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Ulterior Motives
Original post February 10th, 2024 (x)
“You know, staring like that isn’t going to be helping me.” Kyomi briefly stops drawing to glance at Solomon leaning over her.
“Sorry, I just wanted to make sure you were doing it right,” he says, lifting his hands as he backs off. “Seals are difficult.”
“Well, if I’m still doing it right, which I’m gonna assume since you didn’t say anything, then so far not really.” Kyomi shrugs, going back to drawing the seal. First get it down, then imbue it with magic. And once she’s good enough, she can imbue it with magic while getting it down.
“Well, you’re doing perfectly so far. Is it really not that difficult to you? Most apprentices struggle with it, from what I’ve heard.”
“You just gotta. Remember what you’re supposed to be drawing.” Kyomi tucks her hair behind her ear again, wishing she’d thought to put it in a ponytail before she started. Luckily, Solomon seems to notice her predicament, as he approaches once again to carefully pull her hair back and tie it with a ribbon.
“You’re almost done. And then we can see how good it is.” He lets his hand rest on her head for a little longer before backing off again, studying her instead of the seal. Idiot.
Kyomi gets up on her knees, carefully drawing the last lines while trying to avoid smudging the rest. She’d have to do the entire thing over. “And there we go.”
“Well, use your magic, darling. See what it does.”
“If this blows up in my face I’m holding you responsible.” Still, she does as told, pouring her magic into the seal until it reacts. And just like it should, it seals the meal Solomon made. Good riddance, even if she’d never say that to his face.
Solomon whistles, nodding at the seal. “Impressive, darling. I think even I would have some trouble breaking through that. You’ve sealed that really tight. Which means the food will stay fresh, and we can eat it later!”
…
Fuck.
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On my love for you
Original post January 27th, 2024 (x)
“You’re going to get yourself killed,” Cyril says.
“If not me, then who?” Kasper replies with a tired look, continuing to pack his things.
“I’m sure there are plenty of others that could make the journey-”
“But would they come back alive? Would they even get anywhere near the goal, without the magic I have? The knowledge from studying it since I was a child?” It’s been years since Kasper dared to interrupt Cyril, way back when Cyril’s parents were still alive and had just taken him in. Though, they had made sure he wouldn’t do it again pretty quickly.
“… Does this really have to happen? Do you really have to do this?” Cyril sounds absolutely miserable, and Kasper has to steel his heart so he doesn’t give in.
“It’s the only way out of this without any casualties. Between the risk of me maybe losing my life to a dragon and thousands of your men losing their lives in a pointless battle… I think it’s clear what we should do.”
“That doesn’t mean I have to like this. It’s a fool’s quest, and if you fail, not only will we still have to fight, you won’t be able to help. You’ll be dead.”
“But that’s only if I fail. My king, do you not have any trust in me?”
“… Promise you’ll come back alive, Kasper. Swear it to me.”
Kasper finishes packing up his things in silence, and moves to the door. Only when he’s standing in it he turns around, a small smile on his face as he meets Cyril’s pained but hopeful eyes.
“I swear, my king. I swear it on my love for you.”
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An old promise
Original post December 16th, 2023 (x)
“Don’t worry,” Tenko tells her, squeezing her small wrist with four of his fingers. “We’ll always stay together, okay? I promise. I’ll always protect you.”
“Mhm!”
+++
Kyomi opens her eyes with a snort and a painful pang in her heart. Tenko’s promise… Well, it sure hadn’t been kept. But she can’t exactly blame him for that.
She rolls herself out of bed, getting her hair out of her face as she walks into the living room. Neither of them ever could’ve predicted what would happen after Sensei took them in.
“Good morning, Kyomi,” Nedzu chirps from the couch, a cup of tea in his hands and another on the table, which he gestures to. “Sleep well?”
Kyomi smiles, picking up the cup and taking a sip. “Yeah. Had a good dream.” Even if neither of them could keep the promise, it still was a good memory, a fond one.
“I’m glad.” Nedzu gives her that fond smile he always does, and it chases away the sadness that had been creeping up on her. “Yamada will be by in a few hours to take you shopping, so make sure to be ready before then, okay?”
“Yep yep.” The promise might have been broken, but she didn’t really need it anymore. She’s got a new family now, after all, even if she’ll still miss Tenko.
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Should have kept your promise
Original post December 8th, 2023 (x)
Kyomi looks up from the paper she’d been reading as Sengoku enters his office, distracted by whatever he’s doing. She grins as he turns around and flinches at the sight of her, clearly not having noticed her at all.
“Can I help you…?” He warily asks, although he doesn’t seem to be too on guard yet. Well, that makes sense. She’s not a very well-known pirate yet, after all.
“Tell me, Sengoku-san,” she says, putting her paper down and leaning towards him. “Have you ever heard of the ‘Ghost Flame’?”
“Do you have information on that pirate?” There’s something almost hopeful in his eyes, and Kyomi nods, standing up from Sengoku’s chair.
“That I do. And I can give you his life, even… But only if you don’t execute Fire Fist.” She’s leaning on the desk now, staring him down despite the fact that he’s almost twice her size.
“What?” Her demand clearly startles him, and his hand twitches.
“You haven’t announced it yet, but I know the Marines well enough, and I know you know who his father is. You’re going to execute him, publicly, because of it. But quite frankly, I don’t think someone should pay for the sins of their parents.” Kyomi pushes away from the desk, walking towards the window. “So, I’m offering you Ghost Flame’s life in exchange for Fire Fist’s.”
“And why would I ever take that offer? Gol D. Ace is still the second division commander of the Whitebeard pirates, after all.”
“Because he is a known force. Ghost Flame? Try as you might, you don’t know anything about him. You have no idea what he’s doing at any point. He could be planning to storm Marijoa as we speak.” Which. Is something Kyomi had been thinking about doing. “You don’t even have to free Portgas D. Ace,” she continues, putting more force on the Portgas than she usually would. “Just don’t execute him.”
+++
The plan works, and Kyomi quietly enjoys the face Sengoku made as she revealed that she’s Ghost Flame. The road down to her cell in Impel Down is boring, but she doesn’t let it bother her. She just needs to sit out the few days it takes for her to be executed, and then it’s all fine. Her crew is already busy with the plans to break Ace out of Impel Down the moment she’s executed, and once that’s done he’ll be back with Whitebeard.
“Nee-chan!” Ace’s voice pulls her out of her thoughts, and she gives him a soft smile, ignoring the equally chained up Jimbei in the same cell for now as she’s roughly pushed in and chained up with seastone. Hah. Losers. That won’t do shit.
“Don’t worry, Ace. Everything’s gonna be fine,” she softly says when the guards are gone, ignoring the look of disbelief in his eyes.
+++
“I’m sorry,” Sengoku softly says to him as he stands next to Kyomi, staring at the approaching ship. From the high vantage point they have, Kyomi can easily see the chair with a chained up Ace in it, making him tense up. “But orders are orders.”
The next few minutes as Ace is hauled up to the platform, it takes everything Kyomi has to not go on a murder spree. All’s not lost, though. He can feel his crew drawing closer, ready to make sure Luffy doesn’t arrive at Marineford at all, because for some reason he’s getting close too, as well as Whitebeard under the surface of the bay. He’d first thought Newgate was here for him, to show his respect, but apparently not.
The ship that brought Ace has backed off again, meaning Newgate’s ship can surface easily. The minute they do that, Kyomi decides, he’s gonna free himself and Ace. Then they’ll escape. However, he could also be a little funnier, he thinks.
“Ne, Izou,” he calls as he spots the man on Whitebeard’s ship, his voice easily carrying over all the ruckus from the Marines below him. “How long do you think it will take for them to realize seastone doesn’t do anything to me?” he continues in Japanese (or whatever it’s called in this world, he’s too tired to remember).
“Until you break yourself out, I suspect,” Izou replies without missing a beat, and Kyomi snorts.
“Yeah, you’re right.” This time he speaks in the common language, letting everyone understand him. “Let’s get this show on the road then, shall we?” He turns to Sengoku with a grin, his heart doing a happy little jump as he feels Garp walk away, clearly ready to let them escape. “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice… Well, good luck surviving long enough to attempt it.”
Ace looks at him with wide eyes, and Kyomi lets his flames burst forth, the white fire making the Marines jump back. He lets it burn through the chains keeping him and Ace down as his body transforms, grabbing Ace and launching himself off the platform, towards Newgate.
He drops Ace in Newgate’s waiting arms, flying up after to land on the crow’s nest of the Moby Dick.
“Now, let me properly introduce myself,” he says, his wings folding into his back to be out of the way. “I am Shimura Kyomi-”
“Shimura D. Kyomi,” Garp interjects from the platform.
“Fine, fine. I am Shimura D. Kyomi, the captain of the Ghost Pirates, and the older sister of Portgas D. Ace and Monkey D. Luffy.” He places a hand over his heart as he bows. “And quite frankly, this is the only warning you’ll ever get from me. Try to touch either of my little brothers again, and I will end you.”
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Silly Little Goose
Original post November 11th, 2023 (x)
“You know,” Childe starts as he keeps Kyomi’s feet to the ground while she does sit ups, “you keep calling me all these silly nicknames, but I don’t have one for you.”
“Yeah? What about it?” Kyomi pauses as she sits, tilting her head at him.
“Hey, no break yet.” Childe playfully pushes her down a little, and she snorts as she resumes her training. “I was just thinking that I should have at least some kind of nickname for you, too. But I can’t really find one.”
“Well,” Kyomi grunts, finishing the last sit up of the set. “It depends on what way you wanna go. My older sibling turned Kyomi into Kymi. But if you wanna use Danya, you could go for a-Ya or Ya-er.”
“Doesn’t Zhongli call you Liu-er?”
“Yeah. With liu for willow. Long story.”
“Hm. None of those feel right, though.” Childe collapses on the ground next to her, taking her hand in his.
“Honestly? You could call me a silly little goose for all I care. A rose by any other name, and all.”
Childe makes a thoughtful noise before suddenly looking at her, confusion clear in his eyes.
“A rose by any other name? What’s that mean?”
“Uh…” Kyomi hesitates, tilting her head. “Give me a sec to remember the full quote. It’s from a play.” She taps her leg, trying to remember. “Something like ‘that which we know as a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet’ I think?”
“So basically… A name doesn’t matter because it’s still the same thing?”
“At least how I interpret it, yeah.” Kyomi nods.
“Well then, my silly little goose.” Childe grins, pinching her nose. “Thank you for educating me.”
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Forced to keep quiet
Original post November 3rd, 2023 (x)
“Near, Near, it’s okay, just breathe.” Owen - is it, though? Is it really Owen? - is kneeling in front of him, trying to coax him out of the hole he’s hid himself in. Near shakes his head, pressing himself deeper, and Owen disappears from sight for a bit before he’s back, holding a necklace he gently throws at Near.
It’s his own necklace, the one with the ring that shows Owen really is the heir of the Dunn family. The same necklace he put around Near’s neck a few months back, with the masquerade. “Here, so you don’t start picking at your skin again,” Owen says, getting comfortable.
It’s quiet for a few moments, and Near starts to relax a bit. If he’s like this, it must really be Owen. Not a single outsider would ever think Owen could be this patient with coaxing someone out. And no one would ever be able to replicate the ring he’s playing with now. And really, Near has had it in his hands often enough at this point that he would be able to recognize it with his eyes closed.
“What happened in there, with Adrian?” The fact that Owen uses his first name shows just how much disrespect he has for the Atteberry head, and Near tenses up, curling into himself even more. “I’ve seen you panicking often enough, but never like this.”
Near shakes his head, afraid that if he says even a single word right now, his father will show up. He thought the first conversation with his father in his previous life had gone bad, but it has nothing on the one in this life.
“C’mon, you can tell me, I-”
“Can’t,” Near cuts him off, and he flinches, expecting to be hit for it.
“Hey, Near, focus on me, it’s okay.” Owen is immediately talking again, pulling his attention back. “Breathe for me, okay? In… and out… In… out…” Owen repeats it a few times until Near feels like he’s actually getting air again.
“I… can’t. Tell you. If I do-” Near swallows, shaking his head. “He said I couldn’t.” Well, he said that if Near did, Owen would pay the price, but it’s the same difference, isn’t it?
“It’s okay, Near. I’m not gonna make you tell me if you can’t. But can you come out from there? I think I’d like to give you a hug right now, and you look like you could use one.”
“Is… is anyone around?”
It’s mostly silent for a few seconds, only the sounds of Owen moving around before he comes back. “No one’s around, Near. It’s just the two of us.”
With those words, Near is out of the hole in record time, throwing himself into Owen’s arms with a desperation he didn’t know he had as he bursts into tears.
Owen doesn’t say anything, just holds him tight and softly sways side to side while humming, one hand in Near’s hair to brush through it. He doesn’t judge, doesn’t offer empty words, and Near finds himself thankful for it as he slowly calms down, a wave of fatigue hitting him.
“You know, Near, it’s been a while since we’ve had a sleepover, hasn’t it?” Owen smiles at the tired look Near sends him, and Near resolutely ignores the way his heart skips a beat at the soft look in his eyes. “I think it’s about time for another. What do you say about tonight?”
“… I think I’d like that… Owen.”
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A broken mirror for a broken future
Original post August 19th, 2023 (x)
Dahlia freezes the moment she sees it. A broken mirror. It’s old, and has clearly been broken for a long time, yet no one has thrown it out, or dared to clean the pieces it left on the ground.
She might be in an old, rarely used part of the palace, but that doesn’t mean no one ever comes here.
It’s odd.
She carefully moves closer, trying her hardest not to step on any shards. There’s no real reason for it; she’s wearing good shoes, and no one is around to hear it. Yet, she feels like something will go horribly wrong if she steps on one.
She can see sort of see flashes of herself in the broken mirror as she’s approaching, although she doesn’t pay that any attention, but strangely enough she can’t see her reflection at all in the shards on the ground. Like she isn’t even there.
Only when she finally stands in front of it does she look up, and immediately wishes she hadn’t seen the mirror in the first place.
She doesn’t see just herself in it, but also Ambrose. He looks older than the last time she saw him, some six years ago. He’s taller than her, now.
That’s not the worst of it, though.
It’s hard to get a good picture of the whole scene, with the mirror missing so many shards, but the mirror Dahlia isn’t properly facing the mirror. Ambrose is right behind her, hissing something into her ear, and a sword is sticking out of her chest. The hatred is clear in Ambrose’s eyes, and Dahlia can’t stop herself from taking a step back.
The moment she does, warm arms wrap around her, and the scene disappears, finally letting her look at her actual reflection, Orobas right behind her with a worried look on his face.
“You weren’t responding to me at all…” He softly whispers, voice shaking, arms tightening around her. “The mirror had you in its thrall.”
“What… What was that? What did I just see?” She turns so she can stop looking at the mirror, afraid it will show her something even worse.
“It’s… One of many possible futures. Before it broke, it showed the most likely. Now, it shows the worst. What did it show you?”
“… Ambrose.”
“Your brother? What about him?” He is Orobas’ brother too, but she doesn’t point it out.
“He, uh. He. Killed me. I think.”
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A marriage long coming
Original post August 12th, 2023 (x)
“Ace, c'mere.” Alice beckons Ace over, quickly fixing his tie. “There you go, Mr. Handsome.”
“Oh, thanks.” Ace seems distracted, tucking some of his hair behind his ear before quickly glancing at his watch.
“Nervous?”
“What? Oh, uh. A bit.” Ace shrugs, not quite looking at Alice. “I’ve just. Never done something like this, and I don’t want to ruin it for them.”
“You won’t, and I don’t think it’s even possible to ruin today for the lovebirds.” She chuckles, pulling him closer for a quick hug. “They’re just happy to get married and have all of us there.”
“I suppose…”
++
When later Ace stands up to give his toast, and Alice spots the soft smiles on Wyatt and Idris’ faces, she can’t help but smile herself. What a difference a decade can make.
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Sand everywhere
Original post July 22nd, 2023 (x)
“Wait,” Cyno suddenly commands, coming to a stop. “Where’s Kyomi?”
The question makes everyone stop in their tracks better than the command, looking around for their missing member.
She’s not missing for very long, though, as she comes trudging up the sand dune soon enough, covered in sand. “I slipped.” Is her explanation as Isak tries to stifle laughter.
“You… Slipped.” Cyno doesn’t sound very impressed, and Kyomi grimaces.
“Everything’s loose, here, and I am blind. Not the best combination.”
“You should’ve told Paimon! Paimon could have kept watch for you!”
“Never mind that, are you alright?” Dehya swipes some of the sand off Kyomi, ‘sneakily’ checking for injuries.
“Yeah, it was just a tumble. But it did show me I definitely prefer the water kind of ocean to the sand kind of ocean. I mean, fall off a boat and you’re wet. Sure, annoying, but you’ll dry up soon enough. Fall here, and you’re covered in sand, and the sand is everywhere, and you will never ever get rid of it again,” Kyomi huffs, crossing her arms.
“That’s why you gotta be careful,” Isak giggles, helping Dehya get the sand off.
Kyomi feels something inside her soften as she hears him enjoy himself, glad that he’s got his mind off his grandpa now, even if she had to be a fool for it.
“When the two of you give up on the futile task of getting her sand free, we should probably start moving again.” Alhaitham is keeping his distance, clearly not interested in dealing with more sand than he already has to.
“I’ll just shake myself off like a dog when we get back.” Kyomi shrugs, patting Isak’s head as she starts walking. “Let’s go, we’ve still got some walking to do.”
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Two steps - one step - over the edge
Original post July 15th, 2023 (x)
Near stays still, head bowed, letting miss Charlotte soak him with the wine from her cup. “And do not let me see you again this evening, filthy bastard,” she spits out, turning around sharply to walk away.
His father, sitting just a few steps away, looks on and laughs.
“Yes ma'am,” Near obediently says, slowly standing up from where he’d been kneeling. His body protests, all bruised and battered, but he pushes through it.
“Don’t forget your orders, son.” A sneaky look at his father shows he’s not even looking at Near anymore, more interested in staring at miss Charlotte’s backside as she walks. “Remember the consequences of failure.”
“Yes, father.” Near bows, as graceful as the best of young masters, and leaves.
He ignores the way Lewis hesitantly raises his hand towards him before Blossom pulls it downward, and tries to ignore his thoughts as well.
It would be so easy - but he can’t do it. His mother wouldn’t want him to. He has all the contacts needed, thanks to his father forcing him to do his dirty work - but it would also be risky because what if they tie it back to him and figure out all the other stuff he - no, not the point, he can’t do it. He can’t kill his father, or his father’s wife, or his half-siblings.
+++
Near moves his sword to block, just a bit too late as always, so Blossom can hit him. It’s better this way. If he blocks her - which really isn’t that hard, she is awful with a sword - he’ll get more bruises than he will letting her hit him like this.
“Ha! And you’re supposedly a great hero?” She mocks, a vicious smirk on her face. Like this, she’s nothing like the proper Atteberry heir everyone thinks she is. “Then again, I don’t know what I expected from a bastard like you.”
+++
You know what, Near thinks a few days later, curled up in a ball to shield himself from his father’s kicks, maybe he can. Maybe he can kill his father, his father’s wife, and his half-sister.
#Second Chance At Life#Near Hallow#Charlotte Atteberry#Adrian Atteberry#Lewis Atteberry#Blossom Atteberry
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What a sap
Original post July 1st, 2023 (x)
Mian barely dares to breath as Alec pins him against the wall, face so incredibly close to his own.
Alec’s sword is buried in the wall only about an inch from his head, signifying Mian’s complete and utter defeat.
“Do you yield?” Alec’s voice is almost a purr, a smug grin on his face as he presses Mian against the wall harder.
“Mhm,” Mian hums, nodding a little bit. He doesn’t really trust his voice right now, not with his husband looking like that.
“Oh? What was that, babygirl? I didn’t quite hear you.”
“Y-yeah. I yield.” Mian tries to look away, his face feeling incredibly warm, but Alec keeps him from doing so with a hand on his face.
“See? That wasn’t so hard now, was it?” Alec’s eyes gleam with satisfaction and smugness, squishing Mian’s cheeks.
Mian just grumbles in response, weakly pushing against Alec’s chest to ‘push him away’. Alec, of course, reads Mian just fine, and leans his full body weight against him to keep him pinned.
The smug grin slowly fades, though, as he quietly studies Mian.
“Hey, babygirl?”
“Mm?”
“Can we kiss?”
Mian stares at his husband in surprise for a second before he softly smiles through the cheek squishing. What a sap. “Yeah, we can.”
Alec brightly smiles at him as he finally lets his cheeks go, leaning in for a sweet, chaste kiss. “I love you, babygirl.”
“I love you too, idiot.”
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Disappearance
Original post June 17th, 2023 (x)
“Near?” Owen pokes his head into their room, sighing when it’s yet another location to be ticked off the list.
“Owen? Are you okay?” Emil’s voice rings out behind him, and Owen steps back, closing the door.
“I’m trying to find Near, but I can’t. I’ve already looked everywhere he usually is.” If he’s being honest, it’s making him anxious. Especially since mercenaries have already gone after Near once. Who’s to say they won’t do it a second time?
“I think I saw him go to the flowers, the Nefel field. Maybe he’s still there?” Emil kindly smiles, still reading him easily.
Owen sighs in relief, clapping his friend on the shoulder. “Thank you, Emil, I owe you.”
“That’s quite alright.” Emil waves him off and continues on his way, leaving Owen to go find the Nefel field.
It’s a walk of nearly half an hour, made longer by a few wrong turns, as it has been a few years since Owen came to the field. When he finally gets there, though, relief fills his entire body.
Near is sitting between the flowers, meditating.
Owen approaches as quietly as he can, sitting down next to him. “How many flowers did you step on?” Near asks, not even opening his eyes.
“Two, I think.” Owen smiles, scooting a little closer so their knees are touching. “I tried not to, though.”
“I know.” A soft smile appears on Near’s face as he briefly opens his eyes to look at Owen. “Did you need me for something?”
“Not really.” Owen closes his eyes, taking a slow and deep breath.
“Alright.” Near sounds amused, and Owen can feel him slipping right back into his meditative state after.
For the first time in quite a while, Owen doesn’t have any trouble meditating.
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Interrupted Activities
Original post June 3rd, 2023 (x)
“And remember to be careful.” Cyno gives her a warning look as she moves towards the door, and Kyomi snorts.
“Yessir,” she mocks, barely able to put her hand on the doorknob before Cyno is backing her into a wall.
“You really wanna give me an attitude? That’s really the path you wanna go down?” There’s an amused glint in his eyes, and Kyomi grins.
“You heard me, didn’t you?” She raises a hand to push him back, but he’s got it against the wall immediately.
“Oh, you’re gonna regret that.” It’s nearly a purr as he leans closer, his face in her neck.
She can just feel his teeth graze her neck when the door opens, startling him into biting down. Hard.
“Shit, Kyomi, I’m sorry, are you okay?” He pulls back, blood on his teeth and eyes worried.
“What are you two doing?” Tighnari asks behind him, and Kyomi starts giggling.
“You scared him, ‘Nari.” She prods at the bite, the scent of her own blood strong. “And I’m fine, Cyno, it didn’t hurt that bad.”
“Why are you even doing it this close to the door? What if Collei had walked in instead?” Tighnari sighs, frustrated, as he gently moves Cyno to the side to check on the bite. “Stop prodding it, you’re gonna make it worse.”
Tighnari bats her hand to the side, gently touching the bite. “So, doc? When am I gonna die?”
He gives her a flat look, shaking his head. “It’s already healing and you know it. Cyno, get a wet cloth so I can clean the skin, please. And you should probably drink some water to make sure you get rid of all the blood in your mouth.”
“On it.” Cyno quickly moves to the kitchen, clearly relieved it’s nothing serious.
“And you need to stop challenging Cyno in places where Collei can walk into the two of you.” Tighnari flicks Kyomi’s forehead with his clean hand.
“Yes, sir.” This time, Kyomi says it with much less sarcasm.
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Yet another attempt
Original post May 27th, 2023 (x)
Kyomi takes a deep breath, shifting her stance and lifting the bow. Perhaps her alternative way of seeing the world around her is much more useful here than actual sight. She doesn’t have to squint against the sunlight as she aims at her target.
She takes another deep breath, holds it in, and lets the arrow fly. Only when it hits her target does she breathe out again.
The man collapses, his companions looking around in a panic. One down, two to go.
She hops down from the raised platform, letting the bow disappear and calling upon her katana instead as she approaches the men.
“You! You’re the one Master wants!” One of them shouts as he sees her, and she tilts her head just a bit.
“Yeah? What’re you gonna do about it? After all, I’m armed, and you’re not.” She raises her left hand to show them the katana, knowing they only have their own quirks to rely on.
“Just a sword? Hah! And here I thought you’d be dangerous.” The other man mocks her, activating his quirk. Some small metal things around her start moving to him, but her katana doesn’t budge. It’s not metal, after all.
She shifts one foot back, holding her katana with both hands now, and makes her move.
In the blink of an eye she’s beside the man, his head on the ground.
The other flinches back, raising his hand and stammering out some words.
“I do wonder who it is that forgot about my, well, everything. Was it Sensei? Or did you see me and just decide that the warning he gave must have been nonsense?” Kyomi sighs, lowering her katana. “If you run now, I’ll let you go.”
“T-thank you so much, miss!” He turns and flees, leaving her with the two bodies that are slowly turning to ash.
She doubts he’ll go back to Sensei. He just had his life spared, and if he goes back to report a failed mission, he’s likely to lose it after all.
But maybe this is a good reminder for Sensei. He shouldn’t forget who he’s dealing with.
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Interesting time for joking
Original post May 20th, 2023 (x)
“Hey, Kyomi,” Cyno says, looking down at them from where he’s straddling their hips.
“Yeah?” They flush a bit at just how breathless their answer is, but, well. They did just spar with Cyno, and now… Well…
“What did the toaster say to the slice of bread?” A grin forms on his face, and Kyomi closes their eyes in defeat. “I want you inside me.”
It’s a bad joke. It’s a very bad joke, and it should not be funny, god damnit, especially not when they’re about to fuck. But Kyomi’s sense of humor is about as broken as Cyno’s, so they can’t help the way they start chuckling. “And who’s the slice of bread here?”
“Why, the prettiest person around, obviously!” Cyno ducks down to give them a kiss, looking incredibly proud of himself.
Kyomi feels themself flush a bit more, but they’ve never been one to stay silent, and since they’re in Avidya Forest… “Tighnari? He’s busy with his research, good luck getting him away from that.”
Cyno exaggeratedly shudders on top of them which- does produce some stimulation, and Kyomi nearly moans. “I’ve learned my lesson regarding that long ago. Don’t ever disturb ‘Nari when he’s busy with research. But you and I both know he isn’t who I meant.” Cyno taps Kyomi’s chest a few times with a warning look.
“Okay, okay, I get it.” They smile, 'trapping’ his hand against their chest with one of their own. It’s warm against their skin, reminding them that Cyno is 100% alive.
Cyno smiles back before he smoothly stands up, ridding himself of his pants. Before Kyomi can do the same, though, he kneels over their hips, tugging their pants down to just below their ass. “What’s the difference between kinky and perverted?”
“Oh god,” Kyomi starts their groan, “Cynnnoo-” although the reason for the groan changes halfway through his name, as he sinks down on them like an expert.
“Kinky is tickling your partner with a feather. Perverted is when you use the whole bird.” Cyno doesn’t sound entirely unaffected as he speaks, sending a spike of heat through Kyomi even as they laugh again.
“Are you really gonna be telling awful jokes the entire time?” They grin, hands finding their way to Cyno’s hips.
“Obviously. I like hearing your laugh.” The smile he gives them is soft, sweet. “And like this you can’t get away either.” They both chuckle, although for Kyomi it’s closer to a giggle.
“God, you’re so awful. I don’t get how 'Nari puts up with you.” They lightly push at his chest, the movement causing him to rock slightly on them, making them moan.
“Well, I try not to tell him these jokes in bed. What does a perverted frog say?” Cyno lifts himself up before going down again, grinding down when he’s fully seated.
“Ah- fuck- I don’t know, Cyno, what does a perverted frog say?”
“Rubbit.”
The rest of the evening is filled with plenty of cackling and moaning, and a lot of sighs after Tighnari finishes his work for the day.
But, sometimes his 'comedian’ deserves his fun too.
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Late Night Talks
Original post May 13th, 2023 (x)
“Near? Val? What’re you doing out of bed?” Owen sounds groggy as he stumbles out onto the balcony behind them, the only one of them wearing more than just trousers.
“Not much.” Val shrugs. “Talking, looking at the stars…”
“Looking back at just how far we’ve come,” Near continues as Val trails off. “Me especially.”
Owen grumbles a low reply, leaning heavily on the railing and clearing his throat. “I guess we have come far since the beginning.”
“It’s sure been a journey and a half.” Near scoots on the railing until he’s leaning against Owen. Val steps between his legs, placing his hands on Near’s hips to keep him steady. And because he’s touchy.
“Do you ever regret any of it?” He softly asks, squeezing Near’s hips in a steady rhythm.
Near can’t help but chuckle, thinking back to his first life. “Some of it, but that is all in a past long before I met the both of you.” Sure, he had met them in that life too, but they weren’t *his* Owen and Val. “What about you two?”
“I don’t think I really have any regrets.” Val smiles before burying his face in Near’s neck.
“Just that I wasn’t always able to protect you both.” Owen takes one hand off the railing to first trail a scar on Val’s back and then one on Near’s arm.
“You had your own duties to attend to, Owen.” Near cups Owen’s cheek in his hand, softly smiling. “You’ve protected both of us plenty. We’re still alive, aren’t we? And my… Father… Won’t be able to bother us anymore.”
“Good riddance, too. What an awful man he was.”
“I don’t think any of us expected we’d ever end up here.” Near combs his hands through Val’s hair, quietly marveling at how soft it still is.
“No, definitely not.” Val laughs. “I thought I was gonna end up as Head of the Atwater Family, not married to the Head of the Dunn Family. But I did think a few times about marrying you, after we met.”
“I never thought I could marry both of the people I love. Yet here we are.” The dark look finally leaves Owen’s eyes as he softly smiles at them.
“Did you see old man Whitaker, though? All ‘I knew this would happen from the moment I saw the three of them’.” Val snickers after his (objectively very bad) impression of Alistair.
“He might have been onto us before we realized it, though. Sometimes things are easier to see from the outside than the inside.”
“Perhaps. But we realized it, didn’t we? And now, we get to enjoy the fruits of our labor.”
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The Aftermath
Original post April 28th, 2023 (x)
After everything has settled down, and Kane has bid Tynan and Asha goodbye, he looks around the empty throne room.
The blood has already been cleaned, Azriel led away in chains. Even the guards aren’t around anymore.
The most notable person missing, though, is Mian. So he sets out to find his child the prince.
As he expected, Mian is in his father’s (old?) office, although he seems to have moved past everything important in it and straight to the balcony, looking out over the land.
He doesn’t look up at the noise of the door opening and closing, but Kane knows he’s very aware of who just entered.
“What’s going on in that head of yours?” Kane asks, walking over and resting his arms on the balcony railing.
“I…” Mian hesitates before moving closer, pressing himself against Kane’s side like he used to when he was younger. He’s taller than he was back then, broader too, but still small enough for Kane to wrap an arm around him in quiet support. Or is Kane just that large? “I just don’t know anymore.”
“You don’t know anymore?” Kane softly prompts when Mian doesn’t go on after a while.
“What to do. What to think. I mean - at first I was so busy with getting back home, and then I learned all that stuff while traveling and I knew I had to put a stop to it, and now I just. Don’t know anymore.”
“You were so busy with achieving your goals, you didn’t think about what would happen after them.” Kane nods, squeezing Mian briefly.
“There’s still a lot to do. I know we still have to deal with the nymphs. But still, all I can think is ‘what now? What comes next?’” Mian sighs, hanging his head.
“I get it. I had a lot of that, too, when I was younger. Still do. It’ll be okay, though. You have plenty of people to help you along the way, don’t you?”
“I do.” A small smile forms on Mian’s face, and Kane can’t stop his own smile in response. Sure, things might seem bad right now, but everything will be fine, if people like Mian keep trying.
And, who knows, maybe he’ll even find someone to be his successor after all this.
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