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#But now he's an immortal old man seeking death and she's a little dying girl with time against her looking for life‚

imalwaystiredzzz · 3 years

Text

C5: Sisyphus happy. Yan Zhongli x Reader

#genshin x reader

Warning: Yandere behavior, unhealthy relationships

< Sisyphus happy chapters >

Once, from a time long before records and memories were written on ink and paper, Morax walked upon vast lands rich in history, watered by tears of tragedy and love lost. He turns to an old woman who stood before her destroyed village, eyes downcast and hollow on bodies drowned by the war of an unrelenting sea and the mountain that does not bow.

Morax did not understand, maybe once when he had held a goddess’ body to his own, but to him that was one thing and this is another. This is love of a mortal that does not even know who the child that cried next door nor the man that walked past their door, this is to love a complete stranger and the love that Guizhong once had when she was still by his side.

“What must I do to learn the love of mortals?” He asks, voice devoid of emotion; genuine curiosity and the hope to understand beneath.

The old woman smiled, warm and full of wisdom as if her short years were thousands compared to the god. “To love mortals, one must sacrifice eternity and learn of the passing time. Of death and partings. The gods have forgotten that they may live long but even you have an end, it is the same thing that pains us yet we find delight in.”

He didn’t understand then, those words ring true and wise as Cloud Retainer’s advice to his ears on leading the people that he had now to care for. Even so, he still finds himself wondering, “What would Guizhong have done?”

In his heart, he knows that she would’ve understood and took a moment to explain; unlike the way time leaves nothing but confusion in its wake, only pondering and no straight answers?

Even as hundreds of years pass, when all that remains of that old woman is nothing but ashes on the soil and the land had been turned to marsh, the people traveling and settling in a mountain, and the war marching on to its bloody conclusion; Morax found that answer to be much like the dumbbell that he may never come to solve.

But once more, reminiscent of his unexamined love with the goddess had bloomed too late, fate had played him right into its hands.

Because the answer had come in the form of you- still a child, a bud in the nursery of glaze lilies under the morning sun. You and your small hands that gripped the end of his robes, with teary eyes that looked at the dying people and held these strangers hand in their last breath with as much intensity for a small comfort to let them know they did not die alone.

“Will the war end soon?” Your small voice asked him, even Mountain Shaper had not the stomach to look at a child’s plea for peace and spout lies.

“I am trying to end it, as fast as I can.”

“Then this is for you.” You reached into your pocket and gave him a dried glazed lily contained in glass, “thank you for trying though we cannot give much back.” You bow, as courtesy knowing that you had just talked to the very god that protected the lands you step on and ran back to the shack that housed the sick and injured, your parents much too busy to notice you had snuck out.

Blissfully unaware that the god of geo, gripping the gift in between his hands, amber eyes following your form and telling himself that humans have much to learn and yet they surprise him nonetheless, just like as his love used to tell him.

But even answers are confusing, much like a child who asks why is 1+1=2 and the process of it, he didn’t understand till he saw you once more. Not yet a lady but not quite the child that you used to be. Now you are the girl who provides healing, growing up to be a herbalist like your mother and no longer simply holding a basket of them for your father. Carefully, with your mortal hands you comfort the injured beyond salvation as the calamities of gods that hold much power rages on.

Surrounded by dying men of the war, miasma, curses and death lurking in the air, in his eyes you remained untouched. Unblemished, as if the air in your little bubble had been purified by innocence and unconditional love for the crowd of strangers, neither pitying them for death nor numb to their tragedy. Then for a second he thought he saw her - the glaze lilies and the goddess that he loved so much and he begins to wonder if she’s come back to him through you.

“I should thank you for treating the wounded.” He tells the man before him, the bags of herbs laying behind his form and a sigil in hand, “use this in times of need, when the people are crying and I am away, surely the adeptis are quick to answer and would not turn you away.”

“My lord, Rex Lapis, there is no need to thank us. Knowing that you protect the people is enough, we are just a family of healers who help the ones in need.” Your father was a grateful man, and he can see where you get your eyes, especially your kind heart who reaches out to those in need, not because he seeks power or his blessings.

“Even so, Liyue will remember your kindness but none more so than I, Rex Lapis.”

He does not know if you remember him nor what you did, only that when he dons a mortal face to take a walk in the calms before the storm, he finds himself wandering to your garden, mostly on cold nights where you would just sing to the lilies and watch them, with unfading enchantment, bloom.

In a distant memory of an old lover, he hears the same voice but now there stood you. Now a lady, barely a woman with your innocence and mischief.

And he knows that this is wrong, mortals are fleeting as the dust, that he can never grasp with his two hands. Wherever his heart is on anything, other than Liyue, it only ends in tragedy. And oh, how ironic of it all that if you really were his goddess that had found her way back to him, why this form? Why a mortal who is a flower that will wither compared to a mountain that does not crumble?

“It’s a beautiful song, pardon me for interrupting but may I know where you have learned it?”

“Only if you tell me what the god of earth is doing in a place like this, barely even concealed?” Playful, you smile at him playfully as if you knew all the time that he had spent staring from afar and he was not an immortal that could smite the very life out of those pretty eyes.

“The breeze carried your voice and I wondered where you had learned to entice it to your will.” He couldn’t really put a finger when it began, when your singing had lured him like a siren to the depth of the sea.

“You befriend the wind, unlike the earth, you do not command rather ask of it like a companion,” was your simple answer and he smiles like he has found something long lost. You drown him in your presence, but he is not breathless; rather he sighs filled with curiosity like a child who has more to learn from the world that he had been in for thousands of years.

You who had rekindled a reason for his actions, much like Guizhong. This love does not ruffle his heart out of his rib cage, the dust settles and it is as calm as you talking about herbs in this small patch of garden late at night and as calm as the things settle falling into place in his beloved city by the gentle waves of the sea.

“What happened to them after?” You ask your husband, the snow falls outside and you are oh so exhausted to the bone as if the cold had taken all your warmth. He smiles and brushes your cheeks that lost their flush and your skin cold as a corpse, his arms glows gold in the intricate cracks, and you know that this is a bedtime story - though not quite for the night but for the long winter.

The memory scratches at the back of your mind to be remembered, but a part of you warns that you wouldn’t like how it ends.

“According to the books, the lord of geo took his love to the heavens.” He finishes with a chuckle of the irony in it all, a kiss to your temple as your eyes drop, heavy and slumber dragging you to its clutches.

Then finally, Zhongli smiles to bid you goodnight.

He watches you sleep soundly. Sleep if humans can even call it that with the lack of breathing, as still as a corpse that had died peacefully in bed while he is left to wonder of a future that had things ended the way his winter story did.

War ensures losts. Victories demand sacrifices. And the price to pay was always his love.

Zhongli would like to believe that had you died of a natural cause: sickness, accident or of old age where he would have held your aging body, he could’ve had the strength to let you pass on.

Rex Lapis would have had your funeral handled by the esteemed WangSheng, and took your passing as another promise to meet on the other side.

But Morax knows, he could never really.

Never let you go, even after thousands of years and all that you know had returned to the soil. Even when the truths of history had been forgotten by the people and you are nothing but a distant whisper to this land, a footnote to his folklore.

Not even now, when every winter is a reminder of the way he held your cold body against his chest, “I worry about you.” You told him with a supposed to be parting smile, how pitiful must he be for a dying mortal that had not even lived half their life to worry about him.

“Why are you saying goodbye, my love? You aren’t supposed to say goodbye, not yet. It’s much too early,” He tells you with a broken laugh, the war is over like you had asked of him the first time. He is an archcon, the land is his to rule and care, and you are supposed to live many many peaceful years with him, but here you are the embers of war digs its claws in your frail body and had robbed you of life.

Why does the war take and take and take and he who fights only lose things that he keeps to heart?

He doesn’t relent, even if it means breaking the laws of nature itself.

Even when you wake in spring, and you look at him with those empty eyes and ask who he is. At Least you’re here, still there somewhere and it might take thousands of years and more, when the mountain has crumbled against time, one day he believes that you will wake again with love in your lips and warmth in your hands.

#yandere zhongli #zhongli x reader #zhongli x you #yandere zhongli x reader #yandere genshin x reader #yandere genshin impact #geshin impact #genshin impact x reader

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dramioneasks · 5 years

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HP FESTS: TheMourningMadam’s Fests

Once Upon A Time 2019:

The Witch of Oak Woods by whispersofday - M, WIP - Trying to restore his family name and protect his mother, Draco Malfoy will align himself with the Dark Lord. When he is forced to escape with his school rivals, the reticent group will uncover a darkness even Lord Voldemort failed to realize.

The Snow Garden by bbcherrytomato - not rated, WIP - Hermione Granger, seeking to escape her career frustrations and failed relationships eagerly accepts a seemingly run-of-the-mill, out-of-town assignment. What she finds instead is a deep connection to a mysterious man and a place that holds unimaginable secrets to her past.

The Hunter and the Nightingale by TheImperfectionista - E, 10 chapters - After the Second Wizarding World War, defected Death Eaters were allowed to repent for their crimes as fugitive hunters of remaining Death Eaters. Draco Malfoy took up the role, but the toll on his body has led him to seek the anonymous healer known as the Nightingale.

The Fair Hermione by RESimon - E, one-shot - Draco was seven the first time he snuck in to visit her.He had grown up hearing about “The Fair Hermione” at almost every gathering with the Dark Lord. They’d all waited for her seventh birthday to arrive, constantly whispering about how so she could join him and take up her rightful place under his Lordship’s wing.No Hogwarts, No Prophecy, No Horcruxes, Voldemort stays in power AU

The Princess of Triton by gracediamondsfear - M, WIP - Tom Riddle's Ship of Oddities sails the seas, pulling in to various ports and letting the townsfolk peruse the menagerie of creatures and collectibles held below decks. With the help of his assistant, the orphan wizard Draco Malfoy, they manage to pull in an actual mermaid and put her on display. Draco takes pity on the mermaid and works to find a spell to turn her human and set her free. However these spells take time and as they grow closer and Hermione sees how the human world treats magic creatures, she isn't quite sure she wants to be human after all.But maybe there's another path for these two lovers to find their way?Inspired by The Little Mermaid and a little bit by Splash :)

Mirror|Mirror by otterlyardent - T, WIP - Tortured by recent events in her life, Hermione desires an escape from her unjust and cruel world. After finding what she seeks in an unexpected place, the witch will have to decide: is her life worth returning to or should she stay where the pain of loss is lessened?If Draco Malfoy has anything to say about it, she'll find she can have both. With him.

Eventide by TattooedWriter - T, WIP - When Dumbledore decides Hermione will be a more effective chess piece if she's completely out of play, he sends her to an Order safehouse on the Canadian coast. The opportunity to research and strategize appeals to her, but the partner Dumbledore assigns....does not.Based (LOOSELY) on the Canadian First Nations tale "The Boy of the Red Twilight Sky."

The Isle of Morsmordre by SaintDionysus - T, WIP - The quiet, mousy girl with no friends and nothing but books to keep her company, dreamt of quests and magic. Now, Hermione Granger is the prisoner of a mad immortal and his band of lost boys. Inspired by Peter Pan. Dramione. Non-HEA.

Questioning Curiosity by DarkAngelOfSorrowReturns - T, one-shot - Hermione had to investigate things for herself, and it only left her with more questions.

All Men Kill The Thing They Hate (Unless It Kills Them First) by fandomfairytales - E, 4 chapters - Sitting in a bleak hospital waiting room, pretending no news was the same as good news, while her heart continued to tear itself into tiny pieces with each minute that passed; Hermione Granger-Malfoy let herself wonder how her life had descended into such madness.Everything had seemed fine on the surface, not a hint of peril on the horizon; her life was everything she could have dreamed and more, a perfect fairy tale. But, apparently, life saw fit to cast a sinister shadow over the happiness she had fought tooth and nail to earn, and it was looking more and more like she’d be robbed of a happy ending.

familiar faces, worn out places by LovesBitca8 - E, one-shot - “You are at St. Mungo’s. You were in a coma.” He looks me over again, taking a pause. “I am a Healer here now,” he says, like it explains something. My fingers stretch, drifting across his sleeve. He looks down, like I’ve thrown mud at him.Forcing my vocal chords together for the first time, I whisper, “What’s your name?”

Hooked by In_Dreams - M, 2 chapters - After Draco Malfoy helps her out of a bind, Hermione decides to repay the favour when he is in need. Written for the Dramione Fairytale Fest, and loosely based on the Brothers Grimm fairytale, The Fisherman and his Wife.

Lured into the Light by PotionChemist - M, 16 chapters - Harry Potter died at the Battle of Hogwarts, and the war has raged on for three years. Draco Malfoy has been living as a Death Eater, surrounded by the darkness Voldemort brought into his life. However, one night, he receives an owl with an item that could potentially change his life... if he's willing to take the risk.**WARNING: Implied non-con. It is not explicitly described, so I didn't tag it as non-con.**Loosely based on The Fairy Comb, a Greek fairytale.

A Lily in White by MaraudingManaged - M, WIP - "He loved her. He loved her. Hermione Granger: this sharp, beautiful, whip-smart and powerful girl who happened to love him too. He, with the Dark Mark and painful bigotry. He with too many sins to bear - she loved him too.An impossible romance told in snapshots, in days, in moments; a story of love in the midst of the worst war the wizarding world has ever seen, and what might happen if two people make simple, but very different, choices.

Pebbles and Crumbs by GaeilgeRua - T, one-shot - A retelling of Hansel and Gretel. Draco and Hermione have to find ways to survive the forest and their stepmother's treachery.

The Contest Bride by CharmedMistletoe - T, 8 chapters - Hermione has been presented with a once in a lifetime opportunity to prove herself a worthy wife for a Malfoy heir

The Legend of The Lost Mermaid by rennaissance_woman - not rated, one-shot - Story telling is a dying art. What happens when a young witch tells a story.

Daddy's Baby & Grandfather's Plight by writerspassion18 , G, WIP - Draco loves his son, Alex, even under the circumstances. As those circumstances rear their ugly head in the form of one Artemis Nott, Draco and his wife will do anything to keep Alex safe and in Malfoy family hands.

How to Date an Idiotic Pureblood Wizard by bionically - T, one-shot - Hermione just knows Draco's up to something in the Ministry-mandated Muggle Awareness Class. She's not going to let him, not if it's going to interfere with her plans to take over the world, starting with one Pureblood at a time.Crackfic tribute to My Immortal. Read at your own risk.

Matters of The Heart by sleepygrimm - T, WIP - A heartless prince..He is very much stoic to a point pitiful. He knows love and happiness and tries his best to reciprocate but it ends with him struggling. Can a cursed prince discover love from a muggle Miss.

Side Effects by Disenchantedglow - M, one-shot - When Draco is enchanted after a run in with an old woman, he must deal with the side effects of turning to elemental magic to help him break the curse.

The Ice Maiden by islandpooka - M, WIP - Think of a snowier, feminine Pinocchio meets Cinderella story. A mysterious witch no one knows attracts the attentions of a devil-may-care aristocrat.

The Disappearing Woman by starryangelz72 - G, one-shot - Inspired by "The Glass Coffin" by the Grimm Brothers.When Draco saved Hermione from falling, little did he know it would set off a series of events that would have him searching for her in a distant world.

Finding Home by crochetaway - M, one-shot - Hermione Granger finds herself homeless on the streets of London. A stranger takes a chance on her, which is all she needs to get her life back on track.

Lost and Found by Kyonomiko - M, 8 chapters - Paired off and trapped in a ridiculous assignment, Hermione Granger is at the mercy of Draco Malfoy's sense of heroics and chivalry. She might be in for a long wait. Then again, every ferret has his day.

A Bedtime Story by CuppaTea90 - G, one-shot - It's storytime at the Malfoy's, only Hermione wants to finish it her way.

Caught in Flagrante by ruthy4vrsmoaked - E, one-shot - Scorpius and Lyra Malfoy ask mummy and daddy to tell their romantic story aka How Draco fell in love with Hermione and became her hero. Or aka how the Malfoy Crest Ring became a Hermione-Mood Ring. Or aka how Hermione uplifted Draco's broody mood.

L'Oiseau d'Or by Ephsbell - not rated, WIP - Harry Potter is in a coma. What's left of the Order needs a miracle. Hermione Granger believes she's found it and sets off to Avalon, hopefully, to save the day. At the same time, Voldemort wanting immortality sends a weary Draco Malfoy to retrieve the same treasure. Things might seem simple at first but a pesky prophecy and a bird soon complicate Hermione and Draco's straightforward task. WIP. PS The non-con is very much in the background.

The Loving Pair by pixiedustandbluebutterflies - M, WIP - When Draco was eventually assigned to the Department of Muggle Relations as part of his parole, he intended to show up for his required amount of hours, prove that he wasn’t a threat to society, and avoid interacting with his coworkers as much as possible.Draco never intended to actually enjoy the work or the time he spent with the newly hired Junior Associate - Hermione Granger.

Tell Me a Story by jalapeno_jazz - G, WIP - Draco is absolutely, completely wrapped around his daughter's finger. He knows it. She knows it. And she knows that he knows that she knows it.

East of the Sun West of the Moon by savedprincess85 - T, WIP - Draco has become cursed-into a huge white bear. Only Hermione can help him to break the curse. But they have a journey ahead of them before they can break it.

Rituals and Roses by QuinTalon - T, one-shot - Narcissa Malfoy has been suffering from a mysterious illness for years and it seems time is running out. Desperate to save her, Draco reaches out to a witch who may be his last hope. Could Hermione Granger be the key to saving her?

Slytherin Into Fate by Rosella_Burgundy - E, 2 chapters - As they work on a new case, Draco and Hermione find themselves caught up in a lust potion incident. When Hermione finds out who's to blame she takes revenge on them.

On the Wings of a Dove by BoredRavenvlaw620 - T, 19 chapters - The war changed Draco Malfoy. Doesn't he deserve a happily ever after?Inspired by the Fairy tale, "The Gypsy Queen"

comma; by kanames_harisen - T, WIP - Granger gives him the coldest glare he's ever seen."The only one responsible for Ron's death was the wizard who cursed him, and that man is rotting in Azkaban, soulless from the Kiss." For a moment, she stays like that, as hard and immovable as granite. Then she sighs and her face softens. "But if you need my forgiveness to move on, you have it. I forgive you, Draco Malfoy, for whatever part you think you played in my husband's death."

Rampion by grace_lou_freebush - E, 3 chapters - Dramione short story based off Rapunzel by the Brothers Grimm for The Mourning Madam's Once Upon a Time Dramione Fairy Tale Fest.Hermione is separated from Harry and Ron at the skirmish at Malfoy Manor, and to keep her properly imprisoned, Bellatrix locks her in a tower. What happens when Draco happens upon her, and how can she escape?

A Fool off His Guard by HollyBrianne - G, one-shot - Fairy tale prompt: Arabian Nights/Aladdin While on the horcrux hunt, Hermione alone is caught by snatchers and taken to Malfoy Manor

Heaven Has Made You Lovely by NuclearNik - T, one-shot - She watched Draco rock slowly back and forth where he stood next to the bed, their newborn cradled in his arms. He pressed his lips to her peach fuzz forehead and when he lifted his head, his eyes were shiny.

Two Desks Apart by msmerlin - T, 6 chapters - Draco used routine to work through his emotional baggage post-war, using a strict set of rules to regulate his once out of control life. His parents and friends express concern over his stagnant life in the form of setting him up on blind dates in hopes of helping Draco find 'the one'. Little did they all know, the witch who captured his heart had been just two desk apart from him for the past two years.

The Stallion in the Forest by GracefulLioness - G, one-shot - After falling asleep while reading in the forest, Hermione gets lost after dark and stumbles upon a curious man living alone in a hut deep in the woods. But nothing is as it seems in this forest. She will soon discover that the man, the hut, and his beautiful stallion hold more secrets than she ever thought imaginable.

Water Lily by RooOJoy - G, one-shot - A retelling of the fairy tale, The Story of a Mother by Hans Christian Anderson.". . . Draco reached out and felt the soft petals of what he could tell was a water lily. He lightly ran his hands over the plant in an attempt to familiarize himself with it, and frowned when he could feel the limp flowers droop heavily in his palm. The scent that wafted gloriously from the flower made his heart ache in need of his wife. He inhaled deeply, and instantly felt as though his face was buried in the crook of her neck, her curls tickling his skin."

His Healing Touch by articcat621 - E, one-shot - Hermione isn't quite sure how she'll get through this, but Draco assures her that they'll do it together.

All That Is Beautiful by CindyBarnard - T, one-shot - For TheMourningMadam's Once Upon A Time Fest. Perhaps Hermione should have never left that castle... at least she had been safely oblivious to the outside world. Yet loneliness drove her out to find something beautiful, to find her lost friends. What she found instead was beyond her worse imaginings.

Twisted by CourtingInsanity - T, one-shot - Hermione Granger knows Draco Malfoy is responsible for the death of her Mother and Grandmother, and even though she hasn't seen him in years, she will stop at nothing to enact her revenge.

Magic Is Real by BiscuitsForPotter - G, one-shot - When eight year-old Hermione wanders into the woods on her way home from school and stumbles upon a strange boy there, she makes an astonishing discovery: magic is real. But that's just the beginning. Written for TheMourningMadam's Fairy Tale Fest; Based on "Käthchen and the Kobold."

His Salvation by Imotales - not rated. 8 chapters - A lost boy. A golden girl. The story of self destruction, a story of rebuilding. Sometimes lost ones can be shown the path of life if they find someone to hold light for them.

The Potions Mouse by Misdemeanor1331 - T, 6 chapters - One spring day, Potions Professor Draco Malfoy saved a precarious mouse from certain death. Little did he know that this small act of kindness would solve a ten-year mystery and change his life forever.

The Witch of Wiltshire by Art3misiA - E, 7 chapters - Nobody in Hermione's village knows she and her parents are magical.They live a quiet life until she meets one Draco Malfoy, and unwittingly invokes a jealousy in Ron Weasley that will set off a dire chain of events.

The Muggleborn and the Pea by LadyKenz347 - M, one-shot - In an attempt to charm Draco's parents, Hermione pretends to come from a Pureblood family for an evening. Narcissa has her own means of uncovering the truth.Spin on Princess and the Pea for The Mourning Madame's Once Upon a Time Fest.No Voldy AU

The Star Child by TriDogMom - M, one-shot - no summary

The Dragon and His Mother by HufflepuffMommy - M, one-shot - The trio find themselves trapped at Malfoy Manor, but an unlikely accomplice helps them escape. Together, the four of them figure out how to get the last of the Horcruxes and end the war once and for all.

This fest is ongoing.

#themourningmadam's fests #Fests/Exchanges/Challenges

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ambutasmallhuman · 5 years

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New Battles

The old gods are not dead.

Their peak of glory is a fragment of the past, but like all legends, they do not belong to the time they were born into.

They belong to the world that remembers,

And no matter how sparse their believers,

They live on.

Perhaps they have been ushered into the corners of humanity,

Rather than the pedestals they once occupied,

But they are there.

And they are watching;

Listening;

Doing.

Hermes; once a messenger, always a messenger.

Except now,

Not for the immortals who sat on top of the world, but for the world they all reside in.

It’s an ugly place;

A land of despair and cruelty and heartbreak

And hate and sin and darkness,

But Hermes, his golden sandals now rusted,

His cheeks now sunken from centuries on the road

Spreads the message to all who need it-

For those who need it is everyone.

Hope is not gone,

He repeats.

Hope is never gone.

Often, the words fall on deaf ears- despair is skilled at blocking out the world

But sometimes-

Sometimes,

They hear.

They lift their heads for a second,

They peer out at the world from underneath heavy lashes,

Searching for the soul with a voice like hope,

And they nod.

That is all Hermes knows he is good for anymore.

That is the only message he needs to deliver.

Artemis, of the moon, of the wild, of the hunt.

Her first love stays constant;

For what change can a speck of green bring to a jewel in the sky?

But she is not someone who can love one thing-

And oh, how her two other great passions have warped with the time.

The wild is no longer what it once was:

The grass is no longer green,

And the forests no longer lush.

The beasts she once hunted and hunted alongside are but memories and imprints in hardened mud.

For them, Artemis wages a daily war.

She is a one woman army, and her defense is of the nature she so loves.

Now, her arrows are rarely aimed at the animals that still inhabit the woods-

And so rarely are they arrows anymore.

The modern era has churned out weapons of steel and ash,

And it is these that Artemis uses to hunt those who wish to hunt her and hers.

Ares, the warrior and the blood shedder,

Now fights a different war from the ones he once delighted in.

Because the wars of the modern day

Are not what they once were

Swords and armor and horses

Traded for guns and bombs and tanks

Battles of purpose and patriotism

Now meaningless, endless,

The means for destruction of this scale

Was never meant for human hands

Or cruel human minds.

This is the war that Ares wages:

He fights everyday,

Steel slashing, blood arcing,

Cutting down the allies he once fought alongside

But now they are robots,

Zombies for a cause they don’t know about,

A government they do not trust.

Ares, no longer bloodthirsty, no longer triumphant,

Urges an end to the war.

But war is no longer his domain.

Poseidon, ruler of the seas, lover of the oceans

Now presides over a polluted kingdom

His subjects are dead or dying

His castles of coral and seaweed

Are being drowned alive by the filth that the world above churns out

Endless is his sadness, his rage, his helplessness

For he should have seen this coming

Industry was never meant to be a gift to the god of the sea

Just a discreet poison

No one thought would kill until it did.

Waves still bob and bicker,

But their life is not so cheery;

With it bobs islands of plastic and waste

Slick with rainbows of black

Strung with clear plastic nets

That entrap and ensnare and murder the innocent

There is so little he can do-

For he is but one against the uncaring of many

But each and every day is spent working

In the protection of the home that he is slowly losing.

Hera, the eternal mother, the constant wife, the queen of a time long gone

Her people,

Those who look up to her and those who she watches over,

Have seen the change of a century.

Earned, through blood and tears and fists and passion,

Their rights,

Their lives,

Their freedom.

She, worn and tired,

Smiles,

For her people have never been so much.

Never have they had what they do now.

But where there are victors,

There are losers, and there are the spiteful,

And no matter how little these losers have truly lost,

They feel cheated

Out of something that was never theirs.

They will never be satisfied with less,

The way her people once had to be.

But they have never had to fight the battles

That her people did,

And so although she has lost her prime, her beauty, her queendom,

She holds on to her place,

If not for herself,

For those who look to her,

For the true capacity of a woman.

Apollo, ever bright, ever center, ever joyous,

Still lives and dies each day for his spot in the sun

For a shadow of the admiration,

The adoration,

The praise

He was once showered with.

But his audiences now don’t care for his tricks,

His songs, his eyes, his hair, his hands.

They don’t care for intangible beauty,

For fleeting glimmers,

They hand in crumpled bills for soiled needles,

Exchange smoking pipes in back allies,

Hide away in stalls of bathrooms to fill their veins

With false ecstasy.

They paste smiles on their face, they let loose their mind,

They close their eyes and they pretend

At happiness.

But he knows that they are not truly happy,

They haven’t known how to do so in a long time.

He wants them to look at him again,

Want them to beam at him again with sunshine in their hair and mist in their eyes,

But more than anything, he wants them to feel the truth of joy.

To free their minds from chemicals of pretense,

To leave behind their smokes and their powders and their juices.

To join him in the sun,

Where it is warm and real.

Aphrodite, worshipped for beauty, for passion,

Knows what love is.

She was born with it curling through her blood like sea foam,

With the taste of it on her tongue,

With the knowledge of its truth secure in her palms.

She knows love better than she will ever know herself,

And she knows that love comes in so many forms.

The love between a little girl and a little boy,

Destined for greater things, but not yet.

The love between a woman and her wife of twenty-nine years,

A happy ending come to fruition.

The love between a man who doesn’t know it yet, and the man he is to meet later that day,

Unexpected, but beautiful; always beautiful.

The love between the uncertain teen and their breezy, blossoming best friend,

A love not without consequences,

Not without hate,

Not with the judgement of those who think they deserve such an opinion,

But love,

Nonetheless.

Love has been distorted into a commodity to be controlled by the same people who control markets,

Who control the government,

And she seeks to right their misunderstandings.

She no longer has the leisure to play her twisted games of love,

For there are far more twisted forces at work against her.

She has young lovers to reassure,

And obstinate critics to critique.

Love is love is love, she says.

No one would know better than she does.

Athena, the wise, the knowing,

sees the world for what it is.

In shades of gray and platinum and gunmetal and steel,

Everchanging and subtle,

A far cry from the bars of black and white that media advertises it as.

She knows that there is no good and no bad,

No true wrong and no true right.

There is only objectivity and subjectivity,

Each beholder for themselves.

Truth is different for each person,

And no one platform, no one channel, no one being, no one organization

Reserves the right to say otherwise.

She holds this simple message close to her heart,

Spreads it as far as she can reach.

But the media, the government,

Has technology that enables their spindly fingers to reach further.

And although her knowledge is more absolute than theirs can fathom,

Their webs of lies and false truths

Are too far integrated into the current world.

It is all she can do now,

To open the eyes of the few people still willing

To see beyond the film of mass society,

To bring change with one voice at a time.

Hephaestus; a craftsman once worshipped for creativity

Finds no hint of his old domain in the world of industry.

The artists, the writers, the dreamers,

Have fallen to the fringe of society,

Their crafts lost to the gears and machines

Of a modern age,

Where assembly lines reign true

And creations are spared no second glances and no loving care.

It is these careers of steel and paper and ball-point pens,

That shape the status quo,

That grinds edges out through a cookie cutter

Into the shape of a worker.

There is conformity,

Or there is poverty.

Within these solid black lines, there is no room

For the creativity that Hephaestus so treasured.

There is no room for flowing lines or vivid colors or segments of dreams

There is only the reality of the workplace,

And for some, the few that Hephaestus can get to,

The quiet peace of home and creation,

And the tidbits of inspiration that flare through the smog.

The world, he argues,

May now run on machinery and evenness and guidelines,

But no efficiency will ever replace the capacities of a human mind.

Hades, robed in darkness and throned on death,

Is sick, and he is tired.

Tired of the mass destruction that opens his gates,

Tired of the empty gazes and protruding ribs,

Tired of the constant stream of the dead that envelop his kingdom

In grief and hate and sorrow

On a scale he has never seen before.

But most of all,

He is tired,

Not of the dead,

But of the living.

Of the letters,

The prayers,

The pleas,

Of the living who wish they were not living at all.

Never has he seen his rivers so full of blood,

Never has he seen his dreams so full of begging youth and the disillusioned.

Never has he been asked,

So frequently,

To bestow the kiss of death,

To those who can no longer bear the gift-

The penance-

Of living.

It is a shame, a monstrosity, a tragedy-

That the world above has become a place far worse

Than the one below,

And that was never his intention.

His domain was meant to be the realm of after,

Not the final destination.

With shaken, white, crumpled hands,

He rejects as many of the pleas as he can

Begs, as he never has before,

For them to reconsider.

But sometimes,

They are too stubborn and the world of the living too cruel

And they find their way down

To him instead.

In all his years,

He has never seen so many smiles when they see his face

And every one

Breaks his heart.

Dionysus, still never seen without a wineglass in hands,

Now sits on the sidelines,

Swishes the liquid within his glass,

And does not take a sip.

Instead, he watches as young and old alike

Stumble into his bars,

Fill their livers with the red and silver bubbles

Of forget,

And lean away from their every day selves.

Away from their true selves.

He does not join in,

Even when they begin to dance

And laugh

And sing and shriek and rejoice,

Because he sees through their pretenses,

Sees through their attempt at happiness.

He was once one of them,

You see,

Before he realized that the greatest demons

Are the ones within.

He knows that no matter how much

They drink or laugh or try,

There is no escaping their reality

And no escaping the truths.

And so he tips his wineglass in their direction,

Toats their joy

And grieves for the tears they cannot shed.

Zeus, strong-willed and brave-hearted,

Has come to realize

Over the course of thousands up thousands of years,

His mistakes.

He knows what he has done wrong,

Has reflected on the personal ambitions

He once put above the greater good

The selfish desires

He once put above his otherworldly duties.

His days are long past gone,

And his mistakes,

Forever etched in the unforgiving hands of time,

Are past fixing.

But he looks around at the millions of heartbeats that surround him,

And wish that they too,

Could have the time he’d needed

To rectify their wrongs.

He has learned that nothing is permanent

Not his glory,

Not his crown,

Not even his faults.

But they do not have his time nor his immortality

To ponder this.

They only have their tomorrows,

And he can only hope that they will use

Those precious days.

And perhaps most forgotten of all,

Forgotten even when those who shared her blood

Had their spotlights.

Is Hestia.

She sits at home,

Content with her fire,

Her clotheslines,

Her picture frames.

She is alone again,

As she so often is,

Left behind to protect the home that so many have forgone

In search of gold and glory.

Everyone wants something,

Everyone wants to be more than what they are and who they were,

And she encourages these desires,

With tokens of luck and soft smiles.

But for all that they dream and hope and pursue,

She wants them to remember that there is always a place for them to return to,

A home where they belong.

There is cruelty in the world,

Unjustice,

Inequality,

And although ambition is a hearty, wonderful thing,

So too,

Is home.

The world is not what it once was,

Pockmarked as it has become.

And the old gods,

Though not what they were before,

Have adapted to fight new battles,

Losing as they may be.

Hope is frightened and small,

Nature is being cut down with ruthless efficiency,

War has spiraled out of everyone’s control,

Oceans fill with murky waste and the scent of death,

Womens’ rights are being wrestled with in an endless game of tug-of-war,

Chemicals create false happiness and temporary relief,

Love is fastened beneath lock and key,

Truth is distorted through layers of looking glass,

Creativity is stifled beneath stainless steel and cookie-cutters,

Life is harder to bear than the loss of it,

Self-expression hides itself away,

And mistakes go unrectified as the days drag on.

Even the old gods are trying to save the new world,

But they are twelve,

And that is not enough.

#old gods #greek gods #gods #ares #athena #zeus #poseidon #hades #hephaestus #hera #hestia #aphrodite #apollo #artemis #dionysus #hermes #old gods are not dead

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altanhal · 5 years

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i am one (but you are a million)

Summary: He lives forever. She lives to die. It’s a cycle he will never get used to as long as Kaguya’s plague beats in his chest.

Alternate Summary: Cursed with immortality, Kakashi serves and protects Sakura in every single one of her lives. She is Kaguya made human, reborn again and again to erase the plague. The same plague that consumes lives to give Kakashi his eternal one.

Rating: T

T/W: Major Character Death/s

Relationships: Hatake Kakashi & Haruno Sakura, Hatake Kakashi/Haruno Sakura, Haruno Sakura & Uzumaki Naruto

Characters: Haruno Sakura, Hatake Kakashi, Uzumaki Naruto, Ootsuki Kaguya

Additonal Tags: Alternate Universe – Reincarnation, Reincarnation, Soulmates, Friendship, Guardian-Ward Relationship, Partially Completed, Work In Progress

Also on AO3 and FF.net.

Excerpt:

She's thirteen, only thirteen when she remembers her short lives and his same face.

She's the first of her seven lives that remember.

He hears her laugh at the cruelty of their fate.

A/N: This is inspired by Caius and Yeul's (from FFXIII-2) Guardian/Ward relationship where Caius is immortal and protects the Yeul reincarnations. I added some vague FFXV lore too. This is tagged as complete even though it's open ended. I plan to extend this but I don't know how I'll end this yet. I have a vague idea of how but I still can't form it in my head. Thank you for reading!

First

He is a warrior first, a man second.

For a plague had killed his wife right after he married her. She wasn't the only one inflicted by the disease because only he was left alive in their small village. It was a miracle and a curse. He didn't want to live without her.

But their Goddess had a plan for him it seems; he is alive because of a little girl. She healed him and she did it when she is six, only six. Her name is Sakura, all pink hair and green eyes. He wanted to weep at the sight of her. His wife in a small girl. Kaguya-sama you've blessed us.

But she isn't the same, this he learned. The same face and nothing more.

"I am Sakura. I am the cure." She told him and that's when he knew, she is the healer of not only him, but of this world.

The plague of the stars was the Goddess's lethal dose. The poison she crafted to kill humanity. And she had given him eternal life, her heart beats in his chest. For as long as he is alive, she too will send forth the plague.

"I am Kakashi. My purpose is to protect you until the last of you dies." Because Sakura will succumb to the plague soon, with every person she cures, death shines brighter in her sea glass eyes, consuming her until she is all but alive.

Second

The second time he meets her she's holding onto the body of a drenched blonde boy. Her shoulders are shaking and she's got fat tears and snot dripping down her chin.

"Sakura?" The name isn't foreign on his tongue even though he's only met her once. Twice now as she seeks his eyes.

"He's dead!" She shrieks and clutches the blonde boy tighter. "I'll kill him!"

It's not the plague that claimed the boy's life. It's murder because he drowned right under another boy's hand.

"I'll be your friend now. Don't cry Sakura." He tries to console her but she doesn't let the blonde boy go.

"I'll kill Sasuke." She says and he shakes his head. Little girls aren't supposed to be murderers.

"How old are you anyway?"

"Nine."

"Only nine?"

She nods and he feels a weight dropping on his chest.

"Four more years." He says plainly.

Before you die again.

Third

He'd never seen a baby not wailing before.

Someone left a crib on his front door with a hastily written please, they'll kill her on a piece of paper. He peeks in the basket to find that shock of pink tuff and sea glass.

She is a month old, only a month old, and she's the first one he raised. The only one because he knows he'll never have a child as long as Sakura keeps living. The goddess is cruel like that but he accepts their fate nonetheless.

Fourth

He thinks it doesn't look right when he sees her in a voluminous miko hakama. The head shrine priestess they call her, because she's the best at drawing out the plague from a dying soul.

He doesn't get tired standing watch of her through her days as she heals and heals with a line that is as long as the roads in the village. She gets tired with every passing moon and he knows this because she's nearing that age. Thirteen, only thirteen, wherein she slumps forward on the shrine floors but he catches her before she hits the mahogany that's polished of blood and sickness.

It's the fourth smile he sees on her cold face and never the blur that's always in his eyes in moments like this.

Fifth

The thing about being immortal was that he stays absolutely the same. But his silver hair is ancient she says. It grows so long he has to tie it into a ponytail. She likes braiding it and he lets her because she's twelve, only twelve. And girls her age are about beauty and small things, so he lets her. She'll die next year after all.

Sixth

"Sakura, I thought I said no pets."

"Naruto's not a pet!"

"You named it?"

"Naruto. And he's not a pet!"

Sakura stands at four feet and three inches but the set of her shoulders are threatening; he doubts that she's seven, only seven with that stance. He eyes the creature hiding behind her impressive display, and is more surprised of the animal's-boy's-blonde hair and diamond blue eyes than the nine orange tails he's trying desperately to hide.

"Kitsune." He mutters breathlessly, and remembers in vivid detail the drowned blonde boy in her arms.

Is Kaguya sending gifts now?

Seventh

She's thirteen, only thirteen when she remembers her short lives and his same face.

She's the first of her seven lives that remember.

He hears her laugh at the cruelty of their fate.

Eighth

She's crying when she gets back to their tiny tree house, forehead and sea glass eyes hidden beneath unevenly cut short hair. He rushes to her side when he sees the small cut on her cheek.

Who dared hurt the healer of this world?

"What happened?" He asks and she sniffles softly to herself.

"Ino said my pink hair is a curse."

You're a gift to this world. "You're not cursed."

"She cut it."

He balls his fist in rage but outwardly, he stays calm. With a sigh, he straightens himself and walks to sit at the table. Grabbing a pair of scissors, he beckons her.

"Come, I'll give you a cute haircut fit for cute six year olds."

She stops crying, her eyes lighting up in that way he knows how he's spoiled this Sakura.

"Cuter than Ino-pig's?"

"The cutest!"

Ninth

When he meets her he is speechless. Her hair is longer than his. He's been growing his for longer than this Sakura is alive but hers is ridiculously longer. He doesn't understand how it happened because she's four, only four, and he's well over a hundred now.

Tenth

By the tenth time he meets her, he is convinced that every Sakura is unique but is still the same old soul. That same soul that is tethered to his, driving a knife in his very being between the years of the last death and the next life.

Eleventh

Oranges are her favorite while tomatoes are her least favorite, this he learns. He wonders if this is a foreshadowing of some sort, of her future lives. He hopes it isn't sour of any sort but he knows each of her lives will inevitably be in that taste one way or another. He could only hope.

Twelfth

She came to him covered in dirt and blood. Dressed in rags and pink hair a horrible shade of brown and carnation. A group of men came bounding from where she came. Laughing and leering, and there was nothing more he desired than to rip out their eyes and cut each of their fingers off.

He's never murdered for her before but it took a hundred years for him to do so. He left the bodies to rot and gave her his coat and boots.

"How old are you?" He asks this time because this is the first time he's met her older than thirteen, the age she usually dies by the plague.

"Sixteen." Only Sixteen.

Kaguya is teasing him.

Forty-eighth

He was given three students to teach the arts of the shinobi. A blonde boy, terribly and wonderfully blonde as the rays of sunshine. Another boy with hair the color of the night sky when the moon is neither silver nor red. He teaches them. Far more interested in their little competitions than his third one.

She doesn't fit with either boy but she seems to think that the two of them match, all light and scattered colors of spring and fall. She is twelve, only twelve but she believes she'll be a good shinobi. One who he'll fear one day, she says. It is comical but Kakashi smiles kindly at her. He doesn't believe her. How could he? When all she cares about is her long soft hair of cherry blossoms instead of the smell of blood that's forever stuck on her palms.

She seems to think-this one likes to think, he notes-that love would be her constant strength.

But he knew better.

The day the next clan village raided their small one was the day this Sakura's first friend fell. The blonde boy was the Sun made human. Morning was killed that day and thus, the world was plunged in eternal night.

The dark haired boy was her only friend then. He did not teach nor approach her. He grew tired of her chasing that boy. But he protected her from a distance. He never could protect her from each death because the plague won her over for the forty-eighth time.

Sixty-second

It seems that with the absence of the sun 26 incarnations ago, the plague became more selfish and hungry. Two thirds of the world had been wiped out already, only two million remain. This Sakura died healing over a million. The most she did in any of her lives combined. And she died at nine, only nine. This Sakura is the one most loved by the people.

Ninety-ninth

The first time she asks about her past selves, she cuts her long bubblegum hair short of her ears. It's the shortest he's seen her wear her hair and it's a breath of fresh air for his already weary soul.

"Do I always have hair down to my butt?" She is fourteen, only fourteen and he laughs because she's never used the word butt before. This Sakura is one of his favorites-but then again he has ninety-nine favorites.

One-hundredth

The next death isn't any kinder than the rest.

She's three, only three, born with weak lungs. She had only saved this life's parents when the plague had claimed her for the hundredth time. This was the youngest he'd seen her die.

216th

Night still reigns, sunlight is yet to return, but under the silver moon, he watches her murder the boy with hair that blends with the night sky. She is fifteen, only fifteen when she does the opposite of why she's always born.

"Just this once." She tells him and promises to heal a hundred the next day in repentance for this sin.

He helps her bury the body, shoveling dirt on the boy's pretty face. The warmth of something long forgotten caresses the skin of his forehead when he finishes with the crime. The sun rises from the horizon as she grins at him through the blood on her face.

"It's done. It's finally done." She says and he looks at her curiously. "Sasuke killed Naruto. I sacrificed him to appease Minato the Sun God."

330th

His hair has gotten longer than his whole length. It feels like being reborn when she offered to cut it all off. He thinks that this must be how Sakura feels when her soul restarts at age one, always one. But despite the lack of weight on his head, he knows he'll never truly get the one in his ribs off.

395th

She's back to dying at thirteen again, only thirteen, and he's getting tired of seeing her smile on her death bed.

477th

"Kakashi. How old are you now?"

"I don't know. How old are you?"

"Come on, Kakashi."

"Twenty-three."

"Six thousand then."

"I had silver hair since the day of my birth, excuse you."

"I remember."

"What?"

"I remember it. The first time I met you."

". . .you were six."

"Yes, and it's been 5,977 years."

"Good at math, congratulations!"

"Whatever. That means I'm 5,983 years old."

He scoffs. "You're eleven, only eleven."

501st

He's lost count how many times he's seen her cry when she couldn't save a soul from the plague. Although it is a hundred thousand times less than how many she heals, she grieves nonetheless.

627th

She tried to braid his hair again, this time though, he refuses. She's seventeen, only seventeen and she is a child in his eyes even with the way her waist dips only to swell to a very inviting hip. He must keep her away from him, keep his hands to himself.

783rd

He hates how she's growing up and dying at seventeen now. Though he never fails to meet her at eleven, only eleven.

888th

She promises to marry him one day and she said this on the precipice of death. Promises him this one last thing, but he couldn't answer because if in the next life she doesn't remember about this, then he can't hold her to her promise. She's seven, only seven after all and seven year old girls are not supposed to get married yet.

959th

"Why do you always say that?" She asks, looking straight at him.

"Say what?"

"I'm only whatever age I was." She furrows her brows at him. Pink and slender arching on a forehead too big but she's beautiful still.

He sighs, shaking his head, refusing to meet her gaze. Because you're always too young.

1000th

He doesn't say it out loud nor ask what her age is. He can't have her asking the same question again. But despite this, he knows she dies at seventeen in this life.

And never fails to do so in the next lives.

1,287th

This Sakura is different, he could feel it. She's still fluffy haired and chubby cheeked but there's something absolutely different about her.

"What do I look like to you?" She asks cheekily and he frowns, refusing to answer. "Hey, Kakashi."

He ignores her in favor of staring at the diamond on her forehead. It's new. He's never seen it on her before. It must be some kind of sigil that she's wearing to appease the people who believe she's some sort of goddess in the body of a child. She's the 1,287th rebirth and he's inclined to believe it.

"Tell me, 'Kashi." This Sakura has given him a nickname.

He's amused but he doesn't show it.

"You're eight." He tells her as he pokes the diamond roughly.

She glares at him through big sea glass eyes, and it makes him pause, heart sinking in his gut. A child's eyes but it doesn't belong.

It's like seeing through a mirror. The thousands of years he's lived condensed in her eyes on a face of a cherub.

"You're eight." He repeats, breathless and an ache blooming in his chest. "Only eight."

She scoffs at him. "There you go again." She frowns and crosses her little arms on her chest. She notices the look of despair on his immaculate masked face and her own softens into melancholy.

"I'm sorry I ruined this." She says and holds his hand. He doesn't respond, only closes his eyes.

He doesn't want to hear her say it. Not when she looks so young, so young like a rose still without its thorns; so young and enough to be his daughter. He despises himself when he thinks like that.

"I'm eighteen." She says quietly. "Finally eighteen."

Kakashi cries but he doesn't show it. But why do you look eight?

1,580th

He doesn't understand why she dies at eighteen now. Kaguya's plague beats hard and alive in his chest as a reminder that she will always die. He's too heartbroken to piece the clues together.

1,999th

If he keeps counting, every death after would just be a passing. Just that, a passing. Because he would look forward to seeing her again and again. But with each last breathe she takes, she keeps in her death bed an infinite percent of his soul.

2000th

"So, Kakashi. Which is faster? The speed of light or Minato the Flying Thunder God?"

"Hm?"

"You know, the superhero in the new comic book you bought me?"

"Oh, that."

"So, which is it?"

"Naruto."

"Who?"

"Nothing, Sakura-chan!"

2222th

Tears have dried from his eyes now. He's become hardened with each smile on her last moments. The blur in his eyes has turned to diamonds, hard and yet beautiful still. Exactly what he is, a hard long life with a beauty always slipping between his fingers.

2650th

He is reminded again that she is not a child when this Sakura walks all over their apartment in nothing but her plain white school girl panties. She doesn't care if he sees because she remembers all the times he's seen her naked when she was under sixteen. There wasn't any kind of desire in his eyes only the exhaustion of seeing her nude and bloodied for the three hundredth or so time.

The red of her blood flashing in his eyes at the memory but this time she sees something different. He looks boldly at her and she doesn't flinch. Removing her last piece of clothing, she stands before him, unashamed.

"Is this the first time you're seeing me?" She asks with a roguish smile and he just stares at her, dark and brooding, piercing yet nervous.

"I've seen you many times."

"But I was just a child."

"Yes you were."

"How old am I now, Kakashi?"

"Twenty."

Sakura cheekily smiles at him, as if she's won a bet against him, and brings her arms to wrap around his neck. She's so close to him that her breathe fans on his chin. Even though she's reached this age in this life she's still much smaller than him. It amuses him. He can feel her breasts pressing onto him and his hands twitch at his sides. Seemingly limp but it's buzzing with restraint.

"I have a favor." She whispers and lifts herself on her toes. The ghost of her lips just a hairsbreadth from his own.

"Hm?" He hums, unable to open his mouth, afraid that the space between them could close with the movement.

She quirks her lips in a lopsided smirk and he has to close his eyes to deny himself this game she has. How could he, an immortal, let her, a mere twenty year old, toy with him? And the truth of his answer is because it's her.

"Kiss me." She says and he trembles, opening his eyes to meet her sea glass. She's so painfully beautiful and it takes him a while before he responds.

He kisses her. Just that gentle tap of a kiss. And then he runs.

The next morning, she dies at 21.

3000th

He's tired. So tired.

Of watching her, guarding her, standing vigil over her, standing still beside her, protecting her on her death bed. He can stop it. The only way it ends is if the plague in his chest stops beating. He figured it out after all.

He is just so, so tired. But he doesn't want it to end. He'll have her kill him instead of driving that shattered rusty sword of his long dead clan into his heart. He knows she will never. So he lives and she lives. He remembers each life and death. Sometimes she does too but consistently, in every life, she loves him in all forms.

And that's where he never fails; he loves her too.

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dykerachelsummers · 5 years

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earth-82: teams, part i

okay, so people seem interested and i’m dying to talk about this universe so here we go! my version of dc canon. i’m splitting this up into multiple posts because otherwise it’ll turn into a monster.

this first post will focus on my versions of the founders of the justice league and my version of the founders of the teen titans. it’s mostly aligned with canon but with (what i think are) some interesting divergencies.

The Justice League of America

the second existing major superhero team within the dc universe and eventually the most expansive.

Bruce Wayne (Batman) - Bruce witnessed his parents’ death when he was seven years old and after that he was put into the custody of Alfred Pennyworth (his family’s butler) and Leslie Thompkins (a doctor friend of Thomas’s). During his college years, Bruce sought out training so that he could eventually return to Gotham and attempt to eradicate crime. During this time, he joins the League of Assassins for awhile and fell into a brief relationship with Talia Al-Ghul. He became Batman at 23 and adopted Dick Grayson a year later.

Clark Kent | Kal-El (Superman) - Kal-El is the only son of Jor-El and Lara-El (nee Lor-Van), who was born during Krypton’s last days. Jor and Lara sent him to Earth, with the hope that he would be taken in by a human family who would raise him well. When Kal landed he was found by Jonathan Kent and Martha Kent (nee Clark), a childless couple. Martha convinced Jonathan that they should adopt Kal and they eventually chose to name him Clark Joseph Kent and raise him as a normal human, despite his strange origins. He became Superman at 22, a few months after being employed at the Daily Planet.

Diana, daughter of Hippolyta (Wonder Woman) - Diana, Princess of Themyscira, was Queen Hippolyta’s only daughter. Made from clay, Diana is the result of multiple goddesses deciding to give Hippolyta her wish to have a child. Diana grew up semi-isolated on Paradise Island, surrounded by the Amazons but lacking company her own age. She was almost three thousand years old when Steve Trevor landed on Themyscira. After a series of challenges that she won, Diana was chosen as Champion of the Gods and left Themyscira with Steve. She helped end WWI but didn’t return to Themyscira at this point, because she had fallen in love with Steve. She stayed with him until he died, before returning to Paradise Island. She left Themyscira several more times and at one point brought a young orphaned baby girl back with her to Themyscira. Hippolyta chose to adopt the girl and raise her as Diana’s sister. Diana chose the name Donna, in honor of a fallen friemd. Diana became known as the Wonder Woman in certain conspiracy and history circles around the time of the Gulf War.

Arthur Curry | Orin (Aquaman) - King of Atlantis, Arthur is the son of Atlanna, the former Queen of Atlantis, and Tom Curry, a human lighthouse keeper. He was raised in the surface world but was informed of his Atlantean heritage at a young age. His father got sick when Arthur was fifteen and afraid, Arthur fled to Atlantis. Once there, he learned his mother was believed to be dead and that her husband (Orvax) had been made king. Arthur was welcomed to the kingdom, as a member of the royal family. Arthur was there for two months before Orvax was killed by a rampaging sea monster and the Council of Atlantis was split about who should inherit the throne, but ends up choosing his younger half-brother Orm, with Nuidis Vulko as his advisor. At first, Arthur seemed welcome at Orm’s side, but he was soon informed by a mute servant that Orm planned to have him killed. The servant, an Atlantean mutant named Dolphin, helped him escape and took him to the stronghold of the rebellion that was is a member of. He, with the help of the growing rebellion led by Mera, overthrew Orm and Arthur - now known as Orin throughout the kingdom - took his place on the throne.

Kendra Muñoz-Saunders (Hawkgirl) - Kendra is the reincarnation of Chay-Ara, an Egyptian priestess of Isis who - alongside her lover, Prince Khufu, and a priest of Hathor, Hath-Set - found Thanagarian nth metal, which turned them into Thanagarian-human hybrids and made it so they would reincarnate each time they died. This lifetime Kendra is an archeologist, along the vein of Lara Croft. On her twenty-first birthday, she received her first memory of her life as Chay-Ara and has since retrieved many more of both Chay-Ara’s and her other past lives.

Barry Allen (The Flash) - Barry Allen was destined to become the Flash, not that he knows this. When he was eleven years old Eobard Thawne travelled back in time from the twenty-fifth century and murdered his mother before disappearing again. Barry’s father was blamed for his wife’s murder and imprisoned for the crime, despite Barry’s protests. Barry was adopted by Jay and Joan Garrick. His best friend (and crush) growing up was Iris West and he ended up spending half his time at her place, making it so he saw the Wests as a second family. Barry is a certifiable genius and managed to graduate high school at sixteen. Barry went through college and got a degree in biochemistry and could have gone farther and become a renowned scientist but instead chose to become a CSI for the CCPD. Barry became the second Flash (though for about six months he was known only as the Scarlet Speedster) when he was twenty-two, due to a lightning strike which hit him and caused him to crash into a bookshelf of chemicals. Unknown to him, the lightning was actually the Speed Force choosing him.

Dinah Lance (Black Canary II) - Dinah is the eldest daughter of Larry and D.D. Lance, born with a dominant metagene. The metagene activated during a traumatic childhood experience when she almost fell from a great height but managed to stop herself from hitting the ground with a powerful scream. Dinah grew up in Gotham City with her Uncle John Zatara and his daughter - her best friend - Zee Zatara and her Uncle Ted Grant. When Dinah turned eighteen years old, she left Gotham and moved to Seattle, where she started college, joined a (pretty good) punk band, and became known as the “Lady in Black” - a vigilante that stopped muggers and rapists with a single scream and a few well-placed kicks. Little did Dinah know that she’s following in the footsteps of her mother, the first Black Canary.

Zatanna Zatara (Zatanna) - Zatanna is the daughter of Giovanni “John” Zatara, a golden-aged superhero called the Magician who had been a member of the JSA and was capable of some magic (a descendant of the Homo Magi), and Sindella, one of the last pure Homo Magi. Zee was born with magical potential the like of which few could compare. Due to John being close friends with D.D. Lance and Thomas Wayne, Zee grew up as a friend of Dinah Lance and Bruce Wayne. John decided to move to Europe when Zee was ten years old and while Zee lost contact with Bruce, she stayed close to Dinah. During her time in Europe, John sought out magicians to help train Zee. When she was eighteen, Zee decided to leave Europe (and her on-again-off-again boyfriend John Constantine) and move to Las Vegas to try and get a start as a stage magician, following in the footsteps of her father.

Original Teen Titans

the beginnings of the first teen superhero team.

Dick Grayson (Robin/Nightwing) - Dick is the son of circus acrobats, John and Mary Grayson, who were killed when he was eight years old. He was taken in by Bruce Wayne and became Robin the next year. Robin is the most experienced sidekick, having already been apart of the vigilante world for four years before the team formed. He became Nightwing when he was seventeen years old and was at that point de facto the leader of the team, alongside Wonder Girl and Starfire.

Donna Troy (Wonder Girl) - Donna is an orphan that Diana rescued from a burning building and took to Themyscira. Donna was adopted by Queen Hippolyta and blessed by the gods to become immortal herself and to gain all the other attributes of the Amazons. When Donna turned twelve, she convinced Diana to take her to Man’s World. She attended a Justice League meeting, which is where she met and became fast friends with Dick Grayson. She and Dick remained friends even as she returned to Themyscira, communicating through letters they exchanged through their mentors. When Donna was fourteen, and Dick thirteen, they convinced Diana and Bruce to let them have a sanctuary of their own, which Bruce produced in New York City and would eventually become Titans Tower. Donna and Dick are the founding and core members of the Teen Titans.

Karyn Zor-El / Karen Starr (Power Girl/Flamebird) - Karyn is the eldest daughter of Zor-El and Alura In-Ze, four years older than her sister Kara. When Krypton was about to be destroyed, Karyn’s parents put her and Kara into a rocket ship where they would be in suspended animation until they arrived on earth; they were supposed to find Kal and seek shelter on Earth as soon as they landed. They were unlucky though and got caught in the Phantom Zone, where they remained for twenty-five years before breaking free and finally landing on Earth, where they woke up to meet Superman for the first time. Karyn was furious to see someone wearing her family’s symbol and attempted to attack Superman, screaming at him in kryptonian. Clark, who knew very little kryptonian, struggled to explain what happened and, once he finally did, Karyn was horrified to learn that Kal had grown up without her and Kara. She refused to fully assimilate to human culture and asked that Kal find her and Kara someone to live with that they would not have to hide their identities from (as Karyn is only thirteen at the time); Clark decided his childhood best friend Lana Lang was the best choice and after she agreed, he approached Bruce for help in establishing fake identities for them as Karen and Kara Starr, Lana’s long lost nieces. Karyn was introduced to Dick Grayson (Robin) and Donna Troy (Wonder Girl) a few months after settling in. She helped form the original Teen Titans.

Wally West (Kid Flash) - Wally is the youngest child of Joe and Frankie West. He considers Barry Allen his older brother, since Barry always spent so much time at the West’s place. He found out Barry was the Flash when he was twelve (about three months after the new Flash first appeared) and demanded that Barry tell him everything! He foolishly decided to try and recreate the accident and was lucky to be chosen by the Speed Force as well. He was allowed to become Kid Flash when he was thirteen, with Joe and Frankie’s permission. He joined the Teen Titans a few weeks after his superhero debut.

Garth of Shayeris (Aqualad) - Garth is the only son of King Thar and Queen Berra of Shayeris and would have been the crown prince had his parents not been overthrown before he was born. His father was killed and his mother banished to Poseidonis, due to the actions of his uncle - a magician with malicious goals. He was born with violet eyes, which marked him with the potential to become a powerful magic-user in his own right. Unfortunately, magic-users had recently been made taboo within Poseidonis and Garth was cast out. He was found by Princess Mera of Xebel, Xebel being an pocket dimension found within the Bermuda Triangle. Mera convinced her parents to take him in. Xebel had no taboo against magic users which allowed Garth to grow up with no bigotry against him for his potential magical abilities, and Mera (a powerful sorceress in her own right) ended up being the own to train him when he expressed interest in the magical arts. Garth met Arthur Curry when he was ten and Arthur twenty, through the rebellion Xebel had joined to bring down King Orvax and later King Orm, and they quickly bonded. When Arthur later became Aquaman, he offered Garth the position of Aqualad. Garth was the second to last of the founders of the Teen Titans to join.

Roy Harper (Speedy/Red Arrow) - Roy Harper Jr never met his father, and his mother, a Navajo woman, died giving birth to him. Roy was raised by his uncle, Broken Bow, until shortly before his uncle’s death when he was twelve. Broken Bow had convinced Oliver Queen, newly recovered billionaire who had been missing for five years, to take Roy in. Because of Oliver’s relationship with Dinah Lance, a personal friend of both Batman and Wonder Woman, Roy was introduced to the other teen heroes when he was fifteen, as Speedy. He ends up becoming fast friends with them and was the last member of the team to join.

okay, guys that’s all for part one! part two will have at least three more teams (the new teen titans, young justice, and the justice league dark).

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kaimaciel · 5 years

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My Favorite Books of 2018

The Archived by Victoria Schwab

“Each body has a story to tell, a life seen in pictures only Librarians can read. The dead are called Histories, and the vast realm in which they rest is the Archive. Da first brought Mackenzie Bishop here four years ago, when she was twelve years old, frightened but determined to prove herself. Now Da is dead, and Mac has grown into what he once was: a ruthless Keeper, tasked with stopping often violent Histories from waking up and getting out. Because of her job, she lies to the people she loves, and she knows fear for what it is: a useful tool for staying alive. Being a Keeper isn't just dangerous—it's a constant reminder of those Mac has lost, Da's death was hard enough, but now that her little brother is gone too, Mac starts to wonder about the boundary between living and dying, sleeping and waking. In the Archive, the dead must never be disturbed. And yet, someone is deliberately altering Histories, erasing essential chapters. Unless Mac can piece together what remains, the Archive itself may crumble and fall.”

The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware

“On a day that begins like any other, Hal receives a mysterious letter bequeathing her a substantial inheritance. She realizes very quickly that the letter was sent to the wrong person—but also that the cold-reading skills she’s honed as a tarot card reader might help her claim the money. Soon, Hal finds herself at the funeral of the deceased…where it dawns on her that there is something very, very wrong about this strange situation and the inheritance at the center of it.”

Still Me (Me Before You #3) by Jojo Moyes

“Louisa Clark arrives in New York ready to start a new life, confident that she can embrace this new adventure and keep her relationship with Ambulance Sam alive across several thousand miles. She steps into the world of the superrich, working for Leonard Gopnik and his much younger second wife, Agnes. Lou is determined to get the most out of the experience and throws herself into her new job and New York life. As she begins to mix in New York high society, Lou meets Joshua Ryan, a man who brings with him a whisper of her past. Before long, Lou finds herself torn between Fifth Avenue where she works and the treasure-filled vintage clothing store where she actually feels at home. And when matters come to a head, she has to ask herself: Who is Louisa Clark? And how do you find the courage to follow your heart—wherever that may lead?”

Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty

“Could ten days at a health resort really change you forever? In Liane Moriarty’s latest page-turner, nine perfect strangers are about to find out... Nine people gather at a remote health resort. Some are here to lose weight, some are here to get a reboot on life, some are here for reasons they can’t even admit to themselves. Amidst all of the luxury and pampering, the mindfulness and meditation, they know these ten days might involve some real work. But none of them could imagine just how challenging the next ten days are going to be. Frances Welty, the formerly best-selling romantic novelist, arrives at Tranquillum House nursing a bad back, a broken heart, and an exquisitely painful paper cut. She’s immediately intrigued by her fellow guests. Most of them don’t look to be in need of a health resort at all. But the person that intrigues her most is the strange and charismatic owner/director of Tranquillum House. Could this person really have the answers Frances didn’t even know she was seeking? Should Frances put aside her doubts and immerse herself in everything Tranquillum House has to offer – or should she run while she still can? It’s not long before every guest at Tranquillum House is asking exactly the same question.”

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

“On 21 June 1922 Count Alexander Rostov – recipient of the Order of Saint Andrew, member of the Jockey Club, Master of the Hunt – is escorted out of the Kremlin, across Red Square and through the elegant revolving doors of the Hotel Metropol. But instead of being taken to his usual suite, he is led to an attic room with a window the size of a chessboard. Deemed an unrepentant aristocrat by a Bolshevik tribunal, the Count has been sentenced to house arrest indefinitely. While Russia undergoes decades of tumultuous upheaval, the Count, stripped of the trappings that defined his life, is forced to question what makes us who we are. And with the assistance of a glamorous actress, a cantankerous chef and a very serious child, Rostov unexpectedly discovers a new understanding of both pleasure and purpose.”

Heart of Iron (Heart of Iron #1) by Ashley Poston

“Seventeen-year-old Ana is a scoundrel by nurture and an outlaw by nature. Found as a child drifting through space with a sentient android called D09, Ana was saved by a fearsome space captain and the grizzled crew she now calls family. But D09—one of the last remaining illegal Metals—has been glitching, and Ana will stop at nothing to find a way to fix him. Ana’s desperate effort to save D09 leads her on a quest to steal the coordinates to a lost ship that could offer all the answers. But at the last moment, a spoiled Ironblood boy beats Ana to her prize. He has his own reasons for taking the coordinates, and he doesn’t care what he’ll sacrifice to keep them. When everything goes wrong, she and the Ironblood end up as fugitives on the run. Now their entire kingdom is after them—and the coordinates—and not everyone wants them captured alive. What they find in a lost corner of the universe will change all their lives—and unearth dangerous secrets. But when a darkness from Ana’s past returns, she must face an impossible choice: does she protect a kingdom that wants her dead or save the Metal boy she loves?”

Our Dark Duet (Monsters of Verity #2) by Victoria Schwab

“THE WORLD IS BREAKING. AND SO ARE THEY. KATE HARKER isn't afraid of monsters. She hunts them. And she's good at it. AUGUST FLYNN once yearned to be human. He has a part to play. And he will play it, no matter the cost. THE WAR HAS BEGUN. THE MONSTERS ARE WINNING. Kate will have to return to Verity. August will have to let her back in. And a new monster is waiting—one that feeds on chaos and brings out its victims' inner demons. Which will be harder to conquer: the monsters they face, or the monsters within?”

Uprooted by Naomi Novik

“Our Dragon doesn’t eat the girls he takes, no matter what stories they tell outside our valley. We hear them sometimes, from travelers passing through. They talk as though we were doing human sacrifice, and he were a real dragon. Of course that’s not true: he may be a wizard and immortal, but he’s still a man, and our fathers would band together and kill him if he wanted to eat one of us every ten years. He protects us against the Wood, and we’re grateful, but not that grateful.” Agnieszka loves her valley home, her quiet village, the forests and the bright shining river. But the corrupted Wood stands on the border, full of malevolent power, and its shadow lies over her life. Her people rely on the cold, driven wizard known only as the Dragon to keep its powers at bay. But he demands a terrible price for his help: one young woman handed over to serve him for ten years, a fate almost as terrible as falling to the Wood. The next choosing is fast approaching, and Agnieszka is afraid. She knows—everyone knows—that the Dragon will take Kasia: beautiful, graceful, brave Kasia, all the things Agnieszka isn’t, and her dearest friend in the world. And there is no way to save her. But Agnieszka fears the wrong things. For when the Dragon comes, it is not Kasia he will choose.”

Far from the Tree by Robin Benway

“A contemporary novel about three adopted siblings who find each other at just the right moment. Being the middle child has its ups and downs. But for Grace, an only child who was adopted at birth, discovering that she is a middle child is a different ride altogether. After putting her own baby up for adoption, she goes looking for her biological family, including— Maya, her loudmouthed younger bio sister, who has a lot to say about their newfound family ties. Having grown up the snarky brunette in a house full of chipper redheads, she’s quick to search for traces of herself among these not-quite-strangers. And when her adopted family’s long-buried problems begin to explode to the surface, Maya can’t help but wonder where exactly it is that she belongs. And Joaquin, their stoic older bio brother, who has no interest in bonding over their shared biological mother. After seventeen years in the foster care system, he’s learned that there are no heroes, and secrets and fears are best kept close to the vest, where they can’t hurt anyone but him.”

Obsidio (The Illuminae Files #3) by Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff

“Kady, Ezra, Hanna, and Nik narrowly escaped with their lives from the attacks on Heimdall station and now find themselves crammed with 2,000 refugees on the container ship, Mao. With the jump station destroyed and their resources scarce, the only option is to return to Kerenza—but who knows what they'll find seven months after the invasion? Meanwhile, Kady's cousin, Asha, survived the initial BeiTech assault and has joined Kerenza's ragtag underground resistance. When Rhys—an old flame from Asha's past—reappears on Kerenza, the two find themselves on opposite sides of the conflict. With time running out, a final battle will be waged on land and in space, heroes will fall, and hearts will be broken.”

The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager

“Two Truths and a Lie. The girls played it all the time in their tiny cabin at Camp Nightingale. Vivian, Natalie, Allison, and first-time camper Emma Davis, the youngest of the group. The games ended when Emma sleepily watched the others sneak out of the cabin in the dead of night. The last she--or anyone--saw of them was Vivian closing the cabin door behind her, hushing Emma with a finger pressed to her lips. Now a rising star in the New York art scene, Emma turns her past into paintings--massive canvases filled with dark leaves and gnarled branches that cover ghostly shapes in white dresses. The paintings catch the attention of Francesca Harris-White, the socialite and wealthy owner of Camp Nightingale. When Francesca implores her to return to the newly reopened camp as a painting instructor, Emma sees an opportunity to try to find out what really happened to her friends. Yet it's immediately clear that all is not right at Camp Nightingale. Already haunted by memories from fifteen years ago, Emma discovers a security camera pointed directly at her cabin, mounting mistrust from Francesca and, most disturbing of all, cryptic clues Vivian left behind about the camp's twisted origins. As she digs deeper, Emma finds herself sorting through lies from the past while facing threats from both man and nature in the present. And the closer she gets to the truth about Camp Nightingale, the more she realizes it may come at a deadly price.”

#books #favorite books 2018

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scribbles-by-kate · 6 years

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Thoughts on 7.18 “The Guardian”

Rumplestiltskin has always been the most complex character on the show, because he’s always been the most contradictory. A good man at heart, that better nature that he’s capable of struggles with the curse he’s brought upon himself. He’s often found himself lost under the weight of the Darkness, unable to break free, until he finally takes the brave step forward and turns his back on magic and chooses love. But the struggle doesn’t end there, as this episode shows. He’s still cursed, still the Dark One, and still struggling with that. He has a selfish streak a mile wide, but his selfless streak is just as wide, if not, ultimately, wider. This episode celebrates all that Rumplestiltskin, both a good man who can put others’ needs selflessly above his own, and a man whose desperation leads him to do hurtful, selfish things. What this episode does also, extremely well, in my opinion, is that it shows that when he commits a selfish act now, he feels remorse for it. He cares about more than himself now, and that, more than anything, proves that he’s changed.

The Day of the Dead parallels - there was a lot of talk about Once Upon a Time appropriating or making use of Mexican cultural tradition when this episode aired. Some people liked it, and others took offence. I watched Disney’s Coco after this episode to see those parallels for myself, and I came to the conclusion that, for someone like me, who knew little about how the Day of the Dead is celebrated, all of Once’s references would have passed me by, which, indeed, they did. They use the marigolds, and the altar with the loved one’s picture on it, but other than that, the similarities seem overblown to me. What I did think was offensive was Facilier’s intrusion. When someone is speaking to a lost loved one, it’s inappropriate for someone to listen in on that, and to poke fun at their suffering.

I don’t believe that Facilier could hear Belle - I really don’t believe what he says here at all. He’s heard Rumple’s longing: he knows just what he yearns for and how to manipulate him. He’s playing up his fears of succumbing to the Darkness without Belle, and when his hand starts to go scaly, Rumple, of course, thinks he’s right, and he must test Alice and rejoin before it’s too late. But, of course, that’s giving in to the Darkness. Being manipulative, using someone to get what he wants: that’s his old way, and that’s not how he’s going to get back to Belle. Facilier’s definitely trying to manipulate him, but why? My sense is so that he can get rid of Rumple and use Alice, once she has the power of the dagger. And I don’t believe that Facilier sincerely thought his little pin would kill Rumple. I think he was acting, there. I don’t think he’s so much of an idiot that he’d believe that could kill the Dark One. He’s obviously steeped enough in dark magic himself, and he knows all about the dagger, so he was goading Rumple into using his magic on him, so he could then tell him what ‘Belle’ said. The fact that we, and Rumple, hear Belle’s true voice later on in the episode, at the crucial moment, confirms for me that Facilier lied about hearing her. If he wasn’t lying, why would we need to hear from Belle at all later on? Why would we need to hear her reassurance that Rumple would find the way to be rid of the dagger and find his way back to her? That goes against what Facilier said. The only reason we need to hear Belle repeat her dying words is to alert us to the fact that Facilier was lying in order to manipulate Rumple.

Rumple and Alice - so, of course, Rumple is frightened. He doesn’t want the Darkness to take hold, doesn’t want to lose his chance to be with Belle again, so he rushes into trying to get Alice to do what he needs. And this is the point where we see Rumple very like his old self. He lies to her about having a way to help her father, convinces her to take Facilier’s heart, and then tells her to crush it. That scene in particular is the most frightening Rumple scene ever, because it shows how close to the surface the Darkness can get, how Rumple can still channel it, even after all these years. It’s always there, ready to be used, and the ease with which he’s able to tap back into that makes you really fear for his soul, or it did me, anyway. The lifetime with Belle doesn’t mean the Darkness is gone forever: it’s still very much there, and we see that here. Of course, Rumple does reign it back in, and we see that he was testing her in order to find out if her heart was pure, and he didn’t have a bad intent for her, as he did with Regina, but it’s too similar, how he sets up her test, to how he manipulated Regina and others. Rumple’s path to redemption is only still on track because he doesn’t go through with the transfer. He makes a mistake here, but he course corrects, and he has the goodness within him to recognise that he can’t do to Alice what was done to him: he can’t burden her like that.

The notion that the Guardian has to take on the Dark One’s immortality - means that Rumple can never pass it on. He said he didn’t want it to be a burden, and it would be for Alice. It would be for anyone. That means that the Guardian really has to be Rumple, now. When he talked about the Guardian in “Beauty”, he didn’t say they had to take on the immortality too. I thought that whoever the Guardian was would be able to destroy the Darkness, but that’s obviously not the case. And I suppose that’s in keeping with one of the rules of magic - it can’t be destroyed: it can only change form. Passing it on to the Guardian is the Darkness changing form, in a way, but that doesn’t mean that the magic is suddenly good. Alice could be corrupted as easily as Rumple was, despite her pure heart. Someone would want to use her power for evil at some point, and you have Facilier waiting in the wings to do just that.

So I think the quest for the Guardian is Rumple’s final test - here, we see him within touching distance of what he wants, closer than he was with Anastasia, and he stops Alice. The transfer is just about complete, but he stops it. He realises it’s not the right way. He’s let his fear and his desire to be with Belle cloud his morals, and I suspect going ahead with the transfer wouldn’t take him back to Belle anyway: he’d probably end up in the Underworld. So, essentially, this is the moment where he passes the test and proves that he isn’t that selfish man any more. And, truthfully, I think this is the moment where he becomes the Guardian. The Guardian has to be pure of heart, incorruptible by evil, and willing to sacrifice. Belle’s dying words remind us and him that his heart is pure (Tilly will later say the same thing), he’s incorruptible by evil because he realised that this was a trap and he stopped himself from falling into it, and he sacrifices his own happiness for Alice’s. So I think Rumple is ultimately the Guardian he seeks. He has been managing the Darkness for decades anyway.

I love that whole scene at the shrine with Alice - it’s just so good. Their talk about death, the picture of Belle, Alice starting the transfer and Rumple slowly realising that this isn’t right. You can see how torn he is, because he wants to be with Belle so badly. Or maybe it’s not that he’s torn. Maybe it’s more that, when he looks at Belle, he already knows this is wrong, and he looks so upset because he thinks he’s failed her. He’s remembering her dying words and he knows he has to stop Alice, and he’s sorry he can’t get home yet. He does the most selfless thing he’s ever done then, and you know he’s not sorry he did it. He paints a picture of Alice’s life for her, and you can tell he wants her to have everything he had, without the burden he carried. He realises that, far from immortality meaning ‘no more towers for me’, it is, in fact, ‘just another tower’, and he can’t do that to her. It’s one of my favourite Rumple moments, because it’s truly unselfish. He’s not going to get anything out of this, but then, unknown to him, he does. He gets a friend, two, actually, and he gets companionship, someone to keep him sane, so he doesn’t lose the battle with the Darkness. Alice’s heartfelt declaration that she knows who he really is and she won’t let him forget is so lovely. Rumple’s had so few people who care about him in his life, and here’s a girl he’s just protected stepping up to protect him in return. And you can see his surprise that she would, but you can also see his gratitude and acceptance. And now we know what he did for her that made her insist she had to stay with him. It’s so lovely. This story has been so well done.

That transfer magic is really eerie - when you see it again, you really see how wrong it looks. Alice’s face just blanks, and her eyes go black. It’s like she’s losing herself, and I think the black eyes really hint that this transfer isn’t a good thing. Thank goodness Rumple stops it!

Rumple and Hook - so good. So, so good :) Having Hook mistrust Rumple initially is really important, because it reminds us of their animosity, and makes their final scene so much more powerful. Hook needs to see that Rumple’s changed to believe it. He’s not going to accept that everyone else, even his other self, believes Rumple’s a hero (and it’s kind of amazing to me that the original Hook might believe that!): he needs to see it. I don’t really have an issue with Rumple and original Hook sitting down to a family dinner at the end of season six: I just accept the idea that conversations obviously took place off screen, and everyone’s cool with having Rumple around. Even more than that, they’re all expecting the Golds, and Emma and Hook are even happy to see Rumple. Like I said, I accept on faith that that animosity was put to bed off screen, but the end of Rumple and Wish Hook’s animosity satisfies me so much more, because Hook directly responds to Rumple’s actions. He’s been given proof that this is a different man than the one he knew, and he’s accepted it, is even so moved by it that he wants to help Rumple. Initially, he accuses Rumple of wanting to manipulate Alice, which is Rumple’s old form, and, indeed, precisely what he does do, but then when Rumple does protect Alice from the Darkness, rather than pass it off to her, Hook realises that Rumple is a man who’s conquered his old instincts, and it’s that that allows him to offer friendship. And Rumple is so surprised by that, because he’s never had a friend before (Belle, of course, but outside of her). And they really do start a new story. Now I see why Hook could have believed he was giving him the elephant for him, and why he and Rumple are partners under the curse. I really never, ever expected that Once could present a friendship between Rumple and Hook that I could get behind, but there you go! Such a lovely surprise this season :)

Hook demanding Rumple heal his heart - I think is foreshadowing. I definitely think it is. Rumple and Henry haven’t had enough scenes together for me to believe that saving Henry is going to be what leads to Rumple’s death. I definitely think Rumple’s going to cure Hook, somehow. It won’t be dark magic, because he’s ruled that out here, and using dark magic won’t lead him back to Belle, but he’s going to save Hook.

‘I’ve never seen you like this’ - I think Rogers’ awareness that his partner is scared is really important for the audience, because it helps us have sympathy for Rumple. Stealing the potion from Regina is still wrong, but we’re aware that he’s not doing it to be a bastard: he’s doing it because he’s blinded by fear. He allows his desperation to cloud his judgement, but, importantly, he feels remorse for it. In previous seasons, he would have taken what he wanted and not given a damn. It’s a sign of how he has changed that he is sorry for what he’s done. I think Regina definitely speaks in anger here. I think she’ll forgive him in time.

Alice/Robin, Tilly/Margot - so cute! I love the exchange of gifts and the Hyperion Heights date. That first scene in the bookshop is so reminiscent of RumBelle’s first scene in the library. So cute. I love it. And, of course, we get a little insight into Tilly’s bad days, and I love how Margot deals with it. This relationship is so beautifully done.

Regina and Rumple - talked a little about Regina’s reaction already, but I love that she was trying to help him. She wanted to find out the truth from Samdi first, but she wanted to help Rumple. She knew how hard it was for him being without Belle, so she was sympathising with him. And I love that Rumple backed off there, but then Facilier got to him and he stole from Regina. Of course, she was rightly angry and upset. The fact that she got so upset means that she does care, and so does Rumple, because he wouldn’t have cried like that if he didn’t care. Now he has to make it up to her, and Henry, and he will, I’m sure.

The timeline - it’s kind of all over the place this season, but the beginning of this episode makes it seem like it’s only a short time after Belle’s death. It can’t be that short, though, because we know Lucy’s been born, and Alice was in Wonderland for at least a year after she initially met Rumple. At least a year is long enough for Tremaine to be defeated and Ella to have been pregnant, but I suspect it was a bit longer than a year. I suspect time’s passing differently for Gideon than it is for Rumple as well, which is why it seems like just a short time for him since his mother died. They haven’t really been good about keeping the timeline straight this season. I suspect that when Alice left for Wonderland, Rumple was looking around for another Guardian, but then she came back, and he wanted to see if it was really her, and the reappearance of the scales prompted him to accelerate his quest. That’s how I’m reasoning it out anyway :)

I do love this episode over all. It shows us every side to Rumple and it shows us how much he has changed, because, even when he does something bad, he regrets it now.

#7.18 the guardian #scribbles-by-kate's episode reviews #rumplestiltskin #rumbelle #ouat

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dramayeoja · 6 years

Text

Goblin ❣︎ 도깨비

Kim Shin, an undefeated war general, is ultimately killed by a jealous young king named Wang Yeo. After death, Shin is revived by the gods—but his revival is by no means miraculous. He becomes a 도깨비 (dokkaebi, goblin), and is cursed. He will have to pay for all the lives he took in battle by living alone in immortality, witnessing everyone he's ever loved, die. Remaining lodged in his chest is the very sword that killed him. There is only person who can see that sword, and draw from his heart so that he can finally rest in peace: his bride... whom he's yet to meet.

Things get spoilery under the cut—you've been warned! ;)

Chipper, yeah? Haha so, right off the bat, the premises of Goblin remind me of like, a much more morbid version of the legend of King Arthur. You know, a man draws a sword from stone to prove himself the greatest king in all of Britain? Yeah. Just to be clear: this is a good thing (imo). Like, I personally think this is just such a cool idea for a drama 😍

Let's jump right in. I'm gonna be honest and say that, at first, I felt a little turned off at the female lead, Eun Tak, being nineteen (in the beginning of the show), meanwhile the male lead, Shin, is 900+ years old (but physically looks to be in his thirties). It just... rubbed me weird. But hey, the Twilight series (both the books and the movies) is exactly the same—high school girl, century-old man, bananas yet somehow romantic storyline... And I loved me some Twilight as a young adult. So I mean, I have no right to judge, really. Plus, Eun Tak soon turns twenty anyway. So that's an improvement I guess 🤷🏻‍♀️ We follow her character into her late twenties, nearly thirty. So things are definitely fine by then haha! 👍

Don't let that previous bit make you think I didn't enjoy Goblin—I LOVED it. That detail is just a lil funky to me, is all. Back during my Twilight obsession days, I was nearly twenty myself, and the thought of being pursued by an older man was exciting. Hell, I mean, it still is! But now that I'm two years shy of my 30th Birthday, I feel differently sometimes. I think, LAWD get that girl away from that man, she too young for him LOL. I am definitely getting old... Enough about Twilight now, apologies! I'm only using it for the sake of conveying similarities seen in Goblin 🙏 Let's talk cast!

Kim Go Eun as Ji Eun Tak and Gong Yoo as Kim Shin

Eun Tak is a bubbly young woman with limitless energy! While still in her mother's womb, Mama Ji was involved in a hit-and-run incident which, sadly, took her life. During Mama Ji's dying moments, she prayed to anyone above that her child's life be spared. Sat on a rooftop from afar, beer in hand (lol), Shin hears her prayers, as he is a god of sorts. He appears before Mama Ji, and shows mercy to her unborn baby. Eun Tak grows up with the ability to see/speak to ghosts. Said ghosts tell her constantly that she is the goblin's bride. How do they know? A strange birthmark on the back of Eun Tak's neck tips them off. Eun Tak unfortunately was taken in by her abusive bitch of an aunt, who jabs Eun Tak every chance she gets. Her cousins are assholes. Eun Tak's aunt really only keeps her around in hopes of collecting Mama Ji's savings (intended for Eun Tak) one day. Sad, right? I mean, isn't Eun Tak being born without her mother enough as it is? Life can be so cruel 😔

Lee Dong Wook as Grim Reaper/Reaper/Wang Yeo

This is Grim Reaper (or Reaper for short), portrayed by the handsome Lee Dong Wook. His character is just this strange, not at all tech-savvy man with a constant deadpan facial expression. Said facial expression provokes so many giggles during funny moments, and drives home the longing and desperation during sad times. We learn quite a ways in that he, in his previous life (again, just in case: spoiler), was Wang Yeo G A S P ! The young king that is essentially responsible for Shin's death, as well as all the misdeeds that were done to Shin's family. Again, this is something I don't want to spoil. Well, more, anyway 😆 You gotta see it!

Yoo In Na as Kim Sun/Sunny

Kim Sun, or simply, Sunny (she loves to spell her name for people lol, S-U-N-N-Y!) is the second female lead. Yoo In Na is so gorgeous that one look at her makes you feel like such a potato hahhah. 🥔 This fact about her beauty bleeds over into the show itself—every time another character meets Sunny, the camera does this slow motion pan into her lmao. She really is that pretty! Sunny's personality comes across so odd at first... Having watched all of the episodes now, I feel the intention of Goblin's creators was to make her seem like a soul searching for something it has lost in a previous life. idk if that makes sense, but yeah. She has this way about her, like she's disconnected from others, and is sifting through the haziness to find this thing she feels she's lost.

Yook Sungjae (my BtoB bias 😍) as Yoo Deok Hwa

Sungjaeeee ahhhh 💘💘💘 I had to gush, sorry! Hehe. Meet Deok Hwa: unofficial nephew of Shin. Deok Hwa is a third-generation chaebol (heir to a family-owned corporation) and spoiled man-child, always seeking his credit card hahaha 🤣 But I love him so much. Between Gong Yoo, Lee Dong Wook, and BtoB Sungjae? Man, I'm dying over here! Deok Hwa's true identity is revealed later in the show, which if you haven't seen it yet, I won't spoil it. Just watch. But his ending sucked. Like where did he go? Everyone else's endings got tied up neatly except for his. What gives, man? 🤔 Edit: I was actually reading an online conversation about what happened to Deok Hwa online—someone jokingly said he was reincarnated as BtoB Sungjae LOL 💯

Other various comments

AMAZING OST 😍😍😍

Good pace, episodes drag at times. A little confusing in the beginning, but you get there eventually. Maybe this is just me though, viewers who are a little more keen than I will likely catch on sooner ;) My mom was a little confused as well, and actually said at one point, "This should be called the 'what-the-hell-is-going-on' show," hahaha. Like I said though, we quickly moved on from this, and loved all the things. There are actually, I think, three (?) specials that were made to aid viewers in making sure they understand the complex events and relationships clearly. I haven't watched them yet, but want to!

Quite repetitive tbh, as there are unnecessary flashbacks often. Probably for two reasons: the obvious of reminding you what's what, but also to create suspense. Typical duration of most tvN dramas seems to be about 16 episodes, so it's possible these flashbacks and things are, for lack of a better word, filler. I don't know how rigid or lax tvN is about having a drama set at 16 eps, but I get the idea this is their preference. Seeing as so many of their programs on average last that long, I feel this must be what they want. Such has the potential to affect the writing, either positively or negatively.

A continuation of the previous bullet: I think Goblin's creators oversimplified the plot at times. I'm unsure if this is due to possible pressures to meet a specific requirement(s), or what. I'd rather forgo ALL restrictions and let creativity flow, let the story be told without pressure to fill a specific amount of time, etc. but TV production is weird. And contracts are weird. tvN might not to blame for these issues, could simply be that storytelling isn't always easy, man. I'm a writer myself, it's hard! I'M being redundant now lmfao! Anyway, yeah ~

Absolutely LOVED all the scenes that were filmed on location in beautiful Québec City, Canada 🍁 Tall, romantic trees, the fall foliage, historic buildings... sigh. Now all I need is Gong Yoo chasing me and we're all set! ;D

In addition to Shin being revived, my crush on Gong Yoo has been revived as well LOL. He fine 🔥 A classic K drama crush, can't go wrong with GY👌

Gong Yoo is always stellar at doing kiseu (kiss) scenes, and in Goblin, he does not disappoint. He really goes at it 🙈 which is preferred vs. the typical person kissing a stone statue that you see so often. He even did a lift kiss with Kim Go Eun that was reminiscent of THEE Coffee Prince kiss he did with actress Yoon Eun Hye! 😍

I never saw it coming, how the sword would wind up being removed from Shin's chest. I worried what the writers were going to do, how would they approach this, and just wow. The way things turned out is such a relief. It also told me that Shin's love for Eun Tak is true. I mean, I didn't need that scene to occur for me to know that, rather it just adds extra oomph that yes, Shin really does love Eun Tak. He didn't want her to suffer knowing she was responsible for his "death," so he thought quick and used her hands WITH his hands asdfghjkl. How dumb (bc noooo now you're gonna die) and amazing he is at the same time 💜

I love how Shin made his way back to Eun Tak after passing away, it was such a powerful scene. I could really feel his struggle, and kept yelling at my TV for him to stand up lol!

Devastated that Eun Tak died 😭 I really thought as many times as she'd cheated death before, she would somehow continue cheating death again and again for the rest of her days. But no... What a selfless person, Ji Eun Tak. Her being reincarnated as Park So Min gave me some closure. Not the closure I wanted, but closure.

The relationship between Shin and Reaper is ADORABLE. Whenever they interact with each other, they just have this great dialogue. Shin pings, Reaper pongs, Reaper pings, Shin pongs. It's great 😄 I still laugh about the slow-mo scene of them returning from the market with green onions HAHAHA 😂

I love Sunny & Reaper ~ However, their history as Kim Sun & Wang Yeo in their past lives is so very sad. I don't even know where to start RE: my feelings on this 💔 imo, their ending kinda sucked. I just wasn't satisfied with them having had this complicated, tragic story, only to be reincarnated in this fashion that I ultimately found to be just... idk, disappointing 😩 Again, closure, but not the closure I wanted.

I thought Reaper, the other grim reapers, the name cards, the depiction of what happens immediately following death with the brewing of the tea, the afterlife, etc. was all very creative. We really don't know what awaits us when our time comes—it's interesting to wonder if it's anything like it is in Goblin 🍵

Can't stop thinking about Goblin, even though I'm now watching Thirty but Seventeen & Mr. Sunshine! I'm emotionally cheating lol halp.

Photo credits: tvN & AsianWiki

Yo yo! I'm sorry I took so long to watch + write up this review! It's been a long couple of weeks for me, I wasn't always able to watch when I wanted. It was maddening 😆 But I have finally watched, and feel like the most accomplished person on the planet hahaha. xoxo 💜

#goblin #도깨비 #asian dramas #korean dramas #tvn

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sanjuno · 6 years

Note

If you're still doing GoT fix fics, maybe Final Fantasy 15?

5/7 GoT Crossover Fix-Its: The Light of Fire and Ice

Jorah Mormont is a Northman through and through. With an honour code you could hammer a sword out of, a deadpan sense of humour, and a glower that could make a bull back up. His father’s pride and joy, Jorah wields a sword like he was born with one in his hand. All of Bear Island watches the Heir with pride. One day Jorah will be their Lord, and he will rule them well. He follows the Old Way, and the Old Gods, and he treats highborn and low with the same solemn gravitas. It humbles and inspires the people of Bear Island, and they work all the harder to live up to the Heir’s example. The fortifications build up, the levy forces grow strong, and trade increases. Jorah quietly lets it be known that any women wanting arms training are welcome, and Maege Mormont loves her nephew all the more for the fact that Jorah makes no distinction between their worth as warriors based on gender or circumstances of birth. Jorah calls them the Northguard, and no matter the rank everyone starts from the bottom. A little competition is good for them all, and the challenge makes the people of Bear Island raise themselves up.

Cor Leonis wakes up after a long, exhausting life that had stretched on far too long. He had outlived three Kings, his almost-lover, most of his friends and family. Dying at last had been a relief. Only the Astrals had plucked his soul up out of the mists and said that they had another job for him. Cor was tired though, and he wanted to rest. But he would be rewarded this time, should he accept this task to battle the Night once more, and he would see the Prince Who Was Promised live again. Exhausted, but not exhausted enough to put aside his oaths, Cor agrees, and the Immortal breathes.

Dacey Mormont is a terrifying opponent, and has ways of remaining informed about everything that happens in Bear Island. Dacey is at the forefront of Jorah’s changes to how Bear Island is run, and quickly becomes her Lord cousins trusted steward. No one objects when Jorah leaves her in charge of Bear Island when the North marches to war.

Monica Elshett had never expected the Astrals to take a personal interest in her, no matter how loyally she had served the royal family of Lucis. Being told that the Marshall would need her help spurred her to accept the duty to fight the Night again. She’d spent her life protecting the Light, she wasn’t going to let something like death and rebirth slow her down. First thing though, was that this strange idea that only men could fight had to go.

Ethan Glover is Brandon Stark’s squire, a quick-witted boy who favours duel shortswords and throwing knives over the more traditional longsword. For all his japes he offers council wise beyond his years, and successfully manages to curb the worst of Brandon Starks excessive carousing where even the Lord Stark himself failed. Ethan had a habit of loudly and explicitly detailing his thoughts and opinions in the most cheerful voice possible while Brandon was hung over. The Heir Stark cut back one women and wine even if only to avoid the headache and the inescapable lecture from his squire. Despite all Ethan’s efforts, there’s no stopping the Mad King’s execution of the Starks. Ethan staggers home with the Mad King’s message, carrying the horror of what he has witnessed with him, and sharing it all with the Kingdom of the North. The North remembers. Thorren Stark bent the knee to save his people from Dragonfire. The Mad King has violated the terms of their agreement, and the North answers with one voice when the Stark in Winterfell calls the Banner to arms.

Nyx Ulric dies burning, and the Draconian catches him up, thanks him for his loyal service. The Dawn came at last, and Nyx thanked Bahamut for letting him see it. To know that the sacrifice Nyx had made was not in vain. The Astrals say they have another task for him, that there is another world where the Darkness seeks to rule. There is a world where Nyx can live again, where he can find peace. A reward for his service, a second chance to make things right. Nyx agrees, of course he agrees, and the Hero of the Kingsglaive breathes.

Jorah Mormont and Ethan Glover meet for the first time in a council of war, and all who witnessed it agree that it was a small thing. Easily overlooked, but something Jorah said made Ethan speak up. And something about how Ethan spoke made Jorah respond. From that point on their alliance was sealed, and the Northern Forces under Jorah Mormont’s command came to expect to see Ethan at his right hand, and they smashed through the Royalist forces with victory after victory.

Cor meets Nyx again while arguing tactics in a command tent, and the Kingsglaive’s familiar grin is bright and inviting him to share the joke. Once again, they are going to war to free their Kingdom from a mad emperor. Once again, their rightful King was slain by treachery. Now they go to seek justice, and the freedom of their people. This war needs to be won if they plan to fight back the Night and bring the Dawn once again. They battle, and it’s so much easier to win against men who are only human, who are fighting for a cause they do not truly believe in. Remembering Drautos’ betrayal was painful, but they took the lesson to heart, and slowly the message spread. Any man who lay down his arms would be allowed to leave, and the forces of the Mad King trickled away as men disgusted by the excesses of the Targaryens left King Murderer and Prince Rapist to their fates.

Jorah Mormont says nothing when he joins Eddard Stark on his journey to Dorne. Ned accepts the Lord of Bear Island into the company without a word. It was expected given Ned had requested Ethan come along to see things through to the end. The next verse of the song is rewritten abruptly when the Northmen meet the Kingsguard in combat at the foot of the Tower of Joy. Dawn rings against Ice and Arthur Dayne only has a moment to be startled by the skill of House Stark’s second son turned Lord before the wisdom of the Northmen’s distain for tourneys shines bright. The Northmen don’t fight like Southern Knights. They don’t close, don’t let the Kingsguard control the fight. Instead they harass and harry the white-clad knights like a pack of wolves, darting in and out in turns. Oswell Whent goes down with a knife in his eye, Gerold Hightower is taken out when the endless shifting tactics of the Northmen overwhelm his ability to track them and Longclaw sinks into his left armpit, and Arthur Dayne himself gets a crannogman’s spear to the back of his knees and Ice takes off his head when he stumbles.

The Northmen have all survived, and so the knowledge of Jon’s parentage is a bit more widespread. They return Arthur’s bones to Starfall, along with the other two Kingsguard. Cor is low-key offended that they dared to call themselves Kingsguard when their so-called King was unworthy of it. Nyx half-jokingly offers to make Cor an honorary Kingsglaive if it’ll make him feel better. Marshall of the Kingsglaive sounds a bit silly, Cor responds, he’ll stick with Crownsguard. Less sexist. No sillier than being The Immortal, Nyx jests. The Northmen remain subdued in their relief out of respect for Lady Ashara Dayne and her obvious pain. None of them are surprised when they hear that she kills herself after they leave.

At Ethan’s insistence, Ned claims that Jon is Brandon’s son. Much like in the first version of the song, there are rumours about the identity of the boy’s mother. Because Ethan is there to support the claim that Jon is Brandon’s seed, there’s less stress over someone questioning the identity of the mother. Everyone involved just follows Ethan’s lead in saying she was dead and that they would appreciate if everyone stopped slandering the Lady’s name. Jon still gets raised at Winterfell, and Catelyn still resents bastards like before, but Jon’s not the only Stark bastard running around the North. He’s just the only one without a mother still living. It makes Catelyn appreciate being married to Ned more, and so she’s less difficult to deal with regarding their own children than in canon. So Arya doesn’t have to fight for arms training, and Sansa is required to learn how to defend herself from unwanted male attentions. Jorah Mormont is very insistent on this point and even sends his Aunt Maege to Winterfell as the Stark girl’s tutor for this purpose. Catelyn gets over it eventually.

Viserys Targaryen is an angry boy, that much everyone can agree on. Not mad the way his father and other notable ancestors had been, but full of a thwarted fire. The number of times the Kingsguard had to pull the younger prince away from his mother’s bedchambers when the King was visiting his wife was daunting to consider. The threats of dire retribution were rather more chilling, even coming from a toddler. Not only because the boy was oddly well spoken, but also because Viserys was not going to remain a harmless child forever.

Ravus Nox Fleuret did not like his new life. The Glacian had said he had a debt to pay, and that he would be needed to protect his sister so that she could fulfil her destiny against the Dark once again. Ravus did not think having to listen to his new mother get raped by her brother was an entirely fair punishment. For one, Rhaella was the one suffering the most and this was supposed to be Ravus’ punishment. For another, Ravus had already spent one lifetime pretending to serve a mad emperor in order to protect his people and he didn’t really have the patience to do so a second time. The fact that Aerys seemed to approve of Ravus’ attitude was just salt in the wound.

Daenerys Targaryen is born during a mighty storm, the wind and the waves are the only thing keeping the ships carrying the Baratheon forces away from Dragonstone. Her mother names her, passes her over to her older brother, and then bids them run. Run far, run fast, and live. They need to live.

Lunafreya Nox Fleuret breathes again with the Fulgurian shielding her from harm, and the Hydraean carrying her away. Both promise she will be safe, that she will escape those who seek her death and she will grow into the power that will save the Prince Who Was Promised once again. Luna clings to her brother and weeps, because her mother is gone. Luna clings to her brother as Ravus whispers love and devotion and apologies into her hair and rejoices, because she has the older brother she has missed so much for so long back. By the blessings of the Astrals they are together again, and they have a second chance to get things right.

When Ser Willam Darry betroths Viserys to Arianne Martell the young prince is deemed capable of understanding the need, and so is informed of the contact. Viserys isn’t impressed by their scheming, and is instead rather more occupied with caring for his little sister. He cares little for the Iron Throne, and says that the are greater worries to concern himself with. It’s put down to boy’s obsession with the Princess’ safety, and Willam hopes that the boy doesn’t plan on continuing the Targaryen legacy in that way. Further speech with Viserys eases that worry, and Willam instead starts to hope that Viserys will be a good King when the time comes.

Ravus understands politcal marriages from two lifetimes as a Prince, but his father was a madman and Ravus will be content with ruling Dorne by the side of his future wife when the time comes. Luna can marry the True King and take over the Empire when the brat shows up again. They’re going to need to defeat the forces of Darkness before anything else will matter, after all. If their first life is any indication, Ravus will barely be an adult when the War for the Dawn begins. Hopefully it won’t take ten years this time.

Viserys Targaryen learns the sword from Ser Willam Darry, and displays a strength of character that endears him to both the four men at arms from Dragonstone, and the servants hired by the Sealord of Braavos to serve the exiled Prince. When Ser Willam grows ill and dies, Viserys manages to retain control of his household, small as it is. Daenerys grows up in a house with a red door, a lemon tree growing in the garden. Viserys begins to earn a reputation settling disputes, devouring books of law and only occasionally resorting to bashing people over the heads with his sword. Soon the Targaryen’s are being invited from city to city on the behest of powerful citizens who want a neutral voice to settle a dispute when they can’t be seen to favour either side. Eventually that matures into settling disputes between powerful citizens, and the Free Cities chatter about the Lawful King in Exile.

Luna is laughing hysterically at her brother. Poor Ravus had never been in line to inherit, since the Nox Fleuret were matriarchal, so the expectation of the people that Ravus would want to be King on the Iron Throne escaped him for the longest time. Ravus was just doing what he had been trained all his life to do, keep things running smoothly. The poor man was nearing twenty by the time he finally realized what impression he was giving with his networking in the Free Cities. Ravus promptly went to Luna and started whining about people being stupid and how much longer until her stupid Prince made his move? Luna just laughed at her brother more and then told him to accept the next offer from Pentos, and to let Illyrio Moptas feast them when they went there. The Magister had something the Draconian wanted them to get ahold of.

The grins Viserys and Daenerys Targaryen share over the three petrified dragon eggs that the Magister of Pentos offers as payment for the Lawbringer’s services are deeply, deeply unsettling. Illyrio can only be glad that they leave his city without enacting a second Summerhall.

Dragging her brother deep into the desert, Luna asks for a knife and the biggest fire they can make. Cuts to the top of their forearms bleed freely onto the eggs, and Ravus stands with his sister in the bloody wreckage of a slaver camp as the flames climb up high around them. A girl from the pleasure houses of Lys watches with awe as the fire rages and the figures within remain standing. She is not the only one to remain close enough to watch, but she is the closest, and she’s the one who rushes forward with two cloaks when the siblings emerge naked from the ashes carrying their newborn dragons. Ravus and Luna gather the new members of their household and take them back to Pentos. The time to fight for the Dawn was coming closer.

Gerold Dayne is still a small child when his cousin dies fighting the Northmen who had come to Dorne to retrieve the kidnapped Lyanna Stark. As Gerold grows the stories of his strength spread. So do the tales of his fierce glower, and the coldness in his eyes. Still, despite his fierceness Gerold grows into an honourable man. A better one than Arthur Dayne had proven himself to be, allowing his Prince to kidnap and rape an already betrothed noblewoman. Gerold doesn’t envy his cousin the reputation the man earned. Arthur proved unworthy of Dawn, and that was why the blade failed him. Gerold hires an artist skilled with inks when he becomes the Lord of High Hermitage and the bird tattoo that takes up all the skin from nape to knee becomes the talk of Dorne. No one is overly surprised when Gerold inherits Dawn, and the smile on the fierce Dayne’s face when he grips the sword is sharp enough to cut on it’s own.

Gladiolus Amicitia was born to be the Shield of the chosen King. He was born with a duty that he would never be able to fulfil. To save the world, and all the life on it, Gladio’s king was going to die. No matter the prophecy, no matter the words given by Gilgamesh, what use was a Shield that was destined to fail. What purpose did he have? When the Astrals told him that he could live again, that he could find Noct again and keep his Chosen King safe as a true Shield should, Gladio didn’t hesitate. Even if it meant starting over from scratch, the chance to remain true to his duty was all he’d ever wanted. He breathed again.

Ashara Dayne’s daughter is born to a mother who weeps daily and never bothers to give the girl a name. The things Ashara witnessed in King’s Landing, and the things she suffered there… they broke her. The Lord of Starfall quietly had the babe cared for, and when Ashara threw herself off the cliff into the sea, he sent the child to live in High Hermitage with their cousins. Gerold Dayne was the first to take hold of the girl, and named her Irhys Dayne of High Hermitage. Records were quietly altered to reflect this, and no one ever spoke of it again.

Iris Amicitia was useless during the events that killed her father and most of the people she counted as family during her first life. The Astrals promised to make it up to her, and sent her to be with her brother again. Determined to be more help, Iris breathed again.

Domeric Bolton was a superb student when it came to managing a Lordship, and although he far preferred daggers to swords, he was a credit to his House in every way. The Heir to Dreadfort was watched carefully for the usual Bolton tendencies, but the youth honestly just seemed determined to master every challenge set before him. The odd white eyes he had inherited from his father had a brooding intensity to them, always focused on some far distant point in the future. There’s no love lost between Domeric and his bastard half-brother, and when Ramsay Snow seeks Domeric Bolton out, it’s the bastard who takes ill and dies shortly after.

Ignis Scientia felt the dawn break and knew that Noctis was dead. It hurt. Dawn should have been something to rejoice over, but he couldn’t see it. Just like Noctis, Ignis was never going to see the sun. It was fitting, somehow. What use was an advisor without a King? What use was an advisor when the only choices were to die or be killed? The light of the sun felt nothing like triumph. Ignis does not expect the Astrals to contact him when he finally dies. He does not expect the news that there is another world under threat of an Endless Night. He does not expect to be told that Noctis would fight for the Dawn once again, and that Ignis could be at his King’s side if he so chose. Ignis doesn’t hesitate. Noctis had the lamentable habit of making regrettable choices when Ignis wasn’t there to curb the worst of the chaos. So Ignis breathes again.

Jon Snow is carried North by a serious group of Northmen who still smile at him when they notice his attention turning to them. His uncle carries him most often, paranoid after loosing so much of his family so quickly. When not in Ned’s arms, Jon is with Jorah Mormont and Ethan Glover, who are as besotted with the babe as any new father might be. No one is surprised when Ethan offers to take the boy as his ward, given that he was Brandon’s squire and it will quiet many of the questions. Ned gently refuses, not wanting any of his blood to be too far from him if he can help it. Brandon’s bastard in Greywater Watch had his mother, and Ned was not so cruel as to take the boy away, but Jon he could keep. He would need to talk to Catelyn, but the boy wasn’t Ned’s, and that should be enough for any Lady to be content with.

Noctis Lucis Caelum fulfils his destiny as the True King, and lowers his head to rest. He finds himself before the Astrals once again, including the cleansed Infernian, and they tell him the Dawn has come to Eos again. Then they tell him that there is another world where the Darkness is gathering strength. A world that the Glacian has been watching over, a world that echoes Eos but lacks the strength and protection of the Lucian Kings. The Astrals want to send him there, to the world where a Prince had been Promised so long ago that men had forgotten why the True King would rise. Noctis is promised a chance to live again, is told that his life is not the coin that would buy the Dawn. Kill the Night King, and survive the Battle for the Dawn, and we will be with you always. Ready to make the most of it, Noctis breathes again.

Samwell Tarly is a pudgy child with only lacklustre skill in swords. He is, at least, passible with a spear, more than decent with knives, and is unmatched with longbow or crossbow in hand. It’s almost as if the further from his opponent he is, the greater a threat to them Samwell becomes. They don’t talk about Samwell’s ability to destroy a room given a bit of coal and flour dust, or his odd insistence that horses are untrustworthy and that his father would be better served with riding birds. Lord Tarly tells his heir to stop reading stories from the lands beyond Westros and to focus on his duties at home. Samwell pouts and takes to running in circles around the outside of the Keep. It’s yet another sign of oddness from the boy, but it at least toughens the Tarly Heir up enough that there are no more comments about the softness of his stomach.

Prompto Argentum leapt at the chance to be with Noctis again. Sure it was a little disheartening that they’d have to fight the Darkness again first but they’d be able to survive this time! Even if Prompto had to make everything explode they were all going to survive this time! The Astrals had said that Noctis didn’t have to die to win this time, just kill the other guy. Killing the other guy was easy! Prompto had gotten really good at killing the other guys! So Prompto breathed again.

Jorah Mormont had a bit of an unusual reputation among the Lords of the North. When his father had been arranging his marriage to a lady from House Glover, Jorah had ridden to Deepwood Motte and spoken to all the Ladies being considered. What was discussed had never been revealed, but the Lady who became his wife was not the one Jeor Mormont and Galbart Glover would have picked. But they got their marriage alliance, and it’s not like the marriage had been refused, after all. After the Rebellion Ethan Glover moves to Bear Island and weds Jorah’s cousin Dacey Mormont, further binding the two houses.

Cor panics only a little when he hears that his father is planning to marry him off, and heads off to go speak to the ladies in question. Luck, and a small flare of Lucian magic, let’s him recognize Crowe when he sees her. The Marshall and the Kingsglaive mage quickly agree that their best bet is to set things up in their favour and hijack the betrothal before they end up married to strangers who don’t know about the duty they have to fulfill. Who won’t understand the need to fight back the Long Night until it’s too late. Crowe is quick to tell Cor that Nyx is back too, and is overjoyed to see Monica again. After the Rebellion is over, Nyx moves into Bear Island, laughs at Crowe, and then gets laughed at himself when Monica decides to make him her beard. Considering Crowe spends most of her nights with Monica, and Nyx spends most of his nights with Cor, the situation is neatly sorted.

The men from the Tower of Joy remain close. Although some remain closer than others. Willam Dustin and his wife Barbrey attend every celebration at Winterfell when Ned’s various children are born, gifting each with a horse. Martyn Cassel starts training the Stark children, ensuring that even gentle Sansa can defend herself, giving over the girls readily to Maege Mormont’s ands when the formidably Northern Lady visits, and then encouraging Sansa to learn healing from the Maester when she expresses her distaste for combat. Mark Ryswell often joins Ethan and Jorah in Bear Island to train when he isn’t busy with his horse herds. Theo Wull follows Jorah’s example and starts to build up the strength of the Mountain Clans. With the Starks and the Houses of the men who followed him to Dorne leading the way, the North gets serious about building up their strength again. Even in Greywater Watch there are changes being made. House Reed doesn’t want to be responsible for Moat Cailin again, but they start repairing it anyway with the understanding that a Stark would one day be taking responsibility for it.

There aren’t very many of them, but most of the reborn Lucians were in the party that went to Dorne with Ned Stark. Petra Fortis goes back to Barrowtown, his old dislike of the Kingsglaive eroded under the obvious favour of the Astrals in their being reborn here. Pelna Khara stays in Winterfell as the Prince’s personal guard, working on making sure the Prince’s new cousins weren’t ever the soft targets Princess Lunafreya ended up being. Dustin Ackers is delighted to see Monica again, and frequently travels from the Rills to Bear Island just for the pleasure of having an argument with her. Libertus Ostium splits his time between the Mountain Clans and Bear Island, having missed Crowe and Nyx. They all wonder if the King and Lord Amicitia will ever join them, but Nyx quietly lets them know what Cor told him. That Regis was absorbed by the Crystal when he died, and that Clarus would never leave his King behind. Noctis was the last of the Lucis Caelum line, and the only one not taken permanently by the Crystal. After the massacre of Elia Martell and her children at the Red Keep, Noctis is, once again, the only one of the Royal line that they have left.

Martyn Cassel goes white as summer snow when they find the direwolf mother dead with a stag’s antler in her throat. He cuffs Theon Greyjoy hard enough to send the boy sprawling in the dirt when mention is made of killing the pups. The gods are speaking to House Stark, and they’re all idiots with cheese in their ears it they can’t hear it. One pup for each of the children of House Stark, Martyn says with a smile as he hands the albino pup to Jon, it looks like the gods have made their choice. Things were never bad for Jon before then, but with Ghost at his side it’s as if the entire North has forgotten to call him Snow. When the King announces that he’s coming to Winterfell, the men from the Tower of Joy arrive first, bringing with them supplies and servants and comforts for the soft sensibilities of the Southroners. Catelyn is relieved beyond measure at the way the Northmen band together to ensure their Lord Paramount is well represented during the Royal visit. Ned is grateful for the unspoken message that his Bannerman will defend Jon even against the King, even if the idea of turning on Robert makes him deeply uncomfortable. But there are the direwolves to consider, and the sign from the Old Gods, and there are too many Lannisters on the way to Winterfell for Ned to be comfortable facing the Royal visit alone. So Ned doesn’t turn down the backup, and having Dacey Glover, Barbrey Dustin, and Gilliana Mormont there eases much of the strain on Catelyn. She’s still very much a Southron Lady at the most inconvenient times, and her worry over being throught barbarians by the party from King’s Landing is one of them.

Noctis has never had such a big family before, since the Crystal sapped much of the vitality from the Lucis Caelum line and kept the number of children for each generation small. So the wealth of cousins that his uncle gives him is something Noctis treasures. He can hear Ghost in his head the way he once heard the Astrals when he was trapped in the Crystal. The Astral’s voices come clearest in the Godswood these days, but Ghost’s voice is always clear to his mind as his own. So when Ghost hears Summer cry out in worry and growing fear, Noctis doesn’t even think about the low profile he’s supposed to be keeping. He chain warps fast and hard across Winterfell, from the Godswood to the Broken Tower without pausing and Bran is falling!

Bran is caught before he hits the ground, his terrified mind still hearing Ser Jaime’s voice repeating “the things I do for love” before his fingers are pulled away from the stones. But Jon caught him, Bran’s cousin who has always been like a second older brother. Jon who is breathing fast and hard like he’s been running for an hour, and Bran doesn’t even have to say anything before Jon’s looking up at the window where Ser Jaime is standing. The Lannister Whitecloak is the one who looks terrified now, where he was amused before, and Jon doesn’t stop to ask questions. Bran still in his arms, direwolves at his heels and howling for the rest of the pack, Jon runs back the way he came.

Noctis is lucky, and the only one who saw him warp is Cor, who is already gathering his armsmen together when Noctis rushes into the main courtyard with Bran in his arms calling at the top of his lungs for Lady Stark’s attention. Unlike the world where Bran was never saved from his fall, the Royal party is blatantly outnumbered by the Northmen. Catelyn Stark is not kind to threats to her children. She can’t do anything about the Queen, but the Kingslayer she has imprisoned in chains, and all the men in Lannister colours are stripped of their arms and confined to a barrack. The Baratheon forces are asked by a frigidly polite Lady Stark to stay within the wing where the Queen and her children are residing, and a fast rider is sent after the King’s hunting party with news of what happened.

With the Queen’s affair with her brother out in the open Robert stops overlooking the obvious. He sees the Lannister hair and Lannister eyes and Lannister faces of Cersei’s children and realizes that even if one of them was his by some impossible chance, there would always be reasonable doubt. Forget making Ned his Hand, they’re going to have to hold a huge fucking farce of a trial to clear away Cersei’s mess. Bran gets questioned by Robert, and offered a reward for uncovering Cerise’s treachery. Bran asks for Jon to be made a Stark in name, and Robert promises that it’ll be done as soon as he gets back to King’s Landing. Jaime ban barely move for the weight of his chains, and is sent ahead to King’s Landing with half the Baratheon forces and a company of Dustin men, commanded by the the disapproving Lord Dustin himself. Cersei and her children are confined to the wheelhouse and Robert takes the rest of the Baratheon forces back South a handful of days later, along with a combination of Winterfell and Bear Island men. The only one who escapes mostly unharmed in the aftermath is Tyrion Lannister. Partially because it’s obvious that his sister hates him, and partially because of the various working women who can confirm that he was with them pretty much the entire time there wasn’t a feast obligating his attendance at Winterfell. House Reed swears to hold the Lannister men secure in Moat Cailin until the King sends for them, and they get moved in small groups to avoid any attempted breakouts after Robert leaves.

It’s a long trip South, and Noctis is glad that Monica, Crowe, and Libertus remained in Winterfell to take care of his Aunt and cousins. It doesn’t take long for Noctis to decide he hates the South. It’s hot and sticky and King’s Landing stinks the way the Scourge used to. Still, Robert needs Bran and Noctis there to testify at Cersei and Jaime’s trail, and Uncle Ned came along with them. So did Cor, Nyx, and Pelna. Petra went ahead with the white cloaked oathbreaker who tried to kill Bran and will meet them in the Red Keep. The ravens travelled fast, and there are Lords gathering in King’s Landing for a trial that’s going to go down in history as the biggest scandal since Lyanna Stark’s abduction.

Tywin Lannister is furious in a way he hasn’t been since his father let a commonborn whore wear Tywin’s mother’s jewellery. Each chambermaid who timidly came forward with stories of soiled sheets on nights where the King was nowhere in the Red Keep. The rest of the Kingsguard having to admit that Jaime took more than his fair share of turns standing guard outside the Queen’s door. The stone faces of the Northmen as the Stark boy Jaime tried to kill spoke his piece. The way the bastard of Winterfell snarled at Jaime when he explained catching his cousin after seeing Jaime throw him from the Tower window. The way the entire seven kingdoms are laughing at House Lannister. “So eager to have their blood on the Iron Throne that they think they’re Targaryens now.” Jaime and Cersei are convicted of treason, and beheaded. As the most offended party, Ned Stark is the one to swing the sword. Tywin Lannister is given custody of his distasteful grandchildren, and they end up in service to Casterly Rock. Myrcella and Tommen make the most of it, but Joffrey’s arrogance gets him “accidented” fairly quickly. Tywin’s more put out over the need to forgive the debt the crown owes House Lannister in reparation for the insult done to House Baratheon.

With so many Houses in attendance and trying to introduce their daughters and sisters to the now unwedded King, Noctis is thankful for Southron preoccupations with politics. It means he can escape with Bran to the Godswood while Cor helps Uncle Ned with managing the King. Noctis winces a little when he hears Cor comment to Nyx that Robert was “almost” as bad as Mors. It’s there in the Godswood with his direwolf that Noctis finds his friends again.

Bran likes Jon’s new friends. Samwell Tarly has lots of interesting stories to tell, and Domeric Bolton was another Northman who had been sent to witness the trial by his father and had come with the company of Lord Redfort. Bran knew the Boltons had scary stories told about them, even in the North, but Domeric was polite and was willing to answer all of Bran’s questions about being a knight. Gerold Dayne is the new Sword of Morning, and seems nice enough, and his little sister Irhys knew how to fight just like the Mormont girls did! They were all suitably impressed by Summer and Ghost, and asked Bran lots of questions about the North. They all really like Jon a lot too, and Bran isn’t surprised when even the Dornish siblings decide to come back to Winterfell with them when the Starks return North. (Jon’s a real Stark now! With the right name and everything! Bran did that for his cousin, made it happen! He’s so pleased with himself.)

Margary Tyrell manages to win the crown from the rest of the court ladies vying for Robert’s attention, and the wedding is suitably impressive. Noctis spends his time lounging in increasingly ridiculous locations around the Red Keep with his cousin and friends in an attempt to ease some of the stress. News comes in from the Free Cities about the exiled Targaryens, but without a dedicated agent in place keeping tack of them is difficult. Noctis a little curious about his other Aunt and Uncle, but puts them from his mind. It’s unlikely at this point that he’s ever going to get a chance to meet them.

They go home to the North, all of them plus additional guests, and leave the posturing of the South behind them. Much to all their relief. Then Jeor Mormont sends words of the dead rising to walk again and hunting the living, of the increasing desperation of the Wildlings, and the glimpses they’ve caught of the White Walkers approaching the Wall. Then a letter is sent to Winterfell from Pentos, sealed with a three-headed dragon, promising that the Oracle and her brother would fight the War against the Long Night in the name of the True King. The South takes the Game of Thrones to bloody extremes in the South, but in the North they are marshalling themselves for a war against the Night King.

Ned orders the Wildlings brought South of the Wall to keep the Others from adding their numbers to their Wright army. The Mountain Clans take the Free Folk in, gentling the shock of needing to adjust to the Laws the governed territory under Stark rule. Noctis goes into the crypts and returns with an ancient circlet, carved of weirwood and set with a single obsidian shard. It’s the Crown of Winter, and the Old Gods insist that the King in the North wear the sign of their favour. The North remembers, Ned murmurs, and takes the circlet into the Godswood. He stays there the whole night through, alone, and when he leaves he wears the Crown of Winter, with a full grown male direwolf padding at his side. Ah, I had wondered where the father was, Cor deadpanned, looks like he was waiting for you, my Lord.

The North is a Kingdom as large as all the other six combined, and they have never been ravaged as the Southern Kingdoms have been. Not by dragon fire, for their last King bent the knee without more than a token skirmish. Not by plague, thanks to the summer snows killing the diseases before they can travel and the isolated nature of their communities. Not by bandits, because there are no riches in the North but iron and fur. The North is the largest of the Seven Kingdoms, and yet it is the least often remembered. So the spears of Dorne go North, ship by ship, when Gerold Dayne sends word that the Long Night comes again, and the Others march on the Wall with an army of the dead. So the exiled Targaryen siblings take all their wealth and all their people and travel to the North to greet the King in the North, and thank him for his protection of their nephew. So the War for the Dawn has already begun by the time the South stops fighting one another long enough to realize that something is happening in the North.

It still takes Benjen Stark walking into a Grand Council meeting and slamming a wright’s head down in the middle of the table before the South realizes how serious things are. The North remembers, Benjen Stark snarls. This is why we hold the Wall. This is why there must always be a Stark in Winterfell! Send help, or don’t, but burn your dead and keep your pathetic game out of Northern affairs!

They win the War for the Dawn, of course, and the North knows no King but the King in the North, who’s name is Stark. The power of the Old Gods fills the North, mages call fire to hand, dragons fly above the Wall, and the night is filled with the howling of wolves.

#Sanjuno's ficwork #FFXV fanfic #GoT reincarnation crossovers

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rosheendubh · 6 years

Link

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waltharius

The strange paths this journey takes me on...I'd forgotten all about this gem of Medieval Saga-hood. In uniting Gwen's unique segment to my most beloved of Germanic myths, a clash of two adored heroines I've always dreamt of uniting has finally taken form. Gwen as a young woman, coming of age, educated in a 460-470s era decaying Rome, convent and hospital style, beneath the tutelage of an Alexandrian or Byzantine physician (still need to pump Arthurian Romance for an adequate prototype to borrow on that--and found it. See the Gold Boobs post...and the Lycurgius Cup), and an abbess...who happens to be the retired, incognito version of Gudrun.

A Queen Like No Other...

We’re guiessing, maybe some time frame from about 465 to 475 or 480AD...

The last surviving daughter of the Gepids, exhausted of the world, had sought her peace, retiring to a nunnery in the waning decades of Rome’s twilight, The massacre of her brothers, Gundahar and Hagano, to the combined forces of Atila and Aetius, was a tragedy instigated first by Brunhilde's vengeance, betrayed by Sigfrid, the only man Gudrun had ever loved, and who hadn’t the honor to stand up to her mother on the night Gudrun had been presented to him, and claim his love for wild Brynhilde. The closure had been all Gudrun’s though, serving her butchered sons by Atila, to their own father, lighting his hall on fire, and watching his men roast, drunken in their excess, celebrating the demise of the Burgundi, retching and choking as Gudrun regaled them the ingredients of their foul feast while they suffocated on smoke and flame. It wasn’t till some years later, when her tears left her dry, no more grief to spare. Beloved Swanhild, her only daughter by Sigfrid, convulsed, dying in her arms, trampled to death because of a weak husband’s faithlessness. Her daughter’s broken body was a sack of shattered shells. For all the sorrow Gudrun sustained, it was then her heart had turned to a hard, bitter stone.

Harsh and cynical, she’s always attuned to Old Grim, his One-Eyed Shadow following her, even into the cloisters of the convent, the retreat of the Christian God by which she sought to elude Wotan. Duty still goads though, meaningless distractions the women find to occupy themselves, like taking in the daughters of barbarian nobles. Providing some means of trade, education, or dowry to unfortunate girl-children of widows and orphans, left bereft in the tumult of a dying Empire.

Gwenafyr ferch Edern of the Cawnr. Aeternus, her father styles himself here, in these old weathered palaces where men still cling to archaic Latin, trying to dilute the jarring utterances of tribal chieftains who now retain titles of legate and prefect. The young girl put into her charge is a tribulation.. Spoiled, barbarian royalty, her people inhabit a rock sitting in gray waters at the end of the earth. She tasks Gwen with the most menial of novice chores in the convent, enforcing a lifestyle the strictest of ascetics would have found withering. And Gwen, lonely, angry, resentful of her father abandoning her to such mistreatment, lashes out. Which impresses Gudrun, who approves of the girl's spirit and determination. Her inherent recalcitrance, it seems. She'll need it one day, to face the world she will eventually inherit. For Gudrun--god's rune--can See.

The gifts her Lord of mead, madness, brilliance, and Vision endowed long ago, before she knelt in obeisance beneath a cross, a broken and sorrowing soul back then. What she sees upon this girl is the shadow of her One Eyed Keeper, a fate of darkness, and a hope so bright, of something into the future Gudrun thinks even Old Grim shies back from, just a little. Courage of mind and heart burning from young Gwenafyr's eyes. Gudrun, in her final, parting defiance to the curse Wotan holds upon her days, steals her nights in a deluge of rotten memory, intends, against all odds in this failing chaotic time, to raise this child, just on the verge of her adolescence, a few years short yet, into a queen such as the world will never forget. A woman to leave her mark upon a future. Where others have failed, she might, just might, open up something of hope, a path leading out of the thorns bleeding these dark times.

Where better, than Britannia, when she returns to her island at the edge of the world. "But first...first, girl," Gudrun explains into the furious gaze of this hoyden, "before you learn to serve a land, you must learn what it is to serve beggars."

And so commences Gwen's education in the halls of Rome's old crumbling libraries, and the stench filled corridors of the charity hospitals. Reciting Latin, Greek, the Gothic parlance of Gudrun's tongue, Gwen ministers remedies from the texts of classical physicians long turned to dust, their words and knowledge leap from scrolls crusted and protesting the sun of a world much different than the one once gracing the mirages still glimpsed amid decaying plazas, toppled pillars, and bramble thick fields.

Hours drag, roll away into months. Months turn with the seasons into years. One, then five. A decade. And finally...finally she may just be ready. To return. Claim a king. Claim a nation.

Gudrun mourns her parting--Gwen, transformed into the daughter fate cheated her when Swanhild was trampled by Eomer's men, rage wrought upon charges of adultery never born truth. Wotan has marked her. A presence Gudrun never hesitated to speak of as their affection deepened in the years. Gwenafyr never seemed bothered. Upon her island, women are goddesses, mortal embodiment of immortal dream. What has she to fear from a shade skulking at the edge of vision?

Merely curious, Gwen's irony and ruefulness have become her defense into maturity, education of reason and science shaping how her student views the foibles of humanity. There's nothing of the virgin philosopher though, Gwenafyr all too aware of the world's temptations and luxuries, and perfectly obliging to hedonism. In moderation. But she would have made a terrible nun. Because there's also nothing of fear in her. What traditions steeped her childhood in that far north country before she'd entered Gudrun's convent, they left an indelible mark, as deep cloven as Wotan's shadow upon Gwen's wyrd. A child of queens before queens--gods and men alike, heroes all of them, to be molded by the guidance of their women. Gwen knows her worth. And she will not be restrained by warlord, priest, bard. Or God. Unless the word of God, a god, rings with truth and compassion.

Gudrun's heart warms with pride, and something she has long denied. That minuscule softening deep inside, where she buried many years ago, the raging grief of so many deaths. Sorrow again, loss, as the ship leavens, creak of oar and plank, its hull buoyed by the current of the Tiber. The price of love.

Gwen approaches the rails, reaching for a final glimpse of her world these last 10 years. Sadness, inevitable at their parting, hangs heavy in Gudrun’s mind. The uncertainty breaking through the excitement animating Gwen’s clean lined face when she seeks Gudrun across the distance of the widening waters eases some of the weight of her sorrow, realizing just then, how much she has meant to her young charge. Gudrun nods to her farewell as the ship glides further from the dock. Her blessing and confidence in that bow of her head.

It's enough. Her breath catches, the shade about Gwen hovering, cast back by the brightness, not only in the sudden joy shining in the younger woman's eyes, but her spirit. Blazing. To Gudrun's Sight it's a corona that washes out the image of the ship, passengers milling around Gwen--so bright, Gudrun feels the world sway.

She catches herself, shaking her head to clear it, swallow air to still the gallop of her pulse. A small wave of her hand reassures the concerned glance of a food vendor from his stall. So bright, into the threads of the future sometimes illuminated by this curse. Gwenafyr's spirit shimmers, dew drops along spider-silk lit by the sun, her strand dancing with the warp and weft of time. And always, around her, shadow of Grim's talons trying to grasp her light. Until another ray, lancing brilliance, tangles the dark claws away. That second soul always with her, hearts vowed in every life.

Her laugh is purely internal. *Plug it, Old Man. She's never been yours, and never will be.*

His voice isn't sound so much as as sensation. The draft of heat from flame. A wash of fire in the air, heaviness like a brewing storm, pressing thick in the wind. *No. But I am hers, when she wants. And want,* the voice a sigh in the dark, *she will.* Sensuous, it wraps around her, shivering caress down her spine.

Curse the bastard. This ecstasy he commands, how longing not felt for years can awaken her dried husk of flesh, sagging breasts and wrinkled thighs warming with forgotten urge.

*Soon daughter. Soon.* Gudrun hopes whatever passes for his incorporeal eye, the one observing the world, he can see her scowl, plain across her brow.

*Easily. That's why I always favored you over Brynhilde. She worshiped until she hated. You...you hated from the first. My mead deepened your bitterness, Gudrun. But recall, you never denied my gifts. Neither will she.*

*No,* Gudrun finds herself humoring him like they're a pair of old lovers. *But she may take your gifts and turn them into something even you never anticipated, Old Man. She cast Andarvi's Horde from curse to blessing, easing the lives of our poor. And his ring, when finally melted down, became...* At this she does let her dry chuckle escape, hearing, feeling a flabbergasted god's very mortal consternation.

*...became her set of surgical instruments.* Gudrun isn't certain, but she thinks Wotan might not be a little pleased. *Walkryian.*

"She's no harvester of the dead, Old Man. Let her be." Her pointed defense rings sharp in the silence of a deserted square lying along the route she’s chosen. A reluctant fountain bubbles from an eroded sculpture of Venus cuddling Eros in her lap.

*Change, chaos, wrecker of order, I am. Even gods can be no other than what our nature dictates, Gudrun. Her line has always drawn me, at these crossroads of fate. Darkness. Light. She possesses both destruction and rebirth.*

"And she fears neither, Old Man. Nor does she believe in your wyrd."

*Enlightenment,* his utterance, a breeze stirring, sweeping the detritus of the streets in her wake.

"I believe the word she used was...*wealwian*," Gudrun counters.

Silence. So profound, for a moment, she thinks she's actually offended old One Eye. Until, faint at first, a building crescendo of laughter, thunder, waves, and wind in her mind, fills her sense with his joy.

*You’ve done well, Gudrun.* A father, proud of his daughter. She abides his praise, burying her annoyance. He accommodates the capriciousness of human nature with the ease of a child, even when his acolytes deliberately stray, denouncing him, evading his sight.

*A queen like no other. She will invite the end of an age. And seed a new dawn. Where hovers hope, her dream still waits. But it will take shape, in time.*

The air ripples, waves breaking upon the shore of mind. Ebbing, a veil thins between universes. Ghostly, coalescing from a fog. A man, lean of limb, hair like russet leaves in autumn sunset, elegant in height, dressed in foreign garb. Shirt and vest, trousers cut to the knee--strange to an eye accustomed still, to the swathes of robes donned by Latin magistrates, But the trappings of the desk at which he’s hunched, intent upon his writing, a candle burning against shadows, are recognizable luxuries, despite the span of time between Gudrun’s present, and this future she into which she peers.

His hand, furious as the speed of a river flowing from restless thought. *The tree of Liberty...* The syllables a garble of incomprehension. She recognizes their rhythm if not their sound. It’s the magic of poetry. Wotan’s gift. Gudrun has known bards in her lifetime. Gundahar crafted verse of such beauty, hearts broke, and serpents sighed in slumber. She knows well, this passion bleeding into ink, soaked into a parchment she’s never witnessed, fine white sheaves, smooth, blank medium where his vision pours from his crippled hand. His ravenous mind.

A door latch releases. Gudrun, peering into dream, sees a woman, young, slight-built, her apparel too, strange, curves of bust and waist fitted into drab gray, but the trappings accentuate feminine proportions of limb and torso, while skirts, floor-length and layered, conceal the line of leg. What odd tastes must dictate fashion in that foreign time. The woman turns from hanging her outer-wear upon a coat hook. A cloud of black waves crowns her head, tresses bound into a careless chignon. Her eyes, dark, deepened by her sharp-boned, vivid features, linger upon the man. Full of a suffering even Gudrun, in her cynicism, far removed from this moment yet to come, finds hard to bear.

The man’s hand slows in its frenzied scribbles. Stills. He leans back in his chair, stealing himself, it seems, to meet the young woman’s gaze. The look, passing between them, long in its silence, conveys what Gudrun has lived, of yearning, tenderness, and despair. And she knows, sure in her bones, certain as Sigfrid’s love once filling her lost youth, it’s the woman’s strength and courage which embody everything blooming of hope and truth, testimony from this conflicted scribe. Every bard and poet harbors some tortured secret. Even the intellectuals. That’s the only pearl which Gudrun ponders as the scene dissolves, froth of waves merging back into the vast sea. Her present, this mundane world, dusk descending upon the abandoned plaza, tucked away in its maze of streets in a city fallen into ruin. Rome. Once the Queen of the World.

And Gwenafyr ferch Edern--destined to become a queen like no other other. Whose progeny, whether they thrive or perish, will leave their mark upon dreams undiscovered.

*There once was a dream that was Rome...*

#Arthuriana #Gwenhwyfar #Roman Britain #Thomas Jefferson #Scotch doctress #Prerevolutionary Paris

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alia-turin · 6 years

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Way to fall

Summary: It’s Memorial day, Cor and Nyx having some hard time dealing with loss. No idea if things like Memorial day or similar would exist in the FFXV world, however it does seem logical considering the pretty constant state of war and the losses thy have to endure.

Notes: The fic is safe for work, however PTSD and alcohol problems are heavily hinted inside.

And will tag: @ignisthot @a-kingsglaive-hero @birdsandivory @jojopitcher @yourcoolfriendwithallthecandy @themissimmortal @littlestfangirl if I have missed someone, I am sorry. If you want to be tagged (or wish me to stop tagging you) in the future do let me know. Thank you for reading!

Cor disliked these ceremonies. He knew the point of them, he knew that people appropriated it, but he didn’t. He didn’t need a ceremony, speech and few flowers on a monument to remember. He used to look very differently on all that when he was much younger and significantly more irrational. Then he liked the attention, the free drink or food that he can get here or there, but the dead friends started becoming more than the living and life turned out to be a bit more complicated than just killing enemies and protecting the king. Everyone seemed to die around him, the world seemed to fall apart around him, but he was here, standing doing what had to be done, no matter the cost.

Nyx was standing at attention with his fellow glaives listening to the King’s speech. He wasn’t really listening to it. The words were reaching his ears but somehow running past them. Every year it was all the same, behind different words of course. Courage, sacrifice, loss of life, appreciation, gratitude. Someone somewhere out there in the crowd probably cared. The families of soldiers who had died in combat probably were grateful to the King saying few nice words. They were probably even more grateful when at the end of the ceremony all the names of the men and women lost in combat were read. See, your son or daughter might be dead but here are some nice words. Nyx wasn’t angry at the king or the ceremony. There weren’t many ways that one could actually pay respect to the losses of war. What made him angry was the fact that they were still losing people. He came back from deployment last night and he didn’t even have the time to properly mourn the three comrades they have lost. In his books drinking alone a bottle of whiskey wasn’t really properly mourning he needed at least three and getting unconscious at least twice.

Cor came off the stage after he had listed all the Crownsguard men and women that have lost their lives in the past year. Far too many than he liked, but then again even one was too many for him. Drautos was after him on the stage listing his glaives and their accomplishments. Cor spaced out looking at Regis standing proud, face serious like a marble statue. The King looked strong and powerful today which made Cor wonder how many potions it took for that. He knew that soon his friend will be on his list of ‘losses’. That war was costing more than human life. It was absorbing the life force of the Regis and Cor could do nothing but watch. ‘The Immortal’. He wondered how many friends and kings he will outlive before the point that he is in fact very much mortal is proven. Worse what if he really was immortal and he had to watch everyone he knew die? That seemed absurd of course but he had lived through things no one else had. He had outlived so many people that deserved life more than he did.

Nyx stumbled in the bar grateful that he could finally spend the day drowning his misery and grieving the only way he found acceptable. Unfortunately for him the place was crowded and the only available space was at the bar.

‘Is the place taken?’ he asked the man that was sitting there.

‘No.’ as the man turned toward him Nyx realized that was The Immortal. Cor Leonis. The Marshal himself. He had seen the man around the Citadel and the barracks but he never had the honor of meeting. The sixteen years old in him was screaming inside of his head like a little girl.

Nyx sat on the chair and ordered a drink. Took the bartender awhile to bring it, but the moment she did, the drink was already gone and he was ordering a second.

Cor looked at the man next to him ordering his third drink in a roll for a period of less than five minutes and struggled with himself regarding the right course of action. The man was a glaive, and he was pretty sure he had seen him around the Citadel. The way he was drinking was reminding him a lot of Cor himself when he was younger than the man. Alcohol was never Cor’s way to take his anger or grief away, but he certainly had tried. There are times in life when you try everything possible to forget.

‘You are in the glaive right?’ Cor finally asked.

‘Yeah…’ the man seemed a bit surprised by the question. Not offended which was good, Cor wasn’t in the mood for a bar fight.

‘Cor Leonis.’ He offered his hand to the mad and he took it eagerly.

‘Nyx Ulrich.’

The Marshal’s memory clicked as the name was mentioned. He had heard Titus prize someone by that name, but Cor never had the honor to connect the name with a face.

‘Tough deployment?’ Cor still wasn’t sure if he wanted to get himself into that. If it were him he would just tell anyone who approached him to fuck off and continue drinking. Of course, that was years ago, he was a different man now, more responsible with way more care for his soldiers or any soldiers the kingdom had for that matter.

‘Lost three friends.’ Nyx had no idea why he suddenly shared that. He wasn’t in the bar to seek a shoulder to cry on. He didn’t need a shoulder to cry on he needed to forget.

‘I’m sorry for your loss.’ Cor answered and he lifted his glass signing a toast and then drank.

‘How do you deal with that?’ Nyx eventually asked after very long silence. That wasn’t like him, but the alcohol and the stone that had been stuck in his throat since yesterday was making him way more talkative than he wanted to be on topics he usually didn’t care to discuss. ‘I mean you are called the Immortal because you have outlived a lot of people.’ Ouch. That was probably a bit too much of a dick move.

‘You don’t.’ Cor had to wait couple of seconds before answering. He hated when people brought his so-called immortality into conversations and they seemed to do that every fucking time. He wasn’t Immortal, he bled and hurt like everyone else, he just had hard time to die. He smirked. Not dying was kind of the definition of being immortal. ‘You can drink’ he finally continued. ‘You can sleep with different partners every night…you can go for various types of self-destroying behavior, truth is that pain never goes away. You just need to stop blaming yourself.’ Cor almost laughed after he said that. Easy said than done, and he probably should follow his own advice.

That was when it hit Nyx. Stop blaming yourself. He wasn’t able to name it until now, but he was blaming himself. Sure, he was blaming himself for his family’s sufferings, the fact that he couldn’t help them. That was clear to him. But he never connected the dots that he was also blaming himself for the death of his fellow glaives. Blaming himself for not being there to save them or not being physically able to do so. Blaming himself for being alive. Why did he deserve to be alive when everyone else was dying?

#nyx ulrich #cor leonis #nyx ulric #cor #final fantasy xv #ffxv #ficlet #my writing

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fanforfanatic · 7 years

Text

Kisses by Sunflower Beds

ao3 // for @reallyelegantsharkfish

In his last moments, Dean sees his life flash before his eyes which is how he knows that this time it will stick, knows it’s for good and there’s no coming back from this one.

In truth, he doesn’t actually see his life but feels it. He’s overwhelmed by a sense of accomplishment and he associates it to every time he took care of Sammy when they were children, got them through the night, got his kid brother to laugh instead of ask questions. He associates it with the first time he shot a firearm and his dad called him a natural. The first time he saved a life. The first time he saved the world. The first time he made Cas come.

A wave of joy hits him after that. Prank wars with Sam. Antics with Charlie. Driving Baby. His first lazy Sunday with Cas. Every lazy Sunday with Cas after that.

With his dying breath, Dean smells motor oil and pie and sex and honey and it all smells good. It smells perfect melded together, though it shouldn’t, and if it were bottled the label would read Life of Dean Winchester. He doesn’t smell blood or burning flesh or sulfur.

He hears his favourite tune along with Cas’ clumsy mumble and Sam’s off key singing.

Dean feels his life slip away with all his senses—save for sight. That’s not to say he doesn’t see anything. He sees tree twigs that look big in the chubby hands of children, he sees long dark hair he hasn’t encountered before, a stone path and a bed of sunflowers and the sight of an ugly yellow backpack in Baby’s backseat. He doesn’t remember any of these things, not really, but he still somehow recognises them. They feel like memories, like they belong to him.

Dean’s last thought is of the botanical garden Cas had wanted—insisted on—them going to. Dean didn’t care much for it but agreed because he wasn’t one to deny Cas anything. Still, it took them years to find the time to make the trip.

Sam decided to come along because there’s a library in the area that has a whole section on South American lore, something the bunker was lacking. He was essentially crashing their date so Sam offered shotgun to Cas.

He was a little cramped in the backseat and had to angle his body sideways to make room for his legs, but when Dean’s hand wasn’t on the gear shift it was in Cas’ so Sam didn’t mind so much.

Halfway there they got the call that lead the brothers to their final case. To this final moment where Dean’s only regret is that he doesn’t get the chance to be led around between patches of green by Cas as the angel prattles on about one fact or another.

—

It’s not like Cas didn’t know it would happen eventually, inevitably, but he thought he’d be the first to go. He’s the immortal one, and the Winchesters had a knack for surviving.

Still, knowing that something is going to happen, knowing that Sam and Dean would not live forever even though it felt like they should, doesn’t prepare him at all.

Sam and Dean go out like they always promised they would. Fighting. It’s an honourable death but what is the point of an honourable death, Cas wonders, when your loved ones are lost to you.

He drives the impala back to the bunker. He could have flown it but that didn’t feel right. He gets pulled over once and he thinks the officer takes pity on him. Cas can imagine what he looks like, the blue of his puffy eyes contrasting with the veiny red, hair looking like it’s been tugged at—because it has— his chapped gnawed-at lower lip stained red from iron-tasting blood.

He doesn’t make it to the bed he shares with Dean. He pretends it’s because the bedroom is too far down the hall and he’s so tired, but it’s because he can’t bear the sight of it. He stumbles—he is exhausted—into a random room, sheds his trench coat halfway to the bed before he lands on it. Or lands on something on the bed.

SUPERNATURAL by Carver Edlund

It’s the room Charlie would stay in, he knows now. He doesn’t mean to, but he ends up cracking open the book and reading all about the first time Sam and Dean came across the croatoan virus.

It’s the real Dean; the depiction is accurate and these are real events from the hunter’s life, but it’s not really Dean. It grows the already too wide hole inside of Cas. He can’t bring Dean back. But he can’t be without him. So Cas leaves to meet versions of Dean he hasn’t come across before, versions of Dean even Chuck didn’t take the time to write about.

—

Dean is three, almost four, when Cas, invisible, appears in the boy’s Lawrence home. Dean is kneeling on the sofa beside a pregnant Mary who tells him that it’s ok to touch.

“It’s your little brother in there, Dean,” she says.

Dean purses his still thin lips, scratches a hair full of hair that’s only blond like Mary’s in the summer, and says, “That’s where Daddy put him?”

Mary chokes a little when she laughs and moves into a tamed explanation of the birds and the bees.

Cas doesn’t listen; his eyes are peeled on Dean. This little boy who has no idea he’ll one day save a dying sun. This little boy that scrunches his face just like his Dean does, that shakily places a hand on his mother’s belly all false bravado, that has freckles splayed across his cheeks.

All Cas wants to do is to move closer. Is to stare. Is to see if three year-old Dean has all the freckles his Dean has or if some appeared with time. All Cas wants is to hold this boy. To tell him he’s perfect. To tell him he is loved. Cas can’t do any of these things.

He decides that’s unacceptable.

—

At eight Dean already knows how to shoot a firearm, so when the kids in his class want to pretend the sticks they find along the fence of the school lot are guns, he’s happy that one boy wants to stack twigs as high as he can instead.

Every recess, Dean looks for a pair of blue eyes and the darkest hair on the playground and the two go off together. Cas—though Dean calls him Scottie in this vessel—recounts to Dean these wild stories about a pair of heroes, and they run around reenacting them.

In this town, Dean doesn’t mind so much that he’s responsible for getting Sam and himself home to the motel. He doesn’t mind that his dad doesn’t pick them up like all the other kids’ dads do, because Dean gets to linger around the school and hang out with one of his first real friends.

One day, maybe two weeks since Dean transferred to this school, Dean says, “You can be the righteous man this time.” It's awesome that Scottie always lets him play the hero but Dean doesn’t mind trading.

Cas shakes his head. “It has to be you, Dean.”

—

At twelve Dean has seen more horror than most men twice his age, than men thrice his age, so when his new teacher asks Dean why he won’t just apply himself, Dean has a biting retort ready at the tip of his tongue.

Another kid in class speaks up first. Her name is Olive, an army brat that transferred in February just like Dean. She’ll probably get to finish the year here, Dean thinks. He knows he, on the other hand, won’t be around next week.

Cas uses Olive’s voice to rebel for Dean and tells the teacher to promptly fuck off.

Dean laughs, loud and rambunctious, a type of laugh he hasn’t had since Sammy started asking so many questions, then says, “Yeah, sweetheart,” with his trademark-to-be smirk directed at the professor.

Dean gets more than a full week at the school. They end up staying long enough, a solid two months, that John rents a trailer for them. He’s in detention almost every day but it’s okay because so is Olive.

They’re often left alone, so they get up to no good. Trolling the halls of the school after hours, setting up pranks and playing games. Dean thinks Olive must be really smart, must really know how to get inside people’s heads, because she always knows where he stashes himself when they play hide-and-seek. Or maybe she’s just good at looking for things. Or maybe she’s just good at finding Dean.

It’s very Breakfast Club and Olive is the Molly Ringwald to his Judd Nelson. Or maybe not because she’s not much of a princess and all Rebel. Maybe, with her, Dean doesn’t feel quite as angry as Bender anyway.

Until he is twenty nine, Dean will remember her as his first crush.

—

At fifteen, Dean is already a ladies man so he’s kissed a lot of pretty girls, but it’s his first time kissing a pretty boy. His hair is blond and curly (Dean wants to wrap a ringlet around his finger immediately.) and his eyes are blue and bright.

Cas introduces himself to Dean as Noah and they hit it off almost instantly. Noah is the furthest thing from every teenage stereotype Dean’s encountered through hopping from one school to the next. Noah knows too much about everything, more than a fifteen year old should know about anything. He speaks almost methodically and always with intent, and Dean likes that he talks to him more than anyone else.

They hang out in the patch of woods behind the high school and they talk about nonsense but sometimes they talk about things Dean wouldn’t tell another living soul. Things Dean usually doesn’t even dare to think about too loudly in case he taints his surroundings with his personal strand of sick.

Dean thinks Noah’s smile is too wide and earnest to corrupt. Like this boy could take Dean on, bruises and flaws and all.

Sometimes, they don’t talk at all. Dean just sits at the foot of a tree, arms resting on bent knees, and watches Cas watch the plants around them. Cas tells Dean about the different flowers, he picks up ladybugs on his finger tips, and he grins all the while. Dean watches.

John leaves them the impala for emergencies when he goes off on solo hunts now, opting instead for a stolen vehicle. Dean isn’t of age yet but it’s not like he doesn’t have a fake license and it’s not like he didn’t learn to drive years ago, so when Cas brings up the famed botanical garden in Athens, Georgia, just a two towns over, Dean only needs to be cajoled a little to agree to go.

Mostly he wants to see what Noah looks like in the only home he’s known. He looks good. He looks ethereal, with the sun filtering in through Baby’s window, illuminating the boy’s light hair like a halo.

At the garden, Dean allows himself to get dragged around and at first he only really listens to Cas because he likes the sound of his voice, deeper than his appearance suggests. Eventually, though, he listens because Cas tells him things like oak trees are struck by lightning more than any other tree and carrots were originally purple, you know? Dean didn’t know.

Cas is talking about the bees now, about how it’s all there, the whole plan, about how there’s nothing to add. They’re by a bed of sunflowers, tall enough to shade them from the sun, when Dean decides he doesn’t want to hear Cas talk anymore. When he gently places a hand on the blond boy’s elbow to turn him. So that they’re facing each other. So that they’re leaning in. So that their lips brush and press. So that tongues can meet and take and taste.

Noah tastes like honey and something nutty.

John packs them up the very next day. He’s back and he’s got a lead, and he doesn’t allow Sam or Dean to say bye to any of their friends. Dean scolds himself. He should know better by now than to want things he can’t have.

—

Dean’s first solo hunt isn't exactly pre-approved by his father. In fact, Dean sneaks off to pursue the case. He’s freshly turned nineteen, has a GED in his back pocket and no prospects other than the family business. He’s not like Sam who could do so much more, be so much more, not that Dean thinks Sam would ever leave them.

Dean figures if hunting is going to be his career he’s going to have to strike off on his own, eventually. The case he tracks down is supposed to be an easy salt ‘n burn but quickly turns into a multi-haunting situation. Which is where he meets Cas for the umpteenth time, only this time Cas goes by Dylan.

She’s the town’s minister’s daughter, old enough to need convincing to let Cas in but devout enough that it doesn’t take much. He pretends she’s a hunter, showing up at the house Dean is scanning for EMF, as though she’d stumbled on the same case.

Dean might have tried to blow her off, this is his hunt, but Dylan is hot with long, dark, brown hair that’s only a shade lighter than her eyes. Besides, the pair work really well together; it’s uncanny. If Dean didn’t know any better he’d think this wasn’t their first time teaming up.

Once the box of antique gems is salted and burned, Dean wants to take her out, wants to take her to bed, on some level he doesn’t totally comprehend, he wants to take her home.

The Dylan vessel isn’t as strong as the others, however, too far from the Novak bloodline to withstand the toll of containing an angel and his grace. So when Dean proposes they have a drink for a job well done, Castiel turns him down.

—

In his life, Dean falls in love exactly twice and it’s always with Cas. The first time, he calls him Cassie Robinson.

Cas is selfish and wants to keep Dean, like this, naked in the bed of his vessel’s dorm room, forever. But Dean needs to get going, needs to get Sam from Stanford, needs to start on the path that will land him in hell just so Cas can raise him from it. Just so Dean can pull him from heaven. Just so they can be together, really be together, where they’ll always belong.

It surprises Cas, when Dean opens up about hunting, when he tells Cassie all about the life, all about the family business. It breaks Cas’ heart to break Dean’s, to pretend like he doesn’t believe the hunter’s confessions, to pretend like what he wants is for Dean to leave.

—

Cas only watches after that. He can’t risk interacting with both Winchesters, can’t risk Time and Space and the Continuum. Sometimes he thinks it’s more torturous than if he’d stayed in the bunker. Looking and never touching, never talking, never being seen, it chips away at him.

He caves in small doses. He takes over the vessel of a sheriff, of a pathologist, of a mechanic selling parts. They’re brief encounters, mostly case-related, but charged with something Dean can never name.

Dean is twenty-nine and Hell bound when Cas serves him a beer at a dingy bar.

“Something stronger after this,” Dean pauses to read the name tag. “Casey,” he finishes, looking into the familiar blue eyes of the bartender. He double checks the tag, thinking maybe it’ll read Scottie, or Scott he supposes. The man’s name is Casey.

Cas raises a brow at him and Dean feels properly chastised.

“Please.”

“Of course.”

Dean takes him back to his motel, more grateful than ever that he took the week away from Sam, and Cas lets him. Cas thought brief encounters would be enough, but he was wrong. They’re not. Cas is always going to need more.

It’s Dean’s first time with a man and it’s not what he’s imagined over the years but it’s exactly what he expects from Casey. Casey, who tastes like peanuts and something sweet. His calm nature at the bar translates into the way the man opens him up slow and deliberate. It has Dean ready to come before a condom is even rolled on.

The way Cas slips into him is slow too, too slow for Dean. Dean is angry and afraid and he knows it’s only going to get worse. He knows he’s going to hell. Knows what he’ll become there.

He tries to goad Cas into being rougher, into slamming into him harder, into getting Dean to hurt a little so that he doesn’t drown inside himself.

Cas knows what Dean is doing of course, and it’s not what the man needs. If there’s one thing Cas knows it’s how to take care of Dean Winchester.

Turns out, Dean doesn’t need pain to lose himself that night. The languid but hard drag of Cas’ cock inside him, the murmured words against his spine, the firm press of a hand between his shoulder blades, it all takes Dean somewhere else.

Dean hadn’t been touched like this, this tenderly with so much care, since Cassie, but he's been needing to be touched just like this for years. He feels starved for it and Casey keeps giving and giving.

Dean doesn’t realise he’s about to come until he’s already coming. It’s the best—it’s the best orgasm he’s ever had, though not the best he’ll ever have, which makes sense because it’s the first time Cas fucks him.

It knocks the wind out of his chest but Dean still manages to whine out a Case , the nickname he’d chosen for Casey earlier in the night.

If Cas tries hard enough, he can almost hear Dean saying his real name instead.

They go again an hour later, after a heated discussion about something Cas knows riles Dean up, and then again in the morning before a nap. Cas doesn’t sleep but when Dean slips out of bed he pretends to.

He also pretends he doesn’t know why he does it, but it’s definitely because he doesn’t know how to say goodbye to Dean again, one final time. Cas doesn’t want to.

Dean dies for the first time a few weeks after that.

Four months later he meets Castiel. The angel feels so familiar which is maybe why he decides to trust him so quickly, but Dean doesn’t remember any iteration of Cas he’s met up until then. Cas left those memories in the pit, to keep from jeopardising the future. Everything they do, always for the greater good.

Cas doesn’t know what to do with himself anymore. He’s borrowed too much time from Dean’s youth and he can’t interact with him now that Dean has met him, really met him. Cas is alone. He doesn’t see that ever changing.

—

Dean dies for the last time at forty-two.

His most prominent regret, ridiculously enough because Dean has made greater mistakes in his life than this, is that he doesn’t get the chance to be led around at the garden Cas has raved about. Cas had mentioned sunflowers in the garden once, almost shyly as opposed to how he spoke about all the other exhibits. Dean thinks Cas’ tone meant that he wants to be kissed there. Dean plans to kiss him there. He dies thinking that he never will, doesn’t remember that he already has.

Read @reallyelegantsharkfish’s version of this story here if you want to cry

#destiel #destiel fanfiction #destiel drabble #destiel angst #destiel fluff #also #my writing #fanforfanatic #kisses by sunflower beds #spn #spn fanfiction #a little #destiel smut #this premise ruined my mind body and soul

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spitfiretout · 7 years

Text

#ATravelersCurse

Katherine Pierce @SpitfireTout

@CorruptHumanity

{When I had died and jumped into Elena’s body it was the most amazing feeling. To be free again, no one chasing me, no one judging me. And best of all #Elena had both Salvatore’s wrapped around her finger. Though her being the impetuous little thing she was kept choosing #Damon. Though I had done many wrongs and was now the gift #Stefan had bestowed upon me on my death bed made me see what others could not. That I was not the monster everyone thought. That I was merely a teenage girl that had her child ripped away from her, banished to a foreign land and attempted to be made into a sacrifice by a monster of a man. Whom of which would never let me go. Being on the run had made me hard and cold. I never got to be a mother, or be in love. Until I fell upon Mystic Falls. When I first saw #Stefan I knew. And upon our first meeting more chivalrous then most could ever live to be. #Damon, he had a bravado for life that drew a lot of women. I cared greatly for #Damon but I was in love with #Stefan. He made me feel alive. When his father found out what I was and things went south it destroyed me to leave him like I did. I could never tell either of them the truth. Having daylight rings crafted for them and knowing they would find their way to the both of them. I could not blame them for hating me. Especially #Damon, thinking I was trapped all those years. But I did not regret making him what he was. A stronger man and vampire, a survivor like myself. If he admitted that or not. And I told him as much before things went so not my way. The local busboy was so easily compelled to help me blend as Elena. But my own desire to be the teen in love got me into trouble; in the end I stood in the Salvatore boarding house. I had watched my own daughter die. The one that was ripped from my arms so long ago. This Was how it went, the end of the elusive Katherine Pierce. Not by the hands of Klaus but by my true love, #Stefan.} I guess this is how our love story ends. {A sharp pain shot through my gut and into my very soul as my spirit was torn from the body I inhabited. Appearing to #Bonnie I more than spoke my peace. Planting my hands lips pursed in a firm line and lashes fluttered shut.} I’m ready. {Nothing, what the hell?} I said I’m ready. {I merely got a perplexed look, #Bonnie telling me she didn’t control things before suddenly being drug away. Appearing back at the boarding house where it seemed sweet innocent little Elena was coming around.} No wait, what the hell is going on here? {#Bonnie finally showing back to check on everyone confirming I had showed but that I did not cross over. Perplexed glances were exchanged as everyone huddled around Elena. “At least the bitch is dead and gone.” #Damon exclaimed. Of course he would say that, dick. A scoff departing as I headed for the door, but I could not leave. Why, why could I not escape this damn house? As time drew on I remained trapped in the boarding house. Watching as a new witch became friends with the "crew" forcing Matt and Tyler to stab themselves with the knife to prove they were not indeed travelers themselves. Arching a darkened brow the girl was crafty. I kind of liked her for making them do that. Though Tyler instantly healed Matty boy however did not. Poor human, sucks don’t it? I was there when Tyler stabbed Sheriff Forbes. Oh, Caroline got her mommy back. How sweet. If I was corporal I have barfed in my mouth at how sickeningly sweet it was that they all cared about each other. But why the fuck was it that everywhere that knife went I had to go? Just as Mrs. Forbes collapsed something odd happened to Tyler. Making way behind him as if some invisible force pulled me along. A strange house he handed the knife over to a man named Markos. He went on to tell him about how this was the last one, the last remaining weapon that could remove a traveler from a person’s body. Killing the passenger and not harming the host. In that moment I hated my father for not telling me more about where I came from, who I was. But he was the reason I was in this situation. Taking my child and casting me out. Watching as Markos threw the knife into the fire, the metal smelting into a puddle as the handle charred and fell off into bits of ash. Suddenly everything went dark. I was cold and felt heavy. Unable to open my eyes when a horrid pain surged, it felt like an eternity. My mind whirling with a range of what if’s. Feeling cold stone beneath me. Suddenly I felt bone and flesh knitting together, nerves and organs seemingly regenerating as I was able to peer open my eyes. Darkness surrounded me; heaving a breath as I felt my heart race. Pushing slowly to sit hands smoothed over long overgrown locks, a groan departing parched lips.} What the hell just happened? {Blurry eyes attempting to adjust to the dim light that seeped through the cracks of the tomb where my body had been lain. I knew where I was. Slender digits feeling around till I found my way to the exit. Some how finding way to wedge an opening large enough to wiggle my lithe frame out of the musty area. The smell of the fall woods tingling my nostrils as I inhaled a deep breath. Tired, sore and hungry I made way to the boarding house. I knew my way around there well enough to know I could sneak in and out with out being noticed, probably. Or I would be killed /again/. Managing to get in and out as it seemed everyone was preoccupied. I made way to a neighboring house and hitched a ride into town. All cleaned up, they thought I was Elena, visiting from school. As I made it into town I had no idea what had happened. The sacrifices of people, the explosion in the center of town. Damon…. was dead? Really dead? Shaking my head I could not believe it. That was when I heard the rumors, rumors of the magic that kept vampires out of Mystic Falls. I knew I had to get gone and fast. Stefan, he was probably a mess. I had to see if he was okay, even if he did hate me.}

Stefan Salvatore @CorruptHumanity

@SpitfireTout

[Immortality, sure it sounded good but at what point does the price just become too much? I'd lost the person who had known me the longest. And Damon had been happy, he finally had everything he had ever wanted. He should be here, not me. Why did I deserve another chance and not him? Everything bad he had ever done was all on me. I was the one who turned him into a monster and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't pull him back from that edge. The only person who successfully managed to turn him into a better man, into /the/ better man was Elena. Now I was forced to watch her suffer through the pain of losing him too.. or at least I was until she had Alaric compel every last good memory of Damon away, locking me away with my grief. No one else felt the weight of his loss as I did. Unable to even set foot in my home of Mystic Falls anymore, thanks to the Travelers and their border spell, not that anything good remained on the other side of the border. Just a whole lot of memories and a suffocating guilt. Both of which I carried with me. Old friends believing I left to seek out a way to bring both Damon and Bonnie back, for awhile that was exactly what I did. Every lead, no matter how small, was looked into. I visited every witch and every sharman around the globe. There was nothing. Damon and Bonnie were dead. I had to accept that. The time had come to move on, forget my past and leave the name Salvatore behind. This wasn't the first time I'd reinvented myself over the centuries and it surely wouldn't be the last. I'd chosen Savannah as the next spot on the map to call my home. Calls from friends went unanswered, I had to erase everything from my past. I was rebuilding, I had a home, a job as a mechanic and a girlfriend who knew nothing of my past, I was happy, for the first time in months. Which of course, would be exactly the moment my past would decide to pay a visit. It came in the form of Caroline and Enzo. Caroline, clearly hurt that I'd given up on my search, while Enzo was pissed. Both incapable of understanding the need we all had to move on from what we lost. My reasoning wasn't enough for Enzo, no. He wanted to hurt me for what he viewed as a brotherly betrayal. His revenge came in the form of Ivy’s death at his hands. The first person who I'd dared to care about since Damon died. The experience brought along with it, renewed pain from Damon's death. I'd rebuilt, moved on, only to once again be left with nothing]

Katherine Pierce @SpitfireTout

@CorruptHumanity

{Of course Caroline and her little bosom buddy would know where Stefan was. With no compulsion and no inhuman strength I had to pull out unthinkable things to get what I needed. Some dumbass left their keys setting beside the keyboard in the library. Not that I liked being there, but hey I needed to do research. Not like I had money to buy a map. Dashing outside before the person returned from where ever they waltzed off to. Glancing around the parking lot a slender finger pressing the button on the fob as a blue Toyota chirped. Well, at least it's reliable and it won't stand out. Turning the key I quickly pulled out, a smile quirked on glossed lips realizing there was a full tank of gas, my lucky day. My mind a buzzed with thoughts of what Stefan could possibility be doing, the guilt he was probably holding on his shoulders. I knew how he was. Did he go off the rails, what did Caroline have planned? I was half way to Savannah before needing gas, pulling into a station I pulled on my best southern charm. The car in front of me had already swiped his car in the pump, my eyes started to rim with tears.} Sir, if I may....{sniffing as I talk} I'm sorry it's just.... my mom... {Pulling a total lie} I need to get to Savannah and my purse got snatched a few town back, I don't have time to file everything she's dying. I have to get to her. Would you accept this as payment? {Unclasping my daylight necklace and handing it over, I didn't need it anymore.} It's an antique and pure silver. {He took my sob story and I was on my way, hours later pulling into a small house on the outskirts of Savannah.} Stefan, gee you really can pick them. {Inhaling a deep breath as fingers knocked on the door, through I was sure he heard me long before the knock. Don't kill me. I thought to myself.}

Stefan Salvatore @CorruptHumanity

@SpitfireTout

[With Caroline and Enzo long gone, I had been left to clear out the mess left within my home. Nothing was broke that couldn't be replaced, except Ivy. No matter where I went, what I did, people who got close to me ended up hurt. Was that to be my eternal punishment? Karma's way of ensuring I never found peace after forcing my brother to turn? Ivy, the latest in a long line of victims, didn't deserve that fate. She was a sweet girl, who slowed down the spiral I found myself in, once I finally allowed myself to admit that Damon was gone for good. Retrieving a beer from the fridge, my mind wandered over the numerous places where Ivy could be put to rest. Her body was currently stashed away in my trunk, hardly a fitting place for someone I had cared deeply for. Announcing her passing to any family she may of had would only turn the spotlight upon myself and I couldn't let that happen. I'd have to disappear soon enough as it was. Recent visits having drawn too much attention my way. Taking a swig from my beer, hearing the engine of an approaching car. What was this? Caroline ready for round two already? She didn't give up, I'd give her that] I'm not doing this again, Care.. [Pulling open the door, my words accompanied by a sigh. Emerald gaze, not finding the expected female on the other side of the threshold] Elena. [Thick brows furrowed, the very second I'd uttered the name, I knew I was wrong. The petite brunette standing before me was Katherine, not Elena. How she was here, I had no idea, nor did I really care. Too defeated to even attempt to interrogate her, booted feet simply stepped aside to let her pass] Make yourself at home.

Katherine Pierce @SpitfireTout

@CorruptHumanity

{I didn't know if that was Stefan's wishful thinking or if he was simply too exhausted to even care. Dark eyes rounded with softness stepping across the threshold, the home was simple, very Stefan like. My ride had been long and I was starving. My stomach growled, but I ignored it as I stepped around to meet Stefan's gaze. He was obviously distraught, a deep sigh exasperated from glossed lips.} I know you hate me, I know I've done some bad things...... okay, horrible things, like Klaus level things. But I somehow got a second chance and I came here for you, Stefan. I heard what happened and, {swallows thickly} I know you, you're feeling guilty. {Attempts to ease the tension by retrieving a beer of my own from the fridge. Taking a long swallow to try and calm my growling stomach.} Think, think long and hard. What could you have honestly done to make things any different? {Leaning against the counter, a brow perked in question. Slightly nervous to touch him in his unknown state with my history and now mortality.}

Stefan Salvatore @CorruptHumanity

@SpitfireTout

[With Katherine now inside, I pushed the door to a close. Leading the way deeper into my home in silence, this morning I had believed I'd lost everyone who had known me back when I was human, and now, here she was. Showing up to prove me wrong, like she had so many times before. Leaning up against the kitchen counter in silence, taking a long sip of beer, letting Katherine say whatever it was she had shown up to say. Finding myself unable to hold her gaze, I redirect mine to the floor, emotion welling up in me as her words hit hard. There was no denying the truth they held. Only daring to look up once her back was turned, an emerald gaze glazed over with all that I had been holding deep inside. How was it that she knew exactly what to say? What I needed to hear? Silence returning to fill the air of the kitchen. Katherine knew both Damon and I when we still possessed some semblance of innocence, she knew the bond we had shared then. A bond that over recent years we had strengthen once more. The woman before me wasn't the same as the woman who had turned me so long ago, bringing so much misery and self loathing upon my life. Here was the woman I had believed Katherine to be, when we had first met. The Katherine I had glimpsed when we learnt the truth of the cure to vampirism. While I appreciated what she was trying to do, I wasn't ready to talk about Damon. Instead I set my beer down, making my way over to the fridge] Are you hungry? [A pointless question since the growling of her stomach hadn't escaped my notice. Without waiting for an answer, I began to pull out a few ingredients to make a simple sandwich]

Katherine Pierce @SpitfireTout

@CorruptHumanity

{I could almost feel his sadness, it was not the usual broody Stefan everyone knew. Being human again was something that would take some getting used to. This empathy I felt towards Stefan.....it was sincere. I had once promised Stefan that one day I could be that girl again, the one he thought I was. I just didn't plan on myself and Damon dying to do it. I loved Damon too, and Stefan knew that. But it was always Stefan that held my deepest affections, but there was no reason he should feel the need to bear the guilt of his brother's death. A soft smile as my gaze fell downwards, eyeing his retrieval of food. Always so noble thinking of others before himself and also diverting the subject in the process. The sneaky devil.} I can't remember the last time I've been this hungry. I think it's been oh.....roughly five hundred and some odd years. {A small laugh breaking free in attempt to break the awkwardness that filled the air.} Nice way to change the subject Stefan, but you know your soul is still beautiful even when you're grieving. Let the guilt go. {A hand lightly retrieving some items from him.} You don't have to do this alone.

Stefan Salvatore @CorruptHumanity

@SpitfireTout

[With my mind now distracted by the task at hand, I found myself able to relax in Katherine's presence. Despite the sadness I still felt, I couldn't hold back the low laugh her quip caused. Allowing her to take some of the items from my arms] I can't.. [The only words I had allowed myself to utter in regards to Damon] ..at least not yet. [My eyes returning to look anywhere but at her, for fear of if I did, then everything I had tried so hard to bury would come rushing to the surface. Comfort was found in the latter of her words, although I had taken steps to cut ties with my past, being within Katherine's presence was different. Old friends knew Damon as the monster turned better man, whereas we both knew him before any of that had happened. She cared for Damon in a way that the others didn't, even if certain actions, on her behalf would suggest otherwise] Thank you. [A genuine smile pulled at the corners of my mouth, words spoken with nothing but sincere gratitude. Katherine was showing me a kindness despite me being the one at the hilt of the blade, casting her from Elena's body] What would you prefer as a filling? [Easing the subject back to that of food] Once you've eaten, maybe then you could share, just how you're alive and in my kitchen.

Katherine Pierce @SpitfireTout

@CorruptHumanity

{Lips pursed at his words, the small smile still visible at the edges of my lips. Of course Stefan could not just 'move on'. It was Damon, his other half. No one else had been through what they had, had the bond they shared. And I would expect nothing less then the sorrow which was obviously sweeping over him.} I'm not trying to push you, I'm only here to help. {Setting the items upon the counter wanting nothing more than to comfort him but lacking in the intuitiveness of how. Comfort, friendship, empathy, those were skills I never learned. How was I supposed to? Never having time to slow down long enough with an angry hybrid on my ass.} Don't thank me, I don't have anywhere else to go. {Fingers fumbling with the twist tie of the bread as I retrieved two slices. Stefan only ate human food to make human's feel comfortable, there was no need for that around me.} Do you have chicken? Pretty sure I'm not speed aging and dying this time, but still not filling up with junk food. {My body now relaxing more as the conversation shifted and he seemed to be a bit more at ease. My thoughts wondering back to my ride here.} Speaking of eating, have you been, you know, eating properly?

Stefan Salvatore @CorruptHumanity

@SpitfireTout

[Nodding along with her words, believing, for once, everything she said. There was no hidden agenda, unless eating all the food from my fridge counted. Not that it was of any use to me anymore, there were no pretenses to keep up, no friends who'd unexpectedly stop by. At least none that were alive] That may be true, but you didn't have to come here either. [Shoulders rolling in a shrug. Somehow Katherine had another chance, free of everything that had once held her back and prevented her from setting down any form of roots. She was free. No one knew she was alive, leaving her to go wherever and be whoever she wanted. Out of all the places in the world, she'd chosen here. Chosen to see how I was dealing, risking her life in the process. The last time we'd seen each other was her death. At my hands. Coming here was no small feat, despite her insistence otherwise. Glancing over the items before us, sure there was chicken here somewhere] Here.. [Pulling a plate from the fridge, a few slices of chicken covered with food wrap remained] You're in luck. [Tapping a hand against my stomach] All the furry creatures I can get my hands on. [Keeping my response light. Sorrow had seemed to strengthen my bloodlust of late, I was sure to stick to my diet of animal blood, I'd lost enough lately, the last thing I wanted was to lose myself]

Katherine Pierce @SpitfireTout

@CorruptHumanity

You're right, I didn't. {I stopped there, not wanting to drone on about love and it being the reason I had to check on him. I had done horrible things, but I said I would never give up, and this was me never giving up. If I had nothing else I had perseverance.} I guess it's just my lucky day. {Retrieving the plate from him, settling into making the sandwich. Mayonnaise, lettuce and the like. Taking several bites before heaving a relieved sigh and leaning against the counter once more washing it down with a sip of beer.} Thank you. To answer your earlier inquiry I don't really know. {Features softening with sincerity as I began telling him the story of how I became attached to the knife. Witnessing what happened to Tyler, what Markos did with the knife and how my spirit was freed.} Then next thing I remember I was in the tomb, it was not pleasant. {Face twisted with a look of asperity as my body shivered.} I made way to the boarding house, cleaned up and when I went into town I heard. I knew I had to find you, make sure you were not off the rails again. Not that it was easy, not having supernatural abilities and the like. {Shrugs taking another bite} A girl's got to do what a girl's got to do.

Stefan Salvatore @CorruptHumanity

@SpitfireTout

[Hands free of the task of making a sandwich, I retrieved my beer from the top, amusement causing the corner of my mouth to twitch with the faintest hint of a smile. Katherine had spent more time as a vampire than she had a human, yet it appeared being in control was something she preferred, regardless of her mortality. All traces of amusement replaced by intrigue, taking a swig of beer, attention solely upon Katherine, intently listening to the tale she had to share. Thick brows drew together in a frown, learning what she had been through left a mixture of emotions rippling through me. Guilt, as always, was a major theme, after all, I was the one who had stabbed her with the traveler knife, which lead to her soul, essence, whatever you wanted to call it, being linked to the blade. Another was resentment. After everything she had done, she'd managed to escape death, yet again. A part of me wanted to hate her, hating her however, was, as I learned a long time ago, something I was incapable of doing] Make sure I wasn't off the rails? [Chuckles to myself] That was a risky move with my history and your current state.

Katherine Pierce @SpitfireTout

@CorruptHumanity

{I could sense Stefan's mixture of emotions, not only because it was written all over his broody face, but because I /knew/ Stefan. Did I deserve this second chance, a clean slate? Probably not, but I was going to take it and try and make it something better.} Okay, maybe not the smartest thing I've ever done. {A small laughter fell forth and I wondered if that was the laugh Stefan remembered.} But remember when you asked me what love was to me? It's this, it's risking it all to bring the person you care about home. {Not that this was the first time I had risked my life for Stefan, but at least this time he was /not/ hanging on by a thread. He was lost in a sea of emotions, but he was not thirsting for human blood, I think.} I know you can't go back to Mystic Falls right now, but I'm sure we can figure out something. I mean obviously some how I'm linked to them. {Offering him a look that said please have a little faith. Downing the remainder of my beer gee I was starting to feel like one of the gang, disgusting.}

Stefan Salvatore @CorruptHumanity

@SpitfireTout

[With a shake of my head, I dismissed all she has said in regards to Mystic Falls and bringing me home] Mystic Falls isn't my home anymore. [What did I really have beyond that border? Journals having been burnt a long time ago, there was nothing back at the Boarding house that even remotely interested me. True it had been among one of the very few constants I had during my hundred plus years, but it was filled with misery. It was the place I lost my brother, not once but twice. There was no logical reason for me to fight to get it back. If Caroline and Elena wanted to then that was their business. I was done. The time had come to leave what ties I had left to Mystic Falls. Erase it all and move on] Follow me. [With one final swig of my beer, I set it down on the counter and left the kitchen. Leaving Katherine to trail behind me up the staircase, while I led the way to what passed for a guest bedroom] You said you didn't have anywhere else to go.. [Pushing the door to the bedroom open, letting her peer inside] It's not much, but it's yours. At least until I move on. [I may have been unable to help old friends anymore, but I could still help Katherine]

Katherine Pierce @SpitfireTout

@CorruptHumanity

When I said bring you home I met mostly metaphorically. {A heavy sigh fell, I somehow felt that I had come all this way for nothing other than to be a burden. That was not how I wanted to start my new life. Stefan was nothing if stubborn. Following behind and and up the stairs, eyes settling on a quaint little room. Turning back, soft eyes meeting Stefan as a hand reached to squeeze his. My first attempt at contact.} Thank you. I promise not to be too much of a bother. {It felt awkward, not at all how I wanted things to go, but I could not just give up so easily. All this supernatural mumbo jumbo, there had to be a way to get Damon back. To bring him back for Stefan, he needed his brother, for his sanity. So I lied through my teeth, I would try to make my contacts, see if there was /anything/ anyone knew about what happened to the other side. It could not be simply gone. Damon had to go somewhere.}

Stefan Salvatore @CorruptHumanity

@SpitfireTout

And where would my metaphorical home be, exactly? [Brow lifted, hinting curiosity. Judging by the sigh, she misunderstood my current intentions, or at the very least, she failed to understand them entirely. I wanted her here, more than I would let on. Down right crazy when you considered our shared history. Out of all the people who had reached out, wanting to help, she was the only one welcomed. The constant thrum of her heartbeat a constant reminder of the time we'd spent together when she was newly human. A reminder of the caring woman she had started to become. The woman I had naively believed her to be back when we first met. That was the Katherine I wanted to help. Large hand turning, engulfing her own, returning the squeeze of her hand. The smallest spark of hope beginning to flicker within me, the longer I remained in her company. A spark I was not ready to acknowledge. Releases her hand, only now realizing that I still held it within my own] Don't mention it. It's what friends.. or mortal enemies do. [Flashing a brief cheeky smile, hoping to lighten some of the awkward tension which seemed to settle over us both]

Katherine Pierce @SpitfireTout

@CorruptHumanity

{Lips lifted in that knowing little smile, one shoulder giving a little shrug feeling him return my gesture after his statement. Perhaps I had lost my ability to read people when I became human again. Having supernatural abilities did have it’s perks. Perhaps I could still help Stefan, maybe we even still had a chance at something more than mortal enemies.} It’s where you make it. {Eyes getting that little twinkle as a hand tapped against his chest.} With the people that are important to you. {Lips pursed, Stefan was the only important person to me that was not dead. Klaus made sure of that, and Tyler killed my sweet Nadia. Maybe, just somehow could I find her too? Make up for all the things I never did with her that she deserved while I was being selfish. Could I be that lucky?} Ah, was there a peace treaty for mortal enemies signed while I was dead? {Returning his grin with a cocky simper.} Do they also buy them some clothes perhaps? {Looks down} I only got one of Elena’s old outfits. I promise I won’t be picky. {Offers my sweetest smile}

Stefan Salvatore @CorruptHumanity

@SpitfireTout

[Eyes glancing down to her hand at my chest, “It's where you make it. With the people who are important to you?” Not sure I knew who was important to me anymore. Months had been spent ignoring calls, visitors received a frosty welcome. The eagerness I'd felt for the departure not exactly hidden. For so long I'd attempted to push everyone away, I wouldn't be surprised if I'd succeeded. It was what I had wanted anyway, wasn't it? Clearing my throat, forcing aside thoughts of friendships] Something like that. [One corner of my mouth hitching up in a half smile. My gaze lowering, following hers, stopping upon the outfit, rather than continuing on to the floor. Feeling myself being twisted around her finger again, how easily a task she found it, be it vampire or human, she knew how to push my buttons] There may have been some fine print in the peace treaty to allow such a thing. [Returning her smile with a genuine one of my own, grateful the awkwardness between us had evaporated] We'll go first thing tomorrow. For now.. [Gestures to the doorway just across the hall, the one that led to my room] Feel free to take what you need. [My own clothing would be too big for Katherine, I knew that of course, but she was resourceful and would figure something out]

Katherine Pierce @SpitfireTout

@CorruptHumanity

Mhm, right. {Half ignoring his brushoff, Stefan would come around in his own time. Finding he was finally seeming to grin a little more than brood, that was an improvement. And in that moment I felt.... relief? A warm smile taking place as eyes peered around his, brows arching upward.} Aha, fine print, I see. And thank you, Stefan. {Knowing he knew what I was capable of, I was not a fan of doing things by hand but when the situation called....} You know you’re going to have to re-clean your room after I sack it, right? {Emitting a short laugh, knowing I was always one for leaving a mess behind. Unless it was my own belongings.} I’m kidding, I’ll try not to make a mess. {Resourcefulness set in, drawing my own pattern to make a pair of shorts from Stefan’s shirts, ripping a zipper from a pair of his jeans. He did say I could take what I needed. Picking a matching tee to coordinate with the plaid bottoms, sure it was over sized, but it was all the rage for young girls to knot their shirts now a days. Settling into a hot bath felt more relaxing then I remembered, even with men’s soap. I would have to ask for that too. I half hated having to depend on him now. I was a life long manipulator, but this was different. Drying off to get dressed sure I half smelled like Stefan, laughing to myself before returning to the kitchen.} Not too bad, uh?

Stefan Salvatore @CorruptHumanity

@SpitfireTout

[Brow hitching, amusement visible within the depths of my eyes. Katherine seemed to be developing a liking to making promises she had no chance of keeping. Bidding a hasty retreat, back downstairs, before I had to bear witness to the complete destruction of my room. Settling into the kitchen clean up, food to put away, dishes to wash, anything to keep myself busy, distract from what was going on upstairs. The rhythmic beat of her heart easily heard. That didn't bother me, not with my ripper tendencies under control. For weeks friends had reached out, wanting nothing more than for me to feel a sense of hope. Caroline having practically begged me not to give up, all protests falling upon deaf ears. Katherine, had accomplished what I had firmly believed was the impossible, in less than a day. Pulling another bottle from the fridge, thoughts returning, despite my best efforts, towards Katherine. What was it about her that made me care? Pulled from my reverie by the dulcet tone of her voice, having been too caught up in my thoughts to register her arrival. Emerald gaze finding her own, head bowing in a gesture of approval, there was no denying that she looked good, even in the oversized clothing] Do you want one? [Sways the bottle within my grasp, already taking a backwards step towards the refrigerator]

Katherine Pierce @spitfiretout

@corrupthumanity

{Stefan’s gaze caused an innocent smile to tug on nude lips, both of us feeling more at ease. The down stairs tidied from my earlier visit, of course Stefan was going to keep himself busy and tidy. If he didn’t his mind would trail off on the wrong path, we had the travelers to thank for that and my heartbeat. He was good at hiding how much the absence of Damon hurt, but I knew better. Perhaps he was dealing in his own way and perhaps I was helping some how, but that wound would never close. I would not expect it to, myself never getting over losing my daughter, twice. Pain was something we had to endure, pain was weakness leaving the soul. Human or vampire I would persevere and make sure Stefan did as well.} Why Mr. Salvatore, are you going to try and get me drunk and take advantage of me? {Deploying my best southern accent. A soft laughter following as I leaned against the counter tossing a wink. Stefan would never, to any women, he was not the type.} Yes, thank you. {Clasping the bottle in hand to take a long much needed drink gazing back in his direction.} So, about that mess I said I would try not to make..... {He would not want to talk about the elephant in the room, when we went into town I would use a phone to call my contacts.}

Stefan Salvatore @CorruptHumanity

@SpitfireTout

[Shaking my head on a smile, collecting another bottle of beer from the fridge, passing it on over to Katherine. No retort necessary this time, she knew me a lot better than that. The last thing I wanted was a drunk Katherine on my hands, not that she wasn't entertaining, it was the hangover stage, which was usually tricky] Hmm, let me guess. [Both brows now raising] You went ahead and made it anyway? [Tone remaining void of surprise. I’d spent the better part of my life, cleaning up messes, hers, my own, Damon’s.. Feeling a pang of sorrow as Damon entered my thoughts. Shutting out the feeling, just as quickly as it had arrived. Head tilting slightly in the direction of the living room, subtly suggesting that we should move the conversation somewhere more comfortable, booted feet already leading the way] Can I at least make it to my bed? [Questioning while settling into a chair. If I could crash out on the bed for the night, then any mess could wait until the following day. A hooded gaze watching Katherine as she moved into the room, raising the bottle to my lips for a long slow sip. Struck again by a sense of gratitude for the petite brunette, after everything we had done to each other, the pain we had caused, she had still risked it all, most notably her life, her human life, to come here and check on how I was doing. Lowering the bottle to rest on a knee, my gaze catching Katherine's. I wanted to thank her, to share how much her simply being here was helping. But I couldn't find the words. Choosing instead to offer her a genuine smile]

Katherine Pierce @spitfiretout

@corrupthumanity

Well......{Taking a long drink from the bottle to quell the impending doom, a small smile gracing my lips as eyes twinkled with the slightest hint of sincere innocence. The type of false innocence I gave off back in 1864.} making this {Motions to myself} did make a small mess. {Pinches thumb and forefinger in a small gesture as a genuine laugh slipped past.} Yes, you can get to your bed, it’s not /that/ bad. {Bare feet padded behind before taking a seat on the empty couch. I knew where his thoughts lingered in and out of, it broke my heart. Yet, still he smiled, was that for me? Long legs crossing as fingers lifted the neck of the bottle once more, leaning across to catch those emerald eyes.} I see that smile there. {Finger of a free hand roaming across his face, that handsome visage I fell for all those years ago. A flood of memories rushing by at our simple gaze. The good, bad, ugly and back around. How many people could share that amount of history and still affect each other in such a positive way?} If you can’t find it I’m sure I can help you to your bed. {Dropping a cheeky wink, things were getting easier, we were both more relaxed and I felt as if Stefan saw I was truthful in my actions, no ulterior motives. Well, except maybe to try and steal his heart, was that not always something I secretly wanted?} Or, we could slumber party here in the living room like a couple of teenagers. {Laughing a snort, that was so far beyond anything either of us would do. Grabbing a throw pillow and stuffing it behind his head.} Did you pick these out to coordinate with your eyes? {Hovers, staring between the pillow and that soulful emerald gaze.}

Stefan Salvatore @CorruptHumanity

@SpitfireTout

[Lips pursed, unsure whether or not to buy fully into her display of innocence, it was an act she had long ago been a pro at. Falling for it was not something I wished to repeat. Mind slipping back to her last stint as a human, there had been innocence then, genuine too, for the most part. That was of course until she had found a way to use everyone's feelings for Elena against them.. I could see why she had done it, it ran deeper than the selfish reasons all the others pointed out, not that such behavior could be condoned, the steps I'd taken to end such a possession proved that. Searching her eyes for the answers I sought, while a finger brushed across my face. Her gentle touch not one I had forgotten, leading to awakening of more past memories. Some good, some not so good and some I'd rather not dwell on. Chuckling lowly, eyes cast down, despite the current situation and sadness held within] Sure.. [Gives a slow nod, bringing the bottle neck to lips for a brief taste] ..then maybe we could braid each others hair. [Biting back a laugh of my own, side eying the throw pillow she had reached for] Yeah, cause that sounds exactly like something I would do. [Tone iced with sarcasm, yet void of any malice. Katherine was keen to keep the topic of conversation neutral, away from Damon. Something I was only all too happy to do myself]

Katherine Pierce @spitfiretout

@corrupthumanity

I knew you secretly wanted to play with my hair. {Finger tapped against his chin before once more taking my seat. Long legs slinging up to rest atop the coffee table drawing another drink.} Careful, I might actually start to think you want me here. {Stefan’s demeanor was something he was good at hiding behind. Perhaps others would be so easily misled or pushed away, but I seemed to be an expert at speaking in Stefan. A soft smile rose on now naturally rosy cheeks.} Or maybe it’s just something /I/ would do. {Lifting hands up to braid my own hair down one side as eyes continued to follow his, if he wanted to talk about randomness I would happily oblige.} Well, they do bring out your eyes, and you’ve not yet told me what exactly you’re doing here. For work I mean, are you a male escort? {Lips pursing to contain a laugh, he could totally do that but never would he, that would totally be something Damon would do.} You know, getting all the ladies. {Wiggles my brows playfully} That might make me a little jealous. {Not that any women in this town could possibly compete with me. Especially when it came to Stefan, whether he admitted it or not I was his first real love.} This isn’t working. {Pulling a face to loosen the braid I had made, who could flirt with a braid?}

Stefan Salvatore @CorruptHumanity

@SpitfireTout

[A verdant gaze held her own, her comment appearing to be at least partially throwaway, my response however was not] Maybe that’s exactly what I want. [In truth, I wasn't entirely sure what I had wanted, not for the longest time. What I did know was, things seemed to be easier with Katherine around. The reason for this, was a mystery. I wasn't ready for her to not be here] I'm getting that. [Unsurprised by her answer to a question I had yet to ask. Katherine knew me well enough to know what I was thinking, it was a gift of sorts, one she'd developed undoubtedly from years of being my creepy stalker. Lowly chuckling to myself. Leaning forward in my seat, forearms resting upon my knees. Head shaking, unabashed laughter no longer held back] Male escort..? [Questions only once the laughter has subsided] Now that’s an idea.. a terrible one. [Draining the last of the beer, the empty bottle now cast aside upon the table] Considering my last girlfriend is dead and currently residing in the trunk of my car, I'd say there's no need for jealousy. [Eyes darkening at the thought of Ivy, the familiar swell of sorrow beginning to creep back. Shaking it off as quickly as it had arrived] I took a job as a mechanic. Pay’s decent enough. [Nodding thoughtfully, it may seem like nothing to Katherine but it was a job I had grown to love. It afforded me the illusion of a normal life, just like everything else I built up here did]

Katherine Pierce @spitfiretout

@corrupthumanity

Well, you know how to stroke a girls ego. {Leaning forward once more, taking another long drink of my beer, now over half empty. Lips tipping into a playful grin. We both seemed to be getting under each others skin, in a good way.} Finally learned how to speak Katherine did you? {Dropping a lid in a wink before his next response. My face shifting to that of a more serious tone, lips pursed pulling back on the giggles as eyes softened.} Stefan, I’m sorry. {Clearing my throat a hand reached out taking hold of his, not in a manner to say “I feel sorry for you, but in a manner of I’m here for you.” Fingers giving his a soft squeeze before I responded again.} Um....I think taking care of that should come before taking care of whatever I need. {My words sincere, for once I was putting someone else in front of myself without thinking twice or expecting anything in return. It kind of..... felt good.} A mechanic, I can totally see you covered in grease. {A soft hum purring under my breath picturing the scene. I was sure Stefan thought I would scoff at the thought, but I knew Stefan was not extravagant like Damon. He would rather make his own way and live on what he could do by his own hands. If he wanted something he would work for it, and so would I.} That’s a good fit for you, seeing you drive that old car and all. {Lips once more drawing into a small smile trying not to hover on negative emotions.}

Stefan Salvatore @CorruptHumanity

@SpitfireTout

[It wasn't about stroking her ego, I was about to point out this fact, only to stop myself upon the realization that she probably knew that already. She always seemed to know exactly how and what I meant] They have an app for that now. [Tries out my best poker face, quenching the desire to let slip a laugh. Lost for words soon after Katherine's display of genuine sympathy. She never knew Ivy, or the type of relationship we had. In truth, I wasn't entirely sure how well I had known Ivy. The past wasn't something I had wanted to discuss when we were together and so it wasn't a conversation we'd really had. Thumb pad brushed against the soft skin at the back of Katherine's hand, returning the squeeze with one of my own. Nodding along in agreement, the only problem being, I didn't know where Ivy's eternal resting place should be. She had deserved better than the hand she was dealt, after entering my life. Thick brows raised, the mood lifting once more] This is reality, not one of your fantasies. Try to remember that. [Elicits a brief chuckle from deep within my throat. It didn't matter if Katherine understood or not, I loved my job and this small patch of Savannah, they both offered me a chance at normalcy. The only thing I had wanted from the moment I had turned] It's a good fit for now, eventually I'll have to move on, become someone else. [If anyone was going to understand the life of a vampire then Katherine would]

Katherine Pierce @spitfiretout

@corrupthumanity

Oh, I have my very own language now, they even added it to google? {Primps a free hand through my hair pretending to be so very overly cocky at his pokerface. Once more returning to my previous state of seriousness, Stefan deserved closure and so did this girl’s family. Not that I was usually the type of person to try and half offer such a thing but, I found myself more driven than ever. Not because of my love for Stefan, not that it was not there, but perhaps because I actually was emulating him.} I’m not trying to live in some fantasy. I’m here, I’m with you. {Clearing my throat before speaking once more.} Well, I’m sure whoever I took my car from has already had it replaced. {Eyes falling to the floor then back up to meet his.} I realize this sounds bad, but it’s for a good purpose. I’m still human but you are immortal and she’s already gone. Take this car, wreck it into a tree with her in the passenger seat. Get me a cell phone, I’ll dial 911 and you can compel the missing pieces to the police. Just a stranger giving another stranger a ride home, swerved to miss a deer, tragic accident. Her family gets her body back, she gets laid to rest where she belongs and you get some small amount of closure. {I knew Stefan would always feel guilt for her death somehow, I could tell by the way he spoke. But at least this would be a way to give her family and friends closure and not leave her in an unmarked grave.} Let me help you, Stefan. For now just be you, be us.

Stefan Salvatore @CorruptHumanity

@SpitfireTout

[Emerald gaze searched the all too familiar face in front of me. Hardly able to believe what I was hearing. I'd seen glimpses of the goodness held deep within her over the years, although even then, there tended to be a hidden agenda. If there was this time then I couldn't work out what it was. Selfless, that was the only word that came to mind in the moment. Okay, so the car wasn't hers, that didn't detract from what she was attempting to do here. She understood the need for closure the family would have. Wondering myself, if this was down to her own experience with Nadia, having lost her not once but twice. The pain that must of caused, I couldn't even begin to imagine and both times she had been completely alone in her sorrow. Fingers flexed, delivering another squeeze to her hand. Nodding slightly along with her, it was the best move available. Ivy deserved more than an unmarked grave and this was the only way to ensure she got it] Be us..? [I'd only been half listening to the last part, mind busy picking out the best road, for Katherine's plan to work. Releasing the hold, I didn't realize I still had on Katherine's hand, rising to my feet] I'll get Ivy, you get the keys? [Even with compulsion, the plan had a better chance of succeeding while it was dark out]

Katherine Pierce @spitfiretout

@corrupthumanity

{It was obvious Stefan was fairly sure I had been inhabited by a pod person, that or I had simply lost my mind. But in all honesty I had the one thing I always wanted, freedom. Well sort of. Everyone thought I was dead, I did have to admit I might be a little nervous what would happen if Klaus found out I had cheated death yet again and was human. What he would do for human doppelganger blood. A soft smile gracing fresh faced features, for once not weighed down by loads of makeup. Nodding as dainty fingers finally fell from his, sure he was lost in thought.} Yes, you know just in the here and now. Don't rush off and over think things. {Meeting his glance as I rose as well, a nod following his question.} I’ll meet you out there. {Setting my empty bottle upon the table before heading into the kitchen to snag the keys from the counter. The cool night air bringing goosebumps to my now sensitive human flesh. Unlocking all the doors I leaned against the side of the car and gave a small sigh, this was not really something either of us wanted to do. Sure, I still loved Stefan, wanted to be in his life. But it didn’t mean I wanted him to have heartache and sorrow.}

Stefan Salvatore @CorruptHumanity

@SpitfireTout

[With a firm nod, I left the living room and made my way out to the garage where my car was. Stealing myself with a deep inhale, hands resting against the lid of the trunk, filled with remorse for all that had happened. Unable to stop myself from wondering why I even bothered striving for a normal life. I wasn't normal, I wasn't even human. How could I possibly lead a normal life when the people I cared about wound up dead, some by my very own hands. In essence, I was a blood addict, a ripper, a monster. It would only be a matter of time before I fell over that edge again.. Brows drew together in a frown following the dark turn of my thoughts. Eyes fell upon Ivy, her petite figure barely fitted in the trunk. Strong arms carefully lifted her out, my gaze studying soft features that were once filled with life. Delivering a silent apology before stepping outside to join Katherine at the car she had… acquired. A somber gaze meeting hers] Are you sure you want to be a part of this? [There was still enough time for Katherine to back out, it wasn't like she had any reason to care about what happened here. After settling Ivy into the passenger seat and buckling her in, with care, I straightened up, chiseled features turning towards Katherine. Hand reaching forward for the keys] Let's get this over with. [This was the last thing I wanted to do tonight, much preferring to be back inside with a beer in my hand. Instead, I was about to bring Ivy's parents world, crashing down around them]

Katherine Pierce @spitfiretout

@CorruptHumanity

{Stefan’s words said “I really don’t want to do this, but I need to.” My heart was heavy not only for him but for the girl’s parents having lost my child not once but twice. At least the second time I knew, I got to see her, have a moment of closure with her. This girl’s parents deserved that. An innocent girl didn’t deserve to be dumped into an unmarked grave because she got tangled up in the supernatural.} I’m not abandoning you, Stefan. Get over it, I actually care. {Lips pursed watching him set the girl into the car, handing over the keys with a soft sigh.} I know you would rather be doing anything else right now, but once this is all said and over with you will feel better than if you would have buried her in the woods somewhere and left her as a missing person. {Sliding into the back seat, Stefan knew this area and where to go. I was merely a means to an end, this girls final end. Hoping we would help her find her way home, to where she truly belonged then maybe Stefan would be a tiny step closer to that spark of hope. The roads were long, narrow and dark; heavily wooded. It would be easy to believe I had swerved to miss a deer or any variety of animals.I was willing to bet my very new life Stefan would never go hungry out here. Clicking on my seat belt the further we drove, remembering once more I /was/ in fact human as my heart began to race.} You are going to let me out before you wreck the car, right?

Stefan Salvatore @CorruptHumanity

@SpitfireTout

Okay then.. [Palming the keys, deciding not to argue with Katherine over this, she wanted in, then she was in. Listening to all she had to say, features void of any emotion, to get the job done I needed a clear mind. There was no sense in dwelling on things I couldn't change. At least that's what I kept trying to tell myself. Easing into the driver's seat, my gaze set dead ahead, desperately avoiding looking over at Ivy beside me. There were still a mass of memories I didn't wish to relive. Driving away from civilization towards the twisty roads, filled with blind corners. Towering oak trees rising high above us. The particular road I had chosen was known for it's accidents, Ivy would just become another statistic. Keen hearing picking up the thundering beat of Katherine's heart. A verdant gaze meeting hers through the rearview mirror. Unsure whether or not her question was a hundred percent serious or not. Could she be blamed for asking it? No. I was the one who had killed her after all] I'll let you out. [My tone reassuring, even as eyes shifted back to the road. Coming to a slow stop, this seemed a good a place as any] This is where the living get out. [Jaw setting while Katherine exited the car. Pulling a u-turn, a crash would make more sense heading into town, considering the story Katherine had come up with. A booted foot hit the gas, tyres screeching against the tarmac in protest. Bolting forward, purposefully taking the first corner with too much speed. With what little control I had left over the car, I directed it towards the biggest oak tree on the bend. The passenger side of the car taking the brunt of the impact the driver's side untouched. The small cut at my brow already healed as I got out of the car. The temptation to glance back at Ivy was almost too much, forcing my feet forward, away from the car and back towards Katherine. Pulling my cell from my back pocket] You're up. [My tone distant and cold] It's a burner, one I got after… [Words trailed off, she'd know exactly why and when I got it. She knew me better than anyone else. Stuffing large hands into the pockets of my pants, there was nothing else for me to do now, other than wait]

Katherine Pierce @spitfiretout

@corrupthumanity

{A small sense of relief settled over me as the car stopped and I slipped out, of course Stefan was not going to do the deed with me in the car. He would never after my show of faith, right? Shaking my head to myself, a well of goose bumps cascading across my body as tires screeched, the sound of twisting metal and breaking glass echoing against the thick trees and brush. Eyes adjusting as Stefan stepped into my field of vision, sighing as I saw he was okay. I mean you never know. Lips pursing seeing the look on his face, but I didn’t know how to comfort him, we both just wanted to get this over with. My now human self flooded with a swell of emotions, swiping the dial pad and frantically calling 911. A trembling voice pleading for an ambulance for my “hitchhiker”. I was surprised at how quickly they arrived, obviously pronouncing the girl dead at the scene. I gave my story to the officers. Being an out of towner here to visit a friend and gave a stranger a ride. Free directions, right? The whole swerve to miss a deer ect, though I had no registration or insurance in my name. Luckily I “had my seat belt on” and needed no medical attention as the damage was on the passenger side. This is where Stefan came in. It was, I’m sure like losing her all over again for Stefan but as the ambulance drove away in silence I simply gave him a tight lipped smile.} She’s going home, Stefan. You gave her that over an unmarked grave. Try to fine peace in that.

Stefan Salvatore @CorruptHumanity

@SpitfireTout

[Awaiting the arrival of the emergency services in silence, left me with nothing else to do but think. Trying not to think of something in particular only assures that you can think of nothing else, eventually thoughts turned to Damon. Gaze staring off into the distance, seeing beyond the trees in front of me. Not knowing where Damon ended up was the worst past, the other side had crumbled, ceased to exist, so what did that leave? A place of peace? Nothingness? Pulled from my thoughts by the sound of vehicles arriving, I stood back and watched the master of deception at work. You had to give Katherine her due, she knew exactly how to sell a story. As the officers onsight exchanged a knowing glance, I stepped in, encouraging them to one aside. Speaking in a low tone, using the power of compulsion to convince the two that what Katherine had said was the truth. Large strides making their way back to Katherine, after compelling all those in attendance to forget about my presence here. Watching on with an air of anguish, while the ambulance pulled away. Reminded once more, how this was my fault.Offering Katherine a small smile, along with a nod, knowing deep down that she was right] We have a more pressing issue than my feelings of guilt. [Eyes casting down the road] We didn't fetch another car. [Glancing briefly down to the converse Katherine wore, donning an amused smile. Knowing without a doubt that she would never opt for such shoes given the choice] Bet you're grateful you got stuck with Elena's footwear now. [Giving her side a gentle nudge, feet moving forward in the general direction of home]

Katherine Pierce @spitfiretout

@corrupthumanity

{Stefan had become good at compartmentalizing, hiding his emotions, his fear of becoming the ripper again. Craving to be a mere mortal once more, but he didn’t have that option and it was my fault. He had a switch he had to constantly fight and I was the one who activated it. If I had never turned him he would not harbor so much guilt and a hunger for human blood, but he would not be the hero he is either. My own selfish desires creating a masterpiece of destruction I now felt regret for. Eyes glancing between the plain dark violet Converse shoes and back up to Stefan before shoulders lifted up into a light shrug.} I guess it slipped our minds in the whirl of “lets get this done”. {Lips pursed as I strode quietly beside him} And, I suppose for this walk they are more comfortable than leather heels. {Silence settling in once more and my mind buzzed with a million questions. Would my witch contacts be able to get Damon back, would Stefan still want me around after? Would they just go back to wanting to kill me? Was there any true redemption for someone like me? Even though much of what I did was propelled by life events, not that that was a legitimate excuse. Was there hope I could get Nadia back? Side glancing towards Stefan, voice laced with sincerity.} I’m not a perfect person, there’s many things I wish I didn’t do. Having this second chance. I'm sorry that I hurt you, it's something I must live with everyday. And all the pain I put you through, I wish I could take it all away.

Stefan Salvatore @CorruptHumanity

@SpitfireTout

[Footsteps slowed but didn't stop, with eyes trained upon the road ahead I listened intently to the sincere words being spoken. Words I never believed I’d hear from her. Katherine may have been the one who turned me, but my actions were my own. The blood on my hands was exactly that, mine. That didn't detract from her apology though, the weight of it all just wasn't hers to bear. Head turning towards Katherine, an emerald gaze drinking in soft features I was all too familiar with, glimpsing within the depths of her eyes the girl I once believed her to be, though it was clear her mind was working overtime, to what end? I had no idea] It hasn't been all that bad. [Stuffing hands into the front pockets of my pants] I got to see how the world would change. To see Damon happy. [A small sincere smile pulling at the corners of my mouth] I've reinvented myself more times than I can remember, been a high school student more times than I /want/ to remember. [Chuckling lowly to myself, the smile now taking a firm hold of chiseled features] I got to fall in love. [Turning to look straight ahead once more. The words having been spoken bore nothing but truth. Sure, I had carried years of hurt with me, yet there had still been joy to be found. Sometimes in the most unexpected places. Noting the sudden drop in temperature, I pulled my hands from my pockets, shrugging off my jacket to drape it around her dainty shoulders, being human, Katherine was more susceptible to the cold than I was] Besides, vampirism has it's perks too. [Shrugging a shoulder nonchalantly before scooping her svelte physique up in my arms. No further words being spoken, pushing off with all the strength I could muster, I darted forward. Speeding down the road ahead as nothing more than a blur. A large hand cradled the back of Katherine's head to avoid whiplash. Running at full pelt for as long as I was able, stopping just short of home, energy levels now plummeting, the bunny diet, as many chose to call it, didn't allow for sustained running, not like that of a human blood diet. Gently setting Katherine back down on the floor, a hand lingering at the small of her back, waiting until she was steady on her feet] It prevents blisters from running. [Footsteps starting up again, wanting to be back in the house I now viewed as a home]

Katherine Pierce @spitfiretout

@corrupthumanity

{The depths of those soulful eyes tried to bore right through me, as if trying to seek out the best part of my soul I thought lost. His words at first seeming to try and reassure me, same ole’ Stefan, bearing his own burden. There were some good things, the world had changed a lot indeed and him with it. From innocent human to ripper to bunny diet hero. Though he did seem to teeter back and forth between the later at times. For the longest time I knew he held a weight on himself for the part he played in Damon’s turning. That was exactly why he had that secret little curve in his smile as he spoke. All the times he had denied loving me I believe he now understood I indeed never compelled him, his feelings for me back then were real. I hated it, but he did love Elena, enough to let her go. A small shiver running through my body as the cool night air took hold, side eyeing him, a soft smile lifting up on glossed lips sinking into the warm jacket.} I remember. {Completely taken off guard as slender legs suddenly hang over his muscular arms, the firm yet gentle caress of his hand protecting my face from the cold wind as the scenery blurred by. I was never this courteous when I dragged people off. Blinking several times as feet came back to the ground, hand steadying against a broad shoulder as soft laughter fell forth.} It seems like only yesterday I was complaining about blisters. {The house in sight as we made the final stride, hand mindlessly falling to take his as we reach the door.} Thank you for saving my feet. {Lifts up on the balls of my feet placing a chaste kiss to his cheek.}

Stefan Salvatore @CorruptHumanity

@SpitfireTout

Then you remember why I'm keen to avoid such a repeat. [Lowers a lid in a cheeky wink, attempting to leave this evening's earlier feelings of sorrow behind me. Sorrow could so easily lead to despair if I allowed myself to dwell for a moment too long. Then I’d be of no use to anyone. Focusing instead on the memories I had of Katherine when she first became human, just as struck now as I had been back then by the resilience this woman possessed. Even as a human she was difficult to pin down and any who viewed her humanity as a weakness was a fool. If she wanted she could destroy all in her path, dead or alive, it made little difference. She was a powerful, resourceful woman who would do whatever it took to survive. The last five hundred years had proven that. Fingers instinctively tangled with hers before I even realised what I was doing. Pausing at the door to retrieve the key from my front pants pocket, caught off guard by the tentative kiss at my cheek, not that many would notice] Anytime. [Lips displayed a sincere smile, while fingers delivered a gentle squeeze to her hand. Letting Katherine step inside first, following close behind] I think we could both use something a little stronger than beer. [Foot falls leading me to the kitchen to collect two glasses from one cupboard and a bottle of scotch from another] Possibly not as refined as you're used to, the good years all being stuck on the other side of that pesky border. [Pouring us each a healthy measure and settling the bottle to one side. Passing over Katherine's glass] Don't feel like you have to stay up with me. It's been a long day for us both.

Katherine Pierce @spitfiretout

@corrupthumanity

{A short laugh at his words, who would want to listen to my complaining after all? Even if he was making a joke, it was his way of showing he remembered the little things. Lips drawn into a soft smile as fingers slipped from his, stepping through the door and into the house. Stefan was always the chivalrous one, one to be tentative always thinking of others above himself. He never ceased to surprise me, and when he thought he lost his way, well I came to drag him back onto his path again.} That sounds really good actually. {Following his lead into the kitchen, eyeing him as he drew down the glasses and bottle. Hand clasping the glass of amber liquid before taking a healthy drink.} Mhm, it’s not all that bad. I should have grabbed some. {Laughing before taking another sip.} It has been a long day. {Eyes him suspiciously.} Are you trying to get rid of me? {Lips twisting in a joking smile} I’m not leaving you to sit here and brood, I came to make sure you weren't. That little sprint took it out of you. {A hand smoothing over his shoulder, clearing my throat.} Are you, um hungry?

Stefan Salvatore @CorruptHumanity

@SpitfireTout

[Taking a long slow sip from the glass, as if the amber liquid within would somehow cure me of the growing thirst. The thirst however was not something which would so easily be sated. Head shaking while I lowered the glass from my mouth] Not trying to get rid of you, just remembering that your stamina, along with your tolerance isn't what it once was. [In truth though, a part of me was attempting to shoo her off to bed and allow me to slip out to hunt. Why I felt the need to conduct my feeding habits in secret baffled me, my chosen diet was hardly a secret from anyone. And since Katherine had checked in on me over the years, even if I wasn't aware of her doing so at the time, she would know exactly what I had in mind] I’m not feeling all that bad. [Playing down my current level of hunger and exhaustion, the last thing either of us needed was her worrying about a recovering ripper. Hand raising, brushing fingertips against the back of her hand, offering a reassuring smile, Katherine was nothing if not persistent] I'll head out later, see what's around. [Keeping the details vague, us both knowing exactly what I meant. Eyes flickering towards the fridge as I continued] Help yourself, if your own hunger should return. [Attempting to smoothly redirect the conversation away from what I needed. The ripper lurked just beneath the surface, it was a daily battle just to keep him at bay. A battle I was determined to win. If I lost control, who knew how long it would be before I found my way again? Especially now that Damon was gone]

Katherine Pierce @spitfiretout

@corrupthumanity

You know you can’t lie to me, Stefan. {Eyes meeting his with all sincerity, Stefan was always afraid of losing control. Keeping himself at a lower level of strength because of his fear of losing that control. But here I was, able to offer him instant nourishment and full strength. I knew he would be reluctant, thinking he would not be able to stop, it’s me of course he would. I had pulled him from the edge as a dying human. Now I was a perfectly healthy 17 year old girl. Not some aging cured vampire. Fingers lifting to capture his hand, setting the glass down as a free hand clasped his cheek.} I’m not hungry but I know you are. {Sweeping long chocolate strands aside, body moving in close to his.} I’m not scared, Stefan. You need real food not some forest animal. {Fingers smoothing against his jaw, a million questions running through my mind. I had watched Stefan, he was his strongest when he was in control. He could do this, I had seen him do this.} I’m not going to try and force you. I’m simply saying, what if someone comes again and tries to hurt you or me? Maybe if you were at full strength things would have went different with the Ivy situation before I got here. {Eyes rimming with empathy and concern, heart beginning to thrum with anxiety. Something I’d never felt before. Dropping my hand to take another drink from the offered glass.}

Stefan Salvatore @CorruptHumanity

@SpitfireTout

[Although I didn't intend for it to happen, my gaze veered from soft features to admirer the curvature of her now exposed neck. The kind of admiration a predator paid its chosen prey before swooping down to take what it wanted. The thrum of the sweet nectar being pumped through her veins, the only sound I could hear. Emerald eyes darkening with need, black pulsating veins webbed out beneath lower lids. How easy would it be to simply take the nourishment I needed from her? She was right, of course. Human blood was the only sustenance that offered true strength, all else was a poor imitation of what a vampire truly was. This way, I’d be able to guarantee her safety as well as my own. Setting my glass to one side, large hands eased around her waist, drawing her in closer. Remembering how sweet her blood had tasted the first time around, back when I had been the human. Would it taste as sweet now that she was no longer a part of the darkness? Gums ached with longing, blunt incisors lengthening and sharpening, head now dipping forward until my lips were but a hair's breadth away from the silky smooth skin of her neck. Feeling the rush of bloodlust, I closed my eyes, letting out a long exhale of breath, until it passed. It wasn't worth the risk. Pulling away to capture her gaze with my own, hand raising to smooth chestnut locks back from her face] I don't want to hurt you. [While others showed confidence in my ability to keep the ripper caged, I failed to have confidence in myself. Knowing all too well, how easily I tended to fall from the precipice]

Katherine Pierce @spitfiretout

@corrupthumanity

{The look on Stefan’s face, I knew that look, it was the one he had when he felt he was about to lose control. Eyes lifting through dark lashes, meeting that all too familiar face, the face I used to have. The web of veins that came with the hunger, my body buzzing with both anxiety and luster at his closeness, causing my heart to beat harder. The warmth of his lips, the cool breath against sensitive flesh causing a shiver to run along my back. It was almost too much, feeling him this close and being freshly human. Eyes easing up once more as a hand eased over his.} You won’t hurt me, Stefan. But I will not try and force you into something, I’m not that girl anymore. {Lifting up on the balls of my feet, lips pressed supply against the curvature of his jaw, my heart still fluttering. Not because I was scared, because I cared so deeply. I still loved Stefan and seeing him like this when I could help was....... well, I didn’t know what it was. Never having actually stuck around long enough or caring enough about anyone to develop a true attachment. Drawing back to finish the remainder of my drink.} I’ll head up and let you take care of things, okay? {A soft smile eased on glossed lips turning to head up the stairs. He would not take it I would give it. Finding a cup in the bathroom, tearing apart a razor to knick a vein. It would bleed but not too much. Bandaging it with a scrap of cloth from my earlier “resourcefulness”, setting the cup of blood on the table beside his bed before heading to my own.}

Stefan Salvatore @CorruptHumanity

@spitfiretout

[Relieved that Katherine didn't intend to push the matter. Emotions had been in turmoil for months, who knew what the consequences of consuming human blood would be now? The hunger had been awoken now, making it's presence known, it was almost impossible to concentrate on anything that wasn't the thrum of her heartbeat. Turning once more to the liquor at hand, having learned a long time ago it helped with the cravings. Grateful for Katherine's willingness to let me drink from her, not to mention the show of trust. My past binges were well documented and let's not bring up the rather large role I played in her death.. For her to put her safety in my hands.. that was no small feat. It was better all around if I stuck with my earlier plan, stuck to the bunny diet. Head dipping into a short nod] Goodnight, Katherine. [Lips curving into a small smile, hopefully conveying the gratitude I felt through the smile. She had gone out of her way to help, when she had no reason, no hidden agenda. She couldn't have reached the top of the stairs before I had began the clear up of our glasses, along with the bottle. The living area was practically untouched even after our visit. A large hand pulled my jacket from the back of the chair, shrugging it on. Footsteps faltering on my way to the front door. Nasal passages assaulted by an all too familiar scent] Katherine.. [A rush of concern propelled me forward and up the staircase. Thick brows drawing together in a frown, following the scent of blood, which surprisingly lead me to my bedroom and not hers. There in the doorway, my gaze fell instantly to the glass on table beside my bed. Not needing to take another step forward to know her blood resided inside. Turning from my room to lightly knock on her door, stopping myself before knuckles could tap against the wooden panelling, if Katherine had wanted to talk, then she would have waited across the hall from me. Shrugging out of my jacket, returning to my room. Blindly tossing the jacket on the nearby chair, thoughts returning to earlier conversations regarding my strength. Fingers picked the glass up while I took a seat upon the bed. Eyes closing once the rim of the glass connected with my lower lip, knocking back the contents without a second thought. The hunger within quieting almost instantly. I needed to be strong, not just for myself but for her. After setting the glass back down and kicking off my boots, I settled on the bed, an arm easing beneath my head, the other settling across my chest. Sensing the first bloom of hope within myself]

Katherine Pierce @spitfiretout

@corrupthumanity

{How good it felt to wake to the sunlight on my skin, in a bed that I was welcomed in, one that was I was not squatting in. A place where I was wanted, perhaps even needed. The first thing on my mind, did Stefan take my offering, did it sooth the beast or merely make him rear his ugly head? Shaking my head to myself a hand smoothing over his door. Of course he was there, sleeping peacefully, he was in control, I didn’t need my supernatural abilities to know that. A warm smile slipped across my lips, he would wake when he was ready. Padding down the stairs, my stomach once more a rumble, how annoying that truly was. I was certainly no master in the kitchen as Stefan was, but surely I could cook a few eggs and some toast. But breakfast would not bring back meaning to life, Stefan needed more, I needed more for him. Eyes scanning the living room and dining room areas, dammit he must have took his phone upstairs. Finding a pen and paper I began a note..... “Agatha, I hope this letter finds you in good health, this is your dear friend, Katherine and I need a favor.” Leaving the ending vague and the return address blank. This witch would know how to contact me, or how to get me to contact her. Folding the piece of paper and sliding it beneath a lamp, I would grab it to mail when we went out later. Breaking two eggs into a skillet after dropping a slice of bread into the toaster. My mind traveling to the unspoken words that still lingered between Stefan and I, the closure I hoped he had found with his recent ex situation, my untold secret, I knew he could sense I had intentions even if they were not ill intentions. Eyes slipped closed for a moment, embracing the stolen touches we had shared since my arrival, the way he /still/ made me feel. The way he made me feel now as a human woman. Was this how he felt back then when the roles were reversed, was this karmic payback? Being pulled from my thoughts as a piercing beep resounded and the smell of burning bread invaded my nose.} Shit.... {Popping up the bread and frowning at the black slice.}

Stefan Salvatore @CorruptHumanity

@spitfiretout

[The morning found me in a state of calm, waking from a sleep that was nothing but peaceful. Sleep blurred eyes fell to the glass upon the nightstand, my mind replaying the decision I had made although I would allow myself to dwell upon the euphoric taste. Pushing myself up from the bed, heading for the bathroom to shower and freshen up. Hearing Katherine moving around downstairs brought a sense of relief, she hadn't skipped out on me during the night. Not that I had expected her too, you just couldn't be sure with her. The warm, pressurised water was refreshing, successful in my aim to steam away the dark cloud that had seemed to settle over myself. A lot had happened over the past few months, all of it bad, that was until yesterday.. Was it odd to view yesterday as a small victory, after giving Ivy the best send off that I could? Probably, yet the wins had to be found even in the smallest of accomplishments. Drinking human blood without letting it consume me, that was a win. Though I knew there was more to my current state of mind than just blood. It was her. Katherine. The only woman capable of burying herself beneath my skin and making me feel, even when I didn't want too. Dried and dressed I made my way downstairs, the sound of the smoke alarm beeping throughout the house, leading me to a perplexed looking Katherine in the kitchen, staring at what I could only assume was meant to be toast] There are faster ways to burn down a house, ya know? [Chuckling lowly to myself while adjusting the heat on the stove before the eggs managed to burn too] Here, let me. [Taking the inedible toast from her grasp, tossing it into the trash before popping a fresh slice of bread into the toaster. Am emerald gaze finding hers] Sleep well? [Not really requiring an answer, she looked good, rested. Turning away from her to pop up the bread, placing it on a plate before serving up the eggs] There you go. [Lips curved with a smile, the plate now set before her. Consuming food only as a cover myself, something that wasn't necessary within present company]

Katherine Pierce @spitfiretout

@corrupthumanity

Oh, ha ha. {Sarcasm filling my tone at Stefan’s comment as he tossed the mangled bread into the trash, what an idiot I had made myself look like.} Yeah? I could have burnt some bacon and stared a grease fire. Boom, human torch. {That was really not all that funny, perhaps I should get Stefan to teach me the basics of cooking. Eyes following what he was doing as I pulled orange juice from the fridge and poured myself a glass, assuming he would not want any. A warm smile as the plate was set before me, fingers dipping up the egg with the toast.} You managed to save the eggs. {A mocha gaze lifting to meet his, savoring the human taste of food in a non-hostile environment made it better somehow. Swallowing my bite before speaking once more.} Maybe I should just wait for you from now on, or you could attempt to teach me to cook. {Busting out in an amused laughter, picturing myself trying to run two or three things going on a stove. Briefly remembering the letter I had written earlier before swallowing back a few more bites to ease my hunger.} So, are we still on for the shopping date or am I tearing up more of your closet and sleeping in your shirts? {Brows bouncing playfully as I downed the glass of orange juice. My hunger now satiated Stefan’s came to mind. Brushing past as I brought the glass, plate and pan to the sink, he saved the kitchen from my disaster, least I could do was wash them. I was sure this was a site Stefan never thought he would see. A sliver of hope residing in my chest, turning to rest against the bar, clean dishes behind me.} And by the way, last night.... Did you find what you were looking for?

Stefan Salvatore @CorruptHumanity

@SpitfireTout

[There was something oddly charming about her failed cooking attempts. Not that anyone could hold her inability to cook against her, she'd never needed to learn, vampirism and years spent running made sure of that. Brows raising along with a shrug, unwilling to draw too much attention to my capabilities in the kitchen] Teach you? [Cants my head aside, unsure if I had heard correctly] Sure, if you think you have the patience for cooking. [Offering a subtle challenge, once her laughter had stopped. I knew how much she valued her own independence, learning to cook would be good for her] I'm not sure my closet could take anymore of your visits, the date is still on. [Nodding along as I spoke] Besides, my shirts look so much better on me. [Chiseled features flashing a cheeky grin. A grin soon to be wiped from my features at the sight of Katherine washing up. Who'd have thought such a day would come? Thoughts going back to the offering she had left in my room last night, a glass of her own blood. Despite my protestations of not wanting it, the reality being the very real fear of hurting her, she had ensured my hunger was taken care of. A selfless move on her part. She turned out to be full of surprises. Stepping forward, emerald eyes holding her gaze while a large hand raised to cup her cheek, the pad of my thumb gently brushing against her soft skin] I did, thank you. [Tone filled with sincerity. Hand now dropping to the makeshift bandage she had created with part of a shirt] Does it hurt? [My first instinct was to offer her some of my own blood but who knew if she could even keep it down now? All past attempts hadn't ended well. Deciding to add bandaids to the ever growing shopping list] I'm ready to head out whenever you are, just say the word.

Katherine Pierce @spitfiretout

@CorruptHumanity

{A petite frame leaning against the counter as soft features were caught by a strong hand, a hand that made my body melt. Head leaning into the embrace as eyes rimmed with emotion and lips curved into a smile.} I only wanted what was best, really. {Now second guessing myself as the moment was shortly over. Did I do the right thing, what if Stefan was too afraid of losing control, what if I was pushing him away? Gaze dropping down now cupping my bandaged wrist.} Not too bad, it’s just a small wound, I’m fine. {Hand moving behind me to scoop up the letter I had written earlier, folding it into my back pocket.} Word. {A cheesy taunting grin once more taking place on glossed lips, tossing him a wink.} You said.... {Laughter falling forth as I headed towards the door. Pausing mid step as my hand rested on the knob.} Are you coming? Last one to the car has to buy lunch. {Bad joke as he knew I had no money and he was buying everything. Even if that was him trying to get rid of me, at least I would have clothes to take when I went to visit my friend to try and find Damon. Maybe, just maybe then I could earn some redemption. Racing out to the car as if I had not a care in the world, sliding into the passenger seat to lean over and unlock his door, sliding the key into the ignition, wondering how long it would take before he realized I had taken the keys.}

Stefan Salvatore @CorruptHumanity

@SpitfireTout

[Eyes rolled in a playful manner] Cute. [An amused smile displayed across chiseled features, watching her lithe frame as she sauntered off from over a shoulder. Snatching up my wallet and jacket with a shake of my head, following her lead. Beginning to wonder what the hell I had let myself in for, taking Katherine shopping for clothes and other necessities. In a way, I was the very reason she didn't have any of those things. Expelling her very essence from Elena's body, linking her to the traveler knife, even if I didn't know it at the time. That was an act I had to learn to live with, adding to the weight of guilt upon my shoulders. Thick brows drew together in a frown, large hands patting down pockets for car keys, only to come up empty. Glancing behind me as though they would somehow magically appear. I had a near perfect memory of slipping them into my pocket before rescuing Katherine from her attempt to cook. Katherine.. Footsteps pushing me out the door, suspicions confirmed as I eyed Katherine up in the passenger seat of the car. She'd snaked the keys from my pocket at some point, although when, I had no clue. Settling into the driver's seat, spotting the keys now in the ignition, giving them a turn] Nice move. [The drive into town was one of comfortable silence. Who'd have thought such a thing was possible with how things had been left, the last time we saw each other. Katherine was obviously trying to change, maybe in time she would be the girl I had always believed her to be. The girl I had fallen in love with. Pulling up into the nearest free parking space, emerald eyes settling on her soft features] Where to first? [The roadside littered with quaint boutiques, none of which I’d set foot in before. With no clear idea on what exactly it was Katherine wanted, it was up to her to take the lead on this one. Stepping up onto the sidewalk, patiently waiting for her to join me and point me in the right direction]

Katherine Pierce @spitfiretout

@CorruptHumanity

{Lips drew into a the smug little grin as Stefan easily slipped in, dark gaze catching his as I clicked my seat belt into place. How easy it was to get caught up in playing with him. Being completely human again had changed me, as if I lost those rough edges, or maybe they only smoothed around Stefan.} It was, wasn't it? {Eyes paying close attention tot he roads leading to town, I needed to learn my way in and out. Long legs lifting me out of the car as we arrived, mocha meeting that verdant gaze that I so adored as lips eased into a nervous smile. I had never done this, and certainly not with someone I loved who killed me. Stefan was living a “human” life here and he wanted to keep that, I would not ask him to compel me things that were beyond his means. And to be honest, I knew I didn’t need or deserve any of those things anyway. Nervousness pushing at the back of my mind, grabbing his hand, sure steps leading over to a resale boutique named ‘The Snooty Fox’. Being versed in hiding my true emotions and busing off the nervousness.} This way. {Making a bee line for the size 2/4 rack as fingers began flipping through the clothing. Finding a few pair of jeans, one in black, and two denim colored. A few blouses, different colors and styles, a jacket because everyone needs a jacket and one lovely red sweater with a drop V neckline. Holding it up as I turned to look at Stefan, eyes glittering with mischievousness.} What do you think of this one? {long lashes fluttering only slightly, emphasizing my flirtations.} Oh, heels. I still need a pair. I’m just not me if I don’t wear heels.

Stefan Salvatore @CorruptHumanity

@SpitfireTout

[Booted feet moved forward, hitting the sidewalk almost soundlessly, following Katherine's lead. Large hand releasing her own as we stepped inside one of the boutiques, here she would undoubtedly be in her element, whereas I was little more than a bystander. Lips curved with a small smile, noting how carefully Katherine chose from the clothing on offer, suspecting it was out of respect for the way in which I chose to live. What other explanation was there, when technically money was of no object. Emerald eyes falling across the red sweater, taken aback by the sudden request for my opinion] I think.. it's very you. [Speaking with a small nod, there was a lot more I could have said, stemming from the reawakening of memories, along with feelings. Yet I chose to remain quiet. There was just too much going on for me to even begin to process anything new. A low chuckle broke free of my throat, taking a step forward to relieve the clothing within Katherine's delicate arms. The weight of which she would have felt soon enough. With a steady hold on the items she had collected, my gaze returned to the “borrowed” converse strapped to her feet, agreeing with her on this one] You go on ahead, I'll get this ringed up and paid for. [Standing off to one side while she shopped for clothes was one thing, but heels… A guy had to draw the line somewhere. Watching as she sauntered off before I made my own way over to the till. Setting down the objects for the store clerk to scan, offering nothing but an agreeable smile and nod in response to her comment about me having one lucky girlfriend. An easy assumption to make, yet a confusing one to put straight]

Katherine Pierce @spitfiretout

@CorruptHumanity

Mhm, you seem surprised I asked. {A small shrug as I added it to the small pile of clothing. Offering Stefan a sincere smile as strong arms relieved me of the clothing. A small laugh as both our gazes fell downward, Converse was not my style. Gently used clothes I could do, used heels was a no go. Sensing his lack of desire to go into a shoe store I simply gave a flirty smile over my shoulder as I headed out. Stepping through the door of the upscale shoe store, eyes scanning the rows of strappy stilettos, platforms, peep toes, heeled boots, wedge heels; passing those, not my style. Stopping dead in my tracks as a pair of cutout stilettos caught my attention, fingers caressing the curvature and inspecting the workmanship. If there was anything I would ask Stefan to pay for it was shoes. Not wanting to wait, pulling a box from the shelf to slip my feet into the little gems. The black leather fitting over my feet perfectly, inspecting myself in the mirror. I instantly looked a hundred times more like myself. A pleased smile slipping across glossed lips, placing the Converse into the box as eyes caught Stefan now awaiting me outside. Striding up to the door and pecking at the glass motioning for him to come in, the clerk just about to stop me before she realized he was coming in for me. Posing a foot outward.} Much better, yes? {Brows perked as lips took on that classic simper before pecking his cheek. Placing the box upon the counter before eyeing him with sincerity.} Thank you, Stefan. {Toiletries could be picked up on the way home, I wanted to smell like a lady now too, not Stefan’s man soap.}

Stefan Salvatore @CorruptHumanity

@SpitfireTout

[With a small dent made to my balance, large hands collected up the bags before making a hasty retreat from the store. Shopping in an all female store was bad enough with Katherine at my side, without her, things reached a whole new level of weird. Sure that a few other shoppers now believed I was into cross dressing. Releasing a heavy sigh once back out on the street, eyes scanned the sidewalk in each direction for Katherine, of course she was nowhere in sight, she was on the hunt for new heels after all. A keen sense of smell caught her scent, trusting in my abilities I followed her trail, coming to a stop outside a store that screamed expensive, a brief look in the window revealed her curvaceous physique within, curving lips with a small sigh. Here she was truly in her element. Passing by numerous pairs of shoes, which to me looked just as good as the previous pairs, not that I knew anything of female fashion. Pulled from my thoughts by her light tap at the glass window, pushing the door open with a free hand, nodding in agreement to her query as I did so] You're welcome. [Returning her smile with one of my own, handing over my card to the clerk, without a single glance towards the total. This being the very least I could do, although it didn't alleviate any of my guilt] Feel more like yourself yet? [Side eyeing Katherine on our way out. Purposefully filling the silence with small talk to avoid the subject I wanted to discuss most, Damon. Since she had arrived, I had been adamant that my brother was gone and there was no getting him back. Refusing all her offers of help out of misguided stubbornness. Things had changed now. Katherine made me feel.. she just made me feel, and with the sudden rush of emotions came hope and a strong desire to find out where Damon was. Find him and bring him back. How to broach the subject now? I had no idea. Setting the bags down in the trunk, moving around the car to open the passenger side door for Katherine] What's next?

Katherine Pierce @spitfiretout

@CorruptHumanity

{I had not forgotten about Damon or my attempts, sending out the letter in a drop box before I entered the shoe store, while Stefan had his back turned of course. A wave of ease settled over as Stefan asked me that uncanny question. I was me, but I was not the old me. I had a new lease on life, it was as if I had been completely reborn. Yes, I remembered my past life but my body and mind were renewed. Perhaps it was the traveler magic, a weird doppelganger loophole? I didn’t know. A warm smile offered slipping through the door.} A bit, yes. {Stefan was trying to hide his broodiness behind small talk but I knew better, all that guilt was still resting just below the surface. Guilt for things that never would have happened had he never have met me, had he led a normal human life. Settling into the seat and reaching across to unlock Stefan’s door in the antique Porsche. How everyone used to harass him about that old car, but I found it now to be not only classy but a reminder. A reminder of his past life, a life he had with his brother in it. Eyeing him as he slid in, lips lifting into that secret little grin I only ever shared with him.} Now, now we go home and wait. {Home, that was a relative term. That was Stefan’s home not mine, I didn’t have a home.} Are you ready to talk now? {I could see that he was feeling more at ease, but how to bring up such a sensitive subject? I didn’t know for sure my witch friend could find Damon, but I made Damon and though I was no longer a vampire my blood still ran in his veins and I was still a doppelganger. Which met I had both a connection to Damon and powerful magic for her to draw on.} I know you, Stefan I know you miss him. {Eyes casting over, hoping that he would open up, maybe I could tell him, maybe if he went with me that would give Agatha a stronger connection as Stefan is Damon’s brother.}

Stefan Salvatore @CorruptHumanity

@SpitfireTout

And wait? Wait for what? [My eyes trained on the road outstretched before us, wondering exactly what it was that she had planned, knowing that I hadn't forgotten any plans. Chewing over the loaded question, was I ready to talk? Yes, but more than that. I was ready to act. Since settling down in Savannah, I had given up in my search to find out any information on Damon, much to the dismay of my friends. Giving up on Damon had meant giving up on Bonnie too. While there was no love lost between Damon and my friends, their love for Bonnie had never wavered. The silence continued, while a fight for the correct words played out in my mind] I do. [Jaw clenching with those two words, finally allowing myself to utter the truth. Of course I missed Damon, every second of everyday. He was blood. The one person in this world who had known me my entire life. Our past may not have been a checkered free one but that didn't matter. Not where family was concerned. We'd fight like dogs, yet no matter what, we would always be there for the other. Without my big brother I was adrift. We'd lost contact before of course, sworn to visit nothing but misery upon the other. There was a difference between losing touch however, and dying. While I spoke of moving on, convincing all those around me, it wasn't something so easily achieved. Not in my heart] I want to bring him back, from wherever he is. [Gaze lingering a little longer on Katherine, than was entirely necessary] He can't just be gone. [With home now in sight, I pulled over, parking the car out front. The engine continuing to tick over] And I can’t just leave him. [Killing the engine, whilst turning my upper torso towards Katherine] I'm just not entirely sure where to start up again. All the previous leads turned out to be a bust. No one knows anything. [However, none of them were Katherine, with what appeared to be an eternal ace up her sleeve]

Katherine Pierce @spitfiretout

@CorruptHumanity

{The silence was more awkward for Stefan than I as I knew what I was going to say, just not how. I could see his mind half racing, reaching through for the hows and if’s. Eyes training on his as a finger pointed towards the road.} Lets get us home safely first, yes? {Taking a deep breath as we reached the house, un-clicking my seat belt, body turning to meet Stefan, a hand taking his.} I know you want to and I also know you want to bring him back. Why do you think I came here, besides to check on you? You really think that I thought you would just move on without Damon? You know I turned you both because I knew, even back then. Do you really think I don’t have a plan, Stefan? {My gaze completely sincere as fingers gave his a squeeze.} I could not come in guns blazing, I knew you needed time, you needed to heal. I’ve already contacted a powerful witch friend in New Orleans who owes me a favor. {Lips pursed before speaking any further, retracting my hand. I in no way wanted Stefan to think I had any agenda for doing this.} I sent out a letter, I was waiting to hear from her. I didn’t know if you would be ready. I was going to do it on my own. {A swell of nervousness washed over me, I could very well be signing my death sentence /again/, but at least if I did this time I would be doing something good. Bringing Stefan his brother back, even if he did kill me on sight.} So, do you want to take a road trip?

Stefan Salvatore @CorruptHumanity

@SpitfireTout

[Katherine's words bringing a smile to my lips, earlier suspicions proved true. Of course she had a hidden agenda, she always did, this time though there was no malicious intent. Eyes falling to her hand following the reassuring squeeze of fingers. She spoke of time to heal, yet what I had really needed, above all else, was her. Not time, not patience. I’d had all those things for months. Friends had pushed and left, there was nothing from me. Not until her. Everything changed when she arrived. It always did. Even after all these years, the reason for the change remained a mystery to me. Something's you just couldn't pin down, I guess. The small flicker of hope within myself growing with each word uttered. Katherine had a new starting point for us, an avenue I hadn't yet explored] New Orleans..? [Brow hiking quizzically, unsure if Katherine knew the risk there. It was after all where Klaus and the rest of his family had chose to settle down after leaving Mystic Falls. For five hundred years she had been on his hit list, as far as Klaus was now concerned, she was dead. Allowing him to learn otherwise, I wasn't sure that was such a good idea] Of course I want Damon back.. [Emerald eyes searched mocha] ..but I don't want to risk your life in the process. Maybe I should go alone? [Even as the words were uttered, I knew what her response would be. She wasn't exactly the “take a backseat” type. Not to mention that she cared for Damon too, if not loved him. Then there was the added twist of the witch possibly being hesitant to help a stranger. A stranger who was a vampire]

Katherine Pierce @SpitfireTout

@CorruptHumanity

{Eyes softened, the concern in his gaze obvious. But I was not one to start a plan and not follow through. And it was Damon, the words spoken to him before I was expelled from Elena's body nothing but truth. He truly was who he was because of me, the man waited for me for a hundred and forty five years. If that’s not loyalty.... Then he hated me, I can’t blame him. That passion was obvious, I drew on the bravado he had. And right now, Stefan needed that. Deep down a part of me still loved Damon, not the way I did Stefan, but I cared. Neither of them had ever believed a word out of my mouth and they had every right. But now, now was different. Being back with Stefan as human was connecting me with my humanity in a whole new way. Making me feel things I had not felt in over five hundred years, the way I felt long ago with Nadia’s father. When my body sparked with nervousness at each touch and my stomach filled with butterflies at every kiss. Before our families found I was with child and I became an outcast. Eyes now stubbornly set on his.} You most certainly will not go alone. One, Agatha would not help some random vampire, and two Klaus thinks I’m dead. It’s not like I plan on parading around the town. {I knew Stefan was stubborn when it came to protecting human’s, especially ones he cared for. Another reason I had offered my blood, had faith he could keep control. The hope of finding Damon, the need to keep me around in order to do so. Though I hoped it was also because he /wanted/ me around not just needed me.} And /if/ something happens you will be there. {Dons a charming simper.} So what are you waiting for? Lets get a move on.

Stefan Salvatore @CorruptHumanity

@SpitfireTout

[Mouth opening to list all the reasons why Katherine joining me on the trip to New Orleans, wasn’t such a good idea. Though the words never made it off my tongue. I knew that look in her eyes, one of stubbornness, there would be no getting around it. Once she set her mind on something there was no stopping her. Katherine was smart, smart enough to know how to move around without drawing too much attention to herself. She'd been close to Klaus before without him even knowing it, the skill laid within her, regardless of whether she was human or vampire] Right, I'll be there. [Nodding once, turning back in my seat while the engine roared to life once more, we were in for a long drive, with any luck we'd make it to New Orleans before nightfall. With home now on the rear view mirror, thoughts traveled back over what Katherine had said. She held such belief in my ability to protect her from Klaus. Getting one over on Klaus was never easy, guy was smart and that wasn't even counting his inherent strength as a hybrid. To even be able to hold my own against him, should things go off course, then I’d need to be a lot stronger than I was right now. Thick brows furrowed, while eyes remained focused on the open road, I’d once taken a little human blood everyday, just a drop, to make me stronger, build up my tolerance and my ability to control the bloodlust. There was no time for such small steps now. A thin line would have to be walked, a thin line between taking enough and going full on ripper. Katherine's life wouldn't be the only one that hung in the balance if I screwed this up. Fingers tightened their grip upon the wheel, making a silent vow to myself. I wouldn't let the bloodlust control me, I’d take only what was required from the locals. Enough to keep me strong. Whatever it took to keep those I cared about safe, is exactly what I would do. Chancing a glance towards Katherine] How're you doing? Do you need a stop, for food or anything?

Katherine Pierce @SpitfireTout

@CorruptHumanity

{Lips drawing into a easy smile, of course he was not going to argue further with me. I always got what I wanted, plus this was Damon we were talking about. It’s not like he was going to risk a possibility of not getting him back. And I would not let him. We both knew our way around Klaus, sure he was smart, and had superior strength, but we had the element of surprise. Clicking my seat belt into place as we drove out from the Savannah home, glancing only briefly in the passenger side mirror. That may be where my new life began, but I don’t think we would be going back there, deep down I had faith that Agatha would be able to find Damon and bring him home. Making Stefan whole again, bringing him back to the man everyone knew him to be. Pulled from my thoughts as Stefan spoke and I noticed we were verging out towards the highway.} Hum? No, I think I can wait till we are closer to New Orleans. What about you, are you good? {A brow arching in question. I was sure he was okay, but Stefan always had the internal struggle and I didn’t want to put anyone else’s life in danger anymore than he did. He could keep taking from me, but I was only one person and he would need more than I could give. Of course this could create a dilemma, but Stefan was now on his own with me being human. I could not help him get what he needed, be the bad guy and ease his guilt with my deeds.}

Stefan Salvatore @CorruptHumanity

@SpitfireTout

[The hunger was quietly stirring within me, the gift from Katherine had sated it for far longer than any furry critter could. I should be good for a few more hours] I'm good, really. [Lips displaying a reassuring smile, there was no reason for either of us to worry over my impending hunger, despite the recent indulgence in human blood, I remained in control of the bloodlust. Silence descending upon the interior of the car, possibly in an attempt to reserve what energy we had. While my mouth was quiet, my mind was not. Katherine's plan didn't come risk free, in fact, it put us both in danger. Not that I feared my own death, I’d lived, far longer than anyone should. Katherine's own mortality concerned me more, loss of life was not something I wanted to happen, there was enough blood on my hands. Clearing my throat to grab her attention, an emerald gaze passing back and forth between Katherine and the road] Look, if something goes wrong, with Klaus, or me.. [Words left unfinished. We both knew the lengths I would have to go to in order to be strong enough, just like we knew the risk involved. All I could hope for, should the bloodlust become too much for me to bear, was that Katherine finished the job my father had started over a hundred years ago]

Katherine Pierce @SpitfireTout

@CorruptHumanity

{The silence normally would have been drown out by a million other sounds, but as a human all I heard was the purr of the engine and the wind whistling through one of the old windows. Knowing that this was risky, not only for Stefan, myself but also for Agatha made me not want to think. But I could not keep my mind from racing in a million different directions, the life I always wanted would never happen. I could have just run away, but being ‘reborn’ so to speak had giving me a pesky conscience and I was not sure how to react to it yet. Pulled from my inner thoughts by Stefan’s voice, head turning to catch his gaze, a look of stubbornness taking over.} What something, you mean if you become a ripper again? {Brows perking} No, I’ve pulled you from the edge before, I can do it again. I’m not losing you after going through all this to bring Damon back to you, Stefan. {Pushing back in my seat with a look of pure defiance, Stefan was stubborn but I was more so. And I would be damned if I would be stuck with Damon with out the man I was in love with.} Nothing is happening to you, end of story. {Eyes set back on the road, droning on exit after exit as we drew closer to New Orleans.}

Stefan Salvatore @CorruptHumanity

@SpitfireTout

[Jaw set with determination, even as eyes remained on the road ahead, unsurprisingly Katherine was wholly against my insinuation. Yet what choice would she have, against the monster within me?] Katherine.. [Tone low and remaining calm, to fight this out would be pointless, she'd only dig in her heels] Do you even remember the last time I gave in to the hunger? The death toll I racked up? What I did to Elena.. [Voice lowering on the last. There was no love lost between Elena and Katherine, but even she had to realise how hopeless her trying to pull me back would be. Trust, love, loyalty. None of that mattered when all you could see was the blood and without Damon.. Well, I wasn't sure I’d be strong enough to make it back to myself] You've been given a second chance. [Emerald gaze briefly meeting her own] Don't waste it on a foolish endeavour. [Wholeheartedly believing that the very next time I lost control it would be finale] You have a shot at a normal, human life. For the first time in over five hundred years you are truly free. [Finding myself pleading with her in the hope that she would see sense. I didn't want to lose control, lose myself, nor did I want to hurt her. Laughable when you thought about it, it was my hand behind the blade which drove her essence from Elena's body, casting her into, what we had all believed was oblivion. Things were different now, neither of us were the same people we were then. Memories awakened, feelings rediscovered, some of which I was hesitant to even admit too. A large hand left the wheel to settle on top of hers, thumb pad brushing lightly against bare skin] Just be a survivor. [Head turned to allow an emerald gaze to meet mocha, the hint of a smile playing at the corners of my lips. We'd never fully agree on the topic of putting me down, her own survival, though? A completely different story]

Katherine Pierce @SpitfireTout

@CorruptHumanity

{Eyes kept on the road as I spoke.} I do, but Damon is coming back and between us both /if/ something happens, and that’s a big if because I have faith for well the first time ever. We will bring you back. {I didn’t think Stefan understood just how much being brought back had changed me, truly changed me. I don’t think I did either. Here I was willing to risk almost everything to bring back Damon, after all we had put each other through, things we’ve said to each other I still cared.} You think I don’t know that, Stefan? That I’m not grateful for this chance? {Lips pursing as I drew a deep breath, sometimes Stefan was overly selfless, I had lived much longer than him. What, I deserved a second chance more because I was not a ripper? I refused to accept that, going on without him was not an option. Coming home without Damon or at least knowing where Damon was was not an option. Stefan needed this and I was going to find a way. Eyes lingering over to catch his brief gaze.} I’m not wasting anything, I’m saving everything I took for granted. {Sincerity washed across my features, I was not even sure how that just came out of my mouth but somehow it felt right. Once upon a time Stefan and Damon both loved me, both vied for my affections. I never compelled them to do so, but I played them against each other then sold out all my friends and abandoned everyone to save myself. Of course there was no way any of them would have survived against Klaus but I could have went about it differently. His words truly hitting home as I relived every moment I had put my life above everyone elses. Finger lifting to brush against his own.} It seems fate has created me to be a survivor this time. {Lifts a shoulder in a small shrug and laughs lightly.} I didn’t even do it this last time.

Stefan Salvatore @CorruptHumanity

@SpitfireTout

[Heart sunk in my chest, the weight of it almost crushing. Despite my best efforts to convince Katherine to see sense, to do what was necessary, she wouldn't let me go. It wouldn't matter what I said, or do, she'd never give in. Didn't a part of me know that already though? Know that she would do everything in her power to bring me back, should I nose dive off my eternal perch upon a knife edge. With little hope of changing her mind, the only thing I could hope for now, was strength. Strength for myself, to endure the awakened craving for human blood. The last of her words, pulling me from my own thoughts. The corners of my mouth twitched with the tell of an amused smile. Fate, destiny, had been a running theme for us all over the past few years. Doppelgangers destined to find each other and fall in love, as though it was all part of the grand design. A design I hadn't believed in then, and I certainly didn't believe in now. I’d grown to love Elena because of who she was, not because of how she looked. The same went for Katherine, despite there being a hidden side to her. Inexplicably drawn to both, maybe, for reasons even I was unsure of, everything else? Now that was down to us, nothing more. Nothing less. Fingers delivering a firm squeeze to her hand, stealing myself a brief glance in her direction. The way I felt now, just like before, had nothing to do with fate and more to do with who we were. A shadow self prophecy holding no power over us. Silence had fallen over the interior of the car once more, with nothing more to add to our stubborn fueled conversation. Despite us being unable to agree, there wasn't a trace of awkwardness. We were now only a couple of hours outside of New Orleans, with answers soon to be found, with any luck] Do I even want to know how you know this witch, Agatha? [Thick brow raising in a display of mild curiosity, her past being colorful to say the least] More importantly, is she going to be pleased to see you? [Needing to know exactly what we would be walking into, if I had any hope of protecting her]

Katherine Pierce @SpitfireTout

@CorruptHumanity

{Stefan knew all too well how stubborn I was, did he really think I would ever give in? That I would not do everything in my power to pull him from that proverbial cliff? The silence settling in answering my unspoken questions. We were both such different people then we were last we saw each other. Stefan had moved on completely from Elena and I was actually doing something selfless. We would never agree on everything much less this, but somehow we worked so well together when it came to dire situations. Drawing ever closer to New Orleans, Stefan breaking the silence with the laced question. I could not blame him for asking, especially considering my history.} If you must know I crossed paths with her while I was hunting down and getting my information on little Jane Anne Deveraux. Her niece had been taken by a pack of rouge vampires and well, I’m always one to have a witch owe me one. {Lips drawing into a broad grin as eyes stole a glance at him.} So I took my bad ass self in and rescued said niece, reuniting them earned me a favor and now I’m collecting. {Shifting up in my seat, taking a steady breath knowing Stefan would think ‘Yeah, right, I bet there’s more to that story’ but that would suffice.Stefan was more than aware of my skills and ruthlessness as a vampire, not something I was sure either of us wanted to go into detail about right now. I wanted Stefan to love me for who I was now, not some false persona he may think I’m putting up. I didn’t want to be judged by my past actions, Stefan was the /only/ person I was sure would actually give me that. } I’m sure she’s not going to be up for feeding us, especially you, so you might want to stop so we can eat.

Stefan Salvatore @CorruptHumanity

@SpitfireTout

[Lips pursed with a nod, not forgetting the last time Katherine had a witch in her pocket, although for one not to be a Bennett made a change. Further details in regards to her history with this Agatha, didn't matter, what mattered was that I wouldn't be walking into a brain aneurysm. A go to move for many a witch when dealing with supernatural entities and a sure fire way to put most down] Right.. [Tongues tip running across blunt incisors, the all too familiar itch at my gums made it's presence known. The hunger deep within had been stirring for awhile now, although I had tried my best to ignore it. Knowing the renewed danger each time I fed. The euphoria experienced from human blood was incomparable to that of animal. There was a reason why a vampire’s true strength was to be found when feeding off of humans. Where best to stop? Became the question that overtook all else. Our stay in New Orleans, was one I hoped would be short. The longer Katherine stayed, the greater the risk of Klaus discovering her presence, concern over my own safety was lesser, Klaus and I had an odd sort of on going friendship. My mere presence would arouse questions though, ones I'd be unable to answer. Catching a glance at a road sign declaring the presence of a roadside diner up ahead, my decision quickly being made. The less meals sought within the city walls, the better. Pulling off the highway, guided only by the road signs, I pulled the car to a stop outside of the small building. There were a handful of cars parked around the lot, giving hope that we'd both be able to eat without too much of a fuss, although that depended entirely on the menu as far as Katherine was concerned. Emerald gaze sought out hers] Are you sure you want to do this? [Not meaning the upcoming meal in the diner, but the trip to New Orleans. Concern over her safety overriding my own desire to get my brother back. If needs be then I’d find another way] This is possibly your last chance to back out.. [Her answer was apparent before she even opened her mouth] Never mind. [Canceling out my question, not leaving her with a chance to speak. She cared for my brother, a part of her always had. Of course she was sure, Katherine was hardly the type to act on impulse alone. Stepping from the car, long strides guiding me around the car to open the passenger side door for her] Let's go get you something deep fried and dripping with calories. [Lips curve to display a teasing smile, aware of how meticulous she could be over the food she put in her body. A large hand reaching forth, in offering to her]

Katherine Pierce @SpitfireTout

@CorruptHumanity

{Brows arched at his words, he had good reasoning for letting that hang, but in the end he let it drop knowing I was not leading either of us into a trap. Knowing the hunger had to be nagging in the back of his mind, that itch in his gums and the burn in the back of his throat. Having all the faith that he could control his urges as we veered off the highway and into a small diner near the exit. My eyes narrowing at his next remark, we had been over this again and again. He knew I would be more than relentless, I might not want Damon back as badly as he did, but I did want him back. I needed him, not for my own schemes, but so the man I love could be the man he was supposed to be once more. To fully ignite the lingering ember of hope that lay behind those soulful eyes of his. Eyes now lifting to meet his gaze as a hand extended to grasp his, lifting from the seat and closing the door behind me as we lead into the diner.} Right, and let it go straight to my thighs so I can be your heat this winter? {A soft laugh departing glossed lips as we strode through the doors of the sparsely filled diner. A young woman telling us to sit where ever we liked, picking a booth in the far corner. It was fairly isolated from the other customers so as not to drown Stefan in so many pounding heartbeats.} You know, it’s really touching how you’re so concerned for my safety, Stefan. You do realize without me, without this trip you’re back to a dead end. {Not wanting him to go back to that disheartening state I found him in.} I’m in this for the long haul, Stefan. {Interrupted as menus were placed before us, giving the waitress a warm smile in thanks and asking for a water.} So stop asking me if I want to turn back, because I don’t. {Dropping my voice to a low whisper, eyes scanning the half empty diner painfully aware of Stefan’s desire to preserve human life.} Maybe you should try feeding from me again, you won’t hurt me. Then you don’t have to hurt anyone. {Offering him the same pleading look he had myself earlier, appealing to his softer side. If he fed from me that might weaken me some, but then he would be strong enough to protect me and I was smart, smart enough to protect myself.} Then by all means just top off with a furry friend or something. {Shrugging as I had never gotten that, I always drank from the vein when I was a vampire. I never struggled the way Stefan had. Sifting back up in my seat as the waitress appeared once more, greeting her with another warm smile.} I’ll have the house cob salad, light dressing please. Do you want anything? {Eyes falling to Stefan as if in question if he was going to pretend to be human in front of the customers.}

Stefan Salvatore @CorruptHumanity

@SpitfireTout

[Shoulder lifts in a small shrug] It's an idea, although the cold doesn't phase me all that much. Which you are more than aware of. [Flashing a knowing smile, able to find humour within the bleak moments. Katherine's choice of booth and the reason for it didn't go unnoticed or remain mystery. She knew very well what she had awoken within me last night, the struggle I lived with even without the taste so fresh within my mind. Determination had began to settle over myself, after the conversation back in the car. I could hold it together, be strong for Damon, for her. Thumb pad absentmindedly tapped against the tabletop while pushing the thrum of beating hearts as from my thoughts as was possible] Are you surprised that I'm concerned? [Brow raising with mild curiosity. It wasn't all that long ago that Katherine's fate, either way, would have meant very little to me. Much had changed since then, not just circumstances but our very personalities, who we were at our core. My concern for Katherine's safety didn't exist because she could help with Damon, feelings ran deeper than that] I’m aware. [Solemness taking hold of chiseled features whilst head bowed in a small nod. In reality I knew the task ahead would be an impossible one without her aid, all I needed was the reassurance that she was indeed helping of her own free will and not feeling pressured into doing so. Lips parted to argue with Katherine, to take from her again would leave her at a disadvantage when she'd need all the strength she could get. Words froze unspoken on my tongue though as emerald met mocha, the silent plea in her eyes screaming at me. With another nod and a small half smile, I silently accepted her plea. The need I held within to keep her safe made her safer than anyone else in the diner. Eyes shifted from Katherine to the waitress] Just a coffee, thanks. [Using the caffeine to keep myself warm to the touch, having little interest or appetite for the food on offer. Gaze returning to Katherine once the waitress had slipped away with our orders] What happened to the thigh and warmth plan? [Raising a brow] Having second thoughts already?

Katherine Pierce @SpitfireTout

@CorruptHumanity

Of course I’m not surprised. I just know I have you and I’m not worried. {Lifts shoulders in a small shrug, the grin from his prior comment still lingering. Was he going to be shocked that I had so much faith in him, that I truly believed he had my back? We were both such different people than we were last we parted. Able to find small moments of comic relief even in the worst of times. I was not doing this because I thought it would bring me some advantage, or because I thought it would change the way Stefan felt about me. I was simply doing it because I cared. Because I wanted to see Stefan happy again.} Just like you have me. {A warm smile taking claim once more upon glossed lips. Hand reaching across to smooth over the edge of his tapping finger.} And I never agreed to the thigh gain. {Laughing before suddenly pinching is hand.} I’m too vain to get fat, and besides you’re on a budget now, remember? No money for new clothes. {Teasing had seemed to become my new way of avoiding awkward subjects, here I was about to eat and I knew Stefan was hungry too. But to feed him I had to eat, to find Damon we both needed this. Damon, that was a subject. Something I had avoided talking about since it was brought up. My last words to him were something else, the things I did I could not take back. Who was to say he would not want to kill me again on site? Not that I could really blame him. Hand retracting as our food and coffee were set down, instantly beginning to dig at my salad, hungrier than I thought.} Look, it’s the bunny diet. {Wrinkles my nose poking fun at everyone’s poking fun of him. Though it really was not that funny, I was not some animal he could drain and leave for some other animal to finish off. I was a human, and he cared. Clearing my throat, my plate already half empty.} I’m sorry, that was distasteful.

Stefan Salvatore @CorruptHumanity

@SpitfireTout

[Her warm smile now mirrored back at her from chiseled features, a truer statement had never been spoken, she did have me and I her. There was no lengths that I wouldn't go to to ensure her safety along with her survival. The motion of my tapping finger coming to a stop under the gentle touch of her hand, seeming to always know how to calm the monster within without uttering a single word. Was that because she knew me? Probably better than anyone else, or simply because she was the one who had turned me? Casting aside such thoughts since it really didn't matter, all that mattered was that she was here, we were together. Schooling features in faux disappointment, unable to fully hide the smile that played across my lips. The small moment of playful teasing seeming to lighten the mood for us both. We both knew all too well the risks involved here, what was at stake should we make even the smallest of mistakes. Hands pulling back from the centre of the table to encircle the coffee cup, palms absorbing the warmth that was on offer, content to simply sit in comfortable silence while Katherine ate. Thoughts turning towards the feelings I know had, feelings I had believed to have been buried long ago. Unable to recall the precise moment when my hatred for Katherine had turned to dislike, tolerance, caring, friendship and finally to… no. Unwilling to yet fully accept such a notion. The timing of it all was off, not to mention the small measure of fear that accompanied the idea of it, so much had happened between the two of us. Not all of it good and while we might be different people now, there was no knowing if we'd even fit. A large hand brought the cup to parted lips for a small sip, a pact made with myself to only continue the direction my thoughts were heading when this was all over. Settling the cup back down upon the table, pulled from my thoughts by the dulcet tone of Katherine's voice. A thick brow raised, eyes falling across her half empty plate of salad before raising to settle on soft features] Not disrespectful, the timing was just off. [Any other time, I may even have chuckled at her words. Since she had so bravely offered me her blood, this time straight from the vein, it was of no joking matter, not to me, she had to know that, know the depth of my gratitude. Reclaiming the cup of coffee, consuming the last of it's contents while silence fell across us]

Katherine Pierce @SpitfireTout

@CorruptHumanity

{Stefan had this uncanny way of making me feel like I could do nothing wrong lately. Was it because I was doing things right this time around or because he needed me to get Damon? No, pushing that thought aside, Stefan was not a user. That was my department in the past, I had no right to try and push that kind of belief onto him. What was I thinking? Eyes drifting from him back to my plate, the small smile still in place.} My timing seems to be off lately. {Finishing my salad in silence, thoughts not so much racing now, but more of a calm. Stefan had in fact become more of a touch stone for me. I had nothing since I came back, everything I had I owed to him, but I didn’t want him to feel as if I was doing any of this because I felt indebted to him. Stefan would give a stranger the shirt off his back if needed. That was just the kind of guy he was, selfless when he was not off the rails and the last thing I wanted was to push him in that direction. Suddenly my thoughts shifting to how close we were to New Orleans and how things might fall if we were unsuccessful. That couldn’t happen, Agatha was the most powerful witch I knew. Not only was I some weird magic doppelganger talisman, but I had come back from the dead through some mystical loophole to screw over the travelers. That had to be of some benefit, maybe, just maybe bringing Damon back would break the spell that kept all magic out of Mystic Falls. Maybe I was some kind of key. Would the little witch be able to hitch a ride too? I knew Stefan would want me to bring them both if possible. Setting the silverware on the now empty plate pushing it forward, washing it all down with a large sip of water.} Well, I think it’s time to get this show moving, yes? {Waving the waitress down, sure Stefan was anxious to get to New Orleans, but didn’t want to rush feeding. There would be a heavy wind of emotions with human blood, and what was to come after. The waitress coming offering to refill Stefan’s coffee and take my plate.} Nothing else for me, thank you.

Stefan Salvatore @CorruptHumanity

@SpitfireTout

[It appeared as though Katherine had become lost in her own thoughts, just as I had, part of me wondering if she was thinking the same as me. If there was a part of her that still felt for her murderer the way that I felt for her. Holding back a chuckle, finding amusement in the thought. Our circumstances proving just how odd we truly were, human or not, our lives had been and would probably always be complicated. To bring voice to feelings now may cause doubt of their honesty, the timing was a little suspect. Proving my early decision to not think on them any longer, to be the right one. Pushing the cup to the centre of the table, the last of the coffee long since gone. The sound of cutlery meeting china, the last of her meal now consumed. Anxiousness thrummed away within, knowing what was to come next and wanting to say no. No wasn't an option, as ridiculous as that may have sounded to anyone who knew me] I'm good thanks. [Declining the offer of a refill, hand poised over the rim of the cup as I spoke. With the waitress moving on to the next table, emerald moved across the open space to find familiar features] If you're sure you don't want anything else, I'll go settle up. [Quietly dismissing myself from the table, large strides directed towards the till where I offered payment for the food and drink. Always wanting to appear as human as possible to the world, as if playing the part would make it true. It made it real enough for me] Are you ready to get back on the road? [Offering a hand to Katherine without even thinking about such an act. With the weight of her hand in mine, fingers flexed, taking a proper hold of her hand while leading us out from the diner and back towards the car. Words failing me at this point. Any query over her meal may be perceived as me pushing to feed]

Katherine Pierce @SpitfireTout

@CorruptHumanity

{I could sense Stefan’s anxiousness, not that I was not anxious as well. I had no idea if this would work, how Damon would feel when he saw me, the rage I might incur upon his return. A soft shake of my head at his words as eyes followed him, always the opposite of Damon. Not simply taking what he wanted or needed, but earning it. Yearning to lead life as a decent human, the human part I stole from him so long ago. The part he fought to keep alive every time he fed, that he would have to fight for now. Not only for himself, but for me, for Damon and for everyone he cared about. I was more determined now than ever to make his fight worth it. Fingers gliding into his offered grasp as we exited the diner, half wondering how we must have seemed like an odd pair. He watching while I ate, laughing silently to myself as eyes lifted to meet his own.} Aren’t you forgetting something? {A single brow arching as a hand guided to his shoulder. I was not about to let Stefan go starve. I knew he had to be hungry by now, especially watching me eat. If we were to survive this he needed his strength as much as I needed mine, maybe even more so. Eyes now growing stern.} You don’t have to treat me like some delicate little flower just because I’m human now. {Hand departing from his as I shuffled into the car.} Come on, if anyone happens to see they will think we’re making out. {Flashing Stefan a lighthearted wink as I closed the door, I had no fear of Stefan or his ripper side. I could tell feelings were bubbling, that my confidence and his desire to see Damon again would secure Stefan’s control.}

Stefan Salvatore @CorruptHumanity

@SpitfireTout

[Eyes lowered to her hand on my shoulder before slowly travelling the short distance up to her own gaze, hand lifting to rub at the back of my neck, no verbal response to offer her. I was still a mix of contradicting emotions when it came to the topic of me feeding from her. Concern being more than fairly warranted in such circumstances. Yet we were traveling into the lion's den, without the strength human blood would give me, I’d be unable to protect her] That's not what I’m doing. [A small lie on my behalf, it was partly what I was doing. Katherine's safety wasn't the only one I was worried about. I was concerned about the safety of everyone should this prove too much for me to bear. Given half the chance I’d tear the people of New Orleans apart. Settling myself into the driver's seat of the car, eyes searching her own for any hesitance or doubt. Finding only trust laying within the mocha depths. Chuckling lowly to myself from her last comment, even now she managed to pull me from my inner turmoil. An arm stretched across the open space to take her hand in mine, guiding her wrist towards me while eyes fell to a close, allowing myself to succumb to the bloodlust. Dark pulsating veins webbed out from beneath lower lids while incisors lengthened and sharpened. My parted lips hovered above her wrist for a moment before teeth sunk into subtle skin. Powerless to stop the low appreciative groan for the ambrosia which flowed effortlessly into my mouth. Despite her confidence and trust, I couldn't bring myself to drink from her neck, knowing that such close proximity, combined with a rush of emotions would leave me wanting nothing more than to kiss her. Head pulling back from her wrist having taken all I safely could from her. Features once again hiding the monster I truly was] Thank you. [Words steeped with sincerity, hand delivering a gentle squeeze to her own]

Katherine Pierce @SpitfireTout

@CorruptHumanity

{There was no fear residing within as Stefan drew near, knowing this was what was needed and what would hold his strength whether it need to be physical or emotional. This was the first time since I had come back that Stefan allowed me to see the darkness that he constantly held at bay. He didn’t need to be afraid, it was nothing I was scared of nor anything I had not seen before. I accepted Stefan for all he was, not only the parts I wanted to see. That appreciative groan a familiar sound as I attempted to keep my arm from stiffening, not used to being on this end of the biting. A new fondness found in the care taken with such matters as fingers returned the soft squeeze.} Don’t hank me yet, Damon’s not here. {Lips drawing in a soft smile. Would he still be so grateful if this didn’t work, would he still want me around? Drawing on my seat-belt as the engine once more purred to life.} Next stop, New Orleans {Of course I was nervous as I was sure Stefan was, and anxious to get this all done and over with. But also hanging on a edge of what if’s. What if it didn’t work, was there anything else, would Stefan ever be okay without Damon? The silence of the car filled with nothing but the hum of tires over the black top, fingers suddenly coming to rest atop his as my voice sliced through the silence.} You won’t let Damon kill me either, right? {Another one of my half attempts to lighten the mood, though I was only half sure. Maybe once Damon was back he would not care anymore and I was reading things that were not there, Stefan hated me for a very long time. hand retrieving to my lap, finally entering the outskirts of New Orleans.} Take the exit for Canal St. veer right and take a left on Bayou Rd. It’s the white brick apartment building.

Stefan Salvatore @CorruptHumanity

@SpitfireTout

[The pad of a thumb wiped any traces of blood from the corner of my mouth] That's not what I was thanking you for. [Whether Katherine realised it or not, her offering a vein, knowing all that she did about the struggles I battled daily, meant a lot more than I could ever put into words. The act itself utterly selfless on her part, with nothing to gain and everything to lose. Straightening within the seat, buckling the belt into place, more out of habit than any need for the safety it provided. Head tipping forth in agreement, the engine roaring to life. It wasn't too long before we were back on the road and well on our way to New Orleans. Able to sense the shift in my companions mood led me to steal glances her way whenever I believed her attention to be elsewhere. Leaving me to wonder if I’d unintentionally hurt her while I drank, careful not to take too much, yet unable to recall the force behind my bite. Thick brows furrowing, unable to take the curiosity any longer, lips parted to speak, the words becoming frozen on my tongue at her own question, hand turning beneath her own to take a delicate hand within my large one. Unsure how serious her question was. On the one hand she should know me better than that. Yet on the other, I was the one who had previously killed her] I won't let anything happen to you. [Emerald meeting mocha in all sincerity. Up until this point I’d thought my feelings had been obvious, despite my attempts at concealing them. Attempts now proved more successful that I’d first thought] If we're successful, then Damon will simply have to suck it up and thank you. [Pausing momentarily to take a breath, part of me unwilling to even consider that this might all be for nothing] And if we're not, nothing changes. You'll still be welcome in my home. [Eyes returning to the road ahead, still hesitant to bring up certain feelings. There was clear insecurity within the depths of mocha, if I spoke of feelings now it was highly unlikely that she'd believe in the truth of them. Silence remained on my part while Katherine gave instructions on the direction in which to take. Eyes searched ahead for the necessary signposts indicating street names. Pulling up in front of the white brick apartment she had described. Without uttering a word, I got out of the car, eyes searching the faces of those who walked the street for signs of anyone familiar. With no sign of the Mikaelsons, I stooped down to speak to Katherine through the open door] It looks clear. Let's be quick. [Closing the door, footsteps hurried to the sidewalk to meet Katherine. Approaching the apartment building a hand fell to rest protectively at her lower back. Knowing she wasn't safe out in the open like this]

Katherine Pierce @SpitfireTout

@CorruptHumanity

{I could not help but allow a soft laugh to slip at Stefan’s words. Damon, thank me? That would be a cold day in hell. The latter part of his reply I didn’t want to accept, he needed Damon and as much as Damon and I fought I still cared. Not only because of his relationship with Stefan, I loved him once too. And in that moment my heart sank, a breath drawn as my hand retrieved from his.} I can’t accept that, if this fails I don’t think I can face you. {Only words spoken in the remainder of the drive the directions to Agatha’s home. It was an awkward feeling sitting back, waiting for someone else to assure my protection. But being I was the one thing needed to procure this link to where ever we thought Damon might be what choice did we have? Nodding at his words as I slipped from the car, hurrying to the door of the building and allowing Stefan to guide me inside. It was a small building, only eight apartments, mostly filled by witches that protected each other. Agatha was in apartment seven. Winding up the stairs till we were met at Agatha’s door. Knuckles brushing a knock upon the painted wood, a soft smile greeted me as her face appeared. “Katherine Pierce arises from the dead.” The door graciously being opened for us, my eyes motioning back towards Stefan.} He’s with me, he’s Damon’s brother, Stefan. “Stefan, please come in.” {The door frame was lined with sigils on the inside, hiding her magic from those that would bring her harm. The smell of sage strong as she purified the home for the ritual. An alter set in the cleared out living room with a rather large brass bowl, a circle of salt lined with more runic sigils I didn’t quite understand.} Are you sure you can do this, Agatha? “If I can’t no one can, but I do require some of his blood.” {Her eyes falling to Stefan. I didn’t know that a head of time, but I suspected as much, they were brothers and that would give her a better connection. I was simply a magical link between the here and there.} Not mine? {A curious brow rose wondering what all this entailed.} “I have a mixture ready, it needs his blood. When you drink it, it will send you into limbo. To whatever other side you came from, you may search for his brother there.” {Eyes darted to Stefan, that sounded a lot like being half dead. But I would be able to find Damon for him, bring him back.} Hand it over, Stefan.

Stefan Salvatore @CorruptHumanity

@SpitfireTout

[Incapable of arguing with her words since I was unwilling to fully face that this whole trip may have been for nothing. I’d made many trips just like this one over the past months, tracking down any and all leads I could in the hopes of bringing my brother back from whatever hell he was trapped in, along with Bonnie. It'd had taken the last shred of hope I possessed to even agree to this, in truth, I wasn't sure what would happen if we failed. Would I spiral? Become the ripper once more? There was just no way of knowing. In that moment I made a vow to myself, should the unthinkable occur. If Damon was lost to us all for good, then I would do all I could to ensure Katherine was set before I’d allow myself to fall apart. Once inside the building, my hand dropped from the base of Katherine's back, allowing her to lead the way up the staircase. Eyes fixed upon the door in front of us, a simple brass number seven nailed to it. A sense of anxiousness set in the pit of my stomach, the witch beyond the wooden door was truly our last hope, Damon's last hope. Head tipped forward in a motion of gratitude, taking a single stride over the threshold, allowing Katherine to do any necessary talking, witches weren't known for being very fond of vampires. Emerald gems taking in the items on what appeared to be an alter. From what I had seen over the centuries, Agatha clearly knew her stuff, although Katherine had assured me of such. The mention of my blood had me ready to offer up my hand there and then, yet the exchange of information that followed had me concerned for Katherine's welfare. The traveler knife had bound her to limbo once before, without such a talisman to destroy, just how would she be able to make it back? Thick brows furrowed, gaze moving between the two women. Noting the resolve upon soft features, even though she didn't know the risks, she was still willing to risk it all for Damon. Eyes shifted to settle upon Agatha, hand rising to my mouth, where pointed incisors sunk into the fleshy part of my palm, causing the blood to effortlessly flow. The witch was quick to retrieve a shallow bowl form the alter to collect my blood] How does she get back? [It was a question that needed answering before Katherine's lips went anywhere near the concoction Agatha had created]

Katherine Pierce @SpitfireTout

@CorruptHumanity

{Of course Stefan handed over without hesitancy, this was his last hope to get Damon back and I wanted to do this for him. His question was a good one, one that I wanted to know as well. And in that moment I knew, Stefan loved me. He didn’t need to say it, I could hear it in the tone of concern in his voice. As Agatha started mixing the final ingredient she began to explain. “This is a very complex spell, requiring much energy. Not only on my part but Katherine’s as well. Her now being human she is also a traveler. I will harness her mystical power as a doppelganger to send her, your blood will act as an anchor and an attractant towards your brother while she’s there. Once she’s found him she will have to use a special incantation combined with Damon’s blood to bring her back. Damon and your self are bonded through blood, though she is no longer a vampire she sired you both and there for her blood continues to course in your veins. You are all connected in one continuous circle of life and death.” Blinking in disbelief, I had no idea how to do any kind of magic, my father had terrified us from a very young age. Deep breath drawn, doey eyes meeting Stefan’s with all confidence. With all hopes I could do this, I was a survivor I could do anything, deal with any situation. I didn’t come this far just to travel to some hell dimension and get trapped there trying to save the man that hated me above all others, save Klaus. Listening intently as Agatha told me the spell, how it would allow me to also draw on my own power. As a doppelganger I was the talisman. Once Agatha was sure I had the incantation down properly her gaze met Stefan’s as did mine, a confidant smile reaching my lips.} Does that answer your question?

Stefan Salvatore @CorruptHumanity

@SpitfireTout

[The blood flow soon stopped, the wound having taken but seconds to fully heal. Eyes never shifting from Agatha as she busied herself at the altar, myself ready to sweep aside the offered elixir should her reply be anything but satisfactory. Risking Katherine to save Damon just wasn't an option. Not anymore. Everything had changed. The deep inhale on Katherine's part had my gaze instinctively shifting to hers, eyes speaking words my mouth would not. If there was even the smallest part of her that didn't want to do this, then we'd turn around and walk straight out. Silent question met with nothing but confidence on her part, had I really expected anything less from her? Perhaps Katherine viewed such an act of selflessness as a means to start down a path of redemption. It certainly couldn't be born from a sense of debt, she owed me nothing. Our past had been put to rest, her new lease of life afforded us that second chance. The chance to draw a line and start fresh. Emerald gems passed between the two women, only once I was certain that Agatha had no hidden agenda, such as luring us both into a sense of security, only to have Klaus bursting through the door, did I nod] Just, come back to me.. [Taking a step back, giving Agatha and Katherine the space they required to get the spell underway. Unwilling to move off too far in case my assistance was required]

Katherine Pierce @SpitfireTout

@CorruptHumanity

{I was more ready now than I would ever be.} We will. {Nothing but pure confidence in my tone, my gaze now shifting to meet Agatha’s as she moved back to her alter. Bowl perched against my bottom lip as I tipped it, the blood tinged elixir gliding down none too easily. Being human again deterred a taste for blood. A fog settling over my mind as Agatha began chanting, seeming like the air was being sucked out of it as I gasped for breath and finally collapsed within the confines of the salt circle. Head pounding as heavy lids began to open. What happened? My mind was still a fog hand coming to rub the back of my head, eyes trying to focus on the surroundings. I felt strange..... as if every molecule of my body was forcing me up off the ground. Gathering my bearings, I was in Mystic Falls. But it was empty, no one else was here. Feet carrying me forward, passing places that brought memories of more things I had done than I cared to remember. Continually propelled forward passing the school, the grave yard. Damon could have had reason to be at either I suppose, but obviously he was not. Pausing to glance up at the clock tower, not my finest moment. Nadia had every right to be angry with me. If only she was here somewhere too, I doubted it. A swell of sadness pricked the edge of my mind, shaking it off. I didn’t have time for that, back tot he task at hand. The sheriff’s department, he was close to little sheriff Forbes. But no, my body kept propelling me forward. Was he at the most logical place, the boarding house? At least when I was trapped there was entertainment, now there was just nothing. It was a virtual ghost town. Was I even going to find Damon? My mind began wondering in a thousand directions, worry over how Stefan would react if Damon was lost to him forever. Eyes glancing into the window of The Grill, nope not at the bar drinking himself into oblivion, shocker. Drawn towards the housing district, more specifically Maple St. This is the street Elena lived on, but she had burnt her house down after I killed Jeremy. Why would Damon be here, visiting a vacant lot? Shoulders shrugged continuing with my walk, arriving at 2014 Maple St. slack jawed as eyes fell on the white pristine two story Colonial style home. How was that possible? Drawn closer, doey eyes fell upon a familiar figure, simply not the one I was looking for.} Bonnie? {Brows furrowing} “Katherine, shouldn't you be in hell?” Really Bonnie, is that any way to talk to someone that’s here to bring you home? {Her face coated in utter disbelief.} Where’s Damon? I need him to get out of here. “I’m not telling you a damn thing until you tell me how the hell you’re here.”

Stefan Salvatore @CorruptHumanity

@SpitfireTout

[The corners of lips twitched with the slightest hint of a smile from the confidence in Katherine's words. The survivor in her had and always would refuse to go down without a fight, leaving no doubt in my mind that she would return. Of course, I hoped she’d return with Damon, how could I not? He was my brother, our relationship was a rocky one at times yet he was the only constant I had, the only person left, Katherine aside, who knew the real me. We were family. Unable to do anything except for simply watching the scene unfold before me, Agatha's increased chanting seemed to charge the air around us. My first instinct as Katherine's knees began to buckle was to rush forward, capture her within my arms before she ever hit the ground. Yet doing so would break the circle of salt surrounding her, I couldn't break the circle, who knew what consequences we would face should that happen. The electrifying charge to the air dissipated along with Agatha's chanting, still unable to make out a single word she had spoken. Emerald gaze rose from Katherine's unconscious frame upon the floor to Agatha, eyes searching hers for answers. Had the spell worked? How long would it be before she returned? Silent questions met with a simple shrug of petite shoulders, Agatha now turning away from me to face the altar. A large hand raised to scrub across my face, there was simply nothing else to do but wait.. and worry. There was a pit in my stomach, had been for a long time, almost from the very moment Katherine had suggested this little road trip of ours. New Orleans was not a safe place for her to be in, more so now that she was a human. Sure, she had fed me her blood, made me stronger, faster, than any forest critter would have, yet I would still be no match for Klaus or any one of his siblings. Without even realizing it, booted feet had began to pace back and forth the small living space of the apartment. Shoulders tense, keen hearing listening for even the slightest change to Katherine's heartbeat, not to mention any approaching footsteps out in the hall. The sooner she returned, accompanied by Damon, or alone, the better.]

Katherine Pierce @SpitfireTout

@CorruptHumanity

{I was beyond irritated, not that Bonnie didn’t have good reason to question me. But I didn’t know what would happen the longer I stayed here, I know knew what I had to do. Explaining to Bonnie the whole long tale about the traveler's knife, how it somehow brought me back and I was now newly human. Not a cured vampire human, but truly human it seemed. Explaining to her how I had brought Stefan to New Orleans and my witch friend, Agatha, the spell using Stefan’s blood that drew me here. She seemed to understand it more than I did, even though I was sure I left out some important points.} Now I need Damon’s blood to get back. {Face coated in complete honesty.} I know Stefan would want you to come back too. {Again telling her the rest of the story, the chant, how I as the doppelganger was the talisman and being part traveler gave me an extra loophole to get here. Bonnie’s conclusion being that the traveler’s magic created this alternate universe. Things existed here that did not exist in our Mystic Falls. Now for the scary part, Damon. Following Bonnie in, not that I was too at ease taking this step. Could I even die here? Easing up the stairs and would you know it, into Elena’s room. Of course that’s where Damon was. “Katherine” He hissed lunging forward only to be stopped by Bonnie. The look on his face one of pure disdain. Not that I could blame him after what I did, but I was here to bring him back. That had to be worth something. He bit the bullet after Bonnie explained to him why and how I was here, that Stefan was waiting for us. “Any way we can leave her here?” Damon snarked. Of course he would say that. I just kept my mouth shut for once, I didn’t feel like standing here arguing, I only wanted Stefan to get his brother back regardless of what that met for us. For the first time finding myself honestly grateful for Mystic Falls favorite witch as she was well versed in all that was magic. Damon still being the ass that he was, biting into his own wrists before shoving it against my mouth. A link was formed, Bonnie taking it upon herself to pull through me and hitch a ride. We figured that was the best way to get all of us out together, my mind once more fading into a fog at the words resounded in my thoughts and I hit the ground with a mindless thud hoping to wake on the other side with Damon and Bonnie.}

Stefan Salvatore @CorruptHumanity

@SpitfireTout

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flyinghigh716 · 7 years

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Bargain & Daily Book Deals 08/02/17

Today on Amazon's Gold Box, get up to 50% Off on Adidas MLS Fan Gear, 20% Off on a Lenox Butterfly Meadow 12-Piece Bowl Set and 67% Off on a Lenox Butterfly Meadow 18-Piece Dinnerware Set, Service for 6.

My Bargain Picks

No Way Down: Life and Death on K2 ($0.99 Kindle), by Graham Bowley [HarperCollins]

No Way Down is both a gripping read and a clear-eyed investigation of the hubris, politics, and bad luck that brought on one of the worst disasters in modern mountaineering history. - Michael Kodas, author of High Crimes: The Fate of Everest in an Age of Greed

Graham Bowley's No Way Down does a great job of putting you on the mountain. It is a refreshingly unadorned account of the true brutality of climbing K2, where heroes emerge and egos are stripped down, and the only thing achieving immortality is the cold ruthless mountain. - Norman Ollestad, author of Crazy for the Storm

In the tradition of Into Thin Air and Touching the Void, No Way Down by New York Times reporter Graham Bowley is the harrowing account of the worst mountain climbing disaster on K2, second to Everest in height but second to no peak in terms of danger. From tragic deaths to unbelievable stories of heroism and survival, No Way Down is an amazing feat of storytelling and adventure writing, and, in the words of explorer and author Sir Ranulph Fiennes, the closest you can come to being on the summit of K2 on that fateful day.

Open Road One Day Deals & Promos

Kimberly's Flight: The Story of Captain Kimberly Hampton, America's First Woman Combat Pilot Killed in Battle ($2.99 Kindle), by Anna Simon and Ann Hampton

US Army Captain Kimberly N. Hampton was living her dream: flying armed helicopters in combat and commanding D Troop, 1st Squadron, 17th Cavalry, the armed reconnaissance aviation squadron of the 82nd Airborne Division. An all-American girl from a small Southern mill town, Hampton was a top scholar, student body president, ROTC battalion commander, and highly ranked college tennis player. In 1998, she was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the army. Driven by determination and ambition, Hampton rapidly rose through the ranks in the almost all-male bastion of military aviation to command a combat aviation troop.

On January 2, 2004, Captain Hampton was flying an OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopter above Fallujah, Iraq, in support of a raid on an illicit weapons marketplace, searching for an elusive sniper on the rooftops below. A little past noon, her helicopter was wracked by an explosion. A heat-seeking surface-to-air missile had knocked off the helicopter's tail boom. The helicopter crashed, killing Hampton.

Kimberly's Flight is the story of Captain Hampton's exemplary life. This story is told through nearly fifty interviews and her own e-mails to family and friends, and is entwined with her mother's narrative of loving and losing a child.

More Daily Deals

Horrorstor ($1.99 Kindle), by Grady Hendrix [Quirk Books] Shelf Awareness for Readers Starred Review

Praise for the author: National treasure Grady Hendrix follows his classic account of a haunted IKEA-like furniture showroom, Horrorstr (2014), with a nostalgia-soaked ghost story, My Best Friend's Exorcism.-The Wall Street Journal

A traditional haunted house story in a thoroughly contemporary setting, Horrorstr comes packaged in the form of a glossy mail order catalog, complete with product illustrations, a home delivery order form, and a map of Orsk's labyrinthine showroom. It's a treat for fans of The Evil Dead or Zombieland, complete with affordable solutions for better living.-Kirkus Reviews.

Something strange is happening at the Orsk furniture superstore in Cleveland, Ohio. Every morning, employees arrive to find broken Kjerring bookshelves, shattered Glans water goblets, and smashed Liripip wardrobes. Sales are down, security cameras reveal nothing, and store managers are panicking.

To unravel the mystery, three employees volunteer to work a nine-hour dusk-till-dawn shift. In the dead of the night, they'll patrol the empty showroom floor, investigate strange sights and sounds, and encounter horrors that defy the imagination.

More Bargain Picks

A Sense of the World: How a Blind Man Became History's Greatest Traveler ($1.99 Kindle), by Jason Roberts [HarperCollins] Publishers Weekly Starred Review

He was known simply as the Blind Traveler - a solitary, sightless adventurer who, astonishingly, fought the slave trade in Af-rica, survived a frozen captivity in Siberia, hunted rogue elephants in Ceylon, and helped chart the Australian outback. James Holman (1786-1857) became one of the greatest wonders of the world he so sagaciously explored, triumphing not only over blindness but crippling pain, poverty, and the interference of well-meaning authorities (his greatest feat, a circumnavigation of the globe, had to be launched in secret). Once a celebrity, a bestselling author, and an inspiration to Charles Darwin and Sir Richard Francis Burton, the charismatic, witty Holman outlived his fame, dying in an obscurity that has endured - until now.

A Sense of the World is a spellbinding and moving rediscovery of one of history's most epic lives. Drawing on meticulous research, Jason Roberts ushers us into the Blind Traveler's uniquely vivid sensory realm, then sweeps us away on an extraordinary journey across the known world during the Age of Exploration. Rich with suspense, humor, international intrigue, and unforgettable characters, this is a story to awaken our own senses of awe and wonder.

The Scribe of Siena: A Novel ($1.99 Kindle), by Melodie Winawer [Simon and Schuster] Library Journal Starred Review; Publishers Weekly Starred Review

Equal parts transporting love story and gripping historical conspiracy, debut author Melodie Winawer takes readers deep into medieval Italy, where the past and present blur and a twenty-first century woman will discover a plot to destroy Siena.

Accomplished neurosurgeon Beatrice Trovato knows that her deep empathy for her patients is starting to impede her work. So when her beloved brother passes away, she welcomes the unexpected trip to the Tuscan city of Siena to resolve his estate, even as she wrestles with grief. But as she delves deeper into her brother's affairs, she discovers intrigue she never imagined-a 700-year-old conspiracy to decimate the city.

After uncovering the journal and paintings of Gabriele Accorsi, the fourteenth-century artist at the heart of the plot, Beatrice finds a startling image of her own face and is suddenly transported to the year 1347. She awakens in a Siena unfamiliar to her, one that will soon be hit by the Plague.

Yet when Beatrice meets Accorsi, something unexpected happens: she falls in love-not only with Gabriele, but also with the beauty and cadence of medieval life. As the Plague and the ruthless hands behind its trajectory threaten not only her survival but also Siena's very existence, Beatrice must decide in which century she belongs.

The Scribe of Siena is the captivating story of a brilliant woman's passionate affair with a time and a place that captures her in an impossibly romantic and dangerous trap-testing the strength of fate and the bonds of love.

Will remind historical fiction readers of Diana Gabaldon's Outlander and Tracy Chevalier's Girl with a Pearl EarringLovers of meticulously researched historical fiction and time-travel narratives will be swept away by the spell of medieval Siena (Library Journal, starred review).

Winawer's debut is a detailed historical novel, a multifaceted mystery, and a moving tale of improbable loveWinawer has created a prodigious, vibrant tale of past and present that transports readers and fills in the historical gaps. This is a marvelous work of research and invention (Publishers Weekly, starred review)

May be price matched at eBooks.com, iTunes or Kobo for those needing EPUB.

Please see this post in regards to backing up your books purchased from B&N and this post if you are having problems with the new web design.

All prices current at the time the post is written. Most bargain books remain at their listed price until midnight (each store operates on it's own timezone and schedule), but prices can change at any moment. I have seen prices change within the hour or even minutes after posting.

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