#*the snail in my ear telling me to draw the same two characters over and over again* | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

6ninaph9 · 4 years

Text

Climbing up the temple (a short sceen)

I’ve been feeling kinda shit about the plot and worldbuilding of my book, so I went back to the reason I write in the first place: the characters.

So here, have some ‘Clementine just being Clementine’, cause writing that makes me happy, and maybe you’ll like it too!

~Nina PH

It was a slow day and that hated it.

For most people, slow days are good in the temple: no battle, no cleaning duty, no exam to study for. While everyone else is laying back and relaxing, I just can't seem to do the same.

I walked to the sleeping quarters through the empty hallway. I don't like hearing my footsteps in the hall in the middle of the day. The day is supposed to be active, the halls buzzing with people. I like the clamor of conversations as people walk by me, of a hundred feet hitting the wooden floor as they all go their own separate way. Today everyone was sitting around in the gardens, talking, eating sugar, and playing card games in small groups, like they themselves were flower bushes growing underneath the cool shadows of the trees. Now there were only two feet in my ears and it was driving me insane.

I entered the sleeping quarters and took in a deep breath of the refreshing air. The windows were partly closed and the blindfolds shut down, keeping the room cool, almost chilly in comparison to the heat of the outside world. It felt alien to step in this secret pocket of existence, like walking into a new undiscovered cave, filled with darkness and mysteries demanding your attention. But no, it was the same old boring sleeping room and my eyes didn't need to wait to get used to the lack of light as muscle memory sat me down on my sleeping mat.

The room was empty, except for me and the sleeping bundle under the blanket. My blanket. I kicked him in a friendly fashion: »Max! Wake up!«

He groaned and kicked me back: »No.«

»Oh come on,« I stole my blanket from him, letting the cold air shake him awake. My plan was unsucesefull: underneath mine, he was still tightly holding onto his own blanket, bringing it over his head to try to escape me.

»Nothing is going on. I want to do something.«

»I'm not stopping you…«

»Let's go spar.«

»No.«

»Max!« I shook him, trying to rip the blanket away from him, but he held on to it like it was his family honor. »You can't just nap through the entire day.«

»Watch me,« he yawned.

He left me no choice: I got up and with my full force half-fell half-jumped on him, shoulder first. Even if this wasn't going to work, the noise he made alone was entertainment enough. It sounded like a deer that swallowed a blader ballon and was trying to vomit it back up. Max did not find it as hilarious as I did.

»How can you be so cruel? To wake me up at such an unhuman hour…« he squeezed his voice from underneath me.

»It's 16:45 and you've been napping for 3 hours.« I got off him, mostly because his knee was sticking into my shoulder blade. Max is a terrible pillow.

He slowly sat up, able to breathe again: »That's still 5 hours too little…« He rubbed his eyes: »Can't you bother Pietar with your boredom?«

»He's busy with work…«

I didn't check in his office before coming to Max. I didn't have to. A beautiful summer day without a single cloud in the sky, perfect to take a break from daily work and hustle? Where else is Pietar going to be but locked up in his office, buried under a mountain of papers he doesn't actually need to file till another month. I'd bet all my money, of which I have non, that his office window is locked closed, making the air inside smell that all too familiar odor of sweat mixing with dust and oily stale ink. I was not going there, no thank you. I was bored, not desperate.

»I'm busy too…« his hand grabbed for the blanket, but mine was faster, throwing the warm fuzzy fabric on the other side of the cold room. He groaned and slumped right back on his matt: »I was having a particularly nice dream.«

»The brunet?«

He smirked: »The ginger one with freckles.«

»Oh, you hoe!«

»That's my middle name, baby.« He threw his arm over his eyes, blocking out the light that wasn't really there: »You can join me. We'll be hoes together.«

I lay down next to him: »As much as I love being a hoe with you, no. I can't just lay around and do nothing. I'm not made like that.«

»Have you ever tried?«

»Why would I try if I already know it sucks?«

He sighed, every air particle escaping him filled with annoyance and disappointment in me: »Than just… do something while doing nothing.«

»… Dude, saying stupid stuff is my thing, not yours.«

»I mean while relaxing occupy your mind with something. Make a plan of how to get Pietar out of his office, draw a map of the temple grounds. At Astis, you love numbers so much, just count to 100 in your head. Most importantly,« his face turned to mine, his eyes slim from sleep: »do it in silence.« And he turned back away from me.

I stared at the ceiling for a while, thinking. No, I wasn't counting to 100! Neither was I planning to drag Pietar out of his office. I've tried it before, but if I haven't managed it in the last 13 years, I wasn't gonna succeed now.

Drawing the map part… That I could get behind. The problem was, a map of what? I already have more than 20 of them. I've drawn the temple gardens, all the floors and rooms, Pietars office alone counted about half of my map collection. There was no place inside the temple walls I haven't sketched and measured and calculated in size. I know every inch of land inside the walls by heart. But… outside the walls…

I stood up over him: »Come on, get up.«

»Hmgg…« he grumbled. How can a human fall asleep so easily?

»Come with me!« I started pulling his arm up.

»Why? What?«

»We're gonna climb.«

»That's… the opposite of what I told you to do!«

»Trust me, you'll like it.«

»There's climbing involved: I will not.«

»You'll still get to sleep.«

He sat up, his eyes skeptical: »If this is a trick, I'm gonna kick you in the kneecaps.«

»Deal!«

I walked to the window, opened them and shoved the blinds up, letting light and heat take over the room. Max very slowly, his feet dragging on the floor, more in bored defiance than actual tiredness, approached me. I jumped on the window sill and slid on the outside wall of the temple, still looking through the window at him: »You coming?«

»… We're climbing on the temple?«

»Yeah.«

»… You lied to me. Give me your kneecaps.«

I laughed: »Come and get my kneecap,« and started climbing up.

The stones were hot, the wall absorbing all the heath and shooting it back into my hands. No one ever climbed in the summertime. No one ever climbed on the temple any time, but even the climbing rocks right outside the temple were in this time abandoned and silent. I presume it's exactly because of the heat of the stone. I never minded it. The walls being hot or freezing cold didn't make it harder, it just made it more interesting. I was already at the next floor by the time Max even got his footing on the outside wall, overanalyzing every next step and position on the stones.

He yelled up at me: »If I fall and die you're gonna have to explain to my parents what at Astis I was doing climbing up a building!«

»You're not gonna fall!« I turned around, waiting for him to catch up. I held myself in place with one hand and foot, letting the other two limbs relax in the open air. The Red Sun shinned harsh on my face but I loved it. The small beads of sweat on my arm disappearing just as quickly as they appeared, stolen away by the still, windless air. My muscles tense and under pressure, held me locked to the wall 15 meters above the dry dirt. If someone were to fall, they'd go even farther, rolling another 30 meters down the steep hill the temple is set on, only stopping when their body would crash in the swamp. They probably wouldn't survive it.

I smirked at the thought. Me? Falling? Yeah right.

Max finally climbed face to face to me. His limbs were almost digging into the walls, arms tense to the point you could see his veins popping out. His face was turned forward with his body shaking at even the thought of moving a centimeter away from the wall. He eyed me up and down and squinted his eyes in annoyance. »You look like a sail on a boat.«

»Thank you.« I knew he didn't say it as a compliment, but what can I say, I enjoyed being better than him at something.

And he wasn't wrong, I was a sail: free in the open air, ready to take on the world and travel to places no human has been before. Or, in my case, just to the rooftop.

»Hey snail, I thought you wanted to go back to sleep quickly.« I climbed on, Max not able to keep up.

He grinned weakly: »I could beat you to the top! If I wanted to…«

»Keep telling yourself that!« I jumped to the next stone that poked out slightly, probably giving Max a tiny heart attack because I was moving so 'carelessly'. I wasn't careless, I just knew how to do it.

Left hand to the left, leg locked to the right, the other one put up- nope, not that stone. »Watch it, this one is shaking!« The stone above? Yes. Past Pietars window, completely shut closed and blinds down – called it! And one more pull up with my right hand and, voila! My butt was on the edge of the roof.

When Max got in reach I offered him a helping hand. He cringed as the sweat of our hands mixed together, his hands shaking from discomfort while I pull him up and next to me. He quickly let go of my arm and wiped it in his shirt, still breathing deeply.

After he caught his breath he looked at the view in front of us: »Wow…«

I smiled and followed his eyes. Green colors, dark and bright and those turning into yellows, covered the land all to the horizon, the fields lined on one side by a thick forest, on the other by the mountain range. We've been to the fields countless times, but being up here, where you could see how far they stretch, in constant motion either by the wind or small animals hiding in the grass, it stopped being just a piece of land to walk on. It was alive and grand and sitting here, I understood why the gods loved our world. One glance at it explained it better than any book or monk could.

A blue stream splits the land in two, the fields of our and of the east temple, and ends up in the small lake in between our and their hill. I didn't bother looking at their side, ours was much prettier. From up here, you couldn't hear the gurgling of the water, but I liked to pretend I did. The thought of going anywhere near that death puddle was deeply disturbing to my stomach. I'd much rather experience the falling-down-while-climbing situation than have to step in a half meter radius of that thing. But the sound of a tiny stream rolling over shinny stones… I've never heard it. And in all of Maxes books, they described it so beautifully.

So I sat on the warm roof tiles, my feet dangling in the air, pretending to enjoy what I imagined the flowing water sounded like.

Max had laid down much further away from the edge, spreading his arms and legs wide, eyes closed, taking in the warmth: »This is nice…«

»Oh, so you might say that the climb was worth it?«

»Your kneecaps are safe,« he smiled: »for now.«

So we spend the slow day on the roof, Max napping and stretching, his skin getting even tanner, if that's even possible, and me enjoying the sight beneath and around me. I tried to take in every detail, to remember distances between landmarks, to calculate what proportions I would choose to fit it all on a piece of paper, yet not making it so small that the charm and complexity of the land would be lost in it.

The Red Sun touched my cheeks, like giving me their blessing to immortalize in ink the world they have created.

I smiled. This will be a fun map to draw.

#NinaPH #Nina PH #TTT #Clementine #mywriting #mybook #Clementine doesn't need food and water to survive #Just climbing and drawing maps

3 notes · View notes

darkficsyouneveraskedfor · 5 years

Text

Witness : 24

The Limit

moodboard created by @chuuulip

Character(s): dark!Bucky, dark!Steve, too

Masterlist

Warnings: this is a dark!fic, it contains non/dubious-consent elements. Some violence as well at the beginning. It goes without (and with) that this is 18+.

In this chapter: mentions of anal plug, blow job, rough sex, like rurl rough, choking, a bit of voyeurism.

Summary: Our reader finds herself hitting a wall.

Notes: Okay, so I would classify this as a juicy chapter. I'm loving this you guys and I have about one or two chapters left in writing, so we're about ten away from finished for posting. But were aren't at the endgame just yet (you see what I did there.) Anyhow, thank you guys for making this series so amazing! I love you so much.

Please, reblog and or reply with your thoughts!! I’ll see you in the next one.

Needless to say, your night met with little rest. Your body slowly attuned to the plug but you just couldn’t get comfortable, the sensation of fullness was strange. When it was time to get out of bed, you showered, trying to perfect a casual walk before you were set to show yourself in public. All the skirts Bucky had bought you were unbearably tight and allowed no relief as you slowly descended the stairs and grew used to the pressure. Driving was worse. You felt as if you were sitting directly on the plug and you were glad you had bought your new car. You texted Steve the news so that there was no mix up and you were thankful you didn’t have to sit next to him that day. You were even more thankful for the elevator at Stark tower but your office chair wasn’t cushy enough to make you forget your burden. It was most off-putting that it was growing to be arousing. Sitting in a certain position, it put pressure on all the right spots.

The day couldn’t go fast enough but the clock moved like a snail on pavement. You kept glancing over between trips to the washroom to try to alleviate your situation. On your way back to your desk, you found Bucky waiting at your desk. He smirked as he watched you approach him and you tried not to let him see you flinch. You glanced around and walked straight up to him. “You gotta take this thing out.”

“Woah, since when do you make the rules?” He chided, “But it’s good to know you kept it in.”

You rolled your eyes and spun around, going to sit behind the desk and lowered yourself tenderly to the seat. A set of footsteps neared and Steve appeared from the hallway, his face brightening as he saw you. He strolled over, stepping up next to Bucky as he kept his voice low. “So,” He looked to his fellow super soldier, “When do I get my next go at her?”

Bucky sighed and looked to you; for a moment, you actually commiserated with the man as he shared the same exasperation as you. Steve lacked any sense of subtlety. “Well, I don’t know,” His metal hand was on the desk, “I don’t think Y/N has any plans for tonight...do you?” Your nostrils flared and you shook your head. His fingers tapped on the metal, “Be a good girl and use your words.” He warned.

“No, I don’t have any plans,” You muttered. You could have lied and said you did but to be honest, you would do anything to have the damn plug taken out. If it meant letting Steve use you, so be it. What was another night of debasement?

“I’ll come back for her and we’ll meet you at the hideout,” Bucky said, “It’s all clean and ready to go.”

“Great,” Steve leered at you, “Can’t wait.”

The two super soldiers headed for the door and changed the topic swiftly to business and you tuned out. Despite yourself, you could feel the wetness cooling between your legs, the warmth collecting during their conversation. While you were inherently annoyed by the way they talked about you, you couldn’t help your physiological reaction. Hell, your drunken memories of the night with both men sparked a fire you didn’t know was hidden within you. A flame you very much regretted letting them light.

Bucky was ever punctual. He waited just by the elevator as you finished up for the night, pacing slowly around the lobby. You shut down your computer and grabbed your purse, approaching him warily as he pressed the elevator button. When the doors had closed and boxed you up with the silent super soldier, you found your nerve. “Tell me you’re going to take this fucking thing out of me.”

“In due time,” He smirked, “Only good girl’s get treats.”

You sighed and shook your head. The plug had become less noticeable but it didn’t make it any less humiliating. You rode the rest of the way without saying a word, realizing you would get nowhere by arguing. Your only hope was to go along with whatever he and Steve had planned. You cleared your throat guiltily as you pondered what it was; drunken memories of your previous encounter filled your head. Bucky glanced over at you as the elevator doors opened, his eyes lingering on you as if he could see your thoughts.

“Don’t worry, it’s not very far,” He teased and you rolled your eyes as you followed him across the foyer. You were happy it was mostly empty as it would have been quite peculiar for you to be walking around with Bucky Barnes so openly. You were growing impatient with him as he kept his pace casual, in no hurry to be out of sight.

Finally at his car, you were eager to hide. You climbed inside, only to moan as you sat almost directly on the plug. Bucky gave a low chuckle and watched as you adjusted yourself in the seat. He looked you over, his blue eyes drinking you in as thoughts swirled behind them. “What?” You hissed.

“Just thinking if we had time for a quickie,” He raised a brow, “I wouldn’t mind a go before meeting Steve. I like having you to myself,” He reached across the console and undid your top button, “Mmm,” He licked his lips as he admired your cleavage, “Well, I don’t see why we can’t have some fun on the way.”

You chewed your lip, glancing out the window to make sure no one else was hanging out in the parking garage. Bucky shifted is seat back, the sound drawing your attention, and he unzipped his jeans, pulling his hard cock out and stroking his length. “Go on,” He reached over and grabbed the back of your head, pulling you over the console. You resisted, bracing your neck against him as you glared into his eyes. “Do you want the plug out or not?” He challenged.

You swallowed the threat and your dignity, positioning yourself over the console as you parted your lips over the head of his cock. As you made your way down his length, he turned the engine and you pulled back in surprise. His hand caught the back of your head before you could free your mouth and he pushed you back down his length until he was in your throat. The motion of the car was almost sickening as you began, bobbing your head up and down carefully until he released your head. You didn’t dare stop, quickening your pace as you heard other vehicles passing you. You were eager to be done with it, paranoid that anyone could walk by and see.

“Ah,” He breathed, his hand rubbing the back of your neck as your drool dripped down his shaft and onto his jeans. “God, that’s a good girl. Mmmm,” He groaned, “I’m gonna cum, oh fuck.” His hand was on your head again and he forced you down to his base, ribbons shooting down your throat as you struggled to breathe. “Swallow it.” He ordered, lifting your head by your hair as he came to a stop. You urged yourself to obey, licking the saliva from your lips to ease your throat. “Let me see,” He said as he tucked his cock back in his pants. You opened your mouth, showing him that there was nothing left. You looked up to the building just outside the car; it was the same one he had taken you to after your night at the bar. Steve’s car was parked just beside you and you got with a sense of foreboding mingled with excitement. The car ride was just the beginning.

As you walked down the stairs ahead of Bucky, you felt a sudden wave of deja vu. This time you were sober and the prospect of both men was intimidating. You could hardly handle Bucky on his own and something about Steve bespoke of a darker core. He hadn’t shown you the extent of his depravity yet. As you came to the bottom and entered through the beacon-like doorway, you shivered.

Steve was already undressed, left with only his briefs and the bed loomed behind him. Bucky closed the door as he entered and he tugged at the collar of your jacket. You unbuttoned it as he helped you out of it without a word. What more was there to say? Steve turned to watch, sitting on the end of the bed as he tilted his head. You stepped out of your heels and Bucky unzipped your skirt, that and your blouse were quickly disposed of in a wrinkled pile. You shimmied out of your tights and your bra was unclasped as you stood straight. It all felt so ritualistic.

Bucky gave little heed to your panties, tearing through the lace easily and tossing them at Steve who caught them and brought them to his nose with an exaggerated whiff. It was oddly arousing. “Go on and bend over,” Bucky whispered in your ear as he massaged your ass. You exhaled in relief and eagerly touched your toes. He gripped the end of the plug and slowly pulled it out, your body quaking at the peculiar ripple it sent through you. You stood and he caught you around your waist. “Keep him happy,” He rasped, pushing himself against your back, “And the night won’t be so long.”

With that he let you go, smacking your ass so hard that you stumbled forward. You turned the misstep into a smooth pace, approaching Steve as your nerves began to buzz. His hands were on your hips in a moment and he drew you close. Your placed your own on his shoulders as he buried his head between your breasts. You sensed movement and looked over as Bucky sat in a chair at the edge of the room, his eyes fixed on you.

You didn’t ponder his observation for long as you were suddenly swept off your feet and tossed onto the mattress. You cried out in surprise, your body bouncing on the springy padding. Steve tore off his briefs as you propped yourself up on your elbows, watching him cautiously. In an instant he had gone from tender to abrupt. It was telling and somewhat frightening. You remembered that drunken night and how rough he had been. If you were to compare them, he was harsher than Bucky, easily lost in his rapture.

He climbed up on the bed, nearing you on his knees as he grabbed your ankles and brought them up so that your legs were bent close to your chest. You were on full display as your body was folded in half. “Not her ass,” Bucky warned, “She’s not ready yet.” Steve growled and you saw his eyes flash from behind your legs. He smacked your ass and grabbed the flesh roughly, causing you to flinch.

He made no pretense of foreplay. He didn’t really need to as you were sure he could see how slick your pussy already was. He pressed his tip to your opening, using your juices to lubricate himself before pushing inside. He let your legs fall around him, reaching back to hook your feet around each other. He had your pelvis tilted so that he was at your limit, your walls snug around him. He thrust slowly but decisively at first, your back arching in response.

His hands held you in place by your hips and he carefully stood up on the mattress, your upper half hanging upside down as your legs held on tighter, scared of falling on your head. Suspended at such an awkward angle, you held yourself up with your arms as he began to hammer into you, his hips snapping violently against yours. He was grunting with each relentless thrust, your own cries betraying the pain-laced vibrations he sent through you.

When you thought you could take no more, he lowered you back to the bed, your chest heaving as you shakily bunched the sheet in your fingers. You were suddenly empty as he pulled out and you were thankful for a moment to catch your breath. But it wasn’t really a break. He dragged you from the bed, your legs trembling beneath you as he turned you to face Bucky. He scooped you up, his hands on the back of your thighs, bending your legs once more to your chest as he held you flush against him. His member slipped easily inside without guidance and your back arched as his cock rammed against your cervix. He was just as brusque as before but it felt just as good. Your orgasm was thrilling as it caught you off-guard, your head pushed back against his shoulder as he continued to fuck you.

When your eyes lolled back into place, you caught sight of Bucky. You were shocked and even more aroused as you saw his cock standing outside his jeans, his hand stroking it as he bit his lip. It was an odd feeling. The thought of him being so excited over watching you was different. It was in itself a form of admiration and you couldn’t help but relish in it. Throughout all this, you had barely felt more than an object, hardly admired but rather used.

Steve abruptly dropped your legs, shifting so that you were bent over the bed. He didn’t stop, only thrusting harder and harder. “Fuck, such a tight girl,” He snarled, his voice deadly. His hand snaked around your neck and forced your back to curve uncomfortably. His other hand was at your throat in an instant, your body twisted as his fingers tightened more and more. “I knew it from the moment I saw you,” He was speaking low in your ear as he bent over you, choking you so that you wheezed with every jerk of his hips. Your pussy tightened with the grip around your neck. “That innocent little secretary look is just a lie, isn’t it?” Your head was throbbing at the lack of oxygen, you began to bat at his hands helplessly. “You’re all just the same, aren’t you?” You tried to nod but couldn’t. “Answer me.”

“Yes,” You forced out a coarse whisper, your hands grasping at his clumsily.

“Yes, Captain,” He corrected you, the sound of his flesh slapping against yours was deafening as he continued to pound your without mercy. “Say it.”

He thrust so hard that your feet began to slip from beneath you. You were caught between ecstasy and oblivion, your head swirling dangerously. “Yes…” Silver spots were floating at the corner of your vision. “...Captain.” Your arms were heavy, so weak that they fell limp. You hadn't any strength left in you as the steady rhythm of his cock impaling had you convulsing. Your eyes closed against your will and the pounding in your pussy dulled as the black overtook your senses; your body floating in the void.

tags: @they-call-me-le @holylulusworld @petit-funsize @alexakeyloveloki @ladyofmystery @kellyn1604 @thelostallycat @grayxswan @collette04 @butteryoptimisticpeanut @buckycaptspideypool @blackpantherimagines @lilithhellfire @captainfreecandyvan @spaghettyrogers @phoenix21love @sathlens @iheartsebastianstan

519 notes · View notes

damienthepious · 5 years

Text

it’s lizard kissin’ tuesday.... and we have done a Mean Thing. Sky @shorter-than-her-tbr-pile is responsible for the initial concept and a LOT of this besides.

No More Changes (I’ll Still Love You The Same)

[ao3] [chapter 2] [chapter 3] [chapter 4] [chapter 5]

Fandom: The Penumbra Podcast

Relationship: Lord Arum/Sir Damien/Rilla

Characters: Lord Arum, Sir Damien, Rilla, The Keep

Additional Tags: Second Citadel, Lizard Kissin' Tuesday, Established Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, (tho not THIS chapter certainly), Curses, human!arum, (but not... because he WANTS to be), (it ain't good y'all), Panic Attacks, Overstimulation, Rilla Is Queen Of Comfort, Damien Does Not Consider The Consequences Of His Words, (tho that's not relevant until next chapter...)

Summary: Lord Arum and his Keep have fought off curses before, but they have never dealt with one quite like this. They have never dealt with a curse while having a couple of humans around to help them, either... though it remains to be seen exactly how helpful Arum's lovers will be, in the effort of restoring him.

Notes: We made ourselves sad. Now we are subjecting y'all to the sad. Am I sorry? ..... a little actually, yeah. I promise we'll make it better eventually tho. @shorter-than-her-tbr-pile, thank you SO much for throwing this concept at me and letting me just go berserk about it. I love you!!! Thank you for writing this with me!!! <3 Work title from the song Pristine, by Snail Mail. Chapter title from the song Human, by Dodie.

Chapter 1 - Paint Me In Trust

It is instantaneous. Like a bolt of lightning.

Arum doesn't scream, not exactly. He inhales, sharp and shocked, and when he exhales it sounds as if he's being punched in the stomach, and he collapses to the ground, half-buried in his cape.

"Arum-" Rilla drops her recorder. Doesn't even notice it fall to the floor of the greenhouse as she sprints to the side of the lizard, going to her knees when she's close enough, but when she reaches to turn him onto his side to get a better look-

He feels wrong.

Soft. He feels soft. She pushes the cape aside, and when she rolls Arum onto his back, she finds a panting, glassy-eyed human groaning softly into the folds of the cloth.

"What-" Rilla says blankly, and the human winces, curling into a tighter ball and making a choking sort of noise. "Who-"

"A-Ama-" he chokes, a hand lifting clumsily to press at his throat. "Amaryllis-" he manages, and Rilla loses her own breath.

"Oh Saints," Rilla says faintly. "Arum?"

"What-" he tries again, and his voice is pitched so low that she almost doesn't hear how horribly ordinary it sounds. Soft. No rattle, no roughness to speak of. "Amaryllis, I- I can't-" he presses up on one arm (Rilla can only see two), but he slips, and she only barely catches him before he smacks his face into the dirt.

"Arum, I need you to breathe," she says, halfway on automatic. First steps. Baseline, while her brain races to try to understand exactly what just happened. "Keep," Rilla calls, voice understandably strained. "Keep, do you know what just- what that was?"

There is a pause, and Arum-the-human breathes short strained breaths in her arms, his muscles twitching and jerking. The Keep- sings vaguely, a song that sounds off key with itself. Uncertain, confused.

That song, that wavering, it seems to startle Arum to some sort of coherency, and he tilts his head back, squinting at the ceiling, and Rilla realizes with a sick jolt that his eyes, his human eyes, they aren't purple. They are without color entirely, pale and gray, set in a face that looks vaguely familiar but wrong, like a building remembered from childhood, with walls torn down and reconstructed past the point of recognition.

"Keep?" he asks, his new smooth-soft voice wavering uncertainly, and the Keep fails to answer right away a second time. It sings, after a long moment, and Arum's new unscaled brow furrows, his breath hitching. "Keep. Keep, I can't- speak again. I command you to-"

It sings again, and Rilla recognizes the lilt of desperation in the notes.

"Keep, I can't-" he pauses, snapping his jaw shut, and then he winces at that and presses his hand to his jaw for a clumsy moment before he lifts the hand further, his palm flexing in front of his horrified face. "What- what-"

"Breathe," Rilla says again, and Arum sucks in a breath as he lifts his other hand, and then he twists against her, his back arching just slightly, and she realizes that he's trying to move his other arms. The ones that aren't there, anymore.

"I-" he says, and then he looks up at her, pale gray eyes wide and damp at the corners. "I can't-" he lifts his hands, clumsy as they try to grip her shoulders, and she pulls him to sitting so he isn't entirely on the cold dirt, and his breaths come faster and sharper as he says, "Amaryllis I can't hear your heart-"

He's incoherent after that, for a while. Rilla nearly screams in the effort of getting the Keep to understand her, to get it to focus for long enough to open a portal to Arum's room so she can carry him (easily, Saints but this human body is slight), lift him into her arms while he just clings and hyperventilates until she can set him down in familiar sheets.

Arum keeps brushing his hands over his own skin and wincing, keeps twisting and flinching away from the sheets when he touches them, and Rilla knows overstimulation when she sees it and honestly there's a logic to that, isn't there? Arum has spent his entire life in scales, and he’s nowhere close to unfeeling, his scales are plenty sensitive in their own right but it's different from human skin and now he's- he's human, and-

She keeps trying to make her mind wrap around that. Trying to make it make sense. It doesn't, obviously.

Regardless of sense, it's true. Arum is, currently and uncomfortably, human. With smooth dark skin and grey eyes and dark hair that falls down around his shoulders in unkempt waves, with nearly a full foot of height stolen from him somewhere.

She shakes her head. Situation at hand, Rilla. One problem at a time. He's overstimulated, terrified if the look in his eyes is anything to go by. She climbs up onto the bed beside him, and when he turns his panicked eyes towards her she tries a grim, sturdy little smile, and then she carefully, gently pulls him into an embrace, arranging him so that his head is resting on her collarbone.

"Just breathe," she whispers. "Try to breathe with me, okay? I know you're scared, and that's- honestly that's totally fair, but right now you have to calm down or you're gonna make yourself ill or make yourself pass out. Just- focus on my breathing, and try to make yourself slow down enough to breathe with me."

His body presses into hers, his hands alternately squeezing her and fluttering away when the contact gets too much, but after a moment he goes still, and his breathing hitches instead of slowing.

"Hey," she says softly. "Hey, please Arum, you've gotta-"

"I can- I can hear your heart now. I- you need be this close? Amaryllis I feel- my ears and tongue and eyes and nose have been dulled by half and half again, how- how-"

"Oh," Rilla says, and she wonders if he can hear the way that makes her heart stumble with sympathy, with fear. "Oh sweetheart I'm sorry, but you have to- oh Arum-"

He clenches his jaw, clinging tighter against her, pressing his ear over her heart and pressing his eyes defiantly closed, but she can feel his shoulders shaking, can see the tracks of tears running down his face.

"Even this," he hisses miserably. "I don't- is it- is this why the poet is always-" he stops to shake for a moment. "I can't make this stop-"

"I know, sweetheart," she says in a whisper, and she tries not to follow right behind him into shaking, into weeping. "I've got you, I've got you." She doesn't tell him to breathe again. She merely rubs her hands as softly as she can on his back, holds him against her and lets him hear her steady, steady heart. She hums, and holds him, and lets his tears play out.

It takes a little while. That makes sense, too; it’s not as if Arum has much practice holding back tears like this.

“I- I’m- I apologize, Amaryllis," Arum mutters eventually, when he has managed at last to match his breathing to Rilla's, murmuring the words into the skin of her throat. "That was-” his mouth twists miserably, mortification clear on his face.

“Don’t. Arum, this is- I mean, as far as I know this is fairly unprecedented,” she says with a wry frown. “It’s a perfectly reasonable response to have.”

“Nevertheless,” he mutters, and then he pulls himself reluctantly away from her skin, sitting with a wince. He lifts his arms again, scowling as he looks down on overly soft, clear skin, on stubby fingers with blunt nails.

“So,” Rilla says, matter-of-fact. “This is magic, obviously.”

“Obviously,” he grumbles.

“And obviously, you know more about that than I do,” she says, a long-suffering sort of admission. “So, do you have any idea what could cause something like this? Any clues, any suspicions, any suspects?”

“Punishment.”

Rilla blinks. “Punishment?”

He sighs, winces, reaches a hand up to touch his own cheek. “Working for the Senate- I never should have put myself into that position. They have- they have safeguards to prevent betrayal.”

“And you didn’t think this was worth mentioning before now?” Rilla asks incredulously.

“I have been… since the Terminus, since us, the Keep and I have been layering defenses, magical and otherwise. While the Senate scrambled to recover after the loss of their weapon- I thought- I hoped I would have enough time. I hoped that I would be unimportant enough to them to slip through the cracks, but-” he winces, his hand pressing against his throat for a moment and his eyes going distant and uncertain, and then he works his jaw awkwardly before he mutters, “I sound… so strange.”

“You were layering defenses,” Rilla redirects gently, softly touching his shoulder, hoping she can draw him back before the distress overwhelms him again. “How do you think this- whatever this is. How did it get through?”

Arum ducks his head. “I… the Keep and I… we focused our efforts mainly upon the swamp itself, and the Keep.”

“What,” Rilla says, voice blank with horror. “What about you, you idiot?”

“The Keep is more important,” he hisses, his eyes slipping closed. “Protecting it is my purpose, Amaryllis. If it dies, so too does this entire swamp. And so too would I, as well. It is not entirely unselfish. If the Keep dies, everything here dies with it. If I die…” he shrugs. “I would rather not, obviously, but if I die, the Keep survives. It produces another familiar, and it continues to create and nurture life and magic in this place.”

“Rather not,” Rilla says faintly. “Arum-”

“It is not a choice I enjoy making, but it is an easy choice, in the end.”

Rilla hates that a part of her understands his logic. Most of her, though, is furious that he would discount himself that way. “Next time maybe try protecting both, jackass,” she says, her voice wavering.

He smiles, grim and strange. “Next time,” he echoes.

“So,” Rilla says, shaking her head and clearing her throat. “So. It’s probably the Senate, or someone working for them,” she says. “That’s a good theory, and I think it’s safe to run with it. So, why this? Why turn you into a human? Why not just-”

“Kill me?” He laughs. “I am certain some would have preferred that. But there is a certain… rationale to this. A clear message in the execution. I have aligned myself with humans, yes? This is all to say that if I would join them, I may do it properly.”

Rilla feels her stomach twist. “You think they know about us?” she asks, her voice low.

“Doubtful,” he says with a sigh. “Not the two of you specifically, at least. But they are aware that I was responsible for the destruction of the Hermit, they are aware that I was not cast off the edge of the world, and they are aware of… rumors.”

“Rumors.”

He glances to her, his entire expression gone soft and open. “Of a human claiming, quite publicly, to love me.”

Her heart plummets. It must show on her face, because Arum blinks in surprise and reaches a clumsy hand up to touch her shoulder.

“Amaryllis-”

“This is because- because I couldn’t keep my mouth shut? Saints I’m so-” she clenches her teeth, “stupid, Arum I’m-”

“Hush,” Arum says, frowning. “Don’t be foolish. This is not your fault, no more than it is the fault of a certain knight for failing to kill me. There are rumors of that, as well, you know. The fault lies solely with whoever concocted this spiteful little scheme.”

“Still,” Rilla says, her brow furrowed. “Still. If it contributed-”

“Hush,” he says again, the hand on her shoulder squeezing gently. “You did not do this to me.”

“No,” she says with a sigh, and then she straightens, her eyes taking on a determined glint as she pulls Arum’s hand into her own. “No, but I’m gonna be the one who helps you fix it.”

Arum’s expression falls again, open and raw, and Rilla’s heart clenches for all the ways he clearly does not know how to hide his feelings in this body.

“Y-yes,” he says, his voice wavering.

“If someone did this,” Rilla says with a scowl, “we can undo it.”

He stares at her for a moment, grateful, surprised, hopeful, and then tears roll over Arum’s cheeks again, and he swipes at his face with his jaw clenched hard as Rilla makes a small noise, pulling him close.

"The lot of you creatures can't possibly feel this way at every moment,” he mutters viciously, struggling in the effort to push back the tears, to control the shaking in his voice. “As if- as if every touch is scalding and sharp, as if you can only half interpret the world, all sense sliced to unsatisfactory fractions. As if you are but a breath from breaking at all moments. You cannot possibly feel this way."

“No,” Rilla says softly. “No, I think that’s- that’s just by comparison. Your senses are a hell of a lot keener than ours, and your scales provide a lot more natural protection. If I got suddenly put in a body like yours, I bet I’d be overwhelmed by all the new noises and smells and sights, and I’d feel like my sense of touch got all wrapped up in cotton or dipped in wax. It’d be distressing in just the opposite way.”

That makes… a certain amount of sense. Arum grumbles under his breath and winces when the noise is not accompanied by the usual growl. It feels as if someone reached into his throat and replaced his own vocal chords with some foreign flute. Not that that particular point is the worst of this, but it is distracting.

“Shit,” Rilla says softly, and Arum blinks and focuses back on her.

“What?”

“I was supposed to-” she sighs. “I have to go send an entire frickin’ flock of pigeons, now. I don’t have time to deal with my regular appointments while we’re busy fixing this.”

Arum’s heart lurches in two completely different directions at once, both grateful that she would put her work, her healing aside temporarily for him, and simultaneously wracked with nerves at the idea that she is going to leave him alone in this state, even for a little while. He swallows roughly.

She’s too perceptive for his own good, though. She notices the look on his face, and when she smiles softly he wishes he could growl at the sympathy in her eyes. He frowns instead, hoping it carries some measure of his ire.

“I won’t be long,” she says softly. “I just need to send some messages and gather some materials and notes that might be handy. Tell you what, though- Damien should be getting out of his meeting soon and he was already planning on springing a surprise visit today-” she pauses to grin a little more playfully. “Ruined the surprise on that one, but I’m sure the both of you will forgive me. Anyway, he’s free for the rest of the day, so I’ll give him the rundown and he can come through and help you out for a bit while I’m taking care of the unavoidable stuff. Sound fair?”

Arum wrinkles his strange short nose, seething that she would imply he requires help-

But he does need some measure of help, actually. Loathe as he is to admit it. He can barely manage to stand without his tail, with his legs so short and oddly bent. And Amaryllis has done very much in their time together, to help him understand that she and Damien will not judge him for this. That they want to help, when he so needs. And it is still... difficult, but Arum is trying. If ever he had no choice but to be vulnerable, now is that time. At least the universe is kind enough to bring him so low while he has such bright creatures to hold him and help him. Small miracles within such a nightmare.

He sighs, curling his arms awkwardly around his knees. “Very well, Amaryllis.”

“I won’t be long,” she says again as she slips from the bed, and then she leans back down and presses a kiss to his brow. It feels so much more vivid, the pressure more intense but less warm, on skin rather than scales. “Try to rest in the meantime, though, okay?”

“Rest,” Arum mutters derisively. “As if I can go cavorting with these malformed limbs-”

“Your body went through one hell of a shock,” she barrels on, pretending as if she didn’t even hear him. “I don’t want you to strain yourself any more than strictly necessary. Okay?”

He grumbles again, but she looks down at him sternly, her hands on her hips.

“Okay, Arum?”

He narrows his eyes at her, and his face feels hot. “Yes, doctor,” he mutters, but then he leans towards her in the familiar way, an unspoken request.

Her frown softens, and she bends to embrace him gently and press another kiss to his cheek, and before she pulls away she murmurs, “We’ll fix this. Whatever it takes.”

His throat is tight and hot and horrible for a moment, but he nods. “Whatever it takes,” he echoes, and then he allows her to settle the blankets around his shoulders before she calls for a portal to her hut.

The Keep takes a few extra moments to listen, but it does listen, and when Rilla is gone and the portal is closed and Arum is alone, and human, and alone, he finally pinpoints a feeling that has been squirming at the back of his mind since he collapsed in the greenhouse.

He feels half deafened, with these strange human ears. It is less dramatic than the weakness of his vision, or the utter travesty of his olfactory capabilities.

But his limited hearing is not the reason that all around him feels so… muffled.

Arum realizes, at last, the final strangeness of this transformation. The final cruelty. It is quiet, now that Amaryllis has left him. More than that, though. It is silent, in a foreign way. The Keep creaks around him as always, but Arum finally realizes what has been missing.

He cannot hear the Keep. Not really. He cannot feel it. He cannot sense it, steady at the edges of his mind, where its presence has always before been, sturdy and safe. Even when it slept after its illness, Arum could still feel that it was there, even if it was not aware or present. Now, though.

Now, Arum is alone.

Alone in his own mind, wearing skin that does not fit him, helpless as a hatchling without even his closest kin for comfort.

Arum closes his eyes. He does not have the strength for anything else, just now. He curls into as tight a ball as he can manage, his cape and his blankets an overwhelming pressure he cannot stand to remove, and he settles in to wait for one of his lovers to return.

#elle's fanfic #shorter-than-her-tbr-pile #the penumbra podcast #second citadel #lizard kissin' tuesday #lord arum #amaryllis of exile #the keep #hhhhh *anxiety spike*#yes. yes i know i already have ten thousand wips. i know. i know and i'm sorry

36 notes · View notes

somewhere-in-between-series · 5 years

Text

Gen Jones - a complete story

“Did you know that he’s got it?” I asked, while leaning out my window from the sixth floor, watching the street below. Without looking, I knew the person entering had been Dave, who now hung up his hat. Office types always did everything the same. He never changed things up.

“Roger?” Dave asked, but cast a sigh. He’d betrayed himself. I hadn’t mentioned a name yet.

“Yes, Roger. Told me last week,” I said, and removed my head from the window. It was too cold and my ears had gone numb.

Dave wore one of the six suits he always wore, to anything. People without casual clothes were a strange, worrisome bunch, like they didn’t possess a personality.

“He told me a few weeks ago,” he said, while hanging up his coat. “Of course, I advised him to tell you right away.”

“We broke up.”

Dave paused, his long, gray coat still in his hands. He looked comically formal at times, and I had to admit to have based some characters on him. He was as lively as a snail, unlike any of my other friends. We didn’t share hobbies, either. Still, I enjoyed his company the most.

“That’s a bad decision,” he just said, spoken like a father instead of a friend.

“He broke up with me, it wasn’t my choice.”

“You didn’t fight it?”

“I didn’t fight it.”

“That’s a bad decision,” he repeated, and I knew him to be right. The only reason I hung from the window, was to see it if Roger would ever pass this street and to catch a glimpse. He lived nowhere near. The tall buildings had always suffocated him, but I’d found them comforting. You were never alone, but you could sure feel it at times.

I hadn’t answered Dave, who sat on my couch like my living room was his doctor’s office. At any other place, he would likely be served coffee or tea. This was more of a ‘take what you want’ kind of home.

“Are you still performing? I’ve meant to see your show, I’ve got no plans tonight.”

I doubted it to be anything more than politeness, and shook my head.

“Production’s stopped,” I said, and just to have something to throw back, I added: “How’s life as a businessman?”

“The same. I’m… leaving the country, tomorrow.”

In all the time that I’d known Dave, he’d never done anything whimsical or downright fun. If he had, he’d never shared it. I sat by his side. This was new.

“Where are you going?”

“London. My family’s from England and I’ve never seen it, so I’m going now.”

I understood. Dave had it too, but it hadn’t reached me the way it should. An eternal optimist, I’d been called. I was an actor, an artist, and my usual solution to any trouble was a shrug and the belief it would be alright. Roger had changed that. Things would not just be alright.

“By yourself?” I asked, and Dave gave it a quick nod. No way, I wouldn’t have that. I was the only fun friend he had. Everyone he knew was more of a bore than him. “I’m going with you.”

It surprised Dave and I couldn’t blame him. I wasn’t exactly a reliable friend, but that was about to change.

“No, no, I’m going alone,” Dave said regardless. “I don’t need company.”

“I’m going with and that’s that,” I replied, and I rose from the couch before he could start to protest. “I will go to London with you, first thing tomorrow.”

“The flight’s in the afternoon, I don’t know if there’s still empty seats,” Dave said, watching in bewilderment as I put on my jacket and reached in my cupboard, though he didn’t move. “Where are you going?”

“I need to do something, do you know where Roger is?”

“There’s a buffet for the whole orchestra two streets over, that place you make fun of. His family could be there, Marcos.”

But I didn’t listen and I didn’t stay. I let the door fall shut behind me, leaving Dave in my apartment.

Roger’s father was there and he’d seen me before Roger had, which was no good. If I was thrown out now, he’d never know me to be there.

“I won’t tolerate a scene,” the man told me, stuck up in all his ways, and it only increased my desire to cause a scene.

“Unless you’ll put a bullet in my brain, I will see your son, sir,” I said, and moved past him. I had to walk fast, as he remained close without drawing the attention by running. I wasn’t dressed for the venue, but I evaded his every attempt to grab me. I was almost there, the second to last table where Roger’s elbows rested disinterestedly on the white tablecloth. He was getting thinner by the day. Soon, his family would know something to be wrong.

I stopped by his table. When Roger saw me, his face dropped, but not in the bad way. His smile had been the performance.

I felt his father behind me, but before I could allow him to remove me, I dropped to my knee. I pulled Roger’s arm down until I found his hand and held it in mine. I’d held it a thousand times, but the small act remained a spectacle. The place had gone quiet. From table one, I could hear someone put their cup down.

“Marcos,” Roger hissed from his seat. “We’re in public.”

“What can they do, kill us?” I replied much louder, born free of tact, but before I could speak of my purpose, Roger’s father took a hold of my arm, a tight lock that I was unable to wrestle from. The next minute, I found myself dragged outside. The old man had no words for me, didn’t even say how much I received his hatred or forbid me from seeing his son. I thought it indecent that I wasn’t worth the effort, especially now that the plan had failed. Roger was still inside, or so, I thought. I hadn’t yet known him to have escaped to the back alley, where he now peeked from the corner and waved me in. I followed at once.

“Why are you here, I thought everything was said between us,” he told me. It was my cue and I went back down to my knee, my hands folded over my leg.

“Roger Colman, if I’d said everything there was to say, I wouldn’t have let you go.” From my pocket, I pulled out a felt box, dark purple. I popped it open and held up the ring. “I bought this last year, October 10, and made the container in your favorite color. I knew then that I would always stay with you and that the only thing left to choose, was the date to propose on. So, will you be my husband, if only in word?”

Of course, I’d foreseen his hesitation. To go from a breakup to a proposal was not the usual course of action. But his doubt didn’t lay with us.

“With what he’d seen, the doctor told me not to expect more than six months. It’s a death sentence, Marcos, what’s the point?”

It was shorter than I’d thought. He would not see the next year, he wouldn’t even make it to his birthday. Only now did it dawn to me that I would lose him. It wasn’t enough time. I’d seen a whole future for us.

But it didn’t sway me, and I had no second thoughts. I was optimistic, then. They would find a cure.

“Then will you spend them with me?”

He met me on my level to wrap his arms around me. In his joy, he forgot my ring and while I held him back, I kept it between my thumb and index finger.

“Also, I’m going to London tomorrow,” I said, causing Roger to part from our embrace and cast me a questionable look. “Please come with me.”

Of course he’d come. I didn’t doubt that wherever we’d be from now on, we’d be there together.

The next two months were the best of my life, and everything following was the worst. When I made him laugh, Roger’s green eyes narrowed until they were almost shut, his upper lip arched up, and his back caved a little. It was difficult to divide my time equally, my gross love close to alienating Dave. I tried not to neglect him, but Roger’s vision made me melt. I thought to have done a good job, in the end. I hoped so.

Dave hadn’t died from the slope of his illness, at least, not the way I’d expected it. His heart had stopped not long after France, which we’d visited after England. I hadn’t yet wanted our travels to end. We’d gone home, making plans with enthusiasm that all faded two weeks later. The news shocked me, awakening me to a reality I’d tried to forget and overlook. That was all a problem for future me, but the future was here.

I didn’t think finding a funeral home could be so difficult. His family paid for the service that I organized, but didn’t show up, exactly how it had gone when he was still alive. Wealthy, as they were; paid for his tuition, but never shared a word. In his last days, Dave had confessed how lonely he’d been. I could think of nothing else. Now that he was gone, I wondered if I’d done enough.

The eulogy was mine to give. After, came his favorite song. I’d asked everyone what that could’ve possibly been, including the mortician. At the worst possible time, I found out that I wasn’t prepared for this.

It was a closed casket. My eyes didn’t part from it, the funeral passing by without a word entering my brain. Only when someone elbowed my side, did I know it was time to speak.

“You-“ It was the farthest I came. The dam broke and tears flooded through. My legs were weak, impossible to support me, and I didn’t realize Roger had guided me back to my seat until I could bury my face onto his shoulder and weep. I felt his arm move and behind me, another voice began reading my text. A stranger, who’d never seen Dave alive.

Today I would cry and tomorrow I’d go on. Roger didn’t deserve an emotional mess for his last days. I didn’t need to stay strong forever. I only needed to for the next four months. We would return eventually.

His declining health hung over us as a promise and at every sign or symptom, I froze. I didn’t want to and tried to avoid showing it. Roger didn’t mind it, until later. Then, he grew frustrated with me, as I was frustrated with myself.

The decrease in quality didn’t mean a decrease in love, as my heart beat like never before, and any thought of Roger’s death made it ache more than ever before, too. It was much later, now. The sun was setting, and all I wished was for it to be dawn again. I can’t leave him anymore. I’ve passed up two funerals.

He didn’t want anyone to touch him but me and I tried to oblige as much as I could. I was careful with the wet sponge and it only touched his leg, yet it was ill-received.

“You shouldn’t have to take care of me,” Roger moaned in displeasure. It was as though the bed had gained in size, but it was him who had turned smaller.

“I don’t want to hear it,” I warned him, and moved on to his next leg.

“Soon, you won’t have to anymore.”

The sponge stayed on his knee. He was different now. He’d never had an abrasive nature and it didn’t suit him. I didn’t reply, but finished cleaning him up. I’d promised myself not to enter any fights. Time was too short for that.

I didn’t get much sleep during that time. The doctor warned me that I would turn sick, but I didn’t care. My body could be sick all it wanted when this was over, which I sometimes hoped to come faster. It ate at us both and I couldn’t bear seeing Roger so changed, both physically as mentally. He was in pain and his death slow. A month ago, I had first believed him to not make it through the night. Last night, for the short time that I’d slept, I’d dreamed I’d smothered him by pillow.

Seven months, not six. He went quietly, for as much as that was possible, and my life stopped with his. Having devoted myself to him all this time, I had nothing to return to. I had forgotten my goals, my passions, and I had lost all talent. I didn’t want to be at the theater. I wanted to be with him.

Part of me felt guilty. I’d had way more partners than him. He’d only had two.

When I die, who will know it? Who is left to tell my story, to know me by heart? Without me, who will grieve my friends in earnest, who will know what I and Roger shared? I am the sole bearer of our memories, of our love. Eternal, if only until my passing. Then, I am reduced to the same fate: to fade away and be forgotten, discarded and butchered by a loveless society. I disappear.

#we all know what this is about/what this is an allegory for #short story #original work #this one has nothing to do with the Somewhere Between series #it's just a small piece about a topic that's been on my mind a lot #I hope the tumblr format doesn't make it too ugly #it doesn't show paragraphs on mobile #sorry for that #that alone is just very ugly

2 notes · View notes

dreamlandofelegma · 3 years

Text

Chapter 2: Desira:

Elegma entered into her classroom as Professor Sam was about to begin the lecture.

There was a scraping sound of chairs, as the students settled in the class room.

Professor Sam:

“Good morning class,” Today we are going to learn about the Golden Ratio.

Later we will see, how the Golden Ratio is connected with Quantum Physics, which is our main subject.

So, does anyone have any idea, what is the Golden Ratio?”

There was murmuring in the class, when one of the students raised her hand to answer the question.

“Yes! Miss Margaret,” asked professor Sam.

“The Golden Ratio is a ratio of 1 to 1.618,” Margaret replied in a proud tone.

“Very good! Miss Margaret, anyone, who would like to add on to what Miss Margaret told us about the golden ratio?”, asked professor Sam.

“The golden ration is found in nature,” another student added.

“Yes! Precisely! It’s not just a mathematical formula. It’s a phenomenon we find in nature’s magnificent equilibrium”, said professor Sam in an enthusiastic tone.

“Tell me, my dear ones, what do you see, in the great Pyramids of Egypt, the great portrait of Mona Lisa

by Leonardo da Vinci, the flower petals arrangement and the shell of a snail?”, professor Sam asked with the

same enthusiasm.

“Symmetry”, a student replied from the back side.

“True! That’s why it’s also called Divine Proportion,” professor Sam added.

Elegma was taking notes on her slides’ printout. She had the similar set of slides on the paper, which

professor Sam was scrolling on the projector screen.

The image of the great pyramid of Giza was currently on the screen, with some length/ height measurements,

showing proportions of the two ratios.

“Yes, Miss Margaret, you have a question?”, professor Sam saw Margaret raising her hand.

“What is the golden ratio for beauty?” Margaret asked in the same animated tone.

“Well, Miss Margaret, if by beauty you mean the human face?

Yes, indeed, there are several golden ratios in the human face.”

Some mischievous boys took rulers to measure each other’s faces.

“Do not, pick up a ruler, and try to measure people’s faces.”

Professor Sam stressed each word while, warning the students.

“However, during the European Renaissance, renowned artists and architects had used the golden ratio to

map out their masterpieces.”

“Thousands of years later, scientists adopted this mathematical formula to help explain why some people are

considered beautiful…and others are not.”

“How do I know that I am beautiful professor?”

In her haste of asking the question, Margaret forgot to raise her hand and ask permission from the professor.

“Wherever there is number, there is beauty. A famous saying of Greek Philosopher, Proclus.”

“I give you an example, if we divide the length of the face by the width of the face, the ideal result should be 1.6 (the golden ratio).”

“Which means a beautiful person’s face is about one and a half times longer than its width?”

Margaret asked keenly.

“Precisely!”

Miss Margaret, you have successfully found out one of the golden ratios in the human face.

There are certainly more of them present. Some are discovered, and others yet to be revealed,” professor Sam said mysteriously.

The projector screen was now showing the image of the famous Vitruvian Man, a drawing made

by Leonardo da Vinci, an Italian painter. This image depicts a man, in two superimposed positions, with

his arms and legs apart. It is inscribed in a circle and a square.

“It’s assignment time, my dear ones. All of you are looking at this painting, which provides us with the basic information of human body proportions.”

Your job, is to find out, as many golden ratios in the human body, as you can.”

I will be seeing you tomorrow, good day.”

Professor Sam left the classroom.

“Hey Eddie, Would, you become my Vitruvian Man?”, asked a boy in a pleasing tone.

“Only for the sake of assignment, my friend,” he added after receiving fake disapproval from Eddie.

“You mean to say, I have to sacrifice my modesty!”, Eddie said, while stressing the word modesty in a fun way.

“Ha ha ha”, there was students’ combined laughter in the class.

“I might do it for someone like Miss Maggie, perhaps, if she asks me politely, that is,” Eddie winked at the other

boy, while commenting on Margaret.

“You wish. And the name is Margaret. I am going to the library, to finish my assignment, in the meantime,

you all can monkey around, till your hearts’ content. Farewell.”

Margaret left the classroom with all her pride as some boys hooted to make fun.

Elegma also headed towards the library. There is little time left before the next class, so she wanted to

borrow some books for her assignment.

She wanted to take Leah with her, but she was busy talking with the group of students.

They were discussing the assignment as well. So Elegma left by alone.

She didn’t forget the scene from the stairs earlier. She clearly heard someone, and saw a vague image of

a feather, just like a peacock. Something was telling her that it could be another character from her dreams

that materialised in the physical world.

While her brain was captured by scattered thoughts, she pulled the library’s glass door open.

There was silence, and a book scent which spread inside the library.

The books were arranged according to the subjects.

The Physics section was enormous, showcasing books as well as final year projects from the previous students.

Soon Elegma found out the books related to the quantum physics.

One was titled as the Golden Mean in Quantum Mechanics.

Elegma took three books, which she thought could help her in the assignment.

The library wall clock was telling her that there are still fifteen minutes left for the next class to begin.

She decided to sit down and have a look at the books she wanted to borrow.

“Hmm, let’s look at this one first, the divine beauty of mathematics, nice spiral image, must be drawn with

the golden ratio,” Elegma thought aloud.

There was a snail shell like image at the title of the book. She flipped pages to see the table of contents.

“Amazing! How accurately they measured the spiral in a three- dimensional drawing.

No wonder why it is so mesmerising to see such images.”

“Charming, isn’t it,” somebody whispered in her ears.

She looked around shockingly, but didn’t see anyone.

It’s the second time she heard this sentence. First at the stairs when Leah was introducing her to Eric,

and second, just a moment ago.

“Something is definitely wrong.”

“Never mind, I should concentrate on my assignment.”

Again, she tried to concentrate on the book she was holding, when the spiral image turned colourful.

Elegma rubbed her eyes and looked again.

“What’s this? These colours are just like the colours of a peacock feather.”

The image spread, and all she could see was the most beautiful bird that ever existed.

“So much more than a peacock,” Elegma exclaimed.

In front of her, was a bird.

It’s feathers, resembled the peacock’s, but peacock has round circle, with a design at the center.

This one had a spiral like design, which was changing colours every other second.

“Forgot about me little girl, I am with you, since the day you were born,” the bird spoke in the most

euphonious voice. The voice could beat the most melodious singers.

“Desira, I know you. What are you doing here?”, Elegma replied in discomfort.

“Well, well, well, is that a way to treat a guest? You have become disrespectful.”

Desira was moving around like a fashion diva. Unlike peacock, she had beautiful legs, just like a secretary bird.

“I am just curious, why all of a sudden, the likes of you are popping in front of me.

Did I do anything wrong?” Elegma tried to keep her voice low to avoid disturbance in the library.

Luckily no one was there at the Physics section at the time.

“My dear, nothing is wrong with you. It’s just that now you are able to see us, but that doesn’t mean we

weren’t there before.”

“Tell me, Elegma, Have, you not you seen us in your dreams as well?”

Desira was flicking her beautiful eye lashes.

“Can you please go away. I have to do my Physics assignment,” Elegma said hastily.

“As you wish.”

Desira vanished after spreading her wings like a peacock.

“Didn’t know she was that obedient,” Elegma said surprised.

“Let me annotate the text on my slides printout.

These books will definitely help me out to complete the assignment.”

Elegma flipped her printout till she got the slide showing the Vitruvian Man.

“What if we divide, the distance between the finger tips and the elbow, by the distance between the wrist

and the elbow?”

Elegma was taking measurements to get the golden ratio.

“It cannot be happening.” Elegma was still as a stone.

“What happened dearest? You only saw, what’s in your heart.” Desira’s voice was echoing in her head.

“When I said go away. I meant it. Stop manipulating my mind.”

Elegma tried hard to keep her voice low. Her cheeks were rosy from the feeling of shame and anger.

“Elegma. What are you doing her? Our English class is about to start.”

Leah sounded panicked as she found Elegma sitting in the Physics session alone.

She had her books and notes spread all over the table.

“I have been looking all over the school for you. “Leah added.

“I am sorry Leah, I just wanted to borrow some books for the assignment,”

Elegma forgot about Desira for the time being.

“Yeah, I can see it will take all eternity to get these books issue.”

Leah pointed at some opened and closed books on the table.

“You go ahead, I will catch up with you in no time.”

Elegma quickly started to put the notes in her file.

“Not at all, I am not leaving you from now on.

First the bus incident, and now this.

You need somebody by your side today.”

Leah sensed her new friend’s anxiety.

“Okay we will go together. Here, you take my ID card, and get these books issued from the librarian.

Meanwhile I will gather my notes.”

Elegma wanted to set her notes properly.

“Fine. Be quick. Only few minutes left for the class.”

Leah left her with a reminder.

“I have to talk to my grandma, this situation is getting out of control,” thought Elegma.

“Leah. Let’s go.”

Elegma saw Leah waiting for her at the counter.

She was holding the books Elegma wanted to borrow.

“Here, these books are issued on your ID card for a week.”

Leah handed the books over to Elegma.

“Thanks Leah,” Elegma was grateful.

“By the way, do you really think you need such heavy books to complete a simple assignment?” Leah, inquired.

“Yeah, I could have searched it on the internet.

It’s just that, Physics is my passion. I wanted to dig deeper in the topic,” Elegma said.

The way Desira manipulated her mind, gave her shivers down her spine.

“I was discussing about the assignment with fellow students, one of them has an elder brother doing

Master degree in Physics, he could really help us”, Leah seemed concerned.

“Yeah I saw you with them”, Elegma replied pushing back the disturbing thoughts.

“You could have joined us silly, “Leah prompted.

“Yes, you are right Leah! I am sorry, I wasted a lot of time in the library, and now we are late for the class,” Elegma apologised.

“It’s ok, next time I’ll take care of you myself. You can’t be left alone.

I know you are new in this school, but you have to mingle around to get the most of it. Do you understand?”, Leah explained.

English class was started. Both the girls entered after getting permission from Mrs. Barnett, their English teacher. Margaret was reciting a ballad from the book:

“Morning and evening

Maids heard the goblins cry:

“Come buy our orchard fruits,

Come buy come buy…””

Elegma, and Leah settled down together on the back bench.

Margaret was reciting the poem with proper rhythm, taking care of the meters of poetry.

“Figs to fill your mouth,

Citrons from the South,

Sweet to tongue and sound to eye; Come buy, come buy.”

“We have learned about ballad meters before.

I want you to think about these stanzas and tell me, which ballad meter is used in this poem,” Mrs. Barnett said in a sharp voice.

“Please take it as an individual task. I don’t want any group discussions,” she added.

There was silence in the class.

Elegma saw her cell phone blinking. It was a call from home.

She excused from the class to go to the girls’ rest room.

“It’s unethical to leave the class just to answer my phone call, but it could be important,” she thought.

The girls’ common room was at the basement.

Elegma used stairs to go there as she always wanted to avoid the elevator.

Girls’ room was filled with students of different classes, most of them were seniors.

Elegma found an empty sofa at the corner.

She was about to dial her home number when the phone started to vibrate again.

Home was glowing at the screen as she pressed the green icon to accept the call.

“Hello”, Elegma put the phone to her ear.

“Hi! Big sister, how are you?” a young boy spoke from the other side.

“Harry. Why did you call me at this time? You know I am at school.”

Elegma didn’t expect her brother on the phone.

“Yeah, yeah I know. I was missing you,” Harry said in a sad voice.

“Harry, my little brother. I am also missing you a lot.

I will come visit you all, at the weekend, and then we will play basketball together.

What say you?”

Elegma wanted her brother to cheer up.

“Yay! “Harry, seemed happy.

“I will go and tell grandma. She will be happy to hear this.

Grandma, Grandma.”

Harry was probably running towards his grandmother’s room as Elegma heard a disturbance on the phone.

“Oh no! Grandma!”

“Harry, Hello?”

Elegma heard her brother’s scream before the call was disconnected.

0 notes

winchestersandsuperheroes · 7 years

Text

Just My luck (Leonard Snart x Reader): Chapter Three

Pairing: (Eventual) Leonard Snart x Reader

Words: 1697

Summary/Author's Note: This chapter takes place in the episode Revenge of the Rogues. It's a shorter chapter. This chapter shows more of the reader's relationships with team flash. I wanted to leave you all with something since I haven't updated in a week or two. More coming soon.

The Apartment

Is there some unwritten rule that criminals need to ruin my good night’s sleep? I’m actually curious. 3:47am, that’s what the clock said. Could they at least wait a couple hours, after the coffee shops have started to open? Is that too much to ask? 3:47am, I should be asleep, my phone should not be ringing. I should really learn to turn that thing on silent at night, but alas, I am too nice of a person to do that.

The caller id read Joe, which probably meant a case. “Hello?” I answered the phone. “Hey Y/N, we had a break in at a customs warehouse downtown. It’s a weird one,” Joe started. “It’s always a weird one when I get a call. Just once I’d love to get a call about a regular B&E or a guy who skipped bail. Those were the days,” I joked. Joe laughed “You would get bored.” He retorted. “That’s probably true,” I conceded.

“Barry will be by to pick you up in a few. I called you first so you would have a few minutes to get ready before he came speeding into your home,” Joe explained. “I appreciate it. Tell him to bring coffee!” I said getting out of my bed. “Will do, see you in a few,” he hung up after that. I quickly got dressed and my hair flattened down to a non-trollish state. I was lacing up my boots when Barry came flying through the door.

“I’m starting to regret giving you an emergency key. You don’t seem to know what defines an emergency,” I joked continuing with my laces. “It’s a matter of convenience. If I’d knocked you would have had to get up and get the door, I just saved you the trouble,” He said in return.

“Yeah, yeah,” I shook my head. I then noticed the coffee cups in his hand. Precious coffee. He noticed me eyeing the coffee, and handed it over. “You are seriously the best person I know,” I said before taking a sip of the caffeine filled deliciousness. “This right here,” I pointed to the cup in my hand, “This is why we are friends.”

“I kind of feel like you’re using me for my super speed coffee fetching skills sometimes,” He joked. “Definitely,” I replied getting up.

The Crime Scene

“Are you sure nothing’s missing?” Joe asked the beat cop standing next to us. “That’s what the supervisor said. I can check again,” he replied before walking off. “Seriously the perp broke through that steel door to steal nothing. That feels like a lot of work for nothing… unless…” I started theorizing. “Unless what?” Joe asked. “The intention wasn’t to steal anything. It was just for attention, maybe someone in particular’s,” I eyed Barry, making sure Joe saw my look but Eddie didn’t.

It wasn’t the most farfetched assumption that someone could be trying to draw out the flash. “Bare,” Joe started walking towards Barry, Eddie and I followed suit.

“Hey, uh well, the breakage indicates that the door somehow had zero viscal elasticity when it hit the ground,” Barry told us. I did not understand his science-speak, but apparently Joe was on the same page, because he asked “What does that mean to normal people?” “Sorry, uh, the steel shattered like glass,” He explained in terms we could understand.

“How is that possible?” I asked, as he stared at a piece of debris. “It was frozen,” he finally answered. Son of- “Snart,” Joe spoke up. Barry nodded “He’s back,”

“I thought Snart was some world class thief. All these expensive cars, he didn’t take any of them. Doesn’t make sense,” Eddie contemplated. I made eye contact with Barry, I knew we were thinking the same thing. “Eddie, put out an APB on Snart,” Joe told Eddie. “You got it,” Eddie replied before walking off. Barry started to get up.

“Snart wasn’t her to steal anything,” Barry spoke up once Eddie was out of ear shot. “He was setting a trap,” Joe agreed. “For me, and by me I mean…” Barry was cut off by Joe. “Yeah, we know what you meant.”

Star Labs

“Captain Cold is back?” Cisco asked when we walked in. “It would seem so,” I replied in grumpy voice. “Someone’s grumpy,” Cisco observed. “Someone had to wake up at 3:47am because of that bastard. I can’t decide what’s worse that or the whole taking me hostage thing,” I said. “Waking up at 3am was worse than being taken hostage?” he asked. “We both know I’m not a morning person,” I yawned looking for the coffee maker while the rest of the team discussed Snart.

I was half listening to everyone’s conversation as I poured myself another cup of coffee. It was now about 7:30am, and I very much wanted to go back to sleep. No one should be awake this early it’s inhumane.

I overheard something about Barry not helping to catch Snart, odd, I mean I know the Reverse Flash is a really bad guy and all, but I’d think we’d still make time to fight off the other bad guys. So that’s when I started paying attention to the conversation.

“Yeah we can definitely come up with ways to neutralize Snart,” Cisco said in response to Wells’s idea for Wells and Cisco to work with the police to catch Snart.

“I can start working on tracking him down in the meantime,” I suggested. “Yeah, about that… Joe and I talked about it and we’re taking you off the case,” Barry countered. “What?! Are you serious?!” I was not about to sit on the sidelines. “Last time you tailed Snart you were taken hostage,” He started to explain. “Yeah, for like five minutes, and I was fine, well aside from my hand, from punching him in the face… but other than that, not a scratch. And I won’t let him get the drop on me again,” I argued.

“It’s not worth the risk. Besides, Joe already called a friend of his to take over the finding Snart part of the investigation, a bail bondsman Donny, I think,” Barry seemed to be staying firm to this Y/N on the sidelines thing, but I was not having it. And besides, Donny was an adequate bails bondsman at best, there was no way he’d be able to track down Snart.

“Dog the Bounty Hunter is gonna catch Snart, yeah right? Come on, you know I can find him.” I objected. “I don’t doubt your investigative skills, you’re the best PI in Central City, but it’s about your safety. Please just back off of this one for me,” He pleaded.

“Fine,” I verbally conceded. It was a complete lie. There was no way I was backing off of this case. “In that case, I’m going to go home and go take a nap, because I got up way way too early this morning,” I said before quickly exiting the building.

Once I was outside of Star Labs, I took out my phone dialed Felicity’s number. “Hey, it’s me. I need a favor.”

The Apartment

“Thank you so much, and do you think you could maybe not tell Barry about this?” I thanked Felicity over the phone as I opened the file she sent me on my laptop. “And why exactly would you not want him to know about me helping you on a case?” she asked in return.

“Well you see…” I started. “Barry doesn’t want you on the case because it’s Snart, and he’s afraid for your safety,” she finished for me. Damn that girl’s intuition.

“Are you sure you’re not psychic?” I joked. “Nope, just your super smart friend who also worries about your safety,” here we go… I sighed. “I will be fine, I promise to be extra careful, just recon.”

“Okay, but I expect you to check in. If you don’t call me before eight tonight, I’m calling Barry,” I rolled my eyes at her mother hen behavior. “Fine, I promised to check in,” I replied.

“Awesome, then I will talk to you later girly!” She said before hanging up the phone.

I looked over the file on my screen stopping at the name Saints and Sinners; a bar that, according to this file, Snart frequented. It seemed like a good place to start poking around. And I knew just the angle to play.

Saints and Sinners

This place was the exact depiction of a dive bar. This was definitely not a place you would find me hanging out in by choice. It was still early afternoon, so the bar was pretty much empty except for the bartender and a couple biker types that eyed me on my way in. This ought to be fun.

I walked straight up to the bartender. She looked at me with a bored expression. “What can I get for ya?” she asked me with a hint of annoyance in her voice. “I’m actually looking for someone. I was hoping maybe you can help me,” I was using a superficial cheerleader type voice.

Today’s character of choice was the ex-hook up character, I’d played this one a thousand times, it felt somewhat demeaning, but it usually worked. I was even dressed in character, with too tight jeans, heels, and a low cut top, definitely not my usual style.

“There’s this guy I hooked up with awhile back and I never got his number, but someone told me hangs out here,” I started. “You’re gonna have to be more specific darlin’,” She said impatiently. “His name is Leonard something, he has a really weird last name, I think it started with an ‘S’. Small, Snail, Sport, Smart, no wait, Snart! Yeah, Leonard Snart. Have you seen him around here lately?”

“I think you have the wrong bar sweetie, I’ve never heard that name before,” I could tell she was lying. “Are you sure? I was really hoping to see him again,” I tried again.

“I had no idea I made that kind of impression on you, Y/N,” The voice came from behind me, I knew that voice. “Son of a bitch,” I said dropping the fake voice.

#leonard snart #leonard snart x reader #leonard snart imagine #Captain Cold #captain cold x reader #captain cold imagine #The Flash

152 notes · View notes