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remidyal · 10 months

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Poison/Bane/Malignancy Snippets - Bad Kids PoVs

These are snippet outtakes from the series I love the most that my readers don't seem to, Poison from the PoV of the bad kids. These are following the good ending for Malignancy, and also take @20dimensionsoftangerine 's story of Blight into account.

First, a snippet from about two weeks after Bane, when Adaine is declared dead by her parents and Fallinel:

There was silence at the Bad Kids' usual lunch table, the five of them all staring down at the story Riz had pulled up on his crystal after he had received a news alert.

Fallinel Ambassador's Daughter Declared Dead

There was a picture at the top, a group shot of the Abernant family, Angwyn and Arianwen Abernant in the the background, Aelwyn Abernant right between them. Adaine was on the left side. She was halfway cropped out of the image, but was scowling down at the ground from what they could see.

None of them spoke for the moments necessary to read the very brief obituary, nor for some time after, the pall that had already been over them growing thicker in the air. It was Kristen that finally broke the silence.

"I mean, this is bullshit, right?" She asked, but her voice was trembling. "I know her family are wizards, but I think she was the only diviner?"

"Of course it's bullshit!" Fig said. "Adaine always says her family sucks, this is just more proof of it. They're happy to get rid of her, just look at them! But I'm telling you - we need to look more closely into Porter."

Their investigation into Adaine's disappearance had been stonewalled at every turn over the last two weeks. She had definitely been in her Enchantment class that Monday, and she'd never turned up at the Arcana Knowledge class that had been ten minutes later - they had plenty of evidence on both sides of that. The in between was the problem; they'd interrogated dozens of students who might have been in the halls between classes, and gotten nothing out of it.

The camera footage that was supposed to be recorded of the halls was all missing a full hour at that time, too; Biz Glitterdew had looked embarrassed about it, but claimed it must have been taken by staff. Given that Daybreak was dead, that was more than a little worrying if another person was involved; Fig was insitent that it was their Barbarian instructor.

Gorgug shook his head. "Porter was in class with us on time on the other side of campus. I don't think he could have had time to do anything to Adaine, Fig." They had had this discussion more than once, too.

Fabian, at last, stood up and spoke loudly, other students looking at them in annoyance. "I don't think we're going to get anything else by just looking for Adaine, anymore. I think we need to… Well, I hate to say it, but I think we need to look into the Ball's case of missing girls. If we find them, I think we will find Adaine among them." He waved a hand at the crystal, and added. "We have to believe that. That has to be a lie."

This next one is right after they're arrested following a very similar arcade fight:

Fig collapsed to sitting on the floor of the jail cell they'd been placed in, screaming at the void or maybe just the federal agents who were lurking right out of sight. "You've got the wrong fuckin' people! Go arrest Penelope Everpetal and do something actually useful!"

The feds remained steadfastly uninterested in the information that they had gotten from Biz Glitterdew, before Riz had covered a wall of the arcade with his brain. At least he wouldn't get away with his crimes unpunished.

It was Kristen again who said what they were all afraid of. "…All of the girls except Adaine were there, though. Even if we lost them, at least we know Biz thinks they're back in their real bodies somewhere. Do you think he was right about…?"

Biz had claimed, at gunpoint, that Penelope was supposed to get Adaine into a palimpsest, but that something had gone wrong and the 'data' as he had called it had been lost. Permanently. Adaine's soul, scattered to the ether or some shit just because of a mistake in a spell. Or maybe just trapped in the air in a supply closet at Aguefort.

That had been not long before Riz had pulled the trigger on his head instead of just the fingers; they didn't really have a reason to doubt Biz's story.

"It simply must not be so." Fabian said, shaking his head again. "Here's what we're going to do: We're going to get my father to get us out of this gods damned prison, we're going to throttle some answers out of Penelope Everpetal, and if her answers are the same as what Biz told us, we'll all take turns shooting off some of HER fingers before we kill her."

And finally, one from Adaine's PoV of the Prom and its immediate aftermath:

The sounds of battle raged around Adaine, trapped still in crystal, unable to tell if her friends were winning or not but so so worried and so so glad that they had made it out of prison. She was barely attached to herself within the prison, at this point; this body wasn't real, this place wasn't real, only the glimpses she could get of the events outside mattered.

Lightning. Aelwyn, a soft look on her face Adaine had never seen directed at her before, the first person who wasn't Penelope to hold the crystal since Adaine had been trapped there. She'd heard her sister more than once, but not seen her. Penelope had always kept her carefully out of sight.

The moment didn't last. Goldenhoard - now a giant red dragon - descended up Aelwyn, who turned to face him and sent Adaine flying through the air, a terrifying experience. She didn't know what would happen to her if she were to shatter, but it would be nothing good she was certain.

Riz snatched her from the air, and stared into the crystal, even his face giant relative to the palimpsest Adaine was trapped in, but the shock was clear, and even more so in his voice, almost sounding as though he could not believe it. "Adaine..?" He asked, and a tear escaped from his eye, rolling down his cheek.

She had no way to reply, of course, not verbally. She tried to wave, though she wasn't completely certain how visible she was from the outside, and… Riz tilted the crystal slightly, and Adaine got another view of her sister putting up a fight against the dragon, who had abandoned any efforts against other attackers to focus on her. Aelwyn was shockingly good in a fight for someone who had spent her life disdaining practical forms of casting, at least in front of their parents.

She was not good enough to face a dragon who was personally enraged at her. The last thing Adaine saw that she could remember was her sister staring sightlessly up, blood pooling around her, claw and bite marks all over her. Panic settled in, and she felt herself detaching from this excuse for a body, and did not struggle not to, her eyes going blank.

She didn't really remember anything else until the AV room.

And then there was something she hadn't truly felt in months - physical pain, as she landed onto a floor. A breeze of actual air against her skin. A group of people crowded around her, some larger than others but far too many after months of the purest isolation imaginable.

Oh. They were mostly all saying her name. And crying. Her friends, alive and well through the fight. Fabian and Gorgug each grabbed a hand, pulling her to her feet, and Arthur Aguefort was standing nearby even though he was months dead, and she couldn't be certain if this was really happening or if the crystal had malfunctioned in some way that corrupted her mind.

Check, by asking about the last thing she remembered. She thought hard for a moment, trying to communicate that way, before embarrassedly remembering that unlike Penelope noone here would be running a Detect Thoughts on her.

"Your sister was Revivified by young Miss Applebees here, Miss Abernant. The police are holding her in front of the school." Arthur Aguefort, who apparently WAS running a Detect Thoughts on her, said, the mention of Aelwyn who had jumped in pulling Adaine back to her own body, reminding her how to speak.

Which she needed to now, no matter that desperate, agonizing joy that her friends were looking at her with.

"Right, um, I need to talk with her before they take her away, give me five minutes?" She begged her friends, before turning away and walking.

"You've got two!" Fabian yelled behind her, clearly reluctant to even give her that much. She had best make this time count; it might be a long time before her friends let her have any to herself again, after however long.

#adaine abernant #figueroth faeth #riz gukgak #dimension 20 #aelwyn abernant #fanfic #fantasy high

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gorgugplushie · 3 years

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Fig and Ayda do the sappy reunion a lot but for like. Normal things. Fig runs into Aydas arms and they cry and laugh and kiss and Adaine comes up 2 seconds later carrying sm groceries annoyed.

#(adaine) we were gone for MINUTES #fh #figayda #gorgug txt.#guess who drew a vunch of figayda instead of working on their gorguguary

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0stentatia · 3 years

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A “Riz & Adaine being lowkey besties” fanfic

The morning after they rescue Adaine & Aelwyn from Calethriel Tower, after she restores Aelwyn’s memory to before she was captured, Adaine is sitting at the back of the Van trying not to spiral. Riz joins her, and they have a little chat.

(This is the first Fantasy High fic I’ve ever written & the first fanfic I’ve written in a hot minute so I’m sorry if it’s not the best but I needed this to exist because I love Riz & Adaine’s friendship sm.)

The songs of the Treants danced through the air around Kei Lumennura as Adaine sat at the back of the van with the doors open wide. Her sister was curled up and unconscious inside, restored back to her unfortunate past self. There had been an abundance of pain seeing her sister weak and broken and vulnerable, but there had also been hope. Hope that maybe this would be a new start for the sisters. Aelwyn had spoken to her in a way that made Adaine finally feel like her equal, finally feeling like she wanted to care for her instead of casting Ray of Sickness at any chance she got. But the world was cruel and unforgiving, so the walk through Aelwyn’s mind had torn her heart out and then had given her no time to grieve.

The old Aelwyn was back, her father was possibly dead, and her mother was working for somebody who definitely wasn’t good. The anxiety was mounting, quickly. She’d taken her meds upon waking up this morning but that just took the edge off enough to keep her from being incapacitated by her panic attacks. Holding Boggie tightly to her chest, she was lost in her own thoughts as the rest of the group carried on. After some time, she was interrupted by a familiar voice.

“So… It’s been a uh, wild few days, huh?” She lifted her eyes from the spot on the ground they’d been focused on to see Riz standing in front of her.

She scoffed lightly and nodded her head, not saying anything.

Riz didn’t say anything else for a long moment either. He moved to lift himself up and sit beside her in the back of the van, his legs swinging slightly as they dangled over the edge. There was a heaviness in her chest.

She wanted to be back home, with Jawbone there to help her through any crises she may have, or at least to have her group therapy once a week to keep her grounded. She wanted to be far away from Fallinel, far away from those who had captured her and were most likely going to execute her. Adaine missed Elmville terribly, and she missed the comfort of familiarity and regularity that it brought to her just as much.

“I’m really glad you’re back,” Riz finally spoke again. He rubbed the back of his neck and turned his head to look at her. “We weren’t really sure what was happening to you, or what they were going to do with you, and that was…” He sighed, “The not knowing was scary.”

“I’m pretty sure they were going to execute me.” Adaine said quietly.

Riz’s brow shot up in surprise. “What?!”

“Yeah. I mean.. I was basically given a choice. Either stay and be their Elven Oracle and do everything they told me to do.. Or they were going to kill me, so the gift of the Oracle could be passed on to somebody else, somebody who would stay in Fallinel and do what they wanted.” The weight of the words leaving her lips fell on her shoulders like boulders. She felt too numb to cry.

“Holy shit Adaine… And your dad was fine with that?”

“Of course he was, Riz. He’s a foul little worthless excuse of a man. We already knew that.” She spit the words out venomously.

Riz said nothing in response, just pursed his lips together and nodded his head silently.

Boggie let out a soft ribbet as she held him in her arms.

“They tortured my sister there for so long… She was like a shell of a person when I found her. So broken and helpless… When she woke up here she asked me if we escaped or if we died and honestly, I’m not sure which answer she was hoping to hear from me…” She was silent for a few seconds before continuing, “Then I thought maybe we’d have a chance to really get to know each other, for the first time like… ever? Maybe we could be on the same side for once… But now that version of Aelwyn is gone and she’s back to being exactly who I always hated her for being.” Adaine let out a shaky breath and pulled her feet up, crossing her legs criss-cross beneath her.

“Does that make me a bad person? For wishing she could be in pain again, and wishing she could remember what she went through these past few months just because it hurts me more if she doesn’t?” She turned her head to look at Riz.

He laughed and she furrowed her brow at him.

“Sorry, I’m not— I’m not trying to laugh at you.” He shook his head and turned to meet her eyes, “It’s just funny to me that you think you could ever be a bad person.” He offered a small smile.

She held his gaze for a moment, searching his face and finding nothing but genuine care and honesty. They’d talked about her family before. She’d told him bits and pieces about her parents, about how they were growing up, about her sister. There had been times when she’d even confided in him how she wished she and Aelwyn could’ve been close. He’d heard her say that it didn’t matter how much she hated and resented her sister, there would always be a part of her that wished things had gone differently. There would always be a part of her that longed to be close with her sister, and a part of her that loved her.

Riz knew what she struggled with. He knew how hard she tried to be the opposite of what her parents were, of what they’d turned her sister into. And he’d always been quick to reassure her that she was far from resembling anything close to them.

Adaine sighed softly before she looked out over the elven sanctuary, taking it all in.

“Are you okay?” He asked after a few more moments of quiet between them.

She scoffed again. “My shitty dad might be dead. I didn’t even get to have one nice day with my sister after saving her from being tortured for months on end. My mom is working for the Nightmare King or Kalina or whoever it is exactly that we’re dealing with. I almost got executed while I was in Elf prison and now I’m basically a fugitive, so,” She shrugged, throwing her hands up a bit as she did. Riz grimaced and she sighed heavily again, dropping her hands onto her lap. “I’m fine.”

Riz looked at her, skeptically raising his brow.

“You don’t seem fine.” He challenged. She turned her head and shot him a look, opening her mouth to say something, but he continued before she had a chance, “You don’t have to talk about it. I’m not here to be a dick, I was just worried about you. I was really worried about you while you were gone and I thought maybe that I’d feel better now that you’re back with us but… I’m still worried.” It was his turn to shrug, lifting his shoulders and letting them fall gently back down.

“I don’t know what’s gonna happen with you and your sister or you and your family and these fuckin’ elves. There are still so many things we don’t have answers for and I don’t.. I don’t like not having answers. But when you weren’t here it just became so much more clear to me that nobody—” He stopped himself short, scrunching her nose in thought for a moment before continuing, “We can’t— I can’t do this without you.” He adjusted the hat atop his head. “This isn’t gonna happen again. I won’t let it happen again.”

“Well we seem to have taken down Calethriel Tower so I don’t think it could even if you wanted it to.” She said teasingly.

“Yeah I wanted to ask what happened with all that but there hasn’t really felt like a right time?”

“Oh, Fig played her bass and it cracked a gem that made the whole thing come crumbling down. It was kind of rad, honestly.”

Riz chuckled softly. “Wild..”

“Yeah, but I didn’t really expect anything less.” Adaine laughed along with him.

Another silence, comfortable and soft, settled between them as they looked out into the sanctuary, Fabian still dancing as the rest of the group encouraged him.

Still looking forward, Riz spoke again, “I’m sorry you got kidnapped and held as a prisoner, Adaine. We should’ve protected you so much better than we did. I wanted to come break you out sooner but we had some hang ups when we first got here, a bit of culture shock that set us back longer than I wanted and then the usual nonsense that set us back even more. I didn’t want you feeling like we were partying and having a good time and enjoying ourselves while you were being tortured or whatever... It felt fucked up.”

“That’s because it probably was a little fucked up.” She said, an ever-so-slight grin on her face as she teased him.

“I know,” He sighed, not completely acknowledging her teasing tone, “I couldn’t enjoy any of it. Fabian’s grandpa is too much to handle, honestly, and I thought the trees were kind of a nice vibe but then they started singing and it’s just…” He shook his head, clearing his thoughts and refocusing, “I’m just glad you’re with us again… This whole thing,” He gestured around to the rest of the party, to the van, to their surroundings, “Isn’t the same without you.”

She pursed her lips and gave a small smile, nodding her head slightly.

“I’m here if you ever want to talk, you know that, right?” He turned his head again to look at her, holding eye contact with her.

“I know,” She parroted the words he’d said not but a few seconds before, but sounding much gentler. “Thanks, Riz.” She smiled at him. It was a saddened, anxious, and broken smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“Anything for my best friend.” He replied, giving her a small smile and nudging her side gently with his elbow.

After a few more seconds of silent eye contact, communicating thoughts of understanding and concern and care that Adaine felt too exhausted to have exchanged out loud, they both looked forward again. Sitting in silence, no longer alone, the comfort of Riz Gukgak’s presence beside her helped her feel like maybe she’d be alright outside of Elmville for a little while longer after all.

#fantasy high #fantasy high fanfic #riz gukgak #adaine abernant #dimension 20 #adaine and riz #riz and adaine #is this good? no #am i proud of it? no #did it finally break my year long writers block? yes #so i will post it

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amiramorozova · 3 years

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Dual Summoner x The Darkling pt. 28

I woke up sometime later as I found myself on a bed and I sat up looking around for a minute. I knew I wasn't back at the little palace and I started to get up. Walking towards the door I heard people talking and I put my ear to the door to listen.

"We had no idea General Kirigan was going to do that." Nadia said

"He did assign us as her guards for her protection." Marie said

"I appreciate that you girls have followed my daughter this far but you know the risks. You know as long as you follow her you both could be in danger." Father said

"She's our friend, sir. We don't want to abandon her. Not now, not ever." Marie and Nadia said

"thank you, that being said I think you two should know what could happen if he gets Amira." Father said

I knew I hadn't mentioned the whole truth to them and if my father told them then they might turn against him. I listened as father chose his words wisely not mentioning that he was the one who made the fold but that he had to hide his identity to protect himself. That it was true that he made an agreement with his mother for me to marry him. I opened the door after he told them and then I walked out seeing them looking at me.

"I can't hide." I said

"You have to, if he gets you then.." Father started but I sighed, "I am fully aware what he could do but I can manipulate him just as much as he can manipulate any girl..except me." I said

"No, you're staying here." Father said

I didn't want to argue with him so for now I gave in but I knew that my Kefta told a lot, so did my jewelry as my father came over and he started to remove my Kefta. I was shocked but he put a regular jacket on me and then he went for the jewelry I had on from Aleksander and I put my hands over me stepping back. I didn't care what he thought I had accepted everything Aleksander had given me and I didn't want to part with them again.

"Amira" Father said

"No." I said

"He can track you with them." Father said

"Then we keep moving till I can't keep running." I said, "I can do this when he finds me. The fact you can't accept that I can handle Aleksander is not my problem."

"Amira." Father said with a concern look

I walked past him as I said "You lost that right to tell me what to wear and what to do when you dropped me at the little palace." I said as I took my Kefta from him, putting it over my shoulder.

I knew my words would hurt him but the truth was I hadn't been raised by my parents past the age of eight. I was raised in the little palace where I only had Baghra for all that time and their letters to keep me from thinking they abandoned me. I had been prepared for facing Aleksander my whole life knowing I was supposed to kill that stag and I failed. I knew that Aleksander was coming for me and I needed to be ready but here I was in a house with many sun summoners.

I walked out of the room where I saw my aunt Analise and her son trying to train as I smiled. I walked over and she looked at me surprised to see I was awake.

"Maybe I could help. I had a good trainer." I said

"Oh uh maybe." Analise said

Adrian looked at me as I sat by him, having my kefta on my lap as I removed his bracelet, surprising him. My aunt looked shocked too but I assured her it was necessary for what he was going to be doing.

"Adrian, I'm Amira. Like you I'm a Dual Summoner and I can help you control it." I assured him

"You? You are the one they call Sankta Amira? Ok!" Adrian said smiling

"I am no saint." I assured him

We started as I was mindful of our surroundings and we started with the tidemaker as he was surprised when I showed him the water. He seemed happy to see that we were alike in that way but then we put our hands together ever so slightly changing our hand positions and we did it again to show our other ability which for me was sunlight but for him was Fire.

He really is an Inferni and a tidemaker. I thought

"Oh wow, you have the light to tear down the fold." Adrian said as his inferni fire slipped

"This light can do many things, Adrian. If everyone in this family with the light worked together the fold could be gone but if it is just me I can just make a tunnel for the skiffs to go through the fold." I said

"More resources?" Adrian said

"In a way, but if someone had the idea to use that tunnel to weaponize the fold. Grisha would still be useful to the people and we could get rid of enemies." I said

"Where did you hear such a thing?" Analise asked

I let the light go knowing that there was no hiding that Aleksander Morozova was alive. Every Grisha thought the black Heretic was dead in the fold and the people that were inside of it died too. I stood up as I knew that we needed to start moving and I looked at my aunt.

"The people in the fold when it was created didn't die. The Black Heretic didn't die." I said, "Women, Children, Men became those things in the fold. Lost their humanity to a powerful spell."

"And the Black Heretic?" Analise asked

"I know who he is and I can get him to do the right thing." I said, "I just need the time to get close and get him to see things my way."

"You said Grisha would still be useful but the fold could be weaponized." Analise said

"The Fjerdan problem could be dealt with, Grisha could live in peace without being hunted if we got rid of them." I said seeing her surprise at my assurance on this, "I am eternal, so I don't have a lot of options but to watch my friends..my family die sometime. If I get close...Once I get married I can gain power and influence in the 2nd army. I can inspire Dual Summoners to come out of hiding. To follow me where I go by marrying my fiance."

"I want to sign up for the 2nd army!" Adrian said excited

I smiled at my cousin, "Not yet, let me get that officially taken care of but I have a plan." I assured him, "I'm sure Baghra would love to have a new student."

We started to get on the move, Nico had to travel with us due to abandoning the 2nd army. He also refused to let me even consider running back to the little palace. Marie and Nadia seemed to have decided to follow me anywhere so that was nice. Traveling with family to keep ahead of Aleksander was a first but I knew that one thing he had to be within range with a Durast to track my jewelry and our soulmate link hadn't fully given all the clues to where I was.

"We could go through the fold." Analise said

"We are beacons of light just going to lure them and the 2nd army manages the skiffs going through. Zoya would love to rat me out to get her place back." I said

We needed a plan and we didn't have a lot to work with but getting out of Keramsin was a start for all of us. I looked at my wrist knowing he wouldn't give up, he wouldn't stop looking for me as the letters were faint meaning he was closing in. I led them forward as we ran to get the best distance. We just needed to get to the next village. I didn't care how long it took but I knew he was going either by horse or by carriage when it came to this. I didn't even think about the people who'd helped us escape. Nadia looked at the map as she pointed to the woods to be the best route and we took that path as I led but we had to stop for my grandparents as they were not used to this.

"How are we doing on distance?" Catalina asked

I looked at my wrist seeing the initials were barely there and that meant he wasn't very close as I smiled. "We're doing good." I assured her, I knew that he was tracking me by my necklace but I was tracking him through the soulmate mark. I knew he wasn't paying that close attention to his wrist, men don't normally think about it as a way of tracking. Baghra had told me to always try to out think him and here I was doing just that.

When we started to move again we kept going until nightfall when it was cold. We bunked up where we could. My father, my grandmother and I used the sun summoner power to put warmth in us before we decided to rest. Nadia and Marie bunked with me so if anyone tried to sneak up on us we could all three wake up and attack. Mother and Father bunked together, my grandparents stayed together and Aunt Analise stayed with her son.

By morning we were hungry but it turned out that Father knew how to hunt like Marie so we were able to eat. Adrian and I covered our tracks so that they weren't easy to follow and then we started moving again. Adain was younger than me by five years but it was clear he'd been training or he would have struggled.

"So what are you looking at when you look at your wrist to know we're ahead?" Adrian asked

"It's called a soulmate mark. When your soulmate is close to you, their first and last initial of their true name will appear on your wrist." I said, as I showed him my wrist where nothing was there right now. "We're far away from mine so we've made good distance."

This went on for a few days and I was ready for a bath and ready to see Genya again. I missed Genya and how she made everything look better than I actually did. We heard the sound of movement and I had my dagger ready when I saw the tailor who had helped us.

"How did you find us?" I asked

"I know how to track my friend." The tailor girl said as she walked over to each of us and she helped us look a bit better. "It's not much but you all look better."

I bet he won't let me sleep in my room if he catches me. I thought then slapped myself knowing I was thinking of sharing his bed.

"Amira, why'd you do that?" Mother asked

"Because I am in love with him and I am thinking about him when I need to get ahead of him." I said

As we made it to the village we had all of our 2nd army stuff in a bag on my shoulder so we wouldn't be found out. We found an inn to stay in for everyone to have a room and I fell asleep there.

#shadow and bone fanfiction #shadow and bone #grishaverse #darkling x reader #team darkling #darkling #the darkling #general kirigan #aleksander morovoza #fanfic

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labelleofbelfastcity · 3 years

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hold my hand, it’s a long way down

1.5k, high fantasy royalty au, most of the details of which were provided by @capybart

read on ao3 here

Kalina smirks as she glides into the room, black furs gleaming around her shoulders and long train hissing across the floor. Riz, reflexively, takes a step back, as his eyes clock the false crown atop her head, the feline smile curving her mouth, and the knife in her hand, flickering in the candlelight.

“I trust you’re doing well,” she says, and keeps approaching until she’s standing right before him, staring him down.

Riz’s heart jumps a beat and his eyes dart around, trying to see where he can go, what he can grab, if it is even likely to move at all before that knife is sliding into his neck and tearing an ugly gash in his throat. “Not with any thanks to you.”

Kalina huffs, mouth quirking to the side, before she slumps down to sit on his bed, shoulders falling and head tilting to look at him. The black gem in the center of her diadem seems to dance like cold fire, drawing Riz’s eyes to it even as he tries to focus on a million and one other things. Unnatural, Riz thinks, with a sickening shock directly to his heart. And then he remembers the things people have always whispered about Kalina, words like witch and sorceress and Shadow Cat. Remembers those words and sees the way her eyes flash yellow in the candle’s flame.

“I’m disappointed in you, kiddo. I thought you’d figure out by now that this is all for you.”

“Where’s my mom?” Riz spits out, as he has done every time Kalina visits him in these much too fancy rooms, this much too fancy prison.

Kalina rolls her eyes, leans back on one arm, flips the dagger in her other hand, “Thought we got past that already.”

“I know you did something to her.”

“I didn’t do anything. Besides, she’s safe. She’s comfortable. What more could you ask of me?”

“I want you to give her back.”

“And I thought it was you, kiddo, who told me not too long ago that people weren’t toys. That they couldn’t be given and taken. Hm. Must be wrong about that.” Kalina flicks the tip of the dagger at him, holding it just a few inches away from Riz’s ribs, where she could slide it straight up and into his heart. “That’s not what I came here for, though. How’s the prince doing?”

“Aren’t you at court with him?” Riz spits out, and refuses to yield yet another step.

“Yes, yes. And he’s doing so well today, too. I’ve never seen a more attentive courter, practically glued to the Lady Aelwyn’s side. Which is funny, seeing as how we had to drag him from his rooms less than a week ago.”

“Fabian’s not planning anything,” Riz says, leaving out the because I am.

Kalina huffs, and taps the dagger against her own cheek, “I don’t know when you’ll learn. Everything you know, I know. I’m in your head, kiddo.”

Riz’s spine snaps straight as a scream he knows doesn’t exist sounds from his left, and then his right, screams that sounds like Fig and Fabian. Screams he only knows because of that day, weeks ago, when the Abernants and their holy warriors in gleaming sun-forged metal took the castle and forced the prince, Riz’s friend, the person Riz was supposed to protect above all else, to stab his father in the heart. Fig had screamed then, in rage, and tried to take the nearest knight out with a swing of her lute, and Fabian had screamed later, when the three of them were back in these rooms, in that soft, silent way of tears and grief and heartache and complete and total betrayal.

“See? That’s what you don’t understand,” Kalina says, standing once again. “That’s what I’m saving you from. I’m protecting your little friends because you’re useful to me. You don’t want to stop being useful to me, do you?”

Riz remains where he is, fighting back the nausea as the screams grow. Now, he couldn’t move even if he wanted to, rooted to the spot by a clawed hand holding tightly onto his mind.

“Do you?” Kalina asks again, and this time she brings the knife up to Riz’s jaw, just under his ear. The cold pricks against his skin and Riz is so afraid.

“No,” he rasps out, and she smiles again, eyes crinkling. The screams immediately stop.

“Good.” The heavy handle of the knife drops into Riz’s hand, and his fingers close over it reflexively. It’s dangerous, to give your enemy a weapon. Dangerous, still, to give them a weapon they have no hope to use in any way that counts. “You can’t get away from me, bud. Just remember that.”

Riz snarls at her, “We’re going to stop you.”

Kalina clucks her tongue and begins to walk away, “The only way you’ll escape is if I want you to.”

The door swings shut behind her right as her hold over Riz’s body drops, and he sags a little, before startling upright again. She must know, there’s no way she doesn’t. Her knowing had not been a factor of the plan, despite everything pointing towards its likelihood. Really, how could Riz have been so stupid? He’ll need a few minutes to change things, modify them so that they can actually escape, can actually get out of here.

Fabian is trapped in this castle. Fig is trapped. Their new ally, the oracle Adaine Abernant, their friend, is trapped as well. He can’t risk their freedom for himself, can’t risk Fabian and Fig’s sacrifices and the dangerous line between family and safety Adaine is flirting with. He just… he’ll figure out another way. He just needs time.

The heavy sound of a wooden lute being swung against a head thunks from outside Riz’s door, and then it’s opening to reveal his friends standing on the threshold. No, no, no, this is happening too fast. He hasn’t had time to plan.

Fig lowers her lute from where it’s raised in the air, hovering around where the now unconscious guard’s head probably was less than a second ago.

“Shit, Riz, we need to go,” Adaine says, hoisting her skirts and sprinting for his window, the same window Riz had been preparing before Kalina waltzed in.

Fabian twirls his red, embroidered, very much not stealthy court cloak from his shoulders, slinging on the black one he’d stashed on Riz’s chair earlier. The cloak that Kalina had most certainly seen because Riz hadn’t bothered to hide it. “We have five minutes.”

Adaine throws the window open and immediately heaves one of her legs out of it, hair whipping slightly in the breeze. She reaches behind her and grabs Fig’s hand, pulling her up and onto the windowsill beside her.

They’ve discussed this plan ad nauseum for weeks. So it’s almost too easy for Adaine and Fig to leap from the window with nothing but a nod, not even noticing how Riz has yet to move from his spot.

“Alright, we’re next, The Ball,” Fabian says, and hoists himself up onto the windowsill, cracking his knuckles and rolling his shoulders in preparation for the leap.

Riz moves, then, takes a step back, hands outstretched in a pleading way that doesn’t connect with the usual brave, cunning parts of himself, the parts that plan a castle escape and wind up as companion to the prince. “You can’t take me with you. Kalina, she’s— She’s in my head. She knows, Fabian. I can’t risk it.”

Fabian’s mouth tugs and he leans back into the room, grabbing one of Riz’s outstretched hands and tugging him forward, to the open window, to their one chance at escape. “I didn’t leave you behind before, I’m not about to start now.”

And Riz remembers, remembers the way he and Fig had fought tooth and nail during those first moments of the coup, before the King had fallen at his son’s hand. They’d bought Fabian a second of time, a moment to run, but he’d frozen, frozen as the knights grappled Fig and Riz, frozen with his sword hanging in the air, the wound on his face a bleeding mess.

“Go, Fabian,” Riz had screamed, Fig shouting as well.

Fabian’s sword clattered out of his hand, and he allowed himself to be grabbed by the knight who cut out his eye, to be dragged alongside Riz and Fig to that throne room, to where Kalina and the Abernants waited with King Bill Seacaster slowly bleeding out on his own steps.

“I couldn’t leave you, The Ball. I couldn’t lose you.” Fabian had said that night, once the tears were dry and Fig snored beside them.

“You won’t. We’re going to get through this together,” Riz had said and curled up tightly into Fabian’s side.

The memory flashes in Riz’s head, and then it’s gone, and Riz is back in his night dark room, wind from the open window brushing against his cheeks, and Fabian’s warm hand wrapped around his, pleading, in his own way, for him to follow.

Riz holds tight to the dagger Kalina had given him, the dagger he plans to hurl straight into her heart someday, and allows himself to be pulled out of the window.

#bellewrites #this was SO FUN #fantasy high #dimension 20 #fic #fanfic #riz gukgak #fabriz #kalina

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cactusnymph · 3 years

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Prompt fill #1 for @dimension20alphabet:

Alone

Riz knows that he’s a good detective. He has solved many mysteries, big mysteries even. He solved the case of his missing friend Penny, he solved the case of his dad, he solved—or well, helped solve—the puzzle of The Nightmare King. He’s good at his job.

But there is one mystery Riz has trouble solving, and that is the mystery of himself.

He’s not good at asking for help even though he’s sure he could need some. Maybe he could talk about this with his mom. The thought of that alone makes him break out in a nervous sweat. It was already kind of the worst to talk to his dad about it. Jawbone is probably good at this, but Jawbone is poly and had sex with many people just like everyone else he knows.

Everyone else he knows is just so goddamn horny. All the damn time.

Riz stops pacing in front of his desk and stares out of the window for what feels like two minutes straight but is probably only a millisecond.

Finally he decides to be brave. He managed to walk through the forest of the nightmare king, this is going to be a piece of cake. No big deal. As easy as stabbing a huge dragon, probably.

His mom is sitting at the kitchen table buried in a bunch of papers and thick textbooks.

“Hey mom. Can I—uh. Can I ask you something?”

His mom looks up from her work and she seems a little disoriented for a split second until her eyes focus on him and she nods.

“Sure, sweetie. What’s up?”

She pushes away a stack of papers from the second chair at the table so he can sit down. Riz feels the need to start biting his nails, so he stuffs his hands into his pockets and sits down on the chair, his leg bouncing and his throat dry.

“So. Uh—“

He searches for the right words. Words are hard and he’s never been very good at them. He knows clues. Feelings are just weird.

“Have you ever—uh. Did you ever, like—um. Feel. Totally alone about something? Like, something that makes you you?”

Sklonda blinks for a second and then her gaze softens as she stretches out her hand to reach for his. Riz hopes that she can’t feel how sweaty his palms are as she squeezes his fingers.

“Honestly? I think that is a very integral part of being a teenager. You think you’re really weird and no one would ever feel the same way and then somewhere along the way you find out that there are actually tons of people who are going through the exact same thing”, she says.

Riz stares at the only spot on the table that hasn’t been covered with papers or books.

“So, what you’re saying is... I have to look at the clues again and—and find out who else fits the profile?”

His mom ruffles his hair and Riz can see her shake her head fondly.

“I wouldn’t have put it like that, sweetie. But. Sure, yeah. Find another suspect and interrogate them until you find the truth.”

Riz can work with that.

“Thanks, mom”, he says and flees from the kitchen to leave Sklonda to her studies. Back in his room he looks at his pin board that, during the last two weeks, has been carefully prepped with Riz’ most difficult case yet—the case of Riz.

His eyes follow the differently colored threads across pictures of his friends and notes that he took.

All his friends are on the board and Riz looks at all their picture, one after the other.

Everyone is horny. Everyone.

Everyone except—

Riz grabs his crystal. He knows that, if he thinks about it too much and starts making plans, he is not going to do it because this is scary. And if he learned one thing on their quest for the Nightmare King’s crown, it’s that sometimes scary things are easier if you just rush ahead without a plan.

“Do you have time to talk?”, he texts.

Riz chews on his bottom lip without realizing that it started bleeding because his teeth are too sharp. He looks at his crystal and tries to will his beating heart to go slower but he fails miserably and as soon as he sees the three small dots that indicate typing on the other end of the line, he sucks in a breath and stares at the display as if he might will the answer to appear faster.

“I have free time. Do you want to come over? Is everything alright?”

Riz sucks the blood off his bottom lip and weighs the options. He loves the manor, but it’s loud and noisy. Noisy in a way that sometimes makes his skin crawl. He swallows, lets his fingers hover over the keyboard for a second.

If everything goes to shit he can always leave the manor, but it would be awkward to throw a friend out of his office.

“I’ll come over. Be right there.”

Riz stuffs his phone into his pocket and rushes out of his room with adrenaline pumping through his veins. Maybe he isn’t such a great detective after all if he never really connected the dots about one of his closest friends.

He remembers a conversation about “please don’t have sex in our tent when we’re also in there” and “this is too much information and I’m very uncomfortable right now” now that he really thinks about it.

Adaine isn’t interested in dating anyone. Just like him. Well. No, that’s not correct, Riz thinks, as he rushes down the street to catch the bus. Maybe he would consider dating someone. But sex. Sex seems. Well.

Maybe Adaine doesn’t want to talk about sex. Maybe she will look at him the same way Aelwyn looks at people sometimes. Riz really doesn’t want to think about Aelwyn, because that makes him think about Fabian and that on the other hand makes him think of them together and how much Riz wishes they weren’t a thing.

If Riz cannot solve the mystery of Riz, maybe Adaine can help him like when they were investigating her mom’s room back on spring break. He goes through his pinboard in his mind and comes to the conclusion that Adaine is on there, but she has only been connected to Biz by a green threat, meaning one-sided sexual interest.

He is so occupied by his own oversight that he barely registers getting to the manor. The thought of going through the whole house and potentially risking questions about why he’s visiting makes his skin crawl uncomfortably, so he uses his sword and teleports directly into Adaine’s bedroom. A loud shriek accompanied by the sound of a heavy book dropping to the floor makes him turn his head.

“Was it really necessary to do this? We have doors”, Adaine says and Riz looks around to find her sitting on the bunkbed she shares with Aelwyn. Thankfully Aelwyn is nowhere to be seen so Riz can freak out in peace about what he’s supposed to talk about.

“Yes. Sorry, uh—I thought maybe I might meet Kristen or—or Jawbone or. Someone else. And then they might look at me and ask questions or maybe Kristen would joke about something sex related and then I might have to vomit all over the stairs and—“

“Riz, slow down. Do you want to hold Boggy?”, Adaine asks and scoots over on her bed to make space for him. Riz doesn’t really feel like sitting down so he starts pacing instead but he does take Boggy into his hands. His brain has gone into overdrive, he knows it as soon as it supplies him with the question of whether or not frogs feel conflicted about sex.

“What’s wrong?”, Adaine asks, her pale blue eyes following him as he walks through the room as if the movement could calm his nerves.

“So—uh. You know. I was wondering if maybe... I could talk to you about. You know. Sexandstuff.”

“Sorry, about what?”

“Sex. And... stuff”, Riz repeats and he can feel his face burning as he stares down at Boggy so he doesn’t have to look at Adaine’s face.

“Oh, um. Well, I’m not sure if I’m the best person for that—“

“I know! That’s why—that’s why I wanted to talk to you. Because. Like. You know. You think it’s icky when Kristen talks about sixtynine and stuff.”

Riz takes a quick glance at Adaine and is relieved to find that she doesn’t look at him the same way that Ragh looked at him the first time they met each other. That is certainly encouraging. She actually looks a little thoughtful. Maybe even understanding. Maybe he’s reading her all wrong. Maybe she’s about to punch him out of the window because he mentioned Kristen and sixtynine and—

“You mean because I’m probably asexual.”

“Yeah, you’re—what?”

“Asexual. And aromantic, but I suppose this is about the sex part, not the romance part.”

“You’re. Wait. Ohhh—“

Adaine pulls up her shoulders and gestures to the free space on the bed beside her. Riz’ brain has frozen over because he’s heard a term he hasn’t heard before and now he wants to find out what it means.

The truth is that he considered searching for stuff like this on the crystalweb, but the thought of typing anything sex related into a search engine had him almost vomiting all over his office floor because it made him feel so terribly embarrassed and nervous that he quickly put the thought aside.

“So—uh. What’s... that?”

“Well, I talked about it to Jawbone and he gave me some things to read and I’ve been doing some research, because... you know, everyone is going on dates and talks about kisses or masturbation and all that and—um. Well. This stuff mostly just always makes me uncomfortable. And I thought, you know. It’s maybe because elves are a bit prudish, but Aelwyn is certainly not like that and she talks about sex like it’s no big deal, so I... I wanted to figure out what it means.”

Boggy makes a sound like a squeaky toy as Riz accidentally squishes him a little too hard in his sudden excitement in the face of new clues and he quickly hands him back to Adaine.

“So. You’re saying that—that it’s like... normal?”

Adaine shrugs.

“Probably not normal, if you’re going by the textbook definition of normal. But not normal doesn’t equal bad, you know. Just how being poly isn’t necessarily normal but that doesn’t mean it’s inferior to monogamy. It’s just a thing that some people are.”

“So. So, uh—can I read that stuff? That you read?”, he asks, trying very hard not to keep chewing on his bottom lip again.

Adaine gives him a smile that makes warmth spread all through his body.

“Sure. I can lend you the book”, Adaine says and gets up from the bed, hands Boggy back to Riz and goes over to one of her numerous bookshelves to pull a small, purple book out from the top row.

“It’s really interesting, from a strictly scientific standpoint, you know”, she says as she hands it to him. Riz looks down at the book. A whole book. Just about feeling weird about dating and sex. His mom was right after all.

“Thanks”, he croaks and blinks rapidly.

“I’m really glad there’s at least one other person who isn’t so terribly horny all the time”, Adaine says and Riz looks up at her, his heart twice its normal size.

“Yeah. Me too.”

#d20alphabet21 #dimension 20 #fantasy high #riz gukgak #adaine abernant #fanfiction #mi writes

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jq37 · 4 years

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The Report Card – Fantasy High Sophomore Year Ep 19

The Ties That Bind

The penultimate Fantasy High: Sophomore Year episode is upon us and not a moment too soon. Seems a little counter-intuitive to seek comfort from these objectively wild current events we’re experiencing from a fictional Nightmare Forest but we know what we’re about so let’s jump back in and start with the death of a beloved main character.

Yay.

Rewinding back to two episodes ago, last we saw Kristen, she got stabbed through by a skeletal unicorn and died. We pick back up there and, as she’s dying, she feels a sense of pain, betrayal, and anger--very similar emotions to what Brennan told her the goddess was feeling with her Nat 20 Religion Check. Kristen gets a vision of the goddess being destroyed in cracks of lightning by her own followers--the same vision Fig saw in the dream scrying pool when she scry-ed on Kristen last week--and then she wakes up on the chapel floor.

She’s not...dead exactly. But she’s not super alive either. She’s bleeding, but more oozing blood than the normal mechanical way of bleeding out because her heart isn’t beating. There’s a hole in her chest and, within it, her heart is crushed. Her skin is pale because the blood isn’t pumping through it properly anymore. Her breathing isn’t regular. And a piece of her finger tip (the piece taken by her friends for a possible Revivify) is missing.

She sees evidence of her friends having been in the room--footprints and the smashed wall--and to place this in the timeline, she can’t remember Fabian right now. When she checks her crystal, she sees it’s been 90 minutes since they walked into the forest. She does Cure Wounds on herself to stop the blood from dripping. Then she heads out towards the forest, passing the Oracular Pool Fig used in the last episode as she goes. She stops as she sees it and something in her heart glows with golden light. When she looks into the pool, she sees the sun reflected in the pool (and also Fig’s boot prints leading up to it). That’s weird because it is super not a Sol/Helio aligned Chapel/Area they’re in. She also sees the moon reflected and she feels like she’s being called in. It doesn’t necessarily feel safe but it feels like she might get some answers and also she already died today so how much worse can it get? She dives in and come up and when she does, she’s suddenly in the outer planes. Specifically, she’s in Elysium which is like the Neutral Good heaven. She hears a voice that she mistakes for her dad’s because of the major dad energy she’s getting from it: You can come home.

As she walks, she finds herself--as Kristen weirdly often does for some reason--in the presence of gods. Specifically, Sol (god of the Sun) and Galakaya (goddess of the Moon and his sister as we find out). Helio is also there, like the screw-up son of a CEO, hanging out in his office. Both of them are good gods but not neutral good so Kristen gets the sense that they brought her here to have a neutral place to talk to her.

Kristen is hilariously nonplussed by being personally Uber-d to heaven by arguably the biggest gods in the pantheon and when she is asked to take a walk with Helio so she can get some important information, she’s like, “Nooooo, can literally anyone else do it?” Galakaya agrees to do it instead.

They take a lap and she asks about Tracker. Galakaya says that Tracker isn’t dead but she’s in major danger. Then, she changes the subject. Has Kristen ever wondered where her spells have been coming from when she’s been between gods? Because, as Galakaya says, doubt is nothing. She reveals that even though Kristen rejected him, Helio has been providing Kristen spells this entire time. He sent the philosophers and the grad students to be her spirit guardians. Kristen rejected him but not the light. Galakaya likens it to a child running away from home to the front yard. Kristen isn’t too far gone. She can still come back to the fold. And, if she doesn’t want to be Helio’s champion, she can be hers instead and become a Moon Cleric, which would still be keeping it in the family. But that’s the problem Kristen has with it. Helio to Galakaya? It seems like more of the same--especially the way she’s been acting, like she would fit right in at a brunch table with Arianwyn and Anguin. Except, when Tracker comes up, Kristen notices she gets a little snarly, almost like a tic she’s trying to keep under control.

Kristen asks for her pitch, and it’s basically the same deal she was getting with Helio but with different window dressing. The Moon, sisterhood, and unquestioning obedience. Galakaya can’t see into Sylvere to check on Tracker like Kristen asks but if she had a Champion, say Kristen, she could send her all kitted up with new powers. She says she wants the Nightmare King dead more than anyone seeing as the Nightmare King killed her baby sister (the Mystery Goddess). She calls her baby sister sweet and sometimes confused, seeing as she thought destroying her name would make her more powerful. But Kristen knows that’s not what happened. It was her followers who destroyed her name as she desperately warned them not to. Some chicanery is going on.

She says she will take the job as Galakaya’s champion and when she makes like she’s going to pray to her to seal the deal, she instead reaches out to the mystery goddess again. The golden light in her chest disappears and is replaced with cool shadow. She feels shock from the goddess, that Kristen would still choose to reach out to her after she died at her hand. The goddess says, emotionally, “I’m sorry, I’m just so scar--” But, before she can finish the word, Galakaya grabs Kristen by the shoulder and snaps her out of it, face snarling and wolfed out. After a second, she composes herself and seems almost embarrassed that Kristen saw that, which makes Kristen realize what’s going on with her. Tracker is a cleric of Galakaya, but knowing Tracker, she wouldn’t worship someone so reeking of high elven prim and proper-ness. And she also knows what the number one rule of godhood is: As above, so below. Galakaya has basically been claimed as a high elven goddess. Which means that the vast majority of her followers aren’t like Tracker. They’re snooty high elves. Which means so is she and her wolf part is still there, but it’s buried and distasteful to her now.

Which, coincidentally, is how Kristen feels about this entire godly family. She “respectfully declines” both of their offers. And by “respectfully declines” I mean she socks Helio in the face and makes a run for it. Sol, full of rage, says, “I told you that kid was trash! Now get her!” The philosophers on Sol’s payroll look at each other and instead mob him (why is the literal sun god so easy to 1v1?) and help Kristen escape. As she does, Helio calls out after Kristen something she kind of already sensed upon arriving in Elysium. Most people are a soul in a body. But Kristen, at the moment, is a soul *as* a body. If she dies again, with no god to intercede for her, she’s dead-dead. No afterlife. But that’s not enough to make her stay. She keeps running and makes it to the pool. For the first time, she feels herself fully cut off from her spells.

Back in the cave in Sylvere, Kristen chats with the Philosophers. They tell her they were working for Sol so they couldn’t tell her what the deal was but they were always rooting for her. One of the philosophers quotes her own words back to her: Doubt can’t be a belief but it can be a practice. And as she says this, she turns Kristen’s Shepherd's Crook cool and metallic and turns it into a question mark. She can’t hold doubt in her heart but she can hold it in her hand (stats for the Staff of Doubt below; also what a sick line from Brennan).

She knows that to get to the center of the forest where she needs to be, she has to follow her fear, so she goes in the direction she doesn’t expect to find Tracker.

Shifting gears, we find Gorgug and Fabian at the mouth of the cave (and no longer high on duskmoss) in their floating rock island surrounded by the others. They see that there are other openings and decide to check them to see if they can find any of their friends. They spend a good two hours, tied together and climbing this rock face which is some extremely solid male bonding. When they reach the cave they were aiming for, they find Baxter, riddled with arrows they know to be Sandra-Lynn’s. He’s dying but not dead. I am outraged at Brennan until I learn a fact that I don’t think has come up until now: Artificers get spell slots. Which means that Gorgug has Cure Wounds. He only cures him for 3 points but that’s enough to stabilize him at least so we can all stop sharpening the pitchforks. However, Baxter is clearly dejected and confused. He has no idea why Sandra-Lynn would suddenly turn on him. So maybe the pitchforks are still called for.

They want to leave Baxter in the cave so he can rest up but, on a 1 Animal Handling, Baxter absolutely demands to follow them. It’s faster than climbing at least. They do so.

And we switch again, this time to the Abernants.

Adaine is still trapped in a prison orb and barred from doing most of her spells. She can, however, do the Message cantrip and Aelwyn is still in the room along with Anguin. She Messages Aelwyn and asks, What’s going on? Why is she working with their parents still? Aelwyn replies that she doesn’t like her parents but she does love them. Doesn’t Adaine? “They don’t love me,” Adaine shoots back. Aelwyn parrots back ideology that she’s clearly learned from her parents: Love has to be earned. What value does something that hasn’t been earned have? Adaine, fresh off of therapy and with full knowledge of Aelwyn’s broken psyche, fully calls her out. She is so closed off to love, to everything that abjuration is her school of magic. Aelwyn tries to wave her off but Adaine, very seriously, says, “I don’t love our parents but despite the fact that you have not earned it, I do love you.” Aelwyn fully dissociates (and I’m not far behind).

Adaine notices that Anguin is readying some kind of Sending spell and that he’s wearing a sword that he usually doesn’t have. He tells Aelwyn to ransack her sister’s brain for the info they need from her while he prepares her punishment. Aelwyn, clearly in a slight panic, tries to (not at all) casually persuade Anguin to just leave Adaine in the orb, unharmed, when they are done with her. She tries to do it in a, “This isn’t worth our time,” kind of way but betrays herself when she blurts out, “She’s a baby!” Anguin raises a hand at her and she flinches, apologetically casting Detect Thoughts on Adaine who has already (via Message) said she’d support her no matter what she did.

Enter, Adaine’s Mindscape: A series of interconnected rooms--and her Aelwyn’s rooms--repeated over and over. Adaine has her surface thoughts be all of her memories of Aelwyn *almost* being nice to her and then pulling back at the last second for fear of her parents. Aelwyn doesn’t press deeper than these thoughts and says that if Adaine’s goal was to humiliate her then she’s done so. But that’s not what Adaine wants. She wants to rebuild their relationship. They’re gonna be sisters for the rest of their quasi-immortal lives. These memories suck but they can make new ones.

And then, through a window, Aelwyn sees another memory. The memory of herself in the hot-tub post Calethriel Tower rescue mission. She doesn’t remember this because of the events in the memory itself. Adaine went into her mind and, at her written instructions, reboot her memory and personality. They’re able to Inception themselves into Adaine’s memory of Aelwyn’s mind and they walk through it. Aelwyn is confronted with the knowledge that this is how she is and that Adaine knows this. Siobhan, from her sniper perch, gets the kill order from Brennan to take the shot directly into my chest.

“Would you be my big sister? I would really, really love to have you as a big sister.”

So now it’s both Kristen and me who have crushed hearts this episode.

Aelwyn fully loses concentration on the spell and snaps out of it. When Anguin asks for the information, she, on full glassy-eyed autopilot, says she didn’t find it. Anguin decides to go for the nuclear option, readying a bolt of magic to throw at Adaine. “Prepare to be better, dear, sweet daughter.”

The magic races at her, ready to do something Stepford-ian to her mind I’m sure, but, suddenly, Aelwyn steps forward, still out of it but following her true, deeply buried but natural protective instincts. Protective magic covers Adaine and the spell is Counterspelled.

Adaine quickly dispels her orb but then it’s Anguin’s turn and he goes for Aelwyn. Adaine attempts to return the favor she has just been given and Counterspells but Anguin Counterspells her Counterspell and Lightning Bolts Aelwyn. The second before she’s hit, Aelwyn looks at Adaine and says, “I’m sorry”. She goes down.

Adaine’s turn.

And, if you recall, Adaine just received two boons: A bonus to her Strength score and a little spell called Adaine’s Furious Fists.

And, my dude, if Adaine has ever been furious in her life, it’s now.

5th Level. And it’s a strength saving throw but, just to be certain of her success, Adaine gives her undoubtedly weak father her 4 Portent roll. That’s 10d10 damage.

77 points of damage.

She charges forward at Anguin.

“Guess what bitch? I’m strong now.”

And she full Dragon Ball Z energy punches her dad, dealing more than double his max HP. You know what that means? Ding Dong the bitch is FULLY DEAD.

Deed done, she rushes to Aelwyn’s side and gives her her 11 portent roll for her first death save (super clutch use of a mediocre portent). Then, on an 18 Medicine check, stabilizes her without the need for any more checks. Aelwyn is immediately weepy about how she doesn’t deserve the kindness she’s being shown. Adaine, again, gently says that love isn’t about deserving or not deserving, though she definitely doesn’t deserve the crappy situation she’s in right now. And, maybe when this is over, she can exchange her bed for a bunk bed and Aelwyn can move in? If Aelwyn wasn’t crying before, she super is now, and spilling her guts. She’s the one who sank she ship the previous elven oracle was on, she worked for Kalvaxus and Kalina--things Adaine is willing to attribute to being under the thumb of evil, abusive people but that Aelwyn seems desperate to atone for. She gives Adaine an important piece of information for their mission: In the past, heroes going after the Nightmare King have failed because they failed to undo all five curses. They need to make sure they do that.

Adaine gives Aelwyn the tincture she has on her, freeing her from Kalina’s influence, and then Aelwyn gives her one more piece of information before she slips into unconsciousness. Before Aelwyn had the previous Oracle killed, she was sure that Adaine was going to be the next Oracle and she told Kalvaxus that. Why was she sure? Because the elf that becomes the next Oracle is always the most skilled Diviner alive at the time.

“I love you too,” Adaine replies.

Then she nicks the dope sword (and 30 gp) off her dad’s corpse, leaves Aelwyn there to rest, and goes to find her friends.

And, speaking of, let’s pop over to see how Riz and Fig are doing.

In a word, bad.

They’re still tied up and cornered by the skeletal unicorn who says they’re captured and soon their friends will be too. Nightmare Fig shows up with Baby (who is shortly tied up as well) and reveals herself to actually be this many-armed, snake-woman demon. A whole army of demons show up, ready to start wrecking house as soon as they’re ordered to.

Fig wants to try and use her lighter to set her bonds on fire and Riz wants to use his spy-watch to laser her bonds off. They both fail but Riz notices they’re not being stopped from trying. It’s like the demons want them to escape so they have an excuse to chase and kill them. He also notices a jiggling from his briefcase.

At the same time, Fig gets a Sending from Bill saying he just hawked all of Gorthalx’s stuff, including the six suits of magic armor. But, wait a minute. There were seven suits. On a Nat 1, she thinks Bill is screwing her over.

But then.

All of a sudden.

Riz’s briefcase of holding springs open and out pops a figure in gleaming gold Pride Armor. The armored figure, holding a brilliantly gold halberd, cleaves through some demons and the raises his visor showing that it’s none other than the chosen one himself--GILEAR! You see, the Deadly Sin armor feeds on its respective sin in the user and consumes them, but, as Gilear puts it, he has no pride.

He absolutely wrecks house, killing demon after demon. Riz records it on his tie-camera for posterity. Gorgug and Fabian on Baxter see the commotion and fly down, seeing the tail end of the fight. Gilear kills the last of the demons then gets spit out of the armor like it’s an Iron Man suit, fully dead. Again. He may have had no pride when he put the armor on but watching himself kick ass have him just enough to be fatal.

Fig gets free from her bindings and, on a 27 with Bardic from Fabian, beats the 25 DC she needs to make an illusory diamond (which turns into a real one) of high enough quality to cast Revivify. She does so, after a heartfelt statement about being proud to be like him and a sick lick on her bass.

Gilear comes back up and we learn that he’d been hiding in RIz’s briefcase with the armor since they sent him away because it was the only way he could think of to be useful to them and protect Fig. Fabian and Riz (along with the audience) also unfortunately learn that Gilear is hung like a horse when they fail their saves to look away quickly enough.

Adaine rushes in with her new sword and the information that she killed her dad which everyone congratulates her for. She then ritual casts Identify on the sword. Aelwyn told her earlier that it’s the sword that belongs to whoever the current Oracle is and she also learns it’s called the Sword of Sight, it can be used as an arcane focus, and was made by Fabian’s Grandad (full stats below).

Riz gets the footage from his tie onto his crystal and posts it on Fig’s account which has got to be the wildest social media account on Magic Facebook.

The Bad Kids are mainly reunited, but let’s get back to the final missing member.

Kristen, alone in the woods, starts using her blood to draw a picture of the Mystery goddess. She hears a creepy voice say, “Be careful what you give a face,” and some other ominous stuff. But Kristen ignores it as she lies prostrate in front of her drawing because she understands something extremely important.

As above, so below.

Galakaya is worshiped primarily by stuck up high elves, so she has become that.

If Kristen is now the only follower of the Mystery goddess and she says that she’s real and she’s good then as above, so below. The math checks out.

The bloody image changes to a beautiful woman’s face. The Mystery goddess. She says she only ever wanted to comfort her followers and tell them that the night itself was nothing to fear. Kristen sees flashes of the chained Court of Elders--the representatives of the five races who worshiped the Mystery Goddess and were convinced to destroy her name (ignoring her warnings not to). Among them are the unicorn and the decaying elf Adaine saw in her Scry.

Fear of the NK breaks her out of the vision and she finds herself surrounded by Twilight (that she’s generating) with Tracker in front of her, fully wolfed out with a bloody muzzle. Tracker is going feral, all, “You’re so selfish, everything is always about you.” Something is going wrong with her. Now, good news/bad news:

Good News: Kristen is fully committed to this Mystery Goddess so she gets her spells back and she is now a Twilight Domain Cleric.

Bad News: She goes Invisible (eliciting a, “Why are you running? I knew you would leave me. Why won’t you accept me like I am?” from Tracker) and tries to cast Greater Restoration but all she needs is a 4 and she rolls a 3. Tragic.

She finds that she is insubstantial still and is whisked away from a snarling and lamenting Tracker. As she is traveling, she sees the face of the Nightmare King who asks why she would follow a dead goddess whose path is just going to make her life harder. Kristen feels a pang of doubt and fear that she has just done exactly what her religious upbringing warned her against and put herself and her friends in grave danger for no reason by straying from the path, but then she has another classic Kristen-ism: Everyone is basic and wrong. She’d rather follow a goddess who is like, “Hey y’all, I also don’t have it all figured out but I will for sure do all I can to help you navigate it,” than a god who demands unquestioning faith and loyalty. And with that, she finds herself floating above her friends.

She feels the pull of her missing finger bone in Adaine’s pocket and she feels like it might be impossible for her to fully, properly, come back but on the other hand, she’s died like three times at this point. What does impossible even mean? She gets the sense that she can cast Raise Dead on herself and she does so.

Welcome back to the Bad Kids, St. Kristen Applebees of [REDACTED], halo aglow, newly reattached finger shedding a bit of light.

(“That’s hot for being gay,” Ally says about Kristen’s new glow.)

Everyone hugs everyone and catches up everyone on everything. Kristen heals up Baxter for 20 HP and gets a +2 bump on her Intelligence mod for her ordeals in the forest. They all make a plan to get everyone in one place so Kristen can put some of her new AoE healing spells to use. Fig wants to go on Baxter to get Ayda. Adaine, bringing us full circle, invites Fabian on a rescue mission to get her sister.

And we take a break.

Deep breath y’all.

Detention

Brennan for Cursing us With Knowledge About Gilear’s Penis

@allsevenmaidens put this very reasonable request in and I have to concur because what’s the alternative? Giving Anguin this spot AGAIN? Like, I don’t even want to give him the satisfaction of being the best of the worst. Adaine gave him the death penalty which is what he deserves and all he’s gonna get.

So, Brennan gets this spot for forcing me to hear the words “Gilear” and “hung like a horse” in the same sentence.

Honor Roll

Gilear for Kicking SERIOUS Ass

Listen, SO many Honor Roll-worthy moments happened this episode. Kristen’s Amazing As Above, So Below moment. Aelwyn finally stepping up to protect Adaine. Adaine absolutely obliterating Anguin in a single punch.

But, at the end of the day, I have to give it to Gilear “Just a Guy” Faeth for cramming himself and a suit of cursed armor into a mostly airless briefcase out of desperate need to do whatever he could to help protect his daughter and her friends who are basically demigods. He truly is the Anti-Anguin and I’m so glad Riz got that on tape for posterity. Way to go man.

Random Thoughts

I already wrote so many words and we have a five hour finale tomorrow so I’m going to try and keep this section brief.

We’re staring down the barrel of the last episode (coming Friday at 8PM EST) and I want to say this now rather than later: thanks for reading these and leaving nice comments in the tags and stuff like that. I’m not always the most confident person and the support really means a lot.

We’re also staring down the barrel of a global crisis right now so, you know, be nice to yourself and escape through fiction when you need to, reach out to people, and eat a vegetable if you can. Read a 5000 word recap of an episode you presumably already watched. Whatever you need to do.

The Staff of Doubt has ten charges and can cast the following spells at the cost of the amount of charges listed: Detect Magic (1), Lesser Restoration (2), Dispel Magic (3), Banishment (4), Greater Restoration (5).

The Sword of Sight gives +1 to attack and damage rolls. It gives a base 12 AC which bumps Adaine’s to 15. It lets her cast Divination cantrips as bonus actions. She gets to take the Dodge action when she casts a Divination spell. And she gets no disadvantage on attacks on Invisible creatures (seems very useful against Kalina possibly).

EDIT: I forgot to say! Gorgug saying very sincerely to Kristen, “I’m sorry I wasn’t there,” “there” being, “at her most recent death” broke me.

Where in the World is Ragh Backrock? We have at least an approximate idea of where the rest of the hirelings are but nothing on Ragh. I’m concerned. His vision was asking Gorgug if he was his dad. Maybe it has something to do with that?

Very curious about what the mechanics of the final confrontation will be. What Aelwyn said seems like it could be setting up for some shenanigans. Plus, there are still all the hirelings to worry about.

Another question, I feel like we still have almost no idea what’s going on with the NK. Half of me is almost expecting some kind of Te Fiti/Te Ka situation. On another day I might try to speculate and play detective but that’s not where I’m at today so I’m just gonna leave it at that.

I feel like Kristen is always negging deities to their faces. Like, girl. Her Axe/Dove metaphor was *chef’s kiss* though. Anyway, when (hopefully) Tracker is back to normal, I hope Kristen has a take that’s different than, “I met your goddess and she sucked.”

Kristen makes me feel bad for Helio. He’s just a surfer dude who likes corn, OK. He never did anything to her except give her magic!

Didn’t have a good place to mention this earlier but Fig alerted Bill to their situation and location so if there’s a Bill Ex-Machina next ep, it’s not out of nowhere.

(Also, just a small point of order, Gorgug did say he had a bone from Kristen last ep but so did Adaine. Doesn’t really matter but just wanted to explain the mismatch with my last recap).

Making everyone roll a save to not see Gilear’s dick is so funny. As was Zac invoking danger sense to roll with advantage.

“I cast Spare the Dying on Gilear’s Penis.”

“I am no man,” from LOTR but instead it’s Gilear saying, “I have no pride.”

“Drink deeply Gilear.”

Why is Kalina working for the NK? She’s supposed to be the Mystery Goddess’s familiar, right? Just another thing that doesn’t add up. Where’s that puzzle piece we’re missing?

The thought of Baxter being so confused and dejected and fatally injured, not understanding what he did so wrong to have his mistress riddle him with arrows makes me wanna throw down with Brennan IRL. Also, I’m Concerned about Sandra-Lynn.

I need to say this on the record. Ally Beadsley does some bonkers things in D&D that I could not even begin to understand but that As Above So Below Gambit was Galaxy Brained.

You knew this was coming. Abernant Time Bay-Bee (the abridged version because I need to get this out before Friday)!

First off, I am very happy to say that basically exactly what I predicted/hoped for in my last recap for this scene is what happened, with Anguin making Aelwyn cast Detect Thoughts on Adaine. And basically EVERYTHING I had on my Abernant Sisters Reconciliation checklist was checked. The Detect Thoughts. The pointing out that they’re gonna live for a long time and do they want to do it at each other's throats? Aelwyn finally stepping up to the plate and leaning into her Abjurative Instincts in a positive way and shielding Adaine from their father. And then the stuff that I wanted so bad but didn’t know it. The bunk beds moment? The “I love you too” moment. “She’s a baby!” I mean, “Will you be my big sister?” F off Siobhan. That was beautiful.

A little concerned about Adaine having left Aelwyn unconscious so close to where their mom is but I am glad she remembered to cure her of Kalina.

When Brennan said, “In Aelwyn’s last moment,” for a second I thought he meant she was about to be perma-dead and my heart legit stopped.

I was up until about 2 AM last night, popping bottles with @camwritery (my Abernant Sisters confidant) about Brennan and Siobhan giving us everything we wanted and I’m going to get yelled at by her if I don’t mention something I said while we were talking. Last week, during the fireside chat, all of the players talked about what future lives/jobs they’d want for their characters. I posited the same question for Aelwyn and offered my answer--CPS Case Worker. Because, like, think about it. She is an extremely protective person. She wants to atone for what she did and failed to do for Adaine. When she gets all the therapy she needs, she’s going to be equipped with deep, personal knowledge of what abuse looks like/what it can do to a child and an extremely long lifespan. Can’t you see an adult Aelwyn, in the living room of a well appointed house, speaking cordially to some high class A-hole with his terrified kid sitting next to him, trying not to say anything or do anything that will get them punished and Aelwyn does a surface level Detect Thoughts at the same time so she can mentally kneel before the kid and tell them, “I’m on your side. You can be honest with me. I’m here to protect you. I promise. Don’t be scared.” This is all I want for her.

This episode Fig rolled one Nat 1 and Gorgug rolled two but one was cancelled with advantage. No Nat 20s were rolled.

#fantasy high #fantasy high spoilers #dimension 20 #dimension 20 spoilers #fantasy high live #(kind of a rush job bc the next ep is so soon so def hit up my asks if I missed s/t you wanted to hear about)

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jamiebluewind · 4 years

Text

Pok The Nightmare King?

***

@skysfallingbaby proposed an interesting concept. "Maybe Pok Gukgak is the Nightmare King". And while this theory make a lot of things a lot more messed up (like trying to use Riz in a sacrifice), it got my theorist senses a tingling.

So, without futher ado, let's get started.

***

First off, What is Pok exactly? We can assume that the Nightmare King doesn't just look like a goblin as he doesn't actually look like any one race when people have tried to describe him. We could guess some kind of magical effect that alters his appearance, but the Nightmare King was also banished (a spell with no time limit outside homebrew rules, unless the spell is not held for a minute or the creature is banished while already on their own plane) and seeing as Pok lived on the material plane for years, he couldn't be the Nightmare King... technically. The thing is, the Nightmare King doesn't have to be there to be there. Ragh's mom was piloting a clone of herself in real time while her real body was unconscious and housed miles underground (possibly in the molten core of the planet). A goblin suit could be piloted by the Nightmare King using the same principles. Even a direct connection to the Nightmare King is established in game via his corrupting influence constantly leaking from his plane of existence into the material plane (specifically in Silvar).

The next question that comes to mind is Why did Kalvaxus eat Pok if they were allied? and to that I say Do we know for sure that he did? What we do know is this...

Kalvaxus taunted that he ate Pok, but he did it in the middle of a battle to throw off Riz.

Kalvaxus would have eaten Pok while bound. Barring being able to enlarge/reduce Pok (and even then, he would only shrink to about the size of a cat), it would have taken a 6 to 7 foot tall dragonborn a WHILE to eat someone 1/2 his height and 1/5 his weight, bones and all (and dragons and dragonborns don't even have the established voracious appetite goblins do).

Riz and Sklonda were told Pok died at sea until Kalvaxus said otherwise.

Pok and Shadow Cat/Calina worked together

Shadow Cat/Calina was absent at Pok's funeral and never contacted Sklonda or Riz afterward.

Shadow Cat was spotted immediately after the battle with Kalvaxus (making it possible that she was given a heads up about Kalvaxus' plans).

So, using this information it's not that hard to theorize that Pok might not have been eaten or was eaten under the orders of the Nightmare King. Reasons to taunt might have been something The Nightmare King told him to say once free or just something he said to rattle Riz knowing it couldn't be proven. Reasons to ask to be eaten could have been to dispose of a clone he was piloting without risking leaving a magical trace behind (which could have been done regularly for one reason or another, but if Kalvaxus got caught red handed, they would have had an established story set up and a witness to it happening).

There's also a few things that happen during the Shadow Cat/Riz dialogue that take on a whole new meaning. I'll link the dialogue below, but one exchange really stands out. She said "Pok Gukgak. It's a good man" and when Riz asked what went wrong between them, she said "Nothing went... wrong between us" immediately followed by her offering "a little information swap" and to answer a question about his dad in exchange for answering her own. This was despite Riz previously saying "I wanna know where the crown is. I wanna know where Fabian is. I wanna know why people are coming for us in our sleep." and thus already knowing what information Riz would trade for.

Finally, let's look at Riz.

He is the son of Pok and Sklonda Gukgak.

He is an inquisitive rogue and on more than one occasion has been described as being "one with the shadows".

He has always has issues with sleeping, often avoiding it or just not getting enough of it.

He has always been able to see Shadow Cat and has met her at least once.

He was going to be sacrificed on an alter by a Nightmare King controlled Fig to complete some kind of ritual.

He was not attacked in his dreams when he failed his throws, the first time getting Baron while awake and the second time pounced on by Shadow Cat while asleep (while even Ragh was attacked in his sleep and got up while already under dominate person as Adaine watched).

Shadow Cat knew a lot of stuff about Riz, including current stuff ("I know that YOU only do things to kinda distract yourself from how DEEPLY sad you are that your dad is gone, I get that. The maidens and then you find the maidens and then it's on to the next thing and the conspiracy board and you don't sleep and you're digging digging digging- it's like when you were in that palimpsest. You will dig until your own hands are bleeding...").

Shadow Cat's first offer to get his intel was to answer a question about his dad if she got to ask him a question in return (followed by saving Fabian despite that being one of the things he asked for).

Some of these wouldn't hold water alone, but combined they paint a very interesting picture. Shadow Cat being so familiar with Riz makes more sense if she has been keeping an eye on the son of her boss off and on for a long time. It also explains why Shadow Cat immediately offered to give him intell on his dad in exchange for answering a question and clicking her tongue when he turned it down like he did. Riz being the son of the Nightmare King (maybe only a tiny part or an infused thing due to how it happened) would mean he's probably immune to some Nightmare magic and skilled with others (like how half-elves are immune to Sleep, but can't trace), which explains why he has yet to get attacked while dreaming and his natural stealth skills, perceptiveness, and sleep issues. The Nightmare King trying to use Riz in a ritual sacrifice instead of just some guy on the street might mean his son is required for it.

This all leaves me with so many questions.

Considering how strategic the Nightmare King is, why exactly would he pick Sklonda?

Could Pok have fathered Riz specifically to sacrifice later, as a backup for something, or as a cover for being around certain people?

Why did Pok leave and was it planned?

What was Pok really up to during his life as a spy?

Is Riz required somehow to bring back the Nightmare King?

Does the ritual actually require Riz to die and if so, could they revive him without causing the ritual to fail (like if it required a lethal amount of blood from Riz or a mortal wound)?

What will Gorthalax reveal once he's freed (which will most likely happen once Ayda learns Plane Shift and has a slot free to use it)?

Could someone in the party potentially question Kalvaxus (maybe with the help of Gorthalax or a specific spell)?

***

Special thanks to @skysfallingbaby for the bardic inspiration for this tinfoil time. I honestly hadn't considered the possibility until you mentioned it, but the moment I did I just HAD to follow the logic to see where it led. It really surprised me how many pieces fell into place the further I went. It really was an absolute delight to research. Thank you ^_^

***

Original Post

#fantasy high #dimension 20 #pok gukgak #riz gukgak #calina #shadow cat #fantasy high live #fantasy high spoilers #tinfoil time #theory #d20 theory

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kristenbeeapples · 4 years

Note

Fic idea: Kristen Applebees trying to be a good big sister after leaving her family

Allison you absolutely READ my MIND. Thank you for giving me an excuse to finally put all my (many, many) thoughts about Kristen and her siblings onto paper. Under a read more because this spun wildly out of my control!

***

“Ready?” Fig asks.

Kristen blows a loose strand of her out of her face, pockets her crystal, and nods. “Ready.”

Fig takes her hand and squeezes it, and then they appear with a burst of fire in her younger brothers’ bedroom. Adaine steps out of nothingness next to them a moment later.

“Kristen!” Cork yells, and leaps off the bed into her arms.

“Hey, buddy,” Kristen says, smiling. He smells like he hasn’t had a bath yet, he’s spilt something sticky down his t-shirt and he’s drooling a little, but she does not care one bit. She squeezes him tightly. A second later there’s another thump as Bricker runs up and hugs her from behind. With difficulty, she extracts an arm from underneath Cork so she can hug him too.

They start chattering excitedly, I missed you and Guess what I did at school today and Mom and Dad said – but Kristen interrupts, putting her finger to her lips. “We have to be quiet, okay? We don’t want Mom and Dad to hear.”

They both nod, their faces determined. It’s very, very cute.

Helio – no, not Helio, Yes – she’s missed them.

“Alright, Cork, you go with Adaine, Bricker go with Fig,” Kristen says, lifting Cork down off her hip next to Adaine. “I’m going to go get Bucky.”

“Okay,” Bricker says, and darts over to Fig.

“Hey, kid,” Fig says. “Let’s do this!”

“Yeah!” he says.

Fig holds her hand up, and Bricker jumps to give her a high-five. They both vanish.

Cork has suddenly gone shy, and hides behind Kristen’s legs. He’s met Adaine before – all her brothers have met the Bad Kids, after a weekend towing them along on investigations when she was meant to be babysitting – but it’s been a while, and it dawns on her that the last time was probably the night of prom when the house was attacked. She crouches down and gives him another hug.

“It’s okay,” she says. “Adaine’s cool. She won’t hurt you, promise.”

Adaine, who’s been hovering to the side a little awkwardly, kneels down beside them too. “Here,” she says, and hands over Boggy to Cork. “This is Boggy the Froggy. He helps me when I’m scared. Can you look after him for me?”

Cork takes Boggy, his eyes wide. “Coooooool,” he breathes.

Kristen presses a kiss onto the top of his head. “Go with Adaine and Boggy, I’ll be there in a minute, okay?”

Cork nods, focused on Boggy’s big eyes, and takes Adaine’s hand. Kristen mouths a thank you to Adaine as she misty-steps away, and then stands and sneaks out into the hallway.

Bucky’s room lies at the end of the hallway beyond the stairs, and as she creeps past, she can hear her parent’s voices from the floor below. Kristen freezes, heart rate picking up. She thought she would be okay coming here, but now all she can think about is angry voices, axes thrust in her face, get that out of our house -

A door creaks open, and Bucky pokes his head out. “Kristen?” he whispers.

Kristen steadies her breathing, using one of the tricks Adaine taught her. “Hey,” she whispers back. “Ready to go?”

He nods, shutting the door quietly, and gives her a hug. He’s so tall now, she thinks, but doesn’t say it out loud because she knows it will annoy him. Instead she takes out the Sword of Shadows, on loan from Riz, and misty-steps outside after the others.

Cork and Bricker are happily playing with Boggy on the street, but both stop and rush back over to her when she appears, so that all her brothers are gathered in her arms for the first time in months. The Applebees siblings, she thinks, and grins over the top of their heads at Adaine and Fig.

“Alright,” she says, as they break apart. “Who wants ice-cream?”

***

It’s early evening on a Saturday, so Basrar’s is fairly busy, but since he owes Adaine a favour they manage to get them two booths next to each other. She and Fig take one, and Kristen sits with her brothers in the other. She buys them as much ice-cream as she can with the last of the money she’s been saving from her old allowance, and tells them all about how the Bad Kids slayed a dragon and saved the day (the PG version, of course, and she neglects to tell them she died again.) They listen in awe as she tells the story, oooh-ing and aah-ing in the appropriate places, and then ask her lots of questions about what it was like being inside a dragon, delighting in the grossness she describes.

In return, she asks them about their lives, school and church and home, all the mundanity she’s missed, and listens contentedly as they all start talking at once. Possibly, this much sugar was a mistake, but Kristen doesn’t care. They’re here, they’re together, and that’s what matters.

As Bucky regales a story about his class trip to Bastion City, Kristen begins anxiously checking her crystal. She ignores the frantic calls from her parents (she’s sent them a text, it’s fine), and scrolls through her messages with Tracker. She said she’d be here at half seven, and it’s nearly eight – where is she? Did she bail? Does she not want to be Kristen’s girlfriend anymore?

Just as she’s about to ask her brothers to wait a sec and call her, Tracker appears at their booth. “Hi,” she says, with a nervous smile.

“Hey!” Kristen shuffles over awkwardly – Cork decided halfway through his ice cream that he wanted to sit on her lap and hasn’t moved since – so she can sit down. “Guys, this is my… friend, Tracker. Tracker, this is Bucky, Bricker and Cork.” She looks at each of her brothers, pointedly. “Say hi, and be nice, okay?”

“Hi!” they all say in unison.

There’s a pause for a moment, all of them a bit unsure in front of a new person. Tracker, too, doesn’t seem to know what to do; when Kristen asked her to come, she admitted she hadn’t been around a lot of kids.

“Tracker’s a werewolf,” Kristen blurts out to break the silence before she can stop herself.

Tracker raises her eyebrows, and Kristen mouths sorry, but the boys all light up at once.

“How loudly can you howl?” Bricker asks.

“Can you transform right now?” Bucky says, excited.

“Do you bite people?” Cork asks, worriedly.

Tracker laughs at that last one. “Okay so – pretty loud, I could but I won’t because I don’t want to scare anybody, and no, I don’t bite, I promise.”

Cork sighs, relieved, and leans back into Kristen, whilst Bucky and Bricker look like they’re gearing up to ask more questions.

“Guys, don’t be rude,” Kristen says, vainly.

Tracker smiles at them in a way that makes Kristen melt. “No, it’s okay. Come on, what do you want to know?”

Her brothers spend the next ten minutes grilling Tracker about lycanthropy before Tracker starts telling them funny stories about her and Jawbone. Kristen can’t keep a dopey grin off her face as she watches all her brothers fall as in love with Tracker as she’s found herself falling in the past couple of weeks, and she thinks: this is what family should feel like.

When there’s a lull in the conversation, Tracker says, “I’ll be back in a bit, I’m going to go say hi to Adaine and Fig.” She stands, giving Kristen a thumbs up like they’d rehearsed, and goes to sit with the others in the booth behind them.

“So, do you guys like Tracker?” she asks, pulling Cork closer to disguise the shaking of her hands.

There’s a chorus of enthusiastic yeahs. “She’s awesome,” Bricker says fervently.

“She is.” Kristen takes a deep breath. “How would you feel,” she says, “If I told you Tracker is my girlfriend?”

Cork doesn’t seem to be listening, licking the remainder of his ice cream from his bowl, but the older two both look solemn as they process the information.

“Like, how cousin Nick has a girlfriend?” Bricker says.

Kristen nods. “Yeah, just like that.”

“But you’re a girl,” Bucky says, slowly. “And so is Tracker.”

“Yeah, we’re both girls.” Kristen says.

“Does that mean you’re gay?” Bricker asks.

Saying it still feels a little like a confession, an admission of guilt, but she’s trying not to think of it like that. She’s trying to be proud.

She lifts her chin up, looks them directly in the eyes, and says, “Yeah, I am.”

Bucky narrows his eyes. “Mom and Dad and Pastor Amelia say that’s bad.”

Kristen’s heart sinks, though she keeps her expression neutral. She had known this was coming, had practised with Tracker to prepare, but it still aches. “Yeah, they do,” she says. “A lot of people think that. But a lot of people, like me, and Tracker, and my friends, think it’s actually a good thing. What do you think?”

Both of them consider this. “Well,” Bucky says, eventually. “Tracker’s cool. And you’re, like, fine. So I guess it’s okay.”

“Rude,” Kristen says, but she’s smiling. They don’t hate her. They don’t hate her. There’s still hope for the Applebees. “But, thank you. And you know, if you guys have any questions about this stuff, about me being gay, or religion, or literally anything at all, you can always, always, come and ask me, okay?”

Bucky and Bricker both nod. Cork, who’s wriggled off her lap to play with the sugar packets on the counter, looks up and says, “Does that mean you guys kiss and stuff?”

Kristen grins mischievously. “We do. A lot.”

“Ewww!”

“Gross!”

“Bleugh.”

***

On the way home, Fig and Tracker race ahead with Cork and Bricker on their backs, Adaine misty-stepping ahead of them to judge the winner. It’s a warm summer evening, the setting sun bathing the neighbourhood in honey-coloured light, and a cool breeze carries her friends’ and brothers’ laughter down the street towards her. Kristen walks slowly with Bucky, swinging his hand up and down like she used to when they were younger, and thinks about how lucky she is. Her family is not broken: she is building it up again, better and stronger this time. Things are going to be okay.

As they round the corner onto the Applebees’ road, Bucky says, “You’re not coming home this time, are you?”

Kristen looks down at him, surprised. He’s a smart kid, but she forgets, sometimes. In her head he’s still just her little brother, running around causing chaos and annoying her when she’s supposed to be praying. “No,” she says. “I don’t think so.”

He nods. “I thought so. Mom and Dad wouldn’t say, but I could tell.”

“How are –” She bites her lip. “Are things okay, at home?”

Bucky shrugs. “They were better when you were here.”

“I know,” Kristen says, pushing down the guilt that overwhelms her. “I’m sorry, Buck. If I could stay, I would, but Mom and Dad are… they don’t want me around, anymore.”

“Because you have a girlfriend?” Bucky says.

“A bit because of that. A bit because of some other stuff.” Kristen says. “But even though I’m not at home anymore, I’m still your big sister, okay? If Mom and Dad ever say or do anything that upsets you or Bricker or Cork, you call me on your crystal, and no matter where I am I promise I’ll come get you.”

“Okay,” Bucky says, and squeezes her hand. She squeezes it back, and they carry on walking.

Outside the Applebees’ house, Kristen gathers her brothers to say goodbye, taking a sleepy Cork from Tracker’s arms.

“Did you guys have fun?” Kristen says, as they walk up the driveway.

Bricker nods energetically, still hopped up on sugar. “Yeah! Can we do this again?”

“Absolutely,” Kristen says, smiling. “Just don’t tell Mom and Dad where we went, okay? It’ll be our secret.”

“Okay,” Bucky says, “We pinky-promise.”

The four of them put their little fingers together, and Kristen laughs. “I love you,” she says, hugging them one by one. “I’ll see you soon.”

There’s a chorus of goodbyes as Kristen lets them go and bolts back down the driveway before her parents answer the door.

“Don’t go!” she hears Cork say from behind her as the door opens, and though her heart breaks she doesn’t look back.

She runs back to the others. “We gotta go,” she says, panicked, her parent’s yells echoing behind her.

Fig nods, grabs Kristen and dashes away on her skateboard, Adaine and Tracker chasing after them. She manages to keep the tears from falling for a bit, but by the time they’re safely back at Strongtower Luxury Apartments, she’s fully sobbing down Fig’s back. Tracker pulls her off the skateboard into a tight-armed hug, and Fig and Adaine pile on too, until they’re all in a wet, sweaty pile of limbs. She cries and cries and cries, feeling joyful and sad and terribly old all at once.

“Kristen,” Fig says, breaking away as she starts to catch her breath. “I gotta say, your little brothers are awesome. I’m gonna to teach Bricker to play bass the next time we do this.”

“You’d do this again?” Kristen says, blowing her nose on a tissue Adaine silently produces from her jacket.

“Yeah, of course, dude!” Fig slings an arm around Kristen’s shoulders. “I don’t have siblings, this is my one chance to spread anarchy to the next generation.”

Kristen laughs, wiping away her tears. “Oh, god.”

Adaine hands her another tissue. “As someone with an absolutely terrible big sister,” she says quietly, “I think you’re doing great. They love you so much.”

“Fuck, Adaine,” Kristen whines, sniffling. “I just stopped crying.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to – ” Adaine starts, hands flapping anxiously.

“No, I didn’t mean it, you don’t have to apologise,” Kristen says, taking her hand and squeezing it. “Thank you. Really.”

Adaine and Fig hug her again, and then head upstairs with a knowing glance, leaving Kristen alone with her girlfriend. The word still feels new and lovely, and she gets a little burst of happiness every time she says it. My girlfriend. My girlfriend.

Tracker loops her arms around Kristen and pulls her in close. “I really like your family,” she says softly.

Kristen gives her a watery smile. “I think they really like you, too.”

Tracker kisses her, and the sadness doesn’t go away, but it feels a little lighter. “You’ll see them again soon,” she says.

“Yeah,” Kristen says, and it’s a vow. “I will.”

#this is literally 10x the length of my last prompt asdhfgasjdhf #i got a little carried away #whoops #my fic #also: yes i know that misty step can only be used for one person its called creative license/shut up #also also: this is set the summer between freshman and sophomore year but boggy is there bc little kids interacting with him is too cute #screw canon i want frog #tw: coming out #tw: homophobia #fantasy high #kristen applebees #trackerbees #dimension 20 #adaine abernant #fig faeth #tracker #asks #allsevenmaidens

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ozhiel · 3 years

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Wrong Turn ~ 2021 [Full HD]

https://cinemax24.net/en/movie/630586/wrong-turn

Overview -

When a franchise has been stretched beyond its theatrical beginnings into the multitude of direct-to-video sequels - it's time for a reboot! Wrong Turn - gets a complete reimagining that aims for the classic Murderous Cult instead of the mutant Hillbilly Horror sub-genre. Screenwriter of the 2003 original Alan McElroy returns with director Mike P. Nelson to give the franchise a fresh direction forward but ultimately the show doesn't travel a new trail as a group of friends goes missing hiking the Appalachia Trail. Overall the film works, delivers some gore-fueled scares, but pacing is a problem and the film runs far too long padding out material that would have enjoyed some slashing. Wrong Turn is getting a One-Night only theatrical release via Fathom Events. Tickets can be purchased through Fandango - Worth A Look

Young, fresh out of college friends will do what they always do - travel to a remote place where no one has been before and go for an adventure hike well off the beaten path. That's exactly what Jen Shaw (Charlotte Vega), her boyfriend Darius (Adain Bradley), and four of their friends are about to do along the Appalachia Trail. Warned by the seemingly ignorant redneck locals to hire a guide or stay on the path, Jen and her friends instead hunt to find a lost Civil War fort. Instead of finding a historical relic, they descend into a nightmare world where a cult has thrived in isolation for generations - and will do anything to protect their way of life.

The franchise relaunch is always a tricky prospect. It's one thing if the property has a massive devoted fanbase like Halloween that longs to see the primary villain come up with new ways to do essentially the same thing over and over again. It's something else when the concept of the franchise was already straining under the weight of direct-to-video sequels and knockoffs. 2003's Wrong Turn helped kick off the return to Hillbilly Horror that hadn't really been experienced since the 70s. Taking a page from the terrifying episode "Home" from the fourth season of The X-Files, the original film focused on an inbred family of mutant hill folk cannibals and the following five sequels ground that concept into the ground with little variation or fanfare.

https://cinemax24.net/en/movie/630586/wrong-turn

2021's Wrong Turn takes a page closer to Ari Aster's dark comedy/horror hybrid Midsommar and other murderous cult flicks than the expected mutant cannibal hillbillies. Which turns out to be a clever avenue to explore, even if it's not altogether fulfilling. Original series screenwriter Alan McElroy earns worthy props crafting a scenario worth exploring. The script establishes a culture for this cult and a way of life they believe is right and Bill Sage makes a creepy turn here as the leader of The Foundation - John. Pulling some characteristics of cult leaders ranging from Jim Jones to Roch Thériault, he's equally menacing and charismatic. Jen and her friends end up playing a high-stakes game of cultural anthropology where the slightest grievance could end in death - or something far worse. And I do mean it that way. Those who die, thankfully die fast. Those who don't - well, that reveal is one of the creepiest most unsettling things this movie has to offer. If only there were more moments like that we'd have something special here.

While I would call this an overall successful reboot of the Wrong Turn franchise - it does enough different to make it worthwhile - my principal complaint is the length. At just under two hours, it's about fifteen minutes too long for its own good. Director Mike P. Nelson and his editors just don't manage the pace to drum up genuine suspense or the intended scares to have much impact. Conversations that don't mean anything last far too long where essential pieces of dialog for character and plot are shortchanged.

The film's opening with Matthew Modine as Jen's father Scott trying to figure out where she disappeared doesn't need to be there at all. Once that intro is done the next hour plays as a flashback to "six-weeks earlier." Then it picks back up with Modine and his search for Jen now that we know where she is. Given the movie's title that intro is just wasted screentime. The audience already knows bad things are going to happen; the opening only delays the inevitable without adding anything.

Characters are also on the painfully thin side - again, playing to genre tropes. Charlotte Vega and Matthew Modine carry most of the dramatic weight with an appreciable father/daughter dynamic. Again, Bill Sage is an ominous presence and Daisy Head earns high marks as the creepy Edith. The rest of the cast is there to fill time until they're appropriately 86'd in gloriously gory ways. And while there is ample gore, we don't really care enough about the characters for any demise to be meaningful or all that shocking. When Jen and her friends call out the names of the friends gone missing, you're constantly replying "who?" They could have easily been named after their character archetypes "The Jerk," "The Priss," "Gay Guy 1," "Gay Guy 2", and "Boyfriend" for how simply defined they are. You know who is going to die and how badly pretty much as soon as you meet this troupe of traveling friends.

At the end of the day I was entertained by this new spin for Wrong Turn - a franchise I basically gave up caring anything for around when the second sequel hit video store shelves. This film doesn't do anything new to the genre, but for the series, it's a notable refresher. Between this series' sequels and the recent Hills Have Eyes, on top of the remake series of I Spit On Your Grave, it was long past time to bury Hillbilly Horror and let that genre corpse rot a little before digging it up again. If Wrong Turn 2021 was just a little bit leaner it'd play a bit meaner and give horror hounds some more meaty scares to sink their teeth into. It's certainly a better movie than any of the past direct-to-video sequels but that may not be a strong enough recommendation.

Final Thoughts In the last seventeen years, the Wrong Turn franchise has run the cinematic gauntlet. It started with a solid creepy first film but endured through a series of haphazard (at best) direct-to-video sequels that strain to keep the name alive in the minds of horror fans. Now we find ourselves with a reboot that shakes things up dramatically for the franchise moving away from Hillbilly Horror and into the Murderous Cult sub-genre. And it works for the most part with Matthew Modine making a fine Action-Dad, and our new cult The Foundation a creepy evil entity to explore. Holding things back is an extended runtime and odd pacing that bogs down the momentum and impact of some of the scarier setups. Overall a decent relaunch to a franchise long gone stale. Wrong Turn is getting a One-Night only theatrical release via Fathom Events. Tickets can be purchased through Fandango - ultimately, it's Worth A Look

#wrong #turn #movie #wrongturn2021 #2021

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titanias-stolen-shoes · 4 years

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Crossing Paths: Part Three

Summary: Something happened to Ayda—she just doesn’t know it yet. With her internship at the Cross Points Public Library, absent mind but ever-present father, nothing feels out of place. That is, until she finds a journal in the library she can’t read and soon after a wild assortment of kids come in, asking for her help.

Together they work together to figure out their dreams, the journals, and whether they can figure their way back home from our world.

Read on AO3!

Ayda was settling easily into her role in the library. It was a nice change of pace from the beginning of the summer where she sat at home, researching anything that came to mind or rereading her favorite books.

It wasn’t all her fault, but that was the price for having most significant people in her life be busy adults. Garthy had the Golden Gardens (though Ayda was never allowed to go there) and her father had his summer University work. Having been raised by adults with little interaction with children her own age had given her a disadvantage when she started schooling. That disadvantage hadn’t lessened with age, but she learned to make peace with it.

At Cross Points, she ran into a lot of different people who were happy to talk to her. Some expressed their discontent with her bluntness while others laughed and smiled in the face of it. She wasn’t quite sure what to make of it, but it helped to curb her loneliness.

Most of her job consisted of putting books back on the shelves, but every day Garthy would stop by with more energy that Ayda knew what to do with and asked about her day.

“It’s more of the same. I put the books back. I help people find what they’re looking for.”

“Sounds like it’s right up your alley.” They sat on the table, leg swinging lazily as they cut a peach. “What do you do when you’re not putting books back or helping the masses?”

Ayda smiled, taking a slice. “Rawlins said I was allowed to look at any book I like so long as I put it back or properly check it out.”

“That’s nice of him. If I remember from my time there, he never really leaves that desk, does he?”

“No. You worked there?”

They laughed, handing her another slice. “When I was your age, sure. Your mother would take me there and have me help with her research. Made quite a bit of trouble for Rawlins.”

Ayda felt like her heart was constricting as she swallowed hard, frantically tapping her toes. “My mother took you there?”

Their smile softened as they slid from the table and took a seat next to her. “All the time for her research. Your mother was the most brilliant woman I’d ever had the courtesy of knowing. She even had the power to make your father accountable.”

Ayda’s eyebrows shot up. “Really?”

“Oh, of course, love. There was no one quite like her.” Their phone buzzing cut them off, earning a small frown as they looked. Garthy sighed, standing. “I’ve got to go now, dear. I’ll be back tomorrow to check on you. Tell your father I said hello.” With a hug and a gentle kiss on the cheek, Garthy swept out of the house.

Three weeks into the internship she had gotten used to the routine. Wake up, drive to Compass Points, work for four to eight hours, come home to Garthy (and to a lesser extent Arthur), eat, go to bed. She had days off, of course, but she still got up early and did any work Arthur would ask her to help with. Despite his absent-mindedness, he had his moments of incredible attentiveness.

The only thing that ever broke that monotony was the journal that she passed almost every day. She still hadn’t picked it back up or opened it. She had given up on pretending she didn’t believe it was the catalyst for her headache and dizzy spell her first day. She always looked but never touched it, psyching herself up for it next time she passed by. Eventually, she stopped thinking about it, knowing that there wasn’t really a way she could read the contents.

That is until she got some of the rowdiest people in the library as it was about to close.

They were attention attracting—and not just because they were loud. They were truly some of the oddest assortment of people she had ever seen together. Leading the charge was the shortest one of them, an anxious-looking Hispanic boy with a floppy cap over his hair freckles splattered over his cheeks. He was talking hurriedly to the pale, blonde girl next to him. She was nervously fiddling with a spherical crystal on her necklace. Clustered in a group of four behind them was a tall, Asian man with a white streak in his hair, a redheaded girl half a foot short than him, a boy with pale grey hair a few inches shorter than him, and a girl a little shorter than the redhead with a messy braid and punk clothes. They would have been hard to ignore even without their noise.

Rawlins was frowning as they all crowded the front desk, their questions lost in the sea of their voices. Ayda watched from a distance by the romance section, wondering why she had never seen them before. They all looked to be around her age, maybe a little younger. And if they were at the Cross Points Public Library, they should have gone to Leviathan High School. Perhaps they were from out of town. Whatever the case, it wasn’t her business right now. She had an entire cart full of romance novels she needed to shelve.

Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw them disband, going off in groups. The two nervous ones booked it down the stairs while the tallest one went toward the friendship section on the main floor. The grey-haired kid stayed near the front, settling in one of the chairs and pulling out his phone. She caught a glimpse of a scar on his right cheek. The redheaded girl and punk girl were also headed downstairs but at a slower pace.

Ayda moved out of their way, vaguely thinking about the other books she needed put away. She’d need to go upstairs for fantasy and a few of the sci-fi books. Then downstairs for math and autobiographies, with quite a few self-help books here on the main floor. If she planned it right, she wouldn’t have to make any more trips than—

Daya Gauofret.

Ayda whipped her cart around, shoving it quickly toward the elevator, startling the two girls. If any of them picked up the journal and had the same reaction she did…

The elevator didn’t move fast enough and when the doors opened, the blonde girl was hunched over, clutching her head and shaking while the little one hovered over her worriedly. Ayda took a few short strides and snatched up the book laid open in front of her. All at once she stopped shaking and leaned heavily against her friend.

“What the hell was that?” he demanded.

“I… I don’t know.” She leaned against the bookshelf, clutching the book. “It’s done that before. To me. I don’t know why.”

“Why do you keep it in the library then?”

The thumping of footsteps cut her off as the two girls rushed down the stairs. “What ha— Adaine!” They rushed over, kneeling next to her as the boy continued to stare at Ayda.

“It’s— I don’t know. It was donated a few years ago and it doesn’t leave the library. What’s happening to your friend also happened to me. I tried to read it then I got dizzy and my head started to hurt so badly I couldn’t stand up.”

“And you didn’t do anything about it?”

“I thought it was just me. Rawlins could read it just fine.”

“Riz, what are you guys talking about?” The punk girl was looking at her in anger. “What happened to Adaine?”

“It was this book.” Ayda held up the journal. “She tried to read it and then she couldn’t.”

The two looked at Riz. He sighed. “It’s like she said.”

The redheaded girl stood heading toward the stairs. “I’m gonna go get Fabian and Gorgug.”

Adaine began to stir, slowly sitting up, squinting at the light. She blinked, looking first at Riz and then at Ayda. “Thank you for taking that book away.”

“You’re welcome. I know the pain it causes is quite terrible.” There was a paused and Ayda knelt down next to them. “I’m Ayda Aguefort.”

“Adaine Abernant.” She held out her hand and for a moment Ayda hesitated but shook her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, and I would like to exchange pleasantries, but that journal… Is there any way we could check it out?”

“It’s one of the few books that cannot be checked out. Perhaps if you checked with Rawlins at the front—”

“Attention all patrons,” Rawlins’ voice rang out from the speakers, startling them into looking up. The rest of their group all came down as he continued. “The library closes in ten minutes. Make your last-minute decisions and exit the building. Ten minutes.”

“Damn,” Riz said. “I knew we should have come earlier.”

Adaine frowned, then looked at Ayda. “Will you be here tomorrow?”

“Yes. Why?”

“You work here so you know the library. And I’m interested in the other books that can’t be checked out.” She stood on shaky legs and used Riz to stabilize herself. “We’ll come back tomorrow.”

The tall one with a scar looked confused as Adaine leaned on Riz, walking toward the stairs. “What the hell just happened?”

Adaine just waved her hand dismissively. “We’ll tell you on the way.” She turned, smiling at Ayda. “See you tomorrow.”

Part One || Part Two || Part Three

#fantasy high #fantasy high live #fantasy high fanfic #crossing paths #i wrote something!

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monachopsicalwhimsy · 7 years

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@scrpentwriter

Moira had insisted that she absolutely needed snacks and that she was "perfectly sufficient enough" to remain in the theatre on her own while Adain ran to the concession. Adain typically was very cautious with Moira, but the girl had a stubborn independent streak in her that just wouldn't quit. The rare occasions that Adain did leave her alone, Moira had rules- stay put, don't give out any personal information, use self defence if necessary and call her mother if anything happens. So far nothing had gone wrong when she left the girl for a few minutes at a time- so she was slowly growing more comfortable with it.

After about ten minutes, Adain trudged back to their seats with popcorn, licorice and juice in tow only to find Moira chattering away at the young man seated next to her. Adain held out a bottle of juice, scolding. "Moira, I'm sure all he wants to do is enjoy the movie that's about to start- not to chit chat." To which Moira rebuttled with "Mom. We were talking about Tarantino and themes in his movies okay? And- he said he doesn't think it's inappropriate for me to see pulp fiction because it's a classic!"

Adain shook her head as she sat down, still amazed at the young girls ability to argue sometimes. She looked across at the young man sitting beside her daughter. "Well I'm sorry she bothered you, and Moira-" she stated, shifting focus. "-I haven't seen this since before you were born, so it's yet to be determined if we'll sit through the whole thing. Classic or not, you're only seven." To which the girl leaned back in her seat and muttered. "Almost eight."

#scepwntwriter #x jughead #single parent au

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unrequitedmime · 5 years

Quote

The Princess of the Mercan Mountains already walks like a Queen. She enters the sitting room like a sweeping storm of clicking heels and raised chins and a thousand layers of red silk. She does not glance at even one of us as she takes her seat on a chaise lounge, her young guard silently positioning himself behind her. Her hair falls down her back like shimmering oil, dead straight strands the colour of black ink. It does well to make her skin glow, and her dark eyes pierce. I cannot decide if she is more striking or intimidating. She is beautiful. I will say that much. Father looks her up and down, something close to appreciation shining in his blue eyes. I fight the urge to elbow him in the face or be sick. Before I can do either, Asher clears his throat. A subtle sound, but loud enough to drag Father's attention away from the young woman poised so elegantly. When Father catches the disapproving look in my brother's striking green eyes, his face flushes red and he glances down to his shining boots. Asher and I share a glance over our Father's head; one of shared hatred for the man that created us. Silence settles again, as it does every time we wait for the next guest. I fight the urge to fidget. I am not in the mood to hear Sara's scolding after this meeting. She stands at my back, stoic and silent as a death angel. I don't dare glance back at my General. She will scold me for that, too. Instead I study the occupants of the grand room we sit in. Leaning casually on the wall opposite me are the Addington brothers. I marvel at their differences and similarities. They look as if a mad scientist has mixed and matched different features to three versions of the same person. The eldest brother, Luca, is a storm all on his own. Of dangerous nights and quiet brooding and ripples of caution that seem to poke beneath his skin. His short cropped hair, like his brothers, is black. Yet his hair is so short shaven that it appears a dark brown. His dark brown eyes, the colour of mud, jump from person to person in the room, likely weighing strengths and weaknesses. The second eldest, the middle brother, is not another page in the family book but seems to be in another book completely. His black hair is curly and messy, as if he tugs at it when he concentrates. His eyes are a striking dark blue, unlike his older brother's. This young man, Renzo, does not have the same harsh expression as Luca. Instead, his face is softer, more beautiful, gentle. He has the face of a dreamer, a scholar, someone that belongs to words on pages and flowers in stories. He is the charmer. Rumour has it that he is the favoured son; the one paraded in the Addington parties and socialite events to show off the beauty of his family's fortune. My eyes fall upon the youngest brother next, and despite myself, my heart softens. Luca is easily 20 years old, Renzo perhaps only a year younger, but the youngest brother, Finnan, cannot be older than thirteen. His hair is softer, less unruly curls and more soft waves that flop in front of his face. His skin is pale unlike his brothers', and his eyes are the same dark shades as Luca's. I wonder why they felt the need to bring a mere child on this trip. Finnan looks to be falling asleep on his feet. I glance back at Luca, and I find his piercing gaze already locked onto mine. Where Renzo seems to be gentle laughter and clinking wine glasses, Luca is the sharpness of a jagged blade and the growls of a trained winter wolf. I wink. And then the doors open again, and I glance up at the newcomer. Rather, newcomers. Tia and her Aunty have arrived. --------------------------------------------------------- I have heard the stories of Queen Tia. A spoilt young woman, her beauty shining like the ocean and her slyness as soft as the gentle rock of water. The stories say she killed her parents for the throne she stepped up to a few months ago. Her younger sister, Adain, does not join them today. They say the youngest daughter of the late Tidal King and Queen has left to the Coastlands in her grief, to study the powers of Elementals. I do not believe that. I have met Adain, once, a few years ago. Despite her young age at the time, she was kind and intelligent. Quick witted and morally righted. I remember having the fleeting thought that she would be better suited to the throne. I know I was not the only person with those whispered words dancing in my mind. I do not believe that Adain chose to leave her childhood home to study in the harsh Coastlands. I believe she was exiled. Tia would drown me if she knew I was even thinking that. I watch the woman settle herself down on a chair in front of the Addington brothers for a few moments longer before looking away, down to my ink stained hands. Mother almost killed me this morning when she saw the pink etched deep into my skin. Flowerberry Pink. It will take weeks for this to wash out. She loves my art, my painting, my studio. But she knows that a Lord does not win arguments with splashes of messy colour on his hands. I say I can win them despite that. It takes only a few more moments for the doors to open again. I almost breathe a sigh of relief when I catch sight of the people in the doorway. The Royal family has arrived. Finally, the festivities can begin. ------------------------------------------------ Ora smiles at me as I step into my room. She steps back from my bed and stretches her hands out towards it in a brilliant 'Ta-Da' gesture. I glance down at the clothes laid down in my bed, and I confuse myself in the pieces of blue and gold fabric. I clear my throat and try my best to sound enchanted. "Ora," I nod, "This looks great." I almost wince at my tone. Ora drops her hands and huffs a sigh, shaking her head at me. I have never been one to understand Royal fashion. It seems even in my own Engagement weeks, I have no eye for royalty. Ora almost dances her way into my bathroom, and I hear the clinking of vials as she leaves me alone to dress. A few minutes later, she floats back into the room and settles me down at my table. I read here most days, but she has set up a strange assortment of glittering cases this evening. I almost blanch away from her hand when I realise it is makeup. "No thank you," I croak, voice tight. She only narrows her doe eyes at me, pale skin pinching in frustration and exasperation. Just from the frown in her eyebrows I know what she does not have the words to say. Not her orders. My mother's. "Surely only a little bit, then?" I ask, not liking the crack in my voice. She almost giggles. She would, if she could. Sometimes I still wonder what her voice would sound like if she could speak to me. I wonder what my name would sound like on her tongue; if the syllables of my name would sound as soft and sweet as I imagine. I cannot help but feel the familiar burn of hatred in my gut. Hatred for my mother, for the rules, for what they did to Ora before I could stop it. Ora recognises the look in my eyes and taps my forehead insistently until I blink myself out of the rage. In her soft brown eyes is both her sorrow for the past and her love for me. Ora may be my maid by title, but she has never been anything less than an older sister. She does not like when I waste my time grieving the sound of her voice. It is gone. There is no point wasting thoughts on things that cannot come back. As she applies the makeup, I fight the urge to hum to myself. An old habit that I cannot seem to shake from my childhood. Mother likes to try her best to slap the tunes from me. Future King's do not hum. Especially King's of Lorath. The most powerful nation cannot survive if it is led by a heart that softens for music, Mother says. Lorath has only lasted this long because it's leaders have been fearless. Ruthless. I gulp. I do not know if I have it in me to be ruthless. ------------------------------------------------------------- Loretta's instructions were clear enough. Do not move, do not speak, do not react. I am a statue, she said. Nothing but a symbol of power for the Royal family to use. A symbol of protection. I know this, I have had it drilled it into me for weeks. I will be stared at, and I will be sneered at, and I will be treated like an object. I am a weapon. I repeat the words in my head to keep from throwing myself off the Royal podium and running away from everything I have learnt. The ballroom is filling with people so quickly I cannot keep track. Before me is a sea of glittering jewels and flowing gowns and beautiful women and powerful people. And yet the Prince's throne remains empty. The Queen glances back at me; a barely susceptible move of her shin towards her left shoulder. I catch it, though, and I step forward to her with sweating palms. Despite these weeks of training on the palace grounds, the thought of the Queen looking at me for too long makes me so terrified I could throw up. I live every single day walking the edge of a knife, wondering if I will wake up in the morning with her dagger at my throat. I kneel by her side. "Yes, my Queen?" Despite my nerves eating away at my insides, my voice does not shake. "Where is Alexander?" Her voice is sharp and regal. Her voice is almost as beautiful as she is. Before I can respond, the ballroom doors sweep open one more time, and there he is. The Queen catches sight of him the same time I do, her golden eyes narrowing at her only son as he strides through the crowd. Prince Alexander is not like most Princes. Instead of marching his way to his powerful throne beside his powerful mother, he takes his time swimming through the sea of people. He stops a few times to kiss hands, squeeze shoulders, and smile his Alexander smile at the younger Royals that have travelled long ways to see him. He will be a great King. I step back into my place as he finally mounts the steps up to the velvet dais. He catches sight of me, golden eyes dancing down my dress and back up to my face. While the Queen's golden depths shimmer with the threat of her ferocity, the Prince's shining gaze is nothing but spirited. 'Nice dress,' He mouths to me with a grin. I look away, refusing to take part in his kindness, but my lips twitch despite themselves. I have ignored Alexander's attempts at friendship for weeks now, no matter how often he has tried to make me laugh. I don't like to think that he is finally getting through to me. I go back to studying the crowd, the guards, the servers slipping between elite bodies like ghosts. My eyes catch on a head of unruly black curls, almost glistening under the light of the chandeliers. The man, facing almost completely away from me, turns his head to the side to smile at his companion. My breath, for some strange reason, is suddenly knocked from my chest. He excuses himself and spins in his spot, turning to the front of the ballroom to approach someone new. I study his youthful face as he walks, eyes trailing over the high cheekbones and the light pink lips and the strikingly blue eyes. He is tall and slim; the body of a lean scholar. Renzo Addington. Loretta made me memorise every member of the Queen's Circle; a collection of closely trusted Royals and Lords. The most elite in the world. Renzo Addington is one of three sons, all belonging to Lord and Lady Addington. The Addington's are the most elite family in Lorath without Royal blood. They hold power over almost half the towns and villages of Lorath, and own dozens of estates all over the nation. They reside in a grand manor half a day from the Royal Palace; Countryside Castle, they call it. Their family gains their enormous fortune from the farms of gold they have harvest. The Addington's are responsible for almost all of Lorath's wealth. They specialise in currency. Renzo Addington is only 19 years old, as I am, yet he shines with maturity. His smile is ancient, knowledgeable, secret. The way he moves is regal, as smooth as flowing water. He is the second eldest, yet it is known that he is the face of the Addington's. He is the charm and the wit. He lives and loves for the people. He is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. "Where have you been?" The Queen's voice slices through my thoughts as she scolds her son, "You have made a fool out of me and yourself." Prince Alexander kisses his mother's hand delicately, and she lets him. He takes his own seat beside her. I stand between the thrones, in the shadows behind. "I spilt water on myself, and it took Ora an extra five minutes to fix the makeup you insisted I wear." The Queen watches her son with a soft expression, in case there are eyes watching, but the words that are spat from her smiling lips are deadly, "Royal's must not have one flaw in their appearance. Flaws in appearance leave room to suggest flaws in character, Alexander." "I did not need makeup, Mother." They spit each other's names like poison. "You have ugly bags under your eyes. King's do not look tired." I glance away. It is true that dark circles have bloomed to life beneath his eyes over the past few weeks. He does not sleep much; I have learnt that much from the nights of guarding him. I am not permitted to sleep until Alexander does, and because Alexander is plagued by insomnia most nights, I am sure I have bags under my eyes, too. Loretta covered them with makeup. The Queen clicks her tongue at her son once and suddenly stands with a smile. In moments, the room falls silent. --------------------------------------------------- It seems to me that the Queen of Lorath does not age. I remember visiting her as a young girl; when my parent's would deem it appropriate to take me on their trips to the Lorath Palace. The last time I saw this woman in the flesh was eight years ago. If I were not too tired to focus clearly, I would say that she appears younger now. Her chestnut hair falls down her back in brilliantly orchestrated waves, her cheekbones high, her smile beautiful, and her golden eyes sharp and shining. Her dress, a beautiful gown of golden gems, reflects upon so many surfaces that there seems to be a halo of light surrounding her. I have no doubt the gold on her dress is real. "Welcome," Her voice does not strain as she calls out to the hundreds of people in her ballroom, "To the Royal Palace of Lorath. It is a privilege to host such wonderful guests tonight, and my son, Prince Alexander, is honoured to have so many elite's attend the festivities and formalities of his Engagement Weeks." I glance at the Prince. He smiles into the crowd, a face of sunlight and glimmering kindness. He seems to have an energy about him that his mother lacks. It takes me a moment to realise what he embodies. Genuinity. He calls out, voice smooth but full of emotion, "It is an honour to have so many people travel far and wide to witness my trial and engagement to an Heir. I hope to spend time with each and every one of my guests over the upcoming weeks, to truly show my gratitude." I don't miss the way the Queen glances down at him at these words. That is not part of her plan. "Before we begin the festivities of the night, I have a few announcements to make," Queen Seraphine smiles out at the crowd, face gentle, "First I must acknowledge the presence and attendance of special guests that have travelled to my Kingdom for my son." Must acknowledge. My Kingdom. Words placed as carefully as daggers to throats. A reminder that despite our Royal blood or title, she has the power in these lands. "First I would like to acknowledge the Addington brothers, visiting as representatives for their parents." She spots them in the crowd the same time I do; the three brothers standing side by side in union and strength. "Lord Lucas, Lord Renzo, and Lord Finnan." Only Renzo and Finnan smile up at her. Luca bows his head slightly. I almost smile at the small act of resistance. "Next I would like to thank Queen Tia of the Tidelands for gracing us with her presence," Tia curtsies gracefully in her light blue dress of silk. It glimmers as she moves- like rolling water over her limbs. "I am honoured to welcome back Lord Ronan to my palace, my son's oldest friend," She smiles softly at a tall young man with reddish-brown hair and a light spray of freckles over his pale face. He grins back at at her, placing a hand over his heart. There is pink ink all over his thin fingers. Alexander grins at Lord Ronan, too, his face shining with love. Lord Ronan is Prince Alexander's best friend. "May we have a moment to thank my nephew and niece for attending tonight for the first time in eight years. My late sister's beautiful twins, Asher and Grace, as well as their father, Ronan Herald." I follow her gaze to the family of three. Asher, tall and broad, smiles kindly up at his Auntie, as does their ruggedly handsome father. Grace does not curtsy, as she is expected to. She simply stares, her brilliantly green eyes shining against her olive gown. "Lord Sebastian Rosales visits us tonight, in place of his late mother, Ruth Rosales," I do not see the man she talks about, but I have heard of Sebastian Rosales. Young and intelligent, with a brilliant mind for battle. "And finally, may we welcome Princess Valeria, who has travelled from the Mercan Mountains to see us." It is my turn to curtsy. I do not. I only bow my head at the Queen. She is Queen of Lorath, but Lorath is not my nation. I owe her nothing. ---------------------------------------------------- I watch Princess Valeria incline her head to the Queen, barely glancing down before meeting the woman's golden gaze again. I look up to the dais to find the Queen's face regal and frozen in a smile, but in her eyes I see the rage. I cannot fight my grin, and I tap my fingers against my thigh to hold back the laughter bubbling in my chest. I have known the Queen all my life, and I have never liked the woman. She is cruel, and she is stern, and she is hungry for power. Everything to her is a chess game. But I guess that is what the Royal Court is for everyone. Valeria, for some strange reason, meets my gaze from across the ballroom. She wears the same dress as earlier; an expanding gown of what seems to be a thousand layers of bursting ruby red. Her tan skin glows in the light, her lips full, her lashes long. Her gaze is as dark and serious as her chocolate eyes. I wonder how someone who lives in the brittle Winters of the Mercan Mountains can shine with such a natural bronze tan. She looks away. A pair of hands catch at my fingers, and I flinch as a girl materialises from the crowd. She doesn't look at me as she wrenches my hand up to her face. I open my mouth to swear, to pull away, and then she looks at me. My mouth dries up, and I freeze. Those... those are some mighty nice eyes. "You tap your fingers a lot. Did you know that, Lord Ronan?" She purrs, a slight lilt to her words as she studies my fingers with that big green gaze. It takes me a few moments to remember how to speak, how to form coherent thoughts about something that isn't her beauty. "I was a brilliant musician in another life," Despite my hammering blood, my voice comes out light and lively, "I'm sure of it." It takes her a few moments for her to meet my gaze again. And when she does, I realise who she is. Grace Herald-Gueneeve. The Queen's niece. Alex's cousin. I have met her once, when we were mere children. I have not seen her since, no matter how many times I have stayed at the palace. I'm sure she hasn't been here since she was nine, since her mother decided to move to the countryside rather than reside in the heart of the nation beside her own sister. I had no idea she'd grow up to be so stunning. "A nervous habit is not a good look for a powerful Lord," She almost whispers her words, somehow encasing us in a cocoon of just me and those wonderful eyes of hers. "Neither is ink stained fingers." I glance down to where her skin touches mine, her delicate fingers holding my pink ones. "Not only am I a wonderful musician, Your Highness, but I am a wonderful artist. The best, actually." Something like amusement shines in her green gaze, and I feel my heart startle. Laugh, I silently beg her, I want to know if the sound of it is as beautiful as you are. But alas, the Queen's voice echoes across the ballroom yet again, and the distant Princess glances up at her auntie on the dais. I almost curse before looking up myself. "Finally, I would like to share some grand news. Prince Alexander has grown into a strong and intelligent man of honour." Alex doesn't blush at his mother's words. He'd have to believe them first. "He has decided to follow in his father's pursuit." Something in the Queen's face shutters at the mention of the late King, perhaps grief, perhaps something else, "He has taken a Divine." A few gasps are heard around the ballroom. Some of simple shock, some amazement, and some disgust. Grace's grip on my fingers tighten, her face hard as she stares at her auntie and cousin. Alexander warned me of this. Warned me of his mother's enforcement of the cruel family tradition. She forced Alexander to keep a Divine; an oracle woman of power and magical abilities. They have been used as Royal guardians for centuries, but the tradition has waned down over the past few decades in all Kingdoms but Lorath. The practise of keeping one is seen as inhumane, an unnecessary slavery. The Queen never saw it as such. She sees it as a show of her power, of her families invulnerability. The Royal family of Lorath is not only strong, but invincible. A young woman suddenly seems to unfold herself from the shadows, stepping forward between the two thrones until she is by the Queen's side. Alexander rises beside the stranger too, shoulder to shoulder. At Alexander's subtle touch the woman, almost cowering, seems to remember her place and stand tall. Her dress is made of silk so black that it snatches light from the air and wraps it up into its smooth fabric. The material is not skin tight, but it clings to her curves and emphasises the lean shape of her body. The neck of the gown dips so low that her torso can be seen between her breasts; a triangle of delicate skin. Her hair is a nice light brown, and it dances across her shoulders and down her back like an oozing snake. She looks to be about my age, 20, perhaps a year or two younger. There is a fire in her light blue gaze; a challenge in her icy eyes. Despite her position in the palace, a slave, at first glance she seems bolder than most people I have come across. I like her immediately. She raises her chin as the Queen introduces her, "The Prince's Divine." That is it. No name, no story. She is only the Divine. Only an object. A weapon. The ballroom bursts into applause.

unrequited

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jq37 · 4 years

Text

The Report Card – Fantasy High Sophomore Year Ep 12

Fig And Ayda Sitting in a Spiky Infernal Nightmare Tree

Welcome back to Fantasy High, where Brennan and Emily are giving the gays everything they want but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. For now, the Bad Kids have just arrived in Arborly which is this ancient, twisty, mysterious forest town with buildings kind of built into the trees in such a way that makes it hard to tell it’s a town at first glance. Anyway, they get to Hollyhill--the family home of Fig’s gnome business-friend--Grover Tillythatch--which is basically this very dope hollowed out tree. At the edge of the forest (maybe a 30 min walk away), there is a place where the trees grow and twist together into an 80 foot high wall, barbed with razor sharp briars and super ominous looking. Très Sleeping Beauty.

They unlock the gate but then realize they have to do something with the Hangvan. Gorgug thinks there’s a way to, with his Artificer skills, give the Van the availability to shrink, but that’ll be a whole project for later. What we have to deal with now though is the fact that Gilear is caught up in the wheel well of the Van, apple stuck in his mouth like a roast pig. Through a series of insane and very Gilear events (not a teleportation mishap like I initially thought), he ended up stuck there and has been since they woke up. He fully missed Hilariel and this is the first anyone noticed he was missing.The kids help Gilear out and give him a little makeover, courtesy of Adaine’s jacket--very needed because he 100% pissed his pants while jammed up (and way too soon after getting stuck).

Kristen knows that the temple she read about is extremely close to where they are. Adaine does a quick Locate Creature and can tell the elf from her Scry isn’t within the 1000 foot range. Plus, the forest they’re in just looks different.

Anyway, once they’re in Ragh starts grabbing food. Sandra-Lynn gives Gilear a massage because that dude needs some TLC. Tracker is sticking with Kristen and in a weird headspace over the Galakaya info. And, turns out Ayda didn’t just stay in Leviathan. She teleported with them to see them off so she’s around too. The gang does a little investigation of the house where Riz finds out Grover is abusing his company expense account and Adaine pings a crazy amount of infernal energy from the spooky briar wall. Adaine also senses a strong but old (300 year-ish) aura of druidic magic in Arborly--from the reclamation efforts that took Arborly back from being behind the wall that separates Sylvere from the outside. It’s really the only progress that’s been made and it seems like it took a lot out of whoever did it. One more thing: There is a real gnomish energy around town (similar to the vibe at Gorgug’s place), even though Arborly is supposed to be very wood elf heavy.

Throughout all I’ve been describing, there have been rumblings of maybe throwing a party and Fig invites Ayda who enthusiastically accepts. The adults go to bed in the Van for safety (Sandra-Lynn puts the Hangman in charge while they’re gone) and the teens do what teens do when they have no adult supervision: They wild out. But not in a Golden Gardens “Let’s get tattoos and do drugs” kinda way. In a real, teenager kind of way. In an “I’m making crab nachos because my parents never let me,” kind of way. But that “they” doesn’t include Fig because she is doing the other thing teens do when they have no adult supervision: Sneaking out. Specifically to look at the briar wall. She can hear these faint whispers coming from the wall and Emily manages to get jump scared in a D&D game by Ayda who is suddenly standing next to Fig, having followed her because the party got overwhelming.

They have a talk which I can and will describe but that needs to be seen in full to really appreciate the intimacy and tenderness but also fumbling awkwardness that’s happening. So while the rest of the Bad Kids are drinking and doing crab-stands and pretending to be shrimp (go with it) Fig tells Ayda that she sometimes does stuff like pretend to be other people and indulge in loud nonsense to cover up negative thoughts, like the ones that come from your dad being shoved in a gem and then getting kidnapped. Ayda can’t understand the disguising as a coping mechanism: “If I were you I wouldn’t want to be anyone else because you are very exceptional.” She then offers to give Fig a better look at the wall and, when Fig accepts, she turns them both invisible and flies them to it.

Fig, upon watching Ayda do that very dope thing says that there’s no reason for Ayda to think she’s special when she can do cool stuff like that. Ayda, as we already know, thinks Fig is super dope too, both in abilities and personality. Ayda analyzes the briar wall and finds out mostly stuff we already knew--it keeps people from getting in or out, including through magical means like Dimension Door and it’s keyed to powerful devils. When she reaches for the thorns, they grow out to stab her and she flinches back before they can. When Fig does the same, the thorns don’t grow out. And, when she does a less intense Burning Hands, a charred handprint is left behind and the heat and energy travels somewhere else. The aura the wall is giving out doesn’t seem to bother her as much as it probably would someone else. Ayda finds it very cool, as she’s found everything Fig has done. They dip back into heart to heart mode and Ayda reveals something that we already knew from Brennan on the Discord: Ayda is technically about 150 years old due to her Phoenix cycling and she’s been working on building the Compass Points Library across her lifetimes, aided by notes left to herself by her previous incarnations. Fig asks why she would do that instead of just reinventing herself and Ayda says she doesn’t have a lot of self confidence and doesn’t want to make mistakes. Fig throws up in anticipation of saying something sincere, says she thinks Ayda is perfect the way she is, and then--as she is wont to do--skateboards away (successfully and 80 feet down the briar wall with a 22 acrobatics check).

Ayda flies down, compliments her on the sick trick then asks her to sign a binding contract that says she has info that she will give Fig but Fig can’t make any assumptions based on it or judge her. (The cast at this point is losing their minds and has been for the past couple of minutes.) Fig signs it and then Ayda gives her the information which is as follows: “At any waking moment outside of combat that you and I have been together, if you had tried to kiss me on the mouth, it would have been received favorably.” Fig drafts a contract (as a lawyer I’m using that term extremely loosely) that says that if Ayda makes fun of her, Fig will give her a wet willy. Ayda says that it’s more of a threat than a contract and Fig abruptly kisses her and then skateboards away and hides. Ayda doesn’t really have a good frame of reference for how this is supposed to go and Fig is throwing out all sorts of mixed signals but Fig comes out from hiding and apologizes and says that she’s having trouble being vulnerable since she hasn’t really done this as herself before. Ayda asks if they can go again because she thinks she can do better. Ally and Lou howl and cheer and bless the Union. Murph is clapping. Siobhan and Zac are full gone. Fig says that she only wanted to have a party so Ayda would stay longer. Ayda says she only stayed to hang out with Fig. Ayda says this is the best moment of her current life. Fig says she’s going for best, period--past incarnations included. They make out some more until Ayda has to go. Ayda says she needs to go so she can research the Planeshift spell for Fig (for free!). She doesn’t even care about shrinking down the library. Before she leaves, Ayda pulls out one of her feathers and says that if Fig holds it up and says her name, she’ll hear it and be able to come and help. Fig does the same with one of her ear-cuffs but it’s more of a gesture than an actual magical effect (though the cuff is bloody and mark my words, this is exactly the kind of goof that becomes plot relevant later). Fig comes back to the insanity the house has dissolved to and goes to use the hot tub.

No comment.

They all eventually go outside to sleep on a mattress, by the Van to get the protection of the Hallow spell. It’s a little glossed over but we learn when Fabian gives Riz Bardic Inspiration to remember to sleep outside that he’s taken a level of bard! In the morning (by which I mean afternoon), they all wake up to see Sandra-Lynn and Gilear speaking to, like, 40 wood-elf rangers. They’re mainly talking to an intense lady who seems to have a pretty high rank and this older looking fox. Fig steps up to speak for the group since they’re there on her invite and the elven woman is instantly wary of her horns, plus the Hangman is right there. She clearly doesn’t trust the infernal. With Guidance from Kristen, she gets a 27 Persuasion which tells her this lady (whose name we learn is Mira) will never like her BUT that’s OK because she’s not in charge. The fox actually outranks her.

Fig shakes hands with the fox whose name is Nuathra and who is very charmed. The Bad Kids follow suit with the politeness and Nuathra is won over. He fends off Mira’s suspicions and is so chill that Fig decides (after consulting with Adaine) to just tell him they’re going into the nightmare forest. That gets bows pulled on them and Adaine steps in and identifies herself as the elven Oracle and says that they have to do it for prophecy reasons. The elves start whispering and Nuathra, who believes she is who she says she is, asks if she knows about any other high elves who look like her slinking around. Adaine says that yeah, she does, but she’s not working with them. Kristen tries to cut in and it makes Mira super aggro--seems like she doesn’t like beings that are devil adjacent or humans either. She also makes a dismissive comment aimed at high elves in response to Adaine’s statement about morality being complex.

Nuathra tells her to cool her jets and says that things are kinda tense because for the past few months, a high elven woman (Adaine’s mom) showed up, took a room at the Owl and Harp (a gnomish tavern), and hired a local wood elf drunkard named Killian. She kept to herself mostly but did do some business at the local gnomish Tinkerer’s Hall (possibly for spell components). Two nights ago, another high (extremely gassy) elven woman showed up and then they vanished (figuratively) with Killian.

When Tinkerer’s Hall is mentioned, Gorgug cuts in to get more info on that. Nuathra says that there is a gnomish population in Arborly because the Druid who gave their life to reclaim Arborly (Crafty Rootdrinker) was a gnome so now gnomes kind of have protected status. Nuathra starts tearing up a little and we later find out (via Gorgug’s intuition) that Nuathra was their Awakened animal companion (Awakened means you give a plant or animal average human intelligence and the ability to speak a language). Nuathra asks why they want to go into the forest and Gorgug says it’s because the Nightmare King might be coming back. After being horrified to learn that the NK’s crown wasn’t in magical Fort Knox and instead was just in some dude’s desk, Nuathra says that all the town’s resources are at their disposal. He points out the three obvious places to check out: (1) the tavern, (2) the tinkerer’s hall, and (3) a shrine which is a possible entrance to the forest of the NK (the Shrine of Thorns which is just on the edge of the forest--mostly still in the forest--and dedicated to a mysterious goddess).

Adaine asks about the dude in her vision and realizes quickly it’s not Killian. Then, following a comment Fig makes about honesty being the right move and spurred by their out of character knowledge, start poking at Fig for an answer to what’s different about her today. Riz rolls a 28 Investigate and Fig burns 2 luck points and a guidance to beat it with like a 31. Wild. Then they split up like this:

Gorgug, Ragh, and Fabian (with the Hangman) go to the tinkerer’s hall.

Adaine and Riz go to the tavern.

Kristen, Tracker and Fig go to the shrine (ferried by Sandra-Lynn who wants to then scout around on Baxter).

Gilear makes lunch.

But before they leave, Adaine Scrys on her mom and sees her, Aelwen, and Killian with a gem embedded in his open and bloody chest (clearly a puppet after the ritual that almost claimed RIz) traveling through a forest so twisted it looks like it’s underground. Adaine clocks some curse scarring on her mom and on a 15 arcana check wonders if the curse her mom got broken by Garthy was actually the Crown’s curse or maybe something the Falinel put on it for security (which could mean that the Curse on the crown is actually the goddess’s sanctum mentioned last ep). Almost immediately, Aelwen dispels the Scry and it ends. Adaine on a 25 Insight realizes that Aelwen didn’t actually sense the Scry. It was like someone told her it was happening and then she reacted to that. Adaine thinks Kalina might be around.

On a nat 20 Perception check, Kristen sees Kalina’s eyes in the shadows. Riz--and the rest of the group--can’t see her, but she steps out of the shadows. Kalina starts slinging death threats--at the group and Tracker specifically--and Kristen does her classic Kristen thing of staring down a life or death situation with an insane casualness. Kalina says the only reason the gang is still alive is because they haven’t gotten directly in the way of her and what she wants yet. What does she want? Kristen asks. For them to stay out of the f-ing forest. Kalina vanishes. Kristen immediately loses all bravado and makes her friends dog pile her for comfort which they happily do.

Kristen gives an arguably Inspiring Speech to give everyone 16 temp HP. Riz on a 28 Investigation roll notices that the grass where Kalina was standing isn’t bent. (The background music goes *BWANG* like Brennan planned it). Riz thinks Kalina wasn’t physically there. In fact, she might not have ever been physically there. He remembers that, in the photo, Pok’s sleeve isn’t bent where Kalina is touching him and people who can’t see Kalina don’t see the wrinkled sleeve they way they would if she was just invisible. And she’s not holding a glass in the photo. She’s holding up her hand and pretending she’s holding one. She might not exist physically at all. He thinks that the thing Aelwen and Arianwyn are doing is to give her corporeal form. They also put together than even if Kalina is somehow in their heads, she can’t really by *in* their heads because she keeps asking questions she would know the answers to already if she could read their minds. Kristen wants to chain up Tracker in the Van to keep her safe from Kalina but Tracker puts the kibosh on that with a quickness (revealing things we kinda already knew about their sex life in the process).

Anyway, let’s split up!

Tinkerer’s Hall

The Owlbear group and the Hangman kinda freak out the gnomes who think they’re being mugged or something but Gorgug wins them over with his gnomish last name and cool Solesian gadgets. They find out Killian needed wax to make candles and some basic spell components.

Tavern

The two Bad Kids possibly least equipped to go to the bar go there and try to get access to Adaine’s mom’s room. They pay Arianwyn’s tab (she left abruptly without paying) and bribe the bartender with an amount of money that will for sure get them put on a watchlist, sweating bullets the entire time, but eventually make it up there to the top suite.

The room is blood spattered, full of candle wax and arcane symbols, and there’s an image Adaine knows her mom drew of a robed, skeletal figure, wearing a crown, etched into the wall. Yikes.

Shrine

Sandra-Lynn drops off the girls. Tracker casts a light spell and then has to step out. It’s like a vampire at the doorway of a church thing. Kristen sees a religious symbol on the wall and an ancient depiction of a woman in a dark robe and cape, holding a book and a broomstick, next to a small dwelling, black cat on her shoulder.

Fig sees a charred handprint on the briars in the shrine and recognizes it as her own. She casts Burning Hands on her handprint that’s here for some reason and the fire catches and spreads. Brennan has a lot of fun making fire sound effects. A fiery doorway opens and a woman in armor, with horns and skeletal wings (plus flayed skin under the armor from what they can see--except for her face which is intact and beautiful) walks out and asks for Fig. When Fig identifies herself, the woman says she’s Vraz the Mean from the Nine Hells and Fig has been served. As in legally. As in a subpoena.

Wild.

Detention

Fig for Using up Two Luck Points Pre-Excursion Into a Doom Forest to Conceal a Crush

I adore both Fig generally and Fig in this episode specifically but, truly, what a waste of Luck points at the cusp what possibly could be such a dire moment. And she won’t get those back before a long rest. This storyline is going so slowly. I’ve written (as I’m writing this sentence) 48k words worth of Report Cards and it’s been like what? A week? Less than that? She might not get those back for a while.

Now do I wish she’d made a different decision? Absolutely not. Emily, as always, is ride or die for the roleplay and I both love and respect it.

But I can high-key see this biting her in the ass.

Honor Roll

Kristen for Holding her Own Against Kalina

I think this marks K-girl’s first appearance on the Honor Roll and in my opinion (mine being the only one that matters I guess since I have no oversight and am Czar of this arbitrary award) she really earned it. First that clutch perception nat 20 to spot her and then having to hold the entire conversation by herself with no backup because she was the only one who could see her. I think this was actually a really good time for her to use her wild downplaying attitude and she was able to keep Kalina occupied for long enough for Riz to gather some of the most interesting pieces of info about Kalina yet. Very clutch.

Random Thoughts

For a closer look into character/location descriptions from this episode, you can check out @jamiebluewind‘s posts here and here.

“Has your girl ever not delivered?”/”Yes.”/”Multiple times.”/”I mean, it’s always entertaining when you don’t.”

Lou and Siobhan Re the Hangan: “Can it turn into a Gundam?”/”Is it a transformer?”

Shoutout to Brennan for heading off flying Van shenanigans at the pass. That would have been an Immediate Problem.

“I have never touched my Dad’s butt, nor do I want to.”

Brennan breaking himself during his first Gilear line of the ep. I wonder if he goes into any Gilear sentence knowing where he’s going, or if it’s all freeform improvisational jazz.

I think it’s really interesting that Fig fully loves Gilear but also still calls him Gilear and not Dad. Not deep meta point or anything. I just think it’s an interesting quirk of the character.

Fig fully intending to eat an obvious death mushroom and every other party member at the same time slapping it out of her hands.

I think I’ve mentioned on several occasions that I’m not really a shipper. Which isn’t to say I don’t enjoy romantic relationships in media. It’s just that it’s usually pretty clear which relationship the narrative is setting up so I really don’t get the point in basically campaigning for something that’s clearly going to happen (in which case, just enjoy the progression) or campaigning for something that’s clearly not going to happen and then being disappointed. But I gotta say, this Fig and Ayda has been a ride, I think largely because there was really no way to see this was coming when Ayda was introduced. Like, Tracker for instance was clearly introduced with Kristen in mind, down to being the Moon Cleric to her former Sun Cleric. Not only was Ayda not set up as a romanceable NPC, she very easily could have been skipped as even an option for befriending at all. She didn’t really make herself super available for it and it wasn’t even Fig who struck up a friendship with her initially. It was Adaine. And then Adaine got kidnapped which pushed the two resident Adaine stans together and, what do you know? Sparks (and not just from Ayda’s hair). The organic-ness of the relationship really added something that makes it really interesting and special.

Also, lol that Fig finally found an age appropriate relationship but she’s also technically 150.

“I’m not gonna mend your piss pants.”

For Adaine, the peak of luxury is access to fluffy robes which, mood.

OK, just to explicitly state my current pet theory that I alluded to last week, it seems pretty darn likely that Kalina is the familiar of the Mystery goddess. I said that cats are the most iconic witch’s familiar and, this ep, we saw the goddess depicted with a black cat. Plus, Brennan casually but very specifically noted that Kalina isn’t a big-cat. She’s like the tabaxi version of a house cat. And we learned that Kalina seems to be intangible which takes away one thing that was a little off for me--it seemed more like she was spreading a virus but the fact that she is intangible and just visible to people who are “infected” makes it seem more like she herself is the virus. AND, we were introduced to the concept of an Awakened, Sentient animal companion this episode which would be a great thing to do if you’re setting up the fact that this witch goddess turned her cat into a full sentient being and then a tabaxi and then a virus.

Lol at Tracker giving Sandra-Lynn a Shovel Talk re: Jawbone.

Riz, upon being questioned by Kristen where he got the photo of her for the “Casual” conspiracy wall he’s making: Look, you take pictures you hang them.

I want the Bad Kids to keep the motto of, “Spring Break!” year round. I want them to use it forever. I want them to be in their 30s--well out of school--and run into a deadly situation in the middle of Winter yelling, “I believe in you! Spring Break!” while very, very confused bystanders watch them. That’s really what friendship is about. Confusing the hell out of strangers with your in-jokes.

Between last week of Fantasy High and this week of CritRole, I think a lot of people just learned what the Hallow spell is.

“Just by being here we’re stealing. I’m like Robin Hood.”

Hangman: No rules!/Adaine: Some rules!

Guys I was SO concerned that Fig was gonna pull a Fabian and do something Concerning without any party support. So happy she decided to just get her kisses in instead. And then at the end of the ep when the two most chaotic party members were given a hell door that it 1000% seemed like they were gonna jump through but were ust handed legal paperwork instead.

Figs comment about one of the best parts of friendship being getting to be a “chorus of nonsense” together without regard for what’s being said is so real.

I love the D&D gag of the party members who are not at an intense moment interjecting with whatever nonsense they’re doing.

Everyone holding their collective breaths and then breaking as Emily succumbs to the urge to Touch a Thing. “You simply must.”

Ayda thinks “Choke on grapes, bitch,” is an excellent threat, and I agree.

Who cares for Ayda when she’s a newborn? Or is she reborn old enough to take care of herself? Also, update: Aguefort even worse dad than initially thought.

Fig skateboarding away and dropping invisibility so Ayda can see and then later kissing her and Ayda going full visible are such cinematic moments. Well, the second one is at least. The first is just extremely funny.

“I’m not gonna kiss the shrimp, Kristen. It’s dead, and we killed it.”

“I desperately and only want you to stay. And the only thing I want to do more than stay is do something for you” Why does Brennan keep dropping these raw ass lines casually in his high school D&D game?

“Can I get a help action from the jets of the hot tub?”

One little moment I loved from this ep was Mira being confused by the concept of a rock star and Adaine translating that she’s a bard/troubadour. I also just love the word troubadour. We shouldn’t have ever stopped using it.

“That makes me nervous. Everything makes me nervous. Sure, why not.” Mood.

Mira also makes a comment about how diverse the group is that did *not* sound like a positive or even neutral statement and, listen, I’m getting Daybreak vibes my dudes.

Very funny every time we’re reminded that the reason the Bad Kids are doing this is because it’s a school project.

Interesting character detail that Adaine started off talking about Aelwen and Arianwyn with distancing language but eventually slipped back into just calling them her mom and sister.

A note in case it’s relevant later: Nuathra said that Crafty--his druid companion--was not a fan of cleric stuff, thought it was nonsense, and tried to avoid it at all costs.

Fabian re Nuathra: What did the fox say?

Kristen asks Kalina’s name and she says, “You can call me Kalina,” which is subtly different than, “My name is Kalina,” which is probably just a turn of phrase and not plot relevant but I’ve been reading a lot of Fae stuff recently and a hyper-aware of weasel-out wording right now.

“You good?”/”Now that I’m being pressed into the grass by all my friends? Yes.”

Adaine to Riz’s earlier encounter with Kalina: That was all you? You did all that damage to yourself?

I love Fig’s outrage at Adaine joking that she uses Detect Thoughts. The idea of, “We kill people and break into places and Catfish adult men but we DO NOT Detect Thoughts on each other that is the LINE.”

Kristen giving herself a sexy roleplay promotions from Officer up to Colonel was killing me. That whole thing was such a good bit and Ally and Brennan were on the same page immediately.

Can’t wait to see the demonic (or is that devilish?) legal system so I can tell y’all how accurate it is and use something I learned in law school for once in my life. (Note: I am a lawyer, but you’d be surprised how unhelpful law school is to actually being a lawyer).

Wonder what that subpoena was for. Maybe something involving Gorthalax or the wall? I’m trying to think of what they’d have jurisdiction over. She said the dude she works under is on the Sloth level of hell.

Siobhan mentioned she has good Portent rolls right now which is comforting to hear. Lol, imagine if she had also decided to go full teenager this episode and use them to ferret out Fig’s crush.

I need you to know that, in this same week (all within 48 hours of each other), between CritRole, Naddpod, The Good Place finale, I was really just drowning in content and emotions.

The only crit of the ep is a nat 20 from Kristen.

#fantasy high #dimension 20 #fantasy high live #fantasy high spoilers #dimension 20 spoilers

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jamiebluewind · 4 years

Text

A Flame In The Dark: Chapter 1

Chapter 2 is up now! I'll try to link it here when I get the chance ^_^

Fandom: Dimension 20, Fantasy High

Word Count: 3594

Perspective: Riz

Note: Hurt/Comfort. There are a lot of trigger warnings, so please keep them in mind and stay safe.

Characters: Riz Gukgak, Fig Faeth, Adaine Abernant, Fabian Seacaster, Kristen Applebees, Gorgug Thistlespring (implied), Tracker O'Shaughnessey, Sandra Lynn Faeth, Ragh Barkrock (implied), Cathilda Ceíli (mentioned), and unnamed OC

Warnings: violence, death mention, canon typical violence (specifically Riz killing assholes), panic attack, abuse, injury, child abuse, starvation, neglect, isolation, imprisonment, dark themes, trauma, child murder mention, sewage mention, fantasy racism, implied slavery, parasite mention, blood mention (please message me if I missed any)

Summary: A hobgoblin that's responsible for an untold number of atrocities against goblins is dead. The battle is over. Riz's friends run to him to help calm his shaking form. None of them are prepared for what happens next.

"Look at how a single candle can both defy and define the darkness." Anne Frank

*****

The hobgoblin devastator stood there, almost smug as he looked down at Riz. To the hobgoblin, the offer was more than fair. A strong intelligent gobin being allowed to become a chief and fulfilling its roll of serving its betters? It was a kindness meant to somehow balance out his atrocities. Riz's blood boiled.

The smug bastard wasn't prepared for his rapier. Surprised. Sneak attack. Critial blow. Massive damage. A second critical slash while the bastard scrambled for his weapon. Riz was eerily quite, moving as silent as death. And to the hobgoblin, that's what Riz was. Death and pure unbrided rage.

The fight was short, so short in fact that the others didn't have time to act before the monster was laid out before Riz's feet. His friends ran to him. His breathing was heavy. He had always known that goblins were treated poorly in some countries, but he never realized... it made him sick. God it made him sick! The monster that had hurt his people was gone, but the bastard being dead on the floor didn't stop his body from shaking. Didn't erase the images of scars and beatings and dead children.

Someone was speaking to him. Scuffed hands placed Boggy in his arms. His friends knelt beside him so he didn't have to crane his neck. They were banged up from the battle to get where they were and bruises were already starting to form, but they were all there for him. A glance around the room showed that Cathilda and Sandra Lynn were there as well, alert and standing guard so that the kids could be safe while they focused on him. The anger melted away. His logical mind came out of its fog. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

He opened his mouth to speak when he froze. His ears twitched as a soft sound came from the rows of cages hanging a few yards behind the rusted metal throne. They weren't alone. He put a finger to his lips and whispered to his friends to keep talking before he stealthfully crept towards the origin of the sound.

Riz crouched low to check under the suspended cages, but there appeared to be nothing there. That didn't mean that someone wasn't hiding somewhere else. There were a lot of options and the possibility of an invisibility spell to consider.

The floor was a criss-cross of grates with a long open deep gap between the back wall and the floor. The wafting smell and a nearby hose implied that the design was probably meant to wash away waste, but it could also be used as a hiding place. He made sure to watch his step.

The chains supporting the cages could also make for a good hiding place for a decent climber. He scanned the ceiling, paying close attention to the more shadowy areas. It was badly lit at best, perfect for a rogue to disappear into, but perfect for him as well. Nothing stood out, so he kept looking.

The cages themselves weren't an ideal hiding place, but they would do in a pinch. They would also work as a bit of extra armor if someone locked themselves inside one. He relaxed his eyes and focused past the bars of the cages. A small, out of place shape stood out against the angular bars. With his friends still talking nonsense in the background, he slowly made his way over. He considered what the shape could be. Everything from a sack of food to an actual demilich crossed his mind, but he wasn't prepared what he found.

Locked inside one of the suspended cages was a small goblin child. She couldn't have been more than three or four years old. Her dark orange hair was caked with dirt. A threadbare tunic hung off her dangerously thin form. Riz gasped and her head shot up at the sound. She stared at him with intense amber eyes that stood out against the grime covering her face. There was no fear there, only acknowledgement.

Riz cleared his throat. [Hi], he spoke softly in Ghukliak, hoping his accent wasn't too thick. [My name is Riz Gukgak. I'm going to get you out of there... okay?]

A slight curious tilt to her head was the only indication she gave that she understood him. He pulled out his tool and she flinched. [No it's okay!] he said hurriedly as he threw his hands up in surrender, hoping it made him look less threatening. It didn't help. [Look], he said as he tried to hand her one of the tools he didnt need for her door. She snatched it from him.

[This], he said, pointing to his tool, [is something I use to open locks. They can't hurt anyone.] He pulled out a second tool and poked his finger with it to demonstrate. A tiny prick from the pointed edge, but no actual damage.

The child studied the small tool in her hand before cautiously handing it back. Riz took it as a good sign and started to work. The simple unwarded lock was open in seconds.

The door creeked open, but she didn't bolt out like he expected her too. Her head tilted again as she seemed to study the open door and the goblin before her, almost like she was unsure of what to do.

Riz decided to take a careful, patient approach. [It's okay], he said. [You're safe. You can come out now.] She seemed to lean towards the door just a fraction before going back.

Riz stood there and watched. He breathed in and out deeply and tried to relax his muscles, hoping she would do the same. The pungent smell of filth coating her tiny form filled his lungs, but he kept his face relaxed. His plan seemed to work to some degree as the little goblin stopping hiding behind her knees.

The energetic chatter from his friends was starting to die down. They would probably come looking for him any minute now. Riz looked the child directly in the eyes and - with every ounce of sincerely and conviction he could put into it - told her [I promise, I will protect you.]

Something seemed to click within her and she slowly crawled forward. Her guard was up and Riz had no doubt that she would attack if given the opportunity, but she was still moving towards the door.

She made it to the opening and hesitated. Riz held out his arms. [If you don't wanna walk], he said, [I could carry you... if you want me to].

She looked down at his arms, up to his face, and back again. She seemed to consider his offer before raising her arms. He lifted her up and something in his brain screamed 'too light too light too light!' He tried not to think about the pests in her hair, her pronounced ribs, or what could have happened to her while she was down there. He failed.

Her large ears perked up as his friends started to speak in frantic whispers. He looked down at the child in his arms. [Those], he said with a jerk of his head, [are my friends. I'm going to let them know we're here. They won't hurt us. They will keep us safe.]

They seemed to move closer. He heard a sword being pulled from its scabbard. No time for subtlety. "Guys!" he yelled. She flinched in his arms. "Stay there," he said as he tried to calm her.

"...why?" Fabian asked, confused.

"Are there traps?" That was Sandra Lynn.

"Are you in trouble?" Kristen asked. She sounded worried.

The little goblin turned her head towards the voices and growled low and threateningly. Riz had no idea what the hell he was doing, but he held her close and whisped [It's okay, shhh]. "Everything's okay guys," he answered. "I just need everyone to be very still and nonthreatening."

"What the hell is going on?!" Fabian said. He sounded pissed now.

"We know as much as you do," Adaine answered.

"Is it a trap?" Fig asked.

[Everything's fine], Riz answered. He was too busy trying to calm down a tiny goblin to notice that he was still speaking in Ghukliak. [I found a kid. She's in rough shape. Probably needs healing too if anybody has a spare slot.] Riz also didn't realized that he had walked straight towards his friends on autopilot until someone gasped.

"What the hell is that!" Fabian yelled while pointing his finger at the girl. It was a big mistake. She bared her teeth and lashed out with lightening speed. She missed with her claws, but the tiny points of her teeth sunk into the flesh of Fabian's hand. "Ow!" he screamed as she jerked back towards Riz, still growling and grasping Riz's shirt as she tried to look as menacing as possible. It was nice to know that she trusted him to some degree and wanted to protect him, but gods damn!

"First off," Riz stated, starting to feel fatigued, "don't point your finger and scream at something that's growing at you."

"Uah!" Fabian answered with a sharp exhale, still holding his now injured hand.

"Second," Riz continued, ignoring Fabian's reaction, "this would be a goblin." He looked back towards the area he had just come from. Back towards the rows and rows of rusty cages hanging over a metal grate covered floor. Back towards a place that smelled of sewage and death. "She was... locked in one of the cages." His voice got quieter with each word. "She's just a kid. That asshole... he was locking toddlers in cages."

The others froze. Even Fabian seemed to stiffen as he took in the sight with its horrifying new context. They looked back at Riz and then down at the tiny goblin in his arms. Really looked at her. Bones pressing against skin covered in filth. Sunken tired eyes. Nicks along oversized ears, a jagged edge at the tip of one where a point should have been. Their faces all softened.

Fig shifted her weight and crossed her arms. "Good thing that bastard's already dead," she said, eyes filled with fire and rage, "because I wanna kill him. In fact, can we bring him back so I can do that?" The joking tone that was normally in her voice was completely absent.

"No," Kristen answered softly. "We all need the slots to heal everyone." She walked over to Fig and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Besides," she said as she dismissively waved towards the body of the deceased hobgoblin, "that asshole isn't even worth the time it would take to cast a cantrip."

Fig sighed. "Yeah," she said as some of the fight drained out of her. "You're right. But still..."

Everyone stood silently, save for the child and her steady growl. Adaine cleared her throat. "We should probably get out of here," she said to the group. "I don't believe there are any more, but we don't need to take that chance, especially with a small child in tow."

Everyone nodded in agreement and made their way towards the exit. Riz followed a few steps behind the group, hoping distance from the others would help the child calm down. It seemed to work as her growls quieted slowly as the 'threat' seemed to pass, but she was still on high alert. They continued to walk in silence. It had been a long day.

After over half an hour of walking, Adaine paused for a moment. Riz stopped as well, not wanting to get too close. He watched as she pulled out her spellbook and started flipping through its pages. She mumbled to herself, somehow able to both skim its pages and continue walking at her normal pace without tripping. He wondered if it was a wizard thing.

"I could cast comprehend languages," she said to no one in particular. "Oh but... shoot. That only works on me and only on comprehension, not speaking it. Hum..." more pages rustled as their footsteps echoed in the cave.

"Oh!" Adaine said a bit too loud, amplified by the acoustics of the cave. She didn't seem to notice, too focused on her book. Riz looked down, expecting to see the child on edge again. Instead, she seemed calm and curious about the strange girl before her.

"Tongues," Adaine told the walls. "That could work. Oh... but that one would take an hour to cast..." She flipped a page and ran her fingers over the script. "BUT, I can cast it on anyone and they can both understand languages AND be understood. Hum... it also has a one hour duration and no extra components. Yes. I believe that would be the best option." A comfortable silence followed, save for Adaine reading the complicated spell in a steady tone. Amber eyes watched her intently as the mouth of the cave drew near.

The bright light of the outside made the little one squint and hide her face against Riz's vest. He sighed and pulled off his hat, placing it on her head. If he was going to need to be treated for lice anyway, he might as well make her life a little easier.

Normally the hat would have been far too large for a kid her age, but between her thick hair and the layer of dried mud on top of it, the hat fit her perfectly. She reached up to touch the fabric. There was a flash of a tiny smile that was gone as fast as it came. Riz would have questioned if it had happened at all if he hadn't felt her tiny body relax in his arms.

The further the group got from that horrid place, the more they seemed to relax. Sandra Lynn patted her daughter on the arm before running off to scout ahead. Kristen and Tracker started acting like their lovey dovey selves, occasionally looking back to make sure that they weren't frightening their tiny guest. Soon, the whole party was talking and laughing as Kristen, Tracker, and Fig started working on healing.

That was until the first strum of Fig's bass. Little eyes went wide as her grip tightened on Riz. "Hey Fig!" Riz called out, stopping Fig before she could get another spell out. "I think she's scared of your bass."

"Oh shit!" Fig said, pausing mid strum. "I'm sorry little dude."

Riz furrowed his brow, trying to decide the best course of action. Fig looked genuinely upset over scaring the kid, but her skills were needed. Plus, there was no way to avoid using it in the long term. "Maybe," he said to Fig, still turning over all the options in his head, "you can show her that it's safe?"

"Yeah," she answered with a nod. "I could do that. She looks like she could use a heal anyway."

"Just..." he said, holding up a free hand. "Just let me warn her first."

Riz looked down. The child wasn't growling yet. That was a good sign. [Hey], he said to get her attention. She took her gaze off the others to look up at him. [See that lady with the horns?] She looked away from him towards Fig who had moved closer to the pair, but was still keeping her distance. [Yeah. That's 'Fig'. She helps people and beats up bad guys.] Her death grip on him seemed to loosen a little. [She wants to help you feel better. Is that okay?]

She looked back and forth between Riz and Fig. He watched the gears turn as she silently contemplated and examined Fig (for what, he couldn't say). Finally, she pointed a finger at Fig and looked up at Riz. "I think she's saying that you can come over," Riz said without breaking eye contact with her.

"You sure?" Fig asked, hesitantly. As if somehow understanding the intention behind the words, the little hand currency pointing at Fig became more insistent. Fig laughed. "Okay!" she answered. "You got it boss."

Fig made her way towards the pair. "Hey kid," she said, walking backwards as she faced them. Her longer legs allowed her to walk the same speed as Riz (show off). "I'm Fig. You got a name?"

Riz immediately felt like an idiot for not asking. [She wants to know what your name is], he said. The child looked up at him and tilted her head. She looked... confused. Shit. Shit, shit, shit! How long was she even trapped down there?!

Riz looked back up. "I don't think she knows," he said.

"Shit dude," Fig answered as she fell in step beside Riz. Amber eyes watched her closely. "That's really messed up."

Riz was about to say more when a little finger poked his chest. He looked down and was met with a very scrunched up annoyed face. "Huh?" he asked, a bit confused.

"I think she wants you to translate dude," Fig answered with a smirk.

Riz smiled. His heart felt warm. ['Fig' said you deserve a name], he said tactfully. [So we are gonna help you find one that you like.]

Her reaction was unexpected, but priceless. Her eyes went wide and her mouth fell open. She swiveled her head quickly back and fourth between Riz and Fig, his hat barely staying on her head. She blinked rapidly, trying to process something. Riz wasn't entirely sure how to take the reaction until her smile appeared again. Just the tiniest quirk to the corners of her mouth, only this time it stayed several seconds before it was gone.

"Woah," Fig said. She was smiling too, only it was bright and so big that it made her eyes crinkle. "What brought that on?"

"I told her we would help her find a name," Riz answered.

"Yes!" Fig exclaimed. "We gotta find one that's really cool, like... Bonecrusher or... um..." Fig screwed her face as she tried to think of a second option.

"Fig," Riz said. He was trying to sound serious, but it was hard when you're standing next to someone that though a sexy rat was a great idea. "We are not naming a small goblin child Bonecrusher. That is a TERRIBLE idea. For so many reasons!"

He felt a tiny finger jab his chest again. [Sorry], he said to the aforementioned small goblin child. ['Fig' is really excited about helping you find a name.] The response seemed to satisfy her as she looked back over at Fig.

Fig studied her a moment and slowly help out her bass. "This," she said, pointing to the instrument, "is a bass. I use it to make music, help people, and kick ass. You can touch it, if you want."

The child glanced at Riz. [She said this is a 'bass'], he translated. [It's how she uses her powers. She said you can touch it.]

The child considered this. Fig kept her bass held out as they walked. It was unusual for Fig to be patient about anything. Riz was grateful that today was one of those days.

A tiny hand reached out towards the bass before shooting back. Fig just kept holding it in position. Several aborted attempts later, a tiny hand finally reached the guitar. She looked up at Fig. Fig smiled.

"You wanna hear it play?" Fig asked, her smile now crooked and filled with mischief.

[She wants to know if you want to hear it make sounds], Riz said without being asked.

She looked up at Fig and down at the instrument, her hand still resting on the red finish. She pulled her hand away, only to point at the bass.

"Ask and you shall receive," Fig answered, playing a single note.

A tiny gasp came out of the child as her mouth hung slightly open. Her tiny hand went forward again, hesitant but more sure. She stopped with a finger over a string and looked up to Fig. Fig nodded and her finger went down and plucked a string. A single note rang out. She watched the string vibrate before plucking another with a bit more force. It sounded louder than the first. She tilted her head in a way that was starting to become familiar before plucking the first string again. Then the second. First. Second. First. Second. Her eyebrows furrowed the entire time as if she was unlocking a secret, her eyes focused in concentration. She eventually tried the other strings as well. When she was finaly satisfied, she brought her hand back to Riz and looked up at Fig.

"Not bad for a first try," Fig said, the smile still plastered on her face. She seemed to be enjoying herself and her current audience. "Wanna see something even cooler?"

[She said you did good], Riz translated, [She wants to show you something else... are you're okay with that?]

The child looked up at Fig and waited. Fig took this as a yes and started to play. Normally Fig was loud and brash, but the soft melody was soothing, warm, and laced with a magic that was so very Fig. The child seemed entraced by the song, her sharp eyes watching in awe.

Riz felt the child's body relax as the magic enveloped her. She sighed and laid her head down on his shoulder. Her eyes were still fixed on Fig, her ears pointed towards the sound, but her body was heavy and still. Her grip losened as the magic did its work. Fig continued to play the soft melody as the amber eyes watching her fluttered closed.

*****

Special thanks to @plutosfury for helping me brainstorm the OC and to Pluto and @winterpower98 for being my beta readers. Also, thank you to my wonderful readers @fangirlsftw , @the-ipre , @riz-gukgak , @pete-theplug , Winter, and Pluto who helped me get past my anxiety about posting this. You guys rock! ^_^

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