#you can imagine bow is saying that because honestly it matches his facial expression

[tippenfunkaport]

Swift Wind. Honey. Just... are you alright?

[mistymark]

VIGILANTE/S II

part two // 2.0k words // superpowered!au // (sort of) gang!au // series masterlist

summary; in which you consider yourself somewhat of a vigilante.

warnings; mentions of blood, gangs, swearing

notes; i had to redo the whole of part 2 fkjhbjhg so I hope u like it 

You could feel yourself becoming conscious again, yet you felt like you were drowning. Voices and other sounds sounded distant – like you were hearing them from inside a glass cage. “Wake her up,” an unfamiliar voice cut through the thick cloud in your mind, the glass cage shattering.

Your vision cleared, and you became vaguely aware that you were seated on a leather seat in some type of office. The room felt cold – mostly because of its appearance – with stone walls and amount of space that surrounded you. In a room that was easily larger than your whole apartment, there were only four pieces of furniture. You try to move your hands, but you find them bound behind your back with rope. Kinky.

Standing before you was a man with jet black hair, dressed in a pair of black jeans and flannel top. There was something about his appearance that made you feel more comfortable, though his face was serious. He didn’t say anything else. You could feel the power in him, but you weren’t surprised he was a Super. You could feel six others nearby – one much stronger than the rest and five that were slightly dulled, perhaps due to the stone walls. Still, the sheer amount of power in such a close proximity made your body feel like it was on fire.

The reason you’d never liked going to The Den was not due to the criminals but the overwhelming feeling of so much power in one room. Normally, seven wouldn’t bother you. But these people were strong.

There was silence for a moment as the man in front of you waited. Something about his patience made you uncomfortable – and your gut told you he was dangerous. You got the feeling he wouldn’t be someone to mess with even if he weren’t a Super.

“Are you-?” You began to ask, but your question quickly turned into a shriek of pain as you clutched your head. An absurd amount of pressure felt like it was building up inside your skull, pressing against the inside of your head.

The pain vanished to a dull throb and you looked at him through your lashes, recovering.

He looked you over for a moment, before his eyes narrowed again and the pressure returned. It felt like the pain had doubled since the last time, and you scrunched your face up in pain, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of hearing you scream.

It seemed like the wrong thing to do, as the pain only worsened. When it was gone again, you looked up, feeling a trickle of blood run from your nose.

He scrutinised you again for a moment, and it was all the time you needed to reach out for his power, feeling it run through you. You imagined protecting yourself, mentally envisioning not being in pain anymore, and the dull throb vanished.

You sagged against the back of the chair in relief, looking up to try and stop the blood flow from your nose. Sniffing in a rather undignified fashion, you spat at the floor, feeling somewhat satisfied that there was going to be a blood stain in the middle of the room.

His gaze wandered from you to the floor, but he didn’t react. Instead, his eyes met yours once again, and you felt him trying to push into your head again. You tried to focus on blocking him – but you’d always found using abilities that weren’t related to matter more difficult.

You felt him give in, stepping back slightly from the effort of using his abilities. He wiped at his nose, and you swore you could see a small dot of blood. Good.

“Who are you?” You ask, sceptically.

It was becoming evident that he was not going to hurt you, but you knew that this wasn’t his decision. He had to be working for someone. A Denner, perhaps. He doesn’t answer, which you’d mostly expected. What you weren’t expecting was for him to pull out his phone and start texting. What kind of bad guy is he?

“Um, excuse me? Hello?”

It was as if he couldn’t hear you. No part of him reacted to you; he kept a straight face.

“You could at least put your phone away when I’m talking to you,” you mumbled.

No response.

You tried a different tactic, pulling at his power slightly, you tried to penetrate his mind subtly, only digging for surface level information. “Doyoung.”

He doesn’t say anything, but you notice the way he stiffened slightly.

Smiling, you continue, “What? Are you bothered that I know your name but you don’t know mine?” When he doesn’t respond once again, you add a teasing lilt to your voice, “It’s okay. I’m Y/n.”

He almost looks annoyed by you, even though his facial expression doesn’t change. He clicks his phone off and slides into his pocket, crossing his arms and leaning against the desk. A moment later, a door behind you opens, and the feeling of power you receive is stronger. The other Supers are behind you.

Only one steps into the room, though. No one talks.

“You know, it’s rude not to introduce yourself to someone you’ve never met before,” you say, not attempting to turn around. “Johnny, is it? Or do you prefer John?”

He ignores you, crossing the room and standing in front of Doyoung, “What do you know?”

“She doesn’t work for a Denner,” Doyoung responds. This surprises you. For two reasons: one; you’d thought they worked for a Denner, and two; his voice does not match the voice that had cut through his mental block.

“Then who does she work for?”

“No one.”

Johnny turns to you, a frown on his face. You realise he’s trying to get information, too, as if he had the same ability as Doyoung. You know he doesn’t. You shrug casually.

Doyoung doesn’t say anything else, and you immediately know he doesn’t speak unless spoken to. Johnny is the one in charge here.

“If she doesn’t work for anyone, why-?”

“You don’t work for the Denners.”

He turns to you, one eyebrow raised. “No.”

“Neither do I.”

No longer interested in what you have to say, he turns back around to Doyoung.

“I’ve been watching them, you know.” You can tell this piques his interest, even though he doesn’t face you. “I know they want Supers to be sold, used as weapons. They’re trying to sway the Senate.”

You swear it’s like talking to a bloody brick wall.

Doyoung’s abilities allow you to hear their thoughts. “You want to kill me? That’s your big plan?”

Johnny smiles. It’s the first time you’ve seen either of them express any kind of emotion, and it’s honestly more creepy than the blank and serious looks you’d been getting early. “You’re a mind reader, then?”

“Sometimes,” you smirk. The faintest bit of confusion crosses his face but it’s gone as quickly as it appeared.

They talk in hushed voices, and you try and reach out with your mind to find the other Supers. You can sense their power from behind you, but neither of them are close enough. That is, until one walks too close to the wall, and you try and reach out for the power. You can feel the way your mind grasps it, feeling the familiar heat run through you. Pyrokinesis. Perfect.

“Not just a mind reader,” you say. They pause mid-conversation to look at you. You feel the heat rise around your wrists, singing the ropes. The ropes land softly on the ground, and you pull your arms forward from where they were previously bound behind the chair, your fists now glowing bright red, small flames dancing along your skin. You’d always been one for dramatics.

Doyoung and Johnny look genuinely shocked. Neither of them speak.

“A mimic.”

The voice is coming from the far corner, and you’re surprised you didn’t notice anyone standing there. It’s the original voice, the one that ordered you to be woken from your psychokinetic haze.

The man pushes off the wall with his shoulder and steps into the light, and you realise you were wrong about Johnny; he is not in charge. The man who stands before you most definitely is.

The man stands tall and is dressed in what has to be the most expensive suit you’ve ever seen. It’s a dark grey – almost black – colour with gold thread detailing throughout it, swirling in intricate patterns. He isn’t any taller than Doyoung or Johnny, but he certainly seems more powerful.

He lazily steps down towards you, and you know he’s dangerous. He’s a Super, but his power – clairvoyance, you can feel – don’t make him all that threatening.

“Yes,” you breathe, and you immediately feel like you should be bowing. He can sense your fear, judging by the amused smirk on his face.

“Now,” he steps closer, and his finger tilts your chin up to his face, “that could prove useful.”

Defiantly, you pull your head away from him, but you don’t say anything.

“Oh,” he laughs humourlessly, “you’re spunky.”

Normally, you would laugh at anyone who used the word ‘spunky’, kick them in the shins and roast them to hell and back. To this man – Jaehyun – you don’t do any of those things.

“What do you know about the senator?” He asks. You’re surprised by the way he speaks now, almost like he’s already bored by the conversation.

“That’s a big question,” you say, trying to force some confidence into your voice.

“You have ten seconds.”

“Ten-? Okay, um- ” You suddenly can’t remember anything you’ve observed in the last few months. “A gang of Denners have been trying to convince the Senate to make the trading of Supers legal, but they’ve hit a roadblock per say with Senator Kim. He has holdings with Broadback-“

Jaehyun looks up at you, “You stopped.”

“It’s been ten seconds,” you remind him, slyly.

You expect him to ask to hear more, to show that he’s interested in what you know. If anything, he does the opposite. He grabs something off the desk, a baseball of sorts, and tosses it up in the air before catching it quickly. “You don’t know anything.”

The words make you feel like you’ve just been stabbed. You try not to let your jaw drop.

“The senator has been working with the Silver Panthers for quite some time now, and yet he double crossed them.” He shoots you a look, “Why?”

This information surprises you and you wonder if he’s quizzing you. “Bribery?” You offer.

The sound he lets out is more like a snort than a laugh, but it doesn’t last. “Like I said; you don’t know anything.”

You feel your cheeks flush in embarrassment. You’d almost forgotten Doyoung and Johnny were in the room. Doyoung.

Jaehyun walks past you towards the exit, not even sparing you a second glance. “Kill her.”

You try and reach out to Jaehyun’s mind, sifting through his memories and knowledge.

Johnny steps forward, but you put a haze over his mind like Doyoung had done to you, effectively rendering him useless.

“The Silver Panthers proposed the idea of Supers being used in war. They used that to sway the senator, and he persuaded the Senate for them – Once he realised, he went to the Red Crown-” You blabber, reciting everything you can from Jaehyun’s mind.

“Very good.” He doesn’t mean it.

“I can help.”

“We don’t need your help.”

You sigh, rolling up your sleeve to reveal your wrist, holding up your arm to show him your tattoo, “I think you could use it, though.”

“You’re a Crown?” He looks to Doyoung in exasperation.

“I used to be a Crown.”

He casts you another long look, before walking for the door again. “Training starts tomorrow. Doyoung, show her to one of the empty rooms.” Before the door closes, you can hear him mutter to Doyoung, “And fucking fix Johnny.”

[sambart93]

2017.12.24 Bungou Stray Dogs Stage [Review]

Official Site here Official Twitter here Press Coverage 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 Video Coverage 1, 2, 3, 4

CAST and CHARACTERS

Torigoe Yuuki as Nakajima Atsushi Tawada Hideya as Osamu Dazai Teruma as Kunikida Doppo Nagae Ryoki as Edogawa Ranpo Kuwano Kousuke as Tanzaki Junichiro Saito Akari as Tanzaki Naomi Hironouchi Hitoshi as Miyazawa Kenji Imamura Miho as Yosano Akiko Hashimoto Shohei as Akutagawa Ryunosuke Masaki Kohei as Kajii Motojiro Hirata Yuka as Higuchi Ichiyou Kuwae Sakina as Izumi Kyoka Ueda Keisuke as Nakahara Chuya Ensemble: Elizabeth Mari, Okamura Tatsuki, Obigane Ryouta, Jintoku, Suzuki Ryouhei, Funaki Atsushi, Kurihara Sayaka, Takei Mirano

NON-SPOILER REVIEW This is very faithful to the original anime and manga story, and I feel Hideya, Ueda and Teruma were the perfect casting for their characters, they did not disappoint. Nagae as Ranpo was also a surprise and it was interesting the different ways they had him woven into the stage and story. There was a lot of comedy in this and there's some moments that are exactly as you would want them to be, especially Dazai's idiot moments like trying to die in ridiculous places and ways, as well as his trolling of other people. The way they showed the powers was great along with the use of projection mapping. The best scenes were definitely Dazai and Nakahara's scenes together; they also got the biggest applause. The ending, where you should start clapping, is rather confusing to figure out because they don't bow when they start doing Character Credit Names and Powers, but now you know if you see it live. It's obvious they have intentions of continuing on this seies and I do think that'll happen. Personally there were a few things I wasn't happy with; the tiger fight scene wasn't very smooth or perfect and I think would be confusing to those who haven't seen the anime nor know the story. The one scene I was really excited to see wasn't up to my expectations. And finally, the ensemble were a big distraction for me because I felt the dancing they did was not needed for this stage, and looked rather odd; I strongly feel a normal ensemble cast would've been better and more apparent and fitting. BUT I think many fans and people will be able to thoroughly enjoy this show and see how much effort went into it and how great the casting-to-characters is and everything. Objective Rating: 8/10 Subjective Rating: 6/10

*

STORY

As mentioned above, the stage is very faithful to the original material. I haven't read the manga so I can only say the stage copies the first season of the anime faithfully. So if you want to know what happens or what to understand what the hell is going on before you see this stage, then I recommend you watch / read that.

THE POSITIVES

PART ONE

Part one was probably the strongest out of the two - although I think this is a habit of mine. I really struggle with stages that have a break in the middle; all my energy and excitement is usually used up in the first half and then during the break I get too chill and relaxed and I also somewhat zone out for the second half =/ I'll try and fix this!

I loved the opening for this stage because Nagae/Ranpo comes out from the right side door and comes down the aisle and approached someone saying 'you're in my seat... yes you are... oh you have a ticket with your seat? I don't have a ticket!' and then comes onto the stage and is almost like a narrator introducing the world and the stage. 

Nagae did such a great job with his adlibbing and natural comedy. This little shit, he always plays little shits, keeps growing on me every damn stage! But he's getting better and better every time too! I still can't get over how young he is because his confidence and acting on stage makes him appear so much older and more mature! Even though he does mess around and have fun. Nagae was a GREAT choice for Ranpo and he went way beyond what I was expecting him to do as the character! Which makes me sad, I loved him as Ranpo so much but, as we know, his participation in the first season of Bungo is so small! So I'm excited to see all the stage time and scenes he'll have in the next one!

And of course, as we all expected, Hideyan and Teruma as their characters are spot on and great! They were the best choices for those characters. 

Hideyan went way above and beyond my expectations for him as Dazai because he is just PERFECT as Dazai! You couldn't have asked for a better choice in casting. So many Dazai moments he was faithful to and did perfectly. The moment where he does the wavy arms to  Kunikida is in there. The while him trying to commit suicide with his legs sticking out of the big bin/can is in there. The classic where he tells Kunikida loads of stuff and then goes '...I'm lying' is in there. So many amazingly classic and memorable moments of Dazai were in this stage!

Torigoe used a LOT of energy in this stage so I could start to understand why he was cast as Atsushi instead of (what I wanted) UeChan. He never stops running around the stage or switching from yelling to turning to the audience and stuff. I am impressed at how much energy he had and could use!

This stage is very, very funny! We were laughing for a lot of this stage which keeps the nature of Bungou's anime/manga at heart which is great!

I giggled a few times at Kosuke because I couldn't imagine him as the sister-incest-relationship-character but I actually really liked his section of the stage too! He looked so much like he didn't want his sister all over him and his facial expressions were very funny.

PART TWO

I feel like 90% of the audience were there just for UeChan. Him, or a combination of him and Hideyan. Because at the end of UeChan and Hideyan’s final scene, they got a MASSIVE and the BIGGEST round of applause at the end. So much so that even though the lights went up to signal the start of the next scene, the audience CONTINUED clapping! The poor actors had to wait until we were down with our massive round of applause so they could start the next scene. I found it absolutely fascinating. 

The fight scene between UeChan and Hideyan was so good! I was so impressed with how HIGH UeChan can kick his legs and their movements matched very well; it was overall a solid and great fight scene.

Their entire two major scenes together was just perfect.

I really liked towards the end when Akutogawa and Atsushi were fighting and to show Akuto's power, Atsushi was physically wrapped in black cloth and it looked really good visually and worked really well with the scene and the intensity of it.

Masaki didn't disappoint me as Kajii! His scene is one of my favourite ones and he was crazy and did a very faithful job of the character! While the scene was somewhat ruined by the ensemble, his performance of the character was solid and enjoy his performance.

I remember really liking the subtle coughs and stuff Shohei did as Akutogawa but he was very much off to the side and just being like this looming and overwatching character in this first stage rather than being all that active. Only the final scene at the end is Akutogawa somewhat active in the play, so, just like UeChan, I have hopes that his stage time and activities will increase (just like they do in the anime) in the next stage. I did like that they did the flashback scene between him and Dazai and Hideyan looked for freaking good and badass in that flashback! Shohei did good as Akutogawa in his two major scenes (the flashback and the end scene) but I can't confidently say he was a good choice or he's a good Akutogawa until I see more.

After the first round of applause, Nagae came back on stage the second time and he said ‘Do you see this? *pointing to the 'THE END' sign on stage* It means we're done. Go home.... You know it’s Christmas…. what the HELL are you all doing here?! Out there is Yokohama, you can— oh whatever’ and we all died laughing and he walked off.

And finally, a random comment related to the goods; the photobook and pamphlet have absolutely stunning photos and shots in them. I’ll put them below.

THE NEGATIVES

In the non spoiler section I mentioned three negatives (but now in more detail):

- The tiger fight scene at the beginning of the stage wasn’t very smooth or perfect and would be confusing to non-Bungou fans or knowers. This mainly comes down to how bad the projection mapping of the tiger is. It's very jittery and doesn't really move around the stage smoothly and sometimes it didn't looked like Dazai's attacks were going in the directions of where the tiger was. 

- The one scene I was really excited to see, which is the scene when Atsuhi and Kyoka go on a date through Yokohama, really wasn’t up to my expectations at all. For those who have seen Honoo no Mirage, I was expecting something similar to that where they would put background and locations of Yokohama on the stage through projection mapping and we'd see Kyoka dragging and pulling Atsushi to all these places. But in reality we got a song and dance (see picture above) and the song was 50% in English (if I remember correctly) and it was just them dancing in the middle of the stage. There were no obvious Yokohama locations or Yokohama-esque things in the sequence at all and I was so super upset and disappointed with it. That was the one scene I was so looking forward to seeing and they, in my opinion, missed the opportunity and butchered it. 

- The ensemble were a big distraction for me. I felt the dancing they did was not needed nor really fitted for this stage, and looked rather odd and out of place. The actors would be in the center of the stage talking about something or being serious and then the dancers would come on doing these strange movements or were being passerby but would do it by dancing their way through the stage and to me it honestly looked ridiculous and distracting. Honestly, I strongly feel a normal ensemble cast where they just were normal people and normal passerby and did the normal helping out with the stunts and stuff would’ve been better and more apparent and fitting. Even now, weeks after watching this stage, feel like the ensemble looked bloody ridiculous and stupid. ALSO I watched KuroMyu AFTER this stage where they too had a dancing ensemble and it worked completely fine for that stage! I think it's because dancing ensembles definitely fit musicals and songs better than just a normal stage and that's where my problem with them in the Bungou stage lies. Seriously, I was so in love with the dancing ensemble for KuroMyu (review here).

Okay I'll try and tone the rest of the negatives down:

- There was no questionnaire with the stage. I opened my leaflets and checked their twitter and their official website but no paper questionnaire, no QR code or website link for a questionnaire which I think is super strange. I know most people were saying they wanted a questionnaire so they could complain about the lack of trading bromide stock but I always write a questionnaire, I always write what's good, what's bad (which would've just been the ensemble and the date scene) and I always write ' hey maybe try this' or 'I want to see this' or 'this particular actor was great, if you continue please keep them on' etc. so I felt somewhat naked without them supplying a questionnaire to us. I hope they often them at the Tokyo one or something and get a friend to write it for me xD

- They only did Daiza trolling Kunikida with the '...I'm lying' joke ONCE! I’m so upset! It’s like one of best comedy parts. It should've been done at least three times throughout the stage.

- Another personal gripe was my seat. I got my ticket in the very FIRST lottery of tickets and yet me seat ended up being 4th to back row on the 3RD FLOOR. And I know for a fact there were MANY seats empty on the first and second floor. So I was super pissed I got such a crappy seat to say I got my ticket so damn early into the ticket sales.

- It's not really a negative but more of a confusing moment: they don’t bow at the end to signify the end of the stage. They finish the final scene and then the ensemble come back on (just them) and go a sort of dance before going off and then the members come on one by one with their name and then their ability is shown on the stage walls. So we got about two cast members in before we all realised we should be clapping! It was really confusing and somewhat awkward. So now you know if you go!

- They didn't do any curtain call speeches at the end of the show. It was the final Yokohama show and you'd think, with the sotry being set in Yokohama, that they would do a speech at their FINAL YOKOHAMA SHOW. But no; poor Nagae had to come back on stage twice and be like 'thank you all for clapping and I know you're expecting speeches but we're only doing them at the final Tokyo Show. Everyone is already backstage and undressing out of their costumes. Sorry but the show is finished for today.'

- Final personal gripe; Not enough UeChan BUT again that's because he, just like Nagae's Ranpo, isn't really all that present in the first season of the anime. So he'll definitely get enough stage time in the next one!

*

GOODS

As mentioned above, the pamphlet and photobook is gorgeous and definitely worth the money!

*

Fin.

[incorrectmidc]

Once Upon A December

Note: Finally MC has a name here. Lol. Some of you might remember her for I’ve made a post about her before. Remember Georgette Lee? Louis’ supposed twin sister? Yeah, she’s my MC here. :)

Okay, a few things before you read, Leo and Alyn are princes of Wysteria, with Leo as the Crowned Prince and Heir Apparent to the throne. I also made Elise Sannes their older sister. The king of Wysteria remains unnamed.

What else... yeah, this is inspired by Game of Thrones (the setting) and Anastasia (the plot, kind of) so expect to see similarities (mostly from Game of Thrones, since I haven’t seen Anastasia yet).

Warning for crude words, mostly uttered by Sid. XD

i. QUEEN OF LOVE AND BEAUTY

“Black and white and grey, all the shades of truth.” ーA Song of Ice and Fire

The sound of trumpets, drums and jovial cheering rang all over the palace courtyard that morning. Highborn lords and ladies of the Kingdom of Wysteria were sitting comfortably inside the tents, chatting amiably with each other as they waited for the participants of the day's tourney. It was the king's 50th nameday and a week-long tourney and feast was held in honour of his name. It was well-attended by the highborns of the society for they also see it as an opportunity to match their sons and daughters to the royal children, especially to the heir of the Willow Throne, Prince Leo.

"Good morning, m'lord," three servant girls greeted Ser Xeno Gerald as he walked down the hallway towards the chambers of the youngest Crawford royalty. They giggled softly as he returned the greeting with a polite smile on his face. He wasn't even a feet away from them when he heard them whispering to each other.

"Ser Xeno is really handsome, isn't he?"

"I find him more handsome than Prince Leo and Prince Alyn combined."

"The lady he will choose is so lucky."

I can hear all of you, you know, Xeno mused, his expression not giving away his thoughts. Not to be conceited, he's well aware of the fact that he's good-looking enough to catch the eyes of ladies, highborn and common folk alike. And though he has fooled around once or twice, through Sid's urgings, he has never thought of ladies and marriage altogether. In fact, he didn't think he would ever marry. For him, his whole life was dedicated to serving and protecting the prince he'd sworn his sword to, and exactly the same person who became his first friend when he arrived in Wysteria, Alyn Crawford. "Love is the death of duty."[1] He always heard his uncle, Robert Branche, say that and he wholeheartedly agree to it. So instead of setting his sights on a lady, he was focused on becoming a member of the Kingsguard someday.

He stopped in front of Prince Alyn's chambers and knocked ー two short knocks followed by three long ones ー an indication that it was him. It was a signal he and the prince invented during their younger days when they were about to cause mischief. It became a habit of them ever since then.

A muffled "come in" was heard from the opposite side of the door and he took it as his cue to enter. One fine eyebrow rose when he spotted his best friend sitting in front of his dresser, getting his hair and a week's worth of facial hair shaved. "It's a good change seeing you getting cleaned up, my prince," he said as he approached and fought the urge to laugh as he watched Prince Alyn close his eyes in agony when the stubble that he was trying so hard to grow was slowly rid of. "Shave him good, Tommy," he told the barber. "He's never liked a woman more than he likes his own hair."[2] This time he laughed when the prince sent him a pointed look.

When he was all shaven clean and his hair trimmed, Xeno helped the prince with his mail and armour. Like him, Prince Alyn would be joining the tourney. But then also unlike him, the youngest prince didn't like it one bit. Of course he's neither a craven nor a lousy fighter, he just didn't see the point of a joust. "It's an opportunity for you to show your skills, my prince. A way to impress the nobility," Xeno told him once wherein Prince Alyn's reply was a un-prince-like snort and a comment of "my king father just wants to find me a bride." Xeno gave no reply to that because the prince had been right on the dot with his comment.

"Pray tell me why you have shaven today, Crawford," Xeno asked, amusement in his voice, as fastened the prince’s armour on the shoulder. While the prince's older sister, Princess Elise, was so particular on how her brothers, even her father, looks, the king was the last person to mind if they were all presentable enough despite his status as the King of Wysteria. So it was quite a surprise for Xeno, to be honest, when he found out that it was the king who ordered Prince Alyn to make himself presentable.

"My guess is as good as yours, Xeno," Prince Alyn replied somberly, not minding the fact that Xeno just referred to him casually. He was, in fact, used to it. And even thankful for it. He and Xeno Gerald were friends ever since they were both eight years of age. The latter was brought to Wysteria, two decades ago, by Master Robert Branche, Xeno's uncle who was also the court painter. He became the princes' playmates but it took Prince Alyn and Prince Leo a year to have the quiet, gloomy child to smile. Their father and Master Robert have warned them never to ask about Xeno's family for the boy just lost them in a fire. It was a rule that the Crawford children obeyed religiously though they slipped up one day and witnessed how Xeno tensed up, horror clearly etched on his young face.

Ever since then, the three royal offspring swore that they wouldn't make a mistake of bringing it up anymore. They like Xeno, especially Prince Alyn, for the boy never treated them like a god, something to be revered and handled with care. Instead, Xeno Gerald treated them like they were just ordinary children, though he didn't dare do it in public lest he gets punished. For the Crawford children, it was like a breath of fresh air in a polluted space.

"I'd stake my life and wager that it has got something to do with Leo and you getting a bride," Xeno said confidently, a smirk showing up on his face when Prince Alyn glared at him. "It's your king father's nameday, my prince. What could be a better gift than to have his sons finally choose a queen?"

"I'm not going to be a king so I don't need a queen," Prince Alyn countered as he tucked his greatsword on his side. It was made of the finest steel that money can buy in the whole known world. The sword had been a present from the king himself when Prince Alyn turned fifteen. The official Crawford greatsword was already presented to Prince Leo with his status of being the Heir Apparent to the throne so the king had another greatsword forged for his youngest son. The king then explained that the sword’s design and look ー all black with little carvings of a foreign language ー also served as a homage to the family that fostered Alyn for three years ー the House of Wagner, the royal family that founded and once ruled the mysterious kingdom of Stein, not to mention the fact that the Crawfords and Wagners are distant relatives.

"You'll be lord of Laurelia someday and you'll need a lady wife," Xeno reminded his best friend. "You and Leo. Even Sid. Feasts in Wsyteria are held for prince and princess, lords and ladies, to find someone to wed."

Prince Alyn snorted at the mention of their other friend, the Heir of the Archduke Grandier, Lloyd, or more known as Sid. "I honestly cannot imagine Sid settling down. Just like Uncle Aubin, the whores at the brothels would be swallowed with grief if ever he finds a lady wife someday."

Xeno laughed at that. Princess Elise would surely cringe at her baby brother's crude words, if ever she could get over the shock of learning that he could actually say those without even batting an eye. "Sid's a man of surprises, my prince. He might do something one day, something enough to give us all a heart attack." The two of them laughed at that.

A loud knock on the door got their attentions and Prince Alyn turned serious as Xeno answered the door. The grin returned to the young knight's face when he saw who it was. "Sid. The prince and I have just been talking about you," he said as he opened the door wider to let his other friend in.

Sid huffed. "My lord father has been pestering me again about getting a bride. Says I'm old enough to father an heir and it's safer to have just one cunt to fuck than to risk siring bastards," he grumbled which made Xeno laugh again and Prince Alyn to roll his eyes.

The prince looked at his sworn sword. "It seems like you've deduced correctly, Oh Great Knight." He gave his best friend a mock bow. "Do enlighten us, your lowly servants, more."

"Your fathers," Xeno looked at Prince Alyn then back at Sid. "If either the two of you, or Leo, wins the tourney today, they will do their best to set you up with the lady you'd be naming as Queen of Love and Beauty." He laughed once more when he saw how Sid went pale at his words.

"Then I'll just name Elise as the Queen of Love and Beauty," Prince Alyn declared after a moment of thoughtful silence. Xeno arched an eyebrow at that. He got a vague feeling that Alyn knows something he didn’t.

"You think something like that could stop our fathers? I'd wager the king already have someone in mind," Sid commented to which Xeno nodded in agreement. The young Granider then narrowed his eyes at Xeno. "Are you doing this so we would purposefully lose to you?"

Xeno smirked, not the least bit insulted about what Sid have said. "No. My only aim at the tourney today is to be able to go against Ser Giles Christophe," he answered in all honesty. Giles Christophe was the heir of one of the oldest and wealthiest family in Wysteria, the Christophe family, but he threw everything away when he decided to join the Kingsguard where they weren't allowed to marry or inherit lands and properties. Giles Christophe was only a boy of ten and six when he was named as one of the king's seven, making him the youngest Kingsguard in history. And it was him who led the army who thwarted a sudden pirate attack by the harbours of Wysteria, turning him into a hero by both the highborns and the common folk. He was Xeno's muse for becoming a knight and he wanted to become someone like Ser Giles Christophe someday.

"And I would love to see you unseated by Giles Christophe," Sid retorted. It wasn't their first time to join a tourney yet it would be the first time that Giles would be joining with them. The Hero of Wysteria, as what he's called, rarely joins tourneys, as if he's repulsed by the act. It had been a pleasant surprise, at least on Xeno's part, to discover that The Hero, his Hero, would be participating at the tourney today.

"At least I wasn't the one pressured to choose a bride," Xeno threw back, looking absolutely smug when Prince Alyn and Sid scowled at him. "You don't know how grateful I am at this very moment that I'm not a highborn like you two," he gave a mock bow to his two friends, "my prince, my lord."

"We'll kill you someday, you fool," Sid muttered with Prince Alyn agreeing beside him. Xeno only answered them with a laugh.

"Enough of this," the prince said as he headed to the door. "We have to go or we'll be late. We won't hear the end of it from Elise if that happens." Xeno and Sid groaned at that as the three young men left the prince's chambers and headed to the stables where their horses were waiting.

"You look bored, my dear sister," Louis said when he spied his twin sister, Georgette, looking around the stables in a totally disinterested way. As the current champion, he was expected to join the tourney once more to defend his title. He had won the last tourney during Prince Leo and Alyn's nameday and named his sister the Queen of Love and Beauty. This time though, his father have told, more than commanded him, to name the Princess Elise the Queen of Love and Beauty when he wins the tourney. Such confidence in you father that I would win this tourney again. He wasn't sure if he would win this time to be honest. Giles Christophe would be participating. Plus, he didn't even want to be here just like his sister. All he wanted to do was to be left alone in the duchy so he could continue the tons of work waiting for him back at home in peace.

"I just came here to wish you luck, my sweet Louis," Georgette replied, a true smile on her lips as she looked up at him. "I pray you get your heart's desire today," she added almost knowingly and he had the grace to blush. She just let out a soft chuckle as she stepped closer. "Shall I help you with your armour then?" she asked and he nodded, a comfortable air surrounding them.

In order to escape the inevitable marriage that would come someday, Louis announced over dinner one night that he would want to become a member of the Kingsguard. Everyone, except for Georgette and their lady mother, had been totally surprised. A member of the kingsguard was strictly forbidden from taking a wife and inheriting a land or any property. His whole life must only be devoted to the king and his family. It was no problem for him since he didn't want a wife or a land at all.

As expected, his father threw a fit at his declaration. As honourable and prestigious the idea of a Kingsguard may be, the prospect of losing his one and only heir was unimaginable. As a result, Louis found himself meeting with potential wives the next several days.

"I wish you luck with your bethrotal to Prince Alyn, dear sister," he said, not missing it when Georgette's eyes of cerulean ー the colour of the summer sky ー clouded a bit. Their father's greatest dream was to see even one of his blood rule over the kingdom of Wysteria. He would've had offered his only daughter to Prince Leo, the Heir Apparent to the throne, but was utterly disappointed when he learned that the crowned prince was already seeing someone and their bethrotal would be announced after this tourney. Their lord father, not wanting to give up, settled for Prince Alyn then. He said that the youngest might not be the Heir but he was the one who would inherit the Crawford's ancestral seat, Laurelia. He even went further by saying that should the political tension in the Kingdom of Stein be addressed, Prince Alyn would be the rightful candidate for the position of king because of their family's blood relation, no matter how distant it was, to the last King of Stein, Gerald Wagner.

"Thank you, Louis," Georgette replied as she helped him with his breastplate. "Prince Alyn is quite a catch and he's a polite young man. He'll be a good husband to me," she said. She and the youngest Crawford prince have met each other back when they were just kids when she was sent to the kingdom of Stein, to be fostered under the Wagner Family. Prince Alyn was also there, visiting. She befriended him along with the Wagner children.

During a private dinner last night, she had the pleasure of getting acquainted with Prince Alyn's older siblings, Prince Leo and Princess Elise. She found them quite entertaining, unlike Alyn who seemed to have changed. The youngest prince was different from the mischievous boy she knew back then. He was now too quiet and too serious for her own liking but when that pet of his, a brown wolf, came padding into the room, his face lit up and his crimson eyes twinkled. The sight made Georgette's heart ache with longing. Longing for someone so dear to her but was lost now. Oh how much Prince Alyn reminded her of him when he smiled. "I think I could learn to love him in time."

But Louis wasn't fooled by her words. He had easily seen her melancholic smile. It had been two decades and they have been children back then, prone to puppy love, sweet dreams and things as such. He's never been in love yet so he's not certain if he could love a mere memory of a boy like his sister does. "After all this time?"[3] he asked.

Georgette nodded as unshed tears glistened in her eyes. Louis is the only one she dared reveal her real feelings to. They understand each other more than anyone else in the family. "Always,"[4] she whispered softly that he almost not heard it.

The crowd cheered as the tourney participants rode in the field one by one. Georgette immediately spotted Prince Alyn astride his horse with fur the same colour as Arthur's. The prince's armour was red and white, bearing the crest of the royal family. Beside him was a knight also wearing the red and white of the Crawford family. His helmet was covering almost all of his face save for his left eye.

It was the first time Georgette has ever seen said knight and she narrowed her eyes as she leaned forward to take a closer look at the man. Her heart began to hammer in her chest as she registered the man's one visible eye when he and Alyn stopped in front to greet the king. It was a familiar shade of grey, the colour of the sky when a looming storm is about to sweep in. The same as... "Who is that man riding beside Prince Alyn?" she asked her handmaiden when the two young men walked away. "I don't reckon I have seen him before."

"That's Ser Xeno, my lady. Xeno Gerald," her handmaiden replied, a small blush on her face as she stared at the knight, too. Georgette raised an eyebrow at that. "He's Prince Alyn's sworn sword and Master Robert's nephew."

"I never knew Master Robert has a nephew," Georgette commented, her expression thoughtful and her eyes never left Xeno's form. She watched as Lloyd Grandier rode up to the two, clapping Xeno on the back with a huge grin on his face. The mysterious knight said something to Prince Alyn and Sid which had the two laughing. "He and Lloyd Grandier seemed close."

"They are very close, my lady," her handmaiden, who was secretly fond of gossip, eagerly replied. "I heard he, Prince Leo, Prince Alyn and Lord Sid grew up and trained together. Prince Alyn and Ser Xeno were even taught by the Grand Maester himself."

"And I heard other ladies say that Ser Xeno is as handsome as Prince Alyn and Prince Leo. Others say he's even more handsome than them," Georgette's other handmaiden, who heard what they were talking about, added.

The youngest Howard raised an eyebrow at that but before she could say anything, her lady mother interjected. "Handmaidens aren't supposed to gossip," she reprimanded, her eyes sharp, making the two girls bow their heads in embarrassment. She then turned her gaze to her daughter. "Most especially highborn ladies," she added. "It won't do you any good to set your sights on any man other than your intended, my sweet. You wouldn't want to anger a Crawford."

Georgette nodded solemnly, not letting any emotions escape from her face. "I understand that, mama." Both she and Prince Alyn didn't want the marriage for the prince knew she loves someone else. But though they were forced together, they never voiced out any objections about it since the two of them mutually thought that they're better off together than with anyone else. "I was merely curious about Ser Xeno. I have never heard of him until today." And Prince Alyn never even told her anything about his sworn sword and how they've been friends since they were children.

Her mother didn't respond to that so Georgette returned her focus on the field when the King's tourney began. The contest was intense. The men participating, even Prince Alyn who didn't like it, were competitive. The youngest Crawford prince was able to unseat his older twin brother, Prince Leo. The Crowned Prince merely laughed at that as he clapped Alyn on the shoulder, telling him that he better win to salvage their honour in a jesting manner. Alyn only gave him a small scowl in reply.

Ser Xeno was quite magnificent in his own right, too. The mysterious knight managed to unseat Lloyd Grandier and even the current champion and her brother, Louis. Now, he was about to face Prince Alyn, the victor between the two of them would be facing Ser Giles Christophe in the championship.

"I'm not going to show any mercy, Alyn," Xeno said as he and Alyn prepared themselves. He looked around the courtyard, his gaze falling upon a beautiful young lady seated beside an older woman that he knew to be the Lady of the illustrious Howard family. He gave a start when he realised that she was looking at him, too. There was something familiar in the young lady that he couldn't put his finger to though. Feeling suddenly bold, he gave her a mischievous wink before pulling the visor of his helmet over his eyes. He grinned underneath his armour when he saw her smile instead of being put off by his bold behaviour.

"Show me your worst, Xeno," Alyn replied then the two of them grinned at each other before walking off to the opposite sides of the courtyard to where their respective horses were stationed.

In the end, Xeno proved to be a stronger lance than Prince Alyn. They jousted four times before the former managed to unseat the youngest prince off his horse, his helmet knocked off his head. The prince shook his head to stop the dizziness he was feeling as Xeno galloped towards him. "I wasn't serious when I told you to do your worst, you know," he said when his best friend, and sworn sword, got near.

Xeno laughed as he got off his horse and helped the young prince to his feet. "A man's got to do what he's got to do, my prince."

"That was sweet, Xeno! I'm forever grateful to you for avenging me!" Prince Leo teasingly called from the sidelines.

"I'm glad Xeno was able to restore your honour, Leo," Alyn said in a dry tone which made Prince Leo laugh and Xeno to smirk. The youngest prince then turned back to him. "And so you're finally going to face Ser Giles Christophe."

Xeno's smirk widened at the reminder. "Yes. A dream about to come true," he said, his young face filled with unadulterated glee, making Alyn and Leo smile as they wished their friend good luck.

Georgette watched, with baited breath, as Ser Xeno Gerald and Ser Giles Christophe faced each other on the opposite sides of the courtyard. Secretly, she couldn't wait for the tourney to end so she could finally get a glimpse of the face of the young man hiding under the Crawford armour. The crowd was evenly divided in giving their support to the two men, with excited murmurs echoing amongst the crowd.

The sound of lances bursting violently into tiny pieces echoed across the courtyard when Ser Xeno and Ser Giles finally clashed. Georgette's heart leapt in her throat as she assessed the damage caused by them. No one would be doubting the strength the two knights have as they changed their weapons and lances and prepared to joust again.

It took Ser Xeno and Ser Giles seven jousts before a winner emerged. On the last joust, the younger knight's tourney sword broke Ser Giles' lance first and hit said knight on the chest, causing him to fly out of his horse, a part of his armour cracking in the process.

Cheers erupted as Ser Xeno helped Ser Giles just like what he did to Prince Alyn. The Hero of Wysteria smiled and congratulated the young knight, his disarming smile showing and making the ladies swoon. Georgette almost rolled her eyes at that. Then she, among everyone else, watched as Ser Xeno guided his stallion towards where the king was seated with his daughter, Princess Elise. The king stood up and with Princess Elise clapping at his side, smiled at down at his youngest son's sworn sword. "I, the king of Wysteria, do hereby declare you, Ser Xeno Gerald, as the champion of the King's Tourney." The crowd erupted into cheers once more as the king handed the champion's laurel to the young knight. Then they all watched in anticipation as he mounted his stallion once more, ready to name his Queen of Love and Beauty.

Georgette followed the mysterious knight with her eyes. She was so eager to witness the moment that he would take off his helmet that she didn't notice him approaching. So she gave a little start when she finally noticed him stop in front of her. Swiftly composing herself, she watched as Ser Xeno took off his helmet and revealed his face to her for the very first time.

She didn't err when she thought that his eyes ー or the one that wasn't covered by an eyepatch ー was as dark as the sky before an incoming storm. It was the most captivating eye she had ever seen in twenty years. Ser Xeno was a very handsome young man. His hair, dark as night, was unkempt due to the helmet he wore. He had a high aristocratic nose and his lips were full and reddish for a man, making her wonder what it would feels like kissing him. Shaking her head lightly at her unbidden thoughts, she smiled at him as he placed the laurel on her lap, effectively naming her as the Queen of Love and Beauty. "I am much honoured, dear Ser," she said as she looked up at him, only to let out a soft gasp as something, a distant memory, flashed before her eyes when she saw him smile.

"You're my most favourite person in Stein and in the whole world both known and unknown, my Georgette."

Xeno, who didn't seem to notice anything, brought her hand to his lips and planted a soft kiss on her knuckle. "I am more honoured, my lady, though no flower could ever compare to your beauty."

Georgette swallowed hard to keep her emotions at bay. She must not let anyone know what she's feeling at the moment. It was one of the vital lesson her mother had taught her ー never let anyone know what you're thinking or feeling lest it could be used against you. Mustering up a smile, she curtseyed in front of the young knight. "Thank you, dear Ser."

Xeno bowed politely at her then to his lady mother before galloping off with his horse. Georgette, still a bit shaky, scanned the courtyard eventually meeting the somber crimson eyes of Prince Alyn. They stared at each other for a while before he turned to leave the palace grounds. "Mama, may I be excused?" she asked.

The Lady Howard eyed her daughter for a moment before nodding. "Don't wander too far, child. We're sitting with the King for lunch." When Georgette nodded and immediately left, she shook her head, a fond smile forming on her lips. "Be careful with what you're doing, my sweet Georgette, or you might get your heart broken once again."

[1] A quote by Maester Aemon Targaryen from Game of Thrones [2] Robb Stark’s line in Season 1, Episode 1 of Game of Thrones when he and Jon were getting a haircut. [3] & [4] That famous and overused line from Harry Potter that I really, really like.

[aviationfiction]

XVIII

Dante St. James 

“Vous deux aurais dû avoir une assiette de pâtes au lieu de pizza.”

Autumn slightly lifted her head to eye the gleeful woman and halted the bite she was planning to take of the three cheese pizza. As her eyes panned to mine, I slightly shrugged my shoulders in clear confusion and obliviousness to the woman’s statement, and she glanced back in her direction while trying to decipher the utterance with the limited knowledge of the French language she has. Suddenly the woman’s eyes began to look past the two of us and we both followed her eager expression and landed on the famous portrait of The Lady And The Tramp enjoying a plate of spaghetti and meatballs. The knowing smirk on the pale faced woman was just enough to cause Autumn to erupt into laughter and she playfully bid her a smirk to further feed into whatever suggestive narrative she had going on in her head. Instinctively, a small smirk crept up on my face as Autumn leaned back in the chair and continued to fill my ears with her infectious cackling. The gleam in her eyes and her flawless skin radiated with every second of her laughter and like the magnetic force she is, stares of admiration from those around us came and went as they passed our cozy little table for two. As our random intruder stepped away, her giggle began to subside as she bashfully ran her fingers through her long jet black tresses and she returned to her upright position where a slice of pizza and a bowl of steaming hot Rigatoni Bolognese were waiting for her to consume.

“I didn’t even notice. Maybe because I was so hungry and pizza was on my mind.” Her eyes glanced over the restaurant and she took in the ambiance. The dim lightning kissed her skin and further added to my inevitable drunken enamor of her beauty. The glimmer in her eyes heightened as she began to mumble along with the faint music that was purposefully playing to set the mood and further drown the visitors into the magic of Disney.

“Side by side with your loved one, you’ll find enchantment here. The night will weave its magic spell, when the one you love is near.” I chuckled as she suddenly deepened her voice to match the Italian singers tone and she batted her alluring sage eyes.

“The woman said that we should be eating spaghetti instead of pizza. It’s an ode to the cute little kiss between the pups. This restaurant is named after the song Bella Notte. It’s the song sung while Lady and Tramp were out on a date outside of Tony’s Town Square Restaurant. Here I am thinking we’re just grabbing a quick bite to eat and we ended up swarmed with romance.”

“So you’re saying that you want to order spaghetti?” It was my turn to laugh as hard as she had been doing when she lightly kicked my leg and curved her lips to the left of her face. Her eyes playfully rolled in unison with her facial expression and she finally smiled to conclude the response.

“No, I’m not saying that. It’s just ironic and hilarious. Have you ever seen the movie?”

“No.”

“My God Dante, what have you seen? Do you watch television or films? I feel like you really live in a bubble. You’re so out of the loop when it comes to popular culture outside of business and marketing. I bet I can ask you about the latest iPhone and you can give me a run down about it but if I ask you about A Low Down Dirty Shame, you’re going to be like huh, what’s that.”

“I’ve actually seen that.” She raised an eyebrow in pure surprise and threw her hands up.

“Well excuse me. I’m still going to compile a list of films that you need to see. Well, I’ll do two lists. One will feature classic black films and then the other will feature classic films overall. Don’t get caught up in House Of Cards, because that’s current. You can always catch up. The movies are more important.” She filled her mouth with a spoon full of the pasta and I nodded in approval. It’s become annoying to hear people having small talk about what I haven’t seen or reminiscing on a film from years ago that I’ve barely heard of. I focused my time and interests on enriching my mind and my side hobbies were basketball, a bit of football, and reading. Television is always a last resort because I’ve never had the time or patience to actually sit down and just watch it unless there’s sports on. Seeing movies was always Fredrick’s thing. It still is. He could care less about the film though. A movie outing was his way of suavely getting a girl into a dark theater so he could whisper in her ear to ease her body just enough for her to grant him permission to grope various parts of her and most of all, to give him access to a region he had no business sticking his fingers into in a public establishment. Now, I’ll take Autumn up on her offer to broaden my film knowledge, just as I have done with social media. She’s cultured far more than I am. How can I deny her?

“Sounds good. I’ll check them out on those days when I get off work and want to do nothing more than have a quick meal and chill out.”

“Or on the plane. Instead of taking out your laptop for work; it can be for movies instead. On the way home tomorrow, I’ll put on something. Love Jones or maybe The Best Man. We’ll start there.”

“Love Jones? Starring who?”

“Larenz Tate and Nia Long.”

“Fine ass Nia Long?” She chuckled as she quickly nodded her head.

“Yes sir. Fine ass Nia Long. You have a thing for her? With all the connections that you have, why haven’t you made it happen? I’m one hundred precent sure you can pull Nia Long. She likes them tall and light skinned too.” A smirk danced along her lips and my eyes glanced over her perfect cupid’s bow. Everything’s a tease or rather a banter to draw an answer out of you good enough to satisfy her curiosity. Since being here, we’ve encountered tons of people who had no reluctance about opening themselves and their lives up to her welcoming aura. The elders could barely speak a word of English and yet were willingly struggling to impress this cool mannered and majorly impish woman. Everything plays a part; her body language, facial expressions, tone of voice, and most of all, the eye contact. Her eyes; they blaze a hole through your core and peer straight into your soul. They’re hypnotic and enthralled with an undeniable tempt to submit to her. She’s impossible.

“I said she’s fine. I didn’t say I wanted her.” Our eyes met and I expected to be taken aback by her ever present challenging glare but instead a hint of confusion was meshed in with silent questions as she slightly leaned toward.

“Do you keep that part of yourself tucked away?”

“Which part?”

“The part where you outwardly and verbally express that you’re interested in a woman.”

“No, I don’t.” Her held tilted and the blank expression that followed drew a chuckle from my end.

“I’ve yet to see it.”

“Maybe you haven’t or maybe you’re just not looking hard enough.” She glanced down at plate of pizza and bowl of rigatoni and returned her attention to my face. I’d been the cause of her losing interest in the bit of food she had left. As she wiped her hands with the white cloth napkin and I too, decided to do the same. We’d come to eat as a breather due to a headache creeping up on her after the two of us experienced one too many rides. She refused to take any medication and instead suggested that we eat something. Though she played it off as a hunger headache, I know better, and that’s why we’re not going anywhere near a ride during the rest of our time here. I’d rather take her scolding me for the rest of the day than to risk her being in pain over constant motion and air pressure on her delicate head.

“I can’t even judge you. I’m no expert on anything like that. I was a prude in high school and very socially awkward. I was undeveloped in all the areas that make me a woman and I wasn’t on the radar of any of the boys within the building. I only hung out with Heather and I had a couple of girls I associated with loosely. I was focused on the academics. Heather’s gorgeous ass dated and she’d try to get me out of that shell but it wasn’t working. Even when I went to college, I didn’t date. My family thought I was so above it or rather too cool but that was far from the truth. My brother knew it. He was in tune with my hopeless romantic mentality more than anyone else was.”

“Issac? No offense but you two don’t seem very close. I’m sure you love one another but I don’t get a strong bond from you two.” Her eyes glanced in the direction of the cold glass of water and she nervously swirled the straw around the glass. Her shoulders slumped and the long swallow she took wasn’t a good sign. Silence fell between us for a minute or so before she mustered up the courage to speak again.

“My brother Shane. He’s deceased.”

“I’m sorry.” After a nod of her head, a sigh slipped past my lips as her eyes met mine yet again.

“Car accident. Two years ago. We were together that day. I’d been staying at his apartment ever since I made the decision to run from my problems in Miami. He was more than my brother. He was like a soulmate in a sense. We were so tight that he decided he’d move down to Miami to be with me while I tried to get my marriage as well as my own shit together. Life had other plans though.”

“I can tell from the look in your eyes how close the two of you were. I couldn’t imagine a loss like that. I can’t even sit here and tell you that I understand or feel your pain. What I can say is I admire your strength and ability to speak about him with me.” She finally halted the twirling of the water and ice chips to take a sip of it.

“Therapy and him, honestly. I don’t know. I just feel him. I know it sounds superstitious and even farfetched but I do. There are things that I cannot do just yet because I’m still coming to terms with it but I feel him. You know what’s funny, there are things about you that remind me of him. You’re so kind, just like he was. I know being kind is something so general but there was something about his kindness that stood out and was admirable. You have that. He was an optimist in the same manner that you are. He motivated me. You do too. He’d do it verbally but really, watching him was just enough for me. He accomplished so much in such a short time professionally but most of all the man he became personally was everything that I wanted to parallel in my womanhood. I get those same vibes from watching you.”

“You want to parallel me?” I aloofly dropped the napkin into my plate and eyed her with a sudden mixture of astonishment and honor. I hadn’t expected that and every nerve in my body left ticks and chills scurrying throughout my entire frame as I did my best to grasp it. I’ve heard and accepted praise from many about what I’ve done and accomplished within my career thus far and I’m always appreciative when my personal persona is positively noted but there’s something about a genuine and timorous Autumn granting me such tribute that supersedes all of it. As her fingers toy with the ends of her hair and her watery eyes search my own for some type of acceptance of her comparison of me and the man dearest to her, as well as her admission that I serve as an unexpected motivation, I want to do nothing more than wrap my arms around her timid and saddened frame.

“No. You’re great but most of all you’re a good person like Shane. I’d like to be the same but in my own way.”

“You already are. Don’t let your current circumstances have you believing that you’re anything less than great. To be great isn’t always about grand accomplishments or accolades. Greatness is doing your best no matter what the outcome is. It’s about knowing that you left it all on the table each and every single time and you can rest well knowing that. You can walk away with your dignity knowing that, Autumn.” It’s better said than believed. Her facial expression oozed her doubt and agony though she’d been masking it since we’ve been in this beautiful city. It wasn’t my intention to conclude my response with a direct reference to her divorce but I couldn’t refrain from doing so. It’s what’s eating her alive and constantly tormenting her beautiful soul. I’ve never seen quite a reaction to a divorce like hers. I’m sure heartache and loss is apart of the long stretch of emotional turmoil but for her, failure surpasses both.  She believes she’s failed him rather than it being mutual or Andreas having more liability than she does.

“I’m trying. More than anything, I need to grasp how all the signs were there and I foolishly ignored them. I can pinpoint every moment I received some sort of sign that our fate may not be what I dreamt of and yet I still went full steam ahead. I have no regrets. More than anything, it’s the disappointment and the failure. In this case, I had no room for failure. I really didn’t.”

“There’s always room for failure much like there’s always room for improvement or success. You took a leap of faith on love. You didn’t do anything wrong. If we don’t take leaps, we’ll be stagnant. We can’t always pick apart everything or turn our circumstances into perfection, no matter how much we want to. We’re going to learn tons of lessons in life; some tougher than others. I’ve learned plenty. I used to be very negative because I was angry. I had to come to an understanding that being a pessimist was only making the anger and the pressure worse. Optimism helps. It’s hard to believe that initially, but I swear it does. I’ll never lie to you. Do you feel like you’ve hit rock bottom? Do you feel like you’ve really taken a hard fall?”

“Hell yeah.” She darkly chuckled.

“Then there’s no where to go but up. Get up. The wounds will heal. Try again.”

“You promise?”

“Do I promise that the wounds will heal?”

“No. Do you promise that you’ll never lie to me?” She adamantly searched my eyes looking for the possibility of dishonesty. I can count every lie I’ve told and recall the people I’ve told them to and why. There’s not many; mostly my parents and the lies were all for the sake of mental relief. Though I’ve considered lying to my mother many times to relieve her efforts to soothe the emotional wounds she’s inflicted upon me, I’ve never done it because I’d be giving her the easy way out of acknowledging where she went wrong. I’ll rather face the truth, whether it be pleasant or ugly, than live behind a mask for the rest of my life. Autumn deserves honesty. She needs it. It’s the only way she’s ever going to trust me. It’s the only way she’ll ever trust this.

“I promise. I will never lie to you. You promise the same?”

“I promise.”

“You ready to go and see this night time show? We’ll do that, get out of here, change, and go to that strip club you want to go to so badly.” She fell into a fit of laughter as she playfully rolled her eyes. The waitress who’d been back and forth to our table throughout the hour we’ve been here approached the table with the check and I placed a couple of bills down without ever opening the leather pouch.

“It’s not a strip club. It’s better than the strip club. Also, when are you going to let me pay for something?” It was my turn to roll my eyes at her and she shook her head while smirking at my own reaction. Never.

“A man never makes a lady pay.”

“That’s nice but it’s alright to have a woman treat you sometimes.” I made the move to stand up and she followed. My body slightly froze as she willingly helped me into my jacket and shivers danced along the nape of my neck as she fixed the collar into it’s proper position.

“There are ways to treat your man; well a man without money.” She snickered. As I turned to face her, there she stood with that eyebrow slightly raised and the ever present questioning look in her eyes as she silently probed me into elaborating on that statement.

“Not like that.” Though she tossed her leather jacket over her arm, I grabbed it and opened it up for her to easily get into. It’s not summer here yet and I’m more than sure it’s chillier outside than it was when we decided to walk here for a bite to eat. She didn’t protest. Instead she slipped her arms in, one at a time, and allowed me to pull it up over her shoulders.

“So that’s not apart of it?”

“It can be but it doesn’t always have to be.”

“Yeah, okay complicated man. It’s okay for your mind to go to the gutter. It’s human nature. Save it for Crazy Horse though.”

“My mind isn’t in the gutter.”

“Yeah, okay Dante. I see how you do when you’re romancing women. You take them out and show them the works, so they can give you that work later on in the night.”

Our laughter lasted the entire time we exited the restaurant and even during the walk to Sleeping Beauty’s Castle. She continued to slyly tease me about what she assumes are my potential player ways or suave maneuvers into getting women to physically give themselves to me and she’s far from what’s actually the truth. I don’t do anything. It just happens. The heat of the moment is exactly that and myself and whoever is involved takes advantage of it. I’ve never wined and dined a woman with the hopes of receiving some sexual favor in exchange for it although nights have ended that way. Honestly, I’d like to experience all of the other aspects of intimacy. That’s what I meant in my response to her. The physical is amazing but everything else that enhances it is far more important. That’s what builds the foundation for a long, lasting, and fulfilling connection to someone. I suppose that’s what my parents have. I know that’s what Stacey has. I don’t even know what the hell Matthew and Camille have but I know she’s not as happy as she should be with him though she won’t say it. She’s loyal to him despite that. I’d like her type of loyalty from a woman but I’d return it without ever faltering on it unlike my other brother who only cares to be loyal to himself and Richard. If I’m going to vow myself to someone one of these days, I’m going to do so with the expectation that we’re going to make every single sacrifice possible for our love and the unbreakable bond of our union; speaking only a language that we can understand and basking in a life with ourselves and eventually our children as the most important aspects worth living for.  

“It’s in French and yet it’s still cool as shit. No lie.” Autumn quickly glanced up at my face with a beaming smile on her face and she nudged me with her shoulder as I slightly lost myself into the magic that she’s been raving about since we stepped through the entry gates earlier. The dazzling lights, luminous sparkles, booming pyrotechnics, and world famous Disney tunes were all intricately planned and well crafted into this incredible nighttime display that I’m glad we stuck around to see. As we slowly walked, indulging on chocolate ice cream, Autumn dreamily explained that this is the only place on earth where anything is possible and all dreams do come true…and it’s true. How can you not be carefree here? Every story that this place represents has a happy and fulfilling ending. It is a dream world. I can see it within her. One day she’ll understand that magic goes beyond all of these man made inventions. She doesn’t have to vicariously live through Walt Disney and his predecessors’ depictions of fairy tales. She can have her own, worthy enough to be printed on pages and inspiring enough for hopeless romantics to crave exactly that. If anything, this place should enrich goodness into people’s hearts. I’d like to think that’s what all of this is for and why it’s gear towards children; the purest people on the planet.

“I told you it’s amazing.” I smiled at her delayed response and took two pictures of her with my phone as she continued to immerse herself into the show and all but forgot about my presence. Well, at least I thought she did until she unexpectedly wrapped her petite arm around my own and slightly leaned her body into mine. The fluttering within the pit of my stomach heightened at the warmth of her body and my chest heaved at the feel of her weight. The show became an afterthought for my attention and my eyes wavered over the green eyed beauty through every flicker, flash, song, and transition. Her head swayed from side to side as her heart shaped lips sang along to every lyric from the various films and her grip on my arm tightened as the excitement radiated off of her and onto me. Though children and adults groaned in disappointment as the nostalgic display came to an end, Autumn could only smile in an endless bliss and satisfaction as we walked along to make our exit. She had her fill of this place and didn’t need anything more to enhance it, as did I. The next time I come here, whether it is here or in the states, I’ll be a father. It is then when I’ll be able to feel the magic again; by vicariously living through my son or daughter.

I wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Stacey, shouldn’t you be cradling or feeding the baby right now? I’m hanging up.”

As I balanced the phone between my ear and upper shoulder area, I used both hands to swiftly tie my sneakers. I hadn’t been able to fasten my belt or button up my shirt as I scrambled around the room readying myself for tonight’s festivities. Time had been working against me ever since our arrival to the hotel and Stacey’s purposefully making it no better as she continues to probe into every single detail about this Paris trip. I deleted every single ridiculous comment she left under the photographs I’d chosen to upload on social media and nearly ignored all of her text messages filled with assumptions about the Parisian love affair she crafted in her mind to further feed her exaggerations. Her excitement is amusing but if anyone aside from myself heard or read what she’s been saying, I’d want to combust into billions of dust particles from the embarrassment.

“She took some great shots of you. I screen shot and cropped them since you refuse to send the actual pictures to my phone. Have you two kissed yet? Everyone kisses at the Eiffel Tower.”

“What? No. It’s not like that.” After a failed attempt at buckling the belt with one hand, I grabbed my cologne and sprayed it in all the places I prefer it in and carelessly tossed the bottle onto the bed.

“Bullshit. I saw the pictures that you took of her on her Instagram page and those were taken with the scope of a man who has an eye for her. It’s absolutely like that.”

“Listen to yourself. Since when you are you an expert in photography? Also how in the hell did you find her page? You’re ridiculous.”

“You followed her idiot. You were only following ten people prior to that? How did I know? Because I created the page for you and I followed those people. So of course the eleventh stuck out like a sore thumb and who was it? None other than Mrs. Autumn Dupont Harrington.” I left her with silence as I internally cringed at the sound of her entire name. That was far more unnerving than her easily shutting me up about how she found Autumn’s account.

“You’re making me late, Stace. I barely have my shirt on right now.”

“You know it’s okay to like her right? It’s okay to want her. She’s changing you already and you don’t even realize it. You would have been home already. You wouldn’t have stayed in Paris extra days after already handling your business. Pictures? Not you. Disney Land? Hell no. I can’t even get you to go into the Disney store. You turned your freaking phone off. Richard called me looking for you. He didn’t want anything important but he said that he stopped by your apartment because he figured you’d be back and you weren’t. When he called your phone, he couldn’t get through to you. Since when? If you’re not going to be real with me than be real with yourself.”

“You sure he didn’t want anything important?”

“No and fuck Richard. This isn’t about him. It’s not, because if it was, you’d be home. You took some time out for yourself, thank God. No one else has been able to get you to do that. So this is something. It’s something Tae.” A sigh fell from my lips as I ran my hand over my face. She continued on with her commentary and I stared straight ahead allowing her to speak her truth and somewhat of mine.

“Stacey.”

“Alright. I’ll let you go. Continue being a gentlemen and enjoy your night. Have a safe trip home tomorrow and I’ll see you soon. Okay?”

“Yeah. I’ll see you soon. Kiss the baby for me.”

“Will do. Kiss Autumn for me.” I wanted to be annoyed by that but I couldn’t refraining from joining in on her loud laughter. I can never not love that woman no matter how much she irks every nerve that I have. She’s one of a kind and she knows it.

“Bye Megaphone.”

I had only five minutes left to finish preparing myself for the night and I’d taken those plus an additional five with the hope that Autumn would be just as fashionably late as she was the other night. Though I didn’t mind picking her up from her suite, she assured me that she’d meet me in the lobby just as she’d done last night so I waited for her there. We’d garnered the curiosity of quite a few residents at this hotel since our arrival and tonight is no different. I’m not sure if it’s because of my ethnic background or because they assume I’m someone of importance. I’ve already gotten the basketball player question at Disney Land.

“Tu attends ta jolie femme?” My face contorted with confusion as I stared at the youthful concierge woman. I couldn’t pick out a single word to make sense of and I’m not sure if she knows it.

“I say are you waiting for you wife. The pretty woman?”

I didn’t have a chance to answer her. As the elevator doors slowly slid open and the operator stepped out, my chest tightened at the sight of the woman of the evening as she stepped forward in a graceful glide. With every movement her painfully perfect frame made, the material of the emerald green short dress effortlessly shifted with her; hugging her in a neediness that my arms could only dream of. Her skin glistened, further enhancing the angelic aura that is constantly exuding from her. We’ve only experienced the beginnings of Spring and yet her caramel skin is selfishly sun kissed and enchanting to those who set their eyes upon it. The clicking of her black pumps served as an additional instrument to the Bach faintly playing throughout the marbled hall and her long tresses swayed with her sauntered waltz. She’d not only captivated me, but she’d stolen the attention of the four people waiting for the elevator, the security guard to the far right, and the curious woman who stopped and questioned me. Autumn’s disarming unawareness of her power over those who see or are within the presence of her further adds to the innocence and appeal of who she is. She is art. I haven’t seen anything within The Lourve or this city quite like her.

“Vous ferez un bébé ce soir.” The woman broke my enamored glare and returned my mind into the state of confusion she had me in just seconds ago. Her giggle and mischievous expression doesn’t help.

“What?” She giggled once more as I waited an answer.

“I’m sorry for the lateness. My mother called.”

“No problem. All is well back home?”

“Yes. All is well.” She turned to look at the woman who was still very much so concerned with the two of us and she bid her a polite smile. “Hello.”

“Bonjour belle.”

“Ready?”

“I am so ready.” Her excitement for Crazy Horse came pouring out as she walked towards the exit; just steps ahead of me. I wish that hadn’t happened. My eyes refused to look anywhere other than below her waistline and I’m damn near ashamed of myself for it.

Pure red with subtle blackness radiated off of the skin of the visitors as we all sat within the spacious and yet slightly airless establishment. Though sensual in display, the entire ambiance reeked of an unspoken influence for sex and everything it further entails. We were seated in a booth within the middle of the place; surrounded by all of the other attendees who indulged on alcohol and allowed it to be the fuel for their flirtation. Autumn and I were nearly a display of everything you shouldn’t be while hanging out here as we sat and waited for the show to begin.

“This looks like a strip club to me.” She scoffed as she turned to look at me and chuckled with the shake of her head.

“How? This is place is elegant. Strip clubs don’t look like this. They don’t even play music like this. No one dresses up to go to the strip club.”

“There are people in here with jeans on.”

“And yet they still dressed their entire looks up. Wait until you see the show. It’s a performance. Strippers don’t perform like that.”

“They don’t?”

“No. They don’t put on shows. They simply dance. There’s no method to what they’re doing and a lot of them don’t even take their pole tricks seriously. I don’t have an issue with what they do, I just believe they can be better at it. I wish I could do what these ladies do here.” I glanced down at her face and stared at her with curiosity. I didn’t expect her to say anything like that.

“You’d work here?”

“No. I don’t want to work here but I’d love to do what they do. You know…for a lover. It’s spicy and fun. Don’t you think?”

“It is.”

“You’ll see. The show should be starting soon.” She took a sip of her cranberry juice and crossed her legs; a move that caused her designer dress to rise even further. Her legs…

“It’s starting. Look.” My eyes followed her hand as it pointed at the stage and fog began to fill the air as the velvet curtains slowly drew back.

I’d given the show ten minutes of my attention but the topless women and their artful display of their sexual and sensuality couldn’t distract me from the woman sitting along side me. As she looked on in awe of their performance and femininity, the masculinity within me created the illusion of her on the stage. I'd shaken my head many times, blinked more than I could count, and stared off at my surroundings and yet I couldn’t rid myself of the visual of only myself being here and her teasing and tormenting me by moving and twisting her body into positions for my eyes and pleasure only. Staring at the floor didn't help because I imagined us on it. Staring down at my lap? That was worse. The ceiling helped. It soothed me enough to be able to pull my lip from in-between my teeth and think of something other than the unattainable being who has unraveled so much about myself within a matter of days. The feel of her hip bumping into mine as she swayed to the heavy bass left a lump in my throat and the cognac in my hand nearly hit the floor as I took in a whiff of her scent.

Ninety minutes. She left me distressed for ninety minutes as she did absolutely nothing.

This is something…

“Thank you for tonight. Thanks for everything, actually.”

We took a visit to the Eiffel Tower a final time and returned to the hotel a half an hour later. We ended up on my terrace once again, with a bottle of wine and macaroons. As we comfortably sat on the couch, shoes off and bodies lazed, we took in the very sight we were just in front of.

“You don’t have to thank me. I enjoyed myself just as much as you did.”

“I needed this.”

Tomorrow when we land, I’ll head straight to my office and return to my routine. Usually, I take the day off after long hours of traveling but I have to go in and prepare for another long meeting with the NBA and finalize the contract to bring on Calvin Harris as another client. Richard will be there, waiting to give me an unnecessary lecture, and then he will drop possibly three folders on my desk filled with what Matthew has yet to handle.

“I needed this too.”

She huffed as she stood to her feet and she gifted me with the sight of the back of her body as she solemnly leaned towards the rail and dropped her head. Her shoulders followed. Her moody dwindled as she lost herself into her thoughts. She remained in that position for minutes before turning to the bedroom. I stayed seated for a few minutes more, drowning in what will become memories, and eventually met Autumn at the foot of my bed. She’d been sitting there for as long as I was outside alone, refolding and packing away my possessions.

“You’re not too good at packing.” Her husky little laugh warmed me more than the glass of wine I’d finished off and she kept her attention concentrated on the task at hand.

“You don’t have to do that.”

“I don’t mind.” She used her hand to softly push me back and she stood up.

She walked around from room to room gathering every single piece I’d unpacked and plenty of things I know I would have left behind without ever thinking of them until I returned home. She placed each item into place by size, importance, and delicacy. By the time she finished, traveling attire and the charger for my phone were the only necessaries left behind for me to use.

“Don’t forget your charger in the morning.”

“I won’t.”

“And don’t forget to pack what you’re talking off tonight.”

“I won’t.”

“Well, have a goodnight. Okay?” She nervously fiddled with her hands as she neared the suite’s main door and I stood off a few inches away from her. My hands were stuffed into my pockets because I’d be doing the same act she’s doing had they not been. Our eyes sheepishly met and the gleam I’d been relishing in for these past couple of days was no longer there. The pain of her reality crept back in like a thief in the night and stole the joy of this trip.

“Goodnight Autumn.”

The sound of the door closing behind her rang in my ears for hours. It was all I could think of until my body eventually drifted into a light slumber.

She checked out of the hotel nearly two hours before I did and was on the plane by the time I arrived. She prepared coffee, breakfast, and even turned on the film she promised that she’d play to began my journey into the greatest films that I’ve never seen. We didn’t watch it together. She kept a distance, throwing herself into the task of work, and taking a break to bury herself into the paper work of her divorce. My attempt to began a conversation failed at her one worded response and lunch was met with silence between the two of us. She shut me out for seven hours without wavering or folding to my desire for a conversation. For seven hours, I silently wished we never left.

As I returned my laptop to my backpack, I listened to the sound of her heels hitting the steps as she exited the plane. The pilots left within a minute of her and unusually, I was the last person to leave.

“Welcome home.” Issac bid me a smile and immediately shook my hand as he always does when I land here. I could barely look at him. Instead I watched as his baby sister stuffed her phone into her purse.

“How was the trip?”

“It was enlightening.”

Autumn’s eyes met mine and I opened my mouth to speak to her but she slightly shook her head and glanced in the direction of Issac and finally returned her attention to me.

“You need me to drive you to the house?” Issac turned to his sister.

“No. Glen’s coming.” As she turned to walk away, he scoffed, and dismissively waved his hand at her nonchalance towards him.

“Women.” He chuckled with a smug expression on his face. “I’ll see you around Dante. Have a safe trip back to the city man.”

“Yeah. Thanks.”

My eyes followed Autumn as she hurriedly walked along and the churning of my stomach halted when she disappeared into the building.

or…maybe it’s nothing.