#but feel free to come and bug me about fics literally anytime

[sunattacksthemoon]

what other stories are you going to put in the series? is it just going to be princess bride and the other story?

(pls don’t answer if you don’t want to)

I’m sorry I am just answering this now, I put it in my drafts when I got it and completely forgot to answer this😭😭

Okay so for the series the only ones I’ve got planned are the princess bride and stardust. I’ve written a fuck ton for the princess bride au but the stardust au is in the works, I’m pretty much planning it and making an outline. Did y’all know that thinking of chapter names is the equivalent of stabbing yourself with a fork repeatedly😀. Pure torture, don’t recommend. However I’ve got other ideas for the series. Mainly aus but I’ve just thought of this cool one which plays into the whole bit where people make Sirius an artist. Idk if it’s gonna be like a university au, I’m thinking of not making it modern. But that’s gonna be later this year. I’ve got no news on the princess bride au. I’ve got chapters written and edited, like I could post them and whatnot but I’m beyond nervous about it. (im still on the fence about having someone beta for me, like it would help immensely but im kinda touchy with this fic plus I hate asking people I feel so annoying 😭😭) I’ve got to think of a name and name of chapters and then I will be able to post a couple chapters. No where near finished with this fic but I’ve gotten a lot of it done.

The stardust au is so fucking exciting tho and I’ve got so many plans with this fic and it’s soooo exciting. So far I’m assigning character roles and planning out how I want this whole thing to work out. And this fic is giving me an excuse to research a bunch of topics. I do know however I’m not going to include Walburga and Orion. I have no interest and honestly they don’t fit into the narrative. In all future fics I most likely will not include them, in some aus and fics Sirius will have a history with them but it will be past tense. BUT Im including Regulus as Sirius’s sibling, that will never change. But this fics going to be so much fun.

Just realized I didn’t really answer you’re question😬😬, so I’m thinking of the corpse bride actually, I think Emily is a Sirius variant and honestly Victor is so much like Remus in my head. But I’d make it wolfstar endgame cause duh. Other than that I’d like to explore y’know like those basic love story tropes. I need to make like a comprehensive list of all my favorite love stories. I’d also like to say that not every fic in this series will be longer, it will vary on time, the story, and how much I can do for that specific story. Those are the main four I guess. But thank you for asking!!! Sorry for the ramble, can you tell I love talking about this idea??

#honestly haven’t had much of outlet to y’know talk about this #been keeping it very hush hush #but I’m trying to get better at posting on this account #i make no promises classes start soon and im actually really nervous #but feel free to come and bug me about fics literally anytime #I rarely ever postpone responding but something came up and I couldn’t at that moment #im also gonna make a new tag for all fic related things #it’ll be separate from my Sunny’s reading tag it’ll just be about my fics #I think for actual writing and snippets I’ll use my writing tag #just to keep it organized y’know #fics galore✨ #<- new tag #it’s a lil cheesy but whatever

[mayahawkins]

no one asked me to list my fav blogs but i’m just gonna make my own end of year follow forever bc i wanna rant abt my talented friends, beloved mutuals, and just people i follow that i have never spoken to but who are such a joy to see on my dash. so, without further ado, maddy’s 2022 follow forever:

@strangeswift abby strangeswift, my beloved. you were the first person i talked to in this fandom and i’m so glad u were bc u are the sweetest most kind person ever. you are so supportive of all your friends and mutuals and u make me wanna be a more outwardly loving and supportive person fr. i remember when u wrote that lil ficlet based on my text post and i’m p sure i almost cried bc i felt so special that someone had been inspired by something i had said to write smth so wonderful. you’re an incredible writer and i am always so excited anytime you post any of your writing. i can’t wait to read more of your fics and am so patiently waiting for MilevenVision (as much as i may bug u for crumbs). i’m so glad to call you a friend <3

@elekinetic ella ella, bonded in shared discord trauma so ur never getting rid of me. i feel so honoured to call you a friend bc you are one of the best people i know. you are so smart and level-headed and loyal as hell to your friends. you are also so kind and you're so deliberate with what you say and how you say it. you defs intimidated me the first few times we talked but now im like oh ya ella, my amazing talented friend ella. your scripts give me so much life. and not just your st ones but your original ones as well. can't wait to one day see "ella elekinetic hexagirl" in movie credits (bc obviously ur last name is ur url). and your OCs?? i have never once become obsessed with someone's OCs the way i can't stop thinking abt yours. that's what you've done to me. you are so incredibly talented and ily <3

@andiwriteordie ANNDDIIIIII ILY FR <3 u are so insanely talented and kind and wonderful. i’m so happy we started talking recently bc u have truly brightened the last few weeks of the year. u got me back into watching merlin so thank u for the pain u will surely cause me as i rewatch this show i haven’t seen in almost a decade. ur fics were some of the first that i read in the byler fandom and that means u will always hold a special place in my heart. i remember the first time i read your let's hear it for the boys series and i was just like omg i'm obsessed with this. i have absolutely adored every single one i’ve read (even though i’m a lil behind on them rn oops but i will catch up) and can’t wait to see what else you write. your atla!au (and the newly brainstormed merlin!au) live in my head rent free and i can’t wait to read them if you write them.

@nnilkyway my fellow emo will truther <3 yvie i love you dearly. you are so incredibly talented i could scream abt ur artwork literally for days. your fanworks and your original art and your doodles are all beautiful and stunning. the day we started talking and you sent me the lil doodle you did of emo will byers i think i actually cried at how much i loved it and that it had come from our conversation about it. i saved it onto my camera roll so i can come back to it easier that's how much i love it. you are also one of the funniest people on here, your tags almost always have me rolling. i can't wait to see what beautiful art you draw in the new year.

@finalgirlbyers sierra lovqbrl madcleradin finalgirlbyers!!!! i know we haven’t talked much but i love seeing u on my dash and u always have the best takes and theories and just posts in general. i know i've said that literally multiple times to you but it cannot be overstated how correct you always are. one of my fav people to follow on here.

people i don't talk to but whose presence is a joy to have on my dash:

@astrobei an absolutely incredible writer that wrote some of my fav fics. one of the best will fics, not all the prayers, that truly is just so unbelievably amazing. like the care that you can just tell went into that fic is just incredible. Some absolutely incredible lines that will punch you right in the gut in the best way possible.

@blueeandyellowmakesgreen jade! one of the coolest people, has some of the most amazing art over on @azuries, like it's actually so amazing and people need to go look at it and reblog it now immediately

@mlchaelwheeler an absolute joy to follow. so many good posts and im fr rooting for mike with a sword in s5 just for her

@elmaxed their fics were some of the first i read in the byler fandom and i absolutely fell in love with them. they hold such a dear place in my heart. also one of the sweetest people fr, one of the first to compliment my gifs and so they are forever in my mind for that <3

@smoosnoom omg their fics!!! are!!!! incredible!!!! so many wonderful fics, i was just looking through my bookmarks and i swear half of them are theirs. the one about mike's will voice has my whole heart.

@wiseatom another lovely fic writer, and one who titles her fics with taylor swift lyrics bc she Gets It!!! also one of the sweetest people in the fandom, always seems to be supporting other people.

@kidovna one of the most talented artists in this fandom oh my GOD. i cannot praise her and her art enough idk how what else to even say besides amazing incredible talented showstopping

@byeler wrote one of my all time fav fics, Heavy Hopes, with my beloved trope, oblivious jealous mike, which is truly *chef's kiss*. such a good writer like it cannot be overstated

@ice-sculptures a truly amazing gifmaker. gifs so many little byler moments that are so precious that i've definitely missed when watching the show.

@william-byers an absolutely incredible gif maker. taylor swift and stranger things together on one blog, what more could you want?

@padme-amidala makes some of the most beautiful gifs ever oh my goodness, her gifs are part of what inspired me to start making gifs and to challenge my gifmaking. i hope to one day be as good as she is.

@robiinbuckley also makes some of the most beautiful gifs, literally in awe of her gifs. also inspired my gifmaking journey and has inspired me to challenge myself when it comes to gifmaking.

#personal #follow forever #blog recs

[keiscait]

Hi! Hope you're doing okay. I saw your matchups were pretty intriguing so I decided to request a bedroom matchup if that's okay. (I would also like to request a living room matchup so should I resend my application?)

I'm a 5'3" bisexual (male lean) female. Golden brown wavy hair till my mid back. Reddish brown eyes. Caramel complexion. Full lips. I also love a little mole on my lower lip on the left side. Lean hourglass.

The only sport I do is swimming (not competitive all the time. Sometimes I do it for the heck of it or for exercise) and I love it. But that's about it.

I'm a Pisces and a Slytherin. INFP-T (Turbulent Mediator). I'm an introvert so I tend to be a little shy at first and opening up to others takes me a while. But once I actually like a person I would literally kill for them. I also don't trust easily. I have been diagnosed with depression so I don't even trust myself when the going gets rough. Although I have been trying my best to get out of it. I'm also claustrophobic so I tend to avoid crowds and cramped places. Also spiders and I just don't get along. I woke up to the feeling of something crawling up my arm once and I opened my eyes to see it was a spider and since then I can't stand to be in same room as those bugs. Seriously I'll cry otherwise.

I'm a huge astronomy nerd. Stargazing is the second love of my life. I love reading and listening to music. Music is the first love of my life. I listen to almost every except for heavy metal. Don't really have anything against it just that I end up with a headache after listening to it. My favourite type would either be alternative or pop, depends on my mood.

I'm not into gossiping. More of the deep-conversations-at-3am type of person. Offer me dark chocolate and I'll be your loyal servant of the rest of my life (just kidding... mostly). I love learning new things especially about art and culture. I grew up on the coast so I love nature.

I guess I'm drawn to people who have a good sense of humour and are respectfully of other people's boundaries and opinions. Seriously to me the manners that "maketh" the man appeal more than the genes.

I'm not the confrontational type so I seriously can't stand to argue with the people I love. Also I am a tab bit on the sensitive side (perks of being a Pisces *yay*). Like I don't mean to get overwhelmed by the slightest of things but after a hard day if I come back home to see my favourite snack (ramen) and movie (Tangled) ready, I'm probably gonna spend the time meant for "relaxation" on crying because I just get overwhelmed over unexpected things, I'm sorry. That's about it I guess. Thanks!

((I GOT CARRIED AWAY AND WROTE A MINI FIC HELLO))

Hello and welcome, darling! Thanks for paying me a visit. I hope you’re well, I want you to know that this is a safe space for you. Please make yourself at home (⌒‿⌒) I understand you’d like a bedroom matchup, but unfortunately, there isn’t enough info on here for me to deduce a good one (and I don’t want to half-ass your matchup) 😔 But I’m glad you mentioned your interest in a Living Room matchup, so let’s make our way over there! ٩(◕‿◕｡)۶

For you, I’ve invited...

Akaashi Keiji! (Runner up: Kozume Kenma)

Akaashi has proven time and time again that he knows how to handle people. His understanding of the different ways people think is possibly his biggest strength, and he knows exactly how to adapt to various personalities. The exact reason why I matched you with him. He’s laid back and incredibly pulled together, so there is no way for him to overwhelm you and will never cross any boundaries you’ve set. He seems like a no nonsense type of person, but is used to chaos, and knows how to resolve it because of Bokuto.

- Your relationship with Akaashi would start out with him observing you first. He’ll notice your little quirks, and will be able to detect any non-verbal cues and signs about your mood

- Even when you guys aren’t together yet, he can tell if you find yourself starting to spiral

- The first time he catches it, he won’t push you to talk about it if you don’t want to (and he can 100% tell if you don’t want to), but will still do what he can to make things less overwhelming for you, even in the smallest ways he can

- In return, he will appreciate the fact that you like deeper topics and interests, as he constantly surrounded by chaos and shallow conversations. Totally seems like the type to prefer having a glass of wine in a quiet place over a bar/club

- Another thing he’d love about you is your bluntness and honesty, as he shares the same qualities. You two would be a team!

- Your relationship would be built on the foundation of trust, as you both let your walls down around each other 

- Once you two are together, he just has to be taught once, then he will have mastered navigating you down to an art form

- He can tell when you need space, or gifts, or words, or a day out, or an evening walk, or silence, or warmth - as long as it’s within his capabilities, he will give it to you

- In return, just love and respect him, and make sure he knows how grateful you are for everything he does!

~

This turned into a mini fic askjdhf I hope you like it! (warning: angst, but with a happy ending)

It was dark.

Somehow, you have made friends with the dark - you’re well-acquainted with the way it envelopes you in its quiet. It is an old friend you’ve had a of topsy-turvy relationship with. It shows up in so many different forms - a cup of your favorite hot chocolate; the coast in the nighttime; a confidant when your music blasts from your bedroom speakers. Sometimes, it’s dusted with stars; this is when it loves you most. 

But tonight, it was not kind to you. You lay there and feel yourself sinking, cries clawing up your throat with no signs of making it out, so they come out in the form of silent sobs. You wonder why the dark allows you no comfort tonight.

Your phone lights up, a message - but you’re submerged in the company of your old friend, too focused on its bellowing silence.

After a few more moments of trying to swim up, something cuts through the vastness of the night, and you’re back on your bed, in your room, now illuminated with light pouring from the hall. You look back and see a figure standing in the doorway - your boyfriend, Akaashi, brings you back to reality.

He observes you for a few more moments, assessing the situation. Nothing he’s unfamiliar with, but he still has a concerned look on his face. He reached for the lightswitch but stops in his tracks. His voice, sweet like caramel, breaks the silence.

“Should I keep the lights off? I don’t want the light to shock you.” You nod, then he makes his way to you.

He sits on the edge of the bed and places a hand on your figure, his movements all taken with immense care and gentleness.

“I brought you ramen. I figured you haven’t eaten yet.” 

You were about to ask how he knew, but he interrupted, “Last thing you texted me was that you were on your way home. That was hours ago.”

“I’m sorry,” was all you could manage. Akaashi just shook his head with a reassuring smile. His hand stayed on you the whole time.

“Please let me help you, my love.” 

He held out his hand for you to take it. Suddenly, you no longer felt like you were swimming up - you were back ashore, and right there stood Akaashi Keiji, like a lighthouse in the night. 

~

I CLEARLY GOT A BIT CARRIED AWAY BUT I HOPE YOU LIKED THAT, DARLING! Remember, you have a home here, please feel free to pay me a visit anytime.

Thanks for dropping by! (ﾉ´ヮ`)ﾉ*: ･ﾟ

#haikyuu!! #haikyu matchups #haikyuu matchups #hq matchups #haikyuu requests #haikyu requests #hq!! #haikyuu #haikyuu matchup #hq #livingroom #haikyu matchup #haikyuu headcanons #fukurodani #keiji akaashi #akaashi keiji #haikyuu fic

[authenticcadence18]

Ladynoir July Day 12: Falling

Ever since she became the Guardian, Marinette has been having nightmares about falling. Eventually, these nightmares start affecting her while she's awake, and she is hesitant to even use her yo-yo...because what if she falls again? What if the dreams become real?

(Fortunately for Ladybug, she has an amazing partner who might know just what to say to help her face her fears.)

@ladynoirjuly2020

AO3

...

The sensation of falling shouldn’t have twisted Marinette’s gut the way it did.

Not after all the hours she’d spent soaring up and down throughout Paris with the aid of her yo-yo without so much as a second thought as to how far down she was swinging.

Things were different now, though.

...

When Marinette was little, she often dreamt of falling. One minute, she’d be happily skipping along, and the next, her foot connected with air and she was tumbling down, down down….until she woke up.

Once Marinette became Ladybug, however, the dreams stopped! Wielding a miraculous meant soaring, tumbling, and freewheeling through the sky on a pretty regular basis...and Marinette (or her subconscious, at least) realized that falling wasn’t nearly as scary when she knew she’d be able to catch herself.

Marinette still had stress dreams, of course. They were practically a staple of her life. But not about falling anymore.

And then she became the Guardian.

The night after Ladybug and Chat Noir’s battle with Miracle Queen, Marinette fell into a restless sleep and a restless dream…

She was walking through Paris while holding the Miraculous Box. It was so heavy, almost too much to carry. Gradually, the box grew bigger and bigger, until Marinette found herself tripping and stumbling into one of its looming black spots.

She was falling again. Unable to scream, unable to think, unable to save herself.

Marinette finally woke up with a start, heart pounding and breath coming in short gasps.

The dreams were back. and they were worse than ever.

Before, the falling dreams were vague. Falling off a pathway while walking to the pool, tripping over a crack in the sidewalk and then catching herself….those dreams were stressful, of course, but they were normal. Lots of people had stress dreams like that.

But now, Marinette’s falling dreams were vivid.

She was Ladybug, and she didn’t have a yo-yo, or her yo-yo snapped, or an akuma carried her high into the air and dropped her....and she fell.

She was Marinette, and she couldn’t transform….and she fell.

She was trapped and could only watch as Chat Noir lost his balance or his baton and fell from the Eiffel Tower...feeling the horrible, agonizing feeling of falling with him as he plummeted down an infinite distance below, even though she was stuck in place herself.

...it was getting to the point that Marinette no longer wanted to sleep at all...Tikki had to coax her to shut her eyes each night. And she’d grown to dread using her yo-yo...what if any perceived reality was another dream? All of her dreams felt so real.

What if she was about to fall again?

...

“Hey, Ladybug? You okay?”

Ladybug blinked and shook her head, rooting herself back in the moment.

She was on patrol with Chat Noir. They were standing on the sidewalk. About to vault and swing up onto the roof of a building.

...she realized she’d been afraid to make the leap. Because if she went up...that meant she had to come down eventually.

“Uhh, I’m fine!!!” Ladybug replied, forcing herself to smile at her partner. “Just, uh...trying to figure out the best way up, that’s all!!!”

This WASN’T a dream. It was real. She was perfectly safe.

….but what if it WAS a dream?

Or what if today was the day her dreams became reality and her yo-yo failed her??

“M’lady? Hey, are you sure you’re alright?”

Ladybug blinked the fog of panic from her eyes and found Chat gazing at her, brows creased with concern. He cocked his head at her before placing a hand against her forehead.

“You aren’t getting sick, are you?”

Ladybug couldn’t help but smile at that, even if it was a half-hearted smile. “No, Chat Noir, I’m not sick. And even if I WAS getting sick...would you even be able to feel my temperature through your suit?”

Chat paused for a second to consider that.

“....alright...you might have a point there...” he chuckled.

“But, Ladybug, sick or not, you still don’t seem like yourself...is everything okay?”

Ladybug steeled herself and prepared to state that she was fine, that everything was just dandy...but one look at Chat stole those words away.

She couldn’t lie to him. She didn’t WANT to lie to him.

If anyone could understand what she was going through...it was Chat.

“....no...not really….”

...

“When I was little, I used to have nightmares about falling...you know those dreams?”

“Oh man, do I ever… I don’t have them much anymore, though.”

Ladybug and Chat Noir had decided to cut patrol short that day. Now, they were seated on a bench tucked in a corner of one of Paris’s smaller parks. Not many people frequented said park, which made it the perfect place for the two heroes to talk without being disturbed (and without having to leave the ground).

“The dreams stopped once I became Ladybug, which was amazing…” Ladybug’s voice trailed off.

Chat cocked his head at her. “...I heard a ‘was’ in that statement...have the dreams started up again?” he asked gently.

Ladybug nodded, biting her lip. “Ever since I became the Guardian…” she whispered. “Almost every night, I dream that my yo-yo breaks, or I lose my balance, or an akuma knocks me down, or YOU get knocked down...and all the dreams end the same way. With falling. Horrible, endless falling.”

She lifted her yo-yo, examined it, and winced. “Everytime I have to use my yo-yo, now, I’m afraid that I’m inside another dream and that I’m about to fall, or that my dreams are about to become real and I am about to FALL for real. I know it’s silly, but….” She squeezed her eyes shut as a few wayward tears trickled down her cheeks. “How can I be a good Guardian if some stress dreams are freaking me out so badly?”

“Hey, listen to me,” Chat said softly, taking Ladybug’s hand and gazing at her with compassion in his eyes. “It is NOT silly to be freaked out by stress dreams. I have nightmares too, sometimes. Not about falling, though...they’re usually about being trapped somewhere with no way out.”

Ladybug’s heart dropped. “Oh, Chat, that’s awful...I’m so sorry….”

Chat gave her hand a squeeze and replied, “Thanks, m’lady. My nightmares are definitely awful, but I know whenever I wake up feeling trapped, I can become Chat Noir and feel free again. It keeps them from being too bad.”

Ladybug sighed, happy for her partner but unsure how her own problem could be solved. “That’s wonderful for you, Chat, really...but I don’t exactly have that luxury. Being Ladybug doesn’t help with my nightmares anymore...if anything, it’s making them worse now…”

Chat pursed his lips in thought, trying to come up with a solution for his lady. “Well, whenever I wake up from a nightmare, I remind myself of what I know to be true: that I am Chat Noir and I am capable of freeing myself. We just need to come up with a truth you can tell yourself whenever you wake up from a bad dream.”

He thought for a few more seconds, and then his eyes lit up.

“Whenever you fall, I’ll be there to catch you!” he exclaimed. “That’s it!! That’s what you can tell yourself: if I ever fall, Chat Noir will be there to catch me.”

He squeezed her hand again and gave her a gentle look. “And I don’t just mean that in the literal sense...I’m here for you no matter what, Ladybug. If you feel stressed out, if the responsibilities of being the Guardian become too much to bear...I’ll be there for you. I’m always here for you.”

Ladybug’s face flushed crimson, and for the first time in a while, her spiking pulse could be attributed to something other than fear.

“Plus, I have a friend at school who trips allll the time, and I’ve gotten pretty good at catching her,” Chat added on with a cheeky grin. “I’ve had PLENTY of practice, I promise!!”

Ladybug buried her face in her hands to smother a laugh (and maybe also to hide her blush). “I think that friend of yours might be my secret twin,” she giggled. “I like to think I have a special talent for tripping over stuff.”

“Secret twin, eh?” Chat mused, examining Ladybug’s face and imagining Marinette in his mind. “You know, she COULD be your secret twin…you kind of look like her...”

He furrowed his brows for a moment...and then he remembered Multimouse.

Never mind.

“Hey, thanks for cheering me up, Chat Noir!!” Ladybug said, leaning in to give him a hug. “And thanks for the reminder that you’re always there for me...I really appreciate you…”

Chat smiled warmly as he nuzzled into a hug. “Anytime, bug.”

...

Marinette dreamed of falling again that night.

But this time, as she plummeted down into the void, she remembered her conversation with Chat.

Chat Noir will always be there to catch me.

And then he was there, cradling her in his arms, whispering encouraging words in her ear, and kissing her on the forehead.

...WAIT.

Marinette jolted awake from this dream, just as she did with all the nightmares she’d been plagued with.

But this time, instead of shaking with fear, she was covering her burning face with her hands and trying to ignore the butterflies fluttering in her stomach.

...she supposed it was an improvement.  

...

I'm writing some one-shots for Ladynoir July! What days will I write for? How many fics will I be able to finish?

...only Ahtohallan knows.

(also THANK YOU @youruinedmylifebynotbeingreal FOR BEING MY BETA!!! forgive me for forgetting to tag you at first😭😭)

#aaaaaaaaaaaah i'm posting this so late #but i wanted to get it posted before the day ended for me! #and I DID #WOOO #ladynoir #ladynoir july 2020 #ladynoirjuly2020 #ladynoirjuly #miraculous ladybug #miraculous ladybug fanfiction #miraculous ladybug fanfic #miraculous ladybug fic #ml fanfiction #ml fanfic #ml fic #ladynoir fanfiction #ladynoir fanfic #ladynoir fic #ladybug #chat noir #my writing #marinette dupain cheng

[gweniala]

Ertanians

Finally, behold! The product of this year’s winter school: a fanfiction introducing four new characters to my already bursting cast, coming as a direct sequel to The Dam. It comes complete with character designs because I came up with the fanfic as I was designing the characters.

Disclaimer: This fic is dark. As in, grim dark. A lot of babies die in great pains, there’s mutilation, character death and angst all around.

------

Nike spends a good while puzzling over where he has seen Svea before he realises it’s not the woman he finds familiar; it’s her sword.

It’s a day like any other on the road: the sun is hot, the beer is watered, the innkeeper is greedy and the lunch guests are yelling and pawing at the poor waitress like all of the above was her fault. Some three hundred years ago, Nike would have told them to stop and happily got in a fist fight over it. But those days are gone. Now that he travels alone, he has to watch his back and pick his battles. A knife in the gut could actually be a problem for him nowadays, not to mention losing a limb. Oh how the mighty have fallen…

Nike’s musings are interrupted when, much to Nike’s surprise, someone else stands up to the common injustice. From the corner of the room a hooded woman grows: “Leave the girl alone.”

The rest of the guests look over but that’s about it. The waitress retreats to the kitchen, but soon enough she’s bringing another round of watered beer. When she bends over to collect the empty glasses, one of the guests grabs her ass and squeezes as if to prove a point. At that, the woman stands up and walks over to him. She leans down and tells him something in a quiet voice. The guest, a burly blue Ynt who barely fits onto his chair, sneers at her in response.

“Piss off,” he says. “I’m not gonna hit a girl.”

“Oh, it’s that old song again…” the woman says. “What, you’re afraid the girl might hit back?” When this doesn’t earn her response, she straightens and says: “Sure, have it your way. Let today be the day you ran from being challenged by a girl. I guess it can’t be helped. You do look like you can barely hold the spoon. Don’t let your mother see you this way, it would break her heart.” She laughs at him from beneath the hood.

The Ynt strikes the table. “Very well, outside it is!” he barks and gets up.

The woman chuckles and exits the inn first. As she’s walking past Nike, she lifts her cape to check on a sword strapped to her side. Nike can’t see under her hood, but he gets the feeling that he knows her from somewhere.

Outside the Ynt tries to talk the woman out of fighting him. When she doesn’t budge, he says that a true Ynt always fights with a spear and to the death. She says that’s alright with her; she’s armed, too. It’s plain as day that the Ynt just wants to go back inside and finish his lunch. Groping a waitress is a terribly trivial matter to die over. But this woman keeps goading him as if she had a death wish and he can’t let her trample all over his pride. So, after considerable stalling, he finally brandishes his spear and tells her to defend herself.

The moment she draws her sword, Nike recognises the flame-shaped guard and it dawns on him why he finds her so familiar. With a dramatic flare she tears her cape off, and he already knows that he’ll see black goggles and a red-eyed snake underneath. And his anticipation is proven right for the third time when her sword bursts into flame.

“En garde, little bug!” the woman shouts. “I am Svea, daughter of Stein and Kafendre, the Guardian of Fire, and you really should have left that girl alone!”

The Ynt screeches with terror. Dropping his spear, he opens his wing-case and he’s in the air before you can say “cinder”. Svea bursts out laughing. She jabs her burning sword into the ground and leans against it, cackling merrily.

“Gets them every time!” she says. “Hey, little bug! Come back! I know your folk is afraid of fire. I wasn’t going to hurt you. You still have a soup to finish.”

When the blue Ynt isn’t coming back, she sighs and flicks the flames off her sword. “Move along now,” she tells the spectators and she goes to pick her cape up from the dusty ground.

It takes Svea a while to come back inside the inn. Nike is wondering if she has gone after the Ynt when she enters, cape bundled under her arm, frowning like a storm. She plops down on her seat and glares at her beer. The waitress scurries to her side; the two whisper until Svea’s frown eases and she passes the bundled cape to the waitress.

Nike smiles to himself, picks his glass up and walks over to Svea’s table.

“You tore the buckle off, didn’t you?” he says. “I’m Nike, son of free will. Mind if I sit here?”

Svea grunts. She doesn’t offer him a chair but she doesn’t tell him to beat it either, so Nike takes his chances and sits. “Was it that obvious?” Svea asks begrudgingly.

“Not really. I just used to be big on capes myself,” Nike says. “I know what happens when you rip it off like that.”

“Hm,” Svea says. She shifts uncomfortably. “Do you want something?”

“I just wanted to ask how Razi’s doing.”

Svea’s entire demeanour changes. She perks up. Her snake – her familiar – fixates its gaze firmly on Nike. “You’ve met Razi?” she says. “Where? And when?”

“Uh, about two years ago. Far away from here, I don’t remember what the world was called.”

A relieved smile spreads across Svea’s face. “She’s okay… that’s good to hear. How did she look? Does she still carry that menhir around?”

“She looked fine, and yes, she does,” Nike says, somewhat taken aback. “You’re her sister, right? Just how long haven’t you seen her?”

“For nine years!” Svea says. “It’s been such a long time. I expected we would cross roads more often, you know? But either the universe is really big, or…” She breaks off, then continues. “The five of us were supposed to meet up five years ago. But when I got there, the place literally didn’t exist anymore and I couldn’t find anyone… Luckily, Aini planned for two meetings! So I’m heading there right now and I really hope they’re gonna be there.”

“Can I come along with you?”

Svea gives him a surprised look. She coughs, sits back and the friendly spell fades. “Why?” she asks cautiously.

Nike shrugs. “I’d just like to see Razi again.”

Svea looks him up and down a few times. Finally she asks: “How did you meet her?”

“On the road,” Nike says. “She saved a village from being flooded.”

Svea appears thoughtful, then she shrugs her shoulders and says: “Do you have a horse?”

“No, but I can run like one.”

She smiles. “We’ll see about that.”

Svea’s horse is a chestnut morgan and, naturally, it leaves Nike in the dust. The hoophead is afraid the Fire Guardian might leave him behind, but he finds her waiting at the first crossroad not twenty kilometres from the inn.

“I thought you’d give up,” she says simply and hops up into the saddle. “Try to keep up. We’ve got a long way ahead of us.”

It takes them over three weeks to reach the designated meeting spot. During that time, Nike learns almost nothing about Svea. The woman isn’t a talker; she rides and eats in silence, sleeps alone and never parts with her sword. He can tell, however, that she’s very excited to reunite with her family. So he puts in that little extra effort and runs faster than he usually would. Slowly it wears on him. But he can still match the morgan’s speed, granted that Svea doesn’t drive it like crazy.

They’re travelling across a wide grassy plane when Svea stops and points toward the horizon.

“See that tree? That’s where we’re meeting!” she says. “I’ll race you there!”

She pays no heed to Nike’s protests; she spurs her morgan and leaves the hoophead in the dust again. Nike sighs and continues running at his somewhat-higher-than-usual speed. He isn’t going to bust a nut over being impatient.

Svea doesn’t reach the tree before him anyway. He meets her about two thirds of the way as she’s leading her morgan by the bridle. The horse is soaked with sweat, its legs shaking and mouth frothing. Nike falls into step beside them and he can’t deny himself the pleasure of saying: “And that’s why you don’t sprint unless you have to.”

The tree is taller than Nike expected. Huge and ancient, it towers over a small inn. Svea barely wastes time tying her exhausted morgan to a pole before she barges inside. Nike ties the horse properly, though he expects that it isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, and follows Svea inside.

Immediately he spots a bundle of people with snakes and goggles who are hugging each other and laughing happily. Razi’s there, with her menhir leaning against the wall. Nike counts five goggled people in total and concludes that Svea was the last to arrive.

“You’re late!” Razi says as if on cue. “I’ve already been here for two weeks. Where have you been?”

“It’s not my fault,” Svea says and points at Nike. “He slowed me down.”

Razi glances at him and she smiles widely. “Nike! It’s good to see you.” She makes her way toward him, extending her hand.

“It’s good to see you, too,” Nike says, shaking her hand. To his surprise, Razi clasps the back of his neck and pulls him down toward her. By all means it looks like she’s going to kiss him, but she just bumps her goggles against his eyes. When she pulls away and sees his expression, she starts and chuckles in embarrassment.

“Oh! Sorry, force of habit,” she says, stepping back.

“Hold on,” Svea calls from the huddle and her tone is nothing but jealous. “I was told you’ve met. How close are the two of you exactly?”

“None of your business, sister,” Razi says. “Come here guys, I’ll introduce you.”

Razi’s remaining siblings are a young woman who’s missing half of her limbs, an energetic man who carries her on his hip and a serious man with a sweet smile. Nike forgets immediately who is who, but it doesn’t really matter. He’s offered a spot crammed between Razi and one of her brothers, which suits him just fine. The five Guardians chat as if they didn’t have a care in the world. The taciturn Svea suddenly spins tales like a master storyteller, Razi and her crippled sister banter good-naturedly, and Nike is pretty sure both of the brothers are flirting with him. At some point there’s a hand on his thigh; it’s gone before he can take a look who it belongs to.

As alcohol levels rise, the conversation turns from hard-to-follow to downright confusing. Not only doesn’t Nike know half the terms (why do they keep calling Razi a tyrant?), he also has serious trouble reading the mood. He knows that the eyes in their heads are blind and he should make eye contact with the serpentine familiars instead. But the snake faces seem stony to him. If they emote, he can’t read them. Plus it’s so strange to have the voice coming from another place than below the eyes…

When the five Guardians decide to go outside and have a free-for-all, it comes as a relief more than anything. One of the two brothers lingers behind, fishing for something in his bag.

“Ah, there we go,” he says and pulls out a small book bound between two slates of stone. He offers it to Nike. “If you get bored of watching us goof off, read this.”

“What is it?”

“The history of our world. I copied it from our Wall of Records. Have you read the Wall lately?”

Nike shakes his head.

The man clicks his tongue. “You need to know your history if you want to navigate the future,” he says. “Especially if you’re after Razi.” And he gives him a searching look.

Nike shrugs. “I’ll read it.”

“Do that.”

Nike settles on a bench outside the inn, overlooking the sea of grass which is tinted golden by the drooping sun. In the distance, the five Guardians are preparing for their free-for-all. Nike can see Svea’s burning sword on the ground level and two figures darting about up in the air. He opens the stone-bound book and begins reading.

The history of Ertan (excerpt from the Wall of Records)

The first generation of fifth-age Guardians was born on the planet Ertan.

Ertan was one of the thousands of worlds created by Arven, and perhaps it was because of the creator’s renowned rush that its inhabitants suffered from an inborn, incurable disease. As soon as the eyes of their newborns were exposed to the planet’s atmosphere, they became inflamed and they would fester painfully until the baby went completely blind. The first Ertanians fervently searched for a way to reverse or prevent the process, but it was an impossible task. Some parents fell into despair. They smothered their wailing babies, saying that swift death was a fate better than a lifetime of agony.

But two doctors rose against this dreadful practice. They were a husband and wife, a surgeon called Briar and a physiotherapist called Tyra. They advocated that parents shouldn’t smother their children, but rather provide them as test subject to their experimental research. In response Briar and Tyra were called monsters and their house was tagged with paint and rotten eggs. But in the end, most parents found it easier to entrust their doomed offsprings to the two doctors than to commit an unforgivable sin. And so the Haven, the ghastly research facility, was created.

Few knew what kind of research was conducted in the Haven. Few wanted to know. Over the next three years, sixty-eight babies were taken inside its walls never to be seen again. Briar and Tyra assured everybody that they were working on a cure for the disease, but when a mass grave was found in their backyard, they were nearly lynched by a terrified crowd. Briar, who protected his wife, almost succumbed to his wounds after he got her to safety. Only Tyra’s warm, soft hands saved his life. The two doctors never left the Haven afterward. Ertanians hoped that they would starve to death, but those hopes fell flat. Lights came alive in the Haven’s windows year after year, and the wind carried ungodly screams which made one’s blood freeze.

But, truthfully, the households which had children were no better off. No one could ease the intolerable suffering which the disease brought to infants. Few parents had the strength to go on day after day, swamped with the smell, gore and perpetual screaming. If a woman became pregnant, she would be berated: why did she bring children into this world? It was her fault for not staying clean! It was a better fate for the people of Ertan to disappear from the face of their planet quietly and peacefully.

The public opinion was as split as ever as the people of Ertan argued endlessly. They had been given life by Arven; they shouldn’t waste it simply because it was hard and painful! But in spite of that reassurance, hundreds of pregnant women were abandoned when their time of strife drew near. Such poor lasses couldn’t bear the thought of facing their future alone. They would go into the woods and return some time later, childless. There were no questions asked, but many suspected the truth. The lonely mothers-to-be sought the Haven and gave birth there, leaving the newborn child in the care of Briar and Tyra. Out of all the grim options they had, it seemed like the best. At the very least it gave them hope that their sacrifice contributed to something larger than themselves. In a world which was dying, hope for a better future was their only comfort.

Eventually the lands surrounding the Haven were abandoned and nothing was heard from Briar and Tyra for forty years. The Haven was forgotten while a new, decimated generation of Ertanians grew to adulthood. They were used to living in darkness and constant, head-splitting pain. Those who couldn’t shoulder it went mad or killed themselves. The original generation of Ertanians watched them struggle and they knew it was only a matter of time before death claimed the people of Ertan.

That was when the lost children returned.

There were about a hundred of them, people of all ages between five and forty. They were a strange-looking group. All of them had linen bandages wrapped around their heads, impregnated with something oily which smelled of fish. What was even stranger, each carried an erdack viper curled atop their shoulders.

When they reached the first settlement, its few inhabitants hid in their houses and watched them suspiciously. Eventually an old man, once created by Arven to be a soldier, stepped forward to speak:

“Who are you, viper-bearers?”

A woman, the oldest among the bunch, answered him:

“We are the children of Briar and Tyra. Our honoured parents have died and we have decided to leave our home. Don’t be scared! We bring joyful news. Mother and father have found a way to fight back pain and turn destiny. They have returned our sight.”

The old soldier sneered at her. “Well then, tell me, viper-bearer. How many fingers am I holding up?”

The viper resting on the woman’s shoulder raised its head and looked straight at the old man. After a tense moment, the woman said: “You do not have any fingers left to hold up.”

“She can see!” the old man cried out. “Who are you?”

The woman smiled and said: “We are the children you have once lost. Will you give us food and shelter?”

The lost children were immediately taken in. To the raring Ertanians they spoke of the wondrous result of their parents’ research. Through heart-wrenching trial and error Briar and Tyra had learned to implant a young erdack viper into a newborn child’s body so that it became an additional limb. The viper’s spinal cord was connected to the child’s at the back of the child’s neck, so the child could see everything the viper saw, smell everything the viper smelled and feel everything the viper felt. They called their fifth limb a familiar, and through its clear red eyes they had regained sight. They held they key to Ertan’s future, for Briar and Tyra had taught them everything they knew. The two cursed doctors had made sure to pass their blood-stained redemption on.

The lost children immediately set to work. They found all women in the neighbourhood who were delivering soon and split up into groups of two which attended each of them. The lost children who had learned from Briar had nimble, strong hands that never shook. The ones who had learned from Tyra had warm, soft hands that took pain away. When a woman’s time was nearing, the two children would find an erdack viper’s nest and collect its eggs. As soon as the woman went into labour, the eggs were placed under a hot lamp. The one that hatched just before the baby was born was selected to become the familiar.

As soon as the baby slid out of the womb, his or her bright blue eyes dimmed and the baby began crying with pain which would eventually turn into burning agony. But before that could come to pass, a child of Tyra wrapped clean linen cloth soaked with painkilling oil around the child’s head. This eased the pain and lulled the newborn to fall asleep on the mother’s belly. Then the child of Briar cut the newborn’s back open and connected its spinal chord to the viper’s. After the wounds were sewn shut, the child of Tyra taught the parents how to exercise with their child so that the familiar’s attachment succeeded. Six weeks later, it was decided whether the child would live or die. Half of the operations failed; the children first became paralysed from the neck down and then their hearts stopped beating. The infants who survived were blessed by the following words before the lost children moved on to another expecting mother:

“In the name of Patrick, Gloria, Neve, Maki, Callum, Undi, Chelsea, Rowan, Lawrence, Zakariya, Jerry, Maddie, Robbie, Carlan, Marshall, April, Sharon, Josh, Caleb, Farmer, Abby, Tabitha, Katherine, Keller, Kian, Aliyah, Harta, Herbert, Jose, Fiona, Hason, Dewey, Tommy, Felix, Carolie, Willard, Marie, Connor, Megan, Saman, Hanson, Frost, Isabelle, Iqra, Arjun, Isaiah, Fella, Yusuf, Ronan, Anna, Olive, Ruby, Kieron, House, Renee, Melody, Kyle, Weeks, Andrew, Dominica, Lorenzo, Polly, Connie, Rich, Jac, Kaitlyn, Hassan, Rachael, Edgar, Lachlan, Bella, Eve, Helena, Amaan, Stephen, Hanna, Sam, Diana, Hano, Sana, Scarlett, Austin, Jenna, Omar, Ibrahim, Vanessa, Eden, Maximilian, Sloan, Claoud, Hafsa, Khadija, Jane, Curtis, Dein, Louise, Edrei, Tristan, Amy, Ashley, Craig, Ismail, Kye, Hampton, Aiden, Theresa, Rebekah, Gray, Ellie-May, Alpha, Mathew, Edda, Lois, Owain, Yasin, Annath, Sara, Seth, Hannah, Heather, Bettar, Jack, Ray, Ted, Homer, Jimmy, Otto, Clara, Ellis, Will, Andre, Luke, Kane, Harmony, Tanisha, Frazer, Jay, Alannah, Martin, Courtney, Geron, Annie, Daniel, Aadam, Adil, Louisa, Reynolds, Rhonda, Reuben, Autumn, Carl, Sophia, Zara, Orla, Louis, Ricky, Jonathan, Carrie, Angus, Darcie, Euan, Elohi, Mohamed, Muhammad, Julian, Adam, Tilly, Walters, Dean, Robert, Droa, Jodie, Maryam, Donald, Sabrina, Olivia, Veronica, Allen, Natalia, Calvin, Troy, Charles, Mooney, Elizabeth, Chris, Harrell, Lily, Phoebe, Aron, Freya, Katie, Sienna, May, David, Jesse, Rowe, Summer, Montgomery, Tallulah, Hermione, Amira, Josie, Meghan, Kaitlin, Ebony, Kira, Joel, Kirby, Alfie, Lacey, Herman, Simpson, Betty, Dale, Zach, Christine, Phillip, Daniella, Matteo, Warren, Umar, Max, Kitty, Gethin, Shawn, Georgie, Bonnie, Jasper, Harold, Ash, Kathleen, Rita, Morgan, Abida, Benjamin, Zack, Sadie, Jean, Byron, Savannah, Joshua, Carver, Frankie, Catherine, Erica, Mccarty, Roman, Cerys, Paula, Alexander, Gary, Solomon, Haleema, Joe, Elve, Maxwell, Myers, Steven, Carmen, Morse, Chavez, Neal, Robin, Harriet, Lee, Evangeline, Elsa, Nadia, Jake, Lena, Rhea, Fleur, Anastasia, Lucia, Lucas, Marvin, Porter, Alvarado, Nina, Mark, Harriy, Sana, Clay, Rafael, Owen, Leonie, Patricia, Lauren, Scott, Harris, Estrada, Jessie, Keith, Chloe, Henry, Hellon, Alicia, Linda, Vincent, Aaliyah, Sarah, Evan, Jeremy, Mitchell, Russell, Baldwin, Tianna, Willie, Jeffrey, Mariam, Kenneth, Leonard, Fred, Eva, Nora, Kyran, Keira, Alice, Holly, Musa, Naomi, Zoe, Everett, Feli, Tanya, David, Roy, Francis, Lindsey, Moha, Alyssa, Ronald, Beleth, Frederick, Dennis, Boyer, Tia, Stella, Natasha, Vaughn, Rangel, Ernest, Alec, Adrian, Carlos, Ciara, Dominic, Zak, William, Libby, Freddy, Claudia, Jenson, Molly, Christina, Farhan, Jack, Leroy, George, Vincent, Margie, Ellie, Oliver, Hussain, Conner, Dalton, Terry, Hasan, Edoni, Nannie, Jacob, Rhys, Aisha, Susan, Yahya, Hashim, Charlotte, Tyler, Potts, Ebomui, Cooper, Iona, Cox, Cara, Noah, Bethany, Rosa, Faye, Eleanor, Monica, Irene, Theo, Aoife, Stefan, Maxim, Vang, Hatfield, Jim, Kayleigh, Jason, Elias, Malaki, Trasta, Nicolas, Ciaran, Hartfa, Aaron, Ralph, Haroon, Abellia, Velaz, Eddie, Poppy, Penelope, Gerald, Erika, Peari, Connolly, Abdul, Calum, Stanley, Aliya, Higgi, Hamma, Ibra, Grover, Tony, Samuel, Lloyd, Aysha, Zachary, Bernard and Gemma, blessed be thy eyes. May you live happily.”

The lost children spread their craft and hope among the people of Ertan like wildfire. A decade later, there wasn’t a child who didn’t receive a familiar at birth. It was unfortunate that adults and older children couldn’t undergo the operation. Their nervous systems were already set in stone so they would never learn how to use the familiar. But even they benefited from the painkilling oil Tyra had invented, which was now brewed by the gallons. As new generations of surgeons and physiotherapists were trained, the death toll of the familiar implantation decreased until, two hundred years later, it was nearly zero. Briar and Tyra’s blood-curdling research had saved the people of Ertan from extinction.

The Haven stands to this day, as if the ground refused to take it. It is haunted by the endless suffering and deepest pains of the 433 children who died at the hands of Briar and Tyra before their research was complete. Their names are still recited six weeks after every familiar implantation. It’s a chore more than anything, but Briar’s and Tyra’s followers (now called simply briars and tyras) insist on it. During their medical training they are taught to always honour the sacrifice, and so they recite “the four hundred names” in spite of the annoyed and bored parents. Every now and then Ertanians try to abolish the tradition of the four hundred names, but they are never successful. After all, briars and tyras hold a large political power, since every Ertanian needs their medical attention lest the dark age resume.

Now a few days into the fifth age, an Ertanian woman called Kafendre fell gravely sick. She had always been healthy and strong, but the illness tore at her body like a savage animal. Her skin lost all colour and her voice turned raspy. On the third night, Kafendre took her final breath in her husband’s arms and fell still. The man, called Stein, began mourning. But in a minute he felt her stir again.

“I’m sorry,” Kafendre said with a faint smile, “I must have fallen asleep.” Stein embraced her and thanked Quater for the miracle, his tears of sorrow turning into tears of happiness.

Kafendre’s state began improving until, a month later, she was as healthy as a fiddle. Another three months passed and she told her husband that she was with a child.

They named their first daughter Raznedeadra, Razi for short. Giving her such a long unpronounceable name was Stein’s idea. His family had a long-standing tradition of embarrassing their children by ridiculous names; Stein’s full name was Steinelwardumrist. Since he couldn’t get back at his father, he vented his frustration by insisting Raznedeadra was a wonderful name, and thus perpetuated his family’s tradition.

As every Ertanian child, Razi received a familiar at birth. She fumbled with the dark purplish viper at first, but as every child, before long she learned to move it just as well as her arms and legs. On her third birthday, she got her first goggles. Airtight, black and sleek, they had been invented some fifty years prior to replace the traditional linen bandages. They had since become an irreplaceable accessory for all but the most old-fashioned Ertanians. Their inside was filled to the brim with painkilling oil (much improved since the times of Briar and Tyra). They allowed no air in, which eased the inflammation, and they protected the “other eyes” from mechanical harm. Razi wore her goggles proudly and never took them off.

Half a year later, Razi got an even greater gift – a sister called Sveasilovudie, Svea for short. Stein and Kafendre immediately noticed that their two daughters had something in common. Razi had a spiral-shaped birthmark on the top of her left hand. Stein and Kafendre had dismissed it as a strange coincidence, but now Svea had a birthmark on the same place as well, only of a different shape. The concerned parents sought the advice of Ertanian elders. Thus they learned that their children sported the ancient symbols of earth and fire. It was quite possible, the elders said, that Razi and Svea would grow up to become the Guardians of Earth and Fire. To that Stein and Kafendre replied that both of their daughters were completely normal children. But the elders warned them that even though their powers hadn’t manifested yet, they could come to light any day. The two of them should be ready. There was no telling what would happen.

Razi grew to love Svea fiercely, and though she was still a wee girl herself, she always wanted to take care of her. One day Kafendre left the little Svea in Razi’s care while she went outside to hang the laundry. She was nearly done when she heard screams from the house. She rushed back and found Razi cradling her sister, rocking her back and forth.

“Mama!” Razi cried out when she saw Kafendre. “Svea messed up her bandages. Help me, she’s crying so much…”

Kafendre stopped only to stroke the back of Razi’s neck and then ran off to get fresh bandages and painkilling oil. When she returned, she was surprised that Svea was crying much softer than before. She prepared everything for the redressing and braced herself before she took the creased bandages off as quickly as she could. She was prepared for blood-curdling screams when the air touched Svea’s other eyes. But the baby didn’t wail half as loudly as she should have. While Razi was holding Svea up, Kafendre wrapped new bandages around Svea’s little head and wondered at this stroke of good luck. Then she noticed that something else was off. Razi’s eyes – the eyes of her familiar – weren’t red. They were as green as emeralds.

When Kafendre finished redressing Svea’s other eyes, Razi lay her little sister down carefully and curled up around her. “I’m so tired, mama,” she said before she fell swiftly asleep.

Kafendre was perplexed by this episode. She told everything to Stein in the evening and they both decided to wait until Razi woke up from her deep slumber. When she finally stirred and opened her eyes, they asked:

“What did you do, little girl? What happened with Svea?”

Razi replied: “I just wanted her to stop crying… Where is she? Is she okay? I have to see her…” She wouldn’t calm down until she made sure Svea was alright. Then she put her tiny finger to her tiny lips and said: “Mama? How is your back?”

“Like always,” Kafendre said. “It hurts but it’s nothing bad.”

“Let me have a look,” Razi insisted.

Kafendre smiled and sat on the bed. Razi climbed up behind her and ran her tiny hands along her mama’s hurting back. She blinked a few times… and her eyes turned green again.

“I can help you,” she said. “Hold still.”

Kafendre felt a strange warmth permeating her stiff muscles, like she was sitting with her back to the fire. Her back pains, which had started back when she was bearing Razi, began melting away. She sighed with relief. A few minutes later she felt better than she had in years. Finally Razi yawned and crawled onto her lap.

“I’m tired,” she said, curled up and fell asleep again.

That was when Stein and Kafendre came to believe that their children would truly grow up to become the Guardians.

As time went on, both Razi and Svea became quite the handfuls. Razi was bossy and overprotective while Svea was moody and defiant. Soon after finding her talent for healing, Razi discovered her ability of telekinesis as well. Nothing was safe from her grasp. Often she would steal cookies hidden in the topmost shelves. Even more often she would drop things and break them, so she was soon forbidden her to use telekinesis inside the house. This, of course, didn’t stop Razi, who always knew better. Secretly she began teaching her sister to use her fire powers as well. But when they set the bedsheets on fire and Svea began crying with terror instead of dousing it, even Razi had to admit that everything had its time.

“Mama, when will you give us more brothers and sisters?” Razi would ask Kafendre every once in a while. “There’s supposed to be five of us.” She counted on her fingers: “Earth, fire, water, air and invisible forces.”

And Kafendre would smile and stroke Razi’s head. “One day, little earthling.”

Razi learned the sad truth when a tyra visited the house and she overheard his conversation with Kafendre. The illness which had once nearly slain Kafendre hadn’t disappeared from her body. It seemed like it never would. It lurked in her muscles and internal organs, waiting for its opportunity. It was too risky for her to have any more children, the tyra said, and Kafendre nodded sadly.

Hearing this, the seven-year-old Razi’s heart filled with compassion and defiance. She wouldn’t let fate toy with her family like that! There were always five Guardians, one for each element, and this incarnation would be no different!

At the dinner, Razi announced: “Mama, papa, I want to become a tyra.”

Stein chuckled and patted the back of Razi’s neck. “You have to finish school first.”

“No, I don’t. I’ll become a tyra instead so that I can help mama have more babies,” Razi said with a conviction only a child can muster. Stein and Kafendre looked at each other. Then Kafendre smiled.

“You will make for a wonderful tyra, Razi,” she said. “You have the warmest, softest hands I have ever known.”

Thus Razi’s tyra education began. While Svea dilly-dallied about, picking fights and burning everyone but herself, her older sister studied diligently. Every Friday evening she would come home from cram school and give her mother a relaxing massage. Her eyes sparkled green as she healed all that she could. Afterward she would slump and sleep for most of Saturday. But her hard work paid off. Year after year, Kafendre felt herself grow stronger. And on Razi’s tenth birthday, Kafendre whispered to her that she would have another sibling.

Kafendre nearly miscarried thrice but Razi saved her every time. Despite her slim age, she was becoming the family’s tyra and one of the town’s most renown citizens. Her hands were the softest and the warmest, but her will was iron and her word was law. It was thanks to her tireless efforts that eventually Kafendre gave birth to a healthy baby boy. Stein named him Itsellenisaan, Itsel for short.

Itsel was still tiny when Kafendre’s belly swelled again and a mere year and a day later, another boy followed suit. This one was named Insattamirko, Insa for short. Itsel and Insa grew inseparable. They shared everything, from clothes and food to first words. They would fight just as often as get along swell, and it was in those fights that they first called upon their elemental powers. As their birthmarks had already betrayed, Itsel was the Guardian of Air and Insa was the Guardian of Water. Itsel, being the older one, always had a bit of an upper hand, but Insa was a slippery thing (literally). They were best friends from the time they could crawl.

Seeing that Kafendre had her hands full with the two boys, Razi stopped asking for her fifth sibling for a time. But when Itsel and Insa began attending pre-school (together in the same class, because Itsel wouldn’t leave Insa’s side), she began suspecting that despite her selfless help her mother wasn’t keen on bearing the last Guardian. Another year trickled past and Razi confronted her mother angrily. She had to deliver the Guardian of Invisible Forces! What Razi didn’t expect was that Kafendre would burst out angrily:

“Insolent girl! That is no way to speak to your mother! It isn’t my duty to give you another sibling, and it isn’t your right to demand one. I never wanted to have so many children. Your father and I barely earn enough to feed the four of you. You will not ask me to bend to your every whim, not in such a tone!”

Stunned and on the verge of tears, Razi ran away. She returned very late, and found Kafendre awake with worry in the kitchen.

“Mum,” Razi said, “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know we were falling on hard times. I can get a part-time job to help you and dad out. I’m not a full tyra yet, but I’m sure people will find my healing useful.”

Kafendre embraced her daughter and said: “Your healing demands you give a part of yourself. Don’t sell it to strangers. I’m sorry for shouting at you. You don’t have to get a job, love. Just focus on school and be patient. I don’t know when I’ll be ready to give you your last sibling. But when I am, you’ll know it first.”

When Razi turned fourteen, she was faced with a difficult choice. As a gifted tyra student and an emerging celebrity, she was offered a scholarship at the Haven Medical School. Located near the ruins of the ancient Haven, it was the most prestigious school of Ertan. It was also quite literally on the other end of the world. If Razi accepted the scholarship, she would have to leave her mother behind, and she just didn’t know how well Kafendre would hold up without her regular healing. In the end, however, she decided that her family was strong enough to get by without her. Seen off by half of her hometown, Razi got on a train and left.

Without Razi’s stern leadership, things got a little wilder in Stein and Kafendre’s household. Svea had always had a thing for protecting the weak and unfortunate, but usually she only targeted bullies. Now she managed to get involved with an actual crime syndicate, and on one of her vigilante escapades she got in way over head. She would have been hurt badly if she didn’t suddenly conjure a fiery sword out of thin air. Both she and the boys thought that the sword was madly cool; Stein and Kafendre disagreed. What was worse, Svea then took it into her head to become a swordswoman. Her parents betrayed her from such a career, arguing that she was still bad at controlling her fire powers and she was likely to hurt someone. But Svea scoffed at that sentiment. She needed to learn fighting precisely so that she would get better at controlling her fire! And thus her noble quests added another crease to her parents’ foreheads.

On the next autumn, just as Razi’s third year at the Haven Medical began, Kafendre fell ill. Stein recognised the symptoms right away – it was the same sudden illness that had nearly killed her once. Doctors couldn’t help her then and they couldn’t help her now either. A letter was sent to Razi immediately, but it was a lost cause; there was no way she would arrive in time. The illness progressed just as quickly and violently as the first time. On the morning of the second day, the six-year-old Itsel disobeyed his parents and took to the air. He commanded the winds to carry him to Razi’s school, fast like an arrow. He got lost, however, and he could find his way neither to the school nor home.

On the third night, Kafendre took her final breath in her husband’s arms and fell still. Stein, Svea and Insa began mourning. But in a minute, the fiery Svea raised her head.

“What’s this?” she said. “Who is this?”

There was no response. Stein was about to chide his daughter for being disrespectful at her mother’s deathbed when Insa said: “I can feel him, too. Who are you, stranger? Why have you come?”

“That’s no stranger,” Svea said in awe. “That is Quater himself.”

And then, for the second time in his life, Stein felt his wife’s dead body stir in his arms. Kafendre opened her eyes and said: “Oh dear… did I fall asleep again?”

By the time the terrified Razi arrived, Kafendre was well on her way to recovery. Razi tended to her first. After she slept it off, she took Svea along on a journey to find the lost Itsel. The three siblings returned a few weeks later. Svea refused to dismiss her sword from then on, and instead she took it with her everywhere she went.

In the safety of her home, Razi broke down. The worst had come to pass – her mother had nearly died and Itsel had gone through his own fair share of hardships. All because Razi had left her family. She swore that she would never leave them again. Even without finishing her studies, she had enough experience to find a job as a tyra apprentice. It would mean throwing away all of her effort until now, but she couldn’t bear the thought that Kafendre’s brush with death was her fault. Her family tried to talk her out of it, but Razi knew better… like she always did.

When Razi discovered not three months later that Kafendre was with a child, she couldn’t help but recall the circumstances of her own birth. She spoke of it to no one, but a dark suspicion took root in her heart.

Kafendre’s fifth and last child was a strong girl. Stein named her Aintdonnensali, Aini for short. Aini was everyone’s darling, Itsel and Insa’s most of all. The boys loved playing with her and took her along almost everywhere they went. Things were really looking up for a change. But then another disaster struck.

While Itsel, Insa and Aini were playing hide-and-seek in the woods, a hungry beast came upon them. It sneaked up on the five-year-old Aini and leaped, sinking its fangs into her familiar. Aini cried out in shock and pain. The best snapped its jaws and broke the viper’s neck. Aini’s world went dark and she nearly fainted. But Ertanians were taught to weather pain from early childhood. Aini’s element called to her; sparks danced along her arms as she was preparing for the beast’s next strike. She heard it coming and assumed it would go for the neck again. But she was wrong. In the next second, Aini was on the ground and the beast was chewing on her legs as if they were bubblegum.

Overcoming faintness once again, Aini concentrated all of her will to hurt in her hands and fumbled about. But be it her inexperience or confusion, she only managed to jolt the beast and make it angry. The next thing she knew, her left arm was being shredded by the beast’s claws. Her familiar followed suit, ripped out at the base of her neck. Her consciousness fading, Aini knew that her last remaining right hand had to kill now. She didn’t realise that her brothers had heard her fighting and were coming to the rescue. Blinded by pain, she didn’t see Itsel blow the beast away with a powerful gust of air. She didn’t see Insa run toward her and take her outstretched hand. All she saw as the built-up electricity discharged into her brother was white light. Then she finally passed out.

Itsel cried out in horror when Insa crumpled to the ground. He turned away from the toppled beast and dashed to his siblings. While he was trying to rouse his brother, the beast shook its head and got to its feet again. Then it charged at the meddling boy.

Itsel thrust his arms forward, trying to blow the beast back again. But the beast dug its claws into the ground and advanced despite the howling gale. Itsel shoved the wind harder, but his heart was wavering with fear for his brother and sister. The beast swept its sharp claws and carved up both his forearms. As his left wrist was nearly taken off, Itsel realised that the beast could slay him there and then. And if he fell, there would be no one left to save Insa and Aini.

The courage to defy death brings terrible strength. The next thing Itsel knew, trees were breaking under the gale’s might. The beast flew up into the air; it lolled and turned jerking its legs uselessly. With a vengeful shout, Itsel sent it plummeting down on one of the broken trunks. The splintered wood pierced the beast. It convulsed and screeched but it couldn’t wrench itself free. As soon as Itsel saw that it wasn’t going anywhere anymore, he stilled the tempest and rushed back to his siblings.

“Aini, Insa!” he called, but he got no response. He lulled the winds around him to a complete still and listened close. Neither of his siblings were breathing. “No…” he sobbed. “No! I have to get Razi!”

A pair of wings sprouted from his shoulder blades and he sprang into the air. Faster than a hawk, he made his way toward the doctor’s office where Razi worked. He found her and the doctor taking a break under a spruce tree.

“Razi!” he shouted. “You have to come with me! Aini and Insa are dying!”

Razi leapt to her feet. “Where?”

“Wait, take me with you!” the doctor said, but Itsel had already gripped Razi’s arms, swept his wings and risen into the air.

When the two Guardians arrived at the site of carnage, Razi immediately set to work. She instructed Itsel to press Insa’s chest hard and regularly while she attended the mangled Aini. After a while the smitten Insa stirred and coughed, but Aini remained motionless. Razi wiped her brow and took her shirt off, wrapping Aini in it.

“Itsel, take her to the doctor’s office,” she said, exhausted. “I can’t do any more.”

Both Aini and Insa survived the incident, but with dire consequences. The town’s briars had to amputate both of Aini’s legs, one above the knee, one below it, her left arm above the elbow and her familiar entirely. Insa was treated with severe lightning burns all along his right hand and forearm; the meandering scar never faded and he lost most sensitivity in the hand. Itsel didn’t escape unscathed either. The gashes in his forearms, aggravated by carrying both Razi and Aini, healed into broad angry scars. But neither of the brothers complained. It was Aini they worried about.

After the little girl woke up, she spent most of her time lying motionless. She would get up for food and drink, physical needs and rehabilitative exercises, but other than that she had lost all interest in the world around her. One evening Razi told her:

“Aini? I know that everything looks dark to you right now. But you have to go on. It isn’t over yet. After you heal, we can fit you with prosthetics. I don’t know if anyone will give you a new familiar, but if any briar will, I’ll find them. You can still lead a great life. So don’t give up.”

Turning her head toward her sister’s voice, Aini smiled and said: “I haven’t given up. I’m just looking at all these things. I didn’t notice them before. They’re so beautiful, you wouldn’t believe.”

“How?” Razi asked. “Your eyes are gone.”

Aini shrugged. “I don’t know. But they are all around me. I can see you, too. Faintly… but I can.”

As Razi promised, after a time Aini was given prosthetics. She didn’t like them; she said they were hard and made her clumsy. Whenever she could, she would take them off and ask her family to carry her around instead. Razi didn’t like to see it and Stein, Kafendre and Svea were usually busy, but Itsel and Insa obliged happily. They took Aini along to school, brought her to her private lessons and took care of everything she needed. It was little trouble; Aini was always quiet and calm, strangely mature for her age just like Razi had once been. Before Itsel and Insa knew it, Aini had become their leader despite her age and state. She had a way about her, like she could see more than others. She never got another familiar, but it was like she didn’t need one in the first place.

In time Razi noticed a curious thing. Aini was slowly taking the reigns over her family from her hands. Even the fiery Svea was accommodating Aini’s whims, even though she usually deferred to no one but Razi. Presently the oldest and the youngest sisters began butting heads. At first Razi couldn’t believe she actually had to fight for authority with a mere child. Aini was just eight! But there was no way around it. Aini was an alpha and as the Guardian of Invisible Forces, she asked for her rightful position as the leader of the Guardians.

The two sisters’ rivalry grew into an animosity that no one was happy about. The family, and by extension the entire town, became polarised. Some supported Razi, a well-known tyra with the warmest, softest hands you have ever seen. But those who met Aini, perched proudly atop Itsel or Insa’s shoulders, couldn’t help but be swayed by her charm. Where Razi was strict, Aini was opportunistic. Where Razi offered a second chance, Aini made a deterrent example. Where Razi went alone, Aini moved in a group.

One winter Sunday at breakfast, Aini said: “Razi, will you carry me to Quater’s shrine?”

Razi frowned and replied: “I’ll go there with you, but only if you walk on your own two feet.”

Aini sighed. “Very well. If I slip on the ice, will you catch me?”

“I will.”

When they reached Quater’s shrine, Aini sat in the snow and unfastened her prosthetic legs.

“Why have we come here?” Razi asked.

“You always say that I’m just a little girl,” Aini said, looking up to the bleak sky. “I want to show you why that isn’t true. Let’s wait here. He promised that he would come today.”

They waited together, among the bare trees, by the quiet shrine. When they grew cold, Aini fastened her legs on and they played catch. It was nice, just the two of them. It was like they could get along if they had nothing to fight over.

After a time Aini raised her head. “He’s here.”

Razi looked around. “Who?”

“You’ll see.”

It took a few seconds before Razi gasped and looked to the shrine. “No.”

“Oh yes.” Aini walked toward the shrine and bowed. “Hello, creator. Thank you for coming here on my behalf.”

A distant thought, like the sun’s warm rays, touched Razi’s consciousness. Hello. Welcome. It was wordless and indistinct, and yet so majestic that Razi sank to her knees at once.

“Quater,” she whispered. The warm thought lingered for a while more, then disappeared. And yet, Quater’s presence didn’t fade. Both the sisters gazed at the shrine, Razi disbelieving, Aini thoughtful.

“He says we were supposed to be born together,” Aini said. “When mother first became pregnant. She had twins, me and you.”

“What happened to you?” Razi asked, tongue leaden.

Aini shrugged. “You’re the doctor. You should know.”

Razi looked down.

“He’s also angry with us,” Aini said. “We have lingered at the same spot for too long. The only one who has done any good in the world was Svea, and she was always scolded for it.”

“I have done some good in the world!” Razi said. “I’m a tyra. My hands take pain away.”

Aini cocked her head to the side, as if listening, and said, as if repeating: “You aren’t a tyra. You haven’t even finished high school. And you have only ever healed mother, father and the four of us. The good you have spread was that of your own hands, not that of your element.”

“You know that’s complicated!” Razi said. “I’m still banned by the city council from doing any construction works because I’d rob people of their jobs. And don’t you remember what happened when Itsel and Insa tried to control the weather? Svea’s element is simply good for nothing but punishment, fire is that way!”

“You’re right, our hands are tied while we remain here,” Aini said. “That’s exactly why we should leave this place and help people elsewhere. Quater created us to protect his creation. We have to fulfil his intent.”

“And leave our home?” Razi asked, pale.

“No,” Aini said. “Leave Ertan.”

Razi stared at the shrine, wordless. “No,” she uttered finally. “If I leave Ertan, mother will…”

“You don’t know that,” Aini said. “And even if you did, there’s nothing you can do about it. We were meant to help all of Quater’s people. We always were. There’s nothing you can do. It’s our destiny.”

Razi shook her head silently. Aini turned her back to the shrine and went to hug her.

“We don’t have to go today,” she said. “Or tomorrow. There are still things we need to finish here. I have to learn to walk properly and Itsel and Insa should finish school.” She smiled. “The same goes for you, actually. Quater wishes that you become a real tyra. That scholarship had better still be valid.”

Razi sobbed into her sister’s embrace. “Aini, I don’t know if I can do it.”

“That’s why you have me,” Aini said. “Trust me. I can see where this road goes. It’s long and winding, but everything will turn out for the best in the end.”

And thus the long fight was finally over. Aini, by then ten years old, became the Guardian leader and spokesperson while Razi left for Haven Medical to finish her studies. A year and a half later Razi, Itsel and Insa graduated. On the day of Razi’s 30th birthday, the five Guardians said goodbye to their parents and left Ertan.

Nike leans back against the bench and stares at the red sky for a long time.

The sun has long set when the Guardians return to the inn. The little Aini (not so little anymore, Nike thinks) is riding atop her brother’s shoulders. Nike checks the man’s arms and finds an angry meandering scar extending from the fingertips up to the elbow. That’s… Insa, then. The one who had given him the book. Itsel and Razi are carrying Svea between them. The Fire Guardian trips and curses; it seems like she can’t put weight on one of her legs. She collapses on a chair, leans back and groans. Wordlessly Nike passes her his glass of beer. She says thanks and drinks thirstily.

“What happened?” Nike asks.

“What does it look like?” Razi retorts. “She sprained her ankle! Where is the… oh nevermind, I’ll do it myself. Here, bite into this.” She hands Svea a roll of bandage. “Itsel, Insa, hold her. Svea, are you ready? Okay, one, two, three.”

There’s a dull crack and Svea grunts and pales. She doesn’t cry out or whimper, however. She just starts taking deep breaths.

“Good, that was the worst of it,” Razi says, palpating the swollen ankle. “Give me a moment to bandage your foot and I’ll heal you right afterward.”

While Razi’s working, Aini scoots closer to Nike. She nods toward the stone-bound book on the table before him. “I see Insa’s taken some liberties,” she says quietly so the others don’t overhear. “What do you think of our people’s history?”

“It’s gruesome,” Nike says.

“It is,” Aini agrees. “And what do you think of our history?”

“The five of you? I don’t know what to think. I barely know any of you.” Nike pauses. “Is everything in here true?”

Aini shrugs. “It’s the Wall of Records. It doesn’t lie.”

“So you nearly killed Insa once?”

“I did.”

“And you can speak to Quater?”

“I can. Funny you should ask in that order.”

“And your mother died twice?”

There’s a noticeable pause before Aini says: “She did. But let me ask you something in return. Why did Insa give you this book?”

“He said I should know your history if I’m after Razi,” Nike says. He looks over at the Earth Guardian. She doesn’t seem to hear them, being utterly focused on healing Svea’s ankle.

“I see,” Aini says. She raises her voice back to normal level and says: “Insa. Why did you give Nike that book?”

Insa shrugs. “I thought he might get bored.”

Nike can practically hear Aini rolling her eyes when she says: “Sure, so you let him read the four hundred names. Don’t lie to me, Insa. Why did you give him the book?”

Everyone looks at Insa at that. The Water Guardian seems to shrink under their stares. “I… ugh, fine! It’s because I know who Nike is. Alright? I read about him on the Wall of Records. It didn’t seem fair that I know everything about him and he doesn’t know anything about us. So I thought I might level the ground.”

“Oh,” Aini says with interest and turns to back Nike. “So you also enjoy the privilege of having your most personal secrets divulged by the Wall?”

“I wouldn’t know,” Nike says. “I haven’t read it in a long time.”

“Which section are in?” Itsel asks.

Nike plays with his glass and suddenly he’s tempted to lie. He doesn’t care for the drama his answer will elicit. He doesn’t care for what Insa has read about him on the Wall. He just wants to be Nike, son of free will, unburdened by whatever he was once created to be… and whom he lost along the way.

Then he laughs at himself, and he says: “Hoborg’s section. I’m from the Neverhood.”

The five Guardians fall silent.

“Insa,” Aini says finally. “I’ll ask one more time. Why did you give Nike that book?”

Insa sighs. “Because he knew the previous generation, let their names rot forever. I wanted to make it clear that we aren’t like them.”

To Nike’s surprise, Aini laughs. She’s got a nice laugh, like jingle bells. “That’s why?” she asks. “Silly Insa! Of course he knows we aren’t like them! You’d have to be stupid to think we are anything like the Neverhood generation. I made very sure of that.”

“I don’t know,” Razi pipes up, looking up from her work on Svea’s ankle. “When I met Nike for the first time, he asked if I remembered anything from my previous life.”

“And?” Aini says.

“I yelled at him.”

“As you should have,” Aini nods. “Very well, let’s put this behind us! Insa, is there anything we should know from Nike’s history?”

Before Nike can stop Insa, the man nods vigorously and says: “Yes. Who is Klogg, really?”

Nike draws a blank for a second. “Why do you ask?” he says finally.

“Because it’s Klogg who destroyed the Emperor, and no one knows how! The Wall says you and Klogg travelled the universe together for centuries. I can’t believe I came upon a Neverhoodian of all people. How old are you? I wouldn’t guess more than thirty, but that’s the thing with you immortals…”

“Excuse my brother,” Itsel says, grabbing Insa by the familiar and tugging him backward, “he’s a total historian geek and he pops a boner whenever he gets wind of new info.”

“No, I don’t-”

“Yeeaah no, I can see what’s happening under the table.”

Aini rolls her eyes. “Boys,” she tells Nike with a smile.

Over the brothers’ bickering Razi asks: “How old are you?”

“Something over 1100,” Nike says. “Closer to 1200 probably.”

Razi whistles. “I can see why you’d lose count at that point.”

Eventually Aini tells Itsel and Insa to take it outside, which they do. When Razi finishes healing Svea, the two sisters bide Aini and Nike good night and they go up the stairs. The innkeeper stops by the table a few minutes later.

“You two should go to sleep, too,” he says. “It’s getting late and tomorrow is another day.” “I’m waiting for my brothers to come back,” Aini says. “Nike?”

“Do you have a free room?” Nike asks.

The innkeeper shakes his head. “I’m afraid this is a tiny establishment. I have two rooms, and they’re taken by your friends. But if you can make do with just a bed, there are six beds and five Guardian so there should still be one left. Let’s see… if the ladies sleep in one room, there should be a free bed in the gentlemen’s room.”

Aini snickers. “Gentlemen,” she repeats.

“That’s fine,” Nike says. “I’ll sleep outside.”

“As you like it.”

When the innkeeper leaves, Aini asks: “Don’t you want to sleep together with Razi? I was actually sleeping with Itsel and Insa. You can have the bed in the ladies room, no problem.”

Nike huffs. “Why do you all keep insisting that Razi and I have something going on? Seriously, we met once. For a day.”

“Ah yes, so she says, too,” Aini says. “But we all saw how she greeted you.” She pats the back of her neck. “You wouldn’t know, but this is a special place to us Ertanians. If you took someone’s familiar and jerked real hard, you could rip it right out. I should know,” she says dryly, running her hand over her bare throat. “People get very anxious when a stranger touches their familiar. And the greeting Razi used, you know…” She indicates pulling someone close and bumping foreheads with them. “…it’s pretty much only for family and lovers. So we all assumed that you and Razi had something going on and met more than once.”

“Huh,” Nike says. “I wonder why she did that. We really are just friends.”

“Maybe she was excited from meeting Svea.”

“Maybe.”

It’s then that Itsel and Insa burst back inside. They are covered in brown and green stains as if they have been wrestling in the grass.

“Okay, here’s the deal!” Itsel says.

“We can’t agree on who should have you,” Insa follows up. “And I’m done arguing with this airhead. Nike, who would you rather spend the night with? Pick me and I’ll show you the most skilled tongue on all of Ertan.”

“Don’t listen to him,” Itsel says. “He’d just ask you boring history questions all night! Spend the night with me and we’ll soar the sky! Literally if you want.”

Nike draws a blank once again. Aini snickers into her palm next to him. When she notices Nike’s indignant look, she waves her hand and says: “Don’t mind me. They’re just that way. Well? Which one would you pick?”

“Yes, which one?” Itsel says.

“Neither?” Nike says.

“Dammit!” Itsel says. “It’s like Razi said, he’s a faithful one.”

“I thought he would at least hesitate,” Insa says sadly. “So who’s the girl? Or guy. Or bug. Or whatever you’re choosing over me, Itsel and Razi.”

Nike lifts his hand up. “That must be a misunderstanding. I don’t have anyone.” In his mind, he adds: for the first time in 700 years.

The boys goggle at him. Then they turn to each other.

“He’s single!”

“Yeah I heard him. Are you up to raising the stakes?”

“Hell yeah!”

They turn back to Nike and Itsel says: “Let me rephrase the question. Which one of us will you sleep with tonight?”

“How about both?” Aini suggests. “You’re all going to share the same room anyway.” When Nike gives her a perplexed look, she doesn’t even blush. “What? I grew up with the two of them. This isn’t any worse than half of their ideas.”

Itsel and Insa seem equally perplexed by her suggestion.

“Dude, is that even legal?” Insa asks.

Itsel grins. “Do I hear a forfeit?”

“Hell no. I’m up for it if you are. Not like I’ll see anything new anyway.”

“Yeah. And then Nike can decide which one he liked better!”

The two turn to Nike, awaiting the verdict. The hoophead pinches his forehead.

“What if I’m too tired to sleep with either of you?”

Immediately Insa replies: “Then I call bullshit, because you’re a Neverhoodian. You’re immortal and live forever, a few weeks of fast travel can’t be anything to you.”

Nike smirks at that. “I’m not what I used to be.” He considers their proposal. It’s true that it has been a long time…

“Just so we’re clear,” Aini says, interrupting his thoughts. “They will take no for an answer. They’re powerful things, but they’re professionals. They won’t force themselves on you. They’re just excited that they can fight over something again.”

“What? No!” Itsel says. “Nononono, Nike – it’s just that you’re really hot!”

“You’re so big,” Insa says dreamily. “I can’t help but wonder what else is big.”

Nike has to laugh at that. “You guys know nothing of Neverhoodian bodies, don’t you?”

“No, unfortunately,” Insa says. “The Wall isn’t very informative on that topic.”

“You might be surprised.”

“Are you saying you’ve decided?”

“Yeah, I guess I have,” Nike says, a little surprised at himself. “What the heck. You’re pretty cute. And I don’t want to make this the day I declined a threesome with two Guardians. Especially if one of them promises the most skilled tongue on all of Ertan.”

“Haha, you’re gonna get it,” Insa says, eyes lighting up.

Itsel, on the other hand, crosses his arms. “Insa,” he mopes, “he called us cute!”

“He’s fifty times older than us,” Insa tells his brother. “I think he has a right to call us cute.”

“Wait, doesn’t that make him too old for us? What was the rule, divided by two plus seven?”

“Do I hear a forfeit?”

“You wish!”

The four of them ascend the stairs to the upper floor. Quietly Insa opens the ladies’ room and sets Aini down on the bed. She whispers something to him; Insa smiles and nods. Gently he closes the door again.

“She says we should keep it down, else Razi might come in and tuck us in.”

When Nike wakes up on the following morning, it’s late. It’s late as in, it isn’t morning anymore. He finds a tray with a sweet bun and inconsolably cold coffee next to his bed. There’s a note saying: “Hope we didn’t destroy you too much… I+I” There’s a picture of a rainy cloud next to their initials that has Nike smile. He stretches out and finds that yes, they did destroy him. Utterly and lovably. He’s going to be sore for the entire day, but he supposes it was worth it.

When he comes downstairs, he finds Razi leafing through Insa’s stone book.

“Where is everyone?” Nike asks and sits down gingerly. Razi looks him up and down, her eyes stopping at his middle, and it has him wonder just how much she knows about last night.

“They went for a walk,” she says. “I can’t imagine where. There’s nothing but grass around here.”

“Why didn’t you go with them?”

“Frankly, because Itsel and Insa asked me to stay behind and make sure you were okay.” She shrugs. “But also because I wanted to talk to you.” She reaches out and cups the back of his neck. Comforting heat starts spilling down Nike’s spine as her eyes turn green. He leans on the table and slumps over.

“What did you want to talk about?” he asks.

She doesn’t answer for a while. The heat swirls around Nike’s body. “Mum is dead,” she says finally. “Aini told us in the morning. I thought you should know.”

Nike reaches over and takes her hand. “I’m sorry,” he says.

Razi squeezes back and heaves a deep sigh. “I knew it would happen. It was just a matter of when and… how much it would hurt.” She falls silent. Her familiar turns toward the book and its head moves from side to side lightly. A wry smile twists Razi’s lips. “She spoke of it to no one,” she reads, “but a dark suspicion took root in her heart. Hah, even the stupid Wall knows. You know what? I’ll – I’ll say it. The Wall is probably writing out my thoughts as we speak anyway. I might as well say it out loud.” She sits up straighter. “Quater let mum die because she’s fulfilled what he wanted from her,” she says in a loud, shaky voice. “No more miracles. Just death. I can’t believe… I can’t believe the total dickhead of a child I used to be. I can’t believe all the things I told her, and how she would always smile…”

Gently Nike shrugs off Razi’s hand and embraces her instead. Razi hides in his arms and draws a sob. She fights her tears all the way, crying more with her breath than her eyes. Tentatively Nike rests his palm on the nape of her neck; she stiffens at first, but then she sags against him again. Her familiar slithers on top of his hand, its red eyes open, dry and unblinking.

“Sorry,” Razi says finally, pushing herself upright. “You got the brunt of it. I just can’t cry in front of my family.”

“We’re even now,” Nike says.

Razi smiles faintly as she recalls their first encounter. “True.”

They sit in silence for a while. Then Razi clears her throat and cups the back of Nike’s neck again. “Anyway,” she says as her eyes turn green once more, “that’s not what I wanted to talk about. Back when we first met, you asked me to come to the Neverhood with you. I was wondering if the offer still stands.”

Surprised, Nike says: “I thought you didn’t want to go.”

“I’ve changed my mind. I’ve been wondering if I could learn anything about healing there. Maybe immortal bodies just work differently. Plus,” she says and smiles, “who doesn’t want to see the neighbourhood that lasts forever? It’s said that a swig from the Neverhood fountain will cure any illness.”

Nike chuckles. “They say that?”

“And more,” Razi assures him. “Will you take me there?”

Nike stares at his hands. To return to the Neverhood? So quickly after he left? And with a Guardian of Earth to boot? What would Klogg say to that? What would happen if Razi saw what remained of the Garden? Would she… Would she remember anything?

“Nike,” Razi says, squeezing the nape of his neck very gently. Her hands really are soft and warm.

Nike wipes at his eyes. He doesn’t have the privilege of having no tears to cry. “Are you sure?” he asks. “Everyone who still remembers Arig will probably ask you about him.”

Razi sighs. “I expect as much,” she says. “It’s fine. It’s worth the chance to learn something new. I just don’t want to squander this opportunity. I didn’t think I’d run into you again. I’ve been scolding myself for the past two years for letting you go.”

Nike is silent for a while before he asks: “How long do Ertanians live?”

“About a hundred years. Why?”

He stares at his hands: exactly the same as when he first saw them, over a millennium ago.

“I didn’t think I’d meet you again either,” he says.

He thinks how his hands will be exactly the same a hundred years later, when Razi is long dead and another Guardian of Earth is born, and suddenly he feels very old.

#neverhood #fanart #fanfiction #razi #svea #itsel #insa #aini #nike

[someobscurereference]

im very into the 3H hype now as well, but i have missed your FE14 talk more than i can say lmfao! any plot ideas/headcanons/other concepts that have been nagging you lately and that you want to share? (i know i just specified fe14, but 3H is also fine !) if not though thats okay, and i hope you have a nice day! :D

Aw, I missed it too, anon! That was the downside of closing my ask box. I was assured I wouldn’t see any spoilers before I wanted to, but I was sorry to put a hard pause on any cool questions anyone had to ask. I don’t normally have any HCs that I get on my own (since they’re usually tied into the plot of any given fic I’d wanna write and usually not a “this is how I Always with a capital A think about X”), but let’s see about upcoming plots! I’ve left you guys hanging for a little while now.

Mafia AU

Firstly, I’m probably going to be actively working on Mafia AU with @kimium again in the next few days. Holy cow, seriously, she has the patience of a saint with this AU. I could not ask for a more understanding person to be writing that with, because I have not been looking at the Mafia AU or really much writing at all in Forever. Granted, I was very busy with real life stuff and final projects/work as my study abroad was coming to a close, but I probably would have been understandably annoyed if I had to be partnered with myself for that too because I have been So Bad. Like, Very Bad about writing! So thank you, @kimium, for your kindness. You deserve a reward. Seriously.

(Did anyone notice that I wrote less fic when I was in Japan? I sure did! I felt bad about it, but while I loved being there and all my classes and friends, I really had no energy or time for anything that didn’t immediately pertain to university life in some way. My hobbies all got put on a big hold while I was over there. But I’m back now! And am working on making more time for myself for creative outlets!)

Spooky FE14 Fic

Also, I have another FE14 Spooky Horror Fic that’s on the way! With all the FE ships you know I love to write! Probably… somewhere between ½ to ¾ths done? Including blocking for future scenes, I’m at about 37K word count right now. That will go up as I take the blocking and turn it into actual dialogue and narration and stuff, lol. It’ll still be a while before I’m done though. I’ve had this thing sitting in my drafts for literal months and haven’t been able to work on it in a while. But I want to very badly!

I’m trying hard to make this spooky fic different from my previous fics. I don’t want to spoil too much, but I am actively trying to make sure I have a few different dynamics than who I paired up in Dark Things Grew (which you should check out if you like spooky stuff!) and also more getting together than established relationship. Also more, like, having real flaws in relationships and as people? But we’ll see how that works out, haha. It’s my first time writing a lot of things, so it’s a little new to me too. And spooky in the “oh no, what if people don’t it when characters are, like, realistically an asshole?” But I want to to be good! And I think you’ll like it! Or at least some will, haha.

FE3H

I sat down trying to write some FE14 stuff earlier, but I think the 3H bug really bit me because when I tried to write, something just wasn’t clicking right. And I just kept thinking about some of my 3H faves?? So I guess I’m halfway through a short-ish Caspar/Linhardt fic now, lol. (I also have a half-written Raphael/Ignatz in my drafts too, but I don’t know if I like it or not, so we’ll see if I ever come back to it. I’m thinking of that one as a warm-up.)

But it’s been literally a minimum of 2 years since I’ve written something that wasn’t for FE14, so getting to know new characters again is interesting. Normally I like to scan wikis and consume literally everything about a character before I write them so I write them as accurately as possible, but 3H is so new that a lot of that info is really scarce rn! So I’m nervous! But trying!

Also, because you asked about various things and I feel bad just naming upcoming, unfinished fics:

A Few Fic Ideas I Think About Often And Actually Have In A File On My Laptop Titled “FE Fics to Write” (much more on the real list)

Chef/Baker AU Owain! (I also talk to @kimium about this often. But also I know nothing about baking or cooking at all so like??? We’ll see if I ever get this one done, haha.)

AU where Owain (and maybe the others, but this is more Owain focus) is an Android but nobody knows it except him. (Slowburn Leo/Owain/Niles? And also maybe Nina and Forrest are there?? This one is also a little vague but it Haunts me)

I wanna write a fic like this one where Inigo made a deal and the price of Severa and Owain living was their memories except this time around it’s more of the aftermath and a little more magic is involved. Also, Owain/Inigo established relationship but Owain forgot. Also, Owain hates Inigo.

On that same line, I want to write a fic that takes place during the “Owain and Inigo Do Not Get Along” time period of their lives. I always write them as established friendship. But they legit were Not Friends in Awakening for a good part of their friendship. They would die for each other but also shove each other’s faces in the dirt if they could. I want to write that. Also maybe with hate romance.

Established Leo/Nlies Modern AU where Owain is their neighbor/someone they know who they sleep with on the regular. Owain thinks it’s all casual. Is it??? *Eye emoji*Insecure Owain? (maybe tied in with the above? maybe something else? mentioned in another fic I’m writing and I want to explore it more. He so easily has breakdowns in canon when Felicia and Severa call him weird.)

Can u tell I love Owain

Anyway, those are some of my top fic ideas and fic that I’m actively working on atm! I hope they seem appealing to you or anyone else reading this, lol. I’m trying to get back into the swing of things as I go! Definitely always feel free to hit me up with more FE questions anytime though! (Awakening, Fates, 3 Houses–it’s all on the table again!)

Thanks for asking!

#my text #asks #fe14 #fe16 #why is ask formatting all wack recently #i have to go back and reformat it all every time now #weird #every time i hit 'pot' it gets all jacked up #long post

[ltwilliamhavers]

Byrock Lake Summer Camp

its time for another rosawatts fic, i guess. lol. 

thank you anon for sending this in!! i was excited to use these emojis bc theyre actually MY favorite emojis!! however. this fic probably isn’t what you were expecting like. at all. lol it was the only way i could think to connect these emojis!! this could also be considered a ‘platonic’ rosawatts fic technically? bc theres nothing romantic in this fic just btw

also just an fyi for this fic- people named charlie and traci are mentioned in it! traci is eva’s canon sister (who i headcanon as older than her) and charlie is eva’s twin sister who i like... completely made up. charlie isn’t canon lol. just lettin yall know. (she’s also in another one of my fics)

one last thing! this fic is a little more than 5k words, and word counter says it should take about 20 minutes to read so you should probably settle in if you do plan on reading it. anyway thanks for reading this mess until here lmao

It had been a very hot and humid summer at Byrock Lake Summer Camp. It wasn’t even summer yet, per say, since it was only nearing the beginning of June, but it was reaching the point of the year where it’s temperatures are the highest ever. It’s located in such a place that makes it feel like summer weather even if you’re visiting in the middle of December.

Summer heat brought all the other summer related consequences along with it. Sunburns, headaches, along with lots and lots of bugs. Spiders ran rampant along the grounds, setting up camp in almost any corner they could get too. Fire ants nests were found almost everywhere along the grounds, barely five feet apart from each other. Mosquitoes seemed to appear almost out of nowhere, completely destroying anyone who had forgotten to put on bug spray. The smell of bug repellent was abundant everywhere you stepped in an attempt to try to get all of the insects under control.

Byrock Lake, at the very least, had semi-decent cabins. They looked like log houses, except a lot smaller, and each group’s cabins were all located within ten feet of each other. The boys’ cabins were at the top of the hill; the girls’ nearer the bottom. These cabins also had no means of modern air conditioning, all that was used were old fans that made so much noise that there’s no way anyone could fall asleep with them on.

This is where thirteen year old Eva Rosalene and Neil Watts were going to spend two weeks of their precious summer vacation.

The reason that they had been sent to this summer camp together was mostly for a band get together. Every year, their school’s band director tries to get the entire band group on some sort of excursion together so that they could all spend some more time together, and get to know each other better outside of school. The band director, along with the school, always chooses one of the cheapest summer camps to send all the kids to so that they could pay it all off immediately. The parents don’t have to pay any money to send their children on these trips, so there’s virtually no reason for the parents to not send their kids.

On the entire three hour bus ride to Byrock Lake, Neil had barely taken a second to breathe in between his sentences, complaining about their destination.

“I mean, Eva, come on! How can you be even slightly optimistic about this place? It’s going to be hot and sweaty and so gross! For two weeks! That’s, like, basically an eternity!”

Neil, sitting on the side closest to the aisle in the seat he’s sharing with Eva, has turned his body sideways to face Eva head on as he complains to her. Eva stays quiet, politely listening to her friend go on and on about this summer camp.

When Neil finishes this last sentence, he huffs loudly and crosses his arms, still facing Eva. She looks at him blankly, not giving the thick-glassed boy next to her the reaction he’s looking for. “How do you even know this place is going to be bad? You haven’t even seen it yet.” Neil looks at Eva incredulously after she says this. “Eva, really? Have you not heard about past band members talking about this place? It’s horrible! There’s bugs everywhere.” He says this last one with his arms waving around, trying emphasize the word everywhere.

Eva rolls her eyes at Neil. “Then wear bug spray.”

Neil ignores this comment, and continues. “They don’t even allow electronics! Can you believe that? How are we supposed to have any kind of fun without video games?” He turns to the side, pouting and crossing his arms again. Eva raises an eyebrow at him. “Wait, I thought you told me you brought your GameBoy along with-” she says, before she’s quickly cut off by Neil shushing her loudly and placing one of his hands over her mouth. Eva lowers her eyebrows, glaring at him. Neil takes his hand away when he knows she’s done talking.

He leans in closer to her, speaking in a half whisper. “Are you kidding me, Eva? You can’t announce that! There’s teachers sitting at the front of this bus! I don’t want this to get taken from me. Not again. My parents would be pissed.”

Eva half smiles, thinking about the last time he got his GameBoy taken away from him. He had brought it into class one day, aiming to play it while they were taking a test, and asked Eva to ‘cover for him’. She just rolled her eyes and didn’t say anything when the teacher started making her way towards Neil. It got taken away for almost a week.

She moves past the fact that Neil has attempted to smuggle his GameBoy into their summer camp get together, and starts trying to encourage Neil. “Well, I don’t think it’ll be all that bad. Besides, my mom said that it would be fun.”

Neil glances over at her. “How does she know?”

“What?”

“Did Traci and Charlie go?”

Eva looks at Neil with a look of confusion. “Neil, if Charlie went, she’d be on this bus right now. We’re in the same grade. Also, she’s not even in band. Why in the world would she be on this trip with us?”

Neil ignores Eva’s quips at him. “Well then, how about Traci?”

“I think this whole thing was started after Traci left middle school, so… no.”

Neil sighs loudly, and slumps himself down in his chair. “Then your mom lied to you.”

“Don’t call my mom a liar!”

“Besides, my parents didn’t bother to entice this summer camp to me. They knew it wasn’t going to be that great- they just signed me up for it and shipped me off.” Neil looks down at his feet. “I think my dad just wanted me out of the house.”

Eva looks at him, not knowing what to say next. Neil’s home life had always been a touchy subject with him. Anytime she’d try to bring it up, Neil would immediately shut down or try to change the subject with a joke. She never knew what to say when he brought it up.

They sit in silence for a few minutes, Neil still slumped in his seat, looking at his feet, and Eva had busied herself looking out the window. The dark green trees outside had gotten more and more abundant, and the amount of commercial buildings outside had decreased. It was obvious that they were getting closer to wherever this summer camp was.

“We don’t even get to go swimming.”

Eva looks over at Neil in surprise, not having expected him to start up a conversation again. He’s still looking at the ground.

“Well, this place is called Byrock Lake. It literally has the name lake in the title, and we don’t even get to swim in it?” Neil glances up at Eva, as he starts going on another tangent. “I mean, I think it’s the least that they could do. It’s going to be way too hot there.”

Eva smiles, glad he’s back to his normal self, not dwelling on his life at home. “Maybe you could sneak into the lake to go swimming. I wouldn’t put it past you.”

Neil looks at Eva, and smiles. “Yeah, maybe I will.”

She looks taken aback at Neil’s response. “Neil, I was- I’m joking. Don’t do that. You could get kicked out.”

Neil rolled his eyes. “Oh no, I could get kicked out? Of this lousy summer camp which is one of the last places I want to be this summer? Oh, how horrible. I can’t even imagine.”

Eva was about to say something about how angry his parents might get if they got a call saying that Neil had gotten kicked out of Byrock Lake Summer Camp for trying to swim in the lake, but decided against it. She didn’t want to bring up his parents for no reason. She decides to just elbow Neil for his sarcasm, and Neil laughs.

A teacher at the front of the bus stands up, and all the kids instantly go quiet, including Neil. As much as he might talk about breaking the rules, he’s too straight laced to ever actually do it. As all the students direct their attention at the teacher, he starts talking.

“Alright, kids, we are approaching Byrock Lake Summer Camp. Please make sure to exit the bus as quickly as possible, and grab all of your belongings from your compartments. The school is not responsible for any items lost because you left it on the bus. As soon as we are all ready to go, your group leaders will take you to your cabins so you all can set up. Feel free to ask your group leaders for instructions afterwards.” He takes a quick scan over all the students once he had finished, and then turns around to sit in his seat again. All the kids start talking again, and Neil groans in his seat.

“Man, I can’t believe I got Mr. Castells as my group leader,” Neil pouts, talking about the scary-looking man who had talked just a few seconds ago. “You got Mrs. Noel! You are so lucky, Eva. She’s so nice. I wish I had gotten her.”

“Well, I don’t think it would make any sense for a girl group leader to stay with the boys.”

“Eva, I wasn’t being serious.” He says, turning around again to face her. “I just meant… man, I wish I had gotten anyone but Mr. Castells.” Eva laughs. “Better not say that too loudly or he might hear you. You wouldn’t want him to take away your GameBoy, would you?”

“Eva! I told you to be quiet about that!” Neil says flusteredly, through clenched teeth, as Eva laughs.

The bus then quickly slams on the breaks and almost every kid hits their head on the seat in front of them. Neil, due to the fact he was sitting sideways, was slammed forward and fell into the tiny space in between his seat and the seat in front of him. Eva busted out laughing at seeing her friend stuck haphazardly in a small space. His face turned red from embarrassment, and quickly picked himself up out of the space as the other band members started leaving the bus, Eva still laughing at Neil’s mistake. Neil mumbles to her to knock it off, too embarrassed to say anything comprehensible to her.

“Alright, smooth guy, get a move on,” Eva manages to say in between fits of laughter. Neil quickly stands up, not looking at Eva, and they make their way off the bus, making sure to mumble a quick ‘thank you’ to the bus driver so that Mr. Castells doesn’t yell at them.

Once they get off and grab their duffel bags from under the bus, the bus driver quickly speeds off back onto the road, leaving all the kids behind. Neil sighs beside Eva. “Man, this is horrible already and I haven’t even been here for a minute yet.” He glances at Eva, and then spins around to follow the rest of the group. As Eva joins him, she can’t deny that she thinks he’s right. She can already feel herself start to get sweaty due to the immense heat in the area, and she can hear the cacophony of buzzing mosquitoes in the surrounding area.

“Oh, and another thing!” Neil angrily says to Eva, as she catches up and starts walking besides him. “The boy’s cabin is at the top of the hill! I have to lug this whole duffel bag up a hill, are you kidding me? You have it so easy. Your cabins are at the bottom of the hill.” Eva giggles at Neil’s exuberant manner of complaining. “Oh, get over it. I think you’re gonna be fine.”

“That’s what you think,” Neil says. He starts acting as though his bag is weighing down on him, and he’s struggling to carry it. “Oh, Eva, I don’t think… I can make it… this might be the end for me… this duffel bag is just way too heavy to carry up a hill…” Neil says, speaking as though he were a tired, old man, which makes Eva start laughing. Neil lights up when he sees that Eva finds his shenanigans funny. She turns to Neil, eyes twinkling. “Alright, old man, hurry up. I don’t want to get left behind by the group.”

Eva turns around and starts walking, smiling as she hears Neil yell, ‘Hey!’ behind her, and his footsteps running to catch up with her.

* * *

Sat down at one of the cheap tables the camp had bought for it’s barely air-conditioned dining area, Eva had been eating her dinner in a plastic tray, sat down with her other band friends. She kept quickly scanning the dining hall, wondering where her best friend had gone off to. She didn’t think that he’d just sit without her, but it was definitely worrying her as an option.

Her fears were quickly put to rest when she saw a quick movement to the left of her and the loud clack of a plastic tray being set down. She looked over, and saw Neil quickly taking a seat next to her. The other people at the table glanced over him, but quickly turned back to their own private conversation.

“Neil? Where were you? I was worried you sat down without me.”

He turns to look at Eva and puts on his mushiest voice that he can muster. “Aww, Evie, did you miss me? How sweet!” Eva immediately rolls her eyes. “Nevermind. I take that back. I wish you had sat somewhere else without me.” Neil fake pouts at Eva, which draws out a small smile from her. Neil, satisfied, moves the conversation forward.

“So… you don’t wanna know where I was?”

“I literally asked you where you were when you sat down.”

“Oh. Well, I wasn’t listening.” Eva sighs at him, and Neil continues. “I was playing my GameBoy!” He shows her his GameBoy discreetly under the table, where he was holding it, showing a Pokemon battle screen.

Eva looks at him with a deadpan face. “That’s really what you were doing instead of coming to the dining hall?”

“Yes, Eva,” he says, pressing the yes as though it was obvious that this was the most important thing in the world. “Anyway… I need to ask you something,” Neil says, as he shoves the GameBoy into one of his pant pockets. Eva looked at him cautiously. “Well, when you phrase it like that, I don’t know if I want you to ask it.” Neil waves his hand in a dismissive way in front of her face. “No! It’s nothing bad. It’s just… I want you to stay up kind of late in your cabin tonight. I wanna show you something.”

“That’s not a question.”

Neil lets out a drawn out groan. “God, Eva, just- will you stay up late in your cabin tonight for me? I would like to show you something.”

Eva smiles and crosses her arms confidently. “Thank you. And… I don’t know. Won’t you get caught? Because you’re sneaking out of your cabin, yeah?”

Neil rolls his eyes. “Pssh. I’m not scared of getting caught.” Eva glares at him with this obvious lie. Neil pretends like he didn’t see. “I’m not in the cabin with Mr. Castells, so I’m gonna be fine.” A whistle blares near the entrance to the dining area, and all the students look over to see their group leaders standing by the door. Mr. Castells starts waving the students over, and most of the kids start standing up to leave. Eva and Neil stand up with the rest of the kids, heading over to their respective leaders.

“Just, promise me you’ll be up, okay?” Neil says hurriedly, as he starts walking towards Mr. Castells.

“Uh, yeah, Neil, I’ll try,” Eva responds, and then turns around to get into the line in front of Mrs. Noel. She turns to the other line where Neil is, and he gives her a thumbs up before they start walking in different directions towards their cabins.

* * *

Sure enough, at around midnight, Eva hears a knocking on her cabin window. She quickly jumps, having just been starting to doze off. She was starting to think that Neil had been joking about meeting her at her cabin, or maybe he ended up chickening out. But sure enough, when she looked outside the window, she saw her thick-rimmed glassed, light brown haired friend staring at her through the other side. Eva stares at him, astonished. Neil simply waves back at her with a toothy grin. He then waves the universal gesture for ‘come forward’.

Eva leans closer towards the window, and Neil puts his head on his forehead and shakes his head, obviously sighing. He then leans towards the window and points to the direction of where the door is. Eva then understands- Neil was trying to get her to come outside.

She quickly throws on a jacket over her clothes- even though the days might be sweltering, the nights can feel like they’re freezing- and tiptoes outside as to not wake any of the others. Once she gets to the door with little to no noise, she makes her way to where Neil was standing. When he sees Eva, he cocks his head to the side. “Eva. You thought that gesture was ‘get closer’, and not ‘come outside’? Really?” Neil says, in a hushed whisper so that no one inside of the cabin can hear them. Eva looks downwards, embarrassed. “I didn’t know what you were trying to insinuate! You weren’t saying any words, it was kind of difficult for me!” Eva responds, in the same whisper as Neil. “Besides, I can always just go back into my cabin.” Neil’s eyes widen at this threat. “No no no! Don’t do that. Please, this is important to me.” Neil gives her puppy dog eyes when he says this, and Eva just laughs and rolls her eyes.

“Okay, show it to me.”

Neil looks at her, one eyebrow raised. “What?”

“You said you wanted to show me something. Where is it?”

“You’re going to have to follow me to come see it.”

“Wait, what?” Eva said, a little too loudly, which was quickly followed by a shush from Neil. Eva starts again, now in a whisper. “You don’t have it with you?”

Neil sighed. “It’s not really a thing I can just carry with me, Eva.”

“Okay, well how are we supposed to walk around in the dead of night?”

Neil flashed his toothy grin as he held up an incredibly bulky flashlight. “I came prepared. Come on, Eva. How’d you think I got down here?”

Eva gave up, and let Neil win the conversation. “Fine, okay. Lead the way.” Neil smiled at her, stepped onto the dirt road in front of the cabin, and once they were a safe distance away from the cluster of cabins, they turned on the flashlight.

* * *

The area they were walking seemed even darker than it would’ve been originally. The surrounding brush around them was so dense, and the trees around them so tall, that they could not even see the sky. There wasn’t even a star to light up where they were walking.

Eva started shivering next to Neil. “Are you sure you know where you’re going?”

“Absolutely positive,” Neil responds confidently. This does not help Eva’s fears in the slightest, as Neil has told her this multiple times in the course of their friendship, almost every time having him totally and utterly confused as to what he was actually doing.

Eva glances at him, not trusting him even a little bit, but finds Neil facing forward and marching towards their destination with an aura of confidence around him. Eva looks forward, too, doubting her earlier suspicions about Neil having no clue where he was leading them.

The two of them continue on their way, Neil still smiling, obviously excited for their end goal and Eva, next to him, shivering in the cold forest. Eva side eyes him as they make their way down this dirt trail, the only light source they have a small, bulky flashlight. She tries to start conversation, so that she doesn’t have to walk through a dark forest in dead silence.

“This place better be good,” Eva says, half joking, trying to get a reaction out of her friend. He chuckles and glances over at her.

“Oh, trust me, it’s pretty great.”

“Good enough to get caught and kicked out of a summer camp for?”

Even though Eva can’t quite make out Neil’s movements in the dark, she can assume that he rolled his eyes at her remark. “Eva, please, you need to stop worrying about that so much. I know your mom would have a hissy-fit, but I’m sure she’ll get over it eventually.” Eva thinks to herself that she wasn’t scared about her parent’s reactions, but Neil’s. He continues his train of thought. “Besides, we aren’t going to get caught. None of these counselors care enough to go out in the middle of the night to go catch some kids.”

“They’re camp leaders. Not counselors. They aren’t getting paid for this,” Eva says, stifling a yawn throughout her sentence.

“I think that just proves my point even further.”

Eva is about to say something else to Neil, trying to keep the conversation going, when she suddenly feels a drop-off and feels like she’s falling through space and time. She looks down and realizes that her foot had only gone down only a few inches than what she had expected. The air around her immediately seems to warm up, and it seems just a little bit lighter than the forest before. She looks around her and realizes that they have exited the forest.

“Hey Eva, watch out, there’s a drop off there,” Neil says with a monotone voice.

“Wow, thanks for the heads up. I really appreciate it,” she replies as Neil snickers.

Neil steps closer towards her, stepping down the drop off with no reaction, unlike Eva before him. “Alright, close your eyes.”

Eva spins around quickly. “What?”

“Just close your eyes!”

“I don’t think I trust you enough to do that.”

Neil sighs. “Eva, come on.”

“How am I going to walk through this place if my eyes are closed?”

“It’s dark enough already that I don’t think you closing your eyes will be much of a difference. Besides, I’ll guide you,” he says, finishing on a note of what felt like true sincerity to Eva. She gives up, sighing, and looks back at Neil. “Promise you won’t do anything bad?”

“Jeez, Eva, do you really not trust me that much?”

Eva glares at him until he answers the question.

“Fine, fine. I promise I won’t do anything weird. Does that make you feel better?”

“It does,” Eva says, smiling, and closes her eyes. She feels Neil grab her forearm. “Alright, I’m just gonna try to lead you. It won’t take that long.”

The next minute or so consists of Eva, blind, wandering through a dirt trail with only Neil to guide her. She trips over rocks and small branches multiple times, and Neil tries to convince her multiple times that this place will truly be great. Even though it didn’t take very long, it felt like an eternity to Eva who had to wander blindly.

“Okay, we’re almost there,” Neil said, still trying to calm Eva’s nerves about where they were headed. “It’s gonna be great. Just… step up a little bit.”

Eva follow’s Neil’s directions and kicks her foot up way high, and her foot hits something, which quickly causing an ‘OW!’ from Neil’s direction.

“Jesus, Eva, not that high! You just kicked my leg,” Neil yells, and it causes Eva to start laughing. “Christ. I’m gonna have a bruise there tomorrow.” Eva keeps laughing at Neil’s exaggerations. “Alright, Eva, this time, only put your foot like a couple inches in the air.”

Neil manages to get the blind Eva up onto the area that he was trying to get her to go. Instantly, Eva can feel the feeling of wood planks beneath her and the soft swaying of the area they were standing on. Eva smiles, taking a guess at where they were located.

Neil continues to grab her forearm, and leads her a couple steps forward, once stepping behind her and positioning her shoulders to face a certain way. Eva continues smiling. “Can I open my eyes now?” She hears footsteps moving beside her, and Neil answers, “Yeah, in just a second, hold on.” Eva looks over to where she expects Neil to be standing, her eyes still closed. “Do I get bonus points if I’m able to guess where we are?”

She hears Neil sigh, a ways behind her. “No. You don’t get bonus points. No guessing.” She hears a few more cautious footsteps, getting quieter, so she can assume Neil is walking away from her. “Okay, Eva, open your eyes!”

When she was finally able to open her eyes, she just expected to see Byrock Lake, but in the dark and she’d barely be able to make out the water. Only part of her prediction was correct.

Yes, she was standing on the pier to the infamous Byrock Lake, but it was so much better than she had imagined. In the sky, the stars were so bright that they looked lighthouses at the far end of the sky. There were more up there than she had ever seen in her entire life. The entire sky looked like someone had taken white paint, and splattered a dark black canvas with as many dots as they could manage. She could only see stars in the sky- the moon that day had been a new moon. Eva took a few moments just collecting in her brain the image of the beautiful starry sky, before she had looked down at the water.

Byrock Lake was reflecting everything that Eva had just seen in the sky. The water was pitch black, but the soft rippling of the water allowed it to easily reflect the starry sky. The stars in the water looked like they were moving and spinning around, like a galaxy over millions and millions of years. Eva gasps out loud and covers her mouth with her hands.

“Oh my god, Neil, this is…” she says, not finding a word to describe what she sees before her.”

“Pretty great, huh?” he says, walking up from behind and then taking his place to the left of her. “I knew that you would like it.” He looks over at Eva, who’s still entranced by all the beautiful stars in the sky and the ones that looked like they’re trapped in the water.

Eva takes off her long sleeved jacket- it had gotten warmer when they had exited the forest- and is left in her Byrock Lake Summer Camp t-shirt that all the students were directed to wear on their first day. Eva sets down her jacket, and makes her way closer to the edge of the pier, Neil still watching her movements. She kneels down at the edge of the wooden dock, and placed her hand on top of the water, touching the stars from above. The water feels warm as she plunges her hand into the lake. Her hand quickly seems to disappear, due to how black the water is, and more shining stars take the place of where her hand used to be.

Neil eventually walks over to where Eva is kneeling, and continues to stand as she looks into the dark abyss. “It looks like a liquid galaxy,” Eva says, moving her hand around in the water, disturbing the surrounding area of stars. Neil laughs. “Yeah, I guess that’s one way you could put it.” He continues to stare at Eva for a few minutes, before rolling up the hem of his pants and taking off his shoes, setting them on the dock. Eva looks up at him. “What are you doing?” she asks, but gets no response as Neil sits down at the edge of the dock, legs leaning off which go into the warm water. Neil puts his hands behind him, holding him up, saying nothing. Eva quickly realizes what he was doing, and does the same. Soon enough, they’re both sitting at the end of the dock, looking out on a sea of stars.

“How did you know about this place?” Eva asks, looking over to her left, still seeing Neil staring off into the distance. He smiles. “My grandpa took me here once.”

Eva stares at him, eyebrow raised. “On the whole bus ride up you were non-stop complaining about this place.” Neil laughs. “Yeah, well, when I went with my grandpa it was just us. I didn’t have to go along with a hundred kids that I barely know and eat sub-par food for two weeks.” Eva looks back at the water, internally agreeing with him.

“We always loved to go stargazing. We’d try to go to many different places to see a different view.” Neil laughs. “Well, the stars don’t look all that different, but the different environments surrounding you can always be a fun change.” Neil looks over at Eva, who is now the one still staring out onto the lake. “I sat on this dock for hours when I saw all of this. Amazing how much of the sky is covered up by pollution, huh?” Eva voices her agreement.

They sit there on the edge of the lake for a little while, Eva swinging her legs, messing with the ripples in the water, and Neil seeming perfectly content with not moving at all. Eventually, Neil speaks up, a smile on his face. “Hey, Eva?” She doesn’t look up at him, still to entranced by the sky above and in front of her. “Yeah?”

Before she even has a chance to fight back, she feels a pair of hands on her back, pushing her forward. “Wait, wait, wait- NEIL!” Eva yells quickly, just before she’s pushed tumbling into the lake in front of her. She quickly swims up back to the surface, wiping the wet hair out of her eyes and spitting out water that she accidentally inhaled. “NEIL WATTS, I SWEAR TO GOD-” Eva starts to yell, but when she looks up, she can see Neil setting down his glasses and backing up to the end of the dock. He starts running full speed towards the lake. Eva’s eyes widen.

“Neil, no, I swear, if you splash me I will-” Eva starts, but not before Neil yells excitedly, jumps off the end of the dock as far as he can, and splashes in only a few feet away from where Eva was swimming. Eva immediately wipes the hair out of her eyes again, and opens them to see Neil Watts swimming beside her, a wide toothy grin on his face and his hair, usually combed right down the middle, all swept back by the water.

“I hate you. So much,” Eva says through gritted teeth, glaring at Neil who was still smiling at her. “Oh, come on, Eva, that was fun!” He glances at her, a little worry showing on his face. “You’re not gonna get out, are you?” Eva smiles a little bit at how worried Neil got. “Well, the damage is already done, I guess,” she says, with a fake melodramaticism in her voice.

Neil looks at her, surprised by her answer, and grins widely.

Eva smiles back.

#lmao this one is....... long........ #to the moon #finding paradise #rosawatts #neil watts #eva rosalene #my writing #i know this one wasnt very shippy but i hope yall liked it anyway!!

[wwe-fluff-fic]

Roman Reigns - What Did I Just Witness...

Roman Reigns - Prompt #24 and #86: “Are you drunk?” and “Why are you walking around naked?”

- Warnings - Swearing, Sexual References.

Word Count - 1,666 words.

Requested by: Anon.

A/N - If you’d like to be tagged in any future fics feel free to message us :)

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“Woo!” You and several of your other girlfriends screamed as the last of the twelve men shut the door to your hired Las Vegas Mansion, leaving you all to get along with your huge girly night in. Most of the girls in the group had continuously bugged you about why you weren’t going on some wild night out to enjoy the nightlife of Vegas- your answer of ‘I don’t want to some big ass hangover on my wedding day’ was a simple yet effective way in shutting them up. One weekend in Vegas was all you had with the hectic schedule Roman and you were confined to therefore you had to make the most of what you had. Of course, Bachelor and Bachelorette parties on the Saturday and your Wedding Day on the Sunday. Yeah, not the smartest idea in the whole world... The day was all set to be perfect; what your dreams were made of, the picture you imagined at the age of five. The single greatest day of your life. A loud shrill of one of your bestfriends however broke you out of your small daydream.

“It’s time to partayyy” Nikki screamed whilst popping the first of what seemed to be endless bottles of champagne. You solely giggled at her as she began to haphazardly pour glasses for everyone, all except the very pregnant Brie who remained rolling her eyes at her clearly overly-eager twin.

“It’s hardly even a party,” you chimed in. “More like a bunch of girls wearing face masks, getting absolutely pissed out of their minds whilst watching some random ass shows on the television.” Your small remark caused a flurry of cackles to erupt from the women scattered around the lavish living area.

“Hey, it’s a celebration and a celebration means a party you bitch.” Renee practically screeched in your ear as she began hugging you, ultimately causing both of your bodies to topple over and land lying tightly against each other. Yeah... basically spooning... You shook your head and plainly laughed at the already slightly tipsy blonde as all the other girls nodded and hummed in agreement of Renee’s previous statement.

~ Later On ~

Somehow still after two whole hours, you were sprawled on the sofa in the ever-so-slightly peculiar position with your friend. Face masks were done, alcohol had been consumed by almost everyone- maybe a little too much and at this point it was clear to see everyone was just waiting for their ‘men’ to return from whatever adventures they decided to embark on. God only knows what time they’d be back though. “Alright let’s talk about some girly things,” Naomi muttered, breaking the silence that had formed in the room. An instant sense of fear rushed over you- I mean who wouldn’t be a little scared, they were bound to come up with the most awkward or ridiculous questions going.

“I’ll start!” Nattie pretty much begged, leaving you with basically no choice but to nod in agreement. “So Y/N... How are you feeling, like you’re getting married tomorrow!?” It all seemed so crazy. Yours and Roman’s relationship never truly was a secret, news spread 3 years ago exactly a week after you’d been on your first official date. Everything just seemed so right with him so why would you have kept it as any form of secret? He just knew you and you knew him... it was almost as if he was a part of you; to the point where if he left you wouldn’t know how to cope. It was as if commitment was an easy thing to agree to; but only with him. 

Questions continued to flow around a circle from the 3 seated on the other sofa to the others who were left on the floor. “Alright, so Y/N, have you talked about kids with Roman?” Lana questioned, shifting her body on the immaculate flooring to be rested on her elbows. 

“Erm, I mean yeah we’ve discussed it and we both do want kids but like I just don’t want to really stop work you know.” That was a tricky situation in itself to even remotely talk about. Yeah, you wanted kids and yeah it’d be incredible with Roman but just the simple thought of potentially stopping your dream career was heartbreaking. Of course, it’d happen eventually, just not anytime soon.

The spiral of questions soon reached the final person, Renee. “Well the real question is... how’s he in bed?” You instantly felt your cheeks flush a bright crimson and a smirk etched its way onto your face. “Awh well that just means he’s great then.” Renee responded to your visible answer through the form of complete embarrassment.

A mass of ‘awhs’ arose during the crowd before a sharp click virtually silenced them. Your body immediately shot up as seeing your soon-to-be husband enter through the door, a small velvet box cupped in his hands. “Hey babygirl.” He mumbled bringing you into a tight embrace as you rushed towards him. “I have something for you. I’ve been told every bride should have something old, new, borrowed and blue and since you already have the new dress, the old hair-piece and Nikki’s white Louboutins, I decided to get you this. He gently opened the tiny box, revealing a perfect pair of blue diamond earrings which instantly left you gushing in pure astonishment. 

“Oh my god Roman. I seriously can’t believe you, these must have cost a fortune!” You babbled on, tugging your long hair into a loosely knotted bun.

“Don’t worry about that babygirl. Tomorrow’s our day.” Romans voice always soothed you, whether it’d be before you fell asleep or after a stressful day at work. He always seemed to have that trick up his sleeve; that way of making everything feel as though it was going to be okay- well, more than that... perfect. His fingers intertwined with the fallen strands of hair framing your face before he delicately placed his soft lips against yours. It wasn’t long before the rest of the guys entered the house, greeting their other halves. “Okay Y/N I’m going to head to bed before I literally pass out.”

“Alright we are going in like 5 minutes but I’m gonna stay the night in Renee’s room since I figured we shouldn’t see each other tomorrow, you know superstition and all that...so I guess I’ll see you tomorrow handsome. Night babe.” You explained releasing your arms from his extremely attractive, toned biceps to watch him walk away. All the guys seemed to have the same idea, heading towards the barrage of different bedrooms in the distant corridor. “Erm Dean your bedroom should be the second on the left. Everyone else knows where they are.”

You slumped back onto the sofa to continue your conversations with the girls for a little longer. The conversations were solely supposed to last five minutes; those 5 minutes soon turned into 10. “He’s just really sweet and gentle you know.” You answered to Maryse’s prior question, not realizing the immediate switch in Tamina’s facial expressions. 

“My god, my eyes hurt. I’m not supposed to be seeing this.” She blurted out, shielding her eyes with the palms of her hands. What the hell was going on!?

“Gurl... you’re so getting it good.” Naomi’s words directed towards you. Utter confusion was the only thing on your mind right now. Your back was faced away from whatever had caused this mixture of reactions wherein all the rest of the group were gasping in shock as well. 

You sat up in a fast pace, head already pounding to turn to witness that... it. “Roman what the actual fuck!? Why are you walking around naked?” There he was stood... your future husband. No towel, no boxers, nothing... just bare. “Are you drunk? There has to be some reason at least for this.”

“No! I swear I am not drunk, it’s just he was there and we were spooning and-” His words were cut off not only due to the eruptions of laughter filling the atmosphere but the urgent ‘what!?’ that rolled off your tongue. 

Soon after the faint sound of footsteps could be distinguished, getting louder every second until another lean build came into view. “Ah shit.” Dean’s raspy voice muttered as he then realized everyone staring his direction. “Well, this is awkward.”

“Renee... can you please explain to me why both of our men are standing in front of everyone butt naked? Cos’ I can’t.” You questioned turning to your friend, your tone becoming more and more sarcastic by the minute as you desperately tried to seek an answer to this.

“Look Y/N, I was just lying there minding my own business, doing my sleeping and then I feel someone get into bed so obviously I’m like oh that’s you. So then I start spooning this person, naked might I add and then realised. Why the hell are you so bloody hairy... So I ran out thinking you guys would stick to your word and be gone but here I am. Naked.” It was hard to even take this partially seriously, like come on; Roman and Dean. You tried to keep it cool but it was just way too difficult at this point and you couldn’t contain the fit of laughter forming inside of you. It was even hard to find breath in between the on-going giggles leaving your mouth- it was borderline impossible! 

It seemed like that with the other girls as well, it was just surprising how none of the other guys woke up. I guess they were pretty drunk then... That’s surely the only reason they weren’t able to hear the roars of eleven high-pitched giggles. Well, what would have been twelve, however it didn’t seem as though Tamina was enjoying this whole situation... at all. “Okay you know what, all of you guys can’t stop fucking laughing so Roman can you go and put some clothes on before my eyes literally burn.”

A/N - Okay it’s finally done after having to restart the whole thing -.- Anyways who doesn’t love a little bit of Roman so I hope you enjoyed this one as much as I do! xo ~ Nikkii.

Tag List - @m-a-t-91

#wwe #wwe imagine #wwe fanfiction #wwe fanfic #wwe x reader #wwe imagines #wwe × reader #roman x reader #roman reigns #roman reigns request #roman reigns imagine