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niaswish · 11 months

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Planning the Future

This is based on an au I introduced in 2020 for the NyxNoct week (Chapter 7 of the Heroic Start by Shiary on AO3).

Rating: Teen +

Warnings: Slightly graphic violence near the end. Implied character deaths.

Tags: Hurt/Comfort, implied character deaths, Nyx Ulric/ Noctis Lucis Caleum, eventual fluff, no major character deaths, Dark-ish Nyx, Royalty AU.

Chapter summary: A much needed conversation between 2 princes offers them clarity and a path towards their future.

Nyx brought Prince Noctis to a nearby creek, far enough that they would be able to talk without being overheard but close enough that Nyx would hear if anyone needed him. When he finally turned to look at the man who had once been his prisoner, Nyx found himself unsure as to where to begin.

Thankfully, Noctis spoke first. "I'm sorry."

"What?"

"I was supposed to stay at the Temple last night." Noctis bowed apologetically towards Nyx. "I know you saw me with Unc... Marshall Leonis and I'm sure you were furious, rightfully so, at my presence with those responsible for the injuries your mother suffered."

Nyx scowled and crossed his arms. "If you're sorry then why did you do it?"

"To get them to leave." When Nyx raised a brow, Noctis continued explaining. "When I was brought here, it was against my will. But instead of being treated as a prisoner like I expected, I was allowed to move around and given a job that I actually liked." Noctis chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I've never liked being royalty. Too much attention and pressure to be this perfect person."

Nyx scoffed, "What a stupid expectation."

"Ya, I was surprised by how relaxed you all are about royalty stuff."

Nyx shrugged, "The only reason the Ulrics still have royal titles is due to Lucis being annoying assholes about who can negotiate with them. At this point, being the Ruler of Galahd just means we get a vote in decisions and pretend we make them in front of other nations."

That got Noctis to laugh and something warm and fuzzy replaced the anxiety that Nyx had been feeling. Oh he was smitten alright, and apparently Ramuh approuved? He'd have to check with his mom later.

For now Nyx still had something they needed to discuss. "Thank you for the apology and keeping Niflheim back until your friend could warn us. However, the Council has elected to wage war on Lucis because Marshall Leonis and your retinue broke the Oath King Regis made about respecting the payment due."

Noctis winced, "I figured that might happen." He turned to look at Nyx, "You don't agree do you? Otherwise why tell me?"

Nyx inclined his head, a slight appreciative smile on his lips. "Before the attack? I did but now... It seems like the wrong target for our Hunters. The only one who would benefit from such a war would be Niflheim. Not exactly what either of us want."

Noctis nodded in agreement for a moment before he frowned, head tilting to one side thoughtfully. "Wait. How did Lucis break that Oath thing in the first place? We've been losing against Niflheim for centuries and Galahd didn't do much when the Wall was reduced so... What happened?"

Nyx was surprised by the change in topic. "You never asked my mom that while you were at the Temple?"

Noctia glanced away, "I was too angry to ask when I was brought there initially then kinda...forgot?"

Nyx couldn't help it. He burst out laughing. "Ramuh's staff! How on Eos have you been able to remember all those orders but forget to ask the reason why you were brought here?"

"Oh shut up!" Noctis hissed in embarrassed anger. "Just tell me already. It's not like Lucis could have sent enough soldiers to make a difference. We also don't have a lot in terms of supplies to share with how isolated Insomnia has become."

Nyx wiped the tears from his eyes even as he answered. "Information. We didn't need soldiers, weapons, or supplies -Galahd provides us with all that- but our abilities are limited to Galahd and the Storm. The Oath has always been about sharing information and trade, that's all."

"Information???"

Nyx nodded and leaned back against a warm rock, tilting his head towards the sun. "Lucis knew that Niflheim was gathering an army near Galahd, had caught wind of a plan to attack us. And yet your father and council made the decision to not share that with us. Then after the attack, they had the galls to deny ever knowing any of it."

Noctis frowned. "How did Galahd find proof of this?"

"Ramuh." Nyx shrugged. "An Oath with his blessing means he is aware of anything and everything related to it. If the information had been delayed or ignored by only a few then the Oath wouldn't have broken. Its destruction was proof enough."

Noctis stayed silent for a while, Nyx echoing it as he allowed the prince to process that knowledge. He took that time to take a good look at the man he'd come to love. Even with a thoughtful frown, Noctis was beautiful. Long lashes framed gorgeous eyes that seemed to shine with emotions, a veritable gate to how his princeling truly felt.

His body was that of a lithe but trained fighter, born from years of training. With an amused smile, Nyx noted that Noctis' muscles had changed in the months since Nyx had first seen it. Still healthy and fit, there was a new roundness to his figure, a lessening of the muscle definition that made Nyx wonder what kinds of meals his princeling had been getting in Insomnia.

Noctis' voice broke through his admiration. "My eyes are up here, Boss." Thankfully, Noctis' tone was amused and playful.

"And they're as gorgeous as the rest of you." Nyx spoke before his brain had caught up. With a hiss, Nyx hurried to apologize. "Sorry that was inappropriate. What did you want to say?" Lifting his eyes, Nyx noticed the blush on his princeling's cheeks. -and he wasn't going to think about how being called boss made his inside twitch.-

"Umm..." Noctis stumbled over his words for a moment before he managed to speak properly. "I have a plan to help you convince your Elders to not go to war with Lucis."

"Oh? Well, I'm all ears. What do you have in mind?" Nyx straightened and leaned closer.

×+×++×

Nyx greeted his mom with a hug and a question. "Did Ramuh know I'd fall in love with the princeling?" His mother laughed at him and he frowned. "I'm being serious, mom."

"I know, Nyx." She took a step back, a hand cupping his cheek as she answered. "No, Ramuh did not know you would fall in love. However, he had been keeping watch over Prince Noctis due to a stupid prophecy that Bahamut insists should come to pass. No, I will not explain that yet. It is neither the time nor of any importance now."

"When King Regis failed to warn Galahd of the impending attack by Niflheim, Ramuh saw it as a chance to give Prince Noctis a happier life. One free of the burden of royalty that he wilted under in Insomnia. The Oath initially specified that the Ruler would become the sacrifice but Ramuh decided otherwise. In his own words, Noctis has the making of a Galahdian and should be allowed to make his own path in life."

Nyx relaxed at that, relieved that Ramuh hadn't predicted his love for his princeling. He placed his own hand over his mom's with a soft smile. "Then can you help us with the Elders? We have a plan."

"I'm listening."

"A war between Lucis and Galahd would benefit Niflheim and open us up to further attacks. Prince Noctis proposes that instead, Lucis hires Galahd's Hunters to help them repel Niflheim from Lucis, with the price being twice what is ours to claim as well as all of (location). And... He's agreed to let me court him."

His mom raised a brow, "A Galahdian or Lucian courtship?"

"Galahdian Hunter's courtship, of course."

"And the offering?"

"Aldercapt's head."

His mother's eyes flashed bright white as thunder mixed with her delighted laughter. "Galahd's path is a war indeed! Just not the one the Elders envisioned. Very well, I'll deal with the Elders and your father. You, on the other hand, will have to deal with the Lucians."

"Mom!" But it was too late as his mom kissed his forehead and left, leaving him alone with a monumental task.

Ifrit's ass, how was he supposed to explain to a bunch of overprotective Lucians the concept of courtship Hunts?

A/N: Thank you for the great week! Feel free to ask me about this au whenever :)

#NyxWeek2023 #nyx ulric #Noctis Lucis Caelum #Day 7: free

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quinntamsin · 1 year

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She'd only seen the Gates perhaps once in her life before this. They reached far into the sky and were blanketed in clouds. She rested aboard her captain's ship, a feeling of languor threatening to overtake her. Eying the tall woman who claimed command of the Spiteful Harlot she sat up. A den den mushi in her hands was spouting some nonsense she could barely make out. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN WHITEBEARD IS DEAD?!" and at those words Qwynn froze. Edward Newgate, the strongest human in the entire damn world was dead. How? The zoan user instantly shifted into her leopard form and leaped from her place sleeping on the prow of the boat. --- SPOILER WARNING! CONTENT WARNING: Mass character death, brutality and abuse. *The droning voice of Sengoku in the background.* We finally reach the penultimate Arc of the Summit War Saga. This arc was hands down one of the most painful to watch. Not because it was dragging at times, and oh did it drag. But because we all learned that this big rescue mission was nothing but tragedy. I knew what was going to happen, I spoiled One Piece all the time for myself. Hate me if you want, but I like staying updated on the Manga as my mental illness. That being said I watch the show in spurts between work and commitments to my patreon work. So, wow, lets do this, I'm not breaking this one down to bits of the arc. This is going to be a pure bad good and ugly. I want to do it this way because this was the hardest hitting Arc I've seen since Enies Lobby. The Ugly One thing about Shounen ANime is they really like to drag out fights with a lot of twists and what not. I say this as someone who grew up on shows like Yu-Gi-Oh and OG Dragonball Z. This story was great, it added a lot of nice twists and bits but there were a few low points for me. It doesn't dragon on a Naruto Level. I can't put my finger on it, but a lot of ways I really didn't think it should have taken Luffy more than five episodes to get out of the exit ring. This part of the battle is perhaps the most where I got frustrated watching. It really started as the push for the harbor was about midway through. The story where we finally get Squard's stab into Newgate. Watching him do so, learning more about the backstory of Ace and much more was heartening. But there are a few episodes that break down to pretty much "Keep going get going" and then only a little bit of progress is made. This entire Arc is about a losing war, and yet, damn it ground hard into me. And this is the only critique in this regard I can think of! So I was going to do a bad, but fuck it, I already did that. The Good I simp for this show. It calls me like the Jezabelle she is! Now lets talk about what this Arc did so damn well, it made me fucking cry. We already know Oda is kind of against killing people off. He let Crocodile live for FFS. There are even points where it was obvious that people like Moria should have been dead, but nope they are still alive. Hell, its also been revealed that perhaps a certain giant is still alive! Spoilers aside, this entire thing is pretty fucking filled with despair. An entire story about the despair created by the fucking World Government. Yeah, lets not ignore that the world of One Piece is rand by a genocidal government okay with wiping out entire nations and islands for convenience. So watching them murder not only a bunch of pirates, but lying to get them to betray each other makes sense. Sure, we can easily view the Marines as good guys if we already didn't know better. What we see really is a group of people trying to save on eo fhteir own. Attempting to use overwhelming odds but all they ace is three fucking tyrannical gods, and their pragmatic Commander. The Whitebeard Pirate Alliance fall in droves as they are cut down by the Warlords and the Admirals. The Vice Admirals join the fray and as Little Oars dies to save his friends they use his fucking body to climb over. This is some seriously dark shit. All the while we watch as Ace is reminded of how his entire life all he's good at is getting other killed. DAMN ODA! Squard's betrayal in of itself was another great ploy by Sakazu aka Akainu, a truly tyrannical figure. This shows that the Marines as the sword arm of the World Nobles is not above fomenting mutiny. Yeah, it's a good strategy, and honestly it just reminds us that these are not good people. They have NO scruples. Whitebeards death was just so damn disquieting. He just stood there as he finally lost his strength. Then to have his devil fruit powers stolen by that bastard Teach made it even worse. Teach truly is a fucking near Xanatos level villain. This guy has played Newgate SINCE he joined and sacrificed former friends to get what he wanted. All of this culminates into the final death of Ace, and damn, I knew it was coming. I knew it was going to make me cry, yet by the Nine it tore into me. ACE and Luffy are members of ASL, and three kids who grew up in a world that despised them. It it weren't for Crocodile (yes I follow the Croco-mom theory) hadn't saved his boy Luffy would be dead. Gay Canon I will say that this entire episode is laden with fucking masc characters so I can't spin a a lesbian scene here. Honestly, I would headcanon Luffy as a trans masc and Ace as his adopted brother still. Spin up Hancock as his love interest and there we go. TBH with how tall Hancock is I'm reminded of T4T couple memes I see now and then. Now, let's talk about adopted dads. Newgate actually TREATS his suborinates as his kids and grandkids. He treats them well and defends them with all his might. This can easily be seen with cultish as we're talking about a macho-man figure who gets everyone to call him pops. But easily there is nothing in that manner. Honestly in this story I see Marco's desperation here to save Ace as a man trying to save his husband. Marco and Ace FIT as a couple and I really do like that as an angle. For sapphic ships we are still kind of at a loss. The only Warlord Present who can remotely being seen as mingender or "as a womxn" is Hancock. Everyone other major character minus perhaps two vice admirals are androgender spectrum. Now, a rare fic story featuring Hancock and Hina maybe? I mean, there's not a lot of optinos from this storyline! Though, I think a story with Vivi and Hina would also be another good option for an aftermath rare pair set up. Conclusion Wow, yeah, this was a post long time coming and to be honest I've been in a fairly deep funk overwhelmed by real life. Heh, anyways, lets sit back and discuss some final thoughts. The Marineford Arc is a solid conclusion to the Summit War Arc. I really dislike the dub translation of "War of the Best" but whatever. I watch the dub because I get distracted and write and I can't always be reading subtitles. (I use to be a purist, but fucking ADHD and other issues messed it up). Back to the story, this epic battle specifically brought us what we wanted. The despair felt by pirates and the rebels against the might of the Marines. Without the Gura Gura no Mi, the battle would have been harder for everyone. YES, the Division Commanders are powerful. But we are talking about the fucking Warlords of the Sea. One of which is a total meglomaniac who is powerful enough to spider sling across clouds for fun. Aokiji bikes across water because he's so precise with his power. This was a last hurrah for the legends of Whitebeardss Era. Sure Kaido and Big Mom were his mates, but the old man truly was one of the Greats. What we see here is a foolish attempt by the WG to quash the Supernovas. To kick them while they are down and prevent the rise of another Pirate King. Someone capable of challenging the false gods of the Celestial Dragons and put Im on the backfoot. This wasn't going to happen, but what I witnessed was the not just a last ditch effort to save on of their own. I watched a generation's hope of freedom get crushed as villains like Teach, Kaido and Big Mom existed off in the distance. I mean Teach stole a fucking fruit and now has shit that is just plot plate armor level crazy. But yeah, as we go into the New World I'm itching for watching a few Admirals getting a beat down. Hottakes:

Holy fucking shit Marineford is a ridiculous space. I keep forgetting how big Marine ships are as well. Those things Dwarf most of the ships from any of the early arcs.

Are paddle wheel boats a standard? I'v seen three so far, the Kuja Pirate's ship, the one Momonga had and Whitebeard's ace in the hole.

Whitebeard is an interesting figure, I think he should have jumped in. Oars death felt so needless, it just shows that people loved Ace. And this was a means to "punish" him for just existing.

I really just hate Akainu, he's such an asshole.

Aokiji is beyond OP, he's a devil fruit user but he can free sea water. That's a ridiculous cold point to achieve plus averting a common devil fruit weakness.

Well fuck Blackeard for being able to steal fuck powers.

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savage-rhi · 2 years

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Immortal Shield Chapter 39: The Summit

**DM or comment if you want to be tagged in updates on tumblr

**To read previous chapters, hit this link

Tagging: @seradyn

Noctis took in a deep breath as he opened the doors to the inner chambers of the citadel's conference hall. Awaiting him were the leaders of each nation, along with personal assistants, crownsguard, and glaive. He couldn't believe that three days had come and gone in a blink of an eye. So much had been going on behind the scenes with the crown, and to say Noctis was overwhelmed was an understatement. It was times like these where he wondered how Regis, his late father, managed to keep everything afloat. The weight of responsibility as a king couldn't be fathomed by most. There was a part of Noctis that jokingly contemplated giving the responsibility to Ardyn as a punishment. It would certainly make his former adversary feel as though he lived a full life in less than a few years.

Focusing on the present task at hand, Noctis ventured further in. Everybody stood up out of respect as he walked towards his place in the grand room.

“Apologies for my tardiness,” Noctis said aloud and took a seat upon reaching the table. “Matters with the queen needed to be dealt with.”

“It’s no trouble, your grace.” One of the council members from Niflheim assured.

“I hope her majesty is doing well.” The Tenebrae ambassador smiled his way. No doubt a fan of Lunafreya when she was merely the Oracle before becoming queen. At least that's what Noctis assumed given the mans tone.

Noctis could feel the eyes of everyone on him. Something he had long grown accustomed to, but given the circumstances, Noctis would be lying to himself if he didn’t want to flee. He wasn’t scared. Not after the trials and tribulations he had endured in his life; yet Noctis couldn’t help but feel he was walking into a den of fellow foxes, and he happened to have a hen in his mouth. The hen being Ardyn, and now the nations would decide how to best rip him apart.

A foreboding silence filled the room. Noctis took in a deep breath, giving an acknowledgement to everybody before he would set the lions loose.

“I know we have gathered here to discuss ongoing peace between our lands and the restoration movement. It would be asinine not to address the elephant in the room nevertheless.” Noctis was bold in his speech, pausing to make eye contact with everyone at the table. The words of his late father echoed through his mind: "if you want to exert authority with grace, and let it be known you will not be led astray, look every man in the eye while you speak your convictions."

“Word of Ardyn’s return has no doubt been talked of through each of your circles. I know of the anguish and confusion you all must feel knowing he’s alive. The experience has been a shock for myself and everyone close. I am certain that traumas from his past transgressions have resurfaced for many, as well as the good he had done while serving the empire. In recent events, saving me from a sudden attack by monsters long thought to have perished from Eos.” Noctis could feel the tension begin to rise. People wanted to interrupt but held back their tongue out of respect for him. He swallowed and continued.

“Ardyn is currently in the custody of Insomnia. As king and being a distant relative, I stake claim to ensure Ardyn is delivered to justice. However, knowing what he has put the world through, it would be greedy for me to say this is a done deal. I’d like to hear your thoughts, opinions, or offers for negotiation regarding the captive. Once the matter is settled, we can move onto other obligations.”

Noctis leaned back into his chair, his posture straightening as the leaders and their representatives began chattering. Muddled voices echoed throughout the chambers of the grand hall. While everyone was focusing on plotting, figuring out what was going to be discussed of next, Noctis turned his head as Ignis approached him from afar. Ignis lowered his body so he could whisper to him once they were in close proximity.

“How is he doing?” Noctis asked in a hushed tone while Ignis cleared his throat.

“Quite well considering the circumstances. He asked if I was 'having a good morning'.”

"Unheard of." Noctis suppressed a snort.

"That's exactly what Gladio said." Ignis mused, then took a moment to listen in on the commotion. He made a face after taking it all in. “Seems everyone is on edge like we hypothesized.”

“That’s an understatement,” Noctis said bluntly. The two men hid their chuckles, trying to keep their composure serious.

“This is going to be a long day,” Noctis sighed. “Any word about the woman Ardyn was traveling with?”

Ignis nodded. He carefully handed a confidential folder to Noctis, and he observed the king waste no time in unsealing the documents to have a look over. It was a bold move to be tampering with such things when there was a national discussion. Everyone was too preoccupied about Ardyn to care about the kings formalities, however.

“Gladio found from one of the Accordo captains of the Leide region, that Zamfir is under custody of the Republic. She was transported out of Lucis as soon as they placed her in arms. At the time of her arrest, she was with Ardyn. I’m afraid you’ll have to talk with Madam Secretary if you want more information.”

“Damn it,” Noctis murmured. He carefully listened to his Retainer, all the while absorbing as much as he could in the files.

“She’s primarily wanted for genocide. Many of the crimes occurred in Accordo and Lucis against Niflheim refugees during the war and the Dark Decade. Accordo arrested several men who were allegedly led by her. They proclaim that her father, the late commander Julian Zamfir, tried to stop the killings. There’s probably more deaths that have gone unreported.”

Noctis knew he’d have to reacquaint himself with the documents later on, but the words genocide, the body count, and seeing the bits about Julian Zamfir in Caelan’s file had a chill go down his spine. The accusations were momentous. Ardyn’s pleads echoed through Noctis's head along with his proclamations he could prove Caelan's innocence.

Ignis furrowed his brows, sensing the concern dwelling within Noctis. “It’s not my place, but as your friend I must ask, why are you going through the trouble, Noct?”

“I made a promise, and I intend to keep it.” Noctis said firmly. More so to reaffirm his convictions than to put Ignis down. He handed the documents back to Ignis, giving a nod.

“Keep these safe. We’ll discuss more later. Let Ardyn know I’m aware of Cahl's status. In the meantime, I need you and Prompto to dig into the records of Julian Zamfir and anyone who worked under him within the past 20 years.”

“20 years?” Ignis furrowed his brows, knowing it was going to take a lot of work. Not to mention he wasn’t even sure the old archives held much. After Insomnia’s fall, much information about past citizens was lost to the chaos and destruction.

“No stone will be left unturned.” Noctis said. His tone reassuring as he offered his friend a smile. “I’m counting on you both.”

“Absolutely, your majesty.” Ignis gave a bow with his head, keeping up with formalities at the summit and then made the careful trek out of the chambers.

Noctis watched his friend limp, using the aid of a walking stick to help him see here and there. He took in a deep breath, sighing out his frustrations. If it hadn’t been for Ardyn, Ignis never would’ve been permanently disabled. Memories from long ago conflicted with the present. Nonetheless, Noctis wasn’t going to go back on his word.

“If we are not interrupting anything serious, I’d like to address the nations first, highness.” The council member of Niflheim spoke up. All eyes on him as Noctis gave an approving nod.

“My apologies, more personal matters concerning the queen.” Noctis said aloud regarding the conversation between Ignis and himself. “You may proceed.”

The council member stood up, pacing around his area of the table for emphasis while he spoke.

“Ardyn, while under the guise of Izunia, was the former chancellor of Niflheim. He served the empire faithfully for many decades. We would like to take it upon ourselves to retrieve him out of the hands of Lucis, and ensure justice is--”

“I must interject and state that it is known Niflheim sees Ardyn as something of an icon despite the wake of destruction he left behind. Considering Niflheim has no solid leadership aside the council, how can we be reassured Ardyn won’t be reinstated to any power?” The Tenebrae Ambassador was quick to interrupt, and already great contempt was held in his voice. The council member held his ground.

“Ardyn will be punished like any citizen in Niflheim despite his standing. No one escapes justice. It is true, that a grand portion of our citizens highly respect the former chancellor. While under the command of our previous emperor, Izunia was gracious and wise to keep our country afloat while Aldercapt wasted time and resources on the war with Lucis.”

“Yet, Ardyn did assist with many of the strategies and battle plans against Lucis and subsequent kingdoms. He also attacked the empire itself towards the end of his madness.” Madam Secretary Camelia said as a matter of fact.

“Yes, again that is true,” The council member sighed. He knew he was in a losing game but he stayed strong. Determined to finish out his terms and conditions.

“Niflheim holds a great deal of responsibility for the trespasses our country has committed against fellow nations. We would like to bring Izunia to justice on our lands to further atone for our sins and to demonstrate a willingness to move forward. The knowledge that Ardyn possesses as former chancellor as well as being the immortal Adagium would help us restabilize our government. This would be part of Izunia’s punishment, serving to help rebuild Niflheim into something that we can be proud of.”

“That doesn’t answer for the concern about him being reinstated into power and potentially dooming Eos again...” The Tenebrae ambassador said bitterly.

“Getting to that,” The council member began. “Our nation has recovered so much by leaving decisions up to the people and not a mere faction. If the people of Niflheim were to vote Izunia into leadership and promoted him with their own resources, we the council would have to respect the wishes of our citizens.”

“Are you insane?” The Tenebrae ambassador was appalled as were many others in the room at this confession. “What kind of country do you intend to run?”

“One that is democratic and not subjected to the whims of kings and politicians, but by the good will of its people. We intend to never follow the desires of a single power hungry leader ever again.” The council member shot back, no longer playing nice in the game of conversation.

“And Ardyn isn’t a power hungry individual? Don’t make us laugh!” The implications of the ambassadors words had several members of the meeting seethed, and arguments began to break out.

Noctis could feel himself tense. He let it play out for a time before he rightfully raised a hand. As soon as one pair of eyes caught wind, everyone else followed suit and quieted down. With the summit occurring in the lands and home of the Insomnian king, the ball would be in his court when it came to moving forward with discussions.

“What does Madam Secretary and the representatives of Accordo have to say? We haven’t heard much from this side. Please speak.” Noctis spoke calmly. His tone respectful as he even went so far as to bow his head towards Camelia. The subliminal transfer of power would work in a few ways for Noctis: it would get the other reps to understand interrupting her would result in consequences, and it would serve as a way to warm Camelia up to the possibility of giving the Lucis Kingdom custody over Caelan.

“Your grace,” Camelia stood for a moment, giving a bow with her head in return to Noctis and a slight smile. She then turned her gaze to everyone, her brows furrowed as she sighed.

“Accordo would love to see Ardyn locked up in Angelgard until we could find a way to end his immortality. Crimes against humanity should always result in death of the individual, no matter what history has been rewritten, or how beloved they may be by the common people.”

Camelia took a moment to cast daggers at the Tenebrae ambassador and Niflheim council member, not before turning her attention to Noctis. Her features neutral as she shook her head at him, almost like a parent would to their child for performing something idiotic. The gesture didn’t go unnoticed by Noctis as he held his ground.

“Ardyn has and always was a problem for the Lucis Caelum bloodline.” Camelia said inauspiciously, then looked away from Noctis, addressing the group as a whole now.

“Taking on the responsibility of overseeing the Adagium is a trivial matter we don’t have time for. The people of Accordo don’t have time for the drama of one powerful family as they await power to be reinstated, and aid to come their way. It is the opinion of Accordo and its representatives that Ardyn and his fate be left to the Lucis kingdom and consequently, the king. Do the men and ladies of either Niflheim or Tenebrae object?”

There was a silence that followed with whispers and murmurs as aids were consulted. All the while, Noctis could feel a heaviness take hold of him. There was something in the way that Camelia spoke that had him questioning where she truly stood. Her tone and her words almost as acted as a subtle warning, and Noctis couldn’t help but observe her, trying to find any quirks he could exploit. His focus only taken away when the ambassador from Tenebrae stood.

“The people of Tenebrae bow out with no objections.” The ambassador somberly stated. He took a seat with a breath, shaking his head.

“The people of Niflheim concede their offer.” The council member stated, clearly upset but alas was respectful to the wishes of his fellow men and women of the group.

“All in favor of Ardyn Lucis Caelum also known as Adagium, former chancellor Izunia of Niflheim, and former founder of the Kingdom of Lucis to be given punishment per the current Insomnian kings orders. Please raise your hand and say I.” One of the national negotiators in the meeting announced.

The hands went up of every leader and speaker, with Noctis being the final one to raise his own. They made their proclamations known.

“It is decided.” The negotiator proclaimed, and with heavy minds, the leaders moved on to the next order of business with the restoration movement. Noctis in the meantime did his best to pay attention as the burden of Ardyn’s fate fell onto his subconscious.

Noctis spoke with many people long after the summit concluded hours later. A sense of repose had come upon the leaders after much more of the restoration project was discussed. It was as if the subject of Ardyn couldn’t be bothered with, especially when more relief and construction was coming to so many. There was an air of hope that flowed through everyone that couldn't be tampered with. Alas, Noctis knew his side of things regarding Ardyn wasn't over. Far from it.

As soon as he wrapped up his interview with Insomniac News, Noctis traveled to Camelia while she was signing a few documents her aids presented in the gardens.

“Would it be too much trouble to have a word with Madam Secretary?” Noctis politely interrupted.

“Not at all, your grace. I’m finishing up as we speak.” Camelia smiled, gesturing for her aids to leave them be.

“Walk with me,” Noctis said as they both stood side by side, venturing into the heart of the palace of gardens. Both of them admired the beauty surrounding them, and how there were hundreds upon hundreds of different flowers and plants to greet. Out of sight, and no longer playing to their roles as leaders of respective countries, the two allies relaxed in each others presence.

“I must say that Lunafreya has done a great job with the gardens. You both have much to be proud of rebuilding your home.” Camelia said sincerely, stopping to reach at a sylleblossom. Her hands, now aged substantially, admired the softness of the blue flowers touch.

“Luna gets all the credit. I sit back and water when she needs me to, or when she yells at me because I forget.” Noctis said with a smile. The two of them laughed while they decided to continue their trek.

“You did quite well back there,” Camelia complimented. “I think you would have given Regis a run for his money at negotiation.”

Noctis shook his head in disbelief, chuckling as he looked ahead. “I’m afraid I’m still bullheaded when it comes to certain things.”

“Ah, but your father was too when he was younger. You held your own like he would’ve.” Camelia stated with a grin, reminiscing of her younger years for a time. She then sighed, furrowing her brows as Noctis glanced her way.

“And much like your father, I know when a Caelum is trying to get into my good graces for a favor.”

Noctis let out a small laugh. “I guess I wasn’t so subtle at the meet.”

“I’m afraid not.”

Camelia smirked, the wrinkles on her face tightening as she too laughed. Nonetheless despite the playful banter, Camelia sensed a pressing matter had to be troubling the king. Otherwise Noctis wouldn’t have pulled the stunt he did during the meet when everyone discussed Ardyn.

“Please, share with me what you need.” Camelia welcomed.

Noctis, as much as he was elated to know she would hear him out, could feel the dread of his request at hand. Considering what happened at the summit, Noctis knew he might be poking a bear with a stick, but he had to try. He made a vow.

“It’s about the woman your men arrested. The one who was with Ardyn at the time of his retrieval,” Noctis said calmly. “I wanted to know if you would be open to negotiations regarding her.”

“What do you want with Zamfir?” Camelia was quick to anger. Not bothering to hide her disdain from the get go. She stopped walking to face Noctis while her arms crossed.

Noctis was taken back, but he held himself. Letting out a sigh, Noctis remained mindful to appeal to the caring side of Camelia he knew was in there beneath the shrewd exterior. He gave a respectful and apologetic bow with his head.

“I meant no offense,” Noctis rose his head and met Camelia's eyes with a unyielding lock. “It has been brought to my attention the crimes Zamfir committed within the Lucis kingdom. With her being a citizen, Zamfir should be facing punishment on these lands and not in Accordo. Your people had no right to export her without notifying me considering the severity of said crimes. Genocide is not something the kingdom takes lightly.”

Camelia was quiet. The ironed aura she had began to falter as she knew Noctis had her there. She looked off to a nearby tree to calm herself. Observing its leaves flowing against the north winds coming through.

“We had been after Zamfir for so long, I didn’t want to risk her escaping. Especially with the knowledge she had been traveling with Ardyn. I can make amends for my neglect at not communicating to you on the matter, but I will hold my ground highness, when I say that Zamfir will answer to the courts of my land. If you recall, we had agreements made about arrests and such when I sent over my troops to help Lucis capture war criminals that took advantage of the daemon calamity.”

“If I may be bold, what sort of evidence do you have against her?” Noctis asked.

“Word from her fathers men that we’ve imprisoned, and several eye witnesses over the years. Considering the body count, it’s more than enough for the death penalty.” Camelia said firmly. Her throat bobbed. She could feel her blood boil.

“And what about due process?” Noctis countered. “You’re trusting the words of other war criminals and not willing to hear the other side of things? For all you know, it could be a lie so they don’t have to face the consequences of their actions.”

Camelia was visibly offended. Her features becoming more grim as she raised a brow at Noctis.

“This is where you and I differ, along with our respective countries. We see justice differently. You have no room to judge as I have no room to judge how you will handle the Adagium.”

Noctis furrowed his brows, knowing he needed to loosen the blow and contain himself.

Camelia once upon a time had been known for being stern yet fair. Nowadays she was more or less the same but guarded and less open to compromise. A far cry from the woman Noctis and his late father knew well. Yet at the same time, Noctis couldn’t blame her. Not after how much her country and the world suffered. The dark times that had left Eos in shambles had hardened everybody. Including himself.

“Yes, you’re correct.” Noctis conceded. Then he took in a deep breath. Bracing himself for the offer he was about to make.

“If it would make amends for my transgression, I’m willing to trade Ardyn in for Zamfir. Accordo can do as they please with him. I am under no objection to whatever punishment you’d think would be worthy. I know the suffering Ardyn put upon you and your people.” Noctis stated.

Noctis saw Camelia’s eyes widen in shock. Almost as if he had something grotesque upon his face. The way she studied him, looking for any sign of a façade had Noctis remain firm in his convictions. He had rehearsed this for a while, ever since Ardyn told him he was willing to die for Caelan.

“I fear I need more of an explanation because this is…beyond measure, Noctis. Beyond what was agreed upon at the summit.” Camelia’s tone was low, suspicious and in awe as Noctis gave a nod of reassurance.

“I reinstated Ardyn into history and gave him the full rights as the founder king. Whatever punishment I deal to Ardyn will be impartial to bias. Entrusting him to you would assure the people of the world a few things: that a king knows when he can step down regarding his blood, that the strength between Lucis and Accordo is strong, and this sends a message to the rest of the war criminals you’ve been seeking to capture: that not even the Adagium can escape the hands of Accordo’s most powerful.”

“And Zamfir?”

“Simple, she’s a citizen of my kingdom and she will have her day in the courts. More than likely will receive the same consequence you originally intended if the evidence backs it up.”

Camelia was stunned to say the least. She contemplated heavily at the offer, her left hand rubbing her chin while she began to pace herself. There were several moments of pause and reflection until she stopped. Camelia approached Noctis, placing a hand upon his shoulder. For the first time during the conversation, did she appear legitimately apologetic.

“I’m not going to ask why this is so important to you, and I don’t care to know.” Camelia began. She sighed, closing her eyes for a moment as Noctis looked beside himself.

“As much as I would love nothing more than to see Ardyn’s head roll on my doorstep, I can’t in good conscience agree to this. The summit wouldn’t take too kindly to us having an under the table deal. We can’t afford to undo the trust we’ve built, Noctis. My people see Zamfir as a boogeyman of sorts. One that is long overdue to be slain. I can’t let them down much like you can’t let your people down when it comes to taking responsibility for Ardyn. I’m sorry, your majesty. The answer is no.”

Noctis was silent as he watched Camelia’s hand leave him. He alas submitted with an affirmative nod, knowing he had no more cards to play for the time being.

“Thank you for hearing me out at least. I know this conversation was--not expected.” Noctis spoke calmly while Camelia gave a reassuring smile.

“And I apologize for my temper flaring,” She paused. “I’m getting too old for this job.”

They both laughed, trying to ease the tensions that lingered in the atmosphere. Easier said than done, but it was a start.

“I must attend to my aids and prepare for departure. Regarding Ardyn, he may be needed in Accordo when we begin Zamfir’s sentencing. Since he too is a witness, unfortunately. Customs dictate he give an in person account to the officials.” Camelia said bitterly, nonetheless there was a submission in her tone that had Noctis brainstorming.

“Just send word for when he’s needed and I’ll ensure he’s delivered.” Noctis promised. With that, they both respectfully bowed to one another and Camelia departed from the gardens leaving Noctis by himself.

Now alone, Noctis took a seat by one of the fountains. His eyes glanced up towards the sky. He was uncertain what would transpire. Ardyn would be irreconcilable hearing there was nothing that could be done for Caelan. There was no question about that. Noctis feared it would be enough to trigger Ardyn into doing something stupid, or worse yet harm others. The king knew he couldn’t approach Ardyn for now with this information, not until he solidified the small seeds of an idea that was blossoming into roots of a tree. It grew and grew, and soon enough, Noctis could see the branches teeming with life.

“There may be a way out for everyone,” Noctis said aloud.

A half hour later, Noctis looked up upon hearing the footsteps of his friends. Prompto, Gladio and Ignis showed concern as they approached. Before they could say a word, Noctis stood up from the fountain ledge. His features carried compassion and surrender while he glanced at them all.

“I need your counsel more than ever.”

“For sure, we’re here for ya bud! Everything go crystal at the meeting?” Prompto was the first to say something, and before Ignis or Gladio could interject, Noctis approached and walked past them, gesturing for them to follow. He ignored Prompto’s question.

“Good, because I’m about to do something really stupid.”

An outpouring of what’s, exclamations, and questions followed Noctis down the hallway. He ignored everybody, determined to make it to a private room before he would discuss his plan to his retainers.

"Noct, there is something you should see before we go any further!" Ignis managed to get a word in while they traveled down the grand hall leading towards the exit of the palace.

"We don't have time for this, Ignis. We need to be quick and decisive from this point forward!"

"Ig is right, Noct. There's a reason we all showed up in the gardens just now to retrieve ya." Gladio piped up. The three men stopped in the tracks as did Noctis. The king turned around to face his brothers, puzzlement ever present on his face.

"Right outside these doors," Ignis began and gestured towards the palace gates. "Are nearly a hundred people and counting that have come to seek an audience with you."

"Regarding what?"

"More like whom." Prompto chimed in. The blond glanced between his friends, earning a nod from Gladio to speak further. "Word about Cae being arrested traveled. It seems she's got quite a base of people that like her. Everyone out there is somebody she's helped over the years."

"What?" Noctis made a face. He shook his head and traveled up to one of the palace windows, the large structures allowing Noctis and his retainers to peer out among the crowd. Sure enough, what his friends said was true. There were a few hundred people taking up space on the palace steps leading to the entrance of the citadel. Many conversing amongst themselves. As Noctis's eyes glanced over every man and woman he could see thus far, he settled on a couple. They were probably the oldest citizens among the flock and looked determined despite appearing weary. Letting out a deep breath, Noctis bit the inside of his mouth while he contemplated his next moves.

"This may help further yet," Noctis gestured with his head. "Gladio, dial in the guard, ensure these people are escorted to the throne room and made comfortable. Prompto, I want you to call in for counsel to hold an emergency session and take statements from everyone present. Ignis, I need you to call in for a private meeting between myself and the Niflheim council members. I will explain myself soon. Finish up my commands, and meet me in my chambers. Alone."

Noctis could see the billions of questions and remarks each of his men wanted to make, however they were stunned in silence. The king took the opportunity to address his friends and offer reassurance.

"I don't mean to leave you in the dark. Just trust me, guys."

"We got you bud!" Prompto smiled, raising a thumb up before he went to work followed by Gladio and Ignis.

"Wait, what about Ardyn?" Gladio, despite not giving two hells about their captive, couldn't help but wonder where the Adagium fit in all of this mess. He paused in his steps, turning to face the king.

"I'm thinking as I'm going. However, Ardyn comes last." Noctis said firmly. "Now go!"

While his three most trusted ran to take care of his commands, Noctis decided he needed to speak with Luna before running his scheme with the boys. If there was anybody that could offer a broad perspective, and be honest with him in full, it was her. His heart thumped deeply in his chest thinking about seeing her after the long day he had. Luna's comfort offered solace to Noctis, knowing when it came time to deal with Ardyn, peace may no longer be in the cards.

#ardyn lucis caelum #ardyn izunia #ffxv ardyn #final fantasy xv #fanfic #fanfiction #original characters #story

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spacenutspod · 3 months

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4 min readPreparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Renee King calls herself Goddard Space Flight Center’s conscience: She helps make sure that at NASA Goddard, there truly is space for everyone. Name: Renee KingTitle: Deputy Director of Equal OpportunityFormal Job Classification: Supervisory, Equal Employment Opportunity SpecialistOrganization: Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity (Code 120) Renee King is the Deputy Director of Equal Opportunity at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.Courtesy of Renee King What do you do and what is most interesting about your role here at Goddard? How do you help support Goddard’s mission? I provide oversight and manage the Equal Opportunity (EO) program, which consists of the complaints, reasonable accommodation, Affirmative Employment (MD 715) and special emphasis programs. I serve as the conscience of the center, ensuring fairness and equity for all employees. My most interesting role here at the center is building relationships with the people and forming partnerships with community, local and national groups, and organizations, while I support the mission of attracting and developing a talented and diverse workforce. What is your educational background? What attracted you to EO? I have a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore. I value people and processes and believe in equality and fairness. Being part of something that is bigger than me, as I love to help people and want to be the change agent that empowers DEIA – diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility – and it’s the right thing to do. What brought you to Goddard? I came to Goddard because it was ranked the number one agency to work for in their category. I started as an EEO specialist and evolved in 2022 into my current position. What are your goals for Goddard’s EO programs? I want to ensure that we are acknowledging the underrepresented groups and understanding the data around these groups and how they represent Goddard. For example, if there is a lack of women engineers at Goddard, we can look at the data and do more outreach to encourage more women engineers to work at Goddard. We are focused now on identifying and collecting data about these unrepresented groups. How do you use the data to implement change? We effect change through outreach to build awareness. One way is to look at more diverse universities and colleges, such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving institutions, and tribal universities, to see how they could assist us in the goal of getting more diverse talent in the workplace. What is your involvement with Goddard’s employee resource groups (ERGs)? I oversee the Women’s ERG, which addresses issues surrounding women at Goddard and in general. The group allows us to promote education and training through observances, mentoring, and program activities. I also oversee the program managers for most of Goddard’s ERGs to include the African Diaspora ERG, the Equal Accessibility ERG, the Hispanic Advisory Committee for Employees (HACE) ERG, the Native American ERG, and the Asian American ERG. All of the ERGs are vital to the center and the people. How do you communicate Goddard’s EO program needs to management? I assist the Goddard Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity director as a consultant, and as an adviser to the center director, deputy center directors, associate center director, and other management officials on all equal opportunity matters. Partially related to DEIA, I meet bi-weekly with senior management, which allows me to feel connected with and believe that they deeply care about our program. EO has a definite place in Goddard’s organization and we feel very supported. I thank Veronica Hill, Goddard’s EO director, for putting our office in a place where we are seen and heard. I thank senior management for listening and caring. Who inspires you? My mom! She is the strongest woman I know. I stand on the shoulders of three generations of strong black women. She was the matriarch of our family. I saw her strength and her will as she fought for everything that she thought was right, even against her cancer. The lesson I learned is to never give up. Family is everything. What are your hobbies? I like shopping. I enjoy home decorating. I also love event planning, especially family reunions. What is your “six-word memoir”? A six-word memoir describes something in just six words. Resilient. Loyal. Diligent. Professional. Kind. Supportive. By Elizabeth M. JarrellNASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. Conversations With Goddard is a collection of Q&A profiles highlighting the breadth and depth of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center’s talented and diverse workforce. The Conversations have been published twice a month on average since May 2011. Read past editions on Goddard’s “Our People” webpage. Share Details Last Updated Feb 20, 2024 EditorMadison OlsonContactRob [email protected] Space Flight Center Related TermsPeople of GoddardGoddard Space Flight CenterPeople of NASA Explore More 7 min read Sislyn ‘Pauline’ Barrett: Procuring the Perfect Engineering Services Article 2 weeks ago 6 min read Bethany Theiling: Researching Oceans on Earth and Beyond Bethany Theiling is a planetary research scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt,… Article 3 months ago 7 min read PACE Mission’s Sujung Go: Helping Humanity and the Environment Article 1 week ago

#space #astronomy #news #science

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raulesparzascheerleader · 1 year

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i hope my girl, professor amanda rollins comes back to svu! though, i would not complain if she were to join organized crime. she is not happy where she is, because she liked being out in the field. elliot knows this. elliot told his girlfriend olivia about how amanda is feeling. olivia would be so happy to see her best friend more often.

omg! we are getting somewhere, bensler/eo nation. 💙 honestly, it is going to take time for elliot and olivia to be at a healthy point in their relationship to go to the next level, intimacy. their gift exchange was sweet. "live, laugh, love" is now "liv, laugh, love". :)

like, even though the mccann's intended it for her, it was nice she let elliot keep it. oh my goodness! that compass necklace is so gorgeous! 😍 i hope we see olivia wearing it when season twenty-five begins! :)

even though there were some happy moments, these were sad episodes. jamie whelan was a hero. it was up to him if he wanted to continue living his life.

unless any of us have lived it, none of us truly understand what someone else is going through.

in case it was not clear, sexual assault can happen to anyone. it does not make you weak or less than. no one deserves to be sexually assaulted. no one is ever asking for it. the goal is to survive. do whatever it takes for you to survive. 💜

#svu #law and order oc #🫶🏽🫶🏽🫶🏽

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michaelsenferrell40 · 1 year

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밤알바 커뮤니티 Can Be Fun For Anyone

Her husband, Prageeth Eknaligoda, a prominent investigative journalist and cartoonist, went missing in January 2010. He was a strong critic of the government and investigated alleged abuses against Tamil Tiger separatists. The globe has seen significant progress in the fight for women's access to education and economic independence. However, domestic violence is still a huge challenge in a lot of nations. Last January, she became the very first woman to referee a match at the men's Africa Cup of Nations, and she also officiated at the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

이지알바에서는 여성분들에게 여성 전문 알바 정보를 제공합니다. 알바에 고민이 많은 여성이라면, 지금 바로 구글에서 이지알바를 접속해 보세요. Website : https://t.co/lxVOpMG2pr Email : [email protected] Call : 1833 - 4286 pic.twitter.com/9V4wD7xlBX

— ezalbacokr (@ezalbacokr) January 8, 2023

Work that is quickly-paced, embraces creativity, or has a set structure with systems and processes in spot are all skilled environments exactly where workers with ADHD can shine. There are quite a few forms of jobs and function environments in which the distinctive traits and symptoms of ADHD can help you succeed. At the end of the day, deciding on regardless of whether or not to tell your employer is your choice, so you need to do what feels suitable for you. Whilst your boss can let you go based on poor efficiency or low excellent of operate, they cannot fire you due to the fact of your ADHD diagnosis. This is simply because you have certain protections under the Americans with Disabilities Act, so your employer can not discriminate against you based on a disability.

How Will You Get part time job?

Not too long ago, McCoy employed social media to raise awareness of BTEC’s efforts to get a petition proposing the creation of a Baltimore Regional Transportation Authority on the ballot. The proposal, which the Baltimore City Board of Elections stated fell brief of earning the required number of signatures, would have removed the governor’s authority more than regional transportation choices, and place the power in nearby hands. Addressing gender bias is a multiyear journey without a finite destination. This is why I believe transparent info on fair salaries is such a highly effective way to begin breaking the persistent gender spend gap,” he says. They supply excellent spend, telework solutions, and funds to set up a household workplace. Very first, they get your data and send you a check for, say, $four,000. As soon as the check “clears”, they tell you to keep $1,000 as a salary advance, and send back $3,000 — supposedly to get a computer and workplace equipment. And sadly, when the bank realizes the check is fake, you are out of the job and now $three,000 in debt.

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Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of hospitality workers over the age of 65 has outpaced that sector’s population growth since 2012, rising to 590,000 from 418,000. The boost comes as inflation hits record highs, a phenomenon that hits retirees and these on a fixed income the hardest. Far more than half of the 38 properties in EOS’s portfolio, which contains Red Jacket Resorts on Cape Cod in Massachusetts, and Cape Arundel Inn in Kennebunkport, Maine, rely heavily on seasonal guests — and seasonal hiring.

Dirty Facts About part time job Unveiled

For 90 days immediately after every hire it facilitates, Chandler stays in close get in touch with with the candidate to confirm they're satisfied and really feel set up for achievement whilst also working with the employer to relay feedback and improve the newbie's practical experience. BTP is absolutely free to job-seekers and makes its revenue by charging meticulously-vetted providers — like Lyft, Palantir, and NerdWallet — for its solutions. "I as soon as had a firm give to spend a ten% greater placement fee for recruitment if I didn't do our 90-day feedback model with them," she says. Most of the leaders we interviewed acknowledged that their businesses have uneven early-promotions processes that perpetuate the broken rung on the career ladder for women in technical roles. But https://ezalba.co.kr mentioned that their companies had begun to monitor the advancement of girls in these roles during the 1st five years soon after they are hired.

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Soon after rising by only 1.4% from December 2019 to December 2020, U.S. customer rates surged by 7.% from December 2020 to December 2021. As a result, the share of workers overall experiencing an boost in genuine earnings – more than and above inflation – fell from 54% more than the April 2020-March 2021 period to 47% more than the April 2021-March 2022 period. White, Black and Asian adults involve these who report getting only a single race and who are not Hispanic. Other racial and ethnic groups are integrated in all totals but are not shown separately.

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In past job experiences, Baird was instructed by employers not to wear pants, only skirts. She was even in a predicament where she begged to be let out of a moving vehicle due to unwanted advances from a colleague. An optimistic view of climate options primarily based on an energy transition The initial speaker of the Power Options Forum, Chris Field, gave an introduction on climate alter-connected troubles and probable options.

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aligncompliance · 2 years

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Zero Trust: An Essential Cybersecurity Strategy

Zero trust is an idea that has been gaining traction in the world of cybersecurity over the past few years. It is a key component of President Biden’s Executive Order (EO) on Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity (issued in May 2021) and it is a trend that Gartner has been tracking closely. The analyst firm predicts that spending on zero trust solutions will grow from $820 million this year to $1.674 billion by 2025.

But what is zero trust? And, what makes it an effective solution to mitigate cybersecurity threats? Zero trust is an IT security model that focuses on restricting information access within an organization to only those who need it. The premise of zero trust is to assume that threat actors are present both inside and outside an organization — therefore no users or machines are trusted by default.

In our 2022 Compliance Benchmark Report, we surveyed more than 700 cybersecurity, IT, quality assurance, internal audit, finance, and other professionals about their compliance programs. Here’s what we learned about how organizations are thinking about zero trust strategies.

Zero Trust Priorities Vary Between Industries

While over half of our survey respondents (58%) agree or strongly agree that zero trust is a strategy they must implement in the next 12 months, 29% said they are not sure what they think about its level of importance.

Priorities vary between industries, with IT services (68%), manufacturing (65%), and technology (64%) companies providing the highest amount of agree/strongly agree answers. On the other end of the spectrum, finance (49%) and professional services (47%) had the lowest amount of agree/strongly agree responses.

It’s important to note that public sector organizations who hope to do business with the federal government — regardless of their industry — must prioritize zero trust as mandated by the EO previously mentioned. As we approach one full year since that EO has been in place, we’ll likely see more industries prioritize zero trust in the year to come.

Larger Companies Are Quicker to Adopt Zero Trust

Responses also varied by company size. Our survey found that 73% of organizations with $50M – $1B in annual revenue agree/strongly agree about the need to adopt a zero-trust security strategy. For companies with less than $5M in revenue, that percentage dropped significantly to 45%. These numbers indicate that larger companies believe they are a top target for cybersecurity attacks and are taking the initiative to plan ahead and protect systems and information.

Other Cybersecurity Initiatives Remain Top of Mind

Despite lower adoption of zero trust strategies among certain industries and smaller companies, many organizations across industries still noted they would complete other cybersecurity initiatives to mitigate threats. Vulnerability scans were the most popular initiative, noted as a priority by 52% of our survey respondents, followed by penetration tests (48%) and creating business continuity and disaster recovery (BCDR) plans (42%).

Interestingly ISO 22301 certifications — a renowned standard for BCDR planning — were a particularly high priority for IT services organizations and manufacturing companies.

A Strategic Approach to Implementing a Zero-Trust Architecture

Implementing a zero-trust architecture within any organization can feel like a daunting feat without the right preparation. To make this process more manageable, the experts at A-LIGN recommend a step-by-step approach.

Before you get started, it’s important to troubleshoot possible scenarios that may occur during the implementation process. From there, plan and implement zero trust in ‘zones’ throughout your organization’s infrastructure whenever possible. This strategy will allow you to keep key business operations up and running while mitigating the chance of downtime across too many areas of your business all at once.

Original Source: https://www.a-lign.com/articles/zero-trust-cybersecurity-strategy-benchmark-report

#cybersecurity #cloud services #cybersecurity strategy #cybersecurity architecture #it services

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ladykf-writes · 2 years

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Ardyn’s Kingship and Somnus’ Rulership: an Exploration of FFXV Lore and Etymology

This was not the meta I expected to be dishing out today but here we are. Buckle in folks, this might not be what canon intended, but it is indeed what just exploded from my brain.

(If it’s not clear or you have questions, please come ask me!)

FACT: Aera tells Somnus that Ardyn was to be king

FACT: Ifrit provides the same information to Ardyn

FACT: The Crystal rejects Ardyn as the one who is to be the Founder King of Lucis

Bad storytelling, or is there something more here? A common theory -one I’ve worked with myself- is that the Six are not in fact omniscient and chose Ardyn as their king without consulting the Spirit of Eos, represented by the Crystal, which either chose Somnus from the start or rejected Ardyn because of his corruption by the Starscourge and then chose Somnus as the next best thing. I tend to believe it chose Somnus from the start, because Ardyn gained that taint doing what he was supposed to be doing - curing people.

So, it could be that simple, Ardyn was the Astral’s Chosen, Somnus was Eos’ - but I would like to propose something different, and it hinges around three more facts.

FACT: Aera and Ardyn were engaged to be wed

FACT: Ardyn is Somnus’ older brother

FACT: The word “King” has some very interesting etymology

Let’s get nerdy, folks.

The word “King” comes from a contraction of the Old English word cyning meaning “king or ruler” - the source for all this is HERE if you’re interested, but I’ll be hitting the high points - so far, this isn’t a surprise. But here’s where it gets interesting because cyning doesn’t actually have clear origins. But the best guess currently is that it is at least related to cynn - another Old English word meaning “family or race” that, as you might’ve guessed, led to the modern word kin.

Now, assuming they’re related this means one of two things might be true - that “king” was either "a leader of the people" or "of noble birth.”

The second of those, we’re going to discard. One, because there was no King in the area prior to Somnus founding Lucis and so it would have been... difficult for Ardyn and Somnus to be of noble birth. The first one though... a king as a leader of the people... could that be?

There’s a lot of Ancient Roman vibes in what little we see of Ardyn and Somnus’ era, but enough that it feels reasonable to build from that. While not of noble birth as we think of it (though likely privileged) Ardyn was the older brother. Whatever their family did have, he was set to inherit and Somnus likely would have struck out on his own.

To be more clear here: Ardyn was the next leader of House Caelum. He was born to lead the family, and Somnus was to go out and establish, not only his own lineage, but a kingdom. This would not conflict with Ardyn, however, because Ardyn was also set to marry Aera Mirus Fleuret of Tenebrae which would have gone one of two ways: either the Fleurets were established as matriarchal even then, making him the Prince Consort to her Queen - or whatever equivalent terms they had in Tenebrae for “male married to the female ruler” - Or. Or he would have been King, which... well, I do have theories that suggest he could have been back then. If he was King of Tenebrae, though, that would certainly put him more as Somnus’ peer than necessarily competition.

Regardless, Ardyn remains the father of a very important lineage, and not just because they are the rulers of Tenebrae. Remember, there were two tasks given by the gods: 1) create a new nation 2) cleanse the world of Starscourge.

Establishing a nation seemed to go smoothly enough for Somnus to have succeeded - how much moreso without strained relations with Tenebrae at the start? But curing a WORLD of Starscourge? Two people even in a lifetime cannot possibly manage.

But if two people of exceptional magic, capable of passing it down through blood, had children.... say they had two. And their two children had two children. Etc etc. You’d have had over a thousand in the eighth generation, assuming no one had more than two at a time. And that’s not accumulative - the eighth generation alone would have over a thousand people capable of healing Starscourge, a solid 500 and some change in their parents in addition. Things weren’t dire until Noctis’ time as the one hundred and fourteenth.

They could have done it. Not without cost, no, but together, Ardyn and Aera’s family could have healed the world.

To make brief acknowledgment of the attempted Biblical themes in FFXV, I think it would be closer to the truth to say that he wasn’t meant to be Eos’ Jesus: he was meant to be Abraham, the father of a nation, the father of a race of healers whose descendant(s) would save mankind.

Ultimately the point is this: Ardyn Lucis Caelum was NOT the King of Lucis. He was never intended to be except possibly by misinformed Astrals. He WAS “King” as in the head of House Caelum, his right as firstborn. He was also “king” as a leader of people, his family first and foremost but likely a whole school of mages if things had gone on this more favorable route.

Ardyn was supposed to be a king, Aera had that right. But not of the nation of Lucis.

Unfortunately, no one told Somnus that, so we’re unlikely to ever see it play out.

....I might have to write this.

#ffxv meta #plunny #warning: this was a brain dump #pls ask for clarification #ffxv

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maybe-your-left · 3 years

Text

Window Panes - Forever

We made it!

Here is the Window Panes Masterlist and my Masterlist for all my other fics.

Summary: A cool breeze nipped at your exposed legs, causing goosebumps to erupt over your skin. You were curled into your comforter, comfy and safe, your cheek pressed against your pillow. Lips pursed and a small amount of drool seeping into the fabric. A creak came from the corner of your room, slightly rousing you from your slumber. You glanced around, your drooping eyelids barely taking in the scene. In your sleep riddled state, you didn't see him, his large figure stalking towards you. The whites of his eyes shining in the moonlight, it wasn't until you felt a palm slide up your side. Following the natural contours of your body, the warmth emanating from it lulling you to sleep once again. A dip in the mattress, the springs creaking under the weight.

Hot breath fanned over your neck, soft lips pressing onto the back of your ear. A deep hum filling your senses, you sighed. Cuddling back into the figure, wanting to get closer to the warm entity. A low chuckle sounded behind you, and then...

Nothing.

TW/CW: This is dark shit, like explicitly horrible shit happens in this. However, I enjoy reading dark fics, and I super loved Stalker Clyde by @clumsycopy & was inspired by the oneshot EOS by @thetorturerwrites and I wanted to write something with the sameish tone for Halloween. NSFW, Violence, Murder, Non-con elements, Domestic Violence, Surgery, Explicit sex, oral sex, anal sex, sex toys, miscarriage, mental manipulation, stockholm syndrome, waterboarding, forced feeding, Animal abuse (just a brief mention, I do not go into any detail).

“Is it-Are we rolling?”

“Yeah, we’re rolling.”

“Okay, great,” a sigh of relief.

You shifted in your chair, smoothing back your hair and itching the microphone that was attached to your shirt collar. Crossing and recrossing your legs, you should’ve worn pants, a skirt was a stupid idea with these boots. You gave a weak smile to the woman across from you, her white teeth flashing the cameras all around the sound stage.

“Okay,” she looked into the lens, “We are here tonight with one of the victims of the famous 2020 murder trial from New York. She went through over five years of repeated abuse at the hands of her kidnapper, all while he was out killing people around the city.” She turned to you, nodding her head as a show for you to react to the TV. “It’s so nice to have you here, Miss (Y/N).”

You cleared your throat, shifting once more, “Thank you, it’s a pleasure to be here.”

“How are you doing?”

You bit back a scoff, what a stupid thing to ask. After that introduction, what was she expecting you to say, ‘oh I’m fucking fantastic, I’ve been running since the day he was sent to prison and going through intense psycho-therapy to rid myself of Stockholm syndrome.’.

“I’m great,” you faked a smile, “Always nice to visit New York again.”

“I’m sure,” she smiled once more, all you could think about were the wrinkles on her face, the crows feet on the corner of her eyes. She must get botox for working at a news station, there’s no way her skin is on with just natural confidence.

“When was the last time you visited?”

You had to stop yourself from blurting out an answer, knowing that this would be on national television. Which you knew federal prisons watched, you wouldn’t want to give away any of your whereabouts since the incident. “Uh-it’s been a few years, I haven’t had much reason to be back. My life has shifted to another part of the world.”

“That’s fantastic! So you’ve been doing well for yourself the past six years?”

“Yeah,” you gave a genuine smile, “It’s been tough, no off days really. Trying to gain some normalcy from it all, but I’ve done well. I live relatively fearless, of everything.”

“We have you here because of a break in your case, as I’m sure you know.”

You gave a grim nod.

It’s all anyone wanted to talk about since the story flashed on the news last week. Leaving your once quiet home filled with reporters. You weren’t even home when it happened, out getting groceries, gripping your sons’ hands firmly as you walked the aisles. Letting him pick out some snacks for his lunchbox, like any mother would, when your phone blew up.

Dozens of messages, calls, articles, you name it.

All with his face plastered on it.

Convicted murderer and kidnapper, Kylo Ren, has requested the death penalty. After being found attempting to escape federal prison for the 6th time in the past five years. The convict claims that he ‘would rather die than live another day rotting in his cell’. Dropping all the appeals cases that his lawyers have been pushing since his initial sentencing.

The former New York state governor was on trial for murderering and disemboweling 9 separate victims and kidnapping an 18-year-old girl. He kept her in his basement as his sex slave for close to 3 years before he married her, the young girl escaping into the streets when she was just 22 years old. Covered from head to toe in gashes, blood, and bruises. Claiming that her husband had beaten her within an inch of her life.

The subsequent trial lasted three months after his arrest. Leading to him being convicted of first-degree murder, rape, and domestic assault. He was sentenced to life in prison, his then-wife was placed under medical care for an undetermined time.

Mr. Ren has tried to get his charges appealed since the initial sentencing, claiming that his wife was mentally insane and an unfit witness. Along with other claims that include bribing members of the jury to change their verdicts. The whereabouts of Mr. Ren’s ex-wife is unknown, but he claims that he has kept tabs on her even from ‘the inside’.

“Your kidnapper is being put on death row, which isn’t allowed in the state of New York. Which means he is being transferred over state lines to another prison. However, it hasn’t been revealed where he is being brought because of people interfering with the swap. How do you feel about that?”

You chewed your cheek, thinking for a moment. There was no way he did this willingly, Ren was never someone to take the easy way out. The last time you heard from him was three years ago, on your son’s birthday.

Receiving a call from the prison, the only one you had gotten since the sentencing.

You remember picking up the phone, throat going dry as you whispered that you accepted the charges. Waiting for the operator to connect you to him, after three long years without his voice.

“Hello, love.”

“What,” you whispered, stepping away from the living room of screaming toddlers. Your boyfriend gave you a weird look when your face went white as a ghost. “What do you want, Ren?”

“How are you? Doing well I hope?”

You huffed, moving into your kitchen and ripping a bottle of wine out of the fridge. Taking a drink as you snarled, “Just tell me what shitty thing you have to say so I can go back to my family.”

“Oh, yes. Your family.” he sighed, “And what a sweet family it is… little Luke is how old now? I would think he would be about… three.”

“How do you know about my son?”

“Hm.”

“I don’t think he’s just yours.”

“You shut your mouth, Luke is not your son. I’m going to hang up if you don’t get to the point.”

“He’s growing up so well. Hairs getting longer, but I know you like to keep it short. But he complained about his ears last time-so big.”

You took a deep breath, peaking into the living room. Just in time to see your baby boy, smiling and laughing with his friends. Sitting in your boyfriends’ lap, tearing into presents. His big eyes shone with tears of joy when he ripped through a gift that was his favorite color, red. A squeal so loud it could’ve shattered a window, pulling out a giant plush toy. It was like a penguin-mixed with a little dog, no nose, and some sharp fangs. From one of his favorite TV shows, along with a card and some other little toys.

“Tell me, love,” he chuckled, “Does he like his present? He sounds over the moon about it through the speaker. What I wouldn’t give to be there to run my fingers through his dark hair, look him in the eyes and tell him how much his father loves him.”

You made Luke sleep in bed with you that night, holding his small body flush with yours. Running your fingers through his curls as he snored into your chest, small tracks of drool seeping into your nightshirt. Trembling as you stared at the shadows, dancing across the bedroom from the window. Full moon shining, you could’ve sworn the floor was creaking downstairs, the sound of footsteps climbing towards your room rang in your ears.

You didn’t sleep that night, staring into your son’s face as he woke. Blinking awake to smile as you, his grin reaching across his face. All the way to his ears, large ears, covered by his almost black waves. His long lashes fluttering as he greeted you, “Hi mama.”

His eyes.

Fuck.

One of them your eye color, shining back at you. But the other, it was his.

Deep auburn, shining in the sunlight. Daring you to challenge him, defy him, prove him wrong, anything that would allow him to unleash whatever hell lived under his skin. Flowed through his blood, tainting every corner of your psyche. His child, the one you hid from the world. Moving as far away as you could, claiming it was your boyfriends’ child.

But he knew.

And Luke was starting to notice.

“I feel,” you looked at your hands, forcing them into fists to stop them from shaking, “Just fine, he’s not in my life anymore. Just a small chapter in the book of my story, I hope that he finds peace. Wherever he goes.”

“Peace? For a man that almost killed you multiple times?”

You nodded, “Yeah, I do. I can’t change who he is, or what he’s done. I can just try as hard as I can to move on. And if being on death row will help him find what he’s looking for then I wish him the best of luck.”

She gave you a weird look, shifting in her seat, “Do you think it says anything about his guilt?”

“Guilt?”

“Yes, for the past six years he has never acknowledged that he was guilty. Claiming that the jury and witnesses were bought and that you were mentally unstable-making up half the accusations against him. Do you think that him asking for the death penalty is a way of admitting that he was guilty?”

“Hell no,” you blurted out, eyes going wide at the camera, “Oh-can I swear? I’m so sorry.”

She laughed you off, “You’re fine, we can blur it out. But you sound so confident? Do you think he believes that he’s done nothing wrong?”

Now it was your turn to laugh, “Not to repeat myself but, hell no. That man knows, he’s very conscious of his decisions. Everything has a purpose, everything is done for a reason, Ren doesn’t waste his energy on doing something for no benefit.”

“What would be the benefit of being put on death row?”

You sighed, thinking about Ren, trying to get into his mindset to see how he could angle the sentencing changing. Letting out a sharp laugh as you rubbed your eyes, “Well-you said it earlier.”

She looked at you confused.

“New York doesn’t have the death penalty.”

New York doesn’t have the death penalty.

“Oh my god,” you whispered, looking around the room frantically. “Oh my god-oh my god-oh my GOD-New York doesn’t have the death penalty!” you screamed, shooting out of the chair. Grasping the reporter by her shoulders and shaking her violently, “He knew! He knew I was coming here! He’s gonna take him!”

“Miss (Y/N),” the reporters and security officers yelled. Trying to calm you down, but no, she had said it.

New York doesn’t have the death penalty.

You ran from the TV station, hailing a cab on the packed streets. Frantically calling your boyfriend over and over, he was at home. Back in Nevada… where the death penalty is legal, with Luke. He wouldn’t pick up, the dial tone ringing three times before his voice sang through the speaker.

You wailed in the back of the cab, calling everyone you knew back at home. Asking if they could go get Luke from school, if they had seen him that day. Anything to try prove false the sick feeling in your stomach you knew was true.

Running through airport security as fast as you could, taking the first flight back home. You prayed on the way that your boyfriend had Luke, safe and sound, back at home. Hopefully, curled in his red blanket, snuggling the stuffed animal he got that faithful birthday.

Even though no one knew where it came from.

Luke wouldn’t let you get rid of it.

Claiming his daddy gave it to him.

You just let him have it, he was three there was no way he would let you take his toy away once he had held it to his chest. Kissing it with his full lips, dragging it around the house every fucking day. It was his best friend, from the moment he saw it.

You cried on the plane, realizing too late that the gift was from him.

His real father.

Watching after his miracle child.

When you touched down in Las Vegas, your phone blew up. Your stomach flipping as you read through the messages from your boyfriend, explaining that he let your friend pick Luke up from school. The same friend claimed that your boyfriend had picked him up, Luke’s teacher calling to let you know someone in a black Porsche picked him up.

Whisking away his child from under your nose.

You choked on your tears as you read the message from his teacher, telling you how happy Luke was when he left. How he ran into your new boyfriend's arms, like he had known him for his entire life. She told you that he had introduced himself, Ben was just the most amazing father figure she had ever met. Stowing away Luke, surrounded by toys and chocolate when she waved them off.

After you gathered your luggage you walked towards the cabs out front. Stopping cold in your tracks when you saw a chauffeur holding a sign that said your old name.

Mrs. Ren.

You climbed in, body feeling numb.

Your phone dinged, a picture being sent to you from an unknown number.

A picture of Luke, held tightly against his real father’s chest. Drifting off to sleep in his strong arms that once choked you to death.

See you at home love, we miss you.

-----

I wanted baby luke to say something like ‘my daddy visits me at night’ but it was too on the nose.

TAGLIST: @finn-ray-nal-beads @millenialcatlady @ohdamnadamm @daydreamsofren @candycanes19 @caelum-phyriina-vermillon @millenialcatlady @safarigirlsp @caillea @roanniom @insufferablelust @mrs-zimmerman

#adam driver #adamdriver #kylo ren #kidnapper au #window panes #modern kylo ren #kylo ren x reader #my writing #maybe-your-left #WATCH OUT #daddies here

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rahleeyah · 3 years

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I was going to chill on sending these to you but dammit I’m deep into 12x03 “Behave” for the first time and I have a lot of feelings.

As a general rule I am very anti-Jennifer Love Hewitt as both an older millennial and fellow resident of the same LA area in which she lives lol. But holy crap she has really moved me with her performance in this episode, and the case is just devastating.

Olivia. Well, this Olivia is the Olivia of dreams. So warm and strong and supportive and such a warrior and I’m a little dead inside. This is the Olivia everyone deserves in their corner. The Olivia everyone falls in love with because we have all needed her at some awful, horrible point in our lives.

And my heart just flipped a thousand times over after we realize she’s spent the night on this case and Elliot automatically brought her coffee. When Elliot raised his concerns about the case, and then immediately heard her out and backed her play. This was the EO I loved. This is the Elliot who was the only person strong enough and brave enough for Olivia to lean on when she had nothing left. This is the Elliot who would catch her after she had given all she had to someone else.

Holy fuck Olivia’s “you’re my bitch now” line was just…*chef’s kiss*

Ooooh, I see the twist now. This is the “I Am Evidence” episode. That documentary, by the way, is one of the most disturbing and heartbreaking things I’ve ever seen. I volunteered as a rape crisis advocate in college and was called down to the hospital to hold the hand of women in some pretty shitty situations. And to find out so many kits went untested after all the heartache and work it took to collect that evidence? I just don’t have the words. I’m still infuriated.

A point that always stayed with me in the documentary was that aside from murder, rape is the most violating and violent crime, and the key to catching these criminals who are likely to commit other crimes is right at our fingertips and we just…don’t take advantage. The ROI on testing these rape kits and putting such a large swath of dangerous criminals behind bars is just enormous. Like it would be so beneficial to everyone. But it’s not the first time rampant sexism and misogyny has stood in the way of progress 😡

I’ll get off my soapbox before I rile myself up so badly I can’t sleep. I would take a million more important episodes like this. It was a nice reminder of why I loved this show so much in the first place.

Preach. Good Lord. One of the things I love about svu is they try, so hard, to take Issues™ and present them in a format that is accessible to like. The average American network tv viewer. They're gonna talk about solitary confinement and private prisons and immigration and how police coerce confessions and the national rape kit backlog. For a lot of people watching, especially 10, 15, 20 years ago, this is the only gateway they have to these issues and it's so important and I love them for it. I love Mariska's passion for this specific issue and how hard she has fought to bring attention to it, and to try to do something about it. And the backlog issue comes up again and again, bc it still hasn't been solved. Bc the conversation and the efforts to address it need to be ongoing. Ooof that's good shit I love that.

But also love your thoughts here about eo. Even when they disagree he hears her, and he will always have her back. He is all in with her, always. And how can he not be, when she is so good, so determined, so fucking righteous? Goddddddd I love them.

#ask #s12 they really are just like. so married and not even hiding it

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shadowlink06 · 3 years

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A Captive Heart (Deleted Scenes)

The first draft of this piece capped off at 31k words. These are the scenes I managed to save. Keep in mind, these are being presented as unedited so expect to see typos. One of the things I will tell my editors is to make the story readable. Don't worry about my feelings or deleting scenes. It was pretty normal that 5k was cut as during my World of Ruin series, at least 10k has been deleted or rearranged. Please do not read this post if you have not read the entire story as it contains spoilers.

Salve Regina did not have any deleted scenes since it was a last-minute story that I wrote. You can definitely see the difference when I have more time to think about the story.

Chapter 1:

Regis lamented over his son’s health the more that the days had passed. It was a risk coming to Tenebrae, but he could think of no other options for help when Noctis had slipped in his coma. Thankfully he had woken from it, but there still appeared to be something wrong with him. On the balcony overlooking the city, he stared into the tiny silhouettes of the people going about their day without a care in the world. He wished he could have been more carefree like them. Everyday was like walking on eggshells. He and Sylva had been friends in the distant past. Niflheim’s occupation of the region had limited their contact.

Aldercapt had been a man of greed. His reign had been one stained in bloodshed and heartbreak with the evolving magitek troops he had produced. The rumor was that there was someone within his court that was responsible for the sudden production of the inhuman creations. A human or daemon… it was hard to say at this point. What Regis did know was that in the last twenty years, there had been strides made from Niflheim that caused the barrier protecting Lucis to grow ever smaller.

Regis glanced at the ring of the Lucii. His forebears aided him as much as they could to drive away the onslaught time and time again but the price the ring demanded was a high one. That is why the King had gone through desperate strides to see that Noctis would get better, even if that meant being in enemy territory. Most of the retinue that had joined him had gone back to Lucis and only a handful remained behind to not cause attention to be drawn to Sylva while she did her best to heal Noctis. In his heart, the King wished for the illness Noctis seemed to suffer from to pass quickly but a part of him wondered if the daemon attack had taken more from his son than he could fathom.

Chapter 2:

Regis found himself unable to sleep the past few weeks. Speaking to Sylva had confirmed to him that the daemon attack might have damaged Noctis in a way that was hard for even the Oracle to heal. He had thought the worst of it had been over when Noctis came out of his coma, but perhaps it was just a prelude. When the boys had been settled for bed, the King had taken leave to the gardens with Clarus at his side.

A part of him was still suspicious of the daemon attack. He had known that Niflheim was making strides in their magitek production the last twenty years. Why that had been so had been bothersome to the King and his council. The war with the other nation had always been bloody with Aldercapt’s family refusing to stop it’s aggressive expansion in Eos. And then there was the crystal which they seemed to both admire, fear, and be jealous that such a power was out of their control.

But Regis, like his father before him, refused to give into Niflheim’s demands. There had been concessions made that had unfortunately given Niflheim more influence over what was once Lucian territory but they were still waging war desperately trying to drive the enemy back. What hope he had of ending the war seemed to be only a fairytale. Noctis was destined to continue this struggle, much to Regis’s disappointment.

That was why it was alarming that it seemed that Noctis seemed to be the target. No doubt it would hurt Regis, but also put him at greater risk since that was his only son. Regis could only hope that Noctis would pull through, whatever was wrong with him. “Clarus,” He spoke to his friend. “Do you think this is the right path to take?”

The Shield considered his words. “It is not my place to say your Highness.”

Wedding Crashers:

Even if it was in the early morning, Aranea always stopped by the same bar, at the same time. She wasn’t sure when the ritual started, but she, Biggs, and Wedge, always ate together before proceeding to their business at the Empire. As she walked in today though, there was a hole that filled in the pit of her stomach as she sat in the barstool, right in the middle of the men. The bartender, an old guy around 70, gave a nod and set a glass in front of her before pouring orange juice in it. “Usual?” His gruffled voice muttered behind the heavy gray mustache.

“Please.” Aranea said before he disappeared into the back to get her order ready.

“Should’ve ordered something different.” Biggs said as he lit the tip of his cigarette. Sure will be reassigned after the wedding day is announced.

“Feels strange.” Wedge admitted. “Thought I would resent those brats being their personal babysitters... but they were both good people.”

“Don’t tell me you are getting sentimental?” Aranea mused with an arched brow.

“Naw… it’ll be nice to take to the skies again.” Wedge replied.

“Agreed, much prefer it. We were meant for the sky.” Biggs said.

Aranea had to agree with them. That is where the three of them met together when they had signed up for the job. It was so fun being able to see all of Eos just outside of their window. She grabbed her glass before taking a drink out of it. The acidic burn of the orange juice stung going down, but she kept chugging it until nothing was left. “Humph, another era for Niflheim.”

“His Radiance certainly played his cards right.”

That made the commodore laugh softly. “Guess he did…” Too well. From there the trio grew silent as they continued to small talk about what would be next for them. Eventually the bartender came back with toast, eggs, and bacon for three of them as they ate breakfast together. Aranea didn’t finish her meal much to Biggs and Wedge’s surprise.

“You okay Lady A?” Biggs asked.

Aranea nodded before glancing down at the unfinished plate. “Yeah, guess I just got a lot on my mind.” She reached into her wallet throwing out enough bills to cover their meals and left a generous tip for the bartender. “Guess we better get ready to go.” All three stood up walking out of the bar. She readied herself to go to the castle while Biggs and Wedge headed to the aircraft hold to delegate security for the coming wedding. Before they parted the commodore couldn’t help but speak to her friends. “Biggs… Wedge. It’s been great knowing you.”

The pair looked at each other before chuckling softly. “Sure you haven’t been hittin’ the bottles Ms?” Biggs said with that goofy grin on his face. They knew that Aranea never drank for she had always been one to know what was going on around her. Biggs always said eventually he’d get her drunk one of these days. He hadn’t succeeded in the past ten years though.

Aranea forced herself to laugh. “Maybe a little bit. See you guys.” Although in the bottom of her heart this moment was the last time she would see them.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Titus walked into the Lucis council chamber early in the morning. It was Prince Noctis’s eighteenth birthday, and today was the day that Regis was dreading. Aldercapt had wasted no time in getting the date set up for the wedding the moment Noctis had turned of age. His Radiance had assumed that Regis would try something if the wedding day was extended longer… given how the council had been behaving the last few months, Aldercapt had been right.

Stil he had been unable to figure out just who was feeding the council information about the Prince’s movements. But he had gotten better about covering up his emotions when it was clear that sensitive information about the Prince was delivered. Whoever it was had been sly, always staying out of reach of Titus’s grasp and slipping away. It was hard to pin down who it was since whoever was feeding the court information wasn’t coming directly to the citadel to deliver the information. From what he could tell, the intel was spot on. Between them knowing Aldercapt’s schedule, times where the military cabinet would be attending meetings, or even when they were not in Niflheim, it was always accurate. Whoever it was, Titus was managing to stay one step ahead of them by abruptly changing plans or cancelling meetings to subvert a way to leave Noctis vulnerable. So far, he had been successful, but by now, the mole knew that there was a mole in Lucis which was making things more complicated. Titus was hoping that the mole would surface soon. His affairs at Niflheim had kept him from learning about the secret ops mission that Clarus was overseeing. Until the wedding day was taken care of, Titus was on leave giving him the opportunity to play his role as Drautos.

Lucis had to make their move soon else they would be subservient to Niflheim. That was why he was counting on something big happening during the small window where Noctis turned 18 and he produced an heir. It was a critical time for both sides, and it might have been time to cut his ties from Lucis completely. His only regret was the same one he had ten years ago, he couldn’t be the one to thrust his sword in Regis’s heart.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

“You won’t be able to do this on your own!” Noctis cried out.

She agreed with the Prince, but it was irrelevant. Everyone had gambled on this to work and so she could only press forward. “I said go! I can’t fight them and protect you brats!” She shouted pointing the spear at them to make her point clear.

Ignis hesitated, but pulled Noctis up. “We have to go Noct…” He said softly, eyeing the street and where the circled area was. Almost there… he hoped whatever was there was useful.

Aranea continued to destroy the units as they continued to deploy from the drop ship. “I’ve gotta take those damn things out.”. Charging her Stoss Spear, she pressed the tip of it into the ground using the momentum of the energy to propel her forward. She landed on the roof of the homes watching as the drop ships descended lower. “Perfect.” She said jumping rooftop to rooftop to close the distance in between them. She was thankful that her time in the sky was helpful in this situation.

The MTs might have been up to date with the constant upgrades and data supplied by Verstael, but the drop ship models were ones that had a few decades behind. The newer models were sent to battles, and the older ones were stationed within the city. They might not have been as fast, but the older drop ships didn’t have to be since this was the capital and it was always heavily guarded. It was an exploit that Aranea had hoped would happen. The engine was easier to get to in the older models. The glowing energy radiating from the hull gave away their location. Charing her spear, she moved herself closer to it before striking the engine with the tip. Several explosions followed before she had to jump away. The ship started to descend, and Aranea grit her teeth praying that the people below would hear the sound of the ship and evacuate the area safely. A subsequent crash and explosion followed, yet Aranea pressed on. She couldn’t worry about the casualties or damage now, there were two more ships that needed to be downed. She did the same maneuver as before and a second drop ship fell from the sky. The last one, was a bigger model, and one that had her heart skip a beat. The emblem off to the side was unmistakable. Glauca’s personal ship.

She stopped to catch her breath as more MTs dropped out of the General’s ship surrounding her. The searchlight was steady on her from Glauca’s ship and her mouth pressed together seeing that familiar sight of bluish metal and ominous red jump out of the drop ship. The impact of Glauca’s fall had the concrete a few feet from him disintegrate into shattered pieces of rocks. “Aranea Highwind…” The voice boomed. “All this time… you were the traitor in our midst.”

To that the commodore laughed softly. “Well what can I say? Guess I have a soft spot for kids.”

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

“-I said just do it!” Verstael snarled watching the soldier cringe from his tone. “If the General or Aldercapt have an issue with it... they can speak to me personally. Make sure he is given a sedative to keep him knocked out.” No, he didn’t even want anyone seeing this boy and he covered up the boy’s face still speaking. “Take care of him… now.”

“Y-yes sir!” The soldier moved down and began to tend to the Lucian.

When Verstael was sure that he got the point across he was already aiming for the direction of his lab. “That boy…” He murmured, unable to get the image of his face out of his head. The features were unmistakable. As a scientist, he didn’t believe in fate or luck. Yet for once… he was at a loss as to how to deal with the situation. A DNA test needed to be done first to verify his thoughts, but deep down he already knew why that soldier looked so damn familiar.

Aftermath:

There had always been rumors about the King’s health. The access to the armiger did have it’s limitations along with the power of the kings. Prompto had never seen Regis use it first hand, but he knew that each time Regis blessed a Crownsguard or Kingsglaive with the power of the armiger, he lost precious time on his life. It was why the King had always described this mission as “be all to end all”. Of course Noctis being prisoner for as long as he had been was something that Regis had always wanted to change, but the cost… he had no idea it would be taken this far.

“You have nowhere to go now boy.” The voice said softly. “But worry not, you are in the place you are supposed to be.”

Prompto grit his teeth thrashing against his bonds. “I kneel before no king but Regis Lucis Caelum and his son Noctis Lucis Caelum!”

“Who is dead.” The voice reminded him. “And as for that brat… well you might have him back but even the company of your best doctors will not erase ten years under our care.” Of course he didn’t know that for sure but… they still had something that the Prince wanted. “Regardless of that… I must undo the damage that your mother has done to you. It is the only way you will be pardoned for your crimes.”

Prompto froze at the mention of his mother. Why did someone from Niflheim seem to speak so formally. No… it was a trick. The gunner laughed softly. “Is this your idea of an interrogation? Making up stories to think I’ll take the bait?” He heard a door opening behind him, but he couldn’t even turn to see who had come into the room. “You’re really bad at this…”

“Had it been anyone else, I might not have pressed the issue. But you and I… share a history together.”

Prompto didn’t recognize the voice at all though. Not wishing to give the man a reason to start his torture, he opted to keep the man talking for now. “I know no one from Niflheim.” He spat, the malicus was clear, the things that he had seen growing up, the people that suffered because of their magitek were burned into his brain. “I’m a proud Lucian! Never would I apologize to Niflheim scum!”

“That is no way to speak of the land of your birth, Prompto.”

The gunner’s breath hitched when the man said his name. He could have blamed it on his ID being taken, or even the Crownsguard uniform but he knew that all officers that had been tasked with this operation had all of their personal belongings left back home. So with that knowledge in the back of his mind… how had this man figured out his name? Now he was trying to look at the figure from his peripheral vision.

“It seems I’ve gotten your attention now.” The voice mused. “I’m glad she didn’t change your name. You were born in these halls, I held you in my hands. You were destined to be a scientist and know the best of cutting edge technology. But your mother… a coward unwilling to embrace the power of my research took you and fled. I had wondered where she had taken you too.” He snorted. “Lucis would have been the last place I expected.” But in hindsight it did make the most sense.

“Who…. who the hell are you?” Prompto choked out. The man finally stood in front of him and what he saw made his face pale as he came face to face with a man that looked so much like him. The freckles dotting his face, the blonde hair, the blue eyes burning back at him.

Verstael summoned a gun from his own armiger. Unlike Prompto’s weapons though, the magic that came from it was glowing red rather than blue. He pointed the barrel at Prompto’s face wrestling with what to do about the situation. “Hello... my son.”

#A Captive Heart #fanfiction #fanfic #zine #ignoct #ignoctReverseBang #noctis #ignis #verstael #ardyn #Titus #deleted dialogue #deleted scene

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renxamamiya · 4 years

Text

Twin Stars

Late birthday present for @lenle-g! It’s been ages since I’ve properly written Thunderbirds fanfic and god it feels good.

A03 | 4.2k

“-and Gordon managed to catch it! You should have been there, John!”

Alan’s excited face as he recounted his recent mission shone brightly through the holovid. Earlier that day International Rescue had received a distress call in one of the National Parks in Thailand, where a couple accidentally collapsed into a previously unknown cave network unearthed by soft mud left from the recent monsoon rain.

John always liked to hear about Alan’s recent escapades down on Earth, the youngest Tracy’s enthusiasm infectious and delightful to hear that John couldn’t help but smile. He knew that for Alan, being part of a mission taking place on the blue, glowing planet below John’s feet was a rarity for Alan, the young boy having to always sit out just in case someone needed help within the reaches of their solar system - something that occurred more commonly as space travel continued to evolve rapidly. The young Tracy, unlike the majority of his brothers, had little opportunity to experience the different places around the World outside their Island home; and John pitied him.

“Well, that’s amazing, Alan,” John said, returning Alan's enthusiastic smile, while reaching for his coffee, taking a sip from his mug, thankful that artificial gravity was even a possibility on Thunderbird Five. Though he was in the rescuing ‘business’ alongside his brothers, he preferred to be out of the action, to be their watchful eye, their guardian angel.

“I mean, it’s better than having to perform system diagnostics on Thunderbird Five,” Alan said smugly, crossing his arms as he looked at John with some sort of smug superiority, “I know you gotta do it but it seems really boring, you sure you can’t let Brains take care of it?”

“I’m fine,” John assured Alan, taking another sip from his mug, “I’ve done this numerous times, and I don’t need to tear Brains from his work. Besides, I have EOS right here with me.”

“You mean your code baby?” Alan laughed, and John rolled his eyes, “I know you hate being around people but I mean, do you really hate people that much that you’d rather be around some computers?”

“I am not just a ‘computer’,” EOS piqued up, her childish voice sounding clear offence to Alan’s little nickname, “And John and I are progressing through the system diagnostic quite well, thank you very much. Ever since I became a member of International Rescue, there have been practically no flaws in the system’s code. Thunderbird Five is impenetrable.”

“For now,” John corrected the AI, “Remember, Havoc managed to install a virus in your software-”

“-Through an illegal and extremely painful form of brute-forcing my code!-”

“- and we need to ensure that our systems have as little vulnerabilities as possible. We can’t take that change. Ever.”

“Which is why I’m glad that I’m not doing any of that.” Alan laughed, trying to introduce humour to the rapidly tense atmosphere between creation and creator. It seemed to work, as John sighed, rubbing the back of his neck before remembering that Alan was still on the call.

“Sorry about that, Alan.” John apologised to the younger Tracy, “I didn’t mean for any interruptions during our call.”

“Aww it’s okay, John, I should be the one sorry. After all, I did anger the code baby,” Alan said, causing EOS to blow a raspberry (or play a sound clip of a raspberry) directed towards Alan.

“So, when are you coming down to Earth again?” Alan asks John, his eyes now staring at him with eagerness, “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

“It has, but it’s normally busy for us this time of year, isn’t it?” John said, knowing that the change of weather and the encroaching holiday season meant more people being tired as most of the World is shrouded in dark and cold, meaning more opportunity for disaster. Alan’s face fell, disappointed that he would likely be seeing his elder space-loving brother way later than he wanted, and that John was right.

He groaned, crossing his arms on the table before nestling his head on top of them. He hated winter rescue missions, and silently begged for any divine being for there to be no disasters as the winter season encroached across the world. John cringed, suddenly realising what he had done.

“Sorry...” he mumbled.

“I’m okay, I’m okay.” Alan reassured his brother, swinging his head up from the table, and gave John a smile, “Just make sure you buy me a super cool gift, okay? I won’t accept anything less than a new hoverboard if you’re missing Christmas again.”

“Alan, I’m sure that Brains can build something much better than what you can get on the market.” John pointed out, and Alan groaned.

“Yeah but he’s busy,” he whined, and John rolled his eyes; yet he knew that it was Alan’s excuse to see John again back on Earth, even if it meant that the ginger astronaut was tripping on his own two feet for the entire duration he was there.

“Okay, Alan,” John relented, sighing as he put his coffee down, quickly turning his attention to multiple screens towards the side as to check the progress of his temporarily forgotten system diagnostics, “I’ll look over the possible models. Maybe, if everything quiets down this year, we can take a trip somewhere?”

“Where exactly?” Alan asks, and John smiles at how suddenly excited he looks.

“I don’t know. Other than Ohio to meet up with some friends, I’m leaving the rest up to you.”

“Oh hell yeah!” Alan practically jumps out from his seat, now restless at the prospect of travelling to somewhere different with John. Before he could say anything, John could hear the distinct call announcing dinner from Grandma. He turned to look at John.

“I’ll be back, John,” he informs his brother, “It’s dinner time, and damn I’m suddenly hungry.”

“Well, good luck with Grandma’s cooking,” John said, now feeling pitiful towards Alan as he smiled at his brother.

“Nah, it’s Virge’s turn, thankfully,” Alan said, “He’s making some really nice curry tonight that he found somewhere in Dad’s old cookbooks! Oh god it smells delicious! I gotta dash, John, talk later, bye!”

“Bye, Alan,” John waved just as Alan disconnected the coms. Getting up quickly to pour away the remains of his now cold cup of coffee, he sat back at his workstation, pulling up a message window, and typed requested some time off with Alan from Scott.

***

There was fire everywhere. Heat rumbled in his ears as metal cracked and splintered below his feet, flakes of wiring and globs of plastic dripped ahead of him as he carried his injured brother out from the rapidly collapsing space station, his arm around his neck.

John struggled for breath in his helmet as he helped Alan navigate the flaming remains of the wreckage, the oxygen that the failing life support provided was already being eaten up by greedy flames that continued to roar for more. The two Tracy’s were familiar with the danger around them and practised many times over the course of their careers to make miracle escapes, yet despite their almost divine-like lucky streak, the disappearance of their father for many years have properly ingrained in them that they too could not escape the threat of death.

“John?” Alan murmured as he quietly exited from unconsciousness, the wound from the heavy steel that struck the young astronaut from earlier in the rescue oozed blood, the crimson streaking visibly down his pale face alongside streams of sweat under his helmet.

“Yes, Alan?” John said, trying hard to give his brother a comforting expression as they shuffled through the deteriorating space station, “Are you okay? Do you need anything?”

“-m fine,” Alan grunted as he looked at his brother through half-lidded eyes. Alan was not fine, John having the displeasure of witnessing a beam fall on his brother as they made their escape alongside the other members of the space station. Sharp, steel shrapnel sliced Alan’s skin as the station suddenly exploded, sending the youngest of the two brothers whizzing back, and John considered it a miracle that his baby brother wasn’t now blind in both eyes. “-at happened?”

John’s soft smile faltered as he heard Alan’s speech slur, Alan delirious from his sudden, violent impact onto the floor and the smog that choked his lungs. John had the displeasure to witness Alan’s slip out of consciousness, minutes before he struggled to get Alan’s helmet on as he breathed heavily within his own.

“You got caught in a blast,” he replied shortly, turning his attention to the path before him, “Some metal shrapnel scraped your skin pretty bad. It’s a miracle you only got away with that scratch.”

“Oof,” Alan commented, and John struggled to swallow the urge to scold him right there and then. What Alan did there was reckless, staying seconds longer at that malfunctioning console then John had advised him to, he didn’t need to be the one who had to man the console, he…

John shook the intrusive thoughts as he grunted audibly, mustering the extra energy he needed to push forward, his muscles screaming from the previous aches of having to pry open functionless doors and pushing away obstructing debris. He turned to check on Alan again, his eyes still half-open, unfocused as he kept his gaze looking at the floor before them.

“How far are we to Thunderbird Three?”

“Not far,” John answered, just able to see the airlock they used to board the space station past another set of doors, relieved that the glass has been damaged to the point of shattering thanks to the surrounding heat. He breathed in a deep breath, the air in his helmet stale and hot while the muscles in his legs ached. When he had managed to reach the sanctuary of Thunderbird Five, he had to revise his own exercise routine to work more on his leg muscles, he thought to himself.

“We’re close now, Alan, just hold on tight, okay?” John said. Alan's only response was a grunt of acknowledgement, and John wondered if his words were meant to console his younger brother or himself. They both continued to trudge towards and through the broken glass of the last door dividing them between certain death and salvation, John helping Alan through the jaded glass, anxiety choked him at the idea of even a small bit of glass scratching through the fragile material of Alan’s spacesuit.

“-Mmm we there yet?” Alan said, and John uttered a quick ‘yes’ as he again draped Alan’s arm around him. They were so close. So so close.

“There you are!” one of the astronauts said, and John ignored their impatient glare as he quickly typed Thunderbird Three’s access code, exhaling the tense breath he unconsciously held as the access hatch opened up invitingly. John gestured with a quick nod of his head, an invitation for the scientists to follow him into the rocket before quickly shuffling inside with his brother, heading towards the cockpit.

“Easy does it now,” he muttered, lowering Alan gently into his seat, taking off Alan’s helmet to allow him some semblance of fresh air. Alan gasped deeply, and then coughed as John quickly checked his wound. The gash was noticeable, yes, and he feared that it was too deep to be properly taken care of while in space.

“-m gonna be okay, John,” Alan huffed, and he lightly swatted John’s hand away in annoyance, “You’re as bad as Scott,”

“It’s a good thing that the other astronauts don’t have any injuries,” John thought to himself, annoyed that Alan was acting so childish despite being injured. He reached for the First Aid Kit that was located in a compartment that was snugly under the dashboard, quickly taking out a padded gauze and antiseptic, before disinfecting Alan’s wound, the youngest hissing in response.

“John, we don’t have time for this,” Alan said as he again swatted John’s hand away from him, “We need to go, the station is about to blow,”

“Alan, please I need to take care of it now,” John warned, pouring a small amount of antiseptic onto the gauze before pressing it onto Alan’s head, earning a loud hiss from the boy, reaching for tape in order to hold it in place, “You’re bleeding, and I cannot take the risk of it getting infected,”

Alan replied with nothing, too tired to put up anything other than weak grumbles and hisses as the antiseptic made contact with exposed flesh. John quickly patted the tape down on skin before dashing into his own chair, settling down and making sure he was secure before reaching over the controls, undocking Thunderbird Three from the faltering space station before departing, engines blasting in full throttle to ensure they didn’t blow up alongside the inevitable bomb beside them.

They were a few minutes in their flight back to Earth when Alan’s vision as someone cleared up, his eyes picking up the low rumble of Thunderbird Three’s rockets and the astronauts quietly muttering amongst themselves. He closed his eyes. Over the course of his rescuing career, he learned to appreciate moments of stillness and rest; though the rush of adrenaline of brushing against death was an addictive, thrill-seeking activity he couldn’t get enough of, the aftermath was less pleasant, and he still remembers the numerous injuries he had gotten as consequence for not allowing his body to rest.

He turned to John, his older brother’s expression focused and serious, arms tense as his hands gripped the navigation controls tightly. Alan swore he could hear the fabric strain by how tight John’s grip was, and could see his jaw clench tightly - something he did during high moments of stress and anxiety.

“John, you okay?”

“I’m fine.” John suddenly snapped, looking at with sad, angry eyes. Alan flinched, not used to John’s anger, the middle brother always being calm and detached emotionally to the point of numbness, almost like a machine, always listening and level-headed.

John noticed Alan’s flinching, and suddenly he shrunk with a guilty look on his face.

“I’m… I’m sorry, Alan,” he said, and Alan replied with a nod, “I just… I just thought you’d...”

“Hey, but I’m okay, I just got a bump, that’s all.”

“But it could have been worse.” John emphasised, looking away from his brother’s eyes and onto the scenery of space in front of him, “Even a tear in your suit could have been...”

“John, I’m fine, really.” Alan reassured his brother, and felt less tense as he saw John’s arms relax, “Honestly there’s no point in worrying about what if’s anymore. The mission is pretty much done and we can relax.”

“I know Alan, but I can’t help it.” John admits, swallowing nervously, “It’s a habit. You know how anxious I get, and just seeing you there unconscious… I know you’re more than capable of participating and even leading missions, Alan but… but no matter how many times you’ve been on missions I can’t help but worry.”

“I’m not a baby, John.” Alan fake pouts, and John laughs weakly.

“I know, but you’re my baby brother. That’ll never change.” John said, “and because you’re my baby brother, I don’t think I, or any of our family would stop worrying about you.”

“Yeah yeah, I get it.” Alan mumbles. The two brothers sat there while John continued to navigate them home.

“Hey, John?” Alan piqued up.

“Yes, Alan?”

“Thank you for rescuing me back there.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Please, don’t tell Scott.”

“I don’t think that’s non-negotiable.”

“Really?”

“Yes,” John laughed, “If he saw you getting injured in the report before I had the chance to tell him, it’ll be my life on the line next. Unless you can save me, of course.”

“I don’t think even International Rescue can save you from the wrath of Scott going all Mom-Mode.” Alan joked, and John couldn’t resist the urge to let out a humorous, warm chuckle.

***

“John, can you tell me what mom was like?”

John looked up from the tablet he was reading to see Alan’s blue eyes peer into his own, his face half-obscured by shadows cast from the setting tropical sun, blue skies turning a gradient of rich red and orange. He tapped the power button of the tablet off before he put it down on the coffee table in front of him, allowing the spaceman to turn to his youngest brother.

The topic of their mother came up numerous times over the course of Alan growing up. She passed on too early in his life for Alan to remember her, only able to build an image of her in his head through pictures and old recordings that the family had kept safely throughout the years, still only able to daydream holidays with her, memories too young to properly remember the real, organic sound of her delighted laughs echoing in the small rooms of the ranch house they used to live in. John could only pass sympathy to Alan, him feeling as though he took for granted the moments he spent with his mother watching the stars twinkle at night from high, dusty hills, her shared enthusiasm for the stars and space and the beyond now echoed only by the telescope and old fashioned textbooks she silently left behind.

“Sure, Alan,” John replied to his brother’s inquiry, not brave enough to ask him why their mother had again sprung among the forefront of his mind. Alan predictably had a detached relationship with their mother, asking why his brother and father cried with such fervour around the time of her birthday and had looked at them with curiosity when a whiff of perfume from some passing stranger was sometimes all it took to make their eldest brother violently tear up. He felt sad with his mother’s passing, yes, but to him, it was more akin to losing out on something the other brothers shared so strongly. John understood empathised somewhat with this feeling; being the middle child meant that the time spent with his mother was not as fleeting like with Gordon and Alan, yet he was not so close with her as to feel the sizeable hole she left within her passing as she did with Scott and Virgil. A sweet spot he was awarded from the timing of his birth: one that allowed closeness with his mother, but also the distance in grieving when she passed.

“Well, she liked orchids and space, and enjoyed the smell of baked bread and the grass after he had rained-.” he started with practised cadence, the list of what their mom was like rehearsed through the many, many times Alan had repeated the question to him.

“Yeah, I know all of that.” Alan huffed, impatience getting to him from having listened to the same words over and over again, “I wanted to know what she was like when she had me.”

“Why the sudden curiosity?” John asked. Alan shifted in his stance.

“Well...” he said, now looking away at John in embarrassment as he reflexively rubbed the back of his neck, “My friend from my online class, Billy; his mom’s having another child, and that got me thinking...”

“About mom.” John finished, Alan sighed.

“Yeah.”

John grinned, amused at Alan’s sheepish behaviour. He nodded in reply and waited for Alan patiently as the younger brother made his way down the small steps into the circular lounge, sitting on the space next to the seasoned astronaut and waited for John to start with a patient gaze.

“When mom had you...” John started, closing his eyes momentarily to cast himself back into two decades ago, “I remembered there being the four of us at the time, of course. Gordon was always running around causing trouble in the house, mom trying to catch him while she was six months pregnant with you. I remember days where we helped her around the house whenever we could, mom too tired from having to take care of four sons while you were on the way. I uh, also remember some weird foods she had us pick up whenever we went into town with Dad.”

“Like what?”

“Pickled eggs, sometimes Hot Cheetos dipped in ice cream. I remember distinctly mom wanting nothing but imported durian for an entire month.”

Alan almost gagged at the list, John laughing gently at his reaction.

“That’s how I felt as well. Even the mention of durian still makes me a bit sick.”

“Yeah, yikes. Sorry, you had to endure that bro.”

“Unless you had direct control of mom’s cravings, you have nothing to be sorry for, Alan.”

“Well, not that I remember,” Alan said, and John raised an eyebrow, curious as to where this conversation was heading, “Unless of course, my alien baby instincts were controlling her the entire time!”

He positioned his index fingers around his canines, moving them around if they were mandibles as he made absurd sounds that John could do nothing but laugh at how ridiculous Alan was acting. Alan soon joined in, the two of them laughing in amusement before calming down to soft giggles.

“Haha, very funny, Alan,” John said, gathering his composure yet again, Alan grinning proudly at his joke. Silence drifted between them, John looking at his brother carefully as Alan thought of another question to ask him.

“John?”

“Yes, Alan?”

“How did mom react when she was told that she had me?” Alan asked, “I mean, having five boys does sound quite a handful.”

“Actually, mom wanted another son,” John recalled, and Alan looked at him with bewilderment, “You should have seen Dad’s reaction, however. Though he loves you dearly, I remember him hoping that we would have a sister instead. Gordon was especially pleased, as your arrival meant he would have someone to play with when Scott and Virgil were especially busy; Scott was just happy he’d soon have an excuse to get Gordon out of his hair.”

“What about you, John?” Alan asked him, and John shrugged.

“I don’t really remember what I thought,” he admitted, reflexively looking away at Alan for a bit as he tried to recall that particular memory, “I think I was just… indifferent.”

“Indifferent?”

“I think during that time, space was all I cared about, honestly.” he sighed, “I knew mom and dad wanted another child. It wasn’t exactly my place to protest, so I mostly kept quiet during mom’s pregnancy. Gordon was practically bragging to his friends about you, though, and I think both Scott and Virgil were happily anticipating your arrival as well.”

“Yeah…” Alan trailed off, John noticing Alan’s saddened expression.

“Alan.” John cautiously said, “What’s the matter?”

“I dunno.” Alan mumbled, giving John a half-hearted shrug, “I just...”

“What?”

“Dunno… disappointed that you didn’t really react much, I guess?”

“Oh.”

Silence again fell between the two brothers, tense emotions occupied the void left from the previous conversation. John looked away from Alan in embarrassment and shame, and Alan looked away in turn, the idea of staring at his b.

John suddenly chuckled to himself, Alan looked at him curiously.

“Why are you smiling, John?”

“I’ve just remembered something,” John said, looking up from the floor to meet Alan’s stare, “Something you used to do when mom and dad weren’t around.”

“What was it?” Alan asked, and John’s grin grew wider.

“Whenever I had a book out, about the stars, you’d always crawl up to me. Even when you were six or seven months old and Scott was too busy trying to get Gordon out of trouble you’d just sit next to me while I was reading. I think back then you thought I would read you a story there and then.”

“Did you read your science textbook to me when I was a baby?” Alan half-joked.

“Eventually.” John smiled, “You’d never leave me alone otherwise.”

“Haha wow,” Alan said, “Doubt I would have understood anything though.”

“That is true, but you were a diligent student when you weren’t drooling on the pages,” John said, fondly remembering helping an infant Alan trace the constellations in his book with his finger, a memory in which he still remembers fondly.

The two brothers continued to talk about tales from Alan’s infant years as the sun fully set and the moon rose in full, John recounting fond memories of messy dinners and sunny days out, and Alan listened intently, imagining them as his own.

“Hey, you two,” Scott’s said casually towards John and Alan, both of them interrupted by their vacation into nostalgia as they both turned to spot the eldest holding a cup of coffee and looking tired, no doubt still intending to get some work done before heading off into bed, “What are you guys doing?”

“Nothing much, Scott.” John answered before Alan did, “Just talking about some old memories with mom.”

“Well, don’t stay up too late, okay? Alan you need to get up to take that test tomorrow, and John-”

“Yes, Scott. No late-night projects. I understand.”

Scott gave the two of them a satisfied smile before he turned to walk off into the villa, the two brothers watching him until he left.

“You know, with Scotty around, it’s almost like mom never really left,” Alan said smugly, and John couldn’t help but laugh.

#dan's log #txt #thunderbirds #john tracy #alan tracy #thunderbirds are go #fanfic #mywriting #myfanfic

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