#xeno when he's about to get in trouble for not being in bed an hour before midnight: wow queen you're so beautiful

[xencs]

11 pm. an hour before midnight. this, according to all his research, was the perfect time to summon the woodsmaster. he was in spider silk robes he had sewn himself, with a large leaf secured on his head via magic. “laevo vapum,” he said. nothing happened. “laevo va... who’s there!” he pointed his wand in the direction of the other presence.

through his smoky glasses, he took in the sight. oh, merlin. he would know that face anywhere, even in the faint light of the moon. he chuckled anxiously. “alice crouch...” he coughed. the grasshoppers on his head chirped. really not an ideal look for when a prefect, who also happens to be a girl you used to kinda date, is confronting you for breaching curfew. “i don’t know why, but you’re even more beautiful tonight than you usually are. has anyone told you?” @henrvkas

[sidgenoabofest]

Remember, you can write for as many or as few prompts as you’d like! And check out the updated FAQ and Timeline pages or send us an Ask if your have any questions. Happy writing! 

1. Mpreg

2. Courting

3. Omega/Omega

4. Jealous mate

5. Lactation kink

6. Mermaid a/b/o au

7. Mail order bride!!!

8. Subversion/Inversion

9. Non-traditional dynamics

10. Very elaborative courting

11. oral knotting + cock warming

12. Geno’s first heat in America.

13. Little Drummer Girl au but a/b/o

14. alpha/alpha first time taking a knot

15. a xeno take on heat and abo dynamics

16. Geno falling for Ace!Sid in an a/b/o au

17. Mutual pining where they’re both Alpha’s

18. Hockey player Alpha Geno, non hockey Sid

19. Alpha!Geno’s dick is too big when he knots

20. Geno and Anna (alphas) try to woo Sid (omega)

21. Regency AU arranged marriage with shy omega Sid

22. Rival teammates and one goes into heat mid game

23. a/b/o dynamics based on lions, rather than wolves

24. beta/omega; first time going through heat together

25. Alpha-Alpha dynamic going into rut on the team plane

26. cockwarming as self-care and/or somebody's love language

27. Sometimes Sid will let Geno fuck his thighs and let him knot.

28. Alien Alpha Sid captures Earthling Omega Geno in his tractor beam

29. Snowed in and/or cabin fic where one of them goes into heat or rut

30. Mafia boss Geno, with husband omega Sid, who is still a boss in his own right

31. Sid's knot takes forever to go down. They work around it with cosy movie nights.

32. Alpha Sid being all worked up over pregnant geno.... and perhaps overly protective…

33. Sid being scent blind and falling in love with Geno the long way, while Geno pines and pines

34. Sid goes into a full on mating heat at the West Point hill climb, Geno fights off all comers.

35. Geno is intersex, with physical characteristics of both alpha and omega. Sid's into all of him.

36. Evgeni always goes to Sidney post heat (or rut). It’s one of many things they don’t talk about.

37. During a goal celebration, Sid and Geno experience a spontaneous bond. It freaks all involved out.

38. Alpha/Alpha rival knight au or Alpha knight and Omega squire? Just something with romance and armour.

39. Tired of being teased and the punchlines of locker room jokes, Sid asked Geno to take his virginity/knot him.

40. Geno and Sid as two alphas who pine for each other and try to pretend they don’t want each other, but they do.

41. sid has a kink for fucking new brides, so omega geno dresses up in bridal lingerie and begs sid to knock him up

42. Alphas and omegas will fuck betas, but they don’t end up staying with them. This is what Sidney knows from experience.

43. Medieval abo au, Sid's castle is small and he and Geno have to consummate their marriage in front of all of Sid's patrons

44. omega/omega pregnancy kink, no getting pregnant angst, just skip right to the good stuff: already pregnant and horny about it.

45. rookie sid and geno are still a bit too young for a real heat, so they put in some practice together and things get out of hand

46. “i’m rich and i’m not supposed to talk to servants but the person that scrubs my floor is really cute” (/smells fucking amazing)

47. New relationship during the holidays and somebody forgot to take their suppressant and goes into rut in between dinner and dessert

48. Omega Sid and alpha Geno hook up, it's a one night stand. Sid notices he's pregnant a couple weeks after and goes to hunt down Geno

49. Baby NHL omegas come to Sid for advice on omegas working with alphas, dating etiquette with alphas and what its like to get knotted by an alpha.

50. Alpha Geno courting Omega Sid to be allowed to mate him, over expensive gifts to dinner invitations to being possessive and protective on the ice

51. Sid can’t stand being touched or scent marked by strangers, but Geno’s never been that to him. (Authors choice re: what designations they each have)

52. Regency AU: Mr Sidney Crosby is as well know for his big estate and he wealth as he is for being an omega who tops all the alpha gentlemen he take to his bed

53. Sid is always yapping on the bench, but in relationships his communication skills go right down the drain when he has a cold and can't rely on scent cues for help.

54. you rescued me from the creepy person that was hitting on me in the bar and i’m glad you did because MMHMMM you are hot and smell like nothing i’ve ever smelled before

55. Sid is a beta who Geno always calls on when he goes into heat/rut. It’s fun and no strings attached and they’re friends. Only Geno slowly realises he wants more than that

56. one is an omega and the other is a beta (the inherent convenience of a self-slicking butthole; the beta figuring out how to satisfy their partner in heat, who can go for HOURS)

57. Only werewolves are a/b/o’s, humans are just humans. As a general rule human!Sid stays out of wolf business but Evgeni keeps making it his business by acting like Sidney’s *his.*

58. sid being teased relentlessly for his big alpha dick in the locker room, and loving it, kinda strutting around naked but also going all pink, and geno really LOOKING for the first time

59. Sid has been on high level suppressants since juniors and nobody knows if he's hiding being an alpha or an omega. Geno has been curious for YEARS but never asked, till something happens.

60. One of their alpha/omega statuses doesn't kick in until after retirement-- they spent a good portion of life thinking they were a beta but now that shit is going BANANAS. Puberty at age 40

61. Sid/Geno/Anna where Sid + Geno are both Omegas and have banded together like "we don't need any alpha nonsense" but then Geno meets Alpha Anna at the Olympics and shit gets real, real fast.

62. Tradition has it, your mate is supposed to smell best to you. But Sid usually smells like old milk. How the fuck is Geno supposed to work around that? Because Sid is definitely the one he wants.

63. Alpha Sid's enthralled with Geno's omega trills. Geno's kind of a picky eater (like he's picky about everything) Sid revels in the challenge of finding snacks and gifts that will make Geno trill

64. geno's heats come on fast and with no warning, sometimes in the middle of a game, so once in a while sid can help a buddy out and slip geno some fingers to just get him through to the intermission

65. Established Sid and Geno who have not bonded for some reason (is one beta? are they waiting for something?), with a side of whoops, accidentally bonded to someone else in a heat-related medical emergency.

66. You’re an actor/other famous person that I really admire and I just saw you in the street and as I was debating whether or not to say hi you came up to me and started flirting what do I do?? (but make it hockey abo)

67. Sexual dysfunction: Maybe an alpha who's having trouble knotting, or a bata having a hard time staying hard his fist time dating an omega, or an omaga who's having issues self lubricating. Emotional comfort through sex!

68. Camboy or porn AU where the one who does sex work specializes in alpha/alpha or omega/omega porn. Ideally the one watching is still an NHL player and has some complicated feelings around their own same-gender preferences.

69. one is an alpha and the other is a beta (first time getting knotted and being overwhelmed by it plus like LOTS of lube; or the alpha likes getting fucked but doesn't like to be knotted so a beta partner is the perfect option)

70. omega/omega sid figuring out how to top geno's giant peach ass when omegas aren't particularly well-endowed (dick-extending knotting dildo? practicing flexibility? finger-shaped bruises trying to keep those cheeks pried open?)

71. Green card heat bond au! The KHL don’t want to release Geno from his contract to let him play in the NHL. It’s becoming messy and it looks like the Penguins may lose their legal case when someone suggests a heat bond green card.

72. Trophy wife Geno: He likes to be pampered, he like his valour track suits, he likes lounging around in fur coats, and he likes getting knotted when Sid comes back from a win...and maybe even more when he comes back from a loss…

73. Heatfic PWP set during Geno’s rookie year when he barely speaks any English. Up to you which one is in heat—I just like the idea of Sid and Geno trying awkwardly to communicate & then not really needing to once instinct takes over.

74. Beauty and the beats/ or some kind of monster au. Geno is saved by Beast!Sid and nursed back to health in his castle. By the end Geno is as in love with the monster as he is with Sid's other self. This could be any dynamic combination.

75. Sid’s concussion messing up his alpha or omega cycle, or maybe delaying him from differentiating. Everyone calls him a late bloomer, which Sid doesn’t care about except when he sometimes sees Geno post heat/rut and feels confusing stuff

76. ABO specific sex toys: training knots for omega's, dilators for alphas and betas who want to sleep with other alphas, knotting flashlights, double headed dildos for omega/omega pairs? The list goes on! The only limit is your imagination.

77. Geno - omega who's never gone into heat. Maybe he never will. Despite the pessimism of his younger years, this has turned out to fine, because he and Sid have an excellent and well-established sex life regardless, and SID's heats are pretty great for both of them.

78. Nontraditional abo dynamic frat au: Either with alphas, betas, and omegas all in the same house or maybe separate different fraternities? It could be two competing alpha's from different frat houses? or maybe a beta at an omega house party feeling *very overwhelmed*

79. Geno breaks up after bonding with someone. It’s sudden and it happens mid-season and he can’t go home to lick his wounds so instead his bond-withdrawal becomes a team issue. The trainers and medics all have opinions and advice, but it’s Sid who gets him through the worst of it.

80. Omega Sid is wedded to foreign Prince Alpha Geno because male Omegas are rare and a 'sign to God'. The marriage is a sign of goodwill from the people of Sid's kingdom, he's a low noble but his Omega status makes him more worthy. They meet for the first time in front of the altar

81. Omega Sid is ‘President’ of the NHL omega groupchat/association, Sid and Seguin have a friendship forged through both declaring they “dont need no Alpha!” But cant stop having ‘issues’ with their closest Alpha on their teams. Sid-Seguin gossipy omega friendship as they explore life getting closer to alphas (Geno, Benn)

82. Beta Sid's the king of locker room talk and all the rowdy shenanigans that go on there. He flirts with everyone shamelessly and Geno has no idea how he's supposed to tell if Sid's being serious or not when he tells Geno to "take a picture, it will last longer" or something to that degree. (He really wants Sid to be serious).

83. Age difference Coach Sid/ Rookie Geno au. Geno needs to get bonded to be allowed to travel overseas and play for the Penguins. Sid agrees to be his alpha without really thinking about it until Geno shows up wide-eyed and perky at his front door and things just derail from there. (and by derail I mean office sex at the arena.)

84. Sid is an Omega but pretends to be a suppressed alpha as omegas are considered special and rare, almost local celebrities unto themselves, plus most wouldnt want to see an Omega risking injury playing professional sport. The presence of an ideal Alpha in Geno is making it harder and harder to hide his omega side and instincts.

85. After the NHL All Star Game, alpha Sid ends up with omega Geno’s gear bag. Sid doesn’t realize the mix-up until he gets home. When he opens the bag, he instantly recognizes the smell of omega arousal, and a couple of things become clear: Geno was getting hot while playing in the ASG, and Sid has unfettered, private access to Geno’s scent.

86. Pirates of the Caribbean/Black Sails au—Zhenya is a wealthy young omega hostage on pirate Sid's ship. In the end Sid can’t follow through and hand Zhenya over to the people who want him in exchange for gold. (or maybe Zhenya offers knowledge of something better for them to steal in order to save himself and they fall in love during the adventure)

87. Someone tried to take advantage of Sid while in heat/rut; it’s something that Geno hears whispers of when he is a rookie, but no one talks about it and Geno doesn’t have a nearly good enough grasp on English to try. He just stays later to practice with Sid and sits next to him at clubs and uses his body to block people when they try to touch Sid.

88. After years of dancing around their feelings, AlphaGeno and OmegaSid start ‘hooking up’ and then accidentally bond in The Playoffs bubble. This is a problem because newly bonded omegas tend to become bratty and act out in many ways and try to test their alpha, sometimes taunting other alphas to see if their own alpha will come defend them. Chaos on and off the ice ensues.

89. Werewolf/abo au: an unsuspecting Geno (omega or beta) comes across Alpha Sid's pack (maybe on a full moon run or Sid helps him with car troubles in a snow storm or maybe Geno visits Sid's pack after moving to the area as a gesture of good will.) Either way, Sid knows as soon as he sees Geno that he wants him for his bond mate, and will do whatever it takes to get him to agree.

90. Geno scent marking Sid; maybe they’re not bonded or in a relationship but Sid is *his*; his captain, his friend, the person who laughs at Geno’s jokes and exchanges knowing looks with Geno whenever one of their teammates does something dumb. It’s possessive and technically rude, but whatever. Sid likes it, Geno argues when someone (Flower, probably) tries to call him out for it.

91. Rookie Geno is ultra-competitive about everything from who goes last out of the locker room to how many eggs he can eat in a minute. Everyone sees it as Geno locking horns with Sid, competing as young alphas do. Only, Sid doesn’t seem offended or annoyed. If anything, he seems delighted and more than a little turned on. (Bonus points if everybody is wrong about one of them being an alpha).

92. Alpha sid being possessive and jealous over oblivious omega geno and maybe getting into a fight (throw in some alpha ovi shipping these idiots but also teasing sid about his and geno’s past hookups because he might be onboard the Sid geno train but he’s also a sassy bitch about it) bonus if it also has backy/ovi (if we squint not here to take the spotlight away from the two headed monster)

93. Mail Order Alpha AU: To Play in the KHL Omega Geno needs to be bonded. Metallurge team management offers him many options for Russian suitors, but Geno being Geno doesn’t like being told what to do. Instead of accepting any of those, he finds himself a nice Canadian alpha on "mail order bride" message boards. Bonus points for slightly awkward but also hot “bonding night scene” and Sid charming Geno's family with his broken Russian.

94. Sid never joins in with any of the rowdy locker room talk about hook ups/sex/knots/heats/ruts. Some of the guys joke it’s because Sid’s a virgin or frigid. Geno knows that isn’t true, because they hooked up one time when they were rookies. In retrospect he thinks it was probably Sid’s first time, and he knows he messed it up because instead of talking to Sid and seeing if they had anything real, Geno got back together with Oksana. It’s been years since then, and he and Sid are friends, but sometimes Geno wonder’s ‘what if...’

95. Geno broke an Alpha/Omega bond when he escaped from Russia to come to the NHL. He promised himself he’d never bond with anyone else ever again. He’d just have fun. And he is having fun fucking around. He was never allowed to do that at home. He probably shouldn’t be doing it in the west because he’s getting a reputation but he doesn’t care. He’s free and no one can tell him what to do. It’s his life and his choices and he’s never going to bond with anyone ever again. Only without noticing he finds himself falling for his best friend, Sidney.

96. nesting!! it can be because one of them is pregnant, or something bond/hormone related, or just a pre-heat behavior, but i love fics where the omega partner is secretly stealing the other one's clothes and small personal belongings to make a nice safe nest/den in a closet or spare room or even a trainer's room at the rink. i especially love this trope if the nesting partner is a little embarrassed or evasive about it, lol. my heart says it's sid who's building a nest out of geno's things (and being a little squirrely about it trying to keep it secret) but i think an omega!geno version would also be delightful.

97. Demisexual!Sid in an a/b/o world where designation/romance/sex has never been a big deal to him. He’s never understood his teammates stories of losing their minds with heat lust, or falling in love at first scent or losing days in bed with someone riding out their heat/rut or anything like that. Most people tell him, he’ll understand one day when the right alpha/omega/beta comes along or question if something is wrong with his designation/him. Geno never does. For the longest time Geno is one of the few friends who doesn’t think anything is wrong with him. But the problem with friends is sometimes Sid falls for them.

98. I'd love to read an a/b/o fic involving an unplanned pregnancy. Maybe they're in some kind of casual fwb arrangement off and on for years, or maybe they just hooked up the one time and had tacitly agreed to never speak of it again. I'd read pretty much any take on this prompt -- an Obvious Child-esque version where they decide to have an abortion but also realize they have feelings for each other; a version where they decide to have a baby but both think the other just wants to be friends and co-parents (not romantically involved); a version where the pregnancy forces them to reckon with their true feelings for each other... really, anything goes!

99. Loser's sacrifice / victor's prize fic, version 1: Geno wasn't drafted by the Pens, and he and Sid have spent their whole careers as rival captains (you can decide if it's a no-love-lost rivalry or just mutual respect for each other or a hatesex chemistry type dynamic). The Pens lose to Sid's team, and Sid offers himself to Geno as the victor's prize. (I'd read any version of this, but I'd especially love an alpha!Geno / omega!Sid fic where Sid's the only omega captain in a predominantly alpha league -- and this creates some weird tensions, because the sacrifice is supposed to be about the humiliation of an alpha having to submit to another alpha. Maybe Sid doesn't usually accept or offer sacrifice (someone else on the team does it for him).

100. Loser's sacrifice / victor's prize fic, version 2: Sid and Geno are together (you can decide how serious it is). After a bad loss one night, Sid offers himself as the sacrifice to the opposing team (or maybe just to their captain). Geno is insanely jealous and territorial about it and pretends to be sulky/angry, but in the days after he can't stop furtively jacking off thinking about it. Sid figures it out eventually, and somehow it becomes a thing for them. Sid starts regularly offering himself as sacrifice but always comes to Geno immediately afterwards, smelling of the opposing captain/team, so Geno can fuck someone else's come out of him while Sid tells him everything the team did to him.

101. I've been thinking about an a/o universe where non-alpha/omega pairings are still socially stigmatized, but there's an active scent-masking party/club scene, where people take blockers and go to hook up with other people without knowing what their dynamic is. Maybe the clubs themselves are a little taboo -- sort of like gay bathhouses in the '70s or private BDSM clubs -- so it's mostly people who are in the know, and there's a general understanding that you don't acknowledge people you meet there if you encounter them out in the world. I'd love an alpha/alpha fic set in this verse - could be a non-hockey AU where Sid and Geno meet at one of these clubs, or a canon fic where they don't realize the other is into alphas until they're out of town on a road trip and they run into each other at one of these clubs.

102. There are no omegas in the NHL—at least as far as anyone knows. Sid’s been taking illegal scent-blockers/suppressants and passing as a beta since he presented as an omega as a teen. The only people who know the truth are his parents, his agent, and Jack Johnson (who helped make excuses for Sid at SSM during his first heat). Sid doesn’t intend to reveal his secondary gender until his retirement—once he’s won a Cup or three and gold for Canada and proven decisively that omegas can play at the highest levels. Except something happens (his supply of blockers is interrupted, or he has a breakthrough heat, or something) and Geno finds out. I’d especially love it if this was early in their NHL careers, before they knew/trusted each other and were able to communicate well, but I’d definitely also read a fic where Geno finds out many years into their friendship, and has to grapple with how much Sid’s hidden from him.

103. old timey pirate AU! sid’s a naval officer who’s clawed his way up the ranks despite significant prejudice against omegas. he’s achieved his dream of captaining a ship, but his life is a lonely one, in part because he can’t let himself be vulnerable with anyone (in case they use it against him to challenge his leadership). the only bright spot in his life is the years-long cat-and-mouse game he’s been playing with evgeni malkin, a notorious russian pirate captain who‘s managed to evade arrest for years, often by tricking the navy or managing to cleverly conceal his crew’s stolen loot when their ship is boarded by the Navy. Geno’s an alpha, but unlike Sid’s fellow officers, he’s always treated Sid with the utmost respect—even if he also gleefully delights in tricking Sid’s men and repeatedly evading capture. in fact, after years of meeting in various port towns and at sea, Geno seems to consider Sid a friend. (Sid knows Geno finds him attractive, too, and has made it clear—always teasingly, never in a pushy or aggressive way—that he’s available, should Sid ever want to go to bed with an alpha.) up to you what the plot is, but I’d love something where Geno’s luck finally runs out, and Sid’s the one who‘s tasked with bringing him back to shore to be tried (and most likely hanged) for piracy. make Sid choose between his honor + love of rules and his unacknowledged feelings for geno!!

[throwaninkpot]

A thief must be unpredictable. That is what Grandfather has been teaching Gen. A theft is all the more difficult when they know how and when you will attempt it; a hiding spot is no good if they expect to find you there. Gen’s cousins would know to look for him in the trees lining the garden, clinging to the branches and hiding from them. Besides, the trees made terrible cover this time of year, with their limbs bare and leaves raked into piles on the ground.

His cousins would not expect to find him in the piles of leaves.

The trouble, Gen decided, would be staying still enough that the leaves did not rustle or quiver around him. It was more than just not moving–his breathing might give him away. He could hold his breath for almost two minutes, but he would need to hide for longer than that. Instead, Gen worked on breathing shallowly. He spent several nights lain awake in bed to practice keeping still, watching the blanket over him to as he tried not to let it rise and fall with his chest.

Once he was satisfied with that, the next step required sneaking into the storerooms off the palace barns. That meant braving his way past the horse stalls. Gen skittered by them with a wary eye on the tall creatures with their long, dangerous legs and sharp,dangerous teeth. At the bins where fresh and clean straw was stored, he shifted through the piles until he found a piece that would suit his needs. A long and hollow stem. He put it between his lips and gave a few practice puffs, and then nodded. Perfect.

Now, the trick was getting into a leaf pile without being spotted.

At dawn the next day, all the boys in the dorms were roused from their beds and herded into the training yard for morning exercise. The girls filed in from their dorm, and all of them sparred. The soldiers who taught them paired them off and watched, correcting them when they fumbled a stance or attack, and nodding in approval when they did well. After an hour of that, the children were dismissed to breakfast, and then tutiring until lunch. There was a small space of free time before lunch, and during that, most of his cousins would take to the gardens, seizing advantage of the last of the clear weather before winter’s snows piled up. This was when Gen would pounce, quite literally.

He darted out to the rear garden before the rest of his cousuins, and found a tall pile of leaves by a cluster of bushes. The garden was all but empty except for a handful of gardeners, who were busy on the otherside of the lawn. When their backs were turned, Gen ducked down and burrowed inside the leaves. The pile settled around him. He pulled out his hollow straw and poked it through the leaves until it reached open air, and held the other end in his mouth. There were stories of heroes using just such a thing to hide in water, and Gen felt clever for having realized it would work as well in leaves. He rested in a crouch on his knees and elbows.

And now, he waited.

Patience was another skill important for thieves. One that Gen had not mastered, yet. But Grandfather said he could learn it, with practice, and this would be nothing if not excellent practice. Grandfather would be proud, and he would grin when Gen told him how well he surprised Agus or Breia or whichever cousin came close enough for him to jump out at. Grandfather always appreciated a good prank.

Gen sat and watched through the leaves, and grinned in anticipation. Some of his cousins made it to the garden, but none of them walked near his hiding spot. They were soon followed by his oldest sisters, Adrasteia, who did make her way over to his side if the garden. She knelt and poked at one of the bushes, and Gen tensed, wondering if she was looking for him.

Footsteps crunched across the gravel and twigs, and legs appeared by Adrasteia. Gen couldn’t see their face, but judging by the mudied pants stuck with leaves, it was one of the gardeners.

“Good day, Lady Adrasteia,” he greeted her.

Adrasteia looked up, and all but beamed. “A good day it is. One of the last good days before winter, I suppose.”

They exchanged pleasantries. The gardens looked so barren this time of year, Adrasteia said. Yes, the gardener agreed, hardly worth a visit. Adrasteia had just come to see browned plants and empty trees. Oh? the gardener asked. Adrasteia grinned. She was also searching for her youngest brother. It seemed he had skipped out on training with their father. Again.

All of the children in the palace of Eddis trained as a group, at least twice a day but more often as they grew older. The Minister of War, however, made a point to train with his children personally. He met with them before lunch three days a week. This was one of those days.

Gen smirked. It had been an excellent time to plan this scheme with the leaves.

His sister and the gardener then lowered their voices, and Gen’s ear pricked up. The quieter people got, the more interesting were the things they said, and the more he paid attention. He couldn’t hear all of it, but their conversation took a certain sentimental turn. Gen made a face. His oldest siblings had been getting like tgat recently.

This did give him some excellent things Adrasteia about, and maybe he could get some favors out of her if he let on to what he knew and promised not to tell anyone.

The gardener reached down to take her hand and help her rise, and when they hands parted, Gen caught a sparkle in the gardener’s palm.

“What will people think if people recognize this as yours?” the gardener asked.

“That you managed to steal a broach off the Thief’s granddaughter?” Adrasteia teased.

“How careless of you to let that happen.”

“Oh, no, my reputation.Whatever will I do?”

Her voice was dripping with honey. Gen made another face.

The two left, and Gen waited once more. None of his cousins had ventured near enough yet. It would be lunch soon, he thought, growing impatient. His elbows and knees were damp from tge ground. He might as well have just jumped out at Adrasteia, so that he had the satisfaction of surprising someone.

An irritated huff of breath puffed out through his straw. Gen peered through the leaves. The nearest group now were three of his cousins playing with a ball just on the otherside of the bushes–Xeno, Agape, and Hegite. Hegite, who had just yesterday tripped him in the yard, and laughed at how clumsy he was. “That’s what happens when you shirk training to play with a half-blind old man,” she had said, low enough that only Gen could hear.

Let her come just a little closer, Gen prayed. It would be more fun than anything.

Gen was patient. He readied himself to spring, and watched as Agape threw the ball a little to hard and giggled as it soared over Hegite’s head, bouncing and rolling past Gen’s leaf pile.

Hegite huffed at her sister, and marched around the bushes to retrieve the ball.

Closer. Closer.

Close enough.

Gen popped up, flinging leaves into the air and onto Hegite. She shrieked–the others shrieked, too. And Hegite jumped a clear in the air with surprise, and fell onto her backside.

Laughing and victorious, Gen was halfway back to the palace before the others had collected themselves. Hegite shouted his name and threats, and he although he didn’t look over his shoulder to check, he was sure she was giving chance. It didn’t matter. Gen was faster and light with glee. He was into the palace and away, grinning at the memory of the look on their faces.

[nemossubmarine]

Warhammer 40k: Wrath & Glory RP #48

After being done at the tech-priest’s lab, our heroes return to the ship to leave for Styria. It’ll take a few hours for that, so they’ll have time to do other stuff. Z47r asks Gorm whether he may lend the test results of Gorm’s brother he was shown at the lab earlier, because he did notice that there was a spirit stone of him in the lab as well, so might as well make sure whether he has the same virus as Uffe. Gorm agrees that this would be a good course of action, so Z47r goes to find a lab for himself.

Gorm and Uffe leave for their room, talking in quiet Fenrisian among themselves. Before Gimlet manages to escape, Saef grabs him and tells him he needs him in his room. They go there, and find Theo stuffing assorted meat into the toilet at the same as he tries to stop Felis Catus from eating it. He has lifted the unconscious, naked eldar onto the bed. Saef asks Theo to go to Molly’s place for a bit and after he has left, he asks Gimlet to help the man, while he gets him clothes and a towel to cover at least some of him. Gimlet gives the man a shot that should wake him up and then takes a step back. Saef stays guard at the bedside.

Gimlet notices the man waking, though he attempts to look like he hasn’t and greets him. The eldar sits up. He is not trusting of the humans that have saved him, though Saef attempts to reason with him. They ask why he was there, and he tells them that he and his brother were captured by Inquisition. The eldar is very bad on describing people, but Gimlet shows the man a picture of Tanner and that’s not it. They ask the eldar of his name and he tells them it’s Ynmarg. Ynmarg doesn’t know what has been done to him at the lab he was in, he doesn’t know how long has passed. Oh yeah, Saef and Gimlet mention that his brother was killed by a friend of theirs, which honestly doesn’t appear to surprise Ynmarg much. Maybe Ynmarg could take a shower and put on clothes? Asks Saef. Please? Continues Gimlet, but Ynmarg isn’t too keen on that, asking when he can leave. Saef says that right now he is most safe here, and Ynmarg definitely isn’t happy to hear that. It seems there isn’t much our heroes can get out of him.

Gimlet says he should go drop the spirit stones off at Cayenne’s safe. He does show Ynmarg one and Ynmarg leaps from the bed, snatching it from Gimlet’s grasp, exclaiming that those don’t belong to Gimlet. Upon learning that there are more of them, he demands to be given them, and when he is told no, he attacks Gimlet with his psychic powers. Saef shoves him away from Gimlet with a psychic blast and tells Gimlet to leave. Ynmarg hisses at Saef that he will haunt Saef until the day he dies or until he gets the spirit stones back, cradling the spirit stone in his hands. Felis Catus comes to cuddle with the eldar and lick the strange goop off him. Saef leaves the two.

Uffe and Gorm talk while they are making their way to Gorm’s room. Gorm lets Uffe know he is planning on calling Fenris and explaining everything. Uffe has nothing to say against that, Gorm says Uffe should call and report too and Uffe says he needs to think about what he is going to say. Gorm also apologizes to Uffe about what he suggested back at the lab, about Uffe joining the Deathwatch Blackshields, it was not alright. Uffe wants to know if they’re still going to continue with the mission like before, with Uffe confronting Rolf, even if neither one of them may be the people they thought they are, Gorm thinks this is a good plan, and if Rolf’s still able to be saved, well… Uffe says he can’t figure out how Rolf would have allowed any of this happen, and not be lost, but perhaps that’ll be a conundrum for another day.

Lastly Gorm brings up the strong negative reaction of Gimlet and Saef when Gorm killed the eldar back at the base, and he wants Uffe’s opinion of the situation because Uffe is better at reading people. Of Gimlet Uffe thinks he was mostly concerned with getting information, but from Saef, Uffe got definite fear. Gorm is surprised to hear that, of course he wouldn’t hurt Saef. Uffe suggests bringing it up, in a not-so-defensive manner, but first a call to Fenris.

Gimlet goes to visit Tabasco at the medbay, he wants him to check in on the wound Ynmarg left. Tabasco questions where Gimlet got a clearly psychic wound and Gimlet tells him to not worry about it, it’s all under control. Tabasco is not very happy to hear this, saying he isn’t feeling very trusted right now. He shares with Gimlet the results of the test aka that the sample from the tech-priest’s lab is as surmised from Gimlet, and asks what Gimlet wants to do with it. Gimlet asks Tabasco to send it to his father. Tabasco says he does so, but he is clearly still quite mad at Gimlet for not telling him stuff, and leaves the situation quite pissed, despite Gimlet’s attempts to remind him of his affection. 

Gorm calls up Sveleighr on Fenris and lets him know of the clone situation, as well as his own misstep regarding planning on putting Uffe into the Blackshields (he asks to receive conditioning once he returns to Fenris). There is some strange comfort in that this whole clone situation seems to finally shake Sveleighr, who says he must consult his runes about the matter. Sveleighr says that if the matter of the clones can’t be definitely fixed, Snorri’s and Uffe’s bodies must get to Fenris to be investigated. Gorm asks if he should send them right ahead, but Sveleighr wouldn’t risk it, as chaos has had dealings in this tale. If Gorm doesn’t make it Cayenne will make sure the bodies reach Fenris.

Gimlet meets up with Saef back near their room and they go to Gimlet’s room to chat, as Saef has something important to tell Gimlet. Saef says that Rat is an eldar, a fact Saef isn’t too happy to reveal without her permission, but seeing how Gorm acted back on Triplex Phall, Saef really needs someone to have his back and he thinks Gimlet could help. He makes it clear Rat has been raised among the humans and has no connections to the eldar people as a whole. The duo also thinks if they should let Cayenne know about the eldar in Saef’s room, as she could grant him asylum, but before they can do anything, Gorm is a-knocking on Gimlet’s door, so they let him in.

Gorm informs them that he has now reported to Fenris, and when Gimlet asks if it was a nice conversation, Gorm answers it was not. The subject of Z47r is brought up (by Gimlet I think), sort of asking how does the group feel about him. Gorm says that so far he seems to be a helpful and an agreeable fellow, and reminds the duo that despite what the tech-priest has done they’re on the same side here, and the assistance of the Mechanicus is a good thing. Gimlet seems doubtful that Z47r won’t get into the way. Gorm says it’s a bit hard at this point to reason to him, why he should let the trio (+ Uffe) deal with the situation that so clearly concerns the Mechanicus.

Gorm brings up Ahram in the lab and Saef admits it wasn’t a surprise to see him there, as he knew that Ahram was a clone. Saef explains the situation briefly. Gorm admits that he is having trouble with Uffe’s situation and asks his friends not let him make a decision about it without enough information (enough information, not all information, Gimlet).

Gorm has something he wanted to talk with the others about, mainly Saef. He mentions having debriefed with Uffe about the eldar-killing situation and how Uffe saw that Saef was scared afterwards. Gorm says he is not going to kill Saef, just because he’s a psyker, and yeah, maybe this whole situation highlights the differences of opinion within the Imperium, as clearly Gimlet and Saef feel differently about keeping eldar alive and getting information from them than Gorm. But that’s okay (well, maybe not that specifically, but differences in general), Gorm has learned that he can learn from different people, such as the Ultramarines and their Primarch, a thing which is unusual to the Space Wolves, and Gorm can cop to that. They can always talk about situations like this, since they are friends.

Saef says that he wasn’t scared for himself in that moment but rather on the account of someone else. Gorm says he wouldn’t execute a friend of Saef’s like that, even if Saef’s sympathizing with xenos is slightly worrying. But luckily that shouldn’t happen, right? No xenos pals around… Saef lets Gorm know Rat is, though raised among humans, an eldar, and Gorm admits he couldn’t even have guessed. Where is she anyway? She is after Inpax because Inpax has Eden. Well it’s a shared cause then, as they are trying to find Inpax too. Gorm promises he won’t kill Rat, and he’ll tell Uffe to do the same. Z47r might be a problem, but not one they can’t talk themselves out of, surely. Gorm asks if Rat wants to return to her people, and Saef says she doesn’t know eldar, but that Saef isn’t sure. It might be for the best.

Gorm lets Uffe know what’s up, and makes him promise not to kill Rat, which he does. Meanwhile Saef and Gimlet go to find Cayenne to let her know there’s an eldar on board. She is pretty chill about and goes to talk with Ynmarg. She is quite a talker as she manages to convince him to dress up finally and arranges for him to have a room of his own. She asks if our heroes would be willing to part with the spirit stones once they’re done with them, as those are the things Ynmarg desperately wants back. This seems agreeable.

Next up, our heroes need to deal with Z47r so he won’t be a trouble when it comes to Rat. They find him at a lab, not wearing his usual overcoat (which makes his relation to Vivek more noticeable). He lets our heroes know that he indeed does have the life-eater virus. “That’s logical,” says Gorm, and Z47r tends to agree, logical indeed. Saef brings up the fact that they are expecting to meet an eldar in their travels, an eldar that is young and has grown among humans. Z47r doesn’t quite get why she shouldn’t be killed, but Saef manages to convince him (using logic!) that she is best handed over to an Inquisitor of Ordo Xenos. That’s settled then.

After that Gimlet and Saef let Gorm know that there’s an eldar on board, but that he is Cayenne approved. Gorm grumbles a bit, but acquiesces. They decide to go talk to now-clothed and slightly calmer Ynmarg. Still a bit prone to dramatics (possibly a Harlequin in before-becoming-Ynnari-life?). Few things they find out, Ynmarg’s capturer was Inquisitor Engarde (Saef shows the picture he got from Demir). He has been held by the tech priest for some 5 years (they calculate this using Guilliman’s return as an anchoring point). They ask more about the spirit stones, Ynmarg says he can’t tell everything, but also admits that humans shouldn’t be able to use them. He still claims the stone he stole from Gimlet is empty, so he is shown the other stones (not before he and Gorm argue about putting a blindfold on him, which he refuses). Ynmarg is quite concerned about what is put in the stones. He also mentions spirit stones being tied to certain people, so he is taken to see Uffe where he confirms that the stone is tied to him (but not to the other Uffe). Saef asks Ynmarg if his people would take Rat in, and he says that his goddess Ynnead is for all the eldar. Gorm makes a snide-ish comment about Ynmarg’s devotion to his goddess, but that’s about it with him.

Gimlet returns to Tabasco and apologizes for not telling him stuff. He explains that he got the wound from an eldar they got on board before telling Cayenne, so this is why he didn’t tell Tabasco. Tabasco accepts the apology. Gimlet freely admits that he still has a lot of trouble trusting people, and Tabasco reminds him that he has people who care for him, who haven’t betrayed his trust so far, and though Tabasco can see that it is hard for Gimlet, the mistrust is still something that can hurt people who care for Gimlet. But all good for now, so the two go out to get coffee. 

Before our heroes leave for Styria, Vivek catches up with them, wanting to say goodbye, which boils mostly down to “hope you guys don’t die”, since there isn’t much else to do. Gorm thanks Vivek for the well-wishes and says that he has appreciated Vivek’s company and contributions and it’s a shame that he can’t come with. Uffe hugs Vivek and they exchange a few murmured words between the two of them. Saef tells Vivek he’s probably the best friend he’s got through this whole adventure, and VIvek laughs and warns him not to tell his sister that. They also hug. Vivek makes clear that his wish encompasses Gimlet who says alright. So off they go!

Our heroes get Z47r and teleport on the planet’s surface, not quite on top of where Rolf is supposed to be but near, which turns out to be an entrance to a Necron temple, outside which is the ship of (ex-)Inquisitor Inpax as well as Inquisitor Corrida and their crew.

[sarissophori]

Forebode, Chapter 3

The shuttle entered the Wayfarer’s hangar bay and set down. The outer doors closed, and atmosphere displaced the vacuum. After undergoing decontamination, Barrens handed the flight recorder to Hornens in engineering, and Farzen gave his xenological sample to Dr. Han for study, glad to get rid of it.

       After a well-earned shower and food ration, Barrens went to C-deck’s rec room to relax, where Varrez and Talgold were also blowing off steam.

       “Welcome back” Varrez said.

       “Yup” Barrens said. “Pass me a beer, would ya?”

       Varrez nodded, handing him a bottle from a dispenser.

       “Much appreciated.”

       He popped the top and took a swig.

       “So, how was it down there?” Talgold said. “The moon, I mean.”

       “Cold, barren, lifeless” Barrens said. “A regular graveyard.”

       “That bad?” Talgold said. “I only ask because I wanted to go with the next away team, when Captain Hindel schedules it.”

       “It’s your typical dirtball, kid. What do you expect it to be?” Barrens said. “And that wreck? Jesus.”

       “We heard some of the crew talking about it” Varrez said. “Must’ve been worse actually being in it, though.”

       Barrens sighed, then took another swig. “Either of you two done any salvage before?”

       Varrez and Talgold shook their heads.

       “Well, when I’m not ordering part-time colonials around” he said. “I’m supervising recovery missions for the company. My first salvage was a medium-sized freighter that went missing in the Orion Traverse a few years ago. There was a crack in its radioactive shielding, so the crew abandoned it. By the time we got there, it’d been free-floating for a month; no power, not even auxiliary; the whole ship was pitch-black, and it was only me and two other guys to scout the whole ship, level by level.”

       He took a third swig.

       “Of course, you don’t really expect anything to happen to you. Not usually. Just a quick check for hull integrity, personal affects, logs, whatever else the company wants, and you’re out before the tugs haul it off; but there’s always something about being alone in a corridor, surrounded by the blackest darkness you’ll ever see, in the middle of space, with only one tiny little light.”

       He finished his beer and lobbed it in the trash, the noise surprisingly jarring.

       “This was different, though.”

       “How so?” Varrez said.

       “Has the captain told you guys anything yet?”

       “We’ve heard things in passing from the bridge” Talgold said. “But they’ve been pretty hush-hush about it.”

       “Without saying too much, then” Barrens said. “Things looked like they took a very bad turn before the end, especially in the lab. There was a…growth, or something, completely calcified, probably since the crash.”

       “A growth?” Talgold said.

       “If that’s what it was. Dr. Han’s got a little piece of it to play with, so maybe he’ll figure out whatever the hell it is.”

       Varrez and Talgold exchanged glances.

       “Is it—?”

       “Before you ask” Barrens said. “I don’t know anything about it. You got questions? Save’em for the captain or wait for the results.”

       “But what if there’s—?”

       “Go. Ask. The. Captain. I’ve probably said too much as it is. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna grab another beer, then I’m gonna go to bed. Later.”

       Barrens swiped another beer and promptly left, turning a sharp right at the bulkhead for the terminus, his boots thudding on the grating. Varrez and Talgold stared at the door as it closed, feeling suddenly uneasy.

       “What was that all about?” Varrez said.

       Talgold shrugged, and the two of them sat there for a long time without a word before returning, in uneasy thought, to their stations.

Up in A-deck, Dr. Han was performing several tests on his specimen from the Wanderer when Dr. Walsh entered, standing by the door frame.

       “Afternoon.”

       “Is it already?” Han said, not breaking his focus.

       “That’s what the clock says. Hard to tell otherwise.”

       “No kidding.”

       Han tapped at a few icons on his tablet, transferring them to his main console.

       “What brings you by?”

       “Hindel informed me we have a foreign specimen onboard” Walsh said. “As senior medical officer, I thought it prudent to stop in and see it for myself.”

       “Can’t admit it’s for your own curiosity, can you?” Han said, his attention now on the console itself.

       Walsh stepped forward, approaching the work area to glimpse, at a respectful distance, over the shoulder of his colleague, seeing the many tiny fragments sealed off in pressurized containers, others undergoing a variety of testing.

       “Is this it?”

       “That’s it” Han said. “Not much to look at really.”

       “Anything interesting?”

       Han turned his eyes to his tablet again.

       “Aside from being organic and carbon-based, most of the other tests are still too early for anything conclusive.”

       “Is there a chance of contagion?”

       “I don’t think so, considering XH-Ld’s environment, but better safe than sorry.”

       “The cornerstone of our professions” Walsh said, looking on, then furrowing his brow.

       “Where was this found, exactly?”

       “I’m not sure” Han said. “Near the crash, I think. Why?”

       “Curious” Walsh said. “I’ll let you get back to your work then.”

       Han nodded. “Drop in anytime.”

 Captain Hindel was sitting at her desk in her quarters when the door chime rang.

       “Enter.”

       Dr. Walsh stepped in, hands pressed at his back.

       “I hope I’m not interrupting anything?”

       “Just making arrangements for the next away team” Hindel said. “What can I do for you, doctor?”

       “I would like to ask you something” Walsh said. “The, um, specimen; was it found on or near the ship?”

       “It was found onboard” Hindel said.

       “Where?”

       “In the laboratory, covering up a chunk of it, too. We think they had it contained as a sample, until it broke out and grew after the crash.”

       “So, it grows and then…just fossilizes? In supposedly its native atmosphere?”

       Hindel shrugged. “I don’t know why you’re asking me. Dr. Han’s the go-to guy for anything xeno-related.”

       “I was already with him” Walsh said. “He says his tests are still too early to prove anything definitive.”

       “Then I don’t know what to tell you” Hindel said. “How about you tell me what it is you’re really concerned with?”

       “That’s just it, I don’t know what my concern is” Walsh said. “Only that I have it, and that I feel somewhat foolish for it being based solely on a feeling I can’t shake.”

       Hindel smiled. “Join the club. We’ve all been a little jittery since we got here; I’m sure nerves are most of it. We’re a new crew, and this is a first assignment for most of us. Hell, this ship is my first command. When you say you’ve got the jitters on a hunch, I know what you mean –none better.”

       “Yes, well, I appreciate your confidence” Walsh said.

       “Do you think we need stricter quarantine protocols?” Hindel said.

       “No, I’m sure the ones we have are fine” Walsh said. “I guess I just needed to have my vague premonitions noted, is all.”

       “Consider them noted” Hindel said. “Anything else on your mind?”

       “No, captain, not at the moment. But thank you for lending me your ear.”

       Walsh turned to leave.

       “Dr. Walsh?”

       He stopped and turned.

       “I like it when my medical officers come to me with their concerns, no matter how vague. If you have any more, please let me know.”

       “Of course, captain, and again, thank you.”

       Walsh left, and the doors closed. Hindel returned to her away team roster and a few of her more mundane tasks, including writing another log for her superiors:

 < Log 2

  Hindel, Laura A. manual report

  Mission time: 4,504 .15.07 hours

  USC Wanderer discovered on XH-Ld at 15 degrees lt., 45 degrees lg. of north

  hemisphere. Ship destroyed beyond short-term salvage. No surviving crew found;

  one body identified, buried. Flight recorder recovered. Found xeno-morphic anomaly

  onboard, see attachment 1. HUD feeds from SAR team attachment 2. Until further

  notified, proceeding with secondary mission objectives.

  (attachment 1)

  (attachment 2) >

 Another chime rang, this time on her console. She tapped on the icon.

       “Captain’s quarters.”

       “It’s Hornens, ma’am. I’m calling to update you about the recorder.”

       “Go ahead.”

       “Yeah, here’s the thing about putting it in an escape pod” Hornens said. “By removing it from the ship, it survives the crash. However, it still got knocked around a bit on landing. Now, because it was kept airtight it was spared corrosion, but a lot of data got corrupted anyway, and it’s gonna take a little while to clean up.”

       “How long?”

       “Hours, maybe” Hornens said. “And that’s with me and Mason working at it around the clock.”

       “If you don’t have anything more important to do, I request that you make this a top priority.”

       “Can do” Hornens said. “I’ll give you another update when we’ve got something, Hornens out.”

       The icon clicked off.

       Hindel went back to her away team roster and stared at it, not overthinking, but not blanking out; her mind was in a hazy area between, where intuition was allowed to creep in and make suggestions of its own. After a moment of hesitating on it, she opened a com-link to Sergeant Barrens.

       “Barrens reporting.”

       “Sergeant, I want you going down with the next away team.”

       “Understood” he said. “You expecting trouble? I thought this one was science only.”

       “Not your whole team, just you” Hindel said.

       “This is an unknown, unexplored world; I don’t anticipate trouble, but if something does happen, I want someone down there who knows what to do in a survival situation.”

       “I hear you, ma’am.”

       “Good, Hindel out.”

 The captain had her next team signed up and ready: geologist Dr. Varrez, xeno-specialist Dr. Han, and junior medial officer Dr. Talgold were selected. Attaching the sergeant to them as a contingency, she formalized the roster and returned to the bridge to help select the next landing site on XH-Ld. Ellson and Tajmaran already had the Wayfarer making topographical scans of the northern hemisphere. Varrez was also there, watching the images unfold across the main display.

       “I think it’s safe to say from these readings that the whole crust is mostly a silica-quartzite compound” Varrez said. She then pointed to a specific part of the scan.

       “And look here: limestone deposits, lots of them. Maybe it had water on it at some point, at least in these depressions.”

       “You know what they say” Hindel said. “Where there’s water, there’s life.”

       “And where there’s not, there’s fossils” Ellson said.

       “Very funny” Varrez said. “Though not strictly accurate. Actually, several species of bacteria and fungi can live without water for decades, even centuries, or even—”

       “Hey, biology nerd” Ellson said. “Another wave of scans coming in.”

       “Oh, these look promising.”

       Banter and small talk continued through the shift. Hindel caught snippets of it though sat mostly in her own thoughts again, mulling the same tired questions, wondering about the same missing pieces and returning to the same dead ends for answers, nowhere nearer to a sense of closure; where was the Wanderer’s crew? What happened to them? Why did they use one of their escape pods for their flight recorder and not personnel? Was there a mutiny? There was evidence for it, but what was the cause of the crash? Maybe the growth in the lab did have something to do with it. If so, was it a mistake allowing a piece of it onboard her own ship? She sank deeper in, losing track of both time and site results.

       “Captain?” Ellson said, breaking her concentration.

       “Yes, ensign?”

       “We’re getting strange readings not far from the Wanderer, near the highlands by the dune sea.”

       Hindel sat up from her slouching posture. “Bring it up on display.”

       Scans of the area in question pinpointed a location where metallic signatures were pinged; a wide, deep valley currently obscured by dust blowing down from the mountains.

       “Analysis shows traces of titanium-like composites and other unidentified metals” Tajmaran said, overlooking the same stats and furrowing his brow.

       “Very dense, highly structured. They don’t match anything on file.”

       “Any guesses, Dr. Varrez?” Hindel said.

       “Yours are as good as mine” Varrez said. “I’ve never seen anything close to this composition. It looks almost artificial.”

       “Artificial?” Hindel said, catching everyone’s attention. A charge of electricity swept the bridge crew, and they spun around in their chairs.

       “Wait, really?” Komev said.

       “Are you serious?” Ellson said.

       Tajmaran stared at her, intrigued.

       “I can’t make a definite statement either way without having a physical sample to study first, of course” Varrez said, immediately distancing herself from her words.

       “All I meant to say was that these types of atomic structures are rare to find in nature –not unheard of, but rare, and surprising.”

       “Or” Ellson said. “We could be dealing with something intelligently made.”

       “I’d rather rule out all other possibilities before jumping to that conclusion” Varrez said, almost defensively.

       Ellson shrugged.

       “I’m just saying, why beat around the bush like this, when it could be?”

       “Because you’re not the one with a science background?” Komev said.

       “Like I need a degree to tell the difference between a rock and a hunk of stainless steel.”

       “Some people do.”

       Ellson smirked.

       “If I needed one for example, I’d just pull out the lump of coal in your chest where your heart should’ve been, Komev.”

       “Stow it you two” Hindel said. “You’re both flight officers, now act like it.”

       “Yes ma’am” they said, turning to face their stations. Tajmaran shook his head, feeling the mood effectively killed. Varrez wondered if she should have even made the remark at all.

       “That being said” she said at length. “The possibility of it is worth checking out. Are any of the other sites as promising to you, captain?”

       “Well, let’s see” Hindel said, scrolling quickly through the candidates to familiarize herself, unwilling to admit she spent most of their shift staring off.

       “Many of these are geologically promising, but since this one has proved so controversial, it’s probably best to get it out of the way first.”

       “Agreed” Varrez said. “When will the shuttle be ready?”

       “It’s currently on standby” Hindel said. “I’ll give you and your team twenty minutes to prepare. Will that be enough time, doctor?”

       “Plenty” Varrez said. “I’ll get ready right now.”

       Varrez left with an air of excitement, moving swiftly past the pressure doors. Hindel got up and made to leave as well.

       “Ensign Tajmaran, you have the bridge.”

       “Uh, me, ma’am?” he said.

       “That’s what I said.”

       Ellson spun to face her.

       “With all due respect ma’am, I’m the senior flight officer.”

       “You are” Hindel said. “But neither you or Komev were becoming of your ranks, and that pissed me off; ergo, Ensign Tajmaran has the bridge.”

       Ellson and Komev glanced at each other. Tajmaran let out a low sigh, drumming his fingers on his console.

       “Oh boy.”

       “I won’t be long” Hindel said. “If you have any trouble, I’ll be in my quarters.”

[f-dee]

“Change! change! change!?” story event, 100DP, Byron’s/Xeno’s story

@kseifert @passengersaraht @spyrothetimelord @acrispyapple finally finished part 2 

Byron is so wonderful!! 。.:☆*:･’(*⌒―⌒*)))  Love him so much ( ˘⌣˘)♡(˘⌣˘ )

Part 1

Part 2 (loose translation) 

————-

Nico whispered something in Byron's ear.

Nico: “――…but, it's just a suggestion”

Byron: “… yes, I understand.”

(What are they talking about?) I had a suspicion, seeing Nico's mischievous smile after the conversation was over.

………… ――… next morning

???: “Dee.. wake up.”

Dee: “...Nnnn...”

A low voice sounded in my ear, pulling me from my sleep. As I slowly opened my eyes, I saw Byron's face. 

Byron: “You slept well.” (pic 1)

Dee: “… what”

(Am I dreaming…?) Byron, bathed by the sunlight that came through the window, was touching my hair.

Byron: “But you seem still sleepy.”

(A dream with Byron waking me up, I'm happy…) Brushing my hair repeatedly, pampering me. I closed my eyes again, to see the continuation of that happy dream…

Byron: “Do not try to sleep again. It is already the time.”

Dee: “...ah”

A kiss was dropped on my forehead, I realized it felt unusual warm for a dream. (...this? How…) I was stunned, Byron's face approached again...――

Byron: “If you do not wake up, this time I will do this” (pic 2)

Dee: “...Mnnn….”

A soft touch enveloped my lips. (This,...is not… a dream…?) My heart began to pound faster, and sleepiness rapidly went away.

Dee: “Mmm… ah...”

I gave a long sigh as Byron softly chewed my lips. Slowly he raised his face.

Byron: “Did you wake up?”

Dee: “..ahh, yes, I woke up...”

I hurriedly raised my body, facing Byron as he was laying on the edge of the bed.

Dee: “Um.., King Byron, why are you here?”

Byron: “Nico suggested yesterday, that if I want to do everything for you by myself, he will hand over to me his position as your personal attendant for a day.”

(Oh..)

Flashback

Byron: “When it concerns Dee, I want to do it myself. Now, for some reason, I think so.”

end of flashback

(――…Did Nico made such a suggestion after hearing Byron say that?) I became pale as soon as I understood the situation. (What to do.. such a thing, to make King Byron act as an attendant…) As I was thinking about it, King Byron got up from bed.

Byron: “You need to change your clothes.”

Dee: “What...”

Byron took a dress from a hanger and carried it on his arm.

Byron: “I chose your clothes for today before you got up.”

Dee: “..ah.., thank you...”

Byron: “I think this blue necklace suits as an accessory for this dress, is it fine?” (pic 3) 

Dee: “Yes..”

(I think this should stop but, Byron is so great, I can't say anything...plus… I'm kind of happy he chose this for me) As I was sitting in bed, not doing anything, Byron came back, his fingers touching the ribbon of my night dress.

Byron: “Do you need help changing your clothes?” (pic 4)

Dee: “...ahh… no, it's all right, I can do it by myself.”

Byron: “I see.”

Byron smiled and pulled his fingers, placing the dress on my knees.

Byron: “Well, I'll be waiting outside. After you finish changing your clothes, let's go to town.”

Dee: “Yes… I'll be ready quickly.”

Byron: “There is no need to rush.”

(Byron…) Byron spoke gently and then left the room,  I dropped my gaze on the dress. (By the way, this dress… did Byron knew what dress I liked most?) While feeling sorry for being pampered, I couldn't help my excitement.

………… ――…After several hours

After walking through town, Byron and I sat down on a bench, in a deserted place. It's been a while since we had a date but, today, Byron was different than usual. Byron pampered me more than usual, took my hand when walking, bought me a drink when felt exhausted, he was more than I could have wished for. (His kindness made me happy, but I felt sorry somehow...)

Byron: “Dee...” (pic 5)

Dee: “..oh, yes.”

I raised my face as Byron called my name, his hand touching my hair.

Byron: “Your hair ornament is falling.”

Dee: “Oh..”

Byron removed my hair clasp, and with his fingers combed my hair. (It's somehow embarrassing)

Dee: “I'll fix it myself.”

Byron: “It's fine, I'll do it.”

With gentle hands he fixed my hair with the hair clasp again, making my heart pound faster.

Dee: “… thank you.”

Byron: “It's nothing.”

Having mixed feelings about it, gave a small sigh, Byron peered into my face.

Byron: “Dee.. what is troubling you?” (pic 6)

Dee: “What?”

Byron: “Today, you had this sad expression sometimes.”

Byron's gaze was direct, wanting to know my true feelings. Looking into his eyes, I could not hide it. 

Dee: “… somehow, I feel sorry.”

Byron: “…? what do you mean?”

Dee: “King Byron, today you did many things for me… and I wasn't able to do anything in return.”

I dropped my gaze, Byron's fingers touched my cheek.

Byron: “You don't need to worry about that.”

Dee: “But…, ah..”

Byron's soft lips pressed against mine, stopping my words. (...ah… King Byron?) I blinked my eyes at the unexpected, sweet, feverish touch, Byron's expression softened.

Byron: “You.. each time I do something, while embarrassed you show me your smile. Whenever I see your smile I become more than pleased.”

Dee: “King Byron...”

Byron: “You should not worry, since I am doing this for myself too.” (pic 7)

(Even after eating that candy, Byron's kindness did not change..) My mixed feelings melted away, and warm love enfolded my heart.

Dee: “Thank you...”

Byron “It's nothing”

Being wrapped in happy feelings, at that time…

Dee: “...oh, rain?”

Even though the sky was blue, water drops fell on my cheeks.

Byron: “Sudden rain..”

Dee: “There are large clouds in the distance, should we get back home?”

Byron: “Yes… I hope we get back before it starts raining.” ………… ――…After one hour.

Before we could reach the car, the rain was pouring heavily. As soon as we return to the castle, Byron took my hand and entered the bathroom.

Byron: “Your body has cooled down.” (pic 8)

Dee: “Ah...”

My heart started racing, as Byron wrapped my cheek with his hand.

Dee: “Your hand is cold too. Are you alright?”

Byron: “Yes, there is no problem.

Byron's fingers were sliding down to my neck, and touching the strap shoulders of my wet dress.

Dee: “Ah, King Byron…?”

Flustered, I took hold of his hand as he was trying to slid down the shoulder straps of my dress.

Byron: “You'll catch a cold if you don't take off your wet clothes.”

Dee: “Yes, but...”

Byron: “You should enter the bathtub quickly and warm your body.”  (pic 9)

(...this is embarrassing)  As I dropped my gaze, Byron wiped the rain drop that trickled down my cheek with his finger.

Byron: “Dee..you don't like this?” (pic 10)

————-

Byron, always, so sweet  (≧◡≦) ♡ *forever in Byron’s arms*  (/^-^(^ ^*)/ ♡

Starting on the part 3 premium translation, and will try my best to finish soon :)

[xeno-philiac-blog]

Where Love Lies; Where Hope Dies

January 3, 1991.

It was a quiet winter’s day. 

There was a pristine layer of snow blanketing the rolling hills that surrounded the Lovegood’s home in Ottery St. Catchpole, and the sun just barely peeked out behind grey clouds. The house was in a state of post-lunch drowsiness that afternoon, and upstairs in his study Xenophilius was having trouble finding just the right words to conclude his latest article.

He tapped the back of his pen on his chin – a fountain pen! What a wonderful invention Arthur had gifted him! – and hummed as he thought. Xeno scribbled out a couple of words and sighed. Sometimes articles wrote themselves, and other times it was like pulling teeth just to finish a sentence.

On the opposite side of the small room, a little girl shifted in a squishy leather armchair. She pulled her feet up onto the seat, then threw them over one of the arms, and then turned upside-down so that her curly hair almost touched the floor. She put the book she had been reading over her face, and then asked in a muffled voice, “Do you think mummy is lonely down there?”

Xeno glanced over his shoulder. His bored expression faded away as he chuckled at the girl’s antics, shaking his head. “No Luna, mummy’s not lonely. She knows we’re right up here, but she’s working right now,” he told her, swiveling around to look at her properly as she took the book from her face and closed it, laying it on the floor.

“I know, but… Don’t you think she would want some company? You have me, but she doesn’t have anybody downstairs,” she countered.

“Your mum has a very special job and she needs to focus really hard on it, love. You get to hang out with me because it’s alright if I’m not paying close attention to what I’m doing all the time. Mummy needs to concentrate and it’s easier for her to do that when she’s by herself.”

Luna pulled herself back right-side-up on the chair, frowning. “Yeah, but… What if I just brought her a biscuit and said hi, so she really knows we’re here? And then I’ll know she’s not lonely, so I won’t be distracted and then I can read my book again,” she said, trying to bargain with him.

He smirked. Luna was obviously just bored and looking for an excuse to find something more fun to do than sit silently in her father’s office until he finished his writing for the day. Xeno crossed his arms and tilted his head, pretending like he was thinking long and hard about his decision before he said, “Alright. You be quick though, okay? Just a biscuit and a hug and then you let her get back to work. Got it?”

She seemed positively ecstatic. “Got it!”

Xeno watched his daughter race out of the room, her little feet pattering down the spiral staircase and into the kitchen. He listened for a moment more, hearing the jar of biscuits they kept on the counter open and close, and then more footsteps until they disappeared down into the basement. Sighing, he turned around and picked up his pen again to continue his work.

This time, things seemed to flow a bit better. The delightful scratch of his pen on the parchment was soothing, and he ended up being able to write quite a bit more in thirty minutes than he had in the whole afternoon. The time did seem to get away from him, though – Luna had been gone much longer than Xeno had planned on, but he’d been so absorbed in his work that he hadn’t noticed.

And then it happened.

The whole house shook as if a bomb had gone off inside of it, and the noise that came from the basement was just as loud. Xeno’s ears were ringing as he scrambled out of his seat in a panic, knowing exactly what must have occurred, and he raced down the same stairs his daughter had ventured down earlier. He passed the first floor, nearly tripping on his robes as he descended one more level to the basement, and threw open the wooden door to Pandora’s lab.

A misty veil hung over the stone room, and shattered vials of who-knows-what were covering the floor. The first thing on Xeno’s mind was Luna, and he found the girl cowering against the far wall with her face covered by her hands. He sprinted over to her, heart racing as he crouched by her side to make sure she was okay.

“Is anything broken?”

“No… No, mum – “

Xeno didn’t listen. He immediately heaved her into his arms and Luna clung to his neck as he carried her out of the lab. She was trembling, and when they reached the sitting room he laid her gently on the couch and wrapped a blanket around her. Little cuts covered her face and hands, and for a second Xeno thanked Merlin that it was winter and she had been mostly covered up. He wiped off the blood as best as he could for now, and then held her by the shoulders as he said, “Don’t move. Stay here. Everything’s gonna be okay.”

There were tears in Luna’s eyes as she watched her father turn away and head back down to the basement.

Now, Xeno was starting to feel truly terrified. Pandora hadn’t said anything, hadn’t come running out of the lab with Luna – she was nowhere to be seen as the dusty shroud in the room began to lift. He started at the corners, digging through the rubble that the explosion had created, and found nothing but dirt and stone. As he crossed the room to push her heavy workbench out of the way, he could feel his heart beating out of his chest as it begun to settle in that he should have heard something from her by now if she was conscious.

With the last of his strength, Xeno threw his weight into the broken workbench and it cracked as it toppled over to reveal more of the wreckage. He blinked, seeing a glint in the remains, and then feverishly started digging through it. As he pushed boxes of books and smashed bottles away, he discovered that the glint had come from a ring, and that ring was stuck firmly onto a limp hand that could only have been his wife’s.

“Pandora - ” he breathed, the blood pumped through his veins so quickly that he began to feel lightheaded. Xeno plunged his arm down into the pile until he felt her shoulder, grabbing it firmly and pulling her out. The woman was like a ragdoll, and her warm brown skin was covered in grey dust and deep gashes. He took her to the wall and sat her down, crouching in front of her, but she wouldn’t stay up and Xeno started to hyperventilate.

Her hair was matted from all of the blood that’d dried in it, and in several places her bones seemed to have been crushed from the impact of the accident. Xeno held her disfigured face in his hands, almost unable to recognize the woman he loved so dearly through the tears that distorted his vision. Not a breath came from her lungs, and there was no pulse to be felt at the base of her neck.

Xeno shook her, as if trying to wake her up. “No no no…” he whimpered, a great pain rising in his chest. “No no no, Panda bear… Panda, I’m here, my love… I’m right here…”

He couldn’t hold her there any longer, and her body collapsed to the side. Xeno wasn’t crying as he moved away and pulled his knees into his chest – he was wailing like a wounded animal, digging his nails into his legs and hoping to hell and back that he was only having a nightmare. It seemed like hours passed as he howled and wept with grief before his voice went hoarse and he was reduced to shivering on the floor in the ruined workroom. His senses started to come back, and finally he got to his feet with the last ounce of energy he had left. Xeno took one final glance at the body of his wife, wincing, and then decided the first thing he needed to do was go back to his daughter.

He made the slow climb back up the staircase, his shoes filled with lead, and went back into the sitting room where he’d left Luna. She looked more scared now than before he had gone to look for her mother, and Xeno sat down beside her with a weight in his stomach. He clasped his hands together between his knees and took a tiny breath before he said in a raspy voice:

“B-baby? W-w-hat happened t-to mummy?”

The girl shook her head, her body still trembling from the shock. “I don’t kn-know… I said hi and gave h-her a biscuit a-and sh-she… She k-kept working, and I – and then it – I d-don’t know what h-happened…”

Xeno nodded very slowly. He and Gerard were always worried something like this would happen, but they had trusted Pandora. They trusted that she knew what she was doing, and that safety was her biggest priority. And now, the worst thing in the world had happened. “Okay… Okay okay o-okay…”

“She’s okay?”

“N-no. No, she’s not.”

He didn’t know what he was supposed to do next. When his sister had died, they’d all been around her in a bed and everyone knew what was going to happen and arrangements had already been stealthily made. This time, there was nothing. He didn’t know what to do with the body. He didn’t know how he was supposed to get a coffin, make a grave, and have some sort of funeral. He couldn’t think. He could barely breathe – it was like his lungs were filled with water, he didn’t even know how to survive anymore. He’d built his whole life with Pandora just to have it shattered in a matter of seconds; time had stopped.

Luna crawled out of her blanket, moving over towards her father with her eyebrows knitted together. “Then she needs… She needs to go to the hospital… Dad - dad we need to get her to the hospital, we – we have to get Ginny’s dad’s flying car and we have to take her to the hospital! Dad!!”

She had grabbed Xeno’s arm and was shaking him violently, screaming in his ear. He wouldn’t move, staring blankly into space, and Luna dissolved into sobs on his shoulder. For several minutes they sat there, until the girl was so exhausted that she’d crumpled into a heap next to him and Xeno finally glanced down at her.

He rose to his feet and she sat up again, the scratches on her face now dry and closed up. Xeno turned and gazed at her but all he could see was the mangled face of his wife staring back at him, lifeless and cold and never to share another memory with him again. Luna scooted to the edge of her seat and wrapped her arms around her father’s middle as she desperately looked for some sort of comfort, and he almost flinched at her touch.

With a deep breath, he gently stroked the girl’s hair as she clung to him and he knew he had to put himself together at least for a minute for his daughter. He kneeled down so that they could meet each other’s eyes, and Luna’s forehead rested on his own. She let out a little hiccup and sniffled, her arms limp around her father’s neck.

“What’s going to happen to mummy?” she asked in a whisper.

Xeno brushed a lock of hair out of her eyes. “We’re gonna find a real good spot for her and let her rest.”

“You mean we’re gonna bury her,” said Luna without any emotion or hesitation. “Because that’s what you do when somebody dies.”

“Yeah. Yeah, that is what you do.”

She pulled away from him, crossing her arms over her chest and grabbing her shoulders as if she was keeping herself from falling apart. Once more, Xeno straightened up. This time, he offered his hand to Luna and beckoned her to come with him.

“Let’s go owl your uncle, Luna. We can’t do this by ourselves.”

[badspacebabies]

birthday ficlet, for @reserve

@reserve is my dearest buddy, my singularly amazing partner in crime, my most talented collaborator extraordinare, and today is her birthday!!!!!!!! i love her very much, so i wrote her this dumb benarmie/young kylux ficlet that I hope you also will all enjoy. featuring: classic confused sullen teen ben solo, gratuitous hux descriptions, rae sloane cameo (!!!!!), and the city of coruscant. 

it’s pretty long so i’ve put it under a clickthru!

-

up on top (benarmie, 2k, rated teen i guess idk)

Ben sees him first when he is fourteen, while taking two weeks of the Yanvin summer with his mother on Coruscant. It is the third morning: Leia treats him to a breakfast in their rooms (he ruins it by being purposefully sullen and grunting at her questions, squashing delicate star-shaped cuts of fruit into pulp with the tines of his fork and refusing to look her in the eyes), and then sighs and sets off to her meetings, leaving Ben to his own devices.

In the empty suite, he flips through the holonews channels, picks at the mess of fruit drying on his breakfast plate, suns himself on the balcony, jerks off half-guiltily in the sonic, takes a dozy and indulgent nap in the crisp sheets of his bed that leaves his mind pleasantly fuzzy on the edges and seems to momentarily quiet the humming grey flurry of ash in the back of his skull.

He thinks about trying to get his hands on a speeder. (He knows he’s not supposed to wander too far, not supposed to charm his way into trouble, but he also knows that lately everyone around him seems perfectly happy to give him a wide berth, and to tend toward expressions of mild disappointment rather than punishment when things go sour, even Luke.) He thinks about leaving, about just going, to try to find with his own body the impossible edges of the sprawling ecumenopolis. Instead, he dresses, tugs the hood of his robes up over his head and walks aimlessly upwards through the shining halls of Coruscant’s agoras, through its covered markets with shops hawking artfully crinkled silks all in the color of gemstones behind transparisteel arced windows, its gardens with fountains of clear water on the 4000 levels of the Galactic City skyscrapers, catching glimpses of humming skylanes, of hazy shifting clouds, of the remnants of the Federal District repurposed and stripped of insignia.

On level 4500, he catches a hydraulic lift to the top of the new Corusca Tower, the liftpod crammed with cooing tourists with overdone hairstyles, somber men in Senate robes, chittering xenos, droids nattering in binary, all while the holopanels of the pod scroll through supposedly enticing images of the Tower’s restaurants, its shops, its mammoth ovoid crown boasting panoramic views of the very top of the old Fed-Di, the clouds, the sky.

(Maybe, he thinks, in an effort to cheer himself, to ward off the edge of nausea, the encroaching dizziness of too many hours now spent trying to manage the oppressive chatter of millions of other people’s minds, maybe the edge of the city was never sideways, but up. He shoves his hands into his sleeves, ducks his chin under his hood.)     

Ben sees him the moment the lift doors open. He’s on the far side of the ovoid, by the curved windows. He’s head-to-toe in dark grey, like a uniform, with a shock of close-shorn bright red-orange hair. The color of it makes Ben think of late season sunsets, atmo-afterburn, Thoraline-gas nebulas, flashes of disgusting, overly dramatic poetic imagery he surprises even himself with. The kid looks about sixteen, seventeen, maybe a little older, skinny in the chest and wrists, with shipbound-pale skin and sharp little eyes the same color as the sweeping aqua of the sky spread out behind him.

He’s in the company of a tall, dark-skinned older woman wearing a vaguely military-inflected outfit. They stand close together, her head turned away as she speaks, and the kid has his attention fixed to the datapad in his hands, typing seriously as if taking notes. Ben fits himself into an alcove by the lift, finding himself suddenly able to ignore the wash of Coruscanti mindchatter, to ignore the dozens of other crowding bodies, to ignore the glittering stupidity of this ancient city trying to disguise its own pain, to ignore his own sullenness and anger—it all drops away as if dropped into a vacuum, all in favor of this strange, straight-backed boy with a hungry, derisive face.

He looks, thinks Ben, like a knife.

He watches as the older woman says something, and the kid nods with finality, tucking his datapad under his arm. The woman touches him lightly on the shoulder, and then takes off purposefully to the other side of the ovoid—Ben tracks her from underneath the shadow of his hood while she is welcomed by a group of people his mother would probably refer to, with a certain dose of light sarcasm, as our friends in the Senate.

The kid settles himself into a low chair by a table, still crowned by the blue of the sky out the window behind him. He crosses his legs at the knee, sits with his spine rigid up against the back of the chair, settles the datapad carefully across his lap—movements to Ben that look so heavily ritualized and controlled that the empty wide space in his chest clenches tight with something like longing, aching for an answer to a question he didn’t know he had buried inside him until now: where did that come from, why is it like that, what do you get from it.

He tugs off his hood, straightens the folds of his robes, and takes a wide arc through the crowd so he comes up on the kid from behind and to his right, as if he’s just been looking for a place to sit, and the chair right here, by the window, next to this stranger, is the first available option. The kid doesn’t look up from his datapad when Ben sits beside him, doesn’t even seem to notice while Ben adopts his most nonchalant slump, one boot resting against the edge of the low table.

From this angle, from close-up, Ben can see the pale blue veins of his wrists peeking out from the grey sleeve-hem, when the kid flips his hand to thumb at the datapad controls. That empty space in Ben’s chest squeezes in on itself again, and he’s speaking before he can even think to stop himself:

“Pretty cool, huh?”

The kid blinks, slowly, and then glances in Ben’s direction. He looks stuck somewhere between surprise and outright disgust at the mere fact of being spoken to.

“Excuse me?”

“I said, ‘pretty cool, huh?’” Ben repeats. He jerks his chin at the curved transparisteel window in front of them, at the glittering spires and expanse of the city tucked into the clouds below them. “The view?”

The kid does that deliberate blink again. (Ben notices that his eyelashes are the same color as his hair, translucent and orange-gold.)

“What?”

“Uh,” says Ben. “You do speak Basic, right?”

“Enough to suggest that you mind your own business.”

The clench in his chest plunges into cold, hard fury. He feels the grin that had been growing on his lips dissolve like it’s been slapped off his face. “Wow.”

“What.”

“You don’t have to be such a jerk, y’know.”

“Don’t I?”

“No,” says Ben.

“My apologies, then.” The kid looks and sounds exactly the opposite of sorry.

“Whatever.” Ben sniffs, and turns his head away, glaring at the plummeting skyline out the window. Even through the unpleasant roiling disappointment, the mean little surge of anger growing in his gut, he can feel the prickle of attention from his left, where the kid is still looking at him. When he glances back, the kid’s expression has softened, almost, his eyes are slightly narrowed, his brows just drawn together: an imperceptible space of fascination opening up inside him—Ben can feel it through the anger like a quiet little tap-tap-tap against his skull.

“What?”

“What is that ridiculous—hairstyle.”

Ben grabs at the end of the braid where it’s resting against his shoulder, reflexive. “Yeah, I know. It’s dumb.” He flicks it behind him, raises his chin. “Won’t have to have it for much longer, though.”

“No?”

“No.” Ben can feel the tapping again. He pushes back against it, just to see what might happen. “You’re uh. Not from around here, are you?”

“Are you?”

“Well, no—but like, you’re really not from here.”

“No,” says the kid. “I’m not.”

“Where from, then?”

The kid drops the edge of the datapad, lets his hands rest against his knees. “You first.”

“Yanvin,” he says, because it’s the simplest answer. “You?”

“You wouldn’t know it,” says the kid.

“I bet I would,” he says.

“I doubt it,” says the kid. He looks away, to the window. “Never mind.”

In profile, he looks very young. There is a smudge of discolored skin where a old bruise must have recently bloomed under his jawline. There is a white-pink scar on his temple, barely a quarter-inch long and very thin. He still, even now, vaguely entranced by the view, holds himself like he has been laced up straight into his own spine. He is obviously terrible at having normal conversations. Where did you come from, thinks Ben, with urgency and delight.

“It is—nice,” says the kid, suddenly. Ben can see his pale eyes tracking the flight of a lux-speeder down below, weaving in-between the pink-lined smog and enviro-filter floaters, the weak sun glinting off the metal plating. “The view.”

“Long way down, right.”

“Yes,” says the kid.

Ben knows that lately, he has been growing all out of proportion. Shot up four inches in the spring and his hands and feet feel often too large for his limbs, he trips and drops things and does his best to pretend that none of it bothers him. But suddenly here alongside this other boy he feels like none of that is true, like it doesn’t matter: he feels strangely strong, oversized like a man, buoyed and powerful, like when the sibilant voice inside his belly and echoing in his skull would sometimes guide his hands during fits of insolence, rage, confusion to make power result where he had only felt helplessness.

“Sort of makes you think about jumping, you know?” When the kid looks back at him, a sudden little spike of confusion on his face, Ben amends: “Not like—not literally. Just. You know.”

“I don’t,” says the kid. Ben knows he’s lying; he can feel it again, the knife-edge going tap-tap-tap inside the bone of his skull.

“Sure,” says Ben. “Not literally, jumping. Just—the urge. To see what would happen.”

“What would happen,” the kid repeats.

“Yeah,” says Ben. “You know. To just do something everybody thinks you can’t handle. Because you want to.”

The kid holds his gaze, his bright eyes narrowed again like he has just realized Ben isn’t just an insolent kid trying to provide a distraction while someone else nicks his credits, like Ben isn’t just a boring, spoiled Coruscanti troglodyte attempting to impress, like Ben isn’t just another blank face filled to the edges with useless white noise—instead like he’s just realized that Ben might be interesting, that Ben might have something to say, and worth listening to.

The kid opens his mouth, as if to reply, at the same time that a woman’s accented voice cuts through the crowd—calling: Armitage?—and then he blinks, his gaze drops, his fingers find their hold on the edge of the datapad again.

“Well,” he says.

“That’s you?”

“That’s me.”

“Armitage,” he says, trying it out.

The kid—Armitage—looks as though he can’t even muster the energy to roll his eyes as he gathers up his things and stands. “We all have names.”

“Right.” Ben grins. “Sorry about yours.”

“I’m sure you are,” says Armitage, pausing with the datapad clutched to his chest as if maybe he is not entirely convinced the conversation is over.

“Want mine?” he asks.

“No,” says Armitage.

“It’s Ben,” he says. “I’m Ben.”

Armitage looks down at him, mouth pursed. Tap-tap-tap goes the radiating little gleam of fascination.

“Ben,” he says, finally. “Well. It’s been very—strange to make your acquaintance.”

“’Bye, Armitage.”

Armitage sneers at him, with all the practiced ease of a polite handshake, and he goes.

–

I know him, he will say to Snoke, only just a few years later, when he has begun to reveal himself and has started to show Ben a new part of his own future. A glimpse of a tall young man with his bright hair tucked under a dark winged cap, standing on the edge of a gleaming black fighter bridge, his hands clasped in a knot behind the small of his back. Eyes the color of the sweeping Coruscant sky narrowed like in his memories, and now full of fire.

I know him, he will say. I’ve met him before.

(He will not say: I’ve thought about him, sometimes. He will not say: I have thought about his mouth, sometimes. About gripping his wrists in my hands and squeezing until the bone shatters. About leaving bruises on his skin.)

Of course you do, Snoke will say. Did you think, my child, that I would not provide for you? 

And Snoke will say: Did you think that I would ever let you be so lonely again?

[webpostingpro-blog]

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From the PEOPLE Archive: A Life Cut Short — Inside Heath Ledger's Life and Tragic Death

9 years after Heath Ledger‘s 2008 dying at age 28 from an unintended overdose, the ones closest to him confide in Humans in this week’s cool tale approximately the late megastar’s private side — and speak the evocative new footage in the approaching Spike Television documentary I am Heath Ledger that sheds mild on his soulful internal lifestyles. Take a look lower back at People’s 2008 cowl tale following his tragic demise, and subscribe now for the emotional new info and never earlier than seen pix — most effective in People.free people search

The man who inked the name “Matilda”

On Heath Ledger‘s belly couldn’t wait to look his friend again. “We had been continually excited while Heath got here around; he turned into the warmest, maximum down-to-earth dude,” says Joseph Ari Aloi, the Brooklyn tattoo artist who created Ledger’s quirky tribute to his liked 2-12 months-old daughter ultimate year—and who had plans to hang around with the actor the night of Jan. 22. As an alternative, Aloi obtained a horrible name that afternoon: His buddy Ledger, just 28 years vintage, turned into lifeless. “It’s profoundly painful and surprising and simply actually incorrect,” a shaken Aloi told Human beings just hours after hearing the information—nevertheless bleeding from his calf, wherein he had tattooed this easy message: “For my brother Heath RIP 1/22/08.”

An international away, in Ledger’s native Australia, the identical soreness hit the actor’s circle of relatives. “I heard approximately his demise inside the press, and that I am known as his mom to find out what changed into occurring, and even she didn’t recognize,” says Ledger’s uncle Neil Bell, who lives in California and had lately spoken with his nephew. “Heath’s father observed out through the press. It’s a quite devastating manner to discover.heath name meaning

Why People Smoke After Sex And Not Before

There have to be countless scenes in vintage movies of couples having the celebratory cigarette in bed after sex. Within the greater subtle days, simply the smoking scene become sufficient to mean the unseen steamy hobby which had simply long gone before.

So why can we see this after intercourse and now not before? The after cigarette implies rest, comfort, and pride, which is curious because nicotine has not anything to do with these states.

Consider the scene with the earlier than romance smoke.

Now we have the ashtray mouth, or the smoke enriched hair killing the moment of ardor. Perhaps the moment of passion might bypass, which sincerely isn’t a terrific idea but Maybe there’s a strongly biochemical cause at the back of all of it.

One cigarette reasons a dramatic close down on your ability to shunt blood for your brain and your genitals for about 4 hours. This means your nitric oxide tiers are about as accurate as an 80-year-old, which interprets as a loss of blood and function to your essential components!

A sturdy 20-year antique may not notice any trouble but problems of impotence for guys and sexual pleasure for ladies begin to creep in clinically Within the mid to past due Twenties and via the mid-Forties research show that as many as 50% of people both can’t perform or do not enjoy intercourse.

There are a number of problems concerned such as alcohol, business omega 6 fats, xeno-estrogens from chemical substances and soy oils, medicinal drugs and sleep deprivation, but smoking is actually assured to create a trouble.

Plus the times of smoking being sexy have lengthy surpassed and the scent of cigarette smoke would turn off most potential bed companions.

So you mild a cigarette, and the smoke fills your lungs. most of the pollution will input your blood flow and tour through your coronary heart. The one’s pollutants which don’t input your blood circulate just have the sensitive tissue of your lungs to assault.

From your coronary heart the pollutants journey through arteries, to arterioles, and right down to capillaries. The toxins purpose these tiny blood pathways to construct, and it’s miles those small pathways which supply blood on your entire frame.

There is no upside to this restricted movement,

Handiest constrained blood float, nutrient shipping, and faded waste removal. So that your machine begins to seem like New york for the duration of a rubbish strike, in place of a tremendous rapid autobahn. And a disturbed device this is truly not how you need to sense in a tender second.

And now which will discover the five big mistakes the majority make when looking to quit smoking. cross t

Honesty Makes Your Life Easier

No man has an amazing sufficient memory to be a successful liar.” Abraham “Honest Abe” Lincoln

Honesty is an indication of courage, person, and power.

Whilst someone lies one of two matters will possibly appear. One, his lie will be found out, his reputation could be tarnished, and he could be weakened with strain. Or two, his lie will now not be determined out and he will have the need to lie again a good way to defend his first lie. Worried that his lies may be revealed, he’s going to again be weakened with stress.

Have you ever been in that position?

At a while maximum folks have. It became embarrassing after I was given caught. And it turned into painful after I Worried about getting caught. I lost too many hours of sleep looking to parent out how to preserve people from locating out the truth approximately my little or not-so-little lies.

In those times, I did no longer like the character I used to be. As I appeared lower back at each state of affairs I found out that I had lied to make myself appearance higher to another person. What I must have been doing turned into making myself look better to me. I knew that so that it will do this I had to alternate.

So I determined to prevent mendacity and tell the fact. No

It turned into not easy. Now after which, in a moment of weakness, I slipped. As I saw my man or woman developing stronger, even though, I started out to admire myself greater.

In time, I noticed that different people have been friendlier. Circle of relatives and near pals appeared comfier around me. And my wife began to agree with me greater. the ones had been all top matters. But the pleasant element was how an awful lot greater I preferred myself. I was now not packed with strain so I slept better. Since I decided to prevent mendacity, my lifestyles have been less complicated.

How approximately you? Could honesty help improve your life? Wouldn’t it improve your relationships because it has mine?

Consider how regularly, and to whom, you lie. Ask yourself why you do it. What do you try and advantage? What do you attempt to keep away from? What has it cost you in different humans’ eyes? extra importantly, what has it value you in your very own self-respect?

Now consider making the hard selection, to be Honest, any longer. Sure, you might slip. However, determine to be Sincere and don’t forget what it’ll do for you. If it really works for you because it has for me, in time you will be privy to how differently humans respond to you. They’ll be friendlier and more trusting.

The excellent component, however

Is how tons better you experience about yourself. You remember the fact that you’re stronger, extra brave, and greater assured. And you will accept what I say: “Honesty makes your lifestyles simpler.”

“Honesty is the first chapter inside the e-book of know-how.” Thomas Jefferson

The Role Of Heath Care Practitioners In Various Medical Fields

  A health care practitioner is one having the authority or license to provide curative or preventive fitness care offerings to individuals or groups in an prepared and methodical manner inside the discipline of medication, obstetrics, pharmacy, nursing, pediatrics, medical psychology or different related sectors. The high-quality of carrier furnished by way of health care practitioners is precisely monitored by means of the kingdom authorities on the premise of pre-fixed regulations and policies. The country has the proper to choose the movements of the fitness care companies, and seize their license in case they’re located to violate any of the policies. In such instances, it’s miles the duty of the nation to offer the Board of Health workers the name and the movement info of the involved health care provider for the implementation of vital actions.

Allow us to see the various varieties of health care companies available:

Number one Care providers (PCP): The individual you’re making your first visit to for a preferred fitness take a look at-up is defined as your Primary care company. You may decide at the first-class PCP for you on the basis of your health issues and the health care plan you have got. Allow us to discuss a number of the possible options:

In maximum instances, a trendy health practitioner can be the fine PCP,

Who can look at your fitness problems and refer you to the most appropriate specialist? A fashionable doctor refers to a medical doctor of drugs or osteopathy with a specialization in inner medication and family exercise. You could also pick an Obstetrician and Gynecologist has a specialization in women’s health and prenatal care as your PCP.

For recurring checkups and preferred health issues, You can appoint nurse practitioners with graduate degrees as your PCP. they’re legal to provide Number one care inside the field of pediatrics, family medication, women’s health, grownup care etc.

Nursing Care: The nursing quarter can be divided into diverse classes.

Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN): LPNs consult with trained nurses having the license to offer fitness safety services to people, households or groups. Registered Nurse (RN): RNs are required to get through a state board examination and reap a graduate diploma from a nursing program which will get the license for imparting fitness protection offerings.

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New Post has been published on Webpostingpro

New Post has been published on https://webpostingpro.com/from-the-people-archive-a-life-cut-short-inside-heath-ledgers-life-and-tragic-death/

From the PEOPLE Archive: A Life Cut Short — Inside Heath Ledger's Life and Tragic Death

9 years after Heath Ledger‘s 2008 dying at age 28 from an unintended overdose, the ones closest to him confide in Humans in this week’s cool tale approximately the late megastar’s private side — and speak the evocative new footage in the approaching Spike Television documentary I am Heath Ledger that sheds mild on his soulful internal lifestyles. Take a look lower back at People’s 2008 cowl tale following his tragic demise, and subscribe now for the emotional new info and never earlier than seen pix — most effective in People.free people search

The man who inked the name “Matilda”

On Heath Ledger‘s belly couldn’t wait to look his friend again. “We had been continually excited while Heath got here around; he turned into the warmest, maximum down-to-earth dude,” says Joseph Ari Aloi, the Brooklyn tattoo artist who created Ledger’s quirky tribute to his liked 2-12 months-old daughter ultimate year—and who had plans to hang around with the actor the night of Jan. 22. As an alternative, Aloi obtained a horrible name that afternoon: His buddy Ledger, just 28 years vintage, turned into lifeless. “It’s profoundly painful and surprising and simply actually incorrect,” a shaken Aloi told Human beings just hours after hearing the information—nevertheless bleeding from his calf, wherein he had tattooed this easy message: “For my brother Heath RIP 1/22/08.”

An international away, in Ledger’s native Australia, the identical soreness hit the actor’s circle of relatives. “I heard approximately his demise inside the press, and that I am known as his mom to find out what changed into occurring, and even she didn’t recognize,” says Ledger’s uncle Neil Bell, who lives in California and had lately spoken with his nephew. “Heath’s father observed out through the press. It’s a quite devastating manner to discover.heath name meaning

Why People Smoke After Sex And Not Before

There have to be countless scenes in vintage movies of couples having the celebratory cigarette in bed after sex. Within the greater subtle days, simply the smoking scene become sufficient to mean the unseen steamy hobby which had simply long gone before.

So why can we see this after intercourse and now not before? The after cigarette implies rest, comfort, and pride, which is curious because nicotine has not anything to do with these states.

Consider the scene with the earlier than romance smoke.

Now we have the ashtray mouth, or the smoke enriched hair killing the moment of ardor. Perhaps the moment of passion might bypass, which sincerely isn’t a terrific idea but Maybe there’s a strongly biochemical cause at the back of all of it.

One cigarette reasons a dramatic close down on your ability to shunt blood for your brain and your genitals for about 4 hours. This means your nitric oxide tiers are about as accurate as an 80-year-old, which interprets as a loss of blood and function to your essential components!

A sturdy 20-year antique may not notice any trouble but problems of impotence for guys and sexual pleasure for ladies begin to creep in clinically Within the mid to past due Twenties and via the mid-Forties research show that as many as 50% of people both can’t perform or do not enjoy intercourse.

There are a number of problems concerned such as alcohol, business omega 6 fats, xeno-estrogens from chemical substances and soy oils, medicinal drugs and sleep deprivation, but smoking is actually assured to create a trouble.

Plus the times of smoking being sexy have lengthy surpassed and the scent of cigarette smoke would turn off most potential bed companions.

So you mild a cigarette, and the smoke fills your lungs. most of the pollution will input your blood flow and tour through your coronary heart. The one’s pollutants which don’t input your blood circulate just have the sensitive tissue of your lungs to assault.

From your coronary heart the pollutants journey through arteries, to arterioles, and right down to capillaries. The toxins purpose these tiny blood pathways to construct, and it’s miles those small pathways which supply blood on your entire frame.

There is no upside to this restricted movement,

Handiest constrained blood float, nutrient shipping, and faded waste removal. So that your machine begins to seem like New york for the duration of a rubbish strike, in place of a tremendous rapid autobahn. And a disturbed device this is truly not how you need to sense in a tender second.

And now which will discover the five big mistakes the majority make when looking to quit smoking. cross t

Honesty Makes Your Life Easier

No man has an amazing sufficient memory to be a successful liar.” Abraham “Honest Abe” Lincoln

Honesty is an indication of courage, person, and power.

Whilst someone lies one of two matters will possibly appear. One, his lie will be found out, his reputation could be tarnished, and he could be weakened with strain. Or two, his lie will now not be determined out and he will have the need to lie again a good way to defend his first lie. Worried that his lies may be revealed, he’s going to again be weakened with stress.

Have you ever been in that position?

At a while maximum folks have. It became embarrassing after I was given caught. And it turned into painful after I Worried about getting caught. I lost too many hours of sleep looking to parent out how to preserve people from locating out the truth approximately my little or not-so-little lies.

In those times, I did no longer like the character I used to be. As I appeared lower back at each state of affairs I found out that I had lied to make myself appearance higher to another person. What I must have been doing turned into making myself look better to me. I knew that so that it will do this I had to alternate.

So I determined to prevent mendacity and tell the fact. No

It turned into not easy. Now after which, in a moment of weakness, I slipped. As I saw my man or woman developing stronger, even though, I started out to admire myself greater.

In time, I noticed that different people have been friendlier. Circle of relatives and near pals appeared comfier around me. And my wife began to agree with me greater. the ones had been all top matters. But the pleasant element was how an awful lot greater I preferred myself. I was now not packed with strain so I slept better. Since I decided to prevent mendacity, my lifestyles have been less complicated.

How approximately you? Could honesty help improve your life? Wouldn’t it improve your relationships because it has mine?

Consider how regularly, and to whom, you lie. Ask yourself why you do it. What do you try and advantage? What do you attempt to keep away from? What has it cost you in different humans’ eyes? extra importantly, what has it value you in your very own self-respect?

Now consider making the hard selection, to be Honest, any longer. Sure, you might slip. However, determine to be Sincere and don’t forget what it’ll do for you. If it really works for you because it has for me, in time you will be privy to how differently humans respond to you. They’ll be friendlier and more trusting.

The excellent component, however

Is how tons better you experience about yourself. You remember the fact that you’re stronger, extra brave, and greater assured. And you will accept what I say: “Honesty makes your lifestyles simpler.”

“Honesty is the first chapter inside the e-book of know-how.” Thomas Jefferson

The Role Of Heath Care Practitioners In Various Medical Fields

  A health care practitioner is one having the authority or license to provide curative or preventive fitness care offerings to individuals or groups in an prepared and methodical manner inside the discipline of medication, obstetrics, pharmacy, nursing, pediatrics, medical psychology or different related sectors. The high-quality of carrier furnished by way of health care practitioners is precisely monitored by means of the kingdom authorities on the premise of pre-fixed regulations and policies. The country has the proper to choose the movements of the fitness care companies, and seize their license in case they’re located to violate any of the policies. In such instances, it’s miles the duty of the nation to offer the Board of Health workers the name and the movement info of the involved health care provider for the implementation of vital actions.

Allow us to see the various varieties of health care companies available:

Number one Care providers (PCP): The individual you’re making your first visit to for a preferred fitness take a look at-up is defined as your Primary care company. You may decide at the first-class PCP for you on the basis of your health issues and the health care plan you have got. Allow us to discuss a number of the possible options:

In maximum instances, a trendy health practitioner can be the fine PCP,

Who can look at your fitness problems and refer you to the most appropriate specialist? A fashionable doctor refers to a medical doctor of drugs or osteopathy with a specialization in inner medication and family exercise. You could also pick an Obstetrician and Gynecologist has a specialization in women’s health and prenatal care as your PCP.

For recurring checkups and preferred health issues, You can appoint nurse practitioners with graduate degrees as your PCP. they’re legal to provide Number one care inside the field of pediatrics, family medication, women’s health, grownup care etc.

Nursing Care: The nursing quarter can be divided into diverse classes.

Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN): LPNs consult with trained nurses having the license to offer fitness safety services to people, households or groups. Registered Nurse (RN): RNs are required to get through a state board examination and reap a graduate diploma from a nursing program which will get the license for imparting fitness protection offerings.