#I believe I shall calm this ship

[waywardstraysau]

I will eat my own shirt if Hunter doesn’t end up crushing on Steven a bit, because I was picking up some vibes

But you know, it could also have been platonic admiration, because I too would admire someone who could navigate a bunch of exceptionally dangerous chaos like a dance without even flinching

Furthermore, Hunter picking up on the “danger” vibes immediately before actually talking to Steven, and again when he got frustrated was a nice touch, completely in character for one so terminally abused as he is

Along with the oh-so casual way he described his place by his uncle to Steven, so much so that in his perspective it wasn’t something that needed to be gone into in detail, was a VERY smart touch

Stevens reaction to that information just drove the whole point that “this boy is NOT okay” home spectacularly

Also, MK’s first impression and lines were both hilarious and completely in character for the bastard. I hope we get to meet him more officially next time next to Hunter, because I literally made a whole ass au on the concept of those two forming a brotherly bond to fill that void, and I cannot wait to see AeonChangeling’s spin on that relationship

Anyway, great chapter, VERY inspiring, I’ll be doing Wayward Strays fanart for a week or so before going back to my own au lmao

I also made a ship name, even if it ends up one sided, or a platonic friendship: Flesh and Stone

Alternative title: I said, (S)HE’S GONE!!!!!!!

In any case, they both need EXTENSIVE therapy before anything officially romance-y happens, if at all, and the angst potential is just beautiful, because you guys KNOW puritanical dickhead Belos ABSOLUTELY tried to drill homophonic views into that poor skrunkle, and his gay panic would be a tragedy all in its own.

The angst on Steven’s side? It’s STEVEN, the boy is so fucked up, and while he may be a hopeless romantic, he doesn’t know what he’s doing and his emotional state is clearly still a WRECK in this au

#wayward strays au #the owl house #wayward strays #fanfic #hunter toh #toh #wayward strays fanart #monkie kid mk #toh hunter #steven universe #Steven is such a good bean #until he snaps your goddamn spine lol #Consiering the cannon of Huntlow #Hunter clearly has a type #btw #I’m assuming stevonnie has already become platonic at this point #but I really do not know #I believe I shall calm this ship #Flesh and Stone

[jgracie]

HEY BLONDIE — LEO + DAUGHTER OF POSEIDON

masterlist | rules

♡ dedicated to covey @hopelesslyromanticshark the blueprint for the poseidon girlie x leo trope 😇 lovey > caleo 4eva (even the ship name is cuter!)

❝ daughter of poseidon x leo valdez!!!!! ❞ — anon

in which leo dates a daughter of poseidon

pairing leo valdez x poseidon!reader

warnings percys a bit of an ass in this lowk sorry guys (he didn't mean it i promise!!!), they have tech, andddd i lowk hate this but i haven’t posted in three days so 🙁 maybe i’ll rewrite it someday!!

on the radio . . . hey blondie (dominic fike)

an i’ve been DYING for someone to request this combo i love it sm …. also OGs remember when my bio was hey blondie 🫡 reader isn’t blonde dw (i’m not even blonde myself) !! also reader is a year younger than percy (making her the same age as leo)

Leo didn’t know Percy had a sister. Maybe he was living under a rock (he was - Leo spent the majority of his days at Bunker 9), but he just hadn’t considered the possibility of it, with Percy being a child of the big three and all

If Leo had known of your existence sooner, he would’ve burnt down Bunker 9 himself and spent the rest of his days glued to your side. He had met many people, but none as perfect and charming as you

You see, the boy was simply going to pass by Cabin 3 to show Percy this new gadget he’d made for him and see if he wanted to hang out sometime, since Leo hadn’t seen Percy in a while, when he met you - Y/N, Percy’s younger half-sister

“Hello, may I help you?” You asked, opening the front door of your cabin and being met with a boy with curly brown hair and big brown eyes. Immediately, you felt the heat radiating off of him increase and all of a sudden his brown curls were on fire

As a child of Poseidon, naturally, you’ve never been fond of fire, so this freaked you out. Knowing the water fountain was right behind you, you controlled the water with your hands and shot it at Leo, putting out the fire and drenching him in the process

Leo didn’t care, though. You could drown him for Hephaestus’ sake and he’d still come crawling back - okay, maybe that was a little much. He took in your worried expression and a wave of guilt washed over him as he realised how afraid you were

“I’m sorry, I have a hard time controlling my fire powers sometimes… Where’s Percy?” He asked, not even bothering to question your Godly heritage. You were very clearly a daughter of Poseidon

After that, things calmed down between you two. You let him in and although you were wary of Leo (and sat as far away from him as possible without being labelled as rude), patiently listened as he explained why he was looking for your brother

He then showed you the gadget he made and when Leo saw the way your eyes lit up at its mechanisms, he knew his life would no longer be complete if you weren’t in it

You gushed over the thing, pressing the buttons over and over again (which Leo didn’t have the heart to tell you would wear them down) and showering him in compliments - something that has never happened to Leo before

A grin made its way onto his lips. Sure, people have praised his creations before, but none of them did it the way you did, nearly bursting with excitement as you tried to handle it with utmost care

Part of Leo wished Percy would never come back to cabin 3 ever again, but speak (in this case, think) of the devil and he shall appear. That was his unfortunate cue to leave

He quickly showed Percy how to handle the device and was about to leave when you stopped him. Leo almost couldn’t believe his ears and almost leaped for joy when he heard you ask if you could pass by his cabin sometime, since you really wanted to see more of his stuff

That was the beginning of the most iconic friendship in Camp Half-Blood history

You quickly discovered you had a lot in common and so, you became attached at the hip. It was so bad that whenever someone was asked where one of you were, they’d give the location of the other since they knew there was an incredibly high possibility of you being together

Leo taught you how to use a screwdriver and weld and I can’t think of a third thing people who make machines do but you get the gist! And in return, you taught him how to swim

His ability to swim (or lack thereof) was something which was brought up your very first time hanging out together at bunker nine. After many attempts, you finally successfully hammered a nail into a piece of metal (fyi I’m a daughter of Demeter I know absolutely nothing about this subject) and in your enthusiastic state insisted you go to the beach together

At your suggestion, Leo got awfully quiet and began shyly playing with a stray piece of metal. Your eyebrows furrowed, confused for a second about the shift in his behaviour, when it finally clicked

“Oh my Gods, Leo, do you not know how to swim?” You asked, hesitant - you didn’t want to embarrass the poor guy. He looked up at you and nodded, pouting at the way your lips wobbled as you tried not to giggle. You weren’t laughing at him, of course, you just thought it was really cute

Grabbing him by the arm, you began to drag him to your cabin and said, “c’mon, I’ll teach you! It’ll be like me repaying you for teaching me how to do all the fancy things you do with metal!”

You guys started going to the beach more often after that. At first, you were just teaching Leo how to be in a body of water and not drown, but once he got the hang of it you started having swimming competitions and introducing him to all your fish friends!

They’re always telling you to hurry up and confess because it's so obvious that you like Leo and you keeping it to yourself isn’t doing you any favours but you can’t. Why? Because you don’t think Leo likes you back

Meanwhile Leo’s sitting on the sand next to you admiring the way you seem to gain life by being near a body of water, having to push his fire powers down whenever you’d pull him closer to you, the only thing filling the space between you being the water of the ocean

You are quite literally Mr and Mrs Oblivious. Everyone can tell you like each other but yourselves

It’s actually really funny because you run in the same circles so you tend to complain to the same people about how the other can’t tell you like them and they’re just sitting there trying SO hard not to facepalm

Most of the time you two go to Annabeth, simply because she’s the only one you believe can keep a secret as big as your crushes. Unfortunately for you she and Percy come as a packaged duo, which means Percy’s aware

She didn’t mean to tell him but one time after a heated discussion with you where you analysed Leo’s every move it was still fresh on her mind and she let it slip

Ever since then, Percy’s been eyeing Leo, who’s definitely noticed the behaviour switch. It’s not like Percy had anything against you dating - you were only a year younger than him, after all, and you never tried to stop him and Annabeth from dating - but he couldn’t help but feel a little protective

An extra year of life still made you his baby sister! He’d insist to Annabeth that it doesn’t bother him and Leo is a good guy and his friend so he’s happy that the two of you reciprocate each other’s feelings then turn and give the poor boy a glare so terrifying it’d make a hellhound cower in fear

While all of this is happening, Leo’s freaking out. He’s absolutely losing his mind because all of a sudden Percy no longer likes him which means he’s probably noticed he likes you and disapproves of your potential relationship

All these thoughts cause him to spiral and eventually distance himself from you. It was just occasionally rejecting plans but then it turned into him somehow always being busy, and it broke your heart

Percy, being the kind and loving brother he is, asked you what was wrong on one of those days and you had to fight the urge to burst into tears as you told him about how you thought you did something to hurt Leo

You see, Leo was your first real friend at camp. Sure, you had other friends, but they were all just casual acquaintances you’d talk to whenever you happened to see them. Leo was your first best friend, which meant a lot

In that moment, Percy knew what he had to do

“Hey, why’re you avoiding Y/N?” Percy asked, barging into bunker nine, his arms crossed as he stared down Leo, who was busy making something (as usual)

Leo, who hadn’t been fully listening, looked up to find none other than Percy Jackson standing in front of him, “what?” He asked, his eyes widening

“I said, why are you avoiding my sister?” He repeated, the scowl on his face deepening. Percy was usually a pretty nice guy, but that could change really quickly if anyone ever even thinks of hurting his loved ones (loyalty is his fatal flaw after all)

Putting his tools down, Leo stood up, suddenly defensive. Why was Percy putting the blame on him? He was the reason Leo decided to talk to you less in the first place. Doing that to you really hurt Leo, but he wasn’t going to let himself get close to you just to end up heartbroken and without two friends in the end

“Do you hate her all of a sudden, is that it? Because if that’s the case, you should at least be kind enough to voice those thoughts so she can find new friends–”

“Dude, I love Y/N. Who put that in your head?” Leo interrupted, “I’m avoiding Y/N because I’ve seen the way you look at me, Percy. I get it, you’re not happy that I like her, and I don’t want to bother you or put a strain in your relationship, so I’ve distanced myself.”

He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He avoided you because he loved you, because he didn’t want there to be any trouble between you and your brother because of him, and yet somehow here he was being accused of hating you?

You’re the first person Leo truly felt love for ever since his own mother. How could he hate you

“Tell her,” Percy said. He felt immensely guilty as the realisation that he was the reason why you’d almost lost your crush and best friend hit him. He never meant for it to go this far, and honestly, the glances weren’t even purposeful - he just couldn’t help it

“She likes you too, literally everyone at camp knows it, you’ll be fine. And Leo, I’m really sorry I made you feel that way. I didn’t mean to, honestly, I just really care about Y/N and don’t want her to get hurt. But I know you won’t hurt her, so… I approve.”

When I say Leo ran so fast to your cabin that he left a whole trail of fire behind him, I’m not exaggerating. He passed by Flowers and Vines (Demeter + Dionysus kid flower shop/fruits market iykyk) and set their crops on fire, quickly making himself their mortal enemy

He couldn’t care less though. You liked him back! In a few moments, he’d confess and you’d agree to date him and you’d finally be his

And confess he did <3 you were a little mad at Percy at first for unintentionally separating the two of you but after three days’ worth of grovelling you were fine

You couldn’t be too mad, after all, since you now had your fireboy

(The crowd cheers!!!! After 5 pages of backstory you get actual dating hcs)

Okay so I just want to start by saying that Leo is literally like a raven or a cat or whatever animal it is. He’s constantly finding the randomest trinkets and just giving them you for no reason

He goes to the beach a lot on his own whenever he misses you because the salty air smells just like the crook of your neck and often comes back with a bunch of seashells, randomly shaped rocks and one time an actually alive sand dollar

You spent so long teaching him how to spot one that’s alive and one that’s dead so when he saw a sand dollar he got really excited at the idea of you being proud of him remembering the difference that he’d forgotten it

His favourite things are the seashells though. Why? Well, because he can turn them into cute jewellery for you, duh!

It started off as a silly little idea. He found a cute seashell and thought ‘what if I strung a piece of thread through this and made it a necklace for my beautiful hot gorgeous pretty siren mermaid cutie pie Y/N?’

He ended up doing it and you loved it so much he decided he’d make you a whole collection of seashell jewellery

The second time around, he made an actual chain for the necklace because you’re deserving of more than some lousy thread!!!

Then he began making bracelets and rings and earrings and all sorts of other things for you. Somehow, despite making so many of them, Leo managed to make them all unique in their own way. Your favourite, however, was the seashell locket he made you for one of your anniversaries

Inside of the locket is a picture you took together on the beach. It was from back when you were just friends, but you looked so gorgeous in it Leo couldn’t help but choose it for the necklace

Also, you guys are LITERALLY fireboy and watergirl

You’d had an epiphany one day whilst lying your head on his chest and the gasp you let out had Leo worried you were dying for a second

When you told him this, Leo was confused. Being in the foster care system at a young age then sent to wilderness school then doing demigod things left very little room for him to discover modern things other people his age liked

You immediately took him to the little computer you shared with Percy and opened up fireboy and watergirl (the OG game of course, not one of the newer editions) and taught him how to play

Honestly, Leo’s really bad at it. Like at first you thought he just needed to get the hang of it but then you reached the one year anniversary of when you first showed him FB & WG and he was STILL awful at it (also yes you know what day that is. You and Leo have anniversaries for everything)

“Leo!” You exclaimed, unable to watch as the try again prompt popped up on the screen. After about 50 times doing this level (which you had completed on your own before just fine), you’d finally gotten to the last hurdle when, of course, fireboy had to fall into the green slime

Leo pouted, once again prepared to fight his case, “Fireboy’s an idiot! It’s not my fault you get to control the smarter one out of the two!”

“Nuh, uh! Fireboy’s so much easier to control! He has the arrows, watergirl has WASD, which is way harder!”

“Fine, you control him, since he’s so easy to use!”

“But I’m Watergirl! I can’t have you killing me too!”

You’d have this conversation almost every single time you played the game. It got so bad one time Percy had to block the fireboy and watergirl website from the computer

Which was stupid because Leo’s literally a son of Hephaestus so all he had to do was touch the computer and it quickly became unbanned!

Also I think all children of Poseidon have an obscene amount of fish/sea animal merch. Specifically plushies

Leo stayed the night at your cabin once thinking ‘oh my Gods I’m gonna be sleeping with Y/N for the first time WTF WTF WTF!!!’ only to end up sleeping with Chelsea the starfish instead

He teased you a little at first but you’d refused to talk to him after that so he accepted them into the L/N-Valdez family (despite them hogging the bed 😒)

Now, he also defends the plushies like his life depends on it. If someone even DARES to utter a word against Haley the seahorse its ON SIGHT fr

He also keeps a mental note of all the names of your plushies to see if he can figure out a theme with the kinds of names you like for when you name your future baby but that’s a story for another day!

#leo valdez x reader #leo valdez x you #leo valdez x y/n #leo valdez #leo valdez x fem reader #percy jackson #pjo #percy jackson x reader #pjo x reader #leo valdez fanfic #pjo fanfic #leo valdez drabble #leo valdez x poseidon reader #daughter of poseidon #children of poseidon #poseidon pjo #cynwrites

[jinkiezzsstuff]

Hazbin Hotel x male reader who transmigrated into it.

Hiya! I’ve never done a request before and i’m sorry I got to you late! I didn’t know where the askbox answers went lmao. I don’t mind doing this but this is my first so hope this tickles your fancy and i did your idea justice, im sorry it’s quite short, i wanted to get it out so i didn’t leave ya hanging! <3

Part 2

Summary: One minute you’re living your normal life, the next you’re in a room, in a place you’d hate to admit looked a little familiar from a show you’d watched in life.

Warnings: Male!Reader Male pronouns, not specified if there was a specific ship between reader- so there’s no romance, implied death, flirty angel, niftys bad boy obsession, reader is discribed as a goat, implied to be tall, all direct hazbin hotel characters; charlie, vaggie, alastor, nifty, pentious, husk, angel (all platonic), swearing NOT PROOFREAD, no mention of hair type/colour, bodytype or skin colour. Let me know if i missed anything!

You just got off working, and after a long crippling day of noise, customers, and well work, all you wanted to do was go home and get in bed.

Looking down at your phone you scrolled through your playlist, trying to find the right song, this walk needed motivation, you needed some umph to get you home and not curl up in a ball and sleep wherever.

While scrolling through your playlist, you failed to notice the manhole up head, uncovered and unassuming. Unfortunately, your walking never ceased.

Waking with your heart pounding, you through your legs off the bed immediately standing, but stalling. “Where the fuck,” You gaped, you spun around in a circle, a large click thump following your direction.

Peering down at the noise you gasped, hooves, big ones in fact. You took a few sharp inhales attempting to calm your heart rate down, you scanned the room. It was ruby red, but besides that blank, vacant with the bare bone essentials.

Behind you was a large window, covered with thick curtain. Carefully you stepped over to it, feeling uncoordinated in your body as you did, you pulled the curtain open.

Mouth falling open, throat closing unable to scream as you stared at the sight in front of you. A red sky, the pentagram overhead, you couldn’t believe no way. Trotting over to the dresser, you eyed your reflection, your horrified face looked back at you.

For the most part, you looked as you did before, albiet the new suit, horns, ears, and the slit eyes you had. Turning to an angle to scoffed at the sight of a tail, muttering to yourself you tucked it upward in the suit jacket and waddled to the door.

Sticking your neck out, you glanced left to right, declaring the cost clear, you stepped out. That was until you heard the disembodied sound of a radio transmitter behind you.

“Good evening voyager!” Shouting you turn defensively, and were met by a large smiling demon. “Holy fuck.” You say in awe staring down just slightly at the radio demon you familiarized yourself with.

“Contrary my dear friend! Nothing holy to me! Ha ha, please follow me, Charlie is ever so worried for you. Crashing down through the roof? Quite the entrance I must say.” The radio demon applauded, literally hearing a round of applause surround you two.

You followed as he pushed but you didn’t say much, this has to be a dream? You recognized him from a show, he’s not real. Although casting your eyes toward him as he strolled, humming along guiding you down the halls, you couldn’t deny the reality you saw.

He looked so 3D, there wasn’t anything animation behind him, he was right there, right in front of you more realistic and creepy than anything you’d ever seen.

“Here we are good sir! The lobby! Shall we?” Alastor questioned sticking his cane down the steps, after a muttered yeah, the two of you strolled down together.

“He’s up!” Charlie chortled shaking Vaggie who stood near her at the bar. “Yes i fetched him just as he tipped his horned head out! Impeccable timing, everyone has just gotten back.” Alastor exclaimed, while Charlie skipped up to you.

“Wow, so glad you’re okay! You came crashing through heh, I’m Charlie! So pleased to meet you,” With a pointy teethed smile you nod at her. “This is my girlfriend Vaggie,” Vaggie only grunted at you, arms crossed and eyeing you. Knowing what you knew, this wasn’t surprising to her this is real, and you could be like Alastor.

“This is Husk, he’s our bar tender, oh shit! Welcome to the Hazbin Hotel,” Charlie stuttered, shaking her hands around her head jazzily. Chuckling you smiled at her. “Uh, thank you, for everything actually.”

“Ha, you kiddin kid, you fell through that ceiling like it was paper.” Husk gruffed out, leaning forward at his bar. “Yeah what’s that about?” Vaggie suddenly questioned.

“Guys! Intros first hello, okay, this is Angel Dust, another guest!” Angel dust sauntered up, smirking and sticking a claw at the bottom of your neck, dragging it up to your chin. “How ya doing sugar, I’m Angel, but i can be whatever you want me to be.” Angel practically moaned at you, smiling genuinely you chuckled. “I want you to be arms length away from me.”

You said it without any malice or disgust, genuinely enthralled you were standing in the middle of the characters you loved so much. “Ha! Nice try toots! The only way to keep me back, is via leash.” Laughing along with Angel ignoring the disgust from Alastor and the disappointment for Vaggie, you focused back on Charlie who rocked impatiently on her heels for your attention.

“Okay! This, wait where’s Nifty?” Pausing briefly as ever one checked their feet not seeing the little ball of speed anywhere. “She’ll turn up! Anyways this, is Pentious!” Charlie exclaimed moving onto the snake who stood stick straight.

It was evident he was nervous, so you walked toward him with an easy going smile, as easy going your sharp smile could be. “Hey Pentious, I think your fucking cool I love the inventions you make.” As if you presented the snake with the world itself, his eyes sparkled with admiration and appreciation. “Y-you’ve sseen my inventionsss?” Nodding at him with a smile, he perked up, clasping his hands near his cheek.

As he was in the middle of chanting thank you’s, the air dropped and suddenly the Tasmanian devil herself showed herself. Crawling up your body like a tree, the cyclops eyes you with a wicked evil smile. “Ouuu, you look like such a bad boy none of the others here are bad!” Nifty breathed demonically, pushing herself i. your face.

Again you couldn’t be mad or even scared instead you chuckled, Alastor appear alongside you. “Alrighty Nifty darling, why don’t you go collect some bugs to show him! He needs some christening into this wonderful world.”

That line momentarily stunned you, and you looked towards Alastor with a probably harsher look than you intended. “Ou okay, that’s a gooood idea.” Nifty said scuttling off, and though your eyes were focused on Alastor, he wasn’t even aware of you, paying more mind to the room around you.

Charlie looked to you, head tilted. “So mysterious man, you need a place to stay?” Smiling at her you looked around the room, this was an opportunity you wouldn’t miss out on. “Yeah, I’ll stay.”

#hazbin hotel x reader #hazbin hotel husk #husk x reader #angel x reader #charlie morningstar x reader #charlie morningstar #alastor hazbin x reader #alastor x reader #hazbin pentious #nifty hazbin hotel #sir pentious #hazbin hotel oneshots #vaggie #vaggie x reader

[bronx-bomber87]

Hello my wonderful fandom :) I CANNOT believe we are at the finale already. This season went by in the blink of an eye. I was VERY excited for this finale and what it would bring. They don't have a ton of moments. But the ones they do the writers made count. My goodness I was happy and hopeful after this episode ended. Hard to believe we won't see our babies on screen till 2025. *grumble*

D sent me something about that actually (thank you bestie) Here it be. A.H. saying he's pretty sure all networks are doing this mid season 18 ep start. One of the reasons being the Election coming up. They want to protect shows and their ratings from the debates, coverage etc. And those usually happen on Tuesday nights. Which is actually really intuitive foresight from ABC. So to protect our ratings and show I get it. Especially if we wanna lock down a S8. I don't love it but I get it. Anyways lets get to it shall we? My last "mini" thoughts of the season.

6x10 Escape Plan

Always makes me nervous for Lucy going UC but still amazing to watch her in her element. Even if it makes my stomach tie in knots. Now maybe this is just me but Lucy seemed EXTRA uneasy on this OP. This is pure speculation on my part. But could be lending a little more credence to this not being the path for her? Just the feeling I got while watching her in these moments with with the kids in this one and the sneaking around.

I will say I do love seeing Lucy with the kids. Gives us a glimpse into her as a mama. I'm liking what I am seeing. Can't help but have that thought. I really can't. Chenford has taken over my brain and I'm very ok with it. Smitty's text to Lucy did crack me up. 'Red incoming.' Gotta love Smitty. Lucy is giving me a damn heart attack being undercover though.

The panic in her soul is so evident the minute she sees Monica is approaching. The way she guides the kids out of the room. Then the sheer terror when the kids wanna take a shorter exit. She has to pivot and redirect them quickly. I feel like the pressure of this specific UC mission was getting to her. I really do. It was felt in all her movements and body language through out these scenes IMO. I could be wrong but it was just a gut feeling I got watching her.

I think her expression in this scene after Monica departs is everything. Melissa be crushing it out here. Almost like she has to take a deep breath. Calm her racing heart down before unrooting herself from that spot to investigate further. I feel like her look of unease and panic here brings home the point I've been making.

Her questioning if doing UC is worth this stress? Worth the constant worry? Like I said back in my 5x20 review. Just because you're good at something doesn't mean it's meant to be your destiny. i.e. Lucy being a permanent U.C. Pretty sure her cover is blown after she runs right into him but she got the info she needed. At the expense of my own anxiety and worry though ha

The look in this scene oh my lord. How can they have so much chemistry with just one look? Melissa and Eric are a damn treasure to this fandom. To this amazing ship. Tim saying 'It's good to have you.' That loaded look between them. *screams into a pillow.*

You know that man is happier now that she's folded into this OP. His eyes were on her from the moment she stepped on scene. Be more in love with her Tim please. Then sharing a look with Angela. I’m dying. Angela is us we are Angela. She is the fandom in this moment watching this exchange. *sigh* So good.

Someone please tell me how do they look so amazing just standing next to one another? It's unreal how they can exude SO much chemistry just standing next to one another. Forever floored by the amount of physical chemistry these two have without even touching. It blows my mind in the best way.

Also I always enjoy me some Tim in T.O. mode it's sexy af. It revs my engine to watch him back in leadership mode. Not gonna lie. So very confident and sure of himself. Gah makes me need to cross my legs watching him in action LOL Sorry (sorta)Feral Caitlin made a return there haha But I do love seeing it. Like he’s getting his mojo back professionally. It’s nice to see. Does my heart good to watch it.

Oh my word they haven’t really been alone to talk (not counting the hug last ep) since 6x06. I’m so happy. I was legit buzzing watching this. My heart Tim telling her he took her advice and went to therapy. Yessss been waiting for this to unfold. Was hoping when they got a moment alone he would tell her about it. Look at him taking the first opportunity they have solo to tell her this. The growth of this man is incredible to see. I'm so proud of him it's insane. He takes a beat and makes the best of their time together. Breaking the uncomfortable ice with it. *happy sigh*.

I'm so proud of him. I can't state this enough. It is NOT easy to have this convo let alone be the one to start it. Another way to see he's grown. Tim is tackling the conversation. Being the one to broach it. Not Lucy dragging it out of him. I love her telling him that's not normal what happened for him. Definitely hasn't been my experience haha I do love her following up her little joke with being serious. Wanting to encourage him to keep going. I love this. Doesn’t want him to think one bad experience will tar the entire profession.

Tim nodding with a smile asking her if she wants to know the irony of it all? Lucy of course does. Tim continues on that she was a good therapist. The sessions they helped him. Damnit Blair.... I do adore the way Lucy is looking at him while he speaks about this. That angry look she started with has softened quite a bit. Truly hope he continues in S7 and we get to hear about it. God I would love to see sessions. Some of my all time fav Beckett scenes in Castle's S4 was getting to see her sessions with her therapist. It's on my wish list. *fingers crossed.*

His continued sharing with Lucy makes my heart so happy it might implode. Letting Lucy know therapy despite Blair being dirty has been good for him. She unearthed things he wasn't even aware of. I felt the same way too after a couple weeks. I felt more regulated tbh. I had massive sleeping problems from age 15 to when I decided to go to therapy in my 30's. After a couple sessions my sleeping issue's were gone for most part. I had been carrying my problems for so long. Like a pressure cooker with no release valve. So with no outlet they followed me into my unconscious and manifested into anxiety attacks. Couple weeks of sessions and my sleep issues all but disappeared.

Therapy when you truly lean into it can do wonderful things. i.e. Tim opening up to Lucy like this. Also look how SOFT Lucy looks with him as he bares his soul to her. I would be remiss if I didn't go in depth on this. The look of pride and love splayed all over her face is everything. Also reverence and love as well. This episode has a lot of loaded looks and I ate them all up. We started this scene with her face hard and holding a lot anger still. Then Tim melts it with his genuine vulnerability and sharing of what going to get help has done for him. Not only that but giving her props for the original advice in the first place. I'm beaming with delight.

We move onto Tim is being anxious his sessions are going be heard for evidence cause of the FBI investigation. Ugh. This kicks Lucy's brain into gear about that. Asking if he said anything revealing about her? His reply had me rolling. I adore him making a joke like this. Letting her know he mentioned ‘Freak in the sheets.' about her. I’m dying. I have no doubt there is some truth to that for them both LOL Look at our boy making jokes and getting her to laugh. God it was so so nice to see her laugh again. He earns a smile out of her too. The first time he's been the cause of that since her gifted her that KIA Radio in 6x05. I'm floating. They're both smiling by end of this scene. *sigh* We needed this.

We got to see some BAMF Lucy in this moment. Something that just like Tim in confident T.O. Mode has been missing since 6x06. I love her being like take this guy my man is in trouble. Getting him dropped off and instantly taking off after Tim. Who is also trying to pull off some bad assery tbh. A little recklessly but that's why Lucy is coming after him.

She see's his play and wants to be there to back it. Literally waste's no time in pursuit of him. Peels right out of that damn laundromat after him. Tim's play going south VERY quickly when this guy catches on to him in the bed of the truck. Sends his gun flying and my heart racing.

Adore the worried wifey look as she watches from the car. It's pouring out of her in that brief shot. Well done Melissa. Just like Eric she knows how to convey so very much with just a look. Lucy knows Tim is in trouble. That she can't just sit there in pursuit of the vehicle without helping him.

Especially after she watches him get pulled into the cab. Knowing that he is currently at a tactical disadvantage. No way in hell she is leaving him to fight this guy off alone. Telling Lopez to take the wheel as she makes her way out to help him.

Lopez's face when she makes the jump is shocked and amazed. Lucy continuing her BAMF streak on this OP. I loved the surprised look on Tim's face when she first jumps on the truck. Like he can't believe she just risked her life to come help him out. He can't stay in the feeling long as she takes the guy out for them. But it needed to be noted his utter surprise she was there to have his back. Risked her life to do so. Such a bad ass battle couple. Back to back finales we get to watch them be poetry in motion in the field with a battle.

Oh my lord what an epic scene to watch. Lucy jumping onto that moving truck bed to save her man. They take him down together. Their work dynamic easily coming back into play here. They don't miss a beat in this moment. Working as harmoniously as they always have in the past together in the field. I love the looks shared once they've stopped the truck.

Especially Tim's. He is so damn impressed with her. Always finds a way to blow him away with the bad ass she's become. Man is falling in love all over again. It shows all over the two looks he gives her in this scene. First one is his falling back in love again. I mean he already was but think sunk him deeper. Second one is more of just being in awe of her. The pride he feels watching the amazing cop she's developed into. I love these two so much.

Let me start with how happy it makes my heart that Tim smiles when she walks up to him. Despite all the hurt just the sight of her elicits a smile out of him automatically. His walking sunshine. Love of his damn life. She truly is his happy place in human form. Lucy making a crack about him taking a half day. Their banter still simmering beneath the surface. It's a little subdued in this moment but it's alive and well with Tim's reply. He is ever the gentlemen letting her go first.

His elevator version of holding the door for her. That chivalry never dying with him. It's the little things. Can't ignore how Lucy is looking at this man the entire scene. From start to finish. With such reverence and love. Still so in love with this man standing in front of her. Lucy can't help it. She is a moth to a flame with him. Especially with Tim thanking her for saving his life. Let's delve into that a little shall we? Tim Bradford is saying he didn't have it. Admitting fault he would've lost that battle without her.

Saying not only did he not have it but Lucy did. That he wouldn't be standing here without her. Giving her the kudos and all the praise for saving his life. Far cry from 1x01 and his future reaction to that moment in S5. This is a different Tim we see standing before us everyone. The amount of growth in this moment is immense. Because not only did she save his life but she saved him in a deeper sense. Feels like it's truly hitting him like a freight train the impact she's had on his life. I think there is double meaning to his words above. It's what leads him into this next section below.

The loving expression on Lucy's face when she replies ' You're Welcome.' That look of I'm still in love with you, I would do anything for you despite the hurt, and her realizing the deeper meaning of Tim thanking her. The growth she is currently seeing in him is prompting this soft/warm look and even softer reply. It's what encourages Tim to say his next portion. You can see him psyching himself up before he turns around to apologize. To own what he's done to them. To her.

Tim starts his apology by telling her he knows what he’s done (thank you lord for this) That he knows he ruined everything. You sure did babe...but you’re gonna earn it all back I know it. Lucy has the most loving and forgiving nature. The biggest heart. Also we can see there is still a tinge of anger to her expression at first above. So that journey will not be an easy one for Tim. Nor should it be. He has a lot to make up for. But my god will it be worth it in the end. I truly believe that. I'm going to be crying river's when we get there.

Look at how he has grown. Immediately spilling his guts emotionally to her twice in one episode. Not once but TWICE. Hell three times really. With saying she saved him and admitting fault to what he's done. I can't get over this. He had two really hard conversations with her in this episode. Swallowing that pride of his he's trying to hard to overcome. Doing this in order to communicate better with her. To show her he's putting in the time and the effort. To let her know he knows he messed up and is owning that. Something Tim wouldn't have done before. At least not easily. These are great strides for him. I couldn't be prouder of where they are ending the season for him. Imma need more therapy though in S7 you hear me writers?

Tim thanking Lucy for extending him the kindness she has shown him. *my damn heart.* That he can never explain how much he appreciates it. That she could've easily turned on him and he would've understood. But that's not Lucy. We all know that's not who she is. Or ever will be. It's that forgiving nature of her's that is one of the many reasons Tim is so damn gone for her. I think there is once again a double meaning to his words. To me Tim is saying this is for far more than just post break up. It's for their entire relationship. Together/apart and especially when they were not 1-4. The kindness and the empathy she's aways shown him. Even at his worst.

Like I said earlier it's all hitting him hard. The place she held in his life for so long and the impact she's had on him. Imma cry. A giant epiphany moment for Tim I think. Maybe starting to slowly understand the unconditional love she has for him. This scene made me tear up. That anger that is still present melts away a little more for Lucy. If she continues to see Tim work on himself. He shows her his continued growth. No reason she wouldn't take this man back when he's put in the work to re-earn that place in her life. Tim saying he's gonna spend rest of his life repaying her back for said kindness. *screams into the void.* In whatever small doses she allows of course.

Respecting her boundaries and hoping she will allow him to do so. It's the sweetest most sincere part of his apology. The way she looks at him as he departs. *heart clutch* You can see he's stunned her into silence. But also Lucy can see the growth in him and it’s written all over her face. This is a fantastic way to end the season for them. It wouldn’t be right to get back together right now or even just a 'we almost died' hook up. (Wonderful fic's out there for that just recently BTW.) Just wouldn’t. As much as my shipper soul LONGS for them to be back together. Legit longs so much it hurts. This was a good way to end them for the season. With some hope, some growth and a path forward leading us to S7.

Some Final thoughts below. With a Chenford hug to this lovely fandom of ours.

First off I want to thank you all for doing this not so mini review journey with me. I was nervous to do them. Even after doing 9 plus months of them with 1-5. This was different. It was first impressions. Hope you all enjoyed them. I'm more than happy to do this next season too. First impression thoughts for S7 as well if you are all interested. Let's move onto some final thoughts I'm having. You know months could pass by when we get to 7x01 in their timeline. I’m hoping he’s in therapy during this duration. Ready to prove he wants to earn her trust back. To earn her back. I don't think for one second that moment in the elevator is the last deep conversation they're going to have before we get a reconciliation. Tim has her love. Always has. Always will.

Lucy's decisions and responses in 6x10 show that. No matter what she loves this man. What he needs to gain back is her trust. To prove over and over again. He's there to stay. To show her through kind acts. To rebuild his rapport with her. I’m excited for that journey cause when we get there. *phew* God the fandom is gonna implode with happiness. It’ll be well earned. Their relationship is going to be even better with the growth Tim has done. (Hoping for some more for Lucy as well and getting the support she needs/deserves)We saw massive results in this episode alone. Can you imagine how it’ll be when they’re back together? *chefs kiss* it’ll make all the hurt and pain so worth it.

Getting emotional writing about this. This ship has a stranglehold on my emotions and I’m ok with it. Eric and Melissa love our passion for this couple. So I won’t be ashamed for the affect it has on me. I’m excited for s7. It’ll be a long hiatus. But we will get through it together. I will probably wait till mid July to do my thoughts fully fleshed out for S6. Think we all need time for finale to settle. For us too as well. I'm most definitely not ready to re-dive into everything just yet. Especially 6x05/6x06. But I'm hoping couple month hiatus for me will help with tackling that. Then we can start that journey for us all to go on with my deeper analysis.

As always thank you all for the likes, comments and reblogs. For being interested in my thoughts at all. It means the world you have no idea. Love this fandom, love this show and this incredible ship we are so fortunate to have. So once again thank you all for being on this journey of S6 with me. Like said earlier I’ll get started in my fleshed out S6 reviews come mid July. :)

~~~

Side notes-Non chenford

Monica cleaned up a mess for Blair. Manipulated her by helping her most Monica thing I've ever heard. Glad to finally have answers to that. I knew it felt like manipulation. She had too much of a conscience to be dead inside and doing it for money. Sucks cause she is very good at her job. That scene with Aaron was a mic drop moment for him. So proud of how far he came this season as well.

Friggin Nolan never listens. And get shot for not listening. In the ass. Because he's a pain in one. Was apropos. Also he's right back to being a dumb putz to me. It was short lived john you made it half an episode before falling out of my good graces LOL

Once again music amazing for their final scenes whoever handled that this season crushed it. Bringing out all my emotions.

See you all later this summer for my in-depth ones. Till then be kind and rally around each other. Gonna be a long hiatus.

#Caitlin's mini reviews #chenford #6x10 Escape Plan #the rookie 6x10 #tim x lucy #tim bradford #lucy chen #lucy x tim #the rookie #s6 #eric winter #melissa o'neil #otp: doing my job #otp: unless it is

[kakavasha-of-nihility]

We shall meet again, under Kakava's shimmering auroras...

"Do stay alive"? Mmm... well, who am I to even dare defying the doctor's orders~?

Kakavasha had been fated to die, ever since he was born on the day of one of the very sparse rains in Sigonia-IV. Blessed with Gaiathra's rain, a lucky child, they said-- and in the end, it was luck of the double-edged sword.

Aventurine, the Stoneheart of Stratagems, had indeed been lucky enough to still be standing after all that he'd been through-- but why has he lived time and time again? Should he not be grateful? And yet he found he never was; for Kakavasha wished to die. Why should he live only to endure more suffering when he could finally find eternal peace?

And when that fated day finally came-- his grand bet, his all in, his final gambit, the most wondrous of performances-- he found himself here.

Not alive, yet not dead, having long since parted with his past self, standing alone in a void of Nihility clutching only the scroll Dr. Veritas Ratio had given him. That Galaxy Ranger had told him that this fated incident was not his end-- that he would live to bet even higher than before. A saving grace, truly-- an angel in the skin of an Emanator.

Maybe this darkness was beautiful, he thought. The stars twinkling in the dark almost reminded him of home; a dimly sparkling reminder that he would see the dawn after all, that there would finally be light waiting for him.

And so he waited, preparing for the day of his rebirth. He would chase his dawn in the form of the golden and crimson-hued irises of the man who has always had his heart, take back his name and avenge the legacy of all Avgins, and see to the destruction of the IPC once and for all.

Notes from the moderator:

~ Mod also runs the @aventurine-official rp account, so the format is her own and is not plagiarized :)

This Aventurine is canon divergent, simply an idea of what happens to him if and when he survives the Nihility void :)

My Aven takes back his true name and turns to the path of Nihility, and finds his way out in about a year or so after his disappearance. He's finally free from the IPC as they believe him to be dead and Jade has taken his place as the Stoneheart of Preservation, and his goal is to bring the IPC's shady secrets to light and bring the whole organization crashing down.

He still fights with his dice and poker chips, although losing the ability to shield because of his path diversion and instead casting ace cards onto enemies.

(I might add more details later, or link a headcanon post!)

Guidelines:

~ Keep the asks sfw if you please, suggestive is okay!

~ No random links in asks unless they are links to other Tumblr posts (if they are there, please specify what they are)

~ Be kind, please. Any hateful comments related but not limited to racism, sexism, homophobia, ableism, ageism and transphobia will not be tolerated here and you may be blocked.

~ All ships (age-appropriate) are welcome. (I personally believe Aventurine is gay as hell, so he will have a noticeable interest in men versus women).

~ Try to avoid sending DMs to the mod unless you are another mod

~ Anons are more than welcome here! You may have a personalized tag and everything :)

List of current anon signoffs here

Key (if applicable):

" " : for dialogue

* * : for movements

( ) : ooc

Tags:

#ace of spades ♠️ : Art reblogs

#roll the dice 🎲 : Random thoughts and calm moments

#trump card 🃏 : Asks from anons and others

#beyond the void 🌠 : Interactions with Honkai Star Rail blogs

#harbingers of hell 💵 : Interactions with / mentions of members of the IPC

#queen of clubs ♣️ : Interactions with / mentions of Acheron

#ace of hearts ❤️ : Interactions with / mentions of Dr. Ratio

#angel boy 🪶 : Interactions with / mentions of Sunday

Masterlist post of Honkai Star Rail-official blogs linked here

#intro post #pinned post #aventurine #aventurine hsr #kakavasha hsr #kakavasha #2.1 spoilers #hsr oc #hsr #honkai star rail #hsr rp #honkai star rail rp

[lemonnsss]

Moral of the Story: Chapter 8

Warnings: Mild tangent based off of an actual conversation I had (I'm actually from D.C. so this was fun), one singular bad pun- it deserves its own warning, and probably strained warning.

Feedback is always appreciated

Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Taglist: @vicmc624 , @mostlymarvelgirl , @yvonneeeee, @beetlejuicesupremacy , @moonlightreader649 , @whattheduckisupkyle , @chrisevans-realwife, @nekoannie-chan , @mrsbarnes32557038 , @imyourbratzdoll , @weallhaveadestiny

Word Count: 1.8k

“Apologies but until you had agreed and were here it was still considered confidential.”

“O-okay, um, where- or how should I start?”

The director stood across the bed from me, eyebrows furrowed, the room filled with silence apart from the constant, steady beeps of the machinery.

“How the hell should I know? You’re the one with the super-abilities.”

“Right, sorry, that was dumb. Do you know if any of his internal organs were damaged when he went under? Or have you had the chance to run any tests yet?”

“I’m sorry, what crash are we talking about?” Tony said, still standing in the doorway.

Fury pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance before responding, “When the Captain here decided to take a trip twenty thousand leagues under the sea he was in a, shall we say, pseudo-nazi aircraft with a fixed route on its way to the states. His options were to let the ship take its course and let millions die or take a nosedive, he took the latter, rather obviously. Speaking of,” the attention turned to me, “how did you know that?”

“Sir, I’m a licensed teacher from pre-k to high school- I’m not by any means immune to misinformation; although, I do have a bit more knowledge on the topic than most people- not to mention my…” my mind trailed off for a moment before coming back, “former colleague taught history, rather fitting as he lived through it, too.”

His one eye began to look me up and down, “Remind me, where did you work last? Aside from with the X-Men that is.”

There was an uncertainty in his voice that made the agents who went down the elevator with us glance at each other nervously. What I had seen twice in my less-than-a-day stint of knowing this man seemed uncommon or unsettling for those who had known him longer.

“I don’t believe I said. Besides, doesn’t your file on me say?” We were both fishing for information, a push and pull I’d grown adjusted to on the flight over.

He remained silent, motioning one of the residents to come over.

“S-so we ran s-some tests-,” he took a moment to breathe and calm himself down, he spoke with a light stutter, likely to have been more prevalent in his earlier years. It sounded like he had gotten speech therapy, and was likely better, nervous, but better, “a lot of the scans were, well are, useless. His blood, everything about him really, was frozen, barely mobile. So the extent of the internal injuries he potentially sustained upon impact is uncertain. I sent for some new prints of the scans we took last week, but they haven’t come in yet; they’ll probably arrive today but it’s pretty touch and go sometimes.” He finished talking with a meek smile, likely proud of how he handled the situation.

“You did the scans last week and they’re only coming in today?” I could feel the look of confusion that overtook my face, he chuckled lightly and rubbed his neck.

“Yeah, we don’t have the equipment to produce the scans here so we send them over to the hospital over in Takoma Park to print- they have the most up-to-date machinery, and they were the only ones willing to work with us privately- so it takes a bit of time.”

“Perks of D.C., eh? Either have the most outrageous tax or go out of district.”

“Exactly! Say, did you grow up ‘round here?”

“No, up in Salem. I used to teach. I planned enough ‘government trips’ to last a few lifetimes.”

I could’ve sworn I heard him mutter a few “cool” s under his breath before he spoke up again, “It was nice getting to talk with you, but I kinda have some other patients I gotta check up on.” he moved by Fury, a “sir” slipping out as he passed and a little wave to me as he left.

The four who accompanied me in the elevator looked at each other, all but Tony practically questioning if this was normal for me.

The director cleared his throat, calling my attention back over to him, "When can you start?"

"Oh! Any time. I was only wondering how badly he was hurt so I can give you my best estimation for how long it'll take me to finish this."

“Will this not be a one-time excursion?”

“...No? Not likely.”

I was done with conversing, done with this nonsense. Placing my hand on the captain’s chest the area where we touched began to glow with a golden hue- I’d always been told my eyes did the same. It was unlike healing Tony a year ago- I didn’t have to rush, it wasn’t life or death- I could take my time and triage.

His biggest issue was hypothermia, unsurprisingly. I felt the cold move through his body to mine. A deep chill settled in my bones.

I pulled away, “Do you know if there’s a heating pad somewhere? Or something like it?” I hadn’t looked at them, afraid of how they would react. A few seconds of silence passed before I turned to them- Tony looked confused, maybe he didn’t see what my powers looked like, and he probably had some blood loss going on at the time; Fury stood unwavering with the smallest tent in his brow, but then again who could read him; the male agent who’d gone with us was standing, mouth slightly agape; and the female agent was gone slipped out without a sound- weird.

She looked like she’d be the ‘hard-ass’ type despite her being, what, 5’3”-5’4”. She was maybe Tony’s age, though it was difficult to tell, her seemingly ageless golden skin a potential factor, Tony’s substance abuse didn’t exactly help his cause though.

She walked back in, a wired heating pad in hand, she lifted it in the air inquisitively before tossing it to me.

“Thank you, Agent-”

“It’s no problem.” She cut me off gruffly.

I set the heating pad up in a chair and sat down, placing my hand back on the captain, and, over a few hours, I healed him as much as I could before returning to the hotel for the night. A comfortable cycle that lasted for a few months.

I walked into S.H.I.E.L.D.’s office for what would likely be the last time, at least soon.

I walked up to the agents who had escorted me on my first day- Agents May and Coulson I’d learned.

“Ready for your last day?” Coulson asked a melancholic tone laced his voice.

“Are you excited to be done with babysitting me?” I teased.

I’d gotten more comfortable around Coulson, though it wasn’t exactly difficult with his rather ‘easy-going’ nature, and comfortable enough around Agent May to talk to her. We walked along the rather familiar path to Captain Rogers’ room. I made quick work of healing what remained of his injuries.

He still wasn’t awake. For whatever reason I thought Cap would wake up when I had finished healing him.

Coulson and I talked for a while before heading to the entrance once I’d gotten word back from Tony that his chauffeur was there to pick me up.

“I’m gonna miss you, kid.” he whispered, pulling me into a side hug.

“I’ll miss you too, Phil.” I replied, “ It was nice getting to know you, Agent-”

“May, call me May.” She cut me off, “And, unless you quit within the next year we’ll probably see you soon. Stark has an odd habit of getting in trouble with almost anyone and everyone.” 

“I’ll miss you too.”

A car horn was blaring outside for a minute and I knew it was Tony, “Guess that’s my cue, goodbye.” I sent them a soft smile and a wave before I got in the car.

A few months passed by with ease with the Stark Expo taking up more time and paperwork than I could’ve imagined. I walked in one day to see Coulson in Tony’s office.

“Phil? Oh my gosh, it’s so good to see you! What’s got you across the country?”

“It’s good to see you too, kid. I’m here because S.H.I.E.L.D. is requesting Mr. Stark’s presence.” He spoke rather cooly about Tony, a stark contrast to his normal.

“TONY! Did you break the Geneva Convention?!” Tony looked at me speechless, feigning hurt I would even think of it, Coulson stood beside me struggling and barely holding back a chuckle.

“No, unfortunately not. ‘We’ need to borrow him, more specifically the ‘Iron Man’ suit. As I was saying before, we have a helicarrier waiting for your arrival.”

“Okay, Tony. Please, stop being a bitch and get your shit. You’re lucky they step in enough to keep you out of prison for some likely war criminal activity. Suck it up and grab your bags.” I walked to Tony’s desk and put down his coffee before walking into my office and grabbing the duffel I had stuffed in the corner of the room.

I walked back out, “Where’d you say the plane was?”

Coulson showed me to the plane where we waited for about twenty minutes before Tony walked over with his bags. We piled in and got up to the helicarrier, a giant airbase I was told was legal.

May was waiting for us on deck and showed me to my room before leaving me to unpack.

I had to have been walking through those damn near identical hallways for half an hour before giving up.

After yelling into my hands I spoke, to no one but myself, “How do people even get around these things? It’s a whole death trap, I swear.”

“Exactly!” A voice called out from behind me. I turned around to find a familiar face, Captain America, “I guess you don’t work here either?”

“Oh, um, no. You couldn’t pay me to stay on this thing.”

He laughed revealing a warm smile that fit his beautiful, angel-like face perfectly.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Steve Rogers.”

“Kyrie Eirsson- I’m Mr. Stark’s personal assistant.”

I saw his eyes widen in recognition at the second half, “Oh! You’re the person I’m supposed to find.”

“What? Oh, fuck, that’s embarrassing.” I held my face in my hands, my face flushing furiously, I moved my fingers to see the Captain’s face. He stood across from me, face turned away, fist in front of his mouth in a failing attempt to hide his wide grin.

“In any case, Stark’s having a fit without you on the bridge. Shall we?” He held out his arm for me to take.

“I disappear for what, forty-fifty minutes and he goes nuts without me, shocker.” I took his arm gleefully, laughing at how ridiculous the situation was.

#steve rodgers x reader #steve rogers x reader #captain steve rogers #captain america #captain america x reader #mcu #mcu fanfiction #xmen x reader #xmen #fanfic #phil coulson #melinda may #director fury #nick fury #tony stark #iron man

[cainluvr69]

Main Story 2 Chapter 22 - The Days I've Spent Alongside Wizards (Second Half)

Previous Chapter

7 - At the Center of Their Cheers

Oz: <Vox Nox>

Flying Battleship Airman: Wah…! Wasn't I just on the airship…?! You've saved us…!

Mithra: We only made it in time thanks to my doors.

Oz: We did not make it in time.

Riquet: I wasn't able to purify the entire area, but I can purify everyone individually. <Sunrotea Edif>

Cortes Citizen: …ah, I can…I can breathe again… Thank you so much…

Cain: That ship… (Is that the same one as that engineer we met on a mission here in Western Country made? Benjamin…) (I'd heard that the one he'd made that went crazy and got destroyed was the only one made, but…) (They must've been building more somewhere he wasn't aware of. There might be even more…) (If they were made by the Magical Technology Corps, there's probably more than just airships…)

Oz: If we do not make haste, night shall fall. The source of the miasma is before us.

Cain: …! The airship crashed…!

Owen: Is that that flying battleship thing? There's a ton of mana stones aboard.

Cain: The mana stones are what make it move. …?! The green mist is covering the fallen airship…!

Owen: If that monster eats all of those mana stones…

Cortes Citizen: Kyaaa…!

Cortes Citizen: It's an earthquake… The earth is shaking…!

Cain: No… That's… The sound of footsteps…

✦✧☾✧✦

The sun was silently sinking behind the horizon line. Darkness encroached, leaving us with only the light of the moon…

And a monster the size of a castle was bathed in that light… Looking down at us.

Cain: … …The walking Hell…

✦✧☾✧✦

Candles around the base of the goddess statue in the plaza of the City of Fortune were lit as a prayer for Western Country's growth and harmony. That was how the lighting ceremony began. The plaza had swarmed with people hoping to catch a glimpse of their young queen, the talk of the town. Standing next to her meant that I, too, had hundreds of eyes on me, and I was so nervous I could hear my heart in my ears. But I had Arthur with me, and I was able to keep my calm thanks to all the practice I'd done in front of the Sage's Lattice.

✦✧☾✧✦

Arthur: Standing in front of a crowd is something that will always be nervewracking on your first attempt. But you'll enjoy it more as you get used to it. It's fun in the same way that having a conversation with them would be.

Akira: A conversation… But I'm not going to be actually talking with them, right?

Arthur: Correct. But standing before them will still tell you how they're feeling. Like "this is kind of boring," or "they're getting excited!", or "this is the best!" That kind of thing. It's especially easy to tell if they respond to the movements you make with your hands. I love the way that everyone moves in concert, like friends would.

✦✧☾✧✦

Akira: (I wonder if I'll be able to tell how they're feeling as well as he can…)

✦✧☾✧✦

Murr: Shylock! This way, this way!

Shylock: Shh, Murr. We'll be noticed.

Chloe: Well? It sounds like General Barnett isn't going to be anywhere near her tonight…

Shylock: … …I believe she may be human. If she is truly a wizard, she must be extremely skilled at hiding herself… Or she must have been presenting herself as a human very thoroughly for a very long period of time.

Chloe: What do you think, Murr…?

Murr: I'm with Shylock on this one! But if she's transformed herself, there should still be something out of place somewhere.

Chloe: I heard about how she's got a habit of playing with her hair from Gregory, but hair quality can change pretty easily…

Shylock: Let us observe her, as earnestly as if she were our true love.

✦✧☾✧✦

Western Official: …And that concludes her Majesty Queen Liliana's words of gratitude.

Queen Liliana made a small bow, and the plaza erupted in wild cheers.

Western Citizen: Praise Queen Liliana!

Western Citizen: Praise her Majesty!

Western Official: Silence! We would now like be bestowed the honor of hearing the Master Sage's address.

The plaza fell silent, and everyone's attention turned to me. It was an overwhelming sight. I felt like I might be crushed. I felt my cheeks started heating up, blushing brightly in front of the audience. My heart was pounding in my throat. I need to calm down. I need to calm down. I could feel myself getting worked up, but on the edge of my vision, I saw Arthur wink. "Everything is going to be okay," the shard of Murr in my pocket whispered to me. Figaro smiled gently at me and nodded encouragingly. I smiled back, and took a deep breath.

Akira: I'm so happy to be able to participate in the lighting ceremony with not only her Majesty, but with her beloved people as well.

I could feel my nerves starting to settle, bit by little bit, as I spoke. My heart was still going a mile a minute, but not so much that my mind was blank. Thanks to the Western people's curiosity and appreciation of me, I was getting a good reaction. I saw nothing but smiles. I think I love the people of the West as much as I love the people of Central.

Akira: Queen Liliana is a woman who treasures her people very dearly. I've been wondering if she had any interesting hobbies or interests, actually.

Liliana: …

Akira: So I decided to speak with one of the servants who had been in attendance at Cortes Palace while Queen Liliana still lived there.

I spoke of the Liliana that Gregory had told me about. About her skill in singing. About how she would pick berries alongside her townspeople. As I spoke, episode by episode, the audience's eyes on Liliana softened, gazing at her with an almost familial sense of pride and affection.

Liliana: …

Maybe it was just my imagination, but I think that Liliana too, behind her noble smile… Had the smile of a big-hearted girl raised in a peaceful providence.

✦✧☾✧✦

Shylock: …She's a wizard.

Chloe: Huh?

Shylock: Queen Liliana is a wizard. It was only for a moment and only in a trivial way, but she altered herself. By alteration, I mean regarding the image she's built up. The illusion within herself manifesting externally. Thanks to Master Sage's speech, the image of Liliana within the witch who has taken her form has changed somewhat. It was only a slight change, but still, she adjusted herself. She is a wizard.

Chloe: Then, is she…?

Shylock: I cannot say for sure. But if we are to believe Kelvin's story, then it would be best to not say her name aloud. For those who know of her secret…

Chloe: …But I can't just ignore Rustica like this. Let's go back to the manor.

Murr: But if Rustica leaves the tower, he's gonna turn into feathers. Well, he turns into feathers in the tower, too.

Chloe: I'm going to talk to him. And then I'm going to save him from that tower, the way he once saved me. Can we go to the tower? Murr, Shylock.

Murr: Yeah!

Shylock: Of course. Let us depart at once.

✦✧☾✧✦

Akira: …And that concludes my speech. Thank you very much for listening.

Western Citizen: Praise the Sage!

Western Citizen: Praise Master Akira! I came to see her Majesty, but I've fallen for the Sage, too!

Western Citizen: Same here! They had nothing but good things to say about her Majesty and us! That, and they've cleaned up all sorts of weird incidents around our country! I want to hear all about what sorts of things they've seen!

Western Citizen: Same here, same here! Both her Majesty and the Sage are so wonderful! And the Central prince is smiling so brightly and waving at us! I'm so happy! I was expecting that Southern doctor to be just an uncivilized bumpkin, but he seems quite intelligent! I thought wizards were all a dangerous sort, but… The Sage's wizards must all be of a special breed!

✦✧☾✧✦

Akira: Haah… …I was so nervous…

Arthur: Very well done, Master Sage. That was absolutely marvelous!

Akira: Thank you so much. Do you think this will make everything work out okay?

Figaro: It definitely will. Even if the effects aren't immediately obvious, we'll still see them, slowly but surely. Even if you were a vile villain, those who know of you would still try to protect your honor after today. Their very existence, small though it may be, places restraints on the Queen. The bonds that had so distressed you have now been laid at her feet. Well done.

Akira: Will we be able to return to the Central manor?

Murr: We will. Should an incident occur, if it is our now beloved Sage who settles it, you'll be able to return all the faster. Speaking of, you mentioned that something serious is happening at Cortes, is it not?

Akira: That's right! I need to make a report to her Majesty.

Figaro: To the Queen?

Akira: I feel like the Queen would want to know about anything major happening in her country. And… If we can settle this incident by working together, it'll make it look like we're getting along even better.

Figaro: Ahaha! You certainly are a fascinating one. You've got a good heart, but you're still calculating under the surface.

Murr: Well then, shall we be off? Our production continues.

Arthur: Production?

Murr: We'll be presenting the Sage's wizards as even more dashing, spectacular, and beloved than ever before. With one Chloe Collins's outfits.

Arthur: I see! We're going to dress up in the outfits Chloe made for us again. Oh… Speak of the devil. There's Chloe and the other Western wizards.

Figaro: They must've caught sight of the lighting ceremony while flying back through town. Let's catch up with them.

✦✧☾✧✦

Cain: Mithra! Can you help the people who've collapsed get to safety?!

Mithra: Ask me later! I need to find Mitile and Rutile. <Arthim>

Riquet: I can help, Cain. Oz, please wait somewhere safe as well.

Oz: This monster breathes miasma. It is not something the two of you alone can…

Riquet: We will be fine. Cain. There are many people all wearing the same clothing coming diagonally from the right. They're the ones Oz saved just a short while ago.

Cain: The people manning the airship. Riquet, take Oz somewhere away from here.

Riquet: Just Oz? Understood.

Flying Battleship Airman: What's going on here?! How dare that monster do that to our ship… Is there anything we can do to help?!

Cain: I'm Cain, a wizard from Central. Good to work with you.

Flying Battleship Airman: You were on the ship just earlier! You really saved our bacon… Oh, I've seen your portrait before!

Cain: (He's seen me. So he's definitely a Western soldier.) (If he's seen my portrait, that means he'd be able to pick Oz out of a crowd, too.) (It'd be bad if they found out Oz can't use his magic right now.) The miasma that monster's making weakens you the more contact you have with it. There are a lot of people who can't stand because of it. Can you carry as many of them as you can out of here and up that hill? You all watch yourselves, too.

Flying Battleship Airman: Got it. You keep your eyes out, too.

Cain: … Oz, Riquet!

Riquet: Have you finished your business with them? Then let's begin our rescue operations.

Cain: Yeah. But first, Oz. We can't let them find out about your nighttime condition. Can you try watching over us like a mentor or a coach or something? Put on a good act for them.

Oz: I have no experience in such performances.

Riquet: Yes, you do. You learned proper and friendly behavior to blend in with average people on the street from Cain alongside Arthur. You did quite well. I am sure you will do well this time, too.

Oz: I see.

Cain: How should we go about trying to take that thing down?

Oz: Attacking it will simply cause it to produce more miasma. Overcoming it with magic strength prior to its miasma overtaking you should be possible.

Cain: But the miasma is getting everywhere. The people on the ground would get caught up in it like that.

Oz: Such is unavoidable. This area is a price to be paid in exchange for felling such a large monster.

Cain: So this place is going to get to the point where nothing can grow here at all?

Oz: I imagine it will recover in several centuries.

Cain: … If you're going to lead me down a path that would upset the people… I'll try to become a decoy first.

Oz: Leave that to the Northern wizards.

Cain: If it attacks, the land will die. I can't imagine how horrible the residents' grief would be to lose their hometown. I need to do something. So I'm off!

Oz: Cain!

Riquet: I will guide as many people as I can to safety. Oz, you be sure to stay away from anywhere dangerous, too!

Oz: …

✦✧☾✧✦

Heathcliff: Shino! Lennox…!

Shino: …gh…Heath… Just stay where you are.

Heathcliff: You look terrible… Did you get caught up in the miasma? …I'll take you to Mr. Faust. Where's Nero?

Shino: He's carrying people who've collapsed…

Heathcliff: …How could a monster that big show up somewhere people live…

✦✧☾✧✦

Mithra: Rutile! Mitile! …The miasma is so thick I can barely sense them… Rutile! Mitile!

Mitile: <Scintilla>!

Mithra: … …It's been so long since I heard that…

Mitile: I took care of the fallen tree! Everyone, please follow this road!

Cortes Citizen: …uu… Thank you, Mister wizard…

Mithra: Mitile.

Mitile: Mithra…

Mithra: You're using her spell.

Mitile: …I am…! <Scintilla>!

Mithra: …Haha…

Mitile: Hehe…

Mithra: That's a relief to hear. How's Rutile?

Mitile: My brother is…oh no, that's right! My brother is hurt bad!

Mithra: He is?!

Mitile: Yes! I'm trying to find Faust!

Mithra: I'll take you there. <Arthim>

✦✧☾✧✦

Owen: <Cure Memini>

Owen: Think you can handle it? …Cough. If we had the time, I know my dog could deal with you. I think the land here is going to die completely. Is that okay? Well, not that I care. <Cuare Mori…>

Cain: Owen!

Owen: … What is it, Sir Knight? You should stay away, you know.

Cain: I can't do that. Attacking that thing just makes it gush more miasma.

Owen: Sure seems like it.

Cain: Could you help me lead it somewhere out of town? I'll act as the decoy.

Owen: How? It's not going to follow you. And I won't follow you, either. That's what the Western wizards are for, aren't they? They specialize in charming everything around them.

Cain: They definitely do… But none of them are in town right now.

Owen: Huh. Too bad.

Cain: …! What's with those weird movements…?

Owen: Is it going to attack? No… The meat is falling out…?

✦✧☾✧✦

Officer: General Barnett!

Gilles: What.

Officer: A report has just come in! A flying battleship has just crashed in Cortes…!

Gilles: It crashed? What was the cause? Or was it shot down? Is the crew dead or alive?

Officer: The cause and number of deaths are both unknown. We are collecting information as fast as we can.

Gilles: There's no need to collect any information. A crashed airship is a major incident. Residents of the area will likely have lost their lives as well. I will organize and lead a rescue operation at once. The initial response is crucial. If they are unhurt, then that would be ideal--that's all.

Officer: Sir…!

Gilles: I can only hope there's no major damage.

Nova: Gilles.

Gilles: What do you want, Nova?

Nova: I will accompany you to Cortes. I want you to give me personnel to assist in collecting data.

Gilles: Data?

Nova: The airship crashed because of a subspecies of artificial wizard. Halitus Mortifer. I used a resurrected ancient magical creature as the basis, and built onto it. I haven't yet perfected it, but things have gotten quite interesting thanks to its escape.

Gilles: …Interesting? You've likely killed my soldiers.

Nova: My experiments are more useful than your soldiers. This has done nothing but prove that conjecture.

Gilles: … You will not be joining me on an airship, and I have no men to collect your data for you.

Nova: I was fairly certain your Queen had ordered you to assist me in my research.

Liliana: That I did, Gilles.

Gilles: Your Majesty…

Liliana: I shall also board your ship. We are leaving for Cortes by airship immediately.

Gilles: …As you wish.

Liliana: Nova. You will take responsibility for this, but not now.

Nova: I'm well aware.

8 - Final Words and an Endless Rain

Painting Snow: The sun has finished its descent…

Painting White: At the very least, we can still step out from within this frame, but…

Lennox: …gh…ugh…

Faust: …! Leno…!

Painting Snow: Those wounds look terrible!

Painting White: Faust! Leave the barrier to us, and go to him!

Painting Snow: Shino, Nero! You shall aid us.

Nero: Got it!

Shino: On it! I studied for this.

Snow & White: Lovely to hear it. <Noscomnia>

Faust: …I'm sorry. <Salliuqnart Mulcredo> Leno, pull yourself together. I just cast healing magic…

Lennox: …You don't need to do that. You should be saving your magic for more important things… Please…

Faust: But…!

Lennox: …I attacked the monster's head and dealt a good amount of damage, but it was able to recover as time passed. Even if you attack its head, dealing a fatal wound will be…difficult… …But I did notice something odd while I was fighting it. There was something in its ribs… I saw what looked like the shining of a mana stone under its skin…

Faust: A mana stone in its ribs… Like with the artificial wizards…?

Lennox: If you attack that, you might be able to deal the beast a fatal blow… But dealing that blow while facing its miasma head on, and without using magic to deal it… …Is something I couldn't do… The miasma from its mouth and claws is especially thick. If one could avoid it and destroy the mana stone-like thing inside its abdomen… It's possible…that we could fell the beast…

Faust: …A mana stone in its body. Got it. I'll let everyone know. You shouldn't try to talk any more, Leno…

Lennox: …Please, Lord Faust…

Faust: Shh… If there's something you want from me, I'll hear it later. You'll open your eyes again. You can tell me then.

Lennox: Haha… Too bad. It's something I want you to hear right now…

Faust: I'll hear you out later. No matter what it is.

Lennox: …No… …

Faust: Leno? Lennox…! …Snow, White!

Snow: What is it?!

White: Is something wrong?!

Faust: I need you to look after Lennox for me. I need to tell the Northern wizards the monster's weak point…

Mithra: Rutile… Rutile…!

Mitile: Rutile…! …! Even Leno's been hurt…!

Faust: Mithra… Mitile!

Mithra: Is that man dead? When did he lose consciousness?

Mitile: No… Rutile! Leno…!

Snow: Both of you, calm yourselves! We're doing everything we can!

White: Should we be able to keep them in this condition, we will be able to heal them with no lasting effects, but should they once again be exposed to a great quantity of miasma…

Mithra: …Hah… <Arthim>

Snow & White: Where are you going?!

Mithra: I'm going to get Figaro. Faust.

Faust: What.

Mithra: He's in danger too, isn't he?

Snow: (Oho?)

White: (Who could have imagined the day would come when Mithra would worry about Lennox's health?)

Faust: …He is. Can I leave him in your hands?

Mithra: I will be back momentarily. Please ensure Rutile doesn't die.

✦✧☾✧✦

Isaac: <Animum Vexat>!

Bradley: Tch…! <Adnopotensum>!

Isaac: …gh, gahhh…!

Bradley: C'mon, don't back down. How's Eva supposed to be happy with this? That's what eatin' a stone means, y'know.

Isaac: …Damn…! <Animum Vexat>!

Bradley: <Adnopotensum>!

Isaac: …Uuugh…! I cannot lose to you! I ate Eva's stone! I can't…!

Bradley: Is that right? Then why are you dyin' over there? <Adnopotensum>!

Isaac: Ahhhh! Gh…uu…!

Bradley: You shouldn't try to move. I missed all your vitals on purpose. Start fixin' how you talk about Eva.

Isaac: …uu…

Bradley: Don't you dare disgrace death. Even you deserve a proper end.

Isaac: Hah… Hah… … …Haha… …I understand… I surrender, Bradley.

Bradley: …

Isaac: Come here… I'll tell you what Eva's last words were. She said…

Bradley: Don't need to hear them.

Isaac: Wai--!

Bradley: <Adnopotensum>!

Isaac: Gh…!

Bradley: …

Cortes Citizen: …Mister Isaac…!

Bradley: …

Cortes Citizen: How could you…! What did he ever do to you?! He saved my son…he was a kind person…!

Bradley: That's why he died.

Cortes Citizen: …

Bradley: Hold out your hand.

Cortes Citizen: What…?

Bradley: It's that guy's stone. It's good quality. Lotta value. He was a strong Northern wizard. And it's yours.

Cortes Citizen: …

Bradley: Don't stop here. Get yourself to that magic circle up the hill.

Cortes Citizen: … …I'll never forgive you…!

Bradley: … Didn't ask you to.

✦✧☾✧✦

The door opened. Chloe was paying me a nice visit. Chloe. He seemed like he might've been someone I loved very dearly, but I couldn't quite recall. Chloe said the word, "Rustica". Rustica, let's go outside. I looked around the room. I wanted to help Chloe find this "Rustica" he was looking for.

Chloe: Rustica is Rustica. Rustica is you. Rustica is my precious teacher. Rustica is the person who swept me from my home and took me with him when I was all on my own. And then he showed me so many amazing sights, and told me so many wonderful things… You've given me an infinite amount of things, Rustica.

But Rustica did not respond. I decided to make a suggestion to Chloe. Maybe it'd come out if he put out some of its favorite food? Chloe smiled.

Chloe: Rustica's favorite food? That's syrup-covered savarin.

Rustica: That is very delicious.

Chloe: I do think I'm a bit grown up, but I don't think I can substitute for savarin. So I'll need another way to get Rustica to come out of this room.

Rustica: How intriguing. What do you propose?

Chloe's eyes, the color of violets, met mine. The face he'd had when he was young was layered over the face he had now. The face he'd had when he'd been hidden in the depths of a tailor's shop. The face he'd had when his eyes had sparkled as he stared around a shop full of bright colors. The face he'd had when he'd stared in wonder at the meteor shower above.

Chloe: You're crying, Rustica.

Rustica: …

I hesitated. I hadn't realized I was. The possibility hadn't even crossed my mind. How long had I been shrouded in happiness? I had very little experience with tears rolling down my cheeks. So once they did begin to flow… They became an endless rain. I was crying so many tears that it frightened me.

Rustica: I'm not sure I can approve. Are you sure I can't have any savarin? Perhaps with a nice, warm cup of tea.

Chloe shook his head. He took my hands in his own, hands that were very skilled at needlework. I'd been very startled when I first met Chloe. He cried very often, you see. The tears that spilled down his cheeks were as beautiful as rain rolling down a window.

Rustica: Thank you, Chloe. But I'll be fine without it.

Chloe: I won't be fine without it, Rustica. Let me see the expression you make when you cry. Don't worry. I'll stay right next to you until you're done crying, and I'll dry your tears as many times as I need to. Here, I can wipe them with that embroidered scarf you told me you liked. Do you remember that? My bluebird of happiness will open the cage door to let you fly free as many times as you need.

Rustica: …

I felt something stopping up my throat, and my vision grew blurry. I shook my head in a panic, not wanting to see this endless sorrow of mine. After all, I knew nothing but the warmth of the sun's rays. And yet, the falling rain did not stop. What should I do…

Chloe: It's okay. You don't need to be afraid. Remember that day with the big storm? The rain was so loud, and there were puddles all over town. But after that, the cheery white clouds started spreading out, and we got greeted with a beautiful blue sky.

A beautiful blue sky was a wonderful thing. I could picture it clearly.

✦✧☾✧✦

I had lost something very dear to me. I had misplaced my wonderful tomorrow. It was a wish that should have been granted. It was a pair of people who should have been happy.

✦✧☾✧✦

Chloe had cupped my cheeks as I'd been thinking. His palms were warm and kind and filled with grief. Something deep in my heart was shaking. I felt so helpless. My chest hurt so badly I couldn't stand it. I was scared to find out how many cracks had been made in its surface. And yet…

Chloe: It's okay, Rustica. Remember, I'm good at sewing… I'll give you the sun and the moon and more. If your heart's been ripped up, I'll sew it back together and give you a new one.

My eyelids responded to his gentle invitation and opened, though I'm not sure when I closed them. And when I blinked, my tears began to overflow.

Rustica: …uu…

And I cried.

Chloe: It's okay… It's okay. It must have been so hard… You must be so sad, Rustica. But it's all going to be okay now.

Rustica: …uu…sniff…uuu…

Chloe: Because I know all about it.

Rustica: …uu…wahhh…! …wahhhh…!

✦✧☾✧✦

That is the story of how I left that room, filled with tears. Though I cannot recall most of the things that happened within it…

✦✧☾✧✦

Rustica: Why, I'm feeling quite refreshed.

Chloe: I know, right? Crying's great for that kind of thing. I'm a real crybaby, so I know all about it.

Rustica: Is that right?

Shylock: Rustica. I'm so glad you're feeling better. Please, give me a hug.

Rustica: Of course. I'm glad you're doing well, too.

Shylock: How do you feel?

Rustica: I'm not exactly certain, but to be doing better is certainly a good thing, yes?

Murr: That's right! I'm happy Rustica's all better, too!

Rustica: As am I, Murr.

There were more than just the Western wizards celebrating my feeling better. There was also the bird, Gregory…

Gregory: Murr, Shylock! I saw you returning on your brooms. My, is there something you're celebrating?

Murr: Rustica's all better!

Gregory: That's wonderful to hear! 'Tis a wonderful thing to be better. Arguably one of the most important things.

Master Sage, and Prince Arthur, and Dr. Figaro, and the shard of Murr's soul were all thrilled with my recovery as well.

Akira: I'm really…really so happy you're okay now.

Rustica: I feel the same. It seems everyone present feels the same, in fact.

Arthur: Ahaha! How like you to say that, Rustica.

Figaro: Let us know if you still feel off anywhere. I am a doctor, so…

Mithra: <Arthim>

Figaro: Mithra.

Mithra: Figaro. Come with me. Rutile and Lennox are dying.

Akira: …?!

Figaro: Tell me what happened.

Arthur: Something must have happened at Cortes. Let's hurry! Master Sage!

My, what a startling turn of events. The people who had been happily celebrating my recovery had been replaced with people thinking many painful thoughts. In the time it had taken them to say those words, however, Mithra had opened a door through space.

✦✧☾✧✦

Cain: The meat is falling out…? What meat?

Owen: Guts. Look, the guts are coming out.

Cain: My guts?

Owen: … …Are you even looking at it?! Why would your guts be coming out right now?!

Cain: Oh, sorry. What am I apologizing for…? So you meant the monster's guts. Ah… Oh, you're right…!

Owen: They're oozing out from under its arm, like cream. I think they'll fall all the way out soon.

Cain: Is it damage from an injury someone inflicted on it?

Owen: It's moving around, but it's like a corpse.

Cain: …A corpse…

Owen: How weak… Did you already get affected by the miasma?

Cain: …No, I'm good.

Owen: Then don't back down.

Bradley: Owen, Cain!

Cain: Bradley.

Bradley: We need to recoordinate. The Western wizards are here.

Owen: What?

Bradley: Look, just come here.

✦✧☾✧✦

Figaro: <Possideo>

Rutile: …uu… …

Mitile: Rutile…!

Rutile: Mitile… Dr. Figaro… Mithra's here, too…

Mithra: …Thank goodness…

Rutile: …I'm sorry…I made you all worry… Even though I know that if anything happened to me…it'd upset Mithra…

Mithra: Well, that is true…

Figaro: That has nothing to do with you yourself, Rutile. You don't need to apologize to anyone when you're feeling this weak.

Rutile: Thank you…

Mithra: … It was that thing that made you like this, right? I'm going to kill it now.

Rutile: …

Mithra: Where's my "thank you"…?

Rutile: I don't want you to get hurt like Leno did… …But I'm sure you'll be able to defeat it, Mithra.

Mithra: Exactly. Just sit here and wait.

Mitile: I--I'll go, too!

Rutile: Mitile…

Mitile: Please take me with you, Mithra! I can go with you, can't I?

Figaro: Mitile. No matter how strong you are, you're still…

Mithra: Sure.

Figaro: …

Mithra: You'll be with me, but I'm sending you back if it gets dangerous. Let's go.

Mitile: Yessss!

Rutile: Mitile! …I hope he'll be okay.

Figaro: Well, probably.

Rutile: …I'm feeling a lot better thanks to you, Dr. Figaro…

Figaro: As for you. You might be in a better state, but try not to push it.

Rutile: Okay… I'll just do what I can.

Lennox: …Me, too.

Figaro: Leno.

Lennox: Don't worry… I won't strain myself. Let's join up with everyone else.

9 - This Battle Shall Connect Our Hearts

Akira: That monster's so big…ah…

Bradley: Woah, you good?

Akira: …Sorry, I'm feeling a little dizzy…

Bradley: Stay right next to me. I'll put up a barrier.

I nodded, even though it made my head swim even more, and took a step closer to him. The monster was so big I had to crane my neck to see it in full, and its noxious body was swaying back and forth, its movements unsteady.

Bradley: Look at that.

Akira: …! It's spewing out green mist… Is that the miasma?

Bradley: Yeah. But…

Bradley stowed his gun and held out one hand towards the Halitus Mortifer.

Bradley: <Adnopotensum> Mithra and Mitile were the ones who noticed first, but if you freeze it in place first, it won't make more miasma. That said, you can't hurt it, either. But you can still stop its movements. According to the curseworker, there's no point in attacking its head. It's got a fake mana stone in its abdomen. He said that's what we need to crush. So we freeze it, and while it can't move, use non-magical attacks to break the stone. Good plan, yeah?

Akira: Bradley…

Bradley: What, you fall for me?

Akira: Honestly, that's basically how I feel, yes! I had no idea what we could possibly do to deal with this massive monster and the miasma it's making. But thanks to you, I feel like we really can win against it! Let's try it!

Bradley: Hell yeah. Let's get started.

✦✧☾✧✦

Bradley: You get the plan, Northern wizards? When that monster…

Murr: Halitus Mortifer!

Bradley: Yeah, when that thing gets attacked with magic, it absorbs the magic and converts it into miasma. To keep things simple, what I'm saying is if we just go at it with wild abandon, all the humans around here and even the land itself are gonna die.

Akira: So what our plan is, is to start by leading the Halitus Mortifer away from the castle and more towards the Royal Botanical Gardens. The Western wizards will be the ones to lead the way. I know it's a dangerous task, but please, we can't do it without you.

Rustica: It's a wonderful idea. Please leave it to us, Master Sage.

Shylock: I shall entice it to the best of my ability to lead it to a place with as few people as possible.

Chloe: But… Will a monster that big even notice us, much less follow us?

Shylock: Given it's a monster born in the West, it will be naturally attracted to Western magic, and thus to us.

Rustica: I'm sure it loves the thrill of things being a bit dangerous as much as everyone else in the West does.

Murr: Let's dance with Halitus Mortifer!

Chloe: We'll do our very best! But first, could I get everyone's attention?

Heathcliff: What is it?

Chloe <Suispicibo Voitengok>

Riquet: Wah…!

Arthur: Our outfits for the investiture ceremony!

Cain: Yeah! From the night when we saved the Central capital.

Oz: We donned these only a few days ago as well.

Shylock: Clad in this, I do feel more at home. Like a proper Sage's wizard.

Rustica: I just adore the epaulettes and the cloth you used for this jacket. It's simply lovely, Chloe.

Chloe: Thank you! I wanted everyone to go to battle in these outfits!

Murr: What about the me who isn't here?

Faust: I wouldn't have thought I'd be doing battle in these clothes again…

Nero: Well, it's our very own tailor's pride and joy. I'll make sure to not get it dirty this time.

Shino: Heath, let's show the Westerners what we're best at.

Heathcliff: Yes, let's. Let's put our plan into effect as soon as possible so no one else gets hurt.

Figaro: You three better not push yourselves.

Rutile: We won't, Dr. Figaro. We'll be too busy making sure we're supporting everyone from the sidelines.

Mitile: I'll be fine! I'll work hard enough to count for the two of you!

Lennox: That's good to hear. But my stoutness is worth something, too. I'll be working hard right alongside you.

Snow: Yes, yes! This outfit was the first time we all matched. We love to match, you know.

White: Matching makes you feel as one, like we'll all win or lose together.

Mithra: Does it?

Owen: No, it doesn't.

Bradley: Maybe that's how it works for you twins. …Sage, you're looking pretty damn dapper in that, too.

Akira: Yes…! Thank you! Let's get back to the topic at hand. The Western wizards will be leading the Halitus Mortifer away from here… And the Northern wizards will be using ice magic to freeze it in place and immobilize it. And that's when we'll have someone use non-magical attacks to destroy the mana stone-like thing in its abdomen…

Oz: This will successfully subdue the Halitus Mortifer.

Akira: That's right. This should let us take care of it while minimizing collateral damage as much as possible.

Faust: How are we going to go about launching a non-magical attack? It's going to be a pain as it is making it to that thing's ribcage without magic.

Akira: That's true…

Arthur: I'd like to volunteer Cain.

Cain: …

Cain's eyes grew wide. But before he could say anything, Bradley spoke first.

Bradley: I think the knight's a good choice, too. You spent a long time actin' as a knight without usin' any magic, yeah?

Cain: Yeah.

Bradley: That's exactly what we need. If you were any more experienced with your magic, you'd be using it on instinct.

Shino: Leno said something similar to me. I think Cain's a good pick.

Lennox: …Me, too.

Arthur: Are you willing, Cain? It's a dangerous mission, and I don't want to force you into anything, so answer me sincerely.

Cain blinked, once, twice, three times. Riquet, on the other hand, looked so happy he could hardly stand it, clasping his hands in front of his chest. Cain took a deep breath, his expression stiff.

Cain: I… Of course I will. On my honor as a knight.

Riquet: Cain, it's so wonderful you've been chosen for this! I'm proud of you as a fellow Central wizard!

Riquet's enthusiasm made Cain smile. It wasn't a simple and innocent smile, one of someone who had never been hurt. It was the smile of someone who had rejected the title of wizard and acted as a human for a long time, working his way to the position of Captain of the Knights… I wonder if that's something that weighs heavy on Cain's conscience, given his bright, straightforward personality. He had a bit of a handicap, as well. Cain had the least amount of experience using magic out of anyone here. But the day that such things were needed had finally come.

Cain: I'll do it. I'll make sure to. With all my might.

Cain clenched his fists tightly. Next to him, Oz bit into one of his own fingers. He wordlessly took Cain's hand and drew a magic circle on his palm. Cain's eyes widened, and he glanced back and forth in disbelief between the palm of his hand and Oz's face.

Oz: It will not last. There are many who seek to use my blood or hair as a medium. However, I have faith in you.

Cain: Oz…

Bradley shrugged his shoulders and plucked a single hair from his head.

Bradley: Y'got a point. This guy's weirdly trustworthy. I'll give you a medium, too. But it'd be pretty bad if someone stole it from you while you're busy with the monster. If that happens I'll have to shoot you right through the heart to avoid my own personal Calamity. If you're good with that, then gimme your hand.

Cain: Ah…

Cain's determination set in stone, he extended his hand. Owen grinned and grabbed it before Bradley could.

Cain: …?!

Owen: Bradley's intro took too long.

Cain: Owen.

Owen: I guess there's nothing else for me to do, Sir Knight. Well, it's just that it'd be terrible if you failed at such a troublesome task. And if you're trying to plot anything, like Bradley was saying, I'll kill you anytime, anywhere. But if it'll raise your chances of success even a little…

Mithra: Your intro's also taking too long. I'll give you one, too. Give me the hand Oz's circle isn't drawn on.

Cain: Uwah… I'm feeling stronger already…

Mithra: I haven't even done anything yet.

Owen: Excuse me, Mithra, we're in the middle of something right now.

Snow: We will also offer you our protection.

White: May you grasp victory.

Faust: Cain. May fortune lead you.

Shylock: Be sure to show me how cool you are, you naughty child.

Figaro: Well, I guess I can throw my hat into the ring, too.

All the wizards, young and old, had words of encouragement for him. Cain nodded with vigor, smiling. Sometimes, he looked like he was on the verge of tears.

Cain: Thank you, all of you… I'm so grateful. I'll be sure to meet your expectations. I'll definitely…definitely succeed.

Bradley: Hell yeah.

Arthur: I know you can do it, Cain. I'm leaving it to you.

Cain: Arthur…

Riquet: Please do your best!

Oz: We will be watching over you.

Cain: Thank you! Ah…

Owen: What.

Cain: Weren't you going to give me something, too?

Owen: It was just on a whim. I'm not going to give you anything now.

Cain: No? Well, I guess I got something from everyone else, so I'm pretty well off either way.

Owen: Yeah, you are.

Cain: But…

Owen: …

Cain: C'mon, you were the one who taught me about what the words in my spell mean, and other stuff, too.

Owen: Hmph… Are you stupid? I'm not giving you anything.

Cain: Alright. Then… I'll wait for the day when you do.

✦✧☾✧✦

And then our operation began.

Shylock: Let us depart. You're up, Rustica.

Rustica: Yes, just leave it to me. <Amores Viesse>

Rustica recited his spell, and a violin appeared in his hands. He drew the bow across the strings, and played a comforting, heartening song. Shylock put his pipe to his lips, breathed in, and then exhaled white smoke. The smoke shined like a comet in the night sky and circled around Rustica's violin.

Shylock: <Inviebelle>

The next moment, Rustica's playing was imbued with an additional timbre that played on my heartstrings, reverberating far into the night sky. The massive monster turned to face him.

Murr: C'mon! Let's play! <Eanul Lambru>

Murr chanted his spell, and then swapped off with Rustica behind him, who swapped off with Chloe, who swapped off with Shylock. They took to the sky on their brooms, a line of four Western wizards. It looked to be more fun than anything else in the world. The winding, meandering music and their swaying, fluttering dance had turned the night sky into a ballroom floor.

Chloe: <Suispicibo Voitengok>

With Chloe's spell, the tracks their brooms left behind them began to flutter like ribbons amongst the stars. The Halitus Mortifer stumbled after them. It was now moving in the opposite direction of the town with the castle at its center. And there were wizards following in the Halitus Mortifer's wake, too. It was Riquet, Arthur, Mitile, and Figaro. The Eastern wizards were bolstering the magic circle to protect the people who'd collapsed from the miasma. The injured Rutile and Lennox stayed with them. And finally, with all the dignity and grace of the world's strongest wizard, was Oz, watching over them.

Figaro: It seems like the Halitus Mortifer can make miasma regardless of if it gets attacked or not. If we see anyone who's been hurt, we need to rush to their aid at once.

Arthur & Mitile & Riquet: Okay!

I was riding on the back of Arthur's broom, and wiggled myself around so that I could see them all. Their teamwork was impeccable; they quickly located and treated anyone who needed it. Their back and forth was… Not something they would've been able to do when the four of them had first met. It wasn't something that was possible because of one person's efforts or as a test of endurance… But because of the time that they'd spent together, getting to know one another. They knew how each other smiled, how they worried, how they triumphed. And I knew, too, because I knew them just as well. Even with the golden moon above and the dark around them that threatened to swallow them whole, they still… Connected their hearts to one another, bit by little bit.

✦✧☾✧✦

Kelvin: Something's coming… …Is that a huge monster…?! Ah… Lord Rustica…!

✦✧☾✧✦

Rustica: This should be far enough away. The floor is yours, Northern gentlemen.

The music rang to a halt, and then five shining stars appeared above the Halitus Mortifer's head. They weren't really stars, of course--they were the five most troublesome, fascinating wizards in the world.

Snow: Well then, that's our cue.

White: Oh, yes. Are you all ready?

Bradley: That's what I should be sayin'. Remember, do not use any magic but ice magic. You'll turn our knight in shining armor to stone.

Owen: Hmph. If he turns to stone while armed with all those mediums, I'm going to laugh at him.

Mithra: Look. Its guts have fallen out. They must have gotten pulled out while it was walking over here. I can see something that looks like a mana stone in its ribs.

Bradley: Goddamn. It's just like in the artificial wizards. Let's get this over with already. <Adnopotensum>

Snow & White: <Noscomnia>

Mithra: <Arthim>

Owen: <Cuare Morito>

The Northern wizards' magic froze the beast in its tracks. Its limbs and back were frozen in place, and it tried to breathe out more of the green mist, but its body just shuddered in place. Its entire body was wrapped in ice, trapping the mist beneath it. And then Bradley saw what was underfoot and shouted.

Bradley: Go for it, Cain! You got this!

Cain: Yeah…!

✦✧☾✧✦

Cain: (I need to climb this thing's body.) (I'll need to be careful. They said it's probable its whole body is covered in poison.) (Though they also said that all the charms and mediums I got should keep me safe…) …Hah…hah… Uwah…!

Owen: <Cure Memini>

Cain: …You saved me… (I've learned at least a little about magic, and I know that a wizard's blood and hair are both vitally precious.) (And everyone gave me some, even though my magic's weak, and I have almost no experience…) (I'm proud of that more than any battles I've won or medals I've earned.) (It isn't about what I won…) (It's about them seeing who I am.) (I was so desperate for recognition I did things I never should have.) (But they helped me see that.) (They judged my worth despite that and found it in them to believe in me.) (Nothing could make me happier.) (Please, please…let me live up to their expectations.) (I want to commit myself to what those expectations mean!) …! …uurgh…

Bradley: <Adnopotensum>!

Cain: (I only breathed in the miasma for a moment, but my head is spinning and I feel like I'm going to puke…) (This is bad. My head is pounding. My limbs are shaking…) (Please, let me make it…!) …!

Mithra: <Arthim>

Cain: …If I do it now…!

10 - Uniting Our Strength

Cain: …hah… I made it inside its ribs…! Now I just need to destroy that rock…

✦✧☾✧✦

Owen: Cain's in its ribs!

Mithra: Now he needs to crush that rock as hard as he can, right.

Bradley: Yep. It's all on him now.

✦✧☾✧✦

Akira: Cain…

Arthur: You've got this, Cain!

Riquet: Cain, do your best!

Mitile: Please do your best…!

Figaro: He will. …Ah… There's another airship coming from over there…

✦✧☾✧✦

Shino: Is that another airship…?

Heathcliff: Western craftsmanship is amazing…

Oz: …

Nero: Hope Mister Knight's okay.

Faust: Cain will succeed.

Lennox: Yes, he will…

Rutile: I'm sure of it…

✦✧☾✧✦

Cain: …Let's do this… I only need one hit…! …Haaah…!

Cain: … Did it work…?!

✦✧☾✧✦

Snow: The stone has been broken…!

White: All together, now!

Snow & White: <Noscomnia>

Mithra: <Arthim>

Owen: <Cuare Morito>

Bradley: <Adnopotensum>

A rain of mana stones fell scattered upon the earth. The Northern wizards exchanged glances, all of them looking in a good mood. Cain had avoided their assault very narrowly, and he was waving at them with big motions. Arthur's group was converging on their location, shouting in delight.

Arthur: You did it, Cain! The Northern wizards, too!

Riquet: That was an amazing display, fit for a disciple of God!

Mitile: I'm glad everyone's okay!

Figaro: Good work, everyone.

The Western wizards were still flying airily through the sky, celebrating our victory all the while.

Shylock: Congratulations!

Murr: Congats!

Rustica: That's "congrats", Murr.

Chloe: Great job, everyone~!

The gentle blue of dawn was beginning to light up the horizon. And in the interstice of land and sky flew another airship.

✦✧☾✧✦

Liliana: …

Flying Battleship Airman: They did it…! Praise the Sage!

Flying Battleship Airman: The Sage's wizards are amazing! Between the Sage's wizards and we of the Magical Technology Corps, we've got nothing to fear from <the Great Calamity>!

Flying Battleship Airman: Yeahhhh…!

✦✧☾✧✦

Cortes Citizen: Excuse me, have you seen my family?

Lennox: Did you get separated? Come with me.

Shino: Hey, is there anyone else who can't move? I'll give you a hand.

Cortes Citizen: Oh, please… My head is spinning so much I can't stand…

Faust: I'll purify you. Face me and close your eyes.

Cortes Citizen: I can't hear the monster's roars anymore… Did the Sage's wizards defeat it…? Or did they…

Nero: It's almost dawn. They'll be back before you know it.

Heathcliff: …Mr. Faust! Master Sage's group has returned.

Faust: Good…

Rutile: He's riding back on his broom… You did so well, Mitile!

Shino: They're being escorted by an airship…

Oz: …

Cortes Citizen: Heeeey, Master Saaaage! Thank you so much, Master Sage! Oh my god, they just waved at me! They're so kind! Master Sage! Master Sage!

✦✧☾✧✦

Kelvin: Lord Rustica… You've reunited with Chloe, haven't you? …I'm so glad… It's been so long since I heard your music… …Ah… …The sun is rising…

✦✧☾✧✦

Lord: Master Sage. Master Sage's wizards. I am truly so grateful towards you all for saving Cortes from this crisis.

Akira: No, of course we would. I'm glad everyone's going to be okay.

Lord: My people, my daughter Liliana, and I are all safe thanks to your efforts. Isn't that right, Liliana…

Liliana: Master Sage.

Akira: …

Liliana: Just like the one we have seen this night, terrible events are constantly lurking just out of sight in this world of ours. Let us join hands and protect the people of Western Country together.

Akira: It would be my pleasure.

Cortes Citizens: Yeahhhh…! Praise her Majesty! Praise the Sage!

Liliana: Do you hear their cheers? You, Master Sage, your wizards, and I, shall align ourselves…

Akira: I'll be working hard alongside the people of this country.

Cortes Citizens: Yeahhhh…!!

Akira: And, just as I will here, I want to work alongside the people of Central, of the East, of the North, and of the South.

Cortes Citizens: …

Akira: (I'm sorry I can't be exclusive with you…) (No, I can't apologize, I need to give them something!) (I need to pump up the vibes…!) To the people of the West, who greet everyone they meet with a bright and cheerful smile! I'm always so, so grateful for everything you've done for me during my stay here! You've done so much for me even today!

Arthur: (Master Sage is pumping their fist in the air.) (I'll join them!) …

Gilles: (Both Master Sage and Prince Arthur are making that gesture with their fists. Is this a salute from the other world?) (Then I shall do the same…) …

Lord: (General Barnett is making the same salute?!) (Then, I as well…) …

Cortes Citizen: (Both Master Sage and the lord of the castle are pumping their fists in the air?!) (Then, I guess we should too…?)

Heathcliff: (What… Huh… Should we be doing this too…?)

Shino: (Let's do it.)

Riquet: (Yes, let's.)

Cain: (Aren't we supposed to do this when they're like "Yeahhhh!"?)

Riquet: (Yeahhhh!)

Lennox: (Yeahhhh!)

Mitile: (Oh, everyone else is doing it too. Yeahhhh!)

Figaro: (Is this some sort of local custom?)

Nero: (Sage, you totally missed the timing to put your fist back down…)

Faust: (I'm not doing that…)

Chloe: (Woah, what's this? It looks fun! I'll do it too!)

Rustica: (I shall join you.)

Shylock: (I shall not.)

Murr: (I'll use just my pointer finger!)

Liliana: (…! Lord Rustica has raised his fist in this strange gesture as well.) (Then, I will too…)

Cortes Citizen: (Her Majesty joined them?! Then I need to, too!) (I've got to!)

Mithra: (Huh, what's this?)

Owen: (What is this?)

Bradley: (What's up with this?)

Snow & White: (Looks fuuuun!)

Oz: (…Hm?)

Akira: (Oh gosh, I've started something big. What should I do?) Just like the warm welcome the people of Western Country gave me… I want to cooperate with the people of other countries exactly as I do with you. We'll be returning to our manor in Central, but… I'll always be happy to see you again, no matter where we should meet.

Cortes Citizens: Yeahhhh…!!!!

Cortes Citizen: Come visit us again anytime you want!

Cortes Citizen: I've got family in Central! Give them a visit if you have the chance!

Akira: Thank you, all of you. And I'm looking forward to continuing to work with you too, your Majesty.

Liliana: … Western Country shall welcome you should you ever choose to return to her warm and safe embrace.

Arthur: Please do not worry, your Majesty. I shall protect the Sage both as a Sage's wizard and as the prince of Central Country.

Cortes Citizen: Prince?!

Cortes Citizen: He said he's the prince of Central!

Liliana: … …I see. Please use the Western manor when the time comes that you should stay with us again. It shall be waiting for you, as will the Sage's Lattice.

Figaro: Thank you for providing such wonderful accommodations for us, your Majesty. We will take you up on your kind offer should the opportunity arise.

Liliana: … I ask that you all stay safe.

✦✧☾✧✦

I think it's probable that Queen Liliana's true identity is that of the witch Zara. There's some kind of link between the Western queen and Nova. There's still a lot to learn about the artificial wizards and the shards of Murr's soul. Not to mention the whereabouts of the real Liliana. It feels like I'm facing nothing but mystery after mystery. I think it's a bit too early to decisively say Queen Liliana's true identity… A single misstep could end up getting a huge amount of people caught up in another overly complicated disaster, just like what happened this time. It'd be nice if everything worked out so that there's no friction between Central and the West, but… I wonder what her Majesty is thinking?

✦✧☾✧✦

Gregory decided to stay in the City of Fortune.

Akira: Are you sure? You said the Queen tried to kill you…

Gregory: I am certain everything will work out as long as I don't get found. I need to search for where Liliana herself is. She must be terrified out of her wits.

Akira: We're going to be returning to the manor in Central now, but we'll still help you out however we can.

Gregory: Thank you kindly. Feel free to call upon me when you return to Western Country. I'm looking forward to working with you, Master Sage.

✦✧☾✧✦

And so, we finally returned to the manor.

Akira: Wahh! We're hoooome! It's been so loooong!

Canaria: Welcome home, Master Sage!

Akira: Miss Canaria!

Canaria: You've been working hard! Do you want to eat something, or should I let you rest first?

Cock Robin: Master Sage!

Drummond: Master Sage! Prince Arthur!

Akira: Cock Robin! Drummond!

Drummond: Welcome back! We were quite worried for you, you know!

Cock Robin: You battled a huge monster, right? I'd love to hear all the details.

Canaria: Cock Robin, that comes later. First everyone needs a chance to take it easy.

Hearing Canaria say that lifted a weight I hadn't really been aware of off of my shoulders. Now that I was relaxed, I could better soak up the feeling of being home, taking in the familiar sights and sounds. The sound of footsteps running up the stairs. The quiet sound of someone softly closing a door. The tell-tale glow of someone using magic. Laughter. Someone calling someone else's name. Lighthearted small talk, only-so-serious provocations, displays of emotion, words of thanks. We'd come home to the same place we'd left, but something felt a little bit different now.

✦✧☾✧✦

Akira: Ohh, this is so nice… Saku-chan, come take a nap with meeee. I've always wanted to. Siiiigh… The breeze and my bed and the sunshine all feel so good… …I love this place…

✦✧☾✧✦

Cain: But y'know, I really am so happy you volunteered me, Arthur. I wanted you to acknowledge me. That was how I felt.

Arthur: That's surprisingly cute of you. I just thought you'd be able to do it, so I recommended you. I knew you had both the strength and the will to carry it out.

Riquet: Exactly. You were so cool! Like a storybook character!

Arthur: Yes, you were so cool!

Riquet: You thought so too, right, Oz?

Oz: … Yes.

Cain: Ahaha. Thanks! I feel like all of this has saved me a little bit…from the lies I once told, and from Nicholas's memory… I want to become even stronger than this before the battle with <the Great Calamity>. I will become stronger!

✦✧☾✧✦

Figaro: I see. So Isaac…

Lennox: Yes. You'll have to ask Bradley for all the details, but…

Figaro: No… No need. I still don't know what the right answer to the question he asked me is. How should one attain happiness…

Mitile: <Scintilla>

Rutile: Wah, that was amazing!

Figaro: …

Rutile: You've gotten so much better with your magic! Have you decided to use Mother's spell permanently?

Mitile: That's, umm…

Figaro: …

Mitile: …I'm still thinking about it!

✦✧☾✧✦

Shino: We're finally back. Now we can train in peace.

Heathcliff: Did you tell us to come to the classroom so that we could get started on classwork immediately, Mr. Faust?

Faust: No… …

Nero: If there's something y'don't wanna say, y'don't have to say it.

Faust: It's not that I don't want to talk about it. I've already told Shino, and I imagine the two of you have already figured it out, as well. My name is Faust Lavinia. I was once a Central wizard, and I knew Alec, the progenitor of the Granvelle dynasty… He was my friend.

Heathcliff: Mr. Faust…

Nero: …

Faust: I haven't achieved any of the glory that people attribute to me. I was a fool of a leader who led my subordinates to their deaths. But… I won't let any of you die.

✦✧☾✧✦

Murr: Do you really not remember anything, Rustica?

Rustica: It seems I do not. I apologize for my forgetfulness. But I do remember Chloe bringing me savarin.

Chloe: Hehe. I didn't bring you any savarin. You just really wanted to eat some.

Shylock: Sweets do the tired heart good. It's no wonder he wanted it.

Murr: Castella made with a strong alcohol as its base is good, too.

Murr: Why is this me still heeeere?!

Chloe: Master Sage asked me to repair the breast pocket they keep his shard in.

Rustica: A small Murr is also lovely.

Murr: Why, thank you. A featherless you is lovely as well. It was worth trying to woo you all those centuries ago.

Rustica: My, what a marvelously unique turn of phrase… You must be my bride. <Amores Viesse>

Murr: Wai…

Chloe: Now he's a bird.

Shylock: A songbird shard of Murr's soul, I see.

Chloe: Okay, is there anything else? Is there anything else you remember…?

Rustica: I do… I remember watching the meteor shower with you, Chloe. You came up only this high on me, and it moved you so deeply.

Chloe: … Haha… Thank you for not forgetting about that. I love you, Rustica.

Rustica: I love you, too.

✦✧☾✧✦

Snow: Wonderful work, everyone!

White: You all did your very best! We're sure to be recorded in Western Country's folklore.

Mithra: Sigh.

Owen: I don't care.

Bradley: Whatever.

Snow: Woah, rancid vibes here!

White: We're giving you praise, so you should get more excited about it!

Mithra: But it's rather… Don't you think we've all turned weird?

Bradley & Owen: …

Mithra: How to put it… Like something's starting to pile up in us… It's somewhat difficult to put in words…

Snow: Could it be because you don't have much experience with expressing your emotions?

White: Perhaps it is from staying in Western Country for so long. Perhaps the natural temperament is driving you mad.

Owen: That's it?

Mithra: I should've just killed that swarm of people that kept surrounding Master Sage… But I didn't do anything for some reason…which isn't very Northern of me. Owen, can I kill you?

Owen: Why me… You should kill Bradley.

Mithra: Can't Bradley only die once?

Snow: My…how kind.

White: 'Tis a wonderful thing we bear witness to this moment.

Bradley: … Is it?

✦✧☾✧✦

Bradley: Nero.

Nero: …

Bradley: We need to talk. Come with me.

✦✧☾✧✦

Bradley: (Findin' somethin' irreplaceable will lead to your death.) (I need to punish the person who betrayed me for the sake of those who used to be with me.) (The wizard of the North, Bradley, should be followin' those precepts as a matter of course.) (I know that, Eva.) (But those beloved principles of yours are just tyin' me down.) (I'm fine dyin' because of my own pride, but I refuse to die a captive.) (I'm the one in charge of my destiny.) (If the thing lockin' me up is me myself, then I'll just run away from that cage.) (Let's have some fun.) (Even if my chosen dance partner leads me to oblivion.)

✦✧☾✧✦

Bradley: Here.

Nero: A mana stone… Is it Eva's?

Bradley: Nah, it's the guy who ate her. …Haha, you don't need this kinda thing, do you.

Nero: No… I'll take it.

Bradley: Yeah. You should. Eva always liked you, y'know.

Nero: (You were the one she liked…) (She was always goin' on about rules and manners, so she was always glarin' at me.) (But you've always been an idiot about these kinds of things, no matter how smart you are…) You're lonely, aren't you… You were pretty close with her.

Bradley: I'm used to it.

Nero: … (He's pretty upset, ain't he…)

Bradley: Hey, Nero.

Nero: Yeah…

Bradley: Why'd you run?

Nero: … I was tired of bein' with you. Because I couldn't be what you wanted me to be.

Bradley: …

Nero: But that ain't your fault… I was the one in the wrong. I just couldn't live the Northern way.

Bradley: That ain't true.

Nero: Yeah, it is. Anyone can tell just lookin' at me. You're the only one who can't.

Bradley: Haha, harsh.

Nero: I loved you. Even now, I'd still die for you. Though I bet you don't believe that.

Bradley: …

Nero: I've been a lot of places, but I never found anyone else like you.

Bradley: That's 'cause you never came to visit me in jail.

Nero: …When are you gettin' out?

Bradley: Who knows.

Nero: …I see… They let anyone start livin' in the manor, like Oz and Mithra.

Bradley: Yeah.

Nero: Livin' with 'em's pretty scary, but I've started thinkin' they ain't really such terrible people after all. So why are you the only one in a cell?

Bradley: …

Nero: …But… (If I say I'm the one who should be in a cell instead, he'll totally kill me…) (He loves freedom more than anything.)

Bradley: Nero.

Nero: Mm?

Bradley: You said I can kill you after we fight off <the Great Calamity>.

Nero: … Yeah.

Bradley: If I'm the one who's gonna turn you to stone either way, then that means I can use your life how I want, yeah?

Nero: …What's that mean?

Bradley: When <the Great Calamity> attacks, I wanna get Figaro and the twins. And I want you by my side for it, partner.

Nero: … Gotcha.

✦✧☾✧✦

The moon outside my window was as unnaturally huge and beautiful as it always was. I was thinking about a day that hadn't been very long ago. The wind had been howling, the cats had been yowling, and the moon had been full on the night I came to this world. I've built up a relationship with the wizards here, in this world where wizards and humans live side-by-side, and connected our hearts… A bond so formless may be a delicate, ephemeral thing, but I still know it exists between us. Between me and my brave, noble, cheerful, prudent, gentle wizards. My irreplaceable friends. At some point during the days we've spent laughing and crying together, I've come to think of this manor as my home. A place I can return to. But then, I thought. This isn't going to last forever. I wish my days living alongside these wizards could last forever, but… How long will they?

Next Chapter

#.main story tl

[etoilesombre]

im intrigued by "swimming" !!

For the WIP ask game (swimming also requested by @b1uetrees) ty for the asks y'all. this has actually been in my drafts forevvvvvvver so I'm copying this from the LAST time it got requested in an ask game. Honestly I should just post what I have, because mostly all that is left to write is the sex and believe it or not I'm kinda burned out on that. Anyway, this is most of a draft.

This was something i started for an event a couple years ago but ended up doing a different prompt, and never picked this back up. but the prompt was basically 'swimming lessons for Silver to learn to swim again after he loses his leg, with either Flint, Madi or both.' i went ot3

[context: basically they are all drinking and hanging out in maroon village one night during s3-4 break, and silver makes a self-deprecating comment about not being able to swim and flint is like 'that's silly of course you can, we'll try it sometime' and tipsy imperious queen madi goes 'why not now?' and takes them night swimming] [madi and flint are already doing better with each other, don't ask questions this is happy verse]

The trail is short, only a few hundred yards to a place at the top of the lagoon on which the settlement sits, where it is fed by a waterfall so that fresh waters meet the incoming tide. They are well out of sight of the camp, though the glow of the great bonfire is visible over the trees, and the distant, exuberant  sounds of Maroon drums and pirate fiddles are still audible. It feels like the entire settlement is Madi’s home, and she has taken them from a grand party into a quiet, private chamber. 

Cliffs rise up to form the back of their little cove, the sound of the water spilling over the precipice musical as it tumbles over rocks and down into the calm lagoon, like the sound of the warm summer rains that fall here. But the mossy bank onto which they emerge slopes gently down toward the water. Clusters of night blooming flowers perfume the air. 

“This is a good place,” Madi says, stopping. “Shallow here, and by the rocks, but it’s deep enough to swim properly nearer the cliffs.” 

Flint has come this far, but now he feels flustered, awkward as a school boy. He’s not going to go *swimming* with Silver and the Princess, it's a stupid idea. Why did he come? 

Although the water does look appealing. In truth he loves to swim: the solitary rhythm of it, the power of the sea, exhausting himself until returning to the ship is a challenge that demands everything of him and leaves no room for thought. 

But this is different. 

Silver looks between them expectantly. Flint thinks he doesn’t feel quite comfortable with this, either, but clearly he would follow Madi to the ends of the earth, so he awaits her signal. 

She kisses Silver on the cheek, takes a drink, and hands him the wineskin. Then she undoes her belt and pulls her shirt out of the loose, flowing trousers she wears, and Flint doesn’t know what he thought was going to happen---he’d been trying desperately not to think of this part---but he didn’t truly expect that she would calmly undress in front of them both. 

“Now, wait a minute…” 

“Don’t worry, Captain, your precious British modesty is not in danger.” She’s teasing, but he wonders if she knows him enough yet to realize the depth of the challenge there, and suspects she might. “When it is your turn to undress, I shall avert my eyes until you are in the water.” 

Silver, goddamn him, is *giggling.* Certainly he doesn’t seem protective of Madi, which stings a bit. Flint isn’t sure he wants to be quite *that* unthreatening, though he does value the implicit trust. 

“This… is not what I was expecting from the evening,” Silver breathes, appreciative, as Madi’s garments fall away one by one, then seems to remember that he probably shouldn’t be watching so blatantly. He helps himself to a healthy swallow of the wine and hands it to Flint, who takes an even longer pull because fuck, he needs it. 

“Nor I. She’s not an easy woman to refuse, is she?” 

“I can hear you, you know,” Madi says cheerfully, stepping out of the rest of her clothing. She is turned mostly toward the water, revealing the graceful curve of her back and hip, and she casts a look back over her shoulder directly at Flint. “What I am about to do, do not attempt it. I know where it is safe. I will meet you.” 

Flint watches in disbelief as she saunters off to the cliff face and begins to climb lithely up. He has an urge to shout at her to stop; doesn’t she know that drinking and climbing waterfalls is a good way to get killed? He’s lost men to this kind of stupidity and she doesn’t need to show off. 

Hell, when had he become a clucking mother hen? He forces a deep breath and watches the bunch and pull of her muscles, much stronger than he’d realized, appreciates the economy with which she moves.  

“Goddamn,” breathes Silver next to him, face full of awe, and of course it isn’t Flint she’s trying to impress. She stands poised at the top of the cliff for a long moment, then, without warning, she dives. They both gasp. It’s not really that high, perhaps twenty feet, but for an instant she is perfectly suspended in the air and she looks like a bird in flight, arms outstretched, silhouetted against the sky. Then she turns her body gracefully in the air, brings her hands together above her and slips head first into the water with barely a splash. 

There is a moment of absolute stillness. Then she breaks the surface, laughing. “Come on then!” she calls. Silver moves first, removing clothing without further hesitation, and Flint sees no choice but to do the same. They don’t look at each other. At least, he very studiously does not look at Silver, and it's only from a corner of his eye that he sees Silver strip completely, as Madi did. He’d thought they could at least keep the dignity of their undergarments, but Silver is giddy and unthinking, naturally eager to be naked with his lover, and Flint refuses to be the prude in this situation, so he lays his clothes aside. 

In fact, he is so determined not to look at Silver, not even to *think* of looking at the newly bared expanses of his skin, that it takes him some time to notice that Silver has sunk to the soft bank, all happiness drained from his face. He has removed the peg from his left leg and is staring into the middle distance, coming to terms with his own set of inconvenient realities. 

It makes Flint’s heart ache, and without further thought he goes to where Silver sits and offers him a hand, because Silver will sit there all night rather than ask. Flint’s limbs are still loose and heavy with the wine, his thoughts syrupy slow, or else he probably would have hesitated a great deal more before putting his exposed prick at the same level as Silver’s face. As it is, he doesn’t see the tableau they create until it's too late, and then he can’t *stop* seeing it. He is not, thank God, fully hard, but he’s not exactly soft either; this evening has been full of suggestiveness to which he is not immune, and Silver is sitting so close before him, it would be so easy for Flint to bury a hand in his curls and guide his mouth forward… *fuck*. 

“Come on, up,” he says gruffly, like he would if they were training and he’s once again knocked Silver on his ass. That snaps Silver out of his reverie; he clasps Flint’s forearm and allows himself to be pulled to his feet, thankfully without looking at him too closely first. He wavers a bit, then throws an arm over Flint’s shoulders and allows himself to be helped out into the placid water. 

It truly is a perfect spot, the water barely cool against Flint’s skin, the gradually sloping bottom made of soft white sand, and he tries to focus on the way it yields beneath their steps, on the shine of the moon, the distant rolling of waves from the ocean, on anything other than the weight of Silver’s arm around him, the nearness of him. The way they’re carefully not looking at each other. They’ve lived together for months now, seen each other undressed from time to time, and it hasn’t been a problem. Perhaps Flint has glanced, but he has discipline. And it has been incidental, momentary, nothing like the intimacy of supporting Silver’s weight as they make their way deeper, feeling the tickle of long black hair on his own shoulder, smelling Silver’s scent, the salt of sweat and something sharp and wild beneath it, which he would be able to tell apart from a hundred other men. His pulse quickens. 

This is hell. 

He is almost able to resist, but when they are thigh deep in the water he forgets himself and steals a glance. Silver’s cock hangs heavy between his legs, also half full. Flint has known Silver is a well-made man, but to see something of the extent of it, of what it would be like to— He swallows hard and quickly looks away. Silver’s attention is, unsurprisingly, focused elsewhere. Flint follows his gaze.

Madi, true to her word, is ignoring them entirely, cavorting under the waterfall like a proper nymph. She stands on a little rock ledge behind the fall, letting it obscure her like a veil, then dives through it into the deep pool before climbing back up. Sometimes she swims to the bottom, as if fetching treasures. 

It’s jarring to see her like this. It's true that the Maroons don’t seem to particularly value concealment of the body; it’s perfectly common to see women with their breasts exposed, and in some of the ritual dances, men, heavily painted, appear with their genitals uncovered. Which Flint has paid no mind. It only means that this isn’t necessarily significant; people have their different customs and there’s nothing untoward here, it is only being so shaped by the conditions of his own repressive nation which makes it seem so to him. 

Except Madi is not unfamiliar with their customs. She knows exactly the significance of what she is doing. Had they been alone, it would have been either a seduction or a strange play for power. But her lover is here, and Flint can’t figure out what she’s trying to accomplish. 

He’s not ready to let himself consider the obvious. He wants it to be true too badly, and doesn’t trust his muddled mind to read the situation correctly. 

Maybe she’s merely young and drunk, and wanted to go swimming. 

The water is to their waists now, a bit above. He extricates himself from under Silver’s arm, though he still holds on to it, steadying him. Silver looks at him for the first time in what feels like forever, and his wide eyes are so full of tender, fledgling hope. There is no color in the darkness, but he knows the exact shade of blue they’d be, paints it over them in his mind. 

“Will it really work?” Silver asks, and he’s never sounded so vulnerable. 

“Course it will. It's mostly saltwater, you couldn’t sink if you tried.” 

Unbidden, Flint remembers sinking. He’s never told Silver, but he was still conscious when he fell. Conscious enough to know that, shot and beaten as he was, to stand a chance of reaching the surface he would need to struggle out of his heavy boots and coat at least, and then remembers seeing an empty bay where the *Urca* should have been, and realizing he had killed Gates for nothing. Conscious enough to let himself sink instead of fighting. He remembers feeling hands on him, pulling him up before everything went dark. 

“You’ve got nothing to worry about. Trust me.” He squeezes Silver’s arm, then lets go. 

Silver wavers, manages an awkward hop or two, and then plunges forward. Instinctively he steadies himself with his arms so that although it’s shallow he is half treading water; he founders only for a moment, and then he discovers the trick of propelling himself forward, slicing through the water with his arms and pushing his foot off of the bottom. 

In moments he has made his way to deeper water, and when he regains his footing it rises partway up his smooth chest, lapping at him just under where dark nipples are pebbled. He can stand easily now, the water balancing and supporting him. He tests his newfound abilities, moving a few easy, floating steps, and a broad smile spreads across his face. It's like watching the breaking of dawn, or the sun emerging after a long and terrible storm. 

“Captain! I--- I can…” Silver dives under the water and surfaces laughing and full of wonder, rediscovering his former grace.  He’s only a few paces from Flint, close enough to see that he’s almost vibrating with excitement. “It’s so *easy.*”

There’s a breathless moment between them, a moment when recklessly he imagines Silver will embrace him, but neither of them moves.

“I know,” Flint says softly. “I should have thought of it.” He’s glad for the darkness, hopes it will conceal the tears pricking at the back of his eyes. He aches with all of the things he should have done for Silver, should have considered, should have given him in return for his terrible sacrifice. His eyes cut to Madi, who in the short weeks of their acquaintance has shown Silver more of love and joy than Flint has known in years. She’s lounging on a rock shelf a few feet above the deep pool, watching with an almost proprietary air of approval. 

Silver follows his gaze and brightens even further. 

Madi dives back in and swims to them without breaking the surface, popping up just in front of Silver. 

“Madi!” he cries and picks her up, delighted, and tries to spin with her, but her added weight changes his balance in the water and they topple sideways, splashing under the surface, only to emerge laughing and sputtering. Madi shrieks in feigned reproach and Silver catches her in a firm embrace. It's like watching the play of puppies. 

Until it isn’t. Until she takes hold of Silver’s face and stretches up to kiss him, and his hands slide down her back, out of sight under the water. They shimmer in the moonlight, pale against dark, her delicate form pulled flush to his broad, muscled one, a perfect image of lovers from the dawn of time 

The kiss deepens, and Flint turns away. He shouldn’t be here, is intruding and doesn’t want to be able to picture what he can’t have. Silver seems to realize it at the same time, breaking away from Madi and speaking to her softly, casting a sidelong look in Flint’s direction. Flint tries to act as though he finds the view of the jungle enthralling.

“I don’t think your Captain objects,” Madi says, her voice pitched to carry. Her eyes find Flint’s and hold them, as if they share a secret. Her words are heavy with implication. “You don’t object, do you Captain?” 

Fuck. She knows. 

The weight of the realization descends on him, the danger, and he can’t force enough air into his lungs; he’s been trapped into this and will be exposed for exactly what he is because *she knows.* “I--- I don’t know what---” He stammers foolishly. 

Silver is just looking back and forth between the two of them, bemused, his hand still resting on the curve of Madi’s spine. 

“Answer me,” she says in the affected, imperious tone she has been using to play with him all evening. His frantic mind catches on that, puts information in order. She knows, and what has she done? Skillfully engineered this absurd situation. He meets her eyes again. They’re warm and reassuring, despite her tone, waiting for him to see it. 

This isn’t a threat. It's a fucking invitation. 

#ask game #my writing #ok for real i think i might post this #because i actually like the beginning bit too #it was just getting way too long

[dilemmaontwolegs]

Midnight Blades {23}

Aemond Targaryen x princess!reader (Dark!themes) Summary: Just when things get too comfortable, life throws a new problem your way. Warnings: 18+ only, nsfw, smut, pregnancy, illness WC: 2786

Part One || Part Two || Part Three || Part Four || Part Five || Part Six || Part Seven || Part Eight || Part Nine || Part Ten || Part Eleven || Part Twelve || Part Thirteen || Part Fourteen || Part Fifteen || Part Sixteen || Part Seventeen || Part Eighteen || Part Nineteen || Part Twenty || Part Twenty-One || Part Twenty-Two || Part Twenty-Three || Part Twenty-Four ||

12 Years into the Reign of King Aemond, the First of His Name.

“How did you and mother meet?” Selaena asked as she speared a carrot with her fork.

Aemond smirked over his goblet as he fondly remembered the night he broke into your room. “I tried to kill her.”

You leaned over to your second born daughter and winked. “And I tried to kill him.”

Aedira laughed and poured herself a watered wine as she whispered loudly to her sister, “So it was just like any other day then.”

You shared a look with your husband as his hand slipped under the table to rest upon your thigh and his lips teased your ear as he murmured beneath the girls’ chatter, “Is that how you remember it?”

“I remember it was over quite quickly.”

Aemond’s teeth grazed your earlobe and he nipped at your skin. “I don’t believe the length really matters when I remember your eyes rolling back in your head when you came.”

The chairs opposite you screeched as they were pushed back abruptly and Aedira and Selaena rose as they placed their napkins on their plates. 

“I’m going to vomit if I stay here another moment,” Aedira muttered as she waved a finger between you and Aemond. “Come on Selaena, shall we find Jaehaera and Aegon?”

You watched your daughters leave the dining room and couldn’t believe how quickly the years had passed. As a child, a year had seemed like eternity yet as an adult a decade passed in the blink of an eye. 

Ten years of peace, ten years of contented ruling. That was what had come to pass after an initial tumultuous two years of ruling Westeros. The Scythian army had been called far to the north to Winterfell where the support for Rhaenyra had been strongest but they were quick to cease their rebellion and swear loyalty to King Aemond. Since then life had become a calm quiet, or as quiet as it could be with two daughters running around the Keep and the addition of a newborn soon to join. 

Rhaenyra’s two surviving children had been found hiding in Winterfell after Aemond was crowned King and it was with the promise that they would not be slaughtered that aided in the Stark House ceding to the crown. To keep the boys safe while the last of the rebellion was quashed they had been shipped to Scythe and were raised in the castle as Princes. Aemond was keeping his promise to break the violent cycle and when Aegon and Jaehaera came of age they were wed to ensure the peace continued for the next generation. 

The hand beneath the table was slowly creeping up your thigh and though you hadn’t finished your meal, you dropped your cutlery and rose with a heated stare at your husband. “Jaehaera will keep the girls busy, you know how enamoured they are with the new babe. Shall we retire early?”

Aemond dabbed his lips with his napkin after hastily finishing his wine and quickly caught up to you as you made for the royal chambers. You were sorely at a disadvantage in your state and your husband thoroughly enjoyed the fact you could not escape him when you could not see your feet.

“Enjoy this while you can,” you warned as you reached the bedroom and placed a hand on your rounded belly while you caught your breath. “You will not talk me out of the tea for a fourth time.”

Aemond snickered but it sounded more like a challenge of ‘we’ll see about that’ before he reached for the corset strings and began to free you from the restricting dress. “But you look so beautiful when you are carrying my children.”

“You also find me beautiful when I am not carrying your children,” you pointed out after taking a deep breath as the corset fell away. 

“That is true, my love, you are always beautiful. Nay, you are fucking sexy.”

Your fingers grasped Aemond’s tunic as hormones flooded you and left you wet for him. “Stars, I need you to touch me, please.”

His teeth caught your bottom lip as kissed you, his tongue soothing over the bite as he dominated your mouth and guided you to the bed. You crawled over the mattress and felt his hands caress your backside before he smarted it with a quick spank and let the mark cool while he undressed and joined you. 

He knelt behind you and teased your slit with the head of his cock, slicking himself with your arousal before he buried himself in your cunt. His breath exhaled in a hiss at how wet and warm you were for him and his large hands held your hips in a bruising grip as he fucked you roughly.

Your toes curled as his cock hit the sweet spot along your walls and you moaned as the pressure in your abdomen grew until it exploded and Aemond’s name erupted from your lips. The feel of you cunt clenching his cock was all your husband needed to tip him over the edge and submit himself to the release as he came inside you with a feral roar. 

You collapsed on your side and hummed in satisfaction as you curled up on your pillow while Aemond crossed the room and gathered a washcloth. The cool cloth made you jump when Aemond spread your legs and cleaned up the mess he made before placing a soft kiss to the scar that held his initials on your thigh. 

“Go to sleep, love, I’ll get the girls to bed.” 

Your reply was lost to the pillow as you buried your face into it and Aemond chuckled as he pulled the blankets over your body.

Entering the royal living quarters you heard the clash of swords and found Aedira practising her footwork as Aemond attacked. Behind them, your second born, Selaena, was dragging a spiked metal ball, the sharp teeth scraping across stone with a sound that grated your ears.

“Aedira, you know the rules,” you said as you pointed to the hall that led to the training arena. “No swords inside. And, Selaena, return Cole’s morningstar to him now.”

Aemond smirked as he hid his sword behind his back, thinking he had missed the telling off but you placed your hand on your hip and he realised his mistake. 

“Don’t think I didn’t notice that,” you growled. “You might be King out there, but in these four walls I rule.”

He shoved the sword into his belt and planted a kiss on your forehead as he whispered, “I love it when you get all bossy.” He swept from the room to chase after Aedira and continue their fighting lesson until only Negan remained stationed at the door with a smile on his face.

“They remind me of you, more little sparrows,” he said with a rough laugh that ended with a cough. 

He stood a little straighter as he found something of interest in the hall and a moment later you heard the loud footsteps of a messenger arriving with a sealed letter and an old bound book. “My Queen, this arrived for you on the Sycamore.”

The Sycamore was the private ship of the royal house and your stomach turned as you wrapped your fingers around the letter. You broke the seal that held the symbol of the King and the parchment began to shake in your hands as you read the news, your father was ill. Placing the note on the table you took the heavy book from the messenger and dismissed him with a quiet thank you. 

Negan spoke quietly to another guard and they disappeared down the hall while you dropped into a chair and opened the book. It was the Covenant of Kings and as Crown Princess you would need to read it before ascending the throne and become the protector of the kingdom. The fact the book had been delivered with the news did not bode well for your father.

You were pulled from reading the centuries old book as Aemond arrived with the guard Negan had sent and swiped the note from the table. “You cannot travel in your state.”

“Try to stop me,” you dared as you closed the book. 

Aemond turned to Negan but your guard just chuffed and raised his hands. “Don’t bring me into this, she hasn’t listened to me since she learned to walk.”

“I will be fine, I have made the trip dozens of times alone,” you reassured your husband, “but I must visit him.”

“Let me remind you that I have also opposed each of those trips too, and you weren’t nearly ready to give birth,” Aemond said with pursed lips as he placed his hand on the large swell of your belly. “I already missed the birth of one daughter, I don’t wish to repeat that.”

You tugged Aemond closer so you could kiss him before resting your forehead to his. “You could always come with me. Let Cole hold court for a few days, that is the whole point of having him as your Hand.” 

Aemond pondered the invitation as he paced across the room. “Jaehaera and Aegon should come too, it has been a while since they visited Viserys.”

“We should hurry,” you said as you held your hand out and Aemond chuckled as he pulled you to your sore and swollen feet. “The sun will not slow its travels for us.”

Not an hour later, Aemond’s arms tightened around you as he gripped Vhagar’s reins and grazed his teeth over the sensitive skin along your neck. The effect was felt directly between your legs as he knew it would and you slapped his thigh that was pressed against yours.

“Stop trying to distract me,” you said a little breathlessly.

“I’m trying to get you to relax,” he replied. “The girls are perfectly fine.”

Your eyes had not left the group of dragons that were flying ahead since they had taken to the skies. 

Aedira was riding Kilexys like she rode her horse, wild and free, both of which did nothing to calm your heart as they raced through the clouds and practised fighting manoeuvres. Flying more sedately was Jaehaera riding her mother’s dragon, Dreamfyre, who she had claimed when the Dragon Pit was restored a few years after its demise. Tucked safely in front of Jaehaera was Selaena and you could hear her excited squeals drifting on the wind like her long silver hair. 

Another few seasons and Selaena’s dragon, Xanthis, would be large enough to bear her weight and begin her flying lessons. It felt as if your heart had barely survived Aedira’s training flights and now you would have to endure another round of it. 

Beside Dreamfyre flew Aegon’s dragon, Stormcloud. The dark grey beast glided steadily since his rider carried precious cargo. Helaena had barely seen a full moon but Jaehaera had been adamant that the babe make the journey too and she was safely wrapped against her fathers chest and tucked away from the winds. 

Lastly, Seasmoke swooped in and danced with Kilexys as the two dragons often did playfully. The dragon that had once belonged to Laenor Velaryon but during the recovery of Dragonstone it had followed Kilexys back to the Dragon Pit and they had stayed together since. It was likely that should Viserys ever choose to return to King’s Landing he could attempt to claim the dragon but the young man was quite content to live in Scythe.

“It was going too well,” you murmured as the blue seas no longer stretched the horizon, the first sight of land breaking into view. 

“What?” Aemond asked as he turned you slightly so he could see your face.

You sighed and waved a hand at the city sprawling along the seashore. “Life. It was going too smoothly, something had to happen.” 

Aemond laughed and shifted back into the saddle. “Call me crazy, but I’m pretty sure that is not how it works. Let’s not think the worst, the message didn’t exactly give much information.”

“You’re not usually an optimist.”

“13 years of marriage and I can still surprise you, I think that deserves a blow job.”

“The problem with optimists is they are deluded. Come to think of it, perhaps you always were an optimist.”

Aemond chuckled darkly in your ear and your toes curled in your boots at the sound. “You’re going to pay for that later.”

You were still smiling as Vhagar landed last and you carefully navigated your way down the netting until your boots hit home soil. It was only when the entourage of horses arrived that reality swept back in and you remembered this was not just another visit.

“Father,” you called softly as you entered his chambers, the scent of stale air and illness greeting you.

“My dear child,” a wheezing voice answered, “you’re here.”

The candles in the room flickered as you walked towards the bed your father was nestled in, a mass of pillows holding him up. Even in the low light you could see the prognosis was not good. His cheeks were almost hollow and his eyes sunken in while his hair hung damp and limp over his ashen parlour.

“What happened?” you asked with a choked voice as you took a seat beside him and reached for his hands.

“Was a hunting accident,” he muttered with shallow breaths. “Damn boar got me good before I stuck him. ‘Fraid I don’t have long left, my dear.”

Tears burned but you blinked them away knowing he would appreciate them, he hated seeing you sad. “You’re gonna pull through this,” you said as you pushed off the bed and wiped your eyes. “I’m going to go to the temple to make a remedy for your ailment.”

“Stop,” he called out weakly as you turned away. “As your King, I order you to stay.”

You turned slowly as anger replaced the sorrow. “You have already chosen to embrace death? You think I will not choose treason if it means you live?”

“Think, dear daughter. You are High Matron and you have seen these wounds before. Put emotion aside and think for a moment.” He shifted to sit higher and the bubbles of air leaking from his lungs only added to turn your stomach. “You will need to put emotion aside to be Queen.”

You took a deep breath and calmed your mind so you could think clinically. The wound was already infected, that much could be seen by the fever that ravaged him, and the tusk had punctured his lung, slowly drowning him as they filled with his own blood. 

Sagging with defeat, you sat back at the edge of the bed and took his hand. “You need milk of the poppy at least, you do not deserve to be in pain.”

“That, I will accept,” he chuckled before sighing heavily. “I am sorry I will not meet this little one.”

You pressed his palm to your belly as she kicked wildly and he smiled as he felt his strong granddaughter. “Hello to you too.”

There was going to be no hope of holding back the tears that were building so you swallowed the lump in your throat and patted his hand as you stood. “I’ll be back shortly with the milk.” You kissed his clammy forehead before leaving. “I love you, father.”

“I love you too, Nathaniel.”

His eyes screwed shut in pain and you felt the echo of it in your chest as you thought of your brother. There hadn’t been a day that you didn’t miss him and the life that was stolen from him - the rightful heir that should have been at his father’s side. 

You slipped from the room without correcting him, for if it gave him comfort to think his son was with him, who were you to take that away. A silent hall greeted you as the tears finally escaped and you looked to your husband, a slight shake of your head telling him everything he needed to know.

You took Aedira and Selaena’s hands as you knelt before them. “Your grandsire has been gravely injured and is not longed for this world. Though it is a burdensome task, I would ask that you say your farewells before I return.”

“Where are you going?” Aedira asked through her trembling lips.

“To the temple, but I shan’t be long - I just need to gather a tincture of milk of the poppy for his pain.” You kissed their foreheads before standing and gave them a small reassuring nudge towards the door. “I would not have you regret the chance you did not take, say your goodbyes.”

Click here for part twenty-four.

Taglist: @hopebaker , @xcharlottemikaelsonx , @eddiemunson17 , @ninjabritches , @solacestyles , @hideing , @missusnora , @marrianena , @jonsncws , @dudfahsn , @queenofterrasen418 , @naeviahope , @averagethottie , @evilcherries , @delusionsofnostalgia , @le-who-zer-her , @readsalot73 , @thewew , @m-indkiller , @blackundertaker , @insxgtt , @adoringanakin , @dark-night-sky-99

#aemond targaryen x reader #aemond targaryen x y/n #aemond x reader #aemond x y/n #aemond x you #aemond targaryen x you #aemond targaryen smut #aemond imagine #aemond fic #house of the dragon fanfic #hotd fanfic

[majoraop]

Prisoner Mine

KIDD AWAKES with a jolt, jumping up. He’s still bound to the floor, but at least he’s sitting now. It takes some time for his senses to adjust, then he frowns at his new reality: captivity. Captivity in Wano.

   Being a low-ranking underling is not fitting for a pirate of Kidd’s calibre, so he’s rejected Kaido’s proposal, but this decision has meant the end of freedom: his own, his men’s, and especially Killer’s. Kidd clenches his jaw, his narrowed eyes two red slits in the dim light of dawn. The cell is sodden in the early morning; a regular person would have frozen by now, but he’s used to travelling across all kinds of seas even in absurd weather conditions.

   Kidd yaws through his spinning head and throbbing temples. He has never had a night of good sleep since being imprisoned. To survive, he has imposed on himself to rest only a few minutes or hours at most, yet voices or noises or demons—imaginary and not—would unfailingly wake him up. Sometimes, it’s the weeping or screaming; some other times, the rumbling of his starving stomach or the wailing in pain of a fellow inmate. Finally, there are the nightmares: losing his ship, losing his crew, losing his dream… everything. But more than being tired, injured, and hungry, Kidd is angry. Most of all, he is furious.

   I need to get out of here.

   He shall be King of the Pirates, not Kaido’s slave!

   Then, Kidd remembers the seastone shackles binding his arm. He curses under his breath. He has been doing that—cursing, resisting the urge to give up, and then cursing again—for weeks. That has become his daily routine: almost a new hobby of his. After all, pirates are excellent at finding ways to pass the time, a skill particularly useful when you’re out at sea, stuck in calm waters, without anything better to do while waiting for the wind again to rise.

   […]

   Some voices catch Kidd’s attention. He sniggers viciously, recognising them. His torturers. They still try to break him every once in a while, but he has not given in. He will not give in. And yet... Kidd won’t admit it even to himself, but he’s relieved that those losers are busy with the new prisoner: a dark-haired young man, scrawny as a knife, eyes bright with life. Kidd has stumbled before those burning torches before: usually joyful, they would turn unfailingly fierce whenever some careless pirate or marine alike dared to hurt Monkey D Luffy’s mates.

   Kidd has never believed all the stories about the infamous son of the most wanted man in the world—the leader of the Revolutionary Army—and a Marine Vice Admiral’s grandson. Kidd has never believed them despite Luffy often appearing in newspapers as the protagonist of significant events like the incident at Marineford or, later, the fall of the usurper king of Dressrosa. Kidd scoffs; news is just entertainment, not something telling the truth. Besides, is there is a “truth” to begin with? No… not in a world ruled by false gods whose “justice” is crueller than the very pirates they pretend to protect regular citizens from. Nevertheless, he must admit that the brat is a tough one. Luffy has resisted so far, but the worst has yet to come. Kidd knows what they will do to him since he has gone through it too: Kaido specially trained his men to break prisoners’ will, and they are disgustingly good at it.

   At this very moment, Kidd hears the guards outside talking about the poor twig…

   “They should leave him to me. I would love to pierce those hateful eyes! Did you see how they looked when he got captured? I assure you, that’s not a slave’s gaze; better to extinguish the flame within, we’ve not time to waste.”

   “Forget about it,” the second guard states. “We can’t damage prisoners too much, or they’d become useless. Even if everyone is talking about this Monkey D Luffy, he’s just a kid; he’ll break eventually—like anyone.”

   “Not anyone!” Kidd hisses under his breath. He has not broken. Sure, he’s hurt from the injuries and from seeing his own men tortured. The worst, Killer being unable to smile (actually smile) ever again. Nevertheless, Kidd has not yielded. His crew knows and accepts he won’t ever kneel before another man. Kidd is grateful to them, and never submitting to Kaido is his way to repay his companions.

   And yet… Killer being forced to swallow a SMILE fruit—it’s been tough to withstand. His first and closest friend, reduced to an emotional mess, crying while forcibly laughing as that cursed fruit infected his blood, mixing with his very DNA to create a freakish being who, no matter what kind of emotion, always and always, unfailingly smiles, accursed images which keep appearing in Kidd’s nightmare-infested nights.

   “Then, at least, we could have some fun with him.” The first guard’s voice echoes again beyond Kidd’s cell bars. “This new kid looks quite... nice—if you know what I mean.”

   Kidd grimaces at the lustful expressions on the guard’s face as he elbows his pal. More sun rays finally reach even this hellish place, and Kidd can see them better. The air is becoming slightly warmer, but he is not in the mood to appreciate it.

   “Queen tried that already,” the second guard replies, “but it didn’t work to break the prisoner’s spirit. Instead, his eyes turned even fiercer… He’s securely shackled and everything, or I bet he would be tearing his bandages off while snapping at anyone coming close to him. He’s like a wild animal!”

   Kidd recalls the grunts and muffled screaming of the night before, confirming his suspicions. Kidd’s pride and body have been tarnished, too. He still remembers everything as clearly as if happening all over again: the pain, the shame, the smell.

   “Next time, it will be King itself. Or so I’ve heard.”

   “Wait, is King into such stuff as well?”

   “Naah…” The first guard shakes his head. “…but he’ll do worse.”

   Kidd sees the sadistic man licking his lips in anticipation: that bastard is having fun.

   After Queen and King and Kaido, I’ll kill you too. I’ll kill every one of you!

   Kidd feels the urge to smash the smirk off the guard’s face, but he is suddenly aware he cannot breathe. He feels a cold shiver as his mind forcibly pulls him back into the torture King put him through. He knows what is next for the new prisoner: deprivation of sleep. That’s nearly driven Kidd insane. Close to begging, he has been spared the humiliation only because King has gotten summoned by Kaido in the middle of it. Since then, the winged pirate has luckily been busy with the new inmates.

   Kidd closes his eyes. He has gone close to begging. Begging! He feels disgusted with himself for almost breaking, for nearly giving up. His hand trembles so much the seastone shackles clatter, covering the sounds of his rattled breathing.

   I must do something.

   Soon, the small brat will experience that same hell. Kidd feels something strange. Something new. He tries to analyse what it is. Pity, perhaps? No, not really. Luffy is younger than him, yet a pirate nonetheless. Kidd has injured and tortured, killed countless fellow pirates. He is not a saint—not in the slightest. But he has never tried to enslave people, to break their wills.

   No, maybe it’s something else.

   Just camaraderie, probably. An expected feeling towards another pirate from the Worst Generation like Kidd himself—and that smug-faced Law.

   Trafalgar Law hasn’t broken, either.

   Kidd smiles. Maybe there is still hope. Maybe they can work together—just this one time. Maybe, if they fight back to back, they can overthrow even Kaido: the three of them, Eustass Kidd, Monkey D Luffy, and Trafalgar Law—plus other pirates of the Worst Generation like Luffy’s second mate… Maybe, all together, they have a chance.

   I don’t like alliances—temporary or perpetual—but I must do this for you.

   Kidd’s thoughts get pulled back, hunted once again by the image of his closest friend, Killer, laughing grotesquely as the SMILE curses him. After that, he has not been the same anymore: Killer has picked an alias, masqueraded himself as a ronin, and began wandering.

   Please don’t go completely insane before I get out of here.

   Kidd scoffs at his own mental plea. Is he starting to get soft? Worst, is his spirit on the brink of breaking? No… So long as a plea, a wish, a foolish hope stays confined within his steel-silent heart, his—their situation is still somewhat, somehow manageable: Kidd’s composure and fame as a cruel pirate will not be affected by just what stays hidden in the depth of his sturdy, rusty soul.

---

   On the following day, Eustass Kidd would approach Monkey D Luffy.

   No longer after that, every man and woman confined in Prisoner Mine would regain their freedom in the wake of the breakout preceding Kaido’s fall and the return of Nika, the Liberator of the People.

My story for the One Piece Big Bang 2023, kindly illustrated by @ninhaoma-ya with two colourful fanarts of Kidd and Luffy! ^^ artwork #1 | artwork #2

CONTENT WARNING: Mention of off-screen torture and abuse (without graphic descriptions).

RELATIONSHIPS: Kidd & Killer, Kidd & Luffy.

TAGS: eustass kid; eustass kidd; prisoner mine; wano; canon-divergence; angst

SPOILERS: up to the ending of Wano

SUMMARY: Despite being locked up in Prisoner Mine, Eustass Kidd won't break. One day, a new prisoner gets locked there, too: Monkey D Luffy. While pondering about his situation and the fate of Killer and his other crewmates, Kidd hears the guards talking about Luffy and ultimately decides to approach the younger pirate.

AUTHOR’S NOTES: “Prisoner Mine” is a slightly canon-divergence fanfic (but with the same outcome as in the manga/anime) featuring a darker take on some of the Wano events. Not much plot involved, just exploring Kidd's thoughts and experimenting with a new writing style. I couldn’t get a beta reader for this story, so if you find anything to fix please let me know!

#opbb2023 #opbigbang2023 #onepiece #one piece #opfanfic #opfanfiction #kid #kidd #eustass kid #eustass kidd #killer #luffy #monkey d luffy #prisoner mine #wano #wanokuni #wano kuni #wano arc #torture tw #abuse tw #majoraop

[eridanidreams]

Snippet Sunday

Tagging the usual suspects! Post if you got it, enjoy if you don't!

@bearlytolerant, @silurisanguine, @aro-pancake, @fangbangerghoul, @atonalginger, @aislingdmdt, @fshenkoescape, @ninjaofnaps, @lisa-and-shadow, @a-cosmic-elf, @thatsgoodsquishy0, @hockeydemon42, @fomagranfalloon, @violenceandviolets, @therealgchu, @staticpallour and @artemis-crimson

from stars through my fingers like grains of sand, wip chapter

Cait let out a soft sigh. "I try not to look that deeply. It's… intrusive. And even surface feelings can be hard to deal with if there's a lot of people around. Or if they're particularly strong personalities." Abruptly, she shoved herself out of the pilot's chair to stand below one of the massive windows. It really was a fantastic view. "Like pretty much everyone in Constellation."

Humor wreathed around Andreja's reply. "Ah. I begin to see why you spend your time out in the starfield." Cait chuckled wryly as Andreja took two steps to stand beside her. "I know that my beliefs are not yours, but if it is wisdom you seek, I shall offer you what I may."

"I… yes?" Cait said, wondering why Andreja seemed so hesitant about offering—and then she realized what the problem might be. "I don't mind you sharing your beliefs with me. I get touchy around Matteo because he won't stop." She let out a frustrated little breath. "I know he means well, but…"

"His enthusiasm can outweigh his consideration," Andreja agreed. "And I shall remember that." Cait kept her gaze on the vista before her, but she was still entirely aware of Andreja's appraising look. "Among my people, one such as you is cherished. 'Let he who hears the hearts of his people be your guide, for he is close to the heart of the Serpent. But ward him well, for only when heart and mind sing in harmony will he hear the truth of the universe.'" She fell silent for a few moments, letting Cait consider what she had said. "I think," she said, a quiet kindness hidden for only Cait to hear, "perhaps your heart and mind are not in such harmony."

Cait let out a long sigh. Harmony was the last word she would use—her mind she used as a wall against outside emotions; her own feelings had been co-opted to undermine her mind. Throw in the Artifacts and Towers, and some days she felt like the fictional martini: shaken and stirred. "Not so much, no."

"And yet, however marred your past, you are here and whole, a valued member of Constellation." Andreja's voice was cool and calm as ever, but an almost shy appreciation peeked between the words. "I have enjoyed the opportunity to travel with you."

"I—" Cait stammered a little, "—ah, likewise." She took a deep breath and turned her head to meet Andreja's eyes again. "Maybe, one day, you'll tell me a little more? Maybe see if you can teach me a little of that harmony."

The ship rang with the sound of the hatch closing. Andreja's eyes warmed almost imperceptibly, though her smile was more sensed than seen. "It would be my pleasure," she said quietly. "But Sam has returned, which undoubtedly means that Vladimir has provided another potential Temple location to investigate."

Cait gave Andreja a mock-scowl at the name. "Et tu, Brute?" Behind her, Sam's feet rang on the deck, Cora's laughter pealing after him.

"Sorry, darlin'," Sam chuckled as he took the stairs two at a time, "you're destined to lose that one." He gave Andreja a friendly smile. "Vlad sends his best, as usual. And if you'll excuse me," he pulled Cait back against him to press a quick kiss against her cheek. "Miss me?"

"You were all of thirty meters and an open hatch away," Cait said tartly. At his lugubrious look, she shook her head and smiled. "Yes, I missed you. Satisfied?"

"For the moment," he grinned. "You two plotting anything interesting up here?"

Cait wasn't quite sure how to answer that one, but Andreja didn't hesitate. "I believe the phrase you would use is… 'girl stuff'."

"Girl stuff," Sam said, eyeing both of them a little skeptically.

"We are 'girls', yes?" Andreja asked logically. "We are doing 'stuff'. Therefore, 'girl stuff'."

"Which, in your case, involves particle beams and edged weapons. Got it." Sam shook his head with another laugh. "All right. So who wants to know where we're going next?"

Cait slid back into the captain's seat. "Lay it on me," she said. Despite all the problems she was struggling with, his presence never failed to lift her spirits.

"Next stop, Altair."

Cait pulled up the starmap, pressing the button to confirm the course… and her breath was punched out by the sudden, absolute dread that seized her.

#sam coe #caitlyn lynch #starfield #fanfic #starfield fanfiction #eridani writes #coemancer #snippet sunday #the coemancer crew

[inkstainedhandswithrings]

TBB S2 Ep10 Thoughts!

"Yes, but with a few repairs it will be a slightly operational heap of junk." TECH BESTIE WHY U GOTTA BE SO SASSY I LOVE IT

"Oh. Ingenious Idea." bajdhabxjhanwnxjs CUTE

Also just the fact that Tech taught her how to trace a binary reference code

Or just in general, how he taught her how to use his data pad and let's her use it all the time. I imagine that's not a piece of equipment he gives to just anyone

I like Benni's tattoo but,,,,, he's so tiny why tattoo???

ALSO "WHAT ABT WATER RATIONS?"???? OMG TINY R U OK???

"Mako always takes care of his crew." hmmmmmm yea RIGHT I TOTALLY BELIEVE U

I'm sorry, but the ENTIRE batch on that one speeder???? meme material wth that was so FCKING FUNNY CAN YOU IMAGINE THAT CONVERSATION???

"Alright, I'll drive. Wrecker, you shall sit in the middle, which is technically not a seat. Hunter you'll have to sit all the way in the back, facing the other way and almost fall off, but at least you will be able to be a lookout. Omega, as a treat, you'll get to sit behind me. The only comfortable seat on this entire speeder."

5 mins down the road:"TECH, HUNTER JUST FELL OFF!" "Oh."

The way they took Benni down? dang that was impressive. Specially looking at Omega here. I forgot our girlie gained a lot of skill and guts since last season

Also loving how much Wrecker is enjoying scaring Benni. The way he grabs him and then chuckles when Benni tries to run off I'm---

quick question for the group; is Mako supposed to be Zygerrian? I didn't think about it until the end of the ep when I noticed his eyes looked Zygerrian and he had Zygerrian-esque ears

that little moment between Omega and Benni before Mako showed up???? her telling him he doesn't have to live this way, giving him food, showing him the report, talking abt how her family values her???

talking about their respective homes, BENNI APOLOGIZING???

i ship it :')

Also the boys just talking via their communicators while tinkering with the ship has the same vibes as me and my bestie face-timing while we're doing our make-up before going out. i love it

"So you think you can come here and steal from me?" "Technically-" yes baby tell him >:]]

"One stray shot and we're all done for." "We don't miss." EXCUSE ME SIR HOW DARE U SAY HOT SHIT LIKE THAT

okay okay okay okay

THAT MOMENT WHEN OMEGA'S SUPPOSED TO GET TOSSED, BUT SHE SEES HUNTER FIRING THE GRAPPLING HOOK SO SHE GRABS THE DROID, PULLS IT DOWN AND THAT CATCHES HUNTERS HAND TOTALLY FOCUSED AND CALM??? THE WAY SHE CASUALLY USES HIS PACK TO CLIMB BACK UP AND THIS SEEMS SO NORMAL TO THEM THAT IT DOESN'T EVEN REQUIRE A "good job kid" OR SOMETHING????

OMEGA HAS BEEN TRAINING AND SHE'S GETTING MORE AND MORE BADASS AND I'M HERE FOR IT

ngl, I thought Mako's death was a little sloppyly and lazyly done, but then again these are 20 min episodes so you can't really blame them

that last little convo between Omega and Benni???? SO CUTE

Tech's reluctant "what is it?" was so sweet to me especially considering the previous episode. I feel like he's trying harder to acknowledge her feelings and I AM SOFT

and then he tries (and succeeds) to encourage her and pats her shoulder and WAH YES GROWTH :)))

This ep was kinda filler-esque but I really enjoyed it anyway. Sad we didn't get Rex and Echo picking them up, but yanno, I'm not complaining. This was so sweet and fun and nice to watch :))

#star wars #the bad batch #star wars the bad batch #sw tbb #tbb hunter #tbb wrecker #tbb tech #tbb omega #clones #tbb s2 #tbb s2 spoilers #tbb spoilers #anyway

[dracwife]

doctor, doctor.

ship: rue/könig

word count: 1265

summary: after pushing himself a little too hard, könig is ordered to see the base doctor.

"Doctor."

His voice was hushed, gentle, almost questioning in its tone as he stood, hulking in the doorframe.

They turn at the call, a simple response beckoning him closer, into the room. They were lucky -- the room held a soft, orangish glow to it, walls not quite white, the sterile type you would otherwise see across the barracks. It was something of a funny coincidence, the med bay being so welcoming in opposition with the feel of the other halls.

"König, an unexpected surprise."

"Ah," his voice wavers, "I was asked to see you by the Commander."

"And why ever would that be?"

The gentle giant shrugs, head bowing slightly as he seats himself on the edge of a cot, nearly ashamed in the way perhaps a scolded child would be.

"He believes I have been pushing my training too hard lately."

"Well…Have you?"

His head snaps up, eyes wide. Blue-gray swells in contrast with the dark mask he wears, the deep charcoal dusting that lines his eyes to obscure any form of his face from showing stretching to impossible size. His hood billows as he exhales in surprise.

"No! Herr Doktor, I truly do not mean to waste your time. I am fine, really, but it is just that I cannot refuse orders."

"Well still," they start, devilish smile growing, "If the Commander ordered you be examined, then examine I shall."

They approach him slowly at first, reveling in the way König sinks further into himself; Call it payback for the many times he has, in all fairness in a kindly joking manner, teased them for being so small compared to himself.

The taste of revenge is sweet on their lips as their mouth twisted into some kind evil grin. But -- as they reached him, saw the way he tapped his fingers nervously against his thigh, scraped the bottom of his boot against the concrete and avoided subtly their touch at first, their expression softened greatly.

Poor thing, he truly was frightened.

"I did not mean to upset you. I was only joking."

König nods quickly, "I know. I am not upset with you. I am just --" he pauses, fumbles with his words, "I am nervous about the Commander. Has he been watching my work so closely lately? What if he makes me take leave? Or sends me home? I cannot risk that -- I want to be here, so terribly bad."

It was in the midst of this talk that König finds himself embraced by the medic. Their arms wrap his shoulders as best the can, which is to say not very much of him, but with a gentle warmness he is enveloped by their smaller form. It seems as though formalities, for the moment, were dropped. He wraps his arms back around them, too.

"Schatz, I do not want to leave you."

"You are overthinking things again, my love. Nobody is sending you away. It's not even on the table. It's your mind telling you that, making you think the worst."

He sighs. He knows they are right.

"Though, I will still clear you to return to duty officially if it will help."

"It would ease my thoughts, yes."

They nod, smiling softly at him as they reposition themselves in his lap, moving to allow a greater access to his form.

Their palm still rests against his chest for a moment, before their fingers splay out across the broad of his chest, applying just a small amount of pressure, searching until they find finally the familiar fleeting rhythm that sends butterflies to their stomach, leaving them almost unsteady and sensitive as his hands find their way to the curve of their back to hold them closer in a flurry of tactile sensation.

"Heartrate seems normal," they murmur reassuringly.

He hums, understanding now the closeness of their actions. They observe his heartbeat for another second as it quiets from thunderous nerve to calm, collected, as he always is around them.

Their hands slide up, running gentle touches along his shoulders until they round his neck again, fingers pawing gently at the fabric of his hood. They tug slightly, pulling it back just enough to reveal his mouth, where they press a drawn-out kiss that he chases desperately, and they take in the chapped, scarred feeling of his lips before pulling away.

They grab a fistful of the fabric and in an instant pull hard, but König's hand just as quickly raises and holds his mask against his obscured face. It's a wonder that it's not torn from the force of them both, but as soon as they feel the resistance of his grip, they let go. He slides it back over his face, confused.

"Reflexes check out, too."

"Are you always so cruel to your patients?"

"Only to you, my dove."

He chuckles at the nickname, it's one he's heard often, and figures it's only his for the irony of it.

They stand then, slipping from the thighs that cage them, nearly able to compete with his height sitting so low to the ground. It is short-lived, as they motion for him to stand in a bittersweet second of triumph.

He waits, watches as they go about, ogling he's sure is a better word, though he couldn't vocalize it on account of forgetting the translation in the moment. He secedes instead to watching the far wall as they circle him, pressing hands and feathery kisses to his aching muscles, which in subconscious he finds himself flexing anyways in desperate need for approval, cheeks burning as he feels their own tensing in near-shock at just how strong he truly was for being so carefully gentle in his touches. As though they were some fragile thing, and himself an untamed beast. He finds his anxiety melt away with every press of their skin to his.

He looks back down at them.

"May I ask you something?"

"Always," they pause, one hand still on his bicep.

"You used to be called Lykho. Why?"

"A silly name. It is a wraith of which all misfortune is attributed to."

König chuckles, "They call you Rusałka now. You go from one demon to the next, then."

"It would seem so. You are familiar with the folktale?"

"Ja, though it is Nixie in my tongue. In my country, they are evil spirits, not so different from sirens. As much as I know, Rusałki are not always so ruthless. They can be helpful, too."

"In some regions, yes," they hesitate, voice growing quiet, "I would like to think I am one of them."

"I believe you to be," König replies sheepishly.

Their cheeks darken red at the compliment, but pretend not to hear it.

"I suppose it just depends on what side of their temperament the person falls on."

"And what side would I be on?" he asks, now a little louder.

"The good one, I'd think," they take a step back finally. They turn, walking towards a mess of a desk, rummaging through until pulling a piece of paper from its depths. They scribble a few notes down, folding it and upon return slipping it into the hulking hands of König before sneaking a final kiss.

"Danke, Schatz," he mumbles against their lips, before being nudged gently towards the door.

"That paper says you can return to training, but -- König, please do me one favor."

He turns his head, one hand still on the doorknob.

"You're doing great, I have heard the Commander say so himself. Please, go easy on yourself."

"Of course. Doctor's orders, after all."

"Yes," they giggle, "Doctor's orders."

#dex.writes #👑 #idk how this happened. i was delirious. it was 5am. give me a break.

[ruewrites]

Kinktober 2022 Day 29: Medical Play

AO3

Ship: Barbatos/Diavolo/Solomon

Word Count: 957

Warnings: smut

A/N: Thank you top the folks over in the Tea House for helping me figure out what I wanted to do with this! I think I'm relatively pleased with how it came out <3

When Solomon had jokingly asked where the sexy garters were, he hadn't anticipated Barbatos roughly pushing him back against the  table the second he got the chance.  Thin paper rustled beneath him and a bright light almost blinded him from above. He squinted and went to sit up only for Barbatos to firmly press his shoulder back into the table. His hands lingered before he pulled away, but Solomon could still feel his eyes piercing his skin.

Even when playing games, Barbatos wouldn’t let his professional facade slip.

It was a shame really.

“Your bedside manner could use some work Barbatos,” Solomon teased, “What if you had harmed a hair on my head? It seems a bit counterintuitive for a nurse to harm a patient.” 

Barbatos hummed, the sounds of clinking metal and the shuffling of objects on the counter filled his ears. “You always have had an unruly streak,” a hum resounded deep in the back of Barbatos’ throat, “Rougher treatments are one of the best solutions, based on our history.”

That was a promise, one that sent a pleasurable tingle down his spine. 

Before he could conjure up a retort, another door on the opposite end of the room opened. If he didn’t think that Barbatos would have swatted at thim again, he would have turned his head to see who had entered the room. Running water  cascaded down into a metal sink as the newcomer spoke.

“Is everything ready Barbatos?”

“I have prepared everything to your liking, Doctor. Sterile and shining to perfection.”

“Wonderful,” Diavolo’s face came into view as he leaned over Solomon from behind. His smile was as shiny as ever, yet Solomon couldn’t help but shiver despite himself. “It isn’t every day you get to take a look over human anatomy after all, and we must make sure our visitors are in perfect condition.”

Diavolo certainly seemed eager to play his part, a little too eager. He was breaking character. This was nothing like any doctor’s appointment Solomon had been to before. Then again, when exactly was the last time he’d been to the doctor? Perhaps things had changed.

“I trust I am in more than capable hands. Tell me what is needed of me.”

Did doctors still use leeches? They probably still used leeches… sometimes…. Right?

Diavolo stepped over to his side, fingers trailing from Solomon's jaw down to his bicep. Solomon wasn't a small man perse, but Diavolo was large, even for demon standards. Another, more slender hand mirrored Diavolo's motions on the opposite side. Barbatos’ nails were short, but sharp, and he had no doubt that the demon could disembowel him with a single swipe. The thought was dangerous, yet thrilling. He could feel himself stirring. The smaller fingers pressed right underneath the upper corner of his jaw. 

“Pulse seems to be upregulated,” Barbatos mused, head tilting up to look at Diavolo, “I believe we must find out how to alleviate this ailment.”

“I believe you're right, we can't have our patient feeling anything but the pinnacle of calm.” Diavolo's eyes shifted over Solomon's body, looking over every inch of him until he settled between his legs. “Well, that certainly looks different.” 

As large hands slid further up his thighs, Solomon felt his predicament worsen through the tightening of his pants. A soft hiss left his lips as he leaned his head back, eyes still fixed on Diavolo. 

“I believe that this may be our predicament.”

“I believe you may be right sir.”

“Shall we take a closer look then?” slowly, his zipper trailed downwards and his pants and undergarments were yanked down in one fell swoop. The force had his cock springing to attention in such a way that it smacked against his abdomen before bouncing back up. A pearl of precum that started to form at his tip had dispersed quickly in tiny droplets. There was something a bit embarrassing about two pairs of eyes being fixed upon his manhood in such a vulnerable state, but any thoughts revolving around hesitation quickly dispersed as warmth enveloped him. 

The movement of Diavolo’s hand sent pleasurable tingles up his spine. As his finger swiped against his tip, Barbatos flicked one of his nipples from overtop his shirt, ripping a soft and short moan from his lips. 

“My, what unorthodox methods,” Diavolo grinned, “I thought we were caring for our patients here.”

“In my experience, individuals like him do well with a little pain.”

To emphasize his point, Barbatos bit his ear rather harshly. The moan that escaped him came out in broken beats. A gloved thumb slipped into his mouth and held his jaw open, refusing to let any more of his sounds be muffled. 

“No cheating,” Barbatos hissed into his ear, breath hot, “Let him hear what he wishes to.”

As he continued to stroke, Diavolo dipped two fingers into a small jar sitting next to him on the table.  The following pressure applied to his hole made his brows furrow together.  His hand continued at a steady pace as he stretched the muscle around his fingers. “The patient needs to relax Barbatos, he’s stiff.”

Without a word, Barbatos latched onto his neck, fixing a deep purple bruise onto fragile pale skin. As he did, Diavolo started to curl his fingers upward and Solomon’s toes downwards. The pace of his breathing quickened, and Diavolo waited until their eyes met to strike the final blow. With a smirk, he licked along his frenulum, and Solomon came with shuddering gasps. His head lolled to the side, cock twitching, yet still surprisingly erect.

He could feel Barbatos’ smile against his neck.

“Well,” Diavolo started, cum still streaked across his face, “It appears we still have a few tests to run.”

#ruewrites #obey me #obey me solomon #obey me barbatos #obey me diavolo #kinktober #kinktober 2022 #medical play #barbatos x diavolo x solomon

[genshinemblem564]

Chapter 2: An Unexpected Reunion

Sorry for the delay on posting this, I was trying to research Askr's environment, to no avail, and I was going to start pulling hair out looking for this information, that I'm convinced does not exist after all that, so I just said " Fuck it, I'll make it up!!" but anyways, please enjoy.

TW: trauma response

_______________________________________________

A few moments prior to the events of chapter 1.

The goddess and the traveler were standing on the Jade Chamber in Liyue, while Ningguang was busy she had Ganyu tend to their guests, normally one of the other servants would suffice, but things seemed to be much more important this time.

Ganyu: Your grace, may I inquire as to why you are here?

Goddess: The traveler has informed me of something that may be able to reunite me with my sibling, if it works we will need a good view of Teyvat, the only point higher than this is Celestia and I refuse to go there after what I've heard.

Ganyu: T-Their grace will return? Here?

Goddess: Possibly, we don't know anything for certain.

The goddess then turns her attention towards Aether.

Goddess: Now how does this work again?

Aether: Their grace would often complain about it's randomness, but it always gave them what they asked for, a good weapon, a new vessel, they probably just weren't specific enough.

With that, the goddess holds out her hand, which held an intertwined fates wishing star. She brought the star close to her face before whispering her wish.

Goddess: Please let my sibling live a happy life in Teyvat.

Almost instantly, the star shot into the sky, before a blue star fell, turning purple, then gold, then glowing a pure white before landing in the ocean.

Goddess: What does that mean?

Aether: I don't know. One it's never glowed white before, and two it's never landed in the ocean before. It's always either landed next to a vessel or in front of their graces current vessels in the form of weapons, this is outside my realm of knowledge about these things.

The goddess looked rather worried, but before she could express her concerns, the ocean where the star landed erupted with a blinding light, causing everyone near Teyvat's coast to shield their eyes. When the light dissipated an entire island the size of a second continent had appeared. They couldn't believe their eyes.

Aether: I never knew these things held that kind of power, that's incredible.

Goddess: But, why an island? Where is my sibling?

Ganyu: Perhaps their grace is on the island, the traveler did say their grace complained about the randomness of those things.

Suddenly Ningguang burst out of the Jade Chamber's entrance, giving the others quite a scare.

Ningguang: YOUR GRACE, WHAT HAPPENED? WHAT WAS THAT LIGHT? WHAT....

Goddess: Calm down Ningguang, sit and I'll explain. In the meantime, Ganyu could I ask you to retrieve captain Beidou?

Ganyu: At once.

Later.

Beidou was looking out from the Jade Chamber, almost refusing to believe her eyes, but everyone else sees it to, so she can't stay disbelief for long

Beidou: So, you want me to explore this new island? Haha, you don't even have to ask, my hearts drawn to adventure, I'd have gone there on my own eventually. Their grace potentially being there however, makes this rather urgent, but...

Everyone sat in silence waiting for the captain to finish her sentence when she suddenly pulled out a collapsible telescope and began studying the island.

Beidou: That's quite a large one, it could take a few months for that endeavor, I'll need to gather enough food and water, not to mention maintenance equipment for our gear and my ship.

Ningguang: Leave that to me.

Beidou(surprised): Seriously?

Ningguang: This is a matter concerning their grace, simply say so and the Qixing shall provide what's needed.

Beidou: Alright, you won't here me complaining. Just one more thing, I'm curious why me your grace? You have the entire millelith at your back, and only send one ship, can't help but ask why?

Goddess: It's that Kazuha boy, with his attunement to the wind he'll recognize my sibling the moment you meet them.

Beidou: I see, well I'm off got to get the crew prepped to set sail.

A few weeks later.

You were on your usual patrol with a few heroes and Askr soldiers when you came upon your destination, a small fishing village on Askr's coast. Due to being only a fishing village it's docks and boats are rather small, the boats holding only two or three people. So why is there a massive ship docked next to it?

You immediately move to investigate, but the closer you got the more you felt like you've seen this ship before. Looking at where the ocean met the land you saw two figures that immediately jogged your memory,Beidou, captain of the Crux crew, and Kaedehara Kazuha, wandering samurai who spends most of his time with said captain. Seeing them, some of your trauma from the imposter hunt begins to reemerge.

Cordelia: Is something the matter summoner? Why have we stopped?

(Y/N): I-It's nothing, just zoned out is all.

Cordelia can feel that your lying, but now's not the time or the place for such a conversation so she simply nods as you continue towards the Alcor. Once you draw close enough, you are noticed by Kazuha, who brings you to Beidou's attention. Once she sees you she's quick to make her way over with Kazuha in tow.

Beidou: Hey there you lot, mind giving us a hand? We're not from here and could use some directions, also if you could tell us this place's name that'd be great to, the villagers here seem rather jumpy around outsiders.

You manage to calm down after hearing such a friendly tone in her voice, so you're able answer her.

(Y/N): You are in the kingdom of Askr on the continent of Zenith, don't mind the villagers, we just got through fighting a war, they don't mean anything personal by it. Speaking of nothing personal, I'll have to ask you two to come with me, don't worry it's nothing serious, just some paperwork and a background check, they've become rather common for all our visitors recently.

Beidou: Alright then, lead the way.

You nod and motion the soldiers to return to base. Once you get there you have the two of them seated at a table with food and drinks.

(Y/N): Apologies, but before we can begin we'll have to wait for the prince and princess to return.

Kazuha: Wait, aren't you supposed to be the one performing this background check?

(Y/N): The problem with me being in charge of that is that I'm an optimist, I like to see the best in people a little too often.

Kazuha (annoyed): I see, very well then.

Despite Kazuha's annoyance, he was grateful for this moment of quiet. Everyone was so loud and boisterous earlier that he could barely concentrate on the wind, not even the Crux crew were that loud, but now that he could concentrate on it, he noticed it felt familiar, but where does he remember it from? That's right, when he met the masked civilian who was unjustly caught up in the imposter hunt.

Later, Sharena and Alfonse return from patrol, you're convinced Anna got distracted trying to sell something, or earn gold in some kind of way. You explained the situation and they performed the necessary procedures.

Alfonse: I'm sorry, but I've never heard of this Teyvat.

(Y/N): Alfonse wait, gimme a second.

You walked to another room and pretended to look something up on your phone.

Beidou: What was that about?

Sharena: Ooh!! Let me explain.

Sharena explained how the Order of Heroes records other worlds and how you explained that your world recorded worlds beyond just the world's of emblems, as you referred to them.

Sharena: So they must have heard something familiar and left to look it up on that device of theirs.

Beidou: device, could you describe it?

Sharena: Well, it's like a small stone box polished smooth with a glass surface that emits light based images, that's the best I can do I'm afraid.

The longer Kazuha stays here the more certain he grows of his hunch, you're the one they're searching for, that was certainly faster than expected if so. You return shortly after their conversation ends.

(Y/N): Right everything they said seems to check out, their titles, occupations, everything matches up.

Sharena (excited): So they're from another world? Does that mean we have a new gateway on the sea? Are we going to meet new heroes!?

(Y/N): Whoa whoa, calm down. Yes they're from another world. We might meet new heroes. I'm fairly certain there's no gate way on the ocean, I'm more convinced this has something to do with that crazy light show the other day.

Alfonse: That's right, we know you came by boat but we never inquired beyond that. Did you pass through a gateway?

Beidou: Nope, never even knew portals to other worlds existed before today. Your summoner was actually spot on, there was this crazy burst of light off the coast and when it cleared there was a new island.

Kazuha has spent a good chunk of time staring at your hand as you forgot to put away your phone. An other worldly device that allows one almost instant access to knowledge, that pretty much seals it for him.

Kazuha: Captain, I think it's time to leave.

Beidou: Huh, but we just got here, why would ...

Kazuha: I believe our business is concluded and we must report back.

Beidou gives an exasperated sigh.

Beidou: Alright, alright. Hey you lot of you ever want to visit Liyue there's a festival next week, the exact date is (your birthday), if you're interested. Anyway, gotta split before Ning grows any grey hairs, see ya.

(Y/N): Hold on, here take this it'll help you if you ever want to visit again. Your paperwork is all done, so no real reason drop by here again unless you feel like saying hi.

You handed Beidou one of your many maps of Askr. She nodded in appreciation, and the two were on their way. Later Anna returns and just as you suspected she begins to vent about her failed money schemes, afterwards the three of you fill her in on what happened.

Alfonse: So about this festival...

Sharena: I think we should go.

(Y/N): Huh?

Anna: I agree, it could be fun, not to mention we have no idea what caused our worlds to fuse like this or if it's permanent, we should take this opportunity to make a good impression and learn about our new neighbors.

Alfonse: I suppose you're right. Summoner are you alright? You look a little pale.

(Y/N): Oh, yeah, I'm fine, well I think I'll turn for today, goodnight.

As you left, everyone had looks of both confusion and concern. You were pacing around your room, your fear from the hunt resurfacing, your ignorance of the state of Teyvat wasn't helping things. Was the hunt over? Did it get even worse? No matter your fear, you're almost certain you'll be dragged along, maybe bringing a few heroes along would help your nerves, if things turn out okay then they'll get the chance to kick back, if things go bad having them around is definitely a good idea.

#sagau #genshin impact #fire emblem heroes #feh #imposter au #sibling au

[officialyourdailyinspiration]

The Leper's Prayer (Leviticus 14:1-32; Mark 1:40-45; Luke 5:12-16)

1 And when he had come down from the mountain, great crowds followed him. 2 And behold, a leper came up to [him] and did him homage, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou art able to cleanse me. 3 And he stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, I will; be cleansed. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 4 And Jesus says to him, See thou tell no man, but go, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift which Moses ordained, for a testimony to them.

The Centurion's Great Faith (Luke 7:1-10; John 4:43-54)

5 And when he had entered into Capernaum, a centurion came to him, beseeching him, 6 and saying, Lord, my servant lies paralytic in the house, suffering grievously. 7 And Jesus says to him, I will come and heal him. 8 And the centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not fit that thou shouldest enter under my roof; but only speak a word, and my servant shall be healed. 9 For I also am a man under authority, having under me soldiers, and I say to this [one], Go, and he goes; and to another, Come, and he comes; and to my bondman, Do this, and he does it. 10 And when Jesus heard it, he wondered, and said to those who followed, Verily I say unto you, Not even in Israel have I found so great faith. 11 But I say unto you, that many shall come from [the] rising and setting [sun], and shall lie down at table with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of the heavens; 12 but the sons of the kingdom shall be cast out into the outer darkness: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth. 13 And Jesus said to the centurion, Go, and as thou hast believed, be it to thee. And his servant was healed in that hour.

Jesus Heals at Peter's House (Mark 1:29-34; Luke 4:38-41)

14 And when Jesus had come to Peter's house, he saw his mother-in-law laid down and in a fever; 15 and he touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she arose and served him. 16 And when the evening was come, they brought to him many possessed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all that were ill; 17 so that that should be fulfilled which was spoken through Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities and bore our diseases.

The Cost of Following Jesus (Luke 9:57-62; Luke 14:25-33; John 6:60-65)

18 And Jesus, seeing great crowds around him, commanded to depart to the other side. 19 And a scribe came up and said to him, Teacher, I will follow thee whithersoever thou mayest go. 20 And Jesus says to him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the heaven roosting-places; but the Son of man has not where he may lay his head. 21 But another of his disciples said to him, Lord, suffer me first to go away and bury my father. 22 But Jesus said to him, Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.

Jesus Stills the Storm (Mark 4:35-41; Luke 8:22-25)

23 And he went on board ship and his disciples followed him; 24 and behold, [the water] became very agitated on the sea, so that the ship was covered by the waves; but he slept. 25 And the disciples came and awoke him, saying, Lord save: we perish. 26 And he says to them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then, having arisen, he rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. 27 But the men were astonished, saying, What sort [of man] is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?

Demons Cast into Pigs (Mark 5:1-20; Luke 8:26-39)

28 And there met him, when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, two possessed by demons, coming out of the tombs, exceeding dangerous, so that no one was able to pass by that way. 29 And behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Son of God? hast thou come here before the time to torment us? 30 Now there was, a great way off from them, a herd of many swine feeding; 31 and the demons besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, send us away into the herd of swine. 32 And he said to them, Go. And they, going out, departed into the herd of swine; and lo, the whole herd [of swine] rushed down the steep slope into the sea, and died in the waters. 33 But they that fed them fled, and went away into the city and related everything, and what had happened as to those possessed by demons. 34 And behold, the whole city went out to meet Jesus; and when they saw him, they begged [him] to go away out of their coasts. — Matthew 8 | 1890 Darby Bible (DARBY) The Darby Translation of the Holy Bible is in the public domain. Cross References: Genesis 43:33; Exodus 4:7; Leviticus 13:49; Judges 11:12; 1 Samuel 2:9; 1 Kings 19:20; Psalm 65:7; Psalm 104;12; Psalm 107:20; Psalm 112:10; Isaiah 49:12; Isaiah 53:4; Isaiah 59:19; Daniel 7:13; Amos 7:12; Habakkuk 3:10; Malachi 1:11; Matthew 4:23-24; Matthew 7:6; Matthew 7:29; Matthew 9:9; Matthew 9:18; Matthew 9:22; Mark 1:27; Mark 1:29-30; Mark 1:32; Mark 2:14; Mark 4:35-36; Mark 4:38; Mark 5:1; Mark 5:13; Luke 4:38; Luke 9:57; Luke 4:40; Luke 7:1; Luke 7:3; Luke 7:9; Luke 8:22; Luke 8:34; Luke 9:1; John 4:50; Acts 2:7; 1 Corinthians 16:6; Revelation 22:15

#the Leper's prayer #the Centurian's faith #Jesus heals at Peter's house #the cost of discipleship #Jesus calms the storm #demons cast into herd of swine #Matthew 8 #Gospel of Matthew #1890 Darby Bible #DARBY