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mint-yooxgi · 1 year

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{7} - Paradise Gardens - Yandere!Demonic Entities!Ateez X Reader

Yandere AU & Demon AU - Book Two to Hotel California

Genre: Mature, Horror, Angst, Fluff, Slight Humour

Pairing: Ateez X Reader

Words: 8,120

Warnings: Anxiety and PTSD, mental illness, and inferred depression. This is a Yandere story, it will contain themes such as stalking, violence, obsession, possessive natures, and just general overall creepiness and swearing. You have been warned.

A/n: Emotional turmoil is always a fun thing haha but I promise there is light at the end of the tunnel! Next chapter should be a bit longer hopefully, so I hope you'll excuse these shorter ones for now. As always, feedback is greatly appreciated! Enjoy~

Also, gentle reminder that I don’t do tag lists.

Mini Masterlist - Part One - Part Two - Part Three - Part Four - Part Five - Part Six

Falling.

The harsh whipping of wind against your skin is all you can hear as you tumble towards the earth. Each breath is a struggle as you attempt to fill your burning lungs with air, the pressure of such an altitude detrimental to your every move. Your chest aches, throat scraped raw with the shrill shrieks of terror that escape you as you tumble through the sky. Tears leak from your eyes uncontrollably, lids squeezing shut in tandem as you can barely get a grip on your surroundings.

Everywhere, all you can feel is pain.

Free falling has always been described to you as a feeling of utter weightlessness, but there isn’t a cell in your body that you cannot feel. All of which are heavily screaming at you in terror.

Never have you been able to feel the full weight of your heart as you do right now, every twitch of your fingers sending jolts of unpleasant electricity racing up your arms. The cold of your body slicing through the air is unlike any sensation you’ve felt before, and with every foot lost, you gain momentum.

Is this how it all ends? After nearly killing a man that you love, having him admit your worst fear for the moment that you are to blame, and having your heart nearly burst from your chest at the sheer pressure of its pulse, you will land upon the earth like a falling star?

Your skin begins to heat, replacing the utter cold you had been feeling only moments before.

You don’t want to die. Not like this. Not now.

You got yourself into this mess, you can certainly get yourself out of it. Though, you have no idea how far the ground is from you. You could make impact at any second, and you count yourself lucky that you’ve lasted this long already.

Concentrating hard, you focus in on your room back home. Perhaps you can simply transport yourself onto your bed, and forget that this ever happened for a little while. Hopefully, you won’t be disturbed, either. None of them will probably want to see you, anyways. Not after what you’ve done to their brother.

Yet, no one will be able to blame you as much as you blame yourself. The guilt begins to eat you alive, mind darkening into that familiar negative territory the longer you allow your thoughts to go unchecked.

A sob tears from your throat.

Faintly, you feel several worried brushes against your void. Three are much more urgent and firmer than the others, constantly keeping pressed up against you as their strings all hum furiously with movement.

What would happen should you choose to open your mind to them? Would they forgive you? Would they figure out what’s going on and leave you to suffer?

No. You know that they wouldn’t. They could never.

But then, how long would it take for them to find you?

Too many thoughts continue to race through your mind, clouding your better judgment and drowning you in self-doubt. Your emotions are all over the place, but the constant ache in your chest reminds you of the harsh reality that has just occurred. Honestly, you just wish you could numb the pain.

How much time do you have left? You seem to be falling for quite a while. Perhaps you started from a higher altitude than you had originally realized. Jongho’s blood is still running through your veins, after all.

Again, several frantic brushes against your void are felt, much more urgent than the first.

Fear grips you once more as you attempt to crack an eye open. You can barely see through your blurred vision, the wind whipping passed you and stinging you all over. All you can recognize is mountains, and a large lake that seems to be getting closer and closer with each passing second.

Another scream of absolute horror rips passed your lips. You feel as if your heart is about to burst from the intensity of its beating within your chest. The ground below gets closer and closer, and your mind scrambles with what to do.

Only one thought begins to get clearer and clearer: you need help.

A glint of gold flashes out of the corner of your eye, and your whole body shakes as a tremendous roar pierces through the air. A presence begins to fall alongside you, large and ominous, but you do not feel threatened. No. Instead, you are relieved; comforted in an unfamiliar way as a faint glow begins to emanate from your brow.

Suddenly, it’s as if the whole world stops.

No longer feeling the intense harshness of the wind as it whips passed you, you crack open your eyes.

A level view of the surrounding mountains greets your gaze, and it is then that you realize that you are gliding through the air. Your hands grip onto something solid beneath you, and when you look down, you see scales beneath your fingertips.

Not just any scales.

Dragon scales.

The dragon is unlike any that you have seen before, the sheer size of it spanning at least fifty metres in length. The scales are a matte black, gold weaving throughout the cracks between and glinting beneath the light of the moon. Spikes line the crown of her head, golden veins lining the horns which protrude from her skin. Seamlessly, she blends into the night surrounding her, nothing more than a dark blur against the clouds.

You don’t have to meet her gaze to know that it’s a deep gold.

A second later, and a dark blue dragon circles around the larger one’s back, followed by a green amphiptere who’s tail flicks worriedly behind her. Both shift to fly closer to you, situating themselves above the large dragon you rest upon and flanking you on either side.

Silent tears continue to stream down your face the entire flight back to the dragon’s nest. Luckily, it seems as if you’ve managed to teleport yourself quite close by.

Fifteen minutes later, and that little cliff face is in sight, an albino wyrm slithering restlessly back and forth.

Mon is the first to offer you help down from the large dragon’s back, sliding up beside you and allowing you to grip onto him as you climb down. Both Xiron and Yerra hover close by, offering their assistance in any way that they can.

A blink, and Wyno is standing before you.

You don’t even have a chance to say anything before both of her hands are coming up to cup your face tenderly. Nothing but concern can be seen in her golden eyes as she searches your gaze.

“My Child,” her voice is low, steady as she searches your bloodstained face. “What happened?”

Several frantic brushes are felt against your void, each male trying desperately to reach out to you. You know they’re probably worried out of their minds right now, but the feeling only makes you feel worse.

For the third time that day, you break down.

Immediately, Wyno wraps you in her arms, your whole body collapsing into her hold. Sobs wrack your entire form, tears streaming seemingly endlessly from your eyes as your grip tightens around her. Gently, she strokes your back, cooing comforting words into your ear as she begins to calm you down.

You can faintly hear worried whines coming from the three young dragons surrounding you. Soft coos of their own escape them as you feel them tenderly nudge their heads against your lower back and legs. A reassurance that they’re all here.

“Shh,” Wyno brings a hand up to cradle the back of your head. “My Child, let it all out. I’m right here; you are not alone.”

You sob harder.

“Whenever you’re ready, My Child, know that I will listen to whatever it is you have to tell me.” She assures you.

Your void rumbles. Urgently, each male attempts to reach out to you, desperate for an answer.

Faintly, you brush back.

The instant you finish brushing against their strings, their attempts to contact you strengthen tenfold.

You nearly stumble on your feet, legs threatening to give out at any moment. The constant feeling of them pressing against your mind only makes your mood drop further, your throat tightening as your emotions consume you.

“I can’t-“ you shake your head, whole body trembling in her embrace. “I can’t-“

“Let’s get you inside,” Wyno keeps her voice steady, wrapping her arm around your waist carefully for support as she begins to guide you towards the cave.

A minute later, and she’s sat you down in a small wicker chair. Another, and a steaming cup of tea is handed to you, the three young dragons surrounding you on either side. A cloth rests in her hands as she dabs the damp material against your skin, cleaning the now long since dried blood from your features.

Slowly, you manage to get your breathing under control, thanking Wyno lightly. She sends you a small, tense smile back. Once she’s finished cleaning you up and attending your wounds, she pulls a silk robe around her shoulders. Then, she’s sitting across from you.

“Do they at least know where you are?” Calm are her words, gentle in her inquiry.

You shake your head, taking a light sip of your tea.

“Do you want them to know where you are?”

A brief pause where you consider her question.

A blink, and you’re shaking your head yet again.

“At least-” your voice comes out raw and strained. You clear your throat. “At least not for now.”

“I do not know what happened, My Child, but do not underestimate the lengths they will go to find you.” She addresses you cautiously. “They would tear the whole world apart looking for you.”

Your gaze drops, a sadness taking over your features.

“Do they at least know that you’re safe?”

“I-“ you sigh, squeezing your eyes shut as your head begins to pound beneath their constant bombardment. “I don’t know.”

Wyno inhales a deep breath before making a clicking sound twice through her teeth.

A blink, and Stella appears hovering in the air between the two of you.

Softly, the raven coos at you, circling lightly around your head as she sees the state of distress you seem to be in.

More clicks can be heard from Wyno, Stella landing on your shoulder and standing at attention. You swear you almost see the raven nodding in understanding.

“Do you have anything on you that Stella can bring to them to let them know you’re alright?” Wyno turns her golden gaze to you.

“Uh,” you swallow lightly, blinking all the while. “Yeah.” You clear your throat. “Yes.”

Moving your hands to the back of your neck, you unclasp the necklace you always wear. The chain hangs precariously from your hand, the replica of Arwen’s Evenstar dangling like a gem in the somewhat dim light of the cave.

“I have told Stella not to let them know where you are until you are ready to see them, but they are stubborn.” Wyno informs you. “They might demand she tell them. They may search her mind, or force it out of her with their powers. Either way, she will stay with them until the task is complete, and I summon her again.”

You nod your understanding, watching as Stella gently clasps your necklace in her beak by the chain. Another soft coo is heard from her.

“She wishes you well,” Wyno hums, somewhat approvingly. “Also, that she’ll peck out the eyes of whoever hurt you.”

You manage a small chuckle at that.

“Thank you, Stella.” Your lips pull upwards weakly in the corners. “But I did this to myself.”

A concerned caw greets your ears.

“Hurry, Stella,” Wyno inclines her head. “Before they start tearing the realms apart.”

In the blink of an eye, the raven has disappeared from sight.

Your gaze falls to the cup in your hands, thumb tracing the side of the ceramic gently. Your shoulders curl in on yourself, but at least you immediately begin to feel some relief from their constant brushing against your void. Still, you recognize those same three strings - one royal blue, one lavender, and one yellow - all humming faintly in worry, even more so than the others.

“Now,” Wyno draws your attention back to her once more as she sits forward in her seat. “What is it that you believe you’ve done that warranted you crashing to the earth like an astroid of old?”

Your whole body stills, and you swear you forget to breathe. Finally, that feeling of numbness you had so desperately been hoping for begins to spread throughout your body. It starts in your chest, creeping outwards as you continue to stare down at the cup of tea held desperately in your hands.

Your lips part, only to close shortly after. No words escape you despite the fact that it all wants to come spilling out. You don’t want to burden Wyno with your problems. Problems of which you hadn’t realized had still been bothering you until today.

“Speak, My Child.” She keeps her tone steady, but still tender all the same. “It is best not to allow these thoughts to fester, lest they continue to consume you. I promise that I will listen, and provide my best insight should you desire it.”

Mon soon slithers beneath the legs of the chair, resting his head by your feet and nudging you in comfort. Xiron comes to sit on one side of you, while Yerra takes the other. Faintly, you register the feeling of a wing wrapping around your back in comfort. Turning your head, you see a translucent blue hue shining beneath the light of the cave. You smile weakly.

“I-“ Again, your voice catches in your throat. “I don’t know where to start.”

“Begin wherever you deem it necessary for me to understand.” She smiles assuringly at you, a hand reaching over to squeeze your knee.

Softly, you nod your head. Taking a deep breath in, you begin.

You do not start at the very beginning, no, but you go far enough back where you deem all of these current issues started.

Naturally, you begin with Miyeon’s torture. You explain to Wyno every minute detail of that day that demon appeared in their domain. Nothing is spared, and you divulge to her the hurt you had undergone. The hurt you’re still suffering from because of her. Facts of which even the males have never been privy to, lest they recall the state your body had been in when they arrived back home.

The way you can see her jaw clench, claws sharpening into points as she curls her hands into fists on her lap has you shifting in your spot. Low, threatening growls escape her with each exhale, her fangs on full display as her lips curl back over her teeth.

Luckily, none of the males seem to appear at any point. Looks like Stella is keeping them away for the time being. A fact which helps your shoulders to relax, even unknowingly, the longer that they stay away.

Quietly, Wyno takes your one hand in hers, listening to everything you have to tell her. She is able to calm herself enough to allow you to continue, patiently sitting beside you the whole time and offering you comforts in her own way. You don’t seem to realize, but when you are explaining what happened three days after the events of Miyeon, your whole visage begins to glow softly.

Recovery is a tricky path to navigate, but even she can tell that those eight males have helped you in more ways than you realize. You spoke true two days ago, and you understand that. Even if your state of mind seems to be battling your logic and reason for the moment.

Sometime during your recount, you manage to finish your cup of tea. You place the empty cup down, only for Yerra to gently rest her head in your lap. The young dragon nuzzles into you affectionately, nothing but worry shining within her eyes. Though, she cannot help the way they flutter shut once you begin to stroke your free hand over the top of her scales.

The more you speak, the more you seem to relax. The words flow from you like a steady stream, cleansing your soul with each second that passes. The fact that Wyno simply just listens is more than you could have ever hoped for right now, and you’re grateful she’s letting you get it all out.

When you finish your recount of the harpy meeting, Wyno finally allows herself to let out a snort.

“You certainly did put that chicken in her place, My Child.” She grins, noticing how your lips quirk faintly. “Only a true Queen could do that.”

You can feel your cheeks heat, thanking her lowly before continuing.

Finally, you begin to breach the events of the last twelve hours. Of course, you remain vague about all of the explicit details, but from the knowing look in Wyno’s gaze, you can tell that she’s long since figured that out.

“Yes, I had assumed something of the sort,” Wyno nods, recognizing how you begin to slow down in your retelling as the most recent memories begin to consume you. “I can smell him all over you.”

A grimace crosses your features as your fingers begin to subtly press a little firmer into Yerra’s head. She appears to be sleeping, eyes closed as her chest rises and falls evenly while resting in your lap.

“You consumed his blood.” Not a question, but an observation.

“And he consumed mine.” You confirm.

“Which explains how we found you tumbling through the air earlier.” Wyno nods.

Your brow furrows. “I did that?”

“My child, who else could it have been?” She chuckles. “You have already divulged that the eldest’s blood allows you to glance spirit souls. Is it not so farfetched to believe that the youngest’s could allow you to teleport?”

“No.” You rub the tips of your fingers together gently over the skin of your thumb, mocking the way they would trace over your therapy pebble. “I suppose you’re right.”

“Now, tell me what warranted all of this.” She squeezes your other hand reassuringly.

You take a shaky breath in, averting your gaze in shame as you confess to everything that has just happened to you.

The whole time, Wyno remains quiet. Her golden eyes scan your face carefully, noting every small twitch of your brow and downturn of your lips. She can hear the pain you fight through with each word. The guilt, self-doubt, and remorse you hold onto comes through loud and clear.

Your gaze is haunted, and a chill runs down your spine. There are tears in your eyes as you admit to what Jongho said right before you disappeared, whole body trembling as you succumb to your emotions once more.

Faintly, you register Mon slither out from beneath the chair.

“My Child, please look at me,” Wyno’s voice is gentle as she shifts forward on her chair to get closer to you.

You raise your head, whole body nearly jolting as you feel something being placed carefully onto your shoulders

“Do you truly believe those were all of the words that he wanted to say?” Wyno reaches forward to help Mon wrap your jacket around your upper body.

Your whole body deflates. “I don’t know.”

“After the evening you have just told me the two of you had shared, do you truly believe that he would blame you for this?” Wyno attempts to reason with you, hands rubbing over your arms lightly in comfort.

“How could he not? It’s all my fault.” You choke on a sob.

“Tell me, My Child,” she manages to get you to meet her gaze and you notice her eyes flash, “do you blame them for what happened with that one?”

You blink, caught off guard by her sudden question. “Of course not! I could never-“

“Do you not think that they do not blame themselves for everything she has done, and all that she continues to do to you?” Wyno continues to reason.

“But it’s not their fault! I-” Your voice catches in your throat.

Wyno quirks a brow, looking at you expectantly. You fall silent.

“We act in ways we deem appropriate at the time in which these incidents occur. It is not your fault you were deceived; you do not control the actions of others.” She holds you firmly in her grip, squeezing your arms reassuringly. “You do not think I cannot still see the guilt that clings to them for ever allowing you to reach such a broken state at another’s hands?”

You remain quiet.

“You nine are all more alike than you think.” She hums. “Yes, you probably could have taken a moment to think things through, but when someone you love is at stake, logic is not always your friend.”

“Jongho still got hurt because of me.” You reply lowly, eyebrows drooping as you stare at the ground.

“You said he jumped in front of you. Not once, but twice, correct?” She tilts her head knowingly.

You nod your head.

“Then, that was his choice.” She shifts her hands to hold your own in her grasp once more. “He could have let you been hit both times, but he chose to save you. I have known him far longer than you, My Child, and were he feeling truly petty, he would have let both those weapons meet their marks. Do not twist his efforts to protect and help you into something that they are not. I have seen the way he looks at you. How his aura shines alongside your own. Do not make the man you love into a heartless monster. Least of all towards you.”

Tears begin to gather in the corner of your eyes for the nth time that morning, and you do whatever you can to blink them away.

The sun begins to rise over the horizon.

“Just because you blame yourself, does not mean that they will.” Wyno is a bit blunt when she says this, but you know it’s all spoken with good intent. “You made a mistake, and it seems as if this was the final piece which shattered the glass you had been looking through to keep yourself sane.”

“My Child, you are trying so hard to be brave, and strong when you haven’t allowed yourself proper time to grieve who you once were. Whether any of you wish to acknowledge it or not, that woman did kill a part of you that day. You may not have ceased to breathe, but she certainly destroyed a portion of who you once were. A portion you may never get to reclaim, nor should you want to.”

Wyno takes a moment to pause, inhaling deeply before she continues.

“I did not lie when I said that you have become stronger because of what has happened. Everything in your life leading up to this moment in time has made you who you are. As much as you wish to believe that you are passed this trauma, it will live with you every day until this whole rebellion is complete.” She states. “Whether it will end in victory or death, that has still yet to be determined. Do not create more issues where none lay.”

Your hands begin to shake, the numbness that had been felt throughout your entire body receding.

“But this is an issue, Wyno!” You practically spring to your feet, barely registering the huff of surprise Yerra lets out as she just catches her head from hitting the floor. “I indirectly hurt their brother. I nearly caused the death of a man I love because I let fear control me. How could they even bear to look at me now after what I’ve done? This incident has only just solidified that I’m barely holding myself together. I can put up a brave front, and act like I’m fine, but I’m not! I’m no Queen, and I need to stop pretending to be one.”

Wyno takes a moment to observe you carefully, golden eyes trailing over your figure as she watches you tremble in your spot. Your admission seems to have surprised even you, your eyes wide as your chest heaves.

“What is it you are truly afraid of, My Child?” She stands to her own two feet slowly.

At the way you remain silent, she’s quick to continue.

“Do you truly believe that they could hate you for this? For anything, for that matter?” She takes a step closer, staring you down all the while. “Do you believe they would turn on you for worrying about your family in the same ways that they worry about you? You have already confided in me that they've told you that they do not blame you for this. Is it not within yourself to believe them? Have they ever lied to you, least of all when your own feelings are concerned?”

Your hands cling desperately to the edges of your jacket, tears beginning to stream down your face as you watch her approach. Faintly, you register Mon brushing up against you back and holding you steady.

“Even now, I would bet all of the jewels in all of the realms that they are continuing to reach out to you in that mind of yours to know that you’re safe.” She says. “To know that you are still alive and breathing.”

Sure enough, you feel the faint brushes of assurance from all seven of them as soon as she says this. All several of their strings continue to hum in worry.

“Do you know how difficult it is to convince that Captain of theirs to change his mind when he sets his own course of action?” Wyno comes to stand before you now, placing her hands onto your arms reassuringly. “None of them have the ability to be patient when your safety is at risk, let alone your own personal wellbeing. I would bet anything that they wanted to appear here instantly after pulling the information out of Stella using any means necessary. However, they held off. For you, because that is what you asked of them.”

Your breath hitches slightly in your throat.

“Your Eight Kings do not particularly enjoy taking orders, or listening to others who attempt to command or control them.” Her tone is firm as you meet her gaze. “However, they will always listen to you.”

A blink, and you’re swallow thickly.

“No, My Child. There is no need for you to pretend to be their Queen,” she wipes your tears away so gently as she cradles your face in her hands. “You already are.”

You lower lip wobbles and she pulls you back into her embrace. One of her hands supports the back of your head while the other strokes comfortingly over your spine. Again, you bury your face into the side of her neck.

“Whether you know it or not, whether you acknowledge it or not, they have always viewed you as their Queen.” She whispers lowly into your ear.

A shudder wracks your chest as you attempt to catch your breath.

“Let me ask you this, My Child,” she tilts her head so that it rests against your own. “If the roles had been reversed, would you not have done the same? Would you not have given anything to protect him in the moment, if you had been able to?”

“Without question.” You breathe, tightening your hold subconsciously around Wyno’s back.

“This is not the first time you have experienced each other being injured in front of your very eyes.” Wyno says, and your mind flashes to the very first time you had ever met the dragons. “I’m sure it will not be the last.”

You let out a shaky chuckle. “No, I’m sure it won’t.”

“Then, cease this pointless self-blame you seem to be so adamant to condemn upon yourself.” She pulls away to stare deeply into your eyes. “Acknowledge your emotions and allow your mind to rest. It does no good to dwell on the things we cannot change. I’m sure those Kings of yours would tell you the exact same.”

The corner of your lips quirks slightly. “I tell them that all the time.”

Wyno shoots you a playfully incredulous look. “Well, there you go, My Child. Afford yourself the same leniency.”

Darting your gaze to the floor, you let out a small sigh. “I suppose you’re right.”

“Suppose?” Wyno chuckles. “My Child, I am always right.”

A playful wink is sent your way, and you cannot help the soft puff of laughter that escapes you.

“Now, go get some rest.” She motions for you to follow Mon who brushes his head against your back again in comfort. “You must be exhausted.”

A nod is all that you can muster in response as you allow yourself to finally relax. A wave of intense fatigue washes over you, body instantly slouching as you turn to face Mon. Slowly, you trudge after him down a side path leading deeper into the cave, eyes blinking tiredly as Wyno’s words echo through your mind.

She’s right. Your emotions were high, and you overreacted. You didn’t even give them a chance to calm you down before you unknowingly transported yourself away. Still, it doesn’t make what Jongho said in the moment hurt any less, even if that might not have been what he meant.

Perhaps this is exactly how Seonghwa felt all those months ago when he royally screwed up. He did look the most concerned out of all of them, a sad understanding on his features as you practically clawed at your own face in worry.

Speaking of, you’re pretty sure you’re body is still covered in blood despite Wyno cleaning your face. Only, you cannot find the energy to care right now. Not when Mon seems to lead you to the nesting area, nudging you towards what you assume is his own bed.

With the help of Mon, you’re laying down, allowing the wyrm to settle close to you for warmth as he wraps himself protectively around you. Softly, he coos to you, and without another word, you allow the gentle rumbling of his chest to lull you to sleep.

Meanwhile, Wyno heaves a tremendous sigh as she paces back and forth just inside of the cave’s mouth. Boris’ eyes track her every movement, his head resting on the ground as he looks up at her. Repeatedly, she taps her fingers over the skin of her crossed arms, golden gaze glinting in the dark semi-dark of the cave.

For twenty long minutes, Wyno allows you to rest with the babies in the nests’ deep chamber. Long enough to sort out her own thoughts before summoning those Kings of yours here.

Making her way outside of the cave with Boris in tow, Wyno looks out upon the cliff face. Briefly, her eyes dart over to the spot where Xiron had been pinned down by an arrow, your body hunched over him for protection.

She takes a deep breath.

The second Wyno clicks her teeth to alert Stella of her request, they all appear before her. Frantic looks of concern are clear on Wooyoung’s, San’s, and Mingi’s faces, and even Yeosang is having a difficult time maintaining his composure. Seonghwa’s hands twitch, while Yunho’s gaze darts every which way in search of you.

The longer all of them go without seeing you only increases their worry tenfold. Of course, it doesn’t help that they felt a shift in your internal workings of your mind just over twenty minutes ago.

“Where is she?” Hongjoong steps forward, a wild look of desperation on his features.

“Calm yourself.” Wyno commands, raising a hand to halt him in his tracks.

Hongjoong’s eyes flash, his nostrils flaring.

“You dare tell me to ‘calm myself’ when Our Queen has been missing for hours?” His voice is low, ominous as a hint of a growl coats his words.

“She has not gone missing. She’s been here with me this whole time.” Wyno replies cooly. “I thought Stella informed you that she was safe.”

A caw is heard from the raven as she flies over to perch on Wyno’s shoulder.

“She did.” Yunho responds, somewhat bluntly. His one hand is closed into a fist, your necklace clutched tightly in his grip.

“Please, Wyno,” Yeosang begins. “We’ve been worried sick.”

“I am well aware of your urgency.” Wyno’s eyes flash, noticing how both San and Wooyoung begin to pace restlessly before her.

“Then, why won’t you let us see her?” Wooyoung snaps, clear irritation on his face as he chews on his bottom lip.

“We’ve been waiting this whole time for a summoning.” Seonghwa adds, nothing but urgency in his tone. “Please, don’t keep us from her any longer.”

“I called you here because it is easier for you to come to me, than for me to go to you.” Wyno begins, keeping her voice even and breathing steady as Boris shifts beside her.

“Are you saying that you’ll deny us entry after everything?” Hongjoong’s lips pull back in a snarl. “She is Our Queen, not yours. She does not belong to you.”

“Neither does she belong to you.” Wyno retorts, quite pointedly. Already, her patience is wearing thin.

Several low, threatening growls sound from across from her.

“We aren’t afraid to tear that whole nest apart to get her back, Wyno.” Yeosang states, tilting his head pointedly as he narrows his gaze at her. “Friend, or not.”

“Each threat you speak does not make me confident in allowing you access into my home to retrieve your beloved.” Wyno stands tall, shoulders squared as she looks across at all of them. “If you would stop to listen for five seconds, you would have already been led inside by now.”

Again, Seonghwa’s fingers twitch, but they all choose to remain quiet.

“Before I grant you access, I need to know that my own words which I have spoken in reassurance to her are true.” Wyno says, eyes narrowing pointedly. “As much as I do know you, you can all be quite unpredictable when it comes to her.”

Several low warning growls reach her ears once more.

“So, she told you what happened.” It’s not quite a question that escapes Mingi’s lips, but the hesitance comes through all the same.

“I know that because of what happened, her mind was in such a fragile state, she condemned herself to fall upon the earth freely.”

A collective stillness passes over all of them as both San and Yunho inhale sharply. Immediately, tears are springing to Wooyoung’s, Seonghwa’s, and Yeosang’s eyes. Mingi’s whole body begins trembling, chest heaving with every breath.

“No…” Hongjoong falls to his knees.

“We were lucky the bond alerted us to her distress, even unknowingly.” Wyno continues. “Even now she is still riddled with a tremendous amount of self-doubt and guilt. My words can only help her so much. She needs you.”

“Then, why are we still standing outside?” Wooyoung grits his teeth, tears cutting tracks down his cheeks as he steps towards Wyno.

A warning rumble escapes Boris’ chest, and Wooyoung scowls, freezing in place.

“Do you want to know what her biggest fear out of all of this was?” Golden eyes observe them carefully, watching every subtle twitch of their brows.

“Wyno-“

A sharp look from the dragon stops Mingi’s words right in their tracks.

“She was terrified of you.”

Their hearts drop, and each male stills in their spot. Not even their chests move as they forget how to breathe, more tears falling freely down each of their faces.

“She was terrified of what you might do to her in retribution for harming Jongho.” Wyno infers. “She believed, despite it all, that you would hate her. That you would despise her, and curse her very existence for what she’s done.”

This time, it’s Seonghwa who falls to his knees. His hands brace himself on the ground, sobs wracking his entire body as he attempts to catch his breath. All he can think of is how badly he’s failed you yet again.

Yunho places a hand onto Yeosang’s shoulder, noticing how the younger male has gone eerily quiet. Were it not for the fact that Yunho can still hear Yeosang’s heart thundering inside of the shorter male’s chest, he would have thought that the younger had died as soon as those words had left Wyno’s lips.

Immediately, San wraps Wooyoung in his embrace, letting the younger male sob violently into his neck. Both of them begin shaking uncontrollably, clinging to each other for dear life.

Behind him, Hongjoong can hear Mingi cursing. Knowing the younger male, he’s probably pacing and ripping at his hair as tears fall freely from his eyes. However, all Hongjoong can do at the moment is stare forward, nothing but the crushing weight of devastation suffocating his heart and flooding his entire being with a numbness unlike ever before.

“But she didn’t harm him.” San’s voice trembles, and he feels Wooyoung squeeze him tighter.

“It wasn’t her fault.” Yeosang states, voice sounding much calmer than he is right now.

“We would never-“ Seonghwa chokes on a sob, “could never blame her for this.”

“There is next to nothing in this world, or in all of the realms that could make us hate her.” Yunho keeps his words low, even. “Let alone blame her.”

A firm nod from Wyno is all they receive in response.

“How could she ever think we could hate her?” Wooyoung’s breath stutters with his wails, that complete feeling of devastation choking him out just as it does with the others.

“I do not think she had been thinking clearly, given the events that had occurred throughout the night.” Wyno says. “You seven should be all too familiar with what the weight of crushing guilt can do to your reason. All rational thought ceases to exist.”

A hushed understanding passes over all of them as they nod solemnly.

“Please, Wyno,” Hongjoong finally lifts his gaze. “Please, take us to her.”

Never before has Wyno seen the man before her look so utterly broken. Yet, she knows. She just knows that this is all just fallout from that reckless and selfish demon who has haunted you since the eight of them all fell in love with you. Since they chose you to be their Queen.

Softly, Wyno nods her head.

“I will take you to her.” She voices gently. “However,” they all tense, “you need to all realize why I had to go about it this way.”

“Do you truly believe that we are capable of ever hurting her?” Mingi’s crestfallen expression says it all.

“No.” Wyno shakes her head lightly. “I do not.”

“Then, why-“

San’s inquiry gets cut off by the eldest’s shaky voice.

“You did this for her.”

Wyno’s golden gaze flits between all several of the males now turned towards her. Her expression says it all.

“Come.” She turns, guiding Boris back into the cave with her. “She’s currently sleeping.”

The walk through the cave is silent, save for the few sniffles that Wyno can hear coming from some of the males behind her. Luckily, they seem to manage to compose themselves just as they reach the nesting area.

Frowns tug at their features as they don’t immediately see you.

“Where…?” Hongjoong’s brow furrows, knowing that he and his brothers can just make out the faintest hints of your scent mixed in with the rest.

“There.” Wyno motions off to the side with her head.

Shifting their gazes to where Wyno has guided them to, they see both Yerra and Xiron curled up with each other. A wing from each dragon is spread out between them, as if covering something hidden beneath.

Slowly, the two babies retract their wings as they get closer, and the sight that greets them would normally be adorable given any other circumstance.

There you rest, curled up with your arms around Mon as you sleep soundly. The babies surround you on either side, keeping you warm as your jacket seems to have fallen off of your shoulders. Mon is more than happy to be held in your arms, and he continues to let out gentle coos as you sleep, reassuring you that they’re all here to protect you.

Unfortunately, it seems as if the slight shifting around you has woken you up.

Groggily, you blink around at your surroundings, your head lifting as you attempt to gather your bearings for the moment. With the help of Mon, you manage to sit, rubbing at your eyes all the while as he slithers around your back. The albino wyrm curls around you protectively as you hear several sharp inhales come from in front of you.

You freeze, but what you fail to see is how all of them take a hesitant step towards you.

A soft call of your name has you slowly lowering your hands, somewhat cautiously. You blink to clear your vision, and the instant you see them all standing in front of you, tears spring to your eyes once more.

Nothing but concern is on each of their features as they look at you, their hearts squeezing painfully as they hear your own begin to thunder inside of your chest.

Carefully, San takes a step forward, his hand raising to reach out to you. “Baby-“

“I’m sorry.” Your lower lip trembles, the first of your tears spilling onto your cheeks. Your voice is raw, all of the events finally catching up to you as you attempt to clear your throat. You squeeze your eyes shut, whole body beginning to shake. “I’m sorry.”

Arms wrap around you instantly, and you jump as you feel yourself being pulled into someone’s chest. Unknowingly, your one hand fists his shirt for dear life.

“Shh, My Divine.” Seonghwa soothes you, rocking you gently in his embrace as his hand strokes over the back of your head. “It’s okay.”

You sob harder, more apologies falling from your lips.

“It’s not your fault, Dearest.” Yeosang keeps his voice low so as not to startle you.

“We’re not mad at you.” Mingi is the next to speak. “We could never be mad at you for this.”

“Please, My Love, do not think that we are.” Hongjoong kneels beside you, reaching out to tenderly caress your back.

“If anything, we thought we were going to lose you.” Yunho breathes, a hint of fear clinging to the edges of his words.

Wooyoung collapses in front of you, grasping your hands in his desperately. “Please don’t run from us like that again. We would never forgive ourselves if something happened to you.”

“We could never hate you, Starlight.” Mingi whispers, stepping in closer.

“Please don’t be afraid of us.” San pleads, swallowing somewhat thickly. “We could never, never hurt you, Baby.”

With each male that speaks, you manage to calm down more and more. Apologies no longer fall from your lips, and your breathing is starting to even out. It seems as if you’re able to finally begin thinking clearly with all of them surrounding you like this.

Softly, you begin to nod your head and a collective sigh of relief if heard from all of them.

Wooyoung squeezes your hands, smiling at you faintly. “Please, don’t scare us like that again.”

“We were in a frenzy trying to find you until Stella showed up.” Mingi admits, running his hand through his hair which stands on end in every direction.

“Let’s get you home, My Love.” Hongjoong stands, helping you to your feet along with Seonghwa.

A catch in your breath as you are swooped up into the eldest’s arms.

“You should get some rest, My Divine.” He pulls you tighter against his chest, holding onto you securely as if you might disappear again at a moment’s notice.

All you can offer them is a small nod in response before you’re all turning to face Wyno once more.

“Thank you for watching over her.” Yunho tilts his head in acknowledgement towards the alpha of the dragons, clutching your necklace a little firmer in his hand.

“Always.” Wyno hums, a small upturn to her lips as she watches you rest in Seonghwa’s arms. It looks as if you’ve finally calmed down, for your head leans against his shoulder, your breathing evening out steadily. “I am more than happy to provide for one of our own.”

Exhaustion tugs at the edges of your consciousness, but you force yourself to stay awake. Just enough so that you can turn your head towards Wyno.

Softly, you incline your head in her direction, blinking at her gently as you mouth your gratitude. She mirrors your movements, a tender smile pulling at her features in understanding.

“Go home, My Child,” her voice is low, nothing but a sweet caress to your ears. “Allow yourself to rest.”

A small nod is all she receives in response before the eight of you are disappearing from sight.

The front foyer is quick to greet you after that. It appears to have been cleaned, everything back in its regular place, and no Jongho in sight.

Seonghwa goes to take a step towards your room before your voice is halting him right in his tracks.

“Please,” the call is weak, but they all still manage to hear, “I need to see him."

An understanding passes over all of them, and immediately, Seonghwa is stepping towards the youngest’s room with the others surrounding you both. Hongjoong is quick to push open the door, guiding the way inside as you all follow behind. Once beside Jongho’s bed, Seonghwa softly sits you on top of the covers.

Swallowing thickly, you take in the sight of a still unconscious Jongho. He looks so peaceful, sleeping soundly beneath the comfort of his sheets. His chest rises and falls evenly, and he doesn’t appear to be in any pain, but you still cannot prevent the way your heart twists in guilt seeing him like this.

You bring a hand up to cup his cheek, thumb stroking tenderly against his skin.

“He’ll be okay, Dearest.” Yeosang reassures you, moving to sit beside you on the bed.

“He just needs some rest,” Wooyoung affirms, a slight nod to his head.

“Just like you do, My Love.” Hongjoong places a comforting hand onto your shoulder.

“Are you injured?” Mingi finally voices his concerns, noting how all of his brothers turn to observe you carefully now.

You shake your head, voice rough as you speak, “Wyno healed me.”

“We’re sorry we couldn’t be the ones to take care of you this time.” Seonghwa averts his eyes in shame, and you notice how the others do as well.

Again, you shake your head. “That’s not on you. That’s on me.”

“Petal,” Yunho’s worried voice reaches your ears.

“It seems all we ever do is apologize to each other,” you say, somewhat lowly.

“It’s hard not to feel remorse when it concerns the one you love.” Hongjoong squeezes your shoulder gently, and you’re briefly reminded of that talk you had with him in the garden all those months ago. You place your hand atop his. “Come. Let’s get you cleaned up.”

You look up at him, protests forming on your lips.

“You’ve had a long night, Dearest.” Yeosang reasons, helping you back to your feet. “You need to rest.”

“Besides, he’ll probably be all better by the time you wake up.” San assures you, a light smile pulling at his features.

A small weight is felt settling onto the skin of your upper chest, and you turn your head to see Yunho securing your necklace behind you.

“Thought you might want this back.” His voice rumbles out lowly, a faint upturn of his lips as he sees your fingers brush over the jewel hanging over your skin once more.

“Come on, Angel.” Wooyoung begins to lead you out of the room with Seonghwa. “We can talk about everything later. For now, let your mind rest. We promise we’ll take good care of you.”

You nod, allowing the comfort of Your Kings to surround you once more as you fully embrace the light of the morning sun shining through the windows. The night might have been dark, but you know. You just know that everything will be alright with them by your side.

Jongho will be fine.

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icharchivist · 3 months

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It kinda sounds like the people didn't actually unlock the Eternals so they'd miss out on the characterization (understandable, I'm also not about to try and recruit them currently), and then, what, based their personalities off headcanons and fanfiction? And then get upset that the characters are more complex than fanon?

You can see Siete's manipulative side, maybe not in Poacher's Day, but it's really obvious in Bzzt! when he's manipulating the twins

Sure, it's "just" to go to the beach with him, but still. He plays it off as being a sad bullying victim, but it's very clear what he's doing if you just look for a second

God, literacy is so low, how dare people just imply things instead of spelling them out

the worst is that i saw that from people i KNOW unlocked the Eternals which is what bugs me. I can only assume it's because it was so far ago in their mind?!

And yeah else i'd say maybe the summer events didn't help, and i know when SoR came out Poacher's day was in the side stories but not Bzz! so maybe they were really relying on him being more lowkey in Poacher's day?

tho i think in general people only see manipulative behavior when those behaviors are supposed to be harmful and/or have a negative impact.

When Siete shows himself being manipulative in Bzz! people probably overlook it as him just being quirky and he doesn't actually do harm, so it doesn't matter and he must know to hold back when it matters right?

or when Siete is manipulative and threatening with MC during his FE, it's because he doesn't know MC and just sees the threat the weapon cause right, so when he will know MC he won't be manipulative anymore right?

I think it ultimately comes from this idea that Siete wouldn't *seriously* try to manipulate someone he actively trust, for something that could hurt them. which is why people thought it was out of character that he left Seox be hurt the way he did to manipulate everything right.

but, yeah no, i'm sorry, Siete isn't manipulative just to be quirky and "knows to hold back", he's manipulative most of the time and it just ends up spilling again when he's having some downtime because it's a second nature.

and he doesn't manipulate MC just because he doesn't know them and doesn't trust them and see the threat of the weapon, he would do the same if he trusted them, the whole point is that Siete gets tunnel vision when he sees a threat he can handle on his own.

and i think "... and you" doubled down on that in a way people found satisfying, but /i/ remember when people thought it was out of character. But "... and you" makes clear that, no, Siete has this habit to want to handle everything on his own and thinking he knows how to handle threat this way, and in this case he will manipulate people around him to get there. and "And you" shows both how, if unchecked, this behavior would have him turn into Sieten't, and how Siete now has to learn to rely on the Eternals, as the whole climax of the event relies on Siete having to come to term with the fact that now he has this group he can rely on and he shouldn't be manipulating the odds so he himself can take care of it.

But ultimately i think it's really just that when people hear of behaviors that are usually coded negatively (manipulation, lying, ect) they believe it means the character is trying to do harm, and it's.... not the case. and it's why they struggle to reconcile that when Siete manipulates and lies to his crew, it's usually because he has their safety in mind on the grand scheme of things -- but that to get to his end goal, he will have to accept that they'll get hurt, and he genuinely believes he can handle it alone and that they wouldn't understand his reasoning. I believe he's very much a "the end justifies the means" type of person, and he knows people will not accept the means, so instead of discussing it and compromising, he just takes the whole heat once people explode at him for it.

He's ruthless and pragmatic on that regard. he's not a bad person, but ultimately he falls back a lot on some dishonest methods out of an unhealthy level of self-reliance. and it's something he does so often that it slips when he tries to have normal interraction with his crew, and i think it's a much more interesting justification on why his crew, especially Seox, Feower and Tien, have a hard time with this behavior, than if they were just being bitchy about Siete being clingy.

and it's genuinely much more interesting to see him get burn with that because his crew is trying to remind him that they're an unit, than just pretending he's the perfect big bro who is able to leave aside this ruthlessness to be a good captain.

idk man. maybe i'm also making a Siete in my mind that doesn't exist because i found the one from SoR to be compelling. But genuinely like. The pieces are here and it's so odd to imply that SoR came out of nowhere while there were countless of moments that showed that Siete is perfectly capable of doing this type of things.

#ichareply #ichafantalks gbf #anonymous

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umbralsound-xiv · 2 months

Text

A Frosty Reception.

How long had it been now since i'd gone to Coerthas? Moons, at the very least. Since before Sayuri was taken. I had meant to go, but... I don't know. Going alone, even the very idea felt so... Lonesome. And i'm sure i could have asked Vex or any other to join me, but it wouldn't have been the same... Still. I have to sharpen my skills. It wouldn't do for any of us to let myself get rusty.

In the amidst of the calm fall of snow stretched a violent plume of flame toward the heavens. Would that it could rival a dragon’s fire but no deafening howl or terrifying quake followed suit. In its stead huffed a foul-tempered Ishgardian, particularly at that moment. Mattisaux gripped his sword, jaw taut and gaze forward though tunnel visioned in his thoughts.

Almost as a response to the skyward plume of flame, the snows seem to whip up into a frenzy, harried by the heat. The turn of weather began small, but seemed to grow more fierce with every passing moment, especially as a certain frosty Seeker made her approach. Weapon already in hand, she comes to a standstill as a familiar figure pulls into view, watching, yet still far enough that she couldn't be sure. The glimmer of her ice was undeniable; at least what could be seen through the blizzard.

...What in the hells was that? A dragon, or...? Even if i don't face it, it's probably best to not leave it unchecked.

The man was almost determined to keep to his thoughts, halfheartedly deciding to ignore the sudden whip of wind and snow, but eventually he allowed himself to scan the edge of the Rim he stood. Not that he could see too much in the fuss of the weather but a faint shine of light shone through easily. Light enough to provoke him into channel a wave of astral dark into his blade. Then, in a nearly animalistic growl, “Come out of your hiding lest your head falls off your shoulders.”

Bexy Amalaryssia: "You could -try-, but the frost would take you first." She eyes the surge of aether as it swam to him, head inclined, daring to step a few paces closer to lessen the gap between them. "Mattisaux?" Though his name was called with kindness, trepidation laced her tone; nor did she lower her bow.

Naught by the sharp kiss of his teeth sounded in response before his knees bent to leapt at the voice. However, when the figure decided to reveal themselves a small grunt of frustration came out until it all but dissolved. “Bexy?” Lowering his blade just a bit, he squinted. “Come closer…”

A steady breath is drawn as she approaches, given in an exhale as she takes in his features. "I had thought you some fiend. And then, thought you possessed. That is -not- the case… Yes?" The way her eyes settle on him and her bow still does not move an ilm indicates she's not all that certain that it isn't the case.

...I should have known, even if there was no way i could have. Still, something about him seems a little... Off. Best to ensure he's... Of himself, before getting any closer.

Her voice louder and away from the wind and the frost wafting from her bow, it was enough to pull a sigh from his chest and forget all about the aether stored in his weapon. “Not this time, no. Did you intend to slay me otherwise?”

Bexy Amalaryssia: "Not outright. Not without questions or some attempt at persuasion." Her wider, more friendly smile makes itself known as she approaches, dismissing her bow to the wind; now no longer howling, curiously enough, the snows fell gently once more. "But i'd be a fool to not be ready to defend myself." Eyeing over the immediate vicinity, and peering hesitantly over the overlook, her icy gaze flits back to his own. "I see no beast. That flame… Was you?"

Seeing that familiar face, and her smile with it, pressed his lips flat though without the derision that usually came along. However, as her bow faded to the aether and the flurry died to its state before left a nasty groan in his throat. “That was me, yes. Is that why you are here?” He turned just a bit to stab his sword into the piled snow, leaving the energy to ‘bleed’ until it fully dissipated. “I remember the last time I saw you emerge from a snow like that but then… it did not fade.”

Bexy Amalaryssia: "It didn't. But it was different, back then. Now, i'm simply having the good fortune of crossing paths with a friend. A welcome sight, and a far better one than i had expected. I was simply curious as to what caused it." Her gloved hand gestures upwards at where the flame had been a short moment ago. "I was here to ensure i'd not gotten… Rusty. It's been moons since i've been to Coerthas." She speaks with an uncharacteristic sulk, painted lips briefly downturned before they returned to the friendly face he knew.

I couldn't tell him the relief i felt to stumble across a friend. Of course i could likely go speak to any one of them with barely a moment of notice, but for something so serendipitous... It was nice to see him. But i'd have never told him that. He might think i've gone soft.

Listening to her speak, he simply stared until he turned toward the crater where they stood. In a slight downcast tone, he made another lengthy sigh with a raised brow. “And what has kept you from coming here? I remember something about a bonding ceremony for your little sister; that did not take your entire time did it?”

Bexy Amalaryssia: "Nothing. Not… Really. The last few moons have been idle and… Waiting. Sayuri is away on her honeymoon, and has been for some time. I could have gone to train any sun, but… I don't know. It has been so long. Since before she was taken. Even returned and recovered, her aether isn't what it was. Though…" She walks to his side, curiously following his gaze downwards. "That is set to change." Bexy's attention shifts to him again, then. "What of you? Much the same reason as me? Unless you've taken umbrage to the Coerthan weather and seek to cancel it?" The mere suggestion tugs a smirk, brow lofted.

The sound of her steps closer, and more so to the smallest jeer she made, lifted his hand in a tired shrug. “How many times must I remind you that the cold never bothers me? That aside, my reason for being here matters little now that you are here. Were we elsewhere I might offer to serve you tea or a drink.”

How.... Sweet. It's rare i ever feel like this. This... Biting kind of loneliness. Though i'm glad Sayuri is away for nicer reasons, i'll admit she's missed. ...And even if she were back, her aether is still hindered, and i would still likely face Coerthas alone.

Bexy Amalaryssia: "How kind of you. Were there such comforts, they'd be gladly received." Softer, warmer, and almost a little sad, her gaze looks over to him. "I know you don't mind the cold. Mist doesn't either, but she still loathes the snow. I wasn't sure if you were the same."

Mattisaux Baschet: “Mist… I have not thought of her in a long while. What a sour thing to bring up.” Creases formed over his forehead at the mention. “The snow is the best part though my reason for thinking so is not well liked. Though I can assure you, she and I have nothing in common aside from our home. Now let us speak of more pleasant topics, yes?”

Bexy Amalaryssia: "You… Like the snow?" Bexy seems surprised at that, head tilted. "I think you're the first Ishgardian to speak kindly of it. Why?"

Mattisaux Baschet: “It is a pure thing, simply put.” As if he would rather not talk about it, he shrugged his hand as he was wont to do and drew another sigh before he said anything else. “Look at it right here. It blankets everything and covers all with its blinding white shade. When it was only seasonal, calm, wintry nights were a coveted thing but now I know one would say that we are closer to Her grace, not that I care to think much of that. But not only that, you can instantly see when it is blemished."

Bexy Amalaryssia: "Pure." She mouths the word as though she'd never spoken it before, leaving it to hang for a short, awkward moment. "There is a calm in it. A peacefulness. Smothering all sound, all colour until there is just… This." A short half-laugh leaves her, gazing down the ravine. "Do you think that's what they feel, when they die by my hand? The cold, and then the silence, the quiet of it all?" A rhetoric question, as she continues on. "…I never held any love for it before i was… Afflicted with it. Blessed with it? Perhaps it warped my mind as well as my features. Regardless, i hold an affinity for it now. It would be rude not to, i think."

Mist hates it. Detests how it has warped her home and people that live there. I often think she feels it's warped me, but... Well, i can't claim to know her thoughts. I don't think i've ever been pure. And now... I'm not sure i could be. I've killed so many. For good reasons, or so i claim. Perhaps it was a mistake to ever strive to better myself. But i have to try... ...Don't i?

Mattisaux Baschet: “Cursed with it, is how I would describe it, but you are a charming girl either way.” He spoke as if his words were common knowledge, moving on as she did, answering the rhetoric just because he wanted to. “I am certain they feel the sear of your cold above all else. I did, especially when you saved me from bleeding in the snow years ago now.” His face tightened a touch. “Mayhap that is why I cannot cast it so easily…”

Bexy Amalaryssia: "I used to think i was cursed with it. Perhaps i still am… But lamenting never got me anywhere, save for some bitter poetry. Whatever it is, it's mine, and without it i don't think i'd be standing here, talking to you." There's a small huff of amusement at the mention of her being a 'charming girl', as though in disagreement. "…You're the first it's ever saved, when it hasn't been in direct retaliation to killing someone to save another." A pause, then. "Is… That why you came out here?"

Mattisaux Baschet: “The first and the last I would hope. Sealing a wound with ice is not for the faint of heart,” was all he said for a moment and more. “I have been trying ice for moons now and the most I can do is splinter it in every direction rather than control it. I can never relax and it is directly reflected in every single thing I do… Though as for my reason being here since it seems you will keep asking, I wanted to feel what casting fire was like without needing it, if you understand what I am saying.”

Bexy Amalaryssia: "…I… Think i do. Here… You're deprived of any aid of it. Any flames here are born in adversity, and wholly your own. I cannot conjure anything besides ice, and yet… Even i don't think i have any helpful advice…" As she speaks, gloved hands raise as though to gesture her futility in any such attempt.

Mattisaux Baschet: “I had a mind to ask you, but for the very reason you stated, I doubt I would find it too useful. It is simply apart of you when I am trying to do something against my very nature… It is not terribly important anyroad.” Despite his statement, frustration laced his tone and knit his demeanor.

Bexy Amalaryssia: "…You can fight and defend yourself and those who matter. But…" She turns to face him then, taking half a step closer as her head cants to the side, hair tumbling over her shoulder. "…It's a point of pride, hm?"

Mattisaux turned to meet her gelid eyes with his, annoyance plain in his words. “It is not pride, I am only learning what it means to cast magic and perhaps… control myself, much to your benefit as you already know. Though -you- are not the sole reason for it.”

Bexy Amalaryssia: "Mm? Then enlighten me. What -is- the reason?" She asks, just as curious as she had been. "If you can cut down your enemies, what does it matter if it's with a blade of ice, or a blade of steel? You know how to cast magic, and ice yet remains beyond your grasp. Why does ice -specifically- matter so much?"

Mattisaux Baschet: “Gods, you always stick your frostbitten nose in when I try to keep to myself. What would you do if I decided to never confide in you?”

Bexy Amalaryssia: "Gods forbid i'm wanting to learn about someone i care for." Bexy scolded, though her lip quirked with amusement. "If you never told me, i'd make my assumptions, correct or otherwise. You don't -have- to tell me."

Mattisaux Baschet: “Your assumptions would be for the better; it is not information that helps either of us for sharing so you can rest yourself.” He sighed, feeling more irritated by the second until a thought occurred to him. Then he smirked. “Any more and I will test my fire against your ice.”

Bexy Amalaryssia: "And you will lose." Her words were spoken with the utmost confidence. "Fire doesn't frighten me. I don't burn. And you'd be facing the might of Coerthas, besides."

Mattisaux Baschet: “That you are so sure of yourself comes as no surprise thought you ought not underestimate those around you. Then again, I probably would lose in a spar since I know I would hold myself back far too much. Hm…” A sudden thought had him grinning like the devil. “Mayhap I ought to spar with your obnoxious scalekin sometime. She can heal herself well enough.”

Bexy Amalaryssia: "Touch her and i -will- use your entrails as bunting." Bexy spoke a little sharper, the warm grin on her lips wavering to something much colder. "I don't underestimate you. I've seen you fight, Mattisaux. I know what you are capable of, and more so. I think it might be you, who is underestimating me."

I'm sure he finds it fun to threaten her. Friends Mattisaux and i might be, but he knows how i feel about such things. I won't tolerate it.

Her harsher tone did little to shake his grin, huffing a little in humor. “Tell me, how can I underestimate you when you were the one who nearly killed me on a misunderstanding? I know who I would be up against, dear. But this is all up in the air anyroad; I would have to be manipulated again to fight you seriously.” The mischievous attitude he held died slightly. “Which would not happen so easily were I better at magic.”

Bexy Amalaryssia: "Had i the capacity to scar, i would have carried some from the wounds you gave me that sun. I don't regret defending those i care for. But i do regret how i did it, that sun." She holds his gaze for a little longer, allowing it to slowly fall. "I trust that you'd never harm anyone i hold dear. Not again, anyway. I hope i never spill another drop of your blood." Reconnecting her gaze, her brow knits. "You want to better yourself with ice. With aether. To learn how it works. If you know how the offense operates… You know how to better defend."

Mattisaux watched as her gaze faltered just to return with more gusto. Though he seemed vaguely confused. “Better defend as in take whatever attack comes my way, yes? If it is quick, I cannot dodge as swiftly as you would. I am not built that way nor do I care to be. Were you going somewhere with that?”

Bexy Amalaryssia: "I mean that you would learn to use ice, that you might know how to better protect yourself. Unless i'm wrong completely. It's like you said. I can hardly help you, and i'm not one to worry for your wellbeing in a battle, besides." A pause, then, as her lips purse. "Well, not too much, anyway."

Mattisaux Baschet: “Ice to protect myself? Do you know me at all, dear? We must be complete strangers.” After a dramatic shake of his head, he continued. “I wish to learn it for many other reasons that are not that one but you need not worry over me protecting myself. If anything, I would be protecting others with it. Or slaying them. Whichever is more convenient.”

Bexy Amalaryssia: "Perhaps we're alike in that regard, then." Pulling her lips to a line, she hesitates, looking up to Mattisaux. "I will fight again, in a few suns. The one i seek. I know where he'll be. I plan on… Giving him a taste of his own medicine."

Well, i thought it best to tell him at least. If nothing else... I was sure it would go well, i had as much information as i could. I don't know what brought this feeling of such... Melancholy. Perhaps being out in the cold for the first time in a while brings such things to me.

Mattisaux Baschet: “Gods, again?” At the slightest mention of apparent strife for her, his chest puffed in agitation. “Do you need me to take care of someone in your stead? Is this an enemy from your past?”

Bexy Amalaryssia: "No. No such thing. Gods, and you tell me i worry. No. He's the last one directly responsible for Eir's capture that still lives, and a key to aiding Sayuri's… Present hindrance with her aether. I'll take everything i need from him in terms of information, then wrap him up as a late namesday gift for her for her return."

You beam with delight at Mattisaux Baschet.

Her casual smile to her plans did little in easing his worries, narrowing his eyes for a moment or so before giving his piece. “You say this now and when next I see you I would have a better time recognizing a pin cushion out of you. Should this help you survive know that I will go and slay that green witch and your other lesser healer without a second thought if I learn you were overconfident.”

Bexy Amalaryssia: "I won't be. I know where they'll be. How many there will be." The glimmer turns to a glower, then. "Even if i am dead, you aren't to touch them. We're destined for the same hells. I'll know." Her words hung as a threat, continuing on a little softer. "I will be -fine-, Mattisaux. I'm not some delicate blossom to be coddled."

Mattisaux Baschet: “I am not bound to you after death; everyone is forfeit should you die before me. I will not need to hold back in whatever hell we wind up in either, dear.” His gaze peered down to her in his own confidence. “That being said, you ought to make sure that does not happen… But I do swear I might be speaking to a Miqo’te-shaped wall at times. A wall that refuses to rest herself.”

Bexy Amalaryssia: "I have spent -moons- resting, Mattisaux. And you're one to talk." A gloved, accusatory digit is pointed in his direction. "I won't die. Plenty have tried, scores of them failed. And i'll be damned if it's to that sniveling coward."

The point had him leaning back an ilm, resorting with a small, ‘I am different’ though his voice did not hold as much weight as he wanted until she enlightened him on her target. “I take it that he is weak then? And you should not be so proud to meet with the Reaper any chance you get.” He sighed heavily. "Like I said, a wall is right in front of me planted in this snow."

Bexy Amalaryssia: "He's one of Grym's accursed lot. He'll be travelling with others, but they are disposable. Divested of his weapons, he'll be entirely useless unless as a source of information, and then… I'll let Sayuri do whatever she wants to him when she's home." An ear flicks at his verbal jab. "I have rested, i am fine. Even if i hadn't, i'd be going anyway. I'll come back with nary a scar, as usual."

Mattisaux Baschet: “Should have arrested you to your bed when I had the chance… Send me a letter or let me know somehow that you are safe after your ordeal. My heart cannot trust you after your last few encounters any longer.” Even though the freezing cold frosted his armor, he still lifted his hand to dig the metal tips into his eyes. “Pray, go now to make sure you are prepared with both yourself and where and how you will store him until your little one comes back.”

Bexy Amalaryssia: "I have my ways." A smile, though only half lit pulls at her lips. She seems to hesitate on moving, opting to remain as she was. "I'll send you a letter. I'll be fine." She promises, giving a short bob of her head as affirmation.

Again, his gaze narrowed in clear suspicion for a number of reasons. “I will look forward to it then since you needlessly worry me. Now, did you want to stay and watch me fail at magic or what?” He could not help the irritation grating his voice though he had no reason to hide it.

Bexy Amalaryssia: "No, no. It's fine, i'll be going." She sucks in a breath, turns on her heel… And begins to walk, managing only a few steps before her head turns at her shoulder, and she utters her usual "Be well, Mattisaux."

A breath huffed from his nose at her farewell, expecting no less but still not quite fancying the like. “I will. You worry over your own self.”

Offering another faint smile, Bexy turns away, continuing until she can no longer be seen through the snows.

I didn't particularly want to leave. I wanted company, i wanted... I don't know. Someone who would understand. Mattisaux often does, when it comes to the dark and unexplained, but... Mm. I'll have to do some thinking.

#Muse: [Bexy]#Chapter: [A Taste Of Their Own Medicine]#FFXIV #IC #Screenshot #Writing #Textlog

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treatian · 3 years

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The Chronicles of the Dark One: Magical Loopholes

Chapter 73: A Devastating Turn of Events

He turned to unlock the shop only to feel no tension in the key and remember that he'd left in such a hurry he hadn't locked it. Given the fact that he'd been gone for no more than five minutes, he would have shrugged it off. But the second he stepped into his shop, he felt dread sink down deep into the pit of his stomach as the blood drained from his body. He felt weightless standing there, looking at it. He was conscious of Belle following him in, of Belle shutting the door and standing behind him. But he was helpless to do anything more than stare at the devastation around him.

Five minutes…it looked like a tornado had come through.

All his precious items, carefully restored, cleaned, and cataloged, had been thrown about the room. Many had been broken and left to lie on the floor. The display cases were all broken, the glass shattered and in shards glittering around the jewelry, all of which still seemed to be in place. But the thing that had caused his heart to stop, that made him feel cold and then numb in the same breath was at the other side of the room. The painting that hid his safe…it wasn't securely on the wall. It was slight, but he could see that it was open. His mouth went dry as his thoughts spun about in his mind as an uncontrollable blur…Baelfire's shawl…

"What happened here?" Belle asked as he realized that he'd never know it was there or not if he stood from here to look at it. He needed to investigate and be sure that the shawl was still where it was supposed to be. And if it wasn't…he knew the first person he was going to find and question about it.

"Hook," he growled. "This is why he attacked you!"

"To get you out of the store."

Yes, but he had a feeling it wasn't to commit an act of vandalism. Hook wanted to hurt him. He wanted revenge for Milah…there was more than just Belle he could take from him.

"What did he want?"

He didn't answer her, just hobbled over to the safe, finished swinging the picture forward.

The safe door was open.

It was empty.

Bae's shawl was gone.

The world stopped. He felt his hand go to his mouth in a silent gasp as his heart dropped and every plan he'd ever made fell to pieces. He saw red. The same rage he'd felt when Belle had first kissed him and the realization he'd need to lose her overtook him. His breath deepened, and he didn't bother to correct himself as he let it pour through him.

"Rumple. We can get the shawl back! Rumple…"

Belle was talking, but he wasn't hearing; he wasn't perceiving whatever words were coming out of her mouth. His vision tunneled, narrowing on a fucking wooden sailboat. It was a mockery of this. From somewhere on that boat, he could hear Hook laughing at him as he sailed away, far away with Milah smiling at his side and Baelfire's shawl in hand before he took a match to it and it-

He turned his cane on that ship, one of the few things left whole in his shop, no doubt something done on purpose. And then he smashed it to smithereens beneath his cane! It didn't make him feel any better.

"Rumple, stop it! Stop! Please!"

He calmed only at her touch, though calmed was merely a physical manifestation. She looked him over, tried to use her touch to assure him. But his mind was still racing, the Dark Ones whispering. He knew what he needed to do; he knew what would make him feel better. And he needed to get it done!

"You're right…" he muttered, looking at Belle before stepping out of her grasp. "I have to retrieve what is mine."

And he also had to protect what he still had. Without magic, Belle was damn near defenseless against the pirate-human! But there was something he'd carried with him when he'd been human that might help her defend herself, give her the upper hand on the off chance the menace came sniffing around again. His gun…

But before he could get to it, he found his hand snagged by her own, her body pulling him away from what he needed and back to her.

"Let me, let me help you!"

"This is my fight!"

"And this is my fault" she yelled back! "If Hook had never attacked me, you would never have left the shop."

He didn't blame her for that or this. He didn't find her guilty of any of it. But he did find her guilty of not thinking things through now, of holding him back when he needed to be out finding his shawl before Hook could destroy it and everything he'd worked for!

"How do you propose that we get the shawl back?" he asked of her a bit too angrily. "Have you dueled with a pirate before?! How exactly are you going to help me?!"

"Well, I'm not just going to sit here and do nothing!"

"No! You're going to go back to the library, lock the door, and wait for me to dispense with this problem!"

"And if I don't?" she challenged predictably. She sneered at him, reeling from his comments as her gaze narrowed dangerously as his own anger flared. "You'll-you'll cast some spell that gives me no choice?!"

"No! I trust you'll do as I wish. Just as you trust me to be a better man!"

Her arms crossed angrily over her chest, and he saw her heels dig in, unhappy with the excuse he'd given. He knew that look, and he didn't have time for it. He didn't care if he'd offended her; he'd correct it later. He didn't have time for kindness right now, only to get this done and ask questions later! "Belle, please!" he begged. "Hook has maybe cost me the chance of finding my son! I don't want to lose you too!"

That did the trick. She didn't like orders in any form but begging…that she seemed vulnerable to. She was still angry and didn't like the idea of staying behind, that much was clear on her face, but he saw the fight go out of her. Her stance softened, and her head tilted in that way that suggested she knew she'd been defeated. Good. It was what was best.

"Here, look…" he swallowed hard and went to the place he'd kept the gun since getting his magic back. Miraculously it was still there in one piece, and Hook hadn't stolen it. Small favors. "I want you to take this, just in case Hook is stupid enough to come after you again. Point this, pull the trigger, and the gun will do the rest for, all right? All right?!" he stressed when she didn't answer or take it as he wanted.

"Y-yes-yes!" she finally stuttered out, fitting it into her small hand. He purposefully had left out what "do the rest" meant, but that was for her own safety. If she knew, she might hesitate if she saw Hook again. He didn't want her to do that. If he did come after her, if she did have to pull that trigger, at least it would be him who had to carry the guilt. Not her.

"Rumple, wait!" she called out, catching him by the arm before he could get to the door. His heart felt like it was beating out of control, his temper was unchecked, but he managed to bite his tongue before he could snap at her that he needed to go. "Promise me that you going after Hook is just about getting the shawl back."

His instinct was to lie. No. Not to lie, his instinct was to tell her what she wanted to hear. That was how they had done things these past few weeks. He told her what she wanted to hear, and then he did it; anything to be on his best behavior and keep her close to him because he wasn't willing to waste another chance. But this time, things were different. This wasn't a chance with her he was potentially wasting; it was a chance with Baelfire. And he wanted to be a better man for her; he wanted to be the person she thought he was. But in this case…

He didn't lie to her, tempting as it was. But he couldn't bring himself to tell her that it was just about getting the shawl back either. He had a history with Hook that went back centuries before she'd been born. He couldn't promise her what she wanted to hear, so he didn't promise her anything. He merely shook his head and left.

#Rumbelle #Rumple #Rumpelstiltskin #Dark One #Mr. Gold #Belle #Captain Hook #Killian Jones #Milah #Baelfire #ouat #ouat fanfiction #fanfic

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magicalforcesau · 3 years

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Dancing With Ghosts in Your Garden~ Chapter 8- Year 1: March

(ao3 link)

Anakin was the talk of the castle, though he didn’t want to be. Being talked about for his Quidditch plays or even his transfiguration mistakes was more preferable to the gossip flooding the halls. Word wasn’t even supposed to have gotten out, though he couldn’t be too surprised; word of such things always traveled fast.

He’d tried to convince a few of his fellow students that he hadn’t done anything, but they turned away from him rather quickly. It was much like how he’d lost friends in muggle schools and he certainly had been lured into a false sense of security by such a fanciful place. It had made him feel too safe evidently.

“I could have told you it was a Gryffindor,” Sebulba was bragging loudly to a few of his friends, “A Slytherin certainly wouldn’t need to cheat,” He smirked at Anakin as he was passing by and Anakin gripped the strap of his bag tighter.

“Come on mate, don’t listen to him. He was probably the first to buy one,” Rex muttered. Rex had believed Anakin easily when he’d explained the accusations. He had his own proof though, seeing as how he had often traveled the tunnels with Anakin.

“If I had been behind this stupid scandal,” Anakin growled, “I’d never have sold anything to that prick.”

“He’d have turned you in on the spot,” Rex agreed as they turned the corner, leaving Sebulba out of sight.

“It’s not fair,” Anakin complained as they passed a group of third years who’s whispering ceased as they passed by, “I didn’t even do anything, no one will listen.”

“The Zillo Beast situation didn’t do you any favors,” Rex shrugged as they entered their next class, “You’re probably lucky they didn’t give you a harsher punishment.”

“A harsher punishment?” Anakin glared towards the chalkboard, “I have detention for the next forever, and I don’t even get to play Quidditch!”

“It’ll work out, mate,” Rex placed a hand on his shoulder and Anakin sighed, putting his head down on the desk.

“It doesn’t feel like it.”

***

“You wanted to see me Qui-Gon?” Anakin hesitated at the doorway. He normally wouldn’t have, but he felt particularly beat down today and did not want another lecture.

“Yes come inside Anakin,” Qui-Gon waved him in with a small smile and took his own position at his desk. Anakin dropped his bag by the door with a thunk before sitting across from Qui-Gon. His toes barely brushed the floor and it didn’t help him feel any bigger as Qui-Gon stared down at him rather intensely.

“Am I... in trouble?” Anakin asked, no longer having any sort of idea what sorts of things he could be accused of.

“Curious, because that’s what I wanted to know,” Qui-Gon mused and Anakin wilted a little in relief, “I wanted to ask you to be completely honest with me,” He instructed, grey eyes searching his own, “Can you do that?”

“Er, ok?” Anakin figured it was safest to agree. Qui-Gon nodded at his answer before leaning forward, a strand of hair falling over his shoulder and onto the desk.

“Did you orchestrate or were you involved in any way, with the cheating scandal?”

“No!” Anakin answered, a spark of anger driving his outburst, “No I didn’t do it! I didn’t even buy a key! Someone finds out that I happen to have found a magical map of the school and suddenly I’m a criminal!” Qui-Gon leaned back as if mulling over his words.

“I believe you,” He said finally and Anakin perked up.

“Then you can tell Yoda! Tell him I’m innocent and that I can play Quidditch and not have detentions!” Anakin jumped up to lean on Qui-Gon’s desk, hope was glimmering in his eyes, but it faded when he caught the apologetic look.

“I’m afraid my own opinions cannot counteract Headmaster Yoda’s nor the factual evidence,” Qui-Gon admitted and Anakin bristled.

“Why even call me in here then? I don’t have that much free time anymore, in case you missed the memo!” Anakin kicked the base of his chair in a weak attempt to banish the anger that rose to greet him.

“My own curiosity,” Qui-Gon answered for him anyways, “I had to know for myself,” Anakin just glared at the floor.

“If that’s all then professor, can I go?” He asked through gritted teeth.

“Of course, Anakin, I’m sorry to keep you from your studies,” Though he was out the door before Qui-Gon could finish.

***

Ben had been quiet all day and it was making Satine antsy. For once, she knew what was bothering him, what was keeping him locked in his head, but she didn’t quite know how to bring up the situation. Still, he was glumly eating the most sugar-filled piece of cake at the dinner table and she had enough of the silence.

“We did what we had to do Ben,” She pushed her fork through her own flaky desert ignoring the way he flinched and looked around like he’d just realized they were in the great hall. She continued, “That map, gone unchecked, could have led the Zillo Beast captor right to Anakin. It’s safer this way.”

“I know that,” He snapped, turning to meet her gaze finally, “For Anakin to have such a tool is dangerous, and makes his involvement in finding the Zillo Beast tunnel much more suspect.”

“But?” She prodded.

“But something doesn’t feel right,” He admitted finally and Satine sighed.

“Anakin doesn’t tell you everything,” Satine pointed out, “Just because you trust him does not mean he’s truthful,” She frowned and he swept through the whipped cream on his cake with his fork.

“Anakin’s found himself in plenty of trouble,” He admitted begrudgingly, “And I know how the evidence stacks up,” He paused a moment, “Still this doesn’t seem like Anakin, it’s not his brand of trouble.”

“Ben, you’ve only known him for a year,” She frowned, “Truthfully do you really know what he’s capable of?” She gazed into his eyes and he met hers easily.

“I thought I did.”

***

Although word had sufficiently spread through the castle regarding the alleged culprit of the cheating scandal, Obi-Wan still felt something heavy twist in his gut over the whole ordeal. He didn’t have the evidence- the proof- that he so typically fell back on when it came to mysteries, but he had a feeling. He’d always been taught to listen to logic, never feelings, because feelings held bias in even the most rational wizard.

So, he decided to seek out the one person who he knew seemed to have a perfect balance between logic and emotions.

Qui-Gon was sipping on tea and reading the Daily Prophet, clearly not pleased with whatever commentary was being relayed as he had a hard line drawn where a kind smile was usually set. He didn’t seem to even notice Obi-Wan’s intrusion and despite having spent a good deal in his office over the years, it still felt weird to barge in unannounced.

He raised his hand and knocked on the doorframe, eliciting an alert response from his mentor and then a nod.

“I’m assuming you’re not here to inquire about the next trip to Hogsmeade?” He asked before looking back down to his newspaper.

“No, sir.”

He took his normal seat across from him and noticed upon closer inspection that he looked stiff and exhausted- almost cold. Rain pittered on the window on the opposite side of the room, dripping rapidly to the windowsill, which was undoubtedly soaked. Obi-Wan’s fingers itched to close it, but he knew Qui-Gon liked the smell of the rain. The fact that the window was open at all indicated a need for a soothing presence.

“I’m here about Anakin.” He broke the silence again and his mentor did not look up at him.

“I figured as much.” He sighed wearily, but gave no signs of intending to stop him.

“They’ve been pulling him into questioning for days and he still refuses to give them anything useful.” Obi-Wan said, unsure why this was the direction he was taking this conversation. He knew what he wanted to ask, but couldn’t find the strength to do it yet. He needed to build up some momentum first.

“I can’t say I’m surprised.” He said as he flipped the page, turning to the advice column, “He does not trust them. Particularly Windu.”

“But-”, Obi-Wan bit his lip, “Have they thought to have you question him?”

“I will not.” Qui-Gon said simply.

“Why?” He frowned.

“Because it is nothing more than a distraction from the real issue at hand.” He said, “Whether or not Anakin Skywalker has been leading this cheating scandal does not negate the fact that someone is after his life.”

“So, you don’t think he-”

“-It matters little what I think, apparently, Obi-Wan.” Qui-Gon said a bit sharply and finally looked up at him, “I was not the one to turn him in without thinking to come to me first.”

And there it was.

Obi-Wan gasped, never having been on the other end of such purposeful anger from Qui-Gon before. A part of him felt like he was staring at his own reflection. Guilt immediately ebbed at him, but he shoved it down and away, forcing himself to try and focus on the surrounding facts.

“I was trying to protect him.” He offered lamely.

“I fear all it’s done is possibly remove him a tool that could have kept him safe.” He said.

“I- I hadn’t thought of it that way.”

“That’s obvious.” Qui-Gon said, this time not as curtly, but still firm.

He stood, unsure what else to say, because he knew he wouldn’t win the mental battle that Qui-Gon had clearly been stewing over since Anakin had received his punishment. It was painfully clear in that moment that Qui-Gon had taken Anakin’s side of the matter anyway and even if Obi-Wan, himself, wasn’t positively sure of his mentee’s guilt, it still stung.

He swiftly turned on his feet and left, trying to banish that disappointed look from his memory. He didn’t get a single meter out of his office before bumping straight into Anakin, who fixed him with an expression even worse than disappointment: betrayal.

“Anakin, I-”

“You turned me in?” He took a step back from Obi-Wan as though he’d caught on fire.

“I turned the map in.” He admitted, realizing now that he had no choice but to face the music on this, “As prefect-”

“-And what about as my mentor?” He spat, “That’s supposed to be your first priority!”

“You were in possession of highly sensitive material.” Obi-Wan countered, “And do not deny that you’ve been using it.”

“So what if I have?” He asked, “That doesn’t mean I would ever cheat!”

“But would you lie?” Obi-Wan asked, before reaching out a hand. “Let me see your wand.”

“What?” He shrieked, “Why?”

“Anakin.” He leveled him with a fiery stare that he was unsure where it came from. He hadn’t allowed himself to acknowledge how simply this could be answered for his own preservation, but it needed to be done.

The younger student’s glare intensified, but he reluctantly handed him his wand.

Obi-Wan raised his own wand to the core and uttered, “Priori Incanto!”

His eyes flickered along a list of spells before landing on what he’d been searching for.

“You’re supposed to trust me.” Anakin said in a low voice.

“I did.” Obi-Wan said pointedly before turning the wand back to him, “That’s quite an impressive swamp charm you’ve performed.”

His bright blue eyes widened in enough shock to confirm what Obi-Wan had truly been dreading. He was a bright boy, though, and snapped back onto the defense.

“Obi-Wan, you have to believe me!”

“Do I?” Obi-Wan asked, hurt mixing into his voice in a way he did not appreciate.

“I did the Sebulba prank.” He admitted without blinking, “But I did not cheat.”

Obi-Wan considered him for a moment, disappointment giving way as he thought back to all the times he defended Anakin to everyone. Even now, as sadness weighed on his heart to see he’d been so flagrantly deceived, did he want to believe him.

“I don’t know.” Was all he could say, because he really did not. “I don’t believe I am the best person to investigate this matter any longer.”

“Now you’re against me too?” He called after him as he started to move past the first year and Obi-Wan stopped dead in his tracks before turning around and walked right up to him.

“And how much longer will you continue to blame everyone else?” He asked, earning another bewildered expression from the boy, “Because regardless if you are guilty of cheating or not, you have still been laying your life on the line every single day for tomfoolery.”

Anakin opened his mouth to answer and Obi-Wan pointed a finger at him, “You used the tunnels and the map to pull pranks, to get ahead. I’ve spent all term losing sleep over how scared I was for you and you continue to dangle yourself as bait.”

He tried to speak again, but Obi-Wan shut it down, “And you’ve been lying so much that it’s no wonder nobody believes you!”

It felt too far, but Obi-Wan’s heart was pounding in his ears.

“So, please excuse me if I find it hard to feel sorry that you’ve gotten detention and sacked from the Quidditch team for the time being. Because you’ve been careless and… And I’m exhausted.”

For once, Anakin Skywalker had nothing to say as Obi-Wan finally turned and left.

***

“Are you here to tell me you told me so?” Obi-Wan asked, voice muffled by the sleeves of his jumper as he rested his chin on his knees.

“Is it not enough to want to enjoy such a beautiful view?” Satine snarked as she dropped to his right side.

It was a beautiful view atop the astronomy tower- even paired with the thunderstorm that rolled in from over the horizon. The lake looked tumultuous in such a state as black clouds swirled above. An occasional mist-coated wind whipped him after a flash of lightning.

The cold chill didn’t stop him from dangling his legs over the edge nor did it prevent Satine from doing the same.

“Do you think I’m a fool?” He asked quietly and the unsureness of his voice reminded Satine of when they were naive first years.

“Of course not.” She answered instantly, “It’s not foolish to have faith.”

“Depending where that faith lies.” He countered.

“Would you like me to think you’re a fool?” She said archly.

“No, but… I think I might be.” He said slowly, “And Qui-Gon might too.”

She’d spoken to Qui-Gon not long before and noticed that the man had seemed lower in spirit than usual. He’d still shown concern when she explained that Obi-Wan had missed dinner and hadn’t been seen for a few hours. He did mention that they hadn’t left on the best terms, though not on what.

“Just because you disagree does not mean he thinks so low of you.” She said, “We disagree constantly yet that doesn’t mean you think I’m foolish, do you?”

“It wasn’t like that though, Satine.” He sighed in frustration, “He’s angry with me for turning the map into Headmaster Yoda without seeking him out first.”

Satine frowned, “We were following protocol.”

“We both know Qui-Gon isn’t always keen on following the rules verbatim.” He retorted, “Which does make him a funny fit as a mentor to me.”

Satine was thinking the same thing, but didn’t voice her agreement. Instead she shook her head, “And what would he have us do? Allow Anakin to continue frollicking through the castle in unknown tunnels where he could get hurt without anyone being any the wiser?”

“That’s what I was trying to say.” Obi-Wan ran a hand through his hair, which was damp from the rain and slicked backwards a bit. “Neither he nor Anakin saw much of that logic.”

“Ah, so Anakin knows now.” She said.

“Yes,” He said bitterly, “And I do too.”

She furrowed her brow, “What do you mean?”

“He did the Sebulba prank. He admitted it.” He said, though he didn’t share how he’d come to get that information from the boy. Satine had heard that the Headmaster wasn’t having much luck getting Anakin to admit what he’d done during detention.

“I’m sorry, Ben.” She said quietly.

He shrugged and looked down, following the trail of a rain droplet that slowly drifted down his leg before releasing and dripping all the way to the ground beneath them.

“You were right.” He said stiffly and looked at her with a carefully shielded expression.

“It doesn’t matter.” She said. “I didn’t want to be.”

“About Anakin and-” He swallowed, “A good Auror wouldn’t let his feelings cloud his judgment so.”

***

Satine knew she wouldn’t necessarily feel good when the answer key culprit was brought in, but she at least imagined she’d feel a great deal less on edge. There was no longer any reason to be judging every aimless student with extra scrutiny or to keep her head craned to the ground in search for more discarded answers. Really, her job became easier and she should be grateful for it. OWL’s were readily approaching and would require her full focus.

That being said, it was impossible to feel any relief when nothing but dolefulness had really come from the news- particularly with Obi-Wan walking around the way he was. Few could probably tell, but if you knew him, it was obvious he was hung-up over Anakin’s admission. She knew this was coming, but she wasn’t prepared for him to appear so sad, like he was the one who failed.

He’d argued on multiple occasions that he did fail and would not see reason on this stance. Satine and Cody insisted otherwise, but Obi-Wan was nothing if not stubborn on his own misgivings.

Really, it wasn’t a surprise that he was taking it hard.

What did surprise Satine, was how witnessing Anakin’s melancholy worried her so. The boy completely lacked any semblance of his previous charm or positivity. She supposed consistent detention could do that to a person, but what bothered her most was how he lacked any of the usual embarrassment that came with the territory of having been caught and punished. Anakin didn’t seem guilty in the slightest. Just… Sad.

Whenever she found herself getting too sorry for the boy, she tried to remind herself that he did perform that elaborate prank on Sebulba and did admit to having used the tunnels to accomplish such a feat.

Of course, the small voice inside her head couldn’t deny that Sebulba was a total prat who deserved a taste of his own medicine for how he’d allegedly been treating Padmé and other girls. It wasn’t as though Anakin performed a prank that hurt the Dug physically and truthfully (she would never admit this out loud), it was impressive that he’d been able to pull it off.

But it was within reason.

In fact, the very prank could be found in a joke book that came out the year before, so the source of such an idea made sense. What wasn’t in the book or any other piece of material that could be found on Hogwarts, was how to finesse test papers for exams as intricate as the OWL’s. The other tests could be likely found in a professor’s office, but the OWL’s were still months away and in a preliminary phase. Who had that level of contact?

Not Anakin, right?

She shook her head. They didn’t know that for certain. Plus, he was the only student to know the tunnels that well. Hell, he might have been the only person to do that with such proficiency. Even Yoda seemed a bit alluded by the prospect of the secret tunnels.

And they found him with the OWL’s, so that should be the end of it, right? It should be, but it didn’t stop her from questioning herself. She knew bringing this to Obi-Wan’s attention was hopeless, since he’d been harping over it for the better part of a month and was incredibly dejected.

“Have you seen much of Anakin lately?” Satine asked her own mentee, who was busily writing an essay for Charms. Poor Viz had sprained his wrist a couple of weeks ago by slipping on one of the vanishing frozen patches and had been reduced to writing with his left hand instead for a little while. This meant his homework took a little longer these days, but Satine didn’t mind waiting him out.

He frowned and shook his head, “Some of my Gryffindor friends say he mostly keeps to himself in the common room. I know what he did was wrong, but I’m starting to feel bad for him.”

She sighed through her nose. Trouble was, her resolve in believing he had done it was wearing down.

It was Cody she turned to, because she trusted his opinion just as much as Obi-Wan’s.

“Do you think Anakin did it?” She broke the silence of their study session much to Cody’s surprise and confusion. He reached across the table and laid a hand on her forehead.

“What are you-” She began.

“-Just checking for a fever.” He quipped and she batted his hand away and rolled her eyes.

“I’m not ill!”

“Are you sure? Because it’s not like you to doubt your convictions.” He offered with a shrug.

“Who said I was doubting myself?” She countered, “I’m merely asking for your opinion.”

“And you wouldn’t be doing that if you were positive you were right.”

“I’m not that closed-minded.” She grumbled.

Cody looked pensive for a moment before shaking his head, “Rex doesn’t think he did it.”

“What do you think, though?”

He smiled a little, “I trust Rex. That’s what I think.”

Satine had considered that too. She wasn’t quick to be immediately blinded by that trust, but Rex would know if Anakin had been spending all semester cheating. He knew about the tunnels, Sebulba’s prank, and what happened on Halloween. Surely, he’d know about a cheating ring. It didn’t seem Anakin kept much from the boy.

But, Anakin did help Rex with his Krell situation. Wouldn’t that risk some level of blind allegiance? She was unsure, but guilt nagged at her stomach in a way that didn’t sit well with her.

“I can see your brain moving at the speed of light.” Cody commented. “What are you thinking?”

Satine sighed, “I don’t know.”

“Wow, that’s a first.” He smirked and leaned on his forearms, “I know you and Kenobi are all about logic and proof and it makes sense. It’s why I couldn’t do what you do. But you know what else matters?”

“What’s that?” She asked.

“Guts.” He said and patted on his stomach for emphasis, “My gut rarely steers me wrong.”

“Except when it came to that burrito you had last summer and you-” She teased.

“-You know what I mean!” He groaned, “Besides, I still don’t regret eating that. It was delicious.”

The amount of time he spent in the bathroom after was not.

“I don’t want to say anything to Ben. I’d hate to get his hopes up or twisted even further,” She sighed, “But my intuition tells me something isn’t right here. Like all of this is falling into place too easily.”

“I know the feeling.” Cody agreed, “It’s been quiet around here.”

***

The great hall was buzzing with excitement over the prospect of today's Quidditch match. Though it was nearly a given that Gryffindor would win, Hufflepuff’s table was still chatting excitedly to keep their energy up. Rex hadn’t seen Anakin yet this morning, though he knew that likely his friend was off sulking before the match. He understood the disappointment of not getting to play, Rex desperately missed weekend matches with his brothers. He really hoped he wasn’t becoming rusty.

“Whatcha thinking about, Rexy?” Echo poked Rex in the cheek with his fork.

“Just thinking about the game, which maybe you should too,” Rex knocked the fork out of his brother’s grasp and it fell to the floor, causing Echo to swear softly, “Keep eating like that and you’ll see it again,” Echo just scoffed and stole Rex’s fork out of his hands.

“With our chasers? I never get a chance to really play,” Echo reminded him, “It’s Fives you should worry about. You know Cody’s having him start today.”

“Where are they anyways?” Rex asked, glancing down the table. He’d noticed the general lack of loudness that his brothers usually provided, but hadn’t thought much of it, “Cody’s not one for skipping breakfast.”

“On the field of course, last minute training,” Echo rolled his eyes, “Cody’s been running extra drills with him ever since he got word of-”

“-Anakin!” Rex cut his brother off as he waved over Anakin who’d just slunk in through the doors, “Where’ve you been mate? Breakfast’s almost over,” Anakin just shrugged as he dropped onto the bench.

“I wasn’t hungry, but I ran into Professor Palpatine,” He shrugged as if that was much of an answer and stabbed a couple pieces of bacon.

“You’re coming to the game right?” Rex asked as he pushed his own plate away, “You can sit with me in the stands. It’d be nice to have some company,” but Anakin shook his head.

“Cody said he wants me on the bench,” Anakin grumbled, “Although I’m not sure if he’s behind it or if it was from the headmaster.”

“I can talk to him if you want,” Rex suggested, “If it is Cody all you really have to do is ask,” And Echo nodded in agreement.

“Yeah mate, Cody won’t mind since he can’t play you anyways,” Echo added, but Anakin just scowled.

“No one listens to me, so I doubt it,” Anakin stood up, “I’ll just sit on the stupid bench and pretend I’m actually part of the team,” He shoved his hands deep into his robe pocket and kept his eyes on the floor as he walked back out of the great hall, doing very little to dodge the whispers and glances thrown towards him.

“He’s certainly got bees in his bonnet,” Echo scoffed, swiping a piece of bacon from Rex’s plate.

“Well the whole school thinks he’s some criminal mastermind,” Rex frowned, turning away from the door and back at his brother.

“And you don’t?” Rex hardly had to consider such a notion, just shook his head.

“Of course not,” He answered, “Anakin’s told me practically every hairbrained scheme that’s crossed his mind since we met. He really gives us Fett’s a run for our money, you know,” Rex cracked a smile, “But nah, the cheating things not his style.”

“Well,” Echo finally pushed his plate away and rested an elbow in its place, “I believe you, but the rest of the school would need much more convincing.”

“I hope it doesn’t take too long,” Rex admitted, “He’s been quiet lately,” The clock tower rang out and Echo’s eyes widened rather comically.

“Crap I’m late! Cody’ll have my head,” He practically jumped up, but was blocked by the wall of other students heading towards the field, “Shame the kid already left, I could’ve used a freaking tunnel right about now.”

“If it makes you feel better,” Rex smirked at his brother's misfortune, “There aren’t any that would save you.”

***

Satine tried not to act concerned by the way Ben sat with his head cushioned by his arms. He’d barely been reacting to the actual game, more concerned with the small blonde boy on the bench.

“Completely barbaric!” Satine gasped as a bludger whizzed past Fives, who had narrowly avoided a concussion.

“He wouldn’t have it any other way,” Ben murmured, “You saw him before the game,” and she had. Fives had marched on the field fist pumping, so proud to be starting his first game. The only person possibly prouder was Cody, who she’d seen heading out to the fields ungodly early and grinning like a fool.

“Why anyone elects to put themselves in the position to have their brain scrambled is beyond me,” Satine returned her gaze to the skies just in time to see Fives launch the bludger knocking Breha off her broom. She managed to pull herself up, but not before Cody scored a goal, “How you’ve managed thus far is beyond me,” Satine muttered as she tried not to picture Ben in Breha’s place, though he’d certainly had a worse time last game.

“I believe you’ve told me before that I have a thick skull,” That drew a smile from Ben no matter how small, and Satine couldn’t help but smile back.

“At least you get to wear a helmet,” She commented, her eyes drifting back to where Cody practically headbutted the Quaffle in order to intercept a pass, “I can’t believe Cody hasn’t gotten a concussion yet. I’m nearly sure he hits his head more than an American football player,” Ben’s eyes gained a spark of intrigue as he slowly sat up and looked at her curiously.

“Is that a muggle sport?” He asked and Satine had to push down the butterflies at the way his eyes met hers.

“Yes, but don’t tell Cody,” She trained her prefect glare on him, “He’ll get no school work done if he realizes there are more sports in the world,”

“I’d never dream of it,” Ben smirked, turning his attention back on the field. She hated how it faded as he eyed the bench once more.

“He’s okay, Ben,” Satine finally broached the subject. Ben looked so concerned at her words that he’d surely have wrinkles sooner than he should, “He hasn’t been banned from the team forever.”

“I know,” He said, but winced at the obvious lie, “And it’s clearly a deserved punishment, but he loves flying.”

“And he’ll fly again,” Satine placed a hand on his back, the need to provide him some sort of comfort outweighing his usual need for space. She wanted to add how such a thing made for a good punishment, but it would have felt like kicking the both of them while they were down and despite her thoughts about Anakin, it was clear he’d been struggling lately.

“Perhaps I was too harsh with him,” Ben looked at her eyes full of guilt, “He’s only eleven,” Satine slid her hand up to rest on his shoulder.

“The headmaster decided the punishment,” She reminded him softly, “It was his call, not your own.”

“It feels like it is,” He turned his eyes back on the field, “Qui-Gon thinks so.”

“Qui-Gon puts too much pressure on you,” Satine argued. Both of them jumped however when there was a rather loud snap. Red and Gold confetti raining down on them in the stands. They looked to the skies where Cody was zipping around in victory. He caught their eye and pumped his fist in the air. Satine gave him a thumbs up and Ben a wave. Cody grinned back before he zoomed over to knock his brother out of the air.

“That boy, truly,” Satine shook her head, but she was smiling.

“I’m glad I know he’ll give us a play by play, because he’d be offended if we told him we missed the win,” Ben took the change of subject happily, but Satine had marked the conversation for later. She would not let him drown himself in guilt.

***

The library always brought a level of comfort to Obi-Wan. No one ever dared to take his seat, there were more books in here than he would ever be able to read during his time in school, and so often it was the meeting ground for his best friends. However such an attachment made him quite predictable: if anyone wanted to find him, he was rather easy to track. Typically he didn’t mind, it helped him be more available to the younger students now that he was prefect and it had helped Anakin know where to find him. Now however, as he stared down at the bored looking Lasat sitting in his chair, feet propped up on the table, and leaning so far back he was in danger of falling backwards, he wondered if perhaps he should have went back to the common room.

“Finally! Took ya long enough,” Garazeb Orrelios moved his feet off the table, letting the chair hit the stone floor hard enough that Obi-Wan thought it might have broken.

“You were looking for me?” Obi-Wan couldn’t really fathom a reason, even as the prefect badge shone from the sunlight drifting in from the window. Zeb wouldn’t have been Obi-Wan’s first bet on who would replace Krell as 5th year Gryffindor Prefect, but he was who had won out in the end. The Lasat had decent grades and he was about as Gryffindor as they came, but he didn’t care much for rules and had shown that when in their third year he’d been caught running a rival smuggling business to Hondo’s. Apparently all it took to get Zeb to break the rules was to challenge him.

“I needed another prefect and you’re probably the best choice,” Zeb stood.

“Surely it would be easier to find Lyra or one of the other Gryffindor Prefects?” Obi-Wan frowned, “Of course that’s not to say I won’t help you out,” Zeb rolled his eyes and started walking so Obi-Wan followed.

“We all figured it would be best for you to be there,” Zeb explained, “Seeing how you’re Anakin’s mentor.”

“Anakin?” Obi-Wan nearly stopped dead in the hallway, but hurried to keep pace, concern coating his features, “Is everything alright?”

“What?” Zeb blinked, taking one look at Obi-Wan before laughing and waving him off, “Nah mate it’s nothing like that. We’ve been given instruction to search the kid’s room.”

“On whose authority?” Obi-Wan brought them to a halt in the middle of a staircase, “Anakin’s already being punished. What more could we possibly find?” The staircase moved suddenly. It would have knocked them both off balance if they weren’t quite used to the shenanigans of the school.

“Oh come on,” Zeb complained as he returned to climbing the stairs, “You made us miss our stop,” He rerouted them easily though before turning back towards Obi-Wan, “Orders come from Windu, though I heard Qui-Gon was with him,” That gave him pause. What could Qui-Gon want from this? He was already quite against the whole thing, Obi-Wan really didn’t want to fail him again.

“Was- Did Professor Windu request me specifically?” He asked and Zeb rolled his eyes.

“Not everything’s about you,” Zeb scoffed and Obi-Wan felt his cheeks warm and he purposely averted his eyes, “We’re going into the boy’s dormitory so it’s better I don’t take Lyra,” He hesitated before adding, “Skywalker’s been off lately. Not causing any mischief, don’t even see him in the common room these days. We thought having you there might, I dunno, make him feel less like we’re invading his privacy,” He shrugged, “It’s convenient that you’re both a prefect and his mentor.”

“Hate to break it to you, but Anakin will feel like we’re invading his privacy whether or not I’m there,” Obi-Wan admitted and Zeb just gave him another shrug and they stopped in front of the portrait that guarded the Gryffindor common room.

“Too late now, Kenobi.”

“Are you going to stand there all day or did you want to come in?” The portrait of the fat lady berated them.

“Yeah, yeah, Flibbertigibbet,” Zeb told her and Obi-Wan followed him inside.

He’d been in the Gryffindor common room only once before. Prefects were shown where each common room was and how to enter them at the very beginning of the year. It was not expected that you would ever actually access the other common rooms, but for safety reasons, it was best to be prepared. The Gryffindor common room was plush with many too-soft couches, drapes of long heavy fabric hanging all along the walls, and their massive fireplace. Although they too were in a tower, their windows were narrow and often covered, which made the room feel smaller than it was. Obi-Wan much preferred Ravenclaw tower. During his scan of the room, he caught Cody’s eye, who was looking at him with confusion, clearly in the middle of schooling his brothers in some sort of card game. He gave him a nod before turning back to Zeb, who was speaking with Lyra Prime near the staircase to the boys dormitory.

“He’s already in his dorm,” Lyra let them know, waving a hand towards the staircase.

“He’s been warned we’re coming,” Zeb told him as they made their way to what must be Anakin’s dorm.

***

Anakin really had thought that things were not going to get any worse than they already were. He was already in endless detentions, had already missed a Quidditch game and several practices, and now he was being subjected to a search. He’d been a bit rude to Lyra when she’d caught him in the common room to let him know. She’d been as nice as she possibly could he supposed, but he was sick of continuously being accused. He couldn’t admit to something he didn’t do, but at this point he figured they had given up and decided to continue with punishment. He didn’t think they’d still be searching him for information that he didn’t have.

There was a knock on his door, but he didn’t bother to open it. Soon enough, Zeb Orrelios poked his head in the room before pushing his way inside followed by-

Anakin shook his head, trying to clear it, he must be seeing things from stress. However, when he opened his eyes, it was his mentor standing in his doorway, eyes flicking around the room and landing on him.

“You’re not a Gryffindor!” Anakin accused, “What are you doing here?”

“Zeb asked me to assist him,” Obi-Wan spoke, his voice a little too placating for Anakin to feel like more than some petulant child, “We’ve been instructed to search your belongings.”

“Yeah, so I heard,” Anakin crossed his arms and turned away from them, “As if there’s anything to find, since I didn’t do it,” He emphasized.

“Either way kid, orders are orders,” Zeb tried to put a hand on his shoulder and Anakin stood suddenly, pushing rudely passed them both to sit on the window seat across the room.

“Whatever! Just get it over with already,” Anakin pressed his forehead to the glass, watching the rain patter gently on the pane. He heard shuffling as the two prefects moved to open his trunk. He wiped away a tear that threatened to fall with the sleeve of his shirt. There was no need to bother the stupid prefects with emotions, seeing as he was starting to wonder if they even had any to begin with. Maybe the making of a good prefect was to be an emotionless prick; it would stand to reason how Krell got on in the first place.

The window on this side of the tower showcased the grand gate of Hogwarts. Although he hadn’t come in that way, as first years crossed the lake, he still knew that was the only real way out of hogwarts. Well the only way that wouldn’t get you eaten by some beast in the forbidden forest. He’d been wondering lately, how tall the gates were. Certainly they were iron, probably enchanted to be stronger if someone wanted to attack them. They seemed to be left open most times however, whether it was because the teachers came and went or because it was easiest he wasn’t sure.

“Anakin?” Obi-Wan caught his attention and he looked over at the prefects with a scowl, “We’ve finished with your trunk. We’ll just check your bed and then we’ll be out of your hair, okay?”

“Yeah because people so often keep their prized possessions under their pillow,” He wrapped his arms tighter around his legs and turned back to the castle grounds. Anakin tended to keep practically everything, but his wand in his trunk. They were completely wasting their time searching through his bed. As if he’d be stupid enough to leave anything sensitive out in the open.

“What’s that?” Zeb’s voice wasn’t enough to turn his head, but Obi-Wan’s hesitation was. He looked over and saw them holding a quill. It was blue and green and seemed to twitch on it’s own. Anakin hadn’t seen a quill quite like it before.

“I believe it’s a Copy-Quotes-Quill,” Obi-Wan’s eyes darted to Anakin briefly, but it was enough for him to see the disappointment reflected in his eyes.

“That’s not mine!” Anakin let his feet fall back on the floor, “I don’t even know what a Quote Quill is!” Obi-Wan’s eyes shifted from Anakin to Zeb and back to Anakin, but the Ravenclaw couldn’t help explaining.

“It’s a quill that copies what people say, exactly,” He pulled a roll of parchment from his robe pocket and set the quill on it. The quill seemed to twitch as if it wanted to write, but couldn’t, “It’s from the same makers of the Quick-Quotes-Quill that’s been recently banned for sensationalizing the news.”

“Then why’s it not writing?” Anakin threw his hands towards it, “So somebody left their broken quill under my bed. How does that prove anything,” Obi-Wan inspected the twitching Quill quietly before grabbing one of Anakin’s homework essay’s off his bedside table and presenting it like a gift. The quill fluttered a moment before writing with great speed.

“It’s been enchanted,” Obi-Wan pointed out, “It’s been forced to copy from print rather than from speech,” He snatched the parchment from the quill and held it out for Zeb to see. Anakin stood and crossed the room, snatching the two papers out of his mentor’s hands. It was true, the papers looked nearly identical.

“That’s pretty damning evidence,” Zeb finally spoke up as Anakin tossed the essays forcefully at his bed.

“It’s not mine!” Anakin’s frustration leaked into his voice, “How is it evidence if it doesn’t even belong to me?”

“We found it in your room, mate, under your bed,” Zeb crossed his arms, “Plus that fancy map I’ve been hearing about. You may as well just admit to it,” Anakin felt tears threatening to escape, but he turned away before they could have the satisfaction of seeing him cry.

“Fine! Don’t believe me, no one in this whole stupid school believes me so why should you be any different!” Zeb didn’t say a word just marched past him out of the room, quill in hand.

“Anakin-” Obi-Wan started.

“Just leave me alone,” Anakin growled, “Go find yourself someone else to lecture,” He expected another word from his mentor, but after a moment of silence Obi-Wan swept passed him, closing the door to the dorm with a soft click.

***

Detention with Anakin Skywalker and Pong Krell had been essentially characterizing Mace Windu’s Monday’s and Thursday’s, which were his shifts to supervise the two boys as they paid for their crimes with time. Profesor Dooku had suggested they take a walk through the forbidden forest, but such a practice felt dated and dangerous to Mace, especially when Skywalker was not a walking good luck charm.

It was just as boring for him as it was for them, but he wouldn’t let them know that. Tonight, they were doing handwritten essays on the values of honesty, including citations on when honesty proved most effective in history.

Mace had not been the one to draw up the assignments.

Krell’s was exquisitely written and eloquent, as fudging academics was not his personal sin. He was always a wonderful student until the reveal of his tyranny had come to light. Deceit, cruelty, and gluttony had truly been his downfall in the end. Even more so now that it was revealed he was the reason Kenobi was sent to the hospital wing.

The purpose of Skywalker’s detentions, whether the boy understood this or not, was essentially to protect him and keep him safe. He countlessly denied ever having any assistance or accompaniment in the secret tunnels, and while Mace highly doubted that, almost respected his loyalty to Rex, who they had no evidence was actually alongside him.

The spirit that Mace usually found irritating about Skywalker was all but gone this evening. Instead, the boy sat slumped and slowly moved his quill across the page as he tried to answer the prompt. It seemed he would be using the entirety of detention tonight, which while allowed, did give him pause.

Krell kept to himself, mostly to avoid being expelled at this point, still rolled his eyes when Anakin stopped to think for a long moment yet again.

“Eyes on your own paper, Mr. Krell.” Mace said and the Besalisk snapped back into place without question.

Anakin didn’t look up to even address this and just kept writing.

When the large clock in the back of the room gonged exactly three times, announcing that it was 8 o’clock, he stood to dismiss them. Krell did not hesitate to grab his things and scurry out of the room. While doing so, Windu had the presence of mind to check and make sure the Gryffindor wasn’t stirring any trouble for his peers again. Anakin, however, didn’t move and just remained staring straight ahead.

“Skywalker, did you hear me?” He stood, “Time’s up.”

He didn’t say anything and just collected his belongings and placed the parchment on Windu’s desk without so much as giving him another glance. His shoulders slumped forward as he took a deep breath and walked out of the classroom.

Curiosity getting the better of him, Windu picked up the parchment and squinted to decipher the familiar handwriting across the page.

“What’s the point of honesty, if no one believes you? Adults say it’s supposed to be freeing, but I’ve never been more trapped. I’ve already admitted to everything I’ve done and it’s not enough until I say I’ve cheated or used the copycat quill. That, though, would be a lie, which is what everyone wants me to tell!

That’s literally the opposite of the assignment!

In the spirit of honesty, here’s 2 truths and 1 lie:

I pranked Sebulba.

I used the tunnels.

I cheated.

If I ran some cheating ring, wouldn’t I be strutting around with new stuff? I’m still wearing somebody I don’t even know’s hand-me-down’s. But! Nobody believes me anyway, so take this as my admission if you want. I don’t care anymore. I used to think Hogwarts was a place where I could feel at home. Finally.

But really, I’ve never been more alone.

Honesty is important. Except when everyone likes lies more.”

Windu placed the parchment down and pinched his chin in thought. Despite his thick exterior and years of experience handling tough cases, Windu felt something akin to guilt flicker across his chest.

***

These days, Anakin felt like he was simply drifting through the Hogwarts halls like a downtrodden ghost. He hadn’t yet heard what would become of him after Obi-Wan and Zeb found the Copy Quotes Quill under his bed, but he really couldn’t bring himself to care. He’d thought going to a magic school would solve a lot of his problems. He knew he’d still end up getting himself caught up in mischief, but not accused for what could be considered a real crime. He’d first walked through these halls with good company, excitement, hope, and passion. It looked like he’d be leaving these halls with none of those, whether it be from expulsion or simply the end of the school year.

“It’s not your fault, Ben,” Anakin ducked behind one of the knights lining the hallway just in time to avoid being caught as Obi-Wan and Satine rounded the corner. It was after hours and though Anakin supposed it didn’t matter if he’d be caught, he wasn’t keen on speaking to his mentor.

“Of course it is! Qui-Gon said-” Obi-Wan hissed, but Satine spun around poking him in the chest with her finger.

“It was Qui-Gon’s fault for placing you in this situation in the first place,” She took a step towards him. They were practically breathing each other's air, neither wanting to back down.

“It was my decision, I thought we’d finished this argument,” Obi-Wan matched her heated glare easily, “Qui-Gon knows what I can handle!”

“You’re 16, Ben!” She reminded him, “Clearly he’s forgotten!” She took a deep breath before taking one step back, “You know I admire Qui-Gon.”

“I do,” Obi-Wan agreed, sighing.

“Sometimes he forgets, because you make it so easy to forget,” Satine’s hands hovered in the air for a minute like she wanted to hold him or shake sense into him. It was always hard to predict which, “You already have a world of responsibility on your shoulders. Just because Qui-Gon suggested it, doesn't mean you had to say yes,” She finally let her hands fall on his shoulders sliding just a little down his arms.

“Qui-Gon wanted a close eye on Anakin. I was naturally the best choice,” Anakin’s brain screeched to a halt as he gasped. Satine’s sharp blue eyes met his through the darkness at the noise, and Obi-Wan’s followed.

“Qui-Gon asked you to mentor me?” Anakin’s voice shook, but he stood strong as he stepped back into the moonlight.

“I do believe you’re out of bed past curfew,” Satine crossed her arms.

“Anakin,” Obi-Wan let his name trail, but Anakin was getting sick of mysteries.

“Well? Did he?” Anakin shouted, fists clenching.

“Yes, he did, but-” Obi-Wan tried.

“I thought you liked me,” Anakin accused, “I thought you chose me! Out of everyone in the school I thought you saw something in me!”

“I did-”

“-You didn’t! They just needed you to babysit me!” Rejection filled Anakin and he felt magic swirl inside of him, wanting him to lash out with more than just words.

“Anakin, that was never my intention!” Obi-Wan was looking at him with guilt and it was all the confirmation Anakin needed.

“Well, there’s nothing stopping you now!” Anakin yelled, “Go get the real student you wanted to mentor! I’m sure they’ll be a perfect kiss-up!”

“Anakin!” Satine tried to input, but Obi-Wan threw an arm in front of her.

“I don’t want another mentee,” He took a step towards Anakin, who stood his ground.

“You’re right, you’ve got too much on your plate turning me in for something I didn’t do!” Anakin felt the threat of tears and ran his arm across his eyes roughly, banishing them. When he looked back Obi-Wan was right in front of him, kneeled down.

“I-”

“Save it!” Anakin took a step back, “I don’t need you,” He turned and sprinted into a dim hall, racing frantically for the Gryffindor common room.

***

Obi-Wan got to his feet swiftly, ready to run after the boy. To catch him, to sit down and explain to him how he was always his first choice, how it didn’t matter that Qui-Gon had asked him. Satine snatched him by the hood and he whirled around freeing himself from her hold.

“I have to go after him!” He told her, but she caught his arm this time.

“You have to give him time, Ben!” She warned him.

“You don’t understand,” Obi-Wan shook her off and started blindly running in the direction he’d gone and Satine chased after him.

“I do!” She caught up with him while he was looking left and right trying to figure out which way to go, “When you fight with siblings you have to let them cool off!”

“He’s not my sibling, Satine, he’s my mentee!” Obi-Wan whirled on her, no longer able to tell where to go, “He looks up to me! I can’t fail him!”

“You haven’t failed him and you won’t!” Satine matched his ferocity easily, “He’s upset, but you’re only 4 years older than him! If you were in Anakin’s shoes, how would you feel? What would Qui-Gon have done?” He felt a fizzly sort of numb spread through him.

“I would be upset,” He took a deep breath,letting himself calm down as he looked Satine in the eye and considered a more logical solution, “Qui-Gon would give me some space.”

“See?” Satine smiled at him, “Not all is lost. You can talk to him in the morning,” Obi-Wan frowned, but nodded in consideration.

“That’s probably for the best,” He admitted slowly, “I fear if I go to him now I wouldn’t be able to get a word in anyways.”

“Plus, I think you could use some sleep,” Satine was looking at him with a gentle look she’d been fixing him with it more lately and he couldn’t really gather much from it other than it made his heart jump oddly in his chest, “You need to take care of yourself if you’re going to expect yourself to also take care of Anakin.”

“I suppose you’re right,” He smiled softly at her, “Once again.”

***

So, he really hadn’t been wanted here. He had thought on that day when Qui-Gon had given him his letter that someone had actually wanted something to do with him. Rex was a good friend, but it was only a matter of time before he left him too, just like everyone always did. He pushed the door to his dormitory open with a little more force than necessary. No one stirred.

The thought occurred to him then- the only person who had always stuck by him was his mum.

He felt his heart pick up pace as he considered his actions. Yes, he could leave, it would be a little tricky getting all the way back without the help of the Hogwarts express, but he couldn’t stay here, not for one second more. He took his school bag and dumped all his books out on the floor. Where he was going, he wouldn’t need them. He instead flipped his trunk open, shoveling the essentials into the little bag. He’d keep his wand of course, he’d need it to defend himself. His hand brushed the wire spirals of his Christmas present from Obi-Wan. He picked it up, eyes swimming before dropping it back in his trunk. He didn’t want any reminders.

He squeezed behind his bed and whispered to the wall. The passageway opened up and he took it. He took every tunnel he knew until he hit the castle grounds, not wanting to run into a single soul that would make an attempt to stop him, or worse, trap him in the castle like a prisoner.

He walked swiftly down the path towards those big iron gates, still left open. He paused a moment, taking a deep breath. He couldn’t help, but look back. Hogwarts was his home, or it had been. It was still breathtakingly large and intimidating. It held mysteries that he would never solve, and adventures he would never have. Padmé and Rex would still be there- he wondered if they’d miss him at all.

He turned away from it, away from the heartbreak that made it a little harder to breathe and took his first step outside the castle grounds.

***

“We haven’t uncovered any of the money Anakin should have received in the cheating ring.” Windu said bluntly, not bothering to waste any time with greetings or platitudes and going right for the juggler.

“No.” Yoda confirmed and placed his quill down, “Information, you have?”

He showed Yoda what Anakin had written during their latest detention and watched as the little green professor’s expression grew grim and riddled with concern.

“I don’t want to be wrong about another student and see someone get hurt, Headmaster.” He said thickly, “I’ve already made that mistake once this year.”

“Assumptions, we should not make.” Yoda confirmed, “Proof, however…”

“It’s almost too concrete.” Windu added, “As I’ve said before, I don’t believe Skywalker is responsible for the cheating. He’s admitted to using the swamp charm on Sebulba and utilizing the tunnels. Why admit to those two things and not the last if he’d done it? We’ve already punished him. He’s got nothing left to lose.”

“Who, then?” Yoda asked, not in denial of what Windu was saying, but out of genuine curiosity. “Framed, you think he is?”

“I think it’s at least a possibility.” Windu said, “I’m not sure if I believe all the foo-foo stuff that Qui-Gon has been spewing, but someone is definitely out for the boy.”

“Agreed.” He said, “But guilty of some things, he is.”

Windu nodded, “He’s risked his life by wandering the school and that’s foolish and I’ve warned him against it, but I fear that punishing the wrong student again could lead to negative effects.”

“Sad, this letter is.” Yoda said with a nod, “Talk to him, we must. Responsible, we are, for his safety.”

Windu nodded and then glanced back at the map that sprawled across Yoda’s desk, double-taking when he noticed that Anakin’s name was completely absent from the Gryffindor common room or the dorms.

“Where is he?” He leaned over the table suddenly.

Yoda, following his movements, scanned the entire map in full and low and behold: Anakin was nowhere to be found on school property- tunnels or not.

***

When Tyranus had been lurking around the school grounds near the Forbidden Forest, he didn’t have any particular conquest or goal in mind for the evening. While an apprentice to his master, that did not stop Tyranus from conducting his own biddings in private. He would benefit greatly from a Sith uprising, yes, but he had his own motives that were exclusively known to only him. Such weaknesses would otherwise be twisted into his gut like a knife by the hand of his own master.

His typical rituals and responsibilities often drew him so tantalizingly close to the enemy and a weaker man might have seized them or stepped out of line, but now was not the time for such foolishness. Always the type to believe in both fate and practicality, Tyranus understood the measures of necessary steps more than anyone.

He would not have to play his part for much longer.

Or at least, that’s what his master had told him during the last meeting. Soon, they would be moving into the next phase of the Sith takeover. He was assured that his next position would be positively critical and necessary for the prophecy to be fulfilled. It certainly suited Tyranus for all of his years of servitude, but he didn’t dare become cockshire over such a claim.

After all, there was so much he did not know. Necessary or not, that did not always sit well with him.

Tyranus may have not been privy to the full vision, but he knew there must be a reason his master hesitated on killing the boy. He’d seen and personally experienced Sidious’ limitless cruelty and knew it was anything but compassion. He had a plan for the boy. His death was more than feasible. They certainly had ample opportunity to do so, but it had to be the right moment.

Sometimes, the right moment strikes without plans or warning. This was especially true that evening at the darkest point of the night. It was late and he’d returned from speaking to his master in private. He didn’t understand how, but a sign would approach him soon to signal that it would be time to move. If he knew his master like he did, which still wasn’t saying much, he knew he would receive no warnings.

He didn’t expect it to happen immediately, of course, with young Anakin Skywalker trudging across the green grass and towards Hogsmeade. Tyranus froze, looking around to ensure with confidence that the boy was absolutely alone. After all, why would he be? It was well past curfew and he had no business being out of his room let alone off property.

He moved closer, channeling his master’s training in being perceptively silent. He utilized the darkness as his friend and ally, blending in and allowing it to swallow him whole so as to not be seen by the boy.

Even if he’d been less subtle, he doubted Skywalker would have noticed. He was clearly in dismay over something or other. Even with only the soft glow of his wand casting off of his face, Tyranus could make out tears streaking the boy’s cheeks.

Oh, so his isolation was going just as well as his master had insisted. Tyranus, while practical and astute, had a difficult time noticing the social patterns of the youth, given how sporadic and ever-changing that could be. His master was much slicker in that way, but he’d never formally admit that.

He allowed a wide grin to pull at the edges of his mouth. He couldn’t help it. While he never typically leaned into emotionally-charged whims, this tickled him so. Did this small boy truly not see the error in his ways? Did he not care that someone was out there trying to kill him? And if his master was right and nobody did believe in him, well, they certainly wouldn’t care that much to look for him.

Was it possible that their savior wouldn’t see his teenage years? He nearly laughed at the thought.

He shuddered, forcing himself to exist in the present. As tantalizing as those feelings of pure resentment and hatred were, they were a fine line to walk and he knew the dangers of them. He hated the ministry and what they’d done to the wizarding community. He hated how the Sith were cast to the shadows and their graves. He hated what this boy would grow to mean to them if they learned of his capabilities or what he could be.

But… Tyranus was only “necessary”, which he’d learned was not to say he was irreplaceable or permanent. It meant he was a component to a bigger plan and needed to see his own ends through.

Perhaps, killing the boy would be foolish. Why kill him? When he could use him for all he was worth.

And then, he’d kill him.

He allowed his prey to get ahead just a little bit. He’d taken to kicking clumps of dirt in some attempt to get his frustration out. There was much anger in him. It soothed Tyranus to a camouflaging silence and he’d taken to lending himself visible if the boy would only turn around. He lifted his hood, still taking the proper precautions set forth by Sidious and himself when they’d penetrated the boy’s dreams.

While Tyranus yearned to see a day where he no longer had to pretend, he understood that hiding could be seen as a skill and a tool when properly implemented.

“Stupid Obi-Wan… Stupid Windu… Stupid Yoda…” He sniffled and aggressively ran his arm across his eyes in a weak attempt to stop his tears. “They’re all better off without me.”

“I couldn’t agree more.” Tyranus allowed his shadow to cast over the boy, drowning him in the same darkness that filled and breathed through the former Sith temple’s walls. The very same temple that this putrid child had carelessly destroyed. He never let his anger come to a boiling point, because the thought of that night only reminded Tyranus of the endless possibilities before him.

Power over the wizarding and muggle world.

Knowledge of the future and how to retrieve the past.

Insurance over his master.

It was all right there within the fear-stricken eyes of Anakin Skywalker as he turned around and realized what he had done.

“There’s no Zillo Beast to save you this time.” He hissed before raising his wand dramatically against the night sky before flashing a beam of scarlet on the unsuspecting victim, “Stupefy!”

He hadn’t even noticed that Skywalker dropped his wand in the grass.

#obitine #anidala #obi-wan kenobi #anakin skywalker #satine kryze #tcw #the clone wars #star wars #magical forces au

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yukayjei · 4 years

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Linked Universe FanFic: No Courage Without Fear, Part 2

Super excited to continue this @linkeduniverse fanfiction! Tracking the Wizzrobe isn’t as easy as it appears. Our Heroes will need to jump through a few hoops first!

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4]

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“I was almost convinced that Wizzrobe is a ghost,” Hyrule admitted as they reached the top of the hill, “but no ghost leaves footprints.”

Under the light of the moon, the Wizzrobe’s footprints were easy to find. True, it had teleported away, but it left two distinct imprints where it had stood. Where it had gone was unclear, but Hyrule suspected it hadn’t traveled far. Wizzrobes could only warp short distances.

“Ghosts aren’t usually malicious, to my knowledge,” Sky replied, swerving to avoid a lone pine tree. “Though I have only met one,” he added with a laugh.

“Every ghost I’ve met has been nothing but trouble. As if all they want is to inflict the same pain and unrest they feel.” Hyrule’s face darkened like thunder as he recalled his first adventure. “All I did was accidentally bump into their graves! Accidentally!”

“They might want something to ease their pain,” Sky grinned, restraining laughter at his friend’s grumpiness. “My ghost wanted paper.”

Hyrule almost tripped over a stray rock. “Paper! What on earth for?”

Sky, now walking backwards so he could face him, gave him a funny look. “For the toilet, of course!”

“Why in the name of the Triforce would a— you know what? I don’t want to know.”

“I actually didn’t give any to her, yet she still went away.” Sky shrugged and resumed walking normally by his side. “I guess ghosts are just finicky.”

Hyrule raised an eyebrow. “You didn’t share with a ghost? You, who’d share a meal with an ant? I’m surprised.”

Sky glanced away, a tiny, secretive smile etched across his face. “Let’s just say someone else needed it more.”

Hyrule opened his mouth to press him with more questions, only to see something that made him stop dead in his tracks. Sky, noticing the tension, stopped as well, and followed Hyrule’s gaze to the flattened grass in front of them.

“Well, that’s weird,” the latter noted.

“Another pair of footprints,” Hyrule muttered, running a hand through his hair. “Right at the forest’s edge. There’s no telling where it is now.”

Said forest, upon closer examination, was denser than it appeared. Trees were packed so closely together that all moonlight had been blocked out.

Sky exhaled slowly. “That’s a tight fit,” he mumbled under his breath.

Hyrule frowned, his brow furrowed as he wracked his brain for answers. “It couldn’t have gotten far. Maybe it warped further inside. We probably should— HEY!”

The outburst nearly made Sky jump out of his skin. Snapping his eyes back to the forest, for just a fleeting second, he saw a pair of bloodred eyes stared out at the Heroes. Then, just as quickly, they blinked and were gone.

Trying to ignore his pounding heart, Sky drew the Master Sword. “Well, it’s definitely in there.” He addressed Hyrule, only to find himself gazing upon empty air. He turned back to the forest. Hyrule was already three steps ahead, Magic Sword already drawn, and charging into the inky shadows.

“Hey, wait!” Sky hurried after him.

…………………………

At first, there was just enough moonlight to make out obstacles a few feet ahead, such as overgrown roots and low-hanging branches. But Sky had barely made it ten steps in before every last drop of weak, white light vanished, swallowed up by the darkness. All sound and motion ceased as well.

While his eyes adjusted, Sky strained to see any sign of the Hero of Hyrule. Unfortunately, it felt like trying to peer through a thick black curtain. With absolutely no light to bounce off his eyes, he may as well have been blind.

“There’s no way he got that much of a head start,” Sky muttered to himself. “Then again, he has a candle, and I don’t.”

A brilliant idea popped into his head. Holding the Master Sword aloft, he pointed it skyward. A pale blue light trailed up from hilt to tip. The brightness pierced his eyes, but when he managed to look, a mystical aura-like radiance surrounded the blade.

It did not have the fuller range of a regular flame, but it lit his surroundings enough to guide him a few feet at a time. Reassured, he proceeded forward with all the haste he could muster, praying that Hyrule wasn’t too far away. Hylia forbid the Wizzrobe find him first!

His eyes swept over the forest, hoping for the warm flicker of the lantern’s fire. A wintry chill had set in, and the temperature steadily dropped further and further. Sky shivered, not because he was cold— his former home, Skyloft, had always been on the nippy side— but because of how unsettling the whole environment was. Not even the slightest breeze stirred the trees’ leaves; they may as well have been made of stone. All sound— his footsteps, his breathing— was suppressed to the point where it pressed on his eardrums.

Getting lost in these creepy woods was not an idea he wished to entertain. He thought he had a good grip on his direction, but he was starting to wonder if the forest had a conscience of its own, if it wanted to get him lost. At first he thought that was a stupid, paranoid thought, but the deeper he ventured in, the closer the trees grew together. He kept bumping into them, kept getting swatted in the face by low-hanging branches. Still, he tried to shake it off…until he dared to look back.

Blocked. Completely sealed by tall trees packed so closely, you together couldn’t fit a blade between the gaps. Nausea and dread punched his stomach like a cannonball. He and Hyrule had walked straight into a death trap. The Wizzrobe’s wicked curse overpowered the forest’s natural order, literally bending it to the monster’s wishes.

The sound of his rapid breathing faded in and out, until all he could hear was his heart, pounding against his ribcage like a hammer. His mouth felt dryer than Lanayru Desert. His shoulders instinctively hunched in a defensive posture, and he eyed the trees warily.

This artificial cage reminded him of Eldin’s dark, cramped tunnels he was forced to crawl through on several occasions. Each and every time, he felt like he was suffocating, like there was no space for air. He’d hated them. Hated them so much. He could accept everything new and different the Surface threw at him, except that. Being so confined went against everything he knew. Never again. He did it for Zelda, but never again.

These cursed trees…they were too close. Just like before. Too close. An invisible hand squeezed his lungs. The world spun, pressing in on him, and he shut his eyes to steady himself. Blood roared in his ears. No one knew where he was. And his body would never be found. He would die here, die alone—

A familiar chime brought him back. He gasped and opened his eyes.

Her dazzling blue light faded in and out, like a cloud passing over the Sun. But each time she glowed, there was that sharp, clear ring. The one he always heard when she was about to speak to him.

C’mon, deep breaths, he told himself, forcing down the panic rising in his gut. Deep breaths. And though it took several tries, he succeeded in doing so.

The Sword did not actually speak, but she did not need to. The reminder of her presence alone was enough to calm him, at least somewhat.

The Skyward Strike fizzled out, stranding him in the dark. Quickly, he charged another one; this wasn’t as easy as the first time because his hand still trembled. But when the soft blue glow infused the blade once more, his nerves settled a bit more. To him, it was a sign the forest hadn’t succumbed completely to the Wizzrobe; as long as there was light, evil hadn’t won.

Besides, he would not turn back, even if he could. Hyrule still needed to be found, and the Wizzrobe vanquished. So, drawing one last deep breath, he pressed on, holding the Master Sword high.

He wasn’t sure how far he’d gone before he spotted the lantern’s familiar glimmer. An ear-splitting battle cry shattered the eerie silence into a thousand pieces. Hyrule! He found the Wizzrobe!

Sky ran faster than he’d ever run before. He tore across the grass, leaped through the narrow gaps between the trunks. He kept banging into trees, kept almost losing his footing. Low branches whipped and scratched his face.

The wind howled, hailing the presence of the evil abomination waiting for him. All subtlety lost, the trees shifted with groans comparable to a Hinox’s, forced to unnaturally pull themselves into a silently commanded formation. A literal wall began filling in before his eyes. They were trying to cut him off. But they weren’t quick enough.

He dashed at a full sprint. Already he was at his limit, but raw fear and determination boosted his speed to that of a maniac’s. Just before the gap closed, he hurled himself through, bowling over the Hero of Hyrule, snuffing out his lantern.

“Sorry!” Sky gasped as he untangled himself.

“Where’d it go?” Hyrule scrambled to his feet, grabbing for his dropped Magic Sword.

Just a few yards ahead, the Wizzrobe cackled gleefully at the Heroes’ unexpected mishap. It conjured massive fireballs in its clawed hands and hurled them faster than speeding arrows.

Sky and Hyrule easily dodged sideways, so the fireballs crashed into the wall of trees behind them instead. The heat in the air skyrocketed as the forest shot up in flames like dry grass. Worst of all, the fire, as unchecked fires do, was rapidly spreading to all it could touch. The Wizzrobe grinned and disappeared.

Hyrule uttered, “Uh-oh.”

“Run!” Sky yelled, turning on his heel and tearing for the second closing gap he’d faced in less than two minutes. A race against an infernal ring of fire, twenty feet high.

Hyrule sprinted behind him, hot on his tail. But the ring closed just a few feet before they made it. They were trapped.

“Oh, goddesses!” Sky shouted over the blaze’s roar. He broke into a coughing fit, for thick smoke billowed everywhere.

“Don’t panic!” Hyrule commanded, leaping back as a large tongue of fire snaked towards him. “We’ll figure it out!”

He’s right, Sky forced himself to focus. Using one hand to cover his mouth and nose with the sailcloth, the other fumbled around his pouch. Gust Bellows. His bag of winds. Maybe he could blow it out. No. The wind would only spread the flames even more.

There was the great moaning of a massive tree felled by the fire. Sky hurled himself out of the way as it crashed to the ground, separating the Heroes.

“Hylia, help us,” he whispered through the thick fabric. The smoke stung his eyes, making them water. Everything was red, orange, yellow. Dark and bright at the same time. The heat waves distorting the air were dizzying. Disorienting. Hotter than Eldin Volcano.

Close by, Hyrule had just cast a Shield Spell on himself to avoid a nasty burn from the spitting tongue, but it was only a temporary fix. He wracked his brain for a solution, but all he could see was the wall of fire towering over him, slowly bearing down.

If only he could sprout wings and fly.

If only he were flameproof.

If only—

“That’s it!!” they shouted in unison.

Hyrule crouched down and began chanting. At once, his legs gained an almost weightless feeling. Taking a running start, he rushed forward and cleared the wall in a single, effortless leap.

Sky clapped his hands to his ears, though this was just a reaction to how stupid he felt. How could he forget that he had fireproof earrings? The fire would be hot, sure, but he would not be touched. And sure enough, when he dashed through the wall and reunited with Hyrule, he emerged completely unscathed.

“I feel like a complete idiot,” Sky related as they caught their breath. “Serves me right for almost losing it.”

“Me, too, but I’m just glad we’re alive.” Hyrule brushed sweat off his forehead and dusted ash off his clothes. “Amazing, huh?” He jerked his thumb towards the ring, which mysteriously shrank to the size of a campfire. “It stopped spreading outward, and only went inward. I’d say we’re in the clear— for now, at least.” As he spoke, the fire poofed out of existence in a puff of multicolored smoke.

“Guess the Wizzrobe didn’t count on us escaping.” Sky shrugged. “At least we don’t have to worry about the entire forest catching on fire. The old man would kill us.”

Their relief was dashed into tiny pieces when the Wizzrobe reemerged from the shadows.

#linkeduniverse #loz #legend of zelda #the legend of zelda #tloz #link

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renpark-blog2 · 4 years

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Staying Sane in the Quarantine

A One-off blog post by Ren

As we may all be painfully aware of, different parts of our country have been under varying levels of quarantine due to the unfortunate and current pandemic that is ravaging the rest of the Globe. And strangely, as the quarantine progressed, there has been a topic that’s been popping up more and more, and it seems that more people are talking about it than ever before, whereas people used to play it off as something minor that wouldn’t affect our day to day life to being part of our daily struggle just to survive, maybe since they finally get to experience for themselves, they finally managed to gain enough empathy to understand people going through it.

I am of course talking about our mental health, which despite what anyone tells you, is just, if not more important than Physical health according to professional health experts. It seems that since the quarantine was initiated and our freedoms became limited, as well as other… more special problems… mental health deterioration has become somewhat of a secondary epidemic tied closely with the current pandemic we’re feeling right now.

Our mental health plays a big part of our life, you could even say how good your mental health is dictates how good your day will be today or even tomorrow, it’s an essential part of life that’s almost impossible to control, yet somehow it controls you in almost every way imaginable. At first, it may seem a bit fun to be forced to stay at home, you can do whatever you want, you can do things whenever you please, since you’re not going anywhere anyways, but there’s just so much you can do when you’re stuck at home, it gets to a point where everything becomes overly repetitive and you start feeling like you’re wasting your life away instead of being productive with your life and getting somewhere, it becomes quite overloading and over time you just run out of energy and motivation to do anything. It can be quite a vicious cycle, one that’s hard to deal with, and much harder to end.

I’ve been going through something similar this lockdown, especially with everything going on both personally, and publicly. The world is such a stressful place to be in right now, especially with all the ongoing events and the responses to them. Everything feels like it’s out of control and it makes me feel even worse that there’s nothing I can do about it.

I am aware that a lot of us are going through the same thing, I want to help in any possible way that I could. So here are some ways I have used to cope with and improve my deteriorating mental health, I hope that this manages to help you, but if it doesn’t, please don’t hesitate to contact a mental health care professional.

1.) Temporarily disconnecting from the world

I know that it may seem irresponsible to suggest this, but an effective coping mechanism is to disconnect yourself from the outside world for a while. Trying to stay away from the news, away from social media, away from anything that keeps on bringing back the negative emotions that you want to get rid of. Staying informed is important, but being too informed makes you start questioning things that you would not want to question, it can get quite dangerous.

I’m fully aware that some of us are fighting for something, and we think that if we rest even for a little bit we are going to lose this battle. But do not fear such thing, remember that you are just as important as the thing that you’re fighting for, give yourself a break for a short while, fighting for something can become extremely and dangerously emotionally taxing in the long run. Remember that this is not just your fight but our fight, take some time to recover, let other people handle the situation first, remember that you’re not alone in this. Don’t forget that a soldier well rested is more effective than an exhausted one.

2.) Giving yourself time to breathe

Society expects us to be constantly on the move 24/7, we’re not allowed to rest, we merely exist in order to be productive. Don’t forget that you’re human too, and you need to take breaks every once and again, you aren’t some kind of super soldier that does not have the concept of being burnt out or being tired. Some standards of modern society are impossible to achieve, and you just have to accept it, although you should never stop doing your best in anything, but you still need to remember to allow yourself to breathe every now and again, don’t kill yourself from working and tiring yourself out.

Remember that you don’t exist just to keep on working, let yourself rest, let yourself breathe, always being productive will make you less productive. Overexerting can strain you both physically and mentally, it can take a heavy toll on you, and may even affect your overall productivity. So please, remember to breathe, remember to let some fresh air get into your lungs before you keep going in this tunnel of never-ending smoke.

3.) Letting yourself do things that you want to do once in awhile

A lot of people will say otherwise, but it’s good to let yourself have fun once in a while, sometimes ignoring your responsibilities for awhile can actually be good for you. We are not machines, we have the need for recreation, which is just as important as our need for shelter and food, but recreation should also be taken in moderation, too much recreation would cause you to abandon your responsibilities, which would be even more devastating. Remember to let yourself have fun but have just the correct amount of fun to not go crazy, especially in these trying times.

If you think that there is no time for fun and that you have to keep working on a constant basis, please remember that this could contribute greatly to you burning out. Having fun is important if you want to keep on working too, too much of something will become bad in the long run, and the same goes for work, enjoyment and recreation is here to counteract that, so don’t be afraid of letting yourself do what you want every once in a awhile. But like everything good with life, remember to do everything in moderation, as I cannot stress enough, too much of something will just make you worse off that where you started.

4.) Managing your time and your workload

This one should be the easiest to explain but one of the hardest to do. It’s important to manage your time and your workload, as to make sure that you don’t get overwhelmed and regain a semblance of control in your life. It’s extremely difficult to do because there’s not one answer on how you should be managing your time, because people have different ways of being able to cope with different levels of workload. But there is one thing that I have realized myself that helps with easing the workload, and that is not being too hard on yourself.

Being strict on yourself only makes you feel worse, especially when you don’t reach your deadlines, which happens more often that we would like to admit. It gives a feeling of the loss of control, of not being good enough, it’s a feeling that we all know and quite abhor. Give yourself a deadline, but be more flexible with yourself, treat yourself with the same amount of strictness as that of a parent who wants their child to grow up well, and not like as if you are your own supervisor.

5.) Taking a break from everything for awhile

Every once in a while, you get the feeling where even recreation isn’t enough to fulfill you anymore. That is a sign that you need to take a break from almost everything, the time you have to do so will depend on how you feel. Sometimes it’s not so bad to let yourself go, you don’t have to be busy all the time, sometimes the best thing to do is nothing at all. Think of it in the way of letting your wounds heal over time.

There’s nothing wrong with doing nothing, so do not be ashamed of doing something if it’s for the sake of getting better. Catch up on your sleep, play games, do whatever doesn’t cause you any type of emotional stress. Let yourself go, remove that baggage even if it’s just for a short time, you can come back stronger, you can come back better.

6.) Taking back control of your life

This is something that is much easier said than done. But you should start taking steps to take back control of your life, taking matters into your own hands and giving yourself a feeling of being able to do things, that you are able to get over your problems. Of course, there is not one way of doing this, there are different problems for different people, but you should take time to learn about your problems, and eventually you will learn to deal with them, and take back control. Make sure not to deal with large problems first, make sure to start small, as small problems can eventually get big, especially when left unchecked.

7.) Helping and getting help

This one is especially important, and something a lot of people tend to take for granted. Getting help from people, professional or not, is important for preventing your mental health from degrading. Just the fact that there is more than one person dealing with the problem makes it easier to handle and to solve. As two brains is better than one, as they say. But not all problems need to be solved, just the idea that someone is willing to listen to you and share your pain should be enough to lift at least a little bit of weight off of your shoulders. Make sure that you seek help when you can, this will help you much more than you think it will.

The other way is also important. Helping others can give you a sense of being needed by someone, it will give you a small pocket of relief and help you realize your worth. Even if you aren’t able to help yourself, never forget to lend a helping hand to those who need it, and make sure to do it only if you’re able to, as you would not want to risk making the situation worse than it already is.

Those are some ways I learned to cope and to improve my mental health ever so slightly. I hope that this was able to help in any way. I know that this would not be of help to everyone, but even if it helps someone who desperately needs it, even if it’s just one person, then this long wall of text would have served its purpose. 😊

If you still feel terrible, remember to go to a professional, they would probably know a lot more than I would. Or even a friend if you cannot afford to do so. Just remember that you shouldn’t do things alone, let yourself be helped, even if it’s a little bit.

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thejackal64 · 4 years

Text

Pillars of Magic: Paradox | Chapter 5: The Starlight Guide

With the monsters and heavy atmosphere leaving them behind, they could finally somewhat let their guard down. Even with the wand in their possession, as long as they were in the Warnicorn Metro, they weren’t truly safe. Which Kasper so kindly pointed out.

“We need to get out of this stinking place. Like, 10 minutes ago.”

“All in due time,” responded Lucan.

“Due time?! What more in the hell do you want to do in here? Are you trying to find more ways to get us killed???”

“Will you calm down? There was nothing - not a sound, or a movement - ever since we started to climb the stairs. It is safe to assume that the worst is behind us. And in this case - literally behind us.”

“That doesn’t mean shit and you know it!”

“All right. Let’s test your theory of blood sucking monsters lurking behind our backs.” Lucan turned around and focused his sight into the distance. The tunnel was semi-lit, as many lights were broken due to passage of time. But even so, the sound coming from afar was what put it off. “Do you hear that?” he asked Kasper.

“What?”

“Exactly. Now, keep your irrational fear in check. Look at Kobi - he managed to calm down just fine. And that says something. Isn’t that right, Kobi?”

“Uhm.” His answer was short and barely audible. The reason why he was so calm. It was as if his whole world was in their newly acquired wand; it fascinated him. He didn’t know why, however, there was this warmth emanating from it. Whenever he started to feel anxious, he just looked at it and immediately felt like nothing could happen to him.

“See?”

“But…!”

“No buts! We are on our way out. I suggest to leave your doubts here as we march on.”

Kasper had plenty to tell, but no desire to go against him for all costs, so he decided to keep it to himself. He had a point though: as long as they were still in this forsaken place, anything could happen.

That anything happened a lot sooner than he anticipated, although not in a way he expected. The long and barebone tunnel they were walking in was up until this point lit with somewhat working lights, but after a certain point they went dark. The path clearly continued, but the light did not.

“Hmm,” pondered Lucan. “This is interesting.”

“Not the word I would have used.”

He turned back to check if there was a change in the scenery from which they came. “The lights are still working behind us, so unless the electricity is cut off in this particular place, we have to assume this sudden change has to have a meaning.”

“And what would that be?”

“Let’s see: if we take into consideration that we, supposedly, didn’t miss anything of value on our way here…”

“That’s a big if…”

“...then the logical conclusion would be that this place is hiding something important.”

“Important, you say…” Kasper went to check both walls on the sides by touching and even smashing them. “Nothing. This better not be some kind of stupid puzzle.”

“I don’t believe it is. Look.” He showed both of them what appeared to be a cutout in the ceiling above.

“A way out?”

“Most of the time problems tend to have simple solutions. And this appears to be the answer to our escape from this place.”

After he concluded his theory, all the lights in the hallway went off, except for the one near them.

“That was random,” noted Kasper.

“Or perhaps not.” He looked down at the wand he was holding in his hand. There were residual sparks flying around it and its colors were slightly less intense.

“I don’t like the idea of being led by inanimate objects.”

“I have to concur that this situation is bizarre, but so far it has been beneficial. It looks like it wants to get out as much as we do. We have a common goal, which is good for us.”

“That’s cool and all, but wands don’t have their own mind, right?”

“We don’t really know. Up until now we only knew about one - belonging to queen Omnia - and our knowledge about it is severely limited. For all we know they can even talk.”

“I hope not.”

“Whatever the case, we need to proceed with opening the hatch. Kobi?” Lucan reached his hand to Kobi to take the wand.

But the big guy wasn’t paying attention to anything they were saying. Strangely enough, even the loss of light didn’t throw him off. There was something special about the wand that was drawing all his attention.

Lucan softly laid his hand on his shoulder. “You alright?”

“I like it. Can I keep it?”

“I’m afraid not, as we are going to surface and others can’t see we have it. Its mere existence needs to be kept as secret.”

“But… But…”

“I’m sorry, but this is the way it needs to be. Now, hand it over, so I can hide in my backpack.” Even despite his direct approach, Kobi was still reluctant to let go of the wand. “You can hold it once we are back at HQ.”

“Will you keep it safe?”

“Absolutely.”

“O-Okay.” Still unsure, he gave this thing that was occupying his mind into his care.

“With this out of our way, we need to get a move on. Kobi, if you’d be so kind?”

The massive man reached out to the hatch above and with his strong hands grabbed its handle. By the sound it was making while he was trying to open it made it clear that this particular hatch hadn’t been used in a very long time. It tried its best to resist Kobi’s force, but eventually it gave way and loudly revealed a pathway leading straight up.

Lucan checked the tunnel with his flashlight. “Except for dust, somewhat narrow space and this uncomfortably rusty ladder, it looks safe for us to traverse. Kobi, you’ll take point, in case some unwanted surprises will be waiting for us and you Kasper will cover our back.”

“Let me guess: in case of unwanted surprises?”

Lucan peered into the darkness behind them and listened to its sounds. “As a precaution.”

“Uhm…”

“All right then. Let’s move.”

The tunnel was indeed narrow and Kobi wasn’t happy about it one bit. But even less happy were the two unfortunate souls below him; he was scrapping all the dirt as he was moving along, falling it down on them.

“Pfft-pfft! BLUEGH!!! Fuck, I will be cleaning my hair for weeks!”

“The sooner we’ll get out the better. Keep moving on, Kobi.”

As they were progressing with their ascent, the air was getting lighter and fresher. A clear sign of better things to come. All they had to do was to suffer some more dust and dirt. And so they did in great disgust, until Kobi reported that he had reached the end.

“Finally, we can get out of this shithole!”

“But it’s shut!”

“What do you mean shut?!”

“I can’t move it.”

“Use your muscles, dammit!”

“I am. See? It won’t budge.”

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!”

“Kasper, wouldn’t you have something that could remove it?” asked Lucan.

“Sure I can remove it. And us along with it.”

“I meant something non-explosive.”

“I’m a demolitions expert, not a gardener.”

“Good point. Kobi, I’m sorry, but you are our only chance of getting out of here.”

“But it won’t move!”

“Are you sure you did your best?”

“Yes!”

“Your absolute best?”

“Y-Yes.”

“So you did everything you could to open that hatch…”

“Well- I mean-”

“You have to get it open. You are our only chance. Do you understand?”

“I do, but…”

“What?”

“The last time I opened something that was closed so hard I got arm aches.”

“You will have aches all over your body, if you don’t open the damn hatch!” yelled Kasper.

“The pain will subside over time,” Lucan was calming him down. “In fact, I should have something with me that should help you.”

“Really?”

“For sure. So, will you open it?”

“Errm, okay.”

With nervousness in his voice, he leaned against the hatch and gave all his strength into opening it. Kasper couldn’t see anything, but Lucan witnessed how his body was shaking and struggling to move the hatch, while the hatch was struggling to stay shut. To anyone else this would look like a pointless attempt, but he knew that when Kobi put all of his attention toward something, there was no obstacle he couldn’t overcome.

And so the unmovable object capitulated against the unstoppable force. How that went on, however, was unusual. The hatch did open, but before that it hit something and tossed it away. They couldn’t see what that was, or why there would be anything on top of the hatch, but, truth be told, they stopped concerning themselves with it almost immediately. The way out was open and they were just looking forward to leaving this mold-infested place for good.

Without much thought, they all jumped out cheering about their successful escape and consequently, the success of their mission. It did not take them long to notice that their surroundings were not quite what they were expecting to see. They thought that the tunnel would lead somewhere up onto a street if they were lucky or more likely into some random outlet in the middle of nowhere. This wasn’t nowhere. It was very specific somewhere and none of the five people occupying it couldn’t understand what the hell was happening.

“You didn’t anticipate this, didn’t you?” asked Kasper.

“No, I did not,” responded Lucan.

Albeit surprised, Kobi’s attitude was more uplifting than that of his colleagues. “Uhm hello?”

The only response he got came from a child standing next to a young girl, that appeared to be pregnant. “Hello.” Its voice was, despite the situation, surprisingly calm. As was the facial expression of the girl, although she was displaying some level of confusion as to what was going on.

All of this, of course, wasn’t lost on Lucan. It took him a moment to readjust to this new and unexpected situation, but his mind was already working on analyzing it. Puzzle pieces were starting to fall in their place and the picture they were creating was bizarre. The situation had the potential of turning it into a serious problem if left unchecked.

“Is this your sister?” asked Kobi to the child.

“No.”

This answer left him confused, but not Lucan.

“Is that…?” Kasper whispered over to him.

“It appears so.”

The place they were in was the living room of a house. But not just any house. One that clearly belonged to a wealthy family. Which was another matter entirely, one that would be too difficult to explain to someone like Kobi.

The rich inhabitants of Mewmans were basically living in a bubble. A dystopia in which nothing bad ever happened, just constant pleasures from dawn to dusk. They had no idea what was happening outside their lives, nor did they want to know, Omnia made sure of that. So when these two individuals saw their TV being thrown against the wall, followed by three unknown men coming out of a mysterious hole in the floor, they simply didn’t have the foggiest as to how to react.

Lucan took the initiative. “Are your masters home?” The girl didn’t say a word, just nodded her head in disagreement. “We are lucky. Uhm, please, sit down with your child, we will be on our way shortly. How old are you, if I may ask?”

“Fourteen,” answered the girl with a barely audible voice.

“Fucking hell!” reacted Kasper.

“And how old is this little angel?” he aimed his question at the child politely sitting next to her.

“I am three years old!” responded the kid with great pride.

“This is sickening!”

“They are getting desperate. Looks like the distribution of faulty DNA is speeding up even more in here than down there.”

“They can’t possibly keep doing this forever!”

“I’m afraid they can. And much worse than this. Anyway, we need to move. Her owners can get back any minute. Kobi, close the hatch tightly, and put all the stuff back in its place. With any luck, they won’t notice nothing.”

“But we can’t go out in these clothes. They would bring too much attention.”

“The regular folks would barely notice us, but random police patrol might have some uncomfortable questions I’d like to avoid answering. We need to blend in. Erm, girl, where do your masters keep clothing?”

“Upstairs in the bedroom. Do you want to go into bedroom?” The way she answered the question was a bit unsettling, but they were left with no choice but to play along.

“Uhm, yes, I suppose. Take us to the bedroom.”

“Stay here,” she told her child in a calm voice and led the duo of men upstairs.

While Kobi was keeping himself busy with fixing up the living room, Kasper with Lucan were led through the entrails of this luxurious household. Of course, the underground Resistance had basic information how upper Mewni looks like, but reading scarce information and experiencing it first hand proved to be different. For them, this place was indescribable.

“Here we are,” the girl pointed her hand toward a set of doors, which she then opened.

The room before them left each of them stood there in pure awe.

“Damn,” noted Kasper, “I feel cheap.”

“You are cheap. Here, the wardrobe. Help me out finding properly sized clothes.”

Despite their expectations, the contents of the wardrobe were even more luxurious than everything else they had seen so far in the house.

Kasper couldn’t believe his eyes. “I can appreciate a fancy fashion sense, but this is ridiculous! Check this shit out: this cloak has more gems on it then it has actual cloth!”

“We didn’t come here to criticize their choices in fashion. Take whatever fits your and Kobi’s sizes so we can go.”

“Already done.”

“Excellent.”

Having acquired all that they would need, they spun around to head for exit, but were greeted with a most unexpected offering.

“WHAT THE FUCK?!” yelled Kasper.

“All right, now this is embarrassing even for me,” said Lucan, as he turned his head away.

“Why in the hell are you standing there naked?!”

“You said you wanted to go to bedroom.”

“For clothes, not you!”

“You don’t want me?”

“Are you stupid or something?”

“Leave her be. She doesn’t know she is doing something wrong. She was groomed into total and absolute obedience.”

“But we don’t own her.”

“That makes no difference to her.”

“You mean to tell me that if I would tell her to kill herself, she would do it?”

“Better to not say such things out loud.”

“Right.”

“Darling, take your clothes back up.”

“As you wish.”

“Then go down to your child and continue doing what you were doing before our arrival.”

She silently nodded and went back to the living room.

Lucan was keen to leave as soon as possible. “Quickly, let’s grab Kobi and get out before some similarly unfortunate occurrences can happen again.”

“Yeah, this place is fucked up.”

They expected an uneventful return and swift exit to the evening streets Mewni. With the girl in her place, they didn’t expect anything to happen that could hinder their intentions to return to HQ with the wand. Except for the sudden arrival of the owners of the household.

“What is the meaning of this?! Who are you and what are you doing in here?!”

Kasper looked at Lucan for answers.

“Hello!” It would end up being Kobi who first attempted to break the tension in the most unusual way. “We were just checking on your children.” His geniality was genuine, but as usual misplaced and made the whole situation a lot worse.

“What my colleague meant was that we… heard unusual sounds coming from your home and we… have decided to check if everything is right.”

“Do you take us for idiots?!”

“Yeah, pretty much,” responded Kasper with his typical flair.

That pushed the woman over the edge. “I’m calling the authorities!”

But something in the room had a different idea of how this mess could be resolved. At first, no one saw it. Afterwards though, despite Lucan’s backpack being thick, there was a slight glowing emanating from inside. And it was getting stronger with each second. Eventually Kasper took notice of it and alerted Lucan about it.

“Glowing? You mean… that thing?”

“What else in there can glow?”

As the light was getting stronger, the lights inside the house started to flicker. Both of them exchanged confused looks. But as fast as the situation got weird, it went back to normal, with the exception of a sudden change in the television broadcast:

“We interrupt this program to inform all the fair citizens of Mewni about the vicious attack of the so-called Resistance. Approximately fifteen minutes ago a large group of savage monsters killed several dozen peaceful Mewmans during their shopping spree in our biggest shopping center. The blood bath then continued throughout the streets where clueless citizens were stabbed and murdered in the most gruesome ways. The authorities are requesting that all remaining citizens run for the nearest sanctuary and wait for further instructions.”

The couple looked at each other nervously. They never thought that Resistance would ever be so stupid to launch a direct attack, so seeing intruders in their home didn’t make them think it could be one of them. They didn’t dare to move and neither did the trio. It was a stalemate, though nobody was clear on who was stalling who. With the desire to protect their assets being stronger than the fear of Resistance, they risked it, grabbed the girl and her child and went straight for the exit, while hastily giving her instructions what to do and how to behave. In just one minute the trio were left alone.

“What the hell just happened?” asked Kasper.

“I’m not sure,” responded equally confused Lucan.

“Did we really launch an attack?”

“That… doesn’t seem likely.”

“Do you think that…”

Lucan took down his backpack and reached into it to take out the wand. It wasn’t glowing anymore, but there was a subtle change in its color palette. “It appears to have awakened. Combining it with what happened in the metro, this suggests that perhaps wands do have… personality, for lack of a better word.”

“If that’s true, then I don’t even want to know what Omnia’s wand might be like.”

“With this in our possession, we can learn that pretty soon.”

“You really think that’s a good idea?”

“That’s ultimately up to the HQ, but I assure you they were pushing towards this very end for quite some time. Without the wand, the queen is just a regular mortal.”

“But with the wand she can smite us!”

“And that’s why with this we can finally push forward.”

“Even if that’s the case, do you really think we can control it?”

“One step at a time. Kobi, you all right?”

The big boy was sitting on the couch, obviously shaken and scared. “I don’t wanna go outside.”

“I’m sure nothing has happened.”

“R-Really?”

“Of course. We just, uhm... That was just to scare them off.”

“So there won’t be rivers of blood flowing down the streets?”

“Rivers of what? Where did you hear it?”

“Kasper told me what would happen if I didn’t keep up with you.”

“Really?” he pounded a rhetorical question, while he turned his head to impale his teammate standing next to him with his eyes. “We will talk about this later.”

“Oh come on! He wouldn’t shut up!”

“Kobi, put these clothes on. Before we go out, we need to blend in with the crowd. As for you, Kasper… Just stay silent. The last thing we need is Kobi panicking.”

With the home owners gone, wand neatly hidden away from sight and the trio clothed as wealthy Upper Mewmans, they were ready to start the return journey back to Mewni’s bowels. Which was now far more complicated than originally planned, as the safest route was some distance away and not used by the rich. So the only way to get back without attention was going deeper into the most extravagant part of the city. It was a part which they knew very little about. Their goal was to reach the manufacturing area, wherever that might be.

There they were. A trio of grown up men dressed in noble clothing they apparently didn’t like.

“I feel weird.”

“This will allow us to pass through the city undetected.”

“It’s itchy,” added Kobi.

This probably wasn’t helping their effort to blend in, however the biggest show was yet to come. The first to notice it was Kobi, who after witnessing the scene just a minute ago, got agitated. And there is nothing subtle about a huge man nervously looking around in a place that is considered to be a paradise.

Kasper noticed this sudden change in his behaviour and he wasn’t pleased by it. “Kobi, what the fuck has gotten into you?! Calm down or you’ll blow our cover!”

“The- The- The-”

“The-the-the what? There is nothing in here.”

With shaking hand, he pointed to Lucan’s glowing backpack. It was now even stronger than before.

“Lucan! Your backpack - it’s glowing again! And this time it looks like it’s trying to illuminate this whole fucking street!”

“Wait, what? Why would it be glowing?” He turned around, but saw nothing and no one out of the ordinary. “I see nothing suspicious.”

“Yeah, well, if your theory is true, then who knows what that thing is thinking it’s doing. And right now it’s pulling attention onto us!”

“But why?”

“You’re the one here with a big brain; you figure it out!”

While both of them were busy arguing among each other, Kobi’s fear locked his sight onto the magical light tearing its way out. So he was the only that noticed a change in the way the light was shaped. Despite being covered under a thick layer of textile, the glow was slowly, but steady shifting, as if following something. Fear or not, Kobi’s natural curiosity took over and made him to check what exactly it was that the wand was pointing to. It didn’t take him long to find it on the other side of the street and his eyes locked onto the object, he had trouble understanding it. So he asked Lucan to help him out by tapping him on his shoulder.

“Not now, Kobi.”

But he didn’t allow himself to be denied, so he tapped him again and this time with greater force.

“Kobi, that hurts! What is happening to you?”

Instead of replying, he pointed with his finger to an object that was apparently moving. To anyone else, said object wasn’t anything special, but to them seeing this particular object was a shocking revelation.

“This cannot be…”

But it was. Against all rational thought and logic, the girl from the metro was there. Granted, clothed differently and the makeup certainly changed her looks somewhat, but there was no mistake that it was her.

“How the fuck is this even possible?”

“Kasper, look at the light. What do you see?”

And he saw the exact same thing as Kobi. “It is-”

“-moving? Then we were right. That girl is the owner.”

“But how is this possible?”

“You’re as curious as I am, but our current predicament demands immediate attention: she is the key to unlocking the wand’s full power.”

“Well, that is nice and all, but how do you propose to, uhm… use her?”

“First, we need to retrieve her.”

“That doesn’t really answer my question.”

“One step at a time. We need to-”

But before he could finish his thought, the girl entered a cab in great haste.

“Hmm. This is unfortunate.”

“Not the word I would have used.”

“Tell me, what is the wand doing right now?”

“Still pointing to her.”

“As I expected. There is a connection between them. That connection will allow us to follow her wherever she goes.”

“So you’re saying that we need to follow the light…”

“I hope that your ability to stay incognito is better than your puns. Keep my backpack closed and peek inside only when necessary. Move out.”

Shortly after that, the cab started to move away from them. Even despite being covered by local clothes, the unpredictable nature of the mission worried him. Back in his head, Lucan was aware of the immense risk he was exposing himself and his team to. Still, he was hoping that by the time anyone would have any questions about their business in there, they would be long gone.

Having proper clothes was only one part of being undercover. The other that was equally important was having proper behaviour. Lucan could pretend to be a native upper Mewmans, but Kasper had to keep peeking into his backpack, which was weird on its own. Further worrying was Kobi, who was having a field day, and he wasn’t shy of making it obvious.

“Kobi!” Kasper rebuked him. “Stop eyeballing everything and everyone around you! You look like a tourist!”

“But it’s so pretty in here!”

“This ain’t a fucking vacation! Being undercover means avoiding attention, not to stick every eyeball in the damn city onto us!”

Kobi tried to heed his warning, but he was like a child in a fun park; behind every corner there was a fascinating new light, interesting shape, mesmerizing colors and… beautiful young girls in every direction. Each step they took bolstered their numbers.

“Damn,” said Kasper. “If I didn’t know better I’d say this place is a giant brothel.”

Lucan nodded. “Indeed. Their number seems excessive.”

“Do you think that everyone is using them like we saw in that family?”

“Such a theory is hardly far fetched. That being said, we aren’t here to play moral police. Every extra minute spent here means increased danger of being uncovered. It is imperative that we find her in the shortest time possible.”

“Yeah, about that. We might have a slight issue.” Kasper noticed that the wand was pointing to a place where all the girls seemed to be gathering. It wasn’t surrounded by any walls, so they could take a good look at it.

“Seems to be a market of some kind,” noted Lucan. “And you say the girl is inside?”

“It looks like it.”

“We don’t have any other choice then. We’ll go in, but incognito, alright? The last thing we need is to attract unwanted attention.”

Trying not to raise suspicion among the buyers minding their own business, they calmly stepped into the outer ring. No one noticed their arrival.

“Huh, this was easy,” noted Kasper.

But Lucan saw it differently. “They all look almost the same,” he whispered. “And we can’t rely on the wand's guidance in here without risking exposure.”

“So what do you propose then? That we ask around?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. We need to do this the hard way: we split up and look for her.”

“Really? That’s your ingenious plan? Did you look at our big idiot in here? He’s this close from drooling all over his suit. We let him alone and he’ll end up befriending one of these ladies.”

“Hmm, that’s actually a good point.”

“Yeah, no kidding.”

“Then perhaps we can-”

“You’re thinking too much. Here, let me show you how the master does it. Hey, Kobi!”

“Hmm?”

“I saw two policemen behind us.”

“Oh no.”

“What are you doing?” asked Lucan.

But Kasper ignored him. “Oh no is right, because they saw you looking at girls all the time and now they want to arrest you!”

“Bu- Bu- I didn’t do anything wrong!”

“They don't care. You broke their law and now they want to imprison you and torture you!”

“…?!?!”

“My point exactly. So we need to create chaos to ditch them. Can you do that?”

If there was something Kasper was even better at than demolition was getting under Kobi’s skin. It didn’t take long for the big guy to react to this information; he spread his arms and started to run, while moving them around and yelling various sounds. That did get a reaction out of the buyers, but he felt they needed a little nudge. “There’s a fucking maniac on the run! Save yourselves!”

Lucan couldn’t believe his eyes. “What did you just do?!”

“Helped! Look - nobody is paying attention to us.”

“But now she will run away from us!”

“So what? We have her wand to show us where she is and no one to bother us.”

“No one except for the policemen that were alarmed by this.”

“Oh…”

“As usual, you acted before thinking it through. Now we need to hurry and look for her before security will come to look for us.”

Kasper couldn’t deny that he liked what he saw. Kobi was off the leash, making his way through everyone like an angry bull and even destroying a few merchandise stands along the way. It was like witnessing an explosion up close without the fear of losing limbs. It was poetic.

Lucan on the whole was more worried of losing the girl, although to be fair he had lost her once already a few minutes ago. Except this time she was within his grasp, maybe even running alongside him, but because of all the people running around he couldn’t possibly see her. He found it to be unacceptable.

Kobi was in full blown panic mode. The idea of him feeling pain was so scary that he couldn’t stop rampagning the place. No matter what, he was determined to remain free. That determination wasn’t getting weaker even after glancing at the second exit on the other side. The way to it was surprisingly empty, since very few people have a reason to run that way. Except for one. It was this person in particular that made him stop and calm down enough to recognize the silky smooth blond hair waving in the air.

“Why the hell did you stop?!” shouted Kasper. “They can be right behind us!”

“The girl…”

Lucan instantly locked his sight onto the place he was referring to. “Excellent job, Kobi! Lead the way!”

Most of the people were already gone, which made the pursuit much easier. That was the good news. The bad news was that the girl managed to step into yet another cab and was driving away.

“Unbelievable…” said Lucan.

“Well, that just happened. Now what, big boss?” asked Kasper.

“We follow her, what else.”

Kasper made sure that no one is watching them, then opened his backpack to check on the wand's guiding light. It was there all right, but the light wasn’t as bright as before. “It appears it’s getting weaker.”

“We need to hurry. Now, where is it pointing to?”

Kasper focused his sight into distance. He couldn’t believe his own eyes. “Uhm, manufacturing area… Why would she go there of all places?”

“I don’t know. But this plays to our cards. There is a guarded entrance to the lower levels. With any luck, the guards will stop her and guard her long enough for us to pick her up.”

“And how do you suggest we do that?”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”

Having a clear vision of their goal made their traveling a lot simpler. They checked, subtly, several times to confirm that they weren’t being followed, but this close to the industrial district there were fewer and fewer people to see. Mewmans weren’t interested in how their stuff was being made, they only cared about when and where they could purchase it. This meant that seeing a group of wealthy individuals in these parts was highly unusual.

The shine of the healthy Upper Mewni was fading away, as the dirt and dust of the industrial zone began creeping in. Where their surroundings were once shiny and bright buildings, what they saw became grim, grimy replacements for their shiny counterparts. Architecture was also changing, more abruptly too, replacing extravagant designs with dull and boring shapes copied from one building onto the next one. Scarce lamps were casting shy lights onto this saddening scenery.

They felt at home here.

Seeing familiar surroundings gave them a much needed confidence boost. They felt like they could understand this place, its inner workings and unwritten rules, despite still being within spitting distance of the queen’s domain. And as they were getting closer to the massive buildings hiding huge machines, the need to come up with the plan was becoming more and more urgent.

Lucan raised his head. “We have arrived.”

Even without the gate, the complex structures ahead were clear signs that this wasn’t the regular Upper Mewni anymore. Still, despite the surroundings being more familiar, their intactness made it all a bit alien to them; their siblings below were vastly damaged. Surprisingly, they didn’t see a single soul, no worker of any kind passed by as they were moving among the monumental buildings and complicated pipes, even though the hum was a clear indication that the machinery was working.

“It must be controlled remotely,” thought Lucan.

Kasper raised his eyebrow. “What kind of power source are they using?”

“Magic, probably.”

“Magic?! They are digging their own graves with it!”

“They apparently don’t care and neither should you. We have a pressing matter on our hands. Look up ahead.”

They focused their eyes into the foggy distance where they saw a glimmering light.

“Is that what I think it is?” asked Kapser.

“Indeed.”

“So what’s your plan then?”

“Kobi.”

The big man looked at him with visible confusion. But Kasper knew exactly what he meant. “You can’t be serious.”

“I am.”

“What happened to stealth?”

“That is a luxury we cannot afford anymore. Taking the girl takes priority. She is the key to our success.”

“Don’t you think that’s a bit far fetched?”

“Our opinions have no place in this matter. The fact is that she has the ability to unlock the wand’s potential.”

“Yeah, about that, it isn’t glowing anymore.”

“It doesn’t need to. We know where she is.”

“No, we know where she went. For all we know she might be on her way to the queen.”

“The wand would show us that if it were true.”

“You can’t know that for sure.”

“Silence. We’re going in.”

The atmosphere in this lifeless part of the city was eerie, maybe even spooky for the faint of heart. But the three persons lurking through its mist weren’t interested in how the place felt. Their goal lay on the opposite side, where they hoped to reunite a long lost pair.

It was almost a miracle to catch up with her. They hid behind a container near the entrance to the lower Mewni and inspected the scene. Lucan was right: the guards did hold her. Unfortunately for them they didn’t stall her long enough. The only thing they saw from her was her back passing through the gate. She was out of their reach once again and this time going to a place that could very well shorten her existence.

Lucan was baffled. “She wanted to enter lower Mewni this whole time?”

And so was Kasper. “This girl… I don’t know if she is so smart, or so stupid, but her chances of survival just lowered to the minimum.”

“Whatever reasons she has, her going to our domain has the upside of us knowing it better than her. We can finally gain an advantage.”

“Yeah, that’s a cool plan and all, but how do you want to go through the security guards? The moment they see us they’ll be onto us like flies on a pile of shit.”

Maybe they heard him, because both guards ran out of the security both, however in the opposite direction.

“They are after her!” noted Kasper.

“I can see that,” responded Lucan. “We need to act quickly. Kobi, stop them! They can’t reach her!”

It was always amazing for them to watch him run. Despite his massive size, Kobi could run fast. And there are not many things scarier than seeing a huge ball of muscle running at you at full speed. The guards were so focused on catching the girl that they didn’t notice his heavy footsteps gaining on them. Once they did, it was too late; Kobi grabbed their heads and smashed them together. They both instantly went down to the ground.

Lucan and Kasper quickly caught up with him. They checked their life signs.

“Alive,” Lucan informed.

“Yeah, this one too.”

“Is that a bad thing?” asked Kobi confused.

“No no, this is good,” Lucan assured him.

“But that is not good,” added Kasper. “Look - the elevator is on its way down.”

“That is troublesome. But we can still catch up with her. She is now entering our domain, which will finally give us the advantage.”

“Let’s just hope others won’t take advantage of her before we can catch up to her.”

“Stay positive.” Once it stopped, he pressed the button to call it. “Time to go home.”

Everything was greasy, smokey and dirty. The air was heavy and smelled like wet dog. Sunshine was nowhere to be found and everything was artificially illuminated. They were indeed home. The upper citizens never saw this place, they never learned how exactly it looked, nor had they ever cared. But if one of them happened to end up in here, they would probably start screaming and senselessly running around.

At least, that was the general consensus among those living in this swamp. When they stepped out of the smelly old elevator, they were expecting to see her to keep doing just that. But she was nowhere to be seen.

Kasper grabbed his head. “What the hell is this girl?! Is she fucking with us or what?!”

Lucan took a calmer approach, although it was apparent that he too wasn’t happy how the whole situation was unravelling in front of his eyes. “Press on. There is only one way from here. She couldn’t possibly could get far.”

“Yeah? And what the hell makes you think that?! We have been chasing her for a good half an hour without much success!”

Lucan ignored his remarks and led his comrades deeper into subterranean Mewni, where law was just a differently labeled rule book. It was for this very reason that he was worried and keen to find her pronto. Down here, the line between crime and police was so blurred that more often than not it all came down to how you spelled them. The society basically consisted of different anarchist groups breathing down each others’ necks.

All these descriptions were running through Lucan’s mind when he was observing the scene from afar, hidden behind a pile of trash on the side of the street, witnessing her being cornered by a bunch of people. “We are in trouble.”

“What else is new…”

But Kobi felt optimistic. “I can go there and just take her away. Gently, of course.”

“As appealing as it sounds, we cannot do that. We don’t know what exactly is happening over there, or who she is with. We could endanger her life.”

“I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but I agree with Kobi. She obviously isn’t having a fucking tea party with those people and while they are all focused on her, we can just fly in, break their skulls and just as fast flee away with her finally in our possession.”

“I said no. We don’t have the complete picture. It’s too risky.”

“Listen-”

“After her! Don’t let her get away!”

“What?”

They all focused their sight into the distance. The girl managed to run some distance away, but was apprehended shortly after. Luckily for them, the place they were standing in now was lit well enough to recognize her followers.

“They’re just a regular street thugs! Surely we can take them down, right?”

“Yes! Kobi, yo-”

But before he could give them instructions, he was interrupted by a siren and a pair of blue/red light. The situation just got a lot worse.

“Oh for fuck sake, give me a break! When will this shitshow end?!”

“Shh, just watch.”

And so he watched. He watched as the thugs fled the scene. He watched as an officer stepped out of the car, approached the girl, and after a short talk, as she went into the car with him. Then he watched as the car drove away.

“This… complicates things,” noted Lucan.

“You think?!”

“Of all people it had to be Toffee.”

“I don’t like the lizard man,” added Kobi.

“Yeah, well, nobody does, that’s the fucking point. Who knows what he will do with her.”

“Toffee isn’t stupid. He will recognize her value.”

“That doesn’t really make it any easier for her. His ‘values’ are fucked up.”

“Agreed. Which is why we are going to retrieve her from him.”

“And how do you intend to do that?”

“With you.”

Kasper gave him a long, empty stare. “You can’t be serious.”

“We are close enough to the HQ now. In the event of an onslaught, we call for backup.”

“HQ won’t risk a full on war with the police department!”

“They will once they learn the value of our mission!”

“That’s crazy! You’re crazy!”

“It is imperative to capture the girl before Toffee realizes her potential. Try to imagine what would happen then.”

“That’s- that’s a good point. But I still don’t like it.”

“Your liking it is not required, only your obedience. Let’s go.”

As they were moving towards local police headquarters, the street was getting weirder and branching out in all directions into smaller roads. Seeing people walking outside was more prevalent, leaving the dark alleys behind. In any other place this would mean increased security. Not here. The only change was the increased means of getting attacked. People living here weren’t fond of bonding, so more likely than not they were forging paths just as a means to an end. Those who actually did stick together were seen as dangerous to the goals of others. And the most coherent group among them all was the Resistance.

Seeing their members walking on the street always piqued interest among locals, but seeing them dressed in fancy dresses from the surface had their full attention. Lucan was aware of this, as well as of the reaction of management, but his resolve couldn’t be shaken by a few uptight rules. He knew that once they learned about the wand and the girl, they would be vindicated. All he had to do was blow up some walls and survive the aftermath.

Instead, it was his plan that blew up. They were on their way when they saw a massive explosion. Someone had beat them to it. People were running and screaming in every direction in pure panic mode. They were used to seeing a regular amount of street violence, but this was too much even for them.

“What is happening here?” said Lucan in disbelief.

Kasper was also looking at the damaged building with an open mouth. “Who would be stupid enough to attack the police like that?! I mean, I admire the pure stupidity of the person, but still. Wait, who is that running away?” Due to the smoke he had trouble recognizing the person’s face, however one short window of clear air was enough for him to realize who it was. “It’s the bitch that wanted to rob the girl! What the fuck does she think she’s doing?!”

Before she disappeared in one of the side alleys, she stopped and yelled: “That’s what you get for fucking with me, you pigs! MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!”

“How the fuck did she get explosives like that?! That’s military grade stuff!”

Lucan had trouble processing the whole scene. The whole time he was chasing the blond girl, always being one step behind, always being careful with every decision he made. And this crazy person just walked in and blew up a huge chunk of wall, made a joke of it and left. He liked challenges, but the constant flow of failures ever since they left the Warnicorn Metro finally got to him.

“We’re going in!”

Kasper looked at him in shock. “Are you crazy?! They’d be onto us the second we step foot inside!”

“This is not up for debate! We are done playing second fiddle! She is in there and we need to collect her while they are stunned. It’s now or never. Now move!”

With the air being filled with thick fog form the explosion and with Kobi on point acting like a plow, the trio went to the rubble surrounding the entrance to the building. The structure itself wasn’t extremely big, as many of its contents were hidden below the ground. Despite that it was still big enough to get lost in it. The explosion gave them two advantages: first, there was no one outside who could watch them entering the precinct, but most importantly the officers inside were either unconscious or barely standing.

“It’s the resistance!”

Alas, there were a few that strongly objected to their presence.

“They broke through to the prison cells!”

“Are they in the basement?!”

“Get the steamhounds! Don’t let them escape!”

Luckily, Kobi and his fist were there to put all of them to sleep with a few good aimed slaps. He was extra motivated to keep them out cold as he hated those awful creatures.

All the major parties in lower Mewni were keeping tabs on each other, so they had a general idea of where to look, though dust and rubble all around them made the search somewhat difficult.

“Do you see the stairs leading down?” asked Lucan.

“Stairs?!” responded Kasper. “I can barely see Kobi and he’s fucking huge! But Lucan, they think we did this!”

“I don't care what they think! Just keep looking! She is somewhere in here! We can’t leave without her!”

Time was pressing them and the dust was setting down too slowly. As the seconds were passing, the weight of the current situation was weighing on them. The longer they were there, the bigger the risk of facing an overwhelming opposing force, against which even Big Boy wouldn’t do much. The diplomatic incident was unavoidable at this point, so the only thing they could hope for was for the HQ to have their backs. And for that they needed the girl.

“I see it!” informed Kobi, triumphantly.

“Where???” asked Lucan.

“In the right corner. There are damaged doors.”

“Excellent work! Go to them and smash them open! We need to hurry!”

It was always fascinating to watch Kobi being so swift for his size. It took him a mere seven seconds to move himself in front of the doors and push them off of their hinges. They made a loud screech and landed a few meters down on the stairwell.

“Go, go, go!”

They found the correct room. They knew that because of Toffee’s limp body lying in the dust. And also because their quarry was gone.

“Where is she?!” shouted Lucan, who was clearly losing it. “WHERE IS SHE?!!!”

“I don’t know, alright?!” yelled back Kasper.

But Kobi kept his cool. “Maybe she escaped by there?” he asked as he was pointing his finger to the rather small entrance in the wall.

Like a hawk suffering from caffeine overdose, he moved his head like lightning to the spot on the neighbouring wall. There was indeed an opening. With a swift movement he came closer and inspected it for clues.

“It’s a small cargo elevator! It looks like she used it to escape! We need to get out!”

Sadly, even his quick thinking wasn’t fast enough to avoid the inevitable.

“Search everything, room by room! Don’t leave a single piece of rubble untouched! We need to find Toffee!”

Kasper was first to react. “Shit! Now what!”

Lucan looked on into the opening. “We can use that to escape!”

“Are you nuts??? That thing is so small that maybe, just maybe I would be able to fit through, but certainly not you and sure as hell not Kobi.”

“No…”

“I’m sorry, but this might be the end of the line for us.”

“NO! I refuse to give up! You… Blow our way out!”

“Did you hit your head?! I’d send this whole thing down onto us!”

“I COMMAND YOU!”

“You can shove your command up your ass! I ain't doing it!”

With the policemen on top, no way out, and Lucan being on the verge of complete mental breakdown, the tension could be sliced into pieces. All seemed hopeless and without a positive resolution in sight.

“Uhm, guys?”

“WHAT?!” they both shouted.

“I think the wand is trying to do something.”

Lucan quickly regained at least part of his sanity. “What?” He quickly took down his backpack and brought out the wand. It was glowing like before, but now the intensity of the light was constantly rising. After mere seconds they couldn’t see anything but bright white light filling up the room. All the sounds and voices subsided and were replaced by a subtle white noise, filling up their minds. Lucan couldn’t focus and neither could Kasper. Kobi, on the other hand, was smiling. He had no problem looking directly into it, as if the ridiculous illumination didn’t bother his eyes at all. He was just standing there, feeling content and happy.

“Yes,” he agreed, although there was no voice heard.

He reached out for the wand, locked his massive palm around it and removed it from Lucan’s grasp. The moment he lost touch with it he was tossed away together with Kasper against the stone wall. The impact was strong, but thankfully not damaging. They carefully tried to stand up, which resulted in painful moans.

“I’m not getting enough money for this kind of shit,” lamented Kasper. “What happened?”

“I haven’t the foggiest. All I know I was holding the wand and then Kobi- Wait.”

“What?”

“Where is the wand?!”

“What do you mean?”

“I was holding it in my hand! And now it’s gone!”

“What the hell?! How is that even possible!”

“I don’t know!”

“Lucan?”

“Yes?”

“Where is Kobi?”

They inspected the place, but aside from Toffee’s motionless body, they were alone. Neither Kobi nor the wand was anywhere to be found.

Kobi’s body was thrown against a wall.

“Ouch!”

It took him a while to sort out his thoughts over the past few seconds. Slightly confused, he looked around. “Guys?” He noticed that he was alone, standing in a narrow alley that ran between a dirty building behind his back and an intriguing one made up from gaudy bricks. The windows on them were covered in dark colors, so he couldn’t see what was inside. Yet strangely he felt he belonged there. It was then that he realized that his hand wasn’t empty. He raised it up and noticed the wand still being securely locked inside his palm.

“I remember now!” he called out happily. “But I need to hide it.” As he was searching for something to cover it with, he saw a familiar object resting on the ground near him. “Lucan’s backpack. But where is he?” Kobi looked around, but he was the only one around. “And where is Kasper?” He once again took a look at the wand. “I can’t wait for them. I promised. I’ll take you there.”

After hiding it inside, he took a journey deeper into the depths of the alley. He wasn’t clear on where exactly he needed to go. The only thing he had was a sense of a general direction in which he should go. The road he was walking on didn’t look like anything special. Aside from the weird looking building, which he never saw before, there was nothing that would tell him he was getting anywhere close to his goal.

His train of thought was abruptly interrupted by a massive explosion behind him.

“What was that?!”

It was this moment when the realization of him being completely alone hit him with full force. There was always someone with him, telling him what to do. The prospect of being on his own terrified him and he had trouble remembering why he was even there. He calmed down a bit after he noticed a colorful glimmer coming from the backpack. He peeked inside and noticed the wand emanating a wide range of colors.

“You’re… welcome,” he responded precariously. This and the weird creaking sound from above were the last thing he remembered before everything went black.

“I see him! Come over here!”

Both men quickly approached Kobi lying unconscious under a pile of rubble.

“Is he alive?”

“I feel his pulse and I don’t see any fracture on his back or head. He looks fine, just beaten.”

“Wake him up.”

The man took a small vial and let him smell its contents. It didn’t take long for him to abruptly wake up and start to catch his breath.

“Relax, slow down your breathing. You’re under some rubble, but otherwise alive. Can you stand up?”

Kobi tried to recognize the two men standing over him. “Kasper? Lucan?”

“Can you stand up?” Kasper repeated.

“Y-Yeah, I- I think so.” It took him some effort, but the debris wasn’t too heavy.

“Where were you all this time?” asked Lucan.

“I don’t understand.”

“You were lost for two weeks. Where were you?”

“Two weeks? But I came here a minute ago.”

“After you escaped with the wand and my backpack, we crawled through the elevator shaft. We barely made it out. But you were nowhere to be seen. We tried to come back a few days later and searched for you, but you were simply gone.”

“Bu- I’m not…” Confused, he looked at Kasper.

“Don’t look at me.”

“I don’t- Wand told me to go here. I thought this is where the girl is. I came here and then I saw that thing falling onto me and then… Kasper woke me up.”

“Is that so? Where is the wand then?”

“It’s right…” He pointed to the place where he expected it to be. “...there. Where- I had it in your backpack.”

“The backpack is here, but it’s empty.”

Kobi didn’t know what to say.

“Us, being surrounded at the police station? That happened two weeks ago.”

“Two weeks? I remember… touching the wand and then being here.”

“Why did you even touch it, Kobi?”

“It spoke to me.”

“Really? It talked to you?”

“Yes. It wanted me to take it here.”

“Why?”

“I thought it was telling me where the girl is. I knew how much you wanted to get to her, so I just did it. I shouldn’t do that?”

“Kobi, whatever I or Kapser think is meaningless. The HQ believes you’re an inside man.”

“Who?”

“Yeah, that’s what I kept telling them. But after they learned what we were bringing back and that we failed, they got… upset.”

“But I was trying-”

“Look, the moment we detected a magical surge, they wanted to send a security detail to investigate it. But I convinced them that in case it’ll be you, it would be more prudent if we would bring you in.”

“Bring me… in?”

“I’m sorry, Kobi, but it’s out of my hands. Was for two weeks now.”

He looked confused and scared at both of them. Even Kasper wasn’t happy with the situation.

“Come. You have a lot to answer for.”

#pillars of magic #fanfic #star butterfly #star vs the forces of evil

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alteredphoenix · 5 years

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One Night on the Wild Hunt (WIP)(Tales of Berseria Modern AU one-shot)(Velvet/Eleanor)

A/N: I don’t do romance often. In fact, I’m quite awkward around it, although people that know me are well aware of my stance on dabbling with it (because it’s the highest selling genre in literature, I find it much too easy where it concerns making a quick buck; I would much rather prefer a challenge).

I don’t really ship, either; I’m very particular with what I choose, and I don’t like all the dramatic naval combat that is packaged with it.

But when I find something I do ship, I latch onto it. I dabble with it. I wonder “How may I contribute to this fandom with my own special brand?”

So I surprise myself that the only actual pairing I’m into in any fandom is Velvet/Eleanor (I find it hard taking Magilou seriously, Eizen’s just there, Laphicet is still an absolute NO BUENO regardless of what the /ss/ posters on /v/ swear, and Rokurou has the personality of a cardboard box plus reminds me way too much of my father to want to ship him with anyone a.k.a. he’s loonier than me!).

There are three other one-shots that take place in this modern AU (that is inspired and based on Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas aesthetics), usually for me to mess with if I want practice treading through unfamiliar waters. While I’m inclined to make remarks about Rumiko Takahashi setting the precedent for slow-burn romances, I’m often tempted with the idea to see how long I can stretch these bad boys out before I - or someone else, or perhaps everyone - has enough and wants such consummation to be over and done with.

But I digress, even if the dog in these stories (who is indeed an Undertale OC and cameos from my Heroes of the Storm anthology, “First Impressions”, but none of that really plays into these fics) thinks otherwise.

(I’ve had this sitting in my USB since August and haven’t felt compelled to touch it again until I saw that Talonted from AO3 name-dropped me as an inspiration for their Veleanor fic “Viennese Waltz”. I don’t know if you have a Tumblr or lurk it, hon, but if you should see this, this preview’s for you, as a token of my gratitude.)

A jingle of wind chimes rings sweet in the air, clear and loud.

Doodle barks, and there’s a clatter of nails on the cement (nails that are too long, Velvet thinks, and remembers that she keeps telling herself—as well as forgetting--she’s going to trim them so he can stop sliding across the kitchen floor) as he gets up on his paws and all but pushes his nose, ever cold and ever wet, against her bare leg.

DON’T LOOK NOW, HERE COMES TROUBLE.

Velvet turns away from the motorcycle and looks.

“Woof!” says Doodle.

Velvet doesn’t see him, tongue lolling and tail wagging.

She doesn’t even hear him, nor feel the shock of him slamming his nose into her a second time.

(She will think, later on, that she will have to go see the doctor when her next paycheck comes in. Shortness of breath and heart palpitations can be a sign of something much more serious if left unchecked and untreated. Such nasty, dreadful, obnoxious things; they make it so hard to focus that everything just

falls

away.)

Whoa, Velvet thinks; and if anyone were to ask her, as she stands still and time passes all around her, what words she would like to have on her tombstone, that alone would be the one. Of course, that requires talking, and at this moment her brain had suddenly forgotten how to string more than two syllables together.

So it compels her to do the next best thing to keep her alive: breathe.

And so she does, eyes tunneling in on Eleanor as she closes and locks the door behind her. She’s dressed for work, in a pair of (FORM-FITTING, her mind reels) slacks and a white button-down blouse with the collar popped and the sleeves rolled up to just below the elbows. There’s a cute little leather purse hanging off one arm and a dark blue cardigan over the other that pulls away from the doorknob, keys in hand on a metal ring – and it’s the big kind of ring, the one prison guards like to carry and hook onto their belts that hold their handcuffs, blackjack, and gun all over the front; but the belt she wears is thin, and black, and it’s a miracle that shirt is stuffed any further south than it already is. It makes it look her chest is about to--

Velvet breathes.

She jolts, suddenly, when Doodle makes those heavy panting noises that means he’s spazzing out on all fours and bashes that hammer-head skull of his against her one more time.

That blows all the fog away, and suddenly Velvet feels small. There’s grass, and there are trees, flowers of all different colors in the bushes and in the boxes underneath the window sills. There are little white butterflies fluttering through the air, even a dragonfly. Distantly, on the other side of the block, someone’s blasting hip-hop. Somewhere, on the other side of the world, the moon sits in a dark sky crowned by stars.

Eleanor’s hair is down, tapering off just beneath her shoulder blades. Long and flowing and bright red; au naturale, not the fake shit people like to put on their scalps with chemicals that are harmful for your roots and the environment. This is something you’d see from a late-night anime with the main female character...except every one of those redheaded MCs were fake and much too extra (whatever the flying hell that meant; teenage, internet lingo evolves worse than a Pokemon), and--

And: When did she grow it out?

My goodness. It looks so soft.

“Woof!” Doodle says. Standing a few feet away from her, not quite crossing the strip of lawn that divides their little abodes but far away enough on the driveway for him to outrun her if she gives chase, he looks back at her. Smiling.

TODAY IS SUNDAY. YOU ARE OFF. SHE IS NOT.

SAY SOMETHING.

IT’S NOW OR NEVER.

(Now see, a lot of things can be interpreted from that single statement.

But there’s no time to waste on weighing moral conundrums of the sexual variety, and in spite of all the goodwill and religious upbringing she’s had in her life, Eleanor, like all normal, rationally minded humans trying to survive, loves seeing her well-earned gald go into her well-earned bank accounts.)

YOU CAN DO IT.

Velvet does. “Good morning. Little early to be painting the town red, don’t you think?”

(For one very brief, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment, out of the corner of her eye, a shadow flits over Doodle’s face. Just a bird, a voice in Velvet’s head whispers. Robins and cardinals and blue jays going around to feed their chicks and do whatever the hell they feel like.

She doesn’t recall hearing any birds chirping and tweeting and doing birdly things. At least, so far as she could tell. Strange; her memory’s usually pretty good at remembering.)

#tales of berseria #one night on the wild hunt #velvet crowe #Eleanor hume #veleanor #fanfiction #mywriting #undertale #annoying dog

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saomarathesavage-archived · 5 years

Text

Text messages and phone calls (The Noatak Horror), part 3

Story under readmore (It should go without saying that I’ve never been to the Noatak preserve or Alaska. Sorry if I get so much of this wrong.)

(An hour after Alora’s video, Elisi calls Nadia’s phone.)

Nadia: (in a panic) Hello?!

Elisi: It’s me. So--

Nadia: (shouting) OH MY GOD, ARE YOU AND ALORA ALRIGHT, WHAT HAPPENED, WHAT WERE THOSE THINGS, WHERE ARE YOU RIGHT NOW, HOW--

Elisi: (during that, groans in annoyance, and barks in a mom voice) HEY!

(Nadia quiets)

Elisi: (calmer tone, sounds tired and 1000% done) What are you going on about?

Nadia: Alora sent me a message on her phone an hour ago. A video. You were both hurt, and surrounded by those things--

Elisi: (still sounds done) She FILMED what happened? Instead of getting us out? Fucking millennial...

Nadia: Elisi, what the hell happened?!

Elisi: (sighs) Give me a second, I’m still patching up my wounds.

Nadia: Wh-you can talk and do that at the same time! Or hand the phone to Alora! Where is she?!

Elisi: No idea. I woke up alone.

Nadia: What?

Elisi: Okay, okay, so... we were taking the gyre to Anchorage, and we hit something big enough to get knocked off the rails and into the wall. We got flung off and I can remember hearing a bunch of squeaks like mice, or my kids when I come home with lunch. Next thing I know, I’m waking up by the river bank with my face covered in my own blood, and a bunch of teeth marks on my legs.

Nadia: Oh my god...

Elisi: What was in the video?

Nadia: Alora got the creatures on video, alive. There were.... she said hundreds maybe thousands of them... and something roared at her down the tunnel and gave chase.

Nadia: Elisi, I think all these small trolls are babies. And whatever chased Alora was a parent.

Elisi: Shit

Nadia: Do you really need to swear?

Elisi: Please tell me the acceptable word I should be saying after learning I have essentially troll mice who are eating everything and everyone in my goddamn nature reserve?!

Nadia:

Elisi:

Nadia: ...not a swear?

Elisi: Whatever. So, what did the babies and mama frograts look like?

Nadia: The babies look like the statues, some were smaller and bigger, they were swarming so Alora was right about them being pack hunters.

Nadia: Couldn’t get a good look at the mother. The footage was grainy and dark. I had to turn the brightness of my phone up to get an outline.

Elisi: Ooooo, lookit the forensic investigator at work, using the high tech gadgets on her phone.

Nadia: Alora’s sarcasm doesn’t look good on you.

Elisi: Sorry. I’m tired and stressed, just caught my breath, trying to calm down and wondering what to do. So, what does she look like?

Nadia: Again, I just have an outline. Large four clawed hands, bigger version of the statues, scaled like bird claws. Covered in fur, not sure about the color. The eyes look to be a head tall and wide, and based on the eyeshine are yellow. The mouth seemed to be the length of the tunnel.

Elisi: There is no goddamn way.

Nadia: I’ve watched the video over and over again, trying to get a good visual. She seems to take up the entire tunnel. If it’s a she. Might be a he. Or neither. Alora thinks it’s a she.

Elisi: Hmm... Either way, none of these sound like trolls I’ve ever heard of. If they’re trolls at all.

Nadia: What about the cadavers? It’s the same as dead trolls exposed to sunlight.

Elisi: See, here’s the thing. I’m on a neighbor’s land, hoping to get a ride to my home. And, um... he’s dead.

Nadia: Oh! Oh no. Elisi, I’m so sorry.

Elisi: So am I, but not as sorry as these frograts are gonna be. The thing is, he doesn’t even look like he was attacked or eaten by a troll. The body is just up the hill. Drained of blood.

Nadia: (horrified and confused) What?

Elisi: DRAINED. OF. BLOOD. He’s a goddamn husk! Just the blood! JUST! THE! BLOOD! I mean, what happened to his dog is normal, it’s been ripped to shreds and the bones are near picked clean. THAT’s troll carnage there; makes sense for a hoard of little ones. But why drain the human and only the human?

Nadia: Elisi?

Elisi: (calms down a bit) Yes?

Nadia: Are you sure? Drained of blood?

Elisi: Yeah. Four puncture wounds in his chest, and everything’s there BUT blood. So...

Nadia: This... helps to narrow down what these things are. If the babies kill and maim like trolls, but the adults drain blood... I have to admit, this isn’t something trolls naturally do.

Elisi: Yeah. Look, how about you get in on that research. I’m going to patch up, and find a way to get to my family and make sure they’re alright.

Nadia: What about Alora?

Elisi: Any word from her since the video?

Nadia: No! I’ve called and texted. Nothing.

Elisi: She’s a Shard too, whatever happens, she can’t die. Keep me posted if she answers. I’m sorry, Nadia, I have babies at my house. Babies I need to keep safe above all other forms of life.

Nadia: ...I understand. Call me back when you get there?

Elisi: Okay. Stay strong, sis. We’re going to be okay.

Nadia: Okay. I’ll talk to you soon, Elisi. Please be careful.

Elisi: Yep yep. Talk to you later.

(they both hang up)

(Text sent from Alora’s phone to Nadia’s phone, twenty minutes later)

Alora: Bitch

Alora: btch

Alora: bitch

Alora: Bitch

Nadia: ??? Alora? Are you alright?

Alora: bintch

Alora: No

Alora: typing with one hand

Alora: hurts

Alora: pans

Alora: pain

Alora: fucking spell checks

Nadia: Alora, calm down. Where are you?

Alora: Nest

Nadia: A nest? Of those trolls?

Alora: Yeah

Alora: Eaten

Alora: Again

Alora: Hate it

Nadia: I’ll call Elisi and tell her where you are

Alora: No

Alora: Food

Alora: Me food

Alora: won’t hunt

Alora: Keep her talking

Nadia: Do you mean the mother troll? She can talk?

Alora: Yeah

Alora: First tongue

Nadia: First tongue? She speaks the oldest troll language?

Alora: Yeah

Alora: No English or trail

Alora: Troll

Alora: Saomara

Nadia: Is that her name?

Alora: Yeah

Alora: Told me

Nadia: Old name. First tongue.

Alora: Frozen

Nadia: Frozen?

Alora: Thawed

Alora: Woke up

Alora: Swam

Alora: Eggs

Alora: Hunt

Alora: Basically that

Alora: Tired

Nadia: Okay, listen, I think I can get you out of there. Are you alone right now?

Alora: Nope

Alora: Hatching

Alora: Feeding soon

Nadia: Listen, I can teleport you out just like in Killahead. Give the word. Should I do it now?

Alora: No

Alora: NO

Alora: SHE’S COMING

Nadia: Okay. Stay strong. Give me a signal when you’re ready. I’ll get you home, I promise.

(There’s no further response from Alora)

(Elisi calls Nadia’s phone the next morning)

Nadia: Elisi? Are you okay? Where are you?

Elisi: Home. Everyone’s fine. Nothing even looks out of the ordinary. Piri tended to my wounds. I should regenerate completely by tonight.

Nadia: Oh thank god. And the bad baby trolls?

Elisi: (chuckles) Bad babies?

Nadia: Yes. Any sign of them on your way back?

Elisi: Oh yeah. Lots of them. Looks like they’ve been digging tunnels underground. I found a bunch of holes just off the river banks. Lots of small bones, and more dead frograt statues. I don’t understand why there’s so many dead ones. Like, are they just walking out into the sunlight willy nilly, not knowing what happened?

Nadia: Yes.

Elisi: ...that sounded confident.

Nadia: I found out what they are. If you have a moment I can tell you.

Elisi: Everyone’s asleep and I’m in bed recovering. All I have is time. What did you find?

Nadia: Alora managed to contact me. She’s in the mother’s nest, being used as a food source for the hatching babies.

Elisi: (extremely alarmed) Oh shit! What?! How did she manage to--

Nadia: She’s not a happy camper, I can certainly say that. The good news is that she’s gotten the troll to start talking. It’s name is Saomara--

Elisi: Wow. That’s an ancient name. Like Victoria, or Gladys, or Pepper Pompadour.

Nadia: Older! Like caveman old!

Elisi: Yeah, I know. Go on.

Nadia: She’s indeed female, and she speaks in the First Tongue.

Elisi: ...so it’s a caveman era troll?

Nadia: Exactly! She was frozen in a glacier thousands upon thousands of years ago! But the ice melted a couple of years ago. She must have come from Syberia or somewhere in that area, because she swam the Berring Straight to get here.

Elisi: ....to fucking Noatak?!

Nadia: But the hundreds to thousands of babies, big enough to fill the gyre tunnels, Syberia, frozen for thousands of years, AND can drain blood? I’ve found what she is!

Elisi: Well, don’t keep me in suspense, woman!

Nadia: She’s an Evlakeel!

Elisi: ...

Nadia: ???

Elisi: ...what’s that?

Nadia: It’s a tribe of prehistoric trolls. Just like what you’ve seen, they breed like rabbits, but they don’t care for the hatchlings until they reach a certain age. Because of this, the babies tend to die off in droves! The mother only cares for those who’ve managed to survive on their own.

Elisi: Ugh. That’s awful.

Nadia: They’re an extremely aggressive species and because they can multiply so fast and grow their territory so quickly, they would become a huge nuisance to everyone around them. They would eat any animal, person, or troll they came across, not caring for conservation or any other form of life. Left unchecked, they could strip the world of everything in a matter of months.

Elisi: Sounds like Gunmar. Only one who just keeps making babies by the sound of it.

Nadia: Yes! A female will lay up to one million eggs a season! Almost non stop! For the entire season! The good news is that the chance of survival due to non parenting is very bad for the little ones. One in a thousand make it to the next stage of development, THEN she will start caring for them, and will do so VERY protectively. So, once she stops laying, the number of her brood should drop to.... maybe a hundred?

Elisi: Still doesn’t sound much better. I need to get these prehistoric pests off my land!

Nadia: I do hear you. The species is supposed to be extinct; hunted by other tribes of trolls because of their natural overpopulation. Looks like this one survived somehow.

Elisi: It’s not unheard of for trolls to be frozen solid in ice, or petrified deep within the earth. Survival stories do happen. Jeez... why this one, though? This one sucks.

Nadia: Yeah. So, now we know what we’re up against. Now we just need a plan of attack.

Elisi: How did the trolls from the past exterminate the Evlakeel?

Nadia: I assume how they killed other things. Primitive weapons, larger numbers, fire, larger trolls... Must have looked like a much messier Battle of Killahead. Only it wasn’t a war. It was genocide.

Elisi: I mean... if they’re gonna be assholes about what they do...

Nadia: What I am thinking is if she can talk, she can be reasoned with. We could try talking to her and maybe try to find a peaceful solution.

Elisi: No.

Nadia: I-- what? But--

Elisi: If she doesn’t control her brood, they’re going to wipe out every animal, fish, bird, insect, plant, AND human by the end of summer! THEY won’t be reasoned with. It’s my responsibility to make sure NONE of those unholy vermin survive. And once they’re all gone, I’ll deal with the mother personally.

Nadia: Listen to yourself. If you go after the older brood, the mother will come after you!

Elisi: GOOD! Lemme kill the source of the eggs first, then mop up the mess over the summer. Sounds GREAT!

Nadia: Elisi--

Elisi: WHY WOULD YOU REASON WITH THIS MONSTER?! YOU NEVER CAME HERE! YOU HAVEN’T SEEN WHAT I’VE SEEN! YOU’VE NEVER EVEN SEEN MY HOME! THIS BASIN IS MY HOME! I’VE RAISED SIXTEEN GENERATIONS OF WHELPS HERE! I HAVE A HOME AND FAMILY TO PROTECT AND IF YOU CAN’T RESPECT THAT--

Nadia: Elisi!

Elisi: --THEN I’M NOT LISTENING TO ANYTHING ELSE YOU NEED TO SAY! IF YOU WON’T HELP, THEN DON’T CALL AGAIN!

Nadia: I WILL HELP!

Elisi: Yeah, how?

Nadia: You’re right. The babies can’t be reasoned with. They all have to be exterminated. It may be possible to move the mother somewhere else. Or determine a way to find her at her weakest. Elisi, I will help you. I’ll help save your family and your home. I’m just trying to find the fastest solution.

Elisi: (after a minute of silence) Fine. Just find your fast solution FAST!

Nadia: I’ll do a bit more research and get back to you. I also need to see to Alora. I don’t think she’s going to last much longer.

Elisi: Alright.

Nadia: Get some rest. I’ll give you a call tonight, okay?

Elisi: Yeah.

Nadia: Rest well, sister.

Elisi: Yeah, you too. (hangs up)

(Texts sent from Alora’s phone to Nadia’s during the phone conversation)

Alora: Bitch

Alora: bitch

Alora: binch

Alora: btch

Alora: super bitch

Alora: super bitchy

Alora: bitch

Alora: gonna eat my hands

(The texts stop)

#Shard sisters #The Noatak Horror #Saomara's backstory #TO BE CONTINUED!

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