#im ALREADY LATE for the anniversary chapter. i dont want it to be too much more late | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

khaleesiofalicante · 3 years

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OK I GOT 5 HOURS OF SLEEP LAST NIGHT WHICH IS PRETTY OK IG (I did stay up to read the fic-) BOTH MY TESTS WENT LIKE SHIT, I HAD AN ANXIETY ATTACK IN PROGRAMMING CLASS BECAUSE BY TEACHER IS A LITTLE SHIT WHO KEPT ON YELLING AT ME WHEN I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND SOMETHING AND I SPENT LUNCH ALONE BUT AT LEAST NOW IM ALONE WITH MY LAPTOP SO YAYAYAYYA

first of all, this chapter right here is my comfort chapter from now on. i said what i said. I will be rereading it again and again just because i can. it was PERFECTION

here's me going crazy at 2 am yesterday.

MAGNUS' CHAPTER

LET'S GO LET'S GO LET'S GO

AHHHHHHH IT'S THEIR ANNIVERSARY

SCREAM

alec shaved his beard because it made him look older

RAFAEL WAS SO UPSET AFTER THE MEXICO ATTACK BECAUSE OF ANJALI RIGHT??

magnus and alec are the oblivious parents istg

“Are you decent?” Max yelled. “I don’t want to be traumatized again.”

“Hey! We agreed not to talk about that!” Alec yelled back.

Im not even surprised at this point

“Happy anniversary, bapa!” Rafael kissed him on the cheek and handed him the flowers.

“Where are my flowers?” Alec asked.

Rafael plucked a rose from the bouquet and threw it at Alec. “Here you go.”

“Thanks, son,” Alec mumbled.

IM WHEEZING

DAVID BAKES

“David made it,” Max said shyly. "

Oh,” Alec replied and then shrugged. “Well, the icing could be a little sweeter I think.”

Ever since Max started dating, Alec had become incredibly protective. Alec liked David of course – it was impossible to find someone who didn’t. But that didn’t mean Alec approved.

And it didn’t help that the blond boy was absolutely terrified of Alec.

ALEC STOP TEASING HIM

THE BOY IS ALREADY SCARED

“I don’t know,” Alec analysed the card. “David used too much glitter.”

“Since when do you have a problem with excessive glitter?” Max demanded.

ALEC

“I didn’t use him!” Max huffed. “He was thoroughly compensated for his efforts!”

“Compensated how?” Alec asked.

“Uh,” Max said. “With donuts.”

when i saw donuts i immediately thought of rose and luisa from jtv

iykyk

but should i continue the show? i got tired of jane continuously embarrasing herself

“You expect us to follow rules?” Alec asked in surprise. “In our own home? On our anniversary?”

The warlock boy grinned wickedly before leaning close to Alec.

“You better do it, or I will tell everyone about your secret,” Max whispered.

Alec blinked at that.

the secret...

I DONT LIKE HOW MANY THINGS POPPED INTO MY HEAD

is highschool musical that bad? i havent watched it. should i?

what if i cried

i just wanna hug alec??? but i cant say it'll be ok because it wont

“Is that why you are not attending?” Magnus grinned at his friend. “Or is it because you are terrified of Georgia?”

“That child is the reincarnation of Christopher Lightwood!” Ragnor complained. “I heard she made explosives out of demon ichor! Who makes explosions out of demon ichor?”

RAGNOR IS PROBABLY GETTING FLASHBACKS

THESE STUPID FUCKING BITCHES

how tf do you think we have survived huh??

medicine that's how

vaccines, anti biotics and what not

stop being close-minded and fucking do it

ok i know the risk is great

BUT OTHERWISE THEY ALL DIE

it was different for warlocks. The Shadow World was their universe. The nephilim kept it safe. At one point in their lives, they had learned to coexist with them, out of necessity and out of obligation.

And now here they were – working together in the name of friendship and love.

how things change...

what

say what

the causes are what

ok let's not jump to conclusions

im fucking crying wtf

alec doesnt deserve this shit

all he's done is make the world a better place

hes worked so hard on this

RAZIEL CAN GO FUCK HIMSELF

what am i supposed to say to my parents if one of them comes to check on me and im sitting here crying at 2 am

He didn’t want to believe in a reality that would punish Alec. Alec who only wanted to do what is good and right.

Alec was who was losing his hope and strength every passing day. Alec who was struggling. Alec who was turning to desperate measures to cope with all the stress.

please alec

no please

THE ANGELS ARE BITCHES

Because if Magnus found out Raziel was the one causing all this pain for Alec, he would march up to heaven and set the bastard on fire himself.

AND I'LL GO WITH HIM

KNEW THE SPY WAS LIVVY

AWW RAGNOR LIKES SELENA THATS SO SWEET

blue and gold

STOP IT IM CRYING AGAIN

The shadowhunter was a good influence on him. Magnus hoped Alec would see it sooner rather than later.

HUH

HUHU

HUH

omg

GIGI GETTING A SIBLING

“Max isn’t allowed to do a lot of things,” Magnus chuckled. “But he does them anyway.”

thats my boi

GASP

]THE NECKLACE

rafael is growing into the consul voice

they grow up so fast

nope nope he's still the little 5 year old

voice cracking what do you mean he's 20

im glad hes happy with mila. or is he...?

Magnus had deduced as much. Alec lived in his beautifully oblivious world. But Magnus noticed.

He noticed the hickeys. He noticed the late-night visits. He noticed the tense phone calls.

well thank god there's at least one non-oblivious person (alec i love you so much but you are very very oblivious)

“What’s stopping you then?” Magnus asked.

"2554 miles,” Rafael chuckled sadly.

me with all my online friends

probably more miles

Magnus tried to do the math but promptly gave up.

But Alec did lie though. Magnus pushed the thought away.

NOT NOW

LET ME LIVE IN PEACEFUL OBLIVION

HUSH

“Except melt it?” Rafael chuckled.

“Yes,” Magnus chuckled back. “As you can see, the bar is extremely low in the Lightwood family.”

AHHIUCCDSKUHDCV

i have no clue what the words describing the outfit are

time to google

OK PRETTY

Fifteen years. Fifteen years of loving and Alec still made his heart stutter.

dont do this to me right now I WILL CRY

“What the hell?” Max exclaimed. “Why are you all dressed up?”

“In case you haven’t noticed, it’s my anniversary,” Alec chuckled.

Max-

Fifteen years. Fifteen years and Magnus still took Alec’s breath away.

HJCSDHJBJDHSGCDYGJVVC JHVDFYMJ

it's not funny MY EYES ARE WATERING

“Bapak is a good looking one in the family,” Rafael pointed out. “You are the chaotic one and I am the smart one.”

“What am I then?” Alec asked dryly. “A sack of potatoes?”

“You’re the sexy one,” Magnus grinned. “A sexy sack of potatoes.”

yes.

Alec grinned back and leaned forward. Magnus put his hands around Alec’s neck and kissed him. He kissed Alec with all the love he had inside his heart.

Just like the first time. Just like the hundredth time. Just like the thousandth time.

Because with Alec, every kiss mattered. Every single one.

muffled sob

“Stop making out, oh my god!” Max groaned.

Magnus sensed a pillow coming their way but Rafael caught it before it hit them.

“Max, stop!” Rafael scolded. “You will wrinkle dad’s suit and ruin bapak’s hair! I spent hours ironing both!”

why is max me when i see people display affection in front of me

ALSO RAFAEL HKUIUIDCSKIHUDFVHJDFVHU

“They are here,” Rafael said. “You two better look exactly the way you did when I left with Max or I will raise hell.”

IM SCREAMING

Selena was wearing a blue crop top with the words “MIND YOUR OWN UTEREUS” written in gold.

i need that top

DAVID'S SHIRT IS THE COLOR OF MAX'S MAGIC

AHH ISABELLE DOESNT KNOW SHE'S PREGNANT YET

The argument of “who gave the best gift” had started when Jace and Izzy had gotten drunk on vodka. It didn’t help that Alec had gotten drunk as well. All three Lightwood siblings had then proceeded to have an argument about who had the best spouse. The whole night had been drunken chaos. Magnus, Clary and Simon had let them have it since the Lightwood siblings had a tendency to carry the world on their shoulders even when nobody asked them. They rarely ever let loose ever since their worlds had plunged into sickness and demon attacks. Especially Alec. So, Magnus had let his husband be that 18-year-old boy again. The boy who got drunk and fought with his siblings and sang songs about Magnus’ pretty eyes.

OH MY GOD THE CHAOS

Georgia considered that. “I’m not allowed to melt it, right?”

“No,” they all replied in chorus.

LET GIGI MELT IT

SELENA IM SO PROUD OF YOU

“Dad,” Max said. “Can you keep a picture of me wearing this necklace in your office?”

“Why?” Rafael asked.

“I think it will piss off the boomers,” Max giggled.

“Nice!” Lexi grinned. “A downworlder wearing a shadowhunter heirloom? They will lose their heads. Uncle Alec, you must do it.”

“I will do you one better. I will hang a tapestry,” Alec chuckled.

YASSS I CANT WAIT FOR THE SHADOWHUNTERS TO BE PISSED

AWW THEY DIDNT KNOW THE NECKLACE USED TO BELONG TO MAGNUS

he actually gave to camille first-

Why couldn’t this boy just cause chaos during his travel year like the rest of them? Why did he actually study and do his research as recommended?

why would you NOT study and research during your travel year????

oh shit

well well well

david bby stfu

i love you but pls stop speaking for all our sakes

“Holy shit,” Max said. “It is expensive then!”

“Don’t pawn the ruby!” Rafael warned.

MAX NO-

OH THE STONE COMES FROM EDOM

oh no

pls dont fight

oh so i was wrong about magus confronting him from that snippet

all you need to know is im sobbing right now and grammarly is the only thing making this coherent

dont mind me just

NO I FORGOT ABOUT MAX AND DAVID

GET BACK IN THE ROOM YOU IDIOTS

don't do this to me at 3 am

OK THE DILF PART

thank you for adding light into my life again

(me while editing this: today really isn't my day huh? i just slipped in rainwater outside my balcony because I heard rain and ran there. now my knee and back hurt and I think I sprained (?) my toe-

ANYWAY

wait im gonna go check out the rain and then continue editing this

ok i got bored of the rain)

that made me laugh through my tears

“Objectively good looking?” Jace snorted. “Excuse you, but my parabatai is smoking hot! He is a freaking prize, okay? If we had a magazine for hot shadowhunters, you would be on the cover page. Every single issue.”

“Okay, that’s enough!” Alec interrupted. “Magnus, are you happy? Now all my friends have told me I am pretty.”

“I said smoking hot,” Jace corrected.

“We are not being biased,” Clary pointed out. “It is the general consensus, Alec.”

“It’s true,” Lexi said. “So many people have asked me for your number, Uncle Alec. And I would have given it to them if I wasn’t worried about being turned into a marshmallow.”

LEXI DUHDUGHUDFCUHKVDFUIKFDU

“Dad, I don’t know why you are so worried,” Max said in a bored tone. “You’re a told DILF.”

David choked on his champagne and Jace patted him on the back.

“What the hell is a DILF?” Alec demanded.

“Oh, I know this one!” Jace said excitedly. “It means Dashing and Irresistible Looking Father. Max is right, you are a total DILF.”

“Mr. Herondale-” David raised a hand.

“I heard one of the shadowhunters in their travel year calling me a DILF too,” Jace said proudly.

THAT IS NOT WHAT DILF MEANS OH MY GOD

“It’s not a rumour,” Selena spoke up and passed her phone. “There is a group chat at Scholomance just to thirst after you.”

add me to it

ALL THE COMMENTS I CANT BREATHE

“Alec Lightwood can run me over with a Maserati and I would thank him.”

“Give me that,” Izzy grabbed the phone and started giggling. “Petition for Consul Alec Lightwood-Bane to stab me with his mortal sword.”

“Isabelle!” Alec hissed, cheeks flaming. “Stop it!”

“I want one!” Jace grabbed the phone now. “By the Angel!”

“Read it!” the kids yelled in chorus.

“I would gladly let Consul Lightwood-Bane inspect my mortal instruments,” Jace chuckled and threw the phone at David.

David shook his head vehemently and threw it at Max.

“My body is just a hole for Alec Lightwood,” Max read out loud and started laughing so hard that he fell off his chair.

Lexi grabbed the phone and giggled. “I want the Consul to strip off my runes among other things.”

She passed the phone to Gigi, who looked at the phone and look at Alec.

“Uncle Alec,” the girl said. “This person wants you to crush them with your massive archer arms.”

“Give me that,” Rafael grabbed it now. “Aw, this one is a classic, dad. Alec Lightwood turned me gay.”

He threw the phone at Simon, who stared the screen and looked up. “Uh, I don’t think I can read this one out loud in front of the kids.

“Is this the one about the basement?” Selena chuckled and Simon nodded.

WHAT'S THE BASEMENT ONe

TELL ME

AWW GIGI AND LEXI PUTTING MAKEUP ON DAVID AND MAX RECORDING IT

google translator time

oooo Rafael's gonna talk with Mila

Magnus you're such a good father

seriously

“Sometimes things are just sad. So, you need to let yourself be sad.”

YES

SAY IT LOUDER

THEY ARE UNDER THE BED

AHHH MAX AND DAVID

DAVID CALLED HIM MY ANGEL IN FRENCH

Alec and Magnus hiding under the bed and spying on them is just-

Jace had tried to give Max the shovel talk and had gotten a little too emotional.

of course, he did smh I love him so much

“David doesn’t need a shovel talk,” Alec smiled. “He knows what would happen to him if he hurts my son.”

David gulped. “You will throw me into the silent city?”

“I will ask me husband to portal you to hell,” Alec said – Consul Voice. “We have relatives there.”

the beloved relatives yes

“Goodnight,” Jace gave them a salute. “Have fun inspecting Magnus’ mortal instruments.”

JACE

OH SO THE QUESTION WAS ABOUT SMOKING

damn it

oh my god guys he said he'll stop smoking

just lemme have this moment

my boy's lungs will be intact

HIS LUNGS WILL BE OK

“I can’t wait to see all the messages on the chat after that,” Magnus giggled.

Alec looked up. “I’m more than a tall glass of water, Magnus!”

SCREAMING

In his dream, he saw them again. But they weren’t smiling this time.

what

wait

THE PROPHETIC DREAMS

nope nope nope

Nah I don't know what you're talking about

haha

damn, I think I really hurt my back...

OK BUT THE IMMORTALITY ANGST???? WAS SO SO GOOD???? I know it makes me cry but is it bad that I'm always so excited for angst written by you because of HOW GOOD it is????

"When I die I will love you from my grave" I NEED THIS ON MY FOREHEAD OH MY GOD I LOVE THESE TWO SO SO MUCH

alright I need to get something for my back and my knee (I'm home alone so this will be fun)

OK, I THINK THE NEXT CHP WILL BE ANJALI'S POV I JUST FEEL IT!!! I miss my girl so much I hope she's doing ok. Jaime too...

I'm rereading all of these chapters after chapter 10 because why not. Bye!!

OKAY I AM GLAD YOU LIKED IT BUT I AM ALSO DEEPLY WORRIED ABOUT YOUR HEALTH.

I hope your knee and back feels better soon!

also fuck that teacher yelling something doesn't make people understand it any better ugh dumb piece of shit anyway screw that person.

I hope you get some good rest and recovery from this rollercoaster of a day.

Take care!

#lbaf

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sockablock · 6 years

Text

Something New for Me and You

• (start) (AO3) (prev) (next) •

Chapter 5: Ribbons of Green Silk

TUSK LOVE 2: ELECTRIC BOOGALOO Today 8:22 AM

(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*: hey assholes whos excited for saturdaaaaayyyyyyyyyyy??!!!!! NottSoBrave: caleb says ‘what is she going on about’ (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*: rude (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*: im not going to elaborate until he apologizes Babebarian: caleb please say sorry NottSoBrave: he says “i dont understand why but i am sorry” (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*: i forgive him (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*: anyways im talking about the 25th anniversary!! Its going to be so fun molly told me all the juicy details Seaman: and wouldn’t tell ME anything about it NottSoBrave: what a dick (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*: ANYWAYS, will we all be able to meet at some point? I know molly is performing (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*: and fjord and beau and yasha have to work that night Babebarian: perhaps after the show when things have calmed down we can all meet Seaman: yeah sure

Nott swung her feet off the side of the counter as Caleb finished washing their dishes. “Nobody’s replying now,” she narrated. “Did you have something you wanted me to send?”

Caleb shut the faucet off. “No, I am fine,” he said. “Tell me instead, have you and Jester decided on a time yet? Is your plan worked out?”

Nott nodded grudgingly. “She’s picking me up after her classes end. You’re super lucky that you’ve already got a suit, you know,” she sighed. “I really don’t want to do this.”

Caleb gave her a sympathetic smile. “I am sure it will be fine. Jester wouldn’t subject you to too much, of that I am certain.”

Nott sagged against the cupboards. “But this is going to suck,” she groaned. “People are gonna be looking at me, touching me, what if they realize I’m a goblin? The gnome disguise is only an illusion, what if they accidentally feel my ears or my hands, or what if the spell ends before I remember to cast it again? What then?”

“There are definitely risks,” Caleb conceded. “But that should not stop you. You can set a reminder on your cell every hour, and I am sure Jester would be more than happy to make sure nobody gets too close. She is our friend, ja?”

“Yeah,” Nott muttered. “Gods, I didn’t think going to a fancy party would be this much trouble. I still don’t see why I couldn’t have just magicked a fake dress for myself and saved a us a whole lot of trouble.”

“Jester wanted to treat you,” he reminded her. “And this is an experience you’ve always wanted, isn’t it? Even more, you deserve something nice. It is not every day one of us gets to be fancy, you should enjoy it. That is what you said when Jester dragged me out to the Tri Spires for dinner, ja?”

Nott raised an eyebrow. “Is this revenge, then? Are you getting back at me for that?”

Caleb grinned. “Not at all,” he said. “This is me giving you moral support and wishing that all goes well. Ich drücke dir die Daumen. Fingers crossed.”

•

Molly awoke to Fjord standing next to his bed, poking him in the arm. The half-orc was saying something, garbled and completely intelligible, and Molly had to sluggishly shove his hand away and pull the blankets over his head and ignore Fjord’s impatient sighs for a solid thirty seconds before he felt awake enough to reemerge and attempt communication.

“Gods, what?” he muttered. “What’s it?”

“I need you to stop by Crute’s apartment before you go to work and give him my letter,” Fjord said. “It’s on the kitchen table. Can you do that?”

“Letter?” Molly mumbled. “What letter?”

Fjord rolled his eyes. “My notice of leave letter, remember? Because I’m moving out next month? Like I told you last night?”

“Oh. That letter.”

“Yes, Molly. Can you do that?”

He rolled over and sighed dramatically. “I suppose so,” he said, “but I can’t say I’m thrilled about it. Am I not a good roommate, Fjord Tough? Have I not been more than wonderful? Are you abandoning me now, in this, my time of greatest need?”

Fjord shuffled his feet awkwardly. “Molly, you know I’m sorry, I really am, it’s not you. Jester ‘n I have been looking forward to this for a long time, yeah? And when we found the perfect apartment we knew it was the time and I know it leaves you out by yourself, but—”

Molly rolled back over and took Fjord’s hand. “I’m kidding, dear.” His tone was still sleepy, but now light and laced with warmth. “Of course I’m very happy for you both, I’ll give Crute the letter. Besides, when you’re gone then there won’t be any pushy half-orcs to prod me awake every morning.”

Fjord smiled. “Thanks, Molly.”

“Don’t mention it. Now get out, go to school, or whatever. I still have two hours before I need to be at the Moondrop.”

Fjord laughed. “Alright, alright, I’m going.”

And just as he was about to walk through the doorway, he paused and turned and said, “I’m gonna miss this, Mol.”

Molly pulled the blankets up again. “No,” he said. “Too early for emotions. Go away, try again later.”

Fjord snorted and left. A few seconds later, the front door clicked shut.

Eventually, Molly managed to close his eyes.

•

Shortly after Jester waltzed out of their apartment, pink backpack hanging loosely off one shoulder and humming cheerfully to herself all the way, Beau got up.

She slowly got out of bed and trudged into the kitchen, leaned against the counter and started sorting through mail as she waited for the coffeemaker to get its shit together.

“Boring…boring…boring,” she mumbled, tossing letters aside. She made a mental note to make sure Jester saw the one from Sieversii’s Office of the Bursar, immediately ignored a card saying she was overdue at the dentist, and then flipped to the next message and froze.

This envelope, brown and plain, was almost completely blank. Almost, except for “Beauregard” scrawled across the front in lazy, looping script.

She bit her lip. She thought for a moment. She walked over to the sink, held the envelope over it just in case, and carefully tore it open from the bottom.

A single piece of paper slid out.

She stared at it, lying motionless in the basin for a good minute. Then she gingerly picked it up and began to read.

Her eyes narrowed. Her teeth clenched, and her mouth curled into a scowl. Her anger grew, swelled, expanded until it burst in a thunderous explosion and she screamed with rage, kicked the dishwasher, crumpled the letter into a tight ball and whirled around and chucked it across the room. She pounded a fist against the side of the sink and stared furiously into the drain.

The coffeemaker dinged. She glowered at it, and then sighed.

She reached for the dishrack and found her mug, light blue ceramic.

She poured herself a cup.

•

“Okay, Nott!” Jester grinned as she climbed out of the car. “Welcome to the Tri-Spires! That tower over there, that one’s the Triumph Chime, where Caleb and Fjord and Molly and I had dinner on Monday. That one’s the Zauber Spire, it’s got fancy wizards in it and stuff, and that’s the Constellation Bridge. We’re going to one of the smaller boutiques, though,” she continued, gesturing to the bustling shops and storefronts around them. “I’ve been there a couple times before, they’re super nice. And you’re in gnome disguise, so it should be fine!”

Nott tugged uneasily on her coat. “But the illusion will cover everything up,” she said. “What if the people working there want to see me try something on, or what if they touch me and their hands disappear? That wouldn’t end well, Jester.”

She gave Nott a pat on the arm. “I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen. Trust me?”

Nott looked conflicted for only a moment. She exhaled and nodded slowly. “Alright, Jester. I trust you.”

•

“So,” said Yasha as she leaned against the costume rack and watched Mollymauk apply a generous layer of sparkling powder to his eyelids. “How was the, er...the coffee time?”

Molly snorted, launching a cloud of glitter into the air. “The coffee time?” he asked.

Yasha shrugged. She saw Molly reach for a tiny brush that was indistinguishable from an army of tiny brushes on the makeup table and press it to his eyelashes. “The event with Caleb?” she tried. “I don’t know, I would have said ‘date’ but he seemed adamant yesterday that I did not use that label.”

Molly frowned at Yasha in the mirror. “Really?” he asked. “Did he say why?”

Yasha shrugged again. “I left his home in a hurry. If he did, I did not catch it.”

There was a soft chuckle at that. “I’ve never seen you late for something before,” Molly quipped, “especially when you were harping on me for being on time. I’m ashamed for you, Yasha.”

She snorted and threw a stray sequin at his head, which hit his chair and vanished under the dresser. “Hush,” she said. “And tell me about your not-date, already. How was it? Did you have a good time? Was it everything you hoped?”

Molly sighed and leaned back to examine his eyeshadow. “Sort of,” he said. “It’s definitely confirmed that I am, in fact, head-over-heels for him. But I know it’s much too soon, and I’m fairly certain he harbors no such feelings in return.”

“Perhaps then you just need more time,” Yasha suggested. “Or maybe you should turn your affections elsewhere. I like him but he is a strange one, that Caleb. And that is coming from me.”

“I can’t just stop my emotions like that, Yasha. And besides, I wouldn’t want to. Even if he doesn’t ‘like me back’ it wouldn’t matter. Any suffering I face now is nothing in comparison to the darkness of not being able to love him.”

There was a brief pause.

“That was from Tusk Love, dear.”

“I know. I can’t tell if I want to punch you or clap.”

“I think I make a pretty good Guinevere.”

“You have nothing on Jester.”

There was another pause.

“Yeah, alright, that’s fair,” Molly conceded, and went back to studying his reflection. “Anyways, I do believe that. I’m just going to keep doing my best, and so long as it doesn’t make him uncomfortable, or ruin anything, I don’t see what the harm is. Let me feel, Yasha. Let me love.”

“You should listen to him,” said Mona from the mirror next to them. “If you don’t he’ll just keep complaining.”

“Endlessly,” agreed Yuli, standing behind Mona and doing her sister’s hair. “Hey, when are we going to meet this mystery man of yours, anyways?”

“He seems a much better sort than the kind you usually end up with,” added Mona.

“Soon,” said Molly. “Actually, he’s coming to the anniversary tomorrow. Maybe you’ll catch a glimpse of him then?”

“Not good enough,” said Yuli. “I want to meet him.”

“We should invite him backstage,” Yasha suggested. “He knows us both already as is, we can offset any awkwardness, yes?”

Molly blinked a few times. “Mm...maybe,” he said. “We’ll see. It’s a bit early to introduce him to the family, isn’t it?”

“He’s the love of your life,” Yasha teased. “Doesn’t that help?”

“Oh it helps,” said Molly. He leaned into the mirror, and studied his expression. He liked to think his eyes made him hard to read, but right now the fear and worry painted across his face was painfully obvious to him, at least.

He sighed, and lifted his brush. “We’ll just have to see if that’s enough.”

•

“Okay,” said Jester as she pulled the curtain closed. “You can drop the illusion now! It’s just us.”

Nott breathed a sigh of relief and suddenly, the appearance of a small gnome girl with curly red hair and bright blue eyes melted away. Now there was a little goblin in a ratty hoodie standing in the middle of the large fitting room.

“Thank the gods,” she said. “I got really worried when that half-elf tried to touch my illusion-dress. Thanks for distracting her, by the way.”

Jester beamed. “Of course! I promised I would protect you, yes? Now come on. Which one do you want to try on first?”

Nott surveyed their haul, which barely fit on the available hooks.

“We can start with the pink one?” she suggested. “I don’t know, I’ve never done this before. And I still don’t see the point in getting a dress, Jester, especially when nobody will actually see the real thing.”

Jester shook her head. “I want you to have something nice!” she said. “You’re a pretty girl, you need something pretty of your own to go with it. Not Caleb’s old clothes.”

Nott scoffed. “I’m not a pretty girl,” she said. “I’m a goblin.”

Jester raised an eyebrow. “So what? What difference does that make?”

Nott gave an incredulous laugh. “It makes the whole difference!” she said. “Goblins can’t be pretty, that’s ridiculous. They’re horrible, nasty, awful creatures that live in caves and eat children, everybody knows that. A goblin is, is, is disgusting.”

“No way,” said Jester. “That’s not true at all. You aren’t disgusting, and you’re not nasty or terrible either!”

“But I’m still a goblin,” Nott argued. “And there’s nothing I can do about it. I’ll always be a goblin.”

“Maybe so,” Jester said, and here she put a hand on Nott’s shoulder. “Maybe that’s the case. But you’re not only a goblin. You’re also Nott! And Nott is kind, and funny, and lovable. And if she gives it a chance, I think she’d see that she can be pretty too.”

Nott bit her lip. She looked up, met Jester’s pleading expression, and for the second time today, relented.

“Okay,” she sighed. “I’m not completely convinced, but I’ll try.” She slowly reached for one of the dresses, and turned back to Jester with a hesitant smile. “Help me with the zipper?”

•

Caleb looked up from his book—a particularly promising history detailing the rise of the Age of Arcanum—as a green, sheepish-looking man in a bright pink scarf walked up to his counter and tapped lightly on the bell.

It gave a faint, twinkling ding.

“Er...hi, Caleb,” said Fjord, putting the yarn out of his mouth. “How’re you today?"

He blinked. He stared at Fjord for a few silent, awkward seconds.

“Do not take this the wrong way,” Caleb said eventually, sliding a bookmark between the pages and putting the volume aside, “but what are you doing here? Doesn’t Sieversii have a much better library than this? One exclusive to students?” he added with only mild resentment.

“I’m, uh, I’m not actually here for books,” Fjord said. “I was actually meanin’ to ask you for your rates. Sorry I’m buggin’ you for such a small thing, I would’ve texted but I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have gotten a response.”

Caleb blinked again. “Excuse me, back up a second,” he said. “Rates?”

Fjord raised an eyebrow. “Uh...yeah? Sorry, are you not taking on more at the moment, or…?”

Caleb leaned forward. He wore a thoroughly bewildered expression on his face. “Fjord,” he said slowly, “I have no idea what you are talking about. Is Jester involved somehow?”

Fjord nodded. Now he looked just as confused as the wizard.

“Okay then,” Caleb said. “In that case, you should start again slowly. What is it you are here for?”

Fjord reached into his bag and produced a thick spiral notebook. He placed it onto the counter between them both.

“I need your help with classes,” he said. “I have a hard time understandin’ arithmetic and magical theory, and I was hoping you’d have some spare time in your weekly schedule to take me on as a student.”

“Oh,” said Caleb. “Oh, tutoring, ja sure, that is absolutely doable. But what did you mean before, asking for ‘rates’?”

Fjord frowned. “How much you charge, Caleb. I might not be able to match what Jes pays you, but—”

Caleb held up a hand. He met Fjord’s eyes. “Jester does not pay me,” he said evenly. “I never asked her to.”

Fjord blinked. He stared at Caleb. He took in the dark circles under the man’s eyes, the tattered nature of his coat. He thought about his own apartment, where he lived with Mollymauk, and then about Caleb and Nott’s home. He thought about his job at Fletch, and he thought about his salary.

“I’m paying you,” he said, and watched Caleb’s eyes go wide. “Seriously,” he added. “Whatever you ask. Name the price.”

•

Nott arrived through the front door that evening, which almost scared Caleb out of his mind as he stood in the kitchen, trying to light the stove with a gentle application of Burning Hands.

“Scheiss, spatz,” he said, extinguishing his fingers. “I thought you were a robber.”

“Sorry, sorry,” said Nott. She wore a wide and giddy grin. “I just didn’t want to rumple my dress coming through the window.”

Caleb’s face lit up. “Your dress? You got one?”

Nott proudly thrust forward a fabric bag almost as tall as she was. “I did!” she beamed. “And I really have to say...it was a lot of fun. I felt like a real girl, for the first time, you know?”

Caleb gave her a soft smile. “You’ve always been a real girl, Nott. But I am happy that you had that feeling. Can I see it?

She quickly shook her head. “Nope. You’re not allowed yet. Not ‘till after Jester does my hair and makeup. It’s a whole look.”

Caleb raised an eyebrow, but the grin stayed warmly in place. “If you say so,” he conceded. “Color me excited for tomorrow, then.”

“I’m really excited too,” Nott said. “Thank you for inviting me along.”

He chuckled. “Of course,” he said. “You are my family, Nott. I would want nobody else at my side.”

•

Jester arrived home to the smell of Marquesian takeout. Beau was seated at the dinner table, shoveling curried chicken into her mouth.

“Oh, Jester,” she said, muffled. “Welcome back.”

Jester shook the snow off her boots and hung her coat up. “I’m starving,” she said. “Scoot, let me at that bread.”

After Jester skipped over and began to eat, Beau stared into her bowl, seemingly thinking hard about something. After a moment, she suddenly looked up and said quickly, as if trying to prevent herself from stalling, “Hey, can I ask you something?”

Jester raised an eyebrow. “Sure. What’s up?”

Beau hesitated. “Do you...uh...do you like your mom?”

Jester laughed. “Uh...yeah?” She raised an eyebrow. “Of course I do, she’s my mom! And she loves me very much.”

“How, uh, how do you know?”

Jester put her fork down. “I dunno,” she mused. “I guess ‘cause she pays attention to me, and talks to me whenever she has time, and gives me lots of cool stuff and cares about me. She wouldn’t have sent me away if she didn’t love me, right? I could have been in super bad trouble if I had stayed home, after all.”

Beau contemplated this. She took a slow bite of chicken.

“I guess,” she said eventually. “I guess that makes sense.”

“Why’re you asking?” Jester leaned in. “Is there something going on?”

“No, no,” Beau shook her head quickly. “No, not at all. Just curious, I guess. Hey, pass me that bread, you can’t eat all of it!”

Jester giggled. “I bet I could,” she said, but handed it over. Then she met Beau's gaze with a soft expression. “You know you can talk to me about anything, right?" she asked. "We’re besties, that’s what they do.”

“Is it?”

“Absolutely.”

Beau nodded, and gave Jester a small smile. “Good to know, then,” she said. “I guess I’ll keep that in mind.”

•

Today 9:25 PM

Molly Tealeaf: hey there mister caleb! Molly Tealeaf: ive been told now that you never actually will read these Molly Tealeaf: but i figured id stop by just in case you do! Molly Tealeaf: i just wanted to let you know how excited i am that you’ll be seeing me sing Molly Tealeaf: for real I mean, not just karaoke while im drunk Molly Tealeaf: and yesterday Molly Tealeaf: it was a ton of fun! Molly Tealeaf: thank you again so much for agreeing to get coffee with me Molly Tealeaf: and lending me your coat Molly Tealeaf: i can’t wait for next time!!

•

Caleb adjusted his tie and sighed.

Now it was Saturday afternoon, a few hours before the performance. He was seated on Jester’ bed, glancing slack-jawed at the room around him, all high windows and thick curtains, plush carpeting under his feet and towering bookshelves to his left, gold leaf on the doors and dresser drawers. It would have been something out of a TV program on millionaire’s homes and lifestyles, if not for the pile of stuffed animals on the bed, the sea of beanbag chairs and cushions on the floor, and the dozens upon dozens of drawings and posters taped along the walls.

“I just got two more,” Jester had said cheerfully before shoving Nott into the bathroom. “One for Shallow Breaths and one for Scent of the Sea. Plus I added some more drawings, feel free to look! I’m very proud.”

And then she had closed the door behind her, leaving Caleb in his tan tweed jacket alone on the bed.

He could hear the girls giggling in the distance, the sound of a blow-dryer occasionally drowning them out.

He fidgeted with his sleeve. He stared at the windows. He put his head in his hands and leaned his elbows against his thighs. He groaned and rubbed his temples.

“What are you doing?” he whispered, staring at the red carpet beneath him. “Why on earth are you here? What made you think this would be a good idea? Gottsverdamnt, this is a high-class party you are about to attend, for the city’s elite!” He rubbed his chin and groaned. “And look at you now, with your shaved face, your neat hair and fancy attire. You are going to get recognized, you imbecile. What if somebody you know is there? Fuck, what if they are there? You don’t know? You were too stupid to ask what kind of people would attend. What if they are in town? What if they decide come? What then?”

He gestured blindly around. “And look at all this,” he continued. “Look at all this. You were supposed to leave this behind. You are garbage, you do not deserve such well-to-do and kind friends, who let you into their homes and, and, and buy you clothing! How could you let Jester do that? You do not deserve this! You should be in your filthy apartment, alone, doing nothing but research. This is a waste of time and a terrible risk.”

There was a sound, muffled by the bathroom door. He glanced up in a panic, half-expecting the girls to be standing there and staring at him. But the room was empty. He heard them giggle, and relaxed.

“Listen to that,” he muttered. “Hear how happy they are? Not for you, Widogast. Not for you. You should have encouraged Nott to come alone. Why even bother with this? You should just go home, now, while you still have the chance.”

He flopped backwards onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling, a high arch far above, reminding him again of how small and insignificant he was.

“You are a fool,” he murmured, and ran his fingers through his hair. He stretched his arm out and stared at the back of his hand. “Why are you here?” he asked nobody. “What made you do this? What is the point—”

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something slip out of his jacket pocket and fall onto the bed. His brow furrowed. He felt around on the covers and his palm brushed a folded-up piece of paper.

He gently brought it closer; he held it up. He read:

Thank you again, Mister Caleb! A bit of warmth in the cold is all we need sometimes, eh?

This handwriting was more of a scrawl, as if formed by a grip unused to writing but determined nonetheless. It was actually almost intelligible, and took Caleb a few moments to properly understand.

When he did, he realized that it—along with the Mister Caleb—was completely, undeniably, Mollymauk.

He let his hand drop onto the blankets, and brought his other arm around to cover his eyes.

“You are a fool,” he muttered again. “A damn fool.”

This time, it lacked venom. If anything it sounded more resigned than angry.

•

Molly stared at his reflection in the mirror.

The rest of the group milled about behind him in various states of preparation for the big evening—Gustav fretting over his top hat, Desmond carefully tuning the instruments, Ornna opening and closing her fan, Bosun helping Kylre into his costume and the Knot Sisters braiding Toya’s hair.

Molly looked down at his costume, a flowing red cloak adorned with alchemical symbols and gaudy colored shapes. It had taken days, weeks, months to complete, and he was rather proud. He’d never played a powerful sorcerer before; usually he didn’t act at all. But rehearsals had gone well, and he couldn’t wait to show it all off tonight.

Still, something fluttered uneasily in his chest.

Molly would be the first person to admit he was a peacock that adored showing off for posh crowds. But Caleb would be here tonight. This would be the first time he’d watch Molly perform. Would he like it? Would he be impressed? Entertained? Or would he think Molly was shallow, too flamboyant, too flashy, too dramatic?

Molly ran a hand through his hair. Then he kicked himself mentally and reached for the hair gel. As he squeezed the pale blue substance into his palm and rubbed his hands together, he looked back at his reflection and paused.

What did he want? He’d told Yasha he would be happy just being allowed to stand by Caleb as a friend. Was that true? Was that right? Was that okay?

He sighed and pushed the gel into his hair.

What did he want?

He didn’t know. And somehow, that was the worst part.

•

Jester burst out of the bathroom, swinging an anxious-looking Nott behind her by the hand.

“We’re ready!” she declared loudly. “Caleb, get up and tell us that we are pretty!”

He pushed himself up. His eyes softened, and a smile crept across his face.

Jester was wearing a long, pale pink dress that seemed to shimmer as she moved. There were no sleeves, and the neckline curved down, stopping just short of indecency, ending at playful with a refined edge. She wore long white gloves, and a necklace of pearls, and a delighted grin.

Nott stood next to her in a bright yellow sundress with a cream-colored sash around the middle. It ended just below her knees, fanning out and twirling slightly as she fidgeted. Her eyes were expectant, and nervous.

“You both look wonderful,” Caleb said. “Absolutely spectacular.”

Nott glowed under his praise. “Thanks, Caleb.” Her hesitant smiled turned giddy. “I feel pretty spectacular too.”

Jester pumped a fist into the air. “I knew it would be amazing!” she beamed. “And now it’s time to party!"

•

Today 5:51 PM

Jester Lavore: mission accomplished molly Jester Lavore: caleb and nott are in some choice fashions Jester Lavore: we’ll head over soon Molly Tealeaf: youre a doll, dear Jester Lavore: im not a doll im a chic god Molly Tealeaf: right of course Molly Tealeaf: thank you so much again for doing this Jester Lavore: HA! any excuse to shop Jester Lavore: nott would NEVER let me put her in a dress if she didn’t have to anyway Jester Lavore: so really its perfect Molly Tealeaf: it truly is, thank you again Molly Tealeaf: hey can I ask you one more favor? Jester Lavore: of course! anything for you Molly Tealeaf: excellent

•

Caleb wasn’t sure whether or not to be relieved. Upon arrival, Jester had immediately dragged them past Yasha at the front entrance and up the carpeted stairs, away from the bar and between the tables and around the stage so quickly that none of the guests had even seen them for more than a few seconds. No chance of being recognized, that way, or any need for socialization.

But she had done so because they were going to the performer’s lounge to see Molly and his coworkers before the show. Quite a need for socialization, in that department.

“Relax,” she whispered, pausing just outside the door. “They’re all super-duper nice, and he’s already told them all about you both. Even you,” she added with a grin to Nott. “They know you’re a goblin, but it’s alright. And they won’t say a word.”

“Good,” Nott sighed. “The less we talk about it, the better.”

Caleb gave her a pat on the head. “I am sure they would have loved you on sight, disguise or no. It is me that I am worried about, Jester, I don’t know how to speak to these people! I have never even met them before, how am I supposed to behave? Will they try and make light conversation or should I not speak unless spoken to, or—"

She snorted. “What kind of dumb rule is that? Just be yourself! C’mon, it’ll be fun. Molly’s dying for you to meet them.”

And then she knocked on the door and pressed her cheek against the wood and called, “Guys! It’s Jester and Caleb and Nott! Put your pants on, we’re coming in!”

She turned the handle and yanked it open.

Ten pairs of eyes at assorted heights and varying sizes immediately trained on them. There was a half-elf in a frock coat standing next to a shorter balding man surrounded by a loop of floating instruments. A woman with dark skin and fiery hair, draped in gold and crimson fabrics, lounged next to a rack of costumes. Two identical halflings in shimmering green bodysuits looked up from behind a table covered in makeup and hair products. A half-orc was seated on the carpet, adjusting a drum, and tiny flaxen-haired dwarf girl in a simple white dress was perched atop an enormous, bright green, hulking mass of a lizard-man in the corner by the window.

Mollymauk, seated on the arm of a couch, beamed.

“Jester! Caleb and Nott too, hey, you made it!” He immediately stood up and ushered them over to the sofa. “I’m so glad you guys stopped by, I really wanted to introduce you to the troupe.”

Gustav gave them a warm smile as they sat. “Lovely to see you again, Miss Lavore,” he said to Jester, tipping his hat. Then he turned to Caleb and Nott and bowed. “I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure yet. My name is Gustav Fletching, master of ceremonies. Come on, you lot!” He grinned, waving at the rest. “Introduce yourselves!”

“Ornna,” said the redheaded woman. “It's pleasure.”

“Bosun,” said the half-orc. “The Breaker. Call me Bo.”

“Mona,” said one of the halfling women.

“Yuli,” said the other. “We’re the Knot sisters.”

“Desmond Moondrop,” said the man surrounded by musical instruments. “I’m a bard.”

There was a tremor from the corner of the room, and then a deep, gravelly voice leaked from the mouth of the lizard-man. “Kylre,” he said.

“Toya,” whispered the dwarf sitting on top of him.

“And I’m Mollymauk,” Molly grinned cheekily. “But you knew that already. Yasha’s included in the troupe too, since she hangs around us so much, but you also knew that already too.”

Jester nudged Caleb and Nott. “Go on,” she hissed. “Introduce yourselves!”

“I’m Nott,” said Nott. “The Brave. But there’s no comma.”

There was a chorus of “hellos,” and Bosun laughed. “Perfect!” he said. “We have the same middle name.”

Then they all looked expectantly at Caleb. He managed to clear his throat and said, only slightly shakily, “Caleb. Caleb Widogast.”

“Ah,” Yuli grinned. “You’re Caleb, then?”

Ornna chuckled. “You're the mysterious man who—”

She was cut off as Molly suddenly threw his arms out and pulled her in tightly by the shoulders. “Anyways, he said loudly, "it was lovely of you three to stop by! The show’s on in half an hour and we’ll be a bit busy from now on, but maybe we can all talk some more after the show. Drinks included.”

Desmond glanced at his watch. “Actually, Molly, we could still spare a few—”

“We’re very busy!” Molly declared again, very pointedly. “After the show.”

The troupe exchanged glances. A few members tried very hard to hide their sniggering.

“Of course,” said Gustav generously. He turned back to the trio and gave another wide bow. “I’m delighted to have met you all. Do stop by again, a friend of Molly’s is a friend of ours, and I’d love to get to know you better, Ms. Nott and Mr. Caleb.”

They both nodded, and before they could say a word were swept up by Jester as she rose and started ushering them out the door. Just before leaving, she turned back and called, “Break a leg, you guys! I can’t wait to see the show!”

“You all seem really cool!” Nott added, sticking her head around Jester. “Nice meeting you!”

“Er…I as well,” Caleb said, and then kicked himself, and then tried again. “I mean, I enjoyed this.”

And then Jester slammed the door, and they all stood in the empty hallway for a few beats of silence.

“That was…peculiar,” Caleb said eventually. “They are a, a colorful lot.”

“They’re good people,” Jester said cheerily. “And they’re Molly’s family, you know?”

“I liked ‘em,” grinned Nott. “I wanna to talk to them some more.”

“I bet we can,” Jester agreed. “But after the show.” She started marching down the corridor, and the other two scrambled to follow her. “C’mon!” she declared. “Let’s go find a table with a good view, before they’re all gone.”

•

Beau dropped her elbows onto Fjord’s counter and raised an eyebrow. “Hey,” she said when he failed to notice her. “Hey, Fjord. When’re you gonna take your break?”

He turned around, wiping a glass cup, and glanced wearily at the packed crowd wedged into the bar around them, dancing to loud, bass-heavy music or playing pool to the side or occupying the booths beyond maximum capacity.

“Dunno,” he said. “There’s a lot of people here tonight.”

“Yeah,” sighed Beau, “bar discounts’ will do that. But we gotta take a break at some point, right? Everybody’s been hypin’ this thing at the Moondrop up for ages, we can’t miss it. Jes promising to illegally tape it for us ain't enough.”

Fjord nodded. “I’ll see if I can’t get someone to fill in for me later,” he said. “And you’re right, if Molly hears I never got a chance to see it he’d be crushed.”

“You think?” Beau asked.

Fjord laughed. “I know.”

The conversation went on hold for a moment, as two people approached the bar and rattled off an order. Beau idly picked at her fingernails.

“Sorry ‘bout that,” said Fjord. “Anyways, how’ve you been? Haven’t seen you in a few.”

Beau snorted. “We were at the gym together like…three days ago,” she said. “And I helped you finalize your apartment decision with Jester. Are you forgetting me in your old age already?”

Fjord rolled his eyes. “You know what I meant,” he said. “C’mon, spill. What’s up?”

Beau paused. She seemed to briefly wrestle with something, a mental debate that came and went in a flash

“Not much,” she said, and pointed to a clear bottle behind Fjord. “Hey, pour me one of those? It’s gonna be a long night and I think I need some help.”

Fjord raised an eyebrow. “You sure?” he asked. “You're on the clock and It’s like…seven-thirty. Isn’t that a bit early?”

Beau shook her head. “No way,” she said. “Alcohol will only enhance my performance right now, and seven-thirty just means that night is young. And ripe with opportunity.”

•

Jester had found a circular table near the middle of the crowd, stage-side views having already been claimed. The three of them now sat together in tall, cushioned chairs, hands neatly folded in their laps—Caleb—or fingers drumming absent-mindedly on the white cloth—Jester and Nott. Thankfully, which Caleb noted as he made furtive glances around the large hall, there was nobody here that he recognized. There had been a brief moment, when his eyes caught an older man with a wrinkled face and long beard, where he almost had a heart attack on the spot—

—until he realized the eyes and nose were different. Eventually, he calmed down.

Around the large floral centerpiece, Caleb also sized up the other couples sitting at their table. There was elf with a human, and a pair of gnomes. The closest one, a woman with pale blonde hair and rosy cheeks, gave Nott a pleasant smile when they noticed each other.

“Excited for the show?” she asked, quite kindly, in Gnomish. “My husband and I came a long ways out to come see it.”

Nott stared at her. Her eyes darted back and forth and behind her, Jester and Caleb began to panic silently.

“Uh…” she said, and under the table Jester kicked Caleb’s leg in a you’re-magic-you-have-to-do-something sort of way. He nudged her back with a I-don’t-have-any-spells-that-can-work-fast-enough-to-help-fuck.

Nott cleared her throat. “Ah…actually,” she said, “I’m real sorry, but I don’t speak Gnomish.”

The woman blinked. “Oh, shoot, I’m the one that’s sorry,” she said quickly. “It was my fault for assuming.”

“No, no,” said Nott. “It’s alright. It was a reasonable assumption, Miss. It’s just that I, uh, I was…uh…”

She quickly glanced back at Caleb and Jester, who both shrugged.

“I was raised by halflings!” Nott declared. “Yes, that’s it. Adopted. Never knew my birth parents, it’s quite sad really. But I love my halfling family, and we’re very close.”

“Is that so?” The woman smiled. “Well then, that’s nice. I lived with my adopted brother, you know. He couldn’t make it tonight, but I’m sure he would have loved to meet you, Miss…?”

“Oh!” Nott smiled and gave her a short wave. “I’m, uh, Bren,” she said. “Bren…Tough.”

“Bren Tough?” The other gnome, a man with short brown hair and glittering eyes, raised an eyebrow. “That’s a pretty interesting name.”

“Thanks,” said Nott. “It belongs to me. What are, uh, what are your names?”

“Oh,” the woman smiled. “Of course, where are my manners? I’m—”

The chandeliers went out. A spotlight suddenly appeared on the grand stage, illuminating a single man in a long frock coat and a tall top hat. He bowed deeply, spreading his arm aside and lowering his hat as he did.

“Esteemed Guests,” he called in a rich, musical tone. “I extend my humble gratitude for gracing us with your presence, and I welcome you to the 25th Anniversary celebration of the Fletching & Moondrop. Our performers have worked tirelessly for months to prepare a unique and spectacular exhibition of culture and music and art for you all tonight, and I firmly believe that it will be to your liking. Grant us your imaginations this eve but a trifle bit of time. Sit back, have some dinner, and enjoy the show.”

And then he bowed again, and in a sudden plume of purple, glittering smoke, he was gone.

The curtains pulled open, and revealing a single man dressed all in blue, old-fashioned minstrel’s clothing, a large feathered cap perched upon his head. He had a fiddle in his hands, and as the light moved towards him, he began to play.

Ah, came Gustav’s voice from somewhere unseen, I see you’ve already met Desmond. He’ll be part of our story tonight, so keep a wily eye for the shifting fool. But first, I will tell you the tale of two sisters of the Fey.

Desmond bowed his head, slowly moved away from the center. And as he retreated, three long ribbons of green silk unfurled from the ceiling and gently caressed the wooden stage.

Lost without form into the mazes of the underworld, there, where the body would break, they found a teacher in a mystical serpent. And the gift they received, was the ability to bend with this maze that had captured them, and slither their way back to the surface, to reclaim their place in the world.

A hand emerged just into view, along the top of the silk. It swayed gently, as if stirred by a breeze. And then another appeared, and another, and another, and then two bodies adorned in glittering emerald scales dropped down, catching themselves against the ribbons and twirling in the air. Their faces turned towards the audience, and then to each other.

May I present to you: Mona and Yuli, the Knot Sisters.

The sisters began to move slowly, bending their limbs, arching their backs and intertwining their torsos in impossible formations, dangling in the air supported by nothing but ribbons, and one another. And as the fiddle’s melody, now sourceless and swelling, building, crescendoing and accelerating in tempo and vigor, the sisters began to spin wildly, press tightly, drape their arms together and move unison, seemingly shifting into a single being of whirling, fluid scales and shimmering, verdant green.

Next to him, Caleb saw Nott wince at their display of impossible flexibility and bone-shattering dexterity. A number of patrons close to the stages were also gasping in shock, in awe, mouths agape and whispering with hushed amazement. The elf at their table gave an impressed nod, and Jester was completely entranced.

Suddenly, one of the sisters folded over and plunged downward, drawing horrified exclamations from the audience, until she stopped short barely two feet of the ground. The other twirled down as well and the two of them began to tangle and wrap like battling serpents, hissing and thrashing and violent and beautiful all at the same time. It was…off-putting, and impossible to look away.

Slowly, the lighting began to dull into a pale turquoise. And then it got darker. And darker. And the sisters fell into the underworld.

They began to tell the tale of struggle, crawling across each other limb by limb, using their snake-like forms as a ladder that extended up the ribbons, using every muscle in their bodies to climb upwards. Caleb found himself forgetting to breathe, so pulled into this wordless story of redemption, of hope, of climbing back to the surface from a dark hell to the soft glow above. And as they moved higher and higher, building off one another and stretching upwards, the lighting shifted, grew brighter, and their climbing became less fevered. The two of them, arm into arm, leg into leg, rolled upward and swirled and spun and twirled until finally they reached the apex and wrapped themselves close and pressed their foreheads together and, one again, turned back out to the audience. The extended their hands, and bowed their heads.

And with a flourish, their ribbons were pulled back up, out of sight, the sisters along with them, until the stage was empty again.

The audience erupted into applause. Caleb felt something brush his cheek, and saw Jester patting his face with her napkin.

“You were crying,” she whispered softly. “It’s okay. I got it.”

He blinked, and felt the moisture gathering under his eyes. He glanced back at Jester, who was smiling in an uncharacteristic moment of silence, and thought of something to say.

“…thank you,” he murmured.

She put the napkin down and gave him a pat on the arm. “Don’t worry. And sorry if your face is sticky, I think there was some juice on my cloth.”

And then, before he could reply, the soft green light suddenly vanished, replaced with nothing but empty darkness, and Gustav’s voice echoed around them once more.

In a flash, beyond the ash, gods all went and gone. The darkness came to grasp, reclaim, and suffocate the dawn.

Suddenly, the audience gasped again as out of the darkness, a burst of flame erupted through the room, beginning with two torch sconces just beside the stage on both sides, spreading out in a circle around the hall, shedding a low, orange light over all of their heads. Caleb couldn’t help but wonder if this was scientific, or arcane, and briefly considered a Detect Magic to find out. But then Gustav spoke again, breaking his train of thought:

But from that night, a burning light doth keep back the shadows’ bane. The strength to fight will set alight the morning sun again. Esteemed guests, I present to you: Ornna, the Fire Fairy.

From the center of the stage, a flash of silver metal. And then another, and another, and suddenly as the sharp gleam arced through the air a flame trailed after it, framing the face of that beautiful woman with blazing red hair, now surrounded by curls of fire. She spun in a hypnotic twirl, her simple dress fanning out around her and catching the warm light, flickering and giving her the visage of a warrior-goddess battling against the darkness around her. The frenzied fiddle soared again, she spun the fans in her grasp, face stoic and graceful all at the same time. The audience breathed their quiet awe, watching her strike and spin and dive across the stage, banishing the shadows from the hall. She moved with the music, drew wild as it crescendoed, leapt and lunged and flew through the air until the song climaxed and she finished one final, brilliant twirl, and as she landed on the stage, the lights all around her suddenly rocketed into a victorious luminescence.

The crowd went wild. Nott stood in her chair and pumped her fists and even in this refined, upper-class audience, she was not alone.

“This is super different from what they usually do,” Jester whispered to the human on her other side. “Usually it’s just background singing and stuff.”

“What a shame,” said the elf. “I would love to see this sort of show more often. Nice use of pyrotechnics.”

“It’s very artistic,” said Nott, sitting back down. “I like it.”

And then the torches went out, and a low drumbeat began to pulse from the stage. Gustav spoke once more:

Even as the sun would rise anew, bellowing roars will quake the lands of Xhorhas and beyond. Terrible beasts, now freed from their dark masters, scattered into our world.

And then a terrible, guttural roar shook the entire performance hall. In the dead silence that followed, came the quiet crawl of grinding, dragging chains.

A spotlight appeared, cast over the form of Bo the Breaker, dragging something onstage. Desmond came with him, chains in one hand and fiddle in the other, the bow moving itself. And then a shape emerged, massive, hulking, covered completely in slimy, swamp-green scales a stark contrast of the lithe sisters from before. This shape was enormous, corpulent, with large toad-like legs that framed a rotund torso, muscular arms manacled and pulling it in. It fought and wrestled against the chains but slowly, painfully, bitterly pulled into the center of the stage. It roared a second time, mighty and brutal. The front row of the audience pulled back in their seats, whispering urgently, fear beginning to build.

The devil-toad crawls hungrily into the land of free folk, said Gustav, steady and unwavering. It ravages the mind and lords over nightmares. But what truth lies behind the eyes of this beast? What would be learned when the guiding heart of innocence pierces the hateful soul, brings beauty for the first time?

A soft, faint voice from somewhere in the darkness began to drift slowly over their heads.

I now present to you: the vivid song of Toya.

A light shone down atop a platform against the left side of the stage. And upon the structure, feet swinging and bare, was the shape of the young dwarven girl in the flowing white dress. Her eyes were closed, hands at her side. And her voice, her voice, her voice—

—she sung with a mystifying hum, a sound that pierced the heart with unexpected, uncontrolled, unbridled joy. The crowd audibly gasped as the melody washed over them, entranced them, brought every single person into its music. Caleb felt something brush his cheek again, and when he looked down he saw Jester blow her nose into the napkin, staring at the stage with wide, tear-brimmed eyes.

And before them all, the devil-toad froze. It stopped struggling, seemingly caught by this song. Its face dropped into a soft smile and it slowly walked beneath Toya’s wooden platform. It looked up, and sat down. Bosun and Desmond both dropped their chains and walked away, leaving the creature in its awed rapture. From up above, Toya’s voice began to grow, almost summoning a chorus from the ether that once again spoke of magic that could not be. Her smile was infectious, and though tears spilled down Caleb’s face, he could not break his gaze.

Until, abruptly, a man seated at one of the tables shot to his feet. His arms were outstretched and behind his fine-tailored suit was a body wracked with age. His legs shook, and the low light caught the wetness of his cheeks.

“What’s happening?” Nott whispered as the audience's attention shifted to the man. “What’s he doing?”

“I dunno,” Jester frowned. “I think…hey, he doesn’t look so good—”

He screamed. The music instantly stopped. Other patrons began to stand up, began to move closer, to check on him, watched him collapse to the ground and clutch his chest and with another wet gurgle screamed again, vocal chords bursting and now the skin on his arms began to tear, the bones split from his flesh, the people immediately around him began screaming themselves and backing away and his body writhed and crackled and dust shook from his swelling form and the entire audience started panicking, scrambling, running for the exits and shouting and—

Chaos erupted all around them.

Instinctively, Caleb’s hands caught fire.

•

💚 ☕ ☕ 💚

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5hfanfiction · 7 years

Text

coming out (six) ⇾ camren

Authors Note: HI GUYS! I’m really sorry for being so shitty in keeping up with this book, a lot has been happening lately. My fiancée’s father died about two weeks after New Years and she’s been really torn about that because we are still arranging dates for our wedding and she was really excited for him to walk her down the aisle and be the first daughter of his to get married but everything happened so fast.

He had a seizure at dinner, ambulance and everything came, it was very sudden. Basically at the hospital they tell us that he has a basically inoperable brain tumor which none of us knew of. He’s been complaining about sharp pains and headaches for basically all of 2016 and we’ve all been urging him to go and have it checked out but he hates hospital more than anything and absolutely refused. The tumor was intact cancerous. He was placed in the hospital overnight for many nights and it basically got worse and worse each day. He had a series of seizures the night he died.

I’ve taken a break from writing to be there not only for my fiancée and her family, but for myself as well. Her dad was pretty much my dad in my eyes. If you haven’t already known, I’ve been in and out foster care systems for a big portion of my life because both parents had died due to drug addiction. I was in fact adopted later on in my life and I have the worlds best adoptive parents who are pretty much my own parents even if we don’t have the same blood but her father was there for me when my adoptive father wasn’t. He travels a lot and was gone for so much that i pretty much only had my adoptive mother to rely on as a parent figure until I met my fiancée and her dad. So when he died, it took a toll on me as well.

I focused mainly on reading and kind of chose to forget writing for a little while. This week my fiancée is in Canada going over funeral arrangements with her mother and other extended family and I’m home alone basically so I’ve found some spare time and decided to start this series up again considering it doesn’t have many chapters left since it is a short series. Its basically a one shot with many parts so I decided to give it a go again.

I’m really sorry though for being so M.I.A. I promise to update as much as I can, as I said before I’m ready to start some new fanfics and I can’t wait to share those with you.

I’m not usually one to share all my personal problems for fear of coming off attention seeking but you know what, fuck it. I kind of feel like you guys deserve an explanation. I’ve gotten many dms asking me to continue so here I am.

Also, TODAY IS MY 20TH BIRTHDAY! Its also the one year anniversary of me asking my fiancée to be my fiancée lmao. Hopefully we can get married for real though this fall when everything simmers down. But wow, I am no longer in my teens. I’m an adult dammit. Lmfao.

Anyways, enjoy this chapter and thank you for those of you who didn’t remove this story from your library.

Camila|

Watching Lauren walk away from her was almost harder than feeling herself walk away from Lauren. Her chest felt tight as her eyes sprang with tears. If only she’d let me explain…

Sighing softly to herself, she retreated back to find Lola as her attempt to slowly begin to mend things with her former band mate had failed miserably.

Coming to a stop in front of her girlfriend, Camila sighed. Her head throbbed the minute the girl had opened her mouth, “Why’d you chase after her?” Lola asked immediately.

“I just wanted to see how she was doing Lo-” she cut herself off. Lo was Lauren’s nickname. “Lola.”

The hazel eyed girl huffed as she pouted her lips slightly, “You don’t still have that stupid… Camren thing with her, right?” She asked. “I mean, I’m not really sure why that was even a thing. You’re way out of her league. She’s like a negative two hundred on the scale,” she scoffed.

Camila ground her teeth together as she looked down. Lola really knew how to piss someone off. “Lets go home,” she mumbled. She didn’t have time to deal with her shit.

Lauren|

Its been two days since she last ran into Camila. Its been two days since she was reminded of all that went wrong in her life. Seeing the successful singer made Lauren’s blood boil but heart throb all at once. She didn’t understand anything her body was telling her. All that was the least bit comprehendible was that Camila was bad news and Lauren stayed away from bad news no matter what.

She sighed softly to herself as she stood from her and Lucy’s bed. Lucy had gone off for coffee with an old friend Lauren didn’t know of until about a week ago but she didn’t question it. Lucy wasn’t obligated to share everything with her.

She has the day off and wasn’t really sure what to do with it. Normally she’d be spending it with Lucy but that was clearly out of the picture.

She stretched, hearing her back pop with several satisfying cracks before making her way up to her dresser to check her phone. She had the usual several too many text messages from friends but the unknown number caught her eye. She raised an eyebrow as she read the message. It was a simple “hey” to which she replied with a “Who is this” she grabbed her phone as she made her way into the kitchen, reading over the rest of her messages and replying to a few every now and then, being sure not to open the ones she didn’t want to reply to.

The moment she entered the kitchen, her phone vibrated in her hand. The unknown number. Her stomach dropped at the next words, “it’s Camila” she thought she may have misread as she blinked a few times. Seconds later, the bubble with three dots appeared indicating her former bandmate was typing.

C: dinah gave me this number

L: What the hell do you want Camila

Her blood boiled and heart pounded as Camila began typing. Didn’t she get the memo the last time they ran into each other? She wants nothing to do with her! She tapped her fingernails impatiently on the kitchen counter as she waited for the next message. Her anxiety was going through the roof. What was she writing? A college essay?

C: i dont want to fight with you lauren. I just want to explain. ive explained to everyone but you. please just give me the chance to tell you things my way and if it still isn’t enough, i’ll leave you alone forever. i promise.

Lauren reread the message over and over, her eyes burning from never blinking. This couldn’t be real. A small chuckle of annoyance fell from her lips as she began typing out her simple reply.

L: You can shove your explanation up your ass.

Her heart twitched as she hit send. She ignored the guilt from her sudden outburst of harshness and forced herself to prepare for anything Camila threw at her when the three dots in a bubble popped back up. What she read next shocked her. She expected old Camila. She expected Camila to be a bitch back at her. But she wasn’t.

C: okay. but if you happen to change your mind, i’ll be doing a little fundraiser for women’s right and lgbt rights in Miami Beach from 10am-6pm. ive invited the girls. mani, dinah and ally will be there. i heard you were with lucy, feel free to invite her as well. im really sorry for everything lo and i hope you can forgive me someday. have a good rest of the day.

Camila|

She willed the tears to go away as she hit send and threw her phone across the table. She never knew why even the thought of Lauren brought so much emotion into her. She could feel her ex bandmate’s eyes on her. It was silent for awhile before Dinah reached across from her to pick up the disregarded phone. Camila sat in silence as she read over the short conversation.

“She’ll come,” she finally said.

Camila looked up, a long sigh escaping her lips as she struggled to compose herself. “I doubt it,” she mumbled quietly.

Dinah shook her head, “She’ll come. Deep down, under all that hate and hurt, she still cares Mila. I promise,” the blonde haired girl sent her best friend a small smile.

Camila nodded, her face contorting into weird different expressions as she tried not to cry. She’s been doing that a lot lately and she wasn’t up for ruining her makeup the fourth time that week.

“So how are things with Lola?” Dinah asked.

Camila laughed, shaking her head. She didn’t even know what to say as she rolled her eyes over and over. She probably looked possessed. “I don’t even know why I’m dating her anymore Dinah,” she said truthfully.

“Just dump her,”

“I can’t,”

“Why not?”

“I don’t like hurting people,”

“You had a fine job doing that when you left the group,” silence fell upon them. Camila looked down at her lap, Dinah shaking her head. The blonde sighed softly, “I didn’t mean that Mi-”

“Its fine,” Camila said as she cut her off. “Lets just, lets just get ready for the fundraiser.”

***

Disappointment. That’s what Camila felt as she watched the last man pack up their belongings for the fundraiser. It was going on 8pm, it had gone a little over time with how many people had showed up, Camila was truly amazed. She loved every minute of it, meeting fans all while helping spread awareness on both women rights and LGBT rights but she couldn’t help the overall sadness as it came to an end. Lauren didn’t show up. She even had two guards waiting up front in case she did show up to escort her over. Nothing happened.

It was really hard for her to be happy in such an amazing environment when the one person she was hoping with everything in her to show up, didn’t show up.

Lauren|

“Babe you should go,” Lucy encouraged as she sat up slightly from the couch.

Lauren shook her head, walking over to her girlfriend a bowl of warm soup. “You’re not feeling well. I don’t have to go to the stupid fundraiser,” she mumbled.

Lucy gave Lauren a look as she accepted the soup, “First of all, you love fundraisers that tie down to those specific matters and you know it. Just last week you were saying how you wished it happened more often. Plus Fifth Harmony will basically be reuniting for the first time as a group in a while.”

Rolling her eyes, Lauren plopped down next to Lucy. Playing with the ring on her thumb she sighed loudly, “Why do you even care so much? You do know Camila invited me, right? You don’t really like her,” pausing she glanced at her girlfriend. “Besides, who’ll take care of you while I’m gone? The stupid thing is over anyways. She said it ended at 6 PM. Its like 7:45 now.”

“I don’t not like her. I just wasn’t fond of what she had done to the group,” Lucy shrugged. “And so? Weren’t you the one social media stalking her and saw she was spamming on Snapchat with videos just from like five minutes ago?” Lucy raised a knowing eyebrow at her girlfriend. “I can invite Kandee over if it’ll make you feel better about who’ll take care of me.” Kandee was Lucy’s longtime friend Lauren had recently learned about.

She sighed to herself as she thought over it, “What if it goes bad?” She mumbled quietly.

“She’s just asking you to hear her out, right? If you don’t like what she has to say, just leave,” Lucy reached over to rub her finger tips up and down her girlfriends arm, “It’ll all go good baby. I promise.”

***

This was a mistake. Lauren could feel it as she approached the empty area. I bet she’s gone. God I’m such an idiot. It was around 8 PM and the place was pretty much a ghost land. She saw a few people left but that was it. Her heart pounded in her chest as she stopped in front of the location Camila had texted her.

There stood a man who had his back turned toward her with “SECURITY” writing in big white letters on his black T-Shirt.

Clearing her throats softly, she proceeded to tap him on the shoulder. The man sighed before turning around. “Ma'am this even is over please-” the man paused himself before eyes widening. “I am so sorry Miss. Follow me this way,” Lauren felt confusion settle within her as she followed the man through the black curtains. Something in her told her not to, it could be a trap but she ignored it. She was always unnecessarily paranoid. “Miss Cabello!” The man shouted.

The ashy brown haired woman turned around, along with three other obviously familiar faces. A sense of nervousness washed over Lauren as the room went silent for a few seconds before an overly excited Ally ran straight toward her former bandmate along with Dinah and Normani. She felt overwhelmed with happiness as the three women bombarded her with questions and hugs. A couple years escaped her eyes. It felt so good to be in their presence again. But everything went just as fast as it came.

Suddenly they all realized the reasoning behind them all being there and a silent Camila. Pulling apart from each other, Normani spoke first. “We’ll give you guys some space.”

By then, the security guard had already left and the three ladies had found their way out. Lauren’s heart pounded as she took in Camila’s overall presence. The whole situation felt even more overwhelming as her former bandmate directed her toward a set of chairs to sit down. It was silent between them for quite some time, neither really knowing how to start off.

“I didn’t think you’d show,” Camila breathed out, deciding to speak first.

Lauren pursed her lips, looking down for a second then back up with a small head nod. “I wasn’t,” she answered honestly. “Lucy made me.”

She didn’t miss the small twinge of hurt in Camila’s features but tried her best to brush it all off. “You look nice,” Camila then said.

Lauren sighed, rolling her eyes. “Thank you but I didn’t exactly come to be complimented. I’m here for my explain so I can be on my way back to my perfectly unproblematic life,” she didn’t mean to come off so harsh. It kind of just happened and she did regret it when Camila paused and every feature in her face twisted into one of pain before looking down and clearing her throat.

“Okay,” she croaked. “Where do you want me to start?”

“The beginning. Why you left, why you feel I should pity you in anyway, etc.”

Camila clenched her jaw, “I don’t need your pity Lauren, that’s one,” sighing, she looked down as she attempted to collect her currently scattered thoughts.

“I left because I couldn’t do it anymore,” she started. “It was a decision I had already planned for months before the day I left. I left mainly because of you though,” she kept her eyes down as she felt herself relive those few earlier months. “You weren’t happy with me in the group. I could feel it, the fans could feel it, everyone could. It was like days that I wasn’t there, you shined the most. You seemed the happiest and most carefree. Obviously me being there was taking that away. My intentions weren’t to break the group as a whole, no. I was hoping if things played out well, you guys would continue as a foursome. I didn’t mean to fuck up everyone’s lives, I swear Lauren.”

“I couldn’t do it anymore. Not even just with you, I was taking away everyone else’s happiness. Normani wouldn’t, hell couldn’t even look at me off camera. Ally was always torn on who to side with, at one point she even hated me. I was breaking Dinah’s relationship with everyone in the group because I’d always make her feel obligated to be on my side. I was fucking it all up. I wasn’t happy anymore in it… you guys weren’t happy anymore with me in it. My solo music started to take off, everything was screaming at me to get out. So I did.”

“I didn’t mean for everything to go downhill so fast. I didn’t want you guys to find out the way you found out. But life has a fucked up way of playing out for you-”

“That doesn’t answer shit Camila. So basically you’re new skit is, you left the group for our happiness? My god you are full of so much shit,” Lauren laughed humorlessly as she stood up. “You left because you’re a selfish self absorbed idiotic fucking cunt who cared more about fame than the actual fucking gr-”

“I left because I was in love with you! Okay, I fucking left because I was in love with you Lauren!”

Everything went silent, Lauren stopped, Camila stopped, the girls who were eavesdropping behind the curtain even stopped. The atmosphere suddenly felt thick and heart to breathe in. Lauren sat back down and stared at Camila in disbelief.

Camila gulped harshly as the tears started to come, “I couldn’t take it anymore Lauren. I couldn’t. I couldn’t take knowing every fucking day you hated me, our friendship would never ever be the same. I could handle you not feeling the same, I could handle keeping it a secret forever. But I couldn’t handle knowing you hated me so fucking much. I couldn’t handle it. When you came out, and I was a complete bitch to you about it, it was like everything got worse. Your hate for me grew, everything was just a mess. Imagine… being head over heels in love with someone who hates you more than life itself but you have to work with them every fucking day. Imagine it.”

“I wasn’t fucking happy. I was sad, everyday, every night. My life was just sadness. And I hated that, because I loved what we did so fucking much. I loved making music with my best friends. I loved the fans. I loved everyone and everything. So basically feeling trapped and miserable was the worst thing ever for me. I’m sorry Lauren, I’m sorry for everything. I’m sorry for not being there when you needed me as a friend, I’m sorry for putting a stupid solo career before our friendship, I’m sorry for putting anyone and everyone before you. My intentions were never to hurt you. You’ve always been one of my closest friends and to watch you grow such an intense amount of hate for me killed me. I wanted out, I needed out.”

She finished with a face full of tears and a shocked and frozen Lauren just staring back at her. Neither women knew what to say as the tension got thicker and thicker.

All Camila could think about was how she possibly fucked things up the most in this moment and there was no ever going back.

***

a/n: wow i actually cried writing this last part. damn. lol, im so sorry i did not edit. im really tired and im about to go out with friends for my birthday but i hope you enjoyed this over due chapter. i love you lots and thanks so much for reading.

to my tumblr readers, make sure to check out my wattpad @wthbello for faster updates and overall better reading format lmao. thanks so much for reading as well.

have an amazing night/day/afternoon, etc. wherever you are. make sure to always be kind to yourselves and always love yourselves because if you don’t, i can assure you no one else will. no one can love you better than you can love you. with that being said, i hope you enjoyed this chapter lmao.

ellianna (elli), xxxxxxxxxxxx

#UPDATE #series #non AU #AU #slash #camren #angst drama #romance fluff #submission #coming out

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