It was a wonder that his large calloused hands didn’t shatter the dishes. His muscle bound figure towered over the sink nonetheless.

Kakarot rolled out of bed at the sound of Turles’s music. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he shuffled over to his closet. His face was soft like Gine’s and near identical to Turles’s save for his eyes. Kakarot had Gine’s eyes while Turles had Bardock’s. Otherwise they both have Gine’s face.

A simple blue t-shirt, jeans, and his orange and navy accented letterman jacket seemed good enough to him. Kakarot wasn’t too concerned about his looks. He opted for comfort over style, though he wasn’t completely without taste.

Yucca flicked through her closet in deep thought. Yucca was nearly the spitting image of her mother. She had all of Gine’s facial features except for her face shape. Yucca was also much taller than her mother, but just as slim if not slimmer.

Humming to herself, she snatched a green cropped tank top with navy blue borders. A pair of baggy jeans followed with high tops close behind. She found her brush and dry shampoo, making quick work of her hair. Yucca did minimal makeup as she never did much. She’d have to wipe it off before soccer practice anyways.

Starting with Kakarot, each kid made their way downstairs to the table. Gine had made a large breakfast for them. Bardock and Gine had already eaten half of their food by the time everyone was seated.

“So what do you all have going on today?” Their mother asked.

“The band wants to go to Bell’s after school, so I probably won’t be home until 9.” Turles shrugged.

“Remember to be careful, and no funny business.” Bardock looked him in the eyes.

“I know, dad.”

“Bulma’s taking Kakarot and I to Skate City after dinner.” Yucca chimed in.

“Make sure you both do your homework before she gets here, or else you can’t go.” Gine warned.

“Yes, mom.” Kakarot nodded furiously.

“I have a date tonight.” Raditz puffed out his chest. “Violet from the cheer squad.”

“Be back by 10.” Bardock sighed deeply. “And if you’re gonna fuck her, please use protection. Your mother and I have enough going on with just the four of you.”After breakfast, the four teenagers piled into Raditz’s car and he drove off to school. They immediately split off once the car was parked. Yucca and Kakarot had caught up with Chi Chi, Bulma, and Krillin outside of the school. Turles went to Sherry’s car and joined the session. Raditz stayed in the car, waiting for Violet. He was parked far enough away that no teachers would catch them making out.

“So I heard that we’re getting a new student today.” Bulma walked backwards as she talked to the group. Her turquoise hair bounced in its high ponytail, her bangs nearly reaching her round blue eyes.

“A dude or a chick?” Krillin questioned. He stood at about 5’ even and had a buzz cut.

“A guy, I think.”

“Oh, which grade?” Yucca raised her brows.

“I believe he's a freshman like you."

“Do you think he’ll go out for football?” Krillin pondered.

“That’d be great!” Kakarot grinned wildly.

“Of course you’re only excited because of sports.” Chi Chi rolled her eyes. She was petite with the straightest black hair and a resting bitch face.

Bulma could only do her best to keep her feelings of disgust off her face.

Yucca left the group to go to her first period, the remaining trio making their way to their own. She sat in her seat just before the bell rang.

“Good morning, class. Today we have a new student joining us.” The teacher motioned to the door. In walked an insanely tall green skinned male. He had antennae, pointy ears, and no eyebrows.

“My name is Piccolo."

The class responded with half assed greetings.

“Piccolo, why don’t you sit in that empty seat next to Yucca.” The teacher motioned towards her. “Yucca, raise your hand for him.”

Yucca lifted her forearm from the table. Piccolo locked eyes with her, sending shivers down her spine. Despite this, Yucca held a friendly smile.

Piccolo made his way over to the spot and set his belongings down before taking his seat. Without skipping a beat, the teacher began with the lesson.

Yucca couldn't help but to glance at him every so often. He was the spitting image of a past enemy her father had faced. Throughout the entire class, he didn't say a word and looked like he was actually paying attention. His focus was inhuman.

Not catching a word the teacher said, Yucca continued her observation. He wasn’t King Piccolo, but he had to be related to him. Too many questions filled Yucca’s head to the brim. She needed to talk to Kakarot.

At lunch, Yucca found the rest of the group relatively easily. Freshmen and sophomores had the same lunch time while juniors and seniors ate together. She plopped down with her loaded tray.

“You should’ve seen the new guy in my class.”

“What’s he like?” Kakarot cocked his head.

“Super scary! He looks just like King Piccolo!”

“Is he that guy standing in the corner over there?” Bulma jabbed her thumb in the direction of Piccolo himself. He was in fact standing in a corner, arms crossed and eyes closed.

“Who’s that?” Chi Chi pondered aloud.

“King Piccolo tried to take over the world a few years back. Their dad killed him though.” Krillin’s brows furrowed.

“He couldn’t be him.”

“D’ya think he’s up to anything?” Kakarot asked with a mouthful.

“Who knows.” Bulma sipped her juice. “Maybe he’s just a relative of his who wants to go to school.”

“Weird as hell. Who wants to go to school?” Yucca made a face, twirling her fork in hand.

After school as Yucca was on her way to the locker room she spotted Piccolo in front of the school’s activities board. The board had fliers and sign up sheets for the various extracurricular activities the school offered. She strained to read the text on the paper in his hands. Four Star High Dragons: Football Sign-up

Holy shit, he is playing football! Yucca kept walking, her pace faster than before. Wait till Kakarot hears this.

Yucca made her way to the girl’s locker room to change into a school T-shirt and some athletic shorts. She pulled her hair into a low pony as she ran out to the soccer field.

After their practices, Raditz drove them home. The three of them ate a large snack before pulling out their books to study.

Believe it or not, Raditz was a straight A student. He always got amazing grades, so their parents made him help the younger two. Kakarot and Yucca struggled academically, but with Raditz’s help they did better than just passing.

“You guys had better focus today. I’m getting ready for my date at 7, and that time isn’t changing for either of you dumbasses.”

Raditz practically beat the information into them, but they got done around 6:30. Since they still had some down time, they went outside to train together. Fighting was a big part of their family; it was how Bardock paid the bills. It was also in their Saiyan blood.

Bardock had gotten home at about six, so they joined him in the backyard.

“I understand that Turles needs to hang out with kids his age, but he’s starting to fall behind in training.” Bardock commented.

“His band is finally getting some attention, so it makes sense that he’s focusing more on it.” Raditz shrugged.

“It’s not like he’s gonna quit fighting, but we’re the strongest people on earth. There’s not much reason to get stronger than we already are.” Yucca chimed in.

“Turles may be a rockstar, but I know he’s still gonna fight. I’m sure he’ll catch up on training in no time.” Kakarot beamed.

“Yeah, well, it might do him some good if you remind him.” Bardock smirked.

“We’ll get on it.”

Yucca and Kakarot were made to face off against each other while Raditz took on his father. The youngest two were often on the same wavelength. They were very close, after all.

As the most battle focused siblings, they often trained together. Their like mindedness and similar behaviors made them appear like twins to strangers. They were technically Irish twins, so the thought wasn’t so far off.

“How come Chi Chi didn’t say bye before you went to practice? Doesn’t she like to do that shit?” Yucca aimed a punch at her brother.

“She’s mad at me.” Kakarot dodged and jabbed at her.

“Again?! Why?”

“She doesn’t like how close I am with Bulma.” He uncharacteristically frowned as he attacked.

“You guys don’t act in a way that disrespects your relationship though. She’s all wigged out for no reason.” Yucca got him off balance and went in for the pin.

“That’s what I said! Well, not exactly. I just said she had nothing to worry about. But she just talked about how I don’t care about her and that I’m a player just like Raditz.” Kakarot switched their positions.

“Hey!” Raditz shouted at them from his match.

“No offense!”

“That’s bitchy. Bulma was literally our first friend when we came here. Of course you’re close!” Yucca freed herself and went in for another attack. “Plus, you’ve been doing your best to please ChiChi for the entirety of your relationship. You’ve sacrificed a good time with your friends to make her happy.”

“I’m no good at romance…but I don’t wanna hurt Chi Chi.” Kakarot winced when his sister struck him. “Honestly, I don’t know if I even wanna be in this relationship anymore.”

Yucca ceased all combat. Her brother followed suit, a heavy silence hanging between them.

“Why’s that? I thought you liked her.”

“Well, I do. I really care about her and stuff, but it seems like I just always make her mad. Ever since we’ve got together, I feel like she’s hated me. It’s like she has lost feelings after getting with me, but stays anyway.”

“Kakarot…” Yucca held intense eye contact with him. “Have you asked Chi Chi?”

“No. She’ll just blow up on me. I’d rather not bring it up.” Kakarot didn’t meet her eyes.

“Then that’s not a relationship you should be in.”

Kakarot’s eyes shot to his father’s in astonishment. It was as though the idea of breaking up with Chi Chi had never occurred to him.

“…it’s a terrifying thought though.”

“Change can be difficult, but this change will be beneficial. For the both of you.” Raditz placed a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “Once you both get over each other, you’ll be happier than ever. I’ll even help you find a new girl.”

“I think I’ll pass on that last part.” Kakarot chuckled.

“Women’s sizes 10 and 8 and a men’s 12.” Bulma leaned against the counter of the skate rentals. The employee behind the desk nodded before whipping around to the cubbies.

“I hope Musique is DJing tonight.” Yucca untied her high top sneakers.

“Yeah, she always plays the best music.” Kakarot slipped his own shoes off.

The three pairs of roller skates hit the counter, signaling the group to pick them up and move on.

“We should buy our own skates and customize them since we come here so much. It’d be so cute!” Bulma suggested while lacing up her skates.

“Oh my Kami, yes!!” Yucca spun in a smooth circle courtesy of her skates.

“I think I’ll need some help with mine, I’m not as good with artsy stuff like you are.”

“Don’t worry, Kakarot, I got you.” Bulma promised. Goku smiled, a warm and content feeling in his chest. Bulma was always there for him no matter what. Work It started playing over the speakers, and the lights flashed in time with it.

“Ooh, I love this song! I’m going out there.” Yucca bolted away towards the rink.

“I bet Musique is here tonight.” Bulma smirked in amusement.

“Good, I’m kinda in a dancing mood.” Kakarot did a goofy move when he said dancing. Bulma giggled and he joined her.

“Oh yeah? Show me your moves.” The bluenette challenged him. He did a dumb dance that actually had a few good moves in there. They laughed once again before joining Yucca in the rink.

“What took you so long?” Yucca came out of nowhere.

“We’d never leave you out here for too long.” Bulma grinned. The three then started rapping loudly.

“If you a fly gal, get your nose done

Get a pedicure, get your hair did

Boy lift it up, let’s make a toast ah

Let’s get drunk, that’s gon bring us closer

Don’t I look like a Halle Berry poster

See the Belvedere playin tricks on ya

Girlfriend wanna be like me, never

You won’t find a bitch that’s even better

I make you hot as Las Vegas weather

Listen up close while I take it backwards”

Yucca laughed, a similar sound to her brother’s. Bulma kept going. Kakarot just smiled as he watched his closest female companions have a good time in the rink. They all got along so nicely.

His heart panged when he thought about how they never had this much fun when ChiChi tagged along. She always had something to complain about, and never made an effort to actually have fun with them. She only came because Kakarot was there.

Usually Krillin would come too, but he had to attend a family event with his brothers. The three would give their regards later. They decided to take a selfie together to add to their book. They had to be all over each other to fit into the frame. Kakarot held the camera as he was the tallest standing at six feet. Since Bulma was much shorter, he lifted her closer to Yucca’s face. She trusted his firm grip.

“Alright, folks! Give another round of applause for The Crushers!!” A short black woman with cropped hair announced. The audience of the café went wild. “They’ll be back next Thursday.”

The band started dismantling their set and loading it into Sherry’s mom’s van.

“Thanks for covering me when I blanked. You have sweet vocals, Turles.” Launch brought another part of the drumset to the van.

“No problem, someone had to do something.”

“You guys should duet more often, the crowd went crazy over it.” Walter pushed his fluffy green bangs away from his face only for them to fall back.

“Yeah, that was brilliant, kids.” Miss Bell leaned against the doorframe.

“You think?”

“Hell yeah! That shit went hard.”

Walter turned into his shy self while Sherry basked in the praise. Launch and Turles just blushed.

In the middle of a love song, Launch sneezed and turned from blonde to blue. Blue Launch didn’t know where she was or what she was doing, so Turles took over vocals until she realized she was performing. She joined him for a few lines before he stopped.

It was awfully romantic, and there was so much tension between them as they shared the mic. Staring into each other’s eyes and breathing each other’s air. It had Turles’s heart racing like nothing else.

“We should a write a song specifically for us to sing.” He suggested.

“Sounds like fun.” Launch smiled widely.

Updates every Friday

#dragon ball #alternate universe #early 90s #my ocs #high school #kakarot #raditz #turles #bulma #chichi #krillin #launch #gine #bardock

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ryah-wolfe · 1 year

Text

Jaytim/HZD

“Aren’t you kinda small for an Oseram?”

“And aren’t you far from your land Nora?” The young man replied without looking up from his workbench.

Jason grimaced when Stephanie’s boney elbow slammed into his stomach.

“Behave” the blonde Carja hissed at him. “He’s the one I get my upgrades from”

Jason had met Stephanie at one of the Carja’s hunting grounds and shared a few pints of strong Oseram ale while nursing bruises from a sneaky Watcher. He found an unlikely friend in the Carja and asked who built her weapons, looking to upgrade his own. She had looked at him for a long time over their empty ales before telling him to meet her tomorrow morning next to one of the towers in Meridian. Together they had climbed hundreds of steps up the tower, while she ignored all of his questions.

Now here he was at the top of the tower, looking out the glass windows of the large room he found himself in. The view was so vast he couldn’t help but squint to try and see Mother’s Heart from this height.

“I brought you a paying customer” Stephanie called out as a greeting to the young man bent over a contraption of wire and steel.

Jason struggled for a few seconds to pull his gaze from the windows before he turned it to the man Stephanie had brought him to meet. Everything about him screamed Carja but he wore Oseram leathers. He was pretty like the Carja but his hands held the sparking wires like a veteran Oseram Tinker.

So when he opened his mouth, and Jason’s words came tumbling out, he was pleasantly surprised by how quick the man’s tongue was, before frowning at the blonde.

“You told him about me?” He wondered when she would have the time, he definitely wouldn’t want to climb those stairs with a few pints in him, especially not late at night.

“Nah, I went home to sleep off the ales last night but Creep over there” Stephanie crossed her arms over her chest “ has ears all over the Sundom” She wiggles her fingers at him, like that was supposed to spook him.

“I like knowing when I’m talked about and Oracle gave me a heads up I would have visitors today” the man straightened his posture and blue eyes, turned even brighter by the Carja-red feather markings around them, stared at Jason. The man’s eyes dropped to his boots and slowly dragged up his body, the gaze as intense as a hunting Sawtooth, made Jason’s body flush with adrenaline and desire.

“Good armor,” the man noted once he was done with his slow dragging gaze.

“Made it myself.”

Jason was not a Stitcher but the years of growing up an outcast made him handy with a needle and wires.

“But I can make it better” the man smirked as he held out a hand.

Flushing now in anger, Jason moved to take the man’s arm before his own hand was pushed away.

“I want to look at your armor” the man rolled his eyes like Jason was being willfully ignorant “Strip. I don’t have all day.” He commanded as he started to clear his workbench. Jason’s poor body was flushed with too many hot emotions.

Glaring at the rude man, Jason ground out between clenched teeth “Maybe I don’t want your work now. You can’t even offer me a name and I’m sure there’s other Tinkers in this city, who won’t be so mouthy.” Or as lovely.

Bright blue eyes lazily looked at him before a sharp Snapmaw smile spread across his pretty face. “You may call me Tim, and my weapons have no rival.”

#i haven’t written anything in so long #But here’s a jaytim HZD au #I do have a few more idea I might write in this au #Jaytim #jason todd #tim drake #hzd au

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elaineysposts · 1 year

Text

The Squire and the Scroll

Based on the book “The Squire and the Scroll” by Jennie Bishop

Written by Elaine

Blessed are the pure in heart,

for they will see God.

(Matthew 5:8 NIV)

Prologue

The king wakes up in beads of sweat as he heard the sound of the tower crashing down into pieces of ruins.

Lily, his daughter came running into his bed chamber, her pretty face was pale as new fallen snow. “Papa, you have to see this!”

Though not knowing what happened, the king sat up from his bed, dressed himself in his crimson wool cloak and picked up his sword. “Take me to the donjon, Lily.”

The princess was silent, but she nodded with obedient and took her father’s hand.

It was a cloudless night, and up on the violet sky hung the round, yellowish moon, like a giant eye watching down upon the world, but the sudden strong gust wind marked that this night shall be a night without end. Lily looked over at her father with concern, she didn’t know if this is going be a battle that he can win.

As they approached the aged great tower, it can hardly resembled to its old appearance anymore: Stones crumble down from the tower’s body, the tiled roofs were nowhere to be seen, and when the old man and the young girl both looked up, they saw a dark shadow crouched on top the tower. It resembled to the appearance of a great serpent, with scales dark green as mountain moss, eyes red as the endless fire as it burns forever inside the deepest of hell. On all fours it was tall as a small hill, on its back grows a pair of leathery wings.

“Dragon…” murmured the king, Lily turned her head, but she didn’t hear what her father said.

“Papa,” she said in a whisper. “Are you all right?”

“Leave, Lily, go to your mother. The creature is here for the lamp, after this night all of us will not live to see another daybreak if no one stops it.”

“Papa, don’t say that,” she choked with sobs. “What about you?”

“Now it’s not the time to say such things, my daughter, listen to your father.”

Lily stood frozen where she was.

“Go!” her father roared.

Wiping the tears away from her eyes, the princess ran down the stairs as fast as she could, without looking back to what happens next. Her heart pounded wildly against her chest, her legs shook out of fear. But she knew there is only one place she can go.

The king let out a sigh of relief as he watched his daughter finally disappeared downstairs, and out of his sight. Both of them will be in safe hands by now. If by any luck, Sir Rodrick might still be awake, and he could take the queen and the princess to safer grounds while he himself stall the dragon the best he could, the more time he adequate, the better.

“Fight, ye devil!” he shouted with triumph. “Fight me if you dare!”

The dragon turned its humongous head at the gray-bearded man now stands before it, it raised its eyebrow in doubt.

“Save your strength, old man, you are no match of my power.” It said with a hostile hiss.

“Power is never the key to victory,” reply the king. “Beware, serpent, for your forked tongue has revealed your true weakness.”

“A dragon has no weaknesses.” Said the creature. “Death awaits at your doorstep, old man.”

The king said nothing but remained silent.

“What bravery blinds you to step in my way, noble king? I will possess the Lantern of Purest Light no matter who is trying to stop me, then it’s only a matter of time before I destroy this kingdom and make it mine. Surrender now, when you still got the strength to do so.”

No voice ever comes out of the king’s lips. He knows it’s the dragon’s trick to distract his attention from the lamp, but he is not going to give in so easily.

“Then you have chosen death.” Snarled the dragon as it crawls forward, the king charged at the same time.

*****

Sword in hand, the king tried to keep his balance, ended up kneeling down on one knee and from his lips came the groaning of agony. One of his legs just got dislocated by one of the severe attacks from the dragon.

“You should surrender when you had the time,” laughed the dragon in deep mockery. “Now what comes between my path to the lantern? Nothing! You are nothing compare to my power, you stupid old fool.”

“Yet it was always the fools who does the unexpected things,” said the king, and with the last bit of his strength, he stabbed the dragon on its left claw, before collapsing to the marble floor.

“Damn the gods!” the dragon growled in pain, black liquid oozed out from its wound. Flames of fury burns deep inside the dragon’s stomach, there were times when it just wants to release its anger on this stubborn little creature, yet the desire for the lantern suggests it that it should seek for its revenge the next time.

When the king opened his eyes once more, horror was stricken on his face, for he found himself in a pitch of darkness, and the Lantern of the Purest Light was nowhere to be seen. It had been stolen, by the greatest enemy of his kingdom, to the place he dare not wish to think of.

Moments later, Lily and her mother found the king struck to his defeat, his face pale as the life inside of him no longer blossoms in his now mangled twisted body. Half-dead, half-alive, was how they describe him later after this catastrophe.

All he ever said was: “It’s stolen from us, we’re all dead people for sure!”

They could not be sure if he’s mad or not, but as they follow his index finger and looked up to the violet sky, beneath the yellow moon, they saw a great shadow escaping away from their gazes, clutching the Lantern of the Purest Light firmly in its talons.

The queen had her hand covering her mouth and bursted into tears. Her sorrow has became soundless cries. But the young princess was still, her big sapphire eyes gazing out to the sky, they’re empty as well as they were stunning. There wasn’t any stir of emotions or anything from that beautiful flawless face of hers.

#black stories #books & libraries

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casspurrjoybell-23 · 1 year

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The Raven - Chapter 11

*Warning Adult Content*Using every bit of the information given to him by the kind maid, Henry waits until dark to sneak back into the West Wing, just as instructed.

Knowing that the witch had been seen leaving the castle earlier in the day, the maid, Ella, had informed him that this night would likely be the best time to infiltrate the tower.

Thankfully, Ella had also been able to give him the guard schedules for the entire West Wing, as well as the general areas where the guards are located, this surely would aid in his quest for answers.

Perhaps he will have to speak to his mother about giving the maids raises, they obviously deserve it.

Armed with his newfound knowledge, Henry finds it to be much easier to sneak in this time and maneuvering around the Wing itself also proves a fairly easy task.

He attempts to be as silent as possible as he meanders through the old, concrete halls.

He briefly studies the West Wing, taking in a few details about the previously unexplored location.

It appears the place is made up almost entirely of concrete, the occasional stone or brick wall decorating the space.

The main floor is spotless and seems as if it is regularly tidied, Henry assumes that is because the maids are instructed to clean it for the supposed witch.

At the end of the long hallway is the staircase that Henry knows will lead to his destination.

The higher he ascends the spiral staircase, the more he realizes that it must not be used often, it is dingy, drafty and littered with cobwebs.

The windowless tower becomes darker the farther he continues but Henry refuses to let that deter him.

It does not appear to be a suitable place for someone to live.

When he reaches the top of the stairs, Henry mentally notes to send Ella some sort of extravagant thank you, her assistance in the successful completion of his goal is wholly appreciated and he feels his gratefulness must be thoroughly expressed.

However, he does not allow the notion to distract him, tucking it away for later use while returning his focus to the task at hand, whatever he is searching for is almost within his grasp.

Soon, Henry is standing before the only door at the top of the tower, so close to the answers he so desperately seeks.

There is nothing left remaining in his way except for this door.

Taking a deep breath, he reaches into his pocket to find his lock-picking tools and carefully opens the lock on the door.

Henry stands before the now unlocked door, staring at the thick, wooden structure in undeniable shock.

His heart pounds dramatically against his ribcage and his breaths come in short, fast pants.

This is really happening.

Henry turns the knob and, with a single hand, gives the door one slight push, his eyes glued to the wood as it slowly creaks open before him.

He lets out a breath he had not known he was holding when the door opens to reveal the dark and seemingly empty room.

Disappointment washes over him as he peers around and finds nothing, there is nothing but shadows present here.

Where is the owner of the red eyes?

Where is 'the raven' that Ella had mentioned?

Surely, he has not come all this way for nothing, he cannot have.

There is a warmth in his chest that pulls him forward, directing him to move closer.

As it draws him in, Henry gives it permission to control his body, at this moment, he would do anything to see those scarlet orbs.

Stepping further into the room, Henry closes his eyes and runs a hand through his hair in an attempt to ease his overwhelming feelings at this moment.

Ella had been right about everything elsem she has to be right about this, too.

"I will not harm you," the prince ventures quietly, hoping that, by some chance, he will receive a response. "You have my word."

There is a silence that seems to drag on for eternity, a pause that has Henry's heart ready to fall from his chest and into his stomach.

Just as he is about to give up and leave the tower, he hears a voice ask...

"What, pray tell, is the prince doing snooping around in the tower?"

It is the most beautiful voice he has ever heard, a delicate yet somehow masculine, almost musical voice that leaves Henry's heart stuttering.

Henry looks around again but still sees no one, much to his dismay.

"I am looking for answers, I suppose," he replies as honestly as possible. "But mostly, I have been hoping to meet the owner of the enchanting red eyes I have seen glowing in both the window and the corridor," he admits, thankful that the darkness masks his heated cheeks. "I am quite enamored by them, you see. I cannot seem to get their beauty out of my head."

"You..." the voice begins, shock and confusion ringing clearly through it. "You do not think they are hideous?" the voice questions, trailing off toward the end of the sentence.

"Of course not," Henry says, a light laugh in his tone.

What a ridiculous assumption, anyone would be mad to think such a thing.

"They are very much the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen," he confesses, a sense of relief filling him as he recognizes that he holds no doubt that the voice is definitely that of a male.

As the words leave his lips, the eyes themselves begin to glow from the shadows of the room.

"I would very much like to meet you," the prince gently adds.

When there is no response after a few minutes, he continues...

"My name is Henry."

Henry can hear a deep intake of breath before the voice returns unsteadily and sounding unsure.

"I am... the raven," he replies softly.

'The raven?'

The supposed weapon created by his father and a powerful witch is the holder of those enchanting eyes he adores so much?

Well, he concludes Ella must have been telling the truth, at least, there must be some truthfulness within her story, anyway.

"Will you come out?" the prince dares to ask, his breath bated in anticipation.

"I am afraid that you will be frightened by my appearance," the raven admits sullenly, his words almost inaudible over the racing of Henry's heart. "I am quite disgusting to look at."

"I sincerely doubt that anyone with such glorious eyes could be disgusting," Henry argues, an unknown sensation warming his chest. "Please?" he asks, his pleading voice practically whispering into the darkness. "I would like to properly meet you."

With another deep breath, the raven changes into his natural form and steps out of the shadows.

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achitka · 2 years

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Doors (Chapter 24) Curiosity and the Rat

Summary:

How do they get themselves into these situations? Oh wait that would be my fault.

Earlier that day

Bruno was laying on his hammock in his room mulling over the door in the tower that led to a church that was not the church in the Encanto. There were still several hours until the dreaded ‘meeting’ and since he did not want to think about that he was lying here thinking about that door. Whatever was behind it spooked his mother, this of course only made him more curious as to what was there. He was waiting for the family to disperse so he could go and investigate it further. Over the years he had had visions of things he could neither explain nor put words to, but Bruno assumed they were of things outside the Encanto. That being the case, he decided he had some knowledge of the outside, and therefor he was imminently qualified to check it out. He really was very interested in finding out if the some of the gadgets brought by the newcomers were as common as they said.

The thing he was most interested in getting his hands on was a transistor radio. Like the flashlight the doctor used it ran on batteries. Another thing he was fascinated by. Portable power…Félix was equally as interested and had insisted the Encanto needed electricity, but not from the city, it would be too difficult to run the wires needed through the mountains. Since there were no roads leading here, getting the necessary equipment was going to be the real challenge.

After making sure he wasn’t carrying any rats, he poked his head out and noted Abuela and Dolores were heading to the kitchen, Camilo, Issa, Mira and Agustín were still in town. Juli, Pepa and Félix were going out into town, Luisa was probably still in her room and Antonio was playing a game with his animals and waved to him as Bruno left his room.

He waved back and waited for his sobrino to look away before he headed up to the tower. Every step up the spiral stairs, he knocked on the wooden rail until he reached the top. He had had no more spontys with regard to these doors, but this red one had been featured prominently in all of the ones about this room. He stopped in front of it. He reached up and felt the wooden surface but resisted the urge to knock on it. As he reached for the handle, Casita rattled the tiles above it and Bruno was surprised to realize that Casita was telling him to be cautious.

“I will take care, Casita,” he said as he slowly pushed open the door with one hand. Bruno could immediately smell the burning candle wax and incense. Definitely a church he thought as he stepped through and moved forward. He did not look back as the door quietly closed behind him.

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

After supper Félix and Agustín were walking with a group of the builders through the area where the children were rescued earlier in the day trying to determine the cause of the roof collapse. While it had been quite rainy the past few weeks, it was nothing Pepa had caused. Whatever the change, her ability to localize her weather was spot on so something else was to blame. Agustín’s foot caught on something small, and he almost toppled over. The only reason he did not was that Félix grabbed the collar of his shirt before he went too far,

“Thanks,” Agustín said adjusting his vest.

“You’re welcome, brother,” Félix said.

Agustín looked down to see what his foot caught on and picked up a small bag. He hefted it, and thought marbles? He pocketed the item and they continued on. They reached the house and went in. The dust had settled for the most part and with the roof missing it was clear to Félix what had happened. Someone had chiseled chunks of the stone near the joint, weakening it just enough that when it fell it would look like an accident. If it had been an adult in here when the ceiling first gave way, they probably would have pushed on it in an attempt to escape. This surely would have caused the rest to collapse. The kids were just too afraid to move or even scream so that did not happen. Other items collected were the errant shoe, some loose string and half of the trompo top it had been attached to. They inspected several other homes but did not see that sort of damage. The fact that it appeared to be intentional was more than a little disturbing. The light was starting to fail so they went back to the middle of town. Usually there would be several unattended kids playing near the great oak, but tonight, parents were being cautious. Those kids that were out were under the watchful eye of an older sibling or parent.

Pepa had asked them to keep an eye out for Bruno, but their cuñado was nowhere in town. While it was possible he was out in the fields, it seemed unlikely that he would not have come back by now. That is, if he wanted to. As they headed back toward Casita, Félix was telling Agustín about what they’d found in the tower. The locked door, the door to the cemetery chapel and the one Alma said went to a church. Pepi told him later that her mother was of the mind that it was not the church in the Encanto.”

Agustín stopped before they reached Casita’s steps, looked up at the tower, and asked, “Félix, was Bruno interested in any of them in particular?”

“Not especially, but I was headed to the cemetery chapel when they were looking at the others,” Félix responded.

Agustín and Bruno had been friends since they were kids. He had spent so much time at Juli stall in town that it was inevitable that he would get to know Bruno. He always seemed to be on the outside of everything, looking in. Never quite finding his place, except with his sisters. Agustín could tell by the way Juli and Pepa talked about him that they adored their little brother, and worried about his increasing isolation. That is not to say Bruno did not have his faults. He could be downright exasperating when he chose to be and sometimes even when he did not. You either loved him or hated him, there just did not seem to be a middle ground with him.

By the time Agustín started fourth grade, the unkind attitudes of some adults had already started to filter down to their children. Agustín being a klutz of the highest order knew how that felt since his accidents did not win him any points with others either. While Agustín wondered what it would be like to not be swollen, sore and bruised every single day. Bruno started to wonder what it would be like to leave the Encanto and never come back. The only time that changed was when the kids were born. Each one gave him the thing he thought he had lost. The unconditional love of his family. Things were less tense for a while as Bruno was really enjoying being the best Tío ever…until that glowing doorknob appeared one morning a few weeks before Issa’s fifth birthday.

When Alma saw it, she was extremely excited, but the triplets were not as overly thrilled. They knew what that door meant and what it could potentially mean for all the grandkids. The triplets had always been hard workers and found comfort in their, up until then, non-magical children. When Issa first got her Gift, there followed several months of uncontrolled plant growth…everywhere. That’s when Alma’s controlling tendencies started to take over. What started out as helping Issa be mindful and better control her emotions so she wouldn’t hurt anyone, turned into Alma wanting her to make nothing but flowers. Not just any flowers, but perfect flowers. That morphed into her not just wanting but needing Issa to be perfect all the time. It did not help that his oldest was a people pleaser in general and wanted nothing more than to make her Abuela smile.

Félix turned back when he noticed Agustín was still looking up at the tower and said, “You do not think, Bruno…”

Agustín looked at Félix and then back up at the tower, “Not a doubt in my mind,” he said and started toward the steps. Casita opened the door for them, and they went inside to find out if Bruno had returned.

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

All the Madrigal grandkids except Antonio were sitting in Issa’s room talking about their upcoming adventure. Antonio was with Abuela downstairs reading a book. Mirabel explained the plan that was actually pretty simple. Once they found the people they were looking for, they would need to distract or scare off whoever was following and or chasing them. Tío Bruno was not sure which it was. He did, however, emphasize they needed to be extremely careful. The followers had weapons that could kill them from a distance, similar to the ones some of the newcomers had brought with them. Abuela did not take the weapons, but she did take the ammunition as a condition for them to remain. That had been stored in the tower but since Casita’s re-awakening it was nowhere to be found.

Isabela demonstrated her research into carnivorous plants by making a ridiculously large sundew, which snapped at her until she made it dissipate. Luisa was doing pushups with Mirabel sitting on her back while scribbling notes on a piece of paper she had setting on Tío Bruno’s vision tablet. Getting winded today had rattled her a bit. Said she needed to build up her endurance again.

Camilo was sitting on the bed apparently thinking about how he could incorporate his shapeshifting into this scenario and was absently shifting from one form to another. Most were people they all knew. A few were just Camilo of various size. Dolores’s part was very straight forward, she would be the one to lead them toward the people. She had been focusing on that area on and off since Mira brought it up to her and so far, she had not heard anything. Or at least not anything that would indicate people, which to her meant they were still too far off.

Mirabel read through her lists. They were probably going to need to bring food. She was going to need to talk to her mother before they left. She had toyed with just taking what was needed but realized that would only make her parents worry unnecessarily. Tía Pepa had a lot more knowledge of the wooded parts of the Encanto, so she would need to speak to her as well. She paused in her head when she realized Luisa was no longer moving. Looking down she saw her sister was asleep. Mira carefully got up and threw a flower at Isabela to get her attention.

Issa turned and came over. “Out cold,” she said.

“Yeah, you think she’ll be alright?” Mirabel asked.

“She’ll be fine,” Issa said. “She just needs to rest.” Isabela waved a hand and a bed of roses formed and raised Luisa off the floor. Dolores came over and put a blanket over her. “Just like the good old days, huh Issa?”

Isabela smiled and tucked Luisa under the blanket. Her smile faltered when something else occurred to her and Mirabel shivered. She had suddenly gotten a chill and Issa changed the subject by saying, “So what’s next?”

That was weird, Mirabel thought but the feeling quickly passed, and she asked, “How about this?” and held up the vision tablet.

Issa made a large flat mushroom table with toadstools for everyone to sit on and Mira set the vision tablet in the center. Camilo leaned on the table and looked at it with obvious interest. He had never seen one before and lifted a corner. The image moved slightly, and he pulled his hand back. Initial shock over, he lifted it again and turned it over. The image was still there but was duller.

“Wow, Tío’s gift is…pretty amazing. I wonder if this is real emerald?” Camilo asked.

“No idea, does that actually matter?” Mira said.

“It might, I mean if it is real emerald then Luisa won’t have to worry about getting money to go to school,” Camilo said

“Wait what?” Issa asked.

“Yeah. If you think about it, we could sell them and use that to make improvements to the Encanto.”

“That’s not a bad idea, little brother,” Dolores said.

“Maybe,” Mirabel said and frowned. “My biggest problem with that, is knowing how much it takes out of Tío just to make these.”

“Yeah, I see your point but-” Camilo stopped when Issa thwacked his arm.

“But nothing. we are not here to discuss that anyway,” Isabela said. “Did Tío give you any kind of time frame for this?”

“No, he just said they were in danger but not imminent danger,” Mirabel said crossing her arms.

“And?” Camilo asked.

“And nothing,” Mira added, “He did not explain that either.”

“That’s the problem with prophecy, just not enough detail,” Issa said and sat on one of the stools with a sigh, “Though it looks like there's are a lot more details in this one.”

“What do you mean?”

Isabela picked up the tablet, tilting it and said, “I mean the pictures before the break were a lot less defined than this one. This one has a lot of depth to it. I mean they would have some movement to them, but nothing like this,” she said as she tilted it again.

Dolores sat next to Issa and said, “I personally do not think we should head out until we can talk to Tío about this. Given what we do know about Tío’s Gift,” she said carefully, “Whatever this is depicting, will happen. That’s the only part we can be sure of. It’s the things we do not know that are potentially dangerous. Like, what or who is she looking at? How does it get to this point? Is she a good person or the one who took these children? Does she need helping or is she the one we need to be wary of?” No one responded to that, so Dolores continued, “Mira you mentioned Tío made some sketches, do you happen to have any of them?”

“Not here but I have some in my room,” Mirabel said, “I will go get them.” She walked out and looked over the rail to see Abuela and Antonio were both asleep in the big, overstuffed chair. Either Antonio was getting bigger or Abuela was shrinking. Someone had come by and thrown a blanket over them. She arrived at her door and went in. She looked at the floor briefly, she had decided to leave the floor depiction of the Encanto uncovered and was weirdly reluctant to cross over it to her desk. She took a step and heard what sounded like tiny screams. She looked over to the window. Casita was quickly wobbling the shutters making the hinge squeak. Mirabel shivered and said nervously, “Ya got me, Casita,” she said as she suppressed a frown. Nervous now, she walked over the town and picked up the sheets. She rolled them up together and started back to the door. This time her steps were accompanied by the sound of breaking stone and Mira stopped dead and crouched down. Her hands were firmly over her ears but still that sound filled head, and when she closed her eyes, it was all she could see. Casita shattering in front of her. “Please stop, Casita,” Mirabel whispered, but the sounds and images still kept flooding her brain. Why won’t it stop? Her heart was pounding and all she wanted to do was scream, but no sounds would come out. Someone make it stop!

A gentle hand touched her face and whispered; ‘You are safe, Elegida, do not be afraid.’ The voice pushed the sounds and images back long enough for Mirabel to cautiously open her eyes and uncover her ears. She looked up. There was no one there. Everything was normal and Mirabel took a few really deep breaths. Her eyes fell on the door to the hall, and she could see, the lower butterfly, like her was crouched down with legs covering its eyes. She heaved a last sigh and blinked. The butterfly was back to normal. She stood up, realizing she was crushing the sketches and said, “I love you Casita, but you have one warped sense of humor. Can we please, please, please never do that again?”

The answering clatter of tiles was gentle, also contrite and Mirabel smiled. “It’s okay, I know you weren’t trying to frighten me. Would’ve been a great prank if I had not freaked out on you. Not sure what happened there.” But even as she said it, Mirabel knew what it was. She was, just for that moment, reliving that terrible moment.

Once her hands stopped shaking, she went back to Issa’s room and Isabela asked, “You get lost on the long journey down the hall?”

“No, sorry, just got distracted looking at the Encanto on the floor in my room,” Mirabel said hurriedly as she set the papers on the table. Dolores was leaning in and whispering to her sister, who looked at her. Issa was giving her that calculating look she used on her when they were with Abuela Valentina, and Mirabel had to work to keep that smile on her face.

After they spread the sketches on the table, everyone took a few and the only sound for a good while were the sounds of shuffling papers and murmurs. Mirabel had already looked at all of them so was sitting on the bed, staring at nothing with her hands in fists in her lap. Her left hand was forced open as the petals of a cactus flower bloomed there, and Mirabel looked over to where Issa was, and her sister lifted an eyebrow as she smiled and pointed from her eyes toward Mirabel.

Issa knew and that meant Mira really wasn’t alone with her secret anymore.

Well, Issa did say she would haunt her. Mira returned the smile and placed the flower in her hair. The thing somehow attached itself to the strands and remained in place when she took her hand away. She came back over to the table when there was a knock on the door and Casita opened it. Two sets of parents were there, but it was the look of concern on her Tío Félix’s face that made her nervous. They all came in, and her mother asked, “Have any of you seen Tío Bruno today?” There was a chorus of ‘No’ and her mother frowned and nodded. Tía Pepa’s cloud darkened to the point where thunder could be heard. Casita clattered a desk drawer and Mira and Issa yelled, “He what?!”

Next Chapter:

Previous Chapter:

#the family madrigal #encanto #mirabel madrigal #casita #julieta madrigal #abuela alma madrigal #felix madrigal #dolores madrigal #tio bruno #camilo madrigal #encanto mirabel #agustin madrigal #antonio madrigal #bruno madrigal #isabela madrigal #luisa madrigal #madrigal family #pepa madrigal #Doors

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carewyncromwell · 2 years

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[Once Ben was on board, Carewyn rushed downstairs to fetch the coat her mother had saved up to get her from Madame Malkin’s for Christmas. She stuffed the lining with five blue Coldfires, before stuffing its pockets with about ten more each, in case Ben and Bill needed any extra. Then she and Rowan exchanged one last hug before separating, Rowan heading upstairs toward the Astronomy Tower and Carewyn rushing down the icy corridor to find Bill and Ben.

She found Bill and Ben waiting at the top of the newly Unvanished Stairs. At the sight of her, Bill called down to her,]

Bill: “Carewyn! It’s gotten even worse up here!”

[Carewyn darted up the stairs. She found ice crackling through crevices in the walls, up into the ceiling and down through the floor.]

Bill: “This must be why it’s gotten so bad in the rest of the castle -- the cursed ice is creeping out wherever it can -- like a bundimun infestation...”

Ben: “(anxiously) Please don’t make me imagine the ice eating away at the castle walls like acid right now.”

[Tearing her eyes away from the ice, Carewyn fetched out the Coldfire packs she’d brought with her out of her pockets, handing them to both Bill and Ben.]

Carewyn: “Here -- put these under your shirts. They should help fight the cold.”

[Both Gryffindors grinned in relief as they stuffed the blue fire packs down their shirts and into their sleeves, though Ben’s smile was a bit weaker than Bill’s.]

Bill: “Perfect -- I was just thinking how annoying it is that I outgrew my last sweater...”

Ben: “(uncertainly) ...I skimmed over the Hot Air Charm too, in case it might help. It’s supposed to be used to dry wet clothes, but...well, it does conjure hot air.”

Bill: “(nods approvingly) Every little bit of heat we can make should help.”

[Carewyn gave Ben an encouraging smile. Then, setting her jaw in determination, she raised her wand and strode down the hall, right up to the icy door of the Vault. She was aware of Bill on her right side and Ben on her left -- Bill walked with just as much focus, his fist clenched tightly around his wand, while Ben followed with more trepidation. As they approached the door together, Carewyn tried to reassure her classmate.]

[Ben offered her a very weak smile.]

Ben: “...Is it okay to be terrified?”

[Carewyn’s face immediately turned concerned. Her gaze fell down to Ben’s shoulder and then flitted up onto the wall behind him.]

Carewyn: “...Ben, you can go, if you -- ”

[But Ben shook his head fiercely.]

Ben: “I’m not leaving you and Bill. Just...is it okay that I’m completely terrified?”

[Carewyn blinked, startled. Then she gave Ben her strongest smile in return and nodded.]

Carewyn: “Absolutely.”

I’m scared too. And I know Bill is scared, however brave he’s acting. We’re all scared.

[Ben gave a shaky laugh.]

Ben: “Good.”

[Despite the terror in his posture, he took out his wand and held it up in front of the door. He glanced at Carewyn and Bill out the side of his eye.]

Ben: “I reckon the Exploding Charm might be a bit stronger than the standard Knockback Jinx...it’s a little loud, though. Do you think I should chance it?”

[Bill looked impressed.]

Bill: “The Exploding Charm? That’s stuff at my year level, that is.”

Carewyn: “(grins proudly) I told you Ben’s a master at Charms.”

[Ben’s ears flushed a very dark shade of red as he grinned incredulously at Carewyn, looking half flustered and half touched.]

Bill: “(brightly) I say go for it, Ben -- noise is the least of our worries right now. You use the Exploding Charm, and Carewyn and I will use Incendio. Spread out, and be ready to dodge when the door blasts its Freezing Charms.”

[Carewyn nodded.]

Carewyn: “Let’s all attack on the count of three -- one...two...three!”

Ben: “BOMBARDA!”

Carewyn / Bill: “INCENDIO!”

[BOOM. FLASH.

With the sound and light of a thunderstorm, the three students attacked the Snowflake on the door. More than a few times they had to dodge blasts of ice -- once Carewyn’s ankle had gotten grazed with the ice and Ben took a quick moment to help her thaw out with Incendio while Bill continued attacking the door.]

Ben: “Are you all right, Carewyn?”

[Carewyn had been holding Ben’s shoulder to stay upright while holding her ankle steady for him to unthaw, and she gave it a grateful squeeze.]

Carewyn: “Yeah -- I’m fine -- come on -- ”

[Without skipping a beat, Carewyn raised her wand again, lashing out at the Snowflake on the door.]

Carewyn: “Diffindo!”

[Her spell hacked into the ice like a sharp knife, leaving a large dent. Ben beamed from ear to ear.]

Ben: “The Severing Charm! Brilliant idea, Carewyn!”

Carewyn: “Thanks!”

Ben: “(excitedly) Let me try something...Aberto!”

[This spell of Ben’s collided sharply with the door behind the snowflake, making a weird crack. The door was trying to open -- but the Snowflake Lock held it in place. It blasted a large flurry of white light at Ben, who had to dart back with a scream to avoid it.]

Bill: “Smart thinking, Ben! Alohomora’s only meant for unlocking doors not locked with magic -- Aberto can sometimes work on magically locked doors!”

Ben: “(gasping for breath) Hah...yeah, but...it didn’t work -- ”

Carewyn: “(excited) No...but now we have a way to attack the lock from both sides!”

[Racking her brain to review the wand movement she’d seen Bill use earlier that school year, she pointed his wand right at the Snowflake.]

Carewyn: “Impedimenta!”

[It was a direct hit. The Snowflake survived, but the white light coming out of it was taking more time to gather.]

Carewyn: “Ben, try to open the door again while Bill and I attack the lock! FLIPENDO!”

Ben: “ABERTO!”

Bill: “CONFRINGO!”

Carewyn: “INCENDIO!”

[BAM.

In an instant, the Snowflake Lock was double-teamed by an explosive ball of flame and a blast of light erupting from the door on the other side. The Vault door gave a great shudder. Then, at last, the Snowflake weakened, dissolving away in the face of Carewyn’s flames in a wave of frigid water down to the floor.

Bill, Carewyn, and Ben couldn’t stop themselves from crying out in excitement.]

[Almost as soon as Carewyn had said this, though, the stairs under their feet gave a very menacing quake.]

[The quaking wasn’t just under them now -- it was emanating out from the icy doors that had once been kept shut by the Snowflake Lock, alongside a terrible rumbling akin to thunder.

Bill’s freckles stood out sharply on his blanched face.]

[He glanced at her anxiously.]

Bill: “...but...what if it was keeping something in?”

[CRASH.

In an instant, the double doors had been flung open, and white light poured out of it. Stepping out of the light -- perhaps even emerging from it, whole cloth -- was a tall, living suit of armor, caked in ice and snow and holding aloft a sword as iron as his armor.]

[Carewyn’s face lost all of its color.]

The Ice Knight from my vision!

Carewyn: “Get back!”

[But it was too late. Bill had already flung himself in front of Carewyn, pushing her back before the Knight’s sword’s blow could land.]

Bill: “GARG!”

[The older boy was flung up off the ground, encased in fresh ice that hoisted him up off the ground.

Carewyn whirled around in alarm.]

Carewyn: “Bill! Hold on!”

Bill: “D-don’t w-worry about me -- brr -- h-help Ben -- ”

Ben: “(determined) No! It’s...it’s time for me to help you -- ”

[Even with his knees knocking and his hand on his wand trembling, Ben faced the Ice Knight with as brave of a face as he could muster.]

Ben: “Carewyn...h-help Bill out of there! I’ve got this! Flipendo!”

[His spell collided with the Knight head-on. Carewyn was reluctant to let Ben fight alone...but at the same time, she knew Bill would be better help for him than she’d be, when it came to Wizard Dueling. And so she rushed over and tried to thaw Bill out.]

Carewyn: “Hold on! Incendio -- ”

[Carewyn lit her wand with a controlled flame, trying to carefully melt the ice. Bill struggled to try to pull his arm free, flexing the fingers with difficulty.]

Bill: “M-my wand -- h-hand me my wand -- ”

[Carewyn spotted Bill’s wand on the ground a foot away. She rushed to grab it and bring it back to Bill when -- ]

Ben: “ACK!”

[Carewyn was knocked backward off her feet, dropping Bill’s wand, as another block of ice was flung out, lashing itself onto Ben and trapping him up off the ground too.]

Carewyn: “Ben!”

[The Ice Knight turned its blade toward Carewyn.]

Ben: “Carewyn, watch out!”

[In desperation, Bill flung himself down against the half-melted ice as far as he could, snatching up his wand and pointing it at the Knight’s back.]

Bill: “FINITE INCANTANTEM!”

[WHOOSH!

With a flourish of its blade, Carewyn was knocked backward to the ground by a powerful, wintry wind. Miraculously, however, she wasn’t frozen solid like her friends had been -- Bill’s spell hadn’t managed to stop the Knight, but it had still collided with the Knight’s sword...and in doing so, had undone its most powerful magic.

Carewyn shot back to her feet, her face alight.]

Carewyn: “Bill, you stopped his Freezing Charms!”

[The Knight lunged forward, his sword raised, and Carewyn had to quickly jump back so as to not get slashed apart. She led the Knight further back down the hall, away from Ben and Bill as the older Gryffindor fought to get himself and Ben free of the ice before it could spread further.]

Guess I’m going to have to test out those new dueling spells I practiced --

Carewyn: “Impedimenta!”

[The spell collided with the Knight’s sword as he used it to defend himself, but it nonetheless seemed to slow him down. His next strike was much easier for Carewyn to avoid.]

Carewyn: “Expelliarmus! Flipendo!”

[Carewyn had to dodge the Knight’s strikes, and not all of hers landed, but it seemed that him not being able to land any real blows on her, combined with the damage Ben had delivered to him earlier, made her spells way more effective on him. And so, after a good back-and-forth, Carewyn was finally able to get the upper hand with her much taller opponent and -- with one final spell -- made the living suit of armor collapse to his knees in surrender.]

Carewyn: “INCENDIO!”

[With the Ice Knight defeated, Carewyn rushed back over to Ben and Bill. Bill had just about finished thawing Ben out, and Ben was holding his own wand up shakily to dry off his and Bill’s icy-wet clothes with a Hot Air Charm.]

Carewyn: “Bill, Ben -- are you both okay?”

Ben: “Carewyn...”

Bill: “We’re fine.”

[The two boys were both shivering and pale but smiling from ear to ear. At Carewyn’s approach, Bill immediately brought a trembling hand up to grab Carewyn’s shoulder, giving her a quick look-over himself for any injuries.]

Bill: “Are you okay?”

[Carewyn nodded.]

Carewyn: “Mm-hmm.”

[Bill fetched a bottle out from his back pocket.]

Bill: “Here -- some Invigoration Draught, from Penny. Thought I should make sure I had at least one of these on us...”

[He passed it to Carewyn first. She took a sip, and immediately she felt like a burst of energy had flooded her veins.]

Carewyn: “Thanks, Bill...”

[She handed the bottle to Ben too so he could take a sip.]

Carewyn: “Thanks for before too...you really saved me back there, with that counter-spell...”

Bill: “I was trying to end the spell that brought the Knight to life in the first place...but I guess that was wishful thinking, on my part...”

Carewyn: “(firmly) Even if it didn’t work like you hoped, you still did keep me from getting frozen. That’s all that matters.”

[Bill took the potion bottle from Ben and finished it off before tucking the empty bottle back into his pocket. Ben gave another little shudder as he looked from the now motionless Ice Knight on the stairs to up at the foreboding open doors.]

Ben: “...So...did we do it? Is the curse broken?”

Carewyn: “(shakes her head) The ice is still here in the corridor, so it must still be in the rest of the castle too...”

Jacob said that the only way to break the Vault’s curses was to open them...

[Carewyn’s eyes narrowed as she looked from Bill to Ben.]

Carewyn: “...There must be something in there that we still have to open. Come on...”

((...To be continued...))

#carewyn's beginnings #hphm #hogwarts mystery #gameplay #carewyn cromwell #bill weasley #ben copper #jacob cromwell #yay for friendship and teamwork!!#god I love carewyn and her friendships with these two <333

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