#glass cylinder chandelier

[the-best-text-posts]

Kitchen Dining - Dining Room Medium-sized transitional kitchen/dining room combination with light wood floors and beige floors, gray walls, and no fireplace

#glass cylinder chandelier #tablescape #wall hung shelving #stainless appliances #glass front cabinets

[liminal-storage]

#27: Hall of Whispers

Prompt: Sole

Characters: Maximilian Finch, Crowe, “Mother.”

Content Warnings: Mentions of mutilation/self harm, abuse. 

Note: This is not ffxiv-focused writing, but again me taking the opportunity to write about Blades things. A tiny glimpse at the place that my character, Finch, calls home.

—------------

In the most destitute, wave-worn streets bordering the docks, the rooms of a house known as the Harpy’s Wing stand as a bastion against the freezing winds rolling from Duskvol’s cold waters. Though, anyone left alive from those days can tell you it is a much different sort of place than it was when it opened three decades prior. The ornate, hand-carved door welcoming patrons once shone with a fine mahogany-colored polish. Its plush, neatly upholstered divans are still lovely to look at and fine enough for entertaining patrons, but time and use has certainly shown its wear on the wood. The fabric seems a bit threadbare if you look at certain spots

On good days, of which there are few, a number of delicate stained glass chandeliers fashioned with hanging glass beads catch the light from the oil-lamps outside and scatter it into pieces along the walls. Through the years, thick layers of dust and the stain of cigar smoke have tinted the glass a dull orange, but once upon a time they glimmered with every shade of the rainbow like floating, ethereal jellyfish. 

Most of the Harpy’s Wing looked like that. Lavish and evocative of longing for a nicer city, a different time, but worn down by sea spray and cold and smoke, and Duskvol’s general sense of misery. 

Some nights the phonograph still plays, though someone lost all the other wax cylinders. Now, only one tune resonates throughout the halls, its notes grown dissonant and distorted like the rest of the place. Not that the hard working gentlemen or ladies who come to call on the birds of the house really seem bothered by it. They heed not the call of the phonograph but the call of hedonistic pleasures, taken to dusty backrooms with moth-eaten bedding. Coin flows, bodies sweat, and beds rock like the ebb and flow of the frigid tides. The hard working men and women of the docks find temporary entertainment and a short-lived balm for the soul, never knowing what lurks further within the walls. 

The upper floor remains off limits. 

Here, no light from outside penetrates the halls. The only furnishings to decorate most of the rooms are worn wooden benches, hard lumpy beds, and guttering oil lamps that, at any given moment, pose a danger of tipping over and engulfing the entire Wing in flames. There is one room at the end of the hall where the darkness seems to seep from the very depths of the night. Within the room, a woman with stark-white hair and an unnatural glowing youth sits upon an embroidered chair. Hands bound to the elaborate padded chair’s arms, Mother’s eyes have not espied anything but darkness since the establishment opened its doors for the first time. 

She sits blinded in the darkness, her eyes long since gouged out and covered with a veil dotted with silk roses over her empty sockets. She clawed them out herself, before her most beloved Crowe bound her hands to the chair. An esteemed offering to her goddess, to bear her sacred likeness. Her only company here is her Crowe, he who bears eyes across all of Duskvol. To watch over her children, she says. To witness their sins and tell of their tribulations. 

Her dear, beloved Finches. In the end, one shall fly above the rest.

Someday one of them will repeat the ritual of offering, carve out their eyes to take her place upon the worn throne within the Hall of Whispers. Another will become the new Mother’s Crowe and watch over the rest of the Wing. 

The young Maximilian shows promise, though the Crowe is not yet certain in which way. Will they open themselves to the goddess’ voice? Or will theirs be the voice that speaks for Mother? Though, their recent mishap proved disquieting to hear. Mother shall have to give them a firm reminder of the consequences for indiscretion. Maximilian’s back already bears scars of such lessons, but not nearly enough. To awaken the sovereign beneath the waves, the Finches must come to understand sacrifice. Mother speaks of penance from beneath her veil. 

“Twenty lashes and a week without food this time, I think. This time they shall be inflicted at your hand rather than their own. See to it once the little one returns, Crowe.” 

#ffxivwrite2023 #ritz writing #not actually ffxiv related!

[mlwritersguild]

Common Ground, by @bugchat

Based on a prompt submitted by @empressofall: star wars holiday special au

AO3; Fluff & Angst, Star Wars/Mandalorian AU, Bad Parent Gabriel Agreste, Kidnapping, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Healing

Summary:

Adrien Agreste is starting to get really tired of all these formal Empire-organised dinners and meetings, so when he gets instructed to be a courier that gets to go outside for a bit, he happily obliges. Little does he know his cargo is very important, and many people are after it. How does he fare, faced with past mistakes, a planet destroyed, and an enemy unknowingly after his cargo?

---

THE GALA

“For the love of the Maker, Adrien, stand up straight. The Moff’s here tonight, we need to look presentable .”

Adrien and his father walked through the halls just after the initial security checkpoint outside, dreary gray metallic slabs reflecting the harsh white lights from above. It cast harsh shadows into his father’s face, deep-set eyes completely vanishing in the dark. Not that Adrien often got the pleasure of having them look at him anyway. The only time those eyes saw him is when Gabriel passed a propaganda poster with Adrien’s face on it, smiling a fake smile and making false promises.

That light had vanished long ago.

The second checkpoint was already a bit more formal looking, with it being near the main halls where the internal official people went. The deeper one went into the core of the building, the more pretentious it got. Adrien supposed his father belonged right in the middle of it.

The stormtroopers had a few blue squares on their insignia, so they had to be quite high-ranked. For stormtroopers, that is. They didn’t dare ask his father for ID when they saw his 6 yellow ones. 

“Please step through.”

Adrien wasn’t wearing his.

The weapons detector beeped at him in synch with the security droid next to it, and he stepped to the other side to be handed back his ID cylinder. Like they needed that to run his chain code these days. “Happy birthday, Sir.”

“Hmm?”

“It’s…” The stormtrooper paused, slightly shook their head, and dropped the cylinder into Adrien’s gloved palm before saluting and turning back around. “Have a good evening, Sirs.”

Adrien turned to just watch his father break his disapproving stare at him. “How coherent of you.”

Gabriel waltzed on, briefcase completely still in his right hand. Adrien blinked and turned to the stormtrooper, but they were already tending to the next guests arriving. He had to walk quite fast to catch back up, since running wasn’t exactly an option, and joined on his father’s left side. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. Be better.”

“Of course, Father.”

The troopers at the door parted for them and let them enter the main central hall. Adrien still wondered how the “defeated” Empire managed to rent out one of the biggest buildings on Coruscant without raising suspicion, but those questions were better left unasked by someone of his rank. For now, he had to blend in as well as stand out, however much he wanted to disappear.

The central hall was near-circular and had a high glass roof, with a giant chandelier hanging from the middle of the dome. The architecture had to be Old Republic, with its golden accents. The New Republic didn’t have money for all that during the war, and the Empire definitely didn’t bother with such things. The halls, however, had to have been renovated in the last few years, with the–

“General Agreste.”

Adrien bowed very curtly before stepping behind his father and taking the briefcase from his right hand. He held it tightly, unmoving as he had seen his father do. The contents were unknown to him, but the man before him seemed to know. He eyed the briefcase with unrestricted eagerness and greed, even as he shook Gabriel’s hand. He was higher ranked, so he could. The plaque on his armor told Adrien that much. 

He didn’t bother with the rankings all that much, but two blue and four yellow squares were high. Maybe an Admiral? Or…

“Ah, Moff–” 

Oh . A moff . Not as high a title as Grand Admiral, but above his father’s rank. He probably had his own cruiser orbiting the planet right now. Sweat was already gathering on his back and in his hands as he met the Moff’s inquisitive gaze.

“Adrien,” his father turned to him and gestured with his right hand to two black-dressed individuals, “go with these stormtroopers and deliver the briefcase to the transport. You return to me as soon as it is leaving. Is that clear?”

‘Crystal.’

“Yes, Father.”

---

THE DEPARTURE

They were tall, didn’t look at him, and went whether he was beside them or not. Droid stormtroopers. Robotic legs gave them away, along with their heavy reverberating footsteps on the metal of the halls. They weaved through the back halls, probably to a secluded exit, and exited into the brisk night. 

It was a shame Coruscant had those climate controls installed so long ago. Adrien longed for the cold sting of snow right around now. Just to get out of this meaningless cycle of propaganda parties, galas, formal dinners, and business meetings. He longed for the shadows cast by those lights, to disappear into them, never to be seen again. 

As if his footsteps were obscured by snowfall. 

The guard on his left tripped.

The sound made Adrien jump, whirling to face that direction as he stepped backward. The guard on his right was now engaged, gun raised and eyes gleaming red. The left trooper tried to get up but failed halfway, dropping back down heavily. As the right stormtrooper bent down to check what was stopping him, Adrien was grabbed from behind. He managed to exclaim just before his mouth was covered, and the guards heard him. His assailant cursed and let go of him, instead shooting a blaster at the stormtrooper.

The shot bounced off.

Another curse from behind him, and Adrien finally remembered to drop and cover his head before his guards returned fire. He clutched the briefcase to his chest and started crawling back to the exit they came from. It was closed, tightly sealed, but at least there would be some cover and a camera to at least get a glimpse of the attacker should he get taken. 

He was surprised at how rational his thought process was despite the adrenaline coursing through his veins.

The assassin was too fast for Adrien to get a good glimpse at. They moved too smoothly from one place to another in the dark parts of the little yard. And they were good . One of the guards was still down, feet tied together with something. The attacker’s blaster fire had ceased and they were now merely moving around the guards. Getting closer and closer until they were close enough to– 

Fire burst from their arm, creating a wave of heat that washed over Adrien. The light made him squint, unable to follow. When the fire ceased, one of the troopers had deactivated, now laying limp on the ground. The other seemed to be frozen, unmoving with its back turned to Adrien.

It dropped, a vibroblade protruding from its chassis. The assailant bent over the deactivated droid, pulled the blade free in one motion, and resheathed it on their thigh. 

Adrien clutched the briefcase further into his chest, feet scrabbling for grip on the slightly damp ground, and stared up from where he was squished against the closed hangar doors. His stupid officer uniform boots didn’t have any grip, and the slightly brown color didn't help him blend in against the brightly lit off-white walls. The walls, behind his back and three feet on either side of him. Locking him in.

So much for rational thinking.

The assailant had stepped over the dropped stormtrooper and was slowly marching toward Adrien. He could merely gape, tears leaking from his eyes, as they stepped into the light.

A Mandalorian.

He had just stepped out of the Coruscanti building of the Empire, dressed in his best clothes, the newest trooper droids on either side of him, with a briefcase in his hands, on the anniversary of a holiday within the Empire; the initiation of the Great Purge of Mandalore. 

He was going to die.

“Please, make it quick,” he begged, closing his eyes. “And leave me for my father so he can bury me. Please–”

“ Get up.”

“...What?”

“Get up!” they hissed, voice warped through the modulator of their helmet as they stepped closer and waved their arm. “Get up now, take the briefcase, and stay right in front of me.”

Adrien scrabbled against the slick ground and managed to get his feet planted. He rose quickly and darted out in front of the Mandalorian, who immediately put the nozzle of their blaster into his spine.

The sweat on his back was like a waterfall.

“To the right outside the gates, and then the first ship on the left. Keep moving and act normal .”

“I-I’ll try .”

Just one foot in front of the other. Over the gray ground, through the gates, around the corner, up the ramp, into the wall of the hold. He kept his head forward and eyes down, trying to walk at the right pace the Mandalorian wanted from him. The ship lifted off smoothly enough and was in hyperspace in no time. Strange, with the hyperspace lanes being under strict security protocols. Maybe they had someone on the inside..?

The Mandalorian came back into the hold from the cockpit with their blaster trained between his eyes. “What’s in the briefcase? Classified documents? Analytical reports? A weapon?”

“I don’t know,” he rushed, trying to press himself even further into the wall. “He never told me. He just said to deliver it to a ship out back and then to return to him inside. I have no idea what’s inside.”

They stepped closer, their right hand now free from the blaster, extending toward him. He moved slowly but steadily, lifting the case into their gloved palm. He held his hands up as they walked backward, away from an immediate attack. Not like he knew how to even strike someone that armored. Chestplate, helmet, pauldrons, vambraces with weapons within, thigh guards, steel-toed boots. Every piece was painted red, dented from attacks, scratched from vibroblades. 

He didn’t stand a chance.

They opened the briefcase slowly and carefully, checking for secret security measures as they did. It was nice to know they cared enough to not let them both explode, but Adrien was sure he was about to combust with the tension in the hold. Nowhere to run, hyperspace didn’t allow for any escape pods to be used during travel, and the fact that they were in a lane didn’t help either.

The case snapped shut, startling him. The Mandalorian had grabbed whatever was inside and was now holding a weapon against his throat. It buzzed and crackled, but he was unable to drag his eyes away from their helmet. All Adrien could see from the corner of his eye was black. The Mandalorian’s voice was low when they next spoke, filled with hurt, rage, and the desire to slash his throat. 

“How did you come to be in the possession of the Darksaber?”

He was going to kill his father.

---

THE SWORD

The Mandalorian had been in the cockpit for a while, which had left Adrien alone with his thoughts in the cargo hold. A small droid, also painted red, was watching him from the other side of the room, occasionally beeping at him. The tension had left his muscles ages ago when it became clear the Mandalorian wasn’t planning on murdering him just yet. After the unspoken accusations, they had resheathed the blade and had started pacing the hold for a good while before instructing the small droid to keep an eye on him. And that’s all that had happened in the last few hours.

Hyperspace was funny like that. 

Adrien had sagged against the wall, hands empty, staring at the opened case that was thrown across the room. The black protective material stared back from inside, the shape of the handle exactly cut out to fit the weapon. How long had his father had possession of it? What was he planning? The Moff probably knew what was inside, and that’s why he had been staring at it so intently. But what did he want with it? And more importantly, why ?

Mandalorian history was quite familiar to Adrien. His father always insisted it was important to know one’s enemy. And not just war tactics and weaponry. Culture, art, and philosophies as well. He remembered the first time he saw a video of Grand Admiral Thrawn saying those exact words many years ago. Figures, that his father’s one mission was a stolen concept.

The reason the Mandalorians were their enemies had always been clear to him. They were warriors, strong ones, unwilling to cooperate with the Empire. The Mandalorians had had a lot of internal conflicts and civil wars, resulting in many factions and interpretations of the original Creed. But there was one common factor among them all: the Darksaber. When won in combat, one would become the Mand’alor. King of Mandalore. The Darksaber had been lost during the Great Purge, where Bo-Katan Kryze had lost it during an attack. Adrien had figured it had been destroyed, as had many others. A legend lost to the sands of the now desolate planet. 

And he had held it in his very hand. 

The doors to the cockpit opened and the Mandalorian stepped out, head held high and hands behind their back. The light from hyperspace lit them from behind, creating an intimidating shadow on the ground. They looked absolutely powerful. The small droid glided back over to them and slid back into its compartment in the side of the Mandalorian’s helmet. 

“Talk.”

That was probably the smart thing to do. 

“I was given the case to be delivered to the shuttle of a Moff attending the gala. The black Stormtroopers were assigned to protect me by the Moff himself. I had no idea of its contents, let alone—“ The significance. He knew. The way his father only held it in his right, still strong arm. How the Moff had eyed it. The high rank of the escort. The fact that he had to deliver it instead of the usual delivery squads at galas. He was a fool. 

“Why did you get to deliver it?”

“Because I’m the General’s son.”

Silence. 

The Mandalorian stepped forward, blaster now in hand. “Show me your plaque.” 

Adrien slowly stuck his hand in his pocket and took out the magnetized plate. Five yellow, one red. Operations Colonel. Only one rank below his father. Not that he deserved it. Nor did he want it. 

“Operations Colonel,” they said, turning it over in their palm. They closed their hand around it in a fist, head whipping back up to him. “Did you have anything to do with the Purge?”

“Maker no, when they attacked I was fifteen .”

“So was I!” they said, lowering their blaster as they started waving. The sudden outburst startled Adrien, making him push back against the wall once again. “When your people attacked my home, my family , I had to hide. I wanted to fight, defend my system, but—“ Their voice left them for a moment, and they cleared their throat. “I lost everything because of the Empire. Many of my people died, and we had to run. Because the Empire is ruthless and fights dirty. And now, I find one of the people that killed mine, carrying part of my heritage without even knowing what it means!”

Adrien knew what it meant. How significant that weapon was to them. 

“I had no idea I had it. That anyone had it. If I had known—“

“You would’ve returned it, sure.”

“Well, I might’ve at least tried !” The back of his mind was screaming at him to calm down, to appear small, to not be a threat. But if they could rant away their problems at him, so could he. “I’ve tried to get out, multiple times! Those stormtroopers were not only to protect that sword, they were there to keep me contained! I’ve tried running. I’ve tried stealing a shuttle. I’ve tried faking my death. Nothing is good enough, because I symbolize the Empire. To most people, I am the face they put next to the name. As if I am the Empire itself!”

His chest was heaving as he finished, hand dropping back down to his side. He was standing. Maker, why was he standing? Kidnapped 101, 10 years old, always comply with whoever took you so they leave you alive. Unless it’s giving out information about the Empire, your mission, or anything that could jeopardize the cause. When that happened, you had to take care of yourself. Take out yourself.

Maybe he deserved it.

“Whether I like it or not, I am Empire.”

Adrien was taller than the Mandalorian. 

The refresher was behind him, feet already halfway back through the hold, when the Mandalorian spoke. “Why would you work for them?” Adrien glared at the ground, hands clenched at his side, glad they couldn’t see his face from back in the doorway of the cockpit. “Follow their rules? Why would you affiliate yourself with these people, whose only purpose is to hurt others?”

They were pretty short, even. He towered above them, at least a whole head, maybe more, even with their thick-soled boots and helmet. They upped him in pure muscle mass, though, even with their height difference. In a fight, he would never stand a chance against a trained armored warrior. He probably would still lose if they had no armor or weapons at all.

“It’s all I’ve ever been told,” he said to the floor. “I grew up hearing how great the Empire was, how it strived for peace across the galaxy. I knew violence when I was young, and hearing sweet promises of calm and order every day makes you want to believe. Until eventually, you do.” Adrien took a deep breath, letting all that resentment and spite leave his body. “But, when it gets… closer , suddenly, that suffering is real. Not just nameless numbers in reports I kept sneaking glances at, but people . I could see the pain in their eyes. Like the light had dimmed. And it was awful . Husks of what they once must’ve been.”

His entire being told him this was wrong, to try to justify his loyalties to a tyrannic government against a victim of that system. But…was he not a victim too?

It was silly, how casually the Mandalorian was standing. Like they had decided he wasn’t a physical threat. A correct assessment he agreed with, however much he was tempted to deny it.

“Why haven’t you left yet?”

“How?” he said, turning his head to look into the void of their visor. “How can anyone expect me to leave my only family, all I’ve ever known, stability and order, for the chaos that is the galaxy? How can I, when I am always watched, observed, en ensure I can’t move? I became the face of the hidden Empire! Anyone loyal to the Empire knows who I am! I could never leave. Even if I had the guts to do so.”

“Then you’re a coward and a fool, trapped in a cage of your own making.”

“Then I suppose I am.”

The Mandalorian in front of him must’ve left home as well. Their family, their life, or whatever had remained of it. And the only reason had been that a few stuck-up assholes somewhere way up above them had decided the other was too dangerous to be left alone. They were forced out into the unknowns of the galaxy, while he had been confined to a few gray halls and meaningless parties. Two ends, same battle.

Fifteen years old when the Empire attacked, destroyed a world, and took countless lives.

Though they were still standing, their lives were also taken from them.

---

HISTORY (I)

“—der was the strongest for the Empire. He was always clear. A true model. Killed by his own child. A tragedy indeed.”

“How do we ensure he never thinks like that? That violence is the only option?”

“Simple. We never tell him anything close to the truth.”

“That’s lying. I won’t lie to him.”

“Don’t you want to stay safe? From him?”

“He’d never hurt us, Gabriel. Unless we give him a reason to.”

“Is your mother still alive?”

“Father refuses to speak of her.” Adrien lifted his head from his knees. “What about your parents?”

“Killed.”

“They would be proud of you.”

The Mandalorian looked away.

The holodisk burned a hole through his pocket the entirety of the flight back. His father dismissed him as soon as they entered their house, and he ran up the stairs to his room immediately. 

He closed the door, heaving for breath, wishing he could lock the doors. All he could do was close the windows and hope no one would come in for a few minutes.

His closet was organized neatly with browns and blacks, not a thing out of place. The old shoebox, tucked away in the corner, was surprisingly clean as he took it out. Opening the lid revealed the old disk reader he had hidden away from before. He took the disk out of his pocket and placed it in the projector, lighting up the room in blue. As the device read the gaps, fragments of the meager information flashed to life.

Adrien gaped at the description, then up at the title as it was revealed.

The Force.

---

HISTORY (II)

“You know more about the Darksaber than you’re letting on.”

Adrien gulped, the Mandalorian once again towering over him. “You could say my Father had a special interest in your people and loved to gloat about his knowledge.”

They sat down on a secured crate across from him, a mere few feet away. They swung one leg over the other and crossed their arms. “So your history lessons were an Empire-propagandized version of our culture?” 

“I wouldn’t know. It was presented as the truth to me.”

“Then what were you told about the Darksaber?”

“That it was made by the first and only ever Mandalorian Jedi, Tarre Vizsla.”

They were probably narrowing their eyes at him, thinking about what they wanted to know. It was a unique opportunity, after all. Inside information on what the Empire saw as the truth about Mandalorians. And maybe what they didn’t know, how to get the edge, the tactical advantage. What he told the Mandalorian could be used in active warfare, the hidden battle. 

Adrien just hoped he could get some truth in response to the lies he had been told.

“What about its history?”

“Well, the Jedi kept it in a temple after Vizsla died to commemorate him, and then the Mandalorians…stole it. During the fall of the Old Republic.” Adrien was tempted to shield his head in case they lashed out at him, this time maybe physically.

“They stole it from us. We merely took it back in opportunism. It was passed down between generations of Clan Vizsla like it should have been in the first place.”

“Until it ended up in the hands of Pre Vizsla.”

“That man was a disgrace to Mandalorians.”

There had been rumors, drifting around the halls of the Empiric vessels. It was as if Adrien had only heard them yesterday. Bounty hunters, Mandalorians, out to earn credits and provide for their clan. Death Watch. But Vizsla had been part of… 

Adrien frowned and tilted his head. “Death Watch wanted to abolish the pacifistic path Satine Kryze had set Mandalore on during the Clone Wars, right?”

“True.”

“And you have sworn the Creed?”

“I am a Child of the Watch, of course I did. What does that have to do with anything?”

“Children of the Watch is the successor to Death Watch.”

The Mandalorian laughed once, hard, without humor, and uncrossed their legs, pointing a single bouncing finger at him in warning. “And that’s a bunch of bantha crap.”

“You said you wanted to defend your system during the Purge,” Adrien urged on. “You were never on Mandalore itself. You were on its moon , Concordia.”

“I never said I was born a Mandalorian.” The Mandalorian rose from their seat, voice broken from sudden emotion through the modulator. “I was a child when my people had to flee their homes on a single ship. With only fear in my veins, and the constant banging on the shields in my mind. Everybody on that ship died! For some forsaken reason, I was the only one still breathing when we were boarded by Mandalorians. They took me in, gave me a new home, and gave me a purpose ! I owe them my life…”

The Mandalorian sagged, tension and energy leaving them. It was slow, as they sauntered back over to their spot on the crate. 

Adrien could only see himself. You grow up hearing lies, feeling wanted, but have to fit in with traditions and values to be loved. So you do everything in your power to stay within those invisible lines, teetering on the edge, waiting to fall.

‘Then you’re a coward and a fool, trapped in a cage of your own making.’

“What is the Creed like these days?”

The Mandalorian cocked their head at him. They had both been silent for quite some time, thinking. They were strangely intimate topics, to be discussed, given the situation. A kidnapper and their abductee, trapped in hyperspace together. 

Adrien had no idea where they were even going. The Outer Rim, judging by how long they had been flying. Maybe the Unknown Regions, even. The Children of the Watch had been flying under the radar for quite some time, so they had to have a hideout somewhere the Empire had never looked, or never would. Maybe something hard to reach or difficult to live in, like a planet covered in toxins. Or somewhere deep in the Unkown Regions, where only people who had a map could go. 

But that was silly. Blindly following a map into danger.

“We follow the original texts, the Resol’nare,” the Mandalorian started. “But we’ve had to make adaptations to ensure survival. For the Foundlings. For people me. The Creed is like an expansion of the Resol’nare. It speaks of how a Clan should function, the roles of the people in it, what we should abide by.”

“Anything I might not know of?”

The Mandalorian shrugged. “I wouldn’t know what your father has told you, what he’s lied about, what he kept from you. How would I know what you do and do not know?”

“Tell me a single thing, then.” Adrien scooted forward, legs crossed and fingers drumming on his thighs. “A single thing that you’re certain I wouldn’t know. Something you would be willing to tell, and won’t get you killed by your Clan.”

Silence.

They were probably not going to. An Imperial officer, kidnapped on their ship within their control, asking questions about their Creed, their sacred texts, and for what? His own curiosity? They probably thought he was trying to get intel on the Mandalorian war tactics these days. Rituals before their fights, maybe a detail about their armor or defenses. Or–

“Nobody has seen my face in four years.”

Adrien blinked. “Why?”

“The helmet only comes off before aliit. Family. I have no family, so the helmet stays on. Even within my Clan.”

“So no one knows what you look like?”

“My droid, but no living thing. Maybe a stray loth cat that one time, but…”

His jaw dropped. They were completely anonymous. A ghost. Not a single living being knew what they looked like. “So you’re telling me you could leave, start a new life, and no one would be any the wiser?”

“I would never abandon my Clan,” they hissed. “I am the beroya of my Clan. I am no hut’uun. I may not have a face, but I still have my duties and honor.”

“So you can never show your face to anyone ever again?”

“Aliit ori'shya tal'din.”

Aliit meant family. He knew that. The rest of the words? He had no idea. 

The Mandalorian had had enough of his constant prodding with questions. They had started tapping on a holopad, probably looking through files, the droid flittering around their helmet with small beeps and other sounds. Adrien didn’t understand Binary, but the droid sounded questioning. Maybe a little scolding. 

“K’uur! Cui ogir'olar. Gedet'ye.”

They started reading, lights flickering across their visor as they scrolled through the page at an increasing speed. The droid was backing up as the Mandalorian grew rigid in their perch. As they read on, their grip on the holopad grew stronger. Adrien thought he even heard a crack. His sign to back up as well. 

“Haar’chak!”

The holopad flew right at him.

He was certain he made a quite intelligent sound as it made impact with his head, just beside his right eyebrow. The force of it sent his head flying back, into the wall.

He groaned, holding his hand up to his face. It came back warm, his glove slightly darker and heavier. Blood. Great.

The Mandalorian was curing in Mando’a, apparently too busy with whatever they had just read to notice exactly what the holopad had made contact with. Adrien’s brain was ringing, his head wobbling. He did not need a concussion on top of this all.

Suddenly, hands were on his wrists, taking his grip away from his head. More cursing. The Mandalorian ran away, only to be back in front of him immediately. Did he pass out? He was facing his lap instead of the ceiling. Two gloves lay on his legs. Not his, he could still feel the heavy fabric sticking to his palms, between his fingers. The Mandalorian's gloves. 

Stinging.

He hissed through his teeth, trying to get away from the sensation, but he was stopped by a strong hand around his left shoulder, keeping him straight up against the wall. He fumbled with his legs, but they were pinned down as well. Trapped. Panic. 

“Udesii !” There was a warm palm on his cheek for a second before it left again, a slight pinching sensation now beside his browbone. “Quite a scratch. Now stay still, keep this on it, I’ll be right back.” His hand was guided to a piece of fabric pressing against the skin, and he held it there as the entire sensation of the Mandalorian left him. His legs felt lighter, his shoulders like they could be used again, and his head was free to move, eyes flittering across the hold. He could just spot the backside of the Mandalorian leaving through the door to the cockpit in a hurry before the door slammed down again.

The droid was in front of his face, beeping a slow low beep at him. “I’ll be fine, right?” He got an affirmative-sounding beep in response.

“Let me see that.” The Mandalorian was back, this time without their knees pressing into his thighs. Adrien let his arm drop, the slightly bloody fabric now in his lap. The red was deeper than that of the Mandalorian's armor. He decided he liked the color of the armor more. “Shame, I liked your face.”

The stinging was back.

Adrien hissed again but managed to stay still as the Mandalorian worked. “Dank ferrik, why didn’t you move?”

“Well, I didn’t expect a projectile to come at me, especially with the force you put behind it!” Adrien tensed as a bandage was put over the cut, and gingerly relaxed as the Mandalorian fell back on their haunches. 

“I’m sorry.”

“What did you even…”

“You were right.” 

“About what?”

“Children of the Watch is the successor to Death Watch.”

Adrien fell silent. The Mandalorian dropped to the floor, legs now stretched in front of them. Their shoes almost brushed against his knees. The gloves still lay in his lap. They were looking at their fidgeting hands, taking grime and dirt out from under their fingernails. “We’ve been lied to by the elders. Or maybe they have been lied to.”

“There is strength in anonymity. They were probably just trying to do what was best for your Clan.”

The Mandalorian nodded. “But they still did wrong things. How am I supposed to go on with them? Go back to them? I have responsibilities, but I don’t want to be a part of a Clan that did those awful things.”

“You can be a part of something without condoning every single thing that people before you have ever done.” The Mandalorian raised their head to him, and Adrien gave a soft smile. “You’re just trying to keep your Clan alive. You’re doing it by hunting bad people. People like me.”

“You were forced into that.”

“As were you.”

Common ground.

Nobody had seen their face since they were sixteen years old.

It was quite odd to think about. Even if Adrien set aside all the Empire and Resistance and Rebel stuff, not showing anybody your face for over four years is a lot. And it was a standard within their community. Did they even see themself in mirrors? Probably. But not a lot. Mirrors would be quite redundant if no one got to see you anyway. Maybe to inspect wounds. Nobody else could treat anything on your head, after all. Or maybe it was just the face? Nobody could see their face, but what about the back of their head? And what if they didn’t see it but just touched their hair? 

Did they even have hair?

Adrien didn’t even know if the Mandalorian in front of him was a human or not. Maybe they were from another species entirely. One that had the same proportions as his species did, enough to fit in that armor and the helmet. A bald one, maybe reptilian. Or something with other animal features. Ears? Tail? The flight suit was decently wide on their frame, leaving enough room for movement at least, but maybe there was more.

But no face…

Being anonymous was such a foreign concept to him. Everybody knows everybody within the Empire. Maybe that’s just how high up he is, but that is where he lives. In a world where anybody can recognize him. Everybody he meets knows his father, and they certainly know him. He’s on the posters on the wall, on the internal news messages, the face people have in their minds when they think of the Empire. He’s the personification of their ambition, their status, their power. He’s never been anything else, and he never will be.

He wonders what it’s like to be on the other end of it.

Adrien would never find out, though, so why bother asking? He’d asked them enough already. About their history, their private life. All he needed to know was whether they were going to kill him or not. And it was tempting to fall for the sense of life the Mandalorian was giving him.

---

FUTURE (I)

“I will never want to go back.”

“To your father? Won’t you let him know you’re alive, at least?”

The thought hadn’t crossed his mind. “Would you allow me to?”

“Not yet, at least.”

“You won’t have to let me. I won’t.”

“But where will you go?”

“You’ll set me free?”

“I wasn’t planning on killing you if that’s what you’re asking.”

“What were you planning, then?”

“Ransom. Information, beskar, whatever they would trade for you. I was just waiting for an unfortunate soul to pass through. I was after no one in particular, but you turned out to be quite the catch.”

“What am I worth, then? What would you get?”

“I had estimated whoever I took, that someone’s family, your father, would care , but…”

“So I’m worthless because my father thinks my individual life is not important enough to trade with the enemy with?”

“You’re important to the Empire, though.”

“Not important enough.” 

It doesn’t sting as much as he thought it would.

“Where are you from?”

“Corellia. It’s…an industrial part of the Core Worlds. I wasn’t there a lot. We lived mostly on Coruscant, where my father had business to discuss, but we had a house on Naboo. By the water. The weather was my favorite part; how it changed. And we had a pet there, my mom got me a loth cat when I was young. I loved him to death.”

“The only pet I ever had was my droid. I took her with me on the ship, and even though she got damaged, my buir fixed her up. Even though droids aren’t part of our culture. She’s the one thing I still have from home.”

“Must be nice, to have a physical reminder of home. Your first home.”

“Your father has something of yours?”

“My mom’s. I wanted to have it, but he wouldn’t let me. I don’t even know if he still has it.”

“Maybe one day you’ll get it back.”

“One day, maybe.”

Adrien kept wondering what his capturer looked like. Human-like at least, he’d concluded earlier. He still couldn’t get to any more details than that. Maybe they had hair, maybe they were bald. The shape of their face, the slope of their nose, the color of their eyes, and whether they sparkled or not… All a mystery. But there were five fingers on the glove in his lap, and Adrien could clearly see the same amount on the Mandalorian's hands. 

The holopad was back with them on the crate, displaying the same information as before. The Mandalorian still seemed upset, their shoulders hunched and fingers tensed. Adrien no longer feared the tablet flying at his face and sat a bit more relaxed this time. The gloves were easy to fidget with, the fine leather rubbing pleasantly against his fingertips.

The Mandalorian’s hands seemed soft. Colored a warm beige, considerate of their movements, and yet surprisingly small. The tip of the glove didn’t reach past the second joint on his middle finger, the entire phalange still sticking out from beneath it. 

It reminded him of when his mother would let him play with her hands, nails always cared for, a nice white line at the ends. Solid clicking sounds, they would make, when he bumped them together softly. 

His father’s hands were…different. His nails were clipped short, hidden beneath the fabric of white gloves, even his still strong right hand. Gloves always reminded him of the damage hidden beneath, a secret from those unfit to know those tales. There was still some guilt gnawing at him whenever his eyes found the dots of white contrasting against the browns and grays of the issued uniforms.

Maybe now he won’t have to look at them anymore.

“What are you thinking about?”

The modulated voice startled him out of his musings, head snapping to face the Mandalorian. He couldn’t say hands, could he? That’d be weird, with that the only part of the Mandalorian exposed like that. “Family,” he said instead, looking at the black gloves, drumming white out of his mind. “My mom.”

The Mandalorian seemed to hum.

“Do you…often think of your family? Your old one?” He had the tendency to ask prodding questions, his mother always said fondly. When his father said it, it always sounded disapproving.

“Sometimes,” they say. They’ve had enough prodding questions, and this one seems to be superficial enough for the Mandalorian to answer it. “My parents were craftspeople, bakers. The small but fulfilling life, you know?”

Adrien didn’t know, but nodded anyway.

“My mom was small, smaller than me, even. And endlessly wise. And my dad was so large everybody was intimidated by him. He once came home with tears in his eyes because he’d made a child cry by towering over them to hand them back their toy, poor guy. The sweetest man I have ever known.”

“It sounds lovely.”

“We had a small garden at the back of the house,” they continue. “Wooden plates, stepping stones, and infinite amounts of pots with flowers. Behind that were our fields, to grow crops to make the bread. A sea of yellow. I used to help harvest, and the rest of the time I was tending to the flowers or helping in the shop.”

The quiet after that is the most comfortable it’s been in the hold since he got out. Maybe longer than that. The quiet in his house, with his father, is always oppressive. Like a thundercloud waiting to strike. 

The silence here, now, feels more like when he was with his mother on days when his father went out alone, and it was just the two of them. They had no garden on Coruscant, and they couldn’t leave. But when he was with his mother, that didn’t matter. She made it feel like he had all the galaxy in that small space they didn’t own.

That’s the last taste of freedom he’s ever had.

“What did you mean when you said you liked my face?”

The red was easy to confuse for a blush when the Mandalorian crossed their arms and turned their head slightly away, voice tight. “What are you talking about?”

“When you hit me in the head with the holopad,” Adrien added, slightly smirking. “You said you liked my face when you cleaned it.”

“I can see why the Empire chose you as its front.”

“Oh.”

“...You’re just nice to look at.”

Adrien ducked his head. “Thanks.”

“But if I’m worth nothing to the Empire, I am worth nothing to you.”

The Mandalorian hummed, propped against the wall to his right. Their feet were almost touching, legs stretched out in front of them. The little red droid had placed itself on the Mandalorian’s lap, receiving small pets from their bare hands. “Nothing is a big word. All life holds value.”

The gloves were still in his lap. He had taken off his gloves and thrown them across the hold into the opposite wall. The Mandalorian’s gloves were made of fine, thick leather. High in quality, probably very rare. They had protected their hands often, most likely. “Then of what use am I to you?”

“You still have a lot of information about the Empire and its view on Mandalorians.”

“Torture?”

“Maybe.”

Adrien hummed, turning over the gloves in his hand. “You would’ve, already.”

“Probably.”

“Most likely.”

The Mandalorian shook a little with laughter, making the droid lift off their lap in annoyance. It flew over to Adrien, floating in front of his face. The droid lowered itself down slowly as if asking for permission, before lightly settling on the opened palm of his left hand. Adrien gently stacked the two gloves together, put them on his knees, and started slowly petting the droid. 

“What of the Darksaber?”

“Well,” the Mandalorian grunted, sitting up straighter against the wall, “I have no idea.” Adrien could clearly see their nimble fingers fidgeting with their hands, empty from the droid and gloves. “It’s supposed to be won in combat from whoever held it last. My Clan lost contact with other Clans a long time ago before I…joined. I don’t even know if there’s still a Vizsla out there who seeks the blade. The passing down within the family has been abandoned generations ago by the Saxons, later the Wrens, but you never know. Passing it down makes little room for improvement, given the absence of outside influence and knowledge.”

“So you would need to fight the last holder of the Darksaber, win in combat, claim the Saber, and that would result in becoming the Mand’alor?”

“That’s how that would work, yes.”

“So you’re the Mand’alor right now.”

Silence.

“Usenye . That’s nonsense.”

“You beat me in combat!”

“You weren’t even fighting .”

“You won the battle.”

“Against droids!”

“You could’ve killed me right there.”

“But I didn’t .”

“But the fact that you could proves you won.”

The Mandalorian groaned, putting their head in their hands. “You’re impossible. Why am I even arguing with you about this? You’re part of the Empire! These are internal affairs!”

“It’s part of my charm to be involved in intergalactic incidents.”

“The fact that you sound so convinced makes you so much worse.”

Adrien just grinned.

---

FUTURE (II)

“Get ready, we’re almost there.”

Adrien jumped, the droid in his lap angrily muttering about being awakened so rudely. He heartily agreed, but with the way his heart was suddenly pounding, he had more pressing matters on his mind. “Where?”

“My Clan.”

Maker, he was about to face judgment.

“What do I do?”

“You do as I say, don’t leave my side, and stay quiet .”

The Mandalorian seemed tense as they went through the hold for the last time to check everything. “Follow me.” They went into the cockpit of the ship, Adrien slowly following. This had been off-limits since he’d been here, and being in there seemed…invasive. The cockpit was small, with only two chairs looking out through a circular front window and no space for a communications station. He plopped down into the chair on the right and held his hands beside him at the sight of all the buttons. 

“You’ve never flown before, have you?”

“I’ve had basic training, but this one seems personalized.”

The Mandalorian hummed. “Put your harness on, and then put this over your head.” They rummaged under their chair and handed him a black sack. Adrien held it in his hands for a second, confused, before he groaned and looked at the Mandalorian with exasperation.

“Really?” he asked. In a mocking tone, he added, “After all we’ve been through.”

“You either cover your head or you lose it.”

“Copy that.”

Adrien liked seeing where he was going. If he couldn’t, he was fine trusting someone who knew the area and who knew him to guide him. Usually, it’s through dark, straight, silent hallways. 

The Mandalorian warned him of a step down after he’s already tumbled and needed catching, and he grumbled as people he couldn’t see laughed at him. They apologized quietly, for the others not to hear, and continued through the maze of tunnels, hallways, rooms, and–

Mandalorians. 

He was in the heart of their base, following one he only met half a cycle ago in a not-so-pleasant way, but he was relatively at ease. Except for the constant small obstacles in front of his feet, the archways that were sometimes a little low, or the fact that they all knew he was an enemy. The clothes were a dead giveaway. But the Mandalorian in front of him was not going to kill him and wasn’t planning on letting anyone else kill him, either.

“We’re going to see the Alor and he’s going to decide what’s next for you.”

“What about the Death Watch?”

“It’s like you said. I don’t have to condone it to be part of it. We’re different now, and my Alor is still my…my Alor. We’ll get to the history part later. For now, we’re here for your fate.”

But his fate was not in his Mandalorian’s hands.

It got quieter the deeper they went. The air was a bit stale, warmed from fires and weapons. It got still, too, when they entered the last room. The Mandalorian let go of his elbow and took a few steps back to close off the room. They returned quickly and pulled the sack off his head, startling him a bit.

“A warning would’ve been nice,” he couldn’t help but say.

“Sorry.”

“I see you two have warmed up to each other.”

It’s only after he has spoken that Adrien noticed the Mandalorian on the other side of the room. He was sat on a small cushion on a slightly elevated platform, hunched over from old age. Completely armored as well, but significantly less intimidating. 

“Alor,” his Mandalorian greeted as they sit on a small cushion as well. Adrien looked to the floor, found one just in front of his feet, and mirrored them by sitting and bowing his head, although far deeper. 

The Alor wasn’t speaking and neither was the Mandalorian, so Adrien kept his head down, closed his eyes, and begged a higher power for mercy.

“Ad, stop staring at the floor. You are safe within this room.”

Air returned to his lungs and he looked up, straight into the visor of the Alor now three feet in front of him. He yelped and fell backward, legs almost hitting the man as he went. A quick sidestep from the Alor prevented the collision, and he seemed to laugh to himself as Adrien scrambled back up again, muttering an apology. 

“I understand your anxiousness, ad. You never thought you’d be here and are scared. This is normal.”

Like he had done this exact thing before.

“The Empire enslaved this man when he was a boy and has turned him into an unwilling asset,” his Mandalorian said to the Alor, who continued to study Adrien’s face intently. The visor didn’t move, but Adrien could nearly feel where the Alor’s eyes were on his face. It didn’t quite burn; it was quite the opposite. It was more like a warm blanket. “He has seen the errors of his capturers and wishes to escape them.”

“Is he of value to us?”

“He holds a great amount of knowledge due to his placement within their organization and is very keen on not helping them any further in their oppression of the galaxy.”

“And what does he want?”

What did he want?

“I…I want to take back what my father stole from me,” he said. Etiquette classes from when he was young suddenly flooded his mind, language turning official, words into what felt like subtle lies even though it is the truth he speaks. “I don’t seek revenge for what he did to me, but there is an injustice that needs rectifying. I wish to correct the past and move on from it with my heart free from hatred and regrets. Leaving that place behind is what is best for me, and as for what comes after…”

Adrien looked at his Mandalorian to his right and felt stronger with their subtle nod of approval.

“I only wish to not be alone when I decide.”

---

THE SIEGE

“Seven years ago, we initiated a great battle.”

The microphone crackles a bit as Gabriel speaks the first sentence. He taps on the device twice, sending dull pops through the speakers of the hall, before continuing. “The Mandalorians were great warriors, excellent strategists on the battlefield, but not as much in the Halls of War. They refused us, and we showed them what real power looks like.”

Adrien scoffs at the propaganda flowing effortlessly from the man’s mouth and continues his path along the upper balconies. The lights tied around the banister reflects only a little from his matte black outfit, and he feels like a moving shadow about to exact justice.

Not revenge. 

Justice.

The white gloves on Gabriel’s hand move only a little as he speaks to the filled room, chairs all set in neat rows. The people sitting on them all look at him, completely still, creating a stoic pattern on the floors. Those floors were made for moving, dancing, and celebrating peace and victory, and have instead turned into the stage for propaganda and war. 

The lights are still there from earlier that evening when people had been walking around and making small talk, the closest thing the Empire could get to a celebration that wasn’t a march through the streets of their newly conquered world. Now, the grays and browns are still atop the shining gold floors, watching the white of Gabriel’s gloves as he gestures to the men at his side to reveal their new statue.

It’s relatively small, barely taller than Gabriel is. A dull bronze fills the space behind him, and it mirrors his exact pose. Head held high with shame, hands tied behind his back from lies. Regret ties the bow between Gabriel’s wrists, covers his hands, and stings when he moves his left arm. 

Adrien gets in position on the balcony and waits.

Across from him, the Mandalorian mirrors his pose, covering the other exit. They have one hand on their communicator, and the other on their weapon on their hip. “I really hope he goes your way so I don’t have to jump 20 feet down.”

“What about me? You have a jetpack, you would be fine,” he replies through his own comm. 

“Still. I like my ankles in one piece.”

“I like you, in general, in one piece, too.”

“Focus, pretty boy.”

Gabriel has concluded his speech and is stepping down the small podium, right toward the opposite side of the room Adrien is covering. He swears and starts sprinting over the balconies. Going over the front would be quicker, but everybody is still looking that way, so Adrien has to go all the way around the back of the near-circular room. The Mandalorian is already down a level, so he doesn’t hesitate to jump down as well. 

This is his fight.

He lands in a deep crouch and jumps up immediately, pulling his beskar staff from his back and pointing the edge at Gabriel’s throat from beside him. Gabriel’s hands are already lifted. On the other side of his throat, the Darksaber whirrs in the air against his skin.

“To what do I owe the pleasure of the visit of not one, but two Mandalorians?”

Adrien grits his teeth within his helmet.

The rest of the room is already clearing out, personnel fleeing through the doors at the back and at the right side of the room. Stormtroopers must be on their way. Maybe white ones, maybe black ones. Their bustle doesn’t quite reach Adrien as he thinks.

Gabriel doesn’t recognize the Mandalorian from security footage from a year ago, despite the bright red beskar, or the Darksaber. Or maybe he does and is playing some sort of long game. Usually, people who are threatened by a Mandalorian give up everything immediately to run away with their lives. Maybe Gabriel has finally given up. Or he’s trying to get something from them.

Maybe he’s trying to get Adrien back.

“You have something I want.” His modulated voice sounds scraping to his own ears, but Adrien continues anyway. “You stole something many years ago, and I want it back. You don’t deserve to have it, so I’m taking it from you.”

Adrien reaches for Gabriel’s left hand and grips it harshly, making him flinch and grit his teeth in pain. He is more gentle when he peels the glove from Gabriel’s hand, revealing the flaking black skin beneath. It lays against his bones, all the muscles nearly gone, and the ring falls into Adrien’s hand with the glove, unable to cling to Gabriel’s skinny finger. 

Adrien sees both his regrets in the black of skin and his love reflected in the shine of silver.

He supposes his father knows, now. He watches Gabriel’s eyes widen, tears welling in his eyes. But Adrien knows those tears are only formed by regret and hatred, and not because of the love for his long-lost son or his late wife. Gabriel falls to his knees and cries, because he realizes his past caught up with him, and despite all the hardships life has thrown at him, his son chose to become a better person. Adrien has refused to give in to the negativity and is finally realizing his dreams of who he wants to be.

He has become better .

The Mandalorian grabs his hand, and he holds on tightly to the ring and the glove as they run through the halls, staff still clasped in his other hand. The passageways are the same ones the dark stormtroopers took him through all that time ago, but now, as he feels like he’s escaping, he knows it to be the truth.

The ship is cold from being landed for a few hours, but the Mandalorian manages to get it running and into the upper atmosphere of Coruscant quickly and steadily. Adrien sits numbly in the hold, staff in his left hand, ring and glove in his right. Only when the ship jolts into hyperspace does he realize what just happened. 

The Mandalorian joins him, sitting against the wall on his right, their feet now brushing against his knees. It’s pleasant, the distance and the proximity as he turns the ring over in his hands.

“He never looked for me once he realized I was gone,” Adrien realizes out loud

“You’re probably right.”

“Maybe the Moff looked at the footage to find the Darksaber, but my father never bothered. He didn’t even recognize you.”

“Nobody used to.”

Adrien smiles as his eyes find the Darksaber on their hip.

“And you have found a new family.”

Gabriel hasn’t been his father in the years since his mother’s passing. Familial love used to be fed to him. He bathed in it with his mother on Naboo and found it in the halls of the ships when he finally discovered her during their games. She would lift him, spin him around, press her nose into his cheek and shower him with kisses. His father’s love had been more contained, but a hand on his shoulder once they looked out over the planet together used to be everything he needed.

Gabriel never once touched him.

Adrien hums in response to the Mandalorian and cocks his head. “We’re not aliit until we’re wed.”

His Mandalorian laughs and moves closer to him, throwing their arm around his shoulders. “Maybe one day, we will.” They take a deep breath, looking around the hold until their visor settles on his helmeted face. “But family is more than blood and oaths.”

Adrien, at that moment, longs for that sliver of love from his past he still clings to and removes his gloves, putting his mother’s ring on his finger. He looks at the silver shining at him, a thin and refined band, and beams at it with tears in his eyes. The Mandalorian probably senses this and takes off their left glove, softly settling their hand against his right. He keeps his eyes on his left as his fingers curl into theirs, locking them together in this hold in hyperspace. 

Almost exactly like how they started. Common ground.

The white glove lies forgotten on the floor as Adrien looks at the remainder of what used to be, as he holds on to a path to love filled with acceptance, and freedom.

#ml writers guild #december event 2022 #bugchat #miraculous writers guild #mwg #miraculous ladybug #lovesquare #marinette dupain-cheng #adrien agreste #ml fanfiction #mlb fic #mlb fanfic #ml fanfic #miraculous #ml fandom #miraculous ladybug fic #miraculous ladybug fandom #ml writer #miraculous writer #miraculous ladybug writer #ml writing #mwg events #ml fics #the miraculous tales of ladybug and chat noir

[ageofpiracyrp]

PLOT DROP 8: WATER YOU WAITING FOR

Molfaun is a small planet (approximately half the size of Earth) that is 93.6% water-covered.

The technology of the planet as a whole was a little backward; while the undersea architectural techniques and hydroponics were impressive, many Laykul communities and empires were resistant to adopting computers and interstellar communication until relatively recently.

There are at present three major empires on Molfaun: Soulf, Bwurruu, and Vierun. There are also two minor empires on the planet: Uvvun and Yatz.

On the equivalent of July 16, Prosperity docks at the assigned coordinates, which appear to be an island. This island is 2.37 square miles, and dominated by a single skyscraper. There are other smaller buildings in a more classic architectural style on the island. Dotting the coast of the island are a great many glass-looking cylinders.

There is one other ship parked nearby, named Qraxoldov.

A single human-looking person exits the skyscraper, throws up her hands in a dramatic gesture, and then disengages her sformer to reveal a beige-colored Laykul. “Greetings, Prosperity! I am Glyon S’Gann, chief vizier to your patron, Her Imperial Majesty, Oglavia Den Troz, Empress of Soulf, Duchess of Stastoron, Shepherd of the Seas, and Guardian of the Salt. We will receive you in the imperial palace.” Glyon gestures to the skyscraper behind her. “There are ample bedchambers decorated in an array of styles to suit each and every taste. You are welcome to be assigned a room for yourself and optionally a roommate should you so desire.”

Indeed, there are a variety of bedrooms available on the 9th and 10th floors of the imperial palace, decorated to resemble various Earth media and decorating styles.

Glyon announces that a very generous partial stipend for safe delivery of the goods will be made, but the festivities will need to conclude before final payment can be rendered. Festivities, you may wonder. Oh, yes. Glyon announces that the “Earth Day” celebrations are to last at least two more weeks. Maybe three. Maybe four. Glyon can’t really say how long these will take- not all of the guests have arrived yet. Yes-- guests. The other ship crews. One other crew (Qraxoldov, captained by Marlene Olgrubic), is here, but the other two have yet to arrive. Until the festivities are over, Glyon has requested that the crew remain here. It is an unprecedented opportunity to be here, you see. Stay free of charge, chat with the royals, party with the other guests... Much to do.

Glyon promises two meals per 24 hours at no cost- one ticket for the food court, and one meal during the nightly hyper-party. See, there is always a party happening on floors 20 and 21, but the real party ramps up in the “night” part of the cycle.

The Imperial Palace floors

Floor 1: Grand entrance hall featuring some interesting chandeliers and wall art and a check-in desk

Floor 2: Post office and administrative offices for the Empire (visitors not allowed without supervision)

Floor 3: Royal Banquet Hall (visitors not allowed without supervision)

Floor 4: Food court selling a variety of foods and seating.

Floor 5: Lounge and spa offering services for pay. There is also a chlorinated swimming pool open to guests for a small fee.

Floor 6: Theater

Floor 7: Laundry, kitchens, and dishwashing (including space for guests to use marvelous replicas of coin-operated laundry)

Floors 8 through 12: Rooms like a hotel for guests and visitors

Floor 13: Museum of Soulf

Floor 14: Library and Bookstore

Floor 15: Cafe for 12 hours; Bar for next 12 hours (it rotates)

Floors 16 and 17: Sports courts (basketball, tennis, and some unfamiliar sports)

Floor 18: “Unclear” (visitors not allowed without supervision) 

Floor 19: Technology room (computers, video games, random devices like exercise machines)

Floors 20 and 21: Party rooms - there is always dancing and a DJ

Floor 22: Bowling Alley and a cash snack bar with “authentic” Earth treats (you can interpret this however you like). Bowling shoes

Floors 23 through 30: Storage (visitors not allowed without supervision)

Floors 31 through 33: Administrative offices for the Empire (visitors not allowed without supervision)

Floor 34: Throne Room (visitors not allowed without supervision)

Floor 35: Kitchens (this is in addition to the floor 7 kitchen)

Floors 36 and 37: Residences for government officials (visitors not allowed without supervision)

Floor 38: Emperor Consort’s chambers (visitors not allowed without supervision)

Floor 39: Empress’ chambers (visitors not allowed without supervision)

Floor 40: Restaurant 

Roof: (visitors not allowed without supervision)

The inviting-looking glass cylinders on the shores of the island are off-limits for now, but these are elevators to the underwater splendor of Molfaun. The Easterly Beach  is open for swimming if so desired. The beach includes a sno cone and eel dog stand. Unfortunately, the shore is more rocky than sandy, but the water is clear and inviting.

Tasks and Guidelines for Players:

Let the admin know if you would like to room in the skyscraper, and if you would like a roommate. Please also state who that roommate should be. Optionally, Daphne is willing to help randomly assign roommates.

Feel free to explore anywhere that is not off limits to visitors. If you have any questions whatsoever about a location or the party, ask the admin.

Please don’t assume actions for the named NPCs, the other pirate crews, or any government officials.

Players can assume that they can have hook-ups with random Laykul NPCs that are not government officials, but may not with the pirate crew members without permission.

You may assume that if you go to the food court, for example, you will be served. The employees of the food court are not government officials, and may have a pleasant or awkward conversation with your character.

You are welcome to request conversations with the new NPCs in the Small Threads server.

We will be on this planet for a while. If you feel stuck or confused, you can always ask for help.

Please feel free to ask the admin if your characters would like to take a trip to the nearby outpost planet.

The Earth Day “festivities” are ongoing, but there will be specific bright points of events throughout this process.

#aop plot drop #character: glyon s'gann #character: oglavia den troz #character: jayvon den meyck

[my3dartblog]

The Urban Eclectic Loft is a stunning and modern living space that seamlessly combines urban aesthetics with eclectic design elements. Discover how this clean and beautiful loft can inspire your own home decor. What's Included and Features Urban Eclectic Loft: (.DUF) Scene Subsets: Zero Props: Alcohol Bottle Black Case Book Set Books Ceiling Center Table Chair Chandelier Chopping Board Cylinder Lamp Door Floor Fruit Bowl Glass Horizontal Frame Metal Tray Mirror Frame Picture Frame Plant Range Hood Round Mirror Round Table Shelf Side Table Small Plant Soap Dispenser Sofa Stand Lamp Table Tissue Toilet Bowl Toilet Counter Trophy Curve Vase Vertical Frame Wall Back/Front Wall Lamp Wall Left/Right Wine Glass Trophy Wine Shaker Wood Container Textures Include: 184 Texture, Base Color, Height, Metallic, Normal, Reflection, Roughness, and Transparency Maps (500 x 500 to 4096 x 4096) Daz Studio Iray Material Presets (.DUF) Compatible Software: Daz Studio 4.21 Install Types: DazCentral, Daz Connect, DIM, Manual Install Coming soon: https://3d-stuff.net/ #daz3d #dazstudio #3drender #3dart #daz3dstudio #irayrender #3dartwork #blender #blenderrender #blenderart #noaiart #noaiwriting #noai https://3d-stuff.net/

[dabughadib]

This case study comprises of 13 glass chandeliers in the shape of elongated, curly cylinders in Mayo Nurses Atrium. These pieces are meant to serve as sculptures and chandeliers. The designer’s aim is to provide people with a stress relief and an escape. I found this interesting because I liked the idea of learning to work with glass or acrylic.

[ohrlighting]

How to light a room with no overhead ceiling Lighting

A vital aspect of a splendid home is its optimum lighting which not only brightens up the decor but also positively uplifts your mood. If you have recently moved into your new home and there are no overhead ceiling lights, or you have spent several years in your current home without these ceiling lights, only to realize a vital aspect of alluring ambiance has always been missing. But installing new ceiling lights is not only expensive but also requires extensive work that too by a professional team. Therefore, it is more practical to install different types of lights, such as pendant chandelier lighting or any option that not only facilitates the decor but also beautifully illuminates your living space. You can make this upgrade with the help of professionals who can install great lighting and transform your home or a specific room whose style needs augmentation.

Best Lighting Options to Illuminate your Home and Life

If you are not entirely sure what type of lighting addition can make up for the absence of an overhead ceiling light, then you can opt for one of the options available in the pendant lighting sections.

You can get a removable ceiling pendant light plugged into an overhead outlet by installing a hook to a ceiling and custom pendant lighting.

·    Mod Collection has exquisitely designed glass orbs with a mid-century design and subtle lighting that creates speckled shadows on the walls.

·    Tamar Hand Blown Glass Chandelier Pendant Light is made of translucent cylinders with molten glass coils that softly cast subtle shadows, creating a relaxing ambiance.

·    CH7H078RB20-UP4 Inverted Pendant is a farmhouse-styled ironclad ceiling light with a vintage bronze finish designed with sleek curves quite fit for a modern dining room.

·    Kadur Drizzle Pendant is an exquisite hand-blown custom glass pendant light that flaunts a luxurious and elegant design that can boost the décor of any room these are installed.

·    Modern Led Chandelier crystal raindrop has a fabulous design that is suitable for any of the rooms in a home and the office, as it exhibits a simple yet elegant design.

Ameliorate and Uplift Your Home's Ambiance

A room without an overhead ceiling is not the end of the world. OHR Lighting can provide infinite stunning options to transform your Miami home's single space or entire premises. From glass ceiling pendant lights to Modern dining room hanging lights and everything in between, many illuminating options will uplift the ambiance and décor of your home. You can also opt for custom designs to match your home's aesthetics. OHR Lighting team will also create a 3D design sketch to assess better your home's space where the stunning lights have to be installed. So, start dreaming and designing your house by calling [phone] or dropping an email at [email protected].

Visit us for more information and check out the stunning lights that your home needs.

The Blog “ How to light a room with no overhead ceiling Lighting ” was originally posted HERE

#Modern Dining Room Pendant Lighting Miami #Led Pendant Chandelier Miami #Custom Pendant Lighting #Modern Dining Room Hanging Lights Miami #Pendant Lighting Miami #Pendant Chandelier Lighting #Contemporary Kitchen Pendant Lighting Miami

[thedisenchantrix]

March 31, 1997

[CW: suicide] Closing my eyes, I am transported to the Halls of Memory. I see myself drifting down dimly-lit corridors neatly lined with large, antique mahogany filing cabinets and card catalogs. My bare feet pad softly upon the swirl of black, grey, and white marble floors, flecked with bits of silver twinkling in response to the flickering of the oil lamps overhead, each flame surrounded by frosted glass flowers with a crystal cascade streaming down from the center of each chandelier. Row by row, I wander by each and every detail of my past and deeper into the labyrinth of my mind. The orderly rows begin to give way to a cluttered and disorganized section of yellowed yesterdays, drawers open and pages askew. The cool, predictable marble giving way to cracked and moss-covered steps, spiraling ever-downward into darkness. Accompanied by the flickering of candlelight, I begin my descent into that ancient and forgotten place. The spiraling of the steps lined with inlaid shelves covered in chaos and abandoned tears until my feet reach the end of the line and I am confronted by a barred and heavy steel door. The walls around me let out a flame-extinguishing breath, plunging me into darkness. I awaken to a sharp tug inside of my stomach, to a high-pitched and steady beeping, bound at the wrists. I am in darkness, upon a soft cloud, until my eyes flutter open to the brightest light I'd ever seen.

It was March 31, 1997 and the snow had been coming down perhaps for minutes or hours or days. I'd been through hell that day, an unspeakable hell that left me feeling as though I had run out of options. The end result was that I'd gone home and sought out each see-through-orange plastic cylinder that was wrapped in a label that wore my name: Klonopin, Ritalin, Zoloft, Tylenol with codeine, and Percocet. The storm outside, though growing steadily in intensity, could not even begin to match the one that was brewing inside of my mind. "No one loves me," I thought, "and they'll all be better without me." I felt so alone, so isolated, abandoned, and defeated to my very core. One by one, I emptied my month's supply into my mouth and washed them down with milk and sadness, tears streaming down my face. I tucked the empty prescription bottle into my faux antique nightstand - painted white with a wood pattern, adorned with antiqued gold on the bevels and handles. I closed the drawer and made my way out of my bedroom before embarking on the descent down the stairs that felt like an eternity. The pills had begun to kick in as my legs brought me to the kitchen. My grandmother, five foot one and flaxen haired, stood at the stove making dinner, the smell of half-cooked pasta and spaghetti sauce filling the space. Her blue eyes sparkled back my reflection as I embraced her for the last time. "I'm sorry," I barely squeezed out in a tiny whisper. She hugged me tightly as she responded, "I know." Trying to hold myself together, I told her that I was going to lay down on the couch in the living room to take a nap. We exchanged I love yous and I waded across the beige carpet to the long, gaudy, gold-upholstered mid-century modern couch. I climbed into it and began to fall into a very comfortable death.

I don't remember a time before or since that I was ever so comfortable.

A shrill, desperate cry pierced through the mortal plane and found me in the twilight of purgatory and on the edge of my own death. "TARA, DID YOU TAKE ALL OF THESE PILLS!?" Her fear was a tangible thing that had come to accompany physical space in our home. She pounded down the stairs and appeared by my side, imploring me again, "DID YOU TAKE THESE PILLS?" In the stupor that only a combination of medications in lethal doses could create, I frowned, "Yeah…I did. I did. I did and I'm scared. Mama, I'm scared." And in an instant, we were driving down the snow-covered road and when my eyes blinked open again, we were pulling into the parking lot of Melrose-Wakefield Hospital on Lebanon Street in Melrose. Apparently I had gotten out of the car because, next I knew, I was being offered a wheelchair at the entrance. I gratefully declined and walked into the sliding glass doors. I did not walk to the door or through the door, but directly into the part of the door that did not, in fact, slide. "Who put a window in the door?" I fell to the ground, my question never receiving an answer and woke up again as I was being wheeled past walls and floors, sterile white, and the brightest of lights looming above my head - one after another after another.

I don't remember the series of events that immediately followed. I am almost sure I was awake, but lacking any cognizance, as they slipped the tubing in my mouth, down my throat, and into my stomach; presumably scraping and scratching along the way. Soon I felt the slightly uncomfortable sensation of my stomach seemingly being torn out through a tube in my throat. I felt no pain, just a violent pulling deep inside of my body as my stomach was pumped. I didn't gag on the tubing or the thick, black liquid that was being pumped into me and spilling into my mouth.

The nurse was short-haired, perhaps blonde with a touch of grey. She was small in stature, but imposing as she was filled with hostility. Her words burst out like a bite from venom-tipped fangs, "I find it disturbing that this doesn't seem to bother you or hurt you at all." I couldn't respond with anything beyond what one would expect from someone with a couple feet of tubing shoved into their mouth. I let out a series of nonsensical, muffled vocalizations that only I could decipher. "I took two bottles of pain killers, what do you expect?" Or at least, that was what I had been trying to say. I wanted to be angry, to spit her venom back at her, but instead I simply began to cry as the comfort of the drugs began to give way to feeling incredibly unwell. I had heard tell of medical professionals being upset with people who attempt suicide, but I was sixteen-years-old and already felt as though the entire world was against me. To this day, I still cannot believe how cruel her words were.

I laid there, in a daze, perhaps on another planet or outside of my body entirely. I drifted in and out of consciousness and kept travelling outside of my body. I heard a groaning sound and tried to locate where it was coming from. I tried to get up from the hospital bed and don't know if it was the restraints or some chemical paralysis that had more power in keeping me there. And as the blizzard picked up ferocity, I realized that I was the one who was groaning. After a time, and presumably medical clearance, I was moved to another room where I was left alone. I was no longer strapped to the bed, but two guards were posted outside of my door - two guards that were having a dance off in the hallway while I straddled the line between life and death, wondering what meaning anything in life had. The blizzard continued to bury the area in several feet of snow as I lay there alive, but not living at all.

I slip back through the big, barred steel door somewhere deep inside of my memory. I look back as the last of my tears roll down my cheeks. I take in a slow, calming breath through my nose, holding it before releasing it back through my mouth. My eyes open and I move on with my life, determined to live each day as if it were my last, vowing to help those who feel like they've lost all hope and the will to live. I shut the door on my darkest memories, if just for tonight.

[italian-conceptusa]

Led Chandelier Lights

Led Chandelier Lights in the kitchen are a beautiful complement to any room in the house. It doesn't matter whether you're concerned with usefulness, aesthetics, or all of the above; pendant lights are utilitarian and attractive, and they can be utilized in both contemporary and classic settings. Are you searching for that additional 'wow' aspect to make your event stand out? That little glint of glitz in the kitchen?

#italian concept lighting #designer chandeliers #lighting design companies #MODERN CHANDELIERS #tubular pendant light #crystal fringe chandelier #glass cylinder chandelier #rods chandelier #glass globe pendant chandelier #led chandelier lights #crystal sputnik chandelier #fringe crystal chandelier #kitchen island pendant light #pendant lights over island #modern farmhouse pendant lighting #crystal table lamps for bedroom #crystal table lamp #glass lamp shades for floor lamps #glass table lamp with shade #led filament bulb #candelabra bulb #wood chandeliers #drum pendant light #hanging drum style ceiling light fixtures #teardrop pendant light #teardrop pendant chandelier #globe pendant light #glass globe pendant light #commercial track light #led track lighting

[blueiskewl]

The Stunning $25 Million Miami Triplex Penthouse  

Set atop the Regalia, the 15,000-square-foot penthouse also comes with a rooftop pool, sky bar and views for days.

Stepping into the private glass elevator inside the spectacular Regalia Penthouse overlooking Miami’s Sunny Isles Beach is a little like being inside one of those bank teller pneumatic tubes. Press the button and whoosh, you are up and away.

Here, the air-powered glass cylinder can elevate you between the three floors of this sprawling 15,000-plus-square-foot mansion in the sky, taking you up to the home’s 45th-floor private pool and sky bar.

“There’s definitely a ‘Beam me up, Scotty’ feeling to the elevator. It’s a real rush,” Jeff Miller, listing broker with One Sotheby’s International Realty.

For the past six months, Miller has held the listing for the penthouse, looking for a buyer with $25.5 million to spare. But with the owner now eager to sell before the end of the year, it has been handed over to Concierge Auctions. It goes under the virtual hammer on Thursday December 16, in a one-day no reserve sale.

“This really is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for someone to own what is the most exclusive, never-lived-in penthouse in the whole of Miami,” says Miller, who has the distinction of having sold the famous Faena Penthouse on South Beach for $60 million back in 2015—still Florida’s priciest condo sale ever.

Alas, when the Regalia Penthouse goes across the block, it will be without one of its most sparkling features: a rare pink diamond claimed to be worth $500,000. That was the closing gift the developer planned to offer when the penthouse was first announced back in 2014. Taking the gem off the table is what happens when the price tumbles from $40 million to $25.5 million.

But there’s no shortage of other gem-like features included with this impressive property. A choice of three elevators whisks you up to the 43rd floor and the main penthouse living level. The elevator lobby opens into a double-height great room, with towering 20-foot-high ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows.

A spectacular feature of this space is the intricate glass chandelier with its 225-plus glass pendants, designed to emulate rain during the day and constellations at night. It sits next to a showcase cantilevered, glass-sided limestone staircase.

On this level there’s also a sprawling state-of-the-art kitchen with sleek Poliform Italian cabinetry and Wolf and Sub-Zero appliances, plus a corner dining room close by. There’s also a games room with designer billiards table, a 650-bottle wine wall, a stunning cocktail bar featuring Israeli onyx counter tops and a movie theater with leather-lined walls. sits next to a showcase cantilevered, glass-sided limestone staircase.

Take the staircase, or pneumatic elevator, up to the 44th floor to find five of the six bedrooms (the staff quarters are on the floor below). The master bedroom features floor-to-ceiling windows with million-dollar views of the sunrise in the east, the rolling Atlantic below and beaches all the way to Fort Lauderdale to the north. “In the bedroom you’re on the 44th floor, so it feels like you’re flying. On a clear day you can see all the way to the Bahamas,” says Miller.

The master bathroom feels like a million dollars, too, as that’s reportedly how much it cost to build. The 1,500-square-foot space takes up most of the north side of the home and has walls and floors lined with over 100 book-matched slabs of imported Calcutta gold-veined marble. Add to that huge his-and-hers closets, his-and-hers bathrooms and a lavish spa with an oversize steam room, sauna, hydrotherapy Jacuzzi tub and massage area.

Finally, one last floor up is the private rooftop deck, with its lap pool and terrace both enclosed by sliding glass and topped by a retractable sun awning for shade.

The complete interior is the work of acclaimed designer Charles Allem, of Miami-based C.A.D International. And all the furniture and art is included in the auction.

The penthouse itself sits on top of the six-year-old Regalia condo tower, with its sinewy, wave-like exterior and 37 one-residence-per-floor layout. Building amenities include a Champagne bar, wine cellar, gourmet chef’s kitchen, fitness center, huge pool deck with six different pools and a full-service oceanfront spa and beach club.

“Absolutely no luxury was spared in creating this one-of-a-kind penthouse in what is the most luxurious building in the whole of Miami. It’s a terrific opportunity,” adds Miller.

By Howard Walker.

#The Stunning $25 Million Miami Triplex Penthouse #Regalia Penthouse #real estate #luxury #luxury home #luxury real estate #luxury penthouse #luxury living #luxury lifestyle #billionaire #billionaire lifestyle #rich #$$$ #the good life #beauty #beautiful #sexy #exclusive

[mrs-takami-keigo]

Summer Nights

For my second piece of work for the BNHArem collaboration I give you Summer Nights. Honestly this was so much fun to write. The theme was Summer, and summer to me means vacation and romance! You can find all the summer goodness with BNHA by other amazing and talented Authors here! 

Pairing: Shouto x Fem!Reader

Description: You’ve always watched summer romances in movies and read them in books, but you never thought it in a million years it could happen to you. 

Rating:SFW

Word count:6.0K

“Look! It’s the beach!” Ochaco beamed as she pulled on Tsui’s arm dragging her across the white sand. Soon Mina, Hagakure and Jiro followed behind them, giggling once the cool clear waters of the sea touched their feet.

‘Even at twenty-one they can’t control themselves.’

Shouto stepped out of the van putting on his black Ray Bans sunglasses, the summer sun beat down on the exposed skin his white v-neck didn't cover. Even with his dark sunglasses on, he could tell the hawaiian sky was a picturesque light blue. Vast beaches full of travelers and locals alike. The air was fresh and crisp with the smell of local restaurants mixing it to it. Tall palm trees rustling in the breeze, Shouto was sure he had never felt so calm in his life.

“Hey we should stay as a group to check in!!” Iida started after the group when Momo stepped in, placing her small hand on his shoulder.

“Oh let them have their fun. We’ve all been so busy these past three years with hero work, we deserve this vacation.” With a defeated sigh and mumbles of how irresponsible people could be, their old class rep turned around making his way to the entrance of the hotel.

“Okay boys! Me and Iida are going to go check in. Can you help unload the van and meet us inside!” Momo waved her hand as she passed the group of hotel staff, their mouth’s were slightly hung open admiring her stunning beauty.

“Man, why do the girls get to have fun and we gotta do the work? I thought this was a vacation?” shaking his head at his lightning powered friend's whine, Shouto reached into the back of the van to pick up his hard black suitcase.

“Shut up and just grab a damn bag, dumbass!” Bakugou snatched up his own suitcases before shoving past everyone stomping his way into the hotel. Shouto and the rest of the group followed behind the hot tempered blonde. The sliding glass doors opened for the group  where they were greeted by hotel staff members who had genuine smiles gracing their features.

A woman walked up to Shouto,”Aloha, welcome to honolulu.” She reached up and placed a lei with beautiful purple and white orchids around his neck. Giving her a soft smile in return Shouto continued his journey into the massive hotel lobby.

Shouto had stopped in the middle of the semi-busy area, lifting his sunglasses to sit on top of his head pushing his hair back, so he could admire every detail of the building. The only word he could come up with was glamorous. The lobby had white and grey marble flooring, tall white pillars with intricate flower designs lined in gold wrapped around the cylinders holding up the extravagant ceiling. Gold moldings lined the high ceiling and a giant crystal chandelier hung in the middle of the room. Seeing as how it was summer people were all over, be it at the check-in/out desks, the concierge or even sitting on the wine colored couches and chairs that were placed strategically in the lobby.

“Wait, watch where you’re go-” Before he could react, Shouto felt someone bump into his back, forcing him to rock forward, sunglasses clattering to the floor. Looking over his right shoulder he caught a glimpse of your soft hair on top of your head before he felt like he had the wind knocked out of him. Feeling like everything turned into slow motion, you lifted your head, Shouto’s eyes widened.

‘Beautiful.’

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry!” Your voice sounded like a sweet medley that calmed Shouto’s heart. “I didn’t hurt you did I?”

“No I’m fine, a-are you okay?” He turned his body so he could face you, now he was able to take in all of your beauty. What you wore was so simple but you made it look stunning. A white tank top with the word bridesmaid in black lettering, a pair of blue denim bermuda shorts and black platform sandals, that's all you had on but still managed to take his breath away. You went to pick up the sunglasses that fell when you bumped into him, that’s when he noticed one multi-colored and one pink and purple crystal bracelet on your wrist.

You reached out your hand offering his glasses back. “Yeah I’m fine!” Shouto slowly took his glasses back from you. “But um next time maybe don’t stop in the middle of the entrance, it’s a little dangerous.” Shouto swore he felt his heart stop when you smiled at him.

“Hey! Come on, everyone is waiting for you!” Both you and Shouto looked over at your group of friends, all of them wearing the same top as you except one, calling over to you.

“Looks like I gotta run, don't wanna upset the bride. Oh and sorry again.” You sent him one last smile before running towards your friends. Shouto watched as your friends kept making glances at him before you turned to look back at him. A smile graced your lips as you sent him a small wave of your hand. One of your friend’s, the bride he assumed because of her shirt, leaned over and whispered something in your ear. Her action caused you to have a shocked expression before turning away from him quickly. Shouto let out a small chuckle, wondering what your friends could have possibly said to have made you so flustered.

“Hey, did you forget something Todoroki?” Deku’s voice brought him back to reality. “Why are you just standing here?”

“It was nothing Midoriya, just looking at the interior.” Looking at his close friend he let a small smile pass his lips. “Let’s go join the others shall we?”

Making his way back to his group, Shouto passed one more look over his shoulder only to see you were already gone.

‘Who is she?’

It wasn’t till that next night at the luau did Shouto see you again. You and your group walked past his table, his observant eyes catching every smile you passed to your friends as you found your seats. The way your royal blue floral sundress that came down right below your knees blew in the night breeze. You had your hair tied up in a ponytail, a beautiful Hawaiian hibiscus was placed on the base of the ponytail. Shouto tried to make it not apparent that he was watching you but couldn’t help himself, the more he looked at you the more he noticed. 

The tables for the luau were long wooden picnic tables enough for your group and his to fit together. Finally picking a spot on the bench, he had a perfect view of you, on the other side of the table slightly to the left closer to the stage.

“Those girls down there are beauties aren’t they?” Denki slung his arm over Shouto’s shoulders, taking a sip of his soda, Denki saw that Shouto had never stopped looking at you. Clearing his throat Denki decided to speak louder. 

“Isn't that the girl you were talking about last night? The one that bumped into you and you said smelled like a beautiful garden of roses, daffodil’s, peony and a hint of dahlia?” Shouto tore his eyes away from you to glare at his so called friend, ready to freeze or burn that big mouth of his off, just wasn’t sure which.

You heard the blonde as he spoke to the man you ran into the day before. Watching as the embarrassed male slammed a hand over his blonde friend's mouth and saying something through his teeth, making the others eyes widen. You couldn't help but chuckle at the dynamic of the two, the blonde looked like he was a puppy that had just gotten scolded.

The sound of your chuckle caught Shouto’s attention, he looked at you with a horrified expression. He realized that you heard what Denki said, meaning you know what he said about you. A light blush formed on his cheeks before he turned his gaze down to his drink, playing with the little umbrella it had in it.

“I think he likes you.” Your friend nudged you in the ribs with her elbow a smirk formed on her lips.

“I don’t know. I only bumped into him and said less than ten words to him.” You kept your gaze on him. He kept fidgeting with that paper umbrella trying to look at anything but you. “Maybe he’s just embarrassed cause I told him it wasn't smart to just stop like that.” Those pesky butterflies were still in your stomach from when you first made eye contact with him. His face looked like it was sculpted by angel’s themselves. Then his eyes, god those eyes, you felt like if you had looked at them any longer you’d turn into a blubbering mess.

“Well I found out from some of the staff here that he and his whole group are actually pro-Heroes from japan. It’s kind of like a summer vacation/reunion for them.”

“Even on vacation your journalistic self can’t help but find out the latest scoop huh?” You stuffed a freshly baked roll in her mouth, earning a light slap on your shoulder.

You heard the start of drums starting to pound in a rhythmic beat signaling that the show was starting. You paid attention to the performance of the hula dancers as they told stories with their fluid movements, it was beautiful. The night carried on with more performances, food and fun moments between the performers and the audience. The show soon came to a close, leaving you wanting more. But ever so often you felt the gaze of a certain hero, your heart racing every time you felt it.

“Wasn’t that awesome?” Your friend had her arm intertwined with yours as you walked the torch lit pathway back to the small villas. You could only hum in agreement, not really paying attention to what she had been talking about. For some reason your mind was still jumping back to the red and white haired man. There was about him, something that made you want to know more about him.

Not watching where you were going you bumped shoulders with a woman who was passing you causing the room key that was tucked into your pocket to fall out. With a quick apology to the women you resumed your walk down the path never realizing the key fell out of your pocket.

“Excuse me!” You heard a man shout from behind you, making you and your friend stop. “I think you dropped this.” Turning around you saw the man that haunted your thoughts jog up to you holding the room key that had fallen. Stuffing your hand in your pockets where that key should be you had finally realized it had fallen. He was soon in front of you the key was being held in between his thumb and pointer finger, holding it out for you.

“I’ll meet you back at the villa.” Your friend sent you a sly smile wiggling her eyebrows as she pushed you a little forward towards the awaiting man.

“Oh um thank you. I can be such a clutz sometimes.” Reaching out a hand, your fingertips brushed against his, gently taking the plastic object back. It may sound cliche but you were sure there was a small rush of electricity that ran through you with just that slight contact.

“It was no problem.” He rubbed the back of his neck once the key was back in your hand. Now it was your turn to look at him like he did you. He was a decently taller than you by a few inches, his red and white hair framed showing off the impeccable structure of his face. The scar on his left side didn’t hinder his beauty in any way. His sharp eyes were just as mesmerizing as they were the other day. The white and turquoise striped short sleeved button down outlined his broad shoulders, the first few buttons open showing off the silver necklaces he wore. Black khaki shorts that seemed to go perfectly on his long legs, and black leather boat shoes. All in all he looked like the perfect man to you.

“What’s your name?” You're not sure what came over you ask that. You could have just walked away after saying thank you but for some reason you couldn’t.

“Shouto Todoroki. And yours?” You told him, only to have him repeat it back. The sound of your name rolling off his lips set your heart racing. “It’s a beautiful name.” Silence fell between you two. “This may sound a little forward but would you like to take a walk on the beach with me?” You can tell he was hesitant to ask you, but that only made you smile.

“I would like that Shouto.” He smiled back at you as he moved to the side so you could start walking back towards the beach. The walk for the most part was in silence, just the gentle sound of the summer’s night breeze dancing through the palm trees.

“So, I hear you’re a pro-hero in japan.” You decided to break the ice, hoping to get to know him better. “What’s that like?” By the time you decide to speak you two had made it to the end of the concrete pathway where the sand from the  beach started. Stopping you bent down to take off your wedges, not wanting to walk in the sand with them. Looking next to you, you noticed Shouto doing the same. Once he got his own shoes off you both picked up the shoes and made your way down the beach.

“How did you find that out?”

“I have my sources.” You shrugged flashing a playful grin at the man accompanying you.

Shouto chuckled at your response. You could feel those butterflies fluttering again. “It’s hard work, but worth it. To be able to protect people is the main reason why I wanted to become a hero.” His voice was a little gruff at times but calming at the same time. “What do you do, are you a Pro as well?”

You had reached the shore, the sounds of crashing waves roared across the empty beach. The full moon high in the sky reflecting beautifully off the dark sea as if it were the moon's personal mirror. “No, unfortunately.” A wave crashed, making its way up the sand, the water tickling the tips of your toes. “I was born without a quirk.”

You turned your head to Shouto, his face showing expressions of being apologetic and of sheer panic, you were used to it by now. “But it doesn’t bother me. I may not have a quirk but I still have powers.” You wiggled your fingers like a witch would do in the cartoons you would watch on TV when you were younger.

Shouto tilted his head to the side. “What do you mean?”

“I have the power to let couples have their dream weddings.” You let out a laugh as the confusion became more apparent. “I’m a wedding planner. I may not be a well known one but one day I will be. That way I can do my part for people, it may not be as impactful as what you do but it’s still something.”

“I think that’s an amazing power you have. To be able to help people with their dreams isn’t a small feat. It's something very admirable actually.” The smile that graced his face was nothing short of breath taking. It was almost contagious how his smile made your own wider.

There was a silence that fell between you two again, but you were comfortable around him. Just what was it about him that made you feel like this around a stranger? Was it because he was a hero or was there something else to him? Something deeper? You wanted to find out.

“Can I ask you a question? And I’m sorry if it’s out of line but how did you get that scar?” You had turned to face him, stepping closer you got a better look at the imperfection on his skin.

“Oh this,” he raised his palm to it gently grazing the scar with his finger tips. “My mother poured boiling water on my left side because it reminded her of my father.”

An audible gasp left your lips as you stepped closer to him. Not sure what came over you but you raised your hand to cover his. “I’m so sorry, Shouto. I shouldn’t have asked.”

His body froze. You were so close to him, your scent encased him, pulling him further into your mysterious spell. What have you done to him, he felt like his heart was about to explode whenever you simply looked at him. But to have you this close and touching his hand he was sure he had seen the heavens open, and you were the angel greeting him.

He leaned slightly into your hand. “It’s fine, it happened so long ago. It’s a part of how I became the man I am today.” Taking your hand in his, he walked you both over to a set of lounge chairs. 

He then explained his childhood to you. What his power is, who his father was, how Deku helped him make his fire his own, everything. As he told his story you felt water gather in your eyes. He had been through so much, and yet he was this kind, confident and all around beautiful man.

Shouto honestly couldn't explain why he opened up to you the way he did. It took his classmates, his closest friends, much longer to get this deep with him. You made him feel like he could open himself up, that he didn’t need to be ashamed of his past.

You two went well into the night, sharing stories of your past and dreams about your futures. It wasn’t until you saw the sky start to turn lighter did you realize that it was almost six in the morning. You’ve spent more than seven hours with a man you had just met. Shouto offered to walk you to your villa that you shared with your friends, in which you gladly accepted.

Shouto walked down the same path from before, glancing to his right to look at you. The blush of dawn illuminated your skin, shining brightly through your tresses. That serene smile on your lips made his heart do backflips. He was so caught up in watching you he didn’t realize that you were both standing in front of the villa.

“This is me.” You moved to stand on the stoop in front of the door, making you eye level with Shouto. “I really enjoyed tonight Shouto.”

“So did I.” His voice was soft like he didn't want to speak too loud in case it broke the spell you had on him.

“Well, I guess I’ll just see you around the hotel.” You gave him a short wave as you turned to open the door.

“Wait.” You were stopped by Shouto’s hand as he got a hold of yours. Looking down at your connected hands you felt like your body was on fire. “May I see you again?”

Raising your eyes from your hands, you met his gaze. He had a slight blush forming on his cheeks, his eyes searching yours for an answer. You couldn’t help it, no matter what he did you always felt a sense of happiness around him.

“I would really like that.” You watched as relief washed over him, his shoulders visibly relaxing, his brilliant smile came back.

“Tonight at nine, can you meet me at the beach again. If you’re not busy that is.”

“I think I can fit you in my schedule.” with hands still connected, Shouto raised your hand to his lips. Placing a gentle kiss in the back of it.

“Then I’ll see you tonight.” He released your hand, taking a few steps backwards, his eyes never leaving yours.

Turning around you unlocked the door, opening it. Stepping through the door you closed it and pressed your back against the wood. Taking the hand he held on to, you placed it above your racing heart.

“Shouto Todoroki , what have you done to me?” Still feeling like you were on cloud nine you made your way to your room, hoping to get some sleep before your friends decided to go sightseeing.

Over the next five days of your vacation, you met up with Shouto every night at nine on the beach. Tonight was no different. This was what you looked forward to each and every day, to see Shouto, to hear the stories of his days in highschool with his friends, to spend all hours of the night with him just talking.

Walking to the beach you noticed Shouto was already there. His dark jeans rolled up his calves as he stood in the water, face turned up to the sky. You could feel the air in your lungs be sucked out. The way the moonlight was reflecting off his porcelain skin, made him look like an unearthly being, highlighting the sharp features of his face. Silky strands of his two-toned hair flies in the wind, a smile plays on his lips. He was perfect.

Rolling up your jeans, you walked into the water to stand next to him. “It’s a beautiful night isn't it?” The cold water rolled over your feet coming up over your ankles. It was one of the chilliest nights you’ve had all summer. Thinking maybe you should have brought a light jacket with you, you rubbed your exposed arms trying to generate heat.

“It is, now that you’re here.” You could feel the heat in your cheeks start to rise. One thing you learned about Shouto over these nights was that he wasn’t one to beat around the bush. “Are you cold?” Shouto started to come closer to you, wrapping his left arm around your shoulders, his body touching yours. It was then you realized he was using his fire side to keep you warm.

“Thank you, Shouto.” His quirk had amazed you when he told you what it was. On the third night he had done a small demonstration, showing you how it works. You could still remember the excitement in his eyes when he made you a small ice figurine of the flower you had in your hair that first night.

Suddenly you thought back to what your friend asked ‘So what are you gonna do once we have to go back to reality?’. You only had two more nights to spend with Shouto, two more nights to live in this fantasy. What were you going to do, you didn’t live in japan and he did. You were just a wedding planner and he was a hero, you lived in two entirely different worlds.

“Hey Shouto, I wanted to give you something.” You broke apart from him, already missing the warmth he gave you, you faced him. “Remember when you asked me about my bracelets?” he nodded his head, watching as you reached in your back pocket. You pulled out a crystal bracelet much like your own, only this one had black and a light brown small round stones on it.

“I got you one, this is a protection bracelet.” You took hold of his wrist, sliding the elastic object over his large slightly calloused hand. “It’s made from black obsidian which is known as a grounding and protective stone and tiger eye; it's going to help bring you balance and help you release fear and anxiety, aiding you in making unclouded judgments and understanding. I thought that you could use this seeing as how you have a tough and dangerous job.” You played with the little polished stones now on his wrists. You wanted to give him something to remember these summer nights with you, because you knew this is all it would ever be, summer nights and a summer romance.

“I feel bad, I didn’t get you anything.” He tucked a piece of your hair behind your ear, letting his hand slide down to the ends playing with it between his fingers.

“You don’t have to, the memories of these past few nights are all I need.” his eyes stared into your own, like they were trying to say something to you but you couldn't figure it out.

You gasped as Shouto pulled you into a tight hug. His hand stroking the back of your head, long fingers running through your hair. “Sometimes memories aren't enough. Tomorrow night I promise, I’ll give you something you can always remember me by.”

That night you spent it like all the other nights, only difference was Shouto had held you for the better part of the whole night. Soon it was time to say goodnight, like every night. Once you closed your door Shouto headed back to the villa he shared with his friends, he looked at his wrist staring at the bracelet. He had to get you something just as meaningful in the morning. Letting out a sigh he looked back up at the star lit sky, tomorrow night he was going to ask you if you wanted to continue this romance once the vacation ended.

You had butterflies in your stomach all day long. Something about what Shouto said last night had you on your toes. Deciding you were going to dress up tonight you put on a black and daisy printed spaghetti strapped dress that came up to right above your knees. You made sure to spray your signature perfume, knowing that Shouto liked the smell of it just as much as you did. After talking with your friends about it, maybe it wasn't so bad to carry on with this romance after leaving Hawaii. So many people you know and even couples you planned weddings for had done the whole long distance thing. ‘This could work!’ You smiled as you picked up pace making your way to the beach.

Once you reached the beach you noticed Shouto wasn't there yet. It wasn’t like him to not be here before you. Shrugging it off you made your way to the lounge chairs you and Shouto declared as your spot. Pulling out your phone you decided to play a game or check your social media sites while you waited for him.

Five minutes turned into thirty, thirty turned into an hour and before you knew it you wanted on that beach for almost an hour and a half. You felt silly for never getting Shouto’s number, what if something happened to him and his friends. You were about to get up and make your way to the front desk to ask them to call his villa for you when you saw a hotel staff member run towards you.

“Excuse me are you,” He said your name, before handing you a beautifully wrapped box and a letter. “Mr.Todoroki asked me to give that to you.” without another word the man turned around and left.

Sitting back down you placed the box on your lap as you opened the letter.

‘To my Flower,

 I’m so sorry to have left without a word but something came up back in japan and they needed all of us to come back immediately. These past few days seemed like a fantasy for me, YOU were like a fantasy for me. I was afraid that one day I would open my eyes and you would be gone, that you were only someone I imagined. You are a woman who must be too wonderful, too beautiful, too great to be true, it's odd to think that a man like me could catch your eye and possibly your heart.  

I was going to use tonight to ask you if this could turn into something more than just a past memory, if this can become our reality. If you want to become MY reality. Inside the box is something you could cherish forever and my contact information. Hope to hear from you soon, my flower.

-Shouto

Folding the letter back up and placing it against your stomach, you switched your attention to the small box. The wrapping paper was a beautiful lilac and gold metallic marble pattern, with a mesh white ribbon wrapped around it, a perfect bow on top. You almost didn't want to open it, it was so beautiful.

Pulling the ribbon you gently untied it from around the box before pulling at the paper. The gift had a little weight to it, your mind wandered trying to come up with what could possibly be in there. Once you got rid of the paper, you were left with a small dark blue velvet box. Slowly you opened the lid. You nearly dropped it as a gasp passed your lips, hands shaking, water gathering in the corner of your eyes.

Inside was a Hawaiian Hibiscus hair pin made out of red sapphires, he remembered your favorite flower. You had mentioned it to him the first night and it was never brought up again. You ran your fingertips over the stunning stones, taking it out of its case you clipped it to the side of your hair. With it securely in place you looked back at the box hopping to find a small card with his phone number.

Confusion struck as you noticed there wasn't a card in the box, tilting your head you turned the object over shaking it hoping something was going to magically fall out. But nothing, going back to the letter you re-read the last line over again just to make sure you did read it right. Grabbing the envelope you ripped it open but once again, nothing.

Shouto forgot to leave his number for you, you had no way of contacting him. Was this fate's way of telling you this wouldn't have worked?  Did fate save you from an impending heartbreak? You looked up to the stars as tears started to flow from your eyes. You and Shouto were never meant to walk down this path together, at least not in reality. Now you only had these summer nights to remember the man that set your heart on fire. With tears streaming down your face you held the letter to your heart.

“I’ll cherish these memories forever, Shouto.”

It’s been five years to the day and you haunted Shouto’s memories. Those nights were still fresh in his head, if he closed his eyes he could still feel that soft breeze on the beach, your scent wafting around him. The way your smile was somehow brighter than the sun, your laugh was like a lullaby in his head, he could remember it all. When he landed back home he had expected you to have sent him a text message but nothing, even days, weeks, months later there was nothing. He was devastated, he truly wanted to believe that you had felt for him the way he felt for you but he was mistaken.

“You're still thinking about that girl icy hot?” The sound of Bakugou’s rough voice brought him out of his reverie. He had been put on patrol with his old classmate, there was a big convention going on in town so they were put on duty to make sure nothing happens in the surrounding area.

“No I’m not.” Shouto continued to walk alongside his friend, as his hand played with the bracelet on his wrist.

“Tch don’t lie, every time the summer comes your head gets further in the clouds. It’s been five years man, let it go.”

He’s tried so many times but couldn’t, you were all he could think of. He tried looking for you but didn’t know where, he racked his brain thinking back to the conversations but you never said where you lived now. He was hoping that one day your paths would cross like they did in Hawaii on that beautiful summer day, and just hope he wasn't too late.

“Come in Ground Zero and Shouto!” The heroes could hear the dispatcher call for them in the hidden earpiece they had.

“Shouto and Ground Zero here, what’s going on?”

“Looks like some criminals decided to show up at the convention center. Other heroes are on their way but you two are the closest!” Looking at Bakugou, Shouto watched as he blasted himself in the air going towards the center.

“Time to get your head out of the past icy hot and focus on the present!!” Shouto was never one to take advice from the hot tempered hero, but maybe this time he would.

They arrived at the scene to see people running and screaming out of the convention center. police officers and EMT’s trying to get people to safety and taking those who were injured “Bakugou, you get the attention of the criminals, keep them busy until backup arrives, I’ll go in and try to evacuate as many people as I can.”

“Don’t tell me what to do!” He took off into the building, one thing over the years hasn't changed and that was Bakugou’s anger.

Running to the back of the building Shouto found an entrance that seemed to have not been noticed by the criminals, Shouto figured he'd start the evacuation from the back working his way to the front making sure everyone was safe. Running into rooms, and halls he got out as many as he could making sure the coast was clear for the civilians to run to the exit.

He had gotten everyone out and was about to go aid Bakugou when he heard a woman screaming as she was being held back by the police. “My friend is in there! She’s still in there!” There was sheer panic and desperation in her voice .

“Do you know where she is?” Shouto was slightly out of breath having ran through the entire building.

“She was in the dressing room of the main hall!” Shouto nodded his head at her before running off back into the building. ‘How could I have missed her!’ Gritting his teeth Shouto pushed himself faster, he had to get to her and then go help Bakugou.

“Oi Todoroki where are you?” He could hear Bakugou over the earpiece.

“There is one more civilian in the dressing room, once I get her to safety I’ll head over to help you.”

“Help me?” Shouto heard a loud explosion followed by Bakugou laughing. “Who said I needed your help, just figured you'd want in on the action!”

Shouto was about to respond back when he heard the sound of someone screaming. Using his ice as a booster he slid down the escalators leading him to the main hall where the woman’s friend said she was. Slowing down and stopping right outside the door, Shouto heard the criminal speaking to the woman.

“Just come out and nobody gets hurt!” Shouto used that as his moment to freeze the criminal, surrounding him in ice. “What the-” The criminal tried to break free but couldn’t.

“It’s useless, you can't break my ice.” His voice was low and deadly sending shivers down the criminal’s spine. Shouto walked into the room, tables were flipped glass was broken but the woman’s friend was nowhere to be seen. “Miss, you can come out, it's safe now.” He walked closer to the stand up closet, figuring that’s the first place a person would hide. Shouto put his hand on the small door knob ready to open it when he got a whiff of it.

‘Roses, daffodil’s, peony and a hint of dahlia? It couldn’t be, there's no way’.

Nearly ripping the door off it hinges, Shouto’s eyes widened as he saw you. A mix of black mascara and tears streaming down your face. Your body shaking from fear hands clenched into fists on your side. You opened your eyes, meeting Shouto’s shocked ones. That’s when he saw it, that hair pin he gave you all those years ago, placed on the side of your head.

“Shouto?” Was the last thing you heard yourself say before everything went black.

#Shouto #shouto todoroki #shouto x reader #bnhabookclub #bnharem server collab #bnha x reader #bnha fluff #sfw #mha x reader #mha fluff #summer romance #shoto x reader #bnha #mha

[booksforevermore13]

Sherry Lips and Crystal Stars (Part III)

Summary: 'So, when they break away, and he looks at her, green to brown, she knows that he's the one. That in the end, he had always been the one.'

Ginny Weasley works on a strict owe-to-owe basis, but it's one person she can never fully repay. And she's always running from him. Always. Until Kaz Brekker needs her to recruit him for a highly coveted kidnapping.

Again, no knowledge of Shadow and Bone is required to read this :)

Part I is here.

Part II is here.

Read it on Fanfiction or AO3 if you prefer!

...

PART III

...

ix.

Three Squallers.

Two Inferni.

Three Heartrenders.

And the Snitch. Which in their case, is the Summoner.

Quidditch wasn't a game for the people.

It was also a game where when the victim's safely bound and gagged, it's considered complete. 'Safely' was a debatable term though.

"The Squallers are yours, the Inferni are mine," Ginny says, double knotting her boots, while staring pointedly at Harry. "The Heartrenders are among the best in the Palace, so we'll take them together."

Harry doesn't answer, and she knows he's mad.

"Are you even listening to what I'm saying?"

It's then Harry looks at her, and she doesn't need to look at his eyes to know she's right. He's mad. The furious kind of mad. If she didn't know him better, she'd have been almost scared of him.

"How do I know you're not lying?" he says finally, and she can't help but flare up at that again, because it's awfully hard to not do something she had done for half her life.

"I guess you just have to see for yourself," she says angrily, finishing up her boots, and glaring at him. She feels like a bomb with a constantly ticking timer, just waiting to go off.

Ginny doesn't wait for an answer. She takes her knives, takes the ammo, and leaves the room they'd rented for the while.

She doesn't wait for him to follow.

x.

It's just the slightest sliver of evening, but it's dark, and it was the quintessential time for people like her.

She'd chosen a spot from where she could see the gate, and she could see the room they'd be entering, but the guards, they couldn't see her.

She has the pistol armed at him before she even makes a sound.

"Harry!" she hisses, and she lowers the pistol, putting it back in her holster again.

"Careful."

"I could have blown your brains out."

"Lucky you didn't or you'd be a man less."

She glances at him, shaking her head in exasperation. He's bending down beside her, an hour after they'd had their argument, and like her, he's peering at the guards, watching their every move, observing their every line of sight. It's what he's best at, adapting to the situation, and it's something that's saved his sorry ass (and hers) from too many situations to count.

"What are we waiting for?" she whispers to him, to which he motions her to shush.

"They are leaving, one by one. Coming back in intervals."

"And?"

"And, they're following a pattern. And every pattern coincides so that at one point of time, they'd have to go at once."

"Meaning we'd have a….."

"Exactly."

"And how do we know when that happens?"

It's then he looks at her, because sure, he might have spotted that pattern, but he wasn't very good at solving them. She was.

"We don't." Harry smiles, and it's the glint in his eyes which worries herm which lets her know what he's planning to do. Ginny's eyes widen, as she raises her hand as warning.

"Wait, Harry, no-"

She ducks as he throws a bomb, and he's pushing her up, pulling her good arm to make her follow him, and while the guards have their pistols up and running, they slip in right where they'd had a weak link, and when they come out the other side, Ginny can't help but laugh.

"Didn't know you had that in you, Potter."

"Yeah, well, I'm not exactly as much of an idiot as you think I am."

Ginny chuckles, shaking her head, before realizing her hand was still clasped in his. They let go at the same time, but they're still smiling.

"The Sqaullers are mine," he repeats. "Inferni's yours."

"Damn right."

"And remember, fire crackles before it lights. Same with Inferni. So…..listen."

She laughs incredulously, shooting hima mirthful glance, but before he turns away, Ginny stops him.

"What's this?" he says as she hands him a black sleek cylinder, capped on both ends.

"Use this when it's bad," she says seriously. "Like, really bad. Like raining hell bad. That cap there, open it, throw and run."

"Cap, Open, Run. Got it."

"You better."

She turns again, and then stops. "Wait," she calls, "wait, wait, Harry, don't die on me, okay? Don't do it."

And then it's the first time that evening, she's seeing him grin, that grin that makes his eyes light up in a way that she's always loved.

Wait, saints, what?

"Noted ma'am," he says and laughs, and she's left standing and thinking what the hell she's thinking, before realizing she had to go too.

Maybe she was liking him a bit more than she had planned to.

It wasn't as terrifying as she'd thought.

xi.

Ginny hears them before they strike. She hears the familiar crackling of fire, like Harry had said, before she's ducking and leaping behind a pillar. She smells a distinct burning, looking down to see they'd singed the ends of her hair off.

"Don't have much time left now, do we?" the Inferni mocks, and she makes it out to be distinctly feminine.

"Now, now Aila, perhaps the little girl wanted a glimpse of our Sun Summoner."

"Well, too bad she won't be getting one."

She barely misses the next fireball sent her way, and she jumps over a wall, and into the courtyard.

"Hey!" the girl, Aila yells, and Ginny looks around frantically, before finding a chandelier and focusing on it, finding the glass to be exceptionally easy to manipulate compared to stone.

"Show your face!"

Yeah, no.

"Or maybe a coward is all you are!"

The girl's nearing, the boy's not far behind, and when the girl's merely a feet away, Ginny steps aside, letting her coat catch fire, and yelling loudly. She hears the girl laughing behind her, the boy too, and she feigns falling on her knees, yelling out louder.

The girl steps nearer, and when she's right beside her, Ginny blocks out her voice and the boy's and wills the glass hinges to fall apart.

It's the atoms she works upon, because brittle they might be, but they're Fabrikator made, made by her own kind. It isn't meant to be fragile, but everything has a weak link, and that weak link is all it takes.

And then the glass shatters. As quickly as it does, she brings out her dagger, slashing part of the girl's kefta off and pulling it over her head. Then she lunges behind a pillar, feeling the hot flames licking up her feet. In a bold and foolish move, the boy had aimed a fireball at the chandelier, and it was only because she was a Fabrikator she knew, that glass heated at high temperatures would explode at any given part of the world.

Ginny runs, runs as fast as she can, and leaps over the wall she'd come from, and as the glass chandelier explodes behind her, she's pushed forward by the force of the blast.

If the kefta hadn't been over her, she'd have died from impact alone.

Ginny isn't nearly up on her feet, before she hears Harry yelling, and then she grunts, yanking out a glass piece from her thigh, and pressing on it as she gets up.

"Run!" she hears him yelling. "Run, Ginny, go!"

Ginny grunts, wrapping the kefta over her thigh. It's not deep, but it could bleed out if kept unopened. She can see Harry running, and can't quite make out what she has to do. Her head's pounding, and she's breathing heavily, comprehending only what she can see.

Run?

And then she sees him, the Heartrenders behind him, running as fast as he was. He's managed to keep a safe distance between them, but the moment they're cornered, she knows they are done.

From the distance, she can see that he's managed to tie a piece of rope around one's arms, while the rest of them are sporting huge, ugly bleeds, but they're still running as fast as ever.

They're trapped, and she can't find anything to snap, or break over them, and she's not strong enough to break the wall down, like she'd done back in the Manor. Besides, she knows the wall would only ever add injury to them, and that'll just make it easier for the guards to finish them off.

Ginny steps back, ready to climb the wall, but raising her daggers to fight, but then Harry's yelling at her to run again, and she puts abkc the dagger and waits until he's reached her, before she jumps, grunting at the added strain on her sides, and wincing as she drops down on the other side.

Ginny hears Harry behind her as she starts running, and then the click of the cap, and then in a flash, they're on the floor, his body shielding hers.

And then things do quite literally go to hell.

xii.

Ginny coughs as she snaps her eyes open. She sneezes, rubbing away the dust from her nose.

"Harry," she calls hoarsely. "Harry, get off of me."

He makes no sound, and she grunts, pushing at him, growing increasingly worried, as she manages to roll out from under him.

"Harry. Harry," she calls and she scrambles up, ignoring the ebbing pain in her thigh, while she looks down at his body for injuries.

"Oh, god. Shit, saints. Fuck." There's blood trickling down his back, pooling on the floor. She turns him on his side, and tears away his shirt, her eyes widening as she sees his open back.

"Shit," she curses. "Shit, shit, shit, god!"

There's shrapnel littering his back, digging into his skin and there's blisters running down his spine, and she doesn't know how much damage his back has taken, but she needs to fix this.

I need a Healer, she thinks. He needs a Healer.

She can't fix him.

Ginny looks around frantically, and then presses the cut Kefta onto his back. Harry groans in pain, and Ginny takes out her lockpick, putting it on the ground.

"Gin," Harry whispers. "Gin."

"Shh," she says, and she's got her hand on his, and he's clasping it tightly, as if his life was tethered to that.

"I am here, Harry," she says, "I'm right here."

She focuses on the lockpick, and suddenly, she can see the metal in it, lined up in perfect concentric circles and she presses those, forcing out a few strands off the pattern. Ginny wills them into shape, long and thin, and then when she lets the strands fall, she's glad it's turned out the way she wanted. Ginny takes the newly formed tweezers, and then a piece at a time, she's taking out the shrapnel from his back, second after second.

She's baiting time. But she knows there is no other choice. If the shrapnel stays in his back, he'd not make it out of here.

Ginny works quickly, but it still feels as if hours have passed, and when it's finally done, she dabs the blood away, and wraps his back with the Kefta.

"Harry," she calls again. "Harry."

"You…." he chuckles weakly, "you didn't leave me."

"Of course I didn't."

"But now you have to."

Ginny looks at him in surprise, before she's shaking her head and pulling him up with every bit of strength she has left. He's too heavy for her, and he slumps over her, as they collapse on the ground.

"No. No. Get….up"

"Gin, this," Harry wheezes out, "this was an ambush. Kaz set us up. They knew we were coming and the second they see the guards gone they'll come running here. This was a trap. It was a distraction."

"I'm not leaving you."

"You have to," he says, and Ginny's just barely holding back tears. "There will be hundreds of them here, any second. I'm only going to slow us down, Gin, and you know it."

She's still holding his hand, but she can't bear to look at him. But when she does, it's his green eyes that take her aback. They've always had. Always.

"Go," he whispers, and she can see he's tired but he's still smiling. It's a genuine one this time, and she knows he really does mean it.

So, she does what she's always done.

She lashes out.

Ginny lets go of his hand, and suddenly, her lips are crashing against his, begging for him to stay, begging for him to hold on. For a second, she wonders whether he'd pull away, but then he's kissing her back with equal passion, and suddenly, they're the only ones there, in the middle of the ash and dust, in the middle of all the blood, they're the only ones there.

His lips taste of sweet sherry and dust, and they're rough over hers, and she holds on to him as if she's never letting go.

She isn't.

And then she's pulling him up, holding him upright, and as she breaks off the kiss, they're wheezing, exhausted, but they're alive. And standing.

Distraction can do great things. He'd taught her that.

"Gin…."

"We're both getting out of here. Or we're not leaving at all."

He looks at her, his eyes holding a passion she's never seen before. Ginny holds him up as they start walking, through the courtyard, away from the hole, away from the crowd, away from the Grisha and the grenades and the blood and the dust.

But she's glad they're leaving together.

#fanfiction #hinny fanfiction #harry/ginny #romance #angst #fluff #crime #adventure #murder #Sherry Lips and Crystal Stars Part III #Shadow and Bone AU #Heartrender Harry Potter #Materialki Ginny Weasley #Ginny Weasley POV #Inej Ghafa #Kaz Brekker

[jemch]

How It’s Made Index（S11~S20）

How It’s Made是由 Discovery Channel 制作一款王牌节目，又被翻译为制造的原理或造物小百科， 本片从2001年推出至今，涵盖了几乎所有的制造技术 ，非常适合机械专业和对此感兴趣的同学。希望���家享受这趟制造的艺术之旅！

第十一季推出时间为2008-09-10至2008-12-03

S11E01 Binoculars; Sparklers; Rubber Boots; Circular Saw Blades 望远镜，焰火，长统水靴，圆锯锯片

本集看点：光学镜头的精密组装制程，AR镀膜制程；

S11E02 Anatomical Models; Jukeboxes; Tortilla Chips; Spark Plugs 解剖学模型，自动点唱机，墨西哥玉米片，火花塞

S11E03 Pencils; Metal Recycling; Coffee 铅笔，金属回收，咖啡

S11E04 Javelins; Cuckoo Clocks; Hearts of Palm; Windshield Wipers 标枪，布谷鸟钟，棕榈芯，雨刷

S11E05 Technical Glass; Washing Machines; Playing Cards; Crossbows 工业玻璃，洗衣机，扑克牌，弩

本集看点：玻璃镜片的模具加工制程；

S11E06 Cine Cameras; Glass Christmas Ornaments; Giant Tires 电影摄影机，圣诞节玻璃装饰品，巨型轮胎

S11E07 Microphones; Hot Tubs; Artificial Turf; Beer Steins 麦克风，按摩缸，人工草坪，啤酒杯

S11E08 Hot Rods; Decorative Eggs; Fire Hose Nozzles; Baseballs 改装车，装饰蛋，灭火水龙带喷嘴，棒球

S11E09 Accordions; Pineapples; Artificial Joints 手风琴，菠萝，人工关节

S11E10 Giant Valves; Sardines; Barographs; Disposable Diapers 巨型阀门，沙丁鱼罐头，气压计，一次性尿片

S11E11 Heated Skate Blades; Gliders; Hand Bells; Fire Hoses 加热式冰靴，滑翔机，手摇铃铛，灭火水龙带

S11E12 Induction Cooktops; Truck Scales; Tetra Pak Containers; Harmonicas 电磁炉，车重地衡，利乐包装盒，口琴

S11E13 Baseball Gloves; Medical Electrodes; Stetson Hats 棒球手套，医疗电极，牛仔帽

本季资源链接：

magnet:?xt=urn:btih:d779bce9b74c0b6e06c209442fe6d2bd0577fd92&dn

第十二季推出时间为2008-09-10至2008-12-03

S12E01 Pneumatic Impact Wrenches; Cultured Marble Sinks; Plantain Chips; NASCAR Stock Cars 气动扳手，人造大理石水池，炸香蕉片，纳斯卡赛车

S12E02 Jaws of Life; Artificial Christmas Trees; Soda Crackers; Ratchets 救生钳，人造圣诞树，苏打饼干，棘轮扳手

S12E03 Thermometers; Produce Scales; Aircraft Painting; Luxury Chocolates 温度计，挂秤，飞机机身彩绘，高档巧克力

S12E04 Carburetors; Air Conditioners; Sugar 气化器，空调机，糖

S12E05 Combination Wrenches; Deli Meats; Golf Carts; Airships 组合扳手，香肠，高尔夫球车，飞艇

S12E06 Carbon Fibre Car Parts; Hand Dryers; Recycled Polyester Yarn; Fleece 碳纤维汽车零件，手烘干机，回收聚酯制丝线，羊毛布料

S12E07 Police Badges; Muffins; Car Washes; Pressure Gauges 警徽，松饼，洗车房，压力表

S12E08 Metal Detectors; Rum; Tiffany Reproductions; Aircraft Engines 金属探测器，兰姆酒， 蒂凡尼灯具，飞机引擎

S12E09 Riding Mowers; Popcorn; Adjustable Beds; Cultured Diamonds 乘骑式割草机，爆米花，可调床垫，人造钻石

S12E10 Airstream Trailers; Horseradish; Industrial Steam Boilers; Deodorant 流线型拖车，辣根，工业蒸汽锅炉，防臭剂

S12E11 Screwdrivers; Compact Track Loaders; Physician Scales; Carbon Fibre Bats 螺丝刀，链带式装卸机，体重秤，碳纤维棒球棒

S12E12 Escalators; Kevlar Canoes; Goat Cheese; Disc Music Boxes 自动扶梯，凯夫拉尔独木舟，羊奶酪，碟式音乐盒

S12E13 Motorcycle Engines; Glass Enamel Sculptures; Hand-Made Paper; Vaulting Poles 摩托车引擎，玻璃搪瓷雕刻，手工纸，撑竿

本季资源链接：

magnet:?xt=urn:btih:f97da4fb8bfc1cf29bb923ad6dd2eaff6b522c9d&dn

第十三季推出时间为2009-05-01至2009-07-24

S13E01 Hammers; Swiss Cheese; Roller Skates; Coloured Pencils 锤子，瑞士奶酪，旱冰鞋，彩色铅笔

S13E02 Carbon Fiber Bicycles; Blood Products; Forged Chandeliers; Ballpoint Pens 碳纤维自行车，血液制品，锻造吊灯，圆珠笔

本集看点：如何用碳纤维制作自行车支架；

S13E03 Swiss Army Knives; Player Piano Rolls; Oil Tankers; Racing Wheels 瑞士军刀，钢琴演奏器，油轮，赛车轮毂

本集看点：真瑞士军刀！

S13E04 Bowling Balls; Barber Poles; Felt; Radar Guns 保龄球，旋转彩柱，毛毡，雷达测速枪

S13E05 Pipe Fittings; Music Boxes; Pepper Mills; Hot Rod Steering Columns 铜管件，圆柱音乐盒，胡椒磨，汽车方向柱

S13E06 Gears; Leather Watchbands; Vitrelle Dishes; Kitchen Shears 齿轮，真皮表带，抗摔玻璃碗碟，厨用剪刀

本集看点：齿轮插齿和滚齿制程；

S13E07 Pressure Cookers; Mechanical Singing Birds; Oceanographic Buoys; Tank Trailers 高压锅，唱歌机械鸟，浮标，不锈钢罐拖车

S13E08 Aluminum Boats; Alpine Horns; Luxury Watches 铝壳船，高山牛角，豪华手表

S13E09 ATVs; Alpine Skis; Laser Cutters; Marble Sculptures 全地形车，高山滑雪板，激光切割机，大理石雕塑

S13E10 Socket Sets; Leather Shoes; Aluminum Water Bottles; Bike Chains 套筒扳手，皮鞋，铝制水瓶，自行车链条

S13E11 Carved Wood Sculptures; Flatware; Cow Bells; Fountain Pens 木雕，餐具，牛铃，钢笔

S13E12 Olive Oil; Lift Trucks; Seamless Rolled Rings; Ski Boots 橄榄油，叉车，无缝环件，滑雪靴

S13E13 Cookware; Inlaid Boxes; High-Efficiency Water Heaters; Vespa Scooters 专业炊具，豪华镶嵌盒，高效率热水器，电动车

本季资源链接：

magnet:?xt=urn:btih:b164e21986d83657baf215347cf40ae2c33ed64a&dn

第十四季推出时间为2009-09-18至2010-01-08

S14E01 Mini GP Motorcycles; Fig Cookies; Tool Boxes; Pipe Bends 迷你锦标赛摩托车，无花果曲奇饼，工具箱，弯头

S14E02 Revolver Replicas; Arc Trainers; Oil Furnaces; Vegetable Peelers; Pizza Cutters 西部左轮手枪复制品，健身椭圆机，废油燃烧器，削皮器和薄饼切削刀

S14E03 Metal Golf Clubs; Waffles; Custom Wires and Cables Train Wheels; 金属高尔夫球杆，华夫烘饼，订制线缆，火车轮子

本集看点：热锻成型工艺；

S14E04 Sails; Walnuts; Wheel Immobilizers; Honeycomb Structural Panels 风帆，核桃，轮胎防盗器，蜂窝结构板

S14E05 Surfboards; Stickers; Sandwich Cookies; Concrete Roofing Tiles 冲浪板，贴纸，夹芯饼干，混凝土瓦

S14E06 Ski Goggles; Tower Cranes; Porcelain Figurines; Diesel Engines 滑雪风镜，塔吊，瓷小雕像，柴油引擎

本集看点：塔吊是如何长高的；

S14E07 Stuffed Olives; Astrolabes; Western Saddles 酿水榄，星盘，西部马鞍

S14E08 Custom Running Shoes; Axes; Racing Karts; Animatronics 订制跑鞋，斧头，卡丁车，电子动画

S14E09 Headphones; Diving Regulators; Reflector Light Bulbs 耳机，潜水呼吸调节器，聚光灯泡

S14E10 Fly Fishing Reels; House Paint; Weaving Looms; Ice Makers 飞钓卷筒，房屋涂料，编织机，制冰机

S14E11 Graphite Pencil Leads; Clarinets; Special Effects; 石墨铅笔芯，单簧管，特技效果

S14E12 Air Boats; Onions; 3D Metal Printing; Curved Cabinet Doors 空气船，洋葱，三维金属打印，弧形木柜门

本集看点：金属的3D打印制程；

S14E13 Retractable Ballpoint Pens; Solar Salt; Tubas; 圆珠笔，日晒盐，大号

本季资源链接：

magnet:?xt=urn:btih:5101c33367df80cb2ba1566fc8f467dbcde21af5&dn

第十五季推出时间为2010-04-02至2010-06-18

S15E01 Kelp Caviar; Luxury Sailboats; Dental Crowns; High-Performance Engines 海带鱼子酱，豪华帆船，人造牙冠，发动机

S15E02 Leather Briefcases; Crop Dusters; Corn Whiskey; Drag Racing Clutches 真皮公文包，喷洒农药飞机，玉米威士忌，直线竞速赛车离合器

S15E03 Train Rails; Desalinated Water; Racing Wheelchairs; Parquetry 火车钢轨，淡化水，竞速轮椅，拼花木地板

S15E04 Flight Simulators; Bookbinding; Greenhouse Tomatoes; Hurricane-Proof Shutters 飞行模拟器，传统装订，温室西红柿，防风百叶窗

S15E05 Worcestershire Sauce; Lawn Bowls; Radio-Controlled Model Jets; 辣酱油，草地滚球，遥控模型喷气机

S15E06 Pipes; Rock Climbing Gear; Leather Bike Saddles; Luxury Sports Cars 烟斗，攀岩丝扣锁，自行车座，豪华跑车

S15E07 Replica Foods; Traffic Cone Dispensers; Rocking Horses; London Taxis 食品模型，交通安全锥，摇马，伦敦出租车

S15E08 Miniature Furniture; Garden Steam Locomotives; Hovercraft; Folding Bicycles 迷你家具，庭院蒸汽机车，气垫船，折迭自行车

S15E09 Crosscut Saws; Haggis; Collectible Firearms; 横割锯，肉馅羊肚，收藏枪支

S15E10 Alligator Bags; Lockers; Bench Planes; Deployable Flight Recorders 鳄鱼手袋，储物柜，木工台刨，飞行纪录仪

S15E11 Grapples; Flavorings; Dog Sleds; Athletic Shoes 抓斗，调味品，狗雪撬，运动鞋

S15E12 Retractile Cords; Wood Frame Sports Cars; Sushi 伸缩绳，木结构跑车，寿司

S15E13 Leather Wallets; French Horns; Soy Sauce; Children's Ride-On Cars 真皮钱包，圆号，酱油，儿童骑乘汽车

本季资源链接：

magnet:?xt=urn:btih:f6b32d4b2d935fa1a9af9d02b026367bca667ce5&dn

第十六季推出时间为2010-10-01至 2010-12-24

S16E01 Millefiori Glass Paperweights; Road Salt; Nutcrackers; Car Doors 千花玻璃纸镇，道路除冰盐，胡桃夹子，汽车门

S16E02 Straight Razors; Black Pudding; Steering Wheels; Inorganic Pigments 直剃须刀，黑香肠，方向盘，无机颜料

S16E03 Cast Iron Cookware; Biodiesel; Clothing Hangers; Stone Wool Insulation 铸铁炊具，生物柴油，衣架，石棉

本集看点：连续铸造制程；

S16E04 Needles & Pins; Architectural Mouldings; Locomotives; Clothespins 针，建筑木线条，机车，衣夹

本集看点：针尖的抛光制程，针孔的冲压制程；

S16E05 Filigree Glass; Fish Food; Motor Homes 掐丝玻璃，鱼饲料，房车

S16E06 Surgical Instruments; Ketchup; Double-Decker Buses; Walking Sticks 手术器械，番茄酱，手杖

S16E07 Audio Tubes; Light Bars; Model Aircraft; Snare Drums 音频真空管，灯条，木制模型飞机，金属小鼓

S16E08 Kitchen Accessories; Central Vacuums; Paper-Maché Animals; Hydraulic Cylinders 厨房配件，中央吸尘器，纸型动物，液压缸

S16E09 Liquor Jugs; Deli Meats; NASCAR Engines 粘土酒壶，家禽熟肉制品，NASCAR发动机

S16E10 Digital Dentistry; Nail Clippers; Poster Restoration; Canola Oil 数字牙科，海报恢复，菜籽油

S16E11 Dial Thermometers; Hummus; Spent Fuel Containers; Straw Sombreros 温度计，豆泥，燃料容器，秸秆宽边帽

S16E12 Tequila; Water Beds; Flip Flops; Silver 龙舌兰酒，水床，人字拖，银子

S16E13 Composite Propane Cylinders; Salsa; Water-pumping Windmills; Dragsters 复合丙烷缸，辣调味汁，抽水风车，高速赛车

本集看点：玻璃纤维制作的罐子；

本季资源链接：

magnet:?xt=urn:btih:4fc2ea711b18dc3079a0cdb65688b59f2cf1317f&dn

第十七季推出时间为2011-04-08至 2011-06-24

S17E01 Decorative Sombreros; Salad Dressings; Cap Guns; Regenerative Medicine 装饰戴草帽，沙拉酱和腌泡汁，帽枪，再生医学

S17E02 Cheese Graters; Hot Sauce; Silver Jewelery; Traditional Mexican Chairs 芝士刨，辣酱，银首饰，传统墨西哥椅

S17E03 Game calls; Mayonnaise; Traditional Razor Blades; Butterfly Safety Razors 哨，蛋黄酱，传统剃须刀片，蝴蝶安全剃刀

S17E04 Corn Tortillas; Crankshafts & Camshafts; Bush Planes; Aluminum Bike Wheels 玉米饼，曲轴和凸轮轴，布什飞机，铝自行车轮

S17E05 Folding Kayaks; Pi?atas; Garbage Trucks; Ceramic Composite Brake Discs 折叠皮艇，彩罐，垃圾车，陶瓷复合刹车盘

S17E06 Rolled Wafers; Wood Pellets; Class & Championship Rings; 威化饼，木颗粒，总冠军戒指

S17E07 Speed skates; synthetic rubber; cocoa beans; and bulk chocolate 速度溜冰鞋，可可豆，散装巧克力

S17E08 Custom Steering Wheels; Aerospace Fuel Lines; Apple Pies; Household Radiators 定做方向盘，苹果馅饼，家用散热器

S17E09 Whips; automated pizza makers; incense cones; and scale turbine engines 鞭子，自动比萨饼机，香锥，喷气发动机模型

S17E10 Heather gems; instant film; beet sugar; electric roadsters 希瑟宝石，即时胶片，甜菜糖，电动跑车

S17E11 Underwater robots; lasagne; band saws; and ski trekking poles 水下机器人，烤宽面条，带锯床，登山杖

S17E12 Laminated Wood Beams; Sport Utility Vehicles; Veggie Burgers; Wood-boring Augers 木质横梁，运动型多功能车，素食汉堡，钻木螺旋钻

S17E13 Turbochargers; enchiladas; and watches; 涡轮增压器，辣酱玉米饼馅，手表

本集看点：中空的铸造零件是如何制作的；

本季资源链接：

magnet:?xt=urn:btih:153c8f17185e424a1da8805f16bf13cd9f9d70ad&dn

第十八季推出时间为2011-09-14至 2011-12-06

S18E01 Patterned Glass Panels; Road Cases; Stop-Frame Animation 压花玻璃面板，公路应急箱，定格动画

S18E02 Industrial Wire Ropes; Living Walls; Large Format Cameras; Gemstones 工业钢丝绳，生活墙，大画幅相机，宝石

S18E03 Chocolate Coins; Floor Heating System; Pedal Cars; Latex Swords 巧克力金币， 地板采暖系统，踏板汽车，乳胶剑

S18E04 Farmed Caviar; Intake Manifolds; Motorcycle Jackets; Forged Spades 养殖鱼子酱，进气管，机车夹克，铲子和铁锹

S18E05 Wax Figures; Awnings; Sandwich Crackers; Pewter Tankards 蜡像，遮阳篷，三明治饼干，锡制酒杯

S18E06 Cufflinks; Blueberry Turnovers; Dashboards; Pottery 袖扣， 蓝莓饼，仪表板，陶器

S18E07 Fish Replicas; Siren Systems; Pre-Packaged Sandwiches; Candlesticks 鱼模型，警报器系统，预包装三明治，烛台

S18E08 Pipe Cleaners; Blue Stilton Cheese; Smart Electric Meters; Telescopes 管道清洁剂，蓝斯蒂尔顿奶酪，智能电表，望远镜

S18E09 Rally Cars; Pork Pies; Floating Fountains; Artificial Stone Ornaments 拉力赛车，猪肉馅饼，浮动喷泉，人造石饰品

S18E10 Tapioca Pudding; Snow Plows; Paddle Boats; Fibre Cement Siding 木薯布丁，除雪车，桨船，纤维水泥墙板

S18E11 Pharmaceutical Blister Packs; Deli Slicers; Oysters; Weathervanes 药品泡罩包装，德利切片机，牡蛎，风向标

S18E12 Top & Bowler Hats; Solar Water Heaters; Sticky Buns; Electrostatic Speakers 圆顶礼帽，太阳能热水器，粘小奶油甜面包，静电式扬声器

S18E13 Turntables; Steam Engines; Playground Equipment; Teflon Pans 唱盘，蒸汽机，运动场设备，不粘锅

本季资源链接：

magnet:?xt=urn:btih:2689e5e93e88a4f1c599bf77f90d3227cebfa7d8&dn

第十九季推出时间为2012-04-19至 2012-06-24

S19E01 Garden Forks; English Toffee; Paint Chip Cards; Bundt Pans 花园艺叉,英式太妃糖，油漆色卡，蛋糕模具

S19E02 Pewter Flasks; Potato Salad; Hydrogen Fuel Cells; Engineered Wood Siding 锡制酒瓶，马铃薯沙拉，氢燃料电池组，工程木板墙

S19E03 Canvas Wall Tents; Peace Pipes; Shredded Wheat Cereal; Cannons 帆布帐篷，印第安式烟斗，块状麦片，加农炮

S19E04 Robotic Hunting Decoys; Canned Tomatoes; Scoreboards; Lassos 捕猎诱饵，罐装番茄酱，电子计分板，捕牛套索

S19E05 Turf Grass; Beef Jerky; Wood Chippers; Bowling Pins 草坪，长条牛肉干，木片切削机，保龄球球瓶

S19E06 Multi-Tools; Jojoba Oil; Marionettes 多用途工具刀，荷荷芭油，提线木偶

S19E07 Fish Decoys; Film Digitization; Cylinder Stoves; Concrete Light Poles 鱼饵，影片数字化存储，筒形火炉，混凝土灯杆

S19E08 Bamboo Bicycles; Chainsaw Art; Breath Mints; Manual Motorcycle Transmissions 竹制自行车，木雕，薄荷糖，变速箱总成

S19E09 Dinnerware; Air Brake Tanks; Frosted Cereal; Fossils 陶瓷餐具，气刹储气罐，麦片，化石

S19E10 Clay; Pitted Prunes; Spurs; Polyurethane Tires 黏土，话梅，马靴，轮胎

S19E11 Tasers; Canned Soup; Jaw Harps; Diving Boards 泰瑟枪，汤品罐头，口弓，跳水板

S19E12 Space Pens; Reef Aquariums; Metal Caskets; Composite Bike Wheels 太空笔，水族馆，金属棺材，复合自行车轮子

S19E13 Navajo Rugs; Crude Oil; Kaleidoscopes; Titanium Dental Implants 纳瓦霍地毯，原油，万花筒，钛牙科植入物

本季资源链接：

magnet:?xt=urn:btih:91bb1169cf63a02a4394608268efd8de9703bdcb&dn

第二十季推出时间为2012-10-25至 2013-01-10

S20E01 Native Healing Drums;Raisins;Stereoscopic Viewers;Ribbon Microphones 印地安疗愈鼓，葡萄干，立体图片观赏器，铝带式麦克风

S20E02 Horse Bits; Oat Cereal; Turquoise Jewelry; Electric Scooters 马衔，燕麦片，土耳其玉首饰，电动滑板车

S20E03 Stagecoaches;Road Reflectors;Fire Baked Pottery;Custom Motorcycle Tanks 驿马车，反光道钉，火烤陶器，订制摩托车油箱

S20E04 Replica Clay Pipes;Drinking Fountains;Orange Liqueur;Compound Bows 复刻陶瓷烟斗，饮水机，柳橙甜酒，复合弓

S20E05 Tissues;Travel Trailers;Slippers;Motorcycle Helmets 面纸，旅行拖车，拖鞋，摩托车安全帽

S20E06 U-Locks; Tepees; Croissants; Rolling Luggage U型锁，圆锥帐篷，可颂面包，滚轮行李箱

S20E07 Prams;Factory-Built Homes;Wood Flutes;Bicycle Tires 婴儿车，组合式房屋，木笛，单车轮胎

S20E08 Thinning Shears;Wagon Wheels;Toaster Pastries;Violin Bows 打薄剪，马车轮，果酱夹心饼，小提琴弓

S20E09 1000th Item: Cycling Shoes;Yurts;Marine Plywood;Oil & Encaustic Paint 自行车卡鞋地，蒙古包，船用合板，油彩和蜡彩

S20E10 Nail Nippers; Jade Putters; Ice Cider; Water Skis 指甲钳，玉石推杆，苹果冰酒，滑水板

S20E11 Paper Fans; Walnut Oil; Copper 纸扇，胡桃油，铜

S20E12 Cast Iron Tubs; Hopi Kachina Dolls; Mine Truck Engine; Memory Cards 铸铁浴缸，霍皮族娃娃，矿场卡车引擎重建，记忆卡

S20E13 Gut Strings;Absinthe;Belt Buckles;Lever Locks 肠弦，苦艾酒，皮带头，杆锁

本季资源链接：

magnet:?xt=urn:btih:3b16e409e27f9101e3d9b5ba17cf000344174c58&dn

#how it's made

[swaps55]

Sonata - Update

Pairing: mShenko

Rating: M

Tags: Canon Divergent (Shepard & Kaidan pre-Me1 service history), Fake Relationship, Oh No - There Was Only One Bed, Mutual Pining (SO MUCH PINING)

POV Characters: Kaidan, Joker, Tali, Liara, Mrs. Alenko

Summary:

After the Battle of the Citadel, the Alliance calls the Normandy home to Vancouver to face an inquest. Things get...complicated. On every possible level. Especially when Kaidan discovers an unfortunate misunderstanding with his parents.

It’s @urrone / @makoparkingonly’s birthday today! So here, have a chapter. Many, many thanks to @sinvraal for beta-ing this mess.

Chapter 10 - Unsteady

Chapter Summary:

The chapter with the gala. :)

Read it:

Tali cranes her head, gazing at the banquet hall Mrs. Alenko had described as a “venue.”

It’s beautiful.

And big. The only space on the Rayya that comes close is the garden plaza, and it could fit inside this room. Everywhere she looks she finds more displays of elegant opulence, from the chandeliers to the drapes to the high arches ceilings. The precious metals in the filigree patterns alone would be far too valuable as raw goods for repairs and ship functions to ever dream of using them for decor. 

With this kind of space on the flotilla they could make so many strides with agriculture. 

And the food. The guests have not even arrived yet and food is everywhere, carried on uncovered platters by servers wearing ornate uniforms. The sheer volume of it could feed an entire ship. Even when Captain Kar'Danna oversees public gatherings, either the guest list is short or the menu is small. They simply cannot afford such lavish displays, nor would any time or effort be spent making it look pretty. Food on the flotilla is meant to make nutrient intake as efficient as possible. The morsels on these trays are too stunning to eat.  

On the stage at the front of the ballroom, a live band tunes instruments she’s never seen before.Quarians tend to favor woodwind and stringed instruments. While there are strings involved on the stage, the sound they make is overpowering. Tali can’t imagine needing an even bigger space for music, but a reverberating boom from a canvas-strung cylinder makes the cavernous space feel small. She turns down the sensitivity of her external audio pickups.   

To distract from the music, she fantasizes about the clothes she’ll see. Flowing dresses, colors, accessories that sparkle. As she waits for her new security script to load on her omnitool – she’s nicknamed it Love Bot – she fingers the scarf that Mrs. Alenko had given her. Purple with gold trim, a perfect match to her suit. It takes the sting out of not being able to wear a gown of her own.

Once the script is ready she links into a backdoor in the building’s security network and uploads it. It had been disappointingly easy to do. Not everything can be as challenging as hacking into a geth gestalt, but she can hope.

Beside her, Joker leans his head back against the wall and sighs. “You know, somehow I thought espionage would be more exciting than this.”

The sight of him in something other than an Alliance jumpsuit makes him look even more alien than usual. He keeps fussing with his sleeves and adjusting the collar, but when he leaves it alone and stops thinking about the fact he’s wearing it, it doesn’t look half bad. Except for the shoes. He’d refused to put on the dress shoes that went with it and is still wearing Alliance boots, claiming they’re more comfortable with the leg braces.

“Do you have the scrambler I asked for?” Tali asks.

He holds up the tiny device and waves it back and forth.

“Great. I’m going to need to install it near the main entrance.”

“What does this thing do, exactly?”

“It’ll create a fence around the venue that interferes with outgoing communications,” Tali replies.

Joker chews his lip. “Uh. Is that…safe? In case of emergency?”

“Joker. Do you really think I’m sloppy enough that I wouldn’t teach my programs to understand the difference between regular and emergency channels? I promise, if the building catches on fire we’ll be able to call for help.”

She’s got it nearly installed, just to the inside of the expansive, double doors that open into an anteroom outside the ballroom, when Mrs. Alenko finds them. She looks radiant - her navy blue dress is accentuated by a cape embroidered with a tapestry of constellations. When she walks it shimmers.

It’s beautiful.

Mrs. Alenko glances around with a nervous look in her eyes.

“Is it all ready?”

A green light blinks on the scrambler. “Yep,” Tali says. “Scrambler is online to take care of comms. The program I created to interfere with imaging and recordings is loaded into the security network, and will infect the omnitool of anyone it scans. Which means everyone who comes in.”

“What about the staff?”

Tali waves her omnitool. “I’m on it. I can run it remotely on any stragglers.”  

Mrs. Alenko chews her lip. “And it’s all…benign?”

Her concern is touching. Tali has spent too much time around Shepard, whose concern with legalities starts and ends with ‘will it make this thing stop bothering me.’

“All it will do is…very conveniently overwrite any audio or video recordings anyone might try to make tonight,” Tali assures her.

“Tali rewrote a geth colossus,” Joker says. “If she says it’s good, you’re good.”

Mrs. Alenko nods, winding her finger up in her cape. Not likely she knows what a geth colossus is, but Joker’s confidence made it sound pretty impressive, at least. “Ok,” she says, without much certainty. “And you think all of this…” she gestures around the room, “will work?”

Joker jerks a thumb in Tali’s direction. “She’s the romance expert.”

Tali hums. “I think what the two of them need is a chance to just spend time around each other without the galaxy falling on their heads. The inquest is over. Everyone here will be having a good time. What you’re giving them is a refuge to do that. It’s very sweet of you.”

Mrs. Alenko smiles weakly.

“We just need to make sure they dance,” Tali says, tapping her helmet.

“Easy,” Joker says.

“Oh?”

Joker shrugs. “It’s Shepard. His competitive streak is bigger than Sovereign. Worst comes to worst, just bet him he won’t do it. He’ll be out there on the dancefloor before you can blink.”

Mrs. Alenko stifles a laugh.

A well-dressed gentleman pokes his head around the corner from the ballroom. “Hey, you.”

Tali looks at him in confusion, until she realizes he’s speaking to Mrs. Alenko.

“Everything good in the kitchen?” she asks.

He nods. Now that Tali is looking, she can see how clearly he resembles Kaidan. Cheekbones. Jawline. His thick mop of hair. Even the way they tilt their head is similar. “Band is all set, too. Ready to unlock the doors whenever you are.”

Mr. Alenko acknowledges both Joker and Tali. Joker, to her surprise, salutes. Mr. Alenko returns it with a crisp nod.

Strains of music filter into the anteroom from the stage. Tali peers out the glass doors and up at the sky. Thick and leaden with clouds, but the ground remains dry. She sighs.

“What’s the matter?” Joker asks.

“Just hoping for rain.”

In the meantime, she’ll settle for some fancy dresses.

Read from the beginning | Read the rest on Ao3 | The Sonata Playlist

#mshenko #kaidan alenko #mass effect #sonata update #you know those scenes you write entire fics for? #this story has a few of those #one of them is in this chapter #you'll know it when you get there

[crystalgirl259]

The Flame and the Dragon Ch14

Chapter 14: The Greetings

Kai awoke with a start from his dreamful slumber, temporarily forgetting where he was. He tried to sit but found himself pinned in place by a weight on his chest. His first instinct was to panic, but he controlled himself and slowly looked down at the weight constricting his breathing only to find a passed-out blue fox sprawled out on top of him, snoring loudly. Kai groaned as he gently scooped the slumbering creature in one arm, and used the other to push himself into a sitting position.

Jay really needed to start taking dieting more seriously.

Kai carefully moved the furry creature onto his lap. His back arched as he stretched his arms and back, before falling back against the soft pillows. Despite his desire to hate his new home, he couldn't recall the last time he had slept so well and it seemed neither had his companions. He chuckled noticing the sprawled blue fox on his lap. He also saw the werebear sprawled on the end of the bed, the centaur blissfully snoring on one of the spare pillows and the troll curled up in a nest he made.

Once they had found Kai's room through the endless labyrinth of hallways the elder insisted they stay with him, if only to ease his boredom.

He'd managed to worm it out of them that many of the stories surrounding the castle's former monarch were true. Each servant had a special position in the castle. He'd been especially grateful to Echo for the lovely room upon learning he was responsible for the room's décor. The three had been awake talking for an hour, by the time Ronin arrived. At first, the troll seemed reluctant to intrude on the conversation, but Kai convinced him otherwise and before long it was as if the five had known each other for years.

He hadn't recalled when he fell asleep or who had fallen asleep first, all he'd known was he never felt so accepted.

He smiled and shivered. Realizing he was naked under the blankets, he looked around for the clothes he'd discarded. Instead, he found a neatly folded pile of silk and a single parchment written in black ink. Forgetting Jay was on his lap, he leaned over and froze when the blue fox rolled over and was torn between laughing or sighing when the furry creature clenched the comforter in its little claws and snored loudly. Kai snatched the parchment and scanned it over, not letting the blanket slip from his grasp.

Dearest Kai,

I see you've acquainted yourself with my staff, though unfortunately not the ones I insisted you acquaint yourself with first. I've already told the tailor and seamstresses to meet you as soon as you awake and have provided you with some necessities. I suggest you put them on and bathe before their arrival in order to avoid any unnecessary embarrassment. I've already asked Harumi to have that coat fitted for you, I do hope you enjoy it.

Sincerely, Dragon Lord Cole

Kai was once again torn between growling in anger or embarrassment. It didn't take him long to realize the necessities his host had provided were a burgundy silk robe and a pair of undergarments. He slipped them on and tied the robe tightly, feeling the tightness against his stomach, before he lied back against the bed with his legs dangling forward, the sinking of his weight barely touching the slumbering creatures. He wondered what he had gotten himself into as he felt his eyes flutter closed.

"Ah, good your awake." A new voice suddenly said. Kai's eyes flew open and he sat up with such haste the sudden bounce of the bed, shook all four creatures into wakefulness. Kai's eyes widened as a snickering pale green-skinned woman with long white hair and pointed ears stood before him. Her arms crossed over her chest, though instead of hands and feet, talons replaced them and green wings erupted from her arms.

"I was starting the Master had to kiss you to wake you up." She snickered. Too shocked to think clearly and unsure what else to do, Kai screamed loudly. The harpy blinked, before taking in her current form and laughed brightly.

"Sorry, I forgot." She snickered before a pale green flash surrounded her, turning her skin pale pink and her previous sharp eyes into large emeralds, and instead of wings a green dress covered her form. "That better?" She smiled. Still frozen and unsure how to react, Kai nodded, mutely.

"Uh... who are you?" He asked, torn between confusion and shock.

"Harumi Jade, at your service." She smiled proudly with a slight bow in her step. "And you must be Kai, then, our new guest?"

"Yes," Kai replied, while the four creatures on the bed faded to their human forms, stretching and rubbing their eyes off the mist of sleep.

"Harumi, what are you doing here?" Nelson yawned. "Did Pixel send you?"

"Relax, I'm here because our guest needs to meet the rest of his staff and the Master wanted to make sure we took care of his wardrobe." She smiled, taking in Kai's attire. "As lovely as you look in that you can't go around in nothing but a bathrobe can you?" She asked as she leaned forward with a playful wink and made a gesture to Kai's attire. Realizing for the first time he was still wearing only the silk robe, Kai went crimson.

"Do you mind!" He snapped, though the hard blush on his face made the threat impossible to take it seriously.

"You are feisty." She smiled and patted his head, earning a growl of annoyance from Kai. "We need someone lively around here." She smiled, before walking over to the wardrobe and pulled out a large, fluffy white towel, and gently tossed it to him. Before Kai had time to question her, she grabbed his arm and pulled him with such haste he almost stumbled out of the bed much to his embarrassment.

"Hey! What are you-?" He demanded before suddenly finding himself shoved into a joint bathroom he hadn't noticed upon his first arrival.

"You get into the bath and wash up while I get the rest of my co-workers so we can get everything prepared; what kind of hosts would we be if we let you go around in nothing but your birthday suit? Now in you go." She ordered and at this point, he wasn't sure if he should be annoyed, angered, or embarrassed. Too confused to notice the room, he leaned against the door and released a sigh he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Growing up and having been raised to be headstrong and independent, the overly eccentric maid suddenly mothering him felt strange.

Techniques for dealing with domestic servants felt completely inappropriate for the eccentric staff that insisted on seeing to his domestic needs.

A loud knock made him jump.

"Kai, are you alright?" Echo asked.

"Yes, I'm fine." He replied calmly. "Just... not used to all this attention." He admitted.

"Sorry about that, you'll have to forgive Mai; she's always like this when we have guests." Jay snickered.

"She likes to take her job as head seamstress very seriously," Echo added. "Do you need any help?"

"I'll be alright." He replied, deciding to finally get down to the actual task of bathing, realizing he hadn't had a proper bath in almost two days. He placed the towel on a wicker basket in the corner. The washroom carried an identical baroque style to the room it joined. The smooth floor beneath his feet was pale gold and cream marble. His eyes scanned the rest of the room. The room itself wasn't a rectangular shape but curved slightly and had four interlocking parts.

The two side walls were pale yellow to match the floor but curved slightly to meet the front and back walls like a cylinder.

A large changing wall with bronze curtains stood against the wall with a wood table on either side lit with a dark metal candle holder. On the opposite wall hung an enormous full-length black mirror. Next to him against the only flat wall was a large black framed vanity with a glass top and a stunning silver mirror hanging above it. Several desk-like stands for a variety of brushes, perfume, and fragrance bottles, herbs, and other toiletries, a toilet sat in the far corner.

The wall was a polished black stone.

The gold and crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling. A large window embedded in the stone let light into the room. In front of it, sat an enormous porcelain tub with black clawed feet that sank into the stone of the floor. It was large enough for Kai to lay out his entire body, with brass pipes coiling from the floor up the side and around a bronze wheel and over the side, for adding water. The steam rising from the murky surface and the mountains of bubbles revealed someone had already set the bath for him.

Smiling, Kai undid his robe and set it and the towel on the vanity, before climbing in and sinking into the warm water.

The soothing heat relaxed his entire body until he sank beneath the surface. His entire body felt like he was floating. He closed his eyes and let the stress he'd endured the past few days melt away. Lost in the serene, he pouted when he felt something tap his head. He shot up and threw his head back, his hair falling back like a veil, sending a wave of water behind him. He turned around and was shocked at the sight behind him. Harumi, still in her human form, and his four servants, in their creature forms, stood drenched and dripping.

Biting back a laugh, Kai opened his mouth to ask what had happened, until he remembered himself resurfacing, sending a wave of water behind him.

"Sorry about that." He snickered, watching as Jay and Echo tried to shake themselves dry. This made Jay's hair stand up like a puffball. Unable to hold it back any longer, Kai burst out laughing.

"Hey!" Jay glared, though it was impossible to see through the storm of fuzz.

"You could've warned us before you decided to get us all wet." Ronin snapped, drying himself off on Kai's towel and doing the same thing to Nelson.

"Oh leave him be." Harumi smiled, brushing her damp white hair behind her, before turning to her new guests. "The boys just wanted to show you how to get more hot water." She explained, walking over to the bronze pipes at the end of the tub and turned one of the bronze wheels. A loud gurgling echoed through the walls, followed by a wrenching stench that made Kai wince.

"What the hell is that?" He demanded.

"Natural hot springs, there's a bunch of them under this castle," Jay explained, managing to tame his fur. Before Kai could question further, a wave of hot water was suddenly uplifted over his head, followed by a sudden rush of fingers and scrubbing across his mass of hair.

"Hey! What the-?"

"Wow, you have so much hair." Harumi mused as she continued soaping him down, paying particular attention to the large mane of brown hair that had fallen up the top of his head. "Ronin go make sure the others don't go overboard, Echo go get me another brush, Jay, stop worrying about you're fur and get over here." She commanded and the second the blue fox hit the floor another wave of water-drenched him as Kai battled the woman intent on washing him.

"Hold still." She snapped.

"I can wash my own body thank you," Kai growled, only to be silenced by Harumi heaving another basin of water over his head.

"I'm sorry about this, Kai." Nelson apologized, shaking his tiny claws. "I told you Harumi takes her job seriously." He tried to soothe the growling teen. Before Harumi could attack him again, Kai stood from the tub with his hands balled into fists at his sides and was about to say something but a towel in his face silenced him.

"Have you no shame!" She scolded, motioning to the teen's naked form standing in the middle of the tab. Kai glared at her as he wrapped the towel around himself.

"Why should I be ashamed of my body? Besides, you're the one who charged in here after I said I didn't need help, thank you." He replied, trying to be civil. Harumi ran a hand through her bangs. Something between a smile and a smirk curled across her face.

"I never thought I'd live to see the day Shade was right, you are feisty." She smiled and handed him his robe. "Sorry about that, but you know I can't have our guest going around covered in grime." She answered a bit milder. "Once you're finished, the rest of my staff would like to meet you and fix your wardrobe."

"I'm fine, really," Kai replied, unused to the attention.

"You're in a towel, and the seamstresses will be crushed if you denied them a chance at a new project for the first time in years." She grinned and Kai sighed in defeat.

"Alright, alright, you win."

"I always do, but please, just call me Harumi." She insisted, flashing a playful smile.

"Only if you can convince everyone else here to just call me Kai since word seems to spread extremely fast here." He smirked.

"Of course, and you can't blame us, you're the best news we've had in over a century, now make haste!" She smiled, before dashing from the room, grabbing Echo, Nelson, and a still drenched Jay on her way out. Now he was finally, alone, Kai dried himself off as best he could, tossed the towel in the basket by the tub, and reapplied his robe. He grabbed a brush and did his best to detangle his hair. Once dry, his spikes returned to their natural shape.

Feeling refreshed he took a breath and braced himself for the chaos waiting for him on the other side.

He exhaled and with a swift flick of the wrist, he re-entered his room. His mouth nearly hit the floor. Piles of fabric in many different colors, textures, and designs covered the floors and desk and stacked in piles that almost touched the ceiling even scattered across the bed. A box of various multi-colored threads, some with needles in them and pin cushions sat on the desk and vanity. Another box full of ribbons and other fabrics sat on the dresser and in the hands of a tall girl in a bright purple and red dress with matching wings sprouting from her back.

For a second her skin was white and her hair was silver.

The second he blinked, her wings vanished and her skin was pink but her hair remained silver around her bright green eyes. He recognized Tox by her green hair. She was laughing with the girl while holding a box filled with various silver objects that looked like scissors. A boy with rich brown hair with crimson red sunglasses hiding his eyes. He wore a white and red jumpsuit and he was sat on a pedestal in the middle of the room. Harumi was standing in front of the open wardrobe, pulling out and tossing various things over her shoulder.

Nelson, Jay, Echo, and Ronin all sat on the rim of the bed in order to avoid becoming lost in the chaos.

"What the hell happened here?" Kai blinked, overcome by surprise to say anything else. All eyes suddenly fell on him. Tox and the other girl dashed across the room and grabbed him before he could escape and dragged him across the room to the pedestal, chattering and giggling.

"You were right, Tox, he is perfect! Oh, I can already imagine the wardrobe we can create." The silver-haired girl squeaked.

"I told you, Pixel." Tox agreed while the two gently dropped Kai on the bed, dividing the creatures currently occupied on it. Before they could do anything else, Kai threw them off.

"Who the hell are you and what do you think you're doing!" He demanded.

"I'm the seamstress, of course." Pixel replied, clearly angered by his tone. "Now hold still and let us do our job." She ordered, grabbing a piece of measuring tape.

"You will do no such thing." Kai protested. "I apologize if this puts a damper on your 'fun', but given the fact this is my wardrobe you're making, I think my opinion matters far more than yours." He stated boldly although sarcasm leaked into the beginning. Pixel looked at him like a child suddenly being scolded. Tox burst out laughing.

"I warned you that he was fiery, Pixel," Harumi said over her shoulder, before finally closing the wardrobe. Pixel growled and was about to retort when the boy pulled her behind him.

"That's enough ladies; you're going to smother our guest with all this attention." He half scolded, half-joked, though Pixel pouted angrily anyway, before he turned his attention to the still glaring Kai, and offered a hand for him to shake. "Sorry about them, they're just excited, I'm Griffin, the Tailor, you've already met my apprentice Pixel."

"I'm Kai." The teen smiled, shaking his hand.

"Let's get your wardrobe started shall we?" He smiled and undid the necklaces of tape.

"Listen, I appreciate all this really, I do, but you don't have to—"

"You're wearing a bathrobe." Griffin cut him off. "Neuro said you were independent, but relax, we do this for a living, and I finally get to do something new for a change." He smirked while gently shoving Kai on top of the pedestal at the mercy of Pixel and Tox measuring every part of his body.

"Cole hardly lets us do anything for him anymore." Tox snorted and growled when Kai fidgeted away from her, glaring. "Will you hold still!"

"I can tell you my measurements myself you know."

"Thank you, but we would like to stay as accurate as possible," Griffin explained. "Now anything specific I need to know before we decide what colors and fabrics to use and what to make?" He asked as his eyes scanned Kai's body. "Although, I'm liking a wardrobe of red for you, and I'm also assuming you don't like anything too loose or tight, but something form-fitting?"

"Red is my favorite color, but I've never been picky when it comes to what I wear, I just wear what I like." He explained with a shrug.

"I got just the thing! I have a talent for knowing what people need." He smirked. Once the girls finished measuring Kai, the tailor turned to Harumi with a smirk. She smiled as if the two were speaking a secret language and set out across the labyrinth of fabrics. "Well, red is a definite for you." He said as he pulled out a sheet of scarlet silk and held it up to Kai's face. He hummed in thought and then pulled out the respective color and then choosing the fabrics.

"Silk is perfect for light weather but in this chilly weather you're going to want something light and flexible, but still warm." He said as he tossed several different fabrics over his shoulder, the objects all floated and unfolded in the air while he pulled out his scissors and cut them with smooth strokes.

"And gold too!" Pixel added, turning to Kai. "It matches your eyes, and I think it'll compliment your skin tone as well."

"And black too! The master loves black!" Tox added, pulling out a black satin material.

"Materials, ladies! Materials!" Griffin howled over his shoulder. "Do you have any specific preferences for pants, Kai?" He asked the brunette. Kai blinked and thought for a moment.

"Just as long as I can move in them, but I do like leather."

"I can do that." He nodded. "We use leather for ridding pants and coats anyway." He said grabbing said materials. "Leather to keep the cold and water out with some soft, velvet or fleece on the inside and you'll have a perfect jacket." He added and turned to Kai again taking his size into account. "I think I'll stick with a knee-length for you, it'll make you look taller, any patterns or such we need to consider?"

"Well I really liked the outfit I had yesterday; anything along those lines will work and I've always been one for the baroque style." He chuckled. Griffin looked like he was about to burst from happiness.

"This is going to be so much fun!" He said ecstatically and dashed about the room grabbing several spools of thread, and fabrics. Between the four of them the room was a tornado of colors and fabrics flying about the room to the point Kai fell back against his bed, suddenly consumed by a wave of dizziness. The four servants all dove behind him, seeking shelter from the torrent.

"Are they always like this?" Kai asked the others.

"We think it gets worse with old age." Ronin replied. A knock on the door suddenly froze the entire room. Servants, clothing workers, fabrics and supplies, and even Kai turned his attention to the door.

"Dinner!" Neuro announced, opening the door, in one hand and holding a large tray in the other. Behind him, an enormous purple unicorn with blazing fiery eyes followed. In any other case, Kai would've found the creature almost shocking but when it answered, balancing a tray of food and drink on her back and even her head and looking like it was mentally struggling to do so, Kai couldn't help but chuckle. He stood up and took the tray from the unicorn's head, and placed it on the bed.

Just in time for a starving Jay, Echo, and Nelson to devour it, while Ronin, valuing his life more than his stomach, remained on the side.

"Thanks, I appreciate that." The unicorn flashed a childish grin. A pale purple light formed around and Ultra Violet remained. "You must be Kai, my name's Ultra Violet." She welcomed, before turning to the servants. "Hey, you three!" She called and the three servants jumped. "Quit stuffing ya faces and help me, we got a guest here!" She scolded. Blushing from their rude manners, Echo and Jay transformed and each grabbed a plate from Violet.

Nelson grabbed the third and offered Kai a cup of tea.

Once her hands were free, Harumi embraced her with a powerful hug.

"Hi, sweety." She laughed proudly. Violet only snickered. Kai blinked, confused by the sudden display of emotion.

"Harumi and Violet are married," Nelson answered his unasked questions. "Don't worry about it, they're always like this."

"Another thing that gets worse with old age." Ronin teased, taking something from Neuro and handing it to Kai. The teen looked down surprised to find the clothed he'd worn when he first arrived clean and neatly folded in the boy's hands.

"Thanks." He smiled graciously and started towards the joint bathroom, with a sigh.

"What's wrong?" Jay asked as he passed by. "And don't say nothing either, because I can see through it."

"It's true, Kai," Neuro said. "Jay makes it his personal job to make sure no one in this castle is distressed."

"Unfortunately, he's had little success with Cole." Echo laughed, then stopped when all eyes turned angrily to him. The centaur shrank back. Kai exhaled and offered up a small smile.

"Look everyone, this is wonderful and I appreciate all this, I truly do, but... this all just so much to take in; I'm just not used to all of this." He admitted, hoping he didn't offend them. The staff had been nothing but kind to him since arrived and making his stay as bearable had possible. Failure to do so was the last thing he wanted them to think. He tensed when he felt someone pat his head. His first instinct was an annoyance for being treated like a child, but strangely it brought him comfort.

He relaxed when he saw Violet with a grin that just radiated happiness.

"Hey no worries, we understand, we're all just ecstatic to have ya here, besides you're our guest! What kind of hosts would we be if we didn't make ya feel welcome here?"

"I have an idea." Ronin perked up. "How about we show you around the castle?"

"Really?" Kai perked up, liking the idea of an enormous castle to explore.

"Sure, even these guys it's gonna take some time to get all this clothes stuff done, and who wants to stay cooped up in here all night."

"And we did promise to show you the library," Nelson added.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Echo jumped up. "Go get dressed and let's go!"

"Thank you!" Kai smiled excitingly and rushed off to change his clothes...

****************

Bansha swore she would lose whatever hearing she had left if she had to listen to Morro for another moment. The Duke had done nothing but scream and scrub the mud and grime from his body since his dreadful mortification at the hands of Kai's brutal rejection. Looking back, perhaps preparing an entire wedding before actually proposing wasn't such a good idea. It was such a shame that the dress would never see the sunlight again.

Though Bansha felt a small comfort knowing the seamstresses had managed to rescue and convert most of the cloth.

"How could he do this to be Bansha!? How!? How could he humiliate me!?" The Duke raved like a spoiled child who was being told 'no' for the first time. He paced back and forth furiously throughout the common room. The heels of his shoes pulled at the knitting of the carpets forming large holes. His gloved hands balled at his sides and he took heavy breathes in failed attempts to calm his raging nerves.

"Who does he think he is!?" He screeched. "That boy, doesn't he realize how lucky, how blessed he is? I would never have had to be so bold if he just got over his shyness and accepted my proposal like he was supposed to! No one says no to me!"

"Kai is a fool for rejecting you, everyone knows that," Bansha said, preparing another cup of tea for when her master's current mood swing finished. The Duke snatched the teacup from the table and clenched it so hard the fragile china almost cracked in his hands.

"Dismissed, rejected! Disgraced! Publicly humiliated!" He screeched throwing the cup into the fire watching with a dark satisfaction as it shattered into a million pieces and melted. In shock and slightly terrified, Bansha hesitated to hand her another cup.

"More tea, my lord?" She asked, trepidation seeping into her voice which made Morro smile, though Bansha couldn't see it. Whoever said it was better to be loved than feared clearly never knew the luxuries of a high-ranking position.

"No." He dismissed her request harshly. A timid knock on the door halted another howling. "Come in!" Morro demanded thundering. A servant entered the room, clearly intimidated.

"M-My lord, the e-eldest and youngest S-Smiths are here t-to see you." She stuttered.

"Did they say what for? Speak!" Morro demanded.

"They said something about Mr. Kai and that they must speak with you urgently." The servent replied and Morro smirked victoriously.

"Come Bansha! It seems Nya has finally seen the wisdom behind my request." The duke said, practically radiated arrogance as he skipped from the room, with a timid Bansha behind him. Morro practically flew down the staircase, giddy to see what Nya had to tell him, but his pride transformed to confusion once he met with the two siblings. Both were still standing on the front porch, panting as if they'd been running for hours. Their clothes were a mess and splotched with mud and their hair was a mess.

Neither of them looked as if they'd bathed or changed their clothes since they left.

"Whatever has happened to you too?" Bansha asked, clearly concerned, while Morro only looked horrified that they'd dare come see him in such a state.

"Morro!" Lloyd cried as he bolted to him before Nya could stop him. "You have to help, he-he-he has Kai! That thing has my big brother! He's got him locked in a tower or a dungeon or somewhere!" The boy blabbered his voice choked with tears and fear to speak coherently. Morro brushed him off in disgust.

"What are you talking about." The Duke snapped, though paid attention once he heard Kai's name somewhere in the babble.

"Who has Kai?" Bansha asked, placing a gentle hand on Lloyd's shoulders.

"A dragon! A cruel terrible dragon!" He announced as if the very word would bring doom. Morro and Bansha froze. Just as Morro looked as if he would burst out laughing Nya stepped in.

"It's true! While we were lost in the storm, we found his castle, he trapped us there, Kai offered to exchange himself for our freedom! He's still trapped there with that monster! We have to save him! You're the only one that can help us!" Nya exclaimed. She hated herself at that moment and for having no choice but to swallow her pride and morals and everything else her family taught her and go crawling to the one person she despised more than anything on earth.

But Kai was in danger and her pride could burn in hell if it meant Kai's freedom.

As much as she hated herself for doing so, she knew Morro's desire for Kai was the only hope they had. Morro burst out laughing.

"A dragon? I think you've finally read one too many fairy tales; now what is the real reason you're here?" The Duke laughed.

"It's the truth, Morro!" Lloyd cried in fear for his brother.

"I'm sure you're just imagining things, Kai probably just decided to follow you and got lost in the woods," Bansha reassured the boy.

"No dammit!" Nya howled, shocking everyone by the force behind her voice. "My twin brother is the prisoner of a monster who is doing God knows what to him as we speak! I would never come to you of all people if it wasn't serious Morro! Please help us rescue him!" She begged. The force and truthfulness behind Nya's voice were shocking, but Morro looked past it the second he heard the insult.

"I've heard enough of this!" The Duke thundered and snapped his fingers for his guards. "Gentlemen please, escort these two off my estate." He ordered and like toy soldiers, the two men took each of them by the arm and dragged them towards the door.

"Dammit, Morro, listen to us!" Nya roared in anger and desperation.

"Please! Helo Kai!" Lloyd cried out all the way until the guards slammed the doors in their faces. The guards then bowed to their master and left.

"I wonder what could've happened to cause such a scene." Bansha wondered aloud.

"They've gone mad! Why else would they go about screaming about dragons?" Morro snapped.

"But they sounded so scared, and it isn't like Kai to run off and cause his family such distress; he'd do anything for those two." Bansha countered. Morro snorted at the remark, determined to remain angered. Even if the Smiths were telling the truth, it was only fitting he refused them. They were, after all, the only obstacle between him and his precious Kai after all. A dark realization suddenly filled his mind, making him pause.

"My lord?" Bansha asked, noticed her master's sudden change in demeanor. A shiver froze her to the core as she caught the duke's smile.

"You're absolutely right, Bansha," Morro spoke with a dark, almost malicious laugh. "Kai would do anything for those two."...

#The Flame and the Dragon #beauty and the beast #ninjago #ninjago zane #ninjago cole #ninjago kai #ninjago lloyd #ninjago nya #ninjago morro #ninjago jay

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