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simple-heroics · 4 years

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Class 1-A Girls as Roommates

Oh, my god, they were roommates

Momo Yaoyorozu

First of all, you lucky bastard I hate you. Secondly, I’d like to make the point that Momo is wealthy af and has no financial need of a roommate. So, if you two are living, you’re probably already great friends with her or more.

Momo loves to share. She is an extremely generous person, so she'll totally offer you some of her food when she cooks and even some of her shower products.

Totally lets you borrow her clothes. Different sizes? She's gotchoo! Can and will create the best clothes for you. This is especially helpful if you have a date.

Speaking of her Quirk, its usefulness becomes really apparent when you two first move in and are still figuring out where things are or what you still need for the house. Bought that knife set but somehow forgot a can opener? Momo’s gotchoo again.

A great communicator and takes the initiative to make sure you guys are on the same page about chores. Despite her busy hero career, Momo still does a great job keeping up with her fair share.

Please sit and drink tea with her. She'd love it. Probably the best thing about being Momo's roommate is coming home at the end of the day to this beautiful woman omg are you're okay with just being roommates and catching up over cups of freshly brewed tea.

If something happens and you’re unable to pa your rent one month, Momo can cover it. Will not guilt or shame you over this. No matter what kind of petty roommate argument you two might have, she will never hold that over your head. Ever. Things happen, and Momo understands that.

The not so great...

Yaomomo is such a sweetie but...she's also a rich girl who is used to a lot space. Her furniture will fill up the whole apartment. An entire kitchen cabinet is stuffed to the brim with her teas, so you'd have to find some other space to shove your cereal.

Nonetheless, she tries very hard to be a good roommate - especially if it's her first place after moving out of her parents' house/school dorms - and this sometimes leads to her being overly accommodating. That and the above can lead to some tension between you two.

Momo has such long, beautiful hair...and it absolutely gets clogged in y'all's shower. Good luck.

Mina Ashido

Mina is the fun roommate! I’m talking late nights spent goofing off, playing video games and watching movies or even just talking if you want. If you two weren’t best friends before moving in together, guess what?

You’re best friends now. or more?

Alien Queen is also Snack Queen. Our pink homegirl buys lots of snacks and is more than happy to share.

Um, garbage? What garbage? Her Quirk dissolves it and that’s one utility y’all are saving money on now to get Kaminari to help with the electricity

No matter how bad your day was, how shitty your boss, how long your commute, Mina can always make you laugh. Which is a nice way to end an otherwise completely shit day.

Actually pretty good about keeping the apartment tidy! Living in the UA dorm taught her a lot about being considerate of shared spaces and she’s always out and about anyway. So almost no worries about messes

Because she’s either out and about or doing patrols, you actually get the apartment to yourself quite a bit?? Ummm, SCORE! Until you start missing your pink roomie/bestie

That is, if she’s not inviting/dragging you out to do stuff with her! If you’re someone who needs a bit of prompting to get out of the house, Mina is great for that!

Also...the roommate who is constantly trying to hook you up with her friends. Like, I’m serious. If you’re not already seeing anyone, this die hard romantic will constantly try to set you up with people hey, roomie, pls introduce me to Kirishima. You won’t need a dating app ‘cause Mina Ashido is your roommate and girl knows everybody.

The not so great...

If you're pretty introverted or just really prefer quiet at home, being roommates with Mina can be hard. Mina is a social butterfly - loud and bubbly and all these other wonderful qualities that simultaneously don't mesh well with most introverts.

Speaking of social butterfly, she invites her friends over. A lot. And y’all know that the Bakusquad spells c h a o s

It would also not surprise me if Mina had a number of...ahem, overnight guests. So prepare for extra (awkward) company at breakfast.

Sometimes gets so caught up in her social life, all those hobbies, and hero work that...she forgets that rent or utilities are due. Whoops. You’ll have to remind her sometimes. 😬

Good luck if you have wooden floorboards. Mina loves to dance and this means a lot of scuff marks.

Ochaco Uraraka

This cutie! 12/10 would room with her if I could

When she first started UA, Ochaco had to move to Musutafu and live on her on which I'm sure was a little scary for a 15-year-old girl and definitely lonely. She wasn't looking forward to being alone again after graduation but wait! She has you!

Really appreciates your presence in your shared home and will undoubtedly cherish you, even treating you like family. It makes her so happy when she comes home after a long day of patrols and having someone respond when she says, "I'm home!" Ochaco, lemme be your housewife

Video game nights with Dekusquad? Video game nights with Dekusquad!

Pretty clean and always does her dishes which automatically puts her the top tier of roommate categories, let’s be real.

She knows where all the deals are, when certain sales are happening, and where to go for the best discounts. And she shares all this hard-earned knowledge with her precious roomie (that's you, boo). Grocery shopping with her is intense because she gets super competitive about getting those deals before everyone else but it's also so much fun.

Master couponer. You knows those ladies that clip so many coupons that they sort them into little bags and actually sell them in bundles? That's Ochaco. She's even part of some online couponing groups.

But she always hands you the coupons for your favorite snacks.

The not so great..

Ochaco works really, really hard and takes on a lot of missions. So, when she gets home, the usually upbeat hero can be a little...grouchy. By grouchy, I mean snappy and sulky and -- who is this woman and what did she do to your sweet, adorable roommate?

Seriously, just don’t talk to her or make a lot of noise until she sleeps for 10+ hours and eats or she might send you floating to your shared ceiling.

That roommate who will get on you if you leave any of the lights on or stay in the shower for too long. She is NOT shelling out extra cash on utilities next month because of you!! honestly same

Toru Hagakure

Another fun roommate!

We’ve seen her room, and we can tell by looking at it that she loves to decorate. If you (probably) have different tastes than hers, Toru will find ways to compromise and combine both your preferences to decorate your shared apartment! You know what that means?

Ikea trips. Toru’s enthusiasm alone makes it so much fun but it’s not as fun when you inevitably lose her in that Swedish labyrinth. (Hint: Check the various kids’ sections. She got distracted by the cute plushies.)

If you two are not constantly updating your interior design, you’re at least adding to it. it makes the space just uniquely yours and feel so homey.

Toru has some real 👌👌 taste in movies. Her movie collection makes for some awesome movie nights. Bring all the blankets, plushies, and the like and you’re in for a chill night.

Out of everyone on this list, I feel like she’ll be the easiest to convince to get a pet. She skips the “well, who is gonna pay for food?” talk and doesn’t spend any too much time deliberating over her busy hero schedule - just jumps right on in to the nearest adoption agency.

Congrats, you’re now parents of an adorable, slightly grumpy rescue cat. Which - bonus - actually makes it so much easier keeping track of Toru because it’s almost always brushing against her legs or on her lap.

The not so great...

Definitely the nosy roommates. She wants to know all the details about your life and is the type to peak into your room because she's curious. Her Quirk only makes all the easier for her.

She likes to leave cute or funny messages on the fogged up bathroom mirror or with magnets on the fridge which is cute but...unnerving when an invisible being sends you random messages in your apartment.

....and according to the wiki, she loves hidden-camera prank shows? Welcome to Jackass, roomie. You’re gonna get pranked.

Also because of her Quirk, she often has to remove her clothes to make full use of her invisibility but this has also lead to a bad habit of leaving articles of clothing throughout the apartment. You often find random socks and gloves and even shirts out throughout the apartment.

Tsuyu Asui

A+ roomie. Seriously, give this girl all a gold star.

Super tidy, super considerate, and super stoked to live with you. She’s used to a full house and honestly wasn’t so sure about living on her own straight after graduation. Then came you!

Tsuyu looooves to cook with you. If your cooking skills need work, she’ll happily teach you. Out of everyone else on this list, you share the most meals together.

Soooo many blankets and pillows in your apartment! Tsu needs the extra layers during winter and honestly, just build a blanket fort for you two. It’s great. just roommates huh?

Absolutely will text you just to check in if she makes it home before you and has no problem either waiting up for you or even walking to meet if it’s dark. And honestly, what’s better than

Being super straightforward, Tsuyu always lets you know if there’s something up with the apartment or just if she’d like you to be a little quieter coming home. Also an observant person and checks in on your needs/preferences as well. Y’all rarely have any typical roommate spats because she’s direct and makes sure to communicate.

We stan a sweet, considerate frog roommate in this household.

The not so great...

Because she grew up taking care of two younger siblings and then lived with the entire 1-A class (19 teenagers in one building -- that's insane) in the dorms, Tsuyu actually has little tolerance for messes in common spaces.

Tsuya Asui ain’t your momma. You're both adults and you both pay rent, so she expects you clean up after yourself and will call you out if you don't.

Especially about those dishes left in the sink. You can say that you just left the pots in there "to soak", but Tsuyu ain't buying it. And she tells you as much.

Not above shaming your messes on her Snap story i’m that petty roommate or bringing up that you forgot to take out the trash in front of other people.

Kyouka Jirou

She's the cool roommate. By that, I mean the one you’re lowkey bragging about when you describe her to your friends. Girl is a hero, plays pretty much every instrument, and is just a cool person in general. It’s hard not to brag.

Seriously, just her mere presence alone makes your place at least 70% cooler than it would have been if you lived by yourself. That’s how cool she is.

Super respectful of your privacy. Like, she won’t even know what your room actually looks like unless you actually invite her in.

Great roommate banter. Kyouka has a great dry sense of humor and likes to tease people, so you two can go back and forth all day.

Great texter. She always gives you a heads up when people are over or if you guys need anything for the apartment. Bonus: lots of hilarious pics of Bakusquad being idiots.

Don't tell her that you can hear her when she sings in the shower; it'd just fluster her and make her self-conscious. But being able to listen to that amazing voice in your own home?👌👌👌

If you're someone who doesn't necessarily need or even want a tight knit relationship with a roommate, Kyouka is your best bet. She's generally really chill and won't get hyped over being best friends.

That said, she’s a pretty empathetic person and easy to talk to. She’ll absolutely stay up late with you just to talk if you need it. Gives great advice.

The not so great...

You will lose track over how many times you ask her to turn the music down.

Like Mina, Kyouka comes as a package deal with the Bakusquad. Kyouka doesn’t invite them over often because even she doesn’t want that chaos in her home but sometimes it’s inevitable.

She’s not much of a cook. Plus she’s pretty busy keeping up with her hero career, music, and group of friends, so she doesn’t have much free time anyway. This means she orders out - a lot. Good news? Hardly any friction over cleaning dishes. Bad news? Her take out boxes leave little room in the fridge for your food.

BONUS: Regardless of who you room with, you’ll hardly ever worry about a break-in or any crime in your neighborhood because your roommate is a professional hero and will kick any home intruder stupid enough to try anything.

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comicteaparty · 4 years

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July 13th-July 19th, 2020 CTP Archive

The archive for the Comic Tea Party week long chat that occurred from July 13th, 2020 to July 19th, 2020. The chat focused on Super Galaxy Knights Deluxe R by snuffysam.

Featured Comment:

Chat:

Comic Tea Party

BOOK CLUB START!

Hello and welcome everyone to Comic Tea Party’s Book Club~! This week we’ll be focusing on Super Galaxy Knights Deluxe R by snuffysam~! (http://sgkdr.thecomicseries.com/comics/)

You are free to read and comment about the comic all week at your own pace until July 19th, so stop on by whenever it suits your schedule! Discussions are freeform, but we do offer discussion prompts in the pins for those who’d like to have them. Additionally, remember that while constructive criticism is allowed, our focus is to have fun and appreciate the comic! Whether you finish the comic or can only read a few pages, everyone is welcome to join and chat with us!

DISCUSSION PROMPTS – PART 1

1. What did you like about the beginning of the comic?

2. What has been your favorite moment in the comic (so far)?

3. Who is your favorite character?

4. Which characters do like seeing interact the most?

5. What is something you like about the art? If you have a favorite illustration, please share it!

6. What is a theme you like that the comic explores?

7. What do you like about the comic’s story or overall related content?

8. Overall, what do you think the comic’s strengths are?

Don’t feel inspired by the prompts? Feel free to discuss anything else that interested you!

carcarchu

I'm only 5 pages in so far, but this comic has a great sense of humour i've already laughed out loud at some of the jokes

Deo101 [Millennium]

god yes the jokes all hit so well

carcarchu

i noticed an error on tapas, page 42 and page 45 are identical

Deo101 [Millennium]

oh no

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

@carcarchu fixed, thank you for pointing that out!

carcarchu

i'm 63 pages in now and i'm really enjoying this comic so far. it's solidly paced with an interesting cast of characters. the banter is really fun to read and i'm loving how the world building expands with each new character introduced

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

glad to hear it!!!

shadowhood {SunnyxRain}

Damn I feel bad for only reading this now

I love the comedic pauses in between the jokes, and it makes the situation more awkward and hilarious for me!

Also fourth wall breaking and lampshades

Feather J. Fern

I really like the line "I can't hear you from over there." Lampshading why people monologue but they are stepping away from the listener

I really enjoy these types of jokes, this comic has really good comedic timing.

Also It is long, but easy to digest, so I'm speeding through quite easily.

Also Sir Pokes a Lot!! My favourite character, and you killed them! (I love the animated parts of the comic too)

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

thank u!!!

and yeah, sorry about sir pokes-a-lot

Deo101 [Millennium]

Can not wait for y'all to meet my fave

shadowhood {SunnyxRain}

Wait WHAT SIR POKES A LOT DIES WHAT THE HELL

Oh yes, the animated parts always get me by surprise and I love them too

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

imo, there's an even sadder death in book 2...

RebelVampire

I like that the beginning just has a lot of comedy even while establishing the exposition parts. So you don't really even notice you're learning about characters, the world, and so forth, because the jokes just really make the entire experience vastly entertaining. My favorite moment in the comic is probably now when all the governors show up and Electric Zebra to fight the demon. Cause it was like a party of badasses, had lots of great comedy, lots of great fighting, and just all around it was nice to see everyone else embrace Mizuki's strengths too. My favorite character is a tie between Electric Zebra and Sword Warrior/Taci. Electric Zebra because I love that he works for the gov but also hates the gov while also moonlighting as a musician. He just all around is a fun character for me who could do no wrong. Taci I like because he's simultaneously arrogant, smart, caring, and selfish. I also like that he just blatantly announces his plans to become dictator. As for the art, I really love the colors. The entire comic is just a really colorful experience without being over-saturated, and I really think that makes it stand out, regardless of the other 3D aspects and such that make it stand out as well, of course. I like in the current book it explores the nature of making friends. Since Mizuki is trying hard to make friends with Stella, and Stella isn't having that. So I enjoy this exploration in terms of kind of what do you even do in those situations and how can you peacefully co-exist and overcome that grump gap.

As for the overall related content and the comic's strength, these are one in the same for me: the comedy. This is by far one of the few comic's that clicks for me in terms of comedy. Not only does it have fantastic timing, but a lot of it is really smart with lots of callbacks to things that happened - and damn do I love that sort of continuity. It's not even just the one-liner jokes though. Sometimes it's just the stories overall way of solving problems in comedic ways that is the best, so all in all, just a great entertaining comic.

Krispy §[Ghost Junk Sickness]§

The dialogue is so funny to go through, I love the way Snuffy characterises and just has fun!

also the cell shaded rendering is so cool! I love the aesthetic and design !

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

@RebelVampire regarding continuity stuff, this is basically the ending of book 2 lmao(edited)

mathtans

Hm, so this is somehow a trickier one for me to analyze since I've been reading it since the first CTP. Admittedly I fell behind after Book2 (busy months) but I just got caught back up (SpaceMySpace...) so I guess I'll do some further pondering and check back in later. ^^

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

ok so i finished re-reading my comic the only joke that made me legit laugh out loud this re-read was the dancing in panel 3 of this page: http://sgkdr.thecomicseries.com/comics/255 just because i completely forgot i put that gag in there lol

tbh my favorite character in the comic is taci. like, before his introduction, the comic was incomplete, in a sense. but with him in the picture, all the writing just fits together. (even past the fact that books 3-5 wouldn't happen without taci being a total weirdo who mailed hundreds of letters to the galaxy knights under fake names, lol)

Deo101 [Millennium]

taci is also my favorite,,, as you know, aha

Comic Tea Party

DISCUSSION PROMPTS – PART 2

9. Given the comic’s emphasis on comedy, what was your favorite joke insofar? What made it stand out to you compared to the others? In what ways does the comic’s comedy stand apart from other comics?

10. What do you think of Mizuki’s tactics for using magic? Is she crazy as many characters imply, or do you think she’ll continue to make it work far into the future? How will this decision affect her skills as a strategist?

11. What do you think King Zebugu is doing participating in Galaxy Knights trials? Do you think he’s finally changed his ways, or is he up to something? Also, will this help Taci achieve his own goals?

12. Do you think Mizuki will be able to become a Galaxy Knight? If so, what other trials will she have to work through? Additionally, what will become of some of the other characters such as Stella, Taci, and Pejiba in the trials?

Don’t feel inspired by the prompts? Feel free to discuss anything else that interested you!

Deo101 [Millennium]

Okay my favorite joke so far was DEFINITELY this one, it's the first one I think that really made me like, fully laugh out loud. I dont know why it got to me so much. Also it made me love cahe very much as well.

SPOILER

Also I think Mizuki's magic probably IS something to do with her abillity to copy other's magic really easily, and probably more efficiently.

and kinda combo of 11 and 12 but I hope they all become galaxy knights and be friends :)

(including king zebugu)

back about the magic thing I KNOW weve been told anyone can do any magic, it's just very draining and hard, so they use their own magics always... but People have also commented on her ability to actually utilize other's magics SO i feel like theres more to it than just her being incredibly stubborn.

RebelVampire

I'm sorry Cahe. You used to be my #2 fave character, but then Taci.

Deo101 [Millennium]

LITERALLY SAME

RebelVampire

My favorite joke changes each reading, but right now I'm gonna go with Book 2 when Mizuki is remarking about forgetting something important and then we see Enetoro still stalling for the talent show. It was such great timing since it was long enough most readers probably forgot about it in the front of their mind but still recent enough you're like oh yeah. And I just like that long ass joke setup for the entire book. As for how the comic's comedy in general stands apart, just superior timing. A lot of comedy is about timing, and this comic is just spot on everytime. As for how Mizuki uses magic, it's probably a bit of both. She is crazy, but she will probably make it work for a long time to come just out of sheer force of will and stubbornness. But I think her having to learn so many abilities and find ways to utilize them together can only increase her skills as a strategist, since it allows her to assess the full potential of every ability and command others to reach that potential. King Zebugu is probably up to something again. I don't think he's as evil in the first books, but I def think there's something going on that he isn't telling anyone that he'll reveal towards the end and say, "Well good luck Mizuki peace out." I don't think it'll help Taci though. I think Taci will just wind up getting roped in and never get even one step closer to becoming the dictator he always wants to be. I do think Mizuki will become a Galaxy Knight. As for other trials, I'm not entirely sure. I imagine there's gonna be some sort of tournament arc though cause otherwise how is Stella supposed to say something about how this is a true contest for warriors. I think Stella will befriend Mizuki, and Taci will at least win something he can brag about. I think Pejiba won't win though, but I also think Pejiba would be content to try again and just go back to skipping around with Cahe.

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

There's... somewhat of a tournament arc coming up? The structure is gonna be weird compared to other tournament arcs, but it's definitely one of the more interesting chapters I've written lol. So... have fun speculating on that for the next three years lmao

Regarding some of the other questions - there's currently enough information in the comic to figure out all the 11th-hour plot twists for Book 3. I won't say there's enough information to easily figure the plot out, lol, but you could figure it out. Though - there is absolutely something going on that King Zebugu isn't telling anyone about (it's kind of a habit at this point, lol).

mathtans

1. You know something I like about the beginning? The links to the original artwork. It's just a subtle thing down at the bottom, but it simultaneously shows the progress made by the artist, and allows anyone thinking 'wow I could never do anything like that' to realize that it didn't happen overnight.

Also the gradual world building is really well done. You don't get too much at once.

2. I think my favourite moment remains how Mizuki defeated Zebugu near the end of Book 1. It was just really clever in terms of reincorporating something subtle (the comic's good at that in general) to turn the tables, and played off his personality more than his magic, which was also clever. There's lots of other great moments too, but that one stands out over time, I think because we were looking at a climax there.

3. Favorite character is probably Zaxaty. Yeah, yeah, mathtans going for the major lesbian, big surprise, but hear me out. She's connected to the King, a major antagonist, but has her own personality and I don't think she's afraid to slap him down if needed. She might even end up connected to the major protagonist (because of reader ships). She's into art, there's that whole bizarre roller skating thing just to point out she's not normal. I possibly enjoy hairstyles like hers. And she sustained major injuries in the big Book 2 battle but sucked it up and still did what she could. So there.

(Before Zaxaty it was probably Pejiba. She seemed smart and capable.)

4. Character interaction... possibly Mizuki and Taci, simply because I tend to enjoy their interactions with everyone else in the cast. So when they get together, whew... possibly related, Mizuki has a tendency to be oblivious due to inexperience or failing her perception checks, while Taci can be oblivious because he's so full of himself. Their battle and the Sword Warrior revelation was another good moment overall.

5. Again, I'm hardly a person to be commenting on art. But the rendering effects and the occasional animated panels kind of blow me away.

(Not the first person to remark on that, admittedly.)

6. I'm not great with themes either. Perseverance is probably one, based on what/who Mizuki has to put up with. Also friendship, which Rebel referenced, and can even be seen in the earlier bits with the group coming together (Cahe and Pejiba taking it to the next level). And how those in power aren't necessarily the best at decision making (is that a theme)?

Then there's mystery, like what are peoples' goals. Is that a theme? I don't know what I'm talking about, let's face it.

7. Something about the story and content is how much development's gone into it. I don't know if the side stories were started in part due to StArt Faire, or if it provided some perpetual motion, but for example Gynu and Suzigu have this entire childhood backstory in there, and we never saw that much of them in Book 1. (Maybe that one was to highlight more Galaxy Knight stuff? But there's others that expand on otherwise minor characters.)

Then there's the cast page, which seems to be constantly updating, and includes extra random trivia and even what seem like really really minor characters (like the Ferryman).

I have no clue how snuffysam manages to do all that stuff and yet continue to update multiple times in a week. With, as Rebel pointed out, very good comedy too, both situational and connected to character personalities.

8. Comic strength is I think at times doing the unexpected. Like throwing in animation, or referencing someone new or something that adds new pieces to the magic dynamic. Like you want to keep reading to know what comes next because even if it's what you think it might be, there's probably some new aspect you didn't expect that will be there too.

Anyway, there's some thoughts, and for all I know it's similar to stuff I already said in a previous chat. If so, whoops. More tomorrow. I type slow.

(Incidentally, related to the stories, the "wingwomanicon" story won't load for me... it's a blank pdf. And the link in the story proper for when it first went up seems to link to the wrong story.)

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

@mathtans I really should test my links lol... the story should be fixed now

Comic Tea Party

DISCUSSION PROMPTS – PART 3

13. What are you most looking forward to seeing in regards to the comic?

14. Any final words of encouragement for the comic?

Don’t feel inspired by the prompts? Feel free to discuss anything else that interested you!

mathtans

9. I'm not sure I could pick a favourite joke. Mizuki's habit of breaking the fourth wall tends to be cleverly done. Coruby's wit matches well with his character. I'll echo what Rebel said about the timing too; there's effective use of beat panels and the like too.

10. Mizuki's probably crazy, or perhaps it's more her obliviousness, but she's very good at working with what she has to minimize the drain. She also must have a really good memory. I think the main problem with her ability to strategize is she's not great at long term planning, everything seems to be more "in the moment".

(I figure you've got a lot going on as is there. ) Sorry, must scamper again, back later. Should we comment on ships too here, or is that mostly covered by the comic itself?

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

Hey, you can comment on ships as much as you want!

mathtans

Zebugu and Taci might be a ship. Can't be that much animosity without deeper feelings somewhere, right?

RebelVampire

I can't decide how I feel about Zebugu/Taci. That is a ship that makes sense as much as it doesn't make sense. I am stuck in a loop.

I am looking forward to more Taci because Taci. There can never be enough Taci in the comic, and I think I just really enjoy how he works off Mizuki because it offers lots of beautiful comedic potential. My final words are just amazing comedy comic that everyone should check out.

mathtans

11. I think King Zebugu is in the trials in part because he doesn't like that his wizard and his accountant were former Galaxy Knights. Maybe it's the ace they play to get him under control at times, maybe they don't need to, but I think he's trying to gain more power over his underlings, and by extension the planet. He's always got an angle. As to Taci, for him it's probably more ego driven, but he does have two abilities so maybe he wants to see how he compares off planet. I don't see either of them winning, I see them potentially cancelling each other out so the other guy doesn't win.

12. I think Mizuki could become a Galaxy Knight, but I don't think it'll happen in Book 3. In particular Bily is being set up as an antagonist against her (she has a similar ability to duplicate the spells of someone else, though she does need to touch them AND she has a beef with Mizuki over being the one to knock her brother out of contention). Other trials, I'm not sure... there might be one where they have to team up with someone else. Mizuki and Stella would be an interesting situation, as would Taci and anybody. I don't think Motorcycle Man or Willpower-Copy Lady will get far since the cast page only gives them minor character status. But then that could be part of the joke in the end.

Rebel's analysis regarding the others looks pretty good, actually. I'm not sure how hammer guy fits in, is one thing.

Fun that Stella's officially out now, incidentally. I don't see her going for shorter women though. Also, I wonder what constellations she might have that are in no way tied to the stars as we know them? And for that matter, she made a "Frozen" reference, which is usually Mizuki's domain. Perhaps she's also aware of the 4th wall (or "Frozen" went international there on 'SpaceMySpace' or something). Anyway.

13. Well, that last Starstuff Story is only one page long, so potentially looking forward to reading the rest of that. Seeing how the tournament plays out will be interesting... I'm more hyped about it than the gatherings plot of Book 2, maybe it's the extra title drop, dunno. Also vaguely curious about what's happening with everyone back on the planet during this time... like, if the King's away, who's running the place? (Zaxaty?)

Incidentally, the Galaxy Knights must be pretty well off financially. They set up housing and roommates for EVERYONE, then almost right away had a challenge and eliminated most of the people. Like, a lot of those rooms they didn't need.

Random question too, how DID the Starstuff stories get their start?

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

@mathtans I dunno how I keep screwing this up... anyway, I checked, and the newest story is now 100% fixed.

The original reason for Starstuff Stories was to flesh out characters' move pools for potential video game adaptations. Like, that's why Green Archer uses explosive arrows and chain arrows in her story, and why Chill Bro has ice armor in his. Though it evolved over time to just being interesting stories that I wanted to tell that wouldn't necessarily focus on Mizuki.

mathtans

Sorry, was needed elsewhere. Then read the story. I didn't expect ears to be a thing, and that poor woman is cursed. ^.^ That's a neat origin idea, I hadn't thought along those lines. Looks like the story has evolved too, there's been some scenes without Mizuki too (though I guess they were in some way related).

14. For final words, just keep at it I guess, you've got a very interesting world set up and do well at engaging your audience too, from what I can tell.

Deo101 [Millennium]

Zebugu/taci huh...? I can see them being exes or something

mathtans

Maybe that's the real reason Taci wants to kill Zebugu.

Deo101 [Millennium]

Zebugu forgot to tell taci they broke up, and stood him up!

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

That does sound like something Zebugu would do...

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

also, regarding something @mathtans said - Looks like the story has evolved too, there's been some scenes without Mizuki too (though I guess they were in some way related). yeah i had to rewrite book 3 like two times before I realized the story worked better if it didn't focus on mizuki all the time. like, book 3 introduces the most new characters out of any book so far, and i was completely neutering it by forcing all their arcs to relate to mizuki in some way. thanks to breaking that mentality, i'm able to include stuff like characters having rivalries with each other in ways that mizuki wouldn't even find out about, which helps keep the book from getting bogged down imo.

mathtans

It's cool that you draft everything out to that extent. And it's not out of the blue, she wasn't there for some of the big battle ending Book 2 either.

(Or at the talent show for most of the story. )

Comic Tea Party

BOOK CLUB END!

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artificialqueens · 5 years

Text

living on the edge of the law ( biadore / sashea ) - chapter 7

sasha and shea finally come to terms and adore is having some issues of her own.

finally an update !! I’ve been so busy with my musical and other AU’s and school, I’ve decided that every week this’ll get an update so it’ll be a bit more frequent and such, hope y'all enjoy, the drama begins.

— *.✧

Sasha groaned, feeling her entire body sore and unable to move even if she wanted to, her eyes gently opened and her lashes fluttered, unaware of she was for a minute as she brushed her eyes with her fingertips, giving a yawn before looking around and noticing Shea still asleep, smiling and absentmindedly dreaming— Sasha felt a small rose colored blush appear on her cheeks and she smiled looking away realizing now exactly where she was before giving herself a high-five and praising that finally after years it had happened and it was all thanks to Bianca and some Whitney Houston.

A grumble was noised from Shea as she gently awoke to Sasha’s hand across her hair, running her fingers through it and simply taking it all in: it was hard to not give a grin to her best friend who sat in her bed wearing nothing but Shea’s shorts and a bra, her blonde hair definitely a little tangled though they could always fix that later with a brush and some willpower, “Sleep, I’m just awake is all.” The Russian whispered as Shea tiredly propped herself against the bedframe, she shook her head and opened her arms before Sasha gave a glimmering smile and collapsed in Shea’s arms, the blonde happily accepting the offer.

“It took too many years but it finally happened, Bianca and Trinity owe me twenty each!” The wink from her eyes undeniably sweet, Sasha softening her gaze knowing it was all in good fun in the first place, it was a bit suspicious having Bianca, who was definitely not one to be so oddly curious and kind for lack of a better word.

“My gut said so after Bianca kept asking me about myself and you, part of me was confused and the other part of me was praying that this was the next step to one of us finally confessing something,

“I hate to be awkward but—” Shea begun before yawning so she could take in a big yawn and wrap her arms around Sasha, who was beyond snug in her arms and felt protected and quite happy with her life currently, “What are we?” The question finally came out and the Russian froze, she didn’t exactly realize until now they hadn’t talked about the state of her relationship and friendship.

“What do you want us to me?” The question pondered to Shea who took no hesitation and time to answer with a quick, “Girlfriends.“

Sasha nodded and liked the sound of the word with them together, “Girlfriends…” She repeated in a whisper with nothing but utter joy in her heart, Shea quickly winking: “You know, lesbians, power couple, ruling the world: that’s us."

The giggle that left the Russian’s lips was enough for Shea to feel absolute success, "Get up, I still have to get my car from Katya’s you know.” Sasha gently hitting her lover in the far right beside her before Shea sat up gasping, the Chicago native hitting her back before grabbing her wrists and staring a glance at her newly announced girlfriend who was covered in now blue stains of hickey’s, she hadn’t even brought it up yet but not as if she could do a thing about it expect cover them and not think too much about them, as long as they didn’t interfere with her work who truly cared, Sasha did not certainly.

“Seriously!” The blonde eyed her girlfriend intensely, not letting her gaze drop until Shea groaned, getting up slowly but surely from the bed and running a hand through her own long and black hair, “I know, I know!” She called out though it was impossible to be aggravated at someone as perfect as Sasha and besides, Shea definitely did promise the Russian to bring her to go and get her car.

Shea stood on her tip-toes grabbing a baseball cap from her closet before jumping into some jeans and an old Chicago Fire jersey she still kept from her father, he was a huge sports fan and of course you have to support your hometown whether or not they’re any good, Shea knew Sasha was definitely a fan of soccer (football to her) to begin with.

The Russian clapped, “Football!” The twinkle in her eyes as her lashes fluttered seeing her girlfriend in a sport’s jersey was enough reason for Shea to wear the damn thing, no questions asked.

“Just for you.” The smile sincere before she leaned in to kiss her girlfriend, hands on her soft cheeks, Shea could definitely get used to this. Sasha nervously mentioned she had no clothes with her besides the alcohol splashed dress from last night, Shea waved her off and knew they both wore medium dresses atleast, handing her a tulle dress she had received as a gift from Trinity a bit ago.

Sasha grabbed her lover’s face and kissed her gently before Shea quickly felt her arms melt around Sasha’s waist before the Russian gently pused back, “We’re getting my car and then we can do whatever we want.” Shea frowned before taking her cap off for a minute, slapping Sasha’s behind, the blonde intentionally and overdramatically jumping while laughing, “Let’s go, Katya is gonna have far too many questions!"

"And I’m prepared to answer them all in detail.”

✧*。

“Let’s go, let’s go, Давай!” Katya clapped as she interlocked her hands around Sasha’s chair, spinning around aimlessly in their new conjoined cubicle, it was said to them Monday morning, the worst time possible, some of them were having to move into a conjoined office but the perk was the fact was that they were in an isolated room, Sasha loved the privacy though they did get a nice window by the wall, looking out the building and having a small glimpse of downtown Santa Monica.

Katya was just happy to share the space with someone she liked, beyond liked, loved like a sister, family. The closest thing she would ever have to family since running away years ago from Russia with just a carry-on and a dictionary, though she had studied English in school, her self doubt was far too strong to even attempt to speak English the first two weeks.

Sasha met her the moment she was introduced to the staff, the look and face said enough for Katya to lovingly strangle her with a hug, screaming in russian the minute she had heard the blonde say her welcomes in russian, more to comfort Katya than anything else.

“Sharing an office with you is the biggest blessing and curse in my life, I can sense it already darling."

Katya cackled, jumping off her chair before sitting down, sipping the coffee Shea had so sweetly picked up for her as requested, writing a note down to remind herself to pay Shea back, "Oh please, if it was you and Shea you’d both fired in about a week because we all know this desk wouldn’t be used for working purposes.” Sasha almost gasped for air, gagging as she finished a small sip of tea, hitting her with her “Russia” decorated fan.

“Шлюха!"

The Russians hugged and played around before Katya smiled, head in her hands as her feet kicked back on the desk, "So how is it with your new lover?” Sasha always had the urge to completely push herself away from that kind of conversation with anyone, she liked her love life personal and locked up but being with Shea was so different. She wanted to bashfully speak about the joy sharing a bed and kisses with someone she had pinned for since she moved to America years ago.

“She’s great, gorgeous as usual, I have no complaints."

"If she hurts you I will fucking stab her and you know I’m not kidding, I love Shea Couleé but I love you more however, I do trust her. She only stared at you at parties, meetings, her eyes shined just for you!"

The comment started a bit crude and violent but then turned much softer than expected, Sasha looking away trying not to show her obviously content grin, that’s what she had always hoped to hear from others especially her friends who also were close with Shea and who wasn’t? She was the most likeable person in their job, head of communications for a reason!

"That’s good to know.” She brushed the crumbs from her scone off her work dress, Katya despite the head of their section and department somehow managed to constantly shit around, she only thought about five things: Trixie Mattel, the Lebanese restaurant down the street, Russia, Stationary and dancing— not an awful five things to think about, Sasha could probably summarize herself in about five things as well: Shea Couleé, journalism, fashion, Russia and her dog, Vanya.

They got back to their “work”, sipping on their drinks though all Sasha could think about was Shea, understandbly so as Katya was struggling to not think about her date with Trixie tonight, she hadn’t been on a date in almost two years and she didn’t want to screw this all up, it be especially awkward since Trixie is an aspiring singer with the possibility of a record deal here thanks to some strings pulled.

A knock at the door interupted her train of thought as Trinity waved, half hazardly, “Hey, Katya I need you really quick!” The older blonde stood up and nodded before waving goodbye to Sasha as Trinity and Sasha quickly ran to eachother all smiles, hugging, “I heard about the new girl, I’m so fucking glad she finally said something because I was about to tell you myself bitch."

Sasha laughed and hugged her close friend, the two met from work but bonded like no other the first year when they shared an office and Trinity never felt so glad to have a great friend around, Orlando was miles and miles away but she had Sasha and now she had a bunch of people but Sasha would always stick out to her the greatest.

"I’ll be back!” Katya yelled before shutting the door, Sasha shaking her head and aimlessly flipping through another one of her fashion magazines, she had an entire studio in her apartment dedicated to her fashion and designs, it was a good extra cash tip here and there but more for the passion: this job was nice, successful, paid well but nothing would ever compare to sewing or atleast writing about fashion, she always said to Katya how she felt about what others were wearing, in Russian of course, though it wasn’t spiteful: just legitmate observations.

“Maybe one day, but not right now.” She put the magazine down before getting on to her laptop, going back into work mode.

One day.

✧*。

Bianca sat her in her studio, putting away her laptop and dancing around her kitchen aimlessly, blasting music from the TV, hooking up her Spotify. She wasn’t exactly paying much attention, it was on shuffle and the playlist was actually originally made by Courtney and William who had to have a car playlist when they didn’t travel by plane.

Playing From Playlist

—

car trips <3 !!!

—

Currently Playing: Last Dance - Donna Summer

She sang along, not like anyone was around to hear her, she was absolutely not a vocalist, not even autotune could save the amount of shrill screams and cracks she had but she didn’t mind, she didn’t need to be a recording artist anytime soon, that was a last minute ditch plan.

A beep from her phone rang, it was from Adore which was worrysome considering she had begun packing away from her best friend’s house, they had finally made a deal on a condo, Adore insisted on a condo because she only cared about an extra room to be a studio and it needed a bathtub: well, that was an easy checklist and it even had a patio for her the text wasn’t exactly something Bianca had expected.

I’m in the rain, I’m near a bus stop, please come, please xx

The X’s at the end didn’t exactly calm down Bianca any more, immediately texting back a: send me your location right fucking now, I’m coming.

She turned off the TV and oven, checking just ever so quickly on the dinner she was trying to make before grabbing her keys and wallet and an extra jacket + a towel and bolting for her car, she didn’t hear the pouring rain from the blasting of Donna Summer but judging by Adore’s location she was only about ten minutes away with a car, five if Bianca really drove the way she always intended to: above every speed limit.

Not even baring to ask a question, her hands felt a bit tense as she turned into another corner, glancing in her mirror and keeping her eyes open at her phone’s GPS, she could be asking herself a million things right now but didn’t, knowing it wasn’t the best idea, she had to find Adore: plain and simple.

Six minutes (four minutes gained) of driving lead her to indeed, what looked like a bus stop, an abandoned one near a park for children, not as if Adore would have much fun in the rain doing that. “Adore!” She screamed without even thinking, rolling down her window quickly before screeching the brake and parking the car after she rolled up the window, putting a towel over the shotgun seat before the younger singer jumped in, “Please go, please, please.” She seemed out of breath and was definitely soaking wet, her hair all falling to her face and her mascara ruining.

Bianca stepped on it and handed her a jacket, “Jesus Christ, what the hell? Do I even wanna fucking know?” They stopped at the stoplight as her hands pressed the heating buttons, turning all the air towards Adore and making sure it was on a decently hot setting, Bianca would probably sweat to death in this car but hey: this was a part of the job in the end.

Adore burst into tears and the latino girl stared, unsure what she had said or what was going on, “I’m so sorry.” Was all she choked out before rubbing the mascara off on the towel, unapologetically though Bianca could always buy a new one or just wash it if she wasn’t a lazy ass. “Don’t be, don’t even talk about, we’re gonna go back to my place and you’re gonna take a shower, change and then we can talk."

She nodded silently, whimpering like a puppy into the towel, Bianca feeling bloody murder go through her head thinking about the possibilities, she might just commit a murder or three tonight if it was anything related to a single person who had may or may not hurt Adore, she had no clue who but she’d find out somehow.

They got into her house and Adore watched Bianca close the door and give a thumbs up, adjusting her own jacket on Adore Delano, who had yet to even adjust to the pressures of fame and every day was simply knee deep in stress but for almost four weeks she had Bianca every day at her side helping, being hilariously bitter and kind and occasionally brutually honest beyond realization.

"We don’t have to talk about it but just let your friend know you’re here, I don’t want her to worry, you can of course stay overnight, I don’t expect you to go back to the new house and unpack tonight."

"You should shower.” She mumbled, adding the words before taking the coat off Adore gently, the younger girl feeling herself almost unable to breathe, she hesitated before quickly leaning in and grabbing Bianca, by her wrist and kissing her, no thoughts even necessary. Bianca felt her entire face flush but let it happen, of course she was wanting it to happen for days but not as if their positions and jobs made it easy to talk about, neither was the fact that Bianca promised herself to not let romance get in the line of her work.

“Adore we’re…” She grumbled her speech, angry that this had to happen already, she just wanted to avoid all feelings and hide everything long as possible, “We work together and—"

"God, please shut up and kiss me you hag."

The words had a nasty edge but not like anything they ever said to eachother was taken too seriously, Bianca spoke about her feelings to Shea and Katya consistently and to Courtney as well but she didn’t expect Adore to take such director action though, this was Adore Delano.

Despite the hesitation in Bianca’s response they attracted like magnets and kissed again, Adore running her fingers through her hair as Bianca felt her hands touch her cheeks, freezing cold but she knew that wasn’t important.

They clinged needing this to finally happen badly.

However, Bianca felt her entire heart sink in nothing but guilt and pulled away: covering her mouth, for the first time ever too stunned to speak, "No talking, not now, you’re super cold, shower.” The obvious disappointment in Adore’s face was enough for her to scoff and angrily wave Bianca off, knowing where to go and what to do anyway.

A breath in and a breath out as Adore shut the door loud as possible, groaning from the bathroom as she turned on the shower.

Well shit

#rpdr fanfiction #bianca del rio #adore delano #sasha velour #shea coulee #biadore #sashea #katya zamolodchikova #trinity taylor #mention of trixya #lesbian au #celebrity au #roza #living on the edge of the law #submission #concrit welcome

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yanceyrenee-blog · 7 years

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Chapter 16 Houseguests and the Hand of God

They all spent the night. Sarah and Josiah in their room. Beth and Erin in James' room. The guys insist that Alisha take the couch. They make pallets on the floor. The next morning Sunday, they decide to keep things as normal as possible for the girls and go to church. But first, Josiah calls to make sure Jerry Powers is still in jail. He is assured he is. They get up and get dressed and James asks Alisha to join them. " If you ain't tired of me by now. I would love too but I have to run home and change." Since the Able's house is still a crime scene, Sarah shares clothes with Beth and Erin and James does with Eric. " It is like old times." Beth comments as they do each others hair and makeup." Well almost. I have a different person sharing my bed." " So true." says Josiah as he enters and sweeps his wife into a kiss. " Ready for services, y'all." Alisha yells out up the stairs. At church, Josiah and Sarah invite. Alisha to join them for Sunday School. " But isn't your class for young marrieds. I may be young but don't fit married." " You can come as our guest." Josiah assures her. " Sarah, Josiah we saw you on tv." is the first thing they hear as they enter the room. Followed closely by," Thank the Lord you are okay." After assuring everyone that they are okay, the introduce Alisha.. She is greeted warmly. The teachers Mr and Mrs Daughtry call the class to order. Sarah is asked if she wishes to share her story. Josiah holds her hand as she does. " So as y'all can see, God was all through this. If it wasn't for His Spirit keeping my mind on Josiah, more than usual, I wouldn't have been in place to see Mr Powers. And if his warning, Josiah's warning, wasn't at the front of my mind than I wouldn't have reacted so fast." " Praise the Lord and Hallelujah's" echo through the room. " Anyone believe this was just coincidence?" asks Mr Daugherty. " Coincidence is just God's way of staying anonymous." says Alisha " Now that is a good one Alisha." " Thanks, but I can't take credit for that one. Saw it on ," Touched by an Angel. But it seems to fit." " I agree. What Sarah and her friends experienced wes The Hand of God." replies Mr Daugherty. No one disagrees. Before class is dismissed, they say a special prayer covering all aspects of the situation. " I pray you feel welcome and come back." Mrs Daugherty tells Alisha. " I sure did and I sure might." As they enter the sanctuary, every person they pass ask if Sarah is okay. Brother Evans ask the same question. " I am okay. Beth and I both." reminding him that she wasn't there alone. " Of course. I am sorry Beth. I just heard your story from the Daugherty's. I wondered if you would mind sharing it for the congregation. You and Beth?" She looks to Josiah. " If you want to Sarah." " I feel lead to Josiah. Would you join me Beth?" " Yes sis. Just let us know when Brother Evans." " You are doing a good thing." Alisha tells her." It is a witness." " Yes God got us through it. He gets the glory." " I am very impressed, my love." Josiah says. They start the service. Alisha sings and sways to the hymns. Sarah can't help swaying with her. After offering, Brother Evans gets up and says, " You have all seen Beth Ables and Sarah Greene on tv the last fews days. Today I invite them to come up and tell you their story. A story filled with God's grace and protection. Please welcome them." " Hi y'all. For anyone that doesn't know me, I am Sarah Greene and.." " I am Beth Ables." "We had talked about starting the story with what happened on Friday but that would be cheating God. Cheating Him of some of the Glory due Him. The story really starts at our school." Beth starts. Starting with the conversation Beth had with Nichole in study hall that brought her to Christ and ending with Josiah sweeping into the room, they tell their story, God's story. " We went to see Nicole, Natalie, and their momna Nellie yesterday. Sarah says and then tells her church how they are doing and how Sandra is also. " So y'all please keep them in your prayers and really everyone struggling with alcoholism and domestic violence." Sarah concludes. They are enveloped with the applause of the church. Brother Evans walks up and hugs them both. They then walk back to the pew and rejoin the others all who are whiping tears off their faces. " Well, I was going to preach on witnessing today. I think Beth and Sarah did it for me. So all I can say is," Go and do likewise." " Y'all were amazing." Erin tells her daughter as they back to Sarah's house. "That wasn't me momna. That was all God. I just said what I felt lead to say." " Well all I can say is, I am so proud of you both." her daddy offers. " Sarah, I didn't know you had that in you." Josiah says on the way home. " I didn't either. That wasn't me. That was God all the way." ".You doing what He asked you to do makes me the proudest husband around." " I didn't know my daughter and Beth had that in them." James tells Alisha as they drive back to the house. " I think it was God speaking through them. Didn't you feel the Spirit moving?" " Yes. I did." " God will use the fact that those girls followed His lead to do great things. Just watch and see." They all get home and compare notes about the different conversations they had. They are amazed anew on how God is working.

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shitfics · 7 years

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The Smallest of Deeds (1/8); jongyu; nc-17

Jinki's clan is gone.

Killed by humans, with no trace of a motive, on a night he spent away at Jonghyun's cabin. To save Jinki from his loneliness -- and his desire for revenge -- Jonghyun suggests they journey south to find Taemin.

Their search for a place and purpose sends them to an organization known as the Inquisition, and the dangers they face after joining force Jonghyun and Jinki to confront parts of themselves and their relationship that threaten to break them apart.

[mirror on ao3]

Here it is, as promised! As with the last part of DA au, this work is (near) complete, so I will be posting the updates every other day. Thanks as always to my lovely betas, @jongyued, @yurilikesgirls, and @fleckle. I couldn't have done it without y'all!

This is my first time writing (what I would say) a traditional fantasy-type story with fighting and traveling, so I hope it's enjoyable.

I highly recommend reading As the Sapling Bends and the DA AU drabbles first, especially if you are unfamiliar with the dragon age series, as I introduced a few concepts in the first part. Feel free to message me with any questions/comments you have along the way! I will be posting on AO3, and will keep anon commenting enabled on every story there. I also have some doodles for the fic (mostly of jinki cause he’s gorgeous).

More notes (and the fic) are behind the cut.

For the fellow da nerds: as with the last fic, this should all be reasonably canon-compliant. It begins after the Inquisition has moved to Skyhold and stretches through the mission in the Arbor Wilds up to the end of the game (though onjongtae are elsewhere for those events). There will be no appearances or interactions the Inquisition cast to keep naming consistent/avoid confusion, but I do have headcanons about some interactions that I’ll share if anyone is interested, lol.

Since this fic revolves around the Inquisition more than Jinki's clan/Dalishness, the title is taken from an unknown Canticle of the Chant of Light:

Though the lands suffer a thousand wrongs, The Maker yet notices the smallest of deeds.

Since I tried to position all the characters in this story as background characters -- they don't exactly hold the fate of the world in their hands, or know much about what is going on at the highest point of the Inquisition organization, but the events still affect them, and their work fits into the larger goals of the Inquisition.

***

A storm has battled Ostwick for two days now. Jinki and Jonghyun arrived at the port city on the edge of the Waking Sea just in time to find shelter at a shabby inn. With no ships yet leaving, and the whispers about the obvious apostate and the savage knife-ear biting at them each time they attempt to take their meals in the inn’s tavern, they’ve been trapped inside the small bedroom.

The rain beats loudly against the window with each thrust of wind, and the noise is loud enough to drown out Jonghyun’s surprised gasp when a hot mouth covers his neck. He doesn’t question it at first — because it’s Jinki, and he’ll take anything the man will give him — until he’s pulled forward and over the older elf to sit between his legs.

“Fuck me,” Jinki breathes.

Jonghyun’s heart pounds in his chest.

This isn’t right.

Jinki’s eyes are too desperate, and Jonghyun knows from their months together that this isn’t something Jinki would ask for out of true want.

He steels himself and looks into Jinki’s eyes. “No.”

Jinki flips them over. His next words are nearly a growl. “Then let me fuck you.”

Jonghyun’s pulse races. That idea’s familiar — that’s something they’d done many times before Jinki’s clan was slaughtered, and once after, when Jonghyun had been too relieved to see any sign of life in Jinki to worry he might be taking advantage.

He doesn’t think he did. Jinki had slept then — a truly restful sleep — for the first night in a week.

Jonghyun searches Jinki’s face. He sees the bags under his eyes, the new hollowness in his cheeks, and the tight line of his lips. Jonghyun nods.

His hands are pushed over his head, and Jinki’s legs slip between his. Before, it had been tentative instinct Jinki worked on, where this is entirely feral. His legs are sore from their travel, but he welcomes it when Jinki lifts and spreads them, relaxing himself for the push of a finger against him. A second joins it, then a third, and Jonghyun has to grip at the rough sheets as his body is overwhelmed at being given so much so suddenly.

Even in his rush, Jinki always drags this part on out of fear of causing hurt without it. Jonghyun urges him on by reaching for the oil brought with them and pressing it against the side of Jinki’s hand. The sound of Jinki coating himself in it is quick and wet, and though Jonghyun knows this is more about need and distraction than pleasure, it still brings a warm flush to his cheeks.

The push in is fast, and Jonghyun can only hold on, clutching tighter at Jinki’s shoulders with each thrust until Jinki’s hips go rigid against him. The warm weight of Jinki’s body over his is enough for Jonghyun to finish first, and his release paints the sweat trapped between their stomachs when Jinki pulls back.

The nuzzle at his neck nears an apology and Jonghyun hums at it, letting his fingers smooth through Jinki’s hair until his breathing finally steadies with sleep.

Jonghyun sighs. The dark clouds of the storm have dimmed the sun, but he can still see the tension that has set itself so permanently into Jinki’s brow it remains even in his sleep.

The last time he saw peace in it was weeks ago, after one of the rare times Jinki chose to share his bed for the night. They’d even parted with a long kiss, and Jonghyun had smiled as he left, heart fluttering with the knowledge that Jinki would likely be back in a few days’ time with yet another carved trinket he pretended wasn’t a gift.

Then Jinki had returned only hours later, covered in blood, his hands dirty and full of Dalish-made items.

They’re gone, Jonghyun. All of them.

Jinki hadn’t cried. Only a brief, heart-rending stutter gave away his pain when he repeated to Jonghyun that his clan — his entire clan, because he had counted, and searched — was dead. That had been the start of the numbness.

The rage came next.

Jonghyun hadn’t known how to handle it. He’d been dealing with his own demons — the real and twisted spirits that visited every mage in their sleep when their dreams carried them to the Fade. For the first time in years, they tempted him with offers of power — power large enough to hunt and kill whatever human bastards had killed Jinki’s clan, if only he would let them in.

It took more than all his willpower to turn them down. And he’d had to draw on it again, when the glint of Jinki sharpening his knife in the dead of night had woken him from the Fade.

And he had to argue against revenge, as much as he thought it right. The number of humans it must have taken to wipe out the clan would be too many for Jinki to kill on his own. Jinki hadn’t cared, at first. Even the death of one shem could make the rest fear for their lives, and the clan deserved its justice, he’d said. He only stood down when Jonghyun reminded him that his death would mean the complete erasure of clan Lavellan, which was likely what the humans wanted. Even then, Jinki’s agreement was more a defeat than a resolution to move forward.

The days after that had become a blur.

With no chance of obtaining retribution, Jinki went quiet. Jonghyun knew better than to press him, so he had tried to resume his normal routine in hopes that would give Jinki some comfort. It took him days to drag him out of bed and into the garden, and even then, he could hardly call it normal — there were none of Jinki’s teasings, or the skittish smiles he’d give before stealing a kiss. Only Jinki following him like ghost, the markings of his vallaslin through cutting the growing gauntness of his cheeks.

Out of desperation, he’d suggested heading south, to Ferelden, to see if Taemin was still there.

Jinki had latched onto it like a lifeline.

They’d left the next day, walking from sunrise to sunset, and Jonghyun couldn’t even bring himself to complain about the grueling pace Jinki set. Traveling, at least, seemed to soften the wounded edge of Jinki’s silence.

That Jonghyun had come with him didn’t seem to sink in until they were booking their first room at an inn days later. He remembers the way Jinki had looked at him then, wide-eyed and vulnerable as he sat on the dingy mattress.

Are you...going all the way to Ferelden with me?

Of course. I want to stay by your side.

The words had slipped out without a thought, but he didn’t regret them. He could have deflected with a dozen excuses for coming along: that he was tired of the cabin, that he was curious about the new organization in Ferelden that had brought an end to the war by allying with the mages, that he wanted to see Taemin himself — but he wanted Jinki to know how he felt. He deserved to know that he had someone, even if that someone was a shem and a mage.

It seemed to help, if anything could be said to. That had been the night Jinki had taken him last, a flicker of heat behind the pain in his eyes, and when he’d begun to curl against Jonghyun for warmth when he slept.

With a sigh, Jonghyun fixes the thready blanket tighter around them both to block out the world and bring Jinki closer. If the storm ends, he needs to be up early to find a ship that will take them both and make preparation. They both need all the rest they can take.

***

Sleep leaves him slowly, and the waking hole in Jinki’s chest makes him reluctant to leave its embrace. The mattress is still warm in the empty space next to him, and he shifts into it without opening his eyes. For a long moment, he thinks himself in Jonghyun’s cabin, safe in his bed, until a sharp breeze from the window carries the unfamiliar scent of saltwater into the room.

He grimaces. A wave of nausea rumbles in his empty stomach, reminding him of his location and everything that led him here. He’s in some shem city on the coast, waiting for the storm to clear so they can follow Taemin’s trail south.

What he’ll do when he sees him, he hasn’t the slightest clue — but that isn’t important now. All he needs to think about is getting there.

He stretches out his legs, realizing only after he pulls away the blanket and rises that Jonghyun is still in the room.

“Morning, Jinki.” Jonghyun tries at a smile from the small seat by the window. He picks up the basket on the table at his side. “I went ahead and bought pastries for breakfast so we could get an early start.”

A sweet and buttery smell wafts from the covered basket, drawing a growl from his stomach as Jonghyun brings it close. The collar of Jonghyun’s robes hangs low when he bends to set the food on the bed, and Jinki freezes at the sight.

One side of his neck is mottled with purple spots, dark enough for Jinki to wonder how he didn't realize he’d been making them the night before.

“You should eat something,” Jonghyun says, interrupting his staring. He unwraps the white cloth surrounding the pastries and takes a simple piece of bread for himself. “You don’t know if you’ll suffer from seasickness, and it’ll be hard to keep anything down then.”

“I don’t feel hungry,” Jinki says. Because despite all the weakness of his body and the emptiness of his stomach, it’s true. He hasn’t wanted to eat for days now. When he looks at food, all he can think of is the winter’s worth of stores from the aravels, scattered and wasted across the ground next to Joonmyeon’s body.

Jonghyun pushes a roll beneath his nose. “Please.” Then, more gently, “It has a berry filling.”

One glance at the desperate look in Jonghyun’s eyes makes him feel guilty enough to snatch the roll. He forces himself to take a bite, chewing slowly as he works through every foreign motion of his jaw. The sweetness of the berries feels dull on his tongue, and he only finishes because Jonghyun continues to watch him in worry.

Once he’s finished, Jonghyun smiles and hands him another roll. “You’re welcome to the rest of these. I’m going to prepare our things. I already found a ship that’ll take us this morning.

Jonghyun bustles about the room, thoughts about their plans spilling forth unfiltered as he gathers his belongings. “We’ll sail across to Jader, and from there, it’s only a few days of walking south to Haven. That’s the town Taemin said he was leaving for, and we can ask someone there where he might be now. We both know he sticks out, and he can’t resist chatting up strangers. Any locals are likely to remember him, so his trail should be easy to follow.” He stops to look at Jinki. “Does that sound like a good plan?”

“Sounds fine,” Jinki agrees. He swallows the last crust of his roll, dry throat protesting around the small piece. He didn’t mind letting Jonghyun take the lead on their travels. It's made things easier, since most of the people they had to negotiate with were humans. Only one inn had refused them a room since one of them was an elf, but the rejection had been vehement enough he’d avoided talking with shems since.

Life in the forest with the Dalish had nearly made him forget that most of the world wants elves dead, enslaved, or carving out a servile existence in the slums. The memory of the inn-keeper’s scowl grates him, and he can’t help the twist of his lips when he looks up at Jonghyun. “Do the people you booked passage with know that I’m an elf?”

Jonghyun’s lips tighten. Though Jinki would never ask, he has a feeling the only thing that kept him from chewing the ear off that inn-keeper and burning the place down had been his consideration for Jinki’s wariness of magic.

“Yes, they know you’re an elf.” He closes his pack. “And I made sure they wouldn’t take issue with it.”

Jinki nods, trusting Jonghyun’s assessment, and stands to pack his few things.

He hadn’t been able to bring much from the remnants of his clan’s camp. The killers had looted the valuables and left little else. He has his bow, extra strings, his ironbark armor, one of Joonmyeon’s potion flasks, and Hyoyeon’s sword. The rest of the items important enough to qualify as mementos but worthless to the shems, he had hidden in a small cave that he knew would serve as a nest to snakes later in the season to keep animals from stealing. Hopefully, he can return to them someday.

Grabbing his long belt, he straps Hyoyeon’s sword to his side, letting it hang over the daggers attached to his thigh. Hyoyeon had served as a teacher to him in his first years of freedom, and he feels less trapped by the presence of shems around him with the sword at his side.

It will likely cause him more trouble than it would prevent — he’s heard that elves in Ferelden cities are forbidden by law to carry weapons, and the sword is as long as his arm — but he refuses to try and blend in.

Not that he could, even if he wished to — the markings of their goddess Andruil are plain on his cheeks and forehead, and he knows he’ll stick out amongst the bare-faced elves in the cities.

“Ready to leave?” Jonghyun shoots him an encouraging smile from the door, pack and poorly-disguised staff already fixed to his back.

Jinki nods and joins Jonghyun, not bothering to spare a look for the room behind him. They descend the stairs in silence, and Jonghyun tosses an undeservedly cheerful farewell over his shoulder to the innkeeper before leading them outside to the streets of Ostwick.

The coastal city was built scaffolded to aid its defense from pirates, with high walls to separate each level. The poorer districts were built along the coasts, where they would be easy targets for fireballs from any attacking mages, while the nobles’ mansions perched arrogantly over the top with large glass windows to overlook the city below.

The inn they stayed in is shabby enough that only the elven slums stand between them and the docks, and the overwhelming stench of fish and saltwater, made heavier by the recent storms, hangs over the poorly cobbled streets. As they head towards the gate to the slums, the scent intensifies, and Jinki’s nose crinkles in distaste.

When he sees the poorly-patched houses of rotting wood and stone, he pushes back the hood of his cloak slightly, unable to restrain his curiosity. He’d experienced slavery and the free life of the Dalish, but never seen the more common city life of his kind.

Now, he’s grateful that he hadn’t.

As he’d expected from Taemin’s description, the adults look ill-fed, and the children only slightly better off. The shadowed alleys are dark enough to hide any less than legal professions from the city guard, and Jinki keeps an eye on them for movement, unsure how the inhabitants will react to a human and a Dalish man walking through their territory.

He’d expected glares towards Jonghyun — even his friendly Dalish clan kept an archer hidden in the bushes when humans came close for trade — but every elf they pass lowers their head when Jonghyun nears. Jinki catches a few lingering looks at his own markings, but even the most curious of them skitters away when they spot the staff on Jonghyun’s back.

Jinki grits his teeth and widens his steps until he’s ahead of Jonghyun. He can’t blame them for fearing a mage, but the deference Jonghyun is receiving makes him worry he’ll be mistaken for a servant or worse.

“I wonder if all ports smell this awful,” Jonghyun says when they reach the gates to the docks. His normal inviting smile is replaced with a persistent curl of his lips, and Jinki mirrors it, discomforted by the bustle of the city morning around him. Though Ostwick is nothing like the one he’d called home in Tevinter, the abundance of trade stalls and shouting shems along the docks reminds him too much of Perivantium.

“Where’s the ship we’ll be taking?”

“We’re taking the little boat with the blue sail. They’re Orlesian spice traders, but they allow the occasional passenger.”

Jinki follows Jonghyun’s pointer finger to the boat. The small ship is dwarfed in size by the massive trade and navy vessels, and is marked by the lion crest that Jinki assumes to be the flag of the Orlesian empress. Heavy-booted men and women trod expertly over the wood platforms leading to the ship, barrels and crates and bags hoisted over their shoulders as they load the vessel.

He keeps his eyes on his feet as they walk to the ship. The occasional whisper about his markings makes his ears twitch, and he has to fight the urge to reach for Jonghyun’s hand when he nearly falls after a shem bumps him roughly with the rolled up carpet he was carrying to a stall.

Finally, they stop in front of a broad-shouldered sailor.

“Is it too early for us to board?” Jonghyun asks. “We assumed you’d want us on as quickly as possible.”

“Not too early,” she says. Her eyes travel to Jinki. “This is the elf you said was your companion?”

Jonghyun stiffens. “Yes.”

“Those markings...they’re Dalish, no?” The sailor’s lip curls, eyes flicking from Jinki’s ears to his markings as if she can’t decide which offends her more. “You didn’t mention he was that kind of rabbit.”

Jonghyun’s gaze hardens. “He’s not a rabbit. And him being Dalish is irrelevant. I paid enough coin for the passage of two people. Tattoos don’t change that.”

She narrows his eyes at him, but Jonghyun only lifts his chin in response. The pause carries on long enough that Jinki thinks they’re going to be denied passage, but she surrenders under Jonghyun’s stare with a raise of her hands and a sigh. “Fine. You have a temper to make up for your stature, I see. Go ahead and board. Don’t cause any trouble.”

“Thank you,” Jonghyun says, the bow of his head too courteous for the curtness of his words. He adjusts his pack and makes sure Jinki is with him before stepping on the gangplank.

The black waters beneath him make his stomach clench, and it takes all his willpower to force himself up the rocking plank and onto the ship. Jonghyun seems as disconcerted as him, walking along with his arms almost fully extended to try and maintain his balance. He closes his eyes and sighs in relief when they board, then forces a laugh that’s clearly for Jinki’s sake.

“That was a new experience, wasn’t it? I’ve never been on a ship before — didn’t realize getting on one felt so perilous.”

“Me neither,” Jinki says, disarmed from silence by his nerves. His hands drift to the hilt of Hyoyeon’s sword for comfort as he watches the last of the cargo and sailors board.

There’s not a single pair of pointed ears except his own on the ship. The crew and passengers are entirely shem, and he’ll be stuck with them for the next week with no land to escape to.

The gangplank rises, and dread clenches his heart in his chest. His life is in their hands. There’s little he could do if they suddenly decided the ship would be better off without the lone elf, or if some of them had a penchant for elven features as he’d heard was common in Orlais—

Jonghyun places a gentle hand on his wrist. “Are you alright, Jinki?”

“Fine,” Jinki cuts. He jerks his arm away. There’s a small section of the deck not occupied by ropes or sailors, and he moves there to pace, ignoring the worry in Jonghyun’s eyes and the shrinking coast behind them. If the city had felt confining, this might drive him mad.

A shouted stream of Orlesian from nearby makes him flinch.

“We can try to find our cabin,” Jonghyun says. He points to a door on the end of the main deck. “It might be quiet down there.”

Jinki nods. He follows Jonghyun, dodging sailors and ropes until they’re through the door and descending into the depths of the ship. Thin strips of sunlight from the deck above and lanterns are their only light, and it takes them some time to find a door with a poorly-done carving of guest quarters in the wood.

The two beds inside are small, but nearly fill the cramped room. Jinki tosses his things under the left one and lays himself on it.

A wave rocks the ship, and Jonghyun stumbles to him. His eyes are squeezed shut, fist on the bedframe to balance himself, but his hand is gentle when reaches to brush back Jinki’s hair. “You can rest, if you want. I’ll be awake if you need anything.”

Jinki takes Jonghyun’s hand. He pauses, breathing slow for a moment, then twines their fingers together.

He's never been this far south. Never been this surrounded by humans. Even as a slave, there had always been the barracks, packed at all times of day with elves sleeping or sneaking off from work.

Being here feels like moving backwards, like he’s running again — because he is — but it’s all he can do. There’s no clan for him to go back to. Jonghyun’s cabin is too entwined with the memories of that life and the night he’d had to wash the blood of his friends from his clothes.

He curls his body tighter, until his knees are pressed against Jonghyun’s back, and waits for the images to fade.

***

Jinki wakes when something knocks into the wall near his head. He pushes the blanket that was covering his eyes down, expecting to see Jonghyun fumbling with his belongings, only to find him laying on the other bed with his eyes closed.

His ears twitch at the sound of something rolling away from him and knocking into the wall nearest Jonghyun when the ship leans right. As it rolls back, the rolling repeats, and Jinki reaches down to try and catch whatever was causing the cursed noise.

The instant his fingers close around the object, he recognizes it — he’d carved it, after all.

The miniature crystal grace fits easily in his palm. He stares at the wooden flower, puzzled. It’s a useless trinket. Yet Jonghyun had thought it important enough to bring with him.

Jinki shakes his head and rewraps it in the fabric sack it’d escaped from, then tucks it into a deeper pocket in Jonghyun’s bag quietly and tries to return to sleep before his thoughts can sneak up on him.

He has little luck. Every quiet breath from Jonghyun itches his nerves, and watching him sleep soundly fills him with a mix of guilt and envy. Even resting flat on his back provides him no comfort.

The roof of the cabin is closer than it’d been in Jonghyun’s home, but not as within reach as it had been in the aravels. Just low enough for him to feel trapped, and high enough for him to feel exposed. Restless, he rolls out of bed, bare feet falling quiet to the wooden planks underneath him.

His stomach instantly clenches with hunger, but he ignores it, not wanting to risk exploring the hallways of the ship's cabin to find the kitchen. Instead, he follows the path he remembers from their journey down to the guest room, following the peaks of moonlight and dim lamps until he finds the stairs that leads out of the hull.

He opens the door and steps out onto the damp wood. The bustle of the day is gone, and only the sound of the lapping waves meets his ears. Jinki walks to the rail at the edge of the deck. The dark waves froth into a spray against the sides of the ship that flies up to his toes. Jinki watches it with interest, marveling at the way the dark water breaks into a white foam against the wood.

The experience is so new, it cuts through the haze he’s been in since he left the cabin with Jonghyun. His fear is even gone, for a moment, though he knows there’s a sailor on the higher deck behind him and another on the crow’s nest.

He can’t imagine a world with a night like this is the same as the one he’s been living in.

His ears twitch when he hears the creak of a door and the footfalls of boots, and he turns to see Jonghyun exiting the cabin with a long yawn.

Jonghyun stops beside him, assessing the silence between them before he tries to smile. “You’re faring well, I take it? You don’t seem to be bothered by the waves at all.”

“No.” Jinki rebalances his feet to better cope with the rocking of the boat beneath them. “I suppose I’m lucky.”

“I’m glad for that,” Jonghyun says, tone entirely genuine even as his smile strains. His hand rests over his stomach, and his back is bent with a strained hunch.

Jinki steps back, eyeing Jonghyun with caution. “You don’t look like you’re going to keep down your supper.”

“I didn’t.” Another wave crashes against the stern, and Jonghyun reaches desperately for the rail and pales. “Damn the Maker for creating large bodies of water.”

Jinki raises an eyebrow. “I thought you didn’t believe in the Maker?”

“Of course I don’t.” Jonghyun grimaces. “But handling hardship is easier with someone to blame, isn’t it?”

Jinki’s lips quirk up as he remembers the last time he’d heard Jonghyun invoke the Maker. It hadn’t been hardship, though Jinki was to blame for it, in a sense — it’d been his fingers in Jonghyun, after all, that’d made him breathless and desperate enough to cry out for a deity he didn’t even worship.

He opens his mouth, ready to tease Jonghyun in his usual round-about way, when his throat suddenly tightens as the rest of the memory falls into place.

That might’ve been the night his clan was slaughtered, by a group that left no trace of their motive or allegiance.

His smile fades, stomach churning with guilt as his emotions reel back to him. While he spent the night in the bed of a shem, his clan had been fighting for their lives. And he still took comfort in that shem, kissed him and bedded him like he might die without it.

None of it made sense.

Joonmyeon should have lived. Hyoyeon should have lived. Jungah and her children should have lived.

Before he realizes it, his eyes are stinging, and Jonghyun’s hand is a careful weight on his arm.

“Jinki — I’m sorry.” He sighs. “I shouldn’t have phrased that the way I did, when you don’t know who—”

“No,” Jinki cuts him off. “You’re right. It would be easier, if I had someone to blame.”

“I know.” Jonghyun’s fingers tighten on him. “I wish we did, too. But if you had been there to see it, you wouldn’t have—” he chokes around the words, and his grip suddenly feels more desperate than assuring. “There wouldn’t be anyone to remember them.”

“Taemin would. They saved him, when we first escaped.”

“That’s true.” Jonghyun runs his hand down his arm slowly, until it rests on his elbow. “But it’s not the same as how you do. I’m not sure he’d paint the picture of them they deserve, considering he’s such a staunch Andrastian himself.”

Jinki looks at the ocean ahead to avoid Jonghyun’s eyes. “You think?”

“I don’t think he gave your clan or the life they lived the respect they deserved, no. Their refusal to live by humans laws and be locked in one part of the city should be admired. No one deserves to be controlled or ruled over just for how they were born.” Jonghyun smiles bitterly. “I like to think I can understand that, considering I’ve ran away from the Circle all these years to avoid being caged for my magic.”

Jinki hums. He has no words, but he finds himself leaning into Jonghyun with a small smile on his lips. Jonghyun had said something similar before, their first night alone, when Jinki had drunkenly asked him why he treated elves as equals. It’d been what drew him to Jonghyun, despite his magic and his humanness.

Though his clan is gone, he isn’t alone.

***

Jonghyun watches the approaching docks of Jader with a smile. He’ll be glad to back on land, and so will his stomach. He pays attention to Jinki and lingers as much as he can without earning a raised brow — the bags under Jinki’s eyes have gotten lighter, and his cheeks have already begun to round back out to their usual fullness.

He doesn’t understand it, but the sea seemed to bring Jinki some comfort. Though he’d avoided being around the humans on deck, he’d slept soundly during the day and come up for the last meal of the day. He’d even managed to have a full conversation with him, guessing what Taemin might have been up to in Ferelden. The adventures they could imagine him getting up to in the infamously laissez-faire country even made Jinki laugh.

Things are turning around. They’ll restock their supplies, rest for a day, have a solid meal that Jonghyun could finally keep down, then continue south to Haven.

But the news they get at the inn cuts through their plans.

“You’re headed to Haven? The Ferelden town the Inquisition used as their base?” The innkeeper frowns in pity and shakes his head. “That place was destroyed months ago.”

Jinki pushes past him to the counter. “Destroyed? What do you mean?”

“Yep. Whole town’s gone. Attacked by some crazed templars after the Inquisition ended the war by allying with the mages.”

Jinki pales. Jonghyun can see the thoughts running through his head — Taemin might be gone, he might have lost everyone — and jumps in.

“The Inquisition isn’t gone, though, is it? There had to have been survivors — I swear I’ve seen some of their scouts in the city. They’re the ones with the eye and sword symbol, aren’t they?”

“Aye, they’re rebuilding from the attack. I’ve heard they found some kind of ancient fortress in the Frostback Mountains and set up there. Hear they’re calling it Skyhold, since it’s so high up. Truly blessed by the Maker, to have found it.”

Jonghyun sighs with relief. “Do you know how we’d get there?”

“Same way as to their old base in Haven — either take the West route along the border of Orlais, or head east through Gherlen's Pass.”

“Thank you,” Jonghyun says. “The information is appreciated.” He places an extra few silver on the counter on top of the payment he’d already set out.

Jinki stares ahead, eyes unfocused. “If Taemin was there when it happened, then...”

“There were survivors.” Jonghyun squeezes Jinki’s arm to assure him. “And Taemin never stays in one place for long, you know him — he might have already left by the time Haven was destroyed. If we head to this fortress, we can ask if anyone knows where he might have gone. We’ll find something.”

Jinki nods stiffly. The agreement is disquieting, and Jinki following in his step when he exits the inn to go purchase supplies more so. Even in the first city they had visited, when humans were bustling about, Jinki had made sure to never follow him. He’d held his head high, as if to show off the dark vallaslin markings that cut across his cheeks.

Jonghyun glances back at Jinki, expecting him to pick up his step or at least flinch at the cacophony of the market around them, only to find Jinki looking past him with the blank stare he’d thought was finally gone.

Of all the things in the world, he knows that losing Taemin would break Jinki.

That night, Jonghyun uses his time dreaming in the Fade to search for some sort of spirit that can assure him Taemin is alive. Though he knows it's unlikely — spirits are rarely interested in those without magic, and there’s no solid way of communicating with most of them — he still tries, rushing through realm after realm in hopes of a hint.

His worries twist the world around him, swirling the mysts until they solidify into the forms of a dozen templars. They draw their swords at him, and Jonghyun tries to summon a spell, but his mind is too focused on the memory of their mage-silencing abilities for him to find his magic.

All he has is his staff, and even that seems to vanish from his hands as the templars loom closer.

He wakes in a sweat. His last memory of the Fade is of him on his knees, begging a passing spirit of Compassion for help.

When he rises, he sees Jinki is watching him from the door, lips an impassive line.

“Are you ready?”

Jonghyun swallows. “I will be in a minute.”

He stands and gathers his things, ignoring the shaking in his hands left from the remnants of his nightmare. His nightmares have been free of templars for months, and he’s never been so fearful that he’s lost his ability to use magic in the Fade.

Both of them are quiet on their way out of the city, lost in their thoughts. Jonghyun purchases another basket of pastries that they share as they walk to the Southern edge of the city. A caravan of dwarven traders invites them to join them for part of their journey south, citing Jinki’s markings and Jonghyun’s staff as sufficient intimidation for any bandits they might encounter along the way. To shave some days off their travel, they agree to come along, and stick with the caravan until they reach the Frostback Mountains, where they split.

As soon as they had reached the mountains, the weather turned to a biting cold. Jonghyun uses some of his coin to purchase them an extra cloak each and a pair of boots for Jinki at the small outpost marking the path up to Skyhold. After a short rest and a quick meal, they begin to hike the well-worn path up the mountains towards the new Inquisition base.

At least the grimace on Jinki’s face is from annoyance now, and not pain. He only says a few of his complaints aloud, but Jonghyun can tell the growing cold is grating on him, and being forced to wear true footwear is as well. An inappropriate giggle sneaks up his throat every time he catches Jinki glaring down at the thick boots as if they were traps clamped around his legs to hinder his movement.

The hazards of snow are new for both of them. It fell on Jonghyun’s cabin in some winters, but never for more than a few days, and never in the amount the mountains seem to hold. Here, there are mounds of it, blown into great drifts and covering all but the tallest rocks. As they round the trail to the west side of one of the mountains, Jonghyun nearly falls for the dozenth time that day when his feet sink into a deep pocket of the fresh white powder, but the curse on his lips is quickly dispelled by the sight before him.

“Wow.”

Jonghyun dusts off his robes, movement slowed by his wonder at the mountains ahead. The setting sun pinkens the snow, and frozen ponds dot glowing orange across the landscape for miles ahead.

He breathes slowly, letting the image sink in. “I never imagined I’d see anything like this — I can almost see how Taemin enjoys traveling.”

Jinki stops next to him. For a moment, Jonghyun realizes he might have said the wrong thing — he probably should have known better than to bring up Taemin, when they still don’t have confirmation he’s alive — but he relaxes when Jinki brushes a hand against his side.

He gives a small exhale (a laugh, maybe? Jonghyun hopes) that leaves a white puff in the air. “It is a pretty view...” His nose wrinkles with a sniff. “Miserably cold, though.”

Jonghyun grimaces. “Very miserable. I can imagine the night will be worse, too.”

Jinki nods. “We should set up our tent for now, and get as far as we can tomorrow. The faster we move, the fewer nights we will need to spend out here.”

“True.” Jonghyun bites his lip as he helps Jinki unload the canvas wrapped in their traveling pack.

Neither of them mention the other reason they wish to hurry.

Jonghyun lights a fire before dark to keep them from freezing as they eat their meager rations, and in the tent, they press together closely, not bothering to even use the second bedroll. The cold snakes too deeply in Jonghyun’s bones, and Jinki seems in need of him again, though Jonghyun knows he’d never admit it.

The slow and beseeching fit of Jinki’s solid body around his is familiar. He half-expects Jinki to take him as he did in the inn, but a hand slips between them, and Jinki only murmurs something about needing warmth before lifting Jonghyun’s robes to press their bare skin together.

Jonghyun closes his eyes, appreciating the heat. He’s not sure if he drifts off, or simply fades into a trance before the morning, but he has no memories of entering the Fade before the light of morning sneaking into their tent wakes him.

The moment he reaches to secure the flap, Jinki peels back the top of their bedroll and makes Jonghyun shiver at the sudden draft of cold air over his body.

“We should go. It’s light out.”

Jonghyun mumbles an agreement. He wonders if Jinki slept at all, but there’s no point in worrying — neither of them will rest soundly until they hear word of Taemin, and that won’t come until they reach the fortress the Inquisition holds.

Once their tent is torn down and back in Jinki’s bag, they begin the hike up the mountain. The pace Jinki sets is twice as brutal as yesterday, and Jonghyun is just about to ask him to slow down when the fog of the morning clears to reveal stone towers in the distance. Each tower is linked by a wall, and over the tops of them, Jonghyun can see the crest of several rooftops and a large flag bearing the Inquistion’s heraldry.

“That must be Skyhold,” Jonghyun says, struggling around the words as he tries to catch his breath. “We’re close.”

Jinki nods, but doesn’t stop to respond. With gritted teeth, Jonghyun hurries after him, willing himself to think of Taemin and not the burning in his lungs.

The sun has already lowered behind the mountains to the west when they reach a stone bridge leading from the end of the trail to the gate of the stronghold. A dozen refugees in tattered clothes file near the entrance, followed by a caravan of what looks to be merchants and a small group of dwarves carting a heavy and tightly-sealed container of what Jonghyun can only guess is lyrium.

At the end of the bridge, guards in Inquisition armor stand on both sides of the fortress’ open gate, spears pointed to the sky. Between them, a small table covered with parchment and ink houses a bearded man that nods sympathetically to each refugee’s story before waving for them to enter.

The door behind him opens, and a robe-clad elf with a surly step joins them for a moment to light the torches on either side before returning to the fortress.

Jonghyun’s breath catches. He’s never seen a fellow mage cast a spell so casually out in the open — he hasn’t even seen magic other than his own in years.

He follows Jinki to reach the line ahead of them. He’d heard of the Inquisition’s alliance with the mages, but a part of him hadn’t believed it. He unfastens his staff to lean on it as they wait, and after a moment’s hesitation, pulls off the worn wrappings around the crystal embedded in the end. He’s expecting a shout or at least a hissed curse, but earns no more attention than a raise of Jinki’s brow and a slight frown from a nearby dwarf.

No one in the line seems to care that he’s a mage. And when they finally reach the record keeper, he only gives his staff a single glance before tapping his quill against the parchment in front of him and adding a new blot of ink to the crowd at the corner of the page. “Are you an a apostate, or a refugee from one of the disbanded Circles?”

“...Apostate,” Jonghyun answers after a pause. “I haven’t lived in a Circle for years.”

The man marks this down on the paper as if it were no more concerning than his hair color, then nods to Jinki.

“You’re Dalish, eh? Are you are a mage as well?”

“I am Dalish,” Jinki says. He lifts his chin, either from pride at having his Dalishness acknowledged as something other than a curse or in defiance to being called a mage. “But I’m not a mage.”

The man’s brows furrow as he looks between them, trying to come up with a reason for a Dalish elf and a human apostate to travel together before shaking his head and asking them outright. “You’re an odd pair. You both refugees, or what?”

“Not quite,” Jonghyun says, taking over to prevent any further questions. “We’re actually looking for information on a friend. We believe he visited Haven, before it was destroyed, and we’re trying to make sure he’s alright. He likely arrived before the Inquisition was formed, or right when it happened, but we were hoping someone might remember him — he tends to stick out.”

“What’s his name?”

“Taemin. He’s an elf — blond hair, probably still long, wears it in a ponytail —”

“Ah — Taemin?” The man’s eyes light up in recognition, and he lets out a bellowing laugh. “Maker, that one’s memorable. I assume you’re lookin’ for the boy that sounds like some kind of crossbreed between an Antivan and a Tevinter?”

Jonghyun nods. His heart clutches tight in his chest when the man pauses, and he can feel Jinki’s arm against him as he leans forward.

“He’s still here — been here since we started, same as me. They have him putting together information and making maps. I see him come in and out of here with scouting parties often.” The man rubs the prickly hairs of his chin. “He’s a strange elf, but well—” he eyes Jinki up and down, then stares right at the vallaslin on his cheeks and grins. “I imagine he isn’t the strangest one we could have here, eh?”

Jinki ignores the teasing and leans forward. “Where can I find him? Will you let us in?”

The man’s expression sobers. “He has his own room in the east tower, on the second floor. And sure, you both can go in — just be sure to speak with the quartermaster before you settle in anywhere. Space is gettin’ a little tight with all the mages we have coming in now that the war’s over and the Circles are all gone.”

Jinki, in the little bit of emotion he allows himself to show, looks like he wants to turn and run. But when the man gestures for them to head through the gates, Jinki walks through them with the same determined square of his shoulder’s he’d been wearing since they first set south.

Jonghyun follows after him. A shout from a nearby soldier makes Jinki flinch mid-step, and Jonghyun reaches out to grab his hand, but stops himself before their fingers touch.

Jinki had never said outright he didn’t want their relationship to be public, but Jonghyun can guess he doesn’t want the first thing the Inquisition learns of him to be his partnership with an apostate, however accepted they might be.

He follows Jinki to the tower. After the all-day hike, the stairs should seem insurmountable, but his eagerness to see Taemin well and alive carries him up the stairs quickly.

Down the winding hall they reach an open door. After a glance inside, Jinki freezes with wide eyes, and Jonghyun stops by his side.

The room is littered with parchment, ink wells, and tools, but Jonghyun only sees a familiar head of blonde hair and a pair of long-pointed ears.

“Whoever you are, I’m busy.” Taemin waves a hand in their direction, not looking up from the parchment in front of him. “And if this is about the broken table in the tavern, that was not related to my dancing on it.”

“You broke a table?” Jonghyun asks.

“Maker, I just said, it wasn’t—” Taemin looks up to them, and the scowl on his lips freezes and falls. His brows knit together, then his eyes go wide, and he looks between them with bewilderment.

“...Jonghyun?” When Jonghyun nods, he stands, focus shifting quickly. “Jinki?”

Jinki steps forward. A grin finally blooms on Taemin’s lips, and he throws his quill to the stone floor and runs to embrace them. “Maker’s balls! What are you two doing here?”

Jinki stiffens in Taemin’s hold, and Jonghyun answers for him. “It’s a long story.”

“I’d expect so!” He pulls back and nods to Jonghyun’s staff. “Though I suppose I shouldn’t be too surprised at Jonghyun being here, since we’ve had mages from all over the world join us — but I can’t say I expected it. Never seen you out of that damned clearing before, except those times you hunted with Jinki.”

Jonghyun smiles stiffly. He glances at Jinki, trying to read his expression, but settles on a half-truth when he receives no answer. “Well, you know — I was interested in hearing what happened with the mages.”

“Yeah, they’re allies now — though that’s old news at this point.” Taemin shrugs and turns to Jinki with a raised brow. “But why are you here? There’s no forests for you to frolic through down here, and I can’t imagine you in all your Dalish-righteousness wanting to join an organization so closely tied to the Chantry.”

Jinki looks down and pulls his lip between his teeth. Jonghyun’s fingers itch with the urge to offer a reassuring touch, but he holds back when he sees Jinki draw his breath to speak.

“My clan is gone.” He stops, breath halting as he swallows. “All of them. There were no survivors I could find.”

Taemin gapes. “...Survivors? Then you mean—”

“They were killed,” Jinki says, stone-faced. “I don’t know who did it. I was at Jonghyun’s the night it happened.”

“Maker, I can’t...” Taemin’s hand hovers over Jinki’s shoulder, clearly unsure what to do. “We’d heard of elves being attacked in the Free Marches after they were blamed for a plague, but only in the cities. I had no idea....” Taemin trails off, then clears his throat. “I’m so sorry, Jinki.”

Jinki’s gaze turns sharp. “Who attacked them?”

“It’s a bit complicated, and wrapped up in Inquisition business.” Taemin rubs his nose. “I’m not sure how much the whole story matters.”

“I want to hear everything.”

“Alright, well...” Taemin sighs. “There’s this group called the Venatori that was trying to manipulate all the mages into working for them, in exchange for help in the war.”

“Venatori?” Jinki repeats. He clenches his fist, the knuckles of his shaking hands turning white. “That sounds Tevene.”

“It is. They’re a Tevinter supremacy cult bent on taking over all the lands — typical Tevinter villanry, but worse. We stopped them from getting the mages, but their people are everywhere, it seems — they had their people poison the wells in the city that was close to your clan for some twisted magic experiments, but only the humans ones. And naturally, when the humans got sick, but the elves didn’t, the nobles called it a curse and blamed the elves. So they purged the slums.”

“And my clan.” Jinki swallows. “Are you still fighting them?”

“Of course.” Taemin squeezes Jinki’s shoulder. “That’s our primary mission now — taking down their leader and all their little pockets.”

“Elgar’nan ghilani...” Jinki mumbles. Jonghyun doesn’t have time to recall what god or goddess Jinki invoked before he lifts his chin to look at Taemin directly. “What can I do to help your Inquisition, then?”

“Help...?” Taemin’s eyes widen. “You’d want to join?”

“Yes. If helping you hurts the shems that killed my clan, I will help.”

“Well — we don’t turn away any able warriors...” Taemin glances at Jonghyun for help, but he has none to give. “But are you sure you want to do this? It’s not likely you’ll get to deal with any of the humans responsible for what happened to your clan.”

“Helping you hurts them, doesn’t it?” Jinki says. “And that’s what I want.”

Taemin stares at him, then looks to Jonghyun for something, obviously lost for what to say to Jinki’s sudden determination.

Jonghyun has no help for him — he’s just as shocked.

Jinki crosses his arms and looks down at Taemin. “Do you not want me to join?”

“Of course not — Maker, I know you’re stubborn, and I’m not going to argue with you about it.” Taemin stops, holding back his thoughts for a moment, then continues. “But it’s a bit impulsive. You come here to see me, and now you’re going to join some organization you likely know nothing about—”

“You’re in it, aren’t you? Surely you think good of it.”

“Fine.” Taemin huffs and slumps against the nearest wall. “Speak with the quartermaster first, she’ll find you a place to sleep and an assignment. I can tell you’re in a mood, so I’ll just wait until you’re done and all this has sunk in for us to catch up—” he waves towards the door, but catches Jinki’s eyes with a sympathetic smile before he can turn. “Just know I’m here if you need anything. And I’m sorry for what happened.”

Jinki nods, lips tight, and leaves the room.

Jonghyun watches him leave with a tug in his chest, then smiles apologetically at Taemin. “Sorry, I should—”

“We’ll catch up later.” Taemin assures him with a pat of his shoulder. “Follow him and make sure Jinki doesn’t do anything stupid., if you don’t mind? You’ve seen how he gets when something sets him off.”

Jonghyun dashes out after Jinki, thoughts racing.

Though he hadn’t expected seeing Taemin to fix everything, he’d imagined a happier reunion for the two friends. But Jinki’s relief at finding Taemin alive had been snatched away, replaced with anger at the fresh knowledge that the country responsible for his slavery was behind the death of his clan. And now he’s going to throw himself into danger for whatever revenge he can get.

He’d wanted Jinki to find a purpose, since he’d seemed so listless, but he hadn’t imagined it being this.

On their way to Taemin’s room, he hadn’t noticed the view of the expansive fortress yards from the open windows in the hallway, or the decades of wear in the stone walls, but he doesn’t have time to wonder at them as he runs.

At the last doorway, he finally catches up. Jinki halts when he hears his approach, and Jonghyun skids to a stop beside him, boots slipping in the melted snow on the stone until he balances himself on his staff.

“Jinki, wait,” Jonghyun pants. His stomach churns, and the empty ache in his chest is from more than worry at Jinki’s safety.

Jinki had made the decision to join the Inquisition without even looking to him for an opinion.

He swallows that bitterness down. “Would you want me to join with you?”

Jinki turns to him, expression softer than Jonghyun’s seen in days. “You don’t need to.”

“I know.” Jonghyun runs a finger along one of the gouges in his staff, suddenly embarrassed. “But mages from everywhere are here now, too. It would make sense for me to join.”

“That’s true.”

“I mean, it’s not just that....” He reaches for Jinki’s hand and hooks their fingers together. “I meant what I said, when we first started traveling.”

A flush blooms at the high curve of Jinki’s markings. He stares at Jonghyun, lost for what to say, then clears his throat. “We should, uh, find lodging as Taemin suggested. Before dark.”

Jonghyun nods, and together, they step back into the courtyard of the fortress. He only realizes then that Taemin hadn’t given them directions to the quartermaster, forcing him to look around until he finds someone not wrapped up in their work for directions. By the time they’ve figured out where to head in the vast fortress, several humans and a few elves have gathered on the closest battlement, and Jonghyun can tell from the direction of their fingers that they’re pointing to Jinki’s markings.

He’s not sure if Jinki’s noticed, but he hurries them along to the building before anyone bolder can approach them directly.

The quartermaster’s office is already dark when they arrive, and a straight-nosed woman with the chastising stare of a Chantry priestess eyes them narrowly as they enter. “As many odd characters as I get in here, I can’t say I’ve ever seen any Dalish come through.” Her Ferelden accent is thick and drawling, and there’s a visible pause as she takes in the markings on Jinki’s face. “What might you be looking for?”

Jonghyun answers for them, if only to get her attention off Jinki. “A place to stay, if possible.”

“Hm.” She crosses her arms. “Do you plan on joining the Inquisition?”

Jonghyun watches as she picks up a leather notebook with recruits engraved on the front and opens it.

He’d worked so hard to avoid the war between the mages and templars, and now he’s volunteering for an organization that likely sees just as much fighting.

He swallows. “Yes. We both would like to. I’m Jonghyun, and this is Jinki.”

“Well, I take from the staff at your back that you're a mage.” She tilts her head towards Jonghyun, who nods, then at Jinki with a lifted brow. “And your Dalish friend’s skills are...?”

“I was a hunter for my clan,” Jinki says. “I can use a bow as well as daggers. I’m also a skilled carpenter.”

“Hm.” She raises a brow, seeming to size him up, then jots down his name. “We’ll put you with the other recruits. You’ll start with our training captain tomorrow. Meet him out in the east yards at dawn, and you can stay in the soldiers’ barracks for the night. If the captain decides you’re not a good enough fighter, they’ll put you with the workers.” She flips to a different page marked with the symbol for magic and adds Jonghyun’s name. “The mage can stay in the tower.”

“Does he have to stay there?” Jinki asks, and Jonghyun blinks in surprise. “Or is there a way we can have a room together?”

“Together?” She echoes, eyes wide. She looks between them, putting the pieces together — not many circumstances would allow for a human and an elf to become close friends, let alone partners — and Jonghyun feels his cheeks warm from the inspecting stare.

“Well, that’s...” She stops to clear her throat. That’s a request I can’t fulfill. Guest rooms are for visiting nobility only, so I’d recommend you just go where I told you. But if you’re set on sharing a room, you’re welcome to explore the place — this place is damned big if you haven’t already noticed, and it looks like you already have a bedroll. You might find something for you two.”

After a quick exchange of thanks, Jinki and Jonghyun leave the office behind to search the fortress for somewhere to sleep through the night. Out in the open, there are too many wandering troops and servants for them to set up their tent. They quickly narrow their search to the crannies of the fortress, and the something the quartermaster had suggested turns out to be a small room placed high over the storage barn.

The chill of the mountain is worse than it had been in the courtyard, and Jonghyun thinks with the slightest bit of envy of the heating runes the newly-constructed mage tower must have had built into it already. It at least gives Jinki an excuse to press against him through the whole night, instead of the embrace-and-retreat dance he had been doing since their travels began.

Every breeze that sneaks in makes him shiver. There’s a hole in one of the walls, on his side, and a few dozen in the thatched roof. He manages to pry Jinki off of him long enough to do something about it only when he explains he’s going to cover the source of the draft.

After a moment of searching blindly across the stone floor, he finds the canvas they’d used for their tent and fixes it over the small hole. Satisfied with his work, he crawls back to the bedroll and lifts the top to slip inside, only to jolt at the sudden touch of something on his arm.

He looks down, squinting through the dark until he can discern Jinki’s hand on his wrist.

“Thank you,” he murmurs. “For staying.”

Jonghyun smiles. He pulls his hand away only to lace his fingers with Jinki’s when he joins him fully under the covers. “It’s what I wanted to do. You don’t need to thank me.”

#jongyu #da au #long fic #i love these two soooo much ;-; and i'm p proud of this one #my babies are going thru so much #pls enjoy!!! ^^

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greenhearts16 · 7 years

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Chapter Eleven: The Gathering

"Sometimes it's a little better to travel than to arrive."― Robert M. Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values

Rick and Lori stared at each other. Neither one moved; neither one said anything. The silence was deafening, filled with disbelief and uncertainty.

"Oh my goodness," Lori finally breathed, as she let out a sob. "How? What…" He stepped forward, pulling her into a hug he knew she most likely needed. "I can't believe it. I'm so glad to see you. I was so worried. I tried to call, but…Is Carl here?" She peered into the house over his shoulder. "Is he alright?"

"He's in his room," Rick said, letting her go and stepping back to let her in. "He's gonna be so happy to see you." She let out a sigh of relief.

As Rick shut the door behind Lori, his eyes drifted to Michonne who was standing near the window at the edge of the small living room silently watching their reunion. He met Michonne's eyes, giving her a small smile which she returned.

"Carl?" Rick called. "Come on out son. Someone's here to see you."

"Hello," Lori smiled, politely holding out her hand as she and Rick entered the small living space. "I'm Lori. Carl's Mom."

"Michonne," she said, shaking Rick's ex-wife's hand. She was unsure of what to introduce herself as. Rick's neighbor? Something more than a neighbor? Did it even matter?

"Mom?" Carl stood in the hallway leading to the bedroom he shared with Duane with a look of disbelief on his face. As his mind registered what his eyes were seeing, he flew across the room and bounded toward his mother. She dropped to her knees, dropping the basket she carried to pull him into her arms. "Mommy!"

"My sweet boy." Both Carl and Lori started to cry as they embraced. "I can't believe you're really here. I'm so happy you're all right."

Morgan and Duane emerged from one of the bedrooms, silently observing the reunion between the mother and her son.

"I'm welcoming the newcomers to the community and spreading the word about tonight's gathering. I didn't dream that you two would be here," she said, as she pulled away from her son. "We're all meeting in the square and there'll be food and music and other entertainment. It's going to be really nice."

"It sounds nice."

She noticed the two newcomers. "Hi, I'm Lori. Carl's Mom."

"Morgan. And this is my boy Duane. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you all." She dabbed her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt. "Who else is here with you, Rick?" she asked, looking back to Rick. "Anybody else made it? Leon? The Johnson's?"

Rick shook his head sadly. "The Johnson's packed up their car and left while we were still in King County and Leon didn't make it. Carol Peletier and her daughter Sophia are here, though," he answered. "Shane is here too. I'm sure he'll be more than happy to see you here."

Lori averted her gaze, trying to keep a neutral expression but the brief flash of guilt didn't escape Rick's notice. "Oh wow."

"Have you been here since the beginning?" Michonne asked.

"I have," Lori answered. "I was so lucky that I was running late for work. I ended up on one of the evacuation busses that were taking people out of the city. Gene – Major Gavin, stepped up as our leader once we got here and we've been surviving and sustaining this community ever since. I couldn't imagine being anywhere but here at a time like this. This is probably that last safe place left on Earth."

While Woodbury was certainly safe, Michonne had her doubts about that statement.

The reverence in the woman's voice when she spoke of their leader didn't escape her notice either. Lori obviously had great respect for the man and certainly didn't share Michonne and Rick's initial feelings of suspicion and distrust that they felt upon meeting him.

"We have a tutor here," she said looking back at Rick. "She used to be a teacher before all of this. We're trying to set up something so the children can continue their lessons. This really is a great place and it will continue to be great as long as people do what they have to do."

Rick nodded his head but offered no comment. He knew Lori well enough to know how idealistic and demanding she tended to be. It was the main reason they were now divorced. She wouldn't be the type of person to voice his feelings of uneasiness to. Especially since she was sold on this place. And while he had his reservations, there was nothing glaringly sinister about Woodbury. It was possible that he was simply being a little too paranoid.

"Sounds like a utopia," Morgan said quietly as he moved to sit on the couch. His eyes were still bloodshot from all the tears he spilled for his wife. Michonne knew that the man was probably wishing that his wife had gotten the opportunity to see this "Utopia".

Lori smiled tightly. "It's pretty close to being one." She smoothed down Carl's hair with the palm of her hand, staring at the boy as if she couldn't believe he was actually there.

"Y'all have gatherings like this often?"

"This is a little different from the other ones we've had," she said simply. "We've been very careful with food from since the beginning. The men found a superstore nearby and that's where we got most of the non-perishable food. Everything has to be tightly rationed and monitored so everything lasts and everyone to get a fair share. That's why keeping personal hordes of food is forbidden."

"Pretty soon you'll have to start looking for more long-term food sources though," Rick said. "Maybe farming. It seems like there's a lot of people here. Lots of mouths to feed. What you have probably won't last much longer."

"The Major has all of that under control," Lori said coolly, shooting Rick a strained tight-lipped smile. "He's talked about stuff like that."

"Sounds like he has everything under control then." He decided to not bring up the makeshift wall.

"He certainly does." She patted Carl's head once again. "Anyway, I should really get going. I've got to go and welcome the rest of your group to Woodbury." She picked up the basket from the floor. "These are some toiletries and stuff, so y'all freshen up. If you need anything else, don't hesitate to ask anyone around here. We also have a doctor if anybody needs any medical attention. I help out sometimes since I used to be a nurse before all this."

Rick took the basket from her. "Thank you."

"I'm just glad y'all are safe."

~TNB~

That evening, Michonne walked to the large square at the center of Woodbury along with Rick, Morgan and Duane. Rick had suggested that Carl spend the rest of the day with his mother considering how long it had been since the two had last seen each other.

"This seems to be a well put together place," Morgan said casually. As they walked, men in military fatigues would pass them, machine guns on their shoulders.

"It does." Michonne still didn't trust it though. "I hope it really is as put together as it seems. I want to like it here, but I just can't shake this feeling."

The place was bustling with people when they arrived. A long wooden table with a plethora of food and drinks stood outside the building that doubled as the pantry and armory. A large platform was erected in the center of the large square and a podium stood in the middle.

It was a wonder how they were able to put together such a grand display with the current state of the world. Michonne thought it would be a long time before she saw gatherings such as this one. It made her feel slightly out of place yet optimistic at the same time. She was filled with conflicting feelings about Woodbury.

"They certainly went all out," Rick said wryly as he shoved his hands in his pockets. "They even have good booze."

Michonne looked around the crowd and as packed as it was, she recognized the familiar faces of their group amongst them. It seemed everyone was there except for Shane.

"Daddy look!" Duane said pointing. He tugged on his father's hand, trying to pull him in the direction of the food.

The crowd suddenly grew quiet, their attention elsewhere. Michonne turned to see Major Gavin positioned behind the podium. He wore a formal Army Service Uniform and stood as if he were the most important person in the world, which didn't particularly surprise her. He was an obviously pompous man. What gave her pause, was the people standing with him.

Behind him, stood a line of men in military fatigues that seemed representative of a small personal security detail. Phillip and a gray-haired man stood in front of them, a little to the right of the Major. To Major Gavin's left, the dark-haired woman who had introduced herself as Carl's mother, Lori, stood wearing a sleeveless white dress and a shimmering grin.

"Welcome," Major Gavin bellowed. "Tonight is a very special night, as you all can see." He gestured to their surroundings. "We don't usually do things quite like this. This is a far cry from our races at the track."

Michonne turned to see Rick staring slack-jawed at the overly formal stately display in front of them. "What on earth –" he mumbled.

"We already planned on a very important announcement tonight, but this afternoon when our very loyal Woodburian Otis returned, he brought back new members. So we'll be celebrating two things here. Lori and I planned on sharing some great news with all of you, but now we have even more good news to add to it." Major Gavin paused looking at Lori, who reached out and took his hand in hers. "I've asked Lori to be my wife and she accepted. Then today we were reunited with her son who came here with the newest group of Woodburians-to-be."

The crowd applauded as people looked around themselves to catch glimpses of the newcomers. Michonne couldn't help but notice that nobody seemed particularly overjoyed to be there.

"Okay, that isn't weird at all," Michonne mumbled, but loud enough for Rick to hear her.

"Reunited? He never even met Carl before today." Rick shook his head. While he was surprised, this wasn't too far out of the realm of possibility. He knew Lori. "Funny she never mentioned any of this earlier."

"By the way, where is Carl?" Michonne asked, craning her neck to see if she missed the presence of the small boy somewhere on or near the stage. He was nowhere near his mother, who stood staring at the man speaking with a dazed expression.

Rick clenched his jaw, his eyes moving around the crowd. "That's a very good question."

"So in that spirit, we would like everyone to enjoy the feast as we celebrate." He wrapped an arm around Lori's waist. "I'm in a generous mood! Eat, enjoy yourselves, and be thankful for Woodbury and your leader. Today we eat freely, with no worries about the rations. Consider this our gift to you."

"So…this is an engagement party?"

Rick snickered as they turned away from the stage. "Who ever said people can't get engaged in an apocalypse."

She saw Daryl Dixon maneuvering through the small crowd heading in their direction and looking completely out of his element. While his brother was a pain, the younger Dixon seemed like the calmer more rational alternative. He had mellowed some since his fight with Shane, but Rick still wanted to keep a wary eye on him.

"Enjoying the party Dixon?" She called, getting his attention.

"It's alright," Daryl grunted, his eyes roaming around. His face still bared the scars of his scuffle. "I don't like that guy, though. I ain't never trusted them types anyway. Think they better than everybody."

Rick and Michonne exchanged knowing a look., but kept their thoughts to themselves.

"Rick!" Lori was headed in their direction with the gray-haired man from the stage behind her. She gave a dainty wave as they looked in her direction.

"Lori," he said with a tight smile as if she was the last person he wanted to see.

Her eyes flitted to Daryl before she quickly shifted her gaze to Rick and Michonne. "Enjoying yourselves?"

"I think it's nice that you all get together and have a party to enjoy what you can of life." Michonne answered diplomatically trying not to stare at the man who stood stoically behind Lori as if he were some type of bodyguard. "Especially with how the world is now."

"Oh Yes. Definitely," she nodded. "But that's out there. We're safe in here. We have the National Guard protecting us and it's almost like how life used to be. And don't forget you're a part of this too. This is our get-together."

"It ain't never gon' be like how life used to be unless those walkers out there are gone," Daryl grumbled. "Ain't no escaping that no matter how many of them fancy uniform guys you got."

Lori slowly moved her eyes to Daryl, keeping her expression as neutral as she could manage. It was clear from her face that she didn't entirely trust the man. "Well so far we have. Let's hope it stays that way. Negativity will get us nowhere."

"Congratulations by the way," Michonne said.

"Thanks! I'm already kind of like the First Lady of this place," Lori grinned with a light shrug of her shoulders. "People look up to Gene and I so I think it will be a good thing in the long run."

"I can see that," Rick said. Michonne could hear the light sarcasm in his voice. "That was some announcement. He's like a president. That really was something. I felt like I traveled back to a time before all this happened. Speaking of before, where is Carl?""

"Carl was with Annette and the rest of the Greenes." She spun around as if she would find the boy behind her in the crowd. "They're somewhere around. I spoke to him about all this earlier. He's fine."

"I'm gonna go grab a drink," Michonne said, gesturing toward the food as she backed away from them. She could tell things were about to get awkwardly tense.

She noticed Glenn near a layout of sandwiches, taking animatedly to a young brunette woman. Carl stood beside them, loading mini sandwiches onto a plate.

"Hey Glenn." She grabbed a plate, trying to decide what she wanted.

His head popped in her direction as if she broke him out of a trance. "Michonne. Hey."

"Hi Michonne!" Carl called through a mouthful of food as he too noticed her presence. "These taste so good! I think I love it here." She smiled at the boy's speedy acceptance of their new home. All it took was delicious food and Woodbury had won his heart.

She looked back to Glenn raising an eyebrow in question. "Maggie this is Michonne. Michonne Maggie."

"Hi," Maggie said with a little wave.

The two women shook hands. "You're on of the few members of the new group that I haven't met yet. It's nice to meet you. Glenn and I live in the same building." It was obvious from the look on Glenn's face that he was completely smitten with Maggie. His cheeks were red and he kept glancing in her direction with a goofy grin.

"I see you've even met Carl."

"Yeah, his Mom left him with my stepmother, Annette sometime in the afternoon." She ruffled the boy's hair. "She's not feeling well though, so he came with me. He's a cool kid."

Michonne smiled at the boy, wondering how he felt about his mother's engagement.

"You're been here from the start too?" She wanted to get a feel for the place. How did the inhabitants really feel about Woodbury? Did they speak of it and Major Gavin with the same adulation as Lori? Was there any uneasiness? Fear?

"A few weeks after it started," Maggie said. "My Daddy had a huge farm. Otis and his wife were with us. It was pretty secluded, but somehow, it got overrun. We barely escaped. We lost some family, but we ended up here."

"Maggie was just telling me about the community garden her father wants to start," Glenn pipped in. "He's looking for helpers."

"Lori mentioned farming. Good for sustainability," she commented. "There's a good number of people here."

"Yeah. Some of them lived in the town before but most were evacuated from Atlanta."

Michonne nodded, thinking of her last conversation with her sister. They were on a bus on their way to a safe zone. Probably somewhere like this. Throughout the night, she had been expecting to run into Sasha or Bob or Noah. "Busses right?"

"Yeah," she sighed. "They had evacuation transportation ready In case of a large scale emergency. The dead coming alive seemed like a large enough emergency for them to bring out the busses and the National Guard."

Glenn blew out a breath. "This is crazy huh?"

"We'll survive," she said confidently. "My daddy says that all we need is a little bit of hope and some prayer."

"Well let's hope he's right."

"Fun engagement party tonight," Michonne said sarcastically as she plopped down on the couch in the small living room. She had changed into a comfortable tank top and loose shorts and wrapped her dreads in a messy bun atop her head.

Rick sat down next to her, having just checked on a sleeping Carl. "At least Carl got something out of it. He's the son of the First Lady so that would make him the first kid, right?"

She laughed at his attempt at a joke on Lori's earlier words. "It's like a fantasy world in here. Almost like out there doesn't exist anymore, which sounds great, but...I have a feeling we're going to have to face it all sooner or later. That makeshift tire wall will only hold for so long. They have a nice set up here with nice people and it's amazing how organized it seems after so little time, but I don't know how to feel about it."

"Same. I'm just glad Carl found his mother."

She watched him carefully, wondering how he felt about his ex-wife's engagement. He seemed surprised to hear it announced, but like Carl he seemed otherwise unbothered by all of it.

"Yeah," she said. "You know, on the entire ride here, a part of me was hoping that I would enter this place and find Sasha, Bob and Noah waiting on the inside. They would all be completely safe." She let out a sigh, pulling her knees to her chest. "That's what I get for hoping for what I don't deserve. I spent months avoiding them, so why should I get to see them?"

"You do deserve that." He reached over, pulling her hand into his. "Not knowing what happened to your family is devastating. I know you love them and I can't imagine them not loving someone like you. There's nothing wrong with hoping for the best."

"That was a lot of food out there," she said, changing the subject. "It looked like enough to feed our mountain group for a month and more. And this is just the engagement. Can you imagine the wedding? Producing that amount of food when we have the dead walking everywhere outside and still having enough left for regular days in the community is a miracle in itself. It's unreal."

Is the Major the type to put out all they have in order to celebrate his engagement? He clearly thought highly of himself. Was he selfish as well as arrogant?

"Major Gavin spoke to me at the party," he said almost too casually.

She glanced in his direction, her expression perplexed. "Really? Why?... When?"

Rick chuckled at her confusion. "After you went for your drink. He saw Lori and I talking, so I guess he came to stake his claim. I am the ex-husband after all." He shrugged. "The guy is just a power-hungry control freak and I don't think he likes me very much, but that's probably all there is to it though. Everything seems fine otherwise. The people like it here and it's safer than out there."

"And Shane called you arrogant and insecure."

"Speaking of Shane, I didn't see him at all tonight."

"Neither did I." Michonne shook her head. "Then again, that man has been a giant question mark ever since I met him."

"Things should be interesting when we join the Major and his soldiers for defense training tomorrow." He let out a loud chortle. "I'm gonna learn how to be a Guardsman. Maybe they'll teach me how to shoot a gun."

"Like you need training for that." She rolled her eyes at the thought of the Major's earlier suggestion. "Then again, who knows what you'll learn, By the way, is that training only extended to men?"

Rick let out a loud yawn. "Something tells me that it is."

"You're tired." His eyes were beginning to droop.

"And you're in my bed," he said with a smirk a he wiggled his eyebrow. "It's a welcome distraction though. I won't kick you out."

"Well I'd hate for you to be sleep deprived because of me. I need you up and alert tomorrow Sheriff Grimes," she said, sitting up straighter as she prepared to stand. "I'd hate for the Woodburians to think the newbies are lazy bums."

Rick snorted. "First impressions are lasting ones." He flung an arm over her shoulder. "But I'm not ready for you to leave yet though. I want you to keep talking to me."

"Well this couch is extremely lumpy," she bounced up and down, causing the springs to protest loudly underneath her. "You sure you want to sleep here? There's enough room for two on the bed in my room. It's great for conversation."

"Really?" His eyes flitted to her lips. "Conversation huh?"

She licked her lips. "We can trash talk Major Gavin together. Enough material for a whole night of conversation."

"Can we?" He grabbed her chin as he leaned in slowly bringing his lips to hers, kissing her softly.

"Uh huh." The kiss deepened and their breathing became more desperate. Michonne soon found herself straddling his lap and silently hoped against any more unwelcome interruptions. Her hands found his hair while his caressed her lower back. "A whole lot of conversation."

She let out a moan and he reflexively bucked his hips upward in response. His hands slipped under her shirt and slowly moved up her back, sending tingles up her spine. One of the straps of her tank top lay haphazardly against her forearm. His lips had moved down to her exposed neck and was slowly moving along the length of her shoulder, licking, kissing and biting. His mouth was hot against her skin and she felt as if she were melting.

"Maybe we should take this down the hall?" she managed to say between breaths as she pulled away from the kiss. Knowing their luck, Carl or Morgan would burst in putting an end to whatever they had going on.

His hands slid down to her ass, pulling her tightly against himself as he suddenly rose to his feet. She yelped in response and wrapped her thighs securely around his waist as he all but sprinted down the hall to her bedroom. She giggled at his eagerness.

Once they were behind the closed door of her new bedroom, he dropped her on the bed, and she locked her legs around him tighter as she drew him into her. She needed more. Her eyes locked with his and the darkness and intensity she saw there thrilled her. He couldn't get close enough.

He leaned down, his lips attacking hers again. He traced her bottom lip with his tongue before it dipped between her parted lips and his hand slowly moved up her bare thigh. She felt lightheaded and her skin was overheated everywhere his fingers touched. He let out a deep groan and she felt his erection pressing against her thigh. His other hand had found its way under her shirt and had come to rest on her breast.

She lightly pushed against his chest and he pulled back, his brow furrowed in confusion. The uncomfortable feeling of rejection washed through him. This may not be what she wanted.

Michonne's eyes never left his as she reached down, grabbing the hem of her tank top and slowly pulling it over her head. He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding at the sight of her breasts practically spilling from her bra.

Teasing him.

With newfound boldness, she slowly reached behind herself, unclasping the undergarment and letting it fall away from her body before tossing it to the side.

Rick appeared dazed as his eyes followed the dark upturned globes that stood firmly on her chest as she leaned back against the bed, propping herself up on her elbows, her breasts bouncing lightly in the process. His dick twitched in response to her sensual display.

She grinned at his expression as he rose from the bed and started to unbutton his shirt with quick fingers. His eyes never left hers as he made quick work of discarding the rest of his clothes. His erection strained against his boxer briefs and she felt the evidence of her own arousal between her legs.

He tilted his head in her direction. "Take the rest of it off."

She raised a brow sliding her hands down to the waistband of her shorts. "These?" She asked innocently.

She's gonna kill me, he thought as he slowly moved toward the bed, crawling towards her. He placed his hands over hers. "Yes." He made quick work of removing the rest of her clothing, leaving her naked on her back, staring up at him with hooded eyes that fueled his need and desperation for her.

He moved to hover over her, propping himself up on one hand as the other slowly moved up her sides and up to her exposed breasts which had quickly become his new favorite thing. Every part of her was perfect in his eyes.

He cupped one in his hand, lightly flicking a pebbled nipple with his thumb, eliciting a moan from her. He leaned down, lightly flicking it with his tongue as his hand descended towards her entrance, a finger sliding inside. Her breath hitched and his lips covered hers briefly silencing her soft whimpers as his fingers thrust against her with more vigor. They needed to keep the noise to a minimum, but it was getting difficult for her to control the noises that escaped her.

Rick removed his hand, lining himself up against her, skin against skin and guiding himself between her parted legs. Her breathing deepened as he wrapped her thighs around his waist, pulling them closer together as he pushed further panting against her skin.

"Oh…my…G –"

"That's…the only kind of conversation I want to hear tonight."

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