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loveandleases · 9 months

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Love and Leases is an 18+ interactive novel. Set in Chicago. With focus on relationships, drama, healing and found family. Inspired by 2 Broke Girls, Don't trust the b in apt 23. Ready to sign your lease?

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You had it all going for you, didn't you?

A loving fiancé, Chris. A wonderful older sister, Jade who understood you when others couldn't, a best friend who has been your ride or die since you were in diapers together. A beautiful apartment, not to mention the cutest dog you have ever dreamed of.

Of course, nothing stays good forever. In fact, that is when everything decided to come crashing down.

That fiancé, wonderful sister, perfect apartment. Gone within an hour. That adorable dog, stolen by your now former fiancé. That left you with one option.

You were intent on heading back home to pick up the pieces of your now shattered life. Your best friend had a different plan, that required your position at a leasing office. What happened next is still a blur in your mind. Yet somehow you're stuck signing a lease and staying for another year.

This is your chance to start over, start a new career or continue to work at the local leasing office, stake your claim in the city that will be your home for the foreseeable future. Fall for someone, or make new friends? Get revenge/make amends with your past, get back your dog? Will you be going back home once the year is up? Or will you be signing a new lease with someone else?

Love and Leases is a slice-of-life interactive story. Where drama, romance, betrayal intertwines to create your story. Rate 18+ for language, optional sexual content, drug/alcohol use and more.

Features

❥ Customize your MC, gender, pronouns, appearance, personality, and history with some of the characters.

❥ Choose a new career, will you strike out on your own or work with some of your acquaintances?

❥ Romance one or more character, will you find comfort in familiar gaze of a friend, pick up the pieces of a relationship of your past? Or do you just think the landlord is hot?

❥ Fix not only your relationships but those of the people around you.

❥ Get back your dog!?

Romances

❥ The Best Friend: Cameron “Cam” Clarke [M] – Cam has always been by your side; you have known each other since you were in diapers. Always clinging to one another’s familiarity. Some would say he dives headfirst without thinking, according to Cam it's always thought out. His "impulsiveness" is part of his charm. He could care less about others, but one look in your direction is all it takes to soften him up. Cam is confident, sarcastic, and some would say rude. Yet never to you. You can’t help noticing how he looks at you, has it always been this adoringly? Cam works as a photographer.

Route – Friends to lovers. Childhood crush.

❥The Rival: Gage/Garnet Kim [M or F] – G was one of your closest friends/rival in college, now just a sore reminder of the bad choices you’ve made. G was your educational rival in every sense of the word. You fought about everything. G has always had a sharp tongue, and stood out as a lone wolf. They're stoic, detached, and a bit closed-off. Regardless, Cam was able to soften their tough exterior. Getting close to one another was inevitable. Your chemistry undeniable. That was until a fight one night at the dorms. Now G barely looks your way. No witty comment, no stolen glances when they thought you weren't looking. Can you fix the fracture in your relationship? G works as a veterinarian.

Route- Enemies|Rival to lovers. One that got away. Second chance. You can decide whether G was just a friend or an ex.

❥ The follower: Kara Clarke [F] - Kara is the younger sister of Cam and Chris. She knows what she wants and how to get it. She got the best attributes of her siblings, loyalty and undeniable charm. She is spunky yet sweet, outspoken, confident, and mainly competitive. That could be the reason she's now vying for your position at the leasing office.

Route- Dark Secret

❥ The Writer: Markus | Marie Wilkens [M or F] – M is the ideal type to bring home to your parents, or to your friends, or anywhere. M is sweet, considerate, and extremely overworking. Always lacking sleep, that doesn’t dampen their smile. Yet from time to time you notice a sadness that doesn’t belong to their kind face. Not to mention that glimmer of mischief in their eyes. golden retriever cinnamon roll.

Route- Oblivious to love, Tragic Past.

❥ The Delivery person [redacted] : Isaac Allen [M or NB] - I is the resident flirt/jokester. Are you having a bad day? Well, you better believe they have a well timed comment/joke ready to make you blush or laugh. They regularly forget things. Isaac is constantly working either their delivery job or their other job they keep secret. Though you've never met prior, you can swear you've seen them before. Will you be the one who finally gets Isaac to give love a chance?

Route- Fear of Commitment, Double Life

❥ The Landlord: Ardent Pine [M] - You know the last person on Earth you would ever want to be stuck with, yeah that’s Ardent. He is rude, inconsiderate, self-entitled. Everyone has a bad word to say about Ardent. Even his cat (who is the cause of the scars on his arms). Since seeing you something about you has just rubbed him the wrong way, always quick to throw a snide comment your way. Ardent is the type who you could argue with about anything, wanting to pull his hair out afterwards. Surely, he can’t be that bad right? There must be a good bone in him somewhere, are you willing to find it, and find what has hardened his heart? resident dilf

Route- Villainous Crush

Other Characters

The Ex-Fiancé: Chris Clarke [gender selectable] - Chris is their parents golden child. Older sibling to Cam and Kara. They have a way with words always telling people what they want to hear with a charm that is unmatched. Many believe Chris is unable to do any wrong, well that was until...

MC's Sister-:Jade- Mc's older sister, Jade is very much what one would envision when thinking of a girl who can solely rely on looks. She is dazzling even you can't deny that. She comes across as quiet and reserved, but if Jade is close to you, she can make you feel like the single most important person in a room.

Reblogs would be appreciated <3

#interactive fiction #interactive novel #interactive story #cog #twine wip #if wip #upcoming if #sliceoflife #love and leases #loveandleases #twine if #twine game #twine interactive fiction #lqbtqia #romance #drama #choose your adventure #if submission #found family

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hawkogurl · 2 months

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#oh? you’re characters in a three part iconic series that came out in the mid 2000’s #and one of you is a wealthy abused child with heavily symbolic burns scars who undergoes a redemption arc that concludes in the third part #of the franchise who’s villainy is defined by an attachment to an abusive father and a need to please him despite him not at all deserving #your loyalty and your redemption is internally motivated by your own experiences and defined by a moment where you realize who you want to #actually be? and you’re connected to a lot of shipping drama despite honestly seeming gay as fuck?#and a consistently heroic male lead with romantic drama including a brief relationship with a light haired woman that you have regrets about #and a lighter haired woman who majorly influences your character arc and you can tell is cool as fuck because men hate her? and your arc #revolves around maturing and going through various circumstances that basically function as a mini coming of age story in a piece of fiction #not of that genre? and you have baggage related to family members who you feel responsible for the fates of? and you put an intense amount #of personal pressure on yourself because you see yourself as a protector and if you can’t do that you’ve failed?#and you’re emotionally superglued to each other despite lots of disasterous first interactions?#atla #avatar the last airbender #sokka #atla sokka #zuko #prince zuko #harryposting #harry osborn #raimiverse #raimi trilogy #spider man #spiderman #peter parker #parksborn #zukka

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interact-if · 1 year

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Hi, do you know of any IFs that include family drama? There was one IF that I can’t remember the name but you visit your family after your mother was murdered. Thank you

Hi Anon, here's a list of interactive fictions that include family drama. If anyone has any further suggestions, feel free to reply and we'll add them to the list, thank you!

Completed:

Blood Money by @hpowellsmith

Blood Moon by @barbwritesstuff

Dragon Racer by @13leaguestories

Fernweh Saga: Book One by @lacunafiction

Never Date Werewolves by Rebecca Zahabi

New Year's Eve, 2019 by @cyberpunklesbian

Pageant by @cyberpunklesbian

Portrait of a Texas Family (VN) by Lookout Drive Games

Rent-a-Vice by Natalie Theodoridou

The Parenting Simulator by Matt Simpson

Twofold (VN) by @vnstudioelan

Demos:

Blood Legacies by @bloodlegacies

Checkmate in 3 Moves by @checkmatein3moves

College Tennis: Origin Story by @collegetennisoriginstory

Crown of Exile by @ramonag-if

Dear Diary, We Created a Plothole! by @ddwcaph-game

Exiled From Court by @beeanca-writing

Fallen Lights by @fallenlightsif

Golden by @milaswriting

Hollowed Minds by @shai-manahan

Larkin by @larkin-if

Merry Crisis by @merrycrisis-if

Runaway by @ericclem

Speaker by @speakergame

The Bastard of Camelot by @llamagirl28

The Deal: Act One Inferno by @thedeal-if

The Exile by @exilethegame

The Hunger Within by @thehungerwithin-if

The Sky Left Us (VN) by Rat Worm Games

Undead Heir by @undeadheir-if

Vendetta by @vendetta-if

When The Moon Bleeds by @whenthemoonbleeds-if

No Demos:

In Her Shadow by @in-her-shadow-if

#if: rec list #interact if asks #family drama #family relationships #interactive fiction #drama

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earlgodwin · 1 month

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obviously, i love when tv shows resort to adapting defamatory rumors about the borgias, in fact it makes stuff spicier for good television! but i have that pet peeve and it is the false narrative with zero factual basis that i keep encountering while reading biographies about the house of borgia that the scholars really need to fuck off with them, and it's the whole irritating narrative that juan is the pope's favorite son, and cesare is consumed by jealousy towards him. which is total bullshit when cesare in fact received so much affection and appreciation from the pope as much as juan received (if not more than juan) cesare was the one who has always been consistently by their father's side and enjoyed immense popularity in rome, even among the artists who hailed him as the most handsome man in italy, and machiavelli was all over him. basically cesare was the renaissance's main prince. so there's nothing that indicates that cesare is jealous of juan over literally anything, and it's just the biographers being overly dramatic about him by giving him the "from zero to hero" trope (read maria bellonci's 'the life and times of lucrezia borgia' because she dives deep into this topic)

and no, cesare didn't hate juan. it's quite the opposite! his letters to his younger brother are full of tenderness, guidance, and fraternal love. it's another borgia famous rumor that needs to die down in biographies.

let's take sarah bradford (the author of 'lucrezia borgia: life, love, and death in renaissance Italy' and cesare borgia: his life and times) for example, and how she deliberately cut the part where cesare signs his letter to juan with "dal vostro fratello che vi ama com se stesso." translated as "from your brother who loves you as himself" because of her unnecessary haterism towards juan since she likes hyping cesare at his expense.

she also manipulated a document about the ambassador who visited cesare. here's a snippet from her book:

the actual translation from the document (praising both brothers) :

at this point, i'm convinced that if sarah bradford (and authors like her) didn't burst blood vessels for one minute by projecting her one-sided beef towards juan onto cesare with her unfair, incorrect statements of him she might start getting chills and have a stroke

that's it for now! i'm planning to make a masterpost about stuff like that because there are a lot of infamous rumors that some biographers tend to resort to, which is truly exhausting lol

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creation-key · 11 months

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Drunken Calls

Part 2

Synopsis: accidentally confessing while laughing

Warnings: drinking mentioned, barely any cussing, mostly pure fluff/ maybe angst?

a/n: I don’t have any original ideas, that i want share 😏, so i have stolen this prompt from @mangocherri , thank you love for the inspo! And if I completely butchered it and you want me to take this down, I so will, don’t even worry about it. enjoy, we’ll at least try to 🥸

It’s Saturday night? morning? you don’t even know at this point anymore. Your best friend Sierra took you out that night to celebrate your doctorate’s degree in Psychology.

You’re not much of a party girl on your own, but when with the right people, you never want to sleep. And that is exactly what you’re experiencing in the present, only now, you’re sipping on some fruit drink, the taste of alcohol no longer prevalent because of how much you’ve consumed that night already.

You’ve all gathered at your house for the after party, you called it, which was really your smart sober part of your brain, long gone now, trying to keep everyone from driving home. With the night still young , it’s 2 am, you’re talking up a storm, just really spilling the beans on every secret you’ve ever had, including your crush on your sister’s boyfriend.

Everyone having already sobered up and drinking water gasp, granted it’s only 4 people, including yourself, but the gasp sounded otherworldly to your intoxicated brain.

Not fully understanding what you had just admitted to, you yawn saying you’re gonna “hit the hay,” you wink, for literally no reason at all, and stumble your way to your bedroom, tripping over air at least 27 million times.

You reach your room and plop down on your bed face down, completely ready to just fall asleep like that until your phone, which you had forgotten about, starts to ring loudly. You groan, begrudgingly getting up to answer it.

“hEllor?” You slur out, reaching for a bottle of water half drunken on your night stand, in hopes of quenching your thirst.

“Hey, y/n, wait are you drunk?” The unknown person says.

“No, this is Patrick,” You laugh, dying at your joke, slapping your knee for extra effect. You set the phone face up on your bed, pressing the speaker button.

“Well I guess that answers that, there’s no way sober you would such an awful joke.” The person on the other line giggles.

“Heyy, watch it mister whoever you are. I can and will kick your ass. You know I know karate?”

“Oh really?” Mystery man asks.

“Yep, my best friend Harry taught me once. Do you know Harry?”

“Yeah, I’d say I know him pretty well, he’s kind of a goof isn’t he?” The man questions.

You laugh out loud at that, responding in between laughter.

“Yeah he’s a goof, but that’s why i love him. He’s unapologetically himself no matter the situation. You know sometimes I think I relate to the Schuyler sisters more than I’d like to.” The man on the other line takes in a sharp breath, before moving around asking shakily,

“why is that?”

“Because sometimes I wish I had been satisfied and never introduced him to my little sister, oh well, at least i still have him in life. Maybe I’ll meet a rich man like Angelica and move across the sea only seeing them on major holidays and vacations! Yeahhh, that’d be ideal.” You sigh at the end, it quickly turning into a yawn, after hearing no noise coming for the other end you assume the man has gone to sleep, so you bid your goodbyes, hanging up the phone and going to sleep.

——————————————————————————

The Next Morning~

You wake up in the morning with a sticky taped your head- it reads

“Hey girl, we all left as soon as Harry arrived, don’t worry we called ubers just in case. Had fun last night, also about that little secret, it’s safe with us little miss doctor, Love you and can’t wait to do this again!”

You laugh, throwing the sticky note on your bedside table, sitting up straight only to be hit with a ton of bricks to your mental. Memories from the night before come flooding back as well as the mention of Harry being in your house, recalled from the sticky note. Getting up, warily, you make your way to the shower and get ready for the day, you put on pajamas.

Hoping that you’d taken long enough in the bathroom for Harry to have left, you make your way downstairs, only to be met with a nervous smiling Harry eating pancakes and fruit at your table.

“Hey, how are you feeling?” He asked with a worried look.

You look back at him embarrassed, but answer

“oh, i’m okay, just a little tired, and my head’s hurting, but i already took some medicine.”

“Do you, um- do you remember anything from last night?” He looks down at his plate.

You know with your own plate sitting across from him at the table.

“Uh yeah, all of it actually, in fact, this is so funny really, just as I was about to go to sleep some guy, i think, called me, but i never read his contact name so i had no clue who it was, plus the alcohol kind of distorted their voice so i couldn’t tell, anyways, I had a whole conversation with him.” You laugh as you recall the memory, giggling a little at end at yourself for being so silly as a drunk.

“What did you guys talk about?” Harry asked, his eyes now glued to the sink faucet.

“Oh nothing much, talked about karate and just spilled my deepest darkest secrets to him. Are you okay?” You look at him worried.

“Um, yeah. Why do you ask?” Him still not looking at you.

“Because you haven’t made eye contact with me since I walked in, and even then, it was only for a moment. What’s going on?” He looks up you and then back down at the floor, as if pondering what to say next.

“I love you too. I always have, honestly if I’m being completely transparent, I think that’s why I started dating your sister, I mean you guys are just so similar but so different in your own ways, but I just couldn’t learn to love the differences in her. And I know that sounds bad, but I cant ignore what i’ve been yearning to hear from you from the moment we met and not tell you how i’m feeling.” He takes a breath at the end.

You stare at him, trying to comprehend his words, trying to understand where he could have gotten this from, and the only thing that comes to mind is-

“It was you… you were on the phone last night. Weren’t you?” He nods. You stand up, almost knocking your chair over before backing up into a corner.

“y/n we can go somewhere, just us, a date. It doesn’t have to be weird love promise. I already talked to your sister, she under-“

You interrupt him-

“Harry i can’t do that to my sister. If you love me like you say you do, you know that i can’t and will not. I was fine with being in love with you in secret. And you told her? Why would you do that, you were both so happy. Always smiling. I can’t, please. Leave.” He starts shaking his head getting up to approach you.

“Harry leave before I lose it. I can’t do this right now, or ever. Please.” He opens and closes his mouth, defeated he leaves.

You fall to the ground, cupping your face to hold back your sobs from being heard from outside your door, where you sure Harry is waiting for you to let him back in. But you can’t-

you won’t.

~fin~

thoughts on a part 2, i enjoyed writing the angst hehe

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the-andromeda-effect · 1 month

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TW - abuse mention, violence mention, injury mention, mental trauma, ptsd

Caliban had taken many women to his bed the first night he’d met them, and that was the only night they’d spent together. Some he’d dated for a while before becoming sexual. None of those had ever brought about the conflict that he currently felt with Adira as she returned to the bathroom to finish changing. It was not that there was not the physical desire for her, or that he knew that it would be far more than one night with her, but rather that the physical was so far less important at the moment than making sure that she felt safe and secure mentally and emotionally. The other could wait, and he would wait, because he knew how wounded she was in all ways. He did not want to add to that in any way; certainly not if there was a chance of losing the way she looked at him by rushing or pushing for anything. Whenever her eyes and his met, there was something that he could not describe within them, something that awoke a part of him that hadn’t been touched before, and he was finding he liked it.

When Adira was once more behind a closed door, she leaned against it, holding the PJ pants to her as her heart thudded within her chest. She had no idea what had made her so bold as to walk over to Caliban like that and just assume he would welcome her touch upon his bare skin and her help in disrobing. It hadn’t been until she had actually been in the act of doing it that her brain had kicked in. By then it had been too late and the only thing she felt she could do was continue, and now she was thankful that she had. Just his initial response of covering her forearms and hands with his own had almost made her knees give way in relief and also a warm and safe sensation that had flooded her whole body. She craved him in a way that she had never craved Mircea, in a way that she couldn’t even put into words. It wasn't blind lust, it was something deeper.

From the day that she had met Mircea, she had known that they would be married. It was why her father had introduced them. Also from that day, she had alway tried to garner his approval, to please him, to make him proud, to elicit praise. He had at least pretended in the beginning to be somewhat fond of her and that her efforts were more than enough. The lack of overt affection understandable due to theirs being an arranged marriage, but it was one he seemed to desire, something that still confused her with how things eventually went. However, the longer their relationship went, the more it was obvious that she was not who he wanted and that her efforts would never achieve the results that she hoped for. She had still tried, no matter how many times she failed to live up to standards he seemed to change on a whim. Up until the day she had been kidnapped, she had relentlessly tried.

Caliban was completely different from Mircea in every conceivable way. One could say that their marriage was no less arranged than hers with Mircea had been. It was not built on love, but an agreement to provide for her and keep her safe. The difference was that even in the beginning of her relationship with Mircea she had not felt as safe and secure with him, nor had she felt as accepted. Then there was something about the way that she felt when she was held in Caliban’s arms, the way just his voice calmed any fear or anxiety in her, the look in his eyes when he looked at her, his gentle and soothing touch when she was upset or hurting - it was all so new to her; at the same time, it was like what she had always been looking for in the past, but never found.

It was in wondering how he had not found a wife previously, with everything he had already shown her of who he was, that Adira came upon the thought that made her stomach turn: what if there were other women he was in a relationship with when he had saved her? Could she do that again? Could her heart take other women also being in a relationship from someone other than Mircea? If there were, could she even do a fake marriage? Her breath caught and her heart burned at the thought.

By the time that Adira finally opened the door again, Caliban had started to worry if things were okay with her. The room had been too quiet, and she had seemed to be in there too long. He had to keep reminding himself not to rush her. Patience was never one of his virtues, but he knew that if he wanted to unwrap the delicate gift that was the true nature of the woman he now called his wife, he was going to have to learn some. There was something about her that made him confident that whatever new skills he might have to learn or test he might feel like he was enduring, in the end, it would be worth it.

“Is everything alright?” He finally asked as she silently crossed over to the bed and began to place her jeans in the bag that he had brought up for her. She hadn’t looked at him when she came out of the bathroom, nor even when he spoke to her, and this concerned him. Before she’d gone back in, they’d once again been affectionate with one another and she’d seemed to be relaxing. Had she had another panic attack of sorts?

Still not looking at him, Adira’s voice came out soft and stuttered, “I hadn’t thought to ask before if…” She paused, gathering the courage to say what had come to her mind as she realized how much she was attracted to Caliban. It was as if the question was stuck in her throat, refusing to come out. There was a fear of hearing the answer once it did.

“If what, sweetheart?” Calban asked cautiously, as head cantered. He had heard the hesitation and nerves in her voice. He pushed off of the dresser he’d been leaning against to walk over to her. There was definitely something wrong, but he couldn’t figure out what could have changed in just a few minutes.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, her head still bowed as if looking down into her bag. “If you had…someone you were with..you know, when you..we...” As she let her breath out, she steeled herself for the answer. Her hands had balled to fists around the clothing she was holding, as if that would somehow protect her from the answer hurting her. She had known many men who would be with multiple women simultaneously. It wasn’t like she was naive to the way the world of rich and powerful men who looked like him operated. Even those who were married often had more than one girlfriend on the side besides their wife. This was often the life wives of family heads led.

So that was the issue that had suddenly come to bother her. The tension Caliban had been feeling waiting to hear what had upset her faded instantly. He was glad her back was to him because he could not keep the devilish smirk off of his face. Not that he was laughing at her, far from it; no, he was delighted that the beauty was concerned that she might have competition for his affection. To him that meant that she too was starting to feel something for him in the same way he was for her. Otherwise she wouldn’t care if he was in a relationship with someone else while being fake married to her. Being fake married to Adira seemed to get better every time he turned around, and now he was going to have at least two weeks secluded with her in a mountain cabin. Who knew what could happen then?

“And it would bother you if I did?” The shaky inhale of breath after his question gave him his answer, just before his arms wrapped around her from behind. She couldn't hide the slight tremble in her body from him, a tremble that he hoped his next words would quell. Placing his chin on her shoulder, he let his warm breath fan across her neck with his next words, “my darling wife, if there had been, the moment I slipped that ring on your finger they no longer existed.” He gently kissed the crook of her neck and continued, “there is now, and from now on always will be, only you, unless it is you who wants things otherwise between us.” Caliban was never one to share a woman, nor did he expect a woman to share him.

As much as his words comforted her, she also felt like they were too good to be real. “Are you sure that you can be happy that way?” Adira was afraid to even hope, even if she prayed, to a god she had long since stopped believing in, that it was true. She was under no illusion that Mircea had ever been faithful in their marriage, even from the beginning. He’d always blamed her; of course it was her failure as a wife that led him to have to find others.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” He kept his chin on her shoulder and laced his fingers with hers now that she’d covered his hands with her own. Every time he thought he’d figured out how much damage that Mircea had done, something more was revealed. There was no doubt the coming days and weeks would reveal more, and he would try his best never to repeat those wounds. If he could, he would instead heal them.

“Well,I…I don’t know. I just know that no matter what I tried, I was never enough for Mi-” Suddenly Caliban’s hand was over her mouth, cutting her off as she felt herself fully pulled back against him. Her eyes closed, her breathing stilled, and she waited for the pain. Pain always came after the wrong things were said. Hopefully Caliban would not be as brutal as Mircea had been. She still ached from being dragged by Kondrat and the abuse in that basement.

banners by: @cafekitsune

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behindthesemasks · 1 month

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It's time to get some answers...

Mel and Klaus stood arguing about her safety while they waited for Ambrose and Nic to make an entrance. He wanted her back in the suite at the hotel, she wanted to get to the hospital or help at the dig site. Melania was tired of being treated like a china doll by everyone around her. While he understood that, he couldn’t get her to understand what that drive had just felt like to him; knowing that if the asshole in the passenger seat of that SUV had been a better shot, she could have been hurt or killed. It had felt like being on that plane when the bullet had gone through Grant and hit her during the extraction in Peru.

Finally, tired of arguing with him and getting nowhere, she had agreed to go back to the hotel, but not for the reasons he would have wanted. She didn’t tell him, but she planned on getting every drop of information from Andreas she could. His final disposition she’d leave to Klaus and Eric, but she was going to make that man hurt…a lot. Being shot at while going on archaeological expeditions was something she was seriously becoming tired of. Ever since she’d landed in Peru last year, she felt like she’d had a gun pointed at her every damn day. Whether it was because they were keeping her safe, or because they were considering taking her out…it mattered little to her at this point.

Klaus was relieved that she agreed to go back, even if he didn’t trust that his thoughts and feelings on the matter had any bearing on her decision. He could tell there was something more going on behind those crystal blue eyes of hers, but if she was out of the line of fire, he could at least focus on taking out the threat to her and their friends. When it was all said and done, he knew there would be a reckoning to be had over this, and the incident in the hallway at the hotel. That didn’t bother him; the possibility of her being hurt bothered him. He could take her anger. Seeing her in a coma in a bed again, that he wasn’t sure he could take. Twice in less than six months was too much for him.

When they showed up in the Quonset hut, looking frustrated and ready to commit great violence, Nic and Ambrose agreed with Klaus about Mel going back to the hotel. They hadn’t found anything of use in the SUV. Whoever was funding this was good, very good. Ambrose already had calls out to people who technically didn’t exist. The word was being spread that there was a price, a high one, on the head of whoever thought to try and take out the heir to the Meyers fortune. There was to be no expense spared in finding out who did it. Ambrose was calling in favors in spades, and he knew that in the end he would get what he wanted.

Tossing his keys to Case, Ambrose told him to get her back to the hotel. After seeing the man’s driving, Ambrose was sure that he could keep her safe and in one piece if there was another incident. He considered sending Gabe back with them as well, but decided to keep him with the team for the moment. With Cam and Erik back at the hotel in addition to Case, that should be enough. With the warning going across the wires, anyone attempting to harm his granddaughter did truly have a death wish that every man in that building would gladly grant. From the look on Klaus’s face and the missing rear window of the SUV they had been in, he had no doubt that retribution was going to be swift and brutal from him.

Following Case and Mel out to the SUV that was parked alongside the one that they had arrived in, Klaus hated that she was going back without him but also wanted to go hunting for those responsible for what just happened and wanted her safe. He was pissed, beyond pissed. Cupping her face in his hands, he gave her a look that spoke volumes about the warring emotions that were inside him. Her hands rested on his hips before she went to her toes to kiss him.

“Go get ‘em killer. I’ll be fine.” Her voice was low and sexy, her lips brushing over his. There was something more in her eyes though, something feral and lethal. Damn if it didn’t turn him on. She was going to be the death of him someday, but damn he’d die a happy man.

He looked over to Case as she got in the vehicle and nodded. Shutting her door, he headed back into the building and the waiting team. His strides were long and purposeful; it was clear from his gate that this was a man on a mission. He was going to find out who put her in danger, and eliminate them with great malice. Maybe he’d even let the others help.

“Dez, get to the hospital. That SUV had run flat tires. They had expected to take fire, they were on a mission. Alexander and Sasha aren’t safe and Cade isn’t enough backup in this situation. I don’t want Mel leaving that hotel and the only way to keep her there is to get Alexander back there. As soon as it’s dark, get him back to the hotel and keep his ass there.” Nic was talking when Klaus walked back in. He nodded over to him as he joined the others.

“Klaus, Gabe, Donovan…you’re with us. Grandfather just got intel. We’ve got a visit to make to a mansion just outside of town that’s being rented by a mysterious Australian. Seems there have been some rumors of the resident being a relics dealer. Seeing as how we have one archaeologist down and another as a target, I think we’ve found who we’re looking for.” Nic smirked as he looked at his men. Damn he had a good team; he trusted every damn one of them.

Both groups headed out to the two remaining SUV’s. Ambrose had gotten the keys from Case for the one that was missing the back window. Klaus took up position in the back of it as the other males got in the front. Then they followed Case and Dez back to the main road towards town. Just outside of the city, they turned off on another road, heading in the general direction of the manor. They weren’t going to just roll up to the front door, they might have before someone tried to take out four of them. Too late for being polite now.

When they were within a quarter mile, and on a road that didn’t lead directly to the house, Ambrose pulled the SUV off of the road onto a turn in that was rather overgrown. Pulling past the tree line so that the rear of the vehicle was at least partly hidden, everyone slipped out as quietly as they could. Doors were left slightly ajar and the tailgate was left up. Silence was the name of the game now. The sun was up and that meant that they would stay low and in the trees as much as possible.

That quarter mile seemed to take forever to cross. If whoever was in the house was responsible for the attack on Sasha, and the price on Alexander, they didn’t want to give them warning that hell was about to come down on them. They were as silent as possible, making sure to stay undetected and hidden the whole time. Once they reached the tree line, they were no more than 50 yards from the main house. There were no guards that could be seen, but there were people inside. While the windows did reflect some of the surroundings, shadows moving inside could be seen.

Each of the men took up observation positions to try and determine how many were inside and their locations. They would wait till the cover of darkness to move in any closer. There could be no more than two or three hours of daylight remaining. Klaus and Donovan had shotguns, Ambrose and Nic were brandishing pistols, and Gabe had an AR. They were ready for whatever lay inside that house.

As dusk was beginning to set, Klaus’s phone buzzed. Pulling it out, he looked down at the number and sighed as he swiped to answer it. “Yeah?” His eyes closed tightly, then he responded curtly, “not now,” before hanging up. Turning his phone off, he stored it in one of the pockets on his pants before returning his attention to the house.

No one asked who it was or what they had wanted. For him to answer it right now meant it was Mel or one of the other men on the team. His response told them this wasn’t a good time to start a conversation on it either. But they all did pull out their phones and turn them off. Last thing they needed was a distraction when they were raiding the house.

Soon darkness had fallen. The men emerged from the tree line and headed towards the house. Hand signals guided the entry to the house, 3 through the back and two through the front. As Klaus, Donovan, and Nic headed around back, they were careful to avoid being seen through the large windows that each room on the bottom floor seemed to have. While they had seen people inside the house earlier, no one was seen in any of the rooms now. They could only hope that this meant that they hadn’t been spotted.

At the back door they paused and listened. Seconds ticked by slowly till they heard the distinctive whistle that meant it was time for entry. Klaus and Donovan brought boots to door at the same time to break the lock and swing it open. Klaus took point with Nic bringing up the rear.

There were no sounds on the first floor when the teams made entry, but the sounds of the scraping of chairs could be heard upstairs. Neither group delayed in heading up, where they were met with two armed bodyguards that were quickly dispatched. The other men in the room looked surprised at first, and then fearful when Ambrose’s tall frame rounded the corner to enter the room they were in.

“So gentlemen, you’ve decided it was a wise thing to take out a hit on members of an expedition team on a archaeological dig that I’m financing. You’d better have a damn good reason that you just put my granddaughter in jeopardy because I don’t take kindly to her being shot at.”

This is where the stammering started, first from one then another of the men. All seemed to be claiming that they had no idea that Ambrose was financing the dig nor that Mel was one of the archaeologists on site. If it hadn’t been abundantly clear they had found out who was behind the attack on Sasha and the hit on Alexander, Klaus might have found their stammering amusing. As things were, he found it irritating and annoying.

“Boys, restrain our hosts. I think they’ve forgotten what it means to do their homework before starting a job. A refresher on exactly what happens to anyone who crosses me might be in order as well.” Ambrose smirked as the color began to drain from the faces of the men who were facing him.

Four hours later the men emerged from the house. A little blood splatter here and there, but only the two bodyguards had ended up dead. Now they needed to get back to the SUV and to the hotel. Hopefully all the rest of the team would now be there with information from Andreas.

As they got to the SUV, everyone started pulling out phones and turning them on. Most likely there would be texts or calls with updates to at least Ambrose and Nic. Klaus knew he needed to return the call he’d gotten to, but he wasn’t exactly sure how to do that with everyone in the vehicle able to hear him.

“Shit! How the fuck do I have over 100 missed calls.” Nic growled as he started to flip through his call log.

“I’ve got 50,” Klaus replied, not really wanting to look through his log.

“What, did I get the jackpot with only 3?” Gabe joked as he tried to figure out who was calling him from the 228 area code.

“FUCK!” All heads turned to look at Ambrose. In the dim light of his cell phone, pure anger showed on his face. He hit a number on his phone and the soft sound of ringing could be heard in the stillness as no one else moved. “What is so god damned important?” His voice left no room for misunderstanding that he was pissed. “What do you mean she’s missing?”

Klaus’s heart dropped through the floor and Gabe almost dropped his phone.

Banner by @cafekitsune

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battlegroundofdreams · 1 month

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Training continues...

The next several hours were spent practicing different fighting styles and learning how to work together. Much to Morpheus’ surprise, Melinoe was a very skilled fighter and far stronger than he would have given her credit for based on looks alone. In the end Melinoe was having to admit to herself that Morpheus might have earned some of his reputation honestly, and that, while she still wasn’t going to put up with his ego, he was that good. She’d almost say he was as good as she was.

Then it came time for weapons training, and neither of them truly trusted the other to engage with actual bladed weapons, so they did agree that for the time being, they would use practice weapons. Trust, after all, was earned through working together. Until they were used to one another, there was the possibility of accidents, and neither of them particularly wanted to lose their head or a limb due to a slip. Once they were more comfortable, then the real weapons could come out.

Again, to his surprise, Melinoe not only held her own but bested him more than once. If he was going to have to have a partner, then she was definitely someone he would pick to fill that position. For her part, Melinoe was getting through that ego and exterior of Morpheus and finding him easier to stand than she had anticipated. Whether it was because they weren’t as unevenly matched as he had anticipated or there was something else at play, she wasn’t sure, but she was glad for whatever it was.

“Before we move on to actual weapons, I have to admit that I’ve been holding back on something.” Melinoe had been trying to gauge when the right time to reveal her secret weapon was, and this seemed as good a time as any. While she was skilled, there was one other thing that helped her when hunting nightmares. Stowing a dagger inconspicuously, she once more faced off against Morpheus. “See if you can take me down this time.” With a wink, the fight was on again.

“Really? Is this where you take off clothing and flirt?” Morpheus highly doubted it was, but he had now been up close and personal with the svelte brunette enough that he wouldn’t have complained too loudly if she had. His brow was raised as he waited for her to answer. She was giving him a run for his money, so what more she could have unleashed, yet hadn’t, did interest him.

Her eyes rolled, and she scoffed, “in your dreams, Morpheus. And, only there, is that going to happen, might I add.” She shook her head and laughed. “No, I have a nifty little trick. See, I was born while my mother was in a dream due to the battle she was engaged in. The dreamer, they left me with this.” A smirk forming on her lips, she raised one hand and snapped.

At first Morpheus wasn’t sure if he was supposed to notice something and then his eyes went wide as he did. “How are you doing that?” His eyes again looked around the room that now matched the inside of his living room. It had taken him a moment to realize what she’d done because he’d been so focused on her. Now he wasn’t sure if he should be impressed or disturbed.

“When you are born within a dream, the dreamer can give you extra powers apparently. Mine is to cast illusions. The dreamer bestowed it so that the nightmare wouldn’t see me. I was born within the nightmare of a six year old, I can’t really complain with her choice of gifts. Kept her and I safe till my parents defeated the nightmare monster.” Melinoe let the illusion fall. “It’s also what has allowed me to go after nightmares far more powerful than I am. You can see I can hold my own even without it, but it has helped when on my own.”

Morpheus had to hand it to her, Melinoe could have kept that ace up her sleeve, but she had revealed it to him. It was the first sign of trust and he knew better than to throw it in her face or belittle it. Since there was no way for them to get out of the partnership, he might as well be thankful that she was on his side than able to use that trick against him.

“I have a feeling that may come in useful in the future for us. Even with two of us, distraction and misdirection is never a bad thing when your life is on the line. Thank you for trusting me with that knowledge.” He inclined his head towards her.

“If we’re going to keep one another alive, always good to know one another’s strengths. And that is one that I won’t factor into our sparring. I don’t see the benefit in it, unless you do.” Melinoe had considered surprising him with it, but decided that might be one surprise not to be revealed in the middle of sparring or battle. Sometimes pissing off your partner was the absolute last thing you wanted to do. Knowing Morpheus’ temperament already, with him it was definitely better to not keep anything back from him.

“Agreed. How about we get weapons training started before the higher ups come and grab us for that meeting. I’m sure that neither of us want to deal with them in a bad mood.” He smirked as he flipped a blade out of his bag and sheathed it in a discreet location. He had no doubt that Melinoe was once more going to give him a run for his money, and if neither of them walked away without a few bandages it would be a miracle. At least neither of them would probably need stitches, which would be a first for someone sparring with him.

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magical-mistakes-vm · 2 months

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It is time for the Council of Elders meeting and to decide Jonathan's fate...

Mahala was still asleep when the time for the council meeting arrived. If it hadn’t been for all three of the warlocks checking on her, and being sure that she was fine and just resting as she healed, Vollrath would have stayed and told the council to fuck off and he’d deal with Jonathan as he saw fit.

Instead, Vollrath replaced his suit jacket, that had been wrapped around Mahala, with a throw blanket and prepared to walk down to the conference room with Baldur. The lingering scent of her perfume on the collar of his coat made him doubt his decision to head the meeting, and simultaneously evoked an overwhelming sense of protectiveness. “Anyone comes through that door but Bal or I, kill them, El. I don’t give a single damn who it is or what the fuck they want. I will not allow anyone to come for her from the meeting, but that does not mean that someone won’t sneak into the building to try to get some kind of weird revenge or some shit, if it’s gotten out to the Coven at large.”

If he managed to keep his temper till the end of the meeting, it would be some small miracle. Already he wanted to go down to the holding cell that Jonathan was in and end the man’s life; then spirit Mahala away to his mansion like some prince locking up his princess to keep her safe from dragons. He’d been worried about witch hunters the night before, yet it had been a member of his own Coven who had almost killed her.

“Don’t worry, Vol, I’ve got this. I get it, she’s special to you. Fuck, she’d damn special period. We don’t have a witch that powerful in the whole damn Coven. I’m not sure I’ve ever met one in my whole life. If you think I’m letting anyone near her, you are insane.” Elmar reassured him. He kept his voice calm and level. Of the three of them, he always was the one with the longest fuse, and at the moment that was a good thing.

Vollrath nodded, then went over and placed a soft kiss in the middle of Mahala’s forehead. His breath stuttered slightly, the expression on his face tight and pained. “I will make up for this, meine kleine Hexe. Just don’t hate me when you wake up again.” His fingers almost trembled as they ghosted over her forehead and down the side of her face, the softest feather light touch. It was as if he was afraid one false mood could literally cause her to shatter.

Clearing his throat, Vollrath stepped back, straightened his suit, and then he and Baldur left the room. All the way down to the conference room they discussed in hushed tones their ideas on what punishments to put before the Council. Banishment from the Coven seemed the least that could be accepted, binding of magic next, and then there was full death for the attack. Normally Vollrath would make decisions on his own, but everything about the situation demanded the Council of Elders take action. It had been a long time since the Council had been invoked, and he knew that none of them would take it lightly that it had been now.

****

The video had been watched repeatedly, slowed down, and even parts enlarged so the Council of Elders members could see more detail. The Council had been deadlocked for over two hours, at times almost shouting at one another in disagreement of what the appropriate next steps and punishment should be. If no one changed their vote, another option would have to be devised and voted on. Vollrath informed the room of this once more, and prepared for debate again, something he was dreading. He had not anticipated this. He really had thought that the vote would not be very contentious.

Then the door to the meeting room opened. “It’s not a tie, dear brother, there is one vote left that has not been cast. So, you will not have to come up with another option. And, looky here, I’m it.” Every head in the room whipped around to the door of the conference room. Eyes went wide, a few scooted back from the table, gasps were heard, both Vollrath and Baldur were on their feet, but it was a toss up which of them was more shocked. “What? I mean, I do still get a vote, right Vol? You haven’t taken me off the Coven Council of Elders ranks have you?”

“No.” Vollrath felt his mouth go dry as he stood staring at his brother Balor. The last time he’d seen him had been four years before, and it had not ended well. If it wasn’t for his voice, Vollrath might not have even recognized him. Balor’s dark blonde hair was darker and longer, pulled back now, his beard longer than it had been before, but his startlingly blue eyes were as piercing as ever. He cut an imposing picture, his shoulders taking up the breadth of the doorway, arms crossed over his obviously muscled chest, and standing straight to his full six and a half feet height.

“You still have your seat, Balor. It was you who walked away from it, if you remember.” Vollrath fought to control his tone and expression as his brother entered the room with what could best be described as a strut. It caused Vollrath to straighten, but even then his brother had just over four inches on him. They had always looked similar, but at the moment, they were opposites. Where his brother looked like he could be a performer at a metal concert, Vollrath was in his finely tailored suit, perfectly trimmed facial hair, his auburn hair shorter and neater, and his eyes the ever changing hazel that had led his grandmother to bequeath him with the title of the Lion of the Nachtnebel.

“Good, I didn’t think so. I do apologize for my tardiness, it seems my invitation got lost in the ethos. Thankfully, a kind soul did ensure it got delivered in time for me to attend.” Balor smirked as he strode further into the room, expression smug and stride cocky. Only his brother and Baldur could match him in abilities and magic in the room, and he knew it. He did have to wonder where Elmar was, although glancing around, the little witch he’d heard so much about was absent too. “Play the video again, dear brother, I’d like to see for myself what transpired. I’ve heard the allegations, but I don’t like to vote on rumors and second hand information.”

Baldur slid his phone into his inner suit coat pocket with the mic facing up. Elmar was now on speakerphone so he could hear who just arrived, and not be surprised if anything went down. There was no doubt that Balor would press things, he always did, so better to be prepared. The fights between Vollrath and his brother had been legendary since they were children, and had not lessened as they got older. Since Mahala was affected by unshielded magic, it might be best for Elmar to be ready should the Nachtnebel boys go head to head once more.

“Of course.” Vollrath didn’t sit, but hit the button to play the video again. No one other than Balor was watching it as it once more ran though, projected on the screen. The rest of the occupants of the room were watching him, uneasy at his sudden appearance. How had he learned of this meeting? While he technically had a seat on the Council, most in the Coven feared him if not outright disliking him as well.

“I see. Interesting.” Balor commented once it had finished. One hand stroked his beard as his head tilted to the side, a silence stretched for a few minutes as he considered things. “And half of you are ready to allow Jonathan to escape with just banishment for his attack on the witch?” Balor’s gaze swept the room, landing on every one who had voted for just the banishment. “You really think that should be the only punishment for that attack?” His eyes narrowed, and Vollrath could swear his brother’s eyes seemed colder than he’d seen them before.

No one said anything. No one even moved. The room was so silent that even the smallest brush of fabric or deep breath sounded loud. Balor regarded them all with a bit of condescending amusement. This is why he kept to himself and his small group; hypocrites, the whole lot of them. Was his brother proud of this Council? Of these Elders who were afraid to voice condemnation for the violence they all saw?

“I want to see her.” He spoke to his brother, but noticed Baldur tense next to him. That was interesting. Vollrath, he expected to react, but that Baldur did and Elmar was missing meant this woman was important. He wanted to know how important, and to whom exactly. It seemed there was much more going on than he had been informed of, than maybe anyone had.

“Why do you want to further traumatize her, Balor?” Vollrath’s voice was eerily calm. Even Baldur was concerned how calm he sounded. With all that had gone on during the day, he’d expected more of a reaction. Balor was the last one that Vollrath had expected to see show up. He rarely cared about general Coven business and now something regarding Mahala hung in the balance. The universe had to be hating him for some reason. How had he been notified of this meeting?

“I don’t and I won’t. I was called to be here, I want to meet the one who has someone around you VERY concerned. Then I will vote.” Balor’s smile took on a sarcastic edge as he dared his brother to deny him. If he’d been paying attention, Vollrath already knew what he was going to say, there was no reason to keep him from meeting the woman. Or was there? Was there more than the video showed?

“Baldur, please escort Balor to my office.” Vollrath was once more almost too calm. He knew that Balor was looking for a reason to strike out, to make a scene before all of the Elders. At least that was how it felt to Vollrath, who had more than once faced his brother’s anger for being passed over for Master Warlock. If this was a test, he did not intend to fail, and he knew that Mahala would not.

Baldur nodded and led Balor from the room. “You will not upset her, you will not intimidate her, and you will not hurt her in any way. Elmar is with her, and if you do anything…”

“Save it, Baldur. I’m not going to. Something is up with my brother and I want to know what. You don’t think I can read him?” Balor interrupted him, and made it clear what his intentions were as they walked down the ball. “I am not going to challenge him in that room, but this I can do. That you and Elmar are standing by him means he has not lost the faith of the general Coven, and that he's on the right side of this….whatever the fuck it is.” His brows rose as he tipped his head and looked over to Baldur.

“Your brother hasn’t even slipped a bit, Balor. I’m not sure why you would think he had.” Baldur’s brows drew together. How had Balor known about the meeting? The vote? And Mahala? Someone in the Coven was talking out of turn. That it was to Balor was not that big of a concern, but if they talked farther it could be. Maybe it had been a bad idea to leave Balor out of the Council of Elders' call, but that still meant someone else had decided to involve him. Who else had someone decided to involve?

“I did not even flex my magic in the slightest, I pulled it back to be honest. She is very weak physically and drained, I felt the pull on my power, and wasn’t sure it was safe to let her feed off a strong tap not knowing her abilities. I can heal her if one of you two is not going to, however. I can feel residuals of Vollrath’s magic on her, so I know he tried and she is quite powerful in her own right when not drained, but she could use some help, Baldur. I did no harm. Ask Elmar if you doubt me.” Balor was now extremely concerned. He also understood why his brother seemed off. This witch needed protection, and instead had been attacked, in Vollrath’s own office no less. He was quite sure that at one point, she had been on the brink of death, even with her supernatural powers. This was what was causing her delay in healing, Jonathan had caused that extreme of damage. He pulled his powers back even further as he read the situation unfolding around him, and guarded his thoughts and emotions. There would be a time for expressing them later.

When they reached the door to the office, Baldur knocked, then entered first. “Mahala, this is Balor, Vollrath’s older brother. He wanted to come meet you before the final vote is cast in the meeting of the Coven Council of Elders.” His eyes then met Elmar, who looked none too happy about the other warlock being there as he helped Mahala to her feet. Baldur watched her with concern, she still looked unsteady. Regret over the antics from the morning weighed heavy on him after all that had happened afterwards.

Mahala stood, still looking shaken and drawn hours after the incident had happened. Shaking Balor’s hand, “it’s a pleasure, Balor? I’m sorry, my head is still…” She raised her hand to her temple then reached over to grab Elmar’s arm for balance quickly. Her breathing deepened, and Elmar took her hand off of his arm so that he could wrap it around her back, and get her back to the couch to sit down. She was getting pale and clammy. “Sorry...Sorry…” Her voice was slightly slurred.

“What did you do?” Baldur leaned forward and all but growled in Balor’s ear. Magic crackled in the air from both Baldur and Elmar. “If you hurt her…”

Elmar got Mahala some water, and ran his fingers gently over her forehead as she relaxed back over on the couch. He remembered that not only had she been choked, but slammed into the wall a couple of times by Jonathan. Maybe she had been more injured than they had originally thought. He’d just been relieving her headaches and nausea, but it seemed that more than symptom relief might be needed for the future.

“I now cast my vote for death. Immediate would be most prudent.” Balor watched Vollrath’s surprise. “It has been hours since the attack, I can feel the residual magic of not only the Master Warlock of this Coven, but also of his two Seconds upon her still, and she is not fully healed. When she rose to greet me, she could not stand more than maybe ten seconds without getting dizzy and almost passing out. Jonathan did not merely physically attack her. If she had been a normal human she would be dead; if she were not such a strong witch, I also believe she would be dead, so the punishment should fit.” He saw the glances around the room. He was quite sure they expected him to diverge from Vollrath’s desire, but he could find no argument to do that. That didn’t mean he was without more questions about Mahala, however.

“El, is what Balor says true? Do you need help, or have you got this?” Baldur asked when he saw the concern that was etched on Elmar’s face. If anything happened to her, Balor would learn even more how much Mahala meant to his brother. Vollrath might be the one to carry out a death sentence personally and instantly, something that hadn’t been done since his father had been Master Warlock.

“I’ve got it, I think. He’s right about it, she’s still got a lot of healing to do. Oh, and he also didn’t do anything, he wasn’t lying.” Elmar looked back and nodded. As much as he didn’t like Balor, he wouldn’t lie about that. “I’m wondering if she has a more serious concussion than we thought. Jonathan slammed her up against the wall more than once, the walls in this place are concrete block, it could have done some damage. When the meeting’s over, talk to Vol. Probably don’t want to let her sleep tonight or be alone.” Elmar wasn’t looking at them, he was focusing on the healing he was doing, and helping Mahala relax. If he had looked, he would have seen neither man was happy with what he’d just said.

“I’m ready to vote, let’s go back.” Balor didn’t even wait for Baldur before heading to the door, his voice was clipped and short. He had been able to read all he needed to know. His brother’s residual magic, Baldur’s residual magic, Elmar’s magic, and the strength of her own, coupled with the fact that she was still healing meant Jonathan tried to kill her and almost succeeded. There was nothing else he needed to know. He hadn’t expected that. He’d seen the tape, he only had wanted to meet the woman, and he knew that Vollrath would not deny him. Instead, he’d gotten a lot more insight into things than he’d counted on.

Baldur had barely caught up with him when Balor entered the boardroom once more. He looked around at all assembled with condescension before meeting his brother’s inquisitive gaze once more. “Interesting witch you have in your office, Vol. Also, still seriously injured.” Balor didn’t even try to hide his irritation as he looked around at the faces of the others again, noting their confusion and shock at this. “Elmar is taking good care of her, at least there is a strong warlock to do the healing. I give you credit for that, Vol.” He inclined his head to his brother, who seemed to be confused where he was going with everything.

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starstrider-productions · 6 months

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THE PILGRIMAGE SAGA returns for its final season in 2023!

Hold onto your spacesuits for one last journey to a home you have never known.

The Starstrider will return...

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heretherebedork · 2 years

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The ideal family: sweet gay dads, their idiot gay son and a pretty flower. @absolutebl we need more gay dads for BL boys forever more.

#ailongnhai #ai long nhai #bl drama #bl series #thai bl #thaibl #thai series #thai drama #asianlgbtqdramas #asian lgbtq dramas #gay family #fictional gay dads #i am thrilled by this honestly #they're adorable #more gay dads please

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tapperhet-em · 2 months

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Everyone is together, but tension between them is building....

"Dude, can you maybe NOT try to antagonize Einar?" Elio had barely waited till they were outside of the cabin to address Tieran. "And don't you dare try and play stupid. You have been hot and cold with Meeri for years, and you know something went down back at the garrison with Einar, so you poke the bear by flirting with her right in front of him?"

Lorcan hung back a bit, ready to back Elio up if needed. He had the same thoughts. Something felt off about the whole interaction back in the cabin. They were all too close of friends for this to be going down now. In the coming days they would need to be a team, not at each other's throats. However, if they were all going to function as one, they had to get this one thing that had been hanging over them all for years out in the open. When things between Einar and Meeri had been more obscure, it had not been such a big deal, but now it was becoming more of one. He would have Meeri’s back before anyone else’s, which meant having Einar’s.

"Maybe you don't know all you think you do E." Tieran raised the tailgate and tried to reign in his irritation. Turning around, he sat on the back deck of the SUV and saw Lorcan’s jaw grinding. That was one man he didn’t want to fuck with, not that making Elio pissed was top of his list to do either. "You two want to know why it's been hot and cold? Because I have been trying to respect the fact that me and one of my best friends are in love with the same woman. A woman, might I add, that looks at him like her hero every damn time that he steps in the room. You two might as well be blooded brothers to her, she took a harsh punishment for E, even. Don’t tell me she wouldn’t do the same for you, Lo. I don't know where I fit in here, I haven’t for a long time. I don’t know where I fit in with you guys anymore, and not with the woman that has my heart and I can’t confess it to. I try to play it off as cool, and I fuck it up. I try to get closer to her, and I feel like I’ve got Einar’s crosshairs on my forehead." He sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair, knowing he probably made things even more awkward but he'd felt like he had to clear the air.

"Tier, bro, you're our brother, and always have been. You're Einar’s brother. And it is up to you if you want to be close to Meeri as a brother or just a friend. But, what we can't have, is you and Einar at each other’s throats, or Meeri upset because you're hostile again to her, and her not understanding why. All we have are each other now." Lorcan leaned his hip against one side of the rear of the SUV, and looked towards Tieran. He understood his friend’s feelings, but they had to get things settled; or they'd turn on one another at some point. Tieran was the weak link in their chain, a chain they needed to be strong as titanium. Damn, he hated that he was now thinking of his friend like they were soldiers on a battlefield; but Lorcan could not ignore that they had a shit ton of Royal Forces looking for Meeri, and by hiding her they were signing their own death warrants too.

"Lo's right, T. You’ve got to get this settled with Meeri and with Einar. We can’t have constant upset and people on unstable footing. If you don’t think you can, and want to leave and go back to your family, I'll give you my keys. No judgment. If you stay, you've got to get this worked out." Elio hated this. He didn't know if Tieran or Lorcan had noticed the ring on Meeri’s finger back at the garrison, but he had. It didn't take a genius to figure out its meaning; another reason Tieran needed to figure his shit out.

"I'm not walking away, guys. Give me more credit than that. Fuck! I love her, I am IN love with her. I don't know how to change that, but I can at least try to not piss off Einar, or be an ass to her. I’ll figure something out, don’t ask me what. I don't want one of you shooting me, or her." Tieran shrugged and pushed off of the rear of the vehicle to standing. "I guess we need to get this stuff inside, huh?" He didn’t want to talk anymore. At least unpacking the SUV would keep them all moving, and give him something other than the situation for him to think on.

"Damn, you guys are slow." Einar chuckled as he walked up. Then he caught sight of the full postures of his three friends. Something was off, he’d known them all too long not to see the signs. "What did I miss? And do not lie to me and say nothing. I'm too tired to deal with bullshit tonight." His gaze alternated between the three of them as his head tipped back, feeling very uneasy.

“Uh…” Elio stuttered as he tried to think how to handle this without there being an actual fight. Things could even out from here on out, or they could go straight to shit; but it was the watershed moment for the group. It might be a good thing that Meeri was inside, because one member of the group upset at a time was more than enough for him. If she came out, and heard what he was sure Tieran was about to say, then both she AND Einar would be pissed. If she got upset, Lorcan wouldn’t be far behind. Elio’s eyes met Lorcan’s, who also looked unsure how to progress given the current situation.

Tieran held up a hand to his friend. “It’s okay, E, I got it.” Here went nothing. He squared his shoulders as he faced Einar, a man he’d been friends with since they were just kids. A man he respected highly, and loved like a brother. “The guys called me out on something that I should have been called out on a long time ago. I need to stop being an ass to Meeri. I’ve been handling a situation with her wrong, and it is just cuz I have an issue with the fact that she loves you and not me, even though I’m in love with her too.” There he’d said it and the slight look of shock on Einar’s face meant that he might have suspected it, but not really known for sure. For sure it was not what he had expected to hear from any of them.

Feeling like an ass from the way that Einar was looking, Tieran licked his lips, pursed them together, then continued. “Lo and E are like real brothers to her, you’re her hero that she has obviously loved as much as you love her. So where do I fit in, Einar? What is my place when it comes to the group here? Ya know?” He swallowed, looked down, and kicked at the dirt a little with his boot. It was so fucked up that it had gone on so long, and that it was coming out now. “It’s not her fault.” He looked back up. “She loves you, I love her, and I fuck up handling it. The guys are right, I’ve got to stop fucking it up because the stakes are a lot higher now than just some hurt feelings or a quarrel in the group. We all have prices on our heads and we can’t be hurting one another over this shit.” Tieran’s head dropped again and he once more let out a heavy sigh, his hands fisting and relaxing as he fought his feelings. He couldn’t walk away, he couldn’t leave his friends to handle all of this without trying to help them, there was no way he could leave HER, but right now having to be around them, with no escape, felt heavy on him; only his love for all his friends and Meeri kept him rooted in that spot.

For over a full minute Einar stood there trying to come up with something to say, but kept coming up empty. He looked over to Elio and Lorcan in turn, who looked rather grim and they didn’t know what to say either. This was heavy, heavier than he’d anticipated, when he’d demanded an answer. He’d wanted to know, so here it was. “We’ll figure it out, T. We’ll handle it.” His words were stilted. It was clear that he had no idea what to do now, but was trying. His brain was just not absorbing it all at the moment.

Taking a deep breath, “for now we need to get everything inside and get this SUV hidden. This place may not be on the top of everyone’s list, but it will be on a list somewhere. We have to be prepared. We’ll figure the rest out later. It can all be worked out, T. You’re still my brother.” Einar swallowed and still felt a little shell shocked. He was reverting back to handling things as a soldier and nothing more. If he thought on things too much right now, he would lose focus on what was important.

Lorcan clapped Einar on the shoulder. Clearly, this was going over about as well as he expected, and was going to keep going over that way, so they needed to get moving. Using his command voice, he had honed well as an MP and Sargent, he started giving directions in clipped tones that got the others moving. They got the SUV unloaded quickly and everything into what seemed to be the appropriate rooms in the cabin. Once the SUV was clean of everything, Lorcan got the keys from Elio to take it down to the same turnout as the Jeep, only to park it on the other side and throw a ghillie tarp over it that he’d found while he and Meeri had been waiting for the others. He took another one for the Jeep. It wouldn’t pass a close inspection, but would at least help it blend from the air or if they were just driving by and didn’t stop. Thankfully Tieran’s uncle had that damn cabin stocked with anything you’d need to hunt.

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