#ignore the double glasses on her i wanted to use the smaller ones to add the bridge area cuz the big glasses didn’t have it

[mothervega]

anyone out there who enjoys both Bive and The Smiler i’m boutta summon all of you cuz I MADE A SMILER INSPIRED BIVE AVATAR MUAHAHAHAHAA

#she’s so me bro it’s insane #hey guys this is my gender #regretevator #regretevator bive #bive #bive regretevator #smiler #the smiler #alton towers #roblox #is this an oc??? nah……. #okay no oc tag #i saw someone’s art of a smiler inspired bive the other day and had an aneurism /pos #roblox avatar #my user is berserrkerrr follow me on roblox i wanna get to 1k grrrrr #i used to have 1k but over 100 accounts got banned so i’m stuck at like 930 sumn sobs #ignore the double glasses on her i wanted to use the smaller ones to add the bridge area cuz the big glasses didn’t have it #pretend it’s only that one pair of glasses #the round ones #yea

[livexdolan]

what happens in part 5? do they start dating?

A/n: slow your roll bud...all good things come to those who wait 😌

Masterlist

Previously (Pt. 4)

Back pressed into a cold counter and both of you pulling each other impossibly closer. Grayson bites your bottom lip slightly, then pulls back, looking you in the eyes.

Panting, you watch him with hungry eyes and grip the hair on the back of his neck a little harder, pulling him back down to meet your lips.

“Honeyy, I’m home!” Mando’s voice sings as a door starts to open and Grayson pulls away so quickly he bites your lip again, this time hard.

“Ouch!” You yelp, hand going up to your lip as Mando and a group of people walk in.

He raises his brow at the two of us, a knowing smirk starting to form. Grayson swallows nervously, “Y/n uh-“ Grayson runs his hand through his hair, “she ran into the doorway. Busted her lip open. I was going to help her with it.”

You give Grayson a look that says, ‘that’s the best excuse you could come up with?’ and Mando just hums, crossing his arms, “Mhm, sure.”

“No, seriously!” You say, trying to sound convincing, keeping your hand on your lip, wincing in fake pain, “You know me- always running into things.”

Grayson laughs and you join in, the two of you looking at Mando and praying he doesn’t press the issue, “Riight,” he drawls.

Before he can say anything else, Ethan and everyone from the backyard comes back in and start greeting the new people. That’s when you really start looking at the rest of the group.

It’s Mando, Dylan, and Chase. Followed by Leah, Kayla, and Aly. You try not to groan outwardly at the sight of Kayla. She’s been trying to get Grayson to make her his girlfriend since sophomore year of college and even though he turned her down at least three times she hasn’t gotten the message.

It doesn’t help that you know, for a fact, that Grayson’s fucked her twice. That’s what started this whole thing because he was known for never sleeping with the same girl twice. In his defense, he only slept with her again because he was so drunk he thought she was our other friend Becca. But Kayla doesn’t know that, or she does and ignores it, either way she annoys the shit out of you.

“Alright! Let’s get everyone into their rooms,” Ethan announces and everyone gathers back around the island, Grayson, Ethan, Kristina, and you all standing on one side. Ethan pulls out his phone and goes to a list in his notes.

“We already wrote out who was staying where but if you want to switch rooms, it’s no big deal,” Grayson adds and Ethan nods in agreement.

“There’s two master bedrooms and then four separate bedrooms with two bathrooms to share. Me and Kris are in one master and Gray and y/n are in the other, Mando you’re with Ryan-“ Ethans voice is cut off by a cough.

He looks up from his phone and we look at an awkward, blushing Mando, “I was- uh- I was actually hoping to share with- um- Mia,” he stutters out and Mia blushes too.

You smile at the two and Grayson chuckles, “Thats fine, Mando. The room chart isn’t set in stone,” Ethan smiles too and erases something on his phone, typing something else.

You eyebrows furrow as what he said finally hits you. Oh hell no, “Okay, now-“

“Where’d you say I was sleeping?” You cut Ethan off and he over with raised eyebrows and Grayson blushes.

“You’re sharing with me,” Grayson says and you scoff.

“No, I’m not.”

“C’mon, y/n, it’s not that big of a deal. We’ve shared before,” Grayson sighs.

“Can’t I just share with Ryan?” At the sound of his name, Ryan coughs on his drink.

“I’ll share with him,” Kayla has the nerve to squeak out, raising her hand like we’re in a fucking classroom or something. She glares at you, then cuts her eyes to eye fuck Grayson, “If y/n doesn’t want to.”

Grayson looks at you, eyes pleading, “please, y/n. Please,” he whispers and you roll your eyes.

Sighing, you shake your head, “Nevermind. I’m fine, actually. Sorry to interrupt.”

Kayla scoffs and had the audacity to look offended, “seriously?”

You raise your eyebrow at her, “seriously.”

Ethan coughs and starts again, “Alrighty then- Mando and Mia- first room on the right. Ryan and Chase, second room on the right. Dylan and Aly- you okay with sharing a room?” He looks at the two siblings and they nod, “Okay, first room on the left. Kayla and Leah you’re in the second room on the left. Go off and do whatever,” Ethan dismisses everyone.

“Where’s our room?” You ask as everyone starts to disperse.

“Don’t worry, I’ll show you,” Grayson says.

“Oh, ok,” you say dumbly.

Grayson heads back over towards the door and grabs our bags. He nods his head in the direction of the hallway everyone walked down and you follow him. Heading down the hallway in silence, you realize he’s walking past all the rooms. We turn at the end, coming to a staircase, “I thought all the rooms were on one floor?” You ask, very confused.

“No, the main master was originally on it’s own floor. It was my dad and ma’s but when dad got really sick and couldn’t walk upstairs-“ He pauses for a second, you place your hand on his arm gently, knowing it’s hard for him to talk about it, “They converted two of the other rooms downstairs into one master,” Grayson finishes as we get to the top.

There’s a small hallway, two doors, one on the left down further and a double door to our right, “What’s down there?”

“The study,” Grayson says bluntly, and you know not to ask more about the room.

Instead, he opens the large double doors, “Oh my God,” slips out of your mouth as you walk into the large room.

Large doesn’t even begin to describe it, though. The ceiling’s vaulted with a dark wood. A California king bed sits on one wall, then on the same wall as the double doors there’s a leather couch, it faces a stone fireplace with a flat-screen above it, a bookshelf on one side, meeting up with the wall-of-windows that is across from the bed.

“Go look at the bathroom and closet,” Grayson says, obviously amused by your reactions.

Walking to the second set of double doors, you gasp audibly when you see the bathroom. The bathroom’s dark grey and emerald green. The whole left wall is a counter, two sinks and a built-in vanity at the end. The glass shower’s to the right, taking up almost the whole wall, there’s two rainfall shower heads and six other shower heads spread out on the walls. At the end of the shower, there’s a small partition with the toilet, giving it some privacy but not messing with the airiness of the room. The best part of the bathroom though, is the large window looking out at the mountains, above an egg-shaped tub big enough for almost everyone downstairs. Off to the side, after the toilet, is a door. Opening the door, you’re confused as you come into another room. This one’s smaller, but still bigger than your bathroom at home. There’s a seat in the middle, a ceiling-to-floor three-way mirror, and a door that leads back into the bedroom.

Seeing two more doors you open one, seeing a regular-sized walk-in, with wood drawers and shelves. There’s a few clothes already in here. Opening the second door, you stop in your tracks, “Holy shit.”

The closet is in an L-shape, a mini-crystal chandelier hangs over the middle of the room between two small, square islands. The walls are head-to-toe cabinets, drawers, and racks. It’s all in a lighter wood than the rest of the bathroom and there’s mint green instead of emerald. The seat in the middle is even mint green. Damn, Lisa boojee as fuck. Walking back out, you see Grayson putting his stuff in the smaller closet.

“Nice, isn’t it?” He asks, not turning around to look at you.

“How did your parents afford this?” It’s the main question that’s been on your mind since learning they owned it. Everyone knows the twins are upper-middle class but this? This is upper-upper class standards.

Grayson glances over his shoulder at you, “When one of dad’s old friends found out E and I were going to school out here, he gave the house to my parents for like, a fourth of what it was worth,” he shrugs and turns to you.

“That was so awesome of him.”

“Are we just going to ignore what happened earlier?” The edge to his voice takes you by surprise, looking up at him you see his expression is guarded but you can see the fear of rejection in his eyes.

“I-uh,” you bite your lip nervously, looking down at the ground before glancing back up at him, “I don’t know,” you shrug.

He narrows his eyes at you, “You don’t know?”

“Do you want to ignore it?” You try to sound unaffected but you can hear the emotion in it.

Grayson’s facade cracks slightly at the sound of your voice and your nervous attitude. He doesn’t want to intimidate you, “Look-“ he runs a hand through his hair, “Let’s talk about this in the bedroom.”

You nod silently and follow him out of the closet and the bathroom, sitting on the edge of the bed. He sits on the arm of the couch, facing you. Looking out the windows you still can’t believe you get to wake up to this view everyday for two weeks. It’s also a nice distraction from the 6’0 buff god staring at you.

“Are we going to talk about this like adults or are you going to run away again?” Grayson’s voice cuts through the tension in the room and you flinch at the slight infliction in his tone.

You take a deep breath, looking at him. Something in your gut tells you this is it. You are face-to-face with a fork in the road. Nothing is ever going to be the same and once you start down one road, you can never turn back. And as much as you want to ignore it and pretend everything’s fine- this talk is long-overdue.

You close your eyes for a moment, all your best memories together flashing through your mind, before taking you back to that party a few weeks ago. The memory is sobering and you open your eyes.

Staring into the green-and-brown abyss of Grayson’s eyes, you state, “Let’s talk,” in a voice calm enough to make the Dalai Lama think ‘dang, that’s a calm girl’.

A/n: okay okay i am so sorry for the long wait!! I hope you enjoy this part because it was so hard to figure out where I wanted it to go. There’s only going to be a few more parts but I am very very excited for what’s to come. Once again- thank you for the patience, love, and support I’ve gotten. It truly means the world! Also you know I had to leave y’all on a cliffhanger for now ;)

#grayson dolan #dolan twins #grayson #grayson dolan imagine #frat!gray masterlist #my writing #frat!gray #asks #anon #concept #grayson dolan concept #sophs blurbs

[grailfinders]

Fate and Phantasms #174

Y’know what? It’s the america anniversary, and it’s FGO’s anniversary too. Let’s celebrate a bit. Here’s a build early, we’ll be back on schedule on the sixth.

Today on Fate and Phantasms we’re making the precious cinnamon bun who just wants to ruin the environment, Berserker of Learning with Manga! For this build, we’ve got three goals; grow big, grow bigger, and grow biggest. Expect spoilers with her build breakdown below the cut, and slightly fewer spoilers in her character sheet over here!

Next up: Give me a sign~ Build me Nero one more time!

Paul Bunyan is a Rune Knight fighter to grow bigger while helping her friends, a Giant Soul Sorcerer to grow bigger while stepping on stuff, and a Totem Warrior Barbarian to smash things good with Babe’s help.

Race and Background

Pauly B was made out of Udon dough, and as a result she’s a Custom Lineage, giving her +2 Strength and a size of Small. She also get proficiency with Animal Handling, and the Magic Initiate feat to pick up some spells from the wizard spell list. Shape Water is just the beginning of your settling abilities, and Thunderclap is a single step for you. You also get Find Familiar to pick up Babes.

Aside from that, you are America’s pioneering spirit made manifest, so you’re an Outlander. This gives you proficiency with Athletics and Survival.

Ability Scores

You’re a glass cannon, so make sure your Strength is as high as you can get it. After that is Charisma- you’re only here because you were so popular in the book, after all. Your Dexterity comes next so you don’t die wearing denim armor. After that is Constitution. You might be a glass cannon, but a building-sized body is still pretty hard to take down. Your Intelligence isn’t amazing, but we’re dumping Wisdom. You’re a berserker anyway, but you also came from a comedy manga. That’s going to hurt your sense of reality.

Class Levels

1. Barbarian 1: Starting out here gets you as much health as we can, as well as proficiency with Strength and Constitution saves and two barbarian skills. Being nine hundred feet tall helps with Intimidation, and you gotta know a bit about Nature if you’re going to tear it down as effectively as you do.

You also get Unarmored Defense, making your AC 10 + your dexterity mod + your constitution mod when you’re just wearing denim. Your Rage transforms you for a minute as a bonus action. It gives you advantage on strength based saves & checks, extra damage on strength based attacks, and resistance to standard weapon damage. When you’re big enough to drink from a great lake, swords don’t do much.

2. Barbarian 2: Second level barbs can make Reckless Attacks, getting advantage now at the cost of giving other creatures advantage against you. Berserkers are not well known for their defensive power, but this will make up for you using such a heavy weapon while small.

That being said, Danger Sense gives you advantage on dexterity saves against effects you see coming. When you can step across the entire battle map in one go, fireballs are easy to avoid.

3. Fighter 1: First level fighters start things off right with a Fighting Style, and grabbing the superior technique style to make one Trip Attack per short rest is a great way to have enemies shouting timber.

You also get a Second Wind, letting you hang out and eat some beans as a bonus action, healing you 1d10+your fighter level HP.

4. Fighter 2: Second level fighters get an Action Surge to help you perform supernatural feats in a single turn. Now you can add on an extra action to your turn once per short rest.

5. Fighter 3: Our last level of fighter unlocks your martial archetype, the Rune Knight! The big reason we’re here is for Giant Might, spending a bonus action to grow Large, also giving you advantage on strength checks and saves, and you also deal extra damage once per turn while attacking. You can transform this way Proficiency times per long rest.

You can also carve Runes into weapons, armor, and jewelry. You get two runes, and can carve them into one item each at the end of a long rest. The Frost rune gives its wearer advantage on Animal Handling and Intimidation checks. The Fire rune doubles the wearer’s proficiency bonus with tools. Once per short rest per rune, they can also be invoked for extra power. The frost rune gives its wearer +2 on all strength and constitution saves and checks, while the fire rune forces a strength save against being restrained by fiery shackles, dealing damage each turn and restraining the target, when you hit it with a weapon attack. The DC for that save is 8 + proficiency + constitution.

6. Sorcerer 1: We might be done with fighter, but we’re not done multiclassing! First level sorcerers get Spells they can cast using their charisma. Thanks to an old unearthed arcana, you can be a Giant Soul sorcerer , granting you Jotun Resilience for slightly more HP; 1 extra per sorcerer level. The Mark of the Ordning also grants you extra low-level spells, like Heroism and Shillelagh. Neither of those are really useful to you, but they’re free, and not why we’re here.

For spells that are in character, grab Mold Earth, Create Bonfire, and Light to spruce up the wilderness and make it your own. You can also use True Strike to chop down trees, but that’s dumb, just make two attacks. For first level spells, Earth Tremor and Thunderwave are you stepping around. The former knocks people prone and makes the ground a big crater, the latter pushes them and objects away from you.

7. Sorcerer 2: This level isn’t that complicated, but you do become a Font of Magic for some Sorcery points that come in handy later. You can also cast Catapult to throw stuff around. Sadly, the maximum weight is only 5 pounds, but you can always just throw stuff yourself.

8. Sorcerer 3: Third level sorcerers get two Metamagic options to personalize your spells using sorcery points. Extended Spell will help out with a certain buff we’re getting this level, extending the length of the spell. You’re also big enough that your spell ranges should grow to match, so grab Distant Spell as well.

This level you can Hold Person, which you tend to take more literally than most casters. After the target fails a wisdom save, they’re paralyzed until they make one. While paralyzed, all attacks are made with advantage, and melee attacks are auto-crits.

Alternatively, you can use the Mark of the Ordning spell, Enlarge/Reduce to make yourself even bigger than usual. (Giant Might explicitly grows to large, so you have to start with that if you want to stack them.)

9. Barbarian 3: After spending half our build elsewhere, we can finally return to our starting class! Third level barbarians set down the Path of the Totem Warrior, letting you use your connection to Babe to pick up all sorts of goodies as we level up.

Immediately, you become a Spirit Seeker, letting you cast Beast Sense and Speak with Animals as rituals to really get into the Babe mindset.

Babe also becomes your Totem Spirit, so we’ll be taking the Elk options whenever possible. Right now, that gives you an extra 15′ of movement while raging. It’s not quite the whole nation in a step, but it’s a start.

10. Barbarian 4: At tenth level, we finally get our first Ability Score Improvement, so round up your Strength and Dexterity for better attacks and a better AC.

11. Barbarian 5: Fifth level barbarians finally get their Extra Attack each attack action, and your Fast Movement adds another 10′ to your movement speed, regardless of whether or not you’re raging.

12. Barbarian 6: Sixth level totem warriors get an Aspect of the Beast, doubling the travel pace for yourself and up to 10 companions. They can just ride on your shoulders, it’s fine.

13. Barbarian 7: Your Feral Instinct gives advantage on initiative rolls, and you can ignore being surprised if you rage at the start of the fight. Raging right away might not be the best option, but that’s for the casters to figure out. You’ve got land development to get to.

You can also use an Instinctive Pounce to move half your movement speed towards an enemy as part of your bonus action when you rage.

14. Barbarian 8: Use this ASI to bump up your Constitution for better runes and more health. You’re pretty squishy for a barbarian, but I guess that’s to be expected, considering what you’re made of.

15. Barbarian 9: Your first Brutal Critical adds an extra die to your critical damage rolls. Big kid, big axe, big damage. Simple math.

16. Barbarian 10: As a Spirit Walker, you can Commune with Nature as a ritual, summoning a cool spirit Babe to tell you stuff about the world around you.

17. Barbarian 11: Your Relentless Rage gives you a case of Guts, letting you make a DC 10 constitution save to avoid dropping to 0 HP, dropping to 1 instead if you succeed. Afterwards, the DC grows by 5, but it resets on short rests. You shouldn’t be getting guts at all, so be grateful.

18. Barbarian 12: Use your last ASI to bump up your Dexterity again for less getting hit. Healing’s nice, but avoiding the damage in the first place is way better.

19. Barbarian 13: You get another round of Brutal Criticals, for another extra die of damage on crits.

Not exactly rocket surgery, huh?

20. Barbarian 14: Your final level gives you your final barbarian goody! Your Totemic Attunement lets you move through a large or smaller creature’s space as a bonus action. It forces a strength save, or the creature is stepped on, knocking it prone and dealing damage.

Pros:

Thanks to your speed, size, and action surge, you can cover a lot of ground very quickly. With 55 feet of movement, two dashes, and an instinctive pounce, you can cover ~195 feet in a single round. Aside from that, your size gives you mobility options that aren’t available to others. Standing around 15′ tall will do that for ya.

You’ve got some solid swings with your axe, letting you deal plenty of damage in a single swing. Bring down the hammer on a natural 20 to blast through those doors. At your biggest you can deal 1d12+1d6+1d4+4 damage. That’s not a smite, but you can do this every turn while enlarge is up.

You get just enough spells to apply a lot of utility to your build, altering the landscape and messing with enemy movement to help out your team.

Cons:

Due to how we leveled up, your first ASI doesn’t come until level 10. If you roll poorly, that might be a problem.

I wouldn’t call you squishy by any means, but you do make for a big target, with your huge size and an AC of only 15 making you easy pickings even before you start getting reckless.

Most of your abilities are tied to your rage, but your biggest size is tied to your spells. They don’t play nice. Even worse, it’s a flavor fail- you can’t trample over people if you’re at your biggest size. (On a semi-related note: being big and being a barbarian have a lot of overlap. Both giant might and raging give you advantage on strength stuff, so having both up is sort of a waste.)

#fate grand order #fgo #DND #D&D 5e #Berserker of Learning with Manga #Barbarian #Fighter #Sorcerer

[youllneverknowrac]

Oscar Diaz- Double Trouble

Idk, I honestly just wrote lol. This is what I came up with so enjoy! ❤️ PS:Probably has loads of more mistakes that usual since I didn’t go back and read over it.

~

“Are you hungry baby?” You ask your-too mature for her age- four year old daughter, the two of you laying out in the backyard on individual beach towels and in matching swimwear. Her kiddie pool a few feet away and being ignored.

“Yes I am.” Rosalie says and looks up from her picture book, using her arm to push up the sparkly blue sun glasses that previously covered her eyes,”Are you hungry mommy?”

“Starving.” You whine as you flip over to your back, your mini-me copying your actions as she tosses the book to the side,”But I don’t feel like cooking. Do you think daddy would go buy us something?”

“We can ask him.” She suggest as she crosses her hands behind her head to rest on them,”Or maybe I should ask him mommy, he always buys me McDonald’s when I ask.”

“Okay that’s good. You can ask him, but no McDonald’s. We can do better than that.”

“Hm what about Carl’s Jr.? You love their fries and I love their chicken stars.”

“I do love them...hm okay, Carl’s Jr it is.” You say as you sit up and stretch your arms out,”Let’s go find him.”

“Hopefully he doesn’t make us go with him.” Your daughter giggles as she stands to her feet and picks up her towel, you doing the same,”I want to watch Barbie Dream House and do not have time to sit in the drive thru while daddy plays his loud music.”

“I’m on the same boat as you.” You nod as the pair of you head inside to find Oscar sitting on the couch, his phone pressed to his ear.

“Daddy?” Your daughter whisper shouts as she throws the towel on to the couch before climbing in his lap and gabbing at his cheeks to shake his head lightly.

“One second baby.” He replies before quickly pressing a kiss to the top of her head and ushering her off.

“Ugh, please hurry. I have to talk to you, it’s super duper important.” She groans as she climbs off his lap,”Come on mommy let’s go get cleaned up so we can get in our pjs.” She says and grabs her towel once again before disappearing into your bedroom, probably so she could bathe in your bathroom instead of hers.

“Yeah please hurry.” You say quietly as you walk by him, Oscar reacting quickly and pulling you down for a quick kiss. His large hand grabbing at your ass before you pull back and offer him a playful wink,”Don’t you need to finish up that call?” You ask before spinning around on your feet and joining your daughter, the pillow he tries to toss at you hitting the wall.

“He’s always on that phone.” She complains when she takes notice of you entering the bathroom,”He’s probably talking to Tio Cesar like always.” She adds as she pours her bubbles to the water she had running in the tub. You quickly check the temperature as you smirk at her comments, she was definitely your kid.

“I’m sure he’ll be done soon.” You reassure her before you go to the shower and run your own water,”I’ll be right back, I’m gonna grab our clothes.”

“Okay mommy, the Moana dress please.” She smiles as she begins to take off her swimsuit.

“You got it.” You say before going to your closet first and grabbing one of Oscar’s shirts along with a pair of boy shorts. When you head out back to the hall you pick up the loan pillow and chuck it back before scurrying off to the over the top pink bedroom, Oscar’s laugh reaching your ears. You find her desired outfit and rejoin her just as she’s turning off the water and stepping in,”Found it.” You sing as you set out the clothes on the counter.

“Thanks mommy.” She says as she plays with a nearly scalped bratz doll.

“You’re welcome.” You reply and get nude before stepping into the shower, the hot water running over you as steam fills up behind the curtain. You’re standing there for a few minutes before Oscar comes busting through the door with a scream.

“Meanie.” Your daughter insults him after she let out a yelp of her own, a small laugh escaping your lips as you peek your head out.

“Was that necessary?”

“No it wasn’t.” She answers for him with a pout.

“I’m just having fun with my girls.” He laughs as he sits on the edge of the tub,”What are you making for dinner ma?” He asks aloud as he picks up the tall cup and fills it with the bath water, your daughter splashing her way over to him.

“Nuh uh.” She tells him with a shake of her head before letting Oscar pour the water over her dark curls,”Mommy’s not cooking today.” She gasps out dramatically as she pushes the now wet hair out of her face.

“What do you mean she’s not cooking? What is she talking about? You’re not cooking for us mami?” Oscar questions as he repeats the action with the cup.

“Well I didn’t feel like it. Being outside all day got me tired and I...” you speak as you rinse off the peach scented soap, your daughter cutting you off mid sentence.

“And she wants to watch Barbie with me in the bed. So we need you to go to Carl’s Jr. for us. Okay daddy? You can even get yourself something to eat if you want. Maybe pick up some candy from the store too, ya know what I like by now.”

“Yeah what she said.” You snort out

“What if I don’t want to? Did you ever think about that?” Oscar says in a teasing voice as he makes a face at Rosalie.

“Oh don’t worry then.” She sasses as she uses the bubbles to lather up her hair, you’ll just have to wash her hair properly in the morning,”Cause what you won’t do another man sure will.”

“Hmh, and don’t you forget it papi.” You laugh loudly as you turn the shower off and stick your hand out for your robe that hung nearby.

“You need to stop listening to you mom cause you’re turning into Y/N number two.” He says with a smirk as he stands up,”Y’all ain’t gonna get away with ganging up on me all the time, but I’m gonna go. Because I don’t like to see my baby’s hungry, I’ll be right...”

“Daddy?” Your daughter interrupts as she rinses out her hair quickly,”Don’t forget the ketchup.”

“Mija how about a thank you daddy, or a I love you daddy.” Oscar chuckles as he glances over at you as you step out, the smaller robe now in your hand,”When did y’all get robes and why don’t I have one? You know what it doesn’t matter, I’ll be back in twenty.”

“You know I love you silly, duh.” She giggles as she hops out of the tub and slides her robe on,”Kiss for the road.” She cheers as she holds her arms up to be picked up.

“See you can be my sweet little princess when you want.” Oscar grins as he wraps her in a bear hug and kisses her nose, your daughter returning the act of affection before being set down again.

“Sweet little princess don’t end up running the castle daddy.” She huffs as she saunters over and climbs on the counter so you could do her hair like you did every night.

“Sorry you have to deal with two of us.” You whisper as you grip the front of his shirt and look up at him with wide doe eyes,”Do I still get a kiss for the road?”

“I can give you more than that when I get back.” He says with a lick of his lips before pressing his mouth to yours.

You laugh as you push him away a few seconds later,”Drive safe and don’t forget our candy.” You remind him as you slam the bathroom door shut, Oscar grumbling about two spoiled brats as he heads out of the bedroom.

“Love you!” You and Rosalie call out loudly so he could hear.

“Love you more!” He shouts back just as the front door closes.

“Butter them up from time to time so they stick around.” You daughter giggles as you come up behind her and began to spray her hair with the leave in conditioner.

“Works like a charm.” You say and give her a quick high five before getting back to the task at hand. Her very wet and knotted hair.

-

“Daddy no, I want to sleep next to you.” Your daughter pouts as she hides under the blankets a while after Oscar returned and the three of you pigged out in the bed.

“I thought you were a big girl now.” Oscar says as he looks over at your sleepy state.

“I am, but mommy’s a big girl too and she sleeps with you still.” She protest as she pops her head out,”Please.”

“Well I’m not gonna start telling you no now, especially when you gave such a valid point.” He says in defeat as he climbs back in the bed, Rosalie snuggling into your back as you lay in the middle.

“I love you daddy. Thank you for the candy and chicken stars. You’re the best, you know that?” She mumbles, her little hand moving to rest on top of his that laid on your waist.

“I love you baby, I got you forever.” He says as your eyes flutter open, a small lazy smile forming on your face,”You too, now go back to sleep.” He whispers, your eyes slowly closing once again as you fall into peaceful darkness.

“See you in the morning daddy.” Rosalie yawns,”Can we make waffles and bacon? Well you, I’m still to little to reach the stove.” She reminds him

“Of course, did mommy want you to ask me anything else?” Oscar smirks knowingly

“Iced coffee in the morning please. And a chocolate milk for me.” She admits as she crawls over you so she could lay in between,”This is better.”

“You two are the worst together.” He teases as his arms lays over the two of y’all.

“But we love you the mostest. And you love us the mostest? That’s why you do it, right daddy?” She smiles as she rest her forehead against his.

“Of course mi corazon. I’ll always love you guys the ‘mostest.’”He chuckles as he stares into her eyes, getting even more wrapped around her tiny fingers, just like you already had him wrapped around yours. Oscar definitely couldn’t say no to his two favorite girls.

#spooky diaz #spooky x reader #netflix on my block #on my block imagines #netflix #freeridge #omb #on my block season 3 #one shot #omb season 3 #oscar diaz x reader #oscar diaz

[hopelikethemoon]

Dinner With Friends (Javier x Reader) {MTMF}

Title: Dinner With Friends Rating: PG-13 Length: 3500 Warnings: Family Fluff and extremely mild angst.  Notes: You can find the Maybe Today, Maybe Forever Timeline here. And release order here. Set in January 1998. Shout to the one and only Tiernan for supplying the twist in this chapter.  Summary: Reader and Javier host the Murphys for dinner.

Taglist:  @grapemama​  @seawhisperer @huliabitch @pedropascalito @rogrsnbarnes @thewallpapergoesorido @twomoonstwosuns @gooddaykate @livasaurasrex @ham4arrow @hiscyarika @plexflexico @readsalot73 @hdlynn @lokiaddicted @randomness501 @fioccodineveautunnale  @roxypeanut @just-add-butter @snivellusim @amarvelousmandalorian @lukesrighthand @historynerd04 @mrsparknuts @synystersilenceinblacknwhite @behindmyeyes-insidemyhead @exrebelshocktrooper @awesomefandomsunited​ @ah-callie​ @swhiskeys​ @lady-tano​ @beskar-droids​ @space-floozy @cable-kenobi​ @longitud-de-onda​ @cool-ultra-nerd​ @himbopoes​ @findhimfives​ @pedrosdoll​ @seeking-a-great--perhaps​ @frietiemeloen​ @arrowswithwifi​ @random066​ @uncomicalhumour​ @heather-lynn​ @domino-oh-damn​ @cyarikaaa​ @ahopelessromanticwritersworld​ @im-still-a-pieceofgarbage @ksgeekgirl​  @yabby-girl @xqueenofthecraziesx @punkass-potato @coredrive @pascalesque @theduchessofkirkcaldy @queenquazar (if I forget to tag you, I’m sorry)

“Stevie!” You called out when she started barking loudly — Josie had ensnared her into a game with Olivia and Emily and her patience seemed to be wearing as thin as your own. 

“Did you really have to name her Stevie?”

Steve questioned, shaking his head slowly as he leaned against the kitchen counter and watched you press the button on the top of the lettuce spinner. 

“I love Stevie Nicks.”

He pointed at you, “And that is bullshit.”

You rolled your eyes. “You’re just jealous that Sofía isn’t Stevie.” 

Steve glared, “Well if it starts with ‘S’.” 

“I’m sorry, do you have an issue with our daughter being named for Javier’s late mother?” You questioned, folding your arms across your chest briefly, before you emptied out the tossed lettuce into a larger bowl. 

“Not when you put it that way.” Steve huffed, shaking his head as he took a swig of beer. “How are… things going?”

You glanced over your shoulder at him, “The drought was quenched almost five months ago. Thank God.” 

Steve blanched, “I don’t need to know about that.”

“You asked.”

He narrowed his eyes, “About how things are going.” He rubbed at the back of his neck. 

You laughed, shrugging your shoulders. “I’m doing better. There’s still difficult days, but I work through them.” You chewed on your bottom lip. “And Javier is good at helping me.”

“He’s always been more than willing to give you a hand.” Steve said with a slow shake of his head. “The two of you were inseparable.”

You felt a faint blush rise to your cheeks. “I know. And we still are.” You grabbed a handful of freshly washed radishes and started cutting them down into smaller pieces for the salad. “He’s still just as stubborn about everything.”

“Shit. Isn’t he?” Steve snorted, rocking his head to the side.”I don’t know how you put up with that grumpy son-of—“

“Mommy!” Josie called out from the threshold of the kitchen. “Mommmmmy.”

You sat the knife aside and turned back to look at her, hands on your hips. “What’s up?”

“I’m hungry.”

“Dinner is almost ready.” You assured her. “Why don’t you go check on daddy outside?”

“Okay mommy.” Josie beamed at you. “Does daddy have sissy?”

“Aunt Connie does, rugrat.” Steve told her, “She’s out in the backyard with your father.”

“Thank you.” She said politely before leaving through the back door, followed by Emily and Olivia. 

“She gets away with everything doesn’t she?”

“With Javier? Oh, yeah. I’m the strict parent. Always.” You shook your head with a laugh. You didn’t actually mind filling the role of the strict parent, mostly because Javier was a marshmallow of a father.

“I wouldn’t have guessed that.” He remarked as he took a drink of  his beer, “You’ve always been the fun one. Javier? I didn’t know that fun was in his vocabulary.”

You rolled your eyes, “For the record, he was actually very fun in Colombia.”

“Really?” Steve gave you a skeptical look. “I think that might be the rose colored glasses talking.” He gestured to you with the bottle. “You were the positive influence he needed.” 

“Yeah,” You agreed. “He would’ve worked himself to death, if I hadn’t been there.” You scooped up the radishes you’d cut, tossing them into the bowl of lettuce. “Can you get the croutons out of the oven?”

“Look how fancy you are. Making homemade croutons.” Steve teased as he grabbed an oven mitt and pulled the pan out of the oven. 

“Josie will only eat a salad if there’s croutons in it.” You explained to him. “Javier hates the store bought croutons.” You grabbed the carton of cherry tomatoes, flipping the plastic lid up so you could rinse them off under the sink. 

You glanced back towards the backdoor as it slid open, a parade of tiny humans reemerging, followed by Connie and Javier. 

“Hot food, coming through.” Javier warned, clicking his tongue against his teeth to get the girls to move faster. “Come on kiddos.” He shooed them out from under foot as he veered towards the kitchen counter and sat the two plates of grilled burgers down. “Ever try to keep three girls away from a grill?”

You pursed your lips thoughtfully as you turned to face him, tilting your head to the side. “I tried it once, which is why I sent them out to you.” You grinned at him.

“It’s fucking hard.” He chuckled before he leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to your lips. “Thanks for that.”

“You’re welcome.” You used the dish towel and swatted him in the ass with it. He caught you by the belt loop as you stepped past him, pulling you in for another kiss.

“Need any help?” Connie questioned as she cradled Sofía to her chest, looking between the two of you. 

You shook your head, “You brought the potato salad and you’ve kept her occupied so I could get everything else ready.” 

“Do you have ranch?” She questioned as she looked towards the bowl of salad, “It’s the only way we can get Olivia to even humor eating something green.” 

Javier nodded, “Josie likes it on broccoli.” He stepped around you and pulled open the fridge to grab the bottle of ranch, as well as the other salad dressing options. 

“How do you get her to eat raw broccoli?” Connie questioned. “It’s an uphill battle to get anything green into the girls.” 

“Josie likes food.”

You rolled your eyes, “Josie will eat anything Javier asks her to eat.” 

He shrugged, “It’s true.” 

“I wish Steve had that effect on the girls.” Connie laughed softly, “He can get them to eat plenty of candy.”

You snorted. “He loves his Werthers.” 

She widened her eyes dramatically, “I swear to God, every pocket is full of wrappers!” 

Javier clicked his tongue against his teeth, “Should’ve done the patch, rather than going cold turkey.” 

“That would make sense,” Connie made a face. “Oh well.” She bounced Sofía in her arms as she started to wake up, “Did you see California is set to ban smoking inside bars?”

“They’ll just ignore it,” You countered, grabbing a tray and putting the salad and the salad bowls on it. “But it’s progress.” 

The three of you headed into the dining room, where Steve had managed to corral the girls into their chairs. 

“I don’t want a burger, mommy.” Josie complained as Javier sat the plate of burgers down on the table. 

“You’re not eating a burger, babydoll. You’re having a soy one with me.” You promised her, pointing to the second plate that contained two burgers that were considerably thinner than the actual hamburgers. 

“I want chicken.” 

“Princesa, you’re eating what we made for you.” Javier warned her, sitting down beside her, across the table from you. 

“Do we have everything?” 

“French fries?” Olivia questioned.

“Your mother made potato salad,” Steve told her, pointing to the Tupperware tub. 

You sat down beside Connie, taking Sofía from her so you could get her settled into her highchair beside you. You used your fork to grab a potato out of the dish of potato salad, plopping it onto Sofía’s highchair tray. You smashed it up with the fork, “You wanna try a bit of potato?”

Sofía seemed skeptical. She reached down and squished the potato between her fingers. 

You tapped your finger against your lips, “You eat it, sunshine.” 

Sofía gurgled and threw herself back against her seat, smearing the potato all over her face.

“Close enough.” Javier chuckled, shaking his head as he slathered mayonnaise on a bun for Josie. 

“More!” She urged, hanging on his arm. 

“Josie.” You gave her a look across the table. 

Sofía kicked her feet against the highchair as she leaned over and tried to reach the tub of potato salad that was well outside of her reach. “You like that?” You questioned, grabbing another potato and putting it on her tray, smashing it up for her again. 

She dramatically hummed her delight. 

“Look at that, she’s not always a grumpy baby.” Steve remarked with a short laugh. “I worried she was a carbon copy of her father.” 

Javier glared at him, subtly flipping him off so Josie couldn’t catch him.

You worked on fixing your own burger, glancing around the table to make sure everyone had what they needed. You really hated playing host. An ideal situation was a box of pizza thrown in the center of the table for everyone to fend for themselves. But Steve and Connie were such gracious hosts, you felt like you had to do the same. 

Javier had lived on grilled cheese, whiskey, and cigarettes for the majority of his bachelor years. He wasn’t one to complain. He wasn’t actually half bad in the kitchen when he put a little effort into it. 

“How’s things at the hospital?” Javier questioned Connie in between bites of burger. 

Connie grabbed her napkin and wiped her mouth off before answering, “Good. I’m not working as many double shifts as I was there for a while. I’ve actually had days off that felt like days off. No catching up on sleep.” 

“With my transition out of the DEA, it’s been nice to have her around more.” Steve added. “Hun, did you tell her about that lady you’re working with?”

You arched a brow, looking at Connie expectantly. 

“Oh! I totally forgot,” She laughed, taking a sip of water before she continued. “We’ve got a new medical social worker working on the floor that looks so much like you. I did a double take the first time I saw her. Do you have a secret younger sister?”

“Nope.” You shook your head, reaching for your bottle of beer and taking a swig. “Is my doppelgänger nice at least?”

“An absolute sweetheart.” Connie said with a grin, taking another bite of her burger before adding, “She’s actually from Medellín.”

Javier dropped his fork, causing it to clamp against his plate. You shot him a curious look, a brow arching upwards. 

“Colombia?” He questioned, taking a drink of beer to keep from choking on the bite of burger he’d swallowed nearly whole. 

“Is there another one?”

Steve cleared his throat, “You hadn’t mentioned she was from Colombia.” He looked between you and Javier with a knowing look. 

“I believe she came here as a political refugee. I didn’t ask for specifics.” Connie shrugged, “Why?”

The look on Javier’s face made the lightbulb come on. Holy shit. 

You leaned an elbow against the table, turning towards Connie. “Her name wouldn’t happen to be Elena, would it?”

Connie’s brows shot upwards, “Yeah! Wait — do you know her?”

“Some of us better than others.” Steve muttered under his breath, much to Javier’s horror. 

“Yeah.” You nodded your head slowly, “She was great. I’m glad she’s gotten herself out of that situation.” You looked towards Javier then, smiling a little. “I guess that promise of safety had follow through.” 

Javier rubbed at the back of his neck awkwardly, “I had no idea she was in Miami.” 

“It’s fine, Javi.” You assured him, “It’s a small world.” You watched him as he nodded his head slowly, staring down at his plate of food. Of all the people that the two of you had known in Colombia ⁠— the sheer irony that Elena had made her way to Miami was… something else. 

“I feel like I’m missing something.” Connie remarked, looking between the three of you curiously. “What am I missing?”

“Not in front of the kids.” Steve stated with a shake of his head. 

“Daddy, you gotta eat your veggies.” Josie said sweetly, pushing the bowl of salad towards Javier. “Don’t you wanna be big and strong like me?”

“Of course I do, princesa.” He leaned over and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. 

“Javier, it’s fine.” You said firmly, shifting in your seat so you could brush your foot against his leg beneath the table. “Don’t get yourself bent out of shape over this.”

“I’m not getting ‘bent out of shape’.” He shot back, pressing his tongue to the inside of his cheek as he stared at you. “I just can’t believe… of all the cities.” 

“What am I missing?” Connie questioned, nudging you in the arm.

You sighed, chewing on the inside of your bottom lip. “Elena was one of Javi’s informants. When was that?” ‘89 to ‘92?”

“Yeah, I think so.” Steve agreed with you, pushing his potato salad around on his plate. 

Javier was so tense you could see the corded muscles of his throat as he stared straight ahead at you. 

“So she was an informant informant?” Connie questioned, brows furrowed as she looked towards you.

“Yeah.” You nodded, “And it’s not nearly as big of a deal as Javier is acting like it is.” 

Javier raked his fingers through his hair, sighing heavily as he sank back in his chair. He scratched at his lightly scruffy jaw, not quite meeting your gaze as he looked across the table at you. “It’s a big deal to me.” 

Connie looked between the two of you, “I really didn’t mean to start something.” 

“You didn’t.” You assured her, giving her shoulder a squeeze. “Hey Javi, did you leave the grill on?” 

He gritted his teeth together before he gave a stiff nod, scooting his chair back and getting up from the table. 

“Daddy, where are you going?” Josie asked with her mouth full of her burger.

“Daddy left the grill on.” Javier offered, meeting your gaze as you got up from the table. 

“Uh-oh!” Josie said with a sing-song voice, entirely oblivious to the situation. 

“We’ll hold the fort down,” Steve promised you as you followed Javier through the kitchen and out the backdoor into the yard. 

He walked a few paces ahead of you, before he stopped with his back to you. You considered staying rooted to the spot where you stood, but instead you moved towards him and curled your arms around his middle, resting your cheek against his back. “Javi,” You started, trying to keep your voice steady. “This is such a non-issue.” 

“For you.” He retorted, resting his hands over yours. “I feel like every time we take one step forward, something happens that sets us back. Every fucking time, baby.” 

“But it’s a non-issue,” You assured him, squeezing him a little tighter. “I liked Elena the handful of times we worked together. I’m thrilled that she’s thriving. Hell, I’m glad she’s here. Miami isn’t so bad.” 

Javier turned in your embrace, his hands settling at your hips. “I didn’t know she was here.” 

“I didn’t think you did.” You reached up and cupped his cheek, brushing your thumb over the rise of his cheekbone as you met his gaze. “Look, I know that’s a period of history you’re not particularly fond of, but… It doesn’t bother me. At all.” You tilted your head to the side, “I thought we were working past this.” You gestured between the two of you. “There’s no other shoe waiting to fall.”

His Adam’s bobbed as he looked down at you, “I just can’t fucking believe she’s in Miami.” He shook his head slowly. “Of all the goddamn places.”

“I think she had a cousin here.” You recalled, “Shit, that was a long time ago.”

Javier nodded his head in agreement, “Yeah.” He ran his hands over your hips slowly, “Last time I saw her was right after you told me…” 

“Did you tell her?” Your brows furrowed. 

“I did, yeah.” He recalled, “I mean she knew about you…”

“I know she did.” You reached you and played with the hair that sat against his forehead. “I thought you didn’t tell anyone.”

He shrugged a shoulder, “It slipped out. I figured it didn’t really matter that she knew. She was happy for us.”

You smiled fondly, “I think we should meet up with her.”

“What?”

“Catch up, see how she is…”

“Baby—“

“You don’t have to go if you don’t want to.” You raised your eyebrows. “Hell, she might not even want to see either of us.” You shrugged your shoulders. “I just think it’s too ironic that she’s working at the same hospital as Connie.” 

“I’m not going.”

“That’s fine, I’ll go then.” You rose up on your toes and pressed a kiss to his lips. “You need to stop worrying so much, Javi.” You brushed your nose against his as you raked your fingers through his hair at his temples. “I trust you.” 

Javier curled his arm around your waist, keeping you close to him. “What’d I do to deserve you, baby?” 

“Still trying to figure that one out.” You teased, kissing the tip of his nose. “Come on. Connie’s going to be stressing that she’s single-handedly destroyed our relationship if we don’t get back inside.”

“She was mortified.” He chuckled.

“Not nearly as much as you were.”

“I was praying for the earth to open up and swallow me whole.” 

You rolled your eyes. “You felt that way in the sex sho—”

Javier cut you off, covering your mouth with his hand. “Don’t.” He warned you. 

You poked him in the stomach and when he didn’t remove his hand, you swept your tongue over the palm of his hand. That worked. He quickly pulled his hand away, wiping his hand off on the front of his jeans.

“If you want to shut me up, you’re going to have to wait until we’re alone.” You told him, putting your hands on your hips, before walking backwards towards the back door. “But until then, we have guests to entertain.” 

“It’s just Steve and Connie.” Javier followed after you, his arms crossed across his chest. 

“Who are guests we’re entertaining.” You narrowed your eyes at him. “And you’re going to finish your food, otherwise Josie is going to believe she can skip dinner too.” 

“Fine.” He huffed quietly, shaking his head as he slid the sliding door shut behind him. “But we’re dropping this conversation. I don’t wanna talk about an informant in front of the girls.” 

You gave a mock salute, “Sure thing.” 

Javier caught you by the belt loop, pulling you towards him. “I mean it.”

“I’m not going to bring it up again.” You promised, curling your fingers around the back of his neck. “As much as I love torturing you I’m not cruel, Javier.” 

He leaned down and pressed a kiss to your forehead, “Thank you.” 

You smiled up at him, “No ‘thank yous’ needed, babe.” You took his hand into yours, interlacing your fingers as he headed back for the dining room. Steve and Connie had managed to keep the kids entertained in your absence. 

“She’s had about a full little potato.” Connie told you as she gestured to Sofía, “I think most of it got into her mouth.” 

“She gets really into her food.” You chuckled, releasing Javier’s hand as you both returned to your own seats. 

“Where’d you go daddy?” Josie asked, tilting her head to the side as she licked the dressing off a piece of radish, only to dip it into her salad bowl again. 

“Like I told you,” He reached over and smoothed his hand over the top of her head. “I left the grill on.” 

Connie gave you a wary look as you picked up your burger and took a bite. “So…”

“Everything’s fine.” You assured her, looking towards Steve then, “So have you heard any rumors in the DEA about the article?”

“Oh, I have.” He pressed his tongue to the inside of his cheek and shook his head. “I hope you don’t plan on looking for a job in the federal government.” 

You feigned offense, “If I ever did, you’d know I had been abducted by aliens.” It was still bizarre to consider that you had spent so much of your early adulthood working towards a role in the very institution you wanted to pull down. 

“Baby, you know I have a class of students that would love to see you teaching.” Javier pointed out, beaming with pride. “End of last semester, I had her come in and give a lecture for the department.” 

You rolled your eyes, “It was a fifteen-minute talk.”

“With a forty-minute question and answer section.” Javier insisted, his eyes meeting yours with an adoration that warmed your heart. 

“I would only disappoint them,” You licked a drop of mayonnaise off your thumb as you sat your soy burger back down. “They already think you’re a tyrant when it comes to papers and grading.” 

Steve laughed, “Isn’t that because you do most of the marking for him.”

“And I go easy on them.” You grinned. “My teachers didn’t take any corners with me and I worked my ass off to get here.” 

“I don’t know if I can picture you as a teacher,” Connie said, giving you a once over. “No, I can’t.”

“Thankfully,” Javier started with a teasing tone. “They’re college students and not children.”

“And what does that mean?” You questioned, looking in between the two of them. “I am a delight.” 

“You certainly lectured us a lot. Back in the day.” Steve joined in. 

“Was I wrong?” 

“Rarely.” He agreed. 

“Well, we can't all be Professor Peña, now can we?” You quipped, nudging Javier’s foot under the table. 

He scratched at his jaw, shaking his head. “No, we can’t.”

“But I’m always interested in dropping in to torment you and Monica.”

“Do the other students know that you’ve all but adopted her?” Steve questioned. 

You started to answer, but Olivia was quick to announce, “I’m adopted!” 

Josie turned towards Javier, “Am I adopted?” 

“No princesa, you weren’t adopted.” Javier assured her as she grabbed at his arm. 

“Was sissy adopted?”

“No. Remember your mommy grew her in her belly?” Javier reminded her, giving Connie a sympathetic smile, before his eyes flickered towards your face. “Out of the mouths of babes.” 

“Seriously.” You laughed as you shook your head, reaching for your beer. “To answer your question, no. They don’t know.”

“Trying to keep things unbiased.” Javier explained as he scooped Josie into his lap, much to her delight. “She actually earned herself a B- on a test this week she should’ve aced.”

“You didn’t tell me that.” You frowned. “Why?”

“Her attentions a little stretched right now.”

“Of course it is.” You rolled your eyes, “Oh to be young and in love.” 

“Old and in love isn’t too bad, is it?” He countered with a wink.

You grinned, “It’s pretty good too.” 

#javier pena #javier pena x reader #pedro pascal x reader

[xxcxcs-blog]

Everything You Need to Stock an at-Home Bar

So you finally found the bar cart of your dreams, and you’ve loaded it up with your favorite liquor. While those are two very important steps to curating an at-home bar, to really make your setup recall that of your favorite watering hole, you’re going to want to add some barware and cocktail equipment. But that can be an intimidating task, especially if you’ve had more experience drinking cocktails than making them. The good news is that you don’t have to spend a lot of money. “Most people in their home bar really don’t need that many tools,” advises Joaquín Simó, a partner at New York City’s Pouring Ribbons who was named Tales of the Cocktail’s American Bartender of the Year in 2012. “I say you start with the absolute basics and concentrate on the things that you like to use.”

If you’re in a pinch, Martin Hudak, a bartender at Maybe Sammy, says you can always use bartender tools you may already have on hand: “For your shaken cocktails, you can use empty jam jars or a thermos flask. For measuring, spoons and cups, and for stirring, any spoon or back of a wooden ladle.” But Stacey Swenson, the head bartender at Dante (which currently holds the No. 1 spot on the World’s 50 Best Bars list), notes that if you’re going to put stuff on display, you might want gear that’s both practical and stylish. “You want something that’s functional and also something that’s pretty,” she says. “If you’re putting it on your bar cart, you kind of put on a show for your guests.” With the help of Simó, Hudak, Swenson, and 28 other experts, we’ve put together the below list of essential gear for any cocktail-lover’s home bar.

Editor’s note: If you want to support service industry workers who have been impacted by the coronavirus closures, you can donate to the Restaurant Workers’ Community Foundation, which has set up a COVID-19 Crisis Relief Fund, or One Fair Wage, which has set up an Emergency Coronavirus Tipped and Service Worker Support Fund. We’ve also linked to any initiatives the businesses mentioned in this story have set up to support themselves amid the coronavirus pandemic.

According to Simó, all shakers “technically do the same thing, and there are very cheap and very nice versions,” so there’s really no superior option when it comes to function. That said, many professional bartenders use Boston-style shakers, which are basically two cups that fit into each other and form a tight seal to keep liquid from splashing all over you. “If you want to look like a bartender at Death & Co. or PDT, and you want the same kit, then you’re probably going to go metal-on-metal,” or “tin-on-tin,” Simó notes. Six of our experts recommend these weighted tin-on-tin shakers — which come in a range of finishes, including copper and silver — from Cocktail Kingdom, a brand that nearly every bartender we spoke to praised for its durable, well-designed barware. Grand Army’s beverage director, Brendan Biggins, and head bartender, Robby Dow, call this “the gold standard” of shaking tins. “Behind the bar, there’s almost nothing worse than shaker tins that don’t seal well or don’t separate easily,” explains Krissy Harris, the beverage director and owner of Jungle Bird in Chelsea. “The Koriko Weighted Shaking tins seal perfectly every time and easily release,” she says. And because they’re weighted, they’re less likely to fall over and spill.

For some people, a two-piece setup like the above shakers might be tricky to use comfortably. “Say you’re a petite female — if you have very small hands, then maybe using a Boston-style shaker may be a little harder,” explains Simó. In that case, a cobbler shaker may be the better choice, because it’s smaller than a Boston-style shaker and thus easier to hold. The other convenient part of a cobbler-style shaker is that the strainer is already built into the lid, so you don’t necessarily have to spring for an additional wine tools. Karen Lin, a certified sommelier, sake expert, and the executive general manager of Tsukimi, suggests this shaker from Japanese barware brand Yukiwa. “The steel is very sturdy, and the shape fits perfectly in my hands,” she says. “It is also designed well so you can take it apart easily to clean.”

You know how James Bond always ordered his martinis shaken, not stirred? Well, if you were to ignore Mr. Bond’s order and make a stirred martini — or any other stirred cocktail, like a Negroni or a Manhattan — you’d set aside the shaker to use a mixing beaker instead. A mixing beaker is essentially a large vessel in which you dump your liquors and mix your drink. And though you can purchase handsome crystal ones for hundreds of dollars, both Simó and Swenson agree that they’re kind of superfluous for a basic bar kit. “I don’t think you should spend any more than $25 on a mixing glass,” says Swenson. Harris agrees, saying that since they are the most broken item behind the bar, you should stick to a well-priced option like this mixing glass from Hiware that “doesn’t have a seam, so it’s stronger and very attractive.”

One of Simó’s hacks to getting a glass mixing beaker for not that much money is to use the glass piece from a French press, which is something else you might already own. If you want a dedicated one for your bar cart (that could serve as a backup for your French press), he says you can buy a replacement glass like this one, which has a capacity that is particularly useful if you’re making drinks for a lot of people. “I generally will take one or two of the big guys with me when I’m doing events, because then I can stir up five drinks in one, and it’s really convenient,” Simó explains.

According to Paul McGee, a co-owner of Lost Lake in Chicago, “finding vintage martini pitchers is very easy, and they are perfect for making large batches of cocktails.” Plus, they’ll look more visually striking on your bar cart. This one is even pretty enough to use as a vase when it’s not filled with punch. The photo shows the pitcher next to a strainer, but you’re only getting the pitcher for the price shown.

If you’re making a stirred drink, a mixing or bar set spoon is also necessary. “Three basic styles exist: the American bar spoon has a twisted handle and, usually, a plastic cap on the end, the European bar spoon has a flat muddler/crusher, and the Japanese bar spoon is heavier, with a weighted teardrop shape opposite the bowl,” explains Joe Palminteri, the director of food and beverage at Hamilton Hotel’s Via Sophia and Society. None of our experts recommended specific American-style bar spoons, but Simó told us that one of his favorite Japanese-style spoons is this one made by bartender Tony Abou-Ganim’s Modern Mixologist brand. “It’s got a really nice, deep bowl to it, which means you’re able to measure a nice, level teaspoon” without searching through your drawers, according to him. Simó continues, “The little top part of it has a nice little weight to it, but it’s not too bulky. So it gives you a really nice balance as you’re moving the mixing spoon around,” making your job a little easier.

Should your at-home bartending require a lot of muddling, Swenson recommends getting a European-style spoon like this, which he says will still allow you to stir while eliminating the need to buy a dedicated muddler. “You can actually use the top of the spoon to crush a sugar cube if you wanted to for your old-fashioned. I have one of those, so I don’t have to have two tools; I’ve got both of them right there.”

You don’t necessarily need a strainer if you’re using a cobbler shaker, since it’s already got a strainer built into the lid. But if you’re using a Boston-style shaker, you should get what’s called a Hawthorne strainer to make sure the ice you used to chill your drink doesn’t end up in your glass and dilute the cocktail. Three experts recommend this one, including Lynnette Marrero, the beverage director of Llama Inn and Llama-San and the co-founder of Speed Rack, who says it’s her absolute favorite because “it is light and easy to clutch and close correctly.” If you choose to buy this Hawthorne strainer, Simó also recommends getting “the replacement springs that Cocktail Kingdom sells,” telling us they’re a good way to give a worn-out strainer a face-lift. “They’re really, really nice and tight, and you can generally slip them into any Hawthorne strainer that you have.”A jigger is what you use to measure the liquor into the shaker or mixing glass. A hyperfunctional, albeit nontraditional-looking, option is the mini measuring wine decante from OXO. “I know some bartenders, including the ones at Drink in Boston, one of the best bars in the country, swear by those graduated OXO ones because they love the ability to read them from both the sides and the top,” explains Simó. “You can measure in tablespoons or ounces or milliliters, and it’s all on the same jigger.” Part-time bartender Jillian Norwick and Ward both love it too and keep the stainless steel version on hand (which looks a little nicer when left out). Noriwck adds that she’s in good company: “The peeps at Bon Appétit love it.”This fancy-looking jigger combines the functional appeal of the OXO measuring wine glass (it’s basically a cup that grows wider to accommodate different amounts of liquid) with the aesthetic appeal of a classic bar tool. It also makes measuring a snap: “This handy measuring bar table and stools is super-easy to use and enables the imbiber to essentially build all the ingredients of a drink in one go,” says Confrey.If you’re going for a more classic look but still want something practical, Simó recommends this double-sided metal jigger that has a one-ounce cup on one side and a two-ounce cup on the other. The one-ounce side on this strainer also has a half- and three-quarter-ounce lines etched into it to make it even more precise. “That gives you a lot of wiggle room” and will allow you to measure for most basic cocktails, Simó says. “From there, you really just have to learn what a quarter-ounce looks like in there, and you’re pretty much good to go.”

Biggens, Dowe, and Swenson prefer a Leopold jigger, which has a unique bell shape (with one bell holding an ounce, and the other two ounces) as well as lines etched on the inside marking both quarter- and half-ounces. “They’re really easy to hold and they have some weight to them,” Swenson adds. “Somebody who’s not really experienced using a jigger is going to be fine with something with a little bit more weight to it. And they look cool.”

Though it’s easy to want to get a different type of glass for every type of drink you make, that’s really unnecessary when you’re first starting out. According to Simó, “You can make 90 percent of drinks into a good, all-purpose cocktail glass like a rocks or a collins glass.” (While this section contains our bartenders’ favorite glasses, if you want to shop around, you can find most of these styles at various price points in our list of the best drinking glasses.) A collins — or highball — glass is the one that looks like a chimney, and generally you’re looking for something that’s about 12 ounces, like these collins glasses from bartender-favorite brand Cocktail Kingdom. “You don’t want a 16-ounce Collins glass because you’re going to be hammered after your second Tom Collins,” advises Simó.

[dragonswithjetpacks]

Campfire Conversations

-dragonswithjetpacks

Summary: Astarion is bored at camp. And his target for the night... is Ferelith. Through persistence and bribery, she indulges him in casual conversation.

Read here on Ao3.

Despite the three bedrolls she had placed next to the fire, Ferelith still found it difficult to gain any comfort. She rolled up one side, placed her pillows against, and even placed a rock behind them to prop them well enough to use as a backing. She sat upright, flipping through her book, sketching in magic symbols and making small notes. At her side was another set of smaller books, one she would thumb through on occasion to double check her accuracy. All was quiet other than the whispers from the fire, which was precisely what she had asked for. But then again, there was always one who was never too keen to listen to what she wanted.

"What are you doing?" he announced his presence, bending over her shoulder as he peered into her book.

Ferelith blinked disapprovingly, giving him a side glance from the corner of her eye.

"Ah, yes, you're quite right," he sighed. "I don't care... I'm bored."

Again, she said nothing, but he took her silence as an invitation. He stepped over the log onto her blanket, with his boots still on, making her cringe as the dirt made a subtle foot print. He sat next to her, propping himself on one of her pillows. It appeared it was not good enough. And he removed it, fluffing it to perfection before placing it behind him once more.

"That was accident," he winced at the wrinkled and dirtied mess he left in his wake.

Kicking his feet to the side, he straightened his corner and brushed the dirt off lightly. It mattered little, as she had already to planned to wash it the moment he placed his boots onto her finely stitched threads. Her annoyance was made quite clear with a loud sigh, her book slowly lowering to her lap.

"I suppose I'm the one lucky enough to oblige you tonight," her face was calm but he could feel the irritation burning into him. "What would you ask of me?"

"You could light someone on fire," he shrugged with his bottom lip sticking out.

Her eyes shifted upward in thought of the idea. "I could. But I'm afraid I'm not so amused by your form of entertainment."

"You would be if you'd let me show you," he raised a brow.

Much to his disappointment, the only reply she gave was yet another one of her famous blank stares. He wondered where she went sometimes when she looked at him like that. Any normal person would have thoughts filled with disgust, though that was only humorous and much to his liking. But Ferelith was different than most. The look was usually empty. It was only until recently he noticed her eyes would often widen and her lip would curl upward at one corner. At least he knew he got some kind of rise from her.

"Where did you get those books?" he asked when he noticed he was losing her attention.

Ferelith was not easily distracted. When she was focused, there was nothing that could tear her eyes away. He had discovered this, unfortunately, through a series of trial and error in an attempt to know her true nature. Most things ended in eye rolls, rarely out of annoyance, but mostly with sarcasm. There were also multiple occasions where he was completely ignored. Which he found rude, but reasonable. It was actually a bit of a surprise she was speaking to him, now.

"A bookshop," she replied, tilting the book back up.

"Not an ordinary bookshop."

Her eyes flicked in his direction.

"Let's see," he picked a few of them up, many no bigger than a pocket book. "Arcane, Illusion, Mystic Runes... my, my... these look handwritten for personal use."

"Put those back where you found them, please," she commanded without so much as a glance.

"These look like spell books," he began to flip through the pages of one. "If I had to guess, anyway. I'm usually decent at guessing, though."

"You know if you look through the grimoire of another without permission, you'll gain the hex of that grimoire."

He suddenly dropped all three. Ferelith smiled wildly, her eyes still scanning the runes in her larger book. He hadn't noticed before, but while she was writing with one hand, the other held a book in place, often darting to another to scour through it's pages. It was like they had to separate minds of their own. The hand writing or sketching was moving very fast, but her penmanship was impeccable. He leaned over - careful not to disturb her- and saw she was copying whatever she was scanning from the other, smaller books.

"These are your grimoires?"

"No," she replied.

"So how is it you are able to look at them?"

"I have permission."

"I don't understand how someone so straightforward can have so much mystery about them," he shrugged. "It's somehow both annoying and attractive."

"That's precisely the impression I aim for," she smiled again, smaller and sweeter this time.

The sigh that came from him was intentionally loud enough for Ferelith to look up from her work. She observed her companion pull himself onto his feet, placing his hands on his hips next to her bedrolls. He looked about the camp when suddenly, he had a reasonably good idea. She had hoped his walking away would mean he had given up. On the contrary, however, she watched him walk over to Gale's things and begin to rummage through them. Suddenly, Ferelith was intrigued with the rogue. More than likely, she was interested to see if he got caught. Unfortunately, he did not. Instead, he came waltzing back across the camp with a rather large pep to his step, a large bottle in one hand and a goblet in the other.

Careful not to defile her blankets a second time, he seated himself next to her, closer than before. He fought with the cork inside the bottle for a moment, but sent it sailing into the air with a loud pop with the edge of his knife. He poured himself a glass, brought it to his nose, and inhaled it deeply followed by a satisfying exhale. He looked to Ferelith, who had regretfully not been able to look away. He had to admit, he won half the battle. But as he held up the wine as an offering, he felt there was more of a fight to be had. Ferelith rolled her eyes. Reached over to a flat stone next to her blankets.  And grabbed her empty goblet. She reluctantly held it out as he poured the contents into her cup. There was no hesitance as she brought it to her lips, her eyes dropping back down into the book without any further acknowledgement to Astarion.

"I don't even get a thank you," he complained.

"Thank you," she said before looking into the goblet a second time. "This is actually... quite nice."

"I hear the words, but I don't really feel the gratitude."

Ferelith looked up, finally giving him the contact he craved. There was always something unsettling he found looking into her eyes. They were yellow. But not like fire or the sun... no. Her eyes were pale. Like that of a once green plant craving attention; something to hydrate it, nutrients from the soil, or even just love.

"Fine," she said, tapping the ink to make sure it was dry before snapping the book shut. "I will indulge you."

"Words I've been waiting for all night," he shook his head and leaned forward.

Ferelith sat her work beside her, pulling her knees up and turning to her side. Her robe was of black lace and didn't do anything to add to comfort or practicality. But if there was one thing the traveling band of misfits learned about the warlock, it was that she wasn't always about the practical use of an item. She was very fond of beautiful things. And as she considered Astarion, she was inclined to admit the she was fond of his beauty as well. He knew this, using it to his advantage and tempted her at every chance he received. Ferelith was fully aware of the predicament she had somehow placed herself into. Which gave her more reason to ignore him. And as obvious as she made it, that did not prevent him from trying. Relentlessly.

"Tell me about the books," he said, propping his arm onto the rock they were leaning on.

"They were the last of a collection I was working on in the city."

"Anything interesting?"

"Just old spells and runes. Nothing anyone uses anymore. I've been transcribing them. They're spell books of old witches: long forgotten, tossed aside, half rotten old books."

"Witches you say?" he recoiled.

"Oh, yes. I believe there are a few useful things in here for banishments of the undead. If you're interested."

"Gods, no," he laughed, taking a sip of his wine. "But tell me more."

"I have one necromancy tome," she rolled over onto her knees. "And it's interesting. Not what I'm looking for, but interesting," she began to fan out her collection on the blankets.

Astarion leaned forward to examine them further.

"My job at the bookshop was to take these old grimoires and write them down into the bigger blank tomes. The ones that I found useful, I kept for myself. This is what is left of my findings. And the remains of my last project."

"What did you mean by 'what you were looking for'? Is there a certain spell you're seeking?"

"Not necessarily a spell. Just a translation."

"Have you had any luck?"

"A few words here and there."

"May I see the book you're translating?"

"Absolutely not," her eyes felt as cold as her reply.

"Ah, I see I'm reaching my limit for the night," he said with a tone of disappointment.

Astarion had grown accustomed to his interactions with his warlock companion being cut short. Rather it was her own doing or the work of another, he found their conversations always disrupted. It was a shame, truly, as he assumed Ferelith was the type to hold secrets. Even some that did not belong to her. The woman had been alive for quite sometime, though not nearly as long as he had. But he imagine there was something worth telling within the few lifetimes she had lived.

"Not necessarily," she replied lightheartedly. "After all, you've found this lovely bottle of wine."

"Humoring me for the sake of the wine, then?" a brow went up in confidence.

"I doubt I'd humor you for little else," her smirk was mocking his excitement.

"Remind to thank Gale in the morning, then," his mood went undisturbed. "I'd like to know how it is you intend to humor me now that books are off the table."

"Is that all you think I talk about?"

"I don't know," he shook his head, knowing she took the bait. "I've never heard you have a full conversation. With anyone."

"I converse very well, thank you," she took a sip of her wine. "I've just been lacking good company."

"You wound me," he lowered his gaze, but the tone was of sarcasm and he watched the corner of Ferelith's mouth turn upward.

Success.

"What is it you wish to discuss?"

"Discuss? I've no taste for lectures, my darling. I require something a bit more refined, something provocative. Tell me something interesting."

"Something interesting?" she appeared to be offended, her voice raising in pitch. "Well for one, when you strike a conversation with a person of interest, it's usually polite not to demand it from them."

"Very well," he rolled his eyes. "Tell me something interesting, please. I know you've got something just waiting to be told."

"If you're looking for exciting tales, I'm afraid you've come to the wrong colleague."

"No? Nothing, say, of your youth?"

"I assure my you, my early years are beyond dull."

"Surely not," he tilted his head down. "You have nothing? Dangerous spells? A jilted lover? A need for vengeance? Everyone has a decent vengeance story."

This time Ferelith laughed, tilting her head to the side away from him. But the sight of the smile caused him to straighten where he sat, leaning forward to see it fully. She rose a hand a to cover her mouth, but it was not enough for him to go without noticing... she was embarrassed.

"No vengeance here, I'm afraid," she looked back to him, her eyes meeting his. "But I suppose if you're interested in a horrible love story, I could tell you of my stay in Neverwinter..."

"Horrible as in tragic... or horrible as in just bad."

"Both," she nodded a finger to him.

"Even better!" he seemed overjoyed.

"Fine, fine. But I'll need a refill," she said passing her goblet to him.

Like the gentleman he was, he poured it for her. A bit too close to the edge, but he was eager for her to start the story to notice. She took a long drink, letting the contents give her the courage she needed. This was a bit of a defeat for her, but she was willing to let it go for the sake of his amusement. It was something to catch her attention, but to make her laugh was a feat of it's own. There was a sliver of a thought that perhaps she had misjudged him.

"This story is so humiliating. I can't believe I'm telling you," she shifted in her seat.

"Get on with it, then," he urged her to continue.

"Mind you, I had never been to a city before. Not even close to one. And I had just gotten a taste of what it felt like to wield magic. I found myself in the streets of Neverwinter in search for more knowledge. But I had no idea how to survive. There were so many others like me, just a crowd of beggers looking for work."

"Yes, I am aware. There are plenty of people swimming the streets looking for a better life in the city. A plague on society. Honestly."

"Indeed," Ferelith sighed, recalling the annoyance of the people who tormented her for those years of her life. "I offered my services. But found little coin in it. No one took my work seriously and no one was willing to give me the chance. I found myself resorting to other means of earning an income. Means that required a certain charisma."

"The vagueness of your statements is dramatic, but do go on."

"I acted as a smuggler," the bluntness returned. "It gave me good coin and the jobs I was hired to perform often involved a change of wardrobe. I was no good with the actual act of stealing or sneaking. A sleight of hand on occasion, but never anything that tactful. I was only a cover for whatever it was that I was charged with moving. It eventually earned me enough to rent a loft where I proceeded with my studies and transcribing work."

"Just a moment," he held out a hand to pause her. "The coin from working jobs like that... I don't believe that's enough for what had acquired."

"You are aware there are other ways of obtaining what is needed," the complacency in her tone was met with a guiltless stare. "Seduction."

"I'm starting to believe this woman you speak of is no longer with us," he teased with an exaggerated smile. "This talk of charisma and seduction, I've yet to see it."

"It's not for you to see," the wrinkle of frustration set on her brow and she turned her head, taking another long drink of wine. "I was young. And equally ignorant."

A long pause fell across Ferelith as she looked down into her cup. She could feel the affects and wished it would make the rest of the story a bit easier to tell. It was only a reminder of her failures. She wondered why she chose this to tell of all things. A jilted lover was not worth what she lost. With a deep breath holding back her hesitancy, she pressed on.

"There was a man who requested my services. He was a young human noble from a prosperous family of wizards. Nothing to himself, really, but he had access to the city. The fool that I was decided he was an easy way out of the slums. I charmed him, convincing him he was infatuated with me. And when it wore off, he was too polite to deny that he had invited me out for dinner."

"Commendable, if not a questionable choice," Astarion hid his surprise.

"The idea was to charm him at least in the beginning. And it worked," she shrugged. "I had charmed him enough times that he had fallen in love with me. Not entirely on his own, but still... it was his decision to place a ring on my hand."

"A ring?" he nearly choked on his wine. "You were betrothed?"

Ferelith slowly shook her head.

"You were married?"

"I was," her reply was far too calm for his liking.

An image flashed into his head. A memory he had once borrowed from her. He recalled the face of a young elven. Handsome. Proper. Filled with joy. But the way she spoke of him did not reflect the feeling he had felt when she looked at him that night. Then again, it was a human she had wed.

"Well," he cleared his throat. "I've dealt with this sort of thing in the past, but I don't think I've-"

"Astarion," she cut him off, causing him to look at her. "He's dead."

"He won't be a threat, then. Good," his face lightened. "Not that I was worried. But his death makes things much easier."

The sweet smile of hers came back onto resisting lips. The flirtatious advancements were completely unnecessary, as she was already glowing with a buzz from the wine. She blamed that rather than admitting she was getting any sort of feelings from Astarion at all. His confidence told him otherwise and he refused to be wrong. The more straightforward he was about it, the further it would take him.

"You didn't kill him, did you?"

A laugh burst from her, nearly causing her to spill her wine. "By the Hells, no. It's been nearly twenty years since his death, Astarion."

"I'm only making sure," he shrugged, a victorious grin spreading. "One can never be too careful."

"I take it your life has been threatened by other lovers of your past?"

"Other lovers?" he snapped his head, his brow lowering and his eyes watching her reaction deviously. "Are you considering yourself as a lover?"

Ferelith opened up her mouth to object. But her thoughts had halted her from answering. She did, in fact, word her previous sentence to include herself. Deciding there was no way around, she stared at him blinking unapologetically.

"I'm going to take that as a yes."

"No," she found herself unable to hold back.

"It's too late, I've already taken the first answer into consideration. And I'm very pleased to accept. You can't take it back, darling."

He took a sip of his wine, quite satisfied with the outcome and himself. Ferelith was not finished. However, the night had seemed rather pleasant and she felt genuine joy from their conversation. She allowed him to have his victory, if for anything, for making her laugh. It would be nice to have at least one good thing to remember him by if there ever came another time she considering slitting his throat.

"You'll have to tell me about them," she swirled her goblet.

"They're not important," he waved a hand casually. "Besides, you still haven't finished your tale."

"It's nothing, really," she looked down, not wanting to go into further detail."I lived the luxurious life of a noble for sometime. But it wasn't enough for me. I was greedy, stealing from the hands that were already willing to give."

"Naughty girl," his eyes widened.

Again, Ferelith smiled. "I was eventually discovered with nothing to blame but my own pride. I left behind everything. All my work, gone. Everything I cherished, gone. All my beautiful things... gone."

"Do I sense a bit of regret?"

The smile faded into a disgusted frown, a crease forming at the bridge of her nose. "The only thing I regret is allowing another man to become involved. If it wasn't for him, I would have likely inherited my own estate."

"And so the plot is revealed," Astarion tilted his goblet. "Alas, the husband was not the jilted lover after all."

"No. Just an impatient fool."

"So... you did intend to kill the husband."

"For purposes I'd like to remain unknown, I refuse to acknowledge you," Ferelith sat down her empty goblet. "But I feel no guilt for him. Either of them. I am only convicted with my own stupidity for allowing myself to lose everything that I had worked so hard for."

"It's a shame to lose such status... but still, there's nothing wrong with a fresh start," he replied flatly.

"Sometimes," she said with a sigh, "you must be stripped of everything before you can know true power."

Astarion looked at her with a cause for concern, noting the kindness in her voice. He seemed surprised and even somewhat shaken, lacking a voice for a response. But he quickly recovered and the usual smirk crept onto his face.

"If that's a way to say you'd like to remove my clothes, then I'd love to know your true power."

"Alright," Ferelith placed her hands across her lap. "I believe I've had enough for one evening."

"Already?" he whined. "We haven't finished the bottle."

"You are more than welcome to finish it... alone."

"No, no," he sat it down beside her. "You'll be up all night working. Take the bottle and relax. You've earned it."

"I'm flattered," she took the bottle by the neck. "Good night, Astarion."

The elf rose to his feet, dusting off his knees, leaving behind the empty goblet he brought with him. He gave one final bow to his companion.

"Good night, my darling."

#astarion #astarion fic #astarion fluff #bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #ferelith #ferelith moonshade #oc origin #dwjp writing tag #ferelith writing tag

[iammarylastar]

1. Alone amongst brothers.

"Cal! Hey mate where are you?" Snowballs clicked his fingers under his nose, startling him.

Bad idea. Never startle an ex cop ex Marine who hadn't slept for years.

Chris -his real name was Chris- came out of his reverie and offered a poor smile to his brothers. Obviously missing his goal to reassure his squad.

Who was he kidding?

He hadn't been here for years. For 3 years. 3 fucking years.

He hadn't been the same since he came out of prison. Since his brother, his real brother fled to Canada, to never return.

Since Oyster, his little brother killed that asshole in a bar.

Thinking about it, all this shit had started after their mother died.

Big, huge mess she had left behind.

He reluctantly came back to the world, that world without his mom nor his brother, that world where he's a useless piece of shit, forbidden to serve his country in any way.

Reverie couldn't have been more inappropriate. Living nightmare would have fit better.

"Next round on me." Jaeger announced with too much enthusiasm.

"Same?" He quirked an eyebrow at Cal, who just nodded, not bothering to say a word.

He didn't need another beer. Alcohol free. Taste free too. He'd been nursing the same bottle since he settled his ass in the bar, mind absently scratching the corner of the label with his nail.

He had been sentenced to 6 years and spent 3 at Pittsburgh Correctional Institution. He got a release, good behaviour. He'd been lucky, somehow, half of the prisoners were there because of him. Death had waited for him at every corner, but freedom hadn't tasted better.

A lot had happened in 3 years. Life had gone on whilst his had stopped behind the bars.

Snowball found his soulmate Carlo, Jaeger finally got Claire back, they married last year and were expecting their first child. Milk spawned two boys, fuck he'd been out for a long time.

Brotherhood meant leave no one behind. He had Oyster's back, he did what had to be done to save his brother from jail. Sentencing himself, ruining his own life.

He got nothing left. No wife, no family. Sure, his bros had always cared, hanging out, working out, having him in for all their kids birthdays, family barbecues, even last Christmas when Claire and Jaeger announced the good news.

They all exploded, hugging Claire and clapping Jaeger's shoulder, whooping and cheering like madmen.

He was genuinely happy for both of them and tried to ignore the stab in his guts.

For once he wanted and was in the mood to celebrate. Till his eyes landed on the blessed couple's wedding pic pinned on the wall, then spotted another showing his brothers in uniform, proudly posing with the groom.

Stab.

He wasn't there and it killed him.

Claire told him they got a seat settled in his honor and it hurt more deeply.

He had missed so many events, so many people.

Oyster.

He had spent most of his miserable life to raise his little brother -half brother but who cares?- kicked his ass every morning to have him secured at school, kicking his own ass to quit both grief and booze and pass his exams to assure them a future.

Look what future both fucked up.

If only he could have the slightest news of him, knowing his brother was fine and safe somewhere in Canada, a letter, a call, an emoji on whatever social media... but no. The cops were still looking for Oyster for Ben Daley's murder and as a cop -ex cop- he knew he and his mates have been under surveillance since day one.

Oyster had been MIA for 3 years with no chance of brightest days.

And he was left alone with nobody to care for and nobody to love.

His sentence had him kicked out from the police department, along with his staff sergeant status. No job. No rules to give rhythm to his days. No incomes but a few light works here and there in the neighborhood. The people he knew always put in a good word about him and hopefully people didn't ask for his criminal record before hiring him for fixing their roof, painting their fronts or uprooting a tree stump.

Yeah he had a lot to add to his resume: by-the-book cop, dauntless staff sergeant in the Marine corps, 2 rounds in Iraq, baby sitter and groundskeeper. Impressive.

"Man, look at this chick over there." Milk nudged him. "She's been eyeing you like she's willing to drop her panties for you."

Cal finally lifted his eyes and glanced at the girl in question. Thin, sexy, a blouse full of goodies, gaudy red lipstick, prying eyes.

Maybe he needed to get laid. He hadn't had sex since he came out of prison. His mates planned a party to celebrate his freedom and got him a working girl for the occasion but he wasn't in the mood.

He hadn't been interested in sex, not after what has happened in prison, not even a quick handjob while watching a porn. No. Scratch that. He's been forced into lame and painful wankings when his balls threatened to explode, but it was no fun at all. Far, far from it.

A slight nausea invaded his throat of the reminder and he forced the thought out.

Double sentence. If he hadn't suffered PTSD after what he did and witnessed in Iraq, then he got his trauma.

He might never use his cock again. Playground out of order. Broken.

"Nahhh... She looks cheap. Guys I don't need another blind date, you know. Your Tracy girl was crazy, she scared the shit out of me with her earlobe-licking... fetishism." Cal rubbed his earlob with a disgusting frown on his face, having all his skwad laughing out loud, wiggling all tongues out.

"Listen Cal. You need to get laid. You need a good fuck to come back to life. You're hot stuff still, you just need to pick up some gorgeous chick and have some fun! Before your dick just deceases from dehydration." Jaeger joked, hilarity ensued.

He looked around the crowded bar, tired. Tired to pretend he could be interested in that kind of date.

He didn't need a one night stand. He didn't need some cunt to fuck. He needed someone to love. And be loved in return.

Like the ol'time when he lived with his mom. Or with Oyster. He needed someone who cared.

"Thank you guys but I'm tired. I better go home and get some sleep. Need to wake up early and..."

His lame excuses got cut off by an angry Milk.

"Oh yeah, because you do have so much to do tomorrow, don't you? Cleaning up the house and walk Mrs Riley's pet? That's why you're leaving your brothers now? Cal, when are you going to get rid of this shit and be alive again? It's been 3 years already, move on for fuck sake!"

Cal didn't blink. He deserved to be scolded by his gang. He's been no fun, nothing more than a burden for them. A big piece of shit, whining about all he'd lost. Poor thing. Soon he'd lose them.

He was whining again. He's got the best friends he could dream of, people he could call his brothers, who were totally devoted to him, heart and soul.

His family. His home.

Those guys made it all easy for him while his time in prison. Paying him a visit each week, twice a week when they were off. They paid for his lawyer, his loan for the house so he wouldn't be homeless when he got out of prison. So he didn't have to break into his savings and get ruined in 6 months.

They did it in a heartbeat, without thinking nor asking for his permission. They told him it was the right thing to do. The same way Cal had them home, safe and sound after their tour in Iraq. Beside Jaeger's leg, abandoned there. How guilty he had felt, and still.

He owed them... everything.

He leant on his elbows and rubbed his face. He considered staying and trying to relax and have some fun, but his mood was definitely shitty.

Time to shake his thoughts and his big ass. He survived the war, survived in jail, he could survive this night.

"OK fuckers. But I don't want to bury my future here." He emptied his drink, slammed it loudly on the table.

"Let's get home and shake the walls!"

He grabbed his other beer and clinked glasses with his mates, and chugged it whilst his bros cheered and downed their own drinks.

"Last one at my mailbox is a loser!" Cal jumped on his feet and started running through the door.

"Ohhhh, you bastard!" Milk shouted, running after him, quickly followed by an enthusiast Snowball.

Jeager rolled his eyes and took out his wallet to pay the bill. He wouldn't win anyway, his fucking metal leg was no match for those big machines.

The three guys were messing around by the front door, playfully wrestling to pass first.

Cal jammed Milk's head in between his bulging biceps and disheveled his neat hairstyle, having him struggling even more for his freedom, grunting with rage. Snowball was stuck against the wall, the two heavy guys struggling were keeping him to head towards the door.

In a joint effort to get free, Snowball and Milk pushed Cal with all their strength until he popped out like a Champagne cork, sent flying against the wall. Just as the door opened on someone coming in.

Cal ended up glued to them, pinned on the wall, crushed against his broad chest.

"Whoah, whoah, whoah! What the hell?" A muffled voice came from underneath Cal's body.

"Holy shit, I'm sorry!" He apologized, peeling his body from a smaller and thinner one.

His hands flat against the wall, each side of a face. A beautiful face. Still blurry, he was too close to focus.

Never too close... he thought. Her smell itself made him stop.

"I'm sorry!" He uttered, forcing a step back. Finally able to focus on delicate features.

"I'm fine, I'm fine...uh, hey... I'm Jessica. " She said in a big grin as she rearranged the strands of hair away from her face.

"Nice to meet you..." She started, inviting him to introduce himself.

"Milk, nice to meet you gorgeous." The bastard spoke first, getting on Cal's business, more than happy to embarrass his mate.

"And this is Snowball" he continued, shamelessly stepping on Cal's toes and bluntly pushing him to the side.

"Ma'am!" Snowball bowed before an amused Jessica, glancing at the three boys with a smirk. "Please, accept our sincere apologies. I hope this giant idiot didn't hurt you when so roughly trying to get your attention."

Jessica let her eyes wander at the big stud's body and face, making sure it didn't turn into a stare. The man was built like a brick house, huge arms, solid chest, his short hair suggested he was a cop or a soldier, his handsome face obviously annoyed by his friends' demeanour. His gorgeous self nodding his head while pressing his so soft looking lips together. She felt her heart stop and her inside melt when they locked stares. His blue eyes were captivating and something slapped her in the face. Through his hilarious expression and attractive features, he looked so... sad and lonely. So much she wanted to pull him in in a hug and never let him go.

She forced her eyes back at the two dummies still making the show for her.

"And this!" Milk nudged his pal, "this is Chris Callahan, the man you need.

The thoughtfulness itself, well, when it's not nearly killing you, this guy is not only strong, courageous and handsome, thanks God he's also single."

Cal wanted nothing more than vanish from embarrassment after getting rid of that motherfucker of a so called best friend. On a definitive way.

But the more Milk was blurting his shit out, the more Jessica looked amused and kind of interested in him.

Eyeing him. The cutest smile on her lips. Which she bit when she finally was caught staring.

"This big sweet heart is to take darling, and you'd be a fool not to try your luck with him."

Milk got a little closer and lowered his voice "I heard he's got amazing skills, like... look at the size of his feet!"

The 2 guys barked a laugh, clunching at each other while Cam just chuckled and sighed, more uncomfortable than ever. Jessica shared the guys big laugh then winked at Cal, before glancing down to judge their size by herself.

Milk wiped the tears from his face, oh Lord he loved making fun of his mate so very much. Calming down his panting, he stepped back, still hooked to an exhilarated Snowball.

"If you want to excuse us mylady, we're up for a male race contest, where the loser will have to walk butt naked the entire week." He said, bowing out at Jessica, then stepping out of the bar with renewed loud laughs.

Cal just shifted uneasily on his spot, figuring out a way to stop looking like the dumbest guy on Earth.

"Sorry... That was... pretty awkward, wasn't it?" He shyly tried, mentally kicking in own ass to not have found something clever to say.

"Found it very funny actually, you guys made my day!" Her genuine smile cheered him up a little.

"Those guys are total weirdoes, please do not believe a single word of what they say." Cal flashed one of his best smile, pretty sure it would work for him.

"Seems your friends think very highly of you. The resume they made of you is quite appealing, you know." She made it sounds like a joke but couldn't help wondering about that nice guy, nice looking guy all in embarrassment in front of her.

And the size of his... feet.

"Yeah... Well, wait to meet them once they're not drunk and you might hear a different story." Cal shoved his hands deep in his pockets. Looking so cute.

"So... Cal, I'm looking forward to hang out with your smartass group of friends, and hear all kind of stories about you, I bet each more embarrassing than the last!" Jessica's fingers were playing with a strand of her hair against her will, flirting.

And it seemed this didn't get unnoticed, by the way Cal's stare lingered on her delicate features.

"I... I've got to go and look after those drunken asses before they get into more trouble. I won't stop hearing of it if I don't beat them tonight. It was so nice to meet you and again, apologies for so rudely bumping into you."

Chris scratched the back of his neck, torn between two options. Stay and risk to embarrass himself more and more, or leave and risk to never see her again.

"It's OK, Chris I'm fine. We would find a way to make it up for nearly knocking me down earlier. Go get them, we could meet another time. I'm new in town but I'm here for some time, let's catch up later!"

Chris chuckled, mumbled a cocky "sure!" through an enormous grin, dared to throw a wink at her before turning heels and walked out of the bar.

"I hope you lose!" She shouted at him as he reluctantly started to jog towards his mates.

"Thank you...?" Chris turned to face her again, walking backward, wearing an astonished expression. That was not the kind of support he expected.

"I may not know much about you, but I figured seeing you walk up the streets butt naked could be fun!"

Chris couldn't help the large grin taped on his face to turn into a big smile, that charismatic pant-dropping smile that had been MIA for years was finally back.

As he jogged back to his drunken brothers, in absolute no hurry, a light in heart, he felt like that stupid smile wouldn't leave his face for quite a while.

#jai courtney #semper fi #nat wolff #margot robbie #chris callahan #fanfiction #brothers in arms #finn wittrock

[imfallingdown-icantwakeup]

Fishmonger’s Daughter

Jaskier had a life that he walked away from to become a Bard. He has travelled across the Continent both by himself and with his Companion, Geralt of Rivia. What happens when they happen upon a familiar town and find a familiar face? Slow burn Jaskier/OC Reader-insert type

Chapter one: Mad world

Word count: 3515

“One stop. That’s all I’m asking for.” Jaskier pleads from behind his companion, legs creaking from under him with every step. “One measly stop, in a forgettable town, for one night that you won’t remember five years from now. But I will. I will write the most beautiful sonnet of this night. The moon, the stars- “Jaskier was no fool. He knew what he was signing up for by tagging along with the Witcher on his travels. He just remembers the White Wolf taking more stops to bathe. He couldn’t stand the onion smell that was reeling from them both any longer.

               “Will it get you to shut the fuck up?” Geralt grumbles from atop Roach, not even bothering to look at the bard. He knew Jaskier meant well. That didn’t mean that he wasn’t annoyed with the constant talking, singing and complaints. Even if it was better than travelling in silence.

               “Yes!” Jaskier exclaims, excited that Geralt finally understood that he had needs too as he extends his arms to enunciate his point. Finally. The road was long, however he walked quietly for the remainder of their journey. He didn’t want Geralt to suddenly change his mind and take his bath from him. The Witcher was pleasantly stunned and tucked that sacred piece of information away for later. A promise of bathing will make him quiet. Must be almost as good as sex after being stuck with him for so long, at this point.

They came to a familiar town that sat at the edge of a forest, and memories flooded Jaskier as he led the way to the inn, taking a short pit stop a resident tavern, for a ‘local specialty’ Jaskier insisted. Geralt followed wordlessly, asking no questions as to how Jaskier seemed to almost prance down the streets humming an older song, one that the Witcher hadn’t heard from him before. Peculiar. Seeing as Jaskier always had Geralt listen to him sing his new songs before he ‘serenaded’ the public.

Fucking always.

               Geralt tied Roach outside the inn, Bee and Barb. Unique enough. Jaskier had disappeared inside with a smile too wide on his face and that told Geralt nothing good. Only bad things could come from this if it made Jaskier so happy.

 ____________________________________________________________________________________

                 My mother used to tell me that my touch was ‘as light as a feather’s’. That I drifted through life as a pocket of air and that every move I made went unnoticed by those around me. My feet never touched the ground, my head in the clouds, a slight breeze being the only sign that I was even present. I was rarely acknowledged, my presence always overlooked by those around me.

It was Jaskier that told me it was only when I started to leave that people noticed me. It was when they clutched their chest, wondering why it was so much harder for them to breathe. He said that I had always given him the ‘breath of adventure’.

Adventure. His first true love. No matter how much I wanted that love to be me. It had been years since I’ve seen the man, but there was hardly a day that I hadn’t thought of him. His sweet goodbye under the tree, our tree we used to climb as young children, was the one memory I clung to most.

I remember the way he hugged me that day. The way his arms wrapped around me, and that it almost hurt, but in a good way- as if he wanted me to sink into him. It’s as if he wanted me to carve a hole into his chest and live there to travel the Continent with him, to keep inside of his body. I remember not breathing, I remember not needing to because for once someone else was doing it or me. For once, someone else was the warm breeze filling my chest with their air, the air of adventure. The whole memory brings nothing but joy to me now, but all I can think of is how much I read too much into things. How much I inference and want him to want me.

Thank goodness my mother wasn’t here to see how far I’d fallen since he had left our small town and subsequently, my life in its entirety. Five years was a long time for him to be gone. He had traveled and made a new life for himself and travelled the Continent. Fighting beasts, befriending Witchers and bedding women. All while I strayed five miles from your hometown to a slightly smaller village to become a local barmaid, waiting hand-and-foot on drunken patrons.

The day had been started out dull and rainy. It turned long and boring inside of the old inn, where everyone convened to seek refuge from the incessant raindrops. Nothing to do except bring beer and food to those who ordered. No new travelers to converse with. The Bee and Barb was popular in   this province for its up-and-coming bards, new faces every week trying to earn a name for themselves like their predecessors before them. After a while, all their voices seemed to blend in, the songs sounding the same. The melodies all had the same rhythm, the cadence of the words was too similar.

               Nothing like Jaskier’s songs.

               I push the thought to the back of my mind as I weave through the patrons, the tray high above my head as I push past drunken men and women to get to the table on the other side of the room. Mid-day to evening was always the busiest, and I couldn’t imagine why. I mean, sure, this is the cleanest establishment in town but that shouldn’t mean that these people should make my job impossible by being in the way all the time. I clear my tray with a smile, grabbing coins and slinging them into my pocket with a polite smile that was plastered on my face.

               A young lady was singing with her lute in front of a crowd as I made my way back to the bar and I swore that I saw a familiar shade of brown hair make its way to my counter. Strange. I hurry back seeing two customers waiting for me, one broad the other… Not so much. The broad one was dressed in black leather, weapons strapped along his back. Didn’t look like he needed them with his size. The other man was a tad shorter, less broad in build. His clothes were of a more vibrant color you noticed as he heaved himself onto a stool, turning his whole body sideways so his elbow rested on the bar, while also giving you a glimpse of his profile.

               I had to take a double look as I see a glimpse of him. There was no way. After all this time, Jaskier just happens to walk in here? Your Jaskier with his Witcher in tow, off to another hunt? It had been years since you had seen him. Would he recognize you as easily as you did him? You were best friends, once upon a time.

If only fairy tales ever did exist.

I feel like my feet are rooted to the spot while something pulls me forward, an invisible force. Destiny, maybe? Preposterous. It had been at least five years since you’ve seen the man. Since he went to make a name for himself and make a name he did.

               I slowly drudge over to the counter, head down as I walk behind, sliding the tray across to Theodora as I approach the bard and his companion, a mixture of anticipation and skepticism swirling it’s way though my veins at the sight of him. He hasn’t changed much. His eyes still a baby blue, lips that look to good to kiss, hair, albeit greasy, I would still love to run my fingers through. Although friends don’t want to run their hands through friend’s hair, do they?

               “Welcome. What may I serve you gentlemen tonight?” I ask, tone a bit rushed as I stare at the man with pale hair, my polite smile still stretched over my face. His eyes are a gold amber color as he stares right back, handsome face set in a soft look of reverence as he mulls over the words he’s about to say. This must be Geralt of Rivia. Just as he is about to speak, the Bard interrupts him, leaning between the two of us on the bar so I would be forced to look at him.

               “Does Vilod still make his homemade mead with the juniper berries mixed in?” Jaskier asks in a rush. My eyes turn down to him and a mischievous smile sparks on his face as our eyes meet. I nod at him meekly, not trusting my voice. Should’ve guessed that’s what he would ask for after all these years. Damn mead instead of where I am. “I know you.” He says, raising a finger whilst shaking it at me. I shake my head as my smile grows from nerves. Maybe I was important enough for him to remember, better than all those silly adventures he thought the world of. I tuck a stray piece of hair behind my ear as I glance down, clearing my throat as I tense under his gaze.

               “I get that a lot. But, no, I don’t thin- “I protest before I look up and see a light flash in his eyes. If I blinked, I swear I would have missed not only the look in his eyes, but his action. He jumps from his seat in a commotion, stool colliding to the floor with a loud ‘thunk’ from the force of his upheaval as he claps his hands together once before turning towards his companion, either ignoring or not noticing the annoyed glances from my patron around him and Geralt.

               “Thank you, Geralt. Really. Thank you,” He gestures to me then back to Geralt in a sort of quick introduction before continuing, “because it is you, Elowyn.” His voice takes on a new level of excitement as his baby blues lock eyes with mine and I giggle at him slightly, looking down before nodding at him. He obviously hasn’t learned of his affect on those around him yet. Good. That was one of my favorite things about him.

               “Yes, Jaskier. It is. You’ve been a long way from home.” I comment as I turn my back to get his mead, filling two mugs three-quarters of the way before I turn to get a couple of handfuls of berries from behind the counter. He says nothing in response as I get their drinks ready, possibly stunned to silence. I crush the berries before adding them to the top, making sure to add some honey in as well. I place the two glasses in front of the men, catching eyes with Jaskier before I see someone waving me over from behind him as I sigh heavily. For one night, one forsaken night, can’t I have just one decent conversation? If only, except that my night has just begun. “See you later, Jas.” I walk away, towards the drunken men and woman of the Bee and Barb. My only place in life, it seems.

               How dull and dreadful.

                 As he looked over to her, it suddenly stuck him how beautiful she was. Her hair was hanging loosely around her in waves, always in their perfect waves, reminding him of her laughter which was rich and dark like dwindling sunlight over the hills. He had the oddest impulse to run his fingers through the strands tenderly. Were they as soft as they looked? Would his fingers glide through easily or would they get caught on a knot, pulling her head back revealing her long pale neck? Would she allow him to do such an intimate act? He could picture her now. Head thrown back, eyes closed, full lips slightly parted moaning his name.

               He didn’t recognize her at first. Her head had been down, but the moment her eyes had connected with Geralt’s, he knew. In that moment Jaskier knew instantaneously who that woman was, whilst being enamored all he could do was keep asking himself ‘why’?

               Why did he ever leave?

               He needs to get closer to her, to see her better. Does she still have a scar under her chin from when she fell when she was nine? On her cheek, was there still a freckle in the shape of a heart by her temple? He leans on the counter, sitting in her path to the more handsome man. He didn’t know if he could bear her pining for the stoic man, it would kill him.

               “Does Vilod still make his homemade mead with the juniper berries mixed in?” HE can’t help but ask. This is the reason they came here in the first place, may as well humor Geralt. Show him what true mead tastes like.

“I know you.” His voice is filled with mirth as it floats through Geralt, making him stop in his tracks. The young woman shook her head as she blushed, and Geralt had a felling he knew their situation, if all too well. The smiles, the looks. Geralt looked between the bard and barmaid as she fetched their alcohol, ignoring Jaskier’s antics.

They look at each other as if they were almost lovers, like they should have kissed and made love and laughed in bed together, but they chose to stay friends instead. They looked at each other with what ifs and could haves, and all he can see in Jaskier’s eyes is regret. He can hear her heart pound in her chest, her breath quicken as she walks back. Was she feeling the same? Maybe both hearts were filled with regret. None of this was his business though, nor would he make it.

As she walked away from the pair of men, Jaskier couldn’t help his eyes from trailing after his newfound muse. Geralt, on the other hand, swiftly brought his tankard towards his lips, taking a hearty chug of the sweet mead. The Witcher would never admit it out loud, but maybe Jaskier was onto something about this homemade alcohol.

“She has to come with us.” The brunette blurts out, gaze never breaking from his long-lost friend. Geralt simply rolls his eyes with a soft ‘hum’, finishing the sweet drink before taking Jaskier’s from in front of him. “Her mother was a healer so she may prove useful in a pinch.” He continues, eyes finally moving to his companion. Geralt simply nods once at the bard, and he jumps in excitement, taking his tankard from Geralt. He finishes the drink and wipes his face before setting out to find this Elowyn to sweep her off her feet, although Geralt doubted she would simply drop her life and run away with a bard and a Witcher at the drop of a hat.

Spheres, how he wished he was right.

 It took little convincing from the bard to sway the sweet, sweet maiden to join their- well, Geralt’s voyage. Jaskier was just the public relations expert, swaying the outlook of the mutant to his fellow human beings. It wasn’t like Geralt wasn’t an unreasonable man. Grumpy, yes, but never unreasonable.

Her lips curled into a slight smile that radiated warmth through his whole being as her bright eyes stayed glued to his for a fleeting moment and damn did he love it. He was addicted already, and he didn’t know what to do about it.

They sat under a large shade tree while it rained softly around them. The soft ‘pitter-patter’ of the rain surrounding them seemed to set the rhythm for Elowyn’s heart whenever her eyes caught his, and all she kept asking herself was ‘why’?

Why did she ever let him leave?

               Before him sat a woman, a damn gorgeous one at that, and he was stunned that she was letting him unravel her mystery, becoming a part of her present. How crazy is the thought, how could he have never noticed that her eyes were just the right shade of honey brown, a lightness around the iris while the darkness clung to the edges or how her laughter reminded him of summertime. They had been friends for so long, and yet he’d never really looked at her. Jaskier found himself staring, desperate to learn more.

               “What are you looking at?” She questioned, finally pulling him from his daze. Gods, how embarrassing. Jaskier was at a loss of words. A bard, speechless. Why did he suddenly become nervous? They’d been friends for years, since before they could walk. Friends weren’t supposed to make you nervous, or make your hands sweat. Was that butterflies in his stomach, or was it the berries he drank earlier not settling on his stomach after not having them for so long?

               “Um… You-You have a bug in your hair.” He stuttered. He went to reach his hand out, maybe run a finger through her hair but thought better of it. Friends don’t touch other friend’s hair, did they? He suddenly didn’t have any answers, any guidelines for the dangerous territory he was heading in. She shook her head, splaying her dark red hair around her and the smell of roses and honey hits his nose sharply, making his heart stutter in his chest. It was as if she were stealing the very air from his lungs as she looks back up at him with her doe-like eyes, her skin almost glowing under the dark tresses of her hair.

               “Is it gone now?” Elowyn asked so casually, as if suddenly everything hadn’t changed. As if her smile didn’t hold the warmth of the sun. That would make for a good line in a song.

               “Yes,” He hummed, aware of how his voice sounded, of how his teeth were crooked, of how completely lovely she was. “Yes, it’s all good now.” Did he dare tell her that she was beautiful? No, that could ruin everything. He decided that maybe this feeling would pass. That maybe when they rode out tomorrow, she would go back to being his best friend, and not a girl that somehow took up the space in his chest and lungs, making it hard for him to breathe. Maybe this epiphany was only temporary, and they would eventually fall back into their rhythm. But did he really want that?

               “You know, I’m really glad that we found one another again.” She says, smiling sweetly at him from under the shade of their shade tree. Gods, what wouldn’t he do to see that every day? He laughed gently and noticed that she had turned her body to face him, sitting so that their knees were touching. How could she be doing all this? All she did was sit there, and she was taking his breath away. It had to be some sort of magic, some sort of spell she cast on him. The way her eyes twinkled as she looked at him, the gentle smile on her face.

Her dark hair framed her face well, her nose small and button-like, cheekbones high and lips full. What he wouldn’t do to feel them pressed against his. Someone should make her into a sculpture, he should mold her features in warm clay to commemorate her beauty forever, longer than any ballad could. Jaskier wasn’t sure if there were any words in any language that could capture the raw beauty she held in that moment, eyes twinkling in the dark sunset with a smile just for him. If only his hands were dexterous enough to catch the fine details of her face, to catch the innocence and beauty of Elowyn. It took him a moment to remember that she spoke to him as he smiled back, snaking a hand out to pat her knee.

               “Me too. We should head to the tavern. Find Geralt before he leaves us.” Jaskier informs her with a soft smile. He stands and extends a hand to help her, and almost sighs in pleasure when their hands collide as he squeezes her hand slightly as he tugs her up standing next to him. Who knew that even holding hands could feel so good? Her hand was so warm, and so damn soft. As quickly as the moment had come, it was gone. He had to release her once she was standing upright, her head falling just at his chin.

               “He wouldn’t really leave us, would he?” Ely asks as she peers through her long lashes up at him. Fuck, he just wants to kiss her. He laughs lightly as he turns on his heel and starts walking away towards the tavern, hands resting in his trousers as he begins whistling a new tune, a new song coming to life in his mind. A sweet melody wafting though the air between them as she follows with giggling, taking his answer as a yes.

               Maybe this adventure wouldn’t be so bad after all.

#Jaskier x reader #jaskier imagines #the witcher #jaskier x oc

[impartofthesolution]

Too Much Progress Proves Dangerous

           Mounds of data and a few late nights were in the future of Julia’s team.  All of it was promising.  Their research had been paying off, and the results were coming in almost faster than her lab techs could record them.  Gone were the days when she turned a blind eye to the techs goofing off in their bullpen because there wasn’t enough work to do.  In her mind, they should have picked up a few grad classes and made something of their lives, but that was their business, not hers.            Her business was about to take off.  Sure, her funders would be over the moon with her latest results, but this was finally something she could take and market to the world.  She could improve the world and the lives of everyone in it.            “Dr. Dargento?  I’m sorry to interrupt, but I thought you’d like to have the latest report,” a young post doc with her dark hair pulled back into a ponytail entered Julia’s office.            “I was just about to take a walk through the lab myself. Why don’t you tell me about it on our way,” Julia replied.  Years ago, she had been a bright-eyed and bushytailed post doc like Annie.  This was her first role as principal investigator, and it had almost gone in the toilet.  She kept everyone’s hopes up the research would bear fruit, but that’s because she hadn’t revealed the darkening financial landscape that came with disappointed funders.  Strange how that stress was so quickly swapped for the stress of handling a project almost too big for her.  Almost.            “What’s this report about?” Julia asked as she put on her white lab coast and grabbed her safety glasses and some gloves.            “We were doing some analysis of the replicating capabilities of the verdant strain and, well, your earlier hypotheses were correct.”            “So you were able to identify a comprehensive integrated backbone?”            “Well, yes,” they entered the airlock into the lab. “You won’t believe it until you see it under the microscope.  But we were able to pinpoint a distinct concentric double helical superstructure that imparts a rigidity we weren’t expecting.  It seems this strength enables the strain to grow eight times faster than any other backbone.”            “How is this possible?” Julia reached her hand out for the report.  “I don’t remember designing any helix plasmids.”  She paged through the notes, revealing the detailed instructions of how the samples were prepared.  “You used the cross-linked plasmid?”            “Yes, Dr. Dargento.  Turns out the recombination ends up polarizing the cross-links, and they form a sort of matrix.”  She paused, talking a breath before telling her boss they’re pursuing a path not part of the approved testing procedures.  “It seems the backbones isn’t magnetized, but it’s attuned to living matter as if there were a magnetic attraction.  We’ve set up an experiment in pod 5.  It is our goal to see if we can direct the path of rapid growth towards a set location.  We put some bacteria in an agar plate six inches from a sample of the verdant strain in pod 5a and two feet from the sample in pod 5b.            “Hmmm,” Julia hummed, thoughtfully.  It showed good initiative, and it was a logical experiment.  She herself had surmised a positive feedback loop would be necessary to achieve meaningful results.  “Have Lance add a few more petri dishes of bacteria to pod 5a, at six inch intervals, the last one at two feet from the sample.  Have him record them both.  I’ll want to see it.”  She didn’t give back Annie’s report.  Annie acknowledged the instructions and turned away, calling one of the techs over.            Julia turned to find some techs waiting for her by the microscopes.  This was going to be good; she had some excited hope growing in her heart. Whether the techs wished to torment her or were just daft, she wasn’t sure.  The microscopes were loaded with slides of the crimson strain on which they had also been experimenting.  The slides told the story of complete catastrophic decay.  The first few slides were of a growing cell structure, but after growing to be about 1000 cells long, it crumbled everywhere at once.  It seemed all the cells experienced simultaneous apoptosis.  She sighed; this wasn’t nothing new.            “Mike, where are the verdant slides?  Those are the ones I want to see.”            “Here they are, Dr. Dargento,” a tech handed Julia a tray of slides.  Julia started focusing the microscope when she heard a loud crash and an alarm go off. She stood up and walked towards the commotion with an intense expression on her face.  Gone was her optimism; now, her leadership was needed.            “Someone tell me what the heck just happened,” she demanded at the backs of a semi-circle of people facing the testing pods. Everyone turned to face her, with expressions ranging from startled to abashed.            “There was a containment breach in pod 5a, so I flipped the killswitch,” the tech named Lance spoke up.            “What’s all the commotion?” Annie said, walking around a corner.  She took in the broken glass and Lance standing in front of it with a scowl.  “I checked on something for 2 minutes, and what did you do?” her grew pink from the embarrassment of having this happen in front of her boss.  Julia turned to face her.            “Dr. Zheng, did Lance follow the preparatory protocol I instructed?” Julia ignored Lance’s frantic arm movements.  Annie tuned him out, too.  This was her responsibility, and his mistake would be hers.            “He did, Dr. Dargento.  Everything was as you instructed.”            Julia walked over to the broken pod 5a and considered the remains.  Even though Lance stood next to her, she turned back to Annie, “And how far from the glass did he place the final petri dish?”            Annie thought about it for a few seconds, and her face darkened.  “Pod 5a is smaller than 5b.  We put the sample in the middle, which, after two feet, only left us with an inch or two from the glass.”            “How far was Lance standing from the glass, Dr. Zheng?” Julia continued to ask Annie. Whether it was disdain for lab techs or disapproval for Annie’s behavior, no one could tell.  It was likely both.  Annie broke eye contact with Julia to stare at her booties, unable to answer the question because she didn’t know.  “Was it at least recorded?”            Lance, hoping to redeem himself spoke up.  “Yes, Dr. Dargento.  He turned to pick up a tablet on a tray near pod 5b and held it out for Julia to see.            “What’s the sound?” Julia asked.  Sure enough, there was a rapid tapping sound seemingly coming from Lance.  Everyone looked around.  It wasn’t until they heard the sound of glass starting to crack that Julia spoke up again. “Lance, step away from the pod.” He obeyed her immediately, turning to look at what was behind him.            As he moved away, Julia watched a green vine that was pushed against the crack in the glass fall to the bottom of the pod and stay there, motionless.  The glass was an inch thick; bamboo would have had a hard time breaking through over days.  This vine took seconds.  Troubled, Julia spoke, “Analyze the data we have.  All experimentation will stop until I find a way to remedy the unbound proliferation gene.”  It would not be safe until then. Back to Table of Contents (x)

#Horror Vignettes #October2020 #lab work #takes me back to my college days #lowlylabtech #Women in STEM #technobabble or science? #vines that grow explosively where have I seen that before?

[lunaraen]

“What does that say?” “It says you really need glasses.” Magnus/Ellagaard. I really love your work and would like to see more!

There’s a spring in Magnus’sstep, barely half a pause in his stride at the workshop door before he letshimself in, whistling. Ellegaard gave up trying to change the code a while ago.Traps are more of a griefer thing, and while it would spice things up, his feetdon’t snag on any trapwires, finding none.

The only gears he can hearturning, the only pipes groaning, are far from the door, making it unlikely forany pistons to try and crush him at the entrance.

Typically, Ellie likes it whenher friends visit her lab. Magnus just happens to be a special exception,though he figures she’ll at least be glad to know he doesn’t have any extragunpowder on him. A little, maybe, but not enough to mess up anything big.

Not that he would mind gettingcreative.

It feels like a good day to messwith Ellegaard and whatever ridiculously genius invention she’s tinkering with.

(He’s wrong.

Today’s going to suck, but hedoesn’t know that yet. He’s as oblivious as ever, and frankly wouldn’t know abad omen if it were staring him in the face.

In hindsight, the way Ellegaard’sready for him should be the biggest red flag.)

“Oh, Magnus, there youare.” And in fairness, it does put him on edge, nonchalant as she sounds.It’s almost as if she was planning to hunt him down instead.

“Hey Ellie, what’s up?”

“Just a little test of mine.What does this say?” In a few swift motions too many, she’s guided him toa simple chair, all but pushed him down into it, put some kind of metal sign inhis lap, and already has a hand on his shoulder to stop him when he begins tolift the sign. “Ah-ah, no cheating. Don’t hold it up– or look anycloser.”

“Seriously? It’s a cruddyexperiment if all I have to do to wreck it is move my head.” Admittedly, there’s still something tantalizingabout that, about potentially dipping his head just enough to mess withwhatever enchantment she’s working with, because it might not be explosive butit would make her so mad and man does it sound fun. He’s well within brawlingdistance, however, and Ellie might not be Gabe but she still packs a mean punchthat he’s not up to feeling right now. Magnus squints down at the sign, tiltingit just a little from side to side, but the symbols she insists are letters stayblurry and non-distinct. It’s not surprising. He hopes she’ll figure herexperiment’s the broken part. “Alright, alright, what’s it say?”

“It says you really needglasses.”

Dammit.

The words could be teasing, butthey don’t sound that way, sharp and steady, and hearing it feels like a slapto the face. That’s not how this works. That’s not how their banter’s supposedto go, or how they usually talk to each other.

She’s being serious about this,and it can’t mean anything good.

Especially when things don’t addup.

The letters are too big for that,would need to be smaller to take up the same amount of space on the sign for amessage like that, and he feels as indignant as he does relieved. It’s a joke?

“What– hey, no it doesn’t.It’s not long enough for that.”

That… is probably not the rightthing to say, joke or not. Never mind that Ellie’s got a brain faster thananyone he knows, moving a million meters a minute, and that she already has himfigured out; people don’t read based on length and context and half-hopes.

They just read.

“It might as well saythat.” Her voice stays serious and his stomach begins tying itself inknots. “Magnus, you’re supposed to be able to read this from meters away. It says something to me, atleast, that you can’t even read it when it’s in your lap.”

“Real funny, Ellie.” Everythingsays something to her. She looks into too much, overthinks everything he neverwould. Magnus is still probably the more curious of the two of them, or atleast the more impulsive one, and even when he feels sick the curiosity’s justa bit too much to ignore. “…so what’s it supposed to say?”

“‘Shock hazard’.” Hisstomach starts feeling like lit dynamite, and his heart seizes like it too. “That’swhat it really says, Magnus, not what it’s ‘meant’ to be.”

“You didn’t include thesymbol. Is that even the right color? That’s cheating.”

(It’s green. It absolutely isn’tthe right color for an electric warning sign and this isn’t one of herexperiments, it’s just another way for her to humiliate him and make him feelsmall and Magnus hates it.)

“You shouldn’t have to tryand understand signs through squinting at symbols and hoping you’re rightbecause of context. Ivor and I are worried about you.”

Oh, and Ivor’s in on this becauseof course he is.

Magnus thinks of the itchingpowder tucked away in his room and of the easily-accessible drawer of robes inIvor’s.

Good to know.

“I got this far withouthaving to worry about it, didn’t I?” It would be easy to get up and justslip out the doors, Magnus faster than Ellegaard and better at getting out ofsight, but he’s never been one to back down from an argument. Especially not withher. The last thing he needs now is her having even more than his eyesight tolord over him. “Didn’t you say I was no good at reading? Lost cause andall? I don’t need to read to set off explosives or dodge stuff.”

Magnus waits for Ivor to chime infrom somewhere, step out from behind one of the larger inventions or just waltzright through the entrance and start lecturing him too, but it doesn’t happen.

There aren’t any footsteps tohear, the doors don’t slide open, and there’s no argument about what he can orcan’t read.

Ivor, patient as he is admirablysneaky, wouldn’t let that lie. He’s not here.

Ellegaard doesn’t have the sameabsence stopping her, and the way her voice softens feels more weaponized thanit should.

“You can read, Magnus. You’re admittedly a slow reader, but you’re notilliterate, and I imagine hardly being able to see the words is the biggerproblem. You were the one whomentioned letters getting jumbled.”

She 'imagines’. Like she hasn’tthought about this way more than even he has, doesn’t have him outsmarted atevery turn and twist. He bets she’s planned the whole thing out, and bets evenmore that he’s been going right along with the script whether he likes it ornot.

And fair enough, admitting hislittle letter problem was his fault, a little quirk that even most people whoneeded glasses didn’t seem to have.

It doesn’t keep him fromscoffing, shrugging as he hands her back her sign before picking at one of hisgloves, picking at a tear that had started as just a worn spot.

He really ought to start sewingthat up before it becomes a problem. Maybe’s it’s just time for new gloves.

“Believe it or not, if Iwanted to be diagnosed with 'stupid’, I’d go to Ivor.”

Ellegaard nudges his shoulderwith her elbow.

(Ivor would maybe think it, wouldgrumble it with other snarky comments, but he’d never say as much seriously, tohim or the rest of them. Ellegaard’s better at insults, at saying what shemeans.)

“You’re not stupid. Dyslexiamakes it harder to read even when your vision’s technically perfect.”

He’s heard the term before,though not often.

There’s a name, which meansthere’s information, which means she’s absolutely got him cornered on two conditions he knows little tonothing about.

“Ah, great, I’mdouble-fucked then.” She flinches, whole body jerking while her fingersdig into the wooden back of the chair and make it creak, and he knows he’sright. “Most people would take that as a sign that I’m not meant forreading.”

“We can help.”

“This is help?” Maybeshe just doesn’t see it the way he does. She’s never been great with people,but she’s too brilliant to not read him like a book, to know he hates everylittle part of this. He doesn’t like feeling small, feeling cornered, and he’sso ready to get out of this chair. “Thanks, but no thanks. I don’t need youbroadcasting my weak-spots to everybody like that. I don’t need you to teach meto read, or whatever scheme you have for unjumbling words.”

“Magnus.”

He pauses as he stands up,knowing he probably shouldn’t wait before she can convince him with somebrilliant bullshit, but he pauses all the same. He makes a show of it, hummingto himself before yawning, stretching his back while it’s still to her.

“Look, Ellie–”

And he freezes.

And the whine about how hedoesn’t need glasses dies on his lips, but his head’s already turned to her andwow.

There’s some sort of bias, he’ssure, about how she’s the first person he sees clearly, the first person in waytoo long and maybe ever because everything’s not blurry for once, but damn.

He’s seen her before, plenty, andfor all her teasing and concern, he’s not blind.

But he can count the scratches on her goggles, worn as the pair is getting,and the threads fraying from the more burned part of her right glove, by thewrist.

And Magnus wants to. He wants tofigure out and spot all the little things he’s never been able to see wellenough and just count them because he can, but that would require keeping theglasses on and proving Ellie right.

She’s smiling like he’s making her happy, smiling like there’s pure redstone running in her veins and like he put it there, rather than it just being because she’s right again, and he wants to do whatever he can to keep that smile as bright and warm as it is. She cares so much, about him, and there’s a sappy thought lingering in his mind about her getting him to fall in love with her all over again.

Part of whatever would involve keeping the glasses, though, and he has way too many internal problems to even try untangling them here and now.

Still, that’s a level of detailhe never imagined having.

(Maybe he doesn’t need glasses,but he can definitely see the use to them. He never realized he was missingthis much. (The vainer side of him wants a mirror, because what does he looklike with all the sharp edges and vivid details?))

He’s not keeping them, of course.He’s probably spent too much time as it is looking like he’s had his mindblown, and Magnus just hopes he can play it off as being dazed. It shouldn’t betoo hard; he’s already starting to get a splitting headache as clear as hisvision.

Ellegaard’s mouth hangs open whenhe pulls the glasses off and hands them back to her.

(He wants to snatch the glassesback just so he can better appreciate and laugh at that look, but he’s got his own image to defend.)

“Welp, that was interesting.Was it supposed to do something?”

“But Magnus-”

“But nothing. There ain’tany point in keeping crap like that on my face when it doesn’t do me a bitgood.”

Ellegaard doesn’t chase after himwhen he leaves, and with any luck she’s not totally onto him.

It’s hard to say, for obviousreasons, but as he leaves, the glance he sneaks pretty heavily suggests shethinks the glasses might just be broken, twisting them in her hands and mutteringto herself.

Maybe she just wishes she waswringing his neck instead.

(She’ll find out eventually, heknows, and she’ll be livid when she does, maybe even enough to skin him alive,but he’d like to try and keep it between him and Ivor for now. Glasses are toobig a weakness, too easy to spot and exploit and too much of a liability for agriefer, but contacts?

Contacts sound doable.

And with Ivor pretty much theteam healer, being open about it with him’s probably the most painless courseof action.

It’ll also annoy Ellie beyond allbelief eventually, so there are a couple of good reasons.)

Contacts work great.

For the first few years, beforeand then right after the Dragon.

After that, though, after thefanfare dies down and Soren makes it clear there aren’t going to be any moreadventures, Magnus takes the fighting up a notch.

By hiding.

In his tower, watching over hiscity of chaos like a mastermind.

Or a prisoner.

Really, he’s a coward, toostubborn to give up his title and too tired to step back into the public eye.They’re all desperate for a piece of him, his title and what it means, andevery single one of those hungry eyes has an advantage over either of his.

It’s not exactly like he can goshopping for contacts in a city of griefers.

(He’s not dumb enough to re-usethe ones he had, and even in his more desperate moments it’s too late, eachpair having long since been tossed into the lava.)

Damn him.

He should’ve taken the glasseswhen he had the chance, or when the group started drifting apart. Should’vetaken them from where he knew Ivor left them, one of the few things abandonedon Ivor’s desk when he cleared out and left (got kicked out), or gone and gottenhimself a brand new pair. Outdated by now or not, they’d be better thannothing.

Lava’s bright enough, standingout sharply in contrast to the inky obsidian, that he hardly has to worry aboutjust accidentally stepping into it. The rest of the traps are better hidden,but they’re all his and he knows them by heart.

He’s had enough time holed up inhis tower to make sure of that.

As it turns out, it’s not enoughtime to fully make Magnus rusty at fighting, and when he finally does get togive everyone a show? Well, he kills it until he almost gets himself killed,too slow and too cocky and too perfectly set up for Jesse to take down.

That would smart more if his citywasn’t in shredded, bedrock pocked pieces.

But he fights against mobs fine,and that’s enough. He doesn’t find Soren on his own, spends too much timestumbling through Soren’s fortress and squinting at stupidly small scrawls onsigns, and that’s enough too.

When he chickens out fromdropping the F-Bomb, something the (ex)king of the griefers should jump at,it’s more than enough. He’s a coward, and he’ll own it if he has to.

And then Ellegaard sweet-talksJesse better with fancy words and intentions, gets Jesse to take Ellegaard’sarmor instead of his, and then Ellie gets herself killed.

Typical, stupidly heroicEllegaard.

Stupidly brilliant, dying, coughing, wheezing Ellie.

In that moment, Magnus hates. Hates recklessly, hates withoutlimits, hates without good reason and with especially excellent reason.

He hates Ivor for this.

He hates them for what they madeIvor do, for pushing him away in the first place.

He hates Soren for not having thebomb ready in time, for not figuring out some way to craft it and keep it fromdetonating before they wanted it too.

He hates not just shoving hisarmor onto Jesse like he wanted to.

He hates that he never tried hardenough to get new contacts, or had just given in and take the glasses when she put them on his head. He hates he nevergot new ones. (Since when has he cared about what other people think so badly?What they would do to him? It was hiscity. If anybody could sneak out, or waltz right through it, it should’vebeen him. When did he ever let it get that bad? He could take on anyone who hada problem or thought it made him weaker.)

He hates that Ellie’s dying andhe can’t even see what she really looks like.

Besides the way he feels– small.

(Magnus hasn’t seen any of hisfriends in so long, and he can’t really say how any of them look, how the little details have changed.

He knows they have.

Their voices have changed, moreweary and beaten than they ever were, and the way they move even with him’s tooguarded. Ellie, above all else, has been the most bitter, and that’s sayingsomething.

For all Magnus knows, Ellie’sstill been wearing the same old gloves, ones she should’ve thrown out years ago(ones Jesse’s wearing now), or Soren’s actually been getting himself some sleepin the End, done something to take care of the circles under his eyes he’dstarted getting even before they all split up.

Maybe Gabe’s not as awful lookingas he sounds, as weak and strained as his movements make him out to be.)

It’s a selfish desire, but hey,it’s what he’s good at.

Part of this fic is inspired by this post by warning-heckmouth.

#My Stuff #fanfiction #mcsm #Minecraft Story Mode #Ellagnus #hagia0pan

[blankdblank]

Death Ray Pt 3

Ok - I haven’t seen Ragnarok - painfully behind I know, so details are gonna be wrong, obviously, but it’s getting to the good part. (After all this fic’s for a happy ending for Loki)

Pt 1 - Pt 2 -

Tags –

@himoverflowers​, @theincaprincess, @aspiringtranslator​, @sweeticedtea​, @ggbbhehe4455​, @thegreyberet​, @patanghill17​, @jesgisborne​, @curvestrology​, @alishlieb​, @jogregor, @armitageadoration, @fizzyxcustard, @here2have-fun, @babybarrie

 …

Firmly a knock sounded on your door before it opened and Tony opened the door looking at you and the Princes in your pillow fort, wetting his lips he stated, “Um. I got a call from Agent Coulsen. Apparently there’s some sort of commotion coming from your storage bin. You, um,” his eyes scanned over to Tom laying on your dresser swatting at the string hanging from his sleeve on his faded t shirt. “You wouldn’t happen to have another, cat?”

A groan left you as you rubbed your face and climbed out of the fort with the Brothers following, “I told her to leave!” On your feet the men eyed you as Tony asked, “Her?”

You nodded, “Where’s the bin?” Tony nodded is head leading you three towards the portal Dr Strange made taking you just outside a large door with a crowd of agents standing outside looking on curiously as Agent Coulsen opened the door.

With a huff you stood in the doorway crossing your arms calling out, “We had an agreement! Five years you’ve been sneaking back in! I fed and healed you and you were supposed to leave! Get out here now!” The crowd looked at you curiously until a rustling sounded before a large Crow flew and landed on an upturned chair on the table in front of you with a shrinking expression. Shifting on its feet it eyed the Brothers behind you as Tony said, “It’s a bird…I was expecting something-…”

Furrowing your brows you said, “We had a deal Val. Lucky for you I brought the Princes of Asguard with me. They can help you back home again.” A caw came from the bird and you replied, “Well, apparently, 500 years is plenty enough time for the Queen to have more Children.” Your arms shifted to point a finger at her, “Now shift and say hello!”

A pointed glare came from the bird before its feathers puffed up and it hopped off the chair and morphed into its normal form parting the lips of the Brothers as she crossed her arms and stated while her eyes scanned over the pair, “Your Majesties.”

Thor smirked, “You’re a Valkyrie! I always wanted to be a Valkyrie!” Loki couldn’t help but smirk as he moved to lean closer to you sliding his fingers through yours peering inside the storage bin as Thor continued, “But Mother told me they were all Women. How were you left here?”

Valkyrie’s face twisted in pain she tried to contain, “Princess Hella destroyed my legion centuries ago. I, was trapped after waking on a distant planet where they forced us to battle one another for sport. I’m not certain how I got here. I managed to steal a ship and hit, something, Jaqi here found me.”

Loki wet his lips as Thor asked, “You said Princess Hella?”

Valkyrie nodded, “Yes. Odin ordered her to lead us to battle, when we did not meet her standards she started cutting my Sisters down.”

Loki glanced at his Brother, “It appears I am not the only secret Child Father claimed.”

Valkyrie looked at him, “Secret child?”

Loki nodded, “I was adopted.”

Her brow raised then she pointed at Thor, “Are you certain he wasn’t adopted?” Loki couldn’t help but smirk, “You look, so much like her.” Her eyes scanned over his black jeans and green long sleeve shirt before focusing on your interlocked fingers, “You’re courting the Prince?”

Loki smiled raising your hand to kiss your knuckles, “We’re married actually.”

She looked at you stunned, “How long have I been in there?”

You flashed a quick smile, “Just a day, it was a bit sudden. Waffles.”

Thor’s head turned to Valkyrie asking, “Our, Hella, what happened to her?”

She shrugged and he nodded leading her towards the portal again asking her more about their family’s past as Loki looked at Coulsen asking, “Are the duplexes completed yet?”

Coulsen said, “Yes,” pulling a set of keys out of his pocket, “We can help you move everything in later today if you wish.”

Loki smiled claiming the keys before turning to lead you towards the doorway after the portal had closed behind Thor and Valkyrie. With a smile he raised your hand to his lips allowing him to kiss your knuckles gently, before saying, “I think you should have a full tour of or home before we move in.”

You smiled up at him before asking, “You aren’t more curious about Hella?”

Loki smiled down at you, “Well, it’s one of two things, she’s either died or been locked away by Father. If he wanted us to know about our Sister he would have told us. Besides, if Mother mentioned nothing about her it was for good reason.”

Your hand reached up to slide along his upper arm drawing another smile from him, “You’re alright?”

He nodded, leaning down to kiss your forehead, “We can finally move into our new home. Why wouldn’t I be?”

With a sigh you leaned against his arm widening his smile, wrapping partially around the arm still claiming firm hold of your hand. The whole trip over you ignored the stares and pictures stolen of you both along the way through the subway and roads until you stopped outside the brick coated duplex pinned in the long row of lighter colored homes around it. An easy smile spread on your face as Loki led you up the steps to unlock your door and showed you inside into the separating room with two options, Thor’s apartment or yours on the right. The second door was opened and you eyed the stretching floor plan leading from the front room into the kitchen and laundry room along the back wall. Wetting his lips he guided you through each area mentioning a few items in your storage he thought would look good there along with a few items he had ordered online already.

“And the laundry is through here. Tons of room for extra storage, and the door to the basement gym is here as well.”

“We have a gym?”

Loki nodded smiling at you, “We’re sharing with Thor. That and the rooftop are communal but everything else is just ours.”

He nipped at his lip trying to contain his smile at your leading him past the kitchen you loved already, through the apartment towards the stairs to the second floor. The first doorway you eyed the brightly lit room overlooking the park in the distance, “What did you plan for this room?”

Loki smiled, “I was thinking library, possibly.”

You nodded and turned pointing at the other wall, “That alcove could be good for built in shelves. And the nook, arm chairs possibly?”

You peered up at him and his smile grew as he nodded, “It sounds perfect Dearest.”

His eyes shifted towards the door and you peered through following his silent request to keep exploring. Two more empty rooms with a shared bathroom between easily shifted into spare bedrooms with another room with windows overlooking the street you could only picture as one thing. Behind you Loki softly said what you had thought, “A nursery, possibly.” You glanced up at him catching his hopeful smile, “There’s another like it upstairs, this would obviously be for when they’re older, but it does seem perfect for it.”

You nodded, “Is-?”

His brows raised curiously, “Yes Dearest?”

You wet your lips, “Is there, some sort of, time limit, for us?”

“For having Children?” You nodded and he shook his head, “No, absolutely not.” His hand raised yours to his lips again while his loving gaze locked with yours, “There is no time limit for us. Please don’t take the house as a demand on anything. We can take our time. Father seems adamant on passing the throne to Thor still so I am simply the spare.” Lovingly his free hand rose to brush a string of curls from your face allowing him to steal a gentle brush of his fingers along your cheek, smiling at you brightly, “Why don’t we explore our rooms, hmm?”

You nodded and nearly gasped at his fingers skimming along your jaw in his turn to guide you through the nursery towards the stairs to your third floor. Across the stairs he pointed at the two spare rooms, “These, possibly offices or studies, maybe another set of guest rooms. Then through here, your room.” His hand landed on the doorknob and guided you through to the large master bedroom with a large closet directly on your right walking in with a shared lavish bathroom behind it on the outer wall with a double set of doors on the wall between them. A large window with a built in bench along it parted your lips as you took in the clear view straight to the park in the distance. Turning you Loki showed you the detail on the mantle intricately carved from a dark wood over the tile coated walls and platform before your eyes turned to the double glass pained doorway across from it.

Loki smirked as you led him to the doors you opened and looked over the smaller room attached to yours, “This would be mine. I’ve found a few lovely set of blinds for the doors online for privacy.”

“You’re certain you want the smaller room?”

In a lean in he kissed your forehead sweetly, “Yes Dearest. I am certain.”

..

Room by room after a call to SHIELD your storage bin was cleared and you both eyed the massive stash inside the living room on the main floor as the agents left, stealing curious glances at you both eying what they could in your strange pile of belongings. The portal closed and the team joined you on collecting all of Loki’s belongings already packed with your single bag of clothes to add to the mix. Once alone again Loki chuckled stealing a glance at you while Tom timidly peered in each corner of the main floor inspecting the new home. A gentle kiss was left on your cheek before Loki rubbed his palms together waving his hand to send his boxes of books up to your decided library upstairs saying, “Finally, we can do this the easy way.” Sending you a playful wink, you rolled your eyes turning to inspect your hoard before waving your fingers to send the dining table to its new home.

When he turned back he peeked at a few of your boxes marked books and sent them up as well and joined you in hovering the rest of your furniture around before turning to the boxes of gathered trinkets and random items to decorate your home. Lastly your clothes, mattresses and sheets were floated upstairs after you to be settled in their new homes. Once in place you eyed the double doors opening letting the Prince through to your room to ask with a soft smile, “Dinner is coming up, there’s a shop down the block, did you want to do some shopping?”

You nodded, “We probably should.”

With a smile you passed Tom as he finally reached the top floor to inspect it and went down to the door. As the outer door was locked behind you your lower lip tucked into your mouth through your reach over to claim Loki’s hand again. An action that spread his smile and stirred him to curl his hand around yours lovingly and move closer to your side beaming at your wish to be closer to him.

.

Aisle by aisle you couldn’t help but huff as you turned to see the same old woman following you around onto this aisle that promptly turned to hide again when you turned to face her, rolling your eyes you mumbled, “Honestly…”

Loki chuckled smiling at you, “I’m used to it.”

You glanced up at him, “You shouldn’t have to be.” He smiled wider kissing your cheek then guided you to continue your path to grab the last of your ingredients as he settled a plan to go clothes shopping the following day. On your path out some food for Tom was grabbed and propped on Loki’s shoulder for the walk back to your home. With a smile he let you both back in your new home and helped you put everything away, filling Tom’s bowl earning a distant scuffling sound signaling his path to join you. You placed what you could away then set the ingredients for dinner away and guided Loki through completing the meal.

Wine was uncorked and moved to the dining table to fill the wine glasses as Loki switched on the formerly hidden tv to play a movie you had planned on watching before he helped you transfer the food to the table and joined you. Through the meal his loving gaze held a firm blush across your cheeks as he stole the chance to flirt and joke with you adoring his time alone with his new bride. The plates were emptied and you moved to the living room with the desserts you had chosen as he grabbed the wine and settled behind you to snuggle and steal the chance to share tastes of your own choices for desserts. Cleared and floated into the sink to rinse and wait to be washed fully later the plates flew at a wave of your hands while Loki filled your wine glasses again. His smile grew as you snuggled against his side under the blanket he grabbed to cover your laps.

Hand in hand in a tipsy walk Loki claimed yet another lingering kiss on your cheek then turned to head to his bedroom through the double doors, his hands settled on the knobs closing them as he stole another loving glance at you, “Sleep well Dearest.”

You giggled replying, “Sleep well Cookie.” Your nickname earned a chuckle from him before he turned away, moving to his bed to relax, laying back he heard you brush your jeans down to leave on the foot of your bed. Tom trotted up the stairs and through to your room and hopped up on the foot of your bed as you brushed back the covers and climbed in. A soft sigh left you as you rolled onto your back and settled in, the silence filled the house for a few moments before your deep breaths sounded out signaling your sleeping freeing Loki to rise and change for bed. Nipping at his lip he stole another peek through the doors and smiled seeing the Cookie Monster stuffy you had mentioned on your first date resting on the bed beside you between you and Tom, who had taken up his half of the bed. A soft smile spread across his face, imagining the day he could share a room with you once again on his path back to bed to continue daydreaming until he finally dropped off to sleep.

..

Ragged breaths through the wall brought Loki to sit upright and toss back his covers on the path to your separating doors. Shifting painfully under the covers as you whimpered softly Tom’s head tucked under the pillow above his head as you curled onto your side facing away from Loki. Hurried footfalls later his hand landed on your shoulder as he said, “Dearest..” The rest of his sentence died at the snakes in your hair coiling as your head turned to look at him. Your bright purple eyes now silver with irises in a slit, dryly his tongue shifted as his body struggled to draw in a breath through its drop down to the floor. Sprawled on his back unable to move or breathe Loki wished more than anything to simply hold you as he heard your whimpering gasp.

Covers were torn back as you came into his view eyeing his full Jotun form through climbing down to shift him straighter, straddling him his eyes focused on yours, their silvery shade fading as tears filled them. Cupping his face he watched through his burning aching suffocating moments as your silvery tears fell to his face as you sobbed softly until your eyes were fully purple again. Each tear stirred a liberating blink from him and in the moments after his body slowly unclenched as your curled above him nuzzling your head in the crook of his neck burying your hands under his shoulders muttering tearfully, “I am so sorry…I am so sorry.”

By the third repetition his arms rose to curl around your back tightly, holding you against him as he gently brushed his fingers through your shifting curls and across your back, “You have nothing to apologize for.”

A sniffle sounded across his bare shoulder as the pool of silver tears you had left there slid along his side and shoulder when you sat up, his bright red eyes locked on your face painfully watching your quivering lip as your broken voice whimpered out, “I don’t want to hurt you.”

Wetting his lips he sat up and raised his hands to wipe your cheeks lovingly watching as your face leaned into his palms while your hands settled on his chest, “You didn’t hurt me.” Leaning closer he shifted your head slightly adding, “You did not hurt me. I was paralyzed, I’m assuming it was your tears that changed that.” His eyes lowered to your quivering lip then back to your eyes as his free hand curled around your back. “Please don’t be afraid, I’m not hurt Dearest. Even I have my nightmares.”

Scrunching up again your face twisted in another round of tears, he watched your head shift to rest against his shoulder as you slid your arms around his back clutching him tightly as he held you just as firmly in return pressing gentle kisses to your head and cheeks while your snake hair coiled again shifting back to their shielded state across your back. Again you whispered, “I am so sorry.”

His arms pulled tighter, “You have nothing to apologize for Dearest.” Gently your fingers trailed across the raised lines across his back bringing his smile back at the gentle touch nearly forcing him to shiver.

Inhaling softly you pulled back and saw his smile as he raised a hand to wipe your cheeks, smiling deeper as your fingers stole a brush along his cheek tenderly, distracting him just long enough at the touch for you to lean in and press your lips to his. Instantly he leaned in joining you in timidly working your lips against his. Each motion growing more confident as his arm circled you and his hand cupped your cheek drawing you closer to him. Deeply each of his breaths matched yours and a single flick of his tongue against your lower lip ended with your eyes opening and bodies freezing at an alarm sounding as the screens in each room lit up earning a groan from him.

In a low growl his hand moved to tilt your head again continuing the kiss as he sent a double of himself in his Asguardian pajama clad form in front of the screen in his room with a displeased raised brow at Coulsen who flashed him a weak smile, “Um, Prince Loki.”

The double pushed his brows together folding his hands behind his back saying, “It’s quite late Coulsen.”

Agent Coulsen nodded, “Yes. It is, I d apologize for that. I was wondering if Miss Pear was awake still?”

Softly the real Loki let out a breathy attempt at a chuckle at your nip at his lip while the double simply blinked through your lips crashing into Loki’s again, “And just what could possibly have you waking my Wife at this hour?”

Coulsen furrowed his brows, “Wi-?” he shook his head, “Thor and, the woman from Miss Pear’s storage bin seem to be on a, drunken sparring match in Central Park.”

Loki double shrugged while the real Loki smirked against your cheek as you pulled your lips from his to roll your eyes and mumble under your breath while the double stated, “Why would that be our concern?”

Coulsen sighed, “Tony doesn’t have the best history in stopping Thor from his battling bouts. And the woman broke the drone we sent to ask them to stop.”

With a sigh your head dropped to Loki’s shoulder before stealing another quick kiss from him then reached back to grab your jeans muttering, “Val…Complete and utter nonsense.”

Coulsen’s lips pursed on the screen in the other room as Loki walked through into your shared closet to dress as the Agent called out, “Sorry for waking you Miss Pear.”

In another mutter he couldn’t help but smirk as you muttered, “Ugh…One night, just one night without having to shove her head in a fountain…”

You bounced into your jeans as Loki stole a glimpse at you as he added his jeans, socks and shirt and carried a pair of socks out to you along with your sneakers after adding his boots. Hand in hand you both walked out to the waiting portal outside taking you to the shout filled park as the gods battled and flung each other around until you came into view glaring at Valkyrie who promptly pointed at the Prince saying, “Prince Thor said we could battle here!”

Your head turned to Thor who eyed your firm gaze causing him to stand and brush himself off as he said, “Stark woke you?”

Loki shook his head, “No, Coulsen did to keep Tony out of it.”

Thor looked at you again, “But, why would he wake my Sister? Loki I understand, but Jaqi needs her rest!”

Loki nodded, “My thought exactly.” Folding his fingers tighter in yours.

Thor nodded his head at Valkyrie, “You can stay at mine. Plenty of room. We can battle later.” He walked over laying his hand on your shoulder gently kissing your forehead, “I am sorry they woke you dear Sister.” He patted Loki on the shoulder as well as you both turned, “I will speak with them in the morning.” All of you headed home again through the waiting portals, the closing of your door brought Loki’s smirk back as you led him back up to your room and stood by your bed asking, “Did you want to watch a movie?”

He nodded, “If you wish Dearest. I’ll take off my boots.” He walked into the closet to leave his boots there as you dropped your shoes at the foot of your bed finding a film and settled back into bed watching him come back to you with a growing smile as you watched his shirtless form shifting blue again on his path to you.

Against your pile of pillows you locked your eyes with his asking, “Would you mind-. Could I hold you?”

“Of course Dearest.” Carefully he slid under the covers and sat between your legs leaning back against you relaxing as your arms folded above his bare chest after your lingering kiss when he peered up at you trying to confirm him being in a comfortable position for you. Smiling wider he turned forward settling against you helping to wrap your legs around him while your fingers traced lines across his chest under the covers until you both slipped off to sleep again nuzzling your heads together.

Pt 4

#Loki x Reader OC

[sanguine-super-mea-nomini]

Oh, Lazarus | 4

“He’s dressed a little too fashionably to be a hunter, don’t you think?”

You recently escaped from a facility that had ran various experiments on you, but not without leaving behind a few bodies. Taehyung is sent to track you down and kill you. However, he soon discovers he’s a little in over his head and not all is what it seems to be…

Pairing: Taehyung x Reader

Genre: Romance, Crime AU, Supernatural AU (not the show)

Warnings: Violence, swearing, eventual smut

Word Count: 2,340

A/N: I bought Rise of the Tomb Raider and got distracted. Whoops. It’s a smaller chapter because it’s about to segue into a much larger one >.>

“How’s it coming along?” You asked, watching as Yoongi visibly jumped in his chair. You had come up on him quietly, as you usually did. 

“God damnit Y/N. Why are you always sneaking up on me?”

“I wasn’t sneaking,” you replied innocently, laying your hands across his shoulders.

“Sure. Anyways. We’ve made some progress. I can now discern between nouns and verbs. Adjectives are still a little iffy.” 

“But you have no idea what they mean?”

“None whatsoever.”

“Well...no one’s perfect.”

“Anyways, I wouldn’t have been able to get this far without Jungkook.”

“And how is he?” You asked, peering over at the youth with his face far too close the the screen surely. 

“I like him. He reliable. He’s efficient and precise.”

“Add durable to that and you’ve got yourself a new watch. As always, let me know if anything changes.” You patted the man on his shoulders and moved to leave.

“You know this would go much faster with that Taehyung guy!”

“Hoseok first,” you threw over your shoulder. 

“What’s the deal with this Hoseok guy anyways? Jilted lover?” Jungkook asked with a cocky smirk after you left, of course.

“He’s her brother.”

He promptly wiped the smirk off, “Oh. That was awkward.”

“He’s adopted,” Yoongi replied back not the slightest bit phased by the topic of conversation. 

“Ah. So she’s single?”

“Oh my God, would you please focus.”

“What! Like you never thought about it?”

Yoongi ignored him and kept on with his research. Jungkook waved him off and went back to his own work. He’s definitely thought about it.

You went up to your room and started packing a weekend bag. You had a lot on your plate but one thing at a time. You needed to go back to Japan and see Father Namjoon but you also needed to find Hoseok. There was no way you were going to send Taehyung off on his own. You had given him the last thing Hoseok wore before he took off. The trail had definitely gone cold but Taehyung found the last place in Germany you had tracked him to. You could at least verify that. 

So now the two of you were off to Berlin. If Jin wasn’t protesting, then Jimin was. He sat crossed legged on the couch as you moved in and out of your closet. “What if you’re walking into a trap?”

“I’m well prepared for that.” You countered.

“Shouldn’t at least one of us go with you?”

“Don’t you know three’s a crowd?” You asked with a smirk.

Jimin sighed. “What if he tries to seduce you?”

You looked at him incredulously, “He’s not my type.”

“You have a type?”

“Look,” you took a seat next to him, taking his hand in yours, “do you feel that?”

Jimin’s expression changed, expressing externally, the inner turmoil you were under. “Pain, frustration, betrayal, sadness, anger...love.”

“Yes. My life is complicated and it’s more than just feelings. You’ve been very helpful to me personally and I thank you for that but please understand that what I do...I do for a reason. Hoseok means a lot to me. We haven’t always seen eye to eye but we’re still family. However, he stole from me and it pissed me off. I can’t let him do anything stupid. So, I will do what it takes to find him. Even if that means trusting a hunter that was previously sent to kill me. Not that I actually trust him but...I think he understands what this means to me.”

Jimin nodded, “What did Hoseok steal if you don’t mind me asking.”

“An ancient artifact my father found. It is said to be the heart of a god. I’m not sure I believe that but given that we exist...well. Anyways, this heart is supposedly imbued with magical powers and if consumed, would give a person almighty powers. They themselves would become godlike but not fully. It’s a dangerous power to wield. I don’t know what Hoseok is up to and that’s what bothers me the most. He’s not interested in power. This is something else.” You trailed off and stared down at the floor, thoughts and theories flying around at the speed of light. 

Jimin took in everything you said while gently rubbing the back of your hand. “I don’t want you to think that I’m trying to hold you back, or that I worry about you too much. It’s just...for the first time in my life, being here makes sense. You choose to do what you do. I never had a choice. Even when I hid at the church, I did it because I didn’t have a choice. People always used me for my abilities; for good and for bad. Then I met you and I knew; my path would be the same as yours. Thank you for not sending me back. I like being here. I like using my abilities to help other people.”

You gave him a warm smile and pulled him into a hug. You weren’t much of a sentimentalist nor were you very good with emotions but you knew how to comfort people and keep them grounded. You built a team of people you could trust with not only your life, but also your secrets. You could be vulnerable around them and that was important. Jimin and Jungkook were very quickly proving themselves and were a welcome addition to the family. 

Jimin soon took his leave to go to bed as the night was wearing on. You made sure everything was in order for tomorrow, before retreating to the library. Behind the desk was a window seat that typically doubled as a bed whenever you were here...and you were always here. Your father’s obsessions had become your own; mainly the origins of specials. He believed the ancient race your mother belonged to were the first of their kind, remnants of a species from Old Earth. Of course, finding anything to prove that such people existed was difficult at best. Hardly any texts from so long ago survived and the few immortals from that time were, well, few and extremely secretive. Your father was lucky enough to meet your mother that fateful day in Rome. 

You pulled out one of his more recent journals and poured over it. The last thing he was trying to do was find the burial place of Gilgamesh, whom he was convinced, was more than just a historical king. In fact, your father had several boards across the library with pictures and tidbits of info on various people he suspected to be real and to have had abilities. Both your parents were immortal but they weren’t unkillable like you. No, your mother was killed and your father...well, no one knows what happened to him. He was an old man when he went off into the mountains of the Hindu Kush. That was nearly two centuries ago. 

You sighed and leaned back in your chair. You wish things hadn’t gone sour between you and Hoseok. Adopted or not, he was your brother and you loved him. You had been through so much together. You wondered where it all went wrong. You eventually drifted off to sleep, your head laying upon the desk. 

You dreamt about a time when you and Hoseok were on the trail of Marco Polo’s expedition. You were treasure hunters and thrill seekers. His powers of telekinesis always came in handy. The people who hired you believed there was something more to Polo’s story; that he had found something and then subsequently hid it from the world on his way to Persia. 

“A lost city perhaps?” Hoseok asked with an intrigued smile before slamming back a shot. The two of you were resting from a successful gig in Caribbeans.

You thumbed through one of Marco’s old leather journals, looking for clues. It had been provided to you by said employers. “The Polo’s lost a lot of their wealth before they could return to Italy. Set upon by thieves apparently. Maybe they stumbled upon the final resting place of Alexander the Great?” 

Hoseok chortled, “Yeah right. Or maybe it was the Ark of the Covenant?”

“Oh that I will find one day, don’t you worry.”

“Dream on. C’mon! Put that thing down and have a shot with me.”

You smiled fondly at him and shoved the journal back into your bag. “You do remember that you’re a lightweight correct? I don’t want to help you nurse a hangover in the morning.”

“I’ll be fine,” Hoseok stated, waving off your complaint as he poured two shots of tequila. God this was a terrible idea. 

He handed one over to you and raised his in a toast, “To us and our escapades. May our spirit of adventure never die and may we always do what we love.”

“Well that I can drink to.” You clinked your glass with his and knocked it back. You sucked through your teeth as the burning sensation hit your throat and radiated warmth throughout your body. 

“So, we have a long road ahead of us. We’ve got three flights to make before we get to Shanghai.”

The man grunted, “That’s two days worth of travelling huh. Yikes.”

“At least we have Kirill’s seaplane. That makes things a great deal easier.” You finished the rest of your beer, peering around to make sure you two weren’t being watched. It was easy enough having enemies as a special. It was a double whammy being in your line of business. The competition was fierce but with the two of you as partners, you gave people a run for their money. You were the best. You were a team. “Let’s go to bed. I want to leave early.”

You woke up in your bed around 6am, dawn’s early light cracking through your window. How did I get here? You felt a warmth next to you and assumed it was Jimin. However, when you rolled over, you were face to face with blonde hair and blue eyes. Taehyung smiled at you and you rolled your eyes. “Of course.”

“Your fault for falling asleep on your desk. I went to see what the itinerary was going to be and found you there. So naturally I carried you back here.” His deep, husky voice was somehow an octave lower in the mornings. You didn’t think that was possible. He had been given a room and had only been in the house two weeks. Everyone kept a watchful eye on him in case he was playing the long game. Certain parts of the house he wasn’t allowed near. Like the computer one for example. You didn’t want him knowing any more than he needed to know and what he needed to know strictly pertained to finding your brother. 

However he made himself annoyingly comfortable and tried to ingratiate himself to everyone, especially to you. You half wondered if this really was the same hunter that had tried to kill you. You knew, though, how to be two sides of the same coin. There was you, the real you, and then there was the person you needed to be for the job. It was like a switch. The man you first met was vicious and tenacious, now the man laying next to you was practically a puppy. He intrigued you to say the least. You found yourself staring at him, trying to figure him out. He reached over and gingerly tucked stray hairs behind your ear, “Y/N, if you keep looking at me like that, I might have to kiss you.”

You snapped out of your thoughts and rolled away, getting up. “Are you packed?”

He smiled and nodded, “Ready and waiting, babe.”

You tutted and went to your closet to change, “Get your things and meet me at the car.”

Taehyung’s smile remained as he pushed himself off your bed. He was obviously smitten with you. It was not bragging to say that you were used to this kind of reaction from people. It frankly annoyed you. You weren’t a flirt and you never led anyone on and yet, you attracted interest like bees to flowers. You didn’t consider yourself beautiful. Fairly attractive, yes, but that couldn’t have been it. Perhaps it was your insouciance everyone found so appealing. Either way, you didn’t quite care. You didn’t have time or the energy nor the patience for romance. Even casual flings weren’t your cup of tea. You were married to your way of life.

Taehyung met you by the car as instructed. He wore a navy, military jacket over black pants and it suited his style quite well. “Are we taking that seaplane I shot up?” He asked, lowering his sunglasses to peer over the rim.

“As a matter of fact, yes. It’s a four hour flight to Berlin from here.” 

Jin had joined you shortly afterwards, playing chauffeur for the day. You took the passenger seat while Taehyung sat in the back. He observed you both as you were deep in conversation about Hoseok and what to do once you did find him. 

“Do I need to worry about this guy?” Taehyung asked.

“Not really. He’s dangerous in his own right but he’s not stupid. You just need to find him. I’ll handle the rest. I’ll take you to where I last saw him. Hopefully you’ll be able to trace something.”

“I found you well enough after a few months. I might be able to find him.”

Jin eyed the man through the rear view mirror. He certainly didn’t like the kid all that much but Jin listened to you and respected your opinions. If you believed Hoseok could be found, then he would be, no matter what. He had been with the family long enough to understand the weight of the situation. Unbeknownst to anyone, though, someone else was after Hoseok. They knew what he had and they were desperate to get their hands on it, for it held the key to a new world order.

#taehyung #taehyung x reader #taehyung fanfiction #bts #v #suga #yoongi #jin #jhope #hoseok #namjoon #rm #jimin #jungkook #bts fanfiction

[starry-eyed-toucan-writes]

SNOW DAY!! (with a side of breakfast)

This is a pure fluff fic involving White Hat, Dr. Slug, Clementia, and 6.0.6.

Enjoy!

Clementia sat up in her blue and pink canopy bed and yawned, stretching her arms above her head as she did so. She looked around her room and smiled happily. The sight of the many cute pictures that decorated her walls filled her with joy. They consisted mainly of adorable photos of puppies and kittens doing silly things, along with a few gorgeous paintings of unicorns that were a gift from White Hat.

Thinking of White Hat made her blush and giggle to herself, bringing a hand to her face and sighing wistfully. He was so dreamy. All she wanted to do was hug and kiss and cuddle him all day.

Now that she thought about it, he was probably down in the kitchen right now making them all a wonderful breakfast and just waiting for his morning hug from her.

With that thought, she launched herself out of bed. Better not keep him waiting.

She quickly changed out of her soft unicorn pajamas into her usual outfit. She brushed through her long puffy hair at an astonishing speed before pulling her unicorn hood up over her head and checking herself in the full length mirror she kept on the back of her bedroom door. She proceeded to make a few cutesy poses and faces, winking and sticking her tongue out and making two peace signs with her hands, then spinning around and and stopping once she faced the mirror again to smile big and hold her hands in front of her to form a heart shape.

She spun around once more for fun, then fluffed her red bangs while staring up at the picture of White Hat she kept taped in the right corner of the mirror. It was surrounded with red and blue heart stickers that she had stuck there herself. She kissed two fingers on her right hand and pressed them against White Hat’s mouth, giggling softly. Then she opened her bedroom door and skipped down the hallway to the stairs. Jumping on the banister she rode it all the way down to the ground floor, laughing joyfully as the wind blew against her face and made her hair fly wildly behind her.

Sure enough, she could catch the scent of breakfast food wafting in from the kitchen. Jumping off the banister and racing through the doorway that led to the kitchen, she halted in her tracks as soon as she saw White Hat with his back to her cooking on the stove.

At the sound of her sneakers skidding to a stop, White Hat glanced over his shoulder and grinned at her, making her heart skip a beat. His trench coat was off and resting on a kitchen chair, revealing a blue button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up.

“Good morning Clementia! Would you like some bacon and eggs? I also made some orange jui-”

“White Hat!”

She launched herself at him, spreading her arms wide, ready to give him a hug. With inhumanly fast reflexes White Hat spun around and looped his cane under her hood, lifting her to the side, away from him and the hot stove.

“Clementia, as much as I would love to let you hug me, I must refrain until you promise that this is a strictly platonic hug and that you will not attempt to kiss me.”

Clementia paused for a few seconds, then gave him reluctant nod from the end of his cane, pouting unhappily. He gently placed her on the floor and she leapt forward, wrapping her arms around his tall frame. “Someday it won’t just be a friend hug,” she thought to herself as she gave him a tight squeeze, which he happily returned before leading her to the kitchen table.

The table was a perfect wooden circle with four matching chairs directly set across from each other, one of them much larger than the other three.

He sat her down in one of the smaller chairs then swiftly set a plate, cup and utensils in front of her. Following that, he walked back to the stove, picking up a pan and carrying it over to the table. From the pan he set two pieces of bacon on her plate along with a heaping pile of eggs. Picking a large orange pitcher off the table he began gracefully pouring orange juice into her glass. As he finished filling her cup, a loud briiiing went off behind him, followed by the sound of a toaster going off.

As White Hat left to get the toast, Clementia dug in, shoveling eggs and bacon into her mouth and washing it all down with orange juice. It was totally delicious, and one more item to add to her list of why she adored White Hat.

With a clink White Hat set a small plate with two pieces of perfectly buttered toast on the table next to Clementia. Clementia looked up from her food and swallowed hastily.

“Thanks!”

“My pleasure.”

He sat down across the table from her and folded his hands under his chin, smiling as he watched her eat. Clementia took a bite of toast with a crunch and hummed happily. Then she noticed the two empty chairs next to him and frowned, swallowing her bite of toast.

“White Hat?”

“Yes my dear?”

“Where’s Sluggie and 6.0.6.”

“Ah. 6.0.6. already had breakfast and is taking his mid-morning nap and I believe Dr. Slug is sleeping in his lab. He said he needed to work on one of his projects but I think he was just using that as an excuse to get me to leave after I woke him up to stop him from drooling on a force field schematic.”

“Oh.” Clementia took a few more bites of breakfast. It was strange to her that someone as smart as Dr. Slug and worked for hours on end to create so many wondrous inventions could be so lazy and sluggish sometimes. Wait a second.

Clementia burst into laughter, leaving White Hat to stare at her in surprise.

“What’s so funny?”

“Dr. Slug, ahaha, Sluggie, is SLUGGISH!!!” She started slapping her hand against the table, unable to contain her mirth. White Hat began to chuckle as that mirth began to spread, and pretty soon they were both laughing heartily at the irony behind Dr. Slug’s name.

Eventually they both calmed down enough for Clementia to finish eating.

“Would you like any more?”

“No thank you. Thanks White Hat!

“Anytime.”

With that, White Hat rose from his seat and collected her dishes, placing them in the sink. He rinsed off his hands then dried them with a towel that was hanging up on the stove handle.

“If that is all, there is something I would like to show you.” White Hat said, unrolling his sleeves and picking up his coat from the chair. He put it on then extended his arm out to her, which she hurriedly rushed up to accept.

As they walked out from the kitchen into the entry hall, Clementia stared longingly at the two huge curving staircases on either side of the room. She really wanted to hop on the railing of one of them and slide down like she did on the other staircase this morning, but there was no way she was relinquishing her grip on White Hat’s arm.

White led her down one of the staircases and continued walking towards the huge double doors that served as the main entrance and exit to White Hat’s mansion. There, he slipped his arm out from hers and reached towards the doors, firmly grasping the handle to the right hand door. As he opened it, Clementia was momentarily blinded by the light that flooded into the room from outside. Blinking her eyes rapidly as they adjusted to the light, Clementia was momentarily confused by the how everything outside was covered in white. Then she came to a realization.

“WHITE HAT!!!! IT SNOWED!!”

Clementia immediately leapt outside, leggings, bare skin and all, and dove into the snow, rolling around and laughing. She rolled onto her back and started making a snow angel. She stood up to admire her work, ignoring the clumps of snow that were now stuck in her hair. Then she came to another realization.

“White Hat! We have to get 6.0.6. and Sluggie out here!!”

White Hat smiled at her from the doorway, not having moved from his spot since she ran outside.

“My thoughts exactly.”

He beckoned her inside and she practically threw herself through the doors, landing on all fours and shaking herself like a dog, flinging chunks of snow from her hair which White Hat neatly.

Once she finished shaking herself, she stood up, glancing at White Hat. “I’ll get 6.0.6., you get Sluggie.”

With that, she was off. Clementia ignored the stairs and instead climbed straight up the wall, launching herself over the railing and running towards the stairs that led to 6.0.6.’s room. She skipped two steps at at time, stopping by her room on the way up.

She burst through the door, running inside and ripping open her closet. Kicking off her pink sneakers she grabbed a pair of blue snow pants and pulled them over her already damp legs. Then she put on a pair of grey snow boots, tucking them under her pants. Finally, she grabbed a pink coat and a pair of gloves and raced out her door up to 6.0.6.’s room, hastily putting on both items as she jumped up the stairs.

Like her bedroom door she slammed open the door to 6.0.6.’s room and leapt inside.

“6.0.6.! It snowed!!”

The walls were painted black and purple, and covered with heavy metal band posters. 6.0.6. looked up from his white pillow bed that didn’t match with anything else in the room, then growled and turned over with his back facing Clementia.

Undeterred, Clementia bounced over and fell on top of him. Her entire body vibrated as 6.0.6. rumbled in protest, burying his muzzle into his bed.

“C’mon ya big bear, let’s go play!” she said while drumming her hands against his back.

6.0.6. gave no response, breathing in and out as if he was asleep.

“Puh-leeeaaase!!! It’ll be super fun!”

6.0.6. heaved a deep sigh, enduring a few more seconds of drum pats before slowly standing up. Clementia slid off his back and onto the floor, then skipped to the doorway.

“C’mon, c’mon, c’mon!”

Clementia waited until 6.0.6. padded over to the doorway then ran out into the hall. She stood by the stairs until 6.0.6. almost made it over to her and began climbing down, pausing every few steps to look behind her and make sure he was still following.

As they got nearer to the kitchen, Clementia began to hear the sound of muffled shouts of protest traveling up the stairs.

Clementia was the first to arrive in the kitchen and be greeted with the sight of a very angry Dr. Slug being carried by a very calm White Hat. White Hat was carrying him with one arm in a way that trapped Dr. Slug’s arms against his sides, leaving him to kick his legs out fruitlessly behind him in an effort to escape. His lab coat was nowhere to be seen, having been replaced with a dark red winter coat, and his usual shoes had been replaced by snow boots of the same color.

“Put me down White Hat!”

“Nonsense! If I do, you’ll simply run back to your lab. Now is the time to have fun!”

“I was having fun down there.”

“No you weren’t, you were sleeping. It’s time to take a break from sleeping and inventing and go outside!”

White Hat stopped in his journey towards the front doors when he saw Clementia and beamed at her.

“Clementia! Have you retrieved 6.0.6.?”

6.0.6. gave him his answer as he stomped down the last few steps, still looking grumpy from being woken up from his nap.

“There you are 6.0.6.! I trust you slept well?

Once he saw 6.0.6., Dr. Slug perked up and resumed his struggle with renewed energy as he attempted to break free from White Hat’s grip.

“6.0.6.! Help me!”

6.0.6. looked at Dr. Slug and snorted. Then he thumped away, heading towards the lobby.

“Traitor!”

Eventually they all made it out of the house and into the front yard. 6.0.6. immediately flopped on the ground and began snoring. Clementia decided the best possible course of action for her to take in that moment would be to bury him in snow. Scooping up large armfuls of the stuff and placing it over 6.0.6., she began to cover him in snow. Once he was completely covered, she glanced back to check how Dr. Slug and White Hat were doing.

Dr. Slug was standing in the snow with his arms crossed, obviously pouting. White Hat was gesturing towards the snow but Slug kept vigorously shaking his head, causing White Hat to pout as well.

Clementia decided to give him a little help. Bending down, she grabbed a bunch of snow and began patting it together. Standing back up, she finished forming it into a perfect snowball. As she reached back with her arm she hesitated. She didn’t want to risk hitting White Hat.

Then, out of nowhere, a couple of neighbor kids appeared across the yard on the other side of the fence that surrounded White Hat’s mansion, waving furiously and calling out to White Hat. With an apologetic grin to Dr. Slug, White Hat turned away and began walking towards the children. Slug leaned against the side of the house, arms folded, emanating a strong aura of hatred and displeasure. Perfect.

“Hey Sluggie!”

Dr. Slug turned his head to address Clementia only to receive a faceful of snow. Dr. Slug stumbled a few steps to the side, raising a hand to his bag and staring at her incredulously before pointing at her and pulling a finger across his throat. Then he ran inside.

Clementia only had a few seconds to feel guilty about chasing Slug away when he reappeared through the doors carrying a huge metal gun of some sort with a giant funnel at the end of it. After scooping up a bunch of snow and dumping it into the funnel, Dr. Slug picked it up, placing one end on his shoulder and aiming the other at Clementia.

“EAT THIS!”

It began launching volley after volley of snowballs in her direction. Clementia was hit by the first snowball and was knocked onto her back, breathless.

She heard Dr. Slug begin laughing maniacally as she scrambled up and ran for cover, crouching low to the ground with her arms covering her face, then diving behind the snowy mound that contained 6.0.6.

Little did Slug know, but 6.0.6. had fallen blissfully to sleep under that mound, and as soon as dozens of high-powered snowballs began pounding against his side, he awoke, furious. Roaring, 6.0.6. burst from his snowy prison, shaking the snow from his fur. Ignoring the onslaught of snowballs, 6.0.6. reached down to the ground and picked up a mound of snow, forming it into a giant snowball and chucking it at Dr. Slug.

Dr. Slug dove to the side and the huge snowball flew past him, exploding against the side of the house.

The fight was on.

Clementia took advantage of Dr. Slug’s distraction and began pushing up snow to form a makeshift snow fort. Lying flat on her belly, she started making snowballs, lining them up next to her in reserve. Once she had made about ten snowballs, she peeked over the wall for reconnaissance purposes.

Dr. Slug had run out of ammo, and was struggling to reload while a merciless 6.0.6. loomed over him, raising another giant snowball high.

Clementia took this moment to throw a snowball at 6.0.6. hitting him directly on the back of his head.

6.0.6. whipped around, momentarily forgetting Dr. Slug and heaved his snow boulder in Clementia’s direction. Clementia ducked behind her snow fort, which was perfectly suited to block all snowballs thrown horizontally. However, 6.0.6. had chucked his snowball in an arc that curved neatly in the air over the fort and directly onto Clementia.

Clementia sat straight up with a completely shocked look on her face and a pile of snow on her head. 6.0.6. grinned for the first time since coming outside, baring his sharp teeth while huffing at Clementia, laughing in his own bear way. Clementia shook her head rapidly back and forth, flinging snow in all directions before laughing too and falling backwards into the snow.

6.0.6.’s laughter was interrupted by a barrage of snowballs fired from Dr. Slug, having been given plenty of time to reload as a result of Clementia’s intervention.

The snowball fight continued like this for several minutes, with 6.0.6. being pounded with snowballs from Dr. Slug and Clementia while building a huge snowball to throw at either of them. Clementia got hit the most with the giant snowballs, but sometimes 6.0.6. was able to catch Dr. Slug off guard while he was reloading. Clementia threw a few snowballs at Dr. Slug too, sneaking up behind him and chucking them at his back while he was preoccupied with 6.0.6. until he directed his gun towards her and she had to run back to cover.

Suddenly, Clementia glimpsed movement in the corner of her eye and turned her head to see White Hat strolling towards them, completely at ease, neighborhood kids nowhere to be seen.

“What are-” was all he could get out when Dr. Slug turned his gun on him and hit him with three consecutive snowballs in the face, chest, and stomach, knocking him to the ground.

Everyone stopped in their places and stared down at the fallen hero. White Hat sat up, wiped the snow from his face, and began to smile. The smile grew inhumanly large as he stood up and sprouted four long tentacle arms from his back that reached down to pick up snow off the ground.

“Well c’mon then,” White Hat said, with a challenging sparkle in his eye. “If it’s a fight you want, then it’s a fight you’ll get!”

If there was chaos before, it was nothing compared to the war that was now taking place in front of the White Hat mansion. White Hat threw countless snowballs with his four arms at them all with terrifying accuracy, causing Dr. Slug, Clementia, and even 6.0.6. to dive for shelter. Dr. Slug ran to the east side of the house during the first onslaught of snowballs and was using the side of the building as cover, responding with newfound ferocity towards the White Hat threat. 6.0.6. ran to Clementia’s snow fort and joined forces with her, lobbing huge snowballs at White Hat and Dr. Slug, distracting them both while Clementia crept around with a surprising amount of stealth, hitting either White Hat or Dr. Slug with a sudden flurry of snowballs, then fleeing back to the safety of her fort.

Hours later, and their advanced combat snow-fare devolved into two teams throwing snowballs at each other periodically and ducking down behind their forts. White Hat’s four extra arms were gone and he had built a snow fort that Dr. Slug had taken refuge behind. Dr. Slug’s gun was long broken, not meant for the use of snow as ammo, and he was forced to build and throw snowballs by hand. This made him to be more careful with how he used his throws, curving them like 6.0.6. did in his first strike against Clementia over their fort wall, which in turn forced Clementia and 6.0.6. to increase the height and width of their wall to make it harder for Dr. Slug to predict their positions.

Then, a white flag appeared over White Hat and Dr. Slug’s fort wall.

“Truce, truce! We-”

“You,” Clementia heard Dr. Slug correct White Hat from behind their fort.

“I propose a truce!”

“What are your terms?” Clementia called out, poking her head out in the open.

“I propose a ceasefire in exchange for everyone coming inside and enjoying some delicious hot chocolate which I personally make.”

Clementia ducked down and looked at 6.0.6.

“Should we accept his terms?” she whispered conspiratorially, giggling softly.

6.0.6. rolled his eyes and stood up, walking towards the house.

“We accept!” Clementia yelled as she scrambled up from her fort and followed 6.0.6., brushing snow off of her as she walked. She turned to see White Hat and Dr. Slug walk out from behind their fort and saw White Hat offer his arm to Dr. Slug, which he refused. In response, White Hat scooped Slug off the ground, carrying him bridal style towards the house. This time, Dr. Slug only fought for a few seconds before resigning himself to being carried, groaning loudly.

Clementia pouted. Dr. Slug was so lucky. She wished she was the one being carried.

Without waiting for them to catch up she hurried through the doors and this time used the stairs instead of climbing up the wall. Eventually she made her way to the kitchen where 6.0.6. was already waiting, sitting down in the largest chair and looking bored.

“That was fun, wasn’t it 6.0.6.!” Clementia bubbled out, already perking up from her moment of jealousy at Dr. Slug.

6.0.6. shrugged, which made Clementia gasp.

“6.0.6.! That’s the first time you’ve responded to that question without growling and shaking your head! That means you must have loved it!” Clementia squealed out joyfully, running over and giving him a bear hug.

6.0.6. stuck his tongue out, enduring the hug for a short moment before shaking her off.

Unbothered by his actions, she took a seat next to 6.0.6. just as White Hat walked in the room, still carrying Dr. Slug.

Clementia was surprised when Dr. Slug didn’t immediately retreat down to his lab, instead taking the seat across from 6.0.6. and next to her. Clementia beamed at him, a look he returned with a blank stare. Their attention was turned to White Hat as he began to hum as he prepared their hot chocolate.

Within in a few minutes, White Hat set three steaming mugs and one jug of hot chocolate down on the table. 6.0.6. immediately grabbed the jug and began guzzling hot chocolate. White Hat took the last remaining seat between Dr. Slug and 6.0.6., pushing two of the mugs towards Clementia and Dr. Slug while keeping one to himself.

Clementia was about to take a sip of her hot coco when White Hat raised his mug in the air, attracting her attention.

“Everyone! I propose a toast!”

“To what?” Clementia questioned, already raising her mug.

“To peace, prosperity, and snow!”

Clementia and White Hat clinked their mugs together then looked expectantly at 6.0.6. and Dr. Slug.

6.0.6. paused and clacked his jug against theirs, growling something unintelligible before returning to his drinking.

Dr. Slug fiddled with his mug for a second before sighing and raising it up in the air.

“To snow.”

“To snow!” Clementia and White Hat echoed, clinking their mugs against his and taking a drink. The hot chocolate was the perfect temperature, creamy and sweet, but not too sweet.

Dr. Slug fiddled with his mug a little more, then stood up, taking his mug with him.

“I’m going to head down to my lab. I’ve been away from my projects for too long.”

With that, Slug stood up from the table and walked towards the staircase that led down to his lab. Right as he set foot on the stairs, he hesitated, just long enough for Clementia to call out, “WAIT!” and stand up from the table.

He half-turned around only to be tackle hugged by Clementia. By some miracle he managed to keep his hot chocolate from spilling. The hug was quickly joined by White Hat, wrapping his arms around them both and giving a good squeeze.

Clementia looked at 6.0.6., who was staring back at them from the table.

“C’mon 6.0.6.! You know you want to.” she called out to him, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

With a sigh, 6.0.6. stood up from the table and ambled over, wrapping his arms around all three of them.

“Haven’t you guys ever heard of personal space,” Dr. Slug muttered under his breath. Clementia decided not to say anything about the fact that he was leaning into the hug, edging his arms up around her and White Hat.

Clementia hummed happily. She loved her family.

Some quick notes:

So I like to imagine that White Hat is basically what Black Hat is (eldritch demon or whatever) but good. SO I thought the same would apply to Clementia too, so she can do everything Demencia can do but she’s a sweetheart and I read somewhere on tumblr that she’s like Mabel from Gravity Falls but nicer, so I tried to write her like that. ^_^ I also imagine she has a huge crush on White Hat just like Demencia does with Black Hat, and just like Black Hat, White Hat is not interested. He’s a lot nicer about it tho. She keeps chasing after him even though he’s made it clear he’s not interested in her in that way, but I don’t blame her because, let’s face it, White Hat is a total dreamboat (Black Hat is too but he’s a different type of dreamboat). ;)

Tsundere Dr. Slug towards everyone is my jam. ;)    

I’m gonna be honest I wasn’t entirely sure how to write Clementia or 6.0.6. since there’s not a lot of available material out there on either of them so I just went with how I felt each of them would be like. I love the idea of a monster 6.0.6. but, for the sake of the fic and in order to fit in maximum fluff, I made him more like an apathetic angsty teen. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I might write something about that in the future tho.

I also decided to write this from Clementia’s point of view because I have another fic in the works that is very White Hat and Dr. Slug orientated so I thought I’d change it up a bit in between. I also thought it would be super fun because Clementia is adorable and I love her /)^3^(\ (and it was!!).

Anyways, thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed this! Stay tuned for more. :) 

#white hat #dr. slug #clementia #6.0.6. #heroic au #heroic #villainous #villainous au #i accidentally posted this to the wrong blog so imma try this again

[angel-with-a-pipette]

So... Here's a cute mental image for you, Ven and Namine baking cookies together, or baking a cake, or some other baked dessert that is viewed as cute. For comedy, imagine them not really understanding the abbreviations or being incredibly literal.

D'aaaaaaw ♥ I hope youdon’t mind that I got a little carried away… ^^”

(’Short’ ficlet following. Ijust wrote it down like that, so please don’t mind bad sentences andoveruse of the same expressions xD)

“A paopu cake?”

A smile spreadon Naminé’s face and she nodded excitedly, pulling a small yellowstar shaped fruit with a single green leaf hanging from its stem outof her shopping basket.

“Wouldn’t this bethe perfect ingredient for my ‘Thank you for taking me in’ cake forTerra and Aqua? ”

Ven bit his lip, unsure ofwhat to say to the girl in front of him. She looked so happy andheaven knew how few occasions she had had in the past to be genuinelyhappy.

“I mean, I’m sure thatthey will appreciate it, but why a paopu? Why not… cherries orraspberries?”

“Why not apaopu?” She retorted with another smile, twirling around beforeputting the fuit down on the counter to reach for a mixing bowl.

“You know that Terraisn’t fond of sweet things and apparently, paopus have a reallyspecial taste. Sweet, but not too sweet, fruity, but not too fruity.Well, Kairi’s descriptions don’t really seem to make sense, but shesays it tasted amazing.”

She turned back to Ven andwinked at him. “And Sora apparently agrees.”

A grin started to spreadon Ven’s lips and he jumped into action, helping Naminé to gathersupplies.

“Really, they finallyshared one? About time!”

He hesitated in the middleof pulling out the electric mixer.

“But that’s what I mean,you know? Wouldn’t eating this cake mean that Terra and Aqua wouldshare a paopu, too? I mean, I’m all for it, but shouldn’t they beable to decide to do it themselves?”

Naminé tsk-ed in responseand took the mixer out of his hands.

“It’s not like I’mmaking a secret out of it! Especially since I found this cute starshaped cake pan the other day, I can literally make a paopucake! I’ll just take the original paopu stem and leaf and push itinto the cake and voilà!”

She danced around Ven backto the dinner table to fetch the products she had bought at themarket half an hour ago and started unpacking them, too.

“Also, it’s not like thetwo of them aren’t connected already. They have been connectedthrough fate, through your Wayfinders, through your memories to whichI had access because I had access to Sora’s memories and you wereinside of his heart… it’s not like a little paopu would changeanything, right?”

“Well…”

“Oh come on, Ven!Please?”

Naminé pushed her lowerlip out and made her best expression of a pout. With a sigh, Ven gavein.

“Fine!”

“Great!” Sheshoved the recipe into Ven’s hands and turned to the sink to wash herhands.

“Can you read the recipeto me?”

Ven nodded and looked atthe recipe.

“Separate one egg andbeat the egg white and a pinch of salt until stiff peaks form.”

His eyebrows furrowed inconfusion.

“A pinch of salt? Whatin the worlds is a pinch of salt?”

Meanwhile, Naminé managedto separate the egg successfully and she clapped her hands incelebration.

“I don’t know? I guesswe… have to pinch the salt and whatever is between our fingers goesinto the egg white?”

Ven stared at her indoubt.

“That doesn’t make anysense though. My fingers are bigger than yours. Terra’s fingers arebigger than mine. Whose fingers are they talking about? Wait, are weeven talking about fingers?”

She tapped her fingeragainst her chin in thought.

“Well, you can pinchwith a pair of pliers, but they don’t belong to the standard kitchenequipment. But wait!”

She easily glided over toone of the drawers and pulled out a pair of tongs.

“What about this?”

Ven mustered themcritically.

“I’ve never seen Aquause them. Quite contrary, she always hands the tongs to Terra and heuses them to turn the meat when we make barbeque.”

He shook his head andpointed at the nooses at the ends of the tongs. “The salt wouldjust spill out.”

“Well if that’s not it,I suppose we have to use our fingers. Since I’m the one baking, it’sgotta be talking about my fingers, right?” Naminé looked at himexpectantly, but Ven only shrugged, so she bravely reached into thepot of salt, pinched her fingers and pulled out. Several grains ofsalt fell into the egg yolk.

“This’ll have to do.”

After she beat the eggwhites, Ven continued to read.

“Set the egg whitesaside and grab another bowl to mix the egg yolk, lemon zest, furitjuice, yellow gel color, sugar and buttermilk until well combined. Doyou want me to juice the paopu while you mix the ingredients?”

“Please,” Naminénodded and stole a glance at the recipe once Ven had pinned it to thefridge to retrieve the juicer.

“Ven? What does ’t-s-p’mean? And what about ’t-b-s-p’?

He hauled the juicer ontothe dining table and returned to Naminé’s side to check.

“One tsp. lemon Zest and1 Tbsp. juice… Wait, I think sometimes Aqua uses teaspoons andtablespoons to measure things like baking soda and cocoa powder!”

“Oh! So ‘tsp.’ is'teaspoon’ and 'Tbsp.’ is tablespoon?”

“It would make sense,right?”

“Alright, but whatexactly is a 'cup’ then?”

Naminé opened one of thecabinets above her and stood on her tiptoes to reach for the tea cupsinside of it.

“I mean, this is the cupAqua uses for her morning coffee,” she held up a standard sizedazure coffee cup, “and this one is the one Terra uses,” sheraised her other arm, the red cup in it double the size of the firstone. “So, which one is it?”

“Just a sec, I know theanswer to this one!”

Ven turned to anothercabinet and he pulled out a set of measuring cups that was heldtogether by a small plastic ring

“I’ve seen Aqua use themfor her cakes. Each cup is labeled, look,” he spread the cups out,pointing at their inscriptions, “one cup, half a cup, one third ofa cup and so on!”

“Wow, this is reallyhandy! Thanks, Ven.”

With a nod, Ven leftNaminé alone with her ingredients and started working on the juiceronce again, a little unsure whether he’d be able to put the pieces ofthe machine together correctly, but once he pressed the on button,the machine sprang into life. Satisfied with himself, Ven sliced thepaopu into smaller pieces and dropped them into the machine. Juiceslowly started to pour out of the machine’s snout… right onto thetable.

“Oh crackers!”

He jumped to the glasscabinet to get something to collect the juice with, accidentallyjostling Naminé in the process and ignoring her surprised shriek tohurry back to the table, saving the precious juice from being wastedon the tablecloth.

“Ven!” Naminégrumbled and the boy turned around in surprise. He had never heardher grumble before. She stood in front of him, her arms propped up onher hips and her usually angelic face turned into a scowl.

“What’s the matter?”Ven asked hesitantly.

“The recipe says onedrop of yellow food coloring. One! Thanks to you, I added three!”

He winced.

“I’m sure it’s not thatimportant…”

“If it weren’t, whywould the recipe say to add exactly one drop?”

She turned away from Venand stared into her bowl, trying to assess the damage

“Do you think I’ll haveto start over?”

Ven returned to her sideand looked over her shoulder. The batter looked fine, a strong yellowcolor right in the middle of it since Naminé hadn’t mixed the colorin yet.

“…no? I honestly don’tthink so. It’s food coloring. It doesn’t taste like anything and twodrops won’t change the outcome either.”

I think, he addedin his head, not wanting to worry Naminé further.

“If you say so,”Naminé replied, but it was evident in the slump of her shouldersthat she wasn’t too sure of her creation anymore and Ven feltincredibly bad about it, but there was not much he could do about it.

Still, the girl continuedbeating the ingredients and reached for the egg whites to add them tothe mix before she hesitated once again.

“Ven? How do I fold inan egg white?”

“Fold in?”

“It says 'Fold the whiteinto the yolk mixture until just combined’.”

Ven pulled the recipe offthe fridge and just like Naminé said, it told them to fold the eggwhites in.

“How are you supposed tofold it in? It’s not a piece of paper.”

“Maybe we are supposedto spread it out onto a sheet of baking paper? That we canfold.”

“Are you sure? It soundsvery complicated and I can’t recall Aqua ever doing anything likethat.”

“Well, can you think ofan alternative?”

He couldn’t and so hehelped Naminé spread the cake mix on a large sheet of baking paper,adding the the beaten egg white into the middle, and then…

“And now we fold thesheet of paper.”

“Won’t the mixtureleak out on the sides?”

“We’ll just have to bevery careful!”

30 minutes later, coveredin flour and bits of cake mix and egg white, Naminé finally pouredthe finished batter into the star shaped cake pan, filled hot waterinto the baking dish and carefully pushed both into the pre-heatedoven.

Both she and Ven slid downthe cabinets until they sat on the floor, sighing exhaustedly.

“I underestimated howmuch work baking would be.”

“I swear it looks soeasy when Aqua does it!”

Naminé turned to Ven andcaught his glance. She smiled shyly and nervously kneaded her handsin her lap.

“Thanks for your help.And sorry for getting angry at you.”

Ven grinned back at her.

“No problem. Any time.”

If anybody is interestedin the recipe, it’s this one :3 Sadly I haven’t tried it yet!

#Ventus #Naminé #KH #I HOPE THIS IS OKAY ANON?? I COULDN'T CONTROL MYSELF #Also I obviously had to add my ships I hope you don't hate them ;_; #slight #Sokai #and #Terraqua #well they're just hinted at but XD #Lots of crack too XD #Alja's fanfictions #??? #I... guess?? IDK TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK #anonymous #Alja answers #APPARENTLY I'M ON FIRE TODAY #I HAVEN'T WRITTEN SO MUCH IN A LONG TIME #I MEAN OVER THE COURSE OF A DAY #THIS GIRL IS ON FIIIREEEEE #DANCE WATER DANCE #Wait no that's the wrong element

[thewanderingamalgamate]

Snowshoe Tour at Scribe Mountain Resort

Below the cut are logs taken from Doggo’s Gyftmas Retreat. A Snowshoe tour was arranged by a rather snarky Dominion Angel [controlled by me heh] and a few guests came along to suffer! Participants: @ask-the-birb @code-kindness @coldsoulgoodsoul @prancing-pacifist @nolvlost @still-me-chara @loving-goat-975 @king-asgore @fallen-determination @smolgoatsis

Thanks Everyone!

Mountain Resort Staff - Today at 1:50 PM

*[A warmly covered dominion manifests themself, putting hind paws into the snow, followed by a big box of wooden pieces.] *[Through the hammering sounds, a wooden structure starts to take form.] *[The dominion hangs up a sign at the top of the wooden structure. It looks like a booth of sorts.] "SNOWSHOE TRAIL TOURS: NOW OPEN"  * Hmm... perhaps this will be enough for people to appreciate the beauty of the mountain wilderness... Arf... Surely they will behave themselves when the small animals start appearing. * I can only hope... *[It appears like you'd be able to pay for a tour of the mountain trail. This would include a small lunch break, food included. A group should be formed first, of around 10 people, or whomever wants to participate.] *[The dominion just waits, leaning on the booth as their warm fuzzy scarf flutters on the wind.]

Parot/Anna [ask-the-birb] - Today at 2:10 PM

Parot and Anna had finally reached where the Snowshoe Trail was said to be [Parot]: Hello there! [Anna]: Well aren't you a pleasant fellow!(edited)

Gen (Code-Kindness) - Today at 2:11 PM

Gen arrived, trailing right behind Parot and Anna.

Kather (@smolgoatsis) - Today at 2:11 PM

Kather padded in, seeming suprised at see others.

Frisk [ prancing-pacifist ] - Today at 2:11 PM

[ * Arrival of bird, they're struggling to run across the field barefoot; they're managing to catch up. ] * Hey!! HEY!!!

Gen (Code-Kindness) - Today at 2:12 PM

Gen turned, looking at his feathered friend who's suffering with the cold snow.

Parot/Anna [ask-the-birb] - Today at 2:12 PM

Anna instantly recognizes Kather [Anna]: Hello, Kather!

Kather (@smolgoatsis) - Today at 2:12 PM

"Howdy!" She called to the birb double, waving.

Mountain Resort Staff - Today at 2:12 PM

*[TheDominion perks up at the arrivals, then composes themselves in a cool yet professional manner.] * Good afternoon, guests. Will you all be partaking of something besides mindless videogames today?

Parot/Anna [ask-the-birb] - Today at 2:13 PM

Parot looks back to Frisk. He sees them sturggling and runs out to help them [Parot]: Here let me help ya! He picks up Frisk and carries them the rest of the way

Gen (Code-Kindness) - Today at 2:13 PM

"Mhm!""..Video games ain't entirely mindless though."

Kather (@smolgoatsis) - Today at 2:13 PM

"I've played one video game since I came." She chuckled.

Frisk [ prancing-pacifist ] - Today at 2:14 PM

[ * Gleeful chirps!! ] * Yes, perfect, thanks!

Parot/Anna [ask-the-birb] - Today at 2:14 PM

[Anna]: I tried a videogames. They aren't that great if I was honest(edited)

Frisk [ prancing-pacifist ] - Today at 2:14 PM

* I never played a single video game here, yesnosiree.

Gen (Code-Kindness) - Today at 2:14 PM

"I just don't play them often."

Parot/Anna [ask-the-birb] - Today at 2:15 PM

Parot nods toward Frisk with a smile and goes back to being next to Anna

Gen (Code-Kindness) - Today at 2:15 PM

"Frisk do you need somethin' for your feet? ..""Or are you planning on just being carried the entire time."

Kather (@smolgoatsis) - Today at 2:16 PM

She wiped some snow off her Gyftmas tree sweater, making the tree a bit more visible.

Parot/Anna [ask-the-birb] - Today at 2:16 PM

[Parot]: Oh shoot, I forgot the snowshoes myself!

Chara|Fallen-Determination - Today at 2:16 PM

Chara slowly headed up to the snowshoe trail, scarf pulled up over their about for extra warmth. They eyed the sign that announced tours and wandered over.

Frisk [ prancing-pacifist ] - Today at 2:16 PM

* Uhhh, shoes. Unfortunately, nothing can fit me without m'claws destroying something.

Gen (Code-Kindness) - Today at 2:17 PM

"Ah uh..""What about just wrapping your feet in cloth?"

Parot/Anna [ask-the-birb] - Today at 2:17 PM

[Anna]: Yeah, it's hard being a bird when it comes to floor surface temperature!

Kather (@smolgoatsis) - Today at 2:17 PM

"I got the shoes as I was walking here."

Frisk [ prancing-pacifist ] - Today at 2:18 PM

* I'd also destroy those and... I need my scarves, havin' them be wet's kinda... nah. [ Frisk nods in agreement. ]

Kather (@smolgoatsis) - Today at 2:18 PM

She had naturally big paws, but she wore the shoes anyway.

Gen (Code-Kindness) - Today at 2:19 PM

"Ah..so basically heading far out from any civilization is kinda just, deadly to your feet.""If its snowy of course."

Kather (@smolgoatsis) - Today at 2:19 PM

"In civilization, too. Waterfall always gets me feet wet."

Gen (Code-Kindness) - Today at 2:20 PM

"That's just watefall though."

Parot/Anna [ask-the-birb] - Today at 2:20 PM

[Parot]: Well, for snowy situations me and Anna just tape a tennis racket under our feet to keep distance from the ground and to add more surface area!(edited)

Winter [ coldsoulgoodsoul ] - Today at 2:20 PM

* (Winter trudges through the freshly fallen snow to arrive at the trails. She knew that she did not want to lose her father again, but she did want to sate her curiosity. The child arrives at the start, looking around as if she were to be observing the surroundings. The new people seemed to make her the slightest bit nervous, though . . . )

Gen (Code-Kindness) - Today at 2:21 PM

..The amount of people is making Gen a bit nervous, so many.

Frisk [ prancing-pacifist ] - Today at 2:21 PM

* I can't normally be near civilization in general, so it's a lose-lose.

Gen (Code-Kindness) - Today at 2:22 PM

"You seem fine here though."

Mountain Resort Staff - Today at 2:22 PM

*[The Doberminion is just giving them all a flat stare.] * All videogames are just brainmelting buttonmashers period. * [They slap snowshoes of various sizes atop the booth counter, sweeping an arm at them.] * Broaden your world. The trails are active and alive today, you will likely see wildlife. Experience something besides pixellated violence.

Parot/Anna [ask-the-birb] - Today at 2:22 PM

[Anna]: Random question but do you have tape and 6 tennis rackets? @Mountain Resort Staff(edited)

Kather (@smolgoatsis) - Today at 2:22 PM

The kid was used to being around lots of people, so she wasn't very nervous.

Frisk [ prancing-pacifist ] - Today at 2:23 PM

* `cause I know I'm safe, that's why!

Gen (Code-Kindness) - Today at 2:23 PM

"Aggressive tone much..? Towards videogames." Gen inaudibly mumbled that.

Gen (Code-Kindness) - Today at 2:23 PM

"Well anyways..shall we get going on the trail?"

Winter [ coldsoulgoodsoul ] - Today at 2:23 PM

* (Winter feels the stare sink into her, but she tries not to notice. She decides to slip over to the counter, staring at the different sizes . . . oh no, she did not know what her foot size was! So many years of being barefoot has gone to waste! Oh, how embarrassing.)

Teddy - Today at 2:23 PM

[Arrival of  he, the intellectual Teddy. He's wearing a thicker coat and traded in his glasses for goggles. They are foggier than a motherfucker though, and every few minutes he has to clear them. Beats blinking out those thick flurries though.]

Kather (@smolgoatsis) - Today at 2:24 PM

She stretched, or at least tried to.

Chara|Fallen-Determination - Today at 2:24 PM

Grumpy's ears were perked up at all the chitchat around them, though they didn't know anyone here at the moment... The doberminion's snowshoes caught their attention and they headed over to see if they could find ones that fit their weird fox paws. They missed their human feet...

Mountain Resort Staff - Today at 2:25 PM

* There are shoes fit for avian feet, do not fret. No need to delay the trip by jury rigging a pair... Floofhead girl, just try on the smaller shoes til you find one that fits.(edited)

Kather (@smolgoatsis) - Today at 2:25 PM

Like said earlier, she already had snowshoes, though not as needed at the other's.

Gen (Code-Kindness) - Today at 2:26 PM

Gen giggled a bit at the other name, 'Floofhead girl' that someone was called(edited)

Parot/Anna [ask-the-birb] - Today at 2:26 PM

Parot and Anna were suprised by the prospect of avian-fit shoes. They look to see three pairs. Two fit just for them [Parot]: Amazing!

Frisk [ prancing-pacifist ] - Today at 2:27 PM

[ * Frisk's rolling their eyes, smiling at the reassurance and bowing politely, it's uncommon for them to actually respect others. They're going ahead to the selection, glancing over at the various sizes before them. They're grabbing the one that looked like their size. ]

Chara|Fallen-Determination - Today at 2:27 PM

Grumpy couldn't help but snort at the sight of one of the new arrivals. He certainly looked... Prepared.

Gen (Code-Kindness) - Today at 2:27 PM

"Wait, just remembered..gotta go do somethin'! Sorry you three, wanna hang out later Frisk?" (Mun gotta go soon so kicking gen off early a bit, will return later >v>;;)

Parot/Anna [ask-the-birb] - Today at 2:27 PM

The two akwardly put on the shoes. It takes a bit for them to get the shoes on

Winter [ coldsoulgoodsoul ] - Today at 2:27 PM

* (Winter froze up by the nickname, and her cheeks became a bit reddish from the embarrassment. She quickly nods before going over to look at the selection of trail shoes and trying to ignore her clear embarrassment of the situation.)

Frisk [ prancing-pacifist ] - Today at 2:28 PM

* If I can, sure.

Parot/Anna [ask-the-birb] - Today at 2:28 PM

[Parot]: Ok, see ya Gen! [Anna]: See ya Gen! Parot and I are ready to begin!

Gen (Code-Kindness) - Today at 2:29 PM

"Alrighty, seeya Frisk, Parot, and Anna." Gen smiled, waving bye to the three as he ran off back towards the small town.

Chara|Fallen-Determination - Today at 2:30 PM

It took them a bit but the fox monster managed to find some snowshoes that fit them. They felt super weird but it was better than being ankle deep in snow.

Kather (@smolgoatsis) - Today at 2:30 PM

"So, this is a mountain, covered in trees, wildlife, and snow?"

Frisk [ prancing-pacifist ] - Today at 2:30 PM

[ * Frisk puffs their chest out, slipping on their snowshoes. It's easier to appear brave than to be brave, they're trekking into the wilderness, it's fitting. ]

Parot/Anna [ask-the-birb] - Today at 2:31 PM

Anna and Parot live near the forest so the prospect of going into the wilderness is nothing frightening to them

Winter [ coldsoulgoodsoul ] - Today at 2:32 PM

* (Since Wander found out the size of shoes Winter needed, she would have to find where that was on her boots. She decides to sit down on the ground and turn her foot to where she could see her heel . . . and she finds the size! She then quickly gets up and swiftly scans the shelves for something her size.)

Mountain Resort Staff - Today at 2:34 PM

*[The Dominion caught a glance at the girl's size and quickly shoved a proper set at Winter.] * Less delay child, more walking. Yes, trees, snow, and more wildlife than just rowdy children.

Teddy - Today at 2:34 PM

[Snowshoes equipped! -2 grace. As if he didn't trip over his clumsy ass feet enough.]

Chara|Fallen-Determination - Today at 2:36 PM

Grumpy looked over at the kid with goggles, raising an eyebrow with a smirk. "Can you even see out of those things?"

Winter [ coldsoulgoodsoul ] - Today at 2:36 PM

* (Winter blinked at the Dominion's quick response, and she tenses. She nods and steps back, feeling a bit overwhelmed. She manages to utter an "I'm sorry" before inching to another spot to slip these strange shoes on.)(edited)

Parot/Anna [ask-the-birb] - Today at 2:38 PM

Anna giggles at the child's innocent nature [Anna]: Let's get this show on the road!

Kather (@smolgoatsis) - Today at 2:38 PM

"Yes!" She agrees with Anna, pumping a fist into the air.

Mountain Resort Staff - Today at 2:38 PM

* [They point towards the trail, clearly (and clumsily) traveled by several cherubs already. Leading up the slopes, weaving through a copse of scraggly trees, and passing several fissure in the mountain.] * If you all are prepared, we can begin the tour. You will encounter ursidae up there. These creatures are friendly. If your hands are not too grubby, they might even let you pet them...  only  Seraph knows why.

Toriel/Undyne (loving-goat-975) - Today at 2:39 PM

Undyne rushes in at the last minute.

Teddy - Today at 2:40 PM

[Teddy turns around every which way to see who was talking to him. He lifts his googles off his forehead to squint at them. Not dubiously, just trying to see.] Teddy: * I mean, barely, but I manage.

Toriel/Undyne (loving-goat-975) - Today at 2:40 PM

U: Hey can I join! I'm ready and pumped!

Parot/Anna [ask-the-birb] - Today at 2:40 PM

[Parot]: I don't see why not!

Winter [ coldsoulgoodsoul ] - Today at 2:40 PM

* (Winter notices the Dominion's instruction, and she follows their finger to the land ahead once she manages to get her shoes on. Winter observes the wilderness for a few moments before freezing in her spot; crap, that was Undyne. She has to keep remembering that this is a friendly zone!)

Kather (@smolgoatsis) - Today at 2:41 PM

An Undyne! This was sure to be interesting...

Parot/Anna [ask-the-birb] - Today at 2:41 PM

Parot and Anna smile toward the Dominion. They begin their walk onto the trail

Toriel/Undyne (loving-goat-975) - Today at 2:42 PM

Undyne jogs in front, marvelling at the nature.

Kather (@smolgoatsis) - Today at 2:42 PM

She decided to follow Parot and Anna.

Toriel/Undyne (loving-goat-975) - Today at 2:42 PM

U: Ah, the great outdoors! Smell that air! Makes you want to wrestle a bear!

Parot/Anna [ask-the-birb] - Today at 2:43 PM

[Anna to Undyne]: You seem to be an exitable type, too!

Kather (@smolgoatsis) - Today at 2:43 PM

"I never want to wrestle a bear...*(edited)

Frisk [ prancing-pacifist ] - Today at 2:43 PM

[ * Frisk muttered some things under their breath, going ahead to start trailing on the path. They proceed to somewhat agree with Undyne, bear wrestling is great.  ]

Parot/Anna [ask-the-birb] - Today at 2:43 PM

[Parot]: That would be an interesting thing to watch, I would have to say!(edited)

Teddy - Today at 2:44 PM

[Wrestle a bear? Oh lordt. The thought is terrifying enough, he's not sure of this lady's temperment to see if she'd actually do it.]

Frisk [ prancing-pacifist ] - Today at 2:46 PM

* I'd wrestle a bear myself, not that I've done so before! I fought an elk, that's how close I'm gonna get to that.

Mountain Resort Staff - Today at 2:46 PM

* And you never will wrestle a bear, at least not here thank you very much! *[Appears that the angel is following along! Hovering of course, no need to sully their paws with shoes!] *Late arrivals! Grab your snowshoes and follow along! Now a family of elk frequently graze by those trees. Please do not make any sudden loud sounds.

Toriel/Undyne (loving-goat-975) - Today at 2:46 PM

U: Aw, come on! Can I wrestle the elk?

Parot/Anna [ask-the-birb] - Today at 2:47 PM

Anna laughs a little at Undyne's strange wants

Kather (@smolgoatsis) - Today at 2:47 PM

"Please wrestle nothing."

Frisk [ prancing-pacifist ] - Today at 2:48 PM

* I wanna wrestle-hug, suplex?? Suplex an elk with the fish lady, but, I don't wanna anger whatever mountain deities here.

Winter [ coldsoulgoodsoul ] - Today at 2:48 PM

* (Winter does not know many people here, so she just takes a deep breath and proceeds to catch up to the end of the group. She nervously looks around as she treads forward, trying to drag her attention to the elk. Her eyes widen; she has not ever seen anything like this before! She lets out a little suprised gasp as her answer, adoring the complexity of the cute creatures.)

Frisk [ prancing-pacifist ] - Today at 2:48 PM

* Y'can never know what can happen, ever.[ * They do want to eat some fresh venison, not doubt about that. ]

Teddy - Today at 2:50 PM

[Teddy decides to train in the back, preferably away from the angel dog. For reasons. Besides, these shoes are deceptively difficult to walk in and he chooses to not make a fool of himself!]

Parot/Anna [ask-the-birb] - Today at 2:50 PM

Parot trails behind the group seeing the child from earlier acting a little nervous [Parot to Winter]: Hey, you doing good back here little one?

Gen (Code-Kindness) - Today at 2:50 PM

Gen returned early, putting some snow shoes on quickly. "Back!" (..Or not, dunno when I am leaving)"Had time."

Parot/Anna [ask-the-birb] - Today at 2:51 PM

[Anna]: Great Gen. Come on!

Teddy - Today at 2:52 PM

[Teddy decides to pipe up as well.] Teddy: * Yeah, Winter, everything's fine, the scary winged dog said so.

Gen (Code-Kindness) - Today at 2:52 PM

"Okay!" Gen moved on over to Frisk and the other two birds.

Winter [ coldsoulgoodsoul ] - Today at 2:53 PM

* (Winter hears a voice directed at her, and she freezes up again, stopping in her tracks. She nods, gulping down her nervousness once more and treads the area a bit behind the group; it would not be too far, though. She decides to observe the people in the group a bit as we-- and she freezes up again.) * A-are y-you sure . . . ?

Gen (Code-Kindness) - Today at 2:53 PM

(fff, gotta go now, just act like Gen is following quietly;;)

Kather (@smolgoatsis) - Today at 2:53 PM

Kather was right behind the birds, struggling a bit woth her shoes

Chara|Fallen-Determination - Today at 2:54 PM

Grumpy starts following, staying near the back. "Kind of defeats the purpose of a nature walk if you can't see shit." The fox monster chuckled under their breath as they shoved their paws in their jacket pockets.

Frisk [ prancing-pacifist ] - Today at 2:55 PM

* Oooh. [ Frisk nods, keeping themselves close to the group. ] They're kinda right there.

Mountain Resort Staff - Today at 2:56 PM

* There is no need to fear child. Nothing will harm you on my watch. *[As the group approaches the trees, what seemed at first to be low branches, turns out to be the antlers of the aforementioned elks! Healthy and sleek, they lift their heads and gaze calmly at their visitor.] * ... You may move closer. Slowly. Do not tug the antlers, they re sensitive, and pet along with the fur, not against.

Toriel/Undyne (loving-goat-975) - Today at 2:56 PM

U:  Well I guess I can just enjoy nature as a whole..U: Kid, I think you'd like petting those deer.

Kather (@smolgoatsis) - Today at 2:57 PM

She squeezed between Anna and Parot, getting in front of the two.(edited)

Parot/Anna [ask-the-birb] - Today at 2:58 PM

Anna and Parot let Kather through. They let the kids go to the creature first. They just wanted to watch

Teddy - Today at 2:58 PM

[Teddy falls silent. He didn't think the dominion would hear him! He'll blame the cold on his red face and his goggles fogging up.]

Kather (@smolgoatsis) - Today at 2:59 PM

Somehow, she got to pet an elk. In all honesty, she thought she wouldn't be able to.

Winter [ coldsoulgoodsoul ] - Today at 3:00 PM

* (Winter gulps, nodding once more. She furrows her brows, shakes her head, and slowly begins to trudge through the snow once more, following behind the group. She wasn't as nervous about the surroundings since she had actually lived in a forest for a few years, but she was scared of the people. She soon regained some of her happiness as she observed the nice details of the elk.)

Frisk [ prancing-pacifist ] - Today at 3:01 PM

* Isn't nature beautiful?

Winter [ coldsoulgoodsoul ] - Today at 3:01 PM

* Mhm . . .(edited)

Chara|Fallen-Determination - Today at 3:02 PM

Chara eyed the elk from a distance. It was cool seeing such animals up close, they didn't really get to appreciate the scenery of the forest last time they ran up a mountain... Yet they didn't much feel like petting anything. They'd leave that to the younger kids.

Mountain Resort Staff - Today at 3:02 PM

* Definitely better than seeing your ungroomed mugs... I mean, certainly is wondrous!

Chara|Fallen-Determination - Today at 3:02 PM

That got a good snort out of Chara. Oh their guide was sassy, this would be entertaining.

Frisk [ prancing-pacifist ] - Today at 3:03 PM

[ * Frisk's giving the Dominion a playful glare, rolling their eyes with a shoulder shrug. ]

Kather (@smolgoatsis) - Today at 3:03 PM

She rose an eyebrow at  the winged dog, by that time she was back with the group.

Frisk [ prancing-pacifist ] - Today at 3:03 PM

* Says you.

Winter [ coldsoulgoodsoul ] - Today at 3:03 PM

* (Winter's face gets red at that remark, and her eyes drift away from the Dominion. She definitely caught that, and that was definitely bitter. She pulls her scarf up over her face for a bit, becoming the slightest bit aware about what she looked like at the moment.)

Parot/Anna [ask-the-birb] - Today at 3:03 PM

Parot just looked at the Dominion for a bit then looks back at the elk(edited)

Kather (@smolgoatsis) - Today at 3:04 PM

Now she was next to Anna somehow. Mun is curious.

Teddy - Today at 3:05 PM

[Teddy feels uneased being able to pet the wildlife. But how often did the chance come up? He channels a hidden reservoir of bravery to pet on of the elk on the head.] [It nuzzles his hand and slobbers all over it. He's disgusted and delighted!]

Parot/Anna [ask-the-birb] - Today at 3:05 PM

[Anna]: Hello little one! Anna pinches Kather's cheek and smiles(edited)

Kather (@smolgoatsis) - Today at 3:06 PM

Her cheeks get a tint of red, and she immediately begins inspecting a 'very interesting... uh... snowflake.'

Parot/Anna [ask-the-birb] - Today at 3:07 PM

Anna giggles a bit [Anna]: What have you've been up to Kather?

Winter [ coldsoulgoodsoul ] - Today at 3:07 PM

* (Winter then attempts to distract her own thoughts by watching the rather tall human pet the elk and imagining what it would feel like. She seems interested.)

Kather (@smolgoatsis) - Today at 3:07 PM

"I got my friend a scarf and failed at skiing." She shrugged.

Teddy - Today at 3:08 PM

Teddy: * Haha, gross! [He'll just wipe the elk's slobber back onto it.]

Parot/Anna [ask-the-birb] - Today at 3:09 PM

[Parot]: I don't know how to ski either. The first time Anna tried skiing she kept on going into the parking lot and wouldn't stop! Anna pokes at Parot. Her cheeks went a little pink [Anna]: Hey!

Mountain Resort Staff - Today at 3:10 PM

* Does anyone brush this childs hair...? Ahem, onwards, onwards! Come along! I'm sure the elks have had their olfactory organs assaulted enough now. *[The dominion floats along, beckoning the others to follow. The next stop appears to be under a cliffs overhang. Amidst the icy stalactites resides a small family of bats. The grump angel casually points up at them.] * These oddly cute fellows are Chiroptera. If you ever hear odd noises at night, its likely your own snoring, but there is a chance it might be them as well. You may visit them.

Kather (@smolgoatsis) - Today at 3:10 PM

"I was on the kiddy slopes."

Parot/Anna [ask-the-birb] - Today at 3:11 PM

[Parot whispers to Kather]: Anna was too,  but she didn't know how to stop so she just zoomed on by!(edited)

Chara|Fallen-Determination - Today at 3:11 PM

Chara followed the winged dog, listening as they spoke about the animals. They were certainly cute little guys...

Kather (@smolgoatsis) - Today at 3:12 PM

She snorted, than begain to wonder if the Dominion was referring to her when if asked if anyone brushed her fur.

Parot/Anna [ask-the-birb] - Today at 3:12 PM

Anna doesn't hear Parot as she listened to the Dominion. She gives a little huff at the their joke(edited)

Winter [ coldsoulgoodsoul ] - Today at 3:12 PM

* (Winter's face gets even redder as she puffs out a bit of cold air. She's tempted to reply, but she does not. She doesn't need to be reminded of how she still barely knows how to brush her hair. Winter trudges along quickly, bringing her scarf up over her nose. She doesn't want to get embarrassed any more than she already was. She was getting a bit colder and she started to shiver from it. Darnit.)

Frisk [ prancing-pacifist ] - Today at 3:12 PM

[ * Frisk huffs, they followed along behind and just... checks out the bats. They're staring right up at them, silently clapping their hands. ] * Awww, yes!

Teddy - Today at 3:13 PM

[Teddy steadily falls behind to put a sympathetic hand on Winter's shoulder. He feels bad for her, and if his goggles weren't foggy he'd be glaring a hole through that big mean dog's head!!]

Parot/Anna [ask-the-birb] - Today at 3:14 PM

[Anna]: I've never actually seen this kinda bat before. It's kinda cool!

Kather (@smolgoatsis) - Today at 3:16 PM

"Bats are kinda cute, but also kinda creepy."

Winter [ coldsoulgoodsoul ] - Today at 3:16 PM

* (Winter tenses up at the sudden touch, stopping in her spot for a brief moment. A shiver runs down her spine once more, and she turns her head to look at the tall human that fell behind to do that. Teddy's hand might just get cold if he keeps it on her shoulder for too long due to her state, but she doesn't seem to notice and she tries to catch up to the group.) * (Ooh, bats!)

Chara|Fallen-Determination - Today at 3:17 PM

Chara kept off to the side of the group as they looked up at the bats, humming softly to themself.

Frisk [ prancing-pacifist ] - Today at 3:17 PM

[ * Frisk's going ahead to be daring and head closer to the bats, they're spreading their wings to attempt a closer look at them. ]

Mountain Resort Staff - Today at 3:18 PM

*{A few bats spread their wings right back at Frisk in a little greeting.]

Frisk [ prancing-pacifist ] - Today at 3:19 PM

[ * Gasp!! They're becoming giddier, the welcoming sight just makes them grin.] * Oh my goodness...!

Mountain Resort Staff - Today at 3:19 PM

* Oh look, one beast communes with another.

Parot/Anna [ask-the-birb] - Today at 3:19 PM

Anna just giggles at Frisk reaction. She's such a cute child

Chara|Fallen-Determination - Today at 3:20 PM

Grumpy snickers.

Parot/Anna [ask-the-birb] - Today at 3:20 PM

[Parot]: Well, thats a little harsh?" Parot says to Dominion about their comment.

Kather (@smolgoatsis) - Today at 3:20 PM

She tried no to laugh at the Dominion's comments."Oh no... I've go to go." ((Mun is busy. Seeya~))

Mountain Resort Staff - Today at 3:21 PM

*True, that was a bit mean to the bats.

Frisk [ prancing-pacifist ] - Today at 3:22 PM

[ * Immediately, Frisk turns to the dominion and fluffs their feathers up; an attempt at intimidation. ] * Hey, rude!

Chara|Fallen-Determination - Today at 3:23 PM

"Oh no, a menacing parakeet." Grumpy chuckled to themselves.

Parot/Anna [ask-the-birb] - Today at 3:23 PM

Anna and Parot roll their eye at Grumpy's dumb bird joke

Teddy - Today at 3:24 PM

[Teddy, you rude shit, how are you trying to comfort one child and then laugh at another's teasing? There's a german word for that, but your nerd ass can't pronounce it.]

Frisk [ prancing-pacifist ] - Today at 3:25 PM

* I can prove t'ya how menacin' I can be! [ Not like this, child. ]

Winter [ coldsoulgoodsoul ] - Today at 3:27 PM

* (Winter gives a slightly concerned look at Teddy; she's definitely getting mixed signals from him right now. Her face is still a bit red, and she's still shivering, but her emotions are mixed. Good job.)

Chara|Fallen-Determination - Today at 3:27 PM

"Absolutely terrifying. I'm shaking in my snowboots."

Mountain Resort Staff - Today at 3:28 PM

*[ The Dominion smirks at the display, flaring out their own wings between flaps. They're kind of big...] * Relax child. It was merely in jest, I assure you. The creatures appear to enjoy your presence, I consider this a good sign. It means you are not a complete brat as I initially assumed. *Only mostly one.

Teddy - Today at 3:29 PM

[He lifts his googles and flashes an impish smile. How can a guy with a goofy grin like that be intimidating? He means well.]

Parot/Anna [ask-the-birb] - Today at 3:29 PM

[Parot]: Shall we continue please? Parot was still angry about the comments Frisk got

Chara|Fallen-Determination - Today at 3:30 PM

Grumpy glances over to Teddy. "Oh, you look slightly less of a huge dork without those on. I'm surprised." Grumpy pls

Winter [ coldsoulgoodsoul ] - Today at 3:31 PM

* (Winter sighs at the impish smile, and she grabs her scarf by the edge to pull it down. She could breathe better without the thing on, but she was more used to it loosely hanging around her neck. Winter can only hope she won't get teased for any more of her qualities.)

Frisk [ prancing-pacifist ] - Today at 3:32 PM

* Hmph! [ Tucking theirs inside, they're following the semi-secret bird code that the largest wings are the ones to be respected. They snorted, crossing their arms and making their way back to the group. ] `m glad I'm not full brat, then. Maybe, I could visit them another time n' chat it up. * If I could speak bat.

Teddy - Today at 3:32 PM

[He'll pointedly ignore that comment, only to point directly at the foxchild, gesturing to Winter.] Teddy: * Look, the scary dog person was right, one of the wildlife started to follow us and developed speech! This place is magical.

Winter [ coldsoulgoodsoul ] - Today at 3:33 PM

* (Winter shushes when Teddy gestures at her, and she looks over at the foxchild. She only tilts her head, but she doesn't say anything. That was kind of rude . . . )

Chara|Fallen-Determination - Today at 3:34 PM

With a snort, Grumpy bared their teeth and raised their paws to jokingly look menacing. "All the easier to catch a meal."

Teddy - Today at 3:37 PM

[While the fox's bare teeth does making him uneasy, he tries his best to not let it show. Teddy: * You couldn't catch a cold. [Diverting his attention back to Winter, he points again, in a different direction to a few deer huddled together.] Teddy: * Look at that bevy of deer! They might be a family.

Mountain Resort Staff - Today at 3:37 PM

*[ Why must these guests be insufferably cute? With a loud harrumph the Dominion floats along.] * As you wish my avian guests. And there will be no meal catching here, please! Animal and guest are under my protection until the tour concludes! You are all distasteful anyways, I really would not recommend it.

Winter [ coldsoulgoodsoul ] - Today at 3:39 PM

* (Winter gulps again at the teeth, shivering. A bit of frost started to form on her hand, but she shook it before any more can form. She turns her head towards the deer and she manages a smile, making a quiet comment while slowly trudging forward.) * T-they're c-cute . . .

Chara|Fallen-Determination - Today at 3:39 PM

Grumpy smirked, shoving their paws back in their pockets. "They all look a bit scrawny anyways."

Winter [ coldsoulgoodsoul ] - Today at 3:39 PM

* I h-hope t-they are having a n-nice d-day today!

Mountain Resort Staff - Today at 3:40 PM

*... they do not get many visitors here. I am sure your presence has brightened their day considerably. * This tour is as much for them as it is for all of you.

Winter [ coldsoulgoodsoul ] - Today at 3:42 PM

* (Winter's cheeks are not red anymore, but she gives a small bit of a smile. She liked the peaceful creatures.)

Frisk [ prancing-pacifist ] - Today at 3:43 PM

* Not that we're disturbin' it, it's relievin' t'know that we're not. [ Frisk's recovering from the taunts, they're a tough bird. ]

Mountain Resort Staff - Today at 3:45 PM

* Wolves are next. A family has made their den in a fissure just up ahead. I am sure they would appreciate some pets as well.

Teddy - Today at 3:46 PM

[Well that's a relief! Teddy is used to wilderness and wildlife but probably seen too many movies where things go awry should to mess with it. ]

Chara|Fallen-Determination - Today at 3:46 PM

Grumpy's ears perked up at the mention of wolves. They might actually pet these ones if they let them.

Teddy - Today at 3:47 PM

[Aaaand wolves is where Teddy stops. Wolves are just larger, more aggressive dogs.]

Frisk [ prancing-pacifist ] - Today at 3:47 PM

* ... Wolves? I could put my pettin' skills t'use!

Winter [ coldsoulgoodsoul ] - Today at 3:48 PM

* (Winter begins to lighten up once more, and she attempts to trudge in the snow faster and attempt not to trip. Even though she only has 3 days of experience with wearing boots for once, she looks around at the trees. She's used to the snow-and-trees setting, but the animals and other varieties of plants are new. The Snowdin Forest was pretty, but she got used to it easily.)

Chara|Fallen-Determination - Today at 3:50 PM

The fox monster glanced back at Teddy to raise an eyebrow and smirk. "You scared the big bad wolves are gonna eat you~?"

Parot/Anna [ask-the-birb] - Today at 3:51 PM

Wolves would interesting to see, especially passive ones

Winter [ coldsoulgoodsoul ] - Today at 3:51 PM

* (Winter looks at the fox monster and she feigns a small scowl. Now that's just rude.)

Mountain Resort Staff - Today at 3:51 PM

* Hmph, please. The wolves prefer smaller prey. Like foxes. Or little children wandering around without their parents.

Chara|Fallen-Determination - Today at 3:52 PM

Grumpy paused at that, but they were 6 foot tall so... nothing to worry about there.

Parot/Anna [ask-the-birb] - Today at 3:52 PM

Anna and Parot chuckle at the joke

Winter [ coldsoulgoodsoul ] - Today at 3:52 PM

* . . .* (Owch.)

Frisk [ prancing-pacifist ] - Today at 3:53 PM

* I can fight `em off with the power of friendship, then they won't eat me.

Teddy - Today at 3:53 PM

[That's hardly convincing him! Still, his teeth chatter in fright.]

Winter [ coldsoulgoodsoul ] - Today at 3:55 PM

* (She shakes her head and places her hands above her elbows, burying her face into her scarf a bit more.)

Parot/Anna [ask-the-birb] - Today at 3:56 PM

Parot and Anna fall a little back as they start holding hand ((Mun is sleepy he gonna go for a bit))

Mountain Resort Staff - Today at 3:56 PM

*[The angel waves the group forward, just a short jaunt past a few mounds of snow... a few have a cherubs tail sticking out... and they arrive at the fizzure. The Dominion holds up a hand signalling a halt, and raise a finger to their snout.] * They might be sleeping. A litter of pups was born a few months ago. Just going to knock and see if they are awake and wish to visit.

Parot/Anna [ask-the-birb] - Today at 3:57 PM

They were just going to follow the group and watch

Teddy - Today at 3:58 PM

Teddy: * Whatnoit'dbebetteriftheywereasleep. [Hey, it's not like he ever said he was a bravery soul.]

Winter [ coldsoulgoodsoul ] - Today at 3:58 PM

* (Winter slowly inches forward, doubting her reasoning for coming here in the first place. She was not in for this, and she feels a range of complicated emotions. The child then turns her head towards Teddy before tilting it and idling in that spot.) * ?

Chara|Fallen-Determination - Today at 3:59 PM

Grumpy eyed a few of the mounds, poking a couple of the tails as they followed the angel. They rolled their eyes at Teddy. "They're not going to eat you. As funny as that would be." That second part was mumbled. Be nice, Chara.

Frisk [ prancing-pacifist ] - Today at 4:01 PM

[ * Frisk turned their head around, walking without looking in front of them. They couldn't speak any real words of encouragement other than; ] * Yeah, they're haaarmless! I bet they are! I dunno.

Winter [ coldsoulgoodsoul ] - Today at 4:02 PM

* A-are you a-alright?

Mountain Resort Staff - Today at 4:03 PM

* [The Dominion raps a paw against the stone just inside the fizzure, a soft poff poff poff echoing into its depths...] *[ A few seconds later a trio of playful grey wolf pups come rambling out, followed by their groggy parents. The angel glances at Teddy then the wolves and, in as deadpan a manner as possible, addresses the creatures.] * Please do not devour anyone today.(edited)

Chara|Fallen-Determination - Today at 4:04 PM

They snorted at the dominion's request to the wolves before crouching down closer to the wolf pups' level. They were so cuuute~

Teddy - Today at 4:05 PM

Teddy: * O-of course they aren't! That would be physically impossible. [So much for keeping it under control, Teddy. Now he's stuttering and probably seeming 20% less cool. Still, he pushes onward, one shaky foot after another, opting to stay with the group than leave by himself.  Doesn't he know wolves and foxes eat /big chickens like himself/  ]

Chara|Fallen-Determination - Today at 4:06 PM

Grumpy's tail may or may not be wagging without their permission.

Teddy - Today at 4:07 PM

[Oh jesus how terrifying. They are small and energetic.]

Winter [ coldsoulgoodsoul ] - Today at 4:07 PM

* (Winter moves a bit closer to Teddy, having a worried look come onto her face. She gives a concerned glance at him, forgetting about her own few self-centered concerns.)

Mountain Resort Staff - Today at 4:08 PM

* Floofheaded child, they're about as ferocious and dangerous as you are, so show the bespectacled one what bravery is and pet a pup.

Frisk [ prancing-pacifist ] - Today at 4:10 PM

[ * Frisk's going ahead to step ahead towards the wolf puppers, they're sitting down to hopefully attract one. ]* Mhm, he'll really need it!

Chara|Fallen-Determination - Today at 4:10 PM

Grumpy found themselves making quiet but pleased yips as they pet the pups. They were so cute and rambunctious~

Teddy - Today at 4:11 PM

[Teddy would frown loudly at that remark if he could! He's plenty brave, he's still here, right? Though, he's a respectable distance away from the pups and his heart is palpitating, he's here! His eyes go wide at Winter, concerned if she'd actually go up to one to prove the angel's point.]

Mountain Resort Staff - Today at 4:12 PM

* [Didn't need much attraction really, one pup scurries right up to the bird Frisk and pounces on them like the fierce hunter they are! Granted a hunter would be gnawing on the bird and not yipping excitedly like it is now.]

Winter [ coldsoulgoodsoul ] - Today at 4:14 PM

* (Winter didn't realize she was called on, but she hesitantly nods and makes her way over to one of the pups slowly. She did not want to irritate them, or make them angry, or . . . be too cold, in all honesty. She inches closer and closer, crouching down . . . and places her hand gently on top of one of the pup's heads. Her hand was cold, but she gave some gentle scritches.) * (She seemed nervous.)

Teddy - Today at 4:16 PM

[Let's reiterate: Ah jesus christ how terrifying. To pet such a ferorcious beast...]

Chara|Fallen-Determination - Today at 4:17 PM

"Get over here you big coward, these pups could barely bite your hand off." Grumpy stuck their tongue out at Teddy.

Winter [ coldsoulgoodsoul ] - Today at 4:17 PM

* (To be honest, she was way more used to cats.)

Toriel/Undyne (loving-goat-975) - Today at 4:17 PM

U: You're doing good, kid!

Frisk [ prancing-pacifist ] - Today at 4:18 PM

* Whoa! [ * The mighty canine has caught their feathered prey, Frisk lifted their arms up in defense and giggle-chirped. They're reaching a hand out to pet the pup on the head, purring. ] * Calm down there, lil' buddy.

Teddy - Today at 4:19 PM

Teddy: * I'm not a coward, but I'd rather not risk it. [He hesitates to even step a bit closer to the pile of pups, trying to convince himself it's to keep an eye on Winter, who was /so obviously and clearly/ in """"danger""".]

Winter [ coldsoulgoodsoul ] - Today at 4:21 PM

* (Winter is getting a bit colder, more nervous, and worried about the pup she's trying to pet.)

Mountain Resort Staff - Today at 4:21 PM

*[The Dominion gracefully lands on the snow and kneels by Winter, scratching the pup back as well.] * A certain Staff member likes to call this one 'Ajokoira'... I think he was being ironic.  Less aggressive than the other two. See? There is no need to fear.

Chara|Fallen-Determination - Today at 4:23 PM

Grumpy kept getting this odd urge to bark and hop around. Stupid fox monster body... They kept themselves under control and just pet the pups, though. "Can we pick them up?" They asked the Dominion.

Mountain Resort Staff - Today at 4:23 PM

* Yes, you may. But do not stray too far from their parents please.

Winter [ coldsoulgoodsoul ] - Today at 4:24 PM

* (Winter tenses when the Dominion lands by her, and her scritching halts for a few moments. It's a bit overwhelming, but she did not know why she was acting like this. She nods, making little noise; she is trying her hardest not to agitate the pup.)

Chara|Fallen-Determination - Today at 4:25 PM

Grumpy nodded before carefully picking up one of the pups. They pet and nuzzled them before smirking and scooting closer to Teddy. "Look at this little bundle of fur. You can see the murder in it's eyes."

Mountain Resort Staff - Today at 4:26 PM

*[ The Dominion eyes the girl, then suddenly picks up the pup themselves... and holds it out to Winter.] * He's as docile as a 'kitten', perfect fit for you. Why don't you carry this one for a time, maybe get your companion accustomed to its presence.(edited)

Teddy - Today at 4:27 PM

Teddy: * !!

Winter [ coldsoulgoodsoul ] - Today at 4:29 PM

* (Winter gulps again, looking at the pup with worried eyes. She looks at it for a few moments before slowly obtaining the pup. She gently wraps a hand around it's chest before gently wrapping her arm on it's side to try making sure the pup was secure . . . alright. She was chilly, but at least she was wearing winter clothes.)

Mountain Resort Staff - Today at 4:31 PM

*[Was that a smile on their face? No, impossible, not on this grump. All the same, the dominion pats the childs head before going airborne again] * I will let his parents know that their 'hunter' here will be spending time with a friend.

Teddy - Today at 4:31 PM

[Look at it, with its big ol' eyes, and tiny paws clamoring to him, eager to play. And tiny little yips of excitement. Teddy is determined not to be such a punk, but he still leans away from it, eyeing it dubiously.][He stares Grumpy in the eyes defiantly, but bringing a shaky hand over to pet the devil dog without getting nibbled chomped on. He makes contact and the little puppy leans into his hand. Immediately, he flinches.]

Winter [ coldsoulgoodsoul ] - Today at 4:34 PM

* (Winter tenses at the pat, but she doesn't move. She's careful not to make any movements that could possibly disturb the animal because she's so neurotic before attempting to give it a gentle scritch behind the ear. Scritch scritch.)

Chara|Fallen-Determination - Today at 4:34 PM

Grumpy's smirk turns into a grin as Teddy hesitantly pets the pup. "It likes you~ Careful, it now has a taste for your flesh."

Winter [ coldsoulgoodsoul ] - Today at 4:36 PM

* Shh. * (She's attempting to be as quiet as possible.)

Mountain Resort Staff - Today at 4:38 PM

*[ The pup in Winter's arm leans into the scritches,  yawns and promptly curls up in her grasp to nap.] * Fierce... What is wrong with you people? One last stop. The bear awaits. Try not to soil yourselves...(edited)

Teddy - Today at 4:40 PM

Teddy: * Haha, very funny. [He tries again, giving the pup the most hesitant of scritchies. It playfully nibbles on his hand. Oh no the fox person was right! What a wretched little creature! How dare it lick his hand all friendly like like it didn't know what it did?!]

Winter [ coldsoulgoodsoul ] - Today at 4:41 PM

* (Winter can't help to gasp at the pup's actions. Her cheeks get a little red, flustered by the pup's acceptance of the child!  She barely hears the Dominion talking because of her concentration on the pup, so she stays still to let it nap. She starts to hum a short, quiet, and slow tune to the pup. Daw.)

Chara|Fallen-Determination - Today at 4:42 PM

Grumpy chuckled as the pup nibbled Teddy. Their ears drooped when the dominion said they were moving on. Aww, they wanted to play with the pups some more and tease Teddy with them.

Teddy - Today at 4:42 PM

Teddy: * Oh, great! Now put that lil' drool machine back.

Chara [still-me-chara] - Today at 4:42 PM

A figure begins to emerge through the distance, one arm held in front of her face to protect herself from the snow, taking deep wading steps in...  leggings?  Who is this madwoman?Oh, it's Chara.  Of course.

Frisk [ prancing-pacifist ] - Today at 4:43 PM

[ * Frisk paps their puppy and chuckles, they're willing to wrestle the bear. Ready to hug it, they mean. ]

Winter [ coldsoulgoodsoul ] - Today at 4:43 PM

* (Winter is unsure what to do except hum a small tune to the pup and hope it falls asleep so she can let it rest in the snow. Poor child, becoming slightly attached to the pup.)

Chara [still-me-chara] - Today at 4:43 PM

She waves gently at the approaching group; she seems to have at least insulated her clothing, and her signature sweater's had a hood attached to it.

Chara|Fallen-Determination - Today at 4:44 PM

Giving the pup a few more scratches, the fox monster Chara set the pup back down with their parents. "Bye bye~"

Winter [ coldsoulgoodsoul ] - Today at 4:45 PM

* (She's stuck in her spot, and she's getting nervous about the group. Her notes become a bit more rushed, and her arms start to tremble. Shoooot.)

Frisk [ prancing-pacifist ] - Today at 4:45 PM

[ * They're letting their new puppy friend stay behind, leaving one last pat pet before heading back to the group. They're progressively growing tired, but, it's worth it. ]

Chara [still-me-chara] - Today at 4:46 PM

Chara seems to have neglected to actually wear snowshoes; she's wading through the snow on pure determination.  "Mind if I join you?~"

Teddy - Today at 4:49 PM

[Atleast bears are way less scary than wolves and dogs. Everyone knows not to cross them. Still, people are... convinced dogs aren't furry little demons. The smaller they are, the more evil they are. Despite them being cute nope, you'll never get Teddy to admit any dog as being cute, he's convinced they are bad news. But less so. It takes time to unlearn these things. The big nerd seemed to get something from that experience, other then puppy slobber all over him.]

Mountain Resort Staff - Today at 4:49 PM

* Pup carrier, come along please! *[With a few gentle pets for the adult Wolves, the doberminion hovers off, down a winding trail leading a proper cavern. Deep rumbling can be heard within...]

Winter [ coldsoulgoodsoul ] - Today at 4:51 PM

* (Winter turns her head to the Dominion, nodding quickly. She lowers her tone of voice, but it seems more panicked when the group gets farther away from her.) * I-it's . . . f-falling asleep o-on me, t-though! I d-don't w-want to w-wake it up! * (Her arms are shaking a bit more. Don't panic, don't panic.)* (She gulps, hoping the pup is asleep. She gives it a gentle pat before kneeling down quickly to place it on the fresh layer of snow. She then turns to the group and dashes forward, attempting to catch up. She slips by the time she gets close to the group, and she falls right into the snow.)

Chara [still-me-chara] - Today at 4:57 PM

Chara promptly falls back from behind the group and extends a hand, reaching down to lift her up.  They're in a fairly good position to help, given they've forgotten their snowshoes...

Mountain Resort Staff - Today at 4:59 PM

* [The angel eyes the new arrival, and dismisses them with a quiet harrumph. Its safe to assume that it mean 'yes, you may join us on the tour, thank you for coming'. Expressive language these grunts.](edited)

Mountain Resort Staff - Today at 5:01 PM

* Just ensure you do not sink into the snow... thank you for assisting the other child. Now I would like to remind you all that the bear is friendly. Try not to act too terrified please? ...She's sensitive.

Chara|Fallen-Determination - Today at 5:02 PM

"No bear wrestling, then?" Pity, they would have liked to see someone try.

Chara [still-me-chara] - Today at 5:05 PM

Chara blinks softly, their eyes gleaming, but presumes the staff had their reasons for the brief disturbance she felt.  She focuses on pulling Winter out of the ground, making sure to only offer support and never touch without asking; good policy, in their experience.

Winter [ coldsoulgoodsoul ] - Today at 5:05 PM

* (Winter shivers even more, overwhelmed by the events occuring. She reaches up to grab onto the newcomer's hand, pulling herself up once more. There was an amount of ice on her hands, though . . . and she seems to freeze up when she ascends to a standing state. Bear?????)

Chara|Fallen-Determination - Today at 5:06 PM

Grumpy blinked. Something felt odd for a moment. Oh well. So where was this bear? They were promised a bear.

Teddy - Today at 5:06 PM

[Well, he'll stay cautious, but not scared.]

Chara|Fallen-Determination - Today at 5:07 PM

Grumpy looked back at Teddy. "Don't faint from fright when we see the big ole bear, all right? No one wants to carry your butt back to the lodge."

Winter [ coldsoulgoodsoul ] - Today at 5:08 PM

* (Winter's already in a bad mental state, so this wasn't very good. Nope. She nodded frantically as if to thank the newcomer before scooting towards Teddy. He seemed nicer anyway.)

Frisk [ prancing-pacifist ] - Today at 5:08 PM

[ * Frisk's rubbing their mittens together, hoping to spot this bear and give her a hug. That'd help, probably. ]

Chara [still-me-chara] - Today at 5:09 PM

Chara nods and immediately releases Winter; she's seen them start to freeze over before on anime night, and her friends were able to handle it then.  With any luck, things'll be the same here too.Instead, she falls into pace - with some effort - next to the excessively cute, sweater-clad fox.

Chara|Fallen-Determination - Today at 5:11 PM

Grumpy looked at the other Chara. "I'm sure there were snowshoes still available down there. Hope you can keep up." They smirked.

Chara [still-me-chara] - Today at 5:11 PM

"I started from the snowmobile trail.  Long story."

Teddy - Today at 5:11 PM

Teddy: * Bears aren't that scary, they are just big. [And with Winter scooting next to him, he smiles.] Teddy: * Just like me, isn't that right Winter?

Chara [still-me-chara] - Today at 5:11 PM

Chara...  blushes a bit.  Their companion really is very cute......notices a flash of red beneath her scarf and promptly makes the connection.Her mouth turns up into an almost Grinch-esque evil grin.

Chara|Fallen-Determination - Today at 5:13 PM

"Big enough to crush you with one swing. But sure, the itty bitty pups who just wanted to play were oh so much scarier~"

Winter [ coldsoulgoodsoul ] - Today at 5:13 PM

* (Winter freezes up again at the question before nodding rather briefly, still shivering even more and more. Darn, she forgot about the bear part.)

Chara|Fallen-Determination - Today at 5:13 PM

Grumpy raised an eyebrow at the other Chara. "You cold? Your face is red."

Gen (Code-Kindness) - Today at 5:15 PM

Gen was still with the group, just a bit quiet is all.

Teddy - Today at 5:15 PM

Teddy: * Dogs /are/ scary. Most of 'em are small, vicious little things. People know not to mess with bears. And you can't tell their temperment when they are babies. That one you held nearly chomped my fingers off. [No it /did not/, Teddy, you exaggerator.]

Chara [still-me-chara] - Today at 5:16 PM

"...No.  I was just thinking about how cute you look!""The gigantic, fluffy ears really suit you.~"

Winter [ coldsoulgoodsoul ] - Today at 5:17 PM

* . . . I j-just . . . * (Winter becomes quieter, and her voice trails off when she replies to Teddy.) * I d-don't w-wanna hurt 'em o-on accident . . .

Chara|Fallen-Determination - Today at 5:17 PM

Grumpy laughed. "Suuure it did." What the Chara said startled them, though, their big ears flattening. "Huh?"

Chara [still-me-chara] - Today at 5:18 PM

"And your fluffy tail seems so warm, too!  It's a great look for you~""I could just reach out and"Chara takes a merciless lunge inwards and boops the other Chara's snoot!

Frisk [ prancing-pacifist ] - Today at 5:18 PM

* A puppy can't just harm a gentle giant like you, Teddy. I mean, y'couldn't even get me offa you.

Chara|Fallen-Determination - Today at 5:18 PM

"U-uh... thanks-!!!" Their snoot was booped!

Asgore (King-Asgore) - Today at 5:19 PM

[ Someone seems to have gotten lost...despite wandering out here the first day even.. He's bundled up and looking excited somehow about the new hike.. He finds the group and moves to catch up] * Whew, I hope the hike is still going? * Goodness it's easy to get turned around out here..

Mountain Resort Staff - Today at 5:19 PM

* [The Angel alighted right in front of the cave entrance, but no polite knocking was needed this time. Oh no. A ROAR booms from the cave followed by earth trembling thumps asa massive bear charges forth from the darkness and buries the Dominion under its enormity.] ...(edited)

Chara|Fallen-Determination - Today at 5:19 PM

Grumpy covered their snout with their scarf and gave Chara a weak glare.

Chara [still-me-chara] - Today at 5:20 PM

Chara innocently smiles back at them like nothing's wrong.

Chara|Fallen-Determination - Today at 5:20 PM

If they said the roar didn't make them jump a little they would have been lying.

Gen (Code-Kindness) - Today at 5:20 PM

"..!!" The child was clearly startled by the huge roar.

Winter [ coldsoulgoodsoul ] - Today at 5:20 PM

* (Winter freezes in her spot, losing her breath at the sound of the roar. Winter scoots closer to Teddy, having her ice unintentionally spread on her hands a bit more. She's terrified.)

Mountain Resort Staff - Today at 5:20 PM

*[The Dominon is actually laughing beneath all that fur. A closer look reveals the the creature has them pinned down with one paw while noisily snuffling at their face.](edited)

Asgore (King-Asgore) - Today at 5:21 PM

* Oh dear.. [ This must be a different bear..... ...or not?]

Gen (Code-Kindness) - Today at 5:21 PM

..The child stared in confusion, it seemed aggressive but now it just seems to be nuzzling the heck out of the dog.

Asgore (King-Asgore) - Today at 5:21 PM

* ... * They must be friends?

Frisk [ prancing-pacifist ] - Today at 5:21 PM

* Aw sh---!!! Wow, ahaha, that got me there.

Chara|Fallen-Determination - Today at 5:21 PM

"..." Grumpy's startled expression turned to a small smile as it became obvious the bear was just playing, not that it was easy to see under their scarf.

Teddy - Today at 5:21 PM

Teddy: * But I /know/ you, Frisk, you would've done that sooner or lat- GAH! [Jesus, how terrifying 2: electric bugaloo.]

Gen (Code-Kindness) - Today at 5:21 PM

"That really tricked me aheh..I actually thought they were mad."(edited)

Chara [still-me-chara] - Today at 5:24 PM

Chara hangs back, starting to become.... very cold.  Though even the snow getting to them doesn't stop them from smirking at the group, and the other Chara in particular.~

Asgore (King-Asgore) - Today at 5:24 PM

* Quite a believable performance.. I was worried we were about to have to run down the mountain..

Chara [still-me-chara] - Today at 5:24 PM

"Sometime soon, you'll have to tell me how you feel about""Pets!~"

Mountain Resort Staff - Today at 5:24 PM

*[ The Angel roughly pushes the bears snout away and pulls themself free. After composing themself, the Dominion makes the introductions.] * ... Yes. We're friends. She is actually everybody's friend. Guests, this is Ursula. Probably the oldest resident in these mountains.

Gen (Code-Kindness) - Today at 5:25 PM

Gen waves a bit at the bear..

Teddy - Today at 5:25 PM

Teddy: * If you jumped any higher, you might've hit the ceiling. [Ahuehue, now it's his turn to taunt.]

Chara [still-me-chara] - Today at 5:25 PM

Chara wasn't fooled for a moment.  Like Angelo would stock the resort with hostile monsters.

Chara|Fallen-Determination - Today at 5:25 PM

Grumpy's eyes narrowed at both Chara and Teddy. "I was just startled. It was loud." They grumbled. "And no pets. I'll bite you."

Winter [ coldsoulgoodsoul ] - Today at 5:26 PM

* (Winter nods, still feeling the slightest bit unsafe. She also was feeling rather chilly because her hands were almost completely covered in a thin layer of ice. Good job, Winter.)

Chara [still-me-chara] - Today at 5:26 PM

Chara pouts a bit.  "Fiiiine~"

Asgore (King-Asgore) - Today at 5:26 PM

* Hello Ursula! [ Asgore waves to the bear]

Winter [ coldsoulgoodsoul ] - Today at 5:27 PM

* H . . . h-hi . . .

Chara|Fallen-Determination - Today at 5:27 PM

The fox monster blinked over at the Asgore who had joined them as well. When did he get here? Must have been during the commotion...

Frisk [ prancing-pacifist ] - Today at 5:28 PM

* `allo, Ursula, hope yer doin' fine tonight. [ Wink wonk. ]

Gen (Code-Kindness) - Today at 5:28 PM

"Hi Ursula!.."

Asgore (King-Asgore) - Today at 5:29 PM

[ Asgore comes when u least expect it, Goat dad arrives on the wind like ghost] * It's amazing who all lives out here..

Teddy - Today at 5:29 PM

Teddy: * I'll protect you from the big bad bear, don't you worry. [He turns his attention to Winter again.] Teddy: * Don't worry, the bear won't hurt nobody. Don't be scared...

Winter [ coldsoulgoodsoul ] - Today at 5:31 PM

* (Winter gulps again, trying to swallow her nervousness immediately. She's making a bad example, and who knows what the others could be thinking of her? Her whole body is still shaky, but it starts to ease up a bit. She quietly whines.)

Chara [still-me-chara] - Today at 5:31 PM

Chara backs off once more, approaching Winter steadily.

Mountain Resort Staff - Today at 5:31 PM

*[ BEAT] * I see the mountain king is here. Please refrain from bleating loud enough to wake the dead please. Now! Go on, pet Ursula, the lady could some attention!

Chara [still-me-chara] - Today at 5:31 PM

"It's all right.  The bear's almost certainly not dangerous."

Gen (Code-Kindness) - Today at 5:32 PM

Gen approached the bear a bit nervously, patting the bear on the head gently.

Chara [still-me-chara] - Today at 5:32 PM

"This world is under Angelo's control, and he's one of the most responsible beings I've ever seen on any plane.  I'm certain he wouldn't bring anything here if he thought it posed a threat to the guests."

Mountain Resort Staff - Today at 5:32 PM

* Only thing dangerous about her is her breath. * [A casual swipe from the bear knocks the angel on their rump.]

Gen (Code-Kindness) - Today at 5:32 PM

"Pfff"

Chara [still-me-chara] - Today at 5:33 PM

"It's all right if you aren't interested, though.  It's fine to stay back."

Gen (Code-Kindness) - Today at 5:33 PM

"It's rude to say that in front of the person."

Winter [ coldsoulgoodsoul ] - Today at 5:33 PM

* (Winter does not understand a few of the words the newcomer is speaking, but she still nods like she understands. In all honesty, she does not really understand, and she's still terrified.)

Teddy - Today at 5:33 PM

[Snoooort. Give them the ol' what for, Ursula.]

Frisk [ prancing-pacifist ] - Today at 5:33 PM

[ * Frisk's actually showing less fear and more carelessness, which helps them confront Ursula. They stop on their tracks to sneak a cackle, bearing their fangs happily. ]* Y'deserved that!

Chara [still-me-chara] - Today at 5:34 PM

...Chara hopes she's helping.  Regardless, she proceeds forwards...  and pets softly and politely, smiling up at the bear before retreating once more.~

Gen (Code-Kindness) - Today at 5:34 PM

Gen was still petting Ursula, if that was fine. They said it was okay kinda so..

Mountain Resort Staff - Today at 5:34 PM

* I think she just demonstrated her opinion on the rudeness of my actions thank you for your input though. * [The grump pup is still smiling.]

Gen (Code-Kindness) - Today at 5:35 PM

Gen soon thought that was enough pats for now..retreating his hand and moving back over to the group. The small shine of the present in his hood gave a slight glare from any slight sunlight that were to touch it..mainly the gold shiny color on the ribbon.

Chara|Fallen-Determination - Today at 5:35 PM

Grumpy snorted at Teddy's early comment. "I doubt you can protect anyone with that skinny ass of yours..."

Winter [ coldsoulgoodsoul ] - Today at 5:36 PM

* (She tries to inch forward despite her fear taking over, taking a deep breath and reaching out her hand to realize it's almost all the way covered in ice. That now hidden hand was now shown right in front of her face, and that was super embarrassing.)

Frisk [ prancing-pacifist ] - Today at 5:36 PM

* Ooooh!!!!

Asgore (King-Asgore) - Today at 5:37 PM

[ Asgore blushes...so the staff did hear him bleating like a loon last night...w h o o p s] * Ahah ah..I'll try not to..Just..spur of the moment thing I couldn't resist..

Mountain Resort Staff - Today at 5:37 PM

* Floofhead, it is alright. Please do not fear Ursula, she'd rather make friends than scare anyone.

Chara|Fallen-Determination - Today at 5:38 PM

"I'm pretty sure you woke up the whole resort with all that bleating last night." Fox Chara smirked slightly, approaching the bear. She seemed nice.

Gen (Code-Kindness) - Today at 5:38 PM

"That's what that noise was?"

Winter [ coldsoulgoodsoul ] - Today at 5:38 PM

* (She nods, but she gives a weary look at her hands before looking back at him.) * I d-don't . . . t-think she'd like t-to be p-pet w-with ice o-on my h-hands . . .

Asgore (King-Asgore) - Today at 5:39 PM

* ...Yes well, it's been ages since I've been on /top/ of a mountain for once.. * Even Kings can do silly things once in a while, like bleat loud enough to wake the dead heheh. [ He takes this moment to give Ursula some pets..]

Teddy - Today at 5:39 PM

Teddy: * I can take more damage than I can dish out. And no one told you to look at my ass. [He sticks out his tongue to add more insult to his rare use of swearing, and willingly goes to approach the bear. Normal circumstances, absolutely not, but here? Sure. This totally makes sense.]

Mountain Resort Staff - Today at 5:40 PM

*Yes, the goat and his daughter I believe were having a long distance convesation.

Gen (Code-Kindness) - Today at 5:40 PM

"Lets just say this. Y'all are nerds."Gen snickers.

Frisk [ prancing-pacifist ] - Today at 5:40 PM

* Thank goodness I wasn't asleep there, I would've screeched myself. [ Frisk goes ahead to hug Ursula instead of pet, they're in the hugging mood. ]

Mountain Resort Staff - Today at 5:40 PM

* Floofhead, just hug her then!

Gen (Code-Kindness) - Today at 5:40 PM

"Or dorks."

Mountain Resort Staff - Today at 5:40 PM

* The Bird child has the right idea.

Winter [ coldsoulgoodsoul ] - Today at 5:41 PM

* (She gulps, shivering a bit. She was even more nervous that the bird was hugging the bear; she has bad memories from that bird, but this was not the time! Why was she so panicked?)

Chara|Fallen-Determination - Today at 5:41 PM

Grumpy blinked before smirking despite the kind of embarrassing accusation. "I can't stare at something that's nonexistent."

Mountain Resort Staff - Today at 5:41 PM

*[ Ursula is rumbling rather appreciably at all the attention, even leaning her head into Frisk's embrace.]

Gen (Code-Kindness) - Today at 5:41 PM

Gen glanced over at the nearby panicked looking person.. "Ya alright?"

Chara|Fallen-Determination - Today at 5:42 PM

Carefully, the fox reached out to lightly pet the bear.

Asgore (King-Asgore) - Today at 5:42 PM

* We were actually..though I didn't think it'd carry that far.. If I do it again I'll be sure to use my indoor bleating voice. [ Which was probably still loud considering bleats but ok, he had sated his need to be goaty for the vacation at least]

Winter [ coldsoulgoodsoul ] - Today at 5:42 PM

* I-I'm sorry . . .

Gen (Code-Kindness) - Today at 5:43 PM

"...?"

Teddy - Today at 5:43 PM

[Teddy whips his head around.] Teddy: * You were one of the ones barking and bleating? [He doesn't mean to sound so bold and accusatory to the King, but it certainly does anyway.]

Mountain Resort Staff - Today at 5:44 PM

* [And out flicks her tongue. Enjoy the affection of a bear Frisk, slobber all over your face now.]

Frisk [ prancing-pacifist ] - Today at 5:45 PM

[ * Frisk chitters after their pleasant hums, snapping their eyes open immediately with a shocked expression. They surely didn't expect that! ]

Chara|Fallen-Determination - Today at 5:45 PM

"Who else has the lung capacity to bleat that loud?"

Mountain Resort Staff - Today at 5:46 PM

* [The Doberminion sighs. They point at Winter and pat the ground besides them.] * Floofhead, come here a moment?

Gen (Code-Kindness) - Today at 5:46 PM

"Pfff, feathers ruffled again Frisk? From the slobber."

Frisk [ prancing-pacifist ] - Today at 5:47 PM

* Now, I'm gonna have t'shower. [ Frisk sticks their own tongue out. ] Naaaah.

Winter [ coldsoulgoodsoul ] - Today at 5:47 PM

* (She nods quickly, inching towards the Doberminion. Her headspace was not very good right now, and she was obviously nervous. Was she in trouble? She did not know.)

Gen (Code-Kindness) - Today at 5:47 PM

"Just hope to yourself the water isn't cold when ya shower.""Or someone doesn't turn the sink on in the middle of it.."

Mountain Resort Staff - Today at 5:49 PM

* I was not aware you even knew what a shower was, bird. Certainly seems like you never had one... miss, just sit right beside me please, it is okay.

Gen (Code-Kindness) - Today at 5:49 PM

"Wow.."

Winter [ coldsoulgoodsoul ] - Today at 5:50 PM

* (She nods, carefully taking a seat beside the Doberminion and she fidgets with her torn scarf.)

Chara|Fallen-Determination - Today at 5:50 PM

They snickered at the dominion's quip.

Asgore (King-Asgore) - Today at 5:50 PM

* Well yes I was one of them...mostly the one who started it. * It was something I did when I was much younger with my family actually.. I know that sounds silly. [ He doesn't seem to mind Teddy's question, he probably knows its weird to randomly hear someone bleating their head off at night in this age]

Frisk [ prancing-pacifist ] - Today at 5:50 PM

* Well! I mean, you're kinda right, sorta not--- ANYWAYS, I do!

Winter [ coldsoulgoodsoul ] - Today at 5:51 PM

* (Or at least she tries to. The ice on her hands is starting to melt just a bit, but she attempts to get rid of the ice by attempting to clench her hands; it was a rather thin layer anyway.)

Gen (Code-Kindness) - Today at 5:51 PM

"Pff, Frisk you're a fluffy feathered dork." Gen giggled a bit. "This whole experience was pretty neat though."

Mountain Resort Staff - Today at 5:53 PM

* [The angel huffs, just kind of sort of looking away... but they're holding an arm out towards Winter, inviting her to come closer.] * [The bear on the other hand has rambled up to Asgore, snuffling the boss mosters beard.]

Winter [ coldsoulgoodsoul ] - Today at 5:54 PM

* (Winter notices the arm and hesitates for a moment, but she does come closer.)

Chara|Fallen-Determination - Today at 5:56 PM

Grumpy stepped back to watch people pet the bear...

Asgore (King-Asgore) - Today at 5:56 PM

[ Asgore is being snuffled by a bear...this is a first. He gives them more of a good petting since they're this close wow] * Ah...Hello Ursula..I take it you like my beard?

Teddy - Today at 5:57 PM

Teddy: * Oh, well, I guess that puts me at ease knowing someone was doing it. It was a bit frightening... [No, Teddy, you're just a weenie, knock it off. He's all petted out, Ursula is a lovely lady.]

Asgore (King-Asgore) - Today at 6:00 PM

* I apologize if I spooked you or anyone else with my antics then. * I suppose I..got a bit carried away? I blame the goat in me. [ He jus love that snow man..it good snow]

Chara|Fallen-Determination - Today at 6:01 PM

Chara shifted awkwardly off to the side of the group, wondering if they were moving on soon. They were a bit... socialized out... Maybe they could just walk back down the mountain...

Mountain Resort Staff - Today at 6:03 PM

*[The grump gives her a little one armed hug and talk quietly to Winter.] * Child, why are you afraid of one so friendly? * [Aforementioned friendly bear was currently tugging on Asgore's beard gently. That yould be a yes.]

Winter [ coldsoulgoodsoul ] - Today at 6:04 PM

* (Winter enjoys it, but she lets out a shaky breath and tries to not shake as much. She might be a bit cold for the Dominion, but she whispers in a somewhat panicked tone.) * . . . I d-don't w-want to u-upset a-any of the a-animals. I h-haven't s-seen a-any in years, and . . .

Mountain Resort Staff - Today at 6:05 PM

* Tour is concluded, guests. Thank you for participating. You mayy stay to socialize with Ursula, or the other residents, or leave. It is your choice. But please return the shoes to my booth.

Gen (Code-Kindness) - Today at 6:06 PM

"Alright!""What time is it? .." The child lacked a watch..

Frisk [ prancing-pacifist ] - Today at 6:07 PM

[ * Frisk's slipping off of Ursula, her fur basically multiplied their warmth. They're going ahead to pat her for a thanks, still internally upset about the saliva all over them. ] * Yer welcome. I should get goin' myself, then, ick.

Mountain Resort Staff - Today at 6:08 PM

* ~Child, your presence makes these animals happy. They have not seen anyone in years either. You will not upset them by trying to be their friend.~ *[Ursula gives Frisk gentle swipe of her paw, barely a nudge, to express her gratitude. Her eyes are wide and merry!]

Gen (Code-Kindness) - Today at 6:09 PM

"By the way it was nice meeting you, Ursula!" Gen gave the bear a happy smile.(edited)

Winter [ coldsoulgoodsoul ] - Today at 6:10 PM

* (Winter nods, still shivering quite a bit; it is going down, though. She still seems nervous, but not as much. She speaks quieter, tone becoming less panicked.) * R-really?

Frisk [ prancing-pacifist ] - Today at 6:11 PM

* Ahaha! That's the spirit!

Asgore (King-Asgore) - Today at 6:12 PM

[ Asgore doesn't want the bear to nibble his bear...d. He worked hard growing that.. he gives the bear a few more pats before trying to gently pull his beard free] * She's quite the friendly one I would say.. * I should be heading back down myself.

Chara|Fallen-Determination - Today at 6:12 PM

Grumpy decided to take their leave, the couple additions to the hiking party making them feel too awkward to continue to pet Ursula. Without a word they headed back down to drop off their snow shoes at the shack they got them from.

Mountain Resort Staff - Today at 6:12 PM

*[The bear opened her maw wide and shook herself, fur flaring about. She rumbles contentedly at the departing guests.] *[ Your magnificent beard is free goatman... for now.]

Teddy - Today at 6:14 PM

[Teddy's done well to not fumble with his snowshoes on. Tripped once or twice, but-- wait, no, /now/ he eats shit, on the way down. Good job, Teddy. Well, hopefully no one saw that, he dusts himself off and treks back down cautiously, sure to take a few pictures while he was at it.]

Asgore (King-Asgore) - Today at 6:16 PM

[ Donut steal the beard.. it is his secret power source o noes. He waves farewell and makes his way back down the mountain, resisting urge to bleat once more..maybe tomorrow before they head home]

Gen (Code-Kindness) - Today at 6:16 PM

Gen makes his way back down too to drop the snow shoes off at the shack he got them from and heading on elsewhere.

Frisk [ prancing-pacifist ] - Today at 6:16 PM

[ * They glided back to the base of the mountain at a rapid pace, Frisk couldn't carry themselves using their legs tonight since it's getting late and a long nap will be needed. ]

Chara|Fallen-Determination - Today at 6:16 PM

They sat down by the shack, taking their snowshoes off while deep in thought. It was a nice little outing. Now they just had to figure out what to do for the rest of the day...

Mountain Resort Staff - Today at 6:18 PM

* [As if Winter's chill would bother a Dominion! Poised and refined, with the best fur!] * ~Yes child. Really. All guest are a welcome addition to these mountains. You bring life where there was so little. So please, fear not. Be happy. Be vibrant.~

Asgore (King-Asgore) - Today at 6:19 PM

[ As he sets his snowshoes back in place he muses about maybe trying this...sauna he's heard about?]

Winter [ coldsoulgoodsoul ] - Today at 6:20 PM

* (She sighs, nodding again. She mumbles, voice becoming a bit cheerier.) * T-thank you.

Mountain Resort Staff - Today at 6:21 PM

*~You are welcome child. And tell your father to take better care of you, I am not a babysitter. Now if you'll visit Ursula for a moment, I can grab something in the cave for you~

Frisk [ prancing-pacifist ] - Today at 6:21 PM

[ * Frisk goes ahead to put their equipment back after taking them off, going ahead to stretch their legs. No more shoes for another day, they're rubbing their eyes and heading to the #ski_lodge-lounge for a little hang out. ](edited)

Winter [ coldsoulgoodsoul ] - Today at 6:24 PM

* (Winter thinks for a moment, pausing for just a moment. She then stands up and nods, heading over to Ursula rather slowly. The ice on her hands have melted a bit, but they're still bitter cold. She looks up at the bear, tilting her head for just a moment.)

Mountain Resort Staff - Today at 6:25 PM

*[Ursula is sitting on her haunches, and paws at the air in a mimicry of a wave at Winters approach.] *[The Dominion takes the opportunity to stroll into the cave.]

Winter [ coldsoulgoodsoul ] - Today at 6:26 PM

* (Winter gives a wave to the bear as well before pulling down her rather poofy jacket.)

Mountain Resort Staff - Today at 6:27 PM

*[She takes a few lumbering cautious steps towards the kid but stops a few feet short, head tilted as though asking for permission to come closer.] * [A light scraping is heard in the cave.]

Winter [ coldsoulgoodsoul ] - Today at 6:29 PM

* (Winter hesitates for a moment, continuing to be idle in her position before letting her arm fall to her side. She gives a measly nod before shuffling on her feet.)

Mountain Resort Staff - Today at 6:32 PM

*[The big ol' bear promptly sidles up the girl and startes snuffling around her jacket, particularly the pockets. Detecting something sweet, it plops down and givesWinter a level stare. It is rude not to share when you have so much, kid.] * [The Angel emerges from the cave, examining a pair of objects in their hand.]

Winter [ coldsoulgoodsoul ] - Today at 6:36 PM

* (Winter freezes up in her spot from the snuffling and she lets the bear inspect her. She starts to get colder for that one moment before watching the bear's stare. She recognizes what Ursula wants and her cheek areas darken, searching for the candy in her pockets and pulling a couple out, laying them on her hand.)

Mountain Resort Staff - Today at 6:41 PM

*[Poor kid might've just got bear slobber all over her hand, as Ursula slurped the treats right up!] *[And yes, that is the angel laughing. They saw the whole thing.] * Hoohoohoohoo! See, fast friends already! Come here child, I have something for you.

Winter [ coldsoulgoodsoul ] - Today at 6:42 PM

* (Winter got a chill up her spine from the slobber, but she's perfectly fine with it. She has some empathy, which is required for her own darn Virtue. Winter's cheeks get a little darker momentarily because of the Dominion's laughing, but she comes closer to them due to the request.)

Mountain Resort Staff - Today at 6:45 PM

*[They hold out their paw, in which rests a pair of dull white bear teeth.] * The lady lost these a few years ago. I thought they would make an adequate souvenir. One for you, and another for the layabout.

Winter [ coldsoulgoodsoul ] - Today at 6:47 PM

* (Winter blinks at the teeth, and she gasps; that was a somewhat unnerving but nice gift! She nods, flashing somewhat of a thankful and giddy smile.) * T-thank y-you very much!

Mountain Resort Staff - Today at 6:51 PM

* You are very welcome child. I am sure you or your father can find something to do with them I do not think Ursula will be needing them anymore... Thank you for giving her a chance, floofhead.

Winter [ coldsoulgoodsoul ] - Today at 6:53 PM

* (Winter nods, but something comes across her mind in the heat of the moment! She quickly places one hand into her pocket and pulls out a few pieces of . . . vanilla candy? She hands them to the Dominion.) * I t-think U-Ursula liked these.

Mountain Resort Staff - Today at 6:57 PM

* [They stare at the candy, an honest smile playing across their face. They gather up the candy and pat her (floofy) head.] * I shall slip her one every so often, to remind Ursula of your visit. Now unless you want to stay with me and clean those snowshoes, you best run along. Else I might conscript you.

Winter [ coldsoulgoodsoul ] - Today at 6:59 PM

* (Winter nods, stifling a giggle for that brief moment. Now that she's completely calm, the pat doesn't bug her as much. She starts to walk backwards when they mention the cleaning of the snowshoes before treading off, giving a wave to the grump.) * T-thank you f-for t-the tour too! * (There, she heads off rather quickly and makes her way over to the #ski_lodge-lounge .)

Mountain Resort Staff - Today at 7:00 PM

* ...cute ki~ *[And they're immediately buried under a mound of pouncing bear again!]

#discord rp shenanigns #coldsoulgoodsoul #Their Family: The Goopdaughter #nolvlost #seraphofretribution #Doggo's Gyftmas Retreat #fallen determination #king asgore #code kindness #smolgoatsis #loving goat 975 #The Pledge: Queue